Network (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Amazon.com essential video

Media madness reigns supreme in screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky's scathing satire about the uses and abuses of network television. But while Chayefsky's and director Sidney Lumet's take on television may seem quaint in the age of "reality TV" and Jerry Springer's talk-show fisticuffs, it's every bit as potent now as it was when the film was released in 1976. And because Chayefsky was one of the greatest of all dramatists, his Oscar-winning script about the ratings frenzy at the cost of cultural integrity is a showcase for powerhouse acting by Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight (who each won Oscars), and Oscar nominee William Holden in one of his finest roles. Finch plays a veteran network anchorman who's been fired because of low ratings. His character's response is to announce he'll kill himself on live television two weeks hence. What follows, along with skyrocketing ratings, is the anchorman's descent into insanity, during which he fervently rages against the medium that made him a celebrity. Dunaway plays the frigid, ratings-obsessed producer who pursues success with cold-blooded zeal; Holden is the married executive who tries to thaw her out during his own seething midlife crisis. Through it all, Chayefsky (via Finch) urges the viewer to repeat the now-famous mantra "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" to reclaim our humanity from the medium that threatens to steal it away. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Newscaster Howard Beale has a message for those who package reports of cute puppies, movie premieres and fender benders as hard news: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." Sidney Lumet directs Paddy Chayefsky's satire (an Academy Award-winning* screenplay) about the things people do for love...and ratings. Three performers won Oscars.* Best Actress Faye Dunaway is the TV exec guarding ratings like a tigress protecting cubs. Best Actor Peter Finch is Beale, whose airwave rants become a phenomenon. And William Holden, Robert Duvall and Best Supporting Actress Beatrice Straight add to the fierce vitality.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:by Director Sidney Lumet
Theatrical Trailer
Documentaries:The Making of Network (6-part Documentary): The World and Words of Paddy Chayefsky; The Cast, the Characters; The Experience; The Style; Mad as Hell! The Creation of a Movie Moment; A Classic; Network by Walter Cronkite
Featurette:Dinah! Episodes featuring Peter Finch (1976) and Paddy Chayefsky (1977)

Customer Reviews:

Network.......2007-07-04

Sidney Lumet's devastating, disturbing satire of the modern broadcast age (written by Paddy Chayefsky) still has a lot to say thirty years after release. Beyond portraying a business that bypasses quality in single-minded pursuit of the dollar, television serves as metaphor for a society mired in sensationalism and greed. Dunaway is commanding in a caffeinated performance as ruthless Diana, Holden unusually affecting as a washed-up veteran of TV's glory days, and Finch a revelation as the unbalanced Beale, winning a posthumous Oscar for his work.

Great Movie, Great Extras.......2007-06-23

Quickie movie review: perhaps the most prescient movie ever, definitely the most prescient made about television, viewers and Corporate America. An almost "fantasy movie" team in front of the camera and behind it produced a flick that lives up to their combined talents. I can think of three incredible scenes in which actors/actresses nearly burn up the screen with brilliant timing, emotion, diction -- and none of those actors/actresses are among the four who got top billing for this movie. They've got several other such scenes of their own.

Now to the extras, which is the reason I bought this two-disc set. I already had the movie via the first DVD release.

You've got interviews with almost all the principals still living, including director Sidney Lumet and actress Faye Dunaway. And they cover an incredible amount of ground concernting the making of the movie (one reason they had such an incredible cast is the script was so good, nobody they offered a part to turned them down. So, the producers got all their first choices. As several cast members are dead, it's been over 30 years since the casting and admitting cast substitutions is common in Hollywood, that's a claim you can take at face value.)

There's also a Paddy Chayefsky interview from "Dinah" (remember her show from afternoons after the soaps were finished?) and another interview with Lumet, who also provides a commentary. Hey, I was more than satisfied enough to set aside free time for watching the extras.

The only part of the extras that disappointed was the Walter Cronkite interview. I've read interviews with Cronkite concerning this movie over the years when he fairly crackled with observation. Maybe it's just that he's aging.

Anyway, the movie alone is worth the bucks. Throw in the extras and you've got a bargain.

a film that left the country talking............2007-06-10

NETWORK, a brilliant film directed by Sidney Lumet, takes a bold and darkly humorous look at the world of network television in the United States. We are introduced to Howard Beale (played by the late, great Peter Finch), an anchorman who is getting the axe for low ratings. Beale announces on the air that he plans to "blow his brains out." Of course, this gets his network and those surrounding forces talking. This lunatic deserves a proper opportunity to say good-bye to his viewership (though, increasingly sparce). Little do they know that what they intended as an opening for him to say good-bye will blossom into a far-different situation. His on air rave generates a great audience, because this man wants to tell "the truth" about the world (politically, socially) and those in the quiet and comfort of their homes want to hear what he has to say. The film also stars Faye Dunaway as a stealthy network spin doctor, William Holden and Robert Duvall.

