The Crew

Starring:Richard Dreyfuss, Burt Reynolds, Dan Hedaya, Seymour Cassel, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jennifer Tilly, Lainie Kazan, Miguel Sandoval, Jeremy Piven, Casey Siemaszko, Matt Borlenghi, Billy Jayne, Jeremy Ratchford, Mike Moroff, JosÃ© ZÃºÃ±iga, Carlos GÃ³mez (II), Louis Guss, Joseph Rigano, Ron Karabatsos, Frank Vincent
Director: Michael Dinner
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Call them "Grumpy Old Goodfellas," old mobsters who trade in their rods for a retirement home. Fast-talking Richard Dreyfuss is the nominal leader of the quartet of retired Jersey wiseguys, and thick-headed softy Dan Hedaya, silver-haired lady's man Seymour Cassel, and Burt Reynolds, an enforcer with a pacemaker, round out the group. When their Florida apartment house threatens to go condo with young, upscale tenants, they flex their creaky muscles and scare off investors with a devious bit of mob theatrics. Their success spirals out of control, and soon they're up to their toupees in blackmail, murder for hire, a homicide investigation by a cop who just may be Dreyfuss's character's long-lost daughter (Carrie-Anne Moss), and a mob war with a Hispanic drug lord. Jennifer Tilly costars as a scheming stripper, and Lainie Kazan is terrific as a brassy widow.

Amazon.com

Like its predecessor Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve is a piffle of a caper, a preposterous plot given juice and vitality by a combination of movie star glamour and the exuberant filmmaking skill of director Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight, The Limey). The heist hijinks of the first film come to roost for a team of eleven thieves (including the glossy mugs of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, and Don Cheadle), who find themselves pursued not only by the guy they robbed (silky Andy Garcia), but also by a top-notch detective (plush Catherine Zeta-Jones) and a jealous master thief (well-oiled Vincent Cassel) who wants to prove that team leader Danny Ocean (dapper George Clooney) isn't the best in the field. As if all that star power weren't enough--and the eternally coltish Julia Roberts also returns as Ocean's wife--one movie star cameo raises the movie's combined wattage to absurd proportions. But all these handsome faces are matched by Soderbergh's visual flash, cunning editing, and excellent use of Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome, among other highly decorative locations. The whole affair should collapse under the weight of its own silliness, but somehow it doesn't--the movie's raffish spirit and offhand wit soar along, providing lightweight but undeniable entertainment. --Bret Fetzer

Description

They're back. And then some. Twelve is the new eleven when Danny Ocean and pals return in a sequel to the cool caper that saw them pull off a $160 million heist. But 160 million doesn't go as far as it used to. Not with everyone spending like sailors on leave. Not with a mysterious someone stalking Danny and crew. It's time to pull off another stunner of a plan?or plans. With locations including Amsterdam, Paris and Rome, the direction of Steven Soderbergh and the original cast plus Catherine Zeta-Jones and others, Twelve is your lucky number.

Customer Reviews:

should be retitled "Zeta-Jones's Twelve".......2007-06-13

The plot was slightly more serious in this film, and it was dominated by Pitt and Zeta-Jones (mostly Zeta-Jones). The main drawbacks for the sequel are that the heist is not the major focus, the "supporting" characters did not get the opportunity to play pivotal roles in the heist, and it lacked the lighthearted atmosphere and stylishness of the first film. While Catherine Zeta-Jones is a very lovely woman, I felt that her plot was dull, interesting and terribly predictable, and I despised her character as the foil. The sub-plot (the heist) and the other characters deserved more screen time because that is what made me love the first movie. Can't really say much more about the movie because it was utterly forgettable and a waste of time.

This is lazy `sequel' that tends to do nothing but bring back a bunch of celebrities.......2007-06-13

"Ocean's Twelve" faces the same difficulties as any sequel. By this I don't mean those movies that are essential components to trilogies that continue the story; I mean those movies that basically take an established cast and throw them in a completely new storyline. The problem is trying to meet the expectations of an audience that loved the first and wants a new movie to love for all the same reasons. So many people were disappointed to learn that "Ocean's Twelve" was not yet another heist movie.

This film had to be a sequel. The plot takes advantage of the relationships the characters developed in the first film, and throws in many subtle jokes the average viewer may miss if they don't listen closely. Some of the phrases like "thief a la mode" used in the film may require a bit of culture to appreciate. While Ocean's teams do work together in the same fashion as the first film, the thievery itself doesn't take the spotlight in the film. "Ocean's Eleven" was the traditional heist film in its plot development with its climax at the point of executing the plan. Ocean's Twelve breaks away from this formula in favor of developing opportunities for some great character interaction.

