The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition)

The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition) Review

I purchased this DVD because we are going to be producing a performance of the King and I at the High School at which I am the technical director. I knew that my students had probably never seen the film, and most of them had not even heard of the play. Gave my kids a really good feel for what the show would be all about. The karaoke versions of the songs have been great for helping our cast prepare. Loved it.

The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition) Overview

This visual and musical masterpiece features Yul Brynner's Academy Award(r) winning performance, an inforgettable Rodgers and Hammerstein(r) score, and brilliant choreography by Jerome Robbins. It tells the true story of an Englishwoman, Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr), who comes o Siam as schoolteacher to the royal court in the 1860's. Though she soon finds herself at odds with the stubborn monarch (Brynner), over time, Anna and the King stop trying to change each other and begin to understand one another.

The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition) Specifications

The third Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway hit to go before the cameras, The King and I boasts a career-making performance from Yul Brynner, repeating his stage triumph as the titular monarch and proving to moviegoers that bald can be beautiful. It's Brynner's proud king that provides the fulcrum to the plot, and it's Brynner himself, with his piercing gaze and graceful physicality, that demands our attention.

The story line, adapted from an earlier, nonmusical stage hit, follows widowed English teacher Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr) to her new posting as tutor to the Siamese king's formidable mob of children. The collision of East and West affords its winning mixture of drama and humor, and the warm friendship that grows between the king and the patrician teacher provides a poignant, unfulfilled romance between the two wary protagonists. Into this framework, the composers insert a superb score, echoing Asian motifs, as well as a bouquet of lovely songs including "Hello, Young Lovers," "Shall We Dance," and two ensemble pieces for Anna and the royal children ("Getting to Know You" and "I Whistle a Happy Tune") that suggest prototypes for Rodgers & Hammerstein's later hit, The Sound of Music.

For this 1956 production, 20th Century Fox lavished stereophonic sound, widescreen cinematography, intricate production design, and stunning sets. Technically, this newly mastered THX version is the best-looking and -sounding King yet to hit video, but in its full-frame, pan-and- scan version the formatting downsizes far too much of the splendor, losing some sharpness to the imagery. For viewing on all but the smallest screens, the widescreen edition is vastly superior. But, in either version, the glorious music is reason enough to hit "play." --Sam Sutherland

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Dawn of the Dead (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)

Dawn of the Dead (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut) Review

I can't really compare this with the original version as I've not that in full yet, but of all the zombie films I've seen, this 2004 remake is definitely one of the best. I've seen this film 3 times now! It's exciting through out and creates a lot of suspence in many scenes even if you can predict what's going to happen. It's a bit like 28 Days Later with running zombies rather than slow, mindless zombies that can creep up on you from behind like with the Romero films. So more like the rage virus from 28 days Later only they're still undead rather than simply infected and they look like zombies as well, menacing, frightening and creepy giving an upper tempo to the film with a sense of emergency making the effort to keep them out of the mall much more intense. The only thing that I think could be improved about the living dead in this film is that everyone who dies from anything should come back as a zombie rather than just people who are bitten or infected, it would make it more exciting. Brilliant acting as well and a good wide variety of characters and although there isn't whole lot of character development, there are so many different characters - a strong police seargent, a tough, bitter security guard with a cowboy moustache, a sarcastic guy, a jack-of-all trades, a former criminal with his pregnant wife, and then there's the nurse who's the love interest. So like I said there's a wide variety of characters which I think again makes it more exciting because the higher the number of characters the more action filled zombie scenes you're going to see because any of them can be confronted by a zombie.

The special features on this DVD are good as well with the news broadcast and Andy's Terrifying Last Days. When watching the DVD it was good to watch these 2 features to warm up for the actual film. The news broadcast being that it shows you how the zombie outbrake increases more and more with scenes of bite victims being interviewed, people being got by zombies, and panicked news reporters. A brilliant feature with a lot of sparkle to it! Then Andy's Terrifying Last Days being a video made by Andy, the gunshop owner stranded alone in his gun store across the zombie infested parking lot. We don't get to see much of Andy's point of view during the actual film, so it's good to see what kind of a character he is, what he's thinking and how he fights to stay alive.

I would definitely give this film 5 stars as it's entertaining and exciting from start to finish and I'd certainly reccomend it to fans of the zombie genre. An exciting all action packed zombie film!

Dawn of the Dead (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut) Feature

• POLLEY/RHAMES/PHIFER/BARRY

Dawn of the Dead (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut) Overview

Packed with more blood, more gore, and more bone-chilling, jaw-dropping thrills, Dawn of the Dead Unrated Director's Cut is the version too terrifying to be shown in theaters! Starring Mekhi Phifer, Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley in an edgy, electrifying thrill-ride.

When a mysterious virus turns people into mindless, flesh-eating zombies, a handful of survivors wage a desperate, last-stand battle to stay alive…and human.

Dawn of the Dead (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut) Specifications

Are you ready to get down with the sickness? Movie logic dictates that you shouldn't remake a classic, but Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead defies that logic and comes up a winner. You could argue that George A. Romero's 1978 original was sacred ground for horror buffs, but it was a low-budget classic, and Snyder's action-packed upgrade benefits from the same manic pacing that energized Romero's continuing zombie saga. Romero's indictment of mega-mall commercialism is lost (it's arguably outmoded anyway), so Snyder and screenwriter James Gunn compensate with the same setting--in this case, a Milwaukee shopping mall under siege by cannibalistic zombies in the wake of a devastating viral outbreak--a well-chosen cast (led by Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, and Mekhi Phifer), some outrageously morbid humor, and a no-frills plot that keeps tension high and blood splattering by the bucketful. Horror buffs will catch plenty of tributes to Romero's film (including cameos by three of its cast members, including gore-makeup wizard Tom Savini), and shocking images are abundant enough to qualify this Dawn as an excellent zombie-flick double-feature with 28 Days Later, its de facto British counterpart. --Jeff Shannon

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Once an Eagle

Once an Eagle Review

Considering that this film was made back when the Army was not the most beloved institution. This film had the guts to show in a more realistic way the life of a career soldier. (For example the ranking out of ones house on the base when a more senior officer showed up.) Before this mini series, the soldier were either the WWII type film where the Military was shown to flawless and marching from victory to victory. Or you had the anti military film where frankly everyone in uniform it seems was a "baby killer" or something nasty. Instead you see the life of a good man who found a home in the Army and his rise to higher and higher command. This film shows him to be not perfect as he has his flaws & problems like everyone else has. (His wife was frankly a jerk that seemed to be constantly unhappy for no real reason) I also liked the fact that his rival Massengale is shown to be a monster but a believable one. In closing, as usual the film is not as good as the book that it is based upon but then what film is?

Once an Eagle Overview

Once An Eagle is the epic story of America in the 20th Century, told through the lives of two career soldiers, spanning the tumultuous years from WWI to the Vietnam Era. Based on the best-selling novel by Anton Myrer, Once An Eagle is one of the most acclaimed mini-series of all time, alongside "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance." Sam Elliott takes on the role of Sam Damon, a courageous and compassionate man who finds his caling leading his men in war and in peacetime. Cliff Potts, on the other hand, plays Courtney Massengale, a ruthless achiever who will let nothing stand in his way to the top. The eve of America's entry into WWI finds the men friends, but as events unfold, the vast difference in their personalities leads to a face-off in a life and death struggle of good versus evil.

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The Other Guys (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

The Other Guys (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Review

The Other Guys had me laughing so hard in some parts, I was glad I went to the restroom before it started. My friend who watched it with me choked on her popcorn from laughing so much. It has good performances from almost all the cast, especially Wahlberg and Ferrell. Mark W is suprisingly very funny-almost as funny as Will, and in some parts, funnier. I don't want to spoil too much about the movie. It's a buddy cop/bromance like Beverly Hills Cop would have been if John Ashton and Judge Reinhold were the stars instead of Eddie Murphy, because it isn't about the superstar cops. The two main characters played by Wahlberg and Ferrell were extremely likeable, and Wahlberg/Ferrell have such good chemistry together that I enjoyed even the more serious parts of this movie. Honestly, I hope they do a sequel, because there is so much potential in the characters. Watch it and laugh. It's funny, sweet, silly, and exciting, with a rootable team of misfit cops who couldn't be more different.

