Camp Nowhere

I have been reading the reviews, most of which are obviously written by teenagers or preteens.

My husband, also 30something, tuned into this on cable the other night. and we both sat and watched the whole thing. It's "Lord of the flies" set in modern day, but much more fun to watch.

Christopher Lloyd, best known as "Reverend Jim" on t.v. show Taxi, and "Doc Brown" in the Back to the Future movies is the only known star that shows up in most of the movie. He plays the authority figure throughout the film when the parents' aren't.

It's a "let's see how much we can get away with while the parents aren't looking" movie. and I have to admit, it was pretty cool..Both my husband and i were thinking: That is cool..I wish I could've done that. It's a fantasy for younger teens. Basically, some rich kids pool all their summer camp money together and create their own fantasy camp and their parents think that they are all at the camps they were originally supposed to go to for the summer: fat camp, computer camp, drama camp.. instead, it's just 'HAVE FUN ALL SUMMER camp..OR Camp Nowhere at some run down land that Lloyds' character finds.

The teens all come together and help Lloyd from going to jail.

It's a cute little film that certainly isn't one of the most classic of the teen genre, but certainly is entertaining enough.

A lot of silliness goes on, and eventually chaos!!! the parents want parents day..of course, they have to get caught eventually, right?

check it out...

This movie is great. It is very hilarious and well worth your time. It is almost a five-star movie in my opinion, but I can't give it more than four because some of the scenes are just plain corny and/or ridiculous. And yes, as one reviewer mentioned, the parents are represented wrongly, in that they never suspected anything, which does not seem real.

On the other hand, that same reviewer mentioned that he did not finish watching this movie because of cursing. I seriously do not know what he is talking about. I only remember very occaisional and rather mild swearing.

All in all, this is a great movie that is definitely worth watching more than once. I definitely recommend at least renting it, if not buying it.

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I recently rented Camp Nowhere. Best movie I have seen in my life. It is SO funny. It is all about this group of four teens {two girls, two boys} whos parents are making them go to summer camps in which they do not want to go. They find Dennis Van Wilker {Christopher Lloyd} and they scam thir parents into this camp. Along with many other kids, all summer this "camp" which is really just a big party, goes great. In August, all the parents want a Parents Day, so they pull of "the GREATEST scam of all time" At the end, the truth is revealed, nothing bad happens. The whole movie, Mudd and Gabby have a little crush going on and wont admit it to each other but at the end Mudd and Gabby have a nice wet kiss.

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CAMP NOWHERE has been one of my favorite flicks for a long time. I just saw this flick again for a second time on TV today. Although I'm 17 years old, I still find this movie very enjoyable. It's about this geeky kid named Mudd (Jonathan Jackson) and three other kids (including Andrew Keegan), who come up with a plan to make their summer vacation the most fun vacation they've ever had by creating their own camp called Camp Nowhere, with the help of an ex-drama teacher named Dennis (Christopher Lloyd). The camp was just supposed to be for the four of them, but then a bunch of other kids find out about the camp and they end up going to the camp, too! It's a wild and crazy summer for the kids with no rules or responsible adults. The kids get to do whatever they want, while their parents think they are away at computer camp, weight-loss camp, military camp, or drama camp! And of course, they've got megabucks to spend on whatever they want from the money their parents paid for the camps. But then their parents come for parents' day and they have to prove to them that they are really at the camps their parents thought they were!

This movie is very hilarious and fun to watch with your friends. You can watch it over and over again without ever getting tired of it. With an allstar cast including Jonathan Jackson, Andrew Keegan, and Christopher Lloyd and a great script, how could you go wrong? If you haven't seen CAMP NOWHERE, I definitely recommend that you do. You must buy this movie 'cause it's da bomb! And Jonathan Jackson is really cute in this movie, too!:-)

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This movie was the reason I joined up with Amazon, thus, as everyone can guess, it can't be bad. Right? Right!

Let's start with the movie: it's very amusing. While there are only very few truly funny scenes (most notably the car wash scene with Cristopher Lloyd), the whole movie is lighhearted and easy going, with nice characters with whom you can identify. And altough there are a bunch of them the most important are 5: Mud, Gaby, Trish and Zach the 4 main kids who originate the camp idea and the adult they blackmail into helping them, Dennis. All have their quirks, all come to terms with them. And some come together in the process, which you, as the viewer, will if not love, then atleast like a lot. All in all I can say this is one decent family movie, which both the kids and the adults ought to like.

In other words highly recommended!

Lets go to the next part the packaging. While the extra features are few (Spanish audiotrack + chapter menu) the enhanced 16:9 transfer is excellent. You'll probably enjoy it even on a computer, as the final resolution is big enough for even 19" monitors. The sound... well, this is the only detail I can complain about the package carries a "Dolby Digital Surround Sound" notice, which ain't true both audiotracks, while in Dolby's format, are only stereo. But as this ain't really a movie where you can do much with surround sound then this shouldn't be a reason why to skip this release. Besides the number of channels audio is fine.

So, to take it all together: very nice movie with very good picture and more than decent audio. And while there are practically no extras it's no reason why your family shouldn't own a copy of this DVD.

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Paycheck (2013)

Not only a very good sci-fi movie but it also have action and a very good story. I recommend it.

I gave this movie a 5 star rating. It was loaded with action, suspense and time travel. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves these three things.

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Shrek Forever After (Single-Disc Edition) (2010)

In the fourth and last installment of the Shrek franchise, Shrek (Mike Myers) finds himself becoming tired of his "domesticated" life when the routines of married life and fatherhood meet with the constant bombardment of fame and somewhat annoying friends. After storming out of his son's first birthday party Shrek runs into Rumplestiltskin (Walt Dohrn), who learns of Shrek's desires to be the ogre he once was and offers him a magical contract that would allow him to be an true ogre for a day, in exchange for one thing. In that exchange, though, Shrek gets much more than he bargained for.

When the first Shrek came out it was a brilliant anti-fairy tale fairy tale. Openly lampooning Disney movies and theme parks, Shrek was a fresh take on the animated fairy tale where the main characters didn't live happily ever after as picture perfect prince and princess, but as ogres, typically the scourge of any fairy tale. Since then two other Shrek movies have come out, and rather than embracing the counter culture of the first film, the franchise bought into it's own hype and into pop culture and lost the spirit of the original. While not bad films, they were unnecessary and even sapped some of the brilliance of the original. Now with the finale of Shrek in theaters, how does it stand up?

More-so than it's predecessors Shrek Forever After tries to come back home to more of the feeling of the first film. Even the plot of the film of Shrek's desire to go back to being a lone ogre on the outskirts of society seems to echo what the filmmakers were desiring to accomplish in picking a premise that allowed them to nearly replicate some of the situations of the first movie. That's one of the strengths of the film is that you get to re-meet the characters in a new fashion and in slightly new characterizations than previous which amps up the fun of this film compared to the previous films.

Reaching into an alternate universe has allowed the writers, and the actors, to revision the characters adding to the freshness of this installment in the series. Fiona is now a warrior, leading an ogre rebellion against the king. Donkey, while still the over talkative, funny if slightly annoying sidekick he's a little more wary and a bit brighter than he was in Shrek's real world. Puss has let himself go, and won't even chase a mouse that's sharing his milk. The real surprise here is Walt Dohrn, a writer/storyboard artist who makes his vocal film debut as the voice of the film's baddie, Rumplestiltskin. Everyone does a great job with their vocal work, but Walt and his character steal the show.

But for all the good, you can't go home, and Shrek doesn't quite go home either. Compared to the first film this one feels a little tame, sterile. First off, the premise makes this almost seem like a remake of the first film, causing it to loose some of it's freshness. On top of that there's a moral that really stands out, which is something I don't recall being aware of while watching the first three Shrek films, even though it was there.

All in all, I would highly recommend this film. Easily it's the second best of the four Shrek films. Each of the three sequels were unnecessary, but this was definitely a higher note to go out on than the last two films. If they had to go through sequels, I'm not sure they could have asked for a better film to go out on. If you've watched the last couple of Shrek films and found yourself to be disappointed give this a try, it doesn't quite capture the magic of the first film but it gets closer than the other sequels.

3.5/5

"Shrek Forever After" (if that is its real title) achieves exactly what it wanted to achieve simply by being a fun animated comedy with characters we've come to love. Still, for something so heavily promoted as being the final chapter, I'm surprised at how small and ordinary it seemed. Movies like this should end with a bang, emotionally and physically; they should not go from beginning to end on a slow and steady burn. By the end, most will feel as if they've been entertained. I felt that way. At the same time, some may feel that, in all likelihood, this movie didn't have to be made. I felt that way, too. Perhaps it's no longer a good sign that we can be so easily amused by unnecessary films. Are they no stories left to stimulate our imaginations and broaden our horizons at the same time?

In this film, Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) finds that he's dissatisfied with his new life as a domestic ogre. As a husband and father, he has absolutely no free time. Villagers no longer fear him. He can't take a mud bath without being invaded by swamp tourists. Knowing he's desperate for a change, the disgruntled Rumpelstiltskin (voiced by Walt Dohrn) offers Shrek a chance live one day as his old ogre self. The catch, as I understand it, is that one day out of his past will be erased from time give a day to get a day, according to Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek agrees and signs a contract, although he fails to specify precisely which day he'll let Rumpelstiltskin have. Bad move; he's transported to an alternate Far Far Away that's ruled by Rumpelstiltskin and has fallen into ruin.

There are other changes. At Rumpelstiltskin's bidding, ogres are hunted by wicked witches and forced into slavery. Shrek's best friend, Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy), now a lowly cart puller, has never met Shrek and is afraid of him. Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) is now an obese housecat and owned by Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz), no longer Shrek's beloved wife and mother to his children but rather the iron-clad leader of an underground ogre resistance. Like Donkey, she has no idea who Shrek is. Stranger still, she's back under the curse that factored into the first film. In this new Far Far Away, it's as if Shrek had never been born. If he's to set everything right, he must turn to that most reliable of fairy-tale clichés: Receiving true love's kiss before the following sunrise.

