The Circus (2 Disc Special Edition)

Starring:Albert Austin, Eugene Barry, Henry Bergman, Jack Bernard, Stanley Blystone, Charles Chaplin, Heinie Conklin, Harry Crocker, George Davis, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Bill Knight, H.L. Kyle, Betty Morrissey, Steve Murphy, John Rand, Tiny Sandford, Hugh Saxon, Doc Stone, Max Tyron
Director: Charles Chaplin
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Made in 1928 while he was in the middle of a painful divorce case, Charlie Chaplin's The Circus was so associated with bad memories for its maker that he refused even to mention it in his 1964 autobiography. Consequently, it has enjoyed less of a reputation than such films as The Gold Rush (1925) and City Lights (1931). However, while it's not quite in their league, The Circus undoubtedly deserves to be rescued from relative obscurity.

Amazon.com

If you can give The Astronaut Farmer the big, bounding leap of faith it requires, you'll probably enjoy this good-natured film about the importance of holding on to your dreams. The title character (and the dreamer in question) is Charlie Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton), a Texas ranch owner and former aeronautics engineer who's got a homemade rocket in his barn and a dream to blast into space. Even though Charlie's deeply in debt and threatened with foreclosure, his wife (Virginia Madsen) and kids are deeply supportive of Charlie's Earth-orbit mission, even when he attracts the glaring attention of a seasoned Air Force colonel (played by Bruce Willis, in an uncredited role), the FAA, the FBI, and the national media. "If we don't have our dreams, we have nothing," says Charlie at a particularly desperate impasse, and this loopy, offbeat, and unabashedly sentimental drama embraces that message with disarming sincerity.

Suspension of disbelief is a challenge when the movie glosses over so many of its logistical details (like, where does one buy an old NASA space capsule?), and in trying for a kind of Capra-esque, eccentrically Western spin on the American dream, the Polish twins--director Michael and cowriter/actor Mark (making their mainstream debut after such indie hits as Twin Falls, Idaho and Northfork)--are only marginally successful in making Charlie's ambition genuinely believable. The film works much better as a kind of post space-age fable for families, and it's just involving enough to make its climax emotionally rewarding, mostly because Thornton, Madsen, and their costars (including Bruce Dern and Tim Blake Nelson) handle the delicate material with the earnestness it needs to be marginally convincing. Elton John's "Rocket Man" is predictably heard over the closing credits (accordingly, Charlie's launch-time is "zero hours, nine a.m."), and at a time when several adventurous entrepreneurs (including Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos) are gradually developing a civilian space-flight industry, The Astronaut Farmer is an admirable yet forgivably flawed reminder that we should never stop reaching for the stars. --Jeff Shannon

Description

All systems are "Go" for Charles Farmer. He's faced bank foreclosure, neighborhood naysayers and a government alarmed by his huge purchase of high-grade fuel, but now he's ready to blast into space inside the homemade rocket he built in his barn. Just be home in time for dinner, Charlie. Billy Bob Thornton portrays Charlie in this charmer about chasing dreams...and about what it means to be a family. 10,000 pounds of rocket fuel alone can't lift Charlie into the heavens. He needs a launch/recovery crew, and he has one of the best: his wife (Virginia Madsen) and children, dreamers all. They have liftoff. Our spirits have uplift. Gravity cannot hold down our dreams. The Astronaut Farmer is that kind of movie.

DVD Features:
Featurette:Includes two featurettes: How to Build a Rocket: The Making of The Astronaut Farmer and A Conversation with NASA Astronaut David Scott
Outtakes

Customer Reviews:

Not Billy Bob's best.......2007-06-30

If you are looking for a good Billy Bob Thornton movie then this is not it. If you are looking for a piece of entertainment that is just that, this is the Billy Bob movie to watch. Not bad but not great either. Don't buy it but rent it as I doubt it could be watched 2x.

Real? Or Not?.......2007-06-19

Stewardess told me this was a true story and it's only now, several days later, that I begin to think she might have been pulling my leg. I guess that's a tribute to the way the movie sort of makes you believe. Charles Farmer might be a real guy, but if so, he had the kind of dream you just don't find anywhere else but in Hollywood movies. This is a quasi-"indie" sort of mood picture from the Polish brothers (who show up as government agents halfway through the film), and it uses mostly actors you recall from various indie pictures over the years. For me, the highlight was seeing yet another grand old "old man" performance by the underrated Bruce Dern, whose new memoir I reviewed recently. Dern doesn't have to say a word (in fact most of the time he just shows his face, with Einstein hair exploding from his skull, so at first he looks like Christopher Lloyd from the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies). Indeed BACK TO THE FUTURE now that I think of it must have as much of a "real science" basis as THE ASTRONAUT FARMER and was likely a direct influence on it. Anyway Dern has only one scene where he does any talking at all, and yet, his quiet and heroic individuality dominate every scene of the picture.

Virginia Madsen might be asking her agent, "Why did you let me do this?" and yet at the end of the day I expect she will be glad she has this film to look back on. The two twin brothers who wrote and directed this film must have been in love with her. I have never seen her photographed looking so gorgeous, young, or sexy, even when she was a starlet 25 years ago. She is incredible here and by the way, she's what gives the movie its reality quotient, not white-lipped, white-haired Billy Bob Thornton.

I kept wishing the rocket would somehow strand the two little girls out in space or something. They were annoying plus. Take them out of school? Leave them in school? I just couldn't get interested. But I'm sure that they are fine little girls in real life and girls, if you're reading this, remember, it wasn't your fault, and better parts will come your way and there's always the Olsen twins to emulate.

A movie for dreamers.......2007-06-11

This movie is perfect, I could not have been more moved by the story and Billy-Bob Thorntons acting. When you walk into a movie, whether its based on a true story or not, you either "buy into it" or you dont. Like "The Man From Snowy River", its not a real story but an incredibe and wonderful adventure.

If you are a dreamer I believe this movie will touch you deeply. When one "dreams" he/she is essentially believing that something wonderful is possible, against all odds, and if you want to realize that dream you must hold on even when everyone loses faith. All of the emotional highs and lows of that experience are captured beautifully in this movie.

This movie is in my top 10 favorites of all time. Dare to dream!

Reach the stars and your dreams.......2007-05-29

*No spoilers*
Once again we come across another inspirational film to tell us that dreams do come true. The road to success is a difficult one--you might be the only one seeing it. The Astronaut Farmer is an uplifting, but formulistic film about a man who fought against all odds to follow the path to redemption--yes, we have seen it before, but it doesn't hurt to experience it again.

Story:
Texan farmer and ex astronaut-in-training Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton) has a particular dream; he wants to go to space. In order to accomplish that, he builds a rocket--with a bunch of leftovers from a military junkyard--right in his barn. He is smart and has a strong engineering background to complete this peculiar, but dangerous project. His family and many of his friends support his goal, but unfortunately he is broke--the bank is about to take his property. Not only that, the government has found out about his "project" and will try to stop it. Will he ever launch his rocket?

Review:
The Astronaut Farmer brings back the same "feel good" formula of previous films like The World's Fastest Indian and The Pursuit of Happyness, where our main characters have one thing in common; they all want their dreams come true at any cost. In this film we see a supportive family--his wife and three kids--who stick with Farmer during the good times and bad. In a way, the rocket is what unites his family. They have no money--probably spent on the rocket--but he makes his family part of his dream by letting them participate in his project. Working on the rocket becomes a family tradition.

