Curse Of The Crimson Altar DVD

Advantages: Fantastic atmosphere, and great value for money.
Disadvantages: Very long film. Have to be in the right mind to watch.

...Das Boot is one of the best war/naval film titles to be produced in recent years, and once viewed will remain in the memory for years to come. Comparisons to this film may come from titles such as Crimson Tide, however Das Boot captures the claustrophobic atmosphere so much better than Crimson Tide which, to me, is too Americanized. As an example of this the actors in Das Boot were made to live on the set so as to produce the effect of pale skin as you would expect if you spent a lot of time underwater without even seeing the sun. The DVD itself has about an hour of extra footage and a superb making of documentary, the documentary almost being worth the price of the DVD alone! The story is one of the most tense and harrowing you will ever see, and the atmosphere of the title will leave you feeling claustrophobic and trapped yourself!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average off topic

Advantages: Funny in places, wonderfully animated and overall enjoyable to watch
Disadvantages: Plot is a little sketchy in places, quality of special features

.... 'Porco Rosso' is about an Italian seaplane pilot, originally named Marco, who has had a curse placed on him and was turned into a pig. Having deserted from the Italian air force after The Great War, (or the First World War as it was later known), Porco Rosso becomes a bounty hunter, protecting the skies in the Adriatic from pirates. Due to his red place, he is nick-named 'The Crimson Pig'. Like many other Studio Ghibli animations, this movie is set in a kind of 1930/1940s era, but an era where the Second World War never happened. As such we see Porco and various other characters flying around in propeller-powered aeroplanes, both mono-winged and bi-winged. The movie itself is well animated - indeed, if nothing else with Studio Ghibli, you always know that the animation is going to be first rate - with plenty of visual splendour that should... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: The film, good range of sound & subtitle options, good features
Disadvantages: Only widescreen, but doesn't really affect the film

...This is every bit as good as Crimson Tide & Hunt For Red October yet it was filmed 20 years earlier. The film charts a german sub crew on a mission to bomb the british in the atlantic, finding out however that the british have stopped making mistakes. The suspense is excellent, and with the soundtrack and a surround sound setup you would swear you were on the sub with them. The DVD makes the most of a good sound system. There are 3 language options: Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital and German Dolby Digital. You also get subtitles in loads of languages including Hebrew! The film is 200 minutes long but I didn't have any problem sitting through all of it. Extra features are interesting including a featurette which tells you how they made the film.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful