Dad

Starring:Jack Lemmon, Ted Danson, Olympia Dukakis, Kathy Baker, Kevin Spacey, Ethan Hawke, Zakes Mokae, J.T. Walsh, Peter Michael Goetz, John Apicella, Richard McGonagle, Bill Morey, Mary Fogarty, Art Frankel, Ray Girardin, Vickilyn Reynolds, Edith Fields, Takayo Fischer, Andi Chapman, Erin Strom
Director: Gary David Goldberg
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The "Laugh Alert" level is Elevated with the release of this second volume of episodes that chronologically span seasons 1 and 2. You know the "there" that people talk about when they say, "Don't go 'there'?" Seth MacFarlane's American Dad! leaves "there" in the dust. Take the holiday--excuse me, Christmas--episode, "The Best Christmas Story Never," which somehow melds Charles Dickens with a Ray Bradbury-esque cautionary tale of tampering with the past. CIA Agent and true patriot act Stan Smith (voiced by MacFarlane) loses the spirit of the season in a blizzard of PC secularism in which even the fugitive "Christmas rapist" must be referred to as "the holiday rapist." In the "is nothing sacred" world of American Dad!, Christmas can only be saved by Stan accompanying the Ghost of Christmas Past (Lisa Kudrow) back in time to (don't ask) kill Jane Fonda (or Donald Sutherland), take over the direction of Taxi Driver from a drug-free Martin Scorsese, and shoot Ronald Reagan. The Smith family--wife Francine, geeky son Steve, and "peace-pusher" daughter Hayley--is still not as vividly drawn as the Griffins on MacFarlane's Family Guy (even Klaus, the talking German-accented goldfish admits in one episode that his "fish shtick" is getting thin), but one can't help salute the audacity of the oft-inspired writing. In "Stannie, Get Your Gun," Stan becomes a National Gun Association spokesperson after being accidentally paralyzed by his anti-gun daughter. "The American Dad After School Special" has an A Brilliant Mind-like twist as Stan battles an eating disorder brought about by Steve's new overweight girlfriend. In "Helping Handis," Steve becomes the big man on campus after he develops steroid-enhanced breasts.

Two episodes are standouts for their animation. "Dungeons and Wagons," as did South Park with "Make Love, Not Warcraft," creates a video game universe in which Steve rules. Near the end of "Failure Is Not a Factory-Installed Option," the screen adjusts to widescreen format, and the saga of the golden turd, begun in the first season episode, "Homeland Insecurity" compellingly continues with the jewel-encrusted oddity becoming the last temptation of an honest cop (Beau Bridges). American Dad! is, as should be apparent, not for all tastes (or more sensitive viewers--the episode "Tears of a Clooney" drops some unbleeped F-bombs), but fans of the series are rewarded with this three disc-set's prodigious extra features, including rowdy, chaotic commentaries for all the episodes, a wealth of hit and miss deleted scenes, and a segment devoted to the production of "Dungeons and Wagons." --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

Funnier than I expected.......2007-06-27

I love Family Guy, but only found these episode marginally funny when they were on TV. Pretty much just kept watching TV after Family Guy ended. However, I have to say that, for some reason, these episodes seem a lot funnier when I watch the DVD. Maybe watching a few in order gets you in the right American Dad mindset, but they seem to keep getting funnier. Highly recommended.

Review for American Dad vol. 2.......2007-06-26

The DVD was wonderful. Very entertaining and funny. The amount of shows contained in this volume is great. There is enough material to keep you entertained for hours.

American Dad, Volume 2.......2007-06-09

Absolutely hilarious! Seth McFarlane has shown us again that there is more to him than just Family Guy. YOU MUST WATCH THIS! Best bits? Nearly the whole thing, with perhaps the episode where Roger and Stan swap places being my favourite. Although any episode where Roger takes centre stage has got to be funny.

Can't live without my American Dad!.......2007-05-17

I didn't think it could get any better than last season but season two is so freaking funny. There's not a bum episode in the bunch. This show is consistantly smart and hilarious; it never disappoints. Stand-out epidodes this season are the Christmas Special, where Stan goes back in time and Roger invents disco, Camp Refoogee, where Stan, Steve and Hayley end up at a Refugee Camp, and an episode where Stan gets so obsessed with his appearance, he ends up anorexic. Hooray! How do they come up with this stuff? I don't know but I hope it keeps coming...I need my American Dad fix!

Don't you tell me you voted for he who shall not be named!!!.......2007-05-16

This show is just great. There is nothing more to say ;-)

Average customer rating:

not as funny as family guy but still good
Yeah, the boss is being a real "Catch-You-Next-Tuesday..."
Irreverent
Must have DVD
did not receive item yet..

