Trauma

Starring:Colin Firth, Naomie Harris, Dorothy Duffy, Cornelius Booth, Dermot Murnaghan, Jamie Owen, Kirsty Young (II), Jamie Cameron, Justin Edwards, Nicola Cunningham, Paul Rattigan, Sean Harris, Kenneth Cranham, Nina Hossain, Alison David, Martin Hancock, Tommy Flanagan, Mena Suvari, Brenda Fricker, Jo Maxwell Muller
Director: Marc Evans
Studio: First Look Pictures
Product Type: DVD

The Sixth Sense (Collector's Edition Series)

Average customer rating:

A bit contrived, but riveting entertainment. A must-see, must own film!
Way to stiff the actors, amazon!
BRILLIANT!
Great thriller!
Heighten your cinematic senses

The Sixth Sense (Collector's Edition Series)
Starring: Firdous Bamji , Mischa Barton , Toni Collette , Janis Dardaris , and Glenn Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004BZIY
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Amazon.com essential video

"I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), scared to affirm what is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked 9-year old, already hypersensitive to begin with, is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is trying to find out what's triggering Cole's visions, but what appears to be a psychological manifestation turns out to be frighteningly real. It might be enough to scare off a lesser man, but for Malcolm it's personal--several months before, he was accosted and shot by an unhinged patient, who then turned the gun on himself. Since then, Malcolm has been in turmoil--he and his wife (Olivia Williams) are barely speaking, and his life has taken an aimless turn. Having failed his loved ones and himself, he's not about to give up on Cole.

This third feature by M. Night Shyamalan sets itself up as a thriller, poised on the brink of delivering monstrous scares, but gradually evolves into more of a psychological drama with supernatural undertones. Many critics faulted the film for being mawkish and New Age-y, but no matter how you slice it, this is one mightily effective piece of filmmaking. The bare bones of the story are basic enough, but the moody atmosphere created by Shyamalan and cinematographer Tak Fujimoto made this one of the creepiest pictures of 1999, forsaking excessive gore for a sinisterly simple feeling of chilly otherworldliness. Willis is in his strong, silent type mode here, and gives the film wholly over to Osment, whose crumpled face and big eyes convey a child too wise for his years; his scenes with his mother (Toni Collette) are small, heartbreaking marvels. And even if you figure out the film's surprise ending, it packs an amazingly emotional wallop when it comes, and will have you racing to watch the movie again with a new perspective. You may be able to shake off the sentimentality of The Sixth Sense, but its craftsmanship and atmosphere will stay with you for days. --Mark Englehart

Description

Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis (ARMAGEDDON, THE SIEGE) brings a powerful presence to an edge-of-your-seat thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (Oscar(R)-nominee for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director) that critics are calling one of the greatest ghost stories ever filmed. When Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis), a distinguished child psychologist, meets Cole Sear (Oscar(R)-nominee Haley Joel Osment, Best Supporting Actor), a frightened, confused, eight-year-old, Dr. Crowe is completely unprepared to face the truth of what haunts Cole. With a riveting intensity you'll find thoroughly chilling, the discovery of Cole's incredible sixth sense leads them to mysterious places with unforgettable consequences!

Customer Reviews:

A bit contrived, but riveting entertainment. A must-see, must own film!.......2007-06-28

SPOILER ALERT: Before reading this review, please know that this film is a complex psychological mystery to figure out and in the course of discussing this film's merits some pieces of the puzzle may be revealed inadvertently. I often refrain from this with reviews, but it's hard to discuss this film without giving away some critical elements here and there. Please be advised of this as I hate to spoil anyone's enjoyment of this modern classic film that you really must see and own if you are a fan of this genre.

After two rather lame, dorky films M. Night Shyamalan hit it big with this 1999 sleeper that quietly went on to become one of the biggest box-office surprises of that year and this genre and rightly so. It is the kind of film that Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho) would have been proud to put his name on. I'll forego the usually plot analysis here as most are familar with this film and Amazon's description of the film says enough.

The film's strengths lie in the wonderfully subtle performances by the stars who all rightly deserved their Oscar nominations. I still consider this one of Bruce Willis's best performance if not best, but with a career that easily bounces around from comedy to action hero to thrillers it's hard to really say what is his best. In any event, his role here as the tortured child psychologist trying to make up for a past wrong is compelling and rather typical of any Hitchcockian-type thriller (consider Vertigo as a great example). Haley Joel Osmont, whose sister was in Spy Kids 2 and on the current Disney show Hannah Montana, gives a marvelous performance and one of the best I've ever seen from a child actor. His eyes are truly the windows to his soul. Toni Collette as Osment's grief-stricken, single mother is flawless, believable at all times, and heart-wrenchingly touching as she attempts to communicate with her child that she believes may be beyond reaching.

In addition, the film's delibertly slow-mounting pace mixed with sudden unexpected jolts brings about incredible tension and suspense. Shyamalan is brilliant at slowly giving us the pieces to the film's puzzle to the point where we feel, as the audience, like complete idiots for not "getting it" sooner. Why didn't I notice that no one talks directly to Willis's character except the boy and why does he keep wearing in some fashion the same clothes (plus or minus tie, plus or minus sweatshirt or sport jacket, etc.). The ending of the film is telegraphed to us earlier on and we are given countless clues, but like any skilled director, Shyamalan often misdirects our attention elsewhere at critical times. His is a very gifted director and writer who can effectively bring his vivid imagination to the screen.

The photography, camera angles, lighting, and careful editing manipulate us from beginning to end and the score by James Newton Howard who gave us the theme to ER and the awesomely effective score to Shyamalan's Signs is always appropriate and memorable as a score should be. In addition, the make-up for the ghosts that only Osment can see is jolting and convincing each time and often surprisingly revealed to us. Their presence is eerie, disturbing, and, forgive the pun, haunting.

My only complaint about this otherwise flawless piece of entertainment is that it is, as some critics have rightly pointed out, a rather contrived work, but most good mysteries are by the nature of the genre itself and not so much because of the writer and director of which Shyamalan is both. The pieces of the puzzle HAVE to fit at the end and to criticize the film for doing so seems a bit unfair, but I do understand what those critics mean as Shyamalan is a bit heavy-handed with his contrivances, but, wow, can he tell a story. If you are interested in his other works, then just click his name highlighted as director. Except for his first two silly films and the troubled and uneven but still decent Lady in the Water you should enjoy this master director and writer.

