Planet Earth (Discovery Channel Collector's Edition)

Having investigated these program discs, both the BBC BDs and the Discovery Channel's set are identical in imagery and transfer quality (1080i, not 1080p). But frankly, I have to say I find the Sigourney Weaver narration AND the completely different music score to be FAR superior to the bland, milquetoast British edition's sound (& I have both).

Just compare the difference in their respective teasers: vivacious & energetic versus sleep-inducing! The DC version's complete soundscape is dynamic and engaging, as well as more directly educational (Ms. Weaver's regular comments on how shots were achieved, etc.), and as much as I greatly respect and appreciate the decades of educational programming from both David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit, I have to work to stay awake with their somewhat affected narration and sound design. If an exciting visual AND aural experience is what you look for in your BD collection, I highly recommend the Discovery Channel version of 'planet earth'.

I DVR'd the entire series on Discovery and was blown. Sigourney Weaver's dry humor, as well as her intricate explanation of the process of achieving the amazing shots of the series made a show worth watching even watchier.

Then, months later, my roommate bought the Attenborough version on blu ray because hipsters on slickdeals kept insisting "the original is always better", just like these same purists think the American version of the Office sucks. Well they suck and so does the BBC version -and I say this even though I am an avid fan of everything BBC (Top Gear, Mighty Boosh, etc).

I sat through the BBC version many nights asking myself AM I EVEN WATCHING THE SAME SHOW, cuz without the american editing and sound dynamics, it was a borefest. I went from being pumped about sharks snatching suckers out of mid air with tyko drumming to being tortured through watching grass freakin grow in the Andes with an elevator music backtrack. It was the cinematographic equivalent to the dismotilic bowel movements of the elderly.

Buy this version, listen to Ripley talking about animals doing crazy hijinks, and get super pumped about nature. Then go outside and plant like a million trees while listening to AC/DC.

Review done.

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This DVD is AWESOME !!! I love Sigourney Weaver's narration the best. The scenes are mesmerizing ! You won't be sorry you bought this one.

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When I bought Planet Earth in a DVD store i wasn't aware that there were two different narrators. i was so upset because i felt it lost that attention grabbing voice. Well that's why i ordered it again because although i love his British accent i couldn't handle not hearing Sigourney Weavers voice. Just youtube clips with him and her and you'll hear the difference she is much better for this type of show.

examples:

here are some links i found ..same shot almost the same music but a different feel.. Sigourney just gives more..check it yourself...

David Attenborough version (BBC)Sigourney Weaver version (Discovery Channel)(start it at 00:39 to 00:53)

Look i love everything Discovery, BBC, Nova, Science Channel, NATGEO and History Channel but i feel maybe the Discovery channel wanted to add more facts and kick it up with the music so its not so lame lol..Anyhow i hope they keep these shows coming because every time i am amazed.

Hope this helps

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I already own this, my ex had the david attendbourough version, but he put me to sleep a lot with his mono-tone voice... This Blu Ray DVD with Sigourney Weaver is more than a treasure to own... In all honesty, I feel that we are so priveledged, so honored, so lucky to be able to even have an EXPERIENCE of this sort... tied with Sigourney Weaver's voice... Magnificent, jaw dropping, breath-taking, an all around MUST HAVE!!! (Trust me, David Attenbourough leans toward the UK audience, while Sigourney Weaver leans toward the American audience). And if you don't want to listen to a man with an accent and a mono-toned voice I suggest you get your hands on Sigourney Weaver... there is a reason why its soooo much harder to find, not to mention more expensive than David's!

The War at Home (1996)

This movie blows me away! Martin Sheen and Kathy Bates, (my favorite actress,) both play roles totally unexpected and suprising as husband and wife.

The acting was believable of all characters, and it really makes you stop and think about the horrors that our soldiers had to endure in Vietnam, God bless them! This is a wake up call addressing our need to honor our vetrans and their families.

I highly reccommend this flick!!!

I first saw _The War At Home_ by accident on television. I was about 16 at the time. I loved it mainly because I thought it was a true story, since I had turned it on after the first 15 minutes & missed the opening voice-over. (Just to clarify: five million Americans served in Vietnam over the course of that long war, therefore a good chance exists the events in this movie happened to thousands of young vets--so I'm hesitant to call it FICTIONAL)

Watching it four years later, I felt very sad at the end. Which I actually DIDN'T feel the first time I saw it. The characters were both likeable & unlikeable; I love a movie where you can resent one character you've known all of two hours, or be on the verge of tears when another is facing a difficult time.

Bob seemingly acknowledges his son has changed for the worse when he gives his "draft card speech" at the Thanksgiving day table, but he does nothing to help Jeremy. At the same time, Karen is a psych student, but she can be a little too harsh on Jeremy in certain moments. But the characters are humans, they make mistakes.

The only real problem I had was with the ending voice-over. It gave too much away. I would have been happier wondering what became of Jeremy. (I wonder why they had Karen, of all the characters, doing the voice overs?) Still, it's worth 5 stars.

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Excellent movie.......Worth seeing over and over.....One of the most underated films of our time.

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As a peace time veteran I have always been interested in the elements that made up the Vietnam war. No movie spoke to me more than Born on the Fourth of July because it explored the naive patriotism so often held by the young and inexperienced (such as I) and the disillusionment born of societal apathy and disdain as well as the pathetic way our vets are 'cared for' and utterly disregarded by the military itself. That's not an endorsement of the Vietnam war itself but merely a commentary on the condition of our so underappreciated veterans.

That being said 'The War at Home' explores (quite adeptly if I might add) many of the psychological effects suffered by those brave men and women who so gallantly served in addition to the heartache and responsibility of the families involved.

It's a masterful work. Unfortunately most who have never served or put their own well being on the line for a cause they believe in can not even begin to understand or empathize with the inner plight of the Vietnam veteran.

A must see film!

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I just watched this movie on TV and all I can say is wow. The characters all play out like real family members. Kathy Bates is just brilliant in her role as the mother. I think there are many families who can relate to these people. I don't know how anybody can watch this movie and not think about our troops coming home from Iraq.

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The Collector (2010)

"The Collector" was written and directed by Marcus Dunstan with the writing help of Patrick Melton. The two have worked together on the Saw movies installments 4, 5, 6, and the upcoming 7 so that fact that this movie is "Saw" meets "Home Alone" is a very accurate statement. The premise is that a down-on-his-luck father needs some money by midnight and decides to rob an employer while the family is on vacation. Unfortunately, someone else got there first and has set up a series of intricate, deadly booby traps top to bottom in this mansion.

Josh Stewart stars as Arkin, a guy trying to get by on a honest day's pay for an honest day's work yadda yadda yadda, but when put in a crunch proves skilled at robberies in order to save his family from loan sharks. Little does he know that the second he enters this house, the probability of his ever seeing them again plummets dramatically. There is a dagger chandelier, an acid floor, fish hook curtains, boarded up windows rigged with razor blades, and trip wires everywhere. This is one intense journey into torture porn that only the strong can stomach. If you can't get enough "Saw" and wish Kevin had been just a little more naughty than paint cans in "Home Alone", this is your chance to see something spectacular. Cat-lovers, beware.

This house is a maze of stairways, doorways, hallways, and it can get easy to get lost so the director does a great job of showing the audience where our "hero"...er..."hero-ish guy" is by raising the camera over the door frames through the ceiling so you can see where the good guy is and where the bad guy is easily. There is also different lighting throughout the house. Of course, most rooms are very dark but some have bluish tints and the basement has a creepy slimer-glow.

This is one of the best scary movies I've seen in the last couple of years. There is no filler, very little exposition at the beginning, it just jumps right into the thrilling cat-and-mouse game where you keep waiting for the killer to discover someone else is in the house. One more scary note: the killer likes to put people in boxes.

This film also features a quick cameo from Claire's lesbian college friend in "Heroes" and yes, she gets topless so...enjoy that, I guess.

End verdict: go rent this for thrills and chills. Not a movie to eat during. Bring a pillow to shove in front of your face when it gets too freaky.

In an isolated mansion somewhere, a new family moves into a mansion known as the Chases (Michael Reilly Burke, Andrea Roth and Karley Scott Collins) as they believe it is just the right place. However, Arkin (Josh Stewart) was fixing their windows and doors as he is a con-artist that needs more money even for his wife as he decides to play burglar at their house when they aren't home, unfortunately there is another criminal called The Collector (Juan Fernadez) has imprisoned the family with a few other people as he has booby-trapped the house for uninvited guests but can he find a surviving family member and get out alive?

