50 First Dates (2006)

You know those movies where you see the trailer in the theater and then when you see the actual movie you discover all the good parts were in the trailer? Well, "50 First Dates" is not one of those movies. In fact, I can make the argument that while the trailer may indeed have most of the funniest moments in this film, it most decidedly does not have any of the best moments of the film. When you see the trailer about this movie in which Adam Sandler has to make a first impression on Drew Barrymore every day because she has no short term memory and wakes up every morning forgetting what happened the previous day, you would think that he discovers this the next morning when she wakes up in bed with a stranger and starts screaming. However, I am happy to report, "50 First Dates" is not that movie either.

I have been trying to think of last time a movie prompted tears in my eyes as often as "50 First Dates." We know that Lucy Whitmore (Barrymore) no longer has any short term memory because of a car accident, but what we learn before we meet Lucy is that Henry Roth (Sandler) is apparently the king of the love 'em and leave 'em of the Hawaiian islands. Thus the great irony is that he falls for the one woman who can forget him faster and more completely than any tourist he has ever dumped. What we also learn about are the extraordinary lengths to which Lucy's family and friends go make each day the same happy day for her. Lucy's brother Doug (Sean Astin) needs to lay off the steroids but her father (Blake Clark) is fiercely and lovingly protective of his daughter. Watching everything that he and his son do each night to reset the stage for Lucy's happy day got me big time.

Unlike "Groundhog Day," which only had a few minor flaws in logic (e.g., why does the music teacher claim Bill Murray as a student at the end?) there are giant holes in "50 First Dates" (e.g., how do the three guys manage to every day free to take care of Lucy?), but I do not care. The gaps are covered in just too many sweet and touching moments for me to object to George Wing's screenplay. The reason why I did not give "50 First Dates" is mainly because of the character of Ula (Rob Schneider), who represents the traditional "Adam Sandler" type of comedy in this film. There are a few moments where Sandler goes over the top (basically anytime his voice gets to the yelling level), but I could forgive most of those (the last song he sings redeems much), but every time Ula showed up it was like clips from another movie. The last time he shows up in the film I was really not happy to see him there because he was ruining a moment I had been eagerly awaiting.

One of the impressive things about this movie is that it does not cop out. Dr. Keats (Dan Aykroyd), Lucy's doctor, tells us repeatedly that Lucy is never going to get better and a lot of the power of this movie comes from the different ways in which Lucy and Howard deal with this hard reality. We also learn that for Lucy and his family there are what her dad calls "bad" days, and it because of them that Henry is inspired to try something different and provide another series of sweet moments in the film. As long as he refrains from going into overdrive, Sandler makes it totally believable that Henry would spend every day trying to get Lucy to fall in love with him. But it is Barrymore who is pitch perfect on both the comedy and the pathos of her role as Lucy. If Sandler did not know that he had found his perfect leading lady after "The Wedding Singer," then this film should do the trick.

The tagline for this film is "Imagine having to win over the girl of your dreams... every friggin' day" is a funny line, but it is as much misdirection as the trailer. Henry may treat his strange assistant Alexa (Lusia Strus) badly, but he could not possibly be more patient with Lucy. Even her skeptical father has to admit that he and Henry are kindred spirits. Because this is Adam Sandler we keep waiting for him to try and take advantage of the situation, but, to repeat myself, this is not that film. Yes, "Groundhog Day" is the better movie, but "50 First Dates" is also full of grace and more importantly the film finds of way of delivering on its promise. First kisses might be the sweetest of all, but in this film it is the last date that makes you surrender on the off chance you manage to hold off that long.

The idea behind this film is that in a successful relationship you have to fall in love over and over again. In this story it happens literally everyday.

The performances:

Adam Sandler as Henry Roth shows his vulnerable side in his best and most natural performance.

Drew Barrymore as Lucy Whitmore has never been better, and has great chemistry with Adam. She emerges as a fine actor.

Rob Schneider as Ula may fool you that he is really the character he is playing, I didn't know it was him for half the move! He is brilliantly funny.

Sean Astin as Doug Whitmore (better known as Sam from the Lord of the Rings) is funny in this comic role as Lucy's lisping brother.

Pomaika'i Brown as Nick (tattoo face) the cook, is great in his small role and deserves bigger roles in the future.

Shot in Hawaii, it has beautiful cinematography and vibrant color. The movie is a combination of humor and romance with more heart than you might expect.

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Adam Sandler's previous track record has been shaky, with some underwritten comedies (Anger Management) and movies that failed to find a mainstream audience (Big Daddy). 50 firsts Dates makes an improvement by not only providing an original script that lends itself to both comedic double entrees and depth, courtesy of Drew Barrymore's stunning performance, with convincing pathos. Sandler brings another great character to the screen, especially since this story provokes just as many tears as guffaws. This is possibly Sandler's best film and boasts great comedic turns from Rob Scheider and Sean Astin. This film really does work on all levels, and considering I'm not a fan of the genre. Combining an impressive supporting cast with a sprightly running time and hip soundtrack, and you have one of the best comedies of recent years. Highly reccomended.

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The 2004 film "50 First Dates" that was directed by Peter Segal (who directed "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" in 1994) was an unexpected pleasant surprise as I typically don't like films starring Adam Sandler or Rob Schneider. However, Sandler's role as Henry Roth, who falls in love with the artist Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore), is well-acted in showing both the character's frustration and determination in dealing with Lucy's short-term memory loss that prevents her from remembering just about everything from one day to the next. Taking place in Hawaii, Henry works at a sea aquarium as its veterinarian with walruses, penguins and dolphins, as well as one of the animal trainers named Ula (Rob Schneider). For many years, Lucy has been taken care of by her aging father, Marlin Whitmore (Blake Clark) and her stuttering bodybuilding brother named Doug (Sean Astin). Henry is smitten with Lucy from the first time that they meet, but unfortunately, their relationship becomes difficult, as Henry must start over afresh each day because Lucy can't remember whom he is. Though they spend many wonderful days together and find a way to help Lucy remember what has transpired between them, she comes to the conclusion one day that she is holding Henry back from his dreams. He goes off to finish working on his sailboat and plans to leave the island (and her), but when he visits her one last time, he finds that she has been remembering him in her dreams and in her paintings. Will they find a way to build a lasting relationship or go their separate ways? You'll just have to watch this highly recommended film to find out!

Overall, I rate "50 First Dates" with 4 out of 5 stars. It's an inspiring and touching light romantic comedy with a wonderful soundtrack that features such songs as "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (by the Beach Boys), "Another Day" (by Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, 1941-1998), "Could You Be Loved" (by Bob Marley, 1945-1981), and "Is This Love" (also by Bob Marley) to name a few. Other memorable characters in the film include Alexa (Lusia Strus), Dr. Keats (Dan Aykroyd), Stacy (Maya Rudolph) and Nick (Pomaika'i Brown). Of course, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Dan Aydroyd and Maya Rudolph are all veterans of the long-running TV comedy variety show "Saturday Night Live", which has been on the air continually since 1975.

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Just when I start getting used to the cookie-cutter formula of most romantic comedy movies, a film like 50 First Dates comes along, picks me out of my seat, spins me around, and drops me back down so I don't know which way is up. I walked into the movie theater expecting this movie to be cute and funny at best-and crude and obnoxious at worst. What I found instead was a touching, sweet romantic comedy that occasionally brought tears to my eyes. Best described as Groundhog Day with a twist, this movie tells the story of a love that defies a huge and unusual obstacle.

Adam Sandler plays Henry Roth: ladies' man, man's man, man about town-the love `em and leave `em type. Henry's the sort of guy most women detest-he dates a woman briefly, sleeps with her, and then tells her he's married/gay/about to be deported, etc. He's committed to his work as a veterinarian, and he's terrified of any other kind of commitment. This all changes when he meets Lucy Whitmire in a coffee shop.

Drew Barrymore is Lucy, a sweet, beautiful girl with a severe handicap. She was in a car accident over a year before the story begins, and, as a result, she lost her ability to retain her short-term memory. Each night when she goes to sleep, her brain "resets" itself, and she wakes up each day thinking it's October 13 of the previous year-the day the accident took place.

The story gets rolling when Henry not only decides that he cares about Lucy enough to have her meet and fall in love with him each day, but he also manages to convince her overprotective family and friends that he's the real deal.

Sandler and Barrymore prove once again that they have unbelievable chemistry onscreen (they were also wonderful together in 1998's The Wedding Singer). They remind me a little of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, etc.) Although the character of Henry Roth has a softer, gentler persona than many of the characters we've seen Sandler play in the past, fans of the former SNL comedian will appreciate the subtle jokes and references to some of his earlier movies, such as Happy Gilmore. Even the requisite Sandler-composed song, "Forgetful Lucy," is sweet and romantic rather than over-the-top. Drew Barrymore portrays the sweet and confused Lucy to perfection-the audience can completely understand why Henry would go to such great lengths for this girl. Sean Astin and Rob Schneider are hilarious in their supporting roles, and the film has a great soundtrack to back it up.

This movie is definitely a must-see-whether you're on a first date of your own, with a long-term sweetie, or just with the gang. I highly recommend it.

Wild Child

This film is full of cheesy goodness. If you are looking for a young chick flick with with a dash of romance, this one is a great choice.

