Apple 20 GB 3rd Generation iPod M9244LL/A
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $549.99
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Features

• More than 8 hour battery life on a 3 hour charge (1-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
• Features redesigned and backlit navigation; includes dock, wired remote control, earbud headphones, carrying case, and AC adapter
• 20 GB model holds up to 5,000 songs; supports MP3, AAC, WAV, MP3 VBR, Audible (6), and AIFF formats
• Mac and Windows compatible; FireWire and USB 2.0 interface for fastest digital transfer available
• Included docking station makes charging and synching easy

Reviews (218)

shamelessly flawed
This is a potentially great product that's on the market despite being shamelessly flawed. I bought an ipod, but found that customer support was expensive and useless; I use it for jogging and basically the battery gets me through only one workout before it needs recharging; iTunes, which is the only way to get songs onto the iPod, is terribly limited. Most of all though, it's the battery that makes me resent Apple most. They're making a fortune selling something that (surely they know) is terribly flawed. It also makes you feel disgusted with the mass media, which is pushing this product because it's "cool," without paying to attention to whether it actually works.

Died after 1 year and 8 months.
I used to love my ipod,but the fact that it recently died on me after a year and 8 months of use has left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. The most painful aspect is that I did not abuse it or use it heavily. The apple store guy at the genius bar informed me that a replacement would cost $250. Better than paying full price, but I am utterly disenchanted and will not pay for another ipod given my experience. Sorry Apple, you got to do better on the reliabilty issue before I even consider another ipod.

GREAT THING TO HAVE
Ipod is definatly better than CDs, I love it! I downloaded all
my favorite songs on the Itunes music store and on my cds and then downloaded them to the Ipod. I like it because it never skips, I can walk around with it everywhere. I take it everywhere
and is fun to take everywhere. I own it and keep it in my room
and play it sometimes when I want more music. I am gonna try it
for the car sometime to see how it works in the car, especially
when I'm on the road. It is definatly so much better than CDs.
I've downloaded more than 150 songs on Itunes on my computer.
Great item. ... Read more

Asin: B0000CEORU
Sales Rank: 8001
Subjects:  1. Portable Audio    2. MP3 MP 3 Player    3. Jukebox    4. MP3 Player (MP 3)    5. Apple    6. (Mac)    7. (Macintosh)    8. Gigabyte    9. 10GB    10. 10 GB   

Spider-Man 2 (Widescreen Special Edition)
Director: Sam Raimi
Average Customer Review:
DVD (30 November, 2004)
list price: $29.96 -- our price: $22.47
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

More than a few critics hailed Spider-Man 2 as "the best superhero movie ever," and there's no compelling reason to argue--thanks to a bigger budget, better special effects, and a dynamic, character-driven plot, it's a notch above Spider-Man in terms of emotional depth and rich comic-book sensibility. Ordinary People Oscar®-winner Alvin Sargent received screenplay credit, and celebrated author and comic-book expert Michael Chabon worked on the story, but it's director Sam Raimi's affinity for the material that brings Spidey 2 to vivid life. When a fusion experiment goes terribly wrong, a brilliant physicist (Alfred Molina) is turned into Spidey's newest nemesis, the deranged, mechanically tentacled "Doctor Octopus," obsessed with completing his experiment and killing Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) in the process. Even more compelling is Peter Parker's urgent dilemma: continue his burdensome, lonely life of crime-fighting as Spider-Man, or pursue love and happiness with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst)? Molina's outstanding as a tragic villain controlled by his own invention, and the action sequences are nothing less than breathtaking, but the real success of Spider-Man 2 is its sense of priorities. With all of Hollywood's biggest and best toys at his disposal, Raimi and his writers stay true to the Marvel mythology, honoring Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and setting the bar impressively high for the challenge of Spider-Man 3. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Widescreen
• Special Edition
• Color
• Dolby

Reviews (626)

Just Not Spiderman...
2 & ½ stars for SPIDERMAN 2.Where should I start with this disappointment?Well, there was an underlying feeling of dissatisfaction for this reviewer with the `beat down' approach to the film-that is, with the way that absolutely nothing seemed to go right for Peter Parker.While there was an expectation that things would begin to look up as the cinematic denouement approached, the grim experience that was SPIDERMAN 2 was slow to improve as the movie progressed.

There were several other things that I can quickly point out after watching the movie too:

First, was the dippy and drawn out `train scene.'For this reviewer, this is where a lot of the problems began.Aside from the villain having no reason whatsoever to even drag Spiderman into his problems (he could have very easily taken what he wanted from Peter's `friend' without this preposterous detour, though SPIDERMAN 2 would have been missing about 30% of content), after the villain taunted Spiderman to `catch the train,' it was really quite boring to watch him do things that were so absurd:you have to watch Spiderman throw webbing around, which does nothing...until he throws a little more webbing around.Bravo.But before you have to slog through twenty minutes of web-throwing, Spiderman tries to drag the train to a standstill with his foot!Spiderman isn't Superman, and he could no more stop a train by using his foot as a brake than I could.I just hate it when superheroes that we know and love do things that we very well know that they could not do, or when their powers are inconsistently displayed throughout the movie.Well, if you don't like this phenomenon, then you will really have to be patient in order to get through SPIDERMAN 2.

