Transformers (Two-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

Product Details

• Released on: 2008-09-02
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 143 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
"I bought a car. Turned out to be an alien robot. Who knew?" deadpans Sam Witwicky, hero and human heart of Michael Bay's rollicking robot-smackdown fest, Transformers. Witwicky (the sweetly nerdy Shia LaBeouf, channeling a young John Cusack) is the perfect counterpoint to the nearly nonstop exhilarating action. The plot is simple: an alien civil war (the Autobots vs. the evil Decepticons) has spilled onto Earth, and young Sam is caught in the fray by his newly purchased souped-up Camaro. Which has a mind--and identity, as a noble-warrior robot named Bumblebee--of its own. The effects, especially the mind-blowing transformations of the robots into their earthly forms and back again, are stellar.

Fans of the earlier film and TV series will be thrilled at this cutting-edge incarnation, but this version should please all fans of high-adrenaline action. Director Bay gleefully salts the movie with homages to pop-culture touchstones like Raiders of the Lost Ark, King Kong, and the early technothriller WarGames. The actors, though clearly all supporting those kickass robots, are uniformly on-target, including the dashing Josh Duhamel as a U.S. Army sergeant fighting an enemy he never anticipated; Jon Voight, as a tough yet sympathetic Secretary of Defense in over his head; and John Turturro, whose special agent manages to be confidently unctuous, even stripped to his undies. But the film belongs to Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and the dastardly Megatron--and the wicked stunts they collide in all over the globe. Long live Transformers! --A.T. Hurley

Customer Reviews

Idiotic Format Wars
I am so cheesed off that I'll ave to wait this long to get Transformers, a very, very, very awesome movie on Blu-Ray, because of the idiotic and asinine format war that went on for so long. I've been a Transformers fan since the original cartoon and toys. I've had the original animated movie on DVD since the very first time it came out on DVD. And I was actually DREADING this movie. Michael Bay? The man who gave us such wretched CRAP as Armageddon and Pearl Harbor? Forgetting the scientific absurdities of Armageddon and the HORRIBLE historical inaccuracies of Pearl Harbor, the movies were just flat out AWFUL. So when I found out that Michael Bay would be directing a movie based on an iconic element of my childhood I was aghast and horrified, to say the least

But all I can say is Thank God for Stephen Spielberg. Watching the movie you can actually SEE points where Bay was trying to veer off into his mindless "blow stuff up who cares about plot?" usual directing style, but then you can almost see Spielberg's hand reach in and smack him like a puppy who's just pee'd on the carpet and take the movie back where it's supposed to be.

I loved this movie. And I'd spent a year or two gearing up to hate it. That's how good it is.

But now, on to the matter of it being released on HD DVD instead of Blu-Ray. Such an IDIOTIC, ASININE thing! If it had been nothing but a matter of which type of disk was simply BETTER, there would have been no contest at all. Blu-Ray has ALWAYS been better. I'll explain the differences below, but, unfortunately for us, a product being technically better than its competitors has never had much impact on the good old capitalism of our great country. Remember VCRs? Beta was MUCH better than VHS, but the company that made the VHS tapes and got paid royalties by everyone who used them had a better set of lawyers, marketers, and whatever other slimy creatures they needed to ensure that their inferior product came out on top in the vacuous wasteland that is American consumer culture.

And during the past 2 or 4 years or so we'd been going through the same type of thing again, everyone: another Format War, between HD DVD and Blu-Ray, the successors to DVD.


But we can thank God that THIS idiotic format war has finally ended, the respective megacorps having thrown all their support behind whichever pet project would have given them the most royalties, or made them the most bribes, and now that the dust has finally settled we have a winner and we can finally start getting Blu-Rays of all the movies we want, and the prices will start dropping as improvements in manufacturing techniques develop and the effect of economy of scale takes over. Remember when DVDs cost 50 dollars? The prices of Blu-Ray movies will now drop the same way, and before too long we'll be able to get 5 dollar discount bin blu-rays, too.

Yes, it still came down to one megacorp bribing, whining, and cajoling enough other megacorps to secure their own royalties for their own format, and then finally ramming it home down everyone's collective throat with a videogame machine with a built-in player that cost less than most stand alone players of the format by a good amount...

But this time we can be thankful that the format that won, Blu-Ray, is the one that is actually the BEST one. Remember VCRs? That time, the format that won the format war was the one that SUCKED. Betamax was VERY much better tan VHS, which is what everyone now remembers as VCR tapes.

But this time the best format won.

Just compare: current data capacity for Blu-Ray is 50 gigs, vs HD DVD's 30 gigs. Not much, you say? Almost twice as much, actually. And you have to consider that a DVD holds about 7 gigs. SEVEN. See how big a difference that is?

But then we wet to the maximum theoretical limits, which means how much the two different types will be able to hold in, say, about 5 years. And even after that they'll probably squeeze out a little bit more, just because we can do crazy things nowadays.

Blu-Ray will eventually get up to 200gigs.

HD DVD? 60 gigs.

That's a HUGE difference, people. HUGE. The hard drive on my laptop is only 120 gigs. So that means I could back up EVERYTHING on my computer on ONE Blu-Ray and have almost a third of the disk left over, but it would take 2 entire disks to do the same with an HD DVD.

So, the ultimate lesson we can learn from all of this is that the companies that sell us stuff don't give a flying fig about what is better for us, they only care about what is better for them, by which I mean whatever makes them more money. But we can be thankful that THIS time, in a fight between groups of millionaires and megacorporations, the consumers like us actually won something for a change.

Great Movie!
I am not a big movie buff and I don't like comic book inspired movies! With that said-- this movie is AWESOME. I loved it from start to finish.

An Action Movie The Way They Should Be
Michael Bay has made his name for making high octane, explosive action movies and this one is no exception to the Michael Bay rule. Transformers, when it was first announced it would be made into a live action movie the typical geeky fans went into uproar about it. They claimed it would destroy the series and they claimed it wouldn't stay true to the original cartoon characters, which is true but we were given something much better. This wasn't a film that stuck to the series or comics to the tee but it was something completely original in the movie world and was something very entertaining. The animation of the transformers is flawless and really blend well together when looking at the interaction between both man and machine. The action sequences as well are something brilliant when at times you are actually astounded at the scale of the whole thing, the Transformers when un-disguised are immensely huge and when entering into the main battle sequence there's so much going on you fail to believe what you're seeing. An honourable mention for great battle sequences goes to the army vs the scorpion decepticon in the Qatar desert, the sequence is just so intense and the addition of light comedy really makes it an enjoyable scene all round.

The story is something simple yet complicated, it's a combination of two main plots that blend into the one plot by the end of the movie. Plot 1 is the explanation as to why the transformers are on Earth, since the beginning of time there has been an object known as the cube which is a giver of life. We are told that some will use it for good and some will use it for evil, since the dawning of time there have been wars fought over this cube and after the destruction of the cybertron world the cube was left floating through space and wound up up Earth. The autobots were on a mission to find it but were too late as some evil forces got there first. This leads to a race against time as the decepticons try to locate something that we come to know as project Iceman and the autobots try to stop them before it destroys humanity. Plot 2 revolves around Sam Witwicky played by Shia Lebouf who unknowingly buys autobot Bumblebee as his first car, this is not, however, the only reason as to why he gets involved in the story. Sam's in the possession of the glasses of his explorer descendant Archibold Witwicky which have imprinted on them a map which would lead the decepticons to the cube. The Decepticons are after Sam to find the Cube but the Autobots must stop them from getting to it, Sam literally holds the key to the survival of the human race.

This is a very good movie that gives us a great combination of action, light hearted comedy and the element of danger. This is the way action movies should be and that's entertaining as hell. When it's released on Blu-Ray buy it I promise you wont be disappointed.

