Bambi (Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo in DVD Packaging) (1942)

I remember being mesmerized by Bambi at the drive in as a kid in the early 70's, and then again on TV but, what a fantastic restoration.

I have to thank Amazon.com for providing this before the actual release date and I was amazed at the restoration. I am not going to review the story as it is a classic and most know what it is about. I will review the repackaging and upgrade of the classic. The new DVD provides extra outtakes that haven't been seen before and the new coloration is fantastic. Gone is the sort of gloomy non crisp colors and in its place are wonderful bright colors.

Fantastic redo! If you have kids they will love this updated version. If you just like Disney Classics than you will also want to own this one.

Walt Disney opened the vein of fear that drives children and adults alike with his animated classic films. Disney understood, like the Grimms before him, that the same fears are at the heart of what motivate children as they do adults. In the uncertain and haunted world of the 40's where war and loss hung like a specter stalking every aspect of American life, Disney mined that vein of fear, loss and death and turned it on its head recognizing that the optimism and can-do attitude of the American dream could triumph but not undo the nightmares of the past. That's why Walt's films continue to resonate today even with fancy computer animated effects and larger than life villains. He knew that the worst monsters could be our next door neighbors. Disney adapted a modern sensibility to the same fears that the Grimms paraded in their tales.

That's why "Bambi" despite its pacing from a slower, less attention challenged era still has power and poignancy. As a kid everything you need to know about life can be learned from a Walt Disney film. The loss of innocence, the cruelty of others, the compassion of friends and the big "D" all crop up in every Disney film. It's ironic because Disney's films, unlike other animators of the time, weren't afraid to tackle the very things that both scared and delighted kids. The two big themes that figure in Disney films rear their heads in "Bambi" when death and the cruel world outside try to erase Bambi's innocence from existence. We're immediately thrown into Bambi's world and his life with his mom. When Bambi's mom is killed he becomes an orphan adopted by his new found friends Thumper and Flower. Kids will love the interaction between these characters. While the film's pacing may be a tad slow for children below the age of six used to the rapid fire editing of "Aladdin" and more recent Disney classics, the colorful landscape and the delightful characters will keep most children entranced.

Featuring a terrific restoration, "Bambi" has never looked better on DVD. Like many films of the era "Bambi" was shot on nitrate stock which disintegrates fairly rapidly over time so the miracle here is that it looks as good as it does (due to careful care) and the magic of digital technology. The images sparkle with a crystal clear image almost too perfect. The rich color, deep dark blacks and detail in the images are truly astonishing. The remastered sound makes fairly good use of the 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround medium as well. Given that the original film's soundtrack was mono, the surround speakers are used surprisingly well. You'll have to reset your expectations though as this 60 year old film wasn't designed with any of our home theater equipment in mind.

"Bambi" has a forest full of extras in this two disc set. The most important extras on the first DVD is the comparison between the finished film along side images from story meetings, script notes, surviving production drawings and other items that give you a sense of the preparation that went into making this animated classic. We get to see the amazing restoration process for the film itself from the cleaning of the original nitrate negative (stored at the Library of Congress) to the expansion of the original soundtrack for home theater equipment and movie theater exhibition. There's also the classic award winning animated short "The Old Mill". Again, many of Disney's cartoons from the 30's and 40's don't have the manic energy we've come to expect in our post-Looney Tunes/Animanics world but the quieter, slower qualities are actually appealing after one too many frantic animated adventure. "Tricks of the Trade" was originally shot for the Disney's TV show in the 50's and takes us behind-the-scenes allowing us to see the difficult and time consuming process of making animated feature films before the advent of computers. "The Art of Bambi" allows us in the Disney archive to see the surviving preproduction artwork, design elements and storyboards. "Disney Time Capsule" provides viewers with a glimpse into the world that spawned "Bambi". "The Forest Adventure Game" will be entertaining for most children over the age of six as it may take a bit too much skill for anyone below that age to master. There's also two surviving deleted scenes (which is a surprise given the age of the film but Disney is nothing if not methodical). We learn a bit about America during World War II and the type of society that America was creating for itself. "Bambi's Forest Friends" focuses on how deer live in the wild. We also get the original theatrical trailer (which provides an interesting contrast to the restored film). Most of these extras will be of interest more to the adults that grew up watching "Bambi" in theaters, on TV and early home video.

An engaging film from another era that still has tremendous power and is entertaining, "Bambi" has never looked this spry before. I imagine that this DVD looks better than the original release did in the 1940's as resolution and theater standards were quite different then.

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I was disappointed in this updated version I have seen this movie since I was a young child every year it was shown in the theaters. I looked forward eagerly to when it came out on video. But was very disappointed as they had cut out several parts of the movie that had been shown in the theater version. I figured that when they remastered it digitally on DVD, they would add those parts back. But they didnt. They cut out the part where Bambi is fighting with Rono in the clouds no loss there. But they also cut out one of the very best parts where the Owl is talking to the youngsters about being Twiterpaited then starts singing the twiterpaited song. "Everybody's twiterpaited in the spring, skunks smell sweet, rabbits sing, daffodils go daffy when the bluebells ring, the whole wide world's in love. When you can't control a grin, when your head's inflated. Love just socked you on the chin, pal your twiterpaited! Anyway. It is one of the best parts and I was really saddened that they didnt include it in the movie.

But the color is good and it will always be a classic. Just wish they had included "ALL" of it.

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Another of Disney's Platinum Editions; "Bambi" is certainly a Disney classic, and quite unique in their catalogue. This is a 2 DVD package, with the first DVD containing the 1942 movie in its original format (1.33:1, the same as a standard television) with an enhanced 5.1 enhanced sound mix (THX certified). It also contains a feature entitled "Bambi: Inside Walt's Story Meetings" where we are able to listen to the comments of those involved in making the film. It also contains a preview of the second disk.

The second DVD is packed with extras as is the case with all of the Platinum Editions. It includes a couple of deleted scenes (Winter Grass, and Bambi's First Snow), some games and activities for the younger viewers, and a lot of behind the scenes features as well, called Backstage Disney. These include a making of feature, a restoration features, a sneak peak at the new Bambi movie, a time capsule for 1942, a feature on the multi-plane camera, a feature on the Disney archives, "The Old Mill" animated short (in which many of the techniques that were used in "Bambi" would be tried), the original trailer, and artwork from the movie.

It has been said that "Bambi" is the animated feature with the fewest lines of dialogue, and it is amazing how they combined movement and music to effectively tell the story while keeping the dialogue to a minimum. The movie also is known for its very stylistic or impressionistic backgrounds. Lastly, as far as I know this is the only Disney movie where the main villain (Man) never appears on the screen. Instead we see and hear the tools of man, such as gunshots, his hunting dogs, and his campfire which gets out of control and starts a forest fire.

The movie was based on the 1923 book of the same name by Felix Salten, although I think it is safe to say that most people now think of the movie when they hear the name. It premiered in London on August 8th of 1942, in the midst of World War II. It was the only civilian project which Disney continued during the war years. The rest of the studio was dedicated to helping the war effort. Not surprisingly, given the circumstances, the movie lost money in its initial release but has subsequently made millions for the company.

The movie was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1943, including Best Music, Original Song (Frank Churchill & Larry Morey), Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Frank Churchill & Edward H. Plum), and for Best Sound, Recording (C. O. Slyfield). In 1948 it won a special Golden Globe award for Walt Disney for futhering the influence of the screen with the Hindustani version of the movie. In 1988 it won the Genesis award for classic feature films. Lastly this DVD was nominated for the Satellite Award for Outstanding Youth DVD in 2005.

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I am very appreciative to Amazon.com, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment for sending my family and I this DVD (before it's public release March 1st).

I have always loved this film. Bambi is a timeless treasure that I am glad I am able to share with my children.

Made in 1942, the animation is flawless (my favorite scene is where it's raining, it's so perfect). The animators have truely captured the movement of each different type of animal that inspired the film. This is Disney at it's very best!

Besides the wonderful animation, my children and I enjoy the humor. I love the owl talking to the older Bambi, Thumper, and Flower about all the animals being "twitterpated" in the Springtime; they all vow that it will never happen to them, but sure enough, one by one, they all fall victim to it.

The flawless animation, the colorful imagery, cute, memorable characters, humor. Bambi is a true gem; a timeless treasure. A priceless Masterpiece.

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Masters of the Universe (25th Anniversary) (2012)

Warner Bros was able to put just enough effort into this release to get the film onto a bluray disc and nothing more. There is a perfunctory commentary track from director Gary Goddard and a well preserved theatrical trailer and that is it. The lack of extensive extra material might be excusable if this was a first rate high def transfer but unfortunately it never manages to look very good. I suspect this is the same transfer used for the previous DVD release. The colors are bright and well saturated but there is an enormous amount of grain and noise throughout the film (and not just in the effects shots where you might expect it) and there is a fair amount of wobble and instability in the print. They have not even bothered to put art on the disc itself, just plain black (a more and more frequent occurence with major studio releases). The disc comes in a thin, ultra cheap eco case. Warner did nothing special whatsoever for this disapointing "25th Anniversary" edition and if you already have the DVD you might want to save your money. This disc IS a bit of an improvement but it is definitely not the dream edition fans of the film have probably been hoping for. They didn't even bother with a 5.1 mix for the soundtrack. You get stereo and thats it. It seems the major studios have lost all interest in putting out quality editions of catalog titles on bluray disc. This one is about as ho hum as they get. A great fun film, with a cult following deserved better treatment than this for its (barely) high def debut. At least the retail price is cheap. It should be because this is a very shoddy cheap release. Sad.

