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Category Archive for 'HD DVD'

Dr. Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Combo Hd Dvd And Standard Dvd) [Hd Dvd] Starring Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon, Anthony Hopkins

Dr. Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Combo Hd Dvd And Standard Dvd) [Hd Dvd] Starring Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon, Anthony Hopkins
Why Buy A Dr. Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Combo Hd Dvd And Standard Dvd) [Hd Dvd] Starring Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon, Anthony Hopkins?
Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, Jim Carrey is up to all of his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in this live-action movie of Dr. Seusss holiday classic. He commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos, and improvisational genius, channeling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr. Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkinss narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart two sizes too small. Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the directors chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment, and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realizes the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinchs Mt. Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then theres Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinchs cold, cold heart. Youve even got a dog (the Grinchs good-natured mongrel, Max) whos been perfectly cast, so whats not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon, and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carreys inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a movie can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story, and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr. Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages 5 and older.) –Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Funny for kids and adults!!!
Great movie for kids and adults. I love this movie and always have. My 3 year old son LOVES this even when it is not Christmas. He laughes so hard at “the Grinch”, Jim Carrey does an amazing job. I thought he would get scared but he doesn’t at all. He watches it over and over. I don’t mind because I always find something new and there is some mild adult humor that he can’t pick up on.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
This film took the story of Grinch and stretched it by having Jim Carrey act the leading comedy role. Expertly filmed and directed, most people will find the Grinch very funny, that is, if you like Jim Carrey’s style of comedy. If you are a dedicated fan of Dr. Seuss, you may find that this rendition takes too many liberties with the original story. However, our family watches Grinch at least twice a year, especially near Christmas, and continue to laugh and laugh. Kids will love it.

Funny
Gave this to my (Jewish) boss for Christmas he apsolutly loved it and thought it was the best gift we ever got him along with some Grinch boxers LOL His girls enjoyed it too.

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The Deer Hunter [HD DVD] starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage, Meryl Streep

The Deer Hunter [HD DVD] starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage, Meryl Streep
Why Buy A The Deer Hunter [HD DVD] starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage, Meryl Streep?
Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, The Deer Hunter is simultaneously an audacious directorial conceit and one of the greatest films ever made about friendship and the personal impact of war. Like Apocalypse Now, its hardly a conventional battle film–the soldiers experience was handled with greater authenticity in Platoon–but its depiction of war on an intimate scale packs a devastatingly dramatic punch. Director Michael Cimino may be manipulating our emotions with masterful skill, but he does it in a way that stirs the soul and pinches our collective nerves with graphic, high-intensity scenes of men under life-threatening duress. Although Russian-roulette gambling games were not a common occurrence during the Vietnam war, theyre used here as a metaphor for the futility of the war itself. To the viewer, they become unforgettably intense rites of passage for the best friends–Pennsylvania steelworkers played by Robert De Niro, John Savage, and Oscar winner Christopher Walken–who may survive or perish during their tour through a tropical landscape of hell. Back home, their loved ones must cope with the wars domestic impact, and in doing so they allow The Deer Hunter to achieve a rare combination of epic storytelling and intimate, heart-rending drama. –Jeff Shannon
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The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Unrated Directors Cut) [HD DVD] starring Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Vin Diesel, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald

The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Unrated Directors Cut) [HD DVD] starring Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Vin Diesel, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald
Why Buy A The Chronicles of Riddick - Pitch Black (Unrated Directors Cut) [HD DVD] starring Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Vin Diesel, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald?
Owing a major debt to Alien and its cinematic spawn, Pitch Black is a guilty pleasure that surpasses expectations. As he did with The Arrival, director David Twohy revitalizes a derivative story, allowing you to forgive its flaws and submit to its visceral thrills. Under casual scrutiny, the plots logic crumbles like a stale cookie, but its definitely fun while it lasts.

