Halloween II

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"You can't kill the boogeyman," explains John Carpenter in Halloween, and to prove it he brings Michael Myers back in this handsome but grisly sequel. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode but spends most of her time cowering in a hospital gown, and Donald Pleasence runs around like a maniac as the panicky doctor desperate to hunt down Myers before he kills again. Carpenter writes and produces with partner Debra Hill, and together they replace the mystery and uncertainty of the original with an exponentially bigger body count and some strange tales about the Druids and pagan ceremonies, and the now-familiar family ties between Michael and Laurie. First-time director Rick Rosenthal (Bad Boys) paces the film at a brisk jog and directs it with a clean, crisp style, taking the murders out of the dark to display them in all their nasty detail. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Not bad for a sequel .......2007-09-14

This is a legendary movie no way it is as good as the first one though the ending kinda sucked.But if u love halloween movies or horror movies then yes pick this movie up to add to youe collection. its short and to the point.the movie starts off right after the first one and all threw its theres killing running screaming so dont let youre kids watch it pick this movie up u will enjoy give it a shot like i did.

2000 years later, we've come no further.......2007-08-31

In putting together this sequel, the powers-that-be decided to combine several of the strongest elements from the original film(Michael Myers, Dr. Loomis, the strong Halloween atmosphere)with the standard pace of an early 80's slasher film(people getting killed every 5-10 minutes.) For me, this is the ideal combination. There has not been a slasher movie since that I have liked as well.
Dr. Loomis is my favorite horror hero, and Michael Myers my favorite horror villain. They both enjoy some of their finest moments in this installment. I find this version of Myers creepier than the later incarnations, where he has suddenly grown into something resembling an nfl lineman. There is something in the deliberate movements, and the angular figure, that is decidedly inhuman. And Dr. Loomis elevates all of this to a far higher level than it could ever have achieved otherwise.His strength,courage, and iron will make him a hero. So do his moral concerns about seeing innocent people butchered. But there is also something in his personality that makes him the ideal adversary for the Bogeyman.Of course, as a psychiatrist, he feels professional responsibility. But it goes well beyond that. There is some part of his imagination that is obsessed with Myers, and some part of his humanity that is appalled by him. These feelings, taken in concert with his naturally heroic nature, make him the perfect combatant for Myers.
This movie has the ideal pace. The story is divided between Myers stalking people at the hospital, and Dr. Loomis working with the local police to track him down. Slowly, methodically, Michael Myers begins to remove the employees of the hospital, as he makes his way towards Laurie Strode.As always, he operates like a hunter, or sportsman. Several of his victims are given opportunities to save themselves, as they were in the first film. This is what sets Myers apart from typical killers-he is rather like an artist of the macabre. If it's too easy, he almost seems to regard it as beneath him. Of all the killings, my favorite is the nurse in the room with the aquarium. That whole scene is beautifully shot and lit, with the aquarium casting all sorts of reflections across the darkened room, and the cadaverous face of Myers gradually coming into view over the doomed girl's shoulder.The murder of the security guard is effective, as well.
The atmosphere is perfect. The long, winding hallways are ideal for a movie of this sort.There are just so many places where Michael Myers could be. The effect is only intensified as the night wears on and the primary lights are extinguished.The music is great, too. It incorporates the basic Halloween theme, but it has been altered enough to set it apart from any of the other films. It's not really a tangible thing: all of the elements just work for me.The doomed people, congregated in the dark hospital. The Bogeyman, always lurking in the shadows.Dr. Loomis, making his way ever closer to the scene of the slaughter.This is a film I never get tired of watching.

Great Sequel.......2007-08-30

This movie is on par with the original. It takes off where the first one left off. Donald Pleasence is a excellent actor and Jamie Lee Curtis is as well, as the girl in distress. The reason why I like the Halloween series is that there is a story behind the movies. It also feels like an epsiode of the Twilight Zone. I feel trapped with Laurie in the movie and trying to get away from Myers. Its the best horror sequel that has ever been made.

Bloodier, Sillier Sequel; Not a Bad Follow-up.......2007-08-27

"Is this some kind of joke? I've been trick-or-treated to death tonight."

"You don't know what death is!"

And then, the music...

The sequel to (at the time) the scariest and most successful independent film ever made, HALLOWEEN II is, probably, a better-looking film than the original. After all, there was a major studio behind this one--along with a new director and a disco-fied version of the original soundtrack that, surely, sounded SO COOOOL when the film was originally released. And the good news is that the movie's not half bad. Nowhere nearly as powerful as the original, it goes without saying, but entertaining enough.

Somewhere between the release of the original and the filming of this sequel, two important things happened. First, FRIDAY the 13th was released, ushering in a new era of mandatory gore for horror films. Second, Carpenter and Hill (both producing) realized that they had a lot of night left over from the end of HALLOWEEN. Consequently, new director Rick Rosenthal came in and made the sequel the second half of the same night as the first, and Michael traded in his very traditional kitchen knife for a hammer, scalpel, syringe, and .... steambath? Yikes!

