Sex and the Single Girl
by Lauren Bacall Tony Curtis Natalie Wood
Director: Richard Quine
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (30 June, 1993)
list price: $19.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (13)

Natalie at her peak!
Natalie Wood reached the zenith of her career in the early 1960's and this is a perfect showcase for her at her absolute best in acting and beauty._Sex and the Single Girl_ doesn't, of course, have much to do with the actual book, but it's pretty damned funny, reaching its peak of cheerful absurdity during the last 20 minutes with a chaotic chase up and down L.A.'s freeways.Tony Curtis, as also in _The Great Race_, provides a droll comic partner/romantic interest for Natalie, and Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall are delicious as the battling couple who can't live with or without each other.Sparkling example of the early-'60's sex-comedy genre.

Realistic Corporate Portrayal
I liked the part where the two men at the office go to the restroom, and everything inside is coin-operated -- pay toilets, lavatory water, towels for drying hands... and to look in a mirror, they put a coin in a slot and a panel slides up, revealing a mirror for just a few moments of hurried hair-combing.I have worked at places where they put this much squeeze on their own employees, a real treat let me tell you.

This film's director, Richard Quine, switched to directing after starring in the film of a lifetime, "We've Never Been Licked," a 1943 movie about the incomparable fighting sons of Texas A&M.Quine played the lead, a cadet named Brad Craig, and shared the screen with notables Robert Mitchum, Anne Gwynne, Noah Beery Jr and William Frawley.Loved by a generation, "We've Never Been Licked" represented the pinnacle of an acting career, thus Quine -- though relatively young -- turned to directing.He died in the late 1960s, never having matched either in direction or acting his magnificent achievement with WNBL, though "Sex and the Single Girl" was a good-faith effort.

movie fan
This film is great fun and Natalie never looked more lovlier but I'll purchase it when it is released on DVD. ... Read more

Asin: 6302354102
Sales Rank: 8358
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
by Gene Tierney Rex Harrison
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (21 March, 1991)
list price: $19.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Joseph Mankiewicz's moody classic is less ghost story than romantic fantasy, a handsome 1947 drama of impossible love set on the picturesque turn-of-the-century New England coast. Independent young widow Lucy Muir (the luminous Gene Tierney), desperate to escape her uptight in-laws, falls in love with a grand seaside house and moves in, only to discover the cantankerous ghost of the hot-tempered Captain Gregg (a histrionically flamboyant performance by Rex Harrison). Lucy refuses to let the bombastic captain frighten her away, earning his respect, his friendship, and later his love. They team up to turn the captain's salty memoirs into a bestseller, but as his affection grows he fades away, leaving Lucy free to undertake a more worldly suitor, notably a charismatic children's author (George Sanders at his smarmy smoothest) with his own guarded secret. Charles Lang's melancholy black-and-white photography and Bernard Herrmann's haunting score set the tone for this sublime adult drama, and Tierney delivers one of her most understated performances as the resolute Mrs. Muir. Mankiewicz turns this ghost story into a refreshingly mature and down-to-earth romance. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Features

• Black & White
• Closed-captioned
• NTSC

Reviews (68)

A Wonderful Movie About The Enduring Power Of Love!!!
In this movie Gene Tierney plays Lucy, a recent widow who wants to assert her independance and live in a cottage by the sea. Upon purchasing the cottage she realizes that is it haunted by the ghost of the previous owwner played by Rex Harrison in a remarkable performance as the crusty , gruff Sea Captain.. Lucy and Rex get to know each other after awhile and sadly there seems to be no future for them as he is a ghost.This movie has a haunting soundtrack,a wonderful story and was made in a time when actresses kept their clothes on and there were no car chases or explosions to be seen which is typical of todays movies. This movie is a Classic Gem!!!

Spirited Romance
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) stars the unearthly beauty Gene Tierney as a stubborn young widow and Rex Harrison, revising his Henry Higgins persona, as the gruff ghost of a sea captain.When Mrs. Muir elects to rent Gull Cottage in the English village of Whitecliff-on-the-Sea, the specter of the builder and owner, Captain Daniel Gregg, strikes up an understated romance with the new tenant.Captain Gregg was reputed to have committed suicide, but he explains forcefully that he kicked "the blasted gas heater on with my blasted foot!"Captain Gregg saves Mrs. Muir from bankruptcy by dictating his autobiography, called "Blood and Swash", only to be supplanted by the hypocritically smooth, and flesh and blood, Miles Fairley (played by George Saunders).The romance fails, but by that time Captain Gregg has disappeared.

His awareness of his own immutability and Mrs. Muir's susceptibility make the film bittersweet.Although it suffers from an overdose of decadent orchestral interludes and Tierney's limited flexibility, Rex Harrison's delivery of his best lines redeems it.Mrs. Muir is shocked by the Captain's colorful life, and suggests that some poor misguided female must be mourning him.Gregg answers curtly, "Three poor misguided females!"Two of the best characters, the house and the sea, are representative of the film's motifs - they seem to breathe, but they are watching mortals impassively from a distance.The Captain and Mrs. Muir come closer and closer to each other, but never touch until the end, when the film steps back to tip its hat to the inevitable.

Classic movie about timeless love
One of my favorite movies, every time I catch it on I stop everything and watch it.You should too.While it has its funny moments, which any story about living with a ghost will, it gradually moves from comedy to drama, when the Captain's Ghost disappears from Mrs Muir's life.They both know they will be together eventually, as soon as Mrs Muir dies.She lives the rest of her life alone, happy with the thought she will be together with the Captain the moment she dies.The ending gets me every time!He takes her by the hand after she dies and says "you'll never be tired again."Makes you wish you'll one day find such a person to wait for, even in death. ... Read more

Asin: 6301586042
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

Miracle on 34th Street
by Maureen O'Hara Edmund Gwenn
Director: George Seaton
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (16 October, 2001)
list price: $9.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The original 1947 version of this Valentine Davies story follows the misadventures of Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) as he gets a job playing Santa Claus at Macy's department store in New York City. Natalie Wood is the little girl who tells him she doesn't believe in Santa, and Maureen O'Hara and John Payne are the couple who help Kris through a trial in which he must prove he's the jolly fellow from the North Pole. A sweet movie and perennial Christmas favorite, this is one of those movies that gets under your skin and must be revisited every so often. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Features

• Black & White
• Closed-captioned
• THX
• NTSC

Reviews (72)

Classic radio show gave additional insight to movie theme
This is a great movie,as many have posted before me. However, after hearing the classic radio show (heard it on Sirius)originally aired around the same time as the orginal movie release, I learned something entirely new about this old classic I enjoyed for many years. In the classic radio show at the end when the lawyer talks with Santa about the house, he learns that Santa set the entire sanity trial up, Santa knew the lawyer could not afford the house unless he bacame a famous lawyer, and by going to trial it made the lawyer famous. I never realized that Santa set it all up by making them think he was crazy, but it makes sense that Santa could be that smart.

