Kakaku：399 saved$3.99
MPI Home Video
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (The Honeymoon Continues from the Sun and Fun Capital of the World!) 『MPI video continues its' release of the Honeymooners sketches from the Jackie Gleason Shows of the latter /60s.There are 12 eps in this release spanning from Sept.9/67 to Oct.26/68. Each Honeymooners sketch is pure delight.Jackie Gleason and Art Carney and their "new" on-camera spouses Sheila Macrae(as Alice) and Jane Kean( as Trixie) continue to add to the fun and frivolity with their special talents,all filmed before a live audience in Miami Beach.These shows were aired nationally on Saturday nights but were shot the previous evening.This gave them time to tweak the show for any over-time,throw in extra camera shots where needed,etc,etc. I only have one negative I think you should be made aware of.I was a little disturbed while watching the four eps on the first disc.All of them, to some degree or other,have videotape anomalies such as dirt and stationary crease lines running periodically throughout;much rougher looking than I've encountered on previous releases.The rest of the eps on the other discs(coincidentally or not) are fine and have few such visible problems and are in keeping with the standards of the previous set releases.An FYI. These Honeymonners,like those released before, are all musical in nature.So every ep here contains four to five musical numbers performed throughout by various cast members,generally with one or more singing partners.The music is brilliantly written by Lyn Duddy and Jerry Bressler and with great backing by Sammy Spear and his Orchestra ,it was a match made in musical heaven.Also there to dazzle you are the wonderful June Taylor dancers.I appreciate the work of June and her talented troupe even more now than I did back in the 60s when I first saw these shows in their entirety.The work,precision and professionalism from these guys and gals is astounding.Look closely and see if you can spot June herself dancing with her team! Along with the belly laughs supplied in spades by the cast you will notice in these shows,more than the previous ones,several gaffs and some ad-libs;especially from Gleason and Carney.Being the pros they are they recover quickly but it's precious to catch these quick little faux pauxs.And speaking of precious moments,keep an eye out at the end of an ep on the first disc where Jackie introduces the cast.When the first person called,Jane Kean,comes out she rushes head long at Jackie holding his "coffee" cup.She bumps him a little harder than he expects and a bit of the contents of the cup spills.Jackie gives her a sly glance and shake of his head as she leaves,smiles at the audience and sips the spillings from the saucer.It's a pure Gleason moment,not to be missed. As a brief little aside,the only regrets I've ever had about these releases from MPI are that the ENTIRE shows themselves have not been released.Like the shows that the so called "Lost Episodes" were culled from,the entire shows still exist for these releases also.However I realize this is not so much the fault of MPI as it's what the Gleason estate will allow for release;on DVD and in syndication.It's just that the only things missing from THESE releases,for the most part,are a precious five-ten minutes of opening show intros and dialogue from Jackie.When all things are considered however,I suppose we should be grateful for what we do get.But I can dream,can't I? In conclusion Gleason,Carney,Kean and Macrae are all back and as funny as ever in the continuing releases from MPI of the colour Honeymooner sketches culled from the Jackie Gleason Show of the late 1960s.Be aware of the first disc whose eps are at times not quite up to the standards set by the others after them(in the set) and the previous releases.As usual the dancing,the music and the humour is all top notch containing the typical Gleason/Honeymooners spirit we all know and love. By the way,watch out for some well known actors you might recall who come by in support of the cast.Who? You'll have to watch to find out!』
(Away We Go!) 『Lights, action, color! Music, singing, dancing, and the Honeymooners....what could be more fun? Very well reproduced as to sound and color. Good for a cheer-me-up or a trip down Nostalgia Lane. Young ones will find them corny, perhaps, but is that so bad?』 『The Color Honeymooners (a/k/a The Jackie Gleason Show), a top-rated comedy/variety program aired, from the sun and fun capital of the world Miami Beach! on Saturday night from 1966-70 on CBS-TV. This long-running series marked the final weekly TV show for The Great One.
Reprising their famous characters from The Honeymooners, the cast was led by Jackie Gleason (Ralph Kramden) and Art Carney (Ed Norton). Newcomers Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean played long-suffering wives Alice and Trixie. Like popular variety series of the time, the show s format was a clever combination of new comedy sketches coupled with classic Honeymooners bits. Plenty of big name guest stars and a generous helping of singing and dancing rounded out the hour.
