Little Big Soldier (Bluray + DVD Combo) (2010)

"Little Big Soldier" (original title "Da bing xiao jiang") is a Chinese/Hong Kong action adventure film starring (and written by) Jackie Chan. The story is set in the last days of China's Warring States Period, just before the Qin Dynasty's first unification of the country in 221 BC. Jackie Chan plays an unnamed old "Soldier" of Liang State, who, feigning a death in the battlefield, captures a young, injured "General" (Leehom Wang) of Wei State.

All the elderly "Soldier" wants is to stay alive, go back to his homeland, and hopefully, to have a small piece of land as a reward. But things are not so easy especially when the Wei troops looking for the General are closing in on them. Also, there are tribal warriors living among the mountainous area where the Soldier and the General have to travel.

Co-produced by Jackie Chan himself, the film has a few nice trademark comic set-pieces using props, but the film's overall tone is rather serious, though not too serious as entertainment. Both leading stars did great jobs here. Jackie Chan, whose acting abilities are often underrated, gives humanity to the character, a blend of comic and tragic elements. Leehom Wang is also good as the proud "General," a young man who still has to learn a thing or two from the old "Soldier" and vice versa.

There are some lapses in his storytelling, but chemistry between the two leads will make you almost forget about it. Director Sheng Ding adds a poignant touch to the adventures by using beautiful locations and songs as the backdrop of the war-time story. With the now familiar end credit bloopers, "Little Big Soldier" is an enjoyable ride film with a bit of bitter taste thrown in.

I caught this film just last night at a local film festival and had to go online to see when the blu-ray would be available. Alas, it isn't available yet, but I will be the first in line to buy it when it is available. This was a fantastic movie overall and, in my opinion, one of Jackie Chan's best. I'd rate this up there with Drunken Master and for a recent Hong Kong film I'd say it was better than Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but not quite as good as Hero. Jackie Chan's physical comedy is perhaps the best in the business and is definitely showcased here, but there are so many more layers to this film. The story line is fantastic and the cinematography is top notch. My two cents is that this is a must-see.

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After watching a portion of an earlier version of this film with NO subtitles and no dubbing, I ordered this new DVD version which DOES have the English dub audio, but will probably listen to the Chinese with the English subtitles, admittedly.

Jackie may be getting older, but shows no slowing down in his directing, acting and comic relief! I highly recommend "Little Big Soldier" to everyone!

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Far from playing the clown and other trade mark antic , this Jackie Chan film is acually touching , and ends on a melancholic existentialist human condition sequence not unlike Kurosawa's endings

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Others will review this deeper so I'll keep mine short. Some people used to nonstop Chan action and comedy throughout and up to the end credits may be a little taken aback by this film (which is why I gave it four instead of five stars) but if you look at the ending bringing a resolution to the early charge of disgrace regarding Chan's character, the ending makes sense. The two leads work fantastic against and with one another. As I am only acquainted with Chan's previous work, I will write this is the best acting I've seen from him. There's none of Crime Story's solemness and none of the (for a better word) mugging of Chan's early comedies (though I also love that Chan as well). Add to that an excellent script, fantastic cinematography and music and this movie is a winner. Comparing this with Chan's last American movie "The Spy Next Door" is like night and day. I wish THIS movie would have gotten a wide theatrical release in the States. It surely deserves it.

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A Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story (Double Feature) (2010)

The two movies are pretty decent. A Cinderella Story is a bit bland, while Another Cinderella Story is a bit more lively and humorous.

FYI to let those interested in purchasing this product is that the disk only contains the two movies and nothing else. They do not contain special features of any kind.

This was a birthday gift for our daughter who turned 9. She already saw these movies on the Family Channel and loved them as I did too. This was what she wanted for her birthday and was very happy to get both movies for a great price.

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I have no clue why I love these movies; but I do, and to get them both, in a set, for less than $10 was amazing! It arrived quickly, also!

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Great movie for young girls. Great deal: you get 2 movies for the price of one. You can't beat that.

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Saturday night teenage sleepover hit! Works every time, no matter how many times these movies are seen. Even the adults in your family will enjoy these!

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Never Let Me Go (2010)

"The breakthrough in medical science came in 1952

Doctors could now cure the previous incurable

By 1967, life expectancy passed 100 years"

And so begins Never Let Me Go, a downbeat adaptation of a book I've never had the pleasure of reading by Kazuo Ishiguro. This film is an exercise in understatement; rarely have I seen a film that's so emotional and yet avoids bravado and manages to depict these emotions in such a gentle way. This is no straight-forward drama and there's an unconventional element to the story that I feel would be best to keep secret from the potential viewer. Unfortunately, it's difficult to discuss/critique the film without disclosing that element. With that said, the secret comes out very early into the movie so don't feel that I'm spoiling anything for you.

Besides a brief opening scene, the film opens in 1978 at a boarding school called Hailsham. While headmistress Miss Emily (Charlotte Rampling) gives her daily announcement to the students, it becomes clear that Hailsham is not the typical boarding school. The health of the students is greatly important and the students' existence is a sheltered one, completely cut off from the world outside the boundaries of the school. Students are at the age where romantic ideals begin to blossom and young Kathy H. takes a liking to a boy named Tommy. Those wondering what the purpose of Hailsham is don't have to wait very long as a disenchanted guardian named Miss Lucy (Sally Hawkins) soon enlightens them that their purpose is to grow up and donate their vital organs before their "short-life" will be completed. As this chapter of the film comes to a close, Kathy watches her friend Ruth and Tommy grow close. These childhood scenes are handled with great sentiment, but also with great austerity.

The next two segments take place in 1985 and then 1994, where Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield take on the roles of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy. This second part takes place at The Cottages, where the three Hailsham students have their first contact with the outside world and their sexual awareness comes to full fruition. It's here that we learn a bit more about the students' purpose, as well as watch some characters struggle with their already pre-determined fate. "Completion," the third part of the film is arguably the most tragic where hope and optimism leads to sad acceptance.

Despite being only 103 minutes, Never Let Me Go manages to tell a pretty full story and show characters completely evolve from naïve children to naïve, but optimistic adults. Watching these characters evolve is heartbreaking and the way the film burrows into your emotional center with such quiet nuance is astounding. Rarely do elements fall together so perfectly in a film that they completely immerse you in what you're watching and in it's own a soft, sad way this film absolutely casts a spell. This is not a film that will appeal to a wide audience, but I personally found it to be quite masterful.

The film's score by Rachel Portman is one of the most effective musical scores I've heard in 2010. The music evokes such sadness it becomes a key element to the success of the film as a whole. The picturesque photography by cinematographer Adam Kimmel is poetic and beautiful, static yet graceful and adds an additional level of poignancy that the screenwriter could not have foreseen.

As for acting, we get to watch three very promising young actors do some wonderful work. The most surprising is Keira Knightley who gives such an honest portrayal I forgot I was watching Knightley. Ditching any glamor or sharp-tongued wit, she plays the insecure, jealous, and frightened Ruth marvelously. Garfield continues to establish himself as one of the strongest up-and-coming actors at work today. He gets such pathos out of his mix of sadness and optimism; Watch Garfield's face as he learns the truth about deferrals and the way his expression quietly goes from hopefulness to helplessness. Contrast this with his acclaimed performance in The Social Network and you have an actor building an impressive body of work. Meanwhile, Carey Mulligan continues to prove that she is something special and refreshing in the film industry. What an elegant, immensely talented actress she is and her work here is brilliant. Mulligan is a true actress, something Hollywood is lacking these days and her performance here is so powerful, yet completely low-key.

There is something so brave and unexpected about taking a premise rooted in science-fiction and, in doing so, making a deeply moving human drama and a profound, meditative statement on life, death, and humanity. Again, I've never read the book but I wonder if the book is as much of an emotional journey as the film. I would never call this film "uplifting," but the tragic, beautiful ending is one of the most life-affirming endings of 2010.

Never Let Me Go had much more of an impact the second time I watched it. It seemed more heartbreaking, more poignant, more powerful, and more beautiful than it did the first time. It's a deeply emotional viewing experience that gripped my emotions in a way few films have. While highly praised by some critics, it's been largely overshadowed by other films of 2010. Never Let Me Go is as elegant, thought-provoking, and moving as films can get. It's undoubtedly one of the best films of 2010.

GRADE: A

As a 35 year-old-male with stage-4 cancer, I was easily able to relate to the three main characters in this film. The thing that I got from the movie was that it was not the issue of death itself that affected the characters, it was the feeling that there was no time to make up for past mistakes. A great feeling of guilt and regret along with the knowledge that the friendship would soon be over gave the film an even more emotional element not seen in other films. I cannot think of any other movie that has had the emotional effect on me that this one has. The day I received the movie, I watched it twice and promptly put the DVD back into the mailbox so I would not watch it again. Later that night while I was lying in my bed, I started thinking about the movie. Then I started to cry, something I had not done in a very long time. No movie had ever given me the reaction that this one did. "Never Let Me Go" is a movie I would recommend to everyone.

