The Punisher / Punisher: War Zone (Two-Pack) (2011)

The movies come as two fully cased movies wrapped together with cellophane. I expected two disks in one case. This is not a big deal, but good information to know (especially if you are running out of room in the media cabinet, like I am.)

1. This was great how they put both Punisher movies in one Blu-Ray pack!

The PunisherIt my been a little too slow at parts, but it was well filmed and when the action starts it's really hardcore! Especially the fight between the Punisher (Thomas Jane) and the Russian (Kevin Nash)! It's one of the goofiest and violent fights you'll ever see! Plus the movie has a great cast with John Travolta as the lead villan! Over all; this movie was a great story about death, grief, revenge, and lots of guns! My grade; B+ ,or; four stars!

The Punisher: War ZoneThe kept true to the comic books for the most part, but the movie went a little too over the top with the violence, to choppy with the story's pace, plus Ray Stevenson had little more to do than look gloomy half the time! But the action is a little more hardcore than the first movie, a most of the characters are memorable! My grade; C ,or; two stars!

Bottom line: if you are a Punisher fan, this Blu-Ray is for you!

Buy The Punisher / Punisher: War Zone (Two-Pack) (2011) Now

Both movies are great but I enjoy the first a little more. Definitely films I will watch again and again.

Read Best Reviews of The Punisher / Punisher: War Zone (Two-Pack) (2011) Here

"Punisher" was really good (four stars). It had action and decent story-telling. I would call it superior by far to the one that starred Dulf Lundgren that came out several years ago. Would suggest it to comic book fans and fans of good action films.

"War Zone" wasn't as good (2.5 stars) It had a different actor and the storytelling was lacking, and it also didn't really transition from the first film. Although the action sequences were ok, I would only suggest it to die-hard fans.

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This movie is really fun to watch and I like the part where he punishes people severely hurting them for their injustices.

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Wizards (Ralph Bakshi) (1977)

Wizards (1977) aka War Wizards (the name was changed at the behest of George Lucas as he thought two movies released at the same time by the same studio with war in the title, his being Star Wars, would have been off-putting to movie goers) written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, was certainly a departure from some of his previous adult animation works, Fritz the Cat (1972) and Heavy Traffic (1973), but provided Bakshi the opportunity to show he could create a animated feature for all viewers, young and old, that spoke to the viewer on intelligent terms. Were all viewers ready to hear what he had to say? No, and given the subsequent release of Star Wars (like two weeks later) Wizards, which had been enjoying a great amount of success, got pushed out of theaters to allow for space for George Lucas' epic space opera. With this release of Wizards on DVD, maybe now his film will garner the recognition it deserved so long ago.

The story goes that the Earth gets consumed in apocalyptic fire as man unleashes his most terrible achievement upon himself, and many years after his destruction, various forms of life begin to come forth, including fairies, elves, pixies along with mutants, beings once humans but changed over thousands of years of exposure to radiation. Almost all technology is gone, wiped from the face of the Earth, and, in its' place, magic has prospered. Born of the same mother are two brothers who become powerful wizards, one good, Avatar, and the other evil, Blackwolf. After a tremendous battle, Avatar vanquishes Blackwolf, but not before Blackwolf issues a statement that indicates he will not go quietly into that good night.

Blackwolf, now residing in the poisoned lands with the mutants and nasty things, puts together a massive army, but one lacking proper motivation, and, subsequently, they are easily defeated any time they are sent forth into battle. Tired of his inability to advance proper on his enemies and gain ground, Blackwolf commands that his followers dig up once forgotten technology, hoping to find aid within the scattered remnants of the powerful technology of old. His salvation comes in the form of propaganda films created by the Germans during WWII. Likening himself to the leader of the German forces during this past conflict, Blackwolf uses the films to not only motivate his troops, but to instill fear and dread among his enemies, showing the films in the sky during the battles.

This prompts Avatar, his female fairy charge Elinore, the leader of the Elves named Weehawk, and Blackwolf's captured/converted assassin robot re-named peace, to embark on an adventure to discover the source of Blackwolf's new power, and destroy it. Can this heroic group effectively end Blackwolf's reign of terror and end his powerful war machine before all is lost? There's a nice bit of irony at the end, one that really suited the feature.

