THE PRINCESS BRIDE (20th Anniversary Edition)

Written by Pollo Misterioso

Everyone loves a good story, especially one that can stand the test of time. Twenty years later, after two decades of filmmaking, The Princess Bride (1987), a simple fairy tale, is still entertaining and heartwarming, a true testament to its timelessness and perfection of a well told story.

The Princess Bride tells a story within a story, framed by a grandfather reading his grandson the book. When the grandfather begins The Princess Bride, we follow along, as the narrative unfolds in front of us. We are introduced to the lovers of the tale, Westley (Cary Elwes) who is a poor farm boy and Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn). They are separated when Westley leaves to find fortune but word gets back that he is killed at sea. Five years later it is announced that Buttercup is to wed the evil Prince Humperdink and ultimately marry into the royal family. It is when she is kidnapped by three robbers, that the rescue of Buttercup becomes priority for both Humperdink and a mysterious man in black, who is most obviously Westley, also Dread Pirate Roberts, in disguise. Westley is challenged by the robbers, one of whom is a talented swordsman who goes by Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), leading them with wits is Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) and the other a giant named Fezzik (Andre the Giant)—two of them ultimately team up with Westley to help each other in their quests.

The story is simply a tale about true love, and everyone is involved someway in the fight for it. Besides our main characters, the sub plots provide much of the intrigue and entertainment. Inigo Montoya has been searching his whole life for a six-fingered man, a man that killed his father and according to him, must prepare to die.

This film is brilliantly cast, even down to the smallest cameo roles; these actors embody their characters. Inigo is such a wonderful character and Mandy Patinkin gives him such life and warmth, the Spanish accent helps. Robin Wright Penn sparkles on the screen, being that she is easy to photograph but her performance is heartfelt and believable. Billy Crystal makes an appearance in one scene as Miracle Max, and even this character plays an important part of story. The care and attention given to these characters makes it believable that they live on in their fairy tale world.

The Princess Bride is charming for its clever way of making fun of its own genre. Very subtly, through dialogue and plot points, it satirizes the familiar story that it plays upon. The film makes fun of iconic danger spots, namely The Cliffs of Insanity, or the Pit of Despair, also the danger comes in all sort of sizes, from giants to the ominous Rodents of Unusual Size.

Most importantly, this film has heart—from the relationship of a grandson to his grandfather, all the way to the fantasy love story of Westley and Buttercup. Fantasy can change lives, being that it cures the little boy of his illness by the end of the film and this film can cure the decades of bad film that have followed. Like an old story retold at bedtime, The Princess Bride is as reliable now as it was the first time.

The extras that accompany this film share the nostalgic love for The Princess Bride, with featurettes “The Princess Bride: The Untold Tales,” with interviews with cast members and “The Art of Fencing,” which gives background information of the swordfights in the film. The DVD features the official The Princess Bride game, called “True Love and High Adventure” but the game, definitely geared towards children, calls for Internet play as well, so the game is incomplete. Hopefully the purchase of this DVD is for the movie and not the interactive game, because then it is worth the purchase.

Criminal Minds: The Second Season

Written by Senora Bicho

Okay, I admit it. I love crime. Movies, books, TV, fiction and non-fiction. I am addicted and can’t stop myself, even when it causes me to wake in the middle of the night sure that my husband is trying to kill me. Now when it comes to crime on television, I am not usually overly selective. American Justice, 48 Hours Mystery, Law and Order, CSI (only the Vegas version though, I do draw the line somewhere), etc, etc. There is definitely more than enough out there these days to keep my DVR full.

However, Criminal Minds is an interesting diversion from the usual crime drama. This show focuses on the criminal and tracking the unidentified suspect down through profiling. The series follows the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) as they try to solve cases that involve a serial offender. The show really focuses on the absolute worst of the worst. The crimes are extremely brutal and the cases this season ranged from child pornography to the bloodiest of serial killers.

Season Two brought on a lot of challenges and personal obstacles for the BAU. Criminal Minds, as described by the executive producer, is a self-contained show in that a viewer can come in and out of the show without being lost. However, the writers do throw in “cookies” about the characters that reward regular viewers. This season brought a lot more personal information and development of the characters.

Each episode begins and ends with a quote from the likes of Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde that summarize the main issues being addressed. These quotes illustrate the intelligence of the series. The BAU is considered an elite team within the FBI and each character brings a different expertise. Jason Gideon, played by Mandy Patinkin, was the heart of the team in the first two seasons. He asked to be released at the end of season two and was replaced by Joe Mantegna for Season Three. Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) is the head of the unit. You see a bit of his family life over the course of the season and get a hint of the strain his job has on his marriage. Hotchner grounds the group and provides the rational, calm force. Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) is the brain of the team and amazingly can solve the unsolvable. Reid’s super-genius, photographic mind admittedly provides a cheat for the writers as disclosed in one the featurettes. The four other team members each play their part, from computer geek to hunky stud, but are not as dominate or engrossing as these three.

Season Two starts with the conclusion of the hunt for the Fisher King from the Season One finale. Early on in the episode, the suspect shoots one of the agents, Elle Greenway. This causes the slow destruction of her psyche and subsequent resignation midway through the season. She is then replaced by Emily Prentiss, whose admission into the group is highly suspect by Hotchner and Gideon as neither approved it. The finale of the season indicates that Prentiss was brought in due to her family connections and the favor that got her into the group is now being called on to help bring Hotchner’s career to an end.

The DVD collection offers some great special features, first and foremost being the audio commentary. Each commentary offers a wonderful collaboration that has been thoughtfully considered. Writers, actors, directors, and producers are all brought together to bring excellent insight into the episodes they narrate. There are four episodes that offer commentary tracks and I really wish they had done more.

There are three featurettes, all also well done and interesting. A spotlight of Kristen Vangsness, who plays the computer wiz on the show, is included. This is a lighthearted offering that is not very noteworthy. Last but not least, there are two deleted scenes and a gag reel. I continue to be confused by the fact that serious shows feel the need to include a stupid gag reel. They are never funny and this one is no exception.

Season Three of Criminal Minds is already underway and if you love crime drama like I do, give it a try. If after a few episodes you are hooked, then go out and buy Season Two to get caught up on what you have missed. If you are already a devoted fan of the show, this is a worthy purchase just for the special features.