Josh Groban In Concert (with Bonus CD) (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been a Josh Groban fan ever since I saw his performance on Sarah Brightman's La Luna concert DVD. I was ecstatic when I found out he was releasing his own CD, and was doubly excited to learn he was releasing a DVD.
I rushed to buy this DVD the day it was released, and all I have to say is the other viewers aren't lying when they're saying this is good stuff. The quality of this recording is second to none. Everything from technical quality to artistic quality is superb. Josh's style is very simplistic; he's a minimalist. However, as the saying goes: "The simplest melodies are the hardest to play." Josh truly proves that. He has just enough flair- not too much as to detract from his voice- and it's just enough pizazz to come off as classy and sublime.
Josh Groban is on his way to becoming one of the greats. He is truly the only singer who's managed to unite heavy metalheads, rap fans, sugar high pop fans, grunge fans, and classical fans under one roof. I have not met a single person who's listened to him and not replied with something to the effect of "Wow" regardless of their musical preference. Such is the power of Josh Groban. Rick Dees even dubbed him "the annointed one."
His genius is his ability to channel into a deep reservoir of emotion, so even though he might be singing in a different language, listeners can understand the song through feeling... and he's only in his early 20's! If you enjoyed his CD, just wait till you get this DVD and can watch him!
Aside from Josh, the thing I was most impressed with on this DVD was the sound. This DVD features CD quality sound, which is a delight.
There's also a whole debate about Angie Stone singing with Josh on 'The Prayer.' I'll have to admit I actually enjoyed Ms. Stone's version more than the CD version with Charlotte Church. I felt, personally, that Ms. Stone's technique was better than Charlotte's. No, I'm not saying Charlotte doesn't have talent- she is a powerhouse of talent- but experience counts for just as much. Charlotte, lately, has a tendency to waver just below or just above the actual note. She falls either flat or sharp of the note. Ms. Stone may hail from an R&B background, but she hit each note on key, and she brought a different flavor to the song, one that was very vibrant and natural. Suffice to say, I really enjoyed the change-up. To each his or her own =)

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The American President (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)Everyone knows this is a terrific movie! Those of us who are also DVD fans have waited a couple of years for this to appear on DVD. What a let down!! Rob, where are you man!!!
This a poor transfer with lots of artifacts and someone trying too hard to sharpen the image. To make matters worse this disc has very limited extras. Ok, it's out so let's move to the "collector's edition" so Warner can get a few more bucks and we can get a disc more worthy of this great movie!!

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The world's most powerful man has met his match! Michael Douglas is the widower President wooing environmental lobbyist Annette Bening in this romantic hit by Rob Reiner.DVD Features:Interactive MenusProduction NotesScene AccessTheatrical Trailer

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Moonstruck (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)When MGM first released Moonstruck on DVD they inexplicably did so with an inferior pan and scan transfer. They've rectified this situation with a new deluxe edition that restores its proper aspect ratio and with a collection of new extras. Moonstruck was the My Big Fat Geek Wedding of its day only infinitely better and about an Italian family as opposed to a Greek one. Watching Norman Jewison's film again, you realize just how much Nia Vardalos' film is heavily indebted to it. If Moonstruck is La Boheme than Greek Wedding is Tony and Tina's Wedding.
It's time to use your old disc as a coaster as this edition is definitely worth the double dip. MGM has taken TBS' dinner and a movie to the next level by including three recipe cards with fine Italian meals so that you can do your own cooking and eat it while watching the movie.
Carried over from the previous edition is the audio commentary by Cher, director Norman Jewison and screenwriter John Patrick Shanley. Both Jewison and Shanley talk about their fascination with death while Cher talks about the importance of costume and how it helps her get into character. This is a solid commentary with smart observations and excellent anecdotes from everyone.
"Moonstruck: At the Heart of an Italian Family" takes us through the genesis of the film mixing interviews done at the time of filming (Cage and Cher) and new ones (Aiello and Dukakis). There is great, behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage as Jewison and Shanley take us through the film telling several entertaining anecdotes.
"Pastas to Pastries: The Art of Fine Italian Food" is a tour of some of the best restaurants in Little Italy, in particular on Mulberry Street. You have six different places to choose from and their chefs demonstrate how to make a few choice foods guaranteed to make you hungry. If you love to cook and eat than this extra is for you.
Finally there is the "Music of Moonstruck" that examines the role that music plays in the movie. The first screening went badly because the music was all wrong.

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Fall under the delightful spell of Moonstruck, the mesmerizing romantic comedy from director Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof) and OscarÂ(r) winner* John Patrick Shanley. Academy AwardÂ(r) winners** Cher, Nicolas Cage and Olympia Dukakis excel in this explosively funny tale which also features flawless performances by Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia andFrasier's John Mahoney.Cher is"devastatingly funny, sinuous and beautiful" (Pauline Kael) as Loretta, anunlucky in loveItalian widow who finds romance through the intervention of the Manhattan moon. With her wedding to a close friend just weeks away, she meets and falls hopelessly in love with his younger brother (Cage)! Her dilemma and her equally passionate and hilariously eccentric family make for an unforgettable film you'll find"beguiling"(Time),"enchanting"(Newsweek) and"irresistible"("Today Show").

