The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)It has to be said: although I'm a twentysomething, I still *love * to watch Nickelodeon cartoons, my absolute favourite being "The Wild Thornberrys." I've seen every episode (many more than once), and I was a little skeptical at the thought of a full-length animated movie.
Happily, the movie far surpassed my wildest expectations. The animation looks great, including the use of several CGI elements not present in the series (at some moments it reminded me of "The Lion King"). There is enough background information included (including the opening credits of the series) that newcomers won't feel left behind. The whole Thornberry gang is here, including the addition of Nigel's parents, and several new characters as well. The voice work is fantastic, including such well-known names as Tim Curry as Nigel, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea as Donnie, Rupert Everett as the baddie, and Marisa Tomei. The music is an eclectic mix of traditional and modern, featuring such talents as Sting, Dave Matthews, P. Diddy and Brandy, Youssou D'Nour, Sting, Baha Men, Nick Carter, Peter Gabriel and Hugh Masekela.
The story finds Eliza Thornberry, a twelve-year old with the magical ability to talk to animals, on a hunt for migrating elephants with her family, who are award-winning naturalists. Eliza's older sister Debbie is a moody, pop culture-obsessed Valley Girl who hates all the wilderness trekking. Donnie is the Bornean wild boy that the Thornberrys adopted, who is always causing trouble by making messes and stuffing things up his nose or down his pants. Darwin is Eliza's best friend, a chimpanzee with very human tastes, including his obsession with Cheese Munchies. Eliza starts out playing with the cubs of a cheetah friend, but when one of them is stolen by a poacher Eliza must rescue him. However, her parents send her to a London boarding school, where Eliza is miserable and doesn't fit in. The rest of the movie you'll have to see to believe!
There are some scary chase scenes, wounded animals and tense moments that might upset younger viewers, but overall "The Thornberrys Movie" does an excellent job of bringing the show to the big screen while remaining faithful to the humour, excellent ethnic music, and magical elements of the original series. One of the things that I love the most about the "Wild Thornberrys" is that the episodes take viewers all around the world, and the show's producers try to avoid ethnic stereotypes with the various characters, as well as adding authentic music and traditions. This is one cartoon that is witty, educational and downright fun for the whole family. There's something for everyone with "The Wild Thornberrys Movie."

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Get ready . . . for Nickelodean's The Wild Thornberrys as they embark on their first big screen adventure!
Deep in the heart of Africa, The Wild Thornberrys are filming their action-packed wildlife show. They're ready for anything with a fully-equipped off-road vehicle and a daughter who has a secret gift (she can talk to animals) . . . or are they? There are greedy poachers lurking in the jungle and it's up to Eliza to foil their evil plan. To do this, it will take all of her courage, strength, and exceptional gifts. Can one small girl save the jungle's majestic animals from grave danger? Come along with The Wild Thornberrys on this thrilling odyssey and find out!
Watch this endearing family adventure and find out what makes the Thornberrys so "wild"!

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Legend (Ultimate Edition) (1986) Review

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(More customer reviews)LEGEND never really found an audience in theatres despite Ridley Scott and Universal's constant tinkering with the final cut. Seems many movies of this era were victims of audience test screenings, and the desire to give people a commercial product that went down easy -- see BRAZIL for a prime example of how studios think (the "love conquers all" version). So LEGEND was severely edited and rescored with a hasty (but often effective score by TANGERINE DREAM). It was short on plot and long on art direction, but sumptuous visuals and an all-out acting job by Tim Curry and make-up artist Rick Bottin made the movie an easy favorite of many fantasy fans. The movie looks stunning, and the story is a universal plunge into archetypes. Nothing wrong with that, it certainly worked for STAR WARS!
This DVD collection gives you two versions of LEGEND -- the original director's cut with over twenty minutes of added footage and the original Goldsmith score; and in addition, you get the original US release. In essence you get two different movies! The moods vary, the characters seem a little different, with whole new speeches and images to enjoy. If you are a fan of the movie or Ridley Scott it's a MUST-HAVE! This is what DVD dreams are made of. While many bemoan the fact BLADE RUNNER does not come with its 2 versions -- the fact is other than the narration and the happy ending, there is not MUCH different. But here we have a case where you can see what happens to a movie as it goes through development HELL. Fascinating stuff, and it comes LOADED with extras.
The only downside is the director's cut gets the royal treatment of a 5.1 sound mix while the other version gets a 2 channel Dolby mix, and even the video quality seems different with again the director's cut looking better than the theatrical release. But at last we can see a widescreen version of either cut, and we get a lot of extras that explain some of why the movie is the way it ended up. Beautiful images, two good soundtracks (I like both though the mood changes), and basically strong performances. LEGEND is a waking dream!

