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JimG944
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- Review count97
- Helpfulness votes45
- First reviewSeptember 18, 2009
- Last reviewJanuary 24, 2010
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.8
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![The Family Man [Special Edition] [DVD] [2000]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/304b2327-370a-41e7-956a-951dd4939472.png)
Brett Ratner's supernatural romantic comedy The Family Man comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Closed-captioned English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, while a French soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround. There are no subtitles on this release. The abundant supplemental materials include a commentary track featuring the director and the screenwriters, a second commentary track with producer Marc Abraham, a commentary concerning the music by Danny Elfman, deleted scenes, outtakes, a making-of featurette, production notes, cast filmographies, a choose your own fate game, and a music video for Seal's "This Could Be Heaven." Whatever one thinks of the movie, this disc offers a great deal of extras in addition to excellent sound and picture quality.
Customer Rating
4
A new approach to the trading places theme
on October 6, 2009
Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
4 of 5 stars for the romance movie The Family Man. This is a variation on the trading places theme. Rich, high-power Wall Street business man (Nicolas Cage) runs into a street character (Don Cheadle) who causes Cage's character to have lived a different path in his life. Cage awakens to find a wife and kids where he was single before. The wife turns out to be an old girlfriend; so this is the life-path where he marries her. Hard to know if it was all a dream or not. No real explaination of how he got moved into this alternate life-path nor how he eventually returned to his original path. No explaination of Cheadle's "powers" or role in all of this.
Nice relationship between Cage and his girlfriend/wife (Tea Leoni). Very believeable as a married couple with kids. A nicely made movie, good story, novel approach to the trading places theme. It is a fun and sweet movie worth watching.
What's great about it: Cage and Leoni were well suited for their roles
What's not so great: No real explaination of "why/how" this change happened
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Customer Rating
4
How can you not like a movie w/talking Chihuahus?
on October 5, 2009
Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
4 of 5 cute stars for this movie. How can you not like a movie with talking Chihuahuas? The Plot? Oh come on, does it really need one? OK, rich dog from you can guess where gets lost in Mexico and has to find her way home. Throw in a talking rat and you have the idea. This is a cute movie that is a bit funny and really easy on the brain. Yeah, yeah, you should see it.
What's great about it: The actors doing the voices were impressive, a cute movie
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
3 of 5 stars for the teen comedy "Fired-Up". Two football jocks decide the best way to get girls is to ditch the summer football camp and join the school cheerleading squad for their summer camp. You got two straight guys in a camp full of teen girls. You can guess the rest of the movie. Add in the evil cheerleaders "The Panthers", a foul-mouthed football coach, Molly SIms as a foxy camp instructor and you got it.
A good basic comedy movie. Nothing special in the plot, characters, action or filming. The DVD has the usual behind-the-scenes stuff. Easy on the brain, easy to watch.
What's great about it: Easy on the brain, teen comedy, funny moments
What's not so great: Predictable plot, nothing special in the movie
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Customer Rating
3
Monte Python meets Mel Brooks in a pirate comedy
on October 3, 2009
Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
3 of 5 stars for the movie comedy Yellowbeard. Monte Python meets Mel Brooks. Well this comedy parity of pirate movies combines the talents of Monte Python (Idle, Chapman, Cleese) with Mel Brooks' team (Mars, Kahn, Feldman, Boyle). The result is a funny lightweight comedy. Richly photographed, lots of sight gags and funny dialog. This is truly a turn your brain off, sit back and relax funny movie! If you are looking for a deep plot with lots of drama or suspense, don't look here! Yes, I do recommend this!
What's great about it: Two great teams of actors: Monte Python & Mel Brooks
What's not so great: Cheesy comedy, easy on the brain
I would recommend this to a friend!
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![Wanted [WS] [Blu-ray] [2008]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/c94942a4-149c-4685-a21d-0520ca3f9d75.jpg)
Customer Rating
4
Starts slowly and matures into a great movie
on October 3, 2009
Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
4 of 5 stars to this crazy action movie. Combine Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie and you have a powerful combination. When this movie first starts it starts slowly and seems like a dumb movie about a nerd kid. In fact, I almost turned it off. What's cool is that minute by minute this movie gets better and better. By the end, you have a powerful action movie with solid characters. At first it jumps around a bit with the kid having dreams and some visual experiences that you don't know if they're true or not.
The story is about the son of a secret agent who gets recruited into the agency (The Fraternity). Thru the whole movie, you have to suspend your thinking as things border on fantasy rather than reality (e.g. kid gets shot, they put him into a stone bathtub with fluid that repairs him; or you can make a bullet go around solid objects by putting "spin" into the bullet). Anyway, they train him and set him into the field as an assassin. Oh, did I mention the truck load of rat bombs? Well, they're part of the big ending...
A good movie, alot of fun though a bit "fantastic". Good action and some nice special effects. I understand this was originated from a comic book which might explain the "fantastic" actions. Worth watching this!
