James Bond 007 -The Spy who Loved Me Blu-ray (1977)

This is my personal favorite of the Roger Moore 007 movies so I was looking forward to the DVD to see what sort of commentary would be provided to go along with it. Here we are treated ti Producer Micheal Wilson, Designer Ken Adam and writer Chrostopher Wood recounting their memories of the movie in a screen-specific commentary. Added to this is a lengthy "Making of...." feature (over 40 minutes) that all in all combines to make this a movie that belongs in everyones DVD library. The movie iteself is intriguing with very satisfying action scenes, humor and the most beautiful actress ever to grace the movie screen Barbara Bach...

The movie really has it all and we learn before the main titles that this is going to be a very different 007 movie from the ones that preceded it. In 1977 audiences rose to their feet to cheer what is still one of the most amazing stunts in motion picture history. Accompanied by a disco beat (that I like) Bond leaves the cabin of one of the EON series' sexiest femme fatales, is pursued by Russian assassins and then ski's off a mountain-top, apparently to his death. But no a parachute opens and our hero glides effortlessly across our screen and into the waiting hands of the main titles perfect.

I've never been a fan of Bond in the main titles and this is unfortunately the one that started this trend. My favorite main title sequences are those in which 007 does not appear.

The sequence at the submarine base introduces us to a couple of recurring characters, first is Minster Frederick Gray and then Admiral Hargreaves (who would later be promoted to the position of M). These are two welcome additions and Gray's appearance in particular would help the series four years later when the series lost Bernard Lee.

We also are introduced to Gen. Gogol as head of the KGB. Gogol would return in each of the successive movies until 1987's THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS when actor Walter Gotell's health had deteriorated to such an extent that his part was rewritten to a mere cameo, while the chunk of his scenes went to John Rhys-Davies.

What follows is a mix of action (the car chase, battle inside the Liparus and train fight stand out), drama (confrontation in the hotel room in particular) and Moore getting to be ruthless (dispatching Sandor from the rooftop "What a helpful chap.") Of course any review of the movie would be remiss not to mention the introduction of Jaws.

Jaws is a killing machine who, although clumsy, does not think twice about murdering his prey.

Many fans are admirers of Caroline Munro in this picture. For me, the main thing I like about her appearances are the looks it illicits from Bach's Amasova are those flickers of jealousy?

Really, everything comes together perfectly, the perfect girl, some of the best action and drama, great locations and all the while Moore's great humor, it is in this movie that he delivers one of my all-time favorite 007 lines "All those feathers and he still couldn't fly!"

UPDATEIt should be noted that there is a rerelease of this movie coming up on DVD which will feature a newly recorded scene specific audio commentary by Bond actor Roger Moore. So, it may well be worth holding off on a purchase until these Ultimate Editions are released towards the end of 2006.

This is my favourite Bond movie and I have seen them all. Here are some of its assets:

Great locations: Egypt, Sardinia, makes you want to be there as well

The best Bond villain: Jaws

A sexy and intelligent Bond girl + a sexy and ruthless female villain, Naomi (her role should have been longer)

One of the best enemy hideouts, Atlantis, a giant waterworld fortress and the inside of a huge oil tanker

The sets inside Atlantis and the tanker don't have this cheap plastic filmset look that you have in the enemy hideouts of the earlier Connery movies

Roger Moore delivering his strongest performance

The gadgets are also great, especially the Lotus Esprit that also functions as a submarine

Bond's love interest nearly is his equal in her abilities, not some Bimbo, like in many other Bond movies

All in all, a great movie, I've probably watched it dozens of times with a cask of beer and some crackers, always makes a great Bond evening

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James Bond is assigned to foil the plans of the evil Stromberg (Curt Jürgens) to destroy the world, so that he can create an underwater utopia. As Stromberg and his criminal syndicate have targeted both the Soviets and the Americans/British, he is lucky to be teamed up with the lovely Russian agent Triple X-Anya Amosova, played by the gorgeous Barbara Bach.

Bach plays my second favourite Bond girl-and the Bond girls are ALL so exquisite that they are hard to choose between.

Bond engages with several other beauties from the Swiss Alps to the deserts of Egypt ( a scantily clad belly dancing bevy of lovelies , are one of the magnificent delights Bond comes across when visiting his Egyptian host).to the Sardinia, where Stromberg's underwater compound is based.

In this one the frightening Jaws is also introduced as Stromberg's bloodthirsty assassin, , with his metallic razor sharp fangs, which cut through metal bars and chains, the necks of several of his victims, and even a man-eating shark. Jaws also crawls out of various seeming deaths-the perfect foil to Bond, as he has appeared as Bond's nemesis in several subsequent 007 flix.

This is certainly the best of all the Roger Moore Bond's, and while Moore's over-flippant style can be irritating, the surrounding, the action and the ladies let him get away with it , in this one at least.

The theme song by Carly Simon -Nobody Does it Betteris the best Bond theme song.

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One has to admit that the title used for the sequel to Austin Powers was indeed very funny. But how many out there actually remember what its original source is, or for that matter, how good a film "The Spy Who Loved Me" actually was? This movie is the pinacle of the Roger Moore era and features his best performance as 007. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. The film has every element that makes a great James Bond film: a good villain with a great scheme (the dream of an underwater civilization), an even better henchman in Jaws (before he became a cartoon), one of the best and most beautiful Bond ladies (Barbara Bach as Russian agent XXX), perhaps second only to "Dr. No's" Ursulla Andress (although this one is a lot more liberated and sophisticated), exotic locales (Egypt, Sardinia), a fantastic gadget in the Lotus Espirit submarine car, which some might feel even rivals the original Aston Martin, an unforgetable title song (Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better"), and what is perhaps the most breathtaking stunt in the series (the ski-parachute jump in the opening sequence). The only slightly dissappointing aspect of the DVD is that the commentary by the director and crew is not as informative as most of the others. But the film is too good to even let that bother you.

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This is the best Bond movie

It has all the elements you expect in a Bond picture.

Action, great special effects, a lovely Bond girl, great music, and a perfect Bond.

Roger Moore knows after two movies, exactly how he has to play bond. A though, humerous and serious Bond.

Barbara Bach is just lovely in this movie. She is beautiful and plays the russian agent Anya perfectly. The most beautiful Bond girl.

The villain, played by Curt Jurgens, is evil and a perfect adversarry.

Richard Kiel is the most rememberale Villain side-kick.

He is a perfect match for Bond, and has a nice weapon...

Talking about dropping in for a bite...

-The Best Bond movie! See it for yourself! It will enjoy you until the last minute!

Not Fade Away (Blu-ray +Digital Copy +UltraViolet) (2012)

"Not Fade Away" (2012 release; 112 min.) is the debut feature film from writer-director David "The Sopranos" Chase. The story is very loosely based on Chase's days of growing up in New Jersey in the early 1960s, with Douglas (played by John Magaro) standing in for Chase. The movie starts with a retelling of the infamous meeting between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on a train in the early 60s, and not long thereafter we see the Stones appear on TV and Douglas and his friends want to start a band "like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles". The voice over is from Douglas' sister, informing us she is going to tell "the story of this band nobody has ever heard off". There are many side stories and characters in the movie, none more so than Douglas' dad, played by James "Tony Soprano" Gandolfini, which in my opinion was very risky: how can you see this man play yet another Italian patriach with an anger problem and not think Tony Soprano?

But in the end the story line is secondary to the music and the time capsule of the 60s that you find in every frame of this movie. The movie soundtrack was supervised by Steven Van Zandt, yes, that Steven Van Zandt, and he does an incredible job not only compiling a ton of great 60s music (and thankfully not always the same ol' same ol' standards), but the band Douglas and his friends are putting together do some nice tunes as well. This movie is eye-candy from start to finish, I couldn't stop marveling at the incredible amount of details that went into framing this movie visually. Chase's writing is pretty crisp throughout the movie. At one point the band is close to signing and their would-be manager tells them that for the next 6 months they should play 7 days a week, 2 sets a night, at every and any possible bar in New York. One of the guys in the band protests and says "we can't do that, our music is art, it would demystify our music for our fans". To which the would-be manager answers: "Music is a business. The Beatles played for 2 years in Hamburg, Germany in strip joints." End of discussion, ha!

It is clear that this movie is a labor of love for David Chase, and at that it succeeds entirely. While the story line is lacking a major dramatic undercurrent, there is plenty enough other things that kept my interest in the movie from start to finish. In the end, it is all about the music in this movie, so if you are not really into music (or 60s music to be precize), save yourself the trouble. But if you are, like me, a huge music fan, this movie will pretty much delight from start to finish. For those interested, the movie's soundtrack is available separately and brings a great collection of 26 songs from that era.

I saw this film on the big screen last year at the Philadelphia Film Festival and was looking forward to seeing it on home video and to see what bonus features would be added. There's so much music both played by the actors as characters in the film, and as snippets of licensed music from the 1962-68 time period, that I sometimes lost track of the story while concentrating on the great music selected, by the way, by Executive Producer Steven Van Zandt (of the E Street Band). (When I saw in the theater I kept asking myself what the licensing fees must have been to release this film.)