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10,000 B.C. [Blu-ray]

Product Description

The filmmaker who launched a UFO invasion in Independence Day and unleashed the forces of global warming in The Day After Tomorrow now unveils a new day of adventure a time when mammoths shake the earth and mystical spirits shape human fates. Roland Emmerich directs 10000 BC the eye-filling tale of the first hero. That hero is young hunter D Leh (Steven Strait) set out on a bold trek to rescue his kidnapped beloved (Camilla Belle) and fulfill his prophetic destiny. He ll face an awesome saber-toothed tiger. Cross uncharted realms. Form an army. And uncover an advanced but corrupt Lost Civilization. There he will lead a fight for liberation and become the champion of the time when legend began.Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/HEROES Rating: PG-13

Product Details

• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-06-24
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 109 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
To anyone who has ever yearned to see woolly mammoths in full stampede across the Alps, 10,000 BC can be heartily recommended. There's also a flock of "terror birds"--lethal ostriches on steroids--in a steaming jungle only a splice away from the heroes' snow-dusted alpine habitat. And lo, somewhere in the vastness of the North African desert lies a city whose slave inhabitants alternately teem like the crowds in Quo Vadis during the burning of Rome and trudge in hieratically menacing formations like the workers in Metropolis. That's pretty much it for the cool stuff. Setting movies in prehistoric times is dicey. Apart from the "Dawn of Man" sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey, only Quest for Fire makes the grade, and its creators had the good sense to limit the dialogue to grunts and moans. 10,000 BC boasts a quasi-biblical narrator (Omar Sharif) and characters who speak in formed, albeit uninteresting, sentences--including a New Age-y "I understand your pain." But let no one say the storytelling isn't primitive. The narrator speaks of "the legend of the child with the blue eyes" and bingo, here's the kid now. When, grown up to be Camilla Belle, she's carried off by "four-legged demons"--guys on horseback to you--the neighbor boy (Steven Strait) who hankers to make myth with her leads a rescue mission into the great unknown world beyond their mountaintop. His name is D'Leh, which is Held, the German for "knight," spelled backward. So yes, there is some hidden meaning after all.

10,000 BC is the latest triumph of the ersatz from writer-director Roland Emmerich. Like Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004) before it, it's shamelessly cobbled together out of every movie Emmerich can remember to pilfer from (though to be fair, the section in pre-ancient Egypt harks back to his own Stargate). Emmerich's saving grace is that his films' cheesiness is so flagrant, his narratives so geared for instant gratification, he can seem like a kid simultaneously improvising and acting out a story in his backyard: "P'tend there's this alien ... p'tend maybe he came from Atlantis or something...." Just don't p'tend it has anything to do with real moviemaking. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews

Pure Historical Fiction Entertainment
Let me first address all the reviews that compare this film to Apocalypto...there is ONE major difference, this movie is actually GOOD. Pure fun from start to finish. Is it totally fast paced...NO, but the film is trying to tell a historical/fiction STORY. That is where Gibson's dull flop missed the boat. Now, the special effects are nothing to write home about, but the pure beauty of the costumes and landscape more than makes up for it. BC packs twice as much STORY into its 90 minutes than most of the 2+ hour schlock that comes out of Hollywood these days. An interesting perspective on historical possibilities makes the film even more interesting. Acurate in every detail, probably not, but possible/plausible all the same, sure. Give it a chance, once it gets rolling, this is pure popcorn-munching madness. Personally, I can't wait for 9999 BC. Recommended for pure summer/storm DVD fun!

Extremely entertaining
10,000 BC

First of all, to all the negative Nancies out there who trashed this film, yeah, it's not realistic. The dialogue is bad, the situations unrealistic, etc. But I watch a movie to be entertained and this movie, if nothing else, is very entertaining. Second, there are very likeable characters in this film and you find yourself wanting to see them get even with the monsters who keep destroying their villages, killing their people, and stealing their children (and often young people).

We were expecting CGI like in Beowulf (which we absolutely hated), but it's actually pretty realistic and since the moments with CGI are in the middle of action, you barely notice that it's CGI. You have to seriously suspend your disbelief to enjoy the film. Or have an amazing lack of knowledge about this time period. But if you can do that, it's got romance, action, an antagonist (actually three), and a protagonist (four if you count the chick, the chief, and the kid).

So here's the story and I apologize for not knowing the names, but they're not normal names and difficult to understand. A young girl wanders into a village, the only survivor of marauders who destroy her village. And the old woman seer of this new village "sees" a prophecy involving this girl and a young boy in their village, the son of the chief. Sure enough, that boy grows to be a young man, their leader, and marries the girl. But then the marauders come to their village and destroy it, taking the girl, who is now a young woman. So the young man, whom prophecy has said would destroy the great marauders, sets out after the them with the old chief (his father's best friend). In the midst of all this, he falls into a trap with a sabretooth tiger. Rather than killing it, he saves it, and creates a lifelong friend. They find another village, that's just been attacked, and this village has a prophecy about the young man too. In fact, every village they come across has some kind of prophecy about either the woman or the man.

The marauders take off in ships and sail up the river across the sand. The young hero, who now has hundreds of villagers following him from various tribes, follows the stars at night to track the marauders and they arrive in what looks like Egypt. Since the marauders, who collect slaves like seashells, are building pyramids using mammoths, it looks like it's impenetrable, but they slip right in among the slaves. Seriously, this film is extremely entertaining. The last half hour alone is worth the price of admission, one of those scenes that's so filled with action that you feel like jumping and cheering on the good guys (and the mammoths who finally get free).

If I had to compare this film to another, it would definitely be The Thirteenth Warrior, and not just because Omar Sharif narrates it. The whole saga thing, I think.

Not great, but imaginative
Coming off some rather poor reviews, I expected failure from this movie, and the first ten minutes delivered all the fail I anticipated. After that, it drastically improved, and while it didn't succeed as an epic, it was very lively and highly imaginative.

Starting with the bad, most of the dialogue just plain sucks. It's great that they tried to make the people sound simple, being this is 10,000 BC, but the kids (D'leh and Evolet) had these really painfully Arab-esque accents and awkward dialogue reminiscent of Attack of the Clones Padme and Anakin. The dumb little kid who follows the hunters also is an embarrassing addition, but thankfully his dialogue is limited.

The minor characters, such as the English-speaking African chief, are the only characters who really shine with their simplistic dialogue, and even D'leh sometimes narrowly misses having his lines crumble to sheer stupidity.

Also a major detractment is the narrator, who is mostly completely un-needed save to further some events. Other times, we really don't need to hear him, such as the very end when the Old Mother supposedly 'breathes life' into Evolet. The images showed this clearly enough without needless narration.

In the beginning, the special effects are rather poor, as you can very clearly see that a character doesn't fit in the background environment, as if they were filmed in front of a green screen, and then attempts at digitally removing the green glare only smeared the picture.

Also, it was clearly not necessary to have the ice people of D'leh speak English, as they are the only English-speaking tribe in the movie, and it would have far better served the atmosphere to have them speaking a more primitive language, with more hand and facial gestures than verbosity.

The action sequences, costumes, cinematography, and sets were spectacular, and managed to tell the greater story (oppressed tribes banding together to overthrow a tyrant) in a way that far supersedes the main individual story of D'leh trying to save Evolet, though from the prophetic viewpoint, it was interesting how they twisted the two together, having it be that only D'leh's desire to save Evolet could make him lead the tribes to freedom. To sum, the movie succeeds in macro-storytelling, but fails in micro-storytelling.

As for the historical accuracy... it's very imaginative. And it requires you to use your imagination to explain certain things.

For one, the pyramids in what is clearly Egypt. I thought it was a great explanation to show them using Mammoths to pull their limestone (since even today historians are marveled at how they could have pulled such stones with manpower alone), and though the first pyramids were built some 7,000 years after this movie takes place, the movie makes sure that it is left open to interpretation.

