5 comments about Peter Cincotti, Live in New York with a Bonus CD "On the Moon" (Monster Music High Definition Surround Sound Audio DVD SUPERDISC).

1. I ordered this without really knowing what to expect -- a 'live' concert recording perhaps? -- but the final product did not disappoint.
   
   I've been a fan of Peter's music since his debut album release, and caught his performances at a showcase in Singapore followed by a Rome concert a few months later.
   
   His Live In New York DVD features a comprehensive collection of all his famous works, from I Changed The Rules to Sway to St. Louis Blues and On The Moon. Filmed outdoors on a small neighbourhood street in NYC, it starts off in the day, then mellows into a beautiful sunset, before picking up the tempo as the stars emerge.
   
   Lots of great energy here, as Peter jams with his excellent band and displays obvious enjoyment in his mega-watt smiles and rhythmic head-bopping. The sound quality on this high-definition disc is amazing, so make sure you watch it in the evening in a nice, quiet setting for maximum enjoyment.
   
   I especially love his performances of Sway, You Don't Know Me and The Girl I Knew ( the last a bonus track and as yet unreleased ).
   
   Guaranteed to satisfy all Peter Cincotti fans adequately. But I'm still hoping for a proper concert recording in the near future. An appreciative 'live' audience would be the icing on the cake.



2. What a joy it is to watch Peter Cincotti and his band on this great DVD "Live in New York"! Peter breathes new life into the songs from both his debut album as well as his most recent release, "On The Moon" which is included with the DVD. You can hear the Ray Charles influence on "The Girl I Knew". So much so that I was certain it was one of "The Genius"'s songs! What a pleasant surprise to learn that the song was written by Peter himself! The performances are nothing short of excellent. I guarantee, "A Night in Tunisia" will leave you speechless! In this world of lip sync and lackluster deliveries of songs, Peter Cincotti is like a fine glass of Cabernet after far too many years of grape juice. And like Caberbet, he will contiue to grow better with time.



3. Peter Cincotti has continued to grow as a performer of tremendous natural talent and great ability. His easy, engaging style makes him a singer and pianist that you will want to enjoy again and again.



4. Sometimes you bought a DVD hoping a great sound.
   Sometimens you ger some DVD hoping a great hi rez image.
   In this one I hope for both and I didn't get none.
   Boring, easy listening, fully marketing oriented.
   The image is too lighting.
   Forget about it.



5. Peter Cincotti is a great pianist and singer; his voice is full of emotion and very sexy. I am so amazed at his arrangements, especially the upbeat "I Love Paris"; I can never sit still and always feel like dancing. From fast songs to slow songs, he draws me in. It doesn't hurt that he's charismatic and quite dashing as well. His band is also superb and beyond awesome. I wish there were more interviews on the DVD, but I would recommend it absolutely.

5 comments about What's Cooking?.

1. WHAT'S COOKING is a really well-made film about Thanksgiving meals in the homes of four different families (Vietnamese, Mexican-American, African-American and Jewish). The intersecting stories are dramatic, engrossing and touch on subject matter like homosexuality, interracial dating, extramarital affairs and gang violence. I don't want to ruin your experience with this film by getting too involved in plot details. I will say that it manages to depict families from different cultures, celebrating the same holiday together, in an incidental manner so as not to appear excessively "Rainbow Coalition" and politically correct (in other words, you won't feel a chorus of "Kumbaya" coming on). What's more, it has "an all star" cast, including Alfre Woodard and Mercedes Ruehl. I think you'll enjoy it!



2. I liked the diverse stories presented in this movie. The Vietnamese family could have had a more accurate portrayal.



3. This is a wonderful movie! It has comedy, drama and some interesting cultural comparisons.



4. MOVIE WAS FANTASTIC...QUALITY WAS FANTASTIC...IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE SHOPPING WITH AMAZON...NEVER DISAPPOINTED...AND WILL ALWAYS BE A CUSTOMER



5. This is a good movie to watch with your kids (teens). It's family oriented and uses some important social lessons. Behind the actual "lesson/moral" of the movie, is a warm family driven feature with decent acting.

