Point of No Return / Domino / The Long Kiss Goodnight (Triple Feature) (2006)

I'm not going to review or rate the movies, that's what IMDB is for.

As far as the product itself: The quality is good. I like it that they take up less space in this format though it does make it harder to organize your DVDs. Even if you don't happen to love all 3 movies it's still a really good price.

The 5 stars is for the product, not the movies. (They would all rate differently, of course.)

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2001: A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining (2012)

There is much discussion elsewhere on each of these films in terms of plot summary, meaning, and value so I won't get into that. My reviews are strictly regarding the transfer from Standard Definition to Blu Ray for all 3 films. Surprising to me is that the transfers are pretty much even across the board from film to film. You will find that my reviews for all 3 become pretty much redundant.

The Shining displays a beautiful video transfer with natural colorizations showing off Kubrick's wonderful lens craft and cinematography. There was no unnatural grain, artifacts or aliasing to be found. The video transfer was exceptionally done. The film begins to play as soon as you put the disc in and the audio defaults to a lossy DD 5.1 . You will need to go to the menu to switch the audio to PCM 5.1 lossless audio. It does make a big difference. However, the audio transfer really only uses the front stage and there is very little use of any discreet audio to either the rear channels or from the LFE channel. The front stereo separation is good but, except for the film's music score, this is still a dialogue driven film so don't expect much from your surround system. The video transfer remains the star. The movie is getting on in years but it holds up and has legs, wish they had put as much effort into remastering the audio as they did with the fine video transfer.

2001: Space Odyssey.....Again, this disc shows off an excellent video transfer as well. No grain that I could detect and no problems with any of the video transfer. It is clear to me that they put some time in remastering the video before the reformat to Blu Ray. Once again, the audio ( PCM lossless 5.1) is left in the corner with almost no use whatsoever of the surround channels or LFE channel. The wonderfully classic soundtrack is evenly spread across your front channels with good separation but the LFE and discreet channels are left by the wayside. Remember to go to the menu as it defaults to DD 5.1 lossy. While this film was groundbreaking in its time and many went to see it stoned out of their gourd in '69, I don't feel as if the film holds up. It did feel dated to me. No hate mail please.

A Clockwork Orange....I warned that there would be some redundancy. The video transfer is excellent all around. No issues on the video transfer at all. Very well done. The audio transfer defaults, like the others, to DD5.1 so going right away to the menu to change it to PCM 5.1 is necessary. The audio levels are all well balanced, as they were with the other two movies, but, once again, the front stage is used primarily for the soundtrack which provided a clear separation of instrumentations. However, there is no use of the rear channels for any discreet foley FX and almost nothing from the LFE channel. This film is still as powerful as when it was first release and will probably remain so for many decades to come.

All 3 Blu Ray discs come with plenty of supplementary extras and all come with a large variety of language choices. The extras, I found to be worthwhile and interesting..most dated at 2007. None of the discs, all packaged separately (2 of them on back to back plastic holders) contained any deleted scenes but, thankfully, there were no advertisement trailers for other movies either.

For me personally, I am glad to have this set, especially so because of The Shining and Clockwork Orange.

All my movie reviews are of this nature and focus only on the quality of the transfer to BluRay so check them and see if they are of help as well.

Hopefully, this review has been of some help to you in determining your purchase, hope I am on the correct path with a review of the transfer quality as opposed to providing plot summaries.

Thanks

Stanley Kubrick can be a tough director to love -he had a cold and clinical approach to filmmaking, and his long shots often put people off. He was a true auteur though, and his influence can be seen in modern filmmaking today (Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson are some high-profile examples). This Blu-Ray collection is a nice sampler of Kubrick's work: it contains some of his best work, and it's an ideal purchase for anyone interested in understanding why Stanley Kubrick is such a heralded name in cinema.

This Blu-Ray collection include three of Stanley Kubrick's most influential films: 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. The Blu-Ray editions of these movies are a greatly marked improvement of many of the DVD transfers that were published in the 90's and 00's. From what I can tell, these transfers seem to be the exact same ones that you would see if you bought these Blu-Rays standalone. Great news, right? Buying this collection means you can save some money without sacrificing the high-definition quality that seems to come with a lot of these multi-pack movie collections. These movies contain the same special features as their standalone counterparts as well.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a gorgeous and groundbreaking film that documents the loneliness, terror, and emptiness of space. 2001 follows a group of astronauts that venture into space once a mysterious obelisk appears on a distant moon. It turns out that potential alien contact might be the least of the astronauts' worries: someone (or something) else onboard the ship represents an even greater threat. This might be the least accessible of the three movies: it's pretty long, and many of the shots used don't contain dialog (or action) for several minutes at a time. It's a great movie to get lost in, but it's not exactly Saturday-night-popcorn material. Still, it's a must-watch for film-buffs.

A Clockwork Orange follows Alex DeLarge, a sociopath in a near-future Britain. DeLarge is a hedonistic and selfish creature that spends time torturing others for his own amusement. Once he's caught, he's forced into rehabilitation -based on Anthony Burgess's novel, the movie deals with themes like morality, free will, and intention. A Clockwork Orange was much more shocking when it first debuted decades ago in theaters; today, some of the violence that is put on display might appear tame by today's standards.

The Shining is an adaptation of Stephen King's novel: Jack Torrance is looking for a burst of creative inspiration so he takes a job as a groundskeeper at a remote inn in Colorado. Torrance is in charge of watching over the hotel in its offseason -he brings his family along to the hotel, and it isn't long until strange and mysterious things start happening to the abandoned, deserted inn. The Shining is easily my favorite horror movie of all time, and quite possibly my favorite movie of all time. Like 2001 and A Clockwork Orange, it's beautifully shot and staged, and Jack Nicholson's lead performance is worth the price of admission alone.

So who is this triple feature for? I would recommend this Blu-Ray pack to anyone looking to learn more about Stanley Kubrick, and budding film-buffs in particular. All three of these movies are classics and are worth seeing by anyone willing to get lost in a film for a few hours.

Buy 2001: A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining (2012) Now

Got this set for the cheap price of $10. !

The quality of the BD is fantastic. 2001 looks like it was made in the last couple of years. Every scene is crystal clear. Same for Clockwork and Shining. You get 3 separate discs and they have nice special features. If you love Kubrick, get this set!

Read Best Reviews of 2001: A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining (2012) Here

This is worth the price, i am a big fan of the shining and clockwork orange so i bought just for those 2 movies

Want 2001: A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining (2012) Discount?

I saw 2001 when first released at the Cinema a Well Done 1968 Science fiction film directed by S. kubrick and co written by Kubrick & Arthur C. Clarke short story the Sentinel , The story deals with a serious of encounters between humans and a black monoliths sending a high pitch radio signal into space that is affecting human evolution , The Film Consist of four mayor sections : The Dawn of Man ( Than jumps into the future ) TMA-1 The Jupiter Mission : Eighteen Months Later Jupiter and Beyond The Infinite , according to interviews the movie companies almost stopped showing 2001 at the beginning because it wasn't attracting enough people a G rated film approx 148 minutes long .

Clock Work Orange is 1971 Science Fiction Film written directed and produce by Stanley Kubrick from a short novel by Anthony Burgess starring Malcom Mcdowell , Patrick Magee , Adrienne Corri , Miriam Carlin , Godfrey Quiqley , Anthony Sharp , Warren Clarke , This Film features disturbing violent images even funny in some scenes about a gang on a violent spree of crime fighting and raping in future England and the main character Alex , M.Mcdowell's friends are called Droogs an Anglo Russian Slang Nadsat according to movie profile , R rated approx 137 minutes long .

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film Starring Jack Nicholson , Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and Danny Loyd produce and directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on Stephen King's Novel The Shining about a writer who takes a job as an of season care taker in an isolated hotel and an supernatural power ghost gradually takes over the mind of the care taker into madness and wants to kill his wife and son during a snow storm , R rated approx 144 minutes long .

I have all 3 movies on DVD but are way better on Blu Ray and for a Great Price .

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Street Trash - Special Meltdown Edition (1987)

The ultra-low-budget exploitation flick STREET TRASH (1987) certainly lives up to its name in more ways than one. Not only is it rather trashy when it comes to generally poor or histrionic acting, bawdy humor, gore, and several lingering flashes of T&A, but it is also one of the few films set in New York City's skid row that was actually filmed almost entirely in authentic skid-row venues.

The centerpiece of the paper-thin plot is a case of decades-old hooch called Tenafly Viper, discovered in the miasmic basement of a skid-row liquor store by the store's proprietor. The unscrupulous vendor decides to exploit his seemingly serendipitous find and pad his pocket by selling the stuff to local winos for a buck per bottle. But unbeknownst to him and his unwary customers, the stuff has gone sour and has transmuted into a volatile toxin that literally melts those who consume it into a pile of day-glo goo.