Regulars included Gleason s glamorous Glea-Girls; the June Taylor Dancers; Sammy Spear and His Orchestra, and announcer, Johnny Olson.』
Kakaku：995 saved$9.95
Legend Films
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Unintended Consequences) 『Probably the last thing that the producers of any horror movie want to elicit from their audience is uncontrollable laughter. But when decades roll on, it is ironically that unintended humor that manages to preserve the absolute best of the worst, while that generation's most acclaimed films fall by the wayside, replaced by a new wave of equally competent yet forgettable films. So it is that today we behold Phantom from Space, immortalized for its peerless cheesiness and the exploits of its invisible, asteroid-riding namesake.
Nothing illustrates the paradox above quite like the post-mortem treatment of Phantom from Space, which by virtue of its poor quality is now being re-released by Legend Films--not to mention completely re-mastered. Yes, now you can behold this timeless treasure of science fiction in full, glorious color (though an untouched black and white version is included on the same disc). For this reason alone, this is probably the must-own version of Phantom from Space--no other DVD will give you the same choice for the same price.』 『Nobody takes much notice when an asteroid crashes off the coast of Santa Monica. That is, until two people turn up dead. It turns out that someone - or something - ejected from the asteroid, and it is responsible for the deaths. The town must mobilize to track down the mysterious Phantom from Space, but what is its goal? Why is it here? And how easy a task will it be to track him down when it turns out...he'sinvisible!Phantom from Spacebalances out its suspense with some unintentional laughs, in this forgotten 50s sci-fi treasure.』
Kakaku：995 saved$9.95
Legend Films
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (It Came... From Hollywood!) 『What do American gangsters, Cuban refugees and imaginary sea-monsters have in common? How about an approximately $0 production budget, an utter lack of direction and some of the worst acting ever to grace the silver screen?
Creature from the Haunted Sea is yet another B-movie triumph adopted by the fans over at Legend Films (I suspect that Mike Nelson's presence there has an influence). Like the responsible and doting parents that they are, they've applied their trademarked nurturing to Creature, cleaning up the existing black and white version of the film and imbuing it with full color for the first time in its nearly fifty year history.
Can't decide between sticking with the classic black and white or experimenting with this new color version? You don't have to, because both are included on the same disc--for essentially the same money as other black and white only DVDs (at the time of this review).
Again, know what you're getting into: this is a comically dumb movie. A popcorn movie. Crack open a beer and enjoy it with your college buds!』 『Robert Towne (screenwriter Chinatown) assumes a pseudonym to star in Roger Corman's Creature from the Haunted Sea. Renzo Capetto, a dastardly gangster, intends to smuggle a fortune out of Cuba, and it's up to Towne to infiltrate his gang. When he does, he discovers that Capetto's plan is to kill off his crew and blame their deaths on the mythical "Creature from the Haunted Sea." Little does he know that the actual creature may make his plan all too easy to pull off! In typical Corman fashion, the terror takes a backseat to the laughs. With campy performances, a zilch-o budget and a truly hilarious "monster", this "Creature" is a must "Sea" for any B-movie fan!』
Kakaku：246 saved$2.46
New Video Group
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Thought Provoking) 『Colors Straight Up offers a glimpse into a world most of us never see. And the way out of a ghetto simply comes down to one word: "hope". If the people in a community feel there is no way out, they are destined to lives of failure, crime and drugs. But if they are given hope, it's as if blinders are taken off and they have a reason to work, a reason to reach for achievement. This movie shows one community's response to a group of students who could easily have gone in either direction, and it provides inspiration for projects in our own communities. My hat is off to Morgan Freeman for making it possible for this movie to be made.』
(FABULOUS) 『THIS DVD IS SO GOOD IT'S ABOUT INNER CITY KID'S WHO FIND HOPE THROUGH A GROUP CALLED COLOR'S UNITED AND THROUGH THIS GROUP THEY ARE ABLE TO OVERCOME MANY TRAGEDIES AND MAKE IT TO SUCCESS.MORGAN FREEMAN IS NOT IN THIS MOVIE!』
(A Very Well Done Documentary) 『This is the story of an arts program in the Los Angeles Public School system geared torward "at risk" youths. It was filmed in the program's infancy, when Colors United was an extracirricular program at one high school in South Central Los Angeles.