As you will learn from the Bonus features on the Blu-ray (no bonuses on the standard DVD) this film was germinating in the mind of writer/director David Chase from the moment his HBO series "The Sopranos" ended. It took a while for him to say what he wanted. Not to give any "spoilers" (but I think you will find it helpful), Chase chose ACTORS , not musicians, to play the roles of members of the band (rather than choosing musicians and teaching them to act), and gave them four weeks of full-day music lessons before even starting the shoot.

The cast is basically unknowns except for James Gandolfini . I found I could relate to the actors who I had no previous image of, then I could Gandolfini, who still looks and sounds like Tony Soprano.

Chase chose to set the film in the years between 1962 and 1968, a time frame that had more changes in pop music styles (and fashion too!) than at any other time in music history. Anyone who was at least eight years old in 1962 will easily relate to this film.

As I noted above there are bonuses on the BD version. First comes a three-part "Making of" doc titled "The Basement Tapes". The running time is 33 minutes and gives a good feeling for why Chase chose to make it. The next bonus is called "Building The Band" but it really adds nothing in its three-minute length that wasn't covered in the Basement Tapes featurette (and some of the interviews are repeated). Lastly there are four "deleted scenes" (actually only part of the scenes shown were deleted) which has a total time of about five minutes.

If you saw this in the theaters and liked it, it's worth re-watching on disc. If you collect rock records of the 1960s and you haven't seen the film I think you'll enjoy it. I did!

I hope that you found this review both informative and helpful.

Steve Ramm

"Anything Phonographic"

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I really enjoyed this film. Loved how the events of the time didn't overshadow the main character's focus on his dream: becoming a rock star. Fantastic performances from the lead (I felt like I knew Douglas in high school -he was that guy who was suddenly cool because he was on stage) and surely all the supporting characters. Another amazing performance by James Gandolfini, who is perfect in this role. His wife, played by Molly Price, is so spot-on bitter and harsh, it's hard to believe she was acting.

Loved it.

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Some movies I just watch for the entertainment. This movie is one I decided to buy after I saw it. If you did not grow up in the sixties (ages 13-19)you may not capture the essense of the movie. Not only in New Jersey but all over America there was a boom of bands forming in garages, basements, and so on. I don't critique the acting or the actors, I see the movie for what it is. Telling the history of an outcoming of a generation of hopefuls. Remember the Sir Douglas Quintet? Well they formed in the southside of San Antonio, Texas where Doug Sahm was from (yes he spoke spanish). My older brother played sax on a band (the Rocking Dukes) never made it big, but they practiced and played in neighborhood bars, small clubs. The American music fiber spread from this era, and it still exists to this day.

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I had high, very high, expectations for this movie, depicting the rise and fall of a Rolling Stones-influenced garage band from New Jersey. David Chase are I are both Jersey kids; are more-or-less the same age (he is 67; I am 63) and had some of the same experiences. I sat down to watch this flick, expecting to be pulled through an earlier part of my life.

The beginning of the film set the stage in a fabulous manner, with the imagined meeting of Mick and Keith on a train heading to school. (As a side note: when in the world will someone film a similar event of Lennon and McCartney?) A voice-over by the sister of the stories protagonist informs us that while almost everyone knows how that story goes; a similar one involving her brother Doug is known to virtually no one. The very obvious implication here is that her brother's band was not a success.

With that thought in mind we are allowed to observe the life of the band for the rest of its existence. Through this part of the film, we have the archetypical age band story. We watch the members fumble with their instruments, aping what they see and hear of their heroes. Gradually, competency occurs, amidst personal changes. Finally, the band stabilizes with five members who are capable of performing live and being appreciated by others. Conflict remains in the form of a battle for the lead singer role, and while a truce holds for a while, the loser is eventually forced from the band. Unfortunately, this isn't the end of the band's problems. Two members separately sow the seeds that eventually lead to the demise of the band. One member won't do shows outside the local area, citing loyalty to friends. The other a marvelous example of gutless backstabbing paints everything as a plot to parry his cowardice and continuously poisons his bandmates with accusation and innuendo. This reaches a climax when the band cannot agree to move to New York City as part of "paying its dues."

With the band in disarray, our hero elects to decamp to California with his girlfriend. When last we see of his bandmates, they are standing outside the same pizza place where they have stood all their lives and likely always will.

California is, of course, a disaster as the only reason to go lies in an attempt to escape reality (a dying father in a modestly dysfunctional family and the collapse of his dream with the band) and to follow his girlfriend. Sun and surf do not provide the solution either artistically or emotionally. Mistrust real and imagined leads to his wandering the streets of LA, seeking a ride to who knows where. The trek halts briefly outside a music store, where our hero, after viewing the instruments, has a smile come to his face. In the background, music can now be heard. The song is `Roadrunner,' though not the song of that name by Junior Walker & the All Stars, not an earlier sone by Bo Diddley. Instead it is the paean to the open road and the redemptive quality of rock `n' roll written by Jonathan Richman in 1972. But, to skew time and space even more, it's the Sex Pistols version from 1977. So, with music of the future behind him, Doug starts walking again, though this time it seems to be with a purpose. We are left alone in the middle of the street briefly, until his sister appears in the frame. She tells a story about a term paper she wrote about the United States providing two things: nuclear war and rock `n' roll; with the question being, which one will win. She begins to walk away, stops to look over her shoulder at us, smiles and then begins to dance.

Clearly, this isn't `That Thing You Do.' Neither is it `Almost Famous;' nor `Light of Day,' to name three films while not having necessarily happy endings, at least had resolutions of sorts. When it first ended, I thought as I had several times during the film that it was another of those pointless films that seem jump into a story and out of it with no apparent conclusion. But, as time passed my view of the film has changed and probably will continue to do so.

Still, let me start with a weakness in the film about which I don't think my views will change. There's a lot going on in this film as relates to the characters. I believe that Mr. Chase a creature of television, where multiple episodes and seasons allow for leisurely character development presented us with complex characters but no roadmap to understanding them. I think having to decide what you thought were characters' motivations became so burdensome, it made thinking about the moving as a whole harder to do.

At the same time, I feel this film is an incredibly accurate portrayal of the 1960s culture and the cataclysmic effects music had on that generation of kids. It also exposed the overwhelming truth that most of what one thinks and says and does takes place in a swirl of incomplete and distracting information. It's not like `That Thing You Do,' where the families are happy or non-existent. People get sick, people lose jobs; your friends let you and/or you let them down. In short s*** happens and life goes on. In the end, I guess, we all have to learn that to paraphrase John Lennon life is what happens while you're planning other things. In the end, it is a movie more about life than it is about music. However, for many of us Mr. Chase included the two are intertwined.

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The Piano (1993)

Jane Campion's "The Piano" does what many truly great films do: It inspires fascinating discussion and provokes mixed reactions. The male friend with whom I saw it back in 1993 and I were so enthralled that we kept our significant others waiting to leave for our respective Christmas vacations because we kept phoning each other to discuss symbolism and interesting themes in the movie. While I continue to absolutely love the film, I also recognize why some viewers have not shared my reaction. Perhaps you have to have at least considered a forbidden love affair or perhaps you have to have found yourself trapped in a relationship where you feel you have lost your voice to appreciate what Campion explores.

The story centers around Ada (Holly Hunter in an Oscar-winning performance) and her daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin--who also won an Oscar for her extraordinary performance). They leave their upper-class home in Scotland after Ada's father (apparently) arranges her marriage. Ada, who has willed herself not to speak since age 6, expresses herself through her beloved piano.

The true story of who fathered Flora is never revealed in the movie, but the context suggests that she is Ada's illegimate child born from an illicit affair. The hinted-at story of Flora's conception provides a key to understanding both why Ada later begins an affair with her New Zealand neighbor Baines (Harvey Keitel) and why she makes a mail-order marriage in the first place. I suspect that Ada's aging father may have wanted to see her settled--preferably far away so that her unconventional behavior would no longer be a source of social embarassment--and given Ada's muteness and out-of-wedlock child, her father probably couldn't find a suitable suitor in mid-Victorian Scotland.

Stewart (Sam Neill) first encounters his future wife on a lonesome gray beach surrounded by her crated belongings. His Maori porters begin carrying many household items up the muddy path to his dreary homestead. But Stewart refuses to bring the piano along, despite Ada's apparent distress and Flora's pleas that her mother MUST have her piano.

Ada's piano, abandoned on the barren New Zealand beach, captures the sense of what 19th century colonial life might have been like for too many women--treasured possessions, the last ties to "civilization" left behind.

Rendered voiceless without her piano, Ada begs Stewart to return for her instrument through notes and more pleas from Flora. Finally she persuades Baines--a colonist whose tattoed face evidences the extent to which he has "gone native" and who is considered less civilized by his neighbors--to guide her back to the beach. Ada comes to life again as she, at last, gets to play. Drawn by her passion for the piano, Baines arranges with Stewart to trade land for the piano. Without consulting his wife, Stewart assures him that Ada will provide lessons too.

