Tombstone

Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: This DVD was one of the best stories on Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday that I have ever seen. It showed a completely different version of these two legends and some insight into them as men and not just gunfighters. Kurt Russell did an excellent job as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer's role as Doc Holiday was an oscar winning performance. I was amazed that Val Kilmer was not nominated for this movie. This is an excellent way to spend an evening. This movie is one that can be watched more than once and enjoyed every time it is viewed. It has become one of my favorites.

Rating:
Summary: This is a great movie, but the quality of this dvd ruins it
Review: This is one of the best movies ever made but the poor picture quality cause the low score. buy the vista series tombstone DVD. it cost less and is much better

Rating:
Summary: This is the "Tombstone" DVD to buy
Review: Its actually two DVDs in all, but if you like the movie, than you will love this DVD. Scene by scene commentary from the director himself, the background to shooting the OK Corral scenes, theatrical trailers, ads, behind the scene comments and more are some of the bonuses on this DVD. If there was ever a DVD that was almost to exhaustive, it would be this one, every extra you can think of it is on there, and then some.

And as for the movie itself, superb picture and sound bring to life the best western movie produced in the last 20 years, and maybe ever made. Its a timeless tale that once you've seen, you want to see again. Its a truly entertaining and moving story at the same time. Its a shame every western couldn't be made this well.

Rating:
Summary: Terminally watchable, thoroughly enjoyable
Review: Apart from obvious classics (e.g. "The Godfather") it's almost impossible to find a non-comedy film you can watch repeatedly without tiring of. Tombstone qualifies for reasons I can't explain. Maybe it's the meat-and-potatoes Western quality to it. Good guys are bada--es. Bad guys are scum. Good guys shoot up the bad guys real good while delivering incredibly satisfying lines.

But the more likely reason is Val Kilmer's performance. Kilmer's never given a better performance and never will. His Doc Holliday is easily one of the coolest, I-wish-I-was-like-that-guy characters in history. His lines are endlessly quotable. His Southern drawl a thing a beauty. And whenever his character is off screen you wish he was there. It's an outstanding performance, and how it missed an Academy Award is an utter mystery.

But Tombstone has other pleasures, guilty or otherwise. You get to see Kurt Russell finally puts his steely blue eyes to good use. The girl from Fletch plays an opium addict. Every character has unbelievably cool facial hair. And you get to play "Spot the Obscure Celebrity" during the entire film. Is this Jason Priestly? Was that Frank Stallone? Wyatt Earp III? A fat Billy Bob Thornton? Charlton Heston? Robert Mitchum narrating? Yup, they're all there. And they're good!

Granted, at times Tombstone resembles those "Beef, it's what's for dinner" ads. And adding Dana Delaney as a love interest is really only a half-hearted attempt to keep the ladies interested in a film driven by oceans of testosterone. But there are so few films made like this anymore that all that seems fresh. It's so old it's new.

But Kilmer's is the thing you'll stick around for. And the Special DVD makes the film look even better. Fun sutff.

Rating:
Summary: Tombstone on DVD
Review: Don't get the wrong idea about that 2 star rating -- we LOVED the movie, have worn out two VHS copies. Have been waiting with excitement for the Director's Cut as we KNOW there are many, many minutes that never made it to the screen. Want to thank all of you who have reviewed it. Will NOT be purchasing it now as not particularly interested in all the trailers, interviews, map, etc. Can only hope now for a Special Edition release. We want all those clips that would fill in the missing pieces, make this a more cohesive film and enhance the characters. As to the movie itself ... it's right up there at the top of our BEST FILM list.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful energy and realistic depiction of the Old West.
Review: It can be said of "Tombstone" that it is a perfect model of the Western genre. As someone with little knowledge of this certain group of movies, or of the history and fact surrounding the characters in writer Kevin Jarre's story, I'm not about the begin to praise or denounce the film on the basis of what is truth and what is fabrication. I simply wish to comment on the wondrous sense that a long-forgotten era of movie-making seems to have been resurrected to the screen in this near-perfect spectacle of gun-slinging and rousing action.

Once again telling the well-known story of legendary Wyatt Earp, the films casts Kurt Russell in the main role as the now-retired sheriff reunited with his two brothers, Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton). Accompanied by their wives, the brothers journey to Tombstone, where they hope to find peace and begin their lives anew, devoid of the perils of policing town after town.

The film's first hour is devoted to much of the character development, and while this is usually a good thing, it tends to test one's patience with the film. We learn that Earp's new wife suffers from a drug addiction, that which keeps him from living out his married life as he wishes to. This calls for the presence of a new love interest, arriving in the form of actress Josephine Marcus (Dana Delaney); unfortunately, the movie doesn't expand much on her interaction with Earp, and their scenes together seem muddled and misplaced.

Of course, throughout this wallow in seemingly endless boredom, the film has two things going for its first half: the meticulous production design, and the establishment of the cast's willingness to throw themselves into their roles with full vigor. "Tombstone" vividly recreates the Old West in a manner that pays homage to the Westerns decades before, from the single street lined by houses, hotels, and saloons, to the dry, arid feel of living in these territories.

The introduction of its many characters provides a new entrance by another actor in an all-star ensemble cast, with Russell and Val Kilmer leading the way. Russell gives perhaps the best performance of his still-unfinished career as Earp, making the transition from a man who wants no more violence to a brother bent on exacting justice with impressive conviction. Kilmer plays the eccentric Doc Holliday with a terrific panache and humorous wit; together with Elliott and Paxton, the four form a lethal force of unrelenting justice seekers.