American Dad!, Vol. 1
Director: Caleb Meurer , Seth MacFarlane , and Scott Wood (II)
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

American Dad!, Vol. 2
Family Guy, Vol. 4 (Season 4 Part 2)
Family Guy, Vol. 3 (Season 4, Part 1)
Drawn Together - Season One (Uncensored)
South Park - The Complete Seventh Season

ASIN: B000E6ES9O
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Amazon.com

Whether American Dad! will ever enjoy Family Guy's cult status remains to be seen, but the first 13 episodes of its inaugural season, collected in this extras-laden three-disc set, are promising. After a few episodes, CIA agent Stan Smith and family gradually emerge from the Griffins' formidable shadow, and the show finds its own comic voice. And it sounds a lot like Paul Lynde. That would be Roger (voiced by Seth McFarlane), the housebound alien who saved Stan's life at Area 51 and now lives with the Smiths. Not as inspired a creation is Klaus, the German-accented goldfish who lusts after Stan's wife, Francine. He does, though, have an inspired meta-moment in the episode "Bullocks to Stan," in which he provides faux scene-specific commentary (during the episode!) in anticipation of the show's release on DVD ("I wasn't sure about the Squeaky Fromme reference," he offers, "but it's a smart joke, and the fans have come to expect that from us"). As for the rest of the clan, Steve's children are the typical dysfunctional siblings: Steve, a socially awkward geek, and Hayley, a liberal counterpoint to red, white, and blue-blooded Stan--at least liberal enough to sleep with Stan's boss, Bullock (playfully voiced by Patrick Stewart) in the episode "Bullocks to Stan."

Though the jokes in American Dad! are not as free-associative as in Family Guy, McFarlane cannot seem to resist dispensing with character integrity for a gratuitous potshot at, say, Lisa Kudrow. But as with Family Guy, American Dad! tears at the sitcom envelope. The blasphemous episode "Deacon Stan, Jesus Man," had the distinction of being voted "Worst TV Show of the Week" by the Parents Television Council. And American Dad! has its own version of Family Guy's surreal titanic bouts between Peter Griffin and that chicken. The episode "Homeland Insecurity" features a digression in which a Department of Water and Power worker greedily kills his partner over a gem-encrusted gold "turd," only to find out his wife is having an affair. As he wails to the heavens, the words "To be continued" appear onscreen. According to the audio commentary, the writers do indeed intend to continue this compelling soap opera. So that's something to look forward to. --Donald Liebenson

Description

From the delightfully twisted creative minds behind Family Guy comes American Dad, the animated tour de force featuring CIA operative Stan Smith, his outrageous family, and Roger, the alcoholic extra-terrestrial who lives with them! Follow the adventures of the Smiths from the California desert where Stan's wife Francine relieves her wild youth at the Burning Man Festival to Saudi Arabia, where the entire family is sentenced to death by the Vice and Virtue Police! Whether it's rigging elections, erasing memories, chasing sleazy strip clubs, or staging "bum fights," it's all in a day's work for Stan, and it's all here in the side-splittingly hilarious first 13 episodes of American Dad!

Customer Reviews:

not as funny as family guy but still good.......2007-05-28

Don't expect this to be exactly like family guy. It's a very funny show though!!!

Yeah, the boss is being a real "Catch-You-Next-Tuesday...".......2007-05-16

AMERICAN DAD is what was missing from our lives. Enjoy ;-)

Irreverent.......2007-02-06

If you like the series this is a must have from the creators of The Simpson's.

Must have DVD.......2007-01-15

This is a must have DVD for any lover of good humor and FOX animation. Need I say more?

did not receive item yet.........2007-01-12

its been over a month now.. i have not received this item.. could someone
email me with the status of this item..or i will be forced to get a refund..

thank you..

Average customer rating:

Great plot, story line...A must have for any parent of a teenager
review of Mom At Sixteen
Good movie for teens.
Mom at Sixteen/Too Young to Be a Dad
Mom at Sixteen

Mom at Sixteen/Too Young to Be a Dad
Starring: Danielle Panabaker , Jane Krakowski , Clare Stone , Tyler Hynes , and Colin Ferguson
Director: Peter Werner (III) , and Éva Gárdos
Manufacturer: Lifetime
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000ASATTY
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Description

Homework, the prom, getting a driver's license. These are the problems most teens face. Diapers, sleepless nights, no more freedom - ever. These are the problems some teens face - the subject of these frank and poignant Lifetime movies that unveil the compelling reality of teen parenthood. Mom at Sixteen is the story of Jacey (Danielle Panabaker of Empire Falls), a high school junior with a secret: her infant brother is really her son. Jacey struggles with living a lie... and with doing what's best for her baby. Too Young to Be a Dad examines the often-forgotten drama of the teenage father. Paul Franklin Dano (The Ballad of Jack and Rose) plays a quiet honor student who's torn by his family's pain, his sense of responsibility and his once-shining future. Two sensitive stories - two fateful decisions.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes:Mom at Sixteen deleted scenes
Interviews:Mom at Sixteen cast & crew interviews

Customer Reviews:

Great plot, story line...A must have for any parent of a teenager.......2007-01-14