What are Rumpelstiltskin's motives? I leave it to you to find out. I will say that his reasons are about as good as they can be for a fairy tale. I liked this character; big of ego and short of stature, he's villainous in a childish, sniveling sort of way, making for a great deal of fun when he loses his temper.

Many of the previous film's more memorable side characters are used far less frequently in "Shrek Forever After," making for a film that feels oddly condensed. The appearances of Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, and Gingy the Gingerbread Man, for example, are reduced to mere cameos, which is a missed opportunity for some great comedy. I'm especially fond of Gingy, with his iced legs and candy eyes and grating voice. In the alternate Far Far Away, he has become a battle-scarred gladiator who fights for the amusement of cheering crowds; the fact that his opponents are animal crackers and that he uses a broken lollipop as a weapon is, in my warped way of thinking, inherently funny. Maybe it's because foods of such childish innocence have become violent. Or maybe it has something to do Gingy being one tough cookie.

It seems that the film's biggest draw, aside from being the last in the series, is its release in 3-D. I've championed certain 3-D films (Disney's "A Christmas Carol," "How to Train Your Dragon," "Avatar"), but now that it's back in the mainstream, I'm coming to the realization that, generally speaking, it's an overrated marketing gimmick. For this particular film, I suggest you save your cash for a traditional (and less expensive) 2-D experience. I'm quite certain the overall quality will not be affected.

The bottom line: The story is funny and exciting and sweet, and I had a pleasant time watching it. But "Shrek Forever After" is not the grandiose finale the ads have claimed it to be, and I find that a little disappointing. My recommendation relates not to its worth as a successor to the previous "Shrek" films, or even to its status as the last in the series; it relates to the belief that audiences will enjoy it on its own terms. It's a light, good-hearted animated comedy, and as such films go, it gets the job done. I can only hope the filmmakers don't treat it like a horror franchise, some of which are known to produce sequels even after a "final chapter" has been released. At that point, I don't think there will anything good left to say about Shrek and his magical misadventures.

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I have always enjoyed watching the Shrek movies with my family. The fourth movie was no exception. The problem is that the Shrek universe it getting rather stale. The same type of jokes just don't work as well the fourth time around. The Final Chapter finds Shrek unhappy with his friends and family and wishing to go back to being a scary ogre for just one day which can be supplied by an evil Rupelstiltskin. But if you are aware of the myth of Rupelstiltskin you know that every contract has a price. Shrek gives up one day of his life to get his one day of freedom. That one day though causes the entire world to change and Shrek is stuck in an alternate universe in which he never existed. The alternate characters are fun at first, especially the chubby Puss in Boots, but they all revert quickly to the characters you know so it doesn't work all that well. The best part of the movie is the introduction of the Rupelstiltskin character who is a fun bad guy. The movie's plot however is very similar to the Christmas Special in which Shrek doesn't appreciate what he has until it is gone. I like the series, but the story is best to end now.

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Dreamworks continues its popular, yet waning Shrek franchise with a fourth installment. I've always been a big fan of the original Shrek. It was something different, quirky, unexpected and just downright witty. The plot was simple yet complex enough to keep me interested while poking fun at traditional fairy tales. It was an innovative and fun concept. Sadly, the franchise continued past the first film into a second and third. Each of these entries were okay, but never captured the greatness of the first Shrek film. With the fourth entry into the series, it becomes even more apparent that the franchise is getting tired. Shrek's running out of steam and just doesn't have it anymore. It's time for our dear ogre friend to retire.

Shrek Forever After semi-follows the traditional "what if I was never born" plot. When Shrek finds that he misses his days as an ogre, he makes a deal with the notorious Rumpelstiltskin to trade a day in his life for a day to be an ogre again. Rumpelstiltskin, of course, tricks Shrek and takes the day Shrek was born, thereby creating an alternate universe where he rules Far Far Away, ogres are outlaws, and Fiona was never rescued from the tower by Shrek. Shrek soon discovers his mistake and must figure out how to get things back to normal.

On one hand it was really fun to see the beloved Shrek characters in the alternate universe -Fiona is the leader of the ogre resistance against Rumpelstiltskin, Donkey works any job he can get, and Puss has become an overweight lap cat. On the other hand, the concept felt tired and much of the plot seemed like a retread of previous ideas, themes and events. Mostly, it seemed redundant to have Shrek win Fiona's love again and really showed that our poor ogre really doesn't have much plot left in him.

In general the movie is entertaining, funny and enjoyable -great for families, but the 3-D aspect doesn't really add much. I'd suggest saving the extra money and just going for this movie in traditional 2-D. It was still fun to get another glimpse into the lives of these fun characters and into the wacky world of Far Far Away, but I think it's time to hang up your torches and pitchforks and call it a day.

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This fourth intallment of Shrek, SHREK FOREVER AFTER, is, IMHO, the best of the Shrek films. The fun is back (minus the juvenile potty humor that invaded the 2nd and 3rd films), the story is delightful, and the message is clear. My kids (13 1/2 and 5 1/2) both loved this movie, as did my husband and I.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER is based losely on the story from "It's A Wonderful Life." Here, we find that our favorite ogre is confused by his new role in the kingdom. He used to live a solitary life, scaring people and doing whatever he felt like doing; now he has a family, responsibilities, and is viewed as a folk hero. In a fit of frustration, Shrek wishes that he could be a regular ogre and live his former life, just for a day. Rumplestiltskin overhears his wish and tricks Shrek into trading his "ogre day" for the day he was born. Shrek finds that he never rescued Fiona, he never had a family, never met his friends, and that he will diappear at the end of his ogre day. But there is a way out of his contract with Rumplestiltskin. Can true love still conquer all and save the day?

SHREK FOREVER AFTER is cute, fun, and charming family entertainment. The animation is beautiful, vibrant, and vivid, the story is engaging, and all our favorite voice actors are back. The message of being happy with what you have is perfect, and is understood by children of all ages.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER has heart, and should not be missed. If this is the final installment, then SHREK FOREVER AFTER is truly the perfect way to end the franchise.

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Equilibrium (2009) Christian Bale; Sean Bean; Sean Pertwee

I can understand the urge to compare "Equilibrium" and "The Matrix". Both films feature dark, foreboding cinematography. Both films are about rebellion against a warped reality. Both films feature a reluctant, messianic protagonist. And, finally, both films rely heavily on stylistic, hyper-kinetic combat scenes that can only be described as, well, reverent. That is where the similarity ends because while "Equilibrium" has a few moments of slow-motion it's action scenes are much more original than those of "The Matrix Trilogy". No Wires, just pure crazy choreography which makes the action feel all the more authentic. The environment is also a great deal more organic in contrast to the cryptic automaton of the Matrix.

"Equilibrium", in short, manages to be entirely its own movie. Where The Matrix relies on "bending" the rules of physics in an imaginary construct of a world, "Equilibrium" goes the other way and hypothesizes the "Gun-Kata", a martial arts ballet that allows it's practitioners to predict and anticipate close quarters gun fighting and hand to hand combat. Then, through a series of precise, dance like movements, a person can take on several combatants, using exacting, fluid actions to eliminate his attackers. Given a decidedly artistic presentation within the course of the film, these rapid-fire rhapsodies are exhilarating and oddly beautiful. They glamorize death as an abstract expression of powder bursts and shrieking projectiles. The film features some of the best choreographed shootouts I have ever seen, and ends up putting anything in The Matrix Trilogy to shame.

"Equilibrium" is a film that explores what it theorizes to be the root of all worldly chaos, human emotion. The movie takes place in the near future after a third world war that leaves Earth on the verge of total destruction. From the ashes arises a government that regulates everything and everyone through mind control. The drug Prozium is hailed as the elixir to the world's problems because it suppresses human emotion and thus eliminates the possibility war. All art, music, poetry and any emotion are considered contraband and must be destroyed upon discovery.

The primary clash is between individualism and collectivism -the notion that each person is an end to him or herself and pursues his or her own happiness, and the theory that the individual exists only to further the interests of the state. In "Equilibrium", the side of "feelings" (the side that promotes painting, music, and literature) is the side of the sovereign individual.

The film clearly suggests that emotions -the ability to "feel" -are what make life worth living; yet they are also the source of violence and war. At some level, this is clearly true. The joy of art, the intensity of romantic love, the pleasures of a touch or the sight of a sunrise, the fascination of a great idea -these are the things we live for. "Crimes of passion" such as murder, domestic violence, and assault generally involve uncontrolled emotions.

In "Equilibrium", murder and war among the civilian population have been wiped out. Of course, they have been replaced by state-sponsored murder and terror. Thus, the film points out the real purpose of deadening people's emotions is to perpetuate state oppression.

This nightmare is presided over by the Big Brother-like dictator Father, and enforced by a quasi-religious order of "Clericks," whose incredible combat skills are unleashed on "sense offenders" who have gone off the drugs that keep the populace docile.

John Preston (Christian Bale) is the perfect Grammaton Clerick (the government is known as the Tetragrammaton). He kills "sense offenders" without passion or guilt ... until he inadvertently fails to take his prescribed tranquilizer dose and events begin to catch up with him. Little by little, he finds himself drawn into "sense crime" and then into the resistance. I hesitate to reveal much more about the plot of "Equilibrium", jammed as it is with surprise and invention -suffice to say, this is an intellectual rollercoaster ride, as cerebral as it is visceral; both a bleak glimpse into a possible future and a stirring tribute to the indomitable human spirit.

The creators of "Equilibrium" had to take some liberties with the very idea of emotion, of course. The drug really only eliminates the "highs" and "lows," leaving enough emotive strength for the characters to retain ambition and a visceral hatred of their enemies. Plot means conflict and human conflict is impossible without emotion.

The acting is excellent, and if you like Christian Bale as much as I do, he shines above all else. Bale is truly exceptional in bringing a real sense of emotional conflict to the character of Preston, and as the film moves on he gradually brings that emotion to the forefront. At the start of the film, and in it's many flashbacks, Preston is supposed to be this emotionless killer that doesn't realize he's actually feeling subtle emotions. Bale's performance keeps the perfect monotone voice of an emotionless character, but in his eyes shows the doubt, remorse and anger. Then as the films moves on he gradually starts changing his tone of voice, allowing the monotone to falter in key moments, until in the end he completely releases all of his emotions.

