4 comments about Casper's Haunted Christmas.

1. Storywise it wasn't bad. It was kind of nice to see a new Casper Movie especially with Spooky and Poil in it. If It wasn't for the fact that it was done entirely with Computer Graphics Interactive I think it would have rated a little higher. The CGI bit though took away from it especially since Casper, Casper a Spirited Beginning, and Casper Meets Wendy were all Live Action. I have a feeling that everything could have been done Live Action



2. Let me start by saying that I greatly enjoyed the original Casper movie that preceded this one. I have watched it countless times and both my kids (age 6 and age 4) love it. As such, I had high hopes for this particular movie, but should have followed my instincts when I saw that it was a fully animated film. After only 10 minutes, my daughter kept asking me if/when the movie was over, and I had to painfully sit through the next hour and 13 minutes to see it through the end. Wimpy story line, mediocre animation, horrible humor, extremely annoying characters, a complete and total disaster. Not worth the recyclable material that it is made out of.



3. This is a great video.It's about when Casper and his uncles(the ghostly trio) are sent to Kriss Massachusetts by none other than ghost ruler Kibosh.There Casper must scare at least one person or he and the trio will be banished to......the dark!Also Kibosh has sent that pain in the behind snitch Snivels(Kibosh's ghost sidekick) to spy on the Casper and the trio.So with nothing else to do the trio call's up Casper's look a like cousin Spooky so he can pretend to be Casper so they wont be left stuck in the dark!



4. I purchased this for my nephews birthday. He loves old cartoons just like me and my brother watched when we were little. This is a great example of old cartoons my nephew loves it.

5 comments about Billie Holiday - Ultimate Collection.

1. What an amazing DVD of collected Billie Holiday snips. Lots of things that someone spent considerable time pulling together, not just video but audio recordings and interviews. This was my first time seeing Billie sing, after having listened to her for the past 25 years on albums and CDs. Wanted to see how she stood, how she held her mouth, all that. I was mesmerized watching her; dazzled and calmed all at the same time, watching her nonchalantly let lyrics float from her mouth, easy as 1,2,3. You have to remember that most clips come from later in her career; they didn't have MTV in the 1930s! Billie's rendition of Fine and Mellow on this DVD is worth the purchase price all by itself. I had dreams about her after watching this collection last night. Fine and mellow dreams.



2. ...you will want this. If this is indeed complete, then there is not much footage of Billie Holiday actually performing live. What does exist is wonderful, the "Stars on Jazz" is priceless. Some of the clips are soundies, that is, the musicians are fake-playing to a prerecorded track. They were the true precursors of MTV-type video clips, and show Billie at the early stages of her career. Two of the tracks are from the movie "New Orleans" (and also lip-synced). And for some reason, there are two clips by Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong that do not contain Billie. Think of them as bonus tracks. There is are also 5 audio-only live performances, and a Mike Wallace radio interview with Billie, a great discography and photo slide show. The kicker is an audio-only rehearsal with pianist and drummer, working out the arrangement for "Jeepers Creepers", with Billie's salty language as she jives with the players. The dvd also comes with a classy and informative booklet which covers all the details. They did a nice job on this release.



3. Indeed, the footage of Lady Day is preciously rare, they say, so this DVD might contain basically everything. However, the film with Duke Ellington's orchestra is not complete. They shouldn't have cut it after the part where Billie appears, regardless of the fact that this is definitively not the best Ellington perfomance of the period (to say the least...). Also, the fabulous "Sound of Jazz" performance with Young, Hawkins, Eldridge, Mulligan, Webster and Dickenson is seen and heard in much better shape on the "Sound of Jazz" DVD (the one with Henry Red Allen, Count Basie, Miles Davis and others)...
   
   On the other hand, it's a great thrill to see and hear Billie in other rare TV occasions (even as her self-destructive life obviously took its toll, she is still impressive even in her last TV appearance...)... The very useful "timeline" feature mentions, among other things, an appearance on British television; it would be very nice if that footage would surface at some point....
   
   The interviews audios (with Billie, John Hammond...) and the rehearsal with Jimmy Rowles on piano are also very useful and interesting...
   
