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| 1. Bring It On Again Director: Damon Santostefano | |
![]() | list price: $9.98
our price: $9.98 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: B00000F3AQ Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 8476 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (29)
Bring It On Again (the title alone screams "direct-to-video B-movie sequel") is delightfully campy fun. The story isn't a direct rip-off of the original, like many DTV sequels are (see: Cruel Intentions 2) and actually had a fairly strong plot. Whittier Smith, a freshman in college who was a star high school cheerleader, trys out for the Stingers squad, the 7-time collegiate national champions. She and her best friend Monica make the squad and are soon getting themselves into trouble with the snotty head cheerleader, Tina (played excellently by Bree Turner). Soon enough Whittier and Monica get fed up with Tina and her drill seargant-like ways, so they quit and decide to form their own squad to compete at nationals. They assemble a squad of actors and interpretive dancers, who have nothing better to do since their clubs have been shut down. In a matter of weeks, Whittier must shape up her team for a competition in front of the school to decide which squad has the better moves. In addition to the main cheerleading storyline, there's also a romantic interest for Whittier. That story fell flat, in my opinion, but thankfully it doesn't occupy much of the film. Some may say the ending is predictable, but knowing how the original Bring It On ended, I was actually not completely sure until the winner of the competition was revealed. The cheer sequences are stunning and wonderful, although not entirely plausible given the timeframe of the film. Still, it's entertaining enough. The acting in the film is better than is to be expected. Bree Turner was wonderful as Tina; she really nailed the role. Other great performances were turned out by Bryce Johnson and Joie Lenz (those two had wonderfully catty chemistry), and Dennis Hemphill, who was hilarious as a high-on-himself actor-turned-cheerleader. In addition to the movie, there are a few special features tacked on to the DVD. They include some deleted and alternate scenes (most are throwaways and it's easy to see why they were cut), a trailer for the film, a "cheer along" that allows you to see the words to the opening cheer from the first Bring It On, the making of Bring It On Again featurette (following the film from casting to filming - pretty decent), "fun facts" to go along with a music video, and Tony G.'s cheer "dos and don'ts" which are basic rules for cheerleading as given by the film's choreographer. Nothing too exciting there, but we're given more than most DTV movies. Overall, Bring It On Again was a fun experience. It has just the right combination of comedy, romance, and dance action to keep you entertained for the hour and a half that it's on your screen.
This time, the competing teams are in college. In fact, the teams are from same school. The senior varsity sqaud faces off against a group of talented young freshman, who are forced to start their own squad. and go up against the snoots This a fight to represent the university in the national competition. Directed by Damon Santostefano, he tries to recapture the spirit of the first film by populating it with perky, good looking, young actors. It's not enough though. While the film is great to look at, and the cast is adequate given the material, the story is basically the same. None of the charaters from the first film are here and it's hard to root for anyone. Just a pale imitation of characters we have already met. The fun factor has faded. Given all of my observations about the film, I wasn't expecting much from the extras--if there were any at all, that is. All of the bonus material is meant to prop up the main feature and that's all. The alternate opening, deleted and alternate scenes, Cheer Dos & Don'ts, the fun fact trivia track, the on the set featurette, and Cheer-along mirror those extras on the original disc. Sadly they are not as much fun. Bring It On Again is a sequel the world probably could have done without. Watch the original...
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| 2. Adventures of Pete & Pete: Classic Petes Director: Nicholas Jacobs, Maggie Greenwald, Nicholas 'Tony' Jacobs, Damon Santostefano, Katherine Dieckmann | |
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(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6303093264 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 13827 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (15)
Rock on Pete and Pete!
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| 3. The Adventures of Pete & Pete - School Daze Director: Nicholas Jacobs, Maggie Greenwald, Nicholas 'Tony' Jacobs, Damon Santostefano, Katherine Dieckmann | |
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(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6303153372 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 40709 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (4)
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| 4. Three to Tango Director: Damon Santostefano | |
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our price: $9.94 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: 0790749238 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 104508 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (53)
Newman is married and also has a mistress, who's an artist, called, Amy Post (Neve Campbell). Due to a misconception early on, Newman thinks Oscar and Peter are partners in more than just the business sense and so, gets Oscar to spy on his mistress when he's not around as he jealously thinks that she may go off with another man. Trying to keep Newman happy, Oscar agrees then meets Amy and falls for her. Naturally, it comes out that they think he's gay and in order not to lose the possibility of the job, Oscar finds he has to play along. One of the great and funny things about the film is just how much his ruse escalates totally out of control until finally his friends of several years and even his parents believe he really is gay. Matthew Perry is excellent in this role which also gives him the opportunity to play it 'real' where, personally, I think he's at his best. Very few actors get to me like he does when he's portraying hurt and inner struggle - really pulls on the heartstrings. Fantastic acting. Neve Campbell as Amy was lively and fun and it's easy to see why Oscar would fall for her. The moment when Amy is about to kiss Oscar and then realises what she's doing and their following fight over Newman is one of the best in the film for both actors. You can really see the turmoil they're both having - she because she's falling for what she thinks is a 'gay' guy and he because he hates seeing her with Newman but can't tell her of his true feelings due to his loyalty to his friend, Steinberg who will go bankrupt if they lose the job. All in all a warm and touching film that is extremely funny in places. One to watch again and again.