The Other Guys (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Overview

Misfit NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) are sentenced to life behind the desk. They hate each other and the monotony of their meaningless jobs, as they’re forced to live in the shadow of the two biggest and most badass cops on the force (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson). But when those guys go down for the count, opportunity knocks for Gamble and Hoitz. Stumbling onto what could be one of the biggest crimes in years, can The Other Guys step up their game to solve the case without killing each other and destroying NYC in the process? From the director of Step Brothers and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

The Other Guys (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Specifications

Although the comedy team of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg does not sound like a threat to Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello, they conjure up consistent laughs in The Other Guys, yet another comedy from Talladega Nights director Adam McKay. Ferrell plays a mild-mannered police accountant partnered with Wahlberg's hothead (recently demoted to desk-jockey duty after shooting a very famous Yankee player during the World Series), and both men must endure the showboating fame of a pair of supercops (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson) in their New York City precinct house. Along with sending up cop-movie clichés, the movie basically exists to give Ferrell and Wahlberg room to work amusing variations on their characters (with grace notes for Michael Keaton's stereotypical tough captain, too). The loosey-goosey structure works especially well when Wahlberg is needling his partner's squareness or marveling, in wonderfully awestruck tones, at the unbelievable hot-i-tude of Ferrell's wife (Eva Mendes)--a discrepancy made all the more maddening because Ferrell seems indifferent to her charms. Throw in a plot about a billionaire Wall Street crook (Steve Coogan) and the revelation of Ferrell's hilariously dark past, and the movie finds a nice zone of silliness. Of course, any Will Ferrell vehicle must be judged by the opportunities for the star to launch into some borderline-surreal riff--and happily, this film comes through. From the moment Ferrell begins deconstructing Wahlberg's lion versus tuna metaphor, The Other Guys manages to find time for such nonsense, and the film--the world in general, for that matter--is the better for it. --Robert Horton

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Knight and Day (Single-Disc Edition)

Knight and Day (Single-Disc Edition) Review

This movie is FUN! Really 4 1/2 stars. Tom Cruise is perfect in the role of US version of James Bond. Cruise plays the role of Roy Miller who is 3/4th Ethan Hunt from his Mission Impossible series and 1/4th Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder (the best role in the movie IMHO). Cameron Diaz is June Havens a girl in the wrong place (airline flight filled with bad guys) at the wrong time (the plane is going to crash). The pace is often frenetic but the movie takes some time-outs to learn about each of the characters. Cruise and Diaz eventually fall for each other but not without some bumps along the way. I could go into the plot but it's better to just go in and enjoy this wonderful ride that is equal parts action flick, romance, and comedy. The combination of these traits and the excellent cast make this movie as much of can't miss entertainment as you are going to find. This movie definitely is worth owning because you will want to watch this multiple times.

Knight and Day (Single-Disc Edition) Overview

Big screen superstars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz come together in this fun, action-packed thrill-ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat. When a small-town girl named June (Diaz) meets a mysterious stranger, she thinks she's found the man of her dreams. But she soon discovers he's a fugitive super-spy, who thrusts her into a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase that spans the globe. As the bullets and sparks fly, June must decide if her "Knight" in shining armor is a dangerous traitor or the love of her life.

Knight and Day (Single-Disc Edition) Specifications

Knight and Day has action by the boatload, cheeky wit, unexpected double-crossing, sexual tension, and the blinding smile of its star, Tom Cruise. In short, what more could you ask of a rollicking good-time movie? Knight and Day, which also stars the irresistible Cameron Diaz as Cruise's superspy's ultimate foil, channels the best elements of earlier films like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Mission: Impossible, the Bourne films, and even a little of Duplicity's sophistication. Mostly, though, Knight and Day is about moving things along merrily, if not completely coherently, as the two stars tangle, and tussle with trust issues, in a completely believable, compulsively watchable way. Cruise plays Roy, an on-the-lam spy (who may have had some kind of psychotic break--or who may in fact be the only person telling the truth); he runs into the winsome June (Diaz), who gets caught up in Roy's mad dash to escape the cabal of federal agents on his tail. "No one follows us," Roy announces to a terrified diner crowd as he moves to make his escape with June, "or I kill myself--and then her." While Knight and Day, directed by James Mangold, has more than its share of high-speed chases, hails of bullets, and explosions, it works far better as a romantic comedy--for the chemistry between Diaz and Cruise is delicious, palpable, and believable. So grab a date and an extra-large popcorn, and get ready for a sweet and fun Knight and Day. --A.T. Hurley

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It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown [Blu-ray]

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown [Blu-ray] Review

I have to watch this every Halloween because it brings a smile to my face every time. Actually, all the Charlie Brown specials have that effect on me.
I love how peaceful and mellow the scenery is (this is from the 60's after all) and how there are no parents or adults anywhere. I mean, Linus spends the night, all night by himself, in a pumpkin patch and his parents are ok with that?

This movie still cracks me up today, like Charlie Brown (who's always down on his luck) getting rocks instead of candy in his trick or treat bag...Snoopy trying to get enthused about a slow song, but ends up getting depressed instead...and Lucy's infamous psyche-out with the football.
Lucy is bratty as always, but also shows a softer side when she takes care of her brother freezing outside. And Charlie Brown's sister Sally shows a change of character, too. Always devoted and love-crazy over Linus, she nonetheless has her limits and lets Linus have it when he disappoints her.

This movie is sweet and I like how Linus believes the Great Pumpkin will only come for those who are "sincere". I also liked his comeback when Charlie Brown told him he was ridiculous for believing in the Great Pumpkin. Linus counters by saying it's no different than Charlie Brown believing in Santa Claus. Good one!

When I was a kid, I remember not liking the part where Snoopy acts as a WW1 pilot and I still don't really care for that part today either (goes on too long). However, Snoopy is and will always be my favorite character among Charlie Brown's friends

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown [Blu-ray] Overview

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/07/2010 Run time: 50 minutes

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown [Blu-ray] Specifications

Charlie Brown gets rocks in his trick-or-treat bag, Linus awaits a visitation from the Great Pumpkin in his terribly sincere pumpkin patch (while the adoring little Sally sits tight with him), Snoopy falls asleep, Lucy harasses Schroeder, and Pig-Pen kicks up a dust storm even beneath his costume in this classic television broadcast. Funny stuff, but also graced with Charles Schultz's more poignant and gently satiric themes from the 1960s on the influence of faith, failure, and hope in our lives. --Tom Keogh

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Gone Baby Gone

Gone Baby Gone Review

This movie presents us with an honest, responsible person having to make a very bad choice.
The choice is between "A" and "B", where "A" is also the default choice. Choosing either way will have bad consequences: the chooser is aware of this. He also knows that there is nothing to be gained by shrugging the whole thing off: choosing not to choose is the same as choosing "A".
This is what is properly known as a "dilemma".
It is also a moral dilemma such as it is rarely encountered in movies. This film is not only very well made and acted, but it has a moral depth that transcends entertainment. It is a lesson on the equivocal, slippery nature of life.
The setting is a rough working-class neighborhood in South Boston. It is a place where, in normal conversation, the "f" word and its various derivatives pop up after just about every other word. There are lots of drugs and crime. This is shown mostly in a low-key, but relentless, unflinching way.
In younger days, as a poor student renting cheap quarters, I did live in a neighborhood somewhat like that, although there was less crime - at least free-floating, disorganized crime -- and less drugs. So: not as dark and harsh as that in the movie, but close enough to compare for realism. My opinion: this movie has realism in spades.
The end is tragic in the classic sense: a good person is brought low, and into a kind of personal hell, by capricious fate and the limitations of human nature.
It is a morality play of sorts, but the lesson is given very matter of fact, without high-minded words and cheap "poetic" gestures.
This film makes you think, and keeps you thinking long after the last credits fade and the lights come back on.

Gone Baby Gone Overview

Gone Baby Gone is Ben Affleck s directorial debut, adapted by Affleck from the novel by Dennis Lehane "Mystic River".
It is an intense look inside an ongoing investigation about the mysterious disappearance of a little girl. As two young private detectives (Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) hired to take the case get closer to finding her, they discover that nothing is as it seems and more dangerous than they ever thought possible. Also starring Academy Award® winners Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) and Ed Harris (Pollack).

