A Simple Wish [HD]

2 thumbs up!!!!!
This is a really great family movie. I recommend it for anyone to watch. It is really cute and the music is really great throughout the film. I just wish that they would make a soundtrack of the whole songs. I would certainly buy that. It is a must see.

A little of everything
The plot and cinematography of this film were above average, while other aspects were a little lackluster. The storyline was well written, and the casting was on target, however the mixture of computer graphics took plenty away from the film and cheapened it quite a bit. Quite dissapointing.

You do get to see Martin Short in a most unusual role, and I'd consider this a must-see for any admirer of his antics. Robert Pastorelli (the crazed painter from Murphy Brown) plays a rather lackluster role. Kathleen Turner pulled off the typical "Evil Witch" role a little too well. Mara Wilson seemed to do a better job in "Matilda," but she was good in this film nontheless.

I happened to get the Italian version of this film (alternately titled "Un Semplice Desiderio") and I will add that watching this movie with Italian audio on adds a little to it. Granted I may have never even seen this film if it werent in a lot of videos I bought from ebay.it :)

Fractured Fairy Tale
What a clever fractured fairy tale. This movie has one of the best opening scenes - The Fairy Godmother Final Exams, where Martin Short, a mediocre student, is attempting to cheat,copying from the little old blue-haired ladies in his class.

Very funny & sophisticated, appeals to children and adults.

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Somewhere in Time [HD]

Excess Within Control...
I remember seeing this movie 20 years ago this summer when I was living in Los Angeles and being so taken by it that I sat through it three more times that night. The soundtrack haunted me and like Richard Collier in the movie after he discovers Elise McKenna's picture in the Hall of History, I could not sleep. Before the movie left circulation, I'll bet I saw it 30 times. Everything about this small film grabbed and held me. There was the unforgettable story of a love so strong that it transcended time and place, there was the beautiful setting and there was the evocative and haunting score by John Barry. Finally, there was my favorite piece of classical music; Variation 18 of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which is probably one of the most romantic pieces of piano music written in modern times.

This is a magical movie and one that was maligned by critics at the time of its release. Because it was fantasy and because the requirement to...

A Love throughout Time
Somewhere in Time is an excellent film that combines Time Travel with romance, using an interesting and unique idea involving hypnotizing your mind to believe you are actually in that moment in history. If you can avoid analyzing the rationality of time travel and suspend your disbelief, this film will be very enjoyable for you. The idea of travelling back through time to find your soulmate is something both men and women can believe in. It is to the credit of the performances of the leads, Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, that the viewer believes that such a thing is possible. Reeve and Seymour also look well together and have obvious chemistry, making their love affair entirely believable. Especially with their first kiss, there is a deep and passionate love that seems entirely real. The third element is the acting of Christopher Plummer, who is always excellent and quite effective here as the overprotective manager of Seymour's character. But, there are two more elements...

Much more than a movie....
I've thought about what I could say in this review to convey my true feelings for this film but it's very hard to put into words. This movie touched me when I saw it for the first time during a very difficult time in my life. For those with sensitive hearts, we all have something in life that we hold dear to us as a reminder of hope and love... whether it be a picture, a piece of jewelry, etc. For me, I carry the spirit of this movie with me, that's how powerful it has been in my life.

Can I explain it? Probably not. Will some think I'm fanatical or a little crazy in the head? Perhaps, but believe me I'm a very rational person. I love this movie.

To those who have not yet seen this movie, please don't try to critique the acting performances or the storyline if you watch it. This is not a movie for detailed criticism. Why? Because it's already been criticized enough. We've heard it all before. If you don't like it because it's too romantic or far fetched then that's...

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Tremors [HD]

"Get off the Ground!"
Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are two men trying to make a living in a sleepy, dusty little town, and eventually move themselves on to bigger and better things. However, a few suspicious deaths, and a rockslide blocking the only road out of town put a kink in their plans. Together, a female geologist (Finn Carter) recording seismic activity in the area, and the two unlikely heroes set out to determine the cause of the strange seismic readings and the local deaths. They get much more than they bargained for when they determine that a previously unheard of creature (a "graboid") is the cause of both. This eyeless creature travels through the ground tracking small vibrations in order to get to its prey. The townspeople must band together to try and get out of the valley before the small town's population dwindles down to zero.