A spaceship crashes on a desert planet scorched under three suns. The mostly doomed survivors include a resourceful captain (Radha Mitchell), a drug-addled cop (Cole Hauser), and a deadly prisoner (Vin Diesel) who quickly escapes. These clashing personalities discover that the planet is plunging into the darkness of an extended eclipse, and its populated by hordes of ravenous, razor-fanged beasties that only come out at night. The body count rises, and Pitch Black settles into familiar sci-fi territory.

What sets the movie apart is Twohys developing visual style, suggesting that this veteran of B-movie schlock may advance to the big leagues. Like the makers of The Blair Witch Project, Twohy understands the frightening power of suggestion; his hungry monsters are better heard than seen (although once seen, theyre chillingly effective), and Pitch Black gets full value from moments of genuine panic. Best of all, Twohys got a well-matched cast, with Mitchell (so memorable with Ally Sheedy in High Art) and Diesel (Pvt. Caparzo from Saving Private Ryan) being the standouts. The latter makes the most of his muscle-man role, and his characters development is one more reason this movie works better than it should. –Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews & Opinions

A surprisingly tense and effective SF horror movie
Originally released in 2000, Pitch Black is a low-budget SF/horror movie that became something of a hit, and helped propel lead actor Vin Diesel to action superstar status. A sequel (which I will be reviewing presently), The Chronicles of Riddick, followed four years later and a third movie is currently in pre-production.

Pitch Black opens with a spacecraft passing through the tail of a comet and suffering serious damage. Thrown off-course, it enters the atmosphere of a habitable moon. The pilot, Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), almost jettisons the passenger compartment to help save the rest of the ship, but her co-pilot manages to stop her (although he dies in the crash). Of the forty passengers and three crew, there are only ten survivors. A major problem is that one of the survivors is bounty-hunter William J. Johns (Cole Hauser) and his prisoner, an exceedingly dangerous man named Richard B. Riddick (Diesel), who introduces himself as “Riddick, escaped convict, murderer.” After initially escaping in the aftermath of the crash, Riddick realises he needs the help of the other survivors to escape from the moon and agrees to join forces with them. A great deal of tension in the movie is mined from the unpredictable behaviour of Riddick and the fact that Johns has his own demons and has allowed his obsession with capturing to Riddick to override his humanity. Carolyn also has issues of guilt over nearly killing the other survivors of the crash.

The character study part of the movie is very interesting, although the English survivor Paris (Lewis Fitz-Gerald) is a walking caricature and we don’t get to know Australian prospector Shazza very well, despite her being played by well-known genre actress Claudia Black (formerly of Farscape and later StarGate SG-1). The other key characters are Abu al-Walid (Keith David), an Imam on a pilgrimage to New Mecca, and a youngster named Jack (Rhiana Griffith). Al-Walid finds his faith tested as the experience on the planet continues, whilst the impressionable Jack seems to find Riddick ‘cool’, despite the concerns of Carolyn and Johns.

The focus on the characters is extremely well-done. It’s unusual for an action/horror movie to have such well-rounded and believable characters, and the actors all bring their best talents to the job. Diesel is extremely impressive as the anti-hero Riddick, whilst Mitchell makes a rather dislikable character interesting and her gradual move towards redemption believable. As the movie moves into its second half the SF backdrop to the movie becomes clearer: the moon, which is normally permanently exposed to the light of the three suns in the system, is about to pass into the shadow of its gas giant parent planet, at which point a race of vociferous flying creatures who are harmed by light will be released. The horror elements kick in as the characters have to find some way of generating enough light to keep the creatures at bay whilst they make their way across the wasteland to salvation.

These sequences are very tense and handled well. The movie may be low budget, but it makes the most of its resources very well, with the CGI creatures still holding up convincingly a decade later. Even in the middle of these action sequences the director keeps the mutual mistrust and paranoia between the survivors going quite nicely.