FYI: This film was the inspiration for two popular and current TV shows. They are NBC's highly successful Medium in which Emmy-Winner Patricia Arquette is a housewife that sees ghosts in her dreams that want her to assist them in some manner and CBS's equally successful Ghost Whisperer with Jennifer Love Hewitt playing a similar role, but see ghosts all day long and not in her dreams (more like in "The Sixth Sense"). These are series worth owning by the way. I never miss an episode of either show.

Way to stiff the actors, amazon! .......2007-06-18

This film is worth all its five stars and more, but what's up with amazon.com listing the actors as Firdous Bamji, Mischa Barton, Toni Collette, and Janis Dardanis? Collette is certainly worth mentioning -- her performance is terrific -- but who the heck are Bamji and Dardanis? Mischa Barton's fifteen minutes of fame in The O.C. hardly merits billing over Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, who give two of the most affecting and intelligent screen performances in recent memory.

What's next? The DVD of "Gone with the Wind, starring George Reeves and
Evelyn Keyes"?

BRILLIANT!.......2007-06-13

THIS MOVIE IS BRILLIANT! I echo Nathan Alderman's review of this film.

Great thriller!.......2007-06-01

"I see dead people". You've heard that line before. This is the movie that started the jokes and spawned other movies based solely on that one line. When a movie has that kind of power, you know it's good.

So what's this movie about? Basically, a pyschologist (Malcolm) comes to a little boy's (Cole) aid when he claims that he can see dead people. No one else can see these dead people and they're not friendly by any means. Malcolm has to try and come up with a way to make living with dead people more tolerable for Cole (if that's at all possible). Meanwhile, Malcolm has to deal with his own personal issues when his wife stops talking to him after he got shot by a former patient a year before.

If you haven't seen this movie, you're missing out. For those who don't like scary movies, don't worry. This isn't a typical scary movie. This is more of a mystery movie in which you have to think about what's going on and what's going to happen. The first time I watched this movie in the theaters, I left with shaky knees. It was that good. This is a must have movie in every household's movie collection.

Heighten your cinematic senses.......2007-04-21

M. Night Shyamalan's debut as the masterful storyteller/director began with this most mysterious and heartfelt film, The Sixth Sense. The last time I saw The Sixth Sense was over six years ago and it was as though I enjoyed it even more now than I did the first time I saw it in theatres. Shyamalan's script is woven so beautifully and with such great care that the viewer will be yearning to find answers to the many questions this film forces one to develop.

The Sixth Sense starts out with a bang (with probably the best performance by Donnie Wahlberg I've ever seen on the big screen) and leaves the audience almost trembling. As the story begins after this shocking introduction, we see Bruce Willis a year later after his career has been somewhat destroyed by the terrible events that occurred a year prior. Willis plays a child psychologist, and begins treatment through brief clinical sessions with a young boy (played memorably by Haley Joel Osment). Osment seems terribly disturbed and Willis appears determined to solve this troubled boy's problems. But as the story begins to unfold and the audience learns of Osment's nightmarish ailment, Willis finds that helping this boy will take far more effort than he could have ever imagined.

It is hard to capture the beauty of The Sixth Sense in a few paragraphs, but the simplicity of its execution is enough to show that original films can still grab an audience better than any mind-blowing special effect. The Sixth Sense manages to keep the crowd attentive without a single special effect for almost two hours. This movie is not only a good thriller, but its dramatic elements will sometimes grasp at you without letting you go.

An excellent and unforgettable performance by Toni Collette and one of the greatest ghost stories ever told. If you are not a fan of horror, do not fret; this is not a horror film. But there are definitely a few good jumps to be enjoyed. This movie can be seen over and over again and will one day be known as a classic work of film-making. This is by far the most superior M. Night Shyamalan film.

Average customer rating:

Sybil
Poignant Sybil
Gripping Movie
Great movie
Chilling

Sybil (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Joanne Woodward , Sally Field , Brad Davis , Martine Bartlett , and Jane Hoffman
Director: Daniel Petrie
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000EHQU0S
Release Date: 2006-07-18

Product Description

Based on a true story, this telefilm debut in 1976 to extraordinary response. Sally Field - in an Emmy Award winning and career-turning performance - portrays Sybil, a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder who develops over 16 distinct personalities in order to cope and escape haunting memories of her harrowing childhood. Joanne Woodward plays the understanding and compassionate psychiatrist that helps Sybil confront her horrific past and eliminate her demons.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

The word "landmark" is fairly used in the case of Sybil: this 1976 TV movie brought new frankness to television, it raised the quality bar for the made-for-television movie, and it utterly changed the career of a future Oscar-winning actress. The film was based on the bestselling nonfiction book about a multiple-personality patient and her exhaustive therapy. It opens with a brilliant series of scenes that suggest how a young woman named Sybil (Sally Field) experiences unexplained blackouts, which brings her to the attention of a psychiatrist, Dr. Wilbur (Joanne Woodward). The film unfolds around the searching therapy sessions, laced with flashbacks to Sybil's toxic childhood. There's also a tentative romance between the lonely Sybil and a manchild (Brad Davis) who lives across the alley. Most notably, of course, there are the appearances of Sybil's alternate personalities, who express her strangled emotional life. Stewart Stern's sensitive script seems to flow organically from one scene to the next, and director Daniel Petrie frequently allows the camera to observe the acting acrobatics in long, challenging takes.

Woodward, who won an Oscar for playing a multiple-personality patient in The Three Faces of Eve, is all nurturing warmth as the steadfast doctor. But really this film was a sober coming-out party for Sally Field, who astonished viewers at the time by erasing all memories of Gidget and The Flying Nun, the bubblegum roles she'd mostly been known for. Field's work is anguished but non-actor-y, and despite the character's hidden personalities, she seems as clear as day in her performance. The production won four Emmys, not surprisingly including nods for Field, Stern, and Outstanding Special (Drama).