5 comments about Pieces of April.

1. This movie is quirky, and very different than anything I have ever watched. However, I love it! Such a great indie movie, and I am surprised it didn't get more publicity. Katie Holmes is superb in this film as are ALL the actors.



2. Pieces of April This is the hilarious story of a dysfunctional family, although one that almost everyone can relate to. The main character's mother (played by Patricia Clarkson)is one for the books!!!!



3. I tell you one thing; a movie about a girl baking a turkey does not sound like it's going to be interesting or even remotely entertaining. In fact, to be completely honest the only reason I was interested in seeing `Pieces of April' was because I had a huge crush on Katie Holmes for a while (that was before she went cuckoo for Cruise puffs) and it really wasn't until Patricia Clarkson got the Oscar nomination for her performance in the film that I made my mind up to actually see it. I'm so glad that I did, for `Pieces of April' is not only entertaining and interesting, but it is such an emotionally connected piece. It was something that proved to be so much more than I expected it to be.
   
   I'm stunned, literally stunned, at the finished product.
   
   Katie Holmes plays April Burns, the wayward daughter of Jim and Joy Burns. Having straightened her life out to the best of her ability, April decides that she needs to reconnect with her family, which includes her brother Timmy and her sister Beth. The task of having her family over for Thanksgiving dinner though, proves to be a little more than April bargained for. There to hold her together is her supportive boyfriend Bobby. Add to the strain of seeing her disapproving and judgmental family the fact that her mother Joy is dying of cancer and you have a very stressful and nerve-racking day. The film follows April as she prepares for her family's arrival as well as follows her family as they travel to see her.
   
   What I appreciate so much about this film is, having been in a very similar situation with my own `wayward' sister, it fleshes out quite accurately the different ways in which family members deal with the situation. You have the father who so badly wants to see the good in April, his eldest daughter and obvious heartbeat. You have the mother who is so tired of the drama and the disappointment that she'd rather not have to deal with her at all. This doesn't mean she doesn't love her daughter or have affection for her. Rather, it's the type of love that burns so much within a person that you would rather avoid the ones you love than see them in yet another degrading situation. You also have the sister who resents April for what she has done to the family. She comes off as cruel and rude but on the inside she is just hurt. Last you have the brother who doesn't exactly know how to deal with the issues. He loves his sister and may or may not even truly understand why everyone is so up in arms over her life. All he sees is that fact that she is his sister, his flesh and blood, and that's all that matters to him.
   
   The performances within the film are glorious, and I mean that in everyway possible. Patricia Clarkson is phenomenal as Joy, truly heartbreaking and real. Oliver Platt serves up one of his finest performances to date as Jim; you can really feel his pain, his turmoil. John Gallagher Jr. and Alison Pill depict April's siblings with honesty and realism and Derek Luke is wonderful, if not a tad underused, as Bobby. I just love where this kid is headed. Everything he's done so far has been top notch, even when the film isn't. Alice Drummond is memorable as Grandma Dottie and Sean Hayes has a very strange yet memorable role in the film as well. All of these performances just further accentuate the marvelous Katie Holmes. This performance proves that she has talent behind those good looks. She captivates as April, really getting under her skin and making her real to us. I felt her every emotion, and when she breaks down towards the end, feeling as though her family has abandoned her my eyes actually began to tear (it really doesn't take much; I'm a tad emotional).
   
   In the end I must admit to being in love with this movie. It feels so real to me, like a chapter out of my childhood. I've been here before and I've seen these very same emotions on full display and I'm beside myself with admiration for the fact that written/director Peter Hedges got it right.



4. After watching the wonderful Dan in Real Life, we were interested in checking out the previous work by Peter Hedges. I'm not disappointed. Pieces of April is a very different story about the same topics: love, family, and what really matters in life. Katie Holmes leads a fantastic cast (Patricia Clarkson is particularly wonderful) in this lovely movie.



5. Loved the acting and the characters.... but a 'day in the life' movies are not for me. While it was interesting, it was not entertaining to me.

5 comments about Mariah Carey.

