Deception

Starring:Andie MacDowell, Liam Neeson, Viggo Mortensen, Jack Thompson, Paul Spencer, Chad Power, Monica Mikala, Kaelynn Craddick, Sara Craddick, Luis CortÃ©s (III), Amy Van Nostrand, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, Lucy Rodriguez, Jeff Corey, Miriam Reed, Kimberley LaMarque, Francine Lee, Alberto Estrella, Jorge FegÃ¡n, Francisco Mauri
Director: Graeme Clifford
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Product Description
Danger lurks around every corner of the world, yet nothing can stop Bessie Faro from putting the puzzle of her husband's death and secret life. But she soon discovers that the only thing more treacherous than lies...can be finding out the truth.

System Requirements:

Running Time 90 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

"I'm a person. And my name is Anakin."
hmmm...give my baby nephew this i will (smiles)
I've discovered something revolutionary!
Star Wars I
The best of the new

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Pernilla August , Kenny Baker , Brian Blessed , Ralph Brown , and Anthony Daniels
Director: George Lucas
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Accessories:

Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast Collectors Edition

ASIN: B00003CX5P
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Amazon.com

"I have a bad feeling about this," says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can't help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevated moviegoers' expectations so high that it would have been impossible for any subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom Menace features inexplicable plot twists, a fistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo's swagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breather Darth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo, and some of what was fresh about Star Wars 22 years earlier feels formulaic. Yet there's much to admire. The special effects are stupendous; three worlds are populated with a mélange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their complexity. And one particular sequence of the film--the adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert--makes the chariot race in Ben-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park.

Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. We witness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looks younger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby as ever. Natalie Portman's stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that make Princess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond with Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan's day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a cross between a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie's lighter moments, while Sith Lord Darth Maul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too young and innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but his boyish exuberance wins over skeptics.

Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic, may be speaking for fans eagerly awaiting Episode II when he pats young Anakin on the head and says, "We will watch your career with great interest." Indeed! --Tod Nelson

Description

Feature-Length Audio Commentary
The creators of Episode I give you insight into the film like no one else can. Hear from: writer/director George Lucas, Producer Rick McCallum, sound designer and film co-editor Ben Burtt, ILM animation director Rob Coleman and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires.

"The Beginning"
Making Episode I Documentary Film
Culled from over 600 hours of behind-the-scenes footage, this all-new hour-long documentary film takes you inside Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic during the making of The Phantom Menace. Sit in on the film's production process including: pre-production, casting, principal photography, editing, rough-cut reviews, visual effects meetings and other events that few people have had access to before.

Exclusive Deleted Scenes and Documentary
All-new documentary featuring George Lucas, Rick McCallum and guests discussing the painstaking process every director must go through in determining what scenes make the final cut. View seven exclusive deleted sequences that were created specifically for this DVD and learn why they were eliminated from the final version of the film.

Multi-Angle Animatics
Discover the amazing techniques used to create two memorable sequences (Submarine and Podrace Lap 1) from storyboards to animatics to final composites.

Featurettes
Five mini-documentaries give you an insider's look at The Phantom Menace's Storyline, Design, Costumes, Visual Effects and Fight sequences through behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and filmmakers.

Web Documentaries
Originally released on starwars.com during the production of Episode I, this award-winning twelve-part web documentary series gives you a fly-on-the-wall perspective into the making of the film as it was happening.

Exclusive Production Photo Gallery
Scroll through a never-before-seen gallery of candid cast and crew shots, each with captions.

"Duel of the Fates" Music Video
One of the most popular music videos during its release in May 1999, the "Duel of the Fates" video intertwines live footage of John Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra with behind-the-scenes clips and dramatic footage featured in Episode I.

Posters and Print Campaign
Examine the Episode I theatrical posters (Teaser and Launch) and the International Outdoor advertising used to support the release of Episode I around the world.

Trailers and TV Spots
Watch the theatrical teaser and launch trailers, plus seven TV spots (including the five original "Tone Poems" along with "The Saga Begins" and "All Over Again").

"Star Wars: Starfighter-The Making of a Game" from LucasArts
This featurette offers insight into the making of the popular flight action combat game along with information on other Star Wars games from LucasArts.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Content
Your Episode I DVD is a key that unlocks exclusive Star Wars content only available through a special DVD-ROM website.

Customer Reviews:

"I'm a person. And my name is Anakin.".......2007-06-22

STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE would have had to have been beyond perfect to survive the almost twenty years of fan anticipation and the avalanche of hype it was met with. When released in 1999, reactions to THE PHANTOM MENACE were very mixed. Disappointed (even embittered) fans claimed that George Lucas had created THE PHANTOM MENACE merely to cash in on the STAR WARS franchise---as if he needed to "cash in" on what had already become a multibillion dollar enterprise. As a result, the whole "prequel" trilogy got a bad reputation, none worse than this film.

Revisiting it years later, after all the shouting has died down, THE PHANTOM MENACE seems far better than it did upon its release. It doesn't measure up to any of the films of the original trilogy. It may in fact be the weakest film of the sextet. THE PHANTOM MENACE suffers from the same mistaken approach that George Lucas has adopted toward his "improved" versions of the original films. THE PHANTOM MENACE has most of the same shortcomings, particularly the (very common) sci-fi bugaboo of using a film to showcase special effects. Lucas gave us a truly Shakespearean tale in the first trilogy, and incidentally set it "a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." The spaceships, the ray guns, and the alien life forms propelled the story, but they were NOT the story.

Lucas wants to show us all kinds of new, colorful, and beautiful visions in THE PHANTOM MENACE, and he does, but at great expense to the storyline, which meanders all the way from Point A to Point A Prime in this installment.

There's even greater expense to the characterizations. We could relate to Luke, Leia, Han, See Threepio and Artoo Detoo in the first trilogy because they were like us in so many ways. Han Solo especially served to ground the STAR WARS universe in familiarity. Han's "scoundrel" energy was very central to the success of the original movies.

There isn't a lovable scoundrel in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Lucas does give us some truly interesting new characters, but they're alien (both literally and figuratively) and we hardly get to know them.

The young Queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala (played by Natalie Portman, one of the beautiful new visions in this film) is oft-times regally remote, and somewhat mysterious. Her lookalike decoy is played by Keira Knightley (another beautiful new vision), and it is truly difficult to tell them apart at times.

Although Portman's Amidala shows herself to be clearly a warm, open, and sympathetic character, by the end of THE PHANTOM MENACE we know much less about her than we do about her cinematic daughter, Princess Leia, in A NEW HOPE.

Young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) is a slave-child on Tatooine. An inventor and a gifted pilot even at the age of eight, he is so bright-eyed and kindhearted ("Someday, I'll come back here and free all the slaves") that it is difficult to reconcile this gentle little boy who cries for his mother with the horrific Darth Vader he eventually becomes.

The Jedi Council initially refuses to allow Anakin to be trained as a Jedi ("There is much fear in you, young one," says Yoda). We never really see his fear or feel it. Nor do we get much more than a glimmer of the rage and anger he must feel as a slave. Watto, his owner, is a straw boater wearing, comical-looking flying bumblebee/vulture who speaks with a vaudeville Italian accent. Simon Legree should not be doing stand-up. By making Watto a figure of fun, Lucas fails to either underscore the weaknesses of the Galactic Republic, or presage its descent into darkness.

