Mother

Starring:Richard Assad, Paul Collins, Kimiko Gelman, Isabel Glasser, James Gleason (II), Anne Haney, Harry Hutchinson, Spencer Klein, Lisa Kudrow, Ernie Lively, John C. McGinley, Rob Morrow, Joey Naber, Matt Nolan, Danielle Quinn, Debbie Reynolds, Billye Ree Wallace, Laura Weekes, Vanessa Williams
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
When Albert Brooks cast Debbie Reynolds to play his mother in this acclaimed 1996 comedy, the veteran singer-dancer-actress hadn't had a leading film role in nearly 30 years. Brooks had to pour on the charm to persuade her to make a comeback. The results were triumphant for writer-director Brooks and his on-screen mom, who earned some of the best reviews of their respective careers. The movie's about a science-fiction writer named John (Brooks), who's just weathered a second divorce and blames his failure with women on his dysfunctional relationship with his widowed mother (Reynolds). He decides that the best way to improve his romantic future is to move back in with his mother and resolve their simmering differences--a wild leap of logic that seems outrageous to John's brother (Rob Morrow), who has always been their mother's favorite son. As this domestic experiment unfolds, Brooks uses hilarious dialogue to convey a wealth of observant detail about familial tensions and annoying quirks of behavior. Mother is a movie about people who know how to push each other's buttons--all the wrong buttons--and the comedy will be recognized by anyone who's ever been exasperated by one or both of their parents. That means just about everyone, doesn't it? --Jeff Shannon

The Painted Veil
Average customer rating:

underrated

Subtle film, but good.

Spellbinding

A moving story of estrangement & reconciliation...

Excellent!

The Painted Veil
Starring: Naomi Watts , Edward Norton , Liev Schreiber , Toby Jones , and Diana Rigg
Director: John Curran (II)
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Notes on a Scandal

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The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000NOIX48
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Amazon.com

Produced by Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, The Painted Veil works well as a movie--even better as an actor's showcase. The year is 1925. When her domineering mother pressures her to marry, Kitty (Watts) settles for shy bacteriologist Walter (Norton). Then Walter is transferred from London to Shanghai and the lonely and bored Kitty drifts into an affair with married diplomat Charlie (Liev Schreiber). When Walter finds out, he makes a startling proposition: either Kitty accompanies him to the cholera-infested countryside or he'll divorce her. With no other prospects, she comes along on what looks like a double-suicide mission. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil was adapted by Philadelphia's Ron Nyswaner (who knows a little something about infectious diseases). As two previous versions made little impact--despite Garbo's presence in the 1934 melodrama--John Curran's film is sure to stand as definitive. Interestingly, Norton, who studied Chinese history at Yale, chose Watts as his co-star, while Watts chose Curran, for whom she appeared in 2004's underrated We Don't Live Here Anymore. Filmed on location, the handsome production is, in many respects, just as old-fashioned as its source material--sex is merely suggested and Kitty is shocked that their English neighbor (Toby Jones) has a Chinese lover--but the ending packs a feminist twist. Mostly though, The Painted Veil is about the acting, and Watts and Norton, along with Diana Rigg as a disillusioned Mother Superior, have rarely been better. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Based on the classic novel by W. Somerset Maugham, "The Painted Veil" is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple, Walter, a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.

Customer Reviews:

underrated.......2007-07-03

The Painted Veil is another gem to come out this year that was not widely advertised. I found the cast, the scenery, and the story to be different and entertaining. This is not an extremely fast-paced movie, but it was produced with some serious craftsmanship by the two main actors. They did a great job and Liev Schreiber was a nice added touch.

Subtle film, but good........2007-07-03

A bit underwhelming in terms of script, but the acting is superb. The lighting is also excellent.

Spellbinding.......2007-07-03

I have watched this movie three times in the last 24 hours. Everything about it is beautiful and tragic and haunting. I have always been a fan of Edward Norton's, but beginning with The Illusionist and now with this movie, I see how powerful and deep the emotions he portrays are. Both he and Naomi Watts are so perfect for this story, I literally cannot stop thinking about it.

A moving story of estrangement & reconciliation..........2007-07-01

This is a slow paced but beautiful film about marital betrayal, estrangement, reconciliation, forgiveness and love. The cinematography is spectacular, as most of the movie was shot on location in China. Edward Norton and Naomi Watts do a good job as the couple with the tortured relationship. Its pacing and theme will prompt many to dismiss it as a "Chick Flick," but that label does not do justice to this fine movie.

Excellent!.......2007-07-01

I just wanted to give this movie the 5 stars it deserves. I absolutely loved this movie - everything about it was perfect, even it's slow pace which some complain about. Sometimes a movie has to move slowly in order to evoke a certain sense in the viewer. If you want to be totally transported to a different and interesting time and place, then see this movie.

William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Prepare thyself
One of the best presentation of a Shakespeare play
The Full-length Hamlet...
Where Are The Grace Notes?
Excellent

William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Richard Attenborough , David Blair , Brian Blessed , Kenneth Branagh , and Richard Briers
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Hamlet
Twelfth Night
Rome - The Complete Second Season
Becket
Pan's Labyrinth (New Line Two-Disc Platinum Series)

ASIN: B00005JLCI
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Amazon.com

Kenneth Branagh's four-hour production of Shakespeare's full text for Hamlet is visually lush (shot in 70mm, which is rarely done) and full of fascinating story moments that normally get cut from shorter stage versions. (Your idea of what kind of fellow Polonius is may change quite a bit.) The unexpurgated approach is truly enlightening, and Branagh intermittently succeeds at giving familiar moments in the drama an original cinematic spin, including Hamlet's spooky confrontation with his father's ghost (Brian Blessed). (Branagh also imposes some Hollywood glitter on the proceedings by casting the likes of Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Charlton Heston, and Jack Lemmon in the smaller parts.) The pre-Titanic Kate Winslet is very good as the doomed Ophelia, and Derek Jacobi delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance as Claudius, whose character is definitely filled out by the restored material. Branagh's own performance is a little revisionist--some viewers have quibbled with it while others seem fine with it. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Prepare thyself.......2007-06-25

OK...let me get my complaints outta the way, the things that make this film loose a star, first and foremost. After all, it's only my opinion.

