Luceros Blog

Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season One Description:

Olivia Hallinan, Dawn French, Julia Sawalha, Liz Smith, Brendan Coyle, Claudie Blakley, Mark Heap, Ben Miles, Olivia Grant, Linda Bassett, Karl Johnson. When young Laura Timmins leaves Lark Rise for a job at the local post office in Candleford, it feels as if she is departing to a different country. Her new life under the wing of the independent and effervescent post-mistress, Dorcas Lane, is eye-opening and exciting, but as Laura witnesses the scandals, feuds and struggles of the villagers and townsfolk, she realizes that she too has to face the future. Having turned her back on her childhood hamlet, she must find her own path to womanhood.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #905 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2009-10-06
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 582 minutes

Features

• Set in the Oxfordshire countryside at the end of the 19th Century, this rich, funny and emotional series follows the daily lives of farm-workers, craftsmen and gentry in two contrasting communities: Lark Rise, the small hamlet, gently holding onto the past and Candleford, the neighboring market town, bustling in to the future.When young Laura Timmins leaves Lark Rise for a job at the local post of

Customer Reviews:

BRITISH PERIOD PERFECTION–SOMETHING FOR EVERY TYPE OF DRAMA ADDICT
English country life could never have been as poetic, pictorial, and enchanting as this dramatization of the lives of those living in and around the two 1880’s towns of Lark Rise and Candleford. Even the DVD’s music puts a sanguine sugarcoating on the period. All of this is to the delight of the viewer of this masterfully done TV series sure to endear any North American who has a tender video heart toward Victorian Britain. Perhaps, consider it a British mutation of “Little House on the Prairie” or “The Waltons.”

This set of 4 DVDs, 10 episodes totaling 582 minutes, is actually a 9 1/2+ hour saga (continuing panorama of human relationship) of the commoner village and the more sophisticated Candleford. The short 8-mile separation allows for much intermingling, bigotry, conflict, forbidden love, political and economic interaction. It is not a family saga, not a nobility bloodline dramatization, but a saga of struggles and lifestyles of different kinds of personalities, each caught in their own born-into world, and interacting with another different, and not always understood, class of folk.

Darling Laura Timmins (Olivia Hallinan), oldest child of a Lark Rise family, is sent off to Candleford to learn the trade of postmistress. She is the spark caught between the two towns (sometimes world’s different.) Her mentor, Dorcas (Julia Sawalha), has a personal secret. There is the expected, token-gentry, rich, Squire family, Sir Timothy (Ben Miles)& Lady Adelaide (Oliva Grant). The rest of the regular cast (at least 20 appearing in all 10 episodes) is an assortment of either the die-hard, disheveled, working class or the Candleford higher class, but yet short of nobility range. It is the individuals that make this spectacular (or fill in your own highest superlative.)

One episode travels into the next with carryover from earlier material. If you have the time, it’s best to watch it as a near 10-hour feature production. What a horrible time the original TV viewers must have had waiting for the next installment. Each episode has multiple plots so it is impossible to break down the episodes into short summaries. And with carryover from one episode to another, it’s more like moving to Lark Rise or Candleford and living with the good people (and the bad). A delightful scenic experience even Disney has never matched.

Ah, but the folks you will meet. Dr. Seuss eat your heart out. Queenie (Linda Bassett), an old bee keeper, is married to ole Twister (Karl Johnson) and both will make you laugh and cry, perhaps in the same scene. Pearl (Matilda Ziegler) and Ruby (Victoria Hamilton) own Pratt’s General Drapers & Haberdashers. They represent the best of fashion and fitness, just ask them, as they spurn much gossip and controversy. Thomas (Mark Heap) is a postal delivery man who helps keep Christianity alive and aloud. Portly Caroline (Dawn French) a mother with her man off to sea, divides her time between frivolity and beer and would make a fine Viking helpmate. And dear, dear old housemaid Zillah (a standing O for Liz Smith), is the life and death of every party–a quirkiness totally lovable. Assistant gamekeeper Phillip and melodean-playing Alfie vie for Laura’s affection, while her ma, Emma (Claudie Blakley), and pa, Robert (Brendan Coyle) try in vain to keep sanity to the comings and goings of life from “Lark Rise to Candleford.”

Oh and more, locations and sets to die for a vacation in. Costumes to dazzle, delight, and disgust, depending upon the event. Every emotion you have ever felt in your past will be repeated sometime throughout this English town saga. The adapted books by Flora Thompson have never been read by this reviewer, but I can’t imagine them being as fine as this TV series (and I’m a book lover). A superb British cast has perfected this story.

Subtitles? Yes!
Bonus? “The Making of Lark Rise To Candleford”
Recommendation? BUY NOW! EXPEDITE SHIPPING, it’s that good.

Another stellar period drama from BBC
I have been waiting for this series to be released here in the United States, and watched it within two days. I have to admit that I have yet to read the book (of the same name) by Flora Thompson that this series is based on (I plan to do so soon). The book is said to be semi-autobiographical but I can’t really comment on how faithful the series is to the book since I’ve yet to read it. My review as such will be confined to the BBC drama.

The story follows the lives of the inhabitants of the poor, sleepy hamlet of Lark Rise and the more affluent and snooty inhabitants of Candleford during the last decades of the 19th century (sometime in the 1880s I believe). The central character Laura Timmins (Olivia Hallinan) is a young girl from Lark Rise who is sent by her parents to work as an assistant to the postmistress, the capable and sensible Dorcas Lane (a brilliant Julia Sawalha). Initially Laura balks at the more restrained and formal way of life in Candleford, and is humiliated by the way some of the town’s more snobbish inhabitants (such as the Pratt sisters, Pearl and Ruby, credibly portrayed by Matilda Ziegler and Victoria Hamilton) look down upon her, but she gradually finds satisfaction and a measure of happiness in her job and new surroundings, and comes to develop a true understanding of the inhabitants of both Lark Rise and Candleford, in all their complexities. Julia Sawalha is amazing in her role as the kind postmistress who acts as a sort of mentor to young Laura, and whose own life seems deceptively straightforward, despite some undercurrents, brought on by her close friendship with town squire, Sir Timothy Midwinter (Ben Miles) who is married to a city girl,the cool and composed Lady Adelaide (Olivia Grant).

To delve too much into the plot would detract from the viewer’s pleasure, and so all I will say is that this excellent series has everything to recommend it - a wonderful score, beautiful cinematography of the lush English countryside, and plenty of human drama, dealing with social issues, marital strife, forbidden desires, love across the different social classes,friendship, and lots of good old-fashioned humor.The ensemble cast is excellent and a delight to watch, engaging viewer’s interest from the first episode till the last of the season, and I was sorry to see it come to an end. Luckily for fans, there is Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season Two, and Season 3 will hopefully be available on DVD soon.

Perfection in Period Drama!
I was searching amazon for a new period drama, found this one, and decided to purchase it based on the reviews and the quality of actors — including Julia Sawalha (Pride & Prejudice and Cranford), Brendan Coyle (North & South), Ben Miles (The Forsyte Saga), Dawn French and Claudie Blakely. I was not disappointed. It was absolutely fabulous and I didn’t want it to end. In fact, I’ve watched it a second time since purchasing it a month ago. I cannot wait until they release series two in the U.S. (it’s already available in Europe). If you’re thinking of buying it, don’t hesitate. It’s well worth the $42, ranking up there with P&P, N&S, Cranford, The Forsyte Saga, Sense & Sensibility (Emma Thompson version, which I happen to like better than the recent Andew Davies version), Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow version), Persuasion (Amanda Root version), etc. (I love period drama and own just about every one released). What better way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon? Enjoy!

Amazon.com
The BBC’s costume drama juggernaut struck gold once more when it decided to tackle the work of Flora Thompson. And in adapting her books in the form of the television production Lark Rise to Candleford, it has brought another compelling piece of drama to the screen.

Lark Rise to Candleford is set at the end of the 19th century, and it follows the story of two communities in the midst of a developing Oxfordshire. One is a fast-growing market town, the other a sleepier, quieter place that’s holding more onto the past. Centered on Laura, the eldest daughter in the Timmins house, as she leaves the quieter life for work in the market town, the stage is then set for a quality drama series.

There’s a lot to enjoy in the 10 episodes. The cast, for instance, is simply terrific, with Julia Sawalha, Dawn French, and Olivia Hallinan rightly taking plaudits. And the journey of their characters, along with those of the strong supporting cast, is simply wonderful television. Mixing in humor, drama and the production values we seem to take for granted from the BBC, Lark Rise to Candleford is really quite a treat. And what’s more, it’s proof positive that when it comes to television period drama, there really isn’t anyone doing it better. Super stuff. –Jon Foster

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season Description:

It’s Elena’s first day back at Mystic Falls High School since the tragic death of her parents. Along with her Aunt Jenna, Elena tries her best to look after her troubled younger brother, Jeremy, and salvage what family they have left. The first day is already shaping up to be a struggle for Elena until she meets the mysterious new kid at school, Stefan. Elena is touched that he can relate to what she’s going through. What Elena doesn’t know is that Stefan is a vampire, constantly resisting the urge to taste her blood. As their undeniable connection grows deeper, Stefan’s dangerous older brother, Damon, shows up to wreak havoc on the town of Mystic Falls - and claim Elena for himself. The Vampire Diaries is based on the bestselling book series from Alloy Entertainment.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130 in DVD
• Format: NTSC

Customer Reviews:

Who Doesn’t Like Vampires?
I’ve never seen/read Twilight nor did I know that the Vampire Diaries was based on a series of tween books. I, generally, try to stay away from those kind of “kid” versions (I’m more the Tru Blood type). Anyway, I decided to give V Diaries a shot and I’m so glad I did.