Essentially, we have only the criticisms of the Jedi Masters to go on in consigning young Anakin to the Minus Column. It just isn't enough, especially when he wins the high stakes podrace that is the main act of the story (the stakes being his own freedom), and is eventually responsible for firing the well-placed shot that defeats the enemy in battle (like his cinematic son, Luke).

The oddly mismatched love between the prepubescent Anakin and the much older teenaged Padme comes out of nowhere, with hardly a forethought (Anakin's shy question to the girl at their first meeting---"Are you an angel?"---is the only indicator of what later blossoms).

Likewise, Lucas utterly wastes two of his most intriguing characters, the iconoclastic Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and the truly satanic Darth Maul. Qui-Gon is wise. Qui-Gon is skilled. Qui-Gon should have been Obi-Wan's Obi-Wan and Anakin's ally. But although Qui-Gon is instrumental in freeing Anakin from bondage, he never develops a truly affectionate (Obi-Wan and Luke-type) relationship with the boy, seeming more interested in him as raw material for Jedi training.

The silent Darth Maul, (the evil lord of shopping centers) with his horned black-and-red face, twin-ended lightsaber, glowing sulfur-yellow eyes, kendo-style fighting technique, and flowing black robes is potentially a figure as memorable and frightening as Darth Vader, but both he and Qui-Gon die in battling one another; and so a fascinating second trilogy dynamic between good and evil dies with them.

Added to these missed opportunities are odd inconsistencies between THE PHANTOM MENACE and the original trilogy. See Threepio turns out to have been built by Anakin on Tatooine, but then why didn't the droid recognize Tatooine or the name "Skywalker" in A NEW HOPE? Although Ben Kenobi claims to have been trained by Yoda in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, he is clearly Qui-Gon's student in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Tatooine is ruled by the Hutts in this film, but not in the original trilogy. Although Anakin's mother references Tatooine's twin suns, they're never seen together in the sky.

Clearly, Lucas couldn't have reworked the original films after 20 years to fit all these elements in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Their inclusion here is a sign of his hubris. Why not just be true to the original? Clearly, his desire to make these changes overrode any considerations of film continuity and audience expectations. George Lucas isn't really trying to give us a better cinematic experience here, he's just totally into playing with his favorite toys. It's a form of selfishness.

Possibly the worst of Lucas's new ideas is the Social Darwinist/Nazi race theory concept of a high "midichlorian" count giving rise to greater Force sensitivity. Anakin has a mythic virgin birth due to the midichlorians, a bad twist to the tale when one considers that Lucas could have underscored the horrors of slavery by having Anakin fathered by a freeborn man who exploited Shmi Skywalker's position as a slave. Here, once again, the film fails to foreshadow the lawlessness and unethical evils of the rising Galactic Empire.

STAR WARS isn't sociology, but it's insistence on touching universal themes is what made it so wildly successful. The first trilogy was constructed entirely upon the foundation of our shared collective subconscious. Lucas loses that thread in this film.

The inclusion of the midichlorian factor means that the Jedi are no longer a highly-trained spiritual fraternity. They've become racially superior to the rest of us. If ever he re-edits THE PHANTOM MENACE, the midichlorians must end up on the cutting room floor. Sorry, but as ideas go, this one just stinks.

And speaking of stinks, Lucas also brought us the ridiculous Jar-Jar Binks and his race of Rastafari amphibians, the Gungans (Ganja, anyone?). Jar-Jar Binks is a technically interesting additional character, being primarily a CGI character; but he adds nothing (and detracts much) from the film with his distracting brainless chatter, clumsiness, and utter stupidity. If Lucas thought that this duckbilled dunce would provide comic relief, he was wrong. See Threepio and Artoo Detoo serve that purpose in the first trilogy and should have continued to do so in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Jar-Jar merely irritates the viewer, particularly given that he appears throughout the film, not just in a few scenes. He's merely filler. As filler, he's a sign that Lucas wasn't imaginative enough to use THE PHANTOM MENACE's screen time to its best advantage by progressing the storyline.

Binks may be the only character ever that inspired a website advocating his destruction, the aptly-named www.Jarjarbinksmustdie.com. What was George Lucas thinking when he gave us the jarring Jar-Jar?

THE PHANTOM MENANCE is uneven and inconsistent and suffers from some poor scriptwriting and too many missed opportunities. These reduce the film, but do not ruin it. Despite its weaknesses and flaws, THE PHANTOM MENACE is a solid THREE STAR effort. It is essential to the telling of the tale, and leaves us considering what's next?

In that regard, THE PHANTOM MENACE is as successful as any film can be. It finally gives us the entertaining and engaging introduction to that long time ago and far away galaxy we've come to know and love.

hmmm...give my baby nephew this i will (smiles).......2007-06-21

yeah its was ok but definetly for the younger kids. i guess it goes along with the theme of Aniken Skywalker is also a kid. the next 2 are much better. there's just too much comic relief in this one for an adult.

I've discovered something revolutionary!.......2007-06-13

Hey, folks! I don't know about you, but I've realized something extraordinary! Yoda is a HERETIC! How is this possible, you may ask? Well, here's how. You see, in this highly-anticipated prequel, Quack-Gonn Jinn explains the force to Anakin Snobbwalker. He explains how the force is really just a bunch of microorganisms (similar to sweat) that live in your cells and boss you around. However, in Episode V, Yoda (who in Episode I looks like a monkey) claims that the force is something that surrounds every living thing (something like that). If Yoda is a heretic, that means he's bad. If he's bad, then why do you see him with the good jedi at the end of Episode VI? Meeesa have bad feelzing about this. Can you guess who meeesa is? Youssa right! Issa meeesa, I'mgonnahityouovertheheadwithajellyjar-jar-Bonks.

I am Qui-Gonn Jinn. I am a stone-faced, mature Jedi Master, yet I enjoy the presence of my friend Jar-Jar-Binks more than my audience.

Jar-Jar - Exqueese me! You saved my life! Meeesa your servant for life!

Qui-Gonn - Yes, Jar-Jar. If I were in my right mind, I would slash you with my lightsaber until I could see the individual atoms that you're made of. However, I'm never in my right mind, so I will bear with your company. What's more, I'll even take you with me, so that everyone aboard my ship will lose their minds when you crack fart jokes every five seconds.

Obi-Wan finally meets Jar-Jar. He would also slash him to pieces; however, that would mean he'd lose Jedi points, because destroying an unarmed creature is against the jedi rule. It's bad enough that Padme likes snobby, most-horrible-actor-in-the-world Anakin, but she likes Bonks. How is that possible? I think Jar-Jar is a Sith! How else could anyone like him, than by using Jedi mind tricks? How else could he not die, when thousands of battle droids are around him and none hear his ridiculous screams?

Finally, we see the villain of the movie! Darth Maul, who is not in it at all! What does he do in the movie? Except for some incredibly awesome lightsaber moves, he rolls his eyes! Probably an addiction he developed when going through the movie's storyline with Lucas.

Who is the hero of the movie?

JOHN WILLIAMS!!!!!!!