During first of these lessons, Ada strikes her own bargain with Baines, whom she still considers a boor: She will trade sexual favors to earn back her piano, one key at a time. Ultimately, her reluctant bargain grows into full-blown love and passion. The dark, brooding tone of "The Piano," however, suggests that something in this situation will go tragically, and probably violently, wrong.

Campion has filled her movie with haunting piano music (actually played by Hunter) and intriguing imagery. The metaphor of piano as voice and losing and regaining one's voice, Flora's role in changing her mother's fate, the question of whether Ada's bargain reflects a woman taking control of her life or just being victimized in a different way, and many other complexities make this a movie worth watching again and again and again.

By the artwork I believe this Blu-ray to be an import from Australia and the bad news is that it is a terrible transfer.

Having purchase this disk I offer the following review based on the assumption that it is the same product.

The back cover states that this disk has been mastered to 1080i Standard. Why on earth 1080i???????

Why was the film not re-mastered from film stock and to 1080p Standard?

The interlacing is apparent from the very start. The title sequence background has very obvious horizontal streaking. An ominous beginning.

This Blu-ray suffers from too much green and too much grain. Most of the red seems to have been filtered out thereby making the film darker than it should be. As a result the flesh tones are unnatural. Having seen the film in the theatre, to me this print has been made unusually dark for no apparent reason. The opening sequence where Ada McGrath is looking at the light between her fingers is strange because her fingers appear to be black, when in reality as anyone who has done this themselves know that the light through your fingers appear flesh coloured or red. This sets the darkness for the rest of the film. My Region 2 DVD has colours that are lighter, more red and natural looking (as I remember them from the theatre).

Viewed on a small screen (i.e. my PC) the picture generally looked OK, however on a large LCD TV all the shortcomings were accentuated and became unacceptable.

Another annoying feature of this disk is the omission of automatic subtitles for translations where required;

(i) When Ada and Flora McGrath are both conversing in Sign Language.

(ii) When George Baines or any of the Natives are speaking Maori.

Automatic translation subtitles were included in the theatre and also on my Region 2 DVD, however, on this Blu-ray; nothing.

There are selectable subtitles for the Hearing Impaired, but these have no translations for the Maori dialogue either.

The only thing that is an improvement over the DVD is the addition of a DTS-HD 5.1 Audio track. Everything else, I consider to be sub-standard for a Blu-ray.

What the manufacturers of this Blu-ray have done to this wonderful film is nothing short of a disgrace. A DVD up-scaled to 1080i would have been quite OK if the source material had been better. At US$34.99 I would expect a bit more effort should have gone into the making of this Blu-ray.

Being more than a little disappointed with my purchase, the next day I returned the disk and obtained a refund.

The 3 stars are for the Disk not the movie. The film deserves 5 stars.

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I missed this movie in the theaters 10 years ago, and saw it for the first time purely by chance on HBO recently. I was so enchanted that I watched each of the next three showings in the very same day, and then bought the DVD for my collection. It is one of the most unique, truly deep, thought provoking, awe-inspiring, movies I've seen in a while. The drama is almost Biblical, the love story almost Shakespearian in quality (think Othello). I was enraptured by the music, the crashing waves, and the amazing synergy between the players.

And Harvey Keitel who knew? Those gangster/tough guy roles just don't even touch this man's talent. George Baines is intense, tender, passionate, a total jerk so it would seem but underneath the gruff exterior lies the heart of a prince. Keitel really puts it all out there, literally and figuratively. It's a risky role and it works for him.

Holly Hunter was spectacular, as usual, but in this film the fast-talking, high-energy woman you came to know in "Broadcast News" or "Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom" must dig deep. Ada's silences surpass powerful, she conveys more with her facial expressions than most people say out loud in a lifetime. Speech is clearly an overrated and overused form of communication. Ada's will is almost a character onto itself. And one can see clearly that no one is more surprised by her emerging emotions and unfolding events than she.

Sam Neill's character is sad, broken, pathetic, frightening, and your basic worst nightmare all at once. Jealousy is indeed and ugly and and devastating emotion.

I disagree with a few of the other reviewers about Anna Paquin's character, Flora. Some saw Flora as innocent. Watch closely. She's diabolical, almost schizophrenic. She has the wide-eyed, innocent visage of a pathological liar. Note the scene with the photograph, the dog under the porch, her conversations with the other women in the village (where you begin to see her turn on her mother as she realizes that she's being replaced as the center of her mother's universe) and when her final act of betrayal results in horrific violence (don't think for a second that she didn't know what she was doing), then note her repentence, and subsequent absolution (the soiled angel wings in the river), and her redemption. Miss Paquin could never be considered a "child star" she's already shown more maturity than many adults in film today.

And of course, the Piano, the center of it all, Ada's voice, the music in this movie is so moving and expressive, so perfect for each scene. My next purchase is the soundtrack.

In sum, heart-achingly beautiful, devastatingly real and dream-like all at once. I highly recommend.

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I saw this movie when it first came out in theaters in 93 and it has continued to haunt me ever since. Watching it again last night, I realized once more what a wonderful movie it is--rich in symbolism, character, excellent acting, and a story so deep and beautiful it won't leave your brain.

Many reviewers have given a plot synopsis but I want to talk about the way the piano itself is used in the movie. It is a beautiful instrument and from the start of the movie we can see that Ada loves it. We soon see why she is so attached to it--it is literally her voice since she has not spoken since the age of 6. When she and her daughter are dumped on the shores of New Zealand, her new husband refuses to acknowlege her need to have the piano with her. He leaves it behind despite her pleas that they take it rather than her clothes or household goods. There is a very poingnanant scene with Ada standing on a cliff and looking out to the beach at the piano with such longing in her eyes. It is clear she is leaving a part of herself behind--perhaps the most important part and yet her oaf of a husband completely misses it.

It is Bains, the neighbor and friend of Ada's husband who finally grasps the significance of the piano. At Ada's insistance, he takes her and her daughter back to the beach so she can play her beloved piano and 'speak' for the first time in days. You can see by the way her face lightens from the harsh mask it has been through most of the movie so far how much this means to Ada. She actually smiles and her movments lose their stiffness and become flowing as she lets the music move through her, saying things impossible to express through words. Bains displays a quality here that Ada's husband has little of--patience. He stays on the beach and listens to Ada play most of the day. There is another interesting piece of symbolism at the end of this scene where Ada walks in the wet sand, leaving her footprints behind. Her daughter runs to join her, walking in the same set of footprints and after a moment's hesitation, Bains also follows, adding his footprints to hers and making the track a single one--forshadowing the end of the film in which the three of them will form a family.

After hearing Ada play, Bains is captivated by her. He arranges with her lunk of a husband to buy the piano and Ada is forced to give him lessons. At first she has nothing but contempt for Bains whom she considers ignorant because he can't read but after they strike their bargain--1 black key on the piano keyboard for one sexual favor in order for Ada to earn her piano back--she gradually begins to see him in another light.

Much has been made in other reviews of the fact that Bains proposes such a bargain to Ada in the first place. But this is not the act of a man bent solely on gratuitous sexual gratification--rather it is the only way Bains can think of to make Ada his--to bring the elusive and aloof woman down to his level so he can love her and give her a chance to love him. Throughout the movie it is clear that Bains is deeply moved by every aspect of Ada--the way she looks, the way she expresses herself through music, the play of muscles under her skin as she 'speaks' through the piano, even her scent. And it is clear that he understands the significance of the piano because he treats it as an extension of Ada herself. In one evocative scene, he takes off his clothes and uses them to polish the richly carved wood of the instrument after Ada has gone. He touches the piano with reverence and love, using the same gestures that he later uses with Ada herself when he caresses her body.

I must digress here to say that many reviewers have commented on the full frontal nudity of both Ada (Holly Hunter) and Bains (Harvey Keitel) in the movie. Some people seem to think it is gratuitous but I really liked it because I felt it added to the symbolic quality of the film. Bains looks like you might expect a New Zealand farmer to look--his body is hard and deeply tanned from working in the sun--he is everything that is rough and rugged and masculine. In contrast, Ada is pale and fragile looking--everything soft and feminine and when she does finally yield to Bains with her whole heart, the differnces between them combine to make a deeply sensual scene.

It is in the love scene that we first see the beginning of the end of the piano. Ada, who hasn't spoken a word out loud since she was 6, says something we can't quite catch while she and Bains are making love. Bains doesn't quite catch it either but he urges her to 'whisper it' in his ear which she does. Now that Bains has unlocked her voice, we can see that the piano is going to become obsolete. And in fact, at the end of the film when she and her daughter are leaving via canoe with Bains, Ada orders that it be pushed overboard. The piano now symbolizes her old life, a life she wants to leave behind forever. But it almost takes her with it--she nearly drowns with her piano when her foot catches in the ropes that bind it. She struggles free at the last moment as much to her own surprise. She is surprised that her will has chosen to live rather than to die with the piano which now symbolises the stagnant life she is leaving behind.

