Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Two-Disc Special Edition)

No Extended Cut
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. As you know, Warner Brothers has officially announced the Ultimate Editions of years 5 and 6. The product descriptions are quite wordy. There's a lot of talk about how fans should be excited about these new releases. But there are two words missing from the descriptions of both these products: Extended Cut.

What sold me and so many other fans was the extended cuts. And so I began collecting the Ultimate Editions. And what excited me even more was the idea of more extended cuts to come, especially for The Order of the Phoenix.

Then Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblit of fire Ultimate Editions came out, and of course, there were no extended cuts. And Warner Bros. spun us a tale of directors and their creative preferences. And so, we all said "fair enough" (although I, for one, never quite bought that explanation). Still, I had hopes for Order of the phonex and Half blood prince. Director David Yates is on record talking about having to...

The longest Harry Potter book gets whittled down to the shortest Harry Potter film
I think that when you take the longest Harry Potter book and turn it into the shortest Harry Potter film, that a large number of complaints by fans as to what has been cut will be inevitable after they watch "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Not that this means that the legions of fans will be bitterly disappointed by the film version, but rather that there will be regrets over not getting to see favorite scenes on the screen. For example, Quidditch is completely out of the film, denying Ron of his best moments in the sun (start singing "Weasley is our king"). So do not be surprised when your mind keeps shifting to what has been cut and distracting you from time to time while watching this summer's latest blockbuster.

When last we left our hero, Harry fell victim to a trap to bring back Lord Voldermort, which cost Cedric Diggory his life. The Ministry of Magic wants things hushed up, but Dumbledore tells the students at Hogwarts that Diggory was murdered and...

No extended cut - why bother
If you already have Order of the Phoenix in the two disc set as originally released, then why buy this edition. Oh, yeah, there's the third disc. Not a good enough reason. I'm a musician, so I bought the Ultimate edition of Goblet of Fire to get words from the composers, but neither Hooper nor Desplat have lived up to the level of music set by Williams and Doyle in the first four movies.

What made the first two Ultimate Editions wonderful was the presence of the "Extended cut". I bought them specifically for that. As witnessed on ABC Family, the added footed from the "Deleted Scenes" doesn't add much, but it makes scenes have a firmer pace. In the theatrical cut, particularly in Order of the Phoenix, the pace was juttery, totally lacking in the flow it needed. It may not have been just the script that reeked. I'm thinking David Yates was just getting used to directing a big movie. Just because it's in the middle of the series doesn't mean fans don't realize how...

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Braveheart (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Braveheart - Mel Gibson's crowning achievement!
"Braveheart" is quite simply, one of the best and most successful movies ever created and a huge part of that success comes from the efforts extended by Mel Gibson, as he wore three different hats for this masterpiece, those being producer, director and star. The one oddity about this movie for me was that I pretty much wore out my VHS copy of it and had, a couple years ago, purchased the DVD but only just recently took the opportunity to watch it again and no matter how many times you watch this movie, it is still a stunning, compelling and extraordinarily intriguing film that draws you in to the life of William Wallace despite already knowing how it's going to end.

The one thing that drives this movie is the spirit that Mel Gibson puts into his character of William Wallace and it is of no surprise that "Braveheart" won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1995 and Best Director for Mel Gibson. The only true surprise was that he wasn't among the top...

There are a few I think who missed the point.
In order to maintain the appearence of objectivity, I was going to rate this movie 4 stars. But I just couldn't. It really deserves 5, and it's going to get every one of them. This movie features some of the most stunning cinematography I've ever seen (scenes of particular brilliance include the deer-hunting scene and the slo-mo shots right before Gibson's first rebellion), impeccable acting (I don't know why the British have been hiding their actors from the American film industry - every one of the British/Scottish actors in the film was amazing, and Patrick McGoohan (sp) gave an incredible performance as Longshanks, not to mention newcomer Sophie Marceau), a magical musical score, and on and on and on and on. Physical elements alone qualify this work for the title of Best Picture.

Yet, a number of people chastise Gibson and the movie for a number of reasons, primarily its departure from historical accuracy. I do believe these people have missed the point, for I do...

Blood, bravery & idealism in an epic fist punch to your gut.
On a whole number of levels, this movie shouldn't have worked for me. It takes considerable license with historical facts, not only in order to supplement details that are not part of William Wallace's legend but actually, wherever convenient. ("We stuck to history where we could but hyped it up where the legend let us," actor-director Mel Gibson admits on the DVD's commentary track.) It is graphically and unabashedly violent: from throat cuttings to battle scenes that have film blood literally splashing onto the camera, beheadings, a traitor's head smashed with a
wrecking ball, and fully 15 minutes of Wallace's "purification by pain," it shows some of the most brutal behavior conceivable. It also engages in some of the most blatant gay profiling in recent film history - not just in the drastic end administered on the lover of King Edward I. "Longshanks"'s son, but equally in the portrayal of both characters and their relationship as such. Last but not least, Mel Gibson...

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Born Killers

Keep it in the family . . .
Not bad at all - although not necessarily riveting, it does keep your interest. Father, Brothers, Daughters UNITE in killing whatever your fancy! A lovely and twisted ending - this will stay in the collection.

I did not know that the movie is also titled Piggy Banks
I like the movie but I have seen it before under a different title "Piggy Banks". Young Lauren German was so pretty. (Even though I am still a great fan of German)

Disturbing
The title suggests the killer characters are born. These are sick people My interpretation of the theme was that these particular killers were made; a product of nurture or lack thereof.

One key scene involves a child who is left alone in a car in store parking lot. The scene shows one of the killers leaving a knife stabbed in a seat headrest of the vehicle along with a polaroid picture of the child whom was in the vehicle left unattended by the parent. Warning to the parent they need to be more attentive to their child and less selfish about their own interests.

Another scene shows a parent yelling at a child for doing something that doesn't warrant being yelled at.

Both of these children are being damaged psychologically. They won't necessarily grow up to be killers but these scenes support the main theme that the 2 main characters who are brothers were horribly abused growing up and subsequently grew up to be dangerous, antisocial animals. This...

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Gladiators Seven

Gladiator heaven with good dubbing
Old flick, good action . . . not in the league of Gladiator, but well on its way there





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Curious George: Plays in the Snow and Other Awesome Activities!

GREAT!
My 3 Year Old Loves this video. It has 8 episodes:

~Ski Monkey (George learns to ski, and helps a pig stuck in the snow)

~Low High Score (he learns different ways to score - golf/low, basketball/high)

~Charkie Escapes (he dog-sits while playing soccer, looses then finds the dog)

~George vs. Winter (discovers how trees go bare in the Fall, water freezes)

~Buoy Wonder (he learn buoyancy of different objects while trying to make a boat)

~All Animal Recycle Band (he starts a band, using odd objects - like keys - for instruments)

~Muddy Monkey (he doesn't like taking baths anymore, graduates to showers, then discovers he prefers baths)

~Animal Magnetism (he leans how to magnetize objects)

Hours of fun
This DVD has hours of fun episodes from everyone's favorite monkey curious george. In addition there are also printable coloring sheets and computers games. My daughter really enjoys this DVD.

I love curious George!
My two year old does too! She loves watching him on our local PBS station so I figured I'd get her a DVD so she can watch him when he's not on the TV. She loves it. Comes with a variety of episodes. A must have for kids or adults!

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Blood Descendants

Ok
I don't like horror movies that much, but I can say that this one kept me alert the whole time. This is an independent horror movie that I didn't mind watching it. The effects are not bad at all, and the acting as well.
*Sponsored Post





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Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 2 - The Enemy Within

Past is Prologue
This second installment of the series follows the same pattern as the first as Randel Oland has to find a way to earn the trust of his fellow unit members, while the troops are forced to deal with even more of the ravages of war. Meanwhile the team is caught in a potentially fatal standoff, while having to work without their leader as Alice Malvin's sisters try to play match maker.
What results is a reasonably decent continuation of the story, with a few caveats. I like Randel Oland, though I hope to God that some of these questions get resolved, since it seems like he is actually the least of the teams problems. Also, one has to wonder at Alice Malvin's utterly clueless behavior for much of this set of episodes, such as her reaction to her family's interference, not to mention her complete surprise that the px doesn't have baby supplies. (did this girl just crawl out from under a rock or what?)
I still think that there is much to like about this series, but this set left me...