1. Mariah has an incredible voice. It was one of the best Mariah's performances of all time. I whish it had some more songs, but that's ok because the performnces are the best I've ever seen in my entire life.



2. Good DVD.
   Images: good
   Sound: 2 channels. So poor.
   Lirics: good
   
   Well, I recommended it.



3. Here is Mariah Carey was concert that aired on NBC Thanksgiving night in 1993 in support of her Music Box album. Mariah looks absolutely stunning and at her best vocally and artistically. Too bad Mariah has a breathy voice now, she could really belt back then. I love everything about this DVD, standout performances include: Hero, Without You, Anytime You Need a Friend, Emotions, Vision of Love, and Make it Happen. This is the Mariah I liked, great voice and not trying to hard.



4. This is an excellent example of why mariah bacame a world best seller. Unlike the boring Adventures of Mimi, here Mariah shows her greatest talent which is of course her amazing voice. This one is highly recommended.



5. This DVD is a Mariah Carey concert that was shown on NBC in the early 1990s. In the concert she sings some of her hit songs from that time period: Hero, Without You, Anytime You Need a Friend, Emotions, Vision of Love. There are also behind-the-scenes parts where Mariah is hanging out with her mom, her friends, her band. A couple of her music videos are also included as extras on the DVD.

5 comments about Four Brothers (Full Screen Edition).

1. I didn't think that I would enjoy this film. The film took some time to grab me, but as the story unfolded and the action progressed I was ultimately intrigued and, in the end, hooked. This is all not to say, that I did not like a few things about the film as well. Surely certain aspects of this film just didn't work for me.
   
   Here is the rundown of my likes and dislikes:
   
   Likes:
   Intriguing and unique storyline. I kept thinking to myself that the storyline would make a perfect storyline for a video game.
   
   Fantastic soul/R&B/funk score.
   
   Nice ensemble of actors all of whom maintained a unique character, bringing life to the film.
   
   Dislikes:
   Going back to the acting, as much as I enjoyed the differring personalites of the actors, I was also slightly annoyed by the over-top personality of Mark Wahlberg and I also sort of felt that Garrett Hedlund's acting was in no way equal to the other three men in the film. This may be do to his character design, given the fact that he was the "baby" amongst the four brothers, however he just didn't shine like the rest.
   
   All in all, and quite honestly I would have never have chosen to watch this film, if it weren't for a friend who threw it in with a handful of films to borrow. I am glad I did for no other reason than the fact that this is my first introduction to a John Singleton film. This film was good to OK; it was not great. However Good to OK is enough for me to consider watching all of Singleton film's and do a sort of director study as I have been doing with a number of other director's (Check out my profile and other reviews).



2. Four adoptive brothers find each other again when they learn that their foster mother has been killed in seemingly random grocery store robery in Detroit. These four brothers have been social rejects due to their difficulty adjusting to the real world. They are thugs with weakness for their mother who was the only person on earth to show them real love and give a new chance in life. As brothers learn that her death was neither random nor accidental, they start planning revenge against the local druglord who has orchestrated her murder. Lots of gunshots, fistfights take place until justice of their kind is met. This is typical good guys/bad guys movie, but it will keep you entertained. Wonderful cast.



3. My review is very negative considering I purchased my movie, and never received it. Not only that but wrote two sincere emails to the seller and no response, and no movie. I will never buy from this seller again!



4. This may not be your typical feel good type movie. However this movie is simply wonderful. It is well written, well directed and the acting is top notch.



5. Editorial Reviews
   
   Amazon.com
   Bound by love for their slain adoptive mother, the brothers in Four Brothers form a unique quartet that gives John Singleton's film a razor's edge of redemption. It's a thin edge, to be sure, because while Singleton's urban Western pays homage to the Blaxpoitation films of the '70s (as he did with his remake of Shaft), it walks a fine line of credibility with a mythic vengeance plot (recalling John Wayne's 1965 hit The Sons of Katie Elder) that endorses violence as the last resort of a family under siege. When a saintly foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down in a convenience store, her only adopted sons (two white, two black, played respectively by Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson and Andre Benjamin) go after the killers, only to discover that their mother's death was not a random event. As they uncover a sticky web of criminal activity involving a local kingpin (Chiwitel Ejiofor), the character-driven plot races toward an inevitable showdown, with ex-con Wahlberg leading the way. Making excellent use of blue collar locations in Detroit, Singleton keeps the action moving fast enough that the film's lack of realism is easily ignored, and the well-drawn characters (including Terrence Howard as a tenacious detective) lend emotional dimension to an otherwise familiar revenge scenario. Four Brothers is manipulative, but it's filled with grace notes of rugged working-class humanity, and it definitely holds your attention. --Jeff Shannon