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WARNING: This review, like 80 percent of the other reviews here, does contain spoilers. This is a shame but the nature of this film simply requires the insertion of these spoilers in order to discuss the work. If you want to experience the full impact of this work, DO NOT read any of these reviews, including this one, until you have finished the book.

After all of these reviews it would be difficult for me to add anything new other than my personal opinion (and you know what they say about opinions), and the impact this work had on me while I was watching it, and indeed, the impact which remains with me. This is not a movie which I will soon forget. I realize that tastes in reading differ widely and this is good. Some will love this work as I did; others will despise it. I personally feel it is one of the best works; one of the better movies, I have watched over the past few years. But that being said, the film version of the novel is simply my cuppa and I fully realize that not everyone will share my taste...again, this is good. If we all liked the same thing...boring!

Now here is the first spoiler and it is a big one: The thrust of this entire film concerns the ethics of human cloning. This of course came to the attention of us all when Dolly the Sheep was cloned and there was much speculation as to the ethics and wisdom of human cloning. Now it will not take the viewer very long to figure this "mystery" section of the film out even though the film has skillfully led the reader in a round about way with little hints here and there. The viewer will very quickly realize that something is "just not right" about the situation as described.

This story is told though the voice of Kathy H. who is currently a "Carer," and a graduate of a very exclusive school. Her job is to travel around England and give care to those who are in the final phase of acting their part as "donors." Kathy is finishing her time as a "Carer," and is about to begin the next phase of her life.

The story is told in a series of reminiscences as told by Kathy as she remembers her time at Hailsham, the exclusive school mentioned above. The story centers around three primary characters, Kathy, the teller, and her two best friends, Tommy and Ruth.

Of course the reader will eventually place all the pieces of these intricate and detailed reminiscences together and figure out that all of these children have been cloned for the express purpose of harvesting their organs...one at a time, until they die. This is done when they become older and of age.

Now some have classified this work as Science Fiction. That would be an unfair assessment and could be likened to classifying `1984.' or `Brave New World," as Science Fiction. No, this work falls more or less into the category of social observations...what if scenario...not really a futuristic society, but rather a society that simply is; in this day and time...speculative fiction I suppose you could call it.

It is interesting to note that one once has the film offered the opinion of the rightness or wrongness of the situation. It has merely laid out the story and lets the reader shudder and become rather ill when they realize what is happening and allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions. The filming style is extremely detailed, dealing with emotions, facts and speculation and is filled with instances of digression; a method of telling the story I find extremely appealing and fits my taste in reading perfectly. Some find this cumbersome and a bit boring...I do not. I think the author's prose is beautiful and it is extremely thought provoking.

I found myself becoming extremely emotional while watching this work and admit that it touched me. Much has been written as to the fact that many feel it is unbelievable that the characters in this work can accept their fate, not make any great attempts to "escape" and accept their lot in life (for the most part) as natural. I personally found this aspect of the work to be spot on and feel the author was making some very good points here. All of us, in one way or another, accept social norms and accept our particular lot in life. We like to tell ourselves differently, but for the most part it is true. History pretty well teachers us that the majority of mankind, down through the ages, has been pretty sheep like in their obedience to social norms. Think about it. It has happened in the past and is still happening to us today when we kid ourselves, believing that we are too smart and too sophisticated to fall into such a trap. No, for me, the premise of the story is all too believable...which sort of makes me scared and sad at the same time.

Please do not that there are not explosions, car chases, desperate and exciting scenes of escape efforts, no violence, no special effects. This is a thinking film and to be quite frank, one of the most horrifying films I have seen in years.

I also might suggest that you read the book on which this work was based. Like the movie, it is truly a haunting story.

Like this film or hate this film, I seriously doubt that any viewer will not remember this one long after it has been read.

Don Blankenship

The Ozarks

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This movie brings up many philosophical questions about life, death, love, and what it means to be human. It leaves itself open to many interpretations, and will leave you thinking about the larger meanings and messages long after the film is ended.

****ALERT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!****

First off, I think one main message of the film is about how certain forgotten classes of people are used and tossed aside by the rest of us, to make our lives more luxurious or comfortable. The only way we can manage to live with the knowledge that we are profiting off this exploitation, is to pretend these people don't exist. We know there is child labor, and sweatshops, and that many of our clothes/sneakers/electronics are made in 3rd-world factories in borderline slave conditions, often by children who have no hope for a better life. But we push this inconvenient truth out of our minds in order to enjoy the luxuries these forgotten people make possible. It was interesting that in the film, almost every "regular" person who came in contact with the schoolchildren (deliverymen, maintenance workers, etc.), seemed very uncomfortable around them and wanted to avoid interaction with them. They did not want to be reminded of the cost innocent people are paying for their longevity.

I also found it interesting that you almost never saw the beneficiaries of the Donor's sacrifice. They lived in an alternate universe where the organs they needed just appeared the messiness and horror of the process was hidden from them. One very brief but telling scene is when the children were all in a restaurant laughing loudly, and an older couple at a nearby table looks at them with disgust and annoyance. These are the very same people who will likely live a long life thanks to the ultimate sacrifice of the "annoying" young people.

I also found the issue of the "Deferrals" to be full of philosophical significance. In essence I think Ishiguro is making a comment about death, and how we all bargain for more time with the ones we love. Interestingly, in the film the deferrals turn out to be nothing but a false rumor, a children's fairytale. I think perhaps the author is making a comment on belief in the afterlife... we all want to believe that death is not the end, that we will see our loved ones in the afterlife. After all, if our love is true enough, justice MUST dictate that we get more time with them. Is there any basis in truth to this belief? Or, are we like the kids at Hailsham desperately believing a made-up story?

Of course, the film makes it clear from the very 1st scene that deferrals are false we see Tommy clearly about to reach "completion" even as the opening credits roll, so we know there will be no happy ending for he and Kathy. So the viewer is not surprised by the revelation late in the film that there are no deferrals. What is touching, however, is the childlike hope with which Tommy and Kathy cling to this dream of more time together. One of the most moving parts of the film is when we realize that Kathy, always the more grounded one, has just realized there are no deferrals even as Tommy still clings to his hope. Carey Mulligan does wonders with the smallest of expressions in this scene.

Also on the subject of the afterlife, in the final scene when Kathy looks across the field, she imagines seeing Tommy running across to her. This is clearly a reference to the standard Hollywood version of two lovers reuniting in the afterlife. We've seen this type of "happy ending" so often in movies, that we almost expect to see him come running over the horizon. But tellingly, he never does and Kathy never even allows the fantasy to progress to the point where they actually embrace. The thought of something that she knows will never happen is too painful. There is no more time. There is no deferral. All she will ever have is the brief time they had together.

So in the end I think this is a movie about life specifically, the blink-of-an-eye flash of time we all get on this earth. Anyone who has been truly in love will know that no amount of years will ever be enough. We all want a deferral, and would give almost anything for one. In fact, the people in this fictional society in effect bargain their humanity away in exchange for their own deferrals they allow innocent young people to suffer and die in exchange for their own "deferrals". But in the end, deferral or not, "completion" comes for us all, and too soon. All we can do is appreciate every moment, and respect all of our fellow humans, and never let each other go.

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I'm really gravitating to the less mainstream and not super popular movies and books these days. I had never heard of this as far as it being in theaters. I loved it. It haunted me for days after watching it. The weird thing was that I wondered for an hour or so after watching it if it was maybe a true story, if something like this could have really happened. Of course it couldn't, except way long ago and in secret. I got so caught up in the characters and the tiny details, like the people making deliveries to the schools and halfway houses making such an effort not to get to know or care for the kids, to protect themselves from the horror and saddness of the whole thing. This is a movie that has alot of saddness but I enjoyed watching it so much and it really made me think. I think there might be people out there who have philosophies that this kind of thing would be okay. So I think movies like this are terrific to keep us thinking and watching what we do to each other as human beings. I was so glad to see Carey Mulligan in something more than just a supporting role. I think she's very talented.

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Mysteries of Lisbon (2011)

Thanks to my Spaniard friends, this epic masterpiece of a film didn't go unnoticed by me. It's truly tragic that films this glorious will most likely slip through the fingers of many Americans, simply because it has subtitles and because the distribution here in the States is merely a whisper. Honestly, if I happened to see this without the foreknowledge that it was worth watching, I may have passed it over for something more widespread. Instead, thanks to a few friends overseas, who happened to have indulged in this film months ago and have been chatting it up ever since, I scooped this up the second it was available on DVD.

Thank you GOD!