Of course, the famous line that was extracted from one of Beale's on-air raves and spiraled into one of the most-quoted (and mis-quoted) lines from a film is, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" This quote was used as recently as this past week, when co-star Isaiah Washington was fired from the popular series, GREY'S ANATOMY. It has also been used in many different instances to convey defiance. NETWORK is a brilliant and timely film that reflects the state of our world and how television plays into our daily lives; what's more, how the plight of one man (no matter how mad) can potentially become great fodder for the media if it sells. This could be reflected on today, when we think about those occupying a space in the media (and in Associated Press columns), in the face of a major war and many other disturbing plights. What sells? Ultimately, corruption does. Does it matter how the corruption effects the subject of its darkness? No, just as long as it brings in money, either through viewership or printed publication. The AFI calls NETWORK, released in 1976, one of the greatest American films of all time. I would agree, because it is a masterpiece, with brilliant acting. What's more, Peter Finch received a well-earned posthumous Academy Award, for Best Actor, for this his amazing performance. Watch it for yourself, if you want an example of thought-provoking film at its best.

You don't have to take it anymore.......2007-05-30

Network is a cynical but totally beleivable portrait of network television in the modern age. Suits and not journalists run network news like it is entertainment. Ratings points are fool's gold. Thoughtless climbers stop at nothing for promotion and reward. Dirty laundry lurks underneath that eventually forces the entertainment gurus to kill the messenger. This film makes the events that unfold beleivable and eerie. Turn on your television and you can't be sure anymore what is truth and what is manufactured reality. It's hard not to be cynical after viewing Network,which sends a shiver down your spine every time you think about what you see and hear today. Sometimes it seems like celebrity foibles are headline news and in depth reporting of issues is shunted off to public television. It is no surprise that the powers that be have little use for network news beyond sound bites. The soft underbelly of the news is revealing in stark reality in this film. It is a sad commentary on the state of news gathering and packaging. But you can always watch public television and still get the news and if you need a tabloid fix the network news will still be there. Only when people say they have had enough will network executives consider a change in programming. I for one have had enough.

I just wanted to offset the bad review.......2007-05-06

The reviewer who gave this one star was basing this on technical difficulties. This is one of the best movies ever made. It was chillingly ahead of its time in predicting the scourge of corporate media. A post-Watergate classic.

Average customer rating:

Actor Activists share the drama of Darfur

A Journey to Darfur

Manufacturer: The Nostalgia Network, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000TA1L54
Release Date: 2007-07-17

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In April 2006 veteran journalist Nick Clooney was asked by his son, George, to accompany him to the troubled region of Darfur. The goal was to shine a light on the modern day genocide occurring in this remote and desolate region of Africa. They went unannounced; without press, without escort and without security, just Nick, George and cameraman, Mike Herron, a personal friend. This documentary is an account of their journey, the stories of unimaginable violence that have befallen the Darfurians and the courage of the aid workers who struggle to provide relief to two hundred thousand refugees. The documentary also provides background on the crises and the efforts of individuals and groups to stand up and say, "Not on our watch!"

100% of AmericanLife TV's proceeds on the sale of this DVD go to www.notonourwatchproject.org. NOOW was created by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Jerry Weintraub to support existing humanitarian relief efforts and to ensure the protection of civilians in Darfur.

Customer Reviews:

Actor Activists share the drama of Darfur.......2007-08-23

As is typical, we are skeptical of actors turned activists: visions of Angelina Jolie or Madonna in Africa promoting their careers by doing "Good" and so on. In "A Journey to Darfur" we see George Clooney and his father visiting the camps in Chad and Darfur and sharing the heart wrenching story of the camps with American viewers. This short, yet powerful film is well done and can easily be used in classrooms across America to help explain the problems facing this region. Clooney's star appeal is used to truly do go and shed light on the tragedy. It is my hope that because of Clooney's participation in this project many more will know, understand and then act to help the people in Darfur and end the Genocide.

Average customer rating:

Loved it.
Hepburn/Tracy fun!
I Adore This Movie!
Tracy and Hepburn
Desk Set

Desk Set
Starring: Spencer Tracy , Katharine Hepburn , Gig Young , Joan Blondell , and Dina Merrill
Director: Walter Lang
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001NBMAS
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Amazon.com essential video

One of the later Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn matchups, this time pitting efficiency expert--sorry, that's "methods engineer"--Richard Sumner (Tracy) against TV-network research whiz Bunny Watson (Hepburn) over adding a new-fangled computer--again, sorry, that's "electronic brain"--to her department, thereby threatening her and her colleagues' livelihoods. Gig Young appears as Bunny's beau, an ambitious network executive who strings her along and becomes apoplectic at the idea that she doesn't need him. But as always, it's Hepburn and Tracy's bickering-flirting that makes this such a winning enterprise--a lunch date that turns into an interrogation and their sly repartee during a Christmas party are a couple of the movie's hilarious highlights. Interestingly, what starts out as something of a technophobic exercise--Hepburn fears for her job, and a computer goes haywire--takes an abrupt turn (perhaps the IBM product placement had something to do with that). Briskly scripted by Henry and Phoebe Ephron (Nora and Delia's parents) from a play by William Marchant. --David Kronke

