Shane

Starring:Ladd, Arthur, Heflin
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Sydney Pollack's 1985 multiple-Oscar winner is a sumptuous and emotionally satisfying film about the life of Danish writer Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep), better known as Isak Dinesen, who travels to Kenya to be with her German husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer) but falls for an English adventurer (Robert Redford). The film is slow in developing the relationship, but it is rich in beautiful images of Africa and in the romantic tone surrounding Blixen's gradual discovery of her life and voice. One downside: while we may all love Redford, he is as convincingly British as Kevin Costner is in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. --Tom Keogh

Description

The most acclaimed motion picture of 1985 stars Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in one of the screen's great epic romances. Directed by Oscar winner Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa is the fascinating true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer), runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment, she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and a mysterious white hunter (Redford). The masterfully crafted, breathtakingly produced story of love and loss earned Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay (based on material from another medium), Cinematography, Original Score, Art Direction (Set Decoration) and Sound.

Customer Reviews:

Still My All-Time Favorite!.......2007-07-04

This true story's appeal is for all generations.A movie that intrigues and captivates as it tells of courage and perseverance while maintaining a tension of romance throughout.It is made of everything a great story should be.Meryl Streep and Robert Redford are the perfect actors for these roles.Immerse yourself!

A Favorite Film.......2007-06-09

This is one of my two favorite films of all time. The sweep and grandeur, along with the beautiful human elements makes this film a keeper!

Classic.......2007-06-08

This is one of the great classic films with wonderful actors, beautiful story and great photography. Love It

It Moved Me........2007-06-05

A masterpiece of cinematic beauty. This film is based on Danish writer Karen Blixen's(Isak Dinesen)years in Africa. One of the great performances of Meryl Streep, in a career of many great performances.

The story of a strong, yet very sensitive woman who follows her husband to Kenya to start a Coffee Plantation. His philandering ways soon leaves her with syphilis. Of course their relationship ends, and she is romanced by the Brit' Denys Finch Hatton, played by Robert Redford minus an ascent. One of the few often heard complaints during the film's release. But their chemistry still makes for one of the great screen romances ever.

1985's Best Motion Picture Academy Award winner, a year that saw many superb films. One of my other favorites that year was "The Color Purple", either one of which was worthy of the award in my book. Sydney Pollack also received the Best Director Academy Award for some of his most ingenius work. One of the most beautifully photographed films is magnificently transferred to DVD, though if you've never seen it on the big screen don't miss the opportunity should it ever arise. And John Barry's musical score makes for an even more breathtaking experience.

Some of Barry's Best Work.......2007-05-11

Everything it seems, has been said about this gorgeous film, except perhaps about the sound track. John Barry's work is outstanding and seems to enhance the move at its most powerful moments. The lasting impression I have more than two decades after the movie is the "Flight over Africa," when Denys takes his love up for a flight in his plane. I could watch - and listen - a million times and be enthralled every time.

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

EXCELLENT PARODY ON SUPERPOWER GOVERNMENTS
Dr. Strangelove
One of the Great Black Comedies
Watch This Movie and Sleep Better At Night
Peter Sellers heads up a great cast

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)
Starring: Peter Sellers , George C. Scott , Sterling Hayden , Keenan Wynn , and Slim Pickens
Director: Stanley Kubrick , and David Naylor
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000055Y0X
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Amazon.com essential video

Arguably the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick's cold-war classic is the ultimate satire of the nuclear age. Dr. Strangelove is a perfect spoof of political and military insanity, beginning when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), a maniacal warrior obsessed with "the purity of precious bodily fluids," mounts his singular campaign against Communism by ordering a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets counter the threat with a so- called "Doomsday Device," and the world hangs in the balance while the U.S. president (Peter Sellers) engages in hilarious hot-line negotiations with his Soviet counterpart. Sellers also plays a British military attaché and the mad bomb-maker Dr. Strangelove; George C. Scott is outrageously frantic as General Buck Turgidson, whose presidential advice consists mainly of panic and statistics about "acceptable losses." With dialogue ("You can't fight here! This is the war room!") and images (Slim Pickens's character riding the bomb to oblivion) that have become a part of our cultural vocabulary, Kubrick's film regularly appears on critics' lists of the all-time best. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT PARODY ON SUPERPOWER GOVERNMENTS.......2007-07-06

This work is a wonderful parody on how the so called super powers of the world (past or present) poster themselves.

It shows all that although the governments may try to be oh so serious, they end up looking like bumbling idiots falling all over each other with the ultimate destruction of all as a result.

Riding the bomb rodeo style was a nice touch - GREAT WORK!

Dr. Strangelove.......2007-06-27

The most inspired piece of Cold War satire ever and one of the screen's supreme black comedies, Kubrick's 1964 "Strangelove" confronted jittery audiences in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and not long after the advent of the H bomb. With Kubrick's twisted genius as director and screenwriter in full bloom, and peerless performances by Peter Sellers (in three roles), Scott, and the unhinged Hayden, the film is unbearably funny and extremely disturbing all at once.

One of the Great Black Comedies.......2007-06-21

This work doesn't need much explaination. It is a true classic black comedy. It uses humaor to show how ludicrous and easily corrupted our governments truly are. It simultaneously shines a homorous and frightening light on nuclear war. In my opinion, this is well worth your time. And if you are interested in nuclear war, World War III or end times works, I highly recommend the book Mysteries of the Universe... it is shocking, controversial and frightening! Here's tha amazon page link: Mysteries of the Universe: A Revolutionary Commentary on UFOs, Aliens, Angels, Pyramids, Bible Codes, Reincarnation, the Antichrist...

Watch This Movie and Sleep Better At Night .......2007-06-12

This movie offers the best tongue and cheek commentary on the absurdities of war. I am sure this movie has been heavily "borrowed" from by Hollywood. The "Survival Kit Content Check" scene reminded me alot about the more recent "duct tape your windows" survival tactics. If you believe that the end of the world will come in a flash of light, this movie will validate you.

Peter Sellers heads up a great cast.......2007-06-08

Peter Sellers heads up a great cast in a very funny movie. Worth having in your Peter Sellers collection!

Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Extreme DVD)

Average customer rating:

Excelente Pelicula
Ultimate and Extreme DVD's the way to go
HD version without DD5.1
Owes just as much to "Aliens" as it does its predecessor
High Def does not work in Vista

Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Extreme DVD)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger , Linda Hamilton , Edward Furlong , Robert Patrick , and Earl Boen
Director: James Cameron
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008PC2O
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Amazon.com essential video

After he pushed the envelope of computer-generated special effects in The Abyss, director James Cameron turned this hotly anticipated sequel to Terminator into a well-written, action-packed showcase for advanced special effects and for one of the most invincible villains ever imagined. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a legitimate sequel: there's more story to tell about a hulking, leather-clad android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who arrives from the future to protect a rebellious teenager and future leader (Edward Furlong) from being killed by the tenacious T-1000 robot (Robert Patrick), whose liquid-metal construction makes him seemingly unstoppable. The fate of the future lies in the balance, with Linda Hamilton (who would later marry her director) reprising her role as the rugged woman whose son will change the course of history. --Jeff Shannon

Description

He said he'd be back. This time experience T2 like never before! Go EXTREME with the best picture and sound ever! ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER returns as the Terminator in this explosive action-adventure spectacle. Now he's one of the good guys, sent back in time to protect John Connor, the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. LINDA HAMILTON reprises her role as Sarah Connor, John's mother, a quintessential survivor who has been institutionalized for her warning of the nuclear holocaust she knows is inevitable. Together, the threesome must find a way to stop the ultimate enemy - the T-1000, the most lethal Terminator ever created. Co-written, produced and directed by James Cameron ("The Terminator," "Aliens," "Titanic), this visual tour de force is also a touching story of survival.

Customer Reviews:

Excelente Pelicula.......2007-07-07

La pelicula es una de las mejores de la serie, el empaque y la presentacion son fabulosas, solo le faltaria que el 2do. DVD traiga subtitulos en español.

Ultimate and Extreme DVD's the way to go.......2007-06-28

This is the second movie from James Cameron that I consider to be among the best science fiction films ever. Sequels rarely stack up to their predecessor, but this film actually outdoes the original Terminator, which is saying a lot considering how good the original was. Terminator 2 has everything you need to make an excellent sci-fi including a fantastic premise, very strong well-rounded character development, groundbreaking special effects, and the kind of story that would make Rod Serling proud. If there is ever a sci-fi movie that gives you all the best the genre has to give this is it.

One of the big deals about this movie is that it's the one that introduces to the world CG animation that actually seems to interact with a live environment as well as the morphing technique unique to computer animation. While Terminator 2 wasn't the first to do it (The Abyss gets the credit for all that... another Jim Cameron film) they do get the credit for popularizing it. Practically everybody uses computer animations with live action in one form or another today. Even over a decade later the CG effects still measure up and even outdo stuff that's still being created today.

On top of the new CG stuff you get plenty of other tried and true special effects that will knock your socks off. The action in this movie is relentless at times and will be sure impress any testosterone junkie out there. There is a lot of exciting gunplay in this movie that includes some killer military hardware too like the awesome 1500 rounds per minute minigun action reminiscent of Predator. Eye candy for those with a short attention span? Check.

If Terminator 2 only had a neato special effects and action it wouldn't be as great as it is. Everything else must work as well. The story in Terminator 2 is deep with the main characters evolving as events happen around them. Even the Terminator robot gets to get some character development. While it's cool to see the action and explosions and stuff what makes the movie really fill out is the fact it delves into several different levels of the human condition. You also get a ton of background details too like who was involved with building Skynet and even a scene with the futuristic battle that John Conner grows up to lead. The theoretical twists in the plot are enough to get the thinkers debating over time paradoxes and stuff like that. Deep and involving storyline for those who prefer quality over pizzazz? Check.

The Terminator robots are as awesome as ever. Not only do you get to see the classic style cyborg bad boy like in the last movie but you also get to see a completely different concept in killer robot technology with the T-1000. The future scene has even more robot coolness to offer, though it's just a little more than what I saw in the last movie (but still sweet!).

The acting is superb as well, which is surprising considering Edward Furlong has absolutely no previous experience in acting. Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton play off each other well. Robert Patrick gives a stunning and eerie performance as the T-1000. The soundtrack takes the original Terminator themes and puts them to new heights. The music truly enhances the movie here.

If the original movie wasn't enough Cameron decided to make an extended cut with almost 20 minutes of new footage. I wouldn't necessarily say the new footage opens up brand new territory for the movie, but I will say the extra scenes do add some extra depth to some of the scenes. A couple of the new scenes flesh out young John Conner's character a little, which is always a good thing. I wouldn't say any incredibly cool scenes were added though there is one with the Terminator that is kinda cool, but the good stuff in that scene has more to do with fleshing out some character development with the humans than cool cyborg tricks. Speaking of cyborg tricks you get the added bonus of seeing a Terminator try to smile. Funny, funny stuff! While I can't say the extended edition is better than the original I will say it does give you more background on the story, and thats always good if you're into that.

With the exception to blu-ray fans there are only two DVD editions you should consider (the rest don't have any special features). The Ultimate Edition and the Extreme Edition. Essentially what you have is a trade off between the two. Neither edition have the same special features. The Extreme edition improved the picture quality slightly while the Ultimate edition has DTS. Here is a breakdown:

Ultimate Edition: You get three versions of the movie. The theatrical release, the director's cut and an extended director's cut via an easter egg (EDC basically includes the deleted scenes). You get three in depth documentaries including one on the Universal Studios 3-D ride. Commentaries from the crew (no James Cameron). Also included are several smaller featurettes covering all aspects of production, tons of storyboards, a 30 page hard cover booklet insert and the screenplay. Not to mention THX certified test signal package for fine tuning your audio set up, Dolby 5.1, Dolby 2.0 and DTS 5.1 for all the audio freaks out there.

Extreme Edition: Two versions of the movie with the director's cut being on the disk and the theatrical trailer as a DVDRom movie (via Windows Media Player... although you can see the theatrical version on the DVD via an easter egg). An audio commentary from director James Cameron and screenwriter William Wisher, very comprehensive text commentaries with over 90 minutes of branching video footage, a 24 minute documentary and a 12 page hard copy booklet insert.

If you have no version of T2 on DVD I would recommend the Ultimate Edition since it has the most features. Although the Extreme Edition is still worthy for its James Cameron commentary track and the excellent text commentary. Since the extras are completely different between the two this might not be a bad double dip if you get them at the current low prices. The blu-ray version has only the theatrical version (no director's cut), but includes the commentaries from BOTH the Ultimate and Extreme editions. I say wait for a better high definition release.