5 comments about A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

1. It's Charlie Brown and Snoopy! Who doesn't love a classic, holiday, fun video. A great video to bring back memories and create new ones with your children.



2. I love him! He's always so annoyed and fed up with things. A bit like me!!
   
   nd I smiled. But I laughed more.
   
   The "chemistry" between Charlie and Peppermint Patty is one to see. And Marcie saying stuff like, "Stop holding my hand, Charlie Brown." and other things to fire Patty up!
   
   And the grandma and teachers speaking in the, "Wo Wo Wo Wo" language provides a few laughs also!
   
   I loved it. I laughed so hard when Patty was disappointed with the "meal" that Snoopy prepared for everyone. "Popcorn? Buttered toast!!? Where are the mashed potatoes???!"
   
   There are fewer cartoons as good as this here.
   
   5+ stars.
   
   Love ya, Charlie Brown!!
   
   <3



3. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was something I looked forward to every year. It cracks me up when Peppermint Patty invites herself and a bunch of people over then gripes about the food. However, Charlie Brown saving the day by bringing his buddies over to Grandma's house is a good reminder of how to be a true friend.



4. What a wonderful classic - it takes me back to my childhood days! Of course, we didn't have DVD's (or VHS for that matter!) so whenever this great movie came on t.v. it was a BIG event! I make it special for my kids too - watching it at night with JIFFY POP popcorn, just like the good ol' days! I also think you get a GREAT DEAL on Amazon - it is the best price I've found AND if you spend $40, shipping is FREE! GREAT DEAL and a GREAT MOVIE! EnJoY!



5. I decided to watch a series of old classics on DVD and gravitated to the Charlie Browns right away. This was not only due to my loving them as a kid but also due to the big biography on Charles Schulz's life that just got released. There's an innocence about these videos one seldom feels from contemporary specials. Unquestionably, the Peanuts series are a joy to re-experience. Furthermore, there is something incredibly non-PC about the dynamics of these characters. The over-the-top manipulative ways of Peppermint Patty and Lucy are not something producers would depict today. The same is true of Marcie's habit of calling Peppermint Patty "Sir." Saying grace before dinner would not do in a 2007 film either. Snoopy is a little aggressive for our new tastes. His pop gun musket would earn him a 10 day mandatory suspension were he to take it to school with him today. Not to mention that neither the beagle nor anyone else would dare to put butter on toast as he does here. Ah, the good old days may be gone but you can savor them once again with Charlie Brown.

5 comments about Peanuts Holiday Collection (A Charlie Brown Christmas/A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown).

1. This peanuts video is really really great and funny. This is the comic strip that teaches the 'kid' side of oral adult view points. Join Charlie Brown, (Who hates it when Peanut Butter gets stuck in the roof of your mouth) Lucy, (Her psychiatric help booths are always a scream), Linus, (Who always carries his blanket around), and Sally, (Who doesn't give a flip as to whether or not her subjects in school are correct.)And then there's the goofy black and white beagle, snoopy, and the wacky yellow bird known as Woodstock. Even though we have never seen this peanuts video, I highly recommend the books to Peanuts fans. Or if your a Calvin and Hobbes fan, don't turn it down. Truly a heartwarming, funny, and hilarious strip. The Peanuts Holiday collection definitely gets Kudos from me.



2. Every kid should have this set. The Halloween and Christmas video are classics, while the Thanksgiving one is a little less dynamic, how do you do much with Thanksgiving? We go from Halloween to Chistmas decorations here no stops in between for Turkeys or Pilgrim hats. I think there are some good lessons in these allfor kids, plus they are still fun to watch even as an adult all these years later. These have a lot more depth than today's sad batch of cartoons.