This movie has been done before... A LOT. What sets this film apart is the stellar cast. It is the last movie made by Natasha Richardson and casting Alex Pettyfer as the love interest doesn't hurt. The lead is played by Emma Roberts (the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and Julia Robert's niece), who obviously has taken some pointers from family members. She shines in this role as a snotty rich kid who transforms into the young woman she was meant to be. She got caught up in the fast lane of California living after her mother passed and when her dad has had enough, she gets carted off to her mom's old boarding school in England! There is an obvious clash of cultures as she has to find her way in a foreign school with it's own caste system. Enter the mean girls and a handsome son of a headmistress and there's your plot. You know how it ends but getting there is pure fun!

We all know what is going to happen but isn't that half the reason we watch this kind of movie? As a viewer, you are not looking at this dvd as an option and thinking -I want to watch award winning cinema! You know you are getting a lighthearted teen romp. You'll discover a young woman finding herself, real friends and love as she searches for meaning in her life. The belief that anyone can be transformed is a powerful message even if it is told in silly ways. So sit back, grab a bowl of popcorn with extra butter and enjoy a fun movie.

I saw this movie when I was in Britain last summer. Emma's character wasn't as wild as the title may suggest but there were a lot unexpected twists in this movie that made it more than your regular romcom. I highly recommend this movie and I will definitely buy this.

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I first rented this movie to see what it was all about and right after I watched it I knew that I had to own it. It is entertaining from the very first scene!

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I had my doubts about this movie, but I knew I had to buy it after watching only 20 minutes. I found the portrayal of American California girls very interesting. I am from Indiana, and I admit, several things that Poppy (the main character) and her friends did line up with prejudices that I've developed through American media. So, seeing that was amusing, but made me wonder if Europeans thought all Americans acted that way (because we do not). I know not all Californians do, either.

I could not stop laughing, and these were laughs, not chuckles. I LOVED seeing Poppy's hand sanitizer. I had bought my own bottle a few days before watching the movie.

There was not a single character that I did not like. Though, Alex Pettyfer's hair could be improved. ;) I like his style in "I Am Number 4" better, but I digress. The actors were beyond amazing, and consequently, I loved the characters. I loved their hair, accents, clothes, facial expressions, everything. The movie was a true delight, and I'm planning to watch it with my Mom. ^_^

ALSO: I am a Christian, and I personally loved the way the headmistress handled Poppy's case. Too many times in Church we encounter wild child Poppys, and we condemn them. We yell at them, order them to clean their act up, show disgust to them, etcetera. Then, we usually chase them out of the Church because they're just too wild. I think Christians should watch this movie because of the valuable lesson in it: Call out the good in people.

Poppy acted the way she did because she was hurting inside. She missed her mother. Many times in real life, people commit negative, hurtful deeds because they are hurting inside. As Christians, we are called to do what Christ did, which was HEAL them and NEVER condemn them. If you heal the wound, the behavior changes automatically. But if you try to "fix" behavior without healing the wound, well, that is as silly as trying to "fix" the speakers without turning the radio to an actual radio station. The behavior is not the problem. It's the manifestation of the problem.

NDN

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I loved the movie but as far as watching it I kept having to refresh it because it kept getting stuck.

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Please Give (2010)

Eternally bitter, cynical but never toxic and always with a hint of beautiful humanity, Nicole Holofcener is always a distaff alternative to Woody Allen's neurotic obsessions. Her works, deemed as 'vagina movies', are no less assured, and even surpass the works of her male counterparts; whereas, Allen's works nowadays are consistent in their inconsistency, Holofcener's works organically evolve to correspond to the reality that we live in, and, as response, the people that we become. Her first film, "Walking and Talking" back in 1996 is a thoroughly charming and affable film, with concepts of loneliness, abandonment and feeling lost explored, but the pervading anxiety and bitter humour that have long since been her staple from her second film thereafter, are kept at bay, for most of the time. Her characters continually grow. Now, circa 21st century, and being caustic seems to be a natural trait. Still, Holofcener uses that to great effect; bitterness never overshadows, but merely used as a launching pad to explore the quiet beauty hidden amidst the toxic and the unpleasant.

In her fourth film, "Please Give", she tackles capitalism, displaced guilt, physical appearances, infidelity and death amidst a chaotic, arbitrary world that is rather nihilistic, but only in a gentle, breezy, free-wheeling meaninglessness that does not feel like a discourse on an Ingmar Bergman's nothingness, but more akin to Eric Rohmer's affable meandering that is no less understatingly hurtful and quietly emotional.

Set in rumbling New York City, Kathy (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) own a furniture store, set by the couple's practice of buying furnitures at very low prices and put them up with high markups. They are also waiting for the next door neighbour, a bitter, ungrateful old hag, Andra (Ann Guilbert), to die so that they could expand the size of their apartment. In the meantime, Andra's two nieces, Rebecca (Rebecca hall) and Mary (Amanda Peet) are dealing with their own problems: Rebecca is a busybody, working as a mammogram technician, keeping romance and personal life at bay; and Mary, a skin consultant, who continually stalks her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, and at some point, ends up having an affair with Alex. Amidst all this, Kathy and Alex's daughter, is dealing with her bodily appearance: her weight and acne problems.

"Please Give" sets up this multi-strand storylines via Holofcener's typical free floating, stream-of-conscious fashion that negates the structural device of storytelling, and opts for a presentation of a slice-of-life. The camera adopts an objective point of view, even revelling in arbitrary scenes that seem to never amount to anything, but somehow feel organic to the whole film. And even with this objectivity, it is never unsympathetic, even if most of these characters are unlikeable and even bordering on being nasty.

Indeed, sometimes it's better to start off with the negative to accentuate the positive. With this, Holofcener is able to explore the moral implications of living in a capitalistic society. To what extent does one go to successfully carve out a comfortable life for one's self? Kate's obsession with giving out a lot money to the poor seems irrational, but really an ascetic ideal that she churns out for herself, to get rid of her guilt for her wrong choices in life. It is an inherently self-destructive act, prompted by shame, insecurities, selfishness and self-absorption, that is merely offset by the outer appearance of the act: it is an ostentatiously kind and generous act of giving. Kate's asceticism mirrors Mary's affinity for stalking an unsuspecting woman and having an illicit affair with Alex: the lengths to which one goes to, just to find a name for an undefinable feeling of loneliness and pain. At least, with the daughter, it is called being chubby, and acne-ridden. Wait until she gets older.

All of these characters, just like in any other Holofcener films, feel insignificant; they struggle living in a hostile, unlovable world, and they respond to themselves and to each other in equally hostile, unlovable manner; but there is quiet beauty that is transcendental when one watches Holofcener deviates further more into seemingly random scenes; like seeing an anonymous couple looking for the right furniture in Kathy's store, or Rebecca walking the dog with Kathy's daughter. Like watching an unexpected petal falling off a dying flower, Holofcener's images are delicately evocative, and revelatory in their quietness.

"Please Give" is a very sharp, brutally honest work that is all at once, hilarious, acidic, and always strangely moving, without any need for emotional manipulation or ostentatious dramatic histrionics. See this, not merely as an entertainment, but as an opportunity to bask in its many quiet moments of emotional insights that neither praise nor condemn its characters. Besides, there is Catherine Keener, Holofcener's beloved muse, one of the very few actresses nowadays who can effectively kill someone with merely delivering a cutting remark, and simultaneously still break a heart with pathos for her character.

"Please Give" is a film expertly directed by Nicole Holofcener. It is full of realistic portraits of complicated human foibles and yet shines a light on what is important in life.

Kate (Catherine Keener) is a guilt-ridden mother who runs a successful second-hand furniture store in down-town New York with Alex (Oliver Platt), her husband and business partner. They also are feeling that their apartment is too small and plan to knock down a wall when the apartment they own next door becomes vacant. Andra (Ann Morgan Guilbert), their strong-willed elderly tenant seems to be planning to stay and Kate and Alex realize they have to wait for her to die. Evicting her has become out of the question. Abby (Sarah Steele) is their 15 year old daughter who has acne and a determination to buy a $235 pair of designer jeans.

Kate and Alex feel that it is awkward not to be friends with their elderly tenant and invite Andra over for a birthday party, along with her two granddaughters, Mary (Amanda Peet) and Rebecca (Rebecca Hall). Andra is crotchety and not that interested in birthday parties or presents. She comes to the party but is ornery and full of snarky comments about the cake and present she receives.

Kate and Alex are also dealing with Abby's teen-age angst. Kate also feels guilt making profits on vintage furniture from estate sales and Alex has guilt issues from a recent fling with Mary.

Overall "Please Give" is profound, full of funny insights on guilt and imperfection.

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"Please Give" comes from the writer/director of "Friends With Money", Nicole Holofcener and while that movie explored themes of being rich and how the wealth is spread around through charity and what they weren't willing to spend money on, this one goes a similar route. "Please Give" explores a series of people who either are in need or have the capacity to give something needed to others and figuring out if they are doing it for the good of the recipient or just to ease their own selfish guilt/pity/sorrow. Most specifically, two granddaughters deal with their rude aging grandmother while her next-door neighbors who have purchased her apartment are technically waiting for her to pass away so they can renovate and the guilt of swooping in afterward begins to get to some of them.

Rebecca Hall plays Rebecca and seems to be the only faultless character of the cast. She works in mammography and tends to her 91 year old grandmother on a daily basis along with caring for her dog and cleaning her apartment. Rebecca is shy and only seems to work for others and takes no time for herself and wants to be the peacekeeper always. The intimacy of her job takes so much out of her that she clams up and stays reserved around others until one patient's son takes a special interest.