The result is suspenseful, but predictable, horror fare with a lot of silliness. I liked it. Now, on to some trivia:

The ending to the first HALLOWEEN was actually re-shot nearly frame for frame for the beginning of this one (so that the film stock would match, I'm sure), but purists will notice a couple glaring differences: 1) Loomis fires seven shots from his six-shooter in this version, and 2) when the good doctor comes outside, he acts like he only realizes then--as opposed to the balcony shot in part I--that Michael has gone. Quibbles, yes, but I'm a fan.

(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire novel "Teeth: A Horror Fantasy.")

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger........2007-08-12

If this is true Michael Myers should enter into a world's strongest man competition.

I loved the original Halloween, I think it is one of the greatest horror movies there is and a great movie period. I liked the mystery of Michael Myers in the original and I bought into everything, any plot holes were ignored because I was so into the movie. For me horror is scary when it is realistic or I can relate in someway or the movie does such a good job I buy into what I am seeing. In this sequel i found myself annoyed by things or pointing out things that couldn't happen the movie never really got me.

I'd like to also point out I am not anti remake or sequel. John Carpenter himself has done one of the great horror remakes in The Thing [HD DVD] starring Kurt Russell. I didn't hate this nor did I love it. I think it is essential for horror fans in filling in the connection between Michael and Laurie. If this title had eluded you and you had seen the original and all other sequels you'd still know the connection but would be confused. I also do not believe this was made just for money and think John Carpenter was giving the horror fans what they wanted which was more Michael Myers and I think he makes a good effort trying to feed that hunger picking up literally from the original.

I always like to watch a movie fresh before reviewing and I did that with Halloween 2, however going by memory I would confidently say this is the strongest sequel of the bunch, and is worth a viewing.

I would give the dvd features but on the Goodtimes home video version of Halloween 2 there are none at all. The audio is only done in 3 channel Dolby digital and I have seen much better transfers.

**Interesting facts from the Internet Movie Database**
- This is the only Halloween film to show the morning after the 31st, every other movie ends on Halloween night.

- The film that the security guard and the Elrods are watching is Night of the Living Dead. (Which actually gets interrupted with reports on Michael Myers, maybe someone is trying to say something here.)

- The 17-year-old who was hit by the police car and burnt alive, at first believed to be Michael Myers, was supposed to be Ben Tramer, the boy Laurie confesses to have a crush in in the original Halloween. (Talk about having a bad nite)

- Believing Rick Rosenthal's version of the film to be too tame, John Carpenter shot a few gory scenes that were added into the film despite Rosenthal's objections.

Thanks for reading, share any comments.

Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Who's that strange lady at 10086 Sunset Blvd.??
Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my cloe-up
a gem in movie making
Highly Recommended
Gloria Swanson, the REAL Norma Desmond...

Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: William Holden , Gloria Swanson , Erich von Stroheim , Nancy Olson , and Fred Clark
Director: Billy Wilder
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003CXCW
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Amazon.com essential video

Billy Wilder's noir-comic classic about death and decay in Hollywood remains as pungent as ever in its power to provoke shock, laughter, and gasps of astonishment. Joe Gillis (William Holden), a broke and cynical young screenwriter, is attempting to ditch a pair of repo men late one afternoon when he pulls off L.A.'s storied Sunset Boulevard and into the driveway of a seedy mansion belonging to Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a forgotten silent movie luminary whose brilliant acting career withered with the coming of talkies. The demented old movie queen lives in the past, assisted by her devoted (but intimidating) butler, Max (played by Erich von Stroheim, the legendary director of Greed and Swanson's own lost epic, Queen Kelly). Norma dreams of making a comeback in a remake of Salome to be directed by her old colleague Cecil B. DeMille (as himself), and Joe becomes her literary and romantic gigolo. Sunset Blvd. is one of those great movies that has become a part of popular culture (the line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," has entered the language)--but it's no relic. Wow, does it ever hold up. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

Who's that strange lady at 10086 Sunset Blvd.??.......2007-09-05

XXXXX

"The body of a young man was found floating in the pool of her mansion [on Sunset Blvd.]...The poor dope. He always wanted a pool."

This is how this bizarre movie begins, a movie that contains elements of drama, horror, and black comedy. The title is named after the famous boulevard that runs through Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. Also, the full title of this movie is "Sunset Boulevard: A Hollywood Story."

The movie is about a down-on-his-luck screenwriter named Joe Gillis (William Holden, 1918 to 1981) who narrates the story (the above quotation is by Gillis) and his accidental encounter with a fading silent screen movie star and femme fatale named Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson, 1899 to 1983). She involves the unsuspecting Gillis in her fantasy world of making a comeback to the movie screen. Norma has a somewhat strange butler named Max (Erich Von Stroheim, 1885 to 1957) who tries to protect her from sinking to far into a depression with regard to her fading career.

There are also famous people in the past that have bit parts in this movie. I identified the director Cecil B. DeMille (who plays himself), Jack Webb (of "Dragnet" fame), and Buster Keaton (silent screen comedian who has a cameo).

