Twilight (Ultimate Collector's Set Amazon.com Exclusive) (2008)

This DVD of Twilight has 3 discs in it! The extras on each disc are awesome! If you are a true Twilight Fan, you'll want this edition!!

Disc 1 contains extended scenes not scene in theaters, audio commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke, Kristen & Robert, plus Music Videos from Muse, Paramore, Linkin Park & others.

Disc 2 contains a detailed 7 part documentary that gives you the ulimate insider's look at how Twilight was created from book to script to screen plus never before seen deleted scenes.

Disc 3 contains a revealing conversation with Stephenie Meyer, intimate journeys with Robert in "Becoming Edward" and Kristen in "Becoming Bella" and more on the music from the film including Edward's piano concert.

This is the ultimate edition available of Twilight!

If I were rating this movie solely on quality of the film, it would get one star. if i were rating it solely on how much i love to watch it even though it's awful, it would get 5 stars. SO I averaged it and got 3.

The dialogue is horrendous, the effects cheesy, the music (not the soundtrack which is great, but the score) indescribably awful. It looks like a made for TV movie.

HoweverI can't stop watching it. i saw it 3 times in the theater and pre-ordered my own copy. It entertains me. Plus, Edward is nice to look at... oh, James too. LOVE James.To me this movie is absolutely hystericalwhere it doesn't intend to be. The scene where Edward first sees Bella in class and he looks as if he may throw up on her??? Great! The look that Billy Black and Edward exchange as they pass each other in their cars? Priceless. I love the baseball scene! But the crouch down and prepare to fight stance they take at the end... Can anybody say Power Rangers? But just mentioning all this makes me want to watch it again. I know it makes no sense. It just has that power.

I should be embarrassed to like this, but I'm not. I will watch it over and over again proudly. I will recommend it to anyone I can. Watch it and love it. But know that it's terrible and know that it can't compare to the book and that all of it's charm is due to it's cheesiness.

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I had heard about the fantasy books by a friend when they first came out but didn't have the time to look into them. By the time the movie came out, I'd nearly forgotten about the book referral, but asked my hubby to take me as it looked like a good vampire romance flick. The scenery of the Pacific Northwest forests, rivers, and coastline was breathtaking and as a native to this area, it was like going out into my own backyard which made the film that more appealing. I was so captivated by the actors portrayal of the characters (the facial expressions and emotions brought out of the characters by Rob, Kristen, Peter, Nikki, and the rest were mesmerizing) and the depth of the back-story left me desiring more! The very next day after viewing the movie in the theater I raced to the bookstore to grab the first book. I was hooked, read through all four books (plus went to the authors website to read the extra materials she had posted there) in a week. Then, still not satisfied, went back and saw the movie several more times IN THE THEATER, something I've never felt compelled to do before because I was so drawn to the characters and the story. This may have been written for the young adult audience but I'm 32 and a parent of four children, and still found the story to be well worth my time.

If you haven't read the stories, I encourage you to do so. Regardless, this film will be a treasured part of your movie collection and one you'll be sure to watch several times before you'll feel satisfied.

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As huge fans of Twilight, we really enjoyed the additional features provided in the 3rd disc. If you only want to watch the movie itself and you are not into extras, of course this would not be for you. For all of you who do like having, owning, seeing every aspect of these films, it is far worth paying the extra to own this, even if you own the 2 disc that was more readily available when the DVD first came out, it is worth the money to get this 3 disc edition.

Not only are there plenty of extra interview materials, but there are extra scenes not included with the 2 disc. Remember the infamous Biology scene where Edward seems repulsed by Bella? Imagine if he suddenly attacked her from behind and drug her from her seat, biting her and doing what he so desperately wanted to do. Well, that was an alternate idea for that scene, and you'll get to see it on the 3rd disc.

Maybe most importantly, we feel it was a horrible idea to change directors, feeling Catherine Hardwicke had done her homework and by far had the best grasp on the romance of the books and film and the subsequent directors have done a horrible job, getting away from the romance and changing the films into an action series. Like Titanic, it's a romance series at heart. While the boat sinking was a big part of Titanic, it would not have been nearly the hit it was without the well told romance between the main characters. Since changing directors, the series has greatly gone down hill due to forgetting that the romance is the true basis of the series.

Having realized we were not going to enjoy the subsequent films as much as the original, we have made a point to collect as much as possible from the original film. If you love Twilight, you will love this 3 disc collection. Thank you Catherine Hardwicke for such an amazing job on bringing Twilight to the screen. We ache that the fools who came late to the party didn't get it but had their way. Jim & Stephanie Patton

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I came into the Twilight series not expecting much. The books were, after all, marketed to the teen crowd, so I originally dismissed it. I didn't expect much from the film. I wanted to see it not for the story, but because I knew Robert Pattinson from "Harry Potter" and enjoy the vampire book/movie genre.

4 books and 7 viewings later, I am happy to report that I am now a happily obsessed "Twilighter."

Going into the movie, I found myself hooked within the first 10 minutes. As soon as the Cullen siblings walked through the cafeteria door, I knew I was in for the ride. And by the time Edward and Bella were sitting together at the restaurant in Port Angeles, I was smitten. The love story, the beautiful vampires, and the amazing chemistry between leads Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, made this film for me utterly irresistible. I knew I wanted to see it again as soon as it was over, and the female relatives that I went to see it with couldn't agree more.

7 viewings later, I am still obsessed. Like "Titanic" and all the wonderful Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell tv/movie adaptations before it, I was enthralled by the love story of Edward and Bella. Edward Cullen, a 108 year old vampire trapped in the body of a 17 year old, falls in love for the first time...to a human a young unsuspecting girl named Isabella Swan. Bella becomes equally fascinated by Edward, and this mutual fascination soon grows into yearning and love. Theirs is a Romeo & Juliet like love story but this time it's not a family feud that keeps them apart, but the fact that Edward is a vampire and Bella is a human the predator and the prey fall in love (or as Edward puts it, "...and so the lion falls in love with the lamb"). Within the story are some other conflicts, as Edward and his family's true nature must remain a secret, and as other vampires threaten Bella's life.

Author Stephenie Meyer has crafted an irresistible tale, and screenwriter Rosenberg Melissa Rosenberg does a fine job of staying faithful with the novel. Some scenes and plotlines are changed around or omitted in order to make it work on film, but the essentials are there. Director Catherine Hardwicke does a superb job of bringing all the elements together and guiding her young cast through the journey, so I was saddened to hear that she will not be helming the sequel.

The major breakthroughs in this film, however, are the young and talented leads Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. What started out as a small independent film has now become a worldwide phenomenon and has catapulted Rob and Kristen to the brink of superstardom. And this is no accident. The charismatic and versatile Robert Pattinson is brilliant as Edward. He properly conveys the internal conflict that rages within Edward and brings it out in full force. When he's onscreen, you couldn't take your eyes off him. His Edward can be gentle, loving and tender, but also fearsome and dangerous. Kristen Stewart brings a beautiful and nuanced performance. She is exactly how I pictured Bella and she does an excellent job of bringing the character to life. The supporting cast is also wonderful. Of the supporting roles, Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen), Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen) and Peter Facinelli (Carlisle Cullen) are standouts. I think everyone with the exception of Nikki Reed's Rosalie Hale/Cullen (who I feel just doesn`t fit Rosalie physically) are perfectly cast.

I am also a fan of the soundtrack and Carter Burwell's amazing score, and I highly recommend purchasing these as a companion to the dvd. I am thrilled that the dvd is finally coming, and I although the final specs are not yet available, I hope that Summit Entertainment will release a dvd version filled with extras, deleted/extended scenes and behind-the-scenes footage. I'm a huge fan of the books and I feel that the cast and crew of Twilight has done an amazing job of bringing one of my favorite books to life. I'm looking forward to New Moon, and I hope that it will be as good as, if not better than, the first film. This film is a gem and one of my favorite love stories ever. Bella and Edward has joined the ranks of Elizabeth and Darcy, John Thornton and Margaret Hale, Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester, Cathy and Heathcliff, Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater, and yes Romeo and Juliet, as two of my very favorite romantic couples that has ever graced the big and small screen.

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An Education (2009)

Life is hard when you're sixteen and smarter than most of the people around you, especially when those people include your parents. You end up restless and bored much of the time and that, in combination with hormones, can cause you to sometimes do some very, very stupid things.

That's the situation Jenny (Oscar-nominated Carey Mulligan, best known to me from her role as Sally Sparrow), is in in An Education, the Oscar-nominated movie from director Lone Scherfig and writer Nick Hornby (known for such works as About a Boy. Watch it and realize that pudgy little boy grew up to be, oh, quite lovely). She's very much fed up with her life and when she meets an older man, David (played by the always reliable Peter Sarsgaard), who gives her the respect and attention no one else does.

From the start it's pretty clear what David wants from her, and it's quite clear Jenny is at least somewhat aware of this. She seems to be willing to go along with that in return for the gifts, the activities and a chance to be around people who are more "her sort".

David is a charming fellow, even able to get Jenny's parents to accept him and allow her to do things like accompany him to Oxford or Paris. Her father (played by the always reliable Alfred Molina), appears to be completely snowed. Her mother less so, though she's still willing to let her daughter go off with this man in his 30's.

David's charms are somewhat undone when Jenny finds out the various ways he makes a living, which include, but are not limited to, stealing valuable art from old women. Surprisingly, she's willing to go along with this, but eventually finds out something even more dark and unpleasant about David.

