Brainy Baby - Laugh & Learn (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Brainy Baby Right Brain is the first of the Brainy Baby series I bought. Then I came across Laugh and Learn and decided to give it a try.
It starts with different babies wearing silly masks and making funny faces. Then goes on about colors, shapes, matching, guessing game, 'yes' or 'no', alphabets and numbers.
The DVD is long - so it is advisible to watch it with the baby (if you can) and try to repeat what was said (usually 'yes', 'no', names of colors, etc.).
It is too long in one sitting, but I admit I usually just let it play. Baby will do something else after a long while, but periodically go back to the front of the TV and see what the chuckles are all about.
I recommend Brainy Baby series. I have bought a few others well in advance of my baby's learning, but I am sure it will be handy when he gets older.
The bonus material includes a story telling board, Baby Bloopers, and music video. Quite a lot of material packed into one DVD.
This is suitable only for older babies (10 months +++).

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Item Name: Brainy Baby - Laugh & Learn; Studio:BRAINY BABY

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WWE WrestleMania April 2, 2000 (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)I remember watching this one live on PPV. Watching events live is always a more enjoyable experience than watching DVDs and looking back at them. "WrestleMania 2000" has some good stuff, but overall hasn't aged very well.
The Godfather & D'Lo Brown vs. The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan
---After Godfather and D'Lo enter with an awkward musical performance from Ice-T, the Alabama boys come in and take charge. The Godfather doesn't do a whole lot, which is disappointing. Bossman & Buchanan execute some vicious teamwork, and D'Lo has always been a very good wrestler. An odd choice for a PPV opener, but solid overall.
"6.5 out of 10"
________________________________________________
13-Man Battle Royal for the Hardcore Championship
---For 15 minutes, these guys go at it for the Hardcore title. Once the time limit expires, whoever has the title wins the match. I'm glad to see the 24/7 madness get put aside for tonight. Also, the match is sometimes hilarious to watch, then suddenly a very rough battle. However, the big problem is that it wears thin very quickly --- too many superstars & too many weapons. Mildly amusing, but ultimately dumb and repetitive.
"5.5 out of 10"
________________________________________________
Al Snow & Steve Blackman vs. T&A
---A strange presentation with J.R. and King having some headset issues throughout the match, plus the crowd isn't into it. Who are we supposed to cheer for, anyway? There's an Al Snow mascot gag that's just weird, too. Test & Albert are very powerful wrestlers, and I always enjoyed their tag matches. Not bad, but most didn't seem to care.
"6.0 out of 10"
________________________________________________
Ladder Match for the Tag Team Championships
Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz (champions)
---Just when people thought the "No Mercy 1999" Ladder match and the "Royal Rumble 2000" Table match couldn't be topped, here this one comes along. I didn't think I'd enjoy this one after over 20 Ladder & TLC Matches since April 1 of 2000. But it actually holds up very well. I think that's because the wrestlers aren't so desperate to top themselves. No crazy spots from before to surpass; just 6 guys performing naturally. Even though I still can't figure out why The Dudleyz wasted 5 minutes to set up tables, this classic is as superb as it was years ago!
"9.0 out of 10"
________________________________________________
Cat Fight with Val Venis as Special Referee
Terri vs. The Kat
---I actually get a huge laugh out of this one. Yeah, it's dumb and unnecessary, but it's not like anybody's taking themselves seriously here. A guilty pleasure meant to give us a good time cooling down from the Ladder Match.
"6.0 out of 10" (stupid yet funny)
________________________________________________
The Radicalz vs. Chyna & Too Cool
---I know Too Cool can wrestle a good tag team contest, and Chyna is as tough as they come. Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, & Dean Malenko need no introduction. But this is basically The Radicalz being embarrassed by the happy-dance tag team, which is a shame. These six competitors were capable of stealing the show if they wanted too, but a lazy showcase that embarasses The Radicalz & hypes up the happy-dance tag team gimmick that annoyed the snot out of me. By the way, The Worm is the worst finishing move EVER!
"5.5 out of 10"
________________________________________________
Two-Falls Match for the Intercontinental/European Championships
Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle ("Euro-Continental" champion)
---First off, the DVD has three alternate commentaries for this match that everyone should listen to. So how's the match? I admire this match more than I love it; what's sad is the unrealized potential. I got the feeling that what I saw was very good, but more of a sign of better things to come. The two falls' finishes come just when a classic is being born. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good battle between three of the best technical performers to ever grace the business. But a quiet crowd and rushed finishes kind of hurt this one. However, it's worth noting that this match made the WWF's "Best of 2000" VHS tape...not the Ladder Match! All three men have had better matches later in their careers, but this is one of the evening's best contests.
"8.0 out of 10"
________________________________________________
Road Dogg & X-Pac vs. Rikishi & Kane
---I respect cool-downs for a main event, but this one doesn't hold up too well. I don't expect a classic, but these four guys give us a very lazy contest. Not terrible, but forgettable at best. Plus, the Pete Rose thing got old after "WM 15".
"5.0 out of 10"
________________________________________________
No DQ Elimination Match for the WWF Championship
A McMahon In Every Corner
Mick Foley (w/ Linda) vs. Big Show (w/ Shane) vs. The Rock (w/ Vince) vs. Triple H (champion - w/ Stephanie)
---It was easier to keep track of the nWo roster than explaining the McMahon Family's storylines. You won't care if you love Elimination Matches, but this was main event didn't live up to the great hype and well-documented history. I can watch either of these 4 guys in one-on-one matches and have a good time. But put 3 or 4 of them in the same ring at a time, you get nothing more than slugfest. The one word to sum this up would be "EPIC"! The main event clocks in at a monstrous 40 minutes before all is said and done. I'm afraid some viewers will get tired of this one, because it goes for a long time. When it gets down to the final two superstars, it gets pretty good. But then there are several run-ins that gave me a shock, but then just made me feel jipped and puzzled. Sorry to say this, but not one of the better "WrestleMania" main events.
"6.5 out of 10"
________________________________________________
I think the PPV is a disappointment, but then watch WWF use the DVD format to show off the goods (unlike today's WWE PPV DVDs):
* Disc 1 has the Triple Call Commentary for the Jericho/Benoit/Angle match, each very good. Angle brags about his success, and whines about getting screwed. Jericho is his usual sarcastic self, and just seems to have fun watching the match. Benoit gives us some background on his overseas travels, keeping things grounded and calm. Again, the Triple Call is an excellent bonus. Disc 1 also has histories on a few of the matches, and a brief behind-the-scenes featurette.
* Disc 2 was amazing for its time, and it's still pretty good. Each of the first 15 WrestleManias gets their own 12-to-14 minute coverage. Some of them are very well covered, while a few are quite the bore. Keep in mind, that there are barely any interviews or non-kayfabe moments. Also, some "WrestleManias" have all matches recapped, while some just focus on the main events. I hope the WWE considers improving upon for future "WrestleMania" DVDs, because I'd love to see this good first-try evolve into greatness.
________________________________________________
I recommend the "WWF WrestleMania 2000" DVD because of two excellent matches, and some very good DVD extras. But if you want just the PPV, get the "WrestleMania Anthology" instead.

