The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Review

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Overview

Inspired by Victor Hugo's classic novel, Disney brings the heroic adventures of Quasimodo, the gentle and lonely bell ringer of Notre Dame, to spectacular life. This critically acclaimed Disney masterpiece is an "uplifting, thrilling story with a heart-touching message that emerges from the comedy and song" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). At the urging of his hilarious gargoyle pals Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, Quaismodo leaves the solitary safety of his tower, venturing out to find his first true friend, the gypsy beauty Esmerelda. The most unlikely of heroes, Quasi fights to save the people and the city he loves and, in turn, helps us to see people for who they are, rather than how they appear. The star-studded voice cast includes Jason Alexander, Tom Hulce, Kevin Kline, and Demi Moore in a magnificent Disney musical from renowned composer Alan Menken.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Specifications

The misconception about this animated film from Disney was that it was a movie for kids--something Victor Hugo never had in mind. In fact, despite a cute brace of singing gargoyles who are Quasimodo's (Tom Hulce) best friends, this version of Hugo's classic tale is really adult entertainment, with a strong set of songs by Alan Menken. The story remains mostly the same (though tricked out with a happier ending than Hugo's): Quasimodo, the ward of repressive monk Frollo, falls for a gypsy girl named Esmerelda (Demi Moore)--though she loves one of the king's guards (Kevin Kline). But they are all put in jeopardy by the wicked Frollo, whose secret passion for Esmerelda leads him to seek her death. At times too dark and even a shade kinky, something that may scare younger viewers. --Marshall Fine

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 03, 2010 23:26:09

Full House: The Complete Third Season

Full House: The Complete Third Season Review

Full House: The Complete Third Season Feature

• New additions to the Tanner household, birthday parties at gas stations, bullies at school, death-defying stunts and more! Join the Tanners once again for another hilarious season of Full House. Watch as DJ hides out with her first bout of acne, Michelle starts school, Stephanie drives Joey's new car and the men compete to see who's the most athletic of them all. Don't miss the latest antics of th

Full House: The Complete Third Season Overview

New additions to the Tanner household, birthday parties at gas stations, bullies at school, death-defying stunts and more! Join the Tanners once again for another hilarious season of Full House. Watch as DJ hides out with her first bout of acne, Michelle starts school, Stephanie drives Joey's new car and the men compete to see who's the most athletic of them all. Don't miss the latest antics of the Tanners in the complete third season for the first time ever on DVD!

Full House: The Complete Third Season Specifications

Two years ago, rocker Jesse (John Stamos, Jake in Progress) and stand-up comedian Joey (Dave Coulier, Skating with Celebrities) moved in with TV personality Danny (Bob Saget, most recently seen subverting his kindly dad image on Showtime's Huff) and daughters after the death of their mother. The next year, Jesse started seeing Danny's co-host, Becky (Lori Loughlin), who became a mother figure to Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), D.J. (Candace Cameron), and Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). Taking a page from the Brady Bunch playbook, the year begins with a trip to Hawaii to celebrate their anniversary as an extended family. In the season premiere ("Tanner's Island"), Uncle Jesse even gets to sing a song by his hero, Elvis Presley (Blue Hawaii's "Rock-a-Hula Baby"). After they return, it's time for Stephanie and D.J. to head back to class. Stephanie's first day in second grade is a blast, while D.J.'s first day in junior high is a bust ("Back to School Blues"), but things improve once she stops trying so hard to fit in. Other third year changes include new dog Comet ("And They Call It Puppy Love"), D.J.'s first kiss ("13 Candles"), and birthday number three for precocious munchkin Michelle ("The Greatest Birthday on Earth"), who begins pre-school shortly afterwards ("Bye, Bye, Birdie"). Guest stars include Ed McMahon ("Star Search"), Scott Baio ("Dr. Dare Rides Again"), the Beach Boys' Mike Love ("Our Very First Telethon"), and Everybody Loves Raymond's Doris Roberts as Grandma Tanner ("Granny Tanny"). --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 03, 2010 16:13:07

North & South

North & South Review

North & South Feature

• As the daughter of a middle-class parson, Margaret Hale has enjoyed a privileged upbringing in rural southern England. When her father uproots the family to take work in the northern mill town of Milton, Margaret is shocked by the dirt, the noise and the gruffness of the people, but she reserves her highest contempt for the charismatic mill-owner John Thornton.Running Time: 233 min. Format: DVD

North & South Overview

NORTH & SOUTH - DVD Movie

North & South Specifications

North & South is a splendid, four-hour adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's 19th century novel about an unlikely, and somewhat star-crossed, love between a middle-class young woman from England's cultivated south and an intemperate if misunderstood industrialist in a hardscrabble, northern city. Daniela Denby-Ashe plays Margaret Hale, forthright and strong-willed daughter of a former vicar (Tim Pigott-Smith) who relocates his family from a pastoral village outside London to unforgiving, largely illiterate Milton, a factory town where John Thornton (Richard Armitage) and his mother (Sinead Cusack), survivors of poverty, rule their cotton mill with an iron hand. Thornton befriends Margaret's father but incurs her wrath for his severity with his workers. What she doesn't notice is Thornton's core sense of responsibility for his employees' welfare. On the other hand, he misinterprets some of Margaret's own actions and intentions. Equally stubborn, the two drag out their obvious attraction over many painful months and events.

