Made-for-TV Movies - DVD

High School Musical 2 (Extended Edition) [Blu-ray]

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 139 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Musical lover 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This series of musicals just exceed my expectation. I thought they'll be lame, but they are excellent! Great music and choreography, strongly recommanded.

HSM 2 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This movie hasn't left the player since it arrived. My daughter is obssessed, and, unfortunateley, I find these songs stuck in my head all day and night. Beware Disney's mind control!

Go High School Musical! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This movie was good. Although I must admit, like many sequels, it was not as good as the first. More things are unrealistic in this second movie. However it is still a sweet, fun, clean, entertaining movie. For best results, you really need to watch the first one first!

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 (BLU RAY) 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

MY WHOLE FAMILY REALLY ENJOY THIS MUSICAL SHOW ON BLU RAY. PICTURE QUALITY IS SHARP WITH AUDIO IN PCM. GOOD ACTING FROM ASHLEY TISDALE AS SHARPAY.

Daughter's Favorite 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I recently purchased this movie for my daughter. It is one of her favorites. She has High School Musical One and has seen this one and the third. All are excellent movies for her age group. I have bought from Amazon in the past and thus far you have not disappointed me. This one arrived relatively fast.

Editorial Review:

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 12/11/2007 Run time: 111 minutes

Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie (Broadway Theatre Archive)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not ideal, but the best of what's out there so far on DVD 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I have seen several versions of this play on DVD, and I would say that this is the best of what I know to be currently available, mainly because I think Katharine Hepburn is the best Amanda Wingfield. However, I wish Joanna Miles had portrayed a less robust Laura. She doesn't limp; she wears stylish shoes while dashing athletically out the door to the store; she demonstrates no more than an occasional interest in the glass animals that are supposed to be her obsession; under her subdued demeanor I felt enough personal strength from her to deny the sense of despair about her future that is supposed to hang in the air at the end of the play. Perhaps Jane Wyman's Laura should have been in this production rather than being stuck in the 1950 version, with its own lamentable ending. Perhaps this play is too dated to be believable today and they don't make helpless females any more. (TV has sent such types into therapy.) Nevertheless, this is a great late-career performance for Katharine Hepburn, and that's the best reason for owning this DVD, a good companion to "Lion in Winter" and "On Golden Pond." She was born to play this faded Southern belle who has no talent for sales except as the determined purveyor of a lost culture. Her physical fragility plus the trademark Hepburn patrician accent and mannerisms are simply perfect and utterly priceless (whereas Joanne Woodward in the same role is too perky and liberated). Those two veteran "Law and Order" ADAs are also very good in their roles -- Sam Waterston as Laura's restless, henpecked brother and Michael Moriarty as the cheerful and clueless Gentleman Caller.

Editorial Review:

After what producer David Susskind called "the longest wooing for a part in a lifetime of dealing with stars," four-time Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn (On Golden Pond) made her television dramatic debut as the indomitable, overbearing matriarch, Amanda Wingfield, in Tennessee Williams' poignant 1945 memory play, which reteamed her with director Anthony Harvey (The Lion in Winter). "The Glass Menagerie" portrays a mother whose preoccupation with her past as a Southern belle and her unrealistic dreams for her children's futures threaten to smother her painfully shy daughter (Joanna Miles) and her aspiring writer son ("The Killing Fields'" Sam Waterston). Michael Moriarty plays the gentleman caller whose visit offers false hope and disrupts the family's precarious balance. 1973-74 Emmy Awards - Best Supporting Actor, Michael Moriarty; Best Supporting Actress, Joanna Miles.

The Hunter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Old school action hero. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Steve McQueens final film is always so refreshing to watch. It is all so very real, Steve comes through very genuine in the Hunter. I think this role fit him best, after all Steve wanted very much just to be a regular American guy. Steve always worked very hard to make his films as real as possible. I do not enjoy modern action films as much because the toughguy is usually as much as a jerk! as the villians. Steve always seemed to bring a sense of fairness and good will to his characters. His good sense of character shows through in "The Hunter". Steve as Papa Thorsen always reminded me of my Uncle. This was the very first film I watched with my Dad in the theatre. I was nine years old. Through the years other films have faded from my memory. I will never forget "The Hunter" nor will I ever forget Steve Mcqueen, he was a class act.

Editorial Review:

Modern bounty hunter ralph papa thorson hunts fugitives for a bail bondsman. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/23/2006 Starring: Steve Mcqueen Theodore Wilson Run time: 97 minutes Rating: Pg Director: Buzz Kulik

Twitches Too

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Family Fun 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I found this movie to be entertainment for the entire family. Family fun in a box.