So, is the film any good? I have read many opinions that will tell you it's not, and I can understand why this film would put some off, but I really enjoyed the movie. Bakshi's goal, as I understood it, was to create an animated feature with heart, one that didn't talk down to its' audience, as do other animated features released by other companies, i.e. Disney, do at times. His animation style definitely unconventional, is certainly distinctive, and swims with realism, despite the surface superficialities. I really loved how he incorporated live action footage into the film, enveloping it with animation, creating an eerie superimposed background to various scenes within the movie. The film was rated PG at the time of it's release, so I would be wary of showing it to younger viewers, but I think it's a really wonderful alternative full of heart to the shiny, happy, uber-clean, product tie-in animation put out by the larger profit-driven studios. There's nothing wrong with wanting to make a profit, certainly, but sometimes it seems like these films tend to cater to the lowest common denominator, and be more contrived to make money rather than entertain. The animation may seem crude, disturbing, and misogynistic at times, but this is animation with the sugar coating peeled away, mirroring elements within our society. Do people want to see this in an animated feature? Maybe not, but I enjoyed it, but may find myself hard presses to recommend it to all but the more discriminating viewer.

The picture looks really good here in wide screen anamorphic, and there are some wonderful special features including a commentary track by writer/director Ralph Bakshi, theatrical trailers and TV spots for the film, a still gallery with conceptual drawings, and a featurette titled `Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation'. This provides a wonderful look into the making of Wizards, and Bakshi also provides tons of background on himself, how he got started, his difficulties and successes within the animation business, his motivations for his films, his contempt for animation that talks down to audiences, and his experiences with various individuals during his career. This is the only featuette he's doing for any of his releases, mainly due to his affinity for the project. Some of his comments, especially the ones hinting towards various conspiracies leveled at him, make him sound a little nutty, but make for entertaining viewing. All in all, an excellent release of a great little animated film that went against the conventional grain. Also, keep an ear out for a voice appearance by Mark Hamill as Sean, king of the fairies.

Cookieman108

While it is certainly not for young children, older teens and adults will get a real kick out of "Wizards". Set in a post-apocalyptic world wrought by radiation due to a nuclear holocaust, most humans have died, and the population consists mainly of elves, fairies, dwarves, and then the mutants. The world is in danger from the threat of technology, brought upon by the evil wizard, Blackwolf. It is up to his brother, the comical, yet good hearted wizard, Avatar, to stop him. Joining Avatar in his quest are Weehawk, chief of a tribe of warrior elves, Elenor, fairy princess of the land of Montagar, and Peace, a former assassin of Blackwolf's (formerly known as Necron 99) who changes his ways and fights against the threat of technology. The WWII references abound, and there are many more adult-oriented references throughout. It dares to go where cartoons usually do not, making allusions to sex, prostitution, religion, and there's even a rather racist Vietnam reference if you can catch it. However, I still highly recommend "Wizards", because in all it's brashness, it deserves to be seen. What the animation lacks in quality, it more than makes up for in imagination. It's quite funny, and it also delivers some unexpected twists. I personally really like the way it was done. The music really seems to fit the overall style of it, and the wonderful character designs and voice acting really pulls it all together. I definetely recommend it to anyone searching for something creative and different, and I'm sure any fan of cult classics will definetely want to check it out. However, I stress the importance of having an open mind. I think those who are more open to controversial subject matter will be able to better enjoy it, with all it's dark humor and it's alternative-type feel. I think it is something that everyone should see at least once. It deserves more credit than it has been given, and I think that it will really make people stop and think about our world, and about themselves.

Buy Wizards (Ralph Bakshi) (1977) Now

Unless my memory has failed me utterly this film came out just as I was finishing up graduate school. Bakshi was already something of a god to the revolutionarily inclined of my generation, and there was no question but that a group of us were going to see it. We were wowed, enthralled, and heartened by Bakshi's brilliant combination of a strong story and inventive animation back then. And today, years later, I found myself thinking feeling the same way while watching it again.

For three weeks the film was a smash hit, when one of those weird accidents of fate happen and Wizards was pushed of the stage by the arrival of Star Wars. Suddenly Bakshi's fable was relegated to fond memorys, only to reappear in retrospectives and campus theaters. As you will find out when you listen to the excellent Bakshi interview (more of a monologue), Wizards was the film dearest to the artists heart, the one he felt was his best accomplishment.