I hate the way the Ghost is handled. Too literal...too much is shown. I prefer Zeff's take on the ghost to anyone's. Now that was creepy. This isn't. Also, Branagh has the WORST taste in music in all of Europe. It's embarrassing.

But this is a Hamlet to be seen. It's like no other. Yes, yes...the actors are fantastic, and it is beautiful to behold, like other Hamlets. Branagh's special device... and self challenge for which I applaud him, is to do the entire play. Every word. The whole shebang. In a world where even ABT is editing down their great works of 19th century entertainment, so it won't last longer than your average film I guess, this film is refreshing.

One must prepare for it. It's like going to see Wagner's "Ring" or a Eugene O'Neill play.... you know it's going to be long and intricate. You may become bored at times, but you must know you won't be for long before things pick up again, and paying attention has great rewards. Resolve yourself to meet it halfway. Also, like a Wagner opera, you must accept it for what it is, warts and all. Like a Bach Passion, or a Beethoven string quartet, it is a universe of its own. It is full of nooks and crannies. It is a complete world.

This is the great thing about this version of Hamlet. It's not tidied up for modern sensibilities of theatre. It's sprawling and expansive. The threat from Fortinbras and the entire "players" scene and the scenes on the ship to England....these tentacles from the main plot only add to the complete world of "Hamlet". It's wonderful! It puts it on par with "Lear" [which I've always though better]. It is epic. Art! With a capital "A".

One of the best presentation of a Shakespeare play.......2007-06-22

I had the opportunity to see this film during limited premiere back in December 25, 1996. I still have the program from that time. The 3 theatres to have the honors were The Paris Theatre in New York, The Royal Theatre in Los Angeles and The York Theatre in Toronto. These theatre showed the film in its entirety with one intermission of about 10 minutes. When it went nationwide the following January 24, 1997, it was edited and shorten by about 1 hour.

I must say, watching it for the first time was exciting. The film was amazing and I was intrigue throughout. Keep in mind I was still a young high school student when I first saw this. I enjoyed every aspect of it and did not want to see it end. When the film was first released on DVD or LD, I rented it and it was still good but there is nothing like experiencing it at the theatre and presented the way it was meant to be seen.

The Full-length Hamlet..........2007-06-10

1997's "William Shakespeare's Hamlet" is a full-length production of the original play, running to a daunting but entirely worthwhile four hours.

Kenneth Branagh, veteran of earlier screen productions of "Henry V" and "Much Ado About Nothing", is entirely credible as the melancholy Prince of Denmark, suspecting subterfuge in his father's murder and his mother's rapid remarriage. His delivery of Hamlet's signature sililoquy in a hall of mirrors is his own but excellent. The length of the production allows for a full exploration of Hamlet's behavior and of his plan for revenge; Branagh deserves credit for sustaining the ambiguity of his character throughout. His energy drives what might otherwise have become an exhausting movie, which even includes the timely arrival of the Norwegian Army at the end of the climactic sword fight between Hamlet and Ophelia's brother.

Branagh is supported by an absolutely stellar cast of "name" actors and actresses, including Kate Winslet as the unfortunate Ophelia. Noticing actors like Robin Williams and Jack Lemon in their minor roles becomes almost a little distracting as the movie progresses.

The length of the movie allows for the close exploration of the lavish sets; Blenheim Palace in England stands in for the Elsinore of the play. Period costumes and furnishings are detailed and everywhere in evidence.

This movie is most highly recommended to fans of Shakespeare and of Hamlet, who will be rewarded with an entertaining and quality effort for the investment of time.

Where Are The Grace Notes?.......2007-05-24

I know I'm going to catch hell for this review, but I've tried to watch Branagh's Hamlet twice and quit half way through both times. This is not meant pejoratively, but Branagh's Hamlet is an assault on the senses. He brays and he mews and he mugs for the camera. Where are the grace notes? How can the Dane be such an unsympathetic character? Winslet's Ophelia is a raving hysteric, Polonius a caricature of a hypocrite, Lemmon woefully miscast, his line readings leaden. The soundtrack, always intrusive, at time overwhelms the dialogue. Bigger is not necessarily better. Give me Olivier, even Gibson, any day.

Excellent.......2007-05-21

Though quite lengthy, this version of Hamlet is amazing. Kenneth Branah does a wonderful job acting as Hamlet and Kate Winslet's performance of Olivia is equally appealing. This age old story of trechery, pride, and revenge comes to life in this movie and I would reccomend it to anyone.

Average customer rating:

Even better the 3rd time.
English Humor And Zombies! What a Combination!
A Somewhat Dissenting Opinion
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead
Starring: Kate Ashfield , Tim Baggaley , Nicola Cunningham , Sonnell Dadral , and Lucy Davis (II)
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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28 Days Later (Widescreen Edition)
Dawn of the Dead (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut)
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead
Land of the Dead (Unrated Edition)
Dawn of the Dead (Ultimate Edition)

ASIN: B0006A9FKA
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Amazon.com

British horror/comedy Shaun of the Dead is a scream in all senses of the word. Brain-hungry zombies shamble through the streets of London, but all unambitious electronics salesman Shaun (Simon Pegg) cares about is his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), who just dumped him. With the help of his slacker roommate Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun fights his way across town to rescue Liz, but the petty concerns of life keep getting in the way: When they're trying to use vinyl records to decapitate a pair of zombies, Shaun and Ed bicker about which bands deserve preservation--New Order they keep, but Sade becomes a lethal frisbee. Many zombie movies are comedies by accident, but Shaun of the Dead is deliberately and brilliantly funny, while still delivering a few delicious jolts of fear. Also featuring the stealthy comic presence of Bill Nighy (Love Actually) and some familar faces from The Office. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Even better the 3rd time........2007-06-29

I liked the movie a lot when I rented it. After seeing "Hot Fuzz" by the same team, I knew I had to see the movie again. It's just as good as I remember it and I caught new things watching it again. I invited a few friends over to watch it and they liked it too.