Description

Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) heads up the research department at the Federal Broadcasting Company, a major TV network. And she does her job very well, thank you very much. Assigned by the network president to introduce computers into some of the department?s functions, Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy) arrives at Bunny?s well-run division to observe daily activities. Unfortunately, however, Sumner is ordered to keep his mission secret. As a result, the whole staff believes they are being replaced. To make matters worse, there appears to be more than a little electricity between Bunny and Sumner, which upsets Bunny?s boyfriend Mike (Gig Young). As the tension mounts in the office, so do the laughs in this classic romantic comedy.

Customer Reviews:

Loved it........2007-07-08

I saw this for the first time on TMC. I bought it to watch with my 26 year old daughter. It was very cute. It was my first time seeing Tracy Spencer and Katharine Hepburn together in a film. You can see the magically chemistry between them.

Hepburn/Tracy fun!.......2007-05-06

Love this movie.
The subtle humor coupled with the great on screen chemistry of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy make this movie a great addition to anyone's collection.

I Adore This Movie!.......2007-04-14

I watch this about once a year and never get tired of it. Hepburn and Tracy are great together as usual. The company setting is appealing, and makes me yearn for the pre-PC days when big companies had bars, Christmas parties with drinking and revelry, etc. It's a Christmas movie out of the ordinary.

My favorite scene is when it's raining and Tracy goes home with Hepburn. They are all cozy with a fire and fried chicken and floating island, only to be walked in upon by the wonderfully arrogant Gig Young. Sometimes I just watch this scene alone!

I also love the line near the end of the movie where Young says he's been thinking and Hepburn asks him what that was like.

A delight!

Tracy and Hepburn.......2007-04-12

can make any movie a great one. This one leaves nothing to be desired. Great movie and great dialogue.

Desk Set.......2007-01-21

This is great movie for fans of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. It's also a great movie if you are a lover of classic movies. It's a good comedy, and Hepburn and Tracy are terrific in this movie genre. Some people will find it interesting what technology was like about fifty years ago and the effect it had on people at that time. It's the kind of comedy that will keep you laughing without getting raunchy or unpleasant. Baby boomers will enjoy this, and so will younger people.

Average customer rating:

Hackers is Classic Film
Jolie, Hufmann, Bracco!!
awesome but unknown movie
Classic Fav!
Good fun

Hackers
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller , Angelina Jolie , Jesse Bradford , Matthew Lillard , and Laurence Mason
Director: Iain Softley
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: 6305047456
Release Date: 1998-08-25

Amazon.com

As a depiction of the computer-hacker underground, this movie is bogus to the bone. As a thriller, it's cartoonish and conventional. The premise (computer-happy kids hack into the wrong system, and the Forces of Repression come after them) is recycled from John Badham's 1983 WarGames. And the corporate-creep bad guy, played by Fisher Stevens, steeples his fingers and growls mossy villainous clichés. ("By the time they realize the truth, we'll be long gone with all the money.") For all its postmodern trappings the movie is working with sub-prehistoric storytelling tools. But it does succeed on one level, as a movie about adolescent bonding and alienation. The director, Iain Softley, helmed the Beatles-in-Hamburg biopic Backbeat, and he seems to have an instinct for the emotions that pull kids together around common interests and the insecurities that drive them apart. The familiar crises of loyalty and betrayal have an ache of real loneliness. It doesn't hurt that the two stars, Jonny Lee Miller (Sick Boy Williamson in Trainspotting) and Angelina Jolie (Gia), are just about equally gorgeous and charismatic; their longing glances steam up the screen. --David Chute

Customer Reviews:

Hackers is Classic Film.......2007-07-21

As someone who grew up with computers, and has a fairly well grounded background in the tech sector. I find this movie to be a classic tech flick, yeah there are part that are cheesy. However I find that the story itself is solid. This is a movie I can watch over and over and never really grow board with it.

I will have to admit some of the phraseology is questionable and at times misplaced. However I don't feel that such gaps would harm the overall story that the movie is trying to tell. Although the fact that it has Angelina Jolie in it doesn't hurt either. Lets face it even then she was hot.

This is just my view of it, hope this helps ya.

Jolie, Hufmann, Bracco!!.......2007-06-30

Oh! Do I have your attention now!?? Buy this and watch three of the most talented actresses alive and two of the most beautiful (sorry Huffman, but you do frumpy like no ones business). A good look at Jolie tosee her roots. and a puzzle movie where allt he piece's fit!

awesome but unknown movie.......2007-06-15

This movie is very underrated. For how much great acting as well as the great story line this movie needs to be appreciated more as those two fat guys, ebert and roper (however you spell his name), say. "I give this movie 2 thumbs way, way up." On top of all this I think Penn Jillete, although a small part was AWESOME. Thank you and I take my leave.