While I was reading the other customer reviews of "Masters of the Universe" on this page, I was shocked at how many negative reviews there were. I absolutely love this movie! It is one the most fun movies you could ever see, and has been one of my favorites ever since I was a kid. When I was little, I had all of the toys, and watched the cartoon series religiously. Now I know that the movie doesn't stay true to the cartoon series, but you have to think of it as a seperate entity of a central idea. The makers of this film were trying to appeal to hardcore fans of the series, and also to attract new viewers to the series. In one review by Access Hollywood in the 80's this movie was hailed as "The Star Wars of the 80's" I believe that this movie is as good as Star Wars when you compare them as fantasy films. The special effects are great in this movie, when you consider the time that this movie was made. And they make a stunning transfer to DVD! This movie looks as gorgeous as it did when I first saw it in the theatre as a kid. I also love the acting in this movie. Frank Langella as Skeletor is simply fantastic. He gives a very theatrical quality to the character, and has just the right amount of sinister evil, and operatic intensity that he captures the character perfectly, without going over the top. In my opinion Langella deserved an Oscar nomination for his role, he was brilliant. As far as casting He-Man, the film makers had a quite a task on their hands, because He-Man is the ultimate super hero. Dolph Lundgren was a great choice. He had the ripped, muscular body, but could also do the fight scenes, and act as well. Other great casting was Courtney Cox, now Courtney Cox-Arquette from "Friends" where her character Monica Gellar is my favorite! Cox plays the Earth girl Julie, who becomes entangled in this battle of the cosmos. Also Meg Foster was brilliant as the evil warrior goddess Evil-Lyn. She was absolutely spellbinding. She captured the icy wickedness, and also sultry, seductive, evil beauty of the character. If I were a member of the Academy, I would have also given Cox and Foster nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Unfortunately until the recent 11 Oscar wins for the most deserving "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" the Academy did not honor fantasy films. "Masters of the Universe" was just a little ahead of its time. Don't pay attention to the negative reviews on this sight, this is truly one of the greatest fantasy films of our time!

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Ok, so the movie did not stay true to the cartoon. This is still a kickin' movie. He-Man, the strongest man in the universe, and hero to all who live on the mystical planet of Eternia, comes to the big screen. He-Man comes from one of Mattel Toys biggest sellers in their history, and toy history. The line was called 'Masters of the Universe'. Mattel spun off the line into a cartoon for the small screen that was produced by animation group, Filmation. The cartoon and toys was so popular amoung youngsters and even adults, that a live action movie came about.

Now, I have read the original script for the movie. Much better than what actually made it to screen. The only fault of the movie is too much Earth. People want to see it on Eternia. But, the movie is still cool, with great effects and a nice score by Bill Conti.

The true highlight of the movie is Frank Langella as Skeletor. He was made to play the role. He is very scarey and at most very evil in the movie.

Also, Friends fans of Courtney Cox will love the movie too, she is in it as Earth girl Julie who finds the Cosmic Key and aids the Eternians on Earth.

I give the movie 5 stars because that is what it should get. I am a huge He-Man and She-Ra fan and this movie is part of He-Man's history.

By the power of grayskull.... YOU have the power!

Read Best Reviews of Masters of the Universe (25th Anniversary) (2012) Here

Masters of the Universe is a sort of "lost classic" of the 80's. Almost anyone who lived through the 80's heard something about "He-Man" and "Skeletor"... and likely heard the phrase "I have the powwwweeeer!". That's Masters of the Universe for those not in the know.

This is the motion picture version of the franchise that brought us a hot selling line of toys, a hit cartoon series, and practically invented the modern notion of using a series franchise to sell toys and other offshot products. "Masters of the Universe has a simple enough plot. The Evil Skeletor has used a device called the cosmic key to teleport his forces into, and subsequenlty capture Castle Greyskull and the vast cosmic powers which it somehow holds (why it has this sort of significance is unexplained). his arch enemy, the heroic He-man, has been teleported with his friends to the far off world of earth during the fighting and Skeletors forces now pursue them to capture the key and seal once and for all, skeletors place as supreme ruler of the land of Eternia.

But this is not a movie you will watch for the story of course. Even those who were fans of He-man may be dismayed to know that the movie doesnt hold firm AT ALL to the sorce material. Heman's famous tiger is missing. And his powerful sword is just a sword in the movie. Much of it indeed was thrown together and altered. You'll see bits and pieces of everything that was sucessful in 80's cinema throughout this movie. Many times it feels like you're watching a really bad version of Star Wars. Skeletor is made to resebmle the emperor from that more sucsessful franchise, and anyone who doesnt think gwildor looks like yoda is kidding themselves. The end scene of the movie practically mirrors the end of Return of the Jedi! Skeletor shooting lighting from his fingers telling heman to kneel, and finally being tossed down some sort of shaft to a firey demise... Im surprised the dont get sued! Not to mention the hover boards are certainly inspired from back to the future 2!

No you wont be intellectually or emotionally involved. What you WILL watch this movie for, is 1) Nastalgia, and 2) fun. The movie is full of fairly effective comedy and decent action. As far as cheesy 80's movies I loved as a kid go, this one doesnt make me ask myself how stupid I must have been to enjoyed it. The acting is also quite decent, although lundrin is no oscar winner. The character of Skeletor is given a very powerful voice and performance for a movie of this type (which was obviously aimed at young teen boys).

of course the problem is you cant take this movie serious... any movie with charcters named "he-man" and "man-at-arms" and has bad costumed man-creatures running around wearing plastic looking armor and fake looking weapons is bound to have problems keeping an adult audience from chuckling. This is compounded by the fact that Lundrin, while he at times puts forth a noble effort, cant deliver a very effective presence in a lead role. Not to mention everything seems a lot sillier when seen in the context of a subburban USA battleground.

But if you can let go of that and just watch this movie with a light heart for fun and for nostalgia, you'll probably enjoy it and find it to be a lot of fun and find a basic tale of good and evil, action, comedy and a half-way-decent attempt to make it a sort of "almost epic".

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This movie was once called, "a Star Wars for the eighties". Now, I'd have to disagree with that, because this movie is a bit too silly to be compared to Star Wars, which was a very lofty title. Nevertheless, this movie is just plain fun to watch. It's quite different from the cartoon, which is kinda disappointing, but in the long run nobody cares. It has everything you would expect from a campy, and pretty bizarre, comic-book style world. A super-strong hero with a magic sword, an array of weird bounty hunters out to get him, a diabolical fiend whose body is nothing but bones, a magic trans-dimensional key that sounds like a synthesizer from the Sharper Image, a pair of naive humans who are fascinated by the new world they've sicovered, and a wild showdown in a futuristic palace. You can't take it too seriously, but that just makes it all the more enjoyable. See it!

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DreamWorks Spooky Stories (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Just received the DreamWorks Spooky Stories Blu-ray and I have to say, it's great. There are five features with both the characters from Shrek and Monsters vs. Aliens having some Halloween fun. In the same vein as other holiday specials like "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and "Garfield's Halloween Adventure", both my children and I enjoyed watching it together and so will you.

This set has both of the Halloween shows that DW made for tv, but in addishion it has several new catoons never seen on tv or theaters; and the Shrek 3D movie from the Universal Studios attraction. The "Play All" feature weaves the old with the new, it starts w/a new one "Thriller"; where they mirrors the MJ mv. Then it leads into "Scared Shrekless" the tv special, followed by the short "The Pig Who Cryed Werewolf"; this starts as a "Rear Window" like story. One of the 3 pigs thinks there new neighbor (The Big Bad Wolf)is up to some thing, and it smells delicious. It ends like the Abbott and Costello movie "Hold That Ghost," with the heroes running off into the horizon; w/one the saying "I told u so!" This leads into the the "Monsters vs Aliens; Attack of the Mutant Pumpkins" another tv special. This is fellowed by the new cartoon "Monsters vs Aliens; Night of the Living Carrots"; this is a continuation of "Attack of the Mutant Pumpkins." It starts w/BoB in froint of a curtain, (like Frankenstein)introducing; showing clips from the previous show, which set up the rest of the show. The carrots come to life and the only way to stop them is to have BoB eat them. The DVD concludes w/ "The Shrek" 3D show "The Ghost of Farquaad." It, however, is no presented in the 3D format, so it's a little odd; because the film has thing being thrown at the camera. The plot is very simple, while taveling Shrek, Fiona, and Donky are attacked. Fiona is taken, to the Ghost of Farquaad, who plans to killer her to make her his ghost queen. The DVD is verey good,very funny, and clever; and I would say it's good for all ages.

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My son got this for Halloween and we are still watching it in January. It is cute and the whole family enjoyed it.

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We ordered this set because we had DVR'd "Scared Shrekless" a long time ago and wanted to have a permanent copy of that program; it came as part of this package. It's very funny and well worth the modest expense for this set.

