Stargate Atlantis - The Complete Fourth Season

Atlantis, Still Fun And Entertaining, But Where's It All Heading?!
Although the actual DVD set isn't out as of the time I write this, the 4th season finished airing months ago and now since they have the page for pre-order up, I've been kinda itching to write a review.

Well as this season starts off from the 3rd season cliffhanger, it is definately off to an awesome start. Atlantis lost, adrift in space and running out of power. To conserve energy, they shrink the shield down to a small section of the city and then what happens?...Atlantis runs into an asteroid belt! Then to get more power, they actually raid the Asuran homeworld for ZPM's using Dr. Weir! A very entertaining beginning.

While the majority of episodes are hits, such as the episode where a disease causes everyone to lose their memories(Tabula Rasa) or the one where Teal'c comes for a visit(Midway); there are some that fall short of their potential for giving more or are just plain boring! For example: the end-season cliffhanger! This is the first time I've...

Stargate Atlantis Rocks
I think that Stargate Atlantis Season 4 is well worth watching. I would agree with other reviewers that Carter should have been in more episodes (it was fun to see how she and McKay got along). I also agree that I continually expected to see something else on Weir and the Replicators, but it never happened. However, I think overall this season was great. I can't wait to own it on DVD this summer or for the next season. I hope it lasts as long as SG-1, or even longer!

My favorite season so far
I suppose everyone has different expectations, but I can't help but be puzzled by the many negative reviews of season 4. I'm a huge fan of SG-1, but from the beginning I liked Atlantis better (probably because the wraith are just so darn cool), and it is still improving. I thought season 4 was the best yet. If I have any complaints at all, it's that Sam's character was underutilized. She was a great addition to the show (much more pleasant to be around than Weir), but I would have liked to see more of her.

I think the strength of this season was the characters, especially (and as always) Rodney and Sheppard. It was good to see Rodney changing into a nicer person (even as a jerk he was always my favorite). It was also good to learn a little more about Sheppard and to see him in situations that brought out aspects of his character that we haven't seen before. Those two are stellar. Teyla's pregnancy added realism to the character that hadn't been there before, and I thought...

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Blu-ray Book Packaging)

Great Adaptation
Milos Forman has always had a knack for assembling great ensemble casts. This is particularly true in his most critically acclaimed releases (Taking Off, Amadeus and this film). It would be difficult indeed to come up with actors and actresses who were better suited to fill the roles in OFOTCN. This is true in terms of both the stars, Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, and the secondary characters. Who could have been a better Harding than William Redfield? A better Billy Bibbit than Brad Dourif? A better Cheswick than Sydney Lassick? And most especially, a better Chief Bromden than Will Sampson?

I rank this movie as the best of the best of what I consider to be American Cinema's golden decade, the 70s. It certainly won the widest acclaim, with its sweep of the major Oscars for 1975 (Nicholson also won best actor from the New York Film Critics voters that year).

Not to be overlooked is the fantastic job performed by the film's adaptors, Bo Goldman and Lawrence Hauben, who...

Sights, Sounds and Images in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

The film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is adapted from a novel of the same name written by Ken Kesey. The movie carries with it symbolism through color, sounds, and images and the casting could not have been more proper. Jack Nicholson is cast in the lead role as Randle Patrick McMurphy, a ne'er-do-well who goes into a mental institution to finish off his jail sentence. He figures it will be more slack than the work farm. His nemesis is Nurse Ratched, cast and played extraordinarily by Louise Fletcher. The movie does well in incorporating feelings and colors that surround the viewer with the mental institution's atmosphere. And the sounds and images put forth by director Milos Forman add to that ambiance. One of the film's biggest successes lies in the cinematography (or lack thereof). Virtually all the scenes, even when the inmates go outside, are bleak and dreary. The lighting in the institution is the fluorescent,...

BAD HAIR, GREAT FILM
It has taken me nearly 30 years to get round to watching this film, and I genuinely think I appreciate it more for being that much older. It has had accolades for everything -- plot, direction, filming, casting, acting. It deserves them all. It is nothing short of compulsive. The bad guy who has not lost his soul (much less his spirit) is pitted against the embodiment of sanctimonious righteousness who never had a soul to lose.

I wonder whether Nicholson has even yet had full recognition for the truly great actor he is (how many people have even seen The King of Marvin Gardens, for instance?) His screen presence is enormous, magnetic and menacing. He combines outsize testosteronic individuality with the ability to get inside a character, and an electric sense of threat with a real power to tug at the heart-strings. Bad he may be, but unsympathetic never. He is a very big little guy, but he is still the little guy against the system. It must be impossible, surely, to upstage that...

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Mon Oncle Antoine (The Criterion Collection)

ONE OF OUR FEW TRUE CLASSICS
MON ONCLE ANTOINE is about rural life and the coming of age of a teenage boy whose uncle is an embalmer.Slow moving but immensely rewarding;one can feel the director's tenderness for his characters.The film can be hard to appreciate if you don't speak FRENCH or don't know much about the aspects of rural life in QUEBEC and it's mentality..JUTRA the director, plays a little part in the general store.JEAN DUCEPPE who plays ANTOINE was a very well known actor in QUEBEC;he formed his own theater company in 1973 ... Along the way,the teenage boy also makes his sexual awakening in a funny voyeurism scene in which some women comes to the general store to renew their wardrobes.The film remains the director's most acclaim work.JUTRA sadly died of the ALZHEIMER disease in 1986.

One of the best Canadian films ever made
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Mon Oncle Antoine is a film that has been regarded as the best Canadian film of all time. I can say it is one of the best I have seen also.

The film is directed by Claude Jutra and is about a teenage boy living in an asbestos mining town in rural Quebec during Christmas in the 1940's. He works for his uncle who is the town mortician. The film has great cimenatography and has some great scenes of the town.

The DVD has some good special features also on this double disc set.

Disc one contains the film with both the original French language track and an optional English dub, plus the theatrical trailer.

Disc two contains a 2007 documentary on the film's production, a 2002 biography of Claude Jutra, and "A Chairy Tale" a 1957 short film that Jutra co-directed with Norman McLaren. (This film is about a chair the moves around to avoid being sit on.)

This...

Mon Oncle Antoine - a "small" classic
This film has consistently been voted as the greatest Canadian film ever made in various critics polls over the years. Revered New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael hailed it as a small masterpiece upon original release but it is the sort of slow, intimate, character-based drama that has never achieved the sort of wide appeal (outside of Canada) that more plot focused films have. Watching some of the supplementary material on the Criterion Collection disc, it is also clear that there are many cultural references in the film that will mean more to a Canadian (particularly a French Canadian) than to other viewers.

The film meanders amiably along, capturing in unhurried pace the life of rural 1940's Quebec, in this case an abestos mining town. The main characters are Benoit, an orphaned boy, the local undertaker Antoine and his assistant Fernand played by the director himself Claude Jutra.
Eventually the film reaches its big set-piece, a long, extended night sequence where...

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Penelope

Great movie, but disappointing DVD
I give 5 stars for the movie and 2 for the DVD. The movie is a fun fantasy type with awesome visuals and great acting. But, I was very disappointed in this DVD version. I had seen a foreign copy of the movie and was looking forward to having my own clear copy. But they cut out some really great scenes (one that my husband and I were especially looking forward to) and then they don't even have a deleted scenes section! If we hadn't known what we were missing, I suppose we wouldn't have been so disappointed. The scene with the reporter and the real Max in jail is shorted (missing a hilarious interaction). A really neat story point at the end where Penelope reconciles with Edward is completely cut. The birds flying out of the house when Penelope's mom calls after her are cut out (except in the security cameras) - a neat visual. And the scene with the kids at the end is shortened. Those were the scenes that we particularly remember missing, but I think there must have been some...

Unusual, uplifting and fun
This quirky ugly-duckling fable is ideal to see with your 'tween- or teen-aged daughter. Its message of self-acceptance is obvious but not heavy handed, and worth talking about afterward. A modern-day fairy tale, the movie begins with the traditional line "Once upon a time..." but soon becomes a twisted take on Beauty and the Beast. In this case, it's the princess with the curse that turns her ugly. Can she learn to love herself?

Well of course she can. The journey that pig-nosed heroine Penelope travels is not at all believable, but then again fairy tales rarely are. If you give yourself over to the uplifting moral -- that everyone is lovable and interesting BECAUSE of their differences, not in spite of them -- then this film is a treat. The energetic cinematography aptly depicts both grime and splendor, the costumes are loaded with detail (I especially loved Penelope's coat with mismatched buttons)...