What? The pyramids are barely half-way completed in the movie, and the slaves and tribes revolt against their ruler (a tall, godlike figure who must maintain his illusion of divinity to a point of never being seen; his personal slaves are all blind), leaving the pyramids incomplete. You could easily imagine that the pyramids could left incomplete for thousands of years, before a civilization known to us as the Egyptians of hieroglyphs and mummies worked to complete them. Sands could have eroded the pyramids, covering them up completely, or who knows? The movie doesn't definitively say the pyramids were built in 10,000 BC: only that they were begun, and presumably not completed by the original builders.

In all, it's a beautifully done movie, which suffers from poor micro-storytelling. If the total story were in the forefront, and the love story reduced to a subplot, I think it would have been a far better movie.

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Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

Product Description

Warner Brothers Blade Runner (Blu-ray) (Collector's Edition)
Visually spectacular, intensely action-packed and powerfully prophetic since its debut, "Blade Runner" returns in Ridley Scott's definitive Final Cut, including extended scenes and never-before-seen special effects. In a signature role as 21st-centurydetective Rick Deckard, (Harrison Ford) brings his masculine-yet-vulnerable presence to this stylish noir thriller. In a future of high-tech possibility soured by urban and social decay, Deckard hunts for fugitive, murderous replicants - and is drawn to a mystery woman whose secrets may undermine his soul.

Product Details

• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2007-12-18
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Original recording remastered, Restored, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 5
• Dimensions: 2.00 pounds
• Running time: 578 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Product description
In celebration of Blade Runner's 25th anniversary, director Ridley Scott has gone back into post production to create the long-awaited definitive new version. Blade Runner: The Final Cut, spectacularly restored and remastered from original elements and scanned at 4K resolution, will contain never-before-seen added/extended scenes, added lines, new and improved special effects, director and filmmaker commentary, an all-new 5.1 Dolby® Digital audio track and more. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Joanna Cassidy, Sean Young, and Daryl Hannah are among some 80 stars, filmmakers and others who participate in the extensive bonus features. Among the bonus material highlights is Dangerous Days, a brand new, three-and-a-half-hour documentary by award-winning DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika, with an extensive look into every aspect of the film: its literary genesis, its challenging production and its controversial legacy. The definitive documentary to accompany the definitive film version.

Disc One
RIDLEY SCOTT'S ALL-NEW "FINAL CUT" VERSION OF THE FILM
Restored and remastered with added & extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes:

• Commentary by Ridley Scott
• Commentary by executive producer/co-screenwriter Hampton Fancher and co-screenwriter David Peoples; producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine Haber
• Commentary by visual futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer

Disc Two
DOCUMENTARY DANGEROUS DAYS: MAKING BLADE RUNNER
A feature-length authoritative documentary revealing all the elements that shaped this hugely influential cinema landmark. Cast, crew, critics and colleagues give a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the film -- from its literary roots and inception through casting, production, visuals and special effects to its controversial legacy and place in Hollywood history.

Disc Three
1982 THEATRICAL VERSION
This is the version that introduced U.S. movie-going audiences to a revolutionary film with a new and excitingly provocative vision of the near-future. It contains Deckard/Harrison Ford's character narration and has Deckard and Rachel's (Sean Young) "happy ending" escape scene.

1982 INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Also used on U.S. home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated, and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical Version.

1992 DIRECTOR'S CUT
The Director's Cut omits Deckard's voiceover narration and removes the "happy ending" finale. It adds the famously-controversial "unicorn" sequence, a vision that Deckard has which suggests that he, too, may be a replicant.

Disc Four
BONUS DISC - "Enhancement Archive": 90 minutes of deleted footage and rare or never-before-seen items in featurettes and galleries that cover the film's amazing history, production teams, special effects, impact on society, promotional trailers, TV spots, and much more.

• Featurette "The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Philip K. Dick"
• Featurette "Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film"
• Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews (audio)
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Cover Gallery (images)
• The Art of Blade Runner (image galleries)
• Featurette "Signs of the Times: Graphic Design"
• Featurette "Fashion Forward: Wardrobe & Styling"
• Screen Tests: Rachel & Pris
• Featurette "The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth"
• Unit photography gallery
• Deleted and alternate scenes
• 1982 promotional featurettes
• Trailers and TV spots
• Featurette "Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art"
• Marketing and merchandise gallery (images)
• Featurette "Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard"
• Featurette "--Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers"

Disc Five
WORKPRINT VERSION
This rare version of the film is considered by some to be the most radically different of all the Blade Runner cuts. It includes an altered opening scene, no Deckard narration until the final scenes, no "unicorn" sequence, no Deckard/Rachel "happy ending," altered lines between Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his creator Tyrell (Joe Turkell), alternate music and much more. Also includes:

• Commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner
• Featurette "All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut"

Customer Reviews

Great Buy
I brought this in Feb. 2008 and it is fantastic for the price. I always wanted to have the Theatical release. Even through not many people liked it. I do. I like the dialog and fits with the movie. I also like the other versions. I think it is a better buy than the 5 disk set.

For Blade Runner fans.
This box set is great for any Blade Runner fan, it comes with all the extras you want. If you've never seen the movie I recommend just renting the theatrcal version and then decide to purchase this product. From experience people either love or hate this movie. I happen to love this film and enjoyed the box set with all the extras.

Great visuals!!!
Tremendos visuales para ser una pelicula vieja. Harrison Ford hace un tremendo papel. Muy buen sonido

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The Secret (Extended Edition)

Product Description

The new "extended edition" of this ground-breaking feature length movie presentation reveals The Great Secret of the universe. It has been passed throughout the ages, traveling through centuries... to reach you. This is The Secret to everything - the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted. In this astonishing program are ALL the resources you will ever need to understand and live The Secret. For the first time in history, the world's leading scientists, authors, and philosophers will reveal The Secret that utterly transformed the lives of every person who ever knew it... Plato, Newton, Carnegie, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Einstein. Now YOU will know The Secret. And it can change your life forever.

Product Details

• Brand: The Secret
• Published on: 2006
• Released on: 2006-10-01
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Full length, Subtitled, NTSC, Dolby
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 7.50" h x .50" w x 5.25" l, .22 pounds
• Running time: 92 minutes

Features

• The Internet's #1 Smash Hit -Law of Attraction- Movie
• New Extended Edition
• Experience The Secrets discussed on Larry King & Oprah
• Behind the Sceens, Outtakes and Commentary

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Not really a movie or documentary, The Secret is more of a video seminar, a presentation featuring a series of authors, philosophers, doctors, quantum physicists, entrepreneurs, and spiritual practitioners expounding on the powers of The Secret (probably the most well-known of the presenters is Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Success Principles). What is The Secret, exactly? "That principle can be summed up in three simple words: thoughts become things," proclaims writer Mike Dooley, author of Notes from the Universe. Put it another way, it's The Power of Positive Thinking and how it can be applied to attracting more money, better health, and relationships; in short, happiness. (There is a rundown of topics on the DVD Chapters menu).

