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Dinosaurs are everyone's favorite fossils. All kids seem to know about them in one way or another. There's "Jurassic Park" and other movies. There's Barney. All major natural history museums have exhibits. Dinosaurs are many states' "official fossil" and on and on. Well, why not? Even though they constitute only a small portion of the total Mesozoic fauna, they're generally large and spectacular and grab the imagination like no other fossil group. The Mesozoic Era was a glorious time for the reptiles and not just the Dinosaurs. The Mesozoic oceans had an assemblage of large marine reptiles that were just as remarkable in their habitats as the Dinosaurs were on land. Giant marine turtles, Ichthyosaurs, Plesiosaurs of great variety and ferocious Mosasaurs, in addition to some pretty gigantic sharks and other fish, roamed the Mesozoic seaways. "Sea Monsters: A prehistoric Adventure" is a film put together to depict the marine fauna of this time span.

"Sea Monsters" weaves multiple lines of information together. First, there's the group of paleontologists who are collecting and curateing the fossils. Second are the nature and animated recreations of the fossils themselves. Third is a little story that the fossils supposedly reveal regarding some small short-necked plesiosaurs referred to as dollies (a mother and two siblings) who venture out into the mean Cretaceous sea about 82 million years ago. Finally, the movie gives an interesting and spectacular viewing of the geologic history of the seaway, both in map and perspective views. Would the average viewer (especially kids) comprehend and appreciate the complexly interwoven story? Probably not. However, they well might enjoy many facets of the film especially some spectacular animated versions of the Mesozoic marine creatures. A person well versed in natural history might view the film in an entirely different way and find it to be very interesting and well done. The DVD could be repeatedly viewed, especially by children. As their knowledge grew, probably their understanding and appreciation would also grow. Same for adults. The film has good educational potential. Personally, my favorite portion of the film would be the animations. It was delightful to view creatures that I've read about in spectacular live versions.

I should probably issue a disclosure at this point. I served as a scientific consultant to this film and I'm listed in the closing credits. I received no remuneration or expenses and have no financial tie-ins with the filming company or The National Geographic Society, and none was expected. My interest was in the fossils and the story they were telling and I'm delighted with the final results. I viewed the film at the Rueben Fleet IMAX Theater with Director Sean Phillips and others and greatly enjoyed the evening. The DVD could not possibly be as spectacular as my viewing, but I have full confidence that the DVD version will show well on a wide-screen TV.

Gary Peterson

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The special effects were amazing, a lot of information was given, wonderful narration, and the storyline was interesting.

However, I can't bring myself to give more than three stars because the staged paleontologist scenes were too cheesy for me...I don't know if better actors would have made a difference. Just when we were getting into the scenes with the prehistoric creatures, it would cut away to a reacreation of how the fossils were found it was very distracting.

I think maybe they should have separated those scenes from the main storyline, and offered the fossil information as a special feature for the DVD.

If you prefer the set-up of DVDs such as Chased By Sea Monsters or When Dinosaurs Roamed America, you might have the same problem trying to sit through this DVD.

We bought this DVd for our three-year old son who is fascinated with prehistoric sea monsters...he loves the parts featuring the creatures, but kept wandering off whenever they cut to the staged "people" scenes. That kind of defeated the purpose of buying this DVD.

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I was dissappointed with this documentary. It opens showing a landscape and then 3 people in an SUV identified as paleontologists who don't appear again in the film until the very end. They don't do anything but talk among themselves about what they are looking for which doesn't add anything to the documentary. It is never clearly stated who they are and who they represent. The film also shows other paleontologists who do a little more talking, but still who they represent remains a mystery. A great deal of time is spent on dazzleling the viewer with the special effects and a story about the adventures of two sea dynosaurs (doli...?). The narration left much to be desired and the music was poorly chosen. This film was designed it seems mostly for kids. You learn very little from this.

I consider National Geographic to be one of the best makers of nature documentaries, but this one is the worst documentary or supposed documentary I've ever seen from them.

Strangely, this DVD did not play in my DVD player but did play on my computer's DVD drive.

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Definitely the best-to-date film on prehistoric sea-life I've seen. It follows the life story of a little-known sea creature called Dolichorhynchops (a.k.a. Doli) and the creatures she encounters in the then submerged center of America.

The graphics of "Prehistoric Adventure" don't quite match that of "Chased by Sea Monsters,"

BUT the story-line is much more engaging. The "Adventure" jumps seamlessly between Doli's story and the paleontologists unraveling her story.

"Adventure" makes breaks in the storyline to talk ancient beasties like Tylosaurus, Xiphactinus, the Ammonites, etc. as they most likely lived rather than having Nigel Marvin introducing their names before hurriedly moving on like in "Chased."

For example, watching the Astixosaurus swimming thru that school of fish like modern sharks, dolphins, and whales do almost convinced me these things are really out there.

Hope National Geographic puts out more like this. This is definitely worth your money, the kids will love it and you will 2.