Pitch Black (****½) is a genuinely excellent movie, with a well-explored premise and an unusually sophisticated level of characterisation. It also features a highly positive portrayal of Islam, and pretty much all of the actors bring their A-game to the project. The only minor niggles are some stylistic flourishes of the director that are artistically interesting but a bit weird when taken literally (Riddick casually showing up unnoticed in the background of shots as the other characters anxiously search for him at the start of the movie), and the rather one-note writing of the token British character. Otherwise, this is an enjoyable and highly underrated movie.

The film is available now on DVD (UK, USA) and Blu-Ray (UK, USA).

The sequel is…different.

Friggin’ Awesome!
I love this movie! I think this is the best Riddick movie out there because it is uncompromising in its depressing style. All of the horrible things that you don’t want to happen do happen, but not always in the way you expect. If you want a dark thriller featuring the best acting Vin Diesel has ever done, you should watch this movie. I guarantee satisfaction from this DVD.

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Constantine [HD DVD]

Constantine [HD DVD]

Constantine [HD DVD]
Why Buy A Constantine [HD DVD]?
In the grand scheme of theological thrillers, Constantine aspires for the greatness of The Exorcist but ranks more closely with The Order. Based on the popular Hellblazer comic book series, and directed with nary a shred of intelligence by music video veteran Francis Lawrence, its basically The Matrix with swarming demons instead of swarming machines. Keanu Reeves slightly modifies his Matrix persona as John Constantine, who roams the dark-spots of Los Angeles looking for good-evil, angel-devil half-breeds to ensure that the balance between God and Satan is properly maintained. An ancient artifact and the detective twin of a woman who committed evil-induced suicide (Rachel Weisz) factor into the plot, which is taken so seriously that youll want to stand up and cheer when Tilda Swinton swoops down as the cross-dressing angel Gabriel and turns this silliness into the camp-fest it really is. The digital effects are way cool (dig those hellspawn with the tops of their heads lopped off!), so if you dont mind a juvenile lesson in pseudo-Catholic salvation, Constantine is just the movie for you! –Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Great Sci-Fi Flick
I really liked Keanu Reeves in this movie, he plays Sci-Fi movies really well. As for the movie itself, I like the story and the computer graphics used in this movie. I think this is a movie for Sci-Fi lovers!

Engrossing story - Very interesting characters
I love this movie and have watched it many times. The pace is perfect and the fantasy exploration of angels, demons and hell is a real trip. Great special effects.

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Cinderella Man [HD DVD]

Cinderella Man [HD DVD]

Cinderella Man [HD DVD]
Why Buy A Cinderella Man [HD DVD]?
Cinderella Man is a wholesome slice of old-fashioned Americana, offering welcomed relief from the shallowness of many summer blockbusters. In dramatizing the legendary Depression-era comeback of impoverished boxer Jim Braddock, director Ron Howard benefits from another superb collaboration with his A Beautiful Mind star Russell Crowe, whose portrayal of Braddock is simultaneously warm, noble, and tenacious without resorting to even the slightest hint of sentimental melodrama. The desperate struggle of the Depression is more keenly felt here than it was in Seabiscuit, and Howard shows its economic impact in ways that strengthen the bonds between Braddock, his supportive wife (Renée Zellweger) and three young children, and his loyal manager (Paul Giamatti); all are forced to make sacrifices leading up to Braddocks title bout against heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko) in one of greatest boxing matches in the history of the sport. Boasting the finest production design, cinematography and editing that Hollywood can offer, this is a feel-good film that never begs for your affection; its just good, classical American filmmaking, brimming with qualities of decency and fortitude that have grown all too rare in the big-studio mainstream. –Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews & Opinions

LOVE IT!
Great movie! I love the character of the characters, especially Jim. This is what a real man looks like!