Most of the material here is given in a straightforward manner, with the presenters simply talking into the camera to address the audience directly, which is good because it avoids the trap of pretense. On the other hand, the quick edits between presenters (would it hurt to let them say more than one sentence at a time?) don't help because it reduces many of their points to palatable sound bites and aphorisms. To many viewers, this may make the program come across as a series of nice ideas not rooted in reality. Plus it's somewhat spurious to claim that The Secret was well understood and practiced by specific individuals like Plato or Shakespeare (it's well known that some of the historical figures noted didn't exactly live happy or even prosperous lives, despite their achievements). But still, the primary message is one of positivity and hope for everyone. So what to make of it? In the end, programs like this generally find an audience that is open to the message, and many will probably find it to be a source of inspiration. Others will approach it with a good deal of skepticism or dismiss it as another way of marketing happiness the masses. It simply won't resonate with everyone, but if it resonates with you, you're likely to enjoy it and get a lot out of it. Those looking for more on The Secret might want to check out the companion book by Rhonda Byrne. --Daniel Vancini

Customer Reviews

This is the Journey!
This is a great way to start your journey on transformation.....All the teachers of the Law of Attraction give their thoughts and you get an introduction here. I followed up with The Secret and then to practice all the principles I learned and to put them into perspective, I recommend the workbook, Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook.

What a Awesome Secret
This Movie will in fact change your life I would also recommend going tp The Secret .tv ther web site it has more info and book to read it can change your life if you allow it !!!!! GRAET GREAT GREAT!!!!

Awesome
I had heard about both the book and the movie through the media. I blew it off because I am a pessimist and skeptic and didn't really think "it was for me". I have also been newly diagnosed with breast cancer and am reaching for anything that will help me stay positive. This is it!! I am a Christian but not really into organized religion and this book gives me an avenue to see a scientific part of the law of attraction and also apply FAITH to the law of attraction. I use this video and book everyday to help me stay positive and to create some very positive things and changes around me. I have to say that I had a PET scan come out clean and I attribute it to this book- I watched the video the night before, prayed and meditated and it works, it really works. I will take some hard work to change your way of thinking but if your open to anything this is a great option to explore!!

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Terminator 2: Judgment Day [Blu-ray]

Product Description

Lionsgate Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Blu Ray) (Widescreen)
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as "The Terminator" in this explosive action-adventure spectacle.Now he's one of the good guys, sent back in time to protect John Connor, the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. Linda Hamilton reprises her role as Sarah Connor, John's mother, a quintessential survivor who has been institutionalized for her warning of the nuclear holocaust she knows is inevitable. Together, the threesome must find a way to stop the ultimate enemy-the T-1000, the most lethal Terminator ever created. Co-written, produced and directed by James Cameron ("The Terminator," "Aliens," "Titanic"), this visual tour de force is also a touching human story of survival.

Product Details

• Brand: Lionsgate
• Released on: 2006-06-27
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, THX
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 3.00 pounds
• Running time: 137 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
After he pushed the envelope of computer-generated special effects in The Abyss, director James Cameron turned this hotly anticipated sequel to Terminator into a well-written, action-packed showcase for advanced special effects and for one of the most invincible villains ever imagined. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a legitimate sequel: there's more story to tell about a hulking, leather-clad android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who arrives from the future to protect a rebellious teenager and future leader (Edward Furlong) from being killed by the tenacious T-1000 robot (Robert Patrick), whose liquid-metal construction makes him seemingly unstoppable. The fate of the future lies in the balance, with Linda Hamilton (who would later marry her director) reprising her role as the rugged woman whose son will change the course of history. --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com
After he pushed the envelope of computer-generated special effects in The Abyss, director James Cameron turned this hotly anticipated sequel to Terminator into a well-written, action-packed showcase for advanced special effects and for one of the most invincible villains ever imagined. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a legitimate sequel: there's more story to tell about a hulking, leather-clad android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who arrives from the future to protect a rebellious teenager and future leader (Edward Furlong) from being killed by the tenacious T-1000 robot (Robert Patrick), whose liquid-metal construction makes him seemingly unstoppable. The fate of the future lies in the balance, with Linda Hamilton (who would later marry her director) reprising her role as the rugged woman whose son will change the course of history. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
The killer cyborg who was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original "Terminator" (1984) has returned-only this time he's the hero. The first film, which was written and directed by James Cameron, is one of the genre-movie classics of the eighties: a lean, witty science-fiction movie without great pretensions to significance. The sequel, also written (with William Wisher) and directed by Cameron, is far less satisfying. The picture is full of spectacular action sequences and dazzling special effects, but the narrative doesn't have the snap of the original's: it's lumbering and monotonous, and it carries a heavy-handed anti-nuke message. The old, Schwarzenegger-model Terminator (the T-800) had been superseded by a more advanced model, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), who is sleeker and more versatile. T-800, who represented the ultimate in destructive technology in the first film, seems almost human here: compared to T-1000, he's a vulnerable guy (or guyoid). The whole movie is based on the insane conceit that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the underdog. That a stretch. Also with Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, and Joe Morton. Effects by Stan Winston and many, many others. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

T2: No Sophomore Slump
This is one of the rare sequels that not only lives up to but surpasses the original. The music and effects have been ramped up a notch, and the pacing is perfect for the story they are telling here. More importantly, however, the interaction between the characters is just perfectly done and the story has some very deep overtones. The idea of taking your destiny into your own hands is portrayed here excellently.

Speaking more of the minutia of the movie, the role reversal done with Arnold Schwarzenegger's terminator character is a wonderful touch. The idea of a villain reformed is great. Plus the fact that this machine spends much of the movie learning what exactly it is to be human. One particular line at the end is delivered very simply but very poignantly: I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do.

This movie is the rare one that is effectively action-packed, spectacular, poignant, touching and insightful.

The Best DVD Ever Created
This ultimate edition of T2 is truly the mega ultimate edition. You have two discs, 1 is the movie and the 2nd is all of the special features, and it takes days to even name all of them, i mean there are three documentaries, 8 teasers and trailers, seperate interviews with the cast and crew, the entire screenplay, 52 chapters of behind the scenes footage, and original storyboard drawings. This is what DVD was made for!
The first disc can just make this the ultimate edition. You get three versions of the movie, one is the original theatrical version with no extra scenes, the next is the special edition featuring 16 min. of extra scenes, and the extended special edition featuring 18 min. of extra scenes and an alternate ending. Now you can't just get this version, you need a code for it. Go to the special edition menu and highlight "play special edition" then type in 82997, you might have to press enter in between each number, then the "go to theatrical version" option changes to "play extended special edition". Along with the three versions, the DVD has crystal clear picture and 6.1 DTS Surround Sound!!!!!. On the extended versions of the movie, you won't even notice any cut scenes because they are slipped perfectly in the movie. There are also cast & crew biographies that you can access as well as an audio commentary. Now to the 2nd disc. The three documentaries include: The Making of Terminator 2 Judgement Day where they talk about the making of the film, T2 More than Meets the Eye where they talk about deleted scenes and why they cut them, and the last is The Making of Terminator 2 3-D: Breaking the Screen Berrior where they talk about the making of the 3-D terminator ride. Next is the teasers and trailers, there are 2 theatrical trailers, 1 teaser, the T2 special edition trailer, and 4 japenese trailers.
The next is the storyboards, to access these, click on "data hub". There are many,many original drawings, from the arrivals to the end of the movie. Now for the script, you also have to go to "data hub" for this. You get the entire original screenplay of the movieit is awesome to read what Jim Cameron original had in his mind for T2. Next is the 52 chapters, once again you need to go to "data hub". There are seperate chapters for differnt things, i will name you some. pre-production,screenplay,ommited scenes,special effects,makeup,visual effects,marketing campaign,logo customization,post production,casting,props,and post production. There are many,many more but i can't give it all away. The next is the interviews, you need to go to "data hub" for these. After you choose the interviews, you can see them interview people like James Cameron, Arnol Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, William Wisher,and Robert Patrick. If you own the extreme or normal edition, trash those f***ing pieces of sh** and get the Ultimate Edition, you won't be disappointed!!!!!!!!!!

Just okay.
Visuals are decent. Not exactly reference material. I do consider it the best action flick of all time so I think it deserves a better transfer. Maybe VC-1 or AVC instead of MPEG2. The fact that it's an older film has something to do with it also I'm sure. Still good for the price.