If you haven't seen this movie I strongly recommend it. VERY strongly. You action fans will get plenty of mayhem for your pleasure. You content fans will get rich and full storylines with character drama. You sci-fi purists will get the kind of story you would expect to be reading from someone like Phillip K. Dick. This is required viewing for any sci-fi fan. Nuff said.

HD version without DD5.1.......2007-06-19

I bought the DVD in order to watch the Hi-Def version. I already have the older version of the movie, and I've seen it many times over the years. I have an HP laptop running Windows Vista, hooked up to my 50" Panasonic HDTV (1280x720), with the VGA connection. I loaded the disk, and it prompted me to install the InterActual player. Vista warned me that the program has issues with the new operating system. I went ahead, and installed it anyway, then immediately downloaded the newest version from the Internet. It then told me that I needed a DVD decoder that I could buy on their web page. I ignored that message, and went on to play the HD version of the movie. It played OK, after some initial stuttering during the first few screens.

The picture quality was very good, but the audio was not Dolby Digital 5.1, meaning that there is no surround sound. I followed up on the InterActual web page, and they confirmed this. Apparently, Microsoft used some other audio encoding. So, even though the picture quality is better, I chose to watch the lower definition, extended edition in order to get the DD5.1 sound. I find the sound quality is at least as important as the video quality.

The standard definition image is still very good. The nVidia chip set in my laptop does a nice job of upscaling. The 5.1 sound is spectacular as ever. The added minutes in the extended edition don't really add much, but the novelty effect is nice anyway. All in all, I'd say that it is worth the price at under $10.00.

Owes just as much to "Aliens" as it does its predecessor.......2007-06-17

It's no surprise that the editors of "Entertainment Weekly" would choose both "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Aliens" as two of its 25 Best Action Films of all time. Both are sequels that significantly up the special effects ante, along with the body count, and both feature two of the movies most dynamic kick-[...] heroines, Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton" in the former and Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in the latter.

Besides doubling the action of the first, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" also doubles the cyborg quotient by returning Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role that he was born to play (this time as a "good" cyborg) and bringing in a more than equal combatant/foe in the from of the Robert Patrick as an "upgraded" model. The movie adds an element of surprise in the form of the much smaller (and less developed) Patrick as a superior model to Arnold's character, able to best the strongman in many a scene.

The movie also brings back Earl Boen in an expanded role as the befuddled "Dr. Silberman." He brings needed comic relief in a film that is short on words but long on action sequences.

James Cameron may have felt on "top of the world" a decade later with his Oscar-winning "Titanic" but it is for the first two "Terminator" films that he probably made his greatest cinematic impact.

High Def does not work in Vista.......2007-06-08

The movie is great, great package with lots of good features. However the WMP video could not be played at all. Some may experience this and some may not. You will to install the Interactual player to view the WMHD version.

Average customer rating:

Pleasantly Surprised
Routine but effective male bonding tale
moving, a story about true heroes of the coast gaurd
Hurray for the Coast Guard!
Good movie...

The Guardian
Starring: Kevin Costner , Ashton Kutcher , Sela Ward , Melissa Sagemiller , and Clancy Brown
Director: Andrew Davis
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000KF0GWW
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Amazon.com

The Guardian offers satisfying entertainment with a no-nonsense combination of Hollywood formula and good old-fashioned star power. While honoring the men and women who serve as rescue swimmers for the U.S. Coast Guard, this predictable yet appealing drama is a well-crafted showcase for Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, who bring welcome depth and dimension to their formulaic roles. It's basically Top Gun for the Coast Guard, with Costner playing a legendary rescuer haunted by recent tragedy and the impending break-up of his marriage, and Kutcher as the hot-shot recruit whose bravado is tested when Costner takes over a grueling 18-week basic training course, where a 50% attrition rate ensures that only the best will make the grade. There's nothing particularly inventive about Ron L. Brinkerhoff's screenplay, but it's intelligently written and well-directed (by The Fugitive helmer Andrew Davis) as it shows how seasoned veteran and troubled but talented trainee build mutual respect while sorting through the trauma of accidents that left each of them as sole survivors, tormented by self-doubt and guilt.

Bolstered by a strong supporting cast including Neal McDonough, John Heard, Sela Ward and Clancy Brown, The Guardian is a bit on the long side (137 minutes), but it never feels slow, and a romantic subplot (with Kutcher wooing a schoolteacher played by Melissa Sagemiller) blends nicely with thrilling ocean-rescue sequences incorporating a seamless blend of CGI and footage shot in a 750,000-gallon water tank. Music fans will welcome the scene-stealing appearance of veteran singer Bonnie Bramlett as the owner of a jazz/blues club near the training base, where The Guardian serves up yet another staple of its genre: the barroom brawl. Although Hurricane Katrina prevented The Guardian from being filmed in New Orleans in 2005, real-life footage during the closing credits makes it clear that the Coast Guard was essential in Katrina's aftermath, and this rousing drama pays overdue tribute to those who risk there lives (to quote the Coast Guard's motto) "so that others may live." --Jeff Shannon

Description

Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher star in THE GUARDIAN, the powerful, action-packed drama that takes you inside the never-before-seen world of the elite Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. Reeling with grief in the wake of a mission gone tragically wrong, legendary Rescue Swimmer Ben Randall (Costner) is given a mission he doesn't want — training raw recruits. Once there, he knocks heads with cocky Jake Fischer (Kutcher), a swimming champ driven by a painful secret, who's more interested in breaking Ben's records than saving lives. But Ben also sees Jake has what it takes to be the best of the best. Filled with spectacular rescues in the lethal waters of the Bering Sea, THE GUARDIAN is a riveting and compelling story that dives straight into the heart and soul of real heroes, the unsung guardians of the sea.

Customer Reviews:

Pleasantly Surprised.......2007-07-05

I avoided seeing this in the theater thinking it wasn't going to be any good. Now I could kick myself. Saw it on cable and was pleasantly surprised. Ashton did a really good job, the story was moving and entertaining. Although the plotline kind of got muddled toward the end I can see why they did it that way. It was a good flick.