We are immediately immersed in the world of these kids, without commentary or words of introduction. The camera simply follows around several students as they shuffle back and forth between their gritty life in the "hood" and their alternate ego as a member of an acting and performing troup rehearsing for their big annual show.
The film is heartbreaking many times over, and I, who rarely cry during movies, found my eyes moist througout much of the film. The movie shows how hard the lives of these kids are, and how courageously they funnel this experience into their artistic performance, which is called "Watts Side Story." For many viewers, it will be a window into a world they have heard of but know very little about. But it is on the moral plane, not the social, that the film really enlightens.
The determination of these high schoolers to commit to each other for the sake of an uplifting common purpose, while all around them their world seems to be coming apart at the seams, is almost the definition of moral courage.
The director is wise not to pontificate or comment on the on screen happenings. The young men and women depicted feeling their way to adult hood and moral responsibility is the most eloquent statement that can be made. I can not recommend this film highly enough. It is especially appropriate for high school age kids or those involved in *at risk* behavior to see "another way."』
Kakaku：995 saved$9.95
Legend Films
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Mommy, Can Zoroff Come Out to Play?) 『The Most Dangerous Game is actually what my group of friends call our late-night, hardcore Scrabble sessions. Many have been injured, a few have even died. Heck, most of the time I even wear full football pads. But actually, the Most Dangerous Game is a sadistic big game hunt orchestrated by a borderline-vampire Russian count by the name of Zoroff on a desolate island--and he's hunting shipwrecked MEN. (It's never a good thing to be shipwrecked in Hollywood. You either become the prey of killer shrews and crazy Russians, or you end up with only Gilligan for company). You decide which is more entertaining!
In any event, this DVD by Legend Films is probably the best extant version of The Most Dangerous Game, in terms of both quality and features. Released in 1932, the film has subsequently become public domain, which has the effect of ensuring no entity had reason to update and preserve it, until now. Working again with legendary special effects guy Ray Harryhausen, Legend has fully re-mastered (in the George Lucas sense) the original black and white and imbued it with their trademark color, though they are always sure to include the original black and white on the same DVD has the color version.
And, unheard of for most `30s era releases, Legend has imbued this DVD with loads of extras and special features, including classic theatrical trailers and short subject films highlighting the importance of film scores, the career of legendary producer Merian Cooper and the work of composer Max Steiner. Though geared to the hardcore movie fan, these extras can provide an illuminating glimpse inside the industry for the rest of us schmucks.』 『Evil game hunter, Russian Count Zoroff traps unsuspecting shipwreck survivors on his remote island. Bored with hunting animals, the blood thirsty count decides his new sport is hunting man. Upon meeting shipwreck survivors Robert Rainsford and Eve Trowbridge, he selects them as the next prey in his insane game. The stranded guests are sent off on the mysterious island and must now find a way to outsmart Zoroff to survive through the night inThe Most Dangerous Game! Max Steiner's brilliant score sets the suspenseful and terrifying mood, accentuating this fast-paced race for survival. Celebrate the 75th anniversary in vibrant color for the first time under the creative direction of legendary effects master, Ray Harryhausen.』
IPhone 3G used's review (Bear Hiding) 『I have to buy this. My cable system had it on for a few weeks and I was able to play it for my 16 month old daughter every day. Then it suddenly disappeared from my viewing choices and she keeps saying "bear hiding," "bear hiding." Even in the middle of the night I swear I hear her saying "bear hiding." What a cute little blue bear hiding behind the box! She just loves this. I have already bought First Words, and that is great too.』
(So Smart - Colors) 『I received this as a gift from my first child and now have replaced it in DVD format for my second. This is a very good first video for young children, it is well paced and doesn't overwhelm the senses with too much stimulation, visual or auditory. Each color is reinforced with basic words that most toddlers are beginning to use. I would also recommend this to those with small children trying to learn English as well. My 5 year old likes to watch along with his brother because he finds it relaxing.