Though STREET TRASH is blatantly and disgustingly lowbrow, it is nonetheless wildly entertaining and, from a technical standpoint, very well made. The make-up FX are skillfully and artistically executed, and never have latex appliances looked so simultaneously gross and hilarious. The action does lag in a few spots, but most of the time there is a constant flow of either gore, skin, or bawdy gags. Also, in contrast to many near-zero-budget exploitation films, the cinematography is fabulous--director Jim Muro shot the entire film using a rented steadicam, and he was so skilled at it that he went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest steadicam operators, working on such films as TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991), TITANIC (1997), AND RED DRAGON (2002)--and the editing is near perfect, making STREET TRASH look like a more mainstream, bigger-budget film.

While the acting skills of many of the principals leave a lot to be desired, STREET TRASH does feature a few thespians worth noting. Genre fans will recognize James Lorinz from his role as the mad scientist in the exploitation satire FRANKENHOOKER. In an earlier role here, Lorinz plays a lippy doorman in the employ of a mob boss, and he steals the show in nearly every scene in which he appears. Actor Tony Darrow portrays the aforementioned mob boss, and Darrow parlayed his debut role here into a career of playing similar types in more mainstream gangster flicks, including critically acclaimed films like GOODFELLAS (1990), BULLETS OVER BROADWAY (1994), AND MIGHTY APHRODITE (1995).

The DVD release of STREET TRASH from Synapse is a no-frills disc, but its definitely worth the price of admission. It offers a digital transfer of the film--which has been nicely restored and is completely uncut--in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (enhanced for 16x9 TVs), and the stereo soundtrack is also nice and clear.

Sick? Yes. Foul? For sure. Gross? Often. But its also a lot of fun. STREET TRASH is definitely not for everybody, but for those who enjoy exploitation horror flicks from the 1970s and 1980s, STREET TRASH is definitely one of the best. And the DVD from Synapse will make a fine addition to the collections of those who enjoy such films.

"Street trash makes Herschell Gordon Lewis look like Mary Poppins," Wes Craven

"Loathsome, foul and degrading, Street Trash is a real treat for anyone who thinks they've seen it all." George Romero

"Yeah, that's the bits I like." Den Dennis (The Comic Strip Presents...More Bad News 1988)

Produced and written by Roy Frumkes (The Substitute), and directed by J. Michael Muro, who since done stedicam work on such films as Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), and Titanic (1997) to name a few, Street Trash (1987) features Mike Lackey, Marc Sferrazza, Jane Arakawa, Bill Chepil, Pat Ryan (The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke 'Em High), Vic Noto (Innocent Blood), and Tony Darrow (Goodfellas, Analyze This, "The Sopranos").

The story basically involves the activities of two inner city homeless brothers named Freddy (Lackey) and Kevin (Sferrazza), who live in an auto scrap yard occupying a dwelling consisting of old tires. Thrown into the mix early on is the appearance of some funky looking booze called Tenafly Viper, which was found in the cellar of a liquor store by the store's proprietor. Subsequently he decides to pawn it off on his clientele, most all of whom are shiftless, degenerate dirtbags, for a buck a bottle (needless to say they snap it up). Turns out the stuff is rotgut, literally (unbeknownst to the liquor store owner), so much so it causes the individual ingesting the crud to melt from the inside out. Along with the exploding bums Freddy and Kevin also have to contend with Bronson (Noto), a large, sadistic, psychotic Vietnam veteran who rules the scrap yard with an iron fist and a dagger made of from a human femur bone (think a low grade Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now). Things get especially hairy when a local mobster (Darrow) finds out his girlfriend's been murdered (among other things) by the skid row denizens populating the junk yard, and a renegade cop with a serious grudge named Bill (Chepil) starts rousting everyone for kicks.

I guess the first thing one should know about this film is that there really isn't much of a story, which, in most cases, would probably be a disadvantage, but not so here (for those of us who tend to dwell in the cinematic sludge this is fairly common occurrence). Probably the best thing you can do is sit back and let the experience envelope you in its grimy, odious, putrid fetidity, which comes off as a sort of sewage laden mix between the films of John Waters and Herschell Gordon Lewis. I did learn a number of things from this movie, including the following...

1. One can actually make a home out of discarded tires.

2. If you wear baggy enough pants to the grocery store, you can steal enough food to feed at least three people.

3. I wouldn't eat anything that came out of a homeless man's pants.

4. You can thin out homemade hooch by urinating in it.

5. An alley is a great place to pick up broads, especially if you're a greasy bum (and the broad is wasted out of her gourd).

6. Your puke breath must be really bad when a bum won't even kiss you.

7. Frank, the morbidly obese owner and operator of the scrap yard, isn't adverse to a little necrophilia.

8. The homeless don't particularly covet showers.

9. A severed ding a ling a can be used in lieu of a football in a pick up game.

10. You never defile Bronson in front of the men.

If you like your movies messy, in a visceral sense, then you've come to the right place as this spectacularly over the top nugget of gooey nastiness is right at home next to Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (1992). I'm unsure the deal with the Viper booze, but its effects are instantaneous and highly satisfying. There's some seriously nasty melt action here, perhaps my favorite being the early scene with guy sitting on the toilet, taking a slug, and then reduced to a slimy, festering pile floating in the bowl. Along with the gratuitously goopy goodness there's also a whole lot of comedy, a few fights (the most memorable being Bill the cop going toe to toe with Bronson), some female nekkidness, a severed male member, and whole lot more. The acting was pretty rank but it didn't take away from anything for me, especially given the entertaining dialog throughout. The two best lines (at least of the ones I could post here), in my opinion, are the one I used for the title of my review and the following, occurring after one of Freddy's acquaintances, after shoving copious amounts of food down his pants, is busted by a manager in a grocery store ...

Store manager: I'd like to know what you're doing with all that chicken in your pants.

As I said, there's a decent amount of comedy here, the funniest part for me, beside the flying woody sequence, was when Freddy picked up the drunk broad in the alley, after she just finished puking. As he was dragging her back to his Goodyear abode, she kept trying to kiss him and he kept try to avoid it, given her puke breath and all. To sum things up this is a completely vile and disgusting affair, one definitely worth the time if you have the stomach.

This new 2 DVD set released in 2006, entitled 'The Meltdown Edition', includes an anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer, audio in a newly remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 and the original 2.0 mono, two audio commentaries featuring producer Roy Frumkes and director James Muro, a two hour documentary entitled The Meltdown Memoirs, which details the history and the making of the film, the original 16mm short film that inspired the movie, a Street Trash promotional teaser, a behind the scenes still gallery, liner notes, and the original theatrical trailer. The interesting thing is, while the 2006 DVD release contains a ton more stuff than the original 2005 DVD release, the newer version is missing one really cool element...with the original DVD release there was included two printed label stickers so you could create your own bottle of Tenafly Viper.

Cookieman108

Buy Street Trash - Special Meltdown Edition (1987) Now

that SYNAPSE is suppose to release a 2-Disc Special edition come this (06) spring or summer.

Read Best Reviews of Street Trash - Special Meltdown Edition (1987) Here

Street trash is the unholy grail of trash and exploitation cinema. I have been waiting for this release for years and my old vhs copy has petty much melted in my vcr from years of playing for friends who were unaware of it's infamous existence. Thank you synapse pictures for releasing this nasty movie back into the consumer market.

Want Street Trash - Special Meltdown Edition (1987) Discount?

No offense, but if you are a horror fan your DVD collection in incomplete without this film. You want Gore? Street trash has it. You want cheese? Street Trash has that too. This ultra-low budget film is limited only by the acting, but oh well man...small price to pay for this bloodbath. Hope the x-tras are worth it, but even so this lil' forgotten gem is getting the uncut treatment it has deserved. Plus the whole "Penis Football" scene mentioned makes it worth the price. Plus, if you get the DVD it comes with two free Tenafly Viper stickers based on the vicious liquor that melts everyone in the movie! Too cool! They are in the shape of liquor bottle stickers so you can put them on one after you drink it all while watching this movie. Instant movie memorabilia! Not going to give away the "juicy" details...sorry. Buy it on a whim...its a winner. Gore fans rejoice. Nuff said.

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The Polar Express Presented in Anaglyph 3-D (2004)

I will admit, 2 years ago I purchased The Polar Express 3D with the red and blue glasses.... it about made me sick when I watched it. The colors made me dizzy and the picture was heavily distorted. This on the other hand was a breath of fresh air! The 3D quality on this blu-ray disc is absolutely superb with minimum "ghosting". One stand out scene in particular is portrayed on the front cover of the Blu-Ray case, the train skating on the ice. The 3D effects are so fantastic here that I had to play it over a few times. Its enough to make you say WOW. Also, the entire North Pole scene is absolutely beautiful especially the zoom outs showing the large Christmas tree and all the kids and elves surrounding it.

I would highly recommend this to anyone with a 3D television! The picture is stunning and the 3D effects are breathtaking! The world of Blu-Ray 3D is growing, and this one definitely stands as one of the top 3D releases so far!

