Moulin Rouge / Romeo & Juliet (2012)

Great movies that are even better on blu-ray especially given the director's visually stunning work. Even though I already own both these films I had to invest in the blu-ray editions.

If you love romantic movies you will love these movies. Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet were movies that I had to have in my movie collection. I never get tired of watching them.

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Blu ray copes of Moulin Rouge / Romeo & Juliet , the description is wrong title though I was worried when ordered the disc set but it arrived just like the picture. Good HD quality

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Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (Extreme Unrated) (2008)

I just got through watching this movie and I have to say that "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" is one of the greatest films ever made. You read that right. There have been other reviews on this site comparing "Harold and Kumar" to Cheech and Chong films, "American Pie", etc. All those people miss the point. Yes, this movie is about young people and, yes, this movie is about stoners, but, strictly speaking, those things are incidental. "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" is a classic and this movie is a classic because this movie "gets it"; it "gets it" like no other movie in the history of filmdom has ever gotten it. From the moment these two brilliant potheads see an advertisment on TV for White Castle they are on a quest, a quest for burgers. They go through a series of escapades involving racist cops, stolen marijuana, jailbreaks, junkyard freaks, Doogie Howser stealing Harold's car and so on and so on, each episode more insane than the last and everything screamingly funny. And through it all they persevere because they're on a quest. You see, "Harold and Kumar" is unique in the history of film because it understands that the point of cruising ... is cruising itself!!!! In what other country in the world can you hop onto an Interstate and then, 45 minutes later, you can buy these cheap little burgers with the little onions on them, 6 for $2.99 plus fries and a soda? Only in America!!! That's what the American Dream is all about: White Castle Burgers!!!! The point of the journey ... is the journey itself. There is so much sage wisdom in this movie: that "the universe has a tendency to balance itself out" (not unlike the Hindu principle of Karmic realignment?), that what a man wants is that feeling of satisfaction when he gets what he most desires (said by Harold while observing their two Jewish friends fulfilling their own quest at Hot Dog Heaven) or Kumar's observation that their parents came to this country because they were poor and oppressed ... and hungry. I'm not Asian, and I couldn't care less if Harold is Korean and Kumar is Indian; personally, I found Harold and Kumar to be two of the most quintessentially American characters I've ever encountered in a movie. And that's the genius of this film: this movie realizes that being an American isn't about race or ethnicity: being an American is a state of mind. I truly believe "Harold an Kumar Go to White Castle" will go down as one of the classics of cinema. And, no, I was not stoned when I wrote this.

Although I liked the movie (enough to buy the DVD), I was not expecting the hilarity of the menu screens. In case it hasn't been mentioned much already, there was actually new content filmed for the DVD menus, specifically the Main menu and the Special Features menu. The Main DVD menu, has Harold and Kumar sitting in the car, driving. The sequence appears to repeat every minute or so, but in fact, the first 10 or so sequences are not repeats! They even end up arguing over why the DVD watcher hasn't picked any menu choices yet, and that it's not that hard to do. Very funny stuff, and an excellent addition to the movie.

The second menu, the Special Features menu, has Harold and Kumar in the car after going over the embankment. The car won't start, and Kumar keeps trying it, and trying it, for probably up to 10 minutes or so. All throughout it, he's talking and trying to get Harold to respond. They eventually try to get some sleep, in the car.

All in all, very funny stuff... Enjoy the movie, but don't forget to sit through those two menus! They are one of the most interesting and innovative ideas I've seen on a DVD in some time.

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Every once in awhile, a person becomes witness to a movie with no real point, but rather is driven by its dialogue and the characters within the film. A vast number of these movies fall into the comedy genre, because if a movie is funny, it doesn't require a powerful plot, but it anchors on the humor it expresses. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is one of these movies. And, I believe it to be a success at what it attempts. Like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, this movie will become a modern stoner classic, but I feel it can be enjoyed by a vast number of viewers; this movie was downright funny.

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is the hilarious tale about the two title characters Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn). In fact, the entire movie's plot is in the title. These two stoners get the munchies one night, and while debating what to eat, see a television commercial for the one place that seems to hit the spot and satisfy all of their cravings and desires: White Castle. After this, the film is nothing but our hilarious heroes coming across a wild amount of mishaps and numerous funny situations. The film even has a hilarious cameo by Neil Patrick Harris, whom many of us know as Doogie Houser M.D., playing himself all messed up on ecstasy. This movie is a d**n good time.

At first, I was very skeptical about this movie. I mean, it looked funny, but I still wasn't sure. I kind of got the same vibe for this as I did for Dude, Where's My Car?, and that turned out awful. It is strange too, because this movie happened to be directed by the same guy as Dude, Where's My Car?: Danny Leiner. However, this time, Leiner hit the genre on the head, creating a comical success. Maybe it was the R rating. I recall thinking back to Dude, Where's My Car?, knowing how bad it sucked. Could some of that badness have been erased, had an R rating opened up more possibilities for crude humor? I think the answer to that question is yes, and it is evident in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

John Cho and Kal Penn carry this movie very well. I had seen John Cho in the American Pie movies before, but I never got around to seeing Van Wilder with Kal Penn. Either way, this is the first starring role movie for both of these guys or I think they did wonders with it. They have great onscreen chemistry and provide some really great dialogue exchanges. The rest of the acting was good too. Neil Patrick Harris was hilarious as himself and there were numerous other good performances, including Anthony Anderson, playing a Burger Shack Employee who delivers a monologue about why Harold and Kumar should go to White Castle.

The soundtrack is also worth noting. A lot of the songs fit well, and I especially enjoyed a sequence where Harold and Kumar just let loose and start singing this soft song from 1991. It really is funny.

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience seeing this picture. Of course, I was with three friends, which always helps the comedic experience. Call me crazy, but if at some parts where you aren't laughing and your friend does, you might catch the humor and join in. So it's a good buddy flick to see. Of course, the plot is thin (if any plot at all), but who needs plot? This is just a movie about two stoners and their misadventures along the way of finding a White Castle. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is very simple and very fun. Recommended.

we take review movies seriously and with an attitude, but not a serious attitude.

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It seems like a lot of people are saying this is a comedy about nothing, or that it's just a road movie. It's more than that: It's a really good road movie, it's very funny, and it adds to a tradition that includes both Huckleberry Finn and The Heart of Darkness. It's stinging social commentary.

Harold and Kumar are both upwardly mobile second-generation Americans of immigrant parents. They're fighting against type in a world of stereotypes--Harold struggles not to be the number-loving, quiet asian and Kumar avoids the med-school path of his father and older brother. And yet, that's where they find they have placed themselves. Harold is an investment banker and Kumar is a skilled doctor despite his reluctance to go to medical school. They spend their free time getting high and laughing at antidrug commercials. On weekends they allow themselves to rebel comfortably, but it's clear they are dependent upon the rewards of following society's script--they share a nice apartment, they have other good friends (stereotypes, all), a love interest of color, and they travel in a new car toward their ultimate goal of eating several tiny hamburgers.

But when they leave the safety of their multicultural civic center and venture into the hinterlands of the American countryside, they fully begin their odyssey through the strata of the American class pyramid. Above them are the wealthy gatekeepers, like Harold's bullying preppy co-workers and Kumar's med school admissions dean. Below them are the embittered whites who feel like they are losing opportunities one after another, and further below are the imigrants and blacks who must suffer daily at the hands of this anger.

The comedy comes from the clashing of stereotypes, in how they are all simultaneously true and false. The "extreme" mountain dew guys who are sold as he-men with surplus bravado are outed here as being also nihilistic zombie bullies. NPH turns out to be a self-absorbed, self-destructive star on his way to supernova. The horribly disfigured rural white "Freakshow" turns out not to be a psychotic sex killer but rather just a garden-variety pervert (and their modern take on the old traveling salesman joke pushes against the heartland's rep as the home of family values). The one-note cops, however, only get to sell the white anger.

What's most interesting about the movie is how H&K react to the plight of blacks and immigrants. They recognize their lower-class dopplegangers walking together down a dark sidewalk and watch passively as those stand-ins get jumped and beaten to a pulp. The scene is played for a laugh (and laughing is appropriate in a comedy), but it's also the first defining moment in their journey. Do they call the police? An ambulance? Stop the car and help the poor guys? No. They drive on.

There are plenty of run-ins. They're witness to the extreme dudes ruining the immigrant's store, and they're powerless to stop it. They're not from here, you see, they're just stopping for gas, they can't get involved, they can't help. Sorry. They can't upset the order that rewards them so well. Likewise, the extreme dudes let them pass because hurting them would in and of itself upset that same order and rouse Johnny Law. The immigrant owner pleads to Harold and Kumar with his eyes, but it's as if the extreme leader tells them straight on: Look, you're powerless to stop this and so am I. Basically, "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown" or if you'd rather, it's the Matrix.

