Central Station
Director: Walter Salles
Average Customer Review:
DVD (13 July, 1999)
list price: $27.95 -- our price: $25.16
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

In the opening scenes of Central Station, colorful crowds of Brazilians streaminto and out of a Rio de Janeiro train, pushing through doors and windows.You're immediately pulled into the brutal vitality of a nation in motion,setting the tone for a picturesque road movie that charts Brazil'srenaissance in a little boy's search for his father and an old woman'semotional reawakening. When we first meet Dora (Fernanda Montenegro), thisfrozen-hearted, sour-faced woman is the epitome of immobility: day after day,she sits in the train station selling her letter-writing skills to allcomers, but often doesn't bother to mail these precious messages. When awoman who's paid Dora to write a pleading note to her son's long-missing dadgets run over by a bus, the child, Josue (Vinicius de Oliveira), is up forgrabs. (The summary execution of a thieving street kid--inlongshot--underscores the seriousness of this waif's plight.)After anabortive attempt to sell Josue for a new TV, the aspiring couch potato findsherself reluctantly propelled into an occasionally Fellini-esque odysseythrough the hinterlands of Brazil's sertäo, where Dora and hersidekick find unexpected faith and family. Former documentary filmmaker Walter Salles(Foreign Land) mixes magic with realism in his appreciation of striking facesand places, but Central Station is primarily fueled by the tough/tenderperformances of Montenegro, Brazil's Judy Dench, and de Oliveira, an airportshoeshine boy Salles cast over 1,500 other hopefuls. (Montenegro wasnominated for a Best Actress Oscar, and Central Station was in the running forBest Foreign Language Film.) No cloyingly cute child-star, de OliveiraplaysJosue as a bracingly idiosyncratic brat. And watching Dora's face and soul slowly, unwillingly unclench as she gets back in motion--and emotion--ispotent pleasure, even if Salles's trip does dead-end in soap opera as hisBrazilian pilgrim's progress winds down. --Kathleen Murphy ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (99)

overrated
Transit station letter-writer-for-hire, Dora (although she writes letters she never sends) is relatively closed off from the world around her but is forced to open up when she is begged to write a letter for a woman to her young son's long lost father. As Dora witnesses this mother get hit by a bus in the next moment, she realizes the young son is basically orphaned for the moment. So she opens up, but not in the feel-good, maternal-instinct-to- spare way American viewers might expect. No, Dora is keen to exploit this find, and tries to sell Josue (the little boy) for a television. Eventually, though, Dora forms a kind of bond with Josue and goes out searching for the boy's father. Unfortunately it seems too easy for Dora, who is obviously hardened to life and all its sensitivities, to break down all these carefully formed barriers. Her emotion somehow does not seem authentic toward the boy. As a result, the performance is nowhere near the triumph most reviewers have claimed, and the film lacks a certain credibility. Sure, the film is watchable and somewhat interesting, but it was overrated.

Dora and Josue
The transforming and redemptive power of forgiveness is the major theme in this moving film from Brazil. The two leads, Dora, an older woman whose self-imposed sheltered life has been long shut-off from the yearnings and longings that make us human, and Josue, a young boy who forces her to confront her detachment as such, move the viewer from a jolting start to a warm, satisfying ending.

This is a film I never get tired of. The performances are great; the musical score is subtle, yet significant; the people and places are compelling; and the story, although perhaps somewhat manipulative, is overall enjoyable.

Some reviewers have side-stepped the warmth of this movie in attacking it as pretentious, cliché, and overtly sentimental. Although these are valid arguments, I felt that overall these points are forgiveable and easy to overlook.

A film of heartfelt elegance.
From it's intriguing premise of a letter writer working in the main transit station in Rio who callously plays God with the hopes and aspirations of the illiterte working migrants she pens and pretends to send letters for, Walter Salles film starts as all journeys do - at the station. Such an unappealing character has probably not been seen since Ebenezer Scrooge graced Dickens' A Christmas Carol and like that story redemption comes ,not in the form of ghosts, but in the even more terrible apparition of an orphaned ten year old boy. This film is brilliantly told with a confidence and ease which is truly refreshing. The acting is uniformly superb and i would recommend this for anyone looking to try and understand that the gratest poverty in life is often that of the human spirit. ... Read more

Asin: B00000F5KH
Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - Portugese   

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)
Director: George Lucas
Average Customer Review:
DVD (22 March, 2005)
list price: $19.98 -- our price: $13.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

"I have a bad feeling about this," says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi(played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The PhantomMenace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for thelegions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars sagawho can't help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is StarWars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevatedmoviegoers' expectations so high that it would have been impossible forany subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Warsmovies, The Phantom Menace features inexplicable plot twists, afistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo'sswagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breatherDarth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo,and some of what was fresh about Star Wars 22 years earlierfeels formulaic. Yet there's much to admire. The special effects arestupendous; three worlds are populated with a mélange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolutedetail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in theircomplexity. And one particular sequence of the film--theadrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert--makes the chariot race inBen-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park.

Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. Wewitness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looksyounger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby asever. Natalie Portman's stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that makePrincess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond withJedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan's day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a crossbetween a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie's lighter moments, while Sith Lord DarthMaul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too youngand innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but hisboyish exuberance wins over skeptics.

Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic,may be speaking for fans eagerly awaiting Episode II when hepats young Anakin on the head and says, "We will watch your career withgreat interest." Indeed! --Tod Nelson ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• THX
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (2545)

How it all began...
Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace is how the Star Wars saga began. The way this movie connects to the others is amazing. We see the young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn. We see the Sith, Darth Sidious and Darth Maul, who revelaed themselve to the Jedi for the first time in a millenia here. We see Palpatine living a double life as the good-hearted Senator from Naboo and as Darth Sidious. We see him manipulate the Senate in order to set his massive plan to take over the Republic into motion. We see the young Anakin Skywalker, who's fate is the evil Darth Vader, but who will eventually bring balance to the Force.

Surely these things are enough to win over the Jar Jar haters. The good things in this movie greatly outweigh the bad. The lightsaber duel is suspensful, the space battle is exciting, the Gungan/Droid battle is amazing, the pod race is suspenseful, the special effects are dazzling, the music is moving and the story is intriguing.

To know the true story of the Star Wars saga as a whole is to accept the Phantom Menace for what the great movie it is.

The Atrocity Exhibition
So a long, long time ago, in a Galaxy far away, we are told, a young boy, a promising child, steeped in the ways of the Force though ignorant of his destiny, was born to a slave-mother on a backwater desert world.

Now: imagine it is 1998. Imagine yourself flush with excitement, coming down off the adrenaline rush of seeing the then merely-remastered (and slightly tinkered-with) original trilogy making a triumphal theatrical run. Imagine the fever-dream of possibilities: the arid, dream-killing landscape of Tatooine, the nascent, frightening power of a small boy, a Power that could still be turned to the Force, should only his Jedi minders find him before the Forces of the Sith did.

Imagine the coming of the Darkness; the lengthening of the Shadow. Imagine what "The Phantom Menace"---promisingly, pulpily titled---could have delivered.

Then cry in Despair, O Prince, to see what atrocity shambled forth, weep bitter tears in the bleak, cold, hard face of What Might Have Been, gaze upon what issued forth from Lucas's gaping maw to strut and fret its our upon the Stage. But mainly to Fret.

So take what the fans want: blackhearted, dastardly Sith villains, including the war-faced Darth Maul; epic light saber duels between the frantic Jedi and their Sith adversaries; and hopefully a close-encounter with the brooding child who would grow up to stalk the gantry stations of many a cringing Rebel base as Darth Vader.

What did Lucas serve up: he gave Darth Maul perhaps 3 seconds of screen time, flushed him down the cinematic equivalent of a commode (sliced neatly in half, no less, just when the movie had ratcheted up some dramatic tension), and devoted the rest to Jar-Jar Binks, and his entire misbegotten race of pseudo-Rastafarian gob-stopper slinging toads. After Phantom Menace, I gained a newfound appreciation for the Imperial "Humans Only" rule.

Oh, and there's Jake Lloyd as Little Darth. Who amongst us can forget Jake Lloyd?

Yes---some would counter, rightly, that Lucas offered us something new in the realm of digital effects. But special effects should *accentuate* the drama, not supplant it.

It does have a nice soundtrack, though, and the DVD serves as a funky frisbee.

JSG

What happened here?
This had the potential to be soooo good, and yet, for many loyal fans, it was a letdown.I remember hearing that they were going to make prequels, and being so excited.Having been born far too late the see the original theatrical releases of the original triogy, I had to be content with seeing the Special Editions.When I saw this movie I was 9, so I thought it was really great.However, now I realize that there were serious problems with this movie.First, Amidala- she had great style, but compared toPrincess Leia, she was a wimp.None of the characters from the original seemed to be the same, and some of the new ones were not quite up to par: Jar-Jar- what was up with him? Did we really need him there? Plus,Anakin struck me as way too innocent for a 9-year-old boy growing up in one of Tatooine's spaceports.None of the story seemed to have a point, except to have Anakin meet his future wife.However, there were some good things about it.First, the special effects were excellent.Not quite as good as in later Star Wars movies, but excellent.Second, Darth Maul.He was the only new addition that seemed worthy of being called Star Wars.He was nowhere near as good as Darth Vader, but that was because he didn't try to be.He was his own villian, and it woked perfectly.I've never seen anyone use a lightsaber like that before, like it was part of him, not just a weapon.Episode I's lightsaber fight is arguably the best one in all 6 movies.Other than that, it's not really worth it.1 star for Darth Maul and the lightsaber fight, one for the special effects, and one simply because it's Star Wars, not that it's worthy of the name ... Read more

Asin: B00003CX5P
Subjects:  1. Science Fiction   

Canon CanoScan N656U USB Flatbed Scanner
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $99.00
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The Canon CanoScan N656U USB flatbed scanner scans as great as it looks. Housed in a high-tech metallic finish, this ultra-slim, 1-inch-high desktop scanner is ready to go anywhere. Simply connect the combined USB and power cable to either a Macintosh or PC, and you're done. Nothing else is required. No separate power cords or transformers.

Push one single button and you can scan photos, articles, or drawings at 600 x 1,200 dpi. With 42-bit color capabilities, this scanner treats you to more than 4 trillion possible colors for sharp and vibrant images.

Canon's exclusive Z-Lid expansion top means you can scan bulky objects such as books and magazines. The Z-Lid has a special expansion hinge so you can lift it vertically, rather than at an angle as with other scanners. The result is that your object can rest completely flat on the surface.

Special software for this scanner, provided by Canon, helps you optimize your photos, manipulate images, and integrate text and graphics into your creations.

The N656U weighs only 3.3 pounds and measures 10.2 by 14.7 by 1.3 inches. It comes with a one-year limited warranty and the Canon Extended Service Plan. --Linda Anderson ... Read more

Features

• Ultra-slim--just over 1 inch high
• Flatbed scanner with 600 x 1,200 dpi resolution
• Metallic finish
• Expansion top for scanning bulky items
• 1 cable for USB and power

Reviews (17)

Great starter OCR scanner
I got one of these for Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

Setup was easy, but the scans are a bit slow. It does a good job of scanning photos for me.

The OCR output is about 93%+ for most documents.Books with tight bindings are sometimes difficult to scan accurately, but I haven't found any thing that does a better job in these situations. The image quality is very good, so it is generally easy to make out the correct 'reading' when the OCR can't make out the source.The OmniPage OCR is perfect for my purposes.

Slow. But cheap.
Those looking for an inexpensive but versatile light-duty scanner need look no further than this CanonScan N650U device.

Some time back, I had been looking for just such a scanner for "occasional" use, and comparisons among those available were easily narrowed down to this unit.

The CanonScan 650U is a "universal" (PC/Mac) device using the now-ubiquitous USB interface. The bundled software (on CD-ROM) is easily installed, and provides a great deal of flexibility to how the scanner is used, the image-file formats in which scanned images may be saved, and the color (or gray scale) depth, resolution and sharpness of scanned images. The menu-driven features are largely intuitive for anyone not a total "newbie" to scanners, but the bundled software also includes very detailed and comprehensive documentation (in the form of Adobe Acrobat pdf files).

Results, in the form of scanned (and printable and/or transmittable) images, are superb, with excellent detail and resolution and accurate rendering of tonal and color scales. The design of the cover, with its clever "Z" hinge, permits scanning of pages of fairly thick books, if need be. A button on the front of the scanner, when pressed, will automatically launch the program so that a scan (or a "preview") can be made; alternatively, the program can be launched manually using a desktop alias or shortcut.

The image-manipulation menu allows for a very wide degree of control over how the scanned image can be "finalized." Tonal and color scales and image contrast can be extended or compressed, or distorted for special effects. Sharpness (separate from choice of resolution, in pixels) can be enhanced by degrees, or even thoroughly "customized." (A mild word of caution for those using these enhancement features when scanning half-tone images: It IS possible to create Moire patterns [fringing] if some of these adjustments are overdone. Some practice may be required, and then the best results saved as a template for future use.)

I wouldn't necessarily characterize the CanonScan 650U as a "frequent-duty" scanner. It is likely to be too slow for professional use. It is hardly as quick as a photocopier. But, if you, like me, need such a device only for occasional use and moreover need the image-manipulation capabilities that only a full-featured software program can provide, I can recommend this unit highly. It is very inexpensive for what it does and for the features it provides.

All of the above is provided in the context of Macintosh installation and use. Results for PC platform use should be expected to be the same, but installation and access and use of the features may differ slightly. I suggest that PC users interested in the CanonScan 650U read other reviews on this product page for a sense of what PC users have to say about this scanner.

Bob Zeidler

fashion meets function
this is a great product.I use it with my PowerMac G4.It's not the fastest scanner but if you're not a professional in the graphic arts, this one is great.It's such a nice change from those bulky, gray monsters so commonly found in the consumer scanner market.It's powered by the USB cable itself so there's no need for the bulky power supply. ... Read more

Asin: B00004Y66U
Subjects:  1. PC Compatible, Compatibility    2. Mac, Macintosh, Connections, Ports, Port    3. Universal Serial Bus Interface, Interfaces, Connection    4. FB, 630, ui, FB630, 630Ui, Cano Scan    5. Scanner (Flatbed, Flat bed)    6. Flat bed Scanners   

Actually [UK Bonus CD]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (03 July, 2001)
list price: $22.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

