Friday November 21, 2008
DVD
Displayed below are the top selling items for today, Friday November 21, 2008 along with the review customers have voted "most useful".
To find top selling items in for a specific category, use the menu on the left or click here to see all categories.
- The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset
- Tinker Bell
- Wall-E
- Jeff Dunham : Very Special Christmas Special
- Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)
- Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
- Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy
- The Dark Knight (Full-Screen Single-Disc Edition)
- The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
- The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
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The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset
(based on 131 customer reviews)
-
(DVD)
Publisher: A&E Home Video
Price: $57.99
You save: $41.96 (42%) off the list price!
click for more info
Most useful review as voted by customers:
91 out of 94 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 9/23/05
Already a great DVD set made even BETTER!
4.5 (almost 5!) Stars
Take a fantastic set of shows from an excellent British series, add two more discs of the troupe doing the classic bits live, and give it to the customer for practically the same price and you've got something for every Python fan.
First, my review of Monty Python's Flying Circus. I love the show. I think it is groundbreaking in its style and is still incredibly funny today. However, a type of humour doesn't appeal to 100% of the people and this is British humour so I know it won't appeal to a larger percentage. That being said, if you like British humour or sketch comedy, you will probably like Monty Python's TV show.
But, I am here to review the DVD set more than anything since that is what you are considering to buy. I am no Python expert so I can't tell you every little nook and cranny that should or should not exist on this collection. Like most box sets, it is missing something here and there and some of the other reviews point this out. For the most part, unless you are saturated in Python lore, you will not notice.
What you get is every episode put out on the BBC and I think they did a fine job working with the product. This isn't digital transfer so there are limitations. All of the skits I knew were on there, many that I had forgotten and many that I hadn't seen broadcast in the U.S. It is great to see them one after another in their original form. It is also great to have them all together in one box. If you are looking to find just a few specific skits or episodes, you may only need one disc or one of the smaller sets. But the price adds up if you get several, making the box set worth it.
The extras give some nice insight into the making of the series through some written blurbs about each episode and they have spliced together some thematic skits and animations. You can test your trivial knowledge of the Pythons and you can learn some history of the players. Also, some of the skits that they later performed live are available in the extras. The menu, as expected, is also well done using Terry Gilliam's animations.
However, the chaptering of the discs isn't real obvious so if you are searching for one skit, it may take some work to get there. Also, the packaging doesn't list all of the skits on each disc and in each episode so if you haven't memorized the series completely, you will have to go online to find that resource.
The boys went all out when putting extras on Holy Grail and I wish there was a bit more to this set. I would love commentary or interviews or a documentary or something. It would be quite a chore for this much but even a little bit would be nice. Otherwise, this would rate 5 stars as a DVD set. With the additional discs, it comes even closer than the last set.
For me, though, I'm very happy having the episodes to watch whenever I want, whenever the mood strikes me. Some of the gems are the lesser known skits that aren't part of the public consciousness. Again, you don't need to be a Pythonphile to enjoy this set, just someone who really likes the show and the humour.
Click here to see more reviews for: The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset
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Tinker Bell
(based on 61 customer reviews)
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(DVD)
Publisher: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Price: $15.49
You save: $14.50 (48%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
56 out of 61 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 9/28/08
Lucky me! Saw it today at Disney World...sneak peak!!!
We are Disney passholders and were lucky enough to be invited to watch the movie this afternoon in it's entirety at Disney World! Let me just say it was wonderful!! Both myself and my almost 4 year old daughter were mesmerized by the graphics, the color and the story. It is very well done and I hope everyone has the opportunity to see it on the big screen like we did today because it is just beautiful. FYI, there are 3 more movies to follow this one, hopefully on the big screen. The message of the movie is also great for kids, that we can't all be good at everything but that's ok! Tink is such a cute character as are the other fairies, I sometimes forgot they weren't real! LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!
Click here to see more reviews for: Tinker Bell
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Wall-E
(based on 170 customer reviews)
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(DVD)
Publisher: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Price: $14.99
You save: $15.00 (50%) off the list price!
click for more info
Most useful review as voted by customers:
108 out of 116 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 6/26/08
A masterpiece
I am floored. I didn't think it was possible for Pixar to surpass Toy Story, but it has. A sophisticated treat for adults and teens, a cuddly romance for the juice-box set, this comedic science fiction thriller romance (really!) takes the company to a new, more mature level. Filled with artistry, depth, meaning and a lot of humor, WALL-E is a masterpiece. Where Cars was a kid's movie with added adult themes, this is an adult movie with added value for children.