As you can tell, Equilibrium's plot draws from a rich variety of sources. There's a lot of Orwell's "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World".

True, there are a few minor plot problems, but any movie that treats ideas and symbols seriously these days is a find, and one that pulls off a serious treatment of life's most fundamental questions in the context of a gripping story is a rare jewel.

"Equilibrium" is not science fiction so much as political speculation. It's that mainstay of movies, the cautionary tale, twisted into a decidedly dense and deceptive action thriller. While it may not always deliver in the thought department, we sure get some wonderful visual flourishes. And if a sci-fi film can stir your imagination, it's won most of the battle.

The creation of the enigmatic weapons battle dance, "Gun-Kata", makes the movie a see at least once exercise in speculative movie making.

Sci-fi flick with stunning visuals, "Equilibrium" deserves much more attention not only from fans of genre, but also from general audiences. Sure, its flaws are too visible, borrowing Orwellian ideas from other films like, say, "Brazil," but it is not that ideas themselves but the way they are put into practice that really counts, and on that score "Equiliburium" is a winner. (And critics, please let me know, why do you all praise Steven's "Minority Report" which actually borrows ideas from other films of this genre? So, why not give this one a due respect?)

Well, I admit the opening chapter of "Equilibrium" is a bit weak, introducing us to the dystopia world after the WW3, but soon you will forget that. The totalitarian government established after the war decided to eliminate anything that might possibly make humans emotional, forcing the people to inject a certain doze of [chemical substance] to be unemotional every day. Moreover, it decrees there should be no more music (not only hip-hops, but classic music), no more motion pitures, and no more decorated interiors. Those who love them hide underground, becoming rebels while the authroity set up a super-cop troop called "Grammaton Clerics."

Christian Bale ("American Psyco") is John Preston the best of the Clerics, and dedicates himself to the job until he arrests a woman Mary O'Brien who possessd illegal stuffs. But her strong creed and perhaps beauty make their way into the sleeping heart of Preston, who has been long fighting for his cause.

The film's philosophical messages are in themselves not new at all, and director Kurt Wimmer might have kept his idea a little too long. I say so, because today, in the 21st century, it is not this Orwellian society that we are afraid of most. The story has enough twists to surprise us, but maybe one too many, I think, and the wrap-up part of the film feels a bit hurriedly done.

However, those are noting before the film's sensational action scenes, which can make up for any flawed part of the film. The "Gun-Kata" fighting deserves special mention, using [weapons] like Japanese swords, and its hyper-kinetic movement is very violent and very beautiful at the same time. Incredible it might sound, but Christian Bale shows excellent action star quality here, displaying the beauty of "Kata"s -and "kata" means in Japanese "style." Yes, there are lots of styles in "Equilibrium."

Other plsyers are also effectively cast, and most unexpected is Emily Watson, who quite naturally becomes the Joan D'Arc-like character. Taye Diggs is good as Preston's partner, and though short time, Sean Bean, cast against type, is also perfect as Partridge who plays a key role in the story.

I was quite surprised and satisfied, and even thrilled to see this neglected film, which should have been more pushed. Again I say, its actions are sensational. Not that this is "Matrix"; rather, it is more unique and has its own "kata" = style, which means a lot these days.

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Never, Never, Never Buy This.

Video This blu-ray is 1.78:1, by cutting 2.35:1`s side!

Sound This blu-ray has only one sound track,

This track is 2.0ch, not 5.1ch!!!

Special Features Nothing.

Subtitles Nothing.

This blu-ray is not blu-ray. It is only waste.

Never waste your money and time.

The Best Media of Equilibrium is DVD until NOW!

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-----------2.0 STEREO ?!?!?!?!?!?--------------

Had to give 1 star even though I love this film.

From what I understand and if true can sum it up: Alliance (the totally crappy Canadian distributer) also owns Echo Bridge who is who bought the rights from Miramax.

Also as the other reviewer mentioned this release is in the wrong aspect ratio. The movie was filmed in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. This Blu-Ray is in 1.78.1 aspect ratio.

It is possible both of these things are wrong (2.0 Stereo and Aspect Ratio) but that is how it is listed on the Blu-Ray case in front of me and I'm debating weather I should return it or not so I have not opened it yet.

I was so looking forward to this release......bummer.

Edit: 2.0 stereo and wrong aspect ratio confirmed see comment.

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The whole point of BluRay is that the people who have it are in it for the best most accurate picture available. you release the incorrect aspect ratio for the people who still have VCR's and rabbit ear tv's... unacceptable. To cut a 2:35 aspect ratio to 1:77... UNACCEPTABLE. What a piece of crap. A hidden gem like this movie is deserves so much better. This company should be ashamed of themselves.

Peter Pan (2003)

I do not think that most kids can appreciate how great of a movie P.J. Hogan has made with this new version of "Peter Pan." However you really have to be familiar with not only all of the various versions of the story from Disney to Steven Spielberg but also J. M. Barrie's original plays and books to really appreciate everything that is in this movie. Hogan's purpose was to go back to that original material, but it is impossible not to touch upon everything that has come since then. My generation cannot hear the words "I do believe in fairies" without thinking of Mary Martin beckoning out from our television sets beseeching us to clap (or when Smee turns and gives an aside to the viewer).

On the one hand there are the fantastic elements as Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter) and the Darling children Wendy (Rachel Hurd-Wood), John (Harry Newell), and Michael (Freddie Popplewell) fly off to Never-Land. But this is a more realistic Never-Land than every before for all the wonderful computer generated images. More importantly, these are more realistic children than ever before. Peter Pan is the boy who will never grow up, but he is also on the cusp of puberty, as is Wendy. Into the Darling household comes Aunt Millicent (Lynn Redgrave), who insists that Wendy is not a girl anymore and while her father should start looking for marital prospects at the bank where he works, the more immediate goal is to move her out of the bedroom she shares with her brothers. When Peter Pan appears on the windowsill and requires his shadow to be sewn back onto this feet, Wendy not only does the sewing but accepts his offer to come to Never-Land because she too desperately wants to avoid growing up.

In this "Peter Pan" a kiss is more than just a thimble. This is not to suggest that there is a sexual element to these children or this film that parents need to worry about, but there is the potential for sexuality in Peter and Wendy. It is around the corner and that is important because there is a price to pay for never growing up, and never before has the tragic flip side of Peter Pan's joyful and magical existence been so obvious in telling this tale. Adults will recognize that period of their life it all it's metaphoric splendor in this film.

We also have the most realistic Captain Hook (Jason Issacs) of our acquaintance as well. Hogan continues the long-standing tradition of having the actor who plays Hook do double duty as Mr. Darling as well, but in this richer vision of the story they are as opposite as night and day. When this Hook crosses swords with Peter we know that they it might look like great fun, but these two are deadly serious about the final, fatal outcome. More importantly, when this Hook blusters and bellows he manages to do it without falling into parody. This is Hook as Barrie intended him to be, larger than life, but still a real figure.

Ultimately the power running throughout this story is the power of the story. The Lost Boys are despearate for a mother and to them Wendy can fulfill the role because she has what they consider to be the single requirement: she can tell stories. But there is another, more important requirement for a mother, and this film remembers that as well in the end when the Darling children return to their mother (Olivia Williams). I especially liked the way the film plays the beginning of the reunion of the scene, a nice underscoring of the idea that you can wish for something so hard that you do not notice when you have it.

This is a stunning visual film, but it is also a film of substance that mines Barrie's idea of the boy who would not grow up for everything it is worth. This "Peter Pan" has a depth greater than every all the other versions we have seen on the silver screen to date. This is a glorious film and even if few will really appreciate it the way it truly deserves, there is still the fact that just coming into contact with it will open the minds of its viewers to the greater realm of meaning and significance. Besides, there is always the possibility that somewhere down the road as they enjoy this beautiful film again and again, that eventually they will appreciate what it is all about.

The last time J. M. Barrie's infamous creation hit the big screen was in the lacklustre "Return to Neverland", the latest in a long line of pitiful animated sequels that the Disney Company have been mechanically churning out. The time before that was in Steven Spielberg's critically ill-received "Hook". With these two movies as a somewhat stale background for writer/director P. J. Hogan's attempt to recreate the fairytale, it was not surprising if audiences at large were somewhat cynical.

But children's literature translated onto the big screen is always successful when it is done faithfully and respectfully, and that is precisely what Hogan and his team have done. For the first time ever (if you can believe it) a young boy plays the part of the Boy Who Never Grew Up: Jeremy Sumpter, complete with bare feet, pan pipes and captivating smile. Following in the pantomime tradition, Jason Issacs plays both George Darling and Captain Hook, meek and clumsy in one role, charismatic and brutal in the next. Ultimately a figure to be pitied, Hook is more aware of his dependence on Pan than he lets on, and the two are more similar than either would like to admit.

Olivia Williams plays the beautiful and graceful Mrs Darling, whilst Richard Briers makes a humorous Smee, often making side-comments directly to the audience. John, Michael and the Lost Boys are played by some wonderful child actors, in particular Slightly (Theodore Chester) who creates most of the laughs for the movie: "Okay boys, look lovable." Ludivine Sagnier takes on the rather difficult role of Tinkerbell. The role means she has to rely solely on exaggerated facial expressions to present Tink's "one emotion at a time", though I was disappointed in the failure of creating the bond between Peter and Tinkerbell, which somewhat lessens the impact of her later sacrifice.

The real star of the story however belongs to Wendy, and new-comer Rachel Hurd-Wood breaths her to life. Gone is the prissy Wendy of the Disney productions, thankfully replaced by a young woman who is both mischievous and wise, playful and sensual, with a hidden kiss in the corner of her mouth. She is a remarkable find, and shows considerable talent for one who has no previous experience.

There are a few changes to the original story (mostly surrounding the considerably heightened romantic inclinations between Wendy and Peter), but they are sparse. The inclusion of Aunt Millicent was something that intially didn't appeal to me, but luckily she is not portrayed as a grumpy, aristocratic matriarch, but a somewhat befuddled, though loving aunt. And let's face it, Lynn Redgrave never fails to deliver a performance. The changes are slight and understandable, but those kept true are breathtaking. My main concern was that of Tinkerbell's cure, would could come across as cringe-worthy if done badly, but just try to refrain from smiling when Peter, then Wendy, then the Lost Boys, then the children of London begin to chant: "I do believe in fairies! I do! I do!" (and I was especially glad to see adults included in this declaration I'm certainly one of them!)