Cinderella Man — One of the best films ever!!
Beyond Russell Crowe being one of the best actors in Hollywood, Cinderella Man speaks to the heart of everyone–especially in today’s economy. Cinderella Man really shows what true grit and determination, as well as a faith in something much bigger than ourselves, can get us through the hardest of times. This movies tells the story of Jim Braddock in the early 20th century during the Great Depression, relating how he struggled to keep his family together by “working the docks” and as a boxer–becoming a hero and inspiration to many who experienced the same trials and tribulations as himself.

One of my favorite movies of all time
I don’t make a habit of posting reviews, but this movie is one of the best portrayals of the true American Spirit! Hard work, family, faith, honor. If you haven’t seen it, please do. You won’t regret it.

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Poseidon [HD DVD]

Poseidon [HD DVD]

Poseidon [HD DVD]
Amazon.com
The 1972 disaster hit Das Boot and The Perfect Storm? It hardly matters that a Poseidon gets by on sheer adrenaline. The capsizing scenes are nothing less than awesome, with some effects so real (and so horrifying) that younger and more sensitive viewers may need to look away. And while it lacks the engaging humanity of the 1972 version, Poseidon is certainly never boring. Faint praise, perhaps, but youll get your popcorns worth of mindless entertainment. –Jeff Shannon

Why Buy A Poseidon [HD DVD]?
The 1972 disaster hit The Poseidon Adventure was ripe for a big-budget CGI remake, and who better to helm it than thriller expert Wolfgang Petersen, director of Das Boot and The Perfect Storm? It hardly matters that a TV movie remake (also based on Paul Gallicos original 1969 source novel) was made less than a year before, because Petersens version is far more spectacular, with shocking digital effects, massive sets, amazing stunt-work and enough fire and water to fill five movies with challenging worst-case scenarios. Once again, the plot concerns the capsizing (by a massive rogue wave) of a state-of-the-art luxury liner, and the struggle of a small group of survivors (including Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Emmy Rossum, and Richard Dreyfuss) to climb upwards, to the ships hull, in their treacherous quest for a safe exit. Unfortunately, most of these characters are two-dimensional and under-developed (especially when compared to the 1972 films all-star cast), and the unimaginative screenplay by Mark Protosevich (reportedly worked on by several uncredited writers) subjects them to a rote series of obstacles that grow increasingly routine and repetitious, not to mention contrived and illogical. Again, it hardly matters, because Petersens handling of non-stop action is so slick and professional that Poseidon gets by on sheer adrenaline. The capsizing scenes are nothing less than awesome, with some effects so real (and so horrifying) that younger and more sensitive viewers may need to look away. And while it lacks the engaging humanity of the 1972 version, Poseidon is certainly never boring. Faint praise, perhaps, but youll get your popcorns worth of mindless entertainment. –Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Posiden
I love this new version, unlike the other new version, this one sticks to the original script, not a terrorist plot. Great movie.

Great Buy
I received the item in a timely manner, and in the condition indicated. Recommended to buy from this seller.

Fantastic!
Okay, I’ve heard and read all the reviews about how cheesy this movie is. But it’s not supposed to be rocket science. It’s not even supposed to be real. However, I honestly have no plans to take a cruise anytime soon.

Josh Lucas was wonderful as the reluctant hero. He did not want to be responsible for these people; but as they slowly ascended the ship - and tragedy after tragedy began to strike - you saw his pain in his inability to stop things from happening.

Mia Maestro was fantastic as the stowaway. Going up the vent with the water slowly rising - I was with her every step of the way.

And even Josh Lucas right behind me, either yelling at me or encouraging me, would not have made the going any easier.

Kurt Russell… Can I just say I love Kurt Russell? Always have. He was superb as the overbearing dad - former fireman - ex-mayor. His concern for his daughter was soooo real. And his ultimate sacrifice… well, I’m not gonna ruin this for anyone who’s not seen it yet.

Kevin Dillon was great as the drunk loudmouth; Emmy Rossum and Mike Vogel very believable young lovers; Jacinda Barrett and Jimmy Bennett as mother/son; and Richard Dreyfuss… well, I’m not gonna tell you everything.

