Best DVDs for You

Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:49:00 -0800

Product Description

Jillian Michaels winning trainer on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" helps you lose big--up to 20 pounds in 30 days! Her 30-Day Shred DVD includes three 20-minute circuit-training workouts that burn mega calories and build strong lean muscle. Each workout is progressively harder so start with the Level 1 and when you are ready progress to Level 2 and then Level 3. Each level contains a 20-minute workout based on Jillian's exclusive 3-2-1 Strength/Cardio/Ab training circuit: 3 minutes of strength 2 minutes of cardio and 1minute of ab work. There's also a brief warm-up session and a cool-down stretch. Follow Jillian's program for 30 days and you will see amazing results!System Requirements:Running Time: 60 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HEALTH/FITNESS/EXERCISE Rating: NR UPC: 031398226956 Manufacturer No: 22695

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #5 in DVD
Brand: Michaels
Released on: 2008-03-18
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Original language: English
Number of discs: 1
Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
Running time: 60 minutes

Customer Reviews

WOW! Amazing!
I had never purchased a Jillian Michaels DVD before b/c of the hit or miss reviews. So when I heard raves about this one, I decided to give it a shot and I am so glad I did. This is an absolute butt-kicker workout. I am an intermediate/advanced exerciser (I work out 5-6 days a week) so I figured I could see what Level 1 was all about and move onto Level 2 right away. Listen to me folks--these workouts are HARD. Level 2 was VERY difficult--a good difficult though, very challenging. When Jillian tells you to start at level 1, listen to her she knows what she's doing. I've been at this for about 5 days, and I already feel a difference in my body.
Jillian is tough--absolutely NO rest in this workout (not even for a sip of water) but that's what makes it go by so quickly, and it makes your body change, according to Jillian. You're done before you know it--but by the end you've gotten a kick butt workout and feel like you've really done something. She bases her workout on the 3-2-1 method: 3 mins strength, 2 mins cardio, 1 min abs. Her strength circuits remind me of Jari Love--compound exercises that work the upper and lower body simultaneously. The cardio is good as well: a lot of jumping, so watch those knees (she has a modifier for beginner and lower impact) And the abs is straight up ab work--a variety of crunches and twists on the floor.
This is a great workout and I find Jillian to be tough but she's pretty likeable. Be warned though: she's no-nonsense. I think it's funny when during the stretch she admits she's not flexible and struggles to reach her legs on the floor. I thought "Ha, Ha, finally something I'm better at than Jillian!" lol
If you really want to get a good workout and to jumpstart your weight loss get this DVD you will not be disappointed. It's great for those who are short on time too and want to try something new; every workout is just under 30 mins!

I wish there were more workouts in this DVD
First off, I would give it 3 ½ stars. I've only done level one but it is a good, very intense work out. I felt great afterwards. Also, I really like the trainer. She motivated me to push my hardest to try and finish each exercise, which sometimes I couldn't do (and I consider myself to be in good shape). My biggest complaint about the DVD is that you are told to start with level 1 and then progress up to level 2, then level 3. But there is only one level 1 workout, one level 2 workout and one level 3 workout. As a result, you are doing the same workout every day until you can move up a level. This can get boring. In addition, you are working the same tired and sore muscles that you worked the day before. My other complaints are a bit petty: the music is terrible and you can't skip through some of the beginning stuff. As stated above, the workouts are great and extremely challenging but I wouldn't use this DVD alone.

**********************************************************
UPDATE:

I would now give this video 5 stars. One of the comments to my review suggested that I don't wait to move up in levels, rather, I could do each level so that I am not doing the same workout again and again. THANK YOU to that person. I am now switching around levels and I love it. Level 2 and 3 are harder but I follow the "easier" version of most of the exercises and make modifications to some of the aerobic exercises that may be too hard (or that I just may not like). This is now my favorite DVD. I love it because it is hard enough to actually replace the gym... and in only 25 min.

Excellent :-)
This is a really good workout. It's geared a little more to advanced exercisers, but the choreography is fairly basic and you will definately feel this the next day.
There are three workouts that combine toning and aerobics together which are about a half an hour each. This way, you're burning fat and toning muscles at the same time. It's a little challenging, but fun and effective. The first workout is the easiest of the three and from there it gets more challenging. The most challenging workout is tough like she shows on The Biggest Loser (ie travelling pushups and tough jumps etc). It's a good idea if you're intermediate to begin either at the start or middle and stick to that for a while and then move on. Each workout uses toning, kickboxing and ab work.
I found this really good to do. It's absolutely a good idea to not go too quickly with it and begin at the lower of the three levels even if you do it only a couple of times - you can always advance as soon as you're ready for your next workout. She may not be the best cuer, but she is certainly encouraging and motivating. This is fun and I highly recommend it. I've only done it twice so far since it's so new, but I can still feel my muscles thanking me. This is great.

Michael Jackson: This Is It

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:55:00 -0800

Product Description

SEE THE EVENT OF A LIFETIME AT THEATERS – LOOK FOR IT SOON ON DVD AND BLU-RAY. Michael Jackson's This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London's O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson's This Is It captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Directed by Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson's creative partner and the director of the stage show.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #3 in DVD
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Released on: 2010-01-26
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, French
Number of discs: 1
Running time: 111 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
It's hard not to watch This Is It without feeling a mixture of sorrow and elation. When he passed away in the summer of 2009, Michael Jackson was in the midst of rehearsals for his final tour, an ambitious 50-date engagement. In editing 120 hours of rehearsal footage together, Jackson producer Kenny Ortega proves that it would've been an event for the ages. Michael performs material that spans his career, from a Motown medley to multi-platinum hits from Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Though he hadn't toured in 10 years, it becomes instantly apparent, despite rumors to the contrary, that Jackson was still in full possession of that unmistakable voice--high-pitched whoops and all--and that he still had the gravity-defying moves of a man half his age. Jackson and Ortega also collaborated on some real showstoppers, such as a graveyard-set "Thriller"; an imposing "They Don't Care About Us," in which several dancers appear to morph into thousands; and a film noir sequence in which the singer slides in and out of Gilda and other black-and-white classics, singing "Smooth Criminal" all the while. Not everything works, like the Jackson 5 numbers, in which he flubs a few lyrics, claiming that his earpiece isn't working properly, but as he readily acknowledges, "That's what rehearsal is for." It's a tragedy that he didn't get the chance to share this dazzling show with the world, but Ortega allows fans to feel as if it actually happened--at least onscreen. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Stills from Michael Jackson: This Is It (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

"I'm Glad They Did This Film"
When Michael Jackson died on June 25th 2009 it seems a part of the world died with him. It made many people sad all over the world and it seems that for once everyone was being nice to this man who had always been abused by the Medias; journalists, interviewers and others. When I heard of the "This Is It" movie concert I didn't know what to think. I knew it was rehearsal footage from the 50 concerts he was to perform at the O2 arena but I didn't know what was going to come out of it or what they were going to do with it. When I saw the trailers I knew I had to see this and that "This Is It" was going to be something special like I've never seen. And that's precisely what I got, I even bought my ticket in advance for the movie and feel like it was much worth it.

It amazed me how good MJ still was, the dance moves were great and fascinating to me. He was clearly the one in charge of the whole thing. He gave precise instructions of what he wanted, made sure everything was right and did everything that needed to be done. The film shows just how much Michael was respected, there were parts of it where they asked him if he wanted anything or what he thought and if he liked something, it seems no one assumed anything at all. When he talked the crew would listen and he asked things in the nicest way, never to hurt anyone. There's not a part that doesn't make him look like the nice guy he always was. There are mixed feelings about him after all the bad things that have been said about him but after watching this I don't know one could possibly believe them.

To be honest I loved every minute of it, every song was special and was great to watch. Right from the beginning of "Wanna Be Startin'Somethin'" it was amazing. No matter how many people surround him he's always the one who does things better than anyone else and the one you're watching. This Is It was really a unique experience, I felt they chose the right footage parts for the movie and made him look great in every sense. They could truly have messed things up but they didn't and came out with an amazing documentary, it's sort of a testament to his fans, it's just very special. I really liked the Thriller 3D part, it was a 3D video shoot and afterwards you see MJ coming out onstage from a spider, the show would have looked awesome. They Don't Care About Us was amazing, The Smooth Criminal part was very interesting, so was the Earth Song which had a beautiful video of a little girl in a forest, waking up to see that all of it has been destroyed. I won't go further but every song had something about them.

The stage show would have been grandiose, the fireworks, the "fireball" (quite impressive I won't spoil anything), pyrotechnics, the videos that accompany the songs are all very impressive. This could very well have been the best show ever had he lived to perform them. In the end I was quite amazed by the 1: 48 minutes I watched, I can't wait to see it again and the message Michael gives at the end is very inspiring. From the auditions of the brilliant performers to the credits with the "This Is It" song I was captivated.

The said special features will feature more of the rehearsal and a two part documentary on Michael's history and his comeback along behind the scenes. I can't wait to see more of the rehearsal and hopefully the extras will be great and there will plenty to watch.

It's hard for me to describe what watching this movie was like and what I felt about it. I know this is rehearsal footage but it's truly brilliant and while it main not catch Michael at his best it certainly catches him at his most honest. I don't have anything bad to say about either this movie or the man himself, This Is It is a must see. It doesn't matter if you watch in its theatrical run or on DVD/Blue Ray when released, this is amazing and his fans just have to see this. I will certainly be amongst those who buy it and watch it over and over again. This man gave his life to music and his fans and I don't remember where I heard or read this but I do remember that someone said: "He was a gift of god, he was a kind human being who's been mistreated by many opportunists, he's been taken advantage of but he was the nicest person and could never harm anyone" or sometime like that. These words are very truthful and really mean something to his fans.

THIS IS IT is OUTSTANDING
I was in the movie theater and watched with awe the entire premiere of this phenomenal movie just after midnight October 28.

THIS IS IT the Movie is extraordinary. Rarely am I so gripped by a movie that I did not want to blink! I was hoping the movie would be made available in DVD - buying this DVD is a MAJOR GIFT!

During each rehearsal Michael Jackson was passionately hands on regarding every facet of the concert experience he was creating. The energy Michael and ALL who were involved in these rehearsals created an experience that is almost indefinable in words - it transports you with awe INTO the soul behind the creation of the music.

The movie Director, producers, special effects, make-up, costume, musicians, the dancers who performed with Michael during these final rehearsals before his passing are all PHENOMENAL.
I feel we owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to the special people who filmed the rehearsals that made this movie. What a GIFT you have given humanity!

Michael Jackson will forever be a gift to humanity. When you see this movie you will understand why.

{An Update} Tonight, December 3, 2009, I saw the final showing of this amazing film for the 5th time. I was just as glued to the screen as I was the first time. I never cried before for what I could only describe as a poignant ending, but I did tonight. THIS IS IT is so much more about the care Michael Jackson had for humanity, and our planet.

He said, "I've always loved trees, I get upset at the mismanagement of our planet, that every minute trees the size of a football field is cut down in the Amazon rain forest... It's up to us to fix this and we only have four years left before it's irreversible. People say the government will fix this, "they" will fix this, "they", they who? It's up to us. This is it...That's why I write these songs, to inspire people, to give them hope, I'm so glad I can give that to the world."

When he spoke to all of the people involved in the rehearsals he said, "This is an adventure, a great adventure. To take people places they've never been before, to show them talent that they've never seen before."

This precious soul named Michael Jackson leaves us with an awareness to take responsibility for the changes we must make. I feel one of the best ways we can pay tribute to him is to start planting trees in his name in honor of each person who wants to keep his memory alive.

Each of the five times I was glued to the screen watching the movie THIS IS IT moved my heart in ways I've never experienced before. The loss is HUGE, but I know he's watching, so I'd like to say, Thank You Michael Jackson for giving us a lifetime of your heart that will remain in our hearts forever.

Amazing that this film was assembled in less than four months
"This Is It" is likely one of the best concert films ever produced, and that's saying something considering that the actual concerts never happened, and the limited time available to shape the ample rehearsal footage into a polished final product.

While the film includes interviews with those associated with Michael Jackson's planned London concerts, many snippets of creative discussions, and other "behind the scenes" activities, director Kenny Ortega wisely focuses on performance in the film. Serving that end, "This Is It" is chockful of energetic, heartfelt songs, meticulously-produced dance numbers, and other incredible elements that would have been included in the concerts, including some wonderful filmed sequences (one "co-starring" Humphrey Bogart and Rita Hayworth).

And when Ortega chooses to include footage of performances that are interrupted (usually by perfectionist Jackson) with creative banter on how this or that song should be tweaked, or how a musician should lengthen or highlight a chord or bar of music, it's all extremely fascinating. We see from Michael Jackson's interaction with his musicians and producers that, despite his time away from the limelight, he was still sharp, engaged, and still very much touched by genius in the area of music and performance. Oh, and he also repeatedly came off as a gentle, nice person. And a generous one: a particularly touching scene shows Jackson urging his female back-up guitarist to step up and not be afraid to make the most of a solo moment ("this is your moment to shine!").

It's also uplifting (and even a little funny) to see Jackson not being able to resist giving full-fledged, amazing rehearsal performances despite the many times he says, "Now I'm going to hold back a little and save my voice for the shows". After one such performance (Jackson singing a wonderfully re-imagined "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with an enthusiastic but pretty outclassed duet partner), Jackson apologizes to the crew for again getting lost in the moment and not holding back. To which Ortega essentially tells him to not worry about it because, after all, how can Michael Jackson not help but be Michael Jackson?

"This Is It" will be a wonderful DVD to own (I'm sure the extra features will be amazing), but I'm glad that I made the trip to see the movie on the big screen. If you can, see it that way first to get all the more impact from this entertaining, illuminating, and bittersweet farewell to Michael Jackson, both the musical icon and, more importantly, the man.

Zombieland DVD

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:04:00 -0800

Product Description

Nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived the plague that has turned mankind into flesh-devouring zombies because he’s scared of just about everything. Gun-toting, Twinkie-loving Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has no fears. Together, they are about to stare down their most horrifying challenge yet: each other’s company. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin co-star in this double-hitting, head-smashing comedy.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #8 in DVD
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Released on: 2010-02-02
Rating: R (Restricted)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, French
Dubbed in: French
Number of discs: 1
Running time: 88 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If there's been a zombie apocalypse and you're road-tripping alone though the wasteland, you could do worse than run into Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a bourbon-swilling bad-boy butt-kicker with a really cool car. This is where the careful hero of Zombieland, a kid nicknamed Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), finds himself early in the film, and you can hardly blame him for hitching a ride with this swaggering Alpha Male. Still, they have their hands full not only with gibbering zombies but also with two sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) who will stop at nothing to reach a Disneyland-like amusement park in L.A. Although Zombieland gets off to a rocky start with Columbus's overly-cute narration (he's got a list of rules for surviving in the zombie world), it settles into an amusing comedy, regularly interrupted by bouts of blood-letting. The road-trip stuff is enough fun that when the movie does arrive at its version of Disneyland, the air goes out of it a little; sure, there's a giant zombie blowout, with entrails flying, but it's not quite the same. Director Ruben Fleischer keeps the gags coming, although the movie is often funnier in its odd little asides (both Eisenberg and Harrelson are expert at this) than in its official jokes. Comic high point: an interlude at the home of a very famous movie star, who plays himself--and we'll leave the spoiler unspoiled, in case anybody hasn't heard about this funny extended cameo. --Robert Horton

Stills from Zombieland (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Evil Dead II + Shaun of the Dead = Zombieland
Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge zombie fan. Whether they're Romero's slow-moving shamblers or the fast-moving runners from Return of the Living Dead / 28 Days Later, I will give any zombie movie a try. Enter Zombieland, which when I heard about it, I instantly thought of that direct-to-DVD drivel you see on the rental store shelf that can barely pass as a B-movie. After watching the trailer however, I was genuinely intrigued. Luckily, my friend managed to get her hands on a few preview passes and what I saw was one of the most fun and enjoyable movies I've seen in years.

