5 comments about Death Becomes Her.

1. Great and easy transaction--fast shipping and product arrived in great condition. I would definitely recommend this seller!



2. My best friend's wife told me about this movie a couple months ago, but it wasn't until the other night that I had a chance to sit down and watch it. I don't know why it took so long for me to actually do since I absolutely adore all three of the films stars. Bruce Willis was for the longest time my favorite actor (I grew up on his macho action films); and seriously, is there any actress as talented as Meryl Streep? Goldie Hawn is a newbie to my list of great actresses, mostly because I never truly have her the time of day until recent years. My wife is a huge fan and so I was forced to accept her and after some time I realized that I had come to really enjoy her and what she brought to each and every role.
   
   `Death Becomes Her' is, as many have noted, a black comedy. It is dark and mysterious and utterly hilarious. At times it is disturbing, at times it is sexy; at all times it is uproarious. The film revolves around two rivals, the successful actress Madeline Ashton and her homely school friend Helen Sharp. Before Helen ties the not with fiancée Earnest Menville she brings him to one of Ashton's shows where he meets and falls for Madeline. After Earnest leaves her for Ashton, Helen slips into depression only to discover a secret that gives her the extra boost she needs in order to exact her revenge against Madeline. The only problem is that Madeline has discovered the same secret; a potion that guarantees them immortality, at a price.
   
   Bruce Willis may be better known for his action performances, but when you analyze them you realize that comedy is not beyond him. His quick witted hero in `Die Hard' is known for those chuckle-worthy one-liners that helped cement him as an iconic character. Here Bruce shines as Earnest, fully fleshing out his characters simple nature which adds to his endearing qualities. A stark contrast to his co-stars, Willis plays down his looks and develops a character that is goofy and reserved and ultimately adorable. Goldie Hawn is fantastic as the witching Helen Sharp. Her beauty is on full display as she seethes and loathes her way into our hearts; seriously.
   
   This film BELONGS to Meryl Streep, though. Her performance is insanely perfect; so much so that I actually felt bad for Goldie Hawn to have been upstaged so drastically. Each and every one-liner just melted off her tongue as if it were liquid gold. In talking to my wife afterwards I told her how you never really think of Meryl as a comedic actress because her dramatic turns have always garnered her more attention. It really wasn't until her double-whammy in 2006 (with `The Devil Wears Prada' and `A Prarie Home Companion') that I took notice of her comedic timing. This is a brilliant example of her range as an actress. Honestly, I don't think there is any performance she can't pull off. Like I've always said, Meryl is always solid; even when she isn't `amazing' she is still better than half of everything else out there.
   
   `Death Becomes Her' may not be ingenious. It's plot is not intricate or necessarily `smart' or `mature' but the script is tightly written in order to keep the laughs bellowing from you mouth throughout the films entire running time; and those Oscar winning special effects (I don't think I'll ever get the image of Meryl's head sinking into her neck out of my head; and quite frankly I don't want to) only help to elevate the films comedic as well as dramatic worth. Zemeckis knows how to get the best from his actors; even when his films are less than brilliant. Here he marvelously draws pure comic gold from his cast, which includes a mystifying turn from Isabella Rossellini as Lisle con Rhoman, the witch responsible for this boatload of laughs.



3. Great, funny movie with great stars. However, this is only a 4x3 movie (strange since the old laserdisc was letterboxed), with no 5.1 dolby, only dolby surround.



4. What a perdictable but funny movie in an age where women go to great lenghts for perfection. Enjoyed it with my sisters who are undergoing plastic surgery.



5. I always wanted to get this movie but never could find it in stores.
   That's one of the many things I love about amazon, I usually can always find exactly what I'm looking for.
   Anyways the movie of course. ^^
   Its a great comedy, very dark, very elegant, and very disturbing at some points. If your similar to me a normal person and like to collect certain movies like edward scissor hands, beetlejuice, the goonies and such then this one is for your collection! I enjoyed it when I was a kid and enjoy just as much now! Its still got it. Goes to show you how vengefully crazy some people can get, and how very fragile we actually are.

5 comments about Fantasia (Special 60th Anniversary Edition).

1. Film buffs frequently create lists of their 10 favorite movies. My answer changes from day to day, but there are three films always on the list: Fantasia, Koyannisqatsi, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. A a cartoon, a new age documentary, and a science-fiction drama; three completely different films.
   