Star Wars I.......2007-06-12

I think George Lucas has a wonderful imagination and not afraid to apply that imagination on screen. However, I find it hard to believe a boy that young (Anakin) could manuver a craft like that or for that matter, build one. None the less, I loved it and will watch it over again.

Rita

The best of the new.......2007-06-11

Of the 3 new episodes, this is by far the best one. It has a captivating storyline and never ceases to amaze with the fantastic CGI special effects at every angle. Many die-hard SW fans do not approve of all the CGI, but I believe that feeling goes hand in hand with the fact that they were around when the first SW came out, and that film was "theirs" so to speak and can never be duplicated. Something so magnificent as SW in 1977 must've captivated the mind and created such a frenzy that many opinions will be biased some 30 years later. I was not born yet when the first ones came out, but I'm a fan of all 6 and didn't really understand the SW buzz until I was able to watch the first 3 (newer ones) in succession followed by Episodes IV, V, and VI. Many fans have seen it the other way around, but I find the SW saga to still be enjoyable if you watch them in numerical order.

Of course, as a young buck myself, I will gladly say that Episodes I-III are great. A true treat to eye and a gem in fantasy/sci-fi land if you're in to that type of genre. Lucas could've not created anything better in my eyes. As I stated earlier, many old-school fans don't appreciate the new ones and that's completely understandable. For me and my generation, my Star Wars films were The Lord of the Rings trilogies. For me, I will go to my grave saying that LOTR was and is the best film of the genre. Hopefully they will make more as Tolkien wrote a lot, but I will not appreciate them as much as LOTR. That's just the way it is I guess.

Average customer rating:

Rare Find
It's about time! Excellent action/biker picture!
Must Read for Stone Cold Fans Region 1 Finally Available!
Deceiving product info for a great action flick.
Inane biker flick

Stone Cold
Starring: Brian Bosworth , Lance Henriksen , Illana Diamant , William Forsythe , and Arabella Holzbog
Director: Craig R. Baxley
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000OPOAR0
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Customer Reviews:

Rare Find.......2007-07-04

Don't buy the hype from those who criticized this movie without watching it - Those "critics" will like for nothing better than to watch non-stop episodes of various LIFETIME channel programming

If you enjoy watching action movies, Stone Cold is a must see - It's a rare find where the bad guys win....most action films fall short in this category, where predictable HOLLYWOOD endings have now become the norm - The story is simple, stunts are first rate, acting is good, and the plot twists are fun

It's about time! Excellent action/biker picture!.......2007-06-30

After looking for this for awhile, it is finally here. Excellent action, good acting. The dvd looks and sounds great. I guess I dont have to buy a $30 video tape after all.

Must Read for Stone Cold Fans Region 1 Finally Available!.......2007-06-27

I think this early 90's classic speaks for itself. If you love great action movies or were a fan of the Boz this movie is for you. Fast moving great action all the time some cheezy lines but what do you expect it's a B movie with your basic biker plot. I personally have been waiting for this to come to region one as the non region dvd's it was available on were recorded very crappy.

As for the dvd itself I think it is very good for what it is. List price on most major outlet sites is $[...] and if you are spending $[...] that isn't bad for this product. It is important to remember that Stone Group Pictures Company originally put out this movie and went out of business shortly there after. This movie was shot in 1:33:1 and was bought out by Columbia pictures who is the company who brought it to HBO and let the movie be played for quite a few years through the early to late 90's. Although the movie was put out in a limited amount of theaters it's the main purpose Stone Group had was to sell it to cable TV so that is why it was shot in 1:33. Now the movie has changed hands again as MGM is behind the dvd. I agree with the other guy on here who complained about the widescreen version. It is crap a bunch of the picture is cut out but that is the best they could do to make it widescreen and these days that is all people want. To take a 1:33 image and reduce it to 1:85 or even worse in some cases as bad as 235:1 it kills the picture. You have to watch for this stuff if you are a widescreen buf. Usually it will say on the back of the DVD that it is "matted widescreen" which means they took a bigger image and reduced it to make it widescreen because the negative they had was not compatiable to be made into a true widescreen as is the case in this B movie flick. Anyway for those of you who love this movie set you widescreen TV to 4:3 mode put the dvd on the fullscreen side and sit back and enjoy the show. I did and enjoyed the movie for the first time in a long time because my VHS was shot and a region free dvd I bought of it looked worse than did that of my overwatched sometimes flickering VHS. I am glad this flick has finally been put out in our region.

Deceiving product info for a great action flick........2007-06-15

OK, this is a review of the DVD. I've already reviewed this fantastic biker flick elsewhere on this site and you fans deserve to know what you are paying for so read this before you rush out and buy this crappy DVD release.

First of all, the DVD clearly states that is presents a Widescreeen and Fullscreen version. But then if you look further into the specs listed, it also says the DVD is being presented in 1:33:1 which is a sneaky way of saying 4:3 or as we most understand that to be.....FULLSCREEN!

This DVD is a flipper, and on the unmarked side you get what appears to be a fullscreen presentation. Now, flip it over to the side that is actually marked "Widescreen" and you will get NOT a widescreen version, but a fullscreen version that has been cropped at the top and the bottom so as to give the false appearance of being widescreen. But as you watch, you will notice that key images in certain scenes are only 1/2 visible. It became obvious when I got the tape measure out to confirm what I already suspected....cropped top and bottom. Shame shame shame.

The sound gets no props either. Again the specs tell you that this is a Dolby Surround audio, but it doesn't sound like it. All the sound is to the front, and mostly directed to the center channel. My impression is that this is basically a "stereo" mixing that does nothing to enhance the action. The sound you hear in the surround speakers is just residual noise, not much else. You'll have to listen to this one at full volume for effect.

On the plus side, the DVD transfer is very crisp and clean. The images are sharp, and the colors are very deep. I'm shocked actually at the clarity of detail for such a lousy DVD treatment, but the video looks great. Nothing else in the package, no extras, no liner notes, no bios, nada. So there you go, buy this DVD because you love the movie, but don't buy it expecting to be blown away by it cause you likely wont be unless you're seeing it for the first time. 5 stars for the movie minus one pitiful star for this DVD.

Inane biker flick.......2007-06-15

Bad acting, overused storyline-Brian Bosworth plays a cop who infiltrates a sadistic biker gang to bring them to justice. Senseless to the point of annoying.

Average customer rating:

Usual Suspects
Definitely a DVD to Own - But Don't Read Any Plot Spoilers!
Violent yes but it blew me away!,
Good Blu-ray trans for a great movie
Who in the heck is Kaiser Soeza?

