Reviews (1184)

This Movie is Why "Professional" Critics Must Go
I didn't see this movie in the theaters because it had gotten very mixed reviews from the so-called professional movie reviewers. But, when it hit the local vidoe store, I thought I would give it a try. WOW, what a kick in the teeth, interesting, and fast moving journey into one man's mind. The path this movie takes is fantastic.

Norton and Pitt are perfectly cast, and supported by a crew of fight club members that make for a well-acted show. Meatloaf, Ed Gil, Jared Leto, et. al. are great in support as the members/followers of the leads. Helena Bonham Carter has the only real female role in this film and is perfectly cast. But as much as the acting, this movie is made by the story. Unconventional, with a great twist at the end, the whole movie kept me on the edge of my seat. As with many great movies, it is hard to classify the genre (action, comedy, drama), as there is a sampling of all in this film. In the end, I would just classify this as a great film.

Much was made of the violence of this movie when it first hit the theaters. Those critics overstated the case. There is blood and violence in the movie, but it is not excessive and it serves the plot well.

If you missed this in the theater, see it now. If you saw it once, see it again. I will.

Fight Club-another reason to own a DVD player.
If any DVD was produced on the same level as the Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition and the Toy Story 3-Disc box set, it is this DVD. Fight Club is not only a VERY well produced DVD, but the supplemental material will keep you busy for LITERALLY hours. You will finally have a reason to 'break in' that angle button on your remote. As a story, Fight Club takes a more cerebral approach to ones thought processes. Containing many cool effects, Fight Club may make the average movie viewer pop a few Excedrins while trying to figure out the point of the film. While many may finish the movie in total confusion, mostly everyone will agree that Fight Club is a unique movie experience. When I received the DVD package, I was instantly impressed with the graphic design of the outer package, the discs themselves and the booklet that is included. Initially, this DVD comes off as a "special edition" rather then a simple "movie release on DVD". Whoever created the graphics on the cover and throughout the booklet has a very active imagination. Disc one has the film, disc two has the supplemental material. ** Pause the third FBI WARNING at the beginning of the disc....it is quite funny** Disc one offers you your usual "chapters" choices with 'moving' scenes (like The Matrix), audio setup for Dolby surround for both a 2 speaker setups and 5.1 setups in English and Spanish. This is also a THX certified DVD, so it includes a THX setup screen. Disc one also gives you the choice of several audio commentaries to listen to throughout the film, including David Fincher, Bradd Pitt, Ed Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, the novelist and the screenwriter, the Director of Photography, Visual Effects Supervisor and a couple of others. In a nutshell, you have a choice to listen to A LOT of people, a great addition to this DVD. Picture quality of Fight Club was incredible. Overall, the picture is moody and dark with beautiful blacks and wonderful color detail. It is beautifully photographed with incredible shadow detail and crystal clear highlights. Sound quality was equally impressive. Being THX certified, you can expect nothing less then awesome. Edward Nortons voice-over sounds very live, as though he's sitting right in front of you. The sound has beautiful detail, with stereo separation being impressively realistic and the music and dialogue recorded incredibly well. Surround detail is amazing with some scenes having deep bass that will make the neighbors call the cops. Disc two will stay in your DVD player for a long time. The supplemental material includes crew and cast information. behind the scenes of the production, the visual effects and on-location footage with commentaires and multiple angles.......WOW! Disc two also contains seven deleted scenes as well as trailers, TV spots, music videos, an interview with Edward Norton and a bunch of storyboards, visual effects stills, paintings and many other additions to keep your fingers happy on that remote. The Producers of this DVD should be applauded....not only is the picture and sound quality top-notch, but the graphical elements and the supplemental materials included are fantastic and incredibly entertaining. I highly recommend this DVD for those who enjoyed this movie in the theatre, who are curious about the film, or those simply interested in seeing what a superb DVD release is all about. Enjoy!

Not bad, but...
OK, blend Matrix, Guy Richi, and Osama Bin Laden and you get a masterpiece? A funny comedy, not more. Fight Club is brilliant in the beginning with all that satire, but when it gets philosophical, I felt like I have seen this before.

Famous Fight Club quote.
"F*** Martha Stewart. Martha's polishing the brass on the Titanic; it's all going down, man."

-- She just 5 months in prison and 5 months of home confinement. Isn't it wierd how much of this film has been almost prophetic?

Outstanding commentaries
All the commentaries you could want, and they're all great. The actor's commentary is at least as entertaining as the film. ... Read more

Reviews (162)

Gordon Gekko gets his comeuppance--big time!!!
Less than a full year before A PERFECT MURDER (1998) was released, Michael Douglas starred in THE GAME (1997), which is not simply a Michael Douglas movie, it's a David Fincher film-and you know what that means! From a screenplay by John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris, THE GAME is classic Fincher: dark, mysterious and with a constant sense of brooding danger in which lets you know that somehow, somewhere, something is not quite kosher.

In THE GAME, Douglas is Nicholas Van Orton; a man of great wealth and power and totally devoid of any human compassion (as evidenced by the cold and callous way in which he fires a longtime employee). If this sounds like Gordon Gekko to you, it's because Michael Douglas, at this stage in his career, plays cold callousness like no one else. Call it typecasting; I call it brilliant acting ability and being smart enough to stick with what works. However, Gordon Gekko in the legendary Oliver Stone-directed WALL STREET (1987) didn't have a younger brother; Nicholas Van Orton does. On Nick's 48th birthday (the same age at which his father died, hint hint), his black-sheep-of-the-family brother Conrad, as brilliantly played by Sean Penn, visits him in his sprawling, cherry-wood office and hands his older sibling his birthday present: a business card with the name Consumer Recreation Services (CRS) on it. "What is this," Nicholas cynically asks. The sly answer given by Penn is one of my favorite lines in the film, and one that tells us that his elder bro's life will never be the same, once he begins to play THE GAME.

Along the way, Nicholas Van Orton encounters CRS and its primary spokesman (or so he thinks) Jim Feingold (played with disarming confidence by character actor James Rebhorn), a mouthy cocktail waitress (Deborah Kara Unger) who seems to hold the secret to THE GAME, and a spooky-looking full-size inanimate clown who appears to watch everything he does. Also along the way are near-brushes with death that culminate with Conrad Van Orton's tearful admission that he "didn't know what the $#@! he had gotten them into" when he had signed his brother up for THE GAME. But that's still just the beginning...

Everyone is superbly cast in this film, including BABY DOLL (1956) herself, Carroll Baker, and the always-watchable Armin Mueller-Stahl. But the real star here is David Fincher; he is so adept at guiding us down a labyrinthic path of which only he knows the end, that all we can do is hang on and enjoy the rollercoaster ride on which he breathlessly takes us. He primarily relies on small, subtle signs of foreboding to generate suspense, as opposed to full-blown violence and gore. Although this is one of those films that relies on first-time viewers' lack of knowledge of what to expect, and thusly loses something on repeated viewings, it is still a very good film to re-visit on occasion, if only to experience Fincher's unique style (this film and A PERFECT MURDER are miles apart in this respect, believe me), Douglas and Penn's acting and the production values, which are first-rate.

See and experience THE GAME for yourself.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

CULT MOVIES 57
57. THE GAME (thriller, 1997) On the day of his birthday millionaire businessman Nicholas (Michael Douglas) is visited by his brother Conrad (Sean Penn) with a gift. The gift involves Nicholas signing up for a mysterious company which offers a 'game', which in turn offers the participants a series of surprises that "provides whatever is lacking" in their lives. Though a rather pessimistic and somber individual Nicholas accepts in the hopes of escaping the memory of a solitary childhood and witnessing his father's suicide. When the surprises the 'game' issues become seriously deadly Nicholas wants out. But this particular game offers no escape.