Routine but effective male bonding tale.......2007-06-24

This movie is undeniably formulaic and routine - and yet it is such a proficiently created variation on the genre of `grizzled-veteran-turns-brash-rookie-into-professional' that you can't help liking it for what it is.
Costner is for once well cast as the seasoned coast guard swimmer who has to turn to training recruits after a nasty and well shot incident where he loses his crew. There, he meets Ashton Kuchter. Kuchter plays the young cocky upstart who learns valuable life and work lessons from the veteran. All routine stuff..? Absolutely, and yo can be forgiven at times for thinking you are watching a remake of Top Gun... but it has a sense of real conviction - and in picking coastguards for a subject we have all the clichés of military-like-training, without the negative connotations - only thoroughly decent heroes out to save lives. After a lengthy training period, the movie finishes with Kuchter's start working in Kodiak, Alaska with Costner's character. Kuchter has definitely developed some acting chops and fits well, with Costner being the glue that holds the movie together. It ends up being a tad too long, but all the ingredients are seasoned enough that it's worth the wait to get through to the end.
Extras include a few deleted scenes of interest, an alternative ending which was rightfully dropped, and two slight press kit add ons - one about the making of the movie and one about the coastguards. Just the right amount to cover the movie.
Emotions are successfully wrung by director, music composer and production designer, and Costner and Kuchter are on top form. Don't be as sceptical as I was - it's not as bad as some critics have maintained..

moving, a story about true heroes of the coast gaurd.......2007-06-08

this movie is very good. i enjoyed it alot and kevin costner's and Ashton Kutchur's performance was awesome. This is a must see movie.

Hurray for the Coast Guard!.......2007-05-30

I am so glad the CG is getting some recognition for all the hard work they do and sacrafices they make! Thanks Coast Guard!

Good movie..........2007-05-28

Good to see Kevin Costner back in a hero role. I liked this movie a lot, with the exception of the "supernatural" part of the ending, which I thought was a bit strange, considering the rest of the movie was a straight-forward look at the life of rescue swimmers in the Coast Guard.

To those people who say that this film is predictable and formulaic, what else would you do with it? Do you want aliens to invade or have them fighting a sea monster, what?? The Coast Guard was with them every step of the way in making this film and making it sure it was authentic. There were several actual CG guys in the film. It's a military film, folks, meant to depict what these men and women go through every day, and I think it does that better than any other film of its type. They didn't go into Delta Force territory and try to make their male characters one-dimensional macho cardboard cutouts. They spend a lot of this movie showing the emotional toll this takes not only on the CG personnel themselves but on their relationships. Thank goodness for that! I was also happy, as a 50-ish woman, to see Costner paired with Sela Ward instead of a 20-something young thing (despite the fact he's married to one in real life, I guess!) and I could sympathize with the depiction of his character's sadness at seeing his physical body unable to do what it could do at 19.

If you want Shakespeare go watch a different movie. If you want something unpredictable go watch Memento or The Prestige. But if you want to see a movie that faithfully depicts what it takes to be one of the heroes of the Coast Guard, then see this film. And make sure to check out the special features.

The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

So disappointed
A good short summary of the book
A good film and book.
The biggest secret of all: a cure for insomnia.
Cast Away this one

The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Tom Hanks , Audrey Tautou , Ian McKellen , Jean Reno , and Paul Bettany
Director: Ron Howard
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JOC9
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Amazon.com

Critics and controversy aside, The Da Vinci Code is a verifiable blockbuster. Combine the film's huge worldwide box-office take with over 100 million copies of Dan Brown's book sold, and The Da Vinci Code has clearly made the leap from pop-culture hit to a certifiable franchise. The leap for any story making the move from book to big screen, however, is always more perilous. In the case of The Da Vinci Code, the plot is concocted of such a preposterous formula of elements that you wouldn't envy screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, the man tasked with making this story filmable. The script follows Dan Brown's book as closely as possible while incorporating a few needed changes, including a better ending. And if you're like most of the world, by now you've read the book and know how it goes: while lecturing in Paris, noted Harvard Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to the Louvre by French police to help decipher a bizarre series of clues left at the scene of the murder of the chief curator. Enter Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), gifted cryptologist. Neveu and Langdon team up to solve the mystery, and from there the story is propelled across Europe, ballooning into a modern-day mini-quest for the Holy Grail, where secret societies are discovered, codes are broken, and murderous albino monks are thwarted… oh, and alternative theories about the life of Christ and the beginnings of Christianity are presented too, of course. It's not the typical formula for a stock Hollywood thriller. In fact, taken solely as a mystery, the movie almost works--despite some gaping holes--mostly just because it keeps moving. Brown's greatest trick was to have the entire story take place in one day, so the action is forced to keep moving, despite some necessary pauses for exposition. As a screen couple, Hanks and Tautou are just fine together but not exactly memorable; meanwhile Sir Ian McKellen's scenery-chewing as pivotal character Sir Leigh Teabing is just what the film needed to keep it from taking itself too seriously. The whole thing is like a good roller-coaster ride: try not to think too much about it--just sit back and enjoy the trip. --Daniel Vancini

Visit The Da Vinci Code Store

On The DVD
The DVD extras on a film as popular as The Da Vinci Code should be plentiful, and this version doesn't skimp. With over 90 minutes of special features, including ten behind-the-scenes featurettes, there's a lot here to explore beyond the film itself. The question is, is there anything new here that we haven't heard before, in all the hype, pseudo-documentaries, and controversy surrounding the movie, to make it worthwhile? For most viewers, the answer will be "yes." Essentially, if you like the movie, if you enjoyed the book, you will get a lot out of them.

Just as the movie is intended to make the book come to life, the DVD extras should make the film come to life by pointing the audience into the world of the filmmakers, connecting the dots between print and film, and for the most part they do just that. The extras here range from the typical look behind-the-scenes to more in-depth features on the supporting characters, the locations, and the Mona Lisa herself. "First Day on the Set with Ron Howard" features the director gushing about the opportunity to film in the Louvre and work with Tom Hanks again (the two worked together before on Splash and Apollo 13). It's a short piece that doesn't reveal much beyond making an attempt to share Howard's excitement (with the "Gee, I really loved working with him/her on this project" that you hear in every such featurette), but viewers might enjoy seeing how the stage was set up in the famous museum, down to the spike tape on the floor showing actors where to hit their marks. The Filmmaking Experience, Parts 1 and 2 further explores the creative and technical aspects of the filmmaking process. A Conversation with Dan Brown starts out feeling like a puff-piece (the man who wrote this book got started at age 5 with a story called The Giraffe, The Pig, and the Pants on Fire. "It was a thriller," he says.) and unfortunately it doesn't go very deep into much of anything of interest. But on the other hand, this isn't 60 Minutes here; it's intended to give viewers a better sense of the man behind the franchise, which it does. Much of the footage from this interview is sprinkled throughout some of the other featurettes. Meanwhile, the character behind the franchise, Robert Langdon, is examined in his own featurette, as is Sophie Neveu. The cool thing here is getting under the skin of the actors to see how they approached the characters, knowing that most of the movie-going public already has formed their own ideas about the characters from the book.