When Harold gets to jail, we meet a black buddah who has come to enlightenment as much through book-learning as from night-stick blows. Incredibly, he tells them they can't change the world and that they should essentially turn the other cheek. And when the prisoner is again abused in their presence, they gladly accept the advice of another black prisoner. "If I were you," he tells them, "I would get the hell out of here." He might as well have said, "If I were of your class, I would get the hell out of here."

And they do. They realize, and become grateful for, their status in society, they 'live and let live', and they trust that their universe--the deus ex machina of this story--will resolve things comically before the credits. By supporting the system, they are amply rewarded.

Near the climax, Kumar delivers a patriotic speech that salutes America not as the land of opportunity, but of consumer choice--the last tangible measure of our collective freedom (much as a 'social safety net' and 'access to health care' used to be). The boys make it to White Castle, and there they gorge themselves in a commercial ritual of assimilation. In an absurd gesture of quantity over quality, manufacturing over cooking, flavor over nutrition, and form over function, they each eat dozens of tiny hamburger "sliders" as they slide further into the melting pot.

It's hard to divine a moral to this story beyond, "Nothing is as it should be, but everything is as it is." I can believe that Hollywood would create and disseminate that message, but this movie was conspicuously too smart and too countercultural to deliver that GOP payload. I've been thinking about it for days and I just can't figure it out.

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We have all known that feeling: wanting a particular meal, unwilling to rest until we get it. Those of us who attended college will attest to the fact that after you smoke, a certain urge will soon overtake you. An urge to gorge yourself on some random food that may otherwise disgust you. Harold and Kumar are overtaken by this feeling and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get that food (in this case, White Castle) into their stomachs.

During their quest, they encounter a host of hilarious characters. Their neighborsGoldstein & Rosenberg, the Xtreme crew, Brad the business-suave hippie, the taco-sh** girls, Freakshow, the racist cop, Tarik the cellmate, Doogie Howser! Neil Patrick Harris makes one of the funniest cameo appearances I've ever seen. It will completely ruin any innocent memories you may have had about Doogie, the boy doctor.

I thought this movie was hilarious... The story is almost arbitrary, as the characters are so funny, it wouldn't really matter what the point of the movie was. It's also cool that it all takes place along the New Jersey Turnpike, because I actually went to school along the same stretch of road. New Jersey residents will have an added appreciation for the adventure for that reason. But, whatever state you live in, you should be able to relate to aspects of both characters' personalities. Harold is responsible and "grown-up", while Kumar is a free spirit who doesn't seem to give a damn about anything. They make for a very funny pairing, even though we've all seen it before.

There is a ton of great bonus material on this DVD edition. The extended/deleted scenes are awesome and the featurettes and interviews are also entertaining. It's worth checking it all out, most definitely.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy ridiculous and filthy humor.

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Sin City (Two-Disc Theatrical & Recut, Extended, and Unrated Versions) (2005)

While it's probably a total cliche to say it by now, Sin City really is a wild thrill ride of a movie, and quite possibly the most entertaining thing that will hit theaters all year. Adapted by director Robert Rodriguez from Frank Miller's graphic-novel series, it's an energetic slab of neo-noir, complete with twisted characters, ambiguous morality, and deadly serious dialogue. For those who thought the Kill Bill movies weren't bizarre or violent enough, Sin City ought to seem like a stylish, action-packed gift from guy-movie heaven. It's filled with negativity, outrageously over the-top bloodletting, and some of the blackest humor known to man, but it all works anyway. I even managed to forgive the incessant voice-over narration, normally a rather lazy device, because it's so oddly poignant and poetic. It's not really that big a deal anyway, because this movie is so impressive visually that the characters could speak in gibberish and I'd probably still be moved to give it at least three stars.

It should be noted right off the bat that Sin City is not a movie for everyone, but if you're the type who would like it you presumably know who you are. IF you like crime movies, especially those filled with action and atmosphere, you will almost certainly get a kick out of Sin City. If you prefer lighter, more "socially redeeming" fare, you may still like it, or you may be overcome with bile filling your throat for most of its two-hour running time. It's all a matter of how willing you are to accept what's going on without asking too many nagging questions like "How exactly did Mickey Rourke just take out ten armed riot cops with nothing more than his fists and a hatchet?" or "is it really possible or even necessary to manually tear off a man's scrotum?". Everything about this movie is utterly outsized, from the themes to the characters to the action, but in the end it's a rousing success at what it intends to do, which is entertain. It's precisely because this movie was so utterly entertaining that I found myself unwilling to nitpick; you'll probably be too busy having your senses assaulted to linger on any problems you may have with the movie. Nothing is more key in movies (or TV, or novels for that matter) than getting the viewer to suspend disbelief, to simply let go and enjoy what's transpiring regardless of the plausibility level. Some of my favorite movies are wildly unrealistic, but at some point when watching them I just decided to go with it. Sin City is one such movie: I realized early on that the events unfolding onscreen bore little to no resemblance to reality as presently constituted; I just didn't care. I went to see this movie with my wife (who is, to put it mildly, not a fan of dark or violent movies), and she may have summed up the experience of watching it the best when she said simply "I was never bored." That, ultimately, is the secret to Sin City's success: it's so gripping to watch that it's hard to care about anything else.

As everyone (and probably their brothers) knows by now, Sin City was filmed using real actors against a black-and-white CGI background with some touches of color added for dramatic effect. It may seem like a gimmick at first, but Sin City is all about bringing the viewer into a sort of parallel universe, so this unconventional device works perfectly. Sin City is a movie dealing with lives on the edge, and it conjures up a delightfully dark, grimy, and gritty atmosphere to go match the depravity of its subject matter. Weighty themes and over-the-top violence abound here, and it's only fitting that the movie's look and feel should be so uniformly haunting. Consisting of three tangentially related stories occurring out of sequence, Sin City brings the viewer into an underworld populated by thieves, murderers, hookers, and dirty cops, and the morality is viewed entirely in shades of grey. In the Basin City of the movie, where the good guys are bad and the bad guys are even worse, violence is often a virtue, or at the very least a prerequisite for survival. If there's one redeeming value to Sin City's cartoonish ultraviolence, it's that it's painfully clear that its recipients generally deserve it.

Anyway, if there's one theme running through all of these stories, it's that of redemption. The protagonist in each tale (Bruce Willis's Hartigan, Rourke's Marv, and Clive Owen's Dwight) is a most unlikely hero (although Hartigan is just a regular cop and therefore not exactly bad, whereas it's clear that Marv and Dwight are murderers), but each finds himself driven to acts of extreme courage and sacrifice in order to see justice done. Sin City portrays a kind of heroism not typically seen in movies (especially big-budget, sanitized Hollywood productions), one that comes from doing the right thing even when it's nowhere near being the easiest thing. Rourke's Marv is probably the most memorable character, a hulking thug with a highly overdeveloped sense of vengeance who managed to arouse some of my sympathy even as he cut a swath of unimaginable destruction through his enemies on his way to avenging a murdered prostitute. Out of the legions of other figures in the movie, the great Benicio Del Toro deserves some special mention as a comically malevolent crooked cop who won't shut up even after he meets his unfortunate end.

Now, although I've gone on too long already, I'd feel remiss if I didn't talk about Sin City's staggering violence quotient. Yes, this an extremely graphic movie, and much of the violence is downright disturbing to watch (Elijah Wood's character being cut up and fed to a wolf is a prominent example, even if much of the violence in that case was implied), but it's just as true that context is an important factor when considering just how offensive such bloodletting is. Now, for one thing, Sin City is meant to be a piece of escapist cinema, so nothing that takes place onscreen should be taken too seriously anyway. After all, no one got offended during the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when King Arthur cut off the Black Knight's arms and legs; that scene was meant to be funny and it was. Perhaps more to the point, the violence here is so ludicrously over the top from the opening scene that it's hard to imagine any rational person getting too upset. You have to just go with it; if you're the kind of person who makes it a point to be huffy and offended all the time you shouldn't be seeing this movie anyway. 'Nuff said

The concept for this film started in the Comics revolution of the late 60's with incredible artists like Frank Frazetta, Jim Steranko, Neal Adams, and Barry Smith. They knew anatomy, and they used photographs to compose their backgrounds. Pre-Anime, the characters began to "almost" move off the pages. Frank Miller came along in 1978. He helped to inaugurate the adult graphics novels-larger formats, better paper, brighter inks-coupled to nudity and R-rated dialogue. Some of this has been around since the late 50's, but the new format was gathering speed and Miller was in the vanguard.

Miller's graphic novel's about SIN CITY contained art in panels that broke down like very detailed storyboards. When Robert Rodriguez decided to court Miller and sell him on the idea of converting the graphics to digital video-Miller loved it. Their partnership went so far as to have Rodriguez dropping out of the Director's Guild so that he might be permitted to put Frank Miller in the credits as co-director. Rodriguez created a B&W world where color was used sparingly-and for great effect. Blood was white-or bright red. Some eyes were blue. Some hair was blond. Pale green and pale blue showed up on classic cars.