Critique: Nerve-wracking, high wire act of a movie directed with guile precision by David Fincher ('Seven', 'Alien 3'). So far all of David Fincher's films have been good which is rare for someone who has been dubbed as a purely commercial director. The sort of tagline that is a deathnail for anyone seeking true legitimacy in Hollywood. Michael Douglas is good in the role of another heartless tycoon type character in the mold of Gordon Gekko from 'Wall Street'. Douglas gives the character just a slight insidious turn and taking him into Twilight Zone territory. It's also good seeing Sean Penn in a first rate mainstream movie for a change. Film is made in such a way that every detail has to be dissected in order to make a logical progression of events. Which otherwise would seem chaotic and purely coincidental. Towards the climax it all makes perfect sense and provides a most welcome escape ending. When the credits roll and you know it is truly over it is strangely satisfying and disappointing.

QUOTES: Conrad: "What do you get for the man who has everything?"

The initiation of a millionaire
Nicholas Van Orton (Douglas) thinks that he has everything - this is true only is we consider material possessions (a vast house, millions of dollars, an enviable reputation, etc.). What he is lacking is the access to the sacred and to his true Self. CRS is there to help, courtesy of his brother Conrad (Penn). But Van Orton will have to get rid of all that he previously stood for and accept to lose himself in the unknown. While some viewers have objected to the film's outrageous events and progression, this is precisely what draws me to it: its willingness to dispense with 'believable' developments makes Van Orton's quest all the more powerful. The movie could have been subtitled 'The initiation of a millionaire', because Van Orton undergoes numerous archetypal trials: he is stuck in a car underwater (in the belly of the monster); he is buried alive; his descensus ad infernos is such that he (literally) has to make a death-defying jump in a garbage dump; he has to find his way through mazes and use secret keys; most scenes take place in darkness. By the time he becomes a new man late in the movie, he has already died three or four times! Perceptive viewers will discover far more than a strandard thriller here, if they allow themselves to dig under the surface... a remarkable film.

Birthday that you'll never forget
Can you imagen a movie with no victims and yet it's one of the best thrillers ever made?! When I heard that director is David Fincher who is responsible for hits such as Seven or Fight Club and that Michael Douglas has leading role, that was more than enough for me to buy it. And I didn't regret it: This film is one wild ride through every aspect of your mind. Just in the moment you think - It's all clear now, next one will leave you with your mouths open. Every scene is one big surprice for you and for main character Nicholas, who is cold rich businessman, who cutted all bonds between him and his family and friends just for power and more money. But his brother's present for his birthday will change everything. One moment, he's on the top of the world, next one he is down in rags, fearing for his life; confused and with no confidence in anyone. That is the price when you are in The Game. Michael prooved that he worths dozen Oscars and Sean Penn is also very good. If you like fast, confusing and surpricing thrillers, this is a movie for you. Note: Ending is unforgetable!!!

Where's The Director's Cut????
This was a great movie with an excellent story to go with it. It's too bad the dvd shares the same fate of others with weak features and no behind the scenes or commentary. This is one dvd that deserves an overhaul like the one that panic room received. ... Read more

Reviews (1184)

This Movie is Why "Professional" Critics Must Go
I didn't see this movie in the theaters because it had gotten very mixed reviews from the so-called professional movie reviewers. But, when it hit the local vidoe store, I thought I would give it a try. WOW, what a kick in the teeth, interesting, and fast moving journey into one man's mind. The path this movie takes is fantastic.

Norton and Pitt are perfectly cast, and supported by a crew of fight club members that make for a well-acted show. Meatloaf, Ed Gil, Jared Leto, et. al. are great in support as the members/followers of the leads. Helena Bonham Carter has the only real female role in this film and is perfectly cast. But as much as the acting, this movie is made by the story. Unconventional, with a great twist at the end, the whole movie kept me on the edge of my seat. As with many great movies, it is hard to classify the genre (action, comedy, drama), as there is a sampling of all in this film. In the end, I would just classify this as a great film.

Much was made of the violence of this movie when it first hit the theaters. Those critics overstated the case. There is blood and violence in the movie, but it is not excessive and it serves the plot well.

If you missed this in the theater, see it now. If you saw it once, see it again. I will.

Fight Club-another reason to own a DVD player.
If any DVD was produced on the same level as the Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition and the Toy Story 3-Disc box set, it is this DVD. Fight Club is not only a VERY well produced DVD, but the supplemental material will keep you busy for LITERALLY hours. You will finally have a reason to 'break in' that angle button on your remote. As a story, Fight Club takes a more cerebral approach to ones thought processes. Containing many cool effects, Fight Club may make the average movie viewer pop a few Excedrins while trying to figure out the point of the film. While many may finish the movie in total confusion, mostly everyone will agree that Fight Club is a unique movie experience. When I received the DVD package, I was instantly impressed with the graphic design of the outer package, the discs themselves and the booklet that is included. Initially, this DVD comes off as a "special edition" rather then a simple "movie release on DVD". Whoever created the graphics on the cover and throughout the booklet has a very active imagination. Disc one has the film, disc two has the supplemental material. ** Pause the third FBI WARNING at the beginning of the disc....it is quite funny** Disc one offers you your usual "chapters" choices with 'moving' scenes (like The Matrix), audio setup for Dolby surround for both a 2 speaker setups and 5.1 setups in English and Spanish. This is also a THX certified DVD, so it includes a THX setup screen. Disc one also gives you the choice of several audio commentaries to listen to throughout the film, including David Fincher, Bradd Pitt, Ed Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, the novelist and the screenwriter, the Director of Photography, Visual Effects Supervisor and a couple of others. In a nutshell, you have a choice to listen to A LOT of people, a great addition to this DVD. Picture quality of Fight Club was incredible. Overall, the picture is moody and dark with beautiful blacks and wonderful color detail. It is beautifully photographed with incredible shadow detail and crystal clear highlights. Sound quality was equally impressive. Being THX certified, you can expect nothing less then awesome. Edward Nortons voice-over sounds very live, as though he's sitting right in front of you. The sound has beautiful detail, with stereo separation being impressively realistic and the music and dialogue recorded incredibly well. Surround detail is amazing with some scenes having deep bass that will make the neighbors call the cops. Disc two will stay in your DVD player for a long time. The supplemental material includes crew and cast information. behind the scenes of the production, the visual effects and on-location footage with commentaires and multiple angles.......WOW! Disc two also contains seven deleted scenes as well as trailers, TV spots, music videos, an interview with Edward Norton and a bunch of storyboards, visual effects stills, paintings and many other additions to keep your fingers happy on that remote. The Producers of this DVD should be applauded....not only is the picture and sound quality top-notch, but the graphical elements and the supplemental materials included are fantastic and incredibly entertaining. I highly recommend this DVD for those who enjoyed this movie in the theatre, who are curious about the film, or those simply interested in seeing what a superb DVD release is all about. Enjoy!

Not bad, but...
OK, blend Matrix, Guy Richi, and Osama Bin Laden and you get a masterpiece? A funny comedy, not more. Fight Club is brilliant in the beginning with all that satire, but when it gets philosophical, I felt like I have seen this before.

Famous Fight Club quote.
"F*** Martha Stewart. Martha's polishing the brass on the Titanic; it's all going down, man."

-- She just 5 months in prison and 5 months of home confinement. Isn't it wierd how much of this film has been almost prophetic?

Outstanding commentaries
All the commentaries you could want, and they're all great. The actor's commentary is at least as entertaining as the film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The least successful film in this series was directed by stylemaster (and content-underachiever) David Fincher. Ripley, the only survivor of her past mission, awakens on a prison planet in the far corners of the solar system. As she tries to recover, she realizes that not only has an alien gotten loose on the planet, the alien has implanted one of its own within her. As she battles the prison authorities (and is aided by the prisoners) in trying to kill the alien, she must also cope with a distinctly shortened lifespan that awaits her. But the striking imagery makes for muddled action and the script confuses it further. The ending looks startling but it takes a long time--and a not particularly satisfying journey--to get there. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (254)

It isn't as bad as everybody would have you believe. Really.
There isn't many people who like this film. Honestly, when I first saw it: I was like, "What the eff?!" But upon subsequent viewings, I became somewhat enamored with director David Fincher's style; he has since gone to notable films, SEVEN and THE GAME.

In a nutshell, ALIEN3 more or less negates everything Jim Cameron had established in ALIENS, and if you view this movie as a sequel you're gearing yourself up for disappointment. However, if you view this film as a science fiction piece with none-too-subtle religious undertones then you might be surprised to find yourself in for quite a ride.