When they released Actually, their second proper album, in 1987, the Pet Shop Boys proved they were no flash-in-the-pan pop sensation. Neil Tennant wrote about disaffected consumerism ("Rent," "Shopping") with the wry insight only the former editor of a teen pop magazine could have. Often accused of being emotionally bankrupt by their critics, Tennant and his partner, keyboardist Chris Lowe, effortlessly proved them wrong, camouflaging clever commentary ("It's a Sin") behind deadpan attitude and catchy dance music. The jewel in Actually's crown is probably "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," a classic hit for which Lowe and Tennant coaxed '60s pop icon Dusty Springfield out of semiretirement. Actually has aged better than anybody--including perhaps the Pet Shop Boys themselves--could have expected. --Elisabeth Vincentelli ... Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (36)

Avoiding the one-hit wonder tag
The Pet Shop Boys stylized Actually to melt the coldest of hearts, and it almost does. Their success of West End Girls was surely a threat to their longevity, considering they were just two guys with synthesizers who wrote pop music. But they duck the pitfall with style.

Some of their best singles are found within, like Heart, It's A Sin, Rent and What Have I Done To Deserve This? And what isn't a single can definitely hold its own to say the least: King's Cross, It Couldn't Happen Here (dedicated to a deceased friend of theirs), and I Want To Wake Up.

But Actually occaisionally lapses into kitchiness as with the silly-sounding anti-capitalist Shopping and the overly-campy Hit Music. One More Chance gives a rough first impression with Neil Tennant's faked enthusiasm ("push me in a corner and I'll scream").

For its faults, Actually is an easily enjoyable album. In one album, the Pet Shop boys simultaneously dodged the sophomore slump AND the one-hit wonder tag. Not everyone can do that.

My first album ever owned is still the best
I like Pearl Jam and Nirvana and Coldplay, but on buying this album again, I am reminded how the Pet Shop Boys were the stand out band in the 80s.

Timeless 'Hit Music'
This is definately the album that was a catalyst for their career.With the popularity of their first album PLEASE, this album exceeded everyone's expectations and since then they have been known as the band that always has a hit every couple of years.Bands come and go, some flourish for years and then eventually disappear.

Pet Shop Boys are quoted as one of the first bands that continually keep going regardless of the era or fads that pass through.Their music is original for any decade.This album ACTUALLY is a perfect example of their creative intelligence and wit just beginning.

What makes this album marked as a favorite among fans is not just that half the songs were radio hits, it's more that every song is unique and sounds completely different from the next track.They experiment with numerous types of styles, and often go from electronic to a sudden orchestra of strings and trumpets.

This kind of strange and sudden diversity is their trademark.ACTUALLY is the album that states that this was just the beginning; bringing popular tunes in a more intelligent and sensual manner that goes deep into the soul, and with each new album since they continued to touch listeners through classical, electronic, rock, and even operatic pieces.

An example is the track "Hit Music"--very typical 80's, fun and simple to listen to.In their own blunt way, Pet Shop Boys will go to a slow and romantic pace of action, that lasts for only a few seconds, if not a full minute.But always knowing to bring audiences back to the original sound, they tempt our hearts with quite beautiful, flirtatious chords that wink at you, and stop...and then begin again.This could be why they are known for their live concerts seeming like "stories performed", actors playing out roles as they sing to the side of the stage.It's no wonder why they are asked to write hip musicals.And why not?It's hip music.

Great album to start off with; and just a preview of albums to come in the 90's and into the 21st century. ... Read more

Asin: B00005J9LZ
Subjects:  1. Alternative Dance    2. Club/Dance    3. Dance Music    4. Dance-Pop    5. Pop    6. Rock/Pop   

Pet Shop Boys - Montage (The "Nightlife" Tour)
Average Customer Review:
DVD (20 November, 2001)
list price: $24.98 -- our price: $22.48
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Color

Reviews (26)

They got me !!
The Pet Shop Boys Montage Tour is a 2001 DVD with live songs played by the group in their 1999/2000 world tour, but almost all songs come from their US and UK venues. The DVD is as good as it could be and portrays the duo from England as one of the most important musicians from Europe.
In fact, both Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, when wigless, look like any chief executive officer from some multinational company; but they are much more than that. They are professional performers who aptly convey to their loyal audience rather simple songs in the very same way they were recorded in the studio, alternating dramatic and profound melodies and lyrics (e.g., "Young Offender"), with joyful ones overflowing with the exhilarating pleasure of living (e.g., "That is the way life is"), and some even which combinesjoyfulnesswith seemingly harmless martial overtones (e.g., "Go West").
The backstage projections of slides, and images from films are a show in itself, specially the ones that stupendously backs the song "Young Offender", inquisitive to any one in the audience and at home.
The Pet Shop Boys are backed by the vocals of the so-called "New York City boys", a group of very competent and energetic black singers (and dancers), and by the stunningly beautiful voice of the black female singer Sylvia Hason-James.
The enthusiasm of the whole group radiates to the public and the outcome is sheer ecstasy almost from beginning to end. This DVD is a must both for fans of the band as for any one who, like myself, listened in the radio the songs from the group but never dared to buy anything from them for home audition. I don't feel disappointed in any way. I got what I wanted.
As a minor flip-side, some of the visual effects are sometimes outdated, as if produced some 20 years ago. But in the end, despite not being a fan of the band, I got totally overwhelmed by the sheer intensity and enthusiasm conveyed by the band.

