A smart, modern interpretation of Cyrano de Bergerac, Roxanne doesn't receive the best of DVD treatments, but the quality of the film should please anyone. Presented in both a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen version and a full-frame version, the "scope" widescreen version of the film is a revelation after years of viewing the film on cable and video. The transfer is good, and the restoration of almost half the image after pan-and-scan adds a great deal to the film. The Dolby soundtrack is fine. The trailer captures the charm and comedy of the movie. While a commentary with director Fred Schepisi was probably unlikely from the start, it would have been fun to hear writer/star Steve Martin discussing his ideas on adapting the source material for a modern romantic comedy. A "making of" featurette might have been useful as well. While Roxanne doesn't have everything required to make a DVD great, it remains a worthwhile rental.
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 never quite understood what critics loved so much about this film, I thought it was ok. Unfortunately, this movie was originally released on dvd in both widescreen and full-screen, and now you can only get the full-screen version.
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.
The original dvd release of 'Home Alone' was quite disappointing. Thankfully, this special edition re-release takes care of those problems and finally gives fans of the film what they deserve. Anamorphic widescreen transfer is good and bonus features are plentiful. Recommended!
Chris Columbus' box-office blockbuster Home Alone comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English, French, and Spanish soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. English subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include the original theatrical trailer. This is an acceptable, if unspectacular release from 20th Century Fox. Considering this film spent a great amount of time on the list of top ten box-office champions, the lack of extras is a disappointment. That disappointment is compounded by the high-end list price.
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.
Great Film, relatively poor dvd release featuring a sub-standard letterbox widescreen transfer and no bonus features at all. Buy the new 'Family Fun' 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.
Both Dan Aykroyd and John Candy shine in this hilarious comedy about vacationing in the northern woods. Decent dvd is acceptable but could have offered much more in terms of bonus features.
Mark Lester directsSCTV regulars John Candy and Eugene Levy, as well as a young Meg Ryan, in the comedy Armed and Dangerous. The film comes to DVD with a pair of transfers. The widescreen anamorphic transfer preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is preferable to the standard full-frame image. A closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Surround, and a French soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include trailers. This is a decent release from Columbia/TriStar that will be of interest primarily to fans of Candy and Levy.
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.
'Armed & Dangerous' is supported completely by its superb cast who just do an outstanding job across the board in terms of performances. Fans of the film will want to add this one to their collection.
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.
'Uncle Buck' is a good John Candy film, though not nearly his best. This dvd is mediocre, with not much in terms of bonus features, but well worth the buy for fans of the movie.
Wargames was a hit film in 1983 that has become a harbinger of the future, and the MGM DVD, like the movie, contains several features that make it hard to resist. Wargames is the tale of a computer run amok; the movie stars a prepubescent Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, and Ally Sheedy. Today, with modems prevalent and computers running everything from coffee makers to automobiles, the idea of an intelligent computer using the telephone to create havoc doesn't seem so far-fetched. The DVD features an audio commentary by director John Badham and writers Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes that frequently makes the same point: what was science fiction then has become commonplace today. The DVD has a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that amplifies the creepy booming undertones that the filmmakers use to indicate the computer is working independently. Trivia, production notes, and the original theatrical trailer complete the special features.
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.
'Wargames' is a movie that everyone should see as it deals completely with the moral implications of thermonuclear warfare. Well scripted, and great performances make this one well worth a viewing. As far as bonus features are concerned, there isn't a whole lot, but the audio commentary is quite good.