The 187-minute movie takes up one disc; the second disc has informative featurettes about the making of the film. Examining Sybil is an absorbing hour-long documentary with comments from Field and Woodward, as well as executive producer Peter Dunne. It is dominated by the spellbinding storytelling of Stewart Stern, who developed the screenplay by spending time with the real Dr. Wilbur and listening to tapes of her sessions with Sybil. His tale of Sally Field's unlikely audition triumph is a small movie in itself. The Paintings of Sybil presents a generous selection of paintings by the real Sybil (who became a professor of art), along with recollections by one of her friends. Something listed on the DVD cover as "Sybil Therapy Session" is misleadingly titled, suggesting some kind of actual footage or transcript of the real Sybil and her treatment; in fact, it's Stewart Stern describing the harrowing process of listening to the doctor's tapes. The real Sybil (now deceased) remains protected, as she should. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Sybil.......2007-07-04

Originally aired as a TV miniseries, "Sybil" was a landmark event in 1976, telling a darkly fascinating, fact-based story about a traumatized New York woman with 16 distinct personalities. For anyone who doubted "Gidget" star Field's acting prowess, this disturbing drama put the matter to rest: In an emotionally demanding role requiring her to play a terrified child, a suicidal woman, and an intelligent teen, among other characters, Field gives a brilliant, Emmy-winning performance, making a bizarre psychological disorder very real and very haunting. Woodward is also splendid as the dedicated, compassionate therapist who suffers a nervous breakdown trying to cure her patient. (Ironically, Woodward had won an Oscar nearly twenty years before playing a similarly afflicted character in "The Three Faces Of Eve"). The talking cure was never as creepy or cathartic as in sessions with "Sybil."

Poignant Sybil.......2007-05-12

Something is so terribly wrong with Sybil it may drive her to suicide... You need a license to drive a car, why is it so easy for disturbed parents to torture their child ? Sally Field is brillant as Sybil and Joan Woodward plays the best compassionate doctor you could dream of in case of distress.

Gripping Movie.......2007-05-05

This is a brilliant performance by Sally Field.I dont think i have ever seen anyone put on a more convincing performance than what she did in this movie.You realy feel the emotion for this person as she has been torn apart mentally by her mother.The unspeakable crimes that were committed against this person makes you shudder to think it could have been done at all.But how she coped with it is stunning,she developed a multiple personality disorder.All designed to take her mind away from the physical and emotional torture her mother gave her.
Now Sally Field did an excellent job here.There is moments in this movie where tears well up in my eyes.Especially that part when towards the end when she gives her psychiatrist(Joanne Woodward) a hug after she tell her she loves the totality of her.Obviously a troubled person was Sybil,but she went through some stages of denying she needed help at all,and other personalities emerged and tried to stop the treatment.Thats why that part was so special because there was a real bond between the 2.You cant help but feel for this person,and parts are kind of comical as she dances to music like a child,dresses as a French woman etc.But there is also some Evil parts to her disorder and one personality wants to commit suicide.One personality is an expert piano player.But memories of her past keep haunting this poor girl,and its a real struggle for her to overcome that without help.She loses track of time,and wakes up sometimes days later not knowing how she got there.
This movie is drama at its very best.

Great movie.......2007-04-12

Almost 30 years later the movie is still great. It's great when movies are good for the story and the acting regardless of the "special effects"

Chilling.......2007-04-02

Very deeply moving. Sally Field is one of the if not the best charachter actress in the business.

Average customer rating:

Do not let the title fool you. The movie rocks.
I dare to love this film!
Definitively French cinema, a great story, a full range of emotions.
best movie ive ever seen
Love me if you dare

Love Me If You Dare
Starring: Guillaume Canet , Marion Cotillard , Thibault Verhaeghe , Joséphine Lebas-Joly , and Emmanuelle Grönvold
Director: Yann Samuell
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B0002V7TI8
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

A huge hit in France, Love Me if You Dare takes the traditional l'amour fou scenario and runs it through a pinball machine. From childhood, Julien and Sophie engage in an obsessive battle of one-upmanship: if one of them hands a brightly colored candy tin to the other and makes a dare, the recipient is bound to honor it, no matter how destructive or dangerous the dare might be. When this wacky habit enters adulthood and begins wrecking their lives, they ought to change... but that's not how l'amour fou works. Part Amelie-style comedy, part dark fable, this movie has quirkiness to burn, if not always as much charm as it thinks it has. Leads Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard are ardent, although somewhat out-acted by their juvenile counterparts in the film's early section. If you're curious about what would've happened to Amelie if she took her obsession to its logical conclusion, hop aboard. --Robert Horton

Description

LOVE ME IF YOU DARE depicts the romantic story of Julian and Sophie, who meet in grade school and create an intense game of "Dare" to distract them from the harsh realities of their lives. Over time their game becomes a mutual infatuation that binds them for life. Ultimately the childhood game remains with them into adulthood where it challenges their most cherished fantasies. Eventually, each of them is forced to decide between the game and genuine romance.

Customer Reviews:

Do not let the title fool you. The movie rocks. .......2007-07-03

Do not let the American title fool you. Look at the french title. This is not a chick flick. It is a well paced game of life. LOL. If life kills a part of you. This movie shines life on it. Dare to look at the working of the mind as we grow up. This is a view of people escaping from the day to day. We all need that. Are you game?

I dare to love this film!.......2007-06-29

I am a French teacher and have showed this film to both Level 1 students as well as to AP French students. All of them absolutely loved it! The ending leaves with some unanswered questions which inspires good discussion. The leading actor and actress are both wonderful, the viewer cares for them and wants to see their love materialize. The storyline is exciting... without giving anything away, the viewer is simply wondering at every step of the way what the next dare will be and how the friends can out-do their previous dares. It is beautifully shot, funny, touching, heartwarming and exciting. I recommend this film to everyone, and it is appropriate for teenagers which is something I can't say about all French cinema!

