Traitor (2008)

The movie is called "Traitor," and the implication is that the main character, played by Don Cheadle, has betrayed his own country. But it's nowhere near that simple. Some think he's a traitor to the United States while others think he's a traitor to Islam. He may be a traitor to his own beliefs, his loyalties divided between his Muslim faith and his American upbringing. By the end of the film, no one is any closer to understanding what he believes, himself least of all. He's a double agent frequently confronted by conflicting ideologies, and it's slowly but surely tearing him apart. One way this movie succeeds is that we're able to feel for this character no matter what side he's on; we can sense the anguish he feels, the torment of being a misfit in every culture he immerses himself in. We see in his face the unease and guilt he's forced to live with everyday.

Cheadle plays Samir Horn, who was born in Sudan but raised in the United States. Thirty years ago, his father was killed in a terrorist attack, although it's unclear which side was responsible; it may have been an anti-Muslim faction, but it may also have been devout Muslims who opposed his beliefs. Whatever the case, Horn is now a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant for the United States Army, someone trained to infiltrate terrorist organizations and gather information. It seems his loyalties have shifted; while in Yemen, he's caught selling detonators to a group of jihadists, and after a brief shootout, everyone is arrested. In prison, he befriends Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui), who is apparently in league with people on the outside, people willing to risk incarceration or death to free their brother Muslims. A frenetic jailbreak ensues. Not long after, Horn becomes entangled in a terrorist conspiracy, one that would result in several major attacks on American soil.

Two FBI agents have been assigned to locate and arrest Horn. One is Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce), who, interestingly enough, once considered World Religions as a college major. He claims to take his own Christian faith seriously, but unlike Horn with the Koran, we never see him reading from the Bible or quoting any of its passages. We're never told what Max Archer (Neal McDonough) believes, although it's obvious that, as far as his job is concerned, he's all about getting results as quickly as possible; in an early scene, he gets impatient with Horn and subsequently punches him in the stomach. Clayton is much more calm and collected, and he understands that you get information from a suspect by pushing his buttons, not by letting him push yours. Indeed, Horn is a tough nut to crack, probably because he knows how to keep secrets from both sides.

To describe the plot any further would not only give too much away, it would also require a lot of explaining, more so than anyone would be willing to read. As Horn says, "The truth is complicated." It would be more accurate to say that the truth is elusive, simply because I'm not convinced he knows what the truth is. He probably no longer knows which side represents good and which side represents evil. His beliefs are divided between what he reads in the Koran and what he sees going on; one passage states that killing one man is like killing all mankind, yet he's surrounded by Islamic extremists who commit murder to get their point across. He's serious about his faith, but it's clear he doesn't always understand it. He certainly doesn't understand how certain ideas can be misconstrued out of all reason, such as Takfiri, or blending in. A Pakistani terrorist named Fareed (Aly Khan) baffles Horn by saying that jihadists living in America drink alcohol and eat pork in order to blend in. Both acts go against Islamic beliefs.

Horn would probably argue that murder, no matter how justified, also goes against Islamic beliefs (I would make the same argument, although I'm well aware that many people would not). If there were no jihadists, if terrorism were to be eradicated entirely, Horn would not need to be a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant. He would not have to infiltrate enemy hideouts and pretend to be on their side. Only then would his mind be at ease; he could worship in peace without having to worry about suspicious activity in American and Muslim communities. Is it unreasonable to suggest that the vast majority of Muslims long for the same peace of mind? I don't think so. Neither is the idea that there's a gigantic difference between jihad terrorists and those of Islamic faith.

That may ultimately be the point "Traitor" is trying to make, although it's difficult to tell with a story actively trying to be ambiguous. Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and producer/co-story creator Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) have crafted a political drama that forces the audience to think really hard, more about the main character's beliefs than about the actual plot. Themes of not belonging and divided loyalties are certainly not new, but that doesn't mean they're no longer used effectively; "Traitor" succeeds on many levels, not the least of which is Don Cheadle's believable performance. He above all else is what gets the story off the ground, allowing it to be much more than a run-of-the-mill thriller. He adds genuine emotional touches in the subtlest of ways, from precise eye movements to random breathing patterns. Essentially, he makes it real, especially since he never reveals which side his character feels most connected with.

The tagline for the '08 film `Traitor' is "The truth is complicated". After viewing the movie I can only compliment the filmmakers for picking such a wise and appropriate phrase to encapsulate what unfolds before its audience. The occidental mind has yet to come to grips with an Islamic mindset that encourages its most fanatical followers to strap explosives to their bodies and detonate themselves in crowded buildings, transportation centers or any high traffic venue that will best unsettle the security of its adversaries. It is "terrorism as theatre" and all the world is its stage.

In `Traitor' Don Cheadle delivers a marvelous performance as Samir a Islamic, Sudanese born American immigrant who after spending years in U.S. military intelligence apparently has a change of conscience and joins an extreme terrorist organization after being recruited by Jihadist and future best friend Omar (Said Taghmaoui). Said is also magnificent, the on-going conversations between Omar and Samir discussing the Jihadist mindset and mission and how they compare with past and present acts of aggression by America are searing, thought-provoking and nuanced. For me they make this movie worth the time and effort. That's not to say that there isn't anything else worthwhile in this film, but it is there relationship and intellectual debate that raises the film to a higher level.

As for the rest of the film, well this isn't one of your typical fast paced action films. The storyline unfolds rather slowly, too slowly at times. But it does build momentum about halfway through will firmly hold your interest to the end. `Traitor' offers the viewer great performances, intellectual stimulation and political relevance. There is in my opinion two flaws that keep the film from receiving a -5 Starrating. The `Big Moment' at the end is rather unrealistic for reasons I can't discuss without spoiling the surprise and secondly, the ultimate decision made by Samir was a little too black and white for a storyline focused on exploring the gray areas of faith, conscience and choosing sides.

Footnote: Guy Pearce also delivers a stellar performance as the FBI agent pursuing Samir.

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Traitor is a fantastic thriller starring Don Cheadle as Samir Horn, a Muslim who was born in Sudan and moved to America as a teenager. He grows up to be a Special Forces soldier for the US, and as the movie begins, we see him moving through the Middle East selling explosives.

His fate crosses with two FBI agents, played by Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough. Soon the two are crisscrossing the globe hunting Samir, who is becoming more and more involved with a cell led by a terrorist mastermind.

The film is written and directed as a great thriller with enough action and suspense to keep you ocuupied and guessing, but not to the extent that it comes off like a routine action movie trying to be more than it is. The film has several twists and surprises and keeps the viewer engaged throughout.

But everything is held together is by Cheadle, who burnishes his reputation as one of Hollywood's greatest talents. His Samir is at once devious, treacherous, loving, compassionate, stubborn, and dangerous. Traitor is a great film, but it would not possess the same impact with a lesser talent as its star.

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This film is a suspenseful drama that looks into the world of espionage and the so-called war on terror with the view as advertised on the DVD jacket "the truth is complicated." Cheadle plays a Sudanese born US Army vet trained in explosives who is seemingly working with Islamic terrorists... though who he is actually working with is not as it seems even to himself. There's a message in this film that the ends don't justify the means, and the characters are led to question whether it's right or just to kill for a cause just because you believe you are the good guys. Cheadle does an excellent job playing this troubled character, while Guy Pearce is the FBI agent who is pursuing him. One interesting thing depicted in the film is how intelligence operations are complex and that terror groups are often being steered by government agents/informants, who in some cases lead what can be considered false flag terror and the public reports about the events are based on disinfo created by government intelligence operatives. This film encourages us to look deeper at what's going on and question anyone who believes they are killing or sacrificing lives for a god-sanctioned agenda. The only weakness I found in the film was that there are a few loose ends in the film that don't get explained... but that's like real life where we can't find out everything.

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I couldn't remember what the movie was about, but I knew I wanted to see it because Don Cheadle was in it, and I recall seeing the preview for it a month or so ago. But the first hour of the movie had me struggling. All I kept thinking was, "Why did I pay my good money to see this terrible movie? I don't WANT to root for terrorists and I don't want to root for suicide bombers and why did Cheadle try out for this movie?" I'm not the type to wave an American flag or walk around preaching about patriotism, but the first hour was so uncomfortable to me watching terrorists plan to kill innocent people justifying it with an eye-for-an-eye and religion. But then the hump over that hour came in, and I started smiling. Suddenly I remembered why Cheadle is a genius, why this movie was going the way it did, and I can't say anymore about it besides: be patient, listen closely, and I loved this movie. Bravo!

Cons: There was a scene where Cheadle had a tattoo on his right shoulder, and I was squinting at the screen to see it, but in the next scene, he didn't have it. I don't know if the make-up crew decided it needed to be hidden or was nobody supposed to see that or what, but the tattoo came up missing for some odd reason, and I'm not quite sure why.

