A perfecto combination of scenes sequences, music, script and narration
930485
One of the best documentaries from BBC.  Excellent footage with crisp images and a superb music score accompanying every scene and driving emotions with each note.  Add to that Attenborough's narration and it's pretty much an unbeatable combination.
2114637
An icredible display of the true pinnacle in film making.
97216
There is filmed such stunning picture composition at every moment that this DVD set is like looking at a continually changing souvenir picture postcard. Panoramic and close-up views all come from a moving helicopter mounted camera. What a ride. What a optical experience.
____AND, the accented narrator offers so much local color in her voice as all of the detailed facts she discloses. Educational as well as aesthetic. It comes on 2 DVDs, but in 3 parts.

Italy, Northern Style
____Winter Alps begins the show and then takes the viewer to Mediterranean fishing villages. the views looking from the water toward land, and helicopter elevation, is a vista few have ever seen. Delightful.
____I have been to Italy, took the train along the coast, but this DVD is even more spectacular than what I saw in person from a train. With "VISIONS OF ITALY" on DVD, you see a point of observation ONLY available via a helicopter.
____Names of locations (at least 32) appear in the corner of the scene but the narrator's pronunciation is so much more sensual (and correct) than my attempts were. Add the excellent music background and this is 5-star travel excellence all the way.
____Northern bonus segment is 21 minutes long, out of the 160 total minutes contained in both Northern and Southern Style segments.

Italy, Southern Style
____This part of the Italy experience has a romantic, exotic coastal footage with an erotic beauty, making every mile a desirable destination. It was filmed in 2001, so it is 'very current.'
____41 different locations are listed on the paper insert inside the DVD case. What a perfect preview for anyone planning an Italian vacation. Look at this prior to making out your itinerary. It's better than a travel agent.
____Having traveled Italy some, I believe this DVD offers views that are better than what can be seen in person, sometimes. Honest!
____Southern bonus material last 21 minutes. It's so soothing, with the scenery rolling by and the fine music background. Do it right, have wine, cheese, and a baguette while watching.

Visions of Sicily
____This special DVD and segment on Sicily covers territory I have never seen in person. It is lovely, and the filming is a continuation of the excellence seen in VISIONS OF ITALY. Having never seen Sicily in person, I was amazed at how modern (21st century) it looks, including excellent roads and bridges. You see some spectacular bridges. It almost looks like Disney helped design Sicily. There are, even so, many very old churches and buildings to explore visually. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

This is also available in Blu-ray.
Great gift for the travel minded. Or the want-to-be's.
197413
Here is my review for 'Creation of the Humanoids':

This film has about 3 or so changes of scene, has only 1 fist fight, tells almost all the story with dialogue, and the events transpire in something very close to real time.  In other words, the script has every appearance of being written first as a play...it would be interesting to find out if it ever was performed as such, and an enterprising group of thespians could easily produce this as a play.

This unique feature of this movie, rather than being a shortcoming, I see as a virtue.  This is due to the fact that the script is extremely literate and well-crafted.  This film has a lot to say about the nature of humanity, of God, and of the soul.  And many of the messages are somewhat cryptic.  Despite the more ambiguous themes, this film provides and a clear commentary upon the issues of civil rights as they were unfolding in 1962, and gazes forward through time to our present societal difficulties with sexual tolerance.

Despite being shot on an obviously microscopic budget, this film
manages to convey an otherwordly mood, thus facilitating the willing
suspension of disbelief. The sets and costumes are often silly or
ridiculous, and there are no spectacular battles, explosions, or space
flights. Nonetheless, the creators, cast and crew turned out an
interesting and thought-provoking story.

A few dollars were wisely spent obtaining the services of make-up
virtuoso Jack Pierce, of Frankenstein fame, who created a subtle yet
effective look for the androids, a look that quietly reinforces themes.
The androids are simultaneously different, and yet the same, as humans.