Classic Fav!.......2007-05-28

This movie has always been a fav. of mine! Angelina Jolie never looks(ed) better then she does in this movie!! I love the special effects!! I bought this along with Hackers 2 (Track Down), and Hackers 3 (Antitrust) All a Must have for any geek!!

Good fun.......2007-04-13

This movie is a good fun time, with interesting characters and an intriguing story line. Although the technology is somewhat outdated it is easy to suspend belief and to become involved in the story. For me, Matthew Lillard was a standout character and his performance really made the movie for me.

Feasting on Asphalt: The Complete First Season

Average customer rating:

Thanks!

Feasting on Asphalt: The Complete First Season
Starring: Alton Brown
Manufacturer: Food Network
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000T28FME
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Customer Reviews:

Thanks!.......2007-08-05

I'm so glad to see this released on DVD. I taped it from the Food Network and was just rewatching and remembering how much I enjoyed it. It is very entertaining to watch Alton and his team travel/eat their way across the country. As always I love all the extra info Alton provides. It will be nice to see it without the commercials.

SCTV, Volume 1 - Network 90 (5 Disc Set)

Average customer rating:

Still Funny After All These Years
SCTV Rocks!!!!
SCTV Volume 1
Wonderful, intelligent comedy skits! We love it!
hilarious

SCTV, Volume 1 - Network 90 (5 Disc Set)
Starring: Rick Moranis , Dave Thomas , Martin Short , and Mary Charlotte Wilcox
Director: John Bell (XI) , John Blanchard , and Jim Drake (II)
Manufacturer: Shout Factory
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001S6AQE
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Amazon.com

At long last, SCTV is on the air... or at least on DVD! While it never reached the ratings heights or pop culture cachet of Saturday Night Live, SCTV did garner critical buzz and a devoted cult following. As with the Python boys, the ensemble members, and the characters they created to populate the fictional Melonville TV network, are revered in hipper comedy circles. In this respect, SCTV is Letterman to SNL's Leno. This essential five-disc set collects the first nine episodes of the series' Network 90 incarnation, which brightened NBC's Friday late-night lineup in 1981. While original cast member Harold Ramis had since left the show, and Martin Short would join the following year, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, and Dave Thomas were SCTV's definitive ensemble (SNL-bound Robin Duke and Tony Rosato, we hardly knew ye). These inaugural episodes are comprised mostly of "the golden classics" (so dubbed by Flahrety's wheelchair-bound station manager Guy Caballero) linked by some new material. Included are such series benchmarks as "The Great White North" segments, featuring Moranis and Thomas as the stereotypically Canadian, parka-wearing, beer-swilling McKenzie brothers; "Play It Again, Bob," starring Moranis as Woody Allen and Thomas as Bob Hope; the ill-fated made-for-SCTV "Polynesiantown" starring Candy's Johnny LaRue; "The Sammy Maudlin Show," starring Joe Flahrety as the most sincerely insincere talk show host, with O'Hara as Lola "I want to bear your children" Heatherton, and "Indira," with Andrea Martin in her signature Evita spoof.

And that's just on disc 1! SCTV could parody Leave It to Beaver and Fantasy Island with the best of them, but anticipating the future Ben Stiller Show, its genius lay in its show business savvy to subvert television and movie convention. When Levy's comedian Bobby Bittman arrives on a talk show, he brings "bloopers" from his congressional testimony. And you don't need to have seen The Oscar to appreciate The Nobel, but it certainly helps. The price is steep, but don't be a hoser. This is the comedy release of the year. And it blows up real good. --Donald Liebenson

Description

"These may be the funniest DVDs you will ever own. So, enjoy!" --Conan O'Brien

18 years after it ended, the two-time Emmy-winner SCTV Network/90 - Vol. 1 is available to own for the first time, in a 5-disc DVD boxset. This volume features comedy's brightest northern lights: Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Dave Thomas and the late John Candy.

In 1977, Canadian-produced SCTV began as a 30-minute sketch show. It ran in syndication in the U.S. for several years. In 1981 it was picked up by NBC in a 90-minute format. It ran for 2 years and was seen by millions of viewers weekly. This first box set covers the first 9(Cycle 1 as it was referred to in Canada) 90-minute episodes and includes tons of extras.

Extras:

- "SCTV Remembers" with original cast members Levy, Flaherty, O'Hara, Thomas and Martin, and executive producer Andrew Alexander.

- "Origins of SCTV" with photos and clips from Chicago's Second City Theatre.

- "The Craft of SCTV" with costume, hair and make-up designers.

- "Remembering John" with original cast, actor Martin Short, writers, and Bernard Sahlins, Second City theater co-founder.

- The "SCTV Reunion" from the 1999 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, hosted by Conan O'Brien and first seen on HBO.

