JKA Shotokan Karate Kata Series-Vol 1 Heian 1-3 (Tsunami) [VHS]

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Product Description

This excellent video series was finished in the mid-1980s and originally designed to complement the very successful Best Karate book series. While this might have been the intention, the reality is that the videos far exceed the books in usefulness, and in some respects have completely replaced them for modern Shotokan enthusiasts bent on excellence in the dojo and success in high level competition.

Here we have the cream of the JKA instructors class, supervised by the Maestro, Masatoshi Nakayama. Together they demonstrate and explain in great detail the fine art of Shotokan kata and just how it should be performed. The series is uncompromising in its attention to detail, the instructors powerful, dynamic, and fluid, the location footage at temples and places of natural beauty, quite superb.

If you are really serious about Shotokan karate, it's difficult to imagine that you could manage without these videos. They really are an infallible guide, a point of reference, a source of inspiration, a companion on the long journey to mastery of the art of Shotokan karate.

JKA Shotokan Karate Kata Series-Vol 1 Heian 1-3 (Tsunami) [VHS] Review

In case you are curious, volume 1 contains Heian 1,2,3; volume 2 contains Heian 4,5, & Tekki 1; volume 3 contains Tekki 2,3; volume 4 contains Bassai Dai; 5 contains Kanku Dai; 6 Jitte; 7 Hangetsu; 8 Enpi; and 9 Jion. I have only seen volume 1. The tape seems like it is a bad copy of a bad copy, so it is a little difficult to watch and will make you question the high price tag. It is a good guide to use outside of your karate class, but you would not want to try to learn kata from this video alone. They touch on some important points, but leave out a lot. For instance, they assume you know your stances, foot positioning, etc. They do not even mention those things, even though they are extremely important in achieving proper form. They show the kata in slow motion, which is nice, but from one angle only, which hides some moves from view. I would recommend this video if you're the type of person who needs a refresher on new katas outside of karate class. But don't expect any huge new revelations to come from watching it. This is a bargain-basement production that only goes through the motions for you. Your instructor will still need to help you fine tune your kata. Perhaps there are other kata videos out there?

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Spider-Man [Blu-ray]

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Price: $58.99   

Spider-Man [Blu-ray] Review

What can I possibly say but WOW! This movie is truly a dream come true for a long time Spider-man fan like me. Not only was the movie made but the movie was made RIGHT! Many directors and artists in Hollywood claim to be fans of comic book heroes, but when it comes time for them to actually put it together they fail miserably. But not here. Sam Rami is a TRUE Spider-man fan-- and he did what a true fan would do. He stayed true to the source and to the material. He captured the essence of Spider-man and his history. He didn't decide to pretentiously add his own mark like Tim Burton did with the laughable Batman movie. Rami stayed true to the comic. This is the Spider-man I read about month for the last 13 years.I really did not think that anyone could top the X-Men, but Rami has and I don't just mean because of the special effets. I also mean in terms of the plot and character development. This is not a long drawn out movie filled with pointless violence. It is a well plotted story that moves effortlessly from point to point. Who would have thought that so much could be fit into two hours? And the end, I won't give it away , but who on earth would have thought that it would have ended that way. Instead of going for the same old boring cliche Hollywood ending--Rami tacks on an original one which hints towards the future.Tobey Maguire was not my first choice to play Peter Parker. But boy does he deliver! I understand that he worked hard to get this part and boy does it show! He plays Peter just the way he was portrayed in the book! Kristen Dunst also was excellent,I did not think that she could pull off the part of Mary Jane. She's a lovely girl but not the super-model that MJ is in the comic book. But I was pleasantly surprised with what was done with the character.After being disapointed with the unseeminly endless rubish that Hollywood has produced lately I am now, in the words of Mr. Stan Lee, a true believer. Thanks Sam Rami for not butchering a character I consider to be like a brother and restoring my faith that there are film makers out there who actually care about film making! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews� Was this review helpful to you?�Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment Comment

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The Conquest (La conquête) [Region 2]

The Conquest (La conqu �te) [Region 2]

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Price: $49.98   

Product Description

France released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), French ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), French ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: 2-DVD Set, Collectors Edition, Interactive Menu, Making Of, Scene Access, Teaser(s), Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: French politics in general and the ascent to power of current President Nicolas Sarkozy in particular are presented as a tragicomic circus act in "The Conquest." Pic takes genre helmer Xavier Durringer ("Chok-Dee") back to his theater roots, with most of the narrative mayhem and laughs coming from pic's sharp dialogue and strong work by seasoned thesps, who just manage to avoid caricature. A straightforwardly dramatic counterpoint that explores Sarkozy's marital woes is almost lost in the political melee. Cannes preem date coincides with its local release; beyond Western Europe, this will be more of a curiosity item. ...The Conquest ( La conqu �te )

The Conquest (La conqu te) [Region 2] Review

"The Conquest" (2011; France; 105 min.) brings the 5 year period leading up to Nicolas Sarkozy's election in 2007 as President of France. Please note that this is not a documentary, but a fictional retelling of that period. The movie actually brings two parallel yet intertwined stories to the viewer: in the first one, we see how Sarkozy, against many odds and often in a lonely position, nevertheless manages to upstage other rivals on his way to the presidency. Jacques Chirac (played brilliantly by Bernard Le Coq) does just about everything he can to stop Sarkozy in his tracks (Sarkozy must've thought more than once "with friends like this, who needs enemies?"). In the second story line, we see how the marriage of Nicolas and Cecilia Sarkozy is struggling and ultimately falling apart. I didn't realize that Cecilia played a very active role in Sarkozy's election advisors team, and then actually left Nicolas only months before the presidential election day.

