Blythe Danner

Average customer rating:

What a wicked movie! (kids review)
Pretty good movie, unless you expect it to be like the original book
Not one of his best movies!
Classic!
Beautiful

Howl's Moving Castle
Starring: Chieko Baisho , Takuya Kimura , Akihiro Miwa , Tatsuya Gashuin , and Ryunosuke Kamiki
Director: Pete Docter , Rick Dempsey , and Hayao Miyazaki
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

My Neighbor Totoro
Whisper of the Heart
Spirited Away
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Princess Mononoke

ASIN: B000CDGVOE
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Amazon.com

Like a dream, Howl's Moving Castle carries audiences to vistas beyond their imaginations where they experience excitement, adventure, terror, humor, and romance. With domestic box office receipts of over $210 million, Howl passed Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke to become the #3 film in Japanese history, behind his Spirited Away and James Cameron's Titanic. Based on a juvenile novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle marks the first time Miyazaki has adapted another writer's work since Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). Sophie, a 19-year-old girl who believes she is plain, has resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop--until the Witch of the Waste transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In her aged guise, Sophie searches for a way to break the Witch's spell and finds unexpected adventures. Like Chihiro, the heroine of Spirited Away, Sophie discovers her hidden potential in a magical environment--the castle of the title. Using CG, Miyazaki creates a ramshackle structure that looks like it might disintegrate at any moment. Sophie's honesty and determination win her some valuable new friends: Markl, Howl's young apprentice; a jaunty scarecrow; Calcifer, a temperamental fire demon; and Heen, a hilarious, wheezing dog. She wins the heart of the dashing, irresponsible wizard Howl, and brings an end an unnecessary and destructive war. The film overflows with eclipsing visuals that range from frightening aerial battles to serene landscapes, and few recent features--animated or live action--offer as much magic as Howl's Moving Castle. --Charles Solomon

The Many Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="center" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005JLEU.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0">
The works of Miyazaki</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/006441034X.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0">
The Book</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1421500493.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0">
The Art of Howls' Moving Castle (book)</td> </tr> </table>

Stills from Howl's Moving Castle (click for larger image) <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

Description

In Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated masterpiece, journey beyond imagination and enter a "breathtaking fantasy world" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) filled with adventure, humor and heart. Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell. Featuring the voice talents of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki's artistry comes to life on DVD with inventive characters, unique storytelling and richly detailed animation. (c) 2004 Nibariki • GNDDDT

Customer Reviews:

What a wicked movie! (kids review).......2007-06-20

i thought this movie was an awesome movie! It was one of my favorites out of all the myuzaki movies. Well almost. And what a spectacular ending. Usually the characters wouldn't kiss at the end but in this one it shocked me. I'm fourteen and do not think kissing was disgusting.

Pretty good movie, unless you expect it to be like the original book.......2007-06-18

First of all, I need to mention that the three-star rating has more to do with my frustration with the extra features and interviews on this disc, than with the movie itself.

The movie itself is visually great, as are all of Miyazaki's movies. I was a bit taken aback since I'd read the book the movie was based on (more on this later) about 2 months before seeing the movie. It was as if Miyazaki just read the first third of the book, then put the book down and wrote his own story. The second two thirds of the movie bear no resemblance to the book whatsoever, either in plot or characterization. In some ways, I think this is a good thing - some aspects of the book's plot wouldn't translate too well to movie format. I did like the book's plot better, although it was enjoyable watching Howl the bird. :)

Then I started watching the interviews, and sat through a half an hour of Miyazaki getting praised for coming up with such ORIGINAL ideas (like a girl who comes into her own after being cursed with age, or a moving castle, or a door which opens to different cities depending on the way the doorknob is turned). While Miyazaki did take a LOT of creative license, and the movie is definitely a Miyazaki work... all of the specific ideas that I just listed SHOULD have been credited to Diana Wynne Jones, who published the book in 1986. I sat through interview after interview, waiting for SOME mention of the fact that these creative ideas had come from a children's book by the same name, but it never happened. It's as if the movie makers are completely unaware that there had been a book before the movie. And I just don't like it when credit is not given where credit is due.