We also bought the Baby Einsten series, Shapes and Colors, but it was too much for my first son to handle and I am going to wait until my second one is over 2 before letting him what. The Baby Einstein series is visual overstimulating in comparison.』
(Just perfect for any toddler) 『Having used to fast paced shows, My son and I found this too slow and boring at first. We used to fall asleep and yawn in the middle of the show. But after a couple of watches, we just fell into this. I realized that learning should come slowly to absorb it better and stay there for a lifetime. Learning shouldn't be rushed. My son has learned to differentiate and sort his colors in an instant. He could arrange a pile of blocks in one color. Amazing it is.
The video story tells a color at a time. It's a digital boardbook that doesn't make use of puppets. It has diecut illustrations just like what you see in boardbooks but has come to life. Illustrations tend to buildup gradually. This gives your child to guess what's up next. My son would watch even when at play. He'd always ask for this as soon as he wakes up. It's a good learning tool while the mind is still fresh from all the stresses of play. We loaned this from the library, and is now purchasing a copy for my son. I highly recommend this. It's worth every penny.』
(A sweet and charming way to learn colors.) 『This is a charming video with very cute pictures of animals. They look like they were made from shapes cut out and pasted together. It begins: "Once upon a time there was a green grasshopper who liked to hop in a green grassy meadow." This is one of the few So Smart videos that actually has words spoken. The voice is a very nice voice to listen to. There are nice sound effects, like birds chirping. The music is great. The colors shown are green, purple, yellow, orange, blue, red, and pink. Each color has a different story and almost everything in that story is that particular color with different shades of the color. Very cute. I have reviewed all the other So Smart videos.』
(Boring) 『This video is very boring and SLOW. I have a 22 month old and it didn't hold his attention 10 minutes. It seems like someone could have made this on his or her computer and passed it off as entertainment. It may be good for very small babies but not for ones that are used to Baby Einstein and things that captivate their attention.』 『If slow and steady wins the race, thenSo Smart! Colorsbeats the competition by a turtle nose. Created to charm 1- to 3-year olds, this video storybook features simple, screen-filling drawings that glide and float as a pleasant voice tells short stories about seven different colors. As children watch the green grasshopper climb a green hill or a purple fish blow purple bubbles, the task of learning colors begins. The stories, also paced quite slowly, incorporate simple words and beginning terms likehigh,low,up,down,big,small,behind,in, andout. Best of all, the delightful original-music soundtrack blends piano, guitar, mandolin, saxophone, and other pleasing instruments to gently perk up the viewing experience. A note at the video's onset wisely suggests that parents watch and interact with their child during the 30 minutes of stories and turn off the TV early if baby gives the cue.--Liane Thomas』
Kakaku：1495 saved$14.95
Legend Films
Usually ships in 24 hours 『Spanky, Buckwheat, Porky and all The Little Rascals at their hilarious best! These timeless comedy classics are beautifully restored and in COLOR for the first time. This three pack gift set includesThe Best of Our Gang,Superstars of Our Gang, andThe Best of Spanky.』
Kakaku：200 saved$2.00
VCI Entertainment
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Silly Symphonies quality these are not...but rare and enjoyable nonetheless) 『Popping this DVD into your player and starting it up leads to a bit of an initial disappointment when you figure out that the video quality is a Grade D relative to the Grade A transfers in the Disney Silly Symphony sets. That being said, the video quality issues do not appear to be a result of laziness but longstanding neglect in the original films. So, while the video quality is lacking, it is an understandable evil. The video commentaries make up for the video issues and the subject matter itself is charming and engaging. Ultimately, if you are purchasing this for your kids, they won't give a damn about the video quality or commentaries and will focus on the content, which is excellent.』
(Fleischer's Rotoscope - the Golden Years) 『An excellent compilation of Fleischer's early color work which once and for all proves his pre-eminence as the greatest early American animator. The sophistication, the sly politics and the wonderful use of new technologies make his competitors seem much less important than revisionist Disney historians would have us believe. Sadly, the only thing missing with this dvd treat is a hard copy of some sort - at least a list of titles would help! Nada; niente; rien. For those of us who have spent fortunes on the wonderfully restored Looney Tunes dvd sets, the lack of extras here is a little tragic. Fleischer fans will thrill to this dvd notwithstanding. 』
(Great collection, bad video quality) 『There is no mistake this is a great collection of classics cartoons by Max Fleischer. But it would have been great if they were restored digitally as Disney did with their Silly Symphonies. Some of the cartoons are blurry in some parts or too dark to the point that you don't know what is on screen. I wish this would have been explained in another review before I bought this set! The funny thing is that there's a docummentary that explains why a cartoon is missing and why the others are in so bad shape. If you like Max Fleischer, try the Popeye sets instead.』
(Lost treasures...) 『Long before the rise of the Disney empire, animation had Max Fleischer and his whimsical illustrators producing some of the best cartoon shorts of all time. This collection contains most of them. It acts as a dipstick of American history. Innocence, whimsy, charm and naivity are clearly brought to life, with a depth not seen since.
