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Riverdance - The Show

Riverdance - The Show

»rank: 118

starring: Michael Flatley, Jean Butler, Brendán de Gallaí, Eileen Martin, Areleen Ni Bhaoill
directed by: John McColgan


0ur opinion: :Riverdance--The Show is a cultural phenomenon that defies criticism for the enthusiastic and leaves everyone else scratching their heads. The wonderfully talented cast, headed by the Riverdance lrish Dance Company, bewitchingly spins (and stomps) its Celtic folk choreography featuring numerous breathless solos by Michael Flatley (since departed) and Jean Butler. The mellifluous Riverdance 0rchestra boasts Davy Spillane, who coaxes plaintive lamentations out of a peculiar instrument that resembles a bagpipe in a metal leg brace. For Enya ...


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The Irish In America: Long Journey Home

The Irish In America: Long Journey Home

»rank: 591

starring: Michael Murphy, Elvis Costello, Sinéad O'Connor, Van Morrison, Mary Black
directed by: Mark Zwonitzer, Thomas Lennon


0ur opinion: :Riverdance--The Show is a cultural phenomenon that defies criticism for the enthusiastic and leaves everyone else scratching their heads. The wonderfully talented cast, headed by the Riverdance lrish Dance Company, bewitchingly spins (and stomps) its Celtic folk choreography featuring numerous breathless solos by Michael Flatley (since departed) and Jean Butler. The mellifluous Riverdance 0rchestra boasts Davy Spillane, who coaxes plaintive lamentations out of a peculiar instrument that resembles a bagpipe in a metal leg brace. For Enya ...


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The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones

The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones

»rank: 3406

starring: George O'Hanlon, Henry Corden, Penny Singleton, Jean Vander Pyl, Janet Waldo
directed by: Don Lusk


0ur opinion: :All those Saturday mornings ago, did you ever wonder what would happen if the Jetson family was jettisoned back in time? 0r how Fred and Wilma would fare in the future? Well in 1987 the good folks at Hanna-Barbera put their heads together and came up with this animated answer. You might predict that boy-crazy Judy would get a crush on a prehistoric himbo or that Fred would elbow Barney out of the way to appear on ...


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The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones

The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones

»rank: 219

starring: George O'Hanlon, Henry Corden, Penny Singleton, Jean Vander Pyl, Janet Waldo
directed by: Don Lusk


0ur opinion: :All those Saturday mornings ago, did you ever wonder what would happen if the Jetson family was jettisoned back in time? 0r how Fred and Wilma would fare in the future? Well in 1987 the good folks at Hanna-Barbera put their heads together and came up with this animated answer. You might predict that boy-crazy Judy would get a crush on a prehistoric himbo or that Fred would elbow Barney out of the way to appear on ...


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My Dinner with Andre

My Dinner with Andre

»rank: 1267

starring: Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn, Jean Lenauer, Roy Butler
directed by: Louis Malle


0ur opinion: :The sheer audacity of My Dinner with Andre drew throngs of curious filmgoers who made the film the most talked-about art-house hit of 1981. After all, who'd ever heard of a movie consisting of nearly two hours of nonstop dinner conversation? Ah ... but this isn't just any conversation--it's the kind of mesmerizing, soul-searching, life-affirming exploration that we feel privileged to listen to, and with unobtrusive style, director Louis Malle invites us to eavesdrop to our hearts' ...


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It Happens Every Spring

It Happens Every Spring

»rank: 5436

starring: Ray Milland, Jean Peters, Paul Douglas, Ed Begley, Ted de Corsia
directed by: Lloyd Bacon


0ur opinion: :Cheating? Who's cheating? When an egghead chemistry professor (Ray Milland) stumbles upon a formula for making baseballs resistant to the touch of wood, he sneaks a little onto a pitcher's glove and for a time has a career throwing from a major league mound. Set aside ethical concerns: this light comedy is in an Absent-Minded Professor mold, with balls clownishly, impossibly dancing around the swing of batters. (Besides that, the climax requires an act of minor heroism ...


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Riverdance - Live From New York City

Riverdance - Live From New York City

»rank: 10855

starring: Jean Butler, Colin Dunne, María Pagés, Katie McMahon, Morgan Crowley
directed by: John McColgan


0ur opinion: :Riverdance--The Show is a cultural phenomenon that defies criticism for the enthusiastic and leaves everyone else scratching their heads. The wonderfully talented cast, headed by the Riverdance lrish Dance Company, bewitchingly spins (and stomps) its Celtic folk choreography featuring numerous breathless solos by Michael Flatley (since departed) and Jean Butler. The mellifluous Riverdance 0rchestra boasts Davy Spillane, who coaxes plaintive lamentations out of a peculiar instrument that resembles a bagpipe in a metal leg brace. For Enya ...


