Clerks II (2-Disc Special Edition) (2006)

I bought this set at Best Buy on New Year's Eve for only $30, and I wasn't dissapointed.

It comes in a Happy Meal-esque box, complete with a plastic cup with straw, a Mooby's visor, a Mooby's nametag, and a little worksheet with puzzles and stuff on it. The visor is actually pretty cool, and the cup is a quality thick plastic cup. I wouldn't pay over $50 for this at any time, but if you can get it for a decent price, it's easily worth it.

The film itself is also very good. It ranks near the top, if not my favorite of all Kevin Smith films.

The final chapter of the "New Jersey Chronicles" is am almost satisfying ending to a series of films extending about 15 years.

its more than 10 years after the events of clerks. Dante and Randall's situation hasnt improved much. they're still working basically the same jobs. in the opening scene the quick stop pretty much burns down. the rest of the movie after that takes place at Mooby's fast food place, Dante and Randall's other job.

ive always found Dante to be a kind of bland character, just like TC in Mallrats, but they both have that outrageous sidekick (randall) so it balances out well.

Clerks 2 carries the torch of the original perfectly, with classic characters and always entertaining strings of dialogue. the movie has a satisfying ending which properly brings closure to the chronicles. i wish Kevin would keep it up though. even after all these years, these characters havent played themselves out at all, even if their own creator thinks thats the case. Kevin Smith is arguably my favorite writer/director, so im kind of biased, but all of his work that ive seen couldnt be any better in my opinion.

like most DVD's Kevin Smith puts out, this has the special features to keep anybody busy for a while, including an hour and a half long documentary on the making of Clerks 2.

Buy Clerks II (2-Disc Special Edition) (2006) Now

The original Clerks is a landmark movie; made on a budget of $28,000, it became a huge cult hit and began the "Askewniverse", the film and comic book world populated by characters like Jay (Jason Mewes), Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), and the Hicks family (all played by Brian O'Halloran). While Clerks II is the first direct sequel to any Askewniverse film, it, like all the others, has certain elements that have writer/director Kevin Smith's fingerprints all over it.

The story starts 10 years after the end of Clerks. Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) still work at the Quick Stop and RST Video stores, respectively, despite the fact that they are now in their 30's. As the movie opens, Dante opens the shutters to see that the building is on fire due to Randal's negligence. For the next year, the two of them work at Mooby's, a fast food restaurant. Though their setting has changed, they are still clerks. They still have to put up with annoying customers, but now they have to make food as well. They also have coworkers to put up with, notably Elias (Trevor Fehrman) a 19-year-old who still kisses his mother goodbye everyday when she drops him off. He and Randal are usally arguing about who grew up with better pop culture, with Randal backing Star Wars and Elias championing Lord of the Rings and Transformers. We also meet their boss in this movie (in the original Clerks, we never met their superior and only knew him as "The Boss"). Becky (Rosario Dawson) is a cool and very tolerant (in Randal's case) manager who likes hanging out with Dante while Randal and Elias work. Jay and Silent Bob are also still in the lives of Dante and Randal. Since the Quick Stop burned down, they had to find a new place to hang out in front of, and they chose Mooby's. They are still drug dealers, but now they themselves are clean.

The majority of the film takes place on Dante's last day of work. He is leaving New Jersey forever with his fiancee Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Kevin Smith's real-life wife) the following day, much to Randal's disappointment. Randal doesn't like Emma very much, and the feeling is mutual, and Dante himself seems to prefer Becky. He seems a lot more relaxed and happy around her than with Emma, who was a jerk to him in high school (though more on this subject later).

Clerks II has many callbacks to the first and has all of Smith's trademarks, but it is definitely its own movie. In both this and the original, we see Dante's morning routine for opening the store, he paints a girl's toenails in each film, Dante does something on the roof, Dante is caught between two girls, and there are some others that I don't want to spoil. Jason Lee and Ben Affleck both make appearances, who have appeared in every Smith film since Mallrats (the movie after Clerks). This film, according to Kevin Smith, is the last film of the Askewniverse (though that's what he said about Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), and it serves to tie up most of the loose ends (as Smith calls it, it is an epilogue of the Askewniverse).

This is definitely a film that merits repeat viewings. On top of being laugh-out-loud hilarious, it is so good that you will most likely miss parts of the dialogue due to the audience laughing so hard. I would see it now, then wait a few weeks when the crowds have thinned out, then go see it again.

This film was made for only $5,000,000, which is small by Hollywood standards, but is 185 times greater than the budget for the first film. It is my opinion that Smith tried to do a lot of things that he could not have done in the first movie. Dante and Randal leave the restaurant to go somewhere, but this time, we actually see where they go (in Clerks, they went to a funeral, but we didn't see what went on because it would have been too expensive to hire extras and rent another location). There is also a hilarious dance sequence where Dante and Becky are dancing on the roof while other people in the film start dancing in their various places (and Randal "wrangles" across the counter), and the shots of Dante and Randal in their car are not shot from the back seat.

The one problem I had with this film is the love story. I don't think it was terrible, but it seemed a little trite for a Kevin Smith movie. It was very straightforward; the minute that Becky even hinted at her feelings for Dante, we knew that these two were meant for each other. In the first Clerks, thing were more ambigous about which girl Dante should go for. Still, when it wasn't being cheesy, it provided for some laughs.

This part isn't so much a problem as an observation. Clerks II definitely does not feel like an indie film. I guess that's natural, because if you have $5,000,000 to make a film that will be inexpensive, you might as well go the whole nine yards. Also, and this is a very convoluted analysis (and is probably over-analysis), but one of the things Kevin Smith said is that this is a film about being in your 30's while the first was about being in one's 20's. Maybe the indie film has a closer connection with one's 20's (you are young, just starting off in your life as an adult, can't afford much), but once you get to your 30's, things are more mainstream and you can achieve just a little more if you try.

In summation, Clerks II is a great movie, definitely one of the funniest I've seen since The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Be warned that it is extremely vulgar (Smith was afraid of getting an NC-17 rating despite no violence or nudity), so don't bring the kids or easily upset friends. But with Kevin Smith, you really can't expect anything else.

Read Best Reviews of Clerks II (2-Disc Special Edition) (2006) Here

Well, I know Clerks II doesn't come to mind when wanting to show off HiDef Picture and Sound quality, Clerks II still looks damn fine in HD, and will impress any fan.

Video Quality:

Clerks II is presented in the MPEG-4 AVC codec, and holds up nicely against VC-1. Many reviewers have complained about the hot overblown contrast of the cinematography, but to tell you the truth, it never bothers me as I think it feels more real. Considering most of the film is set inside a fast food resturant in the middle of the day, you'd expect that.

Film Grain is evident but never really distracts, as it just adds to the low-budget nature of the film. Clarity and sharpness are top-notch and is never an issue, and detail always manages to hit it's mark. There is some slight digital grain on BG walls and floors, but overall not a bad transfer.

Score: 3.5/5

Audio Quality:

Sound wise, Clerks II HD-DVD fairs up as you could imagine for a dialogue driven film. Dialogue is always clear from the front speakers, yet the surrounds and LFE are rarely used. It does it's job, and the HD-DVD comes with a bonus Dolby Digital TrueHD track (which is not displayed on the back cover).

Score: 3/5

Extras:

Like it's DVD cousin, this HD-DVD gets all the bells and whistles of special features, but THIS TIME round, they're displayed in 1080i HD glory. Ok, it's not everything, but it's nice to see the behind the scenes in all their glory. The docos are very funny and entertaining (as you'd expect from Kevin Smith), and the 3 audio commentaries will not dissapoint any fan.

Score: 5/5

Overall:

I am a HUGE fan of Kevin Smith, and in my opinion Clerks II is his strongest film to date. It's hilarious, laugh-out-loud gross yet heart felt at times.

Call me insane, but Clerks II was one of the main reasons I chose HD-DVD over Blu-ray. It's a gem of a movie that any fan should be without in there HD-DVD collection.

Overall Score: 5/5

-zallapo

Want Clerks II (2-Disc Special Edition) (2006) Discount?

SPOILERS alert here. Also, I have to say this upfront: I actually liked JERSEY GIRL, so take this review for whatever you think it's worth.

No worries, fans of CLERKS. Kevin Smith didn't eff it up. With CLERKS 2, our trousers-challenged maverick writer/director crafts an admirable and wickedly funny sequel to his 1994 indie, black and white cult hit. Once again, Smith creates a rallying film for the disenfranchised and the disinclined. And he brings his usual bag of tricks: the bawdy humor, the character-driven interplays, the pop culture indulgences, and the beloved characters.

Here's the plot: It's been a decade since we last met up with Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), who had been whiling their dead end lives away in a convenience store and a video shop. Well, CLERKS 2 finds the Quick Stop burnt down due to a coffee machine mishap and the hapless duo now toiling at the haphazardly frequented fast food joint Mooby's. At first glance, not much has really changed. With the lack of steady customers, the duo still finds plenty of time to goof around and mouth off. Now in their thirties, Randal is still as abrasive as ever, but Dante seems to have finally decided to get his life into gear. This is his last day working at Moody's. Tomorrow, he's driving out of Jersey with his cute fiancee Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, the director's wife) and moving to Florida, where he's promised a job by her pops and even a house by her moms. He's pretty much made up his mind, though certain doubts linger. His best buddy Randal thinks he's taking the easy way out, a sentiment echoed by Becky (the easy-on-the-eyes Rosario Dawson), their sexy and cool supervisor at Moody's, who herself doesn't buy into romantic love. But Dante is determined to go. What he doesn't know is that this day has some life altering surprises in store for him. There, so much for the plot.

First of all, Kevin Smith's great strength is his ear for dialogue. Folks have already made mention of Smith's directing skills, or, rather, how little they've progressed ever since the first CLERKS. I happen to think he's a pretty decent filmmaker, but, I really believe the field in which he truly excels is writing. And I'm not talking about flowery diction and high-faluting prose. I'm talking about words from the gut, the real-life crap that people say or want to say as they go thru their day to day existence. CLERKS 2 revels in its playful but obscene riffs as much as it does in its theme of slackerhood and its tendencies for pop culture references. Whether the topic is sexual etiquette, the superiority of one cinematic trilogy over another, or the sensitive issue of standing still as life passes one by, Smith's words, as spoken by the film characters, are honest, sometimes vulgarly honest.

