The Set-Up

Starring:Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias, Alan Baxter, Wallace Ford, Percy Helton, Hal Baylor, Darryl Hickman, Kenny O'Morrison, James Edwards, David Clarke, Phillip Pine, Edwin Max, Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig, Frank Mills, David Fresco, Gene Delmont, Helen Brown, Lynn Millan, Emmett Smith
Director: Robert Wise
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

American sitcoms usually have a bland, likable central character who has to cope with obnoxious acquaintances--who usually provide most of the actual comedy. The British smartly put the comic personalities front and center, and Keeping Up Appearances has one of the best: The petty, pretentious, tyrannical Hyacinth Bucket (played by the impressive Patricia Routledge), a dowdy middle-class social climber with a piercing voice and an unshakable faith in herself. Upon learning that her mailman has seven children, she declares disapprovingly, "Quite an achievement when you have to be up so early." Whether she's scheming to invite a minor local celebrity to a garden party or scowling at an enormous dog left in her driveway, Hyacinth terrorizes all around her, particularly her long-suffering husband Richard (Clive Swift), who takes a small delight in subverting her efforts from time to time; her trembling neighbors Elizabeth and Emmett (Josephine Tewson and David Griffin), who scarcely leave their house lest they be invited in to coffee; and her sexually frustrated lower-class sisters Daisy and Rose (Judy Cornwell and Mary Millar) and Daisy's layabout husband Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes), who longs to be left in peace to eat chips and watch the races. Though Americans aren't as class-conscious as the Brits, snobbery is universal, and Keeping Up Appearances has developed an appreciative cult following on this side of the Atlantic. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-06-27

Keeping Up Appearances DVD set arrived on time, great packaging and as always, Amazon is wonderful!

That Bucket Woman, Does it Again!.......2007-06-27

It is probably one of the funniest comedy series that I have ever seen. Not all the episodes are as equally funny, but, overall, it is a series, worth watching from beginning to end.

Some much enjoyment.......2007-06-12

I get a great deal of enjoyment from Keeping Up Appearances. I am pleased I ordered it and would recommend it to anyone.

I've never been able to decide which I enjoy more, Hyacinth or Daisy, but actually each character has their own charm and ability to entertain and bring a warm smile when I hear the beginning music.

Love the Full Bouquet! .......2007-06-11

We love watching little mini 'marathons' of this show. It's a very fun filled few hours. Quite glad we purchased the Full Bouquet!

I do keep up appearances..........2007-06-08

This is my desert island set. Hyacinth and her other flowery friends and family have brought me immense pleasure. I never tire of the episodes no matter how many times I watch them. And, there's a little bit of Hyacinth in all of us whether we want to admit it or not.

The Biggest Winner - How to Win by Losing: The Complete Body Workout (5-Disc DVD Set: Shape Up - Front, Shape Up - Back, Cardio Kickbox, Maximize - Full Frontal, Maximize - Back in Action)

Average customer rating:

Didn't get any kicks out of this workout
Highly Disappointed
Short workout, but packs a punch.
Awesome workout
Best money ever spent on health & fitness

The Biggest Winner - How to Win by Losing: The Complete Body Workout (5-Disc DVD Set: Shape Up - Front, Shape Up - Back, Cardio Kickbox, Maximize - Full Frontal, Maximize - Back in Action)
Starring: Rosa Maria Sardà , Elvira Mínguez , Albert Dueso , Dani Padró , and Profesor Martín
Manufacturer: Genius Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

Fitness | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

Kickboxing | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Fitness & Yoga | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Winning by Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life
The Biggest Loser Workout, Vol. 1
The Biggest Loser: The Weight Loss Program to Transform Your Body, Health, and Life--Adapted from NBC's Hit Show!
Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You
The Biggest Loser Workout, Vol. 2

ASIN: B000BT99CK
Release Date: 2005-12-22

Amazon.com

Shape-up Front

Jillian Michaels, the trainer from NBC's The Biggest Loser and self-proclaimed "TV's toughest fitness guru," runs through circuit training like a drill sergeant on caffeine. Her theory is to keep moving in between exercises to burn twice as many calories, so she cycles her team through sumo squats, mountain climbers, jump ropes, shoulder raises and bicycle moves without taking a breath. If she doesn't think one of her comrades is picking up his knees high enough, she makes everyone do 30 more, with a sadistic grin. As a result, you can almost literally watch the muscle burn. Michaels' Shape-Up Front DVD works out the chest, shoulders, triceps and quads. It also requires two props: a bench-style exercise step and light dumbbells. The DVD features include printable diet/exercise logs, nutrition tips and recipes. Despite a lower-level option, it isn't for anyone looking for a low-impact aerobic workout.

Shape-Up Backside

Look no further than Michaels's Shape-Up Backside exercise DVD for an intense high-impact workout. Michaels keeps your body moving (though she herself skips out on half the exercises) with hammer curls, oblique raises, step ups, planks, and a move called The Superman destined to tone your back, biceps glutes, hamstrings and abs. There's a lower-level option, but Michaels likes to "kick your butt," as she says, to get you to feel the burn. Shape-Up Backside's DVD features include printable diet/exercise logs, nutrition tips and recipes. It requires two props: a bench-style exercise step and light dumbbells, which may make it difficult for beginners. But if you give it a try, even in the comfort of your living room you'll think you're in a gym -- trainer yelling in your ear and all. -- Ellen A. Kim

Description

Jillian Michaels, TV's toughest fitness guru, delivers a high-energy workout designed to keep viewers on track with their fitness and weight loss goals! Each of these high intensity DVDs will help get viewers moving, accelerate their fat-burning potential, and tone muscles through a series of creative cardio and weight training sessions. Her self-affirming blueprint for weight loss breathes life into her viewers' workout regimen through genuine, supportive guidance backed by her impressive credentials. Jillian Michaels holds personal training certificates from the renowned National Endurance and Strength Training Association (NESTA) and the American Fitness Association of America (AFAA) certification program. Additionally, Ms. Michaels has extensive experience in the martial arts practice of Muay Thai and Akarui-Do, in which she holds a black belt. Ms. Michaels was recognized by The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for her accomplishments in both Advanced Exercise Nutrition and Supplementation for Training and Performance.

Customer Reviews:

Didn't get any kicks out of this workout.......2007-07-02

I wouldn't call this workout "kickbox." It's more of a bootcamp class with some kickbox stuff thrown in. It's pretty boring and the music is lousy. The instructor is a bit full of herself and she doesn't give any sort of safety or form advice. If you want a great workout with a great instructor try Silk Manning. I wish he made more than one video. Plus Kathy Smith's videos are always great.

Highly Disappointed.......2007-07-02

Love the show "Biggest Loser", but could barely stand to watch her DVD. Waste of money. She hardly does any of the exercises and spends more time flirting with the guys than the workout itself. Huge disppointment.

Short workout, but packs a punch........2007-06-23

I like this workout led by Jillian. It is short, but works up a sweat. The entire workout length itself is around 24 or 25 minutes long consisting of 21 minutes of cardio followed by a 3 to 4 minute cool down. The good thing about this workout is that it is very easy to follow along with. There are no combinations or dance type routines to learn. It is as simple as doing 30 jumping jacks, then 10 leg kicks on the left, then 10 leg kicks on the right, etc., counting as you go. Jillian does have a bit of a drill sergeant persona and comes across as tough. For example, she makes everyone drop and do push ups when one of the girls asks "is that it?" when she think the workout is over, but that just seems to be her style. Good overall short workout.