Rebecca's sister, Mary played by Amanda Peet puts so much emphasis on her own surface value that she never develops much beneath it. Mary is rude to her grandmother on the excuse that the old woman is mean. Mary seems directionless except for maintaining her tan and trying to find out what is so special about the woman her ex left her for and trying to tear her down to make herself feel better. Amanda Peet is scary talented at being cold and beautiful. Her logic for her behavior toward her grandmother only foreshadows how she herself will be treated in old age since she seems to be on the fast track to that bitterness.

Catherine Keener's character, Kate appears to carry the weight of the suffering of the world on her shoulders. She feels so much guilt, pity, and grief when confronted with death and misfortune that the only way to quell some of that is to give back with money to homeless people on the street and others that she mistakenly assumes to be just for standing around outside bundled up. Kate attempts to volunteer her time for the less fortunate, but the emotion is too much to handle it. She is in a business of buying and reselling antique furniture, but feels so badly for the people whom she buys from that it begins to affect her reasoning and business sense.

Catherine's husband, Alex is played by Oliver Platt sees no problem with the business they run together as he views it unemotionally (It's not personal, it's business) and even gives Kate an out that she can go do other things if she wants and can't handle it here. He is exasperated with her wishy-washyness and stubborn purchase of occasionally worthless pieces because she felt bad for someone. They work well together as partners, but this added stress makes him seek out an escape. He only has a minor role to play in the course of the film as with Holofcener's other films, this one focuses on women, their viewpoint, and their relationships with others.

Their daughter, Abby played by Sarah Steele has her own issues with being a teenager with bad skin and wants to ally herself with beautiful Mary and embrace her ideals. All she yearns for throughout the movie is a pair of $235 jeans and the way she blows up at her mother when they go shopping or walk down the street is cringe-inducing and sadly accurate to high school mood swings. Abby goes so far as to snatch a bill out of the hand of a street person Kate just donated to under the objection that her mother worries more about perfect strangers than the needs of her own family. Uh...That is an interesting discussion point.

Each character goes on a journey and ends in a different place than where they started, but as far as commentary on the subject of charity and giving, it seems we are being left up to our own discussions without a direct moral message for the audience. I was left with mixed feelings about the film and felt it lacked the focus to really drive home the objective.

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Out of all movie genres, the one I head to first is the independent comedy drama. If it's that kind that also follows a group of characters in interwoven stories, even better. Please Give had Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt, two people who are often in films that I like. So, this movie had lots going for it. In theory. But if I hadn't looked up the writer/director (Nicole Holofcener) in IMDB, I would have thought this film was her first film. Yet, she also did Friends With Money, which I don't remember being so frustrated by. (Don't really remember it much at all, but at least it didn't leave me with a hugely negative memory.)

Please Give just seemed off. For a while, I was trying to figure out the point of scenes. It was like Holofcener took some pre-existing film template and pasted scenes over the template at the appropriate places, yet, did not have the content, point, or continuity through scenes you need to have a story that is worth making. So we have some fairly well-to-do people who make a living by buying furniture from the children of recently deceased elderly people and selling it to other well-to-do people who don't mind paying exorbitant prices for, say, 60's kitsch. Keener's character is beginning to have angst over this state of affairs and Platt's character tells her to get out of the business then. Okay, this is a decent enough setup, but it is not developed at a professional level. It is as if Holofcener believes that ANY 90 minutes of film strung together in scenes that cut between characters qualifies as a movie. But it just ain't so. The scenes themselves need to be interesting and/or funny or SOMETHING and they need to lead somewhere. If I want a story that has very little point I could film my family from, say, 6:15 p.m. to 6:20 p.m., go over to my neighbor's family and film them from 6:20-6:25, and do this with three of my neighbors over a few days until I have 90 minutes of film and then just end the movie. Please Give accomplishes almost this little. Holofcener had SOME kind of idea, something about the angst some people with money have, but she just didn't know how to make it add up to something.

All of the actors do a decent enough job, it's just that they really got sucked into a project that wasn't quite ready for prime time.

Also starring: A likable Rebecca Hall, sneaky Amanda Peet, cute Sarah Steele, unusual Thomas Ian Nicholas, and effective Lois Smith.

2 stars

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This is another movie which has gained a lot of acclaim in 2010. A film about New York, I think would appeal mostly to people living in the big cities but should not prevent you from enjoying it. It deals with six principal characters for most of the movie and their interactions.

Oliver Platt and Catherine Keener are antique art and furniture dealers. They somehow manage to sell furniture, mostly antiques with the help of the living relatives of dead people. Their marriage is great but somehow they have become friends instead of lovers. Platt is okay at with the ethics of the business but Keener is troubled by it, so much that she is forever trying to make amends to get rid of her guilt. They have a daughter who is going through a teenage phase in her life. They had recently purchased an apartment in the building that they have lived in for many years but the only problem is that it is occupied by a woman and her two nieces, who care for her. Over the course of a get together with these people, Platt and Amanda Peet, one of the nieces bond and have an extramarital affair. That really is the gist of the film, and may not appear interesting to many people, but trust me it is. I feel that the director did such a fantastic job in bringing this film from paper to film, that you just have to see it to appreciate. It was a Woody Allen film vibe in this for me, four stars. 11/9/10

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To Catch a Thief (1955)

After reading the gushing, swooning review from the DVD critic in last Tuesday's NY Times, I immediately ordered the "Special Collector's Edition" of TO CATCH A THIEF from Amazon. When it arrived, I compared it to my original Paramount "Widescreen Edition" from 2002. Well, the critic was right--there's simply no comparison. This new version has a 2.0 Dolby Surround soundtrack (in addition to the original mono version) and a cleaned-up, enhanced, crystal-clear picture, start to finish. It looks like they took the drab, blurry, faded old stock and actually washed it, removing years of dirt and grime and smoke and hair and whatever else was there, not to mention a computerized removal of virtually all scratches and glitches. The result is astounding.

As for the color, see for yourself. Pay close attention to the first car chase down the mountain, the meeting in the flower market, and the costume ball near the end. Not to mention the many night scenes on rooftops, where everything is now much more visible than before. And Grant and Kelly? Well, the two most beautiful people who ever lived look even more beautiful. Wait till you see the famous fireworks scene now!

I don't have to tell you that this film is wonderful, no matter which version you have. But I can guarantee you that this newly restored version makes it seem better than ever. If you're as nuts about Hitchcock as I am, it really is worth the upgrade. Enjoy!

Update (11/8/2009): The new To Catch a Thief The Centennial Collection (1955) (2pc) is essentially the same as the 2007 "Special Collector's Edition," with the same upgraded print. This review applies to both editions.

Is there a difference in this latest version of this DVD release? Or is it simply a marketing "repackage"? There is a difference!

In my opinion, the DVD transfer of this "Special Collector's Edition" is far superior to the original DVD release. In a side-by-side comparison, I was amazed to see the job that was performed on this restoration. While, the original DVD contains plenty of dirt, scratches, conversion-related distortion/noise, etc., the Special Collector's Edition looks nearly pristine.

There are plenty of scenes in the movie where I experienced, how can I describe it, the illusion of depth and/or three-dimensional effect.

This version will certainly replace my original copy.

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This travel brochure to adventure and romance is one of Alfred Hitchcock's most entertaining films. The gorgeous vistas of the French Riviera are matched perfectly by the stunning duo of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Robert Burks' cinematography was nominated for an Academy Award and Edith Head gives Grace Kelly the look of an American princess. A fine screenplay from Michael Hayes based on a novel by David Dodge, and a light romantic score from Lyn Murray combine with all the other elements to make this a true film classic.

American John Robie (Cary Grant) has been living well in a beautiful villa on the French Riviera for the past 15 years. Once the most notorious thief in France, the man known as "The Cat" has been quiet for many years. He was in prison during the war when the Germans bombed it. He chose to stay and fight with the French Resistance upon his escape, and became a legend. It led to his parole, which is rather precarious now that a string of jewel robberies mimicking his exact style are occuring on the rooftops of the rich.

The French police want him for it, and his old pals are angry that he's brought them this unwanted attention after all these years. Since the only way to clear himself is to catch the thief himself, he hooks up with an insurance agent whose company is paying out the claims on all the robberies and begins a game of cat and mouse with the thief. The cheese in the trap is the delicious Grace Kelly.

Francie Stevens (Kelly) and her mother, Jessie (Jesse Royce Landis), are vacationing on the Riviera. Robie, posing as a lumber tycoon from Oregon, wants to keep they and their diamonds company until the thief strikes. Francie throws off his game, however, when she learns early on who he really is and displays a wild enthusiasm for helping him steal! Robie isn't there to steal, of course, but has trouble convincing Francie of that when her mother's jewels are stolen. Coming on the heels of a romantic interlude between the two, it is especially insulting.

That evening together is framed beautifully by Hitchcock, cutting back and forth between the fireworks outside on the Riviera and the fireworks going on inside. Kelly is like a playful kitten with a gleam in her eye, and Grant the older cat, who's seen her kind of kitten before and isn't sure he wants to play. There is a wonderful chemistry between the two, who seemed to be made for each other on the screen. A wild ride in her sports car along the coast that has Robie a little worried and a picnic in elegant dress are a treat to watch.

Complicating matters is another sexy kitten, Danielle Foussard (Brigitte Auber). She is the daughter of one of his old pals (Jean Martinelli) and would like nothing better than to run off with Robie to South America. But she is a different kind of kitten, perhaps harder to handle than Francie. When her father is murdered and pegged as the thief, she lashes out at Robie at his funeral. By this time, Francie's wise mom has set her straight about Robie, and together they set a trap for the real thief at a posh costume ball.