The visual creation of Neverland is something I can't really comment on, as it is entirely a matter of opinion let's just say it's bright, vibrant and doesn't hesitate to bend the rules of reality. I thought it was beautiful, but only wish I had more time to enjoy it, as sequences of potential awe (such as flying through London and the fairy-covered pirate ship) flashed by too quickly to really soak in.

There is one fault (if you can even call it that) in the telling of the story, and as it's playing on my mind, you'll have to bear with me in sorting it out. By creating a mutual attraction between Peter and Wendy (whereas in the book he called her "Mother" like the Lost Boys), the screenwriters begin a personal development in Peter that is not brought to a conclusion that makes sense. Throughout the story, Peter shows signs of perhaps wanting to leave Neverland: he is horrified at the thought Wendy might marry someone else, it is discovered he loves Wendy's stories because they all end in love, her "thimble" saves his very life, and he even admits to himself at the conclusion "to live would be an awfully big adventure". And yet, he still returns to Neverland. It would seem all that Wendy has shown him, all that he has discovered about himself comes to nothing, and there is no doubt in audience's minds that the choice he made was the wrong one.

But of course the alternative was that Peter actually *does* grow up, and that defeats the very purpose of Barrie's book. It was a no-win situation for the screenwriters: they could either stay true to the novel, or continue with their own creation and complete Peter's self-awareness. They choose the former, making the conclusion not just bittersweet, but truly heartbreaking.

There is no real right or wrong answer to my comments, its just something I wanted to bring up for people to think about. Ultimately, the story of Peter Pan is as Hook says: a tragedy a boy is trapped in youth without any experiences of love or marriage or fatherhood. Whilst Wendy will one day embark on what her Aunt Millicent called "the greatest adventure of all", Peter remains a boy that cannot give her what she seeks. Only a hidden kiss connects these two soulmates as a testimony to what might have been.

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This live-action version of Peter Pan stars Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook and Jeremy Sumpter as Peter. The story begins in London, where motherless Peter has come to listen to stories told by young Wendy (Rachel Hurd-Wood). He takes her and her brothers to Neverland to live the wild pirate life, until it is time for them to return home and grow up.

All the characters you remember from your childhood are here: The ticking crocodile (computer-animated and scary), the fiesty Indian Princess, funny Pirate Smee, spunky Tinkerbelle, and even Nana, the dog-nanny. The film is photographed almost entirely in dark, moody lighting to heighten the feeling of magic and danger. Jason Isaacs hams it up just right as the dashing and outrageous Captain Hook and he is good as the timid clerk, Mr. Darling. Jeremy Sumpter looks just like Peter should look beautiful, cocky, and fun-loving.

Definitely darker and more sinister than the old Disney version, this film has a lot to offer adults: It is visually stunning and reminds us about the innocence and fun of childhood. It's an interesting movie that will put a smile on your face and perhaps a few wistful tears in your eye.

Read Best Reviews of Peter Pan (2003) Here

I'd never understood the story of Peter Pan. The Disney version is still probably my least favorite fairy tale adaptation of all of the Disney animated films. And every play or televised version featured a Peter Pan who was played by a tiny, female actress or gymnast, doing very little to bring the story to life for me. So last year, when I took my children to see the movie, I figured I'd settle in for a little nap while they enjoyed the kiddie flick. Boy, was I ever surprised when I walked out of the theatre completely bedazzled.

Never before has this story been presented with the very important angle of the innocent romance between Wendy and Peter, an angle that goes a long way in explaining both the reluctance and the desire to grow up. Finally, with this adaptation, I understood why Wendy might decide to grow up despite the allure of Neverland, and why Peter might regret his eventual decision to remain a forever-boy.

Adding to this the wonderful chemistry between Jeremy Sumpter and Rachel Hurd-Wood and you have a movie that appeals to kids on an adventure level and to adults on an emotional level. The vulnerability and grief in Peter's eyes during the final scene were enough to bring tears to my own. And I have to say that this movie contained one of the sweetest on-screen kisses I've seen in a long time. Using actors that are (or are very near) the actual ages of Wendy and Peter was a spot-on decision, because their very natural fascination with each other and awkwardness about these new and amazing feelings showed in every one of their scenes together.

The film itself is beautiful and lush. Only complaint I have is in the final battle scene between Peter and Captain Hook when the red lighting is used to an extreme, making it difficult to see properly and distracting from rather than adding to the feel of the moment.

Finally, I simply loved the casting of this film. Jason Isaacs showed the perfect balance between cartoon evil and human realism with his Captain Hook. Rachel Hurd-Wood was amazing as the fearless girl who could hold her own against pirates and Lost Boys, yet still showed that special romantic, dreamy quality of all young girls. And Jeremy Sumpter perfectly nailed Peter Pan confident and cocky with a grin that is going to turn into a wicked lady-killer someday, yet still he showed Peter's ultimate sadness so very well.

Wonderful movie. I'd pick this one over the Disney version any day of the year.

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Neverland has never looked so lush and treacherous, nor has the subtext of incipient sexual longing ever been so prominent as in P. J. Hogan's Freudian take on the J. M. Barrie childhood classic. Hogan skillfully revives Barrie's original concept of the story as a coming-of-age tale about a girl facing the terror and allure of womanhood -and the fantasy boy who temporarily seduces her back to the world of make-believe.

Hogan dares to cast authentic boy Jeremy Sumpter as Peter. Androgynous and feral, with his tousled hair and unsettling coquette's smile, this Peter combines irritating boyish bravado with hormonal confusion; he doesn't know what he really wants when he brings Wendy to Neverland as a surrogate mother. Rachel Hurd-Wood is a ripe and trembling Wendy, who fears the grown-up world, yet expects something more than childhood games from Peter. When Peter can't or won't comply, Wendy dallies with an even more ambivalent and unstable romantic object-Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs). Wendy is "not afraid, but entranced" by "the dark figure that had haunted her dreams."

Isaacs' superb Hook is no comic buffoon. Psychopathic enough to gut his own crewmen with his hook, he's also a raging wit, vain of his own erudition, amusing himself with jokes no one else can grasp. ("Split my infinitives," he exclaims, mid-battle.) Isaacs revitalizes Hook with dark comedy and menacing brio. Yet there's a poignant underpinning: the poison he concocts from his own tear is a toxic brew of "malice, jealousy, and disappointment." Isaacs' textured performance invites us to ponder the tragedy of a grown-up Hook trapped forever in Peter's eternal childhood. (...)

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High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Deluxe Extended Edition + Digital Copy + DVD and BD Live) (2008)

Honestly, High School Music fan or not, this movie is truly amazing. Of course, anyone who liked the first two will probably fall in love with this one, as it is, hands down, the best in the trilogy. I think that even if you didn't see the first two or if you weren't particularity fond of them, you will like this one regardless because of what it deals with. This movie is about something we all go through as senior in high school saying good-bye to our friends after high school. Addiotionally, it's nice to see a teen movie that doesn't revolve around sex, drugs, violence, and profanity. (I am aware many of you will argue with me that this is not exactly a film aimed at a teenage or young adult audience and that the viewing public expected for it is in fact little elementary school children simply because it is G-rated Disney movie, but to me, that makes no sense whatsoever. The movie talks about high school graduation, college applications, prom, the Ivy League universities, etc. Do you really think a 10-year-old will understand that?)

The East High Wildcats decide to put on their final show together at their school: a musical about their twelfth grade experience. It'll be a pretty unique musical because, for once, they won't have to play a character they'll be playing themselves! But due to her incredible intelligence, Gabriella, the female protagonist, is offered to skip her senior year in high school and go to straight onto college right away. Will she accept Standard's offer, leaving her friends, boyfriend, and the musical behind? Will Troy, the male protagonist, chose to continue with basketball or will he chose a career than involves acting? Will Sharpay win a scholarship to New York's Julliard University of Performing Arts or will her brother? Will Ryan and Kelsi find true love? Find out in this exciting conclusion to one of the world's greatest film series! The only good thing recently produced by the screwed-up Disney Channel! Yes I hate Disney Channel, Hannah Montana, Cory in the House, Jonas Brothers, and all of the other inappropriate teen shows they've decided to put on a children's channel. But High School Musical is different. It teaches both kids and teens a valuable lesson and it allows adults to revisit their past. The plot is actually relevant to what many people feel and...it's a teenage musical! You don't see something like that everyday! Just watching Troy and Gabriella perform a beautiful waltz is reason enough to buy this film. Also, the old fashioned music at the end proves that rap, hip hop, and pop isn't always what you'll see in a teenage film.

The songs are as original, catchy, and wonderful as they are visually stunning! During "Scream," the turning walls that represent Troy's confusion are spectacular! The disappearing pictures on the wall in Gabriella's solo "Walk Away" were really quite sad. The Statue of Liberty that shoots fireworks out of its head in "I Want It All" is amazing. The sets in "A Night To Remember" will leave you with your mouth wide open. "Right Here Right Now," "Can I Have This Dance," and "Just Wanna Be With You" are three incredible romance songs. And, of course, Troy and Chad turning into little boys in "The Boys Are Back" was really cute. That reminds, "Right Here Right Now" and "The Boys Are Back" are so of my favorites because of what they talk about: not wanting to grow up. Anyway, n case you forgot or are too lazy to read the customer reviews for the HSM3 soundtrack, here are the songs:

1. "Now Or Never" Troy and the Wildcats basketball team

2. "Right Here, Right Now" Troy and Gabriella

3. "I Want It All" Sharpay and Ryan [A TRUE BROADWAY SONG!]

4. "Can I Have This Dance? (Version I)" Troy and Gabriella

5. "A Night To Remember" cast!