Still Good To Me
This series continues to intrigue me and make me want to learn more. While Alice can sometimes be a little trying, the cast of characters continues to be an interesting mix that plays well off each other. While the story is still moving a bit slow, I'm finding the journey towards a story to be worthwhile so far. While I'd like to know where we're ultimately headed, the series does a great job of keeping the plot hooks coming to keep things smoothly rolling along. This continues to be a smart series worth picking up.

I want more Frankenstein and less Alice's tea party
This show is a study of contrasts - "Pumpkin Scissors" the army intelligence unit that is largely ineffectual until their newest member joins - and he's an army of one, stopping tank crews with his huge pistol. Lt. Alice Melvin is the pretty and courageous leader of this unit who has the mindset of a D&D paladin - seeing the world in good vs. bad, black and white terms. The others of her team help bring her down to earth in relating to the common people. Two of the men can be characterized as "the rogue" and "the intellectual" and I find them too dull to write about. The last fellow is Roland Orland, a giant of a man who is normally mild and quiet but when the need arises, turns on a blue light that turns him into a near-indestructible monster capable of taking on tanks! Now HE makes this show for me. I love how fearsome Roland becomes and hearing the villains beg for mercy as he shoots holes in their tanks. Unfortunately there's not enough of the Frankenstein action to save...

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Everything's Cool

Climate Change Politics
The list of events that we see that have been predicted by climate scientists is seemingly without end. According to the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, before the end of this century we may live in a world of elevated temperatures, rising sea level, and extreme weather. However, as dire as the predictions are, the reality is much worse. The climate models are indeed inaccurate ... in their timing. Climate change has accelerated beyond the predictions of only one or two years ago. In his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore states that the Arctic will be ice free in the summer in 40 years. That would put it about 2046. However, there have been news reports at the end of 2007 that NASA climate scientists are now predicting the summer of 2012 as the date for an ice-free Arctic. The ice in question is floating sea ice. Its melting will not raise the level of the world's oceans. However, an...

Even better than "An Inconvenient Truth"
I think "An Inconvenient Truth" deserved all the accolades and awards it received, but "Everthing's Cool" is even better. This film brings us into the struggles and the triumphs of several people who have been sounding alarms around climate change for years - including award-winning authors Ross Gelbspan Boiling Point: How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal, Journalists and Activists Are Fueling the Climate Crisis--And What We Can Do to Avert Disaster and Bill McKibben Fight Global Warming Now: The Handbook for Taking Action in Your Community. I've had the good fortune to hear both of them lecture on C-SPAN and "Alternative Radio." This DVD made me more aware of their personal struggles with what can be very depressing information, and the fossil fuel industry's public relations efforts to cast doubt upon this issue. People should be skeptical...

Must Watch
The film has a bit of fun with Society's blindness to the urgency of global warming. When it was over, I said "All my friends need to see this." It doesn't have the mountain of facts found in "An Inconvenient Truth", but it's a strong statement nonetheless.

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Interview

'And in this corner of the ring...'
INTERVIEW is a smart little independent film adapted from the 2003 Theo van Gogh film by the same name, a film that drew a lot of attention based on a script by Theodor Holman, which in turn was based on an idea by Hans Teeuwen sparring the famous Dutch actress Katja Schuurman with actor Pierre Bokma. In this adaptation Steve Buscemi reworked the Holman screenplay with the help of David Schechter, changing the female role to a tabloid type bombshell actress (also named Katya, played with razor sharp clarity by Sienna Miller) with a disgruntle political reporter Pierre (Steve Buscemi) whose career is on the skids requiring that he take lousy assignments such as this interview to stay alive.

Other than a disastrous opening in a classy restaurant where the two characters realize they are ridiculously mismatched as an interview pair, the entire film takes place in Katya's loft. Katya appears shallow and short of goals and Pierre only acquiesces to complete the interview when he...

"Two characters, 85 minutes, one room - but NOT boring!"
This is the first of three films, which are American remakes of feature films directed in the Netherlands by the late Theo van Gogh. Actor/Director Buscemi was specifically chosen by the original producer to direct the film. He chose the lead role for himself. I have not seen the "original" and am basing my comments just on viewing the DVD of this US version.

The film is 85 minutes long and, except for 2-3 minutes at the beginning, and even less at the end, there are only two actors on the screen talking and interacting with each other. And nearly all the action takes place in one New York City apartment - though it is a big loft apartment! And yet this is not a quiet conversational film like "My Dinner With Andre". There is definitely a sexual thing going on here but you'll note that the R rating is for "language and strong sexual situations", not nudity. There is no nakedness at all. Yet, like some of the prime scenes in "Body Heat", there is definitely sexual tension in...

Cage Match
When it comes to Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller in "Interview", I don't think I've seen a middle aged man and a young woman that had this much chemistry since Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanson in "Lost in Translation". However, if Murray and Johanson's on-screen relationship was warm and nurturing, the relationship between Buscemi's Pierre and Miller's Katya is more like a cage match.

Pierre, a self-important political journalist, is assigned to do an interview with a subject he believes to be beneath him ... Katya, a schlock TV/film actress and tabloid fixture. The two characters clash instantly, but end up continuing the "interview" all night in Katya's opulent New York loft, where the two characters ridicule, antagonize, manipulate, charm, seduce and abuse one another, both for their own career agendas and to satisfy their equally inflated egos. Steve Buscemi (clearly a talented director as well as being a great character actor) and Sienna Miller both give terrific...

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48 Angels

awesome movie about death
I thought this was an awesome movie! Three different perspectives on death: Seamus' premonition of his own death from a heart condition, James' inability to deal with the murder of his father, and Darry's frantic attempt to run from being hunted down. The interaction is interesting. James is a Protestant and Seamus (the Gaelic equivalent of James)is a Catholic--ingredients for a clash that is always on the verge of erupting but at the same time overcome by a fraternal attraction between the two boys. James' sarcastic responses to Seamus' spiritual observations on life are brutally delightful, but Seamus has no fear of James' sarcasm. Darry seems to be either unconscious or asleep most of the time (the three characters are in a boat for much of the movie), but James and Seamus do everything they can to keep him alive. That seems to be an important element in how the two boys are dealing with death.

I'm sure I will watch it again, but as a rule I don't re-watch a movie...

A heartwarming story about healing inner wounds while discovering wonder and miracles in the world at large.
Independent film studio MTI Video presents 48 Angels, a widescreen DVD movie following Seamus, a nine-year-old boy diagnosed with a serious illness. Inspired by Saint Columcille, Seamus embarks on a journey to seek God before God comes to him. He joins forces with two unlikely companions, James and Darry; together they set out on a journey that will redefine the way they see the world. A heartwarming story about healing inner wounds while discovering wonder and miracles in the world at large. 90 minutes, color, rated PG-13.

Lost in Translation
I believe there must be a great deal of Irish cultural subtext here. Even as an American of Irish descent, much of this was lost on me.

There were far too many loose ends.

Instead, I recommend "Into the West" and "Millions".

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Undead Or Alive

With a title like "Undead or Alive," of course this is a zombie western comedy
You have to admit, that if you are going to do a zombie western comedy, "Undead or Alive" is pretty much the perfect title to let viewers know what they are in store for when they check out this DVD. Written and directed by "South Park" alumni Glasgow Phillips, this 2007 direct to video movie satisfies your curiosity as to what would have happened if Sergio Leone had made "Shaun of the Dead" as a spaghetti and zombie western. The unlikely heroes are Luke (Chris Kattan), who aspires to being a real cowboy, and Elmer (James Denton), as the laconic stranger. When they end up in jail together in a small town, the boys find they are sharing it with a zombie, the result of Geronimo's "White Man's Curse," which is payback for what has happened to Native American culture (Tommy Smothers once declared that the Native Americans knew what they were doing when they gave the Europeans who arrived on their shore the "gift"...

