DVD Collectors Online

The Greatest Show On Earth, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Greatest Show On Earth



Title:The Greatest Show on Earth
Year: 1952
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Rating: NR
Length: 152 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Betty Hutton
Cornel Wilde
Charlton Heston
Dorothy Lamour
Gloria Grahame

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Closed Captioned


This movie doesn't quite live up to it's lofty title but it was a very entertaining watch nonethless. More of a documentary style tribute to the Ringling Barnum & Bailey Circus, you get a fascinating behind the scenes look at the machinations of circus life and the incredible amount of time and effort that went into these big top productions which sadly have given away to indoor performances at arenas & stadiums.

Charlton Heston was good as Brad Braden, leader of the circus and Cornell Wilde was great as trapeze star, The Great Sebastien. I would have taken just about any other female lead over Betty Hutton as Holly, another high flyer. I didn't understand how this woman's character could be the object of both these mens affections as I found her unattractive and annoying, incessantly whining throughout the movie. On the other hand Gloria Grahame as Angel, part of the elephant act, was a complete knockout!  James Stewart as Buttons the Clown was good also as a man on the run from the law, hiding in obscurity behind the painted face and goofy clothes. All in all these sidebar stories took a back seat to the goings on of the circus itself.

I spotted Bing Crosby, Bob Hope & Van Johnson as uncredited crowd spectators. I'm sure there are others I missed.

The rest of the cast was filled out with the actual circus performers which brought total authenticity to the acts. The crowd may have been actors but the wonderment on their faces, especially the children would have been as real as can be as I remembered my first trip to a circus as a young boy which was minuscule in comparison to these grand spectacles. The elephant acts were nothing short of majestic! 

A little research revealed that the circus is still going strong, still riding the trains of the eastern seaboard with two parallel tours offering different shows at different times of the year so that people could take in both should they so choose. It's a shame this traveling phenomena doesn't make it's way up into Canada as I would love to take the family to see it.

A great movie to watch where the Circus itself if by far the star of the show.

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2011 on May 24th, 2011)

Role Models, a review by Rich

Title: Role Models

Runtime:101
Certificate:15
Year:2008
Genres:Comedy

Plot:Unconventional salesmen, stuck-in-a-rut Danny (Paul Rudd) and lady's man Wheeler (Seann William Scott), spend their days promoting Minotaur energy drink to school students. Full of self-loathing and driven to delirium after being dumped by girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks), Danny lashes out on an energy drink bender, trashing both the company truck and school property, resulting in the arrest of both him and Wheeler.
Wheeler and Danny are faced with a choice; either do time in jail or clock one hundred and fifty hours as mentors for troubled children. These unlikely role models are assigned to the most difficult children on offer, making them contemplate jail as an easier option! Danny is paired with dorky role playing loner, Augie (Superbad's Mclovin' Christopher Mintz-Plasse), whilst Wheeler is the latest victim of booby obsessed, foul-mouthed Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson). Let the fun begin!

My Review:
Oddball teen comedy attempting to portray some moral life-choice message, it is a mish mash of a script that confuses the viewer on whether he is watching a bawdy humourous film, or a feeble attempt at an insightful light-hearted family movie, but with sex and swearing??
I'd be surprised if anyone over the age of 15 would find this movie entertaining or funny, there are a few chuckle moments, but mostly I felt uncomfortable listening to kids curse like navvies or draw male genatalia at every opportunity. Even worse was the sickly ending, after watching about an hours worth of dull dungeon and dragon style re-enactments.
Poor mans American Pie only truly suitable for a boy going through puberty.


(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 2nd, 2009)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

King of Queens
The man. The myth. The driver. Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) is THE KING OF QUEENS, but his wife Carrie (Leah Remini) really rules the roost. Doug is the ultimate guy's guy, but he loves Carrie so much he's willing to sacrifice his tricked-out rec room (plus his 70-inch TV) so that her father Arthur (Jerry Stiller) can move in, a decision he's regretted ever since. Doug's free time is split between quality time with his wife and play time with his buds. A parade of crazy neighbors and oddball citizens of New York's middle-class borough help make this show the reigning comedy champ. THE KING OF QUEENS proves you don't have to have a huge castle to live like royalty.

Pilot
Doug gives up his personal paradise to make room for Carrie's dad, Arthur.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun show with likable characters. Leah Remini is fun to watch... and is definitely cute in this show. Jerry Stiller is hilarious to watch. Kevin James is pretty good as well... though I never really cared much for him. This is another show I am very behind in collecting as I only have the first season.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on February 23rd, 2010)