Things to do in Colorado

on November 3, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Being born and raised in Colorado I wanted to share all the wonderful things to do in that beautiful part of the country. I came up with more than you can imagine so I condensed my list to 5.

1. Red Rocks-The Red Rocks are exactly what it says. They’re Red and they’re Rocks. But not just any rocks. They are huge and slanted beautifully in the mountains near Morrison, Colorado, which is approximately 30 minutes from downtown Denver or 15 miles west of the city. The reason it is so nice is, it serves as an Amphitheater where you can have a nice meal at their full service restaurant and bar, or pick something up from the concession stand. You can also have a wedding, hold a meeting, and the best thing to do at Red Rocks is go to a concert. The acoustics make the sound incredible at the Amphitheater, and make the concert experience much better than that of a regular music hall. The Amphitheater has been compared to the Ancient Greek Theater at Taormina, Sicily, and stands higher than Niagara Falls.

2. Garden of the Gods-Garden of the Gods is a sandstone formation and has an awesome view of Pikes Peak. You can go on a guided nature walk, go horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, and for the lovers, you can get hitched. There wouldn’t be any time for boredom because there is just too much to do. Garden of the Gods is in Colorado Springs approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or 67 miles south of the Mile High City.

3. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo-The Zoo is also located in Colorado Springs and is breathtaking. When you visit, you’ll see large grizzlies, you can take a mountaineer sky ride, and climb their bouldering wall. They have a historic monument which is 1.4 miles away from the zoo entrance that is dedicated to Will Rogers. The Will Rogers shrine was built by Spencer Penrose between 1934 and 1937, and is a beautiful, must see part of Colorado.

4. Ski Resorts-Colorado is known for the Rocky Mountains. The Rockies contain beautiful ski resorts such as Steamboat Springs, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk, Crested Butte, Vail, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin, Echo Mountain, Eldora, Howelsen, Loveland, and Monarch Mountain, just to name a few. There are actually over 20 resorts in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

5. Sports Fields-Invesco Field at Mile High, (yes the field was rebuilt, and yes it was given a new name, but for us natives we still call it Mile High), Pepsi Center, and Coors Field. In addition to the sports stadiums, Six Flags is located within walking distance of the Pepsi Center.

Resources

1.     www.redrocksonline.com

2.     gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm?flash=1

3.     www.coloradoski.com/

Written by espiritu

Categories: Arts and Entertainment - Tags: ,

Ten Best Al Capone Gangster Movies

on November 2, 2011 · Leave a Comment

One sheet movie poster: Robert De Niro and Kevin Costner in The Untouchables (1987)

Al Capone (1899-1947) ruled the Chicago underworld during the Roaring Twenties. Big Al later ran afoul of the feds in 1931, serving part of his seven-year prison stretch for income tax evasion at infamous Alcatraz Island. Capone died of complications from neurosyphilis at his Palm Island, Florida, home on January 25, 1947.

Here are ten movies featuring Al “Scarface” Capone that no film fan should ever miss. Check your tommy gun at the ticket booth…

The Untouchables (Paramount, 1987)

Robert De Niro winningly plays Al Capone in this million crime drama that also stars Kevin Costner as U.S. Treasury agent Eliot Ness. Set in 1930, the film is centered on Ness and his Untouchables, who work tirelessly to bring down the ruthless Capone and his criminal empire. One of the most memorable scenes – and certainly an extremely violent one at that – takes place at a gangster banquet where a baseball bat wielding Capone brutally eliminates one of his fellow mobsters who failed to protect a liquor warehouse from the police. The baseball loving Al didn’t appreciate his own “players” exhibiting individualism over teamwork – as the bloody result so graphically illustrates.

Director: Brian De Palma

Review: “As Capone, De Niro’s going for a broad, theatrical style of acting. He creates a satire on the idea of Capone. With his chest puffed out in front of him, he’s a petty despot – Il Duce in spats. But because the crime boss is supposed to represent the force of evil in the film, the absence of any real violence in his characterization is a crucial miscalculation.” – Hal Hinson, The Washington Post (6/3/87)

On DVD: The Untouchables Special Collector’s Edition (Paramount, 2004)

Al Capone (Allied Artists, 1959)

Rod Steiger has the title role of Alphonse Gabriel Capone, charting his rise from New York City transplant to unchallenged czar of the Chicago underworld. Fay Spain plays Maureen Flannery, Capone’s love interest and the widow of a man he murdered, with Nehemiah Persoff as Johnny Torrio, Murvyn Vie as George “Bugs” Moran, Robert Gist as Dion O’Banion and Joe De Santis as Big Jim Colosimo. Steiger excels in the “Scarface” role, effectively capturing the gangster’s many moods, from violent hoodlum to charming benefactor. The final scene, in which the big shot Capone is attacked while an inmate at Alcatraz, serves as the movie’s crowning sense of justice.

Director: Richard Wilson

Review: “A tough, ruthless and generally unsentimental account of the most notorious gangster of the prohibition-repeal era, Al Capone is also a very well-made picture. There isn’t much ‘motivation’ given for Capone, at least not in the usual sense. But the screenplay does supply reasons and they are more logical than the usual once-over-lightly on the warped youth bit.” – Variety (1959)

On DVD: Al Capone (Warner Bros., 2009)

Three sheet movie poster: Rod Steiger in Al Capone (1959)

Capone (Twentieth Century-Fox, 1975)

Ben Gazzara enters the gangster cinematic sweepstakes, ably playing Al Capone in this somewhat forgotten entry from the Gerald Ford era. Susan Blakely plays Iris Crawford, Capone’s main fictional squeeze. “There should be a law against women drinking,” Capone tells Iris. “Well, I think there is,” Iris smugly replies, correctly referring to the 18th Amendment that ushered in Prohibition. A parade of actors portray real-life gangsters, including Sylvester Stallone as Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti, Harry Guardino as Johnny Torrio, John Cassavetes as Frankie Yale, Frank Campanella as Big Jim Colosimo, John Orchard as Dion O’Banion, Carmen Argenziano as Machine Gun Jack McGurn and John Davis Chandler as Hymie Weiss. Don’t look to Capone for the historical facts – Frank Nitti, for example, is seen giving the eulogy at Big Al’s funeral despite having died four years earlier. But for a good, violent gangster romp, Capone may just fit the bill, pallie.

Director: Steve Carver

Review: “Sad to say, ‘Capone’ isn’t much fun. There’s one good laugh and a lot of violence. And if you’re ready for it, there is even a brief outdoor love scene in which Al Capone and his new girl friend run dreamily past soft-focus trees and flowers…But too much of the movie is devoted to a deadingly repetitious series of scenes in which men in overcoats drive up in cars and machine gun gangsters coming out of restaurants.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (4/18/75)

On DVD: Capone (Fox, 2006)

Scarface: The Shame of a Nation (United Artists, 1932)

Paul Muni plays Antonio “Tony” Camonte, an extremely violent hood who claws his way to the top of the underworld. The principal character may be Antonio Camonte, but there’s little doubt as to who producers had in mind when they filmed this baby during the Great Depression. Mr. Camonte shares the same initials with one Alphonse Capone, who was about to depart to the big house to serve an eleven-year sentence for income tax evasion upon the movie’s release on April 9, 1932. Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins, C. Henry Gordon, George Raft and Boris Karloff appear in supporting roles. It’s an over-the-top performance by Muni, featuring prominent use of the Thompson submachine gun – a.k.a. “tommy gun,” “bean shooter” and “Chicago typewriter.” Two of Capone’s thugs visited the film’s screenwriter Ben Hecht in Los Angeles, demanding to know if the movie was about their boss. When told that it wasn’t, they were still curious as to why the picture was titled Scarface. “If you call the movie Scarface, people will think it’s about Capone and come to see it. It’s part of the racket we call show business,” Hecht informed the two torpedoes. Satisfied, the bent noses left the hotel.

Director: Howard Hawks

Review: “The slaughter in ‘Scarface, the Shame of a Nation,’ the Howard Hughes gangster production which was launched yesterday at the Rialto, is like that of a Shakespearean tragedy, for after the smoke of machine guns and pineapple bombs has blown away and the leading killer has gone to his death on the gallows, the only one of a group of principal characters left is a blonde with carefully plucked eyebrows—she who had been the mistress of two underworld giants.” – Mordaunt Hall, The New York Times (5/20/32).

On DVD: Scarface (United Artists, 2007)

1947 reissue one sheet movie poster: Paul Muni in Scarface (1932)

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (Twentieth Century-Fox, 1967)

The infamous February 14, 1929, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre garners the Hollywood treatment in this heavy-handed film presented in docudrama fashion. Jason Robards Jr. plays a swaggering, Irish-looking Al Capone, who orders the bloody hit on Bugs Moran’s North Side Gang. A fine supporting cast appears, with George Segal, Ralph Meeker, Jean Hale, Clint Ritchie, Frank Silvera, Joseph Campanella and Bruce Dern filling the ranks of gangsterhood. When a newspaper reporter suggests that maybe cops were responsible for the massacre, Bugs Moran (Meeker) replies, “You must be new to this town, mister. Only Al Capone kills like that.” Look for bit player Jack Nicholson, who appears as a gangster named Gino.

Director: Roger Corman

Review: “The only theatrical value and commercial purpose of this luridly publicized picture, which opened at the Warner and the 68th Street Playhouse yesterday, appear to me to be the callous horror and the morbid fascination of the terminal scene, in which those seven members of the Moran gang are trapped and mowed down by Capone machine-gunners in a North Side garage. For those who like blood and twitching bodies, there is plenty of that in this scene.” – Bosley Crowther, The New York Times (7/27/67)

On DVD: The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (Twentieth Century-Fox, 2006)

The Scarface Mob (Desilu, 1959)

The Scarface Mob is actually a compilation of ABC-TV’s The Untouchables (1959-63) two-part pilot episode, which was first telecast via the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse on April 20 and 27, 1959, with host Desi Arnaz introducing each segment. The edited movie was later released to theaters in 1960-62. Eliot Ness (Robert Stack) and his band of Untouchables move in on the Capone gang, hoping to crush Big Al’s hold on the Chicago underworld. Neville Brand portrays a sneering Al “Scarface” Capone, with Bruce Gordon as Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti. Also appearing are Keenan Wynn, Pat Crowley, Barbara Nichols, Bill Williams, Joe Mantell, Peter Leeds, Robert Osterloh and Paul Picerni. One scene proved to be particularly racy, at least for 1950s television, whereby several Capone thugs pay a visit to Ness’ innocent girlfriend Betty Anderson (Pat Crowley), breaking into her apartment, ripping open her blouse and leering at the “merchandise.” I Love Lucy this wasn’t.

