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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Actors: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone
ASIN : B00005JPO1
Sales Rank : 108
Director : Steven Spielberg
Brand : Paramount
Studio : Paramount Home Entertainment
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0097361390246
UPC : 097361390246
Release Date : December 14, 2008
Publisher : Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : Paramount Home Entertainment
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Paramount Home Entertainment
Running Time : 122
Product DescriptionStudio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 10/14/2008 Run time: 122 minutes Rating: Pg13 Amazon.comNearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim
Stills from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Click for larger image)
Reviews for the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
Actors: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers
ASIN : B000HEWEJO
Sales Rank : 74
Director : Frank Capra
Brand : Paramount
Studio : Paramount
Region Code : 1
Format : Black & White, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0097369600149
UPC : 097369600149
Release Date : December 31, 2006
Publisher : Paramount
Manufacturer : Paramount
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Paramount
DescriptionGeorge Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all – and it’s Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide? Amazon.com essential videoNow perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Reviews for the It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
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Mork & Mindy - The Complete First Season
Actors: Elizabeth Kerr, Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Conrad Janis
ASIN : B0002I837M
Sales Rank : 351
Director : Jeff Chambers, Joel Zwick, Bob Claver, Frank Buxton, Garry Marshall
Brand : Paramount
Studio : Paramount
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9781415700808
ISBN : 141570080X
UPC : 097360537949
Release Date : December 07, 2004
Publisher : Paramount
Manufacturer : Paramount
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Paramount
Running Time : 635
DescriptionA spin-off from the hit show "Happy Days," MORK & MINDY stars Robin Williams as the lovable alien from the planet Ork. Sent to Earth by his fellow Orkans who see him as a misfit, Mork is assigned to observe the customs of the crazy Earthlings. Landing in a giant eggshell in Boulder, Colorado, Mork is soon befriended by Mindy McConnell (Dawber) a music store clerk, and allowed to stay in the attic of her apartment. Amazon.com essential videoChildren who love Robin Williams as the voice of Aladdin or as Mrs. Doubtfire will get a blast out of the show that blasted him into the stratosphere, and made "Nanoo, Nanoo" a national catch-phrase. Mork & Mindy, a spin-off of a season 5 Happy Days episode, was a tailor-made star vehicle for Williams, who won a Golden Globe for this inaugural 1978 season. The role of extraterrestrial Mork from Ork gave free reign to Williams's stream-of-consciousness riffing as Mork observed life on Earth and reported back to his leader, Orson, on all that he learned about friendship, love, family, and emotions. As Mindy, the down-to-Earth Boulder, Colorado, girl who takes the stranded alien under her roof, fresh-faced Pam Dawber does her best to keep up. When Williams is really in the (Twilight?) zone, it's not acting: she does seem like she's dealing with someone from another planet. The highlight of this first season is "Mork's Mixed Emotions," a tour-de-force that TV Guide ranked among the top 100 TV episodes of all time (#94, to be exact). Mork believes that emotions are bad, and tries to lock them inside himself, but they are unleashed in a lusty, happy, weepy, angry, envious torrent. Helping to launch Williams as a primetime player in the series pilot are Henry Winkler and Penny Marshall in their iconic roles as the Fonz and Laverne. Another notable guest star in season 1 is David Letterman as an abusive EST-like guru in "Mork Goes Erk." Mork & Mindy rapidly jumped the shark, and much of the '70s sitcom trappings have not aged well, but this first season is a giddy time capsule record of Williams at his most spontaneous and out of this world. Shazbot--the set contains no extras. --Donald Liebenson.