I'll say it now: This movie is NOT scary. If you go in expecting scares and frights, you're in the wrong place. While there's the occasional "boo" scare, Zombieland is a horror-comedy in the vein of Evil Dead II, The Return of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, etc. As a matter of fact, the director was inspired by Shaun of the Dead to make Zombieland. The horror-comedy mixture is is a very hard thing to pull off, but this movie does it pretty well, leaning more towards the comedy.

The cast is great, with Woody Harrelson being the stand out. He is such a great tough guy and delivers some truly great one-liners that it brings back memories of his Natural Born Killers days. Jesse Eisenberg is the "goofy dorky guy" that keeps popping up in movies these days. He does a good job, but is nearly indistinguishable from someone like Michael Cera, who plays the exact same role every time. I liked this guy better because frankly I'm sick of seeing Michael Cera these days. Emma Stone (aka Jules from Superbad) plays a good tough girl and looks exactly like she did in Superbad, which isn't a bad thing. Abigail Breslin is fine, but she felt slightly out of place. There's also a bigger-than-a-cameo role by one of the funniest actors of all-time, but I don't want to spoil it here. Trust me, it's hysterical.

That's about it for the cast, except for the zombies themselves, which are very well done. They're gross, gooey, and vicious and the make-up and special effects look fantastic, especially now in the age of CGI crap. The movie does not skimp on the gore, so be prepared for a healthy serving of blood, guts, and zombie bites. The post-apocalyptic scenery looks amazing and really pulls you into the film. Zombie fans, you will not be disappointed.

The comedy is executed quite well. While whether something is funny depends purely on personal taste (pun intended), I think this movie balances gross-out humor, sight gags, witty banter, black comedy and plain-old "Number 2" jokes perfectly. One of the funniest bits is when Woody Harrelson's character rides a roller coaster while simultaneously wielding a shotgun and shoots zombies that follow him around the track. It was clever and a blast to watch. Think of your favorite comedy; Zombieland is probably not as funny as that, but it will definitely make you laugh. It's not the funniest movie ever, but it does an admirable job.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else to say. I have minor nitpicks, but most of them are standard horror clichés that didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the film itself. Do yourself a favor and check this one out, it's a great horror-comedy.

Blood, Guts, and Humor oh my
Right from the start Zombieland is in your face. The opening sequence alone is just great and recalls Max Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide. Also, it doesn't try to copy Romero's Dawn of the Dead or any of the other countless zombie movies.
It's a very direct film that doesn't waste time with needless character buildup, that would only slow the pacing. Characterization is achieved in between humor and action sequences and that approach works well.
Zombieland starts by introducing the overly cautious and neurotic, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) who reminds me of Woody Allen back in Allen classic comedy films of the 70's.
Columbus is the quiet geeky guy who probably spent his high school years over thinking every detail and was quite possibly bullied by jocks. Now in a zombie infested world, he is forced to become more manly and athletic when taking on the undead.
Then there's Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who is the gung ho bad ass. I think every zombie movie needs a Tallahassee type because they are so much fun to watch. Harrelson really steals the show in Zombieland. I don't think I've seen him this good since Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. He looks like he could have fun in any situation in life pre or post zombie infected. I like the scene where Tallahassee is standing next to a bright yellow Hummer and just randomly firing a machine gun.
Next up are the manipulating sisters, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) and Wichita (Emma Stone) who are both cute and annoying. I was annoyed with their characters at first and as their characters developed they became a little more tolerable. You also need sisters like this in a post zombie world because they will keep you on your toes. They are fun in their own ways and have both survived tough times together. Their strong bond makes them believable and you accept them for who they are.
With all the wonder characters and backgrounds aside, this is really about killing zombies. Who doesn't want to roam America's highways shooting zombies?
It's the ultimate road movie, as the four travel together and fight hundreds of zombies along the way.
As much fun as that is, the ending sequence at the amusement park, cranks up the fun a lot higher. The combination of rides, amusement park games, and shooting zombies is very entertaining.
Director Ruben Fleischer does a tremendous job directing action in the last half of Zombieland.
That's what these movies are all about to me. The cheap thrills of just going for it and taking out all that pent up aggressive shooting, stabbing, running over, hammering, and beating the undead any way you can.
Overall Zombieland is a lot of fun and a good way to kick off this Halloween season. I hope more horror movies come out this good in Halloween.
Some of my favorite Zombie movies are Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Zombi 2, Undead, Shaun of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead, Cemetery Man, Tokyo Zombie, Braindead, and The Dead Pit.
Zombieland deserves its place in the upper echelon of the Zombie movie canon.

Fast Paced and a Lot of Fun
"Zombieland", the new film starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as four of the few remaining humans living on planet Earth, is one of those movies that almost looks too good when you are watching the trailer. The Coming Attractions make you laugh and laugh and you suspect all of the funny bits were included to get some butts into seats. After watching the trailer, I feared the film would be a let down. There is no way it could live up to this two-minute clip reel.

Happily, I was wrong.

"Zombieland" begins with Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) giving us a brief recap of what has happened to this point. Short story even shorter, zombies have overrun the planet. As Columbus is one of the few remaining humans, he has developed a list of rules he uses to survive. He quickly recites the rules, such as "#7 Avoid Public Bathrooms", the rule appearing onscreen in large block letters as we watch a vignette illustrating the same rule (Mike White in an amusing cameo). We also learn that he is on his own and trying to get home, living on the hope that someone in his family might still be human. He quickly meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) when his Escalade complete with a modified cowcatcher careens through a freeway of abandoned cars, almost hitting Columbus. The two men learn they have very different purposes in life. Columbus just wants to stay alive and Tallahassee is searching for Twinkies. He simply wants to find as many Twinkies as he can, the golden snack cake, his favorite treat. The next day, they enter an abandoned supermarket and meet Witchita and Little Rock (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin, respectively) two sisters who are trying to survive. Because they are all loners, they decide to try to remain as impersonal as possible and refer to each other by the name of their hometowns. They decide to work together and make their way to the West Coast. Along the way, they make two more very memorable stops. They also kill a lot of the zombies standing in their way.

I almost get the feeling that someone involved with this film turned on a stopwatch and mandated everything had to keep moving and the film would nor run more than 90 minutes. Generally, I sort of revel in films that allow the characters to grow and breath, provided they actually grow and breath, but "Zombieland" keeps things moving and the film benefits from this extremely fast pace. It moves so fast it doesn't have time to make mistakes, to seem slow and boring. Because everything keeps moving, you feel like you have experienced a fuller, longer, more fleshed out film.

As soon as we meet Columbus, we are thrust into the middle of this landscape, this story, we meet these characters. The film doesn't waste time setting everything up, explaining what has been happening. We learn this later, through some remembrances and as illustrations to some of Columbus' rules.

Because the film starts with these rules, we immediately learn two things about the story. First, zombies are running amuck. Second, Columbus is the type of guy who would be very comfortable making lists of rules. Later, we learn a little about Columbus' last and first experience with a girl and this also helps to illustrate why he is the type of guy who would go around making rules, lists, things to keep his life running smoothly and efficiently, to keep some order in his life.

But Columbus has learned to adapt to the new world order and has become quite adept at survival. He has learned how to shoot a gun, and what to do with it (related to one of his rules) and has learned how to keep a few steps ahead of the marauding zombies.

When he comes across Tallahassee (Harrelson), the two couldn't be more different. But this also makes them a good pair. Tallahassee is amused by Columbus and willing to give him a few pointers. And Tallahassee is so different from Columbus, the young man likes the dichotomy.

And Tallahassee's quest, to find as many of the remaining Twinkies left on the planet is amusing and continues to provide comic relief as his search becomes more and more desperate.

Emma Stone ("Superbad", "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past") and Abigail Breslin play the two sisters who will do anything they can to stay alive and stay together. Initially, they are reluctant to open up to the two men, but they quickly realize they need their help and can provide something to the group. Wichita also realizes Columbus is extremely interested in her, constantly flirting, and she enjoys the attention.

As they make their way across the US, they decide to make a funny, and very memorable pit stop leading to an incredibly funny extended cameo by a well-known comedian.

"Zombieland" is a lot of fun and plays like a roller coaster ride filled with laughs and chills and thrills.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:53:00 -0800

Product Description

In the second chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling Twilight series, the romance between mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) grows more intense as ancient secrets threaten to destroy them. When Edward leaves in an effort to keep Bella safe, she tests fate in increasingly reckless ways in order to glimpse her love once more. But when she’s saved from the brink by her friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella will uncover mysteries of the supernatural world that will put her in more peril than ever before.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #1 in DVD
Released on: 2010-03-20
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, Spanish
Number of discs: 2
Running time: 130 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
New Moon, the second in Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster teen-fiction saga adapted for film, is stronger than its predecessor, Twilight. Director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass), taking the helm from Catherine Hardwicke, brings a lighter, more assured touch to the sequel, which continues the star-crossed love story of mortal Bella (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson). Incidentally, Edward is absent for most of the film; after an accident on Bella's birthday reminds Edward that her life is always at risk when he's around, he chooses to abandon her, sending her into a deep depression. The only person who helps her heal her broken heart is her friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner), a member of the Quileute tribe who, as he grows taller, beefier, and more aggressive (with less clothing), comes to realize he's not entirely human either. But even his love for Bella doesn't prevent her from throwing herself in the path of danger, because that's the only time she can see visions of Edward. One such fateful misunderstanding sends Edward into the coven of the Volturi (a sort of vampire Mafia, if you will), where the most dangerous vampires hold both Edward and Bella's fate in their cold, dark hands. Much of New Moon rests on the shoulders of Lautner, so scrawny in Twilight, who famously packed on the muscle to avoid getting recast. He's very nearly successful in carrying the load, but the cheese-tastic beefcake scenes disservice him, and Jacob and Bella's complicated friendship stumbles on its way to any kind of love triangle. Some of that blame lies with Stewart, who understandably holds her emotions close to her chest but reveals much too little (c'mon, even an angsty girl has to be a little joyful in the arms of two different hunks). As is with the book, the film is just a bridge between sagas, so the plot drags and not a lot happens. Fortunately, while Twilight was trapped in its own self-consciousness, the wobbly-legged cast seems to have found stronger footing in New Moon; the jokes come faster, the writing (by Melissa Rosenberg, who also scribed Twilight) is a hair wittier. (Even Pattinson seems more comfortable in Edward's skin.) The Volturi, highlighted by Michael Sheen's Aro and Dakota Fanning's Jane, also make an all-too-brief impression, but at least there's more to look forward to when Eclipse, the third installment, is released. --Ellen A. Kim

Customer Reviews

FANS OF THE BOOK -- You will LOVE this film!!!
Let me say, I LOVE the "Twilight" books. Like, REALLY LOVE them. I love to read, and I usually read the classics. I'm a Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bronte Sisters kind of girl. My friend insisted for two years that I should read "Twilight", but I kept thinking, "Teen vampire romance? Not my kind of book." Finally, this 29-year-old mother of three was on a flight by myself with some time to read, so I bought "Twilight". I absolutely DEVOURED it--I read one book a day until I had finished the entire saga in four days. Luckily, "Breaking Dawn" had just been released, so I didn't have to wait. The "Twilight" books are my absolute FAVORITE guilty pleasure--I love the fluff, the cheesy dialogue, the LOVE--all of it.

For me, "New Moon" really needed to redeem all that was wrong with the "Twilight" movie. After watching "Twilight" last year, I was SO disappointed. Catherine Hardwicke had just taken our beloved series and turned it into a made-for-TV movie. I laughed at all of the wrong places. How Bella and Edward fell in love was completely rushed. I could go on. Melissa Rosenberg butchered the book and everything that made me obsessed with it. Sure, "Twilight" was fun to watch because it was "Twilight", but the portrayal was so, so, so wrong on so many levels. My favorite book had been reduced to lines like "spider monkey."

WELL, "NEW MOON" JUST MADE UP FOR EVERY CATHERINE-HARDWICKE WRONG! FANS OF THE BOOK WILL ADORE THIS MOVIE. Edward actually smiles! The acting was SO much better, the visuals were stunning, and the dialogue was much, much improved over "Twilight". I honestly didn't want it to end. It stayed so true to the book we all love, and the little additions were perfect. I really felt like I was watching Bella on screen--Kristen Stewart was spot on. Every expression, every sad word was perfect. AND THEY SAID, "I LOVE YOU," something that was blaringly absent in "Twilight". Chris Weitz has made a stunning, gorgeous film that lovers of the book will adore! **I secretly wish he could remake "Twilight". This is what "Twilight" should have been!** This closet Twilighter was pleased beyond belief.

It seems like most of the critics' negative reviews have problems with the plot, the story, etc. Well, if you like the book and, therefore, like the plot and the story, you will love the film because Chris Weitz is true to the book beyond what I could have imagined or hoped for. This movie felt like it was made for the fans, so I can understand that if you're not a fan of the series how it may feel like a laboured effort to watch "New Moon". But if you love Bella and Edward **and even Jacob--Taylor Lautner was FANTASTIC in this!**, you will leave wanting more!

Chris Weitz for "Breaking Dawn"!

Thank God for Chris Weitz
I wasn't expecting to like it very much but I found New Moon to be very nearly perfect, however I cannot speak to how the movie comes off to those who did not read the books. This movie is a gigantic improvement on Twilight. Thank you Chris Weitz! Can we re-do Twilight now?

This assessment includes, of course, accepting that the movie was 2 only hours long. We can argue around in circles whether the movie should have been longer, but in the standard 2 hours that it had, the movie covered everything that had to be covered. If you found yourself wanting more of a scene or an extra scene, what would you have cut to include it? I would have liked to see Edward smile more, see his sense of humor, and to have been reminded of how happy he and Bella were together up until the fateful birthday party, but alas there was no time. I will be very irritated though if we don't get a longer director's cut on the DVD.

My assessment also includes an acceptance of the source material as it is. The plot is the plot and if it's boring on screen to those who haven't read the books, I understand, but as a visual representation book, the movie was terrific. Also, as intriguing as Stephanie Meyer's characters are, there is sometimes a lack of depth to their thoughts and motivations which readers fill in for themselves. I thought that the actors did a great job filling in the details with the scenes that they were given which, in part, goes back again to the time restriction issue. Bella in the books is, to some degree, a blank canvas. While Bella describes Edward's every facial expression and tone of voice, she does not delve too deeply into herself as far as how others might see her. This is a choice that the author made and we are left with only what thoughts Bella chooses to share with us as readers (And I don't think that she shares everything with us). Kristin Stewart manages to give Bella three-dimensional life in this movie just as she did in Twilight. Kristin's Bella might not be the Bella that you have in your head but she creates a viable version of the character.

I, for one, did like the minor changes to the plot that were made. Most of them were done as necessity to summarize the plot, and I thought that they were well executed. One change in particular, however (the secret twist at the end) was a departure from the book, but I thought that it fit exactly with the direction that the story is going in. I actually thought (yes, this is blasphemy) that the end was an improvement on the book and a better set up for what is to follow in Eclipse.

