This film milks the most out of what is a pretty [poor] plotline. Two fun-loving but less than intellectually astute blondes (let's just say that they're not the type of people whom you engage in the Hegelian dialectic with) find out that their 10 year high school reunion is coming up. As they both lead what they believe to be very "ordinary" lives, they have a plan to lie about their professions so as to impress their former classmates.

The strongest point of this DVD is its cute satire of what can & does happen at HS reunions. So many times the people who were thought to be "shoe-ins" for success end up falling flat on their faces. Meanwhile, the quiet people whom nobody ever paid any attention to end up becoming mega-successful. This is a theme that is played out in a myriad of ways throughout the film.

It is demonstrable that Mira Sorvino is a dynamic actress who can play just about any kind of character there is. She could easily go from playing a ditzy girl in the present film to playing college professor in her next project if she so chose.

It remains to be seen how far Lisa Kudrow's talents can stretch. The clueless blonde she plays in this story is pretty much a clone of her FRIENDS persona. I'd like to see her in a role that she's not typecast as.

The good news for this film is that Kudrow and Sorvino work well with each other. They are believable as best friends who have virtually never been apart. If nothing else, we get to view Kudrow in about a dozen different hairstyles during the movie, and she looks FABULOUS in all of them!

If you're looking for a cheesy flick that has some satirical moments, this movie is worth a look. It's not hilariously funny, but there are some comical moments. It's not a movie you will think about much after watching it, but it's just good enough to make you happy you saw it once.

Do you believe in love? Fate? That everything happens for a reason? Astrology? Premonitions? Near misses of should-of-beens? Well, neither do I. However, this film is full of ALL of these things and come to find out the story is delightful!

John Cusack is a way-cool actor. He always plays the type of guy you want to root for to prevail in some off-the-wall struggle. Kate Beckinsale is nothing short of gorgeous and her British accent is a charming ingredient of this comical look at a love-story-gone-awry.

Cuscack & Beckinsale play a couple of New Yorkers who "accidently" meet up one night. Turns out, they REALLY hit it off. Due to a sequence of unlikely events, they are separated and go their separate ways.

A few years later both are supposed to be married - almost on the same day. Only problem is (you guessed it) by now they're supposed to marry different people. At the eleventh hour both start having second thoughts and begin having reveries about their one enchanting evening together.

The balance of the story traces their attempts to get back in touch with each other while their friends believe they've gone looney. The result is what is quite possibly the funnest & sweetest Romantic Comedy since WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING.

If you have a date tonight, I would SERIOUSLY recommend this film. If you don't have a date tonight, find one & then watch it together. As a last resort, watch it by yourself. Remember: everything happens for a reason! OK, OK, maybe it doesn't - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't buy this DVD!

This is a fantastic account of an epoch in which the worlds of history and mythology merge together. The historical significance of myriad passages in Homer are discussed and elaborated on. One cannot but stand in awe of Finley's perspicuity in deciphering the historical importance of even the minutest details.

This is a superb reference guide to assist one's journey thru the archaic but wonderous historical niche of the ancient Greeks. For those who have already read the works of Homer, the present work is a very useful tool to examine more closely the subtle information provided in even the most remote passages of the epics.

This book is highly recommended to anyone who has ever read Homer, as well as anyone who would ever like to. For students of Greek history and literature, this one is a can't miss!

As a former Navy man, I have always been fascinated by the lives of my brethren who spent their careers beneath the waves. I never knew just how much clandestine activities occupied their time until reading this book. Of all of the military history books I've ever read, this one was the biggest eye-opener.

The book details the story of the submarine in the U.S. Navy for the duration of the Cold War. It picks up shortly after WWII with some of the very first "spy" subs and it carries thru all the way to the end of the standoff in the early 1990s. The book is filled with detailed information (much of it only recently declassified) on submarine trackings, submarine sinkings, underwater collisions, cable wire-tappings and much more.

One of the best features of the work is that it explores the risks and exploits of the submarine force from the personal, military, political, legal, scientific and ethical realms. We are not only offered the stories of these sailors' accomplishments, but we're also given a snapshot of who these brave men are / were. Anecdotes are plentiful and are inclusive of everyone from the legendary Hyman Rickover all the way down to the lowliest E-1s.

This book is a must for all military history buffs - particularly navy / submarine aficionados. It's well written, difficult to set down and is a wonderful introduction to the cloak-and-dagger world of submarine surveillance and espionage. If you want to know what REALLY happens beneath the blue curtain, then this is the book for you!

In 480BCE 300 Spartan Hoplites held a pass for the better part of 3 days against a Persian force that may have numbered over 200,000 men. The Spartans were aided by around 7,000 coalition troops during the first 2 days. However, they were dismissed on the 3rd day. The Spartans, their Helots and the Thespians allies died to a last man. It was one of the most gallant stands in all of military history.