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Very enjoyable Very funny! Whole heartedly recommend this wonderful Halloween special , now i can't wait to get the xmas disc

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Bunraku (2011)

This appears to be another take on genre-crossing in a genre-style movie. Previous examples include the wildly successful Sin City movies, popular western splices like The Good The Bad and The Weird and The Warrior's Way, and the stillborn Sucker Punch. But all these movies were well-advertised and wide theatrical releases (in Asia, at least, for The Good The Bad and The Weird). Should I approach this lack of advertising as a snake's rattle and keep my expectations low? When I stumbled across this I thought "This movie features Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Ron Perlman, Woody Harrelson and Kevin McKidd, and I had never heard of it or saw a trailer. How does that happen? Is this a weird little gem waiting to be discovered, or an utter Sucker Punch tragedy?"

The opening credits are cleverly presented during an animated story background. The style was much like that of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One or Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. When moviemakers really care about a movie, they make an effort to have the opening credits "affect" the viewer somehow. Even if it's only music over a black screen, moods are set and pace is foreshadowed. I've commented on the great opening credits of The Good The Bad and The Weird, and that movie was awesome. This made for a promising start.

In this perhaps futuristic world guns have somehow been banned, making way for a resurgence in swordsmanship and a feudal yakuza-esque gang culture. A young, Doc Holidayish brawler (Hartnett) and a swordless samurai team up to exact their revenge against the ruthless king of the hill, "The Woodsman" (Perlman). To do so, they must kill their way through leagues of henchman and his nine right hand men, one of which is played by a sleek Kevin McKidd.

This film is VERY stylistic. The effects and music smack of Scott Pilgrim versus The World with comic book stylings of villainy and storyline much like Kill Bill. The combat follows suit, with choreography focusing more on a dance-like technical precision than producing a realistic fight. It's more like theater than cinema. In fact, the set designers erected intentionally artificial-looking structures in order to unsubtly accent this feeling. Sets and wardrobe contain elements of the present, the future, the old west, and the early 1900's. Many theatrical devices are employed as well. All of this synergistically produces an other-worldly feel.

The style of this movie is rare and difficult to execute. The fights are fun, the scenes are clever, and (with the exception of Demi Moore's role) the characters were interesting. If you are careful about your expectations, this movie could be a great pick for you.

Just your basic noir, German Expressionist, samurai comicbook-come-to-life kind of movie but absolutely incredible. If there ever was a wall between live action and animated movies, it's gone now. Clever animated interludes separate each big sequence from the next, but the artwork stays on in the skies and backgrounds of the live action. Even the supposedly photographic sequences have been color-shifted and manipulated into brilliant hues and moody darks eye-popping chromatics keep the viewer visually entertained to the end. Then, there are visual references to more classic films than I can hope to name, including an apparent reference to Dr. Strangelove on one motorcycle's license plate. But, if you're looking for action, wonderfully choreographed comedic fight scenes approach Jackie Chan's best.

Plot? Motivation? Characterization? Well, not so much, but let's not dwell on that. The visual spectacle makes this worthwhile.

-wiredweird, reviewing the release to theaters

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"Revenge is an act of style." When a man (Hartnett) bent on revenge come to a city he finds what he is looking for. He begins fighting his way through nine very different and very deadly assassins on his way to the one he want. This is another movie that really surprised me as to how good it was. Having never seen a preview or even really heard about it I had no idea what to expect. While the movie is not that original it takes from many different types of movies and blends them together in a very interesting and exciting way. Some aspects have been taken from "Scott Pilgrim vs The World", "Kill Bill" and "Sin City" just to name a few. This is more like "Sin City" then the others in the style that it uses and the "comic-booky" feel that it has. The fighting is great, and is refreshing to see an action movie that doesn't rely on guns to make it fun. The cast is great and the movie is very fun, very much worth your time. The only thing that bothered me is that it didn't need to be two hours long. They could have cut at least 15-20 min out and had it move at a more exciting pace. Other then that I really enjoyed this. Overall, a very entertaining way to spend your time and money. I give it a B.

Would I watch again? I don't think so *Also try Sin City & Tekken

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[Review based on the theatrical release.] This is an fascinatingly stylized film that is as much about filmmaking itself as it is about its mythological, Joseph Campbell-esque plot. I was originally interested in it because of the involvement of Japanese singer/auteur Gackt, whose staged works I greatly admire. However, when I read the mainstream reviews, I went into the theater thinking than the film would be a disaster or even worse, a "so bad it's bad" bore.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I found the film engaging from beginning to end, with more visual information packed into the theatrically lit and staged frames than could possibly be absorbed in a single viewing. During the showing I didn't look at my watch once and I am not easily amused.

This film deserves to advance to "cult classic" status and is a film that deserves to be added to future film school curricula because of its success in using many of the devices of filmmaking and theater to create a visually consistent, entirely artificial world. I usually rent instead of buying, but this film is worth more than one watch, just to absorb more of the kaleidoscopic visuals.

If you love the "production design" aspect of filmmaking, this is a five-star movie. If you mostly care about story and a novel plotline, then call it 2 ½ stars because there is little new in the plot. If you like a mythological story that is told in a way you have never seen before, then Bunraku is a solid four stars.

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Honestly, The main reason I bought Bunraku was to support my favorite Japanese musician, GACKT who stars as Yoshi in Bunraku. I didn't hold out much hope for the rest of the movie based on critic reviews.

But I sat down and watched it, and honestly, I really really liked it. Not to say the movie isn't flawed. the beginning is a bit campy and confusing. I didn't know where they were going with anything until almost 15 minutes in. The way they introduced and built the characters up could have been done much better.

However, once you got passed the corny introductions to the characters, and figured out what the heck was going on... the rest fell into place nicely.

Josh Hartnett filled the role of "The Drifter" very well. he brought a bit of realism to what could best be described as a comic book character. There were moments where he made you laugh, like a scene where he has to use a trapeze. I really enjoyed the fight scenes with "The Drifter". They were exciting... Josh Hartnett was right on in his interpretation of the character.

I think Woody Harrelson did a great job as the bartender. He seemed to fit the role perfectly, and I'm not talking about his bartending stint on 'Cheers'. (I was too little to really appreciate his time on that show lol). what I liked about Harrelson in this movie... He has this sort of wisdom in his eye, and cunningly knowing smile. He really stuck out to me in this movie. I have to say, I have a new found respect for Harrelson as an actor after this role.

Gackt surprised me. I'm a big fan of his music, and I liked him in Furin Kazan (a Japanese Samurai period piece)... however, I didn't know how he would handle the transition to and English speaking Hollywood movie. Surprisingly, his acting is very good. he wasn't over the top nor was he too understated. He made the character realistic and likable. You would never guess by watching this movie that this was his first Hollywood movie, or that he didn't have a large list of acting credits under his belt. There were a few times I had to remind myself that I was watching GACKT, because he brings you into his character. He really did a great job.

There were a few things I didn't like, or at least, that disappointed me a bit. Nicola (the main baddie played brilliantly by Ron Perlman) and Alexandra (played also brilliantly by Demi Moore) were not properly utilized in the movie. There was so much that could have been done with both characters... I feel there were missed opportunities. Especially when we learn WHO Alexandra has a history with, and considering Nicola is the most feared, and most dangerous man that few dare stand up to him... once you see the movie, you'll spot a few places where the opportunities were missed... So I won't go into it further as to not spoil you.

So all in all, this was an excellent movie. Yes there are some flaws, but none that seriously effect the watch-ability of this movie. I would say this is going to be a fan classic fairly quickly. if you like Samurai movies or Westerns, or if you liked Sin City... I think you'll like this movie. Its the kind of movie you can appreciate more the second and third time around. I'd say it's definitely worth the purchase.

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The Gold Rush (The Criterion Collection) (1942)

Surprise came to this reviewer when he realized that the main feature on this DVD is the 1942 re-issue version of THE GOLD RUSH (with added music, narration, and sound effects) rather than the 1925 silent original. Fortunately, the silent version is available on the second disc as an extra. Seems like an odd decision to make though; I would have reversed that, as I much prefer the original. For one thing, the title cards are much more lyrically impressive than the rather strained narration. Pictures speak louder than words, and the images Chaplin created on the soundstage simply don't need a voice-over. And the rather drastic cuts (the original film runs 96 minutes, the later clocks in at 69) leave out a lot of good stuff. Still, both versions are included anyway, so I can't complain too loudly.

I watched a battered old VHS copy of this film many, many times as a child in the 1980s. It was a delight to get this film on DVD, not just for the impressive extras, but to have the picture looking crisper than ever. While I'll admit to preferring the musical score they used on that VHS release, the stunning restoration work more than makes up for it. Jokes that I had missed because of the fuzzy picture were suddenly revealed to me (I had never realized that the building that Chaplin inadvertently covers with snow is the town's jail). And although this has nothing to do with the picture quality (though it does come from seeing scenes that had been cut from my VHS copy) I also never really noticed how awful Georgia is to the tramp. Sure, she's a bit regretful about her pranks, but she never really apologizes or makes up for her behavior. I wonder if that was part of Chaplin's decision to modify the happy ending.

Watching this film for the first time as a child, I'll admit that it didn't quite live up to all of my expectations. But while I'm not sure that I'd place this as Chaplin's best films, it's still pretty damn good. His comedy is, of course, excellent -well conceived and extraordinarily executed. Yet his directing is also worthy of mention. I love they way he lets the camera linger. Look at the pan across the faces of the partygoers at the New Years bash inter-cut with the shots of the lonely tramp. It's difficult for a director to accomplish this without being corny, but Chaplin pulls it off successfully.