Second, Spiderman's identity-his SECRET identity-is revealed way too much, so much that it made this reviewer roll her eyes and just sigh several times.Spiderman stops the train, gets bodysurfedto safety by its passengers and because all of these passengers sees his face (he takes off his mask sometime during this sequence...and generally way too often throughout the movie for my taste), they solemnly swear not to reveal his identity.If this sounds corny, then your blood sugar will thank me for not telling you more about this silly scene.And then this same secret identity is revealed to the friend of Peter Parker's who has got the grudge against him (for being Spiderman's friend or for killing his father, depending on how you look at it).It's really too too much.

Third, getting back to this notion about endowing heroes with abilities that they would never have...in the final action scene, Spiderman holds up a side of a building or some kind of wall-??-and then throws it like it's a feather!Okay, now this is something that I would not blink at if it was Superman or the Incredible Hulk or that rock monster guy from Fantastic Four (a name anyone?), but Spiderman?!No, he could not throw that wall anymore than Batman could. Again, too too much.

And finally, speaking of overkill, the only way the last sequence with M.J. fleeing a very important event and ending up in the last place she is expected to be would have been acceptable, is if when she prompted:`Well, say something,' the other person had said:`Wake up.You're dreaming.'Believe me, I wish I had been dreaming, but it's true:SPIDERMAN 2 didn't fulfill it's great potential.They had all the makings for a great action/drama/romance, but it was only pretty okay.I guess they forgot that `to whom much is given, from much will be required.'

Wish It Had Been Better, But It Really Wasn't.

3 & a half.
I had nothing better to do and I didnt think Spiderman 2 would be the bordem releaver. I did not like the 1st one and I had no intentions on watching this one. But my old man likes them and my girfriend told me it was ok, so I threw it on in hopes it would put me to sleep. Within the first few minutes I thought the CGI looks as bad as the 1st film. But I soon realised this one didnt take itself too seriosly. I laughed at the situation when Spiderman becomes web-impodent and has to to catch an elevator to get down from the building, and it sparks the point, what would it be like to ride the elevator with one of these guys?

The humour was ok, the story wasnt bad, I thought the octopuss guy looked stupid, but an interesting concept. I thought it was ok, not one i'd want to own, but worth seeing at least once.

Would've loved this Film But.......
First off I like to say that I think this was a decent film my only problem is with the way they changed, the story from the comic's first off. The relationship between Peter Parker and, Otto Octavius was something that was in the comic's and even in the 90's cartoon show. Peter had known him since he was little when he went to science camp because of Otto, his love of science increased that why it shocks Peter so much when he turns into Doc Ock it would've added more depth and drama to the overall story. Someting that Raimi (who is a fan of the comics) completely left out of movie and it took me out of the film another thing and this one really bothered me DOC OCK IS GERMAN WHERE DID THE ACCENT GO!!!!!!!

Also never has there ever been a moment in the comic's where a large amount of people saw spider-man's.True identity that just defeats the whole purpose of him wearing a mask and would make it easy for people. To hurt him and the people he loves, and finally and this one infuriated me the most. Harry Osborn finding out his true identity it never ever happened in the comic's and for good reason. It makes it easy for Harry to hunt him down now that. He has all these new toys from his dad and puts MJ and everyone else Pete knows and loves, in danger not to mention that it leaves no tension or mystery for the next film. I mean why does he even wear a mask at all if almost everyone already knows his secret? as far as a movie it was ok but all these changes just didn't let me enjoy it.
... Read more

Asin: B00005JMQW
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
Director: Peter Jackson
Average Customer Review:
DVD (14 December, 2004)
list price: $39.99 -- our price: $25.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

The greatest trilogy in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in DVD history, comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.Not only is the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes.The new scenes are welcome, and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.

What's New?
One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the resolution of the Saruman storyline, generated a lot of publicity when the movie opened, as actor Christopher Lee complained in the press about losing his only appearance.It's an excellent scene, one Jackson calls "pure Tolkien," and provides better context for Pippin to find the wizard's palantir in the water, but it's not critical to the film.In fact, "valuable but not critical" might sum up the ROTK extended edition.It's evident that Jackson made the right cuts for the theatrical run, but the extra material provides depth and ties up a number of loose ends, and for those sorry to see the trilogy end (and who isn't?) it's a welcome chance to spend another hour in Middle-earth. Some choice moments are Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) confrontation with the Witch King (we find out what happened to the wizard's staff), the chilling Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor, and Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) being mistaken for Orc soldiers.We get to see more of Éowyn (Miranda Otto), both with Aragorn and on the battlefield, even fighting the hideously deformed Orc lieutenant, Gothmog. We also see her in one of the most anticipated new scenes, the Houses of Healing after the battle of the Pelennor Fields.It doesn't present Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) as a savior as the book did, but it shows the initial meeting between Éowyn and Faramir (David Wenham), a relationship that received only a meaningful glance in the theatrical cut.