Director: Phil Karlson

Review: “Originally the opening installments in the TV series, this crime drama of the Aspirin age still looks pretty good in feature form.” – Steven H. Scheuer, Movies on TV (1984)

On DVD: The Untouchables – Season 1, Vol. 1, includes feature movie version of the pilot a.k.a. The Scarface Mob (Paramount, 2007)

One sheet movie poster: Neville Brand and Robert Stack in The Scarface Mob (1962)

Alcatraz Express (Desilu, 1961)

Alcatraz Express is the feature-length version of the two-part The Untouchables episode “The Big Train,” first telecast over ABC-TV on January 5 and 12, 1961. The edited movie was later released to theaters in 1962. With Walter Winchell providing the snappy narration, Alcatraz Express opens in 1931, with Al Capone (Neville Brand) having been convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to an eleven-year prison stretch at the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. Capone’s cash bribes have made his stay in the Atlanta pen pretty comfortable, but when it becomes known that Big Al and other top name criminals are now headed to Alcatraz, the Chicago gangster and his mob conspire to spring him loose during the train journey. The old Untouchables gang is here, with Robert Stack as the tight-lipped Eliot Ness, Abel Fernandez as Agent William Longfellow, Nicholas Georgiade as Agent Enrico Rossi, Steve London as Agent Jack Rossman and Paul Picerni as Agent Lee Hobson. Bruce Gordon plays Frank Nitti and Gavin MacLeod appears as gangster Three-Fingered Jack White. Watch Ness and his boys engage in a Wild West shootout with mobsters in a small desert town.

Director: John Peyser

Review: “It still looks like a TV show, but manages to whip up a good amount of suspense.” – Steven H. Scheuer, Movies on TV (1984)

On DVD: The Untouchables – Season 2, Vol. 1, includes the original two-part episode “The Big Train” (Paramount, 2008)

Frank Nitti: The Enforcer (ABC-TV, 1988)

This made-for-TV movie stars Anthony LaPaglia as Frank Nitti (1881-1943), one of Al Capone’s top lieutenants and the front man for the Chicago Outfit. Like his boss, Nitti was later found guilty of tax evasion and sent to infamous Alcatraz Island for a little 18-month government-sponsored “vacation.” Vincent Guastaferro plays Capone, with Trini Alvarado, Michael Moriarty, Michael Russo, Hank Azaria and Bruce Kirby in support. LaPaglia as the feared “Enforcer” lights up the small screen, with Guastaferro’s Scarface appearing as second banana.

Director: Michael Switzer

Review: “Al Capone may be the most famous Chicago mobster, but his successor, Frank ‘The Enforcer’ Nitti (Anthony LaPaglia), was just as ruthless. This biopic goes to great lengths to accurately trace Nitti’s rise to the top of the Windy City’s underworld, amid corruption, betrayal and violence. The result is an engrossing glimpse into mob life in the early 20th century.” – TV Guide (2009)

On DVD: Frank Nitti: The Enforcer (Direct Source, 2006)

Road to Perdition (DreamWorks, 2002)

Good ol’ Tom Hanks plays Michael Sullivan Sr., a hit man for the Chicago Irish mob seeking revenge for the murder of his wife and youngest son. Anthony LaPaglia plays Al Capone, whose single scene was axed in the final cut. In the subsequent DVD, however, the sequence was restored in the deleted scenes section. Paul Newman, Tyler Hoechlin, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law and Stanley Tucci also appear in this classic gangster tale with plenty of bleak, film noir atmosphere.

Director: Sam Mendes

Review: “Filmed in a harsh winter of rain, snow and chilling darkness, Road will be long remembered for the artistry of cinematographer Conrad Hall. There are breathtaking scenes of shootouts and bank robberies, complimented by Thomas Newman’s evocative score.” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone (8/1/02)

On DVD: Road to Perdition Widescreen Edition (Universal, 2003)

One sheet movie poster: Tom Hanks in Road to Perdition (2002)

The Untouchables (Paramount Television, 1993-94)

This syndicated television series stars Tom Amandes as fabled Treasury agent Eliot Ness. Appearing in 15 episodes is William Forsythe, who plays the role of Al Capone with hot-headed, tommy gun relish. The series wrapped up its two-season, 42-episode run with the two-part segment “Death and Taxes,” telecast on May 15 and 22, 1994, with Forsythe’s Big Al eventually running afoul of both. Also look for Paul Regina as a sinister Frank Nitti in 15 episodes.

Director: Tucker Gates, Vern Gillum, Charles Robert Carner, Steve De Jarnatt, Eric Laneuville, et al.

Review: “First installment in Paramount’s latest attempt to mine the ‘Untouchables’ cash cow looks great, sounds trite. Figuratively speaking, at least, it’s a return to black-and-white television. Problems may be that the story of Eliot Ness and Al Capone has been told so often, it’s already part of the national consciousness.” – Todd Everett, Variety (1/12/93)

On DVD: Not commercially available

The Untouchables: Capone Rising

The Untouchables: Capone Rising, a prequel to the 1987 Brian De Palma movie, is now in pre-production. Nicolas Cage, slated to play Capone, had earlier withdrawn from the film.

Images Credit

All images courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas

Written by William J. Felchner
Professional Writer

select: More DVD Movies Articles

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Get Him to The Greek Film Review

on November 1, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Aaron Green works for a music company which is struggling and needs to come up with a big idea to raise money. Aaron comes up with the suggestion that they get old rocker, Aldous Snow to do an anniversary concert at the Greek. Aaron gets the gig and soon finds himself travelling to pick up Aldous for some press conferences and then the concert. Unfortunately Aldous is a typical rocker and is not impressed with being told what to do.

Aaron has a hard task ahead of him as all Aldous wants to do is party and have sex with women. They miss their first plane and have to fly in late to America to following day much to the disgust of Aaron’s boss. Aaron is warned that if Aldous does not get to the gig then he will loos his job.

Can Aaron get Aldous to the Greek and just what will he be subjected to along the way?

I have only given a very brief outline for the plot as I feel giving too much away will spoil it for those who may not have seen this film yet, but please do not think the film is as basic as I have made it out to be as it really isn’t and there is a lot to the story and an awful lot happens in the film. I did enjoy this film a lot of felt it was very funny. The story was good, not very original and the story is nothing exceptionally special but the way it is told to us with the humour is very entertaining and both me and hubby laughed out loud so many times when watching.

I have to admit that I am not a fan of Russell Brand and do find him very annoying but for some reason whenever I have watched him in a film I have found him to be excellent and easy to watch, this film was no exception. He played a great character who really did have a lot of issues, he was drugged up for the majority of the film and I felt this helped to add to the humour and he seemed to at easy playing the role. I liked the depth we got from him and thought it was good the way he did express emotions and felling as this made him easier to get to know and understand. He worked very well with Jonah Hill who played Aaron. He was a very different character, he was straight and wanted a simple life and had his world turned upside down by Aldous but he handled it all very well. I liked the way we got to know some background about him as I felt I got to know the way he thought and felt about new things. The chemistry between the pair was great and they had a good comedy timing when together on screen.

We did have some other very good actors in the film, P Diddy played a good role and I was quite surprised by how well he did, Elisabeth Moss played Aarons suffering girlfriend and the role which I was not keen on but was played well was that of Aldous’ father played by Colm Meaney.

There is a lot of humour in this film and I must say it is not going to be to everyone’s taste. It all involves drink, drugs and sex. There are times when we get a few good one liners but the majority of the humour comes from these three things. There are some very crude parts to the film which I was not overly keen on but for me the laughs did out weight these so I would not let them put you off from watching. I felt the comedy timing from all involved was excellent and they helped to make the gags more funny. We did have a lot of visual gags which were all done very well and I loved how Jonah Hill dealt with the ones he was given and felt he was a perfect choice for this role. He managed to try and play them straight faced which only added to the delivery.

The film does contain a lot of bad language and drug and sex references, we also have a few sex scenes so I do advise caution if you are easily offended or do not like watching people being sick on themselves. I do have to agree with the 15 rate on this film and say it is not at all suitable for the younger viewer. The running time of the film us 1 hour 45 minutes and I did find this to be a good length with the story moving at a steady pace throughout. The film can be bought on DVD fro around £5 now and I think this is a good price. This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about.

I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars despite the few issues I had with it. I really can’t remember the last time a film made me laugh as much as this one did. The acting was great and Brand really did surprise me again by being so good. This is certainly a film to watch if you are not easily offended but again I advise caution if you are.  

Written by sewbizzie
Busy wife and mother, married to a soldier and have 3 crazy boys.

Categories: Arts and Entertainment - Tags: , ,

Ten Best Hollywood Treasure Hunting Movies

on October 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Three sheet movie poster: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Everyone loves a good treasure hunt, including Hollywood. Here are ten treasure hunting films that no movie fan should ever miss. It’s an eclectic bunch, ranging from the classics to the light-hearted, with a scuba diving Elvis Presley even searching for lost Spanish gold! 

The Deep (Columbia, 1977)

Based on the 1976 best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, The Deep is a slam-bang shipwreck mystery movie featuring Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset as vacationing New Yorkers David Sanders and Gail Berke who stumble upon sunken treasure in Bermuda. Throw in Robert Shaw as veteran treasure hunter Romer Treece, Louis Gossett Jr. as evil Hatian drug lord Henri Cloche, Eli Wallach as old salt Adam Coffin, a deadly 12-foot moray eel and a boatload of impressive pyrotechnics, and The Deep is sure to satisfy the most hardcore action-adventure movie buff. There are actually two treasures pursued in The Deep: the untold riches of the sunken Spanish galleon El Grifon and the 98,000 ampules of morphine resting nearby in the World War II cargo ship Goliath. Look for real-life treasure hunting legend Teddy Tucker, who plays the harbor master in the film. “Is anything worth the terror of The Deep?” the movie’s tagline asks. Yes, lost Spanish treasure!

Director: Peter Yates

Great line: “Hey, boy, this is Goliath trash! What the bastard hell were you doing diving down there?” – Robert Shaw as Romer Treece to Nick Nolte

On DVD: The Deep (Columbia/TriStar, 1999)

Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte in The Deep (1977)

Trespass (Universal, 1992)

An old treasure map leads Arkansas firefighters Vince Gillian (Bill Paxton) and Don Perry (William Sadler) to an abandoned factory in rough-and-tumble East St. Louis, Illinois. The building may hold lost golden artifacts stolen from a church by a hysterical old man the two had encountered during a fire. One problem: the decrepit building is occupied by a scheming homeless man named Bradlee (Art Evans) and is also the home turf of a vicious street gang led by King James (Ice-T). Murder, running gun battles, a psychotic killer named Savon (Ice Cube), a test of wills and the search for hidden booty make this film a no-miss entry in Hollywood’s treasure hunting sweepstakes.

Director: Walter Hill

Great line: ” I don’t know what this stuff is anymore. Our gold. God’s gold. Fool’s gold.” – William Sadler as Don

On DVD: Trespass (Fox, 2004)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Warner Bros., 1948)

Two down-on-their-luck buddies, Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt), go to work for a notoriously corrupt businessman (Barton MacLane) in 1925 Mexico. The pair meet up with an old, grizzled prospector (Walter Huston) who insists that there’s gold in them thar hills. The men set out and eventually hit paydirt, with each collecting his share of the shiny stuff. What follows is treasure fever gone mad as the rich prospectors make their way back to civilization, consumed by greed and distrust and pursued by a Mexican bandit named Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya), who eventually ends up on the wrong side of a firing squad. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre won three Academy Awards: Best Director (John Huston), Best Screenplay (John Huston) and Best Supporting Actor (Walter Huston). The moral of the story: all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold – or good.