I went to see this movie tonight with a mentally handicapped friend "Michael" -(from a L'Arche home here in Winnipeg, Canada). We were the first persons in the theatre for the very first evening showing in this city and we were the last to leave. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves enchanted by the movie's subtleties and happily exhausted by its roller-coaster rides.

Time and again, Michael (who is sensitive, compassionate and with a good sense of humor) turned to me in the darkness, smiling in appreciation at the exact same moments I turned to see his reactions. Each time this happened, it was at a moment in the film when some little detail, perfectly captured through superb 'cinematography,' brought moisture to my normally cynical eye, and a warm smile to Michael's innocent face.

Some examples: There is a lone, black child on this apparent 'dream train' to the North Pole a girl of about ten or eleven years, and like a painting come to life, the miraculous technology at work in this film captures the particular sensibilities of this compassionate, black youngster -- We see small mannerisms of someone comfortable with herself in a way the other (ten or so) white kids on the train are not. And the effect is profound --the movie audience, including some children of that same age group, went silent at such moments in the film.

My friend Michael who has a 'savant' genius for perceiving my emotions, and expressing them for me out loud in public --Michael turned to me with a delighted smile when the girl on the train reaches out to hold the hands of the poorest boy, sitting alone in the rear compartment; and later, she hugs two other boys, (one of them the central character) --at their final parting. At that moment I held up a finger to my lips to try to hush Michael, but couldn't prevent him from saying aloud: "She's such a sweetheart." There were murmurs of appreciation in the darkness around us, responding to this innocent sentiment.

There is a sublime moment, on the back platform of the moving train -the Northern Lights glimmering in the distance -when the young girl joins in song with the poorest kid on the train (a younger boy from a dilapidated home on the "far side of the tracks"). I admit to being overcome with emotion during this duet (a lovely, strong melody with poignant lyrics) and I blurted out loud to Michael, after the first chorus: "What a wonderful song!" The refrain includes the words "When Christmas comes to town." [It's a song so good that, with some future 'cover versions' by serious musicians who could do it justice -- this "Christmas Comes to Town" song could, I believe, deservedly join the small list of true, Christmas 'classics.']

I'd have to agree with anyone who thinks this movie is a little short on plot. And yet . . . once you've suspended disbelief - beginning with an earth-shattering, Christmas-eve arrival of a steam-puffing, passenger train on a small-town Michigan street, directly outside the home of the movie's central character -once we've swallowed that premise, the movie disarmingly embraces the child in us, (including our fears) and our reservations vanish without our noticing.

Just as great `realistic' painters, (think Rembrandt or Vermeer) worked wonders of light & shadow that no mere photograph could ever capture, so too this computer-animated marvel takes your breath away through an accumulation of tiny but acute observations that could never be captured by conventional cinematography. Prime examples from the opening scenes:

A shaft of light illuminates the boy's bedroom, and he is reflected in a chrome, automobile hubcap leaning against a wall; at once we share his view -through the keyhole of his bedroom door we can see only the backs and the dressing gowns of mother and father, as they say goodnight to the boy's young sister, after determining the state of her belief in Santa's existence a belief no longer shared by the older brother, whose eye is at the keyhole.

Later, on the train, there's an exquisite close up of the boy's face, a slight blemish above the pores on his upper right cheek; the `camera' pans in rotation, capturing perfectly, the texture of the boy's hair, and that of the young black girl sitting beside him -subtleties of such perfection one wonders if the unique, artistic accomplishment of "Polar Express" could ever be surpassed.

The film's last scene, consists entirely of a close-up view of a small, silver bell (of the type associated with sleigh rides) with its attached 'ribbon' of red leather. The little bell helps make the final point about `Belief' --in things unseen, (or forgotten, and thus inaccessible to some adults). So simple, so powerful, so enlightening an image. My friend Michael turned to me at that moment, with a radiant smile. And we just shook our heads in awe.

----

Yes, this movie must have SOME shortcomings one or two moments that don't quite work as intended by the creators. But right now, in the afterglow, I can't recall what they were. The film was just too satisfying an experience!

I'm a 57-year-old grandfather who happens to believe that "The Polar Express" is the first, true Christmas classic in almost 60 years. Not since the original Kris Kringle "Miracle" movie of 1947, has any film (to my jaded eye) so transcended our secular, commercial views of the Holiday Season, with such uplifting and fresh reminders of the timeless and true spirit of Christmas.

Mark Blackburn

Winnipeg Canada.

Buy The Polar Express Presented in Anaglyph 3-D (2004) Now

When people go into a movie theatre they expect to be entertained. Audiences want to be scared, amused, curious, sad, and hopefull. Believe it or not, this film provides all of those elements and then some. I've read the comments by people who gave passed this film on as either "too scary to children" or "just plain boring with no plot" And I agree with several people who have responded to such comments.

This film isn't going to give you instant gratification halfway through. If you don't have two hours to spare then you aren't going to understand what this movie is about. Sure the plot was invisible at times, but I don't think the point of the movie was to have the audience follow a plot. The point was to reveal or in some cases remind people of the simplistic faith or child like view we once had in our lives.

Think of the characters themselves and what they represent. Hero Boy reminds us of people who are caught in between faith and doubt. Do we trust what we cannot see? Who is to say? Hero Girl shows the stronger side of faith and believing in what is not readily seen to the human eye. Childlke faith personified into a little girl. Lonely Boy represent those who doubt because they haven't truly experienced the joys of life or have had tragedies happen to them from an early age so they learn to only trust themselves, but that ends up leaving them...lonely. Then are those who are the Know-It-All character who claim to take everything at face value (much like the critics and cynics of this film). They want to know it all because what they don't know scares them.

I'm 21 years old and I haven't had nearly enough experiences in life, but I can say that I had been so busy growing up that I had forgotten that there was a part of me that was once simple, happy and appreciated the joys of just believing that things were true. That is until life makes you grow up and tries to distort your beliefs (much like HoboMan in this film).

When I first saw this movie my eyes widened with every new frame. It was the first time since my childhood that I can remember sitting in the audience with my mouth open and my eyes stretched out as far as they can be. I was stunned, by the artistry and complexity of the story. I was a kid again for two hours. It was like an old friend who I hadn't seen in a long time came back to visit. It was an amazing film.

It's a train ride, a leap of faith, a test of the human spirit. It's a ride and like the movie says: "It's not about where the train takes you, what matters is that you get on." THAT, my friend, is what this movie is about. Not being entertained by slapstick humor or satirical sarcasm, but remembering that part of you that resembles the kids in the movie. Believe.

Bravo on a fantastic film.

Read Best Reviews of The Polar Express Presented in Anaglyph 3-D (2004) Here

This movie was superb in many ways. The story is excellent and the movies great for children and adults of all ages to remember the innocence of youth and recognize the milestones we have all passed growing up. But now on to the real essence of this review: the 3D quality.

The 3D is VERY GOOD...in fact it's great on so many levels. The colors are vibrant and vivid and not washed out like many have complained happens when watching movies in 3D from dark glasses. Also, the picture quality was top notch in HD even while wearing glasses. The surround sound effects and audio couldn't be any more realistic and complementative of the video. The 3D was spectacular guys. Many scenes had things popping right out at you (which i love) and the depth was deep and realistic. I actually felt like I was in the movie. I have an 82 inch 3DTV so that helps but a crappy 3D movie is a crappy 3D movie no matter what screen you watch it on and crappy this was not. The 3D on this film will make any television pop and sizzle and truly brings out the power of your new 3DTV to your family and friends.

Overall watch The Polar Express is a wonderful holiday experience anyone should have the opportunity to enjoy and if you're looking for a good 3D movie then this is a must buy as you will not be dissapointed. Furthermore I experienced no ghosting at all while watching but that could be due to my televisions technology compared to plasma, LED, and LCD. Pick up a copy for yourself. You won't regret it.

Want The Polar Express Presented in Anaglyph 3-D (2004) Discount?

I had mixed emotions about the prospects of this movie.

I love the book. I never like seeing a book be made into a movie--even when the movies are well done.

Add into the mix my general liking of Forest Gump and CastAway, the two previous Hanks/Zemeckis films (I feel CastAway is the far superior film if anyone's interested).

Temper that general feeling of goodwill with the fact that Tom Hanks's last piece of GREAT acting (in my opinion) was in Joe vs the Volcano (Meg Ryan's as well)--and that CastAway was Zemeckis's last good film.

These ingredients, as well as knowing that this film was to be a guinea pig for a new kind of animation, left me feeling unsettled at best about going to see The Polar Express.

Yet...

This movie blew me away.

Say what you want about The Passion of the Christ or Fahrenheit 911 (both are great movies in the movie-making sense and should be nominated for all kinds of awards) but this is my movie of the year. It is also the best Christmas movie in quite a while.

The movie version of The Polar Express has a whole lot to see. This is serious eye-candy. That said, the movie stays incredibly faithful to the heart of the book.

The book and the movie are all about the wonder and joy of belief.