At four and half hours in length, `Mysteries of Lisbon' may be the longest film I've ever watched; but in all realities it is most likely the most rewarding. Without much background information (my friends were wise enough to keep details to a minimum) I sat back to soak in this film almost blind, only knowing that I was told I'd really, really enjoy this.

Lush, detailed, absorbing and atmospheric to perfection; `Mysteries of Lisbon' has no comparison.

A film that is on a grand scale like classic films such as `Gone With the Wind' and `The Leopard', `Mysteries of Lisbon' makes the most of its atmosphere by fleshing out its visuals with non-debatable perfection. The depth in the cinematography is outstanding. Many this year have been pimping the gorgeous frames in `The Tree of Life', but while watching `Mysteries of Lisbon' I couldn't help but be left breathless at the way each frame was perfectly staged to create such deep moods. The breadth of each space, the creation of near three dimensional shots thanks to smart focal points and the way lighting is used to illuminate emotional shifts; it all culminates into a fantastic technical achievement. The rapturous score (equal parts mood, sensual and theatrical; and astutely placed to effect the mood) is a total highlight, and the period designs (both in clothing and in set pieces) are not only authentic but inspired (the color pallet is widespread and eye catching, and those paneled walls are jaw dropping). The acting all around is great, with Adriano Luz and Maria Joao Bastos delivering haunting portrayals of their central characters.

And that script is just amazing...

Which brings me to the main reason you're reading this; what is this story about? Well, like I mentioned before, I walked into this seemingly blind, and I feel that the least amount of details you possess before watching is better because it truly is a beautiful work of art best experienced in full. Like my title suggests, this is not my story to tell (a beautifully poignant line uttered by Padre Dinis in the film) but I do feel compelled to tell you something. `Mysteries of Lisbon', adapted from a 19th century Portuguese novel, spans decades in unearthing the origins of a young orphan. Sparking a priest to tell him the truth, this young boy uncovers the truth behind his upbringing, his secret conception, his tragic birth and his parent's torrid love affair, spiced with jealousy, divisions, violence and passion. But, in finding his own truth, this young boy is subjected to the secrets hidden deep within others around him. It appears that everyone in Lisbon is harboring some dark secret that crowds their lives with mystery.

Using excellent pacing and developmental skills (at four+ hours, `Mysteries of Lisbon' is surprisingly brisk and `to the point' thanks to smart editing and thorough development of each plot point...every frame seems necessary), the late Raul Ruiz (this was his final film) goes out with a bang, delivering a crowning achievement on every level.

Standing ovation, two thumbs up, A+...just SEE THIS MOVIE!!!

I saw this movie based on the two disc blu-ray format. It was a pleasure to watch and was not "long" as many reviewers complain.

It must be said, however, that this is not a movie for everyone. It is a successful adaptation of a classic novel. Complex novels typically get a short shrift in film format. I would say that the best way to treat a great novel is to see it in installments. Charles Dickens wrote most of his novels as a series of installments. The same can be said of Camilo Castelo Branco, the author of the novel this movie is based on.

This movie will appeal to lovers of world literature. If you are comfortable curling up with the "Brothers Karamazov" you will appreciate (if not like) this movie. Even the staunchest critics admit it is gorgeous to look at. But the strength of this movie is the literary work itself. Yes, it is difficult to follow which requires effort on the viewers part. And the languages are difficult to follow as well. Whereas the main narrative is in Portuguese, there is a substantial portion in French, and there is a smattering of other languages including English and Italian.

I was impressed by the facility of some of the main Portuguese actors to switch back and forth in impeccable French. It helps a lot to be able to understand all the languages in this film, a feat that most European sophisticated audiences are capable of, but with some due diligence, patience, and effort it is possible to appreciate this film following the subtitles. Dubbing this film in English would be a disaster because much of the film depends on contrasting Portuguese values with French values.

But I wouldn't recommend this film to everyone. Especially those who think of movies as fast paced action oriented entertainment. This is way beyond entertainment. It is a thought poem. It poses deep questions about life, war and peace, forbidden love and so much more.

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Raul Ruiz's extraordinary MYSTERIES OF LISBON is almost certainly one of the greatest cinematic achievements of recent years, a sumptuous epic that marries old-fashioned story with decidedly contemporary storytelling. In bringing these melodramatic tales to life with such insightful visual direction (which pays homage to its forebears, films like CITIZEN KANE, THE LEOPARD and BARRY LYNDON), Ruiz unearths great depth of emotion and insight, exploring questions of sin, grace, and identity.

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This is a Portuguese film from director, Raul Ruiz that is basically a series of short stories that are all held together by a web of connections that some could see as contrived, but actually works, that is if you can stay with it. The reason I say that is this is in two parts and actually lasts 266 minutes long that is 4 and a half hours in old money and is on two discs, so does require commitment.

Spread over Portugal, France, Italy and Brazil we have an orphaned boy finding his way in the world, a benign and caring priest who has more than one past, a street thug turned entrepreneur with a penchant for the ladies. A lady scorned, and a lot of running off to join monasteries and nunneries, which seems like a bit of a cop out, but was quite popular in the day so I am told. We also have an evil count, a reformed roustabout and some rubbish duels. There is so much here and it is told at a leisurely pace, which will infuriate some viewers, as we can have a whole scene where very little happens but moves the plot on at a somewhat glacial pace. However, it actually works as the pacing makes you consider what is taking place on the screen and affords you the time to fully weigh up the importance to the players of what can be seen by a modern eye as a pretty minor issue, to say more would be a bit of a spoiler.

With a cast list of to many to mention, the one actor I thought was outstanding was Father Dinis played by Adriano Luz, but there is not one bad performance. Lovers of costume or period drama will appreciate the sumptuous sets and the slavish addiction to detail, which all adds to the authenticity of the film. I actually quite enjoyed it, but watched in one sitting which was a bit much, and there are a tad too many coincidences, a bit like a Dickens plot at times, but for all that this is still a compelling and quite impressive piece of cinema.

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Watching this masterpiece made me consider fresh possibilities for cinema.

The sprawling web of a story taken from the urban mysteries novel offers a compelling approach to plot that contrasts to the neat conventions of detective mysteries which seem tired in comparison.

The beautiful artificiality of the scenes, the arty angles, their odd foregrounds and slow pans created an enchanting storybook feel... I felt like a kid listening to a story in bed beginning to dream.

I like movies that are this long. They feel much more than an ad.

I do wonder if the hour and a half that must have been edited out of the 6 hour version contains some interesting pieces of the plot's puzzles.

RIP Raul Ruiz who passed away in August 2011

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The Pirates! Band of Misfits (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD) (2012)

The book is great. The movie is great. That doesn't usually happen. I guess it is because Gideon Defoe, the author of the book, also wrote the screenplay for the movie, intending one not to be a "spoiler" for the other. The movie was definitely more of a kids' movie, where the pirates were the ragtag underdogs struggling to keep up in the increasingly competitive pirate world (you are judged for your "booty"--double entendre?). The book has different characters and a completely different villain! That is how much the stories differed. The book also contains more grown-up humour more people being run-through by swords, more blood, more walking the plank, more steely pirate bad-assedness. Queen Victoria is one crazy woman in this movie, enough to get PETA up-in-arms for ages. The other pirates the Pirate Captain competes against for the Pirate of the Year Award (Salma Hayek, Jeremy Piven) are swashbuckling good fun, even if they are more than a little rude toward the beloved Hugh Grant's character. Also, Hugh Grant gives a surprisingly different performance than the one he's known for in his rom-coms; his pitch is deep and fierce and his performance is touchingly funny without any over-saturated fluff. Gideon Defoe is spot on for creating a movie that is appropriate for the kiddies and a book that has humour for the older kids. See the movie because Aardman's stuff is always funny, but definitely read the book to get the original story.

After years of disappointment the Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) resolves to finally win the Pirate of the Year competition and so embarks on a series of raids on passing ships in the hope of earning sufficient booty to compete with the his rivals Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) and Black Belamy (Jeremy Piven). However he is still plagued by bad luck with the best produced by a succession of raids being the capture of Charles Darwin (David Tennant). Still at least Darwin is able to identify that Pirate Captain's beloved parrot Polly is in fact a dodo, supposedly extinct for over a hundred years. This gives them both an idea...!

Pirates! is a gloriously hilarious, exquisitely produced movie. Its very much a children's movie but with plenty of sly asides to keep adults on their toes as well. The sets are stupendous and almost beg a second viewing in themselves to allow the viewer to try to aborb all the teeming detail. Both the voice performances of the cast, and the painstaking detail of the stop-motion animation are flawless.

I thought it as close to perfect a piece of film-making as I have seen in many years and I hope for more adventures of the Pirate Captain and his crew in the not to distant future.