Director: John Huston

Great line: “Ah, as long as there’s no find, the noble brotherhood will last but when the piles of gold begin to grow… that’s when the trouble starts.” – Walter Huston as Howard

On DVD: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Two-Disc Special Edition (Warner, 2003)

National Treasure (Buena Vista, 2004)

Nicolas Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian/cryptologist who’s descended from a long line of treasure hunters. Gates’ current pursuit is a long-lost treasure trove of artifacts allegedly hidden by the Founding Fathers. Beginning with clues from his family history, Gates embarks on his treasure quest with buddy Riley Poole (Justin Martha) and financial backer Ian Howe (Sean Bean). An old colonial shipwreck frozen in the Arctic, a riddle-engraved meerschaum pipe, a clue on the back of The Declaration of Independence and a cryptic 0 bill eventually lead to a hidden treasure chamber under Trinity Church in New York City. Toss in the FBI, the Freemasons, the Department of Homeland Security and pretty Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase, and National Treasure delivers as one of the best treasure hunting/action movies in the genre. Just bring your own scorecard in order to keep running track of the movie’s many clues.

Director: Jon Turteltaub (with an uncredited Jerry Bruckheimer)

Great line: “We have to steal The Declaration of Independence?” – Nicolas Cage on obtaining a vital clue to the treasure’s location

On DVD: National Treasure Widescreen Edition (Buena Vista, 2005)

One sheet movie poster: Nicolas Cage in National Treasure (2004)

The Log of the Black Pearl (NBC-TV, 1975)

This made-for-TV movie stars Kiel Martin as Christopher Sand, a Chicago stockbroker who inherits an old sailing ship called the Black Pearl and a mysterious medallion that may hold the key to a fortune in sunken Nazi gold. Chucking his business suit and tie, Sand takes ownership of the vessel and begins renting it out for the tourist trade. Piecing together clues afforded by the medallion, Sand pursues the lost treasure with the Black Pearl’s crusty Captain Fitzsimmons (Ralph Bellamy) and first mate Jocko Roper (Jack Kruschen) in tow. Also in the running for the treasure is villain Michael Devlin (Glenn Corbett), with femme fatale Lila Bristol (Anne Archer) in the mix as well. Seafaring treasure hunters will love this beautifully-filmed adventure movie, which was first telecast on January 4, 1975. The Log of the Black Pearl, loosely inspired by the old radio series The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen (1947-48), was the two-hour pilot film for a proposed weekly television series that went unsold.

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen

On DVD: Not commercially available

Into the Blue (Columbia, 2005)

While living in the Bahamas, American diver and aspiring treasure hunter Jared Cole (Paul Walker) discovers the remains of the legendary French pirate ship the Zephyr. Resting nearby the Zephyr’s priceless cargo is a downed airplane loaded to the gills with bricks of cocaine. Jared, along with his girlfriend Sam (Jessica Alba), visiting New York lawyer friend Bryce (Scott Caan) and Bryce’s gal pal Amanda (Ashley Scott), decide to salvage the shipwreck but leave the cocaine alone. Bryce, however, who is in trouble with a Las Vegas loan shark, hatches a plan to sell some of the smack to a night club owner. That brings trouble in the person of a vicious drug lord named Reyes (James Frain), who confronts the treasure hunters and demands that they return his cocaine. Into the Blue, a modern, sexier version of The Deep, is sure to entertain, with plenty of action and thrills as the Americans go for the gold while keeping Reyes and his henchmen in check. “Treasure has its price,” the movie’s tagline warns.

Director: John Stockwell

Great line: “You’ve dreamt about finding buried treasure ever since you were a little kid.” Jessica Alba as Sam to boyfriend Paul Walker

On DVD: Into the Blue (Sony, 2005)

 Paul Walker and Jessica Alba in Into the Blue (2005)

The Long Ships (Columbia, 1964)

Viking adventurer Rolfe (Richard Widmark), brother Orm (Russ Tamblyn) and their rogue crew set sail in the king’s funeral ship to find the legendary great golden bell, known as “The Mother of Voices,” in this rousing Norse saga. Also seeking the magnificent bell is Moorish king Aly Mansuh (Sidney Poitier), who captures Rolfe and his crew and forces them to lead him to the treasure. The great bell is found, cleverly hidden in an old church on a remote island, and taken back to the Moorish capital. But waiting in the city are King Harald (Clifford Evans) and his Viking hordes, who had waded ashore the night before.

Director: Jack Cardiff

Great line: “I am informed that you know the whereabouts of a golden bell, the one people call the Mother of Voices.” – Sidney Poitier as Aly Mansuh to Richard Widmark

On DVD: The Long Ships (Sony, 2003)

Sahara (Paramount, 2005)

Based on the 1992 novel by Clive Cussler, Sahara stars Matthew McConaughey as adventurer Dirk Pitt. This time around Pitt and his old NUMA buddy Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) are in search of the missing Confederate ironclad CSS Texas which disappeared near the end of the Civil War and reportedly wound up in North Africa. The Texas was carrying a mysterious cargo, including rare Confederate gold coins. Pitt and Giordino locate the shipwreck in the Sahara desert of all places, with the Texas’ treasure and the onset of a deadly plague all linked together. There’s plenty of derring-do, not to mention Penelope Cruz as a little added eye candy, in this action movie made for a reported 0 million. Unfortunately, Sahara lost money at the box office, grossing only .671 million during its initial release. Author Cussler later sued producers, claiming that they had not consulted him regarding script approval as stipulated in the contract. Cussler, who was paid million for the movie rights, was later countersued and ordered in 2009 to shell out million in legal fees to Crusader Entertainment. That judgment was later overturned on appeal in March 2010, with the case now back in the California courts. Suffice to say, none of these people should ever band together for a real-life treasure hunt.

Director: Breck Eisner

Great line: “Well, we’re in the desert, looking for the source of a river pollutant, using as our map a cave drawing of a Civil War gunship, which is also in the desert. So I was just wondering when we’re gonna have to sit down and re-evaluate our decision-making paradigm?” – Steve Zahn as Al Giordino to Matthew McConaughey

On DVD: Sahara Widescreen Edition (Paramount, 2006)

Three Kings (Warner Bros., 1999)

At the end of the 1991 Gulf War, Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) hatches a plan to snag a fortune in stolen Kuwaiti gold. Gates, along with fellow soldiers Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube), lead their small band in a mad dash for the treasure amidst the chaos of Saddam’s brutal put-down of the U.S.-inspired Kurd uprising. Tough, funny and at times extremely violent, Three Kings may be the best movie in the small Gulf War genre, with the allure of a fortune in hidden gold adding to the suspense. And those who are reminded of Kelly’s Heroes (1970), in which a decommissioned Clint Eastwood leads his small band of “treasure hunting” soldiers in a bold dash for Nazi gold 20 miles behind enemy lines, would not be far off in their comparative thinking.

Director: David O. Russell

Great line: “My guess is he’s divided these bricks into several different stashes. Just one of these stashes will be easy to take from Saddam’s deserting army, and that will be enough to get us out of our day jobs. Unless, of course, you reservists are in love with your day jobs.” – George Clooney as Major Archie Gates

On DVD: Three Kings Special Edition (Warner, 2000)

Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 1967)

Elvis Presley plays Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson, a Navy diver who discovers an old shipwreck. No longer on active duty, Ted later goes after the sunken ship, believing that a fortune in gold coins rests in her rotting hull. With the help of Jo Symington (Dodie Marshall) and nightclub owner Judd Whitman (Pat Harrington Jr.), Ted pursues the treasure, with villain Gil Carey (Skip Ward) and his buxom girlfriend Dina Bishop (Pat Priest) also in the hunt. This is an Elvis Presley movie, with the King belting out a number of spirited tunes and hip, scantily-clad girls clamoring for his undivided attention, but wait till you see what Elvis and company actually bring up from the bottom of the ocean. Viva Las Vegas – not!

Director: John Rich

Great line: “Every chick I’ve ever known digs money.” – Pat Harrington Jr. as Judd Whitman to Elvis Presley

On DVD: Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 2003)

Lobby card: Treasure hunting Elvis Presley in Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)

Ten More Treasure Hunting Movie Favorites

Sharks’ Treasure (1975)Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)Fool’s Gold (2008)The Evil Below (1989)The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1975)Caboblanco (1980)Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)The Goonies (1985)Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986)

One sheet movie poster: Sharks’ Treasure (1975)

Images Credit

All movie poster art images courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas

Written by William J. Felchner
Professional Writer

Three sheet movie poster: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Everyone loves a good treasure hunt, including Hollywood. Here are ten treasure hunting films that no movie fan should ever miss. It’s an eclectic bunch, ranging from the classics to the light-hearted, with a scuba diving Elvis Presley even searching for lost Spanish gold! 

The Deep (Columbia, 1977)

Based on the 1976 best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, The Deep is a slam-bang shipwreck mystery movie featuring Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset as vacationing New Yorkers David Sanders and Gail Berke who stumble upon sunken treasure in Bermuda. Throw in Robert Shaw as veteran treasure hunter Romer Treece, Louis Gossett Jr. as evil Hatian drug lord Henri Cloche, Eli Wallach as old salt Adam Coffin, a deadly 12-foot moray eel and a boatload of impressive pyrotechnics, and The Deep is sure to satisfy the most hardcore action-adventure movie buff. There are actually two treasures pursued in The Deep: the untold riches of the sunken Spanish galleon El Grifon and the 98,000 ampules of morphine resting nearby in the World War II cargo ship Goliath. Look for real-life treasure hunting legend Teddy Tucker, who plays the harbor master in the film. “Is anything worth the terror of The Deep?” the movie’s tagline asks. Yes, lost Spanish treasure!

Director: Peter Yates

Great line: “Hey, boy, this is Goliath trash! What the bastard hell were you doing diving down there?” – Robert Shaw as Romer Treece to Nick Nolte

On DVD: The Deep (Columbia/TriStar, 1999)

Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte in The Deep (1977)

Trespass (Universal, 1992)

An old treasure map leads Arkansas firefighters Vince Gillian (Bill Paxton) and Don Perry (William Sadler) to an abandoned factory in rough-and-tumble East St. Louis, Illinois. The building may hold lost golden artifacts stolen from a church by a hysterical old man the two had encountered during a fire. One problem: the decrepit building is occupied by a scheming homeless man named Bradlee (Art Evans) and is also the home turf of a vicious street gang led by King James (Ice-T). Murder, running gun battles, a psychotic killer named Savon (Ice Cube), a test of wills and the search for hidden booty make this film a no-miss entry in Hollywood’s treasure hunting sweepstakes.

Director: Walter Hill

Great line: ” I don’t know what this stuff is anymore. Our gold. God’s gold. Fool’s gold.” – William Sadler as Don

On DVD: Trespass (Fox, 2004)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Warner Bros., 1948)

Two down-on-their-luck buddies, Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt), go to work for a notoriously corrupt businessman (Barton MacLane) in 1925 Mexico. The pair meet up with an old, grizzled prospector (Walter Huston) who insists that there’s gold in them thar hills. The men set out and eventually hit paydirt, with each collecting his share of the shiny stuff. What follows is treasure fever gone mad as the rich prospectors make their way back to civilization, consumed by greed and distrust and pursued by a Mexican bandit named Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya), who eventually ends up on the wrong side of a firing squad. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre won three Academy Awards: Best Director (John Huston), Best Screenplay (John Huston) and Best Supporting Actor (Walter Huston). The moral of the story: all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold – or good.