THE GOLD RUSH is a film made up of several now-famous set pieces. Most of the sequences are now so ubiquitous that people would recognize them even if they'd never seen a silent film before. The movie's successes are too numerous to mention. The dance of the dinner rolls, the Thanksgiving shoe, the cabin on the edge of the clip. These are all unforgettable scenes that deserve more than to be simply listed in an on-line review; they deserve to be watched by everyone. The "Chaplin Today The Gold Rush" documentary (quite good overall) shows a room full of young school children enjoying this film for the first time. They laugh at all the right places and stay glued to the screen throughout. Chaplin still has it.

I cannot agree more with "A viewer from Dallas, TX" -this 1942 version lessens the whole "Gold Rush" experience, even though the video quality is astounding. Having just watched "The Kid" and "City Lights", I found the commentary on this version most annoying and distracting from Chaplin's fantastic pantomime. While in the other films one becomes engrossed in the visual elements, in this version of the film it is impossible to become fully involved, as the commentary actually distances you from what is going on. It would be such a grave mistake if this version would be the only one available for today's audiences, so I urge and plead: Image, please release the original 1925 version on DVD too, please!

Buy The Gold Rush (The Criterion Collection) (1942) Now

This has been a long time coming but we now finally have Chaplin's 1925 original release in a form that does justice to what many feel is his masterpiece. Kevin Brownlow and the late David Gill have worked many years on gathering the material from archives and collectors that would allow for a decent reconstruction of THE GOLD RUSH as it was originally shown. In 1942 Chaplin prepared a sound release in which he removed the titles, added a delightful narration that he spoke himself (at least in the English language release) and composed a music score that is perfect for the film. In doing so he went back to his vaults and chose different takes that played better at the 24fps sound speed. In the process the original 1925 negative was partly used and the sound version became the version that Chaplin preferred. In 1942 audiences were delighted with the new approach as films from the silent era as a rule were not being reissued. Over the years interest in silent films has made a come back and there are many who regret not being able to enjoy THE GOLD RUSH as it was original shown. Now on the Criterion release we have a beautifully restored copy of both releases. Criterion has gone the extra mile with the 1925 version and removed scratches and dirt so that the film looks the best it has since its original release. Now thorough the efforts of Timothy Brock, who has reconstructed Chaplin's music from the 1942 release, we can watch the film with the music that it should be heard with. With the excellent extras, booklet and restoration there is no question that the Criterion release is one of the most important releases ever. While the Blu-ray is marvelous the DVD release will also be a big improvement over any previous release. And even if you are not a fan of the 1942 release you can use this version to introduce younger children (who do not yet read well enough for silent titles) to the art of Chaplin. I've done this and their response is wonderful. And yes there are some differences between the two releases. Take a look at the letter Georgia Hale writes after not showing up for the New Year's dinner that Charlie has worked so hard to prepare. And for my money the ending of the film works far better in the 1925 release. Judge for yourself.

Read Best Reviews of The Gold Rush (The Criterion Collection) (1942) Here

The real news here isn't the second video release of Chaplin's 1942 talkie reissue of the 1925 film, with narration in his plummy later voice detracting from much of the fun. What's significant here is on Disc 2-the first video release of a definitive version of the original silent classic, which has been restored by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill from Chaplin family material and is about 14 minutes longer and noticeably better quality than the best previous version, the Killiam print which had seen assorted releases on tape and laserdisc. The Chaplin family had previously refused to release that version, believing that the 1942 version represented Chaplin's final thoughts on the film, when what it in fact represented was Chaplin's best idea of how to make an old silent film seem relevant to Casablanca-era audiences. Now it's the '42 version which seems old fashioned, while the '25 one is timeless as ever. Be sure you get this new Warner/MK2 version.

Want The Gold Rush (The Criterion Collection) (1942) Discount?

The four stars goes to the DVD I give the original silent version of GOld Rush 5 stars, and the re-edited sound-era version 2 stars. This DVD edition lost a star for putting the inferior remake on the first disc. I am mainly writing this review to urge Chaplin newcomers, or anyone for that matter, to watch the original 1925 version first. The re-release has highly distracting and tedious narration throughout the entire film, as all the intertitles have been deleted. At times this narration comes across as bad dubbing, as the words are very roughly synced up with characters talking on the screen. Even though Chaplin himself did the narration, the effect is very cheesy and amaturish, and makes the film MUCH more dated, while taking away much of the emotional effect of the original film. I also prefer the slightly longer, more dramatic 1925 edit, and the original ending, which is just perfect. It seems like the 1942 re-release was more of a gimmick and a chance to make an extra buck than a serious artistic endeavor (kind of like the Star Wars "special editions"). Some would say that at least the re-release had Chaplin's own score. However I think the piano score for the silent version is excellent, despite reviews here to the contrary. First off, the score is based on the original cue sheets, so it is quite authentic to the time. It is played excellently, is well recorded, and is very fitting to the overall mood of the film.

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Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Remastered) (2010)

Let me explain

-Spoiler Warning-

The first version of the film was shown in theaters.

The second version was shown on all home video formats. This version includes a couple of additional footage to certain key scenes, and a few new scenes all together.

Spock has more Dialogue in the top brass meeting.

A scene taking place in the President's office where Col. West presents his plan to sneak into Klingon territory and rescue Kirk and McCoy.

Spock and Scotty checking the torpedo inventory before Valeris informs them that the Chancellor's Daughter is now the current klingon chancellor.

The klingon assassin at the climax of the film turns out to be Col. West.

The Third version of the film is shown on this Special Collector's Edition DVD. This version includes all the material from the second version, and a few minor changes to certain scenes and effects.

When Martia gets shot, a disruption sound effect is removed to make her scream more apparent.

Valeris's interrogation scene has been entirely reedited. There are now close up shots of Kirk and McCoy when they speak their lines instead of being in wide shots. When Spock and Valeris name a particular conspirator, the face of that person briefly appears in a flashback like style.

Do I prefer this version of the film? Sure. I personally believe that Valeris's interrogation scene is much more dramatic with the flashback shots. It really helps the viewers who aren't good with names understand who Spock and Valeris are talking about, and adds a little more tension near the end of the film.

I hoped this information helps you out in spotting what has been changed. If there is anything I missed, please feel free to contact me.

Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country, no better way to finish the movies with all of The Original Series characters. In my opinion, this was the best of their movies. The writers and producers really did a wonderful job with this one. It was great to see Sulu become Captain Sulu and get his own ship. Which later helped Voyager do an anniversary episode with Lt. Cmdr Tuvok having been a member of his crew. Kim Cattral as a Vulcan. Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), playing his grandfather. Rene Auberjunous (Odo) as Col West, a couple years before Deep Space Nine. Many other notable Star Trek names making appearances in this great movie. Everything was great about this movie, from the state dinner with the Romulan ale, to the search of the Enterprise for the assassins. The space battle was one of the best treks ever put on screen. If you're one of the ten or less people on the planet who've not seen this, buy it, rent it or borrow it. This is the finest example of what Gene Roddenberry intended Star Trek to be.

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Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, released in 1991 a few months after the Silver Anniversary of the original television series and the death of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, is a suspenseful and adventure-packed "final voyage" for Capt. James T. Kirk and the Starship Enterprise.

Coming on the heels of the less-than-stellar Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and the resignation of Harve Bennett as producer of the feature films, Paramount turned to actor/producer Leonard Nimoy and director/screenwriter Nicholas Meyer (Time After Time, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) to save the foundering franchise and give fans something worthy of a 25th-anniversary celebration. After looking at various options, they decided on a Star Trek version of the end of the Cold War.

The Undiscovered Country (the title is a Shakespearean reference to death and was Meyer's first choice for the title of Star Trek II) capitalizes on the similarities of the U.S.-Soviet standoff to the long-standing not-quite-war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Fittingly, the film begins with a bang when, in a Chernobyl-like accident, the Klingon's main energy production source on the moon of Praxis explodes.

The explosion sends both literal and political shock waves across the galaxy. The physical subspace wave buffets the USS Excelsior, now commanded by former Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu (George Takei). Capt. Sulu, in the tradition of good Starfleet captains, offers assistance but is rebuffed by the Klingon High Command.

Nevertheless, three months later, Sulu's former shipmates, including Capt. Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (the late DeForest Kelley), Capt. Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) and Cmdrs. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) are summoned to a top secret level meeting. "The Klingon Empire," they are told by Starfleet's commanding admiral, "has less than 50 years to live." Praxis' explosion has depleted the ozone layer of the Klingons' homeworld and polluted the atmosphere. Heavy expenditures on weapons and bases has weakened the Klingon economy and the cleanup is beyond their means. A special envoy has been appointed by the Federation to begin negotiations with Chancellor Gorkon, leader of the Klingon High Council. To the shock of Kirk and his officers, that envoy is Enterprise first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy).

And when Kirk is assigned to escort Gorkon's ship into Federation space for a summit on Earth with the Federation president (That 70's Show's Kurtwood Smith), he's shocked and angry. Not only are the senior officers due to retire in a few months, but Kirk is still bitter about his son's death at the hands of the Klingons several years before. But the good captain has been issued his orders, and like it or not, he will do his duty.