Absolutely Great!
Wow what a great concert DVD. Those familiar with PSB songs will find little to complain about. Those who love dance music will be entertained as well.

For all those who expected a PSB concert to be a "real-time" jam or something, you will be disappointed. PSB are creatures of the studio, and so their live performances compensate to prevent the danger of a prerecorded feel by exploiting the wonderful live singing of Neil and their sextet of singers. But it also captivates with visual montages (some no doubt tongue-in-cheek cheesy), a more lushly layered mix to familiar songs, and with visual conceptualism overall. But we are treated to a couple of unexpected acoustical jams of familiar songs that fits great as a counterpoint to the rest of the heavily technofied concert. This DVD, I think, does a good job of representing the paradox that is PSB. They sing with emotion and honesty about the most personal things, but they drape it in a "faux-futuristic" spectacle of sometimes android-like delivery. Neil and Chris may look like two unfeeling clones on stage, but the lyrics Neil sings betrays that immediately. The contrast between subject matter and technique is never lost. It's just great.

More extras like interviews or a documentary on the making of such a concert would have earned it another star. But in the end, it's a raucious, beautiful, uplifting aural experience that I would not hesitate recommending.

Best DVD From Them
This is by far the best collection of concert songs ever asembled on a disc or VHS.Great from beginging to end...Highlights for me were "It's A Sin" the Closer "Go West" ... Read more

Asin: B00005RIIC
Sales Rank: 28678
Subjects:  1. Music Video - Pop/Rock   

# 1's
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (17 November, 1998)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Mariah Carey's #1's is as much a time capsule of '90s pop and R&B as a record of one woman's chart toppers: the disc chronicles a shift from the sweet, nearly '50s-style "Vision of Love" to more recent hip-hop-lite grooves featuring heavy input from Puffy Combs ("Honey"), Jermaine Dupri ("Sweetheart"), and O.D.B. ("Fantasy"). Some hit, some miss, but all feature the fluttery swoops that Carey substitutes for expression of feeling. Depth is beside the point, but few of these tracks are even fun. Still, after eight years, there seems to be no stopping her, and this album will hardly break her streak of successes. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (433)

Proof Mariah is #1!!!
Mariah Carey is my all time favorite singer who has the most beautiful voice in the world!!This CD has Mariah's first 13 singles that went to #1 plus 4 bonus tracks.This is not a greatest hits, as stated in the album booklet, it's a "Thank You"to the fans, Mariah really cares about her fans!!

Vision Of Love was Mariah's very first single that went to #1 on Billboard and I totally love that hauntingly beautiful intro, it's awesome!!!Love Takes Time was the 2nd single and it's such as awesome ballad!Someday is the 3rd #1 that happened to be the first song from her debut album that I heard, I saw the video on MTV or VH1 and I actually prefer the music video version better because of that really high note that she hits at the very end that I just totally love but in the album version, the song fades out right before she does that high note but it's still a cool version.I Don't Wanna Cry was the 4th consecutive #1 that happens to be my favorite slow ballad from her debut, I totally love this song!

Emotions was Mariah's 5th consecutive #1 in a row and it was a record that no other female artist has ever done and it's one of my all time favorites because of that high note throughout the song that I just totally love!!!I'll Be There with Trey Lorenz was from MTV Unplugged and became Mariah's 6th #1 and I've heard both Mariah's and The Jackson 5's version and I just love Mariah's more because of her voice and emotion and soul she puts into it!!!

The 7th #1 for Mariah was Dreamlover and I just cannot listen to this song without dancing and singing, it's impossible!Hero which was Mariah's 8th #1 is actually my all time favorite from her and even though I've heard it a million times, I can't get bored of it!Every time I hear Hero, I sing along and get goosebumps and it's because of this song that I have overcome so many obstacles in my life, the message is so powerful!!!

Fantasy became Mariah's 9th #1 and it was the first single from her that debuted at #1.This #1's album has the remix with O.D.B. which I do like but I actually like the album version best!I like dancing to this song too.One Sweet Day was Mariah's 10th #1 and set a record that no one has ever outdone to this day:it spent 16 consecutive weeks at #1 and also debuted on Billboard at #1!A record for Mariah!One Sweet Day is a very emotional ballad with Boyz II Men and every time I hear it, it kind of makes me sad because of the lyrics but I love it!!Mariah's 11th #1 single is another one of my favorites, Always Be My Baby.I love this song and always sing along to it when it's on.And I also love all the remixes and club mixes to this song also.

Honey became the third #1 to actually debut at #1, Mariah's 12th #1.I actually love the Bad Boy Remix of this song the most, it's just so cool!My All is Mariah's 13th #1 and I love how it's this romantic ballad with Spanish guitar!