The entire movie has witty, well-written dialogue. Besides the quotation above by Gillis, here are two more of my favorite quotations:

(1) Gillis: "You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big." Norma: "I am big. It's the pictures that got small."

(2) This is the last line of this movie given by Norma: "All right Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

The acting is superb! Gloria Swanson gives an unforgettable performance as Norma Desmond (that somewhat parallels Swanson's own life since she at one time was a top silent screen actress). I also enjoyed the performance of Erich Von Stroheim who plays Norma's butler.

The background music heightens the tension of each scene. I was also impressed with the photography throughout this entire movie.

This movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. It won 3.

Finally, the DVD itself (the special collector's edition released in 2002) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has some interesting extras.

In conclusion, this is an unforgettable movie. See for yourself why it was rated #16 on the 2007 American Film Institute's list of the 100 best American films!!

(1950; 1 hr, 50 min; black and white; full screen; 19 scenes)

< >

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Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my cloe-up.......2007-09-04

This is a favorite of mine. Billy Wilder made a perfect movie. One that is entertaining and has some of the best acting I've ever seen. William Holden plays his part perfectly and Gloria Swanson is just magic in her role. The entire cast is wonderful. A movie like this makes me proud, this was long before actors required millions just to do a movie and gave subpar performances.

This movie details Hollywood before Hollywood was the Hollywood we know of now. Yet the message rings true to this day. A wonderful movie to say the least. Highly recommeded. Actually, I recommend any and every Billy Wilder movie. A true genius.

Be sure you definitely check out:
Some Like It Hot (Collector's Edition)
The Apartment
The Lost Weekend

a gem in movie making.......2007-08-26

I truly enjoyed this movie especially since it is decades old and in black and white.Gloria Swainson was absolutely brillant.

Highly Recommended.......2007-08-21

The plot may sound like a cliche, but the characters and their choices are very well developed. There are perfect touches at every turn, from the scene of collection agents hounding William Holden while "Putting on The Ritz" plays in the background to the closing scene as Gloria Swanson descends the staricase down into the hell of the pack of wolves-reporters- "ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille". The old silent movie of herself that Gloria Swanson watches one evening is Queen Kelly, which the actor playing her butler had in fact directed, and which did not get released because (for among other reasons) sound had arrived in full force during its shooting. Everything about this movie just works beautifully.

Gloria Swanson, the REAL Norma Desmond..........2007-08-16

I think I've watched this movie is astonishing awe hundreds of times as Gloria Swanson pours her ALL into the role of Norma Desmond. You can just feel her every emotion throughout the movie as Norma invites you into her world of stardom and right into her mind so that you'll know exactly what she means. Gloria's portrayal of the washed up silent film icon leaves nothing to the imagination as you live every dark minute with her there in her Moorish-style Palace on Sunset Boulevard.

It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

It is really wonderful.
Nothing less than 5 stars!
Things to consider
Merry Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: James Stewart , Donna Reed , Lionel Barrymore , Thomas Mitchell , and Henry Travers
Director: Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B000HEWEJO
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Amazon.com essential video

Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton

Description

George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide?

Customer Reviews:

It is really wonderful........2007-09-06

I have tried to buy this DVD twice before from non-Amazon Internet vendors and failed. Finally I bought it from Amazon. It is really wonderful to watch "It's a wonderful life". I especially enjoyed the special features of the DVD with Capra Sr. and Jr. and Jimmy Stewart recapturing the making and the history of this movie. Can you imagine it wasn't a hit when it was first released? It is a very interesting story, almost as good as the movie itself.

Nothing less than 5 stars!.......2007-08-27

It's a classic movie with a thought provoking message that we all can make a positive impact on the people's lives around us.

Things to consider.......2007-08-26

This is a classic, not just for Christmas. Everyone should reflect on their lives as Jimmy Stewart's character does.

Merry Christmas.......2007-08-12

If you want a great Christmas movie, this is one of the best X-mas movies I have ever seen. The old Miracle on 34th Street and this movie (It's a Wonderful Life) are the two best Christmas movies ever made. I remember watching it as a kind (I'm 28) and loving it even then, watching it over and over again!

It's a Wonderful Life.......2007-07-30

A brilliant movie with excellent values. Very moving and encouraging. Makes a wonderful gift for Christmas or any other time. Continuously voted one of the best movies of all time. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Reeves killed it for me
Add to your collection
"buckle up Dorothy...'
MST3K Fans Rejoice -- Rifftrax is Here!
You are kidding!

The Matrix
Starring: Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , and Gloria Foster
Director: Larry Wachowski , and Andy Wachowski
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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The Matrix: Music From The Motion Picture

ASIN: B00000K19E
Release Date: 1999-09-21

Amazon.com essential video

By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers--Andy and Larry--annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal--from what or whom he doesn't know--until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is--a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend.

Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne--who both turn in fine performances--much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film's box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise--a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know... the one starring Jar Jar Binks). --Jeremy Storey

Description

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells of a computer hacker (Reeves) who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth. The computers are powered by human beings...

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by C. Moss, J. Gaeta, & Z. Staenberg
Featurette:"Bullet Time" Featurette (6:01) "What is the Concept" Featurette (10:50)
Music Clips:2.0 Music only with commentary
Other:HBO 1st Look Special: Making the Matrix (25:48) "White Rabbit" Clips (22:22) [4x3]

Customer Reviews:

Reeves killed it for me.......2007-09-05

I believe that if someone like Tom Cruise or Denzel Washington was the star then this would have been more compelling but Keanu Reeves is such a horrible actor and so painful to watch that it killed this movie for me.

Following it was difficult. The concept was good and Laurence Fishburne was fantastic but Reeves was as bad as he always is. Why does this man continue to get work...???

Add to your collection.......2007-08-26

This is one of my favorite movies. The sequel's didn't come close. Keanu Reeves plays Neo who find out that the world we live in isn't what we think. The movie makes you think about the world we live in today.

Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows.

"buckle up Dorothy...'.......2007-08-17

Seen it in 1999 when it first debuted on the big screen. Couldn't take it out of my head for a week or so. Since then I rewatched it perhaps a dozen times or so. I know the dialogue, I know what happens next all the way to the end, but I still watch it.

This is escapism of the cleverest sort. Incredibly stylized, designed, almost perfect pacing, witty and yet simple symbolic dialogue...
After the first viewing I'd give it a perfect score. After subsequent viewings you feel that the action sequences really hold back some of the intellectual potential of this film.

However, the original ideas presented and the way in which they are presented is very very nice.

My one gripe with the plot... Why do machines need human bodies for energy? Their technical intelligence is much greater than humans' so why not just build fusion reactors?
It would be much more believable if the reason were that machines were conducting an experiment, investigation of human behavior, studying their creators in order to answer questions about their own existence. That purpose was also suggested in the sequels.

Despite the flaws I'm gonna stand by the first viewing. 5 stars

[as strange as it may sound I actually thought at the beginning that Morpheus and the rest are the bad guys and agents are good, with the whole "...he is considered by many authorities to be the most dangerous man alive..." line suggesting he's a terrorist or something of that kind. guess I'm really easy to brain wash LOL. I wasn't sure up to the 'choosing-a-pill/unplugging' sequence, why would a terrorist ask you to choose a stupid pill? LOL]

MST3K Fans Rejoice -- Rifftrax is Here!.......2007-08-09

In Earth's dirty, dystopian future, one in which every person alive is kept in a dark, moist pod and fed misinformation (kind of like Manhattan, only the odors are less pungent), only one man can save us - and that man is Johnny Utah. Wait, no - Johnny Mnemonic. Hold on, that's not it. It's some kind of car name...uh, Horizon, um....Omni. Ram Charger - No, Neo. That's it. Neo. Led by the enterprising Morpheus, and the hot-erprising Trinity, Neo learns his fate from the Oracle, a corpulent, crusty, chain-smoking broad who is likely to put you off Oracles forever. What is the Matrix? It's a laugh-a-minute RiffTrax with Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy, that's what.

You are kidding!.......2007-08-08

Like this needs another review. This is one of the best SiFi movies ever produced and no one who claims to know SiFi should have missed it. If you have never seen it, then buy it. You do not need to rent this movie, as that would be a waste of money. Go straight to the counter and make the purchase. It is so overwhelming that you should put it on a shelf and only break it out on special occasions. This is the type of movie that sticks in your mind.

Average customer rating:

Very pleased with my order
An outstanding "oldie"
Drifting Away
Laura
Orpheus in the Underworld

Laura (Fox Film Noir)
Starring: Gene Tierney , Dana Andrews , Clifton Webb , Vincent Price , and Judith Anderson
Director: Rouben Mamoulian , and Otto Preminger
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00008LDNZ
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Amazon.com essential video

This silky smooth film noir pits gruff police detective Dana Andrews, stiff and blunt in his street-bred manners, against a cultured columnist and acidic wit (Clifton Webb at his prissiest) in a battle of wits during a murder investigation. The cop is a romantic hiding under a hard-boiled exterior who falls in love with the beautiful victim through the portrait that hangs in her apartment. Gene Tierney, whose heart-shaped face mixes the exotic with the girl next door, brings the poise and calm of a model to her role as the object of every man's gaze and the target of a killer. Laura, handsomely shot in dreamy black and white, is the first and best of Otto Preminger's cool, controlled murder mysteries. In the gritty world of film noir it remains the most refined and elegant example of the genre, but under the tasteful decor and high-society fashions lies a world seething in jealousy, passion, blackmail, and murder. Vincent Price costars as a blithe gigolo and David Raksin's lush theme has become a wistful romantic standard. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Nominated for five Academy Awards®, this stylish mystery thriller twists and turns with new suspects, new evidence and unexpected revelations. A wealthy journalist (Clifton Webb) becomes entranced with a beautiful young career woman named Laura (Gene Tierney). But shortly before her wedding to a dashing young playboy (Vincent Price), she is found murdered. Stirred by her portrait, the detective (Dana Andrews) assigned to her case finds that he, too, is strangely under Laura's spell.

