James Brown - Soul Survivor

Customer Reviews:

Good; but what's missing from this film?.......2007-08-04

This PBS doc is very good for what it gives of the great James Brown talking about where he came from.
All the reviewers here who say it's missing fuller performances from his great years are absolutely right. The producers had the chance to give us that; there's plenty of space to combine more of that with the talk they got. Instead, it's weighed down with too much footage from a late show of his; an older James Brown who'd lost a lot of youthful or even middle-aged fire and energy (can't blame him for that after 40 to 50 years!), surrounding himself on stage at the end with white girls in bikini tops and American flag costumes.
The show is also good at giving us the social context: how JB kept bringing his music back to the community he came from, and the impact of his music on Black Power and its aftermath. But aside from valuable comments throughout by Nelson George ("James Brown was creating a new way to make black popular music," "stripping down" soul and R and B, etc.), the producers missed a chance to focus more on how the music was made. More emphasis on James Brown's musical innovations and the reach of his minimalist funk would have made this a more satisfying film to watch. (ie. He created the foundations of funk and hip hop, but also Miles Davis electric music and a lot of avant garde). Still recommendable. It's probably the best J.B. biopic there is.

JB - R.I.P........2007-05-20

This DVD is a documentary on James Brown, the man. Although some concert footage with poor picture quality is included, it only supports the documentary narrative about JB and his life. The DVD narrative parallels the JB autobiography: James Brown: The Godfather of Soul; Thunder's Mouth Press (ISBN 1-56025-388-6).
This DVD is a good companion to the book, but shouldn't be considered as concert material.

BAD PURCHASE.......2007-05-15

I TRIED TO PLAY THE DVD ON THREE DIFFERENT VIDEO SYSTEMS AND THE RESULTS ON ALL THREE WERE THE SAME. THE VIDEO PORTION WAS DISTORTED AND SKIPPED FRAMES. THE AUDIO ALSO SKIPPED. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS PURCHASE.

This is the One - Get it.......2007-02-16

This DVD is a "must have" for the true James Brown fan. It is autobiographical with great footage from the early years when JB could really dance and do his splits and microphone tricks. You get to see his beginnings, concerts, practices -- everything. The footage covers his successes and challenges and comes all the way forward to the recent past. After I saw my copy, I ordered copies for my parents and several friends who are all huge James Brown fans.

A True Soul Survivor.......2005-10-08

This DVD was a very pleasant surprise. I thought it would be a lot of previously seen film footage of JB performances, but the real focus was getting to know James Brown, the man. Learning his beginning and seeing all he had to overcome made his music more personal. I bought a copy for my father who grew up in Augusta at that time and he loved seeing the pool hall they all played in and he recognized other popular hang out spots. A great gift for anyone who is a true JB fan. If you love his music, you will love this DVD. It was money well spent.

Average customer rating:

Very weird movie
There's mind-screw, and then there's confusing rubbish
NOT GOOD AT ALL.
Not the best but not that bad.
Killer Cut??????

Soul Survivors (The Killer Cut)
Starring: Melissa Sagemiller , Wes Bentley , Casey Affleck , Eliza Dushku , and Angela Featherstone
Director: Stephen Carpenter
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005UQ6G
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Amazon.com

Think of Soul Survivors as a more sincere version of A Nightmare on Elm Street. The night before Cassie (the Gwynethesque Melissa Sagemiller) starts college, she gets into a terrifying car accident with her boyfriend (Casey Affleck) and best friends (Wes Bentley from American Beauty and Eliza Dushku from Bring It On and Buffy the Vampire Slayer). But was it an accident? And who survived? Cassie starts college--but she also keeps hallucinating about frightening men she saw at a party prior to the accident, as well as about undergoing surgery after it. Is college itself the hallucination? These slips from one reality to the next build an increasing sense of discomfort and anxiety--though some viewers may be made more anxious by a scene in which Sagemiller and Dushku step into a shower together. Or do they... --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Very weird movie.......2007-06-05

I watched it from start to finish and don't understand the movie. It is a very confusing movie.

