Young & Innocent

Studio: Unicorn Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Looking Forward to Seasons Two, Three, and Four
Ground Breaking Show (really)
Almost as I remembered it...
Rome and Boston - World's Apart
Picket Fences Season 1 DVD

Picket Fences - Season 1
Starring: Zelda Rubinstein , Don Cheadle , Denis Arndt , Roy Dotrice , and Leigh Taylor-Young
Director: Michael Pressman , Dennie Gordon , Martin Davidson , Jeremy Kagan , and Arvin Brown
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000K7VHJ6
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Amazon.com

While Ally McBeal garnered more attention, Picket Fences garnered more acclaim. It was justified. Set in Wisconsin, the Emmy-winning drama plays like The Andy Griffith Show by way of The Commish. The focus is on small-town life from a law and order perspective. The action revolves around Sheriff Jimmy Brock (Tom Skerritt), his physician wife Jill (Kathy Baker), and their children, Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs), Matthew (Justin Shenkarow), and Zack (Adam Wylie). Storylines alternate between personal issues, like puberty and pre-marital sex, and criminal cases. As Matthew quips, "Things happen around here." At city hall, Jimmy works with officers Kenny (Costas Mandylor) and Max (Lauren Holly), dispatcher Ginny (Zelda Rubinstein), and coroner Carter Pike (Kelly Connell), who likes to exclaim, "Let me exhume the body!" Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston) and attorney Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel) dominate the courthouse. Cases include such tragi-comic crimes as a serial bather ("Frank, the Potato Man") and a cupid killer ("Be My Valentine"), but serious issues also come into play, such as assisted suicide ("Sacred Hearts") and incest ("Nuclear Meltdowns"). Unlike Twin Peaks, to which it was sometimes compared, Picket Fences could be heavy-handed, but piety never trumped entertainment, and Baker, Skerritt, Walston, and Finkel all won Emmys for their work.

Notable guests are a hallmark of every David E. Kelley production, from Chicago Hope to Boston Legal (and beyond). The first season attracted Carnivále's Michael J. Anderson ("Mr. Dreeb Comes to Town"), Evening Shade's Michael Jeter ("Frog Man"), and Man of La Mancha's Richard Kiley ("Thanksgiving"). The series also features one of the last of the old-fashioned orchestral scores, Stewart Levin's distinctive piano theme. Picket Fences ran for four seasons on CBS (when Kelley left between seasons three and four, ratings took a nosedive). Afterwards, Combs joined Charmed, Baker joined Kelley's Boston Public, and Holly joined NCIS. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

PICKET FENCES Season 1 is the first season of the critically acclaimed series from creator David E. Kelly ("Ally McBeal", "Boston Legal") starring Tom Skerrit and Kathy Baker, in the story of a sherriff and his family in Rome, Wisconsin, a town where things never seem to be business as usual. This long-awaited fan favorite is available on 6 discs.

Customer Reviews:

Looking Forward to Seasons Two, Three, and Four .......2007-07-04

Whew - I'd forgotten how good this show could be sometimes! A quirky show for its time, tackling alot of issues and willing to take a stand on the said issues, more or less allowing viewers to form their own ideas. I watched a good part of the first season but then started to lose track with the following seasons so I'm definitely looking forward to coming DVD releases - this DVD set does feature a short featurette, featured on the last DVD disc - interesting to see everyone at the present.

Ground Breaking Show (really).......2007-07-01

Many other reviewers have covered the various aspects of the main players. So I won't rehash them in my review.

I missed the majority of the first season, picking it up when whatever it was that ran against it went to reruns. I entered Rome WI without any idea of the towns history or the background of the characters.

Without this history, the story lines and characters seemed very odd, but also very entertaining. I stayed with Picket Fences when the other show returned and picked up the earlier shows over the summer.

What first fascinated me was the complexity of the characters and bold daringness of the topics the show addressed. Later, in his other shows, David Kelly's penchant for interesting quirks and humor have become standard fare. But 15 years ago, there were so few quality shows tackling sensitive issues without resorting to such black and white positions. David's risks were indeed groundbreaking.

I must state that I am a life long liberal, and like most people who accept a "label" my positions on a number of issues are black and white to me and I can't understand those whose views are counter to mine. However, David's writings and the actors hired to flesh out the characters did give me a greater understanding on such issues as anti-abortionists, proponents of hand guns, and other social issues. While they didn't change my view, they did take the vitriol out of my arguments and allow me to "hear" what the other side was saying. All the while providing an entertaining median.

If you're a recent David Kelley fan, or one who picked him up with Allie McBeal, Boston Public, The Practice, or Boston Legal, you should take a trip to Rome WI where you will see the seeds sown for his later shows. While I enjoyed all of the shows referenced in this paragraph, (and being a Bostonian, it kills me to say this) I'd prefer to be back in Rome, with Judge Bone, and the edgy fresh writing I discovered there.

One final thought. If you've not seen Picket Fences before, give it a chance into Season Two before you write the show off.

Almost as I remembered it..........2007-06-27

I was so pleased to see the release of "Picket Fences" on DVD. I have been waiting years for this release. I have tried to watch Kelly's "Boston Legal" and I see so many of the themes (and, sometimes, story lines) from "Picket Fences" being recycled. Yes, "Picket Fences" does play as an overdramatized version of 'The Andy Griffith Show' at times. The stories are strong. The acting, almost always, spot on. I've watched a few episodes I haven't seen since the show first aired... I'm happy to be returning to Rome, WI.

Rome and Boston - World's Apart.......2007-06-25

Being such a huge David E. Kelley/Boston Legal fan and seeing the extraordinarily high ranking Picket Fence held on the Amazon pre-order list, I thought that I was in for a huge treat.

Needless to say, although Mr. Kelley plays a predominant role in both shows, Picket Fences is definitely not his best work. Boston Legal is both hilarious and brilliant. He deftly weaves in an out of current issues while consistently making you laugh and, occasionally even shed a tear. Picket Fences, on the other hand, is rarely funny, is especially heavy handed with issues/preachy, and, although it may not have played this way at the time, compared to the hard hitting/off the wall shows of today, it comes off as incredibly quaint. Matlock quaint. Senior citizen quaint.

15 years is an epoch in TV land. There's not a lot of 15 year old TV that I'm running out to watch/buy. I may have loved/waited with baited breath to see certain shows then, but now, I'm off to bigger and better things.

