I bought this movie after it came out and pop it in every couple of months. "Practical Magic" is a wonderful, have-fun movie that is just right as a Halloween movie for any age (save maybe very, very young viewers.) I know because every Halloween party I've had, this movie has delighted my guests.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are wonderful as two sisters in this movie. Their on-screen chemistry is amazing. You can't help but smile as they joke with each other and interact because it reminds you of how you were with a close sibling or how you wish you could be with one.

Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest are amazing. As supporting actresses, they almost steal the show as they are described as the aunts who are "sugar and spice" by the director, Griffin Dunne.

The story is about two sisters who are very close who live with their aunts in what I assume is a New England town. They have the reputation of being "witches" who curse any man who dares love an Owens woman. Of course, Gillian (Nicole Kidman) and Sally (Sandra Bullock) get into a bit of trouble as Gillian's evil boyfriend Jimmy (Goran Visnjic) accidently ends up dead at their hands through self-defense that can be deemed suspicious by anyone else and they try to figure out a way to cover it up. Things get stickier when the Officer Hallet (Adian Quinn) shows up to find the wanted Jimmy and sparks fly between Sally and Officer Hallet. Do they try to send him away and risk Sally losing her one true love? Or do they let him stay and risk Gillian and Sally getting caught while Jimmy's ghost continues to torment Gillian?

This movie is based on a third of Alice Hoffman's wonderful book by the same name.

... For those of you who have seen the movie (spoiler alert) and are curious about the book, you won't be disappointed. Remember the woman that wished to take another woman's husband? Well, you get to find out what happens to her as well as the adventures that Sally's daughters get into as they grow up. In other words, the book is better than the movie, but the movie is just as fun as the book.

As for those of you who like DVDs and their extra features, it is chock-full of them. From the game of "find the ingredients to mix the love potion" you have to search through the various features in the DVD to click on "ingredients" and get clues as to mixing the love potion which opens up a whole behind-the-scenes featurette. It also contains trailers, bios, and other little tidbits that were artistically designed well and accompanied by wonderful little chimes and music.

This "witch" movie is not quite as dark as "the Craft" (or ridiculous for that matter) as not as sex-filled as "Witches of Eastwick" but genuinely wholesome, fun and delightful. Especially the "Midnight Margaritas" scene which will have you humming the tune for days. A good recommendation for a Halloween movie for most ages.

The Net is a great movie. Keep in mind that this movie was made in 1995, which is the Dark Ages of the internet. No, it is not the most technically accurate movie, but it is not suppose to be. It's a movie. One may classify it as sci-fi, and what is GOOD sci-fi... something based on reality, but stretches scientific reality a little and asks "What if this were to happen?"

I think Sandra does a wonderful job in this movie. Within a relatively short period of time, you genuinely feel for Sandra's character and are concerned for her.

This is wonderful movie, with a captivating plot, solid acting, good direction, and is just plan fun to watch.

And by the way, Enemy of the State came out 3-4 years after The Net... and while I liked Enemy, I love The Net. Another good movie in this arena is No Way Out... Check it out.

This is the truest movie out there on racism, and the preconceived notions we ALL (no matter what color) try not to admit to to a certain extent. This was not a "lets bash the white man" movie either, the racism was across the board. The biggest surprise was to come about an hour in, and I was stunned to see the revelation of that storyline (with Matt Dillon). This film requires paying attention to, please stay with it, it will pay off. High recommend!

What an excellent movie about how difficult it is to go home. Birdie Pruitt was what every girl dreams of being in high school - the cheerleader, beauty queen, and married to her sweetheart. When her husband leaves her for none other than her best friend, Birdie comes home to start her life again. For some, it is nice to have her home, but for others, they love throwing her failures in her face.

Lucy Moderatz lives a comfortable existence. Her days consist of working at the L train collecting tolls, hanging out with friends occasionally, and living with her pet cat. She develops a crush on Peter Callaghan who frequents her toll both daily. When he is attacked while waiting on the train, Lucy risks her own life to save his. While waiting at the hospital to hear of his condition, she makes the statement that lying in there is the man she was going to marry. A nurse overhears Lucy and assumes that she is Peter's fiancée when in fact it was just Lucy's overactive imagination. She intends to clear it up until his family barges in. Lucy doesn't want to upset the family any more than they already are, so she keeps the truth to herself for the moment. She is included in the family, and really made to feel a part of them, so then she can't bring herself to tell them the truth at all. Lucy, who has never really felt a connection to another man, starts to fall for Peter's brother Jack while everyone waits for Peter to emerge from his coma. When Peter does finally wake, all hell breaks loose!

Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman have incredible chemistry and on screen rapport as the romantic leads. The supporting cast could not have been chosen any better, and a personal favorite of mine - Peter Boyle was priceless! I just love this movie, and will keep it on hand to see time and time again.

Blu-rays are about picture and sound quality. A review of Blu-ray edition of an old 1994 movie should be addressing the issue of added entertainment value when upgrading to the Blu-ray edition, not the story itself, which we are all familiar with.

A dvd of this movie cost a bomb back in the day. It has been shown countless times on free to air TV. I saw this movie in a theatre way back in 1994. Nostalgia made me buy Blu-rays of this movie along with Blu-ray Black Hawk Down, both at the same price. Naturally, I saw Black Hawk Down first, reserving Speed for later.

I totally underestimated SPEED. With the Blu-ray, (I hook up my TV to Bose 901 speakers) I was transported back to the cinema hall. The sound from the Blu-ray was awesome. Every explosion, collision, aeroplane, helicopter had a deep and tight bass sensurround sound. The bass on my speakers were truly put to the test. The deep rumblings of the bus and the sound of the crashing of the bus were true to life. Sounds were moving to and fro Left and Right speakers positioning the bus, helicopters and gunshots correctly. This made the Blu-ray worth every cent. The dialogue was crisp. I switched off the sub-titles and just enjoyed the whole Blu-ray performance, even though I had seen this movie on Full Screen TV free so many times before. With Blu-ray, this appeared to be a different movie altogether.

I cannot complain about the picture quality, although others might expect a better transfer. I can see every wrinkle on Dennis Hopper's face and the individual hairs on every actor's head in close-ups. For a 1994 movie, that is good enough for me. Colour saturation was good. The picture quality surpasses that of many Blu-rays which cost a lot more, and which are of more recent vintage....

Probably one of the most well spent $12.99 (price at the time of this review). The Blu-ray release surpasses expectations. Black Hawk Down has a more sombre theme, but somehow, the gunfire and helicopter crashes sound muted compared to SPEED. I expected better from Blu-ray Black Hawk Down and for value added by the Blu-ray edition. Blu-ray Black Hawk Down was better than the dvd, but it did not have the massive improvement Blu-ray brought to SPEED. The acoustics in SPEED sounded better than the recent Fast and Furious series of Blu-rays, to me anyway.

I am not in the position to comment about technical specifications, but for a person who has been disappointed by a lot of Blu-ray upgrades, SPEED added so much more enjoyment for such a small investment.

If Blu-rays reviews ignored the content and were rated according to "How much more did the Blu-ray edition add to your enjoyment of the movie compared to the dvd version", I would say SPEED BD would rank in the top few. Gladiator Blu-ray, on the other hand, would rank in the bottom few (if you ignored the 5 star contents).

And if you do not have a copy of SPEED, go straight for the affordable Blu-ray version of SPEED. I experienced a ressurection of a movie I once wrote off as "old". Excellent value for money.

Every so often a movie comes along that is well-deserving of all of the hype that is allocated to it. This is one such movie. In short, it ranks as one of the greatest sports movies ever made - not the least of which due to the fact that it is based on the true story of Michael Oher.

One of the more notable aspects of this film is just how little of it takes place on the football field. This is a movie about Michael Oher the person more than it is Micheal Oher the football player. In spite of being about 6'8 & > 300lbs, we find Oher to be someone who is as uniquely human as the rest of us. People who automatically believe that sports movies = zero plot will be quite surprised after giving this one a viewing.

Likewise, very little focus is on Oher's HS football team. It shows them winning from time to time & it shows Michael holding the league championship trophy. However, the other players on the team only have bit parts and we know very little about them.

Rather than being about a team's quest for a championship, this is a movie about a young man's involvement in the college football recruiting process. It is also centered around his desires to escape his past and make the grade while fending off racism at a ritzy all-white private school.

At its core, however, this is a story that shows how a little bit of kindness can go a long way towards making the world a better place. Even in the sadistic, twisted time in which we live, it's good to know that magnanimity has not entirely gone out of style.

Acting wise, this is one of the most well-done films I've ever seen. There was not a single weak performance in the movie, and there are not too many movies I can say that about. The casting office came through with flying colors!... Sandra Bullock's Oscar was well deserved, and Quinton Aaron is perfect as the gentle giant with puppy dog eyes. Cameos by college coaches such as Nick Saban, Lou Holtz & Phil Fulmer were a nice touch.

Whether you love Sandra Bullock or merely adore Sandra Bullock, this is a heartwarming movie that will stay with you forever. If, after watching this movie you're not stirred in the least, I would highly recommend that you check your pulse to ensure that you still have one!

