DVD Releases January 20 2009

At the ColiseumAt the Coliseum
From Sony
Average customer review:

Four of the greatest voices in the world return in a beautiful performance in the breathtaking Roman Coliseum of Pula, Croatia. Additionally, catch Il Divo in conversation, discussing the rollercoaster ride of the past 5 years, their latest album The Promise, and the excitement of their upcoming world tour.
This DVD is NTSC Region 1 compatible.
Track List:
1. Amazing Grace (Live Video)
2. The Power Of Love (La Fuerza Mayor) (Live Video)
3. Hallelujah (Alelujah) (Live Video)
4. The Winner Takes It All (Va Todo Al Ganado) (Live Video)
5. Adagio (Live Video)
6. The Last Five Years
7. Touring
8. Recording 'The Promise'
9. The Songs
10. The Future For

Customer Reviews

The One and Only Swiss, Spanish, French, American Quartet4
Let's say up front that I'm a fan of Il Divo and their harmonies. Magic happens when their voices blend. Their version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is uniquely beautiful. Opera fans will especially enjoy the Adagio. The interviews with Urs, Seb, Carlos and David are also very interesting.
I should add that I viewed a PAL version of this DVD so hopefully the Region 1 version is the same except for the coding.
Wouldn't it be nice if those Region codes disappeared someday?


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Center Stage: Turn It UpCenter Stage: Turn It Up
Directed by Steven Jacobson
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Return to the Center Stage phenomenon with new passions and partners in the amped-up, high-energy Center Stage: Turn It Up. All Kate Parker has ever wanted to do was perform with the American Ballet Academy. But when she doesn't get in, she learns that it takes more than just natural talent to succeed in the dance world. With a turn in a cutting-edge hip-hop club and the help of a handsome former hockey player-turned-dancer, she may yet manage to make her dreams come true. Peter Gallagher (TV's The O.C., Center Stage), Kenny Wormald (TV's Dancelife), Ethan Stiefel (Center Stage) and a cast of hot, up-and-coming stars rock to a new beat in this unmissable sensation!

Customer Reviews

Center Stage Turn It Up5
I was a huge fan of Kenny's when I watched the TV show on MTV "Dancelife". He is an excellent dancer and when I saw him on TV in a movie I had to stop and see what it was about. When I realized it was a sequel to the movie "Center Stage" I was excited, but not hopeful for a good movie, because I had seen his talent and had loved the previous movie. However, I was completely surprised by the quality of the pot and the great choreography and the dancers. I loved this movie for the excellent dancing, not to mention the acting was better then that of the first movie. I felt that Tommy's character was intriguing and talented, also believable in his struggle. I also liked the idea of a ballerina without rich parents, Kate, is inspiring and although you want to slap her into giving more of herself to her dream, she is totally relatable. Everyone has had self doubt and in that you relate to Kate in her goals and dreams. This movie is worth a watch if you enjoy movies about dance, there are some great ballet scenes as well as excellent hip hop routines. I am going to buy this movie as soon as it is available. Two Thumbs Up.


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President Barack Obama: The Man and His JourneyPresident Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey
Average customer review:

Share the incredible, inspirational story of President Barack Obama , the 44th President of the United States.  See how one man inspired us with the refrain Yes We Can! In this defining moment, America has proven once again that her story is constantly evolving towards greater freedom and justice for all. 

Free Digital Download of Exclusive Brian McKnight song.

Limited Edition Collectible Presidential Card- Holographic foil stamp, numbered and registered.

Customer Reviews

Give opinions about the ITEM please5
Only two reviews so far on this item, and I note the second has nothing to do with the item itself but is rather someone's big chance to soapbox his negativity about our new President. Speaking as a consumer and someone interested in this item and perhaps buying it, can reviews please focus on the item itself and its quality/presentation, rather than personal opinions re. the subject? Thank you.