I could go on and on about the great job Tom Hanks does, about the awesome animation, but I won't. For as gilded and bedecked with ornaments as this movie is, it all gets stripped down to the ringing of a silver bell.

The sound of belief.

Faith is the evidence of things not yet seen.

This movie is a wonderful hymn to that evidence. An evidence readily found in all hearts brave enough to believe.

I give the Polar Express my highest recommendation.

Phantasm II (Collector's Edition) (1988)

The long and outrageous wait is over and we FINALLY have PHANTASM II on DVD in region one. Universal knew that fans were in a frenzy to get this one and they also knew they didn't have to bother doing anything more than a bare bones release. Fans would buy whatever version they decided to throw our way and they did the LEAST amount of work on this they could get by with. What we got was a good looking anamorphic print of the film and an unimpressive STEREO soundtrack. Thats right, only 2 channel sound (even though the other films in this series all got new Dolby 5.1 remixes Universal knew they didn't have to bother). There are NO EXTRAS on this disc (other than one faded and dirty copy of the trailer). No cool animated menus, no commentary track, deleted scenes, making of features, retrospective documentary, cast interviews, NOTHING. All of this material is available and is on the worldwide releases of this film but the North American market gets ripped off by Universal. It would be so nice if they would allow Anchor Bay to do a decent release of this remarkable film but sadly it looks like that will never be a reality for the region 1 poplulation. Still...we do at least now have the film on DVD and the anamorphic transfer looks far better than my old pan and scan VHS copy. Even my laserdisc copy was pan and scan so this is a nice improvment. I sort of like the new cover art for this release as well although Unviersal even went super cheap on the flimsy, light weight keepcase this came in. They really should be ashamed of themselves for holding the film hostage all these years and then giving us such a no frills version when they finally decided to release it. Its a great film and an impressive follow up to the original film and it deserved so much better than this.

This second Phantasm begins where the first film, PHANTASM (1979), left off and takes you seven years later. In real time it was nine years before they finally made this sequel. That is why everyone looks more mature. James Le Gros takes over as "Michael" for this film only. But A. Michael Baldwin can be seen in flashbacks. Reggie Bannister and the Tall Man Angus Scrimm are back and so are those deadly silver spheres. I'll keep the plot a surprise for you, but this sequel is more big-budget. They go all out for this one and is very enjoyable if you like suspense, horror and more gore.

Funny sex scene.

If James Le Gros looks familar, twelve years later after this film, he had a regular role in the tv series "Ally McBeal" in 2000-2001.

Followed by:

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead(1994).

Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998).

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When I was younger I saw Phantasm one night on T.V. when I was flipping channels. You know, one of those nights when it's late, it's the weekend, you feel good, and you're all alone and all you want is to see a movie that makes an impact on your life somehow. Phantasm IS one of those movies. It is, to me, the impidimy of what a horror movie should be. Graveyards, darkness, fog, monsters, evil powers, zombies that are actually scary, and a sweet 1971 Hemi-Cuda. The "ball" is the most revolutionary idea to come to horror movies. I was so excited after seeieng it I went to the video store and to my sheer pleasure, there was part 1,2, and 3. Each one takes up from where the last one ended. I absolutely LOVE the Phantasm series more than any other series.

I feel as if the series was taylor made for me. It touches a primal fear in me that is both scary and exhilerating. The Tall Man is so cool !! The flying ball(s) and the sound they make is Phantastic !!

I couldn't care less who owns the copywrite to the series. Yes, I adore Mike and would've loved to see him in part 2, but, dammit, I want the BOX SET !!!!!!!! I know I speak for other fans.

Quite simply, the Phantasm series holds a very special place in my heart. It is what movie making should be.

Don, if you are reading this, thank you so much for bringing joy into my life. I'm sure you aware by now that you have quite a cult following !!

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Don Coscarelli demonstrated his talent in first "Phantasm" and now he was granted a bigger budget by Universal Pictures. And extra money appeared to be quite useful. We got the same grim and atmosperic movie but with better special effects and more advanced technically. Money allowed to build beautiful and extended interiors, make the picture spellbinding, increase the number of killing spheres and expand the cast therefore we got to see wonderful actors here like James LeGros as Mike and Kenneth Tigar as a charismatic priest.

And although "Phantasm II" has a bigger calibre than the previous one it is still very atmospheric and claustrophobic. If the first was more of a little mystic film, the second grew up to be an action horror road-movie. And it served him good. As Don Coscarelli mentioned in his commentary track, you may like this film or not, but you will not deny the fact it's a film of great imagery. It is picturesque indeed. There are plenty scenes you can get pleasure watching, even if you had watched them separately, not in chronological order, not knowing the plot. "Phantasm II" is just beautiful. And it's not that slowly-paced as other "Phantasm" series, it's much more active and intense.

This film of great imagination is one of my all-time favourites. I just bought the British 5-disc sphere edition. Guess soon it'll be released in America too.

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Many people were first introduced to the tall man by this film. This ran pretty regularly on television back in the late 80's into the early 90's. This may not be your favorite of the Phantasm's. I prefer the original...but that being said this has so many extras in it that it is hard to not prefer it until they do the original on blu ray. The first film was more mystery sci fi and this is a much more direct action horror film. The extras include 47 minutes of Don, Angus, Reggie and most folks in the film. It also has commentary from those first three on this. It also has a 17 minute special called gory days just dealing with the gore effects. To top it all off the tall man included a film from his collection where he plays Abraham Lincoln. The only person missing from the extras seems to be Michael's replacement James LeGros. Whether he refused or was not asked to do anything with the extras I don't know. Michael Baldwin of course is in all the other films and James got this role mainly because he was a bigger name and Michael didn't act really after the first film so the studio said they had to have a working actor.

The film itself is of good quality. I don't think they could really get the print to look much better. It does have some artifacts and things with the black levels but that is minor nit picking at what so far is the best looking of all four films due to the blu ray release.

The sound is in 5.1 but you won't notice too much use of the back speakers. The spheres do fly left to right or vice versa in the speakers but weren't as pronounced as I expected. Still the sound was very adequate and I had no issues with it.

Overall this is a great addition to a horror collection. Shout Factory puts every bit of effort doing these films. They take these things seriously and you can spend days going over the extras and listening to them all.

If you like any of the films then you will appreciate the upgrade of this one and pray that shout factory gets the others to upgrade them.

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The Clowns (1970)

I first saw this film in college in the early 70s; it was about the time of SATYRICON and after JULIET OF THE SPIRITS, thusly, around the time that Fellini was moving away from narrative cinema and into the "metacinema" that would be more and more prevalent in his later films. I CLOWNS was by far his most successful foray into films reflexive onto themselves as "film". Surely, none of his other pseudodocumenataries ever approached the emotional tug that I CLOWNS produces. The lovingly recreated clown acts that Fellini films, accompanied by the haunting trumpet theme that winds through one of them, has never left me. I am gratified that I CLOWNS will be available on DVD, finally; I only hope it is struck from a clean master and not just a rebooting of the inferior VHS copy that is still out there somewhere. I CLOWNS is a film that, if viewed with a sympathetic imagination, can bring anyone back to the wonderment felt at the world when one was young. Now that I CLOWNS is available, by my reckoning it is only LA VOCE DELLA LUNA, Fellini's last film, that is not available on DVD. C'mon, guys, someone's gotta release this one too!

I'd like to defend this against some of the negative reviews here. Just my opinion. I don't work for the company. I haven't seen the French release but then that's not widely available, and not everybody has a multi-region player. I Clowns was just not available for so long. This is a full-featured disc with a 40 min. video essay about the film, a 50 pg. booklet filled with Fellini's color drawings, reproduced beautifully, and his long essay of reflections on clowns "A Journey Into The Shadow," the most important bits from the coffee table hardback "I Clowns" published by Rienzi in 1970 (also pretty hard to get). And Fellini's 16 min. short from the omnibus film "L'Amore in Cittá," which has also been unavailable in the US. That's not all, sound in DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, and meticulous listing of cast, crew, and credits, identifying every person appearing in both films explaining where they appear, and even where scenes were shot and when.

The Product Description is misleading. It's not one of Fellini's "final masterpieces." It was done 20 years before his final film and is not a masterpiece, as Fellini himself describes in his essay, recounting the "carefree and laid-back attitude with which (he) approached it," "without thinking about it too much," approaching it with his "left hand." And it doesn't "feature" Anita Ekberg, she has a short cameo appearance in it.

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For Fellini fans, this is a treat the director's lengthiest and most elaborate examination of one of the mainstays of his films clowns and circuses. It's part biography (what an wonderful opening, with a small boy watching a circus tent going up outside his bedroom window, as if it's an extension of his dreams), part history and part circus extravanganza. Rota's score is a gem circus versions of themes from practically all Fellini's films to that point. Shot for television but released soon after in theaters, the movie is not one of Fellini's best-photographed films, and I recall finding the color odd and grainy in the original 35mm prints. But this edition is about as good a transfer as you could hope for. Also, for Fellini completists, the disc includes Fellini's "Matrimonial Agency" from the early 50s compilation movie, "Love in the City." That film has yet to be released on DVD in the US. It's rather minor Fellini, but contains the seed from which Marcello, the central character in "La Dolce Vita," grew.