The look of the film, the trademarked beautiful Aliens grunge, in pulled off quite well. The characters (mostly bald White guys with Brit accents) are a little hard to decipher to the passive viewer, but are quite earnest in their acting. Charles Dance and Charles S. Dutton provide some pretty cool roles (if a little heavy-handed in the latter case).

The religious undertones are there; and they may offend some ardent Bible-thumpers (I'm talking about the Christ-like death sequence)--but it's a nice change of pace for the ALIEN films. The first was horror. Second, war. Why not have the third be 'bout religion?

I think it works; but, hey, different squids for different kids (thanks, Steve, for that phrase). All in all: great cinematography, passable performances with a few gems, laughable story, 'bout two hours of late night or Sunday afternoon stoner entertainment.

Vastly underappreciated masterpiece.
After reading the enormous amount of negativity at this third entry in the Alien series, I feel highly compelled to step in here and defend this marvelous 1992 sequel to the 1986 predecessor "Aliens" entitled simply "Alien 3" and as I write this, I have to say that while this movie definitely has some troubling flaws, this is a very strong and amazing movie and one of my favorite science-fiction movies of all time.

Ellen Ripley, who is now in cryogenic suspension on board the spaceship that she got on to escape the colonized planet after saving Newt from the alien that hitched a ride on board. Unaware of it though, the alien that she defeated was in fact a queen and laid a small egg in a hidden compartment onboard the ship. The alien on board causes an acid spill which causes an electrical fire and the resulting fire causes the escape pod where the survivors of the previous movie to be separated from the mother ship. After crashing into the ocean on a desolate planet, Ripley finds herself once again the only survivor on a totally unknown world. After being revived in a high-security prison called Fury 161, Ripley finds herself being the only woman in a prison with a religious cult comprised of convicted criminals. Now being imprisoned on the planet, she learns her greatest nightmare of all and how much of a big sacrifice must be made in order to destroy the aliens once and for all. However, Ripley has no idea that the alien isn't her only enemy anymore.

While this is a great movie, this tends to suffer from some problems which likely has caused a lot of fans of the previous two to really shun this movie. While I can't blame them for killing off two important characters from the previous movie, my biggest problems are different. The greatest flaw with this movie is not it's storyline but it's excessive used of dropping F-Bombs right and left. Swearing doesn't bother me necessarily but the F-Bomb is WAY overused here and it really tends to detract from the films enjoyability. I also wasn't too thrilled at the whole prospect of the prisoners being nothing more than just 'live bait' for the alien to kill off one by one.

The "Collector's Edition" is fantastic in many ways. The deeply flawed theatrical release is much better in its remastered form but the "Special Edition" is light years ahead of it's old counterpart. With the film being extended to two hours and thirty-five minutes, with some old footage replaced with previously unreleased footage, along with extended and previously unreleased scenes, "The Special Edition" of "Alien 3" really helps to mend a lot of the problems that plagued the original version and the result is a movie that is almost as great as the first two movies. The only problem I had was the ending which where the ending of the climax scene looked a lot more fake than it did in the original version. Despite this minor quibble, the "Special Edition" of this movie is light years better than the original and the result is a flawed movie that really is lifted much higher in rankings to rank up there with the 1979 original. It'll never top "Aliens" for me but "Alien 3" really benefits from it's revamping. To all of the people who strongly detested this movie to begin with, I would strongly recommend that if you have the time, watch the "Special Edition" because it really helps to correct a lot of the mistakes of the original and it makes the characters a lot more three-dimensional. I have come to appreciate this movie a lot more since seeing it on it's newest form.

The second disc is a real treat. The extras on disc two are really good and along with the first disc, warrant purchasing "Alien 3". I at first found that this was a movie that was not easy to digest especially due to its troubling loss of two of the main characters from the previous movie "Aliens" from 1986. However I have since over time have come to really enjoy this movie and have felt more sorry for the crew after seeing a deep insight into how troubled the movies making really was. You can also see the mixed reactions towards the finished film from the crew members who were involved in it's production. Perhaps the most memorable thing I learned even if it's not from the DVD itself was how much agony David Fincher went through when directing this movie. He was pushed into this movie's directing late into it's production and the result was enormous tension between him and other producers which resulted in agonizing almost non-stop work in directing this movie. Perhaps it's why he hasn't embraced it since it's release but I have to credit him that his work on this is fantastic and the result was worth it to me.

To me while it isn't the best of the series by any means, "Alien 3" is a really excellent and satisfying conclusion to the storyline of Ellen Ripley and her war against the predatory alien creatures. Like someone else said about it, I strongly agree that "Alien Resurrection" felt more like some wacky spin-off that had almost nothing to do with the previous three movies and I agree. While I'm not saying that it was terrible, it wouldn't have been a bad idea of they had simply closed the series on the third one.

THE BEST OF THEM ALL!!!!
I absolutely adore this third Alien movie!! It's my favorite of the bunch and was a brilliant follow-up to the "Aliens" movie and brings the story to a glorious end which I wish was true but was completely ruined by the stupidity of "Alien Resurrection" which should never have been made or at least in the way it did. Ripley's character is heartbreaking and the action sequences are awesome. The ending is really depressing but really good!! Forget the negative reviews and get this DVD TODAY!! Peace out!!

Horrible
Horrible film... where it may turn on the Goths, it disgusts me. Here, we have two very awesome character - who, despite what some cynics say, people cared about; Newt, and Hicks...and look what they do with them. They could've expanded those characters into some real cool character, but NOOooo. Don't watch this movie, if you're a fan Aliens and Alien. It's a BIG let down.

Even David Fincher hates this movie...
It's funny to look at this movie now and see how almost everyone who worked on it, don't really like it at all. Fincher in written interviews, has said he wanted to do a different movie then this, but the film was really destroyed by both terrible script writing, very tight budget problems, and shooting an ending where you think it can work, but it doesn't. Once, I had a change to talk to the movie's composer, Elliot Goldenthall, and he puts as much distance between this movie and the other films he's scored, as much as possible. Even Sigourney has now admitted that the decison to kill her charecter did not work. There is talk about another Alien movie in the works. One which would close the series out, with the final destruction of these monsters as well as reveal where they come from. But this has yet to happen. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

The most viscerally frightening and disturbing homicidal maniac picture since The Silence of the Lambs, Seven is based on an idea that's both gruesome and ingenious. A serial killer forces each of his victims to die by acting out one of the seven deadly sins. The murder scene is then artfully arranged into a grotesque tableau, a graphic illustration of each mortal vice. From the jittery opening credits to the horrifying (and seemingly inescapable) concluding twist, director David Fincher immerses us in a murky urban twilight where everything seems to be rotting, rusting, or molding; the air is cold and heavy with dread. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are the detectives who skillfully track down the killer--all the while unaware that he has been closing in on them, as well. Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey are also featured, but it is director Fincher and the ominous, overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere of doom that he creates that are the real stars of the film.It's a terrific date movie--for vampires. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (453)

A worthy addition to DVD Format
I love DVD's! Not only is the format superior to VHS, but it allows me to enjoy movies on multiple levels. Now, in the spirit of the Criterion Collection, we have 'SE7EN - New Line Platinum Series Edition' added to the ever expanding library of DVD's to choose from. (If you have not heard of the Criterion Collection, please search for titles that include this designation - you will not be disapointed!) Seven is a great film with superb writing, acting, direction, the whole shebang and I am not going to bore you with those details. This review centers entirely on the Platinum DVD Release - and I can honestly say that it is VERY worth the money you spend on it. The commentary by David Fincher is awesome, and the commentaries by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt expand the understanding of their characters. Beyond this, the professionals who work behind the scenes have their two cents to share with you as well, and they are quite informative. Exlporing the Title Sequence is invigorating, as are the animated story boards. But the true value of this DVD is in the animated Notebook of John Doe's writings. Talk about a glimpse into the mouth of madness! It illustrates the mind of the killer, played marvelously by Kevin Spacey, and blows your mind. Talk about over the top DVD extras! This two disk set will keep you busy for quite a while, and I highly recommend it.

