Joyful Noise (Movie Only Edition Blu-ray + Ultraviolet Digital Copy) (2012)

This movie was so inspiring that I went out and bought the soundtrack and told all my friends and acquaintances about it. We need more movies like this !! The message was inspiring and the music awesome!! If you love gospel music , you'll love this movie. It brought back memories of when I used to sing in a choir and made me want to join again.

Dolly Parton made her first film in 20 years in "Joyful Noise", a movie filled with music, love, young romance and a great on-screen war between two of music's most beloved singers Dolly and Queen Latifah.

The film opened in January, 2012 and became a box office hit making nearly $31,000,000 as of March 7, 2012. Critics and fans of both Dolly and Queen Latifah have enjoyed the movie tremendously. The film comes to BluRay and DVD formats on May 1, 2012.

The story deals with a woman named G.G. Sparrow whose husband (played by Kris Kristofferson) recently dies. Upon his death G.G. believes she will lead the Church's Choir until she is told the congregation has decided that Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) would be better suited for the job. That is when the war starts between these two dames with insults, name-calling and a fabulous food fight scene which takes place in a restaurant that took two days to film.

There is also a young romance brimming between G.G.'s grandson and Vi's daughter that is both emotional and touching.

The music to the film is produced by none other than Mervyn Warren who did the music for the "Sister Act" movies as well as "The Preacher's Wife". Both Dolly and Queen Latifah show off their vocal prowess and the young leads played by Jeremy Jordon and Keke Palmer are first-rate singers. The soundtrack became a certified hit and the music is simply outstanding. Dolly herself wrote three songs including the beautiful "From Here To The Moon And Back", a song she wrote for her real-life husband.

The Blu Ray will have a slew of bonus features including the featurettes "Spotlight on a Song: Dolly Parton's 'From Here To The Moon And Back'", "Inspiration of Joyful Noise", "Make Some Noise", "Leading Ladies", extended songs and a digital version of the movie for download.

In March, 2012 Dolly Parton talked with a Singapore newspaper about how she and others involved with "Joyful Noise" were disappointed with the film's box office performance. Dolly stated, "The movie was not as big as we hoped it would be. But you go into every project hoping it's going to be a hit. Of course, not everything is. Sometimes your shocked, sometimes your surprised, sometimes things that you don't think will be that big turn out to be a big hit. And it was a joyful time for me."

Special features include interviews with the cast and crew.

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This movie was awesome! I enjoyed every minute of it! I loved the music, the story line, and Dolly's and Queen Latifah's feud during the movie! It has a cute, sweet ending and it had me wanting more! I immediately went out and bought the soundtrack and it hasn't left my car! I can't wait till the Blue Ray/DVD release so I can add it too my collection! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!

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I won't repeat the plot because the other reviewers have done an excellent job of that. But I would like to add that this movie is very uplifting and joyful.

I was impressed by one scene in particular. Queen Latifah's son has a medical condition that he was born with. He asks his mother if she loved him why doesn't she hate God -who made him this way. Her answer was definitely spot on.

The music is great although most of it is secular music transferred to a gospel choir, much like Sister Act. I thoroughly enjoyed the music!

I enjoyed this movie immensely and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good family movie with great music. :)

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Despite the excellent music, I found this movie extremely disappointing. I have admired both Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah for some time, and looked forward to seeing them mix their moxies. But the shallowness of characters the wrongness of the behaviors just left me embarrassed for everyone involved. The bad boy becomes the hero only because he can choreograph good music, not because he's had a change of heart. We're supposed to just forget about the fact that he stalked and kidnapped the heroine. The ruthlessness of the competition for music designed to praise God is disturbing. And the sexual double entendres in the gospel songs was downright embarrassing. I left this movie depressed at the thought that Americans may have forgotten how to preserve the sacred in anything.

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Ed Wood (1994)

Ed Wood (1924-1978) is generally regarded as the single worst film maker to emerge from Hollywood. This is not really true, for there were and are aplenty worse. But one thing has always set Wood above the pack, and that was his own unshakable faith in his talent. Unfortunately, the faith was misplaced and the talent was nonexistent--and although this Tim Burton film takes a slew of liberties with the facts of Wood's life and career, it does a remarkable job of capturing them as Wood likely saw them through the filter of his own outrageous ego.

The film has two tremendous assets: the performers and its visual style. Johnny Depp leads the cast in the title role, and it is a virtuoso performance, for he entices us to like a man whose self-blindness would normally lead an audience to reject him out of hand; the performance is incredibly witty, wildly over the top, and yet it contains just enough pathos to allow us to relate to Wood on a human level. But the real stunner in the cast is Martin Landau, who picked up a Best Supporting Academy Award for his performance as Bela Lugosi, a legendary actor who was very much a forgotten star (not to mention morphine addict) by the time Wood befriended him in the early 1950s.