   Walt Disney's Fantasia is a groundbreaking film creating a painted ballet to accompany several pieces of well-known music. The only dialogue is short introductions to each piece by renowned musicologist Deems Taylor. He briefly comments on the composer, if the music tells a specific story, and whether Disney's animation follows that story. Music can evoke strong emotions in the listener with or without a story. Fantasia frequently creates new stories for the music, but the power of the music to arouse the listener remains. The mouse king is gone from the Nutcracker Suite, but a circle of dancing mushrooms, and bouquet of waltzing flowers is no less charming and whimsical. The primitive dances of the Rite of Spring have been changed to the struggles of prehistoric life, but the music is still powerfully thrilling. The rage and fury of demons in Night on Bald Mountain end at dawn as the serene beauty of Ave Maria accompanies the glory of a sunrise. Image and music again stir the viewer's soul.
   
   Koyannisqatsi is the newest and least known of these three films. It is a 1982 documentary with ads that said "Until now, you've never really seen the world you live in.". Director Godfrey Reggio combines stock footage (rocket launches, landscape vistas, building demolitions, munitions tests) with spectacular new footage by cinematographer Ron Fricke (cityscapes, commuter crowds, clouds and waves, traffic jams, assembly lines). He creates a mosaic of life in the modern industrial world and how it has become disconnected from the natural world and is now a `life out of balance', which is a translation of the title. Although the film has no characters, dialogue or narration, the dramatic editing and stirring score by Philip Glass create a great emotional, and even physical impact. I once talked my mother into seeing it with me. While she liked it very much and still comments on it, at the end of one particularly frenetic sequence she said, with a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness that's over".
   
   2001 is an imaginative look at how man's evolution might have been affected by outside influences. Much of the film has no dialogue whatever. The rest has occasional patches of dialogue, with most having nothing to do with the plot. There is the TV interview, a father's phone call on his daughter's birthday, proud parents radio message on their distant son's birthday, a computer's seeming random questions while working up the crew psychology report, the rambling song of a computer having its memory erased. None of this has anything to do with the search for the source of the strange artifact first found by prehistoric apes, then later by explorers on the moon and how it may affect man's future. More important than dialogue are the amazing visuals and music. The spaceship ballets, technical hardware, and the ending star gate dance of lights, combined with magnificent music evoke the sense of wonder and awe that the vastness of space and the possibilities of the future should inspire.
   
   A a cartoon, a new age documentary, and a science-fiction drama; three completely different films thematically that each show the power of image and music to reach the viewer emotionally.



2. I think I have loved this film since I can remember, from my parent's old video tape to my current DVD. I'm a little sad that it never became truly the evolving work Disney dreamed, but this is still a wondrous collection of music and artwork--all done without the aid of computers. I think this was also my first dive into fantasy, what with the fairies and centaurs and all. Therefore, this is certainly a favorite I cannot do without, whether I'm truly studying it or just slipping it in to play in the background.



3. I never received the CD of FANTASIA and cannot make a review on this item, but would like to say that I would to hear from Beachhut if they plan to send it or cancel it???? Waiting this long to hear anything is unsatisfactory.



4. This is a great dvd but the price is nothing I would pay again for a musical that old.



5. I have to admit, I'm an avid listener of classical music. So it's a small wonder why Disney's Fantasia is one of my favorite films. Every music sequence is pure gold (except maybe the Pastoral sequence).
   
   Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach = My second favorite sequence, it is a mixture of abstract colors & images, live action orchestral playing, and Stokowski's acclaimed orchestration of Bach's organ music.
   
   Nutcracker Suite by Peter Illich Tchaikovsky = Although I'm not a fan of Tchaikovsky's ballet music, this one is very good and entertaining. The dancing of the fairies and flowers and mushrooms make for a heck of a good time for the whole family.
   
   The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas = This is probably the most exciting rendition of Dukas's masterpiece I've ever heard (even though a few minutes of music has been cut out of it). Mickey the apprentice dreams of being a powerful sorcerer, so he dons the hat of his master, and lets loose his magic. But, of course, no one controls literally everything that is created . . .
   
   Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) by Igor Stravinsky = This is my 3rd favorite out of all of them for two reasons. One is that Stravinsky is one of my all-time favorite composers, and two, The Rite of Spring is one of my all-time favorite pieces. Too bad that a mere ten minutes has been cut in order to save time. Dinosaurs, volcanoes, and earthquakes do seem to fit Stravinsky's music a bit, that I can tell you.
   
   Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" by Ludwig van Beethoven = This is probably the weakest of all the sequences. It's too cartoony, too bombastic, too cheery, and to many minutes of music have been cut out sadly. The storm scene is a nice touch, though.
   
   Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli = Gorgeous and downright hilarious. If you don't think hippo and ostrich ballet dancers is funny, then something is wrong with you.
   
   A Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky/Ave Maria by Franz Schubert = Ah yes. My No. 1 favorite out of all of them. This didn't scare me as a kid for some reason. Chernobog is as creepy as The Horned King from "The Black Cauldron", and the demonic and ghostly dancing was (and still is) way ahead of its time. The last five minutes is beautiful and ethereal = they don't make them like they used to.
   
   Grade: A

5 comments about Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves.

1. This is one of my all time favorite movies, but I was disappointed by this extended version because the added scenes actually detract from the movie instead of adding to it. They also seem to be scenes that arbitrarily re-explain some of the plot points that have already been stated so that viewers not paying as much attention or who aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer can have their hand held in order to follow along.
   
   Lastly, even though there is a whole disc of special features, neither disc has the Bryan Adams music video with him playing the piano in the woods like the VHS does! Major disappointment.



2. This version had many scenes that were deleted from the original film. My son is a huge movie buff and he really enjoyed the bonus features disc.



3. I still love this movie- had to replace the VHS. You know what you're getting with Kevin Costner, and the supporting actors are a good mix.



4. The final verdict on ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES is that Kevin Costner is no Errol Flynn. True, it is often unfair to compare a remake to a hugely successful original, especially since the goals of each are sometimes divergent. In this case, however much I tried to see Costner's thoughful and intellectual Robin Hood as the driving force, I still harkened back to the sheer exuberance that Flynn invested his part. Further, I could have lived with and even enjoyed on its own merits Costner's low key performance had it not been for the over the top campy performance of Alan Rickman as the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham. With each time Rickman mugged for the camera, he became the focus of that scene. Even when Costner and Rickman met several times, Costner's Robin Hood took a decided back seat to Rickman's Sheriff. As I compared Costner to Flynn, so did I compare Rickman to Claude Rains in THE BANDIT OF SHERWOOD FOREST. Rains's Sheriff was as equally oily as Rickman's, but Rains had the good sense to let Basil Rathbone do the sword play. In PRINCE OF THIEVES, Rickman tries to do too much and to the extent that he succeeds the film reduces Costner to little more than a talky bystander.
   
   Still, PRINCE OF THIEVES is enjoyable as spectacle even if Rickman steals the show on too many occasions.



5. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves is probably one of the finest epics of its time. Too bad the original DVD release did not do the film justice. Put simply the original DVD sucks! The big issue is that its a flipper and that you had to flip the disc to watch the second half of the movie which is retarded, but mind you that the DVD did come out in 1997 and that the film's time limit was near 2 1/2 hours. Thankfully Warner Bros. came back and remastered this film in a brand new edition. The great news is that the whole movie is on one disc and that YOU DON'T NEED TO FLIP IT! THANK GOD! You can sit and watch a 2 1/2 hour flick all the way through with no changing or flipping discs! YES! What's new is extra footage put into the film which is not all enlightening but who cares? The second disc does not offer a whole lot but at least there is behind the scenes look and the Bryan Adams music video and the entire film's music score by the late Michael Kamen. Overall the movie is worth the watch and is probably Kevin Costner's last great film before his downside in movies. It is a long movie (the extended version is about 155 minutes) but I enjoy long movies. Think about it. It's worth the price in theaters nowadays. You pay 9 bucks just to see a 90-minute picture? Give me a break!!! I would rather pay 9 bucks just to see a 2 1/2 to 3 hour picture so it will be worth it. Not including the snacks and drinks I probably would be forced to buy as well. But anyway Robin Hood Prince of Thieves is an amazing film and this 2-disc edition is a must-have for anyone who enjoys this movie as much as I did. I recommend this film in anyone's collection and it is at a very cheap price too. SWEET!

5 comments about Bedknobs and Broomsticks (30th Anniversary Edition).

1. I love this movie, ever since I was a kid. And it's just as good now as it was then. A must have for every home.



2. a great family movie. one u could watch over and over again it has great music for the film. it had nice extras on the dvd to watch.a timeless classic movie for the whole family.



3. I remember when I was a little kid moving from Germany to the States. I loved this movie very much. I grew up watching this movie all the time. I just recently started searching for all the old movies that I grew up on and this is the first one I looked up. I want my kids to be able to see all the movies that I got to watch when I grew up. Even at 30 years old and having been in the army for 10 and a half years I still am kid at heart. Thank you amazon.com for having all these great movies.