6. "Just Wanna Be With You" Ryan & Kelsi, Troy & Gabriella

7. "The Boys Are Back" Troy and Chad

8. "Walk Away" Gasbriella

9. "Scream" Troy

10. "Can I Have This Dance? (Version II)" Troy and Gabriella

11. "Senior Year Spring Musical" ***made up of reprises of NOW OR NEVER (Chad, the Wildcats basket team, cheerleaders), I WANT IT ALL (Ryan), JUST WANNA BE WITH YOU (Sharpay & Jimmy, and later Troy and Gabriella), and A Night To Remember (Sharpay vs. Tiara), as well as a new song: Last Chance (Ryan and Kelsi)***

12. "We're All In This Together" cast!

13. "High School Musical" cast!

14. "Just Getting Started" during the end credits, winner of the Get In The Picture ABC7 contest

By the way, during the "I Want It All," you actually see Gabriella The Maid a bit more than you did in the theaters because you see that part of the song in a different camera angle than you did in theaters. That also lets you see an important-looking lady giving Ryan a newspaper with him and Sharpay on the cover. This is not due to the extended edition thing because the song is the same length, but, like I said, the camera angle is different so you see more things.

The special features on this Blu-ray are freakin' cool! Even though it's a single disc release, it has the exact same content found on the Two-Disc release, plus more! These are the Special Features (the last two aren't found on the two-disc release).

-Extended Version Of The Movie

-Optional Sing Along Version

-Bloopers

-Deleted Scenes

-"Cast Goodbyes" feature

-"Night Of Nights" feature

-"It's All In The Dress" feature

-"Senior Awards" feature

-New Cast Profiles

In addition, just like in the Two-Disc release, you can download a digital copy of the movie. And as if that weren't enough, it comes with the first disc of the Two-Disc Edition!!!!! Now you can watch the movie practically anywhere because you have the regular version as well as the Blu-ray version!!!! What do you know, it is a two disc after all. ^_^

I thought HSM 3 was an awesome movie. The acting and songs were amazing. I am just sad to see an excellent triology come to an end.

In high school musical 3 you get to see all of the emotions and changes that happen during senior year. You get to see Troy and Gabriella's relationship progress, you get to see what everyone's future is going to be, you get to see prom (Troy and Gabriella look amazing and so does the rest of the class), you get to see everyone graduate, and you get to see everyone say goodbye to each other which was really sad. There are some really hard decisions to be made in this movie and I think everyone did an excellent job acting it out.

Overall this movie was great. It was played out really well. When you are watching this movie you really feel like you are also saying goodbye to the cast and its really sad.

I wish the entire cast good luck with everything they do in the future.

If you love the first two high school musical films then I know you'll love this one as well.

The Extended version of the film comes with an extended version of the film, sing alongs, cast interviews, bloopers and so much more. I highly recommend you pick up the extended version of the film instead of the theatrical version. It is well worth the extra money.

Buy High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Deluxe Extended Edition + Digital Copy + DVD and BD Live) (2008) Now

This movie is about Troy who struggles with the dilemma of whether to play basketball or sing all while trying to keep his girlfriend. Pretty much, it's the same thing as High School Musical 1.

I wont knock the movie for having a trivial story because high school kids care about trivial things. My biggest problem is, none of the characters seem to have grown at all since the first movie. Troy still doesn't know what he wants to do, Sharpay is still a back stabbing creep, and Gabriella is still the airhead girlfriend she was in the first film. The only difference here is, this is senior year and they leave each other in the end.

The musical numbers are all very well done. The main star of the movie is the choreographer who has to handle all the 30 year old dancers pretending to be 18 year olds. The songs are pretty good but they're not really all that memorable. I doubt kids that watch this today will be singing these songs when they're adults. This is not Grease. But it is good clean fun and it's nice to see young people interested in musicals.

I wish the songs weren't so incredibly over produced. Every time they start singing, it doesn't sound like they're in the real world anymore. It sounds like they're in a studio. Especially Vanessa Hudgens who sounds like her voice had to be worked over in a computer. But it still sounds whiny and nasal. Contrast this movie with Hairspray. In that movie the musical numbers just seemed to fit and blend in with the story and not seem like music videos.

However, the movie was still very enjoyable and I would recommend it for young people. Better they see movies about kids going off to college than movies about drugs and sex.

Read Best Reviews of High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Deluxe Extended Edition + Digital Copy + DVD and BD Live) (2008) Here

This movie was really cute. Zac Efron did a great job. Vanessa Hudgens, gorgeous and the supporting actors helped round out this final sequel. If you enjoy musicals you'll enjoy this.

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this movie shows a lot of team work and students working together to do something great! I thoroughly enjoyed the music and dancing in this outrageous display of young talent!

GoldenEye (2013)

This review refers to the MGM Special Edition DVD of "GOLDENEYE".....

007 is Back! In 1995 the long awaited 17th in the James Bond series was here. The world had been through some changes, and so had Bond. He is now being played by the irresistible Pierce Brosnan. He was the Goldenboy who is remarkably suited to play the dapper, sophistacated, handsome, suave, witty,adventurous,(should I go on, I think you know the rest)007 in "GOLDENEYE".

So even though the world had been through all kinds of changes, there were still evil villans out there who nedeed to be stopped.

James daringly breaks and enters(by way of a super bungi jump) into a Russian Major Weapons facility. Along with 006(not for too long though), he fights off the blazing guns of the soldiers, sets an expolsive, fights some more, goes flying through the air, catches an out of control small plane,

stops it from crashing into a mountainside, and escapes in the nick of time as the massive explosion goes off. And YIKES..that's all in the first ten minutes even before the opening credits begin to roll! We haven't even gotten

to the state of the art gadgetry, the great car or the devastatingly beautiful women yet.

But have no fear Bond fans it's all here.Lots more action. adventure,humor, hi tech gizmos and yes don't forget the car and the girl! In this one(does it really matter what it's about?), our hero must rescue the world once more when a Satelitte System with amazing capabilites, falls into the hands of the bad guys and will be used as a powerful weapon against mankind.I don't want to give away too much for those that haven't seen it but suffice it to say you are in for some great action and some terrific storyline surprises as well, and yeah the romance too.

"Goldeneye" still under the supervision of the Broccoli's is directed by Martin Campbell. It also stars, Sean Bean, Joe Don Baker, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, as "Natalya Onatopp"(what a great name),Samantha Bond as "Miss Moneypenny". Desmond Llewelyn as "Q" and of course Judi Dench as "M".

It's got great cinematopgraphy and as always fabulous Bond Music.

You'll love this DVD. It's got everything you could want. Top quality picture and sound. The widescreen theatrical release format. A beautiful crystal clear transfer. Bold and vivid colors. Dol Dig Surround(5.1) that is tremenndous. If you love extra's, you'll have a field day( or week) with this one. There's commentary, a making of featurette, an eye catching Video with Tina Turner and much more(see the tech info for

complete list). It may be viewed in French(stereo)and has subtitles in English and French if needed. It also comes with a booklet with lots of facts and info.

Oh and Bond still takes his martinis "shaken, not stirred".

So "activate your navigation system now" and..

Have fun with this one.....Laurie

A lot people would claim that the Daniel Craig era Bond movies are the most hyped, especially Casino Royale and Skyfall, but back in November 1995, as a 15-year-old, I felt more hype and anticipation building around the release of Goldeneye. It was the first Bond movie in 6 years, the longest gap in the series, after audiences were turned off by the dark, angry License to Kill (still my favorite Bond movie). The old crew was gone, and a new star, M, Moneypenny, headquarters, and director were brought on board.

While many of the people in the cinema that Saturday evening were thrilled by GoldenEye, I wasn't so smitten. After a summer of Die Hard 3, Waterworld, and Under Siege 2 the poor effects and model-work of this Bond movie failed to impress. But not only that, the script is poor, the villain is weak, and there are grating contrivances. 17 years on, the mid-90s tech on show and exposition that a 5-year-old could now follow date the film badly.

It begins in 1986 with 007 and 006 (an unconvincing Sean Bean, then 35, playing a 50-year-old for the most part) infiltrating a Russian base. Mr. Bean doesn't make it. Nine years later Bond is on leave, with a psychiatrist evaluating if he's still fit for the job. Meanwhile the Ruskie General he crossed years earlier is now in cahoots with Mr. Bean (you didn't really think they'd hire an actor of that caliber to be killed in the first scene did you?) and plans to rob the Bank of England and reset the balance with the help of a special satellite. You see 006 is actually a Cossack descended from blah...blah...blah. Yeah, that's the villain's motivation.

The harsh, realistic tone of LTK is gone. The annoying fantasy of Moore-era 007 is back. Why the producers thought this was the way to go is beyond me. Thankfully, Tomorrow Never Dies was better. But Goldeneye is quite overrated and I can't find any justification for its popularity.

The Blu-ray is a travesty. When the Special Edition DVD came out in 2006 it was in the wrong aspect ratio, with picture cut off at the sides. Fans were not pleased. So when it was time to produce a Blu-ray, instead of doing a Lowry restoration like they did for EVERY other Bond movie released on the format they decided to go back to the high-def master used for the 1997 DVD (HD masters did exist back then, but only for studio use), in fact I wouldn't be surprised if this is even the same master used for the 1996 Laserdisc. But to make it look more modern they have applied a criminal amount of digital noise reduction, turning the movie into a waxy mess. Shots that scream out for fine detail come across as a 90s CD-ROM cut-scene. Make no mistake, this is a DVD in Blu-ray clothing. It's ghastly! The sound fares better in DTS HD-MA, and there are plenty of extras, but the video quality kills it.

MGM should initiate a replacement disc policy. GoldenEye needs to be remastered properly and given away free to people who were suckered into buying this frisbee. Make no mistake, it's one of the worst Blu-rays I've seen.