As with Wood himself, the film plays fast and loose with the facts of Lugosi's life, but it nonetheless captures something very essential about both Lugosi and the Hollywood that destroyed him, something very elemental that transcends the weird comedy of the piece. And Landau gives the performance of his career; you truly believe that this is Lugosi before you, a strange but appealing mixture of faltering humanity and arrogance desperate for an audience now lost to him. Other memorable performances include Bill Murray as the inept and very la-dee-dah actor Bunny Breckinridge; Jeffrey Jones as The Amazing Criswell, popular "psychic" and occasional Wood actor; Lisa Marie as television's "Vampira;" and Sarah Jessica Parker as Wood's fast wife and occasional actress Dolores Fuller. Indeed, there isn't a false note in the entire cast right down to the bit players and extras.

In terms of visual style, Tim Burton nails the very look of an Ed Wood film in glittering black and white--but working with a budget that Wood never dreamed of he merges it with a series of classic Hollywood idioms that lift the style out of Wood's unfortunately flat style and into the realm of high art. In both look and direction, I strongly feel that this is Burton's single finest film to date.

If the film has a flaw, it is that at times it recreates the flatness of an Ed Wood film a bit too precisely over too long a period--and the result can feel slightly dragged. And it is also a film that will register most clearly with those who have actually seen the films on which the movie focuses, so it may not appeal to the uninitiated. But for those who have the right eye, it is a remarkable film--and a film that desperately needs the DVD release that has been so repeatedly postponed. Wickedly funny, unexpectedly touching, extremely memorable... and strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Why make a movie about the man universally regarded as the worst filmmaker of all time?

Well, simply because the word "worst" does not even adequately describe Ed Wood. He was the absolute, undisputable worst, unrivalled in his mindless disregard for decent production values, coherent storytelling, credible scriptwriting, and competent acting. If he were just "the worst," he would be no more than a mere footnote in cinematic history. But by single-handedly redefining the standards of ineptitude, Wood achieved that rare status of lovable loser. I mean, really, you have to admire someone who approaches his craft with so much grit and determination and so little talent.

It takes an A-grade cast to bring to life this story of Z-grade moviemaking. And we have one. Johnny Depp delivers a performance of fire in the title role, giving us a lot of insight into the character that Ed Wood was. Martin Landau (in an Oscar-winning performance) doesn't just portray Bela Lugosi. By golly, he becomes Lugosi, almost convincing us that the horror movie legend was resurrected for this project. Sarah Jessica Parker, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray, George "The Animal" Steele, and Lisa Marie comprise the ensemble cast that portrays a motley crew of rank amateurs. Think about it, these people had to re-enact the shooting of Wood's movies, looking serious but coming out funny, and doing all that with a straight face.Try that, folks.

Appreciate too, the film's most memorable line. At the premiere night of Plan 9 From Outer Space, Wood declares with unqualified conviction: "This is it. This is the one I'll be remembered for."

Whether you're a fan of bad movies or not, you simply have to see Ed Wood. It's not often that a film comes along that makes you like a man who so admirably succeeded at being a failure.

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At last, the whole (shocking!) story of Edward D. Wood, Jr. I enjoyed everything, from the acting down to the musical score (fans of "Dracula" will notice that movie's opening theme plays in several scenes). Johnny Depp is a hoot as Ed Wood, and Martin Landau absolutely shines as Bela Lugosi---he certainly deserved the Ocsar he won for the role.

The film is by turns hilarious and sad. There are loads of great one-liners ("Yes, but if you take that ... and put a star in it, then you've got something!") and other endearingly funny moments. Landau's portrayal of Lugosi provides most of the pathos, showing us the tragic decline of a man who tried his best to work until the very end.

"Filmmaking is not about the little details. It's all about the big picture!" Tim Burton has done a wonderul job with both in this movie.

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Well folks, I thought long and hard on what film to mark my 200th review. I thought of this one. One of my all time favorite movies. Hopefully, it will be yours as well. Director Tim Burton really outdoes himself with this brilliant film about the worst filmmaker ever. Johnny Depp plays Ed Wood, a man so in love with Hollywood and filmmaking, that he doesn't see that he has no talent for it. But, in his own mind, he thought he was really making great cinematic art. He was a cross dresser who was not gay. He had a history of wearing pink angora sweaters. He would even sometimes wear them to work!. Ed Wood's films have become famous because of their horribly incompetent filmmaking. Bad actors, cheap sets and effects, and so on. But Good old Ed, god bless his heart, thought he was making 'Gone With The Wind' every time. Martin Landau is on hand delivering a jaw droppingly brilliant performance of old horror star Bela Lugosi. His performance is incredible. One of the best performances I've ever seen. He deserved ten Oscars instead of one. Bill Murray gives one of his best performances ever as Bunny Breckinridge, an actor of Ed's looking to having a sex change. Patricia Arquette and Sarah Jessica Parker play the women in Ed's life. Landau's own daughter, Juliet Landau, has a part. Burton's girlfriend Lisa Marie plays Vampira. The film was shot in glorious black and white, and it was a brilliant move on Burton's part. It really adds to the feel of the time and the movies Ed made. Depp is great. He is definitley one of the best actors of our generation. His interpretation of Wood is upbeat and hilarious. Even in the bad times, he still shows Ed having a sunny outlook. This is one great film that did not get great box office returns. What a travesty. Some people just don't understand things. I'm telling you right now : this is a great movie to be treasured. A genuine film classic.

