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- First reviewApril 12, 2008
- Last reviewMay 22, 2008
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![Platoon [Special Edition] [DVD] [1986]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/304b2327-370a-41e7-956a-951dd4939472.png)
After two previous incarnations, what may just be the definitive version of Oliver Stone's Platoon makes its way to DVD, and the result is no less than spectacular. The first big plus of this special edition is the new anamorphic transfer, framed at the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Though it does show some signs of wear, the minimal amounts of grain and specks are nothing compared to the detail and clarity of the image. Unquestionably, this is the best version that has ever hit home video. The sound is equally impressive. The English 5.1 soundtrack is flawless with just the right use of surrounds (though they are subtle) and clean dialogue up front. As for the extras, a number of them are taken from the original Live Entertainment disc, with a few new items thrown in. The main two, which are both highly recommended, are commentary tracks: one from Stone and the other from military advisor Captain Dale Dye. While each seems to focus more on what they are watching, each does supply enough anecdotal information to make them invaluable as reference to the making of the film. In addition, and also well worth viewing, is an in-depth behind the scenes look at the making of the film called "Tour of the Inferno," which runs nearly an hour. This documentary contains interviews with the director, cast, and crew and is simply outstanding and a real highlight of this disc. Finally, along with the theatrical trailer and three television spots, there are two dozen behind the scenes photos (focusing on Stone) and four posters.
Posted by: kevman79
'Platoon' is a great war picture, it's not for everyone, but fans of the genre will most likely appreciate it. Not a movie most people will watch on a regular basis, but it's worth one viewing for sure. The dvd presentation is great and there are a lot of excellent bonus features including a couple of very good commentary tracks.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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One of the most important World War II films of our time and winner of five Academy Awards, Saving Private Ryan is a seemingly routine DVD, but it packs a big punch. In addition to standard DVD extras such as production notes, cast and crew bios and the theatrical trailer, this disc includes "Into the Breach", a 25-minute making-of featurette that is both an informative history lesson on D-day and a story of Spielberg's fascination with war. "Into the Breach" includes interviews with D-day survivors as well as of Spielberg and his father and spotlights his early student war films Escape to Nowhere and Fighter Squadron. The film itself receives a great transfer in widescreen 1:85, and Dolby Digital or 5:1 Surround.
Posted by: kevman79
I remember seeing this film at the theater on opening night, and I also remember how I left almost thinking I was going to throw up. It is some harsh material to absorb, but it sure will make you grateful for never having had to endure the situation many WWII soldiers faced on a daily basis. This isn't the kind of movie most people will want to watch over and over again, but the experience of seeing it just once is well worth it. The dvd itself presents a pristine widescreen transfer with great audio that will surely not disappoint.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Posted by: kevman79
'Glory' is possibly one of the best war films ever made. While many people argue the film's historical accuracy, it still does a superb job of captivating the audience. This 2-disc set offers a good presentaion of the film in both Anamorphic widescreen 1:85:1 and full-screen options, and is loaded with many bonus goodies fans will enjoy.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Glory is a celebration of a little-known act of mass courage during the Civil War. Simply put, the heroes involved have been ignored by history due to racism. Those heroes were the all-black members of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, headed by Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the son of an influential abolitionist (played by an uncredited Jane Alexander). Despite the fact that the Civil War is ostensibly being fought on their behalf, the black soldiers are denied virtually every privilege and amenity that is matter of course for their white counterparts; as in armies past and future, they are given the most menial and demeaning of tasks. Still, none of the soldiers quit the regiment when given the chance. The unofficial leaders of the group are gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and fugitive slave Trip (Denzel Washington), respectively representing the brains and heart of the organization. The 54th acquit themselves valiantly at Fort Wagner, SC, charging a fortification manned by some 1,000 Confederates. Glory was based on Lincoln Kirstein's Lay This Laurel and Peter Burchard's One Gallant Rush; the latter book was founded on the letters of Col. Robert Gould Shaw, the real-life character played by Matthew Broderick. The film won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for co-star Denzel Washington, and additional statuettes for Best Cinematography (Freddie Francis) and Sound Recording.