What's great about it: Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie; novel ideas for a spy movie
What's not so great: Seems unreal with some "fantastic" powers
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Based on the Marvel Comics character, stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze gives up his soul to become a hell-blazing vigilante, to fight against power-hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself.
Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
4 of 5 stars for the Ghost Rider. I do recommend this movie! First rule of being in a movie: Never sell your soul to the devil! It never works out. In this Marvel comic made into a feature movie, we follow motorcycle daredevil Johnny Blaze who does sell his soul to make his father healthy again. When the devil comes knocking we learn of the legend of the Ghost Rider; the agents who collect debts (souls) on behalf of the devil. We meet a cowboy who we later learn is also a Ghost Rider. Together they battle an evil being who is attempting to steal souls owed to the devil. An interesting story, interesting characters. Well acted, well photographed and great special effects! My favorite scene is the horse riding cowboy aside Johnny Blaze on his motorcycle both moving thru the desert at night leaving a trail of fire.
This is one movie in which I like Nicolas Cage. This is a solid movie that I do recommend!
What's great about it: Great special "fire" effects, richly photographed, Nicolas Cage
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Customer Rating
5
Suspenseful and Exciting! Ludlum at his best!
on October 2, 2009
Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
5 of 5 stars to the suspense movie, The Hades Factor. First, I should explain that I have read the book twice and seen the movie twice. Second, I am a big fan of Robert Ludlum's work. This is one of Ludlum's best efforts and I highly recommend either/both the book and the movie.
The story opens with the start of a plague. First a couple of soldiers die, then other people. Clearly easy to spread this disease and clearly it is deadly. No cure. Early the story takes on a mid-east terrorist theme and we begin to learn the disease is being spread by the terrorists. As the team at "Covert One" (a secret US government intelligence agency) ramps-up, we learn that the terrorists have a method of deployment of this airborne virus that will be very effective. The story mostly focuses on where did the original virus come from and who is causing it to be spread. There are some plot twists slowing down the investigation (like murder of some key people). While the story seems to be exclusively a bio-terrorist plot, there is a big plot twist where the terrorists are simply the agent of the people who are really behind the plot.
The movie is very long at 2h45min. I believe it was originally a for TV-mini series (two episodes). The style and approach of the movie is that of a high-end TV program rather than an epic movie approach. Lots of photography techniques you see often in TV but never in the movies. The settings, though rich in look, seem "closed-in" (more like a studio than a location). Clearly broken into chunks where commercials could be placed. Well acted, well photographed, just a bit "closed-in" compared to a made-as-a-movie movie.
A well told story with building suspense. Alot of reality in the story which is chilling to imagine this could really happen (i.e. it ain't sci-fi; it could happen). In the real world, we have seen SARS, Bird Flu and recently H1N1 Flu effecting the population; what if the disease is more deadly than these? What if it spread widely? Yes, this is an exciting, suspenseful story. This is an exciting race against time to save the world! I highly recommend it!
What's great about it: Faithful to the book, good movie
What's not so great: Zero DVD extras, 2h45min, TV mini-series format rather than movie
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
Read the book (twice actually) and was impressed with the rich wonderful descriptions of the environment and characters. An introduction to the pre-WWII Japanese culture.
I also have to comment that I thought the movie was faithful to the book. I specially enjoyed Ziyi Zhang's performance as Sayuri.
What's great about it: Amazing Cinamatography, Great acting, interesting story
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Blu Ray pressing. After 30 years as partners in the pressure cooker environment of the NYPD, highly decorated Detectives Turk and Rooster, should be ready for retirement, but, before they can hang up their badges, they are called in to investigate the murder of a notorious pimp, which appears to have ties to a case they solved years before. This adrenaline fueled psychological thriller was directed by Jon Avnet (Red Corner) and written by Russell Gewirtz (Inside Man).
Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
A very solid drama movie! Wow! De Niro and Pacino are great in this movie! The story is about a cop who is a serial killer of those who "escape" traditional justice. Great characters and alot of suspense. Well worth the time to watch it.
What's great about it: Deep and interesting characters, De Niro and Pacino
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Posted by: JimG944
from Sunnyvale, CA
3.5 of 5 stars for this action movie. Our friend Mitch is a wash-out in stock car racing. Through a friend, gets a chance meeting with a high-rolling "broker" named Chase (Scott Baio all grown-up and doing the bad buy role). The kid gets hired as a mechanic for Chase's cars. The FBI has been closely watching Chase as they suspect he is importing/exporting illegal stuff. There is an FBI undercover agent who gets caught and killed. So the FBI turns to our kid to help them learn when a "big shipment" is due. Throw in Chase's sexy daughter who is hot for our kid and you have the story. There are some good driving scenes that are well created. Baio does a good job in this role. The kid is OK. Oh, did I mention the sexy daughter?
All in all a good movie and a great way to fill a Saturday afternoon. Recommended.
What's great about it: Good plot, well acted, good driving scenes
What's not so great: No extra DVD contents
I would recommend this to a friend!
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