Hilarious, Little-Known Zombedy Western!
Na

Exiled

Johnnie To finally returns..."EXILED" has essence of all previous "JOHNNIE TO" films!
EXILED is directed by Johnnie To (Full Time Killer, Election, Breaking News), one of the most acclaimed directors of Hong Kong. Johnnie To is the epitome of hard-boiled cool, his films are fresh, visually inventive and have that cinematic magic. The cast of Johnnie To's hit "The Mission" has been reunited for this film. No, this is not a sequel, although it does have very similar characters. Exiled won numerous awards in Hong Kong, including `Best Director'.

PLOT synopsis loosely derived from the DVD back cover:
The time is 1998. The setting is Macau. Every living soul jumps at every chance to make quick money before the Portuguese colony ushers in a new era under the Chinese rule. For the jaded hit men, they wonder where this journey will end.
Against this background of fin-de-siècle malaise come two hit men from Hong Kong sent to take out a renegade member trying to turn over a new leaf with his wife and newborn baby. They soon find themselves in the...

Exiled: one the the best hong kong films ever made
So my wife sees this trailer on one of her Asian horror flicks and rents it for us. Probably one of the best things she has ever done for me. It opened me to the world's new and improved John Woo; one of the coolest directors ever, Johnny To. I quickly added all To's films to my queue and let the Hong Kong buttkicking commence. Then I went straight to Amazon and bought Exiled!

Exiled is still my favorite film by To. It's about a guy who returns to a gang infested town with a bad past with all factions. So of course they send some goons to kill him. Well when the killers show up they have a show down that ends in a meal and sleep over. Reason being, they don't kill him yet because they want to help him do some jobs to get money for his soon to be widow and bastard child. The film is filled with this Confucian sense of duty, which makes these men's brotherhood top notch.

The best part of To's Exiled is how its shot. It's not like half the franticly handheld crap...

Exiled: Guns and Friendship
Though Johnnie To is often associated with Hong Kong gangster films, the prolific director has actually tried other genres of film like supernatural or romantic ones. Still, the fact remains that the respected veteran is at his best when making films about the underground world with stylish visuals, and "Exiled" once again proves his expertise with his great camera and skills to tell a powerful story of brotherhood.

In the opening scene that reminds us of old Italian-made Western films, two gangsters visit an old house in Macau, where they think someone named Wo (Nick Cheung) is living. Wo's wife Jin (Josie Ho) answers the door and says no, shutting the door on their face. Then another two gangsters arrive, quietly asking the same question. Obviously those four men have some business to do, but their motives will not be revealed until one highly-stylized shoot-out begins.

"Exiled," which was filmed without script, is made of a series of set-pieces or vignettes...

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Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone

Excellent adaptation of the book! Brought it alive!
As a Harry Potter fan, I'm so happy with this movie adaptation. It's very true to the book (which is fabulous in my opinion, I don't know why some people complained about that), although there are some slight differences. The movie makers have done a wonderful job bringing Rowling's world on screen. The visual effects, especially Fluffy, ghosts, chess pieces, Quidditch game were done exceptionally well.

The second disc is all extras. I guess it was designed for Harry Potter fans and people who enjoyed the movie very much because it was assumed that you've watched the movie beforehand. The deleted scenes were a little hard to find since several steps have to be taken. First I had to go to get the key and take money from the Gringotts bank in Diagon Alley. Then purchase wand from Olivander's. Then return to the school and attend classes. Go to potions class and answer three questions. The questions were a little bit of a hassle for me. Answer for the 1st question: Aphrodel...

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ULTIMATE EDITION Blu-ray
To start off this isn't a review of the movie itself, by now you should have already formed an opinion of the movie for yourself or from other reviews of just the film. This is a review for the Ultimate Edition.

Two words: Absolutely Amazing!

This isn't just some scam from Warner Bros to get a few more dollars squeezed out of the Harry Potter movies, this is brand new and refreshing. Warner Bros packaged this set to be (or what appears to be) the last Harry Potter set to be had. Everything that you could want in a collectors set it included here.

The booklet included is surprisingly well done. The book keeps with the theme of the special feature exclusive to the ultimate edition. For example, in the Chamber of Secrets edition the booklet is all about the characters and their development, both at the beginning of the series and how they have evolved through the years. Included are stills from the movie, pictures of the theme (ie. characters,...

Leaving the Muggles Behind
As a reviewer, I have a tendency to wordiness, and usually look disparagingly at reviews of ten words or less, all in caps, which basically say "WOW!" This is the first time I have had to struggle with the temptation simply to say something like "ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! THIS MOVIE WILL BLOW YOUR MIND! DON'T COME HOME WITHOUT IT!" and leave it at that. For one thing, it really is that good. For another, there is so much to say about it that one's mind boggles at trying to keep within a reasonable limit. Since there will be countless reviews that discuss plot, effects, and individual performances, I will leave those to others, and focus on some things that I found of special note.

The first thing that struck me about the film (other than the fact that I was unable to stop staring at my monitor while it was playing) is the sense of 'rightness' one gets while watching. What I mean by that is, given a book that has way too many events to capture in a film, the...

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Hack!

Decent straight to video horror movie
Wholly derivative but somewhat effective horror thriller. Students visiting a secluded island to do field research find themselves the subject of a madman's obsession with movies. Considering the budgetary constraints the film is technically well done, the score fine, and the special effects mostly above par. Gore hounds will be pleased with the buckets of blood and a few unexpected twists and mild chuckles elevate what might have otherwise been a ho-hum affair. Who will live, who will die? Does it really matter? Recommended to horror affecianados.

Hack Indeed...
I was very surprised by this one. It begins with your standard horror/slasher setup: group of college kids--and this group contains every cliche` you can think of--leaves to go do extra credit on an island out in the middle of nowhere, things begin to happen, and you'd think "here we are again"--AND you'd be WRONG!

I don't agree that the movie will have you "guessing until the end" (lord, if you can't figure out who's offing the kids, you need to turn in your horror membership card!), but I did enjoy the ending because...well, see for yourself! I think the title for this movie is very appropriate.

The movie's running time is 100 minutes. It is rated R for some nudity and campy blood and violence. You know; you're STANDARD slasher movie! It is also crammed full of named actors appearing in cameos. I almost didn't recognize William Forsythe and Kane Hodder (former Jason Vorhees AND Victor Crowley of "Hatchet" fame) doesn't even receive a mention. Lots of...

I bow in humble admiration to this brilliant display of affection for horror
If there has ever been a movie that paid more respect to the horror genre, I have not seen it. Tongue in cheek yet respectful, Hack is completed saturated with direct references and subtle nuances that pay homage to the great movies in horror while still developing a few interesting twists and a great combination of blood and gore.

After a foreboding intro that feels like the opening scene of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, a group of stereotypical college kids board a boat headed for a secluded island in order to participate in a marine-biology extra credit project. The island's owners, a pair of horror film fanatics, welcome the group with open arms as long as they participate in a little obsessive filming.

Purposefully satirical, the cast fills out in a color-by-the-numbers fashion: obnoxious jock, bookworm girl with pigtails (Danica McKellar - Winnie Cooper), gaysian male, token...

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Ursus In The Land Of Fire (1963) / Ursus In The Valley Of Lions (1961)

Double your Ursus, Double your Pleasure!!!
Here we have an ancient Greek hero who gained his fabulous strength and courage because lions raised him, rather than because a spark of ancient Greek Divinity coursed through his veins.

Ursus in the Valley of Lions

At some point in ancient history Generic Power Mad Usurper conquered Generic Greek CityVilleopolis and King Rightful Ruler was slaughtered. But not before Lil' Prince Trouble-Waiting-To-Happen...er I mean Ursus was spirited away by his mom and a couple ladies-in-waiting. Mom and the gang made it about as far as the parking lot behind the studio before they were fallen upon by the Usurper's men. Since they were escaping during a siege neither mom nor her guards thought to bring any weapons and are quickly butchered, except young Ursus, whose horse runs away with him attached. Eventually he is found by a pride of lions. Instead of turning him into a mid-day snack, they decide to raise him as one of their own. This is shown by a wipe type effect...