The film is intelligent and entertaining and paints David in a surprisingly sympathetic light until towards the very end. I say "surprisingly" because do let's remember Jenny is a minor and what he does with her is what's described as "statutory rape" in many places and is even called "rape of a child" in others. Of course this fact isn't really addressed, but it was always there in the back of my mind.

I also found the character of Jenny to be delightful! Very smart, very charismatic, but also vulnerable and not quite as world-weary as she likes to think of herself as being. Her character, and indeed the entire story, is based on a memoir by journalist Lynn Barber. If there's more about Barber's life that she can turn into stories, I'd enjoy that. I'd like to see Jenny again.

It's somewhat hard to classify this movie. It's not a comedy, it's not a drama. It's certainly not a romantic comedy. It probably fits into that tired non-genre genre of "coming of age". I think I'll settle for just calling it "very good" and leave it at that.

**Spoiler alert**...though the plot really isn't a secret.

The basic plot of An Education is slight, but superb acting and directing lift the story of a schoolgirl's affair into a study of regret, fear and yearning--it's often very funny, sure, but still a little heartbreaking despite the essentially `happy ending.'

Carey Mulligan was rightly praised for her portrayal of Jenny, but I have to say that Peter Sarsgaard is incredible. He's no creepy conman who just wants to seduce a young girl. He wants to actually be her, to take all that freshness and curiosity into himself, to have all that possibility laid out before him. At heart he's all too aware of how badly his life has gone wrong. His business (working for notorious slumlord Peter Rachman) is tawdry, and his marriage and home are shabby. He's deceiving himself as well as Jenny when he spins his dreams and explanations; and he loves to see himself through her eyes--as a worldly, exciting man. Of course he's happy to wait for her to be ready to lose her virginity, of course he's peculiar in bed: sex was never the point. And tie-clipped David can't in reality compete with his more sophisticated and wealthier friend Danny, so he's terrified into rash action when he sees him flirting with Jenny.

Jenny and her mother both know that there's something a little bit wrong with David. Jenny has doubts about David from the moment he makes an asinine, flattering remark to her mother, but puts them aside. If I have one complaint about the movie it's this: to me it's implausible that Jenny would have ditched her A levels, even though I know it's a memoir and she DID ditch her A levels. As played by Mulligan, Jenny is smarter and more perceptive than that. She's someone who'd see no reason to make a choice between university and marriage.

The supporting cast is fabulous. Jenny's bombastic lower middle-class father yearns for his daughter to be clever and confident, able to mix with the `right' people. Caught wrong-footed by the more urbane David, whom he sees as his social superior, he's easily played. "All my life I've been scared," he admits to Jenny in the end, "I didn't want you to be scared."

Jenny's mother is wistful for the days when she knew how to get to St John's, Smith Square; her face and body language are pitch-perfect as she waits up for her daughter after that first date. She's a mother who remembers how it was--and wishes it could still be so. She's both terrified for her daughter and wishes that she was her. She knows David isn't quite right, but she's still charmed by him. And she appears to be a heck of a lot brighter than her husband, but like all the women in this film, has had limited opportunities.

Jenny's naïve but she's no victim. I see that some viewers don't find the story credible. From a modern perspective, especially an American perspective, perhaps it's not. But having grown up in pretty similar circumstances not too many years after Jenny, I found it to almost eerily reflect the times, the persuasions of class, and the desires of a young girl living in them. And having had a very similar conversation with a very similar headmistress, I can assure you that Emma Thompson's character is spot-on.

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Based on a memoir by Lynn Barber, supposedly this script, adapted by novelist Nick Hornby (About a Boy), was one of the great unproduced movies in Britain. Well no more. A winning performance by newcomer Carey Mulligan realizes a complex character in An Education, a fascinating study of growing up quickly in an adult world.

Following some dazzling opening credits, we see a teenage girl, Jenny (Mulligan), who is attending high school in the suburbs of London in 1961. Prodded by her parents to study hard and take cello, they dream of her acceptance to Oxford University and becoming financially secure. A top student, she desperately wants to break out of her routine and, instead, attend concerts, art galleries, and experience more of the world. Her parents feel otherwise. One rainy day, a handsome, older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard) drives up and offers her a lift home. David is a student of life. He attracts and fascinates her, and what starts innocently as an unlikely friendship develops into a deeper relationship. He is adept at charming her parents into letting her exceed her curfew and boundaries, and Jenny gets to go to an art auction, Oxford campus, and in time, even a romantic Paris getaway complete with a sunset by the River Seine.

Despite the overtures of a fellow student, Graham, he is no match for the sophisticated, mature, and apparently wealthy David. Jenny becomes self assured and even insubordinate to her teachers and principal despite their warnings and protestations. She revels in her new life with David and his carefree friends Danny and Helen, and the foursome venture into the night for partying and taking in the highlife. As romance deepens and her defiance of authority and protocol increases, can marriage be far behind, and how will Jenny's parents react?

David is a mystery as are his motives. What does he do for a living, and is he for real? Perhaps his carefree life is not as glamorous as it seems. As Jenny finds out, life can be full of joy and surprises, and one moment she can be master of her own fate and the next instant everything could come shattering down around her. As much as her world has broadened and expanded, she also learns about humility and contrition. Such is the education of a girl learning about herself at a crucial moment in her life.

Director Lone Scherfig does a splendid job of telling a coming of age tale that hits the right notes. What this film does well is to put us inside the head of Jenny. We feel her yearnings and frustrations. We experience her highs and exhilaration at finding a life beyond her home. We also hurt when morality is twisted and she is disappointed and betrayed. That's not just good writing (which it really is); it's a well directed ensemble of talented actors starting with Mulligan. Production values are modest, but the period costumes and background music are infectious and authentic.

Sarsgaard (Kinsey, Jarhead) is quite magnetic as the manipulative David and inflects a convincing British accent. His scenes with Mulligan are affecting and sustain interest. Alfred Molina is good as Jenny's stern father, while Emma Thompson is on too briefly as a proper school principal. Olivia Williams is effective as a teacher who will play a significant role in Jenny's future.

Aside from its portrayal of a teenager, the film depicts the apparently limited options for a graduating female at the time. She either could excel academically and get a job, or she could find a husband who could take care of her. It is interesting how Jenny's parents are motivated by this mode of thinking and how it guides their actions. There is an aspect to the story which borders on statutory laws regarding sex with a girl who is barely of adult age. The storytellers finesse their way around this and focus on the relationship and do a tasteful job in minimizing the lurid possibilities. Subtle hints of racism are folded into the narrative, this being the 1960's.

In the end, it is Carey Mulligan in a star making turn as the idealistic teen who matures ahead of her own time and learns about life the hard way. Love that poster.

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I really enjoyed this. If you don't want to purchase this, I suggest renting on Netflix because there are some interesting deleted scenes, a few my friend and I agreed should have been left in. SPOILERS: There is a good scene with her two girlfriends in a diner after lies are uncovered, and another extended scene with Jenny in front of David's house. Perhaps these scenes were extraneous, but we liked them. Jenny pulled herself together in the end although she asked to repeat her last year of school, she was not allowed to return, what did she have to accomplish since she dropped out? Although you see her studying in her room again, we felt that was handled a bit too neatly and quickly. Her ex-teacher obviously helped her, but how? Perhaps that didn't need elaboration but it seemed too simple, especially with how devastated she was. And, David just walks (drives) away in the end and he's never seen again. Perhaps too, this is an appropriate end for a creepy role. We were also disturbed at how easily her parents allowed her to be whisked away by an older man who was blatantly lying to everyone. Watch Danny's face (David's partner in crime) in many of the scenes very subtle and well-done. His girlfriend (who was so beautiful in "Pride & Prejudice") was also very good (and dim). We loved the music and costumes also.

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Set in 60s London, "An Education" centers on 16-year-old Jenny (Carey Mulligan delivering a finely-nuanced performance) who is preparing for her 'A' Levels for entrance into Oxford University. Jenny plays the cello, has a keen eye for art, and wants to read English at Oxford. Her father Jack (credibly portrayed by Alfred Molina) wishes to see his only child in a prestigious university as a means of elevating their status as a family. A rainy day changes everything as Jenny's path crosses that of a smooth-talking older man, David (Peter Skarsgaard who delivers a compelling performance despite a rather weak English accent). David entices Jenny to take a ride in his coveted Bristol and Jenny finds herself slowly but surely falling for Peter and his sophisticated ways. The pair dine out in fancy restaurants, listen to jazz music in cool clubs, and live the high life together with Peter's friends, Danny (Dominic Cooper, who has also appeared in movies such as Mamma Mia! The Movie (Widescreen) and as James Willoughby in Sense & Sensibility (with Miss Austen Regrets) (BBC TV 2008) and Danny's girlfriend Helen (Rosamund Pike, who has also appeared in a BBC period drama, Wives and Daughters. Suddenly, the previously sheltered Jenny finds herself being swept off her feet and introduced to a sophisticated, fun new world she had only dreamed of in the past.

Inevitably, the once studious and hardworking Jenny begins to falter as her studies take a backseat to nights out, weekends off in the country, and even a trip to Paris. Her parents fall for David's charm and the social climbing Jack goes as far as to determine that Jenny might as well give up Oxford if she manages to get David to marry her. No one really has a clue as to how David manages to finance his high-flying lifestyle, though Jenny does find out sometime in the movie and begins to see a darker side to David and his life. There are more revelations to come before the movie ends, and the question is: Will Jenny be able to realize her potential? Will her informal "education" procured during her time with David be sufficient for her or is there still a place for formal schooling in her life?