If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.

And for those who complained, no, there are no new endings, not even the scouring of the Shire, which many fans were hoping to see.Nor is there a scene of Denethor (John Noble) with the palantir, which would have better explained both his foresight and his madness.As Jackson notes, when cuts are made, the secondary characters are the first to go, so there is a new scene of Aragorn finding the palantir in Denethor's robes.Another big difference is Aragorn's confrontation with the King of the Dead.In the theatrical version, we didn't know whether the King had accepted Aragorn's offer when the pirate ships pulled into the harbor; here Jackson assumes that viewers have already experienced that tension, and instead has the army of the dead join the battle in an earlier scene (an extended cameo for Jackson). One can debate which is more effective, but that's why the film is available in both versions.If you feel like watching the relatively shorter version you saw in the theaters, you can.If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.

How Are the Bonus Features?
To complete the experience, The Return of the King provides the same sprawling set of features as the previous extended editions: four commentary tracks, sharp picture and thrilling sound, and two discs of excellent documentary material far superior to the recycled material in the theatrical edition.Those who have listened to the seven hours of commentary for the first two extended editions may wonder if they need to hear more, but there was no commentary for the earlier ROTK DVD, so it's still entertaining to hear him break down the film (he says the beacon scene is one of his favorites), discuss differences from the book, point out cameos, and poke fun at himself and the extended-edition concept ("So this is the complete full strangulation, never seen before, here exclusively on DVD!"). The documentaries (some lasting 30 minutes or longer) are of their usual outstanding quality, and there's a riveting storyboard/animatic sequence of the climactic scene, which includes a one-on-one battle between Aragorn and Sauron.

One DVD Set to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales.The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

Reviews (490)

It's one of the best pictures, ever.
Peter Jackson did a miraculous job with the three chapters of Lord of the Rings. And saved the best for last. This film is so beautifull and emotional and intense and bittersweet and scary that it gives me the chills when I remember some of the scenes. Jackson raised the bar so high for epic filmaking that I doubt that we will see anything as good as these films in the future.

End of an Era
After watching the extended editions of the first two films, I was waiting with baited breath for The Return of the King and the wait was well worth it and it the perfect ending to The Lord of the Rings.The battle at Minas Tirith made the one at Helm's Deep look like a walk in the park.The ending is long, but that's only because there's a lot of loose ends to tie up.The cast and crew did an incredible job and we won't see a trilogy like this for a long time.

Best Film Ever (...)
I have yet to see a film better than Lord of the Rings. It is well put together and the story brings fantesy one step closer to reality.

(...) ... Read more

Asin: B000634DCW
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
Average Customer Review:
DVD (18 November, 2003)
list price: $39.99 -- our price: $29.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towers adds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are valuable additions to the film.Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil.Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son.And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King.While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous--we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor.But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.

While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version.Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration.Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut).The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Box set
• Dolby
• DTS Surround Sound

Reviews (1928)

Better than the first. Still part of single great work.
`The Two Towers' is the second of the three movies capturing the novel, `Lord of the Rings' by philologist J. R. R. Tolkien. This is one of the most influential popular novels of the 20th century. Other bases of big motion pictures such as `Ben-Hur' and `Gone With the Wind' can't hold a candle to it as it had an influence far beyond its role as the basis for a movie script. For starters, `Lord of the Rings' has had a large and growing readership from its original publication in the mid 1950s to the present, while I suspect practically no one reads Lew Wallace's `Ben-Hur' any more and few people have recently read Margaret Mitchell's `Gone With the Wind'. Another `Lord of the Rings' offspring is the whole `Dungeons and Dragons' role playing games phenomenon. This game originally appeared a few years after the second blooming of `Lord of the Rings' popularity in 1965, when the books were published in paperback by Houghton Mifflin in response to a pirated copy published by Ace. This is when I first became enraptured by the stories of Middle Earth.

It is impossible to speak of any one of the three movies by themselves as they do not in the usual sense of the word form a trilogy of three independent films related by common characters, location, and history. `The Lord of the Rings' was a single novel which was serialized in three volumes published over two and a half years in the mid 1950's. When the three titles are published in a single volume, it is not hard to see that the work is really not much longer than `Gone With the Wind' and it is certainly shorter than some notable novels such as `Atlas Shrugged'. One virtue we did get from the division into three titles by Tolkien is that Peter Jackson had a valid basis on which to split a single story into three long movies totaling close to 10 hours of viewing time.