The film disappoints with many characters taking a back seat in their roles to such an extent that the film could have been named after Pitt's character, with the Benedict aftermath merely serving as a catalyst for the characters finding their way back together. However, it would have been unreasonable for all eleven original characters to share an equal share of the spotlight and still turn out as well. The story is more about Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta-Jones than George Clooney and Julia Roberts. The rest of the cast perform very well and the guest-star appearances, including an unforgettable one by Bruce Willis, are hysterical. Half of the time I was unsure if the actors were even acting!! It appeared as if they were not even looking at the script, and instead talking amongst themselves like, "Hey, so how you've been?". "Oh, I `v been good, the kids at home are taking up a lot of my time, ya know". Come on now, really.

In the end, "Ocean's Twelve" is not a mere heist film but an Intelligent Comedy that may need to be watched more than once to appreciate some of the subtleties in the dialog. Just the amount of activity on this film's message board regarding some of the subtleties in the plot is a testament to the thought that went into making this film. Will "Ocean 13" rectify this, well I would have to go see it for myself.

Boring..........2007-06-11

The first movie was great! i loved it! I expected this to be as great as the first or maybe even greater but it failed to deliver. The plot was not great and it was kind of boring... But I was glad to see the actors come back for the sequel.

oh come on george clooney is in it.......2007-06-10

there were some good moments...definitely will watch it again

i never saw it on the big screen and i got myself a cheap copy and sat down and had myself an oceans marathon

the breakdancing/laser scene is pretty interesting and i will always love george

one of the worst sequels ever.......2007-06-09

an absolute waste of talent on this film...its so bad...i remember zeta-jones being fun to look at and also a cool cameo by bruce willis...but the heist was awful and that thief guy looks like a rat....some of the dialogue was funny but other than that this one's a yawner..bigtime

Average customer rating:

Phenominal
MORE GIVE ME MORE!
A Pretty Good Film
The Best Sci-Fi movie you've never seen!
SciFi Western

Serenity (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Morena Baccarin , Adam Baldwin , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Raphael Feldman , and Yan Feldman
Manufacturer: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BW7QWW
Release Date: 2005-12-20

Amazon.com

Serenity offers perfect proof that Firefly deserved a better fate than premature TV cancellation. Joss Whedon's acclaimed sci-fi Western hybrid series was ideally suited (in Browncoats, of course) for a big-screen conversion, and this action-packed adventure allows Whedon to fill in the Firefly backstory, especially the history and mystery of the spaceship Serenity's volatile and traumatized stowaway, River Tam (Summer Glau). Her lethal skills as a programmed "weapon" makes her a coveted prize for the power-hungry planetary Alliance, represented here by an Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who'll stop at nothing to retrieve River from Serenity's protective crew. We still get all the quip-filled dialogue and ass-kicking action that we've come to expect from the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Whedon goes a talented step further here, blessing his established ensemble cast with a more fully-developed dynamic of endearing relationships. Serenity's cast is led with well-balanced depth and humor by Nathan Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds, whose maverick spirit is matched by his devotion to crewmates Wash (Alan Tudyk), Zoe (Gina Torres), fun-loving fighter Jayne (Adam Baldwin), engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite), doctor Simon (Sean Maher), and Mal's former flame Inara (Morena Baccarin), who plays a pivotal role in Whedon's briskly-paced plot. As many critics agreed, Serenity offered all the fun and breezy excitement that was missing from George Lucas's latter-day Star Wars epics, and Whedon leaves an opening for a continuing franchise that never feels cheap or commercially opportunistic. With the mega-corporate mysteries of Blue Sun yet to be explored, it's a safe bet we haven't seen the last of the good ship Serenity. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything - or anyone - to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship. From the mind of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) comes a new edge-of-your-seat adventure loaded with explosive battles, gripping special effects and fantastic new worlds.

Customer Reviews:

Phenominal.......2007-07-04

This is a MUST have for anyone who is a FAN of the one season show Firefly. If you have seen this movie and wondered if there was more too it, then go buy firefly right away and you will fall in love with the characters as did I.

MORE GIVE ME MORE!.......2007-07-03

It's unfortunate that the series was as short lived as it was. This movie wether familiar with the series or not was a spectacular end to what could have been an even better story. I hope they inted to do a seqeul in the coming years!

A Pretty Good Film.......2007-07-03

This is a pretty good story with pretty good acting. Not great by any means and not as good as an average episode of Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Shows you how far down the Sci Fi movie franchise has fallen that some people think of this as a classic. Not a waste of money but it wouldn't hurt to wait to see it on cable either.

The Best Sci-Fi movie you've never seen!.......2007-06-28

The thing that many people do not understand is that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A FAN OF THE SHOW TO LOVE THIS MOVIE. This has everything you wish Lucas had provided in the prequels: great acting, kicking action, moving characters, and a great plot. The feel is gritty but with great heart. He has a message but will not preach to you. Surprises, love and a message about humanity make it complete. If you ever wished you could find a Sci-Fi movie on the big screen that you could love, do yourself a favor and give this movie a try. You will not go away unmoved.

