Collecting Movie Reviews

This DVD includes the videos for Girlfriend, Bump, Bump, Bump, Gots to Be, Why I Love You and the alway fabulous Uh-Huh. There are actually three versions of the Girlfriend music video on this DVD. I would have given it five stars however the Bump, Bump, Bump video features too much of Puff Daddy. Way too much! It's more like Puff featuring B2K instead of the other way around. You won't get tired of watching this disc, though. The guys look fine as always, their gear is banging and their moves are tight. You'll love it.

I REALYY LOVE THIS VIDEO COLLECTION DVD AND THAT'S WHY I GAVE IT 5 STARS, AS YOU CAN SEE. IT HAS VIDEOS SUCH AS: "UH HUH", "GOTS TA BE", "WHY I LOVE YOU" AND ALL THREE VERSIONS OF "GIRLFRIEND". THE DVD ALSO HAS BONUS FEATURES VIDEO VERSIONS OF "GIRLFRIEND" AND THE MAKING OF IT. B2K IS MY FAVORITE GROUP AND I LOVE THIS COLLECTION DVD AND I THINK YOU SHUOLD GET IT SINCE IT'S OUT!!!!

This DVD is excellent for B2K fans.If you love em,check this dvd out.If you dont....well,we all luv em dont we?I dont own this yet but my friend does and we watch it all the time,so i recomend 5..no 500 000 000 stars!I guess im just B2Krazy

Although first released in 1975, THE LOST HONOR OF KATHARINA BLUM (Criterion) grows more relevant every day. Adapted from a political parable by Nobel Prize for literature winner Heinrich Boll (1917-1985), The Lost Honor Honor of Katharina Blum is a searing examination of the power of the Press and the State to persecute.

On the morning after a one-night stand, the police burst into Blum's apartment looking for her lover, an alleged terrorist. He is gone and Blum is arrested for aiding and hiding a fugitive. The media focus, the ruthless interrogation by the police and the greed driven feeding frenzy of the tabloid press turns Blum's life upside down. Angela Winkler gives a bold and compassionate performance as the put-upon Katharina Blum who finally explodes in defense of her own sanity. This great film, tense and meaningful, is laced with dark humor.

Extras include a new video interview with directors Volker Schlondorff and Margarethe von Trotta and master cinematographer Jost Vacano. Also, excerpts from a 1977 documentary on German author and activist Boll. Highly recommended.

What a transfer! I am really enjoying this DVD, and I highly recommend it. An example of 1970s New German Cinema, that still holds up today. Angela Winkler's silent and steady performance is so good it will rattle your bones!

This is one of a handful of German productions of the 1970s critically acclaimed by world cinema. "Die verlorene Ehre der Katerina Blum" tells of the seemingly innocent love affair of a young woman with a man who turns out to be a fugitive bank robber. Twisting and turning the story to make it more "readable" a tabloid reporter shamelessly destroys the woman's reputation, even leading to her arrest as an "accomplice" to the crimes committed by her "boyfriend".

The film shows in detail how the situation impacts many people, including Katerina's employers, neighbors, family memebers. All speak highly of her, yet the newspapers always manage to print distorted facts, embellishments and outright lies. The ending, though unexpected and shocking, will satisfy the viewer, who by now completely empathises with the title character who had been "railroaded" by the press for no other purpose than to sell more papers. A five star classic!***

A lemon placed as a totem on a starting block. The torn feet of drained marathoner. The fleshy cheek of a shooter oozing over the butt of his rifle. The turkey-like jowls of older spectators. The squint against blinding lights of an athlete from Chad as he steps off a plane and into the alienation of city life for perhaps the first time. Rain on a sopping wet track. Trains clattering over bridges. The splat of a hammer in wet turf. The almost obsessive-compulsive preparation of a shot-putter has he prepares for his throw. The nonchalant strength and focus of a winning judo expert. A yachtsman, while leaning far out over the water to balance his craft, capricously dipping his hand into the water as it passes inches from his face. The giddy excitement of a little girl spectator clapping and cheering for the sake of it. A member of the American delegation breaking the solemn ranks of the opening ceremonies to chase away a pigeon.

