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Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, a review by Tom

Title: Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
Year: 1977
Director: George Lucas
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 120 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround EX , German: Dolby Digital Surround EX , Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: Commentary, English, German, Turkish

Stars:
Mark Hamill
Harrison Ford
Carrie Fisher
Peter Cushing
Alec Guinness


Extras:
Commentary
DVD-ROM Content
Scene Access
THX certified

The original trilogy is always a pleasure to watch. This first movie has had great impact on popular culture and that deservingly so. It still holds up even 30 years later.
By the way: I have been to the Mos Eisley set in Tunisia

Rating:

Now some remarks to the changes done for the 1997 and 2004 re-releases. Although I am opposed in general to changes done many years later to old movies, I can still enjoy them sometimes. I have mixed feelings about the Star Wars changes. On one hand I enjoy some, on the other hand I loath some of them. Especially those which are done only to match better with the inferior prequel trilogy.

Changes I enjoy:
- Replaced static dewbacks in the background with moving CGI dewbacks.
- blur under the landspeeder removed
- Improved take-off of the Falcon in the Mos Eisley docks
- improved Death Star docking bay
- changed writing on the Death Star tractor beam control
- added sound effect when the stormtrooper hits his head. I like it, that they did not try to get rid of this blooper
- Improved corridor depth perception over the original matte paintings
- improved take off of the Rebel fighters


Changes I can tolarate:
- New exterior of Ben's hut
- CGI Jabba scene. Although not quite the Jaba we know from Return of the Jedi, it is interesting to see, how they integrated a previously deleted scene, which was shot with a human Jabba at the time. Also the 2004 version improves the texture of Jabba.
- Greedo and Han shoot simultanously. Although I like it better, when Han shots first, we have now a compromise between what George Lucas wants and what the fans want.
- Han Solo chasing stormtroopers does not result in a dead-end with few stormtroopers

Changes I hate:
- Additional dewbacks in the scene where the storm troopers search for the droids
- additional joke characters added in the Mos Eisley arrival scene
- Not as much as hate, but I enjoyed the original explosions of Alderaan and the Death Star more, than the new ones with the "Praxis" effect.
- Unnecessary change of the sound Ben Kenobi makes to chase the sand people away

Overall, the changes for the first movie do not offend as much as the ones for the other movies (especially the third).

(From Tom's Star Wars marathon on December 7th, 2008)

Lost Souls , a review by addicted2dvd

Lost Souls (2000/United States) New Line Home Video Director: Janusz Kaminski Writing: Pierce Gardner (Original Material By), Betsy Stahl (Original Material By), Pierce Gardner (Screenwriter) Length: 98 min. Rating: Rated R : Scenes of Violence, Terror and Language Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround Subtitles: English

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Stars:
Winona Ryder as Maya Larkin
Ben Chaplin as Peter Kelson
Sarah Wynter as Claire Van Owen
Philip Baker Hall as Father James
John Hurt as Father Lareaux
Elias Koteas as John Townsend

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Production Notes
• DVD-ROM Content
• Closed Captioned

This is a movie I haven't seen since I bought it back in 2003. So I remembered nothing going into this one today. This one co-stars Sarah Wynter who played Kate Warner on 24. While the story has a good premise... I just had a hard time keeping interest in this movie.I found I wasn't caring to much about the characters. The story was a bit slow for my taste. While the story does have it's moments... I can see why this is the first time I pulled this disc out in 8 years.




(From TV Stars in the Movies: On-Going Mega Marathon on July 3rd, 2011)

Ghost Whisperer: The Complete First Season, a review by addicted2dvd

Ghost Whisperer: The Complete First Season IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer/Intro | Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is a young newlywed with the unique gift to communicate with spirits of people who have died - a talent that was inherited from her grandmother. The dead seek out Melinda's ability to help them relay significant messages and information to the living. Despite her fear, compassion compels her to help these earthbound spirits cross over by completing their unfinished business with the living. Relive these amazing journeys in all 22 first-season episodes. Episodes: 1. Pilot 2. The Crossing 3. Ghost, Interrupted 4. Mended Hearts 5. Lost Boys 6. Homecoming 7. Hope and Mercy 8. On the Wings of a Dove 9. Voices 10. Ghost Bride 11. Shadow Boxer 12. Undead Comic 13. Friendly Neighborhood Ghost 14. Last Execution 15. Melinda's First Ghost 16. Dead Man's Ridge 17. Demon Child 18. Miss Fortune 19. Fury 20. The Vanishing 21. Free Fall 22. The One

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Stars:
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Melinda Gordon
Aisha Tyler as Andrea Moreno
David Conrad as Jim Clancy

Extras:

• Audio Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes/Bloopers
• Closed Captioned

This is the series that made me a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt. I think she was just fantastic in this series. As was Aisha Tyler and David Conrad. This first season stuck more to the drama... it isn't until later seasons that they explored the more spooky storylines such a series can do. I really enjoyed most all the episodes in this season. And the season ends with a bang. Though I must admit the big surprise they had for the end of the first season I seen coming from a mile away. Even the first time I saw the 2 part season finale when it originally aired I told my whole family what I thought (as the whole family loved this show from the start) in part one of the finale. They all thought I was nuts... but at the end of part two they all seen I was right. If you never seen this series before I definitely highly recommend it. Some of my favorite episodes from the first season...

- Pilot
- Lost Boys
- Melinda's First Ghost
- Free Fall
- The One



(From Addicted2dvd's Random TV Series Watched on November 24th, 2013)