Too many band member changes make it nearly impossible to say that this line up of Anderson, Squire, Howe, White & Sherwood is the best.... but, it IS one of their better line ups. If they could've somehow lured Rick (keyboards) or Trevor from the holes they've been hiding in (not likely), this album could have received higher marks. The musicianship on "The Ladder" is tight and the production is crisp. Jon Anderson, after all these years, still sounds on top of his vocal game. Alan White, one of my personal favorite all-time drummers, is back and he and his drum kit sound great. Howe and Squire on their perspective guitars... more brilliant wizardry! This album has a surprisingly upbeat tone. The songs give off a cultural flair. "The Ladder" offers a world flavor - Jamaican beats, Australian chants, African this, Brazilian that. You get a sweet ballad in "If You Only Knew"; a reggae tune in "The Messenger"; and the three best songs on the album (because they rock and they remind me of "old" Yes - in varied song structure and great guitar work)... "Face To Face", "New Language" and the title cut "Homeworld (The Ladder)". This album from 1999 is easily the best release from that particular decade (you'll see what I mean if you listen to "Union" or "Talk").. and perhaps the best album since "90215". Not classic in the mind of Yes fans, but definitely listenable and essential to the collection. Yes!

This is the Pink Panther I remembered as a kid. Peter Sellers as the bumbling inspector Jacques Clouseau. Herbert Lom as Dreyfus, the former chief inspector that's been committed to a mental institute due to Clouseau's ineptitude. While there's no stolen diamond (as the previous "Pink Panther" movies usually had), this movie centers around the two main characters. A simple plot... Dreyfus wants to stop at nothing to rid the world of Clouseau. Memorable scenes: the opening scene at the mental institute with Dreyfus falling into the lake time and time again; Clouseau trying on his new hunchback disguise followed by an explosion; Clouseau disguised as a dentist working on Dreyfus' tooth; many failed attempts to get into Dreyfus' castle by Clouseau; and the apartment entry fight scene between Clouseau and his trusted Asian servant Cato. Memorable lines: "What kind of Bomb was it? ("The exploding kind"); "Does your dog bite? ("No") -the dog bites Clouseau- "I thought you said your dog doesn't bite?" ("That's not my dog"). Director Blake Edwards did a wonderful job guiding Sellers and then letting him go off on his own when needed while the camera was rolling. I can see where this movie was inspired by the James Bond series. As well as this movie proved to be a big inspiration to anything Austin Powers ever did. This movie has very few extras... a trailer, an 8-page booklet with some insight from the director, and your choice of full/wide screens. Picture is clear and sound is (only) average. Good movie overall and still fun to watch after all these years.

Like any greatest hits collection... you'll have hits and misses. While this "Young Hearts" collection is mostly "Hits", there are a few scattered misses. The good is that you get every song from Miller's "Greatest Hits: 1974-78" except for "True Fine Love" and "Winter Time". No love lost there. You also get some early hits like "Living In The USA", "My Dark Hour" (with Paul McCartney) and "Shubada Du Ma Ma". Also keep in mind there are three other Steve Miller compilations out there besides this one and "1974-78"; those would be "Anthology" (1972), a "Best of" - Import - with the horse and orange cover, and "Best Of: 1968-73". "Young Hearts" captures songs from each and in the liner notes, you'll note that this is the only compilation CD featuring his best chart topper in the 1990's, "Abracadbra" (which is from the name of his boat). This is a good mix and songs are arranged randomly. All the popular stuff is here... "Take The Money & Run", "Rockin' Me", "Fly Like An Eagle", "Jungle Love", "Wild River", "The Joker", "Livin' In The USA", "Jet Airliner", etc. It does miss with a few old tunes that are question marks - "Who Do You Love" and "Space Cowboy". Why not throw in classics like "Mercury Blues", "Heart Like A Wheel", "Going To The Country", or the last track from Miller's classic "Fly Like An Eagle" album called "The Window"? This CD also misses in that "Fly Like An Eagle" and "Abracadbra" are the radio edit versions (why?). The sound is crisp thanks to the 24-bit digital remastering. Plenty of music here - CD length is approx 75 minutes. In my opinion, this is the best one disc compilation from Steve Miller.

The original "Terminator" (1984) is a classic in it's own right. And, "Terminator II - Judgement Day" is also a classic - not as original as T1, but slick production, a killer soundtrack, and incredible stunts and special effects made this perhaps Arnold's most essential movie in recent years. "T3 - Rise Of The Machines" is a classic in it's own right, but falls short in some aspects. Schwarzenegger is back as the old T-101... strong, quick, witty, and tho he's noticeably older... and he still resembles the same old T-101. Relative newcomer Kristanna Loken (as "T-X") plays the role of the "bad machine" trying to kill John Connor. Loken was good in her relentless pursuit and I think she did a fine job for such a demanding role (even tho she had very few lines). The movie falls short in that they could not sign Ed Furlong back for this "T3" edition. Not to mention a missing Linda Hamilton (as Sarah) and master director John Cameron. While Nick Stahl may be a decent actor... I almost felt like we were watching "Doogie Houser, M.D." fill in for the superbly cast Furlong. For me, Stahl just wasn't a good fit here. Claire Danes was OK - nothing out of the ordinary. A sad thought... with Arnold now the governor of California, odds are this could be the last Terminator movie with him in the lead role. "T3" does contain one of the most exciting edge-of-your-seat car/truck/motorcycle chase scenes in recent history. This 2-disc DVD set has all the standard extras with trailers, director/actor commentaries, a storyboard gallery, etc. But over and beyond this set contains a fine "HBO - Behind The Scenes", a visual effects lab (and how they did it), and a very funny gag reel. Worthy purchase? You bet - any Arnold fan should have "T3" in his/her movie library.

I remember "The Great Outdoors" being downright hilarious when I first saw this on the big screen in 1988/89. Candy & Aykroyd were, dare I say, in their 'prime'. Over the years tho, it's lost some of it's luster when viewed on the smaller box. While there's no comparison to Candy's "Planes, Trains & Automobiles", or "Uncle Buck" (or even Aykroyd's "The Blues Brothers" or "Trading Places") this movie has an equally important spot on your DVD library shelf. In "The Great Outdoors", John Candy plays the caring good guy family man with a heart, named Chet. His obnoxious brother Roman (played to a tee by Dan Aykroyd) comes to the log cabin unannounced with his snob of a wife Kate (played by then newcomer Annette Bening). When Chet's realization of his nice quiet vacation in the outdoors is going to be ruined by his arrogant brother... he trys desperately to make the best of the situation. Some dull moments are interlaced here with some extremely funny scenes... including some witty raccoons; Chet unintentionally going waterskiing; a flying bat inside the log cabin; a big bald bear; and probably the best moment - Chet eating the "Big 96'er". Outside of the original movie trailer, this DVD comes with no extras what-so-ever. Perhaps this was a sign that this typical 80's comedy was destined for the bargain rack. Glad this is finally out on DVD in the year 2004... what took Universal Studios so long?

1993 found a memorable cast working together to make a great film... Kirk Russell (as Wyatt Earp), Val Kilmer (as Doc Holliday), Sam Elliott (as Virgil Earp), Bill Paxton (as Morgan Earp), Powers Booth (as Curly Bill), and Michael Biehn (as Johnny Ringo). Not to mention superb supporting roles by Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Zane, Charlton Heston, Jason Priestley, and Dana Delaney. "Tombstone" takes you back to 1881 when the Earp brothers stumble into Tomstone, AZ to settle down with their spouses. It isn't long before the outlaw "Cowboys" led by Curly Bill and Johnny Ringo make trouble and the Earps decide to take action. Val Kilmer plays a witty and charasmatic Doc Holliday - the best I've ever seen - probably one of Kilmer's finest Hollywood roles. A chunky Billy Bob Thornton has a memorable role as Johnny Tyler - as Wyatt's first punk to pick on. The first half of the movie sets up the characters nicely. The second half of the movie really gets going when Wyatt Earp yells at Johnny Ringo at the train station... "You tell him I'm coming! And Hell's coming with me!" You just know that the Earp's and Doc are going to kick some major as*. The gunfights were excellent. The town with it's buildings and surroundings were believeable. Director George P. Cosmatos has not put out a finer movie to this date. This special (2002) director's cut 2-disc set gives the audience superior 5.1 dolby sound; approx 5 minutes of extra movie footage; a director's commentary; a timeline of the story, 3 different production featurette's; a corny "collectable" Tombstone map; and a game of chance (you'll play once and probably never play again). A classic western and a personal favorite.

I went into this movie hoping Kevin Costner had left the tone of his previous efforts ("The Postman", "Waterworld", "Dragonfly", etc) behind him. While this movie was directed and produced by Costner, I didn't get that same loathsome feeling(s) when the end credits were rolling. While this production was good, it still (in Costner fashion) dragged on too long. The storyline was simple - the local powers-that-be did not like the free-range grazers. The mean old sheriff and his shady crew wanted them off their land. Dirty tricks followed; men were killed; and revenge was sought after. The good guys wore light colors. The bad guys wore dark. The gun fights were above average, and the first angry shot fired (in the bar) rocked the camera - at least it felt like it did. Robert Duvall (as Boss) played his part perfectly. "Boss" was easily the most likeable and fitting character. I couldn't picture anyone else playing the part except for "Mr. Lonesome Dove" himself. Costner was good, but a bit too cold and his lines seemed to be read, as opposed to being heartfelt (tough to do with a bad seed like Charley I suppose). A very supportive Annette Bening was wonderful as Sue, the Dr's sister. She was warm and caring throughout the picture. The scenery was magnificent. The horses were beautiful and well-groomed. The set up (props) of the town was believeable. The flaws were in Costner's delivery of some of his lines, little or no soundtrack to speak of, and the lack of much of anything going on in the first 90 minutes of this film. Some will say this is character and plot development. I would agree to an extent, but you don't have to waste the viewers time doing it. A good western is hard to come by, and this one will get my two thumbs up... but, by no means does it fall into the "classic" category. Beware, "Open Range" is good, but it's no "Butch Cassidy", "Pale Rider", "Tombstone", "Man From Snowy River", "Big Jake", "Nevada Smith", "Lonesome Dove", etc. The DVD is a 2-disc set with director's commentary, director's journal, deleted scenes, and a historic featurette. Questionable as to whether or not this could have been a desireable single disc... but knowing Costner and his crew, they probably wanted the double-disc tag (and the price to go with it). I was fully expecting "Open Range" to exceed the 3 hour mark (as most Costner movies do), maybe that's the problem... another 30-60 minutes of action might have helped. This movie was good, but I was left wanting and expecting more.

First let me say that I'm a long time KISS fan from the 1970's originally from Long Island, NY. I've seen KISS on several occasions and I still get excited about seeing ANY of their live performances. Here's the good and the bad on the KISS-Symphony DVD...

THE GOOD: KISS still looks great. They're in good shape - considering they'll be able to collect social security in 10 years or less (not that they need it). The song selection is good, tho I somehow wish they'd choose a few classics that they never seem to play live anymore - like "Got To Choose", "Parasite"... or the forgotten "Mr. Speed". Ultimately, KISS goes with the songs that work well for them live. Here, with the Melbourne Symphony, the band had to pick songs that worked with a 60 piece orchestra. The classics like "Black Diamond", "Do You Love Me", "Goin' Blind", "Beth", Detroit Rock City" all work fantastic... most of the others do to - but these I thought really stood out. Sound production is crisp. Guitars and drums and orchestra are all in synch and no one seems to drown anyone else out. I thought the "Rove Live" interview was great and very candid, and the song "Sure Know Something" sounded great with the band members sitting on stage and a select number of orchestra members behind them. Tommy Thayer (Ace replacement) totally rocked on all stages - he had Ace's guitar licks down.

THE BAD: There is absolutely NO reason we need 2 discs here. Approximately 3.5 hours of material... and that includes Act-3 twice. I've seen movies just as long on one disc. If you sit down with disc 1 (as most viewers probably do), you'll watch an informative preview leading up to the show - the orchestra and band rehearsing, voices from the fans, the production crew, and an Australian "Rove" live interview (similar to a Jay Leno and Letterman show). In fact, I wish there was more of this. After this preview, you jump right into 3rd and final Act (why?). Disc 2 starts off from the beginning of the show (containing all 3 Acts). Why are we shown Act-3 twice? Why not have one disc in chronological order of the entire event? I get the feeling that the buying public will spend more money on a 2-disc set - thanks Gene & Paul for soaking another few bucks out of the fans). The ego of both Gene & Paul are still huge. I found it offensive after the 15th time of Gene pumping his groin into the camera. Watching Paul's backside almost as much as his front was annoying - watching Paul shake his as* at the camera quickly grew tiresome. Having played drums myself, I was always a fan of drummer Peter Criss. Yet actually watching Peter play made me remember just how average a drummer he is. His drumming seemed labored and there was nothing flashy about his playing. I have to remind myself this is KISS, and their music is for the most part simple. My point is - if you want to see a great drummer, look elsewhere (i.e. Rush's Neil Peart, or Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy). The editing on this KISS DVD is way to fast (borderline headache fast). While watching the 4 band members on stage, you only get a second or two at a time. The camera angle was always changing. While this kept it somewhat fresh... it was just overwhelming at times. Anyone notice the track listing on the back of the DVD case is wrong? All they had to do was take it from the previously released 2-CD set. "Great Expectations" and "Black Diamond" are misplaced in the Act-3 track listing. 4 stars for a great performance, but a somewhat flawed DVD set.

One of my favorites from the year 2003. Maynard James Keenan and Billy Howerdel write beautiful music together on "Thirteenth Step". Sure, some say A Perfect Circle (APC) is Keenan's side project... but I don't think so. This is such a different band, with a very different sound. Tool often times hits you over the head with hard and sometimes fast guitars, gritty and desperate vocals singing about pain, angst and despair. APC is poetry singing about personal struggle, but in a more emotional and melodic sense. Where "Mer De Noms" was very Tool-esque to me, "Thirteenth Step" is virtually unlike anything else I own. There is everything from percussion exercises, hypnotic drumming ("The Package"), wonderful ballads ("Blue") to rock and roll standards ("Weak And Powerless", and the amazing "The Noose"). 2003 was a lackluster year of releases (good but not great - see Metallica, Godsmack, Fuel, Spock's Beard)... but "Thirteenth Step" is my rock album pick of the year. A Perfect Circle's 2nd effort is unique and parallel to none.

4 Oscar nominations and the talented Julianne Moore made me think this was going to be a great drama. I went into this film knowing nothing about the story. Moore has had a few memorable performances on film recently ("The Hours", "Magnolia"), but for the most part her film credits over the past decade have been forgetable ("Evolution", "Hannibal", "The Big Lebowski", "The Shipping News", "The Lost World", etc). Dennis Quaid has had minimal success as a major motion picture star - most recently (2002) with "The Rookie", but before that it was hit and miss with flashes of only minor success ("Dragonheart", "Enemy Mine", "Great Balls Of Fire", "Innerspace", "Frequency", etc). "Far From Heaven" finds Moore and Quaid as the happy Whitaker couple in suburban 1950's Connecticut. He is the top sales exec, she is the happy house wife who cares for their disciplined children. They host parties and as far as the neighbors know - everything is peaches and cream at the Whitaker's house. The 50's decor is outstanding - from the houses and buildings, to the clothes of the era, to the cars they drove - you truly believe you are transported back to that time in America. The film is rich in color - from the autumn leaves on all the trees, to the nicely painted houses and interior rooms, to the sweaters the ladies worn to their tea parties. As for the film... it's a drama, and a slow moving drama at that. Two heavy issues are brought about in this film. One with Frank Whitaker's secret homosexual relationships at his work place and when he's on vacation. And two, the budding relationship between Moore and the family's black handyman Raymond Deagan, played by "24" president Dennis Haysbert. At the time, both issues were considered taboo. This film just did NOT grab me. It was slow from start to finish. I kept waiting for dramatic brilliance and never got it. Quaid's acting was stiff... I swear I saw the cue-card guys standing in the background in two scenes. Moore was OK, but she was always speaking in the same tone... whether entertaining guests, discovering her husbands dark secret, being slapped in the face, feeling uncomfortable in a black restaurant - she never got excited about anything. 4 Oscars nominations.... where? I will give credit to guys behind the camera, but that's it. A "compelling and passionate film" - gimme a break. Severely disappointed in most everything about this film. (...)