The Usual Suspects (Special Edition)
Starring: Stephen Baldwin , Gabriel Byrne , Benicio Del Toro , Kevin Pollak , and Kevin Spacey
Director: Bryan Singer
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Release Date: 2002-04-02

Amazon.com essential video

Ever since this convoluted thriller dazzled audiences and critics in 1995 and won an Oscar for Christopher McQuarrie's twisting screenplay, The Usual Suspects has continued to divide movie lovers into opposite camps. While a lot of people take great pleasure from the movie's now-famous central mystery (namely, "Who is Keyser Söze?"), others aren't so easily impressed by a movie that's too enamored of its own cleverness to make much sense. After all, what are we to make of a final scene that renders the entire movie obsolete? Half the fun of The Usual Suspects is the debate it provokes and the sheer pleasure of watching its dynamic cast in action, led (or should we say, misled) by Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as the club-footed con man who recounts the saga of enigmatic Hungarian mobster Keyser Söze. Spacey's in a band of thieves that includes Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, and Benicio Del Toro, all gathered in a plot to steal a large shipment of cocaine. The story is told in flashback as a twisted plot being described by Spacey's character to an investigating detective (Chazz Palmintieri), and The Usual Suspects is enjoyable for the way it keeps the viewer guessing right up to its surprise ending. Whether that ending will enhance or extinguish the pleasure is up to each viewer to decide. Even if it ultimately makes little or no sense at all, this is a funny and fiendish thriller, guaranteed to entertain even its vocal detractors. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Usual Suspects.......2007-05-13

Great Movie - Who is Kaiser Sosi? This where I became a real Kevin Spacey fan. This was his first Oscar winning role and he deserved it. The story is engrossing, and the climax terrific. If you haven't seen it, you won't guess what happens. I have never met anyone who has seen this film who didn't think it was terrific.

Definitely a DVD to Own - But Don't Read Any Plot Spoilers!.......2007-05-13

The Usual Suspects is a film noir movie set in modern times. I adore film noir movies, and one of the first things you learn about this genre is NOT TO READ PLOT DETAILS! I will not give away ANY plot details in this review. If you get even the inkling of what happens in the plot, it tends to make you "wait" through the entire movie for that particular twist or turn to happen. It is so much better to watch the movie all the way through the first time, plot unknown, to watch how it unfolds. That's what makes the film noir movies so great for watching and rewatching. The first time you see it, you are caught up in how the mystery elements are linked together and unraveled. In subsequent watchings, you know what the end game is, and you now enjoy all the clues and hints that are laid out for you along the way. Where most movies can get boring after a viewing or two, I've seen many of my film noir movies quite a large number of times.

The beauty of The Usual Suspects is the stellar cast involved - Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey, and many others. Every one of these actors does a fantastic job. There are so many quotes, so many specific lines of dialogue, so many tiny eye movements and looks that just bring incredible depth to this story. Again, I don't want to give away the details of the plot for you to "watch for". Once you've seen the movie, there will undoubtedly be moments that stand out for you. But don't stop there. Go back and watch it again. Suddenly you'll realize the meaning in the way someone looks at someone else - the way someone reacts to a specific line of dialogue. It's simply brilliant.

There are a number of heavily accented characters here which means the first time through you might not really realize what someone is saying. They do that on purpose. Those people *have* accented voices. It means you don't really understand what's going on in some scenes. Again, when you re-watch, you start to sink deeper into the environment. You realize what certain words mean. You realize the context of the situation. It is a multi-layered adventure and each time you take a look, something else unfolds for you.

Definitely recommended for owning. This isn't a one-time-watch film. It's something you see multiple times, share with family and friends, and then discuss afterwards. Highly recommended!

Violent yes but it blew me away!,.......2007-05-11

I remember after watching Pulp Fiction, it became hard for me to find new films during those days that excited me. I mean "Pulp" was so unique and original that I was so stunned when I first watched it. I couldn't believe my eyes, it was funny, violent and it wasn't meaningless either because at the end of each story there is a message of redemption. Now it brings me to "Usual Suspects." I didn't really know what to expect when I first watched it because it looked like it was going to be some prison movie. But I was wrong. The plot just kept twisting and turning which kept me on the edge of my seat. It was suspenseful and mysterious, the whole bit with Keyser Soze, it's gold! And the ending is what made this movie. The film truly has THE BEST ENDING in any movie ever made. I'm not gonna ruin it for those who haven't seen it.

So I desperately urge all of you who haven't seen it to go out to either rent it or buy it. Buying it is good because this one is a keeper; I have a copy of it myself. It's always fun to watch it with someone who hasn't seen it just to see their reaction. And of course, great performances on behalf of Kevin Spacey (who's career skyrocketed after his role as Verbal Kint) and Benicio Del Toro (whose talent was recognized after his useless role as Fenster where he basically took a guy who only had like two lines in the whole movie and actually was able to turn him into a character that people care about after watching it.

Good Blu-ray trans for a great movie.......2007-04-30

This movie's resolution on Blu-ray is fantastic in most sceens. There will be a few that look a bit grainy, but over all it's very nice for being a older movie produced before HD became common.

It's just a bit weak in extra features on Blu-ray and a bit pricy.

Who in the heck is Kaiser Soeza?.......2007-04-08

If you like complex, action filled films with a mystery element that keeps you guessing, this is definitely your film. Perfect? No--that title for me goes to the film where this film's title came from, "Casablanca."

Average customer rating:

Classic Chevy
One of the best, if not the best, Chevy Chase role of all time
Finally!!! Fletch is a modern classic this DVD worth the wait!!
5 stars for movie - zero stars for "extra features"
Great movie, marginal extra features

Fletch (The "Jane Doe" Edition)
Starring: Chevy Chase , Joe Don Baker , Dana Wheeler-Nicholson , Richard Libertini , and Tim Matheson
Director: Michael Ritchie
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000MXPE7E
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Amazon.com

Gregory McDonald's lightweight mystery novel about an undercover newspaper reporter cracking a police drug ring is transformed by screenwriter Andrew Bergman (Blazing Saddles, and writer/director of The Freshman and Honeymoon in Vegas) into a fairly sarcastic and occasionally very funny Chevy Chase vehicle. Enjoyment of the film pivots on whether you find Chase's flippant, smart-ass brand of verbal humor funny, or merely egocentric. If you don't like Chase, there's really no one else worth watching (Geena Davis is sadly underused). Chase seems born to play I.M. "Fletch" Fletcher, a disillusioned investigative reporter whose cynicism and detached view on life mirrors the actor's understated approach to comedy. Fletcher offers Chase the opportunity to adopt numerous personas, as his job requires numerous (bad) physical disguises, and much of film's humor centers on the ridiculous idea that any of these phony accents or bad hairpieces could fool anyone. These not-so-clever disguises are put to use when Fletch becomes involved in the film's smart but continually self-mocking two-part mystery. As well as trying to gather drug-smuggling evidence against the LAPD for a long-overdue newspaper story, a rich and apparently terminally ill stranger also offers Fletch a large payoff to kill him. While the film does a fairly good job juggling both of these plots, not to mention tossing in a love interest as well, it's subservient, for better or worse, to Chase's memorable one-liners and disguises. Followed by two forgettable sequels that lack both the original's wit and Chase's attention span. --Dave McCoy

Description

Chevy Chase is at his hilarious best as Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher, a newspaper reporter who changes his identity more often than his underwear. While working on a drug expose, he stumbles onto a scam that gets him up to his byline in murder, police corruption and forbidden romance. For this ace newsman, it'll be the story of the year, if he can only stay alive till the deadline. Featuring all-new bonus features, Fletch: The "Jane Doe" Edition is a must-own comedy-thriller classic. Just don't call him "Irwin"!