   BTW; the Bessie Smith flick is a welcome addition (as is the Armstrong big band number), but they should have presented the entire film...
   Also; although the interactive part is useful and amusing and the interviews at times amazing, the selection of songs for the audio part should have been a bit more "ultimate"...
   
   Also, there are some mistakes in the liner notes: James P. Johnson is the musical director, not the director of "St. Louis Blues" short film while, although Jo Jones is listed as the drummer on "Fine and Mellow" video-number, the announcer in the beginning of the clip mentions Ossie Johnson at the drums (still, in this case the announcer might be wrong...).
   
   All in all, this is a must have for a Lady Day fan, but the editors and producers should have done better...



4. This is a great collection to my Billie collection. Its great to see how she moved and smiled. It's almost like I was there!



5. There was a good amount of footage of her, but not nearly enough and I didn't get to see her perform some of my favorites, but still worth owning.

5 comments about One Christmas.

1. I agree with the people who gave this one or two stars, no character development.
   
   There are much better xmas movies out there!



2. We were very disappointed in this movie. Terrible script, virtually no character development.Don't bother.



3. A wonderful moving movie. Good to see Ms. Hepburn at her best. Enjoy!!!



4. Great movie for Christmas and the family get together



5. I think this movie was heart wrenching just because I think the child wanted so badly to be with his mom and dad but unfortunately it just couldn't be that way. I can't give the end of the film away but I'll tell you it is very bitter sweet. A nice clean family movie, worth buying, worth watching.

5 comments about Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas.

1. Toot and Puddle, what cute characters. We enjoy the books. But when I saw this last year on dvd, well, we just had to get it. I was hoping that it would be cozy and fun and it certainly is! Our kids were glued to the tv. The colors are bright and cheery, the story is so nice, and it just has a warm feeling to it. You have to add this to your Christmas dvd collection!



2. It's a nice video. Very non-commital about Christmas. It doesn't present a faith-based holiday of any type, nor the commercialized aspect of it.



3. I bought this dvd for my sister's kids, an eight year old, a six year old and a toddler. They loved it and watched it about twelve times this Christmas season. I watched it with them and thought it was adorable. Toot's and Puddle's voices weren't annoying or weird. This is an issue with me if I am already familiar with a character in a book. I have read the Toot and Puddle series with my nieces and nephew, we all thought they sounded and acted exactly as we imagined they would.



4. We really, really loved this DVD. They did such a great job making the book come a live. We loved listing to the Scotish accents. It is such a cute and dear story of friend ship and family. The Toot and Puddle books are some of our very favorite books, glad they made a DVD of this one, hope they do more!



5. My grandchildren and I will enjoy watching this all year long.
   We've loved the book and this is longer and even more fun.
   (The Scottish lullaby is especially appealing.) I look forward
   to giving this to other grandparents so that they can share it.

3 comments about Christmas with Bing Crosby and Kate Smith.

1. Beware...this DVD is in Black & White, not color as advertised! It is a b/w kinescope of the 12/24/66 episode of ABC-tv's Hollywood Palace. The show originally aired in color.



2. I love Bing and Kate. I was not disappointed in their performances, but I did forget that since it was so old, it would be in black and white. The picture wasn't as clear as I had hoped but the singing made up for whatever the picture lacked.



3. While the "main" feature of this DVD is a Christmas-Eve themed "Hollywood Cavalcade" from 1966, hosted by Bing Crosby, the real highlight is an "extra" which is a rare 1954 hour-long TV version of "A Christmas Carol" with Frederic March.
   
   The main program is not what we've come to expect from Christmas specials, but is really nothing more than a vaudeville show, complete with comic (Bob Newhart), trained dogs, and a dance number (Cyd Cyrisse, dressed as a marionette). It's fairly ordinary (and typical of the time), but the best parts are when Bing sings, alone, with Kate Smith and with his family and very young children, ages 5-9. These parts are more reminiscent of Bing's Christmas specials which more people are familiar with.
   
   But the extra "Christmas Carol" is a delight. Most people have never heard of it, and it has many excellent actors, especially Frederic March as Scrooge. But the highlight of it is the music by famed film composer Bernard Herrmann (more known for his association with Hitchcock than for his heartwarming Christmas tales--but he pulls it off beautifully)! His Christmas Carols are sung by the outstanding Roger Wagner Chorale, and they also provide a very etheral background for Jacob Marley's ghost, played by Basil Rathbone (better known as Sherlock Holmes in the 1940s).
   
