Thomas & Friends: Wobbly Wheels & Whistles [HD]

Thomas and Friends
This was send to our great grandaughter in Florida and it came on time and was exactly what was expected.

Good for train loving todlers
My son really like Bash Dash and Ferdinand so this one was perfect. It streamed without a problem to an Ipad during a long road trip too.

Surprise!
I ordered this because my little boy loves Thomas, but we were very pleasantly surprised to find a sweet little story played by a "live" actor woven between the cartoon episodes. My son loved it!

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A Royal Affair [HD]

Entertaining royal palace drama
"A Royal Affaire" (2012 release from Denmark; 137 min.) brings the true story of Caroline Mathilda (played by Alicia Vikander), the English teenage princess who married King Christian VII of Denmark (played by Mikkel F

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

dvd details
Since I had to look elsewhere for DVD details (to decide whether to buy the 2-disc or one-disc film), I thought I'd post here:

1-Disc Wide screen and Full Screen DVD

*Includes both a wide screen and full screen version of the film.
*No special features
*RRP $28.98
2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition DVD

*Widescreen version only
*Additional scenes (6:31)
*Close-Up with the Cast and Crew of Harry Potter special. Matthew Lewis ("Neville Longbottom") and Alfred Enoch ("Dean Thomas") lead us on an entertaining look at the cast of Harry Potter as they explore their interests away from acting and spend a day on set with the production team (28:30)
*J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life: A fascinating and intimate look into the life of J.K. Rowling over the last year of writing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." (49:32)
*One Minute Drills: The cast has 60 seconds to describe their character's personality, history,...

So sad, so... very... sad.
First. please let me say that I adore (nay, worship) the Harry Potter stories. So, being a gen-you-wine "Potter-Head" I was first in line to see Half-Blood Prince.

It was an interesting movie. Nice special effects.
Disjointed enough however that one MUST have seen all the previous movies and/or read the books to follow the plot.

...Most importantly, it bears little resemblance to the Harry Potter books!!!

Really. I can forgive replacing the actions of one character with another character, to save time, I can even forgive eliminating whole chapters for the sake of brevity, but to change scenes, edit whole parts, and invent whole chapters???

Beware, below, there be SPOILERS! Don't read if you haven't watched!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some examples of lost scenes:

-Dumbledore confronting the Dursley's? Gone.
-The invention of a fight at the...

Don't Buy This Edition. Great Film, but Not the Extended Version!
Warner Brothers is trying to fool us again - calling this an "Ultimate Edition" when it is NOT the extended version of the film. It comes with behind the scenes extras and commentaries, but the movie itself is the same! I expect this is because they decided after the first 2 Ultimate Editions that they would wait and re-release all 8 movies at once in another Ultimate Edition, but this time a Box Set with extended versions of all films - to entice everyone to buy all the movies yet again. Hold off for now and watch your DVD copies - next year we can all buy the REAL Ultimate Editions!

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$ellebrity [HD]

An insightful look into paparazzi culture
I didn't particularly have much sympathy for celebrities chased by photographers before watching this - after all, they chase fame, get paid millions and then whine about being recognized in public. But the documentary clearly shows the much darker side of celebrity worship, and how they are literally hounded every hour of the day in a way that simply breaks any measure of privacy, civility or reasonableness.

Thousands of photographers are simply feeding an online library of celebrities looking happy, sad, drunk, angry and crazy, and these images are then resorted by media outlets to tell a soap opera version of their lives. Between the editing and Photoshop work, it's pretty clear that what is being sold as reality is just simply another fictional story running rampantly out of control.

There are some excellent interviews with high profile figures and an interesting backstory into the original paparazzi. There's also some viewpoints from PR and media analysts...

Best take on paparrazzi
Great insight on what celebrity life is really like. We all see glamour when we open a gossip magazine but we don't realize what celebrity life is really all about. Director Kevin Mazur takes us into an indepth reality of what it takes to be a photographer, a paparrazi and a celebrity. Every angle was hit straight on in this film.

Excellent
Highly reccomend! An excellent look at life in the bubble and the complete intrustion of privacy that consumers disregard each time they buy a tabloid....yet with the full knowledge that it is the price to pay for fame.

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Barbie: Princess Charm School

There is hope!
After increasingly disappointing installments in the Barbie movies line (they had been going down since Mermaid Tale) Barbie has given us a glimmer of light. Princess Charm School (originally dubbed "Princess Prep School" but later changed to the more toddler-friendly "Charm") brings back so many of the wonderful, whimsical elements we've grown to love about Barbie. Blair is not a movie star, uber trendy and loaded with cash & fashion. She is not an overly preppy teen whose biggest flaw is that her dress isn't up-to-date. She is a very down-to-earth girl who works hard to keep her family afloat. She has problems that, with the help of a very likeable character, she works through.