Overall, the acting was much improved. Bella was still Bella, Edward was no longer shy and creepy, and our little Jacob was all grown up. Taylor L. was wonderful and captured Jacob's transition from a happy boy to an intense werewolf very convincingly. I was looking carefully for over acting from the three main leads but I didn't find any. At least nothing that was outside of the over sappiness of the books themselves. I actually found the blush worthy things that Edward says more palatable coming out of Rob's lips than I had when I had read them to myself. Here again is an actor breathing life in to a character and making those corny lines sound believable.

The supporting high school cast was still a bit silly but I think that the movie was playing to the younger crowd with them. There were things to laugh at but most were intentional and the book had it funny moments as well. However, the little house on the prairie scene (Alice's vision) should have been re-thought. That was painful and it didn't convey what it was supposed to convey anyway unless you happened to notice Bella's newly golden eyes.

Aro and Jane were great and Felix gets a bit more action than in the book, but overall the Volturi were not well-developed. The Cullens were barely seen and I didn't like Jasper's new hairdo but the story's not about them anyway.

I didn't like how the soundtrack was used in the movie except for a few songs that were well placed, like Possibility. Most of the others were fuzzy background pieces. And as a HUGE fan of DCFC and was very unhappy that their wonderful song was relegated to the second song over the credits. In my mind this song needs to be played dramatically as Bella runs wildly through the woods after Edward: EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING ENDS (Sing it with me folks).

The visual effects were great, not revolutionary but believable and that's fine by me. My only requirement was that the effects did not distract from the movie as they did in Twilight. This is not an action film.

So, in my opinion, the movie was well worth seeing.

New Moon, must see!
This movie is great. It is better than the first movie, which has so much of the book missing from it. The new movie, New Moon, is so close to the book! It is such a great movie. If you love the books, you will LOVE this movie.

Journey to the Center of the Earth (2-D and Limited-Edition 3-D) [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:54:00 -0700

Product Details

Released on: 2008-10-28
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Formats: Color, 3D, Widescreen
Original language: English, Icelandic
Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

This movie is so cool
This movie is fun and exciting. The graphic effect was great. This movie is impressive. It's action and adventure movie. you have to watch it. This movie contained 2-D and 3-D. that's great. It's good movie. You can realize the movie with 3-D Edition. It's fun.

A good watch...
...I picked this one up on an impulse, for the 3-D, and I'll admitt I was not disappointed. First of all, the 3-D, although is the traditional blue and red glasses and not shutter glasses or anything else works pretty well. I was amazed at how good the 3-D effects looked for your standard 3D glasses. The story is interesting enough to keep you watching. I would recommend the movie for its 3D effect, and it makes a good watch.

Walking On Magnetic & Rotating Rocks, or Only On Blu-Ray
Basically, Brandon Fraser's getting kicked out of his college lab (SNL's Seth Meyers makes a great appearance), Brandon's nephew spends vacation with him before moving to Ottawa (I prefer Toronto), the two go volcano hunting in Iceland (none of my uncles would have ever spent the money to take me to Iceland)... Ahhh who cares, it's all just an excuse to for some 3D action! But let me warn you, DO NOT GET THIS IN STANDARD DEFINITION! Why?

Because this movie looks stunningly beautiful in awesome in Blu-Ray, and it just adds so much to the experience. In SD, it's a sub-par experience, because the movie was made for HD, and of course 3D, but with those paper red/blue 3D glasses, I only noticed a substantial 3D effect during the credits. During the movie, the action just moves too fast, and your color is all distorted. So unless you have a really good pair of glasses, you might want to skip that. But you'll still have the picture and the action. It's a throwback to those Saturday matinee serials where things jump out, scare you, and surprise you. Things blow up, explode, collapse, and the action and adventure is certainly entertaining. Good family fun, although the little ones may find some of it a bit too intense.

Overall, don't even consider the SD version as you'll only come out disappointed. HD on the other hand makes all the difference, and it makes the movie that much better. Sure the plot is nothing to write home about, but the family and I had a very fun time with this popcorn flick. And I'm very open to a sequel, if it's filmed in the same manner. An Atlantis plot is especially intriguing.

Real Score: 4.5

[Buy Journey to the Center of the Earth (2-D and Limited-Edition 3-D) [Blu-ray]]

[All Blu-ray]

Ascom73 Cheap Store

Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition + Standard DVD and BD Live) [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:38:00 -0700

Product Description

Awaken your senses to the majesty of SLEEPING BEAUTY Walt Disney's ultimate fairy tale. See more than you've ever seen before through the magic of state of the art technology and experience this groundbreaking film restored beyond its original brilliance in the way Walt envisioned it pristine beautiful utterly breathtaking. From the grand celebration of Princess Aurora's birth to the fateful day when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel and falls under Malificent's evil curse to Prince Philip's courageous battle against a fire-breathing dragon the stunning artistry and spine-tingling sounds will transform your home into a fantastic world. The adventures continue as you are immersed into a wonderful world of bonus features.

BONUS FEATURES
In the original story, Princess Aurora sleeps for 100 years before being awakened by a prince's kiss. In the Disney version, Prince Philip comes to her rescue much sooner.
George Brun's orchestral score, which was nominated for an Academy Award, expertly blended famous themes from Tchaikovsky's ballet.
With a budget that exceeded $6 million in 1959, this was Walt Disney's most lavish and expensive animated feature to date.
Determined to make the characters as realistic as possible, Disney had a live action film shot with actors posing as Sleeping Beauty, the Prince, and Maleficent, for the animators to use.
New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called the fight between Prince Philip and Maleficent the noisiest and scariest go-round he (Disney) has ever put into one of his films.
Live Menus Featuring A Real Time Castle Environment
All-New Making Of SLEEPING BEAUTY Featurette
Deleted Songs
And More!
DISNEY BD LIVE innovative features premiering on Sleeping Beauty include Chat and Create Custom Video Messages With yoru Friends As You Watch The Film, Shop For Add-Ons and Downloads, Maleficent's Challenge Game, Living Menus Real Time Castle Environment Changes Based on Your Location System Requirements:Running Time: 75 minutes Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 786936746228 Manufacturer No: 05560800

Product Details

Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Released on: 2008-10-07
Rating: G (General Audience)
Aspect ratio: 2.55:1
Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English
Dubbed in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 3
Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
Running time: 75 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Disney's 1959 animated effort was the studio's most ambitious to date, a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birthday. This, of course, would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love. Things almost but not quite turn out that way, thanks to the assistance of some bubbly, bumbling fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. It's not really all that much about the title character--how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be, anyway? Instead, those fairies carry the day, as well as, of course, good Prince Phillip, whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since. See it in its original glory here. And Malificent's castle, filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways, manages a certain creepy grandeur. --David Kronke

Stills from Sleeping Beauty (Click for larger image)

On the Blu-ray Disc
Sleeping Beauty was the last and most lavish of Walt Disney's animated fairy tales. He told the artists not to hurry and to give him "a moving illustration": The film required almost four and one-half years and one million finished drawings. Instead of the 19th century storybook illustrations that had influenced the look of Snow White and Pinocchio, the artists adapted the flattened perspective and jewel-like colors of 15th century French illuminated manuscripts. The results remain unmatched for sheer visual opulence. However, Sleeping Beauty suffers from a weak story: the vision of an ageless princess slumbering in a vine-shrouded tower was replaced with elements of Snow White and a boy-meets-girl musical. The evil Maleficent and the three Good Fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) dominate the film, rather than Princess Aurora and Prince Philip. Sleeping Beauty was originally released in 70mm, and the Blu-ray edition restores the film to its original splendor. (Many earlier releases trimmed the wide-screen images and/or muted the glowing palatte.) The Bonus DVD looks good on a flat screen monitor, but it pales in comparison to the richness of the Blu-ray. In addition to the commentaries and a making-of documentary, the set includes myriad extras that vary widely in quality. Nostalgia buffs will enjoy the recreation of the old Sleeping Beauty's Castle attraction in Disneyland, and the TV program "Four Artists Paint One Tree" provides a welcome showcase for key talents from the film. But the CG animation of the dragon and the voice imitations of the Good Fairies fail to capture the magic of the originals in the "Dragon Encounter"; the "Maleficent's Challenge Game"--a hi-tech Twenty Questions--sounds only vaguely like the redoubtable sorceress. The BD-Live features require an awful lot of bother: after wading through (or ignoring) 130 screens of legalese, participants must enter their Social Security number or other personal information in the drawn-out sign-on process. Once that's finally done, viewers can send special messages to pop up during the film, chat online with others who are watching, and view it in synch with others. The question is whether or not you want to. (Rated G: violence) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Impressive
OK, I always thought Sleeping Beauty was one of Disney's least exciting offerings from their classic animation films. Although I saw in the theaters when I was very young, I mostly know it from the VHS version. But my wife said it was her favorite so when it came out on Blu Ray, I picked it up.

Just a few points on why it is so impressive. First, the BR version displays the full original aspect ratio, you get to see the film in full Cinemascope. Second, the transfer to BR looks flawless, you'll see details in the animation you didn't know where there. I kept staring at it in awe. Finally, the sound quality was full and clean.

So put that all together and it actually makes the semi-flat characters come alive and the kinda lame plot seem exciting. Overall, BR gave me a new appreciation for Sleeping Beauty, and I can't wait for future Disney BR releases. (Beauty and the Beast next, please?)

Oh, and how awesome is it that they threw in the DVD version too?

Very nice restoration
Disney Home Video kindly sent me this DVD, in exchange for an honest review.

Movie: This is a very traditional fairy tale romance, with Princess Aurora being the only child of a king, betrothed at birth to Prince Phillip, the only child of another king. At the grand party to celebrate Aurora's birth, almost everyone attends, including the good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. However, the powerful, evil fairy, Maleficent, is not invited. Maleficent attends anyway, to bestow a "gift" on the child: a curse that, upon her sixteenth birthday, she would prick her finger on a spindle and die. Maleficent then disappears. Flora and Fauna had already bestowed the gifts of beauty and song, and Merryweather adds the gift of amending Maleficent's curse to be that Aurora would falls asleep, instead of die, only to be awakened by the kiss of her true love.

Of course, Princess Aurora does not die, but the road to the inevitable Disney ending includes magic, a dragon, intrigue, an unexpected romance, lots of singing, an enchanted forest with many creatures, kidnappings, and, of course, a spinning wheel with a spindle. The ending will not disappoint the little ones, but there is some suspense along the way.

Much is made of the Super Technirama 70 film method that was used, but I did not see it as noticeably better than similar-era animation. I prefer the look and the animation of Disney's original Bambi, with its incredibly rich colors. This DVD does involve a new digital restoration, and the before-and-after samples show a definite enrichment in color and detail resolution.

The songs and the singing were very nice. It was more music-based than I had expected or remembered. It had been many years since I last saw this film.

Voice Cast:

Mary Costa as Princess Aurora
Bill Shirley as Prince Phillip
Eleanor Audley as Maleficent
Verna Felton as Flora
Barbara Luddy as Merryweather
Barbara Jo Allen as Fauna
Taylor Holmes as Stefan
Bill Thomson as Hubert

Everyone does a very respectable voice performance, at least. The two who stood out were the good but mischievous Merry weather (Barbara Luddy) and, by far the star in this aspect, Eleanor Audley as the drippingly, snidely evil Maleficent. Maleficent made a truly scary villain, and it is my guess that she was the prototype for Cruella De Vil of the 1961 Disney One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It is probably no coincidence that both movies were directed by Clyde Geronimi.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more attitude to the characters, but I had to remind myself that the film goes back to 1959. Aurora pined a bit too much for me, although Phillip, Merryweather, and Maleficent certainly had enough attitude. Maybe, Princess Fiona of Shrek spoiled me!

Extra features: Immediately following the movie, on the same disc, is a music video of an upbeat, fairly contemporary version of a song from the movie, Once Upon A Dream, sung by Hannah Montana's Emily Osment. It is fairly good, and adds to the Prince Charming fantasy from the movie.

After that comes another music video, running almost thirty minutes, featuring The Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe;, accompanied with video of the Grand Canyon, including the dramatic scenery, amazing sequences of storms and cloud changes, and the native wildlife. Both the music and the video are excellent, and I only have two minor quibbles with it. First, I am not sure why this video is there, as it does not seem connected, in any way, to the movie. I guess that Disney is just using this as an opportunity to introduce children to more classical music. The other quibble involves a few of the wildlife sequences, showing predator-prey situations, involving a cougar and an antelope, and a golden eagle and a large owl, and a hare and a small rodent. The music is fitted around these sequences to suggest that predators are villains and prey are pitiable good-guy victims. In all these sequences, there is no bloody climax (this is a Disney movie, after all), and the music suggests this is victory. Well, it is victory for the prey, but it is also possible starvation for the predator. Maybe I am over-thinking this, but that was my take on it. I still enjoyed this video segment.

The next video is a vintage one, with an introduction by Walt Disney, on where the movie concept came from, and mainly about the life of Peter Tchaikovski. It is very nicely done.

All of the above is on Disc One.

On Disc Two, there are a host of bonus features:

There is a simple word game, with six basic variations. It appears, from the pace of the instructions and the level of the task, to be aimed at pre-schoolers, as it is a basic word-object pairing game.

Another extra feature is a basic waltz instruction program, with two parts. One part shows the basic steps, and the player is guided toward picking the steps in the right order. The other part involves actually dancing in the forest; the player chooses the role of Aurora or Phillip and is taught to do the basic moves in the right order.

A virtual walk-through of original Sleeping beauty castle. This is like taking a tour of a Disneyland exhibit.

A never-before-seen alternate opening sequence. This was interesting and would have been a perfectly acceptable choice of how to start the movie.

A sample of the songs that were deleted from the original movie. Several features on the making of the movie, with a heavy emphasis on the artists who did the animation, finish up the bonus features.

-- Chris McCallister, author of Coming Full Circle

What Size Is Your Set?
What? Disney's released another two-disc edition of "Sleeping Beauty?" Why, pray tell? Because they can? Because poor Disney-addicted saps like myself will fall for the ruse and pony up more of our hard-earned cash, even though we already own the Special Edition that was released a mere five years ago? You can tell I was skeptical. But there are some wonderful new extras on this release that weren't included in the last, and for hardcore fans, they're definitely worth having. And the film itself...? Well, for those of you who have never seen "Sleeping Beauty," by all means snatch it up. This may not be Disney's most entertaining film in terms of story line, but it's certainly its most visually gorgeous. The look of the film is based on ancient tapestries and medieval artwork, and the way that the studio's animators and background artists have translated them to the screen (led by the brilliant, visionary Eyvind Earle), is nothing less than breathtaking.

The biggest drawback to any edition of "Sleeping Beauty," and it's not necessarily a small one, is that the scope of the film, its visual, widescreen beauty and impact will be completely lost on a conventionally sized television. If you don't have a big screen TV, it's almost not worth the investment.

So, if you have the old edition of the film, try selling it on Amazon and put the money towards getting the new one. If you don't have either, just be aware that the size of your set may seriously effect (or enhance) your enjoyment of this most beautiful and unique of Disney's masterpieces.

[Buy Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition + Standard DVD and BD Live) [Blu-ray]]

[All Blu-ray]

Ascom73 Cheap Store

The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:31:00 -0700

Product Details

Released on: 2008-10-14
Rating: R (Restricted)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Formats: Color, Dolby, DualDisc
Original language: English
Number of discs: 7
Running time: 505 minutes

Customer Reviews

Blu Matrix!!!
If you are a Matrix fan,then this new Ulltimate Matrix Blu Ray collection is a must!!! All three Matrix films,plus Animatrix in beautiful Blu Ray Hi Def + a !#$%&load of extras!!!! the last 2 discs in this 6 disc set are standard DVD's but this is a minor quibble,other than that,this is an awesome collector's set,don't worry ALL 3 Matrix films + Animatrix ARE Blu Ray Discs,the last 2 discs which like I said before are standard dvd's,which conatins some of the extras(think of the Blade Runner Blu Ray set which also had 2 standard dvs's as well) Still,highly recommended!!! A+

Beautifully Done: Well Worth It
I just finished watching all three back to back, and man: beautiful. I don't know how else to explain it. I didn't see the HD-DVD version, but having been an avid fan of the Matrix and upgrading from the SD-DVD Ultimate Collection, there are many noticeable differences.

