No comments about Global Treasures St. Petersburg Russia.

5 comments about The Santa Barbara Video Tours DVD.

1. This title really shows the diversity of the Santa Barbara area. With many videos and the best of SB - there are quite a few interesting sections to bounce around and explore on this DVD . . .



2. I live in Montecito near Santa Barbara. This DVD was a great gift to friends and family traveling to our area. So much to see and do - Santa Barbara is the BEST!!



3. I'm originally from SB - Nice to see the hometown this way. Easy to navigate menus - nice work!



4. I have lived in Santa Barbara for over 20 years and most people who have visited agree that it is one of the most unique and beautiful places on earth. This DVD is the perfect gift for those who unfortunately cannot be Santa Barbara residents.
   
   Sven Klein - Santa Barbara, CA



5. This is such a horrible rip off, All you see on this video is like 30 seconds of each attraction, with horrible background music, there's not a play all button, it's very annoying to go back to the menu for only a 30 second clip, not to mention it's all advertising, nothing very entertaining about it, SANTA BARBARA is such a beautiful place, the idea of this DVD was good, but delivered poorly, I wanted my family to see the place I live in, I'll have to do a video myself. I want my money back!

No comments about 7 Days NEVADA U.S.A..

2 comments about TRAN SCAN.

1. "Tran Scan" uses a new technique of telescopic, travelling time-lapse cinematography (albeit cinematography without a movie camera!) to traverse the entire continent from Pacific to Atlantic on the Trans Canada Highway in eight exhilarating, non-stop minutes. Photographed from the point of view of the traveller and fixed on the landscape ahead, the film takes you on a kaleidoscopic joyride unlike anything you've experienced before. "Tran Scan" is breathtaking in its originality, a 21st century "Railrodder" in cosmic zoom! Fasten your seat belt and treat yourself to the experience. And if you're Canadian, look for familiar landmarks along the way.



2. I first saw Mr. Arthur's work years ago at ResFest. This piece is the culmination of techniques used in those earlier pieces. He has developed a unique method of investigating his surroundings and exploring movement. I have never seen anything like it. It is an exceptional piece of avant-garde film making.
   
   I sought out this disc when it was first released and it knocked me out. Stephen Arthur shows the viewer a seldom seen world of moments in time linked together through the motion of an automobile. In this movement the viewer connects to the world outside of the car in a very different fashion from what is typical of experiencing your surroundings through the picture window of the windshield.
   
   On occasion film makers achieve through the frame a new way of seeing. Mr. Arthur's work rises to that level and is both a technological exploration of film and a beautiful piece of art. Through this ability he provides the viewer a unique and marvelous immersive experience.

5 comments about The High Crusade.

1. I gave it a try because I loved the book and because one of the actors was in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. My gosh! What trash. Not funny. Terrible acting. Terrible screenplay. Obviously, a fair amount of energy was put into the sets, but the special effects were comparable to Plan 9. Don't do it. No matter how much you loved the book, I warn you, you will regret the experience.



2. I was disappointed that this was not an adaption of the very funny Poul Anderson book. Other that a credit to him and the fact that the story involves knights and aliens, there is scant relationship between the book and the movie.

   This movie is more akin to Benny Hill than Monty Python. Very low brow and broad.

   That said, the movie was mildly amusing. Not worth buying unless you find it in a cut-out bin.




3. My father bought this movie thinking it was a historical account of the crusades. Maybe he didn't read the back or see the spaceship flying across the cover. In any case, he cursed me for not notifing him of the film's contents. My father somehow managed to sit through this movie, then disowned it. I have tried several times to sit down and watch this movie to the end with no avail. It's not funny, or scary, nor does it accomplish anything I'm sure the director was trying to accomplish. A funny movie is "Rikki-Oh," "High Crusade" is definately not worth your time. Instead try poking small needles under your fingernails. This is a more gratifying experience than the "High Crusade." From a historical background, the "High Crusade" fails on several levels. First I don't think there was an alien invasion during the crusades. Second, well...I guess only the invation thing is wrong, but trust me it's wrong on so many different levels. The French guy is not funny either. He tries to get with the main character's wife and then I don't know what happens because I usually shut of my dvd player. I have passed along this movie to my friends and family with hilarious results. They watch the movie, the entire movie, hoping it has some redeeming value, but of course, it doesn't. Then they bring me back the DVD and curse me for wasting 90 minutes of their lives. Well, watch at your own risk, and mind your pints and quarts.



4. I've got a dubbed version of this on video quite a few year when it was on T.V. which is absolutely excellent, I live in England and can't get The High Crusade on DVD over here. So I got the U.S. version, all I can say is it's terrible. In the british version, all the aliens were dubbed with hilarious English accents and didn't sound like dodgy Jawa's out of Star Wars.

   All I've got to say is, watch the English dubbed version if you get the chance. It's a completely different movie...




