Editorial Product Review: essential video:The Star Wars trilogy had the rare distinction of becoming more than just a series of movies, but a cultural phenomenon, a life-defining event for its generation. On its surface, George Lucas's original 1977 film is a rollicking and humorous space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by its basic struggle of good vs. evil 'a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,' its dazzling special effects, and ...
Editorial Product Review: :Five years after Godzilla 1985, the giant gray one awakens from his hibernation to take on his most unusual enemy, a towering mutant rosebush, the result of an ill-conceived genetics experiment. The 17th Godzilla feature (and second of the new wave) combines industrial espionage, military plots, and an element of the paranormal for a rather complicated story; but if the details blur in the confusion, the day-glo colors and bizarre monster designs help give the film a larger-than-life, comic-book look. Godzilla is still the ...
Editorial Product Review: :If The Phantom Menace was the setup, then Attack of the Clones is the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Wars fans are sure to be enthralled. Ten years after Episode I, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging 'dark side' while protecting his new love, Amidala, ...
Editorial Product Review: :In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the original Godzilla film, the lizard king returned to the big screen after a decade of inactivity for this 16th Godzilla feature. Originally released in Japan in 1984 as The Return of Godzilla, this modern sequel sweeps away decades of sequels and even recaptures the awe and grandeur of the original film, while adding modern technology and increased military firepower. But let's not get too carried away: this is ultimately a classic Japanese monster movie, and the ...
Editorial Product Review: :'I have a bad feeling about this,' says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can't help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevated moviegoers' expectations so high ...
Editorial Product Review: :Devoted Star Trek fans will surely cite the 'even number' rule in evaluating the Original Crew Movie Collection, but all six of these films qualify as rousing entertainment. Undeniably, the even-numbered films in Paramount's lucrative Trek franchise tended to be the best, as demonstrated by the superiority of The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, and The Undiscovered Country. And yet each film has something to offer die-hard Trekkers, beginning with the epic-scale wonders of the first Motion Picture (presented here as a two-disc ...
Editorial Product Review: :The greatest trilogy in film history comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Not only is the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the resolution of ...
Editorial Product Review: :Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films gave 'double-dipping'--releasing a DVD then releasing an improved version shortly afterward--a good name by offering both a better film and stupendous extras in the Extended Editions. This 'triple-dip' 2006 Limited Edition falls far short of that standard but is still of interest to devoted and casual fans. What do you get? Both the theatrical and extended versions of The Return of the King are on one double-sided disc. The versions use seamless branching, meaning that the scenes ...
Editorial Product Review: :Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films gave 'double-dipping'--releasing a DVD then releasing an improved version shortly afterward--a good name by offering both a better film and stupendous extras in the Extended Editions. This 'triple-dip' 2006 Limited Edition falls far short of that standard but is still of interest to devoted and casual fans. What do you get? Both the theatrical and extended versions of The Return of the King are on one double-sided disc. The versions use seamless branching, meaning that the scenes ...
Editorial Product Review: :Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films gave 'double-dipping'--releasing a DVD then releasing an improved version shortly afterward--a good name by offering both a better film and stupendous extras in the Extended Editions. This 'triple-dip' 2006 Limited Edition falls far short of that standard but is still of interest to devoted and casual fans. What do you get? Both the theatrical and extended versions of The Return of the King are on one double-sided disc. The versions use seamless branching, meaning that the scenes ...
The Pharos GPS Phone 600e isn't a horrible smart phone, but the lack of navigation software and subpar call quality detracts from its overall appeal. Plus, you can get more for your money with other GPS-enabled smart phones.
Thanks to a rich set of features and some great new additions, Evite maintains its stature as the top service for issuing e-invitations —but competitors are catching up.
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