The "monster" in this movie is something somewhat believable, as well as something that hasn't been done before. There are thousands of estimated...

"perfection" in a comedy-horror film
Successfully mixing comedy and horror is a near-impossibility. There aren't many good comedy-horror films -- "Gremlins" and "Army of Darkness" come to mind. And, of course, the mother of them all, "Bride of Frankenstein". "Tremors" is another outstanding film to add to this list.

What is particularly remarkable is that Ron Underwood, in his first job as director, nails it. Everything is... perfection. The timing, the tone, the pacing, are all models for this sort of film. It's as if he'd been directing all his life.

The casting is good, too. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward make an interesting odd couple of handymen, with Ward about 20 years older than Bacon. Ward easily out-sexies Bacon, sauntering with widespread legs and swaying hips, as if he's just wandered in from a blue jeans commercial.

Except for the excessive edge enhancement (the worst I've seen in any Blu-ray), the image quality is excellent. The film appears to have been shot full-frame, without...

I Laughed....I Screamed....I Laughed Some More...
This review refers to the MCA/Universal VHS edition of "Tremors".....

Forget about building an underground shelter in case of a world catastrophe, that's exactly where all the evil lurks in this fun thriller.

Kevin Bacon(Val) and Fred Ward(Earl) star in this horror film that pays homage to the 50's monster flicks. They are two handymen in the small town of "Perfection", Nevada, who are just trying to get out of town and seek a better life.Everytime they try to leave though,they run into some grisly discovery. With the help of Rhonda(Finn Carter), a beautiful seismology student who has been recording underground rumblings, they stay and try to lead the few(but wacky) residents of Perfection to saftey. The rumblings, as it turns out, are no earthquakes, they are giant worm-like creatures, who go after anything that moves. Station wagons are just an appetizer for these grotesque subterranean monsters.

Michael Gross and Reba McEntire co-star as a couple...

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Gray Lady Down [HD]

Davey Jones' Locker
On the big board at NORAD, there is a single horrifying word that, when lit up, makes even combat hardened Admirals and Generals weak in the knees. The word is "DISSUB." It means that there is a disabled submarine, lost somewhere under the waves. It is a word that every senior officer at NORAD hopes that he never, ever sees on his watch.

This is a movie about just such a circumstance; an American sub (SSN) on her way home after a routine patrol collides with a Norwegian tanker, due to low visibility. The sub sinks to an unstable ridge on the side of an underwater mountain in the depths of the Atlantic. A furious rescue operation then gets underway by the US Navy to save the sailors trapped on board.

This is a fine submarine movie which boasts fine performances by Charlton Heston and Stacy Keach. Even the usually one dimensional David Carradine plays a passable under-appreciated engineer. The direction is also quite good and the special effects are...

a solid "disaster" thriller
The misfortunes keep piling up, as the Neptune, a nuclear submarine that has collided with a Norwegian cargo ship, sinks to the bottom of the waters near Cape Cod. There are many interesting character studies, as the increasing stress brings out the dark side, and also the heroic aspects of the personalities cooped up and running out of air, as well as those above, attempting to rescue the stranded sub.
Two underwater vehicles are used in the rescue, a two-man experimental Snark, and a DSRV (Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle). There are many taut, exciting scenes in the process, and the pacing by director David Greene keeps the action flowing.

Charlton Heston delivers a strong performance as Captain Blanchard, with moments of anguish he dare not show his crew. David Carradine and Ned Beatty, who operate the Snark, add a lot to the film as they try to find the "Gray Lady Down" on the murky ocean floor.
Other notable performances come from Stacy Keach, Ronny Cox,...