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Something's Gotta Give (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)Something's Gotta Give is one of the year's best films and best comedies as it teams up Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, who seemed to love every minute they shared onscreen. Nicholson plays a man who only dates girls under 30 and is shocked to find he can fall in love with a woman his own age, played by Diane Keaton, who has never looked better. She gives her best performance since she won an Oscar for Annie Hall and should be on her way to another as a very career sucessful woman who has no confidence with men. It is great to see her reaction to both Nicholson's and Keanu Reeves' character. Nicholson and Keaton light up the screen with every scene they are in and Amanada Peet and Reeves do very well in their supporting role, as does the underused Frances McDormand as Keaton's sister. Nancy Meyers, who had a huge hit with What Women Want, does a much better job here and makes for a great adult romantic comedy featuring actors over 50. A great film that will be remembered.

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A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)A quick scroll through the reviews shows a sharp divide. Some like this Hollywood-style rendition of Midsummer's Night while others, (to be polite) do not. To make matters more confusing, several reviews are deceptive because the reviewer seriously misjudges his/her depth of experience with this kind thing. To find out your probable reaction in less than 20 seconds, just answer these questions:
Do you see live Shakespeare every year or two? Do you know who Iago is? Who Prospero is? Do you know what the Queen Mab speech is? Have you seen a film with Ian McClellan in a Shakespearean role?
If you mostly answered "yes," you are likely to squirm in pain throughout this movie. (See Category B below.) On the other hand, if you are not particularly conversant with Shakespeare (if you answered "no" to more than a couple questions above, you're not, something many reviewers both in the newspapers and here fail to fathom), chances actually become much higher that you will be okay with this. (See Category A.)
Category A: If you enjoy movies and have read a few of the Bard's plays here and there, perhaps back in school, you might be enjoy this. The Hollywood actors provide familiar faces, and a couple give respectable performances--Kevin Kline, for instance. If you find Shakespeare too long, the play here has been lopped roughly in half. If you find Elizabethan dialogue goes by too fast, several visuals have been inserted, generally slowing the pace.
The problem is this: When you finish watching, you might be tempted to think this story is just a lark and that Shakespeare was just writing wierd stuff about faeries. But that's just this movie's hacked-up version of the story, not Shakespeare's actual play. If you're curious, watch the BBC version. You will see just how much dramatic weight has been cut, and how the play is exponentially more poetic and thought-provoking than what this pedestrian movie would lead you to think.
Category B: If you could answer most of the questions above (or have recently read this play), you will likely roll your eyes throughout this movie. Despite its cagey marketing, this is NOT a Kenneth Branagh-type affair where Hollywood actors are tossed into minor roles for financial reasons. This movie is Hollywood through and through, meaning inane special effects and actors, for the most part, way out of their league. (The exceptions, like Bernard Hill, appear to have been cast to give the movie at least a veneer of authenticity.)
Worst of all, the director, in typical Hollywood fashion, does not trust the viewer and does not trust the Bard. So he has inserted several ponderous minutes of Hollywood-style back story for Bottom. Silly sight gags, with no relation to the text, abound. It's as if the director doesn't think the Bard is actually funny. All the while, some of the most humorous lines are cut or, worse, delivered with no understanding of their meaning. Stick with the BBC version for real Shakespeare.
By the way, many reviewers have scratched their heads at why they shot this as 19th Century Tuscany. Just follow the Hollywood thinking. Branagh's Much Ado had just come out, set in 19th Century Tuscany just the year before....

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A stellar cast, headed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline, bring Shakespeare's romantic comedy to life.When two pairs of star-crossed lovers, a feuding pair of supernatural sprites and a love potion gone awry all come together in an enchanted moonlit forest, the result is a delightful mix of merriment and magic.Also starring Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci and Rupert Everett.

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Arthur (1981) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a nice DVD, if you don't mind that 27.9 percent of the original theatrical image has been removed for the DVD exhibition, so that the DVD image fills your entire 4:3 television screen (theatrical aspect ratio - 1.85:1; DVD aspect ratio - 4:3). If you're okay with that, enjoy!