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Shanghai Noon / Shanghai Knights (2-Movie Collection)

"Shanghai Noon" has long been one of my favorite American Jackie Chan films, featuring not only classic Chan combats but also a partnership with a non-Asian actor that is lively and enlightening instead of depressing and demeaning; it was directed by a JC fan who was invested in presenting the Hong Kong Jackie persona that the world loves in a more Hollywood format that American audiences were comfortable with, and Tom Dey absolutely got it right.

With a witty "fish out of water" story that pays homage to the great Westerns (from glossing "High Noon" to naming Chan a Chinese sound-alike for John Wayne) while playing havoc with the genre's conventions, and a great cast from both East and West (supporting standouts include HK martial arts actor Yu Rong-guan using an array of Chinese weaponry, American Roger Yuan playing an Imperial villain, and Xander Berkeley as an ethically challenged lawman), the film manages to be exciting, endearing, amusing, and really quite amazing.

"Shanghai Knights," while not as good a film, and with a lesser director, is still a worthy second outing. As with most sequels, there is a bit of reaching in order to unpin the happy ending of the first film and reunite the protagonists in a new adventure, but the lack of a more original and compelling script is made up for with some eye popping action (including two sequences that morph the classic bits of Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last" and Gene Kelly's "Singin' In The Rain" into brilliant Chan martial mayhem), and a battle with rival Hong Kong martial arts star Donnie Yen. Best of all, the odd couple chemistry of fast talking Owen Wilson and fast moving Jackie Chan remains a highlight. It'a a pity they didn't do more films together.

The combination of both films into a single Blu-ray Disc works fine, due to the increased ability to hold information, and all the special features of the individual DVDs are included as well. The upgrade in image is substantial, and the price is reasonable, so if you really like either or both of these films, the Blu-ray is worth getting.

these films are good owen wilson is funny jackie chan can kick ass lucy liu is cute the first one is better I love westerns

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Good standby movie when you can't find just the right thing to watch. Fun extras. Love the outtakes from each movie.

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Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan are a great team. Owen Wilson is great in any movie he is in. Jackie Chan is funny and does some great things with the rope and other fight spots. The shot with them in the tubs was great and very funny.

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If you enjoyed the theatrical films at the movies, you'll be pleased with the transfers. The movies are very enjoyable for the entire family.

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Withnail and I (1987)

Somewhere in the tenebrous recesses of our souls is the saving ability to laugh in recognition at our most forlorn circumstances. The funniest films mine this trove of despairing exigencies in an urgent, played-for-real mode. And none do it better than WITHNAIL & I, now available in a superb uncut version on DVD.

Bruce Robinson, the sometime actor and screenwriter ("The Killing Fields"), made his 1986 directorial debut with his semi-autobiographical screenplay that is widely considered the greatest neglected comedy of all time. The slender plot is simple. Flatmates Richard E. Grant (Withnail) and Paul McGann (& I) are two stoned, hungry, broke, and out-of-work actors wallowing in self-made squalor. When they get an opportunity to spend a weekend in the country cottage of Withnail's three hundred pound Uncle Montague, they go, hoping to "rejuvenate." What ensues is an extraordinarily deranged weekend of drunken delusion and distraught discovery that you will never forget. To reveal any more story details would be a gross disservice to those who have not yet found this wonderfully twisted, honest and perfect film.

Richard Griffiths is unsettling as the campy, dissolute predator cousin Montague and Ralph Brown is spot-on as Danny, the slow-talking, menacing but philosophical dope dealer. Hard to believe this was Richard E. Grant's first film. Even harder to believe is that he is a non-drinker who doesn't smoke.

Perfectly cast, nearly every spoken line is unfiltered emotional truth and most are quotable -especially the caustic diatribes of drunken, acerbic Grant. And the scenes themselves are brilliant set-pieces that unfold like diamonds in the rough being cut to gem-stone perfection.

After experiencing this unblinking look back at the end of the 60s in a London suburb where a tenuous friendship, high expectations and unfulfilled dreams collide during a disastrous weekend getaway, you too will laugh when you next hear the opening riffs of Jimmy Hendrix's "Voodoo Child." And you will understand when someone blurts out in a restaurant, "We want the finest wines available to humanity. We want them here and we want them NOW!. And cake."

This new Criterion widescreen version is clean and sharp and there's a too-short bonus interview with Robinson, Brown, Grant and McGann.

You must trust me on this one, so right now, get on line and order this extraordinary movie. It's one to own and watch at least once a month. It will put everything in the proper perspective and cure what ails you. Highest recommendation.

Criterion has done a wonderful job with this DVD release of WITHNAIL & I. The picture looks sharp, the sound is clear, and the extras are a lot of fun. The biggest difference for me was that the only video version of this film I owned was the full-screen version that contains numerous edits. Watching this film uncut for the first time in years really pointed out how much I had been missing with the video version. Getting this DVD is definitely worth the money.

The film itself is a joy to experience. While the plot cannot be accused of being overcomplicated, this simplicity is more than made up for in the wonderful characters and brilliant dialogue (virtually none of which can be quoted in an all-ages forum such as this). Loosely narrated by Paul McGann's "I" character, this film depicts a brief period in the life of two struggling actors as they attempt to find booze, drugs and jobs in the dying days of the 1960s. The movie covers a wide spectrum from some scenes featuring the funniest lines that you'll ever hear to small touching moments that are surprisingly moving. This is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys good moviemaking.

Every character in the picture is superbly acted and written for. It's a testament to Bruce Robinson's directing skills that the characters compliment each other so well instead of clashing and overbearing the others as could so easily have happened. The secondary characters work as well as the leads and each one adds their unique flavour to the mixture. Robinson doesn't make the mistake of giving the smaller parts too much on-screen time and having them overstay their welcome. Each character says and does no more than they need to and leaves everyone wanting more.

Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann are perfectly cast in their roles. Each bile-covered insult roles off of Grant's tongue as if he'd been swearing at McGann all his life. It's amazing that Grant is a teetotaler in real life and was relying on pure skill for most of his inspiration. Excellent acting.

The documentary that is included on the DVD is 30 minutes long and quite excellent. There are interviews with Richard E. Grant (Withnail), Paul McGann (...& I), Bruce Robinson (writer/director), Ralph Brown (Danny) and a host of other people related to the production. It's a funny and enthralling look at the people and ideas behind the film. Just fast-forward through the trainspotters.

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This is not, as others have mentioned merely a vapid view of the 1960s or a drunken homoerotic frolic in an English countryside. It represents all those men and women who have battled long and hard to achieve some sort of authenticity. Withnal wants to act in something worth while, 'I' wants to do the same but has much more class and is not locked into a decaying and fluid so called post modern world, represented by collapsing buildings they both visit and live in, decayed old pubs inhabited by violent drunken louts who want to hurt and maim in their pain of loss. Then there is their old Jaguar one eye one window wiper and two very drunk survivors. This is a meditation on the qualities of past values and modern chaos. The end leaves one sad and uncomfortable as Withnal speaks from Shakespeare 'what a piece of work is man', the irony is almost too hard to bear as Withnal speaks to a wolf behind the zoo bars and as rain upon rain washes away the old world. This a film everyone should watch and is for anyone who wonders about the old, the nostalgia for the past and the new modern and careless world of today. The wolf pacing in front of the zoo bars mirrors the human pacing outside the fence, both are locked into their worlds. Withnal is beautiful in his aloneness and 'I' works to represent those that can make transitions from old values to new worlds, but does he lose something in the process? The musis is also fantastic and I wish I could buy and album of the music, the initial saxaphone rendition of a whiter shade of pale is beyond beautiful. Watch it at least 10 times.

Read Best Reviews of Withnail and I (1987) Here

Withnail & I is one of the greatest films ever made funny, poignant and superbly written, acted and directed.

So, it is such an appalling shame that this NTSC VHS version is so poor. It is hideously cut in places leaving out parts of scenes and some of the funniest dialogue. This leaves you confused when the narrative shifts suddenly when you were expecting the uncut version. For me, this rendered this version unwatchable.

Buy a PAL compatible VHS player and buy the uncut European version from amazon.co.uk, wait for the DVD or wait for the full version to be shown on the Independent Film Channel and record it, but stay away from this turkey!

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Another cult movie has just entered the Criterion collection : british writer-director Bruce Robinson's 1986 WITHNAIL AND I starring Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann, both excellent. Richard Griffith as the cousin Montague and Ralph Brown as " The Hippie Philosopher " are hilarious. This film is a valuable addition to your library if you like english comedies, the sixties or simply a smart movie.