DIALOGUE SCHMIALOGUE
Before I saw WALL-E I had read about the lack of dialogue, and how it might be a risky move for Pixar to make a film with characters that don't talk in a traditional sense. Well, trash that. The most emotionally powerful scenes in this movie are those with the LEAST dialogue. Fully developed and indeed almost human, the two main characters are Wall-E himself (the letters stand for Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth Class; there's also a WALL-A) and EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), two machines in love.
After about a half hour I was wondering if Pixar could continue to pull off this less-is-more concept for the rest of the film -- then the two robots started playing Pong! Such imaginative screenplay carries the film to what should be a Best Picture nomination. Seriously.
A TOUCHING STORY
WALL-E is a lonely little robotic trash compactor who was left behind after Earth was abandoned some 700 years earlier. He has been methodically cleaning up the trash-ridden planet ever since, and harboring a tiny plant he has found among the garbage. Eve, meanwhile, lives on the immense spaceship Axiom, which is also home to the fat, blob-like remains of the human race. She is a probe robot that flies to Earth to determine if the planet is ready for habitation. WALL-E takes one look at the streamlined, angelic Eve and falls in love.
It didn't take long for me to fall in love with the little robot. As soon as he giggled (after his pet cockroach tickled him) I was hooked. This hardworking rusty guy with his small home full of collected treasures is so poignant. His lonely life is so human. Eve is just as likable, but much more sleek. Near the end comes a heartbreaking moment when a key character seems to lose all personality, all self. So well done, it made me think of how families must feel when a loved one disappears inside him- or herself with Alzheimer's disease.
All ends well, of course. As the credits roll, the artwork illustrates how everyone and everything lives happily after ever.
AN ADULT MEANING
For adults, WALL-E is not so much about a cute little robot as it is about the future of man. What happens when humans become such creatures of the consumer culture, so fat they can't even stand up without assistance, living literally on auto-pilot, that they do nothing but buy cheap merchandise, stuff their faces at the Regurgitated Food Buffet and lie around watching video screens? Can they ever get back to the land and set their souls free? Crosby, Stills and Nash asked that question decades ago; Pixar asks it today.
There is even a sly political reference. Broadcasting a message to the passengers of the spaceship, the CEO of monster corporation Buy 'n' Large -- played in live-action by the inimitable Fred Willard, and named Shelby Forthright -- says they will be continuing on their never-ending, hopeless cruise to nowhere because they must "Stay the course!" Hmmm, haven't I heard a president use that line?
EXTRA TOUCHES
WALL-E has so many wonderful touches! After the little robot is charged using his solar panels, he "turns on" with a sound any Macintosh owner will recognize. The robot's collected objects, much like the thingamabobs of The Little Mermaid's Ariel, are things that are uniquely human: bubble wrap, an iPod, a Rubics cube, a singing plastic trophy fish and -- blink and you'll miss it -- a carrousel horse from Walt Disney World. Especially inspired are the two things on this future Earth that are totally indestructible: a cockroach and Twinkies.
Stay for the credits. Recalling cave drawings, hieroglyphics, Monet and Van Gogh paintings and early computer graphics, the progressive sequence of art within them sneaks in the history of dialogue-free storytelling.
ANIMATED? REALLY?
The look of the movie is hard to describe. In one scene, when WALL-E and EVE are investigating a piece of bubble wrap, you can't tell it is an animated film. It actually appears to be live-action. Likewise, the outer space scenes have the same level of realism as any of the Star Wars movies. The trailing tower of squiggly smoke that's left behind by a launching spacecraft re-creates the Florida sky of a Space Shuttle launch to a T. For the most part, it is only when humans are portrayed that you are consciously aware that what you're watching was generated on circuit boards, not in cameras.
I've seen the movie three times, first in digital projection and then from a film projector. The digital showing was much sharper, which made all the realistic touches far easier to appreciate.
MOVIE REFERENCES
It's obvious the Pixar folks are movie lovers; there are so many cinematic inspirations in WALL-E that I lost count. The "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" sequence from Hello, Dolly! shows up -- literally -- maybe half a dozen times. (Disney World fans may also remember the song as one of the background melodies along Main Street U.S.A.) The Axiom spaceship's computer is clearly an homage to HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey; that film's signature overture "Also Sprach Zarathustra" plays at a key moment. WALL-E himself combines the purrs of E.T., the attitude of R2-D2 and the moves of Charlie Chaplin. There's a brief reference to Titanic.