This movie was exellent and I think any pre teen or teenager from ages 11 and up should have to watch this movie because you will learn a lot. Many parents don't know that their children are having sex at a young age and don't care to get involved before it is too late. Also some of the ones that are having sex lie to their parents and/or wont discuss it and this is a good way to get invloved with your child life without embarrasing them. This movie is a realization for me and I am only 22 years old but this movie will make you realize it's best to wait before having kids, because they come first and it would be selfish to have a child if you are not ready and to understand that the child comes first. This is what this movie is about, a girl having a child while struggling to stay in school and maintain good grades and the very doubt of ever being able to go to college and having the life that she always dreamed of. The plot of this movie kept me interested untill the very end and it was a very good movie. I would recommend this to teachers to play in school and parents to buy for there teenagers! I don't have kids but this was a TOTAL realization for me and I wished that I would have seen this movie sooner!! I saw this on Lifetime but I am buying it to show my kids one day because I feel that it is important. This movie really can change your teens life, it did mine!

review of Mom At Sixteen.......2006-10-24

I wondered if it was written by someone from the team behind My So-Called Life. I mean if it was it would have been written as an assignment for a paycheck, but the treatment of the material was much more detailed and less PSAish than I've ever seen before, especially for a made for tv movie. The dichotomy of the post-pregnancy teen's jaded attitude towards sex and the rest of the class' rabid enthusiasm for discussing it is very effective. The plight of the infertile woman is depicted well by introducing her as a teacher and a person first and then later revealing her situation rather than just presenting her as a one-dimensional representation of an affliction. The way this film lets the characters exist before and outside of the "issues" they respesent is what sets it apart.

Good movie for teens........2006-08-14

I bought this just for being a DVD. It really turned out that, Mom at Sixteen is really good for an eye opener for the Girls and Too Young to Be a Dad is really an Eye opener for the Boys. Of course I am not a Parent, but still good movies.

Mom at Sixteen/Too Young to Be a Dad.......2006-06-26

The movies where great and very educational!!!!! More Teens Should take this into consitoration I am 11 and I know more about sex and teen pregnancy then most teens do and if you have noticed the age of teen pregnancy has gotten even younger like 9 - 18!!! It is very sad to see for instance if you go into a middle school or high school you will see some pregnante girls or boys talking about how they got so and so pregnante last night or a week ago!!!! It's very sad I would hate to see our generation torn to peices because of this !!!

Your girl,
Jasmine

Mom at Sixteen.......2006-05-18

I Have not yet seen the DVD, but I watched it on TV once and I really liked it. I really want to get just this movie without the other movie. This movie really touched my heart. As soon as I started watching it and couldn't stop. It was one of the best movies I've ever seen!

Average customer rating:

A Creative Comedy Film
my world is saved
VERY DISAPPOINTING.
a classic!
No, I am Raff, you are Earth Dick.

Mom and Dad Save the World
Starring: Teri Garr , Jeffrey Jones , Jon Lovitz , Thalmus Rasulala , and Wallace Shawn
Director: Greg Beeman
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Stay Tuned
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ASIN: B0007TKNEW
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

Before ' 'Dumb and Dumber' ' there was Mom and Dad! When the Emperor Tod of the planet Spengo kidnaps housewife Marge Nelson to make her his Empress, he threatens to destroy the Earth unless she succumbs. Now only Marge and her husband Dick stand between Tod and his wicked plan.

Customer Reviews:

A Creative Comedy Film.......2007-05-22

I enjoy this far-fetched science-fiction film. This film looks like it had made last minute and the writer is obviously very creative in the last minute. But the story has the love, war and win-win at the end. The car flying in to the space is very unique with a smallest planet out of our solar system where is other aliens living. It's fun to watch and kill time when you travel.

my world is saved.......2007-05-13

A good movie, but one you have to be ready for when you watch it. A must see for those who like stupid silly, like "The Man Who Knew Too Little"

VERY DISAPPOINTING........2007-05-13

MOVIE WASN'T VERY GOOD. DON'T WATCH WITH CHILDREN. INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE AND 1 0R 2 SCENES HAVE SOME SEXUAL CONTENT. NOT WORTH THE MONEY. I USUALLY LOVE TERI GARR AND JON LOVITZ, VERY DISAPPOINTING.

a classic!.......2006-11-05

Well no, it's not a classic by any means. This is one of those "it's so bad it's good" kind of movies. I'm not a fan of Jon Lovitz at ALL. I think those new Subway commercials are some of the WORST commercials ever to air on television. But this movie starring Jon Lovitz as the "king of the world" is okay.

When you think about a title like "Mom and Dad Save the World" your first thought is probably something extremely cheesy. Well, in this case, the images of cheese and constant silliness is EXACTLY correct. That's exactly what the storyline is.

Mom and dad are kidnapped by people on another planet, and at first, all they want to do is find a way to get out of there and return home to Earth. However, new "people" come into their lives, so more obstacles get in their way making it harder to return home. It's an extremely silly movie that's probably not very funny, but I think you will really like it because of SOME reason.

My favorite thing are the mushrooms that live in the sewer of the castle. I also love the friendly fish-face women. Yes, that sentence makes me look like I'm on drugs, but I'm not. You might think you're on drugs after this movie is over... and I recommend watching it.

No, I am Raff, you are Earth Dick........2006-03-18

I love this movie. I remember first watching it at my cousin's house, and it seemed faded in my memory because I was laughing so hard. This movie is one of those films where you just need to shut everything else out.

A couple get beamed up to planet Spengo, where Emperor Tod (Lovitz, in an earlier and more hilarious role) wishes to wed Marge (Garr) and wishes to have Dick (Jones), her husband, killed.