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Hard Target

Hard Target

»rank: 15756

starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Yancy Butler, Chuck Pfarrer, Robert Apisa
directed by: John Woo


0ur opinion: :Jean-Claude Van Damme, 'the Muscles from Brussels,' has sought to revitalize his flagging career by working with the most adrenalized directors from Hong Kong action films. His first such effort was this, the umpteenth remake of The Most Dangerous Game, which teamed him with Hong Kong's most fluid action poet, John Woo. Woo does what he can but, as much magic as he injects into the action, he can't turn Van Damme into an actor. Still, this ...


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The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones

The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones

»rank: 5251

starring: George O'Hanlon, Henry Corden, Penny Singleton, Jean Vander Pyl, Janet Waldo
directed by: Don Lusk


0ur opinion: :All those Saturday mornings ago, did you ever wonder what would happen if the Jetson family was jettisoned back in time? 0r how Fred and Wilma would fare in the future? Well in 1987 the good folks at Hanna-Barbera put their heads together and came up with this animated answer. You might predict that boy-crazy Judy would get a crush on a prehistoric himbo or that Fred would elbow Barney out of the way to appear on ...


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The Flintstones - Fearless Fred Strikes Again

The Flintstones - Fearless Fred Strikes Again

»rank: 462

starring: Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Jean Vander Pyl, Bea Benaderet, John Stephenson


0ur opinion:Description:Popular animated TV series based on the Honeymooners. ln each episode, Fred Flintstone and his friend and neighbor Barney Rubble got into and out of comical troubles. The show is also a fan favorite because of it's hilarious portrayals of Stone Age versions of modern conveniences. An elephant with trunk to wash dishes, a bird/dinosaur to play records, and so on.


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We've covered in too much detail how it's some sort of "open season" on Vonage when it comes to VoIP patents. After dealing with ridiculous and expensive patent lawsuits from companies who failed to actually innovate in the same way Vonage did, the company was pressured by Wall Street to quickly settle the various patent lawsuits filed against the company. Of course, rather than settle matters, that simply opened the door for other companies to go searching through their patent portfolios to see if there was anything they could sue Vonage over. Indeed, following those settlements it didn't take long for AT&T to dig up a patent and sue -- which was quickly settled as well. Thought things were over? No such luck. Nortel just showed up last month to sue and it took all of about a week and a half for Vonage to settle that case as well.

The Nortel case is slightly different because Vonage actually already had a patent infringement lawsuit going against Nortel, but it wasn't really initiated by Vonage. Instead, it had been initiated by a patent holding firm that Vonage bought in 2006. The end result of the settlement doesn't involve money changing hands, but just a cross licensing agreement for the patents. So what's the big lesson that Vonage and others have learned from this? It's certainly got nothing to do with innovating. It's to hoard as many patents as possible so that you have your own nuclear stockpile for when someone else sues you. Want to know why the USPTO is overwhelmed? It's not because there aren't enough examiners (as some will claim) or that there aren't enough funds. It's because the way the system now works is that you are supposed to file patents on every tiny little advancement so you can use it to protect yourself against lawsuits from everyone else. That's not about innovation. It's about waste. In the meantime, since it's still open season at Vonage, who's going to be next? There are a ton of other patents in the VoIP space that can surely be used in a lawsuit, right?

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Small and light enough for a shirt pocket, Samsung's Helix YX-M1 is a one-stop audio entertainment center with an XM radio, a digital music player, and room for 50 hours of tunes, but it comes up short on battery life.

This raw work-flow application isn't the Holy Grail many hoped it would be, but Apple Aperture 1.5 could make life easier for photographers who need to cull, retouch, and output large numbers of photographs quickly and efficiently.

$22.99



Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a rollicking voyage in the same spirit of the two earlier Pirates films, yet far darker in spots (and nearly three hours to boot). The action, largely revolving around a pirate alliance against the ruthless East India Trading Company, doesn't disappoint, though the violence is probably too harsh for young children. Through it all, the plucky cast (Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush) are buffeted by battle, maelstroms, betrayal, treachery, a ferocious Caribbean weather goddess, and that gnarly voyage back from the world's end--but with their wit intact. As always, Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow tosses off great lines ; he chastises "a woman scorned, like which hell hath no fury than!" He insults an opponent with a string of epithets, ending in "yeasty codpiece."!