The humor in this film made me howl. It's not drawing board wit, no. The comedy is vintage CLERKS, ranging from scatological, to sexual, to racial, to just plain juvenile. Off the top of my head, the scenes where I laughed the longest and loudest are the LORD OF THE RINGS versus the STAR WARS trilogy debate, the "porch monkey" bit, and the donkey scene (or to quote the Sexy Stud: "interspecies erotica").

I have to say that Rosario Dawson helps greatly to elevate this movie from being merely an exercise in incessant hanging out and talking trash. She is sunny, winning, beautiful, and is a natural actress. You might wonder initially what draws her to a frumpy looking guy like Dante, but it's her attraction to such a normal guy and even kind of a loser that makes the movie work even better for me. Her Becky exudes such a level-headed yet whimsical personality that I thought, yes, she could actually fall for this numbnut, bless her heart. Their relationship nicely depicts how a good friendship could, in time, transform into something more. From the special features, I found out that Bryce Howard, Sarah Silverman, and Liv Tyler were wooed for the part of Becky. Frankly, I now find it hard to picture anyone but Dawson in that role, though I'm sure Liv wouldn't have been too shabby.

Brian O'Halloran as the quietly harried Dante is again effective here, but it is Jeff Anderson who shines brighter as the rude, crude, and irresponsible Randal. His moments with Dante while they were incarcerated near the movie's end are searingly real, raw, and heartfelt. And to think that Anderson, at first, had to be talked into doing this sequel. Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, in the thankless role of Emma, Dante's fiancee, manages to pull off a nice performance in her few scenes. Trevor Fehrman as the 19 year old, Lord of the Rings and Transformers fanatic, Elias, is a bit over the top, but funny enough (his Pillowpants bit is giggly funny). Meanwhile, Jason Mewes as Jay and the director himself as Silent Bob are back after spending six months in rehab (the characters, not the actors, though Mewes did have his drug problems) and remain amusing, as ever. It's nice to know that, though they continue to ply their drug dealing trade, they've at least found Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Cameos are also made by Smith regulars Ben Affleck and Jason Lee, and even Wanda Sykes pops in for a while, but not long enough to hurt the film.

The bonus features (of over six hours, as boasted on the dvd cover): disc one includes three film commentaries (the best one is the second commentary selection, which offers Smith and most of the cast), plenty of deleted scenes, and "A Closer Look at Interspecies Erotica"; disc two has the engrossing hour and a half long behind-the scenes-look "Back to the Well: Clerks 2," an extended blooper reel (which is mostly bland, excepting those takes with Rosario yep, she got to me), and "Trains Wrecks: Video Production Diaries" (including Jason Lee's "The Tongue Song"). Most of the special features come with the option of an intro by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier.

This flick is low brow, vulgar to the extreme and, certainly, gasp inducing. But CLERKS 2 also has plenty of heart and, surprisingly, several sweet moments, which surface when you least expect it. Kevin Smith made this film as a fond salute to the slacker generation who adored the first CLERKS and also as an homage to his younger, more unsure self who was just starting out and who believed back then that more things seemed possible to achieve. CLERKS 2 is a movie about a day in the life of several ordinary folks, whose copious downtime, on the surface, is filled with nonsensical junk. But, when you get right down to it, these seemingly throwaway moments depict and define their lives, and, as such, they prove to be very real. I'm personally giving this one 5 stars, but, remember, I also liked JERSEY GIRL.

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Griff the Invisible (2010)

By day Griff has the usual office job where he is bullied by his workmates and is only ever visited by his brother who tries to make Griff conform to society. By night Griff takes on the alternate persona as the town's superhero protecting the city streets. Griff is invisible to the world until he meets his brother's new girlfriend, Melody who turns Griff's life upside down with her eccentricities that only match his own.

Griff the Invisible is a very touching story that blends the lines between reality and illusion that is definitely worth at least one watch and I would highly recommend it. The story isn't too similar but if you like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this movie is definitely worth a chance.

Lov superhero movies, Netflix had this and stopped weirdly half way through and just needed to watch in its entirety. Good fun quirky film

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Glory (1989)

This review refers to the Columbia Tristar 1/98 release of the DVD edition of "Glory"....

There are many glowing reviews of "Glory" to be found here. I feel the same way about this wonderful film, and after touching on the story I would like to talk about this DVD release(see above) which is an outstanding quality and excellent value.

"Glory" is an exceptional film. A true story of the Civil War that is both touching and inspirational. It depicts the story of the first black unit from the North to be trained and actually go into battle. Led by their very empathetic but very young Colonel(played brillantly by Matthew Broderick), the 54th Regiment endures many hardships felt not only by being soldiers of this devastating war but as African Americans as well.Their spirit, pride and tears along the way, is projected in this film by these wonderful actors in a way that will make you feel all the anguish and pride that they felt.

The cast includes Morgan Freeman as the Sergeant who is the motivating force behind the soldiers. His performance is stirring. Denzel Washington, awarded Best Supporting Actor by Oscar for his role as the runaway slave looking for a home will move you to tears(or at least put a lump in your throat, which remains throughout), and Andre Braugher's smile and tenacity will grab you and keep you.The cinematography and sound(both also honored by Oscar) are exquisite.Beautifully directed by Edward Zwick it is a war story that is more than action, it is one you won't soon forget.

Often, the different DVD editions wind up on the same product page. You may have found yourself on the page of the "Special Edition" of Glory. That is the 2 disc edition with lots of special features. If these are important to you in a DVD than that is the one you should probably go with. However, if you really love this film, but don't want to spend as much for all the extras, this edition is identified by ASIN:0800177967. It is half the price of the "Special Edition",and is a beautiful transfer as well.You have the choice of viewing it in the original widescreen(1.85:1) or a full screen version. The picture is beautiful, sharp, crisp and clean. Colors spectacular. Depending on your set up the sound options are 5.1(Digital Dolby) or 2-channel surround.I watched it in the 5.1 and was very impressed. All the sounds of the Civil War were clear and distinct. The music wonderful. It may be viewed in Spanish or French and has subtitles in English, Spanish and French also.

Whatever edition you choose, this a a film that is a beautiful addition to your DVD collection.It is one that will be watched again and again. Thank you and enjoy.....Laurie

I first saw this film right after its release on video nearly 16 years ago, and I can say in all honesty that it changed my life. Having grown up with an interest in Civil War history, this film made me realise just how little I actually knew of the period beyond what most people learn in school about this era of American History. So as the credits rolled, I wrote down the names of the books quoted, sought them out at the library, and it wasn't long before I began to realise that this would beg some further research. Taking the bibliography of one of the sources for this film, "One Gallant Rush" by Peter Burchard, I did my utmost to find and read as many of his sources as I could possibly get my hands on.

The result of this research has been that now I wish that the film had been truer to the actual story of what really happened. There are some obviously glaring historical inaccuracies in the film, but if you don't know the actual story as intimately as I do, it does little to detract from the fact that this is a superb film that brought to light one of the less known and more obscure aspects of Civil War history, that blacks fought in rather large numbers for the Union Army and were instrumental in turning the tide in favour of the Union in the war. In the end, nearly 200,000 blacks would fight in blue under the auspices of the United States Bureau of Coloured Troops. The 54th would keep its state regimental designation, but all the rest of the black troops were part of the USCT, the United States Coloured Troops.

Had the filmmakers stuck more rigourously to the actual history of the 54th Massachusetts, it would have been far more dramatic than what the film suggests. The 54th did not spend Christmas 1862 in camp; in point of fact, that regiment hadn't even been raised by that point. Robert Gould Shaw was still very much with the 2nd Massachusetts at that point, the regiment that he belonged to at the time that he was offered command of the 54th, by his father, in proxy for Governor Andrew, who came to visit him in winter camp in Virginia. Shaw at first refused, because he'd fought and bled beside his brethren of the 2nd and felt a strong bond with these men after what they had been through Antietam, Cedar Mountain, Winchester. Shaw had been twice wounded in these engagements, though not badly. He did not wish to leave this regiment and command a coloured troop. He also fought his own personal prejudices over the idea of the Union raising black troops. After some deep thought for a few days, he changed his mind, however, and decided to take this enormous risk of his military career.

The 54th was not made up of escaped slaves as was portrayed in the film. The character of Corporal Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher) is closer to the kind of man who would have fought in the 54th educated, free, literate. Men in this regiment came from as far away as Canada to enlist in the 54th. In fact, the town that sent the single largest number of men to the 54th was not one in Massachusetts, but then considered radical Oberlin, Ohio. John Mercer Langston, whose famous descendent would be the black poet Langston Hughes, recruited for the 54th Massachusetts in Ohio and was responsible for Oberlin sending so many free black men to fight in that regiment. It might have been interesting to show the variety of free black men who volunteered to fight in this regiment and the kinds of professions that they left behind, from farmer to cabinet maker to sailor to teamster and beyond. However, I suppose having characters who were escaped slaves such as Jupiter Sharts (Jihmi Kennedy), Trip (Denzel Washington) and John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and contrasting them with Searles made for an interesting story.

The real Robert Gould Shaw was a far more complicated character than the one that Matthew Broderick brought to the screen. I must commend his portrayal, though. He has generally made a reputation for playing either light comic or wise-ass characters, and he showed remarkable depth and pathos in playing this vaguely tragic character. His soulful eyes regularly reflected the horrors of war and he seemed to have that same haunted, far away look that photographs of the real Robert Gould Shaw seem to have, as if all along he knew that he would not survive the war to come home to his loved ones. His uncanny resemblance to the real Shaw also helped and I have to wonder if he was drafted to play the part after the director saw the pictures of the real Shaw or whether he decided to play that part himself as a break from his usual comic work. Either way, I commend his performance and wonder why he hasn't done other dramatic work in the same vein as this film.