Customer Reviews:

Classic Chevy.......2007-07-03

You know what Fletch is -- classic Chevy Chase in a movie written for, well, classic Chevy Chase. While the plot is rather thin, it is a solid, if not perfect, vehicle for Chase's comic genius honed in SNL skits. The direction is a little heavy handed for Chevy Chase; you can readily see the moments when Chase is acting according to script, vice when he's adding his own comic touches. Nevertheless, Fletch is a pure-fun movie that will appeal to almost any age. And if it weren't for the infamous "Fetzer valve," an awful lot of mechanical glitches would still be chocked up to gremlins!

One of the best, if not the best, Chevy Chase role of all time.......2007-06-03

When I was about eight years old, Fletch was released in the movie theaters. And I absolutely loved it. Everything about it was cool, from the dorky tall guy humor, to the car chase in the Alfa, to the Harold Faltermeyer soundtrack. Indeed, it sat at the top of my list (along with Beverly Hills Cop (Special Collector's Edition), another detective-who-impersonates-people-with-hilarious-results flick with a Faltermeyer score) of Movies To Live By, for many years. I used lines such as, "Can I borrow your towel? I just hit a water buffalo" with my classmates, but all I drew were blank stares and comments like, "you're weird." Such was third grade.

Many years later, I made the mistake of selling my VHS copy of Fletch in a bulk auction with about thirty-three other tapes. I was moving, so it made sense, but I regretted losing my only copy -- and there was no DVD available to replace it!

So now the movie has been released on DVD (a second time after a gap of a few years) in the "Jane Doe Edition," so named for Irwin Fletcher's by-line. And now that I am married, and my wife has seen the movie with me, I am aware of the movie's shortcomings. In fact, if you don't like Chevy Chase, you might think this movie is just downright dumb. But I find it so easy to identify with a character who uses his wits to get himself out of trouble that I can easily overlook some less-than-credible plot elements and the use of Geena Davis as a doormat.

Here's how the story goes: Fletch is an investigative reporter pretending to be a junkie, blending in on the LA beach with many who are the real thing. He is trying to find out the source behind the drugs so that he can make headlines in the newspaper he works for. At the same time, he is offered $50,000 and a foolproof escape plan to kill a wealthy man named Alan Stanwyk, who says he is dying of bone cancer.

Much of the story revolves around Fletch pretending to be other people while he gently pries information out of gullible and confused bystanders. In a typical scene, Fletch passes for a government messenger (Mr. Poon) who has to collect information on allegations about the company Stanwyk has married into. He interviews the CEO of Boyd Aviation, who also happens to be Alan Stanwyk's father-in-law, and finds out all kinds of information that helps get to the bottom of the unusual proposition. Whether this seems credible or not is beside the point. The characters Chase comes up with take center stage, as he wriggles his way into any subculture he pleases by using a few props and a quick wit.

The "Jane Doe Edition" does have a few extras, of course, besides the external sleeve that reveals various Fletch identities, depending on perspective. In the Special Features you will find a chuckleworthy mockumentary in which an amateur filmmaker does some interviews with people who worked on the movie. There is also a brief bit in which the make-up artists and producers talk about the many disguises Fletch uses. Besides the obligatory trailer, you will also find a clever montage piecing together some of the funniest moments of the movie, grouped loosely by category: foreign phrases, noises made with the mouth, et cetera. It's fun for long-time fans in particular.

One of my only misgivings about the DVD is the lack of any new Chevy Chase material. There are no interviews with him, no commentaries, nothing more recent than what he did in the original movie. His career is not exactly red-hot these days; would it have been so difficult to get him on board? My guess is that his asking price was a bit too high, but there are legions of twenty- and thirty-something American men who make this movie a part of their own personal philosophy and religion. It is this cult following which should keep the "Jane Doe Edition" sales strong for years to come.

Finally!!! Fletch is a modern classic this DVD worth the wait!!.......2007-05-30

Fletch is a true modern classic. I have been looking for a updated DVD of this great movie for years. This DVD version is well worth the wait. All Fletch fans will love it and new Fletch fans will be created. The special features are just "OK", but just to have this movie in a high quality DVD format is just what doctor "Rosen Rosen" ordered.

5 stars for movie - zero stars for "extra features".......2007-05-26

wow, the studio is this desperate for a cash in? Retail price of $20 for a "new edition" that interviews only a handful of cast members and never Chevy Chase? Claim that there are "deleted scenes" and only show about 5 camera stills of them? If this 'bonus features' producer really does like the movie so much then he should be utterly ashamed at himself for misleading fans this way. Old cast members tell you their favorite Fletch moments - big deal. This is worth buying it all over again? And a seperate chapter for 'best moments' when the previous chapter interviewed people talking about the exact same things? Maybe Chevy was never interviewed because he knew what a desperate cash-in attempt it was for this unworthy "rerelease". Save your money and stick w/ the bare-bones original.

Great movie, marginal extra features.......2007-05-10

Fletch is an excellent movie; humorous, fast-paced, and a perfect vehicle for Chevy Chase in top form. Twenty years later, it remains as a great movie to watch repeatedly, and the humor does not diminish with age.

I have been waiting patiently for the re-release on DVD of Fletch, since it had been off the shelves for quite a while. However excellent the movie itself is, this "Jane Doe" edition offers very little in the way of extra features.

There are interviews with some of the cast, but as mentioned in other reviews, most notably missing is the main man himself, Chevy Chase.

I did learn some interesting tidbits here and there from the other cast and production staff (I always wondered why the final scene on the beach in Rio seemed so stormy and overcast), but on the whole, it left me wanting more.

There is no "deleted scene" footage, only a few photos of deleted scenes that are long lost.

There is no "commentary version" with cast voice-overs as the movie is playing.

If there are 15-20 mins of "extra features", that would be a stretch.

As I say all this however, the movie itself is well worth the price. Fletch is a timeless classic and the DVD quality is excellent. By itself, Fletch stands at 5/5 stars. It is only the special features themselves that are nothing "special".

The Wild Bunch - The Original Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Bloody eye candy
The Wild Bunch
It's all been done before.
Not As Advertised-
Much more than just a violent film...

The Wild Bunch - The Original Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Alfonso Arau , Ernest Borgnine , Elsa Cárdenas , Albert Dekker , and Emilio Fernández
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BT96CS
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Amazon.com essential video

One of the best action movies ever made, in a cleaned-up print restoring crucial parts of the story. No cavalry ever rode in with more epochal impact than the Wild Bunch in the legendary opening scene. Their steel-eyed leader, Pike (William Holden), and his robbers in stolen army uniforms help an old lady across the street, and then spark a massacre led by Pike's old crony Thornton (Robert Ryan), sprung from jail to hunt down his old gang. In just a few minutes, Sam Peckinpah sets the scene--a dusty Texas town in 1913--sketches a dozen vividly individualized characters, and choreographs one of the most realistic, influential, brilliantly photographed shootouts under the pitiless sun. The cast is superb (even Ernest Borgnine!), the dialog crackling, the bitterly ambiguous moral of the story hard-earned. It's the deeper, dark flip side to 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Consider buying the letterbox Wild Bunch, the review collection Doing It Right, and the Peckinpah bio "If They Move... Kill 'Em!" --Tim Appelo

Description

Outlaws on the Mexican-U.S. frontier face the march of progress, the Mexican army and a gang of bounty hunters led by a former member while they plan a robbery of a U.S. army train. No one is innocent in this gritty tale of of desperation against changing times. Pump shotguns, machine guns and automobiles mix with horses and winchesters in this ultraviolent western.