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Charlie Wilson's War (Widescreen)

Product Description

Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in this compelling and witty film from Oscar®-winning director Mike Nichols and Primetime Emmy®-winning writer Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing). Based on the outrageous true story Charlie Wilson's War shows how one congressman who loved a good time one Houston socialite who loved a good cause and one renegade CIA agent who loved a good fight conspired to bring about the largest covert operation in history.System Requirements:Running Time: 102 minutes Format: DVD MOVIE

Product Details

• Brand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
• Released on: 2008-04-22
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Arabic, English, Russian
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 102 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Political movies about backroom negotiations need not be dry or heavy-handed, as Charlie Wilson's War delightfully proves. Based on the true story of playboy congressman Wilson's efforts to fund Afghanistan's defense against the Soviet invasion of the 1980s, the film is borne along on breezy attitude and a peppery script by West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin. Wilson, played by Tom Hanks (who also produced), is the perfect hero for this kind of tale, because there's nothing perfect or heroic about him: He's a highball-swilling, fanny-pinching gadabout who becomes radicalized on the issue of helping the Afghans against their mighty aggressor. He has help in the form of a right-wing Texas anti-Communist (Julia Roberts) with a genius for raising money, and a sardonic CIA operative (Philip Seymour Hoffman, stealing the show) who lacks all the social skills Wilson has in abundance. Sorkin's syncopated speech is just the ticket for director Mike Nichols, who understands exactly how to keep this kind of political comedy popping (the complicated story comes in at a hair over 90 minutes, amazingly). Some scoundrels are on the right side of the angels, and the movie's Charlie Wilson is one of them. --Robert Horton

Stills from Charlie Wilson's War (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Charlie Wilson's War
I really enjoyed this movie; Tom Hanks and Julia did a super job as usual. A peek at how politics really work.

The Cold War, now available in Primary colours...
So what do you know - it's possible to make a cheerful movie about the war...
Actually, the reason this movie feels so light and cheerful is that it is really about Charlie Wilson the man rather than the war. The movie tells the (based on true) story of the Texas Congressman who played a pivotal role in getting substantial funding to the Mujahedin in Afghanistan, eventually leading to the forced withdrawal of the Russians, thereby paving the way for the downfall of the Soviet Empire - as told by this movie at least. The interesting part is that Charlie Wilson was a womanizing party animal who was the last person many would have thought would tackle this issue.
The cast fit the bill perfectly - Tom Hanks surprises as the drinking Congressman, sharing a hot tub with strippers doing coke.. but retains the naivete that seems to have allowed him to say `why not' when faced with the question of increasing funds to Afghan freedom fighters. The woman asking the questions is a rich, headstrong Texan woman played by Julia Roberts, and the man in the CIA actually getting the job done and providing the technical explanations, is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
It's shot well, in bright colours and plenty of lighting so we never have a dark moment, and acting is perfectly fine throughout. There is even just a touch of acknowledgement at the end that things were not so straightforward, and a warning that with the Russians gone, and without funding rebuilding infrastructure and schools, the `crazies' would inevitably take the leading role. As of course they did.
On the downside, this is really a very superficial look at the issues, and a rather one-sided look at events in history. On the plus side, it's a fun and entertaining introduction to the man and the history, that at 1hr 38 min never outlasts its welcome.

Charlie's on crack cocaine....
No such thing as a 5 million dollar war, or even a billion dollar war! According to today's newspaper, 4 dollar gas is here to stay, and the economy is forever spirialing upwards, and out of the Feds, control. Oh yeah, the movie, well I fell asleep towards the ending, I don't know if it was the film, or my new Lazyboy recliner, but it's been happening alot lately.

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Iron Man (Special Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

Product Details

• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of discs: 1

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
You know you're going to get a different kind of superhero when you cast Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. And Iron Man is different, in welcome ways. Cleverly updated from Marvel Comics' longstanding series, Iron Man puts billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (that's Downey) in the path of some Middle Eastern terrorists; in a brilliantly paced section, Stark invents an indestructible suit that allows him to escape. If the rest of the movie never quit hits that precise rhythm again, it nevertheless offers plenty of pleasure, as the renewed Stark swears off his past as a weapons manufacturer, develops his new Iron Man suit, and puzzles both his business partner (Jeff Bridges in great form) and executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow). Director Jon Favreau geeks out in fun ways with the hardware, but never lets it overpower the movie, and there's always a goofy one-liner or a slapstick pratfall around to break the tension. As for Downey, he doesn't get to jitterbug around too much in his improv way, but he brings enough of his unpredictable personality to keep the thing fresh. And listen up, hardcore Marvel mavens: even if you know the Stan Lee cameo is coming, you won't be able to guess it until it's on the screen. It all builds to a splendid final scene, with a concluding line delivery by Downey that just feels absolutely right. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Fantastic
Second to Spider-Man 2, this was the best comic book movie I have ever seen. As bored as I am becoming with the superhero retelling craze, this was completely valid and interesting version of a comic book character I never had much interest in and now adore. I blame Robert Downey Jr. for this entirely, but it doesn't matter because it is laugh out loud funny, fast paced and entertaining throughout. I only wish Paltrow hadn't been quite so drab.

The Best Superhero Movie So Far...
I must say I've seen just about every superhero movie of the past 10 years, and when the genre should be faltering, it rockets to its best yet with Iron Man. Sure, I was skeptical, I had never heard of the character, and the cast wasn't exactly the type that would make me jump out of my seat. But one night, I decided to see what all the hype was about, because there was no way it could live up to it, right? Actually, it doesn't get enough.

The Story: Totally believable. I mean, it isn't everyday you say that about a movie, much less a super hero movie, but this could really be something that could happen in real life. Totally implausible, mind you, but the terrorist part fit today's audiences. And not only does a corrupt CEO selling weapons to our enemies seem believable, I have no doubt that it is/was happening. In fact, when that element of the plot came out, I immediately thought Jeffrey Immelt. And Iron Man/Tony Stark's storyline is as compelling as it is good. Which mean, it's pretty darn compelling and good.

The Effects: It terms of quality, yeah, it's awesome. But I didn't think the action sequences were blockbuster quality. Sure, they were good, but I don't remember anything blowing me out of my seat. But hey, I'm probably hard to please.

The Suit: I don't say this very much, I mean, I don't pay much attention to the overall suits to these characters, but let me just say, the Iron Man suit is kick-a**! Totally freakin' awesome, and kudos to whoever designed it. If a car, it would probably be a Porche or a Corvette. Sexy all over.

Supporting Characters: I wasn't expecting much out of Gyneth Paltrow, but I was very surprised. She was a very strong character, and she was actually pretty good looking. Terrance Howard was underwhelming to say the least, and probably would have been better replaced by Donald Faison, in my opinion. Dr. Yinsen was also a very well-developed character, and when he left, I was actually emotionally attached to him, which is amazing for the short time he was on screen. He was just a very likable guy.

Villains: As said before, all very believable and probably the most real villains in any superhero movie. Jeff Bridges was excellent for his role, and played it up to its fullest, but not going over. He knew his boundaries. And what can I say, great look for a villain, terrible name.

Tony Stark/Iron Man: Is it too early to say Oscar nomination? I mean, really that character was one of the best to grace the screen since Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow. Totally iconic, and perfect in every way. He's likable, funny, quick-witted, smart, compassionate, and bad-a** when he has to be. And unlike most hero castings, there was only one person that could have played it up to this caliber, and that's Mr. Robert Downey Jr. who officially makes his comeback in the best way possible. I mean, I loved Downey all the more because of this movie, and now I'm a major fan, something I never was with Depp. Downey has the character down pat, and he has made it his own.

