Koyaanisqatsi - Life out of balance

This is one of the most beautifully crafted films I've seen in a long time.

Every image is rich and vivid in terms of aural and visual aesthetics, as well as conveying a strong underlying message or idea regarding life (qatsi).

The film poses questions regarding the essence of our nature that in a progressing society, has become so infused with the advancement of technology. Has life become that of a series of machinizations, souless, and confined to structure? Godfrey Reggio reminds us that there are parts of the world, aspects of life, which are still untainted by technological development. That society still has the ability to be spiritual and organic. Some images juxtaposing the creations of man and god are so profound and excellently filmed that they become moving in their poignancy.

Phillip Glass' musical score gives Kayaanisqatsi an almost hypnotic quality, ranging in density to fit the sequences of image and moods.

This film is not boring or arbitrary, however the meaning is always going to be purely subjective in regards to the audience. I recommend Koyaanisqatsi because a sign of great filmmaking is being able to create a work that will leave no one indifferent to.

Great for a Blu-ray newbie

Having just invested in Blu-ray technology I wondered what disc to start with. I thought natural history would be a sensible initial investment. I was not wrong. The HD of 'EARTH' certainly delivers and the colours and fine detail are worth the investment. I heartily recommend it.

Rubbish

One sided rubbish, made advertantly contravercial in an attempt to make more money.

This"documentary" has been lampooned by most major scientific communities, including 2 of the scientists who appeared in it.

Anyone with a basic understanding of global warmings science will realise this is rubbish.

Dont encourage them by buying it.

Not as good as series one, but better than series two.

Series one was the benchmark, simply sumptious in presentation and picture quality.

Series two was a poor relation, let down on graphic and picture quality, as well as DVD presentation/chapters.

Series three was better than two but not quite as good as one.

Regardless grab all three.

An incredible release.

Only April and already we have THE finest DVD release of the year (although Fremantle's"Absolutely Everything" box comes close!). Would/could any company other than the BFI lavish this kind of care and attention on such a wide range of rarely seen films? Painfully nostalgic and of immense social importance the films in this set are a history lesson in a box and the superb content is matched only by the packaging and book that is included with the release. A sturdy box houses a fold out digipack (please use thin-paks next time BFI) and it's accompanying book. Don't be fooled by descriptions of this as a"booklet", it is a substantial piece in it's own right - something anyone interested in the subject would be happy to pay £5+ for on it's own and for what you get the set as a whole is bargain-priced even at full RRP. Even the mighty Criterion would struggle to match the quality and assurance of this staggering release. Highly recommended (as is their"Free Cinema" release).

So it shall be written, so it shall be done

This film is over 50 years old but it is still mightily impressive,even by today's standards."The Ten Commandments" is an epic film telling the story of Moses from his birth in Egypt right up to his arrival at the Promised Land in his old age. Charlton Heston and Yul Bryner play Moses and the Pharoah Ramses, his great rival, with much aplomb. There is a cast of thousands, still awesome special effects and a familiar, compelling storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I would recommend it especially to anyone wishing to give their child exposure to some R.E. in a particularly unreligious medium. After watching"The Ten Commandments" I wondered why with all the fantastic CGI effects available to film makers in this century that there have been no new films about the life stories of Moses and Jesus using this technology. There is bound to be a huge potential viewing audience for them , yet none appear to be forthcoming...

Hannah extra-ordinary Lady

We first watched this programme on tv, all those years ago, and sat in awe at this lady's life. So pleased to know we could buy the dvd, again we have sat and watched with the same feelings of admiration.
If there is to be a critisism, would have been nice to watch all the way through as one story rather than the tv breaks as that was like a 'copy' of original series.

you'll cry 'til you laugh

Moore's films are usually described on the box as 'outrageously funny'; this one is clearly the darkest, as he deals with real people who may already have died as i write this.
The film is, as always, extremely selective and marvellously stuck together so that, from a movie-going point of view, there is a beginning , a middle and a wonderful concluding twenty minutes.
The knives are wielded, as they should be, at Corporate American Healthcare Firms as the victims are paraded on-screen and ultimately treated better in Cuba than they would have been at home in the USA.
It's propagandistic, portraying the UK NHS as a paragon but,with his thesis being a cry for 'universal free healthcare' , anything is better than the situation for the 50 million US citizens who are denied free healthcare.
If you are British or live in the UK this film will make you value your NHS a bit more; if you are American I suppose it will make you feel lucky not to be bundled out of a taxi and left at the mercy of one of the Emergency shelters.
It needs to be stressed, finally, that this is still a hugely entertaining film. Moore's ability to get away with his vitriolic attacks on the US Government, especially its extreme right wing (!) and the way he accesses Cuba and Guantanamo Bay in the film, make you feel that there is a constructed element to this film, but it's certainly not his own fiction.
I highly recommend this Moore film as much as the others.

