Un Ballo in Maschera (2013)

This production was a big success in Parma in 2010. The video and sound engineers needed all 6 performances of the run to piece together a perfect Ballo (they usually require 2-3 performances). Once the video and sound engineers were done they produced a Ballo too good to be true. I am ashamed to admit that I enjoyed it more than any Ballo I ever experienced in any form it's simply addicting.

This was Meli's debut as Riccardo (the Boston version was used). They cast him (at least in the first cast) with an Amelia he had to work hard to keep up with. Since body mikes were used as usual, it was possible to "correct" the imbalance so that Meli comes out with a Pavarotti sized voice, easily overshadowing his colleagues. So you get a Riccardo not only with a golden tone, elegant phrasing, passions well projected, style, acuti you also get a rock solid "di' tu se fedele" barcarolle with its low tessitura and the most perfect 12 note leap from high Ab to middle C. Really? Meli has such a powerful lower register? I don't think so, no lyric tenor ever had such a powerful lower register, but it sure sounds that way on this recording.

This is not just an esthetic issue but also an ethical one. Loudness is not a zero sum game in a live performance (attended inhouse). A louder voice doesn't necessarily win over a smaller one. The louder voice doesn't make a smaller voice smaller because you have the external reality with its parameters of sound as a frame of reference. But in a recording it is a zero sum game, because you can turn the volume up or down and anything is loud or not only relative to something else. So making one singer louder is at the expense of the other singers. The young soprano Kristin Lewis was making her debut as Amelia (as well as her house debut). Her articulation of Italian words and musical phrasing deteriorated in her more difficult parts (the latter acts) and she has almost no dramatic persona (she received some boos on opening night). Her biggest asset is the combination of her rich, enchanting timbre and the size of her voice she has a wide dynamic range and can shoot volleys of gorgeous sound. Turning the volume up on Meli at her expense robs her of her main asset. Same with Stoyanov as Renato the audience gives his "Eri tu" the biggest standing ovation of all principals in this production, but you wonder why. The engineering (relatively) robs him somewhat of one of his assets his power of delivery.

Elisabetta Fiorillo as Ulrica has a very impressive, booming low register the rest of her voice is completely in tatters. Serena Gamberoni (Meli's wife in real life) as Oscar is almost perfect (no trills, though). She is no feather-light-voiced Oscar her tone is full and impressive. She executes neatly the intricate acciacature, turns and staccatos in "Volta la terrea" and her "Saper vorreste" is incisive.

I was very impressed with Gianluigi Gelmetti's conducting. The opening immediately shows how he can make the rhythm dance. His rubati have an energy that comes not simply from propulsive thrust like in early Verdi, but from alertness and attention to the context. For example, at the end of act I scene I he accelerates: this is after Riccardo decides they should all go to Ulrica's house, and that it would be lots of fun. In that context the accelerando makes them sound very eager to go. He gives excellent support to the singers, the instruments blend well with the voices and the exemplary miking of the orchestra reveals wonderful attention to balance and detail.

Tiziano Mancini's superlative video direction turns a traditional, not-very-original staging into magic. The camera work manages well the difficult to shoot, semi-dark scenes. It's dynamic and very grand in a romantic way, with the fog, capes blowing in the wind and the grand tableaux vivants, like the one on the cover.

Is the job of the engineers to render a reflection of the live performance as accurate as possible, or to give the best version possible of it, to give the most pleasure to the home audience and make the product sell? With a major opera company issuing a Ring with a Siegfried who couldn't even be heard clearly inhouse, and another major company issuing performances with a lyric coloratura Diva doing (verismo) spinto parts despite a voice that has been shrinking, it's clear that sound engineers are expected to perform miracles.

What is the point of going through all the hassles and expense of attending a live performance when for a fraction of the price you can watch an improved version of it at home? Because it's fake. When it comes to sound engineering, less is more (the less you tamper with the sound the better the result).

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Dead & Buried (1981)

This halloween, I've been waxing nostalgic by collecting by collecting a lot of old, little-known horror movies that scared me as a kid. Back in the late 70's/early 80's there really wasn't much out there so viewers who allow a little leeway for the time it was released will find a lot to appreciate in this movie.

Dead and Buried stars James Farentino as Sheriff Dan Gillis who becomes bewildered by a series of bizarre and brutal murders happening to visitors of his small, seaside town. The plot thickens due to the quick dismissal of the murders by Gillis' wife (played by Melody Anderson anyone remember Flash Gordon?) and soon the sheriff starts to wonder if she is involved somehow. To make matters worse, townspeople start reporting sightings of the murdered long after they've been "dead and buried."

The story is adequate with a number of twists thrown in. Skilled horror buffs may feel let down with the ending, but I think it's due to the fact many other movies have ripped off this plot line since the movie was released. What really separates this movie from the rest is the disturbing methods these people are murdered, with frequent cuts to dozens of people surrounding and photographing the helpless victims. The murders look especially realistic for the time (although, granted a little dated now) due to makeup effects of Stan Winston who has since worked on other "little-known" releases like Predator, Edward Scissorhands, the Jurassic Park series, and the Terminator series.

You'll be lucky to run across a copy of this movie in a video store. Should you buy it? If you're a fan of the genre and movies made in this time period, such as The Funhouse, My Bloody Valentine, or Halloween, then I'd say yes.

Hope the review helped.

In the sea of forgettable FRIDAY THE 13th sequels and clones came this little creative and disturbing gem from the early 80's wave of gruesome horror.

Several people passing through the quaint and picturesque town of Potter's Bluff die terrible, violent deaths only to turn up as upstanding members of the community days later. What's going on? Well, I wouldn't dream of telling, but you'll have a lot of fun finding out.

Blue Underground bravely chose to bring DEAD AND BURIED to blu-ray in spite of it's low-budget and humble production values. Visually, the result may not be on a par with some glossy production shot yesterday, but it nonetheless faithfully reproduces the imagery of this film as it originally appeared, and this is the best you are ever likely to see DEAD AND BURIED look. I had the deluxe DVD treatment, and this Blu-ray is IMO a worthy upgrade of a great little shocker.

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I did like this film and I just watched it for the second time. I give it a very solid 3 stars. But I'm puzzled by the other reviews. I would give Alien 4 stars and Aliens 5 stars. This film does not reach those lofty heights. Even though it's encoded for 7.1 sound, I didn't hear much coming from the surrounds. And while it may be in high-def, it is rather grainy. This is not real surprising with a film this old. But advertising it as high-def with 7.1 sound creates expectations which are not met. The film billed itself as being made by the folks who made Alien. Again, it is raising expectations needlessly. People are going to expect a film equal to Alien in gorgeous hi-def with stunning 7.1 surround sound. This film can't deliver that. But it is a very good grade B horror film and it is worth watching several times.

The cast is very strong. It is cool to see a young Robert Englund. And Jack Albertson's performance as the undertaker is worth an Academy Award. James Farentino never wins any awards but he never delivers a bad performance either. It was good to see him again. Also the film is now a period piece due to its age. It was fun watching the sheriff (or his aide) use a telex to investigate. And we have great fx for a low budget pre-cgi film. The story made no sense, but that is often the case with horror.

So yes, it's a nice 3 star horror film, not another Alien.

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Version: U.S.A / Blue Underground / Region A, B, C

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

VC-1 BD-50 / AACS / Advanced Profile 3

Running time: 1:33:59

Feature size: 29,73 GB

Disc size: 33,48 GB

Total bit rate: 42.18 Mbps

Average video bit rate: 32.22 Mbps

DTS-HD Master Audio English 2497 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 2497 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)

Dolby TrueHD Audio English 2664 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 2664 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 448 kbps)

Dolby Digital EX Audio English 448 kbps 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 448 kbps

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles: English SDH, French, and Spanish

Number of chapters: 24

#Audio Commentaries

#Stan Winston's Dead and Buried EFX (17 min)

#Robert Englund: An Early Work of Horror (12 min)

#Dan O'Bannon: Creating Fear (14 min)

#Trailers (5 min)

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i first saw this grim little shocker on cable in the 80's and thought it was great. this 2 disc set is very much worth the price and has a wealth of extras.

potter's bluff is a small town with a problem,people keep getting killed in very bad ways,only later to show up as townfolk.sheriff dan gillis is at a lose to explain this and the more he digs the less he likes this little problem.

the transfer is great and this little shocker will keep you guessing til the very end(and what an end)!! so if you like your horror movies that are a little out of the normal you'll like this one

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Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Okay, I am a rabid Frith and BBC fan of the miniseries, but I was very impressed with this adaption and found it refershing in it's grounded, youthful take on the story.

For starters, there is a very grounded nature to the presentation of the story. Some Austenites got their knickers into a twist because they thought it made the family and their circumstances too drab looking. But I loved it! The Meryton Assembly basically sets the stage for this grounded approach-the dancing looks a little heavy footed, the girls look sweaty, and you can't help but think that someone needs to open a window cause it looks awfully sweaty! But at the same time,it made the story come alive, like you were a fly on the wall, peeking in on Lizzy and Darcy and the rest of the gang.