Friendship, forgiveness, kindness, family bond, never giving up, discovering your own talents, and overcoming your own obstacles are all celebrated. The animation (Barbie's face in particular) shows great improvement. For the first time since the Three Musketeers, our heroine doesn't look like an...

Barbie Movies are getting better
After a rough patch of less than stellar animation and storytelling (diamond castle, fairy secret), Princess Charm School looks to have been given better production values. My 8 year old says this is definitely her favorite of the Barbie movies so far (though she misses the movies with songs a lot).

The story theme is simple: every girl has the potential to be a princess. Blair, an ordinary waitress at a pastry shop in a thinly disguised inner city NY type of location, wins a yearly lottery to attend a prestigious "Princess Academy". There, she deals with rivalry and class difficulties while befriending fellow 'outcasts' in her dorm. Her main rival, Delancy, and Delancy's mother provide the strife and adversity for Blair as she tries to fit in. The girls learn that there is a long lost princess and Blair fits the description - but she can claim the title only if she can beat Delancy and her avaricious mother to the throne on coronation day.

Unlike previous...

Not for the sensitive child
My five year old daughter is particular about what she watches. Of the previous Barbie movies, she only liked the Mermaid movie and Fashion Fairy Tale. The last Barbie movie, the one where there were fairies did not appeal to her, but it had nothing to scare her. This new movie, Charm School, starts out pleasant, but when Blair gets home from work, and we discover her mother is sickly, and needs care, my daughter got concerned. And then when Blair actually leaves her sick mother and her younger sister to go to a school where she must live, she got upset. My daughter is dealing with going to kindergarten and being separated from me for the first time, so I think this hit too close to her current personal experiences. Then when Blair gets to the charm school, she isn't treated kindly by most of the other girls, and again, this upset my daughter. The "villain" of the show is a mother who wants her daughter to become the princess, and she is very unkind to Blair, says and does mean...

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Thomas and Friends: Go Go Thomas! [HD]

Short but Sweet
All aboard for another Thomas adventure in Thomas & Friends: Go Go Thomas. Quite honestly, whenever a new Thomas DVD arrives I wonder if this will be the time my son grows tired of it. Nope! He can watch Thomas all day and never grow tired of it! I don’t know what it is about that little blue engine but my son has adored him for years.

This Thomas DVD is a little shorter than most we have with five episodes. The Thomas episodes go by quickly so my son was a little disappointed when it was over so fast in just under an hour. I on the other hand think it’s the perfect length! Sometimes I need my kids to keep busy longer than a regular TV show that’s thirty minutes but shorter then a two hour movie. That makes this Thomas DVD my new favorite!

In the “Welcome Stafford” episode a new train is introduced. My son has already added it to his birthday list! His favorite episode was “Race to the Rescue” because aside from trains,...

Loved it
Kept my 2yos attention during a rv trip which made that particular hour an easy one for travel. He loved it

Good for the Fully Animated Series
The movie was ok. It is the fully animated series, if that is your thing. The baby prefers the "toy model" series of thomas. This series does showcase a number of thomas' friends.

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A Princess For Christmas

Magical Christmas Fairy-tale for the Whole Family
Usually I do not see the new seasonal movies that air on Hallmark channel (or any "cable" network) until the following year when - and if they release to DVD. In 2011, this film was released in the U.K. and Canada, and was one I REALLY wanted to see; it was my one "guilty pleasure" buy. It looked so sweet and because it starred Katie McGrath from "Merlin." Turns out despite the fact that I shouldn't have bought it, it was well worth it.

Christmas should be a time of joy and family traditions but this Christmas should especially be a happy one, and Jules Daly (McGrath) is determined to give that to her niece and nephew. Since her sister and brother-in-law died the year prior, Jules has been trying her best to make a new home for these kids who she now looks on as her own but... Milo (Travis Turner) is a teenager who doesn't want his aunt to assert a parental authority in any part of his life while young Maddie is a seven-year-old who probably won't even remember her parents...

A Modern Day Christmas Fairy Tale
Jules works in an antique shop and serves as legal guardian for her precocious 7-year-old niece and troubled teenage nephew, whose parents have died. When the movie opens with Jules losing her job, the nephew stealing from a store, and the niece running off the nanny, I wasn't sure this was the kind of holiday "cheer" I needed. But a knock comes at the door and there is the mysterious man whom we have seen watching her earlier in the day. We learn that Jules' deceased sister had married into nobility, but because she was without title, her father-in-law had disowned the couple. Now, supposedly near death, he wants to know his grandchildren and has sent the butler to fetch them to Castlebury Hall. Jules struggles with the decision of whether or not to go, but upon the arrival of the tickets for the trip in a rather timely manner, she takes that as a sign that they are to go.
At the castle it appears that the old gentleman, the duke, is not as near death's door as had been implied...