The most interesting extras are the featurettes that focus on the history behind the mystery. Or is it the mystery behind the history? Either way, the first one on the Mona Lisa, and the second featurette on the many codes and symbols that are hidden throughout the movie balance out the remainder of the extras nicely by demonstrating the sense of intrigue, mystery, and game-playing adventure that made The Da Vinci Code so popular in the first place. --Daniel Vancini

Beyond The Da Vinci Code

The Films of Tom Hanks
The Films of Ron Howard

The Da Vinci DVDs: Decoding "The Da Vinci Code"
More About The Artist

Stills from The Da Vinci Code (click for larger image)

Description

Dan Brown's international bestseller comes alive in the film The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard with a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman. Join symbologist Robert Langdon (Academy Award® Winner Tom Hanks, 1993 Best Actor, Philadelphia, and 1994 Best Actor, Forrest Gump) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) in their heart-racing quest to solve a bizarre murder mystery that will take them from France to England - and behind the veil of a mysterious ancient society, where they discover a secret protected since the time of Christ. With first-rate performances by Sir Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina and Jean Reno, critics are calling The Da Vinci Code "involving" and "intriguing," "a first rate thriller."

Customer Reviews:

So disappointed.......2007-07-01

I loved the book. And a book obviously is allowed to be wordy. But not a film. The film was literally like the actors sitting with a copy of the book saying lines. It was all words with bits of good scenery. Ian Mckellen once again saved the film and Audrey Tatou wasn't too bad. Left out some parts and I was not happy with the outcome

A good short summary of the book.......2007-06-27

a good summary of the book, wish it had been longer, key aspects were left out.

A good film and book........2007-06-12

I read the book on which this film is based before viewing the film. I was surprised that the film did, in fact, replicate the book.

There is some great acting in this film, & it does make the viewer think. Do I actually agree with the premise of the book and film? No.

This is not Tom Hanks' best film, but he did a good job of portraying the film's main character. I liked him better in films like "Forrest Gump" because these films truly show his versatility as an actor.

Even if you don't agree with its premise, I recommend that you read the book and then see this film.

The Da Vinci Code

The biggest secret of all: a cure for insomnia........2007-06-07

Tom Hanks is Robert Langdon, the walking bibliophile of ancient codes and symbols, who is implicated in the murder of one of the Louvre's curators, a man who himself is something of a mystery. Brought to the scene of the crime without being told that he's a suspect, Langdon is shocked to find the body positioned according to Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man", and more shocked to learn that the victim assumed this position himself before dying - a sort of final coded message between two men with a love for codes. Warned of the suspicions surrounding him by Sophie Neveau (Audrey Tatou), the dead man's granddaughter, Langdon escapes and leads the police in a chase across France in a desperate gamble to learn the victim's last, greatest secret. Soon, Langdon's pursuers come to include a homicidal monk dispatched by a Bishop of the reactionary order of Opus Dei, and all events are shown to have been manipulated by a mysterious character known as "Teacher". As Langdon picks up clues, he begins to realize that the mystery may involve the legend of the "Holy Grail", and heads for the home of an old friend, Sir Lee Teabing, the foremost proponent of a particularly unique theory of Grail legend.

Even giving the movie the same allowances as the book, DVC is a horrible movie, slow, pedantic and full of red herrings that no sane moviegoer will fall for. The religious controversy surrounding DVC thinly masks the movie's two cardinal flaws - 1) that it takes itself way more seriously than it deserves (the world is full of distinct religions espousing wholly incompatible beliefs - are we to believe that an admittedly dramatic discovery on one of them will really change the rest of the world? Also, assuming the secret was uncovered, DVC never clears up how it would be proven); 2) it's boring! At over two hours (and boy, will you feel it!) the only secret uncovered is that it's possible to have both Ian McKellan and Tom Hanks in a movie lacking almost any energy. Hanks is serviceable as Langdon, Dan Brown's factotum of symbols nobody really cares about. KcKellen chews up the scenery as Teabing, but ultimately the pointlessness of his character overwhelms McKellen's presence - whether you buy into his theories or not depends largely on the same degree of faith as the religion that Teabing assails. The flick telegraphs its thrills - my wife and I were able to guess what would happen next, who would say what, etc... The novel excelled because skillful pacing kept the action from being overwhelmed by the hot air of its long theories.

The film plays down the novel's attacks on the Church for a more sustained atmosphere of religious antipathy (from disfavored apostles to Isaac Newton, if you've got a mind of your own, the Church hates and fears you, a bit of low-grade demagoguery that the script takes for granted). To add insult to injury, DVC treats the Church as irrelevant (despite their wealth and power, the clergy in DVC are relegated to being unwitting pawns of a higher, if more temporal power). But as I said, the story's attack on religion is itself a smokescreen hiding the fact that DVC is simply inert.

Cast Away this one.......2007-06-04

After hearing and reading all the fuss about this movie, I finally got to see it. Seems the fuss was about the subject matter and not the movie. Tom Hanks gave a mediocre performance at best, taking a back seat to the story I guess. The dots were connected too quickly and easily.

The movie was entertaining, but that was mostly because of the strong performances of Ian McKellen and Jean Reno.

I'm not much for conspiracy theories,so I'm sure I'll get blasted for my review but I have seen better told stories (regardless of the subject).

For some of Tom Hanks best see Cast Away. For some outstanding story telling see Strangers on a Train.

This movie makes for good Cable Fodder, but isn't one that will stand the test of time.