In the previous The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sparrow was killed--sent to Davy Jones' Locker. In the opening scenes, the viewer sees that death has not been kind to Sparrow--but that's not to say he hasn't found endless ways to amuse himself, cavorting with dozens of hallucinated versions of himself on the deck of the Black Pearl. But Sparrow is needed in this world, so a daring rescue brings him back. Keith Richards' much ballyhooed appearance as Jack's dad is little more than a cameo, though he does play a wistful guitar. But the action, as always, is more than satisfying, held together by Depp, who, outsmarting the far-better-armed British yet again, causes a bewigged commander to muse: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" As far as fans are concerned, it matters not. --A.T. Hurley

On the DVD
Here's something you can't say about just any DVD extras: There appears to be more of Keith Richards in the outtakes, interviews, and other special features on the At World's End disc than in the actual film. For those scenes alone, this special edition is well worth the price. Richards looks as woozy and gamey as all the rumors suggested, and answers questions he's not asked, with Johnny Depp sitting next to him, almost acting as a translator. Richards offers pithy comments like, "Everything I do is original, you better believe," and smiles when other cast members call him "Two-Take Richards" for supposedly nailing his scenes.

The packed second disc also includes a terrific mini-doc on how the filmmakers created the famous maelstrom, in an enormous hanger in Palmdale, California, with the ships floating 30 feet off the ground. "Just moving the Black Pearl was an enormous undertaking," says producer Jerry Bruckheimer with serious understatement. Other cool extras include "Tale of the Many Jacks," deleted scenes with great commentary, "The World of Chow Yun-Fat," a bio of composer Hans Zimmer, features on the set designers, a look at the impressive Brethren Court, and some hilarious bloopers. "You can't curse in a Disney film," deadpans Depp when a costar blurts out something blue. "See? I told him." The extras are truly as much of a rollicking adventure as the film. --A.T. Hurley

Beyond Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End


Our Pirates of the Caribbean Store

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Soundtrack

Why We Love… Bill Nighy

Johnny Depp Essential DVDs
Stills from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (click for larger image)





$14.99



Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a rollicking voyage in the same spirit of the two earlier Pirates films, yet far darker in spots (and nearly three hours to boot). The action, largely revolving around a pirate alliance against the ruthless East India Trading Company, doesn't disappoint, though the violence is probably too harsh for young children. Through it all, the plucky cast (Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush) are buffeted by battle, maelstroms, betrayal, treachery, a ferocious Caribbean weather goddess, and that gnarly voyage back from the world's end--but with their wit intact. As always, Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow tosses off great lines ; he chastises "a woman scorned, like which hell hath no fury than!" He insults an opponent with a string of epithets, ending in "yeasty codpiece."!

In the previous Dead Man's Chest, Sparrow was killed--sent to Davy Jones' Locker. In the opening scenes, the viewer sees that death has not been kind to Sparrow--but that's not to say he hasn't found endless ways to amuse himself, cavorting with dozens of hallucinated versions of himself on the deck of the Black Pearl. But Sparrow is needed in this world, so a daring rescue brings him back. Keith Richards' much ballyhooed appearance as Jack's dad is little more than a cameo, though he does play a wistful guitar. But the action, as always, is more than satisfying, held together by Depp, who, outsmarting the far-better-armed British yet again, causes a bewigged commander to muse: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" As far as fans are concerned, it matters not. --A.T. Hurley

$19.99



Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a rollicking voyage in the same spirit of the two earlier Pirates films, yet far darker in spots (and nearly three hours to boot). The action, largely revolving around a pirate alliance against the ruthless East India Trading Company, doesn't disappoint, though the violence is probably too harsh for young children. Through it all, the plucky cast (Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush) are buffeted by battle, maelstroms, betrayal, treachery, a ferocious Caribbean weather goddess, and that gnarly voyage back from the world's end--but with their wit intact. As always, Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow tosses off great lines ; he chastises "a woman scorned, like which hell hath no fury than!" He insults an opponent with a string of epithets, ending in "yeasty codpiece."!

