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  • Review count
    6
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  • First review
    April 13, 2013
  • Last review
    April 25, 2013
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    4.8
 
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dmm32552's Reviews
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Tom Hanks' directorial debut is a gem
on April 25, 2013
Posted by: dmm32552
from Council Bluffs, IA
The song "That Thing You Do!" is likely to become lodged in your brain along with a slew of other very catchy tunes sung by the Wonders and other "faux" music acts featured in this Tom Hanks-helmed period comedy. The film is fairly light with no sense of danger, making it light and easy fare to take in during almost any mood. It is infinitely rewatchable. I could even watch it more than once in a week. Hanks gave Charlize Theron and most of the male actors their first big acting gigs.
The Blu-ray includes the Directors Cut which adds a whopping 39 minutes to the total run-time of the film! None of the added footage really makes the film seem to end any less abruptly -- it seems like we're just getting started with the success of the Wonders and then the film is over -- but it does add a lot of character development and some fun scenes that definitely should have been left in the theatrical cut.
My Best Buy number: 38272783
What's great about it: Light & fun with catchy songs, very high replay value
What's not so great: Ends fairly abruptly, leaves one wanting more
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Foresight is 20/20
on April 16, 2013
Posted by: dmm32552
from Council Bluffs, IA
I am NOT a guy who listens to this type of pop music, which is why I am shocked at how much I enjoy this album. At many points in "Mirrors" and a few other tracks, you can hear the influence of the great Michael Jackson seeping into this production and execution and think for a second that Timberlake may be on the verge of taking up the mantle that MJ left in his wake. This album is not quite as "complete" as MJ's three or four best records, but it is certainly something to behold. As great as the lead single "Suit and Tie" is, there is much better stuff to enjoy on this record #including the aforementioned "Mirrors" and the incredible opener "Pusher Love". I adore that JT isn't here to just drop 3-minute radio singles on us. Many of these songs -- whose average length on the CD is a whopping 7 minutes -- are really 2 songs in one, and sound experimentation with the aid of the Tennessee Kids is a high priority here for Mr. Timberlake. With the album's closing track, we even get a ballad that sounds as if it could have come straight off an Owl City or The Postal Service record. Give this one a try. You will love it.
My Best Buy number: 38272783
What's great about it: catchy, experimental, slick production, danceable
What's not so great: some may be turned off by track length (avg of 7 mins)
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
The Master: a film to either chew on or spit out
on April 16, 2013
Posted by: dmm32552
from Council Bluffs, IA
Do not blind buy this film. It is not nearly as accessible as Anderson's last film, 2007's "There Will Be Blood" and it's ending is about as maddening to most as the conclusion to the Coen Brothers' "A Serious Man" #though much less ominous#. It's a film founded upon brilliant performances and exchanges between Phoenix and Hoffman. Phoenix has never better, but this type of acting is par for the course in Hoffman's world. You'll get right away that Phoenix plays a post-WWII drifter with some PTSD issues and a lot of regret. You'll similarly get that he wanders into the world of a religious cult led by Hoffman and quickly becomes his protege. You will see how the men feed off one another and how Phoenix struggles with his newfound lot in life. What is difficult is to prescribe meaning to anything that occurs in the last hour or so. What does it all mean? What does Anderson want to tell us? It is nothing that he is willing to hit us over the head with, which is why this film will take patience and repeat viewings to appreciate. Some will endure, most will not. The BD features an on-disc bonus featurette that is a vintage documentary shot by the great John Huston on the subject of WWII war vets with PTSD. Not to be missed!
My Best Buy number: 38272783
What's great about it: tour-de-force acting by Phoenix, beautiful cinematography
What's not so great: the film's denouement & purpose will be lost on most everyone
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
In Spielberg's most cerebral gem, Lewis IS Lincoln
on April 16, 2013
Posted by: dmm32552
from Council Bluffs, IA
You'll either love this movie or you'll find it boring. I fall into the former camp because the dialogue is magnificent and intriguing (as is the historical subject matter#, and the way the Oscar-winning production design by Rick Carter is delivered I was swept away to another time. I felt like I was in Lincoln's chambers or in the House of Representatives or in the White House as a fly on the wall. Lewis nearly disappears into the role of Lincoln, and what remains of him perfectly compliments the man I've always envisioned Abe Lincoln to be. Spielberg has never been this restrained and cerebral and this film is just another feather in his varied cap. Chances are, it will feel like every bit of its 2 hr and 20 min running time, but that's okay. We can afford to set aside that much time for a film this important and skillfully-made.
I have docked this some points on the special features disc (I am reviewing the edition that comes with the extra BD bonus disc) because it doesn't deliver all that it should for a film this important, from a studio this resourceful, and for the surcharge it carries with it. What's on disc is great material and not too repetitive, but it lacks one of those big 60-minute+ catch-all features that you can just sit back and enjoy without fiddling with the remote to play 10 different small featurettes. It also lacks an audio commentary. I realize Spielberg does not do these, but I'd bet anything that source author Doris Kearns Goodwin and Oscar-nominated scribe Tony Kushner would have done a tremendous one. And Rick Carter probably as well. Oh well. It wouldn't surprise me to see another edition of this released somewhere down the line with more thorough special features.
My Best Buy number: 38272783
What's great about it: acting (especially Lewis' iconic turn), production values, dialogue
What's not so great: for the heavy surcharge, the bonus disc doesn't deliver 100%
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Choose Your Own Spiritual Adventure
on April 13, 2013
Posted by: dmm32552
from Council Bluffs, IA
When some people I know heard that at the heart of of the stunningly visual, family-friendly, adventure-filled "Life of Pi" is a story that is essentially a meditation on faith, I witnessed them groan and not want to give it a chance. But the beauty of the film is that is let's you decide. It is not heavy-handed; it is an open book. That the Oscar-winning Director Ang Lee and his cast and crew were able to accomplish this while making it the visual masterpiece it is should be talked about for years to come. "Argo" may have taken home Best Picture for 2012, but "Life of Pi" is the type of film that can and will endure longer and appeal to a great range of people of all ages and all nationalities worldwide. Lee and Co. have truly made a globally important film here. The Blu-ray disc features reference quality picture and audio as well as a nice array of bonus features. And the 3D at home is tremendous!
My Best Buy number: 38272783
What's great about it: Stunning Visuals, Incredibly moving, Beautiful music
What's not so great: It takes a toll on you emotionally, making it hard to revisit
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
A bona fide B-movie gem in a great package!
on April 13, 2013
Posted by: dmm32552
from Council Bluffs, IA
Criterion Collection has finally upgraded "The Blob" for Blu-ray disc. And while the upgrade adds no additional special features from the previous DVD version except for an essay in the included booklet, the HD transfer makes this film look more beautiful than ever. Shot outside the Hollywood system with a star-making performance from Steve McQueen, "The Blob" rightfully was a smash at the box office, quite a feat for an independently-made, low-budget genre pic. The blob itself is not even close to menacing, but that -- along with a catchy theme song from a young Burt Bacharach -- is part of what makes this B-movie gem one of the quirkiest and most fun flicks of its ilk. Highly recommended -- includes an excellent audio commentary among the special features.
My Best Buy number: 38272783
What's great about it: Early Steve McQueen, a high cheese factor, Technicolor glory
What's not so great: No additional special features added to the Blu-ray upgrade
I would recommend this to a friend!
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