All these things, and countless other human details, are elements that make up director Kon Ichikawa's loving portrait of human aspiration: "Tokyo Olympiad".

At least as important as what it does, is what "Tokyo Olympiad" does not do. Unlike television coverage of the last few Olympic games, it does not plead for our sympathy by drowning us in "human interest" stories of hardship, cancer and family tragedy. Unlike in newspaper and television coverage of the games, the politics and ambition of individual nations' teams is far in the background. Unlike Leni Reifenstahl's "Olympia", it does not hold the athletes up as demigods, asking us to fawn over the glorious perfection of their shining bodies and heroic achievement. And, most importantly, it does it seek present a complete account of the final results of the events. Doing so in a 2 1/2 hour film would be impossible anyway.

More important to Ichikawa is the experience of the event itself- from both the spectators', and participants'- both winners and losers- point of view. Each event that that falls under the directors gaze, is presented in its own idiosyncratic way- with much attention given to the composition and visual texture of events as well as the human elements of each sport.

In one of my favorite segments- the women's 80m hurdles- Ichikawa begins by showing us an almost abstract close-up of the race we are about to see. In this way, the director seems to be saying that it's not the official result, but the intense feeling of being in such a race, which is important. Cutting back to before the race, the camera follows the athletes as they pace the field and go through their often quirky preparations. The Japanese runner, psyching herself up, jerks her head from side to side, does a childlike summersault, jerks a few more times, then does a cartwheel. In the next shot, with no explanation, we see that she places a lemon on the staring block, which Ichikawa allows us to consider for a second. With the runners lined up, the camera goes into extreme slow motion. We witness the sinew, focus and tension at the starting block. The din of the crowd is faded out, and all that remains is the sound of ropes rhythmically clanging against the stadium's flagpoles in the wind. Then even that fades out, the gun fires, and, as the runners powerfully push out of the starting blocks, silence. We are shown a front view of the brief race in extreme slow motion. The mood is pierced once by the bang of a single runner hitting her hurdle. Then, as the final hurdle is cleared, the roar of the crowd swells and the lead hurdlers break the tape.

Compared to this, who ended up winning the race is mere trivia.

Each event is treated in own careful manner- revealing not the sporting drama of scores, distances and times, but the feeling of human aspiration embodied in motto "citius, altius, fortius". The dramatic marathon, the last event to be shown, is a masterwork, into which is impossible to not be drawn in.

Ichikawa views the Olympics idealistically. Through stunning images, and the color-commentary-like narration (in subtitled Japanese) we come to experience the Olympics as an event about human beings (instead of nationalistic athletic juggernauts) coming together to compete in an atmosphere of peace. After seeing athletes and spectators from all over the world cheerlly mingle, cheer, and celebrate, one sees the Olympics as a reminder what world peace can look like. It's just the sort of thing that the planet needs from time to time. It gives us something to work towards.

The DVD is mastered beautifully, and the colors are subtle and rich as a documentary film from 1964 can be. The sound is excellent. The enclosed liner notes by sports-writer legend George Plimpton are vivid and enlightening. (Can you tell I like this DVD?) The commentary by Peter Crowie provides the fascinating back story of the film through stories of the athletes of the Olympics themselves- though I would recommend watching the film without it the first few times. He also makes comparisons between today's Olympics (Sydney) and these games- relatively (though not entirely) untainted by the politics of performance enhancing drugs (though it is quite likely that they were used extensively) and the excessive commercialism of the modern sporting world. The finely sculpted, corporate sponsored, bodyguard protected, superstars of today seem, somehow, less human than these athletes- allowed to walk freely around the field before their heat, who were not ensconced in some distant, private training camp away from the lesser mortals from lesser countries, and who were allowed to experience the Olympics in much the same way that Ichikawa wishes to portray them- as a big celebration of what it feels like to have something in common with new friends from all over the planet.