I'm not a big fan of Billy Bob Thornton--the memories of Bad Santa and The Alamo are still fresh on my mind--but in this movie, he gives us a decent performance. He is a likable family man. His "follow your dream" cliché speech is not as uplifting as other similar films, but it gets the job done.

The Astronaut Farmer was craftily shot. The special effects are about average, but create the desired effect--and some funny moments. It's not jaw-dropping a la Apollo 13 and it doesn't want to be.

Unfortunately, not everything in The Astronaut Farmer is "inspirational." Low points of the film are the tiresome topic, soapy feeling and long draggy parts. The notion of somebody building a rocket in his farm--by himself and with almost no budget--to go to outer space is a bit far-fetched. Also some of the humor feels force and unnecessary, especially the "it's so huge" comments by a local girl.

The Verdict:
"Been there done that" is what people are going to say when they get out of the theater. The Astronaut Farmer is another film that gives us hope--once again--to go ahead and build a rocket to reach our dreams. It has its flaws, but it's a good "feel good" family film nevertheless.

My Score: 7

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

This movie was fantastic. I think what a lot of people are missing is that some movies, while not actually plausible, are meant to entertain. This is a work of fiction; it should be taken as such. As a result, it's a feel good movie with fantastic imagery that you can't help but love, so long as you take your "impossible" disposition out of the equation.

The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset

Average customer rating:

Truly something completely different!!
Well worth the money for a Python fan
The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16 Ton Megaset
The (almost) Complete, Original and Genuine.
MP's Flying Circus

The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset
Starring: Neil Innes , Eric Idle , Terry Gilliam , John Cleese , and Carol Cleveland
Director: Ian MacNaughton , and Terry Hughes
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

Life of Brian
Fawlty Towers - The Complete Series
Monty Python's the Meaning of Life
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition)
The Prisoner - Complete Series Megaset (40th Anniversary Edition)

ASIN: B0009XRZ92
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Amazon.com

New for 2005, The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset packs together the original 14-DVD megaset with the two-disc Monty Python Live in space-saving Thinpaks. While more cautious fans may want to pick and choose among the previously released individual volumes of Monty Python for their collection, true Pythonites will want to own this definitive megaset that contains all 45 episodes (in chronological order) of Monty Python's Flying Circus. This "persistently silly" collection encompasses three-and-a-half seasons of dead parrots, cross-dressing lumberjacks, loonies, upper class twits, and spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam, and spam. Click past the occasional clunker and go directly to such signature sketches as the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Spanish Inquisition, the Fish-Slapping Dance, the Dead Parrot Sketch, the Lumberjack Song, the Cheese Shop, the Argument Clinic, and Nudge, Nudge. Taken as a whole, one marvels at how Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam thoroughly subverted television convention with "something completely different," like sketches with no punch lines ("Your average TV viewer isn't going to understand this"). A warning to the uninitiated: there is much "material that some may find offensive, but which is really smashing." Violations of something called the "Strange Sketch Act" are the least of the troupe's offenses, as witness the Oscar Wilde Sketch, the Dirty Vicar Sketch, and the Most Awful Family in Britain Sketch, all of which achieve "the really gross awfulness" all Python fans are looking for. Say no more.

Monty Python TV shows, movies, records, and books are a time capsule of their anarchic lunacy. But more precious is an audience with Python, and as close as we can get is Live at the Hollywood Bowl, the long-sought-after 1982 concert film in which the Fab Six perform their greatest hits before a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Robert Klein moderates Live at Aspen, the irreverent 1998 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival tribute that reunited John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones onstage for the first time in 18 years on the occasion of the troupe's 30th anniversary. Highlights include a shockingly funny moment involving Graham Chapman's ashes, and a joyous "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" sing-along. Less essential is 1989's clip show Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python, which also does not include "The Oscar Wilde Sketch," "Cheese Shop," "Nudge-Nudge," and many other signature sketches. --Donald Liebenson

Description

This unassuming case is packed with 16 tons of funny: 14 discs of MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, packed with every episode from the programme's four year run, plus 2 MONTY PYTHON LIVE! discs featuring--well, you figure it out. While to the uninitiated they may look like ordinary .65 oz. digital video discs, due to the unique physics of comedy (it's like quantum but with fewer dead cats), each disc actually weighs a full metaphoric ton! Please remember to lift with your knees. This 16-Ton Megaset contains every single episode of MONTY PYTHONG'S FLYING CIRCUS--four years of blood, sweat and blancmange--jammed into slivers of plastic the size of a tea plate and MONTY PYTHON LIVE!--Legendary live performances, the 20-year celebration of Monty Python Parrot Sketch Not Included, and the all-German Monty Python's Fligender Zirkus episode #1 squashed like pancakes. Sad, really. Jump right to your favorite sketches in The Flying Circus with this index! Disc 1: The Funniest Joke in the World, The Wrestling Episode, and Nudge Nudge, Disc 2: Art Critic, Silly Job Interview, and Crunchy Frog, Disc 3: Dead Parrot, Lumberjack Song, and Vocational Guidance Counselor, Disc 4: Undertaker's Film, Upperclass Twit of the Year, and Albatross, Disc 5: The Ministry of Silly Walks, The Spanish Inquisition, and Complaints, Disc 6: The Bishop, Blackmail, and Dung, Disc 7: Attila the Nun, Silly Vicar, and Exploding Penquin on the TV Set, Disc 8: Scott of the Antarctic, Dirty Hungarian Phrase-book, and Exploding Blue Danube, Disc 9: Icelandic Saga, Fish-Slapping Dance, and Argument Clinic, Disc 10: `Blood, Devastation, War, and Horror', Mount Everest - Hairdresser Expedition, and Gumby Brain Specialists, Disc 11: Cheese Shop, A Naked Man, and The Olympic Hide and Seek Final, Disc 12: Elizabethan Pornography Smugglers, Kamikaze Scotsman, and Penguins, Disc 13: Montgolfier Brothers, Department Store, and RAF Banter, Disc 14: Hamlet and Ophelia, Mr. Neutron, and Most Awful Family in Britain, Disc 15: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Monty Python Live at Aspen, Disc 16: Parrot Sketch Not Included, Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus: German Episode #1

Customer Reviews:

Truly something completely different!!.......2007-07-01

In 1974 thanks to public television I was introduced to the sheer lunacy of Monty Python. Thanks to A and E, I can enjoy the sketches that I enjoyed way back when any time I want to! This is a collection that is a must for all Python fans! The humor is still fresh to this very day. No one can equal the talents of Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam. Simply the best when it comes to British comedy!!

Well worth the money for a Python fan.......2007-07-01

An essential for a Monty Python fan! No more do you have to search the TV guide in hopes that an episode will be played at a reasonable hour. No more do you have to rewatch recorded episodes that you've seen too many times (okay maybe that was just me). No, really, I have very much enjoyed this product, plus the two bonus CDs at the end. May I suggest in addition to the complete set that you buy the books The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus; All the Words Volume One andThe Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus : All the Words, Volume 2; they are very useful as a detailed index (and pretty cheap if you buy them from the Used and New section of Amazon). I will enjoy this set for many years to come, and I have absolutely no regrets that I spent the money on it!

The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16 Ton Megaset.......2007-05-23

Now here is a problem, how do you review the work of comedy gods? I'm not even going to go there, to even start would be blasphemous. For years I have wanted a complete copy of all the series of Flying Circus yet in the U.K. this has still not been released. Only now are the series being released here on dvd and only each individual series. So for the same amount of money as collecting all 4 series of Flying Circus you can get this boxset which also gives you 2 extra discs of live shows, the German Episode, plus bonus features, making this collected edition much more value for money (but only if you have a multi-regional dvd player).