Intense, creepy and gory slasher movie from the writers of Saw IV and V is quite an original and startling shocker. It's been called a Torture movie but there is only a couple but not alot as this is actually a slasher movie in the Home Alone mode where are are booby-traps such as fox-traps on the floors in a hall, acid sticky glue, windows with razors etc and of course the usual stabbing. This one is also quite claustrophobic and brings back the feel of those exploitation slasher era rather than being so-called "Torture Porn".

This Blu-Ray offers brilliant stunning picture with surround sound that is quite chilling even of the screams of victims with extras like trailer, featurette, music video and deleted scenes.

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I don't know what some of these people are talking about, but this movie is AWESOME. I have to admit, I didn't think it was going to be this much Gore in the movie. I haven't been this creeped out in a Horror movie like this in a long time. I just don't understand why there were so many traps in the house. If anyone is familiar with the Video Game "Deception" you will think this would have made a perfect movie. I really don't like much gore like how some of the Saw movies started off, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The only thing I want to know is if this guy is Human?? I wanted to see his face so bad. If there is a sequel, I'm sure they will go into some of the backstory of who the guy is, but if your ready for a good horror movie, This one is worth a watch.

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The Collector is like Jigsaw invited Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger over for a cup of tea and some blood-letting. A sub-contractor/thief has staked out his latest rich victim to burgle and this time he needs the money to help his ex-wife escape losing her knee caps to a loan shark. That is the entire story.

The rest of the movie deals with the burglar finding the house is now a house of horror, booby-trapped with trip-wires, bear traps, razors and the master bedroom has the floor entirely covered in glue so the collector can trap the owners of the home like flies on a fly strip. The collector is a silent masked predator and we learn if he likes you, he collects you but if he doesn't want you he kills you. This info is provided by one of the collectibles confined in a large red box.

The problem with the film is, there is no explanation of how the collector was able to booby-trap the house in a short window of time and the movie is mostly a set-up for some ingenious kills including a disembowelment, but the movie comes through with the torture and gore and like Jigsaw, Jason and Freddy before him, the collector will be coming back for more blood and guts.

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THE COLLECTOR takes SAW to new levels of torture horror. It's a well made albeit disturbing film. Filled with grotesque traps and pervasive violence, it's not easy to watch. Josh Stewart is intensely effective in his role of the down on his luck jewel thief with good support from Andrea Roth and Michael Reilly Burke. My main problem is the plot holes:

HOW DID THE COLLECTOR HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SET ALL THE TRAPS?

WHY DIDN'T THE GUARD DOG ATTACK THE COLLECTOR?

WHY DIDN'T THE FAMILY GO ON THEIR VACATION?

WAS THE COLLECTOR REALLY AN EXTERMINATOR? HE PEELED THE LOGO OFF HIS VAN AT THE END.

HOW DID HE CHOOSE HIS VICTIMS--AND WHY?

Not for the squeamish, but certainly horrifying.

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From Up on Poppy Hill (Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack)

(Note: this is a review of the movie, not of the DVD. Based on other reviews, I would advise potential buyers to be cautious about the quality of the specific DVD being sold.)

From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara) is nothing less than the best Studio Ghibli film since 2004's Howl's Moving Castle, possibly even since 2001's Spirited Away. Directed by Goro Miyazaki from a screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, From Up on Poppy Hill is based on a 1980 serialized Japanese graphic novel of the same name, illustrated by Chizuru Takahashi and written by Tetsuro Sayama. The animation is lush and lovingly detailed, and the story an engaging tale of two high school students dealing with first love and with the importance of the past, both on a cultural and institutional level, and, as it turns out, on an intimately personal level as well.

The story is set in 1963 in the port town of Yokahama in Japan in 1963 against the backdrop of the country getting ready to host the 1964 Olympic Games. Umi Matsuzaki is a sixteen-year-old high school girl living with her family and a couple of boarders in a house on top of a hill that overlooks the harbor. Her mother Ryoko, a medical professor, is currently away, studying abroad in the United States. In her mother's absence, Umi runs the house and looks after her younger siblings, Sora and Riku, and her grandmother, Hana. The boarders, both women, are an artistic college student named Sachiko Hirokouji and a doctor-in-training named Miki Hokuto. Umi's father, we learn, died many years ago when Umi was quite young, killed when his cargo ship hit a mine during the Korean War. As a kind of ritual to his memory, each morning Umi raises a set of naval signal flags up a flagpole outside the house with the message "Safe Voyage" to the ships out in the harbor.

One day, an anonymous poem about the flags appears in the school newspaper. Curious, Umi decides to visit the school newspaper to ask who wrote the poem. The school paper is published out of an office located in a delapidated old building on the school grounds nick-named "the Latin Quarter" which houses all of the school clubs and has done so for as long as anyone can remember. But the Latin Quarter is now endangered by a plan to tear it down and replace it with a brand new building as part of Japan's modernization program to put on its best face for the upcoming Olympics, a move that has the students divided between those who want everything to be new and those who have an emotional attachment to the old and traditional, which they see embodied by their beloved Latin Quarter.

On the way to visit the paper's office, Umi, accompanied by Sora, witness another student, Shun Kazama, performing a daredevil stunt to get publicity for the paper's "Save the Latin Quarter" drive. Umi is somewhat less than impressed by Shun's feat, but when she reaches the school paper office, she discovers that Shun, along with his friend Shiro Mizunuma who is the student government president, is the publisher of the school paper (and also, as she learns later, the author of the poem about her flags). Before she knows it, Umi is volunteering to help, first with the paper, preparing stencils, and then soon with their drive to save the Latin Quarter. She suggests that the best way to start would be to give the building a complete facelift, first with a thorough cleaning and then with much needed repairs and a fresh paint job. In this cause, Umi enlists the school's female student population, which in turn gets the male students guickly and enthusiastically on board.

As they work together, Umi and Shun start feeling a growing attraction to each other. But the path of young love is rarely smooth, and theirs is thrown for a bigger curve than most when Umi shows Shun a photograph of three young naval men, one of whom is her deceased father. But Shun has seen this photograph before, and suddenly a past neither of them were previously aware of begins to assert itself, complicating their budding relationship before it's properly begun. From that point on, the twin plot threads of Umi and Shun and their pasts and of the students' crusade to save the Latin Quarter are subtly intertwined. To say more would be to spoil the story.

The animation in From Up on Poppy Hill is wonderfully detailed and executed in so many ways it would take a long time to properly describe them. The Latin Quarter clubhouse is a marvel of clutter, completely believable as the sort of old place whose every corner would be filled with incredibly varied bric-a-brac due to the myriad kind of clubs it houses (and going for years without a proper cleaning because that's not typically a high priority with most boys).

Another thing I particularly liked were the subtle changes in the backgrounds as evening approached in some scenes; you could feel the sun slowly beginning to set with the ever-so-slight lengthening of shadows and changes in the hue of the sky. Equal detail was given to the way the characters moved and the things they did. In one scene, when Umi is preparing dinner, she pours the rice into a square box, then carefully runs a flat edge over the top to level it so that the amount measured out is exact. It's a minor detail not dwelled upon, but one of many similar ones that give the film a depth of reality rarely found in most animated films.

Highly, highly recommended for anyone who loves beautiful animation, engaging characters and truly first-class story-telling that never condescends to its audience.

This movie is very well done. Although it is not a Hayao Miyazaki movie, it is made by his son. You can feel how it is similar to Miyazaki's films. It just doesn't have the fantasy elements that most Miyazaki films have. Instead its more of a slice of life, laid back movie like Whisper of the Heart. Which I really enjoyed. So even though its not like watching something like Spirited away or Howl's moving castle, it is sweet and very well done. if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli's work, this is a great movie to watch. I highly suggest you check it out! It will surprise you in a good way!

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Another amazing studio ghibli movie. The story is fairly simple but still interesting and the characters are easy to care about and make the movie a great watch. Could easily watch this again and again.

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Let me start this by saying I'm a major Studio Ghibli fan as their films are all superbly done and have stories with characters that matter to the viewer. This one is no exception. I particularly like that it is set in the early 1960s, a period before Japan had become the economic powerhouse that it is today. As usual, the characters are delightful and the ending is equally a treat. It looks at how things used to be and if you have every lived in or visited Japan during this period of time, you will recognize a great deal of the surroundings. Enough from me. Buy this one. You will be so glad that you did. I've viewed it at least a half dozen times in the last few weeks and it is just as delightful the last time as it was the first.

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I saw this movie in my local theater last week. It is dubbed by Disney voices. I really liked the movie. It felt like a 50's movie to me. I will plan to purchase it when it is for sale. It is hand drawn and sometimes when the camera panned shots, it went out of focus and hurt my eyes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and plan to rate the Dvd when it becomes available.