SciFi Western.......2007-06-27

I really liked the series. The movie brought alot of answers that the series left open.

Average customer rating:

Billy Wilder's Lost Masterwork Get's the Royal Criterion Treatment
One of Billy Wilder's Masterpieces
Not To Be Missed
Gets more relevant every year!
Billy Wilder's Neglected Masterpiece

Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection
Starring: Kirk Douglas
Director: Billy Wilder
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000PKG6OE
Release Date: 2007-07-17

Amazon.com

The character of newspaperman Chuck Taylor (Kirk Douglas) is best summed up by an astonished bystander (herself no soft touch): "I met a lot of hard-boiled eggs in my time, but you--you're 20 minutes!" Meet the "hero" of Billy Wilder's corrosive 1951 classic Ace in the Hole (a.k.a. The Big Carnival), a former big-time reporter whose reputation is so tarnished he's now at an Albuquerque rag, chasing down local-interest stuff. Until, that is, a local miner gets stuck in a cave--a situation that Taylor not only exploits but actually manipulates, the better to improve his career chances. Wilder got the idea for the movie from the real-life media circus that followed the Floyd Collins story (Collins was trapped in a cave for over a week in 1925). Needless to say, the opportunities for displaying greed and venality are fully drawn out by Wilder; indeed, the film looks unbelievably prescient from a modern perspective of media overload.

Although Wilder had scored a success with Sunset Boulevard just a year earlier, he misread the public's ability to stare into the merciless mirror he held up to them in Ace in the Hole. The movie bombed. Paramount changed the title to The Big Carnival, thus wrecking one of Wilder's most acidic puns, but it didn't help. It also doesn't matter: Ace in the Hole is one of the truly grown-up movies of its time, and age has only improved it. Wilder's ear for cynical dialogue is honed to its sharpest point, and Kirk Douglas has one of his best parts, which he attacks with customary ferocity. Jan Sterling plays the hard-nosed wife of the trapped man, with Porter Hall as Douglas's publisher--the lone voice of decency in the film's cruel parade. Admirably, Wilder takes this all the way down the line: the ending of the movie might be the best in-your-face finish since Public Enemy. --Robert Horton

Studio description

One of the most scathing indictments of American culture ever produced by a Hollywood filmmaker, Academy Award-winner Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole is legendary for both its cutting social critique and its status as a hard-to-find cult classic. Kirk Douglas gives the fiercest performance of his career as Chuck Tatum, an amoral newspaper reporter caught in dead-end Albuquerque who happens upon the story of a lifetime-and will do anything to ensure he gets the scoop. Wilder's follow-up to Sunset Boulevard is an even darker vision, a no-holds-barred expose that anticipated the rise of the American media circus.

Customer Reviews:

Billy Wilder's Lost Masterwork Get's the Royal Criterion Treatment.......2007-05-05

"Ace in the Hole" is one of those movies that comes around every rare often and belts you right in the kisser. Yet, to my knowledge, Paramount has never released it on VHS, and certainly not on LaserDisc or DVD. Until now: Criterion is releasing a DVD with a cleaned-up print and all the bells and whistles. Until it comes out, I will have to console myself with my VHS third-generation copy that was recorded in the 1980s from some TV channel in Florida. The print is grainy, the sound warbles and the dialogue is out of sync at times. It nonetheless still packs a helluva wallop.

Read the bottom of pages on which Wilder's movies are sold: "Customers who bought DVDs directed by Billy Wilder also bought DVDs by these directors:

"Howard Hawks
"Alfred Hitchcock
"John Huston
"William Wyler
"George Cukor"

There isn't one weak or less than legendary director in this list. Personally, I rate Wilder right up there with Hitch and ahead of all the others. Yet, when Paramount released their DVD boxed set of three Wilder classics ("Sunset Boulevard," "Sabrina" and "Stalag 17"), "Ace in the Hole" was conspicuously absent. What a shame! I consider this his masterwork, arguably equalling "Double Indemnity" and "The Apartment."

Critics have called it a black comedy, I suppose because it's a Billy Wilder movie, so we reflexively think of him as a comedic director. In fact, having heard and read so much about this movie, I sort of felt jinxed, because when I go into a movie with high expectations, I come out of it a little disappointing.

And, the opening of this movie disappointed a little: When Kirk Douglas' character, Charlie Tatum, falls down on his luck and lands a job with an Albuquerque newspaper, it seems to be a bit of a new spin on an old classic, "The Front Page" (which, strangely enough, Wilder resurrected in 1974 as a Matthau/Lemmon vehicle).

Yet, that's the movie's genius, because you are lured into thinking it's a comedy. Yet, once Kirk Douglas finds his potential "Pulitzer-prize winning story" buried under fallen timbers in a New Mexico cave, you realise it's a cynical farce.

But then, it's no longer a farce, but a dark tragedy. Not so quick, because by the end you'll find it's an abomination -- not the movie itself, which is superbly casted and crafted -- because it shows at root what base intentions really drive mankind.

Of all his movies, it's the oddest. Imagine a cross between "Double Indemnity" and "The Fortune Cookie." Strange, I know, but that is the closest I can pin it down. Douglas' character is an even more cold-blooded version of Walter Matthau's supreme shyster Whiplash Willie. Think of William Holden's Sergeant Seften without the heart of gold, and you'll get Chuck Tatum.

Jan Sterling is equally, well, sterling as the victim's wife, whose blood runs as ice-cold as Barbara Stanwyck's Phyllis Dietrichson. Sterling, though, is no femme fatale: She's too tawdry, and can only aspire to the unimaginative dreams that accompany her former dime-a-dance persona. She does slip a pair of scissors into Douglas' flank, but, hey, he had it coming.

The ending, which I won't give away, is chilling and powerful. Nobody could write ending lines like Wilder could, and this one is no exception. It's right up there with Fred MacMurray's "I love you, too" ("Double Indemnity"), Shirley MacLaine's "Shut up and deal" ("The Apartment"), Gloria Swanson's "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille" ("Sunset Boulevard") and Joe E. Brown's "Nobody's perfect" ("Some Like it Hot").

"Ace in the Hole" walks on the seedy and seamy side of journalist and shows the viewer all the manipulation behind the scenes of the newspaper racket. It presages other blisteringly scathing films as "A Face in the Crowd," "Sweet Smell of Success" and "Network."

One of Billy Wilder's Masterpieces.......2007-05-04

This 1951 film seems as relevant today as it ever did. Kirk Douglas is perfectly cast as an unethical newspaper reporter who, through his influence over the town's sheriff, keeps a dying man trapped in a mine for several days longer than necessary in order to milk the story for all it's worth - a strategy he hopes will help him claw his way back to the top of the journalistic world. Billy Wilder's incredibly vitriolic film tells many truths about how reality is manipulated by the media to serve personal and political ends without regard to the suffering caused by this agenda. His film spares nobody in its critique: those who perpetuate the lies, those who directly benefit from them, even those who uncritically consume the stories are all complicit in the wrongdoing. Wilder made many great films, most of which are far better known than this one, but "Ace in the Hole" is up there with the best of them.

Criterion's upcoming release is definitely cause for celebration.

Not To Be Missed.......2007-04-30

At last, at last, Wilder's finest film, "Ace In The Hole" (AKA "The Big Carnival") is released on DVD. For those without TCM (it's been run several times in the last month or two), you will now finally be able to see a film swimming in deep cynicism as well as experience one of the coldest characters every recorded on film - Jan Sterling's "grieving" wife. She is the female mirror to Kirk Douglas' down-on-his-luck, cruel Chuck Tatum.

More relevant in these media-frenzied times than when it was made, "Ace. . ." still packs a wallop in reminding us of the power of the press to manipulate (in Tatum's case for self-aggrandizment).

I first saw this film when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I couldn't grasp the story's nuances, but it sure put the zap on my pre-pubescent head.

Wonderfully acted from a great script under Wilder's sure hand, "Ace In The Hole" is a cinematic treasure not to be missed. (Especially for Wilder fans.) This is Wilder's masterpiece.

Thank you Criterion!

In short:

Reporter Chuck tatum (Kirk Douglas who's been kicked off every major US paper) ruthlessly exploits a man trapped in a cave he chances upon while on his way to cover a rattlesnake hunt (how fitting) for an Albuquerque daily. While an engineer promises to get the man out in hours, Reporter Tatum, and a corrupt sherrif, lean on the engineer to bore through rock. A process that'll take a week.

Tatum sells the story to the majors who lap it up. When the news breaks nationwide, thousands descend on the disaster. The scenes of the carnival invited by Leo's wife (Jan Sterling) to set up and cheesy country western singer twanging a guitar while singing about poor Leo (the trapped man), are powerful.

O Leo, Leo, Leee-Oooo
We're Coming Leo

Gets more relevant every year!.......2007-04-02

First of all, I want to remind people how amazing it is that Wilder managed to get this withering assessment of capitalism and the mass media made while deep in the bowels of the McCarthy era (1951) when anyone who didn't wave their pompoms for the great US of A and everything it stood for, usually got hauled in front of a Congressional committee of some sort or other. As miraculous in its own way as Marcel Carne's "Children of Paradise" getting made during the Nazi occupation of France.

