Reviews (663)

Watch Out For That Wascally Wabbit...
Donnie Darko has quickly become one of my all time favorite movies. How can I describe it? It is strange, dark (of course), cool, mysterious, enigmatic, scary, funny, serious, sarcastic, bleak yet hopeful, mystical, and even charming. Jake Gyllenhaal is Donnie, who is absolutely believable no matter what he says or does. Time travel? No problem! A seven-foot rabbit named Frank who predicts the end of the world in 28 days? No problem! Donnie's earnestness is mesmerizing. The rest of the cast is an incredible ensemble of big stars in small, crucial roles. Drew Barrymore (E.T., The Wedding Singer, Charlies Angels) plays the only teacher in Donnie's school who seems to realize that what's being passed off as an "education" is actually a long, dull course in mind-numbing mediocrity (hmmm... sounds like my highschool). Noah Wyle (ER) is the science teacher who has wild theoretical conversations with Donnie about time travel, then cuts him off competely when Donnie asks if God might be involved. Donnie's mom is played by Mary McDonnell (Dances With Wolves, Grand Canyon). She loves him while being frustrated and afraid of his condition. Katharine Ross (The Graduate, The Stepford Wives) is Donnie's psychiatist, trying to probe his mind and help him. Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing) plays Jim Cunningham, tele-guru and local self-help author, who is exposed by Donnie (and Frank) for who / what he REALLY is. Jena Malone is Donnie's new girlfriend Gretchen. She's got problems enough of her own. Together, this cast of characters orbits perfectly around Donnie's dark center of gravity. Do not expect the typical hollywood bucket of swill here! Donnie Darko took actual thought to create. It's style and story are unique. I had never even heard of it due to a less than half-hearted ad campaign (I'm a TV addict, yet saw not one DD commercial). I just happened to see the DVD on the shelf and took a chance. You should too...

Gyllenhaal is outstanding in this haunting film
How to describe "Donnie Darko," the dark psychological drama written and directed by Richard Kelly? After seeing it I thought of the film as a sort of "Ordinary People" meets "Being John Malkovich," with a touch of "Pi" and "American Beauty" thrown in. But ultimately that equation is unfair; "Donnie" is, in the end, a true original.

The film takes place in 1988. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the title character: a troubled, sleepwalking teenager who has recurring, frightening visions. Donnie is a quest to understand the forces that are affecting his life and sanity.

Gyllenhaal's outstanding performance helps to hold the film together. He is a quirky, offbeat leading man; at times frightening, at times appealingly vulnerable. Gyllenhaal's work is superbly complemented by that of an eclectic ensemble cast which includes Katharine Ross, Drew Barrymore, and Noah Wyle. I was particularly impressed by Patrick Swayze's turn as a creepy, oily motivational speaker.

"Donnie" defies genre classification. It blends together elements of serious family drama, 80s period piece, horror, satire, and science fiction. In a sense, it is a deconstruction of the whole 80s teen movie genre. The script makes intriguing use of 80s pop culture.

"Donnie" has scenes of weirdness and absurdity, and is often punctuated by bizarre dialogue and strange, frightening imagery. And there are some really moving scenes that tap into the universal experience of human loneliness and the need for love. If there was ever a movie that had all the elements to make it a cult classic, it's the haunting "Donnie Darko."

Undoubted young talent produces pretentious film-making
I have high hopes for Richard Kelly as his talent, ideas, motivation, enthusiasm and everything you need for a good career in directing is evident in this movie.

Sadly, this time around, its a painful experience for the viewer, unless you are so into puzzles, sci-fi, symbolism and finding out what a movie means AFTER watching it that you can forgive what is, after all, really poor storytelling.

Hint - A really good movie doesn't need multiple websites stacked with backstory and explanations.

And, as usual, its all the fault of the script, which isn't a film script at all. Its a / Philosophy/ Religiousy / Science Fictiony puzzle (although I left out a few things there). This puzzle unfolds as a series of vignettes masquerading as scenes, related by Kelly's 'themes' but little else.

The majority of the characters are little more than pawns whose job is just to move the puzzle plot on... nice..... and.......... slowly (with the odd music montage and cute-dialogue sketch thrown in, as if they were ad breaks).

The main character was ok and most of the actors did well with what little they had to work with, but the MAJORITY of them should have been cut from the finished film, they are so redundant.

There is no drive in the film and little sense of progression. We know loosely what the main character is ultimately facing, but never immediately so there is never any sense of anticipation, suspense, hope or fear for the viewer. We are simply passed more information and explanations to debate and question later with our fellow sci-fi-symbol buffs.

I'm not saying you sit there waiting for things to happen because things do happen (to be fair some of the "scenes" are entertaining in their own way). But you do sit there waiting for a STORY to develop so you can start experiencing something (which is what we pay our money for, isn't it?).

But there is no drama, no connection and NO STORY.

All you get is a cool song and a plot twist (explained). Some people are happy with that I guess

Lagomorph Odyssey
The young Richard Kelly, director of this film, graduated from USC Film School in 1997. This was his first feature film. He has spun a dark multi-layered vision, part dramatic comedy, part science fiction, part fantasy and allegory. The movie almost needs to be classified as three genres stirred gently. He set the world of the film as autumn 1988. It is, in part, a story of adolescent teenae angst, the familiar turf of a John Hughes project, but actually it is more like John Hughes meets David Lynch meets Steven Spielberg. Kelly has put several interesting twists into the high school yarn. It is like a hip FERRIS BEULLER'S DAY OFF.

Jake Gyllenhaal, from MIDNIGHT MILE & OCTOBER SKY, played Donnie Darko brilliantly. He was a young man smarter than his teachers, his parents, and his friends. An intrepid curious lad who could ask those questions very few wanted to answer. He is a kid who is being treated for mental illness, even though he may not have been clincially ill. He was outspoken, outrageous, and socially boorish...like most smart teenagers. Roger Ebert wrote," Donnie is appealingly smart yet sarcastic, more quixotic than eccentric, more curious than frightened.

The film's prologue is bang on target. A bright sunrise on dark foothills, suddenly interrupted in the frame by the insertion of the black silhousette of a young man's head. Donnie Darko, there on the hard ground near his bicycle, far from home. After he cycles home, his arrival is treated as familiar behavior; sleep sojourns, adventurous forays into the darkness. That very next night, we witness him roused from his slumber by someone calling his name. He slips outside and we meet the presence that has beckoned him...a medium longshot of someone in a rabbit suit...someone named Frank. But this rabbit, tall as HARVEY, is not a benign companion. Its face is twisted into a demonic death mask. With Darko away from the house, we see an accident happening. Something has fallen out of the night sky, and crashed directly into Donnie's bedroom; a 707 jet engine. If he had been there when the engine came acallin', he would have died instantly. Frank sends Donnie off to do devilish chores; flooding the school, and burning down a house.

Nothin is linear or logical in Darko's dreamlike world. His parents are too understanding. His new girlfriend, Jena Malone, is really too easy to get to know. Physical laws, like an axe being buried in a bronze statue, are tweaked and violated. The film can only approach some level of cohesiveness if one is able to conjure up a premise, a through line. For me, most of the characters presented are probably actually a part of Donnie's
"real" life, but as they were mostly presented in the bulk of the narrative, they were peopling his "dream" life. One possible explication for the whiplash lunges from drama to comedy to satire to science fiction and fantasy, was that most of the film's narrative occurred from the time Donnie was awakened in his bed, either by Frank's voice, or the faint sound of the 707 engine whistling and plummeting down toward his bedroom. Time was compressed, like in THE INCIDENT AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE on the Twilight Zone, a sort of Alice through the Looking Glass dream squeezed into those precious elongated seconds.

This film poses more questions than it offers answers for. There are theories that we, as spiritual entities, can sustain more than one version of our "Self" in parallel dimensions similtaneously. Somehow, it seemed that Donnie called on one of his alternate selves to swing through those last few brief moments, those seconds that stretched out into 30 days. Perhaps time is relative, and does not exist on the other side. I think this movie requires several viewings to begin to be fully appreciated. It is an original vision, bizarre yet strangely familiar, and immediate with it's punch to the emotional gut. It is eccentric, yet appealing.