WITHNAIL AND I is greatly autobiographical. Bruce Robinson's 25 minutes interview featuring home movies and photographies shot in London in the mid-sixties is very instructive ; one understands soon that Withnail and ("I") Peter's life pictured in the movie has been the normal life of a large number of the english teenagers of the sixties. The character of "Withnail" played by an hallucinated Richard E. Grant, who in the real life doesn't drink alcoholic beverages, will certainly stay in the annals of Movie History.

If WITHNAIL AND I moves us so much, it's because this nostalgic movie is about lost hopes, about the green pastures of our youth when the world was ready to be conquered and waiting for us. Withnail is a pathetic character who could have been a genius in any artistic domain but who didn't create anything because, after all, it wasn't so important.

Apart of the Bruce Robinson interview ( look carefully at the level of the red wine in his glass... ), one will also find in this Criterion presentation a limited-edition of a poster, a theatrical trailer, liner notes by Robinson, various pre-production photos and english subtitles.

A DVD zone nostalgy.

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Hotel Transylvania (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2012)

Hotel Transylvania, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky from a screenplay by Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel, is an animated comedy/horror-spoof, mostly for the kids but fast-paced enough and with enough humor to keep everyone entertained for an hour and a half. It's not as smartly written as 2010's Megamind or as sophisticated and dazzling as 2011's Rango, but it is fun to watch and satisfying in a popcorn-movie kind of way. Adult fans of old horror films will like spotting some of the more obscure monsters (Brain From Planet Arous anyone?) and picking up on some references that will sail over the head of younger viewers.

The plot begins in 1895 where we find a very paternal Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) looking after his infant daughter not long after the death of his wife. Determined to keep her safe from "the humans", Dracula comes up with an idea to create a sanctuary, a place where monsters of all kinds can come to relax and be themselves without having to constantly worry about humanity coming after them with torches and pitchforks. He directs his servants to convert an old medieval castle hidden deep in the remotest part of Transylvania into a resort/retreat for monsters from all over the world, and voila! the Hotel Transylvania is born. The hotel is staffed, appropriately, by zombie bellhops, haunted suits of armor, housekeeping witches and talking shrunken heads, with a kitchen overseen by an obsessed lunatic chef Quasimodo (Jon Lovitz) and his pet rat Esmeralda.

Of course the years seem to fly by for a parent, even an immortal one, and before Dracula knows it suddenly it's 2012 and the day of Mavis's 118th birthday (that's 18 in human-growth years). The castle is filled with guests, many of them old friends of the family who've come especially for the occasion, including a very domestic Frankenstein (Kevin James) and his high-bouffant wife Eunice (Fran Drescher), a life-of-the-party mummy named Murray (CeeLo Green), a very frazzled werewolf named Wayne (Steve Buscemi in superb form), his highly-pregnant wife Wanda (Molly Shannon) and their pack of snarling hyper-active wolf kids, and Griffin, the Invisible Man (David Spade) who can't understand why he sucks at playing charades.

But this is also a day Dracula has dreaded as he promised Mavis (Selena Gomez) that on the day she turned 118, she had his permission to go out into the world. Compelled to keep his word but unable to face the prospect of Mavis going off into what he feels is a world too dangerous for her, he concocts a scheme to scare her into wanting to stay at the castle. Which works, somewhat to his surprise. But his scheme turns out to have unintended consequences and before Dracula has time to feel relieved, the unthinkable happens a _human_ suddenly appears at the hotel, a young backpacker named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) who "heard about this cool old castle" and wanted to check it out. Panicking, and fearing for the reputation of his hotel if it were found out that a human was on the premises, Dracula quickly disguises Jonathan as "Johnny-stein", a supposed cousin of Frankenstein (actually just a cousin of Frankenstein's right hand, as it were). But before Dracula can get Jonathan out of the castle and out of his hair, Mavis and Jonathan meet and "zing!" it's love at first sight. The rest of the plot is rather predictable over-protective father wants to keep boy away from his daughter, but daughter and boy keep seeing each other but the pacing is kept fast enough and the humor abundant enough that it keeps things fresh and funny all the way through. Particularly in scenes where Johnny's fun-loving nature livens things up by inadvertently starting a horses-and-riders pool fight, introducing some new music over the grumbling protests of zombie-Beethoven, zombie-Mozart & zombie-Bach, and engages Dracula in a floating-table race, causing the stiff and stuffy Count to unexpectedly rediscover what fun is.

The animation, while not ground-breaking, is well done, with a lot of attention to detail which gives the film a level of texture you wouldn't ordinarily expect in a light comedy. For example, at one point Mavis leads Johnny into a cave, the entrance to which some horror aficionados will recognize is shaped like the face of the Phantom of the Opera. While Genndy Tartakovsky is well known for his work producing several successful TV animated series (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, The Grimm Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Powerpuff Girls and Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Hotel Transylvania is his first feature film. Fans of Tartakovsky 's TV work might be expecting something more in the distinctive style he used in those shows, but I don't think they'll be disappointed with his choice to be more traditional here. The production design was done by Marcelo Vignali, who worked on several Disney films including Mulan and Lilo & Stich as well as Cloudy With Chance Of Meatballs, and the art direction was done by Ron Lukas and Noelle Triaureau, both of whom also worked with Vignali on 2007's Surf's Up.

The voice cast is excellent. Adam Sandler, whom I don't usually care for as a rule, is actually quite good as the over-protective fatherly Dracula. Andy Samberg brings out Johnny's guileless but ever-upbeat goofiness in a very winning way, while Selena Gomez brings the perfect touch as Mavis, the teenage vampire cutie who loves her dad and all his old weird friends but just wants to get out there and see the world she's only heard stories about. Kevin James does an affable Frankenstein, and Fran Drescher is perfect as his loud and brassy Franken-wife, Eunice. CeeLo Green's Murray is the liveliest and hippest mummy you've ever heard. As always though, it's Steve Buscemi who gets the best lines (or who makes his lines the best ones by his inimitably wry delivery) as the much put-upon buttoned-down-shirt-and-tie-wearing werewolf Wayne. One of my favorite scenes is where Dracula, Frank and Wayne are trying to track down Johnny. Dracula wants Wayne to follow his scent, and Wayne can only sigh wearily and ask "Do you have _any_ idea what years of changing poopy diapers have done to this nose?"

Recommended as a fun enjoyable film for everyone and in particular for classic horror-film fans.

Hotel Transylvania was a really good cartoon movie. The movie is about a young vampire girl Mavis (Selena Gomez) who wants to go out and explore the world. Her over protective father Dracula (Adam Sandler) does not want his young daughter to go out and mingle with humans. He beleives that humans do not like vampires and will try to hurt her but he did tell her that when she turned 118, she could go. The movie centers around Mavis's 118th birthday and her party. All of her monster friends and relatives come to celebrate and they have an unexpected guest.....a human. Mavis falls for the human and the rest as they say, is history. The movie was cute and age appropriate. I took my 5 year old to see this and did not cringe once. She laughed her little head off. I would see it again anytime. I hope you find your Zing!

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What a fun and heartfelt film Hotel Transylvania was when I recently attended a screening whereby producer Michelle Murdocca (Open Season 2, Stuart Little) explained, "Executive producer and star, Adam Sandler did an amazing job joining this production late in its original inception. It took some 10 years to get this project in theatres," who herself was on the project from the beginning.

Russian born director Genndy Tartakovsky (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) says, "It was a fun an amazing challenge to get this going and it was a real different environment working with a larger studio." His attention to the details made this film work from page to screen.

The story centers around a place where all monsters can go to be themselves. Naturally walking around, celebrating anniversaries, eating as they do, sleeping the way they do, even swimming in pools and enjoying a night of fun and partying. The place (a really creepy castle) was built by Dracula himself (voiced amazingly well by Adam Sandler (Click, Bedtime Stories)) and because of an early accident due to the fear that monsters have toward humans, a tragic accident leaves him to be a single father. Raising and `protecting' his daughter from the outside world.

Mavis, his daughter, who is sharply voiced by Selena Gomez (The Wizards of Waverly Place, Another Cinderella Story) reaches her 118th birthday and decides she needs to see the world because of the sheltered life her father has created for her. Due to a series of mishaps and bad turn of events a `lie' goes very wrong and she soon realizes what she has been hidden from.

In steps a real human, quite by accident, Jonathan, played by Andy Samberg (SNL, That's My Boy), wanders his way into the hotel. Yet another lie, Dracula tries to cover his true human self and pass Jonathan off as a `real' monster. Another thing that Dracula didn't see coming was the moment that Mavis and Jonathan meet and their eyes connect, you guessed it, the real magic of the heart happens.

The screenplay by Peter Baynham (Borat, Bruno) and Robert Smigel (SNL, You Don't Mess With The Zohan) does something that most live-action screenplays try to achieve but never do, it mixes some great fast paced visual gags with a real heart and real believable story. This movie is about a father and daughter relationship as well as misconceptions we all carry with us based on really never checking things out for ourselves.