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The Pirate Captain yearns to win the Pirate of the Year award. Not if Peg-Leg Hastings, Cutlass Liz, or Black Bellamy can help it. The Captain's adventures cross paths with a geeky Charles Darwin, who observes that his parrot Polly is actually a dodo. So it's on to London for a science competition, only it turns out that Darwin isn't the only one after Polly. I love stop animation, and it's beautifully done here. The movie is ok enough, but it's not exactly Pixar magic. Cool soundtrack, with the notable exception of Supergrass. Screw them.

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I'm really picky about kids' movies. If my daughter enjoys it, fine, but she isn't what you might call discerning. This is one of the few that I actually enjoyed watching with her. Sharp humor, clever writing and fantastic to look at. It even has David Tennant! What else could you want?

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Pirates have become cool again with the trilogy of films made by Johnny Depp but those films might be just a tad too intense for the youngest of children. With that in mind the folks at Aardman studios, the stop motion group responsible for Wallace and Gromitt among other things, have come up with some pirates of their own. They've just been unleashed with this film.

The story follows a group of pirates that aren't quite up to snuff in the pirate hierarchy. Sure they have the peg legs and eye patches, but this ragtag group just doesn't seem to pillage near as much as most. They're led by the Pirate Captain who does his best to keep his crew happy and content (hey, don't forget ham night!). But Pirate Captain has dreams of his own, of becoming the Pirate of the Year.

The only problem is the amount of pirating he and his crew does. With Cutlass Liz and Black Bellamy always bringing in more booty they win the competition every year. Rather than allow him the chance to do better, the group always ridicules him as well.

That could all change when Captain Pirate and his crew board a boat stocked with all sorts of stuffed animals and body parts. The boat belongs to Charles Darwin who's been seeking a special scientific discovery so that he can become the Scientist of the Year award back in London. He too has had a tuff time but when he sees Captain Pirate's parrot he recognizes it is not a parrot at all but the extinct dodo bird. Darwin convinces Captain Pirate to take him to London along with the bird where they will win all sorts of treasures for their discovery.

Even though the queen has placed a bounty on the heads of every pirate to sail the seven seas the group heads for London. Once there Darwin attempts to steal the bird from Captain Pirate to claim the award for himself. He fails and Captain Pirate wins the award, stunned to find that it isn't booty at all but an award along with the chance for time with, of all people, the Queen! Darwin failed to mention the reward would be time spent with the woman of his dreams.

The Queen also wants possession of the dodo bird for her private zoo but Captain Pirate doesn't give in easily. After discovering he is a pirate and nearly decapitating him, she stops and pardons him in the hopes he will turn over the bird. When she offers treasure as well, Captain Pirate sees the chance to return to Blood Island with more booty than anyone has ever claimed and win the prized Pirate of the Year award. But all doesn't go as planned, something that always seems the case with this group.

The story may seem pretty well straight forward but in truth there is more beneath the obvious here. It's not just about Captain Pirate winning the award and gaining some self esteem. Instead the story is more about discovering who you really are and what is really important in life. For Captain Pirate that boils down to winning the award he's cherished for so long or remaining true to both Polly (the dodo bird) and his crew.

As with all Aardman Studio films this one is chock full of sight gags that run from beginning to end. Each one may be a small portion of the film seen but they all will garner laughs from adults as well as children. They do a nice combination of jokes that older viewers will get but won't offend the young crowd.

The stop motion animation is as always amazing. In a world where computer animation seems to have taken over, it's nice to see someone using this technique and not allowing it to fade away. Somehow just watching it makes you realize how creative and artistic it is in comparison.

The final word about this film though is that it is truly entertaining. It's a movie that both young and old will enjoy and have fun with. Topping that off is the fact that it offers something that youngsters will not realize they are getting and that is a set of morals to accompany the tale. They'll learn that wanting something and doing anything for it at the sake of losing everything that is truly important isn't quite worth it. And for a movie to entertain and get that point across is truly an amazing feat. So hoist the rigging and set sale for the high seas with this film that the whole family can enjoy.

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The Cannonball Run (2011)

Cannonball Run is a guilty pleasure. No one would ever say it's a good movie, but it's a like train wreck, you find yourself staring. Burt Reynolds tries to live his glory days of Smokey and The Bandit, bringing along the same Director, Hal Needham as well as a slew of falling stars to prop him up. Its as if all of them knew their careers were sliding and it was one last ditch effort to make a great noise. Don't get me wrong, many of these people are talented. Lets explain the premise first. The 'Run' is an auto street (or highway) race, based closely on a real race that was run throughout the 70s that went from New York to California. It was highly illegal, and probably a lot a fun. There is even an appearance by one of the original drivers, Brock Yates, who is now an editor for Car & Driver Magazine and makes an amusing appearance as the MC, explaining how the race goes. Reynolds is JJ McClure, a former race car driver and mechanic who is the standing champ in the race. Eager to keep his title, he is desperate to win again. In this race though, that doesn't just mean going fast, anyone can go fast, but sooner or later, you will get stopped. JJ and his strange friend, Victor (Dom Delouse) adopt a personality of two paramedics driving a patient cross country. Apparently this worked in the actual race one year. The supporting cast of competition includes Jamie Farr as an overzealous Sheik in a hopped up Rolls Royce, Roger Moore playing a comic version of his James Bond character driving his popular silver Austin Martin, Mel Tillus and Terry Bradshaw playing a couple of southern boys cruising in a stolen race car and my personal favorite, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. playing womanizing, gambling hard drinking priests driving a red Ferrari (they aren't really priests). All this adds up to a movie where every scene you see a star. Dean and Sammy steal the show in almost every scene they're in, they are class acts adding something unattainable in most pictures of this caliber. The racing antics are not quite as funny as the beginning scenes where all the characters are introduced, but it is entertaining. The best part of the movie comes at the end though where the bloopers are shown during the closing credits. It's worth the price of the DVD alone. Don't expect a great movie out of Cannonball Run, all you can really expect is a good time, but isn't that what it's all about?

A zany cross country race based on an

actual event called "The Cannonball

Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash." The brainchild of writer Brock

Yates, who competed in the first Cannonball in 1971. The object is to

drive as fast and as safely as possible from Connecticut to Redondo Beach, California.

In every Cannonball, no driver or person has ever been injured.

The worst case, a team or two put behind

bars for no more than an hour.

"The Cannonball Run" is based on real

characters and adventures. It was penned

by Yates, who makes an appearance in the early stages of the movie as the "organizer."

Burt Reynolds headlines an all star lineup as "J.J. McClure" a wealthy

entrepreneur who, along with his

'executive assistant' Victor Prinze,

played with great verve by comedian

Dom DeLuise. Victor has some issues.

In times of 'mortal danger' his personality changes from mild mannered

mechanic, into an alter-ego called

"Captain Chaos" who wreaks havoc on

some less than respectable hombres we encounter along the way.

Farrah Fawcett is teamed with J.J. and Victor when she's kidnapped in their ambulance.

Jack Elam as "Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing" provides lots of laughs

and few chills when needed.

Veteran performers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. join the ensemble as

a pair of priests in a souped-up Ferrari.

Roger Moore makes a departure from his

'James Bond' character playing "Seymor Goldfarb." An individual who believes he's

Roger Moore. It's a great spoof and Moore plays it with perfection.

Mel Tillis and former quarterback

Terry Bradshaw show up as just a

couple of good ol' boys ala "Dukes

of Hazzard" style, toting cases of beer but sans the "General Lee."

Tara Buckman and Adrienne Barbeau are seen throughout the film in their

custom black Lamborghini Countach,

breaking speed limits and the hearts

of some unsuspecting law enforcement

officers along the route.

Jamie Farr from "MASH" is cast in the role of a Sheik obsessed with winning the Cannonball

in a hot-rod Rolls Royce.

The Cannonball Run was directed by

Hal Needham who brought us "Smokey and

the Bandit" and "Hooper." Hal and Brock

were partners in a Cannonball held in the late 70S. Needham sets a flat out,

pedal to the metal pace for "Cannonball" and it doesn't let

up till the finish line.

After twenty years, this film still makes you laugh. Rent it tonight :)

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I watched this because I adore Dean Martin and the Rat Pack, but only after putting off watching it for so long--I was afraid it would be really stupid and not be worthy of being Dean's next to last movie. I had no reason to fear :) . It is absolutely hilarious! The second one is a million times better (more Dean & Sammy and a huge plus with Frank), but this one's great. It's just crazy and silly and a ton of fun.

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Okay, so I first saw this film at the age of 10, and we all know that a 10 year old is easier to please than an adult. However, I still love this film now (15 years later!), and not just for the fast cars and all-star cast. Of course the plot is almost non-existent but who cares? It's refreshing to see a film which doesn't take itself too seriously (a point that Dr Popinofsky seems to have missed in his review). It's called fun, Doc. F-U-N. If we're not allowed a bit of pointless fun from time to time what's the point of even getting out of bed in the morning?

