My daughter introduced me to the "Jesse Stone" franchise, and I've enjoyed each entry. The title character is a perfect fit for Tom Selleck. Viola Davis is a pleasure as always to see. "Night Passage", while advertised as a prequel, is actually the opening chapter for the film collection, and I highly recommend not only this individual installment but the remaining ones as well.
Sorry to see "Felicity" come to a close. The characters were multi-dimensional, textured, and both the creators and cast should be proud of their accomplishments over the course of the show's four seasons. The back-and-forth between Felicity and Ben was a little grating, but it's nice that they wind up together in the end. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, I will revisit the program.
It's rare to put an album on and not have to skip a track along the process of listening. Norah Jones's "Come Away With Me", her debut album, succeeds in that regard and more. A beautiful collection of music.
Combining the considerable comic talents of Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, Life is a successful attempt to bring comedy to a film genre not normally known for humor -- the prison movie. Universal's DVD is nothing short of outstanding, with excellent reproduction of the feature backed up with a host of special features. The anamorphic transfer is just about flawless, with depth, balance, and rich colors throughout. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is of similar quality, providing a perfect platform for the selection of R&B songs featured on the soundtrack. There is certainly no shortage of supplemental features on this disc, including standard fare such as cast and crew biographies, production notes, and the film's theatrical trailer. The "Spotlight On Location" featurette, subtitled "A Look Into Life," runs to around 20 minutes in length, and is composed mainly of interview footage with the cast and filmmakers. Ted Demme's director's commentary is not always as informative as it could have been, but it is constantly effusive and contains a few interesting anecdotes. Probably the most unusual feature on this DVD is the "Director's Edit" section, which illustrates how Demme would have edited key scenes had it not been for studio interference. Other features include two music videos ("Life" by K-Ci & Jo Jo and "Fortunate" by Maxwell), trailers for Mystery Men and For Love of the Game, CD-ROM material, and a riotously funny collection of outtakes. Overall Universal has produced a truly marvelous disc, which offers just about everything one could reasonably expect of a DVD release.
Keri Russell stars as a college freshman attempting to find herself and succeed personally and academically in every episode from the first season of Felicity, all of which are collected on this release.
Rarely can you purchase a season of a television show and be intrigued with every episode. This is the case with the sophomore season of "Felicity". Keri Russell is fantastic as the title character, and the ensemble cast is equally excellent. Look forward to ordering the remaining seasons.
Kate Beckinsale excels as Selene. Perfect casting! I highly recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys films that are supernatural in nature, focusing on vampires, werewolves, etc. In addition to this trilogy, be sure to check out "Underworld: Awakening", the franchise's fourth entry.
David Fincher's serial killer thriller Seven was given a fabulous two-disc deluxe release a few years back. This single-disc edition offers an inexpensive way to acquire just the film without the extras that were loaded onto that previous edition. The film is presented here in a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital EX 5.1, DTS ES Surround Sound, and Stereo Surround Sound. English and French subtitles are accessible. Both the video and audio quality are excellent.
The ending sequence, more specifically the events therein, took me by surprise. Multiple genres were combined to stunning effect in "Seven". Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman were perfectly cast, and their collaborations were beautifully captured by master director David Fincher.
"The Jerk" introduced us to Steve Martin whose genius/artistry continues to both sustain and expand over time. If you love movies, I recommend adding this film to your collection.