I remember watching these gems early in the morning with my mother describing the time period to me. The 1930s come to life with singing, dancing and hope that was needed at the time. Compared to everything that followed, it seemed to lack something. Children of all ages would appreciate this magical world that seems to be alive without modern CGI effects.』
(Dreams do come true) 『This is the cartoons that blew me away when i was just a little kid. The incredible songs and musical scores mixed with the good messages comming from different situations brough tears to my eyes many times. And now 40 years after...the tears still flow. Great stuff, good looking restored cartoons.』 『This comprehensive collection of Max Fleischer cartoon masterpieces presents over 30 rarely seen Technicolor animated shorts, produced during the golden age of animation. Fleischer created the "Color Classics," a twisted collection of musical cartoons, to showcase his patented "Stereo-optical Process" that created the illusion of depth by animating his characters over three-dimensional, live action backgrounds. In this special digital picture and sound restoration, you'll discover a menagerie of wonderfully bizarre new characters and a massive dose of the Fleischers' surreal humor. Highlights include "Greedy Humpty Dumpty," "The Cobweb Hotel," "Ants In The Plants," and "The Fresh Vegetable Mystery." Featured are two Academy Award Cartoon Short Subject nominees - "Educated Fish" (1937) and "Hunky and Spunky" (1938) - as well as famed Fleischer femme fatale Betty Boop ("Poor Cinderella") and Grampy ("Christmas Comes But Once A Year"), and a potpourri of great song cartoons such as "Dancing On The Moon," "Hold It," "An Elephant Never Forgets," and "Small Fry." This collection is a dream come true for cartoon aficionados and Fleischer fanatics, young and old alike! Animated characters: BETTY BOOP, GRAMPY, HUMPTY DUMPTY, HUNKY and SPUNKY and more!Bonus Features:Commentary by animation historian Jerry Beck| Rare production artwork still frame gallery| Documentary about the Fleischer studio| Cartoon Menu.Specs:2-DVD9s; Dolby Digital Mono; 270 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1934-1941; SRP - $19.99.』
Kakaku：1699 saved$16.99
Fun with Languages
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Mildly entertaining but you could skip it) 『Yes, this video is entertaining but it could be better, it moves kinda of slow. I'm hoping that my 20 month old will take more and more interest in it as her vocabulary expands.』
(Fun with Colors-DVD- Spanish-French-Portuguese) 『After having purchased the Fun with Colors VHS for French I thought to myself hey with the DVD I get 3 languages. Well I was not disappointed. Its funny to see how your children can migrate to different languages. My daughter was french and my son spanish. All for the price of one DVD. It a beautiful thing. Now with two coloring books we are having a great time. I can't stress enough about how your childs brain is like a sponge. This DVD lets them absorb 3 languages.』 『Fun with Colors is groundbreaking and educational! Through the eyes of Bromley the parrotfish and Cotica the parrot, the videos take children on a bilingual journey of FUN learning. Each video is rich with colors and familiar objects to encourage discovery where learning takes place. We support parent and teacher participation throughout the video to further develop your child's verbal skills, object association and knowledge base.』
Kakaku：796 saved$7.96
Genius Products (TVN)
Usually ships in 7 to 13 days IPhone 3G used's review (Much Is Lost In Translation...) 『Part of the difficulties with translating a book to film is losing much of what the author tries to convey. Books allow the writer to squeeze in much more character information and wit, while films must do so in (usually) under two hours. Thankfully this duology expands that time line a tad to a much needed three hours and nine minutes. I say much needed because author Terry Pratchett's books deserve the full treatment in terms of time. But, unfortunately, even with this extended amount, the story suffers in translation. Although I must give credit to direct Vadim Jean (who also did the screenplay adaption and continues to adapt Mr. Pratchett's excellent Discworld series), it's tough to give a ravingly positive review to something that I enjoyed only marginally as much as the written works.