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Emma (1996)

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

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

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

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

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

I loved it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ah, this is a fun movie!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Scrooged (2013)

Other reviewers have commented on their likes or dislikes for this 1988 Christmas movie starring Bill Murray. I'm a Bill Murray fan and I love this movie. What I want to comment on in this brief review is the quality of the blu ray transfer. I'm happy to report that the transfer is excellent! Finally fans of Scrooged can enjoy watching Frank Cross discover the true meaning of Christmas in beautiful hi-def. I'm so tired of buying a blu ray of a favorite movie and getting something that looks worst than standard-def. This is NOT the case with Scrooged. It looks and sounds great. Buy and enjoy.

Bill Murray is the new Scrooge in the classic tale done yet again. I remember a reviewer giving it a low rating because he said it seemed as though Murray's character really didn't like people. Helllooo, isn't that what actors are supposed to do? This version of the old Chrsitmas tale is a good retelling of the story. Murray is mean to everyone including his only brother (played by his real younger brother). The 3 spirits that visit Frank Cross (Murray's role) are wacky to say the least. Carol Kane plays the ghost of Christmas present and is probably the funniest of the spirits. Murray has this act down pat. He's a big t.v. exec and fires Elliot Laudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait) just for disagreeing with him. By the way, his fires Laudermilk on Christmas eve.

Alfre Woodard plays his longsuffering assistant and tries to be Cross' conscience since he doesn't have one of his own. In the visit to Christmas past we learn that television played the biggest role in raising him since his parents weren't the greatest in the world. Christmas doesn't mean much because his parents didn't put up Christmas lights, buy a tree or get him presents. His father does come home one night and drop a package of veal in front of him as a Christmas gift but the young Frank Cross tells his dad that he wanted a choo-choo train. His dad, a butcher, (played by Brain Doyle Murray, Bill Murray's real life brother) is totally unsympathetic and suggests that his son get a job even though he's only four.

There are lots of laughs here as the cast pokes fun at the t.v. industry from behind this comedy. The end of the film might be a little mushy bit it's fine here since Cross is so mean during the rest of the film. He even steals a cab from a little old lady carrying a load of packages. This movie would fit nicely in your holiday collection.

Parents Advisory: There is no nudity or sex. However, there is a small bit of foul language. It may frighten very young children. I suggest a viewing age of at least thirteen.

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Since the first time I ever saw this movie, I have watched it a few times a year, never tiring of the modern take on the Dickens classic. Bill Murray is excellently cast as cold hearted TV exec Frank Cross and with each scene, the movie draws you ever-closer to the Christmas feeling.

I watch this EVERY Christmas Eve and no matter how bad a year you've had, by the time this movie finishes and it's time to go to bed before Father Christmas comes, you'll be in the true Spirit of the Season.

I've yet to meet someone who doesn't lean towards this as their movie of choice for the festive period. And now... I finally get to see it on DVD!

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Bill Murray lends his comedic talents to this contemporary version of the Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol," with somewhat skewered results in "Scrooged," directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Mitch Glazer and Michael O' Donoghue. This time around, Ebenezer is one Frank Cross (Murray), programming executive for a major television network with an office in New York. Above all else, Cross covets the "ratings" he can add to his coffers, and this year he's going all out with a "live" broadcast of "A Christmas Carol" planned for Christmas Eve, starring Buddy Hackett as Scrooge and Mary Lou Retton as Tiny Tim. And that's just a taste of the kind of humor this film has to offer. There's more, much more, and it's all handled with aplomb by Donner, Murray and a great supporting cast. Whatever genre he's working in, Donner knows his stuff and knows how to deliver the goods. Here he wisely lets Murray lead the way, but keeps his star on task and the film moving along with a tempered pace and great timing. The story remains the same, but placing Scrooge-Cross-in the entertainment industry was a stroke of genius, and it all works exceedingly well, as it gives the audience a medium with which it can readily identify. Let's face it, television is a part of our culture, like it or not, and it's here to stay; and in this instance, using it as a setting for this story offers a "tableau vivant" rich with possibilities that are tapped to the fullest. There's a promo for the upcoming live broadcast like you've never seen before; there's the "inside" industry jokes, like Network executive Preston Rhinelander (Robert Mitchum) urging programming for cats; "Marley's ghost" becomes Lew Hayward (John Forsythe) the exec who sold his soul for ratings; the casting of Hackett and Retton; but most of all, it puts Murray right in his element. Murray gets right to the heart of the character, imbuing Cross with a sense of jaded, dubious and sarcastic paranoia that so perfectly fits the psychological make-up of an executive in a business where you're only as good as yesterday's ratings. And Murray plays him to the hilts; he has the tone and the body language, and nobody can look "askance" like he can, a nuance he makes the most of here. it's an original take on a familiar character, and in Murray's skin Cross becomes a memorable and entirely believable figure, from his credible ruthlessness (he fires an underling, Eliot Loudermilk--played by Bob Goldthwait-just before Christmas for disagreeing with his "vision") to his epiphany on Christmas Eve. The terrific supporting cast includes Karen Allen as Claire, the girl Frank lets slip away as he follows the siren's song of career; John Glover (Bryce Cummings) as Frank's new "assistant," plotting his way to the top; Alfre Woodard (Grace) as Frank's secretary, a single mom with a sick child; Michael J. Pollard (Herman); Nicholas Phillips (Calvin); John Murray (James); Brian Doyle-Murray (Earl Cross); David Johansen, as the cab-driving Ghost of Christmas Past; and Carol Kane, who turns in an unforgettable, hilarious, scene-stealing performance as the Ghost of Christmas Present. There's plenty of laughs and some touching moments in "Scrooged," which is a wonderfully entertaining holiday treat, especially if you want your "Christmas Carol" served up just a little bit differently this year. And the speech Murray gives at the end, once he's had his revelation, is worth the price of admission alone; it's one of those things Murray does best, and he really connects with the audience, especially when he finishes up by leading everyone involved (including the audience) in song. This is a movie that has become an annual event for many since it's arrival on video; give yourself a present this year and put this one under your tree. You'll be glad you did. Like the song at the end (sung by Annie Lennox and Al Green), it'll "Put A Little Love In Your Heart."

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Christmas movies are fun. I like Christmas movies because they're generally nice, lightweight, enjoyable pieces of fluff with important moralistic messages ("It's a Wonderful Life," "Scrooge") or sometimes they're just fun to watch ("Gremlins," "Home Alone").

"Scrooged" isn't lightweight, cheery, or happy. It's dark, brooding, sort of evil, and it's the only Christmas movie I can think of that seems as if Tim Burton directed it.

Am I insulting the film? Heavens, no. I love it. In fact, I'm complimenting it. Instead of repeating old traditions, it's trying something new, and the secret to the film is the way it actually pulls it all off.

The plot: Frank Cross is the youngest television station president in recorded history because he knows the people. At least he thinks he does. In reality, he's just a greedy tycoon who gives people bath towels for Christmas -including his own brother.

Cross is a modern day Scrooge, and the movie "Scrooged" is a modern reworking of the classic Charles Dickens story. Frank Cross is played by Bill Murray absolutely perfectly. He's cynical, dry, and sarcastic, and doesn't give a darn about anyone else other than himself.

So the night before Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by an old business partner -who has been dead for seven years. ("I wouldn't have guessed more than three, tops," says Frank in his usual sarcastic tone.) His old associate warns Frank to change his ways or he'll end up like himself -angry, bitter...and dead.

Frank doesn't pay any attention to his "hallucination," and continues being his usual self during the festive Christmas holiday -by ripping off old ladies' cabs and firing Elliot (Bobcat Goldthwait) on Christmas Eve. (Elliot is sort of today's version of Bob Cratchitt.)

Frank is putting on a Christmas Eve production of Charles Dickens' immortal classic "Scrooge" (what happened to "A Christmas Carol," I wonder?), and in the film's funniest scene, introduces his ad for the program. (It later scares an old woman to death and Frank takes it as a wonderful sign -controversy is as good as advertising!)

The three ghosts do indeed come and haunt Frank. Except Frank is more cynical than Ebenezer Scrooge ever was, and convincing him that Christmas is a season of giving will be hard. (Frank: "I get it, you're here to show me my past and I'm supposed to get all dully eyed and mushy. Well forget it pal, you got the wrong guy.")

Frank is revisited by an old flame (Karen Allen) and his heart starts to beat once again after years of silence. Frank slowly but surely starts to learn to appreciate Christmas once again, following all of Scrooge's examples. His intern's son, who witnessed his father's murder and hasn't spoken since, is a sort of Tiny Tim, and "Scrooged" does indeed follow all of the elements of Charles Dickens' classic. Only it updates the tale, throws in a bunch of cameos, and great acting on Murray's behalf.