Despite its rough language, partial nudity, and high level of violence, Bakshi though of this as a children's tale, albeit one that hewed closer to the true than the sugar coated fantasies that were coming out of Disney's studios. Set in far post apocalyptic times, two brothers are born to a queen of the fairies. One at distorted mutant (Blackwolf) and the other normal (Avatar), both potent wizards. The inevitable clash between then happened, and this is the story of the end of a 3,000 year struggle between the two over the fate of the world.

The story shifts between the two wizards. First the machinations and plots of Blackwolf, as he unearths archaic Nazi technology and turns it into an weapon designed to erase the magical from the world. Then the journey of Avatar and two elvish friends, Elinore and the warrior Weehawk, who are seeking the source of Blackwolf's power.

The story is told with a deft hand as both the narrator and the characters use humor more than dramatic horror to bring the lessons of the film home. The horror, especially that of the battlefield and the aftermath of war is never far behind. In fact it is the these grim scenes that Bakshi displays some of his greatest genius in illustration, using stock footage, illustration, and collage to build an unnerving context.

Even years later, jaded by many hours watching anime, this film still works artistically, and works well. In addition, its messages about the risks of over-dependence on technology and the inevitable losses of war ae just as fresh now, if not fresher. Bakshi was right, Wizards is his best work.

Read Best Reviews of Wizards (Ralph Bakshi) (1977) Here

This is one of the most original and creative films of the fantasy genre. It takes place after a global nuclear war. Two brothers, each a wizard in his own right, go toe to toe in their final confrontation. The film uses a lot of slapstick for comic relief mainly because some of the subject matter is so serious. Bakshi juxtaposes magic against technology and sixties style love against Nazi style hate. The overlying message is that somtimes when it comes down to it, the ends may very well justify the means, and that those who hate cause their own destruction.

Bakshi's use of stock footage is masterful, and his animation is top notch. The characters are very archetypal, but each has a quirk or flaw that makes them unique. Also the voice acting is quite good.

This is probably one of the most misunderstood fantasy films ever made. But once you get past the presentation and look at it on a deeper level, you realise that it is a stroke of genius.

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A movie lost between others, this feature used to be a staple "Midnight Show" along with Clockwork Orange & Rocky Horror. Its a simple tale that is easy to follow and exemplifies one of the oldest lessons learnable. Those who choose to forget the past are doomed to repeat it. As the evil wizard comes across ancient film of the 3rd Reich, he sees the discipline & motivation as a way to train his own (formerly inept) army. But the world (post apocolypse) has become a better, quieter, more beautiful place & most folks don't want to change. Enter the younger, seemingly simple wizard brother to "fix" the problem once and for all.

Simple to follow, an easy movie to enjoy with friends/family or even alone. There are scores of KeyNotes throughout the movie to base a college level thesis on... but as a linear story, the less you attempt to "make something mean something else" the more you'll enjoy the ride. PEACE BABY!!

Oliver & Company: 25th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray/ DVD Combo Pack) (1988)

During the 80's, the studio hit an artistic, creative, and commercial slump. However, I still find that I quite enjoy Disney's 80's films, many of which experimented with computer animation, non-musical storylines, and different source materials. One of my favorite pre-Little Mermaid 80's Disney films is Oliver and Company. Boasting a soundtrack filled with great songs and a wonderful cast of characters, Oliver and Company finally gets the DVD treatment, albeit a less-than-stellar one.

For one, the transfer is good, but it could be much better and it has a fair amount of grain.

The bonus features could have been much better as well. A few fluff EPK-type featurettes, which are nice, but still fluffy, are sadly enough the meat of the bonuses. Also included, fortunately, are the original trailer, original TV spot, and the 1995 re-release trailer. Two sing-alongs are included as well as two classic Disney short cartoons.

Overall, it's nice to see Oliver and Company on DVD at last. This is probably the best DVD edition Disney will give it for at least a while, so if you're considering picking it up, go for it.