To this day there is an inscription on the funeral mound @ Thermopylae that serves as a memorial to their sacrifice. An English translation is as follows:

GO TELL THE SPARTANS, STRANGER PASSING BY
THAT HERE OBEDIENT TO THEIR LAWS WE LIE.

The title of this movie is an allusion to Thermopylae. However, the film itself is about the earliest days of Vietnam. It recounts a time not long after the fall of Dien Bien Pu; an epoch when the U.S. did not have a commitment of a significant number of troops. During the period covered in this movie all that we had over there were a handful of military advisors.

The film details an obscure event at a Vietnam village known as Muc Wa. Although the battle itself will not likely even find its way into the footnotes of history, it nevertheless serves as an excellent "premonition" of what was to come. It narrates how much the U.S. underestimated the fighting prowess and resolve of the Viet Cong. In fact, Muc Wa can be said to be a microcosm of how the entire Vietnam War went for the United States.

The cast of the film is fairly impressive. The lead is taken by Burt Lancaster who portrays a Major who is asked to do the impossible with almost no resources at all. A very young Marc Singer plays his XO. Craig Wasson (best known for his leading role in Brian Depalma's BODY DOUBLE) plays a shy young corporal.

This is a terrific Vietnam movie that encapsulates just about everything that went wrong for the U.S. in the ill-fated conflict. It's a must see for all who seek to learn and understand the facts of the early stages and how it all went downhill from there.

The original OUTER LIMITS series aired in the early 1960s. It was often compared with its rival (and more popular) show, THE TWILIGHT ZONE. However, there was a distinctive difference between the two shows. TZ only sometimes had stories that belonged in the science fiction genre, while OL was STRICTLY 100% of the science fiction genre.

In the mid-1990s the show idea was renewed on SHOWTIME. Being on SHOWTIME meant that the writers did not have to worry about censors. So, what resulted was a science fiction show with a nice blend of eroticism. The current DVD is 4 of the top episodes from the seasons on cable.

3 of the 4 stories deal with the concept of artificial intelligence, which is a "biggie" at this juncture as we stand right on the threshold of making AI a reality. The fourth story is the most "pure" science fiction story as it takes place almost entirely in outer space.

From the eroticism side of the house, it is good to see that the nudity / sensuality is not contrived in the stories. Rather, it follows along naturally w/the storyline. For me that is the whole KEY to making eroticism "work."

The biggest names in the casting are Alyssa Milano, Natasha Henstridge and the voice of Malcom MacDowell. The sultry Milano does a nude scene which is likely enough to entice a great many people to purchase the DVD. Milano does a memorable job of going from the innocent girl-next-door to seductive vixen in World Record speed.

Although I have never been a huge fan of behind the scenes material on DVD, this does offer a decent package of the thoughts and perspectives of the creation of the storylines. It also gives us some insight from one of the makers of the original OL.

If you like science fiction movies and short stories, you will like this movie. If you like erotic movies, you will like this DVD. If you like science fiction movies AND erotic films, you will LOVE this one!

At first glance, this film looks like it's going to be a slapstick clone of so many other Blake Edwards' productions. And, in fact, the film does contain a great many scenes that would tend to belong under the "slapstick" genre. Surprisingly, however, there is much more to this film.

The plot centers around a man named Steve Brooks who is a womanizer squared. He's handsome, charming, well built & has a "way" with women. Unfortunately, he also has a heart of granite & leaves a wake of heartbroken women behind him.

One day, 3 ex-girlfriends plot their revenge. They lure him into a hot tub and murder him. Steve makes it to Purgatory, but is told he is right on the borderline between having his final destination be heaven or hell.

To break the deadlock, God (who is both male & female) sets forth a task: he must find a woman who truly likes him for who he is (and not for some fast-talking come-on line) in order for him to get inside the pearly gates. At the last moment, the Devil enters the picture and puts on a twist: Steve must get a woman to like him AS a woman!

Ellen Barkin is marvelous as a man trying to figure out how to be a woman. Barkin does a particularly impressive job moving like a man thru out the film and her performance truly steals the show.

So far, it sounds like your typical gender-switching comedy, only with a twist. However, the plot contains many more unanticipated twists. It also deals with some very serious issues that make it nothing short of a dark comedy. Again, this is quite unexpected from looking @ the cover.

I would recommend this film for people who enjoy getting a little more than what they bargained for. As the religious deities obviously parody the Judeo / Christian tradition, I would NOT suggest this film for people who are easily offended. In short, the film takes turns poking fun @ men, poking fun @ women & poking fun @ religion. It turns out to be a good comedy, but a dark one.