Don't watch this if your major attraction to scifi is FX or space opera. But if you are interested in exploring some of themes of literary scifi, this film is a fascinating artifact.
2676908
Music! Effects! Character Voices!! Its like listening to a play of galactic proportions! I love it!
3677446
This is a film whose strengths lie in the director's vision and his cast.  The editing style tells the story in a "two steps forward, one step back" paradigm.  The flashbacks work here.  Check it out!
1746121
Beautiful and strong. A perfect musical score that compliments the story, acting and scenery of the movie. Provides the sounds to create emotional breadth without becoming overwhelming.
1732510
Movie soundtracks are a very important part of movies to enhance the plot/scene to a maximum effect. Soundtracks can be in the form of songs to enhance e. g. a love scene, emotional/life tragedy etc. Examples of this can be (1) Prince's soundrack/songs to 1989's Batman Movie, (2) Phil Collins' songs to 1999's Tarzan Movie & (3) Bryan Adams' songs to 1992's Spirit : Stallion Of The Cimarron Movie. In addition to songs there are musical scores (musical sounds to enhance the scenes), some popular musical score writers are Mark Mancina & Hans Zimmer. Most movies combine the two including some CD releases.'Thor, The Movie' soundtrack is of a musical score/instrumental variety & the MP3 download has 24 tracks for a highly competitive price of $7,99. I'm very impressed with the first 8 tracks : 1. "Chasing The Storm" a great orchestral instrumental. 2. "Prologue" a 'rich' orchestral instrumental sounding like Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" intro sound. 3. "Sons Of Odin" up-tempo instrumental, very melodical. This is a gem/solid track/stand-out. 4. "A New King" a 'mellow' but melodical great track. 5. "Ride To Observatory" a beautiful layered orchestral instrumental. This is the second gem/solid track/stand-out. 6. "To Jotunheim" is a great instrumental that gives you a feeling 'something great gonna happen or after effect of such'. 7. "Laufey" okay 'eerie' instrumental sound. 8. "Frost Giant Battle" sound quite similar in many aspects to "Sons Of Odin" as described above. From track 9 to 22 is a group of great instrumental track but one rather feel them as variations (they are not)/sounding quite similar/'usual' sound. A stand-out from this group of tracks is track 19. "Forgive Me". There 2 last tracks are however quite inspirational : 23. "Can You See Jane?" (Great violin sound) & "Earth To Asgard" (up-tempo with great layered melody). On the overall, this a good musical score, better enjoyed especially if you have seen 'Thor, The Movie'. If you enjoy musical scores, you'll have a reasonable dose in these great 24 tracks.
4797033
I bought this as a gift for my dad for Christmas last year, but then when I actually saw what came in the anthology, I decided to buy myself a copy too. I remember watching these movies years ago, but it's amazing to see how much effort they put into these little discs. Again, please make sure you read the product description that I'll include in this review just so you can understand how much you're actually getting when you buy this set:

Disc 1: ALIEN

 **1979 Theatrical Version
 **2003 Directors Cut with Ridley Scott Introduction
 **Audio Commentary by Director Ridley Scott, Writer Dan OBannon, Executive Producer Ronald Shusett, Editor Terry Rawlings, Actors Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt
 **Audio Commentary (for Theatrical Cut only) by Ridley Scott
 **Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith
 **Composers Original Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith
 **Deleted and Extended Scenes
 **MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

 Disc 2: ALIENS

 **1986 Theatrical Version
 **1991 Special Edition with James Cameron Introduction
 **Audio Commentary by Director James Cameron, Producer Gale Anne Hurd, Alien Effects Creator Stan Winston, Visual Effects Supervisors Robert Skotak and Dennis Skotak, Miniature Effects Supervisor Pat McClung, Actors Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn and Christopher Henn
 **Final Theatrical Isolated Score by James Horner
 **Composers Original Isolated Score by James Horner
 **Deleted and Extended Scenes
 **MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