Brilliant...and Disturbing.
I wish more movies like Se7en were made, and not because I'm into only creepy, unsettling films. Se7en simply doesn't pull any punches. The excellent characters, script, music, and atmosphere all work together to create the perfect canvas to paint this brutal tale of a serial killer that tortures and kills specific people in accordance with the seven deadly sins. Everything in Se7en has been tweaked to perfection. The movie captures your attention so completely that you can't look away, even at some of the truly morbid scenes. And let's not forget the acting! Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey are all simply outstanding. Every word they utter seems real, unlike most Hollywood films where the characters are contrived and simply not believeable. The ending is shocking and depressing, more than equaling the rest of the film.

As if Se7en wasn't awesome enough, the DVD is simply loaded!! This is one of those rare cases when a movie DESERVES to be stocked full of extras! Obviously, this movie is not for the squeamish or weak of heart, but anyone who can handle this kind of a movie will discover one of the best films of the 90's.

Morgan Freeman Is A Genius....
Robin Williams...Russell Crowe...Marisa Tomei...Angelina Jolie...Cher...How come these "actors"(& I use the term lightly)have an Oscar & Freeman doesn't? Between SE7EN & NURSE BETTY, 2 of the best performances of all time, there is something seriously wrong.. Watch this powerful film with a lead performance to match to cure any doubts...........

The Best of it's Kind
A series of freak murders. A detective ready to retire and a new detective make this film one of the best in the drama genre. Will keep you on your feet till the very end. A very similar idea as other inteligent murder mystery thrillers like "Kiss the Girls" and "The Bone Collector" but this is the best of the lot.

Terrible movie
I'm obviously in a minority here. But IMO the movie just sucked. The thing that irritated me throughout the movie was the darkness and by that I mean the absense of light. The lighting is artificially dimmed for effect and it just doesn't work. Nobody works and lives in such poor light. The black and white film noirs work beautifully, but this movie seems stage-managed. Amongst contemporary movies, the lighting in "Dark City" was very natural and fit in well with the theme of the movie. This is a one gimmick movie and it got old within the first 5 minutes. I count this, along with "Absolute Power" and "Behind Enemy Lines" as amongst the worst 10 movies I have seen. ... Read more

Reviews (351)

The Best 2002 Thriller So Far
Many people asked when the first buzz about "Panic Room" came out, "how good can a movie be about two people stuck in a room?" well, those people didn't know the magic of director David Fincher and the true acting ability of Jodie Foster. "Panic Room" is so far the best thriller of 2002.

Meg (Foster), divorced from her husband, and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) Altman move into a spacious three floor on the West side of New York. The house is too good to be true - huge rooms, an elevator, and a room that is hidden, a panic room. A panic room has a huge steel door which is inpenetrable and is sensored, an entire security camera system to view, seperate phone line, and steel and concrete surrounding the entire area. This looks like a dream come true for the Altman's - until the first night.

Three robbers enter: the family man Burnham (Forest Whitaker), the "boss" and talker Junior (Jared Leto) and the stranger Raoul (Dwight Yoakam). They come looking for one thing: money. Money that the previous owner had kept away. Junior says that they're each going to get a million dollars. The one thing the trio does not expect is that there are actual people in the house. Here's where the suspense begins. Howard Shore's score kicks into full effect as Foster and Stewart run to the panic room.

This movie is too good to reveal what happens, but it all revolves around the money being in the panic room itself. With such plot twists as Sarah (Stewart) being diabetic and Meg (Foster) being claustraphobic, along with many others, this one kept me at the edge of my seat. David Fincher is one of the most under-rated directors of the period, and Jodie Foster completely pulls out the role as mother/fighter/schemer to a T, and does us all in. A must see and a definate buy on DVD!

BEST THRILLER IN YEARS!!!
There is more psychological suspense in this thriller than even Hannibal could contribute. Jodie Foster plays Meg Altman, a recently divorced woman searching for a home in a wealthier area of Manhattan. She and daughter Sarah decide on a beautiful multi-level apartment that seems to have a rather unusual lay-out. The seriously intellectual Meg quickly notices that there seems to be square footage missing from the home. One room seems smaller than it should.

How interesting...Meg is right. Behind a secret wall lies the infamous "Panic Room", designed it seems, to withstand (and I am partially joking here) an atomic bomb explosion. The Room is entirely self-sufficient, able to operate and sustain life independently from the outside world. Everything needed to survive is packaged neatly behind the heavy steel doors (think War Games). In fact, the presence of the panic room is so omnious and claustrophobic, it becomes an acting character itself.

How lucky then, are Sarah and mother Meg when a group of burglers, headed by Burnham, (Whitaker)...break into the home in search of a cache of money supposedly hidden in the panic room. And how unlucky are the two women when it comes to our realisation that Burnham used to be a designer and architect of "panic rooms" himself. He is confident that he can break into the room, using his knowledge of a panic room's inherent design.

The real game becomes a slow evolution from -Can they escape?- and -Will they get in?-, cat and mouse style, to who is most strategic. Burnham may seem to have the upper hand, but Meg is quick-witted and familiar with her own home. She plays her cards well and it is exciting to see her instinctual skills come to life.

As the trailers of "The Panic Room" now entice you with more and more scenes, take them seriously with their new motto: bring a friend with you to see "The Panic Room", because you will need to hold on to someone. Great advice. I saw this movie alone and "The Panic Room" nearly gave me a panic attack!

Five stars for edge-of-your-seat action, suspense, fantasic performances, and the last minute additon of Jodie Foster to play Meg. I really don't think Nicole Kidman has the muscle or strength to pull of the physical requirements of a movie like this (She had to bow out due to an injury). Bravo Jodie on surfacing to the limelight again to make another spectacular film! I believe this is her first film since "The King and I". She proves even a Hollywood Mommy can kick [behind] in a physically demanding role. I am already impatient waiting for her next move in the film world. This movie is fabulous and could be a great date flick...especially since you will feel it necessary to grab hold of someone during the intense scenes. Enjoy. I have no doubt you will.

Excelent Thriller
Drama at it's finest. You'll be close to a heart attack by the end of the movie. A very smart drama. It's very well written. A somewhat original idea for a movie.

A fail considering the talent of Fincher!
Did David Fincher need to demonstrate us he is a promise director and gifted of multiple skills and deep creativity and making us to waste our time and money in a boring film like this one?
May be there was something hidden that I didn't watch ; but I think that the trilogy Forrest Whitaker , Jodie Foster and David Fincher was a safe garantee.
Wrong choice!
The result is just a technically and superb work ; but without a credibble plot ; if the secret intention of Fibcher was to make a homagge to those horror films of the fifties ; then I beg your pardon .
But if not ...

Lame....
Man, this was dissapointing. My feelings can't be described using words. This is definitely one of the most dissapointing movies I've ever seen(and I've seen a lot of crap). Jodie Foster shouldn't waste her talent on such a movie like "Panic Room". ... Read more

Reviews (127)

America's greatest band at their best
All I can say is - WOW! My favorite band of all time never disappoint. This delightful little collection contains all their classics - songs you can listen to again and again.

Aerosmith aren't just the greatest band in America - they are the greatest band in the WORLD - still going strong today despite that some of today's acts in music aim for the youth culture. Aerosmith have the potential to rock our worlds for as long as they can handle. I would recommend this VHS to anyone who even just remotely likes them. You can see the videos of "Eat The Rich", "Livin' On The Edge", "Ragdoll", "Dude (Looks Like A Lady", "Angel" "The Other Side" "Janie's Got A Gun" and the MTV classics "Cryin'", "Amazing" and "Crazy" which feature the absolutely stunning Alicia Silverstone who oozes with sex appeal in all three of these videos.

Between each video you get the chance to witness behind the scenes, interviewing the Bad boys from Boston about going on tour, the making of the videos etc. A delightful package which charts the success of this legendary band.

Keep a look out for Edward Furlong (of Terminator 2 fame) who stars in the video to the timeless classic "Livin' On The Edge".