How much I loved this movie A Princess for Christmas
I loved this movie so much the first time I saw it on Hallmark Channel last year! These are the things I loved most about them: Jules thinking of her late sister and brother-in-law's children Milo and Maddie to take them to Castleberry to meet their paternal grandfather and their uncle. Maddie softening her grandfather's heart by giving him a hug when she first meets him, giving her grandfather the Christmas tree decoration that once belonged to his brother that follows to the whole family decorating the Christmas tree, and Maddie dancing with her grandfather at the Christmas Eve ball that shows both of them are having a most wonderful Christmas. My favorite scenes with Milo are when he and his uncle Aston are spending time together (kinda in a father-son bonding) when Aston helps Milo learn to let go of his anger by giving Milo an archery lesson talking about growing up Aston had plenty in common with Milo by both of them have gotten into plenty of fights. The most moving part of...

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The Smurfs and the Magic Flute

Enjoyable Movie, but this is the UK Dub and Characters' Names Have Been Changed!
The Smurfs and the Magic Flute was directed by the Smurfs creator Peyo and was released to theaters in 1976 in Belgium, and 1979 in the United Kingdom. In 1981, NBC aired The Smurfs from Hanna-Barbera and it was an instant success. An English dubbed version of The Smurfs and the Magic Flute came out to theaters in the USA in 1983. Despite being disliked by critics, the move was a box-office success. Over the years it has been only available on VHS, but never on DVD, until now.

The movie centers on a young squire, Johan, and his goofy sidekick, Peewit, (Peyo created the characters in 1952 and then created the Smurfs in 1958). Peewit gets a hold of a flute that has only six holes. Whoever is playing the flute can control other people by making them dance.

A stranger, Matthew McCreep, steels the flute from Peewit and uses the flute to rob people. The King sends Johan and Peewit to retrieve the flute or their kingdom may fall. They fail at their first attempt to get...

Smurfs
Certainly worth a look for any Smurffan, or animation buff. Catchy little story line, okay animation, but what do you want from 1983? Although I was upset that Gargamel and Azreial were not in it. Watch it! Why not? It's only 75 mins.

Smurfs and magic Flute
I first saw this video when i was about 7 years old, and have been trying to find it ever since, even though I am now 23!!.. this is definatly the best smurfs video ever, and the songs are sooo catchy!! i could watch this over and over again and not get bored, it is just great!

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Dial M for Murder [HD]

A Perfect Murder?....NOT!
This review refers to "Dial M For Murder",DVD,Warner Bros...

Aren't we lucky that cell phones weren't around in the 50's. Then Grace Kelly would never have had to leave her bed, to answer that potentialy fatal phone call in the living room.No matter how often you view this very suspense filled, thriller from Hitch, you still want to shout out to Grace Kelly."Look Out Grace...there's a murderer behind you!" That's one of the things I love about Hitch films. The connection to the characters, the need to help them. You practically want to get up and put those scissors in her hand, so she can protect herself from evil. Dial M has many of those moments, and is a superb classic that stands up to many repeat viewings.

Ray Milland has discovered his wife (Kelly) is having a love affair with Robert Cummings. Also she is the rich one in the family and he decides her time is up. He ropes in and hires a guy whose lifestyle makes for an easy blackmail mark. He's going to pay...

A suspenseful masterpiece
Former tennis pro Tony Wendice found out many months ago that his wife Margot was in love with another man, Mark Halliday, an American author of crime novels. After many weeks of planning, Tony sets in motion the perfect plan to kill his wife. The only problem is, as Halliday unknowningly remarks, there's no such thing as a perfect murder, and when something goes wrong, Tony has to quickly formulate another plan to do away with his wife.

This is a classic of suspense from director Alfred Hitchcock, based upon a very successful stage play. All the actors - Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings and John Williams - all give fine performances, but Milland's as Tony Wendice is a standout. You're instantly won over by his conniving charm, and I admit to following his plan with a tiny bit of satisfaction. He's never over-the-top, remaining perfectly cool and collected even when things go awry. Hitchcock's directorial style also keeps the viewer confined to the apartment,...

Superior Hitchcock with an enchanting Grace Kelly
This is a fine example of the kind of mystery that little old ladies from Pasadena (or Russell Square) adore. Perhaps Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) starring Cary Grant might be comparable in its genteel and bloodless ability to glue us to the screen.

This is certainly one of Hitchcock's best, but most of the credit must go to a devilishly clever play written by Frederick Knott from which he adapted the screenplay. (He also wrote the play upon which Wait Until Dark (1967) starring Audrey Hepburn was based.) Hitchcock does a good job in not tinkering unnecessarily with the material. He also has the exquisitely beautiful Grace Kelly to play the part of Margot Wendice.