Definitively French cinema, a great story, a full range of emotions........2007-06-21

This is not a chick flick, at least not necessarily a chick flick.
If you enjoy French films in the realm of Audrey Tatou, then "Love Me if You Dare," is right up your alley.
First off, the U.S. title for the movie "Love Me if You Dare" is clumsily misleading from the original French title which amounts to "Children's Games."
This being said the story of two children who grow up together and form a bond not frequently seen in film or society.
This film has one of those easy to spoil endings so to maintain some ambiguity I'll simply say that the film is brilliant, but the post-script style ending seems to have been tacked on to satisfy focus groups.
People I talk to about this film have very definite opinions about it, one way or another, you will simply like it or you won't.

best movie ive ever seen.......2007-05-14

when i saw the ads for this film i immeditily knew that i would like this movie and after watching it the story and the acting were very very good its a feel good movie that you will want to watch over and over. i would give this movie 100 stars but it only goes to five

Love me if you dare.......2007-03-10

Easily the most creative foreign film I've seen. And by creative I don't mean far out there. I just mean that it's brilliantly written. The score isn't amazing in itself but the mood is always set nicely. I could go on for a long time, but suffice to say it's a must see.

Average customer rating:

Speak Movie DVD Comments
All young girls should see this
students iin Middle school and up should watch this video
Good for Comparison
This Movie is for Victims of All Ages and Genders.

Speak
Starring: Kristen Stewart , Michael Angarano , Robert John Burke , Hallee Hirsh , and Eric Lively
Director: Jessica Sharzer
Manufacturer: Showtime Ent.
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ASIN: B000A7Q2I2
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Amazon.com

Speak is an unexpected gem. Adapted from the popular novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and first broadcast in 2004, the film features an excellent lead performance by Kristen Stewart (Panic Room) as Melinda Sordino, a deeply troubled teen facing her first year of high school and all its attendant perils, including student cliques (here called "clans," such as "the Marthas--very Connecticut, very prep"), hostile teachers (with the exception of Steve Zahn's art instructor), and so forth. Melinda appears to be just another misfit, alienated, shunned, and sullen ("the most depressed person I've ever known," as one classmate puts it), burdened with clueless, hopelessly self-absorbed parents (Elizabeth Perkins, D.D. Sweeney) and her own introverted nature. But there's much more to it than that, and director Jessica Sharzer, who co-wrote the screenplay, deftly balances flashbacks of the traumatic event that turned Melinda into a virtual mute with her pained attempts to deal with its aftermath; the two stories, past and present, unfold together, keeping us involved all the way to the film's unsettling but cathartic conclusion. Powerful, moving, and well-acted (the adult roles occasionally veer toward stereotype, but the kids' performances are consistently good), Speak is a compelling and admirable piece of work. --Sam Graham

Description

Based on the award winning novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, "Speak" unfolds a story about Melinda (Kristen Stewart), a smart and spirited high school freshman who retreats into self-imposed silence after she is raped one night at a party. Feeling isolated from her classmates and from her preoccupied mother Joyce Sardnino (Elizabeth Perkins), Melinda retreats further in an attempt to escape the torments of high school. It is only through her work in art class with the help of her compassionate art teacher Mr. Freeman (Steve Zahn) that she begins to reach out to others and eventually finds her own voice and inner strength. A feature debut of director/co-writer Jessica Sharzer, "Speak" resonates with stubborn honesty and sardonic humor as we follow Melinda on her journey from traumatized isolation to a brave and final triumphant disclosure.

Customer Reviews:

Speak Movie DVD Comments.......2007-06-27

As expected, some differences do exist between the movie and the novel. However, the creators of the movie well replicate the plot and characters that Anderson forges in her work. I rented a copy of this DVD from a well-known movie rental store. The copy that I rented and the copy that I bought here on Amazon.com showed almost the same type of picture interference. I watched another copy with a student that I assisted in his literature class, and that copy showed no defects. Maybe a "bad batch" of Speak DVDs were made that suffered a similar defect creating the same kind of picture distortions that I saw in those two copies. I'm only giving the item four stars because of those technical problems with the picture on the DVD. The movie itself blossoms with funny, sarcastic humor, realistic performances, and an inspirational story of survival and triumph.

All young girls should see this.......2007-06-09

I have a 13 year old daughter, and I made her watch this movie with me. At first she did not want to, but within the first 20 minutes of the movie she was comletely captivated by the chain of events that had happened to Melinda. I believe that all young girls should see this movie, because it is for one awareness, and another they never think that something like this could happen to them. It is also a good source for victims to see how they can relate and to assist in recovery. Their lives would be devastated but not over. It is a parents responsibility to insure awareness of the evils of the world that is out there.

students iin Middle school and up should watch this video.......2007-05-16

This movie covers many issues and shows just enough of each one so the viewer isn't to overwhelmed. Unfortunately, the main characters situation can happen in real life.

Good for Comparison.......2007-05-13

I bought this DVD to show to my students after they read the novel. It is fairly close to the book, but different enough that the students questions directorial choices. For that reason it is useful. It doesn't have the humor of the book.

This Movie is for Victims of All Ages and Genders........2007-04-13

As another reviewer stated, I cannot stay dry eyed when viewing this movie. Melinda's story may be harder for some people to take than others, particularly if they have been victimized themselves and feel that maybe they are somehow to blame when the immediate aftermath around them is negative.

There is no sugar coating here: One day Melinda (Played with incredible depth and sensitivity by Kristen Stewart.) is a fun-loving teen, and the next she can never look at anything the same way again. I was angry throughout the film because her suppposed friends should have guessed it took more than calling the cops at a party to turn her into a social outcast. In fact, her behavior could have told a very perceptive stranger what was wrong, but nobody noticed except one male student and Steve Zahn's art teacher character Mr. Freeman. Everyone else was cruel and/or indifferent, and that's before they found out what happened to her.

This is the story of one year in the life of a bright young girl after a very troubling incident but, unlike other victims, she didn't keep silent about it for years until her entire life was a complete mess. It is incredibly moving and well-done. If you are having some of the same problems, please don't wait until you have a mountain of trouble ahead of you. Contact the nearest victim's support group or call RAINN toll free at 1-800-656-HOPE.