At the end of the film we see Ada learning to speak. Though she still plays the piano, it is no longer her sole means of communication. She has grown from a cold, silent woman to a warm and loving one, the change fostered by Bains' love and understanding. He has helped her find her true voice and let go of her past though in her dreams she still sees herself tied to the piano which rests at the bottom of the ocean. Perhaps she sees the part of herself she had to leave behind in order to grow and find true happiness and self fulfillment.

The Piano is a moving and beautiful film, one of my top five favorties of all time. I can't say enough about this lovely movie. Rent or buy it today and see what I mean.

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My wife & I love the movie The Piano.. let's just say it strikes all the right chords and it falls into that category we have reserved for just a handful of special movies that are worthy of being watched over and over. Anyway when the Blu-ray version of The Piano was released(apparently Australia made this happen)we immediately bought it from Amazon and tried it. This was a very disappointing experience.. you get all worked up to see one of your favorite movies upgraded in glorious Blu-ray and suddenly it all turns into a big non-event. It absolutely would not work in my newer model Sony Blu-ray player.. no picture, nothing. I even went so far as to drive to the local dvd shop around the corner and they allowed me to try it in their Blu-ray player.. nothing. I quickly sent it back to Amazon for a refund. Later on I decided to take a chance and try out another copy of the The Piano (Blu-ray), this time I obtained it from a local dvd shop (the shop is actually one of the ones on Amazon's secondary market). The dvd packaging was identical to the first one I had obtained from Amazon(same Australian source) labelled "a world of stories dendy heart", it was noted however that there was a small black sticker on the package that states it is compatible with PS3. What about the average Blu-ray player that most people have? Anyway, I tried this second copy and you guessed it, it also did NOT work! I returned it for a refund. I give up. Why is this inferior type of product being sold and why doesn't Amazon address this. My recommendation is don't buy this product unless you want to be inconvenienced.

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Toy Story 3 - Movie Only Blu-Ray (2008)

My review is brief as others have almost said it all. I just want to say that I am 62 years old, and just the thought about the way I felt when I saw this movie in the theatre makes me tear up. It is a nostalgic feeling in a big way. Reminds you of your childhood and those special feelings about growing up. You want to grow up and get on to being an adult in the worst way, but thinking back now your childhood was such a very special time. So fleeting and if we're lucky, such a special time in our lives.

I highly recommend the purchase of this movie to add to your collection.

I honestly feel that the series should stop here. Perfect right where it was left.

I went to the San Francisco Film Festival screening at Pixar Studios last night not really knowing what to expect. Toy Story has been with us for 15 years now (20, in terms of actual development) and I had a sinking feeling that maybe all the character potential had been used in the first two and this was some shameless plot by Disney to exploit the franchise ("Little Mermaid 3", anyone?). Well, shame on me for underestimating the capabilities of Pixar, who once again have shown how a small studio in Emeryville is a storytelling powerhouse that leaves the rest of the industry in the dust.

Toy Story 3 is the tale of Andy, the toys' owner, going to college and their quest to determine their future headed between the attic or a daycare center. If you've enjoyed the way the first two films blend character drama with innovative action and humor, this cocktail hits its stride in the third film, which draws on everything we already know about the characters and then adds two new entire sets of toys to the plot. There's a new villain, two very amusing romance sub-plots and a litany of visual gags that push the envelope even further. I'm not allowed to go into any details but the second half of the film is a familiar set piece performed in a completely new way that will forever change your view of certain toys and day care centers.

Apart from a level of animation that sets the bar in the industry and an attention to detail that makes you wonder what most "real" films actually do in pre-production, the real genius of the third film is to provide a satisfying conclusion that gives every character a completed character arc. About 20 minutes before the end, I was wondering how they would do this since there were some fairly dark moments (similar to those in Wall-E and Up), but naturally they manage to pull it together. There's literally not a single wasted shot, let alone a wasted scene, and the pace quickens throughout to keep the tension mounting.

Overall, this is another Pixar classic that easily has enough for both kids and adults (and movie aficionados). It's not difficult to see why each of their movies takes five years to complete yet despite the technical wizardry, the success of their movies is fundamentally routed in their stories, a fact which most other studios seem to forget these days. As to whether the stage is set for Toy Story 4, I suppose they could always pull it off given the creativity at work here, but I think there was a deliberate attempt to make this the last in the series.

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"Toy Story" was about sibling rivalry. "Toy Story 2" was about loving others, even if it means you might get hurt someday.

So what is "Toy Story 3" about? It takes the whole "kids + loyal toys" theme to its natural conclusion, by showing us what happens when the kids grow up and leave. While the first two-thirds of the movie are fairly pedestrian (for a Pixar movie!), the last part is both action-packed and emotionally wrenching.

Ten years have passed, and Andy is now a college-bound teenager. His toys are anxious about what's going to happen, so Woody keeps assuring them that they'll be put safely in the attic. But a misunderstanding leads to a date with the garbage truck. Since the toys believe they have been abandoned, they jump into the box of donated toys bound for Sunnyside Daycare.

They're greeted by the genial Lots-o'-Hugging Bear (aka Lotso) and the friendly daycare toys, and all seems to be well. But Andy's toys soon discover that Sunnyside is a nighmare -they've been assigned the "Caterpillar Room" for wild abusive toddlers, and Lotso is the Godfatheresque overlord of the daycare. Once Woody learns the true horrors of Sunnyside, he must infiltrate the daycare and somehow get his friends out.

You know that the movie industry is officially in a slump when the cleverest, funniest and most touching movie of the summer... is a CGI sequel about toys. "Toy Story 3" starts off rather lightweight at first, with the toys being brought into Sunnyside and Woody setting off in another direction.

But once Lotso is revealed as the villain, the movie takes a sharp turn -it becomes a clever, complex "Great Escape"-style caper, with some moments of G-rated horror (THE MONKEY!) and hilarity (resetting Buzz ends up turning him into a flamenco-dancing suave Spaniard). And while the toys' attempted escape from Sunnyside is taut and genuinely thrilling, it's only the START of the climax -a harrowing, genuinely scary chase scene that brings the toys together.

And there's a bittersweet core to "Toy Story 3": kids grow up, leave home and the people/toys they leave behind are both proud and sad. In the final scenes of the movie,we're quietly ushered through the emotional goodbyes and hellos of growing up.

And the adorable little cast of toys still remind us that what matters most is love and loyalty, particularly during a deadly crisis where they all fearfully join hands (it sounds sappy, but it isn't). There's also some endearing additions to the cast -the foppish clotheshorse Ken, Big Baby, a Totoro, a giggly tricerotops, and the Shakespearean stuffed hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants.

Anyway, this blu-ray/DVD combo has a wealth of extras -trailers teasers, theatrical shorts (oh look, Night and Day are scuffling!), "Cine-emplore," commentary, lots of making-ofs, behind the scenes stuff like "A Toy's Eye View: Creating A Whole New Land," a music video, and just lots of endearing odds and ends like Ken's dating tips. Er...

It hurts to say goodbye to Woody, Buzz and their friends, but "Toy Story 3" is a fitting farewell that brings the trilogy full circle. Best movie of the summer, hands down.

Read Best Reviews of Toy Story 3 - Movie Only Blu-Ray (2008) Here

My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.

Not counting shallow effects, there are about 16 out of screen effects that extend 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer, 1 effect at 15% and a few blurry rain drops at 20%.

The quality of the in screen 3D is good to very good but...

PIXAR DOES NOT WANT (or try to create) OOS EFFECTS.

Children may enjoy Pixar's in-screen 3D films, but if Pixar wants to ignore half of the 3D technology, they should only charge half as much.

*** Disappointing OOS 3D ***

MY 3D RATING = GOOD (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent)

Note: As far as the percentages go, everyone's eyes are different. What I see at 25% you may see at 15% or 35%. To fully realize how far something is out of the screen for you, pause on an effect and direct a partner with an extended finger to the tip of what you are seeing. You may be surprised.

Click on `' for the lowdown on other 3Ds

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What amazes me is that PIXAR continues to keep the story, characters, and action fresh in a third installment of the story line.

How many sequels come close to the original? How many "part 3's" come close? Very few.

But this is great and my kids and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first two. if you have children then this is a MUST buy. (assuming you've seen the first two).

Black Christmas (1974)

There is no need to discuss what a classic the original Black Christmas is. That has been done at length by reviewers for other releases. This review is specifically for the Black Christmas [Blu-ray] edition.

The transfer and sound are great. There are still some traces of foreign matter visible from the print used, but this is the nicest copy you'll probably ever see on a home edition. I believe it is the same transfer used for the Special Edition in 2006.

The features are identical to the Special Edition release:

12 Days of Black Christmas featurette

Midniht Q&A

Interviews ( Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, and Art Hindle)

'Uncovered' Sound scenes

My only complaint is the lack of subtitles or commentaries, and for that reason I only give 4 stars. Apparently space limitations were the problem on the Special Edition. That would not be a problem on blu ray. It seems the rights to the commentaries from the 2002 Collector's Edition are owned by another company so those were not available, but it seems that new actor commentaries might have been obtained for this edition.

Sadly, Bob Clark was killed by a drunk driver in 2007. For fans wanting the director's commentary, the collector's edition is the only option and will become increasingly harder to obtain.