The main one, is that 80% of the graphic effects appear to have been cleaned up to 2008 standards. Granted, the motion capture in the Neo/Smith fights in #2 and #3 is still very 2003, so don't expect it to compare to Spider-Man 3 [Blu-ray]. But, with the improved resolution and bit rate of bluray, there are many dramatic improvements to the look of the sentinels, the makeup effects for Neo's mouth coming together, the car chases and explosions, the human-skin textures of the cgi characters is improved, even some of the green screen composites look better. I am very pleased with my pre-order and would gladly recommend upgrading to anyone!

[Though this did not detract from my enjoyment of the film, I will say I found the copyright notice, that appears in thirty-eight different languages at the end of the film to be insulting. I understand piracy is a big problem for studios, but to force us who paid $75.00 to sit through this crap insults my intelligence when people who pirate movies are going to pirate movies no matter how many times you list the notice. Like a Kenyan movie pirate is suddenly not going to copy this movie, simply because he read the notice in Swahili. Get real!! (No offence to anyone who speaks Swahili.)]

I couldn't help myself...
I told myself I wasn't going to get this but when I saw it in the store I couldn't help myself and had to get it. Yes, it was a bit pricey, but I plan to see if I can't recoop a couple bucks by selling my DVD versions of the three films. Also included in this is another disc with the Animatrix on it, which I have seen in the past, but do not own, which should look pretty great on blu-ray and 35 hours of bonus footage which I haven't looked at yet but if it has anything to do with the creation of the special effect it should be pretty good as far as extras go.

[Buy The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray]]

[All Blu-ray]

Cheap Products

The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:21:00 -0700

Product Details

Released on: 2008-12-09
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Widescreen
Original language: English
Number of discs: 2
Running time: 151 minutes

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
The follow-up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves effective, but soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces Batman closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Heath Ledger stars as archvillain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast as Rachel Dawes. Returning from Batman Begins are Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

Blu-ray features:

Movie with Focus Points (picture in picture)
BD Live
Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene: Director Christopher Nolan and creative collaborators unmask the incredible detail and planning behind the film, including stunt staging, filming in IMAX®, and the new Bat-suit and Bat-pod.
Batman Tech: The incredible gadgets and tools (in HD)
Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight: Delve into the psyche of Bruce Wayne and the world of Batman through real-world psychotherapy (in HD)
Gotham Tonight: 6 episodes of Gotham Cable's premier news program
The Galleries: The Joker cards, concept art, poster art, production stills, trailers and TV spots
Digital Copy of the feature film

Customer Reviews

AUCKING FMAZING
THIS WAS HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES EVER! OYA! AND THE WAY I READ IT ONLINE WITH PEOPLE RATING IT BAD *cough*(robert downy jr), THEY CAN GO SCREW OFF AND LIKE DAT! HEATH DEFINETLEY DESERVES 2 OR MORE OSCARS IN THIS LIKE ONE OF MY COUSIN WHO ALSO HAS WON A NOBBLE PEACE PRIZE IN A PUMPIN EATING CONTEST OYA!!! OYA.....!!! AND LIKE DAT..... BUT IT'S SAD THAT HE DIED I THINK PRINCE MADE A SONG OUT OF IT THAT I KNEW SOMEONE WHO WROTE FOR HIM BUT THEY CHANGED THE LYRICS FROM, "THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WHEN MICE FARTS" TO WHAT YOU HEAR NOW A DAYS. OYA OYA OYA! AND LIKE DAT LIKE DAT LIKE DAT.

I'd give this 10 stars if I could - THE BEST comic book adaption movie EVER!!!
Anyone who knows me, knows how big of a Batman fan I am. And even though this may sound biased, I can honestly say that "The Dark Knight" is the best comic book adaptation movie ever made! With little nods and sideplots that only us deep Batman fans could recognize (i.e. the sonar spying system that Batman utilizes in the film that is ironically close to the Brother I satellite from the OMAC Project storyline in the comics (The OMAC Project (Countdown to Infinite Crisis)), or the Batman wannabe gang that mirrors Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again"), Nolan's "Knight" brings so much to the table that I can only think that the filmmakers achieved what Raimi so desperately tried to achieve with Spider-Man 3 (Two-Disc Special Edition), only they failed miserably; whereas Nolan and crew made a stunning success!

There are so many plotlines in this film, which may make you think that the movie would become convoluted, but it doesn't. If anything, it keeps the audience involved with each and every character all the while keeping them on the edge of their seats, as there are plenty of nailbiting sequences in this film. The main plotline is Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) having to deal with the fact that his persona as Batman has inspired many new acts of criminality -- both seemingly good and extremely bad. Yes, Rachel Dawes is back too. Only instead of Katie Holmes, we now get Maggie Gyllenhaal. I was one of those few when the first film came out that didn't think Holmes' performance was all that bad, but, after seeing Gyllenhaal in this, I now realize how -- although not that bad -- truly stiff Holmes' performance was. And, much to Bruce's chagrin, Rachel's love interest is no other than the compassionate, idealistic District Attorney Harvey Dent (with a performance by Aaron Eckhart that may be the best of his career to date). Of course, Bruce has to deal with this relationship as well (continuing their relationship from Batman Begins (Limited Edition Gift Set)), all the while dealing with the newest criminal to grace Gotham's streets -- an anarchistic criminal who simply "wants to watch the world burn" and calls himself The Joker (Heath Ledger). And the complicated relationship between Gordon, Dent and Batman (another comic book staple) is explored with great writing (again, taking a cue from their relationship in Batman: The Long Halloween.

Now, let me just take this time to say that I'm definitely not one of those people who believes much in an actor or actress receiving awards just because they've passed away or because they're so old and the academies believe they'll be passing away soon (Yes, Martin Landau, for his performance in "Ed Wood," I'm directing that statement at him; his performance in that film didn't even come close to Morgan Freeman's in "The Shawshank Redemption"). However, regardless of Ledger's living status, I can truly say that he deserves an Academy Award for Supporting Actor nomination for his turn as The Joker, dead or alive. He is that good! Of course, being The Joker, he does have a few funny one-liners, however, unlike Jack Nicholson's Joker, Ledger's lines are so creepily delivered that you're not sure whether you want to, or should, laugh. And the complex relationship between The Joker and Batman -- one not being able to exist without the other -- that is a constant in the comics even to this day is added into the movie, which I was delighted about. Also, Ledger's Joker is always one step ahead of Gotham's police and Batman that he makes the perfect formidable foe that us fans know from the comics.

Gary Oldman is also back as Lieutenant Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox; and all have good screentime and give great performances. Also, for those fans wondering, Cillian Murphy is also back for a brief cameo as The Scarecrow. The performances are all excellent but the true accolades should go to the writers, brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, and David S. Goyer. They wrote what a Batman movie should be and perfectly showcase why all of us fans love Batman in the first place: the dark, gritty realism peppered with hope and lots of cool gadgets. The fact that director Christopher Nolan has finally brought the cool respect that was lost by his predecessors back to the Batman franchise is superb! The action is plentiful but doesn't take away from the drama that is also needed for a film of this caliber.

I liked Iron Man (Two-Disc Special Collectors' Edition) a lot, but The Dark Knight blows it and every other comic book-movie adaptation out of the water! I can only hope that there are more Batman movies planned for Nolan and crew, especially after all the money they've raked in (they broke the record for a midnight opening with $18.6 million, and that's not including any other showings; just the midnight ones)! Whether you're a comic book fan or not, I would recommend this movie! It's probably the best summer blockbuster I've seen in years! Immediately after seeing it, I wanted to see it again and felt bummed out that I couldn't. I won't write any more about the storylines or surprises in store as that would rob you of the full effect of the movie's greatness. Don't read any more into it. Just go see it and soak in the experience for yourself.

Why would you "not" buy this movie?
Freakin Christian Bale as Batman vs. an amazing performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker... Batman vs. Joker... throw in Two-Face.. and the excellent writing and directing by Christopher Nolan.. A great story, with great music, great acting... a must own!! Do yourself a favor and buy Batman Begins as well, Batman Begins [Blu-ray] of course if you already havent, Nolan did an amazing job creating the Batman character's start, Dark Knight continue's it.. and hope to look forward to another great epic movie in Nolan's Batman series. An Oscar worthy comic-book film.. Why would you "not" buy this movie??

[Buy The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]]

[All DVDs]

www.ioffer.com/shops/ascom73

Kung Fu Panda [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:43:00 -0700

Product Details

Released on: 2008-11-09
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Dubbed in: French, Portuguese, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Running time: 88 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the restaurant business. When great leader Oogway has a vision that the imprisoned kung fu warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will soon escape, he declares it time to choose China's dragon warrior--one kung fu master deemed worthy of possessing the dragon's scroll and its secret to limitless power. Po and all the townspeople rush to the Jade Palace atop the highest mountain to witness the contest between Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu), but Po is locked outside the palace. After a miracle of sorts, Po lands inside the palace gates, where he is chosen as the dragon warrior and placed under the tutelage of the decidedly non-plussed master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). An unconventional student to say the least, hilarity reigns as Shifu tries desperately to make Po into some semblance of a kung fu warrior. Can Po possibly fulfill his destiny as dragon warrior, or was Oogway's final decision a critical mistake? A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Skadoosh!
I was on a long flight back from California when I had the choice between watching Kung Fu Panda on a tiny television screen four feet away from me, or read the SkyMall catalog. I wisely chose to watch Kung Fu Panda.

I was curious as to how Kung Fu Panda would present itself: as a Lion King-style retelling of ancient Chinese myth, or as a love note to kung fu films from an American perspective. I'm pleased to report that it's the latter.

You know the story: Po (a restrained Jack Black) adores the Furious Five but is too fat and slow to ever hope to become one of them and then fate does precisely that. It's the heroes who have the real problem (each representing a different kung fu style and all voiced by a roster of celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, and Lucy Liu). Struggling most of all is Master Shifu - a bit redundant, if you know the definition of Shifu - played by Dustin Hoffman (wouldja believe?) who is still suffering from the betrayal of his first and best pupil Tai Lung (Ian McShane).

What's surprising about Kung Fu Panda is how adult the story is. The word "kill" is mentioned several times. Tai Lung and Shifu have a physical conflict that is much a battle of philosophies as it is a father and son having an argument. And the plot is beautiful in its symmetry, perfectly tying in every element: from the modified style of kung-food training that Shifu teaches Po to the revelation of Po's (we can only assume adopted) duck-father's secret recipe to the fact that Po is immune to acupuncture (because he's so fat, of course) Kung Fu Panda is tightly scripted and wrapped up in a beautiful package.

The movie itself (what I could see on the tiny airplane screen) is beautifully produced. It ranges from Chinese-style art to realistic but soft-colored tones, to bursts of color amidst pitch darkness. The fight scenes are all in exciting locations: in a prison, on a rope bridge, in an ancient temple. It's like a videogame, only you're watching the fat guy character nobody wants to play. It was beautiful enough that I had a pang of regret that I wasn't watching it on a big screen. Or even a medium screen.

For kids, Po is a great tale about overcoming obstacles by being yourself. For geeks, Po is a hilarious new hero archetype: the fanboy as hero, a fat, slobbering devotee who knows more details about the Furious Five than they know about themselves.

Very nice, but not great
I did like the movie but it is not on a par with something like Cars.

The story is painfully familiar; unlikely hero trains up to defeat bad guy. Think Star Wars Episode VI, Karate Kid (all episodes), and countless others. In this case, the hero is a noodle-making panda voiced by Jack Black. Jack does a great job but almost everyone else seems to be calling in their performances. There are some laughs, but mostly this is a low-key movie.

I think what soured this film for me was Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar covers much of the same ground, but has had years to it. Even so, a single 30 minute episode of Avatar is more interesting and exciting than was KFP.

Even so, if your kids want to take you to see KFP for your birthday, then by all means let them. You could do much worse.

Kung Fu Panda: Hugely Entertaining
The story of "Kung Fu Panda" about a lazy panda who dreams of becoming a martial arts fighter may not be as unique as that of last year's Oscar winner "Ratatouille," but Dreamworks' new animated film is great fun nonetheless. Perhaps some viewers (including me) might the miss the biting satire of the same company's "Shrek," but "Kung Fu Panda" offers lots of laughs and some engaging characters including Po (voice by Jack Black) and his reluctant master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).

The film's story will remind you of either "Star Wars" (the older trilogy) or "Drunken Master," the latter being a still popular Hong Kong martial arts film made in 1978 starring Jackie Chan (who provides voice for "Panda" as Monkey). In short, a wise master reluctantly takes a youngster under his wing. The master thinks it a hopeless case at first, but discovers the talent hidden deep inside the pupil. In Po's case, his talent as martial arts fighter is found when Po is eating, not drinking.

If you look at the kung fu choreography closely, or our hero's "battle" sequence in the opening, you will realize that the directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson have carefully studied many kung-fu films. They know the rules of the genre and bend them to create amusing characters, innovative kung-fu battle scenes and funny sight gags. It is amazing to see the slightly overused format for plot based on master and disciple still works even in animation.

That means, however, that some might think the script of "Kung Fu Panda" needs more originality. Principal characters are well-drawn and delightful to watch, especially Po and Shifu, but supports are a bit weak (despite the inclusion of such voice actors as Angelina Jolie as Tigress) and the film's narrative, slick as it is, is a bit predictable (though it never bores us).

The film pays homage to some of other martial arts films and even Hollywood actions - some scenes of "Panda" are clearly inspired by such works as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and one of "Indiana Jones" films - but actually you don't have to notice that at all. This is a hugely enjoyable family-oriented film.

[Buy Kung Fu Panda [Blu-ray]]

[All DVDs]

www.ioffer.com/shops/ascom73

Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 1 Oct 2008 01:51:00 -0700

Product Description

The highly acclaimed director of FINDING NEMO and the creative storytellers behind CARS and RATATOUILLE transport you to a galaxy not so far away for a new cosmic comedy adventure about a determined robot named WALL-E. After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, the curious and lovable WALL-E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. Join them and a hilarious cast of characters on a fantastic journey across the universe. Transport yourself to a fascinating new world with Disney-Pixar's latest adventure, now even more astonishing on DVD and loaded with bonus features, including the exclusive animated short film BURN-E. WALL-E is a film your family will want to enjoy over and over again.

Product Details

Released on: 2008-11-18
Rating: G (General Audience)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Widescreen
Original language: English
Number of discs: 3
Running time: 98 minutes

Customer Reviews

Amazon Review is crap
As of 9/28/2008, which is more than a month away from the release date of this 3-disc Blu-ray version, how the heck there are 14 reviews already. I have no idea what values Amazon review board has since it allows anyone to rate ideas without actually purchaing and receiving it. Crap!!! is all I can say

I give 5 to Wall*e, I give 2 for storyline. So average 3.
This is a funny flick. Comedy Central. Who doesn't like the simple sweet robot, the hi-tech sweetheart on a mission, and the pet cockroach who lives in a many year old twinkie. With an added bonus of "Hello Dolly" undertones??