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WWE - John Cena: My Life (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review will automatically make John Cena "haters" give me a non helpful vote, just because I gave it 5 stars.
Why? Because I'm a fan of John. I adore the man, he's incredibly talented and an incredibly hard worker and all round nice guy. Yes, I may be what you'd call a "fangirl" but I like John for more than his looks (yes he's gorgeous, but I appreciate his wrestling abilities as well!).
This disc has three discs, all cover different things. Disc 1 is the documentary, Disc 2 is some of John's best matches and Disc 3 is episodes of John's WWE dotcom show, 5 Questions.
The documentary is very well made and informative. You learn a lot about John's childhood, his teenage years and his foray into wrestling in OVW. I found it interesting because John talks a lot about he did bodybuilding before he was a wrestler. He looked completely different to how he is now, it was a shock! But it was awesome to see a different side of him. He then moves the documentary onto his WWE debut, into his rapper gimmick and into winning his first WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 21. We keep moving onto feuding with Edge in 2006, his infamous match with Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand and making The Marine. The documentary ends with John talking about wrestling Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 23 and what the future holds for him.
The documentary is interesting and John is animated and entertaining as he takes us through his life.
The first disc also features a look at John's sizeable car collection - he collects vintage cars and shows us his collection. He has cars like a Dodge Viper, Mustang and a Camaro.
Now we move onto Disc 2, which is the matches DVD. This disc features seven of John's many matches in his career.
They are:
Randy Orton's farewell match: The Prototype (John) vs Randy Orton - OVW 19/01/02
This is from John's days in OVW and it was Randy's last match before he debuted in the WWE. John looks like a huge dork and he talks smack about Randy before the match. The match isn't that good, but it's cool to see both John and Randy before they were WWE superstars. John wins, by the way.
John Cena vs Chris Jericho - Vengeance 21/07/02
This match was John's first PPV match, lucky for him he got a great competitor in Chris, who carried him to a very good match for a rookie. This was before John established his rapper gimmick, and this proves he can wrestle. He takes Chris by surprise when he beats him, and afterwards Chris freaks out and starts destroying things at ringside. A successful PPV for John.
John Cena vs Rikishi - Smackdown! 27/03/03
A match from SD, this saw John get heavily booed for the first time against fan favourite Rikishi. John was in a feud with Brock Lesnar at the time, and after the match he called him out (they should have put what happened on the DVD). As for the match itself, John proved early that he could face much bigger opponents then himself with ease - something he would go onto having a talent for (Big Show, Umaga, The Great Khali). A pretty good match.
I Quit Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs JBL - Judgment Day 22/05/05
One of John's most famous matches, nearly everybody knows this classic. This was John's best match with JBL, and he actually managed to get a decent match out of the man. This was a brutal and bloody match - John bled so much, his face was completely covered in it at one point. This has loads of cool spots, involving various weapons and other props - including JBL's limo and the truck that John made his entrance on. JBL quits after John goes to hit him with a huge metal pipe - John proceeds to hit him with it after the match is over anyway. One of John's best matches to date, I love this one.
John Cena, Shawn Michaels & Hulk Hogan vs Tyson Tomko, Chris Jericho & Christian - Raw 27/06/05
I can't stand Hulk Hogan, but here he's teaming up with my two favourite wrestlers, so I'll forgive him. This match isn't much, it's basically just John, Shawn and Hulk beating up on Tomko, Chris and Christian for awhile. Hogan of course hogs the spotlight and gets the pin, and John and Shawn celebrate with him, which is actually cute and not annoying.
Extreme Rules Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs Rob Van Dam - ECW One Night Stand 11/06/06
This is another rather famous match for John, as it was the match where he got practically booed out of the building. The ECW crowd are rabid and verbally tear into John. I have to give him credit, he kept it together and ignored them most of the time. The match itself is exceptional too, John shows he can do matches ECW style, he outdoes RVD at points. The match had a bad ending, because Edge interfered, but apart from that, this was an entertaining match.
TLC Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs Edge - Unforgiven 17/09/06
I reckon John excels in matches where the rule book is thrown out the window, the best three matches here are all like that, including this one. John once again had the fans against him, as Edge was the hometown hero in Canada. This match was really fun, John matched up nicely against Edge. Lita got involved and actually tipped the match in John's favour. The ending spot is sick when John FUs Edge through a couple of tables. I think he gained the crowd's respect by the end too. This match was also the start of his 13 month reign with the WWE title.
When I first bought this, I was dismayed to find that the epic hour long match with Shawn Michaels from Raw wasn't on here, as that's probably my all time favourite match. But it turned up on Shawn's DVD set (which I bought just after this), so I'm happy. That match is just amazing, John and Shawn have amazing chemistry in the ring together, they've never had a bad match together.
Disc 2 also contains some extras of John doing various things - returning to OVW for a show, showing us his collection of coins, doing a car race for a TV show, his friends talk about when John once went camping, John's short feud with Kevin Federline, some footage of John's Wrestlemania 22 entrance, his Wrestlemania 21 movie promo with JBL, a promo from OVW, John training at a gym and the music video for his song "Right Now."
Disc 3 is my favourite however, because it features several episodes of his web show, 5 Questions (named 5 Questions With The Champ when he had the title). John is absolutely hilarious on these things. He answers questions that fans send in, and rambles about things. He frequently goes off topic and starts talking about something completely unrelated, too. John is a naturally funny guy and he's so charismatic. The well known jobber Brooklyn Brawler helps John with the show, and he's always insulting him and saying how much he hates him. He also holds a grudge against Michael Cole, he goes on about him a lot, it makes me giggle.
When watching these segments (they run around 5 to 10 minutes each, depending on how long John rambles for), I was constantly laughing. John is honest in his answers and his answers make me laugh so hard. Towards the end of the segments, he thinks he should cancel the show and asks people to write in and say whether it should keep going. John gets mad when nobody mentions it in their letters and thinks the show should stop, it's so funny. The questions he gets asked are hilarious too, John makes them funny.
This review is long, but it gets my point across as to why I like this DVD so much. The 5 Questions segments are hilarious, the matches are awesome and the documentary is really good. All up, a fantastic DVD for a huge John fan such as myself. 5 stars, for sure.