It will lead to an exciting and entertaining chase on the rooftops as Robie unmasks the imposter. Since he's enlisted Francie's help this time, he is forced to admit he may not be the lone wolf he thought he was. There is a terrific conclusion as everyone gets what they want, especially the viewer. Look quick for Hitch on the back seat of the bus Grant uses to evade the police! This is elegant escapist entertainment that you can't help but fall in love with. A marvelous film to get lost in on any weekend.

Read Best Reviews of To Catch a Thief (1955) Here

Beautiful, well-casted and a classic romantic, suspenseful thriller from Alfred Hitchcock.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"TO CATCH A THIEF" looks great for a 1955 film on DVD. One thing that Hitchcock really utilized on this film is color. From the beauty of France, set design, costume design. Everything was well done and vibrant. The film looks beautiful and is featured in Widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TV's.

As for the audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital English 2.0 Surround/English, French and Spanish Mono.

As for subtitles, subtitles are in English, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are a good number of special features on the Centennial Collection of "TO CATCH A THIEF" with a few new featurettes plus the previous features included in the 2007 DVD release. The majority of the special features are included on the second disc (commentary on the first disc). Included are:

* Commentary: The Centennial Collection forgoes the original commentary featured on the 2007 DVD by Peter Bogdanovich and Laurent Bouzereau and now features commentary by Dr. Drew Casper, Hitchcock Prof. of American Film at USC who definitely knows his Hitchcock (even Hitchcock's family are surprised with his knowledge for the "A Night With the Hitchcock" events). Casper is passionate about the filming and his commentary is just informative and well-done.

* A Night with the Hitchcock's A new 23-minute featurette filmed on Nov. 2008 at the University of Southern California (USC). The Hitchcock class is one of the most popular classes at the university and the family has come to these events for several years answering questions from students in regards to Alfred Hitchcock as a director and also insight of his family life. Pat Hitchcock (daughter of Alfred Hitchcock), Mary Stone (granddaughter of Alfred Hitchcock) and moderated by Dr. Drew Casper, Hitchcock Prof. of American Film at USC. Very informative and enjoyable to learn about the family life of Alfred Hitchcock.

* Unacceptable Under the Code: Film Censorship in America A new near 12-minute featurette about the strict restrictions imposed on the film industry, this film shows how Alfred Hitchcock would find ways to work around the censorship code.

* Writing and Casting To Catch a Thief A nine minute featurette about the film, the screenplay and casting Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Original featurette from the 2007 DVD release.

* The Making of To Catch a Thief A near 17-minute featurette about the making of the film, shooting in the US at the Paramount lot and shooting in France. Interview with Hitchcock's daughter Mary Stone who gives insight of the film, especially the challenges of filming the kissing and beach scenes which the censorship code wanted eliminated from the film but how Hitchcock created the film to ensure that the scenes stayed in the film. Interviews with production manager Dock Erickson who provides technical insight and using VistaVision. Interviews with Steven DeRosa, author of "Writing with Hitchcock" who shared his knowledge about Hitchcock and interviews with Pat Hitchcock in regards to Edith Head's fashion designs for the film and much more. An original feature used on the 2007 release.

* Behind the Gates: Cary Grant and Grace Kelly A new six minute featurette about the film featuring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and how these two had instant chemistry together on screen.

* Alfred Hitchcock and To Catch a Thief: An Appreciation This seven minute featurette is about the humor of Alfred Hitchcock and how Grace Kelly and Hitchcock were good friends. Mary Stone (Hitchcock's granddaughter) discussing her personal experiences with her grandfather including working with him on a college paper about a film they both enjoyed and getting a C and more. Originally featured in the 2007 DVD release of "TO CATCH A THIEF".

* Edith Head: The Paramount Years A 13-minute featurette featuring Edith Head known for her costumes for "Columbia Pictures" and the many memorable films that she took part in.

* Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer (2:11)

* If You Love To Catch Thief, You'll Love this Interactive Travelogue A segment that allows people to see a map of the French Riviera. When you click on one of the nine cities featured on the map, you get to see parts of the film while a narrator talks about the city and its surroundings.

* Galleries A section to see image galleries for the movie, publicity, visitors to the set and production.

And like previous Centennial Collections from Paramount, a booklet is included with information and tidbits about the film and its stars and also a cardboard slipcase that holds the DVD/case.

JUDGMENT CALL:

There are plenty of Hitchcock films that I would love to see receive a "Centennial Collection" treatment but it'll probably never happen since "TO CATCH A THIEF" is the only Hitchcock film that Paramount still owns (note: the company sold all rights back to Hitchcock in the 1960's which now, the majority of his films are distributed by Universal). But if anything, with this being the sole Hitchcock film owned by Paramount, they really did give an awesome "Centennial Collection" tribute to Alfred Hitchcock with the number of special features included on this DVD. The new features are just great, especially the interviews with his daughter Pat and granddaughter Mary who give us this personal side of Alfred Hitchcock.

"TO CATCH A THIEF" is one of those films that showcase a side of Alfred Hitchcock that doesn't go dark or hardcore into the suspense. In fact, the film is quite beautiful with the amount of cinema work done in France and thus you really get beautiful cinematography during the outdoor scenes.

The chemistry between Cary Grant and Grace Kelly was just well done. Knowing that before Grant took the part, he was set on retirement and felt his career was pretty much done but it was that keen eye of Alfred Hitchcock that wanted these two together and he did what he could to get him to accept the role of John Robie. Grace Kelly, a favorite actress that Hitchcock would have in several of his film (and this film would be her last for him before comitting to her duties as Princess of Monaco) was just absolutely dashing and charming. Both talents just clicked.

Of course, part of the beauty of the film is that it utilized the Technicolor technology, VistaVision for its widescreen shots (Hitchcock's first utilization of the technology in his films) and utilized stereophonic for audio. The film won an Academy Award for "Best Cinematography" and the film is quite deserving. In fact, watching it again, I'm just amazed at the beautiful shots in the film. Well done!

For those who purchased the 2007 DVD, many may wonder if the "Centennial Collection" is worth it? I own the 2007 version but it all depends on the viewer. If the three extra special features and the new commentary are worth it. Personally, I found the added footage and commentary to be well worth it. Dr. Drew Casper's knowledge of Hitchcock is just incredible and his commentary is absolutely well-done and again, "A Night With the Hitchcock's" was just a pleasure to watch. So, yes...this Centennial Collection version is worth it!

Overall, this "Centennial Collection" for "TO CATCH A THIEF" is another solid DVD release for Paramount's collection. Personally, I would love to see these Centennial Collections in Blu-ray but for now, this DVD is just the definitive version to own.

Although, not my favorite Hitchcock film, as I'm more into his more suspenseful and psychological thrillers, I've always enjoyed "TO CATCH A THIEF" for it's overall presentation and the talent involved onscreen but watching this DVD and its special features, it gave me more of an appreciation towards this film.

This film is, to me, is Hitchcock's most passionate and strikingly beautiful looking films that he has ever done so far.

The film is elegant, beautiful and memorable and the many special features included really does give tribute to one of the world's most prolific director's ever.

Alfred Hitchcock fans, "TO CATCH A THIEF CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" is highly recommended!

Want To Catch a Thief (1955) Discount?

"To Catch a Thief" is the 3rd of a quartet of Hitchcock films that starred Cary Grant. This film has just about everything going for it and is a personal favorite of mine, one which I have viewed many times over many years now. I love this movie!

With that said, this review will focus on the actual video and sound quality rather than the film itself so you the reader can decide whether this Blu Ray disc is a good upgrade from your standard VHS or DVD version (of which there are more than a few) .

This film is packaged in an ultra cheapo 'Eco Case' (I HATE them) and mine came with a cardboard slipcover that Paramount defaced with a sticker touting a contest they are running. (thanks Paramount) The disc is a 50Gig with a plain one color/etched surface similar to other Paramount titles.

Simply put, the image quality of "To Catch a Thief" is STUNNING on this Blu Ray transfer. Shot in VistaVision back in 1955 (the year I was born) we are treated here to a visual FEAST. The visuals truly POP with both excellent resolution and vibrant color and much of the time it is so good that a three dimensional effect occurs while watching. I actually experienced depth of field in many scenes to the point where it was almost disorienting at first. Even after reading all the current great reviews for this disc I wasn't fully prepared for what awaited me.

Color timing is spot on. Just GREAT! No encoding artifacts are noticeable and the print itself has been beautifully cleaned and scanned. Yes you will get some grain and softness in the composited shots (rear projection scenes, etc.) but nothing nearly as bad as the effects shots in Ten Commandments on Blu. In motion the transfer shines as well. Things are smooth! I detect no over-usage of sharpening or DNR and there is detail to spare in almost every scene.

Check out the wipsy blonde hair on Grace Kelly's arms, hereto unseen.... The coarse black hair on Cary Grant's knuckles are fully resolved. If only he didn't wear stripes during the first third of the film! (Parallel lines and fog/mist/smoke are the pitfalls of digital and have yet to be properly rendered IMO no matter what player or processor you use to feed your display)

There is one 15 to 20 second moment when the source switches obviously to SD as Cary,Grace and Jessie come down the stairs in their party costumes, blown up and grainy/blurry as heck, then right back to crystal clear. Apparently that one small piece of film was destroyed or badly damaged and they had to substitute this inferior rendering to keep things from becoming choppy and missing a KEY line... otherwise this transfer really doesn't ever drop the ball!