About the Movie: One interesting thing to point out about this film is how it uses Mathew Perry's character Oscar Novak to mirror the plight of closeted homosexuals. The Amazon Editorial Review (by Mark Engleheart) completely missed the point of the movie in saying that Novak's supposed gayness is treated simply as "an oppressive burden." Social standing, job security and even friendships hang in the balance because of Novak's supposed sexual orientation. The film's point is that this is a burden that many homosexuals feel they have to deal with. In a sense Novak is now forced to deal with the same issues that gays deal with by having to "be in the closet" about being straight. If anything, the movie advocates openness and tolerance, something Novak learns about first hand. It's the classic, "walking in another man's shoes" satire. Ultimately, Three to Tango is a film that pretends to be a romantic comedy but is really a obvious endeavor to promote an image of homosexuality as "normal" through genuinely humorous satire. In an era of political correctness, this is the ultimate film for it. It presents a perfect politically correct image of homosexuality, even going so far as to make it seem like the ideal to strive for. Homosexuals are the good guys, sensitive, understanding, and open, while straight men are losers, who cheat on their wives and are emotionally detached and insensitive. Three to Tango does it job very well, playing on the audience's emotional output, and challenging their conventions with uneasy situations (as many movies do) to get the audience to agree with the premise. Matthew Perry's character gets into his situation and gains his love interest precisely because he fits the stereotypical homosexual image (the one of the sensitive well-dressed male without the lisp and limp wrist). The movie seems to say that the homosexual image is the one to strive for, because Perry, a straight man fits it so perfectly and finds happiness with a beautiful woman in the end as a result. Meanwhile, the quasi bad guy, Dylan McDermott's character, Charles Newmann, is a caricature of a straight man, insensitive, an adulterer, a manly man, who's possessive, jealous, selfish and vindictive. He's over the top and unlikable, precisely because he was written to be that way. McDermott plays the role to the T, which provides a perfect counterpoint to the film's overall portrayal of the straight/gay issue. The end statement is that sexual orientation should not be the issue, it should be your feelings and who you are. In all honesty, it's hard not to like this film at least on some level, even if you don't agree with the message that it is preaching. Matthew Perry is an expert at filling out the role of a bewildered man thrown into unexpected and peculiar situations with both humor and sensitivity. He's a wonderful and charming comic actor, and it shows. Neve Campbell is cute as his co-star, and there are a lot of comic moments that are laugh out loud funny. Of course, a lot of the humor comes directly from Oscar being put in the position of a straight man dealing with being thought of as gay, with some of the humor being overtly sexual in nature. People who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle will understandably dislike this film, because it is openly pro-gay and presents the issue in an extremely one-sided manner. As far as special features, this one has what appears to be something that is becoming standard on Warner Brothers budget DVD releases. They include the theatrical trailer for the film and a series of textual production notes that provide background on the movie. They're interesting to read, but not much as far as special features go. This release even skimps on the actor bios that usually provided with most budget releases. Bottom Line:
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| 5. Three to Tango Director: Damon Santostefano | |
![]() | list price: $9.94
our price: $9.94 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: 0790748754 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 35474 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (53)
Newman is married and also has a mistress, who's an artist, called, Amy Post (Neve Campbell). Due to a misconception early on, Newman thinks Oscar and Peter are partners in more than just the business sense and so, gets Oscar to spy on his mistress when he's not around as he jealously thinks that she may go off with another man. Trying to keep Newman happy, Oscar agrees then meets Amy and falls for her. Naturally, it comes out that they think he's gay and in order not to lose the possibility of the job, Oscar finds he has to play along. One of the great and funny things about the film is just how much his ruse escalates totally out of control until finally his friends of several years and even his parents believe he really is gay. Matthew Perry is excellent in this role which also gives him the opportunity to play it 'real' where, personally, I think he's at his best. Very few actors get to me like he does when he's portraying hurt and inner struggle - really pulls on the heartstrings. Fantastic acting. Neve Campbell as Amy was lively and fun and it's easy to see why Oscar would fall for her. The moment when Amy is about to kiss Oscar and then realises what she's doing and their following fight over Newman is one of the best in the film for both actors. You can really see the turmoil they're both having - she because she's falling for what she thinks is a 'gay' guy and he because he hates seeing her with Newman but can't tell her of his true feelings due to his loyalty to his friend, Steinberg who will go bankrupt if they lose the job. All in all a warm and touching film that is extremely funny in places. One to watch again and again.