Average customer rating:

Just ok
NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone
Better than the Imax film
Your head is in the jet stream
Good but not really quite what I expected

NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone

Manufacturer: WGBH
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 1578071976
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Amazon.com

"Because it is there" is the reason so many men and women have risked death to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on earth. NOVA follows a scientific investigation of high-altitude physiology in Everest: The Death Zone, which examines the biological and psychological changes experienced by a group of climbers during their ascent. Jodie Foster's narration accompanies the team as the NOVA photographers capture the stark, alien beauty of the mountain; the drama reaches a crescendo on the descent as it becomes unclear whether or not an ill climber will make it. Well worth watching by anyone interested in mountain climbing or the limits of human endurance, Everest: The Death Zone is at once cautionary and inspiring. --Rob Lightner

Description

Get ready for a (literally) breathtaking trek up Mt. Everest, from Base Camp at 17,600 feet; through the chilling, corpse-strewn Death Zone; to the very pinnacle of the the Earth, five and a half miles above sea level. For those brave souls who survive the harrowing climb to the top of the world, it is a transformative experience. But can the excruciating ascent—through frigid cold, blasting wind, blinding sun, and severe lack of oxygen—cause permanent, damaging changes to the human brain and body?

In the wake of the 1996 disaster that took eight climbers in a single day, scientists follow a team of hikers to measure, for the first time ever, the toll high-altitude climbing takes on the heart, lungs, blood, and brain. Why do seemingly rational people make poor, sometimes fatal decisions as they approach the peak? And the danger doesn't end there—as NOVA discovers during the descent, when one climber's respiratory illness takes a terrifying turn on the isolated mountainside. ''Even with the best technology, the best training,'' says team member, producer and director David Breashears, ''you can still end up frozen to death at 27,500 feet. That's what makes Everest Everest.''

Special DVD features include: scene selections; access to the Everest: The Death Zone Web site; and English subtitles.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 full frame.

Customer Reviews:

Just ok.......2007-02-13

I guess I am jaded because I watched the IMAX Everest video (which seems to get the best reviews) first and can't help but compare them. Still this video had some good participants i.e. Ed Viestur's and such. Interesting view point but the testing didn't do much for me but provide information. Would have liked more extra's on dvd to. All in all ok.

NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone.......2007-02-01

Excellent DVD on Everest! Have read a lot of books on the Himalayan Mountains (especially Mt. Everest) and this gives you a beautiful view of the area and what it is like to climb in the Death Zone. A DVD you can watch many times!

Better than the Imax film.......2006-07-01

David Breashears was the director of photography on both this film and the Imax film made the year before. In my opinion, this film was more successful, at least as viewed on VHS on a medium-size old tv. That's probably because the equipment for Imax was so bulky and the filming process so cumbersome that just taking the footage was an accomplishment.

On this video, the purpose of the expedition was to study the effects of altitude on the human body, so it really focused in on the human aspect. As Breashears explains in his book High Exposure, the massive film size in Imax films requires that you not pull in close to a human face, because it will not make a good image when projected on a 7-story screen.

So in terms of home viewing, I really enjoyed this video and thought it helped me visualize the things I have read about so many times. The Khumbu Icefall and the treacherous ladders, the Hillary Step, the summit itself--I could truly feel that I was there. The images were crystal clear and very beautiful.

If I were only going to watch one video to help me get a picture of what a Himilayan expedition looks and feels like, this would be it.

Your head is in the jet stream.......2005-01-11

This documentary is really wonderful. But not wonderful for the glory of the conquest but showing just how deadly and treacherous this climb really is. Whether you are a wealthy wannabe or an experienced mountain climber it is beyond my conprehension why any sane person would want to endanger his or her life like that. Where's the glory in being drug up to the top like a sack of potatoes? It's almost sinful to play with your life in this way when there is no earthly reason to be there.

The camera work is breathtaking. But it was painful to watch those climbers virtually dying in front of our eyes. This NOVA is a real eye opener for respecting the one life you have been given.

Good but not really quite what I expected.......2004-01-29

I have 7 Everest DVD's and this one was not really as I expected. It was more clinical and of medical type interest and did not have to be Mount Everest to show the effects of low oxygen. They could have used any place above or around 8,000 meters. Frustrating in some senses because I felt a lack of Everest footage and views about the Death Zone etc., as well as being a fairly short film, sort of left me feeling wanting and slighty cheated. However, it goes fairly well with the collection since some of the other DVD's fil in the gaps.

Average customer rating:

Great thriller!
The story is the best of this movie
I'm not one to watch a movie twice...
Perfect Movie to Pay Attention to
Not terrible but way over-rated

The Sixth Sense (Two-Disc Vista Series)
Starring: Firdous Bamji , Mischa Barton , Toni Collette , Janis Dardaris , and Glenn Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005RHGM
Release Date: 2002-01-15

Description

Customer Reviews:

Great thriller!.......2007-06-18

"I see dead people". You've heard that line before. This is the movie that started the jokes and spawned other movies based solely on that one line. When a movie has that kind of power, you know it's good.

So what's this movie about? Basically, a pyschologist (Malcolm) comes to a little boy's (Cole) aid when he claims that he can see dead people. No one else can see these dead people and they're not friendly by any means. Malcolm has to try and come up with a way to make living with dead people more tolerable for Cole (if that's at all possible). Meanwhile, Malcolm has to deal with his own personal issues when his wife stops talking to him after he got shot by a former patient a year before.

If you haven't seen this movie, you're missing out. For those who don't like scary movies, don't worry. This isn't a typical scary movie. This is more of a mystery movie in which you have to think about what's going on and what's going to happen. The extra features that are included with this movie are a great added bonus. It's interesting to hear the director's thoughts and some of the details that went into creating certain scenes. The first time I watched this movie in the theaters, I left with shaky knees. It was that good. This is a must have movie in every household's movie collection.

The story is the best of this movie.......2006-10-07

Surprising ending, well worked. Even Bruce, as always himself, blend enough with the story to ignore him and pay attention to the story and, of course, the boy, who does a wonderful work. More suspense than terror, meaning you can see the movie before going to bed but... don't share it with your little kids!

I'm not one to watch a movie twice..........2006-09-11

...but I had to watch this one again, right afterward, because I needed to go back and watch for clues.

Honestly, and I won't give away the 'ah ha!' moment, but I knew that he was... well, you know, what he was. What I didn't get was how that was possible, or how the interaction with the others that I saw... so I had to go back and watch the movie AGAIN, just to make sure there were no errors in the filming of it.

Sure enough, I found none that I could call an error, and was totally blown away with how this was filmed.