Overall, with amazing casting, a believable story and villains, and just great everything, this movie succeeds in almost every manner. It lives up to the hype and more. This will certainly be a movie I pick up when it comes out on Blu-Ray later this year. All I can say is SEQUAL!!!!

For the Future of Mankind
What makes Iron Man a great movie is that it is virtually void of those moments where you go, "That could never happen." And that's saying a lot for a movie about a guy that creates an "iron" suit that is not only a lean mean fighting machine, but also gives Tony Stark the ability to fly.

I've seen comparisons between the detail and...well...just plain awesomeness that was abundant in Batman Begins and Iron Man. And that comparison would not be incorrect. While I'd agree that both had great action and made viewers believe that these superheros actually existed, Batman Begins was more dark while Iron Man kept you giggling at Tony Stark's wise-guy personality...which is true to the comic book versions of the characters.

And who better to be in the role of a wise-guy than Robert Downey, Jr. Man, did he nail the role of Stark! And the rest of the cast and acting in the movie were terrific.

Iron Man takes you from Stark's creation of the gold-titanium-alloy suit to his confrontation with those that would see Stark Industries commit treason. There's plenty of action and tons of visual candy. The story is well-written for the screen and the directing will probably put Jon Favreau in the sought-after category.

The good news is that Iron Man will be back, but in what capacity is the question. It's well known that Stark (Downey, Jr) has a cameo in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. And it's rumored that the actors in Iron Man have all signed on for two sequels (at the time of this writing Director Favreau has not). But will Iron Man's return be solo, or perhaps with some of his Avenging buddies? Either way...I can't wait.

I will definitely pick up Iron Man for my collection. I don't know about the theaters in your area, but the theaters in mine don't even come close to the picture and sound quality that I get from my home theater. I'm not bragging; I'm just saying that Iron Man will be a movie that goes into my Blu Ray player the day it's released.

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Weeds - Season One

Product Details

• Released on: 2006-07-11
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 283 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
With its fantastic comedy series Weeds, cable network Showtime finally gave up its also-ran status to HBO and found itself with a controversial, buzz-worthy show that was as hilarious as it was dark, one about a truly desperate housewife. A recent widow with two growing sons, Nancy Botwin (Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker) looks like a typical resident of the affluent Southern California suburb of Agrestic. She keeps a clean, upscale house (with the help of a live-in maid), attends PTA meetings, goes to her kids' soccer games, makes frequent stops at the local coffee franchise.... and sells marijuana in order to make it all possible. Left with no way to support herself after her beloved husband's fatal heart attack, Nancy turns herself into the "suburban baroness of bud," dealing to her neighbors in the area, with the help of her supplier Heylia (Tonye Patano) and point man Conrad (Romany Malco). Nancy's clients run from the local councilman (Kevin Nealon) to the just-barely-legal students at the local community college, but many in Agrestic are still in the dark as to how she keeps her family afloat, including her best friend, the sardonic Celia (Elizabeth Perkins), a wife and mother whose blistering, withering put-downs could make Dorothy Parker cringe in fear. But like many small-business owners, Nancy yearns for more success and cash, and like her workaholic neighbors, finds keeping a balance between work life and home life to be extremely precarious at best.

While Desperate Housewives yearned to be a suburban satire with bite, Weeds was the real deal, skewering upper-middle class mores with a sharp eye, a keen wit, and a mostly forgiving heart. In episode after episode, the show's creative team (led by creator Jenji Kohan) pulled back the layers of Agrestic's superficiality to show what lies beneath the squeaky-clean exteriors and smiling faces; it turns out that hunger, fear, desire, and, yes, desperation aren't that far down. However, Weeds forsakes pulpiness and florid drama for biting yet affectionate humor--its heroine is a woman with sliding morals, but one you'll root for to the very end. The effervescent Parker, the only actress who can mix perkiness with morbidity in just the right amounts, anchored the show with her amazing turn as Nancy, who by the end of the first season had become a kind of soccer-mom version of Michael Corleone, entering a corrupt world with both trepidation and fascination--and totally enamored of the power it brought her. Also perfectly cast, Perkins found the role of a lifetime as the bitterly hilarious Celia, and entering the show in its fourth episode, Justin Kirk (Parker's co-star in Angels in America) proved to be a potent secret weapon as Nancy's brother-in-law Andy, a slacker who wasn't above peddling t-shirts to elementary school kids. As icky as these characters might appear on the surface, Weeds made them all immensely appealing and great company to be around. Don't say we didn't warn you: one hit and you'll be hooked on this show. The DVDs feature six episode commentaries with cast and crew, outtakes, original featurettes, a music video, and most enjoyably, Agrestic Herbal Recipes (for entertainment value only, we assume) and the "Smoke and Mirrors" marijuana mockumentary. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews

No weed killer required
Amazing show!
All I can say is thank GOD for Pay TV in America so the boundaries of what is correct can be pushed.
Good to see good old American capitalism at work.
Great cast, very funny, Americans starting to revel in quirky characters.

Weeds - Love it!!!
What a great show. Just watched Season 2. Season 3 has just shipped.

Reminds me of the great shows HBO USED TO HAVE!

Weeds - I Just Found Out
Ok, so I'm almost FOUR YEARS LATE with this - but I've only recently discovered the show "Weeds" and am now hopelessly addicted. The ensemble cast is terrific, the writing is clever, even the music selection for the shows stands out.

Weeds is a 30 minute sitcom that airs only on Showtime (which is partially why I'd never seen it - I don't watch Showtime). But the good news for you Netflix subscribers out there is that seasons 1 & 2 are available to watch instantly on your PC - this is a very good thing - as I watched the entire first season in two days and don't know what I'll do when I get to the end of season two (oh, yes I do - I'll go out and buy Season three).

The story centers around the life of Nancy Botwin (played by Mary-Louise Parker), who loses her young husband to a heart attack, and has to go from a stay at home soccer mom to the person responsible for paying the bills. Since she has no prior career path, she takes up selling pot to the people she knows in her L.A. suburb, Agrestic. Among her customers are the head of the city council - and her financial adviser, and a lawyer whose head is shaved bald while he's asleep after his wife sees a video of him having sex with the tennis pro.

Her connection for pot is the African American family of Heylia James (Tonye Patano), and some of the funniest scenes come when she is on the camera. The cast also includes Elizabeth Perkins, and Kevin Nealon - both brilliant in their roles.

This is just one of the funniest, most clever shows I've seen in years, and I can't recommend it highly (no pun intended) enough. As an added bonus, you can go here and stream all of the music used in the show - it makes for a great listen!

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe [Blu-ray]

Product Description

Prepare to enter another world when Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media invite you to experience C.S. Lewis' timeless and beloved adventure as never before on Blu-ray Disc™. Join Lucy Edmund Susan and Peter four siblings who step through a magical wardrobe and find the land of Narnia. There they discover a charming once-peaceful kingdom that has been plunged into eternal winter by the evil White Witch Jadis. Aided by the magnificent lion Aslan the children lead Narnia into a tremendous climactic battle to be free of the Witch's glacial powers forever! And now the stunningly realistic special effects are even more breathtaking in the astounding clarity of high definition. Meet talking beasts dwarfs fauns centaurs giants and more! Meanwhile every sound -- from the roar of Aslan to the echo of battle trumpets and the gentle rustling of leaves -- comes alive with spectacularly enhanced audio quality. Live the adventure of a lifetime as if for the very first time with Disney Blu-ray -- Magic in High Definition.System Requirements:Running Time: 135 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 786936751963 Manufacturer No: 05614900

Product Details

• Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
• Released on: 2008-05-13
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 135 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
C.S. Lewis's classic novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe makes an ambitious and long-awaited leap to the screen in this modern adaptation. It's a CGI-created world laden with all the special effects and visual wizardry modern filmmaking technology can conjure, which is fine so long as the film stays true to the story that Lewis wrote. And while this film is not a literal translation--it really wants to be so much more than just a kids' movie--for the most part it is faithful enough to the story, and whatever faults it has are happily faults of overreaching, and not of holding back. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells the story of the four Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and their adventures in the mystical world of Narnia. Sent to the British countryside for their own safety during the blitz of World War II, they discover an entryway into a mystical world through an old wardrobe. Narnia is inhabited by mythical, anthropomorphic creatures suffering under the hundred-year rule of the cruel White Witch (Tilda Swinton, in a standout role). The arrival of the children gives the creatures of Narnia hope for liberation, and all are dragged into the inevitable conflict between evil (the Witch) and good (Aslan the Lion, the Messiah figure, regally voiced by Liam Neeson).