If it weren't for my frustration with the interviews, I probably would be giving this DVD four stars instead of three... I did enjoy the movie, and once I accepted the fact that Miyazaki had taken the basic story elements from the book and then written his OWN plot, I thought that there were many good things about the movie. It wasn't my favorite Miyazaki movie, but it was still pretty good.

Not one of his best movies!.......2007-06-12

I have mixed feelings about this film. I'm not a big fan of Howl! The film had plenty of action and drama but I couldn't swallow some aspects of this film. It strives to be real concerning the but ends up naseauting toward the end!

I think when anime tries to make it's characters more real it seems more surreal! I love the visuals I just couldn't stomache the characterization. Definitely not his best film!

Classic!.......2007-06-03

We went to the movie theater to see this premier, and it was even more mind blowing then. This is not a simple story, like Disney. The story gets very complicated, but in the end it's all worth it. Billy Cristal as a fire was genius! We fell in love with this movie.

Beautiful .......2007-06-01

Howl's Moving Castle was the third movie that I watched of Miyazaki's movies I believe. Every one of his movies has touched me in some way and I love them all. This one in particular is very beautiful. I guess being of his newer ones, it's visuals and stunning art is astounding. It took me a couple of times of watching to actually grasp the whole plot of the story and to understand what was going on. This movie is surely a Miyazaki classic and will catch the hearts of children and adults. If you love Miyazaki films you won't be disappointed.

1776 (Restored Director's Cut) [Region 99]

Average customer rating:

History brought to life
movie review
The 1776 DVD - Historical and Entertaining
Of thee I Sing
Still entertaining after 35 years

1776 (Restored Director's Cut) [Region 99]
Starring: William Daniels , Howard Da Silva , Ken Howard , Donald Madden , and John Cullum
Director: Peter H. Hunt
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

1776 (1969 Original Broadway Cast)
The Crossing
1776: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1997)
The Music Man (Special Edition)
1776: A Musical Play (Penguin Plays)

ASIN: B000067D1R
Release Date: 2002-07-02

Amazon.com

The hit Broadway musical by Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards became the basis for this 1972 film about America's first congress and the nation's declaration of independence from Britain. Most of the original cast members are aboard, including William Daniels as John Adams. The film is a little stodgy and moves stiffly from scene to scene--the adaptation to the screen is not a smooth success. But it is nonetheless captivating, considering that so few films have dealt directly with America's birth. Directed by Peter H. Hunt. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

History brought to life.......2007-05-30

I am ordering the Director's Cut because the copy I have is VHS. This is my favorite musical and film. I saw the play on Broadway and was thrilled when it was made into a movie, using many of the same actors from Broadway instead of 'movie stars'.

The most stunning thing about the story is that this was living history but a history we were never taught when I was in school in the 1950's and 1960's. As can be seen by President Nixon's request to have something removed, people were still not too willing to face the truths about the Founding Fathers; they were human, they disagreed, they had to compromise and, in the end, they came together (almost) in agreement.

The music....I know every song by heart. Instead of intruding on the story, the music amazingly carries the story forward. I thought then and I still believe that this should be part of the curriculem of American History classes for elementary students.

movie review.......2007-05-26

What a wonderful film.... the music is delightful and so appropriate for the storyline. And it is a great way to reflect on the history of the founding of our country. The time flew by and before you know it, the movie is over. Would recommend this for young and old without hesitation.

The 1776 DVD - Historical and Entertaining.......2007-05-15

I found the video of the musical 1776 excellent. I had seen it before and seen the play on Broadway and it is always a good show. The thing about the musical is it brings to the forefront your knowledge of history and entertains you as well. As I read the Biography of Ben Franklin and John Adams I remember the scenes from the movie it enhances my expirience. I would highly recommend anyone this video if you like history and Musicals.

Of thee I Sing.......2007-04-24

The film adaptation of the Broadway hit, 1776, was an immensely entertaining movie. With the magic of imagination and plenty of melody, movie viewers get to see Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard), John Adams (William Daniels), and Benjamin Franklin (Howard Da Silva) sing and dance. The film hearkens back to the rollicking entertainment movie musicals of the 1950s, but this is not a Rodgers and Hammerstein production, but a blend of historical fact and fiction set to choreography and music.