Mariah's #1's haven't stopped at 13 though!Since this CD came out, the songs Heartbreaker, Thank God I Found You and We Belong Together make Mariah the most successful female artist in history as far as singles are concerned with a total of 16 #1's!!
When I first heard We Belong Together, I was thinking that the song should reach #1 and boy did I call it!!

The bonus songs on this album are really cool with a cover of a song I really liked from the 80's from Brenda K. Starr called I Still Believe and I love Mariah's version a little more because of Mariah's beautiful voice!Sweetheart is a really cool song with JD!When You Believe, which features another favorite singer of mine, Whitney Houston, is a really cool ballad and it's from The Prince Of Egypt.The Whenever You Call song with Brian McKnight is another version from the song on the Butterfly album and it's really cool to have another version but I do like the album version a little better where just Mariah sings.This whole CD is awesome to have when you just feel like just listening to her #1's and I have the Greatest Hits CD for when I want to listen to all her best songs!

#1's - THE PROOF IS IN THE NUMBER!!
Every one of these songs made it to #1......ENOUGH SAID!!

Mariah's #1's
Please note that this album is Mariah's Greatest and most popular #1 singles, hence the album title. It is not a full CD of all her Greatest Hits, so this CD focuses more on Mariah's vocal abilities and songwriting, that helped Mariah get these #1 singles instead of all of her Greatest Hits together. If you would like all of Mariah's Greatest Hits instead, you will have to buy the Greatest Hits Collection available on two CDs. #1's is also available on DVD but buy the CD aswell while you are at it. Some of the hits are really worth mentioning on this album.

I will start with When You Believe. When I heard this song from The Prince Of Egypt Movie, I was completely blown away. Two great voices on one great song eqauls fantastic. The song could not have been any better. She always manages to hit very high notes at the end of the song My All, another highlight from this album. The song is from Mariah's album Butterfly. One Sweet Day is another great effort from Mariah. The song hit #1 in the US and stayed there for a staggering 16 weeks! It makes Mariah even more great and all the more better for achieving this. From her album Daydream.

Fantasy is the next highlight. Many people say this song is not one of Mariah's best, or they could do without the rapping in it but I think that it livens the song up a bit. From the album Daydream also. Hero and Dreamlover are also some of my favourites from the album Music Box. She hits more high notes on Hero. Emotions and Vision Of Love are more of my favourites. For me, Emotions is a highlight because she hits some excellent higher notes on this song than other songs from the album! While Vision Of Love, her very first hit, is another great effort, as they all are.

The US version does not include the hit Without You because it was not a US #1 single, but the UK version includes this song and it is the Mariah song that got me into her. I can never pass up on this song! More high vocals from Mariah, that not many other female artists can reach. The UK version also includes Do You Know Where You're Going To? It also sounds excellent! If you are a really big Mariah fan, I suggest you buy this right away! ... Read more

Asin: B00000FC6I
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. R&B   

Bridge
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (14 November, 1995)
list price: $16.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (72)

Career defining?I think so
Personally I believe this album epitomizes what Ace of Base is.Every member wrote a song or two for this album, and they nicely explain the meanings behind these songs (or the origins) in the booklet.

The songs themselves entrance me whenever I take the time to listen to them."Wave Wet Sand" is dark and engrossing, "Ravine" is a moody tune with a wonderful set of lyrics, "Blooming 18" is fun and funky, "Just An Image" is fast-paced and exciting...

If you enjoy music, pick yourself up a copy of this.Good music never goes out of style.

Nice Sophomore Album
If you liked 'The Sign', you'll like this one as it has all the same things that made 'The Sign' great.I love 'Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry' and 'Strange Ways'.'Ravine' is haunting.Definitely worth buying if you like Ace of Base at all, even if you're a casual listener.

Beautiful Life!
Ace of Base were still making great and radio friendly dance-pop when this album was released. Just like their previous album, this was a hit and included many good songs. Not far as many as "The Sign" but it had it's moments just the same. Dance music was still popular when this album was released, only a year later it Euro-dance was going downhill. The 3 first single's here "Beautiful Life" "Never Gonna say I'm Sorry" and "Lucky Love" were definite highlights here, they are all great and catchy floor fillers with the classic Ace of Base sound. This album includes 15 songs however. "Edge Of Heaven" and "Angel Eyes" are ballads. "Ravine" is midtempo. Many of the other songs are simular to what we're used too, happy dance but some are also going towards ABBA's pop sound and that is something that Ace of Base turned too later on, for good and bad. I think there are a bit too many songs here, not all are very good and it get's a bit repetitive after a while, However it got it's highlight and it's still a good album. 3,5 stars, I give it 4 here. ... Read more

Asin: B000002VPV
Sales Rank: 33903
Subjects:  1. Dance Music    2. Pop   

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2002
by Ken Park
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (18 November, 2001)
list price: $11.95
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (12)

A huge wealth of information
This almanac is a great source of a huge variety of information. It's loaded with many charts and statistics on just about anything you can think of. From the population of major cities to the Nobel Prize awards you can always trust the Almanac to be useful. Finding information in this almanac is simple because of the index in the front and the quick index on the back cover.