Ray Milland plays, with a kind of high-toned Brit panache, her diabolical husband, Tony Wendice, a one-time tennis star who married mostly for security. John Williams is the prim and proper Chief Inspector Hubbard. He lends to the part a bit of Sherlock Holmesian flair. One especially liked his taking a moment to...

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The Best Man Holiday

I laughed ...I cried ...I laughed some more!
Bring your tissues ...The "Best Man Holiday" was way more than I expected it to be. This is the best movie of the year, in my opinion, but I don't think it's really appropriate for children so don't let the "Holiday" part fool you. This is a very underrated cast of actors and actresses because these people have been in the game for a while now, but they still are not as respected as they should be for the superb thespians that they are. All of the original stars from the first movie have returned, and this one was even better than the first. I saw "The Best Man" fifteen years ago, and I loved it then, so this sequel was long overdue. Stars include: Taye Diggs (Harper), Terrance Howard (Quentin), Morris Chestnut (Lance), Harold Perrineau, Jr (Julian), Nia Long (Jordan), Regina Hall (Candace), Monica Calhoun (Mia), Sanaa Lathan (Robin), Melissa DeSousa (Shelby), and new cast member Eddie Cibrian (Brian). This movie had a deeper story that was way more serious than the first film. It's...

Best Holiday Movie of the YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This movie captures your attention from start to finish and is better than the first movie. A must see and I have already pre- ordered it.

Awesome Holiday Movie!
This was the BEST holiday movie I've ever seen!!! It captures all of your emotions, very funny, sad and happy.

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Smokey and the Bandit (Special Edition)

When Burt was cool and Sally was hot!
What can I say about this super cool movie that none of the other reviewers have not already said? It is one of the funniest flicks ever, it is a celebration of cool things from the 70's (and there were not too many) like CB radios, weird/wild looking cars, tight jeans and Coors beer. The story involves a pair of Truckers (Burt Renolds and Jerry Reed)and their dog Fred, who take a bet from an obnoxious Father/Son Texas oil millionaire team that they can deliver an 18 wheeler full of beer about halfway across the USA in 24hrs. They hook-up with the original runaway bride Sally Field along the way, she does the impossible before your eyes and changes out of a wedding dress into the tightest jeans ever to grace the silver screen inside a Trans Am! The jeans are so tight she might as well be naked!! It's great! They are chased by jilted groom Junior and his Daddy Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice played by the great Jackie Gleason. The Great One plays the best southern sheriff ever as he...

CB Radio chase across the Bible Belt
When originally released in 1977, SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT was second only to STAR WARS as the year's internationally top grossing film. With a simple plot and film locations around Atlanta, Georgia doubling as other states, this film fast moving fun. This film stands out among the other Burt Reynolds films (Like WW AND THE DIXIE DANCE KINGS) which were traditionally filled with car chases, country music and just plain showing-off. Though this was not his first major motion picture, Jerry (Hubbard) Reed plays his part perfectly as Burt's Bandit-Blocker bootlegging partner. SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT jump-started Sally Field's career and finally broke the typecast that she could be nothing more than television's Flying Nun. Jackie Gleason is ideal as Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice, whose character, a man with old-fashioned southern values, chases Reynolds, Field, and Reed from Texas to Georgia. Jerry Reed wrote and sang most of the vocals in the sound track. If the theme song, East...

Jackie Gleason Is The Reason
Smokey and the Bandit is a dramatic comedy based on various folk legends surrounding the questionable "real-life" exploits of bandit Bo Darville and southern sheriff Buford T. Justice. Smokey (Jackie Gleason) gives a powerful performance as Justice who relentlessly pursues a new Trans Am driven by the Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and a runaway bride (Sally Field), as well as his singing buddy Cledus (Jerry Reed) who drives a semi truck full of Coors.

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Hunger

A stunning debut film with a very important subject - the 1981 hunger strike by IRA leader Bobby Sands in the Maze Prison
In spite of the care and patient control with which this powerful film is shot and edited, "Hunger" is a deeply visceral and moving film, featuring a brilliant performance by Michael Fassbender in the lead role. There are scenes of violent and intense brutality here, but what is more powerful are the simple shots, of a face, of a look, of a gesture, washing hands, of sores on the back of a dying prisoner. While the film is based on real events, with deep political ramifications, the film itself is not so much political as a plea for humanity, that sides with the wounded sensitivity detected in the eyes of those guards who had been unable to desensitize themselves to the routinely brutal treatment they gave to the prisoners in an effort to break their spirits, as much as it sides with the humanity in the dehumanized IRA prisoners it depicts.