Please ignore the remakes and see this magical original
Many of us have seen Miracle on 34th Street many times (once a year), and for me it never wears out.Just seeing Edmund Gwenn convince the sceptical, but adorable Natalie Wood that he's Santa is always both moving and hilarious.The theme is that sometimes good (Gwenn) triumphs over evil (Sawyer) with a little luck and magic (unfortunately not this year though.)
The way the plot is put into place is masterful and George Seaton's direction flawless.Maureen O'Hara and John Payne (Gailey) do a great job and if you listen carefully you can hear O'Hara's Irish accent creep in.Also great is the judge played by Gene Lockhart who gives his role just the right dash of comedy, as well as William Frawley (better known as Fred on I Love Lucy).
The swipe it takes at psychiatry is too mild though.It depicts Sawyer as a fake psychiatrist...not challenging the legitimacy of psychiatry itself.However the message gets subtly through...there are those in the profession "with no humanity" as Kris Kringle puts it.
Even though you know the outcome it's still great to watch the triumphant result of Gailey's efforts, as well as Kringle's winning over of everyone at the end.
To me THIS is the quintessential Christmas film, not Wonderful Life or Christmas Carol which are too sentimental and dated.Miracle is intelligent, human, and timeless.

A Classic and a Gem
Great movie, even after all these years.Black and white or colorized, you can't go wrong.

Edmund Gwenn as Santa is the heart and soul of this movie.He is as we all imagine (and hope) Santa to be.It almost hurts when we see the other characters not actually believing he is the one and only Saint Nick.

But the other actors are also top notch...except for Maureen O'Hara.She may be the nicest lady in the world ... I don't know ... but she almost single-handedly torpedoes this movie.It achieves classic status despite her.

The guy who plays the lawyer, he is excellent.A nice understated but still believable performance.And Natalie Wood is cute and believable as the little girl.But the rest of the cast is a superb collection of unique characters who really fill out the movie nicely.

One last thing ... the one scene I like (love) best is the one where the little Dutch girl, who can't speak English, comes to sit on Santa's lap.A priceless, priceless moment.
... Read more

Asin: 6301442962
Subjects:  1. Feature Film Family   

Bananas
by Woody Allen Louise Lasser
Director: Woody Allen
Average Customer Review:
DVD (07 September, 2004)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $11.96
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Woody Allen's second film as a director was a wild, unpredictable, and unlikely comedy about a product-tester named Fielding Mellish (Allen), who can't quite connect with the woman of his dreams (Louise Lasser, Allen's ex-wife). He accidentally winds up in South America as a freedom fighter for a guerrilla leader who looks like Castro. Once he assumes power, the new dictator quickly goes insane--which leaves Fielding in charge to negotiate with the U.S. The film is chockfull of wonderfully bizarre gags, such as the dreams Fielding recounts to his shrink about dueling crucified messiahs, vying for a parking place near Wall Street. Look for an unknown Sylvester Stallone in a tiny role--but watch this film for Allen's surprisingly physical (and always verbally dexterous) humor. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Widescreen
• Closed-captioned

Reviews (41)

Jokes and Visual Gags at the Speed of Thought. Funny!
`Bananas' is cowriter / director Woody Allen's second film (after `Take the Money and Run') in which he writes, directs, and acts. It has all the trademarks of his classic comedies such as visual gags, guest interviews (including Howard Cosell and other leading announcers for ABC's `Wide World of Sports'), one liners, obscure references to other movies, long lists of surprising cameos, and inept sexual encounters.

In fact, one small thrill from this movie is to see Sylvester Stallone in a minor, nonspeaking role.

I have not seen `Bananas' for years before just now getting the DVD and I'm pleasantly reminded of how many Allen scenes I remember from this movie, with no recollection that the scene came from `Bananas'. My favorite, which I always thought was from `Take the Money and Run' is when he directs a parking car so that it rams into the car behind it. This seems like an almost trivial piece of business until you match it up with Allen's character, which is simply not necessarily a nice person. Through so many movies, including some of the very best such as `Manhattan' and `Stardust Memories', Allen's character is neither stupid, sexually inept, intellectual, or particularly admirable. But then, Hamlet and Macbeth were not the most sterling of characters, yet their personalities were a great basis for drama.

The liner notes to this DVD claim that there is a significant influence from the Marx brothers on this movie, but aside from the fact that the Marx brothers probably influenced every American comedian working since 1935, I really don't see a big connection to `Bananas'. Even the hypothesis that the movie was titled in homage to the Marx brothers `Coconuts' I think is a bit of a stretch. The other thing they cite is the appearance of a harp player in main character Fielding Mellish's hotel rooms closet. But then, there is an even more obvious quote from the famous marble steps scene in the famous Russian film `Battleship Potemkin', but I don't see the liner notes claiming a kinship with the works of Sergei Eisenstein.

On the other hand, just as I suspected scenes in `Play It Again, Sam' being quoted in `Animal House', I sense a borrowing of one or more scenes from `Bananas' by the filmmakers who did `Network'. I have a really strong sense that either `Network' was quoting Allen or vice versa.

Unlike almost all of Allen's films starting with `Annie Hall', this and other early Allen films have virtually no socially redeeming value except for the fact that they are very, very funny and they enable us to see the funny side, if that is at all possible, of things like the `Bay of Pigs' invasion and our various incursions into Haiti and the Dominican Republic. So, If I had to choose to be locked up with but one Woody Allen movie, it would definitely be `Annie Hall' or later. I simply cannot see the virtue of the attitude parodied in `Stardust Memories' of preferring the earlier, `funny' movies. I may not be especially keen on `Interiors' or `September', but I do prefer the later comedies such as `Shadows and Fog', `Curse of the Jade Scorpion', and `Mighty Aphrodite' than the earlier ones with virtually no meaningful plot.

That does not mean they are not very funny movies. On average, I think they are at least as funny as most of Mel Brooks movies (except for `Blazing Saddles' and `The Producers') and I think they succeed with more laughs per reel by resorting to fewer improbabilities and downright silliness than does friend Brooks.

In fact, in the liner notes, Allen is quoted as saying that `Bananas' is a movie where his only concern was to be funny. There may be one behind the scenes parallel with the Marx brothers in that lots of both Marx brothers movies and Allen movies borrow from their stage routines. Another parallel is that both Allen and the Marxes were incredibly physical, so there may be just a little more Groucho here than I was originally inclined to admit.

If all you want is comedy, or you are a died in the wool Woodman fan, this is a movie for you! If you like `Annie Hall' but are cool in `Take the Money and Run', you may want to pass on this movie.

