Paul the Apostle

in name only
Despite crediting a long list of Biblical experts, this made for television film is astonishingly inaccurate, but is still perhaps worth a rental; just don't expect to know much about the Apostle Paul from it, other than some rudimentary facts like his persecution of the early Christians before he was blinded by the light, and became a believer in Jesus.

It has a fabulously attractive cast, and all do an admirable job in the acting department. The main characters are Saul/Paul (Johannes Brandrup), Reuben (Thomas Lockyer), and Barnabas (G.W. Bailey).

Directed by Roger Young, whose other religious TV film from 1999, "Jesus", I found really ghastly and blasphemous, in "Paul, the Apostle" the acting and writing are far superior, and it is not offensive in its treatment of the Lord.

Shot on location in Quarzazate, Morocco and Malta, the cinematography by Giovanni Galasso is excellent, and it has a lovely score by Carlo Siliotto. The interiors and costumes...

not like the Bible Collection in accuracy at all!
this video is nothing more than artistic license with the Scriptures. My family was amazed at how many points we found in the Scriptures that were DIFFERENT than what was said or acted out in this film. We REALLY enjoy other parts of the Bible Collection films, such as Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Jeremiah, and Esther. BUT THIS ONE doesn't deserve to be named off with the B.C. set (nor the Sampson one). If you want to see some common yet erroneous doctrines presented, then this film won't bother you. The only part that was continously Biblical was the tension between the political religious parties. All else was corrupted and shoved together incorrectly. Finally, the "artistic license" taken where you see Saul/Paul go from being a wrestler, to the full naked backside of the characters, to a single nude breast of a woman later as her and hubby go to consumate, and the buttocks hanging out of a few others along the way....well, it was embarassing to see such...

Disappointing
I had high hopes for this film, but was soon disappointed. First, I think it's important to know that THIS IS NOT A FAMILY FILM. There are three scenes with gratuitous nudity (derrieres, breasts, etc) and sexual content (a sex scene and a nearly nude Nubian dancer). What kind of content is that to put into a religiously themed film?

Second, I had many difficulties with the "artistic license" used by the screen writer(s). Much of this film's contents is not in the Bible at all, much less mentioned in the extra-Biblical knowledge we have about Paul. Needless to say, this film should NOT be used as a teaching aide any more than the film "Pearl Harbor."

Third, the truly dramatic moments in Paul's life were handled very poorly. For example, the scene on the Road to Damascus could have been awsome -- if the movie had a better screen writer/director/actor ... and on and on and on. Instead, the writers and director seemed more interested in adding things folks who...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Olympus Has Fallen [HD]

When this comes out in DVD, I will be purchasing.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I went to this movie. The decent action flicks of yesterday have been replaced by superheroes shooting space aliens or super gory, gross movies that are so hardcore they turn me off before I ever get past the trailer. But this movie takes you back to the really cool action thrillers of yesteryear and frankly, I was riveted throughout.

The action is non stop and the acting is superb, especially for this type of movie. I had never seen Gerard Butler in a movie before but from now on, he is on my watch list. His portrayal of Mike Banning is gritty and down to earth, never over the top. Aaron Eckhart does a very good job with the rather thankless role of the Hostage In Chief. He, too, never stoops to caricature; just a man faced with a horrifying situation. Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett are solid and realistic as the Speaker of the House and the Director of the Secret Service. Rick Yune is a absolute chiller of a villain...

Olympus Has Fallen Review
Best action movie of the year.
Even though the White House is a very unlikely site for the plot, it is not an unlikely story in view of the latest and older
developments in the recent history of the US.
Edge of your seat action, does not let off for a single minute. You will definitely never get bored.

Exciting, Edge of Your Seat (with some flaws)
This movie is fantastic for these people:

- You like the film concept of a foreign government capturing the President inside the White House, with a single hero (as in Die Hard) who tries to save the day (and the world) - against all odds.

- You're looking for an exciting, heart pounding, non-stop action flick.

- You like movies with lots of explosions, surprises, and situations that look really impossible.

- You don't care if there are some things about this film that are a bit cliché. They can work in films. And you're just looking for some entertainment anyway.

- You're okay with a character theme that's been done before. There's some time taken to show you the woundedness of Gerard Butler's character, and some of what makes him tick. It's not a new theme. You've seen this before. But you're ok with that.

This movie is not for you if:

- You can't stand cliché's in movies.
- You're...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Sexecution

A Fun Independent Horror Flick
The actors do a great job in creating fun characters that are loose and irreverent. In particular the character of Erica drives the film playing a relentless unapologetic bad-girl. It's refreshing to see a female lead and one that gets the best lines. This isn't a film with buckets of blood, there are some gruesome scenes, but most of the film deals with the characters haplessly trying to get out of the dangerous situation they find themselves in. Highly recommended if you enjoy an indie dark comedy.





Click to Editorial Reviews

Arkansas Razorback Football 2013

Outstanding Video - gave us goose-bumps!
I'm a big-time Arkansas Razorbacks Football fan. So I've pretty much seen-it-all, and feel like my standards are set very high. That's why my wife and kids were so impressed when we watched this video, as it hits a professional high-mark that college sports DVDs rarely achieve. The opening sequence brings goose-bumps of excitement, and the content of the rest of the program (mostly the coaching staff and sports media analysts - intercut with team footage and player interviews), is snappy and to the point. And what is the point? I won't do a spoiler here, but let's just say that a lot of competitors in the S.E.C. are not going to expect what they're about to get when they take on this impressive 2013 Arkansas team!