Excellent little fairy tale
This is an excellent little fairy tale - filmed largely in London UK about the trials and tribulations of a young girl (Christina Ricci)searching for love and who has to overcome a physical disability - a pig's snout. It is a gentle comedy whose release has been long delayed - it was shown during the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. I look forward to the DVD

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Manana Te Cuento 2

Much better than the first
Usually sequels are horrible, but this one was one step above the first (in my opinion)It isn't held in a house or hotel the whole time and it has 2 main characters not 6. I enjoyed this one......especially Melania Urbina, whatever she did to her hair works for her.





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Giant 600 Cartoon Collection

600 CARTOON LIST
This is from Mill Creek's Giant 600 Cartoon- Special Collector's Edition". Seems the only diff is a free t-shirt & some other things in the Special edition:

DISC 1
Includes Popeye and Betty Boop

# Popeye - 30 episodes
# Betty Boop - 22 episodes:

DISC 2
Includes Tom & Jerry, Mr Piper, The Three Stooges, Casper, Herman, Gabby, Little Audrey, Little LuLu, Felix the Cat and Mr. Bang, Katrinka & The Skipper
# Tom & Jerry - 5 episodes
# Mr Piper - 7 episodes
# Casper - 3 episodes
# Herman - 3 episodes
# Gabby - 4 episodes
# Little Audrey - 3 episodes
# Little LuLu - 2 episodes
# Felix the Cat - 2 episodes
# Mr. Bang, Katrinka, The Skipper - 3 episodes

DISC 3
Contains cartoons with various characters including Baby Huey, Hunky & Spunky, Mighty Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, Raggedy Ann, Heckle & Jeckle, and more!
# Other - 53 episodes:All's Fair At The Fair, Along Came A Duck, Ants In...

Fairly standard Mill Creek product
For anyone familiar with other Mill Creek collections, this is pretty standard. It's a collection of 600 cartoons, of frequently middling video quality and unknown provenance (i.e. you may being seeing the version originally shown, or the version edited for TV 30 years later). The collection is indiscriminate--"Destination Earth" is a propaganda piece by the oil industry, for example--but most of them are fairly typical cartoons. If you have other cartoon collections, this probably overlaps them, if it doesn't include them. Many of these cartoons are available online from legit sources.

Being familiar with Mill Creek, my worst problem with this set was organization. There's no good reason to spread series across several disks, mixed in with other cartoons. No disk is filled by cartoons with one character or by one series, and one typical example, the Popeye cartoons, have 30 cartoons on one disk, 6 on another, and one more on its lonesome.

Is it worth it? If you...

Three Cheers!
I've always been attracted to old cartoons. This dvd has lots of them and many great memories are here. There are cartoons by Paul Terry, George Pal, and others from the early days of movie cartoons. Cartoon characters include The Little King, Felix the Cat, Toonerville Trolley, Betty Boop, Popeye, Casper, Little Lulu, Farmer Alfalfa, and Dick & Larry aka Tom & Jerry (not the cat and mouse). You'll surely find some that you like. Nope...there aren't any Looney Tunes here, though.

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Dallas - The Complete Ninth Season

The Dream Season
Well, here we are finally, at the release of the famous dream season. Now, after my last review where I got down on the last season, I found upon re-watching it that it was really quite good-I think all of Dallas is brilliant in it's way really. So, this season is different to be sure-Leonard Katzman was gone and the style of the show went very glamorous, very Dynasty-esque, and it is not at all like Dallas of before or after in many ways. Lucy is gone and that doesn't matter of course, but Bobby is also gone and that does indeed make a difference. The season itself has of course been hampered in retrospect by the fact that we now know none of it really happens. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of interesting twists and turns that keep the season good dramatically. The only question is how you will react to the different ways that the characters speak and act, and that I've found is more a matter of personal taste than anything else. I am not going to lie that this is...

Dream A Little Dream
Ah the controversial dream season arrives! I guess we're not in Dallas anymore Toto. For that alone this deserves a five-star rating. Admittedly, many (if not all) Dallas fans were deeply conflicted about the show's attempt at adding a bit of gloss to the sudsy goings-on at Southfork. The void left in the wake of Patrick Duffy's departure would be felt throughout the season despite the extra testosterone supplied by Dack Rambo, Marc Singer and the return of John Beck. Interestingly enough, the show's original premise was to have Bobby die following his wedding to Pam, leaving the grieving widow to deal with the Ewings. And while the powers-that-be kept flirting with the idea (Mr. Hagman certainly played it this way for most of the show's run), even going so far this season as to set the perfect stage - the battle between Pam and JR never quite materializes - ill-veiled threats from both sides notwithstanding. While most of the new ideas meant to revitalize the show ultimately caused a...

"Dallas Season 9" - This "Dream Season" Should Have Remained Reality!
"Dallas" Season 9 (1985-86) begins with final goodbyes to Bobby as the Ewing clan come together to pay their respects. This season sees the departure of Patrick Duffy, as Bobby, and the return of the much beloved Barbara Belle Geddes, as she reprises her role as Miss Ellie. Donna Reed, of course, exits the show, and new faces abound as Jenilee Harrison (Three's Company) as Jamie Ewing Barnes, Dack Rambo as Jack Ewing, Marc Singer as Matt Cantrell, and John Beck returns as Mark Graison. As mentioned in the previous reviews, "Season 9" is Pam Ewing's "dream season," and is quiet enjoyable in it's storyline and characters. The return of Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing in the following season, was no doubt an attempt to boost the shows TV ratings and put it back in the top spot. "Dallas" fans have seen "the best" of the series with these 9 season sets, with the shows producers and directors loosing the show's identity with far-fetched shcemes and over-the-top glamour that strays way...

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Held Up

Awesome,Funny Movie
In this movie Jamie Fox or "Michael Dawson" is on vacation with fiancee Rae or "Nia Long" in the middle of nowhere.Until Rae dumps him then, a teenager takes his car and is caught up in a hostage situation it's just a hilarious situation after another!!

funny for the first ride
if you wanna watch this over and over again I , dont...its better if you watch it once. this is about Foxx and his girlfriend leaves him and then he ends up being Held Up by some robbers who are so stupid. the cops come, or should I say uneducated cops come to teh scene. my favorite bit is where Foxx thinks he is grazed with a bullet and it turns out its a dorito chip(the part where the microwave explodes). Jake Busey and Michael Shamus Wiles(military man) add some spark as well.

Side splitting!
I loved this movie. It was funny and loaded with some of the most interesting characters I've seen in a long time. Jamie Foxx is charming and charasmatic. And the rest of the cast are all very talented actors, especially Barry Corbin, who plays the sheriff of the town Jamie gets stuck in. This movie was cleaver and sweet all at the same time. A definate must see for the whole family.

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Red White Black & Blue

I knew nothing about ATTU until I saw this documentary-wow
Red, White, Black, and Blue is a great documentary. I saw this film at a film festival in Boston and was really blown away. The true horific tale of what went on on the Island of Attu with our soldiers against Japan is important to know and learn from. The film is historically important as well as heart felt. We watch a man from that battle go back in today's time to visit the battle ground. Really touching. War sucks. I wish all documentaries were this interesting!

Why didn't we learn about this battle in school?
I caught Red White Black and Blue on PBS a few weeks ago and was hoping it would come back on so a WWII-buff friend of mine could see it. It's a totally unique take on a part of the war that I'm embarrassed to say I knew nothing about. I can't believe they teach students about Pearl Harbor but neglect to mention that a WWII battle was actually fought on American soil.

The subject alone is fascinating, but I was especially impressed with the style of the documentary. Some documentaries are too nostalgic or dry & dates-driven... this one really lets you experience what happened through the memories of two of the men who fought on Attu. My grandfather fought in WWII, so I really appreciated how open the two veterans were. They don't hold anything back, and it makes for a much more realistic and haunting portrait of combat and post-combat trauma than I've ever seen.

A personal view of a forgotten history
I know a good deal about the Second World War but I was unaware of Attu until I saw this film. I always enjoy learning new things but what made this documentary special is the fact that it is a personal story. We see the past through the eyes to two very different men who lived it and we are taken on an unpredictable journey with them.