AMAZING
i didn't know a movie could change your life, 'till i saw donnie darko. this movie is stunning, it grabs you, i highly reccommend it. unbelievable soundtrack too, gary jules, joy division, echo in the bunnymen, 5 stars. see it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Carmela to Tony: "Everything comes to an end." True enough, Mrs. Sope, but on The Sopranos, the end comes sooner for some than others. Though for some the widely debated fourth season contained too much yakking instead of whacking, and an emphasis on domestic family over business Family, what critic James Agee once said of the Marx Brothers applies to The Sopranos: "The worst thing they might ever make would be better worth seeing than most other things I can think of." And in most respects, The Sopranos remains television's gold standard. The fourth season garnered 13 Emmy nominations, and subsequent best actor and actress wins for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco as Tony and Carmela, whose estrangement provides the season with its most powerful drama, as well as a win for Joe Pantoliano's psychopath Ralph. The season finale, "Whitecaps," was a long-time-coming episode, in which Carmela at last stands up to "toxic" Tony, and "Whoever Did This" was the season's--and one of the series'--most shocking episodes.

Other narrative threads include Christopher's (Emmy nominee Michael Imperioli) descent into heroin addiction, Uncle Junior's (Dominic Chianese) trial, an unrequited and potentially fatal attraction between Carmela and Tony's driver Furio, and a rude joke about Johnny Sack's wife that has potentially fatal implications. Other indelible moments include Christopher's girlfriend Adriana's projectile reaction to discovering that her new best friend is an undercover FBI agent in the episode "No Show," Janice giving Ralph a shove out of their relationship in "Christopher," and the classic "Quasimodo/Nostradamus" exchange in the season-opener, which garnered HBO's highest ratings to date. Freed from the understandably high expectations for the fourth season, heightened by the 16-month hiatus, these episodes can be better appreciated on their own considerable merits. They are pivotal chapters in television's most novel saga. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (70)

The Rise and Fall of Tony Soprano continues its way
Tony Soprano is almost a Shakespearean tragic hero. His meteoric rise through the first season has been matched by a slow descent. Through the fourth season, we continue to see this, as those who Tony relied upon (in business, or emotionally, or otherwise) fall away through death, or abandonment (by Tony or the other person).

This DVD set contains the 13 episodes of the fourth season, together with commentary from writers, actors, and David Chase. Unfortunately, only a few of the episodes have such commentary, and the choice of episodes is open to question (episode 4-11, with Tony's dreams, needs interpretation from an authoritative source). The "trailers" at the beginning and end of each episode are also included (i.e., "Previously on the Sopranos", etc.)

All of the regular actors shine, and the bit players are, as always, very well cast.

The quality of most of the episodes is high, perhaps higher than any but the first season. But as the number of planned seasons has gone from four, to five, and now to six, I wonder if the purity of David Chase's vision has not been invaded by fluff. Well, we won't know until the series ends, I suppose.

Highly recommended.

Season 4 is great. You will realize it soon enough!
A lot of these so called Sopranos fans have an IQ of 4 when it comes to realizing what happend over the 13 episodes of season 4. For the first time in the series history we were left with a cliffhanger. If you notice in seasons 1,2,and 3 the story line for the season ended in the season finale. For season 4, Its going to carry over to next year. Dont you people get it? Season 4 was a setup. If you think about it all that happend in the season finale has to be resolved next season. For example, Paulie has been ratting out to new york and will probably get whacked, Adriana has ratted out to the feds and will probably get whacked, and if Tony finds out who really set the fire at the stables thier going down too!! And do you honestly belive that Tony and Carmela will get divorced? PLEASE! The way Tony is, hes going to do everything humanly possible to make up with her, that should be cool to see. And with the news reports of Steve Buscemi and Robert Loggia joining the cast, I think alot of Sopranos fans will quit whining when they see how season 4 was a setup to what looks to be a bad-... season 5

Another Brilliant Season
Above all other seasons, the forth in this groundbreaking series focuses on the complex enigma that is Tony Soprano. Creator David Chase allows Gandolfini's character to go places rarely reached in television or film. Traveling through these thirteen episodes with Tony, a viewer will get to experience utter joy, limitless rage, and the unequaled pain that accompanies an acknowledgment of personal culpability in creating one's troubles.

Tony comes to realize how others truly see him in the early episodes of Season Four. He laughs at his friend Artie and his cronious cohort Councilman Zellman when they nervously try to discuss different requests. He does not understand why they should be so afraid. But soon, he validates their concerns and sees the monster inside that drives away the closest people in his life.

His marriage is also falling apart, a plotline most associated with this season. Gandolfini and Falco provide career performances, particularly in the finale's blow-up scene. But Tony's most powerful moments concern two important losses in his life. Sudden news of the passing of an old acquaintance sends an unstable (and violent) Tony back to therapy and another tender relationship with an animal (remember the ducks) ends with Tony out looking for blood.

Chase loves to allow small incidental moments to provide the genesis for much of the show's conflict, a comment on the fragile nature of life. In the first season, the jokes about Junior's acquired "taste" of his girlfriend drive the wedge between he and Tony that causes many to get whacked. In this season, a throw-away line made about the weight of a tangential character builds and festers animosity all season. Plot built in such a masterful way is just another example of why The Sopranos is television's finest hour.

Click the order button!
Frankly I think they need to make the sopranos a couple more seasons. This season is just as good as all the other ones except for the fact they they jump to conclusions. If you're looking buying this season then that probably means you've already seen the first 3. Anyone who needs to read weather the Sopranos are good from this point has something seriously wrong with them. Go ahead and finish it up already! Why would you stop now!

WARNING ! If you buy this you won't be able to switch off
I've always loved the Sopranos, mainly for its subtle humour and incredible writing and story plots. I always thought The Sopranos would make a good book, because it would sure to be a page turner. Season four is no different. We start the series revitalised and ready for any new troubles that may face Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini better than ever).

The economy is down and the mob business is slow. That can only mean one thing. All the guys are going to have to work twice as hard to make more money. As this happens on Tony's mob side of life, it becomes clear he's also facing troubles at home - amazing acting takes place between Edie Falco and James Gandolfini in the incredible final episode.

This is one of the best things ever to come off of TV, and each episode is almost like a mini movie, action - drama - twists and turns. The only problem is, you buy this DVD, you're guaranteed to call in sick for work the next morning to carry on watching. You may even find yourself dropping the words 'BADA BING, BADA BOOM' into a conversation unknowingly... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Having battled a hellish vampire master, an evil boyfriend, a rogue slayer, a giant man-eating demon-snake thing, and a particularly nasty high school principal, Buffy Summers embarked on one of her biggest challenges in the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: college. With boyfriend Angel out of the picture (and on his own show) and Sunnydale High destroyed, new horizons were to be tackled for Buffy and the rest of the Scooby gang. There were cute guys (Buffy's new boyfriend Riley), cute girls (Willow's new girlfriend Tara--yes, Willow's gay!), frat parties, irritating roommates, harsh professors, and, oh yes, a secret military initiative that was experimenting on the demon population (Riley's part of it).

