A Bronx Tale

Gia/A Bronx Tale
$29.98

The Robert De Niro Collection (Analyze This/A Bronx Tale/Goodfellas/Heat/Wag The Dog)
$68.98
A lot of people have complained about this collection because they claim it doesn't house De Niro's best films. Let me break it down this way: Warner Bros. released this box set (as well as an Al Pacino version) and they are only allowed to include films licensed through WB. Therefore, most Martin Scorsese/De Niro classics such as Raging Bull (MGM), Taxi Driver (Columbia), Casino (Universal) etc. cannot legally be included. They'd have to make some sort of deal with all the major movie studios, and that's practically impossible.

So, for what's included here, it's a great place to start a De Niro collection. You can usually find it on the market for $59.99 -- divide it by five... yeah, it's a pretty cheap deal when you consider the fact that these DVDs by themselves cost around $11 - $12 in the average video store.

ANALYZE THIS -- Not a great film, but De Niro is very funny and it's an essential De Niro movie as it's not only one of his best comedic performances, but one of his most popular films. If you're a De Niro buff, and you don't own this, you might get some skeptical glances from other fans.

WAG THE DOG -- An underrated, sharp satire with a great ensemble cast, well directed by Barry Levinson ("Rain Man"). I can see why some might not like it, but if you enjoyed "Bulworth" and similar political satires, you'll like this. (For the record, I thought it was far subtler and more intellectual than "Bulworth" was, although they're both fine comedies.) Dustin Hoffman is actually better than De Niro in this in my opinion - he's really funny.

GOODFELLAS - This has since been released on a Special Edition DVD but this standard-disc version is still good enough... it's got the same transfer as the SE version and the trailers as well... it doesn't have the commentary or the documentaries, but I heard the commentary -- split into different sections -- is a waste of time and the docs are only so-so... at $10 it's a pretty good deal and one of the top five De Niro films of all time. You can always upgrade letter.

HEAT -- This has also been re-released recently but nevertheless this disc is pretty good for an older DVD release... the movie itself is awesome. The new DVD is better, but again, you can always upgrade if you enjoy it enough.

A BRONX TALE -- Robert De Niro directed this and in my opinion it's one of the greatest gangster/Mafia films ever made, and unique because it deals with different aspects of the genre that even Martin Scorsese doesn't touch upon in some of his films. De Niro is excellent in it and he does a terrific job behind the camera. I'm thrilled to hear he's directing a film next year -- after seeing this I was in awe of just how talented he is behind the camera.

So overall if you're new to De Niro this is a good place to start, and if you're building up a collection there's a good chance you're going to want most of these films sooner or later... at a pricetag of $60 it's a pretty good deal and I'd recommend it to anyone. The only other De Niro film I know of that WB had the rights to and should have included here was "Sleepers," also directed by Levinson ("Wag the Dog")... you should seek that out after buying this, it's a good movie.

Donnie Brasco (Special Edition)
$14.94
Many reviews here seem to be only about the movie, not about the specific edition on bluray, so I thought I add a few comments on it. I've seen "Donnie Brasco" some twenty-odd times, so I was excited to get it on bluray. My impression? Well, the technical quality is really great: the picture is very much better than on the very good regular dvd's for sale (and the sound too, I guess, but I use headphones so I don't really know). The "extended cut", however, was a bit of a disappointment (note: at approx. 145 minutes, this version contains far more extra scenes than earlier versions). Only one or two instances of added material really added something to the story or movie as a whole, to my mind: most of it actually detracted from my experience of the movie - and not only because I'm so habituated to the regular version, I think. Still, even so it's a great gangster and psychological drama, with great acting: but if you already have the "Special edition" with the director's commentary etc (not included in the meagre extras on this bluray edition), you might want to wait for a new bluray release with the original cut. Trust me, sometimes less is really more.

Addition: I noticed now the same "extended cut" is apparently available on regular dvd too, so if you've seen that one you know what the problem is - the additions don't really add anything, but only disturb the careful pace and rhythm of the original version (and there is way too much lion...)

A Bronx Tale [Region 2]
$28.98
Thank you for allowing me to review my purchase. Because I viewed the movie before, I already know the movie is good. The one reason for purchasing it again. I had the DVD, it was stolen during a break in my home. At any rate, my opinion on the actual purchase process is very poor. I was not told this movie was a region 2 DVD and I would not be able to view the movie unless I owned a region free DVD player. Because I do not own a region free DVD player, I now have a $27.00 DVD I can't watch. I was fortunate to gain contact with the seller who advised that I should purchase a region free DVD player to view this movie. I had already paid more than the movie was worth and now his only solution was that I buy an extra DVD player to view this one movie. I don't think so. I then asked if I could return the movie in exchange for another movie. His response was he can not accept a movie that was opened. Amazing!!!! I guess the lesson learned is to pay more attention to who and where you buy product, you may not be able to use it!!!!!!
Thank you
A VIEW BLOCKED BY REGION 2