This film is a fitting tribute to both the reluctant hero Robert Gould Shaw and to the brave black men who fought under him, fighting prejudice and skepticism with bravery and honour. It is a good thing that this film was made and that this story was resurrected from certain obscurity. It is my hope that history classes in schools are now showing this lesser known side of Civil War history and that not all blacks were slaves awaiting liberation by the Union with 40 acres and a mule. This film, as I mentioned at the beginning of the review, changed my life, and it is my hope that it will change others as well. It is a powerful story well acted by the entire cast with a five hankie ending that will leave a real lump in your throat. If you aren't crying by the time the film closes, you are far harder hearted than I am. I highly recommend seeing this film. It is one I never tire of seeing over and over again.

And just to end this review, I will add some recommended reading if you are interested in following up on this film once you've seen it and want to know more. "Blue Eyed Child of Fortune", ed. by Russell Duncan, is a collection of Colonel Shaw's letters home to loved ones. A fascinating read, to hear Shaw speak with his own voice on his Civil War experiences with both the 2nd Massachusetts and the 54th Massachusetts regiments. Follow that up with Duncan's biography of Shaw, "Where Death and Glory Meet". You might also want to read the book that partly inspired the film, Peter Burchard's "One Gallant Rush". If you want to hear the voices of Shaw's soldiers, read Capt. Luis F. Emilio's regimental memoir of the 54th, "A Brave Black Regiment". A young seaman from New Bedford, Massachusetts, Cpl. James Henry Gooding wrote letters that became the book, "On the Altar of Freedom". He fought in Company C of the 54th, was gravely wounded at the Battle of Olustee, Florida, was captured by the Confederacy, sent to Andersonville, where he died of his wounds. Sgt. George E. Stephens of Company B wrote letters that became the book, "A Voice of Thunder". Stephens would end his war as a 1st Lieutenant, an officer in the 54th. "A Grand Army of Black Men" contains some letters from members of the 54th as well. All of these books are highly recommended reading if you want to get to know the members of this historic regiment through hearing their own voices speak of their experiences.

Buy Glory (1989) Now

Here's one of those rare movies that succeeds as both a sweeping, visually sumptuous historical epic AND an intimate, character-driven personal drama. This fact-based account of the first black regiment to fight for the Union in the Civil War is filled with scenes of grand pageantry: the bloody battle at Antietam Creek; the first assembly of the 54th Regiment; the proud parade of the finally-trained and uniformed soldiers; the climactic attack on Fort Wagner. And yet despite these heart-pounding, majestic sequences, the film at no time loses its focus on the individual characters whose stories provide an emotional connection to the action. The performances of the once-in-a-lifetime cast are uniformly superb: Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, and Andre Braugher are all at the top of their game, and Denzel Washington (who deservedly won the Supporting Actor Oscar) is amazing, especially in the scene in which he undergoes a bitterly harsh punishment. The dozens of emotions that flicker across Washington's face in that sequence, wordlessly conveying his character's essence, represent a powerful economy of acting that is rarely achieved in any medium.

Happily, the DVD transfer of this cinematic masterpiece is exceptional. The Oscar-winning Cinematography and Sound are beautifully showcased, putting the viewer right in the middle of the story. (You'll understand Francis Scott Key's line about "the rockets' red glare" on a level you never before imagined!) And James Horner's soaring, elegant musical score is a revelation. This absorbing film makes for a phenomenal DVD experience!

________________________________________

BLU-RAY UPDATE: My original review was based on the first, single-disc DVD edition of "Glory". At the time, I lamented the lack of special bonus features that I felt would have enhanced viewers' understanding and enjoyment of the film. A few years later, a 2 Disc DVD of the film was released, which contained a wealth of bonus materials. I upgraded, and was very happy with the 2 disc edition.

I recently upgraded again, to the 2009 Sony Blu-Ray release, and am happy to report that the film looks and sounds better than ever. Comparing it to the previous Laser-Disc and DVD editions, I can honestly say that the Blu-Ray package is worth the additional expense, if you're as big a fan of the movie as I am. Several of the bonus features from the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD have been retained, and there's also an impressive Virtual Civil War Interactive Battlefield Map exclusive to the Blu-Ray. Very highly recommended!

Read Best Reviews of Glory (1989) Here

That line, uttered by an obscure character, a white Union soldier watching the Massachusetts 54th Infantry prepare to assault a heavily-fortified Confederate fort, signifies the acceptance of the Union Army's first all-black regiment. GLORY, director Edward Zwick's Civil War masterpiece, shows us the evolution of the 54th, from a ragtag group of former slaves and freemen--a group under supplied, underpaid, and initially used for manual labor and looting--to an efficient fighting machine.

Like many other reviewers, I was pleasantly surprised by Matthew Broderick's portrayal as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the young, idealistic leader of the 54th. Broderick gives this character depth, compassion, credibility, and yes, maturity. And what else can be said about the supporting cast, including Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Cary Elwes, other than "exceptional?"

GLORY is profound entertainment: gripping, violent, raw, and emotional as the fragile subject of race--of racism--is brought to the forefront. It is a story that is as timeless as it is transcendent.

Want Glory (1989) Discount?

In 1989, "GLORY" would become an important movie that introduced many Americans unfamiliar to Civil War history but most of all, to show viewers the impact African Americans had in the role of fighting for the Union.

The film would focus on Col. Robert Gould Shaw, the letters he sent to his family and him leading a group of African American men who volunteered to fight against the Confederate Army. This group is known as the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The film is also adapted from Lincoln Kirstein's book "Lay this Laurel" and Peter Burchard's book "One Gallant Rush".

"GLORY" was directed by Edward Zwick ("DEFIANCE", "Blood Diamond", "The Last Samurai" and "The Siege"), screenplay by Kevin Jarre ("The Mummy"and "Rambo: First Blood Part II"), music by James Horner "Enemy at the Gates", "A Beautiful Mind" and "Troy") and cinematography by Freddie Francis ("Dune", "Clara's Heart" and "Cape Fear").

The film would star major talents Matthew Broderick ("WarGames", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Godzilla" and "Inspector Gadget"), Denzel Washington ("American Gangster", "Training Day", "Man on Fire" and "Remember the Titans"), Morgan Freeman ("The Dark Knight", "Wanted", "Million Dollar Baby" and "Deep Impact"), Cary Elwes ("The Princess Bride", "Twister", "Liar Liar" and "Days of Thunder") and Andre Braugher ("Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer", "Poseidon", "Frequency" and "Primal Fear").

The film would receive five Academy Award nominations and win three for "Best Actor in a Supporting Role Denzel Washington", "Best Cinematography Freddie Francis" and "Best Sound Mixing".

"GLORY" is powerful!

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"GLORY" is presented on 1080p High Definition (aspect ratio of 1:85:1). The film manages to capture the haziness of war due to the smoke in the battlefield and the colors are not featured as vibrant as most of the settings are in blues and browns but you will see reds on the flag and the flares, amber colors from the gunfire and the greens of the grass and tress, but I believe that the limit of color was the Director Edward Zwick's purpose. Zwick is director that has made several films to capture the dreariness of war as he did nearly a decade later with "ENEMY AT THE GATES", he manages to capture the look of the battlefield in 1989 with "GLORY".

The film does have quite a bit of grain that comes clear due to its High Definition transfer but I would rather have grain than overly used digital noise reduction that would make the characters look waxy and the picture quality as soft. In fact, one thing you will notice with "GLORY" is you see quite a bit of detail of the actors, their surroundings but also objects such as shovels, rifles, clothing, etc. But overall, the picture quality is solid.

As for the audio, the film is featured in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (also in French, Portuguese in Dolby True HD 5.1 and Spanish 5.1) and the lossless soundtrack manages to capture the many explosions on the battlefield. But what captures your attention when it comes to sound is James Horner's musical score. The music sets the tone of the film especially during the final battle. Dialogue is clear and very clean and many of the scenes during the battles where artillery, gun fire and people yelling (even those yelling from a far distance) can be heard. There were scenes that do utilize the rear channels effectively and I believe there were some scenes where explosions took advantage of some low frequency booms on the subwoofer. Overall, "GLORY" receives its best audio presentation compared to its original DVD counterpart.

As for subtitles, the film is presented in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"GLORY" comes with the following special features:

* Audio Commentary by Director Edward Zwick Edward Zwick is known for his war films from "GLORY", "Enemy at the Gates" and "The Last Samurai" and one thing that I enjoy about his commentaries is that he really gets into the technical goals and explain the difficult scenes. "GLORY" features just that as he really goes into detail of the filming techniques used on the film. Such as trying to drown out the blue skies with smoke, working with the talent, the staff, James Horner for the music and tidbits such as not having enough money to hire more stuntmen, so the stuntmen trained the extras on several scenes. Also, how challenging it was for Morgan Freeman to have to run countless times especially uphill to having horses that were trained to fall. A very informative commentary.

* Virtual Battlefield Civil War Guide Map This was actually pretty good. By using your remote, you can learn about certain battles from the Civil War with photography and text information. But some have video commentary by Civil War historians which was quite informative.

* The Voices of Glory (11:16) This features letters from the Civil War written by actual soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and giving a voice to the men who fought in the various battles including the battle at Fort Wagner. Featured in Standard Definition.

* Documentary: The True Story of Glory Continues Narrated by Morgan Freeman (45:18) A documentary featuring the factual information of the soldiers that fought during the war and were members of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry with additional detail on Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Also, the coverage on the Civil War re-enactments that are ongoing today and an actual re-burial of soldiers. A documentary that is very informative and you learn about other names that were instrumental during the battle against the Confederate Army at Fort Wagner. Featured in Standard Definition.

* Original Theatrical Making-of Featurette (7:35) Featured in Standard Definition, this is the original featurette with interviews with the talent and Director Edward Zwick. The featurette has a few behind-the-scenes footage from the film.

* Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary There is commentary by Director Edward Zwick on two scenes. For The Applepicker (3:03), a scene which revolves around Pvt. Trip making his first kill. The second and final deleted scene is one that Zwick calls one of his worst and glad it was cut from the film. The scene is titled "Crisis of Conscience" (2:35) which is a scene involving both Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) and Major Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes).