Poor, abandoned kitten Oliver is homeless on the streets of 1980s New York City, until he meets a streetwise dog named Dodger. The cool canine takes Oliver under his wing and, with the help of the rest of his all-dog pickpocket gang, begins to teach him how to survive on the wrong side of the law. But when one of their con jobs goes awry, Oliver ends up in the hands of a sweet, lonely, little rich girl named Jenny. Suddenly, Oliver is living the high-life in a Fifth Avenue penthouse, much to the chagrin of Jenny's prize-winning, pampered poodle, Georgette. When the old gang shows up to rescue Oliver from his ritzy new life, they're disappointed to find that he wants to stay with Jenny. Their human ringleader, Fagin, however, is more than happy to send Oliver home, if he can get a healthy ransom in the process. Fagin isn't really a bad guy, he's just one step above homeless and has a really nasty loan-shark breathing down his neck. Jenny shows up on the dark and dangerous docks to pay Oliver's ransom and rescue her little kitty, and her sadness is too much for Fagin to take, but loan-shark Sykes has no troubles from a conscience and sees a chance to make even more dirty money. He snatches up Jenny and plans to hold HER for ransom! Suddenly, Oliver, Dodger, Fagin and the gang find themselves on a desperate rescue mission to save Jenny from the ruthless Sykes and his bloodthirsty Doberman Pinschers, Roscoe and Desoto, and even Georgette is getting in on the heroic action!

There's no doubt about it, Disney's wonderfully charming classic "Oliver and Company" is one of the most dated animated films you'll ever see. Of course, that's a big part of its charm. What could be more "`80s" than 1980s New York City? How about the music of Billy Joel and Huey Lewis? I know they were two favorites of mine in the `80s! Okay, to be honest, Billy Joel and Huey Lewis aside, the `80s is something you look back on and mock rather than view fondly, especially the clothes, and Oliver and Company captures that aspect, along with many others, perfectly. So, it's dated. Everything is, really. Call it nostalgia. Anywho, as strongly `80s as "Oliver and Company" is, it rises above it! It is simply a great film! That's something that's easy to forget if you haven't seen it in a while. "Oliver and Company" is Disney's twist on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," and it is an EXCELLENT modernization! All the best characters are there, and the cast is star-studded! The piano man himself, Billy Joel, voices the artful Dodger, a canine so cool he puts Snoopy to shame (we still love ya, Snoopy)! The hilarious Cheech Marin is Tito the Chihuahua, animation alumnus Dom Deluise is Fagin, the divine Bette Midler is one of Disney's funniest characters as Georgette, Robert Loggia is the excellently slimy villain, Sykes, and a very young Joey Lawrence plays Oliver, just to name a few! With seamlessly incorporated computer animation and painstakingly acquired "dog's eye view" shots of New York City, "Oliver and Company" was the film that kicked off Disney's big comeback as an animation heavyweight, though this cute little film was easily forgotten in the wake of Disney's mega-hit, "The Little Mermaid," the following year. But don't let that stop you from enjoying the magic of "Oliver and Company" yourself! Even the soundtrack is terrific, despite that it is powerfully "80s." And, it's amazing how well Disney has translated "Oliver Twist" into a tale about cats and dogs on the streets of New York without losing the heart of the tale and its underlying messages. The DVD is fantastic as well, especially for a single-disc Disney release! This is the way DVDs should be! In addition to the widescreen presentation of the film, you get a behind the scenes featurette from the original theatrical release, 2 shorter featurettes, a TV spot, theatrical trailers, a scrapbook gallery of art and other materials, 2 sing-along-songs, and the best part: You get two classic Disney shorts! Included as extras are "Puss Cafe," a hilarious Pluto cartoon where the pup goes up against two troublesome felines invading his backyard, and "Lend a Paw," the Oscar winning Mickey Mouse short in which Pluto saves a kitten from drowning and quickly regrets it. Outstanding stuff, and an amazing selection of extras for a single-disc Disney DVD! Rediscover this Disney Classic on DVD today! You won't regret it!

Buy Oliver & Company: 25th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray/ DVD Combo Pack) (1988) Now

This Disney release is a joy especially considering the poor film-only DVD releases of late on Region 2 format.

Oliver and Company has been given a quality treatment and the DVD boasts the new technology with an animated menu and sound (not just a static picture). From the menu you can choose your various options including the well-endowed Bonus Features section.

The Bonus Features are fitting and plentiful including a lovely animated short (cartoon) called `Puss Café' from Disney's Golden Age. The 14 page extensive gallery with conceptual art, character development and layouts makes for good viewing and is a rare peak in to the wonderful making of the film progress which is also documented in an ample featurette.

