One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Milos Forman has always had a knack for assembling great ensemble casts. This is particularly true in his most critically acclaimed releases (Taking Off, Amadeus and this film). It would be difficult indeed to come up with actors and actresses who were better suited to fill the roles in OFOTCN. This is true in terms of both the stars, Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, and the secondary characters. Who could have been a better Harding than William Redfield? A better Billy Bibbit than Brad Dourif? A better Cheswick than Sydney Lassick? And most especially, a better Chief Bromden than Will Sampson?

I rank this movie as the best of the best of what I consider to be American Cinema's golden decade, the 70s. It certainly won the widest acclaim, with its sweep of the major Oscars for 1975 (Nicholson also won best actor from the New York Film Critics voters that year).

Not to be overlooked is the fantastic job performed by the film's adaptors, Bo Goldman and Lawrence Hauben, who also won Oscars for their screenplay. True, they did have a fairly decent stage version (by Dale Wasserman) to work with. I remember seeing an excellent production of the play, with a terrific cast, in San Francisco circa 1972. Just as an aside, I read in the Norton Critical edition of the novel, a review of a NY production of the play by Walter Kerr that was an absolute pan. Suffice it to say that the movie is much different than either the novel or the play. Those familiar with Kesey's great novel understand how difficult a transfer from page to screen would be; about a third of the story is Bromden's delusional interior monologue. The final script, quite rightly, focuses almost exclusively on Randal P McMurphy's struggle with Nurse Ratched for the hearts and minds of the inmates.

This is truly a gut and soul-wrenching movie, with many moments of high maniacal comedy interspersed. Though many of his other films are top-notch, this is Forman's masterpiece. If you haven't read the book, read it. It you don't own this movie, buy it. There are few works in the history of American literature and film that are superior.

It has taken me nearly 30 years to get round to watching this film, and I genuinely think I appreciate it more for being that much older. It has had accolades for everything -plot, direction, filming, casting, acting. It deserves them all. It is nothing short of compulsive. The bad guy who has not lost his soul (much less his spirit) is pitted against the embodiment of sanctimonious righteousness who never had a soul to lose.

I wonder whether Nicholson has even yet had full recognition for the truly great actor he is (how many people have even seen The King of Marvin Gardens, for instance?) His screen presence is enormous, magnetic and menacing. He combines outsize testosteronic individuality with the ability to get inside a character, and an electric sense of threat with a real power to tug at the heart-strings. Bad he may be, but unsympathetic never. He is a very big little guy, but he is still the little guy against the system. It must be impossible, surely, to upstage that?

Incredibly, no. The ultimate star in a film that has no shortage of up-and-coming luminaries as well as Nicholson (D de Vito for one) is Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched. I am never going to forget that mask-like expressionless face and that ever-rational, implacable, ever-modulated voice mouthing those soulless, uncomprehending, the-system-is-right banalities. Above all, I am never going to forget that hair. Among the many touches of genius in this production, that hairstyle is the ultimate. I simply could not take my eyes off it. The name is effective too, and I shall continue to believe until someone proves me wrong that it was an inspired borrowing from Jane Eyre -the dreadful and sadistic Miss Skatcherd brought up to date and given a 20th-century twist.

This film is never going to become dated as long as these polarities continue to repel each other. I saw it at all only because my son showed it to me. It is relevant to my generation, it is relevant to his, and I can't foresee when it is not going to be relevant.

Buy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Now

This movie is as relevant now as it was when it first hit movie theaters in the 70's. Hilarious, somewhat dark and thought provoking. Great performances all around, anyone I recommend this film to loves it. You will remember most of these characters, right down to Christopher Lloyd and Danny DeVito in supporting roles. In my opinion, one of the most uproariously funny moments in movie history occurs when Chezaroo flips out about Nurse Ratched's stingy cigarette policy.

The Blu ray transfer of this movie is excellent. It is not the very best of the best, but for a film that came out in the mid-seventies it has superb PQ on Blu ray.

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This is one of my favorite Jack Nicholson movies. The collector's edition has some nice goodies: a 52 page hard-bound book, reproduction of the original press book, a 52 card deck, 4 mini-reproduction of the original worldwide theatrical posters and 6 cast/character photos. A great package for a great movie that received 5 Academy Awards.

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5 stars for the film, 1 star for the DVD:

There are a lot of reviews that discuss the movie itself, so I will keep this one short and talk about the DVD.

The DVD is a bit of a disappointment. The film itself is very dirty; it looks like the transfer was done from a copy of the film that's been shown a few hundred times in a theater. It's hard to believe that the master itself has deriorated this much.

There are no interesting extras on this DVD. No deleted scenes, no commentaries, no behind the scenes footage. Just some text screens talking about awards the film received, etc.

The are no audio options. You're just stuck with standard sterio. And the menu is bland and static. Basically, you are getting the movie, as you would have experienced it in a theater nearly three decades ago, and nothing else.

I love this film however, especially the ending, so I still recommend buying it if you are a Jack Nicholson fan. Just don't expect the DVD to actually take advantage of the medium.

This Means War (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) (2012)

I won't go into great details because there is no need to spoil it for you. If you're coming to read these, I am assuming you probably are trying to decide if you want to watch it or not.

The story is beyond predictable, but that doesn't mean it's not worth "date night".

The movie is about two close friends. They are CIA partners, you know that there is a brotherhood that only forms when you put your life in someone else hands. That relationship is put to the test when they both fall for the same woman ... in walks femme fatal, Reese Witherspoon whose character contains that charm which has made Reese a mainstay in cinema.

The plot is a road-map that lists all the main attractions along the way. You know where it's going, everyone's been there before, yet you still have fun. This movies is above all else a romantic comedy. It has just enough action to help guys enjoy the movie with their girls. It throws in a bit of situation and physical comedy to keep it from being sticky sweet.

You'll probably know what's going to happen before it does. That's ok; and it's ok to laugh out-loud even when the jokes are completely obvious. Allow yourself to enjoy this no brainer comedy and you might even find yourself rooting for the inevitable evolution each character has.

Still not sure? Rent before you buy and decide for yourself, after all, no two people are alike.

I hope this was helpful. Enjoy!

If you liked my review and found it helpful, please vote. Thanks. :-)

When two CIA agents find themselves vying for the same woman, their rivalry is epic! Lucky Reese Witherspoon, to be one-third of an eternal triangle with these guys!

Director McG ("Terminator Salvation," and "Chuck") certainly knows how to open a film with a bang and never slow down. Even though this is a romantic comedy, CIA activities and skirmishes are couched in enough reality that we invest a little skin in the game. But the banter and camaraderie between two hunky heroes keep it cartoony and light. Furthermore, the conversations between our heroine and her best friend are hilarious, particularly when they are being overheard by the guys.

* Reese Witherspoon ("Water for Elephants") tests products and facilitates focus groups, but she hasn't quite recovered from her last break-up. Her best friend offers sage advice that positively drips with envy.

* Chris Pine ("Star Trek") is the smooth man about town, a CIA-trained lady killer with blue eyes you could get lost in. Problem is, Reese isn't about to fall. She may be tempted, but she won't fall. ...maybe....oops....

* Tom Hardy ("Inception") is the third side of this triangle, who pretends to be a travel agent, which contributed to the end of his marriage. Now he's competing with Chris Pine for Reese's affections and not doing too badly, either, despite being British...

* Chelsea Handler (lots of TV) is the best friend who keeps offering Reese all that bad, bad advice. She's so funny I'd probably try her suggestions, too! Hey, don't Volkswagens have air bags?

Once again we are confronted with a PG-13 film that is fairly anatomical, but it's so funny I guess I'll forgive them. The clever script is loaded with double entendres that had us laughing out loud ("the agent has entered the premises"). To watch Hollywood's version of the high-tech power the CIA can bring into this testosterone-laden rivalry is really fun! Plus, I've never seen Ms. Witherspoon so relaxed or funny before.