For those who owned the two-disc special edition DVD release of "GLORY", you may not want to ditch your DVD just yet as the "Picture-in-Picture Video Commentary featuring Ed Zwick, Morgan Freeman & Matthew Broderick" is not included on this Blu-ray disc. Nor are the scene selections on the Blu-ray sporting any motion.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"GLORY" is a powerful war film that shows an epic depiction of the battles that have taken place at that time. Powerful performances from Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Andre Braugher, I was in awe of how epicly enormous this film was from start to finish.

I really enjoyed "GLORY" for its storyline but also being educated about a part of Civil War that many people are probably not familiar with.

In fact, Director Edward Zwick talked about in the commentary of going to Harvard University and living in Boston and never knowing the significance of the Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment on the Boston Common. And how he felt that this film not only was a positive for the people who worked on the film, great for his career but mostly for how significant the film is used by teachers using "Glory" as a tool to teach about the Civil War.

The film definitely made me interested in learning more about the war but also key figures which include Colonel Shaw and American abolitionist Frederick Douglass. But the film also opened my eyes at the time of how soldier placement truly was. This is very interesting because these people stood probably less than a hundred yards from each other before they shot at each other. Where forts had the use of cannonballs and artillery for long distance destruction, foot soldiers were just really close to each other and had to constantly reload their rifles. And watching the final battle and in a way, oncoming military groups were like sitting ducks. The military tactics of the time made me realize why the Civil War had the most number of deaths compared to Americans killed in World War I, II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined.

Of course, the film and the actual history have some differences and its important to note that the only major character from the film's regiment that truly existed was Col. Robert Gould Shaw but the challenges that the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry faced during that time was quite real. The combat role that African-Americans played in Civil War very much real. The factual events, especially details that have come out right after the film was released is documented on "The True Story Continues" documentary which is included on the Blu-ray.

Again, for those who own the 2-disc DVD Special Edition released back in 2007 and wonder if its worth the double dip. For picture and audio quality, my answer is yes but I highly recommend not to get rid of the DVD as the "Picture-in-Picture Video Commentary featuring Ed Zwick, Morgan Freeman & Matthew Broderick" is not included on this Blu-ray release. Personally, I think people would have loved to hear insight from both Freeman and Broderick about working on this film. So, I'm a bit surprised it was not included on this Blu-ray release.

But nevertheless, "GLORY" is still a solid Blu-ray release. The HD transfer definitely gives the viewer more detail and makes the battlefield come alive. It's a powerful film and definitely worth owning and having in your Blu-ray collection.

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Escape (2012)

I wasn't really sure what to anticipate from the Norwegian film "Escape." The marketing artwork, packaging and description make it seem like this might be a cheesy kid's adventure film. So I strapped in and hoped for the best. And as is often the case with relatively low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. There isn't a whole lot of plot in this spare 80 minute film, but the action sequences were well executed and the movie held my interest throughout. The title really explains the entire film premise. It's about an escape with not much back story or explanation either before or after the event. By keeping things simple and straightforward, however, the movie succeeds in telling a concise little story. It may not be a great movie, but it is entertaining. The DVD/Blu-ray has the option of an English dubbed soundtrack, but I watched the film with subtitles. I can't, therefore, comment on the quality of the dub which is oftentimes distracting and annoying to my personal taste.

The movie is set ten years after the Black Death has decimated the population. A lone family traveling the desolate countryside is attacked by a gang of outlaws. After the bloody encounter, the teenaged daughter is taken back to the savage's camp and kept as a prisoner. She forms a tentative bond with another young girl, but her fate seems all but sealed unless she can take matters into her own hands. What must she do? She must escape, you guessed it. Never mind where she's going, she has to assert independence, courage, and ingenuity if she plans to survive this ordeal. Most of the movie has our hero on the run, and her pursuers following closely. That's about it!

The look of "Escape" is quite impressive. The scenery is spectacular and the action sequences are well done. For a low-budget endeavor, the filmmaking is quite accomplished. Young actress Isabel Christine Andreasen is believable and appealing, but it is Ingrid Bolsø Berdal who gets the film's showiest role as villainous Dagmar. I would love to have seen a movie about her character, she seems like a fascinating subject! In the end, you're not particularly connected to the fate of any of the characters but that didn't bother me. Because the movie had such a limited scope and modest ambitions, it worked just fine. I'm not particularly raving, but I enjoyed myself. Overall, about 3 1/2 stars. I'll round up for Berdal's work as Dagmar. KGHarris, 4/13.

I usually don't bother writing reviews, but I do like to leave at least some feedback when I come across that rare budget movie that actually turns out to be fairly good. Well, this is one of those diamonds in the rough even though the plot was simple. The acting was good, and the script was well written. I was pleasantly surprised :) Sorry for the simple review, but again I don't usually care to write reviews.

Cheers!

Buy Escape (2012) Now

It's not the best cinematography ever, it is a foreign language film with English subtitles. A very good story, actors were good (especially the two young lasses).

I'm surprised to find this gem hidden back on page one hundred something. It should be up front, at least ahead of "I spit on your grave" & "Godzilla vs Megagodzilla"

Hunger Games, Hanna type movie, action, drama. Dagmar is Hawtt! In a Johnny Winter sort of way.

Read Best Reviews of Escape (2012) Here

This is one great and awesome movie ... you WILL have to remind yourself to breath for your stomach muscles are tight for the whole part of the movie (and it hurts after a while). Awesome and INTENSE story plus superb acting. Awesome and superb video and audio quality throughout the whole movie. I just had my Pioneer Kuro elite plasma calibrated 2 weeks ago and this Bluray simply showed off its prowess.

I chose the Norwegian/Swedish version with English subtitles version since it was in high definition audio (DTS-HD MA). The English voice over version is stereo which I didn't like. Subtitles didn't bother me one bit and probably heightened the movie experience.

By all means ... this movie is extremely and highly recommended. You will NOT regret it one-bit! Excellent example of good triumphing over evil in the end ... but at a great cost indeed!!!

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Toy Story 2 (Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/ DVD Packaging) (1999)

I took my Niece to see it and expected it to begood but I was not prepared for what followed. What a terrific movie.Woody and Buz have worked through the problems that existed between them in the first Toy Story and have become the best of friends. I laughed throughout the movie. What humor, I loved the scene where Mrs. Potato Head is packing Mr. Potato Head for his trip to save Woody and she packs his angry eyes "just in case". The depth of the personalities, the humor and thoughtfulness of each of the characters makes me feel as though these are real people. I have put this movie on my list of "All Time Favorites" My Niece is 5 and I am 47 and we both loved it. I am eagerly waiting for it to be available for home viewing so I can own my own copy. Hats off to Disney and Pixar for a job well done.

My wife and kids (11 and13) actually kind of dragged me to see this one in the theater. Boy was I happy that they did! Toy Story 2 is really a great movie that had us all laughing a lot. It also provides for some very emotional moments (Jessie's song remembering her time as a favorite toy, among others). Many of the jokes refer to the first Toy Story, so it really helps if you know that one. What I personally liked best, though, has become a great "habit" with Pixar: The end trailors where the "stars" get to be their "own self": Here especially "Tour Guide Barbie" was a blast!

Enjoy... I can't wait for it to come out on DVD to once again enjoy the great graphics AND sound effects that so impressed me in the theater last week!

Buy Toy Story 2 (Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/ DVD Packaging) (1999) Now

It is rare for a sequel to surpass the original movie artistically as well as commercially. One of those rare sequels is "Toy Story 2". I didn't think it was possible for Disney and Pixar to create a sequel as good as the first "Toy Story" but they did. "Toy Story 2" is that rare treasure.

In "Toy Story 2" Woody is stolen by Al, the toy collector who plans on selling his collection of Woody and the Round Up Gang to a Japanese toy collector. With Woody kidnapped, Buzz Lightyear, Ham, Slink, Mr. Potato Head, and Rex sets off to find their kidnapped companion. There are three new characters in the movie, Stinky Pete (voiced by Kelsey Grammar), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and Bullseye the horse. The writing and animation is superb. I really enjoyed the scenes with Woody, Jessie, Stinky Pete, and Bullseye. One of my personal scenes is when the toy collector calls in the old man to fix Woody's arm. The details in the animation is amazing and very realistic. I also loved the scenes when Jessie reminisces about her former owner Emily. It was very poignant without coming off as drippy. Sarah McLachlan's song added a melancholy feel to the scenes. Another great moment in the film was when Buzz and the gang were in the toy store looking for Al, the toy collector.

"Toy Story 2" is one of my favorite Disney/Pixar collaborations. This is a film that can be enjoyed by all ages. It is also one of the best films ever, animated or not. The writing in this film is simply too good to ignore. I still enjoy watching this movie to this very day and not get tired of it.

Read Best Reviews of Toy Story 2 (Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/ DVD Packaging) (1999) Here

In November 1999, the sequel "Toy Story 2" was released in theaters and the $90 million dollar film like its predecessor did extremely well in the domestic and worldwide box office making over $485 million.

What is interesting was that the film was originally not intended for a theatrical sequel but a direct-to-video release. When Disney execs were pleased with the results, Pixar Animation Studio staff literally were on overdrive as they had only 8 months to finish the film, when the usual animated film by the company takes four years. Needless to say that while the making of the film was stressful and even some the film's animator's suffering repetitive stress injuries for working nearly 40-straight hours (rarely any sleep) shifts, the company made what was impossible...possible.

And now with a third film to be released in the Summer of 2010, 11-years-later, both "Toy Story" 1 and 2 films will be released on Blu-ray.

VIDEO:

"Toy Story 2" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1). The first thing one will notice (especially after watching "Toy Story 1") is how much detail is included in "Toy Story 2" (and after watching the special features, you'll see how much have improved over a decade later with the sneak peak of "Toy Story 3").

For the most part, "Toy Story 2" has improved animated-wide by including much more detail and textures as seen during the close-ups of Mr. Potato Head (you can see the texture as you would see from the actual toy), the plastic covering on the package of Stinky Pete, the detail of Rex the Dinosaur, more shading and the scenery of the outdoors, from vehicles to the store, the trees, the ground and everything you can think of, looks much better than its counterpart.