3. a must have for all families! you can't go wrong with Charles M. Schulz.
   all three holiday movies in one set. very nice!



4. 
   
   I got this for my Daughter for Christmas, she is in her early 20's and she watch's it all the time, she loves it.



5. The Peanuts Holiday Collection is a great collection for anyone who likes the true fun of watching Charlie Brown and his ganag of friends. The three CD's makes sharing them easy and they are all true to the original television version but without commercials. It makes a great gift for people of all ages who like these wonderful holiday classics. Moreover, on each CD you get a bonus episode. Therefore, you get six shows on three discs.

5 comments about Scent of a Woman [HD DVD].

1. If this movie doesn't reach down in the middle of your gut and twist your heart, you ain't human. This is one of the best that Al has done. He really plays this part to the max. No one could have done what he has. I feel lucky that I got a copy of this DVD, but wished it would be released on blu ray instead of the other HD wanna-be.



2. Al Pacino at his best. Great movie. Must see in High Definition TV.



3. Without giving away the plot line. If you're a Pacino fan. This film is a must see. His character & story line are so strong. He doesn't need a leading lady to bounce off of. He carries it all on his own. It's not over-the-top Pacino grandstanding. It's a touching portrayal. It made me cry. Thanks Colonel.



4. This is a truly remarkable movie. Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell are the perfect duo. It will make you laugh, cry, and even have you rooting for the guy that no one really likes anymore. Great purchase!



5. Scent of a woman is worth every penny on HD DVD. Al pacino's winning oscar role is one or his best movie role to date. I highly recommand buying this dvd on high def. you will not be disappointed.

5 comments about The Family Stone (Full Screen Edition).

1. This movie should have been so much better than it was. It had a great cast and a solid central premise: son brings home an uptight woman who is instantly disliked by his quirky laid-back family. But the makers cluttered up the movie with too many characters and too many distractions for a feature-length movie. To work in all the extra "stuff," it should have been a miniseries or regular series much like "Brothers and Sisters."
   
   The married pregnant daughter (and grandaughter) waiting for her husband to arrive didn't add anything to the movie but clutter. The deaf gay son and his black partner planning to adopt a baby seemed to have been included so that Meredith could stick her foot in her mouth and offend the family the maximum amount. Also, the movie was inconsistent in several areas. Sometimes the family signed in the presence of the deaf son and many times they didn't. The movie introduced Meredith's annoying mannerisms that drove the family crazy and then didn't carry through with them (thankfully so in the case of the throat clearing tic).
   
   To top off all the other subplots cluttering up the movie, the mother has terminal cancer and has not told any of her children, except the one son who lives the farthest away and guesses something is wrong. That seemed unnecessary and maudlin.
   
   This film would have benefitted greatly from a serious script edit to cut out the unnecessary and distracting plot clutter and focus on family love, romantic love, and opening your heart and family to new people. With more focus and less clutter, this would have been much better movie.
   
   I was bored enough by the movie itself that I didn't bother watching any of the deleted scenes or other special features.



2. I can't imagine how ANYONE could give this movie a positive review. I went with my friend- both of us wanted to like this movie.. but the plot and lines were so ridiculous we were SHOCKED. The story line is so incredibly implausible its laughable. They use every emotional trick they can to make you cry. The saddest thing about this movie was how little I cared about any of the characters or what happened to them. My entire film class agreed. I would give this movie a negative rating if I could. I'm not the snooty critic type either- I enjoy cheap laughs or cheap cries. This movie has nothing to offer more than a few celebrities..



3. My wife and I left this movie before it finished. It was the most hate filled uncomfortable movie I've been to, EVER. How in the world anyone can like this is beyond me. If my family was like this one I would never bring a future bride to meet them. I love movies (have over 1000 DVDs) but I want my money back from the people that made this floater. We should file a law suit for them even using the term movie in conjuction with this thing.