I thought the film was beautifully made the scenic setting, the 60s lifestyle and the myriad themes explored all blend together convincingly to create a truly poignant coming-of-age tale. Carey Mulligan (who first impressed me in a secondary role inMasterpiece Theatre: Northanger Abbey delivers both a delightful and heartbreaking performance as the confident yet ultimately vulnerable young child-woman. The chemistry between Mulligan's Jenny and Skarsgaard's David is credible and powerful one can see that there's a certain neediness in David that is assuaged by being with the young Jenny, and Jenny in turn is intoxicated by the power she wields over David. The rather sensitive issue of sex between a 17-year-old and a much older man is subtly addressed and there are no exploitative or gratuitous scenes to offend anyone's sensibilities (though it probably merits mentioning that the age of consent in Britain is 16).

Final verdict a fine coming-of-age tale set in a time when the sexual revolution and feminism were about to take serious flight.

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John Carter (Four-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) (2012)

I went in to "John Carter" filled with trepidation. I often avoid these big, splashy CGI spectacles that never live up to their promises and I was sure that this film was going to be nothing more than lots of cinematic eye candy and short on substance. Added to that there was a lot of lackluster critical reviews. Well, all I can say is that this was a grand entertainment and I am so glad I caught it on the big screen!

I've heard some critics say the plot was a mess and overly convoluted. Really? My suggestion to them is "don't text while watching a movie, you might miss something". I found the plot fairly well done and actually made sense (if only the last Star Trek film had that going for it) and was interesting to boot.

I also read that the look of Barsoom (Mars to you and me) was dull and uninteresting. Hmmm, never been an admirerer of the stark and raw beauty of the American southwest I guess. Personally I found Barsoom to be beautiful, alien, exotic and familiar all at the same time. After all, the Mars rovers have confirmed that the Red Planet does indeed look like our American southwest and I for one happen to think both places very scenic.

Some critics have said the story is dull and lifeless. OK, put down the crack pipe and step away from the video game console. "John Carter" has a great fast paced plot with lots of interesting twists and turns. I also thought the characters were nicely drawn, if not overly complex, and that the alien races on Barsoom to be very interesting with fascinating customs which only made me want to learn more about them.

Other critics have complained that they have seen this stuff before in movies like Star Wars and Avatar. Wellllll, it seems as though those two directors (among other film makers and writers) have been looting the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs for quite some time so I guess there is bound to be a feeling of deja vu.

Have we really become such a culture that is so easily jaded? Can we no longer feel that sense of wonder and feeling of adventure in a film like "John Carter"? Maybe we are too use to storylines being spoon fed to us in easily digested bites and cannot follow along with a film that isn't zipping past our eyeballs at 186,000 miles per second with flashy explosions at every eye blink. If true then how sad that such a wondrous film will get pushed to the wayside in favor of something like Transformers 8.

John Carter captures the spirit of the original ERB books very well. I'm not going to give a thorough review of the movie because so many other reviewers have already done that. I will, however, say that everyone involved in the production of this movie should be commended. The film takes Burroughs' "A Princess of Mars" and combines elements of the second book "Gods of Mars" (adding a few tweaks along the way) to create what can be called a mini-masterpiece. The story is well-written, the characters are fleshed out, the FX enhance the story not overshadow it, and the acting is excellent. The stunning Lynn Collins steals the show with her performance as Princess Dejah Thoris, Taylor Kitsch is admirable as Carter, and Willem Dafoe is perfect as the Thark leader Tars Tarkas. Andrew Stanton did a great job directing, the score is memorable, and the visuals are breathtaking.

If you haven't read the original books (which are absolute classics), you'll enjoy this movie because it's a great movie. If you're already a fan of the books, you'll love the movie despite some of the changes (John Carter was never married before he went to Mars, for one), which can be overlooked (If you want an almost accurate representation of the source material, Dynamite Entertainment's "Warlord or Mars" comic series [along with the excellent spin-offs] is highly recommended. In fact, it's probably the best comic book out there right now). I'm already a huge John Carter fan, and this movie is a wonderful addition to the world of John Carter.

Do not let the critics stop you from seeing this movie. Anyone who gave this movie a bad review is an idiot and was probably on something when they saw this movie, or they based their reviews solely on the awful trailers. The marketing campaign for this movie is one of the worst I've ever seen, and there has been little or no merchandising for this movie-it's almost like Disney wanted this movie to fail. There are some fan trailers on the internet that absolutely blow away what Disney put out, and they really make you want to see the movie. I've given up hope that we'll see the sequels, but maybe people will listen to everyone that has actually seen the movie without an agenda, and the final box office and DVD/Blu-ray sales can keep the franchise going.

In closing, I cannot wait til John Carter comes out on DVD, and I give my highest recommendation to this film.

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Former Confederate Civil War soldier, Captain John Carter has nothing left to fight for when he finds himself transported to a desert planet. Suddenly among a warrior tribe of four-armed aliens and a beautiful princess, Carter ends up in the middle of another war. But when faced with the chance of returning home to Earth, Carter may have found a cause worth fighting for in Princess Dejah and the people of Barsoom.

Taylor Kitsch stars as John Carter, the bitter and destitute man who cares for nothing but his found cave of gold. Kitsch has a young face and stoic countenance, perfect for the role of the ageless John Carter. He's a believable fighter and a great straight man to plenty of humor. Princess Dejah is played by Lynn Collins, who has terrific chemistry with John Carter, and is just as strong and smart as her male counterparts (if not more). Mark Strong and Dominic West are fantastic villains, especially West as a surprisingly charming and attractive (though naïve) despot. And my favorite characters in the novel (Princess of Mars) as well as the film were the Tharks, played by Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church and Samantha Morton. Though CGI, the characters still brought depth, emotion, and humor and successfully brought Burroughs' characters to life.

Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic Princess of Mars (published in 1917), John Carter is a surprising and exceptional retelling. I recently read Princess of Mars in anticipation for the film. And though the film doesn't delve into the depth of the Tharks' stories as I would have liked, it still captures the spirit of the novel. And the natives of Barsoom get an impressive technology upgrade, and the science is updated for the awe-factor in the film.

I had my reservations after seeing the official trailers. But I was happy to see that the screen writers and director Andrew Stanton knew what they were doing, even if the marketing was off. This fan was captivated from beginning to end and loved every minute of this epic adventure. Full of fascinating characters, life-like aliens, and advanced technology science fiction fans will certainly enjoy John Carter. But the action-packed thrills, suspense, drama, romance, and incredible story will appeal to a wide range of new fans of all ages. It's heart-warming, inspirational, and highly entertaining. Don't miss this one.

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This was an Epic fail on Disney's part for not getting behind this film. I cannot say enough good about this movie. It is rare that a film grabs me and pulls me in from start to finish as thoroughly as John Carter did. I won't rehash the plot or review the actual film, but I can say without a doubt that this is a must purchase. If you missed out on this in theaters due to the shoddy/lack of marketing and/or ridiculously negative reviews from critics who hadn't actually watched the film then you owe it to yourself to buy this Blu Ray.

I truly believe this movie will become a classic despite it's "flop" beginnings. I took my 7 and 9 year old boys to this in the theater and they couldn't stop talking about it! (Neither could I for that matter.) If Disney would have done right by this it could have been their "Star Wars".

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Kaor!!! I won't go into what the movie was about. There are plenty of reviews here that do that very well. Another won't mean that much. I have been waiting 50 years for this movie to come out and I, personally, was not disappointed one bit, despite some of the changes the writers/director made to the original story. In some instances, such as the increased fleshing out (no pun intended about the luscious Lynn Collins) of the character of Dejah Thoris from helpless princess to a more well rounded female personality, was a well founded idea and is proabably (again with the help of Ms Collins exceptional acting ability) part of the reason why everyone who raves about this movie really does so. As so many have said, she stole the movie from Taylor Kitsch. In the scene where he finally realizes he is on Mars, her superior acting ability makes him look superfluous to the scene, unfortunately for him. Don't get me wrong, I think he did a good job for his first starring role, but when placed next to a more seasoned actor such Ms. Collins or even Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas, he sadly loses out. I STILL LOVED this movie though, beginning to end.

Now, the marketing campaign. I have heard that marketing heads have rolled as a result of the botched effort on this movie. As they should have. From the minute they decided to change the name from John Carter of Mars to just John Carter, it has been a marketing disaster. Several fan made trailers have made their rounds on the internet that did a MUCH better job of describing the story and marketing this movie than the so called professionals ever thought of. I don't know if the people in marketing put the fear of "Prince of Persia" into Andrew Stanton's head,and this was part of his reasoning for some of the changes, but I feel he bears some of the blame himself. Not for the movie. His movie is magnificent and I really wish there would be the sequels of Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars, but just how everyone handled the selling of the movie. It saddened me so much to see only 4-5 people in the movie theater with me when it should have been packed. The movie has it's weak points, to be sure, but it's over all strengths far outweigh any weaknesses.

None the less, I have already put in my notice with Amazon.com I want to be notified the minute this movie becomes available to order because I will definitely buy it.