In the included 1992 interview in Tokyo Stadium- where the track events had taken place 28 years earlier, Kon Ichikawa was asked how he would film today's Olympic games, if commissioned to do so. "Pretty much the same way", was his reply. I would love for this to happen.

I am ordering this post-haste.

I had the extreme thrill of seeing this film several times on the huge movie screen of a theatre Toho operated in Los Angeles when the film was released. About five years ago, I saw it in a smaller theater and it holds up wonderfully.

This is one of the most majestic films I've ever seen, but it is also dramatically compelling with sequences that will always be memorable. Perhaps most memorable is the real sense of caring and comradre among ALL the athletes AND spectators. Since these Olympics, the games have degenerated into political doo-dah of the worst sort. These games and this film have a dignity, humaneness and spirit that has all but been lost.

This is worth owning just for the Ethiopian's winning of his second Olympic marathon in a row. I seldom care about sporting contests, but the marathon literally had me grasping the theatre seat and verbally pulling for this incredible man--who along with Ali--is the greatest athlete I've ever witnessed.

The American version praised by another reviewer here, was IMO one of the worst desecrations of a masterpiece I can imagine. It was cut from the almost three-hour original version to about 90-minutes and accompanied by the most inane sports announcing ever. If you saw this atrocity, you haven't seen "Tokyo Olympiad."

If you are an Olympic fan or love breathtaking, intelligent and humane filmmaking, Ichikawa gives you the royal treatment in this film.

Thank you, Criterion, for re-issuing this. My only regret is that it isn't being re-released in big-screen theatres, where it can be properly appreciated.

See this. I think most of you will be cheering this monumental achievement.

I was only 2 when the Olympics was held in Tokyo in 1964 but had various opportunities to view excerpts on TV. It was really nice to see what people wore, drove, etc during that time. It was especially exhilarating to see footage of Abebe Bikila running thru the streets of Tokyo and winning the Gold Medal two Olympics in a row. I think he is one of the greatest atheletes who ever lived and they don't make them like him no more.

You know you're living in America when you can get the Angel Trilogy on DVD with extras delivered to your home straight from Amazon! This set is amazing, a real treat for Angel fans. I have my VHS versions of Angel and Avenging Angel, along with sealed back-ups in a safety deposit box in case one of them broke and they were no longer available on the market to replace. But now with the DVD set, all is secure!

I have posted extensive reviews of these three movies under the VHS version here on Amazon, so I won't repeat them. The sound and visual quality here are excellent, as good as old low-budget movies will look. The theatrical trailors on each (2 on Angel) are amazing. Angel has three deleted scenes with no sound, but with subtitles. For Angel fans, a true treat, but as extras go otherwise, they're not much. One is an existing scene in the movie with slightly different dialog that features some smoking. I guess they didn't want to glorify smoking in the final version, who knows. The chapter selections are superb, and, catch this, "Something Sweet" plays when you're at the menu, with Angel/Molly leaning into a car. Wow, it doesn't get any better than that. Anchor Bay did a great job.

Certainly, Angel 3: The Final Chapter is the dud of the series. It stands fine on its own, but not next to Angel and Avenging Angel. But no real Angel series is complete without it. Angel 4, that other reviewer was right, it doesn't really belong here anymore than Halloween 3 belongs in any Halloween set.

It's a minor miracle that we have this set on DVD with a few extras. I would have liked to have seen a where-are-they-now retrospective featuring the lovely Donna Wilkes, Betsy Russell, and Mitzi Kapture. They could talk about their experiences playing Angel, how they fit into the series, sort of like what the Bond Girls recently did for a special. Susan Tyrell or Cliff Gorman interviews would have been nice also, or even the woman who played guidance counselor, Patricia Allen, in Angel. But, let's not ask for the moon, we have the stars.