Lastly, I loved the youthful take on the story. I LOVE Firth and Ehle as the '95 leads. They had this chemistry and sensual tension that was electric! But their take was definitely from a mature standpoint-like the way I'd act now as a 33 year old woman. Whereas Macfadyen and Knightley? Theirs is a more youthful, innocent, first love take that I just took to. Great chemistry, Lizzy's a little less cocksure, Darcy's a bit more unbalanced by this attraction, and it felt right in terms of age and stage of development with the actual characters in the book.

Great adaption, brisk storytelling, and a wonderfully irreverent tone by a fun director who knew it was a good idea to knock the pedestal off from under our Lizzy and Darcy, and let them be seen in a more grounded light. And ps-I thought Macfadyen, even though he doesn't have that big of a part, was a great Darcy!

First, to all of the Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth lovers (of which, I am one), we will always have that remarkable masterpiece. Therefore, we should be able to judge any new versions freely. Having said that, this version is great!

This movie is quite shorter than what we're used to for P&P adaptations and at first it seemed to me that the dialogue was rushed, but after the first 15 minutes it either slowed down or I ceased to notice it, until Darcy's proposal scene anyway, but it worked quite well there.

This film is also much more of a comedy than the two BBC versions. There were minor changes with dialogue but none of the changes lessened any of the characters or the spirit of the story. Instead, it probably enhanced the feelings the audience shared with the characters. In fact, I think that everything left out of the two previous BBC versions were added to this one so you still get something new from the same story.

One major change is the loss of Mr. and Mrs. Hurst. In a two-hour movie there just isn't enough time to do their characters justice. The rest of the cast is so marvelous though that we barely notice they're missing and it makes the movie flow more naturally.

The actors chosen are wonderful in their parts. I didn't think I'd be able to accept Keira Knightley as Elizabeth but after the first five minutes I was completely taken in by her. She pulls off Elizabeths witty dialogue like, well... Elizabeth and just as Jennifer Ehle added some distinctive traits to Lizzie, so does Keira. She wonderfully manages to show us Lizzie's love of a good laugh without making it seem as though she was a giggling loony and every time she smiles, we smile with her.

I won't critique all the performances but I have to add that Donald Sutherland really does a spectacular job as the head of a household of silly women. The last scene with him and Lizzie had me in tears.

Not to say that this movie was perfect, what adaptation can be without some faults or silly alterations? None are too serious though. The first is at the Meryton ball, when Darcy, Bingley and Caroline walk in, everything stops. The music, the dancing, all conversation and the crowd parts to offer them a path. I thought for a second the crowd had mistaken Mr. Bingley for royalty. It just seemed a bit over the top. But it passed quickly enough. The other was actually Darcy's proposal scene which was done in the rain. I thought it silly that he would follow her outside in such weather to propose, but one can accept that in view of the other changes that turned out so well.

I give this movie 5 stars because I wouldn't want to miss it and I don't think any P&P fan should.

All in all, if you have a good sense of humor and aren't afraid to laugh, like Elizabeth, you will just enjoy the story as it is played out. Remember, afterwards you can always put Jennifer and Colin Firth back in the DVD player.

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OK, I'll admit it: I've gone to the theater to see this 6 or 7 times already--I've lost count; I'm thrilled that the DVD is coming out sooner rather than later.

No, this is not the much-loved 1995 multi-hour A&E version. And no, MacFaydan is not Firth, and Knightly is not Ehle. And some liberties were taken with the original storyline (sometimes a bit disconcerting like Lady Catherine's night time visit?? and Bingley entering Jane's sickroom, even before knocking?? "simply not done" in those days!).

But I very much agree with the positive reviewers below --this version is MOST enjoyable on its own. The scenery, photography, and music are gorgeous (you must buy the CD!). Darcy and Elizabeth are still wonderfully Darcy and Elizabeth. It was a little disconcerting at first to see so much mud, livestock, and plain gowns--but you get past that fairly quickly. And it seems maybe a bit more realistic for country gentry.

BTW--if you're a P&P addict like me, don't miss Pamela Aiden's Darcy trilogy--it tells the entire story from Darcy's viewpoint and fills in a lot of what I think is missing. Also, if you have wondered what might have happened after the wedding and like a "spicier" novel, read Linda Berdoll's "Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife" (Austen meets Bronte and Sandra Brown).

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Yet another re-release DVD, promising more special features when any regular fan, like myself, already has the first DVD release.

About this DVD:

1st Disc: Is the exact DVD released prior to this one. It has the widescreen movie version and all the same features on the previous DVD release.

2nd Disc: This is the new disc with "extra" special features including...

-Fullscreen movie version.

-"The Politics of Dating" A short feature with cast, crew, and director talking about modern vs. P&P time dating (i.e. dancing, the 'touch', etc). Most of the interview clips are recycled from what we've previously seen on the first disc special features. And brought little to nothing new to the table and lasted around 7 minutes.

-"Galleries of the 19th Century" Interactive photo gallery. Fun.

-"The Stately Homes of Pride and Prejudice" A small handful of about 5 minute interviews with cast, crew, and director talking about the different locations they worked at. New stuff, but nothing exceptionally interesting that lasts for long.

-"Pride and Prejudice Family Tree" A DVD menu telling us how the characters in the movie are related. It is pointless and useless, nothing interesting or new.

-And that's IT.

Packaging:

It's absolutely gorgeous. I think all the money was spent on the box rather than putting together a decent 2nd disc. The package is made to look and open like a book. It's a great, beautifully designed set that is hard to resist if you saw it in stores.

Booklet:

A booklet was included in this set with some new, unseen photographs and talk about costumes, characters, and music. It's basically like a scrapbook of images and tidbits of various cast and crew's thoughts.

Included:

The soundtrack is included in a paper sleeve along with a ticket for director Joe Wright's upcoming film Atonement.

Conclusion: If you were hoping for new interviews with the cast and director, unseen behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes, or anything worth shelling out more money to buy another DVD for, then you will be severely disappointed. If you're like me, and already own both the movie and soundtrack this really isn't worth the $28 buy. Because ultimately you're just getting just a pretty box, another copy of the DVD you already own, and a throwaway extra disc. But if you don't have the DVD or soundtrack yet, then I say go for this set because it will be worth the extra money to get both the movie and soundtrack, and flashy box.

I give it 2 stars for the pitiful attempt at "exclusive all-new features"

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This film is a favorite of my wife and I; we have watched it several times in DVD format and thought it looked pretty good. I bought the Blu-ray version as soon as it was released and compared it to the DVD on our HDTV. What a difference! The BD is a huge improvement (as it should be) and has made this fine movie just that much better!

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The Crazies (2009)

THE CRAZIES is not a great film, nor will it likely even enter the "Hall Of Fame" of zombie-type movies. However, it is a tight, well-constructed and reasonably well-acted thriller that is more than worthy of a look.

In the small mid-western town of Ogden's Marsh, high school baseball season is just getting started. Everyone in town is there to size up the quality of this year's team...and frankly, life just couldn't get any finer. In less than 2 minutes, we get learn all we need to know about this little town...we see that it's a town where everyone knows everyone. Everyone has a place and is contented. Life is simple but satisfying. But when a glassy-eyed farmer with a shotgun wanders onto the field of play (actually, he has what might be described as a zombie-like stare), the sheriff (played at a perfect pitch by Timothy Olyphant) tried to talk him out of his weapon. Their brief, tense confrontation ends in the death of the farmer...and the town is rattled. Things quickly escalate as more and more citizens begin acting weird, violent and yes, CRAZY.

It isn't quite a zombie movie...no dead person is coming back to life. In fact, it's more a cousin to 28 DAYS LATER, where the zombies were really just people infected with rage. But whatever the case, we essentially see the very quick collapse of this little society...especially when the government quarantines them and begins to separate the sick from the well.

The movie takes a fairly predictable path from here...there's not really much we haven't seen before (although the film does feature the scariest journey through an automatic carwash that we've ever seen). But there is seldom much in the way of the truly new in this genre...it's all in the execution. If the film is constructed well enough, we don't pay quite so much attention to some of the plot holes (or if not holes, at least areas the stretch credibility, even if we accept the initial premise). THE CRAZIES is well-constructed, and uses its modest budget well. It doesn't attempt anything it can't pull off well, so there aren't lots of cheesy effects. It assembles a small core of characters, and makes us care about them just enough to draw our sympathy at their plight.

The central relationship is between sheriff Olyphant and his wife, the town doctor, played by Radha Mitchell. They are a couple that has clearly been together for awhile, and there are no big histrionics between them. They feel like a couple that has a natural ease between each other, and even when pushed to extremes, there's never any doubt that they're comfortable. This reflects the overall ease of the movie...it doesn't push too hard. Olyphant and Mitchell feel more like a married couple that is comfortably at ease with each other...not the typical movie couple who always have to find a way to tear each other's clothes off and fool around, even as the world collapses around them. I liked that...and it made me really root for them.