As the movie moves into its second half, things begin to pick up speed, gaining momentum with the introduction of the ruthless band of renegades known as The Cowboys, who see fit to create a ruckus throughout Tombstone that disturbs the peace Earp so desperately needs in life. pleading with his brothers to stay out of the affairs of the law, he is reluctant to take up arms against these men, though a stormy night and a dead brother provides him enough emotional anguish to create an uprising against the Cowboys and wipe them out once and for all.

It's material like this that director George P. Cosmatos excels at. His character development is well-guided, though throughout much of the first half, I wasn't feeling the vibes that I felt I should be. Once the first shots were fired in a spectacular shootout that begins their bloody feud, I was completely enamored by the various sequences of gunplay, which never fail to dazzle the eyes with an authentic sense of realism and historical accuracy in terms of appearance.

Once Earp begins to take his stand, which ends with a grandly-executed stand-off sequence at O.K. Corral, "Tombstone" proves its worth as a modern envisioning of a legendary figure. Some will quibble about its historical accuracy, while others will embrace it wholeheartedly. To be honest, I enjoyed the movie's wonderful energy and realistic depiction of the Old West, which was almost more than enough to make me overlook the shortcomings that befall its beginning.

Rating:
Summary: A worthy Vista title for upgraded picture audio and bonus
Review: After loving this movie for so long (probably Val Kilmers best role) I was very excited to see it re-released as a deluxe edition. The 5.1 audio upgrade really makes a difference over the previous 2.0 DVD. Now the bullets wiz buy and tumbleweed well, tumbles by. The picture is great, this movie really looks good on a large screen and was made for DVD. Some of the features are better than others. I thought the timeline was very informational, especially if you like this western as you learn the truth from the fiction. The Epitaph while not an exciting piece is also interesting to read the real newspaper account from way back when it actually happened. And to see the ads in the paper was cool too. There is a ROM game, which is a lot of fun, and re-playable which is always a plus in my humble opinion. If you like to gamble then install this on your PC. There are a ton of trailers and while they don't interest me too much it is interesting to see how many ways a movie can be spun.

Kudos and thumbs up on the new version and the cool bonus.

Rating:
Summary: A Really Good Western Gets the Royal Treatment
Review: This review covers the "Vista Series" 2 disc boxed director's cut DVD.
For those of us who love Westerns, we have to take what we can get nowadays. There are few if any, being made. So this is a refreshing re-packaging of an already great movie. The sound is first rate and the photography excellent. Most of this film has tried to be historically accurate down to guns, costumes, saddles etc; a great portion is detailed in the bonus dvd, including interviews with the actors and director. Historical facts are brought out and detailed, behind the scenes looks, and a folded map are even included in this very well packaged set.
Kurt Russell looks very much like the real Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer's "star turn" as Doc Holliday is great fun to watch. Sam Elliot as Virgil Earp and Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp, deliver servicable performances. Powers Boothe as Curly Bill Brosius is great as an Earp nemesis. I won't go into great detail about the movie itself as most people have already read other reviews since this movie has been out. But if you want to upgrade from VHS or the regular DVD, I highly recommend this set.

Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Strong Western/Action-Packed Film.
Review: After Cleaning Up:Dodge City, The Earp Brothers (Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott & Bill Paxton) are settledown quiting for been the law and moving with thier wives to Tombstone for Peace but when a Monauding Outlaw Gang (Led by Micheal Biehn and Powers Boothe) starting trouble in the Town. The Earp Brothers are getting tried and they are up against the Outlaws with the help from a dying sick alcoolic friend and Outlaw (Val Kilmer in one of his Best Roles).

Directed by George Pan Cosmatos (Rambo:First Blood Part 2) is well made and also has a all star cast-including:Dana Delany, Jason Pristley, Jon Tenney, Stephen Lang, Thomas Haden Crurch, Paula Malcomson, Lisa Collins, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Joanna Pacula, Micheal Rooker, Harry Carey Jr., Robert John Burke, Billy Zane, John Corbett, Terry O`Quinn, Oscar-Winner:Billy Bob Thornton and Oscar-Winner:Charlton Heston. Narrated by Robert Mitchum. The film did well at the Box Office also recieve good reviews from Critics and Audiences. This is a well made Western Actioner.

DVD has an sharp non-anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an excellent Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound. The Newest DVD Edition has anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer. The first time:Digitally Remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (Also in DTS 5.1 Surround Sound). DVD is Paced with Extras like:An Audio Commentary Track by Director:Cosmatos, Behind the Scenes featurette, Traliers and more. Die Hard Fans of Action/Western Movies will have a great time. The Vista Series is the Unoffical Director`s Cut added Nine Mintues of Additional Footage. Panavision. Grade:A-.

Rating:
Summary: Enhanced DVD could be better
Review: If you're even considering buying this DVD then you've probably seen the movie already and loved it. So I'm not gonna tell you how good the movie itself is. This is a review of the new DVD treament of Tombstone, more of a content review.

I waited for the newer version of this DVD to come out before buying. While the transfer to DVD is perfect and the sound kicks ass, a two DVD set like this should really offer more (e.g. Hannibal, Fight Club, Star Wars I). The movie itself does have a few added scenes making it a "directors cut", but there aren't any deleted scenes or outakes on either disc which, I feel, is what you'd expect from a set like this. There are some decent features, like the director's commentary and the mini documentary "An Ensemble Cast" provides some great insight into how the actors view their characters, but that's about it. There's some real garbage on here too. Do yourself a favor and skip the Tomstone Timeline and Epitaph. And unless you want to cheapen your opinion of a great movie, for God's sake, do not watch the trailers and TV spots. Atrocious! Were they really this bad?

Perhaps the studio is gauging the interest of the public before putting out a third version of this DVD with a few more features. I say 5 stars for the film but three stars for the added features. Right now, this is the version you want (enhanced sound, documentaries, etc), but don't expect to be completely satisfied.