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Kamisama Dolls: Complete Collection (2011)

Kyohei has left his town to attend college in the city. He has a dark past. He used to be a Seki. Seki use their powers to control god dolls. The reason for these powers is never made clear. All we know is that there are people from his village that have these powers, and they constantly fight each other. Despite this unclear plot, a story emerges. Sort of. Kyohei's sister comes to stay with him; his best girl, Hibino, Hibino's boobs, and Hibino's Dad. They seem to have a peaceful life, training Lil' Sis Utao, and goofing off. Some enemies show up, and the past comes back to haunt Kyohei. The drama and action are almost too much for him to handle.

This anime is kind of strange. The back story is well written, but vague at the same time. As I said earlier, the characters pasts are covered pretty well, but the whole premise of god dolls is not explained at all. Why do they even exist? What is their purpose, and why does anyone give a crap about them. That makes no sense to me, but whatever.

The animation, voice acting, and soundtrack are all pretty well done. It's a good series overall, but it does leave you hanging. If they don't continue Kamisama Dolls, they really wasted their time. This series could be something great if it is taken further. It has no business being 13 episodes long. It appears that there is more to come, but you never know. I liked this anime, but I can see it not going over too well with some due to the weird plot. It's rated MA, but I think that is a bad rating. There is some suggestive stuff, but no nudity. The language, and violence are kind of moderate. I think 14 and up is a better rating. I think that you should watch it online before buying. It's kind of steep for something that isn't a sure hit. You may like it, you may not. I think that it's worth checking out at least.

And what is worse...this show teases you with a preview of events to come with no promise of a second season. ARRGG!!!

Anyways, God Dolls is an interesting series in the respect that...it never really becomes too predictable. The characters are mostly generic but the backstory keeps things on edge in most episodes. The characters come from a village where they've hid a secret. They have the ability to control these "dolls". They are more or less like giant puppets but have a supernatural origin which makes sure not everyone can control one. In the story you are mostly following a guy who was a former operator of one of these dolls. You also meet the successor, his younger sister. He is desperate to get away from the village and leave that world behind while she is struggling to control the doll.

At times this show will totally fool you. It acts very lighthearted and joyful...but then the backstory hits you and it plunges into very dark places. The dolls are not all helpful and the potential for huge battles becomes very high as humans try to control a power they weren't meant to control. You get to see why he wanted to leave the village and glimpses of the past he is trying to forget. It is a ride you didn't expect coming and by the time the series ends, it leaves you on a cliffhanger note yearning for that season two. I do not kid that the final scenes of this show is a preview of the potential second season and if you keep with the series till that point, you'll be wanting that season two.

It is not a terrible cliffhanger but enough of one where you will hope the studio decides to make season two. Overall in the end, this is a very nice little series. It is aimed at the older age, post high school demographic so be sure to enjoy the fantastic opening theme song that definitely gives it a more adult feel to it. The name of it is Fukanzen Nenshou and it is sung by Ishikawa Chiaki. The only major issues you'll likely have is the characters seeming a little generic. I got over it after a few episodes so give it that much of a shot.

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this is a great anime and i couldnt be any happy. i will be buy from this again . and the price is not bad at all

Read Best Reviews of Kamisama Dolls: Complete Collection (2011) Here

Kamisama Dolls is a supernatural series with likable characters and, odd, but effective comedy. I was very excited when I started watching this series because it seemed very mature, funny and refreshing. However, around episode five the writing started to become lousy, and the story lost its initial positive momentum.

As far as its technical merits, Kamisama Dolls has cheap looking animation (the character designs are shaky at times), and the music score gets old pretty quick. The notable exception is the song used in the opening; it is very cool.

Overall, Kamisama Dolls is not a terrible series. It has good things like its quirky characters and a mysterious (and sometimes spooky) atmosphere. But if you are interested in a story that wants to better develop its characters and offer a complete story with a resolution (it is set up as a season one with more episodes to come), this is not the series for you.

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Dear Mr. Gacy (2010)

I honestly can't even remember the amount of movies made about various serial killers over the years and there has many numerous about John Wayne Gacy himself as well so going into this I wasn't expecting any new or different here but boy was I wrong. Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of college student, Jason Moss who decided to contact Mr. Gacy during his final year alive and try to find out things about no one else including the F.B.I. could get plus his was the subject John was using as his final term paper for school so he does have a motive. Early on I have to say I found Jason's fascination with Gacy a bit creepy and never having the read the book I was interested in finding out what was inside the head of the young man as well. The first letter he writes to John is one that paints a picture of a tough home life, of someone looking to reach out as a friend. After seeing an interview on Television where John states he is bi-sexual Jason takes the next step by posing and taking seductive pictures to send along in the next letter to John. Based on the book "The Last Victim" written by Jason Moss it paints a picture of someone looking to get into the head of Mr. Gacy but as the relationship moves along you quickly find out that John is a master and Jason is really no match. Jason slowly begins to journey now a dark path of destruction that effects his relationship with both his family and his girlfriend as John gets deeper and deeper in his subconscious. To go on and on about the story here would only ruin the experience for those waiting to see the film but I can say this is a dark, disturbing and and almost hypnotic look into the mind of a crazed killer, like Mr. Gacy himself the film gets in your head and stays with you long after it is over. William Forsythe gives one of if not his best performances as Gacy, he must of done a lot of research to be able to play him with such realism. Also Jesse Moss did a fantastic job playing Jason, the young man that gets more than he bargained for when taking on such a twisted mind. As the film was coming to an end I thought to myself that those 7 months with Gacy had to take its toll on Jason and had to effected the rest of his life and sure enough in the notes during the credits you find out just how much a toll it did take.

"Dear Mr. Gacy" is one of the best serial killer films I have seen in a very long time, it has fantastic production values, an amazing cast and a gritty,dark and realistic feel that sends chills down your spine. If you like the genre this is a must own film that really delivers on telling a story that will haunt you for days.

Patrick Ricketts-videoviews.org

A young psychology student begins corresponding with John Wayne Gacy, the famed serial killer, posing as a potential victim in order to write a groundbreaking thesis paper on the case. After exchanging letters and speaking on the phone, Jason thinks he has the upper hand in the situation, but Gacy quickly proves that he is more cunning than he appears as he infiltrates every aspect of Jason's life and infects his mind. Intense, nauseating, terrifying. DEAR MR. GACY details the true-life experiences shared between Jason Moss and his subject of study, John Wayne Gacy, as adapted from his memoirs The Last Victim. The film is a refreshing new approach to the tired serial killer theme, and one that is made that much more frightening in the fact that it was Moss' reality for seven months. William Forsythe is both captivating and repulsive at the same time as the incarcerated "Killer Clown." His powers of persuasion and seemingly innocent charm lure the audience in just as the real Gacy had done with his victims. The one fatal flaw that makes the story so difficult to believe is that the resourceful Gacy had the ability to track down so many details about Moss' life, and yet he was unable to figure out that Jason was a college student that was playing him from the start. With the suspension of disbelief held high, DEAR MR. GACY proves to be an intimate and unsettling examination into the inner workings of one of America's most notorious murders.

-Carl Manes

I Like Horror Movies

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Wow ... I was blown away. I remember watching the news coverage shown in this film as it actually happened when Gacy was arrested and the gruesome discoveries that followed. The nation was appalled, terrified and morbidly fascinated by the undeniable proof that there is a dark side to some seemingly everyday people that is successfully hidden away by their ability to fit in with society.

I've also seen several crime documentaries about Jason Moss' experience studying Gacy. It's disturbing and unsettling to know that there are people who seem to have mastered the ability to manipulate and terrorize someone to the point of controlling them psychologically. Getting inside the mind of someone like that would be a life-changing and horrible thing to deal with. I hate to imagine what it's like as a detective, profiler, psychologist or worst of all a victim to realize that you are dealing with a person that is consumed by violence, narcissism and a lust for total control with no regard for human life including yours.

William Forsythe was every bit as formidable and convincing as Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs ... two characters that are mesmerizing and terrifying because of the destructive use of their intelligence and the ability to gain people's trust in order to dominate them. But in this film I find it to be especially disturbing because from what I've seen and read it's (for the most part) what I consider to be an accurate portrayal of an actual, horrible event in history.

Be sure to read "the rest of the story" right before the credits. For me it really drove home the point that the impact a sick mind can achieve if they gain control is a powerful thing that can result in a multitude of damaging, violent and deadly consequences way beyond what is obvious.

Read Best Reviews of Dear Mr. Gacy (2010) Here

True stories make for interesting movies. Some tend to go overboard on the melodrama, usually ending up on Lifetime network. Others are depicted as documentaries. And then there is the real life story that is turned into drama, sometimes bad and others good. DEAR MR. GACY lands in between.

The story revolves around Jason Moss (Jesse Moss), a young law student not performing up to his potential in college who is searching for a centerpiece for his thesis. He finds it while watching the news as he becomes fascinated with serial killer John Wayne Gacy (William Forsythe). Gacy is soon to be executed, coming down to his last attempt at a stay of execution and Jason's chance to speak to him is slipping by fast.

Jason realizes that he has to find an in, a way to get Gacy's attention, realizing that chances are he receives tons of letters on a daily basis. To do so, he attempts to get into the psyche of Gacy, playing off of the information that Gacy tended to pick up on young boys. He sends Gacy a letter that is in ways flirtatious. To seal the deal he ends up sending Gacy photos of himself shirtless and describing how he's considering hustling himself on the streets.