The movie has so many funny moments, and even has comedic support by Eric Idle. I recommend this film to anyone who wants a really deserving laugh.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
Great and inspiring movie about elderly parents that is true!
Has some powerful moments, but also some false ones that jar
"Dad" takes many doctors to task
rediscovering my folks

Dad
Starring: Jack Lemmon , Ted Danson , Olympia Dukakis , Kathy Baker , and Kevin Spacey
Director: Gary David Goldberg
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Tuesdays with Morrie
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ASIN: B0007QJ1W0
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Amazon.com

William Wharton's startling and moving novel about fathers and sons got an above-average film adaptation from TV's Gary David Goldberg, who wrote and directed. While the film couldn't capture the sadness and wonder of Wharton's worlds-within-worlds construct, it did get exactly right the notion of how one closes the distance from a parent or a child. Danson plays an ambitious businessman forced to put work aside to care for his aging parents (Jack Lemmon and Olympia Dukakis) when his mother is hospitalized. Mom, it turns out, is a domineering dictator who has stifled Dad all these years; with her out of the way, Dad suddenly recognizes the possibilities of his own life. Meanwhile, Danson's estranged son, Ethan Hawke, comes home as well, allowing the two of them a rapprochement. Lemmon is particularly good (and almost unrecognizable). --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-04-01

This moview brought tear to my eyes.. I was introduced to this movie by my mother and I could not find it in the stores or in movie rental stores. ^5 to amazon I can always count on finding quality merchandise no matter what I am looking for.

Great and inspiring movie about elderly parents that is true!.......2007-02-04

I am presently going thru almost the exact same scenario in real life as this movie. I found it by accident early one morning after my mother had a rough night. For many moments, I felt like I was a character in this movie.

Although many reviewers say that these things do not happen the way they are depicted in the movie, I have almost the exact circumstances happening to me and my family right now.
(a) My mother's first hospital told us that she would need full leg amputations and then not survive. This hospital's parent hospital had a renowned specialist that had a procedure that saved my mother's life. Yes, my nephew and I had to find him and convince him to take my mother as a patient with no help from the first hospital (Thanks again Dr. McKinsey!!!).
(b) During the time my mother was in the hospitals (3 weeks), someone in our family was always with her, 24*7. I literally lived there during this time.
(c) I am a VP on Wall Street and took a leave of absence from work, going on 4 months now, to care for my mother and help her regain her health.

This movie made me feel that we are not alone in facing the challenges that make up the primary plot of Dad and that I am not a crack pot for the decisions that I made to help care for my mother.

Has some powerful moments, but also some false ones that jar .......2006-05-27

While there are some moments of emotional power in this movie, too much of it is simply jarring and unrealistic in ways that make us realize we are simply watching a movie with scenes that someone thought would be good and give the actors their turn at doing something dramatic rather than allow us to pretend we are watching real people. When the elderly parents in this film (Jack Lemmon and Olympia Dukakis playing Jack and Bette Tremont) are in the grocery store, we get a real insight into the current state of their marriage. When she has the heart attack while shopping, it is very moving and involves us very much. Ted Danson's opening scene as the big time investment banker is also quite believable and he plays the cool and almost emotionless businessman very well. He is elegant, suave, understated, and handsome. This was the peak of Danson's early fame from Cheers.

We think we are going to see a movie of a senile and frail widower drawing in his children to care for him and see how they respond. Instead, she recovers and it is Dad that is diagnosed with terminal cancer and it is the story how the family responds to that crisis which becomes the story. The problem is that it goes off the rails. Danson doesn't really have the ability to convey deep internal crisis on film so they have to give him a bold gesture. Here it is carrying is post-operative father from the hospital. Right. Have you every seen how tender and fragile someone, particularly an elderly person is, after major surgery. There might be a way to get him out, but being carried in your arms is not one of them.

There are other false notes as well. Olympia Dukakis is a fine actress, but the scene where she loses it at the dinner table plays too much as her turn to chew scenery than as something that would actually happen as it is played out in the film. What she is feeling and what she says all make sense, but would be better played in another way and in another setting.

When Dad finally does die, it is off screen, but the last scene of Danson and Lemmon together is quite good and credit should be given for how well they play that. However, the last scenes of the family carrying on after the funeral do not ring true. Everyone would be more wrung out and emotionally spent. Everyone in the movie is about six months early in how they would react alone or together. Immediately after the death and funeral things are much more raw rather than as portrayed in this film. At least, that has been my experience with the death of parents and loved ones.

Anyway, while not a bad film, this kind of thing was done better in another less than perfect, but much better film with Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason, "Nothing In Common" from 1986. So, I would rather see that film. However, if you are a Ted Danson fan, then this is a movie with him on the screen a lot and about as close as he gets to drama.