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Gordon Sullivan, DVD Verdict --When The Clowns first arrived on DVD, fans were ecstatic that this little-seen Fellini film was getting an American release. However, most reviewers noted that the release wasn't as stunningly remastered as they would like. Many of those problems--though not quite all--have been addressed with this Blu-ray disc. The AVC-encoded transfer has an impressive amount of detail, and the print from which it was made is surprisingly free of damage. Color saturation is spot on, but there's something about the image that can look a little over-processed. It's nothing in particular (like edge-enhancement or excessive DNR) that I can point my finger to, but the transfer gives the impression that it could be better. For audio we get a pair of Italian DTS-HD tracks. One is mono, the other 5.1. The 5.1 track is a total waste, with no real surround use and little in the way of directionality or atmosphere. In either case, we're dealing with forty-year-old location sound on a television documentary. The audio doesn't have the body or clarity we expect from contemporary sources, though it's still very listenable.

The disc itself houses a pair of extras. The first is a short film that Fellini made for an anthology; it's a fictional take on marriage and comedy. The second is the more substantial of the two, a 42-minute "visual essay" on The Clowns that discusses its style and history while comparing it to other artifacts from the period (like archival photos of clowns). Finally, this release includes a long booklet with information from Fellini himself about the genesis of the project and how he envisioned it. In many ways fans of Fellini will appreciate this booklet and the "visual essay" more than the film itself.

The Clowns is a very minor entry into the director's canon, and it's hard to trust a "documentary" from a filmmaker as interested as Fellini is in blurring the line between fact and fiction. A rental is probably best for the curious before deciding to plunk down the cash for this release.

The Clowns is a fascinating peek into the mind of an internationally beloved filmmaker and his passion for clowns. Yes, that sounds a bit odd, and Fellini must have known he was making an oddity. Fans of the director should give the film (and especially the extras) at least a rental. Those who bought the previous DVD should seriously consider an upgrade for the improved audiovisual presentation of this disc.

-Full review at dvdverdict.com

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It's hard to believe only 4 other people have reviewed this film, and that it seems to have passed under the radar. This is another Fellini film I hadn't seen in years. I remember that it depressed me the first time I saw it, but then I was much younger, and now my life experience has caught up to that of Fellini's age when he made this picture for television. This time, I was inspired. And I learned a lot. Fellini's non-commercial pictures are often better than his more mainstream, commercial hits! Granted, this film is not entirely consistent in terms of quality; but when it's good, it's really good! One of the important themes of "The Clowns" is that of the White Clown versus the Augusto; the White Clown representing authority, discipline, respectability, moral superiority, parents, what one should do or is supposed to do: the Augusto representing the rebel, the enfant terrible, the spoiled brat, the practical joker, the delinquent, the one who screams, jeers and disrespects. This picture was done in a faux-documentary-style that at first seems to be authentic; gradually it becomes evident that Fellini is satirizing the documentary process. The working lives of several famous 20th century European clowns are explored in this film, many of them being of Italian and French origin, but Spanish, Cuban and English as well. A diverse array of clown makeup, costumes and styles are presented in this film. The clown costumes especially are stunning; they could even be described as Dada-influenced. Selections from Nino Rota's various compositions are appropriately and effectively utilized as a soundtrack.

The most compelling sequences in this picture are those in which Fellini re-creates his conception of the world of the clown in a circus environment, particularly the amazing, extravagant final scene, the "Clown Funeral", which vacillates between faux documentary and outright spectacle. There are a few sad visits to clowns in the twilight of their lives, but other than that atmosphere is quite upbeat. Fellini also examines characters from his hometown, "grotesques", who reminded him of the clowns he saw at the circus in his youth; the maestro reveals that as a boy, he found the clowns to be disturbing, as opposed to funny. Fellini compares the clown to man's "shadow side" (IE in one sequence where high-profile individuals are being qualified by Fellini as clowns, Sigmund Freud is classified as a "White Clown"; Carl Jung is qualified as an "Augusto"). At the end of the picture, perhaps to illustrate a symbolic reconciliation of opposites, the White Clown and the Augusto, both playing horns, leave the circus theatre together. A 42-minute documentary, included as supplemental material, deconstructs "The Clowns" from various technical perspectives; much of the supplemental documentary contains repeats of chapters from the main feature. A booklet is included with the DVD containing Fellini's essays about clowns and his drawings of various colleagues and concepts. Fellini is a great writer as well as a filmmaker, and thus I found this booklet to be educational, entertaining and informative.

Stephen C. Bird, author of "Hideous Exuberance: A Satire"

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The Incredible Mr. Limpit (2012)

After I watched this movie last night, I found out that Don Knotts had passed away. Kind of a creepy feeling! Anyway, Knotts who won five Emmys for his role as Barney Fife on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW was certainly one of our most endearing clowns. With his trademark voice and bug-eyed delivery, Knotts is one of the true legends of our time, and in LIMPET, he shows us why. Although he has more screen time as the voice of the fishy Limpet, Knotts manages to create a loveable character. The plot's been rehashed in many other reviews, so I'll stick to what makes this animated/live action film such a pleasure. With the cartoon stylings of the early sixties, the movie gives us a dreamy undersea world populated with such creatures as Crusty the Crab and the lovely Ladyfish. On the human front, we're blessed with character actors Jack Weston, Larry Keating, and Andrew Duggan. And the delightfully underrated Carole Cook, whose last scene with Henry the fish is unexpectedly poignant and touching.

A delightful film for the whole family to enjoy and to remember the delightful Don Knotts!

Highly entertaining! Don Knotts gives his best performance in this picture. Kind of funny with the mix of animation and live action in a non-Disney film. With the animation, the singers, it's so lovely. I enjoy every second of this film. Too the people who highly dislike this movie, you're missing out on it. You don't have to be a child to enjoy it. "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" is the finest non-Disney animation/live action film.

Too bad this was one of the last films to be made before the Warner Animation Department in Burbank shut down.

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THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET (1964) is one of the most underrated films of all time. Coming in at approximately #64 on my own personal Top 100, MR. LIMPET is a blend of live action and colorful animation, an impossible fantasy film which somehow manages to entice even the most sourpussed of viewers. Although it starts out a bit slowly, MR. LIMPET is irresistible, a pure entertainment experience.

The fishlike Don Knotts is perfectly cast as Henry Limpet, a nebbishy bookkeeper from Brooklyn, circa 1942. Walter Mitty-like, Henry dreams of being a war hero. His one other passion is his fish tank. When Henry is rejected from military service as a 4-F, he falls into a depression and escapes into unreality by wishing he was a fish.

Walking on the Coney Island pier one day with his wife, Bessie, Henry takes a misstep and falls into the briny Atlantic. Lo, and behold!---he is instantly transformed into a (cartoon) fish (complete with pince-nez glasses). Although Henry is initially lonely, he soon makes the acquaintance of Crusty the Crab and the seductive but loving Ladyfish, and sets off with them to explore his new, aquatic, world.

During one of his many misadventures, Henry discovers that he is the possessor of a powerful vocal "thrum" which can be used as an early warning system. Thinking quickly, he finds the ship his friend George Stickel is assigned to, and convinces Stickel (and the U.S. Navy) that he can act as a sort of secret escort for convoys and naval ships crossing the U-boat strewn Atlantic.

With Henry by their side, the Navy is able to turn the course of the Battle of the Atlantic, discovering and destroying enemy submarines and warships by the score. Although the Nazis try to stop Mr. Limpet, he is able to turn their weapons against them.

His wartime actions earn him high rank and many honors, and Henry Limpet, having become the fish he'd always dreamed of being becomes the hero he'd always dreamed of being, too.

A charming (and oddly gentle) war film, THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET is a nearly forgotten gem, a true popcorn-and-soda family film classic that celebrates the hero in Everyman.

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"McHale's Navy" meets "SpongeBob" with "Action in the North Atlantic"? Well, that's one way to define "The Incredible Mr. Limpet", one of the oddest family fantasy movies ever. An early attempt at a live-action/animation mix, it launched Don Knotts' post-"Andy Griffith" career as the classic "Don Knotts" character: a geeky, milquetoast guy who stumbles into a heroic turn in spite of himself. Henry Limpet, of course, is two characters in one: a nerdy Brooklyn accountant who loves tropical fish, andwella nerdy, bespectacled cartoon fish!

With a WWII setting, he's an obvious 4-F as a human, but becomes an underwater guide for a Navy fleet as a fish. Oh, yeahdid I mention it's also (kinda sorta) a musical?

Though released in 1964, "Limpet" sounds and feels like 1954or is it 1944? It's as quaint as a movie can get: old New York costumes and settings, hokey humor, bumbling Navy brass and a super-patriotic musical choir. The animation, the late-model Warner Bros. kind, is a little bland by "Looney Tunes" standards, even with a few legendary artists (but no Jones or Friz) involved. And the non-Knotts cast is a little bit stiff on the whole, save old-timers Andrew Duggan and Larry Keating as the stuffy admirals.