- Commentaries by Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy.

- A photo-packed 24-page booklet with essays by Conan O'Brien, SCTV CEO/producer Andrew Alexander and journalist Don Waller, plus tributes by Ben Stiller, Fred Willard, Dan Aykroyd and Dr. John.

Customer Reviews:

Still Funny After All These Years.......2007-02-07

To me the SCTV cast had a better collection of talent that the SNL of the same time. This DVD of Season 1 of the NBC version has some great moments, although, like most sketch shows, not every sketch is a gem. I loved the premise of SCTV--low budget network in drab Melonville featuring crass management and a mostly wannabe collection of personalities. It was great to see the actors and old characters again- Andrea Martin as Station Manager Edith Prickly, Eugene Levy as hapless newsman Earl Camembert, Rick Moranis as VJ Jerry Todd (the schmaltzy video version of Turning Japanese is a scream), John Candy as Orson Welles-wannabe Johnny LaRue, and the gang from The Sammy Maudlin Show--Joe Flaherty as Sammy, Candy as sidekick William B. Williams, Levy as funnyman (and a comic in all seriousness) Bobby Bittman, and Catherine O'Hara as "I wanna bear your children" songstress Lola Heatherton.

Highlights from Disc 1 include the Maudlin show (featuring Andrea Martin as a very bemused Mother Theresa), Rick Moranis as Woody Allen trying to make a movie with Dave Thomas as Bob Hope in "Play It Again, Bob", Thomas as Japanese talk show host Tim Ishimuni interviewing the Godzilla-like monster Grogan, and the made-for-SCTV movie "Polynesian Town", featuring John Candy as clueless filmmaker and star Johnny LaRue. I look forward to seeing other favorites like Count Floyd and Dr. Tongue of Monster Chiller Horror Theatre, and Dave Thomas as the host of 3CP Russian television.

Somewhat surprisingly, the one feature from SCTV that made it in American pop culture, Moranis and Thomas as Bob and Doug MacKenzie in "The Great White North" is none too funny in this disc. I'm sure they'll get to The 12 Days of Christmas ("five golden toques!") in one of the later discs.

SCTV Rocks!!!!.......2007-01-18

It is just this simple, if you like SCTV at all, you'll want this. There are a few minor changes on some of the episodes ( for full details visit: SCTVGuide.ca ), but for the most part, these classic pieces of comedy are just how you ( probably barely, twenty five years down the road ) remember them. This is sketch/satirical comedy at it's best. Have there been comedy shows that are its equal? Of course there are other great comedy shows but nothing exceeds it. Not by a long shot! If you're interested; perhaps you've enjoyedd the work of John Candy or Eugene Levy and you're curious about their early careers--buy this! If you already know what time it is - What are you waitnig for? SCTV is now on the DVD!

SCTV Volume 1.......2006-04-06

If you dig spoofing satire, this is your show. Second City comedy group "invented" the whacky satire that this DVD set embodies and enshrines. The characters are as memorable as they are hilarious. It is a standing tribute to the fine comic acting of the late great John Candy. John is at his whackiest in this series. It's truly good clean fund for all ages. Any innuendos are deftly hidden. So yes, 99% of the viewers will enjoy this insane spin on a network TV station that could never function in the real world. But there will always be that small, turned-up-nose minority who will disrespect this historic work of comedic art as to benign for our cancerous mentality of today. If you don't laugh at "Jerry Todd" you are one humorless pup!

Wonderful, intelligent comedy skits! We love it!.......2006-02-11

I'm a Kids in the Hall fan, but *my* kids can't watch those shows just yet. I read the reviews of SCTV and decided it was worth buying. We enjoyed all the shows in Volume 1, and we don't get tired of rewatching them. Andrea Martin in the EVITA spoof, and Rick Moranis in the easy-listening remakes of "Turning Japanese" and the Police's "Da Doo Doo Doo, Da Da Da Da" are hilarious. And John Candy as Yuri, the Soviet weightlifter who gets his own talk show! The humor is still completely on target. It does not have the frenetic pace of most shows today, so some people might not like that.

hilarious.......2006-01-29

These are some of the best episodes of them all, the leave it to beaver 25th anniversery is worth the set alone. great John Candy work. I highly recommend this set, and all of them.

Cartoon Network Halloween - 9 Creepy Capers

Average customer rating:

Halloween HA-HA-HAs
Not very Halloween-ish
Finally!
Not a Great Value

Cartoon Network Halloween - 9 Creepy Capers
Starring: Cartoon Network Halloween-9 Creepy Capers
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000244ESI
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Description

Nine original Cartoon Network episodes, including The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Ed, Edd 'n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Cow & Chicken, I A.M. Weasel, Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and Johnny Bravo.

Customer Reviews:

Halloween HA-HA-HAs.......2005-03-05

I love this DVD. The episodes I liked include the Johnny Bravo episode where he meets Scooby-Doo and the Eds' first junkyard adventure. There are a few funny lines in some of these episodes, too. For example, the "Cow and Chicken" episode where Chicken misreads the eye chart and Courage's "incantation ritual".