I accept it's probably not to everybody's taste but it still makes me giggle!

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I must admit that my expectations were not too high on purchasing this Blu-ray, but I'm glad I was wrong. The movie itself needs no real explanation, tons of stars (a little too much Burt Reynolds for my taste, though), fighting (Jackie Chan's first Hollywood movie) and fast cars add up to some great entertainment. Picture quality is very good considering the price and the disc even manages to squeeze in a commentary. The highlight has to be the out-takes displayed during the credits, so funny!

If you want a movie that doesn't require too many brain cells, this is the one for you. Just plain fun

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Alice in Wonderland (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/Digital Copy + Film Cell Photo Frame) (Amazon.c

In spite of having to read many negative reviews, I was still curious to see this movie. I not a huge Burton fan neither, although I've enjoyed some of his previous work. But it was something about «Alice in Wonderland» which seemed appealing; its visual look and its quirky characters. Still I had in mind the several hostile reviews, which accused this movie to be a flat, soulless and muddled attempt of a classic, which I also feared it would. But after finally seeing the movie, I can claim my disagreement with the reviewers. In fact, I'm not sure if we even saw the same movie. What exactly was so terrible about it?

Overall, I found «Alice in Wonderland» to be very entertaining. I feared that the movie would lose some of it's magic as the main character entered to Wonderland, but fortunately it never did. I enjoyed the movie from the very start to its very end. It's a cute fantasy/adventure movie, equal to the «Harry Potter» and the «Narnia» flicks (although I personally felt «Prince Caspain» had some slight weaknesses). But beware; there are some frightening creatures that may scare the youngest in the audience, so the PG rating is suitable.

One of the films biggest advantages is it visuals. With it lush and dark landscapes, cute animals and colorful costumes, the flick is beautifully to look at and I can't wait to enjoy the sharpness of the picture on Blu Ray. The score of Danny Elfman is effective and gives the movie a dreamy, atmospheric tone. The characters are mostly passable. They don't steal the show entirely, but neither do they appear as distractive or annoying.

Although I've always liked the original novel of Lewis Carroll, I must say that I found this new twist of the story fresh and creative, depicting the «wrong» Alice's adventures in Wonderland as a young adult. Linda Woolverton, who's behind the excellent screenplays for «Beauty and the Beast», «The Lion King» and «Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey», has written a solid and decent script to «Wonderland». Many have claimed this screenplay to be muddled and confusing, but I didn't felt it that way at all. Once again, did we even saw the same movie?

Mia Wasikowska is quite decent as Alice. Although she doesn't have a distinctive emanation/charisma who characterizes other young actresses at her age, she's still delivers a nice and acceptable performance. Personally I felt her screen presence expanded during the movie. Johnny Depp is indeed a good actor. To claim anything else, would be a like claiming that the climate isn't humid in the rain forest. Although I've never been crazy over Depp's work, he's goofy and great as The Mad Hatter, which is indeed the best character in the movie. Helena Bonham Carter is also believable and funny as the Red Queen (just prepare yourself to hear «Off with his head» at least a hundred times during the movie, ha ha). While Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, is warm and passable as the White Queen (although I must confess it was a little distracting to see her with a blonde wig and with a British accent).

In fact, I can't see anything wrong with this new Burton version of «Wonderland». I truly enjoyed it and recommend it to everyone as possible. It didn't deserve the negative criticism at all, in my opinion. With quality films like this, perhaps I could finally forgive Disney for its recent mistakes? (*Cough, leaving hand drawn animation behind and promoting teen stars as crazy, cough*)

So follow every white rabbit you see and follow him to the hole... Wonderland is waiting...

BONUS FEATURES

Unsurprisingly, most of the bonus features lies on the Blu ray disc. However, the amount of the bonus features are disappointingly skimpy. The featurettes are divided in two sections. First are the Wonderland Characters and Making of Wonderland.

First up in the Wonderland Characters-section is "Finding Alice", which is about the casting of main lead. During a short brief or times, there are interviews with Mia Wazikovska, Tim Burton, Helena Bonham-Carter and Anne Hathaway. They bring up Burton's vision that differs from the Novel, the character arc of the protagonist and some of the clothing designs. Wazikovska herself comes off as a humble, mature and reflective young woman.

Next on the list is "The Mad Hatter", which is about Depp's insights on his character. Depp manages to give a brief, but interesting research about real hatters, while he talks about his own sketches and visions for the Mad Hatter, comparing to Burton's sketches for the character. And of course the costume and stylizing of the character.

"The Futterwacken Dance" explains the origins of the fictional Futterwacken dance which Depp's character dances in the movie. The dance was based on an internal joke between the director and Depp. Without spoiling too much, there are interviews with several guys who were in charge of the "Futterwacken".

Next is "The Red Queen", which centers about the origins of the Red Queen. Interviews with Bonham-Carter and technical members of the crew, they discuss the design and the costuming of the character, as well as Helena's own thoughts of her own performance.

"Time-Lapse: Sculpting The Red Queen" is a short video demonstrating the transformation and sculpting of Helena as the Red Queen, while Helena and other make-up artists narrates during the video.

Next is "The White Queen", which is about the creation of The White Queen. Hathaway explains her own, early visions for the character, as well the costuming and the other crew members' thoughts of the character.

The first featurette in the Making Wonderland section is Scoring Wonderland. An interesting featurette about the scoring of the film. During an interview with composer Danny Elfman, we'll receive his thoughts about his collaboration with Burton, as well as his process about the film scoring and especially making the "Alice" anthem. Quite interesting and informative.

Effecting Wonderland is an interesting featurette about the CGI aspect of the film, the creation of the fully CGI characters in the film and how to exaggerate the looks of the human characters with CGI.

Stunts in Wonderland is a brief featurette about the stunt process of Mia Wazikowska.

Making the Proper Size is about the process of giving the character of Alice the proper size. Interviews with Waizkowska and other crew members reveals the process of making Wazikowska look to small or too big in the various scenes in the film.

Cakes of Wonderland interviews a baker which made all the cakes in the final film, especially the Eat Me cakes. She talks about the ingredients which she used in the film to make the cakes.

Tea Party Props centers about the making of the Iconic Tea Party table and all of its props.

So there you have it; Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland. While it's not one of the most memorable movies of its genre, it is still a solid and good movie that has gotten way more underrated than it deserves. The quality of the picture is superb and so is the sound. While most of the featurettes are interesting and enjoyable, there could still have been of more of them. However, this edition is still recommendable for every fan of this movie.

For starters, it seems that everyone I know is shocked when I tell them that this Alice in Wonderland is a sequel of sorts. At the age of 19 and about to be forced into marriage, this is Alice's second trip to Wonderland. I'm glad Tim Burton and his team came up with a new story that still featured all the great characters from the original source material. That's also where the weakest part of the movie lies. The dialogue given to the characters is great, but the script is razor thin. I think if more effort went into this particular aspect, I might have given it five stars.

I saw it in IMAX 3-D and the visuals are as grand and beautiful as you would expect from Burton. It's not quite as eye-popping as Avatar, which was shot completely in IMAX 3-D, whereas, Alice in Wonderland was upconverted (Clash of the Titans did the same thing to bad effect). The music by Danny Elfman is some of his best stuff in recent years and the costumes/makeup are top notch.

Aside from the look of film, the acting also makes it very memorable. There are so many well animated and voice acted characters running around I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll start with those made of flesh and blood. I didn't like Depp's take on Willy Wonka that much, and I'm a big fan of his, but his Mad Hatter is just the right amount of crazy. His voice goes back and forth from having a lisp to sounding like William Wallace from Braveheart. His look is so jarring, you probably wouldn't even know it was him if you somehow dodged all the advertisements before entering the theater. Helena Bonham Carter played the Red Queen brilliantly. I couldn't take my eyes off her giant head. Anne Hathaway really surprised me here (in a good way) with her take on the White Queen and it was nice to see Crispin Glover back on the big screen in a role that suited him. Last, but certainly not least, Mia Wasikowska was absolutely captivating as Alice. The way she talked and her reactions were just what the film needed in it's central role. All the digital animal characters were great, but my favorites were the Cheshire Cat, voice by Stephen Fry, and the March Hare voiced by Paul Whitehouse.

I'm somewhat surprised that the combination of violence and meanness, along with the smoking Blue Caterpillar didn't get this a PG-13 rating. It's not too harsh, but young kids might get a little freaked out.

Overall, Alice in Wonderland looks like a polished jewel, has great acting/voice acting, wonderful music and even manages to get quite a few laughs in the process. If only the simple story didn't let me down in the end, this could have been a classic in the making. Even still, I wouldn't mind Tim Burton taking us on another trip down the rabbit hole in a few years.