Customer Reviews:

Very pleased with my order.......2007-09-17

I am very pleased to receive Laura, a classic, on DVD. It came very quickly and in excellent condition.

An outstanding "oldie".......2007-08-15

Wow! The more you see this film, the more you LOVE it!! Complex, bright, thrilling, the love themes between the main characters is weaved through out. The actors are individual & interact beautifully. Wonderfully, masterfully directed. This film noir piece of brilliance is a natural buy for your collection, esp if your into 40's movies. This is not a flick, it's a movie. The commentaries bring depth & understanding to a movie made in the long ago & far away of that era.
Gene Tierney is lovely, angelic & a mystery. She's perfect in this role, but she's only in the later half of it! Which is 1 reason why she didn't want the role. The detective falls in love with a dead woman, only to find out he's 1 of 3 men so possessed. The murder victim becomes a murder suspect. Clifton Webb, in his first on screen role, fresh off the stage, is wonderful as Waldo & was nominated for an Oscar. We see a young Vincent Price before his thriller era. All are great.
But mostly, the sweet & intense interaction between the painting & the love theme -- inseperable elements-- is so telling & omni present, that they're almost another main character in their ongoing presence & impact, casting a love spell over the viewer.
Press the purchase button here. All you'll need is a glass of wine, a bowl of popcorn & some kleenex. Buckle up & don't look back.

Drifting Away.......2007-08-09

The drifting music of Laura (Fox Film Noir) melts us into the portrait of a murdered beauty. We are infatuated. Vincent price walks into the scene and all we see is his usual handsome, tall and most charming presence. Judith Anderson claims your attention as she did in another unforgettable movie "Rebecca." Laura is cool and ravishing.

After all though, I was subdued by Clifton Web, as the splendidly audacious Waldo Lydecker. His words are choice and sautéed in lemon juice; a wonderful contrast to Laura. I must agree with him, when gum-chewing Detective Lieutenant Mark McPherson has become infatuated with the portrait of Laura, he sneers "Have you ever dreamed of Laura as you wife, sitting by your side at the policeman's ball or in the bleachers... or listening to the heroic story of how you got a silver shinbone from a battle with a gangster? (pauses) ...I see you have." Laura's image does not transform into a housewife.

Laura.......2007-06-25

Preminger's impeccable murder-mystery is in many ways the standard against which all other noirs tend to be judged. Eerie and smart, with lots of deliciously twisted feints and counter-feints around the central questions of murder, blackmail, and poisonous passion, "Laura" is a marvel of confounding revelations. Add to that a superb cast: Tierney, enchanting as always, as the lust object; Andrews as a cop with a weakness for beauty; Price as an effeminate rogue; Webb as a prissy critic with a viper's tongue; and Anderson as Laura's scheming, jealous aunt. Preminger's stylish touch and confident direction earned this clever, mesmerizing whodunit five Oscar nods--and movie lovers' eternal admiration.

Orpheus in the Underworld.......2007-06-22

What makes this film endlessly watchable is the fact that "Laura" is one of the great mythological stories of the movies -- the search for the dead woman in the underworld of the past -- interwoven with the elements of film noir. Almost everything about this film is perfect (I have a sneaking doubt or two about Vincent Price), especially the completely natural way in which Laura sleeps around, has lovers in her apartment, and is a professional sleeper-upper, and no one makes the slightest negative comment about her. This in the 1940's! The best thing about the film is, as everyone says, the moment when Laura appears: the fantasy fulfillment of all fantasy fulfillments (though maybe the hat is a little much). Second best is the interrogation scene: the harsh light on Laura reminds us that this is a film about the image of woman on film. Very influential on every subsequent film with this theme -- especially Out of the Past and Vertigo. A masterpiece.

The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix/ The Matrix Reloaded/ The Matrix Revolutions/ The Animatrix)

Average customer rating:

Great Trilogy, Third Movie Lacking
Matrix Collection
THIS IS AWESOME
Cheap
A Great Collection

The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix/ The Matrix Reloaded/ The Matrix Revolutions/ The Animatrix)
Starring: Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , and Gloria Foster
Director: Larry Wachowski , and Andy Wachowski
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002Y69NG
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Description

The definitive ten-disc DVD set, The Ultimate Matrix Collection features all three films in the trilogy together for the first time ever with a newly remastered picture and sound for The Matrix. Also included is the companion piece The Matrix Revisited and the best-selling The Animatrix, plus five entirely new DVDs packed solid with brand-new supplemental materials that encompass every aspect of the Matrix universe, including two new audio commentaries on each film, Enter the Matrix video game footage, 106 deep-delving featurettes/ documentaries and much more!