Vampire Diaries is a guilty pleasure. Despite the fact that the series is set-up with the high school crowd, it definitely has a more adult feel to it with the complex issues that come up and the dark, edgy violence. The first couple of eps played a bit too 90210(ish) but then the series really took off.

The main characters are well rounded and believable even in unbelievable situations. The series has managed to weave a set of relationships that breath life into each of the characters. Elena is the high school girl who must not only face personal tragedy but a new boyfriend (Stephan) that may or may not be what he seems. And Stephan has his own family issues with his bad boy brother, Damon. And while Damon is definitely bad (body count anyone?)he has reasons he believes are valid for the pain he inflicts.(mostly)

Elena as played by Nina Dobrev is a smart girl with a compassionate heart who definitely doesn’t put up with any BS. In this vampire tale she doesn’t just automatically tell Stephan it’s all right when she finds out his secret. It’s not cool that he’s a vampire. People die around him and that’s not ok. They fall in love despite his being a vampire rather than because of it.

Stephan Salvatore, Mystic Falls resident brooding vampire, started out (to me) a little too much like an Angel wannabe but Paul Wesley has done a competent job in opening the character up. What he does to Damon in the basement was truly chilling. I was like, HEY!, aren’t you supposed to be the good guy!

And last but not least of the lead characters, Damon. What can I say. Damon is just delightfully bad. Ian Somerhalder plays him with relish. In the wrong hands, his character could have easily become a cliche but the actor has turned him into someone you just can’t help but feel for (equal parts sympathy and revulsion)as he struts his way around, doling out cruelty with a smile, all the while hiding a secret of his own.

The supporting cast is also just wonderful in their roles. Kudos especially to Candice Accola for her portrayal of Caroline Forbes. The whole cast was well chosen and that they’re all beautiful and sexy doesn’t hurt either.

Anyway, before this review becomes a novel… just watch a few eps. I dare you not to get hooked on it.

great show
I was skeptical when i first saw that this show was going to be on the CW. i had never read the books before and didnt know what to really expect. i decided to watch the first episode as i figured if it was aweful, atleast i could say i gave it a shot since I am a Twilight/True Blood fan. I am happy to say i havent missed an episode yet. The characters draw you in from start to finish, its a totally different show from everything else. I even read the books during the show’s winter hiatus so that i would be ready for the rest of the season. I would definitely recommend this show to everyone!

Amazing show. ADDICTING.
I cannot believe how obsessed I am with this show. I’ve recorded every episode on my dvr but i will still buy the season when it comes out on dvd. Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley are absolutely incredible actors. I don’t know how I survived before this show on Thursday nights at 8pm!

La Bamba Description:

LA BAMBA (98-REMAS/DVD/WS 1.85/DD5.1/DSS/ENG-PORT-

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4481 in DVD
• Brand: Sony Pictures Home ENT
• Released on: 1999-04-06
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, Georgian, Chinese, Thai
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 108 minutes

Features

• ISBN13: 9780767821636
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Reviews:

The True Story of a Chicano Legend
Movies about entertainment icons can be very promising, but at the same time misleading.

Such can be said about the talented 17 year old Ritchie Valens (Richard Steve Valenzuela) of Southern California. The Ritchie Valens story is one of which many know the end, but not necessarily beginning or the middle.

When you see La Bamba, it’s important to keep in mind that, unless you are already familiar with the Ritchie Valens legacy, the film will forever distort the image and persona of a 1950’s star.

For example; Ritchie did not have a gilrfriend named Donna. The band Valens performed with up until a few months before his demise (including the bandleader) were close friends of Ritchie’s until the end. Ritchie did not have constant premonitions about his fate. On the contrary, he lived his life as happy as can be and struggled, as many other music performers of his day, with a sometimes dishonest manager who sought to make a buck out of a talented but innexperienced teenager.

But, why is this movie worth noting? Because it perpetuates Ritchie Valens’ legacy and music. This is something important since Valens is a pioneer figure from the early days of rock n’ roll. His untimely death after only eight months into his professional career placed his music and legacy in momentary oblivion. The dated news reports of February 1959 listed Valens as the biggest star of the three who were killed in a plane crash (Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper were the other two). At the time of his death Ritchie had the number one song in the popular music charts for the West Coast and the number two song in the nation.

In his brief but remarkable career Ritchie Valens caught the attention of rock n’ roll fans around the world. He appeared in various television shows and before live audiences throughout Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia, Honolulu and Canada. Audiences perceived in Valens a style innovative to the music world. Unlike the other rock n’ roll artists of his time, Ritchie Valens was neither Anglo nor African-American. He was of Hispanic descent (particularly Mexican Mestizo-Indian). This didn’t go unnoticed by the young public. They loved him. In a time when Mexican-Americans faced a lack of visibility in the U.S. pop culture, Valens did not seek to hide his ethnicity. On the contrary, he flaunted his “Mexicanism” wearing a Mariachi-stlye outfit before an audience whom he serenaded with an unheard of, new version, of rock n’ roll in Spanish!

Valens left quite a music legacy. Even though he could neither read or write music, he was a very talented musician. He only knew three or four guitar chords and used these as the basis for all his songs. While it was rare for early rock n’ roll performers to pen their own material, Ritchie was known to do exactly that. His talent even landed him a spot on the silver screen. He appeared alongside Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson and Eddie Cochran in a motion picture by Alan Freed set for release in August 1959. With his “Donna/La Bamba” single Valens was able to accomplish something that few rock n’ roll musicians, like the Beatles, have accomplished: a simultaneous double-sided hit. Interesting enough, one of his albums stands as the only live concert rock n’ roll album of the 1950’s.

His achievements inspired others to follow. The fellow Californian Band, the Beach Boys, had their big break playing for a Ritchie Valens Memorial Concert in Long Beach, California and went on to have a successful career. Los Lobos, Chan Romero, Carlos Santana, and Los Loenly Boys, amongst others, have expressed themselves about the influence Valens has had in their music. Ritchie is considered by some today as the father of Chicano Rock. Something distinguished since by the time he was only seventeen. In only eight months he went from playing in a neighborhood band to key-billing in a major rock n’ roll tour across the Midwest. One can only wonder what would have been had he not suffered that tragic accident in 1959. He might have gone on to be one of the a major recording stars of the 1960’s.

However, unlike Elvis Presley or John Lennon, at the time of his death Ritchie Valens lacked a well grounded fan base. The public loved Ritchie but they were barely getting to know him. Most of his material was released posthumously. The radio D.J.’s refused to play the music of a deceased artist. Whereas other artists have momentarily grown in popularity after their death Ritchie Valens’ music experienced the opposite. As time passed, Buddy Holly, who at the time of the accident was working on a comeback to the music scene, came to be remembered as the most promising artist that perished that day. In time, Valens became the footnote to the Holly story. Yet, Chicanos throughout the Southwest never forgot Ritchie Valens. They often memorialized him in barrio murals depicting the Mexican-American experience and their Pre-Columbian roots. Yet, it was not until the late 1970’s with the Columbia Pictures’ The Buddy Holly Story and even more so in this New Visions motion picture production by Luis Valdez, La Bamba, in the late 1980’s, that interest in Ritchie Valens was reignited in the general media. Today, a star with Ritchie’s name lies in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was recently inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and a documentary about his life has been released on DVD.

La Bamba deserves a special place amongst Rock n Roll movies. But hopefully it will inspire viewers to look into who Ritchie Valens was and why he has earned his right to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

One of the best rock biopics ever.
I saw La Bamba the other night for the first time in many years, and was delighted to see how well it had held up. Of the many tragedies in the history of rock, there are few more bitterly poignant than that of Ritchie Valens, and director Luis Valdez makes us feel the full force of the tragedy. He makes us love not only Ritchie (Lou Diamond Phillips) but also his supportive mother Connie (Rosana De Soto) and his troubled brother Bob (Esai Morales), then ends the film as he should, on a note of raw, unmitigated grief. On the way to the tragic end, however, we also get marvelous recreations of vintage rock songs by Los Lobos, Brian Setzer, Marshall Crenshaw, Howard Huntsberry and others. Seeing La Bamba again brings up a smaller tragedy: why Phillips, Morales and De Soto didn’t become bigger stars, as they clearly deserved to become from their performances in this movie. Only Phillips came at all close to stardom, and for every step forward he took–his change-of-pace villainous role in Courage Under Fire, his Broadway triumph in the revival of The King and I–he took two steps back with some straight-to-video flick. But in any case you can still see them in La Bamba, and laugh, cry, and applaud.