Angel fans, ENJOY! You're in for a great treat.

The concept was total cheese: High School student by day Hollywood Hooker by night. Much to everyone's surprise they pulled it off in a manner that wound up quite charming,at least in the first two films.The various "characters". mimes,jugglers,ex-cowboy film star, lesbian landlady,drag queen neighbor etc that help Molly/Angel keep the streets safe for "walking" are just fun to spend time with.On the other hand there are evil serial killers.The dichotomy between funny and scary is similar in tone to American Werewolf in London.

The third film while taking itself too seriously ,till attempted provide Molly/Angel with some likeable cohorts from her "sordid" past but didn't quite succeed in making them "fun" to be with. It did bring the series to a "Final Chapter".

The series should have ended there and I respect Anchor Bay's decision to not include 1994's ANGEL 4 UNDERCOVER in the set.It takes itself even more seriously than ANGEL III . While ANGEL III attempted to follow the "formula" ANGEL 4 takes Molly/Angel into a world of drugged out rock musicians, jealous groupies and payola, without a "posse". Even Roddy McDowell plays someone unlikeable in this one.If you didn't like III you'll loathe UNDERCOVER.

On the other hand if your completist be aware this set is one film short of the entire series.

If you're on this page then you probably already know the basics about the Angel films. I beg to differ with the previous reviewer about Angel III, i found it quite entertaining. It's not perfect I will admit...but not all that bad.
Anchor Bay has released yet another quality DVD set with "The Angel Collection" containing 3 DVD's for parts 1 through 3 of the series. All three are presented in 1.85:1 Widescreen (16x9 Animorphic). As far as the picture quality is concerned, these movies look just about as good as they possibly could on the DVD format. I never noticed any dust artifacts or other imperfections in the film prints used for the transfers. The sound is presented in Dolby 2.0 Mono, since they were all originally released with Mono soundtracks I suppose. It is crisp and clean, also about as good a sound as an old Mono track can provide.

The Special Features of "ANGEL" (Disc 1) are two Theatrical Trailers, and several Deleted Scenes with no sound (sound was lost) but with English subtitles so we know what the original dialogue was.

The Special Features of "AVENGING ANGEL" (Disc 2) are two Theatrical Trailers, and a nice still & poster gallery.

The Special Features of "ANGEL III: THE FINAL CHAPTER" (Disc 3) are one Theatrical Trailer.

All in all, a nice trilogy set of this cheesy 80's series of movies. Obviously these movies aren't for everyone, but if you're a fan you really can't go wrong.

First off I don't own this set simply because they are not available in widescreen format. Sad thing is I don't know if they ever will be. Anyway I have seen all four of the pokemon movies and enjoyed them all. If I were to rank them from best to worst it would be as follows..Pokemon The First Movie, Pokemon 4ever, Pokemon 3 and finally Pokemon 2000. Since this set does not have part 4 (Due for release in March 2003) I will only review the 3 in this set.
Pokemon The First Movie is by far the best of the original 3 as well as the mini movie. The mini movie was nothing more than a great comedy caper to prepare you for the somewhat darker atmosphere of the first movie. If you have yet to see a pokemon tv episode it dosnt matter. You'll like this movie greatly. Mew's clone created by Giovanni of team rocket now self conscious wants nothing more to do with giovanni or the human race for that matter. After destroying the lab and fleeing to a nearby island Mewtwo clones his own army of pokemon intent on taking over the human race or eliminating them. One of the best lines in this movie is when Jessie, James and Meowth are witnessing the birth of the clones as the clone sillohuete passes by James utters "Who's that pokemon?!". Priceless. If you dont understand that joke you have never seen the tv show.
Pokemon 2000 is my least favorite of the bunch. I only seen it like two times so I dont remember much about it other than it deals with three legendary bird type pokemon. And Sloking utters a very funny line that had nothing to do with anything that had gone on in the movie since. "I could use some pants now" not an exact quote but funny none the less.
Part 3 alot better. Entei was just insane. Makeing that little girl wish for her mommy come true in the wrong way. He kidnaps Ash's mom and the little girl thinks she's her mom. Of course Brok falls for the little girl as a teenager. She wished she could be older and got her wish compliments of Entei. Anyway I only seen this one once so there is no funny quote as I am sure there is one. To review Part one the best, part two the worst and part 3 a very good one indeed. Now if whoever owns the rights to these movies please re-relaese them on dvd with commentaries on all 3, widescreen presentations on all 3 as well as the original Japanese language versions of all 3. Get with it you studios.