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Without a doubt, John Cena has been one of the hottest superstars in WWE over the last three years. The three-time WWE Champion has main-evented the last two Wrestlemanias, and is hugely popular with WWE fans.John Cena: My Life chronicles his amazing career in and out of the ring, with exclusive interviews as Cena reflects on some of his biggest moments and rivalries with Superstars including Edge, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Umaga, and more.

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Almost Illegal #1 (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I wasn't expecting much with this dvd but im happy to say that this is probably the best DVD i have ever bought off amazon, 5 stars.

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You'll witness 100% real life footage of street fights, Girl fights, wild college parties, and lets not forget dozens of HOT college girls getting wild and crazy plus much more caught on camera footage.Hands down this is the rawest, most sexiest video E

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Strip To It: Core Moves and Fantasies Sexy Striptease (exotic dancing) (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Angi Carlston does a great job of clearly describing and demonstrating all the core striptease moves you'll ever need to put together a sexy dance routine. She then shows some transitional moves, combination moves, a few advanced moves, and a whole set of "specialty" moves that go along with the unique and fun dress-up fantasy "Performance Videos". Angi and her two students each pick one of the fantasy themes and do their own demonstration dance as well.
Other than a very short intro and tips section (which are separate selections from the menu), there are no interviews or other "filler" material. No fancy video editing tricks or slick graphic effects to distract from the instructional content either. It's a very straight forward and down to business presentation, with multiple camera angles, and very good sound quality (shot at a professional sound studio). This one is much more organized and more "produced" than the previous Strip To It - Bump n' Grind DVD, which is more informal and done in a typical home environment.
The "Performance Videos" are a very cool idea and a lot of fun! They are NOT videos of women doing striptease routines, as you might tend to believe from the description. Rather, the Performance Videos are videos designed for you to use while performing your own routine. There are ten different dress-up fantasy soundtrack themes, with a Performance Video for each. These themes are: School Girl, Naughty Nurse, Secret Agent, Ninja Seductress, Cowgirl, Firefighter, Cheerleader, Racing, East Meets West, and Cop / Bad Boy. The soundtrack for each theme is presented in both 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, as well as regular Stereo. The video track for each theme has simple graphic patterns that are synchronized to the music and are meant to be used as sexy back lighting for your dance. The idea is to try to recreate a club experience at home with the surround sound music and sexy colored lighting. If you don't like the soundtrack music provided, you can also turn off the audio and play your own favorite music, and there are several "video only" backgrounds as well, including a couple of stroboscopic type videos, as well as multiple background "slides" that can be changed in real time with your remote. You can give your man the remote and let him control the video lighting effects in real time while you dance! It's a lot of fun!
Finally, if you don't have a nice home theater area to play the Performance Videos on a DVD player and dance at the same time, there are full MP3 versions of all the songs on the DVD-ROM section that you can use to burn onto a CD or copy onto your portable music device, so you can use the music anywhere you want to dance. The DVD-ROM section also has a section of helpful hints and instructions on how to use the Performance Videos, as well as some behind the scenes photos, and credits.
Great value for the money. Just the instructional content alone is worth the price of the DVD, but the fun Performance Videos and soundtrack, and the free MP3 files, definitely make it a great total value.
As always, don't base your purchasing decisions on reviews. Visit the company web site for previews of the videos and music so that you know what you are getting ahead of time.