As for the storyline? It was.... well crappy. Humans go fat, a robot ship wheel (with a plan to keep humans fat, dumb, and happy in space), and gosh its hard just to simplify the crazy. Eventually humans go back to desolate, probably not yet inhabitable earth, and are still barely able to walk. End of movie. Only redeeming features is the wall*e romance sub-plot.

Wall E
This movie is the Pixar film by far. The humor and storyline are first rate.

[Buy Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy]

[ All DVDs]

Speed Racer [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:50:00 -0700

Product Details

Released on: 2008-09-16
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Formats: Color, Widescreen
Original language: English
Number of discs: 3
Running time: 135 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
An over-the-top, sensory overload experience determined to replicate its frantic, television-anime origins, Speed Racer is wild enough to induce a headache or wow a viewer with one dazzling effect after another. Adapted for the big screen as a live-action feature, Speed Racer is written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the sibling team behind the intensely satisfying The Matrix and its busier, less interesting sequels. Where the rich mythmaking of The Matrix was entirely accessible, however, Speed Racer's overwhelming and gratuitously complicated story exposition is an enormous challenge to follow, let alone embrace. After a while, one simply surrenders to the unbroken din of dialogue concerning corporate chicanery, corruption in the sport of racing, and a value conflict between racing as a family business versus multinational cash cow. At the same time, the film's hyper-real equivalent of the old Speed Racer cartoon's great whoosh of color, motion, and edgy production design--such as inventive uses of scene-changing wipes, bold framing, shifting perspectives--are more overbearing than fun.

Emile Hirsch plays Speed Racer, younger brother of a deceased racing legend, Rex, and son of car designer Pops (John Goodman). The latter invented Speed's Mach 5, and is singularly unimpressed by an offer from a giant conglomerate that would lock Speed into exclusive racing services. Speed opts instead for family loyalty, incurring the wrath of the conglomerate's unctuous head (Roger Allam). With family honor on the line and the affections of girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) behind him, Speed hits the track in hopes of fulfilling his destiny as a master racer. The cast is largely enjoyable, including Susan Sarandon as Speed's mom, Matthew Fox as mysterious Racer X, and a pair of chimps as the irrepressible Chim-Chim. All well and good, but in a movie that lives or dies by the excitement level of races that look like computer-animated Hot Wheels action, Speed Racer is a dreary adventure. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Good, could have been better
I thought the second half of this movie was just great. Fun and loads of action. I loved John Goodman in this film. He pulls the character off perfectly. He's really the shining light in the film.

The first half of the movie bored me to tears. They WAY over complicated the story. I felt like I was in a college lecture class at times. Way too much talking that just seemed to go on and on. I don't care about the history of blah blah blah. This is Speed Racer. The main character's name is Speed. And he races. Why over complicate that?

That aside, I loved the races, I loved Racer X, and I really want a Speed Racer jacket.

Groundbreaking, eyefilling entertainment with a heart
Woefully underrated and misunderstood by many, but a film for folks of all ages who have the background to get it. Works as both an apotheosis of the original and as a story where "it's what's under the hood that counts". Chris Pandolfi's detailed featured review is spot-on. As per the movie's closing koan: "Go Speed Racer. Go Speed Racer. Go Speed Racer - Go!"

Excellent, exciting family movie
I refused to take my kids (ages 9 and 11) to this movie when it was in the theater due to the negative reviews. What a mistake! We got this movie yesterday and have watched it twice. My daughter loves it as much as my son. It is an exciting and visually enticing movie. It has a strong story line emphasizing family ties and following your dreams. I really hope they make a sequel.

[Buy Speed Racer [Blu-ray]]

[All Blu-ray]

The Forbidden Kingdom (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:17:00 -0700

Product Description

Individually, they've starred in the most adrenaline-pumping martial-arts adventures ever. Together for the first time, Jet Li and Jackie Chan join forces to create the greates epic of them all- THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. As ancient Chinese warriors, they must train and mentor a 21st century kung-fu fanatic who's been summoned to fight a centuries-old battle and free the imprisoned Monkey King. If you're a fighting fan, the wait is over. The team is ready. The Kingdom has arrived.

Product Details

Released on: 2008-09-09
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, Spanish
Number of discs: 2
Running time: 104 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Getting martial-arts superstars Jet Li and Jackie Chan together in the same action film is like a fantasy come true, even if The Forbidden Kingdom is more of a children's movie than an instant kung-fu classic. Yes, Li and Chan square off in a lengthy, acrobatic fight scene that is a lot of fun, though it can't be what such a scene might have been even a decade ago: careful editing now compensates for the 54-year-old Chan's slower moves and reflexes. Still, Chan doesn't disappoint as Lu Yan, a drunken immortal in ancient China who mentors a modern-day American kid, Jason (Michael Angarano), the latter having slipped into the past while in possession of a magical staff that belongs to the imprisoned Monkey King (Li). In order to get back to his own time and help an old friend (also Chan) wounded by thugs, Jason accompanies Lu Yan and a lovely warrior, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), on a journey to return the staff. Along the way, a (mostly) silent monk (Li, again), who has spent his life in search of the staff, joins their mission. He helps Lu Yan train Jason in fighting and adding more muscle to the party as it comes under siege from a violent witch (Li Bing Bing) and pathological warlord (Collin Chou). Screenwriter John Fusco (Hidalgo) and director Rob Minkoff (The Haunted Mansion) have made a slightly chintzy, Western version of a Chinese swords-and-sorcery tale. The gravity-defying, flying-through-the-air-while-fighting choreography looks pretty choppy and graceless compared to, say, the martial arts films of Zhang Yimou. But The Forbidden Kingdom is really aimed at kids, not aficionados of epic fight movies. On that score, the movie aims to please and does so for the right audience. -- Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Homage to Kung Fu films of yesterday
Growing up watching Shaw Brother films, cartoons and stories told of the monkey king, drunken kung fu, tiger claw, bride with white hair, and so forth. This film does a nice job of westernizing and paying homage to these type of films. The action was non-stop. Good chemistry among Jackie and Jet. Michael Angarano know to me as Elliot on Wil and Grace did a superb job. Pretty girl Sparrow (I never saw her in any films before) you know she's an upcoming actress. Did I mention Woo Ping choreographed too?

DVD wise -- colorful characters, colors are vivid. Nice special features.

WORST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN
I COULDN'T BELIEVE SOMEONE ACTUALLY WROTE, DIRECTED, OR EVEN ACTED IN THIS MOVIE!!! THIS MOVIE SHOULD HAVE GONE STRAIGHT TO DVD AND TO WALMART'S 99 CENT RACK!!! There was one good fight scene, I'll give it that much but the dialogue completely killed. How can you have a movie with Jackie Chan and Jet Li doing all the talking? Better have the captions on. I rented this movie and suffered through the whole thing hoping till the bitter end that the movie somehow redeems itself. PAINFUL WATCH, SPARE YOURSELF!!!

What an awful movie
I was tempted to leave the theatre 1/4 into this movie, until I realized I was at home already....So then, I was tempted to turn this movie off and go to bed. I should have.

Script was just God-Awful. The plot was horrendous. Action was mediocre. This is basically what you have to sit through for 2 hours or so, and basically the plot of the movie...Chinese actors trying to be taken serious, by attempting to seriously speak English, however with a heavy Chinese accent, in China, with a white American boy trying to learn Chinese martial arts, while trying to save the Chinese Monkey King.......GREAT IDEA!

The fight scene: OK, we all know Jackie Chan and Jet Li are past their primes. Jet Li has enough pock marks on his face to fill a meteor with, and Jackie Chan plays his usual character, and usual acting...and that's being Jackie Chan. The fight scene was so so....It was sort of like watching an old, fat Mike Tyson fight a Parkinson's Ali. These guys have obviously slowed down, and no amount of wire work can save you.

a lot of special effects does not equal good movie.. quoting a bunch of Bruce Lee/Daoism quotes does not make the movie new, and fascinating. Did they even film in the same rice farm as in the movie "Fearless"?

add the bad acting, horrible (fall asleep) plot line, and horrendous script, and you have one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life.

Why did they make this movie??? I just don't understand the target audience? American boys that want to learn Kung Fu, and speak bad english??

[Buy The Forbidden Kingdom (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] ]

[All DVDs]

Kill Bill - Volumes 1 & 2 [Blu-ray] (Amazon.com Exclusive)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 9 Sep 2008 20:17:00 -0700

Product Details

Released on: 2008-09-09
Rating: NC-17
Original language: English, French, Japanese, Spanish

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Kill Bill: Volume 1
Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Vol. 1, is trash for connoisseurs. From his opening gambit (including a "Shaw-Scope" logo and gaudy '70s-vintage "Our Feature Presentation" title card) to his cliffhanger finale (a teasing lead-in to 2004's Vol. 2), Tarantino pays loving tribute to grindhouse cinema, specifically the Hong Kong action flicks and spaghetti Westerns that fill his fervent brain--and this frequently breathtaking movie--with enough cinematic references and cleverly pilfered soundtrack cues to send cinephiles running for their reference books. Everything old is new again in Tarantino's humor-laced vision: he steals from the best while injecting his own oft-copied, never-duplicated style into what is, quite simply, a revenge flick, beginning with the near-murder of the Bride (Uma Thurman), pregnant on her wedding day and left for dead by the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (or DiVAS)--including Lucy Liu and the unseen David Carradine (as Bill)--who become targets for the Bride's lethal vengeance. Culminating in an ultraviolent, ultra-stylized tour-de-force showdown, Tarantino's fourth film is either brilliantly (and brutally) innovative or one of the most blatant acts of plagiarism ever conceived. Either way, it's hyperkinetic eye-candy from a passionate film-lover who clearly knows what he's doing. --Jeff Shannon

Kill Bill: Volume 2
"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) gets her satisfaction--and so do we--in Quentin Tarantino's "roaring rampage of revenge," Kill Bill: Volume 2. Where Vol. 1 was a hyper-kinetic tribute to the Asian chop-socky grindhouse flicks that have been thoroughly cross-referenced in Tarantino's film-loving brain, Vol. 2--not a sequel, but Part Two of a breathtakingly cinematic epic--is Tarantino's contemporary martial-arts Western, fueled by iconic images, music, and themes lifted from any source that Tarantino holds dear, from the action-packed cheapies of William Witney (one of several filmmakers Tarantino gratefully honors in the closing credits) to the spaghetti epics of Sergio Leone. Tarantino doesn't copy so much as elevate the genres he loves, and the entirety of Kill Bill is clearly the product of a singular artistic vision, even as it careens from one influence to another. Violence erupts with dynamic impact, but unlike Vol. 1, this slower grand finale revels in Tarantino's trademark dialogue and loopy longueurs, reviving the career of David Carradine (who plays Bill for what he is: a snake charmer), and giving Thurman's Bride an outlet for maternal love and well-earned happiness. Has any actress endured so much for the sake of a unique collaboration? As the credits remind us, "The Bride" was jointly created by "Q&U," and she's become an unforgettable heroine in a pair of delirious movie-movies (Vol. 3 awaits, some 15 years hence) that Tarantino fans will study and love for decades to come. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Movie: 4.25/5 Picture Quality: 4.25~5/5 Sound Quality: 4.5/5 Extras: 1.75/5
Version: U.S.A / Miramax / Region A, B, C

Kill Bill Vol. 1
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 1:50:43 (U.S Cut)
Movie size: 31,48 GB
Disc size: 36,01 GB
Average video bit rate: 30.06 Mbps

LPCM Audio English 4608 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 4608kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps

Subtitles: English SDH / Chinese / Japanese / French / Korean / Spanish
Number of chapters: 20

* The Making of KILL BILL Volume 1
* THE "5, 6, 7, 8'S" Musical Performances
* Tarantino Trailers: "Reservoir Dogs," "Pulp Fiction," "Jackie Brown," "Kill Bill: Volume 1" bootleg trailer, Kill Bill" Volume 2 teaser.

Kill Bill Vol. 2
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 2:16:57
Movie size: 38,50 GB
Disc size: 42,94 GB
Average video bit rate: 27.26 Mbps

LPCM Audio English 6912 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 6912kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps

Subtitles: English SDH / Chinese / Japanese / French / Korean / Spanish
Number of chapters: 20

* The Making of KILL BILL Volume 2
* Damoe Deleted Scene
* Chingon Musical Performance

No DTS? No deal...
This may seem a trivial complaint to some, but I for one won't be rushing out to buy this simply because it's lacking in what should be standard audio for this release. Granted, it will be nice to see the Kill Bill saga (such as it is until TWBA is released) in 1080P, but as an audiophile I'm disappointed to see PCM 5.1 as included with this release. The SD releases of Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 included DTS tracks, and I would have liked to have seen some DTS-HDMA offered for the BD releases of Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2. A poor choice on Disney's part, IMO.

Regarding "The Whole Bloody Affair"
REGARDING THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR: First off, The Weinstein Company owns the rights to "The Whole Bloody Affair" when it arrives, so you can't fault Disney for releasing the one and only cut of this movie that they own. They do not, have not and will not have the ability to put out "The Whole Bloody Affair".

And if you're waiting for "The Whole Bloody Affair" I hope you have other things to occupy your time. "TWBA" was first mentioned in 2004, and it's since been four long years without literally ANY actual progress on the front of that cut surfacing. The cut is NOT yet finished. I think people are under the impression that foreign cuts of KB are "TWBA" and they are NOT. Quentin has NOT YET CUT "THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR" TOGETHER AT ALL. Every year he makes a promise that he's about to get to it, to no avail. I wouldn't say I'm actually skeptical it will ever come out (I'm sure Quentin wants to do it) but I'm not exactly holding my breath anymore either.

So, in conclusion: Not only is "The Whole Bloody Affair" NOT coming out tomorrow or something, but it's not likely to come out for quite a long time (especially with Quentin starting Inglorious Bastards), and when it does, it won't be through Buena Vista.

Thanks.