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I normally do not post reviews but in this case I felt compelled to. The folks that I purchased this DVD from have been great; they exchanged the defective DVD with another defective DVD (both were new and factory sealed). Both had blank or bad spots in the same places, therefore I have come to the conclusion that this is just a bad reproduction. The move is not all that good and the animation parts are where most of the defects are located. Save your money and purchase a better "prehistoric monster" move such as "the walking with" series.

Little Monsters (1989) Review

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Have you ever wondered what goes on under your bed at night? Did you ever think for a second that there might be something living under your own bed? Well, this young boy, whom is played by Fred Savage, (the Wonder Years), soon discovers a whole knew world under his bed. He then meets this friendly young lookin' monster, named Maurice, helps him use his imagination and be able to do the impossible. If you're asking me, I think this film has so much imagination and wonders in it, anyone whose anyone, will enjoy this childlike fantasy. So, take my advise, buy this film, you won't regret it. Or you probably could catch it on cable. This is one magical movie that you could not miss!

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im 21 now and i saw this movie when it first came out when i was 7 and i fell in love with this movie! im so glad to see that amazon has this so now i can buy it! this is the coolest movie for kids to watch. it's got everything in it, imagination , fun, excitement and the monster played by howie mandel is so funny to watch. i love the atmosphere and plot of the movie, it's really cool. i recomend this movie to anyone and especially for kids.

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Fred Savage and Howie Mandel star in this 1989 fantasy.

A boy befriends a monster from a magical world under

his bed. I've loved this since I was a kid and so glad

to have it on dvd that has good picture and sound,

but only the trailer. I recommend this great 80's

kid fantasy.

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Richard Greenberg's LITTLE MONSTERS is a classic 80's film that holds up today as well as it did in 1989. PLEASE buy a copy and enrich your life.

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We love Fred Savage & Howie Mandel in the movie and Fred's little brother is such amazing actors and FUNNY!!

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD Review

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Here we go with the second chapter of this popular series, based on the book by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters. This time directed by Thor Freudenthal ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid") whose main job here seems to be producing Computer Generated Images... A movie based on a book this fantastical HAS to include CGI, so I'm not complaining...this time. Plus I appreciate the fact that kids are referred back to Greek mythology to read about the Golden Fleece.

The invisible shield that protects the half-bloods' safe haven has evaporated because the tree that created it is dying. Their only hope is the Golden Fleece because of its restorative powers.

Here they are again:

* Logan Lerman ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower") is Percy, our dauntless half-blood (his father is Poseidon, God of the Sea). He can (sometimes) control the seas...

* Alexandra Daddario ("Percy Jackson: Lightening Thief"), Annabeth is determined to retrieve the Golden Fleece. She is sort of a Hogwarts Hermione: she READS!

* Nathan Fillian ("Much Ado About Nothing") surprises us as a UPS guy/Hermes. His son Luke is mad at him... But he gives our hero some terrific packing tape!

* Stanley Tucci ("Hunger Games") is Dionysus. Zeus is still mad, so he turns his wine into water. He has heard Christians have a god who can do the reverse..."Now THERE is a God!"

* Brandon T. Jackson ("Tropic Thunder") is cloven-hoofed Grover, another half-blood and a loyal pal.

* Jake Abel ("I Am Number Four") is Hermes' son Luke; he looks like a young Kevin Bacon! He has serious daddy issues and goes to the Dark Side.

This has a PG rating, so expect no nudity, no profanity, a bit of vehicular mayhem in a taxi (three hags driving it share one eyeball), lots of swordplay and fisticuffs but no blowie uppie stuff. There is a great storm at sea, though.

I've asked Amazon to notify me when the DVD is available.

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As a real fan of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series of books, I was somewhat disappointed with the first Percy Jackson movie because it strayed too much from the storyline and didn't have the right group dynamic between the characters. This second movie is much better, in my opinion, because it really draws you in by following the storyline from the book that made me want to read all seven books (multiple times!). This movie is great fun, and very exciting, with lots of twists and turns and special effects I especially like the cab ride!

All in all, this movie is extremely enjoyable, and I highly recommend it for the whole family.

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The lightning thief movie was a good movie unless you read the books then you would hate every scene. This movie is quite an improvement. The writers tried like hell to make it close to the book and they did. Granted, it isn't 100% like the book but then again, no book to movie is.

Most changes are subtle and not noticed for most part. For example: In the book, they group went to the Sea of Monsters to get the fleece but also to rescue Grover who was taken by a cyclops. In the movie, only one of Grover's kind can lead heroes to the fleece. So, Grover goes with Percy, Annabeth and Tyson and he is then, kidnapped by Luke's men = Percy and company have to save him. A change but really, who cares? Point is, Grover is with the fleece and needs to be saved.

Other small changes would include

The trio taking the gray sisters's taxi from camp, not to camp like in the book.

