New Releases Movies
Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Beyond the game this documentary provides insight into the lives of both athletes & what made them what they are – intensively competitive athletes who reinvigorated the nba. Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 09/28/2010 Run time: 90 minutes
Rating: (out of 3 reviews)
List Price: $ 19.98
Price: $ 10.49
An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) [Blu-ray]
Re-discover one of the most gripping horror films of all-time with the cult classic An American Werewolf in London. Blending the macabre with a wicked sense of humor, director John Landis (National Lampoon’s Animal House) delivers a contemporary take on the classic werewolf tale in this story of two American tourists who, while traveling in London, find their lives changed forever when a viscious wolf attacks them during a full moon. Featuring groundbreaking, Academy Award-winning make-up by Rick Baker (The Wolfman), this digitally remastered Full Moon Edition also includes the new feature-length documentary Beware the Moon.
Rating: (out of 19 reviews)
List Price: $ 19.98
Price: $ 10.60
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Steven J. Bissell
October 11, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Review by Steven J. Bissell for An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
I’ve read reviews that say that this movie was missed because Wolfen and The Howling (Special Edition) were released in the same year (1981). I don’t really think so; I think that this movie was misunderstood by critics and most audiences. I think it was a sort of ‘geeky’ cult favorite at the time and even generated a tepid sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris.
The point here is that this is a classic horror film, but with some very funny dialogue as well. A lot of people didn’t ‘get’ the idea of having jokes amongst the very heavy horror aspects.
I just got my Blu Ray copy and it is beautiful. The special features are good if not overwhelming. A lot of attention is paid to the details of the make-up, probably because it won an Academy Award that year.
The scrip and direction are not perfect, but they are close. This is a very good horror movie and you should not overlook it.
Larry R. Bowers
October 11, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Review by Larry R. Bowers for An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
I saw this movie in the theaters back in 1981 and was so happy to see Rick Baker win the first Oscar for best special effects make up! That whole transformation scene is classic and very impressive. It is both amusing and painful to watch. The wolf in this movie makes me feel real terror and fear. There are several scenes in London that make me grimace and tense up, even though I have seen this before. I bought this on BluRay disc because this movie needs to be seen in HD. I have always been a fan of all types of horror. There are very few movies that can mix humor with horror well for me to recommend but London does. It will always be on my list of best horror films. This is a much, much, much, better film than An American Werewolf in Paris. Get this movie either on DVD or BluRay, you won’t be sorry!! ( I just have to ask myself, the ones that gave it one or two stars, are they even old enough to appreciate this movie?)
Zube
October 11, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Review by Zube for An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
With all due respect to some of the other reviewers, they are obviously not writing about the Full Moon Edition BD, which was issued in 2009. I’m writing about this specific BD version.
I also own the HD-DVD version and it is quite good. In fact, several of the extras that are on this BD issue were also on the HD-DVD version. But with the BD you also get an additional interview with Rick Baker as he talks about his experiences from the making of the movie, plus a documentary titled “Beware the Moon”. This latter feature is worth the price of the BD by itself.
So, how’s the quality of the transfer? Pretty darned good, I’d say. Certainly the best that’s ever been available. It is noticeably better than the HD-DVD transfer and the sound has either been remixed or improved in some way. The DTS 5.1 sound is perhaps not as good as some films, but it’s a lot better than it was on the HD-DVD or standard DVD.
As for the film itself…what can I say? This continues to be one heck of a ride for the viewer. Everytime I mention this film to someone, they describe an experience they had when they first viewed it. (When I received this BD edition from Amazon, I showed it to one of my younger co-workers. Without any prompting he said, “I couldn’t sleep for two weeks after I saw that on TV.”)
What it will probably boil down to is, should you go ahead and buy this Full Moon Edition BD to replace your old HD-DVD or DVD? Heck, yeah! What are you waiting for? It’s worth every penny.
Steve Kuehl
October 11, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Review by Steve Kuehl for An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
This is the only 5 star Blu I have given that is not a reference quality picture, but they put so much on here I could not avoid it.
The picture quality and clarity were underwhelming, but it still looks better than any of the prior versions. Plenty of artifact, hair, grain and fade throughout but the colors turned out nice, especially the reds (plenty of red in this film). I would have to say it preserves nicely (in a nostalgic way) how we all remember seeing this back in the 80s scaring the something out of us. The DTS rears actually get used but only in the howling sequences, otherwise everything is funneled into the front three channels. But what makes this so worthwhile are the supplements.
The new features with Rick Baker and John Landis are worth the two hours and have TONS of great material (personal favorites include the ratings board clashes, how the screenings went and Baker being interviewed in front of his favorite prop – the whole wolf, still looks so real). The additional features are from the prior releases and include the interviews, making of, outtakes, photos and more. The subs and menu listings are in 18 languages and the film is dubbed into four others. This also has the D-Box Motion Code, BD Live and is laid out in the typical left-feeding Universal menus.
Like I said, not a reference picture or sound, but overall this makes for a great deal at this price. If you only have a couple hours for a rental, at least watch the Beware the Moon (new) feature as each location is visited recently with some great Landis material spliced in appropriately.
C. Bennett
October 11, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Review by C. Bennett for An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
An American Werewolf in London is probably the best Werewolf flick since Lon Chaney Jr originally transformed under the full moon. Sure, the film is almost 30 years old, but with the new high def transfer it’s hard to tell.