Posted by: kevman79
'Glory' is one of the best war films ever made. While many people argue the film's historical accuracy, it still does a superb job of captivating the audience. The disc offers a good presentaion of the film in both Anamorphic widescreen 1:85:1 and full-screen options. Die hard fans may want to buy the 2-disc special edition.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Posted by: kevman79
'The Neverending Story' is one of those magical fantasy films that just never gets old and is suitable for all ages. Its rich story, strong musical score, and beautiful production design make it a one-of-a-kind timeless masterpiece. Highest recommendation for this film, but don't bother wasting your time watching any of the sequels. This dvd offers both a beautiful anamorphic widescreen transfer and a cropped full-screen version, but not much along the lines of extras other than the original trailer and some brief character bios.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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2of 2voted this as helpful.
Paul Thomas Anderson's unflinching look at the world of 1970s adult cinema has been polished up for this "special edition," which improves on New Line's previously released DVD. The picture is perfect, presented in a widescreen anamorphic format with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The day-glo colors of '70s California never looked so radiant. Also, from the hit parade of pop classics to minor details like the whirring of film through a camera, the sound design is one of the best out there. Dolby Digital 5.1 allows viewers to experience every minute sound with perfect clarity. Extras are a real pleasure as well. New Line has kept Anderson's original commentary, while adding a new one featuring selected members of the cast. The second disc offers ten deleted scenes (bumped up from the original's nine), and the music video for Michael Penn's song "Try." A curious but welcome addition is the "John C. Reilly Files," a collection of extended scenes that prominently feature the actor. They're fairly amusing and give a good insight into the loose, almost improvisational feeling that pervades the movie.
Posted by: kevman79
I'm actually quite surprised that I was at the local movie theater on opening night back in October of 1997 when Boogie Nights was released, and I still recount the experience as being blatantly 'surreal'. 18 years old at the time, and not able to talk any of my friends into going to see the film, I ventured into the theater alone, wondering what all the 'hype' was surrounding this new and controversial film I had read about in the papers. The theater, although not nearly full, did have a decent turn out, but while I was personally intrigued by and engrossed in the film, I couldn't help but notice that about 75% of the audience had left prior to film's end. The only assumption I can make is that those people thought 'Boogie Nights' was going to be a disco/dancing type of movie something along the lines of 'Saturday Night Fever'. Well, it's not and my feeling is that most of those people didn't read anything about the film or its plot before deciding to go and see it on opening night.
'Boogie Nights' is in no way a picture for everyone, especially those under the age of 18. In it we see, in dark comedic form, the tragedies the pornography industry inflicts on most of its subjects. Contrary to select public opinion, I found this film to in no way be an endorsement for the pornographic industry, if anything I found it a deterrent, and a substantially well done deterrent at that.
I can't necessarily recommend going out and buying this one (especially if you have kids that you don't want seeing it), but it really is a movie that is worth at least one viewing (or several, if you have friends to watch it with who enjoy the film's witty dialogue). This movie, much like the film 'the Big Lebowski,' is loaded with profanity and obscene comments, but the delivery in most instances is so well done and so comical, one really can't help but laugh uncontrollably. It's not really a movie you will enjoy as much watching it by yourself, but viewing it with friends will make for a 'wild ride' of a time!
'Boogie Nights' is in no way a picture for everyone, especially those under the age of 18. In it we see, in dark comedic form, the tragedies the pornography industry inflicts on most of its subjects. Contrary to select public opinion, I found this film to in no way be an endorsement for the pornographic industry, if anything I found it a deterrent, and a substantially well done deterrent at that.
I can't necessarily recommend going out and buying this one (especially if you have kids that you don't want seeing it), but it really is a movie that is worth at least one viewing (or several, if you have friends to watch it with who enjoy the film's witty dialogue). This movie, much like the film 'the Big Lebowski,' is loaded with profanity and obscene comments, but the delivery in most instances is so well done and so comical, one really can't help but laugh uncontrollably. It's not really a movie you will enjoy as much watching it by yourself, but viewing it with friends will make for a 'wild ride' of a time!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Get ready for a howling good time with this frightfully fun double-feature disc from MGM-UA Home Video. With both Teen Wolf and Teen Wolf Too presented in their original 1.85:1 widescreen theatrical aspect ratios and offering closed-captioned English Dolby Digital Surround and Mono audio options, this release also offers optional English, Spanish and French subtitles. Extra features include original theatrical trailers.
Posted by: kevman79
The first 'Teen Wolf' is an enjoybale movie, the second is just awful. Whether or not to purchase this dvd set is up in the air as nothing in terms of bonus features are offered. Although, truthfully speaking, these are two movies that may never warrant the demand of special editions. So, that being said, true fans may just want to go ahead and buy.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Posted by: kevman79
This is a film that needed no Director's Cut whatsoever, and this new cut actually did nothing but lower my opinion of the film. What's to expect? The film was perfect the way it was theatrically. If it's already perfect to begin with, then usually the only way you can go is down from there. Not only has the film itself been altered but the high-def image seems overdone, and the audio, much to my dismay, has been reworked in certain scenes as well.
I've never understood this new craze for all these director's cuts we have floating around now. The bottom line is that the director isn't always right, and I can truthfully say that I have seen very few director's cuts that I actually preferred over the original release. Making a movie is a huge cooperative undertaking that involves the creative efforts of scores of people. They all have the same goal, to produce the best film they can, and within the time and budget constraints they have been given by the investors and/or studios. What you get when you're done is what you get. It is what it is.
It drives me nuts when I listen to certain directors nowadays complain about how they wished things would have been different. Like how they would have done this or that differently, or how they didn't have enough time or money to finish the film, or they blame someone else involved in the production for hurting or slowing everything down...the only think I can think of is "Wow, that is a really bad director". It is a director's job to guide the production to its succesful completion on time and within budget. If they can't do it, then they shouldn't have signed onto the project. I'll bet every director wishes that they could go back and fix or change things they did when making a film, but the bottom line is that it is all a part of the creative movie making process, and just because something turned out differently than a director envisioned, doesn't mean they should go back and start changing things afterwards. Audiences generally like the film they fell in love with at the theater, therefore, if the audience loves it the way it is, why change it? And finally, just because the director wanted something done a certain way, doesn't necessarily mean everyone else involved in the production agreed with him, and in many cases it was a good thing those other people prevailed, because I have seen some awful director's cuts, and this is one of them...
I've never understood this new craze for all these director's cuts we have floating around now. The bottom line is that the director isn't always right, and I can truthfully say that I have seen very few director's cuts that I actually preferred over the original release. Making a movie is a huge cooperative undertaking that involves the creative efforts of scores of people. They all have the same goal, to produce the best film they can, and within the time and budget constraints they have been given by the investors and/or studios. What you get when you're done is what you get. It is what it is.
It drives me nuts when I listen to certain directors nowadays complain about how they wished things would have been different. Like how they would have done this or that differently, or how they didn't have enough time or money to finish the film, or they blame someone else involved in the production for hurting or slowing everything down...the only think I can think of is "Wow, that is a really bad director". It is a director's job to guide the production to its succesful completion on time and within budget. If they can't do it, then they shouldn't have signed onto the project. I'll bet every director wishes that they could go back and fix or change things they did when making a film, but the bottom line is that it is all a part of the creative movie making process, and just because something turned out differently than a director envisioned, doesn't mean they should go back and start changing things afterwards. Audiences generally like the film they fell in love with at the theater, therefore, if the audience loves it the way it is, why change it? And finally, just because the director wanted something done a certain way, doesn't necessarily mean everyone else involved in the production agreed with him, and in many cases it was a good thing those other people prevailed, because I have seen some awful director's cuts, and this is one of them...
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Posted by: kevman79
George Lucas again unnecessarily altering his once classic films, now turning what was once 'perfect' into something of a joke (the only thing I could compare it to would be like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa). I do not recommend this set whatsoever, and any true fan of the films probably won't either.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Posted by: kevman79
An extremely disappointing release, dismally marking the first official dvd release of the Star Wars films as they originally appeared in theaters. Shoddy non-anamorphic letterbox transfers ported over from laserdisc masters shame this set, and at the same time infuriate once avid Star Wars fans such as myself, who is now a Star Wars fan no more...
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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