Expect no sweaty bodies, a snippet of profanity, lots of gunfire, some bloody fisticuffs, a bit of exciting vehicular mayhem, and even some blowie uppie stuff. Our happy audience made a LOT of noise as we left the theater. This should do very well, because it's good old-fashioned entertainment, no socially redeeming qualities, just silly fluffy fun. Amazon.com will notify me when the DVD is available.

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If you're in the mood to sit back, laugh, and not have to think too much this is the movie for you! It's the perfect combination of Comedy, Romance, and Action. The cast has good chemistry and are sexy to boot! As with any romantic comedy, you can't over analyze...you just have to sit back and enjoy!

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"Why don't you tickle Ivan's feet until he talks with your teeny tiny itty bitty jazz hands."

One of the best lines in recent movie history delivered with perfect comedic timing.

Even though Reese Witherspoon is the headliner the buddy story is well played by Tom Hardy and Chris Pine. Oscar worthy? No. Entertaining. Yep. Not all movies have to have deep life changing meaning. Some are meant to be silly. This is one!

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This was a pleasant surprise. Funny, lots of action, romance, excellent cast, it really doesn't get better than this. Predictable? Probably for most, but still a fun 2 hours of entertainment. My wife and I both agree, she picked the wrong guy LOL.....

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The Nesting (1981)

For a person suffering from agoraphobia, the lead character, Lauren Cochran (played by Robin Groves) sure got around! Since the plot never really took full advantage of that, realistically speaking, I can't figure out why it was mentioned so often and used so little. She was literally running all over the place! And, it wasn't the least bit interesting. As horror movies go (and this one really didn't), you need to stay focused, on target. Pick a plot point and run with it, not just run!

The premise was almost too basic: a writer rents a house to write in and soon discovers it's haunted and that she might have some kind of connection to it. The owner of the house is an old geezer with a secret (the always dependable John Carradine). To round out the cast there are scads of local creepy people (all connected to THE secret), a nondescript boyfriend, and a rather snotty therapist. This isn't counting all the ghosts. The deaths are few and far between but rather well done (I especially love the sickle scene). I also liked some of the weird dream sequences. My only major complaint has to do with the casting of Robin Groves as the writer who never gets around to writing. She is thoroughly unsympathetic, I found her more annoying than likable. When you can't care about what the main character is suffering through, that doesn't leave much to hold your interest. It also didn't help that the pacing is a bit slow and the movie is too long.

THE NESTING Concerns an agoraphobic novelist (Robin Groves) who moves into a house that just might be haunted. Along the way, we are introduced to the impatient therapist, the ultra-goofy boyfriend, the cranky handyman, and an extremely nasty man named Abner (!). Thankfully, most of these jerks are subjected to horrible deaths at the hands of supernatural forces! This is a horror / thriller along the lines of THE SHINING, THE SENTINEL, BURNT OFFERINGS, etc., and has a solid story w/ a nice, twisty ending. Enjoy...

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A bit scary but what I like is how different it pales to other Horror movies of the era and of even now,despite the obvious later on as it unravels there is a sort of class about it,a classiness if you will that made the film enjoyable,The Creepy House and the author's strange behavior all make it worth watching.

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I saw this movie with a friend at a Drive-in shortly before I left the Pacific Northwest in '82. I thought it was a good flick and earlier this year began a search for the title. It took more than 4 months to find, but it was worth it! And to be able to get it on Blue-ray was icing on the cake. Thanks.

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The Nesting looks like it was shot in NY State, which is always a good idea because it has so many great locations that would work in a horror movie, and the makers of this movie found a house as archetypal to horror as the one in Psycho. There's no ghost story in cinema history like this that I've ever seen, and it delivers the good on atmosphere, shock, suspense, and has a few great scares to it. The late seventies and early eighties were a boom period for horror. The Nesting is one that didn't do that badly, but for some reason fell under the cultural radar for a very long time.

Blue Underground's claim that it's been "unavailable" on video is generally true. I remember seeing this one time, and one time only on cable in the eighties, never seeing it again until I bought this Blu-ray, incredible, but it was well worth the wait. As usual, BU has done a perfect job here with the transfer, both in sound and audio, boosting the sound up to an optional 7.1 mix. Everything here is real HD. Strongly recommended in every sense if you love horror.

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Needless Complete Collection

While I wasn't expecting a great series it still actually surprised me at how entertained I did find it, the series feels like a mix of Naruto/Bleach/Ranma mixed together and while as expected there is a ton of fan service in the series the story and action made the series a lot more entertaining then first expected. The set gives you the entire series as well as the special OVA's as well, and while a little pricey($60.00)the series feels worth the price, though I'd advise people to check a few episodes online first just to make sure this is a anime series you'd enjoy. The animation and soundtrack fit nicely together and the voice cast did a very good job in their character roles, also yes unlike the first release this set does have the subbed and dubbed audio tracks. Other then the OVA's the extras aren't anything to shout about just the usual textless intro/ending songs and some trailers.Unlike another series I recently purchased many of these characters do endear themselves to you which is appreciated especially for myself after watching the previous series with much more dislike then expected.

Update 07-09-2012

Some have asked about the set case,sadly to say if you bought from Sentai Filmworks before you know about their set cases. What that means is that all five dvd's are stacked on one another on a single spindle inside a slightly bigger dvd plastic case,while there is hardened Styrofoam cushioning to keep the dvd's secure and not moving for the price of the set I was kind of hoping for a better quality case for this set. Also while some may have seen the OVA's they are only on the fifth dvd as the bonus feature the trailers will be on the four series dvd's.

I purchased this video based on its description without first watching it online. While it started off different than most that I normally watch, I found it entertaining enough that I actually had to stay up very late to watch it all the way thru.

The 24 episodes cover the story very well. It is organized in mostly chronological order, although story background is covered in several sections by having entire episodes dedicated to fully covering the background stories of various characters.

The focus of the story is a basic struggle against oppression with a very healthy dose of fan service included. Lots of magical powers, panty shots and humor mixed together well. Not recommended for kids.

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This anime is amazing. Its very funny and never gets boring. The artwork is awesome and the storyline is great.

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the colors are bright and strong. i love the first parts theme song modern strange cowboy.

Breif overview*spoilers*

the place of this anime is set in japan after a bomb goes of and creates a sot in the land were things are .. different. people with strange powers appear and fight to control this area now called the black spot, which is under control of a pharmaceutics company called simion controlled by the villian. the people with odd powers are "needless" and have a fractal or power they use. the beginning and ending animations make this show look pervy but at most it shows a bouncing boob or girls bending over and having a tight butt. mainly girls are small with small breasts so this isnt a common factor.

the main charater is normal oddly enough and is searching for his sister with the help of his friends and is going to defeat simion. for some reason reminds me of gurren laggen dont know why. anyway its great, comedy,action,romance anime and you will enjoy it , please dont be fooled by the cover its a very clean anime i recommend to 15 and up ages

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Good Morning, Vietnam (25th Anniversary Edition) (1987)

Many have tried to dismiss this film as nothing more than a comedic vehicle for Robin Williams. The concept of making light of the horrors of war, particularily Vietnam since it's still so recent in the minds of many turns alot of viewers off to the important potential lessons to be learned in this wonderfully insightful movie.

Based on the true life accounts of Air Force officer and D.J. Adrian Cronauer we get a birds' eye view into the strict and ridiculous bureaucracy that can at times reign over military policy and in effect hamper the morale and efforts of the American military.