Historically, Picket Fences is well situated. Picket Fences fits in very comfortably with the shows of it's age. A little too comfortably, I think. In some ways it feels like an amalgamation of other shows from that period. Here's my best guess at how it breaks down.

10% Family Ties
50% Northern Exposure
30% Degrassi
10% Matlock

If you're yearning to wax nostalgic, give this set a shot. If, on the other hand, you're looking for entertainment that can stand up to the scrutiny of the present day, you might want to look elsewhere.

Picket Fences Season 1 DVD .......2007-06-25

Thank you David E Kelley for finally getting Picket Fences on DVD. If your a fan - this is a definite GOOD BUY.

Waiting for 2nd and future seasons to be released.

Average customer rating:

A dud
never given 1 star before
Confusing and disapointing
graceful
Perfection

The Fountain (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Hugh Jackman , Rachel Weisz , Ellen Burstyn , Mark Margolis , and Stephen McHattie
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JPAR
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Amazon.com

Science fiction and romance collide in The Fountain, the ambitious third feature from director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), who labored for four years to complete this epic-sized love story that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronofsky's real-life companion) play lovers in each of the film's three settings--16th century Europe and America (Jackman is a Spanish explorer searching for Incan magic), the present day (Jackman is a doctor attempting to cure his dying wife), and the 26th century (Jackman is a space traveler seeking a gateway to the afterlife)--who struggle mightily to stay united, only to lose each other time and again. Aronofsky may not have chosen the easiest presentation for audiences to absorb his theories on the lasting qualities of life and the transformative powers of death--the final sequence, in particular, with a bald Jackman floating through space in a bubble, harks back uncomfortably to "head movies" of the late '60s--but his leads have considerable chemistry (and look terrific to boot), which goes a long way towards securing viewers' hopes for a happy ending. Critical reception for The Fountain has been nothing short of bloodthirsty, with Cannes audiences booing, but there are elements to enjoy here, even if the premise throws one for a loop. Ellen Burstyn (who earned an Oscar nomination for Requiem) delivers a typically solid performance as Jackman's boss in the present day sequence, and special effects (most done without the benefit of CGI) are also impressive given the film's low budget (spurred by a mid-production shutdown after original stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett ankled the picture). And science-fiction fans whose tastes run towards the metaphysical (Asimov, Le Guin) will appreciate the attempt to present the genre in a serious light. -- Paul Gaita

Description

Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Past, present, future. Through time and space, one man embarks on a bold 1000-year odyssey to defeat humankind's most indomitable foe: Death. Hugh Jackman plays that man, devoted to one woman (Rachel Weisz) and determined to protect her from forces that threaten her existence. His quest leads him to a Tree of Life...and to an adventure into eternity. Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) directs, continuing his string of imaginative, involving filmmaking with a tale alive with ideas and filled with astonishing vistas. "Not many films can blow your mind and break your heart at the same time, but this one will" (Drew McWeeny, Ain't It Cool News).

Customer Reviews:

A dud.......2007-07-04

I gave it 2 stars - 1 for being in HD and a 2nd star for being a visually beautiful film. That's as far as it goes. The story is ... well what story? Well acted but ....

never given 1 star before.......2007-07-04

I don't think that i've ever given a movie one star before, nor have I told thse around me "Really, don't waste your time." This is perhaps one of the worst waste of two hours in my life. The effort to try and bring together Christian, Jewish, Bhuddist themes was terrible and meant nothing to nobody.
It's got love in it, but it is not primarily a romance flick. Its an effort to describe in poetic terms the life/rebirth cycle and unless your metaphysical and thelogical views are normally shapped by hollywood, you'll be bummed.
I prefer Hugh Jackman with claws and a cigar.

Confusing and disapointing.......2007-07-03

when i saw the preview to this movie i thought it would be excellent, but i was wrong it was boring and on top of that it was confussing for me. I will have to give it credit on a good story but was made wrong.

graceful.......2007-07-02

I enjoy watching movies that stretch my imagination, and bring me in and pose large questions. However, I often find that art movies go out of their way to make things too complicated. The focus is too often on the plot - it might have a bazillion jumbled pieces, which actually fit together (say, Momento), or which don't even come together (say, anything by David Lynch), or which are made to represent something I don't understand (say, The Last Temptation). But if I were looking for mere symbolism or complexity of thought I'd read an essay about mechanics or something. The truth of the matter is that artistic cinema has a more to offer than mere complexity or intellectual wackery.

The premise for The Fountain is deceptively simple: A cancer researcher's wife is dying of cancer; in the meanwhile, she is writing a historical / mythical book about Spain's conquest of the Mayans. The movie progresses by interweaving her book and his experiences - threads of reality, history, and myth - none of which, again, are very complicated.

Written above, it all looks somewhat bare perhaps a bit cheesy. But movies aren't meant to be read, they're meant to be watched. And this one unfolds very graciously. It quite literally ebbs and flows, thanks to the accomplished cinematography, editing, and score. The style has a way of digging its way inside your head: A shot of a smiling woman spontaneously running around a house feels like a personal revelation and a past regret about life slipping away; a shot of a warrior being boldly carried off by the enemies seems like a body attacking a bacteria. The movie can even be seen as a story of movement, with some story arches literally going up, others going down. A passing shot into an intriguing piece of wallpaper feels like an inevitable approach.

Most movies use such stylistic techniques for the sake of character development, or to move along the plot. However, in The Fountain, these elements are in fact the movie. Like the directors other great movies, this one capitalizes on these elements in order to portray a progression of events and feelings in a manner that only cinema can. While such attention to style can often be devastating for a story, The Fountain uses it in good taste: And why not use the tools of cinema, in congruence with the way in which humans watch and register things? Ignoring such tools would be like writing an essay without any periods.

Consequently, some people might ask, "What's the message this guy's trying to get across?" and "Who are these characters?" But these questions miss point, (and any movie that could answer such questions, I'd argue, is a bad movie, because it might as well be a book); The Fountain feels more like a symphony - you wouldn't ask those questions to Beethoven about his Fifth, would you? Of course, much of the movie's impact will depend on its aesthetic effect on you: It's difficult to explain why you like a piece of music, it just feels right. But if you surrender yourself to this one's feelings - its progression, texture, and flow - you might get totally sucked in. And at the center there isn't an idea, a message, or an unforgettable character; there's a feeling: Awe. The feeling is wrapped in timeless questions about the pursuit of science, man's mortality, the differences between man and woman, and the reality of myth; it's wrapped in the steps that one needs to take to experience it. But at the same time it's not too removed or abstract; it registers as brutal and thought-provoking, and so very *human*.