In many ways, the most interesting relationship is between Olyphant and his deputy, played by Joe Anderson (ACROSS THE UNIVERSE). Their interplay, the casual deference of the deputy for his boss, their unshakeable sense of duty all feel natural. These are good guys...but in quiet, unassuming ways. They just do what they feel is right, even if they're really scared. The movie is not showy about them...it's not like their Mel Gibson & Danny Glover in LETHAL WEAPON...they're just a couple of small town law enforcement officers who wear their badges not only with pride but with an instinctive understanding that they have RESPONSIBILITY as well.

The movie has scares aplenty, and lots of tense scenes. There's a great scene in the latter half when the couple is confronted by a couple of crazies in their own bedroom...we've got four people basically clawing and scratching at each other in a tiny room, and it's maddening to watch.

It's nice to see a good, honest little film that knows its business, but takes the time to get enough little details right to make it just a bit more than ordinary. If you're in the mood for a few jump-in-your-seat moments, you could do far, far worse than THE CRAZIES.

I knew nothing about The Crazies going into the theater. I didn't know it was originally produced by the father of the zombie genre, George Romero. And I didn't expect to see a movie about a sheriff (Timothy Olyphant) and his pregnant wife (Radha Mitchell) with my own wife six months pregnant. Please note: this review contains spoilers.

The movie starts out slowly. In these stressful times, we're all too familiar with scenes of sudden gun violence in an idyllic setting. After sheriff Dutton is forced to gun down a former town drunk on a little league field, the town of Ogden Marsh begins to unravel. Everybody knows everybody else in this small town and a murder leaves emotional aftershocks that traumatize its citizens. This includes Dutton's wife, who happens to be the town doctor.

The tension slowly notches up from there. These early moments are critical in establishing The Crazies as a superior horror film. The petty rivalries, the secret and not-so-secret grudges, the sadistic bullies all of the townsfolk's deepest impulses are let loose through the TRIXIE virus, a military bioweapon that has accidentally (?) contaminated the town.

Unlike so many other horror movies, Dutton and his deputy Clank (Joe Anderson) are precisely the people who should be dealing with an outbreak. The problem is that they are little fish in a very big pond. The movie quickly morphs from a slasher flick to survival horror when the military gets called in, loses control, and pulls out.

What makes The Crazies so refreshing is that it plays on horror tropes, using it to narrative advantage. We find out that the soldiers who are executing townsfolk aren't faceless, that the TRIXIE virus may or may not be transmitted through the water supply, and that taking one's temperature isn't a guaranteed means of identifying who's infected. The Crazies makes no promises but always delivers.

This ambiguity may frustrate some people who expect everything to be wrapped in a neat bow, but director Breck Eisner knows that there is horror in uncertainty. It's precisely this lack of clarity that makes the movie so good the villains aren't unilaterally evil, the victims aren't always helpless, and the solutions aren't always moral. The Crazies wallows in the gray area of harsh decisions, treating an outbreak with all the ethical gravity of a war.

Let there be no doubt, this is as much a war movie as it is a horror movie. The real crazies, Eisner seems to say, is anyone who would trust authority. These days, that may not be such bad advice.

P.S. Stay through the credits!

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Gina from Haunted Flower reviews "The Crazies" directed by Breck Eisner and produced by George A. Romero based on his 1973 version. It stars Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, and Joe Anderson. A contagious mental illness takes over the inhabitants of a small town in Iowa.

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Make no mistake-"The Crazies" is a horror film. You may have read that it's really a modern remake of an old 1973 George Romero horror film by the same name. I haven't seen Romero's original, but this film is very well-done.

The biggest name in this film is Timothy Olyphant in the lead role as sheriff of small town Ogden Marsh, Iowa (population 1260). The rest of the cast and the director, Breck Eisner, are not quite as well-known, but they all do a very competent job. The acting and the directing are so well-coordinated that you never have the feeling the film is trying to "showcase" a particular actor, nor that the actors are ever competing with each other for attention. That, along with the pace of this film, which to me seemed just perfect (transitioning very gradually from casual to almost frenetic as things fall more & more apart) really allows the viewer to suspend disbelief and immerse yourself in the story. And there is plenty of story. There's plenty of scares too, but this film never loses sight of telling a story, focusing on a small group of people trying desperately to escape this town alive. They have not only the "crazies" to contend with but also the military (in classic Romero style, the government is no more trustworthy than the disease). The violence is just sufficient to maintain a real sense of suspense, without over-the-top or gratuitous gore.

The film is almost entirely first-person viewpoint, and along with the characters we learn that something is terribly wrong, people are going berserk and senselessly attacking others; that it apparently came from the cargo on a military plane that crashed in the marsh which supplies the town water; that it might have become airborn; that the military is rounding up and quarantining everyone; and finally, that nobody is going to be allowed to get out...

There are also plenty of head-fakes in which you don't know whether something awful is about to happen or not, but these too are done in a reasonably sophisticated way, not overly calling attention to themselves but just keeping you constantly on-edge and not knowing just what's coming next.

The blu-ray looks great and the musical score is good, particularly at the ending credits. There are a moderate number of "bonus features"; three short (10 minute) featurettes being the most interesting to me. This was really filmed in Iowa, as well as in rural Georgia (enabling filming to avoid the cold Iowa winters and the hot Georgia summers). The whole story takes place over just a couple of days. I'm doubting there will be a sequel although the final sequence left open the possibility. This is a very nicely-done horror film with good characterization and a somewhat understated style. It should appeal not just to horror film devotees but to a somewhat wider audience.

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I have never seen the original "Crazies" film so I can not comment on which version is better. The Crazies(remake)takes an overplayed zombie genre idea and tries to make it more realistic. The story is told simply with a plausible background story. Instead of hordes of zombies running around like supercharged baboons or sloth-like undead roaming aimlessly, these "zombies" are alive and act fairly human(at least from a distance), but have a pretty mean disposition. Depending on how far gone they are, they can almost seem normal...I said almost. What makes it seem much more real is that they still seem to have a little memory of the former selves and react to people they know. The special effects and gore are played down a notch, but it doesn't make the film any less frightening. This is largely because the "zombies" are the least of your worries! I'm a fan of some of the classic zombie films and there have been a number of good ones in recent years, but The Crazies is one of the few that made me think could this happen? ...and that's pretty scary in itself!

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Elf (Ultimate Collector's Edition) (2010)

I loved this movie. It was totally bonkers: a human baby accidently ends up on the north pole and grows up among the elf community that supports Santa Claus. Buddy, as he comes to be known, knows that he's "special" however, since he can't keep up with the other elves. Never mind the fact that he's about three times as tall as any of them and barely fits in the shower.

When he's 30, and still young by Elf standards, he learns that he's really a human. Buddy decides to go in search of his father (who's on Santa's naughty list), to find out where he belongs. He walks to New York (through the Lincoln tunnel), and is immediately run over by a cab. The chain of events starts at that moment ...

Buddy is a delightful and enchanting character with many special talents and a childish personality. He is naive to the point of stupidity, but charming all the while. His lovable demeanour gains him friends in spite of his clumsy efforts. He is sweet, kind and generous. When his father at first rejects him, Buddy ends up in a department store where other elves (people who pretend to be Santa's elves) are working, and stays up all night to decorate the place. When the department store Santa isn't the real Santa, well, you can guess what happens ...

Buddy eats spaghetti covered in syrup, smarties and pop tarts; he gets drunk in the mail room of his father's office and his young half-brother shows him to ask a girl out on a date.

But all the while, things are looking bad for Santa Claus (and also Buddy's father). How will Buddy rescue the day? When Santa crashes his sleigh in Central Park, it's Buddy's moment to shine.

Abstract, enchanting, child-like madness all make up this beautiful movie. Absolutely delightful and recommended to viewers of all ages. If you want a Christmas feel-good movie, this is it.

I rarely go see movies twice, but after taking my four children, I treated my parents and watched it again! You fall in love with Buddy, you just can't help it! Will Ferrell is not the kooky nut in this one as in most of his movies, he truly shows the innocent, sweetness of Buddy the elf. Full of laughs, and not as predictable as you might think. I just can't wait until it is released to purchase. I will own this one, please note that after viewing you will need to decorate your house for Christmas immediately !! :)

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First of all, this was the funniest film I have ever seen; I was in tears half way through. Yes, it is a kids' movie, but adults get to watch Will Farrel rip the heart out of Christmas by camping it up and being ridiculously sincere. Watching Farrel start a fight with a fake Santa for "sitting on a throne of lies" is about as fun as films get.

Those reviewers who think that this was cheesey nonsense duh. It was supposed to be, and that is what made it so funny. And you seem to have missed the whole essence of the film.

Oh, and the kids liked it too.

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Elf is an unusual movie in this day and age. It is not manipulative and speaks of simple values and simple, true love. I went to see it with my 10-year old, a 28-year old, and a 38-year old (I am 47). We all laughed and cried and came out of the movie amazed that such a simple movie could be so much fun and say so much.

Anytime you have a movie in which the main character is totally innocent and naive, it brings up how calloused and hardened we have all become to the things in life that matter. That's the message of this movie. I highly recommend it and am adding it to my Holiday DVD collection you can bet we'll watch it every year and some inbetween!