The trio going to Hermes at the UPS store unlike him coming to camp. (book)

Hermes gives them the thermos and a tape dispenser. In the book, he gave them the thermos and a bottle of vitamens.

Luke, Thalia, Annabeth and Grover are chased by two Cyclopses in the movie. in the book, the furies are listed as those that chase them among other monsters.

The prophecy says a child of 20, in the book the age is 16.

Tyson already knew his father when he go to camp in the movie. in the book, he did not know.

Tyson and Percy are strangers in the movie but are friends in the book.

If you can live with these changes, then you will be ok with the movie.case closed.

The only slap to the face is the last 10 minutes of the movie. Spoiler.

Kronos rises in the last 10 minutes of the movie and is sent back to his box by Percy, due to Kronos still being very weak. WTF! He rises and poof, he's safely back in the box. I wanted to scream and shout profanity at the writers.

They claim to have done it so it would show impending doom to follow (aka, the next 3 books).They also added monsters early like the Manicore. fine. more action= more money. ok, I can live with that.

All in all, I loved the movie. From the opening credits all the way to Kronos rising where I hated it. After that section of 10 minutes, when they get back to camp. the movie remains true to the book. Word for Word.

I'm happy for how far they have come compared to the first movie. Just, dont expect it to mirror the book. No movie ever does unless the author wrote the script like The Hunger Games.

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I am a big fan of Logan Lerman (Percy) and I am pleased to say that, just like every other movie he's in, Logan failed miserably to disappoint. His acting was phenomenal as usual. He is a brilliant actor that can play any type of roll perfectly. AS was the rest for the cast, very well done. I was a little disappointed that they re-cast Pierce Brosnan's role. But maybe they needed the money for effects. Which by the way where breathtaking. The story was very personal and oriented toward loyalty and the importance of family. The baddies where satisfyingly scary and very well rendered in CGI (you couldn't do these kinds of creatures with live action models) and they had a wicked sense of humor. I like that Percy was not seen as everyone's idol, more as a normal person. He wasn't held up on a pedestal or anything. Overall I think this was a worthy sequel to another brilliant movie. A+!

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This movie was excellent. A great sequel to the original. Fun for all ages. The entire theater was full and the audience was cheering. Best movie of the year.

Review of Monsters vs. Aliens (Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack) (2009)

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From the creators of "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda", Academy award winner Reese Witherspoon leads a ragtag team of unlikely heroes in the animated blockbuster "Monsters vs. Aliens". When the strange energy of a meteorite causes her to mysteriously grow to a towering 49-feet-11-inches, Susan Murphy (Witherspoon) is taken by the military to a top secret compound where the government has kept the existence of monsters hidden from the public for decades. Susan, dubbed Ginormica, and her new monstrous friends are called into action to save the world from the evil alien leader Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson). Though certainly not the best animated movie of the year, "Monsters vs. Aliens" is a very enjoyable parody of classic Sci-fi movies of the 1950s. The animated movie offers some amusing characters and loads of action and humor. The storyline is pretty straightforward but the computer animation is very impressive. The all-star voice cast also includes Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Stephen Colbert and Kiefer Sutherland.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" makes its way onto Blu-Ray with a top-notch presentation and a great set of extras. The animated movie is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen format. Like many animated movies in high definition, "Monsters vs. Aliens" looks fantastic. The HD transfer would have been perfect if it wasn't for the lack of a 3-D option. Its 5.1 Dolby TrueHD sound is also excellent. Special features include several behind-the-scenes featurettes (Modern Monster Movie Making & The Tech of Monsters vs. Aliens), an audio commentary track with the filmmakers, the enjoyable 13-minute "B.O.B.'s Big Break" 3-D animated short, three deleted scenes, paddle ball 3-D game, three sing-along segments with the film's characters, and sneak peaks of other DreamWorks animated films. Overall, "Monsters vs. Aliens" scores a "B+".

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News Reporter: "Once again, a UFO has landed in America, the only country UFOs ever seem to land in."

Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. Star studded cast lights up the screen (or at least their voices do) in a funny and action-packed computer-animated film from Dreamworks.

2. Reese Witherspoon is Susan Murphy, a sweet home Modesto girl who doesn't realize her true worth until she gets hit by a meteor. . .

3. . . . on her wedding day

4. The casting people outdo themselves with Seth Rogen as a brainless blob, Hugh Laurie as a mad doctor with the ethics of a cockroach, Rainn Wilson as an evil alien and Stephen Colbert as the President of the United States.

5. Think of a bigger, better Mars Attacks! and Spaceballs.

When an evil alien targets Earth as a source of "quantonium", the Government has only one option, and that is to call out the monsters under the command and supervision of General W. R. Monger (Keifer Sutherland).

General W.R. Monger: "This place is an X-file wrapped in a cover-up and deep-fried in a government conspiracy."

Other star vocal talent includes Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Jeffrey Tambor, Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski, among others.