Rodriguez assembled a powerhouse cast. Bruce Willis was first up, to boost the sales of the production and the star power. He was excellent in the film-beginning to appear very Noir-very Chandler and Hammett-a modern Bogart. Using CGI and live actors, Rodriguez was able to do most of the work in his homegrown studio in Texas. Miller created a world part pulp-novel, classic cars-and part hyper-violent martial arts and splatter film. Everybody smoked, many of them drove a ragtop-they could shoot guns with both hands simultaneously-and women, regardless of how far they had fallen-were still treated with respect. More than an adaptation of Millers comic book art-it is literally his artwork brought starkly to life. The effect is original, violent, sexy, existential-and very effective.

The film worked off three Miller "stories"-and the best of the three-THE BIG FAT KILL-starred Mickey Rourke. He can think of this film as his return to the big time. He is brilliant. His character, Marv, is perfectly fitted for this new genre-and his acting, and the action he precipitates-blows all the others in the film out of the water. This may be Rourke's finest performance. He has been a pro boxer, as well as actor-and he needed that physical prowess for this role.

Everyone in the film was impressive-with the likes of Clive Owen, Powers Boothe, Rutger Hauer, Nick Stahl, Benicio Del Toro, Elijah Wood, Michael Madsen, Josh Harnett, and Michael Clarke Duncan all making love, murdering, or slapping around women like Jessica Albo, Jamie King, Rosario Dawson, Carla Gugino, and Brittany Murphy. One critic wrote," This is a Mickey Spillane fever dream!"

There is a rumor that in the director's cut RR will include some deleted scenes that he shot to flush out all three of the Miller stories. It appears that a sequel is imminent-absolutely necessary. Most of us can't wait for the next installment-to cruise Old Town, prowl the Roark farm, beware of the warrior hookers, love the hot babes, dodge the bullets and swords and knives, and stare at those great cars.

Buy Sin City (Two-Disc Theatrical & Recut, Extended, and Unrated Versions) (2005) Now

I wish the rating scale went up to 10 stars because I'd enthusiastically give them all to Sin City. I've watched it a dozen times and am still blown away by the dialog and gritty throwback feeling it evokes of the old 30's and 40's hard-drinking, hard-fighting tough guys. It actually inspired me to sit down the night I saw it, and jot down the outline for a Film Noir type novel that's now moved to my front burner after completion of my third novel in my McCarthy Mystery series. I just hope I can write something half as compelling as Sin City.

The film makes no apology for the raw lust and violence and yet never falls into campy self-parody.

But it's the film-work, the use of light and shadow and especially color that really blows you away. Yellow for the corrupt, cowardly blood of the pederast villain. Masterful!

If you haven't seen Sin City, give your senses a treat and buy the DVD.

You won't be disappointed!

Read Best Reviews of Sin City (Two-Disc Theatrical & Recut, Extended, and Unrated Versions) (2005) Here

It is now official that Robert Rodriguez will be releasing a full, 2-disc special edition copy of Sin City in early December. It will feature the film (theatrical version and a version in which the three tales can be viewed separately)and a disc of bonus features (ten minute cooking school, ten minute film school, a few commentaries, trailers, poster gallery, and a load of featurettes).

So if your just looking for the theatrical version and nothing more, buy the featured DVD now. If your a fan, and want all of the nooks and crannies, I think you can hold out until late November or early December, trust me, it should be worth it.

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Sin City has finally come out on PSP, and my god it doesn't get better than this.

A few words about the movie This is, without a doubt, a MASTERPIECE of film-making, and definately live's up to the hype surrounding it's release.

Now that's said, let's get onto technical side of the UMD disc.

Video:

Sin City looks absolutley JAW DROPPING on PSP. Consistently sharp, contrasty as hell with solid "BLACK" blacks, no evidence of grain or compression artifacts, and no bleeding whatsoever...it's a SOLID performance from Mirimax/Dimension. The OAR is untouched, keeping it's original 1:85 ratio (with tiny little black bars at the top and bottom). Subtitles are large, displayed in yellow, and easily readable against the image. Overall, this is a faultless presentation.

Video: 5/5

Audio:

The sound on this baby packs quite a punch, and right from the word go you'll be pleasantly surprised. Make sure you crank this up to full volume, as it deserves this experience to be fully appreciated. Overall, a nice job boys.

Audio 4.5/5

Extras:

Now, this is the first UMD disc that i own, to spoil you with more than just your usual trailers. Like the DVD release, we get the gorgeous animated menus aswell as the 8 min "Behind-the-scenes" featurette, giving you a teaser of what we'll expect on the future Director's edition coming out.

Extras: 4/5

Overall this is, without question, the disc to own this season. And for under $20, there's no excuse not to buy. Fantastic Visuals, Excellent Audio, and great extras, this is the benchmark for future UMD releases. Get used to this kinda UMD treatment boys and girls.

Overall 5/5

-zallapo

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G.I. Jane (1997)

With a [beautiful] and gung-ho performance by Demi Moore, G.I. Jane is definitely fun to watch. But it has no basis in real Navy Seals training, which one can learn more about reading Dick Couch's "The Warrior Elite". In reality there is no mock P.O.W. camp where recruits are beaten and tortured, but there are endless sleepless nights of sitting in the 57 degree ocean water of San Diego. Real Navy Seals instructors are consumate professionals, who constantly put the welfare of their men before anything else. Evolutions (exercises) are mentally and physically challenging, but never grossly abusive as in G.I. Jane. Exercises are of the "run till you drop" variety than "we'll break your leg" variety. The point of real BUD/S training is to learn that teamwork can overcome any bad situation, not just how to take a beating. Also, unlike this movie, Seal recruits undergo BUD/S followed by years of intense training, qualifications, and testing before even being considered for active deployment. They are not sent into combat because they happen to be on a submarine near a hostile country.

I recently viewed this movie on television and decided to buy it. I prefer to watch DVDs rather than TV because I don't like the commercial interruptions and because usually they edit out some material for TV. I was very disappointed to find out that the TV version contained MORE scenes not less. The DVD version for sale is not the same as the version currently running on AMC. I was disappointed because some of my favorite scenes (the ones which prompted me to buy the movie) are not on the DVD.

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Demi Moore is great in this story about Jordan, a quite capable military woman who is chosen to become the first female Navy SEAL. Jordan isn't sure she wants to go through the hassle she knows will result from her presence at the training, but the congresswoman who is behind this encourages Jordan to try her best. Nobody expects Jordan to survive the harsh training program, and Jordan exceeds all expectations.

Viggo Mortensen plays the Master Chief who is in charge of the training program. He is quite harsh, as you would expect from someone who is trying to separate the "best of the best" from a group of individuals who are all quite talented. Viggo isn't a mere brute he reads poetry by D.H. Lawrence and truly cares about his trainees. He knows that if he doesn't do a good job at his training, the men here will die (and cause others to die) when sent out into combat. I understand and applaud all of that. Viggo throughout the film shows a good balance of concern for his trainees, a desire to push them to be their best, and a desire to weed out those simply not cut out to be SEALs.

However, being a fan of the military and its task of protecting the weak, I had HUGE issues with the "pivotal scene" in the SERE camp. The movie is directed by Ridley Scott of Alien fame and you would think that this man would have respect for a strong female character and the situations that result. I very much equated Jordan to Ripley, both strong women who held their own and earned respect of those around them. But instead of just having Ripley and the others tied up or left in the sun or other "see if you can resist the concerns of your body", Ridley decides to have the Master Chief *brutalize* one of the soldiers and then almost rape Jordan. What????

If we know ANYTHING about real torture situations, it is that a torturer can eventually break anybody. We all have pain limits. There are always ways to inflict more pain! At some point either our body gives out or our mind snaps. That's why spies carry cyanide capsules, because you can't be "trained" to resist torture indefinitely. So what was the point of beating up on the first soldier? What was the point of almost raping Jordan? To prove she could be raped? Heck, any GUY there could have been raped too. Is it important for them to learn what rape feels like, just in case? Would the guys have been any more or less upset to see one of their fellow GUYS being raped vs a girl? Heck they might be MORE upset to see a fellow guy be raped because that would be even less "acceptable" to them. For Viggo's character to delve to those depths after everything he'd shown us previously was amazingly out of character or indicated that Viggo was a depraved man who had no business training soldiers.

The movie was supposed to show us that women can be just as strong as men are. Heck, real life shows us that. There are plenty of strong female characters in movies from Ripley in Alien, to Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, and more come out every day. There are plenty of real life female police officers and fire fighters who are depended on by their coworkers every day. It was almost an insult to have the GI Jane character go through what she did, sort of an Archie Bunker situation where you are ashamed that there really are people left out there that think a woman with strength must be a lesbian. While I applaud the movie's intentions to say "hey you remaining bigots out there, it's time to wake up", to have to involve a supposed rape to make your point is very sad. To have to taint Viggo's character with a sadistic view towards woman (as much as he tries his best to be fair much of the time) is really saying that ALL guys will always have this power/lust attitude towards women that they have to keep under control. Which is entirely unfair to men. It weakens the entire point of the story.