Frank revisits scenes from his childhood and adulthood first hand with the wacky ghosts as companions. They can't see or hear Frank -his cab driver ghost tells him that he's in the middle of a rerun.

Frank remembers how his father brought him meat for Christmas, how he broke up with his girlfriend over a matter of greed vs. happiness, and how his life was a complete waste. (Ghost: "Let's face it, Frank, garden slugs got more out of life than you." Frank: "Yeah? Name one!")

It was a matter of time before "A Christmas Carol," or "Scrooge," got a modernized treatment. And it comes out fresh and ingenious, dark and hilarious. The movie owes its entire success to the casting of Bill Murray, whose cynical ways shone through in such early films as "Stripes" and "Ghostbusters," and here compliment the film the way no other actor's talent could.

Take, for example, the way he can remain unmoved but, at the same time, flippant and sarcastic, towards his boss when he tells Frank that cats and dogs are starting to watch television, and that he thinks Frank should target some advertising at the canine and feline demographic. Frank just stares at his boss as if he's crazy and whispers, "Call the cops."

The movie was directed by Richard Donner ("Lethal Weapon"), and is one of the films I watch as an annual tradition around Christmas. It's dark and often quite disturbing, and its eerie music adds to the mix. But it helps the film because it makes us see through Frank's eyes. And the outcome is, quite frankly, an instant Christmas classic. This is a film I'll be watching for years, and so far, it's only been getting better every time.

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The Ultimate Matrix Collection (2012)

During the following I will intend to describe as best and briefly as possible this collection. I also will mention some differences between this collection and the original releases. Enjoy.

The difference between the limited and the unlimited editions are: The Limited Edition comes in a plastic box with trays, a Neo bust and an 80 page booklet that lists the extras of the 10 disks (yes, that's all it does). Besides this the sets are the same.

These two sets include all three films, The Animatrix, the film footage shot for Enter the Matrix videogame and 106 documentaries. The bonus disks for Reloaded and Revolutions are different from those included in the versions already released.

REMASTERD: The movies were enhanced so the films look brighter in color and richer in details. Don't worry it was not done by Gorge Lucas. The films are the same.

AUDIO: Also enhanced (not that it was necessary). Voices are stronger, gentle noises stand out more and details were sweetened just a bit. Great work!

DISK 1: The Matrix. The original commentaries, the music only audio track, follow the white rabbit, take the red pills... ALL ARE MISSING in this version. It comes with two commentaries worth listening to, a written intro from the Wachowski bros., and a ROM feature.

DISK 2: The Matrix Revisited. It includes the entire contents of the original disk except the fanboy stuff.

DISK 3: The Matrix Reloaded. Two new commentaries and a ROM feature.

DISK 4: The Matrix Reloaded Revisited. All new stuff such as a 17-min look at the fight in the Merovingian's chateau, 55-min dissection of the car chase, 40-min look at the Neo vs. 100 Smith battle, 7-min segment on Neo vs. Seraph and more.

DISK 5: The Matrix Revolutions. Two new commentaries and a ROM feature.

DISK 6: The Matrix Revolutions Revisited. Includes a tour of the set, 27-min piece on the Club Hel fight (ceiling walkers), segments on the workers and extras, 17-min profile of Neo vs. Smith final battle, 36-min piece covering the soundtrack, film editing, etc. and more.

DISK 7: The Animatrix. Just as we all remember it.

DISK 8: The Roots of the Matrix. Two documentaries: 1-Return to Source: The Philosophy of The Matrix: is an hour long discussion on the philosophical elements of the movie. And 2-The Hard Problem: the Science Behind the Fiction is an hour long discussion of the science of the films and its possibilities for a real life Matrix.

DISK 9: The Burly Man Chronicles. This is a 94-min featurette documenting the whole 276 day shoot for films 2 and 3. Profiles, interviews, a tribute to Alliyah and more are also found on this disk. Although almost nothing is said about Gloria Foster (the original Oracle).

DISK 10: The Zion Archive. Here we find storyboards and concept art for all three films; trailers and music videos for all three films; video effects in various states of completion and a Matrix Online game preview.

Overall: Excellent collection and a must for fans. If you are not a hardcore fan though and you like this collection, you may want to purchase the one without Neo's bust. It's cheaper and the booklet is only a guide to the extras on the 10 disks which are all included in both sets. The Wachowskis DO NOT give any commentaries on these disks which may be disappointing for some fans. But over all this is a great collection. You may add it to the ones you already own with confidence. There are more goodies in these disks not mentioned here so have fun exploring. Just follow the white rabbit and remember... there is no spoon.

There's really no reason to go into describing The Matrix Trilogy. Unless you lived under a rock for the past ten years, The Matrix is one of the most original and influential Science Fiction films of recent memory. Starring Keanu Reeves and directed by The Wachowski Brothers (who recently gave us the live-action Speed Racer film), this tale of computers taking over the reality of the human race and a small group of survivors in constant battle to win back their independence, successfully blasted it's way through theatres between the years of 1999 thru 2003. Complete with two theatrical sequels and one direct-to-video animated film called "The Animatrix", it was THE complete tale to own on DVD. Each film was released separately on the format as two-disc sets complete with somewhat bloated extras (The first and animated releases keep the extras on the film disc). But back in 2004, Warner Bros. released the "Ultimate Matrix Collection", a whopping ten disc collection featuring a brand new transfer of the first film and even more behind-the-scenes footage. But at a steep price of $52.00, for someone that really just wanted the movies, it wasn't all that practical. Now Warner Bros has introduced The Matrix to it's "4 Film Favorites" line, and the result is a great buy for the fan that just wants the films but at a more reasonable price.

Let me explain what you exactly get here. Housed in one original sized keepcase with a leaf in the middle to separate the two discs inside, each disc is a DVD-18, otherwise known as "dual-sided/dual-layed". Imagine if you took say The Matrix DVD and glued/attached it's label side to the label side of the first movie disc of The Matrix Reloaded. Then did the same thing to Disc One of Matrix Revolutions and the single disc of The Animatrix. That's pretty much what this set is. Each side is an EXACT, down to the bitrate quality, copy of the original release as it was when first released. Same menus, video/audio, Disc One extras, and all. Nothing has been changed except there's no picture label side now. Sure, the Disc Two's of Reloaded/Revolutions are absent now, but for under $12, and if you only want the movies that still are presented in their original Anamorphic Widescreen video, this for the tight-walleted film fans out there that never bothered to buy these films in the first place is truly the best way to go.

If the set has any cons, the first film is from 1999 DVD master, and while it's okay, it's still nowhere near the quality of the 2004 remaster that for Standard Definition discs is still exclusive to the Ultimate boxset. The transfers on the other three films here DO match in quality since they all were shot digitally to begin with, so one out of three isn't all that bad. Also, in order to give two full dual-layered presentations on just one disc, they HAVE to be dual-sided, otherwise known as "flippers". With flippers, each side is untouchable so to not get unwanted scratches on either side, you have to be more careful with them than a single-sided disc with it's label side that can be handled much easier.

In conclusion, if you never bothered in buying either the individual releases or the high-priced boxset, this 4 Film Favorites set for the cost and space-saving is an excellent deal. Other than losing a bonus disc of features that you probably would watch just once anyway, you get the whole Matrix for the cost of just one tiny little red pill.

(RedSabbath Rating:8.5/10)

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Been waiting for this BD version for a while. I have the HD-DVD trilogy which was awesome. Before that had the 10 disc DVD version of the Ultimate Matrix Collection which was awesome.

The Blu-ray version is the best of them (except that it doesn't come with a Neo bust like the DVD edition did).

At the time of purchase and of writing this review the product info was wrong on the Blu-ray version. It claims it is a 10 disc set, when it actually is a 6 disc set, 4 Blu-ray's and 2 DVD's. I notified Amazon.com of this, but who knows when they will get around to fixing it.

Also it was said that this is a waste of money in another review because newer DVD players upscale. However this person must have never seen an upscaled movie compared against a Blu-ray or HD-DVD version of the same. There is a BIG BIG difference, I watch a lot of movies "upscaled" but all that does is allow you to watch a DVD movie on a HD TV, it improves the quality a little but not enough to say it is as good as Blu-ray or HD-DVD.

It is worth the extra bucks to buy one of greatest movies in the last 20 years in beautiful Blu-ray.

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Well I thought I would repeat what others have said in case someone is still having doubts about it. If you are a fan of the Matrix there's no reason not to buy this one.

Video 4.9/5 The quality is just great, and it looks impressive and far superior to any other format, period. The only reason I'm not giving it 5/5 is because there are some points where you can notice some insignificant details due to the source material, not the transfer itself.