The plot itself may not be a classic, but the animation and casting make it a movie you'll want to have in your collection.

Recommended, naturally, for fans of superior computer animation, monsters and aliens.

The President of the United States: "Boys, set the terror level at code brown, 'cause I need to change my pants."

Amanda Richards, April 19, 2009

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Dreamworks is having a very hard time trying to keep up the genuine perfection of PIXAR. Since these guys probably believe they never will surpass them the next best thing is to just make fun of them and everything else. So because of that mentality we get the latest DreamWorks film Monsters VS. Aliens.

MvA is the story of a young woman named Susan ready to take the next step in her life and marry the man of her dreams. Suddenly she is exposed to a meteor and starts to become a `big' problem. Now she is government property, has made a bunch of interesting new friends and is now part of a team that has been assembled to take down threats that the average man may not be able to handle. Her first mission, stop an alien invasion! Not too bad for the next step in Susan's life.

Monsters VS Aliens is a laugh out loud comedy that really appeals to a very diverse audience. There are numerous references to Sci-Fi pop culture and of course the Monsters in the movie pay tribute to all the classic B horror films of the 1950 until today. Some of those examples include, `The Creature of the Black Lagoon', `The Blob' and The `Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'. The cast is fantastic and of course we all knew that Seth Rogan would steal the show as he always does. Some of the other cast members include Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie and believe it or not a whole new side of Keifer Sutherland. What I loved about this movie was the fact that Stephen Colbert played the president and probably delivered the best line in the whole movie. I applaud `Monsters VS Aliens' for its original tribute to the Sci-Fi parody and it is definitely one of the few DreamWorks films that is very much worth the money. Since `Shrek' there really hasn't been a truly great DreamWorks animation film. (This is not including anything made by the Aardmen Studios). I have to say I am very excited for future DreamWorks parody projects. The two known ones on the horizon are `How To Train Your Dragon' which is a take on fantasy stories and `Oobermind' which is a take on Superheroes and comic books. Let's see what happens.

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I went to see Monsters Vs. Aliens, and to my surprise I was really entertained by the movie and its characters. I will not spoil the story for all of you that have not seen it yet. But I will tell you a little about the story and the characters.

The main character of the movie is a girl named Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon). She is about to get married, when she is suddenly hit by a meteor. She begins to grow in size, finally reaching a height of 49 feet 11 inches. She is captured by the U.S. Army and transported to a secret goverment base. She is given the name Ginormica.

The dumbest monster of the group is B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) He is very funny and very dumb, which makes him a very amusing character. He is often saying stupid things at the wrong time (which makes him very funny).

The smartest one of the group is none other than Dr. Cockroach, Ph. D. (Hugh Laurie). He is very useful in their battles against the evil alien villian Gallaxar (Rainn Wilson). He has a nasty appetite for garbage. He was a man who experimented on himself with a machine, giving him the appearence and ability of a cockroach.

One of the coolest monsters among the group is The Missing Link (Will Arnett). He acts like a jock out of his prime, even though he is over 20,000 years old. He is actually very entertaining and funny. He is the best friend of the next character.

Insectosaurus is a giant 300 foot tall fuzzy larva. He is basically a parody of Mothra mostly, with a hint of Godzilla as well. Insectosaurus' best friend is the Missing Link, but the giant is willing to put its life on the line to protect his friends, especially Susan. Another great character of the team.

The plot of Monsters Vs. Aliens is predictable, but the movie makes up for it my being very funny and action packed! It is a great family movie and will entertain all ages. So, if you are looking for an entertaing treat of a movie, then go see Monsters Vs. Aliens.

P.S., If you are a Godzilla fan, go see this movie. Insectosaurus does something that might intrest all of you Mothra fans out there. Anyways, Monsters Vs. Aliens is a good movie. Go see it and enjoy the show.

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I grew up watching old monster and sci-fi films, so I couldn't wait to see this new animated tale that pays homage to so many of my favorite Saturday afternoon sci-fi films.

While the 3-D effects and animation are fantastic, I found the story to be lacking just a tad. I guess after Pixar's masterpiece Wall E, the bar has been set rather high. Regardless, it's a fun film and a special treat for those of us who grew up watching giant monster movies on the weekend.

I suggest seeing this at the IMAX in 3-D as it is really spectacular, with great voice work done by Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett and the hysterical Seth Rogen. It's a very good film, but I wish the story was fleshed out better, the material certainly deserves it.

'Igor' was another film that paid homage to Saturday afternoon fright fare, but that one dealt with gothic horror. Both films are worth seeing, but if they had been treated with the same care as Wall E or Up, we would have two extraordinary films instead of two films that just kind of missed the mark!

I recommend both films to fans of the genres, but they could have been better. The Blu Ray release looks fantastic and their are some interesting extras including the 3-D short featuring B.O.B.