My favorite movie of all time
La Bamba is my favorite movie of all time hands down. Of all the films I have seen not many reached me the way La Bamba did. I first saw this movie back in the summer of 96 when I was 17-years old and I fell in love with this movie and also became a big fan of Ritchie Valens. No joke I would watch this movie every single day it was on. La Bamba was a staple part of HBO’s line up and even if it was on twice a day I would watch it. For me, each time I saw the movie it felt like the first time. I would drive my friends crazy with having to watch it even after I recorded the movie they figured I wouldn’t watch it as much, but I still did.

At the time I was actually learning the guitar and I never really played at all and this movie inspired me to actually practice and not only that, but it also inspired me on wanting to be a filmmaker. I really can’t think of any other movie that reached me on this deep of a level. Like I said in the opening of my review La Bamba is hands down my favorite movie of all time. For starters it has some truly great music; La Bamba is about having a dream and not letting anyone stop you from reaching that dream. It’s about love and family.

The screenplay by Luis Valdez was excellent; the characters are great and each of the main players all add to the movie. None of the characters are just there. Each character plays a crucial part of the movie. While yes the story does revolve around Ritchie played amazingly by Lou Diamond Phillips, but in many ways movie is actually Bob’s story played by Esai Morales who pretty much steals the show. There is a bond between the 2 brothers, but there is also tension. Bob is always in Ritchie’s shadow despite being older and I was really able to relate more to Bob in many ways than Ritchie. Ritchie was sort of the Golden Boy, while Bob was sort of the outsider.

I think at some point in our lives we have felt like we were in someone’s shadow, either it be a friend, family member or co-worker. The more Ritchie finds success the more Bob falls into this despair as all the attention goes to Ritchie and he’s sort of forgotten about. The movie may revolve around Ritchie, but it’s very much Bob’s story. And Esai Morales gives a terrific performance. La Bamba is about going for your dreams and not letting anyone stop you from reaching them. We all have dreams in life and most of us are too afraid to try and make them come true. Ritchie had a dream in life and wouldn’t let anything keep him from that and I hold that close. La Bamba gave me and still gives me the courage to go after my own filmmaking dreams.

As director Luis Valdez creates some truly touching scenes and some truly inspiring moments. When making a Bio-picture normally certain parts are played up more for dramatic effect and Valdez does that here, but it works well. A lot of the scenes with tension between Bob and Ritchie comes from real life and comes from the own personal experience between Luis Valdez and his own brother. The love story between Ritchie and Donna played by Danielle von Zerneck are possibly the strongest scenes of the movie and shows a time of innocence.

Prior to this movie I knew who Ritchie Valens was and I knew his music, but I wouldn’t be able to place the music with the artist. All the music in the movie that Ritchie sings is performed by Los Lobos who did justice to the original music, but I sought out the original versions by Ritchie and loved it. On my guitar I used to play Donna, Come on Let’s Go and La Bamba non-stop. Nothing can top the opening lick in La Bamba.

Lou Diamond Phillips made his screen debut, but if not mistaken he actually shot Stand and Deliver first, but this one came out first. Lou Diamond gives a performance of a lifetime. His performance is so real and inspiring. I would rate this performance as one of my all time favorites. By the time I saw La Bamba I was already a fan of Lou Diamond, but this movie made him one of my very favorite actors of all time. Esai Morales though pretty much steals the show like I stated before. Rosanna DeSoto as Connie, Ritchie’s mother is excellent and Joey Pantoliano as Ritchie’s manager is excellent, but Joey Pants always delivers. Elizabeth Pena also gives a good performance as Ritchie’s ex-girlfriend who is now with Bob, which creates some uneasy tension.

I’ll be the first to admit the final act always gets me teary-eyed. The death of Ritchie and Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper was so tragic. Buddy Holly is one of my all time favorite musicians. When Ritchie’s family and friends hear the news over the radio it’s just so tragic. Sleepwalk, played by Santo & Johnny is so hauntingly beautiful and really adds to the scene; Bob walking across a wooded bridge and stops and screams Ritchie’s name never fails to give me the chills.

La Bamba is truly a great and uplifting movie that is really tragic, but again very uplifting. Ritchie was only 17-years old when he died and I remember being freaked out since I was that very age when I first saw the movie. At that age death isn’t something we think about and it was quite creepy. This may be clichéd, but Ritchie may be gone, but his music and impact will never be forgotten. His life inspired this movie and this movie inspired me.

Without a doubt La Bamba is my very favorite movie nothing for me comes close. I can watch this movie everyday and never once get tired of it. Each time I see the movie it feels like the first time.

Amazon.com
Lou Diamond Phillips leaves a haunting impression as the late 1950s pop idol Ritchie Valens, who made the Latino influence in rock & roll conspicuous through his hit songs. Filmmaker Luis Valdez (Zoot Suit) creates a nimble, exciting, and sympathetic portrait of the boy driven to rise above obstacles of race and family legacy, and Esai Morales is equally fine as Ritchie’s envious, searching brother. Great support from Elizabeth Peña and Danielle von Zerneck as Valens’s sister and mother, respectively, and Joe Pantoliano is solid as the singer’s straight-talking manager. Valdez brightens up the third act with a rock & roll show featuring, among others, Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochrane. Marshall Crenshaw turns up as Buddy Holly getting on that plane with Valens, and Los Lobos (who actually performs Valens’s music on the soundtrack) has a nifty cameo as a Tijuana band that gives Valens a piece of crucial inspiration. –Tom Keogh

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Description:

Donny Osmond stars as Joseph in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Biblical Broadway extravaganza, shimmering with elaborately-staged production numbers and a score full of hits.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #685 in DVD
• Brand: Universal
• Released on: 2000-03-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .15 pounds
• Running time: 76 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Amazing— and not just in the title…
Ever since I saw this show on stage in LA about ten years ago, I’ve been dying to have a copy I could watch over and over and over… Well, that day has come. I saw the video version on a recent trip to London– and am sold on it’s value. The cast is amazing, lead by Donny Osmond’s unflappable vocal ability. Unlike the cats video, no songs have been cut out, and no songs have been shortened, with the possible exception of the Joseph Megamix, which has been revamped to serve as an end credit theme. The sets have been built as immersive environments, not a filmed version of the stage show. Also of note– a preview before the show of the new production of Jesus Christ Superstar set to come to video this Easter!

You and Your Dreamcoat, Ahead of Your Time!
The film approach to this musical was a smart move– the “we’ll tape a performance” approach is kinda cheesy. The sets were great, especially the desert scene, and the costumes were imaginative. The songs were very nice; they go from a catchy jingle-type advertisement for “Jacob and Sons” to a Western theme (”One More Angel in Heaven”), to a somewhat 1920’s approach in “Potiphar,” to a 1960’s Austin Powers-ish “Go Go Joseph”, to the bluesy Elvis-themed “Song of the King”, and to the Jamaican “Benjamin Calypso.”

Donny Osmond shines as Joseph: he can really sing! Richard Attenborough was very good as Jacob, who sang a few lines and was actually pretty good at it! Mrs. Potiphar (Joan Collins) was hilarious, as was Robert Torti as Pharaoh “The King.” (He was my dad’s favorite character; he’s watched the Pharaoh’s song about a million times.) The eleven brothers are really funny, too! The only character I have a minor problem with is the Narrator, played by Maria Friedman. She has great facial expressions, but her singing voice is less-than-stupendous. (Listen to some of the cast recordings, particularly the 1993 LA cast; you’ll hear the difference.)

PS - As for the supposedly pornographic scenes with Mrs. Potiphar, they happen so quickly and the plot moves to Joseph in jail so fast there hardly isn’t any time for questions of any sort. I’m a Christian, and I’ve seen worse things on network television.

All I can say is, Go, Go, Go, Joseph!

A Video Worth the Wait
After seeing the teaser ad for this production on the Cats video, I was looking forward to the chance to see it. I’d known about Joseph for years, but had never had the chance to see it on stage. I’m pleased to report that the video was worth the wait.

The performers are fantastic. I’d not heard anything of Donny Osmond since his teen idol days, and was pleased to find that he has an even better voice than I’d remembered. Maria Friedman (Narrator) is also a joy to see and hear. In fact, all of the music throughout is so infectious that I’ve found myself humming Joseph songs during lulls at work - and at home - and in the car, well, you get the picture.

The sets are colorful and imaginative (my daughter especially enjoys the large Egyptian head with the moving eyes used during the Pharoh’s song (I did have to explain the heavy references to Elvis Presley, but then she’s only 5 — give her time). And the costumers deserve a round of applause for the title “Technicolor Dreamcoat” (let alone the dozens of other gorgeous outfits).

If I had any gripe at all, it would be about the copious use of flesh colored body-stockings on the female chorus members in the Egyptian sequences. True, the costuming fits the time and place of the action, but some parents might wish to view it before deciding if it’s appropriate for their younger children (though I didn’t have a problem with my 5-year-old seeing it).

All in all, this video is one that will be (and has already been) viewed again and again at our house.

Amazon.com
Following the successful 1998 video release of Cats comes another Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it’s a savvy choice. It hasn’t been represented on film before, it’s short enough (78 minutes) to present without cuts, and it has the star power of former teen icon Donny Osmond, who played over 1,800 performances across North America. Rather than record a live performance, Cats director David Mallet conceived Joseph as a film, though one that is based strongly on codirector Steven Pimlott’s 1991 London revival and relies more on camerawork than venturing beyond its stagelike sets.