For those who are interested, the poem Viggo quotes is titled Self-Pity:

I never saw a wild thing

sorry for itself.

A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough

without ever having felt sorry for itself.

D. H. Lawrence

The point is that you do what you have to do to get by in life. You don't waste time or energy on feeling sorry for yourself, because it does little good.

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It is a little known fact that Demi Moore was trained for this film by former Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston (the youngest SEAL ever) who died at the hands of Iraqi Insurgents on 31MAR04.

While this film has many skeptics, there is no disputing the fact that Scott did his work and made Demi into the closest possible adaptation of a female SEAL.

RIP Scott. America misses you.

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This movie is a critically under-rated 4 star guilty pleasure for me. But like the previous reviewer, I recently watched it on cable (AMC) with a completely different opening scene not included on my GI Jane DVD. The scene depicts Demi's character Luge-ing in skintight black vinyl suit in a failed attempt to win an Olympic time trial. Later, I watched several other scenes in the AMC re-broadcast not found on my DVD. So, does this mean there going to be a G.I. Jane "Director's Cut" Version?

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Interview With a Vampire

"Libera me, Domine, de vitae aeterna" "Free me, Lord, from eternal life": If a movie begins with a choir and boy soprano singing these words, in a requiem's style and overlaying the camera's sweeping move over nightly San Francisco bay, zooming in on a Victorian building's top-floor window after having followed the life on the street below like a hunter follows its prey if a movie begins like this, you know you're not looking at your average flick, whatever its subject. (And if the first thing you catch is the Latin phrase's grammatical mistake, this is probably not your kind of movie to begin with).

Much-discussed even before its release, due not least to Anne Rice's temporary withdrawal of support and her no less sensational subsequent 180-degree turn, Neil Jordan's adaptation of the "Vampire Chronicles"' first part, based on Rice's own screenplay, is a sumptuous production awash in luminous colors, magnificent period decor and costumes, rich fabrics, heavy crystal, elegant silverware and gallons of deeply scarlet blood, supremely photographed by Phillippe Rousselot, with a constant undercurrent of sensuality and seduction; an audiovisual orgy substantiated by one of recent film history's most ingenious scores (by Elliot Goldenthal). Although the book only gained notoriety after the publication of its sequel "The Vampire Lestat," followed in short order by the "Chronicles"' third installment, "The Queen of the Damned," by the time this movie was produced, Rice had acquired a large and loyal fan base, who would have been ready to tear it to shreds had it failed to meet their expectations. That this was not unanimously the case is in and of itself testimony to Neil Jordan's considerable achievement (only underscored by the botched 2002 realization of "Queen of the Damned"). Sure, some decry the plot changes vis-a-vis the novel and the fact that some of the protagonists (particularly Louis and Armand) look different from Rice's description. But others have embraced the movie wholeheartedly; praising it for remaining faithful to the fundamentalities of Rice's story and for its production values as such. I find myself firmly in the latter corner; indeed, in some respects I consider this one of the rare movies that are superior to their literary originals primarily because the story's two main characters, Louis and Lestat, gain considerably in stature and complexity compared to Rice's book.

While both film and novel are narrated by Louis (Brad Pitt), giving an interview to a reporter (Christian Slater) in the hope of achieving some minimal atonement for 200 years of sin and guilt, and while Lestat (Tom Cruise) appears on screen barely half the movie's running time, Lestat is much more of a central character than in Rice's novel; and vastly more interesting. For Anne Rice's Lestat only comes into his own in the "Chronicles"' second part, which is named for him and where we truly learn to appreciate him as the vampire world's aristocratic, arrogant, wicked, intelligent and unscrupulous "brat prince," who although completely lacking regret for any of his actions nevertheless shows occasional glimpses of caring, even if he would never admit thereto. *This*, however, is exactly the movie's Lestat; not the comparatively uninformed and, all things considered, even somewhat brutish creature of Rice's first novel. It is no small feat on Tom Cruise's part to have accomplished this; and in my mind his portrayal has completely eclipsed the character's original conception, which was reportedly based on Rutger Hauer's Captain Navarre in "Ladyhawke."

Similarly, while every bit as guilt-ridden as the character created by Anne Rice, Brad Pitt's Louis regains more inner strength and more quickly so than the narrator of Rice's book, rendering him more of an even foil for Lestat, and equally lending greater credibility to his initial selection as Lestat's companion, his actions to ensure his and Claudia's escape to Europe, and his later decision not to stay with Armand. (Indeed, Louis's and Armand's separation after the burning of the Theatre of the Vampires makes perfect sense in the movie's context; it would have undercut both characters', but especially Louis's credibility had they gone on to share years of companionship like in the book.)

Kirsten Dunst's Claudia was not only this movie's biggest discovery not surprisingly, in an interview included on the DVD Dunst calls this "the most prominent role" of her career so far she, too, embodies the novel's child vampire to absolute perfection; capturing her eternally childlike features as well as her Lolitaesque seductiveness and the ruthless killer hidden under her doll-like appearance. Doubtlessly furthest from the novel's character is Antonio Banderas's powerful and charismatic Armand: But while I do somewhat miss Rice's auburn-haired "Botticelli angel," I always had a problem imagining him as the leader of the Paris coven, in control even of the quicksilver-like Santiago (marvelously portrayed by Stephen Rea in one of his most overtly theatrical performances). Here, too, the movie if anything gives the story greater credibility; although it's admittedly hard to reconcile with parts of the "Chronicles"' later installments, particularly Armand's own biography.

In interviews, Neil Jordan and Brad Pitt particularly have mentioned the emotional strain that this movie put on all its participants; due its almost exclusively nightly shooting schedule, and even more so because of its incessant exploration of guilt, damnation and, literally, hell on earth. Anne Rice's vampires truly are the ultimate outsiders; no longer part of human society, they feed on it, can neither be harmed by sickness nor by methods the world has taken for granted ever since Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (which are in fact merely "the vulgar fictions of a demented Irishman," as Louis explains, simultaneously amused and contemptuous) and are thus, if not killed by fire and/or beheading, condemned to walk the earth forever, without any hope of redemption. It is primarily this element which has given Rice's novels their lasting appeal, and which is perfectly rendered in Jordan's adaptation. I'm still not sure I'd ever want to meet them in person, though ...

Also recommended:

Complete Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the body Thief)

The Vampire Companion

Ladyhawke

Bram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition)

Let me begin by saying that I have not read the book and am judging the movie solely on its own merits. "Interview with the Vampire" is a luscious, guilty pleasure of modern filmmaking, visually resplendent and with wonderful performances by all (including Christian Slater, Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rea). It follows the adventures of Louis de Pont du Lac (Brad Pitt), a 200-year-old vampire hailing from Louisiana, as he recounts the story of his life (and unlife) to interviewer Daniel Malloy (Christian Slater). Along the way we meet his maker Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise), his "daughter" Claudia (Kirsten Dunst), and Armand (Antonio Banderas), leader of the Parisian vampires.

Tom Cruise, in my mind, perfectly portrays the elder vampire Lestat...beautiful, cunning, selfish, a seducer, many of the same qualities present in Armand, and possesses an excess of dark humour. Brad Pitt's Louis still clings to the last shreds of his humanity...his sense of right and wrong, the value of life, the horror of killing in order to survive (angstmaster Nick Knight from "Forever Knight" springs to mind). There is a lack of onscreen romantic tension between Cruise and Pitt...something that makes their relationship seem less immediate and binding. However, there is definitely a spark between Louis and Armand (Antonio Banderas), and it was easy to believe that Louis was tempted to stay as a companion to such an intelligent, beautiful vampire who could teach him the answers to his questions. Kirsten Dunst is phenomenal as Claudia, the vampire with the mind and desires of a woman eternally trapped in the body of a doll-child.

The visuals are lavish, moody, stunningly brilliant, especially the world of 1800's New Orleans with its brocades, silks, and elaborate dresses. The atmosphere is appropriately dark, with plenty of fog and menacing nighttime damp. Elliot Goldenthal's score is string-driven, pulsing, tense, and underscores the action perfectly, the crowning piece being "Libera Me".

Yes, this film is graphic at times, including two very graphic scenes involving mutilation, numerous "feedings," homoeroticism, and brief nudity, but "Interview with the Vampire" is an unconventional drama that probes the meaning of life, death, love, seduction, and regret. More than anything Anne Rice's vampires make us realize the conventions and trappings of humanity.

