Muppet Movies DVD 4-Pack (The Muppet Movie / The Great Muppet Caper / The Muppets Take Manhattan / Muppets from Space) (1979) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm giving this box set of Muppet movies four and a half stars instead of five only because they didn't include Muppet Treasure Island or the Muppet Christmas Carol in this pack, which are also great Muppet movies!!
I grew up watching the Muppets. Now in my twenties, I get a kick out of watching them all over again with my kids! They are so funny! I can't believe how many adult jokes are in these films that went completely over my head as a child! I laugh at these movies just as much as my kids do (if not more!)
They are all great movies. My favorites are The Great Muppet Caper and Muppets from Space. But all four are excellent!
The Muppet Movie is The Muppets first full length feature film! Kermit heads out for Hollywood after being discovered by a big time talent agent who tells Kermit that he is destined to be a star. Along the way to Hollywood, Kermit makes friends with the cast of loveable Muppets: Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, and Miss Piggy. Together they decide that they are going to be famous movie stars and embark on a journey where they run into other famous movie stars: Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Steve Martin and more!! But the evil Doc Hopper starts chasing after them because HE wants Kermit (or, his legs anyway) to do the advertising for his Frog Legs company! When he kidnaps Miss Piggy, Kermit rushes to the rescue and falls right into Doc's trap! Now they have to find a way to escape and still get to Hollywood before Doc makes Frog leg soup out of Kermit!!!
The Great Muppet Caper is full of action, adventure, and humor! Kermit, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo all work for a Chicago newspaper and travel to Great Britain and vow to get to the bottom of the robbery of Lady Holiday's diamond necklace - and end up meeting a ton of Muppet friends along the way! There are special guest appearances by: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Steve Whitmire, Loiuse Gould, Kathryn Mullen, and more!
Muppets Take Manhatten is a story about an aspiring Broadway director, Kermit the Frog... He has written a musical that includes all of his Muppet friends and he has finally found someone who will produce it on Broadway!!! But, a week before opening night, Kermit gets hit by a car and smack his head on the ground and gets AMNESIA! Kermmit doesn't know who he is or where he is, so he creates a new life for himself and gets a job at an advertising agency on Madison ave. Now his Muppet friends can't find him and the clock is ticking down to show time! The hunt is on - they turn over every rock of Manhatten looking for Kermit... can they do it before the show is completely ruined??
And finally, in Muppets From Space, Kermit takes a back seat for a change to Gonzo The Great! Gonzo begins to feel left out of the loop - he has no family members and really has no clue of who he really is. But when he gets a message from his relatives from outer space that they are going to come pick him up, he tries every way possible to try to communicate with them! Everyone thinks Gonzo has lost his marbles - but when word gets out on Miss Piggy's talk show, UFO Mania, a secret government agency captures Gonzoi and will do ANYTHING to find out when his alien relatives are coming to earth! So it is up to his best firends: Kermit, Rizzo, Foozie bear, and the hilarious Pepe to save Gonzo and make the earth safe for his relatives to land!!! Special guest appearances by: Ray liotta, Andie MacDowell, David Arquette, and more!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Muppet Movies DVD 4-Pack (The Muppet Movie / The Great Muppet Caper / The Muppets Take Manhattan / Muppets from Space) (1979)

Click here for more information about Muppet Movies DVD 4-Pack (The Muppet Movie / The Great Muppet Caper / The Muppets Take Manhattan / Muppets from Space) (1979)

Read More...