Do you think they will make a Valentine's Day DVD ? If so, then the first one would have the Johnny Bravo Valentine's special and two of the Eds' episodes involving the Kanker sisters; and the second DVD will have the Eds' "Hanky Panky Hullaballoo" and two of Johnny Bravo's episodes. Just a thought.

Not very Halloween-ish.......2004-08-22

Not a very good offering for a Halloween-themed DVD. The only ones even remotely Halloween related are Billy & Mandy and The Powerpuff Girls. All the rest seem like a random assortment of older Cartoon Network originals. You can't really call the Courage episodes "Halloween Specials", since EVERY episode of Courage deals with monsters, ghosts and other creepy happenings. At least the Nickelodeon Halloween DVD had ONLY the Halloween specials. Get a clue CN, or Warner, or whoever picked out the content for this disc.

Finally!.......2004-08-14

It is about time Cartoon Network release a DVD containing their most popular shows. This DVD is wonderful, and I certainly hope there are more to come other than the Christmas DVD to be released soon. This contains some of the channel's best: Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd and Eddy, Billy and Mandy, Dexter's Lab, PLUS the great Johnny Bravo/Scooby Doo episode. All these shows deserve DVD releases on their own, but for now, I can't thank Cartoon Network for releasing this.

Not a Great Value.......2004-07-30

At a running time of a mere 107 minutes, this CArtoon Network set of Halloween/horror themed cartoons isn't a great value quite frankly. With no extras $10 - $15 seems somewhat pricey to me. $7.99 would be more fair,

Anyway you get nine toons from Cartoon Network regulars The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Ed, Edd 'n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Cow & Chicken, I A.M. Weasel, Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and Johnny Bravo.

Cartoon Network Halloween 2 - Grossest Halloween Ever

Average customer rating:

If they made a Easter and Valentine DVD
More Halloween Ha-Ha-Has

Cartoon Network Halloween 2 - Grossest Halloween Ever
Starring: Grossest Halloween Ever
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0009IWFDS
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Product Description

Get ready for a grossly ghoulish time with Cartoon Network's all-new Halloween DVD! Whether it's sticky-bearded pirates, angry cookie-baking mummies, or chili-borne methane mosnters that pack a powerful stench, there's enough festering fun here to keep you laughing all the way to the grave! 5 Halloween episodes plus 4 bonus toons: Billy & Mandy: Night of the Living Grim, Courage: Courage Meets the Mummy, Courage: Night of the Weremole, KND: Operation TRICKY, Johnny Bravo: Frankenbravo, Dexter's Laboratory: Dee Dee's Room, Powerpuff Girls: Reeking Havoc, I AM WEASEL: The Power of Odor, Ed Edd n' Eddy: Honor Thy Ed.

System Requirements:
Running Time: 95 Min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

If they made a Easter and Valentine DVD.......2007-04-04

First of all,here are the episodes for the Easter DVD
1.A beavers tail{Courage the cowardly dog}
2.The adorable,wonderful,little duckling{Courage the cowardly dog}
3.Spider's little daddy[Billy and Mandy]
4.Cow's horse{Cow and Chicken}
5.I.R plant life{I.M weasel}
6.Vert-Ed-Go{Ed Edd n Eddy}

Now heres the episodes for the Valentine's DVD
1.Lupe in love{Gym partner}
2.The love that dare not speak its name{Billy and Mandy}
3.The most graetest love story told ever{Billy and Mandy}
4.The gods must be goosley{Courage the cowardly dog}
5.Hanky panky huballo{Ed Edd n Eddy}
6.Love is in the hair...net{Clas of 3000}

More Halloween Ha-Ha-Has.......2005-08-10

This is the second installment of the Cartoon Network Halloween DVD. It's got a Halloween-themed episode of Kids Next Door and another double dose of Courage. Personally, besides the Franken-Bravo episode, I thought they'd put a second episode of Billy and Mandy in there. Maybe next volume.

And another thing, I thought the I Am Weasel episode would be either "I am Franken-weasel" and/or "I are Ghost" to follow up the "I am Vampire" episode in the first volume. But with the DVD title being "The Grossest Halloween Ever", "Power of Odor" does seem to fit it. That goes the same with that Powerpuff Girls episode entitled "Reeking Havoc"(I was expecting the episode where the girls battle a zombie magician). Like I said before: maybe next volume.

And perhaps in volume three, I have noticed another Halloween-themed episode of Billy and Mandy and one of Cow and Chicken. Plus, some other scary-looking episodes of other Cartoon Network shows like the ED-isode where single-D masquerades as a monster and terrorizes the neighborhood, or the time when Dexter watches a scary movie and experience the horrifying effects from watching it, or the one where the Kids Next Door fight some zombie nerds. And, hey, there's a brand new Ed, Edd n Eddy Halloween special called the Eds' "Boo Haw Haw." I think they'll put that in there, too. Well, you never know until you find out.