This boxset is fantastic, it took me an entire week to watch all 16 dvds! But there are a few things that let the boxset down. The "Meet the Chaps" feature gets repetitive as it's the same information on each of the episode discs. The "Upper-class twit of the Year" and "Gumby" quizzes are a good feature but slightly repetative. I loved the Gillianimations Art Gallery, to see the images Terry Gilliam used for the animated sequences is great. The interactive menus are good but a bit more variety could have been added to the main menus to make them more entertaining. But to be honest none of that matters to an ardent Monty Python fan, they would just click through the menu until they get to their beloved Flying Circus, whether it would be a full episode or just their favourite sketch.

My biggest and major gripe about this boxset (and this is the only reason why I have rated this 4 stars instead of 5) is that under the shear weight of all 16 dvd discs that the spine of the boxset has a tendancy to rip at the bottom and at the top, if the spine, bottom and top were reinforced it could take the weight of all those discs. Or if was to be re-released I would suggest that it would more amusing to have it repackaged in the shape of a 16 Ton weight.

The (almost) Complete, Original and Genuine........2007-05-20

In the autumn of 1969 I was a thirteen year old schoolboy when Python appeared: it was love at first sight and over the years I grew to appreciate the subtelties even more. I bought the 'Best of...' DVDs from the BBC and enjoyed them, but something was missing and it wasn't just Australian tennis stars' investigation into the intelligence of penguins!
Now that I have the complete series in original sequence I can see that the shows were planned as complete self contained entities. I recommend all my fellow 'Brits' to buy this... it isn't much more than the exerpts and you get one (but not both of the german) shows.
I'm off for a lemon curry... enjoy!

MP's Flying Circus.......2007-05-19

Great boxset!
It's the complete series of Monty Python's Flying Circus! What more can I say?

A Bug's Life (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Happiness
Delightful family film
The Only Movie You'll Ever Need
Cute Movie. Great for young children
Bug's Life GREAT

A Bug's Life (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Starring: Phyllis Diller , Dave Foley , Brad Garrett , Jonathan Harris , and Bonnie Hunt
Director: John Lasseter , and Andrew Stanton
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Computer Animation | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

All Disney Titles | Disney Home Entertainment | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

Monsters, Inc. (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Toy Story (10th Anniversary Edition)
Toy Story 2 (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Finding Nemo (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Antz

ASIN: B00007LVCM
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Amazon.com

There was such a magic on the screen in 1995 when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story. Their second feature film, A Bug's Life, may miss the bull's-eye but Pixar's target is so lofty, it's hard to find the film anything less than irresistible.

Brighter and more colorful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 (Antz), A Bug's Life is the sweetly told story of Flik (voiced by David Foley), an ant searching for better ways to be a bug. His colony unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers (lead by Hopper, voiced with gleeful menace by Kevin Spacey). When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers he decides to look for help ("We need bigger bugs!"). The ants, led by Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help--a hearty bunch of bug warriors--and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just traveling performers afraid of conflict.

As with Toy Story, the ensemble of creatures and voices is remarkable and often inspired. Highlights include wiseacre comedian Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybug, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick bug, and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible pillbugs. The scene-stealer is Atta's squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big sweet spot for Flik.

More gentle and kid-friendly than Antz, A Bug Life's still has some good suspense and a wonderful demise of the villain. However, the film--a giant worldwide hit--will be remembered for its most creative touch: "outtakes" over the end credits à la many live-action comedy films. These dozen or so scenes (both "editions" of outtakes are contained here) are brilliant and deserve a special place in film history right along with 1998's other most talked-about sequence: the opening Normandy invasion in Saving Private Ryan.

The video also contains Pixar's delightful Oscar-winning short, Geri's Game. Box art varies. --Doug Thomas

Description

Journey inside the world of bugs in this epic of miniature proportions. Crawling with imaginative characters, hilarious laughs, and colorful animation, Walt Disney Pictures Presentation of A Pixar Animation Studios Film, A BUG'S LIFE, will "delight everyone -- young, old, or six-legged." (People Magazine) In this 2-disc set you'll step behind the scenes for a look at the innovation and teamwork that resulted in this ingenious film. Loaded with bonus features — including animation not seen in theaters, abandoned sequences, and multiple surprises — A BUG'S LIFE COLLECTOR'S EDITION offers something for everyone from families to film lovers!

Customer Reviews:

Happiness.......2007-05-14

I am compelety satisfied with dvd when I recicevd it. It was in great condition, and it did not take forever to recieve it either. Thanks a lot hope to do more buisness here.

Delightful family film.......2007-04-25

I think I can just about act out any part in this movie at this point. Since this past Friday, I've watched it about 15 times. The kids love it and want to watch it over and over again. It is a darling movie about that little ant that just wouldn't give up. Great lessons for our children along with dazzling Disney animation. Highly recommended.

The Only Movie You'll Ever Need.......2007-03-30

If I could only keep one movie, this would be it. The kids love it. You learn a little bit about bugs. The kids learn to respect bugs. The outtakes are funny. My five-year old is a little scared of the mean grasshoppers, but my two-year old can't get enough of it. (2nd child syndrome) She calls it the "Princess Dot" movie.

Cute Movie. Great for young children.......2007-03-13

Overall the DVD was good and very much appropriate for young children. However, after a couple of weeks it had fallen to the back of his preference list. We've not watched it in over a year now. I guess this isn't so different from any other DVD we have.

I would recommend this for young children. It does have a few concepts that are not appropriate, but are presented in a way that is way over the heads of children adn does have a few scenes that very concervative parents may term violent. The movie is mostly an original concept but there are striking similarities to Antz.

Bug's Life GREAT.......2007-03-09

This video couldn't be better. Enjoy the helpful stories that instill good behavior actions. Thank you.

Leapfrog Learning DVDs 5-Pack (Talking Words Factory / Talking Words Factory II / Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory / Letter Factory /Math Circus)

Average customer rating:

Best Learning Videos
What a wonderful tool!
Amazing Learning Tools!!!
GREAT!!!
WOW

Leapfrog Learning DVDs 5-Pack (Talking Words Factory / Talking Words Factory II / Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory / Letter Factory /Math Circus)
Starring: Leapfrog 5pak
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

3-6 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Numbers & Letters | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Leap Frog - Letter Factory
Bob Books Set 1-Beginning Readers
Leap Frog - Talking Words Factory 2 - Code Word Caper
Sound It Out Land: A Musical Adventure In Phonics And Reading
Leap Frog - Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory

ASIN: B000EHQU1W
Release Date: 2006-04-17

Description

5 pack of LeapFrog dvds: 1) LeapFrog: Talking Words Factory II: The Code Word Caper 2) LeapFrog: Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory 3) LeapFrog: Letter Factory 4) LeapFrog: Math Circus 5) LeapFrog: Talking Words Factory

Customer Reviews:

Best Learning Videos.......2007-06-27

I wish that I could give this series more than 5 stars. My children love it, and they have learned a lot. Very, very good. We also like Here Come the ABCs [CD/DVD Combo] and Sesame Street: All-Star Alphabet, but Leap rocks.