Buy Alice in Wonderland (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/Digital Copy + Film Cell Photo Frame) (Amazon.c Now

Most of the many attempts at filming Alice In Wonderland haven't been particularly successful, for two reasons. First, directors seem to feel that the movie must have a strong male character. Lewis Carroll didn't give them one (all the male characters in the books are rather spineless and feeble) so they invent their own, usually, for some reason, the Mad Hatter. Second, they misread the character of Alice. In the book she is headstrong, inquisitive and feisty; she dominates the other characters even as she takes part in their fantastic world. She is not a spectator, watching what they do, but a full participant, accepting. or more often rejecting, their view of life. She's not, nor is she meant to be, a nice girl meekly accepting what befalls her.

Unfortunately, Tim Burton's 'Alice' falls into both these traps. Instead of being a passing character Alice meets along the way, the Mad Hatter becomes central to the film and in doing so destroys much of the point of the tale. Alice herself, though she has her moments of rebellion, is played far too passively; she's more often merely watching what goes on in Wonderland. In making her character too detached, Burton loses the involvement that the audience should feel and which has made the books so successful for so long.

On the plus side, Wonderland itself is marvelously realized. I love the bright colors, the ever-more-convincing computer graphics and the strange flora and fauna which inhabit this suitably dream-like place. Everything looks as it's supposed todistorted versions of reality, only possible in the imagination. The story meanders far from the original tales, but I have no problem with that, as long as it holds together. Tim Burton is the master at making a fantasy world come to life.

It's a fun movie to watch. It just doesn't make the audience feel involved.

Read Best Reviews of Alice in Wonderland (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/Digital Copy + Film Cell Photo Frame) (Amazon.c Here

The only other 3D movie that comes close to being better is Avatar. The plot, effects and acting was phenomenal. A must have for those collecting 3D movies.

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We recently purchased a 3D TV and have started buying movies for it. This is the best I have found so far with great 3D effects and a good story line and good acting.

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The French Connection (1971)

(NOTE: For updated info on the new 2012 blu-ray release, check out the second half of this review below)

"The French Connection" is a fantastic time capsule of a film; a solid crime drama enhanced tremendously by great performances, crackling dialogue, terrific stunt work and wonderful location shooting in and around NYC that captures The Big Apple during its 1970's heyday as a scummy, gritty cesspool of a town. It's a fine example of 1970's American cinema, a classic of its type and a must-see, if not a must-own, for fans of crime dramas and police procedurals. Without question, a five star film (out of five).

Regarding specifically the 2009 2-disc blu-ray release, Director William Friedkin has apparently decided that the gritty, documentary-like feel to the original cinematography of his film was not gritty and documentary-like enough; instead of taking advantage of the latest technological advances to clean up or restore an original master of this classic film, director Friedkin decided that he would revisit his 39-year-old masterpiece so as to make it look decidedly worse. Using various digital filters, he has amped up the noise and graininess, distorted and smeared the color scheme with a bizarre "pastel" look, and blown out the contrast, all to give "The French Connection" an (intentionally) worn-out, distorted look that really does change the visuals of the film.

Unfortunately, rather than giving the film a more "cinéma vérité;" feel (as was the director's intention), this inexplicable digital makeover adds absolutely nothing to the film's impact save for scads of fake film grain, alternately faded and dull hues and crappier contrast. I am by no means a film purist, but the fact is this visual overhaul is pointless, gimmicky and (most problematic) extremely distracting. The added grain will astonish you during certain parts of the film... and not in a good way. People with large televisions especially be warned.

"The French Connection" was originally shot by legendary film cinematographer Owen Roizman (whose cinematography resume includes such film greats like "Network", "The Taking of Pelham 123" and "The Exorcist"). The following comment is what Mr. Roizman had to say on the matter of the film's "new" look after viewing it:

"Billy (director William Friedkin) for some reason decided to do this on his own. I wasn't consulted. I was appalled by it. I don't know what Billy (director William Friedkin) was thinking. It's not the film that I shot, and I certainly want to wash my hands of having had anything to do with this transfer, which I feel is atrocious."

I sympathize with you, Mr. Roizman.

As a side note, I personally think this trend of technologically "fixing" older films is crap, directors cut or no director's cut. Imagine if Stanley Kubrick revisited Dr. Strangelove in order to add improved nuclear missile effects via CGI; or if Kubrick digitally altered "2001: A Space Odyssey" in order to digitally "improve" Dr. David Bowman's trip through time and space; or if Martin Scorsese added new CGI blood effects to "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver"? What if an elderly Picasso decided to round up his earlier cubist paintings and touch them up, in order to "correct" the technical imperfections of his youth? Where does it end?

Perhaps Mr. Friedkin's decision to experiment with the film's original cinematography wouldn't be much of an issue if the original version of the film was included alongside the digitally-altered version, but alas, that is not the case with this blu-ray release. Unfortunately, Mr. Friedkin has stated that this new, digitally-altered version of "The French Connection" is how he hopes this classic film will be presented in all future home video releases from here on end (we'll see about that). My belief is that if this trend must continue, then I do think that there is an obligation for the original, unaltered film to be available to the public as well, for reasons of both history and personal aesthetics.

Admittedly, the special features of the Blu-Ray release are impressive (although most are recycled from the earlier 5-Star Collection DVD), but when the main film is presented as such, what does it matter? I infinitely prefer the 2001 Five-Star Collection 2-disc DVD set, and wholeheartedly recommend it over this Blu-Ray. The remastering on the THX-approved 2001 DVD is terrific (looking especially good upconverted via 1080p), the original cinematography is preserved, the 5.1 Dolby Digital sounds great, and its got hours of extras (as mentioned earlier, its got virtually all of the extras found on the Blu-Ray incarnation). As another alternative, if you can live without most of the extras, the 2005 single-disc DVD release has the same mastering as the 2001 Five-Star Collection 2-disc DVD set, is currently still in circulation, and can be bought brand new for around $7.00.

In all, the 2009 Blu-Ray release is a two-star (**) affair at best; if you must check out this Blu-Ray, rent before you buy.

Perhaps its time for Mr. Friedkin to make a new film rather than waste time tinkering on his old ones (or, judging by his last film "Bug", maybe not).

8/8/12 UPDATE: Predictably, 20th Century Fox went back to the drawing board and whipped up a new transfer for an all-new blu-ray release that was originally a Best Buy exclusive, but is finally available for purchase on Amazon.com. It is being hailed as a director-approved cut (just as the last blu-ray release was), but this time it was remastered under both Freidkin and Roizman's supervision (who have apparently have made up with each other since the last Blu-Ray release).

So, how does this blu-ray stack up with the earlier release? Overall, this new transfer is mostly terrific, and completely blows the old blu-ray release out of the water. Colors look natural again (if a little over-saturated at times). Contrast is great, although blacks can be a bit crushing at times. Grain and noise is present, but far less so than the previous release. Sharpness has been increased. Overall, the film looks great, especially when compared to the last release. As far as audio is concerned, it is the same as the earlier disc.

There are a couple caveats, however. First, the film has been given a blue/teal tint that is fairly noticeable in some scenes, but not in all. While this has bothered some critics, when I compared this disc to the Five-Star DVD release, it really isn't as bad as some have made it out to be, and is nowhere near as distracting as other teal-ified blu-ray releases, such as "Aliens" or the 2012 blu-ray release of "Total Recall". In fact, the Five Star 2-disc DVD set (which still looks great, I must say) exhibits a fairly blue color scheme for much of the film, although it is not as pronounced as the "Signature Series" blu-ray release. Why they won't simply release the film as it looked in theaters, with its original color timing, is beyond me.

Second, there are less extras on this disc, the most egregious omission being the removal of the excellent one-hour BBC documentary "Poughkeepsie Shuffle", so as to consolidate the film and remaining extras on to one Blu-Ray disc. It is a great documentary that is totally worth owning for fans, and is a real shame that it's been left behind. Fans will want to hang onto their old 2-disc Blu-Ray or Five Star 2-disc DVD set for that neat extra. Fortunately, the "Signature Series" blu-ray release does retain many of the great extras found on the earlier releases, and overall should satisfy most fans.

Final Note: For super-fans, none of the blu-ray releases come with the original theatrical trailer for The French Connection (although The French Connection II blu-ray release did include its original theatrical trailer...go figure); however, the Five Star DVD set does indeed include the theatrical trailer.

So there you have it, folks. The new blu-ray release, while not perfect, is totally worth the upgrade for the improved picture quality, and is a four-star (****) release.

For casual fans, the 2012 "Signature Series" blu-ray release is far and away the preferred release to own. In the end, it is hardcore fans who get the shortest end of the stick (as per usual); if one wishes to have the most complete "French Collection" experience, one must invest in both blu-ray sets and the Five Star DVD. Adieu, friends!