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5 stars out of 5 = Masterpiece

Elegant, sophisticated, beautifully scripted, acted, paced, & filmed, "Interview with the Vampire" is among my top five favorite Vampire movies. No other Vampire film, other than Gary Oldman's Oscar worthy performance in "Bram Stoker's Dracula," delves as deep in a character study of Vampires & how it would be like to be a Vampire from their point of view.

A broad 200 year perspective of the life of Brad Pitts Vampire character, "Louie," the reluctant Vampire who finally succumbs to his fate of feeding on human blood, & in his quest for enlightenment of what he is, he finds out, if anything, he is a Vampire.

The story of a surprisingly great performance of Tom Cruise's, "Lestat," who sees "the dark gift" as everything he could ever want, except companionship, what he wants the most, & realizes the least. Cruise steals the show in his glee for sucking the blood out of the living, & his indignation for turning "Louie" in to a Vampire that still has respect for human life, in a barrage of cold blooded murders, & ranting at "Louie" with black comedic hilarity, yet shocking indifference to life, to the point of sadomasochism . Also, a very young Kristen Dunst's, "Claudia", who also steals the show & matches Lestat bite for bite in the quest for blood, & the sport it brings. A hugely great & complicated performance for such a young girl!

"Interview with the Vampire" is a thinking man's horror film, one that reaches down deep, not just to bring you cheap scares & shallow predictable characters, but a rich tapestry of what it means to be a Vampire, & all the consequences that goes with it.

Read Best Reviews of Interview With a Vampire Here

I haven't cared very much for Anne Rice's recent books, but her earlier work was outstanding. I loved "Interview" in particular, so I was really looking forward to this movie. There is always a risk in adapting such a vivid and powerful-not to mention beloved-book into a film. Director Neil Jordan and his collaborators have succeeded marvelously, though. This is an exciting, engaging film; remarkably faithful to Rice's original text.

The story opens in present day San Francisco. Louis (Brad Pitt), a 200 year-old vampire, is telling his life story to an interviewer (Christian Slater), who is shocked by his supernatural revelation. "I am flesh and blood," Louis tells him, "but not human."

His story takes us back to late 18th century New Orleans where Louis first encountered the Vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise). Desiring a companion, and in love with his beautiful looks, Lestat gives Louis the "Dark Gift"-that is, he makes him into a vampire. They live together for many years, roaming the streets at night, united by their common quest for blood.

Eventually, though, Lestat fears that Louis is going to leave him. Desperate, he makes a vampire of Claudia (Kirsten Dunst), a beautiful young child, knowing the Louis would never leave the girl. Thus they are bonded together as "one big, happy family." As it turns out, though, they are not so happy after all.

The story takes the vampires to Paris, where they finally encounter some more of their own kind. The coven of vampires is led by the stunningly handsome Armand (Antonio Banderas) who quickly falls in love with Louis. Louis is enamored of him as well, but he will never leave little Claudia, something Armand realizes.

The film ends back in the present in a departure from Rice's book. The new twist is exciting, though, and sets up the story for an inevitable sequel. It hasn't been made yet, but if it ever is, I'm looking forward to it.

The big question, of course, is, how is Tom Cruise as Lestat? In one word: brilliant. This is one of his best performances ever, heightened by the fact that he is playing a role so different from his typical screen persona. Cruise has always been an underrated actor, but hopefully that will start to change after people see him here. He is terrific.

The rest of the performances are also quite good. Brad Pitt does very well as the tortured, guilt-ridden Louis. Antonio Banderas is extraordinary as the seductive, young master of darkness. His is the most convincing portrayal of a vampire, filled with power and charisma.

Neil Jordan's direction is top-notch. Visually, "Vampire" is stunning, helped considerably by Dante Ferretti's superb production design. Anyone who has read the book-and anyone who has not-is sure to enjoy this haunting, erotic treat.

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First off as a film, I would give it 4 1/2 stars.

If you own the standard DVD save your money. Almost no difference in picture quality.

Replicant (2001)

First of all, this movie should have been released theatrically instead of going straight to Video. But since the DVD is here, Van Damme's fans (and action fans) should check it out. It is far better than his last 4 or 5 films (which are very bad: Desert heat, Universal soldiers: The return, Double Team, Knock off).

The story about cloning but director Ringo Lam made this movie highly entertaining. Van Damme plays double role, one is the serial killer, the other role as his clone which created so the police can catch the serial killer. Interestingly, Michael Rooker co-stars, he also appears in other cloning movie starring Arnold (The sixth day).

The DVD is OK. Bright and clear and the sound is fine. Van Damme provided commentary tracks along with ROoker, which are quite amusing. REcommended.

Jean-Claude Van Damme has reunited with Director Ringo Lam (Maximum Risk) for the movie "Replicant." To my surprise, this movie delivers a powerful punch and why it did not get a theatrical release in the United States is unknown. However, it deserved one. This is not the average straight to video/DVD type of movie. The production values are high and the acting by Rooker and Van Damme is very good. Actually, it is Van Damme's best performance ever and is the caliber of any action star in the "A" market today.

Van Damme plays a convincing serial Killer and Clone who is directed to track him down. Both characters are well acted. He, for once, does not over act in two roles which could have been very easy to do. Rooker plays a street cop who is obessed with catching the killer. His character is developed well for an action flick and the two pull if off nicely.

The fight scenes are terrific and the stunts are great. For action fans-this film is a must. For others, it may not be worth the purchase, but is well worth the showing. You will be entertained.

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While Jean-Claude Van Damme may be a direct to video action star now, Replicant is a surprisingly good film that should have seen time in theaters instead of other Van Damme flops like Knock Off and Double Team. The storyline, which has Van Damme doing double duty as a serial killer called The Torch and a clone of the killer, is instantly ignored as we see how surprisingly creepy and effective Van Damme is as the killer, and how naive and innocent he is as the developing clone. Michael Rooker is great as well (he always is though) as the ex-cop on the killer's trail. The action scenes are very well put together, and as I said before, the acting from Van Damme is so unbelieveably good in his dual roles that you might forgive him for films like Street Fighter and The Quest (well, maybe not), but all in all, Replicant is one of Van Damme's best, and it is a shame it has gone direct to video.

Read Best Reviews of Replicant (2001) Here

I never thought I'd ever give a Van Damme movie 4 stars. I also never thought I'd see the day that Van Damme would perform as a "real" actor. Well, folks. This is the day, and this is the film. While this may only be a fluke (like Segal's UNDER SEIGE), one can always hope.

Granted, the storyline isn't much to talk about (what is it that makes Van Damme want to play two rolls?), and the premise itself is absolutely unbelievable ... still, it is not without interest, but one must keep eyes tightly closed to a few plot holes and contrivances. But believe it or not, what helped make this film interesting was Van Damme's performance (that and Ringo Lam's fast, hard-hitting direction -he also directed Van Damme's MAXIMUM RISK).

If you're not much of a Van Damme fan, I doubt this film will change your mind. But for those of us who enjoy mindless action every now and again, this film turned into a real surprise. Between 1 and 10, REPLICANT gets a marginal 7. Happily, I got much more than I bargained for.

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We all know that not everyone is a Van Damme fan, and that Martial arts actors have no brains just brawn... well not any more. This movie is uncomparible to any other of the magnificiant movies this muscles from Brussels has ever produced before. Its a cross between "Rain Man" and the "Matrix" with Van Damme playing the role of both a B.O.S.E and a Killer, in the same movie! It hasn't gotten this hot since Double Impact my friends. I would suggest you'd be sitting down for this one, because this will have you crying, and cheering all within the amazing acting ability of the man, VAN DAMME!! Get Ready For the SILENT POWER.......

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The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loos'd the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword, His truth is marching on." Battle Hymn of the Republic.

In 1936, John Steinbeck wrote a series of articles about the migrant workers driven to California from the Midwestern states after losing their homes in the throes of the depression: inclement weather, failed crops, land mortgaged to the hilt and finally taken over by banks and large corporations when credit lines ran dry. Lured by promises of work aplenty, the Midwesterners packed their belongings and trekked westward to the Golden State, only to find themselves facing hunger, inhumane conditions, contempt and exploitation instead. "Dignity is all gone, and spirit has turned to sullen anger before it dies," Steinbeck described the result in one of his 1936 articles, collectively published as "The Harvest Gypsies;" and in another piece ("Starvation Under the Orange Trees," 1938) he asked: "Must the hunger become anger and the anger fury before anything will be done?"

By the time he wrote the latter article, Steinbeck had already published one novel addressing the agricultural laborers' struggle against corporate power ("In Dubious Battle," 1936). Shortly thereafter he began to work on "The Grapes of Wrath," which was published roughly a year later. Although the book would win the Pulitzer Prize (1940) and become a cornerstone foundation of Steinbeck's Literature Nobel Prize (1962), it was sharply criticized upon its release nowhere more so than in the Midwest and still counts among the 35 books most frequently banned from American school curricula: A raw, brutally direct, yet incredibly poetic masterpiece of fiction, it continues to touch nerves deeply rooted in modern society's fabric; including and particularly in California, where yesterday's Okies are today's undocumented Mexicans Chicano labor leader Cesar Chavez especially pointed out how well he could empathize with the Joad family, because he and his fellow workers were now living the same life they once had.