Well now I am not much of a Pokemon fan as I used to be. Before when I saw these movies I thought they were great! Yea it can get boring in some parts but in all it's pretty good. Personally I liked the second movie the best. Then the first. The 3rd got a little boring for me. But that might be becuz I started loosing intrest to Pokemon or in other words, Pocket Monsters. In all I would buy this set.

Here is an individual review of each movie:

Pokemon: The First Movie (5 Stars)
This was the first movie that was released theatrically in the U.S., that contained the first mini-movie called Pikachu's Vacation. The Pikachu's Vacation short was downright hilarious and cute! The movie itself entitled "Mewtwo Strikes Back" is a darker descent into the world of Pokemon! An awesome movie overall. The DVD is superior to the video for these reasons, an informative audio commentary with the director and producer, the M2M "Don't Say You Love Me" music video, sneak peek for Pokemon 2000, two deleted scenes "Origin of Mewtwo" (which can be seen on the video following the minimovie) and "Ash's Journey" (which if you own the soundtrack album and put it in your computer and watched the bonus footage, this is what was on there. This is sort of an overview for the parents who don't understand Pokemon to start understanding who the characters are.) The bad thing about this DVD is that the movie is presented in 1.33:1 Full-Frame aspect ratio! The plus is that whenever Mewtwo talks to the humans his voice is radiated in perfect 5.1 audio, and when he talks to himself it's in clear stereo!

Pokemon 2000 (4 Stars)
Slightly less good due to the lack of humor and excitement in the minimovie "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure"! Overall the movie (entitled) "The Power of One", is the A point of the movie! The movie is dark and adventurous with awesome characters and CGI! The DVD is terrible though, first of all because this movie is presented in full-frame also, and there are no cool features except for the sneak peek at Pokemon 3! Pretty good, best if bought on VHS though!

Pokemon 3: The Movie (3 Stars)
This by far is one of the least entertaining mostly due to the stupidity and awful humor that was poorly constructed in the minimovie called "Pikachu and Pichu"! The movie called "Entei: Spell of the Unown" is spectacular! This is the second best movie out of the entire series so far! This redeems the time wasted by "P&P" before the movie. If you are into sentemental action-adventure then this is for you! The DVD is great too, it doesn't have great features but there still entertaining, Audio Commentary with the director (the worst commentary...EVER!), making of the "Know The Unknown" Music video, Johto Pokerap music video, and the Japanese language sneak peek trailer of Pokemon 4 (that will be released by Miramax, not Warner Bros. who made the first three, hopefully in late 2002)! The only bad thing about the DVD is the lack of widescreen presentation (YET AGAIN!!).

If you have seen all 3 movies then there is no doubt on why you should not already have bought this set! BUY THEM NOW! I can't wait until Miramax releases the next 2 movies in which the first (Pokemon 4) will hopefully be released in 2002!

Let's face it, Speed(5 stars) is a wonderful Action movie, problably the best Action movie of the year, but Speed 2(3 stars) doesn't live up to the original as well as I thought it would. The movie would be so much better if Keanu Reeves reprised his role as Jack Traven. Dennis Hopper was a great villian in the original.