The bit /data transfer rate is VERY high and it shows on screen. My hat is off to the team that prepared this film for Blu Ray. They did a SUPER job!

The best way for me to describe the picture is to say it bests the very best James Bond 'Lowry' restorations from the 60's. Granted by only a few notches, but this transfer bests "From Russia With Love" which is an achievement in itself!

Ok, the picture totally rocks, how about the sound? You get numerous audio options including a good DolbyTruHD Stereo mix which is very good. Also the original MONO is offered in lossless DolbyTruHD as well. I found the MONO to sound very flat and lifeless compared to the reworked Stereo track so I watched using the Stereo option and let my receiver convert it into Dolby ProLogic II for pseudo surround effects. It worked perfectly and sounded great. You can hear everything that is said with ease. With the enhanced resolution you can also notice every time an actor has been dubbed by someone else or by themselves in post production. The music is full of life and more vibrant than I have ever heard it. Lyn Murray's score sounds very much Bernard Herrmann and I had to keep reminding myself it wasn't, but that is a good thing as it fits Hitchcock to a tee!

While not being as noticeably great as the video, the sound on this disc is as good as it could possibly be and I was more than satisfied with it. It is a large step up from the DVD and as good as we will ever get in this lifetime, of that I am sure! Kudos go to the audio engineers for a great job on the soundtrack!

Bonus features abound on this disc and frankly I am surprised they could fit them in with so much space already used by the high bit rate transfer. You get eight documentaries of varying length (some are very short but all are interesting), a commentary by Drew Casper, noted film historian and Hitchcock aficionado, and some great Photo Galleries presented in luscious 1080p which you can capture on your computer for some super wallpapers or prints. Of course the original theatrical trailer has been included as well.

Bottom line, even if this disc contained NONE of the bonus features and shipped in a plain white paper sleeve, I would have gladly paid much more than the current asking price. "To Catch a Thief" on Blu Ray rewards Cary Grant fans for their patience and gives us THE BEST video quality of ANY of his movies currently released. I own them all (Charade, An Affair to Remember, Notorious and North by Northwest) and find it hard to imagine any of his films looking any better than this one does. I would venture to say this is one Blu Ray transfer even Hitchcock would gladly approve of! I know I do! My VERY HIGEST recommendation!

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Death Race (Unrated) (2008)

Death Race (Unrated Edition) (Unrated Edition DVD) was released in 2008-12-21 and contains some scenes which are wasn't in the Theathrical release.

The back cover of DVD tells that there is additional 6 min in Unrated version, but there is no any list of what exactly was added.

Here is the list of these additions made by comparing of two versions. Feel free to correct it.

Only significant changes:

1. Scene at the steel mill where the cops come features Jensen egging them on as they attack his fellow coworkers.

2. Cafeteria scene shows the spit actually hitting Jensen's food. Small scene afterward of Ulrich leading Jensen to the Warden's office, telling him that the Warden punishes prisoners "who mess with her drivers."

3. The fate of Jensen's cell mates. (You don't actually see anything happen, just sound effects)

4. Small 15 second scene of Case giving details on how the buttons work during the race: "All four wheels must hit the button at the same time."

5. The machine guns stop working on the front of the Mustang and Case hangs out the window, hitting them with a wrench as the other cars shoot at her. (Probably the longest scene removed from the theatrical release)

6. A few cuts of Grimm's car interior logrolling before it gets launched into the air.

7. Quick cuts of the napalm flames engulfing Travis Colt before his car blows.

8. When Jensen initially attacks Pachenko, he admits that Hennessey and Ulrich did it, and we see a sort of flashback to him and Ulrich sitting in a car watching Jensen step out of the bus.

9. Case make small talk and asks Jensen what his real name is as the two modified Death Race cars speed across the Terminal Prison bridge.

Nothing really significantly different. A little more extended, but not by much, and nothing really improved upon as far as being more-violent and showing more gore than the theatrical release.

I hate just about every Paul W.S. Anderson film, but he actually pulled this one off. The action scenes are intense, helped by the use of practical effects, rather than CGI overkill. Just wait until you see the tanker truck getting flipped in slow motion. Almost as cool as the semi truck flip in The Dark Knight. Jason Statham is the action star of this decade. The man has muscles everywhere and does the most with his limited acting range. Ian McShane of HBO's Deadwood is given some good lines and is one of the more memorable characters in the movie. I hope he gets more big screen parts in the future. Joan Allen turns in performance I could have never pictured her doing before today, and it worked.

Death race will likely give you a headache with it's shaky camera movements and some of the dialogue could have used some work, but I had a great time. If your of the male gender, the cars, guns, explosions and babes will keep you entertained.

3 and 1/2 out of 5 stars

Buy Death Race (Unrated) (2008) Now

Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. By 2012 the US Economy is completely ruined (guess it doesn't matter who you vote for)

2. Prisons are packed thanks to spiraling unemployment and crime

3. Private corporations run the prisons for profit (Serious business, as there's no money left for a bail-out)

4. Terminal Island Prison runs pay-per-view death races as a fund raiser, using inmates to drive cars tricked out with weapons and armor plating

5. There are no rules except if Warden Hennessey (Joan Allen) says there are

6. Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) is framed for the death of his wife

7. Hennessey makes him an offer he can't refuse

8. He becomes a man in an iron mask, with a killer car (literally), a female navigator (to boost PPV ratings) and a pit crew led by scene stealing Ian McShane.

9. Lots of stunt driving, shooting of big guns and explosions follow, although you really can't tell who's shooting at whom for most of it

10. People die

Typical shoot `em up action movie involving high speed racing in armored cars and lots of bad guys, but with plot holes bigger than those left by the armor-piercing RPG Model 7's.

Statham plays his usual tough guy "Transporter" role, and Tyrese Gibson does everything but sing the Coca Cola jingle as arch rival Machine Gun Joe. They throw in a little inspirational family story to soften it up a little, and a teensy tiny little budding romance with dialogue like:

Jensen Ames: [while driving] Get on my lap.

Case: What?

Jensen Ames: Get on my lap!

Recommended for Statham fans and action movie buffs, but I can't see this one going down as a classic for all time.

Jensen Ames: [to Hennessey] You wanted a monster? Well, you've got one.

Rated: 3.5 stars

Amanda Richards, September 22, 2008

Read Best Reviews of Death Race (Unrated) (2008) Here

I didn't expect much from this movie but I am sure glad I watched it. I was a fan of the campy Roger Corman origional and was glad to see that this movie did not disregard the origional. Jason Statham was excellent as he is in just about all his movies. The guy is the action star of NOW. Joan Allen was very good as the menacing and hot MILF warden. The cars, the guns, and the action were all top notch and this movie is one heck of a fun and action packed movie. Oh, and don't forget the hot babes too!

If you like good nonstop action and good actors wrapped around it climb in start your engine and hang on!

Want Death Race (Unrated) (2008) Discount?

I first saw this movie when it came out in theaters. I am still surprised at how good it actually was. I really didn't want to see it because it looked and sounded so stupid. But my girlfriend drug me to the movies to see it. In my opinion, this movie has all the makings of a good action movie. It has a plot, not much of a plot, but it is there, and its not like everything happens at the beginning and the rest of the movie is just pointless violence, the story actually unfolds between scenes of violence. A small twist here and there. Hot girls, good special effects. And the best part, no sex scene. I hate sex scenes in action movies, especially long drawn out ones, its a waste of time and is only put there because they wanted to make the movie longer so they inserted a scene that has no plot value whatsoever, but why have plot when you can have boobs? I'm sorry but i'm not going to pay $9 a person to watch someone else get laid.

The setting of the movie is a little farfetched but somewhat realistic. Bad economy, the country is failing, there aren't enough taxes to keep the prison system running, so the prisons are bought out by private companies. The game Death Race is created as a way to get rich and as an alternative to the death penalty. A simple yet creative idea.

There is a lot of violence with blood and gore. However, it is focused moreso on the action and violence than the blood and gore. Meaning the blood and gore is only there to compliment the action, so they didn't rely on the blood and gore to make the movie.

Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson are both good actors and they both fit their parts well. A working class white guy whose employer had to shut down, gets framed and goes to prison where he gets drug into playing the game and slowly uncovers the plot to milk him for all of the money he is worth by the greedy female warden. Then a black guy who has been in prison and has been playing the game for a long time, he is determined to be the best and win his freedom but always gets the shaft, once again thanks to the greedy female warden.

Plot, action, violence, good special effects, good acting, no wasting your time with a boring love story. After listing all of those things I have just realized that this movie is the polar opposite of the Twilight series. So, if you are like me and hate the Twilight saga because it is nothing but a bunch of emotional crap aimed at, like, teenage girls who can, like, so relate to, like, having a vampire boyfriend. And you believe that vampire movie without violence is like a car without an engine, you can get into it if you want to be its not like your gonna go anywhere with it, Death Race might be a good movie for you.

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Kiki's Delivery Service[Blu-ray] (1989)

I used to believe that Anime was nothing but sex and violence -stuff for grown-ups only. However, I take it back. And I owe it to this cute little gem called KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE that really turned me around for the better. It introduced me to arguably one of the greatest animators of all time, Hayao Miyazaki, who happens to be dubbed as the Walt Disney of Japan. Having since seen virtually ALL of his films, from CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO to SPIRITED AWAY, I can see why he is such a highly acclaimed artist -his works (and I mean every one of them) are a stroke of genius.

KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE may have been my first real exposure to Miyazaki, but this happens to be the director's fifth film, which was the highest grossing movie of its year in Japan. Adapted from a children's book by Eiko Kadono (which is to be released in America as of this writing), the film is not a typical good-versus-evil conflicted, dysfunctional story but a gentle, character-driven story with endearing characters, beautiful artistry, and a strong, positive message about confidence and independence that are quite encouraging for all, from the youngest of children to the oldest at heart. (On a side note, it persuaded me to get some exercise! The "fat, fat, FAT!!!" line did it for me.)

The story is about 13-year old Kiki, an adorable witch-in-training, who, on one moonlit night, leaves her hometown to seek her independence and fortune. She's accompanied by her wisecracking and hilarious pet black cat, Jiji, and a little wobbly when it comes to takeoffs and landings while maneuvering her broomstick. Kiki arrives at a luxurious town with an ocean view where she eventually finds work at a bakery run by the generous Osono and her silent, gruff husband. There, she starts a high-flying delivery service which opens up many new relationships for the budding witch -including a friendly painter, Ursula, a kind old woman, Madame, and a boy named Tombo, who dreams of flying.

The above synopsis may sound dull, but KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE certainly is not. It is a joy to watch from start to finish as we see Kiki slowly grow up and learn to have faith in herself, especially when her powers begin to fade away toward the end of the movie. It's engrossing enough to keep one's attention and there are a number of tear-jerking moments that make it more than just a movie. This is a characteristic you'll only be able to find in Miyazaki, and KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE "delivers" a wonderful movie which shows that movies don't have to be about overcoming evil or action-packed or angst-ridden to be entertaining.

In 1996, Disney struck a deal with Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki's studio, to distribute the director's movies worldwide. KIKI was their first release. It proved to be a very successful release when it was released to video on September of 1998; it sold over a million copies in the US a record for any Anime video. But since then, the movie has been out of print, and there was never a DVD release. Recently, however, Disney has given this movie its first ever DVD release in America (debuting alongside CASTLE IN THE SKY and SPIRITED AWAY).

The movie was originally dubbed into English by Carl Macek of Streamline Pictures, but Disney redubbed the movie when they struck a deal with Miyazaki's Studio Studio Ghibli (for worldwide distribution of his movies, starting with this) with an all-star cast whose performances hold up well even today. Thirteen-year-old Kirsten Dunst is perfect as Kiki, eliciting just the right touch of cuteness, spunkiness, independence, and poignancy to her role. The other actors, which include Debbie Reynolds (Madame), Tress MacNeille of TINY TOONS and ANIMANIACS fame (Osono), Jeanane Garofolo (Ursula), and Matthew Lawrence (Tombo), give similarly superb performances. Of the actors, however, it is the late Phil Hartman's witty, sarcastic take on Jiji that steals the show. He added in some new dialogue and proved to be so good at his role that he actually expanded the character. I swear, I just cannot get enough laughs every time I hear his lines. ("First, don't panic! Second, don't panic! And THIRD, did I mention not to panic?!?") The opening and ending songs were replaced by two gorgeous, rollicking numbers from Sydney Forest, but even they seem to suit the story wonderful. In fact, I find myself bouncing to them every time they pop up over the opening and closing credits of the show.

Recently, however, Disney has given KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE a second DVD edition, which offers a lot more extras than its previous edition did (there's newly recorded interviews with Miyazaki and a half-hour long documentary on the locations Miyazaki and his staff visited in order to get ideas for the film's settings). Controversially, though, the new edition also makes some significant edits to the English dub--all the extra dialogue for the dub is gone (which includes much of Hartman's one-liners for Jiji: although one of them omitted--the last in the film which alters an important plot point--is beneficial), and so are the Forest songs. In fact, the entire sound mix has been reverted to the original Japanese music and sound effects, but the vocals aren't as well mixed--there are times when the actors sound like they're talking into a fan. Whether the extras warrant a double-dipping of this revised special edition is up to the customer.

Face it: any kids' video you buy will be watched over and over, mostly in your presence. You want to choose carefully, since you will be spending so much quality time with this video. Kiki's Delivery Service won't disappoint you. This sweet, gentle movie is a coming-of-age story about Kiki, a 13-year-old witch-in-training. As part of said training, she is required to spend a year away from home practicing her craft. Her subsequent adventures are the subject of this endearing film by Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki. The animation is splendid, the casting mostly inspired (Kirsten Dunst, Janeane Garofalo, Debbie Reynolds, and even the late Phil Hartman as the voice of Kiki's companion cat). Unlike the standard Disney fare, this movie has no violence, no sex, no profanity, and not even a dysfunctional family.

The themes of Kiki's Delivery Service are noble ones. There are far worse ways to spend a few hours (or a few dozen) than watching a young girl make friends and gain self-confidence, especially one as appealing as Kiki. Buy yourself an extra copy of this video. When you wear the first one out watching it by yourself, you'll need the spare to placate the kids.

Buy Kiki's Delivery Service[Blu-ray] (1989) Now

It's great that Americans are finally discovering the dazzling animation of Japanese genius Hayao Miyazaki (whose film "Spirited Away" won the award for Best Animated Film in 2003), and that Disney has started to release excellent DVD editions of his films with both Japanese and English language options. Miyazaki's 1989 film "Kiki's Delivery Service" ("Majo no takkyubin" in Japanese; literally "Witch's Express Mail") is his most easily accessible and the best place to start in watching his movies. "Kiki's Delivery Service" is an honest-to-goodness `family' film. Children will adore it, and adults will find themselves enchanted with its charm, delightful characters, and the sheer beauty of the animation. I once watched the film with a room of twenty and thirty year-olds, a few young children, and an 84 year-old woman, and everybody LOVED it and cheered the heroine on at the end. Simply put, there are few films out there that are as loveable and likable as this.

In terms of story, it's an odd film: there's not much in the way of `plot.' The film depends strongly on its heroine and the way she learns from the world and the people around her as she grows up. Kiki is a thirteen-year-old witch in training who leaves her home to start her required period of living on her own to discover her talents. Kiki and her cat sidekick Jiji jet out on her broom to a city (vaguely European, with traces of Paris, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam) and settle down at a friendly baker's shop, where Kiki establishes her own broom-powered delivery service (look out, Fed-Ex!). The story follows her troubles and joys, such as her friendship with a local boy inventor Tombo, her meeting with nature-loving artist Ursula, the tricks and difficulties of making deliveries, and the possible loss of her powers when she starts to lose belief in herself. It all climaxes in a thrilling action sequence that Superman would be proud of.

The movie leaps from wonderful sequence to wonderful sequence: Kiki's passionate farewell to her parents, her first flight over the city, Tombo's wild ride on his experimental flying bike, a dangerous flight through a flock of birds, the action-packed finale, and the many terrific meetings between Kiki and other charming characters. Watching Kiki learn and grow will have an affect on children young and old: everybody can take something away from the lessons Kiki learns about herself. And of course, the animation is dazzling; not only the sweeping visuals, but the nuances of the characters' expressions and movements.

The DVD offers the film in English and Japanese (oh, and Spanish too). If you watch the film in Japanese, you have the choice to watch it with two different sets of subtitles. One set is a literal translation of the Japanese script. The second are taken directly from the English version, and therefore have a distinctly "American" feel to them. I recommend when watching the Japanese version to stick with the literal subtitles. Since the English dub of the film often adds extra lines to characters (especially Jiji), it can be confusing to see subtitles pop up when nobody is speaking.

The Americanized dubbed version, however, is fantastic as well, and done with great respect and intelligence. The voice cast is superb: Kirsten Dunst as Kiki, Janeane Garofola as Ursula, and Debbie Reynolds as sweet old Miss Dora. But the scene-stealer is the late Phil Hartman as Kiki's smart-aleck cat companion, Jiji. Hartman is hysterical in every scene, totally nailing down the character, and his performance is a bittersweet reminder of what a great comedian we lost with his premature death. If you're going to watch the film with children or a large, general group of people, stick with the English version. It's quite an achievement, and just as enjoyable as the Japanese version.

There are some extras, although a lot less than you would expect for a 2-DVD set. John Lassiter (director of "Toy Story") introduces the film, and there's a short documentary about the English language actors. The second disc contains the whole film in storyboard and rough sketch form: this will really only be of interest to animators and hardcore Miyazaki fans.

Every family should have "Kiki's Delivery" service in their library, although the adults may find themselves returning to it as much as the children; and it's a great introduction to Miyazaki. Make sure you also watch "Castle in the Sky," "Spirited Away," and "Princess Mononoke" (the last one isn't really for kids, however).

Read Best Reviews of Kiki's Delivery Service[Blu-ray] (1989) Here

Hayao Miyazaki (better known in America for "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away") produced "Kiki's Delivery Service" before either of those films, and by their standards, it might seem tame. However, I rank this at the top of the list of children's films I have seen (a long list, with a 3 year old!), for a myriad of reasons. It is appropriate for even the youngest kids, although its gorgeous animation style and well-paced story will keep adults intrigued as well.

The 13 year old witch Kiki must, in accordance with tradition, set out for a year on her own to hone a special witching skill. She departs her hometown and her family with her best friend, the traditional black cat Jiji, and finds herself in a seaside city that is reminiscent of both Europe and Japan. This acultural locale is just the first of dozens of breathtaking imaginative achievements; Kiki faces trials along the way that are neither fantastical nor pedestrian. If you accept Miyazaki's universe at its face value, nothing that happens in the film seems the least bit unlikely.