English Humor And Zombies! What a Combination!.......2007-06-28

I was never a huge fan of Zombie flicks. George Romero's Night Of The Living Dead scared me so bad when I was eight years old that I didn't sleep for the next decade. So when it comes to the lurching, head-snacking undead, I tend to steer the other way. Well, too many of my friends have commented on Shaun Of The Dead, so I had to take a look for myself. I'm a big fan of dry British humor and Shaun Of The Dead is packed with that as well as flesh-scarfing zombies. The entire scene where Shaun goes to the liquor store to by his morning drink and completely ignores all the signs (the bloody handprints on the glass of the cooler door, the dead bodies sprawled in the yards and streets) that the zombies have come to roost. Hysterical! Along with his slacker cohort Ed, Shaun decides to go over to his mum's house and rescue her, while taking care of his zombie-bitten step-father with a cricket bat. The laughs, entertwined with the gore, make for one trippy movie. Filled with absurd situations, Shaun Of The Dead will have you rolling while you flinch. Great!

Dig it!

A Somewhat Dissenting Opinion.......2007-06-05

Yes. Rent it or buy it. It's not a bad movie, rather entertaining in fact. You know the plot - standard (by now) end of the world flesh eating zombie flick with a double dollop of dry British humor and sufficient gore. Good script. However, I had a few problems with this movie. First off, it's amusing rather than roll on the floor hilarious as others have stated. Secondly, it is extremely derivative of Romero's films - so much so, that I found it both distracting and a little annoying. Simply, Romero did all the heavy lifting laying the groundwork in his initial trilogy, and this film apes rather than adds like 28 Days Later. This one borders on plagiarism. Goes to the well too often with the overly used "loved one is bitten by zombie and now we have to kill it..." cliche. And, while the production values are surprisingly good, the direction is at a banal TV movie level. You've heard this from critics before - "doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be..." Imagine if Monty Python and the Holy Grail flip-flopped between a silly spoof of the legend of King Arthur and a serious treatment of the mythology like John Boorman's Excalibur. Or, if "Crusher" lops off Curly's head with an ax as The Three Stooges are being chased around haunted mansion, and Moe pauses for a few minutes to tearily weep and grieve the loss of his brother before Crusher sneaks up behind Larry, Moe tells Larry to quit breathing on him, Larry gives his pateneted, "Nyaaaaahh" and they resume woop, woop, wooping in circles around the halls again, stepping over Curly's "corp-us" ; ) to escape Crusher as he weilds his ax.

Entertaining, worth a watch, but to call this derivative work a "homage" is being too kind, it's not as funny as its hype, and it simply flip-flops between horror and comedy to often, too severely, and too jarringly. The direction is also mundane. This one was saved mainly due to its energetic cast and a good script. Still, these criticisms aside, I couldn't say I wasn't entertained.

Shaun of the Dead.......2007-05-30

Consistantly funny, yet amazingly believable, take on a zombie invasion. Characters well drawn and full of subtle details that make rewatching fun.

Shaun of the Dead.......2007-05-28

I originally saw this movie because the previews looked undeniably hilarious. I waited of course until the movie was available to rent because I was cautious regarding the type of humor that might be in the film. I was pleasantly surprised to find the movie wildly entertaining with very little gratuitous humor. This British movies' premise is a spoof of the many American zombie movies (and the single British one), where the main character Sean finds himself battling zombies with presumably his best friend and roommate in order to save his as of recently ex-girlfriend. The mild manner of lead character Sean is ultimately what balances the hilarity of the movie, creating a sense of seriousness on the part of the characters, one which is ultimately the catalyst of humor. It is classic British humor and very enjoyable indeed.

Average customer rating:

Mom's under the bed
beautiful
It is the unexpected that makes the movie good ... but ....
terrific or horrific? - spoiler alert
Almodovar at his best

Volver
Starring: Penélope Cruz , Carmen Maura , Lola Dueñas , Blanca Portillo , and Yohana Cobo
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000N3T0DW
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Amazon.com

Spanish for "Coming Back," Volver is a return to the all-female format of All About My Mother. Unlike Pedro Almodóvar's previous two pictures, the story revolves around a group of women in Madrid and his native La Mancha. (The cast received a collective best actress award at Cannes.) Raimunda (a zaftig Penélope Cruz) is the engine powering this heartfelt, yet humorous vehicle. When husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) is murdered, Raimunda makes like Mildred Pierce to deflect attention away from daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). After telling everyone the lout has left, she struggles to conceal his body. The other women in her life all have secrets of their own. Her sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), for instance, has taken in their mother, Irene (a sprightly Carmen Maura). Since Irene perished in a fire, is this person a ghost or simply a woman who looks like her? Then there's their childhood friend, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is desperate to find out why her mother disappeared after the blaze. Was she responsible? Almodóvar deftly blends the ghost story with the murder mystery in his tribute to the Italian neo-realist films of the 1950s. The resilient Raimunda is a throwback to the earthy heroines of Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. The latter appears in Luchino Visconti's Bellissima, which shows up on Sole's television one night (thus confirming the link). If Almodóvar's 16th feature lacks the emotional punch of the more audacious Talk to Her, it's less heavy-handed than Bad Education and Cruz is a revelation. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Mom's under the bed.......2007-06-12

I was set on avoiding this one. I admired Almodovar's past few movies but found them fairly dreary to sit through, and this sounded like more of the same, and the "celebration of mothers" as I had heard this one was--blech! But a friend of mine wanted to see it on Christmas Day, so whatever, I thought I could sit through it. And surprise, not only did I love it, it went straight to the top of my own personal Best of 2006 list.

It's hard to describe the story, because it is so mundane and yet complicated at the same time. Penelope Cruz plays Raimunda, who has two daughters, one of whom is Paula, and a husband. At the beginning, she goes to see one of her aunts, the sister of her deceased mother. The girls don't want to see her, and certainly don't want to be close, and in these first few scenes there is a lot of comedy about the ritual of kissing both sides of the face; how uncomfortable it makes people who don't want to do it, and how ridiculous the whole thing is in the first place.

Now I have to decide whether I want to reveal crucial plot points, but you know what, I don't. I think it's a lot better for you to see it and let it unfold on your own.

Here are some observations, though. It's very well-written. There is a subplot involving Raimunda's daughter Paula that sets a lot of the action in motion, and later in the movie it is paralleled by a similar scenario that occurred in the past. One of them reflects and builds off the other. And there are a lot of parallels or contrasts like that in the script, and they all reflect and resonate with each other in a way that is very smart and literary.

It's also sweet and sentimental without being cloying. One really likes the Raimunda character from the start, even when she is imposing on friends or being a little selfish. In fact, some of the most memorable little scenes involve her asking neighbors to give them the groceries out of their refrigerators, and how willing they are to do exactly that. There's a nice, warm and moving vibe to the whole thing that only grows more affecting and emotional as the film wears on.

Cruz is a shot in such a way that is a little ludicrously glamorous [especially when she's working in a laundry or in the kitchen of a restaurant], but you forgive the movie for it because she is SO gorgeous. EVERYONE I know who has seen this movie says "Isn't Penelope Cruz gorgeous?" She is also complex and charming and delivers a wonderful performance--kind of a relief after seeing her poorly used in such things as Blow and Sahara.

There is also a variety of characters and their worries, each of which is portrayed in a sympathetic way that gives you that good, "troubles are part of what life is all about" feeling. The main action of the movie concerns a meeting that comes close to happening on several occasions, and a lot of the pleasant tension is waiting for that meeting to happen. I also like that when it finally does, and one of the characters freaks out and runs away, she soon realizes what she wants and turns back, instead of making the film waste our time while she goes home and thinks about it and calls her friends and writes in her journal or whatever a more Americanized movie might have her do.

I don't know what else to say. This, for me, was one of those movies where I was in love with it by 30 minutes in and it only kept getting better. It encompasses wonderful people and behavior and reprehensible people and behavior, but comes off with a warm and accepting vibe. I don't know, I keep finding myself stopping myself before using hideous professional-movie-critic language such as "humanistic vision," or whatnot, but this was something I was expecting to admire but be emotionally indifferent to, and I came out thinking it was one of the best things I had seen all year. If you like a movie that'll make you walk out happy, have a good and patient feeling about life, and show you a gorgeous woman [who sings a magical song, btw] you really should make an effort to get out to this.

beautiful.......2007-06-10

gorgeous film

great acting

penelope is great in the role and i love almodovar

It is the unexpected that makes the movie good ... but ...........2007-06-07

it's a dark dark film and the viewer doesn't really get to put the pieces together until the end of the film. I think if you read most of the reviews before seeing this film it will, for the most part, spoil it, since many of the reviews let the cat out of the bag.

terrific or horrific? - spoiler alert.......2007-06-01

I am amazed at the emotions that this movie has elicited from the viewers, considering the horror being portrayed. A young teenager has to kill her father in self-defense and later we learn that she is a product of incest, her mother's sister and daughter at once. Is it really a movie about love? or is it about the ordinariness of dispicable behavior and our ability not to see it when presented as a matter of fact. People, wake up from admiring Cruz's cleavage and consider what her character was through!

Almodovar at his best.......2007-06-01

The movie is quite brilliant. One scene struck me most: Penelope Cruz walking down the street to her sister's appartment. She has this amazing Lollobridgidian look, which you wouldn't expect from a skinny teenager we got to know in Jamon, Jamon.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Investment
That's Entertainment!
A great bargain
Beatles Anthology
A Must Have for Any Beatles Fan

The Beatles Anthology
Starring: John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison , Ringo Starr , and Neil Aspinall
Director: Kevin Godley , Bob Smeaton , and Geoff Wonfor
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Beatles Anthology
Anthology 2
A Concert for George

ASIN: B00008GKEG
Release Date: 2003-04-01

Amazon.com

Initially broadcast as a TV miniseries to go with the series of three Anthology double-CD albums, this set of eight documentary tapes has the heft and scope of one of Ken Burns's expansive projects. Still, unless you are either a historian or a truly committed fan, you'll find yourself with way more material--particularly about the Beatles' early lives as lads in Liverpool--than you'll want to watch. The documentary material is copious, including early performance films and tapes, at the point before they found their true voices. The actual Beatlemania years--beginning in 1963 and concluding in 1970--feature extensive performance films, as well as home movies and archival material. The best parts, of course, are the interviews with the Beatles themselves, who produced the entire thing. Along with reworking two previously unreleased John Lennon tracks as "new Beatles songs," the Anthology includes some unseen Lennon interview tapes so that his acerbic voice can be heard as well. This stands as a comprehensive document of that heady period, the second coming of rock & roll, as the Beatles took what Elvis had started and expanded upon it exponentially. The tapes give a solid sense of the historical context and the way these four musicians changed the world around them in the 1960s. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Investment.......2007-06-27

I love, love the Beatles, and this DVD set is awesome. I bought it as a gift for my sister, but I watch it too.

That's Entertainment!.......2007-05-22

People, please. What could be more entertaining than hours upon hours of the Beatles telling their story? I have watched this many times, and never tire of it. If you are a fan, you are missing out if you don't see this. And the bonus material is great too - Paul George and Ringo jamming and reminscing - wow!

A great bargain.......2007-05-16

This Beatles Anthology DVD set is a great bargain because when it originally came out in the mid 90's on VHS tapes it was about $120 more. I still have a catalog from then to prove it. I was very impressed with the sound quality. The best sound quality I've ever heard Beatles music presented in. Makes me wish my old Beatles CDs sounded that good. On alot of my other DVD's I have to crank the volume way up to get any decent audio. The only thing I didn't like is that during some of the songs like "Revolution" & "Hey Jude" there is talking. I'm interested in what they have to say but not during the songs. And it doesn't seem to have a feature where you can just play the music videos. But I guess it's supposed to be a documentary & not a collection of music videos. Also I seem to recall some minor scenes when I saw it on TV in 1995 that weren't on the DVD, like the reunited Beatles in the 90's admiring one of the member's fancy car.

Beatles Anthology.......2007-05-16

This was a great price for a great product. I have really enjoyed watching all the episodes and learning more about the Beatles. The interviews with each of the members help give a personal perspective to the events surrounding the Beatles' amazing popularity. A great buy!

A Must Have for Any Beatles Fan.......2007-04-23

Anthology is the history of the Beatles as told by the Beatles. It is the story of the Beatles from when they were young boys in Liverpool to when they recorded their last album, and everything in between. It is not only told through their words and interviews, but by their music, their movies and live performances, including their first concert at Shea Stadium and their appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, just to name a few. Anthology also comes with a bonus disc of extras which includes the making of Anthology and the recording of the two latest Beatles singles, "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love". Anthology is 10 hours of pure joy for anyone who likes the Beatles. Just sit back, watch, listen and enjoy!

Average customer rating:

The dawn of Shaun!

Shaun of the Dead [HD DVD]
Starring: Bill Nighy , Penelope Wilton , Lucy Davis , Jessica Stevenson , and Kate Ashfield
Director: Simon Pegg , and Edgar Wright
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Comedy | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Horror | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
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Hot Fuzz [HD DVD]
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ASIN: B000R8YC3G
Release Date: 2007-07-31

Customer Reviews:

The dawn of Shaun!.......2007-05-27

Zombies are one of those horror staples that have gotten putrid, after one too many idiotic blood'n'gore-fests with a revolting script. Like poor Dracula, they run out of things to do.

But zombie films are revitalized by the wickedly funny "Shaun of the Dead," a tale of music, love, pubs, and the slobbering undead. In the vein of Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive," it's full of twisted humour, funny dialogue and plenty of gore.

Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost) are the poster boys for adolescentus slackeritis, living in a London flat with their peeved roommate Pete, who has actually grown up and gotten a real job. Ed plays video games all day, and Shaun's immaturity has just gotten him dumped by his long-suffering girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield).

Wrapped up in his love life woes, Shaun fails to notice a little news item: Human beings all over London are transforming into zombies. At first, Shaun obliviously drowns his sorrows, and has a nasty encounter when he goes to pick up a soda. Now he must mend his relationship with Liz and defend himself and his family from the hordes of ravenous zombies... by barricading them in a pub.

"Shaun" makes the whole genre seem fresh just because it doesn't take itself seriously. The heroes don't even have guns (since the UK public don't get them), and so our heroes fend off the zombies with vinyl records, shovels and cricket bats. That gives an idea of how serious this movie is.

"Shaun of the Dead" isn't so much a zombie movie as a love story with zombies -- a very funny one, with lots of gore. We're treated to slackers in love, Shaun drifting obliviously around London withoutn noticing the undead, and some very entertaining dialogue ("Just look at the face: it's vacant, with a hint of sadness. Like a drunk who's lost a bet...")

Later on, he's forced to shake off his obliviousness in order to save his loved ones, with a bat as his only weapon. And maybe some commandos in a tank. It's gory, and the ending gets a bit cliched and overserious, but the ride up until then is wonderfully scripted and full of hilarious crude comic moments. Not sex-organ/bathroom humor, but definitely not highbrow.

Everybody knows guys like Shaun and Ed. Pegg perfectly plays a slacker with a heart of gold, who would like to be more than he is, but doesn't have the slightest clue how to go about it. Frost is a good annoying sidekick for Shaun, and Ashfield does a good job as the long-suffering girlfriend.

As a bonus, music geeks will laugh themselves silly over such important decisions as: which albums should our reluctant heroes throw at the zombies? "Stone Roses?" "No." "...Second Coming?" "I liked it." "Dire Straits?" "Chuck it!" Good choice, Shaun m'boy.

While it's a hilarious movie, it's not a spoof -- rather it's a zombie movie with wit, love and comedy. By not taking itself too seriously, "Shaun of the Dead" ends up revitalizing a genre that seemed like it was... well, almost dead.

Average customer rating:

how i met your daughter
One of the funniest shows I've seen in a while
The best show on TV for 20-somethings, or anyone!
Great Sitcom
Best Show On Televison! Neil Patrick Harris is Amazing again!

How I Met Your Mother - Season 1
Starring: How I Met Your Mother
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Bones - The Complete First Season
Scrubs - The Complete Fifth Season
Veronica Mars - The Complete Second Season
Scrubs - The Complete Fourth Season
My Name Is Earl - The Complete First Season

ASIN: B000HT3P7E
Release Date: 2006-11-21

Amazon.com

If the end of Friends left a hole in your life, take a look at How I Met Your Mother. Quirky young urban folk grappling with life and love--check. Charming, good-looking actors who aren't afraid of looking like idiots for the sake of a good joke--check. Crisp, solid writing that sticks comfortably within the sitcom format, but is fresh enough to nudge the show into surprising and inventive moments--check. In fact, the creators of How I Met Your Mother should be embarrassed by how close they hew to the Friends formula--except that they do it so well. Let's face it, Friends didn't invent this territory (tales of twentysomething life), they just refined it. How I Met Your Mother quickly cultivates its own flavor: A little more openly romantic than most sitcoms, willing to let a scene take a quiet or off-kilter turn, trusting that not every viewer has to get every joke.

The hub of the likable cast is Josh Radnor, who keeps Ted (a single guy ready to settle down) from being annoying, despite his neuroses and perfectionism. Cobie Smulders gives Robin (the girl Ted thinks might be the one, but who doesn't want to settle down) enough goofy, tomboyish charm that she feels like a person and not an idealized love interest. Jason Segel (Freaks and Geeks) and Alyson Hannigan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Pie), plays Ted's soon-to-be-married best friends Marshall and Lily with enough lingering doubt in their engaged happiness to keep them from becoming too comfortable. And rounding out the cast is Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.), shedding his good-guy image as Barney, a crass, lecherous cad who, nonetheless, comes through for his friends. Episode plots are pretty straightforward (Ted signs up with matchmaking agency; Marshall takes a well-paying job he doesn't like; when Ted gets a girlfriend, Robin realizes she has feelings for him after all; and Lily has second thoughts about getting married), but the show maintains a nice balance of single-episodes stories and a season-long arc--and as you grown attached to the characters, even fairly routine stories are made to feel fresh. This is good comfort television: Smart but not snotty, earnest but not cloying, oddball without being forced or wacky. Check it out. --Bret Fetzer

Description

A love story in reverse: How I Met Your Mother is a fresh new comedy about Ted (Josh Radnor) and how he fell in love. When Ted's best friends Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lilly (Alyson Hannigan) decide to tie the knot it sparks the search for his own Miss Right. Helping him in his quest is his bar-hopping "wing-man" Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), a confirmed bachelor with plenty of wild schemes for picking up women. Ted's sites are set on the charming and independent Robin (Cobie Smulders), but destiny may have something different in mind. Told through a series of flashbacks, Ted recalls his single days, the highs and lows of dating and the search for true love.

Customer Reviews:

how i met your daughter.......2007-07-03

commentaries are great insights into the revolving story line of the co-producer's lives. oh and barney's hilarious.

One of the funniest shows I've seen in a while.......2007-06-28

Just watched the entire season in 2 days... It's that good! One of the best sitcoms I've seen in years.

The best show on TV for 20-somethings, or anyone!.......2007-06-15

How I met your mother is HILARIOUS, and is some of the best comedic writing on tv right now! Think friends, but in a bar, not a coffee house.
The characters are witty, and there is a creative banter. It also has a continuity to the show that comedy's don't often have. Lily and Marshall are the romantic couple in the show, and have the cutest relationship!
The story is told by Ted, as he narrarates the story of how he met his children's mother. It's a true gem, and will have you laughing!

Great Sitcom.......2007-06-14

I think How I Met Your Mother is the new Friends, this show has the potential to be on the air for a very long time. Neil Patrick Harris is the best thing that's happened to prime time since Jason Bateman in Arrested Development. Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan are delightful as a couple, they have great on screen chemistry. I watched the entire season in two days. The episodes are so much fun, you'll figure there's always time to watch one more.

Best Show On Televison! Neil Patrick Harris is Amazing again!.......2007-06-12

This show is gonna be LEGEND... wait for it... and I hope you're not lactose-intolerant because the second part of that word is DARY!!!

Average customer rating:

Perfect
Great movie!
The dream is to make a difference... to change the world to a better place
amazing
Pay if Forward

Pay It Forward
Starring: Kevin Spacey , Helen Hunt , Haley Joel Osment , Jay Mohr , and James Caviezel
Director: Mimi Leder
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005B4BI
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Amazon.com

Pay It Forward is a multi-level marketing scheme of the heart. Beginning as a seventh-grade class assignment to put into action an idea that could change the world, young Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with a plan to do good deeds for three people who then by way of payment each must do good turns for three other people. These nine people also must pay it forward and so on, ad infinitum. If successful, the resulting network of do-gooders ought to comprise the entire world. Trevor's attempts to get the ball rolling include befriending a junkie (James Caviezel) and trying to set up his recovering-alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt) with his burn-victim teacher (Kevin Spacey), who posed the assignment.

While this could have turned into unmitigated schmaltz, the acting elevates this film to mitigated schmaltz. By turns powerful and measured, the performances of Spacey, Hunt, and Osment can't make up for the many missteps in a screenplay that sanitizes the look of the lower-middle class and expects us to believe that homeless alcoholics and junkies speak in the elevated manner of grad students. (Can that really be Angie Dickinson as Hunt's dispossessed mother? Yes, it is!) The germ of the story is a good one, though, and one may wonder how it would have been handled by the likes of Frank Capra, who could balance sentiment with humor. But clearly Capra would never have let the ending of his version to take the nosedive into cliché and pathos that director Mimi Leder has allowed in this film. More than a few viewers will also recognize that Leder has blatantly borrowed her final image from Field of Dreams, where its intended effect was more keenly and honestly felt. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

Perfect.......2007-05-28

It was shipped in a timely manner & was in excellent shape.

Thanks

Great movie!.......2007-05-21

Wouldn't it be great if we could all think this way? Excellent movie, with a positive message. I would highly recommend this for anyone, especially high school/college students.

The dream is to make a difference... to change the world to a better place.......2007-05-21

The movie starts with a seventh grade teacher played by Kevin Spacey challenging a group of social studies students to come up with a plan that helps change the world to a much better place. The words are challenging, inspiring... the students are surprised,

One student is not only inspired to try but he believes that it is possible, and comes up with a plan to do good deeds for three people, who, rather than return the favor, must pay it forward by helping another three individuals.

The seventh grade student Trevor McKinney, played by Haley Joel Osment is up to something. As the number of people helping each other multiplies... one helps three, these three, each help another three... now nine help three each... and so on... one day the Earth would be populated with people in search of solutions.

Trevor comes from a broken home, alcoholic parents, a homeless grandmother, and a mother who holds two jobs to survive. So, he is left alone for long periods of time to consider and delve into his project.

To start the project, he chooses a homeless junkie, played by James Caviezel, and takes him home to feed and put a roof over his head. Imagine the shock of his mother, brilliantly played by Helen Hunt, when she finds this homeless person living in her home.

So... she goes to school to confront the teacher who planted such a crazy idea in her child's mind and meets the teacher, who is a burn-victim. The encounter between these two is simply... magnificent.

She is a recovering alcoholic who attends AA meetings. He is a burn victim, bottled up inside a disfigured body, who refuses to take the necessary risks to plunge into living his own life... at an emotional level.

For his good deed project, Trevor decides that his next two selections will be... none other than his mother and his professor, and he sets them up to initiate a relationship.

The actors are so powerful that they turn this story into a magnificent agent of change classic, for we are left pondering if we too... should become a part of this movie and attempt to help those in need in search for a better world.

amazing.......2007-05-19

This is great and witty movie. It really make's you change the way you view and percive the world. The whole idea of "paying it forward" make you help tree people and then those tree people help other tree people which makes it total of nine and so on. Deffinetly recomended.

Pay if Forward.......2007-05-14

Pay It ForwardABSOLUTELY!!! The best DVD you will ever watch. Every person in the world should have an opportunity to see this DVD at least once. My copy has been loaned out so much I finally gave up and bought a bunch so my wife could give the DVD as gifts. The people who watched it also passed on their copy. The world would be as near perfect as you could want if the principle of the DVD were to be practiced by everyone!!!. BUY IT AND WATCH IT (BETTER BUY MORE THAN ONE COPY AS YOU WILL WANT TO PASS IT ON!!!)

Viva Pedro - Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection (Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire)

Average customer rating:

Pedro! Viva!
Great collection to have
VIVA PEDRO
You have to appreciate the improbable and ridiculous
It's about time Pedro's older (and best ) movies were available in USA format!

Viva Pedro - Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection (Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire)
Starring: Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Art House & International | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000EAT24G
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Amazon.com

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Pedro Almodovar broke into the art-house mainstream with this wild, manic comedy about a gaggle of women and their various problems with men, be they married lovers, cheating husbands, fiancés, or terrorists. Almodovar's long-time leading lady, Carmen Maura, stars as an actress (famed for her laundry detergent commercial as the mother of a sloppy serial killer) who's just been dumped by her married lover. In the midst of trying to track him down for a face-to-face confrontation, she crosses paths with her lover's son (Antonio Banderas), his unbalanced wife (Julieta Serrano), and his new girlfriend (Kiti Manver). Adding more fuel to the fire is the hapless friend (Maria Barranco) who got involved with a Shiite terrorist and is now being hunted by the police. Almodovar, a master of farcical screwball comedy, manages to keep all these balls in the air in dizzy, hilarious style without once losing his momentum. Chock full of the director's over-the-top stylization, in terms of both story and sets, the film is a hilarious yet heartfelt marriage of kitsch and drama, verging on parody but never going entirely over the top. Maura is absolutely breathtaking as the unhinged lover, dispensing wise advice to others while trying to keep a semblance of sanity, and the supporting cast is quintessential Almodovar, including a brief but memorable turn by Banderas in what could have been a bland, go-nowhere role. Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1989. --Mark Englehart

All About My Mother After her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) leaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. All About My Mother traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not surprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors All About My Mother with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always, Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity and embraces all human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, All About My Mother approaches its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than most of Almodóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. ----Bret Fetzer

Talk to Her
Writer-director Pedro Almodóvar makes another masterpiece with Talk to Her, his first film since the wonderful All About My Mother. Marco (Dario Grandinetti) is in love with Lydia (Rosario Flores), a female bullfighter who is gored by a bull and sent into a coma. In the hospital, Marco crosses paths with Benigno (Javier Camara), a male nurse who looks after another coma patient, a young dancer named Alicia (Leonor Watling). From Benigno's gentle attentiveness to Alicia, Marco learns to take care of Lydia... but from there, the story goes in directions that deftly manage to be sad, hopeful, funny, and creepy, sometimes at the same time. The rich human empathy of Almodóvar's recent films is passionate, heartbreaking, intoxicating--there aren't enough adjectives to praise this remarkable filmmaker, who is at the height of his powers. Talk to Her is superb, with outstanding performances from all involved. --Bret Fetzer

The Flower of My Secret
Pedro Alomodóvar made this misfired, rambling comedy about a romance novelist (Marisa Paredes) whose crumbling marriage has left her depressed and unable to work. At a low point, she writes a scathing indictment of her own books (which are penned under another name), with no one realizing critic and author are one and the same. Almodóvar ( Law of Desire) has the start of a great idea here, and for once, he's direct about his sympathy for a character. But nothing else about The Flower of My Secret is so clear. Despite its unusual allegiance to the straightforward "women's films" of the 1950s, this movie blows it by becoming needlessly complicated over extraneous junk, forcing one to grope in the dark for Almodóvar's point. -- Tom Keogh

Bad Education
Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. -- Steve Wiecking

More Stills from Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection(click for larger image)

More Pedro Almodovar at Amazon.com

Songs of Almodóvar CD
Volver
The Films of Pedro Almodóvar

Customer Reviews:

Pedro! Viva!.......2007-05-14

I was familiar with the movies. They were part of a Retrospective about 6 yrs. ago at the Museum of the Moving Image. The box set is great!! The layout is fabulous. I had all the other movies except Matador. This is a must have for any Pedro fan. It is only missing High Heels, one of Pedro's best.

Great collection to have.......2007-05-13

I am a big fan of director Pedro Almodovar's films and this collection of 8 of his best movies is a must-have. These timeless movies are presented in a nice, space-saving box. I recommend it wholeheartedly to any fan of Almodovar.

VIVA PEDRO.......2007-05-12

Brilliant fimmaking, enormous vairety, lovely transfers. The material is difficult ot see. If you didn't catch these things when they were first released, you are up the creek. The theatrical reissue that was meant to promote the video release didn't last long enough for me to see but one of them. The dvds of most are out print, but I had LIVE FLESH, TALK TO HER and BAD EDUCATION on dvd and WOMEN ON THE VERGE on laser disc. But still, I had to have the set. Really terrific. got a good price at amazon Marketplace and i'm totlaly satisfied.

You have to appreciate the improbable and ridiculous.......2007-05-01

A pretty good collection, if strangely inclusive of BAD EDUCATION, a recent film, with the older batch of films, mainly of 1980s. This could be because LAW OF DESIRE's film director character is a forerunner of the film director in the later film. The problem is in reviewing the collection or the individual films. For instance, there are 3 documentaries on the filmmaker included on an extra disk. Otherwise the movies are presented w/English subtitle options but no extras, except for one of them.

Almodovar's style as a whole is for wildly improbable plots involving situations and characters that run of the mill people would never experience. American film reviewers love this, as they love French farce, and so give these films a free pass, awarding a blue ribbon. The true question is whether the same films would be as highly reviewed if the identical screenplay were presented as a solely American product.

Almodovar's film staples include (on the 8 films represented in this package): (1) Penelope Cruz going into labor (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER; LIVE FLESH). (2) The homely guy is always slick, a real winner, at least professionally, and sometimes a film director (BAD EDUCATION; LAW OF DESIRE). (3) There's always strained theatrical moments, such as presentations of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, that take up much screen time, and often are comical without being meant to be. Ditto a usage of older films that his characters seem to be greatly influenced by. (4) The cute guy, who in real life would probably be greatly sought after as a romantic partner, is always a loser who becomes obsessed with another person or thing to the detriment of everything else (LIVE FLESH; LAW OF DESIRE; BAD EDUCATION). (5) Usage of FF nudity is primarily male. (6) Everyone in the world (or at least Spain) is personally acquainted with a transexual or transvestite.

Briefly, on the films themselves, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER is a tear-jerker that goes to extremes and unfortunately goes on way too long. Good acting, but improbable characters and their life histories make this film an experience to endure.

BAD EDUCATION has the superlative Gael Garcia Bernal in it, and is also a blatant indictment of the Catholic Church's methods. The twists and turns in the plot make it worthwhile as well as uniformly good performances. Unusual film from this director, who usually focusses more on the women. For those squeamish of homosexual content, this film is not nearly as explicit as LAW OF DESIRE.

LAW OF DESIRE has the young Antonio Banderas seducing/seduced by a film director whom he is obsessed with. There is FF nudity from Banderas and others. Rather interesting, not quite a thriller, but an ending that brings the story-line full circle in a way. Rather a moral on how what you're looking for may be staring you in the face but you have to be prepared to take it. I found the plot weak whenever it got into the ancillary characters, as they were unnecessary to the main plot but presumably there to soften the main character of the film director.

LIVE FLESH is an unbelievable situation of a young man from prison subsequently having affairs with two police officers' (one of whom he'd shot and crippled) wives. Unfortunately this plot was wholly predictable though improbable. Too many cliches of drunken criminal cop abusing wife, etc. At times seems it was meant to be a music video, and should have been, with pop songs used as narrative.

TALK TO HER, generally considered one of the more popular Almodovar films, and a quiet, sincere character piece. I could easily have lived without the scene of the shrunken man interacting with a woman's nude body; that was outrageous for the fun of it, I guess. But from what appeared to be a would-be homosexual union between two men veered in another direction that also made the ending quite believable. It set up cliches only to knock them down.

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN has provided me an obsession with gazpacho that has haunted me to this day. I didn't watch it again via this collection, but realized I have no memories of the film from first seeing it, except that it was fun; so that tells me nothing of the plot is essential, and I probably didn't identify with the characters.

THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET is weird, as it takes off from the scenario of ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, which isn't a good thing. It's about a writer's crisis, this time her own self-conceit being played out on a public stage, as she is both a well known author but also writes under a pseudonyn attacking her own work. Meanwhile, her marriage is falling apart. So she's really a woman having an identity crisis, as an artist, and as a woman. Maybe it takes a person who's undergone an identity crisis to understand this one.

MATADOR can be summed as "Can two serial killers find happiness in death with each other?" Add Banderas as a sexually confused young man who appears to have occasional perfect-radar psychic abilities and a young woman who's been sexually assaulted three times and is quite casual about it, and a closeted gay detective, and a psychiatrist who wants to seduce basically anybody, and you pretty much have a would-be psychology thriller very confused about what's going on. The film has the confusion one would expect from a wholly improvisational piece, like the director was making it up as they went along in the filming. I am blinded by the idea any of these characters would even exist in real life, except for the detective, so find it amazing they'd actually be stumbling into each other's orbit. A fun movie to spend some time on, as it is an entertaining mix of psychological motivations and I guess you can breathe easy nobody like this lives on your block.

It's about time Pedro's older (and best ) movies were available in USA format!.......2007-04-24

I have been an Amoldovar fan for more than twenty years (at least). I'm glad that he's gotten more American recognition now, but his older movies are still my favorites ( and so hard to find not that I'm no longer in a big city with great art and foreign film theaters. I'm so glad this incredible collection is finally available! (Not to mention that Matador and Law of Desire are some of the best acting Banderas has ever done!)

Average customer rating:

Funny!!! Family film!
Excellent comedy
Blue Light Special
It works until the ending!
Troop

Troop Beverly Hills
Starring: Shelley Long , Craig T. Nelson , Betty Thomas , Mary Gross , and Stephanie Beacham
Director: Jeff Kanew
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000897DW
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Description

Shelley Long discovers that when the going gets tough, the tough go camping in Troop Beverly Hills, a comedy about lifestyles of the rich and outrageous. Flamboyantly wealthy Phyllis Nefler (Long) has everything money can buy--a drop-dead Beverly Hills mansion, a classic Rolls, furs, jewelry and designer gowns. The one thing she doesn't have is her husband Freddy (Craig T. Nelson), who's leaving her for good. Maybe. Determined to prove she's still the creative, energetic woman Freddy once loved, Phyllis throws luxury to the wind and becomes leader of her daughter's Wilderness Girls troop. But how much can this chic cookie take before she crumbles? Is saving her marriage really worth trading Gucci bags for sleeping bags--not to mention actually touching bugs? Featuring cameos by Robin Leach, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pia Zadora, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and Cheech Marin, Shelley Long blazes new comic trails in this hilarious trial-by-campfire that leaves the wilderness wilder than ever.

Customer Reviews:

Funny!!! Family film!.......2007-07-04

My daughters love Troop Beverly Hills when they were preteens! I am now buying the movie for my granddaughters!

Excellent comedy.......2007-05-20

Hi, I was looking for this film everywhere ever since I watched it on tv one day last year I now I have it I am over the moon very funny film.

Blue Light Special.......2007-05-10

A great Childhood favorite that still does not fail to amuse. Good Family Night Movie...just remember the popcorn!

It works until the ending!.......2007-02-15

It arrived in time, and in condition described, however when i watched it, the ending doesn't work! It just freezes & jumps around a little bit, but cant be watched, so that was a shame!

Troop.......2007-02-11

Troop Beverly Hills is the BEST Movie that has ever existed, so says David Fifield.

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

Go Tigers!

Open All Hours - The Ginger Men

Hancock: The Best Of Hancock

DVD: Judge

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