Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This wonderful Warner Brothers release of four of Jim Carrey's films all in WIDESCREEN(contrary to the official Amazon blurb),is a package well worth getting.The upside is that the price is right,the down side is that they are on two dreaded double sided discs which are super prone to getting scuffed and/or scratched.If you are brave of heart dear DVD warrior then you may pass GO and collect two hundred dollars.
Disc One,Side A finds Dumb and Dumber,released Dec/94 and starring Jim as Lloyd Christmas(!)and as his pal Harry Dunne played by Jeff Daniels.Directed by the Farrelly Brothers this is a well paced comedy that features gag after silly gag throughout.The boys live together;Lloyd is a limousine driver who becomes instantly infatuated with a fare and tries unsuccessfully to return a briefcase she left in the airport before leaving for Aspen,Colorado.It was really a deliberate drop of alot of cash for two thugs.Harry is a dog clipper who has converted his car into a giant hairy looking dog.Both guys lose their jobs on the same day and decide to return the briefcase to Aspen.Their trip as would be expected is chock full of faux pauxs and misadventures.When they finally arrive they get to return to briefcase and foil a kidnap plot in the process.The film ends as the two walk back home and miss the chance to get aboard a bus full of sun tan lotion promoting females.A really hilarious romp full of alot of guy humour and obvious gags but Carrey and(surprisingly)Daniels do a great job and have really good on screen chemistry together.The film has been transferred well and is in its' original a/r of 1:85:1.The only extras are cast bios,photo gallery and the original and international trailers.3 1/2-4 stars.
Disc One,Side B reveals The Mask,released July/94 which stars Carrey as Stanley Ipkiss.He is a hopeless romantic but shy and lacks any kind of social life.His favourite TV viewing is old Tex Avery cartoons.One day he stumbles upon a strange wooden mask floating in the harbour of Edge City.He puts it on and it melds right into his skin transforming him into a cartoon like character who can whirl around like a Tazmanian Devil and has a strong and outgoing personality;the total opposite of him.He at first manages to get even with a few people that have done him wrong but over time he runs afoul of a local gang and the police who are hell bent on capturing and/or killing him,depending on the moment.In the end Stanley manages to corral the local gang and hand them over to the police and he gets the girl.The films fades out as Stanley throws the mask into the river.Well directed and edited this film could have gone way over the top and missed the mark but Carrey's performance is right on the money and the outrageousness of his character is something only he could have pulled off successfully.The film has been transferred well and is in its' original a/r of 1:85:1.Extras include:deleted scenes,commentary,trailer,featurettes-Return to Edge City,Introducing Cameron Diaz,Cartoon Logic and What makes Fido Run.Four stars.
Disc Two,Side A finds Yes Man,released Dec/08.This one,kind of an off brother to Liar,Liar,has Carrey as everyman Carl Allan,a bank employee who has become somewhat of a social recluse.He would rather stay home than hang with his friends.One day an ex bank employee turns him onto a life altering lecture being given by an inspirational guru played by Terrence Stamp.It empowers Carl to make a pact with himself not to say no but from now on say yes to life.This he takes to extremes saying yes to everything.Slowly but surely his life does change and for the better.He helps alot of people in the process,gets a job promotion and finds in the end he has become a better human being for it.In short he gets a life and in the process gets the girl.The movie is a look at what positive thinking and making the right choices in one's life can ultimately achieve,and Carrey again plays the part wonderfully.The film is in its' original widescreen a/r of 2:4:1 and it has been transferred well.There are no extras.It's a feel good film that I give 3 1/2 - 4 stars.
Finally Disc Two,Side B sees one of Jim Carrey's most underrated films and I think one of his best,The Majestic,released Dec/01.The film stars Carrey as Peter Appleton a budding Hollywood film writer.This is the early 50s and the McCarthy witch hunts are in full swing and Peter gets caught up in the sordid mess.He is let go of his position by the studio.After getting drunk he decides to go for a long drive up the Pacific Highway.Along the way his car plunges into a raging river and he survives only to hit his head on the bridge abutment.He is found the next day on a local beach and is taken into a town called Lawson.He has amnesia,however the townsfolk mistake him for a local war hero Luke Trimble who was MIA in WW2.When Luke's own father identifies him as his son Peter goes along with things, but all the time unsure and unable to recall all the things the townspeople say about him and his past.Just as Peter/Luke is melding into the towns life he gets his memory back and at the same time the Committee on UnAmerican Activity catches up with him,taking him back to Hollywood to appear before them.Under tremendous stress and questioning,Peter refuses to give in and basically tells the committee what they can do with their hearing and charges.Peter goes back to Lawson to see a girl he left behind only to be greeted at the train station by the entire town.The Majestic is a real feel good movie and it shows the acting chops Carrey has in the dramatic department.Not well received originally I think this is Carrey's best work dramatically and the film is one that needs a good reassessment.The film has been transferred well into its original widescreen a/r of 1:85:1.Extras include:cast and crew specs,additonal scenes,trailer,a featurette on The Hollywood Blacklist and the complete movie in a movie starring ex-Xena actors Bruce Campbell and Cliff Curtis.I give it 4-4 1/2 stars.
All in all these two discs contain four of Jim Carrey's better films.They're on double side discs though so beware,but it's a great price for them and a must have for all Jim Carrey fans.Highly recommended.
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