I LOVE TWITCHES & TWITCHES TOO!!! GREAT!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Twitches too is such a good movie, I even think it's better than the first one.
My favorite part was at the very end whenever Thantos was gone forever and Camerone and Alex had their dad back again - so sweet! Ileana and Karsh are so hilarious, they make a great couple! All I have to say about this movie is that, Twitches is really great, but Twitches Too is just as dazzling! Buy it - Twitches Too& Twitches - Betwitched Edition

Editorial Review:

Raised by adoptive families and kept unaware of each other and their magical gifts until they first meet on their 21st birthday, Alex (Tia) and Camryn (Tamera) are the only hope of survival for their birthplace, the magical land of Coventry. After vanquishing the maleficent warlock who threatened them in Twitches, the girls focus on harnessing their magical powers, getting to know each other and reuniting with their birth mother, a powerful witch named Miranda. When a shadowy underworld presence seeks to destroy them, their family and their world, Alex and Camryn have to learn to combine their strengths to ward off complete disaster.

Halloweentown High

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

AMAZING! GREAT! AWESOME! BEST FOUR! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I personally am a Halloweentown fan and love all of the movies. I loved Halloweentown and the sequel a lot. I actually liked Halloweentown better than the sequel as Kal casts the grey spell and turns everything of halloweentown and everyone grey and boring and Aggy and Marni try to stop it. My favorite part was when, they defeated Kal and they could open the portal and get back into the mortal world. A great ending.

Then there's halloweentown II. I found that it wasn't as great as Halloweentown, but I loved it. I like it 'cause it's not too scary that you're tempted to turn it off. It contains some scariness, magic use, comedy and fun activity! Both Halloweentown and the sequel contained these features.

Next comes Halloweentown High. Marni moves on to High School, as well as her brother. Aggy then brings some halloweentown creatures to the Highschool in the mortal world. I like this movie 99 percent, Halloweentown II, 100 percent, Halloweentown, 110 percent. I will say, Halloweentown 1 and 2 pretty much stole it! Halloweentown High had great features, but it wasn't as warm, sweet and as much of a good story as the first 2 movies had. Still, I was very proud with it and enjoy it very, very, very much. But Halloweentown 1 and 2 still were by 3-4 percent better.

Also there's Return to Halloweentown without Kimberly J. Brown - but with Sara Paxton, the great actress.
This movie was actually my third favorite of the four halloweentown movies. Halloweentown 1, 2 and Return to Halloweentown are my three favorites. Halloweentown 1 goes in first place, the sequel goes in second place, and Return to Halloweentown is in third. Halloweentown High is in fourth.
The reason why I like Return to Halloweentown so much is because, Marni is now moving on to College and learning more, facing more and it's getting even more challenging. She tries her hardest to face them by getting the powerful necklace from her Grandma when she was her age (or older) when she goes back in time in Halloweentown. In the end, the awful spell that was casted - was now un-casted and it sailed right into a very happy ending.
A lot of scary, funny, magic, thrilling things throughout the whole entire movie. Great for family halloween parties or events/get-togethers as a nice movie with popcorn, leftover candy from Trick-or-Treating and apple cider.

All four of the Halloweentown movies have thrilled me so much. I keep watching them over and over. They are so fun to watch on halloween or any time! It is the best Disney Halloween movie ever made! I encourage you SO MUCH to buy every one of the Halloweentown movies. You'll never get tired of these halloween-favorites!

Editorial Review:

Back to school's never been so cool or supernatural for Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown), her grandmother Aggie (Debbie Reynolds), and her family of witches in this latest chapter in the ever-popular series of HALLOWEENTOWN movies. When Marnie convinces the Halloweentown Council to send several teenagers to her high school in the mortal world, she even promises to give up her magic if any harm comes to them. But soon, Marnie and her new friends are in trouble and out of luck when the evil Knight Of The Iron Dagger appears. He's determined to destroy all things magical, and it's up to Marnie to save her high school, the human world, and her magic. For a bewitching good time, HALLOWEENTOWN HIGH is the perfect treat.

The Cheetah Girls

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Good 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I was impressed by this movie until i saw i saw the second one which was directed by Kenny Otatager which made a difference the music is better and so is the dancing but this is a highly recomended film

A Fun Experience 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a very good movie it has songs that give you messges you should listen to and understand. Here is the basic storyline

The Cheetah Girls are four teens. Dorinda Thomas, Chanel Simmons, Aquanette Walker and Galleria Garibaldi. And they are out to achive thier dream to be a famous Pop sensaition. But when things start to go wrong the Cheetahs split up. Will the Cheetahs ever get back together.