The film details the horrific prison conditions that motivated IRA leader Bobby Sands to begin a hunger strike in 1981, that led to...

Stunning and practically unmatchable
This is hands down one of the best films of the past decade for me. "Visual Artist" Steve McQueen captures a sense of humanity in a way that few directors seem to be in touch with, telling a powerful story in a fashion that most are afraid to.

There is very little dialogue - and the dialogue that exists comes in spouts like an 18-minute long scene where the camera stays still and doesn't cut away at all. It could have easily been pretentious, but it is not in the least. McQueen has proven himself just by this one instance to be an extraordinary visionary that knows how to tell a story vividly without having to "tell" it. Did I mention the cinematography is gorgeous? Practically everything in "Hunger" is honed to perfection, and Michael Fassbinder's gruelingly tangible performance shows human deterioration at its most believable.

A masterpiece.

Based on the true story
Hunger is a film based on the true story of the 1981 hunger strike by Northern Irish prisoners seeking political prisoner status.

The film is made by British director, Steve McQueen (no relation to actor.) It is his first film.

The film can be difficult to watch due to graphic scenes of emaciation (which were real and done under the supervision of physicians), prison violence and depictions of the "dirty protest." The film includes archival audio of Margaret Thatcher speaking about the crisis.

The special features are very good too. There is a theatrical trailer, documentary on the film's production, Interviews with director McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender, and a 1981 BBC episode of Panorama, about the real life crisis. This BBC program is very good and includes interviews with figures from both sides of the debates related Troubles. Interview subjects include Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley.

This film while graphic is quite authentic and...

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North Face (English Subtitled) [HD]

WILL HOLD YOU IN AN ICY, VISCERAL GRIP
I have a fear of heights.

I also have a new fear of being stranded on the side of a sheer cliff called "The Murder Wall" during a blizzard. This unexpected thriller, based on a true story, held me spellbound for it's just over two hour running time. I can't recall a more harrowing mountain adventure.

This riveting recreation is set in 1936, a short time before the famed (and notorious) Berlin Olympics which Hitler hoped to use as propaganda to tout the superiority of all things Nazi and Aryan. The worldwide news of Germans conquering this impossible, peak was a hoped-for event before the Olympics and something encouraged by the German press. Here two Germans -- Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser -- confront "the last problem of the Alps": the Eiger's unclimbed North Face. They are closely followed up "The Murder Wall" by a competing Austrian team. But things go terribly wrong. The crowds and the press watch the ensuing, heart-stopping drama through...

Very convincing, high quality mountain drama
4.6 stars

It's a pleasure to watch a film that covers all the dramatic bases well. Nordwand starts pleasantly, introducing the characters one by one with subtle details that say volumes but with little effort. We get to know the people, and then the adventure begins. I could really feel for these guys, and for once the love story didn't seem tacked on; it plays out like an integral part of the movie.

In fact, the best performance here might be from Johana Wokalek, excellent as the young photographer---you can believe the love she portrays. But everyone is solid, and my only qualm might be that the last 30 minutes stretch a little too long, with too many tense close-ups etc. Still, the tension is real and I felt like I was there; the music is perfect, the sound of the snow and wind quite visceral, and I felt cold while watching this on a hot Texas night. That's good filmmaking.

It helped a lot that I didn't know the story ahead of time; if you also...

Why did they wreck a good thing??
I can't give this movie less than three stars-- on the mountain, the cinematography is superb and the acting outstanding. To watch these climbers set out strong, then engage in a long, grueling struggle, outfitted with 1930's gear and within sight of tourists below ... it's every bit as riveting as the 5-star reviews say.

And that is precisely why I'd love to sock them with only one star: the story itself is so incredible that it did not need falsifying or romancing. Can we truly not watch an adventure movie without a ridiculous and superfluous romance? And was the actual climb not gripping enough without false additions? The "competitors" were a 4-man team from the start; no living person cut himself off the rope (it was cut the next day, when the men who fell were beyond rescue and no longer responsive); no woman had to galvanize reluctant rescuers, they responded as a matter of course; and on.

If the filmmaker wants to include a fictional story, then the...

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Cast a Giant Shadow

a true story with a tragic death [that of col. marcus]
i was an 11 year old when the events in this movie took place. col. marcus was often a guest at our house, prior to going to help israel. my father was a member of the nypd, and was one of the pallbearers for col. marcus. in addition to that, he was also involved in helping the israelis get weapons [pistols, ammo, and radios]. i saw this movie whwn it 1st came out, and memories were refreshed. i also visited israel, and went to latrun and up the 'burma road' to jerusalem. to this day, there are the remnants of military vehicles destroyed in battle by the arab forces, which entirely out manned and outgunned the fledgling israeli army. one of the results of col. marcus' untimely death was the mandatory learning of hebrew for all new immigrants, no exceptions! despite all the negative reviews, this reviewer knew col. marcus, and other fighters for the fledgling israeli army. this review refers to the book, the screen version, and the vhs tape. it is worth buying this movie.