Gone Baby Gone Specifications

For his initial offering as director, Ben Affleck returns to the site of his first Oscar: South Boston. (He and Matt Damon shared the award for Good Will Hunting.) Hot on the heels of his moving turn in Hollywoodland, Affleck's Dennis Lehane adaptation marks one of the more seamless actor-to-filmmaker transitions in recent years. Ostensibly, a procedural about the search for a missing child, class and corruption emerge as his primary concerns. First off, there's low-rent private eye Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck, equally adept in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford). Then there's the girl's drug mule mother, Helene (Amy Ryan, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead). She and Patrick grew up in Dorchester, but he took a different path, setting up an agency with his girlfriend, Angie (Michelle Monaghan). Helene's aunt, Bea (Amy Madigan), hires the duo to augment the investigation, and they team up with Captain Doyle (Morgan Freeman) and Detective Bressant (Madigan's husband, Ed Harris). The authorities don't appreciate the interference, but Patrick knows how to get the local populace talking, and he soon finds there's more to the story than anyone could possibly imagine. Hard-hitting, but never soft-headed, the evocative end result proves Affleck has a flair for this directing thing and that his little brother can carry a major motion picture with aplomb. Gone Baby Gone belongs on the list of great Boston crime dramas, along with The Departed and Mystic River, Clint Eastwood’s take on Lehane. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Two-Disc Blu-ray/ DVD Combo)

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Two-Disc Blu-ray/ DVD Combo) Review

My three 1/2 year old daughter can not get enough of the Tinker Bell movies! This one was even more exciting for her because now she actually believes that some day, Tinker Bell will come and visit her, too. It is so much fun to watch her imagine playing with a fairy, acting out some of the scenes from the movie, and longing to make her own fairy house. So, not only is this fun to watch, it's also supplying endless inspiration for creativity, drawing, crafts and flying around the house!

I have to admit that I am a huge fan of the Disney Fairies movies, myself. After watching a couple of the princess movies and suddenly hearing my little one speak of "killing" and "bad guys" and wondering why there was fighting and violence, I realized that was not what I wanted for my daughter. These fairies are better role models and there are always examples of friendship and relationships with others to talk about (both good and bad) on a more realistic level. We talk about how everyone is different, with different talents, and how that works when we help each other out. She has her favorite fairy, and sometimes it changes, but overall, these movies are cute, fun, brightly animated and truly age-appropriate for young ones. Highly recommended!

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Two-Disc Blu-ray/ DVD Combo) Overview

"What would you do if you met a fairy? Witness the historical moment when Tinker Bell first meets a human being, and it's not who you think. Years bef

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Two-Disc Blu-ray/ DVD Combo) Specifications

What would you do if you met a fairy? Witness the historic moment when Tinker Bell first meets a human being, and it’s not who you think.

Years before meeting Wendy and the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell met Lizzy, a little girl with a steadfast belief in the power of pixie dust and the magic land of fairies. During the fairies’ summer visit to the flowering meadows of England, two very different worlds unite for the first time and Tink develops a special bond with a curious child in need of a friend. As her fellow fairies launch a daring rescue, Tinker Bell takes a huge risk, putting her own safety and the future of all fairykind in jeopardy.

Experience Disney’s astonishing all-new movie about the true power of faith and friendship. Bursting with excitement and imagination, Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is magical entertainment for the whole family. You might even learn to fly.

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Rio Bravo (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Rio Bravo (Two-Disc Special Edition) Review

Tension fills this 2 hour plus film notwithstanding that there's not much real action in this classic western starring John Wayne and Dean Martin. The film was directed by Howard Hawks, but if someone told you that it was really directed by Alfred Hitchcock you might, after watching this film, say hmmm that's interesting; in short, you might half believe it. It's a character study of several book-ended by a dramatic opening confrontation and a rousing concluding showdown. It's hard not to compare this film with "High Noon" because that film too seems to to be a spring that is continually coiled until everything is unleashed at its end, but nobody is really particularly likable in "High Noon" and while the tension builds one doesn't really come to like more and more the players herein as one might in "Rio Bravo." The tension continues in "Rio Bravo" but you never have the feeling that an hour glass is generating it which inclines one, I believe, to not so much as look forward to its conclusion as enjoy each minute of the film and, to some extent, not welcome the moment when the film begins to wrap things up for you. It's theatrical in the sense that it is just plain good theater and the characters, albeit on a screen and not on stage in front of you, are just enjoyable to watch as you grow to like and respect more and more of them over the course of this ensemble performance. It's a film, moreover, that one can watch over and over which bespeaks that this is one fine film.

Rio Bravo (Two-Disc Special Edition) Overview

In the dusty town of Rio Bravo, Sheriff Chance arrests Joe Burdette for a brutal murder and must fight off ruthless gunmen to keep him in custody unti

Rio Bravo (Two-Disc Special Edition) Specifications

When it comes down to naming the best Western of all time, the list usually narrows to three completely different pictures: John Ford's The Searchers, Howard Hawks's Red River, and Hawks's Rio Bravo. About the only thing they all have in common is that they all star John Wayne. But while The Searchers is an epic quest for revenge and Red River is a sweeping cattle-drive drama ("Take 'em to Missouri! Yeeee-hah!"), Rio Bravo is on a much more modest scale. Basically, it comes down to Sheriff John T. Chance (Wayne), his sobering-up alcoholic friend Dude (Dean Martin), the hotshot new kid Colorado (Ricky Nelson), and deputy-sidekick Stumpy (Walter Brennan), sittin' around in the town jail, drinkin' black cofee, shootin' the breeze, and occasionally, singin' a song. Hawks--who, like his pal Ernest Hemingway, lived by the code of "grace under pressure"--said he made Rio Bravo as a rebuke to High Noon, in which sheriff Gary Cooper begged for townspeople to help him. So, Hawks made Wayne's Sheriff Chance a consummate professional--he may be getting old and fat, but he knows how to do his job, and he doesn't want amateurs getting mixed up in his business; they could get hurt. This most entertaining of movies also achieved some notoriety in the '90s when Quentin Tarantino (director of Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Jackie Brown) revealed that he uses it as a litmus test for prospective girlfriends. Oh, and if the configuration of characters sounds familiar, it should: Hawks remade Rio Bravo two more times--as El Dorado in 1967, with Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and James Caan; and as Rio Lobo in 1970, with Wayne, Jack Elam, and Christopher Mitchum. --Jim Emerson

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Masters of the Universe (Keepcase)

Masters of the Universe (Keepcase) Review

I grew up watching the He-Man Cartoon and She-Ra Cartoon. Had all the action figures and everything that goes with them. I watched this movie when it first came out and I still love it today! It is an awsome movie and a great kids movie! right up there with Labyrinth! Wish they had made second movie!

Masters of the Universe (Keepcase) Feature

• MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

Masters of the Universe (Keepcase) Overview

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/08/2009

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Robinson Crusoe on Mars (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Review