Director Peter Hunt brings history alive and shows members of the Continental Congress of 1776 attempting to meet a consensus for independence from British rule. Indeed, these men were a partisan group from all walks of life, and one can see that in 1776 there had already existed a disturbing divide between North and South amongst the delegates of each respective state, and the issue of slavery; this may be one of the serious aspects of the film as well as the depiction of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. However, aside from all seriousness, Hunt integrates the humor and the eccentric behavior that was exhibited by each member of the delegation within Independence Hall. This was displayed in scenes with Adams and Jefferson and Franklin choosing what kind of bird should be used as a symbol of the United States, and their ideas ranged from a turkey to an eagle. There is also an interesting and somewhat peculiar scene where Franklin is brought into the building where the delegates are gathered, and two men carry him in a carriage as if he was royalty.

Overall, 1776 was a delight to see in DVD form. The film is pure entertainment and enthusiastically commemorates one of the most monumental events in American history through song and dance.

Still entertaining after 35 years.......2007-04-12

Just as entertaining as it was 35 years ago. John Adams' opening line: "one useless man is a disgrace, two are a law firm, and three or more are a Congress" is still one of my all time favorites.

Average customer rating:

Love the X Files!
Entertaining enough, but too many open ends for the casual fan
dwan
Not Bad, Could Have Been Better
just okay

The X-Files - Fight the Future
Starring: David Duchovny , Gillian Anderson , John Neville , William B. Davis , and Martin Landau
Director: Rob Bowman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The X-Files - The Complete Sixth Season (Slim Set)
The X-Files - The Complete Fifth Season (Slim Set)
The X-Files - The Complete Fourth Season (Slim Set)
The X-Files - The Complete Third Season (Slim Set)
The X-Files - The Complete Seventh Season (Slim Set)

ASIN: B00005221O
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Amazon.com

The definitive American television series of the '90s comes to the big screen with an anticlimactic whimper. And how could it be otherwise? Why should material so perfectly realized in one medium necessarily translate well into another? The series is crisply and thoughtfully executed in just about every detail, but the heart of its appeal lies in the elegant handling of complicated and evolving ongoing story lines, which is not something movies are especially good at. The big-screen drive for closure cramps the creative style, though it may also help nonfans get a grip on the proceedings. We do get some invigorating thrills and chills, however, and a more satisfying sense of the scale of an all-enveloping human-alien conspiracy than ever before, but there's no more plot development here than in an average two-part season-ending. FBI black sheep Mulder and Scully have been temporarily transferred from the X-Files project to an anti-terrorist unit to investigate an Oklahoma City-style bombing. They uncover a new wrinkle in the Syndicate/Cancer Man conspiracy--basically an attempt to help one bunch of (benign?) aliens fight off another bunch who want to colonize Earth. A spectacular, ice-bound finale thrillingly staged by series-veteran director Rob Bowman offers Mulder (but not a conveniently unconscious Scully) his first clear look at a You Know What, which in some quarters qualifies as an epochal event. Martin Landau offers the agents some crucial clues, and several familiar TV faces (including the Lone Gunmen and Mitch Pileggi's indispensable Assistant Director Skinner) turn up briefly to wink knowingly at faithful fans. --David Chute

Description

Thirty-seven thousand years ago, a deadly secret was buried in a cave in Texas. Now the secret has been unleashed. And it's discovery may mean the end of all humanity. "The plague to end all plagues" When a terrorist bomb destroys a building in Dallas, Texas, FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy surpassing anything they've ever encountered. With the dubious assistance of a paranoid doctor (Academy Award -winner Martin Landau). Mulder and Scully risk their careers and their lives to hunt down a deadly virus which may be extraterrestrial in origin - and could destroy all life on earth. Their pursuit of truth pits them against the mysterious Syndicate, powerful men who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets safe, leading the agents from the cave in Texas, to the halls of the FBI, and finally to a secret installation in Antarctica which holds the greatest secret of all.

Customer Reviews:

Love the X Files!.......2007-06-12

I loved the weekly episodes of the X Files, so I wasn't disappointed with the movie. This 1998 film version of the Science Fiction series focuses on Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they try to determine why a bomb was used to cover up the true reasons the bodies of three firemen and a young boy were found in the wreckage, but they died earlier and in a different location! Dana and Fox soon find themselves tracing a deadly virus with extraterrestrial origins. When Scully is infected with the virus, Mulder races to find her after getting his hands on the antidote.