If you are interested in WW II or you just want to see a good doc, check this film out.

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Hip Hop For Kids: School House Hip Hop

Awesome workout video for kids
I am a first grade school teacher. I have to provide 30 minutes of physical activity three times a week for my students. With the weather getting cold, we are often stuck inside. I bought this video to use during P.E. WOW! The first time I put it in, it was like waving a magic wand. It shows the students how to do the moves and then they put it together. The students were familiar with some of the songs and enjoyed learning the moves. The students still love to do this and beg to use this video for P.E. Today, the chose doing this video over going outside to the playground and having free play. Other teachers in the school are going to buy this video due to the success it has had in my classroom. It has hard to motivate first graders to want to exercise, but this video has done just that! I would highly recommend this to anyone. (I have to admit, it's fun for me too!!)

Chicken noodle soup with some soda on the side!
The children I work with LOVE this DVD, especially the younger ones (K-3rd). The video itself looks like it was made with a home video camera and some of the instructions/transitions are confusing... but bottom line - the children think it's the greatest thing in the world... and wish it was longer. One of the best purchases for our after school program.

Specifically designed as a beginner's introduction
Hip Hop music and dance continues to increase in popularity among children ages five through fourteen. Noting that trend, Hip Hop star Roger G. has joined up with dancer/mom Liz Milwe and film director Michel Negroponte to create "Hip Hop For Kids: School House Hop!", a superbly presented, full color, live action DVD showcasing the latest Hip Hop moves broken down into easy-to-follow, step-by-step, thoroughly 'kid friendly' instructions that use repetition along with verbal and visual instruction. Roger G. and his team of young, talented, dancers provide lively demonstrations of the latest Hip Hop moves such as Chicken Noodle Soup; The Snap; Walk It out, and more. Young viewers will learn how to dance freestyle, break and spin. Specifically designed as a beginner's introduction, "Hip Hop For Kids: School House Hop!" will have even the most sedentary youngster up off the couch and bouncing around the floor having fund while benefiting from the exercise. With a total running time of 45...

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The Bank Job [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy

...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...

A refreshing surprise...exciting and thoroughly entertaining!
THE BANK JOB is a bit of a throwback to a different kind of crime movie. In this day and age, most heist movies are super high-tech (THE ITALIAN JOB, any of the OCEAN'S movies) and usually an occasion for big name stars to do a little slumming. They may be lots of fun, but they are also sleek and modern. But THE BANK JOB takes place in 1970, and it is a gritty little period piece.

There's no mistaking it for a film actually MADE in 1970. There's too much graphic sex and nudity, the language is too harsh. Also, star Jason Statham's hair isn't what you'd see in the 70s. But it feels very specific to its time and is refreshingly low tech. Jackhammers, shovels, walkie-talkies. It's in a time WAY before computers on every desk and cell phones in every pocket. No internet. No email. Just rotary dial telephones. A time before criminals worried about leaving DNA evidence behind.

It's based on or inspired by the true story of the most lucrative bank robbery in...

The good reviews from critics were right
I wasn't really interested in The Bank Job until I caught Ebert and Roeper on the tube and heard mucho praise from Richard Roeper, as well as, the guest critic at the time. I wouldn't put this on my top ten of the year list, but it was suspenseful and downright entertaining from start to finish. I'm not the biggest Jason Statham fan, mainly because he always looks and sounds the same in every role, but here he shows a little more range and is quite likeable. Overall, this is a worthy rental that got overlooked by many during it's theatrical run.

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Reno 911 - The Complete Fifth Season

Absloutely hysterical
You'd figure after a few years on Comedy Central and even having their own feature film would slow down the crew behind Reno 911, and you'd be wrong. The fifth season of Reno 911 finds the incredibly inept deputies of the Reno Sheriff Department in more mayhem, beginning with the continuation of whether or not Garcia (Carlos Alazraqui) stole Dangle's (Thomas Lennon) husband, while Weigel (Kerry Kenney-Silver) tries to pan off her baby. Other developments this season include the ladies of the department get new kevlar vests that have an unexpected "enhancement", the deputies working undercover to "patrol" the Mexican border, and training policemen for Baghdad. What really makes this season stand out however are the excellent and hilarious guest stars, which include George Lopez as Reno's filthy mayor, Diedrich Bader as the "Dog: The Bounty Hunter"-type Tommy Hawk, and a hilarious Seth Green as the manager of a fast food joint that Jones (Cedric Yarbrough) and Garcia have to work for...

Another Great Season
If you own the first four seasons, then I highly recommend adding this one to your already growing collection. There are tons of guest apperances threw out this season, if you didn't watch this season when it aired on tv, and are seeing it for the first time on this dvd set, then you'll be surprised, like I was. This set is packed with 16 great episodes, over 40 min. of extended scenes and lots more

They're at it again!!!
Another satisfying entry in the "Reno 911" saga. Our usual gang of inept cops do their awkward best to keep crime off the streets in their fair city. By now, devout fans are probably able to predict how scenes will conclude given 4 seasons worth of similar material, but there are some fresh ideas and fun new exploration here. Be sure to add it to your collection!

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Never Forever

Interesting little film
There's something about 'Never Forever' that was so intriguing to me- I rented it and watched it 3 times. I later decided I really wanted to own it.

Vera Farmiga plays Sophie Lee, an upper class woman married to a successful Korean businessman who is troubled and depressed. The couple desperately want children but the husband is unable to make Sophie conceive. After his suicide attempt, Sophie steps well out of her comfortable world and in desperation secretly propositions a poor illegal Korean alien to get her pregnant. It is amazing to watch her and her 'hired man' move from total strangers 'in business' to an unexpected and very passionate love affair which opens a fresh world for Sophie, free from her husband's controlling nature. I highly recommend it.

Acts of Love
NEVER FOREVER is a well-developed, well-written and well-directed film by Gina Kim, and with an actress with the stature of Vera Farmiga in the difficult lead role, it is frustrating to see that this fine film didn't last on theater screens. But as with many of the other treasurable small independent films, this one feels even better in the privacy of the home - the small screen somehow allows the powerful emotions of the story to be more focused.

Sophie (Vera Farmiga) is the beautiful Caucasian wife of wealthy and respected Korean Andrew (David Lee McInnis) and the couple seem to have it all - looks, a close-knit family, beautiful home, etc. - but there is an underlying tension: Sophie and Andrew have been unable to conceive and bear a child, a fact that troubles Andrew's very orthodox Christian family and profoundly affects Andrew's sense of worth. Though the couple has sought professional assistance, their marriage remains barren. Andrew's fragile stance results in a...

Terrific love story
I agree with the other reviewer that if it weren't for Netflix, I wouldn't have discovered this film. After watching it, then rewatching it online, I was lucky enough to find it in a sale bin at Blockbuster. Vera is absolutely magnificent as the passionate wife of a Korean American who wants desperately to give him the child that both he and his family expects. He's infertile, so she pays an illegal immigrant Korean to impregnate her, Jung Woo-ha (who is a well know actor in Korea), and what starts as business becomes something else entirely. The music is wonderful and this is a strong writing of love happening despite one's intentions.

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Shutter (Widescreen Unrated Edition)

Tired of Horror Movie Snobs - This Movie Wasn't That Bad!!!
Ok, I hesitated buying this movie because of the reviews here and from what I had heard. I own the original Thai release of this movie and love it. I decided to buy this movie and I'm not sorry that I did. It is not that bad. The photography was good, the effects were good, the actors were good...the story is not original, it is borrowed...but then again so are most the stories out there. I liked the twist on the ending that this one had. Give this movie a chance and don't listen to horror movie snobs who probably only give a 5-star if peoples limbs are hanging on by a thread and there are buckets of blood and guts. If you want a good movie about a ghost haunting someone that did them wrong, then you won't be sorry with this movie.

Check It Out!
I wanted to buy this movie, so I figured I would check out some reviews here on Amazon.

After reading said reviews, I was somewhat discouraged and thought renting might be a better idea. Since I knew I would at least enjoy the location shots in Japan, renting wouldn't be a waste.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed this movie. It may well have some minor plot flaws, but what movie doesn't? All in all, I found it intriguing and pretty well-paced. To me it was as much a mystery as a horror flick. Having both those elements is what maintained my interest.

I've never seen the original Thai movie; however, now I intend to buy both versions. Even my husband and daughter liked it!

Maybe this movie isn't one everyone enjoyed, but sometimes it's a good idea to check it out for yourself.

Closest American remake to an Asian original since Ring, but still lacks the atmosphere to pull this off.
Shutter (Masayuki Ochiai, 2008)

You know, it's funny reading IMDB commentary on remakes of Asian horror films; it often seems like half the commenters are unaware the movie is a remake, and the other half are attacking the movie for things that are identical to the original film and talking about how bad they're messed up in the remake. It makes you wonder if anyone has seen either version. Well, I have. Both of them, in fact. And for an American remake, Shutter is actually not awful. Like most American remakes of Asian horror films, however, it is entirely unnecessary.

Ochiai, whose last film was the highly underrated Infection, comes eastward to direct this remake of the 2004 Thai film of the same name. In this version, which is relatively faithful to the original, a photographer named Ben Shaw (Fringe's Joshua Jackson) and his new wife (Transformers' Rachael Taylor) go back to Ben's old stomping grounds in Tokyo for Ben to take a photography assignment. On the...

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Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation & Journey Starring Delbert McClinton

Rocking on the High Seas
Short of being there,this film offers viewers an exceptional look at one of America's musical treasures and best kept secrets, Delbert Mclinton, who's been wowing audiences around the world with his own unique blend of blues,rock,country and blue eyed soul since the late fifties. Fifty years and three Grammys later, fronting the tightest band in the business in venues large and small, there is no doubt he leaves fans both exhilarated and exhausted, wanting more. I cannot strees enough, this movie is about the music,not the cruise. If you are looking for a travelouge,look elsewhere.If you are looking for three hours of some of the best musical performances available on land or sea from Delbert and his like minded musical cronies,all at the top of their game, buy this film.Producer/Director Jay Curlee's labor of love,expertly crafted visually,and,presented in Dolby 5.1 surround sound and DTS deserves to be played loud and often. Do yourself the favor. You won't be sorry.

awesome entertainment...
I AGREE WITH THE OTHER REVIEW THAT THIS IS SOME AWESOME ENTERTAINMENT. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT THIS DVD IS THE TALENT ASSEMBLED. ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS PAUL THORN. HE HAS A LIVE DVD OUT AND IT'S GREAT MUSIC.CHECK IT OUT. I WISH JIMMY HALL WOULD DO A LIVE DVD AS WELL. DON'T WAIT, BUY THIS DVD TODAY.................

Top notch music and conversation
I don't write many reviews, but not enough people have given Delbert the respect he should have in this business. This is a great video and I didn't have any sound problems as mentioned in another review. This is a delightful combination of music and conversation - just like I would expect if I was on one of Delbert's cruises. This has helped me discover some artists I had not known before, so if you like a good time and can't get to see Delbert and friends live, this is a good alternative. If your feet don't move to the music, you must be DEAD!

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Birds of Prey: The Complete Series

MEANWHILE...back at the Clock Tower!!
After five long years of fans begging and pleading, the way too-short TV series Birds of Prey is getting a complete DVD release! The news is truly worth shouting about.

Loosely based on DC Comics and a variety of other sources with a touch of Marvel's the X-Men thrown in, the series continues the legend of The Batman.

We enter the future, dark and fantastic world of New Gotham City. Long after The Batman has driven himself into exile, his legacy lives on in the form of the Birds of Prey - Black Canary, Oracle, and the Huntress.

From the creators of the CW hit Smallville, Birds of the Prey was produced in 2002 for the now defunct WB, but had only 13 episodes before cancellation. Since then, its devoted fan base worked tirelessly to have the series released on DVD. It was a really exciting action show, breaking new ground because ALL of the lead characters were women.

This boxed set collects all 13 episodes and a never-collected-on-DVD before...

A good concept that just needed a bat-boost
By the time they finished airing the new episodes I was sad to see it go. This was a show that would eventually build on the character driven stories to show some fine performances by the leads. The interplay between the characters was well balanced and entertaining. The addition of Mia Sara as Harley toward the end of the series was fantastic. Great villians make for great heros. Nice casting.

I waited a while to see a decent program with Dina Meyer as a lead. This was that show for me. Ashley and Rachel both seemed to dive into their parts with some flair. With Alfred and the detective rounding out the regulars.

My one criticism was that (especially on my recorded tapes) the sound volume seemed to be very low at times. Not so, with other shows I had recorded. I had to rewind and turn the volume up to catch a joke spoken "under the breath" more than once. Worth the effort, but not something I would expect the casual viewer to go through.

The start was...

Never given the time and opportunity to grow
Despite the many liberties it took with DC mythology, Birds of Prey displayed a boat load of promise, but sadly got the axe before it had the chance to grow into something special. The story revolves around Helena Kyle, AKA The Huntress (Jericho's Ashley Scott), who just so happens to be the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. She joins forces with the wheelchair-bound former Batgirl Barbara Gordon (Dina Meyer), and the telepathic Dinah (Rachel Skarsten) to fight crime in Gotham City when Batman mysteriously disappears. Other familiar faces from the Batman world appear also throughout the course of the series, including trusty butler Alfred (Ian Abercrombie), Harley Quinn (Mia Sara), and even the Joker (played by Roger Stoneburner with the voice of Batman: The Animated Series' own Mark Hamil!), but there were often times when the show just felt as if it wasn't sure of what it was. Granted though, Birds of Prey never came off as cheesey and sugar-coated as Smallville, and by the time...

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South Park: The Complete Eleventh Season

An Amazing Season
With almost every season of South Park you always have the odd one or two episodes that weren't really that good. Season 1 it was Weight Gain 4000, Season 2 it was Terrence & Phillip in not without my Anus and so on, as with all seasons although you have the bad episodes, you always have your personal favourites but Season 11 is in my personal view the strongest and most unique season to date. With episodes ranging from racial controversy to a trilogy of episodes setting the boys in Imaginationland and ended up with its own DVD releases.

Episode 1: With Apologies To Jesse Jackson: This is a Randy Marsh episode and shows the true no holds barred attitude that Matt Stone & Trey Parker have towards writing an episode. Randy is on an episode of Wheel of Fortune and accidentally uses the N word, which causes an uproar and singles Randy out as "That N***er Guy." This episode is obviously a reflection on the American society in relation to the N word and satires the whole subject,...

Still the funniest animated show on TV today
Even in it's eleventh season, South Park manages to still be the funniest animated show on TV today. Proof of that statement can be seen in the opening episode, appropriately titled "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson", in which Stan's dad Randy goes on Wheel of Fortune, and gets the wrong idea. If you've never seen this episode before and are easily offended, well, I suggest you don't watch it. For the rest of us though, this episode is worth the price of admission alone. Not to mention the simply brilliant "Imaginationland" trilogy of episodes, as well as the very funny "Cartman Sucks" and "Lice Capades"; which once again find creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker not only pushing limits, but obliterating them. Matt and Trey also have a fine time spoofing things as well, including 24 with "The Snuke", zombies with "Night of the Living Homeless", Bono's work (and their Emmy win) with "More Crap", 300 with "D-Yikes!", and the mega-popular Guitar Hero with "Guitar Queer-o". The season...

South Park, "Night of the Living Homeless" on Unbox
This episode had been recommended to me long ago, but I did not rent it because I did not want to commit to watching a whole DVD's worth of Southpark. $1.99 bought the unbox episode (cheaper than the cost of gas): Kyle gives a homeless guy $20 and soon afterward South Park is overrun with homeless. Cartman is as charming as ever, striving to vault his skateboard over the most homeless. The town council proposes the standard, mindless responses typical of city bureaucracy (designer sleeping bags, and such), and the homeless continue their undaunted chanting, "Spare Change? God Bless." So it's up to the boys to travel to a nearby town to seek the solution. Unbox has been flawless for me.