There's mind-screw, and then there's confusing rubbish.......2007-03-27

The lowdown: A girl named Cassie and her three friends are involved in a car accident in which her boyfriend dies. Two ugly ravers are out to get her. Her boyfriend, not one to be hindered by death, pops up every now and again. And, yeah...that's about it. Think Lost Highway meets Love Story, but with no point.

I like a good mind-screw movie as much as the next Joe, but good grief, Jon Voight, what the h*ll happened to this flick? This had "suck" written all over it from the get-go. It's not often you can tell a movie will bite the big one as early as the opening credits, but Soul Survivors breaks the mold. And to think I watched the extended version, which, you'll be stunned to find out, was one whole minute longer than the theatrical release. One minute. One lousy minute. Can't wait for Soul Survivors: Director's Cut, wherein we're treated to an additional 10 seconds of aimless story.

1) Acting. So-so. Melissa Sagemiller did aight as the titular, tormented lead. Wes Bentley and Casey Affleck were okay. Luke Wilson played a priest who spouted religious clichés. No, it was not as funny as it sounds. In fact, it was painful. Eliza Dushku lets her cleavage do the acting. I would blame the actors, but the screenplay gave 'em jack-all to work with.

2) Structure. Being a mind-screw movie, the scenes ricocheted everywhere. You get flashbacks, subliminal scenes that appear for a split-second, dreams, hallucinations, and a cornucopia of general weirdness. Chris likes mind-screw movies, but the structure has to be tight for the flick to work. Survivors lacked the cohesion necessary to mess with my mind and make the movie enjoyable as a whole. Too willy-nilly.

3) Plot. Cassie (Sagemiller) has a hallucination, then runs away. She then talks to Matt (Bentley) or Annabel (Dushku) who comfort her. Cassie then has another hallucination and runs away. Matt and/or Annabel proceed to comfort her. Press repeat. Yeah, that's my last two hours right there.

4) Repetition. Hehe, please, are you joking? I wouldn't torture a terrorist with this movie.

A true stink-bomb. Watch only for its unintentionally comedic value. The scene near the end where the cops walk toward Cassie reminded me of every zombie movie I ever watched. I laughed out loud right before predicting that Cassie would be hit with a car as she started backing up. Then she gets hit by a car. It's just that bad, folks. The only survivors in this affair are the ones who can sit through this pile of celluloidal excrement and live to tell about it.

Favorite line:
(Cassie to "Raven", who--you guessed it!--is a hardcore raver)
Cassie: Go back to the Addams' family!

NOT GOOD AT ALL........2006-07-25

The plot of the film was vey promising but it took to long to get to the point and it became boring. Hoping that it would get better I finished seeing the film it went from promising to boring to straight out pathetic. I found that her boyfriend was not dead instead it was her two friend (Dushku and whats his face) and that she was in limbo the whole time while trying to be rivied in the operating table. When you read this it may sound good be when you see the film it's just anti-climatic. The performance where some what stale even though they are all good actors they fall short in this film. I would not recomend this movie to anyone and i'm sad to see many suffered seein this movie just like I have.

Not the best but not that bad........2006-07-06

Alot of people are rating the movie poorly because they didnt understand it. The storyline isnt really that bad. Granted if you dont like movies that make you think then you wont like this. I am very picky about the movies I watch and what I consider to be worth watching. This movie grabbed my attention a few years ago and I rented it and thought it was good. Granted I wouldnt buy it for more than 10 bucks. Its not that bad of a movie. Try renting it before you buy it though. If you like movies with a twist that will cause you to think and keep you wondering then this is a good movie. If you prefer movies where you know everything in the first 10 mins then this isnt one for you.

Killer Cut??????.......2006-03-02

I'm glad I didn't watch the theatrical release of this movie because this "killer cut" is said to contain more blood and more terror. Geez. That must have been boring!!!!!! ( theatrical cut ). This is your basic supernatural movie about a woman who gets into a terrible car accident. She starts having hallucinations and begins to wonder who her real friends are. There is poor acting and basically the movie is boring and doesn't make much sense. Don't let the box fool you for you will be somewhat disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Terror in the Mall
hilarious!!!!!!
WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY
Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

Terror in the Mall
Starring: Rob Estes , Shannon Sturges , Kai Wiesinger , Angeline Ball , and George Anton
Director: Norberto Barba
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009V7S6
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Customer Reviews:

Terror in the Mall.......2007-07-19

This film was excellent and was very exciting with the people being trapped in the Mall. Cherri was the main character in this film and she is the sherif's wife. It was exciting when they were trapped under water and the killer Glen was making a pest of himself saying " Nice day for a swim aint it" I saw this film on the TV before when I was little and wanted this film on DVD.