Probably the most impressive actor in this movie was that WAVE. As Dreyfuss stands on the deck, you see a look of utter horror and panic on his face as the wave begins to blot out the moon… Fantastic! The beginning of the end.

Like I said, it’s not rocket science, but it’s a fun adventure movie, if you’re into that kind of thing. Definitely a “must see” movie if you’re a fan of any of these actors.

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Apollo 13 [HD DVD]

Apollo 13 [HD DVD]

Apollo 13 [HD DVD]
Why Buy A Apollo 13 [HD DVD]?
NASAs worst nightmare turned into one of the space agencys most heroic moments in 1970, when the Apollo 13 crew was forced to hobble home in a disabled capsule after an explosion seriously damaged the moon-bound spacecraft. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton play (respectively) astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise in director Ron Howards intense, painstakingly authentic docudrama. The Apollo 13 crew and Houston-based mission controllers race against time and heavy odds to return the damaged spacecraft safely to Earth from a distance of 205,500 miles. Using state-of-the-art special effects and ingenious filmmaking techniques, Howard and his stellar cast and crew build nail-biting tension while maintaining close fidelity to the facts. The result is a fitting tribute to the Apollo 13 mission and one of the biggest box-office hits of 1995. –Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Great movie
Great movie. Fast-paced, great character development, plus you get the feeling about how important (or not) the space program had become by this time. Very interesting to see how this flight affected the family, as well as how it affected the actual astronauts. Kathleen Quinlan as Mrs. Lovell is outstanding.

Awesome!
A classic. True to life. A great piece of history portrayed well. Tom Hanks at his best. Entertaining… Ron Howard you did it again, the best!

Absolutely fantastic!
Many people expected Apollo 13 to be a “routine” mission to the moon. If successful, it would have been the 3rd lunar landing. The mission did not, however, turn out to be routine. About 3/4 of the way to the moon a faulty piece of electronics caused an explosion that put the three-man crew in great danger.

This movie does an outstanding job of telling the story of the astronauts on this mission, as well as of the NASA ground crew that had to solve problem after problem in order to find a way to have a chance of getting the crew home safely.

Why this film is great:

1) The acting is top-notch. With actors like Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, and Kevin Bacon, how could it NOT be? The entire cast did an outstanding job.

2) This film is based on a true story that held the entire nation, perhaps the entire world, in its grip (and personally, I tend to prefer a good true story to a good fictional one)

3) The re-eneactements of the critical thinking and work of the NASA ground crew, scientists, and technicians added the realism needed to pull off a realistic telling of this story

4) I’ve visited the NASA Johnson Flight Center in Houston, and the original ground control room is still there (though there is now a new one that ground control uses). I don’t know if filming actually took place in that original flight control room, but it sure looked like it to me, That also added to the realism.

5) The intertwined storylines, including the crew, the NASA ground staff, and the astronauts’ families made for a gripping tale.

6) The music was awesome

7) Ron Howard is an AMAZING director.

I can’t really think of anything that would make me consider anything less than a 5-star rating for this amazing show.

There is, you may want to know, a smattering of mild language scattered throughout the movie and a some innuendo, and one blurred shower scene that I know I could have done without, adn that in my opinion didn’t really add to the show.

Regardless, this is a 5-star show through and through.

Ain’t no problem here Houston
On April 13th, 1970, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert, are sent to the moon for a lunar landing to gather moon rocks for scientific study. The race for the moon is over, and America isn’t even interested anymore in `routine’ flights to the moon anymore. That is until reports come in that there is major trouble going on on the spacecraft. As the pilots are on their way to the moon, an explosion happens somewhere inside their ship. Major problem after major problem begins to happen. The routine mission to the moon has just become an intellectual fight for survival… and now a mission to get home. 250 thousand miles in space inside a ship that feels like the size of two phone booths, Jim, Fred, and Jack use their brains and their guts to fly to the dark side of the moon to slingshot themselves hopefully back to earth. Power is diminishing, Carbon Dioxide is building, engines are failing, and the freezing cold is piercing. The true story of Apollo 13.