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Catch and Release (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Gray (Jennifer Garner) thought that she and her fiance Grady would be getting married this weekend, but instead she's attending his funeral. Already destroyed at the loss of what could have been, she's devastated to learn that Grady had a secret life that he kept from her including a million dollar estate and a toddler love child. When the mother of said child comes looking for Grady, she must confront the past in order to have a future. Juliette Lewis gives her all as the slightly trampy quasi-Earth mother.
As Gray comes to terms with his betrayal, she turns to his roommates for solace and a place to stay since she can no longer afford the house they were renting. Through this quasi-extended family, she discovers the Grady she never knew, as well as the Gray that she is now becoming, and finds herself getting closer to his lothario friend Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), as friends Sam and Dennis also experience difficulty dealing with the loss of their friend.
Writer/director Susannah Grant, best known as the scribe behind "Erin Brokovich" and "In Her Shoes," has created a poignant story of love, loss, and forgiveness. Kevin Smith shows a serious side as well as provides comic relief as Sam, the inspirational comment writer (okay, typist) for "Constant Comment Teas." Veteran British actress Fiona Shaw, hysterical as the horny headmistress of the tony boarding school in "Three Men and a Little Lady," dons an American accent and gives a heartwarming performance of a mother who just wants her son back. And Juliette Lewis is a bit chiched in the role of flighty masseuse Maureen, who apparently doesn't own a pair of flat shoes.
Though some might find the romance between Gray and Fritz develop a little too quickly, I thought it was handled tastefully given the love-hate relationship between them and how thin the line between the two can be (though the ending was a bit rushed). Missing from the film was Grady himself - a couple flashbacks with him would have added depth to the relationship between Gray and Grady and given us a chance to find out what made him such a touchstone for the five lead characters.
The disc's special features are minimal - just lots of movie trailers and commentary - nothing to write home about.

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While You Were Sleeping (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)For her work after "Speed" my brother began referring to Sandra Bullock as "Queen of the Chick Flicks", and I won't disagree, although some of her films work much better for members of both sexes than others. "While You Were Sleeping" is an entertaining film for Guys and Dolls, and it works in repeated viewings.
Sandra portrays Lucy Moderatz, who takes tolls on the L train in Chicago and from afar has an obsessive crush on the handsome, well-dressed Peter Callaghan, played by Peter Gallagher. The audience must willingly accept that someone as likable and attractive as Sandra Bullock is stuck in a dead-end job where she is lonely and works all the holidays because, after all, she doesn't have anyone to share them with. The movie doesn't give you much time to dwell on this because before you know it, Peter is getting mugged and knocked off Lucy's train station platform where he falls unconscious onto the path of a rapidly approaching train. Not surprisingly, Lucy jumps down and pulls the man of her dreams to safety. Lucy then follows the comatose Peter to the hospital where a nurse overhears Lucy in one of her daydreams say "this is the man I'm going to marry" - which naturally leads the nurse to think that Lucy and Peter are engaged when, in fact, the only words that have passed between them are when Peter paused to say "Merry Christmas" as he dropped his token into Lucy's toll booth.
Peter's wonderful family arrives and the misunderstanding of Lucy as Peter's fiancee is perpetuated. Lucy could have cleared up the whole misunderstanding from the first moments but:
1. Peter's family is wonderful and Lucy is lonely.
2. Peter's grandmother has a "heart condition" and Lucy fears that telling the truth may send Grandma over the edge. (The screenwriters were clearly searching for a reason for Lucy to not just fess up....)
3. Since Lucy has been fantasizing about Peter for awhile it's not that difficult for her to pretend to be his fiancee.
I've heard Roger Ebert say it's not as important *what* a movie is about as *how* the movie is about that thing.
This movie would be doomed to failure if it were only about some pathetic toll-taker who pretends to be engaged to her dream-boat to his family while he's in a coma. But Lucy isn't pathetic - she's as likable and attractive as, well, Sandra Bullock, and Peter's family is full of charming, likable folks. Peter, as things would have it, isn't as charming as Lucy dreamt. Although he used to be in the family business of antique furniture, he went to law school and now barely keeps in touch with his family. He has a bitchy girlfriend who is in Europe leaving calls on his answering machine while he is in a coma - one of the calls tells him "yes, I'll marry you".
Again - it's not difficult to guess where much of this is going. Bill Pullman plays Peter's charming, easy-going brother, Jack, who has stayed close to the family, running Dad's business. (There is an extremely well-done low-key scene close to the end where Jack tells Dad, played by Peter Boyle, that he wants to MAKE furniture instead of just dealing it - which will mean getting out of the family business. The scene has both a ring of authenticity, not yielding to any histrionic cliches, and at the same time maintaining the warm feelings that you've built up for both of these characters by this portion of the movie. These kinds of scenes *make* this movie.)
Jack Warden gets special kudos from me as Peter's godfather, Saul, who loves his godson, but also comes to love Lucy as well. Michael Rispoli steals a few scenes as "Joe, Jr." the son of Lucy's landlord. In the early scenes Joe comes across as a shorter, heavier Andrew Dice Clay wannabe. But by the end even Joe has become someone deserving our admiration. This is the kind of movie where you want nice things to happen to the characters - and the movie goes about it's business in a very satisfying way.

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You'll fall in love with WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, the hit romantic comedy that woke everyone up to adorable Sandra Bullock (SPEED, A TIME TO KILL). As Lucy, a lonely subway worker, she becomes smitten with a handsome stranger (Peter Gallagher -- MALICE). But when she saves his life after he's been mugged and fallen into a coma, his hilariously offbeat family mistakes her for his fiancee! Soon, the mix-ups escalate as Lucy fabricates a life between herself and a man she's never met! And when Lucy falls for his charming brother (Bill Pullman -- INDEPENDENCE DAY) the situation really gets uproarious as she's forced to make a choice between the two!

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