Independence Day (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to say that I'm a big fan of this film, and I already own the DVD. Most of those wanting to buy this film on Bluray are those who have already seen it and liked it, so I won't comment on the movie content itself, but rather the technical and supplemental aspects of this release.
I borrowed a friend's copy of the BD version of ID4 just a few weeks ago, as I was contemplating whether to add this to my small but growing blu-ray collection. The picture and audio are superb, and watching this on my new LCD at 1080p with the lossless DTS-MA audio track really transported me back to the July of '96, when I watched this on the big screen. This movie has certainly aged well these thirteen years, and the special effects are still terrific even today. While watching, I was pretty much set on adding this to my collection.
That is, until after I finished watching the movie and wanted to see the extras in HD.
The DVD version I have contains two discs and a lot of extras, including an alternate ending, making-of feature, trailers, and cast/crew interviews. Sadly, in this BD release there are none, not even in standard definition. The only "extra" is a commentary track, which, as an another reviewer already pointed out, is laughably outdated. At $25, I would expect more than just a movie and nothing else.
The Dark Knight BD had two discs plus a digital copy for the same price- that was justifiable, even in this economy. This... isn't.
FOX is notorious for double-dipping their DVD and Blu-ray releases. I would imagine that a two-disc or dual-layered "special edition" version will come out over the next year or so.
Needless to say, this BD release is quite a disappointment.

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One of the biggest box office hits of all time delivers the ultimate encounter when mysterious and powerful aliens launch an all-out invasion against the human race. The spectacle begins when massive spaceships appear in Earth's skies. But wonder turns to terror as the ships blast destructive beams of fire down on cities all over the planet. Now the world's only hope lies with a determinded band of survivors, uniting for one last strike against the invaders - before it's the end of all mankind.

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1941 Review

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(More customer reviews)I think Mike from Chicago had one too many baby back ribs. This movie is hysterical. Speilberg directed a comedy classic, and with Belushi, Aykroyd, and John Candy this comedy is of the 5-star variety.
One of the funniest movies ever made !
Hey Mike, get a sense of humor, and then watch this again. Maybe you'll laugh like the rest of us !

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Silent Wings - The American Glider Pilots of WWII Review

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(More customer reviews)This documentary covers a subject that has not been told in it`s own light.
Well worth watching. I learned many things I was unaware of and I pride myself on being knowledgeable in WWII History. Yet I still find more every time I get a new DVD or Book.


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From the early race to build gliders to the D-Day invasion at Normandy and Nazi Germany's final surrender, "Silent Wings - The American Glider Pilots of WWII" narrated by Hal Holbrook, reveals the critical role gliders played in World War II offensives. T
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

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In Harm's Way (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)It always seems that WWI movies covered the European Theater more, as far as Blockbusters are concerned... "Longest Day", "Bridge to Far", "Patton", "Guns of Navarone", "Saving Private Ryan". Sure the Pacific had the multitude of John Wayne Movies, but true epics either dealt with Pearl Harbor or Midway, nothing else existed it seems.
Then I see "In Harms Way" . This movie is a true classic, with a superb cast including Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Dana Andrews, Patricia Neal (may be one of her best), Henry Fonda, Burgess Merredith and many more.
This a "true grit" battle of the Pacific tale which we need more of. Its description of sea battles both before and after are classic, and the movies lenght is not noticed since you are continually involved in it.
Yes, the movie is in black and white, but it seems its supposed to be. The filming and actions sequences for its day are outstanding, and watch you bass speakers or you will lose some china! Seeing this movie on REGULAR TV is not a good idea. They cut more than 20 minutes from it, ruin its continuity, and it is NOT the same movie. networks would rather sell than eep the movie intact.
WATCH THE FULL LENGTH VERSION! Is like seeing a new movie! A give this movie a standing thumbs up. This is one of the Dukes BEST.

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Epic study on the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the effect it had on so many relationships.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: NRRelease Date: 2-MAY-2006Media Type: DVD

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Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) Review

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(More customer reviews)A suspensful, action packed drama, this film is one of my all time favorites. Performances by both Lancaster and Gable are right on the mark, they (especially Gable) had me believing they were actual naval officers. The scene where Lancaster relieves Gable of command is powerful, here we see two great actors at the peak of their skills. Gable's contempt towards Lancaster for the act is truly inspired (He virtually spits out his disgust here: "A fleet ship of the US Navy, with her fighting power intact, and your first command is to order a retreat", every time I watch this scene it gets better and better!). Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman recreate this scene in "Crimson Tide", but it doesn't match the intensity created by Lancaster and Gable in the scene from RSRD. One neat byproduct of this movie is that after watching it, you will have a pretty detailed understanding of what a WWII Balao class sub looks like, how the chain of command works, and what happens on a typical patrol - you will be educated and entertained at the same time, what a bargain! Nice supporting role by Don Rickles. A great, classic movie for sure, you won't be disappointed! END