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Incubus: Look Alive

For the Love of the Music...LOOK ALIVE!
This CD/DVD really depicts the musical talent and passion that Incubus conveys as a band. The CD ranges from bossanova to african/tribal sounds to accompany the movie. The scenes between the songs show that the band isn't afraid to show thier true selves. It almost seems as if they don't put themselves on a pedestal over anyone else, including the listener. One of the scenes shows how each and every band member is not afraid to shake hands with thier biggest fans and it actually makes it a touching scene to see.

I recommend Look Alive to anyone who has never seen or heard Incubus live. Or if you just want to relive the great feelings you felt during the latest tour, then its definitely worth investing $15 to purchase it. Incubus has always been good to thier fans and this is just another addition to what I hope is a growing collection of Incubus DVDs.

Smile and Look Alive!
With 'Look Alive', Incubus once again proves what an amazing live band they are.

The different concert clips can seem annoying at first, but you get used to them quickly.

Brandon Boyd's flawless live performance is present and his voice is, as always, amazing.

The whole band is on fire...doing what they do best; playing music.

The in-between "behind the scenes" footage give a great insight of the band on their worldwide tour. We see them experience different cultures in countries around the world.
We also get to follow Mike when he is getting an operation for his Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.

Standout performances include:
Quicksand / A Kiss to Send Us Off
Anna Molly
Redefine
Nebula
Sick Sad Little World
Aquaeous Transmission

thoroughly relaxing
Granted; the first Incubus album i was introduced too was "Crow Left of...," i thought it was a good album. I picked up "Look Alive" and "Light Grenades" and am now hooked on their sound. In my estimation Ben Kenney is a standout bassist.

I fully intend to buy all their more "Funk" oriented albums of the past. But for now I am very impressed by this dvd. I was most impressed by the "Look Alive" concert version of Pistola!

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Rediscovering God in America

Excellent History lesson for all Americans
Unlike the previous reviewer Fellini, I found the film to be completely non partisan. There are quotes from FDR, Truman and JFK as well as all the Founding Fathers. This is not propaganda but history. As much as he would like to, Mr. Fellini can't dispute any of the historical details that are in this informative documentary. Americans need to refute secularists who insist that the First Amendment is about freedom From religion. It is not and this documentary confirms the belief of the framers of the constitution that the freedom on which our government was established was a gift from God. I recommend this DVD highly to the ACLU and other civil rights organizations that have forgotten what the Bill of Rights actually mean.

Historian Newt Gingrich is at his best here
Newt Gingrich's PhD in history really shines through in both this DVD and the book it evolved from. Gingrich and his wife provide an excellent factual -- but nonpolitical -- perspective of how the founders of this country felt about God and how God inspired them as they laid the foundations for what became the United States of America. The DVD does an especially good job of showing why and how the founders created the firewall between government and religion. The authors correct the common misconception of what the founders were trying to avoid when they separated church and state in the founding documents of this country. I was so impressed with the DVD that I sent copies to both of our sons and all of our nephews and nieces.

George Gecowets

Rediscovering God in America
This is a very well done video tour of the Washington DC buildings, monuments, and government facilities that traces their roots back to the builder's and founder's intent. It points out that the founders of this country believed that you could not have a free society unless it was founded upon a believe in God as the source of a value system and moral code that required a personal responsibility that supported free and open institutions. Newt Gingrich should be elected president!

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Dame Chocolate

La Mejor Novela del Siglo / The Best Soap Opera of the Century
*****This review is in Spanish and English!*****

ESPAÑOL:
Dame Chocolate fue una telenovela de muchísimo éxito que atrajo a un publico enorme a través de los Estados Unidos. Esta historia muy original, escrita por Perla Ferias, se trate una joven Mexicana llamada Rosita Amado (Génesis Rodríguez). Rosita es muy humilde y muy buena, pero la pobre también es increíblemente fea y ingenua. Muy pronto, la vida de la Rosita y su familia cambian cuando Juan Amado (Héctor Suarez), el abuelo de Rosita, muere. Juan tenia una fabrica de chocolates en Miami y al morir, el dejo a su nieta encargada de la receta secreta del chocolate mágico. Rosita y su familia se van a vivir a los Estados Unidos para mantener a la fabrica de Juan, pero para una familia que ha vivido en la pobreza toda su vida - esto es un gran cambio! Desafortunadamente, Juan Amado no era el único dueño de Chocolate Supremo...

What happened?!?!
At first I thought it was I who was remembering the sequence of the story wrong, but I soon realized that a slew of scenes were left out of the DVD. As a result, the story line is confusing and doesn't flow smoothly. I'm so disappointed as the DVD does absolutely no justice to the original series which I loved. Overall, the series itself is AWESOME, but the DVD hacks it to pieces. In my opinion, nothing should have been edited and the series should have been sold as a whole. Learned a great deal of Spanish, though.

Confusing!
I love the story line as it was presented on TV, so I bought the DVD. The person(s) that edited this on to DVD should be fired. I realize they had to shorted the story but the cut out too many important scenes. The acting is great, the story was great and it does improve your spanish, but it was reduced in quality by the awful editing. They completely missed the overall story.
Me encanto la novela cuando la vie por tele, y lo compre. Las personas que cortaron la novela la convertiron en un disastre!

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ESPNU Honor Roll: The Best of College Football - Vol. 3

Great buy for any college football fan
This is a great buy for any college football fan. I have the whole series - Very entertaining.





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Mr. Bean's Holiday (Full Screen Edition)

Great Compilation!! *and a warning to parents about content on an extra*
I viewed all the episodes and they seem to be in working order. Glitch free and the picture looked good. Sound was fine. I report this because it seems that a lot of dvd releases of tv shows are done crappily that there are lots of justified complaints.
The extras on the 3rd disc of the tv show series were worth viewing. The documentary about how Mr. Bean started was especially cool to see. **The warning to anyone who would like to know, especially maybe for parents, is that the documentary has shots of female frontal nudity that come up without warning.** That footage is from an opening from a comedy series Rowan was a part of in his earlier career. Thought I'd mention it since no other reviewer commented on this. And no, I don't need someone getting smart at me about how other countries are liberal with their tv programming and nudity. I know. I just didn't expect that material on a Mr. Bean dvd set and thought others might like to know.

They used to make them like this
The Dick Van Dyke Show. The Lucy Show. The Odd Couple.

What on earth do these wonderful old T.V. shows have to do with Mr. Bean's Holiday?

Well, not a whole lot thematically, but there is one very significant tie between them. The classic shows mentioned above were not children's programs. They were prime-time comedy series aimed at adults. They were clean as a whistle for the most part, as shows then tended to be, but the subjects of the shows revolved around divorce, marital troubles, problems at the office etc.

Unfortunately, modern entertainment equates "adult" with sex and violence. In other words, the word adult has been appropriated. Nothing could possibly be funny, clever, inventive or exciting if there isn't at least some sex or controversy right? It's a pretty sad state when "adult" has come to mean "15 year-old boy" :/

Now before you roll your eyes, I am as far from being a prude as you can get. I own and admire scores of R-rated...

Paradise for Mr. Bean Fans
"Mr. Bean: The Ultimate Collection" is a seven-disc box set featuring the antics of Rowan Atkinson's alter- ego, the long-legged, goofy-looking guy who manages to create comic mayhem wherever he goes. Mr. Bean, whom Atkinson describes as a child in a grown man's body, was created when Atkinson was a student at Oxford University. Borrowing from silent film techniques, Bean never speaks, relying instead on facial expressions, sight gags, and slapstick to milk laughs. Atkinson is Chaplinesque in the way he sets up gags, plants them, and then illustrates his mortification at how badly things have gone. We feel sorry for his sad-sack ineptness, but still manage to laugh at his constant penchant for getting into awkward, frequently embarrassing fixes. I was reminded of Buster Keaton and even Lucille Ball, two folks who knew how to incorporate and use props comically. Atkinson cites Jacques Tati's earlier character, Mr. Hulot, as another influence.
The box set contains all...

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Power Rangers - Operation Overdrive 3

Operation Overdrive one of the best since MMPR
I've been a fan of Power Rangers since the begining and Operation Overdrive is one of my favorites. Volume 3 introduces Tyzonne and the Mercury Ranger is a pretty Kewl Ranger..