Speed is my favorite Sandra Bullock movie. She is just...phenominal in it. And Keanu Reeves...what a hunk!!
The way they put this film together was great: the stunts, the action, the suspense and thrill of it all! Jan DeBont needs to get back together with Sandra to do another action movie. That would be cool!! I CANNOT think of another movie that is better that Speed! It's definitely #1 on my list.

Despite what some may say, these two films offer an endless supply of edge-of-your-seat action, some of the most amazing stunts, and very good special effects. THE ACTION FILMS OF THE 90's!

I discovered "Rex The Runt" on the Aardman Animations webpage about two weeks ago... and was instantly hooked.

The characters (our doggie hero, Rex the Runt, his live-in canine friends Bad Bob and Wendy, and Rex's dog, Vince, who has Random Pavarotti Disease) are clay figures like Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit, but more twisted and ... slightly abstract. Their object during any given episode is to have an adventure, any adventure, and this they do with relish. For instance, in "Holiday In Vince", they take a journey through Vince's brain in a shrunken submarine; in "Easter Island", the gang's helicopter crash-lands on an island inhabited by a group of aliens masquerading as Easter Island Heads who kidnap Rex and take him to the planet Thribb; and in "Stinkey's Search for a Star", the plucky dogs find themselves at the mercy of rock-and-roll fame and fortune as they form the group "Rexy Music" to win money to prevent their gas from being cut off!

Several well-known British folks do the guest voices, including Eddie Izzard's terrific turn as the Easter Island Heads (ALL of them). The duel DVD set includes all episodes from both seasons of "Rex", and includes the trailer for the second season, revealing photos of Wendy during a "glamour shoot" and a DVD-ROM feature.

For some, the humor of "Rex The Runt" may take a second or third viewing to get. However, it's well worth it. The only side effect is ... Random Pavarotti Disease ... but I've learned to live with it ... :)

I discovered "Rex The Runt" on the Aardman Animations webpage about two weeks ago (official homepage is: http://www.aardman.com/rextherunt/window.html) and was instantly hooked.

The characters (our doggie hero, Rex the Runt, his live-in canine friends Bad Bob and Wendy, and Rex's dog, Vince, who has Random Pavarotti Disease) are clay figures like Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit, but more twisted and ... slightly abstract. Their object during any given episode is to have an adventure, any adventure, and this they do with relish. For instance, in "Holiday In Vince", they take a journey through Vince's brain in a shrunken submarine; in "Easter Island", the gang's helicopter crash-lands on an island inhabited by a group of aliens masquerading as Easter Island Heads who kidnap Rex and take him to the planet Thribb; and in "Stinkey's Search for a Star", the plucky dogs find themselves at the mercy of rock-and-roll fame and fortune as they form the group "Rexy Music" to win money to prevent their gas from being cut off!

Several well-known British folks do the guest voices, including Eddie Izzard's terrific turn as the Easter Island Heads (ALL of them). The duel DVD set includes all episodes from both seasons of "Rex", and includes the trailer for the second season, revealing photos of Wendy during a "glamour shoot" and a DVD-ROM feature.

For some, the humor of "Rex The Runt" may take a second or third viewing to get. However, it's well worth it. The only side effect is ... Random Pavarotti Disease ... but I've learned to live with it ... :)

I highly recommend this DVD. I have seen the DVD, plus watched a ton of episodes on Atomfilms.com. This series is the greatest stop motion animated series ever created!!!! Its far beter and more complex then Wallace and Gromit, or any of the other terrible stop motion shows like Celebrity Deathmatch, PJ's, or Gary and Mike. This show is amazing!!!! It is hilarious dry humor at its best!!! The sets are great, the designs are great, the animation is excellent, the voice acting is incedible...great characters, enjoyabke adventures! What else do you want!! This show should be played in the states for sure. Only Aardmsn animation seem to know the secret formula for producing a show that is adored by youngsters yet still highly appealing to adults! Great stuff!!