Now how can you look at the Tatum character today and not see Karl Rove? Amazing!

This movie seamlessly weaves a great story into several still-timely themes, such as the mining of tragedy for profit; the distortion and manipulation of reality by the mass media for profit and circulation; the exploitation of the environment and disrespect of native peoples; the human foible of scrabbling onto the coattails of a media event for the mean purpose of self-aggrandizement. Man, this film is a veritable treasure trove of significant cultural phenomena. And to think it was made BEFORE television, satellite and the Internet! Wow.

The picture's literal "Ace in the Hole" is young Leo Cole, a young miner trapped by an avalanche in a mine shaft. He becomes Tatum's "ace in the hole" for a big story and self-glorification. Cole, in his native goodness and naivete, is almost a Christ like figure, totally beyond and ethically superior to the maggots swarming about his fate.

If this picture doesn't break your heart, you don't have one.

Billy Wilder's Neglected Masterpiece.......2007-03-14

This 1951 film seems as relevant today as it ever did. Kirk Douglas is perfectly cast as an unethical newspaper reporter who, through his influence over the town's sheriff, keeps a dying man trapped in a mine for several days longer than necessary in order to milk the story for all it's worth - a strategy he hopes will help him claw his way back to the top of the journalistic world. Billy Wilder's incredibly vitriolic film tells many truths about how reality is manipulated by the media to serve personal and political ends without regard to the suffering caused by this agenda. His film spares nobody in its critique: those who perpetuate the lies, those who directly benefit from them, even those who uncritically consume the stories are all complicit in the wrongdoing. Wilder made many great films, most of which are far better known than this one, but "Ace in the Hole" is up there with the best of them.

For now the only way to see it is on a bootlegged DVD or the Turner Classic Movies channel. A Criterion edition is due out this summer.

Average customer rating:

The Roadshow Is Unwatchable
great movie deserves better
The Roadshow Version
McQueen's finest dramatic acting...
More details on this new DVD release...

The Sand Pebbles
Starring: Steve McQueen , Richard Attenborough , Richard Crenna , Candice Bergen , and Emmanuelle Arsan
Director: Robert Wise
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000O78L00
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com

Following the success of The Sound of Music, director Robert Wise chose to film Robert McKenna's prize-winning 1962 novel, The Sand Pebbles--an ambitious choice for a director at the peak of his career. Shot in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the film combines historical sweep and intimate human drama in several parallel stories, all revolving around U.S. Navy machinist's mate Jake Holman (Steve McQueen). Holman is a skillful but fiercely independent sailor who joins the "sand pebble" crew of the U.S.S. San Pablo, a Navy gunboat patrolling the Yangtze River on the eve of the Chinese revolution in 1926. The San Pablo's inexperienced captain (Richard Crenna) obsessively defends the Navy's mission--however unnecessary or unwanted--to protect American missionaries and businessmen, blind to the more dangerous implications of American involvement with China's opposing political factions.

Holman is a defiant voice of humanity in this clash between outmoded values and inevitable change; his final line of dialogue ("What the hell happened?") is a tragic summation of misguided policy, expressing the film's criticism of the Vietnam War. Rather than preach, however, Wise lets McKenna's potent drama emerge from finely-drawn relationships--between Holman and a young American teacher (19-year-old Candice Bergen, in her second film); between Holman and the Chinese "coolie" (Mako) whose heartbreaking fate transcends all issues of racial or political difference; and between crewmate "Frenchy" Burgoyne (Richard Attenborough) and the Chinese woman he's sworn to love and protect at all costs. Combined with the film's colorful supporting cast, adventurous scope, and climactic battle scenes, these personal dynamics bring substance and spirit to a complex story of good intentions gone awry. --Jeff Shannon

Description

"The Sand Pebbles" tells many stories. It's the story of China, a slumbering giant that rouses itself to the cries of it's people - and of the Americans who are caught in its blood awakening. It's the story of Frenchy (Richard Attenborough), a crewman on the U.S.S. San Pablo who kidnaps his Chinese bride from the auction block. It's the story of Shirley (Candice Bergen), a teacher and her first unforgettable taste of love. It's the story of Captain Collins (Richard Crenna), ready to defy anyone for his country's defense. Most of all, it's the story of Jake Holman (Steve McQueen), a sailor who has given up trying to make peace with anything - including himself. McQueen gives what is probably the best performance of his career. It's not surprising that he, Mako and the movie were up for Oscars. Portraying a character with conflicting loyalties to friend and flag, McQueen expertly conveys the confusion that leads into his final line: "What the hell happened?" It's to his credit that we already know.