Director: John Huston

Great line: “Ah, as long as there’s no find, the noble brotherhood will last but when the piles of gold begin to grow… that’s when the trouble starts.” – Walter Huston as Howard

On DVD: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Two-Disc Special Edition (Warner, 2003)

National Treasure (Buena Vista, 2004)

Nicolas Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian/cryptologist who’s descended from a long line of treasure hunters. Gates’ current pursuit is a long-lost treasure trove of artifacts allegedly hidden by the Founding Fathers. Beginning with clues from his family history, Gates embarks on his treasure quest with buddy Riley Poole (Justin Martha) and financial backer Ian Howe (Sean Bean). An old colonial shipwreck frozen in the Arctic, a riddle-engraved meerschaum pipe, a clue on the back of The Declaration of Independence and a cryptic 0 bill eventually lead to a hidden treasure chamber under Trinity Church in New York City. Toss in the FBI, the Freemasons, the Department of Homeland Security and pretty Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase, and National Treasure delivers as one of the best treasure hunting/action movies in the genre. Just bring your own scorecard in order to keep running track of the movie’s many clues.

Director: Jon Turteltaub (with an uncredited Jerry Bruckheimer)

Great line: “We have to steal The Declaration of Independence?” – Nicolas Cage on obtaining a vital clue to the treasure’s location

On DVD: National Treasure Widescreen Edition (Buena Vista, 2005)

One sheet movie poster: Nicolas Cage in National Treasure (2004)

The Log of the Black Pearl (NBC-TV, 1975)

This made-for-TV movie stars Kiel Martin as Christopher Sand, a Chicago stockbroker who inherits an old sailing ship called the Black Pearl and a mysterious medallion that may hold the key to a fortune in sunken Nazi gold. Chucking his business suit and tie, Sand takes ownership of the vessel and begins renting it out for the tourist trade. Piecing together clues afforded by the medallion, Sand pursues the lost treasure with the Black Pearl’s crusty Captain Fitzsimmons (Ralph Bellamy) and first mate Jocko Roper (Jack Kruschen) in tow. Also in the running for the treasure is villain Michael Devlin (Glenn Corbett), with femme fatale Lila Bristol (Anne Archer) in the mix as well. Seafaring treasure hunters will love this beautifully-filmed adventure movie, which was first telecast on January 4, 1975. The Log of the Black Pearl, loosely inspired by the old radio series The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen (1947-48), was the two-hour pilot film for a proposed weekly television series that went unsold.

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen

On DVD: Not commercially available

Into the Blue (Columbia, 2005)

While living in the Bahamas, American diver and aspiring treasure hunter Jared Cole (Paul Walker) discovers the remains of the legendary French pirate ship the Zephyr. Resting nearby the Zephyr’s priceless cargo is a downed airplane loaded to the gills with bricks of cocaine. Jared, along with his girlfriend Sam (Jessica Alba), visiting New York lawyer friend Bryce (Scott Caan) and Bryce’s gal pal Amanda (Ashley Scott), decide to salvage the shipwreck but leave the cocaine alone. Bryce, however, who is in trouble with a Las Vegas loan shark, hatches a plan to sell some of the smack to a night club owner. That brings trouble in the person of a vicious drug lord named Reyes (James Frain), who confronts the treasure hunters and demands that they return his cocaine. Into the Blue, a modern, sexier version of The Deep, is sure to entertain, with plenty of action and thrills as the Americans go for the gold while keeping Reyes and his henchmen in check. “Treasure has its price,” the movie’s tagline warns.

Director: John Stockwell

Great line: “You’ve dreamt about finding buried treasure ever since you were a little kid.” Jessica Alba as Sam to boyfriend Paul Walker

On DVD: Into the Blue (Sony, 2005)

 Paul Walker and Jessica Alba in Into the Blue (2005)

The Long Ships (Columbia, 1964)

Viking adventurer Rolfe (Richard Widmark), brother Orm (Russ Tamblyn) and their rogue crew set sail in the king’s funeral ship to find the legendary great golden bell, known as “The Mother of Voices,” in this rousing Norse saga. Also seeking the magnificent bell is Moorish king Aly Mansuh (Sidney Poitier), who captures Rolfe and his crew and forces them to lead him to the treasure. The great bell is found, cleverly hidden in an old church on a remote island, and taken back to the Moorish capital. But waiting in the city are King Harald (Clifford Evans) and his Viking hordes, who had waded ashore the night before.

Director: Jack Cardiff

Great line: “I am informed that you know the whereabouts of a golden bell, the one people call the Mother of Voices.” – Sidney Poitier as Aly Mansuh to Richard Widmark

On DVD: The Long Ships (Sony, 2003)

Sahara (Paramount, 2005)

Based on the 1992 novel by Clive Cussler, Sahara stars Matthew McConaughey as adventurer Dirk Pitt. This time around Pitt and his old NUMA buddy Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) are in search of the missing Confederate ironclad CSS Texas which disappeared near the end of the Civil War and reportedly wound up in North Africa. The Texas was carrying a mysterious cargo, including rare Confederate gold coins. Pitt and Giordino locate the shipwreck in the Sahara desert of all places, with the Texas’ treasure and the onset of a deadly plague all linked together. There’s plenty of derring-do, not to mention Penelope Cruz as a little added eye candy, in this action movie made for a reported 0 million. Unfortunately, Sahara lost money at the box office, grossing only .671 million during its initial release. Author Cussler later sued producers, claiming that they had not consulted him regarding script approval as stipulated in the contract. Cussler, who was paid million for the movie rights, was later countersued and ordered in 2009 to shell out million in legal fees to Crusader Entertainment. That judgment was later overturned on appeal in March 2010, with the case now back in the California courts. Suffice to say, none of these people should ever band together for a real-life treasure hunt.

Director: Breck Eisner

Great line: “Well, we’re in the desert, looking for the source of a river pollutant, using as our map a cave drawing of a Civil War gunship, which is also in the desert. So I was just wondering when we’re gonna have to sit down and re-evaluate our decision-making paradigm?” – Steve Zahn as Al Giordino to Matthew McConaughey

On DVD: Sahara Widescreen Edition (Paramount, 2006)

Three Kings (Warner Bros., 1999)

At the end of the 1991 Gulf War, Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) hatches a plan to snag a fortune in stolen Kuwaiti gold. Gates, along with fellow soldiers Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube), lead their small band in a mad dash for the treasure amidst the chaos of Saddam’s brutal put-down of the U.S.-inspired Kurd uprising. Tough, funny and at times extremely violent, Three Kings may be the best movie in the small Gulf War genre, with the allure of a fortune in hidden gold adding to the suspense. And those who are reminded of Kelly’s Heroes (1970), in which a decommissioned Clint Eastwood leads his small band of “treasure hunting” soldiers in a bold dash for Nazi gold 20 miles behind enemy lines, would not be far off in their comparative thinking.

Director: David O. Russell

Great line: “My guess is he’s divided these bricks into several different stashes. Just one of these stashes will be easy to take from Saddam’s deserting army, and that will be enough to get us out of our day jobs. Unless, of course, you reservists are in love with your day jobs.” – George Clooney as Major Archie Gates

On DVD: Three Kings Special Edition (Warner, 2000)

Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 1967)

Elvis Presley plays Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson, a Navy diver who discovers an old shipwreck. No longer on active duty, Ted later goes after the sunken ship, believing that a fortune in gold coins rests in her rotting hull. With the help of Jo Symington (Dodie Marshall) and nightclub owner Judd Whitman (Pat Harrington Jr.), Ted pursues the treasure, with villain Gil Carey (Skip Ward) and his buxom girlfriend Dina Bishop (Pat Priest) also in the hunt. This is an Elvis Presley movie, with the King belting out a number of spirited tunes and hip, scantily-clad girls clamoring for his undivided attention, but wait till you see what Elvis and company actually bring up from the bottom of the ocean. Viva Las Vegas – not!

Director: John Rich

Great line: “Every chick I’ve ever known digs money.” – Pat Harrington Jr. as Judd Whitman to Elvis Presley

On DVD: Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 2003)

Lobby card: Treasure hunting Elvis Presley in Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)

Ten More Treasure Hunting Movie Favorites

Sharks’ Treasure (1975)Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)Fool’s Gold (2008)The Evil Below (1989)The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1975)Caboblanco (1980)Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)The Goonies (1985)Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986)

One sheet movie poster: Sharks’ Treasure (1975)

Images Credit

All movie poster art images courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas

Jumbo lobby cards: Superman – The Movie (1978)

Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the Superman character first made his appearance in the June 1938 edition of Action Comics #1. The always popular Man of Steel subsequently branched out into radio, serials, movies and television.

Here are ten Superman films that no fan should ever miss. Look, up in the sky…

Superman – The Movie (Warner Bros., 1978)

Christopher Reeve has the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent in this million spectacular that promised, “You’ll believe a man can fly!” Also on hand are Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor), Ned Beatty (Otis), Jackie Cooper (Perry White), Glenn Ford (Pa Kent), Phyllis Thaxter (Ma Kent), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) and Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen). The Superman legend is all here, from baby Kal-El’s blast-off from the dying planet of Krypton to his eventual coming of age in Metropolis as the Man of Steel. Christopher Reeve is superb in the title role, with Gene Hackman providing the requisite evil as the renegade scientist Lex Luthor. Superman earned three Academy Award nominations: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Original Music Score. Superman won a Special Achievement Oscar for its stunning visual effects.

Director: Richard Donner

Review: “Superman is a pure delight, a wondrous combination of all the old-fashioned things we never really get tired of: adventure and romance, heroes and villains, earthshaking special effects, and — you know what else? Wit…” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (12/15/78)

On DVD: Superman – The Movie (Warner, 2001)

Superman II (Warner Bros., 1981)

In this sequel to the wildly successful 1978 film, Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper and company return for a rousing encore. In order to marry Lois Lane, Superman/Clark Kent agrees to give up his super powers. It proves to be bad timing, however, as three Kryptonian villains escape their imprisonment from the Phantom Zone following a nuclear explosion in space. Now endowed with super powers, the trio – Ursa (Sarah Douglas), General Zod (Terence Stamp) and Non (Jack O’Halloran) – begin their conquest of Earth with the backing of evil genius Lex Luthor. The scene featuring a now mortal Clark Kent/Superman taking a very human beating at a diner is both painful and humbling.

Director: Richard Lester

Review: “For all the production halts, setbacks, personnel changeovers and legal wrangling that paved its way to the screen, Superman II emerges as a solid, classy, cannily constructed piece of entertainment which gets down to action almost immediately.” – Variety

On DVD: Superman II Two-Disc Special Edition (Warner, 2007)

One sheet movie poster: Superman II (1981)

Superman Returns (Warner Bros., 2006)

Brandon Routh stars as Superman/Clark Kent in this mammoth 9 million extravaganza that thrilled fans of the Man of Steel. In this spectacular outing, Superman returns from the ravages of his native Krypton where he once again becomes a beacon of hope for struggling Earthlings while resuming his romance with Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth). Kevin Spacey plays a wicked Lex Luthor, with Frank Langella as Perry White and Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen. There’s even archival footage of Marlon Brando as Superman’s dad Jor-El. Superman Returns garnered one Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects and won five prestigious Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor (Routh), Best Director, Best Music and Best Writing.