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"Rich" Richardson (Clark Gable) is a hard-driving, dedicated submarine officer with a single-mindedpurposeto seek out and smash the Japanese destroyer he believes sank his former ship. Given a new command, Richardson drills his men to the point of mutiny as he relentlessly trains them for the battle ahead. At last, word comes of the destroyer's position, and, disobeying orders, Richardson finally confronts his foe, unaware that an even greater enemy lurks nearby...one who's been targeting him for a watery grave.Co-starring Burt Lancaster as Gable's executive officer, this gripping WWII adventure-thriller set a new standard for submarine pictures. "Severely, nail-bitingly tense" (The New York Times), Run Silent, Run Deep is the most exciting film about the "silent service" ever made.

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Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition) (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)Meet Oskar Schindler. A German living in occupied Poland during World War II. A member in good standing of the Nazi party. A womanizer, a war profiteer...and ultimately a man of conscience. A man who became one of the great unsung heroes and humanitarians of the war.
"Schindler's List" chronicles Oskar Schindler's spiritual odyssey from war profiteer to humanitarian and hero. Winner of seven Academy Awards® in 1993, including Best Picture, this harrowing and heart-rending film is Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, and perhaps one of the finest and most important movies ever made. It depicts Schindler's ultimately successful attempt to rescue 1,100 Jews from Hitler's "Final Solution" by getting them to safety outside Poland.
Dynamic performances abound in this beautiful movie, Especially noteworthy are Liam Neeson as the suave Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as the monstrously depraved Nazi colonel, Amon Goeth, and Ben Kingsley as the dignified, principled Jewish prisoner Itzhak Stern.
"Schindler's List" is definitely not light entertainment! This beautiful movie allows viewers to feel like they're actually a part of one of the darkest, most horrific periods in history. (I'm sure this is the reason the film was shot in black-and-white, with only minor "colorized" bits included.) The story of the Holocaust needs to be told over and over again, in hopes that future generations can understand the horrors perpetrated on an entire race of people and prevent future occurrences. "Schindler's List" is perhaps one of the best and most effective vehicles for telling that story I've ever experienced.

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King Arthur (Director's Cut) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have read the negative and positive reviews of this film, especially noting the numerous complaints about historical accuracy. But considering the era from which this story is created, and the various possibilities regarding exact time and place of events, (if they ever occurred at all), I think the film is a truly magnificent, thought-provoking piece about King Arthur.
Bringing in the aspect of the Sarmatians was long overdue in the Arthurian arena. Although various historians may argue the point, much evidence does point to the use of stirrups by about 8000 Sarmatian cavalry in the Roman army as early as 175 AD. With the commonly held belief that the stirrup was not introduced until many centuries later, I thought it a bold move for the movie makers to incorporate this into the film as well. It seemed to be one of the most commonly noted 'discrepancies' by reviewers, but I disagree - it is very accurate.
If you have watched only the PG13 version of this film, by all means, please watch not only the Director's Cut version, but take the time to also watch/listen to Antoine Fuqua's narrative over the film. His narration explains a lot, especially about how they had to change things drastically to make the mandated PG 13 rating. His explanation regarding his version of Lancelot and Guinevere is quite a statement as well.
The alternate ending was quite dark, or perhaps even depressing, in a way. I don't know which ending is more suitable, and actually would have liked to have seen perhaps a different ending altogether, just don't know what that would have been.
I thought the actors were incredible; the battle scenes (director cut) some of the only such scenes I've ever watched that let you identify the main characters' roles during the fighting; the photography was the best I have ever seen; the music illustrated and enhanced; and this movie left you wanting to see more when it was over.
There was no dwelling on use of special effects for blood and gore, or rediculous feats of super-power athletics, or campy remarks that would bring you immediately back to your own century. The horses were not constantly being tripped during battle scenes, either. All these were a welcome change from so many movies of today.
Above all, it passed the real test of a great movie - it left you with 'a feeling' after it was over.
In short, I loved it. Antoine Fuqua, you are a genius.


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From the producer of PEARL HARBOR and the director of TRAINING DAY, the Extended Director's Cut of KING ARTHUR explodes onto Blu-ray Disc® in a blaze of hard-hitting action and glory not seen in theaters. Prepare for unsurpassed thrills as history's greatest legend roars to life in this astonishing new format. Now the adventure is longer, grittier and more explicit in this valiant tale of Arthur (Clive Owen), Guinevere (Keira Knightley), Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd), and the Knights Of The Roundtable. Behold the pageantry and power of every fierce battle in spectacular 1080p, while swords clash and fortresses are pounded in thunderous 5.1 48 kHz, 24-bit uncompressed audio. Catapult your entertainment experience into another realm with Blu-ray™ High Definition!