Perfection.......2007-07-01

It was nice to see some bigger names in an Aronofsky film finally. I suppose this means he's jumping a little more into the mainstream, which is great because his films are thoroughly enjoyable and different than the cookie cutter crap that comes out of Hollywood. The effects in The Fountain are gorgeous and the plot is original and touching. I absolutely love the score, it has a wonderful sound that will stay with you. Hugh Jackman is great as the lead. My favorite scene is the part shot in the mosque in southern Spain, it is absolutely flawless. I definitely recommend having a look at this one, it is very mellow and has some great allegories and allusions for everyone. Enjoy.

Average customer rating:

The Last Waltz
good music
Just adding to
The Standard for Concert Films - A Trip down Memory Lane!
The Last Waltz-The Band

The Last Waltz
Starring: The Band , Paul Butterfield , Rick Danko , Dr. John , and Emmylou Harris
Manufacturer: MGM
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00003CXB1
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Amazon.com

Martin Scorsese's 1978 capsule history of the Band is mixed with footage of the group's allegedly last performance (certainly their last performance as a quintet) in this particularly stylish concert film. Scorsese shoots the players and their sundry guests with the same flair and enthusiasm one can see in the later The Color of Money or Goodfellas. He also proves a good interviewer with Band members, particularly Robbie Robertson, whose sleepy-sexy good looks make a star-caliber impression in close-up. But the film's real hook is the stage show, which features a rotation of rock legends (Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, and so on) playing with the Band before a wildly appreciative audience. --Tom Keogh

Description

It started as a concert. It became a celebration. Join an unparalleled lineup of rock superstars asthey celebrate The Band's historic 1976 farewell performance. Directed by Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas), The Last Waltz is not only "the most beautiful rock film evermade" (New York Times) it's "one of the most important cultural events of the last two decades" (Rolling Stone)!

Customer Reviews:

The Last Waltz.......2007-07-05

Hailed as the greatest concert movie ever, it just may be. Robbie Robertson, the film's producer and guiding light behind The Band, is charismatic off-stage, electric on-stage. All the guest musicians sing and play at the top of their games. Highlights include Joni Mitchell's "Coyote", Waters's earthy, soulful "Mannish Boy", Dr. John's dreamy "Such A Night", and Clapton's jaw-dropping guitar work on "Further On Up The Road". Scorsese hired top directors of photography to film this event from every conceivable angle, and the result is an intimate, exhilarating ride into the heart of rock music.

good music.......2007-06-14

this dvd is excellent. there is nothing else to be said.

Just adding to.......2007-06-08

There's enough reviews of this Classic. I'm 50+ and showed my copy of this DVD to my teenage kids last Thanksgiving. They were enthralled! My daughter asked for it as a gift for her graduation from UT (uhhh, I guess that means she's not a teenager anymore! but my son is and a Music major at UT). That about says it all I think.

The Standard for Concert Films - A Trip down Memory Lane!.......2007-05-16

Viewing "The Last Waltz," was like a trip down rock history memory lane. This is the DVD you show your children to introduce them to rock music of the seventies. The direction of Martin Scorsese provides the viewer with insightful interviews coupled with lush musical productions. I am still trying to decide on my favorite performance - there are just too many! Also, buy the CD - you will not be disappointed.

The Last Waltz-The Band.......2007-05-15

Probably the best concert film of its kind to date!! Every performer was captured in their prime all at one major rock event. Don't miss it.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Only Funny When Your High
Classic
Silly, Clever
Wow, the funniest movie of all time.... totally worth buying
Bring out your dead!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition)
Starring: Connie Booth , Elspeth Cameron , Graham Chapman , John Cleese , and Carol Cleveland
Director: Terry Jones
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005O3VC
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Amazon.com essential video

Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, it's "recommended for fans only," but we say hogwash to that--you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It's basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles. The comedy highlights are too numerous to mention, but once you've seen Arthur's outrageously bloody encounter with the ominous Black Knight (John Cleese), you'll know that nothing's sacred in the Python school of comedy. From holy hand grenades to killer bunnies to the absurdity of the three-headed knights who say "Ni--!," this is the kind of movie that will strike you as fantastically funny or just plain silly, but why stop there? It's all over the map, and the pace lags a bit here and there, but for every throwaway gag the Pythons have invented, there's a bit of subtle business or grand-scale insanity that's utterly inspired. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, you're almost certainly dead. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Only Funny When Your High.......2007-06-28

I've seen this movie 4 times now and ever since the first time I sit there wondering "What the heck do people think is funny in this movie" - Than I realized that if I had been high when I watched it this movie probably would have been hilarious! That's actually a good thing because than I could have some killer food and laugh at this stuff even though usually I'd just turn it off lol

Classic.......2007-06-26

What is there to say about this, except that this is a classic. Great extra stuff with the DVD and as usual a comical movie from beginning to end. What you would expect form Monty Python.

Silly, Clever.......2007-06-20

It's easy to dismiss this movie and everything done by the Monty Python troupe as silly, throw-away. But you would be doing yourself a huge disservice. There's an underlying deep understanding of the very legends and events the boys are making such merry fun of.

This 'special edition' was not worth it if you look at it from the point of view of the extra scene - it truly is throw-away. However, the extras range from interesting (how the castle was used in various and sundry scenes) to funny (how to get your own coconuts and run like a silly person around the castle grounds).

As I said, merry fun. Hilarious... don't miss this movie!

Wow, the funniest movie of all time.... totally worth buying.......2007-06-19

This movie is HILARIOUS!!!! No, not the cute kind like in Ella Enchanted, nor the crude kind used with cursing and bad language. It's the kind that has you laughing at every scene and 35 years later repeating lines word for word like "Bring out your dead!" or "I'm not quite dead yet. I'm getting better!" and my favorite, most popular line.." What is the air-height velocity of an unladen swallow?"

The movie is set in the middle ages, starting with King Arthur looking for more knights to sit with him at his round table.

The movie makers came up with everything, from a "Trojan Rabbit" to The bridge of Death to a vicious little bunny, the guardian of the Holy Grail.

The only part I didn't like was "Sir Gallahad's Adventure", which is not very long. not long at all.

Me and my friends liked it This movie so much that we actually wrote a play, acted it out, and filmed it. We wanted to call it Monty Python and the Holy Hand grenade, since we stole most of our ideas from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but we decided it wasn't very original. We called our play The good, the Bad, and the Doofas. sorry, hopping down a bunny trail there. Moving on.