Reviews for the Mork & Mindy - The Complete First Season
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The Bucket List
Actors: Verda Bridges, Rowena King, Dawnn Lewis, Jordan Lund, Karen Maruyama
ASIN : B000YAF4MA
Sales Rank : 188
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Color, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0085391139881
UPC : 085391139881
Release Date : December 10, 2008
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 97
DescriptionYou only live once, so why not go out in style? That’s what two cancer- ward roommates, an irascible billionaire (Jack Nicholson) and a scholarly mechanic (Morgan Freeman), decide when they get the bad news. They compose a bucket list – things to do before you kick the bucket – and head off for the around-the-world adventure of their lives. Sky dive? Check. Power a Shelby Mustang around a racetrack? Check. Gaze at the Great Pyramid of Khufu? Check. Discover the joy in their lives before it’s too late? Check! Under the nimble direction of Rob Reiner, the two great stars provide the heart and soul, wit and wiles of this inspired salute to life that proves that the best time of all is right now. Amazon.com"You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you," says the quietly wise Carter Chambers, played with gravitas and grace by a Morgan Freeman. In Rob Reiner's moving, often hilarious film The Bucket List, all sorts of people measure themselves against the two heroes, Chambers and his hospital suitemate, Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson). But as Cole finds, having spent his entire life building a Fortune 500 company, none of that much matters when cancer, the great equalizer, pays a visit. The film traces the adventures of the two unlikely friends, who meet in a hospital cancer ward, each given six months to live. The "bucket list" of the title refers to a lifelong list of goals that a teacher of Chambers once advised him to compile--and achieve--"before you kick the bucket." Soon the two are off on what may be the last grand adventure of their life, vowing to tick off as many goals (skydiving, race-car driving, seeing the wonders of the world) as they can in the time they have left. What starts as a medical melodrama becomes a road trip, yet the men's mortality realities are never far from thought. The two leads give impressive performances, and remind the viewer of just how few American films focus on the lives and loves of senior citizens. Nicholson even manages to lose his persona in his character, much as he did in About Schmidt. There's a lovely John Mayer tune, "Say (What You Need to Say)," that's perfectly matched to the film's clear-eyed view of life: What does one person leave behind as his true legacy? --A.T. Hurley
Reviews for the The Bucket List
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Georgia Rule (Full Screen Edition)
Actors: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Cary Elwes
ASIN : B000T988II
Sales Rank : 832
Director : Garry Marshall
Brand : Universal
Studio : Universal Studios
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0025195011105
UPC : 025195011105
Release Date : December 04, 2007
Publisher : Universal Studios
Manufacturer : Universal Studios
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Universal Studios
Running Time : 113
Product DescriptionStudio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 08/26/2008 Run time: 113 minutes Rating: R Amazon.com When three generations of women collide, it isn't always pretty. In Georgia Rule, Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) stars as Rachel, a wild child whose mother Lilly (Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives) ships her off to Idaho to be tamed by Georgia (Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond)--Lilly's own cantankerous mom. There, 17-year-old Rachel shocks the conservative community with her short shorts, eager sexuality (which she plies on everyone from 12-year-old boys to unsophisticated, but hot, Mormon neighbors), and her tales of possible sexual abuse at the hands of her somewhat slimy stepfather (Cary Elwes, The Princess Bride). As directed by Garry Marshall (Beaches, Pretty Woman), Georgia Rule is a flawed chick flick where the women are tolerable but not particularly likeable. The characters we want to know more about are the peripheral ones we don't see enough of--the men. Simon (Dermot Mulroney), the kindly (and sexy) veterinarian who was once madly in love with Lilly, in many ways is the film's moral compass. A widower whose wife and son died tragically in an accident, Simon would've made a more compelling movie subject than these women. And for all his latent pining for Lilly, the moviegoer feels relieved for him that dodged a bullet by not marrying into this dysfunctional family. While the female leads aren't quite believable as mother, daughter, and grandmother, they all have strong moments in the film that save it from being a groaning mess. While Lohan doesn't exhibit the charm she displayed in Mean Girls, she more than holds her own in parts with the scene-stealing Fonda, who is quite good at chewing up the scenery. --Jae-Ha Kim
Reviews for the Georgia Rule (Full Screen Edition)