Its all done in an attempt to gain Gacy's trust so that he'll open up to him, speak to him and perhaps give him the chance to discover why Gacy did the things he did. But as their correspondence continues, Jason finds himself drawn into the dark world of Gacy's mind, falling prey to the things Gacy encourages him to do, including a trip to the world of street hustlers where he is drugged and almost raped.

Jason is perhaps Gacy's last victim. His life changes and those around him see it happening though they don't know why. He spends time bodybuilding, argues with his parents and brother and goes so far as to dump his girlfriend. The letters lead to phone calls that Gacy places to Jason which he accepts. The lies he tells to paint the portrait of himself that he knows Gacy expects build one on top of the other until he finally gets the chance to meet Gacy in prison. It is here that Jason is witness to the true monster that was John Wayne Gacy.

The movie is terribly depressing, but not so much in a bad way. The slow decent into a form of madness that overtakes Jason is well played by Moss as we see the changes develop over time. Forsythe, a totally underappreciated actor who has starred in everything from OUT FOR JUSTICE, THE ROCK and THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD, does a truly menacing portrayal of Gacy, showing the manipulative side of him that convinces Jason to do the things he does while at the same time show the animalistic frenzy that fills Gacy when he confronts the obsessive fan alone in a prison cell.

Gacy was an unusual killer. Well respected in the community, known for his dressing as a clown for children's parties and celebrated for his paintings of clowns while in prison, he was not what most people expected when thinking of a serial killer. But the acts he committed, not just to the boys he killed but to Jason Moss as well, were some of the most brutal imagined. This movie is on the low budget scale but it tells the story well and holds your interest. While there are moments you want to look away, there are others that keep you watching from beginning to end. Here's hoping that the number of potential serial killers like Gacy dwindle rather than grow.

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Direct-to-DVD movies about serial killers are so common that it's almost revolutionary when one is given the slightest bit of positive notice. I caught the trailer for Dear Mr. Gacy in a store, was slightly intrigued, and became very interested when I found mostly positive reviews. The film is based on a book I'd never heard of by Jason Moss, who developed a correspondence with serial killer John Wayne Gacy in the months leading up to his execution. Gacy died in 1994, Moss' book was published in 1999, and Moss took his own life in 2006. The book was called The Last Victim and with the knowledge of his suicide and lack of explanation for it, a whole new dimension is added to the film.

I don't know how closely this film follows the book, so the following review is based solely on the film's own merit.

In the film, Jason Moss (coincidentally played by an actor named Jesse Moss) decides to write his college thesis on serial killers. Posing as a troubled admirer, he sends a letter to convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy (William Forsythe). To his surprise, Gacy responds to it. Doing whatever he can to gain Gacy's trust and get access to the darkest parts of his mind, Moss develops a frighteningly close bond with Gacy that begins taking a toll on his real life.

It's troubling that Dear Mr. Gacy debuted on Canadian television and was followed with a direct-to-DVD release. Films released this way are rarely of high-quality and many people see a direct-to-DVD release as a badge of mediocrity. This is not the case with Dear Mr. Gacy. What we have here is a film that is not a horror film, but gets under your skin more effectively than any theatrically-released horror film that I can recall being released in 2010. It's also a low-budget film that never looks or feels cheap with a convincing lead performance by newcomer Jesse Moss, and one of the best portrayals of a real-life serial killer I've ever witnessed by William Forsythe.

Glancing at Forsythe's filmography, I've seen several of his films but he's only stood out in Rob Zombie's Halloween and The Devil's Rejects. I am not exaggerating when I say that Forsythe could have earned an Oscar nomination if The Last Victim had a higher budget, an actual theatrical release, and maybe some well-known people behind the camera. It's one of the most convincing performances I've seen this year. The first time we see Forsythe as Gacy is in a still photograph based on Gacy's mugshot. There's not much of a resemblance, but I accepted that he would be Gacy for the duration of the film. When Forsythe is finally seen on-screen portraying Gacy, it's a revelatory moment. He's gained weight for the role and the hairstyle is right, but once he begins speaking and the film begins progressively revealing the full extent of Gacy's character it becomes apparent how much he captured the essence of Gacy. Forsythe plays Gacy as a normal, intelligent, and friendly human being revealing Gacy as the sociopath he was in perfect synchronicity with Gacy revealing himself to Jason. Where some well-known, well-respected actors would have gone over-the-top or showy with their performance resulting in a typical one-dimensional serial killer, Forsythe slowly shows Gacy's normality wearing thin with an eerie, collected realism that's both fascinating and disturbing. A real-life serial killer is a psychologically complex character that's very difficult for any actor to tackle, especially when it's a well-written, real-life serial killer. Forsythe's performance is not this revelation because he's in a direct-to-DVD release or because he's not an actor known for embodying complicated characters...It's because it's a completely convincing performance. As far as direct-to-DVD releases about serial killers go, the only other performance to come close to the realism of Forsythe is Steve Railsback's portrayal of Ed Gein in the film of the same name.

Obviously, Forsythe blew my mind in this film. If only the film was as perfect as his performance is. All of the performances are just fine and the film maintains a dreary, grayish atmosphere that lends to the effect of Jason's correspondence with Gacy on his life. Obviously, the filmmakers didn't have much money to work with but the film never feels cheap. Except for a few "direct-to-DVD vibes," I would have thought this was just an independent theatrical release that flew under the radar. There have been a dizzying amount of direct-to-DVD films about serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, Richard Speck, and even John Wayne Gacy over the years and it's rather tragic that this film will be grouped together with that dreck.

Dear Mr. Gacy is not perfect due mostly to an uneven script that occasionally loses focus and stretches our suspension of disbelief a bit too far. As stated earlier, I have not read Jason's book but I found some scenes (the face-to-face meeting, Jason's assault on a high school student, and Gacy's ability to find anything from his cell...except that Jason is a college student) just a bit too unbelievable in an otherwise very realistically told movie. If this was a part of Jason's book, the filmmakers should have handled it better for those who have not read the book and would immediately think 'that wouldn't happen.' Imperfections aside and despite falling into the "true crime" genre, Dear Mr. Gacy is more disturbing and effective than most horror films. It's also a terrific character study of the psychological workings of a serial killer and how Gacy was able to manipulate Jason while Jason was simultaneously manipulating him. The film feels genuinely like a tragedy when we realize that Jason, in his own way, may have been Gacy's last victim.

I highly recommend Dear Mr. Gacy for those looking for a good film about a real-life serial killer. There's very few of them out there and Dear Mr. Gacy is a real delight. As a direct-to-DVD release, it's great. It's a true study of a psychopath, that doesn't just exploit it's subject to tell a cheap horror story. In fact, there is no gore and only brief scenes of violence shown in flashbacks. It's lack of a theatrical release is a tragedy, as Dear Mr. Gacy ranks up there with true-life serial killer films like The Boston Strangler and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Forsythe's performance is one of a kind in the way it gets under the skin of a real serial killer and it's unfortunate that this performance won't garner him much critical notice.

Dear Mr. Gacy succeeds at what dozens of cheap films released each year fail at doing. It's an effective, haunting, rare, and introspective look at a serial killer without the blood and gore...If Dear Mr. Gacy isn't quite one of the best films of the year, it's possibly the best horror film of 2010. What other direct-to-DVD film could receive such praise?

GRADE: B

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Fargo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (1996)

Of all the Cohen Brother's tremendously entertaining movies, this is the best. This is the one that they will be remembered for. William H. Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a man in a spot. He's a used car salesman that has been securing loans for cars that are not really in his lot. The bank is calling in the loans, threatening legal action, and he needs money fast. He forms a plan to have his own wife kidnapped, thereby splitting the ransom money between himself and the kidnappers.

It's a terrible plan, and it quickly unravels into a bloody mess of murder and betrayal. When bodies begin to mount, a local police officer, Marge Gunderson, is called in. Frances McDormand plays Marge Gunderson, and she makes the movie magical.

McDormand won an Oscar for the role, and this is one instance when the recipient deserved the award. She plays "Margie" with a huge dose of humanity. She is a character that sneaks up on you. When she is introduced, you wonder if perhaps she is just a small town officer in way over her head. She is pregnant, speaks in small town (Minnesota) idioms, and throws up from morning sickness when investigating the first brutal murders. She seems more like a nice, Minnesotan housewife than a cop. But early you get the feeling that there is something special about her.

The killings involve a traffic cop that was killed while issuing a ticket for a missing plate. In his log book, he was written DLR. When Marge's fellow officer says that he has run a search for all tags starting with DLR, Marge says gently, "I'm not sure I agree with you 100 percent on your police work there, Irv." She explains to Irv that DLR means that it was a new car, a dealer's car. "Oooh" says Irv, staring into space. Then Marge tells Irv a joke about the guy that couldn't afford a vanity license plate, so he changed his name to FGS1135. "That's a good one," says Irv, but it is clear Marge's wit has gone over his head.

The brilliance of the scene is that Marge is never cruel or condescending to Irv, never thinks less of him, and is not making fun of him. She is simply enjoying her own intelligence, and we can see the very private sparkle in her eyes.

Marge also has a core of steel. Watch the scene where she gets information from a menacing suspect by reminding him, with almost motherly concern, about all the trouble he has been in with the law, and the fact that he is actually in violation of his parole. She cracks him like an egg without ever loosing her smile.