And of course, on Blu-ray, you see the detail and the amazing clarity. Colors are absolutely vibrant, you can see details and textures which come alive on HD and for an animated film that came out in 1999, even over a decade later, this animated film looks much, much better than a few of the animated TV shows and films that we today.

Also, the movements of the characters are just well-animated. From the characters of "Woody's Roundup" dancing, the toys and their walking movements. The movements were very good on the first film but they improved on it for the sequel. Very impressive.

Overall, wonderful picture quality for this sequel.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Toy Story 2 " is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Maser Audio and English 2.0 DTS-HD, English DVS 2.0 Dolby, Spanish and French Dolby Digital EX and I was amazed by the lossless audio quality for the first film on Blu-ray but for this sequel. WOW! Lossless audio is amazing. Just the first few minutes of the beginning of "Toy Story 2' as we see the Buzz Lightyear video game sequence, we are treated with an immersive soundscape with the center, front and surround channels being utilized as well as LFE. The film has a good amount of action sequences as Buzz Lightyear #1 takes on Buzz Lightyear #2 along with Emperor Zurg. We hear the Cheetos snap when Woody steps on them and much more.

Sound is crystal clear and overall, another impressive lossless soundtrack.

As for subtitles, subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Toy Story 2' includes the following special features:

* Characters: An Exclusive Sneak Peek At Toy Story 3 (4:00) A sneak peek at the new characters and the talent voicing the new characters for "Toy Story 3'.

* Director Commentary

* Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs:

o Episode Two: International Space Station (3:43) Buzz reports back about his adventure to the International Space Station.

* Paths to Pixar: Technical Artists (4:24) In this series of shorts, Pixar artists talk about their career path and share advice to aspiring filmmakers and animators.

* Studio Stories: A series of amusing anecdotal shorts about life at Pixar.

o "Toy Story 2 Sleep Deprivation Lab" (1:25) This short featurette gives audiences an inside peek into the intense time pressures under which the Toy Story 2 editors found themselves.

o "Studio Stories: Pinocchio" (2:15) This short featurette shows an impromptu competition between the animators to decorate their workspace by throwing toys into the ceiling.

o "Studio Stories: The Movie Vanishes" (2:32) This short featurette tells how a mischievous technical error almost erased all of Toy Story 2 from the computer system.

* Pixar's Zoetrope (1:58) A look at the creation of the live-action zoetrope that Pixar created to capture the principles of animation in a live sculpture.

* Celebrating our Friend Joe Ranft (12:46) A tribute to beloved Disney and Pixar story man Joe Ranft, regarded as one of the industry's most gifted story artists.

* Making Toy Story 2 (8:10) A featurette on the making of the film, talking with director John Lasseter, crew and talent.

* John Lasseter Profile (3:02) Crew and talent talk about working with John Lasseter.

* Cast of Characters (3:28) A featurette on how the talent bring the characters to life and the new talent who provide the voices for the characters of "Toy Story 2'.

* Toy Box This section features outtakes (5:27), Jessie's Gag (1:00), Who's the Coolest Toy (3:19), Riders in the Sky Music Medley (3:11) and autographed pictures (:45).

* Deleted Scenes (4:11) Featuring deleted animation intro (:47), Godzilla Rex (1:28) and Crossing the Road (1:56).

* Design A featurette on the design of each character (Galleries), the 3D-Visualization and the colorization of the characters.

* Production Featuring Designing Woody's Past (2:50), Making Woody's Roundup (1:51), Production Tour (2:31), Early Animation Tests (3:04), Special Effects (1:38) and International Scene (1:47).

* Music & Sound Featuring Designing Sound (5:38), Making the Songs (3:25), Woody's Roundup" Music Video (2:17) and "Jessie's Song" Randy Newman Video (2:48).

* Publicity Featuring Character Interviews (2:05), Trailers (3:24), TV Spots (2:12), Posters (:50) and Baseball Woody (:18).

EXTRA:

Included in the "Toy Story 2" Special Edition is a DVD of "Toy Story. The DVD is featured in Widescreen (1:78:1) Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions and is in English 5.1 EX with English SDH subtitles.

JUDGMENT CALL:

Having gone crazy for the Blu-ray release of "Toy Story 1", I can easily say that this Blu-ray release for the sequel is equally impressive and a title definitely worth owning and worth having in your Blu-ray collection.

Although, I enjoyed the storyline for the first film much more, I enjoyed the second film because of the additional characters and the animation showed great improvement nearly five years after the first was made. But since the release of the film on VHS and on DVD (multiple times), I have owned each release because these films are both magnificent.

The voice talent and acting is top notch, the storyline is well-written and Pixar Animation Studios set the bar higher then and they continue to set the bar higher now when it comes to CG animated films.

And so far, every Pixar Animation Studio release on Blu-ray have been nothing short of magnificent. From the Blu-ray releases of "A Bug's Life" and "Monster's Inc." (and yes, we are still waiting for that Blu-ray release of "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles") and their releases from "Cars" all the way up to their 2009 film "Up", when it comes to new releases that are Pixar related, so far we have been given awesome picture quality, awesome lossless audio and plenty of special features. "Toy Story" 1 and 2 are among those films that just look and sound fantastic but also additional content to keep any animation fan happy.

I will say that if you own the "Ultimate Toy Box Set" that was released in 1999, you will want to hang on to that set because although the Blu-ray's do have new additional content, a lot of content from the Ultimate Toy Box Set are NOT included on the Blu-ray release.

"Toy Story 2" is just an enjoyable family film that holds up well today, over a decade later and will still produce plenty of laughs and even in today's world of awesome CG animation, you can't help but see this vibrant film and just enjoy it on so many levels. Just seeing the detail and texture and how much the film had improve within the last five years from the original film is incredible. And the fact that the employees busted their heart and soul to get this film done in eight months vs. the usual four years is equally impressive.

With the release of both special edition "Toy Story" films on Blu-ray, these are the definitive versions of the film to own and for those like myself who have owned several versions of "Toy Story", the upgrade to Blu-ray is definitely well worth it and highly recommended!

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This has GOT to be on the short list of movie sequels that are superior to the originals. First off I felt that an entirely digitally animated movie was incredible to begin with, and when I finally saw the original 'Toy Story' I was in awe of not just how technologically incredible it was, but how GOOD it was as well. Forget for a moment we are talking about ANIMATION...I think too many people believe that just because it wasn't live-action it simply wasn't worth an adults time. Thank heavens I have little children who want me to take them to these kinds of films so I won't feel embarassed as an adult walking into a so-called 'Children's movie'...but it just DOESN'T matter in the case of 'Toy Story' and this particularly amazing sequel. I have to hand it to the producers and writers for coming up with such a great story! First off you have to put yourself into the role of a toy, and think to yourself, "IF it WAS true that toys were alive, what kinds of problems might they encounter?" They certainly did come up with a plot that seems a perfect natural for this scenario. All of the voices do a superb job of giving life to these animated toys we see, so good in fact that I watched the entire film without once thinking to myself, "Hey, that's Tom Hanks and Tim Allen talking there!" You find very quickly that you are enveloped in this creative and might I add VERY FUNNY story which moves along at a great pace and well, even if you have seen it before, it is definitely worth another look...and if you have put off seeing this because its a 'kids film' get OVER it and see it. Good stuff no matter HOW old you are.

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Juno (Special Edition + Digital Copy) (2007)

Teenage pregnancy is frequently a starting point for myriad philosophical arguments: some see it as a major problem, some see it as an argument for the need of early teaching of contraceptive technique and sex education, some see it as a reason for championing abortion, and some see it as a piece of life that confronts families in both positive and negative ways. JUNO is a beautifully written (Diablo Cody) and directed (Jason Reitman) version of unplanned pregnancy offered by a splendid ensemble cast: it is a movie that could modify the sociologic outlook of many people in a very strong fashion.

Juno (Ellen Page) is sixteen and talks her best friend Bleek (Michael Cera) into having sex: the result is a surprise pregnancy that Juno shares with her girlfriend Leah (Olivia Thirley) and the store clerk Rollo (Rainn Wilson) even before informing Bleek, a likable kid who seems fairly flat about the situation. After discarding abortion as a viable solution, Juno informs her father (JK Simmons) and stepmother (Allison Janney) of her status, and tells them she is going to complete the pregnancy and give the baby to some loving and needy barren couple. Her parents are at first flustered by the news, but quickly become supportive in a way that tells us many things about the durability of successful families. With Leah's help, Juno answers an ad for 'wanted: baby' in PennySaver and visits the Lorings (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) who desperately want a child and embrace Juno's gesture of adoption with eager excitement. The remainder of the film follows Juno as her abdomen increases in girth, finding new respect for her parents and for Bleek, and inadvertently walking in the troubled waters of the Loring's marital discord. Without giving the story away, the ending is so tender and free of cliché that it allows us, the audience, to appreciate all the vigor and sensitivity and humor and warmth of Juno an example of developing maturity that is a fresh breeze compared to the usual teenage movies.

Ellen Page does indeed deliver a pitch perfect performance, but her co-stars are equally fine: Simmons and Janney break away from their usual type cast roles brilliantly, and the other members of the cast (the entire cast) flesh out this well written story with great skill. The mixture of animated graphics and the imaginative musical score enhance the flavor of the tale. JUNO offers an unbiased look at the topic of teenage pregnancy and wins on every level. Grady Harp, April 08

Juno was Little Miss Sunshine of 2007 the little independent film that could. Once the studio realized that it had a successful crowd-pleaser on its hands, the film was promoted from the art-house circuit to the multiplexes. Actress Ellen Page and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody became the film's breakout stars garnering the lion's share of critical raves and awards with Page getting an Independent Spirit Award and Cody an Academy Award. Now that all of the dust has settled, Juno can be reassessed to see if it really has the staying power and substance to cut through all of the hype and stand-up to the inevitable backlash.

There is an audio commentary by director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody. The first thing that you notice when listening to Cody talking is how well Ellen Page mimicked her way of speaking. Reitman tends to dominate the track and, not surprisingly, talks about filmmaking aspects like the casting of minor roles, the attention to details for the sets, how he shot certain scenes, and so on. This is pretty decent track filled with lots of anecdotal stories and production details.