Never gets old. No matter how many times I see this movie, it just never gets old. I’ve probably seen it at least 5 times now and I’m still glued to my seat. How is this a real story? Honestly it’s so miraculous and incredible the things that happened and the things that were done to get these guys home that it seems fake. But it’s not. It’s crazy to think how close to death these guys were in such a foreign area such as space. Even the guys in Houston were having a hard time believing that so much was going wrong at one time. At one time the crew had to sit in the lunar lander to fly home. The thing about that is that most of the walls are just a millimeter thick (not even that much). So they had to watch where they stretched out so they didn’t puncture a whole in the wall and suck themselves out.

Ron Howard’s direction of the movie was incredible. Not once did I get bored. Everything was done just right. From the story, to the characters, the little jokes here and there, to the action, to the suspense. It’s got it all. And with a cast that consists of Tom Hanks (Lovell), Bill Paxton (Haise), Kevin Bacon (Swigert), Gary Sinise (Ken Mattingly), and Ed Harris (Gene Kranz), how could you really go wrong? Every performance was littered with emotion for the story or for who they were playing. It seemed like everyone wanted to do their best to make this movie memorable for us as the viewer, and more importantly for the people who they portrayed and the story that was being told.

After the movie was over this time, I was still caught up in the story so I immediately pushed play on The Making of Apollo 13. I HIGHLY recommend watching this. There was a LOT of real footage used in this documentary. From Nixon’s speech to seeing the actual ship that exploded float off to space while we get to see the actual damage. Incredible. Also it’s really neat to see how spot on the movie was to the actual event that happened. While the doc is going on, parts of the movie would happen, and then we’d see or hear the actual events happen (or vice versa…I can’t remember). It was really cool to hear “Houston we have a problem” from Lovell himself. And while they do show a lot of actual events, they also show some really funny stuff too. Watching how they did the floating in space parts was really cool. I’ve known about airplane flights that take you up and then drop real fast to give you the zero gravity feel. I actually looked into doing last year but it’s a tad expensive (like a thousand bucks…eesh). I just didn’t really think they would do it. But they did. A lot of the shots are actually in an airplane doing this and the actors all did it. It was funny to watch them floating around and then hit the bottom of the plane when the plane would come up from the dive.

In the end, I highly recommend this movie for anyone. Incredible movie on an incredible true event in America’s history.

P.S. What happened to Kevin Bacon? Like he looks like a normal guy in this movie, but man he’s starting to look a lot like Skeletor in more of his recent movies.

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Army of Darkness (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]

Army of Darkness (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]
Why Buy A Army of Darkness (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]?
A movie that only true horror buffs could love, Army of Darkness is officially part 3 in the wild and wacky Evil Dead trilogy masterminded by the perversely inventive director Sam Raimi, who would later serve as executive producer of the popular syndicated TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Raimis favorite actor, Bruce Campbell, returns as Ash (hero of the first two Evil Dead flicks), a hardware-store clerk who is magically transported–along with his beat-up Oldsmobile and a chainsaw attachment for his severed left forearm–to the brutal battlefields of the 14th century. He quickly assumes power (who else in the Middle Ages packs a shotgun and a chainsaw?), and unites his band of medieval knights against the dreaded Army of the Dead. Raimi gleefully subverts almost every horror-movie cliché as he serves up a nonstop parade of blood, gore, and vicious sword-bearing skeletons–an affectionate homage to animator Ray Harryhausens classic Jason and the Argonauts. The frantic action is fun while it lasts, but even at 80 minutes Army of Darkness nearly wears out its welcome. You know that Raimi can maintain the mayhem for only so long before it grows tiresome, and fortunately this madcap movie quits while its ahead. –Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Army of Greatness?
Best Movie Ever.