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Tom Cruise stars in this visually-stunning fantasy adventure in which pure good and evil battle to the death amidst spectacular surroundings. Set in a timeless mythical forest inhabited by fairies, goblins, unicorns and mortals, this fantastic story has Tom Cruise as a mystical forest dweller, chosen by fate to undertake a heroic quest. He must save a beautiful princess, Mia Sara, and defeat the demonic Lord of Darkness, Tim Curry, or the world will be plunged into a never-ending ice age. Co-starring Billy Barty and Alice Playten and directed by Ridley Scott, famed for his remarkable settings and unparalleled imagery, the incredibly realized fable is the stuff movie legends are made of.

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Alice (2009 Miniseries) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)There's a girl in a blue dress, a Queen of Hearts, and a a magical looking glass that whisks the heroine into a surreal Wonderland.
But beyond that, don't expect this SyFy miniseries to have much in common with Lewis Carroll's classic novel, "Alice in Wonderland." Instead, "Alice" is a whole different animal -- a deliciously gritty sci-fi adventure filled with action, romance, monsters psychedelic horrors, and a revolution against a drug-peddling queen. It's a little silly, but still immensely entertaining.
Alice's (Caterina Scorsone) dinner date with her boyfriend Jack (Philip Winchester) falls apart when he offers her an heirloom ring. When she chases after him, she sees him being dragged off by some suit-wearing thugs -- and promptly trips THROUGH a looking glass. Of course she ends up in Wonderland, a world of grimy urban ruins and art deco casinos. And it's ruled by the Queen of Hearts (Kathy Bates), a ruthless tyrant who keeps her populace drugged with emotions from kidnapped "oysters" (ordinary humans).
Alice ends up following the eccentric Hatter (Andrew-Lee Potts), who offers to take her to the Resistance -- but when they get there, they discover that Jack's ring is actually the Stone of Wonderland (which powers the transdimensional Looking Glass). Since everybody in Wonderland wants the Stone, Hatter and Alice end up on the run from both the Resistance and the Queen's assassin Mad March. Alice is still determined to rescue Jack and return home, but she soon finds that her boyfriend isn't quite what she thought -- and that one of her loved ones is the Queen's brainwashed slave.
The whole idea behind "Alice" is that Carroll's story was real, and that Wonderland has become a very different place in the last 150 years -- crumbling smoky cities, insectile airships, bunny-headed cyborg assassins, and a pair of sadistic interrogators called Dr. Dum and Dr. Dee. It's a far darker, more complex affair than Carroll's books, and that's what makes it so brilliant.
There's plenty of sci-fi action and chaotic battle scenes, including aerial chases, bombing runs and the occasional attack from the grotesque Jabberwock; and the writers keep the complex plot flowing along nicely. But they also keep the story grounded with a love triangle between Alice, Jack and Hatter, as well as Alice's quest to free the oysters and a long-lost family member. And there's just enough humor to keep it from being excessively grim ("We don't have to use a user manual, do we? I HATE user manuals").
Problems? A few of the homages (the grinning cat, the "drink me" bottle) are pretty superfluous, and the siege of skeletal soldiers is kind of silly (especially the "Hit them with everything we've got").
Scorsone makes an excellent modern Alice -- intelligent, capable and capable of butt-kicking her way out, but still vulnerable and young ("You don't remember me!"). Potts makes a deliciously quirky, sexily disheveled Hatter, and Frewer rounds out the main trio as a mildly insane White Knight. Winchester and Colm Meaney are also excellent, Tim Curry is brilliant but underused, and Kathy Bates absolutely rules as the casually cruel, petulant Queen. And yes, she does say "off with his head!"
I don't know what beloved children's story will get reworked next, but "Alice" does a great job with Lewis Carroll's classic novel -- lots of action, a touch of romance, and just enough surreality.