Great Movie; Terrible DVD Presentation
"Gray Lady Down" was Charlton Heston's last movie as an action lead, and it is a much more pleasing film than some of the other 70s disaster films he appeared in like "Earthquake" and "Airport 1975." This time, the disaster story of a nuclear submarine trapped on the ocean floor after colliding with a ship on the surface, has an air of believability and tension and the rescue procedures we see as the Navy tries to get to the sub before it's too late are well done. Compared to today's high-tech sub movies, "Gray Lady Down" may seem quaint, but that only serves to enhance its charm as a more realistic action film than today's mindless drivel.

Christopher Reeve has a bit part as an officer, and it was this appearance that first brought him to the attention of producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind when they were looking for candidates for "Superman".

Unfortunately, this new DVD release is not the right way to experience the...

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Seed of Chucky [HD]

Chucky and Tiffany's Androgynous Child
Continuing from Bride of Chucky... Tiffany has given birth to a strange looking razor tooth baby named Sh*thead. The seed is kidnapped by a british ventriloquist and forced to compete in ventriloquism contests in England. Sh*thead looks like a dead ringer for David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days. He has a kind soul and is nothing like his parents.

As each day passes hes wondering where his parents are and dreaming of meeting them. Soon enough he manages to escape and ends up in America. He makes it to the set of the movie where Tiffany and Chucky are filming a movie. He reads the voodoo chant words on his necklace and manages to bring his parents back to life.

Chucky and Tiffany cant tell what their child is so they take off his pants to reveal a barbie-like crotch. Tiffany wants a girl so she names her Glenda and Chucky wants a boy so he names him Glen. If you ask me id say its more like a boy. But Tiffany and Chucky continue to argue over it throughout the...

Ridiculous, silly, and very, very, funny
Make me laugh as much as this film and you get four stars at least, hands down. You figure; you've got a couple of dolls possessed by murderous spirits and who somehow go around murdering people for fun and right away you can forget all about suspension of disbelief. Anything is okay here, since the premise is so absurd. This is not a horror film, it is primarily a comedy with a bit of blood. And Jennifer Tilly is hysterical as herself playing the screen idea of herself: on a diet, sneaking candy bars, ready to play a sexy version of the Virgin Mary for a film done by Rapper Redman. It is so good to see a gorgeous woman on screen who doesn't look like she's starving to death.

And, oh, yeah, the special effects are incredible. All done with puppets, not CGI. Very impressive. For this alone, all you guys out there studying film, this film is worthwhile.

Just let me put it this way: if you liked the Gremlin films, this one is for you.

Quite Funny, Gruesome, Emphassis on the Second One
Bloody, gory, sex filled, and quite hilarious. Seed of Chucky was a great moie all around. After i saw the movie, i went to a restaurant were a hobo broke inn to my car (i was on a road trip, i actually still am. i'm writing this in the new york hilton). this was #1 on my movie road trip list, where mee and my friend bill are going to go across america and see all of the movies that we feel the need to see. i'm really not 13, but i don't have an sn.

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Lost in Translation [HD]

Lonely Days, Lonely Nights
Bill Murray is Bob Harris, a once popular American actor who now, in his middle-age, has found more acceptance and money from the people of Japan than from his own country. He arrives at a prestigious hotel in Tokyo and is given a royal treatment by his greeters and hosts. He is by himself in the land of the rising sun, his wife and kids having stayed behing in the US while he travels across the globe to do some liquor commercials. This Tokyo excursion will take about a week, and the monetary reward will be quite handsome. Contrast this with Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), who is at the same hotel tagging along with her photographer husband, John (Giovanni Ribisi), as he does a multiple-day photo shoot. John is at work most of the time, and so Charlotte is by herself at the hotel, her attempts to keep from being bored proving fruitless. Both Bob and Charlotte are married people, but they are also very lonely people, and that is what "Lost In Translation" is all about.

Bob and...

A classic for grown-ups
This movie is slow paced. However I didn't find it boring at all. I loved the scenery and the small glimpses into everyday Japanese life, all meshed together with this love story of two people brought together by loneliness and uncertainty, with a musical soundtrack that brings out the best in all of it.