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With more than 50 dance moves clearly described and demonstrated by professional dance instructor Angi Carlston, and her two students, you'll have everything you need to put together a show that your man won't soon forget. You get 22 easy to learn Core Moves, 5 Transitional Moves, 4 Wall Moves, 3 Advanced Movies and 15 Specialty Moves, PLUS 2 sets of combination moves and 3 demo dance routines. Multiple chapter points, starting with simple title screens, make it quick and easy to find the moves you want to learn, using the chapter buttons on your remote. More than an hour of solid instructional content, shot with 3 cameras, in a professional sound studio, you always see the moves from the best angle and clearly hear Angi's instructions. FANTASIES PERFORMANCE VIDEOS: Create a sexy stage show experience in your home with the Exclusive Fantasies performance Videos! Surround Sound theme music and synchronized video patterns, provide the sound and sexy backlighting for ten different fantasy dress up themes. Put on your outfit, dim the lights and dazzle him with a fully enveloping experience that he won't soon forget. If you prefer to dance to other music, there are several video-only backgrounds, including two strobe lighting effects, plus 18 backgrounds that can be switched in real time. Give your man the remote and let him control the lighting effects while you dance! DVD-ROM: Put this DVD into your computer's DVD-ROM drive for access to all the Fantasy themes in high resolution MP3 format. Additional features which you can access with your computer include behind the scenes photos, detailed instructions, credits and information on how to access the customers' only area of our web site where you can download additional music and videos for FREE!

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WWE: Royal Rumble 2009 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the best Rumbles I've seen for a long time.
The ECW Championship match with former champ Matt Hardy vs. then champion Jack Swagger. It was back and foward and good opener for the PPV and for me it gets a 3.5/5
Now we go to the Women's Championship match with Melina vs. Beth Phoenix, the girls always do a good job with Beth domonated most of the match with Melina coming from behind giving this match a 3.5/5
Now the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match with John Cena in his 4th championship run vs. his old rival JBL w/ his new "employee" HBK in his corner. Not much to say in this match cause like always John Cena wins until losing the title the next month in the Elimination Chamber. 2/5
Now we move on to the WWE Championship Match with Jeff Hardy in his first run as a World Champion vs. his old TLC "buddy" Edge. Before the match even stared then Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero makes the match no DQ so her nephew Chavo can get involed in the match for Edge. In the end Matt turned on his own brother so Edge can win his 8th world championship. 4/5
And now the MAIN EVENT the ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH with Rey Mysterio(who lasted a long time in there)and John Morrison staring at #1 and #2. This was an interesting Rumble because Orton kicked Vince McMahon in the head so it was unknown what will happen if he won or not. When Triple H who entered at #7 and Randy Orton #8 they got a huge pop from the fans like always. But to my surprise Rob Van Dam was a guest entrent at #25 and crowd went crazy! But in the end with help of Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton wins the match and will main event The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania!!! 5/5

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It's the dream of every superstar--to headline WrestleMania. For one man out of 30, the dream becomes reality at the Royal Rumble. Whoever outlasts 29 other competitors earns himself a championship match at WrestleMania 24. The superstars of Raw, Smackdown, and ECW, including past winners John Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, and Batista, and superstars looking to add this impressive goal to their resume, including Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Edge, Kane, Mr. Kennedy, Randy Orton, CM Punk, MVP and more will do everything in their power to overpower and outlast the competition.