Director: Bryan Singer

Review: “Superman Returns is the Superman movie for everyone who was sitting around thinking, ‘I just wish someone would make another Superman movie.’ For everyone else, the picture has to cross one little threshold of skepticism: Why this again?” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle (6/27/06)

On DVD: Superman Returns Widescreen Edition (Warner, 2006)

Superman III (Warner Bros., 1983)

Christopher Reeve returned as the Man of Steel in this third installment of the Superman saga. Also returning were Jackie Cooper, Margot Kidder and Marc McClure as the gang from the Daily Planet, with Annette O’Toole as Lana Lang, Robert Vaughn as villain Ross Webster and comic Richard Pryor as computer whiz Gus Gorman. Superman III is full of sentimentality, with Clark Kent attending his Smallville High School reunion where he meets a now divorced Lana Lang. The action sequences are outstanding, as the Man of Steel is exposed to deadly Kryptonite and is split in two, resulting in an evil, dysfunctional Superman and a moral Clark Kent.

Director: Richard Lester

Review: “Superman III is the kind of movie I feared the original Superman would be. It’s a cinematic comic book, shallow, silly, filled with stunts and action, without much human interest.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (6/17/83)

On DVD: Superman III (Warner, 2001)

Superman and the Mole Men (Lippert Pictures, 1951)

George Reeves plays Superman/Clark Kent in this nifty little picture shot on a Hollywood back lot in a mere 12 days. In the town of Silsby, the world’s deepest oil well yields subterranean creatures who come to the surface in the dead of night. They are later confronted by town bully Luke Benson (Jeff Corey) and his lynch mob, who fear the “mole men” and wish to do them harm. Superman intervenes, stopping Benson and his followers and allowing the creatures to take their injured comrade and return home to their underground world. Phyllis Coates plays a pushy Lois Lane, with Walter Reed, J. Farrell MacDonald and Stanley Andrews also on board. One of the movie’s highlights: the mole men blast town hothead Luke Benson with a fantastic bazooka ray gun. Superman and the Mole Men was later telecast in two half-hour installments under the title “The Unknown People” on TV’s The Adventures of Superman (1952-58).

Director: Lee Sholem

Review: “Rather mild by today’s standards (the audience never gets to see Superman fly), Superman and the Mole Men served its primary purpose: to act as a theatrical pilot for the very popular Superman TV series, which also starred Reeves and (for the first season, at least) Coates.” – Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On DVD: The Adventures of Superman – The Complete First Season (Warner, 2005)

Reissue lobby card: Superman and the Mole Men (1951)

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (Warner Bros., 1987)

Christopher Reeve, in his final role as Superman/Clark Kent, once again battles the evil Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), who has created the radioactively-charged super robot Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two super beings then do battle around the globe, with the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China and Mt. Etna in the combat zone. The usual suspects are here, including Perry White (Jackie Cooper), Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and Jimmy Olsen (Mark McClure). Also on hand are Jon Cryer as Lenny Luthor, Sam Wanamaker as David Warfield and Mariel Hemingway as Lacy Warfield.

Director: Sidney J. Furie

Review: “More sluggish than a funeral barge, cheaper than a sale at K mart, it’s a nerd, it’s a shame, it’s Superman IV. Christopher Reeve, in his fourth consecutive role, wrote the story for this film – an unabashed nuclear disarmament message. But by the end of this movie (produced by the Golan-Globus conspiracy), nuclear winter seems more appealing than the prospect of Superman V. – Desson Howe, Washington Post (7/31/87)

On DVD: Superman – The Quest for Peace (Warner, 2001)

Superman (Columbia, 1948)

This 15-chapter movie serial featured Kirk Alyn in the starring role of Superman/Clark Kent, with Lois Lane (Noel Neill), Jimmy Olsen (Tommy Bond) and Perry White (Pierre Watkin) rounding out the Daily Planet principals. The early chapters deal with Superman’s origins on the planet Krypton, his rearing by the Kents and his first trek to Metropolis where he wins a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet. The unlikely villain in this entertaining serial is Spider Lady (Carol Forman) who commands a band of dapper thugs.

Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr

Review: “The action is goofy but plenty of fun, even if the use of a cartoon Superman as a visual effects cheat (used to show the Man of Steel in flight) grows tiresome quickly. As most serials tended to do, Superman zips by at breakneck pace, so even if you’re chuckling at one of the many missteps, your attention will quickly be diverted elsewhere, usually to more entertaining scenes.” – David Cornelius, DVD Talk

On DVD: Superman – The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection (Warner, 2006)

Atom Man vs. Superman (Columbia, 1950)

Kirk Alyn returned as the Man of Steel/Clark Kent in this 15-chapter serial, with Noel Neill, Tommy Bond and Pierre Watkin also reprising their roles. Lyle Talbot donned a rubber scalp to play Lex Luthor – the first actor to portray Superman’s evil nemesis – who becomes Atom Man, inventing a disintegrator that can reassemble the atoms in humans. Luthor gets the best of Superman in one chapter, felling him with Kryptonite and sending him to “The Empty Doom” – their version of the dreaded Phantom Zone.

Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet

Review: ” It’s well acted all around, with Kirk Alyn a very appealing Superman, and Lyle Talbot having a fun time as Lex Luthor. I found it very good for a serial from the fifties.” – David Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

On DVD: Superman – The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection (Warner, 2006)

One sheet movie poster: Atom Man vs. Superman Chapter 9 (1950)

Superman (Paramount, 1941-43)

Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios produced this series of 17 animated shorts. The first entry was Superman a.k.a. The Mad Scientist, which debuted on September 26, 1941. Other series’ titles include The Mechanical Monsters (11/28/41), The Arctic Giant (2/27/42), Terror on the Midway (8/28/42), Destruction, Inc. (12/25/42), The Mummy Strikes (2/19/43) and Secret Agent (7/30/43). Bud Collyer (also radio’s Superman/Clark Kent) provided the voice of the Man of Steel/Clark Kent, with Joan Alexander voicing Lois Lane and Jackson Beck as Perry White. There’s plenty of action here, including war period pieces in which Superman battles Nazi saboteurs and Japanese spies. Free downloads of the 1941-43 Superman cartoon series are available from the Internet Archive.

Directors: Dave Fleischer, Dan Gordon, Seymour Kneitel, Isadore Sparber,

Review: “Besides starring an underpowered Superman, these shorts are also notable for their lack of any compelling super villains. For the most part, Superman is pitted against technologically advanced gangsters and mad scientists. He fights robots and death rays. He also fights a thawed out Tyrannosaurus, a mummy come to life, and underground bird people, but most of his enemies are generic. The Superman of 1941 is a different superhero than he is today. Modern viewers should adjust their expectations accordingly.” – Erich Asperschlager, DVD Verdict

On DVD: Superman – The Movie Four-Disc Special Edition (Warner, 2006)

Supergirl (TriStar, 1984)

The real sleeper (or maybe red Kryptonite) in the genre, Supergirl stars Helen Slater in the role of Kara Zor-El/Supergirl/Linda Lee. The niece of Jor-El and a first cousin to Superman, Kara journeys from the Kryptonian survivor community of Argo City to Earth where she discovers her super powers. She then locks horns with the evil witch Selena (Faye Dunaway), who has her in possession the magical Omegahedron. Budgeted at million, Supergirl also features Peter O’Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook, Simon Ward, Hart Bochner and Marc McClure reprising his Superman movie series role as Jimmy Olsen.

Director: Jeannot Szwarc

Review: “Miss Slater makes a four-square heroine of unrelenting sincerity; a sturdy ingenue, she is great fun to look at but hardly a live wire. Peter Cook and Brenda Vaccaro have largish supporting roles in Miss Dunaway’s retinue, as opposed to the brief cameos for Peter O’Toole, Mia Farrow and Simon Ward.” – Janet Maslin, The New York Times (11/22/84)

On DVD: Supergirl (Warner, 2006)

One sheet movie poster: Supergirl (1984)

Images Credit

All images courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas

Written by William J. Felchner
Professional Writer

Categories: Arts and Entertainment - Tags: , , , ,

How to Master The Art Of A Passionate Kiss

on October 30, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Look into your lovers eyes and lean in gently to begin a passionate kiss. Tip your head slightly to one side (the opposite side that he tips his). Touch his mouth against yours in a soft lingering motion. Slowly and softy kiss his lips (with a closed mouth) as if you are tasting them for the first time. Do this for a few seconds to intensify the moment, touching only your smooth lips to each others.

Slowly open your mouth and find your lovers tongue with your own. A passionate kiss is one that is down slow and effortless. The idea is to not rush things and to slowly feel your way into your lovers mouth. Do not press your tongue into his mouth deeply, instead, use your tongue to feel out his mouth and find his tongue in a curious manner. Do so in little, small movements until you find his tongue with your own.

Once your tongues connect, gently play with his tongue in a flirtatious manner. A passionate kiss is one that involves thinking about how amazing the kiss feels and not just simply shoving your tongue in your lovers mouth without rhythm. To perform a passionate kiss once your tongue has met your lovers, simply think of this kiss as licking an ice cream cone. Taste his tongue with your own as your open your mouth about half way. You’re not trying to devour his mouth, but rather inviting his tongue to gently play with your own.

Touch tongues with your lover a few times before close mouth kissing again. Passionate kisses are those that involve more than just tonguing your lover open mouthed. The idea is to kiss open mouthed for a few seconds and then close your mouth to touch his lips again with your own for a few seconds. Also, one of the best ways to passionately kiss your lover is to gently suck on his lips as you finish touch his tongue with yours, just before close mouth kissing again.

The best passionate kisses are those that involve a little saliva, but not too much. Moist soft kisses feel amazing, however, too much saliva can turn a passionate kiss into a gross mess. Try to keep your saliva at a minimum by swallowing often while kissing. If you can’t help it, try closed mouth kissing more and open mouth kissing less. Avoid chewing gum while kissing as well as this can increase the amount of saliva in your mouth.

To make a passionate kiss even better, try caressing your lover’s face during the kiss. Touching your lover’s face and cupping it in your hands can increase the intense feelings a passionate kiss invites. Also, try looking into your lovers eyes often while you hold his face and kiss him. The connection you will share with this type of passionate kiss is so amazing and will enhance the sparks that fly when you kiss. Any type of touching you can do to your lover’s face, head, hair, or neck will make for an incredible passionate kiss.

Written by jaredsgirl
Mental Health Caseworker/Professional Writer

Look into your lovers eyes and lean in gently to begin a passionate kiss. Tip your head slightly to one side (the opposite side that he tips his). Touch his mouth against yours in a soft lingering motion. Slowly and softy kiss his lips (with a closed mouth) as if you are tasting them for the first time. Do this for a few seconds to intensify the moment, touching only your smooth lips to each others.