Owning the film on DVD really opened my eyes both to the incredible detail in the art, and to the original film as compared to its Disney-produced American version. Kirsten Dunst and Phil Hartman provide the voices of Kiki and Jiji in the American version, and they both do extremely well but the "traveler and sidekick" Disney formula has been applied to something where it did not originally exist! I saw the film first on the Disney channel and thoroughly enjoyed Hartman's performance as the somewhat neurotic Jiji. However, the DVD contains the original Japanese language track with English subtitles, and the Jiji of Miyazaki's film is a calm and sparingly-employed counterfoil to Kiki's experiences. Note how rarely Jiji is in the frame when Hartman is speaking, or the occasional cases where Jiji speaks but his mouth does not move all additions of Disney.

One of the most beautiful things about this film in its original version is its willingness to be silent to be about a young girl and her cat, alone in a new place, without a constant patter of dialogue. They are allowed to simply "be". Later adaptations of Miyazaki's work for American audiences have been more respectful of this element of his stories. Finally, with this DVD, we have the opportunity to see Kiki as she was meant to be seen.

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As a fan of Japanese animation in general, I own alot of anime movies that are not child friendly. Being the mother of 2, I wanted to find an anime that would expose my children to the beauty and wonder of Japanese style animation, but with a story that had appropriate content for thier ages. Kiki's Delivery Service does that.

It's a wonderful story about a young girl who happens to be a witch. It's about how she must discover herself, through the kindness of others, and find that her strength and confidence come from within, not from her magic.

This is a truely magical story, with stunning animation. If you've never seen the original Japanese version, you won't miss anything. Having never seen the original version, my children and I have fallen in love with this movie, and never tire of watching it. And as an added bonus, unlike American made animated flicks which only give you an hour and a half, Kiki's Delivery Service is a full two hours of quality entertainment!

Enjoy!!!

An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) (1981)

1981 was The Year of the Werewolves...the furry fiends leaped onto movie screens in three major films: "The Howling," "Wolfen," and the classic of the genre, "An American Werewolf in London." There has never been a greater werewolf film, there has never been a better transformation scene, and few horror movies can match the entertaining mixture of humor and scares that writer/direction John Landis ("Animal House," "The Blues Brothers") achieved here.

Although there had been humor in horror films before this movie, "An American Werewolf in London" showed once and for all that having comedy in a horror film didn't mean that the film would lose out in the scare department. Landis makes it clear that the film is NOT a comedy -the horror scenes are carried with dead-seriousness and shocking impact -but there is so much quirky humor surrounding these scenes that the film becomes incredibly likable and buoyant. Most of the laughs come from seeing the old movie werewolf premise dropped into the modern day and watching the characters try to deal with it.

Actors Griffin Dunne and David Naughton, neither of whom had been in a movie before, create a wonderful 'ordinary guy' feeling to their characters of two young American boys backpacking through Europe. In rural England, they have a nasty encounter with a legendary monster, and Naughton faces the consequences of being bitten when he returns to London and takes up living with a pretty nurse (Jenny Agutter).

The transformation scene is justly famous and a milestone in visual effects. Make-up wizard Rick Baker lets the viewers watch a real-time twisting of a human body into a wolf shape: limbs stretch, snouts pop, hair grows, the body contorts...it's amazing to watch. (And on DVD, you can watch it over and over and over again). Even computer graphics can't achieve an effect as startling as this one.

This DVD offers some nice extras. The image is good, and the 5.1 Surround Sound is decent (although there's not a lot of back speaker sound). Actors Naughton and Dunne do feature commentary on the film, and provide some interesting information and sound as if they were having a great time reliving the experience. I wish that Landis had been on the commentary as well, but you can hear his thoughts on the film in an 18-minute interview. Landis is an absolute hoot to listen to; the guy is as funny as his movie, and he absolutely bursts with ideas and observations. To go along with the Landis interview is an 11-minute interview with make-up maestro Rick Baker. He provides a fascinating look at crafting what he calls "the coolest werewolf film ever made." Also included is a vintage featurette on the making of the film, although it's only about five minutes long (but you get more of wise-cracking John Landis), ten minutes of archival footage of Baker making a cast of David Naughton's hand, and an assortment of storyboards, outtakes, and production photos.

"An American Werewolf in London" is a major turning point in horror films and visual effects -and even over twenty years later, it is still one of the most entertaining movies of its decade. It hasn't aged at all, and this DVD lets you experience it the way it should be seen (and in the company of wild-man John Landis!)

An American Werewolf in London is probably the best Werewolf flick since Lon Chaney Jr originally transformed under the full moon. Sure, the film is almost 30 years old, but with the new high def transfer it's hard to tell.

As an avid DVD buyer my transition to the Blu-ray media has been a little slow to say the least. I'm generally only buying new titles and am very stubborn when it comes to double dipping on titles I already own. Some companies take the cheap route and just slap an upscaled transfer onto a Blu-ray in order to make some fast cash. This however, is completely worth re buying.

I'll be honest, the first time I saw this film was when it was originally released on DVD back in the late 90's . I instantly fell in love with the movie. Everything about it was perfect, the humor, the scares, the sfx, the amazing soundtrack. It's very rare to find a movie that so perfectly combines horror and comedy, a film with characters you truly care for. This is a movie that sticks with you, one of the better horror comedies, one of the best werewolf films.

The transfer is great, crystal clear. It's as if it was filmed a few years ago. The audio has great as well, the film has never looked or sounded this good.

The extras for the most part were transfered over from the original 2001 DVD, but the best extra comes in the form of a feature length documentary called "Beware the Moon." The documentary covers everything from conception, to filming, to the somewhat negative reception it got when it was originally released.

It's a pity more movies don't get the kind of treatment.

Buy this disc immediately!

Buy An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) (1981) Now

This is one of the few movies that have consistently given me nightmares since I was a child. It is at least a decade ahead of its time. Most of the negative criticisms that I have read use the word "uneven" a lot. Even Roger Ebert, whom I admire, claimed that the humor and the horror were an uneasy mix. This was years before he gave the movie Scream a positive review. Now I LIKE the movie Scream, but there is no way that one can claim that it gets the balance right whereas Werewolf gets it wrong. Scream simply benefits from occurring in the cynical nineties Werewolf suffers from being avant guard. .

The new DVD has a few good extras on it especially a new interview with Landis. Even after all these years, the film still holds up. Unlike most films, I see more things in it the more I look. What, for instance, is up with the townsfolk of East Proctor and what is their relationship with the original werewolf? My guess they brought it on themselves somehow. Maybe one of their own ran over a gypsy and was cursed. Instead of killing the bloke, they all decide to hide beneath the pentangle in The Slaughtered Lamb every full moon.

I am recently returned from England and this movie is listed in Fodor's as one of the films that best showcases London. I heartily agree. I visited the infamous tube stop at Tottenham Court Road and it still looks much the same as when the David made his kill there. And as I walked, alone in the countryside, beneath the light of the full moon, I had to ask myself, "Am I crazy?" Fortunately, I made it to the pub. There I waited, beneath the pentangle, for my friends to walk me home.

Read Best Reviews of An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) (1981) Here

With all due respect to some of the other reviewers, they are obviously not writing about the Full Moon Edition BD, which was issued in 2009. I'm writing about this specific BD version.

I also own the HD-DVD version and it is quite good. In fact, several of the extras that are on this BD issue were also on the HD-DVD version. But with the BD you also get an additional interview with Rick Baker as he talks about his experiences from the making of the movie, plus a documentary titled "Beware the Moon". This latter feature is worth the price of the BD by itself.

So, how's the quality of the transfer? Pretty darned good, I'd say. Certainly the best that's ever been available. It is noticeably better than the HD-DVD transfer and the sound has either been remixed or improved in some way. The DTS 5.1 sound is perhaps not as good as some films, but it's a lot better than it was on the HD-DVD or standard DVD.

As for the film itself...what can I say? This continues to be one heck of a ride for the viewer. Everytime I mention this film to someone, they describe an experience they had when they first viewed it. (When I received this BD edition from Amazon, I showed it to one of my younger co-workers. Without any prompting he said, "I couldn't sleep for two weeks after I saw that on TV.")

What it will probably boil down to is, should you go ahead and buy this Full Moon Edition BD to replace your old HD-DVD or DVD? Heck, yeah! What are you waiting for? It's worth every penny.

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That's the way this film was advertised when it came out in 1981, in the classic Universal monster sense "a monster movie." As a child of divorce, I had a weekend Dad that would take my sister and me to any movie regardless of rating (well, within limits) and this one scared us silly. I remember sitting in the theater and watching the transformation (having seen Lon Chaney Jr.'s transformation in "The Wolf Man" I was familiar with the lineage of the genre and the example this film had to live up to... having seen "The Howling" later (not much later, as the films nearly competed with each other theatrically) I was a huge fan of Rob Bottin and his mentor, Rick Baker (not to mention the late, great Dick Smith and the master of splatter, Tom Savini), I was just glued to the screen during one of the coolest effects of all time, just awed by what was happening, and just freaked at the believability of it all when compared to the stop-motion transformation of the Chaney makeup) not to mention the scene with David Naughton ("be a Pepper! Drink Dr. Pepper!) and Jenny Agutter in bed (not to mention the shower)... yowza! (Well, I was 11).