4. I remember watching this movie everytime it came on TV (no DVD's/videos back then)! It's nice to share old school Disney with my kids. You even get a little history with the make believe. I STILL love this movie.



5. My husband and I had been looking for this movie for quite some time and couldn't believe that we actually found this on Amazon.com. We were so excited and couldn't wait to share this with our entire family. Our grandchildren thought this was just absolutely awesome.

5 comments about Message in a Bottle.

1. ... but only if you are deaf. Seriously. This movie is visually gorgeous. That's about it. The actual message found in the bottle should be enough to make you go right to mute. Then, if you are not deaf, maybe put on some Chopin Nocturns and enjoy 2 hours of beautiful cinematography.



2. "Message in the Bottle" is, like the tag-line suggests, a tale of love lost and found. The way I was introduced to this film is rather interesting, I suppose. Many years ago I came across it when I was searching online for information regarding the 1977 classic Disney film "The Rescuers." Both films share the theme of the "message in the bottle" so the connection lead me to this 1999 film. Finally, I saw it for sale in a grocery store's bargain DVD bin and just had to bring it home with me, so I did. I could not have been more pleased. The film is touching in many ways, beautifully filmed, with fantastic characters and great acting. It's a refreshing tale of love that does leave a bittersweet impact, and probably will not be forgotten easily. It is also interesting that I found this film so captivating, because romance tales have never really been of interest to me. Emily Brontë's novel, "Wuthering Heights," was the first time I felt interested in a story of love, enough to keep me reading, very intrigued, through its hundreds of pages. "Message in a Bottle" did the same thing, it intrigued me. The gorgeously filmed sceneries automatically appealed to me; sights of lighthouses, docks and ships, ships out at sea, ocean waves, beautiful sunsets... not to forget the message in the bottle. To me it was like watching one of Thomas Kinkade's paintings come to life right before my eyes; the sceneries in this film are that beautiful.
   
   This is the story of a young woman named Theresa, who works for the Chicago Tribune. She and her ex-husband had recently divorced and the two exchanged the time they would spend with their one son. One day, during a visit to the shore, Theresa finds a simple bottle stranded on the sand and discovers inside it a message from a mysterious man addressed to a certain "Dear Catherine." Theresa is touched by the profound love expressed by this person to their beloved, deceased wife, and so are her friends at work when they read it. Theresa is not happy when her friends at the Chicago Tribune decide to publish the message in their newspaper, for she believes the person had meant the message to be personal and private. Still, Theresa becomes intrigued with this man and longs to find him. With a crew of investigators, she uses every clue she has, including a second and third message, to track down the author of these messages. Her investigation leads her to a seaside town in North Carolina and a certain G. Blake. She has high expectations of this man and quickly sets out to find him. When she finally does, her expectations are exceeded, and she rapidly falls in love with grieving, timid Garret Blake. She discovers the story behind his wife's death and the rivalry the event left behind for two different family's, Garret's and Catherine's. Garret is unwilling to let go of the past and wants to conserve every memory he has of his deceased wife. That is, until he himself slowly finds himself falling in love with Theresa. The story then changes into one of trust, honesty and understanding, as well as a story of letting go of the past and looking forward, allowing a past life to live only in memories. Both characters struggle within themselves to find their right paths, until the story finally changes back to one of bravery and loss.
   
   All in all, a very profound, believable and touching love story. The characters, including Paul Newman as Dodge, Garret's father, are all strong, believable, unique and highly appealing. They're dynamic, they change and grow in one way or another, and that applies to a number of minor characters as well. The story feels like a classic tale of love set in modern times. This doesn't affect the impact of the tale, however, because like I said, the sceneries in this film create on their own a sense of enchanting magic that surrounds the action and the characters. I half-wish that some of the more adult-oriented scenes and language had been left out, thus making this film more appropriate for younger audiences. The film is a perfect love story, refreshing and unique, and why should we not be allowed to experience it when we're younger? Again, this film is beautiful and I'm delighted to have it in my collection. I must say I was shocked at the number of negative reviews this film has received, ranging from bad to mediocre. I guess in the age of dumb comedy and pessimistic disaster films, people are just not yet ready to experience a well told story of life. I never, or very rarely, let others' opinions on a film alter my own views on it, so I give this film nine stars out of ten, which in my book, is excellent!



3. While on vacation, a single mother identified as Theresa discovers a 'message in a bottle' on the shore that has moving honest words of love addressed to a woman named Catherine...
   