Awesome workout.......2007-06-12

I love these workouts! She really keeps your heart-rate going and gives you a great workout! If you're looking to lose weight, or just keep in shape, these are for you! I've been working out for years, and got hooked on tae-bo, but I really love the weight-oriented workouts that Jillian provides. I absolutely recommend them!

Best money ever spent on health & fitness.......2007-06-11

This has got to be the best money I've ever spent on a health/fitness item! Jillian Michaels is truly inspirational for people with a strong goal in mind and this set of DVD's is definitely helping me on my way to achieving that goal!

Walk Away the Pounds 2-Pack: Super Fat Burning + Get Up and Get Started High Calorie Burn

Average customer rating:

Walking Exercise DVD
I enjoy the ease in which you can walk
walk away the pounds 2- pack
This is really FUN!
Great way to walk at anytime!

Walk Away the Pounds 2-Pack: Super Fat Burning + Get Up and Get Started High Calorie Burn
Starring: Leslie Sansone
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

Fitness | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

Walking | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Leslie Sansone - Walk Away the Pounds Express - Super Challenge
Leslie Sansone - Walk the Walk 3-DVD Set (Miracle Mile / Two Mile Walk / Weight Loss Walk 4 Miles)
Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds - Walk and Jog
Leslie Sansone: Walk Away the Pounds - Walk Strong
Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds - Walk and Kick

ASIN: B000062XEM
Release Date: 2002-04-09

Customer Reviews:

Walking Exercise DVD.......2007-06-12

A friend suggested that I get one of Leslie Sansone's walking DVD's to jump start my weight loss again. I've lost 40 pounds and then stalled for a while. I got this DVD a few weeks ago and the first workout is approximately 18 minutes long, for one mile total. I do it right in my family room, and the workout is done before I know it! I'm definitely aware that I've done a workout, but without aches and pains. I'm over 40, so safety and easyness were upmost in choosing any exercise program. It's easy to follow, and seems to be effective. I've lost another 3 pounds in two weeks! There are multiple DVDs in this package, but I'm staying with the first one until I have it totally mastered. You won't be disappointed if you buy this DVD and commit the mminimal amount of time to at least do the first workout until you're more proficient, and then move on to the others. She has many other DVDs as well, so if you're already "fit" look at some of the others. I needed a "basic program" to start. This is a great set!

I enjoy the ease in which you can walk.......2007-05-19

even when the weather is bad. The enthusiasm is contagious.

walk away the pounds 2- pack .......2007-04-08

great excerise dvd! hope kick start your work out

This is really FUN!.......2007-03-28

I am having a real blast walking indoors that I have been able to stick to the program for a length of time now. (Sounds crazy till you see what you are doing)
This is a great work out and SO easy to do!!!

No more driving to the gym/ or PAYING the gym,,,, ~OR ~depending on decent weather to walk.
I still try to walk outside( my dogs need walking) but the weather does not always cooperate with me.
I can get a quick session of basic exercise in for as little as 18 min.(!!!)if I happen to have a very busy day~
If not, I prefer the either the 2 or 3 mile/w weights walk, for a better work out. I feel energized after 3 miles and ready to tackle things, it just get my blood moving,,,,

This is also great to take along when you travel , as all hotels do not have pools or gym equipment available ~
Put this one in your computer and no more excuses for skipping a day!
I wanted to start getting in shape for spring /summer bike riding as well as golf. I really like those weights to improve upper body strength and my swing!(and keep my arms in great shape too,,I have zero flab tolerance,,,)

I use 2 lb weights( with the workout)
I purchased locally for this,I did not mail in for her set, and they work just fine. By the way, the are not necessary to use for the program~
I think overall I will be stronger and healthier for as little as 18 min a day~
How great is that????

A later addendum~( 3 months later)
I have been doing the 3 mile walks daily and have now just purchased her 4 mile one hour super workout.
While I will probably not have the time to do 4 miles every day, if I can get it in 3 times a week I will be satisfied with myself~

One other note~ On the 18 min 1 mile walk,,,,whenever I need a little extra pep , (say late afternoon or prior to going to a movie or dinner after a long day)I put in the one mile workout,,and I feel READY to go again! (I also pop it in when I feel like eating something after 6pm at night)

Exercise seems to take away that little urge for a piece of chocolate cake! (:

What am saying here ,,is that there are multiple uses for her exercize DVD's ,,,and you can certainly tailor them to fit into the kind of day you are having WITHOUT skipping your exercize!
I LOVE IT!

Great way to walk at anytime!.......2007-03-18

Not just about walking, this is more with extra moves. Love it!

The Paul Newman Collection (Harper / The Drowning Pool / The Left-Handed Gun / The Mackintosh Man / Pocket Money / Somebody Up There Likes Me / The Young Philadelphians)

Average customer rating:

A sample of (lesser known) Newman
movie buff
The Paul Newman Collection
One of His Best Movies - Some Not So Great
It's about time!

The Paul Newman Collection (Harper / The Drowning Pool / The Left-Handed Gun / The Mackintosh Man / Pocket Money / Somebody Up There Likes Me / The Young Philadelphians)
Starring: Paul Newman , Lauren Bacall , Julie Harris , Arthur Hill , and Janet Leigh
Director: Jack Smight , Stuart Rosenberg , and Arthur Penn
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

Gary Cooper - The Signature Collection (Sergeant York / The Fountainhead / Dallas / Springfield Rifle / The Wreck of the Mary Deare)
Robert Mitchum - The Signature Collection (Angel Face / Macao / The Sundowners / Home from the Hill / The Good Guys and the Bad Guys / The Yakuza)
Literary Classics Collection (Madame Bovary (1949), Captain Horatio Hornblower, The Three Musketeers (1948), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 Versions), Billy Budd)
Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition / Across the Pacific / Action in the North Atlantic / All Through the Night / Passage to Marseille)
The Errol Flynn Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Charge of the Light Brigade / Gentleman Jim / The Adventures of Don Juan / The Dawn Patrol / Dive Bomber)

ASIN: B000HWZ4DE
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Amazon.com

Paul Newman's career slipped onto an unstoppable track with Somebody Up There Likes Me, his 1956 biopic about boxer Rocky Graziano. Of course that was his second picture, the first being the oft-joked-about bungle The Silver Chalice. Newman's Method-y intensity and dazzling good looks brought him stardom, and his intelligence and uncommon seriousness as an actor kept his movies interesting, especially as he tackled some of the best roles of the "antihero" era--an era he helped create.

Somebody Up There Likes Me is included in The Paul Newman Collection, a bulging seven-DVD package that shakes out thusly: three late-1950s titles from the beginning of his career, one mid-sixties hit, and three lesser films of the early 1970s. It's by no means a "best of" compilation, being limited to Warners and MGM titles, but it gives a flavor of Newman in his prime time. He got the Graziano role after James Dean died, and his performance is a very busy, post-Brando jumble of tics and mumbles. The movie holds up nicely as a boxing picture, and the location NYC shooting won an Oscar for cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg (you can see why director Robert Wise got hired to do West Side Story after this). Sal Mineo and Steve McQueen are in the cast as Newman's fellow j.d.s.