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes:Filmed for Enter the Matrix video game
Audio Commentary:The Philosophers: Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber; The Critics: Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson
DVD ROM Features
Documentary
Easter Eggs
Featurette
Introduction:by the Wachowski Brothers
Music Video
Photo gallery
Storyboards
TV Spot
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Great Trilogy, Third Movie Lacking.......2007-09-09

Loved the first and second movie. The third one got a little bit unbelievable. It was like they started making up their own rules. In that respect, it was difficult to get into what was going on. But the effects and fight scenes were amazing.

Matrix Collection.......2007-09-05

I really like how much is included in the set. The Animatrix is an extra bonus!

THIS IS AWESOME.......2007-08-23

For any true Matix fan this is a must. The only thing better is the HD version of this.

Cheap.......2007-08-20

Cheap box -- it was already falling apart when I got it. I bought it on here b/c the ones in the store look like junk. I thought the Matrix would have been a bit more high def than what they produced it as, but on a good TV you can completely see the non-HD in all its glory.

Movies are good, though. And the animatricies are pretty fun as well.

A Great Collection.......2007-08-03

This is a great collection for anyone who's not exactly the most fanatical fan but is decently obsessed. The movies are in great condition. While there are a lot of featurettes, I do wish they were longer. Otherwise, there isn't a better collection of the Matrix Trilogy elsewhere.

Average customer rating:

Say Anything is great.
Great Acting, predictable Story
80's genre
fabulous dvd and movie
I LOVE IT

Say Anything
Starring: Amy Brooks , Jonathan Chapin , Lois Chiles , Gloria Cromwell , and Joan Cusack
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00003CXCI
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Product Description

To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Diane Court is about to know Lloyd Dobler.

In this charming, critically acclaimed tale of first love, Lloyd (John Cusack), an eternal optimist, seeks to capture the heart of Diane, an unattainable high school beauty and straight-A student (Ione Skye). He surprises just about everyone - including himself - when she returns the sentiment. But Diane's over-possessive, divorced dad (John Mahoney) doesn't approve and it's going to take more than just the power of love to conquer all.

System Requirements:

Starring John Cusack, John Mahoney, Ione Skye

Directed by Cameron Crowe

Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.com essential video

Seven years after he earned his first screen credit as the writer of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, former Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe made his directorial debut with this acclaimed romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Ione Skye as unlikely lovers on the cusp of adulthood. The casting is perfect, and Crowe's rookie direction is appropriately unobtrusive, no doubt influenced by his actor-loving, Oscar®-winning mentor, James L. Brooks. But the real strength of Crowe's work is his exceptional writing, his timely grasp of contemporary rhythms and language (he's frequently called "the voice of a generation"), and the rich humor and depth of his fully developed characters. In Say Anything... Cusack and Skye play recent high school graduates enjoying one final summer before leaping into a lifetime of adult responsibilities. Lloyd (Cusack) is an aspiring kickboxer with no definite plans; Diane (Skye) is a valedictorian with intentions to further her education in Europe. Together they find unlikely bliss, but there's also turbulence when Diane's father (John Mahoney)--who only wants what's best for his daughter--is charged with fraud and tax evasion. Favoring strong performances over obtrusive visual style, Crowe focuses on his unique characters and the ambitions and fears that define them; the movie's a treasure trove of quiet, often humorous revelations of personality. Lili Taylor and Eric Stoltz score high marks for memorable supporting roles, and Cusack's own sister Joan is perfect in scenes with her onscreen and offscreen brother. A rare romantic comedy that's as funny as it is dramatically honest, Say Anything... marked the arrival of a gifted writer-director who followed up with the underrated Singles before scoring his first box-office smash with Jerry Maguire. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Say Anything is great........2007-07-31

Say Anything

This is John Cusack at his earliest, clearly showing he will be BIG as he ages. I bought this for my daughter and thoroughly enjoyed it and have now watched it several times!! John is a good guy, rebel, hero and heart breaker in this movie (not specifically in this order). If you are a Cusack fan, or if you wonder who he is, buy this movie. You won't be disappointed.

Great Acting, predictable Story.......2007-07-29

I'm not exactly sure what to make of it. Judged as a whole I would say I didn't really like it, but taken as individual scenes or moments, there's a lot to like.

I'll start with the negative first. One of the big reasons I didn't care for this movie is because it is another teenage romance that follows the typical boy-gets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl again format. I hate that format. I'm not a huge romance fan in general, but I can live with "the hero overcomes huge obstacles to get the girl at the end" type story. But to have the hero win the girl's heart twice during the same movie seems needlessly repetitive to me. Whenever the hero gets the girl in the first half hour of the movie, you know you're in trouble, because there will be some manufactured crisis that doesn't make any sense that will cause them to split, and then there will be a lot of sappy emotions and fake crying, and then there will be another manufactured crisis at the end that will cause them to get back together again.

(At least this movie didn't follow the boy-gets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl, boy-loses-girl-again, boy-gets-girl again, etc format. Like "10 Things I hate about you", which could have been a great movie if it would have just ended an hour and a half earlier than it did.)