Great product! excellent condition!
Great product! excellent condition! I truly recommend this product to others. It completed my set for the power rangers overdrive series.

My child is happy
My 6 year old wanted to buy a power ranger movie with his own money so we got online and searched. He saw this one and wanted it right away. He asked everyday when his movie was coming in the mail. He received it very promptly and has enjoyed it ever since.

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Audioslave - Live in Cuba

They should have upped the ante on this performance
I'm a fan of Audioslave. This DVD delivers on most of the songs played live, especially Tom Morello's unique and tasty guitar licks. Chris Cornell's vocals were awesome as usual.

Hoewever, on two tracks, namely Be Yourself and Doesn't Remind Me, they did an amateurish job. Phil Commerford's back-up vocals on Doesn't Remind Me were horrible, and so was Chris' vocals as well. It was as if they were just jamming and trying to find their vocal key. I was cringing while listening to those two songs. The rest of the songs lived up to the expectations. Still a must buy

for all Audislave fans
do not believe everyone..
this DVD is great and all Audioslave fans would just appreciate and admire it, as I do too!!!
at the end you have a lil' bonus too.. nice!
Audioslave is just a great band! My favez!

Great concert, just make it SOUND like a concert!
I love the idea of Audioslave breaking barriers in music and politics, even more so than Rage ever did. I love the setlist considering this was before the second album was released. The crowd energy is great. But this DVD has no resemblance of a live performance. I hear the band, and its all good, but I hear NO crowd noise. None. At all. Barely so during the quiet parts if at all. During Doesn't Remind Me, I could hear Chris clap more than the crowd. If you are going to have a live DVD, I need to hear the crowd ROAR in the back channels. I love that the music sounds so crisp that you can hear the delay in the band mix from the different mikes on stage, that is kinda neat.

But make me FEEL the crowd energy. Make me HEAR it like I'm there!

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Eli's Coming

becoming an adult is an adventure
if you are jewish or know anyone who is jewish - you have been through or heard about the "bar / bat mitzvah".

for those unaware, in judaism this is when a young person officially becomes an adult. there is a big celebration, before the celebration there is a ceremony that takes months (posisbly longer) of preparation.

both funny and touching, it takes you into the story of one boy's journey to "adulthood" and - as with any situation - the basic reasoning gets lost and something that should be simple and meaningful becomes more of an ordeal.

i enjoyed the film.





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Treasure Island Kids: The Pirates of Treasure Island

Ha Ha! Meatballs meets the Buccaneers!
A clever tale for kids of all ages, filled with adventure, suspense, and a wackiness that only Moe, Larry, and Curly could match! Randy Quaid is great as the snarling pirate! yaaaarrr!

10 AND UNDER
The movie is based on the idea that Treasure Island was not fictional. This was discovered by two different people about the same time who battle for the treasure. Randy Quaid leads a group of kooky pirates who have to compete with the inept owner/operators of a kids' camp. The acting is pure ham. The kids are stereotyped into impossible characters. The script is bad and filled with slap stick and low brow humor including a horse with a gas problem. As always in kids movies, adults are stupid and kids must save the day. This film will work well with kids with a low maturity level, say under tweens, but would never be a good movie for teens or adults. Robert Louis Stevenson is rolling over in his grave.

Brilliant film for Kids and Adults
I watched this film, and loved it, it's clever, funny, imaginative and touching - a great film for both kids and their parents. This film would make a great Chrismas present or stocking stuffer - a must see!

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Futurama: Bender's Big Score

I'm walking on Sunshine!! The Future is now!
Yes! The Year 3000 is back!! This is all-new material, NOT RECYCLED or from 4 seasons offered in volumes 1-4 or Monster Fun. All new from the Simpson's creator Matt Groening and the Futurama team.

It's here the first of the 4 "NEW" FUTURAMA direct-to-DVD videos, 3 of which will be released throughout 2008. Following "BENDER'S BIG SCORE" will be, "INTO THE WILD GREEN YONDER" then, "BENDER'S GAME" and THE BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS." The features will be cut into an episode format to air eventually on Comedy Central, not Cartoon Network.

Each of these feature the brilliant original voice talent, from the short-lived fox series: John Di Maggio (as Bender and others), Dave Herman (as the Honorable Mayor C. Randall Poopenmayer and more ) Katey Sagal (Leela), Phil LaMarr (Hermes), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong), Billy West (Fry, Zoidberg, Farnsworth, an other Futurama, but known as Stimpy and from the Howard Stern Show, West does the best LARRY FINE in the business), old school...

Not as good as the series, but Bender's Score still delivers
It is hard for an author to satisfy fans after years of absence and months of great anticipation. Ones expectations will always exceed the reality, and thus, people are always disappointed.

Such is the case with Futurama: Bender's Big Score. Have fans legitimate gripes with the latest installment in the Futurama universe? Yes. But the pros at least negate the cons.

I am satisfied with this straight-to-DVD movie for the following reasons: 1) The animation is well done. Though Fry, in particular, looks slightly different than the Fry we all remember (mostly around the eyes), it is very subtle, and all other characters look exactly as I remember them. 2) The writing is still very witty. With a plot that is incredibly convoluted, the writers were not afraid to take jabs at themselves and their plot, while at the same time coming up with new jokes and clever jabs (Bender is still in great form). 3) For Futurama fans, so many references are made to the original four...

Bender's Big Score -- Misleading title, but funny nonetheless
Just got a chance to see this thanks to a friend in the dying newspaper industry who had the joyous task of reviewing it. It's nice to have friends.

The movie is hilarious. The jokes are fast and furious. Expect the classic Futurama experience -- visual gags, great one-liners, and a ludicrous plot.

Not all of the characters get a chance to shine (Zapp only appears briefly; Zoidberg is background and unfortunately Hermes gets more screentime than even the Professor). But any screentime is good for a show that has been off the air for so long (and the reruns don't count in my world!)

There are 2 great songs, one that is introduced in the most forced way possible. The other is sprung without warning.

The plot is crazy and I won't ruin it here. Suffice it to say it involves time travel and a number of familiar cameos from season's past (Globetrotters, Santa, and, yes, Al Gore).

The title is really just trying to exploint Bender's...

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The Nanny Diaries (Full Screen Edition)

Not half as good as it wants you to think it is
The Nanny Diaries fits into the same category as The Devil Wears Prada. Both feature women who take a plunge into a society that's not prepared for them and, more importantly, they aren't prepared for. In the Devil Wears Prada, the target is fashion. Here, the target is more broad: upper class Manhattanites with no time for their families.

The movie owes even more to The Devil Wears Prada (including a brief snippet that features the main character reading the novel in a wink-wink, nudge-nudge homage) and contains, unfortunately, none of the spark and cutting edge that the former had. Here we have the always beautiful Scarlett Johansson as an Anthropology student named Annie who is uncertain about her future and what she wants to be in the real world. Instead of facing the future, she stumbles upon Mrs. X (played with icy chill by Laura Linney) who mistakes her name Annie as "nanny" and immediately the park seems crowded with Manhattanites who want her services...

Nanny and the City
-I knew absolutely nothing about this movie going in. Didn't know who was in it or what it was going to be about. To my surprise I enjoyed the well made movie very much. It had great acting, a solid story, and whiles not being original had it's own unique charms that makes it a very enjoyable movie.

-The movie tells the story of Annie who is a recent graduate plucked into a world she wasn't expecting. She plans to be a financial consultant or something like that but ends being a nanny by chance. The rest of the movie follows her on her adventure as she learns what it takes to be a nanny in NY, and also learns what it takes to survive life.

-The film-making technique is not necessarily an original one in which the main character narrates the whole story but what helps in this one is that it's quite an entertaining narration and she doesn't narrate the whole movie so it does help. The odd visual style is also nicely done with some unique effects and one really...

Didn't Want to See it, Glad I Did...
I had no intention of seeing this flick. My daughter, who spent a few years as a nanny, didn't care for it. And I didn't know what to expect. But at the video store, with coupon in hand and slim pickings, I rented it.