25 Years?
I think it's been twenty-five years since I've seen this. I was a lefty then. Now I'm a conservative, but I still have a sense of humor. The cigarette ad spoof was side-splitting; I'd forgotten about that. The courtroom scene is even better than I remembered. The Coen Brothers must have studied that before they wrote Intolerable Cruelty. I remember Allen's comedy books better than his films and several of those book gags are present in the film. I love "The Rebel Song." I was singing that yesterday in the car! What about raiding the village for food? And visiting his parents, the surgeons? LOL! Yeah, funny stuff. I watched it twice.

Snakebite!! Snakebite!!
An Interesting tale with a few exciting twists. Fielding Mellish (Woody Allen) is so enamored of Nancy that he takes on her cause and then some. Due to a twist of fait he gets involved with the op-force and by default become more than he planed to be. Will he be able to eventually impress Nancy? Or will she be able to tell deep down that he is still Mellish?
Next to "Oscar (1991)" this is one of Sylvester Stallone's best performances. That's right Sylvester is in this also. By now you can tell I liked the Snake Bite Lady (Princess Fatosh.) Dorothi Fox did a convincing J. Edgar Hoover. Look for Danny DeVito. And I think they outdid the "Tom Jones (1963)" eating scene.
If you like this kind of dictator movie, you may want to watch "Moon Over Parador (1988) "
... Read more

Asin: 0792846060
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

Doc Hollywood
by Michael J. Fox Julie Warner
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Average Customer Review:
DVD (03 February, 2004)
list price: $9.97 -- our price: $9.97
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

At first glance, this 1991 comedy looks like another formulaic fluff-piece with a standard fish-out-of-water scenario--in this case a hotshot young doctor (Michael J. Fox) whose cross-country drive to become a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon is interrupted when he crashes in the rural hamlet of Grady, South Carolina. But as Fox's character is urged by the folksy locals to stay--an offer made tempting by his romance with a law student (Julie Warner)--this unassuming little movie just gets better and better thanks to a sharp script and a splendid supporting cast. Well, okay ... maybe Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda aren't used to the fullest of their abilities, but for the most part this is a charming and surprisingly intelligent comedy that's good enough to compare favorably to My Cousin Vinny, a film with which it shares much in common. Fox has all the right moves to make his character both bullish and ultimately agreeable, and Julie Warner's performance may leave you wondering why this fine actress didn't immediately rise to stardom. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Dolby

Reviews (34)

Sometimes it's not what you think you want....
Michael J. Fox as Dr. Ben Stone is desperate for a high-dollar, high-class career as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills...but his trip to his hot new job takes a detour when he winds up in a small Southern town. Full of humor, Southern charm, and colorful characters, this movie is a winner all the way around. A brief bit of nudity, but nothing I'd send the kids out of the room for. Too bad there can't be a sequel,and I wish Fox well as he struggles with Parkinson's.

good movie could use sub-titles
Overall this movie is still pretty funny and witty and colorful. Having lived in the South for the last 4 years I can appreciate this movie more than when I saw it first when it was released in theaters. The accent of the characters in the movie is really thick, though, and the DVD could definitely use sub-titles, at least in English, but it does not have any. In fact there are zero special features here, the main menu does not even have the standard background with a movie still but a giant WB logo with two options: Play and Chapter Index. Some production notes would have been nice too.

Maybe the best "date flicks" I've ever seen.
I normally cannot watch movies on airplanes for some reason.I first saw "Doc Hollywood" on the grueling Boston-LA flight, and it immediately captured and held my interest for the entire flight.More than anything, that fact illustrates that this is a truly engaging flick.This is a genuinely funny movie.One thing that this movie does is lay to rest any doubts anyone might have had about Michael J. Fox's acting ability. In my opinion he turns in a stellar performance, albeit supported by fine jobs by the supporting cast.The part where he finally goes to LA is absolutely hysterical, by the way.

The story is very simple (no spoilers here).The protagonist (Michael J. Fox) is on his way to a job interview for a position as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.He has an accident in a small Southern town ("Grady") and is sentenced to several hundred hours of community service.The town needs a doctor, and its real purpose is to recruit him as a permanent resident physician.Naturally, Doc meets a nice girl and now the choice is between money as a big-shot LA plastic surgeon and lifestyle in a nice rural setting.There's a lot more.I won't spoil it for you.Doc's slow assimilation into the town of Grady is wonderfully done.This movie manages to be both touching and funny, and I say this as one who is normally not much for comedy or date flicks.

Michael J. Fox shows in this movie that he had the potential to go far, as indeed he did. ... Read more

Asin: 6305133468
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

Dust Bowl Ballads [Buddha]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 July, 2000)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

"If you'll gather 'round me children, a story I will tell," sings Woody Guthrie in "Pretty Boy Floyd." Children of all ages have never stopped gathering 'round Woody Guthrie since he recorded these songs in the spring of 1940, and that most-famous line tells us a lot about his approach: his songs are for all people, simple and direct enough to be understood by young ones, irresistibly catchy, yet devilishly clever and cutting. His ability to boil down complex emotions and issues to their very core has rarely been matched. "So long it's been good to know yuh," he sings in "Dusty Old Dust," and its childlike sing-along quality only serves to reinforce his very serious points. Across these 14 songs, Guthrie recounts and relives his experience as an Okie forced from his home by the Depression and drought of the 1930s, chronicling the arduous journey in brilliant, sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying detail. The characters that inhabit his stories are sincere, sympathetic, and brutally alive. Originally released in 1940 on two albums, and again in 1964 for the benefit of salivating folk revivalists, Dust Bowl Ballads returns once again in 2000 freshly remastered, full of new photos and boasting one alternate take. If there is one album of modern American folk music that deserves to be reissued for the benefit of each generation, it is this collection. In terms of the singer-songwriter concept, it is truly the river's source; in historical terms, it's to the New Deal what the Declaration of Independence is to the American Revolution. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (13)

ABSOLUTELY the very best Woody Guthrie album
OK, so the Smithsonian/Folksways Moses Asch four-CD releases are great Guthrie material. But they come some 30-plus years after his death left a void in American music that has yet to be filled. Dust Bowl Ballads has been remastered and the sound on the new edition (with a bonus track!) is sterling. If I were a high school English teacher and assigned "The Grapes of Wrath" as a reading project, I'd tell my students to find this CD and play it quietly in the background to create atmosphere for the movie. Some hail the Columbia River songs as some of Woody's best work, but in my humble opinion Dust Bowl Ballads simply has no equal. Dylan, Springsteen, and all of us who appreciate good American music owe a huge debt to Woody Guthrie. Grapes of Wrath will stand as an example of Steinbeck's best work, just as Dust Bowl Ballads easily stands as Guthrie's. This is clearly one of the 10 or 20 most essential albums of the 20th Century. If you're just discovering Woody, or come to him via the Billy Bragg/Wilco CDs, this is a great place to begin. Then, Volumes 1 and 3 of the earlier-cited Asch recordings are nearly as essential. (They're the two CDs out of the four that contain mostly or all-original Guthrie songs; CD 2 is Woody's take on old-timey classics, while CD 4 consists of his versions of "cowboy songs." Vols. 3 and 4 are good, but 1 and 2 are Woody originals and, as a result, are closer to my heart...) Generally, skip all the various "best of" Guthrie collections and start here. This is X and X marks the spot to begin...