Buffy truly hit its golden years in the fourth season--just when you thought this show couldn't get any better, Joss Whedon and his creative team pulled out all the stops and took Buffy and co. into rich new territory. By far, the highlight of the season (and the entire series) was the Emmy-nominated "Hush," a nearly dialogue-free episode in which the creepy "Gentlemen" rob Sunnydale of its collective voice, and Buffy and Riley finally come face to face with each other's hidden identities. While Frankenstein-esque monster Adam wasn't the show's best villain (you'll have to wait until next season's Glory for that), he was a worthy adversary for the biotech age, and the military milieu was a nice contrast to Buffy's previous gothic outings. Season 4 also marked the return of blond vampire Spike (who developed a crush on Buffy), the ascension of vengeance demon Anya to full-time cast status, and the brief return of bad slayer Faith (in a fab two-part body-switching episode). Throughout, the entire cast, headed by the unparalleled Sarah Michelle Gellar, worked television magic of the kind rarely seen on the small screen. This is Buffy at its best. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (246)

Buffy goes to college in solid season 4
The 4th season of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER proved to be a matter of transition for both cast and crew. For one thing, the show had removed itself from the high school setting when Buffy and her gang blew up the school fighting the demonized Mayor in season 3. Also, David Boreanez's moody vampire-with-a-soul Angel had moved on to his own series, taking with him a major plot point that helped drive the series. For the most part, BUFFY rebounded quite well with some of the best single episodes on the show to date. Of particular mention is the classic "Hush," where Sunnydale is under a spell of silence. Its inventive use of the lack of dialogue just reaffirmed the show's growing reputation as one of the best TV had to offer. However, there were uneven moments as well. The "Big Bad" of the government-run Initiative was too much of an X-FILES rip-off. The cyborg-demon Adam lacked the flair of the Mayor or the Master, and commando Riley, despite an ernest portrayal by Marc Blucas, seemed a poor substitute for Angel as Buffy's beau. Also, beloved characters like Giles and Xander were pretty much adrift that season as the college setting put more emphasis on Buffy and Willow. Overall, though, the season still had its share of entertaining and funny moments, while introducing former villian Spike (the always-solid James Marsters) as an uneasy ally/comic relief. The DVD features, while still on the skimpy side, are upgraded in quality with solid audio commentaries on key episodes including creator Joss Whedon's take on "Hush," with actor Seth Green (the werewolf Oz) joining him in "Wild at Heart." As always, BUFFY still manages to entertain, thrill and provoke its audience, which is a mark of great TV....making this DVD set definitely one worth recommending.

a breathtaking series with an unforgettable cast
by far the best show in the world to me, its hip, sexy, funny, scary, addicting and dramatic. This season takes place in college and Buffy(Sarah Michelle Gellar), Willow(Alyson hannigan, and OZ(Seth Green) attend. Xander(Nicholas Brendon) is not in college and Giles(Anthony Stewart Head) conducts buisness from his pad. Seth Green who plays the kick ass werewolf Oz, leaves 6 episodes into the fourth season and comes back at the end for 2 episodes. We get to know Spike(James Marsters) more in this season and see how he was kidnapped by The mysterious Initiative, led by Professor Walsh(Lindsay Crouse), and that Buffy's new hubbie Riley Finn(Marc Bluca) is a soldier in that organization. Hush would have to be the best ep in that season and it did win an Emmy. We see the return of Faith(Eliza Dushku) and Jonathan(Danny Strong). Walsh(Crouse) makes an ultimate killing machine, half demon, half human, half of everything named Adam(George Hertzberg)... also theres 2 episodes Angel(David Boreanaz) return to and that episode where Angel kicks the crap outta Riley was cool. Xander gets a new girlfriend, Anya(Emma Caulfield), Willow turns lesbian and has Tara(Amber Benson) and choices her over Oz(Green) but she still thinks about him in her dreams and we see that from the end episode Restless. I've seen every episode more than 5 times and its good because i'm an addictive fan of the show and when it ended in May I was like damnit, hey but theres still Angel and Spike is going and thats the best part, so this is a masterpiece of a show and it'll live in my life forever.

Great Episodes, Bad Villan
Now, when I first bought this DVD set I got it only to further the completion of my Buffy collection. I thought that the 4th season wasn't any good...but was I wrong! Even though Adam was not a very good villian, the overall arch was very good. I love how Willow and Tara get together, and I also love Riley. Xander and Anya are histarical, as is Giles and his girlfriend, Olivia. Season 4 has some of the best episodes...EVER!! My 3 favorites are "Pangs" (Angel's in it!!), "Hush" (Silently creepy!), "Girl of the Year" (Faith is back and is FUNNY AS HELL!!!), and "Who Are You" (Part 2 of the Faith comeback). The DVD cover discribes this season. With the dark background and Sarah's lost-in-space Barbie look can be related to almost all of the episodes.

(...)

Buffy hits its stride on a new campus
With Sunnydale High in ruins and the Scoobies freshly graduated, the gang embarks on the new adventure of college (well...except Xander...but he ends up populating the campus as opposed to the non-campus). After her initial misgivings about college, Buffy adjusts to her new life and fits in her Slayer duties...and notices a covert, underground military demon-hunting operation based beneath the university.

The Initiative, of which Buffy's new boyfriend, Riley, turns out to be part of, is a government-sanctioned demon-hunting organization that captures and experiments on the demon population. As she allies herself with the Initiative, Buffy discovers the threat of the mysterious 314 and a villain who unites all the demons of Sunnydale and divides the Scoobies against themselves.

Season 4 marks the return of beloved characters from seasons past, most notably Spike, the snide, leatherclad, chain smoking vampire, who is promptly neutered by the Initiative and forced to depend on the Scoobies for help. Ethan Rayne also returns to turn Giles into a Fyarl demon. And the rogue slayer Faith returns in a brilliantly executed two-part body-switching episode.

While often maligned (including on this website), Adam is, in my opinion, the show's best villain. A charismatic demonoid cyborg, he unites all races of demons and vampires in a quest to create others like him and overrun the earth. A modern update of Frankenstein's monster, he is chilling in his assertion that he is "aware". He uses Spike as a pawn to divide and conquer the Scoobies, who he sees as the only true threat to his plan. He knows that without each other, they cannot stop him.

The result is a very interesting spell and an very well-done climactic battle, as well as the prophetic and surreal season finale Restless. It is a fitting end to an awesome season.

Season 4 was an interesting change of pace, and marked the transition out of the familiar setting of Sunnydale High. A very well-done season, definetly among the upper eschelon of the show's achievement.

The Scooby-Gang's Surreal Season
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" had certainly hit its stride, long before seasn 4, so this season was more about experimentation. We see Buffy and friends dealing with college while still fighting evil. "Buffy" is unlike any other show of its kind, because unlike other scifi shows, "Buffy" revolves around its characters, not their experiences. Season 4 proves this when Buffy meets Riley. You hurt with her when she can not reveal her true identity to him. And you laugh with her when she does. You also feel the romance and shock between Willow's coming out. You love Tara, but still feel bad for Oz. Season 4 is alot more about the characters' personal problems: Willow being gay, Xander feeling useless, the Buffy/Riley love, Spike's chip, and Giles' reilization that he has no life. "Buffy" does an incredibly job at displaying the difficult transistions from high school to college while deepening its characters' own personal problems, but fails when compared to its other six seasons. But, however, we are taliking about the greatest show in the history of television, so you can still expect alot from this season. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Sopranos, writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television series, is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home, chronicling a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there's the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau riche brood. The series' brilliant first season is built around what Tony learns when, whipsawed between those two worlds, he finds himself plunged into depression and seeks psychotherapy--a gesture at odds with his midlevel capo's machismo, yet instantly recognizable as a modern emotional test. With analysis built into the very spine of the show's elaborate episodic structure, creator Chase and his formidable corps of directors, writers, and actors weave an unpredictable series of parallel and intersecting plot arcs that twist from tragedy to farce to social realism. While creating for a smaller screen, they enjoy a far larger canvas than a single movie would afford, and the results, like the very best episodic television, attain a richness and scope far closer to a novel than movies normally get.

Alternately seductive, exasperated, fearful, and murderous, James Gandolfini's Tony is utterly convincing even when executing brutal shifts between domestic comedy and dramatic violence. The first season's other life force is Livia Soprano, Tony's monstrous, meddlesome mother. As Livia, the late Nancy Marchand eclipses her long career of patrician performances to create an indelibly earthy, calculating matriarch who shakes up both families; Livia also serves as foil and rival to Tony's loyal, usually level-headed wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Lorraine Bracco makes Tony's therapist, Dr. Melfi, a convincing confidante, by turns "professional," perceptive, and sexy; the duo's therapeutic relationship is also depicted with uncommon accuracy. Such grace notes only enrich what's not merely an aesthetic high point for commercial television, but an absorbing film masterwork that deepens with subsequent screenings.

In its second season, The Sopranos repeatedly defies formula to let the narrative turn as a direct consequence of the characters' behavior, letting everyone in this rogue's gallery of Mafiosi, friends, and family evolve and deepen. That gamble is most apparent in the rupture of the relationship that formed the spine of the first season, the tangled ties between Tony and Livia, whose betrayal makes Tony's estrangement a logical response. Filling that vacuum, however, is prodigal sister Janice (Aida Turturro), whose New Age flakiness never successfully conceals her underlying calculation and opportunism. Soprano's relationship with therapist Melfi also frays during early episodes, as she struggles with escalating doubts about her mobbed-up patient. At home, Tony contends with wife Carmela's ruthless ambitions on behalf of college-bound Meadow (Jamie Lynn Sigler), as well as son Anthony Jr.'s (Robert Iler) sullen adolescent flirtation with existentialism--the sort of touch that the show handles with a smart mix of sympathy and amusement.