What a wonderful tool!.......2007-06-26

My daughter's instruction at her school was lacking. I needed to find a way to help her learn myself. A friend of mine, a former teacher, recommended the Letter Factory. Within a couple of weeks, my daughter was getting her letters and sounds. I bought the pack, and she is loving the talking words factory. My older daughter loves it too. It is a great review for her.

Amazing Learning Tools!!!.......2007-05-31

I have a 5 year old starting Kindergarten in August and a 3 1/2 year old. Within 2 weeks- literally, they had both memorized all letters and letter sounds. My 5 year old is now sounding out phonetic words on her own. These videos incorporate all learning styles- visual, audio, right and left brain dominance and are addictive. The girls frequently repeat these songs in the car or in their rooms falling asleep at night. These will also be an invaluable asset to pre-k and kindergarten classroom teachers as curriculums become more demanding at earlier ages. These videos are fun and just seem to pour the knowledge into their heads!

GREAT!!!.......2007-05-28

Every morning when my 28 month old daughter wakes up she says "I want to watch the green frogs". She has learned all her beginning phonics and she sings the "sounds" song from "The Letter Factory" DVD everywhere. We even sing it in the grocery store to keep her "engaged" in something constructive. She also has learned how to read simple words ("The Talking Words Factor" and "Code Word Caper") and now she is very interested in learning to read. She asks me to spell different words all the time. She even knows how to spell her first name "Melody" and even her last name. The "Math Circus" DVD is fabulous too. I only wish that it focused on counting past ten, too. Now we count as we do errands in the car and we sing "The Numbers Song". These DVDs really have jump-started her interest in learning to read and to count.

I recommended these DVDs to my nephew who did not have as much interest in learning his numbers or letters and now he is on his way to reading, too.

These are fabulous.

WOW.......2007-05-27

Great series. My 2 1/2 year old learned her letter sounds in about 2 weeks. We had been working on letter recognition and sounds and used many of the leapfrog products, but this one made is all click for her. (The Letter Factory is the main video I let her watch at first, but she loves them all.) Now she uses her Word Whammer properly.

OH! Each video comes with this wonderful guide to help you and your child use the video together.

The Rolling Stones - Rock and Roll Circus

Average customer rating:

NICE TO SEE THIS ON DVD! STONES FANS HAVE DREAMED OF SEEING THIS FOR YEARS!
Rock and Roll Circus a wonderful memory of Brian Jones.
Keith Moon in his prime
Great.. and greater!
Rock and Roll Circus

The Rolling Stones - Rock and Roll Circus
Starring: Mick Jagger , Keith Richards (II) , Charlie Watts , Brian Jones , and Roger Daltrey
Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Manufacturer: Abkco Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter - Criterion Collection
The Who - The Kids Are Alright (Special Edition)
Festival Express
The Rolling Stones - Bridges to Babylon

ASIN: B000621484
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Amazon.com

Unavailable at all for nearly three decades, then issued in a VHS edition in 1996, the Rolling Stones' legendary Rock and Roll Circus finally gets the full treatment with this DVD release documenting the 1968 event. The Stones were reportedly unhappy with their performance (hence the long delay), and it isn't their finest moment; performing "Jumping Jack Flash" and a variety of songs from their then-new Beggars Banquet album, Keith Richards is game, but Jagger's preening (especially on "Sympathy for the Devil") is over the top, and guitarist Brian Jones looks dissolute and well on his way to his death the following year. A certain weirdness permeates some of the other musical acts as well: Jethro Tull lip-syncs unconvincingly, Taj Mahal and band were obliged to perform before the circus set was completed and the audience had arrived, and John Lennon's outing with impromptu supergroup the Dirty Mac (with Richards, Eric Clapton, and drummer Mitch Mitchell) is hampered by Yoko Ono's caterwauling, although their version of the Beatles' "Yer Blues" is cool. Still, the Who are brilliant, Marianne Faithfull is beautiful, the various circus acts are fun, and the crowd clearly loves it.

The DVD comes with some fascinating bonus features, including three extra songs by Mahal, some lovely classical piano by Julius Katchen, and a "quad split-screen" version of "Yer Blues." Best of all are a new interview with the Who's Pete Townshend and the various commentary tracks added for the DVD--especially those by Tull's Ian Anderson, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and Stones Jagger, Richards, and Bill Wyman (who dryly attributes Jagger's reluctance to issue the show to his dissatisfaction with his own performance, not the band's). Flaws notwithstanding, this is a treat. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

NICE TO SEE THIS ON DVD! STONES FANS HAVE DREAMED OF SEEING THIS FOR YEARS!.......2007-06-29

Like most Stones fans, I had read about this canceled show for years. I had constructed and imagined the concert in my head many times for three decades. The DVD treatment is excellent and there are some nice extras. The DVD has extra songs that the VHS release didn't have. It is great to have it, but it didn't quite live up to my vision I had conjured in my mind all these years. It is still a great addition to any fans collection.

Rock and Roll Circus a wonderful memory of Brian Jones........2007-06-12

Move over Mick, the Rolling Stones Band was Brian Jones group in the beginning. Just like when you and Keith Richards, got rid of Mick Taylor. Far to good a guitarist for the likes of Keith Richards.
Yes, we all know what happened to Brian. Yep friends just watch there friends go down the tubes without doing anything.
Gosh does this mean that we'll see you guys still marketing yourself when your in your 70's? I hope not.
I'd rather remember you, Wyman, Keith, Charlie because he cared about Brian more than you ever could.
All of the other performers were fabulous !!!! Keith Moon before his demise. Pete in his youthful heyday ! Awesome stuff.
Wolfhouddennis from Lincoln Hills, California

Keith Moon in his prime.......2007-06-11

There is nothing more exciting than seeing Keith Moon on film, whether In "Kids are Alright" or here, where the Who steal the show from the Stones and Lennon and others with an incredible performance that captures all four of them at their peak. But particularly Moon, the greatest rock drummer of all, when he was still a beautiful maniac before his sad (and short) dissipation.

Also noteworthy for me on this video is Taj Mahal's performance. Taj had 2 albums out at this time, 1968, and was still in his 20s but sang like a Delta octagenarian. His first 2 Columbia albums are classic blues rock, and feature, like the performance here, Jesse Ed Davis on lead guitar. Jesse Ed was a native American blues-rocker who had great chops and died way too young. Also, in the spirit of this London hippie party happening, Brian Jones sits in on drums for Taj Mahal's number.

John Lennon's performance of "Yer Blues" is also phenomenal, featuring Clapton and Keith Richards on guitars and Mitch Mitchell on drums. Yoko also does a number (no comment.)

The Stones are just fine, but apparently they felt so overshadowed by some of the other performers, and it WAS their gig, that they released this on audio only until just recently. Thank you, boys, the world needed this video if only for the KEITH MOON RUSH!!!!

Great.. and greater!.......2007-06-01

All these years, I wanted to listen to it. Now I own it! The Stones were absolutely fabulous. It is so great (and sad) to see Brian Jones in his last year. If I'd only known Dirty Mac was a group composed of Lennon (Beatles), Clapton (Cream), Keith Richards (Stones) and Mitch Mitchell (Hendrix Experience) - from the top 4 groups of the time. The only disappointment was that the inspirational 'Yer Blues' was followed by 'Yer Bitch'.

Rock and Roll Circus.......2007-05-30

If you are a fan of the Stones and Beatles, you should have this. Great performances by the Stones in Particular.

Average customer rating:

Dumbo
The little elephant with the big ears
Gorgeous original Dumbo movie.
Mixed feelings on this one
Great movie...