OK, the much hyped chain fight scene was LAME and I know it's a 1955 movie but I was disappointed by the dark colors its not the vibrant colorful film i assumed buy/rent one DVD of this trilogy first and check it out. Don't get me wrong it's interesting to see the sets and use of light and one man against an army.(more like a ballet than combat) but I won't be buying 1 or 3. Or probably any Japanese DVD's for that matter.(maybe after 1970) I didn't find any characters engaging enough. There's a reason most don't have the Samurai trilogy in their fav Criterion Collection folks.

WHAT defines a man's greatness? Is it power and ambition, or something more? Part II of the magnificent Samurai Trilogy brims with action, force, kinetic energy, beauty and emotion. This film continues the saga of Musashi Miyamoto (performed by the venerable TOSHIRO MIFUNE) and his quest for perfection amidst the lives and loves that surround him.

The film begins with one of the most exciting scenes in the trilogy, in which Musashi duels with Chain-and-Sickle master Baiken using his trademark Two-Sword Stance. After the battle Musashi comes upon a priest who chides him for his lacking the chivalry and grace to match his power.

Much water has passed under Seijuro Bridge as Otsu (the lovely Kaoru Yachigusa) awaits for Musashi's return after three years -a testament to the Japanese virtue of loyalty. During her wait she comes upon the courtesan Akemi (Mariko Okada), who unfortunately also harbors feelings for Musashi, and the already-complicated romance becomes even more difficult as both vie for the same man's affection.

In his search of worthy opponents, Musashi makes enemies with Seijuro Yoshioka, head of one of Japan's most prestigious kendo schools -which in actuality has become little more than a band of thugs. Musashi's brave performance under pressure and growing reputation attract the man who will be his archenemy into the scene, the handsome yet deadly Kojiro Sasaki (played to perfection by Koji Tsuruta), a swordsman of unsurpassed skill whose trademark "Swallow-Cut" can slice a bird in flight!

The most awe-inspiring scene in the trilogy is Musashi's final battle against Seijuro's EIGHTY students: the greatest mismatch in history, AND YET he manages to defeat them and face off with the schoolmaster! Once victorious, Musashi prepares to deliver the coup-de-grace when he remembers the priest's words and the lessons of his new experiences. His soul became as polished as his sword. He spares Seijuro.

Hiroshi Inagaki shows his masterful abilities as director (or poet?) of this film. Breathtaking cinematography and color shows the beauty and spirit in nature, which parallel the actions and events in the lives of the characters. A memorable example is a scene of two sparrows singing together, which immediately precedes the reunion of Musashi and Otsu. Ikuma Dan's score is every bit as stirring and triumphant as for the first film.

The depiction of life and culture in 17th century Japan is rich and vibrant in this film, as is the evocative character development of each person. In addition to the superlative, complex storytelling, this motion picture is graced with a noble philosophy: One's greatness is not defined by action or ability as much as motive and intention. It is a testament to the human spirit. INCREDIBLE.

In this movie Musashi continues to polish his soul and find The Way. Now he has a purpose in his life and is rapidly becoming famous and sought after. He begins to learn that to be a Samurai involves more that just Kenjutsu, but also requires Kensho(knowing thyself).

Musashi also aquires an apprentice and a determined suitor. Both willing to follow him across Japan and back.

This movie is so great and so different from the other two, you must see this movie as well as the other two!

As one reviewer said, if you own the video - don't bother.
Missing are some my favourites: "Neon Moon"/"She Used To Be Mine"/"He's Got You"/"Days of Thunder".
Oh well... guess the ones responsible for these omissions "can't please all of the people, all of the time...."

If you own the VHS by the same name... dont bother! This is the same thing.. only on disc.

I wonder why couldnt they put some extra stuff which would have been a VERY welcome thing had the record company thought about the fans more than the money!