Anyone who likes rock's greatest band should purchase this. A true gem. I can only hope their record company decide to release a live DVD soon of one of Aerosmith's gigs because that is the only thing I can imagine that would be better than this fantastic video!! GO ON AEROSMITH - KEEP ROCKING MY WORLD!!

Doesn't miss a single. Truly the biggest!
"Big Ones" is surprisingly comprehensive for a set of hits from a group that couldn't stop cranking them out in that time period.

Aerosmith is the best American rock band, period. It wasn't until the mid eighties that the really caught up with the rest of the world. The hits started cranking out on their "Permanent Vacation" album with cool rock like "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)", a very cleaver smack at make up laced heavy metals stars. I also can't forget the sensitive, sweet sounds of "Angel" (talk about your AC Top 40 stuff) and the unforgettable "Rag Doll" (Joe and Brad at his best guitar work not to mention a great drum part on behalf of Joey and thumping bass by Tom). The "Pump" tracks also rock hard. You got everything from the catchy horns of "The Other Side" to the painfully great love county type song "What It Takes". The ultimate "Pump" songs are Aerosmith's generally best ever from the mesmerizing story of "Janie's Got A Gun" to the party fest of "Love In An Elevator". Then comes the mixed bag of everything that is "Get A Grip". Everything from the breakup standards like "Cryin'" to the driving "Eat The Rich". Don't forget the new tracks "Walk On Water (sounds like old experimental Aero) and the hard rock wisdom of "Blind Man". The extra "Deuces Are Wild" is a big could have been hit from the group off of "The Beavis And Butthead Experience".

The band really has it together here. Great party music with that's fun and with nice writing. It's not as big as some of their old Columbia stuff and not as gritty either. It's just the band playing their best and Steven singing his heart out. I think I like the "Pump" tracks the most and the "Grip" tracks are the least awesome (still really good though, just not as exciting to me). If you love hard rock, this set is really for you. The album is full of the best of the decade and is a lot better-played then hair band stuff.

The best introduction to the "new" Aerosmith
I'm gonna stay out of the "old vs new Aerosmith" debates that many seem to have. Although I prefer the new version covered here (since it was their first stuff I heard), I like their older material too.

That out of the way, this was (in 1994, at least) the best way to get all their "new" era hits in one place. Even though the guys now probably have more hits collections than some bands have albums, this is the best place IMHO for a new fan of their 1987-1994 to start.

Starting with 87's PERMANENT VACATION, we have the hilarious, pop/metal classic tale of "Dude Looks Like A Lady"; the sweet but still rocking 80's power ballad "Angel"; and the somewhat old style bluesy hard rocker "Rag Doll."

1989's PUMP gets four songs. The funny office fantasy arena metal "Love in an Elevator"; the serious and edgy yet melodic "Janie's Got a Gun"; and the more stripped down power ballad "What it Takes"; and the somewhat Rolling Stones sounding rocker "The Other Side."

1993's GET A GRIP gets the biggest representation with five (!) songs. The cannibalism in-jokes of the underrated minor hard rock hit "Eat the Rich"; the mid tempo and more serious classic rocker "Living on the Edge"; and the three soundalike longer rock ballads "Cryin," "Amazing," and the emotional huge hit "Crazy" (with the Alicia Silverstone video).

There's also three songs that were recorded new for this collection. The hard rock swagger of the slightly 70's yet modern "Walk on Water," the more serious, also older sounding "Blind Man" and the poppy semi ballad "Deuces Are Wild."

There's several smaller hits and popular album tracks missing. PV's title track and "Hangman Jury"; PUMP's hard rockers "Young Lust" and "Monkey on My Back"; GRIP's "Line Up," as well as the Run DMC version of "Walk This Way." I'd recommend anyone a step up from a casual Aero' fan of this era to pick up all three of these albums represented here, but, as I said, this is a good starting place to see which songs you prefer.

All those albums have a slightly different sound. PV was the pop/hair metal sounding one - like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard meet classic rock. PUMP was the gritty hard rock one with some 80's thrown in. GRIP was the part retro, part modern mellower classic rock one.

Aerosmith mach 3 : The Invincible Years
by the time the mid-1980's rolled around, many felt that Aerosmith were a once-great relic of the mid 1970's. They released four great albums between 1973-1976, but started with Draw The Line, it started turning on them. By the mid-1980's, Aerosmith had been long past their peak and they hadn't had a hit single in years. This all changed when they met Run DMC.

Being smart and knowing when to strike when the iron is hot, Aerosmith came back with Permanent Vacation in 1987 on Geffen (their first Geffen album, Done With Mirrors, was extremely underrated, check it out). Dude (Looks Like A Lady) was the first single and went to #14, becoming their biggest hit in a decade. However, this comeback single was not a fluke, it became the first of 11 straight singles (every single one collected on here) to make the top 30 (Eat The Rich and Deuces Are Wild were both smash hits on rock radio, and Blind Man and Walk On Water were the new tracks, Blind Man peaked in the 40's and Walk On Water barely got noticed when released in early 1995). Aerosmith were not only hot during 1987-1994, but they were actually hotter than they were in the 1970's!

Only 2 tracks (Rag Doll and Walk On Water) of the 15 recreate the gritty bluesy classic rock sound that Aerosmith perfected in the 1970's, so many fans of classic 70's Aerosmith aren't so fond of this "poppier" sound. However, for many of us who grew up in the 80's and early 90's, this is the Aerosmith we knew first.

I hope one day that there will be a comprehensive 1973-1982 collection (instead of a ten track) of the Columbia years, but when it comes to the Geffen years of Aerosmith, this is as good as it gets. The 2-disc "Young Lust" collection includes way too much from just 4 albums that it'd be cheaper to just go and buy the 4 albums seperately. BIG ONES is a Greatest Hits collection that delivers, every track on the album was a hit in some form or another, and there's nothing from 87-93 that's missing.

Music lives up to the title
How can you not love a band that comes up with the perfect title for their second greatest hits package? It could also be called "Back from the morgue" because this collection reflects the second coming of Aerosmith quite well. There's not a dead spot on the cd. Every song rolls into the next with ease. The guitar performances, Tyler's vocals and superb drumming make this band one of the very best ever and hearing these tunes back to back confirms it. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Description

Digital VHS (D-VHS) is the first high-definition home video format. These tapes deliver more than double the lines of resolution and 10 times the capacity of DVDs. When played in a D-VHS player attached to an HDTV set, these movies will sound and look better than ever. D-VHS tapes can be played only on D-VHS players. ... Read more

Reviews (1184)

This Movie is Why "Professional" Critics Must Go
I didn't see this movie in the theaters because it had gotten very mixed reviews from the so-called professional movie reviewers. But, when it hit the local vidoe store, I thought I would give it a try. WOW, what a kick in the teeth, interesting, and fast moving journey into one man's mind. The path this movie takes is fantastic.

Norton and Pitt are perfectly cast, and supported by a crew of fight club members that make for a well-acted show. Meatloaf, Ed Gil, Jared Leto, et. al. are great in support as the members/followers of the leads. Helena Bonham Carter has the only real female role in this film and is perfectly cast. But as much as the acting, this movie is made by the story. Unconventional, with a great twist at the end, the whole movie kept me on the edge of my seat. As with many great movies, it is hard to classify the genre (action, comedy, drama), as there is a sampling of all in this film. In the end, I would just classify this as a great film.

Much was made of the violence of this movie when it first hit the theaters. Those critics overstated the case. There is blood and violence in the movie, but it is not excessive and it serves the plot well.

If you missed this in the theater, see it now. If you saw it once, see it again. I will.