The Left-Handed Gun (1958), based on a teleplay by Gore Vidal, is a truly weird, compulsively watchable artifact from the psychological-Western genre. Newman plays Billy the Kid, glowering and grimacing like a rebel without a cause. It's one of those films that has much more to do with the time it was made than the time it is set; also notable as the big-screen debut for stage and TV director Arthur Penn. The Young Philadelphians (1959) is more conventional, an entertaining soap opera about a young lawyer (Newman) with an old-money Philly name but no money, who gets burned by love and decides to connive his way to the top. Young Robert Vaughn snagged an Oscar nomination for a showy turn as an alcoholic society lad.

Harper (1966) is chockfull of kooky mid-Sixties design and Rat Pack patter (courtesy screenwriter William Goldman). But it must be said that Newman is miscast as the melancholic private eye of Ross Macdonald's literary world, here re-imagined as a wisecracking hepcat who mugs his way through a missing-persons investigation. The supporting cast is a weird over-the-hill gang including Lauren Bacall, Janet Leigh, and Shelley Winters. That film's hero, Lew Harper (renamed from Macdonald's "Archer"), returned in 1976's The Drowning Pool, a more bearable if somewhat humdrum whodunit set in New Orleans. Newman's wife, Joanne Woodward, has a supporting part, but the picture is most notable for an early Melanie Griffith nymphet role.

Pocket Money (1972) is one of those only-in-the-seventies movies that pairs Newman with Lee Marvin in a drowsy, nearly plotless comedy. Both actors give elaborate performances: Newman plays a numbskull two-bit cattle broker who takes absolutely everything literally, and Marvin is his buddy in Mexico who signs on for an ill-considered cattle-buying job. One of the credited screenwriters is Terrence Malick, and the movie has a highly eccentric feel for language. Finally, The Mackintosh Man (1973) is one of the periodic duds that director John Huston would crank out in his otherwise starry career, with Newman as a spy on an incomprehensible case in England. The first half is a red herring, and Dominique Sanda (more recently of The Conformist) is out of depth with the English language. It's a bleak film with a kind of grinding fascination, and the Maurice Jarre score is catchy but fatally overused. --Robert Horton

Product description

Includes: Harper (1966), Drowning Pool (1975), The Left Handed Gun (1958), Pocket Money (1972), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), and The Young Philadelphians (1959).

Customer Reviews:

A sample of (lesser known) Newman.......2007-05-14

Paul Newman is one of the all-time great movie actors with a career that now spans six decades. Among his biggest movies are The Hustler, Hud, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Cool Hand Luke The Verdict, The Color of Money (for which he won the Oscar) and even Cars. None of these movies are in the Paul Newman Collection, which features seven of his second-tier efforts. That does not mean they are bad movies, merely not as big.

In chronological order, the first movie in the set is Somebody Up There Likes Me, a biopic of boxer Rocky Graziano. Directed by Robert Wise (who had previously made one of the best boxing movies ever, The Set-Up), this is an entertaining film of a man successfully wrestling his inner demons to become a success. In one of his earliest roles, Newman is already showing why he a cinema immortal.

The next movie is The Left-Handed Gun, a decent, if unspectacular, version of the Billy the Kid story (the best version of this story is Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid). Newman, as the title character, plays Billy similarly to his Rocky: a self-destructive outlaw. Unlike Graziano, however, Billy never finds redemption through family and friends.

The Young Philadelphians has a more easy-going Newman playing the ambitious Anthony Lawrence who climbs the social and business ladder, often with more than a little ruthlessness. When his best friend is accused of murder, his efforts towards acquittal threaten both his happiness and reputation. This is an entertaining melodrama. A little bonus is seeing a pre-Batman Adam West as a man who is very briefly married to Anthony's mother.

Harper is the first of two Newman movie adaptations of Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer novels (the name was changed to continue Newman's string of "H" movies: Hud, Hustler, etc.). This fun private eye story is a real all-star flick: it also stars Janet Leigh, Lauren Bacall, Robert Wagner and Shelly Winters. The plot deals with Harper's attempts to find a missing - apparently kidnapped - man; in his search, he unearths all kinds of family scandal. The sequel (and last movie, chronologically) is The Drowning Pool, which transports Harper to New Orleans to help an old flame with a blackmailer. Like most sequels, this is a pale shadow of its predecessor, but it has its moments. It also has Melanie Griffith in one of her earliest roles.

Pocket Money is probably the weakest in the set, an amiable but meandering movie with Newman as a modern day cowboy hired to buy and transport some cattle for a shady businessman. Lee Marvin co-stars as his friend and partner. It's a movie in which the parts just don't seem to fit together all that well.

Finally, there is the Mackintosh Man, a spy flick with Newman as a British agent out to stop a Soviet network inside England that specializes in smuggling people out of the country. While this is an interesting movie, Newman's foray into James Bond territory is a little too serious to be fully enjoyed. From an acting standpoint, this is probably his least compelling role in the set.

There are lots of bonuses with the set, including commentaries on the first four movies; the best of these is William Goldman's amusing and biting track for Harper. On the Amazon rating system, Pocket Money is a low-three stars, The Left Handed Gun, The Mackintosh Man and the Drowning Pool a straight three, and the remainder four stars. As is my practice with boxed sets, I average this out to a high-three stars or low-four, but the extras push it up to a comfortable four stars. You don't get the best or most well-known Newman with this set, but you do get a good sampling of his talent and range.

movie buff.......2007-03-11

I really enjoyed watching theses seven movies the Young Philadelphians, Somebody Up There Likes me and, the Drowning Pool and Harper were amoung my favorite. the Left handed Gun, the Mackintosh Man, and Pocket were good but seemed to be a little slow in parts. I still enjoyed them however, I've always liked Paul Newman, and there are not to many movies,
he has been in that I haven't liked.

The Paul Newman Collection.......2007-03-08

I love this collection. I have some of these on VCR but now I have them all on DVD and I am thrilled.

One of His Best Movies - Some Not So Great.......2007-02-14

"Somebody Up There Likes Me", the movie that made Paul Newman,is included here,along with stylishly dated "Harper", and one of thousands (it seems) movies about Billy the Kid, "The Left-Handed Gun". The others are typically cool Newman movies. A pretty good collection, but I'd still like to see a box set of his classics.

It's about time!.......2007-01-23

I've waited years for the DVD release of my favorite Newman movie, The Young Philadelphians. That opus is a wonderful example of 1950s melodrama with wonderful characters and acting, a joy to watch. Nevertheless, Hollywood for years busied itself with releasing DVDs of every middling new movie and TV series, ignoring quality works like TYP and the Heston/Hayward masterpiece, The President's Lady, which still is not available. For the first time The Young Philadelphians is here on DVD.

Enjoy!

It's time now to release The President's Lady and others of its type!