4. This dvd I loved from the first time I saw it! Everything about the family, and hardships really touched me. I tried to buy this movie from a buyer prior to this seller. When I received it in the mail it skipped and would not allow me to access any features at all. I quickly went online and found the exact movie I wanted and a friendly and helpful seller who was honest and willing to send it out right away. Even though I have only had it for about a month I have watched it several times.



5. This movie is almost painful to watch. It is another movie portrayed as a comedy in the trailers, but it turns out that if you've seen a trailer, you've seen every funny part already. It's a drama and not a very good one at that. The writing fails a potentially good story line. The viewer isn't given enough time to believe that Everett could actually fall out of love with the main character and in love with her sister based on knowing her for half a day. Bad writing!

5 comments about Four Brothers [HD DVD].

1. I didn't think that I would enjoy this film. The film took some time to grab me, but as the story unfolded and the action progressed I was ultimately intrigued and, in the end, hooked. This is all not to say, that I did not like a few things about the film as well. Surely certain aspects of this film just didn't work for me.
   
   Here is the rundown of my likes and dislikes:
   
   Likes:
   Intriguing and unique storyline. I kept thinking to myself that the storyline would make a perfect storyline for a video game.
   
   Fantastic soul/R&B/funk score.
   
   Nice ensemble of actors all of whom maintained a unique character, bringing life to the film.
   
   Dislikes:
   Going back to the acting, as much as I enjoyed the differring personalites of the actors, I was also slightly annoyed by the over-top personality of Mark Wahlberg and I also sort of felt that Garrett Hedlund's acting was in no way equal to the other three men in the film. This may be do to his character design, given the fact that he was the "baby" amongst the four brothers, however he just didn't shine like the rest.
   
   All in all, and quite honestly I would have never have chosen to watch this film, if it weren't for a friend who threw it in with a handful of films to borrow. I am glad I did for no other reason than the fact that this is my first introduction to a John Singleton film. This film was good to OK; it was not great. However Good to OK is enough for me to consider watching all of Singleton film's and do a sort of director study as I have been doing with a number of other director's (Check out my profile and other reviews).



2. Four adoptive brothers find each other again when they learn that their foster mother has been killed in seemingly random grocery store robery in Detroit. These four brothers have been social rejects due to their difficulty adjusting to the real world. They are thugs with weakness for their mother who was the only person on earth to show them real love and give a new chance in life. As brothers learn that her death was neither random nor accidental, they start planning revenge against the local druglord who has orchestrated her murder. Lots of gunshots, fistfights take place until justice of their kind is met. This is typical good guys/bad guys movie, but it will keep you entertained. Wonderful cast.



3. My review is very negative considering I purchased my movie, and never received it. Not only that but wrote two sincere emails to the seller and no response, and no movie. I will never buy from this seller again!



4. This may not be your typical feel good type movie. However this movie is simply wonderful. It is well written, well directed and the acting is top notch.



5. Editorial Reviews
   
   Amazon.com
   Bound by love for their slain adoptive mother, the brothers in Four Brothers form a unique quartet that gives John Singleton's film a razor's edge of redemption. It's a thin edge, to be sure, because while Singleton's urban Western pays homage to the Blaxpoitation films of the '70s (as he did with his remake of Shaft), it walks a fine line of credibility with a mythic vengeance plot (recalling John Wayne's 1965 hit The Sons of Katie Elder) that endorses violence as the last resort of a family under siege. When a saintly foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down in a convenience store, her only adopted sons (two white, two black, played respectively by Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson and Andre Benjamin) go after the killers, only to discover that their mother's death was not a random event. As they uncover a sticky web of criminal activity involving a local kingpin (Chiwitel Ejiofor), the character-driven plot races toward an inevitable showdown, with ex-con Wahlberg leading the way. Making excellent use of blue collar locations in Detroit, Singleton keeps the action moving fast enough that the film's lack of realism is easily ignored, and the well-drawn characters (including Terrence Howard as a tenacious detective) lend emotional dimension to an otherwise familiar revenge scenario. Four Brothers is manipulative, but it's filled with grace notes of rugged working-class humanity, and it definitely holds your attention. --Jeff Shannon