All actors concerned give great performances. Steve Buscemi brings his pitch-perfect snide larceny to the table, playing one of the kidnappers; and Peter Stormare (who once played Hamlet in an Igmar Bergman production) utters perhaps 15 words in a terrifying performance as the other kidnapper. And, of cource, William H. Macey couldn't have played it Better. His Jerry Lundegaard is so full of stress and fear, you can't watch him without squirming.

I have read where this film has been criticized for making fun of the people of Minnesota, poking fun at their accents and manners. This is not true. The Coen Brothers grew up in Minneapolis, and this is their homage to their own people. The folks in Minnesota may talk funny to the reviewers watching movies in New York and Los Angeles, but this film in no way makes fun of them. At the end of the day, Marge and her husband are happily going to sleep in their bed, in love with one another and content with their shared life. How many other couples portrayed in a Coen Brother's film can make this claim?

How anyone can watch Marge Gunderson in action and think the Coen's were making fun of her is beyond me. Like Marge, they are simply enjoying their own intelligence.

Having owned Fargo both on laserdisc and DVD, watching the Blu-ray transfer projected onto a 200 inch screen is like experiencing the film for the first time at the cinema. If not reference quality (this was a low-budget, independant production), the picture and detail are vastly improved compared to any previous home video presentation the blood really gushes out of the screen. One can now actually see all the unsavoury goings-on in all the murky interior scenes. There is a lot of film grain visible, so thankfully little or no digital noise reduction applied here. The aspect ratio and framing are correct and the sound and dialogue are much clearer than on the very thin-sounding DVD. There are minor edge-enhancement gripes, as other reviewers have pointed out: halos around black objects placed against white backgrounds (see the opening titles, or the lamp posts in Gunderson's car lot) but this shouldn't prevent any film fanatic from shredding the DVD in the wood-chipper and upgrading to this version.

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Whenever I rave about a movie I've recently seen, there's the inevitable question "What's it about?" With regard to this film, I recall responding that it's about a pregnant police chief who eventually solves a series of brutal murders somewhere in the Upper Midwest. (Brainerd, Minnesota? Fargo, North Dakota?) It is always a pleasure to observe Frances McDormand's performance in a role for which she received an Academy Award for best actress in 1996. The film was directed by Joel Coen who co-wrote the screenplay with brother Ethan. This film effectively combines some of the most dead-on (albeit affectionate) cultural satire of Scandinavian Americans in "Small Town U.S.A." with severe physical violence as when one victim is stuffed upside-down in a wood chip machine. (When I first observed "Margie" methodically gathering information, I was reminded of Colombo whose keen mind is also underestimated.) The basic story involves Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a desperate swindler. After his wealthy father-in-law Wade Gustafson (played by Harve Presnell whom I did not recognize) refuses to become involved in a real estate project, Lundegaard hires Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimstad (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife Jean (Kristin Rudrud) so that he can use most of the ransom to cover his debts and thereby conceal his crimes. Of course, his plan fails and several lose their lives as a result. As the film ends, the camera focuses on Chief Gunderson as drives her police sedan across the bleak winter landscape (think of the surface of the moon beneath three feet of snow and ice), with one of the two kidnappers in custody. She claims not to understand how anyone could behave badly in such a "beautiful" world.

Yes, this is a nasty film...at times severely violent. It also has a number of delightful comic moments, notably during Chief Gunderson's conversations with her husband Norm (John Carroll Lynch) as well as with Lundegaard. The acting by all members of the cast is consistently brilliant under Coen's crisp direction. After numerous viewings, what I still enjoy most in this film is McDormand's performance. Chief Gunderson may have a trusting heart but also a remarkably sharp mind. She wants so much to believe in goodness, to think the best of others, but she is by no means naive. As played by McDormand, she invests this film a warmth which is all the more remarkable, given the physical setting and time of the year.

Read Best Reviews of Fargo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (1996) Here

I can't believe how many reviewers neglected the fact that part of the genius of this movie is the way it is passed off as a true story. Even the rumor that the cop was really a man just fuels the belief, although it is pure fiction. The acting is great all around, but Macy steals the show as the complex, pathetic Lundegaard, a spineless, wimpy guy who married the overbearing, egotistical boss's ditzy, innocent daughter. We never really find out why Jerry needs the money, although schemes involving a parking lot investment, insurance fraud, and a phony kidnapping are all backfiring as the plot unfolds. Perhaps he simply needs the money from the kidnapping and/or the investment to cover the auto insurance fraud screw-up when they call his loan back. It is never really explained, and to good effect. The impetus for the capers is irrelevant.

Macy's lies (very realistic for a used car salesman), private temper tantrums and loss of control, and lack of authority over his father in-law are perfectly played. The police interview scene in his office with Frances McDormand is pure genius, from the acting to the writing to the filming. This is movie making artistry.

Buscemi and Stormare are perfect as the not-quite-competent thieves hired for the project, with Stormare a cold-blooded and obvious sociopath and Buscemi an almost likeable lost soul.

This is a fairly realistic movie, other than the scene where Stormare fires a single perfect shot at over 100 feet into the back of a fleeing crime witness, who is running in deep snow and illuminated only by car headlights. It's nice to actually see a character in serious pain after getting shot, with lasting wounds, such as Buscemi's Carl Showalter suffers.

Not for the faint of heart, I recommend this movie 100%.

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Fargo is one of the best films of the 1990's. It revolves around a bizzarre kidnapping scheme that unexpectedly leads to murder. Filled with cold settings, quirky characters, and excellent performances, Fargo is an excellent film.

The central characters of the film are an overextended car salesman (William H. Macy), a pregnant police chief (Frances McDormand), and two kidnappers (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare). William H. Macy's character is not a good person, but Macy's excellent performance is able to make us feel his pain. Frances McDormand's character is well mannered, and strong willed, which is great to see in a female character. She definately deserved her oscar for her performance.

Steve Buscemi is great as always. His character is a criminal, but is somewhat likeable. Peter Stormare's character is underrated. His character is a psychopath who hardly ever says anything. His actions show his aggresiveness without even needing to say anything. I would rank his character as one of the best psychopaths, up there with Frank Booth from Blue Velvet and Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas.

The plot is pretty simple, but you still need to pay attention in order to understand it. Part of what I really liked about this movie is how the plot is simple, but the Coen Brothers managed to create a story of kidnapping gone wrong and murder without having an overly complex plot.

The score is very affective. It has a celtic feel to it and expresses the mood of the midwest perfectly.

The way the film is shot resembles Stanley Kubrick's style, as every shot is like a perfectly drawn picture.

I recommend Fargo at all costs. It has a wintry feeling that stays with you hours after you've seen it.

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Tron/Tron Legacy

This is one of the best 3D movies I have seen to date, especially considering how dark most of the movie is (note: darker movies typically don't provide good 3D quality). This pack includes the 3D blu-ray, blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy of Tron: Legacy as well as the blu-ray of the original Tron. All of these discs seems like overkill as I only watch Tron: Legacy in 3D and have watched the 2D blu-ray once for the bonus features. Having the original Tron in blu-ray is a great improvement over my original VHS!

I pre-ordered this Collectible Set with high hopes that it would be a very nice additional to my wall of dvd Collectibles ... I must say that I am a little (if not a lot) disappointed.

I have found that over the years the quality of the collectitibles has gone down hill ... both in size and over all quality.

This sadly has suffered from the same fate.

Over all it comes with a number of DVD's and Blu-Ray's, The orginal special edition of Tron, the DVD of Tron Legacy (as well as a digital copy), the Blu-Ray version of Tron: Legacy, and lastly the Blu-Ray (3D only) version of Tron: Legacy. Which is great for the price.

But the disks (save the digital copy) are all located INSIDE and STACKED on top of each in the back of the Collectiable Idenity Disk and held in place with a very tough disk locking tab (I broke a finger nail in an effort to remove the disks). So do be careful removing the disks not only to prevent damaging them but also be careful with the Idenity Disk as well. I'm going to get some Empty DVD cases and place the disks in those for easier access.

Now the IDENITY DISK ... now I wasn't expecting a solid metal super, ultra, high quality item, but I was expecting the Idenity Disk to be about the size of a smallish frise-bee. BE AWARE that the Idenity Disk is only slightly (and I do mean Slightly) larger than a DVD. The overall construction is okay and it is cool looking, from a distance, but up close it feels and looks cheap. It does light up ... but just barely ... in a completly dark room it looks cool, but other wise ... meh. =/. The stand that the disk sets in is fairly cheapish and it feels flimsy but it does do the job of holding the Idenity Disk. Note: the batteries for the Idenity Disk are replaceable should you ever want or need to do so.

Overall I am satified with my purchase and the extras that entail this collecter edition ... but I am dissappointed as well.

As for other DVD collectors out there ... I would only buy this if you are a die hard collector or fan of the Tron movies ... otherwise ... save you money and get the DVD's or Blu-Ray's seperatly.