North & South's two leads are both very good, though Armitage's brooding, penetrating performance may very well be considered a classic one day. There are other wonders in the cast: Cusack and Pigott-Smith are superb, and Brendan Coyle is memorable as a firebrand union organizer who ultimately becomes an ally to a softening Thornton. The miniseries script by Sandy Welch is a persuasive mix of historical context and character study. Brian Percival's direction is full of moments that linger in the imagination, such as the winter-dream look of a busy cotton mill, with thousands of snowy fibers floating in the air. --Tom Keogh

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 03, 2010 05:18:04

Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series)

Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series) Review

Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series) Feature

• Triumphant winner of 7 Academy Awards - including Best Picture - this witty, sexy smash features Oscar - winning Best Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (Sliding Doors, A Perfect Murder) and an amazing cast that includes Academy Award winners Judi Dench (Best Supporting Actress) Geoffrey Rush (Best Actor - Shine) and Ben Affleck (Armageddon; Best Original Screenplay - Good Will Hunting)! When Will Shakespear

Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series) Overview

Triumphant winner of 7 Academy Awards(R) -- including Best Picture -- this witty, sexy smash features Oscar(R)-winning Best Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (SLIDING DOORS, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) and an amazing cast that includes Academy Award-winners Judi Dench (Best Supporting Actress), Geoffrey Rush (Best Actor -- SHINE), and Ben Affleck (GOOD WILL HUNTING, PEARL HARBOR). When Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes -- ELIZABETH) needs passionate inspiration to break a bad case of writer's block, a secret romance with the beautiful Lady Viola (Paltrow) starts the words flowing like never before! There are just two things he'll have to learn about his new love: not only is she promised to marry someone else, but she's successfully impersonating a man in order to play the lead in Will's latest production! A truly can't-miss motion picture event with outstanding critical acclaim to match its impressive collection of major awards -- everyone will love this funny behind-the-scenes look at the writing of the greatest love story ever told!

Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series) Specifications

One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the '90s, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love is filled with such good will, sunny romance, snappy one-liners, and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. With tongue placed firmly in cheek, at its outset the film tracks young Will Shakespeare's overwrought battle with writer's block and the efforts of theater owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, in rare form) to stage Will's latest comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. Jokey comedy, though, soon takes a backseat to ravishing romance when the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) disguises herself as a young man to wangle herself an audition in the all-male cast, and wins both the part of Romeo and, after much misunderstanding, the playwright's heart. Soon enough, Will's pirate comedy becomes the beautiful, tragic Romeo and Juliet, reflecting the agony and ecstasy of Will and Viola's romance--he's married and she's set to marry the slimy Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) in the near future.

The way that Oscar-winning screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard enfold their story within the parameters of Romeo and Juliet (and even Twelfth Night) is nothing short of brilliant--it would take a Shakespearean scholar to dissect the innumerable parallels, oft-quoted lines, plot developments, and thematic borrowings. And most amazingly, Norman and Stoppard haven't forgotten to entertain their audience in addition to riding a Shakespearean roller coaster, with director John Madden (Mrs. Brown) reigning in his huge ensemble with rollicking energy. Along the way there are small gems to be found, including Judi Dench's eight-minute, Oscar-winning turn as a truly regal Queen Elizabeth, but the key element of Shakespeare in Love's success rests on the milky-white shoulders of its two stars. Fiennes, inexplicably overlooked at Oscar time, is a dashing, heartfelt Will, and as for Best Actress winner Paltrow, well, nothing she'd done before could have prepared viewers for how amazing she is here. Breathtakingly beautiful, fiercely intelligent, strong-willed, and lovestruck--it's a performance worthy of Shakespeare in more ways than one. By the film's end, you'll be thoroughly won over--and brushing up your Shakespeare with newfound ardor. --Mark Englehart