I am a writer, and I also adapt novels for scripts, and when something like this comes along, that something that just totally grabs me and says, "This is something special... this is not the ordinary..." well, I am impressed.

I aspire to write something that can really AH HA! someone in this way.

I recommend the movie, highly.

Perfect Movie to Pay Attention to .......2006-08-12

This movie is one you can't just take off the shelf expecting it to be a brainless horror. This is the movie at the top of my list that is both creepy and contemplative. It's the thrilling gift of a child that really catches your attention. Other poeple can't see lost souls that don't know they're dead, but the boy can, and in this movie he tries to learn how to deal with his gift and lend a hand to the lost dead people. To help him with this problem, Dr. Malcom Crowe (Bruce Willis) comes to talk to the child (who's played by Haley Osment). There's a secret throughout the movie about the Dr. of which he and the people watching don't know that shows a whole different view on things. The secret is revealed towards the end and gives a shocking turn to the movie. Scary and yet very satisfying, the movie is highly recommended!!!

Not terrible but way over-rated.......2006-07-28

The Sixth Sense is one of those movies that younger audiences or audiences unfamiliar with a lot of movies will see as new and innovative, even shocking as so many below have indicated. If you have more experience with movies, much of this one will be familiar to you (yawn), it certainly will not surprise you or shock you.

I first saw The Sixth Sense long after its theatrical release and so was quite removed from all the hype; I just remembered that many reviewers had described it as an intelligent psychological thriller. I was disappointed.

The so-called "twist" involving the Bruce Willis character was no surprise at all. In fact, it was fairly obvious almost in the very beginning, and later the director used so many awkward techniques to maintain his "illusion" that it became glaringly so. Try re-watching the scenes when he interacts with the boy's mother, or when he meets his wife for dinner. These are done very clumsily. Anyone remotely familiar with this type of storyline can't help but realize what is going on. Part of the problem is that the film is built around this Twilight Zone twist but as a full length movie it has to struggle to maintain the illusions far longer than a 30 minute TV episode, and ultimately fails. Another part of teh problem is that the "twist" itself is
so hackneyed. I can't remember all of the various stories and films that use this device, there have been so many.

That having been said, there are positive points to the film. Bruce Willis, who has a very limited range as an actor and no depth, does a descent job here, for him. Don't avoid just because of past experience with Willis. The troubled boy is played spookily well. Some of the scenes are genuinely unsettling, though the director steals a lot of the scariest more atmospheric moments from Kubrick's The Shining. The subplot surrounding the murdered girl was more interesting than the movie itself, if a bit syrupy towards the end.

Overall, if you are an experienced movie-goer, this one might hold your interest for an evening after work, if you can get past the annoyingly clumsy handling of the "twist" scenes. If you are younger and looking for a spooky night and maybe some new-to-you twists, enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Excellent Giallo by Dario Argento
Below Par Argento, But Still Worth a Watch
Not Argento's best by any means, but not awful.
Dario Argento's Trauma.
Not as bad as they say...

Trauma
Starring: Christopher Rydell , Asia Argento , Piper Laurie , Frederic Forrest , and Laura Johnson
Director: Dario Argento
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
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Opera

ASIN: B0009RQRT2
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Description

An anorexic young woman escapes from a psychiatric clinic and meets a young man who wants to help. She is caught and returned to her parents, who are soon beheaded by a garrotting stranger making the rounds about town, apparently striking only when it rains. The orphaned young woman and her new lover launch their own investigation and are endangered when a link is discovered with the victims and a particular operation performed years before.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Giallo by Dario Argento.......2007-05-08

When it came to the 90s most horror filmmakers who got their start in the late 60s and the 70s featured a major drop off in their work in the 90s. Most filmmakers as they get older don't get better. Of course there are always exceptions.

In the case of Dario Argento's Trauma where most filmmakers from his era were on the decline, Dario was one of the few who still managed to put together a solid film.

From the 90s to even now, some of the great horror filmmakers made their weakest and even worst films of their career. Argento isn't free of that either. But Trauma in my opinion is a very solid Giallo by Dario Argento. Of all the films by Iconic horror filmmakers in the 90s Trauma I believe is one of the best.

As fans we cannot help, but compare a filmmaker's later work to their early work. Trauma doesn't have the tension and dread of films like Deep Red or Tenebre; While visually Trauma is well done, it's Argento so that goes without saying, but no the film isn't as visually stunning as Suspiria and Inferno.

But even with those factors it doesn't make Trauma a bad film at all. Several times through out Dario Argento shows flashes of what made him such a loved filmmaker. There are moments with some solid tension even if it isn't as solid as Argento's prior work.

The script by Dario Argento & T.E.D. Klein is well written; I think that even the biggest of Dario Argento fans can agree that while, not a bad writer by any means the screenplays weren't the strongest parts of his movies.

Even though Trauma may not be his best picture, I do believe it's one of Argento's better written movies. As I stated before the tension and dread isn't as well done as some of his other movies, but there is still some solid suspenseful moments in Trauma.

The scenes are well paced there are some slow moments, but Argento never lets it get boring. The pace of the movie moves well and Argento creates some decent tension.

The acting is pretty good; while none of the performances will blow you away the actors do a fine job. Christopher Rydell delivers a solid performance and Asia Argento shows great promise, which I believe she lived up to.

Both Rydell and Asia Argento are able to make their characters very likeable and have a rather solid script to work with. The anorexia aspect of the movie actually plays out well. Its obvious Argento took the time and put care into it.

I personally think that helped add a lot more depth to the movie and added the depth of the characters.

The score by Pino Donaggio is well done, but it does sound too much like the typical American thriller. While I did like the score, I have to be honest I would have preferred Goblin, which is what Argento originally wanted.

The look of the movie is quite well done, which is something Argento's movies are known for. Good movie or not they always have a great style to them. Like I stated earlier from a visual side you won't find another Suspiria or Inferno, but regardless the visual style is well done.

My only real complaint is the gore. Despite what a lot of people say, Argento movies really aren't known for their gore. While yes, some of his work does feature gore, but I wouldn't in any way call them gore movies, and quite honestly Argento doesn't need gore to make his movies work. Most of the time the murders are so beautifully shot the last thing on our mind is the gore.