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I see a fair number of movies, but it is only rarely that I leave the theatre feeling I truly got my nine dollars' worth. The last six months have been exceptional for me in that there have been three films which have been more than worth my time and money. The first was "Lost in Translation"; the third was "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; and the one in the middle was none other than "Elf"!

Oh yes, I kid you not. I am usually not the biggest fan of Christmas movies, but "Elf" kept me smiling for two straight hours. This is no small achievement, especially during the holiday season. James Caan is perfectly cast as Will Ferrell's father, and I was really impressed with Ferrell himself. I always thought he was funny on "Saturday Night Live," but this really is classic stuff. There is no danger of him going the way of Rob Schneider or David Spade, "Old School" notwithstanding. Throw Bob Newhart into the mix and how can you lose?

Roger Ebert said it best: "I thought it would be clunky, stupid and obvious...foisting upon us a chaste romance involving the only girl in America who doesn't know that a man who thinks he is an elf is by definition a pervert.... It took me about 10 seconds of seeing Will Ferrell in the elf costume to realize how very wrong I was.... He convinced me that this was a good movie, and that's a miracle on 34th Street right there."

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Matrix: 10th Anniversary (2012)

With over 2,000 reviews, there is no sense discussing the movie so I will just address this to readers wondering if the Blu-Ray transfer is as good as they, perhaps, have heard.

Yes, it is it's incredble. I am not a particular fan of the film, especially the sequels, so I say these remarks with no bias. I just rented this first "Matrix" to see how it looked. Well, it Blu (pun intended) me away!! At this point, I've seen around 50 Blu-Ray DVDs and this is as good as it gets. I can't imagine how you could make it any better. It's so sharp, I just sat there mesmerized by it. The sound also is outstanding....another upgrade. I've seen this movie three times now and I swear I heard a lot of background talk and stuff I never heard before.

So....if you read that the audio and visuals are 5-star caliber believe it; it's true.

The Matrix is an excellent movie that combines science fiction, shoot-em-up action, and philosophical questions about the nature of Reality. If you are plugged in to a computer, and that computer presents you with a reality that is completely indistinguishable from your own, is it any less real?

This movie has exceptional special effects, beautiful cinematography, an excellent soundtrack, well-crafted dialogue, and respectable acting. Keanu Reeves may be a lousy actor, but I think that the Matrix is probably his best performance to date.

The Platinum Limited Edition isn't really worth the extra money unless you're an absolute, die-hard, take the red pill, freak. I wish I had known that before ordering this product. It comes in a box about as thick as an encyclopedia, and is fairly large, so it won't fit on the shelf with the rest of your DVDs. Opening it up, I was rather disappointed -most of the volume is filled with a cheap plastic tray that contains a celluloid clip of the film with a blown-up photo (decent, but nothing fantastic), a few postcard-sized stills from the movie, and a copy of the normal DVD in a normal case. Nothing fantastic. For this money, I was expecting a DVD with DTS sound, alternate angles, deleted scenes, etc., but just got the same old Matrix disc. A major drag.

Do yourself a favor. Buy the basic copy.

Buy Matrix: 10th Anniversary (2012) Now

(What is the Matrix). In 1977, George Lucas changed the landscape of cinematic Science Fiction forever with "Star Wars," taking the genre light years ahead of all that preceded it. Such a momentous advancement would not be seen again for over twenty years, when, in 1999, the Wachowski Brothers raised the bar again, taking the genre at warp speed to an unprecedented level with their astoundingly innovative film, "The Matrix." Co-directed, written and produced by Larry and Andy Wachowski, it is an allegory of salvation and redemption filled with symbolism and metaphor (the Biblical references alone should keep theology students debating this one for years to come); a thinking man's action film, accentuated with moments that are no less than profound. In a world of the future, things are literally not what they seem, where it's Man versus Machine, Reality versus Fantasy, and few who know the truth; among those who do, is Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who has long awaited the arrival of "The One," who it has been prophesied will be the salvation of the world. Enter Neo (Keanu Reeves), a computer programmer with an innate sense of discrepancy as to the state of things around him; he has questions, most of which are still in the process of being formulated in his own mind. (What is the Matrix). Morpheus has answers. And when they meet, it's Alice down the rabbit hole, and Neo's life is changed forever. Reeves is perfectly cast as Neo, the enigmatic young man who may or may not be "The One," and it's one of the best roles of his career. He conveys a sense of removed, distracted urgency that defines his character, infusing him with both a strength and vulnerability that coalesces as the story progresses into determination and confidence. The underplayed, subtle character development (largely unacknowledged and under appreciated) is a nice piece of work by Reeves. As Morpheus, Fishburne is dynamic; he endows him with a quiet intensity that fairly roils beneath the surface, effectively restrained while leaving no doubt as to the character's power and purpose. You understand his resolution completely by his countenance alone; by the way he speaks and carries himself. It's a memorable performance by one of the truly gifted actors of our times. (What is the Matrix). Other notable performances include those by Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith), who brings a formidable, white-collar sinisterness to his character that is chilling; Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity), a strong, vital presence throughout the film; and Joe Pantoliano (Cypher), who is entirely convincing in his role of a Cyber-age Judas. Rounding out the terrific supporting cast are Gloria Foster (Oracle), Marcus Chong (Tank), Julian Arahanga (Apoc), Matt Doran (Mouse), Belinda McClory (Switch) and Ray Anthony Parker (Dozer). A visually stunning, thought provoking, captivating film, "The matrix" is a triumph of movie-making that assures the Wachowski's a permanent place in cinematic history. The special effects are cutting-edge, state-of-the-art; the choreography of the action sequences is top rate and delivered with a style and effectiveness worthy of comparison to John Woo's best; and, most importantly, the story itself is complex, intelligent, and deftly takes you into regions beyond the known. This is Science Fiction at it's best, but beyond that, it's a great movie that transcends genre or category; a landmark film that must be experienced more than once, for new meaning is gleaned with every viewing. Enhanced by a driving soundtrack that completes the package, highlighted by incredible action,outstanding performances and memorable scenes to numerous to mention, this is a movie that absolutely must not be missed. (What is the...).

Read Best Reviews of Matrix: 10th Anniversary (2012) Here

I bought Matrix a week age, but I have seen it 4 times already. Picture & sound quality are perfect ! If you have a good sound system, turn it up and you will feel yourself in the Matrix too ! The "Follow the White Rabbit" is excellent ! As well as the introduction to the Bullet-time technique. There is no multi-angle view on the DVD, but the movie itself is full of mult-angle views anyway. Unfortunately nobody can be told how good the Matrix DVD is, you have to see it for yourself !

Want Matrix: 10th Anniversary (2012) Discount?

amongst my whole entire collection of dvd's from A-Z, "the matrix-limited editon collector's set" is by far one of my most prized possessions in my arsenal, just the movie alone speaks for itself! but when you've got the actual soundtrack, movie stills, lobby cards, posters and a limited edition 8mm movie filmstrip to add to it....you're literally left speechless, it took awhile for this to arrive to me, but considering the fact that it's virtually impossible to find this item anywhere else, it was all worth the wait, definitely an add-on to your collection....and u could say...(depending on your taste)u could consider this to be the ICING on your cake...and with the sequal soon to come out in theatres, this will be an even HARDER item to find in the future....so don't let "NEO" down, get this classic action/thriller NOW!......5 stars!

Rudy (+ BD Live) (1993)

My Four Star rating reflects both overall enjoyment while seeing the film (Five Stars) and occasional irritation with director Anspaugh's manipulative strategies insofar as emotions are concerned (Three Stars). The dramatic impact of Rudy Ruettiger's struggles to suit up for, if not play in a Notre Dame football game is diminished by such manipulation. That said, Sean Astin is wholly credible as Rudy. Other noteworthy performances are provided by Ned Beatty (Rudy's father, Daniel), Charles S. Dutton (Fortune), Robert Prosky (Father Cavenaugh), Jon Favreau (D-Bob), Lili Taylor (Sherry), and Scott Benjaminson (Frank). Both the "Real Rudy" and the "Reel Rudy" faced two significant barriers to being admitted to Notre Dame and then playing in a varsity football game: weak grades and diminutive size. Eventually, through tenacious study while enrolled at nearby Holy Cross College, both Rudys are finally admitted to Notre Dame; through rigorous training, both then became fit enough to be selected to play on the practice (i.e. fodder) squad. And finally, both play (the "Real Rudy" for 27 seconds) in the last home game against Georgia Tech in 1975.

Others have their own reasons for liking this film so much. Here are three of mine. First, the casting of Astin in the lead role. His performance is endearing, to be sure, but also convincing. Hence my discomfort with Anspaugh's use of gimmicks when none is necessary. Second, the exteriors shot on the Notre Dame campus which is especially lovely during each of the four seasons. I really did feel as if I were tagging along with Rudy as he attends classes, works for Fortune as a member of the stadium's groundskeeping crew, and then participates in especially brutal team practices. Third and finally, I enjoyed observing what seems to be a totally authentic respect for Rudy among the team's starters both on offense and defense. That respect was earned day in and day out, brutal practice after brutal practice, as Rudy and his battered companions helped to prepare the team for its next game. It is worth noting that Rudy Ruettiger was the only player ever to be carried off the field at Notre Dame stadium. The filmmakers recreated the scene with real fans during a break in the 1992 Boston College game. Some 60,000 fans stood and cheered as actor Sean Astin was carried off the field.