Cronauer provided a much needed spontaneity to the air waves of Vietnam radio and brought however briefly to the American soldiers the contemporary music they wanted to hear. There is alot to laugh at in this film, what else could you expect with the likes of Robin Williams in the lead role. However there is much more going on than what first meets the eye. The concepts of acceptance, friendship, trust and love soon become entangled into the comedic elements which lead to the sad and poignant realization that cultural differences can't always be overcome by good intentions. A bittersweet truth so poignantly conveyed by the beautiful Trinh when rebuffing the romantic advances of Cronauer with the statement, "Vietnam ladies not friends."

This film will definitely make you laugh. It will also make you cry and even more importantly make you think. In the final analysis that's what it's all about. There are many wonderful performances in this movie complimenting Robin Williams amazing tour-de-force. My two favorites are Tung Than Tran as 'Phan' and Chintara Sukapatana as 'Trinh.'

Highly Recommended!!

This review refers to "Good Morning Vietnam"(VHS/Touchstone)

The V.P., a V.I.P., the P.C., on the Q.T, the V.C, MIA and K.P.

Who else can take all these initials, string them into one sentence and have us in hysterics. Only Robin Williams. The one liners are fast and non stop. He's absolutely perfect as he portrays the real life Adrian Cronauer, an armed forces DJ who shakes things up a bit in Saigon 1965.

Cronauer is a hip DJ, who tries to the chagrin of his lieutanant, to bring a little fun into the lives of the weary soldiers in Viet Nam. He livens up the base and surrounding Saigon with funny characters,absurd news stories(the real ones are edited), and some Rock and Roll, as the Vietnam War occurs around them. The Lt. is more of a Lawrence Welk/Jim Nabors kind of a guy and is appalled at this DJ's style.But nothing can stop this wild and crazy guy from his mission. The script is rollicking good fun, and of course all that great music from the 60's is on tap. But there are poignant moments and a serious nature to this film as well. The war still goes on, and for the people of Saigon it is tragic.As Cronauer finds out when he befriends the townspeople.

Williams' immense talent explodes in this film. He is both funny and compassionate. But he is not alone in making this film the classic it has become. It is directed by the brillant Barry Levinson(Rain Man/The Natural),who always knows how to pull us into a story and keep us there.The supporting cast is marvelous and play right to Williams. It includes the wonderful character

actor Noble Willingham, Bruno Kirby,Forest Whitaker, Robert Wuhl and I must also make mention of Tung Thanh Tran, who plays Tuan/aka Phan Duc To.

A story of Vietnam like no other. It's one I can pull out and watch anytime without tiring of it. The VHS is a good quality. It has nice picture and hi-fi Stereo sound.It has closed captioned for hearing impaired as well. If you haven't seen it in a while, watch it again, and remember why you liked it so much the first time around. For those that have not seen it, you

are in for a real treat.

Thanks and enjoy...Laurie

recommended reading:

Into the DMZ A Battle History of Operation Hickory, May 1967, Vietnam(see my review for bnook details)

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i love good morning vietnam because robin williams does an amazing job of balancing humor and drama. this is one of my favorite movies of all time, and i highly reccommend it to everybody. you've got to watch it more than once, because you'll see something new or catch another sly joke each time.

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Robin Williams is exceptional (as usual) as the controversial radio disc-jockey Adrian Cronauer who is sent to Vietnam during the war to lift the military morale with his special brand of on-air banter. Cronauer's improvised, lightning-speed monologues keep getting him into strife with his superiors, yet are adored by the soldiers who avidly listen to him. While stationed in the war-torn country, Cronauer meets and gets to know some of the locals intimately, and learns about the catastrophes and disasters that lie beneath the airwaves through which his flippantly humourous broadcasts are transmitted.

Cronauer's radio persona is an accurate mirror of Williams himself, yet he also portrays well the man who becomes more human and vulnerable as a result of his exposure to the situation in his new environment.

GMV is both side-splittingly hilarious, touching and at times devastating, as we witness the horrors of war contrasted against the light-hearted satirical entertainment of Cronauer's on-air speeches. There has also never been a more ironic use of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" than here, played as a background to a heartbreaking montage of tragic images.

The soundtrack is also excellent, blending some appropriately upbeat period tunes with snippets of Williams funniest monologues.

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My 1* rating is for the DVD, not the movie which is 5*.

Most poeople will have seen this film on video and tv and enjoyed it, some of you old folks may have even seen it at the cinema. I think that this is a great film and it belongs in my favourite collection.

A lot of reviews here talk about the film so I wont. I just bought the DVD and watched it, although I have the video as well.

The picture quality was bad, fuzzy and grainy in many places, and I mean the picture, not the mpeg compression.

It was possible in quite a few places to see the mpeg rings. The sound was average, not brilliant but not poor.

There are no real extra features to talk about.

So given that this movie has a great following in many countries I would have expected the DVD conversion crew to have done a much better job.

With no extras and not been a really long film there is no reason to allow compression rings to be visible, where they are visible the conversion people just have to lower the compression rate for that part, and us the viewers would never know.

It appears that all they did was to copy the old movie onto a DVD without any effort, knowing that many people will buy the DVD. I think that the video copy I have matches the DVD for picture quality, not for sound of course.

If you have Good Morning Vietnam on video treasure it and save yourself £15 ($20). Maybe in the future a 'special' anniversary edition will be released that the producers will have invested both time and money in to give us a DVD worth buying, of course they could just release it again as is for all us muggs to be ripped off again.

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Just Wright (2010)

JUST WRIGHT

STARRING: Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton, Pam Grier, James Pickens Jr. and Phylicia Rashad

WRITTEN BY: Michael Elliot

DIRECTED BY: Sanaa Hamri

Rated: PG

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: 14 May 2010

Review Date: 25 May 2010

It's been refreshing seeing so many romantic comedies as of late, that were not only good, but clean as well. Leap Year, Letters to Juliet and now Just Wright, have all been very tasty films and were all rated PG.

The adorable Queen Latifah who is one of the few people in Hollywood you can tell has a good soul just by looking at her; stars as Leslie Wright. All of Leslie's life, she has been the `friend' to charming and available guys. No one has ever wanted to be more than that with her in the end, and to add insult to injury, guys tend to fall for her best friend Morgan (Paula Patton).

Morgan is indeed beautiful, but then so is Leslie, and only an idiot wouldn't be able to smell Morgan's BS from a mile away. But then again there are a lot of idiots in the world, so this makes it easier for those of us with two or more brain cells watching, to accept this in the film.

To call Morgan high maintenance would be the understatement of the century. At least she is honest with Leslie about her intentions however, which was one of two small problems I had with this great film.

The first being that I just can't buy that Leslie would after all these years be friends with someone so manipulative and deceitful. Morgan has made it her mission in life, to wed a cash flow. Whereas Leslie you see, is basically every bit as sweet as the real Queen Latifah.

After Morgan fills Leslie in on her plan to snag an NBA player as her ATM of a husband, Leslie just so happens to run into such a man at a gas station following a game. His name is Scott McKnight and he plays for the Nets; which coincidentally is the team that Leslie is nuts about.

Common plays Scott, and the enthrallment is there from the get-go between both the actors and the characters they portray and lasts all the way till the credits. Taken aback by Leslie's unique charm, Scott invites her to a party.

Naturally, Leslie brings Morgan along with her, and Scott finds her intriguing. Morgan plays Scott like a fiddle and soon enough they are dating. Being such a sweetheart, Leslie is happy for Morgan and allows this to go on when Morgan expresses that she is truly developing feelings for Scott.

Leslie is a physical therapist and when Scott gets injured on the court, he hires her to move in and take care of him. Based on the description of Morgan's character and the necessary formula of romantic comedies, you can guess where it goes from there.

And it does go there, but we really enjoy the ride it takes us on along the way. The film doesn't force the inevitable down our throats, but slowly and innovatively leads us to the romance of Scott and Leslie.