If you have the Special Edition and an upconvert dvd player you might give this one a miss, as there are no new features to speak of. If you have a blu ray player and don't already own the special edition, the Blu-ray edition is the way to go. Of course, you can hold out for a "Definitive Edition". There's always next Christmas...

I am 35 years old and I remember when this first came out on HBO back in the early 80's. I believe I was either ten or eleven when I first saw it. My parents went to sleep right before it came on and I stayed up to watch it (which they wouldn't have let me in any way if they knew this movie!). This was the movie that put a deep dread AND fascination in me for horror movies and suspense/thrillers. It terrified me beyond words, yet as good horror movies do they take you for a ride that thrills you to your core. Man, I remember the unbelievable dread at the end of the movie and after it was over I remember saying to myself "That was the most scared I've ever been".

There have been times as an adult that took me back to the horror that this movie implanted in me as a child....One night, sleeping in my apartment alone, I was suddenly awoken by my door opening. I slept in almost complete darkness at the time. I jumped into the "fight or flight" mode and the flight took control...I screamed and screamed like a little girl throwing my pillow at the unseen attacker! I was able to turn on the lights and I came to find out that the wind (during the summer with windows open) was responsible for pushing my door open when it wasn't shut all the way. I woke up my neighbors with the screams and commotion I made and they called the cops thinking I was being murdered! LOL Man was I embarrassed! But after it was over I remembered that that fear I felt was so similar to the fear I first felt when I watched Black Christmas all those years before.

Another instance when, I was a teen, I remember watching a news broadcast which told of a stranger living in the basement of a family's house for several months before the family found out. I believe the man was insane and would come upstairs in the dead of night to sneak food and use the bathroom. Apparently he would go upstairs while everyone slept and watch them. He didn't hurt them, but MAN! That gave me the same creeps that this movie did. It made me search every square inch of my house, during the day with a shotgun! I guess it just goes to show that a truly good scary movie like this one can really get under your skin!

Some folks give this movie a four, three and even two star rating, which amazes me. There really is no film that compares with this one for the creepiness and dread. I think that the younger folks who are more used to the modern horror movies just can't appreciate, I believe, the genius of the suspense, dread and insane-ness of this movie. We will see the same reaction with the new re-make of this movie coming out in theaters this Christmas (2006). I've seen the few teasers and trailers for the new movie and it looks awful compared to the original. They have to include such gore and what I call "flesh shock" to try to make something out of the new movie which tells me that the terror isn't there. Movies like Black Christmas, Halloween and TCM never relied on blood or gore for its horror, and I believe movies that do, generally speaking, just aren't good horror movies. Its the psychological horror that counts, not the blood or gore.

If you are twenty five and younger, try watching this movie by yourself, alone in the dark of night. You'll then understand that feeling of deep dread and "creepiness" that will make you stop the movie, turn on all the lights and re-check the windows and doors and the closets and under the bed...and maybe even the attic if you have the strength to do so!

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We talked her into taking us to see this when it came out and she has never let us forget it. At the time, they even gave out little badges to the audience that said: It's Going to be a Black Christmas this Year. Wish I still had that!

Anyway one of the first, best slasher horror films ever. Halloween can say thanks. When a Stranger Calls can say thanks ... This is one scary flick. Sorority girls on campus over Christmas are, unknowingly, being slaughtered one at a time by a menancing stranger who will not stop calling their house.

Cast is fine re: suspects and gals in peril. Margot Kidder is very funny as the bad girl and the ending is, well, great! A classic.

Read Best Reviews of Black Christmas (1974) Here

Oh man, where do I start? This film is one of my favorite horror films. It has the right mixture of horror, suspense, and comedy. It also has small amounts of gore (well, by today's standards) which is a good thing to some viewers.

The plot of the film is simple. It takes place at a sorority house/boarding school around Christmas time. A crazed killer finds his way into the attic of the house and starts making obscene phone calls from the second phone line. Then, he starts offing the inhabitants of the house one by one. Olivia Hussey stars as the film's heroine and Keir Dullea co-stars as her misunderstood love interest... but Margot Kidder steals the show as Hussey's drunken, foul mouthed friend. A very young Andrea Martin (of SCTV fame) is also in the film.

This film inspired elements of the Scream movies, When A Stranger Calls, and countless others. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good scary movie.

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I saw this film when it first came out years ago. I have never forgotten it. In fact, whenever I discuss horror films with horror film fans, I need only describe the plotline about "the guy in the attic movie with Olivia Hussey" everyone knows exactly what film I am talking about. To a man or woman the response is the same "it scared the hell out of me".

Its' hard to believe that Bob Clark made this film as well as the Porky's trilogybut hey, comedy and horror both take talent.

Halloween, Friday the Thirteenth, Nightmare on Elmstreet,et al, all copy elements contained in this truly frightening film.

It takes place at a off-campus house over Christmas break. It involves a group of young college women who, unbeknownst to them, have a visitor. Thats all I'll say. I've never forgotten this film.

Even after buying the DVD (and its' great with lots of extras), and having Bob Clark explain exactly how he made this film, it still scares me. Hardly any blood or gore-just incredibly imaginative,intense, film making. Just try watching it alone.

As the saying goes "you won't sleep through it", in fact you might have a hard time ever sleeping again, at least in a house with a large attic in it.

The surprise ending still works. Oh yea, it still works-"Agnes, its' me, Billy"................................

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St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

The mid-80's was about conservatism, Reaganomics, Miami Vice and a time where people were not fully aware about AIDS and were thinking more about working together to bring food to Africa. This was the sign of the times and for director Joel Schumacher ("The Lost Boys", "Flatliners", "Batman Forever", "8MM", etc.), while he was working on his second film "D.C. Cab", during a short stay at Georgetown, he observed graduating college students at Georgetown University and wondered how miserable some of them maybe, of having to graduate but now become adults.

It was right there and then that Schumacher wanted to make a film based on these type of college graduates who face problems of transitioning to adulthood. In order to capture the life of a young adults graduating college, Schumacher tapped into recent college graduate, Karl Kurlander ("Saved by the Bell: The New Class" and "Malibu, CA") and together they began working on "St. Elmo's Fire". Schumacher had renowned musician and producer David Foster (who wrote major hit songs for "Karate Kid, Part II", "Sleepless in Seattle", "The Bodyguard", etc.) working on his first film as a composer and cinematographer Stephn H. Burm ("The Untouchables", "Snake Eyes", "Mystery Men", etc.).

But what the film would be known for is the cast in which David Blum of New Yorker Magazine would dub as "The Brat Pack", a title that would be synonymous with Hollywood's popular young talents: Emilio Estevez ("Breakfast Club", "The Mighty Ducks" films and "Young Guns" films), Rob Lowe ("The West Wing", "Brothers & Sisters", "About Last Night...", etc.), Andrew McCarthy ("Lipstick Jungle", "Weekend at Bernies" and "The Joy Luck Club"), Demi Moore ("Indecent Proposal", "G.I. Jane", "Ghost", etc.), Judd Nelson ("Breakfast Club", "Airheads", "Suddenly Susan", etc.), Ally Sheedy ("Kyle XY", "The Breakfast Club", "Oxford Blues", "WarGames", etc.) and Mare Winningham ("Clubhouse", "Grey's Anatomy", "Wyatt Earp", etc.).

The film revolves around seven college graduates of Georgetown University who are starting off on their own careers or trying to find a job.

Kirby Keger (Emilio Estevez) Studying to become a lawyer and works as a waiter at St. Elmo's Bar. He is obsessed with Dale Biberman (Andie McDowell) and will do what it takes to go out on a date with her or to at least be acknowledged by her.

Billy Hicks (Rob Lowe) A father who is trying to find ways to support his girlfriend and child. But at the same time, he's a playboy that likes to have fun, likes to drink and be with many women. He tries to have a fling with the group's virgin Wendy Beamish (Mare Winningham). A musician who plays the saxophone, he is unable to hold onto a job and is looked as a hero at his college (because of his ability to find drugs and sell them to the students). Tends to think with his penis than his head most of the time.

Kevin Dolenz (Andrew McCarthy) Lives with Kirby, a writer, always smoking and the quiet one of the group. Tend to be seen as a homosexual because he doesn't go after women publicly and even looked by his own friends as possibly a gay man who hasn't come out of the closet. Kevin is in love with someone but isn't telling. His friend Jules thinks Kevin is in love with Alec.

Jules (Demi Moore) The socialite sporting the latest fashions and always partying. The carefree friend but behind-the-scenes, things are not as rosy with her life as it would it seem.

Alec Newbary (Judd Nelson) The future politician who ran the Young Democrats in college and now works for a Republican. Dates Leslie and wants her to marry him in order for him to end his desires of sleeping with other women. The friend that others looked up to for leadership.

Leslie Hunter (Ally Sheedy) The architect who is dating Alec. The friend that is level headed but is not sure she wants to get married just yet and wants to establish her own career.