Little does he know that a massive conspiracy to undermine the peace negotiations is underway, planned by those in the Federation and the Klingon Empire who have a lot to lose if peace breaks out. And soon, Kirk and the Enterprise crew are caught in a web of deceit and intrigue that will place their lives in jeopardy....and shatter the last best hope for galactic peace.

The film features a fine performance by Sex in the City's sultry Kim Catrall as Lt. Valeris, Spock's full-Vulcan protege with a hidden agenda of her own, as well as a wonderfully over-the-top appearance by Christopher Plummer as a dastardly, Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general. The Undiscovered Country also acknowledges the legitimacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and with an appearance by ST-TNG actor Michael Dorn as Col. Worf (the grandfather, one surmises, of the Enterprise-D's Lt. Worf, Dorn's "regular" role), the two generations are bridged on the silver screen. ("Unification, Parts I and II," guest starring Leonard Nimoy, had aired a few weeks before the film's premiere and included a few subtle references to its storyline.)

Star Trek VI's home video, laserdisc and first DVD releases contain the longer edited-for-home-viewing version which includes two deleted scenes featuring Rene Auberjonois (who would later be cast as Odo in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as Col. West. Paramount has released a barebones DVD since 1998, but a 2-disc Collector's Edition is forthcoming.

Read Best Reviews of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Remastered) (2010) Here

Wrath of Kahn is the quintessential Star Trek movie. The Undiscovered Country comes close at being just as good.

As for this blu-ray version of the movie there is little I can say that is negative. My only gripe is that they changed the box art (although it makes sense for them as they are trying to re-image Star Trek). The video and audio transfer is near flawless. This disc is also loaded with special features. So far I have only watched the Farewell video to Bones as well as a few of the behind the scenes. It is really good to see that they tried really hard to make this blu-ray jam packed full of stuff for the fans rather than a rehash bare bones release. I have this movie on VHS, DVD and now blu-ray and each version has been worth every penny.

Get this movie and let your inner nerd take over!

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Following the disastrous critical and box office reception of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Paramount could have easily dropped the original cast in favor of The Next Generation. However, sentiment prevailed and Nicholas Meyer, who directed The Wrath of Khan (still the most popular film with most Trekkers) and who co-wrote The Voyage Home (still the highest grossing Trek film), was called in. He, along with Leonard Nimoy, fashioned a script which features most of what has made Trek endure through the years: a relevant story drawing on then current events (i.e., the lightning paced changes in the relationship between the United States and the then Soviet Union, which precipitated the end of the Cold War), with plenty of action, drama, humor (appropriate humor, not slapstick) and character development. Thus, the original cast would be able to exit the franchise with their heads held high.

The pacing of this film is much smoother than the earlier films (even Treks II & IV took too long to get moving) starting swiftly and accelerating to the pulse-pounding conclusion. The overall tone of the film is darker and edgier than any previous Trek (perhaps the filmmakers were taking a cue from 1989s Batman, which obliterated Star Trek V at the box office). The directing is fluid, with Meyer's camera swooping around the bridge (a notoriously difficult set to film in) and the other sets, and the editing is tight. Although the story primarily (and correctly) focuses the action on the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock & McCoy, the supporting cast is given plenty to do as well. Sulu, in particular--finally Captain of his own ship--has greater involvement. Guest star Christopher Plummer molds General Chang into Trek's best villain since Khan, and David Warner makes a lends an air of dignity as Chancellor Gorkon (the name is an amalgamation of Gorbachev and Lincoln). There are a few additions from the theatrical version which have appeared on all video versions: The Colonel West plotline was not in the original film (perhaps Paramount thought the parallel to Colonel Oliver North was too obvious). For this DVD, there are also few small alterations during the Spock/Valeris Mind Meld scene.

All of the charm of Classic Trek is here: a final needling exchange between Spock & McCoy; the occasional, almost improvised humor; characters being thrown every which way on the bridge during battle; Kirk kissing a beautiful female; one last bit of scenery chewing from Shatner, who holds his own against fellow hamosaurus Plummer; and, finally, a bittersweet ending.

The visual effects of The Undiscovered Country (a reference to Shakespeare) hold up well, with very little use of stock shots (three effects shots from this film would later be used in 1994s Star Trek Generations). The score by Cliff Eidelmann accentuates the activities on screen, without overshadowing them, and adds to the dark atmosphere of the film.

The transfer on this DVD is excellent, with the colors, especially the maroon uniform jackets, crisp & vibrant--an improvement over the previous DVD, and light years ahead of the VHS and LaserDisc editions. Since the film was shot in "matted" Super 35, rather than Panavision, the aspect ratio is not as wide as the other Trek films. The sound is detailed with plenty of punch.

The bonus features are the best of any Trek film so far, including featurettes on the evolution of the story, prejudice in the Trek universe, Shatner's "reunion" with Plummer (back in the 1950s, Shatner understudied for Plummer in Henry V), and a moving tribute to the late DeForest Kelley.

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G.I. Jane (1997)

With a [beautiful] and gung-ho performance by Demi Moore, G.I. Jane is definitely fun to watch. But it has no basis in real Navy Seals training, which one can learn more about reading Dick Couch's "The Warrior Elite". In reality there is no mock P.O.W. camp where recruits are beaten and tortured, but there are endless sleepless nights of sitting in the 57 degree ocean water of San Diego. Real Navy Seals instructors are consumate professionals, who constantly put the welfare of their men before anything else. Evolutions (exercises) are mentally and physically challenging, but never grossly abusive as in G.I. Jane. Exercises are of the "run till you drop" variety than "we'll break your leg" variety. The point of real BUD/S training is to learn that teamwork can overcome any bad situation, not just how to take a beating. Also, unlike this movie, Seal recruits undergo BUD/S followed by years of intense training, qualifications, and testing before even being considered for active deployment. They are not sent into combat because they happen to be on a submarine near a hostile country.

I recently viewed this movie on television and decided to buy it. I prefer to watch DVDs rather than TV because I don't like the commercial interruptions and because usually they edit out some material for TV. I was very disappointed to find out that the TV version contained MORE scenes not less. The DVD version for sale is not the same as the version currently running on AMC. I was disappointed because some of my favorite scenes (the ones which prompted me to buy the movie) are not on the DVD.

Buy G.I. Jane (1997) Now

Demi Moore is great in this story about Jordan, a quite capable military woman who is chosen to become the first female Navy SEAL. Jordan isn't sure she wants to go through the hassle she knows will result from her presence at the training, but the congresswoman who is behind this encourages Jordan to try her best. Nobody expects Jordan to survive the harsh training program, and Jordan exceeds all expectations.

Viggo Mortensen plays the Master Chief who is in charge of the training program. He is quite harsh, as you would expect from someone who is trying to separate the "best of the best" from a group of individuals who are all quite talented. Viggo isn't a mere brute he reads poetry by D.H. Lawrence and truly cares about his trainees. He knows that if he doesn't do a good job at his training, the men here will die (and cause others to die) when sent out into combat. I understand and applaud all of that. Viggo throughout the film shows a good balance of concern for his trainees, a desire to push them to be their best, and a desire to weed out those simply not cut out to be SEALs.

However, being a fan of the military and its task of protecting the weak, I had HUGE issues with the "pivotal scene" in the SERE camp. The movie is directed by Ridley Scott of Alien fame and you would think that this man would have respect for a strong female character and the situations that result. I very much equated Jordan to Ripley, both strong women who held their own and earned respect of those around them. But instead of just having Ripley and the others tied up or left in the sun or other "see if you can resist the concerns of your body", Ridley decides to have the Master Chief *brutalize* one of the soldiers and then almost rape Jordan. What????

If we know ANYTHING about real torture situations, it is that a torturer can eventually break anybody. We all have pain limits. There are always ways to inflict more pain! At some point either our body gives out or our mind snaps. That's why spies carry cyanide capsules, because you can't be "trained" to resist torture indefinitely. So what was the point of beating up on the first soldier? What was the point of almost raping Jordan? To prove she could be raped? Heck, any GUY there could have been raped too. Is it important for them to learn what rape feels like, just in case? Would the guys have been any more or less upset to see one of their fellow GUYS being raped vs a girl? Heck they might be MORE upset to see a fellow guy be raped because that would be even less "acceptable" to them. For Viggo's character to delve to those depths after everything he'd shown us previously was amazingly out of character or indicated that Viggo was a depraved man who had no business training soldiers.

The movie was supposed to show us that women can be just as strong as men are. Heck, real life shows us that. There are plenty of strong female characters in movies from Ripley in Alien, to Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, and more come out every day. There are plenty of real life female police officers and fire fighters who are depended on by their coworkers every day. It was almost an insult to have the GI Jane character go through what she did, sort of an Archie Bunker situation where you are ashamed that there really are people left out there that think a woman with strength must be a lesbian. While I applaud the movie's intentions to say "hey you remaining bigots out there, it's time to wake up", to have to involve a supposed rape to make your point is very sad. To have to taint Viggo's character with a sadistic view towards woman (as much as he tries his best to be fair much of the time) is really saying that ALL guys will always have this power/lust attitude towards women that they have to keep under control. Which is entirely unfair to men. It weakens the entire point of the story.