An important and wonderful recording
I got a vinyl copy of this on RCA some time around 1970 and I am grateful to whichever label[s] has/have taken the initiative to make available on CD.It is an essential item in my collection, and I love to listen to it, i.e. not just academically interesting, IMHO.

This is great recording.Many of Woody's best songs are represented in fine fashion, and I must admit that every time I put it on and hear him start out singing cut #1" ... On the 14th day of April in 1935 ..."it starts me out on a musical journey that lasts til the last song.Never fails.He was an indominable spirit, and when I think of Woody at his best, I think of this record.

PS If you are ever doing some long-haul driving and you are in the middle of nowhere at 3 in the morning, try putting this CD on your mobile hi-fi.It's an American experience.

Wow!
What a great CD! The songs are terrific! They have done a great job cleaning these up. I doubt if the originals sounded as well. Guthrie is in fine form as he talks, sings and plays through a slice of American history. He is a real musical genius! This is a steal at any price! ... Read more

Asin: B00004TY8S
Subjects:  1. Folk & Traditional    2. Pop    3. Traditional Folk    4. United States of America   

The Petrified Forest
by Leslie Howard Bette Davis Humphrey Bogart
Director: Archie Mayo
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (07 March, 2000)
list price: $19.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Adapted from a hit Broadway play by Robert Sherwood and starring original cast members Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart, this 1936 suspense drama is set in an aging desert roadhouse café, where a young woman (Bette Davis) dreams of escaping a dead-end existence spent with her father and a lunkheaded, would-be suitor. Along comes a penniless poet (Howard), a wanderer who has made a mess of his life and crossed the hot sands as a symbolic act of meaningful futility. Davis's waitress is instantly enchanted, and in short order they begin talking about heading out to the world together. Then a twist: the world comes to them--in the form of escaped convicts, led by the monosyllabic Duke Mantee (Bogart), who secretly agrees to the poet's request that the fugitive gangster kill him. Directed by Archie Mayo (The Great American Broadcast), much of the film, perhaps inevitably, looks set-bound. Most of the action occurs in the café, and the script's tension sadly dissipates a bit as villains and hostages stay glued to their seats. The film's enduring appeal has everything to do with the leading performances: the fascinating alchemy of Howard's ethereal air, Davis's sexy urgency, and Bogart's bemused menace. If the story feels a trifle dated and perhaps a bit smug, the actors make it compelling nonetheless. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Features

• Black & White
• NTSC

Reviews (23)

Dead trees in the desert that have turned to stone.
What a difference 70 years make.In 1936 THE PETRIFIED FOREST offered theater goes the exciting prospect of the re-teaming of IN HUMAN BONDAGE'S costars Leslie Howard and Bette Davis.Today Howard is practically forgotten and Davis moved on to much more memorable roles.The reason eternity pays heed to this movie is because of the breakthrough performance of the actor who shows up fifth on the cast credits, after not only Howard and Davis but Genevieve Tobin and Dick Foran as well.Although the term is overused, Humphrey Bogart is electrifying as criminal Duke Mantee, and he steals the show and wrestles a movie career in the process.Howard was a world class actor, and I can't remember another instance where Davis wasn't the most interesting character on the screen.For a 30-something stage actor, and a more or less failed film star, to steal a film from these two heavyweights is a staggering achievement.For my money, Duke Mantee stands as one of Bogart's best film performances ever.
The movie is based on Robert Sherwood's hit Broadway play of the same name.Howard plays gentle roustabout Alan Squier, an esthete young man hitchhiking across America, `looking for something to believe in.' The wind shakes him out of the even present dust and deposits him at the isolated Arizona diner young Gabrielle Maple (Bette Davis) runs with her father and grandfather.Davis plays the naïve and romantic and `gabby' young girl stuck in the middle of nowhere who paints and dreams of reuniting with her mother in France and reads the poems of Francois Villon to take the stink of the hamburger and gasoline out of her system.The first act, and much of the second, is used to bud the romance between Alan and Gabby, all the while reminding us that brutal criminal Nick Mantee is on the loose and in the area.
Of course, Mantee finally arrives and Alan presciently announces that `carnage is imminent and I'm due to be among the fallen.'Bogart, who modeled Mantee on real life criminal John Dillinger, then proceeds to lay claim to Hollywood immortality.With his heavy stubble and dark and haunted eyes and stooped shoulders Bogart looks like a hunted beast of a man.More a mono-syllabic killer than `the last great apostle of rugged individualism,' as Alan puts it. Or, as Mantee would say, `Maybe you're right, pal.I couldn't say.'
THE PETRIFIED FOREST never quite shakes it stage heritage.Although commentator Eric Lax (Bogart biographer) tells us in his fact filled and entertaining commentary the tons of dust used on the soundstage, the film spends almost all of its time on one set - the interior of the diner - and the movie has a pretty static feeling to it as a result.
The print looks and sounds great, by the way. The dvd also has a 15- minute feature "Menace in the Desert", in which film historian Alain Silver and others discuss the Robert Sherwood stage play, its conversion to the screen, and the role that set Humphrey Bogart's star.Also included on the disk is the delightful and always welcome Warners Night at the Movie.It opens with a trailer for Bullets or Ballots, an Edgar G. Robinson crime thriller where he plays the good guy.That's followed by "Rhymitis", a dancing short with Hal LeRoy and Toby Wing.It doesn't have much of a plot but it's fun.A modern day alchemist comes up with a pill that makes you want to dance dance dance whenever you hear a beat that can't be beat. Night at the Movies concludes with the color cartoon "The Coo Coo Nut Grove," a take-off on the Coconut Grove nightclub and a lampoon of contemporary Hollywood stars - i.e., W.C. Fields as a pig, Katharine Hepburn a horse, etc.

Maudlin Melodrama with A Bogie of a Finish
Based on Robert E. Sherwood's Broadway blockbuster, "The Petrified Forest" (1936) is basically two acts of melodrama with a crime thriller finish. It stars Leslie Howard as cockeyed idealist, Alan Squier. Alan arrives at the ramshacked oasis of Maple Service Station - a little bit of nothin' presided over by Jason Maple (Porter Hall) and his drunken Grampa (Charles Grapewin). Fat Paula (Nina Campana) rounds out the motely crew in charge of eats and gas at this filling station in the middle of nowhere. The one jewel sparkling amidst the dessert heat is waitress, Gabby Maple (Betty Davis). She's just as cockeyed as Alan, aspiring to study art in Paris. After much lamentation - most of it needless, Gabby persuades a visiting couple, the Chisholms (Paul Harvey and Genevieve Tobin) to give Alan a ride to California. However, plans take a turn for the worst when everyone is forced to spend the night hold up inside the diner at the hands of ruthless prison escapee, Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart).

