The Vampire Diaries: Cast & Creators Live at PALEYFEST

Great behind-the-scenes stuff with Nina Dobrev and others!
This show is so good and I'm officially obsessed with Nina Dobrev. Although I enjoy Vampire Diaries more than True Blood or Twilight, I always wondered if the show was taking their outside ideas and just adapting them...well, in this discussion Producer Kevin Williamson actually talks about how his show is NOT a knock-off!

Everyone in Vampire Diaries is gorgeous, so it was awesome to hear the cast discuss everything that goes in to vampire make up and sexy abs :) Now that I know just how much work goes into the make up, I don't feel quite as bad about myself! If you're a fan of the show at all, this DVD is a perfect supplement for those annoying days in-between episodes.

Great if you're a fan
I found the dvd really funny actually and as a fan of the vampire diaries it suited me perfectly. I was suprised about the fact that it didn't have a menu and just played by itself so maybe something to work on is have a menu with like extras or something like that. But overall, a great dvd interview with the cast and it only took like 14 days to get to Britain so I was please with that.

intersesting but unfocused a lot of the time
Many of the questions were well thought out. Many of the responses were wonderful and gratifying. But the producers allowed anyone to jump in at any time, and a couple of them did, drowning out the others' responses frequently. You barely get to hear Nina Dobrev at all.

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Brain [Blu-ray]

Fun to watch comedy
A great David Niven comedy. If you like those 60s cops and robbers comedies like the Pink Panther you will probably enjoy this.

Slightly silly but glossy and enjoyable 60s caper comedy
Headlined by Jean-Paul Belmondo and Bourvil at the height of their fame, The Brain aka Le Cerveau is a slightly silly 1969 French caper comedy with one eye firmly on the English language market with the casting of David Niven and Eli Wallach, though Olive's new Blu-ray and DVD release is of the French-language version that's some 15 minutes longer than the simultaneously shot abridged English language version released in the US, with Niven and Wallach rather impressively delivering their French and Italian dialogue themselves rather than being dubbed. Niven is the Brain of the title, the criminal mastermind behind the Great Train Robbery whose cerebrum is so large that in moments of stress his neck can't support it, and Wallach the Mafioso he wants to launder his loot from an encore of his greatest triumph with a NATO train carrying a $16m payroll. Unfortunately Belmondo's escaped small time convict and his reluctant pal Bourvil are planning to take the same train using the Brain's...

Amazon you lying Dogs
This is the second time I have bought this movie from Amazon. If I could give it no stars I would. I bought the DVD "Le Cerveau" which was supposed to be in French and dubbed to English and have subtitles only to find out it was in French with no subtitles. According to the description above it is supposed to have German and English dub. Unless you can understand French DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. Put it in my Blu-ray player and the first 5 mins you hear David Niven speak English then it has English subtitles with French audio. What part of English dub doesn't Amazon understand. Could you please check your products before you sell them and make sure the product description is correct. To make things worse the video conversion is pathetic. Obviously they found the grainiest film copy to convert and then did nothing to the quality. To sum up: French Audio without an English Dub and very poor video. My second bad purchase from Amazon with Le Cerveau being my first.

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Alamo: Thirteen Days To Glory / Malice - 2 DVD Set (Amazon.com Exclusive)

Edited Is Better Than Nothing
Let's say you've waited for years for something to come out on DVD and it finally becomes available.....what's more, it's shown as being the full program. So, you naturally order it, right? Then - you play it and it's edited - say what? Obviously, your next step is to warn others so they don't spend money on something that isn't complete. The VHS set for "Thirteen Days To Glory" is 3 hours long. The package this set comes in says it's 180 minutes - the full mini-series. I suppose that's why when it gets played, it checks in at 148 minutes which the last time I checked isn't 3 hours, but 2 hours and 28 minutes, somewhat shorter than the original. You do have to give credit to those who edited out the 32 missing minutes - they did do a decent job - but sadly, it's not the full program. If you're like me, you've been looking for this and are excited it's on DVD. Perhaps the missing 32 minutes won't bother you. After all, an edited version is better than no version. There does...

Finally Availabe- The Great 1986 Alamo
Truly Great Bargain with the suspense filled thriller Malice1993 thrown in almost for free
The Alamo:13 Days to Glory was one the the very best Alamo flicks in recent years. It is in between the 1960 John Wayne Grand Spectacular and the more recent Thornton/Quaid 1996 outing.The filming was done on John Wayne's reconstructed San Antonio village (of the time) at nearby Brackettville, Texas. This outstanding movie is a great bargain in itself, running a full 3 hours with outstanding acting from James Arness, Loren Green,and Alec Baldwin. The portrayal of Santa Ana, by Raul Julio, is near Oscar Caliber.It very closely follows the award winning book I read as a youngster: 13 days to Glory by Lon Tinkle.
The movie is long "out of print" and barely obtainable on inferior VHS, but thanks to Amazon Here it is for all to once again enjoy in a bargain price "twofers" pairing. A Huge Thank You Amazon!
Bob Wolter Milwaukee, WI

Wonderful
Malice is such a fantastic film and Alec Baldwin is just amazing so I had to see the Alamo, im not one for cowboy films but it was well done :D

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I Puritani [Blu-ray]

Rivetting
Although it's set during a period of considerable interest in English history - the Interregnum that takes in the conflict between the Cromwell's Roundheads and Royalists loyal to the Charles I and the Stuarts - the libretto for Bellini's I Puritani makes little use of the historical circumstances but rather, not surprisingly for an Italian bel canto opera, merely uses it as a backdrop for a story of romantic intrigue. If the libretto follows a well-worn generic line in this respect, I Puritani - Bellini's last work before his early death - is however rather more interesting musically, having more in common with Verdi than Rossini or Donizetti and showing the composer at his most imaginative and inspired. It's fortunate then that there is great emphasis and attention paid to this musical aspect in the De Nederlandse production from 2009, but effort is made in other areas of the production in an attempt to make the work a little stronger and more coherent that it might otherwise...