Also I didn't really care much for the actress who plays the heroine of this movie. And I could have done without most of those father/daughter sappy scenes.

John Cusak however is great. He does a good job of playing up the friendly guy, but nervous talker who doesn't know when to shut up.

Also at points I thought his character in this movie reminded me of my old roommate. Which is why I think John Cusak is such a great actor. He does a great job of playing the everyman, and has a way of vaguely reminding you of somebody that you actually know from real life. And when you think about it, this quality is surprising rare in Hollywood actors. When was the last time Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt actually reminded you of someone you know?

Also the quirky humor in this movie is great if particular scenes can be isolated. Like the conversation about old people and the way their mouths move. Or the scene with the guys out in front of the drug store on a Saturday night. Or John Cusak as the awkward dinner guest. All of those scenes are enough to redeem this movie into the category of watchable and even re-watchable.

80's genre.......2007-07-23

This movie is a goodie too. For fans of John Cusack like myself, it's a touching story of a a father who doesn't really give his daughter much time to socialise. John Cusack's character is in love with her and wants to get to know her better, but her father has other ideas. Great music and even Eric Stolz makes a cameo in it too. Watch out for him in a scene wearing a bird suit. It's a soft version of the teenage angst, but still delightful to watch.

fabulous dvd and movie.......2007-06-27

I actually just caught the movie on Encore the other week, and it was excellent. I thought the commentary was really interesting, and the special features were pretty good too!

I LOVE IT.......2007-06-08

John Cusack gives an amazing performance. You can't help but fall in love with Lloyd Dobler. The movie is funny, engaging and completely romantic. The ending is perfect and if you are a hopeless romantic, you MUST see this movie.

Average customer rating:

Roger Moore's First Bond Movie

Live and Let Die
Starring: Roger Moore , Yaphet Kotto , Jane Seymour , Clifton James , and Julius Harris
Director: Guy Hamilton
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000RPCK1A
Release Date: 2007-09-04

Customer Reviews:

Roger Moore's First Bond Movie.......2007-09-07

Roger Moore is my favorite Bond. This one is not one of the best Bond movies he has done but it still gets four stars in my book. In this movie Bond goes to Louisiana among other places to find out why three agents have been killed. It all stems from a drug lord who has connections with pimps and those who deal in voodoo/black magic. It has the famous boat chase through the bayou (with the sheriff chasing behind them) as well as the alligator farm that could be the end of Bond....Anyways this movie has a lot of action and a good story. It is a must have for any Bond fan as well as those who just love Roger Moore

Average customer rating:

Better than ever
A FAR Better Movie Than I Expected!
NICE DVD EDITION! NOT MY FAVORITE MUSICAL!
Evergreen songs
love musicals

Oklahoma! (50th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Gordon MacRae , Gloria Grahame , Gene Nelson , Charlotte Greenwood , and Shirley Jones
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000AP04NI
Release Date: 2005-11-15

Amazon.com

The hit Broadway musical from the 1940s gets a lavish if not always exciting workout in this 1955 film version directed by old lion Fred Zinnemann (High Noon). Gordon MacRae brings his sterling voice to the role of cowboy Curly, and Shirley Jones plays Laurie, the object of his affection. The Rodgers and Hammerstein score includes "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," and "People Will Say We're in Love," and Agnes DeMille provides the buoyant choreography. Among the supporting cast, Gloria Grahame is memorable as Ado Annie, the "girl who cain't say no," and Rod Steiger overdoes it as the villainous Jud. --Tom Keogh

Description

Set in the Oklahoma Territory in the early 1900's, this joyous celebration of frontier life is a story of tender romance and dangerous passion. Gordon MacRae is Curly, a sunny, good-natured ranch hand, and Shirley Jones is Laurey Williams, the farmer's daughter he loves. Rod Steiger is he menacing Jud, who tries to comes between them. The first Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration, this Academy Award winner for Best Score features the classic songs "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" and "People Will Say We're In Love."

Customer Reviews:

Better than ever.......2007-09-16

The 50th anniversary DVD of Rogers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" is a gem. The colors and sounds are clean and clear and rich. Gordon MacRae's voice and Shirley Jones' voice are both nuanced and lovely.

Maybe it takes one years to truly appreciate the depth and power of this piece and what it might have meant to America in 1943 when it first appeared on Broadway.

This version restores all that original magic.

A FAR Better Movie Than I Expected!.......2007-08-27

Oklahoma! (I didn't forget the exclamation point in the title) is a great musical and a great movie. Not wimpy or silly in the slightest, this Rodgers and Hammerstein story rocks! From good music and strong characters and performances, to a setting that carries the gaze out toward the all-but endless sky, to one of the most delightfully macabre and humorous tunes ever penned, the "Pore Jud Is Daid" piece used in the scene in which the hero, Curley, tries to talk the villainous Jud Frye into suicide by invoking images of the lovely funeral he'd have...that had me rolling. Oklahoma! is a darn good old-fashioned sort of production, and I bet it'll pleasantly surprise a lot of first-time viewers as much as it did me.