After some high stakes threats and more than a bit of action Alan creates the circumstances by which Gabby's aspirations for a better life will flourish.What elevates this minor bit of tripe from its humble roots are the brilliant performances by Davis and Bogart. Bogart, in particular, is menacing in a reserved sort of restraint. Although he rarely becomes animated or excited he always seems capable of becoming completely unhinged.

Years of viewing this film on late night television in less than stellar prints didn't have me holding out for much on this outing. I am pleased to report that Warner's newly mastered DVD is a quiet vision of beauty. The gray scale has been impeccibly rendered. Though blacks are soft and somewhat more deep gray than black, overall the contrast levels are superb. Whites are clean. Occasionally there is a bit more film grain present than one would like but the image quality is a definite improvement over what I have been used to seeing. The audio is mono but nicely represented with minimal background distortion and hiss. A competent commentary by Bogie biographer, Eric Lax, newly produced featurette and audio only bonus of the original radio broadcast of the film are nice extras worthy of this classy classic. Highly recommended!

Don't Bogart That Joint
It's obvious that "The Petrified Forest" is a stage play translated to film.In many instances in the course of this film staginess translates into stagnant.Set in a diner in the Arizona desert, the first thirty minutes or so are devoted to Leslie Howard's writer and Bette Davis' waitress waxing melodramatic to each other about their artistic frustrations and other matters of the heart.The tedium is relieved intermittently by the comic musings of the old coot played by Charlie Grapewin.Fortunately for the viewer, escaped gangster Duke Mantee(Humphrey Bogart) comes on the scene to let the air out of the lead balloon.Bogart's character is given an economy of words, usually consisting of telling his accomplices to cover the hostages in the diner, but what Bogart does with a glare lesser actors couldn't do with a hundred pages of dialogue.In the long run this film is of interest primarily because it is Bogart's break-out role.That does not stop one from longing for "Key Largo".The extras on this disc include an amusing short subject "Rhythmitis", a cartoon that caricatures the Hollywood stars of the day, and a documentary on "The Petrified Forest" that is almost wholly devoted to the importance of Bogart to the film(even though he get's billed behind Grapewin in the credits?!). ... Read more

Asin: 0790747219
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

1983 studio sessions
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 June, 1996)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $13.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (9)

I like music, mighty fine msuic...
And that is exactly what the ever glamorous diva serves up here.She swings as hard as ever backed by an intimate trio led by superstar jazzman Hank Jones.Forrest seems inspired by Jones and his jazzmen, and she gives some particularly inspired performances, waxing versions of her hits, that are sure to please any fan of the still going strong singer in 1983.

Emotional drenched higly appealing performances
This cd offers proof this Helen Forrest was indeed not past her musical prime in 1983, in fact she was in her musical prime.She was taking chances as she never had before.Here she revisits some of her biggest hits with Harry James and Artie Shaw.Helen sounds so much more mature and understanding of teh lyrics without loosing that crosseyed in love feeling.her voice is still youthful yet smarker and more knowing.She hits somesweet high notes and improvises along with Hank Jones and his trio superbly.This is among the finest examples of great jazz/pop singing ever.a great cd.
Also recomended:
Helen Forrest:The Cream of(Flapper/Pearl)
and
Helen Forrest: Embraceable You(Hindsight)

Helen's finest
Simply put, Miss Forrest was in her musical prime here, backed by an amazing jazz trio featuring legendary pianist hank Jones.Fine performances and Helen sounds 30 years younger then she was on these exciting and creative performances.it isd refreshing to hear her sing these songs without the overbearing annoying big bands, and the sappy strings, just Helen her emotion filled voiuce andpiano, bass and drums.AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Asin: B000002XRM
Sales Rank: 336331
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop    3. Traditional Pop    4. Vocal Jazz    5. Vocal Pop   

Humperdinck - Hansel and Gretel / Fulton, Metropolitan Opera
Average Customer Review:
DVD (26 September, 2000)
list price: $29.98 -- our price: $26.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Color

Reviews (7)

Gorgeous Music and a Charming Story
This is the Metropolitan Opera's grand production of Hansel and Gretel, starring Julith Blegen and Frederica von Stade.

It is absolutely a delight to the eyes and ears, and is so deliciously done, you can almost smell the gingerbread and taste the witch's candy house.This is from a live performance, and it is likely you will gasp in amazement (as the live audience did) as the witch's house appears on stage.Equally well-executed are the flying angels who guard Hansel and Gretel's sleep.(The Met made sure it didn't look like singers hanging from wires--they really look like angels, and the effect is dazzling.)

You'll love the witch, as she flies on her broom, or sticks out her green tongue.

Although most people regard Hansel and Gretel as a children's piece, (and it is a lovely way to introduce children to the world of opera) the orchestration is so lush and rich that people of all ages will find themselves saying, "I thought it was kids' music, but it's so beautiful."This music was written by Humperdinck, who might be considered the heir to the sound of Mahler, and his music is as gorgeous as a Mahler symphony.

Yes, this production is performed in English instead of the original German language, but perhaps that makes it a better vehicle to interest new-comers to opera.

Buy it, enjoy it, and share it with those you love!

Magical Production!
It seems like "magical" is a word only used by hack reviewers from suspicious-sounding newspapers.But really, there's no better word for this production.The richly romantic score is wonderfully played by the orchestra, and sensitively conducted by Fulton.The singers are uniformly good.The fantasy elements are spectacular... the house, the forest, the flying of angels and witches add immeasurably to the production.The only thing that I wasn't overly fond of was at certain moments the production was "childrened down," like with the occasional addition of somewhat corny graphics.But much better than some productions that remove anything "dangerous" at all, and have the witch played by a man as a drag queen!All in all this is a wonderful production of a wonderful opera.You'll be whistling the folksy score for days, and that haunting, meltingly beautiful prayer will stick with you for a long time.

From a mushroom
Speaking as a former dancing mushroom (yes, one of the ones seen in this video), I can say that this is one of my favorite videos! As a child, performing in this production was an exciting rush. As an adult, watching the opera still gives me a thrill. The production is beautiful, the stars incredible and the dancing mushrooms...well...
An excellent introduction to opera and an enjoyable video for children and adults alike! ... Read more

Asin: B00004W9BW
Sales Rank: 11120
Subjects:  1. Performing Arts - Opera   

How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 August, 1994)
list price: $7.95 -- our price: $7.95
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (14)

Finally ... a great help for the novice woodsman
Few experiences do more to mar the outdoorsy afternoon or the 8 day backpack trek than stepping over a log and discovering your expensive waffle-stompers are filled with the leavings of another hiker.The problem is as old as mankind.At least, it's as old as mankind after he began noticing what was between his toes.