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Henry Poole Is Here [Blu-ray]Henry Poole Is Here [Blu-ray]
Directed by Mark Pellington
Average customer review:

Henry Poole Is Here is an odd if enjoyable dramedy about everyone's need for a miracle now and then--though one person's miracle can easily be another's nightmare. Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) is a misanthropic loner who attempts to buy a specific house at any price and is rebuffed. Instead, he buys another house in some need of repair but brushes off any discussion of improvement, mysteriously claiming he's not going to be living in it very long. Uncertain what that means, Henry's neighbors learn to give him some distance, until Esperanza (Adriana Barraza) decides she can see the face of Jesus Christ in a water stain on Henry's house. In short order, Esperanza has alerted her church and friends, and a disgruntled Henry's backyard is full of true believers. Directed by Mark Pellington (Arlington Road), Henry Poole Is Here occasionally finds itself awash in treacle and sincerity, especially where Henry's developing relationship with a single mom (Radha Mitchell) and her near-mute child are concerned. But the film never alienates viewers disinclined to believe in iconic apparitions, adding a neat twist toward the end that makes Henry's rage against Esperanza's faith work for and not against him. Making the whole enterprise worthwhile is Wilson's fine performance as a man who has given up on everything (for reasons that eventually become clear in the story) but, in fact, wants nothing more than to embrace life. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

QUIRKY GEM ABOUT BEING HERE NOW5
I loved this little film. Not sure where it was headed as the story unfolded. Thought it was going to be a downer but as the story got tighter, the theme enlarged to something wondrously life-affirming.

I saw it on Blu-ray and loved the look of it -- the suburban locations and the way natural(?) light seems to bathe or reflect or shimmer in many of the scenes. Very metaphorical -- perhaps by intent. And the music choices -- lots of music -- are as precise and fitting as the cinematography.

Strange that this terrific film is so unadvertised. I don't remember ever seeing a trailer, a poster or a notice in the paper (assuming it was ever even shown in theaters).

This overlooked gem is about Hope, Healing, Love, Community, Letting Go of Fear and Living in the Moment. (Yes, these words deserve caps.)


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El Norte - Criterion CollectionEl Norte - Criterion Collection
Directed by Gregory Nava

Brother and sister Enrique and Rosa flee persecution at home in Guatemala and journey north, through Mexico and on to the United States, with the dream of starting a new life. It s a story that happens every day, but until Gregory Nava's groundbreaking El Norte (The North), the personal travails of immigrants crossing the border to America had never been shown in the movies with such urgent humanism. A work of social realism imbued with dreamlike imagery, El Norte is a lovingly rendered, heartbreaking story of hope and survival, which critic Roger Ebert called a Grapes of Wrath for our time.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Gregory Nava
New audio commentary featuring Nava
In the Service of the Shadows: The Making of El Norte: a new video program featuring interviews with Nava, producer and cowriter Anna Thomas, actors Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez and David Villalpando, and set designer David Wasco
Wall of Silence, a new short documentary by Nava and Barbara Martinez Jitner, concerning the building of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border
The Journal of Diego Rodriguez Silva, the 1972 award-winning student film by Nava
Gallery of Chipas location-scouting photographs
Theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by novelist Héctor Tobar and Roger Ebert's 1983 review of the film

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #1155 in DVD
  • Brand: Image Entertainment
  • Released on: 2009-01-20
  • Rating: R (Restricted)
  • Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
  • Formats: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Original language: English, Spanish
  • Subtitled in: English
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Running time: 140 minutes

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Save Me - Theatrical CoverSave Me - Theatrical Cover
Directed by Robert Cary
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When Mark--a young gay man addicted to sex and drugs--hits bottom, his concerned brother checks him into a Christian retreat in the New Mexico desert. Run by a compassionate husband and wife team, Gayle and Ted have made it their life's mission to cure young men of their 'gay affliction' through spiritual guidance. At first, Mark resists, but soon takes the message to heart. As Mark's fellowship with his fellow Ex-Gays grow stronger, however, he finds himself powerfully drawn to Scott, another young man battling family demons of his own. As their friendship begins to develop into romance, Mark and Scott are forced to confront their true selves.

Featuring powerful performances and even-handed direction, this acclaimed drama is a subtly nuanced and deeply sympathetic look at both sides of one of the most polarizing debates in America: the conflict and possible reconciliation between homosexuality and Christianity.