In the brutal and controversial third season, The Sopranos justified its 11-month hiatus with some of its best, and most hotly debated, episodes. It continued to upend convention and defy audience expectations with a deliberately paced, calm-before-the-storm season opener that revolves around the FBI's attempts to bug the Soprano household, and a season finale that (for some) frustratingly leaves several plot lines unresolved. "Employee of the Month," in which Dr. Melfi is raped and considers whether to exact revenge by telling Tony of her attack, earned Emmys for its writers, and is perhaps Emmy nominee Lorraine Bracco's finest hour. Other story arcs concern the rise of the seriously unstable Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) and Tony's affair with "full-blown loop-de-loo" Gloria (Emmy nominee Annabella Sciorra). Plus, there is Tony's estrangement from daughter Meadow, his wayward delinquent son Anthony, Jr., Carmela's crisis of conscience, bad seed Jackie Jr., and the FBI--which, as the season ends, assigns an undercover agent to befriend an unwitting figure in the Soprano family's orbit.

Though for some the widely debated fourth season contained too much yakking instead of whacking, and an emphasis on domestic family over business Family, in most respects The Sopranos remains television's gold standard. The season garnered 13 Emmy nominations, and subsequent best actor and actress wins for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco as Tony and Carmela, whose estrangement provides the season with its most powerful drama, as well as a win for Joe Pantoliano's psychopath Ralph. Other narrative threads include Christopher's (Emmy nominee Michael Imperioli) descent into heroin addiction, Uncle Junior's (Dominic Chianese) trial, an unrequited and potentially fatal attraction between Carmela and Tony's driver Furio, and a rude joke about Johnny Sack's wife that has potentially fatal implications. Other indelible moments include Christopher's girlfriend Adriana's projectile reaction to discovering that her new best friend is an undercover FBI agent in the episode "No Show," Janice giving Ralph a shove out of their relationship in "Christopher," and the classic "Quasimodo/Nostradamus" exchange in the season-opener, which garnered HBO's highest ratings to date. Freed from the understandably high expectations for the fourth season, heightened by the 16-month hiatus, these episodes can be better appreciated on their own considerable merits. They are pivotal chapters in television's most novel saga. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Badfellas!
Great story content, acting, directing, and writing. One of the best shows out there with a cinematic effect.

Good show that was Great
obviously Buy these Sets for each season as to buying all together.but the main thing is what is stronger&what isn't.the first two years this show was on Point.but season was pretty good while season four was so-so&this past year was better than last year but a step off from the Peak years of season 1&2.still David Chase gets dap for exploring so many situations with the show.next year season 6 is the last one&truth be told I feel they went one year to many on a hold.but the show is still a Good show&you never know what lays around the corner.only 10 episodes left of this Classic show.

GRAND SLAM
Four great seasons of the ultimate gangster saga. The fifth and (final) sixth should firmly cement the legacy of this stalwart series.Season One is the best of the group, as it usually is with most stellar series. The best episodes: #9, #12 and #13. Season Two's finest moments are with the epitome of all evil, Richie Apriel, played with intense sinisterness by David Proval, and the David Lynch-esque finale.Season Three welcomes Ralphie C (Joe Pantaliano) and Season Four ushers him out in grand style (that will prove to be a defining moment in the shows history). Season Four also has some sensitive moments from Tony Soprano himself: His all night vigil with a sick horse (as Dean Martin sings "My Rifle, My Pony & Me"), his tolerance of Christopher's drug addiction (and the hilarious intervention that follows). Great series, great set. Watch them all.

Save 25 bucks......
They FINALLY lowered the price on this set. It use to be you would save if you bought them seperate. As of June 2004 you can save about $25, so id definately reccomend this set. If you dont have HBO it is a must buy.

Possibly the Best TV Series - Definitely the Worst Buy
I am assuming, since you are reading this review, you are familiar about Sopranos. This writeup is not meant to be a critique of the series (the series is absolutely brilliant), rather the wierd pricing strategy associated with this particular set.

I really do not understand this! How can the same group of people who have created one of the most amazing TV series of our times, can get their pricing strategy so wrong? It is possible to buy the four seasons separately a lot cheaper from Amamzon.com. One is supposed to get a premium for buying by the bulk and not pay a premium. If you are a fan of the series (who isn't) and still have successfully resisted the temptation to purchase the series (miracles still happen) then I strongly recommend immediate purchase of the four seasons separately. Do not buy the four seasons together and end up paying extra dollars, rather purchase the seasons separately, save some money and buy Finding Nemo and Casablanca with the balance or go out to dinner with your family or any thing else. Just please do not drop your hard earned money down the drain. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Despite an abundance of gaping plot holes, White Noise serves up enough spooky atmosphere to make it worth a look-see for fans of supernatural thrillers. Even when hampered with a shoddy, clumsily written screenplay, Michael Keaton brings professional conviction to his role as a grieving widower who is introduced to the mysterious (and according to paranormal researchers, highly documented) existence of EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon, which allows the dead to communicate (one-way only, it seems) from the great beyond, through images and voices recordable on a variety of electronic media such as VCRs, computers, etc. Seeking contact with his recently deceased wife, Keaton finds dire warnings of evil in the afterlife, with connections (all too convenient) to killings and disappearances in his Vancouver, British Columbia vicinity. British TV director Geoffrey Sax brings slick style to this hokum, and a few moments of genuine eeriness, but you may find yourself giggling too much to appreciate the highlights. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (87)

Great Film: A few drops in the DVD qualitry
I enjoyed the film in the Theatre immensely. The DVD version is great, especially the clarity, and the BAM factor in the audio. I saw comments that noted so-called plot holes before seeing the movie, and I still do not see any of the so called plot holes mentioned in the editorial.
This film is well instructed, and done with an exactness and economy that is impressive.After listening to the commentary, its because the director is a BBCalumni. The commentary is not advertised on the box at all, nor on any extras details that I am aware of. I would have given the film 5 stars if it were not for the fact that because of a DVDproduction mess up, Keaton had to leave 15 minutes before the film's end for him to go on a holiday. Whilst the commentary is not the greatest, it does make the key point that this film was forced into a PG-13 rating by the makers of the film cutting some of the key scenes. The studios are getting way too much influence from the right wing Neo-Cons.
Anyways, the extras are great. The key thing about this film, is you will enjoy it, as Kaeton notes, if you buy into the idea of EVP, well, if you have, then these extras will totally chill you !!! They are fun, and totally awesome. The audio on this film is well done, and in 5.1 all I can say is WOW... what a great watch, and a chilling listen ( good audio mix too).

The best of it's kind since "THE RING"!more static please!
Whether you believe in EVP or not, I'd like to think of it from an agnostic standpoint:It can neither be proved, nor disproved.

White Noise has some of the same cliché's as other supernatural based movies (deceased spouse trying to reach husband, think Firefly or What lies beneath, Frequency) but what makes WN a movie apart from the rest in many ways, is that these are not people coming back to haunt or scare.They are ordinary people who's lives were cut short, and with no closure, are trying to reach back to various people so they can send that one last message to a loved one before moving on...

...What moves this movie from different to bizarre is the fact that Michael Keatons character, "Jonathan Rivers", is starting to receive messages in the form of EVP (think of the most annoying thing in the world, Radio Static and Snow TV...now think of once in a while, a message of some sort coming across, like the very energy of their departed soul is still lingering just enough to transmit through electronic means) that are showing him that it's not all about events or people or signs that are within one's past...

...and another thing that is interesting, is the preview of the notion that yes, for every good person out there trying to reach back, there's a bad one as well!Their messages are a mixture of love, hate, direction, and question.

I'd like to think when someone passes away, that their compassion, energy, and capability of love and hate, are strong enough that they do not just burn out like a light-bulb as their physical form does.I find EVP to be a fascinating phenomena.