The Bible addressed the problem, probably in the first surviving form, by demanding that people walk away from others with a spear or spade, dig a hole, and cover it.That method works well where the traffic is light.It works less well on heavily traveled forest trails.

Meyer offers 102 pages of suggestions, anecdotes and solutions for novices who want to experience the woods, don't want to create a problem, recognize it's a necessary body function and must be addressed.

I'd recommend it for everyone who plans a trip into the outdoors and isn't already familiar with how to deal with the function in a way that's not objectionable to those who follow.I'd make it required reading for those who go to the areas I'm likely to visit.

QUITE FUNNY AND VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING
I BOUGHT THIS AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT (WITH SIMILAR BOOKS OF "TOILET HUMOR") FOR MY 40 YEAR OLD BROTHER-IN-LAW. HOWEVER MY HUSBAND AND KIDS ENJOYED IT TOO MUCH TO GIVE THEM UP....

Read the sample pages
This is one of those books that will either amuse you or offend you, so I suggest you take advantage of Amazon's sample page views before buying.

For myself, I was gently amused but, after twenty pages or so, found my eyelids closing and sleep looming threateningly over my head. Why?... well, frankly, it's just not very interesting!

If you've nothing important on your agenda, by all means take a trip through Kathleen Meyer's world of bodily functions. Otherwise, go for a brisk walk - you'll learn more. ... Read more

Isbn: 0898156270
Sales Rank: 7112
Subjects:  1. Defecation    2. General    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Health aspects    5. Mountaineering    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Outdoor Skills    9. Outdoor life    10. Sports & Recreation   

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Harry Potter)
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (08 July, 2000)
list price: $29.99 -- our price: $19.79
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight--and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season's premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars--the Death Eaters--are out for murder.

Readers, we will cast a giant invisibility cloak over any more plot and reveal only that You-Know-Who is very much after Harry and that this year there will be no Quidditch matches between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Instead, Hogwarts will vie with two other magicians' schools, the stylish Beauxbatons and the icy Durmstrang, in a Triwizard Tournament. Those chosen to compete will undergo three supreme tests. Could Harry be one of the lucky contenders?

But Quidditch buffs need not go into mourning: we get our share of this great game at the World Cup. Attempting to go incognito as Muggles, 100,000 witches and wizards converge on a "nice deserted moor." As ever, Rowling magicks up the details that make her world so vivid, and so comic. Several spectators' tents, for instance, are entirely unquotidian. One is a minipalace, complete with live peacocks; another has three floors and multiple turrets. And the sports paraphernalia on offer includes rosettes "squealing the names of the players" as well as "tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves." Needless to say, the two teams are decidedly different, down to their mascots. Bulgaria is supported by the beautiful veela, who instantly enchant everyone--including Ireland's supporters--over to their side. Until, that is, thousands of tiny cheerleaders engage in some pyrotechnics of their own: "The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field."

Long before her fourth installment appeared, Rowling warned that it would be darker, and it's true that every exhilaration is equaled by a moment that has us fearing for Harry's life, the book's emotions running as deep as its dangers. Along the way, though, she conjures up such new characters as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a Dark Wizard catcher who may or may not be getting paranoid in his old age, and Rita Skeeter, who beetles around Hogwarts in search of stories. (This Daily Prophet scoop artist has a Quick-Quotes Quill that turns even the most innocent assertion into tabloid innuendo.) And at her bedazzling close, Rowling leaves several plot strands open, awaiting book 5. This fan is ready to wager that the author herself is part veela--her pen her wand, her commitment to her world complete. (Ages 9 and older) --Kerry Fried ... Read more

Reviews (4914)

HP - FOOLY SIK
Books 1,2,3 had a real lot going for them. I was worried that after 3 the rest would flop. I think the John Masden series of 7 books was a real mistake. Book three was a fine ending, but he went and added 4 more, in which nothing new happened.

Rowling shows that 4 books can be done and done brilliantly. I complained about the length of book 5 because so much of it was supurfluos, but book 4 is different. The plot is like a web of genius, or a jigsaw puzzle of plot-based intrigue, or a tapestry of etc etc. Plot, more than character, is what drives the Harry Poter books - Rowlings' stories are always huge and complete, and wrapped up so neatly. She gets the 'who dunnit' aspect of intrigue perfectly - unlike the boring pretentious Agatha Christie, Rowling creates Plots that make sence, plots in which the numerous hints she dropps actually add up to something.My problem with Christie is that she would always insert hints for every character who DID NOT 'do it', then, in the last 5 pages, would smugly tell us "no it was the cook Scaramangious fidel, who murdered beatrice whatsit, and THIS is HOW and WHY". Rowling actually goes to the trouble of working out the ending first, instead of just killing of characters until 2 remain, then telling us who the baddie is. I realy cant stand Agatha Christie.

Anyway HP4 is great. I still have respect for the character's, something that I lost in book 5 when they all started 'going out'. Read my review of 5 if u want. I'm sorryI just can't stand the way nobody in the whole of hogwarts seems to have any romance going on till book 5, then suddenly all the characters become soppie stars. I completely lost respect for Hermione, my favourite character, when she started dealing out Docter Phill style romance advice. I hate the way Ginny flits around from boy to boy without any of it meaning anything. She ditches her first guy friend because her team beat his team in QUIDITCH FOR@$@#!$'s sake. "Just choose someone better next time" says Ron. Ginny: "Well I've chosen Dean thomas would you say he's better".

ARRRGH!

awsome
My all time favorite is Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire. I liked it because I kike that series. I also did this book because it is very mysteries. This book is about Harry gets entered in a contest.

read me! (the book not the review)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the Harry Potter series, is without a doubt the best book I've ever read. It's great how Rowling is able to put such suspense into her books. Even though it was scarey at the end, I liked that the books are getting darker. It makes things more interesting. But it's not "hide under the covers" scarey, which is good because I get nightmares. Now stop reading my review and start reading the book! ... Read more

Isbn: 0439139597
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft    4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary place)    5. Humorous Stories    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Magic    8. School & Education    9. Schools    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Wizards    12. Fantasy   

How to Have Sex in the Woods
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (29 June, 1999)
list price: $10.00 -- our price: $8.00
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (9)

SO THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON..
I can't be quite sure what to make of receiving this book as a gift, not being much of a person to be roughing it in places where the sun don't shine. But a quick skim had me smiling. Imagine instructions to make out a hammock (delicately of course), to keep your sleeping bag dry, and some erogenous games to play in the "woods", even if that means your own backyard. Guess it makes for a pretty fun gift for "back to nature" friends and as such it's a good laugh. Don't expect to end up becoming Fabio.