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Touchstone has released the technical details on the director's cut for one of my favorite movies ever (that's right, "Director's Cut")! Here they are:

Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation

English Dolby Digital 5.1 Track

Audio Commentary with Tim Burton, Martin Landau and Technical Crew

Let's Shoot This! (Making Of) Documentary

The Theremin (Film Score) Featurette

Making Bela (Make-Up) Featurette

When Carol Met Larry (Cross Dressing) Featurette

Pie Plates Over Hollywood (Visual World of Ed Wood) Featurette

Original Music Video Co-Directed By Tim Burton

Original Theatrical Trailer

As I've already stated, this is probably one of my favorite films ever made and after a long wait, it's reassuring to see they're finally going to release Tim Burton's masterpiece on DVD. Why us folks in the states have had to wait so long is beyond me.

This movie is hilarious and inspiring and in fact inspired me to want to become a film-maker. The black and white is perfect for this film, Martin Landua and Johnny Depp give great performances, some scenes are just flat-out hilarious.

I encourage everybody to go out and grab this movie when it comes out (or do like me, and pre-order it). I've yet to meet a person who has watched this film and not like it!

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Cemetery Junction (2010)

This is a rather charming coming of age movie charting the escapades of three loveable rogues, The Nerd, Bad-boy and the Buffoon. The 1970's are wonderfully recreated here, and reminds me somewhat of my youth, its well acted and keeps an slight emotional pull and a constant flow of smiles and chuckles rather than huge laughs. Its.. well, its just very well acted, made and written, without pulling up any trees, its just .. nice. I have no idea how this will translate to American audiences, but erm, did I mention its nice-ness

I saw this movie in a theatre in London in April. By British standards, this is one of the greatest films to come out of that country. As for any America who is weary of British movie quality, like myself, this is honestly one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. If you are at all familiar with the works of Ricky Gervais, then you can only expect some of the best entertainment. This movie is deep, it's moving. Ricky Gervais tends to do comedies, but this movie really shows his talent as a director and actor. I don't want to sound like a cliche, but this movie really did make me laugh and cry. My friends and I talked about this movie for days.

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I am not a huge Ricky Gervais fan but I do hail from the town this is theoretically set in and so decided to rent it. I have to say that I found it hugely enjoyable. The prevailing attitude that you worked at a factory or for town's the large insurance company was absolutely spot on even 10 years later when I was the age of these characters. I thought that the acting was fantastic and I loved the characters of Julie's mother (a frumped up Emily Watson) and especially Sgt Wyn Davies (Steve Speirs) who plays the sort of police officer who can really change lives. My only gripe was in the choice of locations. The real Cemetery Junction is way, way too busy to be a practical choice of film location, I can see that, but the choice of such a rural setting made it look far too "choclate boxy" to fit the story line of three boys desperate to escape. Even then, Reading was a large, busy town with little similarity to the town centre the boys are seen striding through and Cemetery Junction itself is and was a run down area of narrow streets and tiny brick terraces. Other than that, the period detail was fantastic the inside of my house was scarily just like Freddie's. And why oh why don't we have "Crazy Horses" by the Osmonds on more sound tracks? The world could be a better place...

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This was an engaging story on the class conflict, on self hatred, on hating one's parents, on being a teen ager, on blaming one's background versus doing something for oneself, on taking responsibility versus excusing onself...

All done with a light touch.

I only wish Gervais and Merchant had more than a small role as characters.

Gervais and Merchant are not at their acid, stinging best. Rather, their humor is muted.

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This is a very good film. But if you're buying it because you are a Ricky Gervais fan be aware that his presence on screen is rather limited. Set in 1970's England, in a small working class town, the dialog is sometimes difficult to understand but not overly so. I found the acting to be agreeable and at times admirable, especially from the veteran actors Emily Watson and Ralph Fiennes. The younger actors were very good as well. For me though, what made this movie stay with me was the soundtrack by Tim Atack. As the Dude would say, 'it really tied the room together.'

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Knock on Wood (1954)

Danny Kaye is at his zaniest and best in the 1954 comedy Knock on Wood. Knock on Wood stars Danny Kaye and Mai Zetterling. Other actors in the film include Torin Thatcher, David Burns, and Leon Askin. The film was written and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, with wonderful songs by Danny Kaye's wife, Sylvia Fine.