Lloyd Webber’s first project with lyricist Tim Rice was originally written in 1968 as a school cantata; accordingly, this film uses a framing sequence of a school recital, with an audience of clapping, singing kids and members of the faculty playing the roles. The Old Testament tale of Joseph and his coat of many colors gets a splashy, vigorous treatment with an energetic cast, Las Vegas-style glitz, and catchy, eclectic songs, including “Any Dream Will Do,” “Close Every Door,” the peppy “Go, Go, Go Joseph,” and various bits of country, calypso, and Elvis. Osmond is perfect in the title role, with a strong voice and winning persona, while London stage veteran Maria Friedman performs well in the central role of the narrator. Richard Attenborough appears (and sings a little) as Jacob, and Joan Collins makes a brief, nonsinging cameo.

Joseph certainly isn’t revolutionary musical theater, but if you view it as a kids’ show, it’s a silly good time (though there are poignant moments too). Parents should note, however, that this production might warrant a little discretion due to one suggestive scene and some risqué costumes. –David Horiuchi

DVD features
The DVD includes a modest widescreen presentation (1.55:1 aspect ratio), DTS and Dolby Digital soundtracks, and Go Go Go Joseph, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes look at Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, star Donny Osmond, stage director Steven Pimlott, and others provide insight on the show, its history, and the creation of the film. One point frequently stressed is that Joseph began as a school production, and as such can still coexist with large-budget professional versions. To prove the point, the film observes two British schools rehearsing and performing the show. Perhaps the most amusing segment shows numerous people–from Rice and Lloyd Webber on down–trying to recite the line “It was red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ocher and peach and….” Fortunately for the onscreen actors, they get cue cards!

Amistad Product: Amistad Review. List Price: —- Amazon Price: $9.98 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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AN EPIC JOURNEY OF ONE MAN’S FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE AND HIS FREEDOM. THIS STORY OF COURAGE AND DETERMINATION IS PRESENTED BY A DIRECTOR WHOSE VISION GOES TO THE HEART OF THE STORY AND THE SOUL OF ITS CHARACTERS. ONCE AGAIN STEVEN SPIELBERG HAS CREATED A FILM EVENT THAT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3541 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 1999-05-04
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 155 minutes

Features

• ISBN13: 9780783231204
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

We Hold These Truths To Be Self Evident….
This review refers to the Dreamworks Doby Digital Edition…..
Based on actual events, Steven Spielberg and Debbie Allen collaberate to bring us one of the many heartwrenching stories of the plight of Africans,during the illegal slave trade of the 1800’s.
A group of African people who were brutally draggged from their villages are being transported for slave trade. Only knowing that they are chained and mistreated one man,breaks loose and leads a rebillion against the ship’s crew. In order to ensure their own freedom they must take the lives of their captors. They are discovered in American waters, and a trial ensues as to the question of murder.
It becomes an international case. Everybody from the queen of Spain to the owners of the ship “Amistad” are claiming ownership of these men and women. Being pre-civil war, the abolishionists are also making a case for their freedom.This is a case that could lead America one step closer to Civil War.
One property lawyer who has never worked on a case of this proportion, takes on the task of trying to prove that these are not plantation slaves,but citizens of Africa taken by force and did what they needed to do to be free, as any American would do the same. His task is a difficult one,but as the tragic story of these people unfolds he is able to put on his defense. They also get some help from the ex-president John Quincy Adams,whose eloquence puts the Declaration of Indepence to the test.
This is a magnificent piece of cinema in all respects. Spielberg brings to our attention yet another important piece of history that was cruel and inhuman,one of American history that we were hardly aware of.It is an epic film that will wash over you with several different emotions, and you will want to watch it again and again.
No big introduction needed for most of the cast who seemed perfectly fitted to their roles. Matthew McConaughey outstanding as the lawyer, Sir Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as Adams, Morgan Freeman and Stellan Skarsgard are totaly believable as the abolishionists,and Pete Postlethwaite perfect as the lawyer for the prosecution. Also in a sterling performance is Djimon Housnsou as Cinque, the spokesperson for the Africans. His portrayal of the enslaved man who only wants his freedom will captivate you.I must also make mention of Nigel Hawthorn and David Paymer for their wonderful performances.The cinematography is breathtaking. The music scored by John Williams and especially the African music will stay with you long after the movie. You will also be impressed with the costume designs. The film was nominated for four Academy awards,including one for Best Supporting for Hopkins.
The DVD is top quality.The Widescreen(Anamorphic) gives us an incredible view of everything going on in the courtroom scenes and on the ocean voyages. The picture does justice to the great cinematography. It is clear and crisp, colors are vibrant. Nighttime scenes are vivid as well. The 5.1 Dolby Dig surround fills the room. It can also be viewed in the 2.0 stereo. The special features,including a behind the scenes featurette are informative as well as entertaining. There is closed captions if needed.
You will not be dissapointed with either the film or the DVD transfer, it is one that will be a great addition to your collection. Watch it again and again…….Laurie

also available in this Spielberg 2 pack:Saving Private Ryan/Amistad

So what if history is made more entertaining?
Have the critics of this film’s historical “accuracy” never heard of “dramatic license”? If they had, then they would understand that Spielberg, like most of his profession, slightly alters history to make for greater theatrical effect or even heighten the events of the story. “Amistad” achieves both with scenes of horror combined with those of great poignancy that make for a total movie experience.

While there are times when the film drags, the performances and the engrossing story itself make up for the few inadequacies. Though stars Morgan Freeman (especially riveting in the inspection of the Amistad scene), Anthony Hopkins, and Matthew McConaughey perform well in their respective roles, the best acting belongs to Djimon Hounsou, Razaag Adoti, and Abu Bakarr Fofanah as three of the Africans, and the underrated Pete Postlethwaite as prosecutor Holabird. Nigel Hawthorne, as the inept President Van Buren, and Peter Firth as a conscious-ridden British ship captain are also memorable.

Spielberg skillfully balances a movie that is a courtroom drama mixed with an indictment against the slave system of America’s past. The scenes of the events of the cursed “Middle Passage” are as graphic as is possible within the confines of Hollywood filmmaking.

John Williams contributes a beautiful and understated score, just below the surface of the on-screen events, providing just enough to carry the story along.

Some unpleasant historical truths explored
This is an important video to see. Based on the historical incident in 1839 of a group of 45 slaves who took over their ship, the Amistad, and wound up in Connecticut. This is a the story of slavery as only Steven Spielberg could tell it. And it is also the story of the United States of America headed toward civil war, the story of petty politics, and a serious debate in front of the supreme court with Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams.

The film is full of those modern touches that make it so typical of movies of the late 1990’s. Subtitles are used as the slaves speak in their own language and the Spanish crews speak in theirs. This adds an authenticity to the story. In contrast, another 1990s touch that detracts from its authenticity is that the slaves all look as if their well-muscled bodies were toned in modern gyms.

The scenes of the Africans on the slave ship are the most moving that I have ever seen filmed. The chains are heavy and real, the terror and despair excruciating, the entire ordeal brought to the screen in horrifying detail. Contrasted to this are the Americans in Connecticut, doing their best to create this new country. There are abolitionists spouting moral values, lawyers debating whether the Africans are slaves or free people because of details of law, and an international treaty with Spain that is rife with politics.

The video is three hours long, which could have been trimmed by at least an hour. The speeches get a little pompous sometimes and go on much longer than they need to. Morgan Freeman plays a role that has obviously been written in to show that there were some wealthy free blacks in that era, a role which should have been either expanded or eliminated.

Although not perfect, this video should be seen. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how young the United States actually is and how rooted in the past our politics are. Armistad certain deepens our understanding of this heritage and enlightens us about some unpleasant truths. Truths that we, as a people, need to look at.

Crazy Heart Description:

A FADED COUNTRY MUSIC MUSICIAN IS FORCED TO REASSESS HIS DYSFUNCTIONAL LIFE DURING A DOOMED ROMANCE THAT ALSO INSPIRES HIM.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9 in DVD
• Brand: TCFHE
• Released on: 2010-04-20
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Jeff Bridges gives one of his finest performances!
Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a country music “star” whose fame has dimmed down to almost nothing. He’s almost always drunk; his “tour” involves him driving himself and his guitar from one really small, cheap venue to another and linking up with a local band who accompany him using cheat sheets. He is disheveled (frankly, he looks like Kris Kristofferson), and even when he showers, he looks like he’s in need of a cleaning and a comb. He’s had hit songs, and his aging fans (the few who remember him) are enthusiastic about seeing him, and when he can avoid throwing up from drinking, he can still put on a charming concert and usually take some woman back with him to his hotel for some company.

He has hit, quite frankly, just slightly above rock bottom. Yet one day, he grants an interview to a Santa Fe journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and sparks of mutual interest fly between the two almost immediately. The movie then embarks on a somewhat predictable “journey of redemption”…but it has enough things going for it to make this film rise well above the clichés that fill the two paragraphs I’ve just written.