OPENING CARTOON
The movie is preceded by a Pixar short, "Presto," that had the entire audience I was sitting with in stitches. Its plot: When a magician neglects to feed his bunny a carrot, an escalating disaster results. It's so nice to start a feature with a cartoon. I wish other studios still did it. (Disney fans will note the magician's hat is similar to the one used by Mickey Mouse in Fantasia.)
SOUVENIR TOY
Might as well budget it in: if you take your kids to see this you're going to be buying a souvenir. Here's the coolest one I've found on Amazon: U Command Wall-E.
Will it ever run out? This continuous font of imagination from Pixar? With WALL-E, it sure doesn't look like it.
Click here to see more reviews for: Wall-E
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Jeff Dunham
Very Special Christmas Special
(based on 43 customer reviews)
-
(DVD)
Publisher: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Price: $8.99
You save: $5.99 (40%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
46 out of 46 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 8/6/08
Jeff never ceases to please...
I've seen Jeff-fuf 3 times now (his live show, that is) and I never cease to be AMAZED at his talent!! You REALLY believe there's MORE THAN HIM onstage!! The last show I saw included previews of this upcoming special and we are all in for a TREAT!!! Achh-med singing "Jingle Bombs" is sure to make the Christmas charts this year!
I LOVE guitar guy! (Brian Haner). Not only is he an extremely talented guitar player - he is also extremely FUNNY. He and Jeff play off one another quite well, and obviously enjoy one another alot. They'd have to with the amount of time they spend together on the road.
Peanut, is my all-time FAVORITE character. As he says - "When you go PURPLE, you NEVER go back!"
Whatever DVD you decide to pick up, you will NOT be disappointed. Jeff Dunham is one of the most talented comedians of our time. You will laugh till you cry!
Click here to see more reviews for: Jeff Dunham
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Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)
(based on 45 customer reviews)
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(DVD)
Publisher: Dreamworks Animated
Price: $15.99
You save: $14.00 (47%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
26 out of 28 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 8/29/08
Delightful yet amazingly faithful!
With deep foreboding, I walked into this movie braced for second rate animation (at least compared to Pixar), endless fights between cartoons (as in the CGI "Clone Wars"), and a cultural sensitivity that was either painfully preachy (like "Mulan") or outright insulting (like "Aladdin").
At first, my dread seemed confirmed. Poor Dustin Hoffman mangles Chinese names without mercy - so much so that James Hong, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan have to mispronounce words them just to match what he says.
But once the movie got rolling, I found myself grinning from ear to ear in sheer delight. Yes, it's true, Dreamworks can't compete with Pixar's technology, but they make up for it with beautiful graphic design, sheer wit and - of course - those hilariously quivering "Scrat Eyes". What's more, the animators somehow manage to make Kung Fu battles between cartoons both exciting and enjoyable - every bit the match of live action fights (which nowadays are nothing more than CGI fights with famous faces pasted on).
However, what was most remarkable was how faithful this film was to Chinese culture - family dynamics, Buddhist philosophy, values, and even martial arts - this film simply HAD to be written by Chinese. There was never a moment when it strained to "score points" with political correctness: all of its cultural messages were subtle, buried within a plot crammed with excitement and laughter. Here you experience how parental love turns into suffocating pressure, here you see adolescent rebellion as a monstrosity rather than a virtue, here you see the quirky characters of a city (complete with that wobbly "bound foot" walk), here you hear the wisdom of Zen detachment, and here you experience the sacred relationship between student and teacher.
Perhaps my opinion is biased by the surprise this movie gave to my low expectations, but I can't help but see this film as an unappreciated but precious gem. Now if only they could do such a great job on Islamic culture...!
Click here to see more reviews for: Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)
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Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
(based on 170 customer reviews)
-
(DVD)
Publisher: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Price: $22.99
You save: $17.00 (43%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
108 out of 116 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 8/28/08
Includes great Pixar documentary, lots more
When my family first saw this movie back in June, my daughter immediately KNEW there was going to be a 3-disc DVD set. "There HAS to be," she told me, "there is just so much stuff they have to put in it."
What a thrill it is to see it's really going to happen. Thank you, Disney, for getting this one right.