Average customer rating:

For all ages, even those of us who are considered "over the hill."
Smart, laugh-out-loud funny cartoon
Story line just too simple, and not funny enough
Love it!!!
RJ Learns The Value of Friendship

Over the Hedge (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Bruce Willis , Garry Shandling , Steve Carell , Wanda Sykes , and William Shatner
Director: Tim Johnson , and Karey Kirkpatrick
Manufacturer: Dreamworks
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Wild

ASIN: B000H7JCK0
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Amazon.com

The manicured lawns and overstuffed garbage cans of suburbia become a buffet for woodland creatures in Over the Hedge. A self-centered raccoon named RJ (voiced by Bruce Willis, Die Hard) steals and accidentally destroys the hoard of an angry bear (Nick Nolte, 48 Hours), who gives the raccoon a week to replace it. RJ despairs--until he meets an odd gang of foragers, ranging from a turtle named Verne (Garry Shandling, The Larry Sanders Show), a father/daughter duo of opossums (the bizarre pairing of William Shatner and pop singer Avril Lavigne), a family of porcupines (with A Mighty Wind's Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as the parents), and a hyperactive squirrel named Hammy (Steve Carell, The 40 Year Old Virgin). By convincing these friendly beasts that the suburban homesteads on the other side of a recently erected hedge are a mother-lode of cast-off food, RJ hopes to dupe them into doing his gathering. But when the suburban residents realize they've been invaded by woodland pests, an exterminator is called to take care of the problem. The overarching storyline of Over the Hedge is pure formula--your basic "family matters more than anything" lesson--but moment to moment, the movie is delightfully crisp and clever. The animation is topnotch, the acting is excellent (other voices include those of Allison Janney, The West Wing, and Thomas Haden Church, Sideways), and the satirical jabs at consumerism are actually funny. An above-average animated movie. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Over the Hedge (click for larger image)

Description

The pack strikes back! In DreamWorks' smash hit comedy, a band of hungry forest critters goes "over the hedge" to take a bite out of Suburbia. Plus, check out the All-New Mini-Movie, Hammy's Boomerang Adventure only on the Over the Hedge DVD… It's the funniest, furriest, four minutes you'll see this year!

Customer Reviews:

For all ages, even those of us who are considered "over the hill.".......2007-07-08

This movie was fantastic! Smart, fun, and enjoyable. Who says that adults can't enjoy cartoons? It's great to be able to watch animated movies and embrace the kid inside us.

Smart, laugh-out-loud funny cartoon .......2007-07-06

Over The Hedge is a smart, laugh-out-loud funny cartoon about a group of animals trying to navigate through suburban life. A wry wink and nod to the audience flows throughout the movie as R.J. the raccoon comes across a group of hibernators who wake up to find themselves in the middle of a suburban development that popped up while they were sleeping.

The execution of the story is the most amazing part of the film as a simple hedge becomes a wall between two worlds for the small critters whose fear of the suburbs gradually turns into a non-stop quest to grab as much food as possible. The animals fish-out-water jump into the suburban landscape allows the script to poke fun at many all- -too-human failings, especially when it comes to the large amount of food we all seem to consistently consume.

I found myself literally crying at some scenes as the plot combined a nice combination of cartoon mayhem with adult whit. In particular Hammy the squirrell, voiced by Steve Carrell, added a nice Kramerish like touch of weirdness to the normal batch of cartoon characters to keep the movie from being stale.

Story line just too simple, and not funny enough.......2007-06-27

It's funny in some clips but in the whole, not funny enough. I thought my son will love the animals in the movie but he doesn't like it at all. Neither my wife nor myself find it very enjoyable either.

I bought it because all the great reviews we read about but pretty disappointed.

Love it!!!.......2007-06-25

You can never go wrong with a movie fill with actors/actresses voices. This movie had a very good stroy line. It was hilarious!!! This is a must own for your collection. There's very few movies where I watch it more than one time. This is one that I will watch over and over again.

RJ Learns The Value of Friendship.......2007-06-12

I have always been a fan of animation, Disney, cartoons, etc. There have been many new releases that haven't made much of an impression with me - Over The Hedge is NOT one of those! The entertainment value of this movie is multiplied several times over as a result of the cleverly woven ethical dilemmas and life lessons scattered throughout. The tough guy, RJ accomplishes his original goal - only to find that everything he was taking, would have been voluntarily shared with him - because he was considered a "friend". Not only does Rj find out what real friendship means, the original gang also learns a valuable lesson about trust and loyalty.
This is a wonderfully written, exceptionally well presented movie - that is fun for the whole family!

Average customer rating:

My grandson's favorite
A Classic, lots of laughs!
A funny and classic baseball-worship kind of movie
Excellent movie for young baseball players
NOT A BASEBALL FAN, BUT GOOD MOVIE

The Sandlot
Starring: Brandon Quintin Adams , Karen Allen , Keith Campbell , Victor DiMattia , and Grant Gelt
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005RT3N
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Amazon.com

When egghead Scotty Smalls moves to town just before the summer vacation of 1962, his first priority is to make friends. He heads to the nearby sandlot only to humiliate himself before the local kids, but star player Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez befriends the awkward boy, teaches him the basics of baseball, and welcomes him to the team. It's a summer filled with camaraderie and fun until Smalls hits his first home run. Problem is, Smalls's home run sends his stepfather's "Babe Ruth" autographed baseball into a neighboring yard that's patrolled by a snarling, slobbering monster called "The Beast." Creativity reigns and hilarity ensues when the boys risk everything to retrieve the ball. A final heroic encounter with "The Beast" and his owner yields some very surprising results. Action, humor, and friendship permeate this 101-minute film appropriate for ages 5 and older. Rated PG due to name-calling and some pubescent behavior. --Tami Horiuchi

Description

It's the early 1960s and fifth-grader Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) has just moved into town with his folks (Karen Allen and Denis Leary). Kids call him a dork—he can't even throw a baseball! But that changes when the leader of the neighborhood gang recruits him to play on the nearby sandlot field. It's the beginning of a magical summer of baseball, wild adventures, first kisses, and fearsome confrontations with the dreaded Beast and its owner (James Earl Jones) who live behind the left field fence. Soon nine boys have become best friends, Scotty is part of a team, and their leader has become a local legend in this hilarious and warmhearted comedy.

Customer Reviews:

My grandson's favorite.......2007-05-22

He is 7. We watched it once awhile ago. He talked so much about that great movie with the big dog that I finally sent him one of his own!

A Classic, lots of laughs!.......2007-05-07

Great movie for a baseball lover or someone who loves to laugh!

I had this on VHS for a bit and was glad when it was releasedon DVD. Now it will last FOR-EV-ERR!

A funny and classic baseball-worship kind of movie.......2007-04-12

Scotty Smalls moves to Los Angeles in the early 60's just two weeks before the 5th grade school year ends, which isn't enough time to make friends before summer vacation. He's still getting used to his new step-father and doesn't know how to catch or throw a baseball, and to make matters worse doesn't even know who the "Great Bambino" is. Some of the neighborhood kids gather every day at "the sandlot," their own personal baseball kingdom, and he tries to casually join them. But it isn't until Bennie Rodriguez, the best and most ardent player of them all, asks him to join and gives him the confidence he needs to learn to play. It makes for the best summer of his life and lifelong friendships, especially when he unknowingly uses a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, and hits it over the fence into the yard of "The Beast," a huge baseball-eating dog.