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 02, 2010 02:46:04

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Review

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Overview

Inspired by a short story, Isabella Caldwell is a high-society woman in late-1800's New York. When Isabella's estranged daughter Mary becomes ill and is too proud to ask her mother for assistance, Mary's daughter, Tilly, takes it upon herself to contact her grandmother and plead for help. Isabella's arrival causes an upheaval in many lives, but may also lead to reconciliation within the family.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 01, 2010 19:01:06

Big Love: The Complete Second Season

Big Love: The Complete Second Season Review

Big Love: The Complete Second Season Feature

• The critically acclaimed hit series, Big Love, returns for it?s second break-out season. Bill Henrickson works hard and plays by the rules. All he wants in return is a happy, secure, normal life for his family. Is that too much to ask? Maybe so. For a polygamist like Bill, the American Dream comes with strings attached. Season 2 opens with even more drama, as Bill?s mission to learn who tipped off

Big Love: The Complete Second Season Overview

The critically acclaimed hit series, Big Love, returns for it’s second break-out season. Bill Henrickson works hard and plays by the rules. All he wants in return is a happy, secure, normal life for his family. Is that too much to ask? Maybe so. For a polygamist like Bill, the American Dream comes with strings attached. Season 2 opens with even more drama, as Bill’s mission to learn who tipped off the authorities and exposed first wife, Barb, as a polygamist escalates. Not surprisingly, his search will lead him to the polygamist compound of Juniper Creek where his primary suspect is Roman Grant. Bill contemplates changes in his personal and professional life that promise to impact every member of his family.

Big Love: The Complete Second Season Specifications

Early on in Big Love's second season, closeted polygamist Bill Henrickson's kids come to him with a broken toy. "I can fix anything," he reassures them. If only his chaotic life were as easy to mend. Among the crises vying for his attention this season are finding out who was responsible for outing his wife, Barbara (Jeanne Tripplehorn), at the Mother of the Year ceremony; the investigation into the poisoning of his brother-in-law, Alby, for which he could be implicated in a cover-up; negotiating a deal to purchase a gaming company coveted by Roman (Harry Dean Stanton); and, in a "holy spirit sucker punch," meeting Ana (Branca Katic), a Serbian waitress who just could be wife No. 4. A Golden Globe nominee for Best Drama, Big Love further draws viewers into the polygamists' shadow world. "If they could show just one normal plural family for a change," someone remarks at one point. Grounded in "the principle," the Henrickson households are about as normal as you can get with the sister wives at once fiercely protective of the family, while at the same jockeying for position and influence. Nicki (Chloe Svigny) is beholden to her father, the prophet Roman (whom Bill aptly calls "venal, corrupt, the face of evil"), and duty-bound mother, Adaleen (Mary Kay Place). Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), the third and youngest wife, has absolutely no boundaries, and initiates a friendship with Ana, and agrees to be a surrogate mother for her unwitting neighbor. "Boss Lady" Barbara must come to terms with the sacrifices she made for her marriage. Meanwhile, Barbara's teenage son and daughter are at their own crossroads on deciding whether to follow their parents' path. Complicating matters even further are Rhonda (Daveigh Chase, the voice of Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch), the lying and manipulative child bride who runs away from Roman and the compound, Alby's sinister ascendancy, and Hollis Green, a rival polygamist patriarch and fierce fundamentalist with a penchant for branding those who cross him.

Season 2 further fleshes out television's most unconventional family drama. This set also includes three "prequels" that peek in on the Henricksons up to five years before the events of the first season. In one, Nicki suffers post-partum depression following the birth of her first son. In the second, Margene makes an indelible first impression in "Meet the Baby-Sitter." The third shows how Bill's three wives compel a move to the suburbs and into their three-home compound. This series has emerged from The Sopranos' shadow to earn some Big Love of its own. What happens next? As the Beach Boys sing during the haunting and etheral opening credits, "God only knows." --Donald Liebenson

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 01, 2010 14:16:04

Monk: Best of Monk

Monk: Best of Monk Review

Monk: Best of Monk Overview

Primetime Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winner Tony Shalhoub is Monk, the quirky but brilliant private detective who compulsively works to keep the streets free of crime– and litter. This two-disc set includes an episode from each of the show’s eight seasons, all selected by the series’ award-winning creator, Andy Breckman. On the case with Monk are regulars Bitty Schram, Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford and Traylor Howard, and obsessively great guest stars, including John Turturro (Tranformers), Laurie Metcalf (Desperate Housewives), Daniel Stern (The Wonder Years) and­ Michael Badalucco (The Practice). Exclusive bonus material features the all-new extended cut of Little Monk, a charming and hilarious look at our hero’s childhood that stars Aaron Linker and Christopher Fernandez. Funny, irreverent and always original, this must-own collection is the very best of the unforgettable show.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 01, 2010 09:12:05