I give this film 5 Stars.

hilarious!!!!!!.......2007-07-04

my brother and i watched it on lifetime one afternoon and cracked up!!! it is so far fetched that you can't help but laugh!!!!! i recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor, its a classic!!!! the fact that they all survive after being exposed to methane gas, a huge flood and torpedo guns is amazing to me!!!! buy it, you won't be sorry!!!

WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.......2005-12-26

After seeing this movie on the LifeTime (AKA: Women's Channel) I wish I never saw this movie. This movie is soo unbelievible and very cheesy. Its one of those, "it can't it get any worse, then it does. . ."
The movie follows a group of people as they try to escape from flood water during a dam clopase. One of this people is an espaced killer. Of course, during their climb the killer shots the designer of the mall (who just happens to be there.) as they find a way to roof. Then they must shut off all elctrical equipement otherwise the methane gas despoists under the mall will explosed. This movie is soo horrible.

Be afraid. Be VERY afraid........2003-12-12

Having lived through my own disaster at the mall (well, the parking lot, at least), I was quite curious to see how similar this film was to my experience.

IMDB summarizes the movie as:

"A disparate group of people is trapped in a shopping plaza during a flood. To make matters worse, one of the folks is an escaped killer, and deadly methane gas is seeping up through the flood waters."

There are a number of chilling parallels: a flood, seeping methane gas, and an "escaped killer" (so to speak).

Now, the title is inconsistent (the movie is listed either as "Disaster at the Mall" or "Terror in the Mall")--but either one certainly works.

Description

Three impossibly different characters find themselves in the same elevator at a grand hotel in Paris: Wanu (Harrison Lowe), an Indian from the Amazon tropical rainforest who is in France on a humanitarian tour; Campana (Jean Reno), his interpreter; and Perrin (Patrick Bruel), a dashing, funny gambler and borderline con artist. Wanu decides Perrin should be "the chosen one" and fixes his gaze upon him. From then on, Perrin is compelled to accomplish a mission that takes him on a wild adventure with Campana through the forests of the Amazon!

Customer Reviews:

The Prophet.......2007-07-18

Fans of Jean Reno have to catch this one. Even if you aren't a fan of foreign films you will probably enjoy it. While on a mission in the city to spread the word of his people an Amazon Shaman enlists some men to help his tribe back in the jungle. Reno is great as the anthropologist helping a gambler the shaman believes is a prophet. I recommend you watch it in French with subtitles. The subtitles are slightly messed up in a few places (Amazon tribe subtitles, which aren't in English, overlap English subtitles) but the English dubbing is terrible and you can tell it isn't Reno. I'm not sure why as he speaks English. If you enjoyed "The Gods Must Be Crazy" be sure to catch this little jewel. Good action and comedy. I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Soul Survivors (1995)
Starring: Clark Johnson
Manufacturer: Xenon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

In the tradition of Gridlock'd and Fresh, Soul Survivor is the story of a young Jamaican immigrant's struggle to survive on the streets of Toronto while living on both sides of the law. Includes a great reggae-driven soundtrack featuring Bob Marley and the Wailers

Average customer rating:

boo to double packs that serve only to deplete unwanted inventory

Soul Survivors/Jacob's Ladder
Starring: Tim Robbins , Elizabeth Peña , Danny Aiello , Matt Craven , and Pruitt Taylor Vince
Director: Adrian Lyne , and Stephen Carpenter
Manufacturer: Live / Artisan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Altered States