Those who enjoyed this film should also check out The Natural (1984), Hoosiers (1986), Babe (1995), Remember the Titans (2000), and Miracle (2004).

___________________________________________________________________________________

Those who are curious about the "real" and "reel" Rudy Ruettiger are encouraged to visit Here are brief excerpts:

Q: Was the groundskeeper played by Charles S. Dutton a real character?

A: Rudy answered no to this question himself during an interview with the Pigskin Post by saying the following, "He was a composite, but that was reality. And that's what happened in my life...all through my life. I would encounter people like that and they would help me get through the tough times through their wisdom and their encouragement."

Q: Was there actually a priest who helped Rudy get into Holy Cross Junior College?

A: In the same Pigskin Post interview as above, Rudy replied to this question by saying, "There were several who played important roles, but, again, you can't develop them all in one two-hour movie."

Q: Did Rudy really sleep in the maintenance room of the football stadium?

A: Rudy actually slept in a room in the basketball arena. The school had the room there for someone to stay during off-hours for insurance reasons.

Q: Was coach Dan Devine really that cold-hearted against dressing Rudy for the last home game of Rudy's college career?

A: In Devine's autobiography, Simply Devine, he writes that it was his idea to dress Rudy for the final game of his college career and also to play him. Devine says that the screenwriter, Angelo Pizzo, told him that the plot would only work if Devine became the heavy. He agreed in order to help out Rudy, someone whom he calls a friend. "I didn't realize I would be such a heavy," he writes.

I think I've seen this movie 100 times, and I have to admit that I never get tired of watching it. This DVD is obviously not for insensitive morons like the guy that gave this 1 star. But, I can tell you that if you coach sports, play in them, or are at all involved in them...you will want to buy this.

A guy said that he doesn't understand why Rudy wanted to play at Notre Dame so much? What about you? Have you never had a dream before? I understand why he did want so much to play at Notre Dame, and any other person can see that too. OK now time for my actual review of the movie:

I thought that this movie was very well-directed, and inspiring. I cried at the end of this movie, and I guarentee if you play sports you will as well. If not tears, you will get chill bumps just watching the end. It's about young man that has always wanted to play football for Notre Dame, but was always too small to. It's a long and meaningful story, but I don't want to spoil anything for you ...you have to get that experience when you see it.

Please buy this DVD. It is really a great and inspiring movie and I'm sure that you will like it.

HIGHLY RECCOMENDED

Buy Rudy (+ BD Live) (1993) Now

Rudy is based on a true story about a young boy (played by Sean Astin) growing up in a blue-collar family with a dream to someday go to college and play football at Notre Dame. His family and teachers say he's not smart enough, not athletic enough, and why doesn't he accept his fate working in the local steel mill with his father and brothers. He refused to let his dream die and becomes a walk-on player.

The original movie came out in 1993. Sean Astin was in The Lord of the Rings. Ned Beatty portrays his father. David Anspaugh is the director.

Rudy is one of my all-time favorite movies. The acting is wonderful, especially Sean Astin's performance. The fact that it is a true story kept me watching from the beginning to the end. The music score is well written and inspirational.

I would recommend Rudy to anyone, young or old, who has a dream and needs the inspiration to pursue it.

Read Best Reviews of Rudy (+ BD Live) (1993) Here

RUDY is the story of a boy chasing a dream, who in the process becomes a man. It is a plot formula that we have seen before, time and time again. So what makes RUDY stand out so much in my mind? I think what makes this film so successful is the fact that it is true to life, unlike many sports films. In your typical "underdog" film, the sports team faces another losing season, only to channel their hopes and dreams into winning the state championship, the World Cup, etc. It is a concept that is generally played out exclusively "on the field," presenting the audience with a myopic view of the world in which sports are the only thing that matters. I often wonder to myself, after seeing such a film, "What happened to them after that?" And unless we're watching THE MIGHTY DUCKS, who decide to answer the question by putting out more movies, that question is left unanswered.

RUDY is very different. Here is a story about a dream. It is not a dream to score the winning touchdown of a bowl game. It is not a dream to play professional football. It is not an unrealizable fantasy that is sloppily achieved through the magic of filmmaking. Instead, it is a simple dream: to dress for one game on the Notre Dame football team. That's it. Moreover, RUDY is not the story of a man who accomplishes his goal in one season. It takes him years of hard work and disappointment. The effect of telling such a story is epic. By the time our hero finally takes the field, the emotional intensity of that moment is much greater than in most other sports movies I've seen. I am generally not really relieved or emotional when the underdog team finally wins the match-even if "We Are the Champions" is playing in the background, asking for our tears. But I wanted to see Rudy (Sean Astin) take the field so bad, I was extremely involved in the film.

Sean Astin does an incredible job in this role and I think it is by far one of the best performances of his career. In short, if you like sports movies in which the underdog triumphs in the end, you will love RUDY. It blows the genre out of the water. Instead of focusing solely "on the field," this film focuses more on the transformation of Rudy's character and the surrounding details and experiences of his life. RUDY is definitely worth owning in your collection.

Want Rudy (+ BD Live) (1993) Discount?

From the time he was a young boy, everyone had told Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) that he was too small, too weak, and not smart enough to accomplish his ultimate goal to play football for Notre Dame. Discouraged, he shelves his dream and follows his father and brothers to work in a steel mill. Only one person, Rudy's best friend Pete, actually has faith in him. When Pete is killed in a freak accident four years later, something in Rudy is reawakened, and he realizes that if he's ever going to be happy in life, he needs to play football. He needs to go to Notre Dame. But he doesn't have the grades to get in. We see Rudy do everything in his power, for several long semesters, to gain admission to the prestigious school.

But getting into Notre Dame isn't his only problem. Once in, he has to get on the team no mean feat for someone who, in the words of the maintenance man Fortune (Charles S. Dutton), is "five-foot nothin', a hundred and nothin'," and has "no speck of athletic ability." And even after he's on the team, there's no guarantee that he'll actually get to dress for a game. In the end, however, the results of Rudy's persistence and hard work are more than he could ever have imagined.

"Rudy" is a touching true story of the power of hope and hard work. It is a football movie, but it is also so much more than that. Rudy's steadfastness is very moving to see, and Sean Astin captures the character beautifully. I think this is Astin's best performance, transcending even Samwise Gamgee in "The Lord of the Rings" (it's a close call though). The supporting cast members are just as perfectly fitted to their roles. Charles S. Dutton turns in a great performance as Fortune, ultimately Rudy's best mentor, and Robert Prosky plays Father Cavanaugh, the priest at Notre Dame who offers Rudy a chance to improve his grades at a nearby junior college, whereby he just might have a shot at admission.

The soundtrack to the film is perfectly fitted. It puts the final cap on many an emotional scene. This Special Edition DVD offers an isolated music score, letting you listen to the music alone. The DVD has some other nice bonus features as well: "Rudy: The Real Story" is a short documentary on the real Rudy Ruettiger, with commentary from the man himself. It is touching to see Ruettiger talk about his experiences, and one can see that Sean Astin did a magnificent job conveying him to the screen. There is also a "Production" featurette, briefly outlining the making of the movie, and finally "60 Seconds With Sean Astin" features the actor giving us some quick commentary on the film. There are also Talent Files on the director and actors.

"Rudy" is one of the most inspirational sports movies I've ever seen. The fact that it is a true story makes it all the more amazing. If you enjoy films like "Remember the Titans" (with Denzel Washington), you'll love "Rudy" (and if you like "Rudy" but haven't seen "Remember the Titans," I recommend that one as well). This is a wonderful movie for anyone, whether you're a football fan or not (I'm not). It is emotional and moving, but never goes over the top. I can't imagine it having been done any better. "Rudy" is a must-see, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

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Stephen King's Thinner (1996)

You might not expect it from a Stephen King novel but the film is realitivly tame by todays standards. The result is a thriller of the best kind. The characters are less-than-desirable and that makes things all the more fun to watch. Robert John Burke stars as a morally corrupt attorney who we can't help but empathizing with, after all most of us are carrying a few extra pounds but he's tipping the scales at 300 lbs. and shows no sign of stopping. That's until he hits an old gypsy woman with his car and finds himself the victim of her father's wrath. You see he's over a hundred years old (the gypsies father that is), though by the looks of the cancer growing on his nose he won't be around much longer. Burke and co. conspired to make the old woman's death look like an accident and thus free him of any and all charges he could face in court. After being touched by the gypsy he finds himself on the role of his life, or so he thinks. He drops pounds like there candy which we get to see him cosume much of. Enter Joe Mantegna in his typical Mafia hitman role. The two fight back and thats when things get really good. In the end nobody's spared there just deserts (excuse the pun). The DVD offers and interesting if incomplete commentary track by it's director Todd Holland, of Larry Sanders fame, and costar Mantegna. The widescreen format keeps Burkes weight in proper perspective, instead of streching the screen like they do in those horrorendous pan and scan discs. And the 5.1 sound is very commendable. It's a Halloween treat that I've grown to appreicate more each year 'round this time.