The only thing that's ever bugged me about this film is the lack of what's supposed to be a supremely gory scene that Landis cut out because it overwhelmed the scene that came after it (supposedly, audiences were so grossed out and shocked that they babbled through the entire dialogue scene that followed David waking up in the wolf's pen at the zoo): the scene was the expanded murders of the bums by the dock, and I don't think it makes it to this new DVD version of the film (which is a bummer, because the expanded gore in Verhoven's Robocop (Criterion edition) actually plays better than the MPAA approved version).

In any case, this is a truly great "monster movie" in every sense of the word... it's gross, funny, sexy, exploitative in many ways (the book "Splatter Movies" calls it gore porn), truly a Landis film by dint of it's "in" jokes and orgy of automotive mayhem, and it offers great acting and casting (even in small roles like the Pakistani shift worker at the hospital and the punks on the London Underground). Just an all-around fun movie, with truly amazing, and Oscar-winning effects (still looking awesome and believable... nothing digital comes close!! I'll say it again: digital just ain't there yet... the transformation looks bone crunching, painful, horrific, and stretches the imagination in more ways than one). Bottom line, I've waited for this damn DVD forever... the first edition DVD was slop and went out of print so fast, I was lucky to find a video store copy to rent. No extras on that one... but this one is the one to own.

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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Remastered) (2010)

With many fans disappointed following the release of the third "Star Trek" film in 1984, "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock", Paramount Pictures produced one of the best "Star Trek" films of all time in 1986: "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home". Returning to the director's chair for what was only his second directorship of a big-screen motion picture was Leonard Nimoy, but this time, Nimoy had much better material to work with from the films many writers. Nimoy (who actually took on-screen credit for writing) worked with returning writer Harve Bennett to write a brilliant story, and Bennett worked on the screenplay along with three additional writers: Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes and Nicholas Meyer (who directed the highly successful "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn" in 1982). Under the watchful eye of Gene Roddenberry, these men were able to recapture the spirit of the original "Star Trek" television series more than any other preceding or proceeding "Star Trek" film.

Having restored Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) life via the Genesis planet and a return to the planet Vulcan during the third film, the crew of the lost U.S.S. Enterprise now waits on Vulcan for repairs on their captured Klingon scout-class ship, as well as for Spock to retrain his mind, before returning to Earth to face various charges for having disobeyed orders. The crew includes Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Commander Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott (James Doohan), Commader Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Commander Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). The Klingons are also very angry with Kirk as expressed by the Klingon Ambassador (John Schuck) to the Federation President (Robert Ellenstein) in front of the full Federation Council, but the cool logic of Vulcan Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard) prevails. While on Vulcan, Spock gets to spend time with his human mother, Amanda (Jane Wyatt, who once played his mother in the 1967 "Star Trek" television series episode "Journey to Babel"). Also, a brief appearance is made by Lt. Saavic (Robin Curtis), who unfortunately never returns in any other "Star Trek" film. With their Klingon ship ready for departure, Spock and his Enterprise shipmates begin their voyage to Earth; but unknown to them, a bizarre space probe also en route for Earth has been wreaking havoc on any ship that approaches it. Arriving at Earth first, the probe turns Earth's atmosphere into chaos as it waits for a signal that the Federation cannot discern. Receiving a planetary distress call from Earth, Spock identifies what the probe wants: communication with long extinct whales. To save Earth, Kirk makes the decision for them to travel back in time to bring back whales to the present.

"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" has more memorable scenes than could be mentioned here, but some of the best include: McCoy's conversations with Spock, the crew on the streets of twentieth-century San Francisco, Uhura and Chekov looking for nuclear vessels, McCoy and Scotty visiting the production facility, Kirk & Spock on a city bus, Kirk & Spock's conversations with Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), Kirk's dinner with Gillian, and McCoy with Kirk & Gillian at the city hospital. Everyone's acting (including Shatner) was very good for this film, but what makes this film stand out from the rest is the emphasis on all of the original crew members. Each of the crew members have time on screen, contribute to the story and have a reasonable amount of dialog. Other familiar "Star Trek" characters have cameos in the film: Dr. Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) and Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney). Another cast member in this film who later plays a pivotal role in the sixth "Star Trek" film is Admiral Cartwright (Brock Peters).

Overall, my rating of for "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" is a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. This film, along with the 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn" and the later 1996 film "Star Trek VIII: First Contact", are the three best films ever made of the franchise; but this film will always stand out as being the most humorous, having the best & most memorable dialog and having the greatest spirit of the three. I highly recommend it to everyone who, in any form, has liked "Star Trek".

Star Trek IV The Voyage Home, in my opinion, is clearly one of the best out of the TOS six. Although not as high in the suspense aspect, like Leonard Nimoy says, it was good to lighten up a bit and have a good time with Star Trek. While other reviewers might feel the humurous aspects of this film wearout after repeated viewings. I understand that statement, but don't feel the same. I can still get a laugh out of these scenes even though I've seen them more times than I can remember. I especially love the scene with Scotty being handed a mouse and him trying to talk to it. Again, one of the best Star Trek films out of the original six. If you're one of the few people who've not seen this or are new to the genre, I definitely suggest you add this DVD to your collection.

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Who cares if it's the best Trek movie or not? If you've been watching the special features on the past three special edition DVDs, you know that the best part of them is Shatner's comments on the movies. He's a nutbar and immensely entertaining because of it. I can't wait to hear him on a commentary track for the whole movie. That's why I'm going to buy this thing. And that's why I can't wait for the special edition of the next one (IT'S THE ONE HE DIRECTED HIMSELF!!!). This is a must own for anyone with a morbid sense of humor and curiosity.

Read Best Reviews of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Remastered) (2010) Here

I was completely astounded by the quality of this DVD. This is the first time Paramount has used a dual-layered disc for the "Star Trek" films. The quality is 2 times better than the other Trek DVDs because they use 2 times the data. It's unfortunate that Paramount didn't have the foresight to use dual layered discs for their other Trek DVDs. Popping this DVD in the player was like watching the movie for the first time. The sound quality and picture quality is absolutely flawless. The quality of the transfer is remarkable. I've been use to watching the film on fuzzy VHS and poor quality broadcasts, so this was an exciting discovery for me. I can't wait for the ST III to come out on DVD, I'm sure the film quality will also be a big improvement. Go buy this DVD, you haven't seen this film until you buy it.

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Star Trek IV Review

With the success of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, writer-producer Harve Bennett and director Leonard Nimoy were given the green light by Paramount to wrap up the storyline that began with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. There were several plot strands left to tie up, after all, what with Spock having to be re-educated and Kirk and his crew facing a court-martial for the actions they took in the rescue of their half-Vulcan comrade.

Set barely three months after the events of the third film, Star Trek IV opens with a mysterious alien probe cruising toward the Terran system. Its passage immobilizes any starship it passes as it inexorably makes its way to Earth.

Meanwhile, on Vulcan, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) hurriedly undergoes retraining of his mind. In a wonderfully written scene, the former Enterprise science officer breezes through the quizzes a computer tosses at him until he is stumped by the question "How do you feel?"

Spock's human mother, Amanda (Jane Wyatt, reprising her role from The Original Series' "Journey to Babel") hears the computer repeating the question over and over and sidles over to her son. "What's wrong?"

"I do not understand the question, Mother," says a puzzled Spock.

Amanda explains that the retraining of Spock's mind has been in the Vulcan way, but that the computer knows that Spock is half-human, and that his feelings will surface. Spock is skeptical about the concept of having human emotions (since in the series he strived to be more Vulcan-than-thou), but his mother explains that he is alive at that moment because his friends acted out of their emotional nature, disregarding the "logic" of simply obeying Starfleet orders and refraining from fetching Spock from the Genesis planet.

On Earth, the Klingon ambassador (John Schuck) warns the Federation that there will be no peace while Kirk remains alive and unpunished for stealing the Klingon Bird-of-Prey and defeating its crew (preventing Cmdr. Kruge from obtaining the secrets of Genesis). The Federation president promises there will be a court martial, but the Klingons scoff at this.

Even as the Enterprise crew aboard their stolen Klingon vessel races home to face the consequences of their actions, the alien probe arrives. Sending a signal to Earth's ocean, it disrupts the planet's climate, causing chaos and world-wide disasters.

The Voyage Home had a tortuous development. At first, the original screenplay by Peter Krikes and Steve Meerson focused on a time travel story tailor-made for guest star Eddie Murphy. Fans heard about this and as with the death of Spock and the destruction of the Enterprise protested. Paramount also resisted the idea of mixing two of the studio's franchises, so Murphy and Star Trek never did mix. There was also some nasty behind-the-scenes wrangling about the screenplay, because the Krikes-Meerson version was heavily rewritten by Nicholas Meyer and Harve Bennett an incident overlooked in the documentaries and commentaries. Eventually the original writers won shared credit for the screenplay, and The Voyage Home was released in the summer of 1986. Notably, this more light-hearted film had major crossover appeal, charming not only Star Trek fans, but also wider audiences.

With its clever script and wonderful mix of sci-fi adventure, social commentary, comedy, romance, and drama, Star Trek IV became the most popular entry of the 10 movies made between 1979 and 2002.

This Collector's Edition offers one disc with the theatrical cut of the movie, enhanced with a new menu, Dolby surround sound, a commentary track by director Leonard Nimoy and actor William Shatner, plus a text commentary by Star Trek Encyclopedia authors Mike and Denise Okuda. The second disc comes with the usual documentaries, interviews, and the theatrical trailer.

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