This film has a great line-up of really hysterical characters including; Frankenstein voiced by Kevin James (King of Queens, Hitch); Mrs. Frankenstein Wanda voiced by Molly Shannon (Superstar, Analyze This); The Wolfman Wayne voiced by Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire, Grown-Ups) and his wife Eunice voiced by Fran Drescher (The Nanny, Beautician and the Beast); The Mummy Murray voiced by CeeLo Green (Kung Fu Panda, Kick Ass) and playing the hunchback Quasimodo is the voice of Jon Lovitz (Big, A League of Their Own).

Great for the Halloween theme and in full 3-D, this film was amazingly funny, and full of great classic-style sight gags that you'll probably need to see it more than once to catch them all. "I took a lot of time to make sure this film worked on all levels. From the script to the performances and even the technology in making it," says the director Genndy . And you can really see it on screen!

What makes this animated feature by Columbia Pictures so good, is that it has a very big heart and an extremely relatable story to go with it. The whole family will really enjoy this film!

Read Best Reviews of Hotel Transylvania (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2012) Here

Hotel Transylvania has Dracula (Adam Sandler) as a peaceful monster who just wants a place for him and his monster buddies to have away from humans. So he turns his castle into a hotel. But eventhough Dracula wants to keep everyone inside and safe from angry mobs, his vampire daughter (Selina Gomez) wants to get out and explore the world.

Dracula wants his daughter to think humans are all bad but when a harmless fun loving human (Andy Sanberg) wanders to the castle, Dracula tries to disguise him as a monster and sneak him out quickly. That doesn't go well since he meets Dracula's daughter and they hit it off without her knowing he's a human.

The film may sound more like Hotel Happy Madison, since you have Sandler and his buddies like Kevin James (Frankenstein), Steve Buscemi (The Woofman) and the David Spade (The Invisibleman) doing voice work. However the film is better than most of their live action films and has much more of a plot than Grown-Ups did. I do admit though that it's not laugh out loud funny and that it mostly won me over with it's charm.

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there are some good laughs here, but the plot is predictable and full of unnecessary holes, the voice acting is basically a list of cameos from big name comedy with only Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg standing out with any real character.

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Uncle Buck (1989)

Director/writer John Hughes is one of those Hollywood success stories who has left in his wake a heap of popular and often entertaining films, leaving an indelible stamp on motion picture history. He may not have won a ton of awards, but the regular folks (as opposed to film snobs) love his work and have made him a very wealthy man. A list of his better known films would have to start with "Home Alone" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and would continue with "The Breakfast Club," "Pretty in Pink," "Planes, Trains, & Automobiles," and "Sixteen Candles," as well as many others.

This particular John Hughes film stars John Candy as Uncle Buck, the kind of character Candy specialized in. He's a middle-aged kid who can't seem to find a good reason to accept any responsibility in life. As he says in one scene, "People used to say to me, 'Buck, you've got it made. You've got no kids, no wife, no office, no desk, no boss, nothing to tie you down. You've really got it made.' Well, they don't say that to me any more."

Among Hughes's "coming of age" pictures, this one is unique. The coming of age is usually a teen or preteen. Here's it's Uncle Buck who is coming of age. His brother and sister-in-law have to leave town for a few days to tend his brother's ailing father-in-law, and they are absolutely devoid of babysitters...except for Uncle Buck, the embarrassing relation they have chosen to avoid until now. Their three kids include 15-year-old Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly, now seen on TV's "Yes, Dear," in her film debut), 8-year-old Miles (Macaulay Culkin, his first major film role and the one that inspired Hughes to give him his next major role in a little something called "Home Alone"), and 6-year-old Gaby Hoffman (shortly before she played the child lead in "Sleepless in Seattle").

You can practically write the film yourself from there, to a point. Buck has to be responsible for the kids, falls in love with them, is a far better (and much, much funnier) surrogate dad than anyone could have guessed, and by film's end things have all changed for the better. Sure, it's a little too much of a happy Hollywood ending to be true (OK, way much too much), but one doesn't expect Shakespeare here, just good, solid, entertaining comedy with a heart. That's typical John Hughes, and since he gives us so many good laughs we forgive him if it doesn't always completely ring true. "Uncle Buck" may be underrated among Hughes's films, but it's well worth remembering.

I miss John Candy. He was one of my favorite comedic actors in the '80s. Some of my favorite movies stars John Candy like "The Great Outdoors" and "Spaceballs". "Uncle Buck" is another hilarious movie John starred in. He plays a happy-go-lucky bachelor named Buck who is a bit of a slob and not very responsible either. He gets a call from his brother in Chicago asking him to babysit his children while he and his wife go take care of his wife's father who had fallen ill. Buck agrees and goes to his brother's house, not knowing what was in store for him. Buck has to contend with two precocious children (one of them played by then unknown Macaulay Culkin)and one angst-riddled teenager named Tia. Tia gives Buck a run for his money with her teenage angst. This leads to a lot of conflict between the two especially when it concerned Tia's boyfriend. The two younger siblings Maisy and Miles are simply a handful and enjoys Buck's company. I particularly loved the scene when Buck is making pancakes and flips an enormous pancake with a shovel. Another hilarious moment is when the nosy neighbor played by the hysterically funny Laurie Metcalfe meets Uncle Buck. "Uncle Buck" is a good mix of comedy and a little drama (towards the end of the film). I thought John Candy put in one of his best performances ever with "Uncle Buck".

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John Candy has his BEST performance EVER in this film by John Hughes. "Uncle" Buck Russell (Candy) is a perpetual screw-up who HAS to get his act together enough to watch over his older brother's three kids & dog, Tia, Miles, Maisy and puppy, Parsey since his sister-in-law's father had a heart attack.

The cast includes Mac Culkin as Miles, Gaby Hoffman as Maisy, Amy Madigan as Buck's girlfriend, Chanice Kobolowski, & Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne's sister, Jackie) as the crazy neighbor lady, Marcie Dahlgren-Frost. Also billed in small parts are Anna Chlumsky (My Girl), Patricia Arquette, and Devon Odessa (My So-Called Life).

This film is totally hilarious but also has those wonderful John Candy touching/sentimental moments.

A wonderful family film that can be watched over and over again!

Happy Watching!

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This is funny stuff. I've heard some critics bag this because of it's shallow silliness but that's what gives Candy his laughs.

John Candy belongs in movies like this. "Summer Rental" and "The great Outdoors" are others where his comedy rocks. I think directors know Candy's talents shine where family issues with kids are involved. Uncle Buck is John Candy's best film. I love his no shockers bouncing car with an on time BANG upon stopping.

Heartfelt moments melded with great laughs make this essential to all Candy fans

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Uncle Buck is Da man. John Candy is perfect as Buck Russel, the irresponsible misfit of his family. The late John Candy's comic timing and execution of his jokes are perfect and he gives the best performance of his career in this wonderful movie.

Called to watch three children during a family emergency, Buck wants to prove to his girlfriend he can be responsible. As a guardian, he clashes with Tia, the rebellious teenage daughter and bonds with two smaller kids who can't get enough of the loveable lout. Look for a great Macaulay Culkin and the girl from Sleepless in Seattle as the younger kids Buck takes care of. Candy has great chemistry with the smaller kids. Also look for Laurie Metcalf from Roseanne in a hilarious cameo as a wacky neighbor.

While Buck has trouble in the beginning, he soon starts handling business. Great scenes include him making huge pancakes for Mac's birthday party, punching out a drunken clown, taking on a nasty school principal, and embarrassing Tia's punk boyfriend Bug. (The scene at the party with the power drill on the bedroom door is great, but the hatchet scene is a classic!) By the end of the movie Uncle Buck is Da man proving he's responsible and showing his girl a new side of him.

The acting in this movie is top notch and Hughes direction is solid. I love the cinematography; Hughes makes some beautiful pictures to tell his great story. I love the shot of the car driving away from the high school! I see this film as the one where Hughes transitioned from angst filled teen movies to slapstick filled comedies like "Home Alone". An early scene in this movie no doubt inspired John Hughes' 1990 masterpiece "Home Alone", Where Buck leaves the kids "Home Alone". Buy this movie cause you will not be disappointed.

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Out of Sight (1998)

George Clooney stars with Jennifer Lopez in this excellent and entertaining romantic heist movie, unfortunately much overlooked and poorly promoted on its theatrical release. Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard and superbly and subtly directed by Steven Soderbergh. George Clooney (as bank robber Jack Foley) and Jennifer Lopez (as Federal Marshall Karen Sisco) light up the screen with previously unparalleled sexual chemistry in the movie that finally launched their big screen careers to the A list, after previous false starts (such as The Peacemaker and The Money Train respectively). Also boasting a very impressive supporting cast that includes Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Albert Brooks, Dennis Farina (as Jennifer Lopez father) and great cameos from Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson, movies really don't get much better than this.