Yet, somehow, "Limpet" works better than described, especially if, like me, you're still fond of old-school family comedy Americana. The story's a cut above most period Disney fare, both animated and live. As a fish, Limpet's engaged in a kind of proto-"SpongeBob" journey with his purple "Lady Fish" friend and a great little creation calledreally!"Crusty Crab"! A kind of crustacean Yosemite Sam (voiced by great radio/

cartoon veteran Paul Frees), he actually looks and sounds a bit like Mr. Krabsnearly 40 years before "SpongeBob"!

And how does our sea-creature hero, who still looks and sounds exactly like Knotts, interact with humans? Well, after his old Navy buddy George Stickel (the rotund veteran Jack Weston), who keeps getting called "Pickel" by the officers, almost drops dead after he discovers that his old friend Henry didn't drown at Coney Island after all, Henry-the-fish serves as an undersea swimming spy on German U-boats and, after a couple of underwater mishaps, helps the U.S. Navy invade Normandy, all to a booming, George M. Cohan-style patriotic chorus! Oh, yesdirector Arthur Lubin was no stranger to talking creatures, since he helmed most of "Mister Ed" and "Francis the Talking Mule".

They sure don't make 'em like this any more, and "The Incredible Mr. Limpet", tacky and corny as it is, just might be a surreal comedy in disguise. Certainly it's one of the few pre-

"Roger Rabbit" part-animated movies that works, awkward transitions and all (no computer tricks here, folks). It also started a new genre, the Don Knotts nerd-com, as perfected in deathless fare like "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" and "The Reluctant Astronaut". It's even a light-hearted salute to the kind of old-fashioned Hollywood patriotism that would get shot to Kingdom Come as the '60s moved on. Why, it probably stuck somewhere in Steve Hillenberg's mind when he grew up to draw the SpongeBob crew.

The extras are modest (a "fishtank" game), but the little promo film, which shows the "Limpet" premiere at Weeki Wachee, an old-Florida tourist trap (it's near Clearwater) that involved mermaid shows and glass-bottom boats, is a priceless little slice of old-Hollywood ballyhoo, complete with a few words from Arthur Godfreywho sincerely thought he'd have a hit with a rendition of "I Wish I Were a Fish", the ditty Knotts sings before he hits the drink. Beatlemania saved us from it.

To enjoy "Mr. Limpet", it probably helps if you still love "My Three Sons", Lawrence Welk and other squeaky-clean '60s stuff. But when the Crusty Crab keeps calling Limpet "Flatbush" and the bumbling admirals give the fish an officers' commission, you're going to laugh. "The Incredible Mr. Limpet"it may be quaint, but it's really an ocean of fun!

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I remembered this movie from my youth. It typically played on Saturday Afternoons. I thought that it would be a great movie for my kids to watch and I was right.

For its time the movies animation and special effects are great. My children 14, 11 and 4 all loved the movie. My 4 yearold found a new favorite. She watched it at least 6 times over the first weekend.

It is a great movie that even adults can enjoy and watch along with their children. It is very difficult these days to find a show that the entire family can watch together and this is one of them.

I think I will try The Ghost and Mr. Chicken next, another classic.

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The Seven Year Itch (1955)

"Chapter 6-the Brubaker-Steichel theory of the sporadic infidelity pattern of the married male, or the Seven Year Itch."

Having sent his wife Helen and son Ricky to Maine to avoid the scorching July Manhattan summer, Richard Sherman, "keymaster" of a pocket edition publisher, stays behind to work, promising his wife to abstain from drinking and smoking. "Some husbands think just because their wives are away for the summer, they can run wild." However, the appearance of a young blonde renting his upstairs neighbours' apartment turns his life topsy-turvy, turning him into a bundle of nerves.

Sherman approves the covers of the pulp books: "Soup up the title a little, get yourself a cheerful and interesting cover. It's a question of imagination, and Mr. Sherman has a lot of it," says the narrator. To quote his wife and as a promoting film technology gag, "lately, you've been imagining in Cinemascope and Stereophonic sound." From his imagination, including a parody of the beach scene in From Here To Eternity, we learn that he doesn't feel he's good-looking or charismatic. It's his time with The Girl that changes him. His imagination ranges from the humorous, ridiculous, even paranoid. And he reveals his thoughts in soliloquys, which at times resemble trains-of-thought or even his subconscious.

The Girl turns out to be a typical blonde, but fun-loving, friendly, with simple tastes, understanding, trusting, and as it turns out, compassionate as seen from her sympathy for the creature of the black lagoon: "He wasn't really all bad. I think he just craved a little affection, you know. A sense of being wanted and needed." Oh, and she's definitely not a Rachmaninoff girl.

My take on the skirt scene? Maybe I'd seen so many pictures of posters of it that it wasn't a big deal, and it's a bit overhyped. There's plenty of superlativememorable dialogue, much of it funny, that boosts this movie. However, the Girl has the best one. When Sherman tells her he imagines a girl to love someone like Gregory Peck, she tears into him. "You think every girl's a dope? You think a girl goes to a party and there's this one guy, a great big hunk in a fancy striped vest strutting around like a tiger, giving you that 'I'm so handsome you can't resist me look? And from this she's supposed to fall flat on her face? Well, she doesn't fall on her face. But there's another guy in the room, way over in the corner. Maybe he's kind of nervous and shy and perspiring a little. First you look past him, but then you sort of sense he's gentle and kind and worried, and he'll be tender with you. Nice and sweet. That's what's really exciting. If I were your wife, I'd be very very jealous of you." Those sentences cheered me up when I first heard them, and made me think, "Well, maybe I've got it made, even though I don't look like Tom Cruise or Patrick Swayze." After all, like Sherman, I thought, no pretty girl in her right mind wants me.

The key trends of vegetarian cuisine, the coaxial cable, 50,000,000 TV viewers, and Arthur Godfrey are time capsule elements exemplified in the America of 1955.

Tom Ewell, who reprised his role from the George Axelrod play of the same name, must be one lucky actor. After this movie, he played opposite another blonde, Jayne Mansfield in The Girl Can't Help It.

Robert Strauss is funny as Kruhulik the lecherous greasy-looking janitor, who quotes from Porgy and Bess to describe the antics of summer bachelors: "Summertime, an' the livin' is easy, when the fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high." Doro Merande has a funny line as a waitress whose pro-naturalist camp stance extends to pacifist sentiments. And Carolyn Jones, best known as Morticia Addams, plays a red-haired nurse smitten by Sherman in an imagination sequence.

For me, this is Marilyn's best picture and best character. I fell in love with her upon first seeing this. Now, though, I consider her an old friend. So, calling all the lonely creatures of the lagoon like me out there with great imagination and no esteem. Don't give up hope--there's a Girl waiting out there for you.

This is the ultimate Monroe film. The one where she stands over a subway grating on a hot summer night to feel the rush of cool air from the trains passing beneath---the rush of air blowing the skirt of her sexy white halter dress up around her. But there's a movie that goes with this legendary image and it's a classic. Based on the adult Broadway play, "Itch" was watered down for the screen and stars Tom Ewell as the frustrated married man and Monroe as the Girl Upstairs. One hot New York summer, a man sends his wife and small son away for the summer---as all New York men do this time of the year according to Ewells' narration. He's left alone in their apartment to struggle with his vices---cigarettes and booze---when all of a sudden the Girl moves in sub-letting the apartment upstairs. She's a TV model and commercial actress and delightfully portrayed by Monroe. The homely and dumpy Ewell begins having steamy sex fantasies visualizing himself as a powerful lover irrestible to women. Monroe wants to be neighborly so she keeps inviting herself down to his flat frustrating the hopelessly timid Ewell. She doesn't realize her effect on him but he's got an air condtioner and it's hot upstairs. She's completely guileless. Monroe is perfect as the Girl and Ewell personifies the Everyman confronted with temptation when left to his own devices. Monroe is breathtaking in Technicolor and her performance speaks volumes about her comic potential. The subway grating scene caps her legend as a sex symbol but when you watch her performance here you see she was so much more than that.

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I picked this up because I'm a huge Billy Wilder fan and I've never seen the film. It's fantastic! Beautiful HD transfer. Wonderful humor from the times that still feels relevant and a big "stick it" to the Hays Code.

The best part about this though is the special features. Commentary, picture-in-picture history lesson on the Hays Code, multiple featurettes. It's a great release!

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I am a huge fan of Marilyn and my goal is to see all of her movies and when I saw "The 7 Year Itch" I was blown away. Marilyn was wonderful in the movie playing the sexy girl upstairs that attracts an older man living downstairs while his wife and son are away for summer vacation. I think everyone who loves Marilyn Monroe should see this movie it is one of her best and i'm sure that u will soon agree.