Having fought hard with his publisher to maintain the novel's uncompromising approach throughout, Steinbeck was weary to give the film rights to 20th Century Fox, headed by powerful mogul and, more importantly, known conservative Daryl F. Zanuck. Yet, Zanuck and director John Ford largely stayed true to the novel: There is that sense of desperation in farmer Muley's (John Qualen's) expression as he tells Tom and ex-preacher Casy (Henry Fonda and John Carradine) how the "cats" came and bulldozed down everybody's homes, on behalf of a corporate entity too intangible to truly hold accountable. There is Grandpa Joad (Charley Grapewin), literally clinging to his earth and dying of a stroke (or, more likely, a broken heart) when he is made to leave against his will. There is everybody's brief joy upon first seeing Bakersfield's rich plantations everybody's except Ma Joad's (Jane Darwell's), that is, who alone knows that Grandma (Zeffie Tilbury) died in her arms before they even started to cross the Californian desert the previous night. There is the privately-run labor camps' utter desolation, complete with violent guards, exploitative wages, lack of food and unsanitary conditions; contrasted with the relative security and more humane conditions of the camps run by the State. And there is Tom's crucial development from a man acting alone to one seeing the benefit of joining efforts in a group, following Casy's example, and his parting promise to Ma that she'll find him everywhere she looks wherever there is injustice, struggle, and people's joint success. In an overall outstanding cast, which also includes Dorris Bowdon (Rose of Sharon), Eddie Quillan (Rose's boyfriend Connie), Frank Darien (Uncle John) and a brief appearance by Ward Bond as a friendly policeman, Henry Fonda truly shines as Tom; despite his smashing good looks fully metamorphosized into Steinbeck's quick-tempered, lanky, reluctant hero.

Yet, in all its starkness the movie has a more optimistic slant than the novel; due to a structural change which has the Joads moving from bad to acceptable living conditions (instead of vice versa), the toning down of Steinbeck's political references most importantly, the elimination of a monologue using a land owner's description of "reds" as anybody "that wants thirty cents and hour when we're payin' twenty-five" to show that under the prevalent conditions that definition applies to virtually *every* migrant laborer and a greater emphasis on Ma Joad's pragmatic, forward-looking way of dealing with their fate; culminating in her closing "we's the people" speech (whose direction, interestingly, Ford, who would have preferred to end the movie with the image of Tom walking up a hill alone in the distance, left to Zanuck himself). Jane Darwell won a much-deserved Academy-Award for her portrayal as Ma; besides John Ford's Best Director award the movie's only winner on Oscar night none of its other five nominations scored, unfortunately including those in the Best Picture and Best Leading Actor categories, which went to Hitchcock's "Rebecca" and James Stewart ("The Philadelphia Story") instead. Still, despite its critical success also expressed in a "Best Picture" National Board of Review award and its marginally optimistic outlook, the movie engendered almost as much controversy as did Steinbeck's book. After the witch hunt setting in not even a decade later, today it stands as one of the last, greatest examples of a movie pulling no punches in the portrayal of society's ailments; a type of film regrettably rare in recent years.

"Ev'rybody might be just one big soul well it looks that-a way to me. ... Wherever men are fightin' for their rights, that's where I'm gonna be, ma. That's where I'm gonna be." Woody Guthrie, "The Ballad of Tom Joad."

"The highway is alive tonight, but nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes. I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light, with the ghost of old Tom Joad." Bruce Springsteen, "The Ghost of Tom Joad."

Also recommended:

John Steinbeck : Novels and Stories, 1932-1937 : The Pastures of Heaven / To a God Unknown / Tortilla Flat / In Dubious Battle / Of Mice and Men (Library of America)

John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath and Other Writings 1936-1941: The Grapes of Wrath, The Harvest Gypsies, The Long Valley, The Log from the Sea of Cortez (Library of America)

Steinbeck Novels 1942-1952: The Moon Is Down / Cannery Row / The Pearl / East of Eden (Library of America)

John Steinbeck: Travels with Charley and Later Novels 1947-1962: The Wayward Bus / Burning Bright / Sweet Thursday / The Winter of Our Discontent (Library of America)

America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction (Penguin Classics)

John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography

East of Eden (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Of Mice & Men

Viva Zapata!

The Ox-Bow Incident

This is it! This is the movie to show to your preteen children to give them an understanding of what it means to struggle for something, for the barest of necessities.

John Steinbeck and John Ford did America proud, allowing us to look inward to discover solutions for our social problems. As a country we would do well to do the same again.

Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) and Ma Joad (Jane Darwell) are the central characters of this film, but many other, richly defined, roles can be found here. The young husband who deserts his wife because he's ashamed that he can't provide for her ... the waitress whose, somewhat hardened, heart is softened by the plight of the Joads ... the Grandfather who dreams of California and eating grapes while their juice runs down his chin ... the grieving father warning the Joads of the hard times ahead in California ... and who can forget the family friend who refuses to leave Oklahoma, and slides further and further into insanity as his entire community disappears.

Each secondary member of the cast has something invaluable to add to the story and the standout is the great John Carradine as the disillusioned, x-preacher, Casey. It is Casey who helps Tom to recognize the injustice in their 'migrant' world, and Casey who provides the supreme sacrifice and catalyst for Tom's promised future of being "there" for the little guy.

Yes, this movie can fall victim to overt sentimentalism, but the underlying feeling of injustice is probably the main 'character' in the story. While it's overall theme can be depressing, you can't help but smile when Ma Joad says "We're the people that live."

I absolutely love this movie, I think you will too.

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It's striking how many reviewers here base their comments on a simplisitic comparison between the film version of "The Grapes of Wrath" and the Steinbeck novel on which it was based. For many such a comparison seems to function simply as an excuse to proclaim the inherent superiority of the Steinbeck original--and, by extension, the superiority of their own literary taste values-when all it really does is highlight the patent silliness of trying to pit different artforms into some sort of evaluative competition. Literature and cinema are two vastly different modes of representation each with their own strengths and limitations, so the framing question shouldn't be which version of "The Grapes of Wrath" is "better"--as if there were a universal yardstick with which to measure such things--but rather how do they perform in terms of their respective mediums? On that count, I think we are extraordinarily fortunate with both the Steinbeck and Ford versions of "The Grapes of Wrath" to have two masterworks that operate consummately at the peak of their respective artforms. What each does well, it does brilliantly. As a verbal medium that unfolds slowly, literature is good at offering rich, layered descriptions of person and place and mapping complicated narrative links and Steinbeck makes the most of this in his novel. Cinema, by contrast, is an expressive medium that works best through registers of visual and aural metaphor, allegory and performance...and it's on this ground that I think the film version of "The Grapes of Wrath" more than merits its classic status. It is a magnificently "cinematic" film that uses the expressive capacities of the medium to produce a richly layered experience that is truly moving and that lingers long afterward, sometimes for years or even a whole lifetime. I first saw "The Grapes of Wrath" on TV one rainy afternoon in my childhood and it left indelible impressions that have impelled me to go back to the film time and again: The haunted eyes of Jane Darwell's Ma Joad as she sits in the truck cabin, lit from beneath, driving into an uncertain future, the winds of history howling oustside; the terrifying collision montage as the monstrous "cats" move in to destroy the Okies' homes; the soulless gas station attendants, standing together in uniforms like corporatized automata, muttering that the Joads are too miserable to be human. It's a film dense with iconic richness and an enduring testament both to the artistry of the many workers that created it, and to the democratic spirit of popular cinema at its very best.

Read Best Reviews of The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Here

This is a review of the new BD of the classic film "The Grapes of Wrath".

First off, when reading reviews of this title be aware that Amazon has a policy of grouping ALL reviews of ALL versions of a film, whether DVD, Blu-ray (and even VHS). So if you are looking for a review of the Bluray, sort reviews by date (with most current first). That should help guide you.

With that said, this is a review of the single-disc BD released on June 5, 2012.

"The Grapes of Wrath" (TGOW) is a classic film and one that everyone should see. It's re-release by Fox is timely as much of the US is still in a recession and unemployment is high. There are many folks re-locating from their homes (if they haven't been evicted already) looking for work. If you want to know more about the film and its plot, there are over 160 reviews here that will provide that info. So I'll concentrate on the BD release, it's special features and not on the film itself.

TGOW was filmed in black and white in a standard format of 1.33:1 so no matter what screen aspect your TV has the image will be virtually square. Even on an older non-flat screen TV the image does not fill the screen but has thick black border on all sides. Direct John Ford used dark images (and lots of great shadows) to tell the story and , though the BD image is brighter than previous releases, it show the graininess of the film. I also noted in the early scenes that the brightness would waiver, but I got used to it as I concentrated on the story.