Interesting
No real information here.I guess that says a lot about my lifestyle and love for nature.A good read to just give opportunity for reflection upon current practices and maybe even some ideas.

Smart, yet silly
I just saw this book last weekend it was given as part of a bridal gift to the maid of honor who is a big camper. I thought the book was funny and couldn't believe some of the ideas. I think it is a cute book for any of your outdoorsy friends. ... Read more

Isbn: 0609804022
Sales Rank: 54335
Subjects:  1. Camping    2. General    3. Human Sexuality    4. Miscellanea    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Outdoor recreation    7. Sex    8. Sexual Hygiene    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Sociology - Rural    12. Nature / General   

March of the Wooden Soldiers
by Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy
Director: Charley Rogers, Gus Meins
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (31 July, 1995)
list price: $14.95
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The most lavish feature built around Laurel and Hardy, 1934's March of the Wooden Soldiers is also the most bizarre. Opening unpromisingly with one of several mawkish numbers derived from Victor Herbert's musical Babes in Toyland, the antics of toyshop laborers Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee are worked into a scenario midway between Lewis Carroll and the Brothers Grimm. Nursery-rhyme characters come and go in a surreal fantasy, with the evil Mr. Barnaby threatening to evict Widow Peep from her shoe unless he receives her daughter Bo in marriage. The movie culminates in a full-scale invasion of Toyland by the yeti-ish Bogeymen and their defeat by the 100 six-foot wooden soldiers which Stan and Ollie have built by mistake. Henry Brandon gives a characterful performance, while 1930s child star Charlotte Henry is an appealing heroine. Directors Gus Meins and Charles R. Rogers milk the slapstick to an increasingly unnerving degree. Reputedly Hardy's favorite among the double act's features, March of the Wooden Soldiers emerges now as their most audacious screen appearance. --Richard Whitehouse ... Read more

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (53)

A Favorite Forever
I will never forget the first time I saw this movie; I was glued to the TV and it has been a treasure to me ever since.
As our stars we have Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy who play two toy makers who accidently get an order mixed up for Santa.
Santa ordered small wooden soldiers but Laurel and Hardy thought he said 100foot soldiers and for the story it is a good thing they did.
We have the mean old Mr. Baranaby who is threatening to evict Widow Peep from her shoe.Talk about a mean villian; he is the original. The Boggie men were great and for me the entire movie had everything that kept a child's attention.This is one movie that should be in every family's collection, to be shared time and time again with every generation.I loved it and still do to this day.

Stopped at the one yard line!!
This review is for the Passport Video version of "March of the Wooden Soldiers".
This is a marvellous print in glorious black and white of this perennial favourite still seen on TV to this day.However for some time on TV we have been getting a terribly pastey colourized version which has nothing on this relatively clean black and white version;this is the way it was meant to be seen!
Both contrast and sound in this version are very good and the movie is as complete asone would hope.
And Passport Video would almost have had a touchdown with this movie....if it hadn't been stopped dead in its' tracks inexplicably at the one yard line!
The movie as I have said is quite complete with the original opening sequence,the musical numbers and others various scenes intact but Passport for some unfathomable reason changed the ending.The movie progresses along very well until the moment where the Boys attempt to give the Bogeymen a "parting shot" and the cannon reverses and gets Ollie in the behind instead.While Stan plucks away at the darts the scene suddenly "rolls up" from the bottom right corner to the top left.Music plays out to a dark screen.The end!??
The original ending has Stan plucking away until the scene fades onto a title card with Mother Goose and a "They lived happily ever after" on it.Music finishes.
What "creative" soul at Passport thought that they should fiddle with the original ending after going through almost the entire picture leaving things as they were?
Well here's another nice mess Passport's gotten themselves into.
What a shame because the film deserves a higher rating than I have given it but due to Passports' "liberties" I'm forced to downgrade it to no more than three at best.
If this ending is of no consequence to you then this version will suit you to a tee.But if you want this movie in its' original version,in good quality black and white and complete then I suggest you give this a pass.For there still is NO such version yet extant on DVD as of this writing.

My favorite Stan and Ollie Movie
When I first saw this,When I saw the pig tied and gagged,It angered me.Now,If I was a Superheroine,My partner in crimefighting and I along with our 3 sidekicks and 2 assistants can kick Barnaby's rear by martial arts, and put him in handcuffs. Kim Possible,Who I look up to and admire,Mom says I Idolize her and that's true,She's My Heroine,My 2nd Idol,My Role Model,My Angel of Truth and Justice and My Champion can kick Barnaby's rear all the way around the world,She can fly off with him on her jet pack and put him in jail! Way to go Kim! I want this DVD! I liked when the pig bit Barnaby when "Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" was playing. ... Read more

Asin: 6303625800
Subjects:  1. Children's Video   

Sony Clie PEG-SJ30 Color Handheld
Average Customer Review:
Electronics (20 September, 2002)

US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The Palm-powered PEG-SJ30 Clié handheld provides everything you need to stay organized and entertained. Compact and lightweight, you can take your Clié handheld wherever you go. The high-resolution color screen shows images and documents in fine detail. In addition to the 16 MB internal memory, the Memory Stick expansion slot offers unlimited storage capability for all your favorite applications. Need to get some work done on the road? You can view and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files on the handheld with Documents to Go Standard Edition by DataViz. Plus, the unique Jog Dial navigator provides easy access to most of your stored information.

Display
The PEG-SJ30 features high resolution on its 320 x 320 pixel backlit color display, which can display over 65,000 colors.

Expansion
With this Sony Clié's Memory Stick expansion slot, you can get virtually unlimited data storage with Memory Stick removable media. You can transfer digital content between your Clié handheld and other Memory Stick-compatible products, including digital cameras, digital camcorders, and PCs.

Operating System
The Sony Clié PEG-SJ30 is powered by Palm OS 4.1, which means it comes complete with all the standard Palm OS applications you need for organizing your life, including Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad, Mail, Expense, and Address Book. HotSync software is also included.

Extra Software
In addition to the built-in applications that come with Palm OS 4.1, the PEG-SJ30 comes with the following Sony software: Clié Paint, Clié Photo Stand, Memory Stick Autorun, Memory Stick Backup, Memory Stick Export (for PCs), Memory Stick Gate, Memory Stick Import, PictureGear Lite (for PCs), PictureGear Pocket, and World Alarm Clock. Value-added software includes: AcidSolitaire, Amy Reiley's Pocket Gourmet, Amy Reiley's Pocket Vineyard, BalanceLog, Bejeweled, Bump Attack Pinball, ContactsPro, Documents to Go Standard Edition, gMovie, Mobipocket Reader, powerOne Personal, Presenter-to-Go, Race Fever, simpliWrite, StreetFinder Express, Vindigo, WorldMate, and Zap!2016.