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The Winds of War (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Herman Wouk wrote an absolute masterpiece. Winds of War is without a doubt the very best historical novel in the war genre. Dan Curtis equally directs the benchmark that mini-series will be measured by for years to come.
Casting for Winds of War was perfect when it came to matching Wouk's characters. Despite the age differences Ali McGraw and Jan-Michael Vincent were absolutely perfect as the independent and fickle Natali Jastrow and the bull-headed Byron Henry. Robert Mitchum is the glue that holds the story together in a flawless performance as Victor "Pug" Henry, the man that meets everyone that is anyone in his role as a Naval Attache stationed in Berlin in the pre-World War II years. One of the best ever ensemble casts include stand-outperformances by Polly Bergen as Pug Henry's hard-drinking wife Rhoda, not to mention Topol, David Dukes, Victoria Tennant and John Houseman.
Winds of War has become a semi-annual event for our family. It is simply so entertaining that it never grows tiresome. The historical value alone makes it worth having in your home library.

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The first two years of WWII, before U.S. involvement, as seen through the eyes of a naval commander stationed at Pearl Harbor.Genre: TelevisionRating: NRRelease Date: 1-MAY-2007Media Type: DVD

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From Here to Eternity (1953) Review

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(More customer reviews)Now pay attention, widescreen DVD fans (I am among them)...!
Do not go looking for widescreen format before 1954, because with a couple of exceptions (see "sir-critic" below), they don't exist. One must be a student of history to some extent as a classic movie fan: when collecting a video library, know your format history; the key year is 1954. (Interestingly, it is the same key year for stereo music recordings, at least in the Classical world.) Also remember that a post-1954 movie is not necessarily a widescreen film, either, especially in the first few years. (See my review of "Moonstruck" for more aspect ratio commentary that you'll find very interesting, if this one is interesting to you. I ranted about its full-frame release and found out that I didn't know what I was talking about, more or less.)
"From Here to Eternity" is a great classic film that was shot and originally released in 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Like many, many other pre-1954 movies, this film was probably re-released several times in theaters with a "widescreen" format, but they just lopped off the top and bottom of the picture for the release. This was a grotesque practice, butchering many fine films and ruining the painstaking framing of shots by the cinematographer. You don't want a widescreen version of "From Here to Eternity", because it's butchered, I mean, ALTERED.
The important thing for DVD collectors / film buffs is ORIGINAL Theatrical Release Format, i.e., what the director and cinematographer intended you to see. The video release companies should be heavily encouraged by us to provide this information on the DVD and VHS boxes, so that we know a film's true original aspect ratio, and whether the particular edition is or is not altered, I mean, BUTCHERED.
Why is the television screen a 1.33:1 aspect ratio? Because movies' ratios were 1.33:1. TV programs and movies were filmed with the same cameras and film. By the early '50s, TV was becoming so important that film studios needed a new hook to keep people coming to the theaters, so Cinemascope and others were born to amaze audiences. Try to imagine seeing a 2.55:1 Cinemascope picture in the theater when all you've ever seen up to then was 1.33:1 films and TV. WOW!! THAT would keep you coming back to the cinema! Later cinematic hooks would be in sound, still more or less unachievable at home -- remember Surround Sound's forerunner, "Sensurround" (used for "Midway" and "Earthquake")?
Remember film fans, you might have to do a little research on a given movie before assuming that a video release is not the true format.

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FROM HERE TO ETERNITY - DVD Movie

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The Hero Ships Box Set 650 Minutes , The Battle History Of The United States Navy 184 Minutes Plus Extra : Total Run Time Over 835 Minutes : The History Channel Naval Warfare Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very interesting history of Navy ships and battles. It is real video or reinactment of history before video. It was very well done.

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King Arthur: The Young Warlord Review

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(More customer reviews)I appreciate the comments of Robert, however I must disagree, this version of Arthur I beleive would be more to the 'real' Arthur. The video cover does give the impression that you are about to watch a Hollywood type film with knights in shinig armour, but for anyone who watch the original series in 1972 would know different. As for the colour going in and out - it was made for PAL television and then converted to NTSC and you will probably be watching it on a NTSC video player that converts the signal bacl to a PAL format, I'm not surpriseed that there is some colour fluctuations.
All said and done the I found the film a joy to watch especially the marriage feast, it was so funny. Anyone who watched the original series maybe be disappointed about the colour, however I'm sure that ardent fans who haven't been able to watch the program for well over 20yrs (last shown in the UK 1983) will be well pleased.
I would hope that sometime in the future HTV the makers and current holders of the rites to the series will by public pressure release the whole series on video in the UK.