Anyway.. I LOVE B&D so I will get this DVD for making it so much easier to watch my favorite videos....

Arista has repackaged Brooks & Dunn: Greatest Hits Collection released on VHS (1997) onto DVD.

The DVD includes interactive menus, 5.1 Surround Sound, and 14 of the duos videos:
1.Brand New Man
2.My Next Broken Heart
3.Boot Scootin' Boogie
4.Lost and Found
5.Hard Workin' Man
6.Rock My World (Little Country Girl)
7.That Ain't No Way to Go
8.She's Not The Cheatin' Kind
9.Little Miss Honky Tonk
10.You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
11.My Maria
12.Mama Don't Get Dressed Up for Nothing
13.A Man This Lonely
14.Honky Tonk Truth

As one other review pointed out these are the same movies they released several years ago and now they are trying to screw you into buying them again. And they wonder why people copy movies instead of purchasing. Well maybe if you didn't make them purchase the same movie MULTIPLE times, people would be more willing to buy your product. I for one am not going for this hose job. I'll keep my money, and they can keep their stupid box set.

Well, James Bond is being released yet again. These are the same special edition dvds that were released three years ago (replacing a few early barebones dvd editions) for the high price of $35. They were then pulled from shelves and placed on moratorium by MGM not long after initial release, when the dvd format started to take off, nonetheless. To coincide with the theatrical release of Die Another Day, MGM fed on our appetite for Bond by releasing seven films, both in a gift set and individually, only to make us salivate another year for the rest of them (they were going to release one in the spring but pushed it back to give the dissapointing Die Another Day a big lone payday on dvd). Now the rest of the Bond catalogue is being released for the holiday season in gift sets only. Currently, all of the early films' soundtracks and most of the films video is being remastered for new special editions to coincide with the next Bond flik in 2005. So, for those of us who purchased a few favorite films individually last fall and planned on purchasing a few favorites yet again this fall, are forced into buying these gift sets instead. I'd love to have the entire Bond library, but not if they're going to have new & superior editions in two years. Even if I decided to purchase the gift sets now, I'd be doubling up on films that I already purchased last year. Very few people want A View to a Kill for anything more than completing the collection, so does anybody really want to buy it twice in two different releases. MGM really wanted to squeeze us Bond fans dry I guess. After waiting so long for these films to be re-re-released, I just feel kind of duped and dissapointed. Too bad Q's not here to fix this poor and thoughtless marketing campaign for us.

I am expecting an awesome boxed set! I got the first collection for Christmas last year, and now the remaining Bond films will be available. I have really enjoyed the quality of the DVD's -- each entry menu is intriguingly cool and greets you in an interesting new way. The films are very well restored, and when you watch the trailers, you can really tell the difference. Remember that together these films span 40 years!

This set of 007 films includes "Moonraker" -- often bashed, I remember it fondly, with Drax and Jaws and some humor and campy 007 space action it's something that's been absent from many of the TV runs . . . can't wait to watch it again. And also one of my all time favorites -- Connery's "You Only Live Twice", vs Blofeld and with Ninjas and carnivorous space ships. This was the inspiration for Dr Evil! Also Roger Moore's For Your Eyes only is one of his finest. The set also includes the Lazenby 007, one I hardly remember, but I'm looking forward to it. This set will go nicely with the 7 solid entrants from part 1, and should be much better than set #3.

Another tip -- MGM/UA is releasing 20 bond films in these sets. But if you want to be thorough, see Sean Connery's finale "Never Say Never Again" and maybe even get the 007 spoof "Casino Royale". That will finish the entire James Bond collection. Athough many people disparage it, I grabbed Never Say Never for a few bucks at a local mart, and it does have Kim Basinger!!

James Bond Collection Volume 2 is a great piece for those building DVD Collections or who just love Bond Films. It has some of the best Bond there is -- I can't wait to get it!