Beverly Hills Cop - The Complete Line Up

Average customer rating:

Brilliant! Love this series...
the first one is great!..the rest are..:(
Beverly Hills Cop
Eddie murphy is hillarious
Beverly Hills Cop - The Complete Line Up

Beverly Hills Cop - The Complete Line Up

Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Lethal Weapon - The Complete Series
DIE HARD - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION (DVD MOVIE)
Trading Places (Special Collector's Edition) [HD DVD]
48 HRS.
Police Academy - The Complete Collection

ASIN: B00005U7QX
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Description

The heat is on in this fast paced action-comedy starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street smart Detroit cop tracking down his best friend's killer in Beverly Hills. Axel quickly learns that his wild style doesn't fit in with the Beverly Hills Police Department, which assigns two officers (Judge Reinhold & John Ashton) to make sure things don't get out of hand. Dragging the stuffy detectives along for the ride, Axel smashes through a huge culture clash in his hilarious, high-speed pursuit of justice. Axel Foley (Murphy) is back-back where he doesn't belong! He's going "deep, deep, deep undercover" into the chic wilds of Southern California, unleashing his arsenal of blazing gunfire and rapid-fire gags against a gang of international munitions smugglers. Back, too, are Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as Murphy's crime-busting sidekicks. And Top Gun's director Tony Scott keeps the pace fast, furious and funny. This time, superstar Murphy comes up with the best showcase yet for Axel's comedic, rapid fire bravado. His determined pursuit of ruthless killers, with a little help from old pals Serge (Bronson Pinchot) and Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), leads him to LA's popular theme park, WonderWorld. Suddenly, Axel is the park's hottest new attraction, whether it's dangling from the giant Spider ride to rescue a child or going deep, deep, deep undercover as Okey Dokey, a seven-foot blue elephant.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant! Love this series..........2007-06-16

I really am a big Eddie Murphy fan, and love this series, or fanchise as they say in the videogame world.

Even though 3 is not good, there's extras, which gives you the background story behind the camera and makes you appreicate where John Landis, the director was trying to go (but didn't quite succeed.)

Recommended!

the first one is great!..the rest are..:(.......2007-04-24

the first BHC is really fun!...the sequels are just kinda so-so.

Beverly Hills Cop.......2007-03-17

I have had no problems with it. I am completly happy.

Eddie murphy is hillarious.......2007-01-10

These movies are second to none. Although #3 leaves a little to be desired it is still funny

Beverly Hills Cop - The Complete Line Up.......2007-01-09

Arrived in time and in great shape.

Classic Western Round-Up, Vol. 1 (The Texas Rangers / Canyon Passage / Kansas Raiders / The Lawless Breed)

Average customer rating:

Classic Western Roundup
Non-shoot-out Movie About the West
Great Western fare, thanks to Universal

Classic Western Round-Up, Vol. 1 (The Texas Rangers / Canyon Passage / Kansas Raiders / The Lawless Breed)
Starring: Dana Andrews , Susan Hayward , Brian Donlevy , Audie Murphy , and Rock Hudson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Classic Western Round-Up, Vol. 2 (The Texans / California / The Cimarron Kid / The Man from the Alamo)
Pirates of the Golden Age Movie Collection (Against All Flags / Buccaneer's Girl / Yankee Buccaneer / Double Crossbones)
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Unconquered (Universal Cinema Classics)
Broken Arrow

ASIN: B000N3T0G4
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Description

Journey back to the Old West for timeless adventures in the Classic Western Round-Up: Volume 1! Relive all the gunfights, barroom brawls and romance with The Texas Rangers, Canyon Passage, Kansas Raiders and The Lawless Breed. Starring Hollywood favorites Rock Hudson, Fred MacMurray, Audie Murphy and Dana Andrews, this action-packed collection features some of the most exciting films ever to hit the silver screen! The Texas Rangers (1936) Two crooks (Fred MacMurray and Jack Oakie) reluctantly enlist in the Texas Rangers as a means of staying one-step ahead of the law. Canyon Passage (1946) Adventure awaits when a pack-mule express owner (Dana Andrews) escorts a young woman (Susan Hayward) home to a remote Oregon town. Kansas Raiders (1950) Jesse James (Audie Murphy) and his brothers join William Quantrill (Brian Donlevy) and his vengeful raiders in an effort to save the Confederacy. The Lawless Breed (1953) When famed outlaw John Wesley Hardin (Rock Hudson) is released from prison, he gives an in-depth account of his scandalous life to a local newspaper.

Customer Reviews:

Classic Western Roundup.......2007-07-02

Well going in I had high hopes based on earlier reviews concerning Canyon Passage. That turned out to be a pretty good old style western. If all of the other movies had the same standard then the disk would have been rated 5 stars. The others are good but not as good as CP and that is what brought it down. All of the fils were pretty well played, good plot development and any fan of the old stuff should like this collection.

Non-shoot-out Movie About the West.......2007-05-22

Fine picture of mostly non-violent pioneers in the Pacific Northwest. A loyal rendering of Ernest Haycox's novel. Dana Andrews stalwart as Logan, the shopkeeper, Susan Hayward as sweet and loyal Lucy, Brian Aherne as Lucy's fiancee, with a problem with gambling. Hoagy Carmichael is a townsman, who introduced his theme song "Old Buttermilk Sky," Lloyd Bridges a gold prospector, Ward Bond a sweaty ruffian. One for kids to see it wasn't all saloons and gunmen who settled the West.

Great Western fare, thanks to Universal.......2007-02-16

This is volume I of the two volume set of Classic Westerns to be issued by Universal, and it includes four excellent oaters, and if past history is any guide, Universal will give us great transfers in excellent color (where the movies are in color). Fred MacMurray (THE TEXAS RANGERS) was an accomplished Western actor, with not only THE TEXAS RANGERS to his credit but classics such as AT GUNPOINT, GUN FOR A COWARD, GOOD DAY FOR A HANGING, QUANTEZ, and others demonstrating his prowess in the genre. He doesn't disappoint here. CANYON PASSAGE was one of Dana Andrews finest roles, and it's a excellent picture, with Hoagy Carmichael providing some delightful music. Audie Murphy stars in KANSAS RAIDERS, and doesn't disappoint (his legion of fans will be delighted!). Finally, Rock Hudson, again a fine Westerner, is very fine in THE LAWLESS BREED. In sum, four very fine and entertaining Westerns, which, along with volume II, should please Western fans and movie viewers in general.

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 1 (The Asphalt Jungle / Gun Crazy / Murder My Sweet / Out of the Past / The Set-Up)

Average customer rating:

Film Noir Classic Collection Vol 1
If You Want One Film Noir Collection, This is the One.
"You're not a detective, you're a slot machine. You'd slit your own throat for six bits plus tax."
5 of the Best
Black & White rarely looks and sounds this good

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 1 (The Asphalt Jungle / Gun Crazy / Murder My Sweet / Out of the Past / The Set-Up)
Starring: Sterling Hayden , Louis Calhern , Jean Hagen , James Whitmore , and Sam Jaffe
Director: John Huston , Joseph H. Lewis , and Edward Dmytryk
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Film Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 2 (Born to Kill / Clash by Night / Crossfire / Dillinger (1945) / The Narrow Margin (1952))
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3 (Border Incident / His Kind of Woman / Lady in the Lake / On Dangerous Ground / The Racket)
Classic Film Noir 9 Movie Pack
Kiss of Death (Fox Film Noir)
The Warner Gangsters Collection (The Public Enemy / White Heat / Angels with Dirty Faces / Little Caesar / The Petrified Forest / The Roaring Twenties)

ASIN: B000244F2S
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Amazon.com

Some boxed sets claim to be definitive, but are haphazardly selected. Not this one. Four of the five titles here can legitimately lay claim to being essentials in the film noir canon, and the fifth, The Set-Up, is a terrific boxing picture with a strong noir atmosphere. If you're a fan of noir--or have no idea what it's all about--this collection is a treat.