I mean that…one of the few you can watch again and again.

And with The Most Unlikely Random Hero in movie history Bruce Campbell…is well one of my heroes.

SO JUST BUY THE MOVIE!

Horror Comedy at it’s best
Finally a dvd version depicting both the director’s cut and theatrical versions of this fine film. It starts off as kind of sequel to Evil Dead 2, with Bruce Campbell’s character Ash trapped in Medieval time after narrowly escaping with his life after fighting the deadites in Evil Dead 2. What follows is him being captured at first by the villagers, then helping the villagers to fight the deadites. Using his knowledge of 20th century weaponry and science makes him able to give the dead what for.

This is an alltime classic, hilarious scenes involving Ash’s sheer ignorance towards vital instuctions, his confrontation with his evil self, and the last scene in the theatrical version at the s-mart.

Bruce Campbell as always is fun as the chainsaw/shotgun wielding hero, who is short on brains but makes up for it in bravery and skill; who uses quips and one liners on the deadites as well as force. Embeth Davidtz is really good and believable as Ash’s medieval love interest.

The Director’s Cut has a few additional scenes and an apocalyptic ending which will shock you and make you laugh at the same time.

The only other thing I can say about this movie is as Ash would put it “GROOVY”.

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An American Werewolf in London (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]

An American Werewolf in London (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]
Why Buy A An American Werewolf in London (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]?
Remember back in the early 1980s when special-effects makeup artists were tripping over themselves to create the next big effect? The Howling boasted a fantastic werewolf transformation scene courtesy of makeup wizard Rob Bottin. Then along came Bottins mentor, Rick Baker, with his own spectacular effects in this popular horror comedy directed by John Landis. An American Werewolf in London is more of a makeup showcase than a truly satisfying movie, but the film is effectively moody when David Naughton discovers that a wolf attack has turned him into a bloodthirsty lycanthrope. Jenny Agutter plays his love interest (watch out, he bites!), and who can forget Griffin Dunne as Naughtons best friend, an undead corpse who progressively rots away as the plot unfolds? All things considered, its easy to see why An American Werewolf in London became a modern horror favorite. –Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews & Opinions

A horror comedy masterpiece!

Two American friends named Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) and David Kesseler (David Naughton) are traveling through Europe as they are in England who stopped by a pub where they are warned to stay on the road but on their way to London, they get lost and both get attacked by a vicious wolf. Jack is dead while David is alive in the London hospital alive, he does fall for a lovely English nurse (Jenny Agutter) and sometimes gets ghostly visits by his now undead zombie buddy Jack who warns him that they were attacked by a werewolf and that David will become one when the next full moon appears as he starts to disbelif Jack’s warnings he becomes a monster that murders a few people in London but has to find a way to kill himself or else he kills others.

A brilliant and very original horror comedy thriller from writer-director John Landis! this is a very well acted and suspensful with brilliant animatronics, make-up and gore effects by Rick Baker with Steve Johnson which brings us no other werewolf transformation as done before on film. The storyline is quite good and so is the performances, there’s even a nice appearence by Frank Oz. The film is quite gory at times especially that horrifying massacre of David’s family in a nightmare sequence, the film does offer a great soundtrack of oldies and a terrific score by Elmer Bernstein. The Werewolf is very realistic and convincing as the film still holds up today and still remains fresh and popular as it was back in 1981 for it set a new standard in terror, laughs and gore much like “Re-Animator”, “Fright Night”, “The Toxic Avenger” and “Evil Dead 2″ all did.

This DVD contains a nice transfer and good sound quality with nice extras like audio commentary, Featurettes, Interviews, Outtakes, Storyboards, Production Notes, Photograph Montage, Cast and Filmmakers Bios and DVD-Rom Extras.