Principally this is the story of serial bank robber Jack Foley and Federal Marshall Karen Sisco, on opposite sides of the law but inescapably attracted to each other. When Jack escapes from prison aided by his friend Buddy (Rhames) he ends up in the trunk of a car with the kidnapped Karen Sisco (Lopez) after she nearly foils the prison break. However, thanks to their inept friend Glenn Michaels (Zahn), Karen escapes and Jack and Buddy have to go on the run. Meanwhile, Karen Sisco is hot on Jack's trail in more ways than one in this brilliantly played, beautifully written, excellently directed movie. This has everything I love about movies, a great story, great cast and great style. Truly unmissable and well worthy of five stars.

When I finally got my DVD player this was the first one I bought. Why? Because not only is the film spectacular but this DVD has a host of fabulous extras that very few DVD's can match. The story and characters are all well thought out and I never felt that this film made a misstep. I never write reviews for these kinds of things but I read that one person felt that this film was unoriginal and I just had to say my piece. If anything this film is completely original. I am a film major and have been in school studying film for almost four years, trust me when I say this film is deserving of its praise and it has a lot of it.

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Out Of Sight is yet another movie based on an Elmore Leonard book. Mr. Leonard's books are always full of colorful characters and sharp dialogue and unfortunately that many times doesn't transfer to the screen. This movie is another story. Steven Soderbergh has taken the true spirit of the book and captured it in this movie. The movie is interspersed with flashbacks and this allows us to see how characters got to certain points in the film. The film revolves around bank robber Jack Foley (George Clooney) and FBI agent Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez). Foley breaks out of a Florida prison and comes into contact with Karen as his accomplices hijack her and her car. She and Foley are put in the truck and the conversation between the two of them is scintillating. They let her go unharmed and she is on the case tracking him, but she finds that she has feelings for him. There are some great plot twists that I won't give away and the movie ends in surprising fashion. This movie showed that George Clooney had big screen star potential as his understated, cool persona is perfect for this role. Jennifer Lopez burns up the screen with sexy charm. The supporting players include the always solid Ving Rhames, a sinister Don Cheadle and a hysterical Steven Zahn. Out Of Sight is a fast-paced, well-crafted and completely entertaining movie.

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Out of Sight, wow. What a movie, it literally blew me away. Steven Soderbergh is such a great director, if I were Elmore Leonard I wouldn't have trusted anyone else to handle it. And Scott Frank, what can I say? His writing speaks for itself, quite literally. George Clooney was as cool as the steel edge of a magnum .357. He could have put both Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to shame with one quick glance. And by his side? The slinky, ever-sexy Jennifer Lopez. She melts the screen and everyone that stands or sits around her. Her character was Mickey Spillane's wet dream. Steve McQueen and Faye Dunnaway once turned a chess game into a steamy, erotic rendevous in the Thomas Crown Affair. Clooney and Lopez do a little bit of history repeating, this time in her trunk. One a bank robber who has just escaped from Glades Prison in Florida and is greased in mud and sweat. The other a U.S. Marshall packing a shotgun and a .38 snuggly planted on her thigh. The combination of the two is explosive. This film is a must see. What more is there to say, it's the next best thing to perfection. Watch it and love it! Just don't get burned by the fireworks!

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I walked out of "Out of Sight" dumbfounded. What a great movie! And yet it bombed at the box office. What a world . . . I enjoyed every moment of "Out of Sight"from the music, to the acting, to the story, to the direction. Based on a novel by the same title by Elmore Leonard, "Out of Sight" is part heist film, part love story.

George Clooney has been mocked for leaving "ER", probably unfairly. Okay, so his choice of roles has been pretty much awful ("From Dusk 'Til Dawn", "Batman & Robin", "The Peacemaker"), but here he finally gets good material to work from and turns in a magnificent performance. Dare I say it? It's an Oscar-caliber performance. As Jack Foley he underplays the role to perfection. Clooney is cool, calm and totally in control. Great job.

I didn't much care for Jennifer Lopez's Karen Sisco, but Ving Rhames fans will be delighted to see him in a wonderful supporting role as Clooney's friend and confidant Buddy. Rhames is a great actor who doesn't get his due often enough.

Another big surprise is Don Cheadle's performance as Snoopy. He's a terrific villain: angry, threatening, unpredictable. Along with Rhames, Cheadle is a great actor who does not get enough attention.

I throughly enjoyed the direction on the part of Stephen Soderbergh, who brings a different perspective to this movie than to most I've seen. The movie has the courage to jump around from place-to-place, making the assumption the audience will keep up. I like that in a movie.

A great film. Highly recommend.

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Honey (2003)

The acting is not the greatest in this movie but it has a positive story line with good messages and nice dance moves

I love the movie..because she so beautiful... and she dance so good..all the kids dance good too.... I really love the movie @.@

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The plot in this dance and feel good film is beside the point. The music is great, the dancing is even better and at the apex of excellence is Jessica Alba, as luscious a treat of feminine delight as the (male) mind can imagine. I'm 70 years old, but this movie makes me feel 20!

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We Can't Go Home Again & Don't Expect Too Much (1976)

What a thrill it was to see these movies made available at last on video on Amazon. In fact, for the past three years, I regularly surfed Amazon in the event that "We Can't Go Home Again" would become available one day. And as a bonus, this DVD includes other short films made at this time of his career. I've seen nearly all of Nicholas Ray's films, but not these ones. Don't expect "Rebel Without a Cause" or "Johnny Guitar". The films on these discs are experimental and improvised collaborations conducted by Ray and his students, very talky but honest aand revealing. They are not easy to watch, at least in one sitting, but the conversations are compelling and even mesmerising, reflecting the political and social conditions of the times. These films are the bridge between Ray's main body of work and his collaborations with Wim Wenders. I will be watching these movies again and again as I am sure there is much more to be gained from multiple viewings of these multi-faceted rough diamonds.

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The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack) (1946)

It's a fine little race to watch, with everyone trying to stay one step ahead of each other in this malevolently decadent thriller about love, marriage,... and murder. Barbara Stanwyck is cunningly vicious in her role as a woman whose mysterious and intriguing past forced her to give up her childhood sweetheart, (Van Heflin, in a well-executed performance) bound her to marry a man she hated (Kirk Douglas, in an auspicious film debut)... and made hers one of the richest and most modern industries in America. But now her tightly knit secret is beginning to unravel... her husband is beginning to drink, her ex-flame is back... and he's trying to solve a famous crime committed in the town years and years ago. A remarkable film, with the suspense of a Hitchcock thriller, atmosphere of a Wilder noir, and the acting of a Wyler drama, come together to make this noir a chilling and memorable experience, ranking with "Double Indemnity" and "North By Northwest". A must-see for fans of film noir.

Some people call this a noir, and a good one. Some call it a psychological study of guilt. I think it's a melodrama, but a well-crafted one. What moves it from noir to melodrama for me is that there are two weak motivating actions for the plot; the first (the death of the aunt) doesn't have enough power to justify the drama, and the second (a conviction of an innocent man) is barely mentioned until the end of the movie.

Sam Masterson (Van Heflin) is driving west when he decides to go through Iverstown. He has a car accident and has to stay in town until his car is fixed. He meets a young woman, Toni Marachek (Lizabeth Scott), just out of jail and on probation for a crime she wasn't guilty of. Sam decides to go to the district attorney to see if he can help her. Years before as young kids, Sam and the DA, Walter O'Neil (Kirk Douglas), were sort-of friends, tied together by their friendship with Martha Ivers (Barbara Stanwyck).

Now O'Neil is married to Martha. He's running for re-election. Martha inherited Ivers Industries and is the wealthiest woman in town. She's a force to be reckoned with. She inherited millions when her aunt fell down a flight of stairs 18 years ago...the night she and Sam were planning to run off, when Walter was in the house with her and Sam. Her aunt (Judith Anderson), a rigid, disapproving, condescending woman, fell with the help of a crack on the head from a cane wielded by Martha. A few years later a man was hanged for the crime, prosecuted by Walter with testimony from Martha. They married and now live a loveless life, with Walter still the uncertain and sometimes scared child he used to be and Martha a controlling woman. Walter drinks heavily and Martha is contemptuous of him. Now Sam is back, innocently, but Walter in particular is convinced Sam is out to shake them down. "He's a gambler, a sharp shooter, an angle boy," he says to Martha. "They come through my office by the hundreds. Couldn't you see blackmail in his eyes?"