   The trail leads her to a sailboat builder named Garrett and also to his father, Dodge in a small North Carolina coastal town... It turns out that Catherine is Garret's deceased wife, and the intriguing letters were written, two years earlier, after her decease...
   
   Some people find the one true love of their lives, if they're fortunate enough... Luis Mandoki's film, in part, turns out to be a choice about what occurs when a person finds that right kind of love, then when he is faced with the impossible, and then when he is given the right to continue with his life and is brave enough to love again no matter how unpleasant his grief is...
   
   As a reclusive widower, Garret was still in deep pain, and entirely devoted to Catherine's memory... He had hard time letting go of the past... Catherine was dead but not forgotten and was simply everywhere...
   
   As a sailor Costner didn't inherit the charm of Newman... He was drawn to Penn by her smile, her beauty, even her mistakes...
   
   Robin Wright Penn was beautiful, delicate and sweet as Theresa... She soon insinuates her way into Garret's life... Her expectations were always too high... Since the beginning, she just had to meet the person that wrote those letters... Her life was changed by them... Eventually when she met Garret that morning, she accepted, without hesitation, to step aboard...
   
   Paul Newman as Dodge liked Theresa instantly... He saw in her the key to his son's emotional recovery...
   
   With a very nice music, and a stunning coastal photography--also the ocean scenes are wonderfully taken--"Message in a Bottle" is definitely a weepy melodrama and a must see for those who believe, or don't, in love...



4. this movie was amazing.. I loved it, even when i was crying like a baby!
   as always true Nicholas Sparks style. even in his movies.. he gets you totally sucked in emotionally. GREAT MOVIE!



5. I just love Kevin Koster! Great movie if you're a romantic person!!!! But make sure you have plenty of tissues handy!!!! DVD arrived on time and in excellent condition! Thanks!

5 comments about Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Widescreen Edition).

1. This movie had a lot of hype, and normally the plot would be right up my alley, but it is simply awful.
   I found it barely watchable and uncomfortable at best.



2. Of the two other Charlie Kaufman scripts, both are better than this one. Those being "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation." The frenetic style is wearing on the viewer here. You admire the film-making of the memory erasure sequences, but you don't watch it wide-eyed, or particularly involved. I didn't fully understand some of the concept until I watched the extra "Making of," never a good sign for a movie if it needs explanation. The "plot" runs thin too soon. The best moments are when the assistants run amok and get high during the night of Jim Carrey's big mind erase. It's mildly funny. And Kaufman's trademark voice-over by the main character mouthing his racing thoughts is its usual fun self. Worth watching, but don't expect to be hugely entertained.



3. I didn't see this movie when it came out in theatres because I thought it would be a cheesy chick-flick movie. I judge the movie based on the poster, now I feel dissapointed that I didn't watch it on the big screen.
   
   This movie will bring back forgotten memories if you were ever in a (serious) relationship. No need to spoil the movie, just watch it.
   
   This 2 disc set shows the deleted scenes which makes the movie a lot more interesting.



4. This is a great collector's edition of a great movie. I bought it as a gift for my husband, and he absolutely loved it. Very nice shiny packaging also.



5. Passionate...Any hopeless romantic will fall in love with this movie and awaken the senses that love does exist when you find the perfect but completely wrong person for you.

5 comments about 3:10 to Yuma [Blu-ray].

1. I payed for a HD DVD $19.95 3:10 to Yuma and I was sent a regular DVD which I could have purchased for $10.00 less. I called to complain. I was asked to return the item with the understanding that they will send the correct item. AGAIN I was sent the wrong item (a regular DVD which was advertized for ten dollars less.)3:10 to Yuma (Widescreen Edition)



2. This Yuma film is very good. I heard about the original but never saw it. This movie takes place a little after the civil war. And many cultures are represented like the Chinese, Apaches, Buffalo soldiers, and the (Moors etc.). Pay careful attention to background pictures on the walls behind some of Russel Crowe's scenes. The all black wearing Crowe plays a bad guy very well, and I think this movie displays some of his best acting to date. Overall a pretty good action western.



3. This version of the classic western has fine acting by the principals: Russel Crowe and Christian Bale; but over all the original film with Glen Ford and Van Heflin takes the prize. The ambivalence of the two characters was clearer in the original, with both actors playing against type to a certain extent. Still the new version was worth the ride.



4. This is a remake of the 1957 film of the same name. Fortunately I saw the original last year, which is a minor classic itself. In general I don't like remakes, however this is well done and Russell Crowe again shows that when he wants to, he can be a terrific actor. Rather surprisingly I thought his performance overshadowed Christian Bale's, who is generally considered a better actor.
   