Bad Blake is hardly a character we’ve never seen before. But as played by Jeff Bridges, we discover something new about him at every turn. He charms us, and actually makes it easy to see why a much younger woman like Gyllenhaal might find a place in her heart for him. His eagerness to be a positive force in the life of this single mother is an almost palpable thing…and we also get to watch as he derails his own efforts. To say that Bridges gives a “lived in” performance doesn’t begin to scratch the surface. Bridges is one of those great actors who has no vanity and no problem disappearing into his roles. It helps that he sings the terrific songs that were written for him, so that we get a genuine sense of Blake as a performer. We are able to see not only the worthwhile man behind the booze and dirty clothes, but the charismatic star that once was there and hasn’t completely died yet. Bridges gives, simply, the best male performance of 2009.

While Bridges is clearly the single most important reason the film rises above cliché, he is certainly helped by a very nice script, with lots of wry humor and tenderness and anger and anguish. It navigates through the clichés, not by ignoring them, but my giving them enough specificity that they no longer feel unoriginal.

The movie was filmed in New Mexico (my state…as anyone who reads my reviews knows) and the landscape perfectly compliments the tone of the movie. If it had been set in a lusher climate, something would have been lost. There is both the dryness and harshness of the landscape AND the welcome bursts of color…just like Blake has a harshness that is frequently belied by bursts of warmth and feeling.

The movie features fine acting throughout. Gyllenhaal is very good (although I scratch my head a bit over her Oscar nomination…I didn’t think she was THAT good), Robert Duval is funny and wise in his small role, and even Colin Farrell shows up as a big country star with a complicated history with Blake. Farrell is not entirely convincing as a country singer…but he pulls of the “star” attitude with ease. I appreciate that he was willing to take this tiny role…in the last couple of years, he has gotten serious about acting again, and has done much to redeem himself in my mind (his work in IN BRUGES was great).

This is a feel good movie that isn’t afraid to make us feel a little bad from time to time. But Jeff Bridges makes for the best of guides through this little, heartfelt film…and I highly recommend it for adults. Entertaining, fun, moving and well-crafted.

Crazy Heart
Nominated for Oscars in the Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best song race Crazy Heart is the character study of a country music legend spiraling down a rabbit hole of alcohol addiction. Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a country music legend who’s currently down on his luck, forced to play bowling alleys and small bars while his young former protege Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) plays the big gigs. Constantly drunk, Bad Blake becomes friendly with a single mother, Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who interviews him for a local Arizona newspaper. When things go wrong in their relationship, though, do in part to his alcoholism, Bad Blake re-examines his life and addictions.

Jeff Bridges is a legend. Son of Lloyd Bridges (remember McCroskey from Airplane!: “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines”), Bridges got his start at a young age guesting on many of his father’s TV shows when they needed a kid to play a small part. Since then he’s been nominated for five Oscars (including his current nomination for Crazy Heart), and has played iconic characters from Kevin Flynn in TRON to The Dude in The Big Lebowski. With the body of work that he’s amassed over the years, it’s hard to believe that Jeff Bridges calls Bad Blake the role of a lifetime and the work he’s most proud of. And considering he’s the front runner for the Best Actor race at this year it would seem that it might possibly be his best work, which is really saying something.

Crazy Heart is the type of movie that is really made by it’s acting and music choices. It’s not the type of movie that makes any huge bold new declarations, or tries to really do anything particularly new, but that’s also it’s charm. It makes some choices that you don’t completely expect, such as you’d think that Bad Blake’s animosity toward Tommy Sweet would come from Sweet being a prick, but that’s not the case. Also the ending isn’t the sweet ending you’d expect from this type of movie either. These changes are refreshing as the movie tries to be it’s own movie and not a mix of cliches. What this movie is, is a great character study of a man who used to be great, but has fallen into the mire and is trying to dig his way back out but doesn’t know how.

What the movie really comes down to, though, is the acting which can be seen in the nominations it’s received. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bridges, despite a 28 year difference in age, really show great chemistry on the screen. This is one of the most important part of the movie, because this is what really drives the last act of the movie, and for the last act to be believable, the chemistry has to be believable. Jeff Bridges really steals the show, but I don’t think anyone doubted his abilities. Here, though, he truly shines and develops a character that you love even though he’s got more than his fare share of faults. I also have to mention Colin Farrell. At first, he didn’t seem too believable as a country star, but you really get that impression before you even hear him open his mouth. In the end he makes a serviceable country star, and I think he did extremely well. To add to that he, as well as Jeff Bridges, did his own singing in the movie which thoroughly impressed me as well.

This is another movie that I don’t really have anything bad to say about. The acting is amazing, the music is transcendent, and while the movie could have easily succumbed to cliches it avoids them with ease. I think this is what all musical biopics should be about. If you like music biopics, character studies, good music, or simply movies with great acting I highly recommend this movie.

5/5

Country Music and Salvation
Nicely done dramtatic tale of redemption and salvation from a drinking and smoking life on a dusty road filled with meaningless relationships and a generally cantankerous attitude A talented singer begins the road back to living a cleaner and more fulfilling existence after a traumatuic incident and health-related problems that escalate out of control. Shares a strong thematic affiliation with “The Wrestler.” Parenthetically, the music in this film sounded a lot better in the theater than the sound on the soundtrack CD and I’m not sure why. Could simply be that I need a new sound system.

Amazon.com
In a career filled with unforced, naturalistic performances, Jeff Bridges gives one of his finest in Crazy Heart. His oft-married, booze-soaked troubadour Bad Blake has just rolled into Santa Fe when he meets Maggie Gyllenhaal’s journalist Jean. “Where do all the songs come from?” she asks during their initial encounter. “Life, unfortunately,” he sighs. Against Jean’s better judgment, her fling with Blake blooms into a full-fledged relationship. Between gigs, Blake hangs out with the divorcée and her 4-year-old son, with whom he establishes an instant rapport, possibly because the musician is just an overgrown kid himself (and also because he hasn’t seen his own boy in years). While Blake plays juke joints, his protégé, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell, cast against type to fine effect), plays stadiums, but just when director Scott Cooper’s debut seems to be going down the same path as A Star Is Born, Sweet offers his mentor an opportunity that could revive his reputation–at the expense of his still-healthy ego. Between Jean and Tommy, things start looking up for Blake until a critical error puts his stab at redemption in jeopardy. Once Robert Duvall enters the scene as Blake’s favorite bartender, it’s clear that Cooper has Tender Mercies in his sights, but Crazy Heart, which features music by T-Bone Burnett and rough-hewn singing by its Golden Globe-winning star, plays more like a sincere cover version than a strikingly original composition. Still, like Duvall’s in Tender Mercies, Bridges’s performance is Oscar-worthy. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

Casino Royale Collector’s Edition + BD Live Blu-ray Description:

Casino Royale introduces JAMES BOND before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to “00″ status. “M” (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. “M” places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond’s interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre’s cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1686 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2008-10-21
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: AC-3, Collector’s Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 144 minutes

Features

• ISBN13: 0043396249233
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Reviews:

Back with a vengeance
I was beginning to wonder if James Bond was dead, but along comes Daniel Craig to breathe new life into the role, giving us a lean, mean 007 that blows previous Bonds away. Martin Campbell went back to the basics, retooling Bond and giving him a much more physical presence, reminiscent of Sean Connery. From the opening sequence we see we are in for a real treat, as Campbell takes nothing for granted. He knows he has to earn the audience’s respect, and he does with a thrilling chase scene in the chaotic urban center of an African republic.

Bond really comes across as a rogue agent in Casino Royale, stealing his way into M’s apartment to leave her coded messages, taking risks that threaten painstaking operations and getting himself into jams that require MI6 to bail him out. This is a young impetuous Bond, overanxious and thrilling to watch as Craig fills his role with the energy of a stage actor.

There is also one of the best villains in recent years with Mads Mikkelsen as the cold blooded Le Chiffre. He heads an international cartel not so much bent on world destruction as on taking advantage of the chaos in which we live. He is a much more believable villain than Spectre and relies on much simpler methods of getting his piece of flesh from someone.

It is also refreshing to see Bond have a real love interest in Eva Green, not the usual banter that rings hollow. Bond is not afraid to expose himself in this movie, revealing a much more vulnerable figure than we have seen before.

MI6 also finds itself as a much more porous organization, capable of being infiltrated so that Bond doesn’t know who to trust in key moments. All he has is the support of M, played to deadpan perfection by Judi Dench.

Everything about this movie is fresh and clean, including the opening credits. Bond hasn’t looked this good since the early films in the series with Sean Connery. There is even an amusing scene where Bond wins a 1964 Aston Martin in a poker game, a tip of the hat to Goldfinger.

Reboot is remarkable!
I loved the first Blu-Ray edition. I have not seen the Collector’s Edition yet, but they have added so much more to this. I got this from the BluRay.com website….