I mentioned earlier that there were only two small problems I had with the film. The second one takes place in the third act and involves a ridiculous decision made by Scott. It took my like for the character down a notch or two, but those are tiny notches and both of these problems I had were minuscule to the overall effect the film had.

I've had my eye on Paula Patton for quite some time now; ever since I saw her in Déjà vu. She has a rare quality to her and I think she will do big things in the world of movies. In the small handful of mainstream films she has done, you can see a vast variety of talent. She is enduring and the fact that she makes us absolutely hate her as Morgan in this film, shows how truly talented she is.

Director Sanaa Hamri has gone from Something New; to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2; to Just Wright; and each of them compliments her well. Insert offensively cheesy Just Wright one-liner here:

I love this movie so much. I have watched this movie at least 4 times since I purchased it. Every time I watch it I always feel so positive about meeting the right man for me. Queen Latifah and Common had such great chemistry. Paula Patton was just too cute and funny. James Pickens Jr., Phylicia Rashad and Pam Greir were so good as the parents. The story was so positive. It is too bad that Hollywood doesn't produce more postive movies about African-American relationships like this.

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Ok, it's a romantic comedy, we know where it's going and what is going to happen along the way. What makes 'Just Wright' better than most of these "Rom/Coms"? is a likable cast and a more realistic approach. What I liked about this film is they didn't make the villain one dimensional, Morgan who is a gold digger and very self centered isn't all bad just like "real" people are. Most people aren't all bad or good for that matter and even though we hate her in this film, she doesn't try to hurt her childhood friend purposely, it just happens. Queen Latifah can make a good film better and a bad film tolerable. She is very natural and it is really hard not to like her. Of course this film will make you go all mushy in the end, but what do you expect? it's a romantic comedy.

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A simple wholesome feel good movie with a strong woman character. This movie leaves you feeling enthusiastic about love and life!

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This movie was more than what I believed it would be. I was trully moved by the wave of this movie. Since I purchased the movie..I have watched it more than 6-7 times, it was AWESOME!!

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The Bourne Trilogy (The Bourne Identity / The Bourne Supremacy / The Bourne Ultimatum) (2002)

(Update 08/11/2012: Knowing what I know now, I've completely rewritten my reviews for the box set and individual titles from scratch, which might make some of the comments obsolete. But in exchange, I hope this review seems more in-depth now).

(Note: Since I can't fit all 3 individual reviews into one entry, I've essentially condensed it down to a general overview of the plot, A/V specs and presentation, and only a list of the special features for each. The numbers you see don't necessarily equate to technical perfection, but those are the average numbers based on each movie and rounded up to the nearest whole or half number. To read the individual reviews, use the links below).

http://www.amazon.com/review/R35Y9M58QPFCXE/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

http://www.amazon.com/review/RFJDO2K5251W2/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1BYXHJU8KPQFN/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Movie 5.0

The first time I ever saw this film series was from a total blind-buy. Previously, I never even wanted to touch it because I had this stupid, unexplainable bias against Matt Damon. To this day, I still can't remember why I had such feelings, but I'm glad I got over it, because The Bourne Trilogy is a masterfully-executed story that has changed the face of spy-thriller movies forever. The Bourne Identity starts with the discovery of a man found overboard. He has two gunshot wounds in his back, a Swiss bank account in his hip, and no immediate recollection of who he is. Coincidentally, upon reaching the mainland it seems that he's a master in firearms and fisticuffs when he instinctively disables a couple of poor police officers that just happened to mess with the wrong guy. When he gets to the Swiss bank, he finds a deposit box with a passport and his name: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). But to his surprise, there's a slew of other passports with the same picture and different names, in addition to lots of cash and even a handgun. Upon setting out to Paris, he meets a woman named Marie (Franka Potente), and the two of them would go on to face assassins and conspiracies while uncovering answers to who he is.

In The Bourne Supremacy, we find the two in Goa living a life of peace after managing to escape pursuit. Meanwhile, an operation in Berlin to uncover a mole amongst the top CIA brass, led by Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), goes south when a Russian federal agent, Kirill (Karl Urban), infiltrates the deal and takes out the informant while leaving a fingerprint of Bourne to cover his tracks. When Kirill attempts to find Bourne and assassinate him, Marie is killed in his stead. And in a rage of anger, Bourne decides to aspire vengeance on all those who had been chasing him. But in the process, he would discover a few more things about his past that would change him for the better.

And in The Bourne Ultimatum, after a British reporter named Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) discovers a new Treadstone replacement agency called Blackbriar, led by Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), Bourne figures to find the source of Ross' information so he can finally get the answers he'd been searching for, as well as putting an end to these agencies. Upon Ross' assassination, Bourne instills the aid of former Treadstone handler Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and receives the benefit of the doubt from Pamela Landy as he makes his way back home to New York and discovers the truth to everything he had forgotten.

The Bourne movie franchise has made quite the name for itself. In the hands of Doug Liman, he not only managed to introduce an interesting character with a lot of mystery and intrigue to his background, but also a character we were able to sympathize for. He was a character that lost his memory, re-discovered himself, then tried to leave his dark past behind and escape a corrupt system. After Paul Greengrass took the reigns, he improved what Liman left on the table, further exposing the humanistic side of this character as we see him lose the part of his life he cares about the most. But despite that loss, his humanity would prove to be stronger than his vengeance as even more memories started to surface, making his journey for revenge turn into a search for redemption. And after finding his inner peace, he takes pursuit of those responsible in an effort to destroy the very system that had created him and brought about so much pain and suffering, not only to him, but to many of those involved throughout its history. At this point, I think it's safe to say that Matt Damon's portrayal of Jason Bourne has really cemented itself amongst the iconic spy heroes (next to James Bond and maybe Bryan Mills from Taken).

Video 5.0

Video codec: VC-1

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.40:1, 2.35:1

Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

The video quality of the series is pretty much perfect aside from the first one. In my initial review a few years ago, I said I wasn't pleased with Identity, but did a pretty crappy job explaining it. After reading up on the technicalities of film-making since then, I've gotten a much better grasp on how to explain and describe these things. That being said, Identity looks very good in terms of black levels, colors, and sharpness. Looking at a lot of the outdoor shots, especially, and a few indoor, the picture retains enough detail that it makes for a pleasant image for the trilogy's initial entry in HD. However, it does suffer from low contrast, giving it a somewhat murky look, and there are several occasions when dirt and a couple of scratches from print damage pop up. It's not terribly distracting, but it is noticeable.

Supremacy, on the other hand, is a major step up. With the changing of director in Paul Greengrass, he gave the image a much more vibrant look that better accentuates all of the aforementioned qualities. Blacks are darker, colors are much more vivid, contrast is better-balanced, and the sharpness is even sharper. Just looking at the beginning scenes in Goa, there's a tremendous amount of color that really adds more life, and the rest of the movie follows accordingly. Some people say the saturation is a little too high, but I'm in the belief that it was intentional since Grengrass is such a visualist. And there's also a good amount of film grain as well, which again, I believe is intentional. So unless you don't like the color timing or are a grain-hater, then those are about the only problems you might have. Finally, Ultimatum has the same kind of photography, only with a difference of intensity. Supremacy ran a little hot in terms of color, but I feel it added to the overall tone of the film itself (Bourne getting hot and angry for revenge, hence the hot look to the picture). However, Ultimatum is essentially where things come full circle and the adventure ends. Because of that, this is probably about as "normal" of a color level as you'll get. So there you have it. Aside from the first movie, there's not much else to complain about.