Customer Reviews:

The Roadshow Is Unwatchable.......2007-06-15

I was looking forward to seeing the roadshow edition of this film with the extra footage, but who decided to just copy over a faded and overly red copy of it? I gave up halfway through; it's just unwatchable and hard on the eyes. They should have done what Fox did with "South Pacific": insert the faded footage into the pristine shorter version. Then your eyes would get a rest. This would be a five-star package were it not for the mishandling of the roadshow edition. Buy it if you don't own the film, because it's a very good picture with good acting of an engrossing story. If you already have it, don't bother spending the extra money.

great movie deserves better.......2007-06-14

Why do companies keep putting out dual discs? Everyone I talk to hates them and I personally will not buy them. This is such a let down for me. I have noticed a lot of new releases with 4.0 or 2.0 or even mono sound!!! Is this the 21st century with new technology or are we regressing with our technology? Every single new dvd release should be in both 5.1 and 5.1 dts and the option of the original sound! I personally am tired of the repackaging and lack of quality special features ( fluff )The only way the companies will change is the way you spend your money. They did alot of good things on this edition and then get cheap with making one disc a dual disc. DO NOT BUY DUAL DISCS!!!! This is another special edition that should have been re-mixed in 5.1 and made to 3 discs if it would not fit on 2!!!! I vote " NO BUY " The same goes for Von Ryans express ( 2.0 )

The Roadshow Version.......2007-06-13

No stars would be better for this version of the movie.Why did Fox release it? Its colourless just reddish. I was looking forward to view this version of the movie it being longer than the theatrical version but I just could not watch it. Can someone at Fox explain please??? Was that the only print of this version available??? As for the theatrical version and all the other features they get 5 out of 5 stars despite the roadshow version its still worth it to buy this DVD

McQueen's finest dramatic acting..........2007-06-06

I could talk forever about this movie, but I don't want to take the joy out of your watching it for youself. I'll just say this...the scene where Steve is involved in the mercy-killing of his coulee has got to be one of the very greatest in screen history. The intensity of Steve's fine acting draws you into the moment and Jerry Goldsmith's haunting score leaves you with a lump in your throat and tear in your eye. First class movie-making all around due to the thoroughly adept direction of screen master Robert Wise. It's a crime that McQueen got stiffed for Best Actor at the Oscars that year, giving it instead to the Brits, for Paul Scofield's portrayal of Sir Thomas More in "A Man For All Seasons". I don't believe Steve ever attended the Academy Awards again after that. In the words of Jake Holman, "What the hell happened?"

More details on this new DVD release..........2007-05-01

Features on this 2-Disc Special Edition include...

Specs:
* 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
* English DD4.0 Surround and Stereo
* French Mono
* English, French and Spanish subtitles

Disc 1:
* Anamorphic Widescreen Feature (Theatrical Version)
* Audio Commentary by Director Robert Wise and actors Candice Bergen, Mako & Richard Crenna
* Isolated score and FX with commentary by Music Producer Nick Redman, Film Music Historian Jon Burlingame, Screenwriter (The Limey, Dark City) and Film Historian Lem Dobbs

Disc 2 (Side A):
* Roadshow Version Feature
* Robert Wise Roadshow Intro
* Richard Zanuck Roadshow Intro

Disc 2 (Side B):
* "The Making Of Sand Pebbles" Featurettes (view individually or play all)
* Side Bars:
o Steve McQueen Remembered
o Robert Wise In Command
o China 1926
* From FOX Vault:
o A Ship Called SAN PABLO- Narrated by Richard Attenborough
o The Secret of the SAN PABLO- Narrated by Richard Crenna
* Radio Documentaries Narrated by Richard Attenborough:
o Changsha Bund and the Streets of Taipei
o A Ship Called SAN PABLO
* Radio Spots:
o 2:00 of audio over static image
* Theatrical Trailer
* Still Galleries
* MAD Magazine's THE "SAM PEBBLES"

Average customer rating:

CLASSIC MOVIES
Hilarious movie.
A Movie for All.
Operation Petticoat
Judy

Operation Petticoat
Starring: Cary Grant , Tony Curtis , Joan O'Brien , Dina Merrill , and Gene Evans
Director: Blake Edwards
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Father Goose
Mister Roberts
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ASIN: B00005N90X
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Amazon.com

Blake Edwards's delightful 1959 comedy stars Cary Grant as a World War II submarine captain whose preference for a by-the-book command reluctantly yields to certain realities. Chief among those is that Grant's first officer (Tony Curtis, who impersonated Grant that same year in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot), a shameless hustler, is better than the navy at delivering whatever supplies the ship and crew need to keep going. But when Curtis sneaks a handful of Philippine refugees and several gorgeous nurses onto the all-male sub, the skipper not only has to cool down his crew but deal with an unexpected feminine influence on ship protocol. The film is a great deal of fun, sprinkled with the director's trademark sight gags (including one of Edwards's best, involving a torpedo and jeep), and graced with his unmistakable lilt. Grant is in great form, his comic brilliance almost impossibly effortless. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

CLASSIC MOVIES.......2007-06-24

A FINE MOVIE IN THE STYLE OF THE GREAT ARTISTS, NOW SADLY GONE TO BE
REPLACED BY UNWHOLESOME FILTH.