Fight Club-another reason to own a DVD player.
If any DVD was produced on the same level as the Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition and the Toy Story 3-Disc box set, it is this DVD. Fight Club is not only a VERY well produced DVD, but the supplemental material will keep you busy for LITERALLY hours. You will finally have a reason to 'break in' that angle button on your remote. As a story, Fight Club takes a more cerebral approach to ones thought processes. Containing many cool effects, Fight Club may make the average movie viewer pop a few Excedrins while trying to figure out the point of the film. While many may finish the movie in total confusion, mostly everyone will agree that Fight Club is a unique movie experience. When I received the DVD package, I was instantly impressed with the graphic design of the outer package, the discs themselves and the booklet that is included. Initially, this DVD comes off as a "special edition" rather then a simple "movie release on DVD". Whoever created the graphics on the cover and throughout the booklet has a very active imagination. Disc one has the film, disc two has the supplemental material. ** Pause the third FBI WARNING at the beginning of the disc....it is quite funny** Disc one offers you your usual "chapters" choices with 'moving' scenes (like The Matrix), audio setup for Dolby surround for both a 2 speaker setups and 5.1 setups in English and Spanish. This is also a THX certified DVD, so it includes a THX setup screen. Disc one also gives you the choice of several audio commentaries to listen to throughout the film, including David Fincher, Bradd Pitt, Ed Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, the novelist and the screenwriter, the Director of Photography, Visual Effects Supervisor and a couple of others. In a nutshell, you have a choice to listen to A LOT of people, a great addition to this DVD. Picture quality of Fight Club was incredible. Overall, the picture is moody and dark with beautiful blacks and wonderful color detail. It is beautifully photographed with incredible shadow detail and crystal clear highlights. Sound quality was equally impressive. Being THX certified, you can expect nothing less then awesome. Edward Nortons voice-over sounds very live, as though he's sitting right in front of you. The sound has beautiful detail, with stereo separation being impressively realistic and the music and dialogue recorded incredibly well. Surround detail is amazing with some scenes having deep bass that will make the neighbors call the cops. Disc two will stay in your DVD player for a long time. The supplemental material includes crew and cast information. behind the scenes of the production, the visual effects and on-location footage with commentaires and multiple angles.......WOW! Disc two also contains seven deleted scenes as well as trailers, TV spots, music videos, an interview with Edward Norton and a bunch of storyboards, visual effects stills, paintings and many other additions to keep your fingers happy on that remote. The Producers of this DVD should be applauded....not only is the picture and sound quality top-notch, but the graphical elements and the supplemental materials included are fantastic and incredibly entertaining. I highly recommend this DVD for those who enjoyed this movie in the theatre, who are curious about the film, or those simply interested in seeing what a superb DVD release is all about. Enjoy!

Not bad, but...
OK, blend Matrix, Guy Richi, and Osama Bin Laden and you get a masterpiece? A funny comedy, not more. Fight Club is brilliant in the beginning with all that satire, but when it gets philosophical, I felt like I have seen this before.

Famous Fight Club quote.
"F*** Martha Stewart. Martha's polishing the brass on the Titanic; it's all going down, man."

-- She just 5 months in prison and 5 months of home confinement. Isn't it wierd how much of this film has been almost prophetic?

Outstanding commentaries
All the commentaries you could want, and they're all great. The actor's commentary is at least as entertaining as the film. ... Read more

Reviews (254)

It isn't as bad as everybody would have you believe. Really.
There isn't many people who like this film. Honestly, when I first saw it: I was like, "What the eff?!" But upon subsequent viewings, I became somewhat enamored with director David Fincher's style; he has since gone to notable films, SEVEN and THE GAME.

In a nutshell, ALIEN3 more or less negates everything Jim Cameron had established in ALIENS, and if you view this movie as a sequel you're gearing yourself up for disappointment. However, if you view this film as a science fiction piece with none-too-subtle religious undertones then you might be surprised to find yourself in for quite a ride.

The look of the film, the trademarked beautiful Aliens grunge, in pulled off quite well. The characters (mostly bald White guys with Brit accents) are a little hard to decipher to the passive viewer, but are quite earnest in their acting. Charles Dance and Charles S. Dutton provide some pretty cool roles (if a little heavy-handed in the latter case).

The religious undertones are there; and they may offend some ardent Bible-thumpers (I'm talking about the Christ-like death sequence)--but it's a nice change of pace for the ALIEN films. The first was horror. Second, war. Why not have the third be 'bout religion?

I think it works; but, hey, different squids for different kids (thanks, Steve, for that phrase). All in all: great cinematography, passable performances with a few gems, laughable story, 'bout two hours of late night or Sunday afternoon stoner entertainment.

Vastly underappreciated masterpiece.
After reading the enormous amount of negativity at this third entry in the Alien series, I feel highly compelled to step in here and defend this marvelous 1992 sequel to the 1986 predecessor "Aliens" entitled simply "Alien 3" and as I write this, I have to say that while this movie definitely has some troubling flaws, this is a very strong and amazing movie and one of my favorite science-fiction movies of all time.

Ellen Ripley, who is now in cryogenic suspension on board the spaceship that she got on to escape the colonized planet after saving Newt from the alien that hitched a ride on board. Unaware of it though, the alien that she defeated was in fact a queen and laid a small egg in a hidden compartment onboard the ship. The alien on board causes an acid spill which causes an electrical fire and the resulting fire causes the escape pod where the survivors of the previous movie to be separated from the mother ship. After crashing into the ocean on a desolate planet, Ripley finds herself once again the only survivor on a totally unknown world. After being revived in a high-security prison called Fury 161, Ripley finds herself being the only woman in a prison with a religious cult comprised of convicted criminals. Now being imprisoned on the planet, she learns her greatest nightmare of all and how much of a big sacrifice must be made in order to destroy the aliens once and for all. However, Ripley has no idea that the alien isn't her only enemy anymore.

While this is a great movie, this tends to suffer from some problems which likely has caused a lot of fans of the previous two to really shun this movie. While I can't blame them for killing off two important characters from the previous movie, my biggest problems are different. The greatest flaw with this movie is not it's storyline but it's excessive used of dropping F-Bombs right and left. Swearing doesn't bother me necessarily but the F-Bomb is WAY overused here and it really tends to detract from the films enjoyability. I also wasn't too thrilled at the whole prospect of the prisoners being nothing more than just 'live bait' for the alien to kill off one by one.

The "Collector's Edition" is fantastic in many ways. The deeply flawed theatrical release is much better in its remastered form but the "Special Edition" is light years ahead of it's old counterpart. With the film being extended to two hours and thirty-five minutes, with some old footage replaced with previously unreleased footage, along with extended and previously unreleased scenes, "The Special Edition" of "Alien 3" really helps to mend a lot of the problems that plagued the original version and the result is a movie that is almost as great as the first two movies. The only problem I had was the ending which where the ending of the climax scene looked a lot more fake than it did in the original version. Despite this minor quibble, the "Special Edition" of this movie is light years better than the original and the result is a flawed movie that really is lifted much higher in rankings to rank up there with the 1979 original. It'll never top "Aliens" for me but "Alien 3" really benefits from it's revamping. To all of the people who strongly detested this movie to begin with, I would strongly recommend that if you have the time, watch the "Special Edition" because it really helps to correct a lot of the mistakes of the original and it makes the characters a lot more three-dimensional. I have come to appreciate this movie a lot more since seeing it on it's newest form.

The second disc is a real treat. The extras on disc two are really good and along with the first disc, warrant purchasing "Alien 3". I at first found that this was a movie that was not easy to digest especially due to its troubling loss of two of the main characters from the previous movie "Aliens" from 1986. However I have since over time have come to really enjoy this movie and have felt more sorry for the crew after seeing a deep insight into how troubled the movies making really was. You can also see the mixed reactions towards the finished film from the crew members who were involved in it's production. Perhaps the most memorable thing I learned even if it's not from the DVD itself was how much agony David Fincher went through when directing this movie. He was pushed into this movie's directing late into it's production and the result was enormous tension between him and other producers which resulted in agonizing almost non-stop work in directing this movie. Perhaps it's why he hasn't embraced it since it's release but I have to credit him that his work on this is fantastic and the result was worth it to me.

To me while it isn't the best of the series by any means, "Alien 3" is a really excellent and satisfying conclusion to the storyline of Ellen Ripley and her war against the predatory alien creatures. Like someone else said about it, I strongly agree that "Alien Resurrection" felt more like some wacky spin-off that had almost nothing to do with the previous three movies and I agree. While I'm not saying that it was terrible, it wouldn't have been a bad idea of they had simply closed the series on the third one.