Customer Reviews:

Bloody eye candy.......2007-07-03

This bloody extravaganza made Sam Peckinpah's reputation. A kind of fantasy of machismo set along the Texas-Mexico border around 1913--yes, very late for a Western--The Wild Bunch has thrilled adolescent boys and twentysomethings for almost four decades. The slowmo shots of horses falling awkwardly, of bodies squirting blood as they fall off of roof tops or cliffs, of tough hombres talking tough while they grab loose women and bottles of booze replete with numerous other bits of acrobatic mayhem amid some fantastic scenery makes this a non-cerebral feast for the eyes. The stars, William Holden (Pike Bishop), Ernest Borgnine (Dutch Engstrom), Robert Ryan (Deke Thornton), Edmund O'Brien (Freddie Sykes), etc. are first rate and on form. The plot is a variant of the old "one last job" story which begins with Pike's not-quite over-the-hill gang doing one last bank robbery.

Needless to say something goes wrong. Interspersed between the opening credits we see Pike's gang ride into town dressed as members of the US Army Calvary. On roof tops are some rascals and scallywags with rifles, missing teeth, and murderous gleams in their eyes. They are led by Deke Thornton, who it turns out is working for the railroad. What follows is a good old fashioned shoot 'em up of rather unlikely proportions as Pike's gang exists the bank with bags of loot, dodging and slinging bullets with abandon.

Turns out...well, no I won't say because I don't want to spoil the surprise. Suffice it to say, they need to do another job, this one a good old-fashioned train robbery with a few tricks and extras, like blowing up a bridge and running a locomotive at full throttle backwards. And then across the border into Mexico and some fun and games with Mexican generals, senoritas, banditos and such.

Been there, done that. But Peckinpah's colorful yarn has a few things you might not have seen before, and some of those things that you have seen, he did first and better. The Mexican color with a lot of authentic-looking extras doing authentic-looking Mexican activities was good. The fact that the Spanish spoken was not translated (and didn't need to be translated) was good. General Mapache (Emilio Fernandez) as the drunken, power-hungry warlord bandito was good. The kids feeding scorpions to the ants and then burning them was good. Edmund O'Brien as a degenerate Gabby Hayes kind of character was a hoot and a holler. But mostly this was about grim-faced men, toughened by long hours in saddle under the hot sun who, after decades of outlawing, finally ride gloriously into that last battle. Next stop: boot hill.

I watched the "original director's cut" that runs 145 minutes. At no time was my brain involved, but my eyes couldn't stop watching.

The Wild Bunch.......2007-07-02

Maverick director Sam Peckinpah released this blood-soaked western ballet in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, igniting protests over his graphic depiction of violence. Yet some images, like the opening sequence of children watching a nest of fire ants attack a scorpion, have a cruel poetic force. Boasting a powerhouse veteran cast and virtually non-stop action, this mesmerizing film is not for the squeamish, but fans of pure western action and gunplay should cherish this pounding, hard-edged film.

It's all been done before........2007-05-27

The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)

I will readily admit that my confusion over the prominence of The Wild Bunch in the annals of film criticism probably stems from my having bought into the hype. When I hear people wax poetic about the movie, one thing always comes to the surface sooner or later--the previously unheard-of level of violence in the movie. Here I was expecting something... different; even the tamest giallo lords it over The Wild Bunch in terms of violence. Mario Bava was doing it years before. What makes Peckinpah's opus so special? Not the violence.

The other thing that seems to come up often is that Peckinpah's version of the west is decidedly different than that which had been offered before, but again I head back to Italy, and this time flog the dead horse of Sergio Leone, whose westerns were riddled with grey areas long before this.

Okay, so Peckinpah was the first guy to do it in America. And it got John Wayne pretty mad. (But, really, he was already mad at Clint Eastwood for the Leone movies.) But from every other standpoint--plot, characters, pacing, cinematography, direction--Peckinpah has done better. (The pinnacle came three years later with Straw Dogs.) It's not bad, but don't go into it expecting one of the greatest films of all time, or you're bound to be disappointed. ***

Not As Advertised-.......2007-04-20

For the third time in 10 years, I have purchased another copy of "The Wild Bunch". And for the third time in 10 years, I have been utterly disappointed. I don't know what all of these other reviewers watched in 1969, but what I watched was a much, much wilder bunch with much more grusome footage at the old Majestic Theater in downtown Dallas. Someone, apparently do gooders, had the film cut back to the bland piece of work that you see in this DVD. Someone should sue Warner Bros. for false advertising. I am still looking for the original film and would pay good money for it, if it even still exists. In the killings in the original film the bodies struck by bullets, immediately went to slow motion as a stream of blood shot from the bullet hole in the beginning murderous scene. There is only one brief shot of this type and the rest, a least a couple of dozen were cut out and are still cut out. Save your money, if you think your getting the original.

Much more than just a violent film..........2007-04-06

This is one of the greatest Westerns ever made. Most people talk about its violence level. The violence here is incredible, and it's still strong and potent today. It shocked the living hell out of everyone back in 1969. It made some people vomit because it was so intense. However, while I do like the shootouts of this film, it's the depth that the characters have that really make this film stand out for me. Some of the speeches Pike gives are quite good, stressing that you stand by a man, and if you don't, you're like some animal, you're finished. Pike and the Bunch lived by these words, and in the end, they died by these words. They lived in a time where your word and your honor meant something, and you lived by a certain code that you tried to stay true to. Nowadays, this kind of message is seen as old fashioned and made fun of mercilessly. It shouldn't be. Despite the Bunch being criminals, they retain their sense of dignity at the end. Even Robert Ryan, Pike's former friend who is now chasing the Bunch, has a dignity as well, keeping his word to the bastard railroad men. But when he's finished with the posse, he stays in Mexico with the locals instead of returning to the US. You don't hate Ryan for what he's doing, and Pike doesn't hate him either. They each just want to live, and they got a job to do. The ending is one of the more poignant and brutal endings ever filmed. The Bunch got their bounty, and are whooping it up with the local whores. Angel had made a deal with them to keep one case of guns for his village, and they agreed. They told the general Mapache that they lost it on the trail. Mapache didn't believe them and accused Angel of stealing it, so the Bunch let him keep it. While the Bunch are drinking and partying, they stop and realise what they have to do. They go back and rescue Angel, not because they have to, but because they need to. They didn't want to abandon their friend. They probably knew they would be killed, and they didn't give a damn about it. I find this extraordinarily moving and quite powerful. After a decade of smug "irony", things like dignity and honor are punchlines. I don't think they are, and I never will. I really like the message of brotherhood and honor here, and I think this is a masterpiece....

Average customer rating:

Vertigo
Hitchcock at his trippiest.......
Criterion Collection would have done a superior job!
Compelling!
One of Hitchock's best!