"THE PIXAR STORY"
The big news here is the inclusion of "The Pixar Story." Produced in 2007 but rarely seen, this 87-minute film documents the rise of the animation company by combining lots of talking-head interviews with gobs of Pixar animation. Among those recounting stories are Pixar bigwigs Ed Catmull, Michael Eisner, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, Steve Jobs, John Lasseter and George Lucas.
The documentary has a lot of technical talk, but balances that with lots of rare footage, including clips of some early projects Lasseter created as a college student. One, called "NiteMare," became the basis for the 2001 movie, "Monsters, Inc." "The Pixar Story" is narrated by Stacy Keach.
"The Pixar Story" was produced by Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks. She also did the superb "The Hand Behind the Mouse," a documentary about her grandfather, which appears as a bonus feature on the DVD set Walt Disney Treasures - The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
OTHER BONUS FEATURES
Additional features on this 3-disc set relate, of course, to the WALL-E movie. They include:
* A digital copy of the film you can transfer to an iPod, iPhone or similar device.
* An audio commentary with director Andrew Stanton.
* The Pixar short "Presto" that opened for WALL-E in theaters
* A second Pixar short, "BURN-E." This is a short about the welder robot who was seen banging his fists against the door of the Axiom spaceship. It was produced at the same time as the movie for inclusion here.
* BnL Shorts. Some amusing peeks into the workings of the Buy n Large Corporation.
* Deleted scenes (with introductions), including "Garbage Airlock" (WALL-E rescues EVE from being ejected from the ship, then revives her) and "Dumped" (when WALL-E gives the plant to EVE, she realizes she must take it to the bridge so it can be analyzed).
* "Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds From The Sound Up." Complete with historic footage, this featurette compares Ben Burtt's work on WALL-E to the sound design in early Disney films.
* "WALL-E's Tour of the Universe." The press release says "Join WALL-E on his own private tour of the Universe through the World-Wide Telescope, narrated by Auto-Pilot."
* An interactive game, "WALL-E's Treasures and Trinkets."
* The "Lots of Bots" storybook, the video re-creation of a cute actual storybook.
Click here to see more reviews for: Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
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Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy
(based on 170 customer reviews)
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![Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lXr2iiC5L._SL160_.jpg)
(Blu-ray)
Publisher: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Price: $24.99
You save: $16.00 (39%) off the list price!
click for more info
Most useful review as voted by customers:
108 out of 116 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 8/28/08
Includes great Pixar documentary, lots more
When my family first saw this movie back in June, my daughter immediately KNEW there was going to be a 3-disc DVD set. "There HAS to be," she told me, "there is just so much stuff they have to put in it."
What a thrill it is to see it's really going to happen. Thank you, Disney, for getting this one right.
"THE PIXAR STORY"
The big news here is the inclusion of "The Pixar Story." Produced in 2007 but rarely seen, this 87-minute film documents the rise of the animation company by combining lots of talking-head interviews with gobs of Pixar animation. Among those recounting stories are Pixar bigwigs Ed Catmull, Michael Eisner, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, Steve Jobs, John Lasseter and George Lucas.
The documentary has a lot of technical talk, but balances that with lots of rare footage, including clips of some early projects Lasseter created as a college student. One, called "NiteMare," became the basis for the 2001 movie, "Monsters, Inc." "The Pixar Story" is narrated by Stacy Keach.
"The Pixar Story" was produced by Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks. She also did the superb "The Hand Behind the Mouse," a documentary about her grandfather, which appears as a bonus feature on the DVD set Walt Disney Treasures - The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
OTHER BONUS FEATURES
Additional features on this 3-disc set relate, of course, to the WALL-E movie. They include:
* A digital copy of the film you can transfer to an iPod, iPhone or similar device.
* An audio commentary with director Andrew Stanton.
* The Pixar short "Presto" that opened for WALL-E in theaters
* A second Pixar short, "BURN-E." This is a short about the welder robot who was seen banging his fists against the door of the Axiom spaceship. It was produced at the same time as the movie for inclusion here.
* BnL Shorts. Some amusing peeks into the workings of the Buy n Large Corporation.
* Deleted scenes (with introductions), including "Garbage Airlock" (WALL-E rescues EVE from being ejected from the ship, then revives her) and "Dumped" (when WALL-E gives the plant to EVE, she realizes she must take it to the bridge so it can be analyzed).
* "Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds From The Sound Up." Complete with historic footage, this featurette compares Ben Burtt's work on WALL-E to the sound design in early Disney films.