Truly breath-taking!

This film is a must see - it will open your eyes to the world of sharks - often shunned by the media - to show these truly majestic fish and the important role they play in our oceans - they are the top predators and so, the rulers of the ocean.
The footage is absolutely stunning on both a positive and a negative side - it highlights the Shark fin trade - so it is too, an educational lesson as well as a fantastic film!
I'd highly recommend this to all!

More about the human condition than mere buildings - stunningly good!

Expect the unexpected...

This has to be one the most inspiring and insightful programmes ever on the subject of architecture. Cruickshank has come up with nothing less than a masterpiece, unearthing some long-hidden and remarkable gems along the way. And all delivered with his trademark reverential and infectious enthusiasm.

Don't just watch it. Own it. Show it to your children. Celebrate the wonders of being human! Or, of course, you could watch Katie & Peter over on ITV3. I understand she's having a new boob job...

Ganges: the best presentation by far

I saw the entire BBC series and the narration was simply fantastic and emotive; said with complete involvement all through the programme in a lovely voice...having visited the Ganges at Varanasi, Haridwar and Rishikesh I was captivated by both the spectacular photography and the smooth narration said with absolute involvement...there are great rivers all over the world but the Ganges has got spirituality entwined about herself and is indeed a sight to behold; in its end the Ganges unites with the Brahmaputra (a point possibly missed?) and then breaks into tributaries to open into the Bay of Bengal sea. Seriously worth possessing in your collection.

The cover is nice

There's an old saying: if you can't say something positive, best say nothing at all. Well the cover is nice. It's eco-friendly too as it is made of recycled material. There's some helpful advice on the inside on how to save the planet by amongst other things, turning the light off when you leave a room. Hmmn, that'll save the planet! Di Caprio fans might be disappointed to learn that he only appears in this film for about five minutes. It's a brave departure for him to get involved in such a project but there is no explanation as to why.

Too be honest, there's a lot in this film I can agree with. We could do with consuming less and recycling more, less pollution and so on. However, I don't agree that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a pollutant. I see no need to tax it. For me it's food for plants and most of the CO2 in the atmosphere is not man-made anyway. Dissenting views like this are not included in this film except for a five second clip of a US Congressman describing Global Warming as a hoax. Most of it is just experts delivering monologues in studios. The most exciting thing that happens in this film is a Polar Bear jumping off some melting ice.

I have to confess I fell asleep several times during this film, so this could be a great cure for insomnia, unless you lying awake worrying about Gobal Warming in which case I should tell you Climate Change is caused by variations in sunspot activity. And in case you're wondering, Polar Bears can swim for up to sixty miles. If you must watch this film, watch some climate sceptic film afterwards and make your own mind up.

wow the real Superman

I vote Joe for the real superman award, the most amazing survival story ever, a must see.

The Greatest documentary of them all!

Without doubt this is the finest documentary I have ever seen. This is Alistair Cooke at his most regal best. A perfect Christmas present. If I had to live on a desert island and could take only one DVD this would be it.

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A PRISON!!!!

Just watched this DVD on gangs and I have to say it blow me away what a eye opener that was in a word brillant. Mr Kemp I think must have done a lot of research and made alot of phone calls to get into the places he did and it goes without saying having to meet them face to face. He meet the active members of the gangs as well as one Top General that looked and sounded like one nasty piece of work. Most lads that are banged up in our prisons today who think they are big tough guys might be but trust me the two prisons Mr Kemp visited that house the gangs MS13 and the Numbers Gang they wouldn't last a day. These prisons have their own sets of rules when you get 1 warden to 100 prisoners or no wardens inside the prisons just armed guards and police outside stopping the other gangs from getting in that for me is in a different league. Looking at the work Mr Kemp put into this is a credit to him and his film crew let's hope he keeps up the good work.

If you liked Coast 1 get Coast 2

I got hooked on the first series, after buying the dvd set for only 11gb. Seeing Coast season 2 on Amazon.co.uk, I had to get it, but wondered why they would do the coast of the UK again, and if it would be as good. This season has the same crew, this time the dark haired scottish guy (sorry I cant think of the names)is hosting, unbrella man does the geography stories. dosnt seem as rushed as the first season, but they had to get a lot cramed into that season.
Like the first season it is full of interesting information, including the first attempt at a England - France tunnel in 1880, the make up of the white chalk cliffs, sea habitats, beach side resorts, ect. Series 2 contains 8, one hour episodes on 3 DVDs. Well worth the price.