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No Country for Old Men
Actors: Javier Bardem, Rodger Boyce, Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin, Beth Grant
ASIN : B00118T63C
Sales Rank : 282
Director : Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Studio : Miramax
Region Code : 1
Format : Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0786936746754
UPC : 786936746754
Release Date : December 11, 2008
Publisher : Miramax
Manufacturer : Miramax
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Miramax
Running Time : 122
Product DescriptionWhen a man stumbles on a bloody crime scene a pickup truck loaded with heroin & 2 million dollars in irresistible cash his decision to take the money sets off an unstoppable chain of violence. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 12/26/2008 Starring: Tommy Lee Jones Josh Brolin Run time: 122 minutes Rating: R Amazon.comThe Coen brothers make their finest thriller since Fargo with a restrained adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel. Not that there aren't moments of intense violence, but No Country for Old Men is their quietest, most existential film yet. In this modern-day Western, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam vet who could use a break. One morning while hunting antelope, he spies several trucks surrounded by dead bodies (both human and canine). In examining the site, he finds a case filled with $2 million. Moss takes it with him, tells his wife (Kelly Macdonald) he's going away for awhile, and hits the road until he can determine his next move. On the way from El Paso to Mexico, he discovers he's being followed by ex-special ops agent Chigurh (an eerily calm Javier Bardem). Chigurh's weapon of choice is a cattle gun, and he uses it on everyone who gets in his way--or loses a coin toss (as far as he's concerned, bad luck is grounds for death). Just as Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a World War II vet, is on Moss's trail, Chigurh's former colleague, Wells (Woody Harrelson), is on his. For most of the movie, Moss remains one step ahead of his nemesis. Both men are clever and resourceful--except Moss has a conscience, Chigurh does not (he is, as McCarthy puts it, "a prophet of destruction"). At times, the film plays like an old horror movie, with Chigurh as its lumbering Frankenstein monster. Like the taciturn terminator, No Country for Old Men doesn't move quickly, but the tension never dissipates. This minimalist masterwork represents Joel and Ethan Coen and their entire cast, particularly Brolin and Jones, at the peak of their powers. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Reviews for the No Country for Old Men
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The Boys in the Band
Actors: Kenneth Nelson, Peter White, Leonard Frey, Cliff Gorman, Frederick Combs
ASIN : B001CQONPE
Sales Rank : 681
Director : William Friedkin
Brand : Paramount
Studio : Paramount
Region Code : 1
Format : Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0097368878549
UPC : 097368878549
Release Date : December 11, 2008
Publisher : Paramount
Manufacturer : Paramount
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Paramount
Running Time : 118
Product DescriptionStudio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Run time: 119 minutes Rating: R Amazon.com essential videoA sensitive yet humorous adaptation of the stage play, this 1970 film directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) is one of the first films to openly address gay issues in a matter-of-fact style that largely avoids stereotyping. Shot on one set and featuring a birthday party as the festive setting, a group of friends assemble to celebrate, reminisce, and discuss their lives and the travails of being gay, even as one friend insists he's straight. The night turns from a light celebration to a sometimes-vindictive ordeal of revelation and betrayal, as each man in turn must confess his true feelings. Performed by the original cast of the stage production, the film may feel dated to some, but it still manages to be truthful and entertaining as it explores a subject that to this day is not often addressed. --Robert Lane
Reviews for the The Boys in the Band
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Get Smart - Season 1 (The Original TV Series)
Actors: Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Ed Platt
ASIN : B00005JNS8
Sales Rank : 231
Director : Norman Abbott (II), David Alexander, Reza Badiyi, Richard Benedict, Paul Bogart
Studio : HBO Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Restored, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0883929031085
UPC : 883929031085
Release Date : December 05, 2008
Publisher : HBO Home Video
Manufacturer : HBO Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : HBO Home Video
Running Time : 900