Christmas Carol - The Movie (2001) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Yet another 'Carol' has traditional 2-D animations with great voice cast -- Simon Callow, Kate Winslet, Jane Horrocks, Nicholas Cage, Rhys Ifans, Micheal Gambon, and Juliet Stevenson. You also have a chance to listen to Kate's sister Beth Wislet's voice (who can be seen in a film 'Bodywork') and plus, you hear beautiful songs by Welsh singer Charlotte Church and Kate Winslet herself! And Ms Winslet is very good at that.
So, you ask, why 2 stars? OK, listen up, please. The story is a famous one, so you don't need my summery. And Scrooge is anyway going to be a good guy. But the process is the point, or the life of the story, and the film misses it very wide.
In fact, Scrooge (Simon Callow) in the first act is totally a bad guy here, feeding a mice, giving a chunk of cheese. After showing another side of him, the film is very slow in establishing his character, which should be more simple. To make it worse, Scrooge. out of the window, throws a jug of cold water (and it's winter) upon the chorus group on the street singing, among which you see the face of Tiny Tim, poor boy, drenched to the skin. And ... sorry if I'm wrong, but -- Did Dickens write that way?
There are many, many, unnecessary addtions and changes, which I do not introduce here. The real problem is, however, the animation itself. Jimmy T. Murakami is best known for 'When the Wind Blows' a quiet but very unnerving animated film about two elderly man and wife, who too innocently follows the government guidance to make a handmade shelter for the coming nuclear war. His 2-D animatiton worked at that time, but after about 14 years, it is no longer possible to grab our attention with that technique without good storyteling, character, or original designs. This 'Christmas Carol' has none of them, just making itself look like a Cliff Note of animation.
Sorry if I sound harsh, but as to this eternal classc, there are better choices out there, Alastair Simm or the Muppets (with Michael Caine, and the film is good), so why not them? The only good thing I could find about this version is Kate Winslet's wonderful yuletide song, which deserves more attention.
[VHS VERSION] lacks the opening and ending live-action sections in which Simon Callow plays Charles Dickens himself, touring in Boston, America, in 1867 (Dickens's celebrated reading performance in mind). If you want to see everything of this film, DVD is a better choice.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Christmas Carol - The Movie (2001)

Capture the spirit of Christmas with this delightful animated classic! Based on one of the most beloved holiday tales of all time and featuring the voices of some of today's brightest stars, this enchanting, heartwarming film is a very merry treat the whole family can enjoy! "Bah humbug,"says Ebenezer Scrooge, the grumpy miser who would rather count his money than celebrate Christmas. But as Yuletide cheer spreads through all of London and two friendly mice try to change Scrooge's ill-tempered ways, Scrooge receives three unexpected visitorsthe Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Futurewho take him on a wild and wonderful journey and help him discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Get 75% OFF

Click here for more information about Christmas Carol - The Movie (2001)

Read More...

Great Expectations (1999) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This movie is excellent. I stumbled onto it on the Net accidentally because of the leading actor (Ioan Gruffudd) and his earlier portrayal of another classic character--Hornblower. Great Expectations is by far my favorite of Dickens and of all other classic literature, and this movie portrays the book wonderfully! Every scene--nearly every WORD can be found in some form in the book, from the younger Pip's nervous recital of Old Clem, to Orlick's reappearance and attempted revenge. As with all adaptations, there are a few drawbacks (and for this reason I would HIGHLY reccomend reading the book itself!). But I've seen very few movies adapted as accurately as this. Very very fine!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Great Expectations (1999)

Ioan Gruffudd, Justine Waddell and Charlotte Rampling star in this adaptation of Charles Dickens' enduring classic Great Expectations, the story of a young orphan named Pip who lives with his sister and her blacksmith husband, Joe.One day Pip is sent to play at the residence of Miss Havisham, a frightening, elderly woman who seems locked in the past. She wears ancient bridal attire and never moves from the dusty upper rooms of her home. Miss Havisham's beautiful but contemptuous ward, Estella, makes Pip feel appallingly inferior, creating in him a desire to better himself-changing his life forever. But despite his efforts to improve himself, the frustrated Pip seems destined to remain Joe's apprentice. Until one day a lawyer calls to inform Pip that he has "great expectations:" Pip is to be released form his apprenticeship and educated in London as a gentleman! The benefactor who has made this life transformation possible, however, wishes to remain anonymous.

Click here for more information about Great Expectations (1999)

Read More...