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I liked the movie. I read the critics (who seemed to hate it) and listoned to friends (mixed, if passionate reviews either way). As with the original Tron, this is about a man's quest to overcome obstacles in order to get home. I liked Garret Hedlund's character, Sam Flynn. Emotionally scarred after losing his father at a young age, Sam comes off as devil may care, reckless and unambitious, at least that is how he wants to come off. In reality, he is more. Sam clearly has his father's smarts, he is brave, and though he does not want to appear it, earnest, sabotaging some of the ambitions of Encon's board members who ridicule his principled mentor, Alan Bradley. Opposite Bridges, Hedlund appears sad, bewildered, a little angry but clearly still very much loves his father. Though young, he is very much a young man with some years under his belt. His face reflects a life that includes some difficult experiences. I also liked Olivia Wilde as Quarra.She is a fierce fighter, but is also very much the little girl who looks at Keven Flynn as a father figure, a man she loves and respects and is fascinated by his stories about the outside world. Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprise their roles and Keven Flynn and Alan Bradley/Tron respectively. Unfortunately, the part did it for me the least was where they portrayed younger selves. Where Bridges and Boxleitner played their characters with corresponding ages, it worked, but did not work quite as well with the CGI younger versions of theirselve, Bridges as Clu and Boxleitner as Tron. CGI may still have a way to go. Bridges in particular impressed me. As Kevin Flynn, he was definitely the grieving father who never lost his love for his son and the twenty years of seperation have affected him. Those who wondered how he got his "Jedi" powers forget he showed similiar powers in the original Tron. I think CGI affected Bridges' portrayal of Clu, who is relentless, cagey and an ambitious antagonist, but the CGI does not capture nearly enough nuances of his facial expressions as Bridges was able to do as the elder Flynn. I was glad to see Boxleitner brought back to his old role, but the role was too underdeveloped. He clearly respects the elder Flynn and as a result is not popular with the rest of the boars. He has also taken the effort to look after the younger Flynn. Still, I missed the presence Boxleitner brought to the earlier movie.

I liked Tron Legacy. I am no critic. The special effects were great, and as in the original Tron, they are part of what sells the movie, and complements the story. Having said that, I liked this movie. I found the story interesting. I thought the story moved along, the characters were fleshed out (that part I really liked), and as in the original Tron, there were subtle subplots and subtle cautionary themes. I enjoyed the movie. I was entertained, I was never bored, and when it was over, I felt watching this movies was a pleasant way to spend two hours

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I got Tron:Legacy 3D 4 Disc BluRay and Tron:Original BluRay 2 disc set with tax for $38. At Best Buy Online/Store right now until the end of the week 4/9/11 they have on sale the Tron Legacy 3D set for $24.99, i don't even have a 3D player but you never know what the future holds once they get a lot cheaper. But you get the 3D version, 2D version, DVD and digital copy. And Tron original 2 disc set gives you the blu ray and dvd for 19.99... But In the Five-Disc Combo: that includes both movies, I never read that it included the original tron on dvd, maybe I'm mistaken since I didn't purchase it.

So right now I have purchased both movies, 6 discs in all for $44.98. You can go on the disney website which is free membership and they give a free $5 coupon with a Tron legacy purchase and best buy has it that if you buy both movies together you get an additional $5 off. So all in all you get $10 off. I bought it for $44.98-$10.00=$34.98 with tax came out to be about $38.

I hope this information helps. Because I seriously debated about buying the 5 disc both movie combo for $49.99, but when i saw that you can get 6 discs for cheaper if you buy serperately then personally it was no contest. Again this is for the people who just want to save money! Enjoy the movies, because they are awesome!

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Beware that only tron legacy contains DVD version and digital copy with the 5 disc set. The original is bluray only.

Emma (1996)

Being a die-hard Austen fan, I couldn't resist watching this movie. Emma Woodhouse's story has always been my favorite of

Austen's efforts, and I am always glad to see her work brought to the screen. I was VERY pleased with this film.

Casting was well done. Northam provides a sturdy, but not overly-stern, Knightley, and Paltrow does an amazing job of convincing us that she is, indeed, British in her portrayal of Emma. Her accent is nearly flawless, and I felt that she truly captured the personality of Austen's most spoiled heroine. The sets and lighting are bright, airy, and perfectly suited to the comedic approach taken by this particular director. The scenes are edited just brilliantly. Each scene flows seamlessly from one to another, and the pace of the plot runs along just perfectly. It moves fast enough to keep everyone interested and slowly enough to make sure that everyone has enough time to absorb what's going on.

The criticism I've heard most often is that the film really only touches on the Jane Fairfax/Frank Churchill subplot for the briefest of moments. I did not find that to be injurious to the film. It's plain, while watching this version, that the director wanted to keep the story light and funny. Adding Jane and Frank's saga would have done two things: First, it would have seriously darkened and dramatized the bouncy and bright atmosphere of the entire film. Second, it would have taken the spotlight off of Emma Woodhouse as the focus of the story. I felt that, given the abbreviated length of time that a movie has in which to communicate a story...the omission of Frank & Jane's affair was a wise choice.

The second criticism I've heard of the film is that it's just too clean and "pretty" to be accurately representative of Regency England. Again...this didn't bother me. The focus of this film is NOT to be true to history. It is not a Regency documentary. It is a fun and aesthetically pleasing depiction of Emma Woodhouse and her friends. It's romantic, funny, charming, and very very pretty to look at.

I loved it.

Emma is a wealthy and bored young woman in Regency England. She lives the good life in her rural manse, where she lives with her hypochondriac father, and she has just successfully seen a match she's made lead to the altar. Flushed with success, she is determined to continue her role as Cupid, which leads to disaster and comedy at every turn.

Director McGrath proves to have a good eye for exterior shots and comedic elements. The script is delightful, the cast superb, and Rachel Portman's score is faultless. The real problem with this adaptation is dear Gwyneth. Paltrow is absolutely lovely and charming as the heroine here, but she is not Emma as written by Jane Austen, and the discrepancy changes the story entirely. To see this character played to perfection, you must see her played by Kate Beckinsale. Before you click the "No" button, hear me out: watch both films' version of the pivotal scene of the picnic on Boxer Hill, where Emma insults poor chatty Miss Bates. Austen's Emma is intelligent but thoughtless, generous but as yet unkind, in the way that young people can sometimes be. The essential drama of Austen's story lies in Emma's realization that she has been mistaken about oh! so many things, in her growth as she internalizes that realization, and in her discovering love when she becomes worthy of it. By contrast, Gwyneth Paltrow is perfect from the first scene. She exudes sophistication; she cannot help it. You never feel that she does not know what's what and who's who, and therefore she cannot develop as Austen means her to. And that precludes her from playing Emma to perfection. That said, if you are a Paltrow fan, you will love her in this charming film. She is effervescent. If, however, you are an Austen purist, then you MUST see the Beckinsale version instead.

Regardless of your opinion of the film, you WILL be disappointed in this DVD. Apparently Miramax's Harvey Weinstein has heard of neither bells nor whistles. Special features listed are: a theatrical trailer, subtitles in English and chapter selection. And that accurately sums it up. There's really no excuse for such a trifling package.

Now I've had my say and you, dear reader, may click away.

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"Emma" was made during a spate of Jane Austen films and miniseries awhile back, and thankfully (except for the fiasco called "Mansfield Park") all of them have been fantastic. Gwyneth Paltrow provides some droll comic relief as the title heroine of the movie "Emma," proving that yes, she CAN act quite well.

Emma Woodhouse (Paltrow) is on a matchmaking rush after she successfully pairs her former governess to a rich widower. Convinced that she can make a good match for anybody, she sets out to pair her penniless, sweet-natured pal Harriet Smith (Toni Collette) with someone more elevated than a prosperous young farmer, such as the eager young minister, Mr. Elton (Alan Cumming). Problem is, Mr. Elton turns out to be in love with Emma, not Harriet.

More romantic complications ensue when a charming bad boy, Frank Churchill (Ewan McGregor in a bad wig) comes to the area and seems to be interested in Emma -until Emma decides to pair him with Harriet. Emma's good-natured meddling continues unchecked, until it threatens her own happiness and her unspoken love.

"Emma" is probably the frothiest of Austen's novels; there aren't any big scandals or anything like that. Embarrassment is the big opponent in here, but Douglas McGrath has a good sense of how to use the droll humor to best advantage. This is definitely a comedy, except for one or two moments near the end; even there, it's amusing when Emma wails "I love John! I hate John!". The only source of humor that falls flat is Mrs. Elton, who is too overdone in her vulgarity and stupidity. Bit of a cheap laugh there.

Gwyneth Paltrow seems very in-her-element as Emma, managing to be cute and fumbling without ever making Emma seem precious or stupid. Ewan McGregor may hide whenever he sees his performance, but he's pretty good as Frank (and fans of his should definitely see him sing a duet with Paltrow -he has a wonderful voice). Toni Collette is sweet as Emma's rather naive younger friend, Denys Hawthorne endearing as Emma's hypochondriac dad (he's kind of weird, but likeably so), Alan Cumming annoying as the juvenile Mr. Elton, and Greta Scacchi does a great turn as Emma's kindly mother-figure. And Jeremy Northam steals the show as Mr. Knightley, the barb-tongued aristocrat with a kindly heart and a genuine affection for Emma, even though her romantic prodding makes him nuts.

There are a few points in the movie where it does seem a little too light and frothy, but fortunately most of the time the direction stays in sync with the storyline. The lighting, the costumes, the music -all of them are cute and lightweight. Kids can watch this as well as adults, since there are Disney cartoons that are more offensive than this. (But younger kids will be bored out of their skulls, probably)

"Emma" is a great film for anyone in search of a genuine comedy with lots of laughs and no stupid gags. Definitely something to watch, especially if you like hearing Ewan McGregor sing or Gwyneth Paltrow freaking out over a failed matchmaking.

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Ah, this is a fun movie!

A relatively faithful adaptation of the Jane Austen novel is a bigscreen treat (the recent "Mansfield Park" was a disaster). Even looking at the cover is nice.