Dumbo (Big Top Edition)
Starring: Edward Brophy , Sterling Holloway , Verna Felton , Cliff Edwards , and Herman Bing
Director: Ben Sharpsteen
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

All Disney Titles | Disney Home Entertainment | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

Bambi (2-Disc Special Edition) (Platinum Edition)
Lady and the Tramp (50th Anniversary Edition) (Platinum Edition)
Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition)
Cinderella (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Platinum Edition)
The Little Mermaid (2-Disc Platinum Edition)

ASIN: B000EYK4GW
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Amazon.com

A Disney "classic" that actually is a classic, Dumbo should be part of your video collection whether or not you have children. The storytelling was never as lean as in Dumbo, the songs rarely as haunting (or just plain weird), the characters rarely so well defined. The film pits the "cold, cruel, heartless" world that can't accept abnormality against a plucky, and mute, hero. Jumbo Jr. (Dumbo is a mean-spirited nickname) is ostracized from the circus pack shortly after his delivery by the stork because of his big ears. His mother sticks up for him and is shackled. He's jeered by children (an insightful scene has one boy poking fun at Dumbo's ears, even though the youngster's ears are also ungainly), used by the circus folk, and demoted to appearing with the clowns. Only the decent Timothy Q. Mouse looks out for the little guy. Concerns about the un-PC "Jim Crow" crows, who mock Dumbo with the wonderful "When I See an Elephant Fly," should be moderated by remembering that the crows are the only social group in the film who act kindly to the little outcast. If you don't mist up during the "Baby Mine" scene, you may be legally pronounced dead. --Keith Simanton

Description

With high-flying entertainment and messages about friendship, acceptance, courage, and believing in yourself, Walt Disney's DUMBO is "a timeless classic for children of all ages. Walt Disney at his finest" (Us Weekly). Meet Dumbo, Mrs. Jumbo's sweet little "Baby Mine" who charms all who see him . . . until it's discovered that he has huge floppy ears! With the support of his very best friend, Timothy the mouse, Dumbo soon learns that his spectacular ears make him unique and special, allowing him to soar to fame as the world's only flying elephant. You'll love all the daring adventure, colorful characters, award-winning music, and a circus tent full of fun bonus features! Go behind the scenes with DisneyPedia's "My First Circus," an all-new activity where you can learn about your favorite circus animals. This Big Top Edition also features Sing-Along Songs, a DVD Storybook, a new digital transfer, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

Dumbo.......2007-06-21

Disney's fourth full length-feature (running just over one hour) remains a powerful, poignant family film, offering kids a clear and useful lesson on the virtues of tolerance. Dumbo's initial cruel treatment is still hard to watch, since we've all witnessed similar behavior. The empathy we feel for this misfit elephant only makes his ultimate triumph more satisfying. A defining classic in Disney's film legacy. Best for smaller fry.

The little elephant with the big ears.......2007-06-10

Who won are hearts is still flying high.

Gorgeous original Dumbo movie........2007-05-15

What a wonderful original Disney movie and such great quality. It is nice to know that you can still get the original movies in a new format, especially all the extras.

Mixed feelings on this one.......2007-05-07

One of the interesting things about having children (among the many wonderful and interesting things) is getting the chance to re-experience childhood and to see movies I enjoyed as a child. I was somewhat disappointed with "Dumbo," though, because of the scene in which the baby elephant Dumbo (who is ostracized by other elephants for having oversized ears) gets drunk, making it seem as if underage drinking is a harmless, playful activity that produces fun and funky hallucinations of dancing pink elephants. Other than that scene, the movie had a good message about overcoming adversity and turning personal weaknesses into triumphant strengths.

Great movie..........2007-04-10

We bought this movie as a birthday gift for our 2 year old grandson and now it's his favorite movie...An old favorite renewed for us and for his parents!

Average customer rating:

Mirrormask, a great movie
Unwatchable
Did not live up to the hype
Bad Movie
the Mirror to your Mind

Mirrormask
Starring: Jason Barry , Dora Bryan , Rob Brydon , Stephen Fry , and Andy Hamilton
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

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

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

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

Mirrormask
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (Widescreen Edition)
Howl's Moving Castle
Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere
Serenity (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000BT97AO
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Amazon.com

This visually stunning film is the product of a collaboration of award-winning graphic novelist Neil Gaiman (creator of the much-lauded Sandman series), his frequent collaborator Dave McKean (Cages), and The Jim Henson Company, themselves no strangers to elaborate fantasies such as The Dark Crystal. and Labyrinth. As with the latter film, MirrorMask focuses on a young woman unhappy with her daily existence; here, the artistically inclined Helena (Stephanie Leonides), is at odds with her circus performer parents. When a careless insult appears to send her mother (Gina McKee) into a coma, Helena withdraws into the dark and elaborate world of her drawings, in which a scenario very similar to her predicament in the real world is unfolding. Gaiman and director McKean create arresting images to populate Helena's world, and the Henson Company brings them vividly to life with CGI; though the story is occasionally murky, the fantasy elements are imaginative enough to enthrall what will undoubtedly be the film's toughest customers--younger viewers. --Paul Gaita

Description

MIRRORMASK is the story of Helena, who works for the family circus, and wishes--quite ironically--that she could run away and join real life. But such is not to be the case, as she finds herself on a strange journey into the Dark Lands, a fantastic landscape filled with giants, Monkeybirds and dangerous sphinxes. Helena searches for the Mirrormask, an object of enormous power that is her only hope of escaping the Dark Lands, waking the Queen of Light and returning home.

The long-awaited DVD boasts more than an hour of exclusive extra features. Fans can go Behind the Scenes with Dave McKean, have a conversation with Neil Gaiman in the Neil Talks feature, or watch the Flight of the Monkeybirds in the special featurette, along with many more exclusive features and scenes.

Customer Reviews:

Mirrormask, a great movie.......2007-06-26

This movie offers a world that the viewer can get lost in and mesmerized by. As a fan of Neil Gaiman's comic books, this movie was exactly what I would expect from him.

Unwatchable.......2007-06-26

I only lasted through the first half hour of this movie before I gave up on it entirely. I loved Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, but it doesn't look like he was too involved with Mirrormask.

All of the characters, including the lead, are annoying. This combined with terrible special effects gave me no reason to watch any more. This film is obviously geared toward kids, which is fine by me, but it's a shame that it looks like such little effort was put into it. Neil Gaiman's writing deserves so much more.

Did not live up to the hype.......2007-06-07

This movie was flat and had been done before in any number of mediums. Its poor production values and superficalness made it the kind of film that was far too easy to just turn off and not bother coming back.

The conflict between the daughter and her family was interesting but the rest of the movie was so predictable and so riddled with archetypal characters that it was ultimately an unfulfilling watch.

