Change Your Image
alv123
Reviews
Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii (1973)
One of the Greatest Concerts of all time
Superb, amazing, enigmatic, tremendous. I was just 5 years old when it took place, but after visiting Graceland in 2003, sought to have it on DVD at just about any cost. This concert is one you must never sat you haven't watched. Elvis should have never aged, and lived to be 150, he truly defines rock and roll, and what a blend of soul in his ballads. One finds it hard to comprehend his quick fade out in 1977, it should have never happened, his image embodies the beginnings of an era that passed too quickly. If there is one person I wish to ever meet, it would have to be Priscilla, just to get a first hand chat with someone that was closest to the one individual that inspired so many styles of music. His majestic candor on stage can never be duplicated, even though his voice is sometimes imitated in vain, I do it at karaoke get togethers everywhere. I don't know what inspired my fervor to love Elvis's music, my growing up years were in the mid 80s, but its just one of those things. Not all can associate with Elvis at first look, but watch this concert, it will change your mind.
Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970)
A great Concert
After just watching it on TCM, I have to say this is second on my list to the 73 satellite broad cast from Hawaii. It lacks the huge stage that was set in the Hawaiian broadcast, but it defines as always why Elvis was, is, and will always be immortal. His authentic body movement supports the physical shape he had to be in to last through many varieties of music performed. Look closely at how relentless his pursuit for perfection was as he single handedly leads the concert over and over again. Notice the smiles on peoples faces, all the way till the end of the show. They wanted more, but he is mortal after all. His blend wasn't always on cue, maybe he had to accept some band members that were not entirely in tune. I don't have this on DVD yet, but will soon. If you're an Alvis fan, its a must.
La vingt-cinquième heure (1967)
A very good movie
This is a finely crafted movie with moving sequences, humor, and best of all a love story. Anthony Quinn is wonderfully casted and after seeing several of his movies, this has to be categorized as one of his best performances, besides Zorba. The movie makes you really wonder if its filmed in Romania, which apparently is not the case. It is sure to fool even native Romanians, with its authentic-like landscape, costume, and ways of life. According to IMDb it is actually shot in France and Yugoslavia, hmmm. The story is compelling, making you want to watch the entire movie over, to see if you missed something. It provoked me into researching to find out if this is a truth based movie, but to my disappointment, it is a novel based film, seemingly fiction. It seems a bit far fetched to have happened for real, but one never knows.... The one problem with this film, is that it doesn't seem to cast any Romanian actors, and it is a film about a Romanian character. There are probably many Romanian fill-ins in the beginning, but maybe not, it is filmed elsewhere. The author of the book was Romanian, at least thats all fine and dandy - overall a masterpiece in cinematography.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
A great Horror Movie
This is a great movie, not because I'm Romanian, but the gore, sensuality, and spirit of Dracula are meticulously crafted. Too bad it wasn't filmed on location, in Transylvania, but Copolla did what he could with the budget he was allocated. There are many factual errors which could have been avoided if more research could have been done. The language in the beginning of the flick is very cool. The Romanian spoken by the priests sound like long gone ex-patriots with clearly accented foreign Romanian. I have to hand it to Copolla for using a lot of the language though, something that is not evident in most Dracula movies.The chicks attacking Keaanu (nice scene)are pretty good examples in the Romanian language. I have the original on VHS, saw part of it on cable just recently, and had to rummage and watch my video once again. If you're squeamish, this is not the movie for you, it is tastefully designed to magnify the destruction that Vlad committed and has truth to that aspect. If only Vlad Tepes was alive today, where would he roam....