[Buy Kill Bill - Volumes 1 & 2 [Blu-ray] (Amazon.com Exclusive) ]

[All Blu-ray]

Incredible Hulk [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 2 Sep 2008 20:33:00 -0700

Product Details

Released on: 2008-10-21
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
Dubbed in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 2
Running time: 113 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A more accessible and less heavy-handed movie than Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk, Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk is a purely popcorn love affair with Marvel's raging, green superhero, as well as the old television series starring Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the beast within him. Edward Norton takes up where Eric Bana left off in Lee's version, playing Bruce (that's the character's original name) Banner, a haunted scientist always on the move. Trying to eliminate the effects of a military experiment that turns him into the Hulk whenever his emotions get the better of him, Banner is hiding out in Brazil at the film's beginning. Working in a bottling plant and communicating via email with an unidentified professor who thinks he can help, Banner goes postal when General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and a small army turn up to grab him. Intent on developing whatever causes Banner's metamorphoses into a weapon, Ross brings along a quietly d! eranged soldier named Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), who wants Ross to turn him into a supersoldier who can take on the Hulk. The adventure spreads to the U.S., where Banner hooks up with his old lover (and Ross' daughter), Betty (Liv Tyler), and where the Hulk takes on several armed assaults, including one in a pretty unusual location: a college campus. The film's action is impressive, though the computer-generated creature is disappointingly cartoonish, and a second monster turning up late in the movie looks even cheesier. Norton is largely wasted in the film--he's essentially a bridge between sequences where he disappears and the Hulk rampages around. As good an actor as he is, Norton doesn't have the charisma here to carry those scenes in which one waits impatiently for the real show to begin. --Tom Keogh

[Buy Incredible Hulk [Blu-ray]]

[All DVDs]

The Nightmare Before Christmas [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:20:00 -0700

Product Description

Now digitally restored and remastered with state-of-the-art technology, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is deeper, darker and more brilliant than ever just as Tim Burton originally envisioned it on Blu-ray Disc Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere! Hear the genius of Danny Elfman's sensational music in 7.1 Surround Sound as the fantastic talents and imaginations of Tim Burton and Henry Selick come to life in stunning Hi-Def. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS now even more eerie and extraordinary on Blu-ray High Definition!
Bonus Features
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is the first full-length stop-motion animated film ever created.
The movie contains more than 227 animated characters.
Santa Claus' head has more than 50 different working parts, and Jack has more than 400 separate interchangeable heads, each handcrafted with a different facial expression.
The smallest working puppet in the movie is a doll from the "real world" Jack visits that is only one inch long.
Sally is wearing a real miniature dress laid on top of foam latex so that the fabric doesn't move too much on screen.
At the height of production, the animators produced only 70 seconds of finished film per week.
To create Halloweentown's twisted look, the design artists often made their sketches using their nondrawing hand.
All-New Blu-ray Exclusive Tim Burton Movie Introduction
Storyboard To Film Comparison
Original Theatrical Trailers And Posters
What's This? Jack's Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour
FRANKENWEENIE (Uncut Version) With New Introduction By Tim Burton
VINCENT Short Film
Tim Burton's Original Poem Narrated By Christopher Lee
All-New Audio Commentary By Tim Burton, Director Henry Selick And Musical Designer Danny Elfman
Behind The Scenes Making Of Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
The Worlds Of Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Halloween Town; Christmas Town, The Real World
Deleted Scenes

Product Details

Released on: 2008-08-26
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Animated, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, HiFi Sound, Original recording remastered, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen
Original language: English, French, Spanish
Dubbed in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 2
Running time: 76 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
For those who never thought Disney would release a film in which Santa Claus is kidnapped and tortured, well, here it is! The full title is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, which should give you an idea of the tone of this stop-action animated musical/fantasy/horror/comedy. It is based on characters created by Burton, the former Disney animator best known as the director of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and the first two Batman movies. His benignly scary-funny sensibility dominates the story of Halloweentown resident Jack Skellington (voice by Danny Elfman, who also wrote the songs), who stumbles on a bizarre and fascinating alternative universe called ... Christmastown! Directed by Henry Selick (who later made the delightful James and the Giant Peach), this PG-rated picture has a reassuringly light touch. As Roger Ebert noted in his review, "some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen." --Jim Emerson

From The New Yorker
This full-length animated movie was shot in stop motion, with all the febrile, twittery fascination that the medium exerts; it has a magic-toy shop feeling, with unexpected objects stuttering into life. Directed by Henry Selick, it was devised and co-produced by Tim Burton, who leaves a trail of his familiar obsessions: graveyard humor, whirling snow, a velvety darkness. But the atmosphere is too rich for the pallid plot: Jack Skellington, the bony master of ceremonies in Halloweentown, discovers the spirit of Christmas and tries to import it into his ghoulish world. The clash of styles-demonic vs. cute-pays off only toward the end; for all the witty, festering details (look out for the cat that howls like a siren when you crank its tail), the film is strangely static. Danny Elfman's score is lush and shocking but much too good for his lyrics (or for what you can hear of them). Children may find it too black and baffling; adults with nervous dispositions should be nicely freaked out. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

One of the best
Nightmare before Christmas is sooo fantastic. It should have one so many awards. Elfman is amazing. He wrote the score and does Jack's voice. The story is creative, visually it is stunning , and the score is timeless.
We love this movie in our house. I don't think Elfman has received his due recognition for this film.

Phenomenal, simply phenomenal
The picture is stunning, definitely one of the best Blu Ray titles i've ever seen. This is something you buy if you're looking to show off your HDTV. You can't go wrong with this, plus you get your bonus copy to put onto your iPod/iPhone to take around with you for those long trips.

Final Verdict: 5 Stars, for being an amazing movie and for it being magnificently restored.

A Big F for shoddy packaging
Just received this in the mail today. For a so called Collector's edition, the box was torn and not even the seal was broken, so it was put together already damaged. Cheap shoddy packaging that can barely hold together. Come on!!! Can you at least design a package that holds together. Great Movie. The low rating is for the very poor packaging this release received.

[Buy The Nightmare Before Christmas [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy]

[All DVDs]

Cars [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:23:00 -0700

Product Description

Disney Cars (Blu-ray)
Disney/PIXAR's "Cars," the high-octane adventure comedy from the creators of "ToyStory," "The Incredibles" and "Finding Nemo" now looks and sounds better than ever in this Blu-ray(R) disc created from the original source file. Hotshot race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is living life in the fast lane - until he hits a detour and gets stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on Route 66. There he meets Sally, Mater,Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) and a heap of hilarious characters who help him discover there's more to life than trophies and fame. Go deeper into the world of "Cars" than you ever dreamed possible in eye-popping visual clarity. Feel the sound of roaringengines and rock to the rhythm of some smokin' roadhouse riffs with audio enhancement that puts thepedal to the metal! Experience "Cars" for the first time on Disney Blu-ray - Magic in High Definition.

Product Details

Brand: Disney
Released on: 2007-11-06
Rating: G (General Audience)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Formats: Anamorphic, Animated, Color, Dolby
Original language: English
Subtitled in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Dimensions: 2.00 pounds
Running time: 116 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
There's an extra coat of hot wax on Pixar's vibrant, NASCAR-influenced comedy about a world populated entirely by cars. Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is the slick rookie taking the Piston Cup series by storm when the last race of the season (the film's high-octane opening) ends in a three-way tie. On the way to the tie-breaker race in California, Lightning loses his way off Route 66 in the Southwest desert and is taught to stop and smell the roses by the forgotten citizens of Radiator Springs. It's odd to have such a slim story from the whizzes of Pixar, and the film pales a bit from their other films (though can that be a fair comparison?). Nonetheless, Cars is another gleaming ride with Pixar founder John Lasseter, who's directing for the first time since Toy Story 2. There's the usual spectrum of excellent characters teamed with appropriate voice talent, loads of smooth humor for kids and parents alike, knockout visuals, and a colorful array of sidekicks, including a scene-stealing baby blue forklift named Guido. Lightning's plight is changed with the help of former big-city lawyer Sally Carrera (Pixar veteran Bonnie Hunt), the town's patriarch Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), and kooky tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The Incredibles was the first Pixar film to break the 100-minute barrier, but had enough story not to suffer; Cars, at 116 minutes (including some must-see end credit footage), is not as fortunate, plus it never pierces the heart. Trivia fans should have bonanza with the frame-by-frame DVD function; the movie is stuffed with in-jokes, some appearing only for an instant. Ages 5 and up. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Cars video
Video -Cars
I had quick service .
When we played the CD it had a number of pauses -perhaps it was dust.
Otherwise I was satisfied with the product and speed of delivery.

Cars on Blu-Ray : A True Blu-Ray Demonstration Disc!
This is a must have for your collection. I don't even like this movie that much. I think it's one of Pixar's weaker films. Of course Pixar is always good quality entertainment, so even a weaker film by their standards is better than all that unwatchable CGI nonsense from other companies. We can talk about the cliched storyline of the arrogant city slicker driving into an old, beat up town populated with goofy characters all day. It wouldn't matter. The movie is a total cliche, he learns his lessons about life and not being selfish, he wins the affection of the "girl car", he inspires the old champion racer to reconnect with the world again, his goofy sidekicks rebuild their town and get back to grooving, whatever... It's not a great story.

The story and characters are second rate but the visual quality of this movie on Blu-Ray will make your jaw drop! I watched Ratatouille on Blu-Ray first and was mightily impressed but I knew Cars would take the cake as a demonstration disc on account of Cars being very colorful. It exceeded my expectations.

Watch the scene when the main character "Lighting McQueen" gets into that transport truck and they drive out of the stadium and across the freeway of the city at night and then across the highways of the Southwest in the day. "Life is a Highway" is the musical cue during this scene. The visual scheme is gorgeous, lifelike, 3-Dimensional with an extreme sense of depth perception. It looks like real life even though it's a CGI animated film!

I watched Cars using a PS3 connected via a standard HDMI cable to a 42 inch, 1080p LCD TV by LG. Every person who has seen this kind of quality has been very delighted as the reviews here demonstrate and so will you!
WALL-E is going to look drop dead gorgeous when it comes out. I saw WALL-E at the movie theater, on a massive screen with digital projection. It looked great. It will be eye poppingly awesome on Blu-Ray too. Until then, you've got Cars and Ratatouille. Enjoy!

Excellent kids movie!
This is a really good kids movie but adults will like it too. The animation is great and the soundtrack is also really good. There is a good storyline that can actually be used as a teaching tool also (don't be too full of yourself and/or think you are better than others, better to give than receive, etc.) I don't think anyone would be disappointed owning this movie.

[Buy Cars [Blu-ray]]

[All DVDs]

21 [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 8 Aug 2008 23:46:00 -0700

Product Description

Inspired by the true story of MIT students who mastered the art of card counting and took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. Looking for a way to pay for tuition Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) finds himself quietly recruited by MIT's most gifted students in a daring plot to break Vegas. With the help of a brilliant statistics professor (Kevin Spacey) and armed with fake IDs intelligence and a complicated system of counting cards Ben and his friends succeed in breaking the impenetrable casinos. Now his challenge is keeping the numbers straight and staying one step ahead of the casinos before it all spirals out of control.System Requirements:Running Time: 123 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: DRAMA/BUDDIES Rating: PG-13

Product Details

Brand: Sony
Released on: 2008-07-22
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: Chinese, English, French, Korean, Spanish
Dubbed in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Dimensions: .20 pounds
Running time: 123 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
An unconvincing exercise in moral complexity, 21 is based on Ben Mezrich's book Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions. Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) plays brilliant, blue-collar scholar Ben Campbell, whose doubts that he'll win a scholarship to Harvard Medical School compel him to join a secret, M.I.T. gang of math whiz kids. Under the silky but chilling command of a math professor (Kevin Spacey), Jim and the others master card counting, i.e., the statistical analysis of cards dealt in blackjack games. The team lives a humdrum existence during the week, but on weekends in Sin City, the students are rolling in cash, going to exclusive clubs, and feeling on top of the world. (Ben even gets the girl: a comely, fellow counter played by Kate Bosworth.) Despite all that success, Ben feels ethically compromised, and indeed director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde), in the old tradition of American movies, plays it both ways where fun vices are concerned. On the one hand, it feels so good; on the other, ahem, we know it's wrong. That studied ambivalence proves wearing after a while, making the most interesting character in the film a casino watchdog played by Laurence Fishburne. A master at reading the emotions of gamblers beating the house with a scam, he's admirable for being good at his job, but repellent for wrecking the faces of counters in casino dungeons. He's all about moral complexity in the tradition of anti-heroes, and a truly provocative element in an otherwise superficial movie. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Totally Enjoyable
I found the story enjoyable, the acting good and the filming beautiful and creative. It isn't an in-depth character study or a tortured drama, but a can-you-imagine of good students and an avaricious teacher getting in over their heads in the world of Vegas gambling. I particularly liked Jim Sturgess in his role and find it hard to believe he is English and not American. The only things that would have made it more enjoyable for me would have been a longer love scene and more details about their shopping and other indulgences. I saw it twice in theaters, bought the DVD, have watched it 5 or 6 times and will watch it again. I can't understand all the mediocre reviews.

gambling glamor made boring film
This film is "inspired by" a true story told in the book Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions (2003). In real life, the MIT Blackjack Team devised a complex scheme of card-counting, disguises, and hand signals to win four million dollars in Vegas before the heavy hand of casino security gave them the boot. This film follows that outline, but it's a pale imitation of a genuinely interesting tale of greed, intellect, and emotion. Kevin Spacey stars as the MIT professor Micky Rosa who bullies, badgers, and betrays his six students in venial Vegas. The dialogue is horrible and at points entirely predictable. There's no character development. The sub-plots about friendship and parents hold little interest. The plot does take some unexpected twists, but even this resolves in a cheesy ending. It's quite a feat to make a boring movie about the glitz and glamor of Vegas gambling. Skip the film, and read the book.

It's a MOVIE!!!
Movies are for entertainment purposes, and this was entertaining. This is the first movie I've seen with Jim Sturgess and he was perfect for the part. And, I did not realize he is English...even after the forth or fifth time watching the movie. I liked him so much in this movie, I plan to rent the other movies he is in. The thing that bothered me the most was Jill's hair! Why did they give this attractive character such a bad hairdo? Not only was the color bad, the cut was not flattering at all. Putting the bad hair aside, the movie was great. Every actor was perfect for thier role. This is not a "Gambling" movie, but entertaining movie.

[Buy 21 [Blu-ray]]

[All DVDs]

Shine a Light [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 7 Aug 2008 22:47:00 -0700

Product Description

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese and the world s greatest rock n roll band The Rolling Stones unite to bring audiences the year s most extraordinary film event Shine A Light. With special appearances by Christina Aguilera Jack White and Buddy Guy and four Rolling Stones performances not seen in theaters Shine A Light is a must-own for rock n roll fans across generations.System Requirements:Running Time: 121 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: MUSIC DVD/LIVE PERFORMANCES Rating: PG-13 UPC: 097361385945

Product Details

Brand: SHINE A LIGHT (BLURAY) (BLU-RAY DISC)
Released on: 2008-07-29
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Dimensions: .20 pounds
Running time: 121 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Martin Scorsese leaps into the madness of the Rolling Stones' organization in Shine a Light, barely controlling (in a most entertaining way) a documentary that culminates in the Stones' best concert on film. The movie's highly entertaining, pre-performance prologue finds a frazzled Scorsese trying to get a clue about the band's plans for a very special New York City date in 2006, a benefit hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton. While Mick Jagger quibbles over concepts for the stage's set and peruses lists of possible songs to include in the show, Scorsese tries to figure out how to shoot something for which he has few production details. Everything falls into place eventually, and after an extraordinary meet-and-greet scene in which Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, and Charlie Watts catch up with the Clintons and sweetly introduce themselves to Hillary's mom, the Stones launch into a set that leans less heavily than usual on their greatest hits canon. Longtime fans are sure to appreciate the wealth of generally-untapped material from Let It Bleed ("You Got the Silver," "Live With Me"), Exile On Main Street ("All Down the Line," "Loving Cup"), and Some Girls ("Faraway Eyes," "Just My Imagination"). Jack White, Christina Aguilera, and Buddy Guy are on hand for memorable collaborations, but the Stones all alone are truly on fire in the relatively intimate setting of a small theater. Among the highlights is a sexy and even thrilling call-and-response between Jagger and ace backup singer Lisa Fischer on "She Was Hot," Richards' gracious and expansive solo on "Connection," and Jagger's witty take on "Some Girls" (which manages to skip over the controversial verse about "black girls"). Throughout the show, Scorsese and an army of camera operators cover the action from every conceivable angle, which results not so much in another hyperkinetic concert film but rather in the kind of graceful, flattering portrayal of a great band that the director mastered with The Last Waltz. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

You Might Be Dissapointed
I love the Stones and have since before I first saw them in concert (day 2 at Anaheim Stadium in the late '70's during the Some Girls tour). Although I look forward to each album...even the many many many lives ones, and concert performances, I was expecting more from the Scorsese film.
Let me say first...the Stones are great - they do their thing, they perform good (Jagger's voice is a bit strained, but not horribly so), and they look great.
Now the problem. If there were not so many live performance dvd/cds out there this would be great, instead it comes out like just another. What muddles this is the expectation that comes from this being a Scorsese film. Those of us who remember/love The Last Waltz, realize what a special film that was...beyond just a concert, it got into the heart of a band, and was a snapshot of the period, as well as a celebration. Shine a Light though is none of this...mostly concert film, enough hodge podge back stage stuff to call it a documentary, it just sits there. Again, its strongest point is the concert, and this would have been stronger if not "just another one from the Stones."
Well worth a renting...glad I did.