In addition to these features Disney have also included a short featurette on the theatrical re-release of the film as well as a featurette on the animation of Disney animals throughout Disney history a gem of a bonus on this disc.

In true Disney style, as on R1 DVD releases, the DVD also has two Sing Along features.

The presentation, detail and consideration that has gone in to this DVD release sets a high standard for the new wave of UK DVDs from Disney. The included documentaries feature interviews with Bette Midler and Billy Joel et al. and are padded with interesting information which fans will welcome.

This film is a historic one for Disney just note the trial of CGI and rebirth of Disney magic under the omniscient eye of Roy Disney in his foundation attempts to regain dwindling love for the House of Mouse.

A winning feature with no flaws and many paws.

Read Best Reviews of Oliver & Company: 25th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray/ DVD Combo Pack) (1988) Here

So Happy this is finally coming out on Blu-Ray Disk. Oliver and Company is a fun take on the Dickens Classic. No it doesn't follow Dickens. It's just based on the idea. Great movie.

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I really adore this movie. It's been one of my favorites for a while. The songs are really good and I've memorized them all. My favorite song is definitley "Once Upon a Time in New York City". It matches my voice perfectly which is odd because it's also my favorite song.

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Spring Breakers (2013)

A true modern exploitation masterpiece, Harmony Korine delivers on every single level and then some. Great performances all around... yes even from James Franco. His character is so vile and outrageous, definitely a career best from him in my opinion. The green band trailer really does not do this film justice, what's offered here really is a tour de force. I can't wait to buy the DVD and watch this over and over again. By far the best film of 2013 so far. Highly recommended!

I suspect that young people old enough to see this movie, thinking it was another "Project X" or something like it, were in for a surprise. Sure the movie starts out with all the "B's", i.e. booze, beer, bongs, babes and boobs. And make no mistake, there are plenty to each to go around. But there some shockers on the way.

The story has 4 extremely bored small town coeds focused on getting to the sugary beaches of St. Petersburg, Florida. Running short of cash, three of the girls (Vanessa Hudgens, Rachel Korine wife of director Harmony Korine and Ashley Benson) decide to knock over the local Chicken Shack. It works and later they reunite with the fourth girl, Faith (Selena Gomez) whose name is consistent with her religion. Off they go and when they get there, its party hardy with Faith pulling back a bit and Cotty (Korine) at the other extreme.

In a night of debauchery, the cops haul the young cuties in to the calaboose still in their bikinis. An observer from the beach scene earlier, "Alien" (James Franco) bails the ladies from the grips of the man. Franco in full-on crazy complete with cornrows, a grill and a pimped out Z-28 Camero is quite the character. Raised in the hood, he's all that, just white. He's also trouble, but the visceral excitement he brings is an aphrodisiac to 3 of the girls. Faith, the early focus of Alien's interest has the good sense to head back home.

Sometimes ultra-violent, always sexy, often comedic and usually campy, "Spring Breakers" takes a Tarantino-like turn that takes 2 of the more frisky gals (Candy and Brit) into new territory. Certainly not for everyone, I found the movie exhilarating, highly entertaining and way out of the mainstream.

Buy Spring Breakers (2013) Now

This is one of the best movies I've seen in the last few years. A strange, bizarre fever dream. Bright and colorful. It scares and arouses you. Franco has never been better. Make sure you catch this in the theatre.

Read Best Reviews of Spring Breakers (2013) Here

I can see why Spring Breakers is meeting with the greatest financial success of anything Korine's done-well, aside from the fact that the title and poster gives it a built-in "confused audience" who will go in thinking this film is something that it is not. All the revenue-friendly acres of skin totally aside, the film is just plain more slick and mainstream-friendly in its overall look and feel than most of Korine's earlier efforts.

Korine's made mostly uncomfortable films, but in Spring Breakers, most of my discomfort stems from the fact that the main characters (save Alien, whom I never would have encountered on campus to begin with) are the very same types of people I went out of my way to avoid back in college. This film is as close as I ever want/wanted to get to the real spring break experience... and particularly on the big screen, it's close enough, thank you.