The acting is generally speaking outstanding. Besides Bernard Le Coq, there is of course the performance of Denis Podalyd�s in the role of Nicolas Sarkozy, and also Florence Pernel in the role of Cecilia Sarkozy. The movie doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, which is a good thing. In fact, it almost plays like a (French) soap, aside of being a political thriller (at which it is great). I enjoyed this movie from the start, and was surprised when the lights came on, I mean, it felt like the movie had just flashed by in no time.

This movie was released in France last May (making its debut at the Cannes film festival), but here in the US the movie is just now appearing in theatres, less than a month before the first round of the 2012 French presidential elections, how timely, and Sarkozy is again fighting for political survival. Having seen "The Conquest", though, I would not write off Sarkozy just yet, as he seems to have nine political lives. Meanwhile "The Conquest" is highly recommended!

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Lost Highway

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Price: $56.99   

Lost Highway Review

The movie itself is fantastic. Lost Highway is a beautifully designed film executed with skill in every area. See it. However, the Canadian DVD release is probably the worst DVD I have ever seen. For starters it is in 4:3 ration instead of widescreen 16:9. Secondly, the film transfer is terrible. It almost looks worse than VHS. Truly a terrible picture. Sound is just fine although nothing special. Judge for yourself, but I think you would be better off waiting for an American release (hopefully with widescreen and significantly better picture quality).

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Matewan

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Price: $49.99   

Matewan Review

John Sayles' best film merits a far better DVD treatment than this technical travesty.

Others here have mentioned the film's amazing cinematograhy, fine performances (indierockers note: a young Will Oldham -- aka singer/songwriter Bonnie "Prince" Billy -- has a featured role) and stirring story. But it bears repeating that this digital transfer is *atrocious*. The film is presented in "full-screen" format, lopping off the edges of Haskell Wexler's beautiful frames. Celluloid scratches and "reel change" hole-punches are visible throughout. And the sound, if you can believe it, is worse -- it's in hissy, almost inaudible MONO, for God's sake!

Zero commentaries. Almost no bonus extras, unless you count a few panels of "production notes."

Not worth a purchase. Wait for the morons at Artisan to get their collective act together and give this fine film the gold-star release it deserves.

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Matrix Revolutions

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Price: $50.99   

Matrix Revolutions Review

Very good movie. Very intense action, but like the first two installments the plot is paramount. You can't take this movie at face value. It requires thought and analysis - and if you are able to give it some thought, I think you will enjoy it. I would also recommend checking out Reloaded within a day or so of going to see Revolutions.

Revolutions is Neo's continuing quest to figure out his purpose. The basic plot starts out in two directions - first, the machines moving towards Zion attempting to destroy the remaining humans who are freed. In addition, Agent Smith has made his way out of the Matrix into the "real world" in the form of Bane. Neo has found that his powers exists outside of the Matrix and now Smith has done the same. I equate Smith to a computer virus that continues to adapt. Smith is Neo's dramatic foil and the Oracle tells Neo that he and Smith are "negative twins".

Break for the very long intense fight between the humans and machines. Great battle scene (despite no Neo or Trinity). Suspense builds as we wonder if Zion can hold off the machines long enough to get support from Niobe & Morpheous.

After the fight, Neo makes peace with the machines by telling the machines that Smith is a threat to the machine world just as he is the matrix (at this point, Smith has overtaken the matrix). The machines then allow Neo to go into the Matrix and attempt to eliminate Smith - in the second film, Smith had adapted and was stronger (than he was in the first film) - unable to be destroyed by Neo. The big question is how will Neo destroy Smith and what will the implications be. The way Smith was finally destroyed was very profound.

Inside the Matrix, Smith overtook the Oracle, just as he had done to about everyone else inside the Matrix. We even saw some foreshadowing here, Smith (sounding frustrated) asked the Oracle "if you knew I was coming for you, why would you still be here". This was the Oracle's choice, and she knew that allowing Smith to overtake her would ultimately lead to his demise. The oracle said to Neo earlier, "Everything that has a beginning also has an end".

Another cool fight scene between Neo and Smith. Just as Neo was lying on the ground and nearly defeated, he finally realized how to defeat Smith. This realization came about when Smith said (standing over Neo), "I am now supposed to say - 'everything that has a beginning also has an end'". Neo then allowed Smith to overtake him, and then the machines pulled the plug that linked Neo into the Matrix. By pulling the plug, the machines killed Neo and since Smith had overtaken Neo, this ultimately killed Smith. Thus, Neo (major symbolism here - Neo is Christ-like) dies to save everyone else. Smith dies and everyone inside the Matrix that Smith had overtaken turned back into themselves - hence the Oracle lying on the ground where Smith was slain.

A cut scene shows the matrix "repairing" itself. The Oracle is sitting on a bench next to Seraph and the little girl (all of whom were earlier overtaken by Smith) and the architect tells the Oracle that she found a creative way to beat Smith. The end.

Conclusion - The matrix still exists. Big question - was the architect correct when he said at the end of Reloaded that Neo is an anomaly of the Matrix and that 5 others came before him and more will come after him? The little girl (sorry, can't remember her name) asks the Oracle if they will see Neo again and the Oracle says "I think so".

All we know is that the Matrix still exists and that for now the freed humans and the machines are going to coexist. Another question - will the machines continue to use humans for energy, or will those humans be freed - stay tuned...I think there is more to come.

There is a ton of Matrix philosophy on the this web site. But it is limited to the first film.
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On the top right, go to the mainframe and then click the box that says philosophy. A good article on the religious symbolism is "Wake Up!" by Flannery-Dailey & Wagner. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews� Was this review helpful to you?�Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment�Comments (2)

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