An unusually good Gwyneth Paltrow plays the well-intentioned but inept Emma, a pretty, witty aristocrat who believes that "the most beautiful thing in the world is a match well made!" Having married off her ex-governess to a family friend, she decides to take a poor friend of hers under her wing and find Harriet Smith a husband, but royally botches it in the process. Amid the tangle of loves, infatuations, and deceptions, Emma discovers that her own true love has been standing off to the side...

Paltrow is genuinely enjoyable-she practically glows. Ewan McGregor is totally convincing as the two-faced charmer Frank Churchill (despite his own claims, he does a good job). The actors playing Mr. Knightly, Harriet Smith, and the usual smarmy pastor and his creep of a wife are jewels.

It doesn't have quite the emotional resonance of "Sense and Sensibility", the BBC "Mansfield Park," or "Pride and Prejudice," but "Emma" is something of a lightweight story--there isn't much in the way of scandals. It's a nice bit of G-rated fun and comedy, enjoyable but not too heavy.

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The first time I saw this movie was when it was released in theaters back in 1996. I thought it was quite enjoyable and my husband and a guy friend who saw it with us, enjoyed it as well. However, after watching it, I never really thought about it again.

About a year ago, however, I rented it and just fell in love with it. After re-renting it so many times, I finally went ahead and bought the DVD. Frankly, I don't quite understand how I missed how great this movie was the first time. I suspect it might have been Austen overload, as 1995-96 was right around the time that when Austenmania gripped Hollywood. Anyhow, I can't say enough about how much fun this movie is and how infinitely re-watchable it is. The acting by the entire cast, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette, to Sophie Thompson and Phylidda Law, is simply superb. Gwyneth is much better here than she was (IMO) in Shakespeare in Love. It's hard to take your eyes off her; her Emma just so funny -supremely confident in always knowing what's right for everyone and, to her and no one else's amazement, invariably is always proved wrong. Jeremy Northam is also wonderful as Mr. Knightley. Austen's Knightley in the book is so gentlemanly and perfect that he can almost be a cipher. Northam however allows us to see into Mr. Knightley's psyche as he battles with Emma and her machinations, and his own exasperation, anger, jealousy and lust. His body language and eyes convey it all. Although Toni Collette is a bit of a miscast because she visually doesn't match Austen's Harriet, she redeems herself admirably by being so lovably dim that you can't help but wish her the happy ending she deserves. And Sophie Thompson is just perfect: funny and heartbreaking.

Although I agree with other reviewers that this version of Emma is not perfect (it loses some of Austen's sense of irony, just drops the ball on the Frank and Jane subplot, and never really let's you get too mad at Emma, who frankly deserves it), I think it makes up for it with the sheer joy, beauty, humor and romance of it all. To put it another way: As an adaptation, I'd rank it as 3-1/2 stars; as a movie, I give 5 stars plus! It's just wonderful moviemaking.

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Mighty Aphrodite

`Mighty Aphrodite', written, directed, and starring Woody Allen seems to be the kind of movie Allen makes after he is worn out doing a strictly realistic, mostly serious movie such as `Crimes and Misdemeanors', `Hannah and Her Sisters', and `Husbands and Wives'. Unlike these excellent seriocomic works, `Mighty Aphrodite' flies off into a world of fantasy similar to the crazy / inventive situations in `Zellig' and `A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy'.

Allen brings along with him his usual band of big name actors taking off from more remunerative roles to have some fun with this lighthearted comedy. As usual, heavyweights such as F. Murray Abraham, Claire Bloom, Jack Warden, and Olympia Dukakis have such small roles that you hardly notice they are there until they are off screen. In the case of Abraham and Dukakis and Allen stock player David Ogden Stiers, this anonymity is heightened by the fact that they are playing masked members of a Greek chorus, filmed in a ruined Roman amphitheater, in Italy, according to the location credits.

This movie was done for Mirimax and a sizable number of new names appear among the film's executive producers, although I am certain Allen still has his hands firmly on the artistic reins for the filming of the movie. I have no idea which of these new names represents `Sweetland Films', but their only contribution seems to have been a slightly less austere credit crawl at the end of the flick.

Aside from Allen, all of the really heavy lifting on the screen was done by title character actor Mira Sorvino, and it is beyond me how she was nominated for the supporting actress Academy Award and not in the lead actress category, although I suspect it did improve her chances of winning in the lesser category, which she did.

Of Allen's two most important movie subjects, love and death, love is certainly the main issue in this movie, signaled by the fact that Aphrodite is the name of the ancient Greek god of love, represented in this flick by Sorvino's character who is a prostitute and pornographic movie actress who wants to get out of that life and settle down in a more normal setting.

Allen plays a successful New York City sportswriter who gets connected with Sorvino when he and his wife decide to adopt a baby boy, and Allen becomes obsessed with the identity of the real mother, who turns out to be Sorvino. While Allen tries to set Sorvino up with a farmer turned boxer turned farmer, his wife (Carter) hooks up with a business partner (Peter Weller) who threatens to break up their marriage.

While there are a few brief moments of apparent danger when Sorvino's pimp threatens Allen's life if Sorvino quits, the pimp is bought off with nothing more than a pair of courtside tickets to a Knicks game. While the main `realistic' plot is pretty improbable as it is, the real silliness is going on in asides to a full masked Greek chorus very similar to what you would find in productions of plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Thrown into this absurdity is Jack Warden playing a modern blind man named Tiresius encountered on the streets of New York. The joke is that Tiresius is the name of a character in Sophocles' `Oedipus Rex' who makes the prophecy that Oedipus will kill his father. In Allen's version, Tiresius simply clues Allen into the fact that his wife is fooling around with her business partner.

The invocations of the Greek choruses get even more silly as the movie progresses, with the chorus appearing in modern New York near the end of the film, bursting into renditions of Cole Porter and tunes from other modern composers.

Like `Zellig', there is no attempt to avoid straining credulity. Near the end of the movie, Sorvino is rescued from her life of sin by a totally improbable `deux ex machina', which Allen glorifies by simply describing it as such in the voice-over.

This movie is about as close as Allen ever comes after `Annie Hall' to returning to the silliness of early movies such as `Bananas' and `Sleeper'. Unlike the early gag fests, you really feel for the characters in this movie. You don't want Allen to break up with his wife and you want Sorvino to get out of her sex business. And, we are much happier at the end of the movie than we are at the end of `Crimes and Misdemeanors' where a killer escapes justice and the nebbish gets cheated out of his girlfriend.

This is not one of Allen's very best movies, but it is in the upper half. Sorvino's performance is definitely worth the price of admission.

There seem to be three camps when it comes to Woody Allen. (1) People who love his earlier works and villify his most recent films (2)People who love all of his films (3) People who hate Woody Allen, his films, and anything else related to him. I belong to the second group, and like most of his films. Mighty Aphrodite is a great movie, featuring the performance that put Mira Sorvino on the map. This film also contains a great performance by Michael Rappaport, who has gone on to do more stellar work with Allen. Every time I watch this movie I laugh. If anything, see this film for the Greek chorus led by F. Murray Abraham. Like most of Allens more recent works this film is funny and wacky, while at the same time you don't leave the movie feeling as if you've lost brain cells by watching it.

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Woody Allen is a comic genius, and he outdid himself in "Mighty Aphrodite." But the real comic treat in this film is Mira Sorvino. Her role as the air-head porn star was hilarious -she was the scene-stealer of the movie and she deserved every bit of that Oscar.

There are very few movies whose comic timing is as precise as this one. This is a dark comedy that you wouldn't want to miss. It's one of the best I've seen in recent years.

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Got the European version -- unplayable on U.S. DVD. No statement made of

a version that was unplayable. Not acceptable! I can't be bothered with returning

this. Better things to do. A clear warning should be there upfront no mistaking what

is being offered.

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I am a fan of Woody Allen films. Like most people, I got interested in his early comedy films and then appreciated his development into a master of serious film. Occasionally, Allen bring the serious and the comedic together in a film that simultaneously cracks you up while amazing you in his innovative method of conveying a message. "Mighty Aphrodite" is an example of this successful mix. I remember the movie from the 1995 Academy Awards when Mira Sorvino won the Best Supporting Actress Award (and her father's touching reaction). However, I never had the chance to see the movie until it was on the Independent Film Channel last night. I was surprised by the opening scenes but I quickly came to appreciate the somewhat wacky Greek chorus. As the movie moved along, I got a bigger and bigger kick out of the chorus's persistent reappearance.

The basic story line was about a couple who adopts an infant child. The reluctant father becomes more and more absorbed in the many fine qualities of his son. He becomes obsessively curious about the boy's biological mother and manages to track her down. What he finds destroys his image of what she should be. Nonetheless, he can't shake this obsessive involvement in her life.

Mira Sorvino truly earned her Oscar for her preformance. She was so uniquely inappropriate that the comedy had trouble keeping up with her. I usually disdain the profanities of modern cinema but I have to acknowledge that, in "Mighty Aphrodite", the profane and obscene really added to the story. Ultimately the movie comes to an end in which almost all is well. In the process we discover that it is best to leave well enough alone, you can't make silk out of a sow's ear, true love takes commitment, and a variety of other messages.

I rated this movie "4 Stars" mainly because most of Woody Allen's comedies are funnier and most of his serous films are more profound. However, this was well worth watching.