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The Prisoner (Miniseries) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Those who have commented about this series without seeing the original do not know whereof they write. The original series went beyond mere entertainment (and it was very entertaining) but also stimulated the viewer into thinking about subjects such as illegal incarceration, autonomy, the illusion of democracy, identity, education, truth, life, death, manipulation, propaganda, loyalty, war and violence (as well as innumerable other topics). As a youth, I was profoundly influenced by the exploration of the concepts in this series.
Plus, I loved the car. Rover was cool too.
I find it hard to believe that anyone could be remotely influenced by any of the ideas in this mini-series remake. In fact, I couldn't find any profound ideology in this mini-series.
If one had not seen the original series, this new rendition would have had to have been completely incomprehensible.
The fundamentals of the show were missing. Number Six was not defiant or angry, merely befuddled. Number Two was not desperately seeking information from Number Six while under the scrutiny of an anonymous Number One. He was also acting aimlessly.
Everyone was wandering around as if they were in a dream (wow - a spoiler!)
After waiting so long for something to be done with the Prisoner property; and with so many hard core fans craving to view a remake, I am surprised this weak series was the best effort that the entertainment industry could muster.
For better alternatives for those of you who would love to see more shows similar to the original Prisoner, I would recommend:
1) Danger Man (TV Series)
2) Secret Agent (TV Series)
3) Kings and Desperate Men (VHS Movie with some familiar faces)
4) Shattered Visage (Graphic Novel sequel)
5) Nowhere Man (TV Series with a similar flow to the Prisoner)
6) Sleuth (with Olivier & Caine - a movie about mind games)
7) The Game (with M. Douglas - another mind game movie)
8) The Prisoner Original Movie Scripts (Two Volumes also containing original series material which was not used)
It is a pity that producers have waited forty years for the deaths of Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern, just to insure that they would not appear in any sequels. The graphic novel "Shattered Visage" was created 20 years ago with appropriately aged Numbers 2 & 6, undoubtedly with a movie sequel in mind which would have included these beloved actors. Another missed opportunity was that McGoohan's own sequel was not used.
Perhaps in forty years hence a better sequel will be made.

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The Prisoner miniseries is a reinterpretation of the British 1960s cult hit series that starred and was co-created by Patrick McGoohan. The Premise : A man, known as Six, finds himself inexplicably trapped in The Village with no memory of how he arrived. As he explores his environment, he discovers that his fellow inhabitants are identified by number instead of name, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. Not knowing whom to trust, Six is driven by the need to discover the truth behind The Village, the reason for his being there, and most importantly -- how he can escape. Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ , The Thin Red Line) plays the role of Six; and two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, The Da Vinci Code) co-stars as Two.

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Next Day Air (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Next Day Air" is a convoluted but engrossing dark comedy that has the conviction to make gangsters and drug dealers seem like people you would want to root for. It's a tale of hapless people in an equally hapless situation, and yet director Benny Boom and writer Blair Cobbs aren't so melodramatic that they fail to see the humor in it all; many moments are genuinely funny, at times in that blatant screwball way, at other times in that underhanded way that makes you think about what was said and by whom. The clever structure helps a great deal, every scene so carefully paced that the whole thing runs like clockwork. Strange, the precision that went into a screenplay about a scenario that was handled very imprecisely. It's quite possible that this is an intentional display of cinematic irony, which is good because it reveals an intelligence films like this tend to lack.
The plot, essentially, is about a drug deal gone wrong. Using an ordinary delivery service modeled after UPS or Fed-Ex, a ruthless drug lord from Calexico, California named Bodega (Emilio Rivera) ships ten bricks of high-quality cocaine to Philadelphia. It was supposed to be delivered to Jesus (Cisco Reyes) and his girlfriend, Chita (Yasmin Deliz), but a potheaded delivery man named Leo (Donald Faison) accidentally drops it off at the apartment further down the hall. It's now in the possession of three inept bank robbers: Brody (Mike Epps), Guch (Wood Harris), and Hassie (Malik Barnhardt). While Hassie spends most of the film asleep on the couch, Brody and Guch quickly decide to get rich off the bricks by selling them to Brody's cousin, Shavoo (Omari Hardwick). Shavoo, unfortunately, is unaware that his secret stash of money has been stolen.
As you can see, this story involves a lot of people, and their personal histories are, to varying degrees, interwoven all throughout. Leo is a slacker who doesn't take his job very seriously, not caring a bit for boxes marked as fragile. He's inches away from being fired by his boss, who just happens to be his mother (Debbie Allen). He knows for a fact that his co-worker and friend, Eric (Mos Def), actively steals merchandise from the very boxes he delivers. Jesus and Chita bicker like immature teenagers, almost as if they were already married. It's a complex, multilayered film, yet it never loses sight of the story or the characters. This is especially important as we approach the final act, at which point Bodega comes to Philadelphia, Jesus and Chita search for Leo, and Brody, Guch, and Shavoo begin distrusting one another. Eventually, nine people find themselves in the same small apartment, and of those nine, seven are armed and dangerous.
One of the film's best scenes may seem like an obvious gimmick, but it works just the same. Brody calls Shavoo to tell him about the ten bricks. Subtitles suddenly appear, translating slang-heavy ghetto talk into formal English. I found myself laughing, probably because that scene forced me to face a cultural gap head on; had there been no subtitles, I most likely would not have understood a thing they were saying. The rest of the film is linguistically solid, if a little in-your-face with obscene references to Oedipus. Honestly, the four-letter dialogue in this movie none too subtle--if the filmmakers had put a dollar amount on each word, the actors would have probably earned more at the end of the shoot than the total of their salaries.
In spite of this, there are specific passages of dialogue that can actually make the audience think, if only for a moment or two. Take, for example, an ongoing argument between Brody and Guch about the nature of family; while Brody is convinced that Shavoo is acting honestly, Guch believes that no one, not even close family members, can be trusted. His point hits home near the end of the film, at which point his priorities are made abundantly clear. And then there's Shavoo, who asserts, "If it ain't worth dying for, you don't want to be in it." He remembers that line much later on, and considering what has happened and who it happened to, it's unclear whether or not he still believes this to be true.
While I'm hard pressed to say that "Next Day Air" is a message movie, there is the sense that something more lurks beneath the zany surface, and whatever that something is, it can do more for an audience than just smack them upside the head with crude dialogue, a lot of drug use, and bloody shootouts. I suspect most of the credit goes to the carefully plotted screenplay, which successfully interweaves multiple storylines without getting them hopelessly confused with one another. I find it both amazing and funny that such a chaotic story achieved its goals because of an organized script. That may, in fact, be the funniest thing about this movie (although I laughed pretty hard at a scene featuring Jesus practicing his stick-up routine in front of a mirror, each time using a bigger gun). Clearly, "Next Day Air" is a lot smarter than it lets on.