   The story that Peter Ustinov used to tell of an actor he was working with is never more true than here. Ustinov was in the background in a shot, and the star of the movie turned to him and said "what are you doing?". Ustinov said "I'm doing nothing". The star said "Oh no your not I'M DOING NOTHING". That sort of sums of Russell Crowes performance. He doesn't do a lot, but his not doing a lot is actually very good!
   
   The plot has been told over and over here so to keep it short, Ben Wade (Crowe) is a notorious criminal who has to be put on the 3:10 train to Yuma (where there is a prison). Dan Evans (Bale) is a struggling farmer who being desparate for money volunteers to help, knowing that Wades gang will be on their tail.
   
   The major difference between this film and the original is the inclusion of Dan Evans son as a major character. I didn't think this did any harm, and in places it worked very well.
   
   The single DVD has a few extras on it which are pretty good (commentary/deleted scenes). On the DVD case it says its the best western since Unforgiven. Whilst writing this review I was trying to think of any other westerns since Unforgiven and couldn't remember any... So if I've seen any they obviously didn't have a big impact. This film is by no means perfect but I have no problem recommending it.



5. Good story, good acting. I love the last 20 minutes or so of the movie.

5 comments about Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series).

1. Maybe there isn't much difference - but Vianne's is more magical than most. She spends her life as a wanderer, bringing with her chocolate recipes that descend from the Mayas, but with preparation to tempt the most refined Europeans. The story starts when she and her daughter wander into a small city in France that dates back to the middle ages. It's a walled city, filled with walled people, the kind affronted by opening a chocolate shop during Lent and nastily eager to note the mother's never-married state.
   
   But, with a lot of determination and a little magic, Vianne wins them over, one palate at a time. As she helps bring people together, heal rifts, and create second chances for the townspeople, one wonders why the charm doesn't work on her own life. Then, Roux (played by Johnny Depp) appears, even more of a wanderer than Vianne. Instant affinity arises between these two roamers, but instant enmity comes from the deep-rooted locals - how dare they not live lives as staid as the villagers' own?
   
   Based on chocolate, you just know that this has to end up as a feel-good movie; I'm not spoiling any surprises there. As in The Mistress of Spices, primal forces of the kitchen bring peace and happiness in the end.
   
   -- wiredweird



2. I love this film. Juliette Binoche is a joy as the town's newest resident, and her open ways are very foreign to some of her neighbors. Judi Dench is, as always, terrific. From a very personal perpective, Johnny Depp shows up too late in the film, but, as always, lives his role. This may not be a great film and some may feel it is hitting them too hard pointing out people's prejudices. But people do have them and it never hursts to remind us to look beyond the surface. Tjhe film does not treat dogmatic religion too kindly--but I don't have a problem with that.



3. This is a tale of what happens when the morality police get their judgments completely wrong. Still the movie makes it's point without clobbering viewers over the head. The movie, set in the mid-1900s, stars Depp as an kindhearted "pirate," and Binoche as a nomadic, chocolat making, single mother, (who is also step-mother to a "kangaroo.")
   
   The juxtaposition between characters main and sub, old and young, religious or not, is interesting to follow each has their own unique story to tell. Though set before my time, the movie's themes feel relevant long after the closing credits end.
   
   The scenery and soundtrack are wonderful start to finish and the movie's gentle, but steady flow is a joy to watch. This is a perfect date movie and yes, you will need a fireplace, some premium chocolat and a bottle of good French wine.



4. There are a few movies I believe approach perfection: The Princess Bride, Errol Flynn's Robin Hood, Meet Joe Black, Young Frankenstein. If you're still reading, watch this movie. It has that 1940's look and pace, and the great classic acting earlier films often contained. It has a thoroughly modern sensibility, however, in the way the story is told and the depth you see in the characters. Reviewers often use the word "gentle" to describe this movie -- but the issues it deals with are nothing of the sort. You'll have to watch for yourself -- but I believe you'll feel better about the world when you've done so.



5. This movie is very good. The best part of the movie to me is when the minister says that we should think about what God is FOR rather than what He is AGAINST! Very profound. All of the scenes of chocolate making, stirring, serving, etc. are wonderful. The story is very good too. Well worth watching and savoring!

5 comments about Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition).