Customer Reviews

First-rank story-telling, acting and directing5
Easily one of the best gay-themed films of the last 5 years. The film does a remarkable job of telling the story of Christianity and homosexuality and the intricate, often destructive dance between the two, but does so with subtle and thoughtful care. Not a bad actor in the film, the film quality is exceptional, and the writing is both brilliant and well-interpreted. It has a clean, spare, lucid feel that helps it transcend the usual shouting and finger-pointing done around the topic of "ex-gays" and people that purport to help gays and lesbians become straight. This is worth seeing regardless of your belief or perspective on this topic.


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God on TrialGod on Trial
Directed by n/a
Average customer review:

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #1891 in DVD
  • Released on: 2009-01-20
  • Rating: Unrated
  • Format: NTSC
  • Original language: English
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Running time: 86 minutes

Customer Reviews

Questioning God5
"God on Trial"

Questioning God

Amos Lassen

"God on Trial" is perhaps the most powerful film I have ever seen and I am still shaking as I write this review. One of the universal questions many of us have had is where was God during the Holocaust? That is usually followed by what kind of God could have allowed something like the Holocaust happen? The God that chose the Jews to be His people was now a God that many did not understand and this was the same God that led the children of Israel from slavery to freedom. Questions like these occur in every generation and most of us have no real answers. In this film, God is put on trial and it is all very convincing, emotional and powerful.
In the filthy barracks at Auschwitz, a group of Jews await their fate. They know that half of them will go to the gas chambers within a short period and most of them are paralyzed by fear, despair and hunger. Yet there is one angry inmate who rails against God and his anger provokes others to react and soon the men agree to put God on trial. They organize a tribunal of judges in the tradition of Judaism. As the drama progresses it confronts the major issue of human existence for most--the basis of faith and it does so in a carefully researched and articulate way. This question of faith is placed in a time and place that have become supreme examples of inhumanity. The barracks were oppressive and yet they are the perfect setting for the drama that tugs at our emotions and challenges our thinking.
I was not familiar with the actual event that this film is based upon but I am definitely going to find out more about it. When the imprisoned Jews decided to have a trial to decide if God was guilty for their living hell, tempers rise and reason takes a step aside but returns when the trial begins. The drama is totally convincing and is a powerful history lesson as the men begin to argue their cases for and against God. They use moments in Jewish history that are accurate and discuss Torah as they present their views. Many of the points they make are not only logical but perfect which shows how much deep thought and preparation went into this.
The cast is superior and includes some of the finest British actors today--Anthony Sher, Stellan Skarsgard, Stephen Dillane, Dominic Cooper, Rupert Graves and Jack Shepherd. However, I must single out Eddie Marsan who tells the heartbreaking story of his three sons being taken from him by Nazis and he was given the choice of saving only one of them. Anthony Sher as Akiba also gives an outstanding performance. He says nothing for the first hour of the film but what he says when he finally speaks is shocking and actually determines the outcome of God's trial. His speech is one I doubt I shall ever forget.
The emphasis of the film is on the arguments. It is almost impossible for a concentration camp inmate to affirm a belief in God yet many did--before, after and during the war. Many
explanations for God's actions are presented here and some have complained that the speeches are lofty and wordy. I firmly disagree. I found the arguments enlightening, interesting and thought-provoking.
The story is cleverly framed with a busload of tourists who go to Auschwitz and visit the actual place where the trial took place and the ending is an extremely moving scene. When we first see the men, they have already been divided into who will die that night and who will live another day. Suddenly a group of Poles arrives earlier than expected and when the two groups come together there is uneasiness among some of the men who feel that God has broken his covenant with the Jewish people.
Andy De Emmony has taken what could have been a maudlin subject and breathed life into it as he directed with style and grace.
The writer, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, wanted to write a drama about the Holocaust but was tired of the emotional films so he decided to write a debate drama. The question that he raises is "when did God turn against the Jews, or did he?" This is what the film concerns itself with during its entirety and if you think this may bore you for 90 minutes, think again. I sat on the edge of my chair, anticipating the next speech.
One critic called the film "12 Angry Men in Pajamas" and I thought he was being ludicrous but then I realized that he liked nothing about the film and probably thought that there never had really been a Holocaust. But then he surprised me by saying that this was an event not to be missed. From the moment the film opens we are wrenched back to the past. Interesting is the way the trial came about--the Polish rabbi, played by Stephen Dillane, states that there is an honorable Biblical tradition of theological disputation and from here the sides form. Both sides of the debate are presented with unexpected revelations. When the last speaker presents his case by giving an inventory of God's Biblical crimes (and I challenge you to find them and they are there), the verdict for God's guilt is handed down. Some of the prisoners said that man is not capable of seeing the entirety of the universe as God does and that it is not our place to question the ways of God. Others contended that God is fundamentally cruel but he has, on occasion, sided with the Jewish people. The Holocaust is evidence that God was no longer siding with the Jews while others felt that God was guilty of abandoning his people. A notable reference made by the French scientist in the group refers to the number of stars in the universe, each of which could have its own solar system. Do those in the barracks actually believe that with all that God has to do that he really pays attention to one tiny spot in space.
The role of free will is also debated. One says that if we know of right and wrong, how is it that we do not question God's role in the destruction of millions of people? If we believe to be holy is to emulate a God who annihilates us, who acts without justice, are we to understand that we are not responsible for choosing right instead of what we know to be wrong?
As the trial ensues we are constantly aware that any moment, the Nazi guards will come to take those that have been selected to die and this inevitability ends greatly to the drama Until the guards come there are various possible verdicts but in the end we are left with not only the questions we began with but several more.
Let me close by saying that I have found references to the trial in the literature of the Holocaust and although it cannot be proven that it ever happened the idea gives us a stunning, shattering and convincing film. Although the film is specifically about Jewish prisoners, it also has universal appeal in the fundamental questions of existence that everyone asks sometime in their life.
The paradox comes at the very end which is almost drama of the absurd--now that God has been found guilty, what have we to do? We must, of course, pray.