Anywaaaay, This movie is down- right hilarious, adventuresome, and has something fun in it every 5 minutes.

and, no, there are no sad, weepy, slow background scenes where the main character is sitting alone, crying his heart out. no romance scenes either HOORAY!!

Bring out your dead!.......2007-05-31

Where can I start with is classic? It has all of the famous Monty Python skits (missing is the parrot skit) and is still hilarious -- viewing after viewing. The material, after all of these years, is still fresh. My fourteen year old niece recently saw the movie for the first time and it has become one of her favorites. Buy this movie or...I'll turn you into a newt!

Average customer rating:

dear 20th century fox.......
One of the best movies of ALL TIME
Either you like it or you don't
What the Heck !?!?!?!?!?!?
you can laugh too much

Young Frankenstein
Starring: Gene Wilder , Peter Boyle , Marty Feldman , Madeline Kahn , and Cloris Leachman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B000G6BLWE
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Amazon.com essential video

If you were to argue that Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein ranks among the top-ten funniest movies of all time, nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in the way that Brooks's previous film Blazing Saddles sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving tribute and a raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Filming in glorious black and white, Brooks re-created the Frankenstein laboratory using the same equipment from the original Frankenstein (courtesy of designer Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to physical and stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for nonstop comedy. The story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and his effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late father. (He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled How I Did It.) Assisting him is the hapless hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the buxom but none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in creating his monster (Peter Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision of the Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention, Brooks guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role) through scene after scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy classic, representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one joke has lost its payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost their zany appeal. From a career that includes some of the best comedies ever made, this is the film for which Mel Brooks will be most fondly remembered. Befitting a classic, the Special Edition DVD includes audio commentary by Mel Brooks, a "making of" documentary, interviews with the cast, hilarious bloopers and outtakes, and the original theatrical trailers. No video library should be without a copy of Young Frankenstein. And just remember--that's Fronkensteen. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Mel Brooks' monstrously crazy tribute to Mary Shelley's classic pokes hilarious fun at just about every Frankenstein movie ever made. Summoned by a will to his late grandfather's castle in Transylvania, young Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) soon discovers the scientist's step-by-step manual explaining how to bring a corpse to life. Assisted by the hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the curvaceous Ings (Teri Garr), he creates a monster (Peter Boyle) who only wants to be loved.

Customer Reviews:

dear 20th century fox..............2007-07-03

To the marketing idiots at 20th Century Fox: don't worry, I'll wait till you maroons give us an anamorphic transfer. What year is this???, oh, yeah, 2007!

One of the best movies of ALL TIME.......2007-07-03

If you don't like "Young Frankenstein," you need therapy. And this special edition is a wonderful way to celebrate an all-time classic that has endured, despite its lack of car chases, shootouts, and helicopters.

Either you like it or you don't.......2007-07-03

I like it and watch it a few times a year so I guess I'm getting my monies worth...

What the Heck !?!?!?!?!?!?.......2007-06-28

I usually love Mel Brooks movies and I'm a huge fan of Get Smart from TV - I even have the box set :) But this movie sucked! I wasn't even born when it was made and it felt like all the jokes were so cliched when I watched it. Now there could be 2 reasons for that - Number 1 is that this film was so influential that every other movie copied it so I had already heard the jokes a million times before or Number 2 - The jokes actually were cliched. Either way I didn't really enjoy this like I wanted to. I'm still keeping it though - although if I run out of room in my new DVD holder this is going in the trash first thing.

you can laugh too much.......2007-06-11

Is this movie the product of a genius I don't know I'm not a genius but I did find it the funniest movie I ever saw.
Is this movie well made I don't know I don't make comedies but it is the funniest comedy I've seen in the last fifty years.
Does the story stick to the book yes. The book is rather simple in principle and without a lot of pedantry describes the power of a dream that comes true. Young Frankenstein takes not only the book Frankenstein and gives it some room to grow it gives vent to all those silly horror movies of the same names. Don't get me wrong please Young Frankenstein is silly but not stupid it comes from a lot of hard work I'm sure and the acting is the best I've ever seen like I say but the script they use does roll into the weeds from time to time.

The first time you see this one your sides hurt from all the timeless jokes scattered all the way through in what I'm sure the business calls perfect timing. I still don't know how they got the cast of stars to all fit on the same set to make this very funny movie but to this day after just seeing it again on TV I'm glad we have it around none the less as it is a classic even in it's own write and it's in black and white so you have to have been around long enough to have seen at least one of the early Horror movies we used to have to watch back in the good ol' days when every thing was in black and white and usually a horror on it's own don't you know.

The second time around you'll probably just laugh because it's a funny movie just that a very funny movie. Just the thing if you've seen everything before and perhaps need the last place you look for it to get you into the air.

This is a scary movie for kids though least I think so because the places the movie takes you can be a little foreign unless you've been to Transylvania and that's hardly likely for this audience but if you did come from there you never saw the places Young Frankenstein takes you I hope.

Frankenstein is a little over the top in this movie mostly from other old black and whites but almost believable in his complexity as a character I'm sure you'll admit.

His girlfriend has always been near the top of my most attractive women list and her acting is something you have to see for yourself to criticize .

There's a love interest in this one for Frankenstein and after a twist of fate more a thrust he gets the girl and the castle and the whole bowl of rice but with a lot of class that's rare and only found in this spoof of the Baron Von Frankenstein of many an imagination gone wild. She's played by Terry Garr the girl from Star Trek that ends up marrying the secret-agent from another planet with the cat that talked and the typewriter that doubled as secretary and the ... wasn't funny.

Egor the faithful servant of every Frankenstein we see on TV is played by Marty Feldman. A funny guy even in his own write Marty makes you laugh even when you're not looking and keeps the whole movie in the air all the time.

There's some cameos by most of the other funny men of the day and a whole lot of story for a comedy especially about such a difficult subject like Frankenstein so if you've got a book report to do you can always budget it as research because this movie made an awful lot of bigbucks and still does so there.