1. WHEN I WAS A CHILD I USE TO LAUGH AT THE ANTICS OF HARVEY CARMEN AND CAROL BURNETTS VERSION OF GLORIA AND HOLDENS MOVIE NOT KNOWING IT WAS AN ACTUAL MOVIE,WHEN I LEARNED BY MY AUNT WHO ALWAYS WATCHED THE OLD MOVIE CHANNEL THAT IT WAS A REAL MOVIE I HAD TO WATCH,MAN IT WAS A BRILLIANT WRITTEN MOVIE,THESE TWO BROUGHT THE CURTAINS DOWN IF U ASK ME AND I PLAN TO BUY IT SOON FOR MY AUNT WHO LOVES TO WATCH AN OL GOOD BLACK AND WHITE AND SHE WILL MARVEL OVER THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1000 STARS ,GET POP CORN,A DRING,HOT DOG AND SIT STILL UR IN FOR A TREAT!!!!



2. Billy Wilder gives us another great film, combining an interesting if not weird story. More great screenwritting, and brilliant acting. Guaranteed to keep to rivited to your seat..



3. The eerie opening of the movie, sets the tone. William Holden is speaking, telling of his experince and you realize that he is the dead man floating in the pool and it is a post-mortem spiel. This is the one film that I remember Gloria Swanson for--her playing of the dusty movie relic who has an over-exaggerated sense of self-importance in Hollywood. In fact she is long forgotten. William Holden had the unfortunate luck to get mixed up with her, and as the authorities are coming to take her away, she delivers her classic line, "Mr. DeMille, I am ready for my close-up." Thinking that the members of the press are the production company of a new movie that she will star in. Dementia rears its ugly head. What a great classic movie. Swanson and Holden are fabulous.



4. I watched it again today-for about the 50th time-and again it grabbed me and held me.
   And again I was struck by the fact that of all the lines quoted from it the very best isn't quoted much and isn't delivered by Norma or Joe. It's delivered by C.B. de Mille when Norma visits him on the set of Sampson And Delilah, "A dozen press agents working overtime can do terrible things to the human spirit."
   It just gets more true every year.
   Phil Brown



5. Film Noir is juxtaposed against a post-war optimism (Film Noir 1994, Sklar 269-285). As if Hollywood and its audience were not convinced that everything was peaches and cream, Hollywood would revert to a darker mood culminating, for our discussion, in a form of self-reflexivity and foreboding about the coming of television and nostalgia for the golden age of silent movies in a film like Sunset Boulevard (1950). According to the writers of the documentary Film Noir (1994), movies such as Samuel Goldwyn's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and the musical Ziegfeld Follies (1946) where released alongside Film Noir seminal piece Detour (1945). Unlike the two big budget films, Film Noir offerings such as Detour were "B" movies made on the cheap allowing them break all the rules. Film Noir, it could be argued is an example of the Production Code forcing directors to be creative vis-à-vis sex, violence, and even subversive themes.
   
   Film noir in general and Sunset Boulevard (1950) in particular inhabit that liminal time and space of a pre-television era (as we see with the final scene of Sunset Boulevard). Hollywood as self-reflective is evidence in the movie-within-a-movie scene where Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) and Joe Gillis (William Holden) watch one of Swanson's old silent movies: Queen Kelly (1929) a movie directed by Erich Von Stroheim - who plays Max Von Mayerling. Details of this change in subjectivity, which outlines one of many moves that display Billy Wilder's range, complexity, and genius, will be discussed below.
   
   According to Michael Walker, "Film noir is not simply a certain type of crime movie, but also a generic field: a set of elements and features which may be found in a range of different sorts of films. The generic labeling of films adopted by Hollywood studios for their own purposes (casting, production, marketing, etc.) does not do justice to the complex interaction of determinants - including generic elements - in any given film" (Cameron 8). Simply put, in the 40s/50s cycle - the films made a break with the 30s cycle that included various distinct elements (listed above in the "Summary"). Although tied in with gangster flicks film noir say in its use of a, "lone, often introverted hero" (Cameron 8). Walker adds that this hero is a, "victim of a hostile world" (Cameron 8) and the movies usually tackle a problem of a political nature set in a personal struggle. The mood set is often somber and cynical and the mode de emploi usually voice over. In Film Noir 1994, Film Noir is seen not as a genre but, "... a look, a tone, or a feel" (Film Noir 1994). Narrative style and character type/development - one of deep psychological angst - are two of the more distinctive elements spoken of above. More specifically, I will discuss the creative and varied uses of flashback and the notion of the femme fatale as destroyer (Cameron 12).
   