Audio 5.0

Languages

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

French: DTS 5.1

Spanish: DTS 5.1

Subtitles

English SDH, French, Spanish

Again, aside from Identity, the audio is just about perfect. All three movies use the DTS-HD MA codec, and all of them sound fantastic. The only problem with Identity isn't so much the quality, but the quantity. As in the film itself just isn't as heavily-mixed as the others. In his commentary, Doug Liman stressed how he wanted to make Identity a drama first and an action movie second. Because of this, I think it reflects in the sound mix. The actual depth and quality to the track itself is pretty buoyant in terms of separation and directionality and gets especially aggressive during the fight with the first Treadstone agent. Rear speaker activity also gets a really good workout during the car chase sequence when cars start turning the corners. And dynamic range is excellent in the scene where Bourne is fighting Clive Owen's character outside the farmhouse.

Additionally, when Greengrass takes over as director for the sequels, the audio gets a tremendous upgrade, just as the video did. Even for as low-key as the opening scenes are in Supremacy, the dynamic depth alone is noticeably louder and more precise. Action sequences offer up even more aggressive mixing such as the fight between Bourne and the last remaining Treadstone agent. This scene in particular displays a very exact design that has no music and does a great job isolating its sound effects into the confines of that small, compact area, adding an extra layer of ferocity and tension to it. And the car chase in Moscow towards the end is brimming with activity as the vehicles skid, crash, and break all over the place. But even still, Ultimatum manages to top that. Immersion is outstanding from the crowd noise for the scene at Waterloo Station, isolation is more intense in the fight between Bourne and Desh, and the car chase in New York is a sonic masterpiece of mayhem and music. By the way, John Powell's score is another big factor to the overall sound of these films. His string and percussion works really help to compliment the storytelling that even exudes a subtle amount of LFEs through his awesome drum pieces. Outside from the one minor issue with Identity, all of these films sound superb.

Extras 4.0

There are quite a bit of extras, but if I were to highlight just one feature from each movie, I'd say at the very least(!) give the audio commentaries a listen. And if you like technical stuff, the U-Control Picture in Picture for Supremacy is well-worth a watch as well.

The Bourne Identity:

Audio Commentary (Director Doug Liman)

The Ludlum Identity (SD; 12:49)

The Ludlum Supremacy (SD; 12:41)

The Ludlum Ultimatum (SD; 23:57)

Alternate Opening and Ending (SD; 10:46 altogether)

Deleted Scenes (SD; 6:58)

Extended Farmhouse Scene (0:58)

The Birth of the Bourne Identity (SD; 14:31)

The Bourne Mastermind: Robert Ludlum (SD; 5:44)

Access Granted: An Interview with Co-Writer Tony Gilroy (SD; 4:03)

From Identity to Supremacy: Jason & Marie (SD; 3:37)

The Bourne Diagnosis (SD; 3:25)

Cloak and Dagger: Covert Ops (SD; 5:31)

Inside a Fight Sequence (SD; 4:42)

Moby "Extreme Ways" Music Video (SD; 3:38)

U-Control

The Bourne Supremacy:

Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)

Explosive Deleted Scenes (SD; 10:46)

Matching Identities: Casting (SD; 5:23)

Keeping it Real (SD; 4:58)

Blowing Things Up (SD; 4:00)

On the Move with Jason Bourne (SD; 4:45)

Bourne to be Wild: Fight Training (SD; 4:21)

Crash Cam: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow (SD; 5:58)

The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action (SD; 6:49)

Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene (SD; 4:40)

Scoring with John Powell (SD; 4:46)

The Bourne Mastermind (Part 2) (SD; 4:42)

The Bourne Diagnosis (Part 2) (SD; 5:39)

U-Control

The Bourne Ultimatum:

Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)

Deleted Scenes (SD; 12:22)

Be Bourne Spy Training

Man on the Move: Jason Bourne (SD; 23:58 altogether)

Roof Pursuit (SD; 5:39)

Planning the Punches (SD; 4:59)

Driving School (SD; 3:23)

New York Chase (SD; 10:46)

U-Control

Overall 5.0

So there you have it. If you've read my individual reviews for these movies, there's not much else I can say. The Bourne Trilogy is one of the best in its genre, and I'm really thankful for its influence in a lot of other recent entries (the Daniel Craig Bond movies and Liam Neeson's roles in both Taken and Unknown). It refreshed the genre with a mix of mystery, grit, and emotional depth that has really raised the standard. This box set is a very good deal, and I'm glad I made that blind-buy when I did. The A/V specs are essentially perfect outside of the first film, and they're all chock full of meaningful special features. If you haven't seen these films yet, make the time. You won't regret it.

I couldn't figure out how to open this set. I was tugging on the sides. Then I tried to slip the case off vertically. I was on the verge of forcing open the box when I decided to google the set, hoping to see something about the packaging scheme since there is no clear indication as to how to open it. Before you force this thing open, take note: The cover image of Matt Damon is a magnet. It flips open to the left, allowing access to the discs. Enjoy.

Buy The Bourne Trilogy (The Bourne Identity / The Bourne Supremacy / The Bourne Ultimatum) (2002) Now

Perhaps the people who said this disc set has no extras haven't actually looked at the back of the DVD cases. Each movie has a lot of bonus material that is quite interesting. There is feature commentary with the director, interviews with cast members, deleted scenes, fight sequence planning, driving school, going on location, and lots of other really cool stuff (too much for me to write it all down here). If you are interested in how these movies were made you will really enjoy all of the bonus features.

Read Best Reviews of The Bourne Trilogy (The Bourne Identity / The Bourne Supremacy / The Bourne Ultimatum) (2002) Here

This set is a silver box containing the individual releases of all 3 Bourne movies. The first thing I noticed was a new 2007 DVD of The Bourne Identity with the spine number 61103847. The package looks like the previous "Explosive Extended Edition," except this one's just called "Explosive Edition," and lists Feature Commentary by Doug Liman as an extra feature. I was looking forward to hearing the commentary, and when I plugged in the DVD, it wasn't there! Even though the disc itself says 2007 on it, it's exactly the same as the 2004 version. If you're not into commentaries, then this is a great set.

Want The Bourne Trilogy (The Bourne Identity / The Bourne Supremacy / The Bourne Ultimatum) (2002) Discount?

Seriously, don't be fooled. You get this "Super Cool" silver box and when you open it...all it is, is the 3 movies as if you bought them off the used rack shelf for $5 each. Seriously, it's a waste of time. Just buy them separately. This is so much to the point that each individually wrapped movie has tape on them where the security tag would usually go.

The movies are THE BEST...but don't be fooled by this packaging. And the bonus material is a COMPLETE let down. There is so much they could have done...instead we get a documentary of the writer. It's interesting but still, I would have loved to see more on the stunts, Damon's acting, etc.

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DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)

"D.O.A.: Dead or Alive" as everyone knows is based on the Video game franchise of the same name. This film was released in mid-2006 in Asia before in the U.S. possibly because of the larger market for video game inspired movies. For this reason, I managed to own the region-3 Asian release (image by S. L. Bledsoe in Amazon) even before the movie hit U.S. theaters. Directed by Corey Yuen (Transporter, So Close) an acclaimed Martial arts choreographer, (although Corey's not as renowned as the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping) D.O.A. looks promising. After all, Jet Li quoted Corey Yuen In Black Belt magazine as "..if I need something fresh, I go to Corey Yuen."

A tournament called D.O.A. is being held in a remote Island by a man named Donovan (Eric Roberts). Three beautiful but lethal women are invited to compete. Tina (Jaime Pressley), Kasumi (Devon Aoki), and Christie (Holly Valance). Each of the three female leads have their own motivation and has their own baggage to carry. Once there, they must battle their way up the fighter rankings through a bunch of other seasoned fighters to reach the finals. Once in the final phase, the women uncover a hidden "sinister" secret that is the true reason for the competition. Aided by Helena (hottie Sarah Carter) and Hayabusa (Kane Kosuji), they must either join forces or perish...