Here's a very fun movie that parodies how serious professional atheletes tend to take themselves in one of the most comical ways imaginable. It also parodies how seriously we as a nation take football in almost satiric fashion.

The film contains some motifs that are certain to be recognized, such as the speedy wide receiver who can get open but can't catch the ball (a-la NECESSARY ROUGHNESS). The former walk-on linebacker out of Michigan State is obviously modeled on the character Tackleberry from POLICE ACADEMY. However, these somewhat recycled thematic elements do not take away from the film. Rather, they add to its charm - and this film is surprisingly heavy on charm!

The acting, for the most part, is right on. As he played an inspirational basketball coach in HOOSIERS, Gene Hackman proves that he is equally up to the task of portraying a determined (if somewhat burned out) football coach in THE REPLACEMENTS. Brooke Langton is adorable as the consummate cheerleader-next-door type. The cameos by John Madden & Pat Summerall are simply delightful.

This film is highly recommended for fans of sports movies, comedies and (most importantly) those who love football. After watching this movie, one cannot but ponder the one inescapable thought: can you IMAGINE how good this DVD could have been had it not starred Keanu Reeves? (sigh)

Paul Cartledge of the university of Cambridge is arguably the foremost authority on ancient Sparta in the entire world. His erudition of this culture is unmatched and the bibliography of this book is quite a read in-itself.

In this work Cartledge undertakes the massive task of tracing the history of Lacedamon from 1300-362BCE. In other words, right around the time of the mythical / quasi-historical Trojan war (1283BCE) down to the time of the decisive Spartan defeat @ the battle of Leuctra (371BCE).

The reader should be advised that the opening stanzas of this book are difficult to follow. Cartledge casually alludes to endless archeological digs all over Laconia at such a rapid pace that it's apt to make the reader feel like it's information overload. While grad students in archeology and anthropology might feel right at home, the rest of us may feel a bit lost.

When Cartledge arrives in the more familiar historical territory of Herodotus and Thucydides the book seems to improve a great deal. At least for me, anyway. The exegesis of historical records has always been easier for me to comprehend than the interpretation of pre-literate societal structures.

One of the highlights of the book is Cartledge's discussion of the 3 classes of Spartans (Homoioi, Perioikoi & Helot). I had some degree of knowledge of the Homoioi & Helots before reading this work, but virtually no understanding of the Perioikoi. Thanks to his chapter on these people I now have a much better comprehension.

I would recommend this book only to those who have an ambitious yearning to understand the history of the Spartans. For those who would rather have a more concise and slightly more reader-friendly work I would recommend A HISTORY OF SPARTA 950-192 by W.G. Forrest (ASIN: 0393004813). Forrest's book also goes a few hundred years past Leuctra while the present book does not.

Also, it is imperative that prior to reading the present text that the reader first peruse Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon & a little Plutarch mixed in wouldn't hurt. I do not think it prudent for someone to undertake the present work without at least a working knowledge of the primary sources.

This is the most un-James Bondesque plot of all the James Bond films. Having a drug dealer as the villain simply isn't sinister enough for my taste. Whatever happened to madmen trying to take over the world and nuke cities? Whatever happened to stealing secrets from the Soviets? (Oh, yeah, there aren't any Soviets any longer....)

The leader of a drug cartel would be much more at home being the adversary in a Dirty Harry movie than a Bond movie. It just doesn't "fit" in with the latter. On the Bond scale of villains, a drug dealer ranks maybe 2 steps above a pickpocket. In other words, not worth the time of a British secret agent.

Beyond the plot, this film contains the single most unbelievable incident in all of Bond history. The film plays off on the Bond motif of having one of the good guys be fed to a shark. That's all fine and well. However, after being bit in half, the poor fellow is still alive hours later. I'm no doctor, but I'm fairly certain that anyone who has their leg bit off by a shark will bleed to death in minutes. Any medical personnel who happen to be reading this may feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I also rather doubt the bad guys who fed him to the shark would be kind enough to patch him up & stop his bleeding. After all, I think that's why they call them bad guys?

Of all the Bond movies I've seen (and I've seen them all!), this one has the least Bond "feel" to it. The screenplay seems patched together & the film never really achieves a nice flow. Some of the dialogue is pretty lame as well, such as when the drug dealer's girlfriend spontaneously starts crying and blurts out "Oh, I love James SO much!" Please.

This is the most forgettable of all Bond films. It is not the worst Bond, as that distinction was earned by MOONRAKER. I first saw LICENSE TO KILL way back in 1990, shortly after it came out on video. After seeing it again, I can now remember why I couldn't remember anything about it. It's simply not worth the effort.