Don't be put off by this film's rather juvenile title, this film like a football match is a game of two half's.
The first half (And my favourite.) tells the story of a North American Astronaut trying to stay alive in the hostile environment of Mars, although the Mars in this film has a breathable atmosphere.
A little realistic touch I like, is when the stranded astronaut sees his ship (which is full of supplies) still orbiting, presses the destruct button and it takes several seconds for the radio signal to reach the ship.
These days it probably would be instantaneous so as not to confuse the audience.
The Death Valley locations look a realistic backdrop for Mars too.
~~~~
The second half is only slightly less imaginative then the first, as it tells the more conventional story of invading aliens and their slave labour workforce.
After escaping the Alien's clutches and rescuing one of the slave workers (The man friday character in the Defoe original.) they head for the polar ice cap.
The ending may be a bit ambiguous but I like it like that. Some films give the audience too many easy answers.
Overall opinion, a good updated retelling from a classic novel, which many scholars consider was the first novel publised in English.(1719)

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Overview

Special effects wunderkind and genre master Byron Haskin (The War of the Worlds, The Outer Limits) won a place in the hearts of fantasy film lovers everywhere with this gorgeously designed journey into the unknown. Robinson Crusoe on Mars tells the story of U.S. astronaut Commander “Kit” Draper (Paul Mantee), who must fight for survival when his spaceship crash-lands on the barren waste of Mars, a pet monkey his only companion. But is he actually alone? Shot in vast Techniscope and blazing color, this is an imaginative and beloved marvel of classic science fiction.

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Specifications

Although it is a thoughtful and surprisingly nonexploitative movie, the title Robinson Crusoe on Mars might conjure up unholy echoes of cross-pollinated genre movies such as Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter or Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Well, don't worry. This 1964 space epic is in fact an adaptation of the classic Daniel Defoe novel, and it plays fair by logic and science. After his spaceship crash-lands on Mars, astronaut Paul Mantee must figure out how to survive on the hostile planet (shot mostly in Death Valley), aided only by a monkey from his ship. Director Byron (The War of the Worlds) Haskin's sober approach brings a refreshing emphasis to issues of survival--how many space travel movies have you seen where the traveler tests the air of a distant planet and discovers that, by George, he can breathe just fine? Not this one. Mantee's desperate methods of tracking his air flow and experimenting with methods of breathing are painstakingly explored, and seem like exactly the kind of problems a real planetary voyager would encounter. The second half of the picture cleverly blends Defoe's plot with sci-fi conventions, and the movie never does "dumb down."

The Criterion Collection's DVD of Robinson Crusoe on Mars is a handsome treatment of a minor classic. A commentary track stitches together comments from a variety of participants, including Mantee, Haskin (in a 1979 interview), and original screenwriter Ib Melchior (disagreements between Haskin and Melchoir are included). A featurette, Destination--Mars gives some of the "science fact" behind the movie, and excerpts from Melchoir's original treatment show suggest changes made. And a "music video" puts movie clips alongside a song written and performed by co-star Victor Lundin, a number he developed for his appearances at sci-fi conventions. --Robert Horton

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The O.C. - The Complete Second Season

The O.C. - The Complete Second Season Review

It was an amazing price and in great condition. I had some issues with the post office with them returning the package to sender but I communicated with him and he sent it right back with no problem. So easy to do business with. Thank you

The O.C. - The Complete Second Season Feature

• O.C.

The O.C. - The Complete Second Season Overview

Hook up with what's coming down as the Core Four romances of Ryan-and-Marissa and Seth-and-Summer may (or may not) go from very over to very on, Sandy and Kirsten face choices that could trainwreck their 20-year marriage, felon (and Ryan's brother) Trey gives Newport living a try, Julie's lurid past comes back to haunt her, and other new hunks and hotties become part of the coastal scene. Live. Laugh. Lie. Cheat. Grow. Share. Connive. Love. In California's beach paradise, they do everything under the sun.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary on The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't
Documentary:Beachy Couture: How O.C. Fashion Is Made
Gag Reel:From Seasons One and Two
TV Special:The O.C.: Obsessed Completely Retrospective TV Special

The O.C. - The Complete Second Season Specifications

The drama was poured on aplenty in the second season of The O.C., as the sun-dappled denizens of Orange County found their lives massively upended and then some. At the end of the first season, the Cohen household had been reduced to two--parents Sandy and Kirsten (Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan)--as the boys had flown the coop, moody Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) back to Chino and goofy Seth (Adam Brody) for the wide expanse of the Pacific (somehow ending up in Portland, Oregon). Once the prodigal sons returned home, thanks to a lot of persuading, both tried to mend relationships with their former girlfriends, Marissa (Mischa Barton) and Summer (Rachel Bilson). While friendships were solidified, everyone was dating someone else: Seth was with sultry club manager Alex (Olivia Wilde), Summer with sensitive polo jock Zach (Michael Cassidy), Ryan with smart girl Lindsay (Shannon Lucio), and Marissa with her family's pool guy and a bottle of vodka.

That's just the first half of this year of The O.C., and we haven't even gotten to the adults yet. Both Sandy and Kirsten found themselves tempted away by more-than-willing suitors, and wicked Julie (Melinda Clarke), Marissa's mom, cheated on new husband Caleb (Alan Dale) with ex-husband Jimmy (Tate Donovan). An extremely tangled web was woven, one from which the show almost didn't recover: the Lindsay storyline started out strong but went nowhere, Sandy's ex-girlfriend (Kim Delaney) was a bit of a bore, and the same-sex relationship between Marissa and Alex never really gelled. All seemed like sure-fire character additions, but it was the later peripheral characters, including Billy Campbell as a magazine editor smitten with Kirsten and the menacing yet sexy Logan Marshall-Green as Ryan's ex-con brother, who injected The O.C. with energy, and helped steer the show back on course. Brody, who became the show's de facto poster boy, got to show off his comedic talents with the wonderful Bilson (who rode the Zach-Seth-Summer romantic triangle most smoothly), and the heretofore sullen McKenzie got to lighten up quite a bit, until the show's violent yet effective season finale.

Forsaking a good amount of its comedy for drama, The O.C. got a little too seriously soapy, but its characters were so compelling you couldn't stop watching--even waiflike Marissa grew some edges. Clarke's scheming Julie was a constant pleasure to watch, and Rowan turned Kirsten's late-season downturn into a steely yet heartfelt portrayal. Despite the bumps, The O.C. remained one of the most exciting shows to look forward to week after week, a soap with smarts thanks to its fresh dialogue, gifted cast, and careening plot arcs. --Mark Englehart

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Robin Hood - Men in Tights

Robin Hood - Men in Tights Review

This Mel Brooks comedy pokes fun at the legendary Robin Hood with an fabulous cast and filled with parodies. Cary Elwes stars as the only Robin Hood that speaks in a British accent. Richard Lewis, Amy Yasbeck, Dave Chappelle, and Mel Brooks as Rabbi Tuckman(a Jewish Friar Tuck)also stars in the 1993 comedy classic. The DVD special features includes a HBO special that shows the behind-the-scenes look of the film. If you are a Mel Brooks fan(and who isn't?), this movie is for you!

Robin Hood - Men in Tights Feature

• ROBIN HOOD-MEN IN TIGHTS

Robin Hood - Men in Tights Overview

Cary Elwes stars as Robin Hood, the dashing defender of the down-trodden, who along with his merry men and Maid Marion, resides in Sherwood Forest. There they have become together to fight against the seriously neurotic Prince John, the not quite-evil Sheriff of Rottingham, and the mad scorceress Latrine.

Robin Hood - Men in Tights Specifications

It's not Blazing Saddles, but there are some chuckles to be found in Mel Brooks's 1993 spoof of the Robin Hood legend. Cary Elwes is Robin (with a lighthearted jab at Kevin Costner's bad English accent in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), while Richard Lewis plays an angst-ridden King John, and Roger Rees a snotty Sheriff of Nottingham. Comic David Chappelle has some good moments as the only black member of Robins's noble thieves, and Brooks does his own spin on Friar Tuck: Rabbi Tuchman. The song-and-dance sequences featuring a chorus line of the Merry Men ("We're men / men in tights") is vintage Brooks, but otherwise the film can't get any traction. --Tom Keogh

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The Long Shot

The Long Shot Review

There are many horse movies -- Seabiscuit, Flicka the Black Stallion... but I don't think I can name a single horse movie about dressage. For that reason alone, this movie caught my attention.

The riders are beautiful and the horses even more so. Tolo reminds me very much of my horse, Ollie.

However, the acting is mediocre... the plot is contrived. Even the most "amateur" of dressage riders will spot glaring inaccuracies.

However, you will find yourself watching the movie over and over again because it we horse people can all relate to the relationship with our horse. We can relate to being moms and overcoming financial obstacles to sustain our riding, even when it makes very little financial sense.

The characters are likable (except for the husband who causes all the problems to begin with) and as I said, you'll be enthralled by the competition scenes. The ending will make you cry, and you will be drawn to watching it for those times when you long to see your horse but can't (because it is 1:00 a.m. in the morning and the owners of the barn where he is boarded would have you arrested if you showed up just to give him a hug!).