Also included are 11 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Reitman and Cody. We meet Juno's crazy next-door neighbour. There's also a different introduction to Juno's family. We see Mark and Vanessa's first attempt to adopt. There's also an amusing bit where Juno has a solo gig and sings a song about getting pregnant. These are all good scenes and Reitman explains why there were cut.

There is the obligatory "Gag Reel," a hilarious collection of blown lines and goofs with Bateman making Page break character time and time again.

The "Gag Take" is an odd scene where Rainn Wilson and Reitman get into it with a mock heated argument.

"Cast and Crew Jam" features the cast and crew members rockin' out to a song in this mock music video.

There are "Screen Tests" for Ellen Page and Michael Cera. In the scene they do together you already see them in character and displaying excellent chemistry. There is also a test with Page and Olivia Thirlby and one with Page and J.K. Simmons as well.

"Way Beyond `Our' Maturity Level" takes a look at the characters of Bleeker, Juno and her best friend Leah with interviews with the actors that inhabit them. Diablo Cody talks about how they are based on people in her life.

"Diablo Cody is Totally Boss" is a profile of this novice screenwriter who got her start writing a blog and got noticed by a film producer. Reitman recalls his initial impressions of the script and the cast gush about its "unique voice."

"Jason Reitman for Shizz" takes a look at the director. The producers gush about how he was the right fit for the material. He talks about establishing the right tone and how he shared the same vision for the film as Cody.

"Honest to Blog!: Creating Juno" features Cody and Reitman talking about how the film came together. She credits her stylized dialogue to spending lots of time on the Internet. Cody also talks about how she came up with the idea for the story. They talk about specific scenes and her knack for depicting an unconventional family.

Buy Juno (Special Edition + Digital Copy) (2007) Now

It means the bonus disc includes a digital copy of the film that can be automatically downloaded to a laptop or iPod. Seems obvious after you know it, huh? The second disc also includes some extra bonus features not on the single-disc DVD -four featurettes titled "Way Beyond 'Our' Maturity Level: Juno Leah Bleeker," "Diablo Cody Is Totally Boss," "Jason Reitman For Shizz" and "Honest To Blog! Creating Juno."

Read Best Reviews of Juno (Special Edition + Digital Copy) (2007) Here

Juno a teen who becomes pregnant by her friend and decides to give up the baby for adoption to a lovely couple or does she change her mind. I reccomend all teens to see this, not to get the idea to just go out and have sex to so call (get a baby) but let the teen see what Juno has to go through on her own being pregnant without the baby's father having anything to do with her or the child. It happens all the time in the world we live in. Being puzzled about how it was going to end....Well I wont give the ending away you just need to view it for yourself. This movie is a serious subject, but has humor by Juno. I was happy to have purchased this myself. Ellen Page (Juno) a rising actress. Through friendship and pregnancy, there is a bond of LOVE forever.

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Obviously by now everyone has heard the hype surrounding this movie. Unfortunately, the hype has assisted my lukewarm rating of this movie. A scant three minutes into the movie and one has to wonder how Diablo Cody won an Oscar for writing such fake dialogue.

The lead character, Juno, is in a pharmacy purchasing a pregnancy test. Her interaction with the clerk was the stuff you can only find in a movie. No one talks like they do. The clerk and Juno both spoke like they were from another planet. Unfortunately, we're subjected to little more than this type of dialogue for the first two thirds of the movie. It was as though Diablo Cody watched Quentin Tarantino movies and then decided to try her hand at writing sarcastic, quick-witted banter. She has a very long way to go. One-liners don't make for conversation.

I feel that most of the hype about the writing was due to the fact that it was different. Not that it was really good, but because it is different than typical Hollywood fare. Different doesn't equal good here. Nothing is more ridiculous than when, upon being told by Juno that she is pregnant, her father comments that he didn't think the boy who knocked her up "had it in him". The ho-hum manner that everyone takes to the situation is very unrealistic and distracts from the story. No one seems to take the matter seriously. Not her father, not the boy's family, not the boy, and not Juno herself.

So how did I end up giving this movie three stars rather than one? Well, the story found its way in the last half hour. I found Little Miss Sunshine to be like this as well. Most of the movie was rather dull, but the ending was so good that it made up for the rest. Juno has a similar quality. We finally see resemblence of humanity when Juno finds out the perfect couple she chose to adopt her baby aren't the perfect couple she thought they were. We finally see some realistic interaction between father and daughter. We see a woman who cannot have her own children distressed over the uncertainty of the adoption process. You can feel her uneasiness. After Juno gives birth, her boyfriend visits her in the hospital and there is a real tender scene between them. Alas we see Juno as a vulnerable child having to deal with the weight of having a baby and giving it up. I found the final scene to be rather charming as Juno and her boyfriend sit and play guitars and sing a tune together. It's still unrealistic, but nevertheless it was a nice finish.

There are better movies about intelligent, self-aware, teenage girls who struggle as misfits to find their calling. One that comes to mind that is better written and superbly executed is Ghost World. It stars Thora Birtch, Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Buscemi. The movie isn't for everyone, but if you're interested in a Juno-type movie, Ghost World is far superior. Ghost World

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Love Story (1970)

I've seen this video countless times. More times, than any other movie. And every time I watch it, it moves me to tears. To experience a love so true and so deep is a miracle and to lose it... it's beyond me. But to even experience it and see a glimpse of it (from this movie) is a wonder enough. The love story between rich Harvard hockey-player Oliver Barrett IV (played by Ryan O'Neal) and smart-mouthed Radcliffe gal Jennifer Cavilleri (played by Ali McGraw) is one of those once-in-a-lifetime love stories... captured on film. These two star-crossed lovers who are from the opposite ends of the socio-economic ladder overcome all obstacles (disapproving parents, near poverty and Harvard Law School) to make their love work. The only thing going for them was their love and devotion to each other. And just when things were finally looking up... tragedy strikes.

The book written by Eric Segal is even more moving but to see the movie, is just as a great experience. It's not just a tearjerker! It's truly a masterpiece! I LOVE THIS MOVIE! It's my ALL TIME favorite movie.

Does anyone know if they plan to release this on DVD?

I have seen it countless times since if first came out in 1970 and was so thrilled to finally get my personal video of it this Christmas.

If you love a love story, this is the penultimate one. Oliver, the Harvard jock,and Jennifer, the poor and smart-mouthed music student from Rhode Island, touch the deepest parts of our hearts. Theirs is the love story that we all want---two people completely dedicated to each other. They survive class differences and parental disapproval because they love each other. How wonderful to see the heart-warming snowball scenes when their love is so obvious to viewers.

Of course, it is in the end, a tear-jerker that requires unlimited tissues. The couple that has it all can not overcome the one thing that is out of their hands.

You'll laugh and cry and be touched for a lifetime. This is the greatest movie. Don't miss it.

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Today, romance movies and "tearjerkers" are usually too sappy, lame, hackneyed, and just not very good. But this movie, although it's now 35 years old, is a "timeless classic", and it is just as powerful today as it was in 1970 when it was released. It's a refreshingly direct and simple story about love; about two people entirely devoted to each other. Oliver (O'Neal) is a "preppie millionaire" and Jennifer (MacGraw) is "social zero". They meet at college, fall in love, and eventually marry. After overcoming social barriers, arrogant parents (Oliver's parents "cut him off" after he marries Jenny despite their protestations) and poverty during the first couple of years of their marriage, they seemingly have it all. Oliver becomes a lawyer and Jenny no longer has to work tirelessly to provide the basic necessities, and the couple can now afford to start a family. But just as they had the world at their feet, they're rocked by the news that Jenny is, in fact, dying (of cancer). Indeed, it's heart-wrenchingly sad and touching, and it's a hard person who doesn't at least tear up at the sight of Jenny dying in her loving husband's arms. The movie hits all the right emotional buttons, and you share all the love and heartache Jenny and Oliver go through. O'Neal and MacGraw are brilliant and have great chemistry, and of course the haunting (and now legendary) theme music perfectly captures the intensity and feelings between the couple. Indeed, a true love story. And the best one at that.

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My mother absolutely adores the movie "Love Story." It is her all time favorite movie. So, whenever it is her birthday or a special occasion of any sort, we pop it into the VCR and watch it together. It has even grown to be one of my favorite movies. I am not someone that watches a lot of love stories, but this one sure is a great one. I like it better every time I see it...even if it does make me misty eyed. :-)

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Love Story is the once-in-a-lifetime love story between a rich Harvard hockey-player Oliver Barrett IV (played by Ryan O'Neal) and smart-mouthed Radcliff gal Jennifer Cavilleri (played by Ali McGraw). In the movie adaptation of Eric Segal's best selling novel, these two socio economic opposites overcome extreme obstacles to be together. From their first encounter to the end of the movie viewers are spellbound and in awe of how fiercely they fight to achieve the goals. At every turn a new obstacle, with every success a struggle, a must see for the romantic at heart. Director Arthur Hiller does a fantastic job of capturing young love on the big screen.

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ef: A Tale of Melodies - Complete Collection (2012)

Ef a tale of melodies is more complicated than the first season and very tragic. I'd call it a mix of inhumane and beautiful. I won't spoil the ending, but its good at the best (Clannad After Story still beats them all), especially for a psychological thriller like this. If you havn't watched ef a tale of memories yet, I'd give that a go first or else you won't understand anything that's happening in a tale of melodies. I actually played a fan translation of the visual novel before I watched this season and there are many differences included in the series than what is seen in the game. Most of the cast from Clannad is here playing the English dub, there's EVERY textless opening and ending clip as the bonus features, DVD credits and Sentai previews, advertising Clannad After Story (even though that was released last year), A-Channel and four others. The music in this anime is very deep and beautiful and fits perfectly in tragic scenes. The art is breathtaking and has a unique style of seeing illusionary characteristics that only a particular character is aware of. For example, Kuze sees himself wearing masks all the time, Mizuki is seen with a red string of fate on her hand, she's seen in sky colors like the first season and Yuko has a bunch of Renassance art behind her (make sense?). For those of you looking for a good, solid romance/high school drama/psychological anime, this one hits the target. You won't be disappointed. Just be mentally prepared for the thrill ride this 12 episode series will bring you through. Some things are just hard to accept, but like I said, this series ends very beautifully.