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Paranormal State: The Complete Season TwoParanormal State: The Complete Season Two
Directed by George Plamadon
Average customer review:

Delve deep into the strange and the mysterious with Paranormal Research Society founder Ryan Buell and his intrepid team of investigators as they attempt to unravel inexplicable paranormal phenomena around the country. Among the weird events the supernatural sleuths examine are sixth-sense experiences, ghost sightings, demonic disturbances, and brushes with the darkest areas of the unknown.

Founded by Buell in 2001, the PRS works on cases across the country and is one of the most recognized groups of its kind in the nation. Season Two of this two-disc set from A&E includes a Pennsylvania couple bedeviled by paranormal activity in their home, an aggressive poltergeist in Maryland, and a ghostly hag nicknamed the "Lady Vampire" by the Texas family she torments.

PRS uses Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) recordings, video documentation, old-fashioned research and the help of renowned psychics, demonologists, psychologists and counselors to explore these bizarre cases in the hopes of helping frightened people who have nowhere else to turn. PARANORMAL STATE: THE COMPLETE SEASON TWO contains all 12 eerie episodes on 2 DVDs.

Bonus Features: Behind the Scenes; Up Close and Personal with the Members of PRS; Additional Footage

DISC ONE:
7/28/08 Family Ties (#21)
7/28/08 Good vs. Evil (#23)
8/4/08 Shadows and Smoke (#22)
8/4/08 Haunted Ranch (#25)
8/11/08 Hell s Gate (#27)
8/18/08 The Ladder (#26)

DISC TWO:
8/25/08 The Messenger (#28)
9/1/08 Hide and Seek (#30)
9/8/08 The Glove (#31)
9/15/08 The Fire (#32)
9/29/08 First Contact (#33)
10/7/08 I Am Six (#29) (1hr ep)
Bonus TBD

Customer Reviews

Paranormal State---Great Show!5
I received Paranormal State Season 1 as a Christmas present and
when I started watching it, I couldn't stop!
If you are interested in the paranormal, this show is a must see!
I'm very impressed with PRS. I really appreciate the compassion and respect they have for the families. They help them understand what is happening.....and why. I pre-ordered Season 2 from Amazon,it arrived friday and I watched it over the weekend. The last episode, I AM SIX, TOTALLY FREAKED MY THE #@$@ OUT!!!
Also, I really hope Michelle Belanger will come back for a few more shows.
Great Program--Keep up the good work!


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