Bleak House (2005) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For once, I am happy to find a remake of a fine old Masterpiece Theatre offering that is as good as the original. "Bleak House" is currently available on an DVD with Diana Rigg as the most familiar name; and except for some incomprehensible line readings by a young character named Joe, it is a very good account of the Dickens novel. Having already appeared on Public Television, the remake has Gillian Anderson (yes, the one from "X-Files") as Lady Dedlock, and a cast of 80 speaking roles, many of which are played by actors that will send you searching the cast listings that go by too quickly at the end of each episode.The eight parts will be shown so that the first and last will run two hours and the four in between an hour each. I found the complex plot actually easier to follow in this version than I did in the earlier one. And while I prefer Rigg to Anderson, I think I can easily recommend this new adaptation over the other.The story--lawyers will hate it--involves the infamous Court of Chancery in which disputes over estates can be buried for years until the lawyers' fees make further legalizing unnecessary. Against this background, the case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce being a major part of it, we have the story of John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson), his ward Ada (Carey Mulligan), her companion Esther (Anna Maxwell Martin), and Ada's beloved Richard (Patrick Kennedy).The latter becomes obsessed with the case, while Esther becomes involved in the mysterious past of Lady Dedlock, who happens to recognize the handwriting on some legal documents delivered by the utterly immoral family solicitor Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance). I will not reveal any more of the plot, lest it spoil your enjoyment. You will wind up guessing much of it, but it is a lot of fun--unless you are a lawyer.Peripheral to the plot are the usual cast of Dickens "characters": Krook the junkman (Johnny Vegas) who finds some incriminating letters (and dies the strangest death in all fiction), Smallweed the moneylender (Phil Davis) who cannot walk by himself and must be "shaken up" by his weird niece every few minutes and who gets the letters, and Miss Flite ( Pauline Collins) who looks forward to "judgment day" when her case will finally be settled and she can set her birds free.Most interesting of all is the policeman Bucket (Alun Armstong), the first real detective in English fiction. Although he looks like a toady for the rich, he does his job and does it well, solving a murder case and being considerate to a certain lady who would suffer if her connection with the case should come out.Of course, the arm of coincidence in Dickens is a long one; and while a good deal of the plot does strain credulity, the acting and period ambience are of the highest level. The only thing that annoyed me was the director segmenting his "establishing shots" (exterior views of buildings to let us know where we are) into two or three rapid cuts with some electronic "whoosh" for each one. Pretentious and irritating after the first dozen or so.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Bleak House (2005)

An all-star cast comes together to bring to life some of Dickens?s most famous creations. There is the icily beautiful Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson), who faces the revelation of her dark past once Mr. Tulkinghorn, her husband?s sinister lawyer, catches wind of it. Then there?s Esther, whose own background, shrouded in mystery, begins to come to light after the murder of a strange man. Adopted by the kindly John Jarndyce, Esther acts as chaperone to wards Ada and Richard. But will the passionate young love of Ada and Richard survive Richard?s obsession with Jarndyce and an obscure legal case which seems to have no resolution in sight and threatens to destroy all who become entangled in it?

Click here for more information about Bleak House (2005)

Read More...

A Christmas Carol (1999) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For years Patrick Stewart has done a one person stage version of "Christmas Carol" playing all the parts. Twice he has taken it to New York where he received rave reviews. Those of us who could not get to New York had to be satisfied with an audio tape version. Then someone had the brilliant idea of doing the video. Naturally it was expanded to have a full cast and sets. Because of his years of doing the stage version Mr. Stewart fits so easily into the role that he is not playing a part, he IS Scrooge. There are other fine versions of the story, notably the wonderful George C. Scott production, but none can compare with Mr. Stewart. The adaptation of the story to film is so true to Dickens, he must have sat on the script writers shoulder as it was written. I taped it from the TV broadcast and now can not wait for the DVD to be released. Anyone who makes "Christmas Carol" part of their holiday or just loves magnificent acting should definitely add this version to their library.