After watching this film, the first thing that sprang to my mind was that I'm so glad I don't rely on Amazon reviewers to make a decision about whether I am going to see a film or not. That's almost as dumb as asking a fifteen year old to sit through it and not go crazy or pass out. This film is too mature, dealing with grown-up questions, situations and problems that the kiddies here have yet to grasp.

Bill Murray's character is going through a midlife crisis; Scarlet Johansen's is tormented that she cannot seem to discover her purpose in life. Both are trapped in a place where they know no one, and understand nothing. They gravitate to one another and fall into...

Marvelous - subtle, moving; one of the great films of 2003
I saw Translation for the first time and liked it, but didn't really know what they saw in the movie that was so beyond-belief spectacular. But alas, I believe that every movie deserves a second chance, so recently I sat down and experienced director Sophia Coppola's Lost In Translation again.

Lost in Translation tells the story of Bob Harris (Bill Murray in a role tailor-made, if not even Heaven-sent for him), an American movie star that comes to Tokyo to film a whiskey commerical for which he will be paid 2 million bucks. Staying in the same Tokyo hotel is Charlotte (Scarlett Johanssen, radiant and mature at only 18), a newlywed tagging along with her rock photographer husband, John (a typically awkward Giovanni Ribisi). Along the way, Charlotte and Bob run into each other and begin a 'brief encounter' that profoundly affects them both.

When the movie hits you right, it's a pure pleasure from its unassuming start (a beautifully lit shot up Johanssen's underwear-clothed...

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Daylight [HD]

A collector�s edition in DVD that is worth every penny!
Here is a disaster flick that puts the audience into a real life situation, which is unique and quite different from the typical action and adventure films. The movie, Daylight, is based on a real life occurrence of a tunnel accident in the late 1940s at the Holland and Lincoln tunnels under the Hudson River. Directed by Rob Cohen, the movie is a visionary masterpiece of a tunnel explosion that brought the whole character set to work together and risk their lives on this horrible disaster situation with the elements of nature involved. The character set is where the true inner beauty of the movie rests. It is one that I describe as not too well known to the public with a notable exception of Sylvester Stalone, who played the lead part. Here, Stalone played a sympathetic character, who brought the survivors to daylight. Although he has the persona of Rocky and Rambo, Stallone was, in the movie, an ordinary citizen who blends perfectly well with the others in the set...

Flames! Explosions! Disaster strikes NY
Daylight is a traditional "disaster in New York" story, with Sylvester Stallone playing the fired Chief who redeems himself by saving people from a tunnel collapse. Given that short blurb, you can probably now plot out the entire movie, from start to finish :)

First, you go through the traditional "meet all the characters" scenes. There are fractured families, an older couple, a young struggling author, a prison transport. Throw in some unscrupulous toxic chemical transporters and a trio of insane diamond thieves, and the disaster is telegraphed from the beginning. There's no surprise, and no sense of "story" as it begins. It is very blatantly a "let's see each person start as selfish / uncaring so we can watch them grow".

Then BOOM! One thing you can say for this movie is that it has some pretty cool special effects. The scenes of the fiery blast shooting through the tunnel and taking it down are pretty impressive. We went back on the DVD and watched that part...

An under-rated Stallone film
To date, there exists three films with great performances by Sylvester Stallone: "Rocky" (of course), "First Blood," and "Cop Land." These three films stand alone because Stallone put himself entirely behind the characters, going so far, in the case of "Cop Land," to gain fifty pounds for the role. This is a man who can write, direct, and act. So why does he make so many bad films? Why did he, like Jean Claude Van Damme, die the straight-to-video death? It's an interesting question. But it's one that I do not have the answer to. Maybe "Rocky VI" needs to be about Stallone beating up his agents.

In any case, with so many bad films on his record, Sylvester Stallone manages to keep getting overlooked for any other achievement that doesn't have the trademark of "Rocky" or "Rambo." In 1995, he decided to make a different kind of action film. Under the direction of Rob Cohen, Stallone abandoned the shoot-to-kill image to play a former EMT Chief turned New York City cabbie. It was...

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