(I'm still anxious for a Valentine's Day DVD, though !)

Average customer rating:

Fantastic movie!
Reaffirms my opinion
Sound and Fury
Making Money Will Win Out
"People start dying when we stop talking"

Live from Baghdad
Starring: Michael Keaton , Helena Bonham Carter , Joshua Leonard , Lili Taylor , and David Suchet
Director: Mick Jackson
Manufacturer: HBO Video
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ASIN: B00009ATK1
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Amazon.com

Live from Baghdad tells the story of how CNN became the only news agency to cover the first Gulf War from within Baghdad. Michael Keaton stars as CNN executive producer Robert Wiener, who took a small news team into the Iraq capital after the invasion of Kuwait. Along with producer Ingrid Formanek (Helena Bonham Carter), Wiener jousted with teams from other networks, fought with antiquated equipment, and wrestled with Iraqi attempts to control information--in particular with an information minister named Naji (the outstanding David Suchet). After numerous setbacks, Wiener's team triumphed when they had the only connection from inside Baghdad as the American forces began dropping bombs. Though a TV-movie about TV news coverage is a bit incestuous, Live from Baghdad makes for compelling viewing; the script and direction are taut, performances are excellent all around, and the perspective on the war is multilayered. --Bret Fetzer

Description

A Directors Guild Award-winning movie for director Mick Jackson, starring Michael Keaton and Helena Bonham Carter. In 1990, CNN was a 24-hour news network in search of a 24-hour story. They were about to find it in Baghdad. Veteran CNN producer Robert Wiener and his longtime producing partner Ingrid Formanek find themselves in Iraq on the eve of war. Up against the big three networks, Weiner and his team are rebels with a cause, willing to take risks to get the biggest stories and - unlike their rivals - take them live at a moment's notice. As Baghdad becomes an inevitable US target, one by one the networks pull out of the city until only the crew from CNN remains. With a full-scale war soon to be launched all around them, and CNN ready to broadcast whatever happens 24 hours a day, Wiener and Formanek are about to risk their lives for the story of a lifetime.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio commentary by award-winning director Mick Jackson
Biographies:Cast & Crew Bios
Scene Access

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic movie!.......2007-02-06

This is a great movie because it is about the first Gulf War. I think people forget what happened then and how it relates to today. It is also an interesting accounting of the beginning of 24 hour news. All actors do a great job.

Reaffirms my opinion.......2006-05-19

While this movie was well written and acted, it did strengthen my opinion about those in the media. I know alot of people may disagree with me on this, but in this film I saw nothing more than sick, egotistical vultures scrambling around trying to find "the next big story" with little regard to the people they hurt. For those of you who view the media of being comprised of elitist know-it-alls, watching this movie will assure you that your assessment is correct.

There are many examples throughout the course of the movie. The obvious fear of the British child being held hostage by Saddam being reduced to merely being a great story. The members of the other networks basically saying that it is their job to tell viewers what is important and why. The CNN crew agreeing to keep quiet about atrocities they saw in Iraq and Kuwait to avoid being thrown out of the country (so much for "we report, you decide"). Weiner sympathizing with the Iraqi propaganda official despite the fact that a hostage he interviewed was kidnapped, most likely under the orders of the same official. And on, and on.

Bottom line, this movie does a splendid job of showing how most of those in the media are legends in their own minds who will stop at nothing to exploit any human tragedy and suffering in the hopes of making it big, although I'm sure that this is not what the makers of the film were going for. There is nothing honorable about them. They were, and are, vultures.

Sound and Fury.......2006-05-11

This is probably a fairly accurate representation of how newscasters operated in Iraq during the Desert Storm War, and of how they operate in general in front-line, crisis situations. I think the movie was aiming at evoking viewers' admiration for the newscasters' courage and stamina in "getting the story." It was supposed to be a paean to CNN as it established itself as a credible, round-the-clock news source during this War. But for me, the movie had the opposite effect. It showed how rash and ultimately futile most of the media people's actions on the scene were.

Everyone is either on an adrenaline rush in this movie, or else is waiting it out in a tavern getting sloshed and sloppy. There is no happy in-between when any sane, informative reporting can take place. During their "on" periods, newscasters are seen rushing down corridors, pushing each other, jostling, jockeying to get the story before other broadcast networks can get it. And the story is usually some canned speech by Saddam Hussein or one of his cabinet members. People stoke their sense of self-importance by surrounding themselves with ringing phones. They agonize over power outages. It's all frenetic activity - signifying nothing.

Because when the War really starts, all that we get out of these many reporters' efforts are exclamations announcing another SCUD missile hit. We get "Wow! That was a big explosion! Wow, another one! The sky is lit up!" People risked their lives to tell the listening American public that a bomb just lit up the sky?