But while the slo-mo party sequences seem believable enough to me, my biggest problem with Spring Breakers lies in its believability. Practically out of the box, we see the girls engaging in a criminal act that would be well outside the behavioral scope of 99.999% of college-enrolled millennials, no matter how totally self-absorbed.

That act, as it turns out, is needed groundwork for what happens later in the film, after the four girls meet with James Franco's Alien character for the first time. Alien is a "street entrepreneur." He acts not so much as a devious corrupting influence on the girls, more as a natural catalyst for bringing out their barely-hidden inner sociopaths. If not for the early crime the girls took on of their own volition, we'd never be able to buy what happens after they meet Alien.

Franco's portrayal of Alien is really, really great and truly believable, at least to the point of what he's given to work with in realizing the character. But therein lies the problem: again, in the real world, a foursome of college-enrolled girls would tolerate Alien's creepy advances for about five minutes before bolting, no matter how deep-running their bad-girl streak. Instead, they inexplicably stick around and ultimately help him form a merry, scantily-clad band of gangstas, leading to the film's admittedly fun and totally absurd third-act climax, none of which ever would have happened in a million, billion years in reality.

There are other believability problems with Alien himself which aren't Franco's fault. Namely, we are supposed to believe he's a big / rising player in his local underworld, requisite for the plot to advance as it does. Alien's definitely not the sharpest razor in the pack. If this were the real world, he'd have ended up popped from one boneheaded move or another before advancing past the corner-dealer stage. But answering deeper questions about his actual suitability as a major criminal force on-screen would definitely cause the desired plot trajectory to come completely apart, so we're just shown a bunch of dope / guns / cash and asked to buy in.

This film moves surprisingly slowly. The slowest-moving section is the first act, the process of the girls figuring out how to get out of Dodge, slow / overdone to the point where when they finally get to meet Alien roughly at the film's midway mark, it already felt like third-act time to me.

Maybe Korine wanted us to get to know these characters in detail, but there's simply not enough to them as people to get to know. The four central girls are purposely one-dimensional characters with nary a personal thought or genuinely reflective tendency in their heads, and I'm quite sure that's by Korine's design, so he should have known better than to try and explore what simply isn't there.

Adding to the pacing issue is the repetitious, heavy-handed editing. In addition to repeating scenes as flashback fodder, Korine is fond of playing snippets of the same dialogue over and over during montages to "make points" about the characters or over-explain their motivations. It's irritating and unnecessary. I can't emphasize enough how much better the film would have been without this eye-roll-generating dialogue-looping. I was reminded of The Room's endless "transitional" shots of the Golden Gate Bridge except that I rolled my eyes *less* at that.

I strongly disagree with a read of Spring Breakers as some kind of "cautionary tale." To do so would be pure cynicism about millennials, borne of the perpetual generation gap. I don't think much of what happens in this movie could possibly apply or happen to real people resembling these archetypes. I left the theater saying, "So... what was the point of all that?", which is something I sort of expected going in based on past exposure to Korine's work.

Still, the film did stick with me somehow. The visuals / cinematography make up somewhat in terms of realism for the aforementioned problems with plot, dialogue and character development/interaction, giving the film a distinctive, palpable vibe.

This is a guilty pleasure movie, not even so much for the copious amount of flesh on display, but just as a pure escapist / style flick that does have just a little more brains, soul, and squirm-in-your-chair to it than the average mainstream escapist flick.

Is it an arthouse film? If so, barely. Is it a must-see? I definitely wouldn't say that either, but at the very least it should make for interesting water-cooler discussions with the fellow indoctrinated.

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I am probably just as surprised as you are: Spring Breakers is actually a really good movie.

It follows a deceptively simple plot, of a Good Girl and her longtime friends, three Bad Girls, who are bored in their university setting and are desperate for any kind of change. Their solution is to go to Florida for a wild and unforgettable Spring Break. Even after saving money for months, they are unable to afford this excursion, prompting the Bad Girls to rob a local eatery.

The bad behavior continues at the Spring Break resort town, eventually landing them in a local jail and involved in a greater crime ring. One of the drug lords is played to over-the-top perfection by James Franco, who delivers a chilling yet comical portrayal.

The story is told with an engaging intensity unique to films of this genre; we've seen plenty of movies like this before, of young girls gone wild, so the direction doesn't waste time on the narrative. What's interesting is how the story is told, through lucid montages flashing around through time and space, often with disembodied voice-overs describing the sequence we are viewing, as told by characters before or after the incident actually takes place.