Buy GoldenEye (2013) Now

In "Goldeneye", James Bond, played for the first time by Pierce Brosnan, must prevent an ex-MI6 agent, Alec Trevelyan, from detonating a powerful electromatic pulse, via satellite, over London. The pulse would render all electronics in London totally useless, and Trevelyan would seize that opportunity to electronically rob the Bank Of London. Along the way, Bond is assisted by computer programmer Natalya Simonova, who has extensive knowledge of the goldeneye satellite. Bond's other enemies throughout the movie include Trevelyan's sidekick, Russian General Ouromov (who has betrayed his government); Boris, a computer programmer who was once a comrade of Natalya, but betrayed her; and Zenia Onatopp, a dark, sexually charged woman who takes pleasure in making love, and killing. She especially enjoys killing WHILE making love ;)

The feel of "Goldeneye" is rather dark and serious, although there are comical moments strewn throughout the movie (so it's not quite as stiff as either of Dalton's Bond movies). There are a wide array of characters featured in the movie, all of whom are thoroughly enjoyable, and well written. The actors playing them are especially entertaining to watch. Kudos to Izabella Scorupco, who is not only gorgeous, but plays the part of Natalya very memorably. Famke Janssen is also magnificent as Onatopp, and there has not been any Bond villian quite as quirky or devilish as Onatopp since (what Bond villainess has ever licked Bond's face, and then beaten him up? Just Onatopp!). Pierce Brosnan, of course, fits right in as James Bond, and manages to combine elements of a dark edge with a touch of a light side.

"Goldeneye" works very well as a Bond movie. The plot is intruiging, and moves along at a perfect pace, keeping the viewer interested. The action sequences in the movie are very well done, immensely enjoyable to watch. Eric Serra's music fits the movie PERFECTLY, and in my opinion, the producers should have invited him back for more films. His score adds a dark undertone to the movie, something which all of Brosnan's Bond movies afterwards would painfully lack.

Characterization is also important in the movie. One of the most memorable scenes has Bond sitting on a Caribbean beach at sunset, staring out at the ocean, and thinking about his inevitable confrontation with Trevelyan, who used to be an old friend. Natalya walks over to Bond, and questions how he can be so cold, so dark. "It's what keeps me alive," Bond replies, before the two of them go off to make love. It's a shame Brosnan was not given more scenes such as this one in future Bond films... it certainly makes "Goldeneye" unique, and deep.

Read Best Reviews of GoldenEye (2013) Here

It is difficult to recreate in words the sheer visceral thrill of seeing this film for the first time in a proper movie theater...but I will indeed try. Each time I see this film, I'm reminded of just how great a turnaround this movie made for the Bond series. Some of you may not remember that there was a six-year period where the future of James Bond was indeed in question, thanks to the commercial failure of "Licence to Kill". This movie singlehandedly put Bond back on the cinematic map with a vengeance. And justifiably so, for it is perhaps the best-constructed post-On Her Majesty's Secret Service Bond film. All of the classic Bond elements are well-utilized, be they the gadgets, the lethal enemy, the beautiful ally, the bombastic theme song, or the one-liners which Timothy Dalton never really looked comfortable saying. Pierce Brosnan, despite some stiffness, is indeed suited for the part and we instantly can accept him as Bond. A more psychologically complex and to some extent more vulnerable Bond he is, which makes his portrayal all the more interesting.

And, perhaps most importantly, the film itself LOOKS good. Martin Campbell deserves much credit for his directorial effort; the film is visually a world apart from predecessor John Glen's rather tepid later efforts.

It's difficult to call this film a classic, at least at the present time (it's still a relatively new film, after all) -but my guess is that this Bond entry will stand up well to the test of time...The Man With The Golden Gun, it ain't!

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It is diffcult to argue with success and Pierce Brosnan'sdebut as James Bond, after the character's 6 year absence from the screen, made more money than any of the previous Bonds (although perhaps not in 60s dollars).

Every Bond actor seems to bring something to the role. Connery, of course, was the epitome of 60s cool. Dalton had Connery's determination, Moore his sense of comic delivery even Lazenby brought a physicality to the role. Brosnan moves extremely well, too, and I suppose is the cloest thing to the well-rounded Connery interpretation, although I am not a great Brosnan fan.

My big problem with this film (besides the music) is the screenplay. So many of what are supposed to be witty remarks make no sense as replies to Bond (Example Bond: What would I do without you, Moneypenny? Moneypenny: As far as I can remember, you've never had me. This seems a ridiculous thing to say when someone is complimenting you.) And I don't like how the "9 years later" legend on the screen seems to invalidate the Dalton films. And that opening stunts. Other Bond stunts may be implausible, but skydiving after a plane that's jist gone off a cliff??

While I am happy the filmmakers try to tell us something new about Bond (that reference to Bond's parents is a first for the series and right out of Fleming), this idea of 006 being Bond's best friend, No, no the 00s never work together. Never. MI6 could not afford to lose 2 high caliber agents at the same time. It is good to see the character of Chief of Staff Bill Tanner (previously in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY) included.

This special DVD is really the same as the previous laserdisc release, but since it is supposed to be "special" it would have been nice if photos of Brosnan being on the set of FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (his wife was in that film) had been included. It also would have been nice if Brosnan's Diet Coke commercials, obviously Bond themed and airing when he lost the role in 1986 to Timothy Dalton, could have been included.

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The 39 Steps (The Criterion Collection) (1935)

I just ordered the Criterion Hitchcock "set" which includes "The 39 Steps", a movie I've watched many times over the last 20 years, but NEVER in a form this crisp and well-transfered; it's been restored beautifully, and as with all the films("My Man Godfrey" and "The Lady Vanishes", to name two)that have been kicking around with duped, grainy, fuzzy prints for the last 60-some years that were FINALLY restored-it's almost like watching a new movie-even if you'd thought you'd memorized all the dialogue and action! There's just so much that's missed in a bad print. Here, we have Hitch at his finest....there just isn't a dull second in this film. It's really as sure-fire as any movie ever made, in terms of entertainment. I believe this too was Hitchcock's first huge breakout international hit, although happily for us, he didn't "go Hollywood" for another 3 years or so(and gave us the later "Lady Vanishes"-another Criterion must-have).

One caveat: if you're like me(hopeless film buff), you often get these Criterions for not only the fantastic quality of the print but for the often illuminating audio tracks, usually provided by experts of one type or another; I've never quibbled with any of them before, but I have to say, don't expect Marion Keane's wall-to-wall droning to be worth it. There's generally two kinds of film "discussion"(not counting the sort where the actual director or actors gab, which we get with new films): the sort that's superb, like Rudy Behlmer's on "Adventures of Robin Hood"-an amalgam of film history, film technique, on-the-fly biographies of the actors you're watching, tidbits about the production locations, etc.etc.-nd then there's the OTHER kind:

film "semiotics". In other words, a commentator turns a smashing, hugely exciting and entertaining movie into a dull excercise in psychoanalysis. Virtually NOTHING is said about any of the particulars of "The 39 Steps" that isn't a parsing of the symbolism, the framing, that sort of thing. That stuff's there, of course, and I'll hand it to her that the speaker *does* mention Robert Donat's acting several times(it's excellent, of course!)-but you know, for all her blather about the poignancy of the scene of the Crofter's wife, you'd think that she might bother to tell us the actress' name(Peggy Ashcroft), the fact that this was one of her few films, that she was a huge stage star eventually, etc. The sort of thing that other audio tracks do so well.

If you don't get the Criterion Edition, you will be getting an inferior transfer of this film: fuzzy images, fuzzier sound...yuck! The "bad" transfers include the one that Tony Curtis introduces.

Again, look for the Criterion Edition.

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A stylish blend of mystery, romance and light humor, "The 39 Steps" is one of Alfred Hitchcock's finest achievements. Unfortunately, the public-domain status of this 1935 classic has resulted in plenty of inferior video copies at cheap prices. Avoid them! You're better off purchasing the Criterion release, which features a stunning 35mm print and some nice bonuses. "The 39 Steps" represents the highpoint of Hitchcock's British period and should be seen in the best possible quality. In terms of value for money, the Criterion version remains second to none.

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One of his masterpieces! From 1935.. "The Thirty Nine Steps" has Hitch's trademark style all through it.An innocent man gets involved with spies and counter spies. He is at the music hall, watching a "Memory Act"(which is quite a scene in itself),there's a gun shot, panic erupts and everyone runs out. A mysterious woman attaches herself to him and comes home with him. She reveals she is spy and others are after her. She mentions the mysterious "Thirty Nine Steps", and the next morning he finds her dead. He goes on the run for fear he will be implicated in the murder and in order to prove his innocence he must uncover this spy ring on his own. His path is fraught with danger, suspense and of course a beautiful woman. It stars Robert Donat,Madeline Carroll(you know how Hitch loved those beautiful cool blondes!), and Lucie Mannheim(as Annabela the spy).Also look for his trademark staircase scene.

Looking for Hitch: Less than 10 minutes in, you'll spy him. What a litter bug!

A must have to add to any Hitch collection...enjoy...Laurie

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Five stars in all might make me sound like an easy-to-please viewer, but I don't see how this DVD could be better. Criterion never disappoints, so if you're buying this film it's worth paying extra for this one. I believe the transfer is way superior and the extras go on longer than an awards night.

The documentary focuses on Hitchcock's British films, which aren't as widely seen these days and also a complete radio broadcast from 1937. Talk about diggin' up some material! I also enjoyed the commentary and that press book stuff. I'm not even sure I've seen it all. Actually, I'm still not sure what The 39 Steps really is exactly, but who cares? I pity people who don't watch certain movies because they're old and black & white. The reason people should see this film is because no one can make a film like this anymore. This is a great film, don't miss it.

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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (2011)

I'm not a Mike Myers fan, and I avoided this film--and its sequels--like the plague when they were on the big screen. But I now know the error of my ways: AUSTIN POWERS is one of the freshest bits of purely entertaining, mindless fluff to come along in quite a while, the perfect antedote to an overcast and bad-mood sort of day.

The story is an amalgamation of the more excessive plot ideas of such films as DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and OUR MAN FLINT. Fashion photographer by day and swinging spy by night, Austin Powers is the toast of psychedelic London--and more than a match for Dr. Evil. But when Dr. Evil has himself frozen, Powers does the same, and the two defrost some thirty years later and resume their battle in the much more up-tight 1990s. The most obvious target of the spoof is the James Bond films, but fans of 1960s film will have a field day spotting the film's take offs on such characters as Matt Helm, Derek Flint, Emma Peel, celebrities like The Beatles and Andy Warhol, and such diverse films as THE TENTH VICTIM and the camp classic DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMB. And dare we mention the sixties' own classic swinging spy spoof, the infamous CASINO ROYALE?