THE BEST OF THEM ALL!!!!
I absolutely adore this third Alien movie!! It's my favorite of the bunch and was a brilliant follow-up to the "Aliens" movie and brings the story to a glorious end which I wish was true but was completely ruined by the stupidity of "Alien Resurrection" which should never have been made or at least in the way it did. Ripley's character is heartbreaking and the action sequences are awesome. The ending is really depressing but really good!! Forget the negative reviews and get this DVD TODAY!! Peace out!!

Horrible
Horrible film... where it may turn on the Goths, it disgusts me. Here, we have two very awesome character - who, despite what some cynics say, people cared about; Newt, and Hicks...and look what they do with them. They could've expanded those characters into some real cool character, but NOOooo. Don't watch this movie, if you're a fan Aliens and Alien. It's a BIG let down.

Even David Fincher hates this movie...
It's funny to look at this movie now and see how almost everyone who worked on it, don't really like it at all. Fincher in written interviews, has said he wanted to do a different movie then this, but the film was really destroyed by both terrible script writing, very tight budget problems, and shooting an ending where you think it can work, but it doesn't. Once, I had a change to talk to the movie's composer, Elliot Goldenthall, and he puts as much distance between this movie and the other films he's scored, as much as possible. Even Sigourney has now admitted that the decison to kill her charecter did not work. There is talk about another Alien movie in the works. One which would close the series out, with the final destruction of these monsters as well as reveal where they come from. But this has yet to happen. ... Read more

Description

Madonna's second anthology of music video clips documents the MTVdiva's ongoing evolution in 14 music videos beginning with 1993's "Bad Girl" and culminating in her 1999 clip for "Beautiful Stranger" from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," featuring a cameo from Powers (Mike Myers) himself.

Individual songs include:

1. Bad Girl
2. Fever
3. Rain
4. Secret
5. Take a Bow
6. Bedtime Story
7. Human Nature
8. Love Don't Live Here Anymore
9. Frozen
10.Ray of Light
11.Drowned World/Substitute for Love
12.The Power of Goodbye
13.Nothing Really Matters
14.Beautiful Stranger ... Read more

Reviews (137)

An incomplete "Collection"
This second video collection from Madonna only confirms that Ms. Ciccone is indeed the Queen of Pop and of the Music Video. The videos featured here are absolutely spectacular. From the motion picture quality of Bad Girl, to the gorgeous cinematography of Rain, to the out of this world bizarreness of Bedtime Story, to the hyper energy of Ray of Light, this is indeed a special collection. Unfortunately, it is also an incomplete collection. Among the glaring omissions are EROTICA, DEEPER AND DEEPER (both left off presumably due to their sexual content and innuendo), THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND, I'LL REMEMBER, YOU MUST LOVE ME, DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA (all left off presumably because they featured scenes from movies they did not have the rights to), and YOU'LL SEE (who knows why this wasn't included). I had the same complaint about the Immaculate Collection with its missing videos. What makes it even more aggravating is the fact that a video like LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, which was a complete bomb as a single and is one of the most boring videos ever produced, did make the cut. Yes, it is a beautifully SHOT video, and the director is very "in" right now, but it still doesn't deserve a place over some of her bigger hits. For these reasons this collection earns 4 stars. Maybe someday we'll get to see a COMPLETE Madonna video collection.

Madonna - Queen of Videos
Yes, I miss the sorely deleted videos in this collection: "Erotica" (which I think is one of her best, especially the last few syllables in the song when she exerts "Eroti---CA" while coyly tweetering the whip), "You'll See", "Deeper and Deeper" (that opening with her in the Mercedes is classic and very LA) and even "I'll Remember" (yeah, it was a movie tie-in, but what do you think "Beautiful Stranger" is?). But one needs to remember the likewise forgotten cuts from "Immaculate Collection": "Gambler" "Into the Groove" "Justify My Love" Oh well. Regardless, this collection is a testament to Madonna's prowess and uncanny aptitude in making some of our generation's most unforgettable music videos. Her best video here are (in order): Rain, Bad Girl, Frozen, and Drowned World/Substitute for Love. Forget what Warner blasphemed here but celebrate the artist behind these videos!

A quick question and I'll be happy if anyone can answer this
What song/video is it where Madonna is dressed like a Geisha?

Good DVD
Just bought the video recently and this collection is pretty much OK. My favorite video is "Bedtime Story" because of the fact that it is loaded with awesome special effects. Bedtime story is no doubt one of her best videos. The graphics of "Ray of Light" can use a little enhancing. It's a shame that "Deeper and Deeper", and "I'll remember".

The Immaculate Video Collection Continued!
This is a wonderful DVD! I am so glad my favorite Madonna video of all-time, "Bad Girl", was on the DVD! But there were some videos missing on here, like "Deeper And Deeper", "I'll Remember", "You'll See", and "This Used To Be My Playground". But this is still a wonderful collection!

Bad Girl- I love this video! It is so beautiful! 5/5
Fever- Nice video, but not one of her best 2/5
Rain- Another beautiful video! 5/5
Secret- It's okay. 4/5
Take A Bow- My 2nd favorite video of all-time! 5/5
Bedtime Story- Yuck. 1/5
Human Nature- Cool video! 5/5
Love Don't Live Here Anymore- This is another beautiful video of Madonna's! 5/5
Frozen- I always loved this song/video! 5/5
Ray Of Light- Very cool video... This is some of her best work. 5/5
Drowned World/Substitute For Love- I never really liked the sng at first, but one day I decided to watch the video and it was very good. I also like the song now!
The Power Of Goodbye- Beautiful video! 5/5
Nothing Really Matters- I am not really crazy about this video, but it's okay. 3/5
Beautiful Stranger- Very funny video, especially the beginning! 5/5 ... Read more

Reviews (44)

An Excellent DVD !!
This is a must buy for all Madonna fans. The DVD is in standard format and contains 13 tracks. The sound quality is outstanding. The video tracks included are: Lucky Star, Borderline, Like A Virgin, Material Girl, Papa Dont Preach, Open Your Heart, La Isla Bonita, Like A Prayer, Express Yourself, Cherish, Oh Father, Vougue & a live performance of Vouge.

The DVD contains a video selection feature so you can jump right to your favorite video. Unfortunately, several videos were missing off of this collection. They were: Burning Up, Everybody, Dress You Up, Crazy For You, The Gambler, Into The Groove, Live To Tell, True Blue, Who's That Girl and Causing A Commotion.

I guess we will have to wait until Madonna releases a full video archive to obtain the complete collection.

The Ultimate Video Artist
Arguably the most influential video artist of the MTV generation, and the one to benefit most from MTV, was Madonna.
This collection is a companion piece of sorts to her CD of the same name, with a few differences here and there. Conspicuously absent are 'Live To Tell', 'True Blue', and 'Into The Groove'.
Early videos like 'Lucky Star' and 'Material Girl' come off a little dated, though still alot of fun to watch. Though all of the vidoes have a distinctive feel, the clutch of videos she produced for the LIKE A PRAYER album remain a benchmark in her videography, particularly the visually stunning 'Express Yourself' and the highly undervalued 'Oh Father'(which remains a creative high-point to this day). The sterling videoclip for 'Vogue' rounds out the set videowise, followed by an unnecessarily tacked-on (and lip-synched) performance of 'Vogue' from one of the MTV Awards shows. Consider this a primer for whats to come--though her biggest radio hits were in the '80s, her best videos came in the '90s, as displayed in her second video compilation 93:99.

The Ultimate Video Collection!
Lucky Star- Nice video, I like Madonna's outfit. 4/5
Borderline- I love this video! 5/5
Like A Virgin- My favorite video on here! 5/5
Material Girl- Wonderful video! 5/5
Papa Don't Preach- This one is very nice. 5/5
Open Your Heart- I never saw this one, yet, but I have seen a little of it. For now, I will give it a 5. 5/5
La Isla Bonita- Amazing video! 5/5
Like A Prayer- It's okay. 3/5
Express Yourself- Very creative video! 5/5
Cherish- I love this video, and I think the song has a good message. 5/5
Oh Father- Beautiful video. 5/5
Vogue- This video is so cool! 5/5
Vogue (From the 1990 MTV Awards Show)- It's okay. 3/5

An Flawless DVD With No Classic Videos Left Out
Madonna and music videos go together like love and marriage. Madonna was ahead of the game right when MTV started, always coming up with the freshest music videos. This collection of of her best vdeos is truly supreme. Let's go through a quick run - through of the videos.