Jerry Morgan (Kaye) is a ventriloquist who is having trouble with his love life: just when his relationship with his girlfriend gets around to marriage, his dummy turns jealous and spoils everything. Jerry's manager is so distraught; that he threatens to quit unless Jerry sees a psychiatrist, Enter Ilse Nordstrom, played by Zetterling, who tries to help Kaye find the source of his problem. The chemistry between Kaye and Zetterling throughout the movie is wonderful. The two of them eventually fall in love.

At the same time, Jerry becomes unwittingly mixed up with international spies, danger and intrigue, while he runs from the police. In his escape, Kaye does a funny impersonation of a British car salesman, trying to demonstrate a new convertible loaded with lots of bells and whistles. Later on, he finds himself trapped on stage in the middle of the performance of an exotic ballet. This is Danny Kaye at his best!

Danny Kaye has always been a family favorite, and this movie is a gem. Storyline has been well covered, so I won't go there. We have had it in VHS recorded from AMC years ago (back when they were American Movie Classics) and it has seen plenty of use. We are thrilled to have it in DVD format, but wish it had been a studio release with better treatment. As mentioned in another review, it is in 1.85:1 aspect ratio and there are no extras here, not even closed captioning.

In spite of all that, I am glad that it was released at all as a regular DVD (not DVD-R, as so many classics are these days). Some have mentioned their concern that it may be a bad transfer, as they saw in "Inspector General". I had a bad copy of that once (remember that it was in the public domain and people could get away with releasing it in any form of garbage) and this is a much better quality than that was, though not as sharp and crisp as if it had been digitally remastered.

If Paramount wasn't prepared to do anything with it, then I am grateful Olive Films at least made it available to us. I'd rather have this classic than not, even if it isn't as good as it possibly could be. The movie gets 5 stars, the DVD gets 4, so if I could average the package I would give it 4 1/2 stars.

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Released before "The Court Jester", "Knock on Wood" ranks along with that aforementioned film as one of Danny Kaye's best movies. A classic which hasn't seen the light of day in ages, it is happily coming to DVD. As a ventriloquist caught up in intrigue with stunning Mai Zetterling (what a name!), fans can watch wide-eyed Danny try out funny dialects, double-talking dialogue and weasel in & out of danger as only Kaye could do it.

Those who've already seen all the classic comedy bits but have had to wait to see them again, rejoice; those who are being introduced to the film for the first time, you're in for a real treat!

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I saw the movie as a young man, and have watched for a video these many years. Mai Zetterling was the prototype of the perfect woman who never chose me. I'm delighted to have the film back and like it as much as I did when Mai was a possibility, but I'm adding a mild cavil in light of the Bob Hope spy comedies of the same period with which it bears comparison, granting that the Hopes tend to be black & white and comedy-weighted against the Kayes' Technicolor and songs. (I ordered "Knock on Wood" in a package with "My Favorite Spy.")

While Bob sings on occasion, and in character, it doesn't impede the flow of the action, whereas when Danny does so in this and other of his films (notably "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"; "The Court Jester" is an exception since the songs are appropriately placed) things come to a halt for several minutes and we're reminded that we're watching a performance by Danny Kaye before the story resumes. The "ballet" sequence also seemed needlessly prolonged; Hope's work rarely lags.

The late Virginia Mayo suggested in a memoir that, for a young actress, Hope was a greater pleasure to work with than Kaye, which may have been because of the absolute control Sylvia Fine appears to have exercised over her husband's career. Whatever the case may be, I'm confident you'll enjoy "Knock on Wood" as much as I did and will again.

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I saw this movie when it was released in what seems a long time ago now. The song that Danny sang in the Tap Dancing scene stayed in my memory and the scene with him under the table had me hysterical when I first saw it. I bought the DVD as sort of nostalgia but my wife and I still had a good laugh when we watched it together. I always thought of it as one of Danny's classics.

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Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (2013)

Ace Ventura When Nature Calls VHSHilarious Movie, Just as funny but NOT funnier than the First. Chi-ca-ca! Chicago! Outrageous moments, making you want to Laugh hard, Jim Doesn't Disappoint. This movie along with Part 1 are Great Classics. I can watch them All the time. They are that funny!

Good Movie. NOT GREAT. the first one is way better. still worth some laughs. The monopoly Man! Guano! Interesting and cool monster truck scene.

Worth a couple laughs.Could have been better.

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If there was to be just one pop-culture character with 'franchise' written all over it, it would be Ace Ventura. After the sleeper hit that was the original, Ace is shipped off to Africa, via Tibet, to find the missing sacred animal of the peaceful Wachati tribe. It is supposed to be a wedding gift to the savage Wachutu tribe, marking the congregation of their people.

Ace is the best there is (the only there is) surely sending him to find the sacred bat (his most hated creature) is the 'right' thing to do. No matter how crazy he is. And how crazy indeed! This time around Jim Carrey goes completely wild as Ace. Any trace of an actual human that we saw before is surrendered to complete insanity. You can tell that Carrey is having the time of his life just ad-libbing and winging it. You can almost hear director Steve Oedekerk struggle to contain his laughter off-camera. There are even a few moments when Carrey himself almost cracks-up.