Cheap Monsters, Inc. (Four-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2001)

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Before anyone starts saying this has not been released yet and there cannot be a review of the Bluray edition let me tell you this, this movie has been available in Japan and Mexico for quite some time now, and I was able to get a copy of the Mexican edition, which was at one time, identical to the one to be released in the US. It is a 3 disc edition (2 BD plus DVD copy of the movie), this has now been changed to a 4 disc set in the US to include the additional digital copy.

Disc one starts with an intro by director Pete Docter, in which he pretty much explains all the contents in this 'glorious' high definition version of the movie. A mini documentary on the 'Monsters, Inc: Ride & Go Seek ' ride in Disney Japan is also included. The highlight to me was the creators 'Round table' in which they talk about the process of creating the movie, some deleted scenes not included in prior DVD versions are shown here and they finally explained to me why is it so difficult to get a reservation at 'Harryhausen's' if all the staff from the scare floor seems to hang around there!

The Pixar shorts 'For the birds' and 'Mike's new car' (originally made on 4:3 format) are also included in HD format (as previously released in 'Pixar shorts)

The movie is presented in 1:85:1 aspect ratio. The word that comes to mind to describe how this looks is simply 'Beautiful', the colors, the textures, Sullivan's fur, the character's skin textures, Roz' sweater. Details pop up, colors are bright and clear. I had never noted that the real name of 'Boo' is actually in the movie until I saw it on Bluray!

The audio is another improvement of this BD edition. Presented in an uncompressed 5.1 track, the music by Randy Newman and the sound effects (check the audio in the door chamber sequence or every time 'Boo' laughs/cries and there is a power variation) sound just great. Spanish and French Dolby Digital tracks are also included. An audio commentary with the creators provides a lot of details of the movie, since I have watched this over and over with my 2 year old kid I have been able to play the commentary a couple times so he watches the movie and I learn about how it was made.

One thing I noted though, the end credits in the Bluray are not the same as in the DVD. The DVD will have the bloopers play while the credits roll, while the Bluray does not. Those 'Bloopers' though are included in disc 2 as additional features.

Disc 2 includes a feature called the 'Employee's manual' Additional spots created to promote the film are included too. Storyboards and drawings from the artists in HD as well as the '100 doors challenge', which is like a trivia game in which based on your responses you will be offered a position in Monsters Inc. Disc 3 as mentioned earlier, is a DVD copy of the movie (in the Mexican edition the 4:3 presentation is included, NOT widescreen) which is great as my kid can have that to watch it as many times as he desires.

Fans of the movie or any Pixar movie should not miss this!

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Admittedly, I am a fan of Pixar's work. Their artists have done some incredible animated features over the years. Between the "Toy Story" movies and "A Bug's Life," they have managed in a short time to build an impressive track record. Their shorts are also among the best ever produced. So my expectations going into this movie were very high.

The story concerns the monsters in your closet. The theory being that their world runs of the energy produced by children's screams. Sulley (John Goodman) is number one at getting screams. His main rival (Steve Buschemi) will do anything to gain the top spot. Oh, and they consider the touch of a human child to be toxic.

While not as instantly relatable as "Toy Story," the movie builds on the talents of Goodman and Billy Crystal (Mike) to bring you into this make-believe world as Sulley and Mike try to get little Boo back through the closet door to the safety of her bedroom.

Disney/Pixar has presented this well on DVD. Both Widescreen and Pan & Scan versions are available on the first disc. The second disc has games, outtakes, an award winning animated short, and a fun (easy to find) Easter Egg.

All in all, if you enjoy Pixar's work, or animated features in general, this is a must have for your collection.

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If you look at my other Amazon[.com] reviews, you will notice that I don't review movies and truth by told, I watch very few movies. Perhaps 2-4 per year, including both in the theater and at home on video or DVD. I'm just not a movie fan.

But tonight, we rented the Monsters Inc DVD and I absolutely loved it! Clever, hilarious, touching, innovative, unique, imaginative those words don't begin to tell about this movie! You just have to see it.

It's such a pleasure to see a G-rated movie doing so well, both at the box office and also sales of the products for home viewing. This movie is totally free of sex, profanity, and substance abuse. Some of the action could be called violence, but not in the sense we usually define violence in movies! This movie might scare a 4-year-old, however. You need to know your own child to know if he's ready for this action-packed, laugh-a-minute masterpiece!

I watched this with my husband and two of our older kids (ages 19 and 21). We all enjoyed this movie immensely and can't wait to watch the extras on the other DVD. I can actually see watching this movie again, as the humor flies fast and furious and I know I missed a some good lines!

You will be touched by the relationship between Sully (the big blue monster) and the little girl he affectionately names Boo. He puts her safety above his job and above the good of the company. This little girl they created is nothing short of charming and endearing. You will instantly love her and cheer Sully on as he does everything he can to protect her.

The premise of the movie that the Monsters collect screams of children which in turn power the city that the Monsters live in, is nothing short of genius. This DVD would be a great gift for many people on your Christmas List regardless of their age!