Take one scene, for instance: We know the girls are going to get into trouble. We knew that from the movie poster. So for the scene in which they get arrested, we get flashes of the different girls in police cars with red and blue lights shining on their faces; then we return back to the incident in which they get arrested. This constant back-and-forth makes this movie, whose narrative is otherwise simple, consistently compelling.

But it's not just the storytelling that makes Spring Breakers a fascinating work, but the story and theme itself. Simple, yes, but also profound. This is a twisted representation of the American dream, almost a contemporary remake of Where the Boys Are, of young women rejecting mainstream society and opt to make a life for themselves in any way they can. The plays of power move so instantaneously and so driven by individual initiative, that one can't watch without the unsettling feeling that power, and perceptions of it, are so fluid.

On its surface, Spring Breakers is a sticky, neon trip of house music and marijuana smoke but at its heart (or lack of one), it is a disturbing and revealing look at what we value in our American life, and how far we will go to achieve it.

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High and Low (The Criterion Collection) (1963)

BEWARE: SPOILER ALERT

Very rarely does a film improve upon the book on which it is based. It takes a visual master, working with an excellent screenwriter, to convey as much detail about a story as an author. However, Akira Kurosawa's High and Low manages to do it. The source novel, Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novel King's Ransom is a well written thriller that, nonetheless, doesn't really stay with the reader afterwards. Kurosawa, however, better known for his samurai epics, took McBain's story and gave it a depth never realized in the book. The famed director stays faithful to the novel, but fleshes out a simple detective story into a drama that makes social commentary as well as entertains.

McBain's Douglas King never really earns the reader's sympathy -even though we can understand his motives. Toshiro Mifune's Kingo Gondo, in contrast, becomes a three-dimensional sympathetic character. Both men have their entire financial well-being at stake in the form of a hostile takeover bid for control of a shoe company. Both men, at first, behave selfishly, refusing to pay the ransom even though they are risking their chauffeur's son's life. However, McBain's Douglas King never shows the humanity that Mifune's Gondo does. Kurosawa adds a scene, not in the book, where Gondo pays the ransom and saves the kidnapped child. Even though his business deal is now dead and he is broke, he still reacts with relief and joy when the kidnappers return the chauffeur's son. It's an emotional payoff that McBain's book is sorely lacking and helps to flesh out the character.

Gondo is also a more sympathetic character partially due to the fact that his actions are at least partially dictated by Japan's rigid caste system. Japanese society is broken up into social strata whereby the rich and powerful expect the lower classes to know their place. This division of influence, unlike in the United States, is generally accepted, even by those on the lower end of the scale. This isn't just the way Mifune's Gondo thinks -EVERYONE thinks that way in Japan. However, Kurosawa, while he understands the mindset of Japanese society, is also critical of it. Kurosawa shows that when Gondo pays the ransom and saves the boy, even at the cost of his financial well-being, the Japanese people, as a whole, hail Gondo as a hero. Our sympathies are clearly supposed to be with the chauffeur and his son, even though it goes against every principle of the Japanese caste system. This commentary gives High and Low a depth that McBain's novel lacked.

In the novel, McBain hedges his bets morally. One of the kidnappers is a vile hardened criminal. However, the other two kidnappers, a husband and wife, are more sympathetic, particularly the wife who doesn't know about the plan until it is already in effect. In the end, the kidnappers get away and the chauffeur's son, Bobby, refuses to aid police in their capture. In addition, the police are seen as somewhat disjointed with some detectives with personalities and egos that irritate other policemen.

Kurosawa, in contrast, concentrates on one central kidnapper, a vile person who exploits drug addicts to do his dirty work and then kills them when he gets what he wants. McBain's subplot about the husband and wife is distracting, even though his kidnappers, with their self-doubt and streaks of conscience, seem to be a more balanced and realistic portrayal. In addition, the police are seen as a cohesive unit who forgo ego in order to catch the kidnapper. However, this is more a reflection of Japanese society, with its emphasis on team effort rather than individual glory, than a pie-in-the-sky idealized vision of the police. McBain's portrayal of the police is probably close to what an American police squad is like. Still, Kurosawa's vision is more satisfying. The police pursue the criminal and bring him to justice. Ironically, the resolution of the film, made in Japan, is probably much more satisfying to Americans than the resolution of the book, written by an American.