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No description available for this title.Item Type: DVD MovieItem Rating: RStreet Date: 09/15/09Wide Screen: yesDirector Cut: noSpecial Edition: noLanguage: ENGLISHForeign Film: noSubtitles: noDubbed: noFull Frame: noRe-Release: noPackaging: Sleeve

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NOVA: Fractals - Hunting the Hidden Dimension (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an interesting and entertaining introduction to fractal geometry. It illustrates how the Julia and Mandelbrot sets were devised. Benoit B. Mandelbrot himself was dismissed and scoffed at by mathemeticians until he authored "The Factal Geometry of Nature", they then realized the connection of fractals & math and nature, even our bodies use it for economy of construction. There is order in so-called disorder except in cases of cancer. But computers were necessary to utilize the full potentials of fractals. This film offers graphic demonstrations. The spinoffs of B.Mandlebrot's book include the first ever computer generated special effects for Star Trek movies, some medical research applications, a quantum leap in design for antennaes for cell phones. Ships now from WGBH Boston.

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Item Name: NOVA: Fractals - Hunting the Hidden Dimension; Studio:WGBH BOSTON

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Comedian (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Comedian" chronicles Jerry Seinfeld's return to the comedy club circuit after dismantling his sitcom in 1998 and retiring his well-honed live routines in the HBO special "I'm Telling You For The Last Time."
And though the documentary has lots of stand-up comedy, as well as appearances by comics such as Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Garry Shandling, Robert Klein and Bill Cosby, this is not really a concert movie. It's actually a glimpse into the business of entertaining and the process behind making an audience laugh. "Comedian" is a funny movie, but it's really more about the humor of anxiety and self-doubt than punch lines.

Shot on digital video by Christian Charles (who directed Seinfeld's snappy American Express commercials) and crammed with excellent jazz and pop music, the movie follows Seinfeld and a young comic named Orny Adams as they hit the road, work on new material and perform on "Late Night With David Letterman." Adams -- keyed-up and hypersensitive -- doesn't fare as well as Jerry but given that he's sharing space in a movie with one of the most popular television personalities in history, he kind of has the deck stacked against him.
And yes, Seinfeld, after being out of the spotlight for a while, does remain an interesting personality, even more so when caught on a relatively candid camera (Jerry curses?). His backstage conversations with Leno, Cosby, Rock and Colin Quinn reveal a guarded camaraderie, and fans who spent a significant chunk of the '90s chuckling at the misadventures of Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine will probably find it amusing that Seinfeld still actively worries he'll bomb in front of a crowd.
But for all Seinfeld's agonized fretting over writing jokes and winning the audience's approval, anybody who puts in 40-plus hours a week at an office probably won't find much sympathy for a guy who has been given hundreds of millions of dollars doing the very thing he loves to do.
Nevertheless, "Comedian" is a sharp, insightful, wry and occasionally stinging piece of business.

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Jerry Seinfeld is a working stand-up comic again. COMEDIAN is a candidly revealing, intimately observed, and often very funny look at what it takes to be a comedian. On-stage, Jerry delivers his hilarious brand of observational humor. Off-stage, he struggles with difficult material, confronts self-doubt, revels in small successes, and accepts help and support from friends and colleagues, including Colin Quinn, Ray Romano, Chris Rock, Garry Shandling, Jay Leno, and Bill Cosby. COMEDIAN also discovers the sharp wit of rising young comic Orny Adams -- outspoken, insecure, and fanatical about becoming the "next big thing." What emerge are two fascinating journeys by two contrasting personalities who have some surprising parallels.