Director (and co-screenwriter) Andrew Adamson, a veteran of the Shrek franchise, knows his way around a fantasy-based adventure story, and he wisely keeps the story moving when it could easily become bogged down and tiresome. Narnia is, of course, a Christian allegory and the symbology is definitely there (as it should be, otherwise it wouldn't be the story Lewis wrote), but audiences aren't knocked over the head with it, and in the hands of another director it could easily have become pedantic. The focus is squarely on the children and their adventures. The four young actors are respectable in their roles, especially considering the size of the project put on their shoulders, but it's the young Georgie Henley as the curious Lucy who stands out. This isn't a film that wildly succeeds, and in the long run it won't have the same impact as the Harry Potter franchise, but it is well done, and kids will get swept up in the adventure. Note: Narnia does contain battle scenes that some parents may consider too violent for younger children. --Dan Vancini

Customer Reviews

The Chronicles of Narnia- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The movie was excellent. It did the book justice. Great family fun for both old and new.

Wonderful movie adaptation
It had been a very long time since I had seen the original and had heard much hype over this remake. I bought the movie on a whim and absolutely fell in love with it. This movie is for everyone that still has any bit of their child hood still inside.

Excellent rendition of story
C.S.Lewis' classic series The Chronicles of Narnia has long awaited a decent movie rendition. This is a great start. Now to see if they follow thru with the remaining stories.

NOTE: To get the best value from these movies, you really should read them.

[ Buy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe [Blu-ray] ]

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Sex and the City - The Complete Series (Collector's Giftset)

Product Details

• Released on: 2007-12-18
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 20

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Sex and the City is based on Candace Bushnell's provocative bestselling book. Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a self-described "sexual anthropologist," who writes "Sex and the City," a newspaper column that chronicles the state of sexual affairs of Manhattanites in this "age of un-innocence." Her "posse," including nice girl Charlotte (Kristin Davis), hard-edged Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and party girl Samantha (Kim Cattrall)--not to mention her own tumultuous love life--gives Carrie plenty of column fodder. Over the course of the first season's 12 episodes, the most prominent dramatic arc concerns Carrie, who goes from turning the tables on "toxic bachelors" by having "sex like a man" to wanting to join the ranks of "the monogamists" with the elusive Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Meanwhile, Miranda, Cynthia, and Samantha have their own dating woes.

The second season builds on the foundation of the first season with plot arcs that are both hilarious and heartfelt, taking the show from breakout hit to true pop-culture phenomenon. Relationship epiphanies coexist happily alongside farcical plots and zingy one-liners, resulting in emotionally satisfying episodes that feature the sharp kind of character-defining dialogue that seems to have disappeared from the rest of TV long ago. When last we left the NYC gals, Carrie had just broken up with a commitment-phobic Mr. Big (Chris Noth), but fans of Noth's seductive-yet-distant rake didn't have to wait long until he was back in the picture, as he and Carrie tried to make another go of it. Their relationship evolution, from reunion to second breakup, provides the core of the second season. Among other adventures, Charlotte puzzles over whether one of her beaus was "gay-straight" or "straight-gay"; Miranda tries to date a guy who insists on having sex only in places where they might get caught; and Samantha copes with dates who range from, um, not big enough to far too big--with numerous stops in between.

The third season was the charm, as the series earned its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series to go along with its Golden Globes for Best Comedy Series and Best Actress (Parker). One of this season's two principal story arcs concerned hapless-in-love Charlotte and her pursuit of a husband; enter (if only...) Kyle McLachlan as the unfortunately impotent Trey. Meanwhile, Carrie has a brief but memorable fling with a politician who's golden, but not in the way she anticipated. She then sabotages her too-good-to-be-true relationship with furniture designer Aidan (John Corbett) by having an affair with Mr. Big (Chris Noth), who himself has gotten married. Like I Love Lucy, the series benefited from a brief change of scenery with a three-episode jaunt to Los Angeles, where Carrie and company encountered, among others, Matthew McConaughey, Vince Vaughn, Hugh Hefner, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The fourth season is just as smart and sexy as ever, mixing caustic adult wit and sharply observed situation comedy on the mean streets of Manhattan, though this time the quartet of singleton city girls must endure even tougher combat in the unending war of love, sex, and shopping. Carrie finally seems to have found her ideal life partner when she is reunited with handsome craftsman Aidan. But can their relationship survive trial by cohabitation? Meanwhile Charlotte seems to have both her dream Park Avenue apartment and a solution to her marital problems with Trey. But when the subject of babies comes up, everything starts to unravel for her, too. It's not just Charlotte who has baby issues either: after what seems like an eternity of enforced sexual abstinence Miranda is horrified to discover she's pregnant. And as for the sultry Samantha, she's on a quest for monogamy, first with an exotic lesbian artist, then with a philandering businessman, with whom to her utter dismay she just might have fallen in love.

It was a short but sweet fifth season, as HBO's resident comediennes found themselves affected by forces beyond their control--the pregnancies of both Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon. A truncated shooting schedule to accommodate the actresses forced this season to be reduced to a mere eight episodes, but they and creators forged ahead, creating a handful of episodes that if short in content were long on emotion and laughs. Carrie and Miranda wrestled with their solitary lifestyles, albeit with new attachments--Miranda had new baby Brady and single motherhood, while Carrie found herself in the world of publishing as the author of a real-life book of her columns. Charlotte wondered if she'd ever find another man, while Samantha finally got rid of the one that had been vexing her far too much. If the season as a whole felt less than the sum of its parts, those parts were some of the best comedy in the show's history. The season's climactic episode, "I Love a Charade," was one of the series' best episodes ever, equally touching and funny, and grounded the show in an emotional maturity that announced that after all their wild travails, these women had truly grown up.

After a long wait--like the entire fifth season--Carrie is dating again. The sixth season starts with Carrie and her sparkly new potential, Berger (Ron Livingston), trying to leave past relationships and hit it off, with mixed results. Meanwhile Carrie's friends seem to be settling down, relatively speaking. Miranda decides that her affair with TiVo cannot compete when Mr. Perfect (Blair Underwood, at his most charming) moves into her building. Charlotte's feelings for her "opposites attract" boyfriend (Evan Handler) deepen, but they still have a few things to iron out. Most surprising is Samantha's hot relationship with waiter-actor-stud Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) taking on something resembling love, despite Samantha's best intentions. Before the sixth season started in the summer of 2003, a bombshell hit: it was announced that this would be the finale. But it would be a long season, and these 12 episodes plant the seeds for the final 8 airing the following winter. These dozen episodes illustrate the maturity of the show: there's not a bad one in the bunch, and the show is still flat-out funny. The comedy blends serious points of how we perceive singles, couples, and parents (and the gifts we lavish on the latter two). Carrie's method of celebrating her singlehood is just another gem in this treasure of a series.