"Dad" takes many doctors to task.......2005-10-22

There are many good things I can say about this film and how it touches my heart, making me laugh and cry. But what I really like about it is how it portrays the too common indifference of medical professionals, the courage of one son in challenging the status quo, and the impact a truly caring physician can make in healing mind, body and/or soul. My only gripe is that it isn't realistic about what it takes to get the right doctor on the case. They aren't offered to us the way it's depicted in this film. We have to find them.

rediscovering my folks.......2005-09-24

this is a film that teachs you about not only being a father but how to become a son, about being truthful to your roots and your future

Mary-Kate & Ashley Pack (Billboard Dad/Switching Goals/Passport to Paris)

Average customer rating:

Mary-Kate & Ashley 3pk DVD

Mary-Kate & Ashley Pack (Billboard Dad/Switching Goals/Passport to Paris)
Starring: Mary-Kate Olsen , Ashley Olsen , Tom Amandes , Jessica Tuck , and Carl Banks
Director: Alan Metter , and David Steinberg
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0001O3YQ2
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Customer Reviews:

Mary-Kate & Ashley 3pk DVD.......2004-04-21

This box-set contains the following titles: Billboard Dad/Switching Goals/Passport to Paris.

Product Description

A fun educational way to learn French!Product InformationWelcome to the world of Stand Deviants.  Where learning is anything butstandard!  Recommended by teachers and professors across the country the Standard Deviantsapproach to teaching is anything but standard.  By simplifying complexsubjects and presenting the material with humorous skits computer graphics anda fun approachable format the Standard Deviants make even the most difficultsubjects enjoyable!The Standard Deviants DVDs is a way to learn and review at your own pace withreal-time immediate feedback - all the touch of a button!  The StandardDeviants combine cutting edge technology interactive quizzes award-winningeducational material and a troupe of young actors and comedians. Everything you need to learn is at your fingertips.  Recommended for juniorhigh high school college and beyond!Skills Learned Lots of Vocabulary The French Alphabet Pronunciation Vowel Sounds Accents Cognates Greetings and Basic Conversations -er Verbs Expressing Preferences Verb Forms and Conjugation Gender Definite and Indefinite Articles Descriptive Adjectives The Verbs Avoir Aller and Faire Idioms and much more!Product Features Interactive testing Instant accessibility to key content areas Helpful resources such as pronunciation basic conversations and lots of vocabularyMinimum Requirements Requires a DVD Reader with DVD Playing Software Plays on standard DVD players

Amazon.com

If you're looking to really learn the French language, as opposed to briefly memorizing a few phrases to help you find a bathroom or complain to the doctor of your traveler's stomach, the Standard Deviants have the video for you. Their French, Part I is a language lesson for the MTV generation. Short segments, funky graphics, and personable, youthful teachers make watching this tape entertaining, rather like Sesame Street for grownups. Using the "functional approach," making sure people can communicate and accomplish tasks in the new language, the video introduces French with phrases and full sentences, presenting ideas through demonstration. The point is to help you think in French. Dialogue is clearly transcribed on the screen, so you can see what the words look like, and two cards included with the tape give translations of some of the dialogues and useful vocabulary. Note, though, that all of the explanations are given in English, as opposed to an immersion program (meaning all in French, including explanations) such as French in Action. Which style works best is purely a matter of personal preference. Skits put the conversations into context and provide levity. Yet, as is clearly stated in the beginning of the lesson, this series is intended to be a supplement to a class, and French really needs to be practiced through speaking and writing. The benefit, though, of video is you can rewind as much as needed to master pronunciation and to let the concepts sink in. The tape opens with pronunciation, with close-ups of faces as they pronounce the alphabet to help you learn how to shape your mouth around the French letters. It then covers a range of topics including -er verbs, gender, articles, adverbs, être, adjectives, pronouns, avoir, numbers, aller, and faire. While the video could benefit from more native French speakers, this is a delightful introduction to the language, and a fun complement to a high school or college French class. Don't miss the flubbed lines during the credits. French, Part 2 is also available. --Jenny Brown

Customer Reviews:

Parlez-vous Francais - The Basics.......2007-03-18

This is the best language tape I've ever used! It cuts a language down to the basics and uses an approach much like Sesame Street. It makes any language fun to learn.

Pretty good intro.......2007-03-01

I've been watching these tapes with a friend, having never had any French before. Yes, they do go through things fast, but I go back and review again and I haven't found that to be a problem. Yes, it's extremely corny, but it can be taken as camp and it adds a little levity in my opinion. The emphasis on pronounciation is extremely helpful, since that's the main thing a book can't do for you. You'll definitely need to supplement this with something else but it is well worth the $5.

If you're a beginner, this DVD is NOT for you........2006-03-07

If you recently decided that you would like to learn French, this DVD is not for you. They FLY through the material. Even when they want you to repeat after a presenter they still go fast! I noticed that I kept rewinding the video to try and make sense of what they just presented. It was so annoying having to rewind constantly! The beginning of the video discloses that the DVD is a supplement to classroom study. If you ask me, they need to put this disclosure (in flashing neon lights) on the cover and product description because by no means will you learn anything from this video without prior classroom experience.

In summary, if you're just starting to learn French this DVD is not for you. If you already know the French language and want to brush up on your skills, this DVD might suit you well.

I'm really glad I was able to rent this DVD (through Blockbuster Online) before I made the mistake of buying it.

My search for a good instructional French DVD continues...