Of course, none of these movies were made as "film noir." The term was coined later by French critics to describe the moody, anxious feel of postwar American movies, especially the genre that highlighted duplicitous dames and susceptible men lost in the criminal jungle. Indeed, the title The Asphalt Jungle conveys the edgy urban arena of these pictures. That film is John Huston's masterly 1950 account of a heist, with Sterling Hayden the disenchanted, noirish hero. Joseph H. Lewis's Gun Crazy (1949) is one of the most supercharged (and sexually perverse) of noir films, with John Dall and Peggy Cummins as young criminals in love. Murder, My Sweet (1944) is a straight adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel Farewell, My Lovely. Amid the film's shadowy chiaroscuro, former musical comedy star Dick Powell makes a career-changing transition as Chandler's private dick, Philip Marlowe. Out of the Past puts Robert Mitchum (perhaps the quintessential noir actor) in trouble with gangster Kirk Douglas, complicated by classic femme fatale Jane Greer. Jacques Tourneur provides the evocative direction. And The Set-Up plays out an ingenious boxing tale in "real time," superbly enacted by (former boxer) Robert Ryan. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Film Noir Classic Collection Vol 1.......2007-01-16

The product is exactly as described.
The picture quality is excellent.
I have no hesitation in recommending this product to any propective purcher

If You Want One Film Noir Collection, This is the One........2006-10-11

If you want to buy one film noir collection, this "Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 1" from Warner Brothers is the one to get. These are all 5-star films. "The Asphalt Jungle", "Gun Crazy", "Murder, My Sweet", and "Out of the Past" are top-notch films from the height of the film noir movement 1944-1950, each representing at least one iconic film noir motif. "The Set-Up" is not film noir, but it's brilliant nonetheless. All of the films in this collection are accompanied by audio commentaries that vary in quality and focus but are worthwhile for film noir buffs. A better sampler of crime films from Hollywood's Golden Era could not have been assembled.

"The Asphalt Jungle" (1950) is a steadily paced, thoughtful heist film. The requisite crew of mastermind, safecracker, driver, stick-up man, and financier are assembled to pull a grand jewel heist. Complex characters and themes make this a great deal more than a typical heist flick. Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett and directed by John Huston, "The Asphalt Jungle" was nominated for 4 Academy Awards. The audio commentary is by film historian Drew Casper, and there is a short introduction to the film by John Huston.

"Gun Crazy" (1949) is a Bonnie-and-Clyde-inspired fugitive couple film that might be the most blatant expression of the sexualization of violence in the film noir canon. Sharpshooting femme fatale Annie Laurie Starr lures her equally "gun crazy" nice-guy husband Bart into a life of crime. Their "amour fou" is irrational but, at the same time, completely fascinating. The audio commentary is by film critic Glenn Erikson.

"Out of the Past" (1947) typifies the noir style so elegantly and in so many ways. Retired private detective Jeff Bailey has settled down to a quiet life in a small town when his past comes back to haunt him. Years before, he was hired by a wealthy gambler in New York to track down the man's errant mistress Kathie. But Jeff fell head over heels for the beautiful, duplicitous Kathie, and now both the lady and her lover insist on his loyalty. Actors Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer make a striking pair, accented by beautiful low-key light. The audio commentary is by film noir historian James Ursini.

"Murder, My Sweet" (1944) exemplifies labyrinthine plots in the style of Raymond Chandler, upon whose novel the film is based. Private detective Philip Marlowe finds that two of his cases may be related when a quest to find the girlfriend of an insistent thug and a case of missing jewels lead him around in circles but always to Mrs. Helen Grayle, the lady whose jewels went missing. The audio commentary is by film noir historian Alain Silver.

"The Set-Up" (1949) is not film noir, but an introverted character drama starring Robert Ryan as a boxer past his prime, clinging to hopes of moderate success in the ring. "The Set-Up" is perhaps best remembered for being shot in real time, including15-minutes in the ring. With a beautiful naturalistic visual style and a subdued, sympathetic performance from Robert Ryan, "The Set-Up" is one of the most memorable boxing films made. The audio commentary is by directors Robert Wise and Martin Scorsese, who were recorded separately.

"You're not a detective, you're a slot machine. You'd slit your own throat for six bits plus tax.".......2006-08-21

From Warner Home Video comes the Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 1, featuring, in no particular order, the following films...

The Asphalt Jungle (1950), directed by John Huston and starring Sterling Hayden as a streetwise hooligan hired on as muscle for a big-time heist, caught in the middle when things go seriously sour. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very good, limited to a few, very minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital audio, available in both English and French, comes across sharp and clean. There is a so-so commentary track featuring author/film noir specialist Drew Casper with co-star James Whitmore, along with a theatrical trailer, an introduction by director John Houston (0:49), and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

Gun Crazy (1949) aka Deadly Is the Female, directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring John Dall and Peggy Cummins as a pair of pistol packing newlyweds who embark on a life of crime because it's a hell of a lot easier (and exciting) than actually working for a living, that is at least until the Johnny Law makes the scene...the picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very good, limited to a few, very minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital audio is sharp and clean. There is a commentary track featuring author/film noir specialist Glenn Erickson, along with subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

Murder, My Sweet (1944), directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell and Claire Trevor, the former playing Private Eye Philip Marlowe, caught up in a mystery involving a stolen jade necklace, a couple of hot tomatoes, and a corpse or two. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very clean and clear, and the Dolby Digital mono audio comes across clearly. As far as extras, included is a commentary track with author/film-noir specialist Alain Silver, a rough looking theatrical trailer, and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

Out of the Past (1947), directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. Mitchum plays a once private eye now fulltime schlub whose past catches up to him after getting too close to a dame he was only supposed to find for a well to do client, and ultimately ends up on the wrong end of a murder investigation. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), is strong, and the Dolby Digital mono audio comes across well. As far as extras, included is a commentary track with author/film-noir specialist James Ursini and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

The Set-Up (1949), directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Ryan as an aging boxer who gets crossed by his unscrupulous manager while going for his last, big shot. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), comes across well with few, if any, noticeable flaws, and the Dolby Digital mono comes through cleanly. As far as extras, there's an audio commentary track featuring director Robert Wise and Martin Scorsese, along with subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

While each film in this set is outstanding in its own right, my personal favorites are The Asphalt Jungle and Murder, My Sweet.

Cookieman108

By the way, if you dig on these, you might want to check out the other DVD sets in the series, listed below...and the quote I used for the title of this review came from the film Murder, My Sweet.

Film Noir Classics Collection, Volume 2
Born to Kill (1947), Clash by Night (1952), Crossfire (1947), Dillinger (1945), The Narrow Margin (1952).

Film Noir Classics Collection, Volume 3
Border Incident (1949), His Kind of Woman (1951), Lady in the Lake (1947), On Dangerous Ground (1952), and The Racket (1951). This set also includes a bonus disc which includes a handful of short features

5 of the Best.......2006-08-18

Excellent choice of movies, either as intro to Noir, or for the aficionado who can recite the lines and anticipate every scene.Through the cynical postwar eyes of writers and directors like Huston and Tourneur, bleak views of human behavior are handled with style and wit, and the denouement of criminal behavior comes from the moment of conscious choice to treat people with contempt.
Superb.