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Family Favorites 100 Movie Pack

Good family fun, especially if your family is snowed in at an Antarctic Research Station for a few months
Admiral was a Lady, The(1950) Rudy Valee Edmund O'Brien
Adventure Island(1947) RHonda Fleming Rory Calhoun
Adventures of Gallant Bess, The(1948) Cameron Mitchell Fuzzy Knight Audrey Long
Africa Screams (1949) Bud Abbott Lou Costello Hillary Brooke
Against a Crooked Sky(1975) Richard Boone Geoffrey Land
Alice of Wonderland in Paris(1966) Carl Reiner
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland(1972) Dudley Moore Peter Sellers Fiona Fullerton
Beyond Tomorrow(1940) Charles Winninger Maria Ouspenskaya
Big Chance, The(1933) Mickey Rooney J. Carroll Naish
Big Trees, The(1952) Kirk Douglas Edgar Buchanan Alan Hale Jr.
Bill Cracks Down(1937) Grant Withers Beatrice Roberts
Black Pirate, The(1926) Douglas Fairbanks Billie Dove
Blacksmith, The(1922) Buster Keaton Virginia Fox
Borrowers, The(1973) Eddie Albert Dame Judith Anderson
Boys of the City(1940) Leo Gorcey Bobby Jordan
Brideless Groom(1947) The 3 Stooges...

CROSBY, HOPE, LAMOUR, AND MORE FROM CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
This is the same Mill Creek "100 Family Favorites" collection that was previously issued with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire on the cover except this release pictures Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, and Bing Crosby on the cover (am VERY happy to see the wonderful Lamour pictured as a full-fledged star member of the Road team which isn't always the case in Road movie releases on dvd). This is a very good collection of films but please note these are "public domain" titles which means they are no longer copyrighted (at least most of them) and aren't made from studio masters so don't expect perfection in picture quality. Still, for the price you can hardly beat it if you enjoy vintage movies. (Also note a few of the "movies" such as those with Shirley Temple, Rin Tin Tin, and W. C. Fields are not feature-length films but short subjects running from 5 to 15 minutes).

Highpoints of the set include the pre-stardom (although she is the lead in most of them) Shirley Temple shorts, the...

great collection
Don't look for large, fancy DVD labels and individual sleeves. This collection is packed into one box, with one little booklet to tell which disc is which. But, you cant beat the price, and the disc quality is good.

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Oakland Gone Wild: Super Hyphy Edition

T MARTIN
IF U LIKE TO SEE A LOT OF CARS DOIN COOKIES ITS FOR U THATS ALL THEY DOIN HOGS AND HOES WAS A LOT BETTER BY FRENCH BRAIDS FROM THE BAY ALSO





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The Mummy (Deluxe Edition) [Blu-ray]

New 2-disc Deluxe Edition due out on July 8th, 2008
There was already a 2-disc "Ultimate" Edition of The Mummy back in 2001, but it's no longer available. The upcoming release of The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor has prompted Universal to release a new edition of The Mummy with the major special features from the Ultimate Edition plus a few new ones. It will be only in widescreen (the Ultimate Edition had both wide and full).

The Mummy is a peculiar movie, an Indiana Jonesish adventure originally intended as a low-budget remake of a 1932 horror film called The Mummy (also being released in a new Special Edition) that got spun in several directions before Brendan Fraser and huge special effects were settled on. Fraser plays an adventurer with the French Foreign Legion in 1920s Egypt who gets into serious trouble with, among other beings, a mummy (sort of) with terrible powers. Rachel Weisz plays the beautiful Egyptologist who both causes trouble...

Terrific movie with a sharp looking transfer
"The Mummy" receives a very nice look Blu-ray transfer for this new edition of the movie. Capturing the adventurous elements of films like "Indiana Jones" and injecting it into the basic story for the 1932 film "The Mummy", Stephen Sommers creates a terrific, enteraining film. For those interested in a synposis of the plot, I'll provide it at the end of the review because you've probably already seen this.

The Blu-ray transfer looks quite good here with bold colors that more closely recall the original theatrical presentation than the DVD. The image is crisp and while there's evidently some digital noise reduction applied, Universal hasn't completely cleaned away all the film grain which is a good thing because when that's done you actually lose sharpness and clarity (it is restored with a loss of detail via Edge Enhancement like the recent reissue of "Patton" which went overboard with digitally cleaning up the film). The best thing that Universal could have done here was...

If you love action and a bit of suspense, The Mummy's a must
No doubt about it, this is a sharp flick. All the ingredients come together to make this a very entertaining film. Naturally there's plenty of action which takes place against some great sets and is enhanced by impressive special effects. But there's also a good deal of suspense (as you would expect in a Mummy movie), and plenty of humourous one-liners as well.

It's sort of like a '90s version of Indiana Jones and will probably be considered just as much a classic in years to come.

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Abel's Island / The Dancing Frog

I loved this book!
My childhood friend Erin and I used to read this book over and over when I was about 10 years old. The DVD version follows the story perfectly! I ordered one for Erin as well. She was so excited!!

Abels' Island is one of my all time favorites
This is a kids story with a love story in it's core. Great for children and adults alike. We borrowed this from the library, and after watching we just had to have our own copy. This is a wonderful adaptation of the book by William Steig, Abel's Island. In the story a mouse named Abel gets stranded for a year on a deserted island, and learns to survive while realizing the most important thing in the world to him is the love of his wife. My 9 year old son loves to watch this story, since it has plenty of adventure to keep the kids interested as Abel has to learn how to survive. He is a spoiled rich mouse, who does not know how to fend for himself, yet he has become a Robinson Crusoe of sorts. He fights off an owl determined to eat him, and never stops trying to find a way off the island. Abel teaches himself create fire, to find and store food, build shelter, and to make pottery to eat with. He has to make use of his time and he finally learns he has an artistic side which brings him...

an Oldie AND a Goodie!
This is one of about 10 DVD's we constantly replay in our home. We bought the book and love it, too. What we love about the DVD is that is is 90% music and 'stop shot' pictures from the book itself, with 10% slow, deep, male, British narration. It gives you enough time to think, and the words are ponderful :) The pictures are as sweet as the story line. The theme creative. You will not be disappointed in wither the book or the movie. In fact, they are a beautiful complement to each other.

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Garden Story

Inspiration From the Garden
Garden Story is a wonderful production from PBS. Each episode inspires the gardener and non-gardener alike to explore the impact green areas measure on our souls. The format lends itself for group discussion and perhaps an inspiration to form some sort of "garden action plan". The photography is beautiful and the entire work is well edited

Beautiful garden stories from the heart
I watched this show intially on PBS and then just had to have the DVD. It is a wonderful tribute to gardens and gardeners. The stories are touching and inspirational and I would highly recommend!

Pretty good DVD
The old woman narrating it is the only down side. She likes the sound of her own voice too much. It gets annoying.

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Heathcliff: The Best of Heathcliff

I loveeee Heathcliff!
I grew up watching HEATHCLIFF after school everyday in the 80's...The theme song itself brings me joy! I wanted to cry wishing I was a kid again (Smile)
I bought this DVD not just for myself but for my kids to learn a little more about the cartoons I watched as a kid. Needless to say all three of my kids love the DVD so much even the tune is so catchy that I overheard my 6 year old humming to the theme song while brushing his teeth before bed...lol.
I recommend this DVD to every parent that have small children in their home. They will love HEATHCLIFF and most of all the theme song.
I just wish the DVD was subtitled or closed captioned for the hearing Impaired since I lost my hearing at 12 years old. I still do remember a little bit of the song though. (Smile)

worth the price
I remember watching this as a kid from a VHS tape someone made for me. I bought this for my daughter to watch and she enjoyed it.

Came in great shape
I bought this cartoon because, I remembered watching these cartoons as a child.HA HA I wished I remembered how bad the quality of cartoons were in the 80's!! The movie did come on time though and was in great condition.

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The Dick Francis Thriller - The Racing Game

Especially recommended to Dick Francis fans, mystery buffs, and community library DVD collections!
A superbly produced production, "The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game" is a six episode, two volume boxed set that originally aired in the U.S. on the PBS award winning series 'Mystery!' in its 1980 inaugural season. Sid Halley is a star steeple chase rider who suffers a career-ending injury that ends his riding career and launches him into life as a private detective who specializes in all manner of race track mischief from bookies, to blackmailers, to murder. From top-notch acting, to spot on set designs, to a meticulous attention to Dick Francis' original story, "The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game" provides a bit more than five hours of riveting entertainment and is especially recommended to Dick Francis fans, mystery buffs, and community library DVD collections!

Great series
Loved this series. Very true to the Dick Francis Mysteries that featured Sid Halley. I've seen the other "movies" that were based on Dick Frances works and they were horrible. Barely recognizable as being based on his books. Watching this series was pure pleasure. Well written and well acted. Sure wish there were more!