 Disc 3: ALIEN 3

 **1992 Theatrical Version
 **2003 Special Edition (Restored Workprint Version)
 **Audio Commentary by Cinematographer Alex Thomson, B.S.C., Editor Terry Rawlings, Alien Effects Designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., Visual Effects Producer Richard Edlund, A.S.C., Actors Paul McGann and Lance Henriksen
 **Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Elliot Goldenthal
 **Deleted and Extended Scenes
 **MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

 Disc 4: ALIEN Resurrection

 **1997 Theatrical Version
 **2003 Special Edition with Jean-Pierre Jeunet Introduction
 **Audio Commentary by Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Editor Herv&eacute; Schneid, A.C.E., Alien Effects Creators Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., Visual Effects Supervisor Pitof, Conceptual Artist Sylvain Despretz, Actors Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon and Leland Orser
 **Final Theatrical Isolated Score by John Frizzell
 **Deleted and Extended Scenes
 **MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

 Disc 5: Making the Anthology

 The Beast Within: Making ALIEN

 **Star Beast: Developing the Story
 **The Visualists: Direction and Design
 **Truckers in Space: Casting
 **Fear of the Unknown: Shepperton Studios, 1978
 **The Darkest Reaches: Nostromo and Alien Planet
 **The Eighth Passenger: Creature Design
 **Future Tense: Editing and Music
 **Outward Bound: Visual Effects
 **A Nightmare Fulfilled: Reaction to the Film
 **Enhancement Pods

 Superior Firepower: Making ALIENS

 **57 Years Later: Continuing the Story
 **Building Better Worlds: From Concept to Construction
 **Preparing for Battle: Casting and Characterization
 **This Time Its War: Pinewood Studios, 1985
 **The Risk Always Lives: Weapons and Action
 **Bug Hunt: Creature Design
 **Beauty and the Bitch: Power Loader vs. Queen Alien
 **Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn
 **The Final Countdown: Music, Editing and Sound
 **The Power of Real Tech: Visual Effects
 **Aliens Unleashed: Reaction to the Film
 **Enhancement Pods

It's absolutely mind-blowing how much they're giving you when you buy this anthology. I bought this solely on that information alone, just so I could submerge myself in the world of Alien. Words cannot describe how amazing these movies are. If you haven't watched them, please do yourself a favor and watch these movies now. They are instant classics.
4004366
An incredibly inventive and inspired movie, it takes the idea of a movie-within-a-movie beyond anything I've ever seen before. A movie is being shown on Italian television that resembles very much DeSica's film THE BICYCLE THIEF. At its most poignant and emotional moments, however, it's interrupted by commercial breaks. Pretty soon the characters from the movie "leave" the film for the commercials, and vice-versa. The director (Maurizio Nichetti) enters the movie to try to get his script back to the way he intended it. The results of all this are wildly funny. Not only is the premise of the story extremely clever, but Nichetti pulls it off with technical felicity (going from b&w in the movie to color in the commercials) and some great acting from his principals. It's a wonderful treat of a film that will keep you smiling for a long time after it's over. It also has some sharp things to say about art and commercialism. Definitely worth a watch.
1267960
So often when viewing a film as fine as A SINGLE MAN the components that add to the story and the acting and the direction, if they are truly well done, go unnoticed.  And perhaps that is the real mark of a fine musical score: it underscores the mood  and propels the story along without calling attention to itself.  But after repeated viewings of this particular film on DVD the music finally can be appreciated for what it is.

The personality of George, so very shattered by the news that opens the film, is captured by the beauty of Abel Korzeniowski: he understands when to use silences, when to meld the aqueous memories of swimming underwater with the solitary moments of this stoic man who have just been notified that his partner of 16 years has been killed.  He turns to his own music (Miriam Gauci singing the beautiful aria "Ebben? Ne andr&ograve; lontana" from Catalani's opera LA WALLY - a song about leaving home for the last time - just the right aria for a man who is planning his suicide), and as his mind remembers the beautiful times with his love Jim the music becomes impossibly beautiful - a mixture of full orchestra with interludes of piano alone.