As an avid DVD buyer my transition to the Blu-ray media has been a little slow to say the least. I’m generally only buying new titles and am very stubborn when it comes to double dipping on titles I already own. Some companies take the cheap route and just slap an upscaled transfer onto a Blu-ray in order to make some fast cash. This however, is completely worth re buying.
I’ll be honest, the first time I saw this film was when it was originally released on DVD back in the late 90’s . I instantly fell in love with the movie. Everything about it was perfect, the humor, the scares, the sfx, the amazing soundtrack. It’s very rare to find a movie that so perfectly combines horror and comedy, a film with characters you truly care for. This is a movie that sticks with you, one of the better horror comedies, one of the best werewolf films.
The transfer is great, crystal clear. It’s as if it was filmed a few years ago. The audio has great as well, the film has never looked or sounded this good.
The extras for the most part were transfered over from the original 2001 DVD, but the best extra comes in the form of a feature length documentary called “Beware the Moon.” The documentary covers everything from conception, to filming, to the somewhat negative reception it got when it was originally released.
It’s a pity more movies don’t get the kind of treatment.
Buy this disc immediately!
NATNO
October 11, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Review by NATNO for Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Rating:
I saw this documentary on HBO it is (THE BEST EVER )IT MAKES U REALIZE JUST HOW IMPORTANT THESE TWO PLAYERS ARE & HOW MUCH THEY DID FOR THE NBA. EVERY PLAYER WHO HAS PLAYED SINCE THEN OWES THEM ALL OF THE RESPECT THEY CAN GIVE THEM & MORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY ARE HUMBLE & RESPECTFUL ABOUT WERE THEY COME FROM & (THEY APPRECIATE) THERE FELLOW PLAYERS,ON & OFF THE COURT. THESE TWO GREAT MEN HAVE SUCH CLASS & DIGNITY IT MAKES YOU HAS A PERSON TRULY GRATEFUL FOR EVERY THING THEY DID. iT ALSO MAKES YOU REALIZE THAT THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER TWO LIKE THEM EVER AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. THE NBA OWES THEM EVERY GRATITUDE BECAUSE THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY NBA IF LARRY & MAGIC HAD NOT JOINED THE LEAGUE WHEN THEY DID. THE NBA AT THAT TIME WAS A MESS !!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYONE FROM SPORTS JOURNALIST TO TV JUMPED ON THE MAGIC & LARRY SHOW.IF YOU DIDNT WATCH BASKETBALL BEFORE THEY JOINED YOU SURE AS HELL DID AFTER, THEY MADE IT, EXCITING & THRILLING & AWE INSPIRING & MORE.THEY MADE EVERY ONE AROUND THEM BETTER BUT THEY DIDNT SHOW OFF & THEY WERE NOT DISRESPECTFULL TO THERE FELLOW PLAYERS, THEY NEW THAT IT TAKES 5 PEOPLE TO RALLY TOGETHER TO WORK AS A TEAM TO WIN. WHEN I WATCHED THE MOVIE IT MADE ME LONG FOR THOSE HEAVY WEIGHT MATCHES BETWEEN THE LAKERS & THE CELTICS IF IT WASNT THEM PLAYING IN THE FINALS IT WASNT WORTH WATCHING. I WATCHED EVERYONE OF THEM !!!!!!!!!!!! I LEARNED ALOT ABOUT BOTH MEN WHILE WATCING THIS FILM IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY & LAUGH & WANT TO KEEP WATCHING IT OVER & OVER & OVER AGAIN I GUARANTEE IT BECAUSE IF YOU WATCH IT & YOU DONT LIKE IT U ARE NOT A TRUE BASKETBALL FAN AT ALL !!!!!!!!!!!
Jerry C. Lewey
October 11, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Review by Jerry C. Lewey for Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Rating:
Of all the videos about Bird and Magic that have come out through the years, this is by far the best. IT IS NOT A HIGHLIGHT REEL. This is about how they are forever linked in so many ways. They are linked in a lot of ways by being polar opposites from each other on some things. Black and white, East and West, charismatic and awkwardly quiet, Boston and LA, among about a million other comparisons. I saw this twice on HBO and I plan on buying it as soon as it comes out.
Their story is pretty much storybook type material. No two players in NBA history have ever been forever linked as Larry Bird and Earvin Johnson. Only a few rivalries in sports history compare. As I said before, this is not a highlight reel. This is as indepth life and career overview that has been made about these two men. Being too that it is made by HBO, it gives it much more credibility than any other previous biographies about them.
If you are a fan of sports in general I think you will enjoy this selection. If you are basketball fan, then this is a must have for your collection. Anyone will love Magic’s infectious attitude about life and how emotional he is about himself and his friends and Bird’s emotionless facial expressions as well as dry, ironic sense of humor that will have you rolling in the floor. Both of these men are equally likable but totally different personality wise. They were once bitter enemies and now are great friends that have a special connection and understanding only they can grasp.
I wrote HBO to release this on DVD and they finally have and I’m so excited! I think anyone that watches this will see why after they view this gem!
buttons
October 11, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Review by buttons for Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Rating:
i happened tocatch this movie on HBO and watched it because my dad was a larry bird fan and would always talk about him and the playoff games of that time. well it was all before my time so i never quite knew how intense the rivalry between the two were. i watched this movie and it was like i was there. all the stories my dad told me were shown to me right before my eyes. the relationship between magic johnson and larry bird was unique and there will never be one like it again. the movie truely made me wish i could have been around earlier to have lived that moment with everyone else. i even cried during the movie. i will buy two copies of this movie. one for me and one for my dad.