This movie has many scary moments that will make you jump out of your chair, but more often than not, it's not about SCARING, it's about trying to understand communication from someone who is no longer among the living.

The overall cinematic appeal is excellent, the simple yet driven home glimpses of cassette recorders all the way to high tech digital equalizer equipment sets the mood for a strange and unexplained science that is feared or scoffed by some, reveled and marveled by others.

Michael Keaton is great in his role as an architect who's becomes fascinated with the phenomena of EVP and digs deeper and deeper into it, trying to communicate with a certain someone who's sending him a message.

PROS:Keaton and the surrounding cast are great
EVP is a phenomena that is not proved nor disproved....but voices and images in general recorded static tends to make you shiver....
Cintematically great, it' views of the recorder machines help take us into the sanctum of recording messages from "another side".

CONS:Could have been a little more intense in terms of the surrounding characters and plot.We get tons of Michael Keaton and static and all, but we needed a little more intrigue and mystery on the surface with some of the things (the missing woman) that is going on.
Why is It nearly every drama, crime movie, or intense horror thriller, the husband is an architect?Can we not come up with any other high-profile job?And yes Doctors, Lawyers, and Writers have already been covered!
Why is it every drama dealing with a city has to have something happen in an abandoned Warehouse or Industrial Complex?Are you really meaning to tell me there are not any homeless people hanging out here? Or drug dealers?Or perhaps there's a security guard or cop in the area?

EVP was fun because it delved into a subject that has not really been covered before.Overall I enjoyed the movie and have no major criticisms.Considering all the crap that we are saturated in when it comes to these kinds of films (where 99% are haunted house hashes of some sort) this one is actually overwhelmingly intellactually refreshing!

This film did what it was SUPPOSED to do...
This film did what it was SUPPOSED to do...

Regardless of what you thought of this film, or will think of this film, it does what it is ultimately supposed to do - make you aware of, and perhaps pique your curiosity about Electronic Voice Phenomenon.

I've read what seems like hundreds of reviews here on Amazon.com and haven't seen a single comment on what was REALLY going on with the antogonist(s) here. Read other reviews for the plot and for story spoilers, then read the following and insert it into your thinking. The movie will NOT explain the following, but it helps if you know it.

The film features, more and more as it wends it's way towards drama, an image of menace in the form of a trio of dark spirits. This trio of low spirits FEEDS on the pain and suffering and negative drama of our mortal existences. They go a step beyond feeding and begin CAUSING these empowering negative emotions by affecting the living (EVP researchers) and coercing them to do their sadistic bidding or else killing them as they did Raymond Price if their demands are refused. The more a person is tortured, afraid and just stressed out, the more negative energy they produce for these spirit low-lifes to consume.This is a common basic premise for some cult activities - human sacrifices are pretty bland unless the sacrificee has been tortured and is in a state of utter panic, fear, dread and morbid disarray.The more horrified and suffering the more tasty and nourishing the spiritual energy.

This film could have been a complete freak out psychological horror fest had it focused on the trio and their successive attempts to affect more and more EVP enthusiasts into doing their evil bidding. A chilling scene would have been of our protagonist (Keaton) dying (at the hands of a 'darkly brainwashed' EVP enthusiast) as we managed to feel compassion for his plight, only to feed their evil hunger, and then either show directly, or allude to many, many more 'crazed, serial killers' seeking only the praise and increasing demands of the trio who are growing in power from their work.Believing that there are legions of serial killers out there serving dark demons via White Noise manipulation, you'd hold your loved ones close at all times and check over your shoulder often if it was pulled off convincingly enough.

But that's not what this movie was about. The movie was about EVP and yet Hollywood felt that we wouldn't swallow any bait (by spending our hard earned money) that was not glittery and dripping with dark drama and spell-it-out-for-you violence so we got what we got.However, the film did do something it set out to do - it introduced the whole concept of EVP to untold numbers of people worldwide and in so doing has done it's true purpose. Like the movie or not, believe it or not, make sense of it or not, you are now acutely aware of Electronic Voice Phenomenon.Consider it a nearly two hour infomercial on something you were not likely familiar with before.

Everyone has different perceptions on everything. Some see being alone as a tragic loneliness, others see it as a wonderful time for meditation, self reflection and introspection. Some like rain, some hate it, etc.

Watch the extra EVP materials on the White Noise DVD and whether you want to buy into it or not, just sit alone in a dark room by yourself, perhaps with the TV on to static and allow yourself to drift into a deep state of "What if..."If you manage to go there, decide THEN if the movie was a waste of your time or not. It opened my mind to consider these possibilities regardless of what I thought about the plot, story or actors.

I say perceive the movie for yourself and make up your own mind.

Try something else...... Not scary!
What do you get if you add one part Poltergeist, with one part The Sixth Sense?Answer:White Noise.Michael Keaton stars in this less than stellar performance of a not so original story.

In the film Keaton plays Jonathan Rivers, a highly successful architect, married to Anna Rivers, a highly successful writer.Jonathon plans to put his job on hiatus and join his wife on her new book tour for her soon-to-be release book.However, upon the notice that his wife might be expecting, Anna fails returns home. After the abduction of his wife and her subsequent death, Jonathan becomes sullen and uncaring, distant and unaware of his surroundings until he becomes acquainted with Raymond Price (played by Ian McNeice).Price has also lost someone very close to him, his son, almost 12 years prior.However, Price receives messages, transmissions, and images from entities from the "other" side in the form of E.V.P.s (Electronic Voice Phenomena) or White Noise.The problem is that not all the transmissions are from "good" spirits.

Jonathan gets totally absorbed into this medium, and starts receiving regular messages from his wife.He quickly figures out that the transmissions that he's receiving are actually hints/clues to help him prevent impending death and disaster.The problem is that the "bad" entities are using the same technique to produce death and disaster.

In film has a great premise, and a good beginning; however, it quickly spirals into the absurd, with a trio of evil spirits out to kill mankind.I really believe the film could have been much better with a whole lots less going on.The writers could not decide what story they wanted to tell, and therefore was unable to tell any story effectively.The pinnacle of absurdity begins with Jonathan's wife making visual contact with him in a deserted warehouse, and culminates into what I can only describe as the hell demon sequence in Ghost.I could not figure out what message the film was trying to get across to the audience.What started out as a film about "righting the wrong" or telling love ones that you were okay, and start living your life again; turn into a film of "talk to the dead, and die" with both human and spiritual henchmen.

My advice would be to try another selection; there are much better films out there that are more scary or physiologically thrilling.This film is neither.

(...)

White Noise (DVD) reveiw...
Tagline: The dead are trying to get a hold of you.

Plot Outline: An architect's desire to speak with his wife from beyond the grave, becomes an obsession with supernatural repercussions.

Starring: Michael Keaton

Jonathon Rivers (Michael Keaton) is an architect who loses his wife one night. After trying to get on with his life he comes in contact with a man that may be able to assist him in finding out what happened to his wife the night he lost her. This man Raymond Price (Ian McNeice) tells Jonathon his wife is dead but he can communicate with her through something called EVP. EVP: Electronic Voice Phenomenon. Followers of EVP believe that the dead send messages through the static and White Noise of electronic devices. EVP is an area of paranormal study that has legions of followers worldwide; legendary inventor Thomas Edison was reportedly a believer in EVP. This film was very well done and deserved alot more credit then it received. If you enjoyed THE FORGOTTEN as I did you will indeed enjoy this film as well. Very creepy and it has some jumpy spots as well. Definetly pick this one up!
... Read more

Description

FRASIER – THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON is a half-hour comedy series set in Seattle, which chronicles the lives of an eloquently pompous radio show host, Dr. Frasier Crane, (Grammer), his competitive, high-brow brother Niles (Hyde Pierce), their crotchety father Martin (Mahoney) and Martin’s semi-psychic, live-in home-care provider, Daphne (Leeves).The show made history by becoming the first series, comedy or drama, to achieve a record five consecutive Emmy wins for Outstanding Comedy Series. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Sophisticated, witty, and hilarious...
Along with Friends and Seinfeld, Kelsey Grammer's Cheers spin-off, Frasier, dominated the prime time television landscape during the 1990's. Grammer plays the role of Dr. Frasier Crane who, fresh off of his divorce from Lilith, moves back to his hometown of Seattle where he lands a gig as a radio psychiatrist. Frasier's father, Marty Crane (John Mahoney), a Seattle cop recently shot in an attempted convenience store robbery is in need of physical therapy. Frasier and his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) make an effort to mend their relationship with Marty whose plaid shirts and penchant for sports and beer strikes a dramatic contrast with their wine club, opera house culture. After a little prodding, Marty and his dog Eddie (Moose) move into Frasier's upscale apartment, and Frasier hires Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves), a housekeeper and physical therapist to look after the two cranes.

