remake of the venerable nifty-fifty
591775
An improved version of Canon's entry-level 50mm prime. Optically superior to the even smaller 40mm STM ("pancake"), this is one of the cheapest and lightest of Canon's EF series. The new 50mm STM still has the positives of the old version: fast, reasonably sharp, wide aperture, light weight, low price. This is going to be a lot of folks' first prime lens.

It still has the same old negatives as well: cheap build quality, a lack of sharpness through most of the frame until stopped down to f/4, and an APS-C equivalent of 80mm focal length on the majority of Canon bodies. 80mm turns out to be excessively telephoto for many of the shots a beginner buying such a lens would try to take (forget taking that group snapshot).

Compared to the previous (non-STM "II") version: This lens feels better constructed. The motor is a lot less whiny (though far from the whisper-smooth USM motors). The AF seems to hunt a little less. The bokeh is more pleasing.
Unfortunately: It still has the annoying center-pinch lens cap.

Compared to the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM: The 40mm pancake is much smaller, but takes relatively fewer "keepers" than the 50mm (in my experience). Add in the f/1.8 and a lower price, and the 50mm easily wins.

In short, much like the original Nifty Fifty, this lens is a good choice for:
* Beginners trying out prime lenses
* Beginners trying out shallow DOF techniques
* Folks who are weight or price constrained  (it's a nice cheap lens to take on travel walk-abouts, without risking expensive gear)
* Folks who want to carry a backup lens (if you usually use just one lens, it's nice to have a fallback in case it fails or is the wrong type for the shot)
4365750
Great remake!  I would like to add this to my own collection of movies.
1927643
When I bought this game I was hoping for some retro side-scrolling Mario-style action, and for the most part I'd say the game lives up to that. It implements a lot of new controls, like flipping the Wiimote to throw Wario in the air. Easy to remember the first time, but when you come back into the game after a week of not playing, it's easy to forget how to make those moves happen. The actual look of the game is very cartoonish in an artsy kind of way--it's a cool look and one I haven't seen in too many games. It's definitely an upgrade from the classics--putting a fresh spin on what was good about the originals. I think my only real gripe is that the coins disappear shortly after shaking them out, so if you're not quick about racing around to grab them, or if some fly off the edge of where you're standing, you will miss some. Maybe I'm a little too retro for this game myself, because it does seem to be geared more toward kids than to the original Mario audience like me. Good game though, exciting look, innovative controls, and still that old-fashioned side scrolling action that we love.
3799921
60's retro-chic! Nothing meant, or designed, to be serious. This is an aw inspiring bad movie. Could be the love child of an older Bond movie and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I suggest several martinis and Cheetos to add to your viewing pleasure.
1440713
This minor variant of the Austen classic has the Dashwood sisters looking for rich suitors and safe passage from a bewildering variety of creatures. It's improved on the Pride & Prejudice and Zombies formula and is funnier, for my money.

Instead of just adapting passages of the original and throwing in regular detours via monsters (although the Pentagram of Death in P&P&Z was superb), this includes a whole new landscape while putting much of the original through a strange process ... monsterification, or some such.

The books has about 20 or so drawings in, which help bring the daft scenes to life. Some of them are quite a stretch of the imagination, so this helps a lot. There's some quality stupidity on offer here and it's written with erudition and wit. I enjoyed it and it is very funny.

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sherlock-Holmes-and-the-Flying-Zombie-Death-Monkeys/dp/1906669023/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sherlock Holmes and the Flying Zombie Death Monkeys</a>
4264533
A good redo of the original series. Both Eve Myles and John Barrowman are fine in this remake. If you liked the original this one is worth watching.
3928378
The sequel to the wonderful "Our Man Flint" is a bit less fun than the original, but still worthwhile nonetheless.
Women have been quietly taking over the world (well, the industrialized world, anyway) via thought control, and are now in a position to rule the planet. The president has been replaced by a doppleganger, and there are even traitors infiltrating ZOWIE Headquarters! Who else but Flint can save the day?
I have to admit, I couldn't always root for Flint in this one. All those bikini-clad beauties were nice, and can take over my world anytime!
The biggest disappointment here has to be during the confrontation between Flint and the leaders of the female revolution. The philosophical argument is never resolved, leaving our hero to simply tell the ladies to "give it up," which was kind of a letdown.
The crisis facing ZOWIE chief Lloyd C. Cramden is nicely played by Lee J. Cobb. There are also plenty of quintissensial Flint moments ("Well there were five girls at one time, but I've been trying to cut down."), and new Flint gadgets. We even get to see Yvonne Craig (forever famous as Batgirl) as Natasha, doing a swingin' 60's dance to "decadent" American music. Andrew Duggan makes a good President, and Jean Hale is suitably attractive as Flint's nemesis.
The best thing added to the Flint formula would have to be the theme song, updated with words. Hey, how can you NOT like a song called, "Your ZOWIE Face"?
Sadly, there was no third outing for Flint, although there was a short-lived Flint television program in 1976 with different actors. The show did not have the same appeal as the feature films, and quickly faded into obscurity. While Austin Powers is a wonderful parody, he not exactly the heir apparent to super-spy Flint. The Powers films are not subtle spy spoofs, and it was that subtlety of Bond spoofing which Flint had captured perfectly.
Few extras on the two Flint DVDs (just the trailers), and again I have to say that Fox has let down the fans of Flint by neglecting to have commentary or interviews on these discs. On the plus side, the transfer is well done, and in widescreen.
920235
The old standard, improved.  A cheap and extremely functional design.
1549179
This fun old fashioned movie taken from the 1950's TV show takes us back to a simpler time when viewers expectations were far less demanding than today.
164638
I was expecting Bedazzled to be the usual remake disappointment, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it stands up quite well to the original. In fact, it would probably be the better choice for audiences of the younger generations as the original suffers from the same datedness as many '60s films that were cutting-edge "hip" then, but look all tie-dyed and paisley now. Brendan Fraser does his patented clueless dweeb schtick in place of Dudley Moore's more sad-sackish turn, while Elizabeth Hurley's Devil is more beguiling than Peter Cook's just plain weird Beelzebub. Both sets of characters - old and new - are enjoyable, and both films can be appreciated on their own merits. Definitely worth a look.
897790
One of those rare buys where it may be better than the original.
2155504
I found this tribute refreshing.  This tribute album put a new twist on the Boingo classics.  True, a few of them, namely "Little Girls", "Grey Matter", and "Weird Science", don't stray far enough away from the original.  However, the covers of "Not My Slave", "When the Lights Go Out", and "Dead Man's Party" more than make up for those cuts.  Don't get me wrong, I would much rather hear new Boingo tracks.  Seeing how the chances of that happening are next to nil, this was a fun alternative.
3660735
In this day and age remakes are hitting the theaters faster than original movies. Some are better ... some ... well, don't quite hit the bar. For my future brother-in-law, only the original was good enough but he was striking out finding it. It was happy reunion for him and his favorite version of the Vanishing Point thanks to Amazon!
147068
Good but cheap feel, then again, you pay half price of original
1975797
some of the new CGI is a bit jarring, and felt unnecessary. But the cleanup and new CGI of all "digital displays" was actually welcome. Overall, it was a good replacement for my damaged old DVD of the movie.
4166830
all of the features of the original in a small footprint ! what's not to love !
4452202
Skinny movie version that doesn't look big enough next to other ML releases.