Synchronization
Connect to your PC and synchronize your contacts and date book using the included USB cable. You can also beam information to other Palm OS handheld owners using the IrDA infrared port.

Compatibility
The Sony Clié PEG-SJ30 is compatible with Windows 98 SE, 2000 Professional, Me, XP Home, and XP Professional editions. PCs must have a minimum 133 MHz or faster processor, 64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended), and at least 128 MB of available hard drive space. A USB port is also required.

In the Box
The Sony Clié PEG-SJ30 comes with a USB HotSync cradle, AC adapter, stylus, protective cover, installation CD-ROM, application manual, Graffiti sticker, and registration materials. The Sony Clié PEG-SJ30 is covered by a one-year limited warranty. ... Read more

Features

• What's in the box: PEG-SJ30, USB HotSync cable, AC adapter, stylus, protective cover, installation CD-ROM, application manual, Graffiti sticker, and registration materials
• Palm OS software version 4.1. Includes a hotsync cable.
• TFT color display with backlight, 320 x 320 pixels, 16-bit color, over 65,000 colors
• 16 MB internal memory, 33 MHz CPU
• Memory Stick expansion slot

Reviews (43)

A good product with a few grievances
I own this PDA and love it.I work as a nurse and this PDA allows me to carry several reference books and nursing "tools" even without an extra memory chip.I also have several games for downtime fun.The screen is capable of displaying high quality graphics.However, sometimes the super sharp graphic version of a game/program might run slower than I would like.The personal organization software that comes with the unit is my favorite part of the whole deal.It turned my laptop into my personal organizer and you can download your whole schedule to your PDA for later reference.Most software runs without problems on the unit.I've only had difficulty with some of the oldest palm programs (most of which you would not want to use anyhow).Once you are ready to expand your memory you can use Sony's generic memory chips....up to 128 megs I believe.So long as Sony keeps using those for their cameras and other products those chips will remain available.

The battery lasts a good long time.Long enough to use the unit productively without the worry of running out of batteries halfway through the day.You may run out if you play games a lot on the unit.The good news is the unit charges quite quickly (especially if you buy a better cradle than what comes with the unit).So, its managable if you have some place to charge the PDA if you are a big game player.

There are two downsides to this product.The biggest is that Sony had abandoned the PDA market.This means that sooner or later it might become difficult to find spare parts and software upgrades to keep up with newer operating systems.Currently they do not offer hardware support from Sony's stores.You'll have to order everything online/over the phone.There is some consolation because the unit can use palm software, so you will be able to get new software (just not sony specific programs/upgrades).The second problem is that the cradle that comes with the unit is downright lousy.The cradle is easy to lose and easy to break.The good news is there is a wide variety of people who make much better charging/linking cables than what comes with this PDA.I'm so happy with my new cradle (not made by Sony) that I would suggest you purchase another cradle when you buy the unit.The cradles sell quite cheaply.

Good PDA - shame about the connectivity
I have used PDAs for a few years, starting with a basic Palm 100. I received my Sony Clie as a gift for Christmas 2002. During the first year, the cable started to fail to charge up the device and I sent it away to the Sony workshop. It was fixed on the second attempt under warranty (apparently it needed welding and I was not impressed with the service). However, the same fault has recurred and I gave up and bought another PDA, chancing another Sony with a 2-year guarantee. Guess what? The new cable charges up the old PDA no problem. Also, I wonder if anyone else has a problem with displaying pictures from a Sony memory stick - my PDA shows a pixillated mess!

faulty cord?
I love my Clie, but I had exactly the same problems with the power hovering around 50% to 60% after leaving it to charge overnight.

Turns out it's not the battery (at least, not for my machine), it's the Sony cable. I got a new USB cable from someone on eBay, and it fixed all of my battery woes. The new cable fits tightly into the connector, and now the Clie takes a full charge again. ... Read more

Asin: B00006JNCM

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson (II)
Director: Chris Columbus
Average Customer Review:
Theatrical Release

US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

First sequels are the true test of an enduring movie franchise, andHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets passes with flying colors.Expanding upon the lavish sets, special effects, and grand adventure of HarryPotter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry's second year at Hogwarts School ofWitchcraft and Wizardry involves a darker, more malevolent tale (parents withyounger children beware), beginning with the petrified bodies of severalHogwarts students and magical clues leading Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron(Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) to a 50-year-old mystery in themonster-laden Chamber of Secrets. House elves, squealing mandrakes, giantspiders, and venomous serpents populate this loyal adaptation (by Sorcerer'sStone director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves), and KennethBranagh delightfully tops the supreme supporting cast as the vaingloriouscharlatan Gilderoy Lockhart (be sure to view past the credits for a visualpunchline at Lockhart's expense). At 161 minutes, the film suffers from lack ofdepth and uneven pacing, and John Williams' score mostly reprises establishedthemes. The young, fast-growing cast offers ample compensation, however, as doesthe late Richard Harris in his final screen appearance as Professor AlbusDumbledore. Brimming with cleverness, wonderment, and big-budget splendor,Chamber honors the legacy of J.K. Rowling's novels. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (690)

More action-packed than the first
So far, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite book (I still think it's a great book though!), but the movie was more well-done than the Sorceror's Stone movie.We once again return to Hogwarts and the characters we were introduced to in the first movie, but this time, Harry (with the help of his friends Ron and Hermione) must solve the mystery of why students are turning up petrified.There is another Quidditch match (with a new Slytherin seeker) and many action-oriented scenes, complete with ravenous spiders and a terrifying snake (also known as a basilisk).The children's acting, while improved from the first, still needs some work, particularly from Dan Radcliffe (who plays Harry Potter).
Overall, I really enjoy this movie, though it still seems a little too sugar-coated for me.However, as the books keep getting darker, so too will the movies (as demonstrated by Prisoner of Azkaban).

Columbus Does itAgain!
After the great success of "The Sorcerer's Stone" I was greatly looking foward to seeing "Chamber of Secrets." Chris Columbus once again captured the magical world of Harry Potter. The amazing settings, te characters, and the new creatures was all amazing. He recreated the most amazing scenes from the book perfectly.
Columbus is a great director and he should have directed the thrid movie.

OUTSTANDING!
The film continues to shed light on (the very well known by now) Harry Potter, as he attends his second year at Hogwarts.His powers are growing and so is the mystery surrounding his true purpose in life...
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a highly entertaining, action-packed adventure with strong elements of fantasy, not to mention some very witty humor.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are exceptional to say the least!All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Very well written and very well presented, the movie is without a doubt one that can be watched over and over again.
The concept, the setting, the special effects, and the music, are all EXCELLENT!Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is guaranteed to provide for an evening's entertainment.In addition, it is one of those films that gets you and keeps you thinking long after it's over.In short, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection!
... Read more

Asin: B00005JLDS