Dick Francis? Brilliant as always!
As a long-time devoted fan of the complicated Dick Francis books, I was hesitant to try a TV version of the stories, wondering how any of his stories could be condensed into an hour. I need not have worried, the stories are up to standard and the Halley character with his "bionic hand" is well done and believable.
Well worth the purchase!

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Comedy Classics 100 Movie Pack

A few of the highlights of this above average collection.
Honestly not all these comedies are actual "classics". Some have not held up too well over the years and the humor is more than a bit creaky. But some have held up rather well and others are just so unusual or unlike the comedies that are produced today that they're just plain interesting and fun to watch. Overall this is a good set. Here are a few of the highlights.

GHOST PARADE: A very quick(18 minutes) little comedy about strange and inexpilcable goings-on at a haunted mansion. It's directed by Max sennet and while not a hidden gem it's fun and fast.

MILLION DOLLAR KID: This is a Bowery boy's movie that puts more emphasis on the laughs. The boys befriend a millionaire after saving him from a mugging, but later they suspect that his no-good son was involved in the robbery. The boys decide to "wise him up". It's quick, energetic and fun

MY MAN GODFREY: A ditzy but warm hearted socialite hires a homeless man to work as her eccentric family's butler...

Hollywood comedy films from the Teens to the Fifties
MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT's COMEDY CLASSICS 100 Movie Pack is primarily a repackaging of their COMEDY KINGS 50 Movie Pack and COMEDY CLASSICS 50 Movie Pack. Exceptions are "Ghost Parade" and "La Cucaracha," which don't appear on either set. Also, the groups of shorts that were once called "Festivals" (Buster Keaton, Keystone Kops, Stan Laurel, Fatty Arbuckle and Our Gang) are here detailed as individual movies, thus bringing the total film count up to 116.

Transfer quality of MCE's public domain movies is uniformly good. Their dual-side recorded discs usually contain two titles per side and are housed in gloss-coated heavy paper sleeves. Easy access storage boxes are sturdy and remarkably compact. A small percentage of these are obviously dubbed from broadcast TV, thus you may see the "In Stereo Where Available" logo at a movie's...

Laugh, Laugh, Laugh!
You wont' stop laughing with this set and a great value for the price. Packaging was excellent and the DVD picture quality is fine.

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The Marzipan Pig / Jazztime Tale

Delicious!
I came across The Marzipan Pig on cable TV years ago. Unfortunately the visual reception was bad--the picture was all zig-zag and I couldn't see a thing. But the narration was SO lovely that I couldn't change the channel.

I've been longing to see it ever since. Now it is on DVD so I got a copy from Amazon to watch with my 10 year-old nephew and 6 year-old niece. I forewarned them it had a couple sad parts but a good ending. They were both A-OK with the whole thing. We were not disappointed--the animation was as charming as the narrative. My niece was captivated by the dancing mouse. And we all enjoyed the poetry and alliteration of the spoken sentiments.

The Marzipan Pig remains a timeless treat. Highly recommended!

An absolutely lovely tale for children
I saw this on television when I was 5 years old. At the time I found it very peaceful and calming. My thoughts have returned to it here and there in the years since, until I finally went and bought it again. The narrative is gorgeous, as is the animation. The story is of a marzipan pig who falls out of sight and longs to be found; a mouse eventually discovers him but hungrily eats him. However, the spirit of the marzipan pig still influences all those who come into contact with the mouse, spreading love to the most unexpected places.

According to another reviewer, their daughter had nightmares from this. I find that quite amazing, considering how gentle and soothing it is, but all kids are different after all, and the ends of bell curves are far away. If your child is very sensitive and easily upset by the idea of a mouse eating a pig-shaped sweet, don't let them watch this. Otherwise, they will enjoy this absolutely lovely tale. Animation for children is so loud and...

Tim Curry Is Excellent!
Came across this short on one of the HBO Family channels by sheer random luck. I've been enamored with the short and narration by Tim Curry ever since. The style of it combined with Tim Curry's voice talent is very enchanting. Highly recommend!

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Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Special Days

Great show for preschoolers
This Nick Jr show is great. My son likes it as much as Dora. Each episode is interactive (I think even more than other shows, like Dora)--Kai-Lan gets viewers involved with things like helping her count or pick out certain colors or shapes. A few physical movements (reaching for things, etc) are promoted too. But the primary plus is how it focuses on social and emotional development--one episode has a theme of managing anger, another of helping out your friends, etc. And the song that is interwoven throughout the episodes (the words change for each episode, but the tune is the same) is quite catchy. And I have learned a few Mandarin words!

Episodes:

Dragonboat Festival -- Rintoo gets angry when he loses a dragonboat race. Kai-lan helps him calm down so they can all meet Mr. Dragon at the end of the festival.

Beach Day -- On a trip to the beach, Tolee gets mad when the waves knock over his sand castle, so the others help him calm down and...

Crazy good for your kid to learn how to deal with frustration
Until now, if you were, say, a 1st-generation Chinese parent who wanted their 2nd-generation, fully-immersed kid to watch Chinese DVDs targeted at English-speaking kids, you had to suffer through a few noble but failed attempts: Bao Bei the Panda is a notable example, Jade goes to Kindergarten is a little better.

This is great for Chinese language, though not for the vocabulary, but mostly because they use crazy-hard words like "Xue" and other tongue-rolling Chinese sounds and my kid picked it up spontaneously. Of course, we thought she was swearing at first, but turns out she was saying the word for shoe (or more appropriately, the word for slippers/sandals).

Anyhow, that's not the best part of these videos, which is a refreshing surprise. While Dora, Diego, and Blue all teach your kid to basically follow a three-part mystery, and prepare them for a lifetime of watching CSI or Law & Order, Kai Lan and her friends teach them much more valuable lessons...

Great show but warning on some of the behavior of the characters
In Ni Hao Kai-Lan Super Special Days, I like the idea of a Chinese kid's show teaching a few Chinese words here and there, but the goal of the show is not to teach a new language. It's about a Chinese girl and her adventures with her friends and family while introducing a few Chinese words. It's similar to Dora and her adventures while teaching a few Spanish words.

My kids (twin boys-5 years, girl-3 years), especially my daughter, enjoy the show very much. There are lessons to be learned about being polite, calming down when you're angry, helping friends, being creative, and having fun. However, because there's a lesson to be learned, one of the characters has to act naughty before he learns to behave....that's where the trouble begins for me.

Of course this could happen in any child's video, but for some reason my kids mimic all the bad behavior exhibited in the Ni Hao Kailan videos. For example, in the Dragonboat Festival, Rintoo is "so mad" when he doesn't...

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Felon

'Prison desensitizes you'
Writer/Director Ric Roman Waugh may not have a large number of completed films under his stuntman belt, but if FELON is any indication of the quality of work we can expect from him, it seems he has a solid future. There are many films about prison life and prison breaks that keep coming down the pike, but few of them have the quality of being character studies of how prison affects the minds and lives of both those incarcerated and those on the outside who must deal with the realities both concurrent and future of living in the shadow of ultimate effects of prison experiences. FELON is a strong character-based prison drama.

Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is a young man on the rise: he is planning to marry the mother Laura (Marisol Nichols) of his child Michael (Vincent Miller), his small business is finally becoming successful, and his family life is happy. One evening Wade's and Laura's sleep is interrupted by an intruder who steals Wade's wallet, then runs out of the...

Grim, powerful tale
What would you do?

A young man, just coming into his own, with a growing business and a loving young family, wakes beside his fiancee one night with the realization that someone has invaded their home. It all happens so fast: he tracks the burglar, follows him out of the house with a baseball bat, and seeing the man going for what he thinks is a weapon, he unleashes a killer blow to the back of the man's head. The burglar, as it turns out, had no weapon; his only take, the homeowner's wallet. And because the killing blow happens outside the home, the young man is charged with murder.

Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff)has apparently never been in trouble with the law before, past what most of us have; and he enters the world of jail scared and confused. His fiancee, angry with the system,sticks with him (a good performance by Marisol Nichols), shielding their young son from the worst of the truth, and keeping contact going with Wade, which is the only thing that sustains...

Harrowing prison movie with solid acting
I loved prison flicks like "The Last Castle" [with Robert Redford and James Gandolfini], The Rock [with Sean Connery] and Brubaker [with Robert Redford], and so when I saw this at the DVD store, I decided to give it a chance. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised - despite the non-existent hype, this was quite a solid prison movie with an excellent cast.