Unlike the movies of the first and third books, almost every major scene of the book `The Two Towers', is captured in the movie. The chapters of Merry and Pippin with Treebeard and the Ents are shortened a bit. Seems as if the Ents are much too slow for 21st century cinema. One thing the movie did get wrong in its promotional artwork is the suggestion that the two towers of the title were Orthanc and Baradur, the fortress of Sauron. Actually, the second tower of the title is Minas Morgul, the city of Gondor, originally named Minas Ithil, but renamed when the Nazgul captured it several years before the start of the events in `Lord of the Rings'. Minas Morgul plays a much bigger role in the middle of the story than does Sauron's stronghold. Part of this change of tower may be due to the fact that some of the action involving Minas Morgul was moved to the third movie, `The Return of the King'.

The only piece of action I really miss is the role of Fangorn in the defeat of the besiegers of the Hornburg. And, in one of the very rare Peter Jackson additions to the story, I thought the skirmish between the Rohrrim / Aragorn and Saruman's warg riders was great cinema action, but just too much of a replay of Gandalf at the bridge in Moria, where a principle character is thought to have been killed and lost.

I have read `The Lord of the Rings' at least 10 times, and the story of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli from the banks of the Anduin to the victory at the Hornburg is by far one of my favorite parts of the novel. Treebeard comes in a close second, as he is a part of the same ancient history of Middle Earth to which only the faintest hints are given in the stories of Fangorn, The Old Forest by the Shire, and Tom Bombadil. Basically, Bombadil and the Ents stand for what is most worth saving from the evil of Sauron. This innocence is something that is tainted even in the sheltered lives of the Hobbits.

In contrast, after about the third or fourth reading, I often became anxious to get through the chapters about Frodo, Sam, and Gollum as quickly as possible. One of the greatest of Jackson's accomplishments in the films was to breath life into the characterization of Frodo Baggins, who always seemed to be to be something of a wimp, drawn along by the inexorable hand of fate. Sam, on the other hand, was pursuing the quest entirely out of love and grit. Another great service of the movie was the realization of Gollum. I think that Gollum's implementation may be about as close as we will come for a long time in seeing a computer generated character be nominated for an Academy Award for acting.

Even though `The Two Towers' is the middle third of a very long three part movie, it really has a much more satisfying ending than `The Fellowship of the Ring'. One starts to see how it may be possible to defeat the great evil challanging all the good guys in the story, but of course, the difficulty of Saruman's defeat is just a way of showing that defeating Sauron will be just that much more difficult.

The second of the great three part classic!

The book is better
But this said, I believe that there couldn't be a better movie.It captures the epic sweep and the pain and turmoil as Frodo and Sam approach the cracks of doom.It was fantastic.The filming was beyond scope.The characters were perfect.

Once again Jackson captures the brilliance of Tolkien
THe Two Towers is the second part of Peter Jackson's acclaimed adaption of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.The Journey continues in this movie.Beginning with beautiful scenic shots of the moutains of the Middle-Earth, the Two Towers has climactic battles, struggles of will, moments of pure joy and beauty.Frodo and Sam continue to scratch their way to Mordor, pursued not just by agents of the Dark Lord but by Gollum, slave to the lust of the ring.Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin have been captured by Uruk-Hai and are hunted by Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.The hunt takes Merry and Pippin to the center of Fanghorn Forrest in the company of the Ent Treebeard, a 14 foot tall walking talking tree.The 3 hunters fall in the Rhohirram under the command of Eomer (Karl Urban), a culture of horse lords threatened by the evil wizard Saruman, with their king Theoden (Bernard Hill) enchanted by Saruman's agent Wormtongue (Brad Dourif).Now on horseback, the 3 hunters encounter a resurrected Gandalf the White, now with power over Saruman. They ride to free Theoden, where they encounter Theoden's beautiful and strong niece Eowyn (Miranda Otto).Taking his people to the safety of Helm's Deep, Saruman sends his hordes after the king and in an impressive night battle, the Rohirram are aided by a contingent of Elven warriors (the biggest deviation by Jackson from the book). Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam encounter Faramir, the brother of Boromir on their way to Mordor led by Gollum.While our heroes triumph at Helm's Deep, and Saruman is defeated, the menace of Mordor grows greater as Sam and Frodo move closer to the fulfillment of their quest. I found The Two Towers to be a beautiful and profoundly moving film.The affects were amazing and the ability of Peter Jackson to combine live action, computer graphics and minature shots make this a great film.Once again, this movie should have won an Academy Award and the fact that it didn't is almost a crime. ... Read more

Asin: B00009TB5G
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure