Elton John: The Red Piano

Your Front Row Seat Awaits
The Bitch is Back, indeed! One of the finest songwriters of the 20th century is well showcased on this DVD. The Red Piano's set list features some of Sir Elton John's best-known crowd pleasers and he delivers each performance with gusto. One can't help but get enraptured by his enthusiasm, and I found myself tapping my toes to a few tunes that I wouldn't even count among my favorites, ie: Benny and the Jets. There's something about seeing the songss performed live that makes them that much more engaging. Vocally, Elton is in excellent form, and though he modifies a few melodies (he doesn't hit the high notes like he used to - he leaves that to his back-up vocalists), his voice sounds rich and full.

Technically, the set design and overall visual production are remarkable and complement the music well. The sound seems especially crisp for a live performance recording. My only complaint is that the aspect ratio is the soon-to-be-defunct 1.33:1, which doesn't translate...

Poor quality video
I won't say anything about the show itself... if you like Elton, you'll love the show... but quality of video is slightly better than VHS... surprisingly, quality of bonus material (which includes fragments from EXACTLY THE SAME SHOW) is much better than that of the main feature.
First AC/DC "No Bull", now Elton John "The Red Piano"... this is a rip-off... save your money, this definitely is not a hi-def video you would expect on a blue-ray disc.

Just like you are there!
I saw this show live in Vegas several years ago and wanted to see it again it was that good, unfortunately I kept missing it. The release of this disc means I can relive the show whenever I want to. It does not contain all of his hits but the stage production and sound are stellar. Even if you are a casual fan of Elton John this is a must have, you feel like getting up and singing along with the songs and may regret not making it to Vegas to see this show live.

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Elmo's World Box Set: Best of Elmo's World Two

We Love Elmo!
I am very satisfied with this purchase. Great box set, with fun Elmo episodes to watch. I absolutely love the disc "Families, Mail, and Bath Time" very good entertainment, two thumbs up and highly recommended for viewing. Then there's the second disc "Food, Water, and Exercise" which is great too. The third disc "Reach for the Sky" emphasized on Jumping, Going to School and something else, didn't pay attention anymore because this whole disc is boring. 2 great discs out of 3 makes this box set worth buying. As of this moment I am searching Amazon for more Elmo's World discs to buy, just can't get enough of this cute furry little critter. Elmo, We Love You!

Great set of Elmo's best.
My daughter loves Elmo so I bought her this set, and also Elmo's World One. These are her favorite CDs to watch. Well worth it if you want your toddler to disappear for an hour so you can do stuff around the house :o)

Saved us on a long trip!
We bought these DVDs to help occupy my 15-month-old on a 5 hour car ride. He absolutely loves Elmo and was captivated by all three DVDs. He learned the word 'sky' while watching, which was a nice bonus!

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Shiva Rea: Surf Yoga Soul

Yoga Waves
Finally the long awaited Surf Yoga Soul arrived today (thanks to totalfitnessdvds com). I previewed all of it right away and did 6 out of the 7 segments afterwards. It has a short introduction where you can see Shiva in her surfer girl mode on a surf board and on the back of a convertible explaining the DVD , it was cool.
This DVD has fun yoga practices definitely with surfers in mind (there's an obvious focus on upper body and core strengh since it's important for surfing) though anyone can do it. And finally , it has a matrix like Shiva's first DVD's so you can customize your own practice. There is some new and excellent music except one song I recognized from Fluid Power which is also great and has a beautiful setting - on Polihale Beach ,Kauai. The production quality is great as with all of Shiva's DVD's.

For playing the segments you can only go to the Matrix and choose whichever segment you want in any order and press "ride the wave" (play).
here's some...

Just Ok
Three stars. OMG! Yes I know that the scenery is wonderful. Who can resist beaches. Yes, the production quality is perfect. And yes I know that this dvd was made with love. Aren't they all? But I wish I had followed my instincts and not bought this one, but I did because it's Shiva Rea and I'm a fan. Having said that if you have all of her other dvds or just her upper and lower body dvds, then you don't need this one as there is nothing really new here.

What I love most about her dvds is her creativity and I was hoping for some of that here. Frankly I was bored. Ok I sweated, a lot, especially doing 108 push-ups, but I did not enjoy it much, at all.

Maybe my expectations are too high. I was looking at a clip of tripsichore yoga and thought , now that's creative, and I know Shiva Rea is capable of this and making it accessible to all levels. As such, this dvd is more of same for her. If you had to pick just one Shiva Rea dvd to start with, buy Yoga Shakti...

Gorgeous and creative
Shiva Rea has a flair for visually stunning DVDs with wonderful soundtracks, and this is probably the best one yet. I've used this many times in the past few weeks, and here's a brief impression of each section.

1. Wave meditation: This is an active warmup section where you're "popping up" from plank into a warrior variation, like you're surfing. It's a little free-form, and is probably my least favorite.
2. Mandala (circular) namaskar: Like much of her newer sun salutation variations, she teaches you a new sequence and then you do it many times -- in this case, you're flowing between reverse warrior and side angle pose, but extending the lower arm past the navel so you're using core strength. Between sides are yogic squat variations and dhanurasana (bow).
3. Agni (fire) namaskar: three sun salutations where you perform up to 12 pushups each time you come to plank, for a total of up to 108 pushups. Very challenging, and contains great shoulder and chest stretches...

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Florence Nightingale

Terrific Portrayal
I was dissapointed to read the other review of this movie because I really loved it. Granted, I am a nurse so I may have more invested than a non-nurse viewer....even so I thought Jacqueline Smith gave a heartfelt and noble portrayal of Florence. The movie itself showcased some of florences best moments...standing up to the male hierachy of the British Army to be allowed to care for the wounded soldiers. I defy anyone not to be moved by Florence's dedication and commitment to her patients. Way to go Jackie! Good job in bringing the "Lady with the Lamp" to life!"

Florence Nightingale is a Masterpiece!
I absolutely loved this movie and I am so glad I bought it for my home to view it over and over again. It is a wonderful story based on true facts from the life of Florence Nightingale who unselfishly gave up her life to help others. We can all learn from her fine example and discover just what this life has to offer and what we can do to improve it.

Florence Nightingale
I really liked this movie, it is sad but I think Jaclyn Smith did an excellent job in this film. The wardrobe was very authentic and the story stuck very close to real life. Love it.

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It Could Happen to You [Blu-ray]

True Romance
Very sweet movie. I loved it, and I think true Romantics will love it too. Based on a true story, it follows the adventures of a cop who wins a lottery and shares his winnings with an out-of-luck waitress. Rosie Perez did an excellent job as the Cop's overbearing and greedy wife, as did Ms. Fonda and Mr. Cage.

I nearly cried at the end when the citizens of NY came through for the kind-hearted Cop and the Waitress.

When you find out what happens to the Cop's wife at the end of the movie, you will laugh out loud.

I couldn't get through Sleepless in Seattle, and found this movie to be much better than the usual so-called Romantic movies.

I loved it, in the tradition of 'while you were sleeping'.
I also was channel surfing last night and wound up watching it. A long time ago I had caught the last five minutes of it and even though I felt it was extremely predictable, I thought it was a good 'feel good' movie. This time I caught it only ten minutes into the plot, just when he and the wife are about to hear the winning numbers...
If you don't like predictable, 'feel good', light-hearted romance, this movie might not be for you... but I do!!
I just loved it!! I am a fan of romantic comedies with good acting and good plots that renew your faith in life and in the fact that there STILL are good honest people out there that will 'do the right thing' in spite of putting a lot on the line. I love Nicolas Cage as an actor. He can do a really dramatic role and he can turn around and do a great romantic character with feeling next time.
If you liked 'While you were sleeping' you will love this one as well. Slightly more comedy content than another great one, 'A walk in...

Blu-ray: The film deserves 4 stars, but the presentation on Blu-ray and lack of features brings it down to 3 stars.
"It Could Happen to You" was the surprise romantic comedy of the Summer of 1994 directed by Andrew Bergman (screenwriter for "The Freshman", "Fletch", "Striptease" and director of "Honeymoon in Vegas") and a screenplay by Jane Anderson (who has written for television series such as "The Facts of Life", "The Wonder Years" and most recently an episode of "Mad Men").

VIDEO & AUDIO:

One thing that people may see is the Blu-ray disc cover with photos that looks quite grainy and aged. Granted it was an artistic decision to use a water color style of filter to give a painted look but by no means should anyone judge the cover for the picture and audio quality of this High Definition transfer of "It Could Happen to You".

The film is presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 1:85:1. Although, the film does show a slight hint of age and the High Definition transfer does bring out the grain, you do get a bright and colorful look of New York City...

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