The story, being set in the 1960s, also makes use of old standards form Jo Stafford ('Blue Moon'), Etta James ('Stormy Weather') and the fun of George dancing the twist with Charley (Charlotte) to the tune of 'Green Onions' by Booker T. and the MGs.  In addition to the subtleties of Korzeniowski's score, there are moments with the brief but eloquent music of Shigeru Umebayashi is introduced as contrast.  Overall the mixing and the musical foundation fits the magic of this superb film and offers the sound forum for the acting gifts of Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, and Nicholas Hoult.  A fine CD all by itself - for memory's sake. Grady Harp, August 10
1493710
Margaret Mazzantinis very popular novel Venuto Al Mundo (English translation brought into the world) has been transformed into a screenplay by the author assisted by the director (her husband) Sergio Castellitto, the film in English is now called TWICE BORN. It is complex story, beautifully sculpted with interlocking flashbacks that cover a 30 year period, photographed with great skill by Gianfilippo Corticelli, and a cast that makes this carefully integrated story of varying timeframes work splendidly. Much of the films beauty is in the complexity of the manner in which the story develops and revealing too much of that story would spoil the experience for new viewers. Very basically the story relates a mother who brings her teenage son to Sarajevo, where his father died in the Bosnian conflict years ago. But more needs to be added.

Italian professor Gemma (Penlope Cruz) visits Sarajevo with her son, Pietro (Pietro Castellitto, son of the writer and director). The two of them had escaped the city sixteen years ago while the boys father, photographer Diego (Emile Hirsch) remained behind and later died during the Bosnian War. As she tries to repair her relationship with Pietro, Gemma is forced by revelations to face loss, the cost of war and the redemptive power of love. She re-acquaints with her dear friend Gojco (Adnan Haskovic) and together they relive the horrifying experiences of the war in Sarajevo, Gemmas attempt to provide her beloved Diego with a son (she is sterile), the eventual plan to have Diego use musician gypsy-type Aska (Saadet Aksoy) as a surrogate for the couples much desired child, and the consequences that plan takes on, leading to a series of identity crises that the now older Gemma must face with her teenaged son Pietro. The story is structured on alternate scenes from the trip taken in present in Bosnia by Gemma and her son and flashbacks from the two time periods (of the first encounter and the war), a technique that at times is difficult to follow but that definitely enhances the tension of the story.

The cast is extraordinary: Penelope Cruz is dazzling, Emile Hirsch gives his most sensitive performance of his career, and Adnan Haskovic, Saadet Aksoy and Luca da Filippo (as Gemmas father) are outstanding. This is a difficult film in message but a profoundly moving drama. Highly Recommended. In English, Italian, and Bosnian. Grady Harp, December 13
253924
Sequence of events is very well done. Changing scenes frequently enhances the story.  You can guess at the probabilities, but you will probably be wrong.
4774541
EQUILIBRIUM is a "stylistic allegorical sci-fi docudrama" with sufficient classical good vs evil twists to warm the heart of both nihilist and marginal moralist alike, aided by appropriate excursions of cinematic excess. Any sub-perfect plot aspects are largely rendered nonintrusive by the character and performance consistency of all the main actors.

Kudos to the the casting director for a near perfect match-up of expected typecast personas with the screenplay characters; what often is a distraction or weakness in many films becomes another level of storyline dynamic.

While this is not an Oscar-level Tolstoy epic, at worst it is certainly a very good 100+ minutes of enjoyable escapist R&R; at best, a graphic expos into disturbingly probable aspects of future societal structures, some of which are already manifest in our present techno-existence.

Oh, and the martial arts stuff is kick-ass!

[ PS: I agree with many other reviewers regarding various sub-par distributions! The only one, in my opinion, to purchase or view is: OAR 2.35, remastered, in 5.1 audio, and Blu-ray. Any honorable production house can provide this at approx. 10 USD and stay rich all day, every day. ]
3651144
Long before Quentin Tarantino's signature film, Hollywood had produced hard-boiled, pulp fiction movies based on the novels & stories of Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, and Mickey Spillane.  The darker, more adult themes, and cinematic images influenced by German Expressionism of the aptly named "film noir", demanded a new, dramatic music to enhance the singular character of these movies.  From the lush scores of "Golden Age" composers like Max Steiner and Franz Waxman, to the young, innovative composers, like Miklos Rozsa and Elmer Bernstein, this recording has tantalizing samples from thirty-one "film noir" classics, selected by an informed editorial staff.  Many of the tracks are the "suites", which were originally played over the films' opening credits, and have been extracted directly from the films.  The sound quality of the excerpts is surprising good, considering the sources.