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her role as the girl upstairs in The Seven Year Itch. Not just her dress billowing up above her waist ,but the whole package, like her waving from the second floor window. Wow. Almost a great movie but definately great Marilyn. She's doing her "dumb blonde" routine. But don't hate her for doing it so well. It was good acting. She was not dumb. A word about Tom Ewell. He perfected

his role on stage & I would have loved to seen that. As the protagonist he carries the movie. The movie is dated, sexist, & P.I... for our time. For all I know people acted like this in New York City in the mid-50's (I'm not sure, I was five).

I do know the censors were childish tyrants, afraid of sex. Who were thse (...)?

Marilyn pulled this off while her personal life was crumbling. The numerous takes of her dress billowing up were gratuitous & demeaning. Her husband, Joe Dimaggio watching the whole thing was enraged & embarassed. I don't blame him. It may have been the last nail in the coffin that was their marriage. Very sad.

Marilyn was a much better actress then she was ever given credit for in her lifetime. We had mere glimpses of that (Bus Stop & Niagra). But for the sheer joy of Marilyn Monroe, at her comic peak, this is the movie to remember her by.

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Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

What starts out as an Italian "Money Pit" with all the attendant broken pipes, crumbling walls and incompetent handymen makes a turn for the better about a third of the way through: a more emotionally centered and revealing movie,"Under the Tuscan Sun."

The luminescent Diane Lane stars as Frances, an intelligent, loving women with close and committed friends who finds herself in a situation that many people do: with a mate who has fallen out of love, wants a divorce as well as possession of a much loved and painstakingly renovated house, this one in San Francisco. After the divorce Frances goes to Tuscany on a lark, falls in love with a villa there, buys it and proceeds to renovate it. The villa then is the physical manifestation of the shedding of her old life and marriage and the hope for the renovation and rehabilitation of her love life as well as her life in general.

That she probably places too much faith in the physical to solve the emotional does not detract at all from the guts and hope that it takes to do so. And Lane is so psychically centered and open as Frances that you cannot help but be moved by her situation.

There are some silly plot lines and performances that I wish weren't, but with a central performance as attractive and genuinely loving and feminine as Lane's, "Under The Tuscan Sun" is as warm and inviting as bread just out of the oven.

I am peturbed that Amazon would spotlight two bad reviews. This was an awesome movie that kept me watching it from beginning to end. I haven't read the book, but after watching that movie, I do intend to. It's amazing how uplifting this spirited movie was. Diane Lane was supurb without coming across as trying too much. We never get to see her husband "Tom" who screwed her over royally in the divorce, which I think was a good decision. The movie stays in the present looking ahead to the future with a sense of hope and promise. Pick up this movie for an excellent movie night even if you're not a chick!

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We'll I'm not usually one to go to see comedy-romance films but my girlfriend insisted and I was persuaded by the fact that Diane Lane (one of my favorite actresses) was starring in it. Honestly, this is a very good movie. It is one of the best surprises of the year. The film is edited in a way that never makes it seem boring or long-winded and the film is very (I mean very) entertaining, with some great dialog and some excellent comedy and well-timed laughs. A few times I was uncontrollably laughing it was so funny. The acting was amazing with Diane Lane giving one of her best performances in the lead role as Frances Mayes. The film looked great and had an excellent soundtrack as well. I recommend this film very much indeed, even to guys because it isn't cliched and slushy in the same way other romantic films are. It sure makes a great date movie Under The Tuscan Sun is a marvel!

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This film was a very pleasant surprise. I picked it out as a movie for my girlfriend and I to watch, since I had heard good things about it several years ago. This IS a chick-flick type of movie, but it definitely does not follow the same VERY tired romantic-comedy formula script that Hollywood loves to crank out. Yes, I suppose Under The Tuscan Sun is a romantic comedy, but it is a GOOD one, and it is fairly original in its approach.

First, I should say the beautiful Diane Lane is a really great actress, and plays her part perfectly here. You truly believe in her character, which really adds to the believability of the film (suspension of disbelief is important to enjoying a movie). Most of the supporting cast does an excellent job as well (with the slight exception of "Stone Face" Sandra Oh, her face always seems devoid of emotion to me). Probably the most important member of the supporting cast is the SCENERY. The landscapes showcased in this movie are gorgeous and pretty astonishing. The excellent cinematography takes full advantage of the beautiful scenery Italy provides, and the movie is all the better for it.

While the film is not outright original per se, it does take a rather fresh approach to romantic comedy, and you won't be able to predict what is going to happen far in advance (when's the last time you could say that about a romantic comedy??). The script is very good, with quite a few laughs and excellent pacing, and the dialogue is sharp. All in all, a VERY GOOD movie that both men and women can enjoy.

A couple of other things: apparently, the film radically departs from the novel. I didn't read the book (and have no intention of doing so). You won't need to read the book to enjoy this movie. Also, I read a few gripes about Diane Lane not being 'beautiful' because she is 'old'. A matter of opinion I guess, but to me she looks fantastic in this movie at 38... and she really IS a great actress.

Under The Tuscan Sun is RECOMMENDED for anyone looking for a 'couples' movie that both will enjoy (but Macho He-Men shouldn't bother, you only like Rambo type movies).

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I actually spent a year studying at a small italian university, fell in love with the country, and expected to HATE this movie because I really got sick of the American presence in italy. I have to admit, though, arguing with some of the previous reviews that I saw, that despite all of the stereotypes, they were mostly true! Certainly true to my experience. Italians are proud of who and how they are and although I didn't meet a single person who spoke english as well as anyone in this film, that was the only stretch as far as I could tell. Its an absolute pleasure to watch, especially for anyone who has been to Italy. And Diane Lane is adorable and full of life, almost inspirational.

See this film if you want to escape to Italy for 2 hours and be a single, liberated, middle-aged woman going on an adventure. That's really what it is good for transporting us americans away from our own "culture" and into a place that has a real sense of history and people.

Cheesy but delicious.

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O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

I watch a lot of movies and have seen all of the "classics" and O' Brother Where Art Thou rates among the best of them no kidding! Twenty years from now, they'll be airing this film on AMC and TCM alongside the likes of North by Northwest, The Wild Bunch and How Green Was My Valley.

The story is completely engrossing and the cinematography is stunning. Realize that filming took place in June/July when the Southern countryside was a lush, verdant green. That bone dry, depression-era dust bowl aesthetic is a wonder of digital editing.

The Coen brothers have done two things that are all too rare in Hollywood these days. First, their screenplay is original (yes, it's loosely based on Homer's Odyssey but to evaluate the film solely on this narrative framework is to overlook the other aspects of the film). Second, they've produced a film that captivates not with multi-million dollar action sequences and the latest Moby track but with great dialogue and an authentic blues/bluegrass soundtrack (well worth buying) that is as much a character in the movie as the three principals Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), Delmar O'Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro). The eclectic cast (that also includes Charles Durning, Holly Hunter, Stephen Root and John Goodman) turns in superbly acted performances across the board. Clooney, who all too often plays 2 dimensional characters, gives an award-worthy performance in what is unquestionably his best role to date. Those not familiar with Nelson or Turturro will be impressed by these wonderfully skilled actors.

I will say that a lot of people have told me that they didn't care for this film, which I find incomprehensible. I'm not sure what more you could ask for in a movie.

I'm a big fan of the Coen Bros., including Raising Arizona, and esp. Fargo, so I was expecting to enjoy this.

What I was not expecting was that I would be absolutely enraptured by it. I was so enveloped by the sense of place, the razor sharp acting, the constant self-inflicted misfortune, and especially the music. The music! What a stunning, skillfully rendered and executed soundtrack. I didn't realize what I was missing all these years, ignoring bluegrass the way I did.

Well, back to the movie.

I don't have to repeat all about the movie being based on Homer's Odyssey... oops, just did. Well, that aside, I spent some time thinking about what touched me and made this so enjoyable, more than nearly every other movie I've ever seen. I found many things.

Of course, the casting is delightful. Where do you find people who can pull off Clooney's sidekicks the way they did. If I met John Turturro or Tim Blake Nelson on the street, I would probably be just shocked to find they aren't doltish hillbillies! John Goodman is a perfect cyclops, in a goofy, ominous, hulkish way, and Christ Thomas King, who I believe is really known for his guitar playing, still plays the understated Tommy Johnson beautifully, as if it makes perfect sense to meet the devil at a crossroads in the middle of nowhere and sell your soul to him for a good dose of guitar skill. I could go on and on about the cast, but you won't find a sour note in there. You'll be convinced that none of these people could live anywhere but the Depression ear South. Before I move on from the cast, something that goes unmentioned a lot, is the brilliant performances by some of the bit players, such as Frank Collison as Wash Hogwallop, Stephen Root as the Radio Station guy, and Millford Fortenberry as the Geographical Oddity storekeeper. It may seem easy to do a small part for a little time, but this really underscores the Coen Bros. talent for getting a pitch perfect performance from every actor, no matter how small the part.