Things quickly spiral down into a morass of misunderstandings, guilt, what might pass for love, and temptation. Walter loves Martha. Martha loves Sam. Sam loves Toni but is tempted by Martha. Toni loves Sam. All is resolved one night in the Ivers' mansion with Martha, Walter and Sam playing out a potentially murderous triangle. But it's 1946, and with the Production Code in place there's little doubt which two people will die and which person will survive as a wiser man. When Martha urges Sam to kill Walter so that they can be together, Sam puts his finger on it. "Martha,' he says, "you're sick...in your mind, I mean, that's where you're sick...so sick you don't even know the difference between right and wrong."

The movie is beautifully photographed, for the most part the pacing is good, the establishment of the three leads' personalities as children is excellently carried over into the performances and personalities of the three as adults. Unfortunately, the death of the aunt just doesn't seem to be a strong enough element to justify all the angst. The aunt was in the process of beating Martha's cat with her cane on the stairs when Martha grabbed the cane and struck her aunt. Any half-way competent lawyer would have been able to get a young heiress off without relying on Martha coming up with having seen a large burglar running from the house. This makes what follows, even with Martha's intensity, seem out of proportion. Some of the dialogue, especially that given to Stanwyck and Douglas, is solid and uneasy...or maybe it's their expert line delivery. But a good deal of the words Heflin and Scott have to say can sound artificial. "They said they wouldn't hurt you," Toni says to Sam when she tries to explain why she helped set him up for a beating. "No more parole, they said, if I went for it. I'd draw the whole five, they said, if I didn't. I went for it. Go ahead and hit me, Sam. I've got it comin.'" Sam looks at her questioningly...then tenderly. "The one thing you've got comin', kid, is a break."

Even so, as melodrama it's fun to watch. Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin do nice jobs, and Kirk Douglas makes a strong impression. He may be playing a weak drunk, but you look at him while he's on screen.

The DVD picture is in great shape. If you buy this movie, be sure you get this Paramount version. There are a large number of other public domain versions out which look terrible. There are no extras.

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In response to "Good movie yet awful copy" from "Noir": Your experience is common: videos and DVD's from Gotham, Dark City, and Alpha are very poor quality. I purchased the Image Entertainment DVD of Strange Love (ASIN: 6305944369) and can tell you it's probably the best print of the film you're going to find. Picture sharpness is good, sound is acceptable, and there are no missing frames to cause a "jumpy" picture. The brightness & contrast are normal for most of the film, except for a few early scenes where the picture looks washed out and grey. According to the research I've read, after this film dropped into the public domain, no one took the responsibility for preserving it, and as a result the best surviving print has suffered a lot of deterioration. However, I can easily recommend the Image Entertainment version of Strange Love Of Martha Ivers. Please note, that is NOT a blanket endorsement of all Image Entertainment DVD's -for example, they did a TERRIBLE job on another Lizabeth Scott movie, Too Late For Tears -it looks as bad as anything from Alpha or Gotham, yet Image charges a premium price for it. Skip Too Late For Tears, but definitely buy the Image/Hal Roach DVD of Strange Love. And while you're at it, why not write to Paramount Studios, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038, and ask them to give us a DVD of another Barbara Stanwyck film noir, The File On Thelma Jordan (Paramount owns the rights). Let's all let the studios know we will support film noir and other classic films!

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Unfortunately the Blu-ray released in 2012 isn't very good. Its been scanned from not-great prints from the Library of Congress, and then digitally cleaned up a tiny bit, but the result is not remotely up to the level of, say, recent B&W Blu-ray releases of Casablanca or All About Eve. Apparently Paramount itself owns better prints, so in theory there could someday be a better version than this.

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It's pouring rain as this dark noir melodrama opens, and after the night is over, it will always be raining for Martha Ivers. Lewis Milestone directed this tale of a life-long guilt that has festered until misplaced suspicion destroys one person and puts another out of her misery. There are good performances from a great cast, none better than Lizabeth Scott's as a girl down on her luck and hoping against the odds for something good to happen. She is the outside element to three lives bound together since childhood by a crime that has haunted two of them into adulthood.

This is a strange noir in many respects, mostly due to Milestone allowing the moviegoer to see the story in chronological order, rather than using flashbacks. It creates sympathy for the twisted Martha Ivers, because we know how one selfish moment of hatred in her youth set her on a coarse she can not change. It has been raining inside her ever since, until the water is sick and stagnant, but it always keeps coming. At the same time, however, we are rooting for the vulnerable Scott, hoping she'll be the victor in a battle she's not sure she can win.

Judith Anderson is Mrs. Ivers, little Martha's (Janis Wilson) aunt. She's none too nice and on a rainy night Martha causes her death in the heat of the moment, only her pal Walter (Mickey Kuhn) a witness. But they both think their friend Sam (Darryl Hickman) saw the crime also, and ran away. He did run away, but before the event that would change their lives forever.

It is nearly two decades later, and the adult Sam Masterson (Van Heflin) has an accident just outside of Iverstown. It brings back memories of when he was a brash kid, and the girl who now controls both Walter (Kirk Douglass) and the town. He meets the lovely Toni Marachek (Lizabeth Scott) on his first night there and helps her out a bit. She is fresh from jail and though Sam is a WWII veteran, his past is nothing to sneeze at either. There is something beginning between them but fate may decide Toni's future as a past Sam was no part of intrudes on the present.

Barbara Stanwyck is the adult Martha, married to the weaker of the boys from her youth, Walter. But you can tell she always wished it had been Sam who'd stayed that night so long ago. Even though they think he's there to blackmail them, she can't help but throw herself at him, even though she is too far gone on the inside for anything like real love. She does this right in front of her weak husband Walter, who may be more courageous in the end than Martha. Martha has it over on Walter because he loves her, but he is a constant reminder of the past for her. What they have together is a sick and twisted version of the real thing.

The relationship of Sam and Walter sort of mirrors their childhood but Heflin starts to feel sick about it and begins to like Walter, especially when he finally understands why they are so scared he'll tell something he didn't even know about. It's one thing to kill someone, but quite another to let someone else hang for it. All the while Toni has little moments with Sam, hoping it's enough to make him care, and blow Iverstown forever.

Even at the bitter end, there is that moment when you see in Matha's eyes, ever so briefly, that little girl again, and feel sympathy. Douglass is very good in his first screen role and Stanwyck's portrayel of the sad and sick Martha Ivers can stand proudly with any she played in the 1940's. Though her screen time is less by comparison, it is Scott who steals this film, however, as Toni is easily the most memorable character. Even when she isn't around, we are thinking about her plight, wondering where she's at and what will happen to her.

Heflin is solid as always and this is one of the great neglected noirs of the 1940's. There is a great ending where both couples get what they really want, and neither will look back on Iverstown anymore.

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Kalifornia (1993)

Not only is this a completely entertaining flick, but I just discovered a cool tidbit. Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes stop at several points on their crosscountry tour, and the movie provides little "captions" ala "X-Files" from time to time. Six minutes in, they arrive at BRADbury Textile Warehouse in PITTsburgh, Pennsylvania. Twenty-seven minutes in, they're at Novak Farm in FORBES, Tennessee. Then at one hour and six minutes they get to LEWISton Abattoir in Mt. JULIET, Texas. And my favorite, one hour 22 minutes in, they finally arrive at DAVIDson Mine in DEW COVE, NEvada. I know this isn't really a review, but it is so damn cool that I just had to share. Enjoy!

If you come upon this movie after seeing Brad Pitt play one gorgeous leading man character after another and you think he wouldn't have had a chance in Hollywood without his looks, this movie will change your mind. In fact, I wonder whether his great looks have kept him from getting the deep, dark roles he is well capable of playing. Pitt plays a low-life, red-neck, serial killer who is presently living with Juliette Lewis in his hovel of a trailer. He includes the trailer park owner in his long list of victims and then pulls up stakes to leave for California. His way of getting there, with Lewis in tow, is to share travel expenses with two yuppies, a couple, driving there. At this point, the movie adds black comedy and satire to its orginal mix, which lifts it quite a bit above the standard serial killer plotline we've grown accustomed to seeing. David Duchovny is the male yuppie driver and he is a liberal writer who wants to write a book about serial killers. He even has stops along the journey at different crime scenes of various serial killers. The supreme irony is that he doesn't realize he has a serial killer in the back seat of his car while he pontificates endlessly about his book in progress. I know this actor is a big tv star now and one can see by watching this film why one actor became big in tv and the other big in film. Pitt simply eclipses everyone in the movie as far as acting talent with only Juliette Lewis coming close to him in total impact. If you are looking for the typical sexy Brad Pitt movie, this isn't it. If you are looking for Brad Pitt, the actor, this is the movie to see.