Black & White rarely looks and sounds this good.......2006-01-26

I jump-started my personal noir collection with this box. I can't say enough about these movies -- all 5 are classics. I will give THE SET-UP special attention since it is unique. Told in almost real-time, it's a fascinating boxing/mobster/underdog drama.

Shirley Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 5 (The Little Princess / Stand Up and Cheer / The Blue Bird)

Average customer rating:

Great Service!
Definitely the weakest set...
DVD Titles

Shirley Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 5 (The Little Princess / Stand Up and Cheer / The Blue Bird)
Starring: Warner Baxter , Madge Evans , James Dunn , Sylvia Froos , and John Boles
Director: Hamilton MacFadden , and Walter Lang
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Music & Arts | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Kids & Family | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Musicals & Performing Arts | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

Shirley Temple: America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 4 (Captain January / Just Around the Corner / Susannah of the Mounties)
Shirley Temple Collection, Vol. 3 - America's Sweetheart Collection -(Dimples / The Little Colonel / The Littlest Rebel)
Shirley Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 2 (Bright Eyes / Baby Take a Bow / Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm)
The Shirley Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 1: Heidi/Curly Top/Little Miss Broadway
The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2 (Romance on the High Seas / My Dream Is Yours / On Moonlight Bay / I'll See You in My Dreams / By the Light of the Silvery Moon / Lucky Me)

ASIN: B000LC4ZDU
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Description

Disc 1: THE BLUE BIRD Disc 2: THE LITTLE PRINCESS Disc 3: STAND UP AND CHEER

Customer Reviews:

Great Service!.......2007-07-05

The tapes arrived very quickly and were in perfect condition. My daughter has been very happy with her new videos.

Definitely the weakest set..........2007-04-30

As a Shirley Temple fan, I have purchased each one of these new DVD sets so far. This one is definitely the weakest.

The one strong movie of the three, "The Little Princess", cannot make up for the other two. Though all three movies look good, it is the story/plot of each that is either their saving grace or their downfall. (Note that two of these movies - "The Little Princess" and "The Blue Bird" are in colour, while "Stand Up and Cheer" has been left in its original black-and-white state without a colourized version.)

"The Blue Bird" is weak, and it is understandable that this film was the one generally viewed to have ended Shirley's career as a child actress. The story is boring and drawn out, and one cannot help but think that it would be much better as a play (and, in fact, it was originally a play). Shirley is unappealing as a selfish child, and the acting on the part of her co-stars is not very good. Young children would probably not understand some of the underlying themes, and might get bored. I certainly did...

"The Little Princess", made a year earlier than "The Blue Bird", is a much better film. Based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the movie tells the classic story of little Sara Crewe and her undying belief that her soldier father is still alive. This version looks great; the colour is wonderful. The sound didn't seem quite right (loud ambient noise and too-quiet voices), but that may be my DVD player.

"Stand Up and Cheer" is just a weird movie. It's not for children, and it barely has enough of a plot to keep adults entertained. It's a mish-mash of song-and-dance numbers, and Shirley barely features in it at all. Luckily, with DVD technology, we can skip right to her special scene (and it is a good one... it's no wonder the 1930s movie-going public fell in love with this child!).

I am still waiting for some of my other favourites to be released as part of this series, but I don't know how many more 3-disc sets there will be, as there are five movies (by my count) left to be released: "Our Little Girl", "The Poor Little Rich Girl", "Stowaway", "Wee Willie Winkie", and "Young People".

So, for this set, three stars. The films have been restored nicely. They're just rather weak on content.

DVD Titles.......2006-12-12

The 3 titles in this collection are:

Stand Up And Cheer
The Little Princess
The Blue Bird

Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be)

Average customer rating:

LAUGH OUT LOUD! FUNNY!!!!
SHAME ON WARNER BROTHERS!
A wonderful collection of classic comedies
Big Belly laughs in every single movie
This is nice to have on hand

Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be)
Starring: Katharine Hepburn , Cary Grant , Charles Ruggles , Walter Catlett , and Barry Fitzgerald
Director: Howard Hawks , and George Cukor
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Two-Disc Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Complete Thin Man Collection (The Thin Man / After the Thin Man / Another Thin Man / Shadow of the Thin Man / The Thin Man Goes Home / Song of the Thin Man)
The Hepburn & Tracy Signature Collection (Woman of the Year / Pat and Mike / Adam's Rib / The Spencer Tracy Legacy)
The Cary Grant Box Set (Holiday / Only Angels Have Wings / The Talk of the Town / His Girl Friday / The Awful Truth)
The Cary Grant Signature Collection (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House / Destination Tokyo / The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer / My Favorite Wife / Night and Day)
Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 (Top Hat / Swing Time / Follow the Fleet / Shall We Dance / The Barkleys of Broadway)

ASIN: B0006Z2KXY
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Amazon.com

"The love impulse in man," says a psychiatrist in Bringing Up Baby, "frequently reveals itself in terms of conflict." That's for sure. For a primer on the rules and regulations of the classic screwball comedy, which throws love and conflict into close proximity, look no further. A straight-laced paleontologist (Cary Grant) loses a dinosaur bone to a dog belonging to free-spirited heiress Katharine Hepburn. In trying to retrieve said bone, Grant is drawn into the vortex surrounding the delicious Hepburn, which becomes a flirtatious pas de deux that will transform both of them. Director Howard Hawks plays the complications as a breathless escalation of their "love impulse," yet the movie is nonetheless romantic for all its speed. (Hawks's His Girl Friday, also with Grant, goes even faster.) Grant and Hepburn are a match made in movie heaven, in sync with each other throughout. Not a great box-office success when first released, Bringing Up Baby has since taken its place as a high-water mark of the screwball form, and it was used as a model for Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc?

Re-creating the role she originated in Philip Barry's wickedly witty Broadway play, Katharine Hepburn stars as the spoiled and snobby socialite Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story, one of the great romantic comedies from the golden age of MGM studios. Applying her impossibly high ideals to everyone but herself, Tracy is about to marry a stuffy executive when her congenial ex-husband (Cary Grant), arrives to protect his former father-in-law from a potentially scandalous tabloid exposé. In an Oscar-winning role, James Stewart is the scandal reporter who falls for Tracy as her wedding day arrives, throwing her into a dizzying state of premarital jitters. Who will join Tracy at the altar? Snappy dialogue flows like sparkling wine under the sophisticated direction of George Cukor in this film that turned the tide of Hepburn's career from "box-office poison" to glamorous Hollywood star.

MGM originally promoted Dinner at Eight by touting the "all-star cast," but this is no run-of-the-mill omnibus picture. On the contrary, rather than cramming as many big names as possible into a lumbering vehicle, the movie's impeccably crafted script (by Edna Ferber and Herman J. Mankiewicz) and direction (by George Cukor) gave some immortal screen luminaries a chance to shine. For sheer bravery, John Barrymore's achingly poignant performance as Larry Renault, a washed-up matinee idol who has "outlived everything but his vanity," is unmatched. Barrymore's brother, Lionel, is equally touching as shipping magnate Oliver Jordan. Oliver vainly tries to save his family's century-old firm, at the same time hiding his financial and health troubles from his wife, Millicent, played to hysterical perfection by Billie Burke. The Great Depression is presented in microcosm as Millicent frets about throwing the ultimate society dinner, oblivious to the world tumbling down around her. She is forced to invite to her precious party such undesirables as crass financier Dan Packard ("He smells Oklahoma!"). Even worse in Millicent's eyes than Packard (Wallace Beery, doing an impressive steamroller imitation) is his social-climbing wife, Kitty (Jean Harlow, never funnier). Be sure to watch for Harlow's brief encounter with Marie Dressler, who brings an extraordinary winking wisdom to the role of aging star Carlotta Vance. As the two enter the dining room in the film's final scene, Harlow makes an offhand remark that elicits from Dressler one of the great screen double takes of all time. Like so much of Dinner at Eight, the moment is priceless.