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This is one of the best DVD's I've gotten to date. The movie itself is wonderful and includes the voice talents of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Ratzenberger, Jennifer Tilly, and James Coburn. As you probably already know the storyline, I'll just talk about DVD.

You get 2 discsone contains the movie itself (with the "full screen" or "widescreen" versions, as well as a director's commentary option)and the second disc is chock full of goodies! You get "For the Birds" the 2001 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Short Film (shown in theaters before the movie), and "Mike's New Car" (exclusively created for the video and DVD release, as well as an exclusive sneak peek of "Finding Nemo", the newest upcoming release from Disney starring Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, and Willem Dafoe. Plus, if you choose the "Human Door" option, you get a tour of the Pixar animation studios by the makers of the film. They'll show you deleted scenes, 3-D location flyarounds, and animation gags and "inside" jokes. The "Monster World" door is where the real fun startstrain for your first day at Monster's Inc.; see the employee handbook, and play the "Boo's Door Game", which works like a CD rom-type game. Use your remote control to go through doors and find pieces of Boo's door that come together like a puzzle. The kids and I had tons of fun playing this together. Even our 4-month old son laughed heartily while rocking in his swing. Definitely a DVD for familes to ownworth every penny for the amount of material you get. Buy it, buy it, buy it now!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Monsters, Inc. (Four-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2001)

DISC ONE: For moviegoers during summer of 2001, the marquee was packed with animated options: Shrek, Atlantis, Final Fantasy and Monsters, Inc. If you disect the movies, the first two end up being dissapointing when viewed in the small screen and Final Fantasy is just made with a different public in mind. Now, Monsters, Inc. achieves in DVD format the same feel you got when you (hopefully) saw it in theaters: the movie IS a great movie for all ages. No bells and whistles: simply brilliant!

The script is very funny, clever and innovative (it is worth seeing on the DVD how much it evolved from the original treatment it was going to have...), turning around the ageless childhood fear of monsters into a fear of kids BY monsters, who need kids' screams in order to power their society. Top ranking scarer, big, blue and furry Sulley (voiced by John Goodman) and his one-eyed assitant, Mike Wazowski (brilliantly played by Billy Crystal) see their "monstrous" lives turned around when Sulley accidentally brings a little girl (Boo) by accident into their monster world.

Complementing the script and the voices, the animation is incredible. The faces of the characters, the blinking of the eyes (the red in the eyes, when Mike sprays antibacterial stuff on his face, the glassy look in Sulley's eyes toward the end of the movie), the fur of Sulley (every hair moving just as if he were real), the illumination all through the movie. Plus the persecution scene leaves you speechless: there's SO MUCH happening in it, and it's so seamless: one of the great animation accomplishments of the movie without any doubt.

DISC TWO: One element that powerfully called my attention is the very human (is that ironic or what?) touch that the second disc has. For example, the Director, the two Co-Directors and the Producer appear in the very beginning, showing you how to find your way around the DVD. It's not that it's a convoluted DVD or anything of that sort: simply the two discs are packed with all sorts of goodies and they are making an effort to have you find it all.

One of the best things included in disc 2 is the Oscar-winning animated short film "For The Birds" which we all enjoyed in theaters so much right before Monsters started. Also included are the complete outtakes (call them "bloopers" from the movie, if you may, whose concept alone makes you scratch your head in surprise while you laugh till it hurts). But the fun to disc two doesn't end there: there is a wealth of details for the more technically-inclined or those who simply are curious about the way animation is done, with a whole tour through the process, from story reels, to layout, animation, simulation (a key component in the level of perfection accomplished with Sulley's fur and the way Boo's big shirt works) ahd shading/lighting. Same thing is done with design and music & sound. Wrapping up the goodies is a pretty fun tour of Pixar studios where you can catch a glimpse of why these guys are able to come up with such a funny movie: they're having a blast there! :D

Technical comments

-If you view the DVD on a computer (as I did), the first time you do it, you will go through the installation of the InterActual player software. Hit "Accept" at every step of the way: whether you like it or not, you won't be able to take advantage of all the elements in the DVDs unless you view it using this software...

-Another detail for computer users: the "Peek-A-Boo Door game" was useless on my computer. It's designed to be played when viewing the DVD on a DVD player. In fact, it almost brings my laptop to its knees. So, my recommendation to you DVD-viewers using a computer to go past the intro page with all the games on it and click on to view the movie.

-Subtitles included are in English only, so that probably will not make Spanish-only or French-only-speaking viewers too happy, n'est-ce pas? Verdad?

In general, though, excellent! Five stars to this incredible production by Disney and to its Two-Disc Collector's Edition. You will enjoy every bit of it and watch it several times over.