Woo Pig Sooey! Go Razorbacks! GREAT VIDEO
My excitement for this coming season just doubled after seeing the new Razorbacks Football DVD. Two years ago, the head coach (Bobby Petrino) had the personality of a Grumpy Old Man. Last year, the "temporary" coach (John L. Smith) had the credibility of a stand-up comedian. But the new coach Bret Bielema is the real deal folks! Smart, focused, disciplined and proven. He seems like a really nice-guy too, but only when appropriate because he's clearly bad news for the other teams on game day! The video has a lot of interviews with coaches and player discussing strategies for the 2013 season, and lots of new footage from practices, scrimmages and training. This is a must-see video for all Razorbacks fans, but keep it quiet when talking to other S.E.C. friends! We don't want this year's opponents to be prepared for the whooping our Hogs are about to deliver on them! Whoop-Whoop-Woo-Pig-Sooey!!



Click to Editorial Reviews

Wee Man [Blu-ray]

TEDDY BEAR PICNIC
This is based on a true story about Paul Ferris (Martin Compston) and his relationship with the Thompson Scottish crime family lead by Arthur Thompson (Patrick Bergin). The story is told with flashbacks as Paul remembers the good advice his dad gave him and he didn't follow. Growing up, Paul was bullied by the Banks brothers and turned to crime. He was recruited by the Thompson family and ran into internal conflicts.

The story was interesting. The flashbacks worked fine to break up the story as a mini subplot. The acting was a bit dry as Wee Man lacked personality.

Might work as a rental.

Parental Guide: F-bombs, partial rear male nudity, attempted rape.

Not so `True Life' account of Gangster Paul Ferris but still quite good.
Ray Burdis has been an entertaining talent to British audiences since the 1970's others may remember him from spoof cop series `Operation Good Guys' or even the excellent film `Love, honour and obey'; either way he also directs and writes. This is his take on the auto biography of Paul Ferris the notorious gangster from Glasgow. Ferris is played by Martin Compston (`Sweet Sixteen', `Sister' and `Strippers vs Werewolves' - cant win em all) and as ever he really delivers.

The film takes us back to Ferris' early days and the Glasgow of the 1970's when he was picked on by the Welshes for supporting the wrong team and as a result he claimed he developed debilitating psoriasis (in his book). His father tells him to be a lion and never a lamb and after being pushed too far he becomes just like them. Only a lot more violent. Thus begins his life of crime and violence.

He gets sent to a detention centre and after a few more run ins at the age of just nineteen the local...



Click to Editorial Reviews

Keisha Jones [HD]

Snapped Season 10
I am a long time fan of Snapped. I love the idea that I can simply pick the episode that I like and not store it on my iPad and save my storage space.

Amy Bishop
O liked that the episode had former students of UAH telling their experience with the professor and of the event. The face that the doc had mainly reporters and authors recounting the information hey gathered rather than any input from the survivors or former friends was kind of disappointing. Maybe no one wants to speak. In this particular case, maybe there is not much more to say.

Wonderful escape TV
Snapped is a wonderful escape from daily reality. The re-enactments are somewhat silly, but do give you the general depiction of the narrators dialouge. If you are watching this show on TV, and have to suffer through commercials, then you may not notice the constant re-overview done to keep you up to speed. However, when watching this show commercial-free on my Kindle, the re-overviews and backtracking take up a great deal of the episode. It almost leads me to believe that the writers think viewers are stupid, or are not paying attention the first time the facts of the case are given. I don't need to be brought up to date four or five times per episode. The musical score is catchy and fits the theme nicely. Great show, but give the people watching a little more credit.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Lies

Pretty horrible show for a lot of reasons...
I just saw the episode titled Memory. Here are some of the things wrong with it...

1. I'm not saying I'm a genius, but where did they find those people? Except for the very first test, almost nothing in any of their memory tests fooled me like they said they fooled 100% of people they tested. Perhaps this was because, after the very first test, I knew I was going to be fooled by them. But getting pretty much every single thing right every time got very boring really fast. It's fun to be fooled, but their tests were way too easy.

2. They said that Travis Walton probably didn't really get abducted because he remembered everything "too well." Really? Six men saw a space ship up close, and then one of them disappeared without a trace for a week. But his memory played tricks on him, and he had a false memory of things in great detail that many other people have also remembered, including accounts written down in the 1800s that were completely forgotten until...

Great Series
My Psychology Student's love it. It shows just how "wrong" we can be about what we think we hear and see.

A Hopeful Start...
I watched the episode of this series on memory. Some quotes: "Remembering is Believing" "... the story is familiar-we tend to overestimate its truth..." "... this is a psychological phenomenon known as the 'Illusion of Truth Effect' "! I should have liked this show especially given my absolute distrust of our running-dog media and the abuses of current propagandistic pop history. The crux of this episode was the fallibility of human memory and how easy false memories or inaccurate memories are to create. Sadly that same running-dog mentality reared its ugly head with an awkward and false drubbing of 9/11 conspiracy theorists. There are PLENTY of real reasons to believe 9/11 was a true conspiracy other than Bush's so called memory lapse about planes hitting the tower. To include that vignette in this episode was a cowardly roll-over to satisfy current Official History and its neocon Keepers. The Tiananmen tank photo with the crowd of onlookers aroused twisted memories in subjects...

Click to Editorial Reviews