Vertigo (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Isabel Analla , Raymond Bailey , Barbara Bel Geddes , Paul Bryar , and Ellen Corby
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0783226055
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Amazon.com essential video

Although it wasn't a box-office success when originally released in 1958, Vertigo has since taken its deserved place as Alfred Hitchcock's greatest, most spellbinding, most deeply personal achievement. In fact, it consistently ranks among the top 10 movies ever made in the once-a-decade Sight & Sound international critics poll, placing at number 4 in the most recent survey. (Universal Pictures' spectacularly gorgeous 1996 restoration and rerelease of this 1958 Paramount production was a tremendous success with the public, too.) James Stewart plays a retired police detective who is hired by an old friend to follow his wife (a superb Kim Novak, in what becomes a double role), whom he suspects of being possessed by the spirit of a dead madwoman. The detective and the disturbed woman fall ("fall" is indeed the operative word) in love and...well, to give away any more of the story would be criminal. Shot around San Francisco (the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of the Legion of Honor are significant locations) and elsewhere in Northern California (the redwoods, Mission San Juan Batista) in rapturous Technicolor, Vertigo is as lovely as it is haunting. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

Vertigo.......2007-06-27

Hitchcock's psychological tingler was not a huge success on release, but understandably has achieved cult status over time. Ambitious, dense and more than slightly twisted, "Vertigo" is both an elaborate puzzler and a meditation on man's basest fears and desires. Though perhaps a trifle old for the part, Stewart brings a barely suppressed desperation to Scotty that resonates, while Novak is ideal in a dual identity role, playing Madonna-like Madeleine, and the garish, earthy Judy, whom Scottie meets later in the saga. Glorious San Francisco locales, and a peerless Bernard Herrmann score complete this winning package from the master of suspense.

Hitchcock at his trippiest..............2007-06-01

VERTIGO remains one of the most thought-provoking films I have ever seen. I still remember my first taste of this film (at least thirteen years ago!). It's safe to say (without exaggeration) that it changed my life and how I view cinematography. Yes, I know that is a tall statement to make about this movie, but it's well-merited. Why? For starters, Alfred Hitchcock's depiction of the medical condition of vertigo (extreme dizziness onset by perceived or actual drops in height--example: standing at the top of a tall staircase and glancing down at the ground floor from where you stand) feels like, both, a deep acid trip (complete with spinning imagery and disorientation), as well as a really extreme look at the effect of this condition on Scotty (James Stewart), a retired policeman, hired by an old friend to follow his beautiful wife (Kim Novak) who believes is possessed by the dead soul of a mad woman. Of course, this woman also has a penchant for ascending to great heights and attempting to jump off of them. This only adds another twist to Scotty's pursuit of the woman.

Alfred Hitchcock always had a flair for bringing the ironic, gothic and darkly comedic all to the foreground, in his films. Cinematography was one way he achieved (and manipulated) these emotions in the stories he wove so eloquently, on screeen. VERTIGO is no exception. What's more, Kim Novak is a very compelling and beautiful actress who stepped out of her more "cheesecake" roles to play the role of Madeleine, a very deeply disturbed (and perhaps, psychologically pursued?) woman with a secret. What's more, I love James Stewart, here. His relationship with Madeleine is conflicted and borders on pseudo-erotic. Of course, I won't divulge more plot details here. I just figured dropping that clue would tease and tantalize you enough to want to see this great film for yourself. I am so glad that it was given the kudos it deserved, with a re-released DVD addition. Great news!!!

Criterion Collection would have done a superior job!.......2007-05-28

This mesmerizing film has been part of our culture for over a half-century. While it has its flaws -- especially in a script that reaches it's climax too early, and tacks on a final twist that is so unsatisfying-- it's a legacy film worth all the praise it has received.

James Stewart and Kim Novak are each remarkable, and the cinematography is perhaps the best of any Hitchcock film. Indeed, so many compelling moments in the film have no dialogue, the camera work is amazing. Bernard Hermann's score is consistently fine, though at times overbearing. The complexities of plot and use of symbols and colors throughout the movie are dazzing.

So why not five stars? Because Universal Home Video screwed up this particular remaster so badly, it interfered with my enjoyment in a BIG way. While the visual transfer is acceptable, the sound remastering is gruesome, with the score blasting several decibels above the voices, with reengineered sound effects produced on a Foley stage, and some critical dialogue marred by rolloff distortion. (Some viewers care about this stuff; others don't.)

Here's the beef. No corporation has the right to re-engineer a film -- especially one of this caliber -- in a way that alters the intent of the fimmaker. If one adds to that the weird balance of score and voice on the DVD, the occasional man-made distorion and trumped-up sound effects -- it's just not right. As for anamorphic widescreen, forget about it. It's not here.

I buy Criterion Collection remasters more than any because they are faithful to the originals, because their extras are meaningful, and because the company simply respects great movies. Their DVDs may cost a little more, but the payoff is worth it. Hopefully, Criterion will secure the rights to this beautiful chiller some day so the next generation can see it the way filmgoers did in the 1950's.

A wonderful psychological thriller poorly transferred and remastered by a company that should have known better.

Compelling!.......2007-04-23

This timeless thriller is one I love to watch often on a Sunday afternoon. One of Alfred Hitchcock's greats! James Stewart plays the police detective Scottie Ferguson who suffers from vertigo when in high places after the accidental death of a police friend during a roof chase. The accidental death is partly Scottie's fault and he bears the mental scars. Before he can recover from one blow, he's given another when duped by a beautiful woman and an old friend who have a sinister plot and a part for Scottie to unwittingly play.

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

One of Hitchock's best!.......2007-04-05

This haunting, mysterious, romantic movie about obsession is amazing every time I watch it. Although Hitchcock didn't originally cast Kim Novak as the source of Jimmy Stewart's affections, he later admitted that she made this movie what it is. The beautiful San Francisco Bay Area is truly a memorable "character" in this fabulous classic.

Average customer rating:

There is nothing to hate about this smart and clever teen comedy...
An entertaining movie for teens!
Fun But Predictable
10 Things I Hate About You
Great flick one question why the title?

10 Things I Hate About You
Starring: Kyle Cease , Cameron Fraser , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Tarance Houston , and Greg Jackson (II)
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000K31Q
Release Date: 1999-10-12

Amazon.com

It's, like, Shakespeare, man! This good-natured and likeable update of The Taming of the Shrew takes the basics of Shakespeare's farce about a surly wench and the man who tries to win her and transfers it to modern-day Padua High School. Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) is a sullen, forbidding riot grrrl who has a blistering word for everyone; her sunny younger sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is poised for high school stardom. The problem: overprotective and paranoid Papa Stratford (a dryly funny Larry Miller) won't let Bianca date until boy-hating Kat does, which is to say never. When Bianca's pining suitor Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) gets wind of this, he hires the mysterious, brooding Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to loosen Kat up. Of course, what starts out as a paying gig turns to true love as Patrick discovers that underneath her brittle exterior, Kat is a regular babe. The script, by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, is sitcom-funny with peppy one-liners and lots of smart teenspeak; however, its cleverness and imagination doesn't really extend beyond its characters' Renaissance names and occasional snippets of real Shakespearean dialogue. What makes the movie energetic and winning is the formula that helped make She's All That such a big hit: two high-wattage stars who look great and can really act. Ledger is a hunk of promise with a quick grin and charming Aussie accent, and Stiles mines Kat's bitterness and anger to depths usually unknown in teen films; her recitation of her English class sonnet (from which the film takes its title) is funny, heartbreaking, and hopelessly romantic. The imperious Allison Janney (Primary Colors) nearly steals the film as a no-nonsense guidance counselor secretly writing a trashy romance novel. --Mark Englehart