Since the movie is based on the video game, expect something with a simple plot with scantily-clad women engaging in fisticuffs and, ahem, volleyball (which is a nice touch, there is a game called "D.O.A. Beach Volleyball"). What can we expect? The game itself is renowned for its hard-hitting fights and titillation factor ("bouncing b--bs" and skimpy outfits) so the film just exploits those factors.

It is fairly obvious that Corey Yuen has a limited budget to work with. Still, he manages to pull off an accelerated fast-paced action film that is both hard-hitting and visually stylish. While the plot is lacking and with almost no decent character development, Corey goes for the throat with a lot of mano-o-mano fights and as much "PG-13" brutality(no blood) he can spare to compensate for the lackluster plot. The extensive fight choreography is the true "lure" of the film. The film is based on a video game so reality is out the door.

D.O.A. remains true to its roots (gimmicks), as there is enough tease (but not explicit) to make a male(like me) excited, shots of a few tanned skin and sexy curves to satisfy the raw sex appeal of the games. While it does have its goofy moments, (the nerdy guy is so annoying), there is enough action to divert our attention that it does avoid the screenplay from becoming "cheesy" nor "campy". Eric Roberts is definitely miscast as the bad guy, he didn't have the "raw appeal" for a baddie. Wrestler Kevin Nash even makes an appearance as Tina's wrestler Dad. The film is short, and the ending gives you a little tease of the possibility of a sequel.

Since I am 90% certain that the U.S. release will have the same transfer, I will give you my take on the dvd quality...

VIDEO/AUDIO: Anamorphic widescreen. The PQ is excellent. Colors are vibrant, clean and extremely sharp. Black levels are solid and strong when needed. 5.1 Dolby digital/DTS-ES English track. The DTS track is the way to go if your equipped since it is very powerful and crisp. The 5.1 Dolby isn't too shabby either.

OVERALL:

Corey Yuen made every effort to bring the video game to life. "D.O.A." is a hyper-accelerated-kinetic stylish action film that gets the fight sequences (for a Hollywood film) just right and that's the best anyone can hope for given its source material. Its' a video game with hot chicks, what can we expect?

RECOMMENDED! For fans of the game and the action genre, a good rental for everybody else. (3 ½ stars)

After reading all the 1 star reviews on Netflix, I still watched the trailer. Then I found out the director of the Transporter did this movie too. So....I just had to check it out.

It was fun.

I'm not going to own it, but it was fun and much better than Ultraviolet.

Fast action.

Acrobatic martial arts.

Gorgeous girls all around (so much better looking than the Charlie's Angels trio and they had Sarah Carter who I just loved when I first saw her in the tv show Smallville)

Eric Roberts as a bad guy on the tv show Heroes and a bad guy here. He's perfect for those types of roles.

Great sets that get smashed to pieces

Lots and lots of fighting that is so unrealistic you laugh at the silliness of it, but love it at the same time

If it wasn't for all the scantly clad bodies and sexual themes, this no-blood fight movie would have been rated PG.

Yes, everyone who gets slashed by a sword just falls down with no blood. No effort went into any type of makeup work on the main characters after taking several punches in the face. Oh, well, we like our female leads looking pretty throughout I guess.

It was a movie where you turn your brain off, laugh out loud a couple of times and enjoy the scenery and action. Pure fun, but not an oscar winner by any stretch of the imagination.

You want a quality, thinking person's movie watch The Fountain or Children of Men.

You want a zone out for a bit with the type of movie that isn't another bad effects B-horror film, then get this.

Buy DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) Now

I might be in the minority here, but great martial arts choreography + hot babes + campy storyline = good times to me. This was a must have if you enjoy martial arts flicks, and can find a sense of humor. A lot of people also didn't like Kung Fu Hustle, which I thought was brilliant.

Read Best Reviews of DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) Here

I've read a lot of reviews both good and bad about this movie, but none ever seem to give it the credit it deserves. Yes, it has a single-laced plotline, but being based off a video game of the same nature, that's to be expected. But the fighting sequences were excellent, the one-liner's and side-arm comments were hilarious, and even if you didn't enjoy anything else of the movie, the five main girls who are out-of-this-world gorgeous should have been enough for most [male] viewers to sit back and enjoy. I give this movie five stars because I took it for what it was and knew somewhat of what I was getting into after watching other video game-based movies like "Super Mario Bros.", both "Resident Evil"s, "BloodRayne", and both "Laura Croft: Tomb Raider"s movies. I actually got more than I expected, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Want DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) Discount?

Video game to film adaptations rarely work as you no doubt already know. Chances are if you've seen any previews of the Dead or Alive movie, you most likely laughed at how ridiculous it looked. Well, guess what? Here it is on DVD, and it's surprisingly not the terrible waste of film that many (including me) thought it would be. Sure, it's nothing remotely great in the least, and even laughable in some spots, but as a whole, Dead or Alive is a fun and entertaining guilty pleasure that does it's job well. A martial arts tournament is being held on a remote island, with many of the competitors being in the form of some incredibly hot babes (Holly Valance, Jamie Pressly, Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter, Natassia Malthe), who soon learn that there is more going on than it seems. The action is good (courtesy of Transporter director Corey Yuen) and the movie delivers plenty of eye candy, no matter how inane or non-sensical the events that unfold turn out to be. That aside, the film manages to pay some delightful homage to it's source material (volleyball anyone?), and while it's not always faithful to it, it's still a fun ride regardless. Also featuring Eric Roberts, former wrestling star Kevin Nash, Matthew Marsden, Brian J. White (who looks exactly like Zack from the game) and look for Mortal Kombat star Robin Shou as the Pirate Leader.

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Harold & Kumar (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle / Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay / A V

My husband loves the Harold and Kumar movies, so when I saw that there was a Blu-ray edition out with a collectible metal case, I was thrilled! He had them on DVD and is slowly swapping his movies from DVD to Blu-ray. I bought this for him for Christmas and it he loved it! My only problem is that the metal case was slightly dented... but that probably happened during shipping.

i love this movies harold and kumar are so funny and this box set is great. so happy i found it

Buy Harold & Kumar (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle / Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay / A V Now

Hysterical to say the least. The 2 stoners are back for more adventure. I met Kal Penn a long time ago but he was so cool it's not even funny. So I guess you could say I have a connection with the Harold and Kumar series. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Plus the hot girls in it didn't hurt LOL

Read Best Reviews of Harold & Kumar (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle / Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay / A V Here

Blue Thunder (1983)

During the early 1980's, Americans were treated with vehicles that sported the latest futuristic technology. For cars, there was "Knight Rider". For motorcycles, there was "Street Hawk". And in 1983, people were captivated by a helicopter known as "Blue Thunder".

The film was directed by world renown director John Badham ("Saturday Night Fever" and "WarGames") and feature a screenplay by Dan O'Banon ("Alien" films and "Total Recall") and Don Jakoby ("Vampires" and "Death Wish 3'), music by Arthur B. Rubinstein ("Double Jeopardy" and "Face Value") and cinematography by John A. Alonzo ("Star Trek: Generations", "The Meteor Man" and "Internal Affairs").

"BLUE THUNDER" would star Roy Scheider ("SeaQuest DSV", "Jaws" and "The French Connection) as LAPD helicopter pilot Officer Frank Murphy. Together with his new rookie partner Officer Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern), while the two were patroling Los Angeles through the air, they happen to come across on what appeared to be a robbery attempt on city councilwoman Diane McNeely.

Unfortunately, before they arrived near the city councilwoman's area, the two were using their helicopter to observe a woman working out nude in her home. But also, due to previous situations, Officer Frank Murphy is due for a psychological evaluation. In fact, Murphy tends to use his stop watch to make sure that his mind is thinking straight (despite having nightmares of a Vietnamese soldier being thrown off a helicopter that he was piloting).