Slowly open your mouth and find your lovers tongue with your own. A passionate kiss is one that is down slow and effortless. The idea is to not rush things and to slowly feel your way into your lovers mouth. Do not press your tongue into his mouth deeply, instead, use your tongue to feel out his mouth and find his tongue in a curious manner. Do so in little, small movements until you find his tongue with your own.

Once your tongues connect, gently play with his tongue in a flirtatious manner. A passionate kiss is one that involves thinking about how amazing the kiss feels and not just simply shoving your tongue in your lovers mouth without rhythm. To perform a passionate kiss once your tongue has met your lovers, simply think of this kiss as licking an ice cream cone. Taste his tongue with your own as your open your mouth about half way. You’re not trying to devour his mouth, but rather inviting his tongue to gently play with your own.

Touch tongues with your lover a few times before close mouth kissing again. Passionate kisses are those that involve more than just tonguing your lover open mouthed. The idea is to kiss open mouthed for a few seconds and then close your mouth to touch his lips again with your own for a few seconds. Also, one of the best ways to passionately kiss your lover is to gently suck on his lips as you finish touch his tongue with yours, just before close mouth kissing again.

The best passionate kisses are those that involve a little saliva, but not too much. Moist soft kisses feel amazing, however, too much saliva can turn a passionate kiss into a gross mess. Try to keep your saliva at a minimum by swallowing often while kissing. If you can’t help it, try closed mouth kissing more and open mouth kissing less. Avoid chewing gum while kissing as well as this can increase the amount of saliva in your mouth.

To make a passionate kiss even better, try caressing your lover’s face during the kiss. Touching your lover’s face and cupping it in your hands can increase the intense feelings a passionate kiss invites. Also, try looking into your lovers eyes often while you hold his face and kiss him. The connection you will share with this type of passionate kiss is so amazing and will enhance the sparks that fly when you kiss. Any type of touching you can do to your lover’s face, head, hair, or neck will make for an incredible passionate kiss.

Straight Punch – ‘choku-tsuki’

The straight punch is a fundamental part of the karate training sylabus and almost all forms (‘kata’). The moves described here make up the very core of Shotokan; the powerful stances and hard hitting energy, the subtle yet significant movements. It should be noted that the straight punch can be performed in different stances, although onlyone is described in this article, Front Stance (‘zenkutsu-dachi’).

So lets get down to buisness !

Front Stance

To properly assume a front stance first begin by standing with your feet shoulder width apart with both hands resting in a fist infront of you, level with your hips. You should have your feet flat on the floor and your knees slightly bent. This is called the ‘ready position’ (‘shizentai’). (startposition)

Then, we move into front stance. Move your left leg slightly forwards and to the centre, at the same time bringing your left hand up to your ear (this photograph shows the hand with an open palm, although this is not necissary) (fig1) . Then shift your weight forwards and allow the momentum to move your left leg further outwards, bending your knee and bringing your left fist down in an arc across your body, also lifting your right fist so it is now in line with your navel (fig2) . Finally, extend out your left foot enough so that it just blocks your toes from view and both feet are shoulder width apart, and have your left fist immediatly above your knee. Your hips should not be square, that is you should not be able to rotate your right hip any further backwards (clockwise) (fig3) . Congratulations ! You have moved into front stance, and also performed a downward sweeping block in the process !

the Straight Punch

Now for the difficult part! Push your weight forward onto your front knee, and at the same time begin to slide your back leg forwards. Your leading arm should be lifted to be level with your chest, and your palms should be open (fig4) . Next, continuing the movement, bring your rear leg into the centre so that your heels and toes are touching and begin to bring your left arm back to where it was in the starting position (fig5) . Lunge your right leg forward and begin to move your weight onto it, and extend your fist at the same time ( the movement of your legs is essensially the same as the movement from the ready position into front stance, however this time your centre of gravity is much lower and so is more strenuous) (fig6) . Lastly, force your leading (right) hip forwards and extend your arm, twisting your wrist at the point of contact, and bend your front knee into a deep stance, identical to that of the front stance as before. (fig7) + finally (fig8)

The power in this punch comes from its explosiveness and its incorperation of your bodys momentum and centre of gravity. The process begins when both feet are together, and you shift your weight forward to create momentum. To do this, you have to first push your rear heel into the ground, sending the energy up your leg, and as you twist your hips the energy is transfered through your core and finally through your shoulders, arms and wrist when you finally place your leading leg down. You should always strive to make contact with your target at the same time as landing with your front leg, so as to maximise the transfer of energy. There you have it, you can now perform a choko-tsuki !! Congratulations !!

NB. These moves are intended as a training tool only, and cannot guarentee any real self-defence benifits unless keenly practiced. Please, don’t go starting any fights !

Written by rossd2oo5

Categories: Arts and Entertainment - Tags: , ,

The Art of Successful Web Design Project Completion

on October 29, 2011 · Leave a Comment

A web design project is like a baby with new parents. Nobody has a clue as to how it is raised even though they have had plenty of education and training. Like each baby comes with its own sets of demands and angel moments, each website needs to perform to specifications and can be absolutely wonderful. How to get there is what this article is about!

The best place to start is at the beginning and in the beginning there are parents. The client and the web designer, in this case, are the parents. It is their job to create the best possible resource (web design) within the set deadlines. It has to be appealing, informative and whatever else it needs to be. This is where the client and the web designer have to sit and figure out the best approach for the web design, the target audience, the content structure, website architecture and of course, budgets.

The next step in the web design project is acquiring all the necessary materials. The logo design, the actual web content, the colour schemes to be used, all the pictures and fonts – these need to be stored and filed in a way in which they are readily available to the designer at a moment’s notice.

The website needs to appeal to a particular target group. Like a fast food restaurant web design needs to appeal to families and teenagers. A hotel web design needs to appeal to business travellers or vacationers. So who is your website design catering to?

Next, the design project specifications. It can happen that the client is unsure about the design costs or what the website is supposed to do. In such cases, the website design project can suffer if ground rules are not laid down, if the foundation for making the website is shaky. Clients may not be aware of graphic design costs. They need to be educated, to be shown what a website can do and achieve and what sort of budgets are required to shape up a basic information delivery website to the bigger ones that runs on user generated content and CMS.

Ask the client for a site map – even if it is hand written and in bullet points. Agree and sign-off on milestone dates – the date for content materials delivery, the date for the initial presentation of options, the date for site architecture completion, the site functionality completion and finally the design completion. Stick to these dates as closely as possible.

Defining budgets for website design projects can be an issue. Sometimes the client wants to sign up a deal before knowing what the final output will be – in rigourous terms to be adhered to. In such cases, it would be wise to take the time and get to know the client. Ask questions that will not only help you understand the clients’ needs but also help them clarify their own needs.

Written by londondesign1
Web and Graphic Designer

A web design project is like a baby with new parents. Nobody has a clue as to how it is raised even though they have had plenty of education and training. Like each baby comes with its own sets of demands and angel moments, each website needs to perform to specifications and can be absolutely wonderful. How to get there is what this article is about!

The best place to start is at the beginning and in the beginning there are parents. The client and the web designer, in this case, are the parents. It is their job to create the best possible resource (web design) within the set deadlines. It has to be appealing, informative and whatever else it needs to be. This is where the client and the web designer have to sit and figure out the best approach for the web design, the target audience, the content structure, website architecture and of course, budgets.

The next step in the web design project is acquiring all the necessary materials. The logo design, the actual web content, the colour schemes to be used, all the pictures and fonts – these need to be stored and filed in a way in which they are readily available to the designer at a moment’s notice.

The website needs to appeal to a particular target group. Like a fast food restaurant web design needs to appeal to families and teenagers. A hotel web design needs to appeal to business travellers or vacationers. So who is your website design catering to?

Next, the design project specifications. It can happen that the client is unsure about the design costs or what the website is supposed to do. In such cases, the website design project can suffer if ground rules are not laid down, if the foundation for making the website is shaky. Clients may not be aware of graphic design costs. They need to be educated, to be shown what a website can do and achieve and what sort of budgets are required to shape up a basic information delivery website to the bigger ones that runs on user generated content and CMS.

Ask the client for a site map – even if it is hand written and in bullet points. Agree and sign-off on milestone dates – the date for content materials delivery, the date for the initial presentation of options, the date for site architecture completion, the site functionality completion and finally the design completion. Stick to these dates as closely as possible.

Defining budgets for website design projects can be an issue. Sometimes the client wants to sign up a deal before knowing what the final output will be – in rigourous terms to be adhered to. In such cases, it would be wise to take the time and get to know the client. Ask questions that will not only help you understand the clients’ needs but also help them clarify their own needs.

 The etymology of the word Aikido stems from three Japanese characters. “Ai” literally means joining, with “ki” meaning something like spirit, and “do” meaning way. Loosely translated then, the meaning of Aikido is the way of joining the spirit.

The Aikido way is to align body and mind with the spirit or ki and it said that the only way to be able to do this is through cultivating a relaxed state. It is in this relaxed state that nothing is forced or contrived so the mind and body naturally join the spirit or energy and everything becomes one. It is this oneness and cultivation of relaxation that this martial art paradoxically gets referred to as the art of peace.Its founder Ueshiba was a pacifist and it is said that he taught Aikido as a peaceful means to end aggression. 

 

Although spiritual and philosophical development is important in Aikido training, it has to be put to practical means and examples in actual practice of Aikido techniques and methods.Aikido training usually consists of two parties. The first is called uke or the receiving body and the other is known as nage (although this term varies depending on the Aikido style being taught) who gives the technique being taught. 

 

This concept of uke and nage can be likened to the Chinese yin and yang because in Aikido, uke and nage are not separate entities. They are two parts of one where the Aikido training can be learned with give and take from both parties.For instance, one of the first techniques taught in Aikido training is how to throw and fall safely. It is the task of nage to prevent injury to uke so he can learn to land safely when thrown. 

 

Furthermore, in Aikido training, the receiver or uke usually initiates an attack against the nage whose aim is to neutralize the assault with an Aikido move or technique.This way, both the uke and nage learn from each other and the Aikido training is not successfully executed without oneness between the two. It is in the give and take of these two entities in Aikido training that the principles of ki and other fundamentals of Aikido techniques are learned. 

 

Such fundamentals are the principles of adapting, flexibility, calmness and blending. In the case of uke and nage, Aikido training teaches uke to be more flexible and relaxed so that nage will not be able to catch them unaware and throw them off balance. On the other hand, nage learns to blend and adapt to be able to control and assuage the assaulting energy from uke.Aikido training however is not exclusive to practice and parries between just two parties. In fact, Aikido training involves instruction for multiple attackers. 

 

This is called randori and is a vital and required lesson to be learned in higher levels of Aikido training. The Aikido training for multiple attacks is done “freestyle” where a person can further expand their knowledge by practicing and performing Aikido techniques beyond the structured environment of the uke and nage. These are only two methods of Aikido training. There are many other training methods and techniques that follow the core value of Aikido. 