Wendy Beamish (Mare Winningham) The wealthy daughter and the virgin. She is attracted to Billy but gets upset when he keeps asking her if she's still a virgin. Her father pressures her on how to live her life and that she should marry a guy from a wealthy family for the purpose of a family/business transaction.

The film focuses on these seven friends and how they thought that after graduating college, their friendship would continue to be strong and they would be together. But all learn that as they grow older and focus on their careers, their life as a group and as friends will start to change.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"St. Elmo's Fire" gets its HD treatment via 1080p High Definition. For the most part, the positive is that the film looks much better than many 80's films that tend to receive a lot of DNR and overall look too soft and are devoid of colors. With "St. Elmo's Fire", there are lot of colors and scenes such as Jules pink and red apartment that look vibrant but at the same time, there was some banding that can be seen prominently in Jules apartment (towards the end of the film when Billy is talking to her) and some darker scenes with light emitting. Granted, if you are sitting far from your television, this won't be as noticeable. In fact, I didn't catch these until I rewatched certain scenes during my testing and saw the artifacts when I was 3-4 ft. away. But for the most part, the picture quality was satisfactory, considering this film didn't have much of a budget.

As for audio, the film is featured in English, French and Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital) and the film is primarily a dialogue driven film. Dialogue is understandable and clear. And of course, David Foster's "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" and the other 80's music featured on the soundtrack comes alive during the film. There are some scenes especially at the bar that utilize the ambiance of a crowded room and is heard through the surrounds but for the most part, this film is driven by its characters and its soundtrack.

As for subtitles, English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese are included.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

St. Elmo's Fire comes with the following special features:

* Commentary with Director Joel Schumacher The commentary by Joel Schumacher at the most part is quite informative and sets up the scenes, working with talent and for the most part, Schumacher really goes in depth about the film and the people he worked with on the making of the film. A lot of the commentary is similar to what he discusses in the "Joel Schumacher Remembers St. Elmo's Fire" featurette.

* Joel Schumacher Remembers St. Elmo's Fire (14:21) The following is a Blu-ray exclusive and director Joel Schumacher talks about how the talents were cast for their roles, how the term "brat pack" started, how no studios wanted to do the film and despite the negative critic reviews, the audiences were very supportive of the film. Overall, a wonderful retrospective by Joel Schumacher. If anything, the discussion of how the talents were cast for the film, especially Demi Moore was quite interesting. Also, his disdain towards the term "brat pack".

* Original Making of Featurette (8:43) A featurette from 1985 featuring interviews with the talents and how Rob Lowe had to learn how to play the saxophone in a short amount of time for this film and interview with director Joel Schumacher.

* Music Video: John Parr "Man in Motion" (4:21) The original music video in standard definition of "Man in Motion" featuring John Parr (and the talent from "St. Elmo's Fire").

* Deleted Scenes (15:41) An exclusive for the Blu-ray release (and in standard definition with scratches and dust galore), this section features 12 deleted scenes which include: Too Young, a New Car, How About Lunch, There is No Billy the Kid, The Woman in the Fur Coat, Someone Tell Me What Happened, I'm a Loser, Secret Obsession, Just Pick a Date, A Very Well Dressed Fool, Where is the Defroster and That's My Dad. Although some deleted scenes are quite short, there are a few scenes that get into the relationship of Wendy and her father who is trying to dictate of how she should live her life.

* BD-Live This blu-ray is BD-Live enabled.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"St. Elmo's Fire" was a film not exactly well respected by critics when it first came out. But the film was part of a string of "Brat Pack" related films that would star these talents along with Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall and would define high school and young adult films in the 1980's.

The film was not well-respected because of the times. These were young adults that were quite liberal during a conservative era and most of them were not being shown in the positive light. These young adults were not perfect and they had their own personal flaws that critics saw as vane and shallow but for audiences, they saw something quite different.

For me, to have all these talents together in one film was just awesome. Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson were just awesome in "Breakfast Club", Rob Lowe in "Oxford Blues", Emilio Estevez in "Repo Man" and "The Outsiders", Mare Winningham appeared on many shows including afterschool specials and Demi Moore was a popular soap star on "General Hospital" years earlier. And of course, for Andrew McCarthy and Andie McDowell, this film would also help put ignite their careers.

And in the 80's, who could not love David Foster's "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" or John Parr's "Man in Motion". These were overplayed on the radio and MTV that "St. Elmo's Fire" was literally ingrained into pop culture. And of course, the term "Brat Pack" (as many of them despised the name), for audiences... being part of that group was just the epitome of "cool".

Watching this film nearly 25 years later, it's hard to believe that so much time has passed and how different high school and young adult films are today. Director Joel Schumacher said that he wanted to create a film with young talent but make it an "A film". These issues that the seven go through, this stress and anguish of starting a career and also suffering setbacks after graduation is real. Not everyone who graduates college, is able to have a successful life, and this even rings true so much now especially during our poor economy.

For the Blu-ray release, it's great to watch this film on High Definition but it's also great to have the Blu-ray exclusive features with Joel Schumacher remembering St. Elmo's Fire and seeing the deleted scenes for the first time. Although this film is not called a "25th Anniversary" edition of the film, it's pretty close. The only thing one could hope for is a reunion of these talents to discuss the film or even if it was a few of them, to interview them today about "St. Elmo's Fire" (note: For the Blu-ray release of the 1986 film "About Last Night...", the director and Rob Lowe are brought back 23 years later to discuss their experiences on the film).

Nevertheless, I have more appreciation of "St. Elmo's Fire" as an adult compared to when I was a teenager in high school and catching the film on HBO. I can now understand the wide range of emotions that these characters are going through after graduating from college. Granted, some situations are a bit extreme but the feelings of friendship drifting part are so real.

I also realized of how well this group of talent worked together and found the group to be well-cast. This "Brat Pack" or individual talents went on to become big stars on their own but even back in 1985, it was still a remarkable feat. to have each of these seven individuals together in one film. It's not something that can be easily duplicated today, especially knowing that this film was created on a tight budget and short schedule.

I would imagine that "St. Elmo's Fire" is one of those films that people who grew up during that time will gravitate to, partly for nostalgia reasons. But watching it nearly 25-years-later, outside of nostalgia, I found that watching this film much more enjoyable now and quite entertaining! For 80's film fans or "Brat Pack" film fans, "St. Elmo's Fire" is definitely worth picking up on Blu-ray!

A forerunner to Friends and a Brat Pack movie with the most...Brat Packers, St. Elmo's Fire was a romantic comedy that bowed out to theatres in 1985. Seven of the eight stars were in the enviable "Brat Pack" group, young and precocious actors and actresses that were considered the best of the best of their generation. While St. Elmo's Fire is often considered a mellow and almost overblown teen romcom by the starchiest of critics, it's a favorite of many 1980s film lovers.

Summary in 13 words:

Seven college graduates try and struggle with real life, some succeed, some don't.

DVD Details

2.35 Anamorphic Widescreen

5.1 Dolby Digital Surround (English),

2.0 Dolby Surround (Director's Commentary)

English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai, Korean Subtitles

Release Date: 1999

Single-Sided Single-Layered Disc

Suggested Retail Price: $14.99

Black Amaray Keepcase

Video and Audio

The video is remarkably clean. The film was issued in the early years of DVD, when most transfers looked more like cable TV quality, but the video here is exceptional. Presented in its original widescreen is always a good thing, and the print quality is great. The colors are vibrant and accurate, and there's little to no grain or dust. One minor complaint would be the main titles, in its unsettling red font, but other than that, the video is great.

Audio is offered in English, but the subtitles are in so many languages that if you wanted, you could learn Chinese by reading the film enough times. It's pretty balanced in terms of dialogue vs. background noise/music.

Bonus Features

A commentary by Joel Schumacher is one of the many audio tracks given on this disc. He does a pretty good job talking about making the movie, including various tidbits about the actors and the story (which he wrote). The guy's pretty good with a microphone. If only he could have done a commentary for his film The Phantom of the Opera in 2004.

A faded and dirt-filled 8-minute EPK about the making of the film is also presented, made at the time the film came out. It has quick interviews with the cast and director, with a narrator talking during much of the behind the scenes footage. Is it an exhaustive documentary? No. Is it a useless 8 minutes of your life taken away? No. It's pretty rewatchable, though a longer more substantial featurette would be welcoming.

"Man in Motion" is the music video that uses the St. Elmo's Fire theme with lyrics. It's got a real 80s look to it, and features most of the cast as well as video clips from the film.

There are four trailers: St. Elmo's Fire, About Last Night, Groundhog Day, and Jerry Maguire. The trailers for St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night are not the best video-quality-wise, while Jerry Maguire is not the best movie-quality-wise. Groundhog Day is okay for what it is.

There are also cast/director biographies and filmographies up until 2000.

Closing Thoughts

Perhaps the second best brat pack movie of the 80s (The Breakfast Club, of course, is THE best), St. Elmo's Fire is a wonderful "coming-of-age...now what?" kind of film that is best enjoyed in the company of your closest friends.