This is one of those classic baseball-worship movies on a par with "Field of Dreams" and other favorites. Plus, it's a great family movie with few profanities - it's funny and the things the kids do and say resonate with everyone whether or not you grew up playing another sport or in another time period. My kids love to watch it regularly, and I'm impressed with how good some of the children actors are (James Earl Jones also has a bit part at the end). I especially like the scene where they play baseball against the "rich kids" on their real baseball field (mostly because it's the field where I played Little-League as a kid - which wasn't on the "rich" side of town and it's not really LA!), but my kids like the pool scene.

Excellent movie for young baseball players.......2007-03-31

Bought this for my 8 year old grandson for his birthday and although he never heard of it, he absolutely loved it and had to go out and buy the Sandlot 2 right away! Nice, clean, fun with a learning behind it (of course).

NOT A BASEBALL FAN, BUT GOOD MOVIE.......2007-03-26

IM NOT A BIG BASEBALL FAN SO TO ME THIS MOVIE WAS OK. THE ACTORS ARE REALLY GOOD AND THEY MAKE IT AN EXCITING MOVIE TO WATCH EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A BASEBALL FAN! THE BEST PART IS THE "KISS"

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

UN CLASICO RELATO EPICO
typical disney's junk for kids and adults with peter-pan syndrome
Ebdearing epic novel for children!
The Chronicles of Narnia
A Visual Feast That Captures The Imagination!

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Georgie Henley , Skandar Keynes , William Moseley , Anna Popplewell , and Tilda Swinton
Director: Andrew Adamson
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000E8M0VA
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Amazon.com

C.S. Lewis's classic novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe makes an ambitious and long-awaited leap to the screen in this modern adaptation. It's a CGI-created world laden with all the special effects and visual wizardry modern filmmaking technology can conjure, which is fine so long as the film stays true to the story that Lewis wrote. And while this film is not a literal translation--it really wants to be so much more than just a kids' movie--for the most part it is faithful enough to the story, and whatever faults it has are happily faults of overreaching, and not of holding back. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells the story of the four Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and their adventures in the mystical world of Narnia. Sent to the British countryside for their own safety during the blitz of World War II, they discover an entryway into a mystical world through an old wardrobe. Narnia is inhabited by mythical, anthropomorphic creatures suffering under the hundred-year rule of the cruel White Witch (Tilda Swinton, in a standout role). The arrival of the children gives the creatures of Narnia hope for liberation, and all are dragged into the inevitable conflict between evil (the Witch) and good (Aslan the Lion, the Messiah figure, regally voiced by Liam Neeson).

Director (and co-screenwriter) Andrew Adamson, a veteran of the Shrek franchise, knows his way around a fantasy-based adventure story, and he wisely keeps the story moving when it could easily become bogged down and tiresome. Narnia is, of course, a Christian allegory and the symbology is definitely there (as it should be, otherwise it wouldn't be the story Lewis wrote), but audiences aren't knocked over the head with it, and in the hands of another director it could easily have become pedantic. The focus is squarely on the children and their adventures. The four young actors are respectable in their roles, especially considering the size of the project put on their shoulders, but it's the young Georgie Henley as the curious Lucy who stands out. This isn't a film that wildly succeeds, and in the long run it won't have the same impact as the Harry Potter franchise, but it is well done, and kids will get swept up in the adventure. Note: Narnia does contain battle scenes that some parents may consider too violent for younger children. --Dan Vancini

Description

Prepare to enter another world when Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media present C.S. Lewis' timeless and beloved adventure. With the stunningly realistic special effects, you'll experience the exploits of Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, four siblings who find the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of "hide-and-seek" at the country estate of a mysterious professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, once peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs, and giants that has been turned into a world of eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Aided by the wise and magnificent lion Aslan, the children lead Narnia into a spectacular climactic battle to be free of the Witch's glacial powers forever! The Chronicles of Narnia, Narnia, and all other book titles, characters and locales original thereto are trademarks of C.S. Lewis Pte Ltd. and are used with permission. © Disney/Walden

Customer Reviews:

UN CLASICO RELATO EPICO.......2007-07-03

Todo un despliegue de imaginacion y encantadores mundos de fantasia, donde lo real se funde con lo imaginario, los animales hablan, la magia tiene su propio territorio... y con todo su enseñanza es sencillamente eficaz: el VALOR, LEALTAD y FIDELIDAD al hermano, al amigo y la lucha tipica entre EL BIEN Y EL MAL; al igual que en la realidad, hay GUERRA, INJUSTICIAS y DESCONTENTO en una sociedad fantasiosa cuyas contiendas no dejan de tener cierta similitud con las batallas de "El Señor de los Anillos" pero Narnia tiene SU PROPIA HISTORIA, donde los protagonistas son los NIÑOS (que por cierto hacen excelentes papeles)y el leon AENSLAND, quien representa un tipo de MESIAS que devuelva el orden de las cosas... MUY EMOCIONANTE DE PRINCIPIO A FIN, una pelicula que se debe ver en la gran pantalla y con toda la familia.

typical disney's junk for kids and adults with peter-pan syndrome.......2007-06-30

another bore-to-death disney fantasy for kids only with endless annoying music score that could be applied to every other disney movie.
i was so glad that my kids are all grown-ups now, so i don't have to sit thru in the torture chamber to finish this terribly pretentious movie.

Ebdearing epic novel for children!.......2007-06-30

Disney would have made C. S. lewis proud with this production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I watched this play every year at Christmas time and have loved it from the start.

The panoramic snow scenes and stage decorum are nothing short of spectacular. The religious allegory that goes with the storyline is enhanced in the battle and the ending is left just right for sequels.

I have said this in many reviews. Disney you deserved the oscar for this picture.

The Chronicles of Narnia.......2007-06-29

Fantasy, adventure, intrigue and triumph. What more could be said of this classic. Great special effects and good acting talents bring this story to life like no other version.

A Visual Feast That Captures The Imagination!.......2007-06-14

The Chronicles of Narnia was brought to life on screen better than I have ever seen it! The visual effects were astonding! A great family adventure! If you liked the book, then you will like this! If you have not read the book, you should still enjoy the movie!