*Bonus View Picture-in-Picture visual commentary with Director Martin Campbell and Producer Michael G. Wilson (BD Exclusive)
*”Know Your Double-O” - the Ultimate James Bond Trivia Quiz, a BD-Live enabled multi-skill level, multi-player trivia game (BD Exclusive)
Documentaries
*Ian Fleming’s Incredible Creation - A remarkable look at the birth and continued success of James Bond, including never-before-revealed information about Bond’s creator and the origins of 007.
*The Road to Casino Royale - The story of why it took over 50 years for the Bond filmmakers to bring Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel to the big screen, featuring the amazing behind-the-scenes stories of the many attempts to make the film.
*James Bond in the Bahamas - A fascinating examination of the links between the the cinematic Bond and the Bahamas, with never-before-told behind-the-scenes stories from Casino Royale, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, For Your Eyes Only and The World Is Not Enough.
*Ian Fleming: The Secret Road to Paradise - A revealing exploration of the world of James Bond’s creator. In this documentary, discover why Ian Fleming was drawn to the Bahamas, and learn the cinematic Casino Royale’s unique link to an important chapter in 007’s secret history.
*Death in Venice - A break down of one of the key scenes in the film.
*Becoming Bond - An intimate look at how Daniel Craig stepped into the role of James Bond.
*James Bond: For Real - A behind-the-scenes look at the ground-breaking action and the stunts in Casino Royale.
*Bond Girls Are Forever - An extended version of the 2002 AMC television special, with new footage and interviews of the new Bond Girls.

—Featurettes—
*The Art of Freerunning - An in-depth look at the freerunning chase and the freerunning technique with the sport’s founder, Sebastien Foucan.

—Filmmaker Profiles: in-depth conversations with key creative forces behind Casino Royale, including never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage:
*Martin Campbell, Director
*Chris Corbould, Special Effects
*Phil Meheux, Director of Photography
*Gary Powell, Stunt Coordinator
*Alexander Witt, Second Unit Director
*David Arnold, Composer

—Deleted/Extended Scenes—
“Rescue & Recovery”
“Squandering Government Funds”
“Cricket Pavilion”
“Gettler Raises Bond’s Suspicions”

—Storyboard Sequence—
Freerunning Chase — Watch the storyboards presented in animatic form, or view them in comparison to the finished film sequence.

—Scene Deconstruction—
Catching a Plane: From Storyboard to Screen, featuring outtakes and never-before-seen footage.

—Music Video: Chris Cornell “You Know My Name”

—Crew Commentary: Audio Commentary with scene-specific comments and observations from many of Casino Royale’s creative team.

Blu-Ray Bond is Unbeatable!
I saw this movie in the cinema and was eagerly awaiting the Blu-Ray release. After viewing the disc played back on my Panasonic BD Player and viewing on a 50″ Pioneer plasma along with the 5.1 LPCM soundtrack I can say that this movie blew me away. Not only is this the best Bond movie to date but the transfer on Blu-Ray disc is top notch. The picture is STUNNING to say the least with every possible detail replayed in crystal clear HD and the sound is unbelievable… If you are a fan of this movie and you have a Blu-Ray set-up then I recommend you order this title today if you don’t already have it in your collection.

Amazon.com
The most successful invigoration of a cinematic franchise since Batman Begins, Casino Royale offers a new Bond identity. Based on the Ian Fleming novel that introduced Agent 007 into a Cold War world, Casino Royale is the most brutal and viscerally exciting James Bond film since Sean Connery left Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Meet the new Bond; not the same as the old Bond. Daniel Craig gives a galvanizing performance as the freshly minted double-0 agent. Suave, yes, but also a “blunt instrument,” reckless, and possessed with an ego that compromises his judgment during his first mission to root out the mastermind behind an operation that funds international terrorists. In classic Bond film tradition, his global itinerary takes him to far-flung locales, including Uganda, Madagascar, the Bahamas (that’s more like it), and Montenegro, where he is pitted against his nemesis in a poker game, with hundreds of millions in the pot. The stakes get even higher when Bond lets down his “armor” and falls in love with Vesper (Eva Green), the ravishing banker’s representative fronting him the money.

For longtime fans of the franchise, Casino Royale offers some retro kicks. Bond wins his iconic Astin-Martin at the gaming table, and when a bartender asks if he wants his martini “shaken or stirred,” he disdainfully replies, “Do I look like I give a damn?” There’s no Moneypenny or “Q,” but Dame Judi Dench is back as the exasperated M, who one senses, admires Bond’s “bloody cheek.” A Bond film is only as good as its villain, and Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, who weeps blood, is a sinister dandy. From its punishing violence and virtuoso action sequences to its romance, Casino Royale is a Bond film that, in the words of one character, makes you feel it, particularly during an excruciating torture sequence. Double-0s, Bond observes early on, “have a short life expectancy.” But with Craig, there is new life in the old franchise yet, as well as genuine anticipation for the next one when, at last, the signature James Bond theme kicks in following the best last line ever in any Bond film. To quote Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, now I know what I’ve been faking all these years. –Donald Liebenson

Stills from Casino Royale (click for larger image)

The Jackal Combo Blu-ray and Standard DVD Blu-ray Description:

Bruce Willis is a ruthless assassin, known only as The Jackal, who has been hired to eliminate someone at the very top of the U.S. government. In order to track down this cold-blooded killer and prevent the hit, the FBI’s Deputy Director (Sidney Poitier) and a Russian intelligence officer (Diane Venora) enlist the aid of an imprisoned Irish terrorist (Richard Gere). These unlikely allies enter a global race against the clock to stop the mysterious mercenary before he can complete his deadly assignment.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #313 in DVD
• Released on: 2010-04-27
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dual Disc, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 125 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Great Actors, Superior Plot but Falls Short in Delivery
Director Michael Caton-Jones has created a good dramatic and suspense filled film with outstanding actors and a riveting, masterful plot. Bruce Willis plays the lead role as the “Jackal” a cold and calculating assassin. Sidney Poitier is superbly cast as the FBI Deputy Director. Richard Gere plays Declan Mulqueen, an IRA. terrorist, imprisoned in the USA. Diane Venora is cast as the Russian Interpol agent, Valentina Kostova. Scenes were filmed in many locations in Europe, primarily Helsinki, Finland which also served to represent Moscow, and London, England; Montreal, Canada; Chicago, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Essentially, the FBI and Russian agents managed to kill a Chechnyan mobster. Unfortunately, his brother is out for revenge and hires the Jackal to assassinate a top US official … Initially, they believe the target is the Director of the FBI. However, as time evolves, Declan Mulqueen discovers who the real target is.

Bruce Willis is chilling and real in his role as the Jackal. He engages in multiple disguises and identities throughout the film to achieve his goals. He manages to get a computer guided high tech weapon built and smuggled into the United States undetected. He gains entry into the US via a power boat over the Lakes from Canada to Lake Michigan and there he joins a boat race in Chicago by blending in. The FBI gets permission to spring Declan Mulqueen out of jail … in order to get his help to identify and apprehend the Jackal. He makes a deal to win his freedom, then joins in the chase to catch the Jackal.

It turns out the Jackal has another murder in mind along with accomplishing the task for which he was hired. The Jackal has an old score to settle with Isabella, a woman from his past who can identify him. She survived his attempt to kill her. She was a Spanish terrorist of Basque origins who worked with Declan Mulqueen many years ago. They had been lovers and she was pregnant with his child when the Jackal shot her … It seems Declan Mulqueen also has a score to settle with the Jackal. While the plot is well developed, the film drags on a bit, as much of the film involves chasing the Jackal while he deviously manages to avoid detection, When he gets closer to his target and the deadline … the film picks up speed and the story becomes more fascinating and complex. The ending is exciting and satisfying. Some feel the film made in 1973, “Day of the Jackal” upon which this film is based, is superior. Never having seen the former, I can only judge this film. Overall, this could have been a *more* exciting film given the action, drama, and well layed out plot but too much time is wasted in the big chase which makes one feel the film is much longer than it should be. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

absolutely abysmal…
Oh no!!! What in the world is this??!!! This film is supposed to be based on Forsyth’s brilliant novel, dealing with an assasination attempt on Charles de Gaulle in Paris? Ok, so the average American viewer probably wouldn’t be able to find France on a world map, much less know who Charles de Gaulle was. I can understand the need to move the movie to a location that Americans can relate to (America, of course), and to provide us with the first lady as an all-American victim. But why did the movie have to be so extremely unrealistic, openly insulting the intelligence of any viewer? Here are just a few examples: How likely is it, that the CIA and the KGB would require the help of an IRA terrorist to find the Jackal? How likely is it, that said terrorist would dutifully and honorably help them, to the point of almost having an erotic relationship with one of the KGB’s iron ladies? Why in the world does the Jackal go through all that trouble to build an elaborate cannon with video-guidance that can be radio-controlled from miles away via satellite, only to stupidly sit 10 yards away from the crime scene while firing? Why would an IRA terrorist who has murdered dozens of innocent civilians in cold blood suddenly care about the life of an unknown little girl he has never seen before? Here he has the Jackal and the little girl at gunpoint - he only needs to pull the trigger to get his long-sought revenge. He opts instead to mushily save the girl’s life, drop his gun, and place his life in the hands of the Jackal. Isn’t it great that he has adopted the moral values of a good, law-abiding citizen? And why does his former terrorist partner-turned-housewife wear an evening gown when she shows up at the last instant to shoot the Jackal from behind and save the day, like in hundreds of bad movies before this? Good thing she had a spare gun hidden under her laundry for the last 20 years… Seriously, this movie hurts, even if you haven’t read the book. If you know the book, which deals with a professional killer’s brilliantly and meticulously executed assasination attempt, this childish display of technology and fireworks will put you in agony. From the opening scene to the utterly predictable, cheesy showdown, this movie can only be considered a bad joke. If this movie were a comedy, the lapses of reason could be excused, but it takes itself very seriously. The only reason this movie merits two stars is because of the acting talent of Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. Sadly, they can do nothing to save the story.