Newspaper comedy doesn't seem like an MGM genre--ink-stained wretches don't go with Adrian gowns and white deco furniture--but Jack Conway, the designated bull in the Metro china shop (Boom Town, Too Hot to Handle) does what he can to bring some dash and flair to Libeled Lady's wildly complicated script. Spencer Tracy is the tough city editor who goes to some spectacular extremes when socialite Myrna Loy files a $5 million libel suit against his paper for calling her a notorious home-wrecker; he hires celebrated ladies' man William Powell to seduce Loy and asks his long-suffering fiancée, Jean Harlow, to marry Powell temporarily so she can play the wronged wife when Loy and Powell are discovered together. The couples crisscross, with frenetic and not entirely unpredictable results, but much of the pleasure here lies in seeing these iconic stars being so thoroughly themselves. The dialogue strains for champagne wit, but the movie's most memorable moment is pure, rotgut slapstick--Powell's bout with an unruly fly-fishing rod.

This one's all about the ladies. In Stage Door, an absolutely terrific 1937 gem, a Manhattan boardinghouse for aspiring actresses houses an amazing roster of golden-era performers--some of whom, like their characters, were just breaking in. It's hard to say who's in best form here: Katharine Hepburn in blueblood mode, Ginger Rogers streetwise, Andrea Leeds suffering, Lucille Ball and Ann Miller impossibly young, and Eve Arden being, well, splendidly Eve Ardenish. The sassy comedy and sober life lessons are wonderfully mixed by the underrated director Gregory La Cava (My Man Godfrey), who captures the brashness of '30s female chatter in a much pleasanter way than the more famous The Women. Hepburn's sublime attempts to wrestle with the line about calla lilies being in bloom will make you smile long after the movie's over.

Customer Reviews:

LAUGH OUT LOUD! FUNNY!!!!.......2007-06-09

Six of the all time great movies. Its a must for classic movie fans. You really get to see how good Jean Harlow was at comedy in "Dinner at Eight". Lets not forget Carole Lombard what a great comedian and actress she was in "To Be or Not To Be" her last film before she was killed in plane crash. Sometimes we forget how good they really were. They just don't make good movies like these anymore. I couldn't name you a good actor today with this much staying power. There will never be another Cary Grant, James Stewart, William Powell and Katherine Hepburn. You can watch these movies over and over. I know I will..

SHAME ON WARNER BROTHERS!.......2007-05-05

Shame on Warner Brothers for calling this collection a COMEDY Collection. And the other reviewers - where's your candor? Yes, Philadelphia Story is a classic comedy. But DINNER AT EIGHT, which has a few (a very few) funny moments, is, in fact a very dark story involving suicide, hateful marriages and people at the end of their means; with no particular redeeming quality. STAGE DOOR, it had funny moments, yes, but always with a very sad, dark suicide looming. TO BE OR NOT, this is like a skit, a joke, being stretched out to an hour and a half. LIBELED LADY was funny, but hardly a CLASSIC. BRINGING UP BABY is screwball comedy, but we all know that this was NEVER considered a CLASSIC. My recommendation (now that I feel bad I spent so much based on the other reviewers) - buy the films you know individually. One at a time. PHILADELPHIA STORY is a MUST HAVE.
Then you can laugh at the rest of us for buying movies we'll never watch.

A wonderful collection of classic comedies.......2007-03-20

I just recently finished watching all of the movies in this boxed set, and I couldn't be happier with it. Warner's has been going boxed set crazy over the past couple of years, boxing up into collections just about every movie in their vaults. Some collections are good, and some not so good, but this one is excellent. Three of the movies are well known, and the other three are less known. Probably the best known film is "The Philadelphia Story" that got Katharine Hepburn out of her "box office poison" era for good and won James Stewart his only Best Actor Oscar - about two or three Oscars shy of what he should have had in my opinion.

"Dinner at Eight" is a 1933 ensemble comedy using the "Grand Hotel Formula" that had won that film the Best Picture Oscar the year before. It is a comedy revolving around a group of people preparing to go to a dinner party and shows how their lives strangely intertwine beyond even their awareness. Remarkably, I don't think it even got nominated for an Oscar, but it has held up well over time and has one of the best last lines of any movie ever. As everyone is planning to go into dinner Jean Harlow is telling Marie Dressler how she has been reading that machinery has been taking over everything and soon they would all be replaced by machines. Marie Dressler looks Jean Harlow up and down as only she could do and says "My dear I don't think you need to ever worry about that."

"Bringing Up Baby" has Katharine Hepburn playing a scatter-brained young lady who gets Cary Grant involved in her inane plot to transport a tame leopard her brother sent her to her country estate. The film moves at such a fast clip with so much going on that it seems exhausting, but it is great entertainment. This film actually didn't catch on that much until years later.

"Libeled Lady" was the pleasant surprise of the bunch. I had never seen it before but it was quite funny. It all revolves around a false rumor about a young lady that gets reported as truth in a New York paper. The paper faces a libel suit and financial ruin if a way is not found to set up the "libeled lady" so that she appears to be in a genuine scandal, thus lessening the paper's chances of losing in court. This film has some great physical comedy from William Powell of all people.

"To Be Or Not To Be" is a comedy set in World War II Poland and involves an attempt by the occupied Poles to stop a spy from getting to German headquarters with the names of members of the resistance. It pairs Carole Lombard with Jack Benny, but strangely enough the combination does work.

"Stage Door" is a very good film about a group of women living in a boarding house all trying to make it on Broadway. I'm not sure what it is doing in a set of comic movies, though. It is actually more of a melodrama than a comedy, though it has some very witty banter between the struggling actresses at their rooming house and a great performance by Adolphe Menjou as a sophisticated cad, which is a part he played so well in several films of the 1930's.

There are bonus discs included with "Bringing Up Baby" and "The Philadelphia Story". "The Philadelphia Story" includes a feature on Katharine Hepburn's life and career, and "Bringing Up Baby" has a second disc that has a similar tribute to Cary Grant. There are also features included on the directors of these two films. My advice is to buy this set. It's a tremendous value and will give you many hours of entertainment.

Big Belly laughs in every single movie.......2006-06-17

I defy you to find a modern day movie where the wise cracks are funnier than any thing you'll find in each and every one of these 70 year plus old movies! Most of the dialogue was spoken at Tommy Gun blast speed, with every word clearly enunciated - a feat in itself! All the men are mostly in suits or tuxes, and the women wear the most beautiful outfits, created by the top designers in the world at the time. Visually, these movies are a feast for the eyes. It also helps that most of the actors and actresses were considered the most handsome and beautiful at the time. Hey - I can get ugly at home! The quality is also excellent considering how old these movies are. I'm an old-movie buff and I remember browsing the TV guide when I was a teenager and then setting my clock to get up at 3am to catch one of these movies whenever they were on. They still hold up and now I can watch them whenever I want and I am grateful. This is a must-have if you like a good story line, clever dialogue and honest laughs.