Monsters Crash the Pajama Party: Spook Show Spectacular (1960) Review

Customer Ratings:

This DVD is a mishmash. A low-rent theatrical short here, a trip through a carnival haunted house there, some still shots of old spookshow posters in between. In fact, "Monsters Crash the Pajama Party" is nearly impossible to describe. It's not a feature film, though there is a feature ("Tormented") included somewhere on the disc. Nor is it primarily about the title segment, a short monster/comedy flick starring a bunch of college kids and a mad scientist. Instead, it's almost as if the entire DVD is made up of extras. But what a great collection of extras it is! For one low price, you get monsters, happenin' 60s co-eds, horrible narration, REALLY bad acting, a bit of 3-D, a guy in a bargain-basement gorilla outfit and a whole lot more! Watching this disc feels like channel surfing in a world in which the Cramps run all the TV stations. It's like watching snippets of movies made by people who...well...wish they could make better movies. The result? It's absolutely, over-the-top brilliant; a patchwork of lowbrow cinema that will leave you wondering, "Where the heck did this stuff ever play??"

My only complaint about this disc (and I'm docking it a whole star for this) is that it's REALLY hard to navigate! The viewer is pretty much left to just stumble onto various scenes by trial and error. It's an amazing collection of clips and snippets overall, but this thing should have come with a map.

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Wow, this dvd is so good and so full of information that i bought a second copy to have as a back-up, i love it that much!Big thank you to all the people who took the hours and hours to put all this good stuff together on one dvd!Keep trying to find other dvds that are similar to this one and i can't find anything.Since i was born too late to go to any of the spook shows i really loved seeing and hearing all the advertisements and the homemade movies from i'm guessing the 40's were awesome!I tell ya, i could not love this dvd more, i even enjoyed the dvd navigation, well the first few times i did, then i found someone named kriegerg69 on IMDB who made a chapter list which i totally appreciate, thank him not me for the following list and thanks again to the makers of this awesome, unique dvd!!! :)

Title 1 Monsters Crash The Pajama Party (7 chapters)

Title 2 Monsters Do Have Their Place

Title 3 Spook Show Trailers (12 chapters)

Title 4 Spooky Musical Soundies

Chapter 1 Skeleton Dance

Chapter 2 The Boogey Woogieman

Chapter 3 Dem Dry Bones

Chapter 4 Haunted House

Title 5 Horror Home Movies

Chapter 1 London After Midnight

Chapter 2 The Mummy

Chapter 3 Mr. Hyde

Chapter 4 1960's Halloween

Title 6 Don't Be Afraid

Title 7 Horror House Ride

Title 8 Drive In Werewolf (excerpt from "Dracula, The Dirty Old Man")

Title 9 Cursed By Monsters

Title 10 Asylum of the Insane (in 3D)

Title 11 Menu Menacing Ape

Title 12 Menu Skull

Title 13 Menu Skull & Booga Booga

Title 14 Hypnoscope Introduction

Title 15 Menu Transition

Title 16 Menu Transition

Title 17 Menu Transition

Title 18 Menu Transition

Title 19 Menu Transition

Title 20 Menu Transition

Title 21 Menu Transition

Title 22 Menu Transition

Title 23 Easter Egg

Title 24 Easter Egg

Title 25 Easter Egg

Title 26 Easter Egg

Title 27 Menu Dead End

Title 28 Menu Dead End

Title 29 Menu Dead End

Title 30 Menu Dead End

Title 31 Menu Dead End

Title 32 Menu Dead End

Title 33 TORMENTED (feature film 11 chapters)

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That's what I hear from people who realize I purchased this DVD...but man, I'm glad I did! It's a treasure hunt through a haunted house that you experience by clicking your remote control. There are tons of Easter eggs here with theatrical featurettes and promos a-plenty! Of course, the 30+ minute farce MONSTERS CRASH THE PAJAMA PARTY is so bad, it makes Ed Wood look like Spielberg. This is a loving "retro-mentary" on the old spook shows that movie houses used to present live onstage with a horror feature; magic shows, monsters, ghosts in the audience and scads of ghoulish fun all meant for the kids! There's no friggin' way any theater these days would have the guts to do this stuff without worrying about getting reprimanded by some activist group. And the early 60's feature TORMENTED is great schlock horror! Total enjoyment for everyone and such a wonderful, forgotten part of cinema history that someone had the good sense to preserve for us all!

Honest reviews on Monsters Crash the Pajama Party: Spook Show Spectacular (1960)

This DVD provides hours of great spooky entertainment, ideal for Halloween parties or when you are simply in the mood for horror hijinks. Terrific trailers, shorts, ads, 3-D, & a cool feature w/ Richard Carlson certainly provide loads of bang for your buck. It all comes together to provide an excellent example of those live spook shows of yesteryear. The menu, which some have complained about, is a gas. It is set up to lead you through a haunted maze where you don't know what will pop up around the next corner. For me, this is Something Weird's finest hour. Hours of fun are provided with superior quality presentations of dated material. One from the vaults, I must recommend it to all horror fans.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Monsters Crash the Pajama Party: Spook Show Spectacular (1960)

Gear up, this is a long one.