It seems there would have been opportunities for intrepid reporters to go out into Baghdad and get stories that would really have mattered - stories that would have enlightened the American public about the climate of opinion there, about conditions among Iraqi citizens, and about reasons for going to War or not going to War. But virtually nothing like that comes across. In the end, it all comes down to, "Wow, that was a big one!"

So I do think this movie is worth watching, but probably not for the reasons it was made. Instead of coming away from the film with an illustration of how good and worthy our reporters are, you, like me, may come away with an illustration of how far our news coverage needs to advance in order to be a really useful tool in the democratic decision-making process.

Making Money Will Win Out.......2006-02-08

The movie portrays a group of CNN reporters grappling with journalistic ethics and the hazards of reporting in a modern war-zone. The message the film generally sends to its audience, although a bit corny, is that nations can avoid conflict by discussion and, of course, CNN would like to be the ones to orchestrate and film it. In the film Robert Wiener is a pushy on-location producer who is know for doing anything to get a story. Ingrid Formanek is his assistant producer and she turns the hardened journalist away from pursuing the risky ultimate story by reminding him of his family; really pulls those heart strings huh? As stated above the plot is beyond cheesy; it is simply Hollywood entertaining us with the typical fast love and action story. Although Mick Jackson and HBO might say differently, what happened in Baghdad was probably very different then what happened in the film.
It was said that the art of making movies is the art of the middle. Making a film basic enough so that most people can get the jokes and understand what is happening. Hollywood's objective is, obviously, to make enough money to cover the cost of producing a film and at the same time to turn a profit. So, it is understandable if not enjoyable that Mick Jackson makes the events that transpired in Baghdad into some trite love story; he is trying to appeal to a certain kind of crowd that is drawn to those tired old clichés. It is sad that most directors are concerned with making money first and getting their messages out second.
One thing, however, that Jackson does well is to portray the CNN reporters in his film as people with agendas. He does not try to fool the audience by having his characters spout garbage about "the people's right to know," he cuts straight to the bone with how Weiner is trying to get the ultimate story in order to advance his career. Overall the film works as an entertaining drama, but it provides surprisingly little information of the events surrounding the 1991 Gulf War.

"People start dying when we stop talking".......2006-01-13

"Live From Baghdad" is a truely facinating movie, probably the best movie focusing on journalism since "All the President's Men". Set in 1990, Michael Keaton plays CNN producer Robert Wiesner who manages to convince his boss to send him a a small crew to Baghdad to cover the mounting conflict between Iraq (which had just invaded Kuwait) and the U.N., spearheaded by the U.S. As the tenstions mount politically the CNN crew, now being co-supervised by producer Ingrid Formaneck (Helena Bohnam Carter), are being constantly belittled by the Big Three, ABC, CBS, and NBC. But on the eve of Desert Storm, the others clear out, leaving CNN the only crew in town to cover the war.

The production values are outstanding. You would almsot think they were filming in Iraq (in fact a lot of it was stock footage). The story is truelly great, if a little redundent, you know, cynical reporter finds his humanity in the middle of the war. But with Michael Keaton, Carter, Bruce McGill (as vetern war correspondant Peter Arnett) and most especially David Suchet, he dose an incredible job as Iraqi Information Minister Naji Sabri al-Hadithi by portreying him as a deeply patriotic man, very dedicated to his people and his country. This is a great film, I can not recomend it enough.

Average customer rating:

The TV Set
Starring: David Duchovny , Sigourney Weaver , Ioan Gruffudd , Judy Greer , and Fran Kranz
Director: Jake Kasdan
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Satire | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000RO6JYU
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Amazon.com

An all-star cast bites the hand that feeds them in The TV Set, a sneaky satire of network programming. As a writer named Mike (David Duchovny, The X-Files) struggles to shepherd his semi-autobiographical sitcom into development, his vision--of a guy who's brought back to his home town by his brother's suicide and rediscovers his joy in life--is slowly eroded by a domineering network executive named Lenny (Sigourney Weaver, Aliens) who favors trashy reality programming like Slut Wars. The rub, of course, is that every crass suggestion Lenny makes improves the show's response from test audiences and brings the show a step closer to getting on the air. Almost everyone in The TV Set has connections to television--Judy Greer (Arrested Development), Justine Bateman (Family Ties), Ioan Gruffudd (the Horatio Hornblower TV-movies), Lucy Davis (the original British version of The Office)--and so have a keen grasp on the behavior and lingo of the media industry. Sometimes the satire is so close to the naked reality of TV development that it isn't even funny--but Weaver (whose own father was a television producer) gives an inspired performance that skirts truth and satire so adroitly it makes your skin tingle. --Bret Fetzer

Description

An insightful and fast-moving comic look at the world of network television development. The story follows a TV pilot as it goes through the network TV process of casting, production, and finally airing, while showing that there is as much entertainment behind the cameras as there is in front.

DVD:

DVD

DVD