King's Ransom has an interesting plot. But author Ed McBain has only provided a good skeleton of a story. Akira Kurosawa, in contrast, has taken the exciting, but conventional story and turned it into a memorable cinematic masterpiece.

Watched this a few days ago for about the fifth time and have been thinking about it ever since. I think it probably is my favorite Kurosawa film.

Toshiro Mifune plays a top executive in a shoe company who is secretly planning to take over the company. He wants to keep making quality shoes and gradually expand the market. The other executives want to make cheaper shoes and take advantage of the company's reputation. Mifune has raised every yen he can, including using his house, for the buyout, but his son is kidnapped. For the ransome he'll need all the money he's raised. He's prepared to do this for the sake of his son.

Then he finds out that the kidnappers made a mistake. They kidnapped his driver's son, who is the same age as his own. What a terrible moral dilemma. Would you or I give up every dime we had to save a neighbor's or an employee's son? Mifune does, and this act has a great effect on the police and the public.

The first half of the movie takes place in his house on a hill while all this unfolds. The second half is the chase to find the boy before he's killed and to capture the kidnapper. We move from the intensity of the dilemma unfolding in Mifune's home to the gritty business of the search which takes us into some of the lowest parts of the Japanese underworld.

Mifune is powerful in the role of the father, at first torn by the decision he has to make, then commited to finding his driver's son. Tatsuya Nakadai plays the detective, handsome, smooth, professional, and ultimately deeply touched by Mifune's integrity. Years later Nakadai played the leads in Kurosawa's Kagemusha and Ran. And it was good to see Mifune out of samurai costume.

High and Low is the work of a master. The DVD has the quality and extras one has come to expect from Criterion

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HIGH as Toshiro Kingo Kondo Mifune's house which lies on a hill, admired by the whole city. HIGH as Kingo's wealthiness that allows him to buy nearly 50 % of the shares of the society he's working for. HIGH as the moral integrity of this man who appears as a gentle capitalist never forgetting that money must be earned in a proper honest way.

LOW as the condition of Kondo's servant whose only son has been kidnapped. LOW as the morals of Kondo's partners who are the true villains of the movie, LOW as the expectations of the drug addicts of Dope Alley who seem have been forgotten by the prosperous 1963 Japan. At least, LOW as Takeuchi's chances to escape a police humiliated by the machiavelic plot he has imagined.

Adapted from one of Ed McBain " 87th Precinct " novels, Akira Kurosawa's HIGH AND LOW is a masterpiece. The first half of the movie takes place in the living room of Kingo Gondo. Kurosawa gives here an unforgettable lesson of cinema helped by a great actor Toshiro Mifune who is going to pass through the whole variety of feelings, from Happiness to Despair, in a 36 hours period.

The second half of HIGH AND LOW depicts the police investigations in order to discover the kidnappers. Another scene worthy to stay in the annals of Movie History is the expressionist description by night of the hot streets of the city. A cinematographical enchantment.

No bonus features with this Criterion release except for a booklet. Superb sound and images as usual.

A DVD zone your library.

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Based on King's Ransom by Ed McBain, High And Low (original title Heaven And Hell) tells the story of Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), head of National Shoes' factory production, who believes in producing quality shoes that are expensive but durable. He is ready to take a controlling interest in his company to prevent from being kicked out of the company when he receives a phone call saying his son has been kidnapped and to fork over 30 million yen. His son Jun, fortunately, returns from playing outside with Shinichi, the chauffeur's son, who is now nowhere to be seen. That changes nothing, as the kidnapper still demands the ransom.

He calls the police, who come in discretely in one of the cleverest methods I've ever seen. Led by Inspector Tokura and aided by Taguchi, a burly bald man known as the Bo'sun, they prove to be ideal policemen, dedicated, rational, and clever.

Gondo adamantly refuses. He has mortgaged everything, including the luxurious house on the hill he and his family live to get the shares. Paying the ransom will put them all out on the street. The police are accomodating, saying that it's important to rescue the child, but not by sacrificing Gondo. However, Gondo's right-hand man Kawanishi has sold him out, informing his colleagues of his plans. Gondo's dreams have been destroyed, so he agrees to pay the ransom.

The