If you are old enough to remember "Room 222"'s gentle principal in that 1960's TV hit, then you will marvel at Michael Constantine's performance as Tadzu Lempke, the centenarian patriarch of a roving band of gypsies. Considered unsavory nuisances whom the sheriff wants evicted, the gypsies legally lure curious onlookers. One of them, Billy Halleck (Burke), a dangerously overweight lawyer, ogles the nubile gypsy daughter gyrating seductively, but her unexpected vulgarity sets a sinister tone for what follows.

In this 1996 Stephen King thriller, Billy and his wife accidentally run down and kill Lempke's aged wife after she pilfers from a drug store. However, the couple is immediately acquitted as townsfolk "testify" in a stacked courtroom. Enraged, Lempke eerily grazes Billy while murmuring the curse, "Thinner."

Within days, Billy credits his new "diet" for his sudden weight loss which continues at a frightful pace. The sight of him going from obese to "normal" to gaunt are truly frightening, especially as the gypsies mockingly camp nearby. Although other townsfolk are cursed in even more grotesque ways (one commits suicide), Billy realizes all are doomed unless he can reason with Lempke, man-to-man. Still, Billy is continually mocked, and flees with a near-fatal slingshot wound through his right hand.

Now, leveraging the threat of violence against Ms. Slingshot, Billy forces Lempke to reveal that the only "antidote" is to pass the curse to someone else, as deceptively as possible. With a few scores to settle, including that of his unfaithful wife, Billy sets the trap, but forgets one very important detail.

Buy Stephen King's Thinner (1996) Now

Let me just start of by saying that I am a huge fan of both stephen kings, and horror movies. This however really isn't scary. However it did have a few scary parts. just be warned: this is not your average stephen king movie...but its still really good.

By the way...why do people give movies bad ratings if they have crappy special features? I don't know about everyone else, but I buy my movies for the movie, not for the extra stuff!

Read Best Reviews of Stephen King's Thinner (1996) Here

I just read the book a few days ago and I thought the movie was pretty good. I was a little disappointed with the special effects. He didn't really look bad at all when he was supposed to be 120 lbs, most of the work must have went into making him look 300 lbs. Stephen King does make an appearance in the movie as a pharmacist. Not a waste of time or money!

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I think the thing that surprises me the most about Tom Holland's "Thinner" is that it was released theatrically. Based on the novel by the infamous horror writer Stephen King, this adaptation of one of his better-known books feels more like a direct-to-video release than a big-screen feature, with its low production values and overall cheap appearance. Having said that, the movie itself is entertaining to a point, after which, like many of King's novels (or movies based on them), it just flatlines.

The story centers around attorney Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke), whose string of successes have made him a name in his small town. He has a wife, Heidi (Lucinda Jenney), and a young daughter, both of whom have issues about his serious weight problems. "I can't stop thinking about food," he tells his wife in the car on the way home from a celebration dinner, to which she responds with A) the statement "There's more to life than just food," and B), a timely session of... well, you'll see.

Of course, during the "act," Billy fails to notice the old Gypsy woman crossing the street, and strikes her with his vehicle. Given his status among the townspeople (coupled with the fact that almost everyone we meet in the film is prejudiced against gypsies), Billy receives little more than a slap on the wrist, after which he is greeted by the dead woman's father (her father?), who brushes his cheek and chants the word "thinner."

Now I'm sure I don't have to tell you exactly what happens to Billy, who, despite his efforts to maintain a stable weight ("I'm digesting 12,000 calories a day!" he later tell his wife), loses 40 pounds in no more than two weeks. And the fat grams just keep flying, to the point where Heidi insists he check himself into a nearby male clinic, disbelieving of his theory that he has been cursed by the old gypsy man, whom he later sets out to find with the help of a vigilante he helped set free in a case.

If this all sounds rather hokey to you, that's because it is. The problem is, if my synopsis gives you this notion, then you're much better off leaving your experience with "Thinner" at this exposition, and avoiding the movie at all costs. Even for a Stephen King adaptation, the film is incredibly tough to swallow; the beginning and mid-section fares somewhat nicely, setting us up for a third act that showcases some nifty yet under-imagined make-up tricks (like we really couldn't guess that he was wearing a fat suit from the beginning), but fails in regards to giving us a sturdy conclusion that's worth waiting for.

Aside from the low-budget look of the film, there's not a great deal of commendable acting to be dealt with, either. Burke has some effective moments of biting humor, but he fails to register much in his confrontations with his wife, nor do we ever care much for him as a person wasting away as a result of his wrongdoing. The wife and child are basically stand-ins for those pesky times when the film needs some refreshment from slingshot-wielding gypsies and subplots involving two men who share a similar fate to Billy as a result of letting him go without punishment.

There is an intriguing premise underneath the mess that is "Thinner," but the story and its execution follow a pattern very much akin to its main character's descent from obesity.

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Restored) (2010)

I just bought this DVD..., and the verdict is in: It's a blast!!!

THE MOVIE: Certanily one of the best Star Trek movies. Although the main plot about revenge is a bit too basic, the sub-plots, including the addition of Kirk's ex-wife and son, makes the movie better. The action is well paced and the special effects are marevelous. Also, the "expanded director's edition" featured on this DVD adds about 5 extra minutes to the movie. The added footage does little to help the plot, but does a great deal to flesh out more of the minor characters, such as Kirk's son and Lt. Saavik. Also, the last 15 minutes of the film (some added dialogue was put in there to have a little bit more emotional impact at the end of the film) made me jump the grade of the film from a "B" to an "A+."

THE DVD: In addition to having a crisp, clear picture transfer of the film with oustanding sound, the first disc has a nice audio commentary from the director and an even nicer text commentary from Michael Okuda, co-author of the Star Trek Encyclopedia. (That guy knows EVERY SINGLE LITTLE DETAIL THAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD NOT EVEN KNOW A THING ABOUT that regards to Star Trek.) The second disc contains the following:

1) The Captain's Log: A 27-minute documentary featuring brand new interviews with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, director Nicholas Meyer, Ricardo Montalban, and others. They talk about how they originally intended to put the film together, how they eventually ended up completing that task, and other things.

2) Designing Khan: A 23-minute documentary that features interviews with director Nicholas Meyers, the costume designer, and the production designer. They discuss the transitions they made in costume and production design from the ST:TMP to ST2:TWOK.

3) Visual Effects: An 18-minute featurette that has interviews with the FX crew. They explain how they executed and completed the FX shots. (Big surprise there)

4) The Star Trek Universe: A 28-minute documetary that features interviews with two Star Trek novel writers. They discuss how they fill in the gaps between the movies with their books and where they get their ideas.

5) Original Interviews: Basically 10 minutes of interviews (from 1982) featuring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, and Deforest Kelley.

6) Archives: The archives feature 10 original storyboard sequences. (That sure beats the storyboard archives on the ST:TMP DVD, which features a mere 3 storyboard sequences.) There is also a thatrical trailer.

So, there you have it. A great movie with a packed DVD equals a great purchase. Buy as soon as possible.

1982; 116 minutes; Rated PG for mild obscenity, some sequences of sc-fi action/violence, and brief shots of the aftermaths of brutal murders.

(I DO think this movie should have been rated PG-13, but the rating didn't exist then. See and judge for yourself.)...

I'm relatively new to the whole Blu-ray thing; indeed, I resisted buying a Blu-ray player for a long time because I imagined that older movies (e.g., Wrath of Khan) would look grainy and dated in this format, which mercilessly exposes the flaws in older film prints.

So I was pleasantly surprised when "Wrath of Khan" ended up looking, to me, rather good on Blu-ray. It's by no means a perfect print; for example, there's usually some fuzz (or whatever the technical term is) visible on scenes with dark lighting, such as when the Enterprise bridge goes to red alert. But by and large, this print is much nicer than the previous DVD versions.

I compared some DVD scenes to Blu-ray ones to determine whether the upgrade was worth it, and I think it was. Check out the scene when Spock gives Kirk his birthday present; on Blu-ray, you can see all the fine details on that giant globe they're standing next to, whereas on the DVD print it just looks like some glass blob. Similarly, the nebula scenes look much clearer on the Blu-ray.

Some fans seem annoyed that "digital noise reduction" has been applied to the Star Trek movies. Again, I'm no technical expert, but I believe this means that the artifacting/fuzz/whatever-you-call-it has been digitally "painted out" to give the film a cleaner look. This has led some fans to complain that the ST films now look artificially painted over, or waxy, or whatever. I sympathize with this complaint, but I think there's a tough choice to be made here; either studios can digitally "paint out" flaws, resulting in a slightly artificial look, or they can leave the flaws in, resulting in a distracting grainy look. Based on my Blu-ray experiences so far, I favor the noise reduction; for example, the Star Trek Blu-rays look much nicer to me than Fargo, which looks like it was shot through a layer of gauze.