Myers is greatly amusing in the double role of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, both of whom have considerable difficulty adjusting to everything from safe sex to inflation, and Elizabeth Hurley is quite good in the Diana Rigg-ish role of sidekick Vanessa Kensington. But the real fun here is in the details--and the details include every one from Michael York to Robert Wagner to Burt Bacharach to Carrie Fisher, "Fembots" with killer pasties, and Italian sexpot Fabiana Udenio as a character with the most devastating name since Honor Blackman hit the screen in GOLDFINGER. The soundtrack is just as swinging as it gets, with blasts of everything from "These Boots Are Made For Walking" and "I Touch Myself." And look for a hilarious spoof of Bob Fosse-inspired choreography during the main credits!

You won't find any deep thoughts in AUSTIN POWERS, and thank heaven for it: giggles and grins are the order of the day, and the film delivers them in abundance. The DVD is a nice one as well, offering your choice of widescreen or pan-and-scan, some entertaining notes and deleted scenes, and amusing commentary. Buy it and keep on your shelf for that rainy day.

Mike Myers is rapidly becoming, if he isn't already, the heir apparent to Mel Brooks in the sense that he is a master of jokes based on bodily functions. AUSTIN POWERS--INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY has all the elements of scatalogical humor: urination, fornication, masturbation, penis enlargement (almost anything to do with the penis really), allotta fagina, femmebots with gun barrel breasts... jeez, he even has a long scene in a toilet booth (with a fun cameo by Tom Arnold). And like Brooks, Myers is a master of movie genre satire. If Brooks had taken on a 007 spoof, it would pretty close to this. And Brooks would play multiple roles as well.

Still, Myers is to be congratuated for his undoubted originality. His interpretation and reinterpretation of 60s and 70s pop culture, which he also demonstrated a mastery of in WAYNE'S WORLD, is his own. Part Bond movie, part Laugh-In, part sci-fi, all hilarious, AUSTIN POWERS is one of the best comedies to have emerged in the 90s.

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I have to laugh my head off when I read negative reviews from people who say the movie is stupid. Gee, you think?. It is supposed to be. Some people, like the one star review below, were completely lost on the joke. Over their heads. So many don't understand comedy like that. Mike Meyers created one of the funniest and most memorable comedic characters of the last decade with this hilarious and silly and over the top comedy spoofing the James Bond series. Auatin Powers is a British spy with horrible teeth and a raging libido. Austin's main arch nemesis is Dr. Evil(also played by Meyers), who, with his bald head and cat and manner of speech is an obvious spoof of recurring 007 villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Evil freezes himself and programs the cryogenic chamber to unthaw him in the late 1990's. Austin decides he will do the same thing so he can be there to stop Dr. Evil with his dastardly scheme for global domination. Did I mention that Austin was also a photographer by day?. The guy just never stops. There are rumors that Meyers also fashioned the Dr. Evil character after his old boss, "SNL" maestro Lorne Michaels. Seth Green(who seems to pop up all the time)is hilarious as Scott Evil, Dr. Evil's angst ridden teen son. There scenes together are priceless. Equally as good is Mindy Sterling as Evil's assistant. Robert Wagner(does this guy age?)plays Number 2, another henchman. "SNL"'s Will Ferrell pops up as well. The 'girl' is none other than the lovely and beautiful Elizabeth Hurley, as Vanessa Kensington. A most perfect choice in the casting department if you know what I mean and I think you do. This movie is written, designed, filmed, and acted with the intention of just having a good time. This isn't comedy that'll make you think days afterwards. This is pure popcorn cotton candy people. Meyers is a master at different characters. He really brings them to life with their very own characteristics and mannerisms. He is brilliantly talented. The movie has many laugh out loud moments that make this movie the best spoof in many a moon. Again, the humorless droids who ridicule it as stupid have obviously missed the point. Of course it is. You may think your bashing it, but your basically saying that it did what it was supposed to do and it succeeded. Totally lost on those people. "The Spy Who Shagged Me" was even better, and now "Goldmember" is coming up. Let's hope that Austin and Dr. Evil have more adventures down the road. Oh behave!!.

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Austin Powers would have to be one of the funniest movies of the decade. That is why it is so disapointing that scenes in the original movie have been cut from this DVD version. Rob Lowe and Lois Chiles were relegated to the deleted scenes section of the DVD but at least they "appeared" albeit not in the movie itself. Where was Christian Slater and the famed "Orange Sher-bert" scene? Not to be found. True fans of Austin Powers may be disappointed with the DVD version.

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I LOVE this movie, but I am reviewing the DVD, not the movie. The DVD transfer for this movie is atrocious. The aspect ratio is wrong. There are grainy scenes and scenes where the film was obviously dirty. Need a new transfer from the master laser disks.

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Aircraft at War: The Memphis Belle Deluxe Edition

This is, quite simply, one of the best wartime documentaries shot during WWII. It chronicles the 25th mission of 'The Memphis Belle" a B-17 and its crew that flew early in the air war over Europe when losses were staggering and survival of men and machines was doubtful over a 25-mission tour. Shot by William Wyler, the film is in full color, much of it shot in combat conditions over Europe. The narration is excellent.

This is not a very long film, but it is a must for anyone interested in the air war. I highly recommend another documentary to better understand the air war if you enjoy 'Memphis Belle'. It is called "Pistol Packing Mama: The Missions of a B-17", also available through Amazon.com. Taken together, these two videos will give the general viewer an excellent idea of the dangers of flying early in the war and of the resiliency and courage of the crews.

Do not expect the camera work to be smooth in the aerial combat sequences. Remember that the plane was shuddering with the recoil of its guns and also under instense fire. Also, the cameraman was probably having second thoughts about coming along on the mission at all! To me, the camera work only intensifies the drama of the battle.

Highly recommended. Not to be confused with the Hollywood version of 1990, with the same title. This is fact, that one is historical fiction. Both are worth your time.

When I first saw "The Memphis Belle" as a kid, I was absolutely riveted to the screen. This is the legendary movie that inspired a Hollywood film (not great but not terrible -made just before digital effects came into the world that would have produced a far better film) and has become the touchstone document of what WWII was like for the bomber crews. It's been said that none other than George Lucas used Memphis Belle in the rough cuts of Star Wars to create battle sequences. One watching of this movie and you will understand why -harrowing close calls and dead on the screen as B-17s tumble out of control, it just leaves you breathless. The moving commentary and score make it all that more amazing. It still blows all but the best that Hollywood made, such as "12 O'Clock High" off the screen. This deluxe edition version of the film is truly outstanding, and features several other films about the B-17 and has a wonderful recruiting movie starring who else but James Stewart, my favorite Hollywood actor.

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The 1944 William Wyler film "Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress" is a classic. Featuring some of the most compelling footage of the war in the skies over Europe, this version is, by far, the best looking I've ever seen.

While the "widescreen" version loses the top and bottom to fit, I personally think the "fullscreen" version (both of which are provided) looks crisp and sharp. The chapter notes provided with the set explain that the opening graphics were not available in original form at the Archives and National Air and Space Museum, so those portions have not been restored.

And the extra bonus footage is superb. I have some of the other Aircraft Films products (the F4U and F4F disc sets) and most of it has crisp, clear footage. I, too, would love to have more sound on future releases, but having the footage, much of which I've never seen and isn't available elsewhere, is very nice.

I recommend the set highly.

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This wartime documentary celebrates the successful return of the B-17 bomber Memphis Belle, named after pilot Robert Morgan's girlfriend, from its twenty-fifth and final bombing mission over German soil, but it also makes clear the fact that this was only one of many such planes filled with heroic young men prepared to die for their country and for freedom. Director William Wyler basically takes the viewer through a typical day in the lives of the American men serving at an undisclosed air base in Britain. Ground crewmen prepare the B-17s for flight and load the bombs they will drop, pilots and crew receive their briefing on the mission ahead, death is delivered to the German homeland in the form of fire from the sky, and the pilots bring their bombers home if they can. The bravery of the ten men who served onboard each B-17 bomber is beyond question; while these incredible airplanes earned the right to be called flying fortresses, each mission bordered on the suicidal. The bomber was a large and slow yet deadly aircraft; the pilots had to hold formation and concentrate on dropping their bombs amidst anti-aircraft fire from the ground, the pursuit and attack of much quicker German fighters, and constant bursts of flak all over the sky; with no fighter escort, the gunners stationed atop, behind, and astride each plane had their hands full trying to shoot down enemy planes. This film, built around actual combat footage taken from 16mm and 35mm onboard cameras, presents a telling and impressively realistic look at the incredible dangers all bomber crewmen faced.

Some speak about the propaganda aspects of this film. It is true that the war in Europe raged on when the film was released by the War Department in April 1944, and it is also true that Wylie used footage from several missions as well as some film from a second air combat unit, but the heroism on display here rises far above propaganda. To return home from a bombing mission was a small miracle in and of itself, as can clearly be seen in the extensive damage to both crew and aircraft for many of those that did make it back to the base. What makes the Memphis Belle such a legend is the fact that the crew took the plane out on twenty-five bombing runs and returned home each and every time. As the film shows us, this accomplishment earned all ten of the Memphis Belle's crewmen distinguished service medals, a visit from the King and Queen of England, and a trip back to the States to help teach future crewmen how to fly the B-17 bombers that continued to prove themselves instrumental in the eventual Allied victory over the Third Reich.

I might make note of the fact that this film is actually in color not a vibrant sort of color but color nonetheless and runs a little short of forty-five minutes in length. Those with an interest in aerial combat or World War II in general should find much to interest them in this inspirational look at the Memphis Belle and the brave American men who flew her.

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Excellent film, a must see!!!

Did a great job digitally remastering the original version, came out beautifully, the extra footage section has lots of cool stuff.

Basically a must for enthusiasts!!

A Hard Day's Night (Collector's Edition) (Blu-ray) (2009)

Hard to believe that Miramax Entertainment could mess up this DVD so horribly. An anniversary release of one of the most important films of the 20th century no less. Shame on them.