Sometimes when I'm bored I pick up this almanac and find myself browsing through all the interesting information. This is a great book that can actually be fun to read and educational.

BUY IT
This is this one of those items you must have around the house, it has so much useful info, and just facts you always wanted to know, and should know. Easy to naviagte through, a must buy item for every household.

Quite Boring
A good reference book, but quite boring for pleasure reading. ... Read more

Isbn: 0886878721
Sales Rank: 280314
Subjects:  1. Almanacs    2. Almanacs, American    3. General    4. Reference    5. Yearbooks & Annuals    6. Reference / Yearbooks & Annuals   

Showgirls
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Average Customer Review:
DVD (05 June, 2001)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $11.96
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

When Goldie Hawn recommended Elizabeth Berkley for a small role in First Wives Club, she publicly stated that Berkley deserved the opportunity to redeem herself after starring in the ridiculous Showgirls. That says it all: this sleazy, stupid movie, which mixes soft pornography with the clichés of backstage dramas, is the kind of project an aspiring actress would have to put well behind her to keep a career going (though costar Gina Gershon certainly benefited from her, uh, exposure in the film). Berkley plays a drifter who hitches a ride to Las Vegas, becomes a lap dancer and then a performer, and discovers--gasp!--there's a whole world of sex and violence involved with these things. Gershon is probably the best element in the film, playing Berkley's bisexual rival for the big spotlight on stage. Joe Eszterhas was well overpaid for writing this howler, and director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct) should have known better than to take it seriously. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Widescreen
• Closed-captioned

Reviews (224)

Works Only As Camp...ButWhat Great Camp
Like "Mommie Dearest," "Valley of the Dolls," and so many others, taking "Showgirls" seriously will disgust and shock you - but watching it as a camp classic will bring howls of laughter. The DVD, with commentary from the Director, Stars, and Writer is a bonus because these guys take this film as a serious piece of art ! Reviewing this film is a waste of time - the writing, directing, acting, dancing - it is wretched. Elizabeth Berkley just is'nt showgirl material - she looks more like a hooker than anything but Gina Gershon pulls off her part fairly well. Kyle MacLaughlin is simply ridiculous and his sex scene with Berkley is the biggest laugh-riot of the film.

Jaws is Back!!!
Ah the wonders of showbiz.
How can a budding actress (Elizabeth Burkley) go from a sweet and funny teen comedy, to a cheap and physically sickening in-your-face sex movie.
Poor Elizabeth Burkley, this poor girl believed that Showgirls was to be her big break into hollywood however it turned out to be her big break into sex/shark attack scenes in a swimming pool.
That, i believe, was the final blow to classify showgirls as a barage of in your face nudity and bad sex scenes. I believe one movie critic (known as James Lee) described the infamous swimming pool sex scene as being a cheap imitation of a shark attack scene from jaws. I seriously doubt that this film will be winning any awards... apart from the award for the worst sex scene ever filmed.
Another flaw in this film was the apparent great dancing that was peformed by Ms Burkley in a club at the beginning of the film... however on seeing this i was very worried for her safety as it seemed as if she was having an epileptic seizure from the flashing lights. However when she was joined by a co star who also began to dance in the same way i realised that i was wrong. All in all this film is rubbish. Only be recommended this film to people you hate!!!

Free DVD when you buy these party supplies!
i seen the film before and didn't think it was worth buying, but then i read about how this set is pretty much designed for getting drunk, so i figured there must be an entirely other dimension to the movie that is only apparent when intoxicated.Isn't that kinda sad?Its as if the studio felt bad for you for buying the dvd, so they figured they'd help you get drunk in return with the shot glasses and drinking games.

Its worth it just for the party supplies.People will see your "Showgirls" shot glasses and you can say "Yeah.I actually own those." ... Read more

Asin: 0792844882
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Spaceballs
Director: Mel Brooks
Average Customer Review:
DVD (14 August, 2001)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $11.21
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Mel Brooks's 1987 parody of the Star Wars trilogy is a jumble of jokes rather than a comic feature, and, predictably, some of those jokes work better than others. The cast, including Brooks in two roles, more or less mimics the principal characters from George Lucas's famous story line, and the director certainly gets a boost from new allies (SCTV graduates Rick Moranis and John Candy) as well as old ones (Dick Van Patten, Dom DeLuise). Watch this and wait for the sporadic inspiration--but don't be surprised if you find yourself yearning for those years when Brooks was a more complete filmmaker (Young Frankenstein). --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Features

• Closed-captioned

Reviews (268)

One of my Favorite movies of all time.
I love this movie, and the special features are decent.Not much more to say, Mel Brokes at his best.