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In 1953 Ida Lupino directed a noirish black-and-white road thriller titled *The Hitch-Hiker*. If you want to know more about that movie go here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6305636486/104-2636360-7886367?v=glance

Forty years later Dominic Sena directed the neo-noirish color road thriller *Kalifornia*. The bare-bones plot basics of the two movies are the same: a couple of folks driving through the desert on their way to California give a ride to a stranger who turns out to be a serial killer. But Sena and his crew build upon the simple though effective *Hitch-Hiker* plot to construct a complex, bleaker and more chilling vision of a carload of people on their way deeper and deeper into hell.

Usually David Duchovny's acting fails to move me. But in *Kalifornia* he's perfect as laid-back magazine writer Brian Kessler, wannabe author of a book on famous American serial killers. Kessler embraces a liberal, pop-psych, sympathetic view of the monsters in human form who murder again and again. Always ready to argue that serial killers can be understood if we lay aside our prejudices and try, Kessler aspires to be counted among the few rare intellectuals who really do understand them. I liked the line Earlie Grace says about how "Brian" becomes "brain" if the i and the a are switched. That sums up Kessler well--he floats through life like a brain-shaped balloon filled with helium. Earlie seizes Brian by his string--his ambition to become a famous author--and drags him into a liberal intellectual's worst nightmare.

Kessler's girlfriend, a mannish yet insecure art photographer in black leather named Carrie, is a stand-out role by Michelle Forbes. The relationship she and Duchovny play out is postmodern in a very believable way. Cool, sexy...yet empty.

It's a cliche to use the word awesome, but it's the only one that does justice to Brad Pitt as Earlie Grace, the killer on the road whose mind is squirming like a toad. He's a jaguar. That's what I thought of: Earlie is a big jungle cat, watchful of everything around him with his fixed, glittering eyes that betray no emotion except when the urge to kill is upon him. Earlie's tone of voice falls somewhere between a growl, a snort, and an edgy cat's howl. He's usually hulking and lazy, yet when he needs to be, he's blindlingly swift. When he strikes, it's not with the object of enjoying the violence. His goal is to make his prey dead as fast as he can. Yes, just like a big cat that bites its prey once, hard, on the back of the neck to crush the spine. Yet Earlie can be friendly, even kind. But the people around him, no matter how close he seems to them, are never far from the category of his prey.

Earlie's white trash girlfriend Adele is played convincingly by Juliette Lewis. She's simple, kind-hearted damaged goods with a need to be protected and to see the best in people. That's why she's with Earlie. The friendship that forms between Adele and Carrie is touching.

*Kalifornia* is the kind of thriller that spills over into a horror film. Whenever the plot comes to a point where "either this or that could happen," what usually happens is the worst thing. Earlie tells the nice guy attendant in the gas station he robs that he has to kill him. The guy is so polite that Earlie changes his mind. But then the poor guy has to go and ask Earlie to hand him his Bible from behind the counter. Bad move. Why, we don't quite understand, since Earlie professes belief in God himself. But that's Earlie. You can't predict what a jungle predator will do next.

There are some clever, even symbolic touches in *Kalifornia*. It's interesting that the action culminates in Dreamland, where atom bombs were tested in the Nevada desert. Carrie, the feisty postmodern woman, all attitude with very little substance, ends up like one of the mute test dummies frozen in time, its only purpose being to get blown to pieces. Notice what she does when, at the end, she makes her move against Earlie.

I rate *Kalifornia* 5 stars because 1) it's an improvement upon an earlier great film, because 2) Duchovny got through to me for once with his performance, and because 3) Brad Pitt scares the hell out of me as Earlie Grace.

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Yeah I guess when people think of Brad Pitt they think of the pouting dope in films like Troy, mumbling his way through lines and generally acting like a complete prat. In this film though, he does a real good job.

Like in True Romance where he plays a drugged out bum he does a great job in playing a deranged hick killer. You always know when an actor has done a good job when you forget who he is and just watch the character he plays. Juliette sadly just plays the same role she plays in every other film she does. Nice but dumb hillbilly while the guy from the X files needs to stay there because he really is a bit of a plank in this film.

The basics of the film are, writer with an interest in serial killers decides to take his girlfriend across country searching out the places where some of the most brutal murders in American history took place, picks up smelly hillbilly and girlfriend for the ride (who just so happens is a serial killer) and well.......you can guess the rest.

Good film, worth a look.

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This movie haunted me. Yes, there's Brad Pitt playing against type. David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes are excellent too. But Juliette Lewis is a standout(as usual), and it is her character of Edele who broke my heart; her simplicity, impossible innocence, and sad fate are brought to excrutiating life by a wonderful performance. Despite the fact that she's never caught a break in life, Edele gets up every morning with a sweet disposition, never suspecting that she was born to lose. So sad!

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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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Sneakers

That first time I used my credit card to buy something online, I did so with quite a bit of trepidation, as I had concerns about how easily some hacker type could steal my card number and rack up my debt...since then I've realized many sites do utilize some sort of protection against that kind of thing, but still, the thought of vulnerabilities lingers in my mind...and movies like Sneakers (1992) certainly don't help to quell those concerns...written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), the film stars Robert Redford (Three Days of the Condor) and Sidney Poitier (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Also appearing is David Strathairn (Dolores Claiborne), Dan Aykroyd (Grosse Pointe Blank), the late River Phoenix (My Own Private Idaho), Mary McDonnell (Independence Day), and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi).

In the film, Martin Bishop (Redford) and his colleagues operate a security company who other businesses hire to break into their companies, exposing where their security may be lacking. Each member of the small team has their own, unique background (many involving past criminal activities), but after the group is approached (blackmailed) by a gooberment agency with a proposition to recover a mysterious device (it involves the use of computers and cryptography), it's discovered that Bishop has the most to lose if they don't accept the job. The group manages the acquisition easy enough, but soon find themselves in a heap of trouble as the device turns out to be something of extreme value, a device many would kill to possess. As the web of conspiracy and deceit grows, as does the level of danger (various individuals wind up getting killed), the group must use all their abilities to outwit those intent on stealing the device for themselves, using it for their own, nefarious purposes, and seeing Martin and his co-workers in jail, or even dead.

Sneakers is a deceptive film. I've seen it a few times, the first time I saw it, it appeared to be a light movie (I've read that the makers of the film injected a modest amount of profanity into the script to avoid a `G' rating, for fears the movie would have been perceived as a film for children) with a few, gaping plot holes, but subsequent viewings (for me, at least), reveal it to be a very rich, complex, intelligent, enjoyable thriller with an excellent cast and a tight storyline with little or no mistakes, and the plot holes I originally perceived actually dealt with, many times in very subtle ways, hence the need for repeat viewings (it's important to pay attention to many of the little details provided throughout). Redford and Poitier are the strongest cast members in the film, but they don't necessarily come off that way, as they seem to understand the importance of their parts within the whole of the film, instilling a subtleness within their performances, allowing for the focus to be on the story rather on themselves. This seems to be an obvious sign of their experience, and I found myself appreciating this, as often starring actors tend to be full of themselves, and their efforts on screen show it...originally it seemed to me that the character development was a bit light, but I've since come to feel we're given just exactly what's needed for the story, and anymore would have bordered on the extraneous and unnecessary. Also, it's nice to see a film where Dan Aykroyd plays a relatively minor part, doing what he's told, having nothing to do with the writing or directing (he not only wrote but directed the one of the worst films I've ever seen in 1991's Nothing But Trouble). Also, I usually tend to like women with the longer hair, but I thought Mary McDonnell, with her short hair and all, looked very attractive and added a wonderful, feminine element to this nearly all male cast with her role as Liz, a former lover of Bishop, now assisting the group seemingly out of appreciation of Bishop's past. Director Robinson keeps the pacing tight, and uses the talent within the film well (I supposed this is helped by the fact he also wrote the screenplay, so he has an intimate understanding of the visuals he wants to present in accordance with the story). The McGuffin (a term invented by Alfred Hitchcock to describe the element of the film the plot centers on...he would often present, but rarely elaborate on it, as its' specifics were never important, in his mind, only its' use in providing focus for the story and progressing the plot) seems a bit farfetched, but the smart story and the talented performances do well in creating a level of believability that got through this aspect. Another important feature of the film is the musical score, provided by legendary and prolific composer James Horner (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens). Usually I neglect mentioning the music within a film unless it's either really bad or really good (the latter being the case here). I wonder how many people are aware that he started out composing for low budget producer Roger Corman, working on films like Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids From the Deep, both released 1980. A couple of minor appearances worth looking for are Donal Logue (Blade, The Tao of Steve), James Earl Jones (Clear and Present Danger), and Timothy Busfield (Revenge of the Nerds). Favorite line from the film? When Bishop is talking to the NSA guys and responds, "I could have been in the NSA, but they found out my parents were married."

The widescreen anamorphic picture (1.85:1) looks reasonably fair, and the Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 tracks (available in English, French, and Spanish) sound decent. Special features include an original theatrical trailer for the film, subtitles, informative production notes, background and filmographies of some of the cast and crew, a `making of' featurette, and commentary track by the director. All in all a decent release of a really good film.