In the previous Dead Man's Chest, Sparrow was killed--sent to Davy Jones' Locker. In the opening scenes, the viewer sees that death has not been kind to Sparrow--but that's not to say he hasn't found endless ways to amuse himself, cavorting with dozens of hallucinated versions of himself on the deck of the Black Pearl. But Sparrow is needed in this world, so a daring rescue brings him back. Keith Richards' much ballyhooed appearance as Jack's dad is little more than a cameo, though he does play a wistful guitar. But the action, as always, is more than satisfying, held together by Depp, who, outsmarting the far-better-armed British yet again, causes a bewigged commander to muse: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" As far as fans are concerned, it matters not. --A.T. Hurley


by Rick Barba
$11.55

Average customer rating: 3.0 ISBN: 0744004292

by BradyGames
$13.59

Average customer rating: ISBN: 0744009332
$9.99



Thanks to a fortuitous intersection of talent and fate, 22-year-old Josh Groban hasn't finished his senior year in performing arts school but has already released his sophomore effort on a major major label. Fans of the young vocal phenom's debut will find much to enthrall them here, even if it nudges the singer closer to the center of producer/mentor David Foster's MOR pop sensibilities. Eschewing much of its predecessor's more overt classic-lite pretensions and pop-rock covers for a slate of dramatic, Eurocentric ballads that serve as a showcase for the singer's inviting baritone, Groban shrewdly positions himself as the American alternative to the Bocelli-Watson crossover axis. "Caruso" may find the singer falling short of its operatic inspiration, but "Oceano" and "My Confession" quickly showcase his true dramatic range (which seems to all but yearn for a bona fide Broadway musical challenge), while a vocal take of Bacalov's graceful "Il Postino" theme uses classical virtuoso Joshua Bell's violin flourishes to good effect. To his credit, Groban displays some promising efforts at songwriting collaboration on the bittersweet "Per Te" and "Remember When It Rains," while the ambient/ethnic soundscape of Deep Forest's "Never Let Go" offers a teasing alternative to the record's otherwise melodramatic production formula. Groban has found commercial triumph via Foster's mentoring, but there remains a nagging sense here that he hasn't truly pushed himself as an artist--yet. --Jerry McCulley
$23.99



The world can't get enough of Madonna, and with CD/DVD sets like The Confessions Tour dropping regularly, it's little wonder why. As a thrower of fantasy dance parties, she is peerless. As a physical role model for the 40-ish women who grew up on her music, she rules. And as an arbiter of what's going to sound shockingly original in any given decade--well, duh. The Confessions Tour rounds up songs from way back--"Ray of Light" and "La Isla Bonita" make the DVD, and "Lucky Star" and "Like a Virgin" are on the CD as well as the DVD--but this concert, filmed in 2006 at London's Wembley Arena, aims its sturdiest spotlight on Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madge's 2005 disco disc. You could argue, then, that unless you're in it for the sheer DVD spectacle (and what a spectacle it is), there's no sense in owning this package. Only you wouldn't be right. Because as any on-the-ball Madonna fan knows, what she's doing musically is telling a story--you may already know the characters, but that doesn't mean she hasn't completely reworked the plot. To that end, "I Love New York" gets its rock on, "Let It Will Be" has a musical temper tantrum, and "Hung Up" goes for the drama queen award. You've heard these songs before, but you've never heard them quite like this, to borrow a bad informercial phrase. As twisted and hopped-up as they've become, they're all worth getting to know again. --Tammy La Gorce
$10.97



Apparently there's nothing in Kabbalah that disallows sweaty, head-spinningly good dance music, because here comes a flame-haired Madonna hawking a dozen songs' worth: Confessions on a Dance Floor darts seamlessly from Madge's early days, when she emerged as the genre's enduring darling, through the political, kiddie, and acoustic pap that drove a wedge between her and early adopters of the fingerless glove look. Songs like the pop-leaning "Jump" and first single "Hung Up"--an adrenaline drip on high that, like many of these tracks, will inspire mild shame among those who've thrilled to the much thinner disco-dusted outpourings of younger divas recently--represent both a return to form and an unmistakable march into the future. "Get Together" is a sonic freak-out in the best sense; "Push" traffics in gut-level futuristic trance; and "Forbidden Love" loops in '80s blips and bleeps for a follow-me-into-the-past effect that's both neo and retro. For all the image-affirming innovations here, though, these confessions find Madonna framed in her share of reflective moments too. "Was it all worth it/How did I earn it?" she asks on "How High," a song featuring vocoder. "Nobody's perfect/I guess I deserve it," comes the answer. A later lyrical inquiry is left for the listener to judge: "Does this get any better?" Madonna wants to know. But that opens the door to a dizzying proposition. Few of us would have guessed, after all, that it got this good. --Tammy La Gorce


Again Strikes Fred Fearless - Flintstones The
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