I remember sitting in a restaurant on a meal break one day and having portions of a ham sandwich fly from my nose while reading Hogfather. Death (in the film voiced very well by Ian Richardson, Becoming Jane) is a central character, and both the book and the movie keep it that way. But what is lost is the clever witticisms of the narrator (Pratchett) that often causes the reader to nearly choke with restrained laughter while trying to keep from puking or inhaling food particles. It was, however, pretty funny to see Death cloaked in Santa (i.e., Hogfather) garb while mushing a sleigh towed by heavily-tusked boars.
Marc Warren (Wanted) as Mr. Teatime was a good choice, as he had just the right amount of ruthlessness (which was plenty) and naiveté (toward his fellow Discworld inhabitants) to make him a fearfully funny antagonist.
However, from here things get off-track. Michelle Dockery plays Susan, the main protagonist, but is mostly lost amidst the larger story. Her part was vital in the novel, but here we simply don't see that much of her in terms of character development. Beating up monsters under the bed? Funny, yes. Trying to protect her scythe-wielding relative? Okay, pretty funny. But what of the rest of her development? In truth, there isn't any in the film. She simply rushes off to help save Hogswatch Eve without much knowledge as to why she's so gung-ho to do it.
The remaining characters are also given excessively abbreviated versions, which made the entire film much less laughable. Indeed, I think I only chuckled a few times during the entire three-plus hours, showing just how much was lost in translation.
I will say, again, that I don't blame writer/director Vadim Jean for this. Without a doubt, this is a tough sell. How can you make something so densely funny as one of Mr. Pratchett's wonderful Discworld books into a guffaw-riddled flick? I think the simple answer is that you can't. And I think this adaptation proves it. But I will give Mr. Jean credit for trying. He succeeded on a very small level but I fear those that haven't read the novels might be less-than-impressed.
Sorry guys.』
(Truly love this movie!) 『This is truly an interesting and different take on the Santa Claus story set in an alternate universe. It's fun to watch Marc Warren in a truly creepy role. My favorite line in the movie: "...hello inner child, meet the inner babysitter." It's a fun alternative to traditional sappy Christmas movies, although I don't recommend it for small children.』
(one of my all-time favorite dvds) 『I absolutely love anything and everything pertaining to discworld; I have 2 characters on the Discworld online game, one of which is a newbie helper. I've listened to every single one of the discworld books at least twice, and preordered the Colour of Magic DVD from Amazon.uk the very second I possibly could. With all that being said, I simply had to get my hands on this movie as soon as I heard it existed. Fortunately, I have a region free DVD player, so I ended up purchasing the region 2 2 disc edition of Hogfather. I can't say enough about how much I love this movie. It is very faithful to the book; in a lot of cases, dialogue is word for word out of the book, something which, at least in my humble opinion, is all to rare in book to movie adaptations. Another treat for me was that Nigel Planer, the narrator of the first 23 Discworld audio books, played the part of Sidney the wizard in the movie. As if that wasn't awesome enough, David Jason, who is currently one of my two favorite actors along side Hugh Laurie, played the part of Albert brilliantly. I thought that Ian Richardson did a fantastic job as the voice of death; he sounded just like I would imagine Death sounding from the books. Evrything I've already mentioned would be more than enough to earn this movie 5 stars as far as I'm concerned, but the real icing on the cake, for me at least, was when I discovered that the region 2 version of the Hogfather DVD which I had purchased included audio description for visually impaired viewers. As a blind individual, this fact in and of itself immediatley catipolted the Hogfather DVD into my top 10 favorites. It was great to know everything that was going on, while still watching the movie by myself. Further more, I was able to watch this movie with a blind friend, and even though he knew nothing about discworld, he was still able to follow what was going on and ended up enjoying it almost as much as I did. I'm planning to share this movie with my parents over the Christmas/Hogswatch holiday and hope that they'll enjoy it too. If I were forced to come up with something negative to say about this DVD, the only thing I could possibly consider a