Audio 5/5 True HD audio is beyond amazing, if you had this on DVD you'll be blown away even if you are listening to it using headphones. And if you have a decent sound system you'll simply toss your DVDs to the recycle bin and never look back faster than you can say "I know Kung Fu".

Aditional Features 4.5/5 Many people don't like digital copy only for the first movie, and while they have a point you wont really notice the loss once you watch the Blu-ray movies. Besides, that's just icing to the cake, so you'll probably be better off with a portable DVD player/laptop (and your old movies if you didn't toss them to the trash by then)for those cases anyway.

And the rest of the features is very complete with the only "complain" being about the 480p DVD format content. Which anyone who has watched it will probably agree that isn't even a loss considering you'll only watch them once or twice (specially compared to the 100 times you'll watch the BD movies.)

Long story short it's worth it, big time. Just make sure you have a display that makes these movies justice and at least a decent sound system.

You'll thank yourself. d(^^d)

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"The Matrix" in high-definition video fulfils the prophecy of the A/V geek elders: this is audio and video of a higher order, a plunge into the future of home theater.

The video has little in common with some of the jacked-up, overly hot presentations of older films we've seen in high-def formats. The colors, though muted by design, feel lush and true to the theatrical vision. The experience is that of watching moving images on film, not television or DVD. (The series was produced "with future technology execution in mind," Warner points out.)

High-def has rarely delivered the stunning audio we heard about when the formats first hit the market, but here it is. The rear soundstage doesn't sound subordinated: when the audio engineers send a jolt to a specific, discrete speaker, the result is powerful and distinct. The percussive sounds of gunfire are unlike anything I've heard on disc or in theaters. Some soft-spoken dialogue sounded indistinct or muffled from the center channel, but given the overall quality this is likely in the original elements.

Flesh tones are true, but only on close-ups do you get that film-like definition. All that computer-land metal looks astounding; sharp with three-dimensional pop. When primary colors break through the algae-green atmospherics, they radiate but without the annoying signs of artificial boost.

"The Matrix" was the first DVD title to sell more than a million copies back in the launch era. This set probably won't be a breakthrough for high-def, but it most certainly is a milestone in quality. The set is available only in HD DVD. Blu-ray Disc versions of both collections will be released later this year.

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Les Misérables (Limited Edition SteelBook) (2012)

The much anticipated movie adaptation of "Les Misérables " has arrived, and director Tom Hooper deserves praise for infusing Victor Hugo's iconic story of Jean Valjean with drama and profound emotion. Hugh Jackman is superb as the former thief who is pursued relentlessly by his nemesis, Inspector Javert (a ruthless and bitter Russell Crowe), but Valjean focuses on redeeming himself by treating others with kindness. Anne Hathaway is affecting as the desolate Fantine, forced into prostitution in order to support her child. Valjean mercifully adopts Cosette, Fantine's daughter, after her mother's untimely death.

Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen are deliciously over-the-top as the Thénardiers, greedy innkeepers who steal from their customers and extort cash from Fantine for Cosette's upkeep while they keep the lonely girl in rags. Samantha Barks's show-stopping solo, "On My Own," is thrilling. Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried are appealing as Marius and the adult Cosette. Finally, the wonderful Colm Wilkinson lights up the screen in his brief appearance as the Bishop.

Why see this film if you have already taken in the Broadway show? First, Hooper distills the essence of the plot without getting bogged down in extraneous exposition. He elicits terrific performances from actors whose faces and voices are beautifully expressive. Since much of the dialogue is sung, it is worth pointing out that the sound quality is excellent and the performers take pains to speak and sing distinctly (not a given in today's films). Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil's score and Herbert Kretchmer's lyrics are often soaring, at other times tear-filled and poignant, and always unforgettable.

The audience with whom we viewed "Les Miserables" was visibly moved by this tale of self-sacrifice, love, and salvation. For an expensively mounted musical production, it is surprisingly intimate. We grow to care about the characters and are transported from the darkened theater to the turbulence of nineteenth century France. Vive "Les Misérables" and bravo to Tom Hooper and his exceptional cast.

You know I went to see "Les Miserables" on Christmas Day. You know I convinced family and friends to not get together for dinner on Christmas evening, as was the tradition, because seeing this film was more important. I've been waiting to see "Les Mis" for months, damnit, and I wasn't about to wait any longer. I was ready to see something phenomenal. Something that would be a sucker punch of emotion...and a chance to see some of my favorite actors in a film like I've never seen before.

"Les Miserables" is unlike any film musical I've ever seen. The level of emotion is unmatched. The performances are out of this world. The story is ambitious, and the scope is huge. It's at once a very personal story about its various characters, but at the same time, these people are singing for a generation, that has fascinating parallels to events going on today. It's an incredible feat that I didn't think could be committed to film so well.

Director Tom Hooper certainly had the courage of his convictions. A film adaptation of Cameron Mackintosh and Claude Michel Schonberg's beloved stage musical "Les Miserables" had been in development hell since the mid 1980s. The pieces for a successful film adaptation never quite came together. A non-musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel starring Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman came out in 1998, but that film was sub-par at best.

Hooper assembled a cast that doesn't seem like the best fit for a musical, including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway, none of which, to my knowledge, are trained singers. He then decided that these actors, as well as everyone else in the cast, would sing live, instead of lip-synching to studio-prerecorded tracks. I had not known that movie musicals typically did it this way, and that singing live was a new and scary thing. This element would heighten emotion for the audience. This idea is superb and will show to be a game-changer for movie musicals. Each actor's performance is more intimate and personal than they would have been otherwise. Hooper really wants the viewer to connect emotionally with these characters, and for the most part, we connect with these people deeply.

"Les Mis" follows Jean Valjean (Jackman), a man who was jailed for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family five years for the theft, and thereafter for subsequent attempts to escape. He breaks his parole, and police inspector Javert (Crowe) dedicates his life to imprisoning Valjean again. Valjean comes across Fantine (Hathaway), an unwed mother who, after unjustly losing her job, is degraded to the point of no return, being forced to sell her hair, her teeth, her body and her dignity. Valjean promises Fantine that he will raise her daughter Cosette as his own, in her absence. Valjean then saves Cosette from the Thenardiers(Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, pairing up in their second movie musical), neglectful guardians and scheming inkeepers, and the story picks up years later, where Cosette is a young woman (Amanda Seyfried), living mostly in peace. A young revolutionary Marius (Eddie Redmayne) falls in love with her. The Thenardier's destitute biological daughter Eponine has a hopeless and unrequited love for Marius. These young characters dive headfirst into what would become a very important part of the French Revolution.

The story of the French Revolution, as depicted in the film, is so reminiscent of Occupy Wall Street protests that went on last year a group of young idealists looking for a better tomorrow. They're willing to die in the name of a future. They're extremely passionate and exuberant. There are protests, except, you know, they're all sung.

Yes, it's all sung. Les Miserables is two hours and forty minutes of song. There's no real spoken dialogue the entire way through. Every minute is sung live as well. And if this bothers you, please skip "Les Mis" and enjoy watching something like "Twilight" or "Jack Reacher". Tom Hooper made this film a game-changer for the way a movie-musical is supposed to work. Lip-synching a pre-recorded studio version seems economical, but today, can allow for auto-tuning and editing a singer's voice. It doesn't feel personal. The voices in "Les Mis" sound raw and real. The actors sang live onset with earpieces playing piano accompaniment, with a 70-piece orchestra being added in in post production. The music sounds extraordinary. There sure as hell isn't any auto-tuning going on.

For example, take Anne Hathaway's rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream". At this point in the story, we don't know Fantine very well, but we see the struggle that she's put through. She's at her lowest point. Hathaway half-belts and half-sobs the iconic song, the entire thing being filmed in one take. It's an extremely emotional performance that will bring any person with a heart, to tears.

Criticism that I've been hearing of the film mostly revolves around the performances of Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman, as Javert and Valjean. I think both of these guys did fantastic jobs, quite frankly. Crowe isn't the best singer in the world, but his voice fits the part of Javert very well. As for Jackman, well, it could be argued that he carried the entire film. I think he did a splendid job; the role of Jean Valjean is a giant undertaking, and I think he nailed it.

However, the real excellence of this film lies in the supporting cast. Everybody is perfectly cast, but particularly Samantha Barks in the role of Eponine. She played the same character in the 25th Anniversary performance of Les Miserables, only two years ago. One small criticism; my favorite part of Eponine's solo (and theme song to self-loathing masochists everywhere) "On My Own", the beginning part, is cut entirely. However, once you see what Barks does with this song it's easily forgiven.

Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, who look like they're in "Sweeney Todd 2", are great comic relief as the Thenardiers. Cohen is the only cast member in this Paris-set film who sings in a French accent, however... I find that strange. Eddie Redmayne and Aaron Tveit are perfect as Marius and his colleague Enjolras. Redmayne's "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables", near the end of the film, will make you cry. His voice goes to extraordinary places, and in such an emotional number, where he's telling the story of his friends who are no longer with him, this is a place where the live singing truly shines.

The live singing, itself, is a huge undertaking, cinematically. Director Tom Hooper certainly had alot at stake with this project, however, there are still things that he could have done better. There are so many close-ups in the film. While they work for solos like "I Dreamed A Dream" and "Empty Chairs", they don't work for others. I also kind of feel like Hooper used the fish-eye camera lens a little too often, but these are inconsequential criticisms that don't make the film any less powerful.

I hate it when people applaud in a movie theater. I find it trite and kind of pointless, unless you're at the world premiere of the movie, with the director and actors present. However, I'm not ashamed to say that "Les Miserables" brought me to tears no less than five times. I was completely enthralled by each actor's performance, and the applause that the entire theater gave at the end was completely appropriate and well-deserved. I wanted to watch it again the minute it ended, and for a nearly three hour long film, I think that's a pretty high compliment. Don't miss it.

Grade: A+

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I saw this movie a week before it came out because I won advance screening tickets and I have known the song I Dreamed A Dream my whole life but I have never seen the musical on stage or any of the adaptations before. I went into this with no expectations at all. At first I thought the movie started off kind of fragmented and I figured because it had to introduce everybody and I was right. The film ended up as it went on drawing me in more and more and making me fall in love with it and by the end i was mesmerized with how wonderful and amazing the movie is. I believe they picked perfect roles because after i saw the movie i listened to the broadway soundtrack and i believe they did very well on picking out the cast for their vocal ranges and capabilities. I think anyone who loves the musical or is a musical person should definatly see this movie because they will not be disappointed one bit by how amazing it is.

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I'm French and I've just seen the movie (which came out last week here). I wasn't sure I still wanted to see it after reading the terrible reviews it'd been given in France (sorry!) but I'd been so seduced by the trailer and Hathaway's voice that I went anyway and I simply loved it. I haven't read the book (I've just started actually: 60 pages out of 1600... hum) but I understand why people here find the movie rather bad: it's not exactly as "social" as Hugo wrote it. The movie concentrates on the "romantic" side rather than on the criticism of the society and the historical context of the time. Yet I was completely taken. I loved the songs (I didn't know the musical), I'm a big fan of Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman and was completely delighted by their acting. I cried as I hadn't cried in a long time in a theatre and wanted only one thing when the film was over: see it again! The only negative thing in my opinion was the singing and acting of Russell Crowe. I didn't like his voice and really thought that he couldn't act and sing at the same time. There was no emotion on his face. But still: it's a great movie! Only one piece of advice to you all: read the book!!! I know it's a very biiiiiig one but it's a French masterpiece by one of the best French writers! :-)

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I've watched theater productions of Les Mis, watched screen adaptations, and read the book several times over, and this cinematic adaptation ranks highly on my list of adaptations. As a musical film, it is well put-together, utilizing a stellar cast who delivers compelling performances in both acting and singing, excellent set-up of scenes, credible costumes and sets making the period and setting of 19th century France come alive, and spectacular effects.

I read some critical reviews which found the singing of the cast members to be less than impressive. I agree only with regards to three characters Russell Crowe's Inspector Javert, and Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the Thenardiers. Crowe's emoting as Javert was well done with his facial expressions credibly portraying his resolute nature and steadfast obsession in hunting Jean Valjean, but his singing just wasn't up to par although to be fair some of his songs were incredibly difficult. I felt an actor who had more of an established singing

background would have fared much better in this role. The Thenardiers' portrayal did not sit well with me either Cohen's and Helena Bonham Carter's singing performances were just plain awful.

Now that I've got the criticisms out of the way, let me comment on the positives. Hugh Jackman blew me away with his performance I avoided comparing his performance to the Broadway productions because they are two entirely different mediums. These actors had to sing live on set and Jackman's background in singing with his strong, commanding voice as well as his experience as an actor really served him well in the challenging role of lead character Jean Valjean. There were scenes where Valjean displays his inner conflict the beginning when he is railing against the injustice of his imprisonment, the scene where he is praying and reflecting on the priest's kindness to him and how he experiences this epiphany of how to transform his life, later still when he has embraced a new identity and is prospering as the Mayor of a city and his turmoil when he finds Javert has been dispatched to work in his city, so much more, and all done with impeccable finesse. Even when his voice at times breaks during a performance, I found it compelling because this is how one would expect it to be in real life emotions impacting one's voice (not that people go through life singing their emotions out all the time). It was heartbreaking, 'real', and did not feel put on at all. Jackman delivers an Oscar worthy performance and I hope he gets it.

Fantine as portrayed by the beautiful and talented Anne Hathaway (I grew from a non-fan to a fan starting from The Devil Wears Prada to the latest Batman and this) just broke my heart. That one song, "I Dreamed A Dream" was so achingly poignant and full of despair this is a woman brought so low by life's circumstances and filled with despair as I watched Fantine sing, I could only think, "God, this is how I imagined Fantine when I read the book," so really, what more could be said. Hathaway embodies Fantine her hopes, dashed dreams, and her despair with heartbreaking clarity.

Amanda Seyfried as Cossette was lovely but I would not go so far as to say it was a spectacular performance but my, what a revelation Eddie Redmayne was as Marius. I've been a bit of a fan after watching him in My Week With Marilyn, and he is amazing here as the young revolutionary who is besotted with Cossette. His voice is compelling and his yearning and aching love for Cossette is credibly conveyed by his voice in song.

Eponine as played by Samantha Barks was another favorite character who also broke my heart. Her songs, delivered with such sadness and yearning, and those haunting eyes just tugged at the heartstrings. The young actor who plays Gavroche, Daniel Huttlestone, the street urchin and young revolutionary in the making delivered a performance that is memorable for its sincerity and spiritedness.

Though the movie is rather long in length at slightly over two and a half hours, I did not feel like the movie dragged at all. Each scene was carefully set up and orchestrated and the songs and dialogue all came together beautifully. When I heard that famous line, "To love someone is to see the face of God", I wept because that scene to me at least embodied what Hugo's work was all about. This is a beautiful cinematic masterpiece and I feel richer for having watched it.

Titanic (1953)

"Titanic" is (stop me if you've heard this one before), the one about the boat that hits an iceberg and sinks. Whoops! Gave it away. This version stars Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb as a married couple on the cusp of divorce. She can't stand his guts he finds redemption before it all gets too cold and wet. Pure fiction but hey, it's Titanic and its masterfully told.

TRANSFER: Fox is at its usual middle of the road with this transfer quality. Some scenes are nicely balanced with good gray scale. Others seem to suffer from low contrast and black levels. There's ample pixelization, aliasing and shimmering of fine details throughout. The audio's been remixed to feeble stereo. At this point does anybody care?

EXTRAS: Ah, here's the real treat of this DVD. You get "Beyond Titanic" a masterfully told 1 1/2 hr. documentary that really gets to the bottom of things (no pun intended)and covers the full history of both the ship and its many film incarnations.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a worth while DVD for two reasons the documentary and its price tag cheaper than most low budget no-name studio releases. If nothing else, you're buying the documentary and for that reason alone, it's definitely worth it!

One of my all-time 10 favorite movies (along with ALL ABOUT EVE, GONE WITH THE WIND, AUNTIE MAME, Jane Wyman's THE BLUE VEIL, Garland's A STAR IS BORN, CABARET, Lana Turner's career highlight in MADAME X, 1939's THE WOMEN, and 1953's SO BIG) THIS is the only version of TITANIC anyone should want to keep in their collection of classics. This is the one that should have been an Academy Award champion.....and it is a sin that Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck not only didn't win 1953 Oscars, but were not even nominated. Ditto the wonderful performance of the greatest supporting actress in movie history, Thelma Ritter, as the indomitable Unsinkable Molly Brown. I will never forget the hysteria in Barbara Stanwyck's voice as she screamed "Norman! Norman!" when she realized her young son had slipped out of their life-boat to remain with his dad as the ship sank.....nor the tears in Clifton Webb's eyes when he told the boy what pride he felt for him as the end drew near. Please, don't anyone tell me there was an ounce of reality in the blockbuster, phony '97 version.....This simple black & white movie told the REAL story of the very rich and the very poor suddenly equalized in the face of disaster. And I dare you not to smile as millionaire John Jacob Astor reassures his young, pregnant, second wife with the immortal words "My dear, God himself could not sink THIS ship"......and I defy you not to cry when old Mrs. Strauss refuses to board a life-boat, saying "I've been with Mr. Strauss for more than fifty years....I don't intend to leave him now." This is a classic. This is THE classic. And these people, brilliantly portrayed by brilliant actors, become the ones who were really aboard the TITANIC in 1912.