Bad Movie.......2007-05-22

The story is about a girl named Helena whose father runs a circus but she is unhappy and wants to run away. She gets in to fight with her mother who is rush to the hospital after wards (for reason that are never explained, and believe me there going to be a lot of unexplained stuff in this film) Helena goes into shock and one night why she is asleep she drifts off in to a weird fantasy world that seems to be made from her weird art. Here she meets a mask man named Valentine and to gather they go on a quest to find the Mirror Mask. The world it self is really cool looking but the story dose not make any scenes. Its mainly just weird images after weird images witch after while gets vary boring. I also got the Impression that this movie was made for girls but the movie really has no point to it at all. You will forget all these Characters the next day (Besides what they look like) and feel great when it's finally over.
Avoid at all cost!

the Mirror to your Mind.......2007-05-18

There are three elements that make this movie amazing; that is Neil Gaiman, The Jim Henson Company, and the imagination.
MirrorMask is a painting that the audience has stepped into and become a part of. We are allowed to see into the main character Helena's mind, world, adventure.
Some reviewers have said that the plot is lacking in good character development and storyline, but I disagree. Maybe the characters are ment to be a little loose fitting, in order to bring the audience into their shoes. As a girl, I identify with Helena a lot, even though her life is very different from mine. The mother/daughter relationship is interweaved throughout the whole story. It is somewhat vague, but we still are able to understand and connect the concept into our own lives, and I think that Niel Gaiman intentionally wrote it that way. Most of us know what it's like to feel trapped emotionally and phisically by your parents in some way. In this movie we can see the struggle Helena has with feelings toward her mother, and watch as Helena realizes how much she really needs her mother and that kind of love in her life.
I can also identify with the subtle love story between Helena and her imaginary love interest Valentine. Like Helena, I have imagined my perfect man, or my own personal knight in shinning armor, as i'm sure many girls and even women have done. I also think that Valentine is a great character, full of witt and attitude. He might have been the strongest character in the movie. And even though he wore a mask, i was still attracted to him by his exuberant personality.
It seems as if this movie might appeal to women more than men when using these two aspects of the movie as reason to watch it. But however, the concept of the Mother/Daughter relationship, the subtle love story, and of course the amazing imagery are three very good reasons why anyone should love this movie.
So far everyone I know who has seen this movie, both male and female, found it to be interesting, amazing and down right awesome. Take a chance, buy it, watch it, love it.

Average customer rating:

Shallow and Frivolous
Chicago IS jazz hot!
Loved it -- Fantastic Music and Great Cinematography
Great Musical!
Bob Fosse lives on!

Chicago (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Christine Baranski , Colm Feore , Richard Gere , Catherine Zeta-Jones , and Queen Latifah
Director: Rob Marshall
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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

Moulin Rouge! (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Cabaret
Chicago
All That Jazz - Music Edition
The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B00005JLSE
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Amazon.com

Bob Fosse's sexy cynicism still shines in Chicago, a faithful movie adaptation of the choreographer-director's 1975 Broadway musical. Of course the story, all about merry murderesses and tabloid fame, is set in the Roaring '20s, but Chicago reeks of '70s disenchantment--this isn't just Fosse's material, it's his attitude, too. That's probably why the movie's breathless observations on fleeting fame and fickle public taste already seem dated. However, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones are beautifully matched as Jazz Age vixens, and Richard Gere gleefully sheds his customary cool to belt out a showstopper. (Yes, they all do their own singing and dancing.) Whatever qualms musical purists may have about director Rob Marshall's cut-cut-cut style, the film's sheer exuberance is intoxicating. Given the scarcity of big-screen musicals in the last 25 years, that's a cause for singing, dancing, cheering. And all that jazz. --Robert Horton

Description

Winner of six Academy Awards(R) (2003) including Best Picture, and starring Academy Award nominee (Best Actress, CHICAGO) and Golden Globe winner (Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, CHICAGO) Renée Zellweger (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY), Academy Award winner (Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO) Catherine Zeta-Jones (TRAFFIC), Academy Award nominee (Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO) Queen Latifah (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE), Golden Globe winner (Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, CHICAGO) Richard Gere (UNFAITHFUL), and Academy Award nominee (Best Supporting Actor, CHICAGO) John C. Reilly (GANGS OF NEW YORK) -- CHICAGO is a dazzling spectacle cheered by audiences and critics alike! At a time when crimes of passion result in celebrity headlines, nightclub sensation Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and spotlight-seeking Roxie Hart (Zellweger) both find themselves sharing space on Chicago's famed Murderess Row! They also share Billy Flynn (Gere), the town's slickest lawyer with a talent for turning notorious defendants into local legends. But in Chicago, there's only room for one legend! Also starring Lucy Liu (CHARLIE'S ANGELS).

Customer Reviews:

Shallow and Frivolous .......2007-06-28

After many years of wanting to see this film, I finally got a chance to view it. I like musicals and loved Moulin Rouge, so I thought I'd give this one a try. However, after viewing, I was a bit puzzled at all the fuss and acclaim this movie received and continues to receive.

Chicago, while visually stunning and artistically impressive (in that the actors did their own singing), is a shallow, cynical, superficial, and unsympathetic story. Most movies rely upon story and plot for their strength; not so Chicago, whose only redeeming quality is the song and dance they put on.

The main problem with the story is that there are virtually no sympathetic main characters. To take that a step further, the main characters are all frauds, and the story's message is shallow. The two somewhat redeeming characters, Roxie's husband and the woman who is hanged, are both pretty much invisible and discarded in the film. Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are both in jail for murder, and both have hopes and dreams of making it, being a big star, and having people adore them, so they call upon a slimebag attorney, Billy Flynn, to help them out. Roxie and Velma take turns lying and deceiving each other so they can get the fame in Chicago. Roxie openly admits she cheated on her husband, is oblivious to the fact that he's spent his life savings to get her a lawyer, and uses every trick in the book (including pretending that she has an illegitimate child) to ensure that she is the center of the newspaper headlines. Velma is a conceited fame-hungry snob who bribes the prison ward and only sucks up to Roxie when she realizing she is losing the fame war. From here we have a battle over popularity, as the two think of shenanigans to steal the headlines from each other. Who will win out? Who cares.

The message basically projected in this film is that its legitimate to whatever it takes to get ahead in this world--lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery--and, in fact, it might make you a star!

Are we are suppose to root for two back-stabbing, deceitful, murderesses who walk over people just to get their claim to fame all because they can sing and dance? Or how about a double-crossing, pompous, lying, money-hungry lawyer looking for the next damsel charged with murder? No thanks. I say throw them all in jail.

Watching this film, I found it mystifying how so many people and critics could love this movie so much. Granted the story's plot has probably changed from the musical version on stage, but the movie version falls quite short of its glowing reviews. Moreover, how could this film have received six Oscars in 2002? I liken the Oscar committee of 2002 to the gullible Chicago citizens in the film, falling over and swooning at something that puts on a little song and dance. Maybe Chicago was the Academy Award's apology for Moulin Rouge not getting any Oscars the previous year.

If you want to see a musical that is vastly superior, has heart, style and substance, and better acting, see Moulin Rouge.

Chicago IS jazz hot!.......2007-06-08

One of the best musicals of all time. Rapid paced, great story line, great actors, fantastic scenery... I can't say enough about everything this musical has going for it!!! A definite for your collection.

Loved it -- Fantastic Music and Great Cinematography.......2007-05-17

This is one of my very favorite movie musicals. The songs are so great and so much fun!

My favorite part about this movie though, is the way in which it constantly cuts back and forth between simultaneous shots of what the characters are doing in the "movie" version and what they are doing in the "stage" version of the story. It is this symmetrical blending of the two arts that really appeals to me, and the cinematography is very well done.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, and Queen Latifah all put on award-winning performances. I was especially impressed with Gere's and Reilly's performances. (Lucy Liu's small part was nice simply because she is so gorgeous, LOL, but she really is only a brief side character.)