For those who are interested, the poem Viggo quotes is titled Self-Pity:

I never saw a wild thing

sorry for itself.

A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough

without ever having felt sorry for itself.

D. H. Lawrence

The point is that you do what you have to do to get by in life. You don't waste time or energy on feeling sorry for yourself, because it does little good.

Read Best Reviews of G.I. Jane (1997) Here

It is a little known fact that Demi Moore was trained for this film by former Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston (the youngest SEAL ever) who died at the hands of Iraqi Insurgents on 31MAR04.

While this film has many skeptics, there is no disputing the fact that Scott did his work and made Demi into the closest possible adaptation of a female SEAL.

RIP Scott. America misses you.

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This movie is a critically under-rated 4 star guilty pleasure for me. But like the previous reviewer, I recently watched it on cable (AMC) with a completely different opening scene not included on my GI Jane DVD. The scene depicts Demi's character Luge-ing in skintight black vinyl suit in a failed attempt to win an Olympic time trial. Later, I watched several other scenes in the AMC re-broadcast not found on my DVD. So, does this mean there going to be a G.I. Jane "Director's Cut" Version?

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Indiana Jones The Complete Adventures (Limited Edition Collectors Set) Blu-ray (2012)

This is about the best and coolest blu ray set I have ever seen. Here's why:

Pros

1. All movies are all on blu ray, certified with the best quality assurance

2. The movies are clearer than I can remember them. I've seen the VHS editions a lot of times.

3. The sound is top notch. A lot of the time I had to turn the volume down

4. The approx. 6 hours of bonus features are priceless. They have all the bonus features from the DVD editions plus brand new ones that cover the production of all four movies

5. The trinkets if you can't see from the pictures include:

A. Condensed version of The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones

B. Five production pictures

C. A book of matches from Club Obi Wan

D. Film cell from Indy's encounter with the cobra

E. Two tickets to the Zepplin from Last Crusade

F. Ticket to the Pan Am Clipper in Raiders

G. Grail rubbing

6. For you purists out there, there are NO changes what so ever

Cons

1. None.

Thank you! I had been wanting a good collection of Blu-Rays with all four movies and I finally got it!

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Stomp the Yard (2007)

STOMP THE YARD comes as a pleasant surprise to those of us who have yet to be introduced to 'stepping' a sport/dance form that is not break dancing, not hip-hop, not modern dance, not clogging, not ballet, but instead is an exhilarating display of rhythm, physical dexterity, and creative choreography that makes this little film well worth watching.

The story is minimal and hackneyed and serves basically as an outline for the dance performances. DJ (the enormously talented dancer/actor Columbus Short) is sent from Los Angeles to Atlanta's Truth University after his conviction for street brawling, a fight in which his brother (Chris Brown) was killed. Once on campus DJ is works for his uncle as a gardener and is soon courted for his step dance skills by two rival fraternities. One fraternity gains DJ's attention and he pledges. Of course there is the requisite love conflict (the beautiful Meagan Good as April), who just happens to be the girlfriend of the rival fraternity step leader (Darrin Henson), and the usual undercurrent of familial dichotomies between DJ's humble background and April's influential father bring the tension to the front: the result is DJ's triumphant performance in the annual stepping competition between the two fraternities. The ending is predictable but sensitive and with a message.

The real star of the film is the magnificently choreographed and executed dancing, performed by the actual cast members. Director Sylvain White and his choreographers center their attention on the big sequences and the result is very fine entertainment. In addition to the gifted Columbus Short and Darrin Henson the cast includes such fine actor/dancers as Brian J. White, Ne-Yo, Laz Alonzo, Oliver Ryan Best, Richmond Duain Martyn, Justin Hires, and many others. It is difficult to resist the excitement of the commitment of this fine cast to the introduction of step dancing to the public at large. So much talent! Grady Harp, May 07

Say what you want about the storyline, the acting, whatever... you know you cheered for the under dog. To manage making a black movie with no sex, moderate violence, promoting higher education, unity and brotherhood, come on, you got to love it, especially in these days and times.

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If you don't like urban movies,urban hip hop slang or hip hop dancing then don't watch or try to rate this movie because you won't understand the essence of it. This movie is for the true hip hopper's and urban movie fans who like sick(hip hop slang for incredible)dance moves. No this movie isn't golden globes or oscar material nor do I think it was meant to be. It's shear entertainment with talented actors and gifted dancers. There is no way you can watch this movie and not see the skill it takes to pull off some of these dance moves. My only regret is that the director makes the mistake of not showing the dance moves in real time. If he had shown the moves the way they really went down it would shut some of these haters up. These dancers worked too hard to have there talent be minimized by some none dancin' haters. The movie could have come off real corny but these actors have such skill that there acting made the movie worthwhile. Great job on the casting!

Read Best Reviews of Stomp the Yard (2007) Here

The story might be predictable...but the stomping is amazing. The big standout in the film is of course Columbus Short as a lead actor. Though he has many dancing and television credits on his resume, this film marks his first turn in a lead film role--and it is the perfect opportunity. Short is an above-average talent who possesses the kind of charm and screen presence that could make him a leading man for his generation. He plays the part of D.J., a teen-age dancer who battles competitively in Los Angeles until tragedy strikes. Eventually, he is sent by his mother to live in Atlanta with his uncle and aunt, who have helped him enroll in the historically Black Truth University. While D.J. takes classes and works at Truth, he is drawn to the culture of stepping at Black fraternities. He soon finds a way to mesh his talents with his new environment, while also pursuing a new love interest, April (Meagan Goode). Against the odds, D.J.--young, talented and arrogant-is drawn into the competition of his life.

After watching this you will come to fine out that some musicians such as Ne-Yo and Chris Brown can be actors too. They both provided some comical relief and some pretty good acting I thought that "Stomp the Yard" was a good movie. Very entertaining, and the dancing was remarkable, but it had a deep inner message to go with it... for young and old alike! There is so much talent in our young African Americans but at times directed in the wrong direction. What was also likable and quite inspiring, is a scene in which the main character visits an honorary hall, filled with various pictures of national African-American figures affiliated with many well-known fraternities. Some of the people shown? Esther Rolle, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, and Martin Luther King, to name a few. This scene really gave me a sense of pride when I saw it, and a respect for the leaders of the past.

Though the electric dance routines give this movie its vibrant energy. It may not be representative of what happens on Black campuses or inside Black fraternities but it offers nuance about the campus stepping culture--new school versus old school, traditional versus styles influenced by hip hop and break dancing. I appreciate "Stomp the Yard" for trying to show a well-known culture in a respected community, but it might not go as deep as you might expect it to be other than that it's a good movie.

Want Stomp the Yard (2007) Discount?

It's a terrible experience when someone close to you passes and it's even rougher when it's your baby brother. After dancing in a battle and winning a hat full of money Dj "Columbus Short", his brother "Chris Brown" and his team beat the wrong team this time. While walking home in a dark alley the other team jumped them to get their money back but bad turns to worst and DJ's brother is shot and killed. DJ is sent to live with his Uncle and aunt in Atlanta and is expected to go to college. When he arrives on campus he sees some things he's never seen before like fraternities and stepping and it's all downhill from there. During this film DJ learns things that boys need to learn to become men especially love and even gets to do what he loves most while he's there. He ends up becoming a major key to one frat in dieing need of something fresh.

The first time I saw the preview for "Stomp the Yard" I automatically thought, "Wow, the stepping version of Drumline" but at the same time I felt it would be pretty good. Though this movie does resemble Drumline the story differs a bit. The first being "Darrin Henson" (Soul Food the series) who is a good actor but a dancer and choreographer first and I would say a better choreographer than actor since he probably makes more money off of it. Of course the others being "Chris Brown" and "Columbus Short", most of the cast are dancers acting unlike "Drumline" where Nick Cannon was an actor who had to learn how to play the drums. Even the two frats remind you of "Drumline" one frat has an old school style and hasn't won in 7 years and the other has a grimey aggressive new shchool that never loses.

Darrin played his character well and though Chris Brown wasn't in there that long he did ok but Columbus Short danced better than he acted and it took a little from the movie. He didn't show the same feeling and emotion in his acting as he did in his dancing. You can see this in the film when he loosens up when he dances and then starts to get really tight when he goes back to acting. There was only one big problem I had with "Stomp the Yard", the first being how the story is told. In the middle of the movie when DJ is pledging to get into a fraternity his pledging is basically skipped and he's in.

The stepping and overall choreography is amazing and gets better towards the end of the film. The acting was cool as well as the story but still the dancing outshines them. The history told in this movie makes me proud and gives the movie that extra something. It would've been really cool though if they shined a little more light on where stepping came from and why it's so important in black colleges today. Overall this is a very good movie that was made very well but I have to say that I think women will enjoy this more than guys, when you see it you'll know what I mean.