ASIN: B00006L91E
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Amazon.com

Soul Survivors
Think of Soul Survivors as a more sincere version of A Nightmare on Elm Street. The night before Cassie (the Gwynethesque Melissa Sagemiller) starts college, she gets into a terrifying car accident with her boyfriend (Casey Affleck) and best friends (Wes Bentley from American Beauty and Eliza Dushku from Bring It On and Buffy the Vampire Slayer). But was it an accident? And who survived? Cassie starts college--but she also keeps hallucinating about frightening men she saw at a party prior to the accident, as well as about undergoing surgery after it. Is college itself the hallucination? These slips from one reality to the next build an increasing sense of discomfort and anxiety--though some viewers may be made more anxious by a scene in which Sagemiller and Dushku step into a shower together. Or do they... --Bret Fetzer

Jacob's Ladder
Vietnam veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) thinks he is going insane. Or worse. When his nightmares begin spilling into his waking hours, Jacob believes he is experiencing the aftereffects of a powerful drug tested on him during Vietnam. Or perhaps his posttraumatic stress disorder is worse than most. Whatever is happening to him, it is not good. Director Adrian Lyne sparks our interest and maintains high production values, but this confusing film chokes on its "surprise" ending. It owes much to Ambrose Bierce's haunting and more straightforward story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek." Written by Bruce Joel Rubin, who also explored the "other side" in Ghost and My Life, it ultimately feels like an exercise in self-indulgence. A spirited performance by Elizabeth Peña outshines Robbins, who is surprisingly lethargic. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

boo to double packs that serve only to deplete unwanted inventory.......2005-07-15

i really thought i was getting a deal when i bought ANY movie with jacob's ladder. boy, was i ever wrong. first off, jacob's ladder is one of my favorite movies. i've been watching this movie since i was a little girl, back when the highlight of the film was mooning over my crush, macauley culkin. i remember many late nights at slumber parties after playing "light as a feather, stiff as a board" spent watching this movie.

ahhh, memories...

anyway, let's crack the whip and tear into "soul survivors." this movie is a steaming tUrd (notice that i spell that with a capital U because it looks like a toilet bowl, and that's where this movie belongs.)

alright, so now i sound like the crazy one, but trust me, you'll be tearing your eyes out in mourning over the downward trajectory that cinema has taken in recent years. this movie embodies all of the worst things about movies today - painfully terrible dialogue (the kind where you'd feel bad for the actor, but they're just as bad), stupefyingly vapid delivery (here's lookin' at you, eliza dushku), plot holes bigger than my ever-expanding backside (and that's sayin' something), less atmosphere and tone than a mcdonald's in montana, etc, etc, ad infinitum.

save yourself the embarrassment of having this stinker on your dvd rack - buy jacob's ladder by itself and try your hardest to forget that you ever heard of soul survivors.

Average customer rating:

Soul Survivors [Region 2]
Starring: Melissa Sagemiller , Wes Bentley , Casey Affleck , Eliza Dushku , and Angela Featherstone
Director: Stephen Carpenter
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006JY2U

Average customer rating:

Demon Beast Resurrection Soul Survivor

Manufacturer: Central Park Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Average customer rating:

'Soul' pain ...

Soul Survivor [Region 2]
Starring: Peter Williams (IV) , David Smith (XV) , George Harris (II) , Clark Johnson , and Judith Scott
Director: Stephen Williams
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000506AA

Customer Reviews:

'Soul' pain ..........2001-11-06

Dreary Canadian hybrid of the gangster and stranger-in-strange-land themes that doesn't work either as a shoot-'em-up or as a more straightforward innocent abroad story.

Judging by the intelligent interviews he's given, neophyte director/writer apparently has a lot more going on in his head than ever reached the screen in this disappointing and disjointed debut.

The story (what there is of it) is underdeveloped to the point of anorexia, the dialogue's banal and the unsteady cinematography ---which should have opened up Toronto's thriving expatriate Jamaican community --- conceals far more than it reveals.

The only redeeming points are Peter Williams' performance in the lead role --- with his chiselled good looks, magnetic screen presence and raw physicality, the writer/director's brother is a *noir* Brando in the making --- and a soundtrack that consists largely of some great reggae oldies.

Director Williams hoped to follow Soul Survivor with a sequel to the raw-edged Jamaican cult classic The Harder They Fall. Given that his grasp so obviously outstrips the reach of his talents, it's perhaps best for all concerned that this plan fell through.

DVD:

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