flaw, and I'll be the first to admit that it's hardly even worth mentioning, is that I think that Tony Robinson should have played the part of Knobby Knobs; just based on the fact that he played the part of Baldrick in Black Adder. I could be completely off base on wanting that change, though, so please feel free to take my opinion regarding that issue with a pound or two of salt. In all seriousness, however, I would most definitely rate this movie adaptation of Hogfather 10 stars. I don't know if audio description is available on the US edition of Hogfather, but I would certainly hope so. In my humble opinion, audio description should be as readily available as closed captioning, but that's not at all relevant to this review. Incidentally, I just got the Region 2 DVD for The Colour of Magic, which is even better than Hogfather,and it also includes audio description. Bottom line: If you even remotely enjoy good British humor, fantasy, discworld or if you're just in the market for a different kind of Christmas movie, this DVD is an absolute must buy. In closing, I can't help adding that if you enjoyed this movie and end up becoming a discworld fan, if you're already a discworld fan or even if you just enjoy online gaming, you should come and visit the discworld online game. The address is discworld.atuin.net port 4242. My characters, Eponine and Ramie would be more than happy to talk with or help out any newcomers to the game.』
(Hogfather) 『As a big Disk World fan I was worried that the film would not be faithful to the book. Thanks to the magic of the disk, I was not disappointed. The film is as close to verbatim as the constraints of time and technology allow. Every character and situation is rendered wonderfully. I now know what Nobby Nobbs looks like, for example...er, taking into account the fact that they made the artistic decision to use a real human being to play him, that is.
Get it! If you know the disk world, you will be welcomed home. If not, you will want to visit again. I have ordered three additional copies to be given as stocking suffers this coming Hogswatch Eve.』
(A Happy Hogswatch, Indeed) 『I enjoyed the film adaptation of Terry Pratchett's novel as much as I enjoyed reading the book. The essence of the character of Death isn't captured quite as well as the others, but otherwise The Hogfather is a wonderful cinematic adaption of the Discworld and it's unique citizenry.』 『Hogfather is the magical, menacing, wicked, and witty family story unlike anything else you could ever imagine. From the imagination of best-selling author Terry Pratchett comes Hogfather. It’s the holiday of Hogswatch, the night when kids anticipate presents from the beloved Hogfather. But someone wants the Hogfather out of the way. Now it’s up to the most unlikely of heroes to get the holiday back on track. Just in time for the Easter season, Hogfather is a cross between Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter that’s sure to be a family favorite you’ll be watching for years and years to come.』 『Based on a fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett,The Hogfatheris an extraordinary satire-adventure set in the mythical realm of Discworld, a kind of parallel-universe version of Earth. Discworld’s alternative to Santa Claus is the Hogfather, who also chases around in a sled delivering gifts to children (on a Christmas-like night known as Hogwatch), but who looks like, well, a wild hog and is pulled through the skies not by reindeer but a bunch of grunting porkers with long, dangerous teeth. Just as the Hogfather is about to complete his annual mission to leave toys for kids under their Hogwatch trees, a specter makes a deal with a professional assassin to kill the jolly old fellow. The job is farmed out to a psychotic monster named Teatime (Marc Warren), who sets about trying to get to the Hogfather through, of all things, the Tooth Fairy. While danger stalks these immortal characters, Death (Ian Richardson) himself takes the Hogfather’s place on his magical rounds, with comic consequences. Meanwhile, a governess named Susan (Michelle Dockery), possessor of a strange secretand awesome powers, determines that the Hogfather is in danger. She sets about trying to find him and discovers Teatime’s plot, while a cluster of clumsy wizards (led by Joss Ackland) try to make sense of what has happened and what they can do about it. It’s hard to explain the charm and wit ofThe Hogfather, which is full of quirky, ironic humor, except to say that it’s easy to fall in love with this British television special and its dark delights. (Some a bit too dark for younger viewers.) The cast includes a very funny Tony Robinson ofBlack Adder.--Tom Keogh』