This is the best and most enjoyable stage-musical-to-movie adaptation that I have yet seen, and I highly recommend it. Is it the best movie-musical ever? Probably not, I'd have to vote for The Sound Of Music, but even so, I find myself watching Chicago more often than TSOM. And Moulin Rouge is even funnier than Chicago, but I still love Chicago's songs the best.

Great Musical!.......2007-04-10

This is the musical for people who hate musicals! My kids and I all belt out the words when the songs come--each song is so unique and original. This really is an incredible film--the acting is perfect--I love the casting. Catherine Zeta Jones is so powerful, as is Renee Z. Ruchard Gere is at his best, as well, which was a cool surprise!

Bob Fosse lives on!.......2007-04-02

The dance and music and lyrics of Bob Fosse is still going strong, and it is evident through the big-screen adaptation of "Chicago". Director Rob Marshall stays faithful to Fosse's Broadway intentions, though he does change many things with the way the songs are performed (all songs are sung in reverie settings). Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere are very good when going along with their solos ("They Both Reached for the Gun" is fun and funny), but John C. Reilly, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah steal the show with their dazzling vocals ("Mister Cellophane", "When You're Good to Mama" and "I Can't Do It Alone" are well worth the oscar wins).

This movie is a splendid achievement, and if you don't even like musicals, then you'll probably be surprised at how much you're going to love this film.

Average customer rating:

What is Truth?
Fact is fiction, and fiction is fact; but how the story is told is what's important
One of the most Creative Films in Years...
Wonderful Message, a "definite recommend"
Sometimes Fiction is Better than the Truth

Big Fish
Starring: Ewan McGregor , Albert Finney , Billy Crudup , Jessica Lange , and Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Tim Burton
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Edward Scissorhands (Widescreen Anniversary Edition)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Widescreen Edition)
Sleepy Hollow
BEETLEJUICE (DVD)
Finding Neverland (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B0001GOH6Q
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

After a string of mediocre movies, director Tim Burton regains his footing as he shifts from macabre fairy tales to Southern tall tales. Big Fish twines in and out of the oversized stories of Edward Bloom, played as a young man by Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge, Down with Love) and as a dying father by Albert Finney (Tom Jones). Edward's son Will (Billy Crudup, Almost Famous) sits by his father's bedside but has little patience with the old man's fables, because he feels these stories have kept him from knowing who his father really is. Burton dives into Bloom's imagination with zest, sending the determined young man into haunted woods, an idealized Southern town, a traveling circus, and much more. The result is sweet but--thanks to the director's dark and clever sensibility--never saccharine. Also featuring Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, and Steve Buscemi. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

What is Truth?.......2007-07-03

I liked this movie a lot. True to the book, but smartly changed when it served the visual medium of film. One bit in the book I was hoping Tim Burton would discuss why he didn't take was the thing that really kept people in Spector, the imaginary town. In the book, there's a fierce dog that bites people's fingers off if they try to leave. Very Burton-esque. Couldn't figure out why in the film it was about the shoes.

However, I loved the relationship between Edward and Sandra Bloom - both as young people and as older folks. The simplicity of their love and complete acceptance of the other was touching. I thought William struck exactly the right tone, trying to come to terms with his father before the latter's death. All in all, the movie was an interesting juxtaposition of 'real life' and fantasy.

Fact is fiction, and fiction is fact; but how the story is told is what's important.......2007-06-30

I did enjoy this movie quite a bit, and the tall tale sequences made me chuckle more than I normally would while watching a movie. However, when I read the reviews which absolutely slaughter this film, I am inclined to agree with the criticisms. As it approaches its climax, it too often slides into maudlin sentimentality. It also leaves much to be desired when exploring the relationships of sons & fathers. It is probably best not to try and seek deeper truths from this movie.

Nonetheless, it is quite entertaining, by and large. As Edward Bloom understood, the deeper truths of a story really pale in comparison with how good of a story it is in the first place. For this reviewer at least, a really good story about a bunch of really good stories is justification for liking it. My four-star rating comes with the qualification that at times, it promises to deliver more than it really can, and tries to be more than it really is, and stumbles as a result. When it did become a bad thing to be a really good yarn? Sometimes that really is enough.

One of the most Creative Films in Years..........2007-05-21

If you see this film for no other reason, watch it for the dazzling cinematography. You can't help but be swept up into this magical world and wondering how such a fantasy could possibly be real. If you enjoyed The Princess Bride, Secondhand Lions, The Wizard of Oz, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory you are sure to enjoy Big Fish.

Wonderful Message, a "definite recommend".......2007-05-12

Great movie. Great message. This is one of those movies that I enjoy watching again and again.

Sometimes Fiction is Better than the Truth.......2007-05-09

Tim Burton's return to genuine film making is a welcome endeavor indeed. Here he creates a film that reminds me of what great film making is all about: fantasy, love and reflecting on the human spirit. I scoffed at a review that compared Big Fish to The Wizard of Oz when Big Fish first came out, but upon viewing it the comparison is really not hyperbolic at all and is actually quite justified. There is a unique carelessness and an innocence that resides perfectly and constantly in both films. To me, both films are truly a breath of fresh air and hope.

Big Fish is a book written by Daniel Wallace and is the delightful story of Edward Bloom, who has reached the twilight of his life and surrounds himself with his son, daughter-in-law and his wonderful wife Sandra. Eddie has seemingly lived a fantastic life of lies and exaggerations and his son has grown to call his bluff on more than one occasion. In fact, his son returns not just to possibly say good-bye to his father, but to attempt to get him to spill the beans on the truth of who his old man really is. Eddie of course, stands by his stories and brushes off his son's accusations nonchalantly. Most of the film we see Eddie revisit his life as a whole, seen through only his own stories. How he once befriended a 12 foot man; how he arrived in a town that was paradise, once to early and once too late when he turned it back into paradise again; how he joined the circus for three years so he could find out pieces information once a month from Amos the ringmaster about the girl Eddie was sure would be his wife and how Sandra would believe Eddie to be dead in war but he would return. The stories are full of details that would clearly indicate they are false but sometimes they are just better that way. Eddie is a mythological figure and that is just fine with him and as a viewer it's fine with me as well.

Eddie is played by Albert Finney who is in turn mirrored by Eddie's youthful version, the outstanding Ewen MacGregor who once again proves his versatility. Jessica Lange plays the older Sandra and she is played as a youngster by the talented Alison Lohman who carries as much energy and beauty as you could expect for a role with so little dialogue and so much importance. She is a real find and makes you fall in love with her right along with Eddie. Helena Bonham Carter brings her talents to the roles of The Witch and Jenny (or all of the other important women in Eddie's life). Steve Buscemi shows up, which is always a pleasant surprise and of course Amos is played by Danny DeVito who is as enjoyable as ever. The flat Keanu Reeves clone Billy Crudup is perhaps the only drawback, but he is a safe casting call as Eddie's son and does what he can in discovering that his father is exactly what he says he is and more.

Let me just add that I believe Big Fish is a family film. I don't see why it shouldn't be rated PG rather than PG-13. The language rises above the prime time television level once, there is blood only in a comedic and romantic fight sequence that has a truly admirable message and there is a women's nude rear displayed briefly and non-sexually. This is not grounds for a PG-13 movie. I would bring a seven year old to see this. In fact, my guess is that the movie was directed at this demographic. When content is not exploitative, it is not really inappropriate. I can't see why Rock Diesel films get PG-13ed when the message is nothing short of "Kill the bad guys, make a lame joke, drive and crash really cool vehicles and get the dirty chick". Anyway, Big Fish may be about a guy who is stretching the truth but the characters' hearts couldn't be more firmly in the right place. The scene when Eddie fills an entire field with Sandra's favorite flower and stands in the middle of the field, outside of her window and calls out to her comes to mind. It brings joy to my heart in a way that only a film like The Wizard of Oz can, and a small child should never ever miss that kind of message. Big Fish is a smart film that really generates a ton of emotion and convincing special effects. I don't doubt for a moment that more work went into the effects than money. This film carried a sense of hope, pride, real love, respect, fantasy and the crucial element that films of these tainted times often forget: natural and unforced optimism.