"Lucky Star" is a cute video. Madonna likes lovely and the dancing is superb. It was her first classic video. I love the black and white intro when Madonna pulls down the sunglasses.

"Borderline" is a very cute video. Madonna plays a fashion model. I love the transistion between black and white and color. And once again, Madonna looks gorgeous. Also, in this video, Madonna vaguely resembles D.J. from "Full House".

"Like A Virgin" was without a doubt the video tha cemented her. I love the scenes in Venice when she's dancing in the gondolla. Never cared for that lion man at the end, though.

"Material Girl" was the one that started the comparisons to Marilyn Monroe, maybe because Madonna wore the same dress that Monroe wore in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in 1953. It is an excellent video, and the one whose set she met future husband and recent Oscar winner Sean Penn on.

"Papa Don't Preach" I didn't like that much. I don't know if it's because of the way Madonna wore her hair in the video or I'm just not a big Danny Aiello fan, but there's something about this video that I don't like. Great song, though.

"Open Your Heart" gets right back on track. The idea of Madonna as a stripper wooing a young boy into a peep show was perfect. And Madonna's hair is beautiful.

"La Isla Bonita" is my least favorite video. I just don't like the way she looks in the video. I never thought she looked all that good as a brunette, and here is no exception (the "Like A Prayer" video is, but I'll get to that later). Killer dress though, and a good song.

"Like A Prayer" caused a ton of controversy when it was released. And why wouldn't it, what with its burning crosses, interracial love affair nd its depiction of Jesus being black? But when you look past all this, it's really a great video. And Madonna looks so beautiful. And about her being a brunette, she looks good with it in this video. In fact, I think the blackhair was required for the video.

"Express Yourself" is a very sensuous video, especially the scene with Madonna naked and chained to the bed. The ending where Madonna grabs her crotch is really pretty funny.

"Cherish" is a very charming video. Shot in black and white (at least I think it is), Madonna stands on the beach, getting soaked by water and yet singing about the sweet love she owns. A nice change of pace from the racier videos on the dvd.

"Oh Father" I really don't remember, so I'll skip it. I remember it was pretty boring, though. And I hated the song.

"Vogue" is such a great video. It's too beautiful to describe in words. All I can say is that Madonna looks gorgeous.

The live performance of "Vogue" is really good. I reccommend this dvd to all Madonna fans who don't already own it.

Complete Madonna
This is the Madonna DVD to own. If you don't own this, and The Immaculate Collection CD - you are truly missing out. The 'live' version of 'Vogue' at the end of the DVD is the icing on the cake. Highlight Videos: Express Yourself, Vogue, Like a Prayer. ... Read more

Reviews (162)

Gordon Gekko gets his comeuppance--big time!!!
Less than a full year before A PERFECT MURDER (1998) was released, Michael Douglas starred in THE GAME (1997), which is not simply a Michael Douglas movie, it's a David Fincher film-and you know what that means! From a screenplay by John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris, THE GAME is classic Fincher: dark, mysterious and with a constant sense of brooding danger in which lets you know that somehow, somewhere, something is not quite kosher.

In THE GAME, Douglas is Nicholas Van Orton; a man of great wealth and power and totally devoid of any human compassion (as evidenced by the cold and callous way in which he fires a longtime employee). If this sounds like Gordon Gekko to you, it's because Michael Douglas, at this stage in his career, plays cold callousness like no one else. Call it typecasting; I call it brilliant acting ability and being smart enough to stick with what works. However, Gordon Gekko in the legendary Oliver Stone-directed WALL STREET (1987) didn't have a younger brother; Nicholas Van Orton does. On Nick's 48th birthday (the same age at which his father died, hint hint), his black-sheep-of-the-family brother Conrad, as brilliantly played by Sean Penn, visits him in his sprawling, cherry-wood office and hands his older sibling his birthday present: a business card with the name Consumer Recreation Services (CRS) on it. "What is this," Nicholas cynically asks. The sly answer given by Penn is one of my favorite lines in the film, and one that tells us that his elder bro's life will never be the same, once he begins to play THE GAME.

Along the way, Nicholas Van Orton encounters CRS and its primary spokesman (or so he thinks) Jim Feingold (played with disarming confidence by character actor James Rebhorn), a mouthy cocktail waitress (Deborah Kara Unger) who seems to hold the secret to THE GAME, and a spooky-looking full-size inanimate clown who appears to watch everything he does. Also along the way are near-brushes with death that culminate with Conrad Van Orton's tearful admission that he "didn't know what the $#@! he had gotten them into" when he had signed his brother up for THE GAME. But that's still just the beginning...

Everyone is superbly cast in this film, including BABY DOLL (1956) herself, Carroll Baker, and the always-watchable Armin Mueller-Stahl. But the real star here is David Fincher; he is so adept at guiding us down a labyrinthic path of which only he knows the end, that all we can do is hang on and enjoy the rollercoaster ride on which he breathlessly takes us. He primarily relies on small, subtle signs of foreboding to generate suspense, as opposed to full-blown violence and gore. Although this is one of those films that relies on first-time viewers' lack of knowledge of what to expect, and thusly loses something on repeated viewings, it is still a very good film to re-visit on occasion, if only to experience Fincher's unique style (this film and A PERFECT MURDER are miles apart in this respect, believe me), Douglas and Penn's acting and the production values, which are first-rate.

See and experience THE GAME for yourself.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

CULT MOVIES 57
57. THE GAME (thriller, 1997) On the day of his birthday millionaire businessman Nicholas (Michael Douglas) is visited by his brother Conrad (Sean Penn) with a gift. The gift involves Nicholas signing up for a mysterious company which offers a 'game', which in turn offers the participants a series of surprises that "provides whatever is lacking" in their lives. Though a rather pessimistic and somber individual Nicholas accepts in the hopes of escaping the memory of a solitary childhood and witnessing his father's suicide. When the surprises the 'game' issues become seriously deadly Nicholas wants out. But this particular game offers no escape.

Critique: Nerve-wracking, high wire act of a movie directed with guile precision by David Fincher ('Seven', 'Alien 3'). So far all of David Fincher's films have been good which is rare for someone who has been dubbed as a purely commercial director. The sort of tagline that is a deathnail for anyone seeking true legitimacy in Hollywood. Michael Douglas is good in the role of another heartless tycoon type character in the mold of Gordon Gekko from 'Wall Street'. Douglas gives the character just a slight insidious turn and taking him into Twilight Zone territory. It's also good seeing Sean Penn in a first rate mainstream movie for a change. Film is made in such a way that every detail has to be dissected in order to make a logical progression of events. Which otherwise would seem chaotic and purely coincidental. Towards the climax it all makes perfect sense and provides a most welcome escape ending. When the credits roll and you know it is truly over it is strangely satisfying and disappointing.

QUOTES: Conrad: "What do you get for the man who has everything?"

The initiation of a millionaire
Nicholas Van Orton (Douglas) thinks that he has everything - this is true only is we consider material possessions (a vast house, millions of dollars, an enviable reputation, etc.). What he is lacking is the access to the sacred and to his true Self. CRS is there to help, courtesy of his brother Conrad (Penn). But Van Orton will have to get rid of all that he previously stood for and accept to lose himself in the unknown. While some viewers have objected to the film's outrageous events and progression, this is precisely what draws me to it: its willingness to dispense with 'believable' developments makes Van Orton's quest all the more powerful. The movie could have been subtitled 'The initiation of a millionaire', because Van Orton undergoes numerous archetypal trials: he is stuck in a car underwater (in the belly of the monster); he is buried alive; his descensus ad infernos is such that he (literally) has to make a death-defying jump in a garbage dump; he has to find his way through mazes and use secret keys; most scenes take place in darkness. By the time he becomes a new man late in the movie, he has already died three or four times! Perceptive viewers will discover far more than a strandard thriller here, if they allow