Buy St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Now

I saw this movie when I was in college with a group of friends. It tells of the struggles of college life and trying to make it out alive in different ways. Sadly, one of our friends of the group could not handle life and chose a permanant way out. The music from this movie was played at his furneral. These characters do gone on and make it in different ways and when you watch this don't over look the point that no matter what life throws at you, things will work out. 15 years have gone by and this film will forever effect my/our lives.

Read Best Reviews of St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Here

St. Elmo's Fire is a coming-of-age movie that will have a certain nostalgic appeal to anyone who was a teenager or a 20-something in the mid-1980s. It will be of limited interest to anyone else, unless you are excessively interested in the pop culture of that era.

The main characters of St. Elmo's Fire are seven recent college graduates who are beginning their professional lives. As other reviewers have noted, these people aren't credible as an ensemble of friends---nor are they particularly believable on their own merits. Somewhere in this mess is a story about the transition from adolescence to adulthood; but the inconsistent characters and disjointed plotlines distract the viewer from the larger themes.

To cite just one example: Emilio Estevez's character, Kirby, develops a severe infatuation with an older woman. He acts out his obsession in ways that would disturb anyone, even threatening the woman's roommate at one point. But the woman who is the object of his desires seems to regard these antics as vaguely cute. People were not quite as sensitive about stalking and sexual harassment in the 1980s as they are today; but this behavior would have been over the top even then. No woman would have tolerated this, much less found it endearing.

Demi Moore's character, Jules, is a compulsive liar who becomes addicted to cocaine. No adequate explanation is ever given for her behavior. Throughout the movie, she moves from one unexplained crisis to the next. Nor does the partial resolution of her conflicts at the end of the movie make any sense.

I watched this DVD with high expectations. I was a teenager in 1985; and I remember that this movie was heavily hyped at the time. But after spending 108 minutes on St. Elmo's Fire, I could not help thinking that I might have gone another 22 years without this experience---and been no worse off.

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This is one of the "defining" movies of the 1980's. And with good reason. First it had almost every major 80's young star in it. If they had squeezed Molly Ringwald in there somewhere, it would have been required viewing for 80's historians.

Imagine graduating from college and then suddenly everything you have prepared for falls away, leaving you hanging onto nothing. That is St. Elmo's fire. It's a legend of sailors following lights that aren;t there. I think everyone has had that moment when you can't seem to find your way. This movie bottles it and packages it. You can put it in your DVD player and watch it like a road map when you need to figure out your life.

I am proud that I was a teen in the early 1980's. The so-called "brat pack" caught a lot of flack in the 80's, but I hold onto these films and this on in particular. I was a defining film in my life. Maybe it will be in yours too.

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Varsity Blues (Deluxe Edition) (1999)

The movie is based on a "piece" of everyone's life, in some small way, who have ever played football. Does it matter that HS kids get in a strip club and drink till 6:00am ? "NO" Does it matter that Hoss is sitting on a tailgate, drinking Jack like its water ... and shooting a shotgun, with the HS Football Field lights on ? "NOOOOO" !!!!

It is "Rocky" + "Friday Night Lights" + "Rudy" + "Stand By Me" = Varisty Blues.

If you played football, or ever hung out with the guys after a game, or ever LAUGHED at the guys who couldn't leave HS even after they graduated 9 years ago ... Then buy the movie, its worth it, and the soundtrack ROCKS !!!!

Ok, so James Van Der Beek's Texas accent isn't all that great. So what if no football coach in their right mind would run a hook-and-ladder play to a 350 pound lineman. What does it matter that very few of us ever have a teacher as hot as Miss Davis...much less one that works in a strip club? It's still a great movie.

Look people, this isn't supposed to be a drama. This is a comedy-drama. Some dramatic parts, but it's supposed to be funny overall. That's why the movie has Tweeder! There are a few dramatic parts to the film, but it's mostly comedy. The intended audience is obviously the high school and college age, but can be enjoyed by nearly everyone...especially football fans.

Who knew that MTV Films was capable of making a movie like this? It did very well at the box office, and the DVD has sold well too...for good reason. Come on....everyone has to laugh when Tweeder steals the police car.

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When I first saw this film, I hated it. I could not find a single likeable character in the movie: the backup quarterback who couldn't seem to make up his mind whether to be ambivalent or committed to football; an obsessed, fanatical head coach; shallow, self-absorbed, hedonistic jocks; a whipped cream cheerleader; a little brother with an identity crisis; and moronic football dads wanting to do nothing more than live vicariously through their sons. Outside of a headbanging soundtrack and sensational football action, I was anything but impressed with VARSITY BLUES.

Then I caught the film on cable recently, and watched it. Then I rented it, and watched it again. Perhaps I had been too judgmental my first viewing: VARSITY BLUES was slowly but surely revealing itself to me as a very entertaining movie. I came to appreciate Jonathan "Mox" Moxon (James Van Der Beek), a second string quarterback with aspirations to go to an Ivy League college suddenly thrust into the spotlight of his west Texas town as the new starting signal caller. I came to loathe Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight), the epitome of the abusive, cruel, vindictive, win-at-all-costs head football coach. I came to enjoy the small town "feel" of this film, where high school football players are placed on a pedestal and allowed to run wild. And what can you say about Billy Bob (Ron Lester) and Tweeder (Scott Caan), other than these two raunchy characters flavor this movie whenever they appear like onions in Texas chili?

Setting aside a hopelessly unrealistic player revolt (Where were the other coaches to take over when Kilmer left?), director Brian Robbins furnishes fast-moving, high-octane football scenes guaranteed to make those of us who have played the game (and still love it) want to strap on the pads again. VARSITY BLUES is less than perfect, like a six-pack of warm beer, but still satisfying to the last drop.

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This movie is not only a great achievement, but touches the heart of teenagers everywhere. Being a teenager in a high-school where football is a way of life, I can relate to this movie on several levels. I have recently graduated myself, and during my senior year, our football team went to state for the first time in 20 years. Just as we were getting ready for the state game, Varsity Blues was released. This is an amazing "roller coaster" ride through the life of a group of American high-school students who only want to do what is right. Varisty Blues is, and probably always will be, my favorite movie of all-time.

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There are two fundamental reasons why the Paramount Pictures film directed by Brian Robbins, Varsity Blues is one of the greatest movies made in this time. First of all it is the best depiction of high school life in a small town I have ever seen in a movie. Secondly, not only is the film frank and outspoken when dealing with the truths of growing up in a small town, but Varsity Blues is 105 minutes of film packed with diligently planned dramatic photography. The fact that each scene is pumped so full of emotion only amplifies the possible reality of the script. The story told by the movie Varsity Blues appeals to me for more reasons than one. First of all, the film is humorous, thrilling and full of emotion. Secondly, I grew up in a small town like West Canaan, Texas, where the story takes place, so much of the story is very real to me. For example, in my town, football games on Friday nights were more like religious ceremonials or rituals than simply high school athletics. This excerpt from the movie portrays this image perfectly: "In America we have laws; laws against killing, laws against stealing and it is just accepted that as a member of American society you will live by those laws. In West Canaan, Texas there is another society, which has its own laws. Football is a way of life. As a boy growing up in West Canaan, Texas, you never questioned the sanctity of football; you just listened to what the coaches said and tried as best as you could to win; win at all costs." After each game, the football team would have a party to celebrate whether the final score represented victory or defeat. These parties included alcohol, drugs, sex and probably much more that I was unaware of at the time. Nearly the entire school would attend these parties. It would have been unusual for the cops to not show up a couple of times a night to order everyone to keep it down even if the closest neighbors were miles away. Even if the cops had caught someone underage who had been drinking they couldn't really arrest them because then they wouldn't be welcome at Saturday's barbeque. Another similarity between West Canaan and my hometown was that the football coach had the most power in the town with players as close seconds. This meant that if a player was falling behind in class, the coach would have a talk with the teacher and soon the player would have one of the highest grades in the class. As in Varsity Blues, there was an abundance of racism in my town. Confederate flags were a common sight and racial slurs could be heard frequently. The truth is that although many people think that Varsity Blues is far fetched and unrealistic it is just the opposite. People do not want to admit that this type of community, with these problems still exists, but it does and Varsity Blues does an excellent job of illustrating what it is like to grow up in this sort of environment. Lastly, Varsity Blues is exponentially enhanced by the incredible photography portrayed throughout. This film includes scenes that I would go as far as to deem them the best I've seen. The extraordinary photography takes the film to a whole new level, where it becomes not only a movie, but art captured on film. Each scene was thoughtfully constructed and designed ahead of time so that it could display as much energy as possible making each picture worth much more than merely a thousand words. One of my favorite parts of the movie is during the game against Elway, after the team had spent the night at the strip club. This is because each fleeting incident, each motion, each flicker of film is bursting with power and vigor that it feels more real than if you had been a part of it. All of these aspects are what make Varsity Blues such an outstanding film. I am glad that someone was brave enough to confront facts that exist that most people do not want to believe are true, such as racism, premarital sex, underage drinking, cheating, etcetera. Varsity Blues does all this and more by presenting it in a way that appeals to people and causes them to feel as if they are in West Canaan, Texas as all of this is taking place.