Average customer rating:

A Good Try
Truly delightful
could have been cool
Great Cast-Good Movie
Great Performances

Stranger Than Fiction
Starring: Will Ferrell , William Dick , Guy Massey (III) , Martha Espinoza , and T.J. Jagodowski
Director: Marc Forster
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000LXH0AE
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Amazon.com

Much was written about Will Ferrell's first "dramatic role" as Harold Crick, an IRS auditor who begins hearing a voice narrating his life. But Stranger Than Fiction is hardly a drama. However, what Ferrell does--like Jim Carrey before him in The Truman Show--is handle a toned-down character with genuineness and affection: you believe he is this guy. Crick leads a lonely life filled with numbers and routines. While at first he considers the voice a nuisance, Crick decides more action is needed when it speaks of "his demise." Enter Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), who takes on the absurd notion with revelry, trying to find out what kind of book Crick's life is leading. It turns out that the voice Crick is hearing belongs to Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a very real--and troubled--author who is writing a book in which Crick is a fictional character. As usual with these things, the stuffed shirt learns to live a better life--Crick even falls for one of his audits, a brash baker named Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Marc Foster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland) has the right tone for the film, using great urban scenes (the unnamed city is Chicago) with interesting visualizations of Crick's world of numbers. He also directs Ferrell, Hoffman, and Gyllenhaal to their most charming performances (plus Linda Hunt and Tom Hulce pop up in two funny scenes). Ferrell succeeds in being a romantic lead you can root for; a scene where he eats Ana's freshly baked cookies is totally delightful without a hint of sarcasm. Screenwriter Zach Helm has two personal traits with his story: like Crick he followed his heart (he stopped rewriting scripts and only worked on his own) and like Eiffel, the final results are not a masterpiece, but good, and entertaining enough. Britt Daniel of the band Spoon worked on the dynamite soundtrack.--Doug Thomas

Extras from Stranger Than Fiction

"Counting Brush Strokes," A featurette

on the filming of Stranger Than Fictionhigh bandwidth

Tax Man!:

A clip from the film

high bandwidth

Queen Latifah on working with Emma Thompson
high bandwidth

Stills from Stranger Than Fiction (click for larger image)

Beyond Stranger Than Fiction on Amazon.com

Comic Actors Go Dramatic
CD Soundtrack
Emma Thompson Essentials

Customer Reviews:

A Good Try.......2007-07-06

You have to love a movie that starts with a
fabulous premise. In this case, the life of
hyperbollically drawn tax auditor is mysteriously
linked with the fate of a character in a
stutteringly produced work of fiction. So far, so good.

We bop back and forth between the accountant
(and his predictable love story) and the tortured,
blocked author. The resolution is not particularly
courageous, but not many movie resolutions are.
(the accountant doesn't die because the character doesn't).

What's daring and admirable is the premise and the
splendid graphics. This is one of the most visually
interesting films to trot through the cineplex in
a long time.

There are also two splendid performances. Emma
Thompson as the author and Dustin Hoffman as the
professor of literature who helps unravel the mystery
are as good as their roles would allow them to be. no,
make that better.
The other actors-Will Farrell, Queen Latifah and
the delicious Maggie Gyllenhaal- seem sadly out of
place and call attention to the fact that they're
merely reading lines.

This quirky plot would have been a lot more satisfying
if the performances behind it had been more convincing.

Truly delightful.......2007-07-03

I fell in love with this movie from almost the first moment and continued to enjoy every minute to the end. I found it to be wonderful, heartfelt and genuine, with superb acting from every member of the cast. This movie is for viewers who appreciate quirky, understated, charming and very funny.

could have been cool.......2007-07-03

i think if this was done by another director it would have been much better. great idea but the execution was only so so.

Great Cast-Good Movie.......2007-06-30

Stranger Than Fiction brings to the screen the unusual story of a very "usual" kind of guy. An IRS agent living a rather uninteresting life for the last 12 years begins hearing a woman's voice narrating his life. It turns out he might be right...
The plot has elements of both comedy and drama making it rather difficult to label it as one or the other; it's actually a bit of both.
Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal (who is GORGEOUS!), Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, and the rest of this AMAZING cast, carry out their respective roles very well.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, and the music are all good.
In a nutshell, though not a masterpiece it will surely provide for an evening's entertainment.

Great Performances.......2007-06-29

First, I'll list what I like about the movie. The casting, the performances and most of the dialogs were very good. I can't think of a bad performance. The dialogs were quirky and thoughtful. Lines within their context are very good indeed. I like "So I decided to save the world one cookie at a time." Within its context, it is a fairly profound line. Ferrell is very good in this. Emma Thompson is awesome.

Second, I'll list what I dislike about the movie. The premise doesn't quite work. Does the Ferrel character hear the voice of the narrator within the novel itself. If he doesn't, I can't see how the author could explain his decisions about changing his life. If he does hear her voice within the novel, the ending does not make any sense. The author changed the ending because the character knew he was going to die in the novel and told her to finish it anyway. You get into the bootstrap problem because the author should have known because she's writing the character. Maybe I missed something? However, my main point is, the story drags because you think you know the character is going to die for most of the story. The plot just plods along setting everything up for the climax. The quaint characters and the spiffy dialog don't quite make for great movie.

I would give it 3 1/2 stars because of the performances.

Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection - Vol. 2 (You're Never Too Young / Artists and Models / Living It up / Pardners / Hollywood or Bust)

Average customer rating:

That's Entertainment
Thanks Paramount for this collection!
The Madcap Millieu
Two Masterpieces on Here, Unbeatable price
great transfer quality! very good value/package!

Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection - Vol. 2 (You're Never Too Young / Artists and Models / Living It up / Pardners / Hollywood or Bust)
Starring: Dean Martin , Jerry Lewis , Shirley Maclaine , Dorothy Malone , and Eva Gabor
Director: Norman Taurog
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection - Vol. 1 (The Caddy / Jumping Jacks / My Friend Irma / My Friend Irma Goes West / Sailor Beware / Scared Stiff / That's My Boy)
Can-Can
Pirates of the Golden Age Movie Collection (Against All Flags / Buccaneer's Girl / Yankee Buccaneer / Double Crossbones)
Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics (The Colossus of Rhodes / Land of the Pharaohs / The Prodigal)
On the Riviera