Cookieman108

This review refers to the Widescreen Edition(1998 Universal).....

Martin Bishop's(Robert Redford) team of maverick techies make their living(not a great one)as "Sneakers". Breaking into the security systems of high powered companies. It is the high powered companies that actually sign their pay checks. They are hired to find the breakdowns in the systems.The team includes a blindman who is expert in sound(David Strathairn), and ex-CIA agent(Sydney Poitier), a young expert hacker(River Phoenix), and a magician at all sorts of gadgets who is probably the most paranoid person on the face of the earth(Dan Aykroyd).What a Cast!

Martin Bishop though, has a secret he's been keeping from his team. One that has kept him on the run from the government for 25 years. When the government agents offer him a chance to clean up his record, simply by finding and retrieving a "Black Box" used by a mathematical genius for decoding, Martin jumps at the chance and so do the rest of the guys(It also pays really good too!). The job seems easy enough, but what they don't know may kill them. This "box" is so powerful in it's capabilities, that any any Government in the world would kill for it.

The team, also with the help of Bishop's ex(Mary McDonnell) goes into a high-tech action caper,that is heartstopping,gripping, and often comical.It'll thrill and amaze you as they use their weapons of knowledge to complete their mission.

The film is directed by Phil Alden Robinson, and also stars Ben Kingsley, Timothy Busfield, and James Earl Jones.You can't go wrong with all these great names. All the performances are terrific.

I was not totally happy with this edition of the DVD though. Although the sound in Dolby Surround was quite good and the anamorphic widescreen(1.85:1)was well presented there seemed to be a reddish glow hovering on all the indoor scenes(almost like a new TV the needs the tint adjusted). It was a little hard on the eyes. Otherwise I probably would've gone 5 stars as this is one of the cleverist capers I have seen. Don't look for too much on the extras. There are a few, some production notes(no live commentary) filmographies, and a trailer. It is also captioned and has subtitles in English, Spanish and French.Maybe the newer edition has the color problem cleaned up. It would be worth renting it at least...enjoy...Laurie

also recommended:

The Chase

Buy Sneakers Now

SNEAKERS is one of those movies that didn't have a great box office run despite being a fantastic film. It fortunately has found a second life in the video market, maintaining a respectable, though not stellar, presence on best-seller lists. Why does it continue to convert audiences a decade after release? Because it's everything we expect of a fun summer movie, but don't usually get.

You know that feeling you have the day before a summer blockbuster is going to be released? That one of total anticipation that tells you this movie is going to be the best thing you've ever seen? And then you go to the movie and it totally disappoints you because the characters were made of cardboard. the action scenes were implausible, and the romance was just set decoration?

SNEAKERS is not that film. SNEAKERS entirely satisfies. In fact, SNEAKERS is, in my estimation, the very best (fictional) action film of the 1990s.

At the heart of the film is a very clever, character-based script. It combines tried and true Grecian tragedy with thoroughly modern humor, cool gadgets, and genuine intrigue. The relationships between Redford and McDonnell-like the friendship between Redford and Kingsley--is mature and complex, bringing true character development in its wake.

All of it is made possible by phenomenal acting. No one (except maybe James Earl Jones) is playing to type. Redford is very much a reluctant hero, less than confident in his abilities, and having romantic difficulties with the fact that he's middle-aged and alone. Dan Aykroyd gives one of his very best performances because he's playing a character whose eccentricities help define him rather than label him. He's not really playing `funny' so much as `quirky'. David Strathairn steals every scene he's in with his alternately comic and tragic performance of a highly capable blind team member. Sidney Poitier, meanwhile, is surprisingly adept at playing lighthearted comedy, and Ben Kingsley makes an unusually menacing enemy-far, far different than his sainted performances in GANDHI and SCHINDLER'S LIST. It's a true ensemble production in which everyone pulls their load with aplomb.

Why, then, didn't this film do better at the box office?

The very fact that this film successfully integrated thriller, comedy, romance and adventure into a single script may have hurt. It was somewhat hard to market because it WAS so richly textured. Also, the fact that it was an original script meant there was no built-in audience chomping at the bit to see it. 1992 was a year dominated by derivative films (ALADDIN, HOME ALONE 2, BATMAN RETURNS and LETHAL WEAPON 3 were the top four movies that year, grossing over $300 million each worldwide), and it was hard for an original voice to be heard. Still, it did make about $70 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest grossers of that year's original films.

Whatever the case of its box office's history, you need to make this film a part of your DVD collection's present. No, there's not much in the way of DVD extras, but sound is important to the plot, and you'll want the crisper audio DVD has to offer. Hopefully, though, they'll make a Collector's Edition of this film for its 10 year anniversary, because the dearth of extra materials is fairly inexcusable. With this many stellar cast members, there must've been great stories about the set.

Read Best Reviews of Sneakers Here

I really enjoy this movie, and was very happy to see it released by Universal on HD-DVD. This movie has a lot of big names in it, and they really deliver. It has great suspenseful moments, international intrigue, a believable plot, and a lot of humorous moments that are actually funny! There are plenty of other places to look if you are looking for a synopsis of the movie, including the standard DVD page, so I'll leave it to them to tell you about the movie if you don't already know it.

My review here will be about the HD transfer itself. Overall, I was really impressed! It's a definite jump from the standard DVD, even upconverted. I might even go so far as to say that some selected scenes look incredible. Most of the scenes in Sneakers are dialogue, and a lot of people in them, and I noticed that the clarity of people's faces and eyes was great. The shots of the buildings, and the Scrabble tiles being rearranged I thought were great. For the most part though, the PQ is good, but certainly not demo material.

There is definitely some grain noticable, but I was happy to find it wasn't distracting. Even in some of the darker scenes where I expected some heavy grain, the grain was only noticable, not obtrusive. The sound is also excellent. I don't know if it is better than the S-DVD, but I had no complaints with the 5.1 soundtrack. Sure I would have loved me some lossless audio, but I didn't expect it and it isn't really a big deal to me that it isn't there.

I have only 2 complaints about this disc. First, I wish Universal had cleaned it up a bit better. There were a fair amount of "flecks" floating through the picture throughout. Of course, once I stopped focusing on the picture and enjoyed my movie, I didn't notice them except for a few brief moments, but they are definitely there. Is it hard to clean the master? I was a bit disappointed in that area, as most films in HD are extremely clean, with flecks only occasionally. These were fairly constant. My second complaint is extremely minor and more personal, but I wish there were some Spanish subtitles.

Overall, I am very happy with this disc, and would definitely recommend the purchase to anyone who enjoyed the movie. It's a definite improvement from the S-DVD. It's certainly not a movie I'd pop in to show off my TV for friends, but then I never expected that. The only thing that I wish had been done differently would have been for a cleaner transfer, removing some of the larger and more noticable flecks.

Bottom line? If you like this movie, this is a must have. It is an excellent step up from the standard DVD.

Want Sneakers Discount?

Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier head a fine cast in SNEAKERS, a solid 1992 thriller with a robust sense of humor directed and co-written with good skill by Phil Alden Robinson (FIELD OF DREAMS). In it, Redford, who has been on the run since 1969 for computer hacking in that politically turbulent time, heads up a team of security experts known as "sneakers", whose job it is to penetrate the security set-ups of their respective clients to give them tips whenever those companies' security systems are lacking. Then two guys (Timothy Busfield; Eddie Jones) claiming to be from the National Security Agency give Redford the biggest task of all: to recover a "little black box" from a Czech scientist visiting in the San Francisco Bay Area.

But when they find out what this little black box does, they realize that they could be marked for death. For this box is actually a machine that can break any security codes to every single system on the planet. And when Busfield and Jones turn out NOT to be NSA representatives and renege on the arrangement they made with him, Redford is forced to confront an old friend (Ben Kingsley) from his past who is now out to take revenge.

Structured with elements of techno-thrillers, spy thrillers, and fears of Big Brother, and combined with goodly amounts of humor, SNEAKERS moves quite briskly through its 125-minute running time. Suspenseful moments, including Redford having to move ultra-slowly through a highly secured area to recover the box in Kingsley's complex, are juxtaposed with moments of political humor, including Dan Aykroyd's conspiracy-obsessed technician, and in the film's introductory scene, in which the younger versions of Redford and Kingsley think of transfering the money in Richard Nixon's personal checking account to the National Association to Legalize Marijuana. As rightly mentioned in Amazon's review of the film, that little black box that can break every code functions as what Hitchcock calls a "McGuffin", a plot device that may not mean much to us until we realize why people want it so badly they'd kill for it. This, combined with fears of the government functioning as "Big Brother", make SNEAKERS every bit as relevant today as when it was released in 1992, perhaps even more so.

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