While meeting with his superior, Captain Jack Braddock (Warren Oates), the LAPD is calling the situation of the councilwoman as a theft and rape incident but Officer Murphy knows that there was no rape but his superior doesn't want to hear anything further from Murphy and relieves both him and Lymangood as pilots for the LAPD temporarily.

But the good news for Murphy and Lymangood is that they will be able to test out an advanced helicopter known as "Blue Thunder". Using the latest in weapons armament and stealth technology, the "Blue Thunder" can listen to any conversation as far as 200 ft., armed with machine guns, able to video/audio record outside incidents and also to be tied into various government and law enforcement computers and much more. The bad news is that the person that is heading the operation for "Blue Thunder" is US Army Colonel F.E. Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell) who is the primary test pilot of the new helicopter. Both Murphy and Cochrane end up crossing paths and because of their past history, Murphy despises him for a reason unknown.

While on the first night testing the "Blue Thunder" in Los Angeles, both Murphy and Lymangood are just in awe of the capabilities of the helicopter. But the two end up using the equipment to spy on Cochrane for the fun of it but what they hear is a shocker. Because of this, Murphy and Lymangood become a target. Can Murphy and Lymangood survive long enough to stop the people behind Project THOR?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

For those who are big fans of "BLUE THUNDER", you will be happy to know that the film is given a magnificent transfer on Blu-ray. The film is presented in 1080p High Definition (with an aspect ratio of 2:40:1) and having seen this film and having it on VHS and DVD, I can tell you that this is the definitive version to own.

For one thing, for a 1983 film, the film just looks great. The film offers a stark contrast between the day and nighttime sequences and there is a broad spectrum of colors utilized throughout the film. I didn't notice any significant artifacting, banding or source noise. I was so happy to see this film not DNR'd (digital noise reduction) and the grain of the film included but not to the point where its too distracting. There are far many 1980's films that are too soft or too grainy and this film is just right.

As for the audio, "BLUE THUNDER" is presented with an English and French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. It's important to emphasize that this film is a 1983 film and can't be compared to today's modern action films. But yet, the soundtrack is utilized quite well. The helicopters rotors spinning, to the echoes of the megaphone, the many explosions and the musical score just coming out quite clear (and loud). Dialogue remains crisp and clear and overall, there is a good amount of action scenes that utilize the explosions and thus filling the soundstage with automobile and aircraft sounds and machine guns galore. I was very impressed by the soundtrack for this 26-year-old film.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"BLUE THUNDER" comes with the following special features (featured in standard definition):

* Director, Editor and Motion Control Supervisor Commentary The Blu-ray includes the 2006 DVD Special Edition commentary featuring Director John Badham, Editor Frank Moriss and motion-control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman. For those who have never heard of a Badham commentary, Badham is very concise and definitely gives you a peak through his mind of directing and is quite thorough on explaining how this film was created. It's important to note that these days, a lot of these scenes would be CGI'd but back then, the chase scenes between helicopters were done without CG. So, it was a challenging and risky film to direct.

* "The Special": Building Blue Thunder: Making-of the Helicopter (8:23) Director John Badham, Sydney Z. Litwack (Art Director) and staff from the film discuss the making of the Blue Thunder helicopter and how the concept was created.

* Ride With The Angels: Making Blue Thunder Multi-part Featurette (44:41) This making of featurette discuss the Director John Badham and his involvement with the film. Badham and producers talk about the talent they worked with in the film and what they added to the film. Also, how talented Warren Oates was in the film but passed away a month after the film stopped shooting. Discussion about the storyboards, Roy Scheider talks about his excitement of riding in the aircraft and Malcolm McDowell's fear of flying. Also, how a lot of the explosions and destructive scenes were created.

* 1983 Promotional Featurette (8:34) The original 1983 featurette featuring clips from the film, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the talent of the film.

* BD-Live Enabled For those with Blu-ray players that are Profile 2.0, this Blu-ray disc is BD-Live enabled.

JUDGMENT CALL:

When I was younger, I was totally enamored with this film and also the helicopter television shows ("Airwolf" and "Blue Thunder") at the time. Typically, we never really saw a helicopters as a mean, fighting machine. But "BLUE THUNDER" really gave us a glimpse of modern technology at that time.

It has been 26 years since this film came out in the theaters and watching it again, its easy to be shocked of how much of this film featured actual helicopters flying through Los Angeles and of course, how the destruction of parts in Los Angeles was shown through this film. Surprising because now in Post 9/11, these type of films will never be created in this manner and nor would we see aircraft going at it like this and if it did, it would be CGI.

But it's just remarkable to know how much went into the filming of "Blue Thunder" without the use of today's modern technology. How the talents (Scheider and McDowell) actually were in the helicopters being filmed during the air battles and also, the overall destruction of parts of Los Angeles. There is no way we are ever going to see this type of destruction in this manner in a film, especially how it was created.

For the most part, the film shows its age through the various vehicles and clothing styles of the early 80's but the Blu-ray transfer really brings out the detail of the film. One of the problems of the Special Edition DVD is that the film looked soft and muddy but for the Blu-ray release, I was impressed by its High Definition transfer. Also, combined with the lossless audio and the fact that audio is a big part of this action film, it made the film much more enjoyable. And where many 1980's film are devoid of special features for their DVD or Blu-ray release, the good news is that this special edition of "BLUE THUNDER" does come with a few hours of special features.

Overall, "BLUE THUNDER" is an awesome release on Blu-ray. The release is quite solid with its impressive on HD and its easy to recommend this film but also, I'm quite confident to say that this is the definitive version of "BLUE THUNDER" to own at this current time.

For fans of this film, this Blu-ray release is definitely recommended!

This Special Edition turned out to be not so special after all. Okay, the new transfer is better looking than the previous release. But the movie itself remains the same old version, missing a good bit of the car chase which, for some reason, was included in European copies but was never shown in the US.

The missing part check it out on imdb takes place when Roy Scheider's wife, rushing to the TV studio with the tape, drives into a back alley with patrol cars on her tail: there, she skids into a wall on two wheels, bangs the roof of her car, then resumes her crazy run as the patrol cars slam into each other and this is what makes Scheider wince from his chopper above.

Apart from leaving aside a nice piece of stunt work, this cut also accounts for a continuity loophole, when we see the car drive into the TV studio parking lot with a badly battered rooftop.

Granted, this missing part is no big deal, but it certainly makes this so-called 'Special Edition' a bit of a disappointment.

Five stars for the movie, three for the DVD.

Buy Blue Thunder (1983) Now

As a boy growing up in the 80's, this was just about as cool as it got this side of Star Wars. Although my tastes have become somewhat more sophisticated over the years, I still enjoy a well-crafted action movie, and this certainly qualifies. Although the movie at times becomes campy due to overacting or poorly choreographed action sequences (hey, Badham didn't have $150M to work with, OK?) the movie's themes regarding the dangers of advanced technology as a tool of repression and protection of the homeland against terrorists still ring true. And besides, the helicopter is still really cool, even if the cockpit is reminiscent of Knight Rider's KITT (another 80's must).

Technically, the film is quite good overall. Especially in the chase scenes, one gets the feeling that Badham and his crew spent hundreds of hours in the air to get the quality and quantity of footage necessary to pull this movie off. The editing, however, leaves something to be desired at times, particularly the ADR, which on numerous occasions does not appear to match the actors' mouth movements. Otherwise, however, the film is masterful, especially considering the technology used to edit it at the time.

If you are looking for high art, look elsewhere. If you are looking for Matrix-like special effects, look elsewhere. If you are looking for an entertaining action movie from the Reagan era, you're in the right place.