Very poor remake of a classic
I missed “The Jackal” when it was released, but the promo’s all said it was a modern remake of the classic “Day of the Jackal”. Forget it! Not only is this a bad remake, it’s so boring I trashed it halfway thru and never want to see it again. Put your time and money into the original “Day of the Jackal” and see what a great movie-maker like Fred Zinneman and company can do with a story like this.

Amazon.com
The best way to enjoy this 1997 thriller is to forget the much better film that inspired it (1973’s The Day of the Jackal) and get whatever kicks you can from this heavy-metal remake. It’s not bad as hokey thrillers go, but all of the original film’s suspenseful finesse has been traded in (not traded up) for bigger, bolder action and nonsensical plotting. It’s as if Hollywood had forgotten to create excitement without resorting to overblown action and heavy hardware, but there’s ample compensation in the casting of Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. Willis is the elusive assassin known only as the Jackal, whose latest target (he uses a cannon-sized gun that’s anything but inconspicuous) may be the first lady of the United States. Gere plays a former IRA terrorist who is recruited by the deputy head of the FBI (Sidney Poitier) to trace the Jackal’s maneuvers, and Diane Venora offers some gutsy support as a Russian-born agent who assists Gere on his mission. The movie has fun turning Willis into a master of disguise, and Gere adds much-needed gravity to counter the plot’s escalating absurdity, but this is the kind of film that falls apart if you think about it too much. –Jeff Shannon

Scrubs - The Complete Sixth Season Description:

Fill your prescription for laughs with the sixth dose of the Emmy® award-winning Scrubs. The doctors of Sacred Heart make their rounds in the surreal comedy that GQ magazine hails as their “stealth nominee for sitcom of the decade.” Expect big bundles of laughs this year as J.D and Kim, Turk and Carla, and Dr. Cox and Jordan are all expecting little bundles of joy, and the entire crew take an unforgettable road trip. Continue your Scrubs collection with all 22 episodes of the groundbreaking sitcom’s sensational sixth season. With a band of hilarious guest stars and exclusive bonus features, including alternate takes and bloopers, this 3-disc box set is the perfect cure for the entertainment blues.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5068 in DVD
• Brand: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2007-10-30
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 522 minutes

Features

• Fill your prescription for laughs with the sixth dose of the Emmy(R) Award-winning SCRUBS. The doctors of Sacred Heart make their rounds in the most surreal comedy on network television. Expect big bundles of laughs this year as J.D. and Kim, Turk and Carla, and Dr. Cox and Jordan are all expecting little bundles of joy, and the entire crew takes an unforgettable road trip. Continue your SCRUBS co

Customer Reviews:

Scrubs’s Penultimate Season Shines Like The Rest. Scrubs Is Still A Breath Of Fresh Air After 6 Years.
THE SHOW:
Television is very much like movies in that shows are constantly being churned out, but truly there are only a few good gems out there. Scrubs may be one of the best comedies ever to grace the screen. The characters are all relatable and the stories touch incredibly deep. Better yet is that it’s a sitcom that creates story arcs that expand season to season. I hate episodic television where each episode is a new story and whatever happened last week really doesn’t matter to what happens this week. Scrubs is different, it is able to create incredibly deep characters and touching stories while stringing it all together with comedic charm. I’ve been a Scrubs fan from the beginning and season six sets everything up for the final season to one of the best shows I have ever watched.

If you’re reading this review I’m going to assume that you too are a Scrubs fanatic who has been watching since the beginning. I really don’t want to do a synopsis of the season, but I’ll set up what you can expect if you haven’t seen the season yet. J.D and Elliot become torn apart into their own separate relationships. J.D accidentally gets a girl pregnant, which was the cliffhanger from season 5. Now J.D must face up to his responsibility even though he may not love the woman who is the mother of his child. Elliot becomes engaged with Keith but seriously doubts whether or not if she loves him. All the while there are the countless side stories with the other characters that you will need to watch the season to experience. Stand out episodes from this season are of course the “My Musical” episode and the “Their Story” episode.

The “My Musical” episode is absolutely a delight mostly because throughout the series the show has done quite a few musical numbers and of course Scrubs is known for its great use of music at the end of the episodes. The creators hired real Broadway choreographers and songwriters to craft the show together and created one memorable episode. The “Their Story” episode is a continuation of episodes that the show does each season where we leave the narration of J.D and look into the mind of one of the side characters. However in this one episode we delve into what the creators call “the third tier” of side characters like Ted and Todd.

I think what a lot of people may notice is that this season felt like it hit a snag halfway through and a lot of people got the impression that this was the final season. In actuality the creators thought this was indeed the final season. We even had an episode that was nothing but a clip-show and we even got an instance where we almost learn the Janitor’s name. For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s always been said that once we learn the Janitor’s name that means the show would come to an end. That’s also why a major supporting character dies. It really felt like they were closing up shop, but when NBC announced they would hold them for one more season they had to open up the storylines again.

In actuality I felt like the season held up incredibly well despite the slight snag midseason. In no way has the show lost its touch and in no way has the writing ever gotten lazy or dull. Scrubs has been constantly moving headstrong through all its seasons and I am incredibly sad that season 7 will be the last one. I’ve never encountered a show where I could relate real-life situations to the situations the characters are experiencing in the show. Never have I seen a show that could have me laugh and cry at the same time within the same episode. Scrubs has continually been that breath of fresh air on primetime network television and it’s sad that the show could have potentially run for a bit longer despite all the studio quarrels. Scrubs does air on NBC but it’s produced by Buena Vista, a Disney company which would make one question why it doesn’t air on ABC where it belongs. At least we get a final season so the writers can wrap up the series well.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Making Of: “My Musical”:
This is a great little behind the scenes look at the musical episode. It has interviews with all the main cast members plus all the people brought in to turn the world of Scrubs into a musical.

Judy Reyes Keeps Talking:
If you have the other Scrubs seasons on DVD then you know “Keeps Talking” feature where a cast member sits down for a little one on one interview. Reyes talks mostly about her memories of the show and a little bit about the musical episode.

Deleted Scenes:
The deleted scenes are interesting because the show you the aired version of a scene then show you the original cut of it. Most of the scenes just have added dialogue that clutters a bit or maybe it was cut for time.

Alternate Lines:
The alternate lines featurette is great because it always showcases how the actors bring their own comedic abilities to the table. You will see the final scene then all the alternate lines that the actors come up with.

Practice, Practice, Malpractice:
Okay, so this is the surprising missing special feature. These are the outtakes that are clearly labeled on the back of the box, they’ve been included with every season, but for some reason they aren’t on this set. This is a pretty big screw up and it disappoints me that Disney messed up and forgot to put this feature on yet still labeled it as included.

Audio Commentaries:
This season gives us audio commentaries for each episode and they are great. There is a lot of talking about casting and just the overall execution of the show. You’ll hear some stuff about choices made with the characters and overall it’s great to see every episode has a commentary now with various cast and crew.

The Third Tier:
A special feature that is not listed on the back of the box is a cool one. Bill Lawrence talks about all the side characters that make up the third tier. These characters include Ted, Todd, Doug, Lloyd, etc. They talk about how the characters have been pretty fleshed out and how they love to continue to give them side stories.

The Debra & Stephanie Show:
This is another special feature that isn’t labeled on the back of the box, and no this isn’t about the girl names that Dr. Cox calls J.D. This little featurette sits down and talks with the writer of the musical episode and the actress who portrays the patient who hears everyone singing in her head. I think it adds a little too much since we’ve already heard plenty about the musical episode already.

Easter Egg:
There is a hidden feature on the first menu page of the special features menu on disc three. Look for the cherries and try to highlight them with your cursor. It’s basically Bill Lawrence numbering a bunch of potential spoilers for season 7 and then after it all he says “I guarantee 4 of what I said are true”. So, if you don’t want potential spoilers then don’t watch.

Okay, to sum up my issue here. Why would Buena Vista just copy and paste the special features list when there is in fact no Outtakes feature. They also failed to list two special features that are actually on the disc. So, they listed one feature that isn’t on and failed to list two features that are on. This is a huge mistake and someone should be fired because of it.

VIDEO:
Scrubs is a show that still hasn’t made the switch to widescreen, but it’s okay. The 4:3 aspect ratio is pretty good. The Scrubs DVD’s don’t have the most vibrant transfers, but they are definitely better than what you see when they broadcast.

AUDIO:
The 5.1 track is great because you get all those ambient hospital sounds and it makes it feel like you’re in the room with the characters. The 5.1 mix is also great for all the music in the show.