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I enjoyed watching the James Cameron super-production of TITANIC released a few years ago. But after one viewing that was it. It's the l950 version of TITANIC, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb that keeps drawing me back through repeated viewings. These characters are the ones who can really connect with a viewer. Stanwyck brings a fantastic down-to-earth quality that you instantly connect to. Webb is equally good as the dispicable fop who wants his kids to live like royal spoilt brats. My only complaint about this DVD are the two commentaries. Film critic Richard Shickel's has to be heard to be believed for he literally sounds like he's half-asleep. He starts off with: "Uh,and....uh, uh, and, uh, Barbara, uh, uh, Stanwyck, uh (long pause)is a fine, uh, uh, ehhhhhhh, ummmm, good actress." The second one is slightly better because you can hear Audrey Dalton recall those long-gone days on the 20th Century lot making TITANIC. She's witty, interesting, but unfortunately has about ten minutes on the commentary. You're forced to listen to cameraman Michael Lonza's relentless spill about miniatures, special effects and water tanks. Worse, is the "audio essay" by Silvia Stoddard, who tells us such fascinating tidbits that "Titanic was, well, just incredibly big!" Robert Wagner repeats over and over again "how lucky I was to be on a production like TITANIC." We'd all be considered lucky, Robert, but I just wish you could have thrown some more color about individual scenes. Other than these two commentaries, the DVD restoration looks great!

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Anyone would have to agree that the best FILM ever made about the Titanic is "A Night to Remember" because it tells the blow by blow true story, from sailing to sinking, based on Walter Lord's excellent book of the same name. But if you're looking for a MOVIE, that is, something which is like an historical novel version of the tragedy, then I'd steer you to this one starring Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck.

Stanwyck has boarded the ship with her son and daughter while running away from her husband Webb. She has lost most of her respect for her sartorially resplendent husband and believes that he is making a snob out of the teenaged daughter. Webb has outwitted her, however, and bought an immigrant's ticket in order to make the passage. He and Stanwyck do an excellent job of portraying a bad marriage gone even worse when, trying to inflict more pain on her husband, Stanwyck makes a startling disclosure that hits Webb just about as hard as the iceberg will the ship.

Lots of other interesting passengers aboard too: The daughter is being courted by college man Robert Wagner, while Richard Basehart is a defrocked priest who finally gets his act together when the presence of a clergyman is needed most. And as real-life passengers, Thelma Ritter as Molly Brown and Brian Aherne as Captain Smith both do a great job.

Best scenes? The aforementioned bombshell Stanwyck delivers to Webb; Captain Smith realizing that the ship is listing to one side as he listens to some college kids singing their alma mater; and finally, Webb's tear-filled eyes as he bids farewell to Stanwyck just before she gets into a lifeboat. This is a "Titanic" with characters who care about each other, and whom we can consequently care about ourselves.

If you're looking for something sudsier than the factual "A Night to Remember", then your ship has come in with this great tearjerker.

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Any film with Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck, and the indomitable Thelma Ritter is worth a "look see." Sure, James Cameron had 200 million bucks and state-of-the-art special effects (along with the camera-friendly Leo and Kate). But, this 1953 film has class in its performances from the principals. Much shorter than the 1997 epic and filmed in black and white, the film holds its own as a good movie. In fact, the B & W adds stark realism to the tragedy. Watch carefully for the stunning announcement Stanwyck makes to husband Webb in their cabin prior to the fateful collision. This was somewhat shocking for the time! I know when I saw this scene upon first viewing, my mouth dropped open!

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The Shining (2007)

I own both the 2001 and 2007 DVDs of this film. I really don't have any interest is who is 'right' with the aspect ratio argument, I compared both versions and found that you're missing some of the video image regardless of which version you buy. I took screenshots of both DVDs and overlayed them on top of each other. I found that with the 2001 release, you get the 1:33:1 aspect ratio where the far left and right of the screen image is clipped. With the 2007 release, you get the 1.78:1 aspect ratio where the top and bottom of the screen image is clipped off. You can see what I mean by viewing the 'customer image' I posted, above. The blue border is for the 2001 release and the red border is the 2007 release.

Both DVDs are 'digitally restored and remastered', however the 2007 release is noticeabley brighter and more vivid. The 2001 image seems faded and dull.

This release has all the other special features of the 2001 DVD release, with the addition of optional commentary by Garrett Brown and John Baxter and three new featurettes.

It's tough to believe that Stanley Kubrick received a Worst Director Razzie nomination for "The Shining." While "The Shining" may not be given the classic status of some of his other films like "Dr. Strangelove" and "2001", it's actually the least polarizing of this highly-praised and atypical filmmaker's work.

This atmospheric thriller is sure to creep you out with its pacing, eery editing and cinematography (those tracking shots are highly effective), and Jack Nicholson's powerful performance as Jack Torrance. Horror films often tend to divide audiences into genre fans who follow the gore and those who laugh in the face of so-called scares, insisting their own resiliancy to cheap thrills and lamebrain plotting.

Fortunately, "The Shining" doesn't make you take sides, because its chills come from plotting and character study as much as they do from odd sights that will make you jump. It may stray from Stephen King's book and not all of it may make sense, but "The Shining" has so much going for it that you won't mind. It's a gripping and satisfying film experience, and in my opinion, one of the best films of the '80s.

This Warner DVD re-release is definitely the version to get. The fullframe presentation comes at the wishes of Kubrick and the video and audio offer significant improvement over the drab initial release. (Unfortunately, the original Mono audio track has been dropped altogether in favor of an effective 5.1 remix. They could have included both with no problem.)

In the way of extras, there is an engaging half-hour on-set documentary, filmed by Kubrick's daughter Vivian. It provides a candid experience of the film's creation, and interviews with some of the actors. In addition, this DVD re-release includes an audio commentary on the documentary (sort of a "making-of the making-of") by Vivian Kubrick. There's also the spooky trailer, which shows how a movie preview can perfectly pique one's interest in a film, without spoiling (or even saying) much.

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The Shining is one of the horror genre's most notable films. Made in 1980 by the late, legendary Stanley Kubrick, the film stands out as not only one of his best but probably the best Stephen King adaptation as well. Though not nearly as true to the book as the later TV-movie would be, it is undoubtedly darker, more macabre, and ultimately superior to that version. Kubrick was a genius behind the camera, giving us long, beautiful shots, allowing us to take in both the beauty and the horror of the Overlook Hotel. For those who have yet to see the movie (and honestly, who hasn't at this point?), do yourself a favor and buy it today! Disappointment is impossible.

As for the transfer of the film, it is unbelievable. While clearly not as visually stunning or breathtaking as modern day flicks, this HD DVD version of The Shining boasts a virtually flawless transfer and cleans up many of the blemishes that were present on previous VHS and DVD versions. Black levels are deep, clean, and ungrainy and the majority of the film offers a surprisingly clean look. Detail is not as strong as it could have been, but Kubrick intentionally shot this film softly. The images won't pop and shine like modern movies will, as this is an old film, but for the price of the disc you are without a doubt getting the highest quality transfer this film has ever seen.

Audio has been upgraded from a mono to a TrueHD soundtrack, but for the most part audio will be very front-heavy. Most of the peripheral speakers are used only for music, to intensify the sound of it (and it is effective).

Special features are slim: the old making of documentary (with or without commentary), theatrical trailer, and a few small featurettes that delve deeper into the making of The Shining, as well Stanley Kubrick's "Visions." All pretty standard fare, all in 480i/p standard definition.

Whether you're a long time fan of the film, or new to it, this is a must-own if you own an HD DVD player and HDTV! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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I personally wouldn't re buy every film that comes out on Hd-dvd especially seeing as how the prices haven't really come down. That said a film like this is an exception, I believe horror fans are some of the most die hard film fans out there, and should and will pick this one up.

For Audiophiles there is a new 5.1 track as opposed to the mono you got on the previous release. The beginning score when Jack is driving to the Overlook hotel is amazing cranked up with a Dolby digital plus track in 5.1.

The transfer on this is beautiful.

The Shining is the greatest Stephen King film adapation and is one, if not the greatest of all horror films. Also one of the greatest films for any genre and right in time for Halloween you can't go wrong.

Special features

Audio commentary by Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown and Kubrick biographer John Baxter

The Making of The Shining, with optional commentary by Vivian Kubrick (from the previous DVD)

New View from The Overlook: Crafting The Shining featurette

New The Visions of Stanley Kubrick featurette

New Wendy Carlos, Composer featurette

-Theatrical Trailer This was one of the most effectives and eeriest trailers I've ever seen and it was so simple.