The entirety of the show takes place in mostly three places - Frasier's radio station where he works with show producer Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin), Frasier's apartment, and the favorite hangout of Niles and Frasier, Café Nervosa. A witty comedic exploration of the nation's clash of cultures (also illustrated by Frasier's run-ins with sports guy Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe), Frasier stands alone as one of the best-written shows in television history. Not a single episode can be considered a dud.

The Frasier (Season 5) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Frasier's Imaginary Friend" in which Frasier returns to Seattle from Acapulco where he enjoyed a blissful affair with a supermodel zoologist who, for personal reasons, asks him to keep their relationship a secret. But constant near-miss run-ins between Frasier's family and the woman lead them to question whether Frasier is involved in a relationship at all. Exasperated, he spills the beans - an action with profoundly negative consequences... Other notable episodes from Season 5 include "My Fair Frasier" in which Frasier finds himself as "the woman" in a relationship with a hard-nosed defense attorney, and "The Ski Lodge" in which the Crane family, Daphne, and her friend take a weekend trip to a ski lodge where romantic misunderstandings abound...

Below is a list of episodes included on the Frasier (Season 5) DVD:

Episode 97 (Frasier's Imaginary Friend)
Episode 98 (The Gift Horse)
Episode 99 (Halloween)
Episode 100 (The Kid)
Episode 101 (The 1000th Show)
Episode 102 (Voyage of the Damned)
Episode 103 (My Fair Frasier)
Episode 104 (Desperately Seeking Closure)
Episode 105 (Perspectives on Christmas)
Episode 106 (Where Every Bloke Knows Your Name)
Episode 107 (Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do)
Episode 108 (The Zoo Story)
Episode 109 (The Maris Counselor)
Episode 110 (The Ski Lodge)
Episode 111 (Room Service)
Episode 112 (Beware of Greeks)
Episode 113 (The Perfect Guy)
Episode 114 (Bad Dog)
Episode 115 (Frasier Gotta Have It)
Episode 116 (First Date)
Episode 117 (Roz and the Schnoz)
Episode 118 (The Life of the Party)
Episode 119 (Party, Party)
Episode 120 (Sweet Dreams)

The DVD Report

More adventures of Dr. Frasier Crane
In the 1997-98 season,Frasier's fifth and fourteenth overall,Kelsey Grammer's fans were still hooked on his character. As Frasier's popularity grew,the series drew a new army of fans(those who probably never saw Grammer on the parent show Cheers).

The Show Goes On...
This year represented the last year in Frasier's then-unprecedented and still-unequalled five-year Emmy streak for best comedic series. Although it's not quite the equal of its predecessor season, if only because the show never produced a funnier episode than "Ham Radio", this season comes darned close with "The Ski Lodge", which has the main characters changing scenery to a remote snow-packed location and finding love--just not with the people they wanted. The show's farcical humor is played here superlatively, with great result. The season also brings the final resolution to the Niles-Maris Marriage, in "The Maris Counselor", and it is resolved, of course, in the most embarassing way possible. The romantic unluckiness continued with Martin's breakup with Sherry, and the unfortunate exit of Marsha Mason from her Emmy-nominated role. Finally, the season ends with Frasier losing his job to Latino musicians. All in all, this season brought great tribulation to all the characters, but their misery translated into plenty of laughs.

I hope that this time around, Paramount includes at least some special features in the Frasier DVD set. Since I can't get Frasier on TV where I live, I'll probably end up buying it anyway, but I would really appreciate something more. Regardless, Frasier is a comic gem, and its fifth season is great entertainment. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When you start watching Racing Stripes, you may not be prepared for how unbelievably cute a young zebra is. A travelling circus accidently abandons an adorably helpless zebra in the middle of Kentucky on a stormy night. Fortunately, the wee zebra is found by Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood, The Sweet Hereafter), a brilliant horse trainer who's given up his calling after a riding accident that killed his wife. His daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere, Raising Helen) names the zebra Stripes and, before you know it, Stripes has grown to young adulthood and is aching to race at a nearby track. Thus begins a fairly formulaic triumph-over-adversity tale combined with talking animals--but Racing Stripes understands its formula and executes it without any pretensions. It doesn't hit the bullseye struck by Babe (an earlier triumph-over-adversity tale combined with talking animals), and there are bad puns and gags aplenty, but Greenwood's solid presence gives the movie an unexpected emotional fullness. Featuring a bizarre assortment of voices for the animals, including Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Frankie Muniz, Mandy Moore, Joe Pantoliano (as a Mafioso pelican), Steve Harvey, David Spade, and Snoop Dogg. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Perfect Family Entertainment!
Racing Stripes is actually a lot more entertaining and funny than I had expected. The story of a circus zebra(Stripes) adopted by a corn farmer/ex-race horse trainer Nolan Walsh(Bruce Greenwood), and eventually became a race horse when Channing Walsh(Hayden Panettiere) learned that it was a fast runner after riding it to work. At first, Nolan was reluctant to let his daughter to get into the race, because he feared that it was dangerous and that Stripes wasn't good enough. Soon the animals in the barn came up with a plan to convince him that Stripes was the perfect race horse, and deserved to be trained.

The talking animals featured the voices of some well-known stars including Mandy Moore(Sandy the horse), Frankie Muntz(Stripes), Whoopi Goldberg, and Dustin Hoffman.

It's a very good family film, and both Greenwood and Panettiere were wonderful and touching. The special feature has an alternative ending, and the Making Of that shows the voice-over and animation/special effects.

Fun, entertaining movie...
I went into this movie not expecting much out of it. I actually enjoyed it so much, that I watched it a second time with my boyfriend. Many reviews said that it's a movie only aimed at kids and doesn't really have much to offer for the older audiences, and this review is to tell you that it's not true. I watched it with four adults and we all enjoyed it immensely. Give it a shot!

Almost as Good as "Babe"
This is the story of a zebra named Stripes who is accidentally left behind by a traveling circus during a storm.He is raised by a former racing horse trainer and his daughter and grows up believing that he is a racing horse and has a strong desire to become one of the greatest.

Positives:
1)Talking animals.If you liked "Babe" and the talking animals in "Dr. Doolittle" (the Eddie Murphy version) then you'll love the talking animals in "Racing Stripes".They do a great job, even when trying to convey emotion.
2)Pulls at the Heart-Strings.This isn't just a story of a zebra who wants to be a racing horse.There are so many other plots and sub-plots.By the end, they all get resolved, everybody is happy, and those who deserve to be pooped upon are done so by a gangster pelican.
3)Good message.The overriding theme of the movie is one of my favorites: if you want something then work hard to get it.
4)Good acting.With the exception of Wendie Malick (was she supposed to be THAT way over-the-top?), the acting by the human characters was quite good and believable.The emotional range of Hayden Panettiere is pitch-perfect for every occasion of the film.

Negatives:
1)Far too many adult jokes.Some of the humor of this movie was too grown-up.And if they were trying to be subtle with it, they did a horrible job with it.It was one thing to imply a swear-word, but to actually use one is another matter.

If it weren't for the adult jokes, I would recommend this for the entire family.But I even felt uncomfortable having my eight year old watch it.I would recommend watching this with your family if all the children are pass their elementary school years.

A Great Flick For Kids!
Racing Stripes is a wonderfully, funny, family film. Children and adults will find themselves giggling at silly, comedic acts, while being drawn into the film through a heartwarming story about a girl and her pet zebra, Stripes.