If you aren't into horses, don't care about dressage, and are looking for a great piece of cinematic art (like Seabiscuit), then you'll most likely not really bond with this movie. However, if you dream of progressing scoring 8's on your next dressage test and your therapist/ideal workout is a horse and a good sitting trot, then this is the movie for you.

[NCJAR]

The Long Shot Feature

• BENZ/MASON

The Long Shot Overview

Luia Benz and Marsha Mason star in this adventure of the heart about a single mother looking for a new start and finding that miracles do happen if you have the courage to make them come true.

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The Closer: The Complete Second Season

The Closer: The Complete Second Season Review

Love the series...love the actors.....addictive little gem. Refreshing over so many of the other law and order and stick something ugly in your face for sensationalism just because they can...more competing with one another on network TV than caring about the quality these days. NCIS and the new Mentalist programs are good. But the Mentalist could be so easily undone if they decide to kick it up next year. So jury is still out on that. The Closer oh my makes up for just about all the other shows and writers vices....the humorous ones the better. The cat so funny.....more more more and please don't quit or fall apart after 5 seasons....soon to be out on DVD too. Waiting just a few more days....we don't have satelite and pay for TV in our rural area. So love these DVD gems when you can find them. (House, Closer, Mash of course the classic to end all classics, Bones, you know less rude and crude stick it in your face shows and also their secret they build a cast that has relationships with one another. That's so the key to success. No one does it better than this series...kudos to the writers and actors and producers. More more more. Kevin Bacon....oh take a back seat the fans own her:)))) Just kidding!

The Closer: The Complete Second Season Overview

Brenda's back. Finally accepted by her LAPD homicide team after a year of hard-won victories, Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson spends less time fighting her co-workers and more time fighting the bad guys - like whoever left a body in Provenza's garage, or dropped a porn star's head in a dumpster, or offed a drug-addicted heiress. And there's almost as much happening on the domestic scene as the crime scene: Gabriel and Daniels kindle a romance and Brenda and Fritz put the flame under theirs when Fritz moves in. Kyra Sedgwick reprises her acclaimed role of Brenda and makes her the brilliant, complex, flawed, funny and totally irresistible heart of this crime-series powerhouse. Clue yourself in!

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes
Additional Scenes
Additional Scenes
Additional Scenes
Featurette:Breaking Down the Closer - In the same way Brenda Johnson breaks down suspects during her interrogations, we will break down this hit series in our behind-the-scenes featurette to uncover the origin of the shows unique cases, the history behind its quirky lead character and the production teams efforts to bring a sense of reality to their startlingly original stories.
Gag Reel

The Closer: The Complete Second Season Specifications

Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson may have put in a year already with the Los Angeles police department, but that doesn't mean the transplanted Southerner fits in yet. In the second season of the TNT drama The Closer, Brenda is less a fish out of water, but she's still not completely at home with her brash colleagues--some of whom resent her potent mixture of brains and beauty. All 15 episodes from the 2006-2007 are included in this four-disc box set. And aside from a couple episodes where viewers are able to correctly guess the ending about 20 minutes into the show, the cases are taut, provocative, and highly watchable. Much of the show's success is due to Kyra Sedgwick (The Woodsman, Something to Talk About), an actress who seemed poised for movie stardom before she took time off to raise a family with husband Kevin Bacon. As bull-headed as she is soft-hearted, Brenda has a wry sense of humor and delivers her punch lines with a gentle drawl. But don't mistake gentility for gullibility: Cross her and you've made an enemy for life. Even when she's stuck in sitcom-like situations--such as trying to hide from her mother that she's living with her boyfriend--Brenda brings believability to her situation. From the first episode (dealing with the investigation of a brutally murdered police officer) to the last (Brenda's attempt to bring down a terrorist organization), Sedgwick is riveting; no wonder, then, that the Golden Globes honored her in 2007 as best actress in a TV drama. Rounding out the cast are J.K. Simmons (The Spider-Man franchise) as Assistant Chief Will Pope, Jon Tenney (Fools Rush In) as her boyfriend Fritz, and Anthony John Denison (Wild Things) as hard-nosed Detective Andy Flynn. --Jae-Ha Kim

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Something the Lord Made

Something the Lord Made Review

This docudrama showed how much the unmentioned undeclared caste system is an integral part of Christianity. IT was very sad to watch one more aspect of christian people and their caste system in full display.

Here was a person of alleged low caste where the upper caste christians denied the rights of a lower caste person.

The christian caste system is still very much alive in America and the west.. Eve after 300 years after converting to Christianity, white christians hardly marry black christians.

This wonderful move is another docudrama of the christian caste system at display.

Shame Shame!

Something the Lord Made Feature

• RICKMAN/UNION/MASTERSON

Something the Lord Made Overview

(Drama) Something the Lord Made tells the emotional true story of two men who defied the rules of their time to launch a medical revolution, set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow south. Working in 1940s Baltimore on an unprecedented technique for performing heart surgery on "blue babies," Dr. Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman) and lab technician Vivien Thomas (Mos Def) form an impressive team. As Blalock and Thomas invent a new field of medicine, saving thousands of lives in the process, social pressures threaten to undermine their collaboration and tear their friendship apart.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio commentary with director Joseph Sargent, writer Peter Silverman, executive directors Eric Hetzel and Joseph W. Cort Featurette Making History Slide Show
Featurette
Other:Making History Slide Show

Something the Lord Made Specifications

Something the Lord Made recounts the relationship between Dr. Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman) and Vivian Thomas (Mos Def). It begins in 1930s Nashville when imperious cardiac surgeon Blalock hires Thomas, an African American carpenter, as his janitor. When the latter reveals a passion for medicine and facility with surgical instruments, Blalock promotes him to lab tech. Thomas isn't given a raise, works side jobs to make ends meet, and is expected to be grateful. Along the way, he follows Blalock from Vanderbilt to Johns Hopkins, where they save thousands of lives through their pioneering work, but will Thomas ever get any credit? The film provides a satisfying answer to that question. Joseph Sargent (A Lesson Before Dying) directs with subtlety and intelligence, while Rickman and Mos Def are in top form, often underplaying where most actors would do otherwise. Something the Lord Made won the 2004 Emmy for outstanding made-for-TV movie. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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My Cousin Vinny

My Cousin Vinny Review

This is one of the few movies that my wife and I find ourselves watching whenever it comes on cable.

It is virtually a reverse fish out of water story. Most fish out of the water stories involve the small town visits the big city. In this case big city visits the small town. Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei are brilliant as Brooklynites coping with the differences in small town life and mores as Pesci seeks to defend his cousin (Ralph Macchio) and his cousin's friend from a mistaken murder charge.

Although somewhat inept in the intricacies of courtroom procedure and demeanor, "Vinny" is a famed family arguer, and his savvy in arguing the facts comes across in amusing ways as the case proceeds. Vinny and his girlfriend Mona (Tomei), have a sequence of funny adventures in their interactions around town while the trial is going on. Fred Gwynne's performance as the judge is priceless.

This is a rare movie with no "bad guys" in it. Of course the real murderers are bad guys, but they do not actually appear in the film. The DA is fair if sometimes condescending, the police are just doing their job, as is the judge. The witnesses are well meaning if wrong about what they think they saw. The closest thing to a bad guy is a man from the town that won't pay his pool bet debt to Mona. LOL

If you haven't seen this movie, it is time you did. Be prepared for some bad language, but also for a mountain of laughs!

My Cousin Vinny Feature

• MY COUSIN VINNY

My Cousin Vinny Overview

Two carefree pals (Ralph Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield) traveling through Alabama are mistakenly arrested, and charged with murder. Fortunately, one of them has a cousin who's a lawyer - Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci, Lethal Weapon 3, Home Alone), a former auto mechanic from Brooklyn who just passed his bar exam after his sixth try. Vinny's never been in court - or in Alabama - and when he arrives with his leather-clad girlfriend (Marisa Tomei in her OscarÂ(r) winning Supporting Actress performance), to try his first case, it's a real shock - for him and the Deep South!

My Cousin Vinny Specifications

When two Italian-American boys from New York are falsely accused of murder in a small Alabama town, they call for a lawyer--but the only lawyer they know is their cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), who made six attempts before he passed his bar exam. My Cousin Vinny is a classic fish-out-of-water comedy; the flimsy plot about clearing the two boys and solving the murder is just a hook to support a lot of culture-clash humor. Thanks to the strong cast of character actors like Fred Gwynne, Austin Pendleton, and Lane Smith, it's pretty funny--even old-hat jokes about Brooklyn versus Southern accents come to life. Pesci has played a few too many schticky characters, but this time it works. There's just enough humanity in his caricature to make Vinny likable and entertaining. When the movie was released, there was controversy about whether Marisa Tomei, playing Vinny's big-haired and black-leather-wearing fiancée, deserved to win the best supporting actress Oscar (she beat out Judy Davis, Joan Plowright, Miranda Richardson, and Vanessa Redgrave); but seeing her performance on its own, it's a comic marvel and worthy of honor. --Bret Fetzer