ASIN: B000NOK0MQ
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com

Surely even the French, with their legendary love of all things Jerry Lewis, will be sated by the Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection: Vol. 2, a three-disc package containing five comedy-musicals released on DVD for the first time. It would be a supreme stretch to call any of the five films in question (You're Never Too Young, Artists and Models, Living It Up, Pardners, and Hollywood or Bust) a classic, but then, anyone looking for challenging storylines and deep characterizations probably wouldn't be here in the first place. What the films offer instead are various breezy diversions, in the form of Martin, the suave, smooth talking cad and crooner; a parade of lovely young women (Dorothy Malone, Anita Ekberg, Janet Leigh, and Shirley MacLaine among them); some terrific musical numbers that are the highlights of their respective films; and, of course, the antics of Lewis, whose capacity for slapshtick and mugging is apparently inexhaustible. By this time (the mid-1950s), the two had already fit comfortably into their respective personae, with Lewis as the naïve, ingenuous rube and Martin right there to take advantage of him. In Artists and Models, Martin's aspiring painter cops ideas from the frenzied dreams of his comics-obsessed roommate (Lewis, natch) and creates a hit comic of his own, a simple story that's derailed by an absurd and unnecessary subplot involving the U.S. government and some enemy agents. Living It Up, adapted from an earlier musical called Nothing Sacred, finds Lewis cajoled by Martin, his doctor (talk about a stretch!), into pretending that he's suffering from radiation poisoning so they can both enjoy a lavish trip to New York courtesy of a newspaper trying to boost circulation by playing up the "dying" man's plight. Hollywood or Bust, a combination road picture and gentle spoof of the movie biz, casts Martin as a gambler and con man accompanying film fanatic Lewis on a trip to Tinseltown, while Pardners is a Wild West romp ("Jerry Lewis as a gunslinger" about sums it up) and You're Never Too Young puts Lewis totally in his element as he impersonates a 12-year-old boy in order to escape bad guy Raymond Burr. The plots are thin, at best, and the songs are hardly Oscar caliber. Still, the two stars have an undeniable chemistry, and the musical set pieces are highly entertaining, most notably a sort of pas de duh (sic) between Lewis and MacLaine in Artists and Models and an eye-popping, show-stopping dance number in Living It Up. In the end, it all basically comes down to one's capacity to endure Lewis' manic mannerisms (it's worth noting that by Hollywood or Bust, the pair's last collaboration, he's pretty thoroughly upstaged by a Great Dane). If even this cornucopia isn't sufficient, perhaps a move to France is in order. The set contains no bonus material. --Sam Graham

Product Description

LIVING IT UP: The 1954 Martin-and-Lewis romp Living It Up is an amusing remake of the 1937 comedy classic Nothing Sacred. More specifically, it is the film version of the Broadway musical Hazel Flagg, which was based on Nothing Sacred. The heroine of the original undergoes a sex change to become feckless Homer Flagg (Jerry Lewis), who is led to believe that he's dying of radiation poisoning. Manhattan newspaperwoman Wally Cook (Janet Leigh), hoping to improve circulation of her paper, convinces her boss, Oliver Stone (Fred Clark), to fete Homer as a hero with an all-expenses-paid trip to the Big Apple. Meanwhile, Homer learns from local doctor Steve (Dean Martin) that he isn't dying at all. But Steve talks Homer into taking advantage of the celebrity treatment bestowed on him by Wally, and a good time is had by all — until medical specialist Dr. Egelhofer (Sig Rumann) insists upon examining Homer. Highlights include a hilarious bit at Yankee Stadium, and an energetic jitterbug number featuring Jerry Lewis and Sheree North. The handful of songs retained from Hazel Flagg include "Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York."
YOU'RE NEVER TOO YOUNG: You're Never Too Young is a slapstick-with-songs remake of the 1944 Ray Milland/Ginger Rogers vehicle The Major and the Minor. Dean Martin plays the Milland part, while Ginger's shoes are filled by...Jerry Lewis? Lewis plays an apprentice barber who inadvertently crosses a homicidal jewel thief (Raymond Burr), and equally inadvertently hightails it out of town with the crook's jewels in his possession. Desperate to escape the crook's clutches, and lacking the necessary funds for a train ticket, Lewis disguises himself as a 12-year-old boy so he can travel half fare. He latches onto Dean, a music teacher heading for an all-girls school. After innumerable routines sparked by Lewis's adolescent disguise, the jewel thief catches up with him, leading to a rollicking climactic speedboat chase. Dean Martin has plenty of opportunities to serenade leading lady Diana Lynn (who'd played a supporting role in The Major and the Minor), while Jerry Lewis is in peak form doing his usual "waah-waah-waah" schtick. The original Billy Wilder/Charles Brackett script for The Major and the Minor was reshaped into You're Never Too Young by future bestselling novelist Sidney Sheldon.
ARTISTS AND MODELS: Bearing very little relation to the 1937 Paramount musical of the same name, Artists and Models is a lavish, girl-filled vehicle for the popular team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Martin plays Rick Todd, a comic-book artist who is under fire from his publisher (Eddie Mayehoff), who complains that Rick's work isn't gory enough. Lewis plays Eugene Fullstack, Rick's roommate, who while asleep dreams up elaborate comic-book plots and garishly costumed superheroes. Eugene's nightmares help Rick become a success; meanwhile, our two heroes romance their luscious neighbors, artist Dorothy Malone and rambunctious model Shirley MacLaine (who during one song wrestles Eugene to the floor and sits on his chest!) Eugene's overworked imagination somehow attracts the attention of a group of Russian spies, who attempt to abduct Eugene during the annual Artists and Models Ball. Director Frank Tashlin uses Artists and Models as an excuse for some of the wildest sight-gags seen in a mid-1950s film. At one point, the director contrives to stuff a gag in Shirley MacLaine's mouth. Tashlin also exhibits his ongoing fascination with female breasts and legs by giving ample screen time to the natural attributes of co-stars Anita Ekberg and Zsa Zsa Gabor. One of the best of the Martin/Lewis efforts, Artists and Models suffers only from being about 20 minutes too long.
PARDNERS: This Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis romp is liberally based on the 1936 Bing Crosby film Rhythm on the Range. Set around 1910, the film stars Lewis as the pampered son of female tycoon Agnes Moorehead. Yearning to return to the Wild West where his father was a famed peacekeeper, Lewis purchases a prize bull, destined for the ranch inherited by rodeo star Dean Martin. It so happens that Martin and Lewis' late fathers were "pardners", so Martin takes it upon himself to protect Lewis from the various and sundry tough hombres in the region. Through a series of bizarre plot convolutions, Lewis gains a reputation as a rootin' tootin' gunslinger, and in his hubris he decides to round up a gang of outlaws headed by Jeff Morrow. As a result, he nearly gets himself blown to smitherines, but Martin shows up in the nick of time to rescue Lewis and help him capture the bad guys. Lori Nelson and Jackie Loughery supply the film's peripheral romantic angle. Pardners ends with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis turning to the camera and promising that they'll keep on making pictures for their faithful fans; ironically, the team was breaking up even while the cameras were turning.
HOLLYWOOD OR BUST: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made their last joint film appearance in the girl-filled musical Hollywood or Bust. The thinnish plot finds inveterate film fan Jerry making a cross-country journey to Tinseltown for the purpose of meeting his favorite screen star, the buxom Anita Ekberg (the film's title, need it be added, has a double meaning). Dean goes along for the ride, hoping to expand his bankroll during a Las Vegas stopover. The boys are joined by a third traveller, an enormous Great Dane named Mr. Bascomb; along the way, the trio becomes a quartet when pretty Pat Crowley hitches a ride. The finale takes place in Hollywood, naturally, as Jerry wreaks havoc at a film studio which looks suspiciously like Paramount. All reports indicate that Hollywood and Bust was an unhappy shoot, with Jerry Lewis behaving so obstreperously that director Frank Tashlin ordered him off the set and told him to go home until he learned to behave himself; to this day, Lewis cannot bring himself to watch the film. Happily, the animosity between the two stars never comes across on screen, and as a result Hollywood or Bust is a most enjoyable diversion.