5. I can see that the typical reviewer isn't impressed with the film... That's a pity. I suspect most of the reviewers are not British, and thus aren't "getting" the gist of the humour in the film.
   
   Let me say first of all that OF COURSE this film is not high art. It's comedy - and very British at that. Sometimes it's plain silly, but very FUNNY plain silly.
   
   I found the film amusing. There were many moments that had me laughting in that typically "Oh dear, I shouldn't be laughing" fashion that any Monty Python fan ends up perfecting. For example, the bit with the horse... the alien's arguments with the priest... the chastity belt... the wedding night... and the orgasmic finger.
   
   If you can simply watch this film on its own merits, and if you enjoy Pythonesque humour, I can't see why you won't find the film providing you with plenty of laughter.
   
   NOTE: I don't see any problem with the dubbing. The version I have is Zone 4, Australian, and of course we tend to get British rather than American versions here. Perhaps that makes a difference.

No comments about Vista Point MADRID Spain.

2 comments about Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 13 & 20 - A Naxos Musical Journey.

1. A Quick review of a disc that I thought was very enjoyable. You can't go wrong with a Mozart piano concerto and with 2 here, winners! The performances were very credible and delightful! What took me away was Salzburg! If I were to want to visit anywhere in Europe, this disc makes me want Salzburg! Summer looks quite delightful, but winter looks like a wonderland! The scenery chosen is quite breathtaking in it's scope. I am glad to have this disc in my library!Great performance and great scenery, what more can one ask???



2. I purchased this DVD because I'm a big fan of Mozart's piano concerti and I have fond memories of past trips to Salzburg.
   I was not disappointed. This tour of what I believe to be the most picturesque city in Europe is breathtaking. The first concerto - which is in a major key - is the backround music for scenes of Salzburg in Spring. The city is alive with flowers, sunshine and joy. The second concerto - which is in a minor key - frames the city in the middle of winter and at night. Snow is everywhere. The Salz River is frozen and the natives skate, play and ski on the river's surface.
   If you love great music and you love the incomparable scenery of Austria get this DVD!!!!!

No comments about Fairway Guide: Golf Courses of the 2007 PGA Tour.

1 comments about Cosmos: War of the Planets.

1. 
   This is either 1/5 if you are looking for a quality rating, or 4/5 if you flip it upside down and watch this b-movie that way too.
   
   Truly awful in a really wonderful way. When they finished filming, the director said, "post-production? Whassat?"
   
   The thing is a patchwork quilt of completely unrelated scenes and plot lines. Switch from computer expert analyzing a strange audio signal, to two crew members passing each other in the hall and, "smootchie, smootchie... lets have totall non-commital, non physical, mental sex." Cut somewhere else where something "evil" is happening, then back to the "smootchie, smootchie." In fact, a common theme through the entire movie is "bad guys, space walk, evil robot... meanwhile back at Spaceship A'moure"... we-ve GOT to find that red button... YAY!"
   
   Gads.
   
   One thing I'll give it is that in just two places, they have a great "special effect" that is really kinda mesmerizing: it's nothing more than a highly solarized "alien planet panorama" where the huge "sister planet" looms up over the mountain ridge and they pan across the plain. The "solarization" effect (don;'t know what you really call it - it's just a highly color distorted/heavy static view) is really kinda solemn and captivating.
   
   This movie stinks like a rose. Whaddaya expect when you buy it on a DVD of four complete sci-fi movies for a dollar at Walmart? This movie isn't even worth fixing my typos in this review.
   
   Next up: "Assignment Outer Space." I'll let you know.

3 comments about Globe Trekker: Destination Mexico.

1. This features Ian Wright of the Lonely Planet Fame! Really good off the beaten track travel advice... Doesnt really tell you where to stay but watching it is almost as good as acutally going anyway!



2. Fun to watch and some nice shots, but does not really tell you what to see or visit in Mexico. I am going there next month, and if like me you are looking for ideas as to what to visit, then this may not be your best choice.



3. I liked it. There are two 45-minute segments, one about Mexico City (and the surrounding area) and the other is a trip hitchhiking down the Baja peninsula and then another piece across the Sea of Cortez traveling to Copper Canyon. In Mexico City the hostess does a good job of mixing with people while looking for an inexpensive hotel and visiting the market "La Merced". She also visits Teotihuacan (Toltec pyramids from around 100 A.D.) and rides a boat around Xochimilco. She also visits the butterfly sanctuary.
   
   In Baja, our host hitchhikes down the peninsula showing just how vast and lightly populated this area is. We get to see several destinations such as San Quintin, Bahia de Los Angeles and Mulege (not Cabo) though he does spend a lot of time on the road in insignificant places along the Baja highway. He doesn't show that much of the Copper Canyon, but he does show the rail trip there. He bribes the guard and goes to ride outside on the front of the locomotive.