The only real disappointment is that "Wrath of Khan" is only available in its theatrical cut, not the (slightly) better extended cut. It's a shame that Paramount doesn't give you a choice between the two versions; for "Khan," I'd pick the extended cut, and for "Undiscovered Country" I'd go with the theatrical one, but so far Paramount has not released versions that offer the option of switching.

But still, I think "Khan" looks so much nicer as a Blu-ray that I'd rather watch this copy than the special edition DVD. I don't even have a problem with the much-loathed "Delta shield" menu, which may be basic, but has a certain elegance to it...

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In the wake of Robert Wise's "director's edition" of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, it was only a matter of time before Nicholas Meyer's STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN was awarded the same treatment. Half a year later, KHAN does indeed get the royal treatment with a 2-disc set loaded with extras and fan tidbits galore. The package includes a slightly extended "director's cut" of KHAN that restores a critical plot point (namely, the young cadet who dies in Scotty's arms is actually Scotty's nephew) and a few brief clippings of dialogue (mostly back-and-forth exchanges among the main cast); a commentary by Meyer in which he discusses both the film and his approaches to filmmaking; a text commentary by STAR TREK's long-time technical point man Michael Okuda that's packed with more fanboy knowledge than a game of Trivial Pursuit; cast interviews from 1982 (in which Leonard Nimoy wears a pink and white striped suit that makes him look like a pimp); three documentaries covering the making of the film; "A Novel Approach," a documentary where TREK authors Julia Ecklar and Greg Cox discuss how KHAN's plot elements spun off into the TREK novels; the film's FX storyboards; and of course, the theatrical trailer. Let's look at each of these:

THE DIRECTOR'S CUT OF KHAN the film makes a bit more sense now that the scenes establishing the doomed cadet as Scotty's nephew have been restored, and the restored dialogue adds a little extra kick to the proceedings (it's especially funny to hear Spock respond to Kirk's telling him about his son with a disinterested "Fascinating"). But the film is still as tightly structured and fast-paced as it's ever been; the added footage does nothing to slow the film down or to harm the story (although some nit-pickers will make the hilarious claim that the whopping THREE minutes restored to the film "butcher" it and ruin the pace-how can this be when the added three minutes are spread out over the whole film?). Rather, it gives it a bit more punch. As for the look of the film, it's certainly a lot cleaner and brighter than most other prints, but even with the digital re-mastering, there's still a lot of visible film grain. Like STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE before it, KHAN looks its age regardless of the print quality. But this is a minor detail. Overall the film looks pretty good.

COMMENTARIES both interesting and enjoyable. Meyer's regular guy vibe and insights into the making of the film are engaging, and Okuda's trivia-heavy text comments are a joy for anyone who thrives on knowing useless fanboy tidbits.

CAST INTERVIEWS a unusual time capsule in which the film's leads plug the film. But let's face it; the coolest thing about this insert is seeing Leonard Nimoy dressed like a pimp. Spock in a pink suit is perhaps the greatest source of laughs you'll ever find.

DOCUMENTARIES by far, the coolest of these is "Where No Man Has Gone Before," which covers the stylish FX work ILM did on the film. The giddiness with which the film's FX crew recalls their work on the film is enormously contagious. "Designing KHAN," about the film's costume and set designs, is pretty good, too. "Captain's Log," about the overall making of the film, is uneven though. Where Meyer, producer Harve Bennett, and Ricardo Montalban are discussing what went into the making of the film, William Shatner spends his time being a total wiseacre, either mercilessly razzing his pal Nimoy ("I think the death scene would have been better if we DIDN'T see him thru the glass!" and "Oh, he knew he was coming back, he set me up to think he was leaving...I'll get him one day!") or joking about how he used women's cosmetics to look younger. And Nimoy is no better, cracking wise about how much older Shatner is than he. (For those of you wondering, this is how they act around each other all the time.) The insight/clowning-around mixture simply doesn't jell. But to be fair, at least Nicholas Meyer is finally acknowledged as the author of KHAN's shooting script, not Jack Sowards as has been erroneously credited. "A Novel Approach" is interesting, but dry; it bogs down when the authors recite passages from the novels. The moments where they discuss how KHAN formed the backbone of their work and display their fan knowledge are the most enjoyable, even if the supertitles used during the film clips steer too much into jokiness.

STORYBOARDS mind-blowing. We're treated to the conceptual sketches of the film's FX shots (including the combat sequences, which match those in the finished film almost exactly), as well as some terrific concepts for the opening title sequence and the "Spock monologue" finale that really should have been used in the film. Illustrated by the late Mike Minor, these storyboards read like a really good comic book.

THEATRICAL TRAILER pretty dramatic for a teaser, and it gives a good idea of what the film was going to be.

Despite a couple of rocky patches, the "director's edition" of STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN is a worthy package to a really good film. Highly recommended.

Read Best Reviews of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Restored) (2010) Here

Considered the best Star Trek film to date. The film is a virtual Horatio Hornblower in outer space. Wrath Of Khan is a gripping adventure reminisent of a 1957 WWII film "The Enemy Below." Ricardo Montalban is superb at Khan Noonan Singh, genetically modified super madman from the late 20th century. Awoken on a sleeper ship in the 23rd century by Capt Kirk and crew, only to be exiled on unstable planet. Khan seeks revenge on Kirk in the worst way, as he hijacks a Federation starship as well as a device that could literally destroy the galaxy. The best line in the film:

Admiral James T. Kirk: Khan, you bloodsucker! You're gonna have to do your own dirty work now, do you hear me? Do you? Khan: Kirk! You're still alive, old friend! Admiral James T. Kirk: Still, "old friend!" You've managed to kill everyone else but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target. Khan: Perhaps I no longer need to try, Admiral. [beams the Genesis device away] Admiral James T. Kirk: Khan... Khan, you've got Genesis, but you don't have me. You were going to kill me, Khan. You're gonna have to come down here. You're gonna have to come down here. Khan: I've done far worse than kill you, Admiral. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her: marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet, buried alive. Buried alive. Kirk: KHAAANNNN! KHAAANNNN!

Wrath Of Khan also stars Kristie Alley (of Cheers, and Veronica's Closet). It was Krisitie's 1st roll on the big screen, playing Lt. Saavik, Spock's protegee. Great acting by Montalban and terrific over-acting by Shatner. Star Trek II is a tour de force. A must have for the Trekkie and sci-fi collector.

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1982's STAR TREK THE WRATH OF KHAN was a dream come true for TREK fans everywhere. The return of series' villain Khan Noonian Singh, consumed by his obsession to exact revenge on Admiral Kirk for the death of his wife, resulted in a TREK that was bolder and more dramatic than ever before, (or since -take note, Rick Berman!) Key to the rebirth was the hiring of director Nicholas Meyer, an admitted novice to the STAR TREK phenomenon who nonetheless drew an astounding, best-ever performance from Shatner and created a taut, tightly-paced adventure in the tradition of the series' finest episodes. As usual, DeForest Kelley steals scene after scene.

From the very beginning, Paramount has lead the charge in packing their DVD's with supplementary materials, and this disc doesn't disappoint. For starters, there are two VERY cool behind-the-scenes documentaries: STAR TREK: RECAPTURING THE MAGIC explores the effort that went into ensuring the film FELT like STAR TREK, while the second documentary, IKE EISENMANN: FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN TO THE MILKY WAY, examines in exhausting detail how the actor went from child star at Disney to his tour of duty aboard the Enterprise in KHAN. Both shorts are interesting and informative, and above all, fun. But the studio didn't stop there; in addition to the documentaries, we get a pristine transfer of the film's original theatrical trailer, a generous collection of TV spots, and a rare, seldom seen teaser trailer created expressly for the Polish market. But the real jewel of the extras is the inclusion of an entire taping of The Merv Griffin Show from 1982 featuring Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley, just prior to the release of the film. That alone would have been sufficient to make the disc a must-buy, but Paramount ups the ante by giving us not one, not two, but 25 audio commentaries!!! This treasure trove of extras, combined with the dynamic picture and sound of the film transfer, will have TREK fans everywhere rushing to beam this one up!

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The Outlaw Josey Wales (2011)

Although Clint Eastwood gained his greatest critical acclaim as a director for 1992's "Unforgiven" and 2003's "Mystic River" -both of which are incredible pieces of American cinema -his best film remains this perennially popular Western from 1976. Here's Eastwood's own take on it: "I do believe that if I'd made that picture in 1992, in place of `Unforgiven,' it might have received the same amount of attention, because I think it's equally as good a film. I think the subject matter of `Josey Wales' is timeless." Orson Welles himself named it one of his favorite movies!

Yet critics at the time completely dismissed it as just another Clint Eastwood Western-Revenge flick. On the surface, the plot might give you that illusion: Missouri farmer Josey Wales loses his family to marauding Union cutthroats during the civil war. In retaliation, he joins Qunatrill's raiders in the guerrilla warfare that flames across Missouri. When the war ends, Wales refuses to surrender. He flies west across the country, chased by his former leader Fletcher (John Vernon in a great, sympathetic performance) and Terrill, the Union captain who murdered his family (Eastwood regular Bill McKinney). It seems Wales has no future except to stay alive long enough to get his revenge.