No matter what religion you are or how you feel about witchcraft, if you enjoy good acting & a great storyline, you'll like this film. Both Bullock & Kidman are excellent & their characters are well-drawn, likable & familiar. Most women will relate to the loves & losses, trials & errors of these independent young women.

They are, of course, different in some ways. Born into a legacy of witches & dark history, the Owens females live under a curse that destroys any man who gets too close to them. (Then again, some of us may have felt 'cursed' more than once in our love lives...)

Bullock plays Sally, the levelheaded one who is determined to have a "normal" life. She falls in love early (w/a little crafty help from the aunts -Stockard Channing & Dianne Wiest), then marries & has two daughters who look exactly like she & 'Gillie' (Kidman). For a few years, Sally is blissfully happy until the day she hears the cricket chirp - a sign of impending death. After her husband is killed, Sally falls into a depression so deep that only her sister can pull her out.

They have an unbreakable bond - not only of blood & love, but of spirit. The strength of this bond actually saves Gillie's life, when she manages to hook-up with an evil madman who 'comes back' from death. The ending is quite well done.

This was a movie about belief, trust, family & a very old fight - good vs. evil. It was also about a love strong & pure enough to break a centuries-old curse, true enough to save a woman pulled in the depths of true evil. It is touching, satisfying & emotionally uplifting. Rent it! Then rent it again for the soundtrack alone!

As a sequel, this film surprisingly succeeds. Sandra Bullock, with her coltish good looks and her spot on comedic timing, successfully reprises the role of Gracie Hart, FBI agent. In fact, I enjoyed this film even more than I did the prequel, where Gracie Hart infiltrated a national beauty pageant as a contestant, her affableness winning her the award for Miss Congeniality.

It now appears, however, that Agent Hart's ability to work effectively as an agent has been compromised by the publicity that she received from her entry into that national beauty pageant. Gracie Hart is now instantly recognizable, whenever she hits the streets, by an adoring public who has taken to her as a duck takes to water.

This being the case, the powers that be at the FBI decide to make Agent Hart into a poster girl for the FBI, and she is given a mini entourage to polish their diamond in the rough. By the time they get through with her, Agent Hart is as slick and as polished as a cover girl, temporarily losing sight of why she joined the FBI in the first place.

Agent Hart is assigned a bodyguard, problem child agent, Sam Fuller (Regina King), who has some serious anger management issues. They get initially get along together like oil and water, with some funny comedic moments between the two. Ultimately, at the eleventh hour, their relationship evolves into one of mutual respect.

When Agent Hart's best friend, Miss United States (Heather Burns), is kidnapped in Las Vegas, along with pageant official Stan Fields (William Shatner), Agent Hart remembers why it was that she joined the FBI in the first place.... Although she is brought into the case strictly as a media liaison, she desperately wants to be taken seriously as an agent on the case, Unfortunately, her investigative efforts are stymied by the local FBI chief, Agent Collins (Treat Williams), who views her as expendable fluff.

While the storyline may be thin, at times, there are enough memorable moments to sustain the film, not least being the excellent comedic performances given by Sandra Bullock and Regina King. It is a professionally successful pairing of two talented actresses with a flair for the comedic. Sandra Bullock proves, once again, that one can be gorgeous and funny. For Regina King, the role of Sam Fuller is a breakout comedic role for her.

Moreover, the supporting cast is likewise funny. William Shatner, who of late has proven himself to have a deft comedic touch, provides some wacky moments. It was also great to see Treat Williams, who is as attractive as ever, playing the role of Agent Collins, the tightly controlled, ego driven, local FBI chief who seeks to wrap up the case successfully for his own personal aggrandizement. Elizabeth Rohm, of Law and Order fame, is a pleasant surprise in the small role of Carol Fields, the FBI agent who is two timing her fellow agent boyfriend with their mutual boss.

Although the film has some plot holes and may be implausible, at times, it still provides some enjoyable comedic moments. There are also cameo appearances by Regis Philbin and his wife, Joy. While this film may not be everyone's cup of tea, fans of Ms. Bullock will surely enjoy seeing her in this one. This funny, silly movie is definitely worth a rental.

For some reason Amazon is not listing in Product Details what is actually included in the 2 disc DVD other than a movie description. So for those like me who like to know what Xtras (+ Digital Copy) you're getting here it is:

Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentary
Featurette
"Set Antics": Outtakes And Other Absurdities
Subtitles: French, Spanish
Disc Two: Digital Copy of Feature Film