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Red River Range (1938)

I just received this and the other three new BR discs from the John Wayne Three Mesquiteers era. The Amazon.com review of the story almost takes longer to read than the movie is long. I'm just kidding but its a 56 minute film as they all are and I surmise the reason they are on separate discs and so expensive is because the market is small. On all films the picture quality is sharp and stunning at times and the sound is robust. These are fun films and its a hoot to see young Duke riding a big white horse with his oversized white hat. Some of the horse chase scenes in all the films is really stirring as the camera is just ahead of the horses and to see them charging at full speed in HD is pretty cool. These are sort of silly/stupid scripts and sadly Duke Wayne isn't the main star...he is co starring so he's not on camera as much as I'd like but I am a fan and am glad I picked them up. This will be my review for all four films as they were all made within a couple year period all directed by the same man and all pretty enjoyable with their own quirkiness. I just wanted to let folks know that they are a quality presentation and the covers are retro cool with original graphics also displayed on the BR disc itself.

Republic Pictures presents "RED RIVER RANGE" (22 December 1938) (56 mins/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -The series was based on a series of western novels by William Colt MacDonald, which began with "Law of the .45's" in 1933 --The Three Mesquiteers is the umbrella title for a series of 51 western B-movies released between 1936 and 1943, including 8 films starring John Wayne --The name was a play on The Three Musketeers, and each film featured a trio of stars --The series blended the traditional Western period with more modern elements, which was not unknown with other B-Western films and serials --Towards the end of the series, during World War II, the trio of cowboys were opposing Nazis --The Three Mesquiteers series was extremely popular at the time of its release --The series was the only one of its kind to be specifically named and ranked in contemporary polls of the top western film stars --For example, from 1937 to the end of the series in 1943, The Motion Picture Herald consistently ranked the series in its top ten, reaching a peak of 5th place in 1938, when a pre-Stagecoach John Wayne was the series lead

Under the production staff of:

George Sherman Director

Betty Burbridge Screenwriter

William Colt MacDonald Screenwriter

Stanley Roberts Screenwriter

Luci Ward Screenwriter

Jack A. Marta Cinematographer

John Marta Cinematographer

William Lava Composer (Music Score)

Tony Martinelli Editor

William A. Berke Associate Producer

Our story line and plot, Our heroes Stony Brooke (John Wayne), Tucson Smith (Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune) members of the Three Mesquiteers which finds the boys working as government agents to stop some cattle rustling --the meatpacking industry has hired its own agent, Tex Reilly (Kirby Grant), to get a line on the rustling --That in itself was an interesting aspect of this oater, the inflation of meat prices as a result of cattle rustling --One never does think of the economic hurt, those rustlers cause --Kirby's cover is blown before he can infiltrate and folks in the Red River country already know the Mesquiteers are coming --So Wayne and Grant switch places and Wayne poses as an escaped killer --The focus of the investigation is a dude ranch where some mighty strange goings on are occurring --Can't reveal what the scheme is, but I assure viewers it's a lulu --Lorna Gray, aka Adrian Booth, is the heroine, while raucuous comedy relief is provided by old-timer Mrs Maxwell played by Polly Moran.

the cast includes:

John Wayne ... Stony Brooke

Ray Corrigan ... Tucson Smith

Max Terhune ... Lullaby Joslin

Polly Moran ... Mrs. Maxwell

Lorna Gray ... Jane Mason

Kirby Grant ... Tex Reilly

Sammy McKim ... Tommy Jones

William Royle ... Payne

Perry Ivins ... Hartley

Stanley Blystone ... Randall

Lenore Bushman ... Evelyn Maxwell

Burr Caruth ... Pop Mason

Roger Williams ... Sheriff Wood

Earl Askam ... Henchman Morton

Olin Francis ... Henchman Kenton

Ed Cassidy ... Marshal

Elmer ... Elmer, Lullaby's Dummy

Al Taylor ... Henchman Slick

Special footnote -The 32 year old John Wayne was fortunate enough to have talented writers around him to write novels that could be adapted into vehicles for his career, as well as short stories and screenplays that would immortalise him as the American hero --This film is one such example --When you watch this film you're not watching it for the story (like you would do in 'Rio Grande' or 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'), you're watching it to see John Wayne in action --He is the romantic embodiment of what it was like for the settling community to live in the post-civil war era --Despite the fact that most of these westerns distort history, what Wayne delivers gives you access to his humanity --That's what we like about him.

BIOS:

1. John Wayne (aka: Marion Robert Morrison)

Date of Birth: 26 May 1907 Winterset, Iowa

Date of Death: 11 June 1979 Los Angeles, California

2. Ray 'Crash' Corrigan (aka: Raymond Benard)

Date of Birth: 14 February 1902 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Date of Death: 10 August 1976 Brookings Harbor, Oregon

3. Max Terhune

Date of Birth: 12 February 1891 Anderson, Indiana

Date of Death: 5 June 1973 Los Angeles, California

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features --Ask Amazon.Com to carry the volumes as they are not available on Amazon as of yet --you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment

THREE MESQUITEERS WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES FROM VCI ENTERTAINMENT

VOL 1 -GHOST TOWN GOLD & COME ON COWBOYS (VCI #7215)

VOL 2 -HIT THE SADDLE & HEART OF THE ROCKIES (VCI #7218)

VOL 3 -THE THREE MESQUITEERS & ROARIN' LEAD (VCI #7254)

VOL 4 -PURPLE VIGILANTES & PRAIRIE PIONEERS (VCI #7277)

VOL 5 -OUTLAWS OF SONORA & WEST OF CIMARRON (VCI #7290)

VOL.6 -CALL THE MESQUITEERS & RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL (VCI #7310)

VOL.7 -GANGS OF SONORA & PIONEERS OF THE WEST (VCI #7321)

VOL.8 -CODE OF THE OUTLAW & OKLAHOMA RENEGADES (VCI #7330)

VOL.9 -GAUCHOS OF EL DORADO & OUTLAWS OF CHEROKEE TRAIL (VCI #7332)

VOL.10 HEROES OF THE SADDLE & THE KANSAS TERRORS (VCI #7337)

VOL.11 RIDERS OF THE RIO GRANDE & SHADOWS ON THE SAGE (VCI #7339)

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --please stand up and take a bow --all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 56 min on VHS/DVD ~ Republic Pictures ~ (4/15/1997)

Buy Red River Range (1938) Now

I have acquired only one of these Wayne films from Olive, and found it to be a high quality, great looking, complete release. However, I question where they got their print from. It was VERY disappointing to see a superimposed "revival" on the title card for a few seconds. It seems that with the film quality looking so good, that the superimposed word could have been removed with today's tech or replaced the credits from another print. I will not purchase any others until I can confirm that the other features do not have this problem.

Read Best Reviews of Red River Range (1938) Here

THIS IS ANOTHER GRADE B WESTERN, BUT IT IS VERY WELL DONE. THESE 3 ACTORS HAVE GREAT CHEMISTRY.,WORKING TOGETHER. THIS IS MY KIND OF MOVIE.

Want Red River Range (1938) Discount?

was deliveried on or about of the arrvial of the movie very good quality movie of the time it was made

very good service

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Samurai 7 - Box Set (2004)

Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film "Seven Samurai" is regarded as a great and influential film that is among the few Japanese films that has captivated audiences worldwide for so long. The legendary film was about a village of farmers hiring seven samurai's to protect the village from bandits has been revamped for GONZO's 2004 anime "Samurai 7'.

First appearing on the anime satellite television channel Animax in 2004 as a high definition CS-Pay-Per-View series, the series was later shown in the US on IFC (International Film Channel) in 2006. Unlike the film which takes place in feudal Japan, "Samurai 7' takes place in a cyberpunk era that blends together feudal Japan with high-technology with mecha robotic suits.

"Samurai 7' also has quite a bit of talent behind it as the series is directed by Toshifumi Takizawa known for directing classics such as "Dirty Pair", "Crusher Joe" and "Big Wars"(and also storyboards for mecha anime such as "Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta Gundam", "Mobile Suit Victory Gundam).

Character designs are by Hideki Hashimoto (known for a lot of key animation work for "Heat Guy J", "Great Teacher Onizuka" and "Mobile Suit Gundam") and Takuhito Kusanagi (known for his mechanical design work for "Blue Submarine No. 6' and "Tower of Druaga").

The series begins with the villagers of the rice village of Kanna. Peasants who are forced to harvest rice for the Nobuseri bandits. The Nobuseri are ruthless as they take nearly all the rice of the villagers and even go as far as taking their women and children.

The villagers hardly have anything to eat but the villagers know they can't live life the way they are living now and so, with the approval of their village elder, three people will take their remaining rice to find samurai's who will fight against the bandits and free the village.

The village send three people to hire samurai's with their rice.

Kirara: The village priestess who has a crystal that can read the hearts of people.

Komachi: The young sister of Kirara

Rikichi: The male villager who accompanies both Kirara and Komachi. Rikichi despises the Nobuseri bandits because they took his wife.

During their search in the city for samurai's to protect the farming village of Kanna, the city's heir to Ayamano, Ukyo, develops a crush on Kirara and wants her to join his harem of women. But each time he tries to kidnap her, the samurai's thwart him and thus leads to Ukyo trying to find ways to kill the samurai's and capture Kirara.

During their search for samurai in the city, the three eventually find the following samurai who agree to fight against the bandits.

Shimada Kambei The great samurai who is emotionless since he has been in so many battles and witnessed so many deaths that he lives in his own shadow of pain, constantly asking other samurai of why they became a samurai. The person becomes the leader of the group. Awesome fighting skills.