Entertaining enough, but too many open ends for the casual fan.......2007-05-25

Despite being a big sci-Fi fan, I never got into the X-Files as a kid.
Like most non-fans, I just didn't have the patience for it. The show would hint at a lot, but it seemed very little would actually happen, and instead each show would just tease us a little more.

The reason I decided to watch the movie was because I thought that the movie would probably be designed for a wider audience, have a self-contained story, and lots more excitement and special effects than the TV show.

Well, kind of. There were more explosions and the special effects were a bit more snazzy. And it was very easy to jump right into it and pick up the story without much knowledge of the TV show. But, in typical X-files fashion, it teased a lot more than it delivered, and the ending was very unsatisfying.

To be fair, I realize this was intentional on the film maker's part. And in the director's commentary, the director repeatedly bragged about leaving things vague in order to make them scarier to the imagination. But, is it just me, or does anyone else think the X-files were never all that scary to begin with?

dwan.......2007-05-15

Great movie. My son is collecting all X-file series and movies and he totally loved this movie. received the movie the very next day just as guaranteed

Not Bad, Could Have Been Better.......2007-04-26

Anyone who's ever watched a Sci-Fi movie or television show knows this: It's easy to make an alien look stupid. Especially the typical big head bug-eyes fellows. But the aliens in "The X-Files: Fight the Future" are very well done. They are horrifying, maybe because of the little screen time they get. The few violent scenes we do get are not overdone, and that is one of the good parts of this movie.

Another good part? The music. The variations to the theme that played throughout a few of the scenes were especially entertaining. However, I wasn't ALL that impressed. Here's why...

NEGATIVES...
- The middle was a bit on the slow side, and after such an explosive beginning, that doesn't work for me.
- The climax was anti-climatic, and a little too Indiana Jones.
- Despite being sold as a stand-alone (which it technically is) I found myself wishing that I'd watched the surrounding episodes to get a better understanding.
- There were complexities that could have been explored here that weren't.

On the flip side...

POSITIVES...
+ As said before, the music and scenes with the aliens.
+ The entire beginning: The opening scene, the scene with the kids, the scene with Mulder and Scully before the building blows up. The first half-hour of the film was very impressive.
+ Mulder/Scully's moment.
+ The Cigarette Smoking Man, though I feel he might have deserved a bit more explanation.

Overall, an entertaining watch. Though I have to encourage everyone to watch the series in order. This takes place after Season Five, right before Season Six.

6/10

just okay.......2007-04-13

I was a fan of the series and I was really looking forward to seeing this, but this movie just felt like an overlong episode.

Unnecessary and not all that entertaining.

To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar

Average customer rating:

Thanks for Everything Patrick & Wesley
"TO WONG FOO" IGNORES ADVERSITY
bought for my self
I did not recieve this item
HAHAHAHAHA

To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar
Starring: Wesley Snipes , Patrick Swayze , John Leguizamo , Stockard Channing , and Blythe Danner
Director: Beeban Kidron
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Extra Frills Edition)
The Birdcage
In & Out
Muriel's Wedding
Torch Song Trilogy

ASIN: B0000714BP
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Amazon.com

This clunky road movie about three drag queens (Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguziamo) who get stranded in a sleepy Nebraska town on their way to a beauty contest, is too uplifting for its own good. Released during drag's mid-'90s heyday when RuPaul and the Wigstock documentary were all the rage, To Wong Foo aimed straight for the mainstream with its inoffensive camp and "can't we all get along" moralism. While gay-activist groups howled about straights getting the lead roles in To Wong Foo, in the end the filmmakers really couldn't have done better than this trio of actors. John Leguziamo provides real sass and bite as a Latino (or should we saw Latina?) drag queen, and Wesley Snipes is surprisingly fierce as the imposing leader of the pack. Saddled with a cloying Southern accent and off-kilter wig, Patrick Swayze barely holds his own with his costars, though. To Wong Foo is best viewed as a cultural artifact of a time when it seemed as though drag could rule all tomorrow's parties. --Ethan Brown

Customer Reviews: