In the popular horror-comedy Tremors, it's not what's under the sun you've got to look out for -- it's what's under the ground. Universal has done a fair job on this 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen transfer. While it's disappointing that this film wasn't given anamorphic treatment, this is a still a very nice transfer with sharp colors and well-defined black levels. The picture is crisp and detailed with a minimum of grain, dirt, and edge enhancement. The audio is presented in Dolby Surround and is only moderate. Tremors is a film that could have easily benefited from a 5.1 remix. Sadly, fans are stuck with this lackluster Dolby Surround mix that has some channel separation, though the bulk of the soundtrack is still filtered mainly through the center speaker. Also included on this disc are Spanish subtitles, English captions, and Dolby Surround soundtracks in French and Spanish. What Tremors lacks in the technical department, it makes up for in its supplements. This edition of Tremors starts off with an almost hour-long documentary on the making of the film. This is a great retrospective that features lots of behind-the-scenes footage, as well as interviews with much of the cast and crew from the film. A collection of deleted scenes and outtakes are featured in a rough full-frame version that should please fans. A short production featurette is basically one large promotional trailer for the film, though it does include a few insightful interviews with some of the cast and crew. Finally, there are some production notes, some interview profiles on select cast and crew members, a short gallery of production stills, two full frame theatrical trailers for Tremors, and a theatrical trailer for the sequel Tremors 2: Aftershocks.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
'Tremors' is a film that turned out much better than I thought it would, and is therefore well worth a viewing. Whether or not to purchase the dvd will depend on how much you like the movie, but for fans of the film...it is well worth it.
The Stand by Me Deluxe Edition has arrived from Columbia Home Entertainment -- but don't be selling your old copies just yet. While it does contain both a 32-page booklet and the soundtrack on CD, the DVD itself hasn't been given an upgrade from the previous 2000 edition. For those of you who didn't own it, the good news is that it's all pretty good stuff. There's an insightful commentary with Rob Reiner, as well as a 37-minute making-of featuring almost the entire remaining cast, plus the King of Horror himself, Stephen King! Add in a Ben E. King "Stand By Me" music video and isolated score, and you have yourself one fine Deluxe Edition. The film itself has been given a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer along with a Dolby Digital Stereo mix. Picture quality is brilliant for the most part, though the shadows are a bit too deep throughout the film.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
I thought 'Stand By Me' was ok, it wasn't anything to write home about, but it had some touching scenes and decent material. Fans of the film, however, should be quite satisfied with this deluxe edition, with an anamorphic widescreen transfer and several bonus extras to sink into. For those who already own the previous special edition, it may not be worth it to purchase this version, unless your dying to get your hands on the music soundtrack of the film, which is included here.
Rob Reiner's tale of boyhood friendship, Stand by Me, comes to DVD in this special edition. Boasting a 1.85:1 widescreen anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital Stereo in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, the disc includes a multitude of language subtitles. For those who wanted to know how to say "Chopper, sic balls" in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, or Thai, this is their golden opportunity. In addition to the well-done visuals, there is a commentary track from the director as well as interviews with him and author Stephen King, whose story served as the basis for the movie. In addition to talent files and production notes, an exclusive featurette concerning the making of the film is included. The music score can be isolated, and a music video for the Ben E. King title song is also available at the touch of a button.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
I thought 'Stand By Me' was ok, it wasn't anything to write home about, but it had some touching scenes and decent material. Fans of the film, however, should be quite satisfied with this special edition, with an anamorphic widescreen transfer and several bonus extras to sink into.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
I wonder how many times they're going to repackage and resell us these movies. There are dozens of great movies that have yet to even debut on dvd, and here we are with the 'Rambo' trilogy again. Now don't get me wrong, I love the first two films, but I think this is the 34,597,658 time that the movies have been re-released on dvd...And every time we keep getting new hi-def, upgraded audio, guaranteed best quality ever transfers that all have one thing in common...none of them looks or sounds like the films did when they were released in the theater back in the 1980's when hi-definition didn't exist, and the only sound format you heard, if you were lucky, was dolby stereo...
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
It was just sad to see Stallone in this film. While watching this movie, all I kept thinking of was how much I liked the first couple of 'Rambo' films, and how much fun they were to watch. I couldn't believe what a piece of junk this movie was and I wouldn't bother wasting my time seeing it if I were you, let alone buy it. I think a better title for this movie would have been 'SAVING PRIVATE GRANDPA RAMBO OF THE RINGS,' considering that the movie copies its battle scenes from 'Saving Private Ryan,' and the fact that Stallone is old, tired, yet still somehow manages to shoot his bow & arrow faster than 'Legolas the Elf' from the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy.
Jon Amiel's comedy The Man Who Knew Too Little comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include production notes, four theatrical trailers, and three television promotional spots. This very good disc may help the film find the audience that it failed to get in theaters.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
Bill Murray is very good in this still relatively unknown comedy. Good perfomances by the entire cast and well written dialogue are solid bases for the movie, presented here in both anamorphic widescreen and full-screen, with an informative director's commentary track. Recommended.
This two DVD package commemorates the 60th anniversary of the original theatrical release of Citizen Kane -- a film considered by critics and enthusiasts alike to be the crowning achievement of modern American cinema. The story of Charles Foster Kane is told using several flashbacks from those who knew him best. Outstanding performances from Welles as Kane, Joseph Cotton as Kane's best friend Jedediah Leland, Agnes Moorehead as Kane's mother, and Everett Sloane as Mr. Bernstein, Kane's devoted business associate, are among the silver-screen luminaries who make their motion-picture debuts in Citizen Kane. Disc one contains a pristine (for a 60-year-old film) print presented in full frame (1.33:1). The image is all but free of grain or other visual anomalies. At last viewers can revel in the subtle, yet oh so significant, labors of Wells -- who was also behind the camera in the director's chair -- and noted cinematographer Gregg Toland. Toland's revolutionary deep-focus lenses and high-contrast lighting look crisp and surprisingly fresh. The audio on the DVD is most startling and more revealing than ever. Welles' formidable background in radio immeasurably enhances the film's visual composition. Accompanying the film are two full-length discreet audio commentary tracks. Academy Award-winning director and Welles biographer Peter Bogdanovich supplies an intuitively personal commentary, which is peppered with reminiscence of and quotes from Welles. The audio analysis from film critic Roger Ebert contains complementary information pertaining to film technique and style. Together they supply a comprehensive, entertaining, and ultimately unique perspective of Citizen Kane. The special features menu accesses the extras on disc one. These include a minute of silent newsreel footage from the May 1941 New York premiere as well as an 11-minute gallery of still images including production documentations, photographs, storyboards, promotional posters, and various advertising campaigns with narrative audio by Roger Ebert. In addition, there is a hidden interview segment -- just look for "Rosebud." Disc two contains the two-hour Oscar-nominated documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane -- which initially aired on the PBS series American Experience in 1995. The film examines the correlation between the real "Citizen" behind Kane. Was it Orson Welles, the actor on and off the stage, or William Randolph Hearst? The results might astound you.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
'Citizen Kane' is heralded by many famous movie critics as being the 'greatest film ever made.' Well, I couldn't disagree more and found this film dismally boring. Yes, it has somewhat interesting subject matter, but I can't help but admit that I think the true hype around this picture involves the process in which it was made (which is a story of its own). Fans will like this 2-disc release though, loaded with bonus features.
In 1964, with the Cuban Missile Crisis fresh in viewers' minds, the Cold War at its frostiest, and the hydrogen bomb relatively new and frightening, Stanley Kubrick dared to make a film about what could happen if the wrong person pushed the wrong button -- and played the situation for laughs. Dr. Strangelove's jet-black satire (from a script by director Stanley Kubrick, Peter George, and Terry Southern) and a host of superb comic performances (including three from Peter Sellers) have kept the film fresh and entertaining, even as its issues have become (slightly) less timely. Loaded with thermonuclear weapons, a U.S. bomber piloted by Maj. T.J. "King" Kong (Slim Pickens) is on a routine flight pattern near the Soviet Union when they receive orders to commence Wing Attack Plan R, best summarized by Maj. Kong as "Nuclear combat! Toe to toe with the Russkies!" On the ground at Burpleson Air Force Base, Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) notices nothing on the news about America being at war. Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) calmly informs him that he gave the command to attack the Soviet Union because it was high time someone did something about fluoridation, which is sapping Americans' bodily fluids (and apparently has something to do with Ripper's sexual dysfunction). Meanwhile, President Merkin Muffley (Sellers again) meets with his top Pentagon advisors, including super-hawk Gen. Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott), who sees this as an opportunity to do something about Communism in general and Russians in particular. However, the ante is upped considerably when Soviet ambassador DeSadesky (Peter Bull) informs Muffley and his staff of the latest innovation in Soviet weapons technology: a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy the entire world if the Russians are attacked.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
A bizarre, yet comedic tale about the futility of nuclear warfare. Enjoyable, but not the kind of film most people would enjoy watching over and over again. Excellent performances across the board, presented nicely here on this loaded special edition.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
A bizarre, yet comedic tale about the futility of nuclear warfare. Enjoyable, but not the kind of film most people would enjoy watching over and over again. Nevertheless, recommended.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.