The Tuminaro Case. That is what the law enforcement community calls "the French Connection" case of 1968. Two rough-and-tumble NYPD Narcotics detectives named Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso stumbled on a heroin-smuggling ring which spanned the Atlantic and linked the New York Mafia with a French mob operating out of Marsailles, which, if you are not familiar with it, is a great port city in the Mediterranean famous for, among other things, being a stop on the great heroin pipeline between Turkey, Siciily, Corsica, Continental Europe, and the Big Apple. This discovery was the birth of the understanding that the heroin trade was big international business, being conducted on a breathtaking scale, and the efforts of local cops and a few federal agents to stop it by busting junkies and street dealers was as ludicrous as handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500.

In the end, somewhere between 100 300 kilos of pure heroin were seized, the ring was smashed, two cops sprung to fame by making the big case ("Went through The Door", in NYPD Narc lexicon), and the soon-to-be legendary NYPD Special Investigations Unit was created. But at what cost, and to what end?

This is what the film version of "The French Connection" examines, changing the names of the players (to Popeye Doyle, played by the great Gene Hackman, and Cloudy Russo, played by the criminally underrated Roy Schieder, respectively) but leaving the basic facts of the story intact. Very few movies have attempted to show the methodology and mind-set of Narc detectives without either glamorizing them or apologizing for them; "TFC" does neither. Doyle is a truly disgusting human being, but a [darn] good cop. He has the ego, the spleen, the recklessness, and the obsessive won't-let-go mentality of a pit bull, which more or less typefied the Narcs of the pre-Knapp Comission years. If you want a cop like Doyle off your case, you pretty much have to kill him. And if you try, don't miss.

The SIU, an elite branch of the Narcotics Division, was born during this investigation. No police unit in history probably bagged more hard drugs, busted more big-name dealers, or wrought such havoc with the drug trade in the Big Apple. On the other hand, no police unit in history ever broke so many laws doing it:

the tactics used by Doyle and Russo in "TFC" became standard procedure for the SIU: Illegal wiretaps. Shakedowns. Theft of money. Distribution of heroin to informants. Perjury. Extortion. Entrapment. You name it, they did it, and operated with virtually no supervision for about ten years before another famous cop, Bob Leuici, who got his own movie ("Prince of the City") brought down the house by exposing its inherent corruption. About seventy detectives served in SUI and of them, more than fifty ended up being indicted, and most went to prison. A number killed themselves. In a moment of true irony, several SIU detectives were fingered in the theft of 300 pounds of heroin from the police evidence lockup. The heroin in question was the evidence seized by Egan and Grosso in the Tuminaro Case. So in the end, it was largely for nothing. The H hit the street anyway.

I read some review of this film which question its morality, its supposed affirmantion of the 'war on drugs' and even liken "Connection" to the Nazi propiganda film "Triumph of the Will" because it seems to endorse the ends-justifying-tactics of Doyle and Russo. These people are missing the point entirely. The French Connection is not politicized fiction, like "Blow." It is a real case, the detectives were real people, and these were the real methods they used to crack it. The scene where Hackman chases his would-be assassin all across New York, endangering the lives of about 100 people in the process, says more than any dialogue could about his personality. In other words, this movie isn't about the drug trade, it's about the cops who fight it.

"TFC" is NOT an endorsement of the war on drugs; it simply lays out what happened here in a dramatized fashion. Like all great movies, it does not tell the viewer what to think but allows him/her to come to his own conclusion. And by the way, the movie most certainly DOES imply that the drug war, or at least this particular battle in it, was futile. The 'what happened to them' blurbs at the end of the film demonstrate this in no uncertain terms.

Looking back I see this is not a proper review of the film but more of a rant. ...

I'm through venting. Sorry. I'll make up for it with this: "The French Connection" is a great crime drama, brilliantly acted, superbly directed, and deserves every bit of its reputation as one of the greatest films of all time. I'm going to buy it on DVD today.

Buy The French Connection (1971) Now

Even though there's nothing to say about this now 35-year-old masterpiece that hasn't been said by someone somewhere, I can't resist offering my opinion on the greatest cop movie ever made and, in all likelihood, one of the 10 best films ever made.

How can a film be better than this one? It deservedly won five Oscars including best picture, best actor (Gene Hackman), its script and editing. Film editing is probably the most common downfall of a movie that is the least understood by the average filmgoer. aside from inane scriptwriting, it is editing that either turns individual scenes into something larger that its parts or robs those scenes of their vigor and value by misplacing them in the overall sequence of events.

There are so many good things going on in this film -the action, ultra-intelligent script based on a real life incident, the acting, the locations, the searing score using knife sharp high strings and bellowing lower strings, and William Friedkin's monumental direction that included the unplanned train chase scene that is now considered the greatest chase in film ("We didn't ask anyone for a permit," Friedkin said. "We just did it.") -that it is somewhat foolhardy to identify one element as the key to this masterpiece. Still, I believe the editing is what transforms "French Connection" from five stars to masterpiece.

I first saw this movie in 1971 during a matinee at an old big city theatre, now bulldozed, the kind of theatre that used to exist before malls took over the industry. While the chase scene was just as riveting then as now on the big screen, it was an earlier scene that more captivated me.

In the second scene, Hackman and Scheider go to a drinking establishment where a Supremes-like trio is singing. The reality and scope of this scene far more overwhelmed me on the big screen than any other. It also happens to be the scene where the two cops first identify bad guy Tony LoBianco -who followed his success in this film with a lot of appearances on the 1970s CBS cop show "Kojak" -as an emerging kingpin throwing around money with some druggie hotshots.

It probably isn't possible to explain to today's moviegoers what a drug kingpin was circa 1971. Drugs are so ingrained in our culture now, with kids regularly taking them to and selling them in school, that the profundity of such a scene in a film can no longer have the same meaning three and one-half decades later.

The final scene, in the decrepit buildings on Riker's Island, is another ultrarealistic scene that puts the viewer at the scene of the crime and the ongoing melodrama. That inconclusive ending was true and commonplace for its period, a time when the "antihero" film was emerging. The popular cop films from the "Dirty Harry" series, as well as Charles Bronson's "Death Wish" films, were clearly influenced by the antihero aspects of the "The French Connection" cops and their futility.

A cast note: Marcel Bozzuffi, the hitman character known as Pierre Nicoli in the film, played a different type of killer two years earlier in the remarkable 1969 French film "Z", a political thriller with much of "The French Connection"'s sizzling energy. And like this film, "Z" was also based on true events. Check this out next time you're in the mood for one of the better films of that era.

Far from being a timepiece, this film is just as contemporary today as it was when it came out -a time when there was no Internet, cell phones or cable television, there was only one American telephone company and gas cost about 30 cents a gallon. This film will always be among the handful of critics' short A-list movies and I'll continue to watch it at every opportunity. I suggest you take a look if you've never seen it. There will never be another quite like it.

Read Best Reviews of The French Connection (1971) Here

(NOTE: For updated info on the new 2012 blu-ray release, check out the second half of this review below)

"The French Connection" is a fantastic time capsule of a film; a solid crime drama enhanced tremendously by great performances, terrific stunt work and wonderful location shooting in and around NYC that captures The Big Apple during its 1970's heyday as a scummy, gritty cesspool of a town. It's a fine example of 1970's American cinema, a classic of its type and a must-see, if not a must-own, for fans of crime dramas and police procedurals. Without question, a five star film (out of five).

Regarding specifically the 2009 2-disc blu-ray release, Director William Friedkin has apparently decided that the gritty, documentary-like feel to the original cinematography of his film was not gritty and documentary-like enough; instead of taking advantage of the latest technological advances to clean up or restore an original master of this classic film, director Friedkin decided that he would revisit his 39-year-old masterpiece so as to make it look decidedly worse. Using various digital filters, he has amped up the noise and graininess, distorted and smeared the color scheme with a bizarre "pastel" look, and blown out the contrast, all to give "The French Connection" an (intentionally) worn-out, distorted look that really does change the visuals of the film.

Unfortunately, rather than giving the film a more "cinéma vérité;" feel (as was the director's intention), this inexplicable digital makeover adds absolutely nothing to the film's impact save for scads of fake film grain, alternately faded and dull hues and crappier contrast. I am by no means a film purist, but the fact is this visual overhaul is pointless, gimmicky and (most problematic) extremely distracting. The added grain will astonish you during certain parts of the film... and not in a good way. People with large televisions especially be warned.

"The French Connection" was originally shot by legendary film cinematographer Owen Roizman (whose cinematography resume includes such film greats like "Network", "The Taking of Pelham 123" and "The Exorcist"). The following comment is what Mr. Roizman had to say on the matter of the film's "new" look after viewing it:

"Billy (director William Friedkin) for some reason decided to do this on his own. I wasn't consulted. I was appalled by it. I don't know what Billy (director William Friedkin) was thinking. It's not the film that I shot, and I certainly want to wash my hands of having had anything to do with this transfer, which I feel is atrocious."