NICE DVD EDITION! NOT MY FAVORITE MUSICAL!.......2007-08-25

I am watching most of the Rodger's and Hammerstein musicals for the first time and I started with "The King And I" which I really liked. "Oklahoma" was my second choice and I didn't like it as much. I hate to say it,but there was too much singing in this movie! I know it is a musical,but it seemed like a minute didn't go by without someone bursting into song. I also didn't think most of the songs were all that great! It was nice to see a young Shirley Jones in this beautiful looking film, but it just wasn't for me. If you are a fan I think this 50th anniversay edition is an excellent value with a very good transfer and many extras.

Evergreen songs.......2007-07-20

These songs were instant hits from the time the show first appeared. I was around in that era, and I remember them well. They still work, in spite of being old-fashioned. The story, however, although I didn't think anything of it at the time, now strikes me as distinctly weird. There is a strangely sinister undercurrent being played out behind the front line, and it seems to be: If you don't fit in with the rest of us, like if you're a pedlar or a hired hand, get lost. In fact, we'll help you on your way, and may even try to persuade you to hang yourself. Is this the recommended tactic for a straight-shooting ideal cowboy? The dream, or substance-induced nightmare, dance sequence is very strange, and someone else has commented on the way it doesn't match the rest of the presentation. It seems to be dredged up from some suppressed vision of darkness, perhaps faintly similar to the hidden side of wholesome America in Lynch's Blue Velvet. Very curious. The music and lyrics are highly memorable. Wotcha gonna do if a fella gets flirty --- spit in his eye? It's a pity Jud won't keep, but it's summer, and we're runnin' outta ice.

love musicals.......2007-07-09

I haven't watched this DVD yet as I also have Oklahoma in VHS; only purchased the DVD to take when traveling.

Average customer rating:

Blu-Ray in America, HD-DVD in Europe!!!
Blu-ray brings a classic back to life
Disappointing Transfer
HD-DVD Total Recall Review, AUSTRALIA RELEASE!!!
Poor transfer to blu-ray

Total Recall [Blu-ray]
Starring: Marc Alaimo , Pricilla Allen , Ray Baker , Marshall Bell , and Roy Brocksmith
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000HIVOIM
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Customer Reviews:

Blu-Ray in America, HD-DVD in Europe!!!.......2007-07-01

Arnie is Doug Quaid, a simple construction worker who is bored with his uneventful life and wishes to be more and to do something meaningful. He's fascinated with going to Mars and meeting the mysterious woman of his dreams (that would be Melina) despite the civil war brewing withing the colonies. His wife Lori (Sharon Stone, looking gorgeous) is appalled with all things Martian and quickly nixes that idea. The only way Quaid is going to come close to the red planet is if he takes a Rekall vacation, a company that literally offers you a 'dream' vacation memory implant. Quaid wishes to go as a secret agent and all seems well until they send him to sleep.

As soon as he's unconscious Quaid seems to wake up in a rage, claiming his name is not Quaid but Hauser. And it's not just the dream going wrong since the Rekall technicians have not even implanted the dream yet. Blacking out again and waking up in a cab, Quaid has totally no recollection of anything that has happened and is confused to find his life turned upside down. His wife and colleagues are trying to kill him, dozens of armed henchmen are after him, he seems to have acquired lethal killing skills from nowhere and he apparently has some unfinished business back on Mars, despite the fact that he's never been there. Or has he?

Once on Mars for real (or is it?) he finds himself involved with the beautiful Melina (Rachel Ticotin, even prettier than Sharon Stone), the underground resistance and battling their arch-nemesis Vilos Cohaagen, a bureaucrat who has the entire planet under his control. It seems that Hauser was Cohaagen's right hand man and left clues for the fabricated Quaid persona to topple Cohaagen's regime.

Total Recall is certainly one of Arnie's and Verhoeven's most imaginative and creative movies. The Mars town of Venusville is basically Amsterdam's Red Light District with booze, drugs and sex everywhere, the violence is so ridiculously over-the-top that one cannot help but laugh at it (despite a lot of the gorier bits being censored by the evil MPAA), the vision of the future is incongruously bleak but colorful and fanciful yet primitive. The contrasts between Earth and Mars are similar to Western and Third World comparisons.

The visual effects, if slightly dated, are simply amazing. Jerry Goldsmith's awesome score is, at once, atmospheric and action-packed. The set-pieces, especially Quaids vision of the alien furnaces, are just ludicrously entertaining and the 'is it a dream or is it real' premise puts such a wonderfully surreal twist on the whole thing. Sci-Fi has never been so outrageous. What do you expect with mad genius Dutchman directing? And I do believe that it IS real.

The HD-DVD may be missing any extras but the film looks absolutely gorgeous in 1080p and is surely one of the best-looking HD-DVDs I have seen so far. Very, very impressed indeed. Highly recommended.

Blu-ray brings a classic back to life.......2007-06-12

For those who complain about the quality, I don't know what kind o