The BD has, as special features, a commentary track (same as on previous DVD release) that I did not listen to, a series of short Fox Movietone newsreels about the dust bowl and the Academy Award presentation to actress Jane Darwell (who won the award for Best Actress but is not even given recognition by name on the package despite a fabulous performance) totally about 8-minutes. There is also a 25-minute piece from the Fox Legacy TV show (on Fox of course) with Tom Rothman. I tried to get into it but Rothman is frankly not a good speaker and I found a bit too pompous for my tastes. Despite playing with the Display Aspect control on my BD player, I found that the excerpts from the film that were included in Rothman's piece, were out of "ratio" and the image was "squished". I'm not sure how this plays on other TVs. The BD also gives you the option of watching the film with the "forward" included in the British release, which the producers decided was necessary to explain the economic conditions in the US to the British theater audience. A nice touch for completeness. The last bonus is an A&E episode on Producer Daryl F. Zanuck (that I haven't gotten to yet.).

Having read a few other reviews of the DVD version here, it appears that the DVD version has a sharper image than the BD, despite a few more dark spots. I can't tell if the images in the bonuses are any different as I only have the BD.

So, while I generally would turn to a BD version over the DVD version, I think in this case there is more reason to get the DVD than the BD. But, if you haven't seen this film before, with great acting by Henry Fonda and Darwell, then get it in either version. Just get it.

My rating is a bit skewed. The film gets five stars (I love it), the bonuses three stars (it's OK) and formatting between 3 and 4 stars.

I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.

Steve Ramm

"Anything Phonographic"

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Take John Steinbeck's Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Novel. Turn it into a movie and let John Ford direct it, and get Henry Fonda to star. In 1940 you could hardly find a more certain recipe for a cinema classic.

As good as the film is, it really should be a companion-piece to Steinbeck's original masterpiece, and if you haven't read it I recommend setting aside enough time to read one of the greatest pieces of American literature ever written.

That being said, the medium of the cinema allows for a visual impact that can't be matched with the written word.

The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joad family during the great depression. That period of economic hardship hit the farmers in Oklahoma a little harder than the rest of the world, at the time of the dust bowl the "Okies" were at the end of their ropes, financially speaking.

Thousands of Okies packed up the house after being foreclosed and moved out to California many winding up around Bakersfield, at the California end of old US Route 66. (Merle Haggard's family did so and the "Okie from Muscogee" wrote about it in songs like "California Cottonfields".)

Anyway, this is the historical context of the movie. The theme of the movie, and of Steinbeck's book, is the ability of the human spirit to remain intact in these worst of times. The Joads suffer terrible humiliations, one after another, most of them because of their desperate financial status. But as the story proceeds we see that they are fundamentally decent, hard-working people, and every time life knocks them down they get back up, brush the dirt off themselves, and keep moving forward. As a national characteristic, this was an important trait because this was the generation that produced the hard-working, high-minded individuals who did important things like win World War II, followed by America's greatest financial flourishing and the Baby Boom. Tom Brokaw called them "America's Greatest Generation".

The cast is picture-perfect, with Henry Fonda as the spirited Tom Joad and John Carradine as the former preacher with a new social consciousness. Jane Darwell won a well-deserved Best Supporting Actress Award as Ma Joad, and the remainder of the cast is in every way equal to the story and the film.

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Chaplin (15th Anniversary Edition) (1992)

If you're anything like me, the almost semi-annual relapse and recovery of Robert Downey Jr. has been an interesting periodic feature of the morning news. After a while one begins to question why does Hollywood put up with him when there is no shortage of talented actors desperately trying to make it in Hollywood? Why would producers and studios, who are so financially dependent on their productions going off without a hitch, take yet another chance on Robert Downey, Jr? Then I saw Chaplin, and I understood.

The intensity and power of the Robert Downey's performance in this film is the stuff of Oscars and true movie legend! It's both a beautiful performance and a beautiful film!

Somehow Sir Richard Attenborough got out of Downey the kind of performance that can sustain a career, and a legend. But Sir Richard's mastery didn't stop there. He got spectacular performance out of everyone, including a young, pre-X-Files David Duchovny. (I know I misspelled that. But you know who I mean.)

In summation, Robert Downey's performance is every bit the equal of James Dean's in Giant, East of Eden or Rebel without a Cause, and maybe that's what we should keep in mind. For unlike Dean, another self-destructive personality, Robert Downey has not driven off the cliff yet, and hopefully he never will.

Charles Chaplin was one of the pioneers in film who brought us classics such as The Kid (1921), Gold Rush (1925), Modern Times (1936), and Great Dictator (1940). His many successes are still to this day considered masterpieces which he created, acted, directed, and edited. He had a brilliant eye for what the human mind was observing and he could make comedy out of almost anything. However, despite Chaplin's great sense of humor the recurrent theme in his life seems to be surrounded by sadness and loss where his escape was to help others feel a sense of joy. Chaplin is a brilliant cinematic story that has a fantastic cast and where the lead as Chaplin is managed brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr.. In addition, the story weaves in moments out of Chaplin's life where he got his ideas in an ingenious manner which displays the superb directing in the story. When the audience sees everything put together they will experience a dazzling cinematic experience.

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Excellent biographical epic, with inspirational, amazing acting from Robert Downey, Jr., and the rest of the cast. Charlie Chaplin was truly a genius, and a beautiful human being. Robert Downey, Jr. "becomes" Chaplin and the story of his life draws you in so completely, you will find yourself wanting to watch it again and again. When you hear the beautiful song, "Smile," you will always remember who wrote it, and the life of its author, Charlie Chaplin. Robert Downey does a great job on his own rendition of playing piano and singing Smile both on the soundtrack and his later released cd in 2006. For any serious movie lover, you must own this one. Check out the rest of the great cast!

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The star of this film is the amazing replications of Chaplin's use of physical comedy and intense passion for filmmaking the "tramp" had for his craft. Robert Downey, Jr. literally steals the show away from such heavyweights as Anthony Hopkins and the film's director, Richard Attenborough.

Though Attenborough, he himself an Oscar winning director, does some clever things to draw you into the world of Chaplin (making the film look old and distressed, using the same shakey "hand-cranking" speeds for action sequences, and use of moody, uneven lighting), his tempo for the film seems painfully slow at times, and at over two hours, the picture feels much longer.

The film is packed with stars in small roles, as everyone plays second banana to Chaplin--Marisa Tomei, Milla Jovovich, David Duchovney, Dan Akroyd, Moira Kelly, and Geraldine Chaplin, just to name a few. The period accuracy is well done, and the acting is superb, however, the direction is heavy-handed--a major fault of Attenborough's other films, too, and leaves you feeling frustrated--just show more of Chaplin doing what he does best--making people laugh!

To his credit, however, the director does show Chaplin as the social activist who had an FBI file close to 2,000 pages in length. The drama, at times, seemed a bit much for someone known for bringing joy to so many...perhaps, therein lies the irony of Chaplin's life. See this film to be educated, and see it to see Robert Downey, Jr. in top form in this Oscar nominated performance and ode to one of cinema's greatest artists who was the forerunner for such "control freaks" as Warren Beatty and Orson Wells. Writer, director, actor, producer, editor...Chaplin did it all!

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Robert Downey Jr. shows, in his brilliant portrayal of Charlie Chaplin, why he is without peer among his contemporaries and a national treasure. This performance puts him up there with the Al Pacinos and Gene Hackmans of the world who have the ability to astonish with their brilliance! Nuff said! Henry Gross

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The Karate Kid, Part II (1986)

Part I (5 stars): Funny, I'm just not a big "karate buff", in fact, this probably is the only set of movies like this I own, or may ever own. When I tell people this is one of my favorite movies *ever*, they laugh. Then they say, "Are you serious?" And my words to explain why always fall short. Beyond the karate, beyond the underdog nature, there lie two characters that seem to compliment each other so perfectly it really makes the movie what it is regardless of the subject matter. Something about the chemistry between Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio simply defies convention and thrives on it. The casting by all involved was surely just one part luck, one part fortune, the DVD extras merely icing. My only complaint is this not being mastered to 5.1 DD sound.

*edit* I watched the commentary last night and I must say I was disappointed. Pat Morita's input was intrusive, and many comments made by the group were simply uncalled for. When Elizabeth Shue would walk away from the camera they would comment about her rear end and totally ruined a part of my respect for them. They went on to ridicule an "extra" who became a greeter of some sort. They laughed and carried on through the whole thing. At the beginning I thought, well they are a lively group, but after 45 minutes it wore thin and I wished then I would have turned it off. There were a few bits here and there I learned, but what I really learned is why companies have the disclaimer at the beginning of the movies.