If you are at all interested in "film noir",  use this recording's playlist as a starting point for some of the best films with the best scores from this genre.
4589074
I read an extremely detailed review, with explicit spoilers, before seeing this film-- but still enjoyed it thoroughly.  It's the most original concept in film-making in recent years.

The acting, camera-work and set-dressing don't make much impact, although-- to give credit where credit is due-- the realism in wardrobe, set-dressing, and dialogue is extremely well done.

What sets this movie apart is the intricacy of the editing.  It's filmed in such a way that you'll thoroughly enjoy "making an evening of it" by inviting friends to watch the film, then discuss the plot afterward, over a long dinner.  Bonus points if you can figure out who the bad guy is, and a half-dozen other major plot points-- but DAMN, you'll have a fun time debating & puzzling over it.

IMPORTANT:  Other reviews have (incorrectly) said that the film's sequences are shown backward.  This is not true.  Or rather, it's only half-true.  The film is made up of a series of 5-minute segments.  Half of them (let's call them M, N, O, P, ... Z) are shot in black and white, while the other half (let's call them A, B, C, D, E...K, L) appear in color.  The black-and-white segments are shown in reverse order (Z, Y, X, ...) and are interwoven with the color segments, which happen in chronological order (A, B, C...).  The result is a bit confusing:  The segments are shown in "A, Z, B, Y, C, X, D, W, E..." order.

This interesting use of editing and sequence lets us completely enter the confusing world of the main character, who's unable to form new memories, and so, can't remember anything for longer than 5 minutes.  It also helps to keep us guessing about major plot points.

Keep your eyes open for logical conflicts and what look like continuity errors, in the main character's oldest memories.  These apparent errors are particularly revealing, and closely model the way a real memory works:  impoerfectly remembering things, and hiding painful memories while editing & altering memories.
4737851
Dario Marianelli has composed one of the most sensitive, classically inspired movie scores that have been created in many years.  His ability to orchestrate (with additional assistance form associates) is nearly matchless.  In his own words, Marianelli states `There are several themes in the score of Anna Karenina:sometimes appearing alone, often intersecting, their paths running alongside for a while. Those paths are shared by the characters in the story as they walk towards or away from convention, pretence, happiness, guilt, love, fun, and even truth. In a very important sense, the musical motifs do not represent the characters themselves I prefer to think of them as spirits, perhaps demons, unseen, signposting the way, or simply bearing witness to the events.'

The handsome ItaloAmeriican Dario Marianelli received his first Academy Award for his work on director Joe Wright's  `Atonement' and also was also honored with another Oscar nomination for Wright's `Pride & Prejudice.' After viewing the film, especially the wondrously choreographed waltzes for which Marianelli composed unforgettable music, the viewer realizes perhaps for the first time just how much the musical score embellishes a film. As Marianelli states,  `I am quite familiar with a fair amount of Russian orchestral music from the 19th and 20th century. What I didn't know much of was Russian folk music, so I did some research into that. I listened to a lot of folk songs, and I recorded a few of them. A couple of very old tunes found their way into the score, and provided one of the elements of the musical world I was trying to create. I found it quite interesting to listen to the composers who started the whole idea of a Russian national school, Glinka and especially Balakirev, and to the folk songs they collected and used in some of their work. In the end I am not sure how much of that has gone into what I have done, but I am certain at least a little of that listening has colored part of the score.'

In all, this is a CD that stands solidly alone, even without the visual beauties of the film, as an example of the finest in musical scoring.  Grady Harp, December 12