I'll go more in depth of the special features as I watch them.

Technical Specs:

Aspect Ratio: 1080p HD 16X9 1:85:1

Audio: Dolby true HD: English 5.1 Dolby digital plus

Want The Shining (2007) Discount?

This disc will feature an enhanced audio/video track for the feature film. Other features include commentary by Garrett Brown and John Baxter. There will be the same old "Making of the Shining" documentary that was featured on the old disc, but there are also three new featurettes: View from The Overlook: Crafting the Shining, The Visions of Stanley Kubrick, and Wendy Carlos, Composer. All in all, I'd make the purchase based on the video quality and enhanced sound alone.

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One Touch of Venus (1948)

After being married to Jennifer Jones (who is/was my particular 1940's screen love goddess), Robert Walker stars opposite a very erotic Ava Gardner, described by film critics in "The Naked Contessa" (1954) as, "...the most beautiful woman in the world", so she was aptly cast to play Venus, the goddess of love, in this 1948 production.

Robert Walker plays Eddie Hatch a lowly paid window dresser at the store owned by Whitfield Savory II (played by Tom Conway a relative of the suave George Sanders).Eddie is instructed to ensure that the curtain will not snag at the forthcoming unveiling ceremony of the recently acquired statue of Venus.When finished, he impulsively (he's finished the boss' drink) kisses the statue which promptly comes to life!! Eddie is to marry Gloria (Olga San Juan), who rather irritatingly, keeps reminding him they are to marry each other.They have drifted into their relationship and marriage just seems the next logical move but who said love is logical!! However, Eddie's friend Joe, (Dick Haymes), is secretly in love with Gloria himself but he doesn't know it.Whitfield Savory II is likewise ignorant of his subconcious love for his efficient secretary, Molly Stewart, played by Eve Arden in one of her typical wise-cracking, comic roles; (see her as Mildred Pierce's efficient manager in the Oscar winning film of the same name (1945) opposite Joan Crawford.

I was mesmerized by Ava Gardner as she spreads her instinctive love to bring all these true lovers together, while working her magic on Eddie himself who is soon in love with her.She seems reluctant to return to Mount Olympus as she is having so much fun here on Earth.She loves helping people but when her task is over, Jupiter, the head of The Gods, (who communicates by thunderflashes), summons her back to Mount Olympus.Reluctantly her effigy returns as a statue at the store, much to the relief of the Whitfield Savory II who thought Eddie had stolen the statue whilst she is in her live alter-ego on Earth.This sub-plot gives rise to some comic Keystone Cops type chases especially when Venus comically turns one of the "gumshoes" into an owl, albeit temporarily as she loves everyone really!.Molly believes Eddie is innocent good for her I say!

Watch out for Sara Algood who plays Eddie's landlady, (see her in previous roles as Mrs Beth Morgan in "How Green Was My Valley (1941) and as Mrs Maile in "Cluny Brown" (1946).The lovely song "Speak Low" is sung by Dick Haymes miming to his own recording while Ava effectivly mimes to another well matched singer's voice.Another song about men, sung in the ladies dressing room as a trio, featuring Ava, Olga & Eve.

The audience feels strong sympathy for Eddie and he is finally given his divine award (including a modest pay rise) when a very beautiful new store recruit called "Venus Jones" (Ava),appears in normal human form to him there.We have to assume this will eventually become another love match engineered by Mount Olympus!

I found this film hugely enjoyable as I love classic 1940's films having made them something of a speciality.It has fewer of the songs than in the original Broadway musical but this seems to fit the plot.It is a difficult title to find on video.I obtained mine by winning an e-Bay auction after searching on Robert Walker.

This 1948 comedy was adapted from a Broadway musical that starred Mary Martin and featured a score by Kurt Weill. Sadly, the music, except for three songs, has been cut from the movie.

The film, directed by William A. Seiter, is reminiscent of TOPPER, HERE COMES MR. JORDAN and other like fantasy-comedies that were popular with movie audiences during the 1930s and 40s.

[During the 1960s, TV shows like BEWITCHED and I DREAM OF JEANNIE filled this void.]

Robert Walker stars as a shy window dresser for a big department store, who impulsively kisses the store's invaluable statue of the Greek goddess, Venus. A moment later, the statue, played by Ava Gardner, has come to life and Walker faints on the spot.

Upon awakening, poor Robert discovers that he's in very big trouble. He's being pursued by the cops for stealing the statute and, if that isn't bad enough, it appears that Venus won't return to her pedestal because she has fallen in love with him. Even worse, his jealous girl friend (Olga San Juan) is convinced that he's been unfaithful.

Dick Haymes, Eve Arden and Tom Conway co-star in what is still a clever, if somewhat silly, romp that should entertain the entire family.

© Michael B. Druxman

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I'm not as well spoken as the previous reviewers, still, I grew up with this movie and watched it every time I saw it listed on TV. In fact, I'm always looking for a black and white copy I can afford to buy. It is just one of my favorite all time movies. I love the characters and most of the actors Eve Arden being my favorite by far and Ava looking so gorgeous, as well as Walker looking so vulnerable, confused and frustrated. It's a fun time 90 minutes or so of losing yourself in a far out comedic love story. I enjoyed the music and I'm one who tires of musicals after awhile this one did not bore me. Dick Haymes' singing is a joy. I recommend it highly to anyone even the more serious curmudgeons who feel they might not like it.

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This adaptation by director William A Seiter of the musical with music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by S J Perelman and Ogden Nash is generally considered a bowlderisation, with songs cut and Mary Martin's stage performance lost in favour of the usual Broadway to Hollywood compromises. However there can be no doubt that casting beautiful Ava Gardner as Venus, the goddess of love, is apt. Here Gardner is more playful than usual, and even making her chase a reluctant Robert Walker can be forgiven. Although it is thought that great beauties are all the more desirable when passive rather than active, Walker not realising Gardner's worth is true to the slapstick comedy tone. The idea of Gardner as a marble statue on display in the art gallery of a department store, brought to life by window dresser Walker's drunken kiss at midnight during a lightning storm, introduces the unrealistic romantic narrative, with songs that appear without the musical genre strictly being adhered to. If I am happy to not have I'm a Stranger Here Myself from the stage show, it's because I don't like the song anyway, and even when Speak Low is presented unsatisfactorily and that Gardner is dubbed whilst singing it, cannot detract from it being one of the loveliest melodies Kurt Weill ever composed. I like how it is used as a siren song, where Seiter intercuts between Gardner and Walker, and Dick Haymes and Olga San Juan, with Gardner and Haymes both singing to departed lovers in a duet. As the only one of the cast who appears able to sing, Haymes also gets the bulk of My Foolish Heart, even if given new lyrics and a generally unappealing romantic partner in San Juan. The other song to survive is That's Him, where Eve Arden gets to join in as Gardner is dressed. Arden talks most of her lyrics but still it's nice to see her in this context, in addition to the barbs she delivers as comic relief otherwise, thanks to the screenplay by Frank Tashlin and Harry Kurnitz. I also liked Walker's line re San Juan "She's so terribly one track minded. Even when we have dinner together she eats rice", and there is a lowbrow moment when James Flavin as a detective is turned into a human owl by Gardner. If the others running around tend to become tiresome, there is still Gardner, looking ravishing in black late in the proceedings, and given a gorgeous closeup. And Seiter adds a sweet conclusion.

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ONE TOUCH OF VENUS is a musical comedy/fantasy about a window dresser named Eddie who kisses a statue of the goddess that then comes to life in the exquisite form of Ava Gardner. Venus falls in love with him; matters are further complicated when Eddie's boss is smitten by her loveliness.

The 1951 version of SHOW BOAT is another stage-to-screen musical that features Miss Gardner.

Parenthetical number prior to title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film research website.

(6.5) One Touch of Venus (1948) Robert Walker/Ava Gardner/Dick Haymes/Eve Arden/Olga San Juan/Tom Conway (uncredited: Arthur O'Connell)

"ONE TOUCH" TRIVIA--

Mary Martin was Venus on Broadway. Elia Kazan directed this S.J. Perelman play.

Mary Pickford bought the screen rights, intending to bring the original cast to the screen. Later plans included Miss Martin, Frank Sinatra, Clifton Webb and Bert Lahr, but when Mary became pregnant, Pickford sold the rights to UNIVERSAL and the movie was entirely recast. Plans to shoot in Technicolor were also abandoned.

The Venus statue of Ava Gardner originally depicted her in the nude; the studio demanded (and got) a more modest version.

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