HEY MEL BROOKS WE DON"T NEED A SECOND SPACEBALLS.
WE NEED A FIRST SILENT MOVIE,A FIRST HIGH ANXIETY,AND A FIRST ROBIN HOOD; MEN IN TIGHTS. After viewing widescreen,fullscreen of the original dvd and the fullscreen vhs and then the TBS presentation not one of them gives you the complete picture.They all give you different corners WIDE;hides the floor and ceiling.FULL;covers elbows and noses TBS;gives you an extreme view to the far right so you can actually see the princess' OLD NOSE!! (which is barely noticible on either side of the original disc) But of course the left side suffers from lack of attention. I don't care what kind of bonus features you put in, bad picture presentation is BAD PICTURE PRESENTATION. All I had to do was read the picture dimensions on the so called "collectors edition" and I knew this was a waste of time and money. And that's a shame because the movie itself is very good and deserves better treatment than just a reissue of the widescreen side of the original disc and a second disc with a lot of fluff. DID I HURT YOUR FEELINGS? CAN ANYONE PROVE MY INFORMATION IS INACCURATE? START PRESSING THE YES BUTTON. YOU KNOW THIS REVIEW IS HELPFUL!

Collect what? A forced pre-menu trailer?! Not all bad tho!
This is an A++ movie, but the "special" DVD release is not as special as I had hoped.

Let's look at the bad parts first!

The pre-menu "don't pirate this disc" bit is a new live-action waste of time and seems to run much longer than the old-sk00l FBI warnings, despite the new version being in english only.How much money went into producing that claptrap anyway?The usual English/Spanish/French full-screen blurbs are more than adequate.Save the disc space for a better compression rate (not that this DVD release fails where it counts...).

Along with the new, patronizing, live-action piracy bit is an advert for the remake of the pink panther movie.One I was not able to cirumvent by pressing every menu button on my remote.This does not make for a happy viewer.And not just because it's yet another remake of yet another old movie that trashes the old and can't draw in the viewers at the theatres too, making execs wonder what went wrong as they then proceed to make a remake of another old film...but I digress.I also double-checked the price of the disc and all the blurbs on the box.I didn't pay for a pathetic trailer I can't get around.I paid for a movie.Not extra advertising in every place they can shove it.

Also, for "flubs" I had read "bloopers".Unless I missed a menu, there are no bloopers - which are usually far more interesting than pointing out flubs (production goofs such as pointing out the camera tracks in one scene and a poorly set up mirror in another), most people will find or just not care about.I want actors saying the effenheimer or the sclhizzlebler because they couldn't remember a line correctly!!

On the plus side, the opening menu (disc 1) is HIGHLY entertaining if you let it sit there and just run for a while.

DTS sound is AWESOME too.Alone it's worth the price!Specially in the F/X shots, you'll be blown away by the remix - it is INCREDIBLE and exceptionally well done.

Video quality is excellent for a restored 19 year old film too.

Nice to see the trailers and featurettes; especially when they hadn't been given the restoration treatment.(not being sarky here, it's incredible what they can do to restore and preserve film these days!)

The trivia game seems trivial; very obvious questions and the response sequences are too few to maintain interest.

But all in all, the restoration and enhancement of the video and audio is well worth the price.

As for the movie itself...easily one of Brooks' best works and is a great parody of the original Star Wars series, most of which were good in their own right but this parody of the original trilogy is stingingly funny.

I sincerely hope Brooks does a sequel (prequel) to Spaceballs because the "prequel" SW trilogy is so horrendously awful that any spoof of it would rake in far more money, of that I have no doubt!! ... Read more

Asin: 0792844890
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

Point of No Return is one of those Hollywood remakes of a European hit in which one can visualize a committee of studio executives sitting around and saying, "Okay, we know what made the original film unique and different and fun. How can we make that same movie and do exactly the opposite?" For-hire director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) took La Femme Nikita, Luc Besson's undeniably sexy, original, and kitschy French film about a female assassin, and translated it into a calculating, mechanistic American thriller with no distinctive style. Bridget Fonda gamely plays the willowy street punk who becomes a high-society killer, but once that provocative irony is in place, the movie is pretty much a series of by-the-numbers action set pieces. Until, that is, Dermot Mulroney shows up as a love interest; but even that twist can't save this film. You're much better off with the original, subtitles and all. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Dolby
• Widescreen

Asin: 6304981627
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

This science fiction blockbuster from 1990 began its production life as a very different movie than the one that was released. An adaptation of the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," Total Recall was originally conceived of with Richard Dreyfuss starring as a Walter Mitty-like character who experiences a variety of artificially induced fantasies. The movie we know is a mega-budget action epic set on Mars.Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a normal working man who discovers that his entire reality has been invented to conceal a plot of planetary domination. Oscar-winning special effects and violent action propel the twisting plot, in which Arnold manipulates his manipulators in a world of dazzling high technology. Director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop) indulges his usual penchant for gratuitous bloodshed, but the movie has enough cleverness to rise above its excesses. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Asin: B00005N918
Subjects:  1. Science Fiction