My students LOVE this!.......2005-08-26

I am a middle school French teacher. I have been reading the reviews for this video and had to respond. If you are a complete novice at French, do not get this video. However, if you are a student or have taken French in the past, this is a great tool to help you refresh or just to explain things a little differently. My students love watching this video. I show it in little pieces based upon what we are currently studying. They ask to watch it over and over again, even months later! I highly recommend this video as an accessory to any French program!

Too annoying to be helpful.......2005-02-26

I fortunately rented this dvd before purchasing and I would highly recommend that others do this as well. Some reasons I would not recommend purchasing this DVD:
1. Non-native speakers. They do speak slowly & clearly, but it's with a non-native accent, that's not going to help much if you plan to actually go to France.
2. Too much grammar instruction. Explaining the grammar rules to me doesn't help nearly as much as hearing it used in context. Too much explanation not enough repetition.
3. Lame lame lame attempts at humor & conversation. It didn't bother me that much the first time through, but in order to actually learn the material one needs to rewind and go over the same sections repeatedly. I couldn't stand it. Humor is absolutely a personal-preference thing, so you'll have to see for yourself if you find it annoying.
4. Not enough conversation, not enough French. There are only a handful of conversations in French to listen to & repeat. They do a LOT of talking in English. I would prefer much more exposure to the actual language.

Overall, I didn't find this DVD very helpful. I second the suggestion to watch DVDs you already own using the French language options (if available). You'll pick things up in context.

Average customer rating:

a beautiful, nostalgic, helpless and sad love story
a masterpiece of subtlety!
Iranian Love Story
Change of heart . . .
a quiet film that deals with suffering, love and sacrifice

Baran (Sub)
Starring: Hossein Abedini , Zahra Bahrami , Mohammad Amir Naji , Hossein Mahjoub , and Abbas Rahimi
Director: Majid Majidi
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Children of Heaven
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ASIN: B00006ADG0
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Description

Winner for Best Film at the Montreal Film Festival, this wonderfully romantic and uplifting story is from the acclaimed director of the Academy Award(R) nominee CHILDREN OF HEAVEN (Best Foreign Language Film, 1999). In a Tehran building site, a 17-year-old Iranian named Lateef is known more for his playful antics than his hard work. Then things take an unexpected turn when an Afghan coworker falls from the building and the worker's son, Rahmat, enters the scene to become the new provider for his family. But even as Lateef finds himself irresistibly drawn to Rahmat, it's not until the revelation of Rahmat's secret (that he is actually a young woman, posing as a man) that both of their lives are forever changed! A humorous and moving love story of the most romantic kind -- critics everywhere have declared this delightfully entertaining motion picture as one not to be missed!

Customer Reviews:

a beautiful, nostalgic, helpless and sad love story.......2007-03-25

this film is like a sad and melancholy poem, a well-woven persian tapestry. the human heart would never stop to seek love, no matter how helpless it might turn out. and one thing is never wrong: only love can change one man's way of thinking and the complete different way to look at things.

a masterpiece of subtlety!.......2006-12-17

This is a superbly nuanced film and it gives me
an idea, albeit sad, on the inhibitions imposed by
the muslim culture: you cannot express your feelings
of love openly. It's one highly recommended!

Iranian Love Story.......2006-09-15

This is a low-key but affecting story about a young man learning to love.

Seventeen-year-old Latif works at a construction site for a friend of his father. He's all hormones and bumptiousness, quick to laugh, and quick to pick fights with the older workers who toss jibes at him. Many of his co-workers are Afghani immigrants who have left their war-torn country looking for a better life. Latif is in charge of the kitchen, preparing meals and serving tea to the workers. When one of the Afghani workers falls out a window and breaks his ankle, he sends his son Rahmat to take his place, since the family desperately needs the money. This boy isn't strong enough for heavy labor, so the foreman puts him in the kitchen in place of Latif.

Enraged, Latif loses no opportunity to torment Rahmat, until the day he sees the lad furtively combing out his long, black hair and realizes Rahmat is a girl, a beautiful one at that. Latif goes from bitter to smitten, and takes to protecting Rahmat from the other workers. He even risks jail to keep her from being picked up by the Immigration officers. When the foreman is forced to lay off the Afghani workers, Latif's new love disappears back into her country neighborhood. Latif uses all his spare time to find her, and all his money to help her dirt-poor family. Through all of this, he never actually talks to Rahmat, or spends any time with her. Loving her though, transforms him from a callow youth into a compassionate, even noble, young man.

Baran presents a type of love we in western societies don't usually experience. Latif's behavior towards Rahmat is fervent, self-sacrificing, and abstract. The idea of his love for her seems to drive him more than the prospect of actually interacting with her. Part of this is surely cultural. At the movie's end, just when it seems that they're about to talk, she throws a buhrka over her head and turns away to her father's truck. Latif is left with a hair pin she dropped and the image of her footprint in the mud, soon washed away by heavy rains. You can imagine how this intense, abstract emotion could be transformed in young men into a willingness to die for the abstract idea of a perpetual afterlife.