There are a lot of raves here about the fact that the film is being presented "letterboxed" for the first time. Actually, it's just the first time the top and bottom of the picture have been chopped off for no reason! "A Hard Day's Night" was filmed in Academy standard 1.37:1. Slightly wider than your average TV tube, but not anything close to the 1.66:1 chop job on the new DVD. Full-frame would have been the proper presentation.

As for the audio...they DID clean up the dialog portions of the movie, so for perhaps the first time EVER, you can actually HEAR what everyone is saying and it no longer sounds like they are speaking into an Edison cylinder recorder.

But oh, the music. They replaced the original mono soundtrack with the standard mono AHDN CD to replace the overmodulated music on the original film. Never mind that there were a couple of different mixes in there that they should have left alone ("Tell Me Why", "And I Love Her", "If I Fell") BUT...they went and added microdelay and phasing to create some kind of a half-assed 5.1 mix that through a standard stereo or mono downmixed output makes the audio sound phase-y and hollow. This is worse than the original mono mix (available on the original Beta & VHS release from 1982 or the print aired on AMC several years ago) and the fact that the standard mono mix was NOT made available as alternate audio on the disc (as it was on the "Yellow Submarine" DVD) is an oversight punishable by public stoning.

As for all the bonus material...not ONE interview with an actual Beatle? Not even McCartney? The closest we get is George Martin?

The person behind this mess is none other than Martin Lewis, self-proclaimed Beatle "expert" and all around media whore. Lewis' involvement explains why no-one at Apple would have anything to do with the project. With some two-hours of useless interviews as "bonus" material, here's what you DON'T get:

The original theatrical trailers

The reissue theatrical trailers

The original theatrical "making-of" featurette

The surviving outtake footage ("You Can't Do That") [which, as a sidenote was left off the MPI DVD, making having the VHS & Laserdisc necessary]

The aforementioned MPI documentary DVD

Any surviving still photos of the other missing sequences

Running commentary on an alternate audio track

The promised (but not included) Richard Lester's "Running Jumping Standing Still Movie"

Anything of any relevance.

What makes this all the worse is that the image looks terrific. However, it's been so horribly trashed that the only proper place for this DVD is the trash can or as a trade in at the used DVD store.

Anyone who owns the original MPI DVD should hold on to it and save thier tewnty bucks.

Thanks to my friend Steve for enlightening me on this...

When I finally decided to consider replacing my old MPI VHS tape copy of A Hard Day's Night (MP 1064) with the currently available 2 DVD set, I read the reviews on this listing to see if it was really worth re-buying something I've only occasionally watched over the last twenty or so years. It's not that I dislike the movie far from it It's just that this is one of those movies I can only watch once in a while with interest. Which only means; it's dated, although in the best possible way. But I love it, and having it as a VHS cassette rotting on my shelf made no sense, so I looked into the DVD.

I knew this was one of the first DVDs released and I've heard some which sound pretty bad, generally due to excessive echo from a careless transfer. And after reading the reviews here, I was expecting the music to be trash. (I took the precaution of making a digital recording of the soundtrack of the tape.) Also screen-cropping was an issue. I prefer widescreen when I can get it, but if someone actually cut part of the image off, which is what at least one reviewer seemed to be saying, that's catastrophic. Needless to say, I did approach this DVD with extreme caution.

But I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. As for the sound, my dread turned to relief when I heard that the Beatles' music on this DVD sounds as clean and pure as I could hope, with my only beef being that it is rendered in mono, rather than the "hi-fi" stereo of the VHS. But strangely, I found that in this case, mono works better. Instead of shifting from mono dialogue to stereo music, the DVD is completely mono, which makes for a more consistent viewing experience. For the performance section at the end, I believe a bit more echo was added to make it sound more "live." But as it's all studio tracks anyway, the alteration is somewhat justified and actually does add to the illusion you're listening to the Beatles perform, rather than lip-sync.

On the cropping; This DVD is in widescreen, which admittedly does make the image smaller and harder to see on the small screen. So why would anyone crop a movie to make it appear widescreen when it'd be better full? Profit? (So they could sell us another copy later on.) Possibly, but for some reason in this instance, I doubted it. What I did to check was pick an object in the movie close enough to the top of the full screen video that if it were cropped, would certainly not show up on the wide. I picked the helicopter propeller blades near the end of the movie, when you can see their top, before it takes off. I found that they were not cropped off on the DVD, although I'll grant it may be that they were closer to the top of the screen. But this may appear so due to the reduced size of the picture. In any case, if there is any cropping, it's not obtrusive.

So why all the carping? I'm going to guess because it's not the way you remember it. Take the fans' word for it, but for my money, the fact that I can actually hear what everyone's saying, plus the interviews, makes the DVD preferable.

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Being a big Beatle fan, and a big fan of this movie, I highly anticipated the arrival of this title on DVD. The sound on this DVD is bad, there is absolutely no dynamic range. The volume level seems to hover at the same level through out the film, there is no difference in volume between the scenes when there is a quiet conversation and the scenes where the band is playing. I also own the title on laserdisc and let me tell you, the laserdisc has at least 30 db of dynamic range. While watching this film on laserdisc, you can adjust the level of playback so that the scenes where there is conversation is a comfortable 75 db, and when the band plays it jumps up to an ear thumping 105 db or more. This DVD lacks ooph, the band sounds like their playing in a box. This film deserves a better sound treatment, I highly recommend boycotting the DVD and lets wait till they release it in it's proper state.

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I grew up with The Beatles and they remain my all time favorite group, the model for almost all that was to come for the next 15 years or so. I was very excited to learn 'A Hard Days Night' was being released on Blu Ray and had high hopes for a major improvement in both picture and sound quality.

I will assume the reader has SEEN this movie so instead of reviewing the film I will instead give my impressions of the Blu Ray release.

'A Hard Days Night' is presented in glorious black and white with a 1.66 aspect ratio that is almost the original aspect ratio. In my experience every home released version of this movie has had a slightly different cropping job done to it, some better than others. The framing for this Blu Ray release looks to me the same as the Miramax DVD version which I assume the master was sourced from. On my display I choose not to use over-scan and thus it almost fills the entire 16:9 screen with a small amount of top and bottom pillaring. Unfortunately since the original negatives were not sourced and rescanned/remastered we are only allowed a 1080i presentation which may cause some unwanted combing effects if your display and/or player can not properly de-interlaced the video. Most people won't notice anything in that regard but I thought I would mention it for the picky out there, myself included.

How does the picture stack up against the latest Miramax DVD or even the fabled MPI DVD? Bottom line is, you DO get more detail. While the contrast levels are just a bit washed out compared to the MPI DVD version, the overall picture quality is a fair step up from ANY previous home video release. It is a sad thing to say, but it COULD have been much much better. Even just using the same exact film elements and rescanning at 2 or 4k with 1080p output resolution and a few contrast/brightness tweaks would have REALLY made this film pop big time. Mind you, it is no where near to "poor quality" in appearance. From time to time you get an almost 3D pop, but just barely and then ti is gone and you have been teased, seeing what COULD have been with this release and wasn't. Obviously they have taken the easy cheap way out here by using the existing production master which was never progressive in nature to begin with. Oh well, it is still much better than any existing home video product and I am glad to own it.

What about the sound quality? Many are raving about it. It is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio so what could go wrong...right? For the most part, not much. Dialogue is crisp and as clean as you will ever get from this movie, which was done quickly and 'on the cheap' back in 1964 when The Beatles were running their mop tops off and had very little time for extra takes or for much ADR dubbing after the fact.

Most of the music sounds better than it EVER has and that is the main sell point for me. Presented in the highest fidelity available for now, theses tunes rock. Too bad we are not given a soundtrack only option to play just the tunes without the screaming and applause that is dubbed on top of a lot of it.

My only real complaint is that there is a very audible and annoying 'pumping' going on during "Can't Buy Me Love" which is obviously an error made at some point during the production of this Blu Ray release and caused by massive overuse of a stereo compressor. None of my other copies of this film have this, and of course it doesn't exist on the studio recordings either. Yes the Beatles used compression in the studio, but this song is PUMPING so badly that it spoiled that part of the movie for me. Again, unless you know what you are hearing it probably won't bother most people, but for those of us who do know, it will drive you up the wall. All the other songs sound fine. Some will notice they are slower and slightly lower in pitch, this being due to a production quirk that required an adjustment in filming speed so the Pal video monitors in the TV Studio sequences wouldn't show scan lines. Basically unless somebody fixes the audio digitally for pitch and speed in a future re-release, we will always have to live with this little unfortunate artifact.

As for extras, most all the extras from the Miramax release are ported over to this Blu ray release and I won't bother listing them all here. It's a nice slelection, but you most likely have them already if you are a fan of this film.

'A Hard Days Night' is a low budget exploitation film created solely by United Artists to extract a soundtrack album. It is also a true classic and a wonderful slice of the 1960's , attempting to portray a 'day in the life' of The Beatles. It is amazing how well the film still holds up all these years later. I am still hoping there will be an official 'Apple' release of this film that will give us a remastered 1080p picture and a proper soundtrack mix for the music, but for now this is the best there is and well worth owning. Most viewers will find nothing wrong at all with this release with only the obsessive fans and videophiles/audiophiles among us complaining ever so slightly!

I love this movie and get a big charge out of it each and every time I watch it. When you see the crowds and audience going wild for The Beatles in this film, it ISN'T acting! YEAH YEAH YEAH !!!

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If I was reviewing only the picture of this dvd, I would rate it 4 or 5 stars. However, since the sound is simply awful, I can't. The old MPI video took the orignal recordings of the songs and mixed them back into the movie. This approach sounded crisp and clear, and more importantly in true stereo (since The Beatles at the time were using 4-track tape). I'm guessing that Miramax was not allowed access to the masters. Consequently, their new so-called 5.1 "remix", had to be built around the original mono track of the film itself. In other words, any kind of stereoization had to be electronically faked. My initial reaction, when hearing this dvd for the first time, was that all the songs were rerecorded by other musicians. This is obviously not the case. But the recordings sound so differently from what is expected, I wasn't sure!

The picture is decent. But what about that reissue prologue and the deleted "You Can't Do That" performance? The dvd producers must have known how long fans have been waiting for this film to be released. They could have put more time and care into it. Oh well. Let's hope Miramax doesn't aquire the rights to HELP!