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Abandoned by her father as a child, the independent twenty-one-year-old Alice is accustomed to men being unpredictable, but Jack Chase is something else. Just moments after surprising her with a rare family ring, he’s suddenly kidnapped by two thugs and driven into darkness. It is then that Alice is confronted by a sharply dressed stranger who calls himself White Rabbit, and who promises to know more about Jack than she. Where Alice follows him is through the liquid glass of an ornate mirror. Where she lands is Wonderland, an outlandish underground city of twisted towers and parapets, staircases conceived in a Dali dream, and an otherworldly purple horizon. Soon, the word’s out that Wonderland has its most prized captive. It seems Alice has the ring that controls the looking glass—the key to the power of the Queen of Hearts. It was mad folly for her son Jack to give it to a girl he barely knew. But Jack had his reasons. Discovering them is up to Alice.

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The Worst Witch (The Movie) Review

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(More customer reviews)There are several reasons to buy this video, but none of the reasons have to do with this being a high quality film. It isn't. This movie is of very poor quality. It has cheesy special effects, including blue screen flying scenes,poor sound, and stupid songs. Fairuza Balk is delightful as Mildred Hubble, the worst witch at Miss Cackle's International School for Witches. Halloween is approaching, and the school is preparing for the visit of the Grand Wizard, a powerful wizard as well as heart-throb to the witch community. Mildred's arch rival Ethel manages to sabatoge Mildred throughout the movie, and an embarassing encounter with the Grand Wizard is inevitable, especially since Mildred has made the broom squad.
Don't buy this if you want a good flick.
DO buy this if it reminds you of how much you loved it when you were a kid, if you are a kid who loves Halloween, if you are a die-hard Tim Curry or Fairuza Balk fan, or if you are desperate to have something that will tide you over until the publication of the next Harry Potter book.
I love this movie. I'm just not sure why.

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WORST WITCH - DVD Movie

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The Three Musketeers (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)Alexandre Dumas may or may have not liked the Disney version of his story, but your whole family should. This often remade classic is more comedic in this version. I personally liked it. But then I have liked most versions in their style. The 1973 version with Oliver Reed as Athos and this version with Keifer Sutherland as Athos stand out above the rest in my humble opinion. The 1973 version for the drama and this one for the comedy.

Tim Curry is marvelous as Cardinal Richelieu. He is so borderline outrageously lecherous you think he is going to burst out laughing like a madman or go into song from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". He never plays the piety like Charlton Heston did in the 1973 version. He goes more for the deviousness of an outright power mad religious leader.
The entire cast is great. With Charlie Sheen, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Platt, and Rebecca DeMornay how could it be anything but well acted. I would bet the entire cast had a great time filming this version. The dramatic parts with DeMornay as Lady DeWinter are quite touching and the comedic parts with Porthos the Pirate, played by Platt, are quite funny. I was impressed with Stephen Herek's direction.

Disney did a great job of transferring this movie to DVD. The DVD picture and sound quality is first class. The DVD includes a featurette, theatrical trailers, and Bios. Well worth adding to your collection of movies like "The Princess Bride", "Ever After", and "Robin Hood".

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Nab the star-studded comedy-adventure that dazzled moviegoers everywhere! It's the action-packed tale of three loyal swordsmen (Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt) who are joined by an eager recruit (Chris O'Donnell) to protect the King of France. Together, the foursome battle enormous odds in their attempt to defeat an evil royal advisor (Tim Curry) and a seductive envoy (Rebecca De Mornay) plotting to overthrow France's crown -- fighting against both time and scores of enemies! You'll cheer out loud when these exciting muskeeteers face danger, fun, and adventure at every turn -- proving they are the greatest swashbucklers who ever lived!