   It's early TV, but it was filmed, not live (rare for the time), so production values are higher than for the time. But, it is an old print, so don't be expecting modern sound or picture quality. But, how nice to have this available again.

1 comments about Elf [UMD for PSP].

1. My son loves this movie and especially since he can watch it on his psp

No comments about Alvin and The Chipmunks - Trick or Treason.

5 comments about A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert / Frederica von Stade, Kathleen Battle, Wynton Marsalis.

1. Yes after waiting years for this treasure it finally arrived everything was great but what happened to the sound..Flate muddy DEAD I'm sure the CD was better but that was produced by SONY? I hope they can remarster this superb production



2. We have been waiting forever for this to come out on DVD. While the picture quality and sound are not perfect, the sheer beauty of the music and performances are well worth the purchase price. No matter how many times we see it, the finale still blows us away. Let the holidays begin!



3. The stars must have been aligned perfectly, all must have been right with the world on that night of December 8, 1991 in NYC's Carnegie Hall when this Christmas concert was filmed, because it is an example, one of those rare instances when everything falls into place perfectly.
   On this particular night Kathleen Battle, Frederica Von Stade, Wynton Marsalis and Andre Previn performed, not only with their instruments but with their hearts as well. All the performers relate and connect to this often performed material in ways others simply do not. This is secular Holiday music performed with fervor and an emotional connection that borders on the religious.
   The highlight of this recording is the 17 minute "American Songs" (I Wonder as I Wander, Who Was Mary, etc) performed primarily by Battle and Von Stade that is so exquisite as to be otherworldly.
   Christmas Concerts can be corny or at worst, maudlin. But on this particular night in 1991, the angels sang and the heavens opened and called forth these artists to perform not only with their voices but with their souls as well. This is an emotional experience that is not to be missed.
   (12/07/07: Ok, so I had to order this on amazon.uk and it was shipped from North Carolina..so go figure.
   The picture is only ok, the sound is fair but at least i can once again hear and see the glory of this wonderful performance.)



4. I saw this concert here in Holland several years ago...I am a fan of Kathleen Batlle and Wynton Marsalis...So I was so happy when i saw that this concert is available on DVD I immediately ordered it...and folks, its great!! Everything I expected, it gives you the ultimate christmas feeling! If you dont have this DVD, and youre a fan of good music, and fabulous singers and musicians...BUY this dvd!!



5. Every December, I watch this production several times and it never fails to work its magic. Frederica von Stade and Kathleen Battle present a marvelous picture and produce the sound to complement it. Purchase this DVD and you are ensuring yourself an enjoyable evening of viewing that will put you in the holiday spirit and remind you how beautiful Christmas carols can be. And you will likely also find yourself inspired to add a night at the opera to your New Year's list.

1 comments about Craziest Christmas Collection.

1. This Christmas collection contains memorable cartoon characters displaying their best for the Holiday Season. It's entertaining, simple for children to follow and brings back pleasant memories of my favorite cartoon characters.

5 comments about Ziggy's Gift.

1. I'll make this review short and sweet, just like Ziggy himself. . .
   
   I remember watching this on HBO as a kid and I enjoyed it very much. Twenty years later I plan on having my sons experience this Christmas classic that only a lovable and pure character like Ziggy can offer.
   
   This is just a great example of the warmth of the human spirit and the power of kindness. Get away from the daily grind, have fun with Ziggy, and feel good about humanity again. . .



2. I watch it every year at Christmastime. It never ceases to make me cry! Ziggy has the biggest heart of all.



3. I bought this for my mom for one of her Christmas gifts, but I enjoyed it just as much when we watched it. It was good when we saw it back in the 80's as kids and it still is now. Brings back great memories all the while reminding you of the true message of the holidays: giving. You'll get some good laughs and some warm smiles from this one.



4. I think it is a wonderful and meaningful show and I highly trcamend it to all my friends.



5. Watched this with my kids years ago. It is still as heartwarming as I remember. Buy this for your kids and grandkids!!! Highly recommend it.