* "WALL-E's Tour of the Universe." The press release says "Join WALL-E on his own private tour of the Universe through the World-Wide Telescope, narrated by Auto-Pilot."
* An interactive game, "WALL-E's Treasures and Trinkets."
* The "Lots of Bots" storybook, the video re-creation of a cute actual storybook.
Click here to see more reviews for: Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy
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The Dark Knight (Full-Screen Single-Disc Edition)
(based on 117 customer reviews)
-
(DVD)
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Price: $15.99
You save: $12.99 (45%) off the list price!
click for more info
Most useful review as voted by customers:
158 out of 177 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 10/11/08
The Dark Masterpiece Surpasses the Hype
Christopher Nolan has a vision. And whether you agree with it or not, he undeniably completes it in "The Dark Knight"--a vicious, engrossing, overwhelming, intelligent event- film that re-defines 'comic-book-flicks'. In Nolan's grim, dark-depiction of Gotham-City (the crime-ridden hell protected by legendary superhero Batman), the director strives to make everything real (something he began in the well-received "Batman Begins"). He makes it plausible, possible. And yet there's more to it: just as 'Begins' was a dissection of myth, the nature of symbols and heroes, 'Knight' is the escalation of that notion. It's a biblical- confrontation of 'good-and-evil', yet as 'good-and-evil' really exist: a conflict of ideals, something that can't be purely-defined but that is relative to a viewpoint. In Nolan's world, the line of villainy and heroism isn't crossed... it's non-existent. The bad-guys don't see themselves as bad-guys, and as such something so unnervingly-real comes across it might fly past some people's minds (no insult to anybody, it's just common that people don't look deep into 'popcorn-flicks'): the battle is a complete ambiguity.
The film runs at nearly 2.5-hours, yet never ceases to lose interest or momentum. It doesn't waste a scene or moment; every event is utilized and necessary. 'The Dark Knight' tells a story worth telling and it takes the proper amount of time to tell it. Action-sequences are frantic, old-school, eye-grabbing stunts (vastly superior to 'Begins') and in their chaotic intensity we see that they serve purpose to the story, yet more interesting are not played for pure entertainment-value: we are meant to watch, petrified, simply hoping that the outcome will go the hero's way. Attention is never lost because we are immersed in a breathtaking, almost completely-unpredictable story (it packs many a shock), that makes us think and more importantly gains our emotional-investment. We come to care for the characters, because they are believable, developed, and personified fully.
Everyone has great-chemistry together. Maggie Gyllenhal is a more mature Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes. Morgan Freeman provides his authoritative presence to the role of bad- gadget-inventor/Wayne-Enterprise CEO Lucius Fox, and under anyone else's portrayal, the part would be less-memorable. Gary Oldman underplays his world-wearied lawman with such honest-nobility, you never feel for a second any of its forced-acting. The irreplaceable Michael Caine makes a gentle, reassuring, father-like presence as Alfred, and the movie would surely fail without his strong-presence and interjected-moments of light-humor.
And while everyone (rightfully) pours the praise unto Bale and Ledger, I think most are glancing-over Knight's breakout-performance. As Harvey Dent, Aaron Eckhart does more than hold himself in the company of such a renowned-cast. He makes his presence known, whether he's playing on the easy-going charisma of Gotham's 'White-Knight' or the broken and damaged, twisted-soul of Two-Face. He achieves a full-impact with the tragedy that comes unto his character, and so closely connects with Dent, that he makes his pain tangible for us: we sympathize even as we become terrified. He captures both facets of each personality flawlessly.
Now, some people cite that 'Knight' has a potential fatal-flaw in the supposedly wooden- acting of Christian Bale. Admittedly, his development is not as grand as in 'Begins' (yet that film gave us such a good psychoanalysis of Wayne, we hardly need more), yet what Bale pulls off is admirable. Wayne is not an eccentric personality. He is a disillusioned man who can hardly find any joy in having no family, giving up his love-interest and spending his life fighting a battle that may never end. He's dark and conflicted, and Bale plays up on that brooding-mood by making Wayne look as though a thousand dark-things were on his mind. He's not wooden...he's a humorless, quiet individual. Even when Wayne is acting as a frivolous playboy for the public, every now and then Bale offers us a powerful glance that reminds us its all a façade; that deep down, something more disturbed irks him. Occasionally he offers a broken-smile when exchanging banter with Alfred, letting us know that beyond the dour depression of the Caped-Crusader lies a damaged human-being. It is only in the guise of a growling masked-man, that he can unleash his true, ferocious personality.