Sentimental about this movie
OK so this isn’t Academy Award material, but we LOVE this movie. It delightfully combines comedy and horror. The special effects were incredible at the time this movie came out and we enjoyed it so much then I’m probably not very objective about it now. But I think even first-time viewers would really like it.

STILL THE BEST WEREWOLF MOVIE EVER
David Naughton and Jenny Agutter were outstanding in John Landis’ classic take on lyncanthrope, but Griffin Dunne as Naughton’s friend, fellow victim ( fatally attacked by the same werewolf that mauls Naughton’s character ), and rotting ‘cheerleader’ is gruesomely, outrageous. Rick Baker’s FX work was simply amazing, and still holds up well ( it certainly beats the CGI ‘mud puppies’ created for AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS by a few lightyears ). The cinematography ( particularly on the moors ) is beautiful, and creepy. This is a genuinely scary movie, with a nice love-story, an excellent cast, and still the best transformation scene ever. Definitely a meat-lovers choice.

CLASSIC!
I saw this movie when I was a kid back in the early 80’s and decided to buy it. I watched it again, and still like it!

an american werewolf in london
I got the video in a short amount of time. It was brand new and I would order from him again. I have nothing to complain about the service was great.

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Pans Labyrinth [HD DVD]

Pans Labyrinth [HD DVD]

Pans Labyrinth [HD DVD]
Why Buy A Pans Labyrinth [HD DVD]?
Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Jorge Luis Borges, and Guillermo del Toros own unlimited imagination, Pans Labyrinth is a fairytale for adults. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) may only be 12, but the worlds she inhabits, both above and below ground, are dark as anything del Toro has conjured. Set in rural Spain, circa 1944, Ofelia and her widowed mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil, Belle Epoque), have just moved into an abandoned mill with Carmens new husband, Captain Vidal (Sergi López, With a Friend like Harry). Carmen is pregnant with his son. Other than her sickly mother and kindly housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú, Y Tu Mamá También), the dreamy Ofelia is on her own. Vidal, an exceedingly cruel man, couldnt be bothered. He has informers to torture. Ofelia soon finds that an entire universe exists below the mill. Her guide is the persuasive Faun (Doug Jones, Mimic). As her mother grows weaker, Ofelia spends more and more time in the satyrs labyrinth. He offers to help her out of her predicament if shell complete three treacherous tasks. Ofelia is willing to try, but does this alternate reality really exist or is it all in her head? Del Toro leaves that up to the viewer to decide in a beautiful, yet brutal twin to The Devils Backbone, which was also haunted by the ghost of Franco. Though it lacks the humor of Hellboy, Pans Labyrinth represents Guillermo Del Toro at the top of his considerable game. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews & Opinions

I CAN’T UNDERSTAND THE LAZINESS
This is a great movie, but I’m so shocked by the bad reviews only because this is only subtitled in english. I live in México and every single american or european movie that is showed here is in english with subtitles in spanish, we mexicans like to watch movies in their original language, especially me who likes languages. So it’s a little odd that someone returns a DVD only because it’s not spoken in their language. This is a great movie and I am proud a Mexican did it. Now that same Mexican director is going to make The Hobbit. It will be grandiose.

I can’t understand the laziness of some americans for reading subtitles.

Excellent, surprising
I really enjoyed it the first time around, so watched it again with the director’s commentary switched on. I lost the wonderful music, but really gained insight into this marvelously well-crafted film.

In an age where we take violence in the movies almost for granted, the Fascist step-father was horrible. And the housekeeper a revelation. Well worth watching a second or third time to pick up all the things you might have missed the first time.

Awesome and interesting movie!
Pan’s has to be one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Del Toro is a genius when it comes to movie themes. Not only does he mix drama with fantasy, but he thinks through imagery by using color and numbers for effect. This movie draws the mind into thought of a reality that could occur and maybe does occur.

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