Sailor Channel

This Second Part of the series, The first story takes place in the past. Himura Yuu meets a girl, Amamiya Yuuko who seems to know him, but he doesn't know her. However, he soon remembers that she was a girl whom he knew from long ago. Yuuko then tells him something which he never knew. He was her first love since then, and her first love has not ended yet. The second story takes place in the present, just after the events of ef a Tale of Memories. Shuuichi Kuze meets the cousin of Aso Renji, Hayama Mizuki and spends a lot of time with her. Unknown to Mizuki, Kuze had contracted a fatal illness and has little time left to live. Kuze had decided to break all romantic ties, but things go bad when Mizuki tells him that she loves him. Is great series, part 2 just got better can't wait to watch it again ^^

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I read the visual novel and enjoyed it quite a bit, so I got this and the first season and after watching both they stay true to the spirit of the novel. There are certain things changed that make it so you don't instantly know everything that is going to happen, and the stories are tied up together better in the anime than in the novel, but otherwise it stays very true to the original novel. I must complain that two of the episodes are kind of bad at one part (you'll know when you see it) but if you're a fan of the visual novels you should definitely not second guess yourself when it comes to supporting the creators and getting yourself a nice no click-version of the novel. Awesome awesome, and more awesome; although if the dubs are terrible but you probably already knew that

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This is the second "season" of an anime that is based off of a visual novel. If you haven't seen ef ~ A Tale of Memories: Complete Collection [Blu-ray], the first season of this show, you should consider watching it first. I have seen many different animes during my time as a fan, and most of them have been of the romance and drama genre. This review will not contain any spoilers, but I will address a few of the plot issues I had while watching the series.

Some people have labeled this show as a masterpiece, but I must disagree. I've watched hundreds of animes centering on Romance and Drama so I do think my opinion is well aged and seasoned with many different sources of inspiration. The main problem I have with this entire season is the forced drama. Please understand that I am not suggesting that drama created by the author is a bad thing. I understand that is what writing a story is. However, I take issue with what I would consider poor writing without essential build up or reasoning for events to take place.

In a perfect world, I would hope that any story revolving around romance would focus primarily on the characters. Romance is a story about people and their interactions with others, it's not something that can be explained to an audience in one scene. The setting, background information, and supporting characters are all important, but they should never replace the characters as the focal point of the story. In Melodies, we are hit with two different plots that essentially force us to care about something that we don't have any connection to. I don't want to go into detail due to my concern for creating spoilers, but for half of the shows focus there is close to no build up or information for why something is going to happen. You are hit over the head with it and then forced to accept it as a truth. Instead of a gradual and well rounded story its almost as if you were to turn the page and find yourself in a completely different setting with completely different characters.

It's unnerving how little the audience was considered.

All of that being said, from a technical aspect the show is by no means a push over. The art style, music, and characters are all reasonably solid and make for an enjoyable watch. However, this is a very drama heavy series and I would be tempted to say it has nothing to do with Memories other than introducing supporting characters. (Hey, they had to let the audience connect to the show somehow... because it sure wasn't going to be the story.) If you're watching this because you really enjoyed Memories and want to see more of the characters and their interactions, this is NOT the show for you.

If you're more into mature and adult themed shows and really enjoy dark themes, this will be an excellent series for you. Keep in mind I would only offer this as a recommendation to those who can get over the pacing of the story and how far removed it is from the prequel. Some may enjoy this series, but unfortunately it was not for me.

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This is the 2nd season of ef series. It focuses on some of the supporting characters of the 1st season. Kuze and Mizuki have been spending time together and become romantically involved. Kuze is suffering from a fatal heart disease and doesn't have much time left. Himura and Yuko's past is also the other part of the story. Both stories are very tragic and emotional, especially the one between Himura and Yuko. I finally understand why he was so melancholic in season 1. He's a strong person. I never liked Kuze very much in the 1st season, but he makes a major personality improvement from being with Mizuki in this season. He's not such a bad guy after all.

This anime is great. The animation is top quality, the music is beautiful and the characters are compelling. The story of these four characters is amazing. The love they share is a beautiful thing. Even though it is mostly a sad story it's very uplifting as well. This is one of the most well written animes I've seen, and I own over 200 different series. I really hope you check this one out and enjoy it as much as I do. If you like Clannad, Kanon, Air, or Angel Beats, you will like ef as well. If you haven't seen the others I've mentioned; they are a must have as well.

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A Simple Life (2012) (2011)

Directed by Ann Hui, A Simple Life (Tao Jie) is a film based on the true story of a woman who worked her entire life as a servant for the family of Hong Kong film producer Roger Lee (who co-wrote the script with Susan Chan), looking after Lee in particular from childhood to adulthood with such affection and devotion that when she suffered a stroke in her later years, Lee and his family reversed their roles and looked after her.

The film begins with Roger Leung (Andy Lau), an accountant in the film industry, who lives in an apartment in Hong Kong with an elderly woman he calls Ah Tao (Deanie Ip), a servant who has worked for his family since before he was even born and now works for him personally. He is leaving on an overnight trip for a business meeting on a new film project and they discuss what she should cook for him while he's gone. When he says he wants ox tongue, a particular favorite dish of his, she chidingly reminds him that he's supposed to be avoiding fatty foods, to which he responds by reminding her that she eats things she shouldn't even though she's supposed to be watching her cholesterol. After he leaves, Ah Tao begins preparing the requested dish anyway. The scene quickly establishes that the relationship between the two is one of long acquaintance, almost familial in the level of informal familiarity displayed.

When Roger returns from his trip however, he finds Ah Tao collapsed on the floor. He calls an ambulance and gets her to the hospital, where they determine that she's had a stroke and will need extensive care and rehabilitation. Suddenly the structure of their lives is disrupted. Ah Tao, who has never been dependent on anyone and has always looked after others, at first stubbornly insists that she should retire and move to a retirement home. And that she can pay her own way. But Roger knows that this is impossible and takes over, first finding a nursing home for her close to the apartment and the neighborhood she is familiar with. In a fortunate twist of fate, the nursing home turns out to belong to an old friend (Anthony Wong), a former actor who went into the nursing home business after he got too old for action films.

A lot of the film deals with how Ah Tao adjusts to the changes forced on her by her stroke, starting with living in the nursing home where nothing is familiar and she doesn't know anyone, and where she's dependent on others for things she used to do for herself. And then going through rehabilitation for her stroke, having to relearn how to do the most basic things. Deanie Ip gives a compelling performance, showing Ah Tao's anxieties at her new situation mainly with her eyes and her body language as she warily takes in her surroundings and the strangers she now lives with. I can't recall ever seeing a movie that more realistically depicts this experience, particularly from the point of view of the person going through it, and this alone would make A Simple Life well worth seeing. But there's far more to the film, which makes it all the more compelling.

Ann Hui's director's touch is very subtle, showing bonds of affection and compassion but never descending into cheap sentimentality. And never flinching away from the hard parts, which you instinctively know are coming. There's no musical score in the background to set any kind of artificial mood, there's only what you see unfolding on the screen. The film progresses like a series of snapshots, slices of life strung together. Ah Tao, on her first night at the nursing home, getting up and making her way to the restroom with difficulty but determined to do it on her own, then going from stall to stall to find one she deems clean enough. Roger suddenly having to do his own laundry for the first time in his life, having to read a manual to learn how to use the washing machine. A bunch of Roger's friends from high school come over to the apartment to share the ox tongue Ah Tao had prepared, reminisce about all the different delicious dishes she'd fixed for them back in those days, then impulsively call her at the nursing home, singing to her through Roger's cell phone. Ah Tao coming back to visit the apartment and the first thing she does is to check for dust that's accumulated in her absence, tutting disapprovingly.

The nursing home, initially bleak, cramped and alien, gradually takes on moving depth as Ah Tao gets to know the other residents, each of whom has a story of their own. One old woman has been there for over twenty years, through three changes of ownership, and has not once had a visitor. A daughter visits her mother there, always ending up arguing because her mother signed everything over to her favored son who never visits but it's her daughter who's ended up having to pay the bills. An older woman turns out to be a visitor coming to see her much younger daughter who's in the nursing home because of a debilitating medical condition. A former headmaster's mind tends to wander unfocused but he quotes long passages from poetry and literature with ease. And last but far from least, an older man called Uncle Kin (Paul Chun), determined to hang on to every last bit of vitality he possesses, singing and dancing around... and always cadging money off of the other residents and even their visitors so he can sneak out and have a quickie with a young woman. And yet for all his clownish hustling, it's Uncle Kin who ends up making one of the most touching gestures in the film.

But a lot of what makes A Simple Life work is the portrayals of Andy Lau and Deanie Ip. Lau's Roger and Ip's Ah Tao have a lot of resonance and you can feel the things that bond them together. Ah Tao was an orphan when she began working for the Leung family and so has never had a family of her own beyond the one she's worked for all her life. And Roger is the only member of his family still living in Hong Kong, the rest having apparently emigrated to the US where they now live in San Francisco. Both of them are in a very real sense alone, and it is only with each other that they feel at ease. And when Roger visits Ah Tao at the nursing home and the people there comment that he is a dutiful nephew or godson, it's telling that he does not correct their impression. The naturalness that Lau and Ip bring to the relationship between Roger and Ah Tao comes from the fact that the actors have worked together many times over the years, and that Ip is Lau's real-life godmother.

A Simple Life doesn't moralize, or attempt to make any big points, or relate any grand tale. If anything, it's a kind of mosaic, reminding us that a life, any life, is composed of a lot of little pieces, and that it's all those pieces that make a life what it is. Highly, highly recommended.

Ann Hui's 2011 Hong Kong film "A Simple Life" ("Tao jie") is sweet, funny, poignant and above all real. Story-wise the film is pretty basic and predictable. What matters in this moving portrait of modern Chinese life is the two main characters you really care: an elderly woman called Ah Tao (Deannie Yip), who has been serving for the Leungs, a well-to-do family in Hong Kong for more than 60 years since she was 13, and Roger Leung (Andy Lau), the family's only son, working in the film industry.