I prefer the sequel to the first for a few reasons. First of all the production design is far superior and the faux-African jungle (actually South Carolina) and tribal village colors really come alive. The widescreen photography gives the film a more expansive look than Tom Shadyac's original. Plus, it has a lot more animals, which I think is cool. You gotta love the 'alrighty then' meditation scene too.

Beside's the animated show (a few episodes are featured on this DVD set), there's been no more of Ace Ventura since. But don't rule him out. Carrey may be sick of being regarded as the guy who once made his anus talk, but I can only hope he'll do a third one day.

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This Is a great movie and very funny. jim carrey certain a great actor.

i have watch this one many times and would highy recomend it.

this is one movie you wont regret buying

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Ah, Ace Ventura. . . Jim Carey was never better! Too bad he doesn't do more of these. I'd even say that he only went downhill from here!

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Being There (2009)

This is my favorite movie of all time. And I don't particularly like Peter Sellers!

It's a slow starter. First time I saw it, I remember being somewhat puzzled by the opening, where Chance is revealed as a very retarded middle-aged man, trained as a gardener, who apparantly has reached his full--and extremely limited--potential. He loses his livelihood and his sheltered place to live when "the old man"--his mysterious benefactor--dies, and the lawyers in charge of the estate evict him.

My first chuckle came soon after, when he tried using his TV remote on a mugger, trying to change the experience into something more pleasant; it wasn't until this point in the film that things began to make sense to me.

Throughout the rest of the movie, scene after scene shows 'Chauncy Gardener' as a complete misfit--and highlights how we human beings, in all our frailty, create ourselves and our world through what we decide to believe. When Chancy speaks, his words are mysterious because they are short and puzzling--when those around him try to make sense of them, they take what he says as metaphors, and read wildly profound meanings in his words.

(This leads to Jerzy Kosinski's purpose for writing the novel, to highlight the foolish way people blindly swallow whatever tripe the media--and our politicians--serve up. IMO director Hal Ashby caught Jerzy's intention with this movie even better than the book did.)

At the same time that people read wisdom into his simple words, Chauncy is fully present and honest in the moment, and the other characters--to whom this is foreign--treasure that, even while they completely miss that Chance is totally clueless as to what's really going on (with one notable exception).

The irony is that those people closest to Chauncy are led by the meanings they insert to personal growth and transformation--even, in a performance that won Melvyn Douglas a well-deserved Oscar, acceptance of approaching death, as just another season in the eternal cycle of life.

Other reviews I've read on Amazon villify the walking-on-water scene, at the end of the movie; I believe they completely miss the point.

Chance has, by chance, walked out on a stone quay in the lake, and doesn't even know that he should be drowning. He slowly bends over, inserting his umbrella into the water, and looks at it with some puzzlement; he is once again demonstrating that his total innocence is protected--and he gives the audience the experience that the characters in the movie have, namely, to read into this enigma of a film whatever meaning they choose to see.

"Being There" is one of my favorite movies of all time, starring Peter Sellers in his last major film role. How Sellers was cheated out of an Oscar is still a mystery to me, as this has to be one of the greatest performances by an actor in the last 40 years. Maybe voters for the Academy Award weren't in the mood for a black comedy, which this show is, or maybe they didn't like its political overtones? Or, maybe they just couldn't give such a serious award to someone who'd played Inspector Clouseau? In any case, this movie was way before its time in style and substance; Academy voters missed the boat. Among other things, they should have asked themselves if anyone else could have played this part so well? Could anyone else have done the blank, languid stares so convincingly? Could anyone else have delivered the dead-pan lines so flawlessly? The answers would have been a resounding, No.

The movie tells the story of a half-retarded gardener, Chance, whom one supposes is the illegitimate son of a prominent business man in Washington, D. C. This occurs in 1979, when the Carter Administration was in its last stages of faded glory. Chance, played by Peter Sellers, is left homeless when the old man dies. He then wanders the streets of the big city in search of his new life. Whatever he has learned has come from watching TV and he uses his remote control to change channels. While roaming the streets of Washington, Chance even tries his clicker in real life situations, which is very funny.

Chance then stumbles upon one of the main power brokers in D. C., a gravely-ill Ben Rand. He is played by Melvyn Douglas who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in this portrayal. Rand's wife Eve, played by Shirley MacLane, falls for Chance and a tawdry affair (on her side) ensues. Later on, Chance becomes a media sensation, of sorts, and appears on late-night TV to present his simplistic views. They're all couched in terms of keeping a garden prosperous which rings a responsive chord with all concerned. Almost everyone takes Chance for a modern day genius when he really is just the opposite. Various private and government security agencies do research on Chance's background and can find nothing. He wears expensive clothes and underwear, dating from the 1930's, that apparently are hand-me-downs from the old man. It's as if Chance suddenly dropped out of the sky, which he practically has.