Part II (4 stars): I'm kind of ashamed of avoiding this movie now. As much as I loved the first I never bothered with the second. I've just never been fond of sequels. Be it Back to the Future Two, the Lost World, or the hundred other sub par sequels, they just seem to mar the original product. However, here at Amazon I read that this story picks up 5 minutes after the first and that peaked my interest. Previously, I just assumed it would be directionless swill. So wrong. The score, the heart, the soul, and even the casting practically live up to the first, and I'm shocked at that. In fact Daniels love interest in this even out does the first!! Having the impact on me this film had 19 years after it was made is quite remarkable. It's not without it's flaws though, the last 15-20 minutes really just seemed to lose steam, the "storm" sequence being almost painful. Sad that there are no extra's to speak of, this movie may have been even more interesting to hear about.

Part III (3 stars): Definitely the weakest of the three, still a must see for the simple fact that Pat and Ralph still have that spark. Sadly, the casting choices for the villains are overwrought and the story just seems forced. I suppose the concept was losing its impact but regardless, the script just wasn't well thought out. Again, this picks up right after Part II and there is just something about this continuity that makes me think John Avildsen has courage and vision. The weakest part of the script easily being the "sign the paper" portions that defied common sense, still like Part II I'm simply shocked these movies are not disastrous "1 out of 5's" (as some here at Amazon alluded to) although having the original director onboard surely meant these movies had the stability they needed... and deserved. Having viewed Parts II and III has forever altered the way I will view Part I, and I'm relieved to report it's all for the better. They only enhanced what I knew and make me appreciate it that much more. Why not have commentary on all three movies?

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The Next Karate Kid (2 stars): I'm trying to view this as a sort of "bonus movie" within the packaged set. While 2 stars may seem low I think this movie does contain some decent performances by Hillary and Pat. The problem again is the script, hell, even the premise. So, a middle aged woman lets a friend of her fathers move in with her teenage daughter while she goes and stays at his home California? Please. A big problem are the overzealous sadistic "TV Movie" quality of just about everyone except the two leads. Even the love interest in this is so utterly flat it is totally deflated. Most of what should have had an impact (like the Hawk) didn't and a certain parts (like "Zen" bowling) seemed like embarrassing filler.

The first Karate Kid literally spoke to any kid who felt out of place and picked on. Strongly enough, it was a concept played out over and over again. But the evenhanded direction of Avildsen made it a triumph. So what do you do for a sequel? You get real. Not that the first one wasn't real. The threat to Daniels safety in the first movie was always there and fully realized. But take this student and mentor pair and send them to Okinawa, and you have a whole different ball game. The story centers more on Miagi and his journey home to see his dying father, and facing demons he left as a young man. Asian culture takes certain things much more seriously. Honor in this movie is a subject brought up constantly, and we see it from Daniels perspective; as an American who does not understand why these people do things they way they do in the name of honor. As Daniel comes to grips with this life code in the small village of Miagi's youth, he realizes that the bully who has targeted him this time does not hold back. He's ready to kill Daniel. He has no qualms about it either and feels it's justified. As Daniel swoons a beautiful Asian girl and finds he's getting in deeper with the affairs of Miagi's past, he holds his ground, and his good upbringing helps to hold his own honor in place. In the end, the climatic fight scene is what really makes the movie. The whole story builds up to that moment. The idea is that this fight is real, there is no competition, no points. This is not a tournament, this is not a spectacle. Daniel is fighting to stay alive. And it is more brutal then the rules laden tournament of the first movie. Morita and Maccio play off each other so well it's obvious these two have great chemistry. The teacher/student relationship is apparent from the first scene despite their polar opposite personalities. As in the first movie, each character gives the other what they are missing. Daniel gets a father figure/teacher, Miagi gets a son/student. This movie is just as good as the first in my opinion, just different. A different set of circumstances played similarly to the first one. It's as different as it can be while still holding the same values. I give it four stars only because of some very minor inconsistencies but overall, it is a very good film.

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While some critics dismiss "The Karate Kid" as a 1980s teen movie, I place it in the same category as such classics as "Star Wars", "Rocky" and "Jaws." It is a beautifully-written, -acted and -directed film that pulls at your heartstrings and makes you cheer. Pat Morita's Mr Miyagi (for which he received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor) is one the archetypal characters in American film. His relationship with Ralph Maccio's Daniel LaRusso is as genuine and touching as any you will find in film. I remember seeing it in the theater when I was very young and the audience exploding into applause at the final "crane kick" scene. That does not happen very often.

The DVD of the entire series is now available (Part 2 is decent but Parts 3 and 4 are not). The best DVD feature is the making-of documentary. It's been 21-years since this film was in theaters and all the major contributors are still alive and in good spirits for the documentary. Everyone involved in the project sees this movie as the pinnacle of their careers (and I agree with them).

This is one of my favorite films. I give it my highest recommendation.

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You could tell from the ending of the first `Karate Kid' that this was only the beginning of the story. The continuing journey of Daniel LaRusso bursts wide open in 'The Karate Kid Part II' Mr. Miyagi must return to his home land of Okinawa to see his dying father, but he is also well aware that the scars of his past are still there waiting for him after all this time. Daniel learns of Mr. Miyagi's best friend Sato and how Miyagi broke the village tradition to ask for the hand of his best friend's betrothed wife. Daniel learns through his trip that karate is more than tournaments and trophies. He learns that it is about honor and pride. He soon understands that there are people who take honor very seriously that they will stop at nothing seek out the purity of honor if it has been disgraced. That means anything is possible, even a fight to the death. Only through the sacred rules and techniques of the Miyagi family karate can Daniel overcome the tremendous obstacles he will face at this step in his journey.

This movie is one of the fabled sequels that live up to its predecessor. The story is darker and Pat Morita's performance is his best by far. I am surprised that he didn't get nominated a second time for an academy award. The villains are just as evil as the Cobra Kais (who actually make a brief appearance in the film) and the final fight shows that karate is not about fancy moves and glory. The message learned from `Part II' is that when it comes to fighting the most powerful technique is the one that your opponent doesn't see.

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Karate Kid II is not only the best of the series, it is a premier movie of the eighties. In the beginning it was only made to build upon the successful sequel theory, but this film was part of a greater movement; Kid II was instrumental in the popular acceptance of "Eastern" culture. For Asian-American children, it provided a springboard into popular white society and created a mystique and awe about anything Asian. For some, respect grew from the disciplined culture that was eloquently protrayed throughout Kid II. For many others, Asians were again equivocated with martial arts and respected for an element of the eyes. No matter what the initial reasonings for acceptance or respect, it did lead to a general perception that Asian culture was something to be admired and that if cross-bred with American culture, there could be a tremendously successful result. Karate Kid II plays on all the emotions of American capacity and is both sad and inspiring. If an editor chooses to dismiss any piece as only "for kids," then unfortunately his narrow sightedness will never allow him to write an article worth reading. Buy it. Watch it. Take it to heart.

The Devil's Rejects / House of 1000 Corpses (Horror Two-Pack) (2011)

I decided to upgrade these two films from DVD to Blu-ray. My suggestion is to not follow me. House of 1000 Corpses loses its awesome character driven menus (on the DVD) and gives you a spinning wheel. The picture quality of the Blu is improved however. The Devil's Rejects loses almost all of the Special Features including the 2.5 hour documentary. I don't get how this happened at all. And Reject's picture quality on the Blu doesn't look any better than the DVD. I think the DVD actually looks better. Highly disappointed in this one as it's one of my favorite films. Stick with the DVDs if you have 'em.

good story line in both movies, rob zombie is awesome at making horror movies. the price is right too. yay

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both of these movies are amazingly gruesome. Rob Zombie is a great musician as well as a great movie creator/director.. if you like horror movies these are definitely movies you need to see.. i really dont want to ruin them , so just watch them. they are both great

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Great combo of movies to watch continued. High quality picture and sound. Very good and varied extras. Highly recommended blu ray edition. Ideal stop those just beginning to see Rob Zombie movies.

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Loved both of these movies. I am a big fan of Rob Zombie's films. When I ordered these, it was the first time I had seen either movie. I wasn't dissapointed.

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Alpha Dog / Assault on Precinct 13 Double Feature (2005)

It doesnt get too much better than this.

For the movies, both are great movies to own, and the Black Friday deal price was well worth the 2 discs.

The Audio and Video transfer on both movies is great and flawless and the DTS-MA soundtrack is perfect. Great voice and sound effect transfers.

Having both movies in a space saving box is a blessing as well, since it takes up considerably lesser space.

Great acting, good direction (Watch for Maria Bello in Assault on Precinct 13 and Bruce Willis on Alpha Dog).

Must have for action movie fans. The price of this double feature is unbeatable.

great movies in one compact case makes more room for more movies on my shelve that makes it easier to get more movies.

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I enjoyed both movies and recognized the high quality work that went into the production. These movies are well worth the price!

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