Cast a Giant CAST
First off, this film contains a rousing score by Elmer Bernstein. It is brilliant. Melville Shavelson wrote and directed this sprawling biographical action picture about (Colonel) "Mickey" Marcus (Kirk Douglas), a West Point graduate and an adviser to President Roosevelt during W.W.II, who, at the request of the Israelis, went to there in the late 40s to re-organize their army. In this account, based on a book by Ted Berkman, Mickey Marcus is the master strategist who leads the Israelis to victory in the war with the Arabs. Melville Shavelson admires him, making him the cool but enigmatic leader. Shavelson is very eager to please the audience enough to throw in numerous guest stars, such as Frank Sinatra and Yul Brynner, and agonizes over Mickey's moral conflict between Angie Dickinson, the wife he leaves at home in the U.S., and Senta Berger, the female warrior he takes up with. Even those willing to accept the hours of incoherence and banality may recoil at the obscenity...

Captures the spirit that founded Israel
Reviewers need to be aware that films of history the sooner they are filmed to the event can often catch the mood/look of the time period better than today with our myriad of special effects but no heart. "Cast a Giant Shadow" does this.

A great war film that shows how technotactically the "edge" on the battlefield goes to those who can get the best mechanical advantage---the Israelis need a main supply route open to feed Jerusalem (I have actually walked these steep defiles) and tries to armor plate trucks and this doesn't work against ambushers waiting for them. This serves as a warning that the U.S. Army cannot make the same mistake of basing itself on restricted to roads, vulnerable heavy armored cars as some seem lusting for these days. David Ben-Gurion, Israeli Prime Minister knows the "center of gravity" is holding Jerusalem (same is true today) in order to have a rallying point for the new nation. He compels Marcus to find a way to win.

Col...

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Chalet Girl

Snowboarding and Romance, English-style
Likeable romantic comedy with beautiful Alps setting, good, mostly English, actors and a fair amount of snowboarding/skiing.

Felicity Jones(the mildly bucktoothed, or is it called an overbite?, star of "Northanger Abbey", "Brideshead Revisited") plays an ex-champion skateboarder, down on her luck, poor girl, Kim, who takes a job as a servant or chalet girl for the ultra rich- Bill Nighy, Brooke Shields- at their posh ski lodge.

Kim knows nothing of snow, but goes about trying to conquer it and learn to snowboard and perhaps win the local competition plus the love of the rich son, Ed Westwick.

There's a lot of if's and maybe's has she struggles to overcome a past tragedy, support her loving but worthless dad, deal with backstabbing cattiness, and, the obvious social class differences.

The filmmakers shoot some gorgeous outdoor skiing and snowboarding, but the true focus of the movie is the relationships. The comedy is lightweight but...

Proved Me Wrong
I thought this movie was going to be really stupid, but it turned out being pretty cute. I just watched it for Felicity Jones because I really liked her in Like Crazy. I only rented the movie, but, if I found it in a bargain bin, I would buy it and watch it again. The plot plays out like you would expect it to. There are no truly original concepts in the film, but it is still entertaining.

fun movie!!
I loved this movie! It is an adorable, fun film. Great scenery and music!! I recommend watching it if you are in the mood for a good, light-hearted romantic comedy.

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Mesmerizing
I'm a senior citizen who loves Harry Potter. I have read the first 3 books and will purchase "The Goblet of Fire" on books on tape.
I won't go into the plot. Suffice it to say it follows the book. The acting was wonderful by our 3 main stars. There is not enough of Alan Rickman, a truly wonderful actor. Kenneth Branagh was so-so and I don't know the man who played Lucious Malfoy but he was perfect. I hated him in "The Patriot" and hated him even more here. Richard Harris will be sorely missed. What a fine performance for his last film.
I never realized that the film was 2 3/4 hours. The time flew. The special effects are outstanding.
I liked the further character development. You see what a wonderful and loving family Ron Weesley comes from. You find out why Hagrid is the way he is. You also get to realzie why Draco Malfoy is the way he is when you get to see the father.
There was so much to see. So much to enjoy.
For the first movie, I saw the movie first...

An Instant Classic Fantasy Movie
"The Chamber of Secrets" novel in the Harry Potter series is generally considered the weakest of J. K. Rowling's books - it does not have the joyful discovery of "Philosopher's Stone", the dark twists of "Prisioner of Azkaban" or the epic nature of "Goblet of Fire", but is simply a very good story. However, I predict its relative simplicity will make "Chamber of Secrets" the most successful book-to-movie translation in the series, as it is undoubtably better than the first movie, and it will be a daunting task for film-makers to tackle the intricate plot lines of book three and the collosal book four.