But the reason it bothers me here a bit is logic would tell you if you get bashed in the head with a hammer you will bleed. When dealing with decapitations well you are gonna bleed.

Even though the make up F/X were done by Tom Savini there isn't very much of the red stuff. But the decapitations look great. In no way do they look fake; it's just that when dealing with murders like that you need more than just some blood running down the neck. Despite all that the F/X looks excellent.

In my personal opinion Trauma is an excellent and much underrated movie by Dario Argento. Granted it may not be as solid as some his earlier work, but it can stand proud next to them even if not as good.

I think fans of Dario Argento should give this another try, while it's hard not to compare this to his earlier work if you take the movie for what it is you'll see it is a solid movie in a time when most of the Iconic horror filmmakers were on a major decline in product. For those new to Argento I would recommend watching his earlier stuff first and working your way up to Trauma.

In closing, while Trauma may not be one of Dario Argento's best movies, it still is well done and some what suspenseful Giallo with an excellent mystery.

Below Par Argento, But Still Worth a Watch.......2007-02-10

Throughout the 1990's the output of Italian horror specialist Dario Argento began to increasingly look as though it was tailored for his daughter Asia. This tailoring also coincided with a general downturn in both quality and inspiration. The three films he made with Asia "Trauma", "The Stendahl Syndrome" and "Phantom of the Opera" are all quite notable for an unusually dour and drab visual quality. Argento regularly took liberty with his narratives, but even by Argento standards this trilogy of below par films are riddled with absurd contradictions and discontinuities. Of the three I prefer "Trauma", simply because like "Opera" before, it is based on a very good method of murder and is aided by some notable actors. Like most post 1980 horror films it is basically a series of set pieces connected by a gossamer thread of narrative, in this case a lot of nonsense involving dead children and vengeful mothers. Unlike other Argento efforts the culprit of much decapitating chaos is screamingly obvious, and the whole thing unravels into a rather a soppy love story. Asia Argento is given much material to work with; anorexia, a psychopathic mother and suicidal tendencies, she does little of note with this potentially intriguing material and neither does Dario. The usual bag of tricks are present (subjective camera angles - even from the P.O.V of a butterfly!! And well executed death scenes), but at this point in Argento's career one can't help thinking he'd lost the plot a bit.

Not Argento's best by any means, but not awful........2006-02-07

Trauma (Dario Argento, 1993)

Dario Argento has been making stylish, intelligent thrillers for four decades now. As is to be expected with a director who has close to twenty films in the can, his output has been a little inconsistent over the years. Trauma is on the up side of things, but it's not one of his best efforts.

David Parsons (For the Boys' Christopher Rydell) is an ex-junkie working as an artist for the local TV station. On his way home from work one night, he sees Aura Petrescu (Asia Argento of xXx and b.Monkey) getting ready to jump off a bridge. He stops her and convinces her to go for coffee with him. This does not work well, and she is accosted after running away from him. She is taken back home to her parents, spiritualists Adriana (Carrie's Piper Laurie) and Stefan (L'Ange's Dominique Serrand) after begging her accosters not to take her back to the Faraday Clinic, from which she had escaped just before the suicide attempt. On her first night home, however, not only do her parents call the clinic's head, Dr. Judd (Frederic Forrest, of Hammett fame), but during a séance, a series of confusing events occurs that leads to Adriana and Stefan's death. With nowhere else to turn, Aura goes back to David, and the two of them try to figure out who the killer is before he gets to Aura.

While the cinematography is pure Argento, much of the rest of the atmospheric trappings that make Argento films so wonderful are missing; most notably, the music is nowhere near the quality Argento got when working with Goblin. But a thriller doesn't have to be an Argento film to be good. How's the rest of it? The acting is a mixed bag; Frederic Forrest, especially, is painfully bad, the polar opposite of the brilliant, engaging actor who made Hammett such a treat. Piper Laurie reprises here Carrie role well, and while Argento's acting is not on par with movies she would make later in her career, she's acceptable. Brad Dourif also scores a role that's little more than a cameo, but he milks it for what it's worth. The plot can be a bit on the confusing side if you're not paying close enough attention, so be warned, but it does all come together in the end.

What will most disappoint diehard Argento fans, likely, is the almost complete lack of gore. Blame Argento's having made this film in America. He does get away with a decent amount, but it's a far cry from Profondo Rosso or even Non Ho Sonno.

All that said, I rather liked it; certainly more than I expected to, given the generally negative views of the film one finds in various places on the net. It'll probably be enjoyed more by those who aren't already students of Argento than those who are. ***

Dario Argento's Trauma........2006-01-24

Well I thought that this film was just average, although the film can be quite silly its still good and Dario has a different style of directing this time so its a departure from his usual style that he used before. The story is about a distraught anorexic played by Asia Argento whose life turns upside down when she witnesses the murder of her parents including the decapitation of her psychic mother played by Piper Laurie I must say that her performance was way over the top check out that hilarious sceance. Soon Asia's character must uncover the serial killer's identety before its to late, she is also joined by a T.V. journalist who both investigate the crime together. Despite the film being shot in the U.S. it still has an Italian tone to it making it a combination of American and Italian gialo. The killer uses a particular device that is used to decapitate his victims which I thought was awsome. Overall I think you should check it out especialy if your an Argento fan like myself but I didn't think that it was his best effort.

Not as bad as they say..........2006-01-19

This Dario Argento movie is not as bad as people say it is. But it's definately not his best film. I think the main reason is the acting. Asia Argento and Piper Laurie are pretty bad in this film. Asia's english wasn't as good as it is now and she seems to mumble her lines which can get pretty annoying at times. Piper Laurie seems to try to capture her amazing performance as the "crazy" mother in the classic "Carrie" film, but she fails. She's just so over the top and it hurts the film. But I'm glad Anchor Bay finally released the Uncut version of this film. The VHS version had a lot of the gore created by the great Tom Savini edited out. I give 3 1/2 stars for the film and 4 for this DVD release. And by the way, "The Stendthal Syndrome" & "Sleepless" aren't bad movies. I think "Sleepless" was his best film since "Suspiria" but the horrible American Pan/Scan release of this film just butchers the film!