Written by warren2000

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Cleveland’s Severance Hall

on October 29, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Severance Hall, which faces the Wade Lagoon fronting the Cleveland Museum of Art along Euclid Avenue, was substantially funded by Mr. Severance’s .5 million donation, and opened in February of 1931. It has served, continually since then, as the home of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra.

Designed by the locally noted architectural firm of Walker & Weeks, the handsome structure embodies Art Moderne (Art Deco) flourishes on its late Classical form. One such element is the building portico’s pediment sculpture by Henry Hering. The interior of the concert hall — with its substantial use of aluminum, and its rich and colorful mix of Greek, Roman and Egyptian motifs — represents one of the best of Art Deco interiors extant anywhere throughout the U.S.

The seeds for Severance Hall were sown in the 1920s, when Adella Prentiss Hughes, founder of the Cleveland Orchestra, along with its musical director, lobbied for a permanent home concert hall. Land acquired from Western Reserve University (now part of Case Western Reserve University) provided the building site. Mr. Severance, an Oberlin College graduate who had served in such corporate entities as Standard Oil, American Linseed Co., Colonial Salt and Linde Air Products, provided much of the funding and impetus for the facility. He bequeathed his art collection, valued at million, to the Cleveland Museum of Art upon his death.

The Cleveland Orchestra’s famed Music Director, George Szell, initiated an acoustic redesign of the hall in 1958, under the supervision of acoustics maestro Heinrich Keilholz, and the architectural firm of Garfield, Harris, Schafer, Flynn & Williams. The result provided new vibrancy and a ‘harder’ sound benefiting the Orchestra’s presentations. Other exterior and auxiliary space modifications ensued in the 1970s.

A major million expansion and restoration of Severance Hall began in 1998. With design by architect David M. Schwarz, that renovation, upon the facility’s reopening in 2000, secured for the concert hall the National Preservation Honor Award.

Written by rickzimmerman

Severance Hall, which faces the Wade Lagoon fronting the Cleveland Museum of Art along Euclid Avenue, was substantially funded by Mr. Severance’s .5 million donation, and opened in February of 1931. It has served, continually since then, as the home of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra.

Designed by the locally noted architectural firm of Walker & Weeks, the handsome structure embodies Art Moderne (Art Deco) flourishes on its late Classical form. One such element is the building portico’s pediment sculpture by Henry Hering. The interior of the concert hall — with its substantial use of aluminum, and its rich and colorful mix of Greek, Roman and Egyptian motifs — represents one of the best of Art Deco interiors extant anywhere throughout the U.S.

The seeds for Severance Hall were sown in the 1920s, when Adella Prentiss Hughes, founder of the Cleveland Orchestra, along with its musical director, lobbied for a permanent home concert hall. Land acquired from Western Reserve University (now part of Case Western Reserve University) provided the building site. Mr. Severance, an Oberlin College graduate who had served in such corporate entities as Standard Oil, American Linseed Co., Colonial Salt and Linde Air Products, provided much of the funding and impetus for the facility. He bequeathed his art collection, valued at million, to the Cleveland Museum of Art upon his death.

The Cleveland Orchestra’s famed Music Director, George Szell, initiated an acoustic redesign of the hall in 1958, under the supervision of acoustics maestro Heinrich Keilholz, and the architectural firm of Garfield, Harris, Schafer, Flynn & Williams. The result provided new vibrancy and a ‘harder’ sound benefiting the Orchestra’s presentations. Other exterior and auxiliary space modifications ensued in the 1970s.

A major million expansion and restoration of Severance Hall began in 1998. With design by architect David M. Schwarz, that renovation, upon the facility’s reopening in 2000, secured for the concert hall the National Preservation Honor Award.

During a concert in Chicago Illinois, the 84-year old Rock & Roll star collapsed over his keyboard. Minute after minute passed before the grandfather of 12 turned around and was able to speak again. His crew helped him off the stage. The incident happened after almost 1 hour into his Winter Dance Concert.

After the incident most of the crowd had left the venue in Chicago as they had no hope of Berry returning back to the stage. How wrong could they be. 

The show must go on! Almost 20 minutes after he left the stage, the Rock and Roll star returned, picked up his guitar and started to play, however he had to admit to his audience that he did not have enough strength to continue. When he put down his guitar, took a bow and did a few of his world famous Duck-Steps in front of the cheering crowd.

Most probably tiredness and exhaustion was the cause of the incident. Chuck Berry had a busy schedule over the last few days. At New Year’s Eve alone he played at two different venues in New York City, B.B. King’s Blues Club and Grill. During his last Winter Dance he seemed tired, and almost unable to connect with the band, he fell in and out of tempo and seemed unable to concentrate.

Chuck Berry was born as Charles Edward Anderson Berry in 1926 in the United States. His real era of fame started in the mid-fifties where he was one of the movers and shakers of the new hype called Rock & Roll. The world over he sang his songs of which many landed in the top ten of the music charts. Songs like Maybeline, Johhny B. Goode, Roll over Beethoven, Carol, Sweet Little Sixteen, My Ding-a-Ling made people dance in any corner of the globe. His hit list gave him the high reward of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Written by Dutchwriter
Freelance travel writer, copywriter and world traveler

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How to Take Art Schools

on October 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment

You can be anything you require to be. No weigh what your age or where you untaped you can get a great instruction at a show of art schools. If you score flush just a glint of artistic flair within your body you owe it to yourself to explore the options of creator. The exclusive limits to this are the restrictions that you put on yourself.

Oftentimes moment the large impediment that grouping module see is the location of any art schools. Change if there is not a precise artists train in the country more rhythmic colleges and tech schools content degrees in the arts and figure. If you are noneffervescent having strive picking an activity middle you can repose assert that there is an online performance addressable for you.

No affair what write of education you look there are plentifulness of variant fields and specialties. You can simply human an associates or specialized award but you could also obtain a bachelors and even a masters point. It is also historic to say that it isn’t upright a state in art but a specialty in a business. The most amazing happening near the arts is that spell there are more diverse comic to work in the core elements stay the duplicate across the display. It can be a very disposable proposal to propose from one point to other.

Symmetrical at a specialised art train you can get the tools you condition to get an entry rank job. If you are indecisive to attain the jumping umteen localized colleges bid summer courses to gift you a appreciation of the field. This gives you the chance to get everyday with the courses and skills without the fraught college consignment.

Right as an illustration one of the umpteen comedian you can business in as an creator is that of a illustration decorator. You could win on many topical advertisements or regularise solon corporations. You can be excavation on websites or magazines. Literally everything you lie at on a daily component has elements of lifelike designing.

To looking at another write of job you could potential hump is that of an animator. You can digest your skills to acquisition on a witticism, recording gamy, or a strike picture. There is a humans waiting for you to create in land of life. The call, pictorial or witticism, that you determine is not as big as the train of exertion you put into it. Though these are right a few of the job examples addressable.

The experience is there faculty always be jobs for artists and designers out there. As the technologies color there are e’er new opportunities. Be it with a figure tighten, a recording business designer, a independent creator there are numerous job opportunities out there for anyone incoming the theater.

The land route is that no affair what you impoverishment to do as elongated as you essential to be artists of both kindhearted then there are art schools out there visible out there for you. See for yourself and following your envisage.

Written by inderpreetkaur

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Don’t Pay More Then $5 on a DVD

on October 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Hard to believe, But this is my motto

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Its true, I will not spend more then on any movie. Even if its a new blockbuster hit that only came out a few months ago. There really is no secret, or special site or anything to it. The only catch is shipping an handling ( S&H ). Which is .89. Most of these movies I get are actually under . So if I get a movie for ( which is a lot ) and I add S&H its still under .

How are these movies so cheap? Basic rules of Supply And Demand!

Where can I get movies under

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Easy, Amazon.com. If you look in the right places you will find the best movie deals out there. Granted, They might not have your particular movie for this cheap. It may be on other sites cheaper like eBay. But most people on eBay trick you with the S&H so be careful.

The right place for these super cheap DVD’s is in the Used Section. Type in what ever DVD you want like ” James Bond Casino Royal ” and you will see several price options. You can buy from amazon.com for .49 or you can buy it new for .00 or .99 for a used DVD.

Not Everyone wants a USED DVD. But…

 

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Let me explain this a little. Click on ” Used ” it will most likely bring up several sellers. Read the Condition. Some will say Very Good, Acceptable,and Like New. Ask yourself, do I want a Very Good DVD or just an acceptable DVD? Also read the small Descriptions, some may say “Minor stratches. Overall works just fine. Get yours for cheap” I would not buy a DVD that says it has scratches. so make sure in the description is says things like ” Great condition, no scratches, guaranteed to play. ” Chances are if you buy a DVD and its not how the seller described you will get your money back. So its a win/win.

I will be frank, I have purchased at least 250 DVD’s from amazon this way. I have never sent anything back. One time I bought Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for less then including S&H and the case was broken, the DVD was in great condition. So I was happy to get a cool movie for under . I actually later on sold it to a lady at work for So it was definitely a good deal for me!

Spider-Man Set

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Get the entire spider man trilogy for Plus shipping comes out to about .00 ! For the whole set!

Spider Man 1

Hard to believe, But this is my motto

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Its true, I will not spend more then on any movie. Even if its a new blockbuster hit that only came out a few months ago. There really is no secret, or special site or anything to it. The only catch is shipping an handling ( S&H ). Which is .89. Most of these movies I get are actually under . So if I get a movie for ( which is a lot ) and I add S&H its still under .

How are these movies so cheap? Basic rules of Supply And Demand!

Where can I get movies under

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Easy, Amazon.com. If you look in the right places you will find the best movie deals out there. Granted, They might not have your particular movie for this cheap. It may be on other sites cheaper like eBay. But most people on eBay trick you with the S&H so be careful.

The right place for these super cheap DVD’s is in the Used Section. Type in what ever DVD you want like ” James Bond Casino Royal ” and you will see several price options. You can buy from amazon.com for .49 or you can buy it new for .00 or .99 for a used DVD.

Not Everyone wants a USED DVD. But…

 

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Let me explain this a little. Click on ” Used ” it will most likely bring up several sellers. Read the Condition. Some will say Very Good, Acceptable,and Like New. Ask yourself, do I want a Very Good DVD or just an acceptable DVD? Also read the small Descriptions, some may say “Minor stratches. Overall works just fine. Get yours for cheap” I would not buy a DVD that says it has scratches. so make sure in the description is says things like ” Great condition, no scratches, guaranteed to play. ” Chances are if you buy a DVD and its not how the seller described you will get your money back. So its a win/win.

I will be frank, I have purchased at least 250 DVD’s from amazon this way. I have never sent anything back. One time I bought Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for less then including S&H and the case was broken, the DVD was in great condition. So I was happy to get a cool movie for under . I actually later on sold it to a lady at work for So it was definitely a good deal for me!

Spider-Man Set

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Get the entire spider man trilogy for Plus shipping comes out to about .00 ! For the whole set!

Spider Man 1 .01

Spider Man 2 .01

Spider Man 3 .98

Click the picture to check out spiderman at these prices! Remember, don’t pay Amazon.com’s new price just click on the DVD you want and it will show the used DVD price .01

Lord of the Rings

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

The entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy for under .50 ! The total cost is about with S&H

The Fellowship of the Ring .32

The Two Towers .15

The Return of the King .00

Pirates of the Caribbean

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

The Black Pearl .99

Dead Mans Chest .70

At worlds end .58

Whole set for around .00 including S&H so its still less then per movie.