Original Paris edition (1835) - Quite Different
Every once in a while I rummage through my stacks of CDs and pull out a treasured set. It is to remind me what real Bel Canto singing must have been like in the 1830s when Bellini first presented I Puritani. This CD album is the remastered Maria Callas recording of 1953. Then I was in graduate school and remember that I and my friends marveled at everyone in the cast for such beautiful singing: Callas, of course, di Stefano as Arturo, Rossi-Lemeni as Giorgio and Panerai as Riccardo with Tullio Serafin conducting at La Scala. Her notes were not always on pitch but her agility at fioratura, roulades,trills etc was a marvel but it was all in character. I've loved this opera ever since have seen/heard many performances since. Anna Moffo did a creditable job but Sills, Southerland and E. Gruberova were super creditable as coloratura Bel Canto singers. The Met's recent presentation with Anna Netrebko was not "Bel Canto" but was a dramatic and passionate tour de force and a tremendous...



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Justified: Elmore Leonard, Timothy Olyphant, and Graham Yost Live at the Paley Center

It's just not a good time
I've become a Justified addict. The show is smart, darkly funny, intense, and well-acted across the board. These folks actually get Elmore Leonard right. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he is credited as a producer of the show. I am also geeky enough to enjoy the occasional 'behind the scenes' show. So, when I saw this I jumped. I gave it a good try, I really did. But whatever energy Justified has is altogether missing here. Elmore Leonard looks ancient and tired. Timothy Olyphant looks bored out of his mind. Graham Yost is the only one with any life in him. The questions are on the lame side and a bit worshipful. Admittedly, Elmore Leonard is a living legend and Timothy Olyphant is both pretty and a fine actor. Still, there have to be more interesting questions and more engaged answers. My advice: stick with the show and just pretend you never heard of this 'behind the scenes' interview.

Love 'Justified' and Elmore Leonard
If you love the TV show, 'Justified' (and the Elmore Leonard stories that continue to inspire it), as much as I do, then this edition of "Live at the Paley Center" is for you. Author Elmore Leonard, Creator/Show Runner Graham Yost, and star of 'Justified' Timothy Olyphant are all on hand for an informative discussion of the show, how it came to be, how they continue to produce some of the best dialogue on television, and much more. They answer questions from both the moderator and the audience. It runs 60 minutes.

The respect, humility, and admiration held among these professionals is evident and sincere. Leonard is a pro, as are Yost and Olyphant; altogether, they make a phenomenal team. Having read 'Fire in the Hole' and 'Raylan' (available on Amazon), this tribute to the iconic 87-year-old author, Elmore Leonard ('Get Shorty,' 'Out of Sight,' and '3:10 to Yuma'), his stories (including the one about his impeccable work ethic) were something I enjoyed and appreciated...

Good Insight
Entertaining to see people involved with the show give background and interact. Worth a look if you are a Justified fan

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Falling Skies: Cast & Creators Live at the Paley Center

Interesting
Not outstanding, however interesting as far as how the characters of this series were developed. Liked some of the backstories and it was evident that the cast members did get along.

Good for those who like the show
It was pretty cool to hear their thoughts and ideas about the show and the characters they play. You get to hear their thoughts which I always find interested. It's like the comments on a DVD which I like to listen to.



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NCIS: Cast & Creators Live at PALEYFEST

It's tough to be objective
I'm not certain that I can critique this video objectively because I was fortunate enough to attend this PaleyFest event, but I will try. Thank you, Paley Center, for making this video available.

Without being obnoxious about attending the event, I'll try to give an honest overview of what it was like in person. The event began with an introduction about Paley Center and its role in preserving television history. Without any set-up of what would be shown other than an example of the films maintained in the Paley Center archive, a film clip began. The large screen over the stage filled with the image of a 30-something David McCallum, and the audience was generous with its applause and cheers. The clip was a scene from "The Pop Art Affair", an episode of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." Set in a coffee shop, a girl named Sylvia chatted with and sketched Illya and his "Dostoyevsky eyes". That brief scene gave the event a nice spark of excitement. After the...

great event!
I was at this event and have been hoping for several years for this to be released on DVD.

When my order arrived, I couldn't wait to check it out, to see if it was as I remembered the event.

This is fantastic--great close ups, fantastic audio, and the spirit of the event is well represented. Great to see cast and crew (sadly minus Pauley Perrette, who was away on a photo shoot) interacting and giving tidbits.

What a great bunch of people!
This is a superb ensemble of actors who have a genuine affection for each other and are devoted to making NCIS what it is today. They approach everything with a sense of humor. Just delightful!

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