At Mr. Rand's funeral, the surviving power brokers talk of making Chance the next U. S. President. The closing scene shows Chance stepping out onto a lake appearing to walk on water. Maybe this is to serve as final proof that he deserves the #1 job? As far as I know, no one has ever explained the significance of the scene which is as it should be. As with the best art, it's up to the viewer to decide its meaning.

To me the movie shows the power of television and other forms of mass media in shaping the public mind. Taken to the extreme, a total idiot might be foisted off on the public to hold the highest political office if only he has the right handlers and avoids any whiff of scandal. The biting sarcasm and irony of "Being There" would not appeal to everyone's taste but most thinking adults should be captivated by the story and by Sellers' amazing performance.

Before buying the DVD, I tried to find out either on websites or on the outside of the package, if the hilarious out-takes appear on this recording. These were superimposed over the closing credits in the original version shown in theaters but often do not appear when the film is shown on TV. To my relief, the out-takes are there are and just as hilarious as I remember them.

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This is a wonderful film that I saw theatrically some 30 years ago. This blu-ray is sharp and film like, with muted colors appropriate to the story, but still very nice to finally watch in hi def. Don't expect it to look like a modern day film. I saw several subtle things I hadn't noticed before, because of the sharp resolution.

The extras are nice, but brief. One short scene and one 'extension' plus the alternate (original) ending. Also, there's a promo piece for distributors with Peter and Hal Ashby. Nice to have these, but I'm wondering what happened to all those hours of videotapes of alternates of the whole film that I read about before. Were they poor quality or impossible to find? I heard some crumbled into dust when played back so perhaps they're gone for good.

The making of only has Illana Douglas (granddaughter of Melvyn)who was on set as a youngster. (Where is Shirley Maclaine? Most of the others are, of course, no longer with us.)

A no brainer buy for fans and if you haven't seen it rent it!

A great performance from Peter Sellers and all involved.

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I don't intend to question the movie, which is excellent indeed. My rating is based on the fact, that this so-called "Deluxe Edition" is only a hoax, a bluff package.

The only bonus material are the recollections of Melvyn Douglas' granddaughter (16 minutes runtime, intercut with scenes from the movie) and the trailer.

Sorry, that's not luxurious, but simply ridiculous. Thanks Warner Bros. for another rip-off.

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This is a comedy classic. It is arguably the best film about television ever made. And it is clearly the best film about "the suit makes the man" to the extreme.

And it looks better than it ever has before.

But it could look better. Black levels are poor, with murky grays everywhere, and noise reduction has been over-used. One professional review notes: "the studio applied some aggressive Digital Noise Reduction. The problem is quite severe in some scenes, especially the opening. Film grain freezes in place while the action of the scene moves around it. Detail is mushy, and objects smear when in motion."

The sound is good. You really get the clear-but-clanky presentation of the TV shows that form the backgroun or foreground of many scenes. But beware, for some bizarre reason, the default soundtrack is not the lossless track, but the DD1.0 track. Whose silly idea was that?

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The Little Shop Of Horrors (1960)

Unfortunately, Little Shop of Horrors and every other Roger Corman Filmgroup production lapsed into public domain years ago and have generally been available on VHS and DVD only in poor-quality editions ranging from merely bad to atrocious. (The only Filmgroup features to get a decent official or semi-official release so far are Bucket of Blood, Beast from Haunted Cave, and Night Tide.) After researching every DVD version of Little Shop of Horrors available (there are at least eight!) I played a hunch and went with GoodTimes to replace my VHS copy, and I'm very pleasantly surprised at the overall excellent quality of the source print. When I saw the "preserved using the best available elements" line at the beginning of this disc I thought 'yeah, right,' but I have to admit that this is the brightest, cleanest, sharpest (if not exactly razor-sharp) print of this film I've ever seen. The black level, contrast, gray values, and shadow/highlight detail are fine, and physical damage is limited only to some very light speckling and blemishing (!!). On the downside, the transfer itself seems to be somehow deficient (low bit rate?), causing areas of flat white or smoothly gradated grays in the image to exhibit some very faint but noticeable pixelation or banding, especially during the opening credit sequence (areas of flat color seem to be DVD's Achilles Heel). The casual viewer probably won't notice this phenomenon unless it's pointed out, but it's there. That said, the superior quality of the source print more than makes up for this one barely noticeable flaw; this is still most likely the best edition yet available of this classic 'sick humor' gem and well worth the bargain price. It definitely blows away every TV print and cheapjack PD video version I've ever eyeballed. Grab this before it goes out of print.