I bought this disc a few weeks ago, but I only recently had the time to sit down and watch it. First of all, you must understand that I am crazy about this sort of stuff. I am too young to remember when midnight spook shows played across the country, but I love getting my hands on anything having to do with them. I love the cheesiness and the spin that promoters would put on these things, and wonder what it would have been like to actually sit through one.

So after reading all these negative reviews, I confess I don't understand their frustration. People's first complaint: the lack of a menu. Another reviewer got it when they said that it's supposed to be like finding your way in a haunted house. Click here or click there, you never know what it's going to be! I loved finding all the icons on the DVD and figuring out where stuff was hidden. If you have a decent memory or just write down the location of your favorite features when you find them, it's not a big deal. I guess some people want everything handed to them easy, including DVD features. Me, I love the idea of an entire disc of easter eggs. It's a different experience every time, which is the idea behind the old spook shows. Get it?

Second complaint: the Something Weird Video logo at the bottom right on nearly every feature. This is justified, as one of the major reasons we buy DVDs is so we don't have to watch movies with a TV station's ID covering a fair portion of the screen. However, I stopped noticing it after about the first 10 minutes. I'm not easily bothered, but I can see why this would upset other people. As someone above me noted, there are times when it's nearly invisible and times when it sticks out like a sore thumb. Hopefully SWV will correct this in future releases.

Third complaint: the quality and artistic merit of the content. Are you kidding me? The whole point of this disc is that it's a time capsule to a long-forgotten, incredibly cheesy era of American theater. The quality shouldn't be considered here, we should be thankful that Something Weird gave us so much on one DVD! Sure, the "3-D" feature may be somebody's home movies, and the technology may not translate well to television (although really, did you expect it to work all that great anyway?), but I was thrilled to have it along with the two pairs of classic 3-D glasses. One by one, here's what I think of the content:

The hypnoscope opening I loved it. It got me in the mood, just like it was supposed to.

Monsters Crash the Pajama Party title feature To the reviewer who said it was unwatchably bad, you're wrong. Sure, the extended opening bit with a gorilla acting out the parts of everyone involved in the making of the thing gets a little boring, but the show itself has wonderfully bad acting, pointless sound effects (does a university professor's office always sound that windy?), and many moments of unintentional hilarity. I laughed several times and enjoyed it immensely. Besides, it's interesting to see a relic from the "live monsters grab a girl from the audience" days.

Asylum of the Insane in 3-D Boring, overlong, and cheaply made, but hey, free glasses!

Spooks-a-poppin' Trailer Show I absolutely loved this feature. For some reason, I can't get enough of drive-in intermissions and spook show trailers. I was sad that I got only 45 minutes. Sure, a few images and themes pop up over and over, but if you're like me, you'll be fascinated by the eerie music and the outrageous claims that all these hucksters made to draw in crowds. Fascinating.

Spooky Musical Soundies Charming, odd, and one of the most entertaining inclusions, these things play like ancient music videos. And who doesn't love a dancing skeleton in heels?

Horror Home Productions These clips are some of the more interesting bits on the disc, and it's a shame that there's no information on them included anywhere. The musical accompaniment by Something Weird band The Dead Elvi fits the images and the mood nicely.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark educational short A random thing to include, but it's worth watching for its time capsule appeal and insight into our earliest PSAs.

Spook House Ride A home movie kind of clip showing the sights inside a carnival haunted house. Cheap and charming.

Drive-in Werewolf The guy's muttering as he "transforms" had me howling with laughter, but the clip is cut short. Seems to be added as an extra purely for extra's sake.

Stills Gallery 300 rare posters and lobby cards tracked with radio-spot promos from the time. Very cool to look at, but a click-through option would have been nice. The feature rumbles through each picture at its own pre-set speed.

How to Put On Your Own Spook Show Informative and useful, for me anyway. A step-by-step guide to pulling off a few simple tricks.

Tormented feature a 72-minute film from 1960 with predictably lousy acting and story, although the direction hints at occasional greatness. A few scenes are genuinely impressive.

Secrets of the Spook Show enclosed booklet A great read, and short enough to be read in a few minutes. Jim "Mad Doctor" Ridenour shares his story of how he became, as those in the business called it, a ghostmaster.

There are other hidden snippets scattered about the menu. They're mainly there to fill up space (in fact, two of them are shorter clips of material found elsewhere on the disc), but a few are so unexpected and strange that I laughed upon first discovering them. In any case, they add to the DVD's surreal nature.

As stated above, those who reviewed this disc negatively either didn't understand what Something Weird was going for with their execution, or got hung up on mostly trivial issues. While I've never had the opportunity to attend a real live spook show, I believe that this disc accurately presents the strangeness, randomness, and humor that characterized so many of them from the 30s to the 60s. There are some things that could have been done better, but hopefully, Something Weird will correct them in the next Spook Show Spectacular, which I'm hoping very much they make. I recommend this DVD highly, and hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.