Description

A cool cast of young stars is just one of the things you'll love about this hilarious comedy hit! On the first day at his new school, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt -- HALLOWEEN: H2O, TV's "3RD Rock From The Sun") instantly falls for Bianca (Larisa Oleynik -- THE BABY SITTERS CLUB), the gorgeous girl of his dreams. The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to date ... until her ill-tempered, completely un-dateable older sister Kat (Julia Stiles -- THE BOURNE IDENTITY, SAVE THE LAST DANCE) goes out too! In an attempt to solve his problem, Cameron singles out the only guy who could possibly be a match for Kat: a mysterious bad-boy (Heath Ledger -- A KNIGHT'S TALE, THE PATRIOT) with a nasty reputation of his own! Also featuring a hip soundtrack -- this witty comedy is a wildly entertaining look at exactly how far some guys will go to get a date!

Customer Reviews:

There is nothing to hate about this smart and clever teen comedy..........2007-07-05

One of my favorite teen comedies would have to be '10 Things I Hate About You', a film that remains hilarious and smart as each year passes. The dialog is snappy and sincere and the acting is really top notch for a teen film, every actor in perfect unison and really in tune with their character. As far as modern adaptations of Shakespearian novels go (and there are tons of them as we are all well aware) this is one of the better ones. It stays true to the concept of the original `Taming of the Shrew' but adds enough clever twists that make this original and a lot of fun. The chemistry between the actors is wonderful, and for a film staring a group of young actors it's one of the only films to star a group of `talented' young actors, from recent Oscar nominee Heath Ledger to Oscar snubbed Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The plot of the film follows Cameron, played by Gordon-Levitt, as he pines for the attention of Bianca, played by Larisa Oleynik. The problem Cameron faces is not the fact that she's one of the most popular girls in school, and way out of his league but the fact that her father refuses to let her date. His stipulation is that her older sister Kat begin dating first, and Kat is not about to do that anytime soon. Cameron decides his only option is to find a suitor for Kat, someone to sweep her off her feet, problem being that everyone at the school is afraid of Kat. She's abrasive, rude and has made it perfectly clear that she has no interest in boys. But Cameron finds Patrick Verona, the mysterious tough guy with no fears, and offers him cash to take out Kat. Thus the hunt begins. Patrick finds it more difficult than expected to woo Kat but as he attempts he finds that his original disinterest in her is turning to genuine infatuation and then to a more mature caring and concern. He's falling in love with her and surprisingly she's falling for him as well.

All four of the main stars work wonders with their characters. Oleynik is sweet, funny and realistic as Bianca. I remember watching her on Nickelodeon's `The Secret World of Alex Mack' and thinking she had that natural talent, of course I was twelve but whatever. Here she doesn't disappoint, even now that I'm much older than twelve. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great here, really natural. He's matured into such a wonderful actor and his selection in films is wonderfully eclectic. Julia Stiles also blew me away here. I've always been a fan of her acting, she's charming and beautiful to look at, but her she shows layers of depth and reality to a character that could have easily become surface in the hands of another actress. She truly deserves a better career than the one she has. And talking about better careers, look no further than the standout performer of the bunch Heath Ledger. Before `Brokeback Mountain' he was the one to watch for. Here he's charming, natural, charismatic, funny and definitely ahead of the pack as far as natural talent is concerned. I'm so proud of him as an actor.

The supporting players are all great as well, from Larry Miller who plays the girls paranoid father (that whole scene with the pregnant crack addict story is priceless) to Allison Janney who plays the sex obsessed guidance councilor, everyone is on the top of their game. But ultimately this is a teen movie, about and for teens and so I need to make mention of the supporting actors playing teens (I say `playing' because I'm sure most of them are in their twenties/thirties as is almost always the case). David Khumoltz is effective in the geeky sidekick role, but it's Andrew Keegan who shines as popular, too cool for his own good, cocky jerk Joey. He's utterly hilarious in his role which could have gone the route of stock character but instead stepped out from the pack and became a very memorable part of the film. That whole scene with the two pictures was genius. With a tight script and an effective cast '10 Things I Hate About You' should prove to be an enjoyable movie experience, one for the textbooks!

An entertaining movie for teens!.......2007-06-19

In terms of teen flicks, this one is at (or near) the top of my list. With a cast busting with famous actors and actresses (including Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger), this film is sure to bring entertainment to those who watch it.

So what's this movie about? While being given a tour of his new school, a boy named Cameron falls for a popular girl named Bianca. Cameron tries his hardest to get a date with Bianca but he ultimately finds out that she can't date anyone until her sister Kat starts dating. The problem? Kat doesn't want to date and she has a bad attitude so even if she wanted to, guys wouldn't necessarily flock to her. Cameron has to try to find a guy for Kat and ultimately chooses Patrick, a guy who has a bad reputation and a bad attitude (sort of like Kat). Will Kat drop her guard and date Patrick? Will Bianca want to date Cameron? And when another guy comes into the picture, which guy will Bianca choose? To find out the answers to these questions, you must watch this movie.

So what's to like about this movie? There's a ton going on in this movie. You have several different storylines and different questions will arise during the entire movie. You have the Patrick and Kat storyline. You have the Bianca and Cameron storyline. You have the Bianca and another guy storyline. You even have a storyline involving two semi-geeky kids. There are some funny parts. And even more emotional parts. It truly will suck you in. Although the ending is predictable, you'll want to see what exactly happens at the end.

And what's not to like? Don't expect this movie to be Oscar-worthy. This is a typical teen movie about high school and dating, nothing serious.

Bottom line: If you're just looking for a fun, no frills kind of movie to watch with a few friends, try this one. It's a cute film for teens!

Fun But Predictable.......2007-05-17

10 Things I Hate About You is another variation of Taming the Shrew and generally succeeds in its attempt to keep things light-hearted and humorous. Its strength is in its script since it is brimming with dry humor about our modern teens.

Yet, where this movie falls flat is in its insistance on staying true to Hollywood forulas and making a forgetable carbon-copy of so many other boy-meets-girl stories.

A good movie to watch on a date, but it won't stand the test of time.

10 Things I Hate About You.......2007-05-12

Bought this as a gift off of a wish list. The person and their family really enjoy the movie

Great flick one question why the title?.......2007-03-28

I really don't have much to add because I agree with other revewers--this is a clever and witty movie (in fact most of the "teen" adaptations of classics are very good.) But why the title? It is not from Taming of the Shrew but seems to come from sonnet 141 which Kat's class has to paraphrase--what's the connection? Sonnet 141 "In faith I do not love thee with..." is a dense dense piece of work and I am still not sure what it is about. Can anyone offer an explanation of the title of the movie?

Average customer rating:

I really liked it, even more so in HD
Swordfish
Swordfish
Miss Direction Stan
Not worth the price of the breasts

Swordfish
Starring: Carmen Argenziano , Halle Berry , Scott Burkholder , Don Cheadle , and Dean Duval
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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