The movie itself still entertains tremendously today, a funny, goofy (dare I say charming?) horror-comedy that basically plays like a stage farce (most of the action takes place on one or two sets). The story is essentially a remake of Bucket of Blood with a change in locale and a few fresh twists. This time Jonathan Haze portrays everyschlep Seymour Krelboine, who lives with his alcoholic hypochondriac mother (she listens to KSIK radio) and works at Mushnick's skid row flower shop. Seymour (temporarily) finds fame, fortune, and romance by nurturing (and eventually murdering for) an exotic talking cannibalistic plant. Mel Welles, in his finest hour (literally), steals nearly every scene with his droll portrayal of perpetually exasperated Gravis Mushnick, and Jackie Joseph (Andy Griffith Show, Who's Minding the Mint) seems born to play pretty, ditzy Audrey. Corman regulars adding to the fun include Dick Miller (Walter Paisley in Bucket of Blood) as Fouch, a flower-eating client, John Shaner as a sadistic dentist, and 14th-billed Jack Nicholson (featured prominently on most tape and disc box art) as his masochistic patient. Shot on a shoestring in just three days (at least all the interiors), Little Shop holds up better than many big-budget comedies of the day (anyone watched Story of Mankind lately?). Much credit must be given to Charles B. Griffith, unsung hero/architect of the AIP/Allied Artists/Corman style. His list of credits reads like Corman's greatest hits: It Conquered the World, Attack of the Crab Monsters, The Undead, Not of This Earth, Teenage Doll, Bucket of Blood, Beast from Haunted Cave, Wild Angels, Death Race 2000, etc. Griffith's clever, witty screenplay is a model of late-50s sick humor, working in a dead-on Dragnet parody, some wonderful malapropisms and bits of wordplay, lotsa Yiddish humor, and a handful of his patented icky-creepy moments. (Griffith also voiced the plant, Audrey Jr., played a few walk-ons, and directed some second unit scenes, all uncredited.) Fred Katz's memorable score is alternately goofy and spy-jazzy, and, unlike some of Roger Corman's other attempts at comedy (e.g. Creature from the Haunted Sea), I find his touch just right here, ably supporting Griffith's verbal bits with complementary editing patterns (check Sgt. Joe Fink and Det. Frank Stoolie's hilarious introductory scene). Lighter in tone and a bit broader and more farcical than Bucket of Blood (which I personally prefer), Little Shop, judged on its own terms, is still fresh and engaging, though the low budget is obvious at times. I'm not sure how fans of the Broadway show or movie musical will react to the original (I admit to being a purist myself), but if they share a taste for low budget horror or 50s-style sick humor they'll probably find it an offbeat treat.

Roger Corman's Original 1960 version of "The Little Shop Of Horrors" is considered by many as a true cult classic comedy of B-Movies,even the most respected of film critics.Unfortunately depending on the tastes and opinions of film fans that were used to seeing this legendary film comedy through the public domain since there was a lack of copyright in the titles,(same thing had happen to "Night Of The Living Dead") and for many years since the dawn of the videocassette and late late movie shows,those versions were vastly inferior and often poor-looking in terms of presentation and contrast.Now the great folks at Legend Films have finally put out a brand-new definitive and excellent restored presentation of this cult hit on DVD in both the original black & white version as well as the disc's main presentation of showcasing a brand-new restored digitally colorized version too.As with previous selected Legend releases of classic horror/B-movies in their DVD series,the disc features a well-done and at times hilarious commentary by MST3K's Mike Nelson and the great thing is that you can listen to the track on both versions of the film,giving the b&w version sort of a MST3K-flavor to it (I love how he refers to the opening Filmgroup logo as little Reese Cups !).Despite packaging claims that is the first time the film has been colorized,it's actually the second colorized incarnation of the film.First colorized on videocassette in the very late '80's with lousy and at times amateur results,this Legend version completely blows away the first attempt and looks like it was actually filmed in color,but of course this films' legendary budgetary constraints prevented from actually filming it in color.Of course lets not forget that the film features a very very young Jack Nicholson,in his fourth film role,in a memorable role as a crazy dentist patient.I must say,this Legend version of "Little Shop" is probably the most superior and sharpest looking out of all the previous versions of the film that you're possibly going to see and no wonder it was transferred from an excellent 35mm print of the film ! Other extras,besides the Nelson commentary,round out the package including both restored color/unrestored b&w trailers to "Little Shop",and the following colorized trailers for "Plan 9 From Outer Space","House On Haunted Hill","Carnival Of Souls",and "Reefer Madness".Plus a gallery of nine man-eating plants,if any kids are planning to do a school project on man-eating plants,this could actually be a fun reference guide,and also a very short clip called "Man Eating Plants" which is actually the president of Legend Films Barry Sandrew vigorously eating vegetable plants such as celery (always eat your vegetables folks !).Well-done packaging,excellent eye-catching menus and a sparkling transfer of both versions will definitely please any film buff,both Hollywood and B-Movie fans alike ! This is by far one of the first best DVD releases of 2006 and is highly recommended for old and new fans alike instead of those who only prefer the 1986 spectacular Frank Oz musical remake with Rick Moranis and Steve Martin.Highly recommended !