Hossein Abedini gives an energetic but emotionally shaded performance as Latif. Actress Zahra Bahrami doesn't speak one word for the entire movie, but conveys all of Rahmat's feelings and yearnings through her lustrous black eyes. Director Magid Majidi does a great job conveying the dust and sweat of hard labor - there's a particularly wrenching scene where Rahmat and other women find work lifting heavy boulders out of a cold stream. Without romanticizing, he also shows us the bonds that form among poor working men.

I've also seen Majidi's film Children of Heaven, about a brother and sister in a poor neighborhood in Tehran, and would recommend it highly.

Change of heart . . ........2006-08-20

This is a gently heartbreaking film set in Tehran, a city flooded with Afghan refugees during the time of Taliban rule in their homeland. It touches on several themes, including the plight of the refugees, and those of them who work illegally as laborers in the construction industry. Much of the story takes place at a construction site, where the central character, a young Iranian, a short-tempered lad full of complaints about his lowly status among the other workmen, gradually discovers within himself a heartfelt compassion for the refugees in the person of a girl masquerading as a boy to support the family of her disabled father, injured at the work site.

The young man's compassion is ignited by the love he begins to feel for this girl, and there begins a series of selfless sacrifices that he makes for her and her family. Though they never exchange a word in the film, she leaves a deep impression on him, and he is utterly changed by his experience. A story that is about the transformation of character, the film sometimes struggles to externalize this process, often observing the main character as he watches from the sidelines, wordlessly ponders his situation, or goes in search of the girl and her family. Director Magid Magidi compensates in part by revealing the working conditions of the men, the difficulties of the contractor in charge of them, and the unforgiving weather (snow, rain, cold) in which they all labor. Recommended for the window it opens into a world rarely revealed by the cinema or the news media.

a quiet film that deals with suffering, love and sacrifice.......2006-06-13

Baran is a beautiful film that, oddly enough, primarily takes place at a construction site in Iran. The plot is simple and sweet; the characters are well-developed; the cinematography is often stunning ... Baran has all the makings of a great film, and it is, indeed, very enjoyable.

There were 2 things that I especially liked about this movie. First of all, Baran is the first Iranian film I've seen, and I was grateful for a glimpse into a culture that I know very little about. I thought Majid Majidi - the director's - portrait of Iranian and Afghan-refugee workers was at once lovely and painful. Specifically, it is somewhat difficult to view the conditions that the characters live and work in - and yet - the film in no way asks for sympathy. It is simply telling a story, and the characters happen to work low-paying, back-breaking jobs. That is their reality. Also worth noting, the entire movie does not take place at a dirty, grimy job-site. The main character, a teenager named Latif, leaves on several excursions. These scenes are especially beautiful. Even if this film lacked plot and characters (which it, thankfully, does not), I would have to give it some credit for the aesthetic quality of these scenes.

The second thing that I especially liked about this movie was the way it was able to make a very innocent and restrained gesture seem provocative. There is a footprint in the mud toward the end of the movie that is - somehow - an evocation of sexual and emotional longing. There is another scene, during which a male and a female pick up a basket of food that has spilled, and though their hands never touch, it is one of the most erotic cinematic moments I think I've ever witnessed.

Worth noting - Baran moves rather slowly. I wouldn't say it's boring, but it's certainly languid. There also seem to be a few problems with the flow of scenes. I could be wrong, but occasionally, I found myself disoriented when it would cut abruptly from one moment to the next. But this is really a trivial observation. Overall, Baran is a very nice film. If not profound, it's at least quietly beautiful.

Average customer rating:

DAD'S ARMY - COLLECTION
The TV show ever!!
THAT WAS GREAT..BUT WHEN ARE THE REST COMMING TO DVD?
Possibly the greatest TV of all time
Defending Walmington-On-Sea for King and country

Dad's Army - Collection
Starring: Arthur Lowe , John Le Mesurier , Clive Dunn , John Laurie , and James Beck
Director: Norman Cohen
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

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ASIN: B00004Z4TO
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Customer Reviews:

DAD'S ARMY - COLLECTION.......2006-11-03

This is one GREAT collection. I give it five out of five stars. Leaves you wanting more of Dad's Army.

The TV show ever!!.......2004-01-17

Watching and rewatching these episodes is therapy. After a day at work Dad's Army always gets me laughing. Arthur Lowe, Clive Dunn and the rest paint a portrait of a place I would like to live in. You get so close to the characters, that when I found out about James Beck's untimely death I felt that I had lost a friend.

THAT WAS GREAT..BUT WHEN ARE THE REST COMMING TO DVD?.......2003-12-17

I ENJOYED DAD'S ARMY COLLECTION BUT I HAVE SEEN OTHER EPISODES ON PBS AND WAS WONDERING WHEN ARE THE REST OF THE COLLECTION GOING TO BE RELEASED ON DVD??

Possibly the greatest TV of all time.......2003-03-09

Delightful, engaging, funny, serene ... - words fail to express the sincere JOY this show gives me. I could probably use all the complimentary words in a thesaurus - and then some. Along with The Prisoner I have my desert island TV sorted. Every character is real. Even if the show was not funny (which it is - hugely), I could still watch this end-to-end and then again just for the characters alone. The BBC made some sublime TV in late 1960's and through the 1970's. Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served etc are all magnificent ... but if push comes to shove this is it. The best TV of all time? Well, that's my opinion and I am entitled to it - but yes, I would augue that this is it.