THE RAVAGES OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
Just a quick note of hearty agreement with Simon Collier's review ("Nothing Wrong with Nostalgia," 3 Aug 2008).

However, I'd also point out that to the extent that the Rolling Stones can finally and firmly place their music in the rock tradition inspired by the great Delta, Chicago, and Electric Bluesmen, as they do by including Buddy Guy in this concert, for example, they can perform indefinitely without regard to their age. Certainly, their work has had a basis in the Blues greats (Robert Johnson and Mississippi Fred McDowell, among others) from the very beginning with excursions into everything from psychedelia to reggae. But it's especially important for them to reinforce the Blues connection at this late point--nothing short of their final musical legacy is at issue. There's no such thing as a 60 year-old pop star, at least not without snickering in the aisles, but many of the old Bluesmen played marvelously at well past that age, in some cases dying while still musically active or quitting only when health substantially intervened. Among others, I'm thinking of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Mississippi John Hurt, McDowell, Son House, R.L. Burnside, and Willie Dixon, all of whom worked to the very end without appearing remarkably well-preserved. It's an almost ageless musical form, since you can't "retire" from something that's a part of your soul, as it was for these musicians, and as it seems to be for the Stones. Indeed, this music wears especially well with the performers' age when the material deals with hard times, as so much of it does, of course. Watts, Richards, and Wood playing "You've Got the Silver" certainly fit in this category for me, for example.

For the Stones to take a place as rock descendants of the Blues greats, it's important that artists like Guy, the "reigning king of Chicago Blues" and a significant Blues stylist in his own right, take their work seriously. This can't be in doubt, judging from the sheer joy that's apparent when he jams with them on Waters' "Champagne and Reefer." For me this cut is the high-point of the show, since the Stones' claim on true musical longevity, as opposed to mere celebrity, proceeds from the admiration of Guy and his musical cohort, as well as from their relation to Waters and the beginnings of Electric Blues in Chicago, and thence ultimately to Johnson and the foundations of the music in the Mississippi Delta. Fantastic though it might have been for insolent interviewers of those smooth-faced boys in the '60s to contemplate, at some point in their journey, the Rolling Stones finally did make the transition from rock stars to musicians of considerable talent--not at all necessarily the same thing--as any serious look at their body of work suggests. It can be easy to underestimate the level of that talent, given its sometimes outrageous packaging, but it is a foolish error to do so. Richards, in particular, has always made the difficult look all-too-easy. (I love his acoustic interpretation of Grieg in the bonus footage.) Wood likewise does so with, if anything, greater elegance and understatement. It's only fairly recently that I've been able to get beyond being distracted by their details to appreciate Wood and especially Richards as musicians, and in that sense the passage of time has been unambiguously to the good.

The Rolling Stones define the very concept of superb concert rock. "Shine a Light" is what all those other bands would try to do, if only they had the Stones' talent, compositions, and energy to draw upon, and, of course, if they could get a Scorsese to give them so much as a glance. Another thing that becomes abundantly clear from the film is the staggering professionalism of the band, but especially of Jagger, in putting together a concert. Details are planned with a level of care that might go into a military operation, and great thought is given to audience perceptions and to what they might find most appealing. At a stage in their career when indifference would be understandable, if not excusable, the Stones work mightily, both offstage and on, to put on a great show.

Thanks to the wonders of technology, I was able to review over the last weekend all of the Stones' live recordings both "vertically" (i.e., chronologically by concert date) and "horizontally" (i.e., grouped by song) I can now say that to my mind this is the Stones' best performance by a wide margin, based on its coherence, consistency, and maturity. It easily merits five stars; six would not be unreasonable. There are neither duds nor fillers here. Every cut shows complex and sophisticated musical evolution, and the price of that successful evolution is gray hair on performers, literally and otherwise, which can therefore be acknowledged without apology.

If my comments seem a bit clinical, I'll close by noting that I can't watch more than a few minutes of the DVD without my face hurting afterwards from smiling. The show is that magnificent and, what's most important, great fun for both band and audience, as Collier so rightly notes.

Like vintage wine!
They are getting older and they are still perform like they are kids! Another gem!

[Buy Shine a Light [Blu-ray]]

[All DVDs]

The Secret [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 5 Aug 2008 20:47:00 -0700

Product Description

In the spirit of Ghost and Birth, Hannah and Benjamin (Lili Taylor, Six Feet Under and David Duchovny, The X-Files) are a happily married couple whose love is tested in ways they never could have imagined in this touching supernatural drama. But when Hannah is killed in a car accident, the couple's strong bond may be responsible for an unusual twist of fate that keeps their love alive -- at the expense of their daughter (Olivia Thirlby, Juno).

Product Details

Released on: 2008-08-26
Rating: R (Restricted)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Running time: 92 minute

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Compared to pallid supernatural romances like Ghost, The Secret is a fireball of Freudian pathos about a love triangle between parents Benjamin (David Duchovny) and Hannah Marris (Lili Taylor), and their teenage daughter, Samantha (Olivia Thirlby). Directed by Swiss actor Vincent Perez, The Secret succeeds where other cheesy ghost films fail because there is always the possibility that after Benjamin's wife, Hannah, dies in a car accident and comes back to inhabit her daughter's body, Benjamin will be lured into his daughter's arms by sheer grief commingled with desire. The film's operates with increasing tension throughout, starting when Benjamin decides to believe that Sam is temporarily not Sam, but his wife. There are sappy scenes, such as when Sam, as mother Hannah, returns to high school following the accident and flails terribly in teenage situations. But the notion of a mother spying on her daughter through possession recalls Mommie Dearest, in a great way. The real credit in this film goes to Thirlby, who in essence plays two characters well, switching identities throughout. The sexual innuendo she brings to the part adds the zest The Secret needs to elevate it from a suburban nightmare to real horror. Viewers who enjoy The Secret might also look to Argento's mother trilogy, or the recently released French horror film, Inside. That said. The Secret contains no gore and relies on psychological suspense rather than violence to construct its mother/daughter tale. --Trinie Dalton

Customer Reviews

neat story idea
Got to see a trailer for this on NETFLIX and it looks like it will really be an interesting film to watch. Gave it four(4)stars just based on the trailer.

[Buy The Secret [Blu-ray]]

[All DVDs]

Top Gun [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:44:00 -0700

Product Description

Top Gun takes a look at the danger and excitement that awaits every pilot at the Navy's prestigious fighter weapons school. Tom Cruise is superb as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell a daring young flyer who's out to become the best of the best. And Kelly McGillis sizzles as the civilian instructor who teaches Maverick a few things you can't learn in a classroom.System Requirements:Running Time: 109 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC

Product Details

Brand: TOP GUN (BLU-RAY DISC)
Released on: 2008-07-29
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Dubbed in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
Running time: 109 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
Jingoism, beefcake, military hardware, and a Giorgio Moroder rock score reign supreme over taste and logic in this Tony Scott film about a maverick trainee pilot (Tom Cruise) who can't follow the rules at a Navy aviation training facility. The dogfight sequences between American and Soviet jets at the end are absolutely mechanical, though audiences loved it at the time. The love story between Cruise's character and that of Kelly McGillis is like flipping through pages of advertising in a glossy magazine. This designer action movie from 1986 would be all the more appalling were it not for the canny casting of good actors in dumb parts. Standouts include Anthony Edwards--who makes a nice impression as Cruise's average-Joe pal--and the relatively unknown Meg Ryan in a small but memorable appearance. --Tom Keogh

Amazon.com Essential
Jingoism, beefcake, military hardware, and a Giorgio Moroder rock score reign supreme over taste and logic in this Tony Scott film about a maverick trainee pilot (Tom Cruise) who can't follow the rules at a Navy aviation training facility. The dogfight sequences between American and Soviet jets at the end are absolutely mechanical, though audiences loved it at the time. The love story between Cruise's character and that of Kelly McGillis is like flipping through pages of advertising in a glossy magazine. This designer action movie from 1986 would be all the more appalling were it not for the canny casting of good actors in dumb parts. Standouts include Anthony Edwards--who makes a nice impression as Cruise's average-Joe pal--and the relatively unknown Meg Ryan in a small but memorable appearance. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Aerial Antics With Cheese
Recently released on Region A Blu-Ray, I watched this film again for the first time in several years.

Top Gun is not a movie that has aged well - particularly since release the novelty of seeing F14's in close combat and training exercises has been overtaken by flight sim games that let you do it yourself and the CNN/Discovery Channel imagery of real warfare in Desert Storm etc. Despite the premise that "Top Gun" teaches close air warfare, the real military doctrine is to avoid closing within gun range in the first place and rely on "Beyond Visual Range" methods to engage the enemy. If that fails, evade or retreat to save the plane (and pilot) to fight another day.

The plot and dialogue seems even more camp, cliched and dated than even just a few years ago, not surprising as they have been lampooned to death. Stand out cliche has got to be "Goose" - who really has disposable-comic-relief written on his forehead from the first scene.

I seriously doubt that any pilot with the attitude problem and disregard for orders that Maverick displays, would in reality be allowed anywhere near a Navy jet.

Focus on the flying scenes and make the tea when the cringeworthy romance interludes or oiled bare 'pecs are on. It's more camp than Priscilla, Queen of the Desert...

Three stars really for the cult classic status and the crystal clear Blu-Ray picture and sound but it's not hard to see why they never made a sequel. If you want a more realistic, down to earth story about naval aviation watch "Flight of the Intruder" - a much better movie.

Top Gun HD is #1
I am personally rating Top Gun HD as a must have. If you watched it many years ago like I did then you were watching it in a state that gave it no just dues.

The sound track in HD is wonderful, and the details in the picture gave me chills! I recommend this classic to anyone who in joys this film, but have not gotten to the point of true HD.

It is worth you money!

Get the older version
I bought both DVD's, the new Widescreen Special Collector's
Edition (which contains two discs), and the older 1998 DVD,
on a single disc. The newer version seems to have altered
the movie. In the newer version, when they are in the flight
school and Jester is giving a lecture, one of the pilots says,
He is giving me a "headache", whereupon Slider says, Don't
tempt me. But in the 1998 DVD, the line is, THIS is giving me
a "headache".

These days, with media content in digital format, old movies
can be altered. Profanity can be inserted, entire scenes added
or deleted. Which is the one true version? I don't like seeing
great art tampered with. As another example, how many versions
of Mona Lisa, or the Last Supper, are there? How can you determine
which is the original?

So, if you want to watch 'Top Gun', get the 1998 DVD, which I think
contains the movie audiences saw in the theatres. The new DVD
version does not seem to have the exact same movie as found on the
1998 DVD. The original movie appears to have been tampered with,
and altered.

[Buy Top Gun [Blu-ray]]

[All DVDs]

Dark City (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 2 Aug 2008 22:47:00 -0700

Product Description

The critically-acclaimed triumph from visionary director Alex Proyas (I Robot The Crow) is back with a brand new directors cut featuring enhanced picture and sound never-before-seen footage and three commentary tracks that take you deeper than ever before into the world of one of sci-fis most exciting and revered tales. When John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes with no memory at the scene of a grisly murder he soon finds himself hunted by the police a woman claiming to be his wife and a mysterious group of pale men who seem to control everything and everyone in the city.Starring Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist) Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) William Hurt (A History of Violence) and Kiefer Sutherland (TVs 24).System Requirements:Running Time: 111 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC

Product Details

Brand: Warner Brothers
Released on: 2008-07-29
Rating: R (Restricted)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: Color, Director's Cut, Widescreen
Original language: English
Number of discs: 1
Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
Running time: 111 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a nihilistic jolt from The Crow (1994), and share director Alex Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you might be tempted to call Dark City an instant classic of visual imagination. It's one of those films that exists in a world purely of its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so that even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire their own specific uniqueness. Before long, however, the film becomes interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's certainly enough to grab your attention (Blade Runner is considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear that Dark City has precious little heart and soul. One-dimensional characters are no match for the film's abundance of retro-futuristic style, so it's best to admire the latter on its own splendidly cinematic terms. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that the film's 50-plus sets (partially inspired by German expressionism) were built at the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, home base of director Alex Proyas and producer Andrew Mason. The underground world depicted in the film required the largest indoor set ever built in Australia. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Brighter visual, better audio... sleepier edit.
I first saw Dark City the night it opened in 1998 and loved it. It was a fast paced, confusing rollercoaster, literally a dirty little secret gem of a film. I never minded the flaws of previous transfer, as the aural and visual grit seemed to fit the tone.

This new remastered version sounds great and looks better, more beautiful on my big screen than it was in the theater. Unfortunately, the expanded edit drags along, all the additions wreck the pacing! I watched this new cut, and all its bonus features, only to hear more of the pompous prattling that, as a fellow "creative professional," I've heard way too much of in my own career. The creative pro here, Alex Proyas, another wannabe fine artist working in a the commercial medium of feature filmmaking, is saying "It's nice of you guys to like my movie the way it was released... but look at the movie I really wanted to create. Isn't it so much cooler?" No, Alex, it's not. Commercial art is most successful when it's made with it's client in mind, in a collaborative process. You want the resources of the studios without submitting your precious work to the process. Over and over, it's insisted that the goal was not to make a "user-friendly film" ... but the extended cut is far MORE "user-friendly, giving up all its secrets like a cheap hooker on freebie night. When you show an audience too much, you force their imaginations to shut down, when you should be stimulating them with unknowns. No wonder that test audience was bored!

So.... anyway we can get the new digital treatment applied to the superior theatrical release? Unlike has been stated by other reviewers, both cuts are NOT on this disc, only the slower, less interesting--but prettier!--new cut.

Much better than the already good movie
I saw the movie twice at the theatre when it was released back in the 20th century ;)

I enjoyed the film very much at that time but I must say I've always been very frustrated about the editind... It seemed the first 25 minutes where just a juxtaposition of sequences with no real link together, no explanation, to fast and even the music was not really synchronised...

I was expecting a Director's cut for a long time and I can say that IT IS MUCH MUCH BETTER!! The plot line is now smoother, the intrigue ellaborates with good rythm, the quality of the image is sharp and the music is less a background noise this time and more efficient. Plus the commentaries are instructives and the interviews very informative.

IN A WORD: Buy the Director's cut and throw the old dvd away...

My only complaint: for a dvd made in Canada (mine was) there is no french subtitles (only a third of Canada speaks French after all! -ironic laugh-)

A masterpiece made better
Has it really been ten years since writer/director Alex Proyas (The Crow, I Robot) first unleashed the highly influential, groundbreaking, and underrated Dark City? Yes it has, and to celebrate being a decade old, Dark City has finally been re-released as a Director's Cut that preserves Proyas' original vision. Upon first viewing this director's cut of Dark City, you will notice some subtle differences, all of which help make Dark City even better than it was before. Gone is Kiefer Sutherland's opening narration, leaving the viewer to attempt to figure things out for themselves before the plot exposes itself. The special features carry over the commentaries from the previous release (including the one with film critic Roger Ebert, who called Dark City the best film of 1998), as well as some new featurettes that find Proyas and co. retrospecting about making the film. As for the film itself, I won't go into story details since you can find them on this page, but let it be said that Dark City is a film you will not forget. Innvoative for it's time and pre-dating anything The Matrix would do by a year plus, Dark City is a spectacular science fiction feast for the senses. If you've never seen the film, you are indeed doing yourself a disservice.