It is an exciting and sad movie great entertainment for the Whole Fanmily

Editorial Review:

Meet the cheetah girls 4 ny teens who are facing the challenge of growing up as they dance & sing their way toward that elusive record deal. The foursome will discover that their big break is not what they expected. Their friendship will be tested as the choose between fame & being true to themselves. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 08/15/2008 Starring: Raven Kelly Williams Run time: 93 minutes Rating: Tv-g

The Miracle Worker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Cheesy 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

You've gotta hand it to Disney -- they Disneyfie everything they do! Most of the time that's a good thing, but not so much in the case of this movie. The old one starring Patty Duke was much better in the respect of cast. Everyone CLASHED -- and that was a GOOD thing because it was half the conflict, which is a vital ellement in any movie. Also, Patty Duke was a Helen with a broader range of emotion. This new one is 1)Blank, or 2)Sour. And Lucas Black as James?! I like him, but he was NOT the guy for the role. I much prefer the sarcastic, withdrawn, hurting young man in the 1960's movie. He wanted to be loved and accepted for himself, but was much too proud to stoop to whining or openly pointing out his father's favoritism. Yes, these new characters are definately modulated. And, to me, downright bland. Helen's longing for knowledge was better depicted in the old movie, as well as Annie's restless yearning to impart it to her.

Editorial Review:

This contemporary version of the classic true story stars the acclaimed talents of Hallie Kate Eisenberg (THE INSIDER, BEAUTIFUL, and BICENTENNIAL MAN) as Helen Keller, and Alison Elliot (THE SPITFIRE GRILL, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE) as Annie Sullivan. Helen, who has been unable to speak, hear, or see since childhood, is increasingly difficult to educate, and her parents find Annie Sullivan. Although she is new to teaching, it is through Annie's strong will and unshakable faith that Helen discovers how to survive and thrive in the world through the eyes and ears of others. Your family will love this story of these remarkable American women.

High School Musical, The Concert - Extreme Access Pass

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Can;t Get Enough 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I can't get enough of this DVD. The live auidence gives you so much energy you can't help but sing along to the songs! This Dvd also has 2 songs from Corbin Bleu and 1 song from Ashley Tisdale and 1 song from Vanessa Hudgens. if you loved the movie and the music then you nedd to get this DVD and the concert soundtrack!

High School Musical 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

High School Musical, The Concert - Extreme Access Pass
I both this product for my daughters, she love the group and their musical

High School Musical: the concert 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I got this for my daughter as a Christmas gift, She liked it but wished it had a little more backstage stuff.

Editorial Review:

High School Musical has swept the world with its great songs, fabulous production, and positive role models. Now the TV phenomenon is hitting the road with High School Musical on tour! Most of the television stars will be a part of the cast, including Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman, with Drew Seeley (who wrote "Get’cha Head in the Game") taking the part played by Zac Efron on TV.

The Josephine Baker Story

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautifully acted piece of fiction 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Any time a movie is made about a real person, there will be complaints that certain things are not correct. We all know that events get changed, rearranged or omitted for the sake of moving a story along. But this isn't a complaint about small details being omitted or changed. This is a complaint about a story that is barely true.

I assume that Josephine's story was rewritten to make her a more likable person. By many accounts, she was both barely tolerable and extremely lovable, both brilliant and self-destructive, loving to a point of fault and downright disloyal, extremely insightful and downright delusional. Baker showed strong signs of what we now know is bipolar disorder. But rather than showing us the story of a woman whose inner demons and manic depression nearly swallowed her whole, we get poor, poor Josephine constantly falling victim to a series of unfortunate events and being blacklisted because of her participation in the civil rights movement. Nothing is ever Josephine's fault - not her exile from the United States (thanks to her pro-communist comments), nor her failed marriages (to men whom she abused and were abusive in return), nor her eventually losing Les Milandes (which was saved on four separate occasions before finally being sold).