Average customer rating:

Surreal movie with a wacked ending
Too pointless to review
Not For Everyone
State of Nature; Off the Haters
Aghghhhhh, this is awful!

Twentynine Palms
Starring: Yekaterina Golubeva , and David Wissak
Director: Bruno Dumont
Manufacturer: Wellspring
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002KQNPO
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Amazon.com,

No one can accuse director Bruno Dumont of taking the easy road. Dumont's Life of Jesus and L'Humanite are fascinating, but they test the comfort zone of even the most devoted art-house maven. Twentynine Palms serves up more of Dumont's uncompromising rigor, this time set in America. A couple scout locations in the desert around Joshua Tree, and spend most of their time fighting or having sex. The frankness of the director's approach to sex does not prepare one for the shock of the truly bleak final reels. This Last Tango in Zabrieskie Point has a lulling, creepy power before it reaches those shocks, although actors David Wissak and Katia Golubeva are perhaps not as compelling as Dumont wants them to be. Of course, he's showing empty people traversing one of the emptiest places on earth--so maybe it fits. In any case, this film will shake you if you stick with it. --Robert Horton

Description

From Bruno Dumont, one of the leading visionaries of world cinema, comes Twentynine Palms, a mesmerizing story of love, sex and evil set deep in the Joshua Tree desert. While scouting for a photo shoot location, an American photographer (David Wissak) and his Russian/French girlfriend (Katia Golubeva) spend their days engaging in impassioned fights, hasty reconciliations and frequent bouts of sex, until a shocking act of desperation leads to an unforeseen and brutal climax. DVD extras include: 5.1 Extraction, Trailer, Interview with Director, EPK, Making of Reel, Subtitle Control

Customer Reviews:

Surreal movie with a wacked ending.......2007-06-14

Lots of reviews of this film have noted its pointlessness and in all fairness, there's a lot of truth to these reviews. One of the most grating things is the director's incredibly high-falutin' ostensibly philosophical explanation/description of what he was trying to do when he made the movie, which he "reveals" (for lack of a better term) in an interview. Unfortunately, it's very pretentious sounding.

That being said, there's an interesting parallel here to another "two souls lost in a huge barren place" movie, "Gerry" by Gus Van Sant. "Gerry" is a really interesting film, I think, and there are some intriguing similarities. But the Van Sant film really probes its two same-named characters, while the Domont film, "Twentynine Palms" spends a lot of time with its two characters engaged in back and forth stuff.

So why the three stars? Good question. The back and forth stuff consists of alternating bickering and sex and, at least for me, it felt like there was some weird kind of atmosphere building up as a result of this. As in the Van Sant film, there are fairly long stretches of the two characters traveling (in "Gerry", by foot; in "Twentynine Palms", by car) with little else happening. It's during the traveling that we feel the complete emptiness of the relationship. The reason, though, that I gave "Gerry" four stars is that the relationship has some depth, is palpable, emotionally reverberates, while in the Dumont film, that's not the case.

In spite of this pronounced shallowness, though, there's something going on and it ain't good. There IS a slowly creeping malaise that you do begin to feel, minute by minute, and in fact, I think Dumont does a reasonably good job at this.

The problem is that this creeping malaise is shattered with a double blast (not literally a blast, as in shotgun, but referring to an outburst) of violence at the end of the film, making it, I would say, not so much pointless, but more like a huge doofy cartoon. The cartoonishness in particular is emphasized in the totally bizarre getup one of the characters sports in the penultimate scene.

It kind of feels like the reason Dumont chose this really wacked out ending was to emphasize how America is the land of random personal violence. But the problem with that is, that point's already been made in a bunch of films. I think what he should have done is to build on the creepiness he started and instead of hitting us over the head with an outrageously cartoonish ending, move the characters to some kind of bizarre climax that much more naturally develops as a result of the buildup. I guess he just couldn't control himself.

Too bad. This really should have, I would say, two and a half stars, but maybe I was feeling generous. The creepiness is done relatively well. But the ending totally destroys it.

Too pointless to review.......2007-05-08

This couldn't have been released in theaters. I couldn't imagine it.

If you find that you have to watch this movie, here are 3 points of advice:
1. Get control of the remote to fast forward through the long pointless scenes and the almost never ending static shots.
2. Watch it on a large TV. Apparently they blew all of their money on leasing the Hummer and didn't have enough left over for a zoom lens. There are plenty of static long distance shots where it's a mystery as to where one is supposed to be looking. Hint, watch for movement.
3. Bring something else to do while it's on.

I wasn't actually able to take watching all of this thing, so maybe I missed the "good" stuff. I can say however that ending isn't part of the possibly missed good stuff.

This movie made me feel a little guilty. After watching this, I think I owe Eragon at least another star. There was some nice scenery it that one at least. The amazon scale should go something like 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 stars in order to properly rate the trash.

If Blockbuster had a "Pointless" section (between Mystery & Romance of course), this movie would be in it.

Not For Everyone.......2007-05-03

Let me preface this by saying that I am not keenly familiar with the work of Bruno Dumont. I know he's experimental and he could care less about narrative or content guidelines and all that fancy indie cred...I get it, he is a guy who makes movies on his own terms. The problem with that is if one of your films gets some of the attention that Twentynine Palms has from the uninitiated, or those of us who are accustomed to more conventional movies, and you have a whole bunch of people pissing on your misunderstood work. I think of a conversation I had with a film student about Peter Greenaway's The Falls. They saw it and hated it, but unfortunately for them it was the only Greenaway film they had seen, so they sort of missed the point...actually, they didn't even get the context Greenaway was making his point in. I suspect that is what's happened here.

Twentynine Palms has a narrative and it is somewhat palpable to a mainstream audience...especially one that it is eager to be shocked. Dumont tells the story of Photographer David and his French girlfriend Katia having sex and examining the beautiful landscapes of southwestern United States after leaving Los Angeles. The pacing of the film and the pretty consistent nudity and sexual content allow us to engage the characters on an intimate level and sort of enjoy the peace, or at least silence, they exist in during this road trip (mind you this is not nearly as explicit as people say it is...its just two naked people who don't even look really great naked anyway). They seem disconnected and somewhat isolated throughout. It actually reaches a level of ch