[Buy Dark City (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]]

[ All DVDs ]

The Mummy Returns [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:14:00 -0700

Product Description

The year's biggest action-adventure is coming home… with a vengeance! Brendan Fraser and an all-star cast reunite with Stephen Sommers for explosive, non-stop thrills in "the ultimate rollercoaster movie ride!" (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

An ancient legacy of terror is unleashed when the accursed mummy, Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), is resurrected - along with a force even more powerful: The Scorpion King (The Rock). Now, as the fate of all mankind hangs in the balance, Rick O'Connell (Fraser) and his wife Evie (Rachel Weisz) embark on a daring, desperate race to save their son - and the world - from unspeakable evil. Supercharged with pulse-pounding action and spectacular special effects that'll blow you away, The Mummy Returns is "the best adventure movie of the year!" (MTV Radio)

Product Details

Released on: 2008-07-22
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: Arabic, English
Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
Dubbed in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Running time: 230 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Proving that bigger is rarely better, The Mummy Returns serves up so much action and so many computer-generated effects that it quickly grows exhausting. In his zeal to establish a lucrative franchise, writer-director Stephen Sommers dispenses with such trivial matters as character development and plot logic, and charges headlong into an almost random buffet of minimum story and maximum mayhem, beginning with a prologue establishing the ominous fate of the Scorpion King (played by World Wrestling Federation star the Rock, in a cameo teaser for his later starring role in--you guessed it--The Scorpion King). Dormant for 5,000 years, under control of the Egyptian god Anubis, the Scorpion King will rise again in 1933, which is where we find The Mummy's returning heroes Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, now married and scouring Egyptian ruins with their 8-year-old son, Alex (Freddie Boath). John Hannah (as Weisz's brother) and Oded Fehr (as mystical warrior Ardeth Bay) also return from The Mummy, and trouble begins when Alex dons the Scorpion King's ancient bracelet, coveted by the evil mummy Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), who's been revived by... oh, but does any of this matter? With a plot so disposable that it's impossible to care about anything that happens, The Mummy Returns is best enjoyed as an intermittently amusing and physically impressive monument of Hollywood machinery, with gorgeous sets that scream for a better showcase, and digital trickery that tops its predecessor in ambition, if not in payoff. By the time our heroes encounter a hoard of ravenous pygmy mummies, you'll probably enjoy this movie in spite of itself. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

This is what Blu is all about!
I can't recommend both Mummy movies on Blu Ray more! Awesome transfers for both flicks. But most of all, just good wholesome entertainment!

Excellent sequel bigger but of the same quality as the first film.
Sequels are tough to do because you know what to expect so filmmaker's often have to give you that plus something unexpected. Bigger and better may not always translate to better but it often translates to a sequel that is the equal of the film that spawned it. I'm going to assume that you've seen it (if not there's a critical bit at the end of this along with a plot synposis that is as sketchy as possible so as not to spoil the experience of the film) and focus on why you should buy the upgraded Blu-ray. As good as "The Mummy Returns" looks on DVD, the Blu-ray is even better looking. Colors are bolder and there's signficantly more detail but, more important, the dark scenes look much better here. The lossless audio sounds terrific as well and will put you right in the middle of the action.

You should be aware however that Edge Enhancement is more noticeable in the BR than it was in the HD-DVD disc or the DVD and there is a fair amount of digital noise reduction applied to reduce grain in certain scenes. What does that mean? It means that we do lose some detail.

Be aware, however, that the extras are in 480p and NOT in HD. Universal does port over U-Control (which was developed for HD-DVD) where you can customize special features on the BD disc. We get all the extras from the original single disc set plus the new extras from the 2 disc DVD ported over to the BD. "The Mummy Returns" is nicely packaged in a colorful slipcase (although I think they could have done without this). At Best Buy and Circuit City (as well as select other retailers there is also movie cash included. You have to go online and register so you can print out your movie ticket (which is good only through 8/24/08 and the site which was up earlier for access to print your ticket now requires you to wait until 8/1/08. I guess some people used their tickets early for other movies or Universal is doing this as a precautionary move).

"The Mummy Returns" is less of a scary horror flick than its predecessor and even more like a "Raiders" type of flick. A perfect popcorn movie, Stephen Sommers takes the same ingredients (evil mummy resurrected, adventurers seeking artifacts and fortunes, supernatural powers)and creates a film that is every bit as fun as the first film was. Like "Aliens" relationship with "Alien", "The Mummy Returns" focuses on taking characters we knew from the first film and putting them in a slightly different context this time around.

SOME SPOILERS:

Rick (Brendan Fraiser)and Evie (Rachel Weisz)now have a 9 year old son Alex(Freddie Boath)and are still digging in dusty old tombs in Egypt. The year of the Scorpion has arrived which means that if Baltus (Alun Armstrong) and the reincarnation of Im-Ho-Tep's (Arnold Vosloo)love Meela-Nais (Patricia Velasquez returning from the first film in a much larger role) can raise Im-Ho-Tep he can take on the Scorpion King (The Rock) Im-Ho-Tep can use the armies of the underworld to rule the world. Alex is taken prisoner and Rick, Evie and Jonathan (John Hannah)Evie's brother must travel to Egypt to help Ardeth Bey (Oded Fehr)stop the creature, get their son and save the world.

Excellent Release!
If you love The Mummy - you will love this release in all it's HD goodness! Go, buy it now - listen to the voices in your head :)

Excellent picture - Excellent sound!

[ Buy The Mummy Returns [Blu-ray] ] [ All DVDs ]

The Mummy [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:13:00 -0700

Product Description

Experience the ultimate adventure like never before with The Mummy 2-Disc Deluxe Edition! From director Stephen Sommers (producer of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) comes an epic filled with intense action incredible excitement and stunning special effects. Inspired by the timeless 1932 Universal horror film this breathtaking journey unearths a 3000-year-old legacy of terror. Follow two explorers (Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz) as they search for long-lost treasure in the sun-baked Egyptian desert. The time has come to re-discover this extraordinary classic packed with unbelievable bonus features and a digitally restored picture.System Requirements:Running Time: 125 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/HEROES Rating: PG-13

Product Details

Brand: MUMMY, THE (1999) (BLURAY) (BLU-RAY DISC)
Released on: 2008-07-22
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: Arabic, English
Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
Dubbed in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
Running time: 125 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If you're expecting bandaged-wrapped corpses and a lurching Boris Karloff-type villain, then you've come to the wrong movie. But if outrageous effects, a hunky hero, and some hearty laughs are what you're looking for, the 1999 version of The Mummy is spectacularly good fun. Yes, the critics called it "hokey," "cheesy," and "pallid." Well, the critics are unjust. Granted, the plot tends to stray, the acting is a bit of a stretch, and the characters occasionally slip into cliché, but who cares? When that action gets going, hold tight--those two hours just fly by.

The premise of the movie isn't that far off from the original. Egyptologist and general mess Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) discovers a map to the lost city of Hamunaptra, and so she hires rogue Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) to lead her there. Once there, Evelyn accidentally unlocks the tomb of Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), a man who had been buried alive a couple of millennia ago with flesh-eating bugs as punishment for sleeping with the pharaoh's girlfriend. The ancient mummy is revived, and he is determined to bring his old love back to life, which of course means much mayhem (including the unleashing of the 10 plagues) and human sacrifice. Despite the rather gory premise, this movie is fairly tame in terms of violence; most of the magic and surprise come from the special effects, which are glorious to watch, although Imhotep, before being fully reconstituted, is, as one explorer puts it, rather "juicy." Keep in mind this film is as much comedy as it is adventure--those looking for a straightforward horror pic will be disappointed. But for those who want good old-fashioned eye-candy kind of fun, The Mummy ranks as one of choicest flicks of 1999. --Jenny Brown

Customer Reviews

This is what Blu is all about!
I can't recommend both Mummy movies on Blu Ray more! Awesome transfers for both flicks. But most of all, just good wholesome entertainment!

No Dolby Digital 5.1!
If you don't have a DTS decoder on your receiver, then don't even bother. The 5.1 audio on this disc is DTS ONLY, with the only Dolby audio being a lousy Dolby Pro-Logic 2.0 mix. Hardly the "Purest Digital Sound Available" that it falsely claims on the back of the box. Yeah..."purest" IF you have DTS equipment. Had I known this beforehand I wouldn't have bought it. Of course, who would even think to check since just about every DVD ever made has had a 5.1 channel. What is especially insulting is that the main menu audio is in 5.1. It would have been nice to have a warning or disclaimer on the box. What's the point of a hi-def format when muddy, bogus 2-channel audio is all that's available for someone with a Dolby Digital setup? Especially since its available on the standard (and supposedly inferior?) DVD release? Do they want us to buy a new $300 receiver just to play one movie? What a joke. If you only have a Dolby setup, avoid this release.

Get the upgraded firmware
This movie is beautiful in Blu Ray but when I first attempted to play it, my Sony 300 and 301 shut down right as the movie started. I noticed that it used a brand new DTS-HD Master Audio (only!) 5.1 surround sound and suspected that this was causing the problem, so I went to the Sony site and downloaded and then burned the latest firmware for each of the players, installed them and now the disc plays perfectly on both players. The trouble is that Sony had notified me in the past about such upgraded firmware and they didn't this time. You can also get the CD of the upgrade on the Sony site as well and they'll send it to you.

[ Buy The Mummy [Blu-ray] ] [ All DVDs ]

The Bank Job [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:04:00 -0700

Product Description

A small-time crook takes on a bank heist when an old friend offers him an inside track to the vault. Along with his hastily assembled team of low-rung criminals Terry (Statham) finds himself deep into this real-life heist and quite suddenly the target of ruthless mobsters the police government officials at the highest level and even the royal family.System Requirements:Running Time: 110 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC

Product Details

Brand: LION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT
Released on: 2008-07-15
Rating: R (Restricted)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, Spanish
Number of discs: 2
Dimensions: 1.25 pounds
Running time: 110 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A cheerful, energetic, and completely entertaining movie, The Bank Job follows some small-time hoods who think they've lucked into a big-time opportunity when they learn a bank's security system will be temporarily suspended--little suspecting that they're being manipulated by government agents for their own ends. The result is that the movie doubles its pleasures: While the robbery itself has the usual suspense of a heist film, when the robbery is over the hoods find themselves being hunted by the police, the government, and brutal criminal kingpins who were storing dangerous information in a safety deposit box. The Bank Job won't win any awards, but it's enormously fun. Director Roger Donaldson (No Way Out, Species) propels the action along with vigor, editing zippily with perfect clarity among multiple storylines and various colorful characters. Jason Statham (Snatch, The Transporter), as the leader of the bank robbers, successfully steps away from his usual bone-crunching roles to a more human presence. The rest of the cast--including Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea), Keeley Hawes (Tipping the Velvet), David Suchet (Poirot), and many faces familiar from British film and television--give their characters the right degree of personality and flavor without getting fussy or detracting from the headlong rush of the story. A little sex, a lot of action, a sly sense of humor, and a twisty plot; if more movies had these basic pleasures, the world would be a happier place. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Bank Job (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Fascinating Special Feature
Among other features, the disc includes a mini-documentary, "The Baker Street Bank Raid", on the real life bank robbery. The documentary includes photos and audio (in the movie the crooks end up having their radio transmissions recorded by a ham radio operator) from the actual bank robbery. It's fascinating to see and hear details of the actual robbery in relation to the movie. A great movie with great special features makes this a Blu-Ray worth owning.

The Bank Job
The story starts with Jason Statham running a auto sales and service business. He obviously owes money since two goons show up and start taking crow bars to cars. It doesn't take much convincing from an old girlfriend that he should get in on a bank heist she is planning. We know going into that one of the robbers has a hidden agenda for one of the safety deposit boxes, but the twists and turns thrown in along the preparation and robbery of the bank create some unforseen tension even after the job. - C. Luster

Afterall several of the boxes contained damning material for criminals and high government officials alike. Statham and the rest the cast do a fine job of keeping your interest in the characters and what happens to them. Good acting with a taut story makes "The Bank Job" work.This movie is based on a true story and so it makes it even more interesting to note the shake-up it causes in the police department, MI-5, and the government. Good quality DVD with decent replayability. If you enjoyed this be sure to catch "The Italian Job", "Snatch" and "Inside Man".

...The Names Have Been Changed to Protect the Guilty
Set in London in the early 1970s, THE BANK JOB is based on real life events. A group of would be criminals is set up by MI5 (or 6, no one can keep them straight) to rob a bank and regain compromising photos of a royal personage. Unfortunately for our gang, not only were the photos in question (which were the "property" of corrupt revolutionary Michael X) kept in a safe deposit box at this bank, but so were the secrets and lies of many famous and infamous people, including the payola ledgers of a porn kingpin and the photo files of a well-placed local madam. Everybody who was anybody, from the cops on the beat up to the Lords of the Realm, was implicated in some scandal by the evidence from this notorious bank robbery.

THE BANK JOB is a fun, exciting, tension-filled romp. These amateur crooks catch more breaks and have more close calls than you would imagine possible. While the film does slightly bog down on occasion, for the most part the pacing builds just the right amount of suspense with these twists and turns of fate. In several places, my heart was actually racing. By the end, our villains are the heroes, and everyone gets what they truly deserve.

I really liked the cinematography of this film. THE BANK JOB actually looks like it was filmed in the 1970s. At one point, I double-checked with my husband to confirm that it was a recent movie. The effect used is very convincing, producing a very authentic look. The ensemble cast was quite good, performing as a cohesive unit, but no individual really standing out.

THE BANK JOB is a great movie for an entertaining evening at home. My husband and I really had a lot of fun. And we got to learn a little history from the 1970s as well.

[ Buy The Bank Job [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy ] [ All DVDs ]

The Godfather Collection - Four-Disc Coppola Restoration (The Godfather / The Godfather Part II / The Godfather Part III) [Blu-ray]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:08:00 -0700

Product Details

Released on: 2008-09-23
Rating: R (Restricted)
Format: NTSC
Number of discs: 4
Running time: 549 minutes

Customer Reviews

Region 1?
Okay, so finally it looks like it will be there in a bit more two months! Let's hope the material it's worthy of blu-ray... because all DVD/Divx streams I came across so far were between horrible and average. For all of ous too young to have witnessed these movies on the big screen (or at least the first two), this will certainly be an entertaining experience!

Now, why the hell it's only region A (or 1, whatever you want to call it, US and Canada only)??? Will it take another year for Paramount to issue a Worldwide/Europe version perhaps, and that one will have missing chapters or messed up disc structure?
God, I really hate those guys and I wish I understood what goes on in their tiny brains...

Laserdisc edition still superior
Don't be fooled Godfather fans.... forget all the bells and whistles bluray has to offer, not until bluray gets it right and includes all the edited scenes and bunches it in chronological order, will you get the best Godfather experience. So, sit back, dust off that old laserdisc player, if you decided to keep it. and brag to your bluray buddies, that this is the only Godfather edition to watch.

The rating is for the movies, not the "restoration"
I caught the HBO HD versions of all three movies. I'm assuming that the HD versions are the exact same as the upcoming releases (if not better).

The HD versions were very nice. The first two movies were grainy in some parts, for instance, during Michael's trial before the commission.

I think it is too difficult to perfectly transfer 35mm film to a digital format. I think they did a tremendous job with the HBO HD versions and I hope the Blu Ray ones will be better visually. I already know the sound tranfers will be great.

I can hear the opening trumpet now in TrueHD.

[ Buy The Godfather Collection - Four-Disc Coppola Restoration (The Godfather / The Godfather Part II / The Godfather Part III) [Blu-ray] ] [ All DVDs ]