Finally, who could forget Heath Ledger. Now, when he was first-announced for the part, I was (along with many other people) asking myself: "Why?". Mr. Ledger had proved with 'Brokeback Mountain' he could deliver a potent performance. But he hadn't before. It is only, after seeing this film, that I know the answer to 'why?': I see the significance of his loss.
When Heath appears in this movie, he is completely unrecognizable. His voice is distinctly-altered; a near-whiny, pedophile-like tone that sends shivers down the spine. His face is completely splattered with makeup that renders him both freakishly-nightmarish and strangely-funny. And when you see him, you don't think it's him. In this, his final performance, Ledger proved he was a chameleon. His two iconic performances in this, and 'Brokeback', could not be more different. I am convinced he could have been anything in his career. He commits so intensely to character that the line of actor/portrayal dies. His every tick and gesture only further-enhances his character. Heath never hams the role up or goes for something cheap: he delivers a fully-immersed display of psychotic madness...or do we just label him that to feel safer? The movie writes the character brilliantly; blending terrifying truth into his every social-accusation, and making us question why we laugh at his sick-jokes.
'The Dark Knight' has had an incredible-amount of hype running for it, from the get-go, mounting ever-higher, until Heath Ledger's too-soon death. And the finished-product does more than exceed all of the near-impossible expectations placed on it. It becomes something much richer than a super-hero-franchise-saga. Christopher Nolan has opened a new door in cinema: allowing action-flicks to become more serious, capable of intelligence. He has transformed this into a piece of artwork, full of beauty, terror, moral-conundrums. This movie has changed things...forever.
There's no going back. 10/10
Click here to see more reviews for: The Dark Knight (Full-Screen Single-Disc Edition)
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The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
(based on 117 customer reviews)
-
(DVD)
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Price: $20.99
You save: $13.99 (40%) off the list price!
click for more info
Most useful review as voted by customers:
158 out of 177 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 10/11/08
The Dark Masterpiece Surpasses the Hype
Christopher Nolan has a vision. And whether you agree with it or not, he undeniably completes it in "The Dark Knight"--a vicious, engrossing, overwhelming, intelligent event- film that re-defines 'comic-book-flicks'. In Nolan's grim, dark-depiction of Gotham-City (the crime-ridden hell protected by legendary superhero Batman), the director strives to make everything real (something he began in the well-received "Batman Begins"). He makes it plausible, possible. And yet there's more to it: just as 'Begins' was a dissection of myth, the nature of symbols and heroes, 'Knight' is the escalation of that notion. It's a biblical- confrontation of 'good-and-evil', yet as 'good-and-evil' really exist: a conflict of ideals, something that can't be purely-defined but that is relative to a viewpoint. In Nolan's world, the line of villainy and heroism isn't crossed... it's non-existent. The bad-guys don't see themselves as bad-guys, and as such something so unnervingly-real comes across it might fly past some people's minds (no insult to anybody, it's just common that people don't look deep into 'popcorn-flicks'): the battle is a complete ambiguity.
The film runs at nearly 2.5-hours, yet never ceases to lose interest or momentum. It doesn't waste a scene or moment; every event is utilized and necessary. 'The Dark Knight' tells a story worth telling and it takes the proper amount of time to tell it. Action-sequences are frantic, old-school, eye-grabbing stunts (vastly superior to 'Begins') and in their chaotic intensity we see that they serve purpose to the story, yet more interesting are not played for pure entertainment-value: we are meant to watch, petrified, simply hoping that the outcome will go the hero's way. Attention is never lost because we are immersed in a breathtaking, almost completely-unpredictable story (it packs many a shock), that makes us think and more importantly gains our emotional-investment. We come to care for the characters, because they are believable, developed, and personified fully.
Everyone has great-chemistry together. Maggie Gyllenhal is a more mature Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes. Morgan Freeman provides his authoritative presence to the role of bad- gadget-inventor/Wayne-Enterprise CEO Lucius Fox, and under anyone else's portrayal, the part would be less-memorable. Gary Oldman underplays his world-wearied lawman with such honest-nobility, you never feel for a second any of its forced-acting. The irreplaceable Michael Caine makes a gentle, reassuring, father-like presence as Alfred, and the movie would surely fail without his strong-presence and interjected-moments of light-humor.