Click Here to see more reviews about: A Christmas Carol (1999)

A Christmas Carol ? TNT Original Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation) stars as Scrooge, the mean-spirited miser who gets his terrifying comeuppance when he imagines he?s visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, and taken on a life-altering journey. Spellbinding special effects, a star-studded cast and a timeless holiday story make this brilliant presentation of Dickens? classic the most heartwarming, compelling and powerful adaptation ever filmed.Year: 1999Director: David JonesStarring: Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Joel Grey

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about A Christmas Carol (1999)

Read More...

Our Mutual Friend (1999) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Others here have done a fine job of reviewing this excellent film, so I'll focus briefly on the DVD from BBC/Warner. The video and audio transfers of Our Mutual Friend are quite good. Although there are no subtitles, this DVD is closed-captioned. In general, this DVD is of similar quality to other BBC Dickens adaptations that have been released on DVD (e.g., Oliver Twist (1999) and David Copperfield (1999)).
One reviewer below complained that 45 minutes or more of the original film are missing from this DVD. I have no idea where he got that idea. It must be some kind of misunderstanding or perhaps a defective copy because my copy clearly has the entire film (divided into four episodes, two on each side of a two-sided disc). The all-important climax and ending scenes of this 351-minute production are all there to enjoy. Highly recommended for Dickens fans and fans of period dramas in general.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Our Mutual Friend (1999)

Critically acclaimed as Dickens' crowning achievement, this sweeping tale of two turbulent love affairs plays out amidst a tangled web of wealth, corruption, passion and betrayal in 1860s London.

Get 47% OFF

Click here for more information about Our Mutual Friend (1999)

Read More...

A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition) (1951) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I only discovered this movie about four years ago but have watched it every Christmas since. To me it's the best version of the Christmas Carol ever made, and now it gets the best treatment you could have ever hoped for. This two disc collector's edition contains two different versions of this movie. First is the colorized version, but then the second is the real treat. They went back to the original prints of this and worked from there. After carefully removing the skips, scratches, and jerky frames, they digitally restored the movie to a version that looks as if it were made yesterday! The sound has been changed to 5.1 digital surround, and there's even a widescreen version for 16:9 televisions.
The special features include an earlier version of Christmas Carol (not as good as this one), as well as several featurettes on the movie, interviews with the stars, a feature on Alistair Sim, and others.
You can tell the distributor put a lot of effort into this restoration and it shows. I wish they'd do the same for other great films like "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Bishop's Wife".
Highly recommended as the best version of this classic you'll find anywhere.

Click Here to see more reviews about: A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition) (1951)

Alastair Sim's tour-de-force performance as the ultimatemiser, Ebenezer Scrooge, has almost single-handedly made this belovedversion of Charles Dickens' story into one of the best-loved Christmasfilms of all time. Some of Britain's best filmmakers united behind Sim, whowas joined by a delightful cast of accomplished and acclaimed Englishactors; creating what many today believe to be the best and most faithfulproduction of Dickens' immortal tale. Cranky and curmudgeonly Scroogelearns the error of his unkind ways and is taught the true meaning of theholidays when he is visited by the ghost of his late business partner andthe spirits of Christmas past, present and future. Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Marcus Hearn & George Cole, "Spirit of Christmas Past"- George Cole remembers Alastair Sim, "Richard Gordon Remembers GeorgeMinter & Renown Pictures", "Charles Dickens - His Life & Times", BonusColorized Version, Original American Theatrical Trailer, Original BritishTheatrical Trailer, Before & After Restoration Comparison, Optional English& Spanish Subtitles, Optional Narrative for the Blind, Photo & Press BookGallery, Cast Bios,"Scrooge" (1935 Seymour Hicks Version) Specs: 2-DVD9s; Dolby Digital 5.1; 86 minutes; B&W / Color; Aspect Ratio: B&WRestored Version - 1.33:1; Optional 16x9 Enhanced for Widescreen Monitors;Colorized Version - 1.33:1; MPAA - NR; Year - 1951; SRP - $19.99.

Get 45% OFF

Click here for more information about A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition) (1951)

Read More...