   A film like Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Double Indemnity (1944) use flashback (Spicer 76). One cannot escape two of the more profound contributions of Billy Wilder to this genre Double Indemnity (1944) and Wilder's crowning achievement Ace in the Hole (1951) which marked the peak of noir era. According to Spicer, "Sunset Boulevard (1950) uses the flashback narrative of a man already dead. Although the protagonist appears to be in control of the retelling of the story, it is really the past events that are still controlling him, which he would love to alter if he could" (Spicer 76). Double Indemnity (1944) is the perfect segue to talk about the second element the femme fatale. Spicer writes "Thus Neff's flashbacks have a double purpose: to try to exorcise the malign influence of the femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), and to renew a bond of loyalty with Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) which offers some form of redemption" (Spicer 76). Both of these elements are used very skillfully by Jacques Tourneur in the Film Noir masterpiece Out of the Past (1947). Tourneur deftly uses flashback to bring back the main character Jeff Bailey's (Robert Mitchum) past. Bailey narrates his sordid past with Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer) - the film's femme fatale - to his pastoral country girlfriend Ann Miller (Virginia Huston). Marie Windsor, in the documentary Film Noir (1994), argues that, "Classic femme fatales are the kind of woman who after gets the man into bed and then gets him into trouble" (Film Noir 1994). Intimating from her experience as the femme fatale in Forces of Evil (1948), Windsor further intimates that femme fatales like Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity 1944) and Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard 1950) are the ones most often remembered (Film Noir 1994).
   
   Silver et al. write that, "The fusion of writer-director Billy Wilder's biting humor and the classic elements of film noir make for a strange kind of comedy, as well as a strange kind of film noir. There are no belly laughs here, but there are certainly strangled giggles: at the pet chimp's funeral, at Joe's discomfited acquiescence to the role of gigolo; at Norma's Mack Sennett-style "entertainment" for her uneasy lover; at the ritualized solemnity of Norma's "waxworks" card parties, which feature such former luminaries as Buster Keaton as Norma's has been cronies" (Silver 276). Riffing along Silver et al it is clear that this is not your conventional film noir. Billy Wilder in Sunset Boulevard maintains the elements selected above - the femme fatale as destroyer and flashback narrative - but adds a strong dose of Hollywood self-reflexivity and calls to question its excesses, its corruption, its unreality, and its transition to television - all of which add to but also departs from the classic film noir.
   
   Miguel Llora

5 comments about Somewhere in Time (Collector's Edition).

1. Absolutely fantastic! I purchased this special edition DVD for my oldest daughter (now 36 yrs old) because it has been a favorite movie of hers since high school. It's one of my favorite movies also. This DVD was re-mastered beautifully and the special features are wonderful. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a sentimental love story.



2. This movie touches a part of the soul that everyone can relate to. How often I have thought I was born in the wrong time...and this movie moves thru that feeling. I love it and watch it over and over.



3. This is One of the Rare Enduring Romantic motion Pictures of Our Time.
   
   I Loved it the First Time and I Loved it even more Today.
   
   The Combination of Ms. Jane Seymour & Mr. Christopher Reeve is Heaven.
   ( but then I'm a big fan of both actors )
   
   The Theme Song is Hauntingly Pure and Emotion Pulling, One that no matter when or where I hear the music.....I remember the movie and the feelings,
   I still have in my heart the first time I watched it.
   
   It is a Definite Must See!
   
   In Faith and Hope, God Bless to All :-)
   Christina Rodriguez



4. Somewhere In Time, starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve, is the greatest love story I've ever seen. I saw it on the cable channel when it was first released years ago. I had it on VHS and now I have it on DVD. My recent purchase of the movie was to send it to a friend who hasn't heard of it. How could such a touching movie go unnoticed? The actors portrayed the real emotional side of falling in love...and how it feels to lose it. Would you die for someone you truly loved? What mesaures would you take to search for them once you've lost them? Would you close out the world around you and only share it with that one person? If you haven't seen this movie, you have missed out of on jewel. This movie is in the early acting days for both characters but if you didn't know it, you'd thought they were seasoned veterans on the screen. It is a must see movie. If you have or have not been in love, it's a great viewing experience. If you ever wanted to see an example of what real love is, this movie will do it for you. It will touch your heart and even men will cry. Enjoy!



5. I viewed Somewhere In Time on the television. I enjoyed the mystery of it and also the time period. I determined to start a library of movies I enjoyed so I could randomly relax and forget everything. I have done so and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Somewhere In Time. Touching love story mixed with exciting conflict. Join me, won't you?