About the Movie: One interesting thing to point out about this film is how it uses Mathew Perry's character Oscar Novak to mirror the plight of closeted homosexuals. The Amazon Editorial Review (by Mark Engleheart) completely missed the point of the movie in saying that Novak's supposed gayness is treated simply as "an oppressive burden." Social standing, job security and even friendships hang in the balance because of Novak's supposed sexual orientation. The film's point is that this is a burden that many homosexuals feel they have to deal with. In a sense Novak is now forced to deal with the same issues that gays deal with by having to "be in the closet" about being straight. If anything, the movie advocates openness and tolerance, something Novak learns about first hand. It's the classic, "walking in another man's shoes" satire. Ultimately, Three to Tango is a film that pretends to be a romantic comedy but is really a obvious endeavor to promote an image of homosexuality as "normal" through genuinely humorous satire. In an era of political correctness, this is the ultimate film for it. It presents a perfect politically correct image of homosexuality, even going so far as to make it seem like the ideal to strive for. Homosexuals are the good guys, sensitive, understanding, and open, while straight men are losers, who cheat on their wives and are emotionally detached and insensitive. Three to Tango does it job very well, playing on the audience's emotional output, and challenging their conventions with uneasy situations (as many movies do) to get the audience to agree with the premise. Matthew Perry's character gets into his situation and gains his love interest precisely because he fits the stereotypical homosexual image (the one of the sensitive well-dressed male without the lisp and limp wrist). The movie seems to say that the homosexual image is the one to strive for, because Perry, a straight man fits it so perfectly and finds happiness with a beautiful woman in the end as a result. Meanwhile, the quasi bad guy, Dylan McDermott's character, Charles Newmann, is a caricature of a straight man, insensitive, an adulterer, a manly man, who's possessive, jealous, selfish and vindictive. He's over the top and unlikable, precisely because he was written to be that way. McDermott plays the role to the T, which provides a perfect counterpoint to the film's overall portrayal of the straight/gay issue. The end statement is that sexual orientation should not be the issue, it should be your feelings and who you are. In all honesty, it's hard not to like this film at least on some level, even if you don't agree with the message that it is preaching. Matthew Perry is an expert at filling out the role of a bewildered man thrown into unexpected and peculiar situations with both humor and sensitivity. He's a wonderful and charming comic actor, and it shows. Neve Campbell is cute as his co-star, and there are a lot of comic moments that are laugh out loud funny. Of course, a lot of the humor comes directly from Oscar being put in the position of a straight man dealing with being thought of as gay, with some of the humor being overtly sexual in nature. People who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle will understandably dislike this film, because it is openly pro-gay and presents the issue in an extremely one-sided manner. As far as special features, this one has what appears to be something that is becoming standard on Warner Brothers budget DVD releases. They include the theatrical trailer for the film and a series of textual production notes that provide background on the movie. They're interesting to read, but not much as far as special features go. This release even skimps on the actor bios that usually provided with most budget releases. Bottom Line:
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| 6. Severed Ties Director: Damon Santostefano | |
![]() | list price: $14.95
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6302492947 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 37094 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (2)
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| 7. The Adventures of Pete & Pete: Farewell, My Little Viking Director: Nicholas Jacobs, Maggie Greenwald, Nicholas 'Tony' Jacobs, Damon Santostefano, Katherine Dieckmann | |
![]() | list price: $9.99
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6303393845 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 18965 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (3)
Despite the much-lamented departure of distinguished actor Toby Huss from the cast, the series was strong enough to withstand the blow, and go on to even greater artistic triumphs. With the marvelous scripts, thrilling plot devices, and the genius-inspired music of Polaris, this show surpasses every other program in the history of TV comedy. Everyone should own at least two copies of this video. This wonderful show should be required viewing for everybody.
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