Coyote Ugly (The Double-Shot Edition) (2000)

"Coyote Ugly" has to be the best romantic dramedy this year, even though this year has had it's share of bad romances-Autumn in New York, Down to You and The Next Best Thing just to name a few. The bar dancing scenes are incredible accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack including one of my favorites, "Pour Some Sugar on Me". Plus there are two new great songs from LeAnn Rimes,who is also in the movie, but I'm not reviewing the soundtrack so I'll skip this. And that's just the stuff you see in the previews. What you don't see on the surface through the previews are the great performances from newcomer Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia and the always great John Goodman. the story is mainly about Piper Perabo's character, nicknamed Jersey, who goes into the big city trying to get someone to perform her well written songs. She runs into several problems with a new boyfriend, some disagreements with her father, and many crazy encounters at the bar "Coyote Ugly". The title is explained in the movie to mean when you go home with a one night stand after a night of big drinking and you wake up with someone so ugly that you would rather chew your arm off than wake them up to know you're leaving. Believe me, you're not going to feel that way leaving this one! BUY THIS MOVIE!!!

A talented young woman from New Jersey, filled with hope and desire, moves to New York to chase her dreams of becoming a songwriter in "Coyote Ugly," directed by David McNally and starring Piper Perabo. Against the wishes of her father, Bill (John Goodman), but with his acquiescent approval, Violet (Perabo) begins her quest and soon learns what every aspiring newcomer to show business discovers: It's tough out there. Soon, in order to pay the rent and keep the dream alive, on a tip she seeks employment in a bar called Coyote Ugly; the owner, Lil (Maria Bello) lets her "audition (work one night)" to see if she can handle their kind of action. It's a tough gig, but Violet knows she's going to have to make certain sacrifices if she's to succeed. And that is really what this movie is all about: Personal character, having the tenacity to maintain ideals and dignity, and deciding what and how much one must be willing to sacrifice to achieve one's goals; and most importantly, having enough heart to see it all through. Perabo gives a winning performance as Violet; she's fresh, somewhat naive (but not entirely), and the way she presents her character makes it easy to connect with her right away. She becomes someone you care about quickly, and there are moments early on, especially when she first arrives in New York, that allow you to emphasize with her immediately. There's a fragility about her, but at the same time she exhibits a strength of character and sense of morality that is becoming; and being able to convey this level of complexity convincingly is a tribute to her ability as an actress. John Goodman also does a good job as her father, a caring bear of a man who obviously has nothing but the best intentions for his daughter at heart. His performance, and the way the situation of his having to let Violet go is handled makes it believable, and helps create an emotional bond between them and the audience. It's something with which many will be able to identify, and it becomes one of the underlying strengths of the film. One of the weaknesses of this project comes, not from the movie itself, but from the "promotion" of the movie; in this case the theatrical trailer, which is a gross misrepresentation of what "Coyote Ugly" really is. Certainly the "coyotes" and the bar are a significant part of the film, and it's all exceptionally well and tastefully done, and is a fun part of the movie and definitely gives it some life; but I think the presentation in the trailer will do more to alienate a cross-section of audience that ultimately would appreciate this movie, but initially at least will not even see it, and only because of a misconception caused by the preview. It must be noted that this is a PG-13; there is nary a profane word, and no sex or nudity in it. It is an upbeat, entertaining film that should be readily embraced by a much wider audience than one would expect simply from seeing the trailer. The excellent supporting cast includes Adam Garcia (Kevin), Izabella Miko (Cammie), Melanie Lynskey (Gloria), Bridget Moynahan (Rachel), Tyra Banks (Zoe) and LeAnn Rimes (In a cameo as herself). Hopefully, if only by word-of-mouth, this movie will gain the audience it deserves. Reminiscent of "Flashdance," there is a universal theme here of having a dream and going for it. In the final analysis, "Coyote Ugly" is a decent film that will appeal to anyone who's ever had or pursued a dream. Do yourself a favor, put any preconceived notions aside and check this one out; I think you'll be glad you did.

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Let's begin with what this movie is NOT: It isn't Academy material nor is it a cure for cancer. It IS a fun, romantic (and yes, sometimes cliched) fairy tale about attractive young people pursuing dreams. The performances are credible and the music propels the story along at a pace that keeps you from concentrating too much on the paper-thin plot line. For those gray days when you need entertainment that lifts the spirit even if it doesn't tax the mind, this movie fills the bill. Remember "Dirty Dancing", "Footloose" and "Flashdance"? If you like these movies (and I do), sit back, dispend disbelief and just enjoy the exuberant show!

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This "Coyote" ain't "Ugly"! Actually the thing that you may mainly be fooled by is the trailer-"Is this a plotless, PG-13 version of "Showgirls"?" Actually it's not. The people that actually decided to see it(which was no small amount-$60 million worth) found that it was about a young female songwriter,played exceptionally well by rising star Piper Perabo, who moves into the big city trying to sell her music and finds herself working and the craziest bar since the Ti--y Twister in "From Dusk Till Dawn". Of course the men will be more than entertained by the hot, dancing barmaids which make some great "action" scenes for the film, but what for the women? The women actually get more out of it than the men. A great plot-the storyline mentioned earlier plus getting rid of stage fright, setting things straight with her father, finding how far a true love would go. Great overall movie, good characters, good acting, good setting. Truely a good movie for everyone. Just go see it! Deserves at least a rental but my DVD collection wouldn't be perfect without it! "Coyote Ugly"!!

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The girls of COYOTE UGLY were terrific. I only wish we could've seen more of them. The story revolves around PIPER PERABO who is an aspiring songwriter in new York with no money. Her dad in Jersey (John Goodman) wants her back home. She meets a guy, of course, and it revolvs around them two and her trying to get her music career started.

The scenes at the bar are of course the best....lots of fun and sexy scenes. While this is rated pg-13 so there is no nudity or sex scenes...there are some scenes at the bar and with the two main leads that are pretty hot....a CAMEO by Patrick SWAYZE too, you'll see what I mean.

Also Leanne RIMES who did the voice of the lead when she sings is awesome. . . where did the little country girl go....you'll see her in the film as well...she's hot!

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YELLOWSTONE 3D - America's Greatest Wonder (Blu-ray 3D & 2D Version) REGION FREE

This review dated June 16, 2013. I preordered this months and months ago (February 6, 2013) and it keeps getting moved further and further out in time, latest showed out June 25 but when checked June 16 now moved to September 6. I believe this is the third or fourth move to a later date and accordingly I cancelled the pre order and will wait to see if it ever comes out and will consider then. Will come back to revise rating if and when this comes out. Called Amazon help on this but they were unable to be of assistance merely saying they have no control over release dates, which I understand. Do not like giving this one star but as have to give it something I am rating the release and the continuing push out in time, not the item itself.

I have already waited for a movie about Yellowstone in the United States for a long time .

I am sure this 3D movie will be a big succes !

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I have waited for very long time for this Blu ray !

I am sure this will be a very high quality 3D as another 3D movies of this company !

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Just to make sure , i'm wondering if the item above comes in 2D version . If so , certainly , i'll shop it ...

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Jackass 3.5: The Unrated Movie

There is a ton of hilarious footage in this movie. 3.5 is as good as 3 in my opinion.

I love the crew of jackass! They have a great chemistry together

which makes the stunts go even better. I cant wait for Jackass 4 :D

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After watching Jackass 3.5 you understand why the Jackass crew shoots so many bits and then cherry picks the best to be in their movies. Jackass 3.5 is a collection of bits that either didn't fit into Jackass 3 or just didn't really come off well. There are some great moments in Jackass 3.5, and the scenes with Steve-O are slightly stronger here than in the original film, but all in all these scenes feel like "also rans".

Jackass 3.5 could have easily been included in a Special Jackass 3 DVD/Blu-Ray release, and on its own it isn't nearly as strong as the other Jackass movies. Still it gives a nice glimpse into the process of what makes Jackass, Jackass and even with the scenes where everything doesn't go right, it's still fun to watch the Jackass crew do their thing.

If you haven't seen Jackass 3, be sure to see it before you see Jackass 3.5, it's a much better movie and you'll get a lot more out of 3.5 if you've seen 3 first.

Otherwise, Jackass 3.5 is a proverbial rental. If you are a Jackass fan you'll enjoy this release, but probably not enough to watch it again and again.

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With Jackass, most people know what they're getting by now. What I've always loved about this series is how simplistically genius it is. They seem like a bunch of crazy, drunken idiots, but they actually plan and put a lot of work into each and every stunt. What I like about 3.5 is that for the first time, they really show you what's going on behind the scenes. They show you what it's like to be on the set and what goes into the things they do, with in depth interviews, and behind the scenes footage. They also start to go into a different direction, going from the usual stunts and gross outs to pranks and practical jokes, which are utterly hilarious. This is billed as the direct-to-video extra scenes movie, but it's actually a lot more and I really enjoyed this one a lot more than Jackass 3D.

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I think the title speaks for itself. That is why I view this movie as the least liked one I have seen. I have not seen Jackass 3d. I thought 3.5 was 3 plus additional footage. Are they totally different?