Like all the books, "Chamber" begins midway through the summer as Harry's twelfth birthday is nearing, and again he faces a rather dismal one in the company of his horrible uncle, aunt and cousin. Excitement is already on the move however, as when Harry enters his bedroom the house elf Dobby is waiting for him, who warns him that under no circumstances is he to return to Hogwarts,...

Everything I have ever wanted in a Harry Potter home video release
I made a much longer review about the Ultimate editions of the Harry Potter films in the review I posted for the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray] so I am just going to go over the highlights concerning this specific film in this review. For full details on why I think the Ultimate Editions are awesome, see my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray] review.

The HD video and sound are excellent in this version of the film on blu-ray, just like they were for the other Ultimate Edition release. Yes, they are double dipping on this release (which is one of the reasons I think the price is relatively low), but I think it is worth it considering the fact that we are getting the extended edition of the film in blu-ray HD, plus an hour's long documentary with never before seen...

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The Notebook

One of the Best Love Stories of All Time
THE NOTEBOOK has long been my favorite of Nicholas Sparks' many books, so it is a happy surprise to me that the wonderful story transferred to the big screen with all the sweetness, warmth, and tenderness that made the book a runaway best seller.

The best part of this movie was the incredible chemistry between Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as the young lovers Allie and Noah. Their story was told by an elderly couple in a nursing home. James Garner and Gena Rowlands were outstanding as the devoted "Duke" and the woman with irreversible dementia. As Duke recounted the story of Allie and Noah from the notebook he carried with him, the lady's memory began to come back and she could remember.

The movie always changes the book but the one major change (the ending) which had the audience letting out a collective gasp and reaching for the nearest tissue was, in my opinion, really good even if it was pure Hollywood melodrama.

Why does a movie like THE NOTEBOOK appeal to so many...

During the throes of Winter, remembering Spring
THE NOTEBOOK is an old-fashioned love story with the topical subject of Alzheimer's Disease thrown in to heighten the Hankie Factor.

The film opens in the present at a genteel, riverside, Southern facility for the long-term care of the aged. An old man, "Duke" (James Garner), is in the habit of reading from a book to an elegant, but chronically confused and distant, lady (Gena Rowlands) of equal antiquity. The story concerns two teenagers during a hot, carefree, South Carolina summer preceding World War II. They are (in extended flashback) Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams).

Noah, working in the local sawmill, is the uneducated son of a dirt-poor father (Sam Shephard). Allie, in these months before she's off to a prestigious New York college, is the only daughter of snobbishly wealthy parents, John (David Thornton) and Anne (Joan Allen) Hamilton.

The book's plot is that hoary one about two young lovers of disparate backgrounds and financial...

(4 1/2 ) A Well Acted, Old Fashioned, Romantic Tearjerker
This screen adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' bestseller is a deeply emotional story of young love, the process of maturity, the crucial choices in our lives, and the frailty of old age. I have not read the book, and thus cannot comment upon the fealty of this film to Sparks' manuscript, but its emotional tone and import is certainly consistent with his other works with which I am familiar. In the opening scene we meet Duke (James Garner), who resides in a nursing home and apparently spends most of his time befriending another resident there, Allie Calhoun (Gena Rowlands), who is captivated by a 1940's story of young love which he reads in installments to her from THE NOTEBOOK which is his constant companion. Allie is suffering from some variety of dementia and these interludes provide some small comfort to an otherwise apparently colorless and bland existence.

The moviegoer is then transported to the 1940's, and the relatively brief appearances of the elderly Duke's and Allie...

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Face/Off [HD]

A masterpiece
Face/Off is a spectacular film. It is a definite classic in terms of modern action films. Face/Off, like many action films, has enough explosive action scenes to leave you on the edge of your seat. However, unlike most action films, Face/Off's brilliance is found in its story,its direction, and its acting, not in its action sequences. With superb acting by two very talented actors, Nicholas Cage and John Travolta, the viewer is caught up in the story rather than the action, it almost deserves the category of "action drama." Although, being a John Woo movie, the action sequences are nothing short of spectacular. Face/Off, a combination of great acting, a great story, and well-choreographed action, is a must see for any action lover.

Special Features include NO new interviews with Cage or Travolta.....
We already know this is a great action film with superb performances from both Travolta and Cage so I will just comment on the features:

Featurettes includes a decent amount information on all aspects of the script development, making of, locations, casting, set designs, special effects, weapons and the 'mimic' acting strategies for Cage/Travlota playing each other. Also includes 7 deleted scenes, a biography-type feature covering the life and career of director John Woo, and the original theatrical trailer.