Additionally, this film suggests that Baker was driven by racism and the desire to prove to a Jim Crow America that a black woman could be as successful and beloved as a white woman. I'm sure this was partially true. However, Baker had an streak of self-hatred in her, best evidenced by the constant changing of her father's race to depict herself as being biracial. (At one point, she went on record as saying he was a Spanish Jew.) Josephine despised light skinned blacks (possibly out of jealousy), shunned dating men of color (except for her first two husbands, whom she left and later denied existed), and rarely patronized African-American businesses until the U.S. government had all but deported her due to her fierce anti-American statements. One has to wonder if her sudden leap into the civil rights movement was spurned by her suddenly becoming persona non grata in the United States. Ironically, Baker had virtually nothing to say about the poor treatment of French Africans in her own country, possibly because there was no publicity in it.

Baker's relationships with husbands Abatino and Boulliard, husbands three and five, are misrepresented to the point of parody. Her film career, along with her pre-Paris career, is completely ignored. Her role in the civil rights movement, along with the Resistance, is so understated that it's offensive. Additionally - and this is why this film is a beautiful failure - there is little depiction of Josephine's hard work, insight, intelligence and drive. This film shows us an interracial version of "My Fair Lady," with Pepito more or less shaping the performer that Baker became. In fact, nearly all of Baker's success is due to whites in this movie, completely omitting the numerous African-Americans who worked so hard with and for Baker. Even Baker's family, who lived with Baker in France (brother Richard and his children, along with sister Margaret), are conspicuously absent from this film.

This isn't to say that the film should have trashed Baker, or portrayed her as a self-loathing loony bird who just so happened to sing and dance. Rather, I wish it had shown us a more multifacted character, a perpetual phoenix who spent her entire career destroying herself just to rise again, stronger and hotter than ever. There is no question that Whitfield deserved her Emmy award, but Josephine deserved more than what this movie gave her. TJBS is largely panned among Josephine Baker fans, with good reason. If you want to watch a wonderfully acted movie about a half naked, booty-shaking singer, this movie is fine. If you want to know about a legend whose work still impacts the entertainment industry over 30 years after her death, look elsewhere.

Editorial Review:

Before Madonna, before Marilyn, there was Josephine. Outrageous, shocking, sensational, she travelled the world to become one of the most loved, truly international stars. ' 'Sizzling hot.' ' (USA Today) ' 'A knockout!' ' (Washington Post)

Death of a Salesman/ Private Conversations

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Story about a Salesman who Travels but...Never Arrives 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

+++++

This movie is about hard-working, traveling salesman Willy Loman (Dustin Hoffman), a man whose life has become a permanent nervous breakdown. He's about to lose his job, he can't pay his bills, and his sons Biff (John Malkovich) and "Happy" (Stephen Lang) don't respect him and can't seem to live up to their potential. His wife (Kate Reid) still loves him but she is caught up in a state of "bitter helplessness." Willy, now in his sixties, wonders what went wrong (after all, his dream of monetary success should have come true by now!!) and how he can make things up to his family. He is now indeed a "low man."

A talented, sensitive director (Volker Schlondoroff) with a topflight main cast (stated above), under the supervision of the original author who penned the Pulitzer Prize-winning play in 1949 (Arthur Miller, Oct. 1915 to Feb. 2005) on which this movie is based, make this movie an unforgettable viewing experience. The emphasis of this entire movie is on the excellent performances.

Hoffman (who won an Emmy and Golden Globe for this role) gives a standout performance in this movie as the bewildered Willy who now is suffering a crisis, a kind of "success mania." Malkovich gives a superb performance as Biff, the son that Willy has decided to transfer his failed ambitions too. Also look for Linda Kozlowski of "Crocodile Dundee" fame in a small but sharp role.

Finally, the DVD extra called "Private Conversations" is a ninety-minute documentary with the entire cast that especially features Hoffman, Malkovich, Miller, and Schlondoroff.

In conclusion, this is an unforgettable movie with outstanding performances that's based on an award-winning play. Thus, you can't go wrong in watching this movie!!

(1985; 2 hr, 15 min; made for TV; full screen)

+++++

Editorial Review:

Willy Loman has spent his entire life believing he and his family are bound for greatness. Struggling day to day as a traveling salesman, Willy begins to lose touch with reality and drifts away into the past. Meanwhile his family, including wife Linda and sons Biff and Happy, attempts to cope with Willy's self-destruction and the still-lingering ghosts of the past. Arthur Miller's timeless Pulitzer Prize-winning play is brought to the screen with a powerhouse performance by Academy Award-winner Dustin Hoffman, who earned Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for this role. The stellar supporting cast features Kate Reid, Charles Durning, Stephen Lang, and in his first breakout role, John Malkovich as Biff, all guided by internationally-acclaimed director Volker Schlondorff (The Tin Drum) and a haunting score by legendary composer Alex North (Spartacus).