The story centers around Wade Porter [Stephen Dorff] who plays an average Joe type character, leading a relatively idyllic existence with his fiancee Laura [Marisol Nichols] and his young son. They are preparing to get married and have dreams for their future when it is all shattered one eventful night with a home intrusion. Wade chases down the intruder and swings at the guy with a bat resulting in the intruder's death. Before you know it, Wade is sentenced on involuntary manslaughter charges to a prison term of three years. But, worse things are in store for Wade - on the trip to prison, he inadvertently finds himself...

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Witches Night

Witches Night....
Lately, I've been seeing my share of low-budget movies, especially when it comes to horror. I happen to come across this one so I decided to get it. Yet, when I got it home, I read on the back where someone had said that this movie restored thier faith in horror movies again. I started to regret buying the film. I've heard dozens of comments similar to that and the movie be a real waste of time. Yet, I decided to give it a watch before I'd give it to someone else to deal with. Thankfully, I was proven wrong. This movie was really good movie that kept me interested in the characters and storyline til the thing was over.

The story goes a little something like this....Jim was left at the altar alone by his fiance. So, his friends wisk him up and take him off to some remote woods for some camping and drinking, in search of something to help him get over his loss. They pull over at a small, out of the way convenience store to get some beer when they meet up with a woman named...

Old School Brand (Low Budget) Horror
"Witches Night" begins like any other Horror movie, a group of friends take a roadtrip, get drunk, go places that they shouldn't and end up...
Well, the title alone should be a "Dead" givaway as to where they end up!
Writer/Director Paul Traynor serves up a heaping helping of Old School Horror on a steaming plate of suspense and dread.
Brothers "Jim" (Gil McKinney) and "Bill" (Jeff Christian) are joined by two buddies as they try to cheer up "Jim", whom has just been dumped at the alter. Several beers later, they end up in Wisconsin and decide an autumn canoe trip is the way to go, even though the official canoe rental season is over. "Marge" (Betsy Baker from "The Evil Dead") a local canoe outfitter, feels sorry for them, and rents them a few boats anyway.
While camping for the night, they find out that there is also four beautiful "Women" camping not too far from them. And, would you know it, they all hook up for a late night romp under the Autumn moon.
This...

Fun movie--great story!
I wasn't sure what to make of "Witches' Night" when I got it. The cover intrigued me, though, so I took a chance. I'm glad I did. It wasn't the goriest or most violent movie in the world, but the story was interesting, and very engaging. It was also quite funny, but not in a cheezy way. And for a low-budget movie the acting was really good. Not for those opposed to foul language, or sexual situations. But if you like indie horror, this is worth a look.

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Holly Hobbie & Friends: Hey Girls! Fun Pack

A value pack containing 3 Hollie Hobbie DVDs
This fun pack contains three Hollie Hobbie episodes, i.e. Hollie Hobbie and Friends: Surprise Party, Best Friends Forever, and Secret Adventures. Each story runs approximately 44 minutes and there's the option of English subtitles for the hearing impaired.

The stories themselves are engaging and will appeal to young girls, ages 5-9. This Hollie Hobbie is the great-granddaughter of the original Hollie Hobbie and together with her best friends forms the Hey Girls club. The stories have wonderful themes centering on friendship, the spirit of community, and many other positive messages.

In Surprise Party, Hollie's beloved Aunt Jesse is about to have her birthday and Hollie gets overwhelmed trying to make all the preparations for the party. Her best friends Amy and Carrie would love to help but are hurt by Hollie's increasingly bossy behavior. This eventually makes Hollie realize how important teamwork is.

In Best Friends Forever, Hollie and her friends...

Holly Hobbie & Friends: Hey Girls! Fun Pack
Gave as a gift. I enjoy very much with my grandchildren. They ask to see it again and again.
Geared more towards 3 year olds



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Prison Break: Season Three

Back in the slammer
As the third season of Prison Break begins, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) finds himself back in prison, only this time it's a down and dirty prison in Panama ruled by the tyrannical Lechero (The Wire's Robert Wisdom). Also sharing space with Michael are T-Bag (Robert Knepper), Bellick (Wade Williams), and Mahone (William Fichtner); while Linc (Dominic Purcell) works on the outside to get his brother free at any cost, with the assistance of a mysterious associate (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) who has her own agenda. The third season of Prison Break manages to provide pretty much the same kinds of action, suspense, drama, and twists that fans of the series would come to expect by now; which adds up to this season being a success. However, falling victim to the writer's strike, the third season of Prison Break ends up feeling rushed and somewhat incomplete. At only 13 episodes, this is something to be expected, but it still comes off as noticeable nonetheless. Flaws aside, this is still...

Quite Possibly, the Best Half-Season Ever (no spoilers)
If you are into brutal action, seat-of-your-pants suspense, unexpected twists and turns every 5 or 10 minutes, get this set, block a couple of weekend nights and watch it. My wife and I couldn't stop watching. In fact, we gobbled up all 13 episodes over 2 nights and, when it was all over, we felt like we wanted more.

Michael is a different man in Season 3. Now, he is physically exhausted and emotionally drained, not sick but definitely tired. In Season 1, he generally knew what and whom he was facing; it was he who decided who were his friends, his allies, his enemies. He had studied their biographies and he was totally familiar with the environment and he knew exactly what to expect. He had a well-thought plan and he was implementing it. In 'Season 2' he was still following the plan but his control was slipping. By 'Season 3', he has to live with the consequences of his actions - people have died, people got hurt and more are dying and are getting hurt as the tale is told...

Prison Break - The Third Season
The third season of Prison Break was good television but lacked the key element that existed in seasons one and two and that was Michael's connection to the people around him. In season three Michael is again jailed but with characters that neither he, nor the viewer, really care about. In addition, some characters (not those killed off in the second year of the series)are gone due to the actors' contract disputes and/or accepting spots in other series. Finally, the writer's strike left the series with only half a year and although there is some resolution, overall, it felt weak because it was never intended to be the season finale. Will I buy it? Yes, because it builds hopefully to a better fourth season but as a stand-alone year the third season lacks the plotting quality of seasons one and two.

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CJ7

CJ7........
I like Asian films, don't get me wrong. Nearly all of them, I have, are horror movies, unfortunately. What in the world would possess me to pick up CJ7? Well, someone very dear to me asked me if I had seen it. Seeing as I hadn't, I said no. Then, they went on to tell me what it was about. A movie about a man who desperately struggles to keep his son fed, clothed, and educated despite his struggle to stay employed. When his son asks for a toy that he can't afford, he sets out to find a suitable substitute that's cheaper(i.e. that doesn't cost anything). He returns from the garbage with CJ7, who is no more than a green ball at first. When his son activates this new ball, his son discovers that his new toy is much more than a toy but a magical solution to his family's struggles. Needless to say, I still wasn't sold on it so they went and rented it out. We watched it and, I got to admit, it is one of the best Asian films I've seen in awhile. I ended up purchasing it for my very own. It...

best movie this year up until summer
i already imported this from hong kong and it is a great transfer, actually looks better than it did at the theater i saw it at.

if you like any of stephen chow's other movies (shaolin soccer, kung foo hustle) you will like this one as well. some of the same actors, the same goofy style of acting and over the top theatrics. but this time there is an alien and a nice story. think of a chinese version of E.T. sort of. the part of the little boy in the movie is actually played by a girl and she does a great job.

do yourself a favor and at least rent it, it shouldn't be missed (besides its only 87 minutes long). when i went to the theater, there were only 6 other people in there with me. it really deserved better publicity than it got.

by far it was the best movie the first 6 months of this year until the summer blockbusters started coming out.

Quirky feel-good SF
This amusing Chinese import appeals at many levels. Dicky (the boy's name in the subtitles, at least) lives with his widowed father. The father struggles to make ends meet, while sending Dicky to the best school that he can afford, determined that Dicky will have all the chances in life that the father never had. Dicky struggles too. Poverty makes him odd kid out at school, and small size makes him an easy target for the school bullies. Almost everything more than essentials in Dicky's life comes from his father's knack for salvage - including an odd little toy ...

It would be easy to say too much about this charming movie's plot, especially if you've seen *Batteries Not Included. I leave it to you to watch this self-consciously cute story unfold, all the way to the smiles-all-around ending. The movie's style seems heavy handed, by western standards. Acting and character stereotypes come across as blunt...