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Widescreen Edition) (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)I loved going to "Rocky Horror" when I was in college, but watching on home video just wasn't the same. I'm probably committing heresy but there's a reason why this sci-fi, horror, B-movie satire, rock musical didn't really make it big until theaters started showing it as a midnight movie and fans started attending in costume and talking back to the screen. The 25th anniversary DVD, with several audience participation options, really is the next best thing to being there.
For the uninitiated, "Rocky Horror" tells the story of two clean-cut American youths, uptight Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick of "Spin City") and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon of "Dead Man Walking") whose car breaks down on a dark, deserted road in the middle of a storm--the classic beginning to many horror movies--and who seek help at a nearby castle. Castles, as Rocky fans know, don't have phones! What this castle has instead is a cross-dressing mad scientist Frank-N-Furter Tim Curry, in perhaps his finest performance), two very creepy servants, Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien, who wrote the musical) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and various other hangers-on, including lovers Columbia (Little Nell) and biker Eddie (Meat Loaf). Brad and Janet walk in on a party celebrating the creation of Frank-N-Furter's muscle-bound boy-toy "Rocky." Bed-hopping chaos soon ensues, until the servants reveal their true identities and take control.
Punctuating this wacky plot are some of the wildest rock-musical songs ever written. In addition to the classic "Time Warp," there's O'Brien's salute to cult-classic B-movies, "Science Fiction Double Feature," Meat Loaf's "Hot Patootie," and Sarandon ode to sexual self-discovery, "Toucha Toucha Touch Me!"
So much for the "Rocky virgin" portion of the review... What makes the DVD so exceptional is the chance to experience "Rocky Horror" at home nearly like you would in the theater. The DVD has the option of turning on the audience screen comments as well as another option for viewing members of the Rocky Horror Fan Club performing select scenes before returning to the main movie. For those less familiar with audience participation, the DVD can prompt when to throw toast, toilet paper, rice, etc., light a match, put your newspaper on your head, etc.
The second disc contains fascinating interviews with cast members, where fans can find out about their reaction to starring in this cult classic. Meat Loaf's description of not realizing what "Rocky Horror" was going to be about and running out of the theater when Tim Curry entered wearing fishnet stockings, spiked heels, a merry widow, and a leather jacket and singing "Sweet Transvestite" is hysterical. Patricia Quinn talks about how her fondness for the opening song, "Science Fiction Double Feature" made her want to take the role even though she hadn't read the rest of the script. What? Don't remember Quinn singing that number? In the stage versions she did, but the song got reassigned in the film version--and Quinn makes her feelings about that QUITE clear. Sarandon makes the interesting observation that "Rocky Horror" probably kept a lot of art house theaters in business over the years, since they could count on good revenue from the midnight movie, even if the latest regular-hours offering flopped. In Bostwick's interview, however, the actor sounds a bit like William Shatner giving his anti-Trekkie diatribe on "Saturday Night Live."
The only disappointments on the DVD are that the outtakes really aren't that interesting and actor bios aren't provided. I would have liked to see what else the "minor" cast members did after Rocky, but that information is limited to a few lines in the companion booklet. Also, some of the audience-participation comments are nearly impossible to understand because fans are talking over each other. But then that's part of the modern-day theater experience. Even Sarandon noted in her interview that talking back to the screen has gone from the more unison catechism approach to a loud free-for-all.
What seemed so risqué and shocking a few decades ago seems much more innocent today, but it was great when it all began and it's still great! If you've never ventured into the theater to experience "Rocky Horror," this is the best way to experience it at home.

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Fasten your garter belt and come up to the lab and see what's on the slab!It's The Rocky Horror Picture Show Special Edition, a screamingly funny, sinfully twisted salute to sci-fi, horror, B-movies and rock music, all rolled into one deliciously decadent morsel.And now there's even more to make you shiver with antici...pation:two additional musical numbers, "Once In A While" and "Superheroes", never seen theatrically or available on video!The madcap, musical mayhem begins when rain-soaked Brad and Janet take refuge in the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from outer space who is about to unveil his greatest creation - and have a bit of fun with his reluctant guests!Join Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon and rock star Meat Loaf in the most popular cult classic of all time.

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