Product DescriptionStudio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 08/05/2008 Run time: 750 minutes Rating: G Amazon.comThe feature film may have missed it by that much, but Get Smart, the TV series, still hits the target with deadly funny accuracy. The right show at the right time, Get Smart brilliantly spoofed the spy genre that was all the rage in 1965, with James Bond on the big screen, and such series as Danger Man, The Avengers, The Saint, < I>The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and I Spy more or less playing it straight on the small screen. Get Smart, on the other hand, had a license to kill…with laughter. Mel Brooks and Buck Henry created one of TV's all-time greatest characters, Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 of CONTROL, the super-secret agency vigilantly on alert against the forces of KAOS. Smart (Don Adams in his iconic, Emmy-winning role), an American Clouseau, was not stupid. Though all evidence to the contrary, he was, in his own mind, a suave and sophisticated spy, albeit one who would inadvertently lean against a freshly painted wall while shadowing an enemy agent. Get Smart hilariously deglamorized the business of espionage. Agents punch a time clock and dispute vacation time. Cool spy gadgets, such as the infamous Cone of Silence, are prone to malfunction. One running joke throughout the first season finds Agent 44 (Victor French) perched in a variety of unlikely and uncomfortable hiding places, among them a grandfather clock. Although the series would only get smarter and funnier in subsequent seasons (Bernie Kopell's KAOS mastermind Siegfried would be introduced in season two), the first season contains several essential episodes, including the Emmy-winning two-parter, "Ship of Spies," "Aboard the Orient Express," featuring a cameo by Johnny Carson as an unflappable conductor, "Diplomat's Daughter" with the arch --and decidedly non-PC-- villain, the Craw, and "Back to the Drawing Board," featuring Dick Gautier as Hymie the robot. From "Sorry about that" to "Would you believe," no show before Get Smart introduced so many catchphrases into the national language, while Smart and his partner, Agent 99 (the ravishing Barbara Feldon), were perhaps TV's first "will they or won't they" couple. Brooks and Henry contribute separate commentaries for the black and white pilot episode, while Feldon provides commentary for another, and purrs introductions to each episode (beware plot spoilers). With Get Smart, you will be witness to some of TV's funniest moments, sharpest writing, and expertly-executed physical comedy. And… loving it. --Donald Liebenson
Reviews for the Get Smart - Season 1 (The Original TV Series)
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A Good Year (Full-Screen Edition)
Actors: Freddie Highmore, Albert Finney, Russell Crowe, Rafe Spall, Archie Panjabi
ASIN : B000LXHK22
Sales Rank : 638
Director : Ridley Scott
Brand : CROWE/FINNEY
Studio : 20th Century Fox
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0024543407133
UPC : 024543407133
Release Date : December 27, 2007
Publisher : 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer : 20th Century Fox
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : 20th Century Fox
Running Time : 118
DescriptionMax Skinner (Russell Crowe) is a highly successful investment expert with no time for life outside work. When his estranged uncle dies, Max inherits the vineyard in France where he grew up as a child, and his first intention is to sell the vineyard as qui Amazon.comA feel-good movie that highlights the beauty of France as much as it does its stars, A Good Year provides a languid, gorgeous viewing experience. Director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe--who first worked together on the Academy Award-winning Gladiator--are reunited in this romantic film, which is based on Peter Mayle's book A Year in Provence. Crowe plays Max, a workaholic London bonds trader who doesn't know the meaning of vacation. When his uncle dies, leaving him a picturesque estate in the south of France, Max views it as an opportunity to cash in the vinery and pocket the profits. The film is reminiscent of Diane Lane's Under the Tuscan Sun in the way the scenery plays as much of a role in the film as its characters. The lush village and streaming sunlight portray Provence as an idyllic, magical place. Even Max falls under its spell. While not a particularly likeable character, especially in the early part of the film, Max also isn't a bad guy. When he gets the chance to live life at a less manic pace than which he is used to, he finds that a good year isn't dependant on a financial windfall. Though Scott tries to drum up some suspense in the film (Is the beautiful visitor really Max's illegitimate cousin? Will Max fall in love with the feisty local woman he trades quips with?) nothing that happens comes as much of a surprise. Still, while the film doesn't fully utilize Crowe's range of skills, the actor is charming in his role and A Good Year provides a fine time in the cinemas. --Jae-Ha Kim Extras from A Good Year  Russell Crowe and Co-Stars on Filming in Provence |  A Good Year Virtual Vinyard | Beyond A Good Year  A Year in Provence |  More from Director Ridley Scott | 
More from Russell Crowe | Stills from A Good Year
Reviews for the A Good Year (Full-Screen Edition)
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The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition)
Actors: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn
ASIN : B000TJBNHG
Sales Rank : 369
Director : Rob Reiner
Brand : Princess
Studio : MGM (Video & DVD)
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0027616092199
UPC : 027616092199
Release Date : December 13, 2007
Publisher : MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer : MGM (Video & DVD)
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : MGM (Video & DVD)
Running Time : 98
DescriptionFrom celebrated director Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally) and OscarÂ(r)-winning* screenwriter William Goldman (Chaplin) comes "an enchanting fantasy" (Time) filled with adventure, romance and plenty of "good-hearted fun" (Roger Ebert)! Featuring a spectacular cast thatincludes Robin Wright (Forrest Gump), Cary Elwes (Liar, Liar), Mandy Patinkin (Dick Tracy) and Billy Crystal (City Slickers), this wonderful fairy tale about a Princess named Buttercup and her beloved is "a real dream of a movie" (People)! *1969: OriginalScreenplay, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1976: Adapted Screenplay, All the President's Men Amazon.com essential videoScreenwriter William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride earned its own loyal audience on the strength of its narrative voice and its gently satirical, hyperbolic spin on swashbuckled adventure that seemed almost purely literary. For all its derring-do and vivid over-the-top characters, the book's joy was dictated as much by the deadpan tone of its narrator and a winking acknowledgement of the clichés being sent up. Miraculously, director Rob Reiner and Goldman himself managed to visualize this romantic fable while keeping that external voice largely intact: using a storytelling framework, avuncular Grandpa (Peter Falk) gradually seduces his skeptical grandson (Fred Savage) into the absurd, irresistible melodrama of the title story. And what a story: a lowly stable boy, Westley (Cary Elwes), pledges his love to the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright), only to be abducted and reportedly killed by pirates while Buttercup is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdinck. Even as Buttercup herself is kidnapped by a giant, a scheming criminal mastermind, and a master Spanish swordsman, a mysterious masked pirate (could it be Westley?) follows in pursuit. As they sail toward the Cliffs of Insanity... The wild and woolly arcs of the story, the sudden twists of fate, and, above all, the cartoon-scaled characters all work because of Goldman's very funny script, Reiner's confident direction, and a terrific cast. Elwes and Wright, both sporting their best English accents, juggle romantic fervor and physical slapstick effortlessly, while supporting roles boast Mandy Patinkin (the swordsman Inigo Montoya), Wallace Shawn (the incredulous schemer Vizzini), and Christopher Guest (evil Count Rugen) with brief but funny cameos from Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, and Peter Cook. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com Screenwriter William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride earned its own loyal audience on the strength of its narrative voice and its gently satirical, hyperbolic spin on swashbuckled adventure that seemed almost purely literary. For all its derring-do and vivid over-the-top characters, the book's joy was dictated as much by the deadpan tone of its narrator and a winking acknowledgement of the clichés being sent up. Miraculously, director Rob Reiner and Goldman himself managed to visualize this romantic fable while keeping that external voice largely intact: using a storytelling framework, avuncular Grandpa (Peter Falk) gradually seduces his skeptical grandson (Fred Savage) into the absurd, irresistible melodrama of the title story. And what a story: a lowly stable boy, Westley (Cary Elwes), pledges his love to the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright), only to be abducted and reportedly killed by pirates while Buttercup is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdinck. Even as Buttercup herself is kidnapped by a giant, a scheming criminal mastermind, and a master Spanish swordsman, a mysterious masked pirate (could it be Westley?) follows in pursuit. As they sail toward the Cliffs of Insanity... The wild and woolly arcs of the story, the sudden twists of fate, and, above all, the cartoon-scaled characters all work because of Goldman's very funny script, Reiner's confident direction, and a terrific cast. Elwes and Wright, both sporting their best English accents, juggle romantic fervor and physical slapstick effortlessly, while supporting roles boast Mandy Patinkin (the swordsman Inigo Montoya), Wallace Shawn (the incredulous schemer Vizzini), and Christopher Guest (evil Count Rugen) with brief but funny cameos from Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, and Peter Cook. --Sam Sutherland
Beyond The Princess Bride on DVD  Watch Once on DVD |  Check out an old favorite, Willow on DVD |  See the new classic Under the Same Moon on DVD | Stills from The Princess Bride (Click for larger image)
Reviews for the The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition)
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