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DN Angel: The Complete Collection Box Set

DNAngel... second print
Just a note for future buyers, this contains the very same 26 episodes as the DNAngel box set. It's not a Vol. 2, just a new design, so more like a VERSION 2.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars, is because of it's confusing label as a different volume. This is a wonderful anime and I very much recommend it.

A Solid Watch For All Ages
Daisuke Niwa is 14 years old. He is the next Phantom Dark. Each generation of Niwa males shares their body with the legendary thief, Phantom Dark. Phantom Dark is frowned upon by society as a common criminal. The public doesn't know that he actually steals cursed artwork and artifacts. The young Daisuke has a crush on Risa Harada. Risa only has eyes for the Phantom thief. The one who actually loves Daisuke is the older Harada twin, Riku. Now this dilemma seems simple to me. Tell them both that you are Niwa as well as Phantom Dark. Or just choose the sister you like and be with her. Personally, I think that Risa is a bit shallow and clueless. I would definitely go for the more sincere Riku. I'll let you watch and find out who the winner is. Anyway, for the bond between Dark and Daisuke to be broken, and their duty fulfilled 2 things must happen: 1. Daisuke must steal his sacred maiden, and 2. Dark must defeat his rival, Krad. The drama and action is very good. This series is very...

True Light
D.N.Angel is a random any I found on a store shelf one day and decided to try it. I enjoyed this anime so much, I knew I needed the box set.

D.N.Angel is a great anime, a bit different than most, but very well played. Vic Mignogna voices Dark Mousy. Which made my day because Dark is my favorite. On the DVDs there on voice actor commentary's. But on this box set their are no commentary's. Their are really no extras. But either way, I really enjoyed this box set. And the money I spent on it was deffinitly worth it.

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Adventures from the Book of Virtues The Box Set

Adventures from the Book of Virtues The Box Set
These are amazing stories that help reinforce values that are positive for our children to learn. I was disappointed though that there were only 8 virtues in the boxed set. I had taped the series on PBS long ago and I can safely say that there are over 20 different virtues presented in the series and I was expecting the set. That said, I would highly recommend this boxed set as a great starter set and look for further releases on DVD.

Every family should have a set of these
My older children used to watch these shows on TV. Then they stopped broadcasting the show. Every home, in fact every elementary school should have and use a copy of these stories. Each story has a character building theme and stories from many cultures and religious traditions to convey those messages. There has never been a more critical time than now for children to learn about character.

Fantastic!
I love this series! I bought it for our six-year old daughter to teach her about virtues which are hard to come by in today's society. She loves them and watches them over and over. A great alternative to all the "junk" our children watch today.

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That Girl Season 4

That Penultimate Season
There was a nasty rumor that Shout! Factory was abandoning That Girl when they took a year between season 3 and this release. Thankfully that's not true. The latest boxset has 26 episodes. There are no bonus features. The gang go out to Las Vegas for Ann to perform at the Sands. They really did shoot at the casino so you can get an idea of semi-old Vegas when Louis Prima still ruled. Behold the Impeccable Hair of Ted Bessell!

Hopefully we won't have to wait another year to get the fifth/ final season. That is when Ann lost her bangs and the theme song gained lyrics.

87 Mission Improbable (1) 9/18/1969
88 Mission Improbable (2) 9/25/1969
89 My Part Belongs to Daddy 10/2/1969
90 Nobody Here But Us Chickens 10/9/1969
91 At the Drop of a Budget 10/16/1969
92 Hearing Today, Gone Tomorrow 10/23/1969
93 The Snow Must Go On (1) 10/30/1969
94 Write is Wrong (2) 11/6/1969
95 Shake Hands and Come Out Acting 11/13/1969...

Great Season
While Season Four of That Girl is missing special features, these great episodes more than make up for it. Ann and Donald have grown closer, making the show very romantic. Visually, the show is more cinematic (I wonder how in the world they filmed in always busy Vegas!!!). This is, so far, my favorite season. I am looking forward to season 5.

hooray for season 4!
This has been my favorite show since I first saw it on TV Land a while back. I was so excited to hear that season 4 was coming out and it didn't disappoint! I loved every single second of it! My only problem was that they changed the actress who played Ruthie, but even that wasn't enough to let me give less than a perfect 5 for this wonderful season!

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EliteXC: Uprising - Rua vs. Lawler

great
Good service would definately thier service again! right on time & very propmt can't beat that! Excellent & good price!





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Fastlane - The Complete Series

Not the Fastlane you remember
First let me say that I am a huge fan of Fastlane. I signed all the silly petitions to bring it back on air, to bring it to DVD, and so on. If I knew what they were going to do to the show for the DVD release, I would've kept my mouth shut.

First and foremost, the DVD release does not contain the same music as the aired series. Let that sink in.

So in the pilot episode, you aren't treated to The Vines, Limp Bizkit, and N.E.R.D. as you were on television, but rather some nameless hack band spouting generic platitudes about being "hip". This is ironic, considering the point of the show is to be bombastic and authentic. Instead we get the audio equivalent of "white socks and a Corolla," to quote the show. They don't even have the theme song for the opening credits.

Even worse, the DVD isn't widescreen. This would be fine if the show was originally aired fullscreen. But it was aired in widescreen. This is baffling. I get the music thing; it takes...

No good
DO NOT BUY THE DVD SET OF FASTLANE IT's NO good!
NO widescreen
NO Dolby Digital 5.1 surround Sound
No animated menus
Worst of all they changed the music! the music they used does not work.

Fastlane - THE INCOMPLETE SERIES
DO NOT BUY THIS! Warner Brothers is asking you to buy six discs of a series that is missing ALL of the best music. Sure, this happens a lot, but come on. For Fastlane, the music was one of the main characters. Do not get tempted to buy an inadequate version. I just returned my copy! The set would have gotten NO STARS, but the system made me enter one.

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Batman Begins [Blu-ray]

Batman flies high in excellent BEGINS
Since his first dramatic appearance in Detective Comics in 1939, Batman has grown to become a pop-culture icon. From movie serials in the 40's, to a classic campy TV show in the 60's, to a solid animated series in the 90's, fans have thrilled to the super heroics of this unique character. However, as a film franchise, he has brought results that were somewhat less than impressive creatively. While the Tim Burton directed films, BATMAN and BATMAN RETURNS were stylish and dark, they also suffered from plot holes you could drive a Batmobile through. Then Joel Schumacher introduced a Day-Glo sensibility to the Dark Knight in BATMAN FOREVER, before drowning the character in ludicrous costumes (a Bat suit with nipples???), pun-filled foes, and whiney sidekicks in the lousy BATMAN & ROBIN. By then, Batman as cinematic property had become a laughingstock. Fortunately, indie film director Christopher Nolan reinvigorates the franchise in glorious form in BATMAN BEGINS, a reboot of the...

Flesh and Machinery
Christopher Nolan and his co-screenwriter, David Goyer have chosen to postpone the crossover of Bruce Wayne (a soulful Christian Bale) into Batman until half way through the new "Batman Begins."
And this is a crucial and important step that Nolan puts off until Bruce walks the earth in search of his own personal nirvana... in a sort of Christ-like journey to understand himself and his place in the world after his parents are brutally murdered. It is also from this quest that he acquires the knowledge and skills necessary for him to become a warrior, ready and able to combat the ills and rid his town Gotham of all evil-doers.
Nolan's "Batman Begins" is a more macho, masculine film than were the previous movies, which is not to take anything away from Tim Burton's elegiac, gothic and visionary takes on this story. But Burton's world is/was/ and will always be the world of the dreamer: his Batman is more sinned against than sinning. His Batman needs love and understanding...

Batman is back! **Updated review to BluRay edition**
After years of not having a Batman film and mostly due to the franchise hitting bottom thanks to Joel Schumacher's disastrous "Batman forever" and "Batman and Robin", Christopher Nolan present us his version of the character with an impressive all star cast anda story brilliantly written by David S. Goyer.

The film

There were high expectations for this film before its release as if would it be as good as Burton's films, the truth is, there are no points to compare, Nolan and Burton visions are quite different from each other, but both respect the origins and essence of who the character is.

Goyer took some liberties in the storytelling that could be considered as unforgivable by many fans (Bruce's parents are originally killed after seeing "Mark of Zorro" at the movie theater, a fact that marks Bruce's mind with the idea of a masked vigilante) but also hints at stuff that the previous versions let pass unnoticed, the main focus of this film are the...

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