Hellboy II: The Golden Army Blu-ray (4.5 Stars)

I saw this movie three times now on the counties DVD and wanted my own for reasons that Roger Ebert once confessed he thought perplexing--"Why would anyone want to have a movie on VHS at home?"

In terms of aesthetics there are sound reasons for the question: scale of image, the startling wonder of a fresh print--one lacking quarter second marker, lines, pops, the sense of a shared experience, and more are valid and indisputable.

By I can see this is print, stop it and marvel at the artistic production values--at the incredibly rich visuals of this filmmaker to my heart's content.

I know the story will hold up and I can enjoy so much more and beyond what even the best movie reviewers could experience in their one time through experience in the preview movie rooms they enjoyed.

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On Golden Pond (DVD) Review

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and eventual winner of 3 Oscars, On Golden Pond is an unconventional Hollywood blockbuster. Based on the play of the same name by Ernest Thompson, the film offers a character driven storyline that explores numerous themes such as aging, abandonment, and family relationships of various types. Veteran film and TV director Mark Rydell packs the big screen with a star-studded cast for this 1981 release. Because of its well developed characters and realistic portrayal of human interactions, it's a film that's almost certain to make you laugh, cry, and/or smile. In fact, if you don't find Norman to be one of the most hilarious and eccentric characters ever created, then you must not be watching the same film.

On Golden Pond follows the lives of a retired New England couple on their annual summer vacation to Golden Pond. Norman Thayer (Henry Fonda) is an aging, long-retired college professor. Sarcastic and crotchety, he manages to distance himself from just about everyone but his wife Ethel (Katharine Hepburn). In fact, his biting demeanor nearly destroys he and his daughter's relationship, Chelsea (Jane Fonda). When Chelsea brings her new boyfriend Bill (Dabney Coleman) to visit, it isn't long before Norman stirs things up once again. But Norman and Ethel get an unexpected summer guest when Bill and Chelsea take a prolonged European vacation and leave Bill's 13-year-old son Billy in their care. It makes for an odd threesome, but as the three learn to live with each other's quirks, they also learn from each other. But the true test for the new family comes when Chelsea and Bill return from Europe. Can she learn to accept her father's vices? And can Norman finally be proud of his daughter for who she is?

Hollywood veterans Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda turn in two of the best performances of their respective careers. Fonda is absolutely brilliant as the doddering and cranky Norman. One can't help but laugh at his antics, although it helps that he has the best written lines in the entire movie. Dabney Coleman, although brief in his appearance, makes an immediate impression when he engages in a classic dialogue with Henry Fonda over the evening's sleeping arrangements. However, in the end, On Golden Pond works because of the chemistry between the three characters who encompass the majority of the story - Ethel, Norman, and Billy. They bind together to create an epic drama rife with conflict, conquest, and chaos without all the usual Hollywood blood and gore. It's truly rare to have a film of this nature capture audiences without boring them, and On Golden Pond pulls it off.

Complimenting this strong cast and screenplay is a simple, yet memorable instrumental soundtrack composed by Dave Grusin, veteran TV and film composer known for such works as Tootsie (1982) and The Goonies (1985). Filmed on location on and around the Squam Lakes in New Hampshire, the beauty and majesty of this untainted landscape blends perfectly with its tailor-made soundtrack to create a theme of endless peace and tranquility. Overall, it makes for a rather enjoyable movie experience. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and watch On Golden Pond. Then, see if you can say "Ethel Thayer" really fast without a lisp!

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a movie review site [http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com] where you can find more reviews like this one of the On Golden Pond (DVD) Review [http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/08/on-golden-pond-dvd.html].

The Golden Girls (Season 2) DVD Review

Making its debut in the fall of 1985, The Golden Girls quickly established itself as a fixture of Saturday night prime time television. Following the lives of four older women living together as roommates in Miami, the show displayed a raw wit and a biting humor. The women live in the house of Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), a Southern belle who loves men of every kind and has dated every eligible bachelor in the Miami area. Her roommates are former high school teacher Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) and St. Olaff housewife and widower Rose Nylund (Betty White). Rose loves to tell stories about her former hometown, much to the chagrin of the other girls. The three are joined by Dorothy's mother, firebrand Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty), a spunky Italian immigrant who always speaks her mind. In her early-eighties, Sophia may walk at a measured pace, but the velocity of her sarcasm only increases with age.

The Golden Girls (Season 2) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "End of the Curse" in which Blanche comes to the conclusion that she's pregnant when, in reality, she's beginning menopause. The revelation throws her into a deep depression... The season premiere is followed by "Ladies of the Evening" in which the girls have tickets to the opening of a new Burt Reynolds movie (tickets that entitle them to meet the famous actor), but while waiting in a hotel lounge for the show to begin, they're caught in a police raid and arrested for prostitution... Other notable episodes include Rose dating a man named Isaac Newton, the girls taking care of an abandoned baby, and an aborted attempt (the season finale) to establish the cast of the later spin-off show Empty Nest...

Below is a list of episodes included on The Golden Girls (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 26 (End of the Curse) Air Date: 09-27-1986

Episode 27 (Ladies of the Evening) Air Date: 10-04-1986

Episode 28 (Take Him, He's Mine) Air Date: 10-11-1986

Episode 29 (It's a Miserable Life) Air Date: 11-01-1986

Episode 30 (Isn't It Romantic) Air Date: 11-08-1986

Episode 31 (Big Daddy's Little Lady) Air Date: 11-15-1986

Episode 32 (Family Affair) Air Date: 11-22-1986

Episode 33 (Vacation) Air Date: 11-29-1986

Episode 34 (Joust Between Friends) Air Date: 12-06-1986

Episode 35 (Love, Rose) Air Date: 12-13-1986

Episode 36 ('Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas) Air Date: 12-20-1986

Episode 37 (The Sisters) Air Date: 01-03-1987

Episode 38 (The Stan Who Came to Dinner) Air Date: 01-10-1987

Episode 39 (The Actor) Air Date: 01-17-1987

Episode 40 (Before and After) Air Date: 01-24-1987

Episode 41 (And Then There Was One) Air Date: 01-31-1987

Episode 42 (Bedtime Story) Air Date: 02-07-1987

Episode 43 (Forgive Me, Father) Air Date: 02-14-1987

Episode 44 (Long Day's Journey Into Marinara) Air Date: 02-21-1987

Episode 45 (Whose Face is This, Anyway?) Air Date: 02-28-1987

Episode 46 (Dorothy's Prized Pupil) Air Date: 03-14-1987

Episode 47 (Diamond in the Rough) Air Date: 03-21-1987

Episode 48 (Son-In-Law Dearest) Air Date: 04-11-1987

Episode 49 (To Catch a Neighbor) Air Date: 05-02-1987

Episode 50 (A Piece of Cake) Air Date: 05-09-1987

Episode 51 (Empty Nests) Air Date: 05-16-1987

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a movie review site [http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com] where you can find more reviews like this one of The Golden Girls (Season 2) DVD Review [http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/02/golden-girls-season-2-dvd.html].