This is nice to have on hand.......2006-03-10

Sometimes my life, like so many others, gets a little overwhelming. These are perfect for when you need a 2 hr. break from reality. Make the popcorn, pull the shades, pop one of these in and totally escape. And it's cheaper than therapy. :-)

The Up Series (Seven Up / 7 Plus Seven / 21 Up / 28 Up / 35 Up / 42 Up)

Average customer rating:

For anyone who gets sentimental thinking about the past
Probably the best documentary I've watched
Endlessly Fascinating
Fascinating
Thought provoking

The Up Series (Seven Up / 7 Plus Seven / 21 Up / 28 Up / 35 Up / 42 Up)
Starring: Up Series
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Documentary | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

49 Up
Born into Brothels
Jesus Camp
When the Levees Broke
The Conformist (Extended Edition)

ASIN: B0002S64SC
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

The premise behind the Up series is deceptively simple: take a cross-section of children at age 7, ask them about their hopes for the future, and then return every seven years to mark their progress. However, the results of these experiments, launched in 1963 by Britain's Granada Television, are anything but mundane, and their revelations about society, maturation, and the human condition were compiled into six extraordinary films, packaged together for the first time in this five-disc set. We meet the 14 children whose lives we will follow for the next 36 years in Seven Up, a episode of the television series The World in Action and directed by Paul Almond. What becomes evident almost immediately is that class and background will have an indelible effect on the kids for the rest of their lives; the upper-class boys and girls seem confident to the point of boorishness, while the middle- and working-class children seem resigned to a life of hard work or inevitable failure due to their backgrounds.

Fascinated by the footage, Almond's assistant, Michael Apted (later the director of The World Is Not Enough, among others, and president of the Directors' Guild), proposed to revisit the subjects every seven years, and in 1970, 7 Plus Seven was released, followed by 21 Up in '77, 28 Up in '84, 35 Up in '91, and the most recent entry, 42 Up, in '99 (Apted plans to continue the project). And the changes that occur to the original 14 (some of whom drop out of the project) are among the most fascinating and often tragic ever recorded on film. Success, failure, marriage and childbirth, poverty, illness--almost every possible element of the human experience passes before Apted's camera. And while each of the children's stories is riveting, the viewer will undoubtedly be gripped by that of Neil, a shy boy who endures incredible hardships. A one-of-a-kind series and sociological experiment, The Up Series is required viewing for not only documentary fans but any viewer with a curiosity about and concern for their fellow humans. The DVD set includes commentary by Apted on 42 Up. --Paul Gaita

Description

Starting in 1964 with Seven Up, renowned director Michael Apted has explored this Jesuit maxim. The original concept was to interview 14 children from diverse backgrounds from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future. Every seven years, Apted has been back to talk to the same subjects, examining the progression of their lives. From cab driver Tony to East End schoolmates Jackie, Lynn, and Susan and the heart-breaking Neil, we see, as they enter their 40's, how close these subjects are to realizing their ambitions. An extraordinary look at the structure of life in the 20th century, The Up Series is, according to Roger Ebert, "an inspired, almost noble use of the film medium. Apted penetrates to the central mystery of life."

Customer Reviews:

For anyone who gets sentimental thinking about the past.......2007-06-16

I first saw a few of these films back when I came out of school and was going into work and was wondering what to do with my life and what I would become, this was very insightful. A large dvd set like this may seem way too long at first but when you think about what's in it, 42yrs of 14 people's entire lives, it's quite short.

All the characters you meet or have been in life are here. The ambitious John, the mentally ill Neil, charitable Bruce, disgruntled Jackie, simple values of Tony, Nick the intellectual, ... Too bad some of them decided to drop out, but they must be like movie stars without the moneys every 7 years.

The camera quality/technology states the era and atmosphere of each film. When I first watched these films I wondered if it was real, but the camera quality proved it was.

However, the films were started before reality tv, they were originally about class and values of different classes. People who like reality tv maybe disappointed, they mostly ask about people's values what they're up to in life and how they feel comes second.

Probably the best documentary I've watched.......2007-05-15

I thoroughly enjoyed the 7up series. I started at 7up and watched about one disc every 1-2 weeks until I recently finished 42up. I have been increasingly fascinated as I have worked my way through the series. There is something about watching another person's life, that has been fascinating for me. Especially at a moment where I myself am constantly thinking about where I want to be and where I want to go. Very thought provoking. At the end, you will feel like you have something invested in the future of these people.

I particularly found the changes from 21 to 28 to be the most pivotal and defining. This seems to be the point where most of them really branched out into adulthood. For those people that haven't seen the 7-21 series, they are definitely worth watching. There is a lot of editing as the series progresses. Watching the earlier shows in their entirety allows the viewer to be more involved in the life of the individuals and understand their background better.

All in all...Great series. Groundbreaking, interesting, and thought provoking. Highly recommended.

Endlessly Fascinating.......2007-03-25

If one watches these films in a short period of a couple days, there is perhaps too much repeated footage. It also takes a while -- for me Seven Up and much of 7 Plus Seven -- to sort out all the 14 subjects. But beyond those two minor points, The Up Series is terrific. Watching how each subject responds to the intrusive camera, how they change, and, on the other hand and even more strikingly, how the child at 7 really does, as the narrator intones in Seven UP, foreshadow the man is an experience not soon, or ever, forgotten. This work is nothing less than a history of the late 20th century as lived by 14 individuals. It is also remarkable as an ongoing commentary on Britain in those years.

Fascinating.......2007-03-17

Over the years I have seen these movies as they were released. In preparation for watching the latest 49 UP installment I decided to buy the box set and watch the movies together.
Firstly, I would like to thank the "uppers" for their honesty and effort in sharing the ups and downs of their lives with us all.
The documentary tracks the lives of 14 people, from a broad cross section of English society, every seven years. All of the participants seem honest and decent and for the most part are likeable. It is a little disconcerting to see the subjects aging - I mean it happens to us all but when watching the movies close together it is actually a little depressing.
The Documentary shows the subjects lives and I am sure that anyone watching can find some parallel with their own life. All in all it is excellent and just like real life takes you through a range of emotions as peoples lives are updated.
Over the years a couple of the "uppers" have dropped out which is very disappointing - I believe this documentary will still be looked upon hundreds of years from today and those in it are providing something of huge importance for future generations. To me at least this outweighs the loss the privacy of the subjects. This is especially true in the case of Charles who is a guy who actually makes his living from making documentaries! Still I suppose it is easy for me to criticise as I am not the person having a camera stuck in front of me every seven years.

Thought provoking.......2007-03-14

The initial concept was facinating. What do 7 year olds think? And, if there's a follow up, how did they change? But as I continued to watch the ongoing series I became more thoughtful than facinated. Had the cameras invaded my own life how would I respond? Defensive? Apologetic? Would my life's decisions change knowing that those cameras would return for yet another accounting? It made me wonder, too, at the price of celebrity and why anyone would aspire to such a thing. Social interest started the series - introspection kept me rivited to the end.

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