Customer Reviews:

That's Entertainment.......2007-07-06

Finally the balance of the MARTIN/LEWIS films, well except for MONEY FROM HOME and THREE RING CIRCUS. What happened to them? Anyway, what is released is great. No wonder they were the top box office stars in the 50's. What a team. While the stories are not the greatest, the filming, acting, comedy works. These are films for the whole family that could still be enjoyed by us older folks who remember them in their prime. Seeing these films again brings back great memories of the "innocent" days of the movies. No chases, nudity, sex, drugs, foul language...just pure unadulturated fun. Don't miss volume one either. They are just as good. Volume two is a bit better (all in color) and they both are in top form. Especially wonderful is ARTISTS AND MODELS, LIVING IT UP and YOU'RE NEVER TOO YOUNG. Great viewing for a rainy afternoon. BUY IT NOW.

Thanks Paramount for this collection!.......2007-07-04

If you are a fan of the comedy of Martin and Lewis then you should be proud to own this collection of their best movies! It comes at a right price that is affordable for everyone. My favorite is Living It Up! Hopefully we will see Three Ring Circus and Money From Home soon! First rate fun!

The Madcap Millieu.......2007-06-28

It was considered rather odd when C.S. Lewis, in the already oddly titled, but very readable book, An Experiment in Criticism, suggested not that there were different kinds of books, but different kinds of readers. As regards Jerry Lewis films, I'd suggest that there are different sorts of viewers. Briefly that means one sort like his films and another sort don't. I count myself firmly in the former camp, considering him one of the all time great comic talents. Having said that, however, these films are nevertheless very much of their era.

For one thing, they take that era entirely for granted in a way that other comic films don't. Laurel and Hardy's last film, Utopia, although in black and white, seems yet far more universal than these Lewis/ Martin films. Why? A few reasons come to mind. The easiest thing for Hollywood to write about is Hollywood. In that sense, Hollywood or Bust is the strangest film in this set. Strange because it takes the adventurers so long to get there. Thus it fails both as a road trip picture and the standard "making it in Hollywood" faire. That said, there are many great comic moments, which brings up the next point.

These films were obviously meant to showcase the duo's immense talents. In that sense, they are never acting in a movie as much as the movie is unrolling around them. This sort of star power is virtually unknown today, but in the 'fifties, it could easily cross into various media: movies, TV variety shows (adapted from radio), Las Vegas stand up. The Colgate Comedy Hour, using a format adapted from radio, embroiled the dashing duo in surprisingly long and involved comic sketches. As was the case with The Carol Burnett Show, this comedy could also include pathos and be very moving.

The five films in this set, unlike the first volume, are all in color and all but "Living It Up" are in widescreen format. They date from 1954- 1956, often considered the best years of television, and a unique time in the history of the movies. In general, color didn't make things more realistic, but lighter in tone. Movies didn't have to be good, they just had to have big stars, and be big, splashy productions. For that reason top billing on these films is given to "VistaVision," Paramount's patented theatrical technique.

The only other thing that mattered was the director. For that reason it's often former cartoon director Frank Tashlin. Jerry easily pulls off gags likely first done by Bugs Bunny, but he's almost alone among live stars in that regard. The worst example is in Tashlin's The Glass Bottom Boat, where Doris Day is thrown pell mell into a futuristic kitchen gone wild, as has been done in countless cartoons, and makes it a thoroughly forgettable scene. Likewise, Paul Linde seems to get his drag scene in that film from a Bugs/ Daffy 'toon. Compare this film, with so many random slapstick schticks that Doris can't help be out of her element, with Move Over Darling, where she's entirely in it. Then again, the Norman Taurog directed Pardners in this set comes off extremely well because underlying the extemporaneous antics of Martin and Lewis is an strong story line enabling them to play off of any and all Hollywood wild-west stereotypes.

Arguably, one ought not probe too closely into films meant merely for fun, but watching these films now simply shows how much movies have changed. The main reason is that while these films were meant for the big screen and a Saturday afternoon laugh fest, escapist faire if you will, but packed to give the most bang for the buck, later movies, while launched in theaters, find most of their life on TV. For this reason, the fantasy element in films like Artists and Models seems merely unnerving, breaking what little there is of dramatic tension in the romance scenes. To a degree this is one with Shakespeare, who never let the audience forget, with a wink, that "the play's the thing" and for whom marriage was the sign of a happy ending. My main discovery in this visually dazzling and many- sided film was how well Shirley MacLaine could dance.

Film buffs will have endless comments on these films, and the eight films in volume one make it almost too full to review. That said, the packaging is somewhat puzzling, in that the films are presented in both volumes without extras or commentary. Why isn't there an insert booklet giving some background? At any rate, most of the Lewis and Martin/ Lewis films are at last on DVD, and for one kind of audience (including this reviewer), that's more than enough reason to rejoice.

Two Masterpieces on Here, Unbeatable price.......2007-06-18

HOLLYWOOD OR BUST and (especially) ARTISTS AND MODELS are two of the greatest films of the 1950s. The director of both, Frank Tashlin, was the Hitchcock of lowbrow social satire. Both are at times visually and compositionally amazing.

The other three films are reasonable (at least LIVING IT UP), but Norman Taurog was pretty much a director-for-hire.