I ended up being charmed by the unique quirkiness of this film. Nanny Diaries includes a hint of Mary Poppins along with a museum-type look at family norms and not so norms throughout the movie. This film has elements of terrible sadness and that is why my daughter didn't like it. The viewer gets to see the inside of a very unhealthy family. Annie (Johannson) doesn't come from much healthier stock with a mom who is over-bearing and hard to please and a father who is a non-figure in her life.

Annie hits her crossroad moment when a potential new employer asks her who she is. Annie discovers who she is by her short time as a nanny.

I was impressed with the total lack of on-screen sexuality. Annie has a behind closed doors moment with a...

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Waitress (Widescreen Edition)

Heartfelt and Artistic
"Waitress" is one of the best films I have had the privelege to see so far this year. It is right up there with "Namesake." I loved everything about this movie: the directing, acting, writing. Let's start with the directing. Just as Scorsese did in "After Hours" and Truffaut did in "The 400 Blows," Shelly showed her heartfelt and artistic vision in "Waitress." There's one particular scene sequence that comes to mind that exemplifies this vision. It happens right after Jenna made love to Dr. Pomatter. There's a silly afterglow on her face. You see it when she's carrying trays in the restaurant. You see it when she's making pies. And you especially see it when she's sitting on a bench, waiting for the bus. That look on her face and the way the film was cut with those quick scenes left a profound impact on the viewer. You knew you were in a moment of brilliance. You can just feel how happy and liberated Jenna felt at that moment in the movie. Now let's talk about the...

Dropped Into the Pie Shop Universe
While "Waitress" is not flashy, it puts a smile on your face. Kerri Russell will probably forever be tagged as TV's Felicity - Senior Year Collection (The Complete Fourth Season). As Jenna, she turns in a comic & varied performance that bounces between joy & despair, submissiveness & assertiveness. Under director Adreienne Shelly's deft touch, the film handles the subject of domestic abuse with sensitivity and caring.

Jeremy Sisto who will probably be remembered for his appearances on TV's Six Feet Under - The Complete Third Season plays Jenna's controlling husband Earl. I kept flashing on the Dixie Chicks' song, but it was never used in the film that has a great musical selections. Sisto plays the role as a bruiser, but also with levels of dependency and desperation. His selfish nature only buys into Jenna's pregnancy when...

Pie
Towards the end of Adrienne Shelley's poignant "Waitress" there is a scene involving a very pregnant Jenna ( a luminous Kari Russell) and Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) in which, as described by Jenna in voice-over, Pomatter embraces Jenna for 20 minutes with warmth, caring and empathy and more importantly for Jenna without a hint of lust. It's the kind of embrace that an intimate friend would give you: an embrace of platonic love, an embrace of understanding and commiseration. It is also an embrace which pretty much encapsulates all that is good and real about "Waitress": a film that is ultimately about hope and love and the redemptive properties of Pie.
Though often bordering on the sitcomishness of "Alice," Adrienne Shelley's ("Trust") "Waitress" manages for the most part to get at the heart of its concerns with humor and a good hearted wistfulness that never turns sour or maudlin: terms that can also be applied to Kari Russell's career making performance as Jenna...

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Arctic Tale [HD DVD]

Terrifically Tender, but Slightly Tainted 'Tale'
(3 1/2 *'s) `An Arctic Tale' is not exactly woven as neatly as `March of the Penguins'. Playful and at times cutesy-pie like the walrus pups and polar bear cubs presented, narrator Queen Latifah gives a comic edge to what might have been just another polar survivor adventure. Personification is a key component to the charm of her presentation, but this gets extended into the ending, which fails to stay with the story and becomes a springboard to a soapbox lecture at the end.

As with any National Geographic special, some of the cinematography ("principal" [their spelling] cinematographer, Adam Raveld) is awesome. Without a widescreen TV, I was thoroughly satisfied. The story is the tender and terrific rendition of one mother polar bear and her cub, Nanu, and one mother walrus and her pup, Selah. We see the lifecycle go from each of their births and follow their community adventures until each is old enough to become a mother herself.

As a G-rated venue, meant...

Ideal for children,but only mildly charming for adults:ARCTIC TALE
This is not a global warming film! It doesn't need to be. It is obvious what is happening. The Arctic is disappearing and a polar bear named Nanu and his childhood friend Seela the walrus are now coping with the fact that their world is disappearing. This National Geographic Film covers an eight year period in which Nanu and Seela grow up, play, love and struggle against the elements of changing nature. At times the film seems like a documentary, and at other times like a wild life adventure. The film is narrated by Queen Latifah (her rendering simply did not work for me at all...I wanted Morgan Freeman!). The story is very manipulative and definitely goes for the heartstrings of younger children. It is informative and sometimes enchanting, but as an adult I did feel a little bit used by this film. All in all, a one time view will suffice for adults. Children will like this one better.

Arctic Tale Review
Bought this to watch with my granddaughters and while it is a bit lengthy for the under 6 crowd, they stayed interested and enjoyed it. For adults, the photography is superb and it is also informative. Latifah does a grand job. I recommend it for everyone with grandchildren for fun and educational viewing together.

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Skinwalkers

Skinwalkers review.
What a great twist on a werewolf movie! Two tribes of werewolves are at war with one another. One group wants a cure for their full moon 'curse', but another clan is perfectly happy having the power that comes with being a meat eating werewolf, running with the pack and howling at the moon. The aggressive clan takes on the more peaceful group and a young boy may be the only hope for the werewolves desperate to end the madness.

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

Skinstaggers
Werewolves will never be as popular as vampires. They're not pretty, seductive or eerie -- instead they're hairy, messy and presumably smelly.

Despite that, there was still plenty of potential for a cool werewolf action movie... until "Skinwalkers" actually came out. Instead, we get a sketchy, paper-thin plot about bikers who happen to be werewolves, and who (of course) have to kill the foretold Chosen One.

Said Chosen One is a boy who will turn thirteen, around the time that a red moon rises -- apparently this will decurse all lycanthropes, for no reason except that it's prophecied. But Varek (Jason Behr) and his vicious biker gang don't WANT to give up the perks of being werewolves, so they're prowling around to find the child and kill him before his big birthday rolls around.

Tim (Matthew Knight) is unaware of the danger he's in. Fortunately, relatives and friends surrounding him know exactly what he is, and hope to be cured of their affliction. But...

its an ok movie
well, first of all, ignore the first reviewer. obviously that guy gets entirely to deep into his movies. that being said, i thought this movie was ok, i mean ive seen better but ive also seen far worse. The reason i saw it was because jason behr was in it, and he freakin gorgeous! If youre just looking to watch something a little entertaining, go for it. This is not a movie, however, for those of you who need to constantly overthink everything in the film, lol, its just pure cheesy entertainment really. i give it 3 stars because as ive said, ive seen better but also seen far worse. want to see a really good werewolf movie? check out The Howling. a little old school but still pretty good.

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Fall into Me

FALL INTO ME
"FALL INTO ME" is a very touching, sensitive healthy video which is a treat nowadays for viewing by the entire family. Funny, hilarious, meaningful, well-done, full of human emotion and love, with great special effects. One of the special effects was outstanding. Movie was very creative, well-written, well-directed and especially, well-acted. This movie shows the value of good communications between people, that life has lots of unanticipated and unexpected twists and turns, and that one should not always take things in life for granted. We gave this video as gifts for the holidays.

zero stars
During the poorly animated and long-winded introduction we had our doubts, and within moments of the movie's beginning we deemed it only worthy of a Mystery Science Theatre film choice. Unfortunately, after fifteen minutes we could not tolerate more, even as an opportunity for scathing critical amusement. Weird, zooming, over-lit, close up shots of an over-acting grimacing cast smacked of a junior high school health education film, although my teenage daughters rated their educational films higher than "Fall into me." Flop into me, flail into me, flub into me, Fail into me all better describe this film. Ron Menzel is going to have some wicked frown lines after all that facial contortion.

Trust is The Ultimate Gift
A timeless tale of the fear of telling the truth. Wonderfully written, directed and filmed. Romantic comedy at it's best! Beautiful scenes.