And while everyone (rightfully) pours the praise unto Bale and Ledger, I think most are glancing-over Knight's breakout-performance. As Harvey Dent, Aaron Eckhart does more than hold himself in the company of such a renowned-cast. He makes his presence known, whether he's playing on the easy-going charisma of Gotham's 'White-Knight' or the broken and damaged, twisted-soul of Two-Face. He achieves a full-impact with the tragedy that comes unto his character, and so closely connects with Dent, that he makes his pain tangible for us: we sympathize even as we become terrified. He captures both facets of each personality flawlessly.
Now, some people cite that 'Knight' has a potential fatal-flaw in the supposedly wooden- acting of Christian Bale. Admittedly, his development is not as grand as in 'Begins' (yet that film gave us such a good psychoanalysis of Wayne, we hardly need more), yet what Bale pulls off is admirable. Wayne is not an eccentric personality. He is a disillusioned man who can hardly find any joy in having no family, giving up his love-interest and spending his life fighting a battle that may never end. He's dark and conflicted, and Bale plays up on that brooding-mood by making Wayne look as though a thousand dark-things were on his mind. He's not wooden...he's a humorless, quiet individual. Even when Wayne is acting as a frivolous playboy for the public, every now and then Bale offers us a powerful glance that reminds us its all a façade; that deep down, something more disturbed irks him. Occasionally he offers a broken-smile when exchanging banter with Alfred, letting us know that beyond the dour depression of the Caped-Crusader lies a damaged human-being. It is only in the guise of a growling masked-man, that he can unleash his true, ferocious personality.
Finally, who could forget Heath Ledger. Now, when he was first-announced for the part, I was (along with many other people) asking myself: "Why?". Mr. Ledger had proved with 'Brokeback Mountain' he could deliver a potent performance. But he hadn't before. It is only, after seeing this film, that I know the answer to 'why?': I see the significance of his loss.
When Heath appears in this movie, he is completely unrecognizable. His voice is distinctly-altered; a near-whiny, pedophile-like tone that sends shivers down the spine. His face is completely splattered with makeup that renders him both freakishly-nightmarish and strangely-funny. And when you see him, you don't think it's him. In this, his final performance, Ledger proved he was a chameleon. His two iconic performances in this, and 'Brokeback', could not be more different. I am convinced he could have been anything in his career. He commits so intensely to character that the line of actor/portrayal dies. His every tick and gesture only further-enhances his character. Heath never hams the role up or goes for something cheap: he delivers a fully-immersed display of psychotic madness...or do we just label him that to feel safer? The movie writes the character brilliantly; blending terrifying truth into his every social-accusation, and making us question why we laugh at his sick-jokes.
'The Dark Knight' has had an incredible-amount of hype running for it, from the get-go, mounting ever-higher, until Heath Ledger's too-soon death. And the finished-product does more than exceed all of the near-impossible expectations placed on it. It becomes something much richer than a super-hero-franchise-saga. Christopher Nolan has opened a new door in cinema: allowing action-flicks to become more serious, capable of intelligence. He has transformed this into a piece of artwork, full of beauty, terror, moral-conundrums. This movie has changed things...forever.
There's no going back. 10/10
Click here to see more reviews for: The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
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The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
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158 out of 177 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 10/11/08
The Dark Masterpiece Surpasses the Hype
Christopher Nolan has a vision. And whether you agree with it or not, he undeniably completes it in "The Dark Knight"--a vicious, engrossing, overwhelming, intelligent event- film that re-defines 'comic-book-flicks'. In Nolan's grim, dark-depiction of Gotham-City (the crime-ridden hell protected by legendary superhero Batman), the director strives to make everything real (something he began in the well-received "Batman Begins"). He makes it plausible, possible. And yet there's more to it: just as 'Begins' was a dissection of myth, the nature of symbols and heroes, 'Knight' is the escalation of that notion. It's a biblical- confrontation of 'good-and-evil', yet as 'good-and-evil' really exist: a conflict of ideals, something that can't be purely-defined but that is relative to a viewpoint. In Nolan's world, the line of villainy and heroism isn't crossed... it's non-existent. The bad-guys don't see themselves as bad-guys, and as such something so unnervingly-real comes across it might fly past some people's minds (no insult to anybody, it's just common that people don't look deep into 'popcorn-flicks'): the battle is a complete ambiguity.