Divorce was never funnier in the black comedy The War of the Roses, directed by Danny Devito and starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Fox has done a wonderful job on this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The colors and black levels all look clean and bright with no bleeding or muting present. A small amount of grain shows up in a few spots, though it's nothing intrusive to the viewing of the film. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 (English and French) and lacks the punch of a good 5.1 sound mix. While the soundtrack is free of any distortion or hiss, the lack of fidelity and depth make this a somewhat disappointing sound mix. Also included on this disc are English and Spanish subtitles. This edition of War of the Roses includes a few fine extra features. The first is a great commentary track by director/actor Danny Devito. The director seems to have a wealth of knowledge about the making of the film, and is both charming and funny. Up next is a collection of deleted scenes with a very funny introduction by Danny Devito. These scenes are strung together in one full-length sequence. Four storyboards are included, as well as some sketches of some scenes from the film. Finally there is a still gallery of photos from the film (props, posters, effects, and production), the entire shooting script, four theatrical trailers, and six TV spots for the movie.
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.
An absolutely hysterical movie, 'War of the Roses' is a film that will make everyone think twice before saying "I do." Great acting, a superb script, and excellent direction make this film the masterpiece it is. Highly recommended, especially to couples...The dvd itself is an outstanding special edition, loaded with lots of fun and interesting bonus content.
The special R-rated version of Dennis Dugan's silly sex comedy Saving Silverman comes to DVD with this release. Loaded with bonus features, the disc should be a delight for fans of the film. The extras include audio commentary by Dugan, and outtakes reel, web links, theatrical trailers, filmographies, production notes, and scene selections. As if that weren't enough, the film is presented in an impressive widescreen 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer along with the standard 1.33:1 pan-and-scan. Add to that English language soundtracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo, and the disc is a delight for viewers. English and French subtitles are also available.
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.
This movie was somewhat of a surprise to me, and actually ended up being much more funny than I thought it would be. This unrated edition features some extra footage not in the original PG-13 theatrical version. Good bonus features too.
There's something stinky about The Warriors: Ultimate Director's Cut and it's not the packaging. Simply put, the disc is a sham. This version is possibly the most unnecessary director's cut out on the market -- and that says a lot. When Walter Hill talks about his loathing of special edition DVDs in his introduction, you almost believe him, until the computer-colored comic book opening begins. Mix the inventiveness of Creepshow's animated montages with cheap comic-book CD-ROM sensibilities and you basically have what amounts to the "added" footage in the film. Beginning with good old Walter Hill doing a voice-over about the Greek myth that inspired the film, the picture begins as the camera rolls over a comic-styled illustration that then segues into the film via animated comic-book panels. If that wasn't enough, the film is littered with over a half-dozen more of these kind of gratuitous transitions at the expense of trimming certain scenes. If this sounds cool to you, then haven't seen it -- or you might possibly be part of the fan minority for whom this is made. At the heart of it, most will not be happy about these silly additions. The genius of The Warriors was that its otherworldliness lent itself perfectly to comic book styling, but as soon as you blatantly present the film as if it were some kind of interactive comic -- using modern technology to clumsily do so -- the outcome becomes sloppy, unneeded, and severely unwanted. To do this in such a way as to not give you the chance to watch the original cut is even worse -- and there's where the DVD gripes start. One, the disc does not come with Walter Hill's audio commentary, which the PAL version does include. Two, the long-awaited deleted scenes have been left in limbo yet again. You briefly see part of the original opening in one of the featurettes, but otherwise, you'll need to go on the Internet to find just bits of the rest. In its defense, the DVD looks good and does feature the original theatrical trailer along with four new featurettes that span over an hour. With cast and crew interviews that go in-depth on the genesis of the film as well as casting, production, and its controversial release, these really do make a fine compliment to the movie and would have been gloriously welcomed in another release. As it is, those who already own the film should not get rid of it anytime soon. Check this release out for curiosity's sake, but don't say you were warned.
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.
This long awaited special edition of the cult-classic film is something of a disappointment, as the now out-of-print theatrical version has been excluded from this release. While it is fun to see Hill's original intent, I still think the theatrical version is much better, and don't understand why it would be excluded from a product bearing the title "ultimate edition'. Bonus features are ok, and the dvd is anamorphic widescreen, but as is often the case, the new high def transfer appears blatantly 'overdone' in some regards. For fans who already have the theatrical version on dvd, stick with what you've got...