One criticism though - why oh why can't the BBC/A&E release the whole series IN FULL and in sequence (they've found 2 of the 5 missing episodes from Series 2 so they have enough material to fill that DVD with the "Finding Of.." TV special (from 2000), Message To The Empire, various BBC variety TV appearances, the 1-hour specials etc etc). Now when that's released I would be truly happy.

Defending Walmington-On-Sea for King and country.......2003-01-24

It's 1941, and England is braced for a Nazi invasion along its southeast coast. Every man must do his duty; the old and those otherwise exempt from service with the regular forces have the opportunity to join the ranks of His Majesty's Home Guard. In the coastal town of Walmington-On-Sea, the local HG contingent is commanded by Captain Mainwaring (pronounced "mannering", Arthur Lowe), the local bank manager. His stout hearted men at arms include Sergeant Wilson (John Le Mesurier), the bank's chief clerk, Lance Corporal Jones (Clive Dunn), the butcher, Private Fraser (John Laurie), the undertaker, Private Walker (James Beck), a goods transporter, and assorted others.

The humor in DAD'S ARMY is perhaps more subtle and character driven than that seen in U.S. sitcoms. As befits the senior NCO of any military outfit, Wilson is amusedly tolerant of his Captain's pompous efforts to instill martial spirit and promote military bearing among the ranks. Jones drives Mainwaring to distraction with war stories about the old days with Kitchener's army in the Sudan. Fraser, a dour Scot and the platoon's chief grouser, comes to life when the subject of women's strong thighs arises. Fraser's abets his career as the local Lothario by delivering elastic for the ladies' knickers along with the war supplies.

The level of amusement to be derived from the 18 episodes in this 3-DVD set ranges from negligible to high. Fortunately, the former is represented solely by "The Test", wherein Mainwaring and his men are challenged to a cricket match by their rivals in the air raid watch. Cricket? Please, I'm a Yank. Otherwise, the chuckles are satisfyingly frequent. As when Jones takes a detail to set up a lookout in a deserted lighthouse and hits the wrong switch as Luftwaffe bombers approach the blacked-out town. Or, when the platoon is assigned to guard a captured U-boat commander and several of his crew, the action the German captain takes when Mainwaring threatens him with soggy chips to accompany his fish. And Mainwaring's difficulty with a tent flap after becoming thoroughly drunk in an officers' mess. Or, to Mainwaring's jealousy and disgust, when Wilson inherits a title and is invited to join the local golf club.

The video quality of this boxed set is inconsistent. The DVD technology makes an excellent reproduction of the source material, and some of the original film was notably dodgy.

Customer Reviews:

Complete and Utter Nonsense.......2006-06-27

I must say that I don't understand the reviews giving this movie 4 or 5 stars. Its almost as if they're talking about a different movie.

I am a big Bill Cosby fan, but there is almost nothing about this movie that is worth watching. The premise itself is hard enough to believe, what makes it worse is when the rules of how Cosby's non-corporeal self communicates and interacts with the real world seem to change at the writer's whim. There is absolutely no logic governing how this happens. Why, for example, can he walk through walls but is able to pick up a scotch bottle ? How is it possible for him to talk on the telephone ? For that matter how is it possible for anyone except his children to hear him when he talks ? There are no answers to these questions, because its obvious the writers were just making it up as they went along.

Bill Cosby is a great television actor but his movie career leaves much to be desired (Leonard Part 6 anyone ?), this movie is one example why.

very funny and touching.......2006-02-05

i have always been a fan of bill cosby's tv show and i really
like this movie but some parts are so boring it makes me want to go to sleep. the funniest parts hnappen after he dies and
comes back as a ghost. my favorite parts are when he's in the car with his daughter and tony ricker played by dana ashbrook
comes over to the car and gets in and my other favorite is the part when bill comes threw the phone and starts to chock tony
for calling his daughter a bitch. all i have to say is if dana
ashbrook wasn't in this movie i wouldn't have watched it ( no affence to bill cosby) but dana is the only one that makes this
movie watchable for me.

Love the movie...Some problems with the DVD.......2006-02-05

First I will start by saying that I love this movie. I was excited to get it on DVD. The thing that left me perplexed was how scenes were deleted from the DVD. I was disappointed by that. They added a few scenes, but I felt the gap when a part I knew well was skipped. I'm not sure what I feel about that.

Just Great................2005-12-11

I love this movie....... It is in my top ten favourite comedies.... The cab driver in this movie is just soooo funny. Overall this is just a great movie that the whole family will enjoy. I really like the part with the telephone.... you will know what I mean when you see it.... you will really love this phone part if your are a father of a daughter like I am.

Great Family Film!.......2005-10-26

This film was on the television and I saw part of it with my kids and wife and everyone was laughing. So I order the DVD so we can see entire film and it is a family favorite. We watch many times and always laugh. Dr. Cosby makes funny faces and the story is crazy. I thought Ghost movie would be scary for the kids, but this one is just funny. And story is about family-so has good message. Not violence. The kids laugh at the silly parts and adults like the story and the dialogue so it works on different level. This is family classic!

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