Hilarious movie........2007-05-30

Ranks right up there with "Father Goose" as one of Cary Grant's funniest movies. Great family fun.

A Movie for All........2007-05-14

This is one of my favorite oldie's. I had pretty much worn my VHS out and needed another one, so the DVD had to be the new choice. Always loved Gary Grant. It's a good clean movie and very enjoyable. The type of movie I can let the grandchildren watch with no worries. I don't like most of the movies that are made today, so I still stick the good older ones. There are sooooo many laughs in this movie and yes, most of the time I watch it by myself. If you are havin or had a bad day, this movie will lift you spirit. Buy it, you wont be sorry.

Operation Petticoat.......2007-05-14

I love this movie. I like most of Cary Grant's movies. This movie is very funny and entertaining. Why can't the film industry make good movies like this anymore?

Judy.......2007-04-10

Tony Randall and Cary Grant are excellent in this flick !! This is one of my favorite movies, even if it is an "oldie". I have seen it 20 times and still laugh.

Average customer rating:

The Film Crew: Hollywood After Dark
Starring: Film Crew , Mike Nelson , Bill Corbett , and Kevin Murphy
Manufacturer: Vivendi
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Film Crew: Killers From Space
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection Vol. 11
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Vol. 10
The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo
Carnival of Souls

ASIN: B000N2HDIM
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Description

Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett—three of the brilliantly insane minds behind the cult classic TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000—finally reunite to unleash their warped sense of humor on the cinema of yesteryear as The Film Crew. Charged with the task of giving all movies their own commentary tracks, the Film Crew valiantly steps forward to tackle the best of the worst, starting with Hollywood After Dark.Rue McClanahan (Golden Girls) stars in this drama from 1968 as a young actress attempting to make her Hollywood debut, who falls into the seedy underworld of stripping when she's exploited by her unsavory producers.

Average customer rating:

Phenominal
MORE GIVE ME MORE!
A Pretty Good Film
The Best Sci-Fi movie you've never seen!
SciFi Western

Serenity [HD DVD]
Starring: Joss Whedon
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Science Fiction & Fantasy | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
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Firefly - The Complete Series
Batman Begins [HD DVD]
V for Vendetta (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Serenity Official Visual Companion
Firefly (Original Television Soundtrack)

ASIN: B000FA57N0
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Phenominal.......2007-07-04

MORE GIVE ME MORE!.......2007-07-03

A Pretty Good Film.......2007-07-03

The Best Sci-Fi movie you've never seen!.......2007-06-28

SciFi Western.......2007-06-27

I really liked the series. The movie brought alot of answers that the series left open.

Star Trek - First Contact (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Star Trek saga
Great Movie!!!!
Loved the movie, but unimpressed with the extras
The Line Must Be Drawn Here!
Possibly The Best Star Trek Movie?

Star Trek - First Contact (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: LeVar Burton , James Cromwell , Michael Dorn , Michael Horton , and Alice Krige
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Robots & Androids | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Space Adventure | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Aliens | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Science Fiction | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
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Star Trek - Insurrection (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Star Trek - Generations (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Star Trek - Nemesis (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00078XGRO
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Amazon.com

Even-numbered Star Trek movies tend to be better, and First Contact (#8 in the popular movie series) is no exception--an intelligently handled plot involving the galaxy-conquering Borg and their attempt to invade Earth's past, alter history, and "assimilate" the entire human race. Time travel, a dazzling new Enterprise, and capable direction by Next Generation alumnus Jonathan Frakes makes this one rank with the best of the bunch. Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his able crew travel back in time to Earth in the year 2063, where they hope to ensure that the inventor of warp drive (played by James Cromwell) will successfully carry out his pioneering warp-drive flight and precipitate Earth's "first contact" with an alien race. A seductive Borg queen (Alice Krige) holds Lt. Data (Brent Spiner) hostage in an effort to sabotage the Federation's preservation of history, and the captive android finds himself tempted by the queen's tantalizing sins of the flesh! Sharply conceived to fit snugly into the burgeoning Star Trek chronology, First Contact leads to a surprise revelation that marks an important historical chapter in the ongoing mission "to boldly go where no one has gone before." --Jeff Shannon

Description

In their second big screen adventure, the year is 2373 and the crew of the Enterprise-E has learned the Borg has returned. Because of Captain Picard's past experiences with the Borg, Starfleet has ordered the Enterprise to stay out of the fight. Realizing too much is at stake, Picard disobeys orders and takes the Enterprise to Earth. His knowledge of Borg technology leads the Federation fleet to victory, but a Borg sphere escapes and opens a temporal vortex. The Enterprise pursues and travels back to April 4, 2063; the day before the first warp flight.