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Wish Gone Amiss (Cory in the House / Hannah Montana / The Suite Life of Zack and Cody)

Hannah Montana-Wish Gone AMiss
My daughter loves Hannah Montana so she was so excited to get Wish Gone AMiss DVD.





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Basilisk: The Parting of the Ways v.3 - Viridian Collection

Lots of awesome ninjas
Basilisk takes place in 1614 during the Tokugawa Shogunate era. Two ninja clans are at war with each other competing to win the favor of the regime for the next 1000 years. Each clan has to choose 10 members. Whichever clan kills the 10 members of their rival wins.

There are a lot of awesome things to say about this anime. The animation, the music, and the story line are all great. Almost all , of the characters are too. There are a few ninjas I didn't like though. One guy kills you with his hair, one guy is a quadriplegic that kills you with a knife that he holds with his tongue, and one dude turns into goo when he touches salt. Most of the other ninjas are awesome though. The bad guy is really a heartless bastard. It makes it very interesting when you have a bad guy that is way evil. The characters really keep you interested and the carnage never lets up.

I really think anyone that likes anime would get a kick outta this one. If you like it there's a live...

Basilisk is awesome
Basilisk is awesome. Even though I have only watched it once, I still have the DVDs lying around until I forget the story so I can watch it again. Basilisk is awesome

Great for young adults and older
I not only enjoyed the story-telling and animation, but also the soundtrack, so I bought the entire series. I will use some of the series, editing out the rough sex, to augment my Ninja camp this summer for 5th through 9th graders.

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The Firm - Cardio Inferno

It's okay
I did this workout the other day and I have to say it did get my heart rate up but I was a little disappointed with the whole thing. First the warmup is way too long and gets boring quickly. Then there were two moves in there during the aerobics that she introduces quickly that I never quite got the hang of. I have been doing the Firm now for 3 years, love it and I have a huge collection of their DVDs starting from before the BSS1, BSS2, etc era. I would recommend this for beginners who don't necessarily want to buy all the old Body Scuplting System equipment from before. The new FIRM DVDs don't seem to be using the step anymore and frankly, that too is a little sad. The Fanny Lifter/Firm Box got my endurance and strength where it is today, and I do miss those aspects of the workouts. Still, I also like that this is just a 30 minute video for those days when I am pressed for time. I would recommend you rent it/Netflix it first and then see. If it works for you, well obviously...

Great cardio, not so great instruction
Let me preface by saying that I have never done The Firm before. I've definitely heard of it and known people who have done it, but this was my first experience with The Firm. I have been exercising consistently for about a year.

I really like this video. It gets my heart rate up like no other video I've done. It kicks my butt! I also really like the sculpting sessions, and I like the way it increases intensity so that the last section of the video is the most intense. Once you get the moves down, it's a great video.

I don't particularly like the instruction. I had a hard time following the moves, and it wasn't until the fourth session that I felt like I was getting it down and actually doing it correctly. (Even the back up cast members looked a little confused.)

It's also a pretty short video (30 minutes), so I like to combine it with a shorter Pilates video to get in a longer work out, but that doesn't really bother me. I kind of like it...

Boring, but it hits all the core muscles
I am 50-50 on this video. I bought it because I wanted:

a.) a 30 minute workout
b.) a total body workout

you get both of these things in this video but it is more like a kick-boxing video with mediocre music and somewhat complicated 80's style aerobics steps.

It is definitely effective in terms of giving you a decent workout in 30 minutes. The day after I used this video for the first time, my shoulders and abs were sore, even though I didn't do one crunch in this video, and the weight lifting was done with just 1 lb. dumbbells.

BUT, I won't be doing this video again and plan to either give it away or sell it. Why? Because compared to some of the other kickboxing videos I own, like Turbo Jam, this workout is BORING! Sue Mi seems like a sweet girl, but her voice is very monotonous throughout the routine, and the backup cast seems to be just going through the motions and not really excited to be working out. No one looks like...

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Rufus Wainwright: Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy! Live at the London Palladium

A Tribute That's a Triumph!
I was one of the fortunate audience members at the first incarnation of this show, at Carnegie Hall on June 14, 2006. I also had the great pleasure (even though Rufus was not in his best vocal shape that night) of seeing the show re-created at the Hollywood Bowl in September, 2007. I wish I'd been able to go to London to see the show featured on this DVD. Being a huge fan (along with millions of others!) of the original concert Judy recorded, I was thrilled to have been able to see the show in person twice and now I can re-live the excitement whenever I want, by watching the DVD. The DVD re-creates the thrill of being in the audience. While the London crowd is a bit more subdued than the NY or LA crowds were, the performance is first rate, with many of Rufie's humorous anecdotes and top notch vocals. Also featured are performances by Rufus' sister, Martha Wainwright, singing a spectacular "Stormy Weather" and a duet of "After You've Gone" with Judy Garland's youngest daughter,...

High Praise to Rufus from Someone Who Saw Judy in 1961
I believe that I am the first person to review either the DVD or CDs who actually saw and heard Garland perform in 1961. I was 18 and saw Judy at Boston Garden about 6 months after the Carnegie Hall concert. I am a Rufus fan, but put the DVD on with some fear. How could Rufus possibly be as good as Garland? He is not as good, but it was much closer than I expectly.

The five songs that I most remember from 1961 were "Do It Again" (almost as good, with Rufus singing in Garland's key), "That's Entertainment" (lowest point in Rufus's evening; Garland unexpectly danced while the orchestra was playing and also sang the h*ll out of the song), "If Love Were All" (great job by Rufus), "Over the Rainbow (again not quite as good as Judy, but close). "Come Rain or Come Shine" (Judy's greatest
moments of the concert; Rufus almost matched her and totally won me over).

Garland had more vocally power, over 30 years of experiece singing these songs and the #1 album in the...

Bowled Over!!
What a DVD! No, he does not have Judy's vocal range or the level of emotion she was willing to share with her audience, but he makes up for it with sheer exuberance. For two hours he turns out an exhaustive performance. The conductor of the wonderful orchestra, Stephen Oremus, looks like a teenager, but he is a wizard with a baton. Whatever you do, do not miss this wonderful DVD.

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Tom and Jerry Tales, Vol. 3

Too Scary for My Daughter
My daughter has loved Tom and Jerry, so I bought this for her as a surprise while I was out-of-town. Well, she couldn't watch much of it. It was too scary for her. VERY disappointed to have wasted money on this one.

Bought the whole collection!
My 9yr old daughter and I love Tom and Jerry and the whole collection is great!

Great product
I purchsed this for my son & he loves it, it was a great price & shipped fast. Good length of time on the DVD also.

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You on a Diet Workout

I actually do this workout... and like it!
First, let me say that I HATE to work out. Every time I buy another workout DVD, it is with the hope that it will somehow be an enjoyable way to shape up and stay that way.

I can honestly say that I finally found what I've been looking for in this DVD. The exercises are easy to follow and most achieve maximum results with a minimum of wasted effort by targeting several zones per exercise. It's a gentle workout in the Pilates/yoga vein, so if you're looking for a punching/kickboxing type workout, you will not be happy with this.

Another plus is that the guy who leads the workout has a very easy manner which is quite a nice departure from some of the screaming drill sergeant types (both men and women) on other DVDs. I love this workout.

You on a Diet
It works for me and my husband. We do the medium work out and do it before the kids go to school. We're not overweight folks, but have limited time, so this works great. Now, we just have to add the 30 minute walk a day or something similar and we're all set. What I love most is that it makes a great start of our days.

My Wish To Be Heart Healthy!
This workout dvd is a super exercise program. My only wish is that Dr. Oz would have been in the dvd. Health is the only way to go these days! I have started eating green based foods only. I feel so good since I've been eating green vegetables and much less meats, especially red meat!!!!!

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The Hottest State

one of my favorites
This is one of my favorite movies. The cast is stellar and it has a great soundtrack. Beyond that, it is one of the most "real" love stories I have ever seen in a movie. You can very easily see yourself in the shoes of the characters.

Surprisingly Hypnotic
In spite of critics reviews, I loved this film from start to finish. Wonderfully shot, delicately scripted, better than you'd really expect. The soundtrack is so deftly placed, it's as if it where a third character. It's a picture of a life in fractured state, but oh, how beautiful.