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Coraline (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy w/ 3D)

Coraline (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy w/ 3D) Review

I enjoyed this movie so much the first time I saw it that I decided to add it to my Blu-ray library. This director's movies tend to be dark a more than a little strange (see "The Nightmare Before Christmas") --- just the sort of theme I enjoy. I ordered the two-disk set and it came packaged just as pictured, and included four pairs of 3D "glasses". The real surprise for me was that the 3D worked! It uses the old technology of colored glasses, and the effect certainly isn't perfect, but I tried the movie on both my HD computer monitor and LCD TV and the 3D genuinely worked. As long as you're not expecting Avatar in 3D at an Imax theater I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Coraline (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy w/ 3D) Feature

• Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, 3D, Widescreen
• Language: English, Spanish, French
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Actors: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French

Coraline (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy w/ 3D) Overview

Coraline Jones finds a magical world that is similar to her own, but when her "other parents" try to get her to stay, Coraline must look for a way to

Coraline (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy w/ 3D) Specifications

A dark and creepy film about family relationships directed by Henry Selick of Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach fame, Coraline is based on the haunting book Coraline by Neil Gaiman. The first stop-motion feature shot in stereoscopic 3-D, Coraline features big-headed, stick-bodied animated characters with huge eyes and demonic grins set against menacing backgrounds and an undercurrent of spooky music. Coraline is a teenager who has just moved to an old house in the middle of nowhere with her writer parents and she is bored, bored, bored. Her only companions are an annoyingly talkative boy Wybie (short for Why Born), some eccentric neighbors from the theater and circus, and a strange, button-eyed doll with a marked resemblance to Coraline which Wybie found in an old trunk of his grandmother's. When Coraline finds an old door hidden behind an armoire and papered over with wallpaper, she convinces her mother to unlock it, only to find a wall of bricks. When Coraline revisits the door later that night, the bricks magically disappear and she discovers a strange pathway to another world where everything is just what she wishes for. In stark contrast to the real world where Coraline's parents just don't have time for her, her "Other Mother" and "Other Father" in this alternate world are the perfect loving, attentive parents who anticipate her every need and desire. Initially comforted and quite happy in this new world, suspicion that things may not be quite as they seem grows inside Coraline and her disquiet is furthered by the mute "Other Wybie" and a strange-talking cat that seems to move between both worlds. Eventually, Coraline discovers some dark secrets about her "other parents" and the seemingly perfect "other world," but it may be too late for her to escape back to the real world. Teri Hatcher is especially effective in her dual (voice) role as Mom and "Other Mom" and Dakota Fanning also gives a great performance as Coraline. Coraline is a disturbing, intriguing film that both captivates and frightens. (Ages 11 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Stills from Coraline (Click for larger image)

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Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series (repackaged)

Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series (repackaged) Review

First, I must say my wife and I love and cherish this series. Having never seen the series when it originally aired, and after purchasing the beautiful 'filing cabinet' series set, we poured over each season in order over a several month period one summer. On occasion we could have watched whole seasons in marathon sessions, but forced ourselves to only watch one or two episodes at a time just so we could appreciate and savor it even more.

***SPOILERS FOLLOW***

That said, I can't help but feel the writers of both the series and this closing movie really missed a golden opportunity. Recall the the whole series began with rookie Det. Tim Bayliss' being assigned a case that would haunt and torture him throughout the rest of the series - the murder of a little girl named Adena Watson.

Despite hours of air-time being devoted to the pursuit of this case, culminating in a stunning episode shot entirely in the interrogation room ("The Box"), the characters and viewer never discover the full truth surrounding Adena Watson's murder. As the series progresses Det. Bayliss would periodically be confronted with references and reminders of this painful 'first case'. Doesn't it make perfect sense that the very case that introduced this series to the world, and that left tantalizing bread crumbs throughout the seasons that followed, should be dealt with in the final episode of the series? Or at least been given time in the closing movie that followed?

Adena Watson was the perfect cliff hanger. As each season progressed I just knew that her case was coming back - when? we didn't know. And as the series neared it's end, it became clear that the writers were saving this one for the finale. And why not? It made perfect sense. Closing the Adena Watson case would be the ultimate in 'closure' for this show.

Now, don't get me wrong. I wasn't expecting everything to end with all the loose strands tied up in pretty bows. This wasn't Law & Order after all (a show we also enjoy for it's own merits). Many of Homicide's story lines ended messily. But so do many of the events of real life as well. And that is what made this series gritty and compelling. Nevertheless, of all the haunting cases in the series, this is the one that deserved some measure of 'closure' even if it wasn't going to be neat and clean.

I have to say, while we still look back on the series with fondness, there is a bit of disappointment that this golden opportunity was overlooked. After all, if even the Luther Mahoney story arc saw a measure of 'closure', I believe poor Adena Watson deserved it even more.

4 Stars for the Movie
5 Stars for the Series

Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series (repackaged) Feature

• HOMICIDE-LIFE ON THE STREET

Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Series (repackaged) Overview

Considered the most realistic cop drama ever aired, Homicide: Life on the Street gives viewers a unique cops'-eye view of one of the most challenging jobs imaginable.

Created by Writer/Director Tom Fontana (St. Elsewhere, OZ) and Executive Producer Barry Levinson (The Perfect Storm, Oz) and based on David Simon's (The Wire) book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, HOMICIDE features TV's most powerful ensemble cast, including Richard Belzer (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit), Emmy®-winner Andre Braugher (Thief, Frequency), Yaphet Kotto (Alien), and Ned Beatty (Deliverance) with guest appearances from James Earl Jones, Robin Williams, Steve Buscemi, Peter Gallagher, Chris Rock, Wilford Brimley, and other star actors.

HOMICIDE garnered two Emmy® Awards, three Peabody Awards, three Television Critics Awards, two Writers Guild Awards, and was named to TV Guide's "The Greatest Episodes in TV History" and "TV's Greatest Characters" lists.

Now, one of television's crowning achievements is available in its entirety on 35 DVDs and includes all 122 episodes spanning seven critically acclaimed seasons, the three Law & Order crossover episodes, and Homicide: The Movie.

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Blue Hawaii

Blue Hawaii Review

Please note I saw this movie on TV so I can't speak to the quality of the video transfer or its features.

This film got its start when Hal Wallis thought the original movie, Waikiki Wedding, starring Bing Crosby from 1937, could be remade with Elvis as the star to attract a younger crowd into the theater. It was 1961 and the Beatles hadn't yet made their debut in America, and Elvis was at the top of the charts and his films were still top grossing box office hits.

Years latter, the film was satirized in the comedy/satire play, "The Perilous Predicament of Priscilla's Pineapples," which I saw just by chance back in the 90s before I realized the connection to the current movie.

Elvis plays a rich kid who wants to get out from under the thumb of his wealthy parents who want him to settle down and join the father's pineapple company. Elvis has other ideas, though, and is determined to make it on his own. His parents are played by Angela Lansbury and Roland Winters. The film also stars a young Joan Blackman.

Lansbury's carreer was in the doldrums at the time, and she hadn't yet scored big-time in Mame on Broadway or The Manchurian Candidate, probably her most spectacular and well-known role. So she was happy to find the work.

Elvis is not a bad actor himself actually, and this film is as much a musical tour de force showcasing his singing talent and many of his songs, including Falling in Love with You, which wasn't expected to be the hit song in the movie that it was.

The film has top production values and was shot all over the island of Oahu. Despite the cost of shooting, Elvis's draw as a star made his movies profitable box office hits. Eventually movie tastes changed and Elvis's fun-filled and romantic cinematic romps faded from the scene, but Blue Hawaii was the height of his movie career. It's a light-hearted and harmless piece of fluff from a more innocent age.

Blue Hawaii Overview

Elvis, playing an ex-G.I. beachcomber in Hawaii, goes against his mother's wishes to get a corporate job and takes a job as a tour guide, which provid

Blue Hawaii Specifications

Elvis Presley's seventh film was the first of his "Hawaii trilogy" (including Girls! Girls! Girls! and Paradise, Hawaiian Style). While its story is daft--the King has just been released from his Army posting in Italy and returned to the islands, where he's trying to avoid working in his father's fruit business--the music is not: "Blue Hawaii," "Almost Always True," and the beautiful "Can't Help Falling in Love." Angela Lansbury plays Elvis's mother, who can't seem to get through to him. Directed by the star's frequent collaborator, Norman Taurog (G.I. Blues). --Tom Keogh

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Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - The Movies (The Movie aka Revelations / The Heart Within)

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - The Movies (The Movie aka Revelations / The Heart Within) Review