Customer Reviews:

Star Trek saga.......2007-05-13

Good epilogue for the BORG neverending threat to humanity!!! Great Jean-Luc PICARD in the end against the BORG QUEEN!!!!! Not so bad the Klingon WORF!! Nice and offhands rendering of the human race left (especially the creator of the warp dirve engine, COCHRANE, played amazingly well by James CROMWELL!) after the nuclear world war!!!

Great Movie!!!!.......2007-04-05

I really love this movie but beware, I don't know what I was thinking I thought this was the directors cut which usually puts back all the deleted seens in a movie. Well this one isn't it. It will show you the seens deleted as extras but not intergrated back into the movie. Thats my only complaint but that is a minor complaint and totally my fault. The movie itself is a great, try watching it on a big sreen TV you will love it esp. the opening fight seen in the movie when the Borg attack the fleet. This is a great buy so don't hesitate if you haven't seen the movie or just want it for you collection.

Loved the movie, but unimpressed with the extras.......2007-04-03

I love the movie. I'd be hard pressed to say it's my favorite Star Trek movie since it's so hard to beat Wrath of Khan, but it's definitely my favorite Next Gen movie.

The bonuses however, are hardly worth purchasing the two disc collector's edition. I understand that the movie was filmed before the days of DVD and the producers didn't go into the project expecting to hand over hours worth of bonus material. It shows. All of the extras felt like they scrounged together whatever behind the scenes footage they could find and tried to build little documentary segments out of it. In my opinion, it failed spectacularly.

I, personally, was hoping for extras about the Borg Queen. Her makeup, her art direction. There is some of that, but not a lot. The only mention of her makeup is in passing and there are no behind the scenes footage of the makeup process at all.

All in all, I found the extras to be seriously lacking and not worth the additional price.

The Line Must Be Drawn Here!.......2007-04-03

I'm not sure if I'd have ever started watching Star Trek TNG if it wasn't for Patrick Stewart and his amazing performance in this movie. How they ever got such an amazing actor to jump on board is beyond me but I'm very happy that he did.

When I watch or read a favorite movie or book, I tend to always skip sections to get to the part that was constantly replaying itself in my head over and over again all day. In First Contact, I repeatedly jump to Patrick Stewart's "Moby Dick" scene where he passionately expresses his obsession with destroying the Borg. It doesn't happen too often when an actor performs exactly how you'd like to express yourself in a way that you never realized might be in you. I first saw this movie when I was young so it made a distinct impression on me when I saw it. Been a Trekkie ever since.

I also thought James Cromwell played Zefram Cochran incredibly. When he comments on the disparity between him and his future self to Commander Riker, it's just funny how life can turn out and that there is still hope for us all. Without those two actors, the movie still would have been awesome but it would have just been another good movie but nothing you really had to watch over again.

So in my opinion, rent it if you must but it's definitely worth the $10.99. By far the best movie from the TNG series and although I more often than not skip most of the movie to get to my favorite parts, I enjoy them enough to watch the movie in it's entirety once in a while.

Possibly The Best Star Trek Movie?.......2007-03-28

One editorial review is right: the even numbers are better.

There is a Next Generation episode which shares the name "First Contact", but the only common thread is the contact with a planet and those outside. Actually, the emphasis is not as much on the first contact but the battle to allow it to be so.

SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE, BECAUSE IT CONTAINS SPOILERS! I found elements of different movies in this story, especially hints to Star Treks III (destroying the Enterprise) and IV (going back in time and telling select earth people something about the future). Sometimes, it takes away from the originality of the story, but this is an exception.

Unlike Generations, this movie developed the teamwork that made this series and all other Star Treks. However, the movie gets right into the action.

I find the Borg the most disturbing of the Star Trek villains, and this fit the bill. Alice Krige was excellent in her role.

There are themes that were great in this movie. For example, the friendship between Captain Picard and Data and sacrifice. The issue of revenge and obsession. The issue of submission to authority and the boldness to take risks when necessary. The fact that people we look up to as heroes are just ordinary people like you and I who are motivated by the same things we are (or maybe not as high a motivation). As a Christian, I can see spiritual warfare implications in the movie, as well as illustrations of pitfalls we believers can fall into.

Average customer rating:

The Film Crew: Killers From Space
Starring: Film Crew , Mike Nelson , Kevin Murphy , and Bill Corbett
Manufacturer: Universal Music Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video