Then there is Tim Burton. He is the filmmaker that can put all of these elements together and for the first time tug at your emotions as well. Two things make this film better than Burton's other work. Firstly, it is real and doesn't dwell on being over-stylized and under-dramatized. Secondly, it is pure, clean and full of moments we can all relate too. Tim Burton has made a film that will alienate his older fans who haven't matured like he has, without "selling out" (he's done that before) and he has made a film that the whole world can watch, enjoy and discover this unique filmmaker. I'm glad that he saved some of his real film making inspiration for this wonderful little story.

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2 (Charlie Chan at the Circus / Charlie Chan at the Olympics / Charlie Chan at the Opera / Charlie Chan at the Race Track)

Average customer rating:

Number One Charlie Chan
THE BEST OF THE TWO VOLUMES OF CHAN BY OLAND
Typical Classic Charlie
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2
Number one fan...

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2 (Charlie Chan at the Circus / Charlie Chan at the Olympics / Charlie Chan at the Opera / Charlie Chan at the Race Track)
Starring: Charlie Chan
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1 (Charlie Chan in London / Charlie Chan in Paris / Charlie Chan in Egypt / Charlie Chan in Shanghai / Eran Trece)
Mr. Moto Collection - Vol. 2 (Mr. Moto's Gamble / Mr. Moto in Danger Island / Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation / Mr. Moto's Last Warning)
Mr. Moto Collection, Vol. 1 (Mr. Moto Takes A Chance / Mysterious Mr. Moto / Thank You Mr. Moto / Think Fast Mr. Moto) (4DVD)
The Charlie Chan Chanthology (The Secret Service / The Chinese Cat / The Jade Mask / Meeting at Midnight / The Scarlet Clue / The Shanghai Cobra)
Michael Shayne Mysteries Vol. 1 (Michael Shayne: Private Detective / The Man Who Wouldn't Die / Sleepers West / Blue, White, and Perfect)

ASIN: B000GY728I
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Amazon.com

"Size of package does not indicate quality within," Honolulu's finest, Charlie Chan sagely observes in Charlie Chan at the Circus, and while this boxed set contains only four films, it does this venerable franchise justice, with some of Chan's most arresting cinematic outings. All four films star Swedish-born Warner Oland, who is to Charlie Chan what Sean Connery is to James Bond. The high note of this set is Charlie Chan at the Opera, in which the curtain comes down on two opera singers during a performance. Boris Karloff (whose frightening presence accounts for a very funny reference to Frankenstein) costars as an amnesiac who escapes from a sanitarium to haunt the theatre like some phantom of the... well, you know. William Demarest steals his scenes as a cop in dire need of sensitivity training. He refers to Chan as "Chop Suey" and "Egg Fu Young," and when No. 1 son (Keye Luke) gives his dad a note, he asks if it's a laundry ticket. In Charlie Chan at the Circus, a Chan family excursion (with all 12 children!) to the Big Top is interrupted when the nasty circus owner is murdered.

Charlie Chan at the Olympics is another gold-medal outing that finds Chan embroiled in international espionage when an experimental automatic pilot device is stolen. His investigation leads him to the Berlin Olympics (via the Hindenburg), where his son is on the track team. Newsreel footage of the games integrated into the film features Jesse Owens running the 400-meter relay. Less of a sure bet but still an efficient mystery is Charlie Chan at the Race Track. Each restored film looks great, and each is enhanced with featurettes that illuminate interesting aspects of the series. One profiles prolific Chan director H. Bruce "Lucky" Humberstone (who, we learn, fortified his star with drink), and another Keye Luke. "Charlie Chan at the Movies" examines these films' places in the Chan canon. There are certainly enough 1930s cultural and racial stereotypes (John Allen as stableboy "Streamline" Jones in Race Track) here to keep the PC police working overtime, but for Charlie Chan buffs and B-movie fans, this is an essential collection that is, to quote Chan, a "chip off ancient block." --Donald Liebenson

Description

Disc 1: CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA Full Screen Feature (Black & White) Charlie Chan's Lucky Director: H. Bruce Humberstone Restoration Comparison Trailer

Disc 2: CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS Full Screen Feature (Black & White) Layne Tom,Jr: The Adventures of Charlie Chan, Jr. Restoration Comparison Trailer

Disc 3: CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACE TRACK Full Screen Feature (Black & White) Number One Son: The Life of Keye Luke Restoration Comparison Trailer

Disc 4: CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS Full Screen Feature (Black & White) Charlie Chan At The Movies Restoration Comparison Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Number One Charlie Chan.......2007-05-13

I bought this for my husband who loves the old Charlie Chan series. I ended up watching them myself. The restoration of these old black and white classics is amazing. Warner Oland was Charlie Chan. I went back and bought volume 1. I am hoping that there will be a volume 3 since Oland did 15 Charlie Chan movies before he died in 1938.

THE BEST OF THE TWO VOLUMES OF CHAN BY OLAND.......2007-04-23

Both sets have been reviewed many times so I am making mine short and to the point. Vol. I and II are both thematic (I. deals with places--famous world cities) and II (the best) involves events. The best two entries are "At the Circus" that shows Chan for the first time with his large family of 12 (it grew to 14 later on in the series) and deals with the murder of the very unpopular circus owner. "CC At The Olympics" is an amazing piece of work. #1 son (the great Keye Luke) is a contender at the Nazi occupied Berlin Olympics. This premise on it's own (even with it's great subplot) makes this one of best in the Oland series.

None of the Chan Francishe films ran more than an hour (70 minutes top), so both sets containing 4 discs are quite expensive (although Fox is reputed to have spent $2,000,000 in restoration). To round out the set is the Sidney Toler WWII outings released by MGM--CHANTOLOGY (which is far to cautious due to the times--and the series had moved to B studio Monogram).

If you are a REAL fan, then all three pricey sets are worth the investment. I have tried to buy them used at a lesser price. BEWARE! Once you start watching the series (and unfortunately many of the finer outings have lost their copyright and only available on poorly made homemade bootleg DVD-Rs), you will get hooked on the most famous Oriental detective (based on a real life Honolulu detective) of all time, the amazing Charlie Chan.

A great series and the best of the genre.

Typical Classic Charlie.......2007-03-22

I enjoyed this series very much. I have watched Charlie Chan for many years and was glad I could add these to my collection. They are first class entertainment !

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2.......2007-03-16

I found this collection very entertaining and think that others would enjoy them also. The extra features and information about some of the actors was very interesting and informative. First class DVD's.
Paul Reside

Number one fan..........2007-03-12

These are wonderful dvd's. The quality is excellent. I can't wait for them to release the Sidney Toler films on dvd as well. If you're a chan fan then you will do well to purchase these.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Merle Haggard - Live at Billy Bob's Texas

Vaada : Video

Warlock [1989]

DVD: Demonicus

Beethoven - Symphony No. 9