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Midway (1976) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw the movie play in a theatre and I was greatly impressed.
I still enjoy the movie BUT! at the same time I am disappointed.
When it was released first on VHS and now on DVD I was greatly disappointed to see how much film footage has been cut out from the original theatrical release.
In its original release MIDWAY ran for almost 2 hours 45 minutes.
On VHS and DVD it runs for 2 hours 10 minutes. What happened to all the othe extra scenes???
Where is the Battle of the Coral Sea which was shown in the original movie?

Furthermore they cut out the surround sound and made it Mono.
It is ridiculous that the have a Special Feature on Surround Sound, but the DVD was made in Mono sound.
And they call this DVD a Special Collector's Edition???
Come on Universal give us the full extended theatrical release along with 5.1 Surround Sound.

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Midway [VHS]

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The Plot to Kill Hitler : The True Story of Operation Valkyrie Review

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(More customer reviews)This excellent, clarifying and informative documentary was released at the 11th hour to bolster Eric Singer's film VALKYRIE. It does its job and how!--always, as my motto about documentaries, I expect no stupid re-enactments, no idiotically costumed actors, no soundtrack meant to invoke Wagner, just good fact, good history and lots of photos and interviews.
This is as good as it gets. We learn all about everyone here, from Count von Stauffenberg to General Ludwig Beck; we learn that these men really didn't consider themselves NAZI. This is the story about the German resistance...after I saw Singer's VALKYRIE, I told my wife I had no idea there had ever been such a thing. This excellent documentary tells everything the film left out: how and why were there dissenters among Hitler; what they thought of Germany and the war; how they planned to re-tool Germany after Hitler's death.
One vital thing I love about this documentary is that you will learn that at one point, General Olbrecht nearly called off the assassination, claiming it was too barbaric a move for them to make. He was quickly voted down, and this leads me to note the documentary's excellent, tasteful use of clips from Singer's VALKYRIE.
Get this as a necessary companion piece to VALKYRIE. You won't be sorry, and you'll understand it all completely.
THAT, dear readers, is a documentary!!

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The History Channel : The History Of The AK-47 Assault Weapon Review

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(More customer reviews)This AK-47 History Channel DVD is well made and presents the history of the AK-47, up to and including the AK-74. It discusses how Kalashnikov eventually prevailed with his AK (Automatic Kalashnikov) over other Russian automatic machine guns.

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1941 (Collector's Edition) (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)I think Mike from Chicago had one too many baby back ribs. This movie is hysterical. Speilberg directed a comedy classic, and with Belushi, Aykroyd, and John Candy this comedy is of the 5-star variety.
One of the funniest movies ever made !
Hey Mike, get a sense of humor, and then watch this again. Maybe you'll laugh like the rest of us !

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1941 - DVD Movie

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Biography - Admiral Chester Nimitz Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want a quickie about a great and inspiring man, this DVD is fine. If you have already read any of the biographies or substantial histories, this is very superficial. Not that I didn't learn anything, but at less than an hour, I was disappointed. He never even speaks.
Having said this, if you don't know much about Chester Nimitz, watch the DVD and then read the books. He was a great man in all respects.


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World War II:After Pearl Harbor 41-45 (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)First, the good news. You get about 3 hours for about fifteen bucks. Some of the combat footage is incredible. And, the documentaries are enjoyable.
Now, the bad news. Video and sound quality are poor. This is not DVD quality. Video of studio shots (the announcer, maps, etc.) are blurry and appear to be a dub of a VHS tape onto a DVD. Sound on the first disc is gated to reduce hiss; unfortunately, this leaves the sound rather choppy and unnatural-sounding, and lacking in upper frequencies (which reduces the intelligibility of the voice-over). Sound on the second disc is thankfully not mangled, but instead there is noticeable tape hiss. Since it's almost all combat footage (sometimes jerky, sometimes not focused, often poor contrast) the poor video quality is not as much an issue, especially since the footage is edited in sections barely longer than a few seconds each -- you barely have time to focus on it before it cuts away to something else. As far as the sound, I would not be surprised if it was manufactured later with sound effects. And by the time you reach the last documentary, you begin to recognize some of the footage which they had already used for another battle.
Also, this is not a comprehensive history of the Pacific War, but a collection of 20-min. documentaries from the mid-'80's each covering a key battle or some other subject. At least they do generally have them arranged in chronological order.
The verdict? It's a chance to get a lot of combat footage for cheap (although it's almost all American footage, and told from the American point of view). I'm generally happy with it, but the DVD quality sure could have been better.

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