The tension between the two stars, for me at least, only makes these films more interesting, as it embodies the dissolution of post-classical Hollywood myth-making.

great transfer quality! very good value/package!.......2007-06-09

Hi Folks
these films look fabulous!! Many of them are VISTAVISION which was the absolute highest grade quality/size negative format from the 50's era.
I'm not going to deduct stars for what Isn't in this set...that's lame...this is 5 very well presented movies with many many laughs..some great songs and loads of fun...for a bit over $20? Geeez , how can you resist?
I can't explain Martin & Lewis to you ...if you don't know their work..start with volume 1 then this one..and don't avoid the Legendary Jerry set as its wonderful as well. Kids out there? Think Adam Sandler invented that character of his? watch Jerry...
and Dean is still the big brother we all wished we had..cool as heck and very protective of his idiot friend.

Yankee Doodle Dandy (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Outstanding Warner's DVD edition
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Cagney at his best
Fun movie for the whole family!
Yankee Doodle Dandy

Yankee Doodle Dandy (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: James Cagney , Joan Leslie , Walter Huston , Richard Whorf , and Irene Manning
Director: Michael Curtiz , Carl H. Lindahl , and Friz Freleng
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JKS8
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Amazon.com essential video

James Cagney thrills in a rare (and limber) song-and-dance performance as composer-entertainer George M. Cohan. This nostalgic biography is told in flashbacks, covering Cohan's formative years becoming Broadway's brightest star and touching upon his loves, musicals, and artistic triumphs. Director Michael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood) offers Cagney ample opportunities to invent an utterly charming performance in what is practically a one-man show. If you've never seen Cagney as a hoofer, you're in for a treat: his dancing is as dynamic as anything else he's ever done on screen. --Tom Keogh

Description

A nostalgic view of the golden era of show business and the man who made it glitter--George M. Cohan. His early days, triumphs, songs, musicals and romances.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Warner's DVD edition .......2007-07-04

The merits of this film are well known - James Cagney's legendary performance, superb direction by Michal Curtiz, a great supporting cast and outstanding production values. As a wartime valentine to American patriotism, the film was a total success but what makes this DVD set so special is the generous extras with which Warner Brothers have presented one of their most famous films. Try this for starters:

- a detailed documentary on Cagney presented by Michael Fox full of clips and including comments from his daughter and Joan Leslie, among others.
- a detailed documentary on the film itself and a commentary to be played with the film by the pleasantly spoken Rudy Behlmer. Behlmer had access to the daily production notes and he tracks the filming in minute detail.
- a superb short film starring Cagney with Ann Sothern but showcasing little Margaret O'brien. Cagney plays a family man who imagines the effect of an air raid on his daughter if they lived in parts of the world which were being bombed, unlike America. The short is more powerful than any number of war films which came out of Hollywood during this period and O'Brien is extraordinary.
- audio outtakes and rehearsals from the film's soundtrack

This is only part of what is here. It is overwhelming and any purchaser could not fail to become an expert on the film after viewing/listening to all the extras. This DVD is outstanding value.

Yankee Doodle Dandy.......2007-06-25

Exuberant slice of Americana is Cagney's show entirely, netting him his only Oscar (even after all those gangster roles!). The actor actually began his career as a song-and-dance man, and here he gets to prove it, in a series of rousing, nostalgic numbers that keep the rich Cohan legacy alive. Walter Huston (John's dad, Angelica's grand-dad) stands out in a sterling supporting cast playing George's loving Dad. Good enough to watch any old time, but a must for Independence Day.

Cagney at his best.......2007-03-27

I've been a fan of this exuberant movie musical since I first saw it at the age of ten. Cagney is wonderful playing song and dance man George M Cohan. His energy and enthusiasm are contagious. I always get a lift when I watch this film. Granted, it's an idealized look at George M Cohan. But as pure escapism, this is WWII Hollywood at its best.
This two disc collection is a gem. The special features are interesting and fun, but I bought it so that I could watch the movie, and marvel again and again at Cagney's well deserved Oscar winning performance. Yes, it's a flag waving, patriotic spectacle. And what's wrong with that?

Fun movie for the whole family!.......2007-03-03

This is a great movie! I grew up watching this and was so happy to find it on DVD. I can now enjoy it for more years and introduce a new generation to the Cohans.

Yankee Doodle Dandy.......2007-01-12

Love this Old time favorite. James Cagney is just marvelous in this movie.

Jurassic Park Adventure Pack (Jurassic Park/ The Lost World: Jurassic Park/ Jurassic Park III)

Average customer rating:

Good deal
Beautiful package
Dinosaur lovers unite!
THRILL RIDES GALORE !!!
Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park Adventure Pack (Jurassic Park/ The Lost World: Jurassic Park/ Jurassic Park III)
Starring: Rona Benson , Blake Michael Bryan , Laura Dern , John Diehl , and Bruce French
Director: Joe Johnston
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000BCE918
Release Date: 2005-11-29

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Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg's 1993 mega-hit rivals Jaws as the most intense and frightening film he'd ever made prior to Schindler's List, but it was also among his weakest stories. Based on Michael Crichton's novel about an island amusement park populated by cloned dinosaurs, the film works best as a thrill ride with none of the interesting human dynamics of Spielberg's Jaws. That lapse proves unfortunate, but there's no shortage of raw terror as a rampaging T-rex and nasty raptors try to make fast food out of the cast. The effects are still astonishing (despite the fact that the computer-generated technology has since been improved upon) and at times primeval, such as the sight of a herd of whatever-they-are scampering through a valley. --Tom Keogh

The Lost World - Jurassic Park
In the low tradition of knockoff horror flicks best seen (or not seen) on a drive-in movie screen, Steven Spielberg's sequel to Jurassic Park is a poorly conceived, ill-organized film that lacks story and logic. Screenwriter David Koepp strings along a number of loose ideas while Jeff Goldblum returns as Ian Malcolm, the quirky chaos theoretician who now reluctantly agrees to go to another island where cloned dinosaurs are roaming freely. Along with his girlfriend (Julianne Moore) and daughter, Malcolm has to deal with hunters, environmentalists, and corporate swine who stupidly bring back a big dino to Southern California, where it runs amok, of course. Spielberg doesn't seem to care that the pieces of this project don't add up to a real movie, so he hams it up with big, scary moments (with none of the artfulness of those in Jurassic Park) and smart-aleck visual gags (a yapping dog in a suburb mysteriously disappears when a hungry T-rex stomps by). A complete bust.--Tom Ke