Average customer rating:

wonderfully clean laughter
Critics should be flushed away
Excellent for the whole family!!
Great Characters
Flushed Away

Flushed Away (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Hugh Jackman , Kate Winslet , Ian McKellen , Bill Nighy , and Jean Reno
Director: Henry Anderson , David Bowers , and Sam Fell
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Animated
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000M343BC
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Amazon.com

Flushed Away is a rip-roaring nautical adventure with a twist: The heroes are a pair of rodents braving the sewers underneath London. Roddy (voiced by Hugh Jackman) is an upper-crust house-mouse who finds himself flushed into the subterranean sewers. Eager to return to his posh home, he enlists the help of a boat-captain rat named Rita (Kate Winslet), who has troubles of her own; namely the kingpin of the underworld, the Toad (Ian McKellen), and his henchmen including the French mercenary Le Frog (Jean Reno).

While technically Flushed Away could be considered part of the wave of celebrity-voiced, anthropomorphic-animal movies that hit in 2005-2006 (Madagascar, Over the Hedge, The Wild, etc.), it doesn't inspire the same sense of déjà vu. For one thing, its voice actors are less recognizable than the likes of Bruce Willis and Chris Rock. For another, its look is very distinctive. Like Nick Park's Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, it's a joint production of DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features, and although Park isn't involved, it retains his trademark blocky look of clay animation. But animating the movie by computer rather than by hand allows for some eye-popping tableaux, such as floodwaters rushing through the sewers and an entire town of little animated characters. It's a crazy thrill ride loaded with inside jokes and enough crude humor to earn a PG rating, and the band of singing slugs is also a hoot. --David Horiuchi

On the DVD
It's no surprise that the singing slugs are the stars of the DVD's bonus features. They're featured in two music videos (less than a minute total), and in a 13-minute segment an Aardman animator builds a slug out of plasticine. (In contrast, the lesson on drawing Roddy is a mere two minutes.) A song jukebox jumps to 10 musical points in the film, though the non-slug background music isn't really worth the jump. On the human side, there are eight-minute featurettes on the music and the voices, a set-top game that is easier to control than most such featurettes (and easier to beat too), and a commentary track by directors David Bowers and Sam Fell in which they have a grand old time remembering their inside jokes and showering love on the Spike and Whitey characters. The DVD-ROM has access to 21 more online games. --David Horiuchi

Fun Facts from Flushed Away

In Tabitha's room, there are a variety of dolls from previous DreamWorks Animation films, including a Gromit and several bunnies from Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, an Alex the Lion from Madagascar, and a Dragon from Shrek.
Many characters from past films make cameos in Flushed Away. For example, a Chicken Run chicken is on the second page of the Toad's scrapbook, Gromit's head is a pencil top in the Jammy Dodger, the penguin from Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers is on a stamp on the Jammy Dodger, and a poster of Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is on the side of a bus in Kensington.
There are officially 60 million rats in the UK. That's one rat for every person.
The various boats in the film are made up of flotsam and jetsam that rats could conceivably find in the sewer. For the double decker bus: Ice chest, retro flipping numbers alarm clock, bike lamp, buckle, oil drum, soup can, license plate, rope, plastic suitcase, jerry can. For the mini cooper: Soda can, battery, sardine can, butter knife, old lights.
Simulating the toilet water and making it look realistic proved to be a challenge. After much consideration, it was finally discovered that what was missing was caustics, or the use of light reflection off the bottom of the bowl. This was added and everyone was happy because they could finally get their mind out of the toilet.

Stills from Flushed Away (click for larger image)

Product Description

Set on and beneath the streets of London, Flushed Away is the story of Roddy, an upper-crust "society mouse," who is rather rudely evicted from his Kensington flat when he is flushed down into Ratropolis, the bustling sewer world found under London's streets. There, he meets Rita, an enterprising scavenger who works the sewers in her faithful boat, the Jammy Dodger. Together they must navigate their way through a busy city filled with dangers for any mouse, including terrifying rapids, treacherous whirlpools and, most of all, the villainous Toad and his hench-rats Spike and Whitey. Though completely out of his element at first, the privileged Roddy finds himself an unlikely hero when he learns that Ratropolis is in danger from the world above.

Customer Reviews:

wonderfully clean laughter.......2007-07-04

Bought this DVD from Amazondotcom b/c the price was below any other offering; the grandchildren and I watch this at least once a month. Thank you for carrying good, clean, children-friendly movies...

Critics should be flushed away.......2007-07-02

This was the last combined effort between Dreamworks and Aardman animation studio. Ths film fared poorly in the the box office and only just made back it's $100 odd million budget, mainly because of the amount of other films and people seemingly getting sick of "another CGI film". Those of you who have not seen this gem, you are missing out. The humour is pure british and some will miss the cultural jokes. Scots and Welsh viewers don't have a heartattack when you see the unionjack representing England. It was the best way to get the message across in the movie regarding the World Cup final plot device involving england and Germany.

The characters are well conceived and animated. My favourite is "Le Frog" and his evil henchmen including a frog version of Marcel Marceaux or should that be "MyCell" you'll get the picture.

Alot of Aardman "traits" can be seen in the computer animated characters. The reason for going to CGI was because trying to emulate water in traditional stop motion animation, would have been too complicated, since the story is based in the London sewers, it made sense to go with computer power.

The voices of all the characters are exceptionally cast, including Hugh Jackman as Roddy the upper crust pet rat from "up top". Kate Winslett as Rita a sewerwise scavenger rat with Jean Reno as "Le Frog" and Sir Ian Mckellen as the evil "Toad". There are some slight ineuendos (sorry if I got the spelling wrong) to justify the PG rating. But otherall a brilliant cartoon, which deserves its following. I enjoyed it more than Chicken Run and dare I say it Wallace and Gromit.

My wife loved it at the movies...and for the first 3 weeks watched the DVD virtually everynight.

Excellent for the whole family!!.......2007-07-01

We have watched it many times. It is just hilarious and the voices fit the characters. Tomb Raider meets 007 in claymation with lots of laughs!

Great Characters.......2007-06-20

While I have never enjoyed the Aardman style of animation (I find the claymation sort of "disturbing"), I really liked this movie. The story is original and the characters are engaging. My kids won't sit through a Wallace & Gromit movie, but they love Flushed Away.

Flushed Away .......2007-06-11

Very cute movie that the entire family will enjoy. The little worm things are cute with the noises they make. Had a lot of laughs throughout the entire movie. I would highly recommend.

Average customer rating:

Benny and Joon
This is an absolutely wonderful movie!
fun and fluffy film
Happy! Wonderful love story of a brother for his sister
Delightful, Whimsical Comedy/Drama

Benny and Joon
Starring: Johnny Depp , Mary Stuart Masterson , Aidan Quinn , Julianne Moore , and Oliver Platt
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video