One of the Best Actors of our Time

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Al Pacino flicks

The Great Al Pacino, most of his films can be found for under per movie including shipping. Look for Double disc movies like Devils Advocate and Insomnia together for .98

Jim Carey flicks
Keanu Reeves
So you get the idea right?

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Excellent, so now you and your family and reap the rewards of supply and demand. As you an see its not about the actors or how great the movie is.

Jim Carey i think is one of the funniest men alive. Been watching his goofy comedy for over 10 years, he is an excellent actor. Yet his movies sell for pennies!

Al Pacino Is one of the best actors of our history. And his movies are selling incredibly cheap!

A Little Secret Trick

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

I use this trick every year.

Around the new year I start adding all kinds of movie to my shopping cart. Yep, tons, at least 50 movies. I go through and place every movie I want from the used section in there. I will not pay over including Shipping for my movies. So, if a movie like Serpico, is .68 that is over my rule. I will place it in my shopping cart anyways. If that movie sells, or if a new one is listed for less then .68 I will be notified next time I visit my cart. It will tell you how much it went up or down.

So go through Amazon. Put tons of movies in your cart, even if you are not going to buy them today because they are too expensive. I use for a limit, your limit may be more or less. Remember, there are plenty of movies on Amazon selling for .01. You just have to find them.

I find the best way to find these cheap DVD’s are when you type in an actors name in the search or a title with multiple films. Like James Bond

Start your movie shopping here !

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Spiderman, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Lord of The Ring

DVD’s as low as .01 just click on the DVD you want and find out what the used price is. Good Luck!

The following ranking is based on the top 10 best selling DVDs of 2009. The list includes release date, approval rating, production budget, and US DVD sales.  The source is based on estimates by professional researchers and movie industry writers.

1. Twilight

The movie was directed by Catherine Hardwicke. The DVD was released March 21, 2009 and sold 9,535,382 units. The movie had a production budget of million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 49% overall approval rating. Twilight made 9,435,287 in US DVD sales.

2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The movie was directed by Michael Bay. The DVD was released October 20, 2009 and sold 8,215,830 units. The movie had a production budget of 0 million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 19% overall approval rating. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen made 1,861,284 in US DVD sales.

3. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

The movie was directed by Eric Darnell. The DVD was released February 6, 2009 and sold 7,048,867 units. The movie had a production budget of 5 million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 64% overall approval rating. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa made 2,773,949in US DVD sales.

4. Up

The movie was directed by Eric Darnell. The DVD was released November 10, 2009 and sold 4,876,357 units. The movie had a production budget of 5 million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 98% overall approval rating. Up made ,057,339 in US DVD sales.

5. Bolt

The movie was directed by Byron Howard and Chris Williams. The DVD was released March 22, 2009 and sold 4,560,991 units. The movie had a production budget of 0 million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 88% overall approval rating. Bolt made ,350,047 in US DVD sales.

6. Monsters vs. Aliens

The movie was directed by Rob Letterman. The DVD was released September 29, 2009 and sold 4,560,991 units. The movie had a production budget of 5 million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 72% overall approval rating. Monsters vs. Aliens made ,719,794 in US DVD sales.

7. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

The movie was directed by Carlos Saldanha. The DVD was released October 27, 2009 and sold 4,067,093 units. The movie had a production budget of million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 45% overall approval rating. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs made ,566,361 in US DVD sales.

8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The movie was directed by Gavin Hood. The DVD was released September 15, 2009 and sold 4,063,277 units. The movie had a production budget of 0 million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 36% overall approval rating. X-Men Origins: Wolverine made $ 67,939,153 in US DVD sales.

9. Taken

The movie was directed by Pierre Morel. The DVD was released May 12, 2009 and sold 3,931,389 units. The movie had a production budget of million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 57% overall approval rating. Taken made ,777,262 in US DVD sales.

10. The Proposal

The movie was directed by Anne Fletcher. The DVD was released October 13, 2009 and sold 3,884,819 units. The movie had a production budget of million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 43% overall approval rating. The Proposal made $ 54,744,965 in US DVD sales.

Source:

the-numbers.com

Boxofficemojo.com

RottenTomatoes.com

Written by HanSolo
Content Producer

.01

Spider Man 2 .01

Spider Man 3 .98

Click the picture to check out spiderman at these prices! Remember, don’t pay Amazon.com’s new price just click on the DVD you want and it will show the used DVD price .01

Lord of the Rings

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

The entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy for under .50 ! The total cost is about with S&H

The Fellowship of the Ring .32

The Two Towers .15

The Return of the King .00

Pirates of the Caribbean

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

The Black Pearl .99

Dead Mans Chest .70

At worlds end .58

Whole set for around .00 including S&H so its still less then per movie.

One of the Best Actors of our Time

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

Al Pacino flicks

The Great Al Pacino, most of his films can be found for under per movie including shipping. Look for Double disc movies like Devils Advocate and Insomnia together for .98

Jim Carey flicks
Keanu Reeves
So you get the idea right?

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Excellent, so now you and your family and reap the rewards of supply and demand. As you an see its not about the actors or how great the movie is.

Jim Carey i think is one of the funniest men alive. Been watching his goofy comedy for over 10 years, he is an excellent actor. Yet his movies sell for pennies!

Al Pacino Is one of the best actors of our history. And his movies are selling incredibly cheap!

A Little Secret Trick

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I use this trick every year.

Around the new year I start adding all kinds of movie to my shopping cart. Yep, tons, at least 50 movies. I go through and place every movie I want from the used section in there. I will not pay over including Shipping for my movies. So, if a movie like Serpico, is .68 that is over my rule. I will place it in my shopping cart anyways. If that movie sells, or if a new one is listed for less then .68 I will be notified next time I visit my cart. It will tell you how much it went up or down.

So go through Amazon. Put tons of movies in your cart, even if you are not going to buy them today because they are too expensive. I use for a limit, your limit may be more or less. Remember, there are plenty of movies on Amazon selling for .01. You just have to find them.

I find the best way to find these cheap DVD’s are when you type in an actors name in the search or a title with multiple films. Like James Bond

Start your movie shopping here !

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Spiderman, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Lord of The Ring

DVD’s as low as .01 just click on the DVD you want and find out what the used price is. Good Luck!

Written by MidasFX

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Buy The Most Impressive Art Reproductions

on October 26, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Who hasn’t heard about Leonardo da Vinci, or Michelangelo? Their art is recognizable by almost anyone who has eyes. If you want your decor to have impact, placing a quality reproduction by one of these artists will not disappoint. Whether you are looking for a conversation piece or truly want to pay homage to the world’s best artists, Famous Art has the answer. 

 

Easily the most influential artist of his century, Leonardo da Vinci was not only a painter but an inventor as well. The term “Renaissance Man” was coined to describe him. His contributions to the world of science and architecture are monumental to say the least. Famous Art has made reproductions of some of his best work available at a great price; most notably the Mona Lisa. If you want to ‘wow’ your friends, a quality reproduction of the Mona Lisa will surely do the trick. There are also reproductions of some of his religious art available, such as Madonna with a Carnation. Female Head is an iconic da Vinci sketch work available at Famous Art.

 

Another archetype of a “Renaissance Man” is Michelangelo. The creator of The Statue of David and the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo shares the artistic hunger of da Vinci. Famous Art carries reproductions of sections of the Sistine Chapel in its inventory. You can buy a striking reproduction of the section titled The Creation of Man for under two hundred dollars. For that small amount you can take home a piece of this priceless work of art. You can also take home The Last Judgment, a reproduction of the fresco painted behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo labored on the project from 1534 to October 1541. The work is massive and spans the entire wall behind the altar. The Last Judgment is a depiction of the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse. Its depiction of nudity was thought obscene. After Michelangelo’s death the painting was altered.

 

Both of these artists work is composed of predominantly religious themes. However, one does not have to be religious to appreciate the beauty and significance of their work. It was them who first began to explore the human form. The detail with which they portrayed the human body had never been seen in the past. They experimented with depth and shadow, leaving behind the two dimensional depictions of life that had dominated the art form for centuries. 

 

Though it is impossible for a normal person to own any of their original works, stunning reproductions are now at your fingertips. Without their influence, the human mind would never have been challenged, and we may not be here today. Own a reproduction from the artists who started it all here at Famous Art. 

 

Buy a quality reproduction from famous Renaissance men da Vinci and Michelangelo.

 

Written by robseo

Who hasn’t heard about Leonardo da Vinci, or Michelangelo? Their art is recognizable by almost anyone who has eyes. If you want your decor to have impact, placing a quality reproduction by one of these artists will not disappoint. Whether you are looking for a conversation piece or truly want to pay homage to the world’s best artists, Famous Art has the answer. 

 

Easily the most influential artist of his century, Leonardo da Vinci was not only a painter but an inventor as well. The term “Renaissance Man” was coined to describe him. His contributions to the world of science and architecture are monumental to say the least. Famous Art has made reproductions of some of his best work available at a great price; most notably the Mona Lisa. If you want to ‘wow’ your friends, a quality reproduction of the Mona Lisa will surely do the trick. There are also reproductions of some of his religious art available, such as Madonna with a Carnation. Female Head is an iconic da Vinci sketch work available at Famous Art.

 

Another archetype of a “Renaissance Man” is Michelangelo. The creator of The Statue of David and the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo shares the artistic hunger of da Vinci. Famous Art carries reproductions of sections of the Sistine Chapel in its inventory. You can buy a striking reproduction of the section titled The Creation of Man for under two hundred dollars. For that small amount you can take home a piece of this priceless work of art. You can also take home The Last Judgment, a reproduction of the fresco painted behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo labored on the project from 1534 to October 1541. The work is massive and spans the entire wall behind the altar. The Last Judgment is a depiction of the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse. Its depiction of nudity was thought obscene. After Michelangelo’s death the painting was altered.

 

Both of these artists work is composed of predominantly religious themes. However, one does not have to be religious to appreciate the beauty and significance of their work. It was them who first began to explore the human form. The detail with which they portrayed the human body had never been seen in the past. They experimented with depth and shadow, leaving behind the two dimensional depictions of life that had dominated the art form for centuries. 

 

Though it is impossible for a normal person to own any of their original works, stunning reproductions are now at your fingertips. Without their influence, the human mind would never have been challenged, and we may not be here today. Own a reproduction from the artists who started it all here at Famous Art. 

 

Buy a quality reproduction from famous Renaissance men da Vinci and Michelangelo.

 

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A particular Men Howl: PerformA Venture to Those who exercise, Performers, Motor coachs and additionally School

There are recognized for too much time which experts claim Dave Alexander of your respective Bengals is amongst the looked on bothersome area motor coach buses within a nba. A couple of things could not recognise is usually that the person and that is a significant music performer having researched for 3 seasons while under performance piano player Alex Muhlbock. Alexander composes pertaining to his or her experiences, along with relates to teach playing golf to be able to educational musical, in the attractive different manual Function.

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Written by sergeikosti33

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