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Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson Uncensored (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)The latest roasts on comedy central have been funny, but not memorable enough for a second viewing. Well Comedy Central has found a way to change that with the roast of Pamela Anderson. Oh Pamela you gorgeous Baywatch babe, she takes hits like I've never seen before on live television. And now with the release of this dvd you get to see the whole thing uncensored! Oh comedy central, you shouldn't have.
If you think you've seen a roast before .. you havent seen anything yet. The Roast of Pamela Anderson had me rolling in the aisles the first time I saw it on Comedy Central a couple months ago. And as many times as they re-ran it, I tell you I couldnt get enough. Let me just mention some of the goodies found here: First and foremost Pamela, in a classy see through getup, handles herself oddly enough with class, dignity, and a smile. She is one heck of a lady. But its the guests that are the highlight. Lets first start with Courtney Love, a personal hero of mine! Courtney was detained shortly after this performance and sent into rehab, so its quite a laugh to hear her boast here of how she has been clean and sober for a year! Clean and sober she is not, funny as hell she is. She is the scene stealer here, and the other comedians take more joy out of poking fun at her than even Pamela at some points. All of which are hillarious, and watching Courtney react and flail and fall about, is certainly something that needs to be re-watched over and over again. We get Bea Arthur reading excerpts from Pamela's book. Can you say brilliant? Who woulda known Bea Arthur would come out of hiding to roast our lady of the hour? She delivers the double-whammy when she reads aloud one of the "sexiest" scenesof the book. We have the always hillarious Sarah Silverman doing what she does best. She has had one hell of a year what with her movie "Jesus is Magic" her cameo in "Rent" her part in "The Aristocrats" and showing up at many roasts. Here she does herself proud poking fun at Pam, Courtney, and her boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel to name a few. Andy Dick takes a feel of Pammy's assets, and confuses an audience again with his sexuality. Tommy Lee is on hand. Which is great because he and Pam are like the couple never meant to be together, but somehow you just root for them. Although they aren't together as of the taping, it is cute to watch them take jabs at each other. The self proclaimed "Queen of Mean" Lisa Lampanelli delivers perhaps the funniest bits near the end before Pam herself gets her revenge.
Pam sat through the hell of a roast all for charity, PETA of course, which she is known to support avidly. (even protesting at KFC's .. she is quite devoted, and I think she should be commended for it). So with the cast of Jimmy Kimmel, Tommy Lee, Adam Carolla, Eddie Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Jeffrey Ross, Nick Dipaolo, Andy Dick, Greg Giraldo, Bea Arthur, Elon Gold, Lisa Lampanelli, Lady Bunny, Courtney Love, even Anna Nicole Smith (in the audience) and of course Pamela herself, it is a star studded hillarious event.
And now you can own it and rewatch it over and over. Who wouldnt want to see Courtney Love take a pratfall right at the moment when Pam gets up to deliver her speech? And the dvd features a ton of bonus features which are equally as exciting. Theres footage from the rehearsal, theres outtakes from the show, theres stuff from the red carpet (hillarious), and more. So overall Im giving this 4 stars. It is the funniest thing you will find on dvd this month. So if youre in need of a laugh, or a fan of any of the comedians or musicians on the dvd, this is a must have. Check it out, you wont regret it.


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Jimmy Kimmel hosts a roasting of sex-symbol Pamela Anderson.Item Type: DVD MovieItem Rating: NRStreet Date: 02/14/06Wide Screen: noDirector Cut: noSpecial Edition: noLanguage: ENGLISHForeign Film: noSubtitles: noDubbed: noFull Frame: yesRe-Release: noPackaging: Sleeve

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Entourage: First Season -Disc 1&2 episodes 1-8 (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Fame, fortune, luxury, and letting it all go to your head; agents, managers, publicists, and everyone else that will lie, cheat, or steal to get a piece of you; and remembering your real friends. These are all key ingredients that make "Entourage" thoroughly entertaining, as well as freighting when you think about how it's based on reality.
I take the show as a cautionary tale; the entertainment industry is where I have just barely started to get my feet wet. There is a lot of truth in this fictional show: either everyone wants a piece of you or no one knows your name and can't spare a minute of their time. From my limited time spent dealing with people of the industry, on either coast, I have already found more jerks and egos-out-of-control than I care to recount. "Entourage" does an excellent job of exposing the dangers of the L.A. lifestyle, while simultaneously managing to present them in a thoroughly enjoyable manner.
The superficial world that is the entertainment business is navigated successfully through the four different personalities that make up the entourage. The four personalities of the Rising Star, Has-Been, Bum, and Level-headed Average Guy balance out the cast and provide a character for everyone to enjoy or relate to. Their friendship and their dependence on each other make the characters a success, as well as a success in the world of the show.
Jeremy Piven's role as agent to rising star, Vincent Chase, is thoroughly entertaining as well as aggravating. He's not quite the villain, but the perfect embodiment of the guy you don't want working against you. His quick one-liners and perfect delivery make it a joy to watch the show, whereas a real-life encounter with a guy such as him would probably make you want to deck him.
"Entourage" is rife with inside jokes, but not enough to lose the average viewer. Instead, the average viewer might just see the show as a bunch of losers whining about the good life and living high off the hog without really working. I enjoy it, but it's certainly not for everybody. I see it as another example of why I don't, and never want to, live in Los Angeles.
Show business is unlike any other business: they work by their own rules and decide who to let into their little clique. It's about as safe as sleeping in a pit full of vipers, but our glimpse at what it's like to live on top is good a one.

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The Pilot's Wife (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This CBS TV movie was filmed in Ireland. It is the second Anita Shreve book to come to the screen. Her "The Weight of Water" which starred Sean Penn was well acted, but was laboriously edited. (My review for that one was called "The Weight of Editing." :) "The Pilot's Wife" fares a bit better overall, although Sean Penn is certainly one of our finest actors.
Christine Lahti who had her Oscar nomination for "Swing Shift" with Goldie Hawn does an incredibly excellent performance here. The variety of levels she hits as grieving wife, compassionate mother, angry widow and driven super-sleuth give us a sterling performance. Campbell Scott, real-life son of George C. Scott & Colleen Dewhurst, gives an excellent subtle performance as the pilot association representative who becomes emotionally involved. John Heard played a character named Jack who was about as devious as Jack Lyons in "Pilot's Wife" in his co-starring role with Goldie Hawn in "Deceived." While his performance here is in flashback and not as chilling, it equals the devious nature of his previous Jack from 1991. Particularly excellent is newcomer Kirsty Mitchell as Murie Boland, the Irish counterpart of Lyons' hidden life. Mitchell gives a brief but excellent portrayal of a woman whose life has been impacted by the violent struggles in Ireland. I haven't seen her previous film credit of "Capone's Boys," but certainly intend to seek it out on the basis of the strength of this performance. Alison Pill from "Pieces of April" with Katie Holmes who plays daughter Mattie turns in a good performance as a teen dealing as much with the struggles of her own adolescent social issues as with her father's untimely death.
The depth for this picture comes amid the backdrop of the Irish troubles. How the lives of the characters weave with the political turmoil of Ireland along with Lahti's performance elevates the picture from the mundane to the magical. The DVD doesn't offer a great deal of extras; but it is nice to appreciate the film as an uninterrupted whole. Enjoy!