But...that's not at all what movie ends up being about. Gradually, Wales finds himself at the center of a growing community of outcasts from many different backgrounds: an old Cherokee named Lone Watie (Chief Dan George, in the film's most unforgettable performance), a band of Northern settlers (including Sondra Locke in her first role with Clint), a girl from another Native American tribe, the residents of a dying Texas town, and a red bone hound. Gradually, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" turns into a story about forgetting revenge and a fixation on death, and instead about embracing life and rebuilding a community. "Dying is easy for men like you and me," Wales says to a Comanche chief (Will Sampson) in one scene. "It's living that's hard." It's one of the most unexpectedly uplifting and moving films ever made. And, let's make no mistake about it, it's also an action-packed, tough, and exciting film.

Strangely, the film came out of extremely difficult circumstances and rough beginnings. Eastwood purchased the rights to Forrest Carter's novel "Gone to Texas," only to discover that the author was actually Asa (Ace) Carter, who had worked as a speech writer for George Wallace supporting racial segregation and had once created a subgroup of the Ku Klux Klan. Upon meeting Carter, Eastwood and his producer Robert Daley found the man to be a borderline sociopath (he drew a knife on one of Daley's secretaries at a restaurant). Regardless, Eastwood loved the beautiful story too much and pushed on with making the film. He hired Philip Kaufman to both write and direct the movie, now re-named "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Kaufman (along with Sonia Chernus) wrote a stunning script, but after only a few days on the set, it became obvious he wasn't working out as a director; his style clashed with Eastwood's. Eastwood quietly removed him as director and took over the job himself. As Eastwood's biographer notes, "Kaufman was to a degree the victim of Clint's growing confidence in his own abilities."

Despite this confused beginning, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" turned into a magical piece of Western cinema and a huge hit with audiences. It gets better and better with each viewing: a thrilling adventure when you first see it, its many layers of beautiful subtlety emerge each time you go back to it. Bruce Surtees's photography is astonishing, Jerry Fielding's music exciting and unusual for a Western, and every performance top-notch. Few films are as all-around well done as this American classic.

The DVD offers the film in a glorious widescreen transfer with a new 5.1 sound mix, but there are no extras. Considering the history behind the making of the film, this disc really ought to sport some fascinating commentaries and documentaries, but alas, nothing. Still, I can recommend few films higher than "The Outlaw Josey Wales."

This review refers to the Warner Bros DVD Widescreen Edition of ""The Outlaw Josey Wales".......

Josey Wales is another of Clint's Eastwood's bigger than life Western characters that you won't soon forget.Josey though, is not like the others that preceeded him. It becomes apparent throughout this film, that this tough loner, on the run from murderers, has a heart the size of Texas.(And of course in this one we DO know his name!).

Eastwood also does an artful job of directing this tale, that has everthing from action to romance, and even a little comedy.

The end of the civil war is nearing. The northern soldiers though, won't let up. The "Red Legs" as some of these notorious war criminals are called are still pillaging,and plundering the homesteads in the territory and...killing the families.Wales is a victim of these brutal attacks, his house burned to the ground and his wife and son viciously attacked and murdered. He joins up with a group of others who are out to avenge their families and they become a notorious group. When they are offered a deal at the end of the war, they all turn themselves in..all but one...Josey Wales!

Ride with Josey(everyone else does) across the beautiful western vistas, as he takes on the "Red Legs" that are after him, saves a family from "Commancheros", makes friends with the Indians, and wears his heart on his sleeve as along the way he seems to attract a group of outcasts, including a dog, that he just can't leave behind.

Clint surrounds himself with the most marvelous cast, including Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon and Chief Dan George who provides many of the lighter moments in this action packed western.

If you are already a fan of this film made in 1976 and wondering about the quality of the transfer, you will be thrilled by the way it looks and sounds. The picture in widescreen is gorgeous. All scenes including the darker and nighttime are sharp and clear. Colors are vibrant. The soundtrack remastered in 5.1 Dolby Digital is also wonderful. From the pounding hooves of the racing horses, to the rain, to the music and the dialouge,you won't miss a thing.It's a dual-layer format, but I did not notice any of those little pauses that casues sometimes."Extras" are in the way of production notes only. There are some interesting facts on how Eastwood came to read the book and make the film.

What?! You haven't seen this yet??? It's a must for any Eastwood or Western fan! Go for it. "Now, Spit!"..Chief Dan George......Enjoy..Laurie

Clint multi-packs:The Gauntlet/True Crime,

The Clint Eastwood Collection (In the Line of Fire/Unforgiven/Bronco Billy/Dirty Harry/The Outlaw Josey Wales/The Beguiled),City Hall/Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil*actually a John Cusak double feature but Midnight in the Garden of Eveil is directed by Clint

Buy The Outlaw Josey Wales (2011) Now

As I am not ordinarily a fan of westerns, I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed this film. It was an engrossing and entertaining movie, and, unlike others in this genre, it is an intelligent and well thought out film.

The film tells the story of a Missouri farmer who, towards the end of the Civil War, finds his home overrun by renegade union soldiers who set fire to his homestead, kill his wife and son, and leave him for dead. After burying his family, he joins a group of confederate guerillas who have suffered similar tragedies. Ultimately, the war ends and their leader brings them in for surrender, except for Josey Wales, who watches their surrender from afar. Good thing he did not join them, as their surrender turns into an execution by the very same men who had pillaged his home and killed his family.

Wales escapes only to be relentlessly hunted down by the very men who had wronged him, as well as by bounty hunters who want that five thousand dollar reward offered for his capture. Wales rides on to escape them, and along his travels acquires a motley entourage whom he befriends and who befriend him. What happens on his journey is classic Eastwood.

Clint Eastwood plays his role as a stoic man of few words, while Chief Dan George is an absolute delight as part of Wales' entourage. The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent. Of course, Sandra Locke, as Eastwood's real life main squeeze at the time, got star billing, even though her role was one of the smaller ones and her performance the least impressive of the supporting cast.

This remains one of the more entertaining films in this genre. It also made Hollywood sit up and take serious notice of Eastwood as a major force in the film industry.

Read Best Reviews of The Outlaw Josey Wales (2011) Here

While he was still a star and hero on the long-running TV western Wagon Train, Clint Eastwood emerged on the Hollywood scene in western-theme movies, specifically his trio of "spaghetti westerns" with director Sergi Leone, the best being "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly".

After establishing another remarkable character in Dirty Harry, Clint returns to his western "roots" as the vengeful Josie Wales, in "The Outlaw Josie Wales". This is Clint's 31st film and his fifth as a director. Actually, the film was started with a different director, Philip Kaufman of "The Right Stuff" fame. After numerous and intractable arguments over the interpretation of the film, Clint fired his director a week into shooting and took over directorship himself. We will never know what sort of film Mr. Kaufman would have produced, but Eastwood's final product is a true gem in western filmmaking.

In Eastwood's western trilogy he was known only as "the man with no name", a loner who generously dispensed his form of western justice at the barrel of a gun (or two). There was not much character development. We don't learn what drives the man or what he feels inside. With Josie Wales, Clint plows new ground, as he plumbs the emotions of the vengeful Wales. He builds insights into the character and feelings of Wales, a man with a name AND feelings. This makes the movie more than a mere "shoot 'em up", and adds depth and meaning to the film. Eastwood does much the same and more, with his 1990 blockbuster (and his last western) "Unforgiven", with Oscar results.

Josie Wales can be viewed with interest and pleasure on several different levels. There is of course the "vengeful man" theme that is the movie's backbone. Then there is the multi-cultural theme, where instead of going it alone, one man against many, Wales has a collection of "family" that collects as the movie progresses: an old Indian Chief, a talkative Indian "Squaw", a grandmother and her granddaughter (Sandra Locke, whom Clint would have an affair with that would end his marriage to his wife Maggie), and finally a collection of townies from a dying silver mining town. Finally, there is the "healing" theme, namely, how does a man who suffers the violent loss of his wife, son, and home, deal with his vengeful anger, emotional loss, and begin to heal.

Mere trivia, but interesting: Clint Eastwood never once shoots and kills a Native American Indian in any of his western films. Instead of battling indians as do most of the other western film stars, Eastwood's charcters build alliances with the Natives, learning to live in peaceful co-existance rather than a state of perpetual war.

Clearly, this is Eastwood's best western up to this point in his career. It is definately worth a "look" and my guess is that it will become one of your favorite westerns.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

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Of all the years and several formats for this movie to be released in...this IS the best it has ever looked and sounded! Over the years (even DVD) the transfers have been soft and lacking detail. Well, this blu-ray brings back what has been missing all these years. This is one stunning transfer! The soundtrack DTS-HD 5.1 really sounds like surround for the first time. In the past, it seemed like three channel...but now all the speakers are employed (and the subwoofer is used).

If you are a fan of this classic and love blu-ray, upgrade today! Throw out that old DVD and do your eyes (and ears) a favor and get this version. I am still shocked how well this film from 1976 looks! It finally shines!!

I can't believe what I have been missing all these years! Great restoration job.

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