They really could've tried a little harder.
Racing Stripes (Frederick Du Chau, 2005)

Watching Racing Stripes with me is rather like watching Jurassic Park with a paleontologist. It's probably not going to be a pleasant experience. I'm rather surprised the actual Turfway Park hasn't sued for defamation of character. (At least they put it in the correct state.) Don't get me started on jockey licensing, Thoroughbred breeding, and the hundred other little details overlooked by the movie, though I have to say none of them compared to turning the gorgeous Turfway Park, one of America's most beautiful racetracks (which, it should be noted, ironically doesn't have a turf course), into a county fair bullring. At least they didn't call it Keeneland.

Okay. Now put aside all the technical stuff that's wrong with the movie. Is it any good from a layman's point of view? Well, it's not bad, mostly because of the voice talent. Such actors as Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Frankie Muniz, Fred Dalton Thompson, and a number of other big names lent their voices to animals here with lovely results. The human actors, on the other hand, are to a person bad. Even the normally enjoyable Bruce Greenwood and the normally fantastic M. Emmett Walsh are bland and insipid here.

But even if the voice talent is good, it's not running on much that's worthwhile. One reviewer called it "Babe in stripes," and that's pretty much what it comes down to-- fish (erm, pig-- no, wait, zebra) out of water has to try and fit in among those who are different from him. But where Babe approached the idea with freshness, originality, and an innocent sweetness that approached fairy tale-quality, Racing Stripes just seems like a slightly degenerated retread; it's probably serviceable, but don't go for long drives in the desert, or it might blow on you far, far away from civilization. ** ½ ... Read more

Description

Caligula may very well be the most controversial film in history. Only one movie dares to show the perversion behind Imperial Rome, and that movie is "Caligula," the epic story of Rome's mad emperor. All the details of his cruel, bizarre reign are revealed right here: his unholy sexual passion for his sister, his marriage to Rome's most infamous prostitute, his fiendishly inventive means of disposing of those who would oppose him, and more. The combined talents of cinematic giants Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud and Shakespearean actress Helen Mirren, along with an acclaimed international cast and a bevy of beautiful Penthouse Pets, make this unique historical drama a masterwork of the screen. Not for the squeamish, not for the prudish, "Caligula" will shock and arouse you as it reveals the deviance and decadence beneath the surface of the grandeur that once was Rome. ... Read more

Reviews (165)

Porno or poor movie, absolutely unique among movies
This movie is a masterpiece in that it accomplishes what it set out to do: to depict decadent, pagan Rome circa 37 AD. I cringed throughout the FIRST VIEWING, unsure what to expect, fearing revulsion in each scene. The SECOND VIEWING was better, I knew what to expect: a simple plot about unchecked power with gratuitous violence and sex. Guccione may have overstated the sex and violence but that is what you get from pagan cultures. The THIRD VIEWING reveals the movie as art: as pornographic and dangerous as ancient Rome at its worst with interesting props and sets. Maybe Guccione wanted to contrast sexual cultures of ancient Rome with his magazine culture of today: to prove that he himself and/or current exploitation of women isn't so bad after all--only sexually explicit. Generally, sex of any kind still has a bad reputation. This movie only needs be a reasonably accurate historical account (ostensibly derived from museum artifacts commonly found around the world) to maintain historical relevance. Many will hate this sort of reality, but not every movie has to "sublimate" reality according to family movie standards to please puritanical hypocrites. Face it: only a world as lost as Caligula's could crucify Christ. (Notice how persecution against the spiritually pure was greatest then?) Yes (?) Nevertheless, this movie entertains by being so over-the-top that exquisite sound and editing are not necessary. Again, this was the real Rome. Finally, if you are an adult who desires full knowledge of the depth of human depravity, then Vidal, Guccione, et al. should be praised for accomplishing such an important (by virtue of its controversy) historical film. I recommend this film to everyone to either love or hate. I love it!

A graphic depiction of a decadent time and a ruler gone mad
Caligula is a non-stop parade of perversions, gore, and stunning sets. Mix all that with a decent job of acting from some brilliant actors and you find that while you may be repulsed by some of what you see, you'll also want to see it again.

The movie graphically depicts of the rise and fall of Caligula (Malcolm McDowell), one of the most notorious of all Roman emperors. It's rather straight forward in it's portrayal of the man and his exploits. Throughout the movie you definitely get a feel for how demented Caligula became and in the end you are almost relieved when his life is ended. The major draw back to the story line is that they never really develop any of the other characters and it leaves them as shallow figures.

Keep in mind that this movie was brought to us by Penthouse so to say that there is a fair amount of nudity and sex is an understatement. There are also some rather gruesome scenes as well. I've read many reviewers use these points to put the movie down, but what they fail to realize is that Rome did have it's dark days of mass perversion. Yes, the movie did go over the top a bit, but it's not too far off from the decadence of the time. If you keep this in mind you will love the movie.

As for the DVD itself. The sound quality is much better the the original VHS version, but still leaves a bit to be desired. The picture is a bit grainy and that does tend to draw away from the breathtaking sets. I recommend the unrated version for the sole fact that the R-rated version cuts out a large chunk of the movie. It also has a nice documentary on the making of the film.

Whoops! Caligula isn't anything like Gladiator
Let me share a true story.

Ridley Scott's Gladiator is probably one of the best movies I have ever seen. You know, the film with Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, etc. Totally jazzed after seeing the epic Gladiator in the theater, my girlfriend and I rushed over to the local video store in search of another Roman-era flick.

In the New Release section was ... Caligula. (It had just come out on DVD.) We had never heard of it before. But starring Malcolm McDowell! and Helen Mirren! and Peter O'Toole!, we were certain we had found a winner.

Boy, were we surprised! Caligula turned out to be a banal porno movie albeit a lavish one (a lot of money must have been spent on this production). Beyond the overwhelming flesh and violence, the plot was simply ridiculous! My girlfriend fell asleep in 20 minutes, but I watched the whole thing (hey, it was too outrageous to stop).

Thank goodness it wasn't our first (or last) date!

I need a shower
What a horrid, disgusting little movie "Caligula" is. If anyone knows much about history, then thay know that Caligula was an insane Roman Emperor who had most inappropriate relationship with a lot of women (including a prostitute and his sister), played sick games with gladiators and political opponents, and was too self absorbed for the Imperial Senate to let rule. That story would be very interesting to tell, and to film. But this is not that movie. I guess I should have known better than to go watch a Bob Guccione movie (for those of you who are unaware of who Mr. Guccione is, he is editor in cheif of "Penthouse" magazine). But I like Malcolm McDowell, and it was about one of my favorite historical periods, so I took the chance. The plot of the movie is as I had stated above. We are introduced to Caligula while he is commiting the moral crime of incest. He is then summoned by the current Roman Emperor (played by Peter O'Toole), and sees (and approves of) the perversions and corruption of the current throan. After O'Toole's death, Caligula is appointed Emperor, and then brings the Empire through the most depraved and perverted era of human existance. The violence in the movie is done with such a combination of malice and nonchalance that it was hard to take, even for me. The many (many) sex scenes are handled much the same way, with all the sensitivity that an ape would have. "Caligula" has to be the most unpleasent movie I have ever set through and watched. There was absolutly no redeeming value to this move what so ever. The spirit of the movie is so mean that it is almost like the directors (well Guccione anyway) is daring you to like it. I have a feeling it will appeal to only the most hardcore members of the S&M lifestyle. I usually don't have a problem with some sex and violence in a movie for gratuitous sake only (look at my reveiws for the "Friday the 13th" movies); but this was too over the top, completly and pointlessly sleezy. I just couldn't stomach it. The cast is an odd assortment. Like I said, Peter O'Toole is present, which really sort of shocked me; I would have thought he would have been above such junk as this. Malcolm McDowell I can imagine in a movie like this; his Caligula is like Alex from "A Clockwork Orange" if Alex had remained unchecked. Helen Mirren looked totally lost here, and indeed she probably was. And the rest of the cast was filled out by "Penthouse" centerfolds who are subject to humiliations innumerable. I would like to see a movie that takes the material about Ancient Rome and the Emporer Caligula seriously. But not this piece of junk; not by a long shot.