Read Best Reviews of Blue Thunder (1983) Here

Blue Thunder is the fictional story of a high tech helicopter which the government plans to use against the population under the guise of "crowd control from the air" for the upcoming Olympic games. Some of you may remember Airwolf, or even the short lived Blue Thunder series with James Farentino and Dana Carvey, this is where it all started.

Although the plot is kinda lame, this movie boasts state of the art (in 1983) aerial combat action sequences over Los Angeles (L.A. natives will recognize the Piper Tech building, where air support is headqurtered, the downtown cityscape, the L.A. river), and a cool chase scene through the LA River, which like the rest of L.A., is concrete and steel. Roy Scheider (Murphy), Daniel Stern(Lymangood), and Warren Oates (in his last picture), give great performances, however, Malcom MacDowell's character, a sinister Army Lt. Colonel, is a bit hard to believe. The real star of the show here is Blue Thunder, a modified 1972 French Gazelle, outfitted with listening devices, video and infrared cams, and an M61 20mm vulcan cannon fitted to the nose. Blue Thunder is able to see through walls, peek down dresses at 1000 feet, and destroy a city block at the touch of a button. Some will notice the similarities to the Apache AH-64, and the cockpit windows are faceted, much like the then-classified stealth fighter.

Blue Thunder takes us to that "big brother is watching you" card reminicent of 1984,(which is the year the Olympics were in L.A.) what with its surveillance equipment, and there is even a reference to that in the movie, when Lymangood asks Murphy, "Big Brother, you want it on or off?" referring to the cockpit recorder which records their conversations. "I think we can lose that,"he replies.

The ending battle scene is great, with an awesome finale, and a somewhat chilling epilogue, as the credits begin to roll. You get the feeling that Murphy has avenged.

All in all, a pretty good movie with a bit of techno-sci-fi-thriller.

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Contrary to what the details reports, this dvd is full screen only and single sided. There is no anamorphic transfer (for widescreen tv's) included on this dvd even though other reviewers here have stated that one does exist. The widescreen review even stated "incorrectly" that the anamorphic transfer looked good.

If you want to purchase this for your widescreen tv, seek out alternate versions (british region 2) that include the actual widescreen (anamorphic) print.

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Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)

I watched this movie with my little niece the other day. I'm a big comics fan and I thought it wasn't bad. There was some good action, a bit of humor and pathos, and the animation wasn't mind blowing but it did the job. All in all, this is a decent if not memorable movie. That's my take on it.

My niece on the other hand loved it. She's in her pre-pre-teen years and while she loves animation (she still calls them cartoons) what she really likes are stories with strong female leads. She likes it when girls are the heroes. I think that's why she loved this movie.

You have a few cute scenes with Super Girl (Kara Zor-El) palling around with Clark Kent when she first arrives on Earth. You have some great fight scenes involving Super Girl, Wonder Woman, Big Barda, the Female Furies and an entire nation of Amazon Warriors. This movie showcases tough, capable women warriors as well as a strong, tough-minded teenage girl. My niece ate it up. She can't wait for more like this. She is even getting into the comic books. Seeing "girl superheroes" on an even footing with "boy superheroes" made a big impression on her. I hope the studios produce more like this one. So does my niece.

I say that because that's really what this story is about. It isn't really about Superman/Batman Vs. Darkseid as it is more about them (along with Wonder Woman and former Darkseid soldier Bertha) fighting over the fate of Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl.

Kara comes to earth and is lost when Batman finds her. Superman and Batman both argue over what to do with her while Wonder Woman enters the fray and takes her to train with her on Themescyra. Meantime, Darkseid has been monitoring the events and decides to make Kara one of his new lieutenants!

What comes is an all out battle over the fate of Kara. Will she become one of earth's newest saviors or one of their biggest threats?

Also included is 4 episodes from the 90's Superman series that centers around Darkseid (Apokolips....Now! pts. 1 and 2) and Supergirl (in her own two parter). You also get a 10 minute short featuring Green Arrow and some behind the scenes extras mainly discussing Darkseid and the mythology behind him, Mr. Miracle, Orion and New Genesis. All created by the late, great Jack Kirby!

Overall, a good use of $20 if you have that to spend!

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Well, we have Superman, Batman, Wonderwoman, Darkseid, and some step characters really expressive, like Barda, the furies and a solid story. And, introducing Kara Zor-el, the Supergirl, back from the death!!! Lots of extras, including the old Kara story, back from the beginning till her tragic death on Crisis on Infinite Earths, best DC saga ever!!!! Really this is a must have on the fans collection, the animation is beautiful, and, whoever likes Superman or Batman, or even Wonderwoman, will enjoy a really good time watching this pic.

Read Best Reviews of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010) Here

I received it within two days after testing out the special order links item. I thought the movie wasn't bad but I expected more conflict in the story. Plus there wasn't much of a fight on Earth with Darkseid unlike the TV version when he had control of the whole planet. Supergirl first showing up in Gotham in a ship didn't make sense to me and why would Batman and Krypto not trust her just because she's not used to her powers? Why was Krypto even in the story? I thought the plot was rushed and thrown together so the studio could get it out. Maybe when I watch it again I might like it more. Anyway, I gave it three stars for effort. For the price it wasn't bad.

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I'm a big fan of Bruce Timm's DC Animated Universe, which includes The Animated Series installments of Batman and Superman. When I discovered that Kevin Conroy would return as the voice of Batman and Tim Daly as Superman I couldn't resist. Yes, technically this is not set in the Animated Universe, but with both of the actors voicing their respective characters it's the next best thing. "Best thing" might be too strong a phrase for this animated movie, however.

Let's get a few things straight: This movie is actually about Supergirl. Batman isn't in it a whole lot. Wonder Woman features prominently. And although Darkseid appears to liven things up, it's basically a story about the familial relationship between Kal-El (Clark Kent/Superman) and Kara (Supergirl).

The film starts our promising as we see Gotham through Kara's eyes. She's a gorgeous superpowered teenager who can fly, shoot beams out of her eyes, and is superstrong, but without the grounding of a small town life. After a series of misunderstandings nearly cause a city-wide disaster, Kara is carted off to live with the island of Themyscira, where gorgeous Amazons lounge in white shifts and fight each other all day. Superman's not happy about the arrangement, convinced he can raise Kara himself. The argument becomes moot when Darkseid kidnaps her, convinced that Kara will lead his honor guard, the Female Furies.

Our three heroes put aside their squabbling to rescue Kara from Darkseid. One way you know that Batman is out of his league is when he brings a jetpack. If Bats brings a jetpack, he's facing supervillains greater than he can handle with wits alone. He pulls a twist in the end, but if you don't know the DC Universe very well or how things work on Apokolips it seems a little too convenient.

The animation is superb. The fight scenes are glorious to behold. There's no punches pulled in presenting the universe in all its wacky glory, complete with Krypto the superdog (who puts a cape on a dog?), Amazons living on an island wielding only swords, and an honor guard named after Greek myth by a guy who doesn't seem to have anything to do with Greek myth. You either embrace all this stuff or you don't this film is clearly for DC fans only.

Unfortunately, Darkseid is curiously defanged in this incarnation. He stoops to physical combat in a way that can only be described as being beneath him. His legendary tactics are nowhere in evidence; by the end of the movie he is no more than a thug who resorts to his fists. Not very becoming of an all-powerful godly despot.

There are further twists the film dangles a rematch and then delivers but it doesn't make up for the awkward argument over who gets to be Kara's parents. At heart, this is a movie about a father-figure (Superman), a mother-figure (Wonder Woman), and a wicked stepfather (Darkseid) in a battle over custody of their child (Supergirl). It's essentially Kramer vs. Kramer with superpowers.

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