Ah Tao has been taking care of Roger since he was a baby. With other family members scattered all over the world, Roger alone lives in Hong Kong. Ah Tao cooks and cleans for Roger living in a small apartment room, but when she has a stroke, she quits the job and enters a home for the elderly.

Based on the producer Roger Lee Yan-Lam's life, the deceptively simple story has a lot to offer, including keenly observed accounts of ordinary people. What makes this film special is the chemistry between the stars Deannie Yip and Andy Lau. Their rapport is so genuine and natural. Every small detail including the gestures and silence of the characters tells us about Ah Tao and Roger's mother-son-like relationship that is drawn affectionately. Nothing is sappy or sentimental. Everything in the film is so true to life, reminding us of someone close to us, or small events that you have almost forgotten.

The film also has many amusing cameos including Sammo Hung and Tsui Hark as "film directors." Anthony Wong and Chapman To, stars of "Infernal Affairs," both briefly appear as the home's owner and a dentist respectively. You will see familiar faces like Lan Law and Angela Baby (very briefly), as well as Hong Kong film producer Raymond Chow.

In short, "A Simple Life" is a touching drama with a theme that everyone can relate to, describing the way life goes on, with some gentle laughs and genuine insight.

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Filmmaker Ann Hui as had a number of films that have resonated strongly with viewers.

Her films typically take on a subject that showcase a darker side of Hong Kong. Films such as "July Rhapsody" (teacher/student relationship), "Goddess of Mercy" (justice), "Night and Fog" (murder) and "All About Love" (single mothers, same sex marriages).

With the film "A Simple Life", which was written by Susan Chan and Yan-lam Lee, Ann Hui takes on life and taking care of an older loved one who is sick.

One of the most recognizable things that Asian cinema fans will discover about Ann Hui's work is her ability to find the right talent to play the role of the main characters, in this case, Andy Lau ("Infernal Affairs", "House of Flying Daggers", "The Warlords") and Deannie Yip ("Dragons Forever", "Crying Heart").

"A Simple Life" would win the Volpi Cup for Best Actress Award for Deannie Yip and the La Navicella Award for Anna Hui at the 68th Venice International Film Festival; winner for Best Director, Best Leading Actor and Best Leading Actress at the 48th Golden Horse Awards and was included in Roger Ebert's top 10 list for 2012.

VIDEO:

"A Simple Life" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio). Shot with a Red One camera, where one will see this film look incredible is through the closeups. From the facial details to overall textures of the clothing, you can see amazing detail. Colors are warm and I detected no banding or aliasing. Cinematography from Nelso Yu Lik-wai ("Still Life", "Dream Home") was great when either capturing human emotion or frailty, Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. If anything, this one of the most beautiful films from HK that I have seen on Blu-ray.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"A Simple Life" is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0. As one would expect from a film such as "A Simple Life", there are times that not many words are said on screen. It's about facial expressions during the quiet settings but the film is primarily dialogue driven with the exception of a brief fireworks scene that utilizes the surround and actually sounds fantastic. But aside from that one scene, this is a dialogue driven film.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"A Simple Life" come with the following special features:

Trailer (2:14) The theatrical trailer for "A Simple Life".

JUDGMENT CALL:

Growing up with traditional Asian values in America, it was always ingrained by my grandfather at an early age that our responsibility was to take care of the family when they get older.

Watching "A Simple Life", the film was quite profound because it captured the essence of aging and frailty but also family.

In this case, a servant that has been with the family since a young age, taking care of four generations and as family have scattered around the world, the aging servant, Ah Tao, now stays with film producer, Roger.

Roger has been raised by Ah Tao and even at 70, she continues to cook, clean and shop for him, even take care of him and keep him healthy after having a heart attack. But now, the roles are reversed and after Ah Tao suffers a stroke and wants to live in a nursing home, Roger makes sure that she knows family is nearby. Even if it's just him, he wants to give back to the woman who had taken care of him.

She may not be of the same blood, but he regards her as close family.

And what I enjoy about this film is the contrast of how films about elderly are shown in America versus Hong Kong. In America, we tend to see the banality of films of elderly abuse to a family disconnect and the loneliness that the elderly is facing.

While we do see that loneliness of various elderly in this film, its more of seeing things through the eyes of Ah Tao and a wonderful performance by actress Deanie Ip who communicates through eye movement and facial expression.

After suffering a stroke, Ah Tao is able to rehabilitate but while living at the senior home, it's that feeling that this is a place you are going to die, the people around you are also going to die very soon and it's all about time.

But unlike other seniors who suffer from Alzheimer's or dementia, Ah Tao still has quite a bit of life. She is able to make friends but she enjoys the time that she spends with Roger, because he can joke with her, eat lunch or dinner with her and he brings her along to places, including a film premiere.

But it's the portrayal of Ah Tao that captivates the viewer. She is a woman who has lived as a good servant. Never the type to take gifts or even cash, she wants to pay things her own way and do it herself. Granted, Roger takes care of the costs at the senior home because it's quite expensive but for Ah Tao, she is a woman who doesn't want to be a burden to Roger or the family.

She's a strong woman who is calling the shots of how her life is to be lived, no matter how hard it is for Roger and family who treated this woman like family to accept.

And we see that bond between Ah Tao and Roger as she spends time in the Senior home and seeing how she deals with loneliness or knowing that people around her will not be around that long.

As Deanie Ip is remarkable in this role, Andy Lau looks like a man who has never aged. At 51, he still looks like he's 30-something. But aside from the gun or sword-toting characters or the suave playboy or businessman roles that he tends to play, Lau plays the role of a caring man, a film producer but one that doesn't live like fame has changed him. Still wearing a backpack and coat, he is often mistaken as a taxi driver or air conditioning repair employee, suffice to say, this is the most subdued role that he plays amazingly well.

For Asian cinema fans, also intriguing are the supporting actors and guest cameos in this film. Anthony Wong, Angela Baby, Raymond Chow, Wing-Chiu Chan, Sammo Hung, Stanley Kwan, Chapman To, Hark Tsui, to name a few.

While I loved the film, there were a few scenes that probably could have been edited out as they served no true purpose (but to show more cameos), but for the most part, this is a very good film that I have found nothing negative to say about it.

The film reminds me a bit of my family who left behind servants because they moved to America but even to this day, my mother talked about the servants (the good ones) who took care of the family and how she visits or communicates with them today.

As for the Blu-ray release, the picture quality is fantastic and for Asian cinema from Well Go USA Entertainment, this is the best film I have seen on Blu-ray from the company in which detail was amazingly captured via Red One but also the cinematography is well-done and lossless audio is crisp and clear. I wish there were more special features but considering many Asian cinema on Blu-ray (released in the U.S as of late.) rarely have them, at least a trailer was included.

Overall, "A Simple Life" is a profound film from director Anna Hui that captures the story of the elderly, aging and frailty but also human nature. Featuring a fantastic performance by actress Deanie Ip, "A Simple Life" is a fantastic film that is worth owning on Blu-ray!

Read Best Reviews of A Simple Life (2012) (2011) Here

Ah Tao (Deanie Ip) has been attending to Roger's (Andy Lau) family for 60 years. As a movie producer who is always going to meetings out of town, Roger seems to take Ah Tao's maid services for granted; that all changes when Ah Tao has a stroke, retires, and willingly decides to live in a retirement home. Now with their roles reversed, Roger is unsure whether he'll be able to tend to Ah Tao the way she did to his family for generations while Ah Tao just wants to avoid being a burden. However their bond only grows stronger with the role reversal and their relationship seems to amplify because of it.

Andy Lau has become fairly well-known in the states for his performances in the crime trilogy "Infernal Affairs," action films such as "Fulltime Killer," "The Legend of Drunken Master," and "Shaolin," the comedy "God of Gamblers," and the mystery film "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame." Like most stars from Hong Kong who are approaching middle age, Lau has practically made a permanent jump to the dramatic genre in recent years where his career is suddenly more performance driven rather than taking as much of a physical toll as the films from his past.

The chemistry between Andy Lau and Deanie Ip along with the superb writing of "A Simple Life" is what makes the film worth seeing. The drama probably isn't exactly the type of film that would usually appeal to your interests, but it feels so genuine and is so structurally based in reality that you can't help but realize how strong the film really is. The relationship between Ah Tao and Roger is incredible. Their laughter, the endless amount of stories they have for one another, and that tearful look in their eyes whenever something even remotely sentimental comes up is just extraordinary. The two actors do an outstanding job of portraying two people who seem to have known each other forever. Meanwhile the writing illustrates the ups and downs anyone's everyday life could possibly have. Life throws you curveballs and it isn't always a cake walk, but you deal with it the best you can and try to enjoy the little things since you know they won't be around forever. "A Simple Life" adds weight to that aspect. Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most enjoyable.

The film is mostly Roger traveling nonstop while Ah Tao tries to busy herself while he's away. They seem to gripe at each other constantly until Ah Tao has her stroke and then they're always laughing around each other while only growing closer in the process. Seeing the likes of Tsui Hark and Sammo Hung have special appearances in the film is a nice surprise, but the bits of humor the film threw at you when you least expected it are a nice surprise as well. Roger getting mistaken for the AC repair man and the search for a new maid were pretty humorous, but Ah Tao observing the other tenants at the retirement home is where the film's funniest moments reside. You see two old men get into an escalated argument, another use the wrong pair of false teeth to eat his dinner, and the rather eccentric Uncle Kin (Paul Chun) whose communicating antics and persistent desire to borrow HK$300 from everyone around him makes the supporting character extremely memorable.

"A Simple Life" has this incredible charm to it that not only has you admiring the relationship between Ah Tao and Roger but also the weight it puts into its heartfelt message. Driven by the fantastic performances of Andy Lau and Deanie Ip and its authentic writing, "A Simple Life" is the type of film you pop in to remind yourself that there is hope for the human race.

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This is one of those rare gems where characters are not only believable, but also winning in empathy. Contrast that with other slice-of-life HK movies that can border on trivial, inane, and narcissistic.

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