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Cracker: A New Terror (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Robbie Coltrane is back in this thriller...he's older, fatter, and even more restless and risks his family, the admiration of his son, and his time with his new granddaughter, to "get on" with an intriguing case. Someone is killing people by breaking their necks. In the meantime you really get into the head of the killer, who is a vulnerable, sympathetic character and you gain a different perspective on the IRA problem. All the regulars appear in this full-length episode and I was thrilled to get back to the series; so well-acted, each and every character perfectly cast, as always. Poor Mrs. Fitz; she can't get her husband to hang around and just play the grandfather! I hope they will make more Cracker episodes..!


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Blood Moon (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I rented this film solely on a chance and found myself really, really suprised at just how well done it was.
Since, as of this writing, there is no plot synopsis here, I will include a brief one. A travelling sideshow, run by Tim Curry, pulls into a small town. It's star attraction is a young girl born covered in hair and billed as The Wolfgirl. She encounters taunts and threats from a group of young townie teenagers, as well as the posibility for a cure for her malady from the local misfit. The cure seems to work, but with the side effect that the previously gentle girl begins to experience more animalistic urges even as she physically becomes more "human".
This film seems to have come out of nowhere. It actually saw life on the USA Network as "Wolfgirl". I hadn't heard of it under either title. Neither name is particularly good, but hey, it's nit picking. The film far outshines such a stuff for a number of reasons.
The cast: Tim Curry is a perfect choice for Harley. He balances a desire for the financial survival of his show with a paternal love and respect for his performers. His is a colorful, yet flawed character, one whom you can easily both like and be angry with, and he makes it very believable. Grace Jones shows far more range than usual and makes great use of her androgeny in playing a half man/half woman. Darlene Cates, the mother from "Gilbert Grape" again amazes as Athena The Fat Lady. One wishes she could grace the screen more often. And Victoria Sanchez, as Tara The Wolfgirl, manages to truly seem beautiful beneath a full hairy make-up job. She is really phenomenal in a brave role for such a lovely looking young lady.
The rest of the cast is equally talented, and I would speak more of them, but for the desire to compliment some very special members. The performers of the freak show are anything but freaks. With the exception of Sanchez and Jones, almost every other sideshow performer is the real deal, and they shine. We are given a chance to see these people in everyday mode, not just as part of the show. The family they portray is believable and breathtaking. Never are they shown in anything but the most repectful light and when they get individual chances to act within character, they are, to a one, believable. Of particular note is Jordan Prentice as Finger Finnian, Harley's right hand man. Not a single false note whenever he is on screen.
The production: What an amazing-looking film! Marvelous production design gives the sideshow scenes an almost other-worldly quality. That the film was shot in Romania only adds to this old world feel within contemporary society. And Paul Jones' JoJo the Dog-Faced Boy make up design for Sanchez as the Wolfgirl is completely convincing. Really. Thom Fitzgerald's direction is biased towards the actors, as it should be here, but he also keeps the pace going and the details clear.
The songs: The sideshow performances themselves are often in musical form with some delightfully bawdy and clever tunes by John Roby. It really gives the film a special touch. It's also great to hear Curry get to sing with the broadness that we remember from Rocky Horror. If there is a CD out there with these songs, I want it! There is also a great Ani DiFranco tune ofver the end credits.
So, why does this film only get four stars after all this laudatory talk? The screenplay, while hitting the mark on the human end of things, seems to go slightly awry when it comes to the horror end of things. When there is violence or the like, it seems somwhat out of place, as if there was a story to tell, but that it was felt that it would only be marketable as a horror flick. It's too bad, because the emotional root is so strong (with the added idea that the "freaks", who are so obviously different, are not the ones with something to be ashamed of). Also, where are the police in this town? With all the delinquint juvvie activity, fearsome wolf attacks, etc., there's nary a cop in sight! Still, I would not hesitate to recommend this film. The four stars is relative to all other films, but that lack of a fifth should not be counted against it.
One final note: This film was suprising in how little it held back in a number of areas, particularly nudity, which is sometimes used for a truly appropriate "shock". I didn't have a problem with it, but it was so unexpected (and I'm not spoiling anything here) and unique that I was a bit taken aback. It's not what we're used to seeing in any mainstream film and some more prickly folk should be made aware.
With "Ginger Snaps" a short while ago, the fem-Werewolf themed film is having a suprising little uprising of quality cinema!

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Item Name: Blood Moon; Studio:20th Century Fox

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