Katsuhiro Okamoto The first samurai that is willing to help Kirara and the others. A young and inexperienced samurai who idolizes Kambei and eventually becomes the protector of Kirara. Eventually grows as a samurai after his first major kill.

Gorobei Katayama An entertainer and former samurai from the great war who is good at detecting intruders and also has unmatched defensive skills by catching an opponents weapons with his hands and quick to dodge attacks.

Shichiroji A former samurai who fought alongside Kambei. Now runs an inn and has a fiance but decides to join his friend in battle against the bandits. Fights with a big staff with blades and has a prosthetic hand that is used as a grappling hook.

Kikuchiyo A huge cyborg who is always opinionated and always trying to prove himself as a samurai. Has great strength and carries a big chainsaw word to fight but he is not that smart. A child at heart, Kikuchiyo bonds with Kirara's younger sister Komachi.

Hayashida Heihachi A samurai who is laid back and rather eat or be cool than fight. A former mechanical/combat engineer, his knowledge of mechanics provides useful for the team.

Kyuzo A former bodyguard and talented samurai warrior for Ayamaro, an is an enemy of the samurai's in the first part of the series. Both Kyuzo and Kanbei go into battle against each other and end with a draw. With both men finding enjoyment in their battle against each other, they vow to fight again. Kyuzo eventually joins the team when he finally finds a great opponent in Kambei. Joining the group because he wants to be the person to fight and kill Kambei, so therefore he joins the team and lends them his skills as a talented samurai.

For this Blu-ray disc release of "Samurai 7', the first two discs contain a total of nine episodes each with the third disc containing the final 8 episodes plus the special features.

VIDEO AND AUDIO:

"SAMURAI 7' was originally a series shown in high definition in Japan. So, needless to say, the picture quality is very good as it is in 1080p High Definition, 16×9.

With that being said, it's also important to remind everyone that this is a television series and not an OAV or a film which have a bigger budget and much more detail in the overall animation quality.

In Japan, many of these animators have only a week to get an episode done and often are working on other anime series at the same time, so that being said, "Samurai 7' does have beautiful segments during the CG segments but in terms of the animation, character designs are simplistic, color pallet is solid with not much shading.

And for animation that utilizes less detail, this gives the animator more time to focus on the action sequences which they definitely did for "Samurai 7'.

So, you can expect to see really good detail when it comes to the CG segments especially during the two wars because there is a lot of mecha battles that utilize the CG. And the background renderings often get the most detail. But picture quality is clear and there are scenes that do showcase a lot of vibrant colors. But for those most part, there is a softness in terms of colors. More focus on earth tones and greens.

For some, a drawback is that nine episodes are put on each disc, some enthusiasts would rather have 4-5 episodes with a higher bitrate but with the style of "Samurai 7', this is a television series not an OVA or film, so one can not expect a super-detailed series. The picture quality is a step up from the DVD release but what "Samurai 7' will appeal to are the audiophiles.

For the audio, audio is presented in Dolby True HD 5.1 in English and Japanese. First, I must say that I was impressed by both voice acting in Japanese and the English dubs. For one, rarely do you get the Japanese audio track in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, so I started the series primarily watching it in Japanese and was in awe of the actual mix and the utilization of the rear channels.

You hear the people in the city chatting and talking at a distance. You hear sound of people talking coming from one side and then the other. Especially in the action scenes and hearing the explosions and blasts and bullet shots.

I switched over to the English track in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and the track also displays the same audio which is fantastic. The voice acting was very well done on the English side of things and overall, just impressed with overall audio quality.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are a good number of special features included on all three discs. For disc 1 and 2, you will need to go to the episodes listing and you will see episode 1 and episode 14 contain a commentary feature. The commentary is based on the English voice dub, so for example episode 14 would feature the ADR director Christopher Bevins, R. Bruce Elliott (voice for Kambei) and Sean Michael Teague (voice of Katsuhiro) commenting on the various characters and how they enjoyed the vocal performance of their co-actors. Of course, English voice dubs are never going into the technical commentary on the animation and why certain scenes are the way they are. But for those who enjoy commentary by English voice dubs, especially these two talents, then you'll definitely enjoy these two commentary tracks.

On disc 3, there are several special features. Included are:

* Promotional Video In Japan, their promotional videos for upcoming series are quite long and in this case, this five minute video features the CG action-packed battles and also introducing the Japanese cast involved in the overall production. The video is in Japanese with English subtitles.

* Textless Opening and Ending The textless opening and ending theme to Avex artists Nanase Aikawa's opening theme "Unlimited" and Rin's ending theme of "Fuhen".

* FUNimation Entertainment Trailers Trailers for FUNimation Entertainment anime series and film releases.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Samurai 7' is a pretty interesting take on the Kurosawa 1954 classic but I admit that I totally dig the concept of combining feudal Japan with steampunk technology. For anime, to combine samurai battles with mecha robot suits seems unbelievable, but within the concept of what "Samurai 7' is about and the overall journey of these samurai trying to protect the peasants and their village was quite fun.

The characters all have their own unique abilities and characteristics and the series is just all out non-stop action.

This is my first experience of watching an anime television series on Blu-ray. In the past, most releases were typically film or OVA-based but with "Samurai 7' having the high definition background when initially aired in Japan, the picture quality is clean but at the same time, it's detail is mostly within the CG scenes and the overall animation, relies on simple character designs that is typical with anime television series versus a film or OVA which the animators have much more time to work on.

But like a next gen video game, an anime series is not all about its graphics, for this series, what works is the adventure, the journey, the action and its enjoyable characters but most importantly, a well-crafted storyline. During the first 18-episodes, I really enjoyed the fight for the village but then there was a short lull as the episodes started to focus on twisted, protagonist Ukyo trying to usurp in power and become the next emperor and then suddenly getting back to the action-packed storyline and setting up the ultimate war.

There are some who may not see the need for high definition with their anime, especially if you are going to watch it on a 17-24' computer monitor but for those who want to watch anime in HD on their large television screens (especially using HD projectors) and seeing more detail and of course getting Dolby TrueHD sound in both Japanese and English is a plus.

Overall, I really enjoyed "Samurai 7'. It manages to hold some of the enjoyment that made the original film so classic but the incorporate the adventure and the "other world" type of features you would expect from an anime series. Again, samurai vs. mecha suits? Who would of imagined that?

"Samurai 7' is an enjoyable television series and I'm very happy that FUNimation Entertainment brought this series to Blu-ray!

I own the collector's edition of the original series on regular dvd and I'm not sure yet if its worth getting the new one. Anime is a weird thign to put on blu-ray because it doesn't suffer from the contrast and lighting issues that plague most movies. The sound can be easily bumped up in quality to either 5.1 or 7.1 dolby surround, if thats important to you. I just don't feel that most anime does any better on blu-ray than it does in upconversion.

If you do not own this set yet however and own a blu-ray player, this is a very reasonable price for such an incredible anime series. Being a remake of a classic cultural story from Japan, its already steeped in history, but the reimagining of the series and book is just incredible. I've never fallen in love with a main character like I did in this story. He is simply one of the most tough-A-$-$-ed anime samurai you will ever meet and he is everything that epitomizes the samurai code. The story features many characters that are believable, well developed, and consistent as well as great themes that still hold true today in many respects. Whether your in for the story or the action, it doesn't matter, its worth it on both counts.

The animation technique is much like Burst Angel or the Karas movies in that they combine some cg elements with the anime to create some jaw-dropping scenes which include sword-wielding tough-guys taking down gigantic machines in ways you never thought possible. Far-fetched? Sure, but its some of the most fun I've ever had escaping into an anime world. I highly recommend this series to anime lovers everywhere.

Buy Samurai 7 - Box Set (2004) Now

I'll keep this short and sweet. My boyfriend owns the DVD version and we both fell in love with the show the first time we watched it. As soon as I saw it was going to be on BluRay I knew I had to have it. It is absolutely money well spent! Samurai 7 is by far one of the best animes I have ever had the pleasure of seeing and it holds a firm position in my top 5! You name it and this series has it; action, adventure, comedy, drama, amazing battle sequences, giant mechs and even a little romance. The characters are well developed and I fell in love with all of them (minus Kambei, the hero worship he receives is quite frustrating!). The animation is practically flawless (with the exception of episode 7) and the CG elements are outstanding in HD! The sound quality is what really blew me away though, everything is so crystal clear and I will not rest until I find a bumping surround sound to watch this show on!! Samurai's versus mechs may be a little hard for some people to swallow but trust me when I say, this is hands down one of the best animes ever created and if you have the money and a BR player you absolutely have to buy this BluRay box set!!

Read Best Reviews of Samurai 7 - Box Set (2004) Here

If you have not seen this series, you should have someone slap you in the face. Its really really good. These 7 men from different walks of life that have one thing in common, they're all samurai. If your an anime fan and don't have this in your collection, then your collection will never be complete. When you watch this series keep an eye out for "Kyuzo" he is a beast...hands down the best samurai of the 7. Lets just say if one katana is nice, then two is f***ing AWESOME!!!

Want Samurai 7 - Box Set (2004) Discount?

High quality packaging, slim and neat fit. This story is awesome. It has heart, it has class, it has humor, and most of all it has Samurai. Old school meets new world. The past meets the future. Its a new way to tell an old story and its beautiful. Being on blu-ray certainly helps this classic gain new life. I cannot say enough about this box set.

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