The film runs at nearly 2.5-hours, yet never ceases to lose interest or momentum. It doesn't waste a scene or moment; every event is utilized and necessary. 'The Dark Knight' tells a story worth telling and it takes the proper amount of time to tell it. Action-sequences are frantic, old-school, eye-grabbing stunts (vastly superior to 'Begins') and in their chaotic intensity we see that they serve purpose to the story, yet more interesting are not played for pure entertainment-value: we are meant to watch, petrified, simply hoping that the outcome will go the hero's way. Attention is never lost because we are immersed in a breathtaking, almost completely-unpredictable story (it packs many a shock), that makes us think and more importantly gains our emotional-investment. We come to care for the characters, because they are believable, developed, and personified fully.
Everyone has great-chemistry together. Maggie Gyllenhal is a more mature Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes. Morgan Freeman provides his authoritative presence to the role of bad- gadget-inventor/Wayne-Enterprise CEO Lucius Fox, and under anyone else's portrayal, the part would be less-memorable. Gary Oldman underplays his world-wearied lawman with such honest-nobility, you never feel for a second any of its forced-acting. The irreplaceable Michael Caine makes a gentle, reassuring, father-like presence as Alfred, and the movie would surely fail without his strong-presence and interjected-moments of light-humor.
And while everyone (rightfully) pours the praise unto Bale and Ledger, I think most are glancing-over Knight's breakout-performance. As Harvey Dent, Aaron Eckhart does more than hold himself in the company of such a renowned-cast. He makes his presence known, whether he's playing on the easy-going charisma of Gotham's 'White-Knight' or the broken and damaged, twisted-soul of Two-Face. He achieves a full-impact with the tragedy that comes unto his character, and so closely connects with Dent, that he makes his pain tangible for us: we sympathize even as we become terrified. He captures both facets of each personality flawlessly.
Now, some people cite that 'Knight' has a potential fatal-flaw in the supposedly wooden- acting of Christian Bale. Admittedly, his development is not as grand as in 'Begins' (yet that film gave us such a good psychoanalysis of Wayne, we hardly need more), yet what Bale pulls off is admirable. Wayne is not an eccentric personality. He is a disillusioned man who can hardly find any joy in having no family, giving up his love-interest and spending his life fighting a battle that may never end. He's dark and conflicted, and Bale plays up on that brooding-mood by making Wayne look as though a thousand dark-things were on his mind. He's not wooden...he's a humorless, quiet individual. Even when Wayne is acting as a frivolous playboy for the public, every now and then Bale offers us a powerful glance that reminds us its all a façade; that deep down, something more disturbed irks him. Occasionally he offers a broken-smile when exchanging banter with Alfred, letting us know that beyond the dour depression of the Caped-Crusader lies a damaged human-being. It is only in the guise of a growling masked-man, that he can unleash his true, ferocious personality.
Finally, who could forget Heath Ledger. Now, when he was first-announced for the part, I was (along with many other people) asking myself: "Why?". Mr. Ledger had proved with 'Brokeback Mountain' he could deliver a potent performance. But he hadn't before. It is only, after seeing this film, that I know the answer to 'why?': I see the significance of his loss.
When Heath appears in this movie, he is completely unrecognizable. His voice is distinctly-altered; a near-whiny, pedophile-like tone that sends shivers down the spine. His face is completely splattered with makeup that renders him both freakishly-nightmarish and strangely-funny. And when you see him, you don't think it's him. In this, his final performance, Ledger proved he was a chameleon. His two iconic performances in this, and 'Brokeback', could not be more different. I am convinced he could have been anything in his career. He commits so intensely to character that the line of actor/portrayal dies. His every tick and gesture only further-enhances his character. Heath never hams the role up or goes for something cheap: he delivers a fully-immersed display of psychotic madness...or do we just label him that to feel safer? The movie writes the character brilliantly; blending terrifying truth into his every social-accusation, and making us question why we laugh at his sick-jokes.
'The Dark Knight' has had an incredible-amount of hype running for it, from the get-go, mounting ever-higher, until Heath Ledger's too-soon death. And the finished-product does more than exceed all of the near-impossible expectations placed on it. It becomes something much richer than a super-hero-franchise-saga. Christopher Nolan has opened a new door in cinema: allowing action-flicks to become more serious, capable of intelligence. He has transformed this into a piece of artwork, full of beauty, terror, moral-conundrums. This movie has changed things...forever.
There's no going back. 10/10
Click here to see more reviews for: The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
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