I have wanted this series for a very long time. when it aired i never got to see the whole thing. I love this show because i like to see what it was like back in those days. I love the fact that is all about a women with the strength to become what she want to become even though women back then were not known to become a doctor. I myself am in the medical field so it really touches me on the whole medical thing. I would recommend this series to anyone that has liked this show or even to someone that has not. It really is a very very excelent show. Buy it is worth the money and the enjoyment of watching it.

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - The Movies (The Movie aka Revelations / The Heart Within) Feature

• DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - The Movies (The Movie aka Revelations / The Heart Within) Overview

"…this rollicking Western is fun for everyone." -TV Guide After six acclaimed seasons, DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN delighted fans by revisiting Colorado Springs and its beloved characters with two feature-length television movies. DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN: THE MOVIE finds Dr. Mike, Sully, and a posse of townsfolk traveling down to Mexico to rescue a kidnapped Katie. In DR. QUINN: THE HEART WITHIN, Mike and Sully travel to Boston to celebrate Colleen's graduation from Harvard Medical School--only to find Dr. Mike's mother terminally ill and Sully targeted for assassination by a corrupt government official. A pioneering television Western, DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN brought a fresh approach to America's westward expansion with a combination of historical authenticity and modern sensibilities. Now, travel back to the 19th century American frontier with more tales of courage, conviction, and romance DVD Features: Trivia Quiz; Production Stills Photo Gallery; Cast Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

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Bizet: Carmen

Bizet: Carmen Review

While I cannot claim the "many of them" that "operamarty" can, I have seen perhaps a dozen, and have heard I don't know how many since I began listening to the Saturday broadcasts in the 1950s. And I will rank this presentation as the best of them. (Sadly, I did not see the Isola Jones performances of the 1980s.)
Finally, we have a Carmen who can believably entice a loyal soldier into leaving his army, his girl back home, and, yes, even his mother, to go with her. Elina Garanca exudes sensuality as she portrays this character. There is a big difference between sensual and sexy, and Garanca makes the most of it. The replacement of the usual dance, with her bathing her legs during the "Habanera," is a prime example.
The Met's rotating stage was used to full advantage, as sets were reversed into new locations. However, the closing scene, as the set turned to reveal Escamillo standing over the defeated bull, destroyed the feeling of the moment, and was, as "TheaterMania" called it, "crude and unnecessary."
One of the major strengths of this presentation is the use of camera close-ups. Look again at Carmen's expression as she is stabbed in the final scene. One wonders how Garance could possible make the curtain calls after this.
While this is the best Carmen I have seen, it is not without its flaws. While the rest of the cast adequately fill their roles, they do not measure up to Garanca. Roberto Alagna, as Don Jose, is beginning to show his age vocally, although he still exhibits the boyish exuberance of a young soldier, uncontrollably smitten. Teddy Tahu Rhodes begins his portrayal of Escamillo as if he had learned only three hours before the performance that he was to sing that day--oh, yes, he did learn only three hours before. However, as the play progresses, he does warm up to his part. Barbara Frittoli's Micaela is the weak link of the principals. She comes across as almost mechanical, lacking in feeling and character. Perhaps she was frightened by the brutality of the soldiers in the opening act, which replaced the good-natured flirting usually seen. Little has been written about him, but Keith Miller as Zuniga is the strongest of the supporting cast.
The updating to the 1930s does nothing to add to the production, except a change in the soldiers' uniforms. In fact, it is confusing as to the role of the smugglers. So much so that one critic granted them "a degree of respectability" in the Franco generation, and another called them "a threat to the regular folks." The use of Zippo lighters is questionable, being that they were not invented until 1936. And I do not understood why the cigarette girls had to come from an underground "sweat shop" for their cigarette break, but came rushing from backstage after the fight inside. Multiple entrances? Or just inconsistentcy?
However, even with these reservations, this the the best Carmen I have seen, and is a valuable addition to my collection.

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Friday (New Line Platinum Series)

Friday (New Line Platinum Series) Review

Anything can happen on a Friday, right? Well, that's just the thing in "the hood," where Craig (Cube) and Smokey (Tucker) have to pay a drug dealer two hundred dollars by ten o'clock at night. And of course, some weird and silly stuff goes on in the movie. And of course, there's some hilarious stuff from beginning to end.

This is one of those comedy-dramas that really works. Most of the humor really kicks in, and it results in some pretty big laughs, as well as some surprisingly dramatic moments. With the hilarious scenes, I haven't laughed this much since I've seen Pineapple Express. Ice Cube and Chris Tucker make a great duo, and the supporting cast aren't that bad, either. While this movie may not be high-quality comedy/drama, it's still extremely entertaining. Friday is a winner!

Grade: A-

Friday (New Line Platinum Series) Feature

• ICE CUBE/TUCKER/MAC/WITHERSPOO

Friday (New Line Platinum Series) Overview

A youth tries to survive life in L.A.'s hip-hoppin' South Central 'hood. Includes two music videos from the #1 hit soundtrack. Starring Chris Tucker and Ice Cube.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Interviews
Music Video
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Friday (New Line Platinum Series) Specifications

Friday is the rarest specimen of African American cinema: a 'hood movie refreshingly free of the semiseriousness and moralism of shoot 'em up soaps such as Boyz N the Hood, yet still true to the inner-city experience. Scripted by rapper Ice Cube, Friday is a no-frills tale of a typical day in the life of a pair of African American youth in South Central. Cube plays Craig, a frustrated teen who endures the ultimate humiliation: getting fired on his day off. Then unknown Chris Tucker plays Smokey, a marijuana-worshipping homeboy whose love for the green stuff lands him in predicament after predicament. Sitting on the stoop of Craig's rundown home, the two hilariously confront a kaleidoscopic array of gangbangers, weed dealers, crack heads, prostitutes, scheming girlfriends, and neighborhood bullies--all of whom, it should be noted, come off as sympathetic even as they are being caricatured, a true achievement in the crass, "booty call" environment of '90s African American comedy. --Ethan Brown

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 25, 2010 15:46:12

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition) Review

This is the best thing for those who love the Harry Potter series!! It has everything you could ask for or expect. Including the extended edition of the movie which if you watch ABC family you become accustomed to. As an added bonus it comes with a digital copy of the movie, but that does expire Dec. 8th, 2010. The booklet and the cards are well made and very interesting. I love all of it a very good buy!!!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition) Overview

The next installment in the Harry Potter series finds young wizard Harry Potter (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) and his friends Ron Weasley (RUPERT GRINT) and Hermione Granger (EMMA WATSON) facing new challenges during their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as they try to uncover a dark force that is terrorizing the school.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition) Specifications

First sequels are the true test of an enduring movie franchise, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets passes with flying colors. Expanding upon the lavish sets, special effects, and grand adventure of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry involves a darker, more malevolent tale (parents with younger children beware), beginning with the petrified bodies of several Hogwarts students and magical clues leading Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) to a 50-year-old mystery in the monster-laden Chamber of Secrets. House elves, squealing mandrakes, giant spiders, and venomous serpents populate this loyal adaptation (by Sorcerer's Stone director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves), and Kenneth Branagh delightfully tops the supreme supporting cast as the vainglorious charlatan Gilderoy Lockhart (be sure to view past the credits for a visual punchline at Lockhart's expense). At 161 minutes, the film suffers from lack of depth and uneven pacing, and John Williams' score mostly reprises established themes. The young, fast-growing cast offers ample compensation, however, as does the late Richard Harris in his final screen appearance as Professor Albus Dumbledore. Brimming with cleverness, wonderment, and big-budget splendor, Chamber honors the legacy of J.K. Rowling's novels. --Jeff Shannon

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Supergirl

Supergirl Review

I have to admit, it is a little lame.

I watched it once as a kid, and finally watched it again last night. I aleady knew it was a mediocre story with painfully corny characters and dialog. But what really struck me this time was the sheer uselessness of Supergirl.

Time after time, in every Supergirl scene, she proved her worthlessness. A rampaging truck tears through a town? Only Supergirl can stop it! But lets sit around and watch it first. We've got to let it destroy half the town before we do anything, at least!

(Hmmm... Some fire about to blow up the gas station? Think, Supergirl! Think HARD! "Uh, let's go destroy the town's water tower. That might help." No, Supergirl, no. You have freezing breath, remember? Ah, forget it.)

Or an invisible monster comes toward her, destroying everything in its path. Would have been kind of nice if she had stopped it before it tore up the lawn too bad, you know? Instead, she stand and stares at it. She's good at that, if anything. Standing and staring. Of course I don't mind looking at her, but still...

And then there's the times when the "cute dude" gets kidnapped and abused - again and again... Seems like it would be a good time for Supergirl to do something about it, right? She seems strangely inept for the job. When she finally does rescue him - from some evil bumper cars, no less - He immediately gets assaulted by a coconut. She even sees it coming! But instead of using her super speed, or even telling the guy "heads up!", she opts for standing by helplessly. While the nut hits him on the head, splitting his skull open and leaving him to die a slow, painful, lingering death- (Oops! My bad. Just dreamin' for a moment there. That particular actor survives this movie, unfortunately. He doesn't die until Hans Gruber shoots him in the first Die Hard, for which I am grateful. Thank you, Hans!)

I think you get my point, but I've got to mention the whole "walk into the enemy lair and get trapped in the phantom zone" routine, as if she couldn't have seen that coming! (Okay, to be fair maybe she couldn't. But I'm on a roll here!) But the final point was when she was getting threatened by the floor collapsing beneath her. Uh, hello? You're Supergirl? You can FLY, remember? Fly girl, fly!

Oh well. It was still nice at the end, when she finished off the bad guy with- what? A whirlwind? I didn't quite get that. But whatever. All's well that ended well. And an enjoyable popcorn flick it was.

I know others have already mentioned it, but Helen Slater is super-hot, for sure. I liked watching her, even if the script she was given was painful at times. Also, Faye Dunaway made for a great villain. And she was pretty darn hot, too. I would have liked being her "gardener boy" anytime.

Watch for Helen Slater also in "The Secret of My Success", another good 80's flick.


P.S. I couldn't help but wince when Supergirl delivered a "Super Kick" to the one guy... Say it with me, folks: "Ouch!"

Supergirl Overview

Movie DVD

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 25, 2010 05:27:04

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection Review

I purchased this just over two weeks ago and am completely happy with it.

The packaging is sturdy and well organized. The discs are slightly overlapped in their cases but this is a minor inconvenience for me.

Most importantly the video is very good. Crisp with great contrast with the black and white images. The sound is equal to the video and everything I've heard so far is easily heard.

The stories are....well,They're Twilight Zone. Amazing and fun to watch. This series completely changed the way television was watched. It had great writing, acting but with humor as well as comments on social and or controversial topics.

I am thoroughly satisfied with this set. I bought it from the U.S. but I am from Canada. The set cost me 50% less?!?!

what the hey is with that?

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection Feature

• TWILIGHT ZONE

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection Overview

For the first time ever, find all 156 complete episodes of Rod Serling's groundbreaking series in one box set, packed with exciting extras! Travel to another dimension of sight and sound again and again through these stellar remastered high-definition film transfers. Extras include the fascinating Serling bio-documentary Submitted for Your Approval, compelling interviews with the show's writers, the series' unaired pilot, audio commentaries with Martin Landau, Leonard Nimoy, Cliff Robertson and much, much more!

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 25, 2010 00:53:05

One Tree Hill: The Complete Second Season

One Tree Hill: The Complete Second Season Review

Granted, this season was not as good as the first, but it was still awesome!!! Looking forward to season 3. I usually never watch the shows when they are on prime time. I start watching after they move to another channel. I'm glad I started watching One Tree Hill on Soapnet, I am hooked!!!

One Tree Hill: The Complete Second Season Feature

• ONE TREE HILL

One Tree Hill: The Complete Second Season Overview

Explores the lives of teenage half brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott, one a golden boy and the other an abandoned illegitimate child as they try to coexist in the small town of Tree Hill.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 13-SEP-2005
Media Type: DVD

One Tree Hill: The Complete Second Season Specifications

One Tree Hill: The Complete Second Season finds life in an uproar for virtually every major and minor character in the WB series set in One Tree, North Carolina. Basketball sensation Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray), illegitimate son of One Tree Hill's resident J.R.-like figure, car dealer, and all-around monster Dan Scott (Paul Johansson), has left town with his Uncle Keith (Craig Sheffer) to start a new life. (Keith himself has split One Tree to nurse a broken heart after his marriage proposal to Lucas's mom, Karen, played by Moira Kelly, was rejected.) It's not long, however, before Lucas has second thoughts, prompted in part by Dan's recent heart attack and the mess he (Lucas) left behind with two girls, Peyton (Hilarie Burton) and Brooke (Sophia Bush). Meanwhile, Lucas's half-brother, Nathan (James Lafferty), has married the former's lifelong best friend, Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz), a union approved by the bride's parents but not by Nathan's mother, Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods). (It should be mentioned that Nathan and Haley, as with nearly every other young person on this show, are not yet high school seniors. They only look much older.)

All that's just the first couple of episodes of season 2. In the remaining 21, Dan temporarily fools everyone into believing he's a changed man following his cardiac crisis. In fact, he's worse than ever, trying to wreck Nathan and Haley's marriage, attempting to buy Lucas's loyalties, driving Deb into a drug-addicted stupor, pulling the rug out from beneath Keith (who took over Dan's dealership during the latter's illness), and waging a war, of sorts, with basketball coach Whitey (Barry Corbin) for influence over Nathan's destiny. While all this is going on, Haley leaves Nathan to join a music group, Peyton finds success running an all-ages night at a new club opened by Karen, Lucas finds evidence that Dan is cheating the IRS, Brooke's once-wealthy parents go broke, and actress Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks) turns up toward season's end playing a mysterious visitor with a surprising connection to a major character's past. Whew. If One Tree Hill's first season succeeded in part because series creator Mark Schwahn kept, for a while, a tight focus on the early, rocky relationship between Nathan and Lucas, the second season works as a frenetic, ensemble drama with elements of camp and absurdity. The above-mentioned reference to Dallas villain J.R. Ewing proves apt in more ways than one. The final episode of One Tree Hill's sophomore season ends with its own, not-so-subtle variation on the classic who-shot-J.R. cliffhanger, leaving open to debate which of many possible One Tree candidates might have committed a foul (if understandable) bit of vengeance against a certain bad dude one loves to hate. --Tom Keogh

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 24, 2010 17:32:04

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Alvin and the Chipmunks Review

In my days as a child, I remember having Alvin and the Chipmunks on vinyl. For the younger generation that means a record. I can see me now dancing and signing away. I loved every minute of it. My memories of them is what lead me to purchase this DVD in the beginning. Now I can share the same fun experience with our children. Yes, they to get up and dance to the Chipmunk beat.
I love the modern makeover from the classic Alvin to the hip character he has become. All three of the chipmunks were well cast in voices. The animation fit in perfectly with the surrounds of the film. All in all I will say I found it to be well written and fun to watch for all age groups.
Alvin and the Chipmunks is a weekly watch in our home and truth to be told, we do not mind at all.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Feature

• ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS

Alvin and the Chipmunks Overview

A L V I N ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Struggling songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) opens his home to a talented trio of chipmunks named Alvin, Simon and Theodore, they become overnight music sensations. But when a greedy record producer (David Cross) tries to exploit the "boys", Dave must use a little human ingenuity and a lot of 'munk mischief to get his furry family back before it's too late!

Alvin and the Chipmunks Specifications

Families come in many different shapes and sizes, but few humans consider rodents members of the family. Dave Seville (Jason Lee) is no exception, so when this flailing musician finds three young talking chipmunks gorging themselves in his kitchen cupboards, Dave is quick to question his sanity and then toss the offending chipmunks outside into the rain and restore order. When Dave hears the chipmunks singing outside his window, he realizes that that unusual trio might just be the world's next vocal sensation and he strikes a bargain with them--the chipmunks can stay with him if they sing his songs. While chipmunks Alvin (Justin Long), Theodore (Jesse McCartney), and Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) quickly begin to see Dave as a father figure, it's strictly a business arrangement for Dave and he maintains an appropriate emotional distance. Dave's frustration with the chipmunks mounts as they unwittingly wreak havoc on his personal life, but when Dave's old friend and record label mogul Ian (David Cross) begins to exploit the chipmunks for personal gain, Dave suddenly realizes what an important part of his life, and indeed his family, the three chipmunks have become. Hilarity reins in this live action/CGI comedy with many memorable scenes--think chipmunks showering in the dishwasher, riding in remote control planes, and bouncing off the walls under the influence of a serious caffeine buzz. Catchy Chipmunks' songs both new and old promise to lodge themselves in the minds of viewers long after the credits roll and even those none-too-enchanted with the premise of singing chipmunks can't help but be entertained by this comical film. (Ages 6 and older with parental guidance due to mild rude humor) --Tami Horiuchi

Meet the Chipmunks

Justin Long as Alvin

Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon

Jesse McCartney as Theodore

Beyond Alvin and the Chipmunks

More from Jason Lee

Alvin and the Chipmunks Music

More Kids & Family titles from Fox

Stills from Alvin and the Chipmunks

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 24, 2010 13:00:07