Much has been made of the music... and rightly so! I suppose it was less than surprising to learn that the music was actually a large part of the genesis of this movie. You could almost say that this is a musical of sorts, not of the broadway style, but some sort of hybrid, as only the Coen Bros. can do. My favorite musical moments are probably nearly the same as everyone else's, such as Man of Constant Sorrow. How can you not just love that song? The Sirens singing Didnt' Leave Nobody But the Baby with the way they used those rags for their loose-boned and sultry rhythm would certainly be tough to resist :) O Death at a KKK rally, what a sendup that was! The horrifying ridiculousness of that strangely choreographed scene was reminiscent of everything from the Nazi's Nuremberg rally to the Wicked Witch's guards from the Wizard of Oz (tell me you don't hear an echo of their "Oh we love--Noooo one" at the beginning of that scene.) But I have to admit I was strangely moved and affected by my favorite scene, Down in the River to Pray, the baptism scene. There was something beautiful, serene, and noble about those people in white, moving toward a turning point of purity and devotion down to be immersed in their new life. I loved it, utterly.

You may have noticed by this time that I haven't really mentioned Clooney but in passing. There's a reason for that. Probably the one thing that most deeply moved me was the character of Ulysses Everett McGill. Though it's not obvious at first, I think Everett is a beautifully developed, complex character. As the movie went on, I began to see him as insecure, loaded with good intentions, but without the inner strength to carry them out, full of regrets, yet a slave to his own passions and his desire to be admired. When we begin to realize that what Everett's looking for is to get his wife back, the whole situation seems just delightfully silly at first. But underneath, Clooney manages to display McGill's sensitive and wounded heart. He's terribly insecure and masks his insecurity with too much talk and a know-it-all attitude, as well as his addiction to Dapper Dan and his own appearance. A very telling scene is in the Geographical Oddity shop, when he obviously wants to tell off the shopkeeper who can't get his car part or his Dapper Dan for two weeks. He's mad and looks to storm out, but instead he crumbles and buys the pomade and hair nets. I think a lot of people miss that one. Everett is lost in a mess of his own making and is desperate to find that one rope strong enough to pull him out of the hole he's in. I think we all know people, or have one time *been* people who have become mired in their poor decisions and are further derailed by their attempts to circumvent the consequences. When people like this get that one opportunity to escape their pattern of failure they often miss it, but once in a while they grab hold and make it. I'll let you see what really happens in the movie, but George Clooney and the Coen Bros. have wrought a beautiful, tragically flawed, yet good and loving at heart protagonist and should be long recognized for it.

I cannot recommend this movie enough, aside from what I've mentioned, it is loaded with fun and frolic, good and evil and the strange, enormous grey area in between, tragedy and triumph. Some of the lines and gags in this movie are priceless and the sort of thing you find yourself saying to friends at odd times just to crack things up (Do Not Seek the Treasssure!) It bears multiple watchings well, as there are so many little details to pick up on, and its fun to find the direct Odyssey references within, some of them less obvious than others.

I'm not sure it's ever been so easy to give a movie five stars.

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The Coen brothers have a cult following, but until I saw this movie, I didn't count myself among the masses that love the Coens. However, with this movie, this brother team has cemented their reputation as serious and skilled filmmakers with a lot to say and a stylish way of saying it.

This movie is a loose retelling of "The Odyssey" by Homer, set in the Depression-era Deep South. George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson make an unlikely team of escaped convicts who embark on a journey of the weird and wonderful. Watch for the appearance of many famous Odyssey allusions, such as the Sirens and the Cyclops (among others). The Coens' quirky take on this classic tale is delightful and perfectly executed, and the script is beautifully and humorously written. The sets and filming are artistic and a bit mythical, and the casting choices are just great. The film is peopled with interesting characters, in classic Coen brothers fashion. Look for great supporting characters played by John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Charles Durning, and others.

And that's not all! Interwoven in this film are great depression-era songs and some original songs, with excellent music direction by T-bone Burnett. Who says Moulin Rouge is the first movie in a long while to take the musical format? This movie is just as much a musical as Baz Luhrmann's much-hyped movie.

I really believe that this movie reaches heights that previous Coen brothers movies (even Fargo) haven't reached. In addition, I believe this movie was slighted by the Academy during Oscar time. This movie was one of the best films of the year, and excelled in every aspect a film can be awarded for.

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The Coen brothers serve up a beautifully filmed and nearly perfectly executed movie with many scenes and songs that linger in ones head. It shows both the dark and light of the South in the depression, and reminds us of the power of the music that tried to help everyone get through the rough times. The warmer sounds of songs like "Big Rock Candy Mountain" and "I'll Fly Away" are yearnings for that better place far away. The premier song, "Man of constant sorrow", is a great blues\bluegrass piece, with both performances by Clooney and Cohorts being enjoyably funny. But perhaps the most impressive song and visual in this film is the baptism scene, when our heroes are suddenly surrounded by white clad Christians floating through the beautiful Southern woods like fireflies all singing a building gospel hymn "Down to the river" a very mesmerizing moment.

The performances are great. Clooney has an energetic wild eyed zeal and pulls of some great rapid dialog as Ulysses. Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro do well as the slow witted traveling companions. Daniel von Bargen (probably known best currently for his role as the Commandant at the military school on "Malcom in the Middle") fits the old image of the sherrif perfectly with his cool mannerisms, black outfit, sunglasses (the only person wearing them) and black hat.

While generally funny, the film also has reminders of the effects of the depression on already poor farmers. It also doesn't forget racial issues in the form of the KKK and how many of its members could make themselves out to be "normal decent folk" during the day when they weren't hiding in bedsheets carrying silly names. Some people take offense at the KKK scene in the movie, but I thought it pointed out the silliness of these people dressing in these costumes and thinking they were superior while also showing that enough stupidity gathered together can do some pretty terrible things. It can be an uncomfortable scene, but it does contribute to the story (and shows, through our heroes, that not *every* white person in the south was a bigot).

Ultimately, this movie was an enjoyable experience for me. I could even call it uplifting, as it's beautiful photography and soundtrack have caused me to start liking the South again and appeciate more of the Gospel and Bluegrass from the time. I love listening to "I'll Fly Away" from the soundtrack and picturing soaring up over the dusty roads and fields through gold tinted lenses.

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Producers/writers/directors Joel and Ethan Coen evoke the essence of such classic films as "Sullivan's Travels" and "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang," with their Depression Era comedy, "O Brother Where Art Thou?" directed by Joel Coen and starring George Clooney. Borrowing the title of the "meaningful" film that successful comedy filmmaker Sullivan wanted to make in the 1941 Preston Sturges film "Sullivan's Travels," and finally-in reality-making it, is only the beginning of this clever, funny tale based on Homer's "The Odyssey." The hero here is one Ulysses Everett McGill (Clooney), who along with two others, Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), escapes from a chain gang, commencing an "odyssey" for the trio wherein they ultimately traverse many of the railroads, back roads and tank-water towns scattered throughout the good State of Mississippi. It becomes an adventure of the first magnitude as the three cohorts encounter situations and characters that are humorous and sometimes poignant, and-for the audience-always fun. It's a richly woven tapestry of Americana (including plenty of traditional music) that is bound to leave an indelible impression in the mind of the viewer. Leading man Clooney has one of his best character roles yet-it's a Clooney we've never quite seen before-and he is more than up to the task. Invested with the mustache and rugged good looks of Clark Gable, and with his natural charisma working overtime, he creates a likable, articulate character that stands out in marked contrast to just about every other character in the film. And he's a joy to watch; his Ulysses is a real kick from start to finish, and it's a performance that is worthy of an Oscar. Turturro, as well, creates one of his most memorable screen characters, drawing heavily upon the naturally quirky side of his own personality and accentuating his own unique physical traits which lend themselves so well to the embodiment of Pete. And Nelson does the same with his Delmar; like Turturro, he successfully captures the soul of the character, both physically and emotionally, and-it must be mentioned-both actors (with Coen's help, of course) manage to avoid the trap of making their characters mere stereotypes, and it's one of the reasons they are so engaging: These guys are the genuine article. The extraordinary supporting cast, all of whom individually create truly original characters in their own right, includes Holly Hunter (Penny), John Goodman (Big Dan), Chris Thomas King (Tommy), Charles Durning (Pappy O'Daniel), Del Pentecost (Junior O'Daniel) and Michael Badalucco in a memorable turn as George "Babyface" Nelson. Not content to sit on their laurels, the Coen Brothers constantly seek to expand the boundaries of their personal cinematic universe, and they succeed splendidly with "O Brother Where Art Thou?" It's a rousingly warm and witty and-most importantly-highly entertaining and creative film that takes the viewer on an unforgettable journey. The Coen's distinct imprint, like the cinematic equivalent of The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, is stamped on every frame of the film, and it's like an assurance of quality and a good time to be had by all. There's magic in the movies the Coen Brothers make, and this one goes far toward proving what anyone who has followed their movies over the years knows already: Nobody does it quite like Joel and Ethan. This one is not to be missed.

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