One of the best movies ever produced
I first saw this movie when it came out in the movie theatre. I have been waitng since then to purchase the movie. I almost bought it on VHS about 10 years ago but wasn't prepared to pay $80 then. This is a must see. It has one of the best story lines of any movie in recent history. Oh the sex scenes aren't too bad either. ... Read more

Reviews (291)

'The Rocky Horror Show' Movie
There is one reason why everyone should see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show": it is the best cult film ever made. There are also three reasons why everyone should want to watch it: 1) It is one of the only 'R' rated musicals in existence. 2) It has strong science-fiction overtones. 3) It is very funny. The movie starts Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon (before they were stars) as the recently engaged Brad and Janet. However, they are upstaged in nearly every scene by Tim Curry who plays Frank N. Furter, the mad doctor. The cast delightfully performs many memorable songs including "Over at the Frankenstein Place" and, of course, the "Time Warp". To fully enjoy RHPS, one must not be closed minded or the picture could prove to be quite offensive. Don't think it's gratuitously violent- it isn't. Merely, the situations the characters find themselves in could shock or appall overly sensitive viewers. If you think you won't enjoy RHPS, going to a midnight screening might be your best bet. The live audience participation will guarantee you a good time, despite your opinion of the actual film. So overall, RHPS is quite a good adaptation of Richard O'Brien's original concept, which always honors its roots on the stage.

DVD = Perfect format to truly experience "Rocky" at home
I loved going to "Rocky Horror" when I was in college, but watching on home video just wasn't the same. I'm probably committing heresy but there's a reason why this sci-fi, horror, B-movie satire, rock musical didn't really make it big until theaters started showing it as a midnight movie and fans started attending in costume and talking back to the screen. The 25th anniversary DVD, with several audience participation options, really is the next best thing to being there.

For the uninitiated, "Rocky Horror" tells the story of two clean-cut American youths, uptight Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick of "Spin City") and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon of "Dead Man Walking") whose car breaks down on a dark, deserted road in the middle of a storm--the classic beginning to many horror movies--and who seek help at a nearby castle. Castles, as Rocky fans know, don't have phones! What this castle has instead is a cross-dressing mad scientist Frank-N-Furter Tim Curry, in perhaps his finest performance), two very creepy servants, Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien, who wrote the musical) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and various other hangers-on, including lovers Columbia (Little Nell) and biker Eddie (Meat Loaf). Brad and Janet walk in on a party celebrating the creation of Frank-N-Furter's muscle-bound boy-toy "Rocky." Bed-hopping chaos soon ensues, until the servants reveal their true identities and take control.

Punctuating this wacky plot are some of the wildest rock-musical songs ever written. In addition to the classic "Time Warp," there's O'Brien's salute to cult-classic B-movies, "Science Fiction Double Feature," Meat Loaf's "Hot Patootie," and Sarandon ode to sexual self-discovery, "Toucha Toucha Touch Me!"

So much for the "Rocky virgin" portion of the review... What makes the DVD so exceptional is the chance to experience "Rocky Horror" at home nearly like you would in the theater. The DVD has the option of turning on the audience screen comments as well as another option for viewing members of the Rocky Horror Fan Club performing select scenes before returning to the main movie. For those less familiar with audience participation, the DVD can prompt when to throw toast, toilet paper, rice, etc., light a match, put your newspaper on your head, etc.

The second disc contains fascinating interviews with cast members, where fans can find out about their reaction to starring in this cult classic. Meat Loaf's description of not realizing what "Rocky Horror" was going to be about and running out of the theater when Tim Curry entered wearing fishnet stockings, spiked heels, a merry widow, and a leather jacket and singing "Sweet Transvestite" is hysterical. Patricia Quinn talks about how her fondness for the opening song, "Science Fiction Double Feature" made her want to take the role even though she hadn't read the rest of the script. What? Don't remember Quinn singing that number? In the stage versions she did, but the song got reassigned in the film version--and Quinn makes her feelings about that QUITE clear. Sarandon makes the interesting observation that "Rocky Horror" probably kept a lot of art house theaters in business over the years, since they could count on good revenue from the midnight movie, even if the latest regular-hours offering flopped. In Bostwick's interview, however, the actor sounds a bit like William Shatner giving his anti-Trekkie diatribe on "Saturday Night Live."

The only disappointments on the DVD are that the outtakes really aren't that interesting and actor bios aren't provided. I would have liked to see what else the "minor" cast members did after Rocky, but that information is limited to a few lines in the companion booklet. Also, some of the audience-participation comments are nearly impossible to understand because fans are talking over each other. But then that's part of the modern-day theater experience. Even Sarandon noted in her interview that talking back to the screen has gone from the more unison catechism approach to a loud free-for-all.

What seemed so risqué and shocking a few decades ago seems much more innocent today, but it was great when it all began and it's still great! If you've never ventured into the theater to experience "Rocky Horror," this is the best way to experience it at home.

Mesmerizing film.
This is a very outrageous movie. The rock is the background to tell us a horror movie but also spiced with sex , ransvestism and above all a splendid tribute to the movies specially King Kong .
One couple strands in an old house full of weirdos . This movie (here between you and me)could have inspired for Tim Burton in Beetle juice .
In this decade there were great visuals films too . Sherman built a magnificent story absolutely free , intelligent and sarcastic, irreverent and bitter . You might state that Fellini's influence (dressed of english manners and clothes) is present all along the film .
Inmediatly after its release this one acquired the status of cult movie.

The original is still the best!
Don't bother with the play, or the music from the play. The original is still the best. Nobody can fill the shoes of Sarandon, Curry, etc. They originated the roles and have been associated with them for far too long for anyone else to come in try to change them so many years later and attempt to redo them. Stay with the best.

Those Gold Shorts!
Ahhhhh...Rocky had such a lovely outline showing in his gold lame shorts. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Baa! Baa! Baa! MORE! MORE! MORE!
One of the proudest claims I can make about my life is being a former Marine, like Maj. Gregory "Gramps" Boyington; albiet an unknown to one of the most famous. ("The Duke" John Wayne wanted to be a Marine & didn't make it!) The only thing that gives me more pride is knowing these heroes respected guys like my sainted Dad, who flew gas & trash over "the Hump" in C-47's (the gray cargo plane in the series) from India into China over the Himalayas in support of their combat against the Japs.
I was at NAS Lakehurst in 1978 when this great show aired on commercial T.V. and, even though most of us knew the show was highly Hollywoodized, we would still take over the barracks rec room everytime it aired, and would yell & cheer like Limey football fans thru every combat scene in each episode.
With all the second rate crapola flooding the market these days, it's GREAT to see DVD's of a show worth the expense hit the shelves, and I really hope the entire series will be issuedsooner or later (PREFERREDLY SOONER!!!!!!)

Next?
AWESOME, I GOT IT, I LIKED IT, NOW WHEN IS THE NEXT "VOLUME" COMING OUT.LET'S STOP BEING SECRETIVE AMAZON

Volume One, Not Season One
When I opened the shipping box, I was surprised to see that I was only getting half of Season One.I need to train myself to make sure that the Title reads "Season One" instead of "Volume One."After the initial shock, I started to enjoy the episodes I remember when the show was called "Baa Baa Black Sheep."I like how they kept the scenes of what was to come before the opening...a 70's TV drama thing.

Disappointment for such a great series
I eagerly awaited for this series to come out on DVD and now that I have it I was disappointed in the way they produced it. FIrst I don't care for the two sided discs but the main disappointment was the fact that they didn't include all of Season one's shows, just 10 shows plus the pilot. Since this show only ran two years and considering how much they charged (which is reasonable for a Season One if it is complete!!!) It seems to me that they should have included the complete season One. I sure hope they put out the rest of Season One and for Season Two put all of the showes out at once!! This is a great show, Robert Conrad is so sexy in that tight flight suit, sort of distracts me from theFU-4s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only Half of the First Season
I was disappointed on opening the box to find only 12 of the 24 first season episodes.Not a great deal but still worth getting. ... Read more

Description

He is the ultimate high-seas hero: a man of unshakeable courage, unwavering principles and extraordinary skill. Joining the Royal Navy at the outset of the bloody Napoleonic Wars, Horatio Hornblower rises quickly from raw recruit to seasoned sailor, and his exploits become the stuff of legend.

A&E's lavish adaptations of C.S. Forester's classic novels charmed millions of viewers with their swashbuckling action, broadside battles