I sympathize with you, Mr. Roizman.

As a side note, I personally think this trend of technologically "fixing" older films is crap, directors cut or no director's cut. Imagine if Stanley Kubrick revisited Dr. Strangelove in order to add improved nuclear missile effects via CGI; or if Kubrick digitally altered "2001: A Space Odyssey" in order to digitally "improve" Dr. David Bowman's trip through time and space; or if Martin Scorsese added new CGI blood effects to "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver"? What if an elderly Picasso decided to round up his earlier cubist paintings and touch them up, in order to "correct" the technical imperfections of his youth? Where does it end?

Perhaps Mr. Friedkin's decision to experiment with the film's original cinematography wouldn't be much of an issue if the original version of the film was included alongside the digitally-altered version, but alas, that is not the case with this blu-ray release. Unfortunately, Mr. Friedkin has stated that this new, digitally-altered version of "The French Connection" is how he hopes this classic film will be presented in all future home video releases from here on end (we'll see about that). My belief is that if this trend must continue, then I do think that there is an obligation for the original, unaltered film to be available to the public as well, for reasons of both history and personal aesthetics.

Admittedly, the special features of the Blu-Ray release are impressive (although most are recycled from the earlier 5-Star Collection DVD), but when the main film is presented as such, what does it matter? I infinitely prefer the 2001 Five-Star Collection 2-disc DVD set, and wholeheartedly recommend it over this Blu-Ray. The remastering on the THX-approved 2001 DVD is terrific (looking especially good upconverted via 1080p), the original cinematography is preserved, the 5.1 Dolby Digital sounds great, and its got hours of extras (as mentioned earlier, its got virtually all of the extras found on the Blu-Ray incarnation). As another alternative, if you can live without most of the extras, the 2005 single-disc DVD release has the same mastering as the 2001 Five-Star Collection 2-disc DVD set, is currently still in circulation, and can be bought brand new for around $7.00.

If you must check out this Blu-Ray, rent before you buy.

Perhaps its time for Mr. Friedkin to make a new film rather than waste time tinkering on his old ones (or, judging by his last film "Bug", maybe not).

8/8/12 UPDATE: Predictably, 20th Century Fox went back to the drawing board and whipped up a new transfer for an all-new blu-ray release, initially a Best buy exclusive, it has at last arrived on Amazon. It is being hailed as a director-approved cut (just as the last blu-ray release was), but this time it was remastered under both Freidkin and Roizman's supervision (who have apparently have made up with each other since the last Blu-Ray release).

So, how does this blu-ray stack up with the earlier release? Overall, this new transfer is mostly terrific, and completely blows the old blu-ray release out of the water. Colors look natural again (if a little over-saturated at times). Contrast is great, although blacks can be a bit crushing at times. Grain and noise is present, but far less so than the previous release. Sharpness has been increased. Overall, the film looks great, especially when compared to the last release. As far as audio is concerned, it is the same as the earlier disc.

There are a couple caveats, however. First, the film has been given a blue/teal tint that is fairly noticeable in some scenes, but not in all. While this has bothered some critics, when I compared this disc to the Five-Star DVD release, it really isn't as bad as some have made it out to be, and is nowhere near as distracting as other teal-ified blu-ray releases, such as "Aliens" or the 2012 blu-ray release of "Total Recall". In fact, the Five Star 2-disc DVD set (which still looks great, I must say) exhibits a fairly blue color scheme for much of the film, although it is not as pronounced as the "Signature Series" blu-ray release. Why they won't simply release the film as it looked in theaters, with its original color timing, is beyond me.

Second, there are less extras on this disc, the most egregious omission being the removal of the excellent one-hour BBC documentary "Poughkeepsie Shuffle", so as to consolidate the film and remaining extras on to one Blu-Ray disc. It is a great documentary that is totally worth owning for fans, and is a real shame that it's been left behind. Fans will want to hang onto their old 2-disc Blu-Ray or Five Star 2-disc DVD set for that neat extra. Fortunately, the "Signature Series" blu-ray release does retain many of the great extras found on the earlier releases, and overall should satisfy most fans.

Final Note: For super-fans, none of the blu-ray releases come with the original theatrical trailer for The French Connection (although The French Connection II blu-ray release did include its original theatrical trailer...go figure); however, the Five Star DVD set does indeed include the theatrical trailer.

So there you have it, folks. The new blu-ray release, while not perfect, is totally worth the upgrade for the improved picture quality, and is a four star release. For casual fans, the 2012 "Signature Series" blu-ray release is far and away the preferred release to own. In the end, it is hardcore fans who get the shortest end of the stick (as per usual); if one wishes to have the most complete "French Collection" experience, one must invest in both blu-ray sets and the Five Star DVD. Adieu, friends!

Want The French Connection (1971) Discount?

I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the DVD-release of this terrific film. Anyone who appreciates gritty, police dramas such as Hill Street Blues and NYPD can thank director William Friedkin, who set the standard with this movie. Two years later the same director made the stuffy Academy members start taking the Horror genre seriously with his release of The Exorcist. And Friedkin was way ahead of his time with the 1970 gaythemed The Boys in the Band. The man is quite a trendsetter, not to mention a damn fine director.

Gene Hackman, one of the finest, most versatile actors around, gives the performance of his career as the impulsive, almost maniacal, Popeye Doyle. Hackman's "balls-out" performance earned him the Academy Award for best actor. Incidentally, it is the tenacity of his character which adds to the rush of the famous car/el-train chase. No one is going to take a pop at this guy and just slink away!

And what about the chase-scene? Some, including myself, feel that this is the best one ever on film. Others say it was done better in The Road Warrior; or Bullitt; or Raiders of the Lost Ark; or The Seven-Ups. ( Ronin is mentioned also, but I have never seen it.) These movies all had great chases, but they were shot either in the desert (Road Warrior and Raiders) or largely in the open road (Bullitt and Seven-Ups). In The French Connection, however, the pursuit takes place in a crowded Brooklyn commuter hub. And appropriately so, as the film is all about the grit of the big city. Working within this challenging setting, editor Jerry Greenberg does a tremendous job of maintaining the continuity of a rather lengthy sequence of high-speed events.

There is more that can be said about this great movie, but I'll leave it at this: Unlike a previous reviewer, I have no trouble discerning how this film earned its five Oscars.

UFC: Best of 2010 (2010)

UFC 108 January 2

Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon

UFC Fight Night 20 January 11

Evan Dunham vs. Efrain Escudero

UFC 110 February 21

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson

John Hathaway vs. Diego Sanchez

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

UFC Live 1 March 21

Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera

UFC 113 May 8

Matt Mitrione vs. Kimbo Slice

Lyoto Machida © vs. Mauricio Rua

UFC 114 May 29

Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe

Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson

UFC 115 June 12

Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald

Mirko Filipovic vs. Pat Barry

Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell

UFC 116 July 3

Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

Brock Lesnar © vs. Shane Carwin

UFC Live 2 August 1

Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

UFC 117 August 7

Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft

Rick Story vs. Dustin Hazelett

Junior dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson

Anderson Silva © vs. Chael Sonnen

UFC 118 August 28

Randy Couture vs. James Toney

UFC Fight Night 22 September 15

Charles Oliveira vs. Efrain Escudero

UFC 119 September 25

C.B. Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen

Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham

Chris Lytle vs. Matt Serra

UFC 120 October 16

Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy

UFC 121 October 23

Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago

Brock Lesnar © vs. Cain Velasquez

UFC 122 November 13

Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner

UFC 123 November 20

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon

Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch

B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes

UFC 124 December 11

Sean Pierson vs. Matt Riddle

Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira

Georges St-Pierre © vs. Josh Koscheck

If any of you fans out there are feeling like I am lately and just a little disappointed with most Pay Per Views, this is a nice refreshment. It really picks all the most exciting fights of the year like Chris Leben and Akiyama and also segways lots of fights with brief recaps and reviews of significant things that happened during the year. There are also a ton of good fights on each bonus section of the DVD. Good stuff fight fans

Buy UFC: Best of 2010 (2010) Now

Unlike previous best of installments this one is more like a documentary of the year rather than just a compilation of complete fights. They do brief segments walking through the 2010 highlights of many fighters. It also includes over 30 complete fights.

Read Best Reviews of UFC: Best of 2010 (2010) Here

I was told it was good. Worth watching. It's worth getting for yourself or as a gift. Will order more.

Want UFC: Best of 2010 (2010) Discount?

Most of the best matches of matches of the year all on here can't get better than that. Anyone looking to get a good value for your money should check it out.

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