BOTTOM LINE:
Buena Vista screwed up big time with the listing of the special features on the package, but otherwise this is a must own set. I love the amount of special features there are, but I just hate that they screwed up in listing them. Scrubs fans should go out and buy it right now. I’m going to miss this show a lot, and it’s going to be bittersweet when it comes time to review the final season on DVD next May.

disappointment for/from a die hard Scrubs fan
The decline began with Season Five and only worsened with Season Six. What used to be about comic situations has gotten too wrapped up in storylines that center around interpersonal melodrama. Scrubs is not ER, nor should it attempt to emulate that formula. The gags are stereotyped around flat characterizations. The ironic thing is that the writers are attempting to add character depth, but that has never been the focal point of the series. JD’s internal monologues are still a clever narration device, but don’t expect many laughs from this season. In my opinion, the first four seasons rule supreme. These last two seasons, however, lack the clever creativity of the previous seasons. They have become gimmicky.

4 stars!
Scrubs DVD sets never disappoint - every episode of the season plus tonnes of extra footage (behind the scenes, out takes, altenative line, interviews and deleted scenes). And scrubs is an INCREDIBLY funny and heart-felt show! series 6 may not be the best series of scrubs, since series 5 i think the show seemed to become ’sillier’, where strange things would happen (that werent just in JD’s head). Its still a great show though, just not QUITE as good as it used to be i dont think.
4 stars richly deserved!!!

Amazon.com
The preliminary diagnosis on Scrubs’s penultimate season was stable, but critical. On closer examination, however, a second opinion is warranted. Season 6 cuts deep with developments that are both “hilarious and life-changing” (not to mention, heartbreaking) for the Sacred Heart staff. J.D. (Zach Braff),\ has learned that his girlfriend, Kim (Elizabeth Banks), is pregnant, but there are dramatic setbacks and surprises in their budding relationship. Carla (Judy Reyes) experiences devastating post-partum depression after the birth of her daughter. Elliot (Sarah Chalke) becomes engaged to Keith (Travis Schuldt) but develops the kind of second thoughts that season cliffhangers are made of. And one of Scrubs’s beloved secondary characters meets a tragic end, putting nurse Laverne’s (Aloma Wright) belief that “everything happens for a reason” to the supreme test.

This season produced one of Scrubs’s crowning achievements, the Emmy-nominated tour-de-force “My Musical,” featuring such show-stopping numbers as “Everything Comes Down to Poo” and “Guy Love,” sung by Scrubs’s closest couple, J.D. and best friend Turk (Donald Faison). Still, too often, one wishes Scrubs had the equivalent of Graham Chapman’s military character on Monty Python who would stop the proceedings if he deemed them too silly. Before the opening credits of the season premiere have rolled, J.D. has been whisked to Las Vegas to be the unwitting bride to a gay senior, escaped, and wound up onstage with Blue Man Group. At the end of the episode, his tormentor, Janitor (Neil Flynn), transforms him into a human flag. In the next episode, Turk assembles a “big-time college drum line” to herald the impending birth of his daughter. At times like these, fans could be forgiven for wanting to ask the show, “Who are you, and what have you done with Scrubs?” But even in the most uneven episodes, there is always a redeeming bit of business (Turk bringing back ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye”), meta moment (Ken Jenkins’ Dr. Kelso nipping one of John C. McGinley’s signature “Coxian” rants in the bud with “Funny long list. We get it. You need a new thing, big guy.”), or an always-welcome appearance by Christa Miller-Lawrence as Dr. Cox’s not-to-be-trifled-with ex-wife Jordan, to make the medicine go down. The extras, too, including a featurette about the production of “My Musical” and another devoted to the show’s Simpson-esque gallery of “third tier” characters, are deserving of a boxed-set high-five. –Donald Liebenson

The Last Mimzy Widescreen Infinifilm Edition Description:

When Noah and Emma Wilder discover a special box on the beach, they open it and unlock an exciting adventure beyond imagination. Inside they find Mimzy, a magical stuffed rabbit along with other mystical toys, which give the children exceptional powers of their own. Able to move objects with their minds and to solve complex equations, these new wonder kids begin to attract the attention of their parents, teachers… and even the FBI. Surrounding the phenomenon of Mimzy is an awesome secret ¿ one that holds the key to saving the future of all mankind.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2754 in DVD
• Brand: NEW LINE HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2007-07-10
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 90 minutes

Features

• When Noah and Emma Wilder discover a special box on the beach, they open it and unlock an exciting adventure beyond imagination. Inside they find Mimzy, a magical stuffed rabbit along with other mystical toys, which give the children exceptional powers of their own. Able to move objects with their minds and to solve complex equations, these new wonder kids begin to attract the attention of their p

Customer Reviews:

A Magical Movie
What we have here is a splendid sci-fi oriented family film good for all ages. Ok, maybe 5 year olds won’t “get it” like older kids and adults, but it won’t hurt them to watch. It is rated PG. I was really awestruck by the performances from the children, particularly Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, who played Emma Wilder. She had me tearing up more than once during the movie. I don’t know how she did it so effectively; she delivered a flawless and highly evocative performance, oozing cute throughout the film. Made me feel like a kid again. So what was the movie about you ask? The two kids find an alien artifact on the beach and it opens for them. It contains some really amazing stuff that nobody is sure about, and the kids try and keep it secret, but slowly they learn more about it and, in the end, find out what needs to be done. The special effects are neat, and the story is interesting. It contains a healthy portion of mystery. If you see it without the intent on slamming the movie and keep an open mind and a light heart, you will probably love The Last Mimzy.

A wonderful film adaptation of an even better classic science fiction story
The Last Mimzy: And Other Stories Originally published as The Best of Henry Kuttner
This is as close to a perfect science fiction film as anything that Hollywood is capable of: there is no gratuitous violence or promiscuous sex, no swearing and no blood and no death, no explosions or natural disasters or gunplay or swordfights or monsters or aliens or robots or mutants or cyborgs or comic-book-type-superheroes or mad scientists bent on world domination, none of the things Hollywood likes to ruin science fiction with. Instead good acting and flawless direction, coupled with special effects that don’t overpower and dominate everything else in the film and a great–not good, but GREAT IN CAPITALS–story and a wonderful little moral message about not losing our fellow feeling for other people, the sort of social consciousness that no one could possibly object to. If you have kids, buy this thing for your kids, then buy another one for yourself. If you don’t have kids, buy one anyways. The film is adapted from a 1943 short story written by Henry Kuttner (one of the leading science fiction writers of the day) with his wife, Catherine (C. L. Moore the original Goddess of Dark Fantasy greatest unmitigated literary genius of the early twentieth century) who were then quite popular and influential but have in the decades since fallen into almost complete obscurity. There is a book called “The Last Mimzy” which should be considered the essential companion to the film. The story in the book is similar to, but not identical with, the story of the movie; and there are sixteen other stories in the book, all of them every bit as good (with most of their collaborative work, Ms. Kuttner declined a byline). They wrote hundreds of stories, novels, and film, radio, and TV scripts under dozens of pen names. Perhaps the best is “Fury”, from 1947.

Highly Imaginative Movie - happy to watch again with my kid
I won’t go into the storyline; I’m sure there are several other reviewers who might want to elaborate on the plot, performances, etc. I’ll just stick to the fact that we really enjoyed this film and would recommend the DVD to anyone who likes to watch movies with their kids (even repeat viewings).

I took my family to see this movie without knowing much about it and - Wow! What a delight. In today’s culture, it’s quite difficult to find entertainment that appeals to both adults and kids.

The Last Mimzy did a great job of carrying us through a roller-coaster of emotions while unfolding an interesting, fun, and memorable storyline. The special effects are good and the interaction between characters was enjoyable. It is apparent that special attention and care went into the production of this film.

Looking forward to the arrival of our DVD!

Enjoy

Amazon.com
Comparisons with E.T. are inevitable, but the more modest The Last Mimzy is based on the classic short story “Mimzy Were the Borogoves,” by Lewis Padgett (a pseudonym for husband-and-wife writing team Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore), that anticipated Steven Spielberg’s extraterrestrial fantasy by nearly four decades. Chris O’Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn give winning, naturalistic performances as siblings Noah and Emma, whose lives are transformed by a box of mysterious objects they find on the beach outside the family’s Seattle vacation home. Among its contents is a stuffed rabbit that Emma names Mimzy and becomes quite attached. Noah and Emma are your typical outsiders. He is not good at sports, and she is interested in astronomy and plays the violin. But the objects work wonders on them. Their brainpower increases exponentially, Noah is able to drive a golf ball hundreds of yards, and Emma begins to communicate telepathically with Mimzy, who reveals his true identity and purpose. Rainn Wilson of The Office displays an off-center charm as Mr. White, Noah’s New Age-y science teacher, who discovers similarities between Noah’s intricate notebook doodlings and ancient renderings of the universe (”This is so out of my league,” he marvels at one point), and becomes involved in Mimzy’s back-to-the-future quest. Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson are solid as the understandably confounded and increasingly concerned parents. Michael Clarke Duncan is a menacing FBI agent who, invoking the Patriot Act, arrests the family after Noah inadvertently causes a citywide blackout with one of the futuristic objects. The Last Mimzy may not reach E.T.’s spectacular heights, but as thoughtfully adapted for the screen by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost) and Toby Emmerich (Frequency), it is a transporting, idea-rich family film that is free of gratuitous coarse language (save for Mr. White’s offhand classroom use of the word “screw”) or bathroom humor. –Donald Liebenson