UPDATE 11/24/06:

Just Recently,Buena Vista Home Entertainment in association with Roger Corman have finally released an "authorized" DVD release of "Little Shop Of Horrors" as well as a nicely restored original black & white version of Nicholson's debut film "The Cry Baby Killer".Unfortunately,the recent disc's presentation of "Little Shop" is in fact the ORIGINAL colorized version,slightly mentioned above,that was first produced and eventually released to video in 1987 by Color Systems Technology.The source print used for the color version (other than the fact that the quality was directly copied off a video master for the DVD) is surprisingly in quite good condition,but it really truly is one of the worst examples of 1980's colorization technology I've ever seen and will probably be the last.The colors are often the same as certain objects (ie: the outside of Mushnick's Shop and the greens for the flowers,etc.),tons of continuity errors (ie: clothing,signs,etc.) and does anybody wish to care seeing Audrey Jr. looking like a talking watermelon plant? Reportedly,that color version was authorized by none other than Corman himself and it's easy to see why many directors above his stature hate and disregard colorization.Nicholson/Corman fans alike aren't going to be impressed with that bust of a release and it's very easy to see why the '87 colorized version was out of circulation for many years.Easier said than done,the newly restored Legend Films release is by far,hands down,the real winner due to the technology,version options,and bonus materials !

Buy The Little Shop Of Horrors (1960) Now

I had origanlly seen this movie on a late night horror movie host and loved it having already seen the musical version. I bought the DVD expecting DVD quality. The transfer to DVD is bad. It's proably one of the worse ones I own. It's a little choppy, very grainy and somewhat blurry. There's also a spotlight effect once in awhile that I don't remember being there before (where the egdes of the movie are a little darker then the center). If you look carefully you can see waves going though the picture during the first part of chapter 2. The sound is a little muffled. I rate the transfer at 2 (I'm sure there's a worse one) and only gave it a 3 becasue of the movie it's self.

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This is the original that started it all, in 1960 which the film was shot for only two days. It's an good film, with a lot of grainy feel to it in black and white.

This version is about the bumbling Seymour who was almost out the door by his boss, Mr. Mushnick, for his incompetence. Seymour finds an unusual plant and Mushnick told Seymour if the plant turns out to be ok and fed, Seymour gets to stay at his job. Seymour names this plant, Audrey Jr., after his coworker, Audrey, who he loves. Before long, Seymour finds out that this plants wants nothing other than blood and human flesh...and ends up bringing dead people to the plant that were accidently killed. The cops were trying to find out what happened to the missing people (they were already eaten by the plant), and Mr. Mushnick stumbled on Seymour's secret. Mr. Mushnick offered a robber in the shop to the plant to save his life. The cops find out that Seymour is the one who killed the people when the pods of the plant opened up, showing the faces of those that were eaten, and there was a junkyard chase after Seymour. When Seymour goes back to the shop, he was mad at the plant, and intending to cut the weeds to kill it, he jumped in and the plant ate him. When the others came back to the shop, they found Seymour's face in one of the pods, then the movie ends.

There are some funny parts, and some silliness in other scenes (like the tramp that Seymour ran into, and their conversation is humorous!), plus you can find a young Jack Nicholson as the pain-loving dental patient.

This movie reminds me a little bit of the 1920s or 1930s films by the way some of the acting and the grainy image has portrayed in this 1960 movie, but overall, it is a good movie to watch.

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I recently watched the musical remake of Little Shop of Horrors and enjoyed it immensely, and my curiosity about the genesis of that film lead me to its progenitor. I hadn't realised that Roger Corman's original was intended as a comedy--I'd thought that it was a cheapie horror film with camp humor arising from its unintended absurdity. This is absolutely not the case, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The absurdity of Little Shop, and there is plenty, is all fully intended. At times it is almost as if the Monty Python troupe is doing a black-and-white horror spoof, it is so good. I find it impossible to say whether the musical remake or the original is "better"--they are simply different, and each amusing in its own way. I prefered Rick Moranis's Seymour to that of Jonathan Haze, but Jackie Joseph's Audrey had funnier lines and was less pathetic than Ellen Greene's. But what really surprised me was that the comic touches I had thought were signatures of the Saturday Night Live/Second City crowd were all in the original: the sadistic dentist and his masochistic patient; "Pain" magazine, "Feed me!", and more. Futhermore, the original had some more absurd characters that didn't make it into the remake, including a parody of the detectives from Dragnet and Seymour's mother, a hypochondriac whose home cooking is all flavoured with medicine! Although the sound and picture quality of the version I watched was poor, it was worth sitting through if you enjoyed the more recent version. Also worthy of note was the spiky, xylophone-timpani-and-baritone-saxophone-laden score by Fred Katz.

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