With the last eight episodes of the sixth season, HBO's grand sitcom concluded, leaving untold numbers of women--and many men--feeling deprived. The six-year series certainly did not outlast its welcome; the final season is some of the best TV had to offer in 2004. In many ways, the eight episodes served as a single finale, with all four characters approaching a kind of destiny and happiness, the theme of this last half-season (which aired weeks after the first half). Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) continues her romance with Russian artist (Mikhail Baryshnikov), a flippantly arrogant man who's been around the block, but able to supply Carrie's needed desire for magic. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) has settled down with Steve (David Eigenberg), but there is more that will change with her, including her address. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) continues to make baby plans now that the husband slot is filled quite nicely (Evan Handler). Going down the final stretch--and Samantha's (Kim Cattrall) cancer--gives the series a more serious tone, but there's always a jab to tickle the funny bone: Miranda's awkwardness with happiness, Charlotte's latest passion, Carrie typing someplace new, and Samantha getting into Paris Hilton territory. Like any series winding down, there is a wedding, a baby, old faces popping up, and some star-ladened new ones. In the final two-part episode, "An American in Paris," Carrie faces her romantic destiny, but also solidifies herself as a fashion icon, an Audrey Hepburn for 21st-century television. In the penultimate episode, she asks her friends an emotional question: "What if I never met you?" Certainly fans can ask of themselves the same question and reminisce how much better TV became since they first tuned in these four women of the City.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Sex and the City is based on Candace Bushnell's provocative bestselling book. Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a self-described "sexual anthropologist," who writes "Sex and the City," a newspaper column that chronicles the state of sexual affairs of Manhattanites in this "age of un-innocence." Her "posse," including nice girl Charlotte (Kristin Davis), hard-edged Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and party girl Samantha (Kim Cattrall)--not to mention her own tumultuous love life--gives Carrie plenty of column fodder. Over the course of the first season's 12 episodes, the most prominent dramatic arc concerns Carrie, who goes from turning the tables on "toxic bachelors" by having "sex like a man" to wanting to join the ranks of "the monogamists" with the elusive Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Meanwhile, Miranda, Cynthia, and Samantha have their own dating woes.

The second season builds on the foundation of the first season with plot arcs that are both hilarious and heartfelt, taking the show from breakout hit to true pop-culture phenomenon. Relationship epiphanies coexist happily alongside farcical plots and zingy one-liners, resulting in emotionally satisfying episodes that feature the sharp kind of character-defining dialogue that seems to have disappeared from the rest of TV long ago. When last we left the NYC gals, Carrie had just broken up with a commitment-phobic Mr. Big (Chris Noth), but fans of Noth's seductive-yet-distant rake didn't have to wait long until he was back in the picture, as he and Carrie tried to make another go of it. Their relationship evolution, from reunion to second breakup, provides the core of the second season. Among other adventures, Charlotte puzzles over whether one of her beaus was "gay-straight" or "straight-gay"; Miranda tries to date a guy who insists on having sex only in places where they might get caught; and Samantha copes with dates who range from, um, not big enough to far too big--with numerous stops in between.

The third season was the charm, as the series earned its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series to go along with its Golden Globes for Best Comedy Series and Best Actress (Parker). One of this season's two principal story arcs concerned hapless-in-love Charlotte and her pursuit of a husband; enter (if only...) Kyle McLachlan as the unfortunately impotent Trey. Meanwhile, Carrie has a brief but memorable fling with a politician who's golden, but not in the way she anticipated. She then sabotages her too-good-to-be-true relationship with furniture designer Aidan (John Corbett) by having an affair with Mr. Big (Chris Noth), who himself has gotten married. Like I Love Lucy, the series benefited from a brief change of scenery with a three-episode jaunt to Los Angeles, where Carrie and company encountered, among others, Matthew McConaughey, Vince Vaughn, Hugh Hefner, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The fourth season is just as smart and sexy as ever, mixing caustic adult wit and sharply observed situation comedy on the mean streets of Manhattan, though this time the quartet of singleton city girls must endure even tougher combat in the unending war of love, sex, and shopping. Carrie finally seems to have found her ideal life partner when she is reunited with handsome craftsman Aidan. But can their relationship survive trial by cohabitation? Meanwhile Charlotte seems to have both her dream Park Avenue apartment and a solution to her marital problems with Trey. But when the subject of babies comes up, everything starts to unravel for her, too. It's not just Charlotte who has baby issues either: after what seems like an eternity of enforced sexual abstinence Miranda is horrified to discover she's pregnant. And as for the sultry Samantha, she's on a quest for monogamy, first with an exotic lesbian artist, then with a philandering businessman, with whom to her utter dismay she just might have fallen in love.

It was a short but sweet fifth season, as HBO's resident comediennes found themselves affected by forces beyond their control--the pregnancies of both Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon. A truncated shooting schedule to accommodate the actresses forced this season to be reduced to a mere eight episodes, but they and creators forged ahead, creating a handful of episodes that if short in content were long on emotion and laughs. Carrie and Miranda wrestled with their solitary lifestyles, albeit with new attachments--Miranda had new baby Brady and single motherhood, while Carrie found herself in the world of publishing as the author of a real-life book of her columns. Charlotte wondered if she'd ever find another man, while Samantha finally got rid of the one that had been vexing her far too much. If the season as a whole felt less than the sum of its parts, those parts were some of the best comedy in the show's history. The season's climactic episode, "I Love a Charade," was one of the series' best episodes ever, equally touching and funny, and grounded the show in an emotional maturity that announced that after all their wild travails, these women had truly grown up.

After a long wait--like the entire fifth season--Carrie is dating again. The sixth season starts with Carrie and her sparkly new potential, Berger (Ron Livingston), trying to leave past relationships and hit it off, with mixed results. Meanwhile Carrie's friends seem to be settling down, relatively speaking. Miranda decides that her affair with TiVo cannot compete when Mr. Perfect (Blair Underwood, at his most charming) moves into her building. Charlotte's feelings for her "opposites attract" boyfriend (Evan Handler) deepen, but they still have a few things to iron out. Most surprising is Samantha's hot relationship with waiter-actor-stud Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) taking on something resembling love, despite Samantha's best intentions. Before the sixth season started in the summer of 2003, a bombshell hit: it was announced that this would be the finale. But it would be a long season, and these 12 episodes plant the seeds for the final 8 airing the following winter. These dozen episodes illustrate the maturity of the show: there's not a bad one in the bunch, and the show is still flat-out funny. The comedy blends serious points of how we perceive singles, couples, and parents (and the gifts we lavish on the latter two). Carrie's method of celebrating her singlehood is just another gem in this treasure of a series.

With the last eight episodes of the sixth season, HBO's grand sitcom concluded, leaving untold numbers of women--and many men--feeling deprived. The six-year series certainly did not outlast its welcome; the final season is some of the best TV had to offer in 2004. In many ways, the eight episodes served as a single finale, with all four characters approaching a kind of destiny and happiness, the theme of this last half-season (which aired weeks after the first half). Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) continues her romance with Russian artist (Mikhail Baryshnikov), a flippantly arrogant man who's been around the block, but able to supply Carrie's needed desire for magic. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) has settled down with Steve (David Eigenberg), but there is more that will change with her, including her address. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) continues to make baby plans now that the husband slot is filled quite nicely (Evan Handler). Going down the final stretch--and Samantha's (Kim Cattrall) cancer--gives the series a more serious tone, but there's always a jab to tickle the funny bone: Miranda's awkwardness with happiness, Charlotte's latest passion, Carrie typing someplace new, and Samantha getting into Paris Hilton territory. Like any series winding down, there is a wedding, a baby, old faces popping up, and some star-ladened new ones. In the final two-part episode, "An American in Paris," Carrie faces her romantic destiny, but also solidifies herself as a fashion icon, an Audrey Hepburn for 21st-century television. In the penultimate episode, she asks her friends an emotional question: "What if I never met you?" Certainly fans can ask of themselves the same question and reminisce how much better TV became since they first tuned in these four women of the City.

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