It's a near perfect blend of self-indulgence with a sense of humility. I was truly glad I saw this film, after months of ignoring and thinking that I would not like it.

Hawke Shoots From the Heart
Written and directed by Ethan Hawke, and based on Hawke's (I presume) autobiographical novel of the same name, The Hottest State is an intensely personal movie. Yet unlike, say, Woody Allen's autobiographical films (Annie Hall, Stardust Memories, Husbands and Wives), Hawke's personality doesn't flood his material. Hawke is quite casual about baring his soul to us, and audiences may not be aware how deeply he takes them into his psyche. But he holds nothing back.

The film recounts a brief, magical love affair between 20-year-old William (Mark Webber), Texas-born living in New York, and Sara (Catalina Sandino Moreno), a beautiful Mexican who has moved to the city to pursue her singing career. The film unfolds with an easy, natural spontaneity that is both engaging and faintly ominous (we know where it's heading because William informs us in voice-over). Working with his actors and crew, Hawke uses simple, unassuming brush strokes to communicate the joy and misery, and the...

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NWA Pro Wrestling: Fiesta Lucha

A Festival Of Professionals Inside The Squared-Circle
The National Wrestling Alliance has carved its own path in the industry in bringing classic one-night events to fans who appreciate the unique styles from around the world.

The talent in Fiesta Lucha - with special focus on the Lucha Libre mat science - are permitted the time to tell a story within a match, building the action through a roller-coaster ride of emotions in a time-honored, old-school tradition.

While the main event is El Hijo del Santo and Billy Kidman versus Super Parka and Psicosis, the 25-man - King of the Summit - Battle Royal, is a real treat; back in the day, such shows would bring the talent together for a wild brawl, minus the "Dusty finish."

Other wrestlers featured in the 180 minutes of action include Kafu, Phoenix Star, Joey Ryan, Karl Anderson, Ricky Reyes, Nelson Creed and Adam Pearce. This is truly a festival of professionals inside the squared-circle.

NWA Fiesta Lucha Review
One of the best wrestling DVDs of 2007. again wrestling-wise better then WWE. My favorite match was the battle royal. the only bad part on this dvd was the opening of the show. other then that, I love it! The rest were ok. I give this dvd a 10 out of 10.



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The Firm - Cardio Sculpt Fusion

Really fun, enjoyable and fat burning ;-0
This is about my third or fourth The Firm dvd workout, and I think it's one of the best ones from them. I've done it twice already and I found it fun and doable and I sweated up a storm.
It's not too tough and in fact I'd mainly use this on days where I don't want an intense workout but yet still want to burn some calories. It's a combination of fat burning and toning; the cardio is low impact and aerobic classics with latin dance. The toning blends yoga with traditional body sculpting. Emily teaches all the moves in 'add on' style where you learn a base move and go from there. She is a good cuer and instructor who's encouraging and pushes you along.
All up, it's about 45 minutes and you feel good afterward. I wouldn't use this every single day as there are far more challenging routines out there to do more often, but I would do this once or twice a week on days where you want an easier pace of workout but one that's still beneficial.

A nice circuit recovery workout...
Cardio Sculpt Fusion is billed as a low impact, low intensity recovery circuit workout...very accurate description. The full workout runs about 46 minutes. There's also a 25 minute express workout that skips the cardio segments and a couple of the weighted segments from the full workout.

The instructor, Emily Welsh does a decent job cueing the moves. All of the cardio is low impact and easy to do on carpet. The strength moves are the usual newer-Firm compound moves, starting with leg movement and then adding the arms. If you are not very coordinated, you might not like these newer Firms...a lot going on with the arms and legs! I enjoy these newer Firms because I feel like I get a lot done in a short amount of time.

As this is a recovery circuit tape, there's an emphasis on stretching throughout...I really enjoyed this one.

The main reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the music, which is pretty bad. Fortunately, the music level is low enough so...

Good for an Active "rest" day
This is actually Total Body Lite, which is what it should be called instead of Cardio Sculpt Fusion. It isn't a hard workout, but is still good if you are looking for a light way of working out for a day. It doesn't target the arms and the abs as much as I would like, but it is overall a great tape for a beginner or for a light workout.

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Carrie (Decades Collection with CD)

Truly horrifying and scary... makes you think.
Seeing this movie on cable is nothing compared to actually seeing it uncut and rated R. Unlike the ludicrously-conceived sequel, which hit theaters in 1999, this movie does not have a strong emphasis on blood or gore, and there is an evident emotional factor as well. The viewers can actually sympathize with Carrie White as she goes through her adolescent period, endures the hardhips of being the center of ridicule and banter, and her feelings of happiness when Tommy asks her to the prom. Sissy Spacek plays her character to a T, making the emotions believable and realistic. Piper Laurie, who plays her mother, is the pinacle of the tight-fisted parent who allows for nothing degrading to enter into her child's life or mind. Brian de Palma has truly done a marvelous job in recreating the Stephen King classic, and while some factors of the movie and the book differ at different times, there is still a remaining quality of justice done to the novel. This movie will also make some...

The Queen Gets Crowned in Blood Once Again!
The legendary CARRIE in High-Definition! This classic Cinderella story with a dark, supernatural twist to it has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it. It has it all: An emotionally-driven story (unlike most horror films) that takes you to highs, lows, and everything in between, mesmorizing performances by the charismatic Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, and artistic cinematography by director Brian DePalma. It is surely the Ultimate Revenge film with exceptional acting and craftsmanship that puts our more modern movies to shame.

**Video and Audio Quality**

To keep it plain and simple: Carrie on DVD looks more like VHS quality, and Carrie on Blu-Ray looks more like DVD quality. So it never reaches the crisp, crystal clear look of today's Blu-Ray releases, but it is definitely cleaner and finer quality than the DVD. So if you want the best Carrie experience then watch it on Blu-Ray!

**Special Features**

The Blu-Ray disc contains only...

You can't just look at this as a horror movie anymore
This is one of my favorite films. If you've never seen it how lucky you are to still have it ahead of you! If you haven't seen it for years, and remember it as just a dumb teen horror movie, you have the pleasure of discovering how well made and acted it is.

I was one of those who just thought this was a dumb teen horror movie, and was thus surprised when it was the first film we studied in one of my college film courses. Learning how deftly layered and brilliantly directed this movie is was in large part my first awakening to how interesting and well-done horror and other dismissed genres can be.

Although this film was considered horror when it came out, now, more than 20 years later, I think you have to look at it as more of a macabre tragic drama, because certainly no one will be scared by it. Many on the IMDb complain that "nothing happens" in the first hour, which I blame on its continuing place in the "horror" genre. Unfortunately, those people are missing...

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Air Gear, Vol. 6: Kill Em Dead

Air Gear was a surprise
I was bored and running out of cash at the time. The only anime I didn't have that I could afford was Air Gear. Air Gear is a pretty good show. I was quite surprised. It's more of an anime about beating up street gangs who just happen to ride roller blades with electric motors in them. I used to ride roller blades in middle school but I never associated it with being tough. These guys and girls really stick it to each other.

The main character, Ikki, lives with a family of sisters. He is a delinquent in a street gang. One day he finds a pair of "At's" in one of his housemates rooms. The story is about him climbing to the top of the AT battle world with his friends.

This series has a lot to offer. It has action, comedy, drama, and a bit of romance. Not as much as Ikki would like though. The animation is good and so is the soundtrack. It has a different kind vibe to it. It's very pop culture oriented and there is a descent amount of fan service. My only complaint...

love the series
love the series excellent wish there was more. excellent anime that makes you want to see it all. try it out

Great anime...horrible ending?
ok...i love air gear the manga is amazing, and so was the anime until it ended. the anime is really good and the animation is done really well, but air gear has the worst ending EVER! the anime has a great plot, but it ends so suddenly (around volume 7 of the manga) Ikki never even gets the wind regalia, nothing happens between him and Ringo, its just kinda frustrating at the end. dont get me wrong. i definitely recommend air gear to any anime fan...just do both me and yourself a favor after you watch air gear vol. 6, continue to follow the story and read the manga or else youll feel like somethings missing.

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