The greatest disappointment here is that while several cast/crew members appear in newly filmed interviews, both Travolta and Cage participate only by way of vintage interviews filmed back when the movie was actually being made. You would think they would have been proud enough of this great film to come back to document it for posterity sake...

This DVD is probably worth the upgrade for fans, especially if you can manage to get a few bucks for...

John Woo's Best Hollywood Film
It took two Hollywood films (Hard Target and Broken Arrow) before John Woo was allowed to cut loose with his trademark style on Face/Off. The result was his most commercially and critically successful American film at that point in his career. However, for fans of his Hong Kong films, this one seemed like a highlight reel from his earlier work as Woo recycled many of his signature shots Birds flying in slow motion? Check. Guy Leaping in the air while firing two guns simultaneously? Check. Unfortunately, Face/Off marks the apex of his Hollywood career. Woo has done nothing since that's been as good. So, to celebrate the film's 10th anniversary, Paramount has revisited the film with a brand new special edition.

Woo works hard to sell the film's admittedly outlandish gimmick by throwing all kinds of scientific mumbo jumbo at us and...

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The Muppets (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Well done Segel...well done!
At the end of the day, the underlying subject of this movie is: "We are The Muppets: If modern society decides we are no longer funny and popular, we're ok with that. We are just here to entertain for those who will appreciate."

I'm not a professional critic, so there's no need for me to bore everyone with an over-analyzed, granular review. What I can say is I (like many folks) have been a die hard Muppet fan since I was a kid in the early 80's. Jim Henson was a genius and the world became a slightly darker place when we lost him. I lost touch with The Muppets over the years as they tried to re-envision themselves and relate to a new generation. Though still popular, it wasn't the same to me. This new film is the closest thing that I have seen in attempting to return to their truly zany days when you had Henson, Oz, Hunt, and Nelson leading the charge.

Jason Segel (who co-wrote the screenplay) didn't have to do his research. It's obvious he has been a fan...

Nothing short of a masterpiece.
As someone who is a huge fan of film(many would say im a film snob). I have seen all the classics, I see all the indie films, all the blockbusters, and foreign films. Movies are my passion. So if you told me, that a Muppet movie would end up being my movie of the year, I simply would not believe it. But this film simply works. Its a perfect movie, and their are very few movies i can say that about. Do i think its one of the best movies of all time? No, but it set out to do be a happy, fun and simple movie, and it did it succeeded one hundred percent. Never have i walked out of a movie, feeling so utterly happy about it. I saw this with my girlfriend and she agreed, it just makes you feel happy. The songs are great, the writing is great, the pacing is perfect, it never ceased to entertain me. This is a must see.

It took me down memory lane...
On Saturday (11/19), my son and I attended an advance screening of the new movie "The Muppets". From the moment I received the invitation, I started going back in time to when my entire family would gather in the family room to watch The Muppets on TV.

I remember the show format being similar to "Laugh In" and 'Sonny and Cher" (if you are old enough to remember back that far). I was in love with Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog and Fozzie's silly jokes cracked me up. Everyone was rooting for Gonzo to finally do one of his hair brained stunts right and the dancing chickens were the hit of the evening. And each show was always hosted by one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. When I told my son that I was a few years older that he is now when the show first came on TV, he said "Dang! The Muppets are that old?" Don't you just love kids...

The movie "The Muppets" starts out back in the day when the TV show was still a major hit. A little boy (well, more puppet than...

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Bleach Uncut Set 19

Ichigo & Ulquiorra...The Final Battle!!!
This set is not a "filler", and it contains 12 episodes for $17.97. Some of the things that are happening is stated in the "Editorial Review" above so a lot of this is in addition. This one gets deep into the final battle with Ichigo and Ulquiorra before Ichigo goes back to the world of the living. In the world of the living, a full-scale battle is going on, and if you have been watching up to this point, you know who all is involved in this battle. You will see the power of the Espada's, the Visored's as well as the Captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Also Rukia, Renji and Sado (or Chad), are still in battle as well. This is a great set to own and you will find that the episodes in this set still contain the same great action that you are used to seeing on Bleach, so I have to give this one a 5 star rating. If you have Hulu, you can see all of the episodes up to 366 now in Japanese language with English subtitles. (I don't know what will happen when the set ends at 366, anything...

Bleach comes cheap
The set is priced cheaper than all the rest at $17 dollars compared to $29.99 it seems they heard our complaints and have dumb down the price and this comes from someone who owns all the sets to the current one don't miss out.

Deal and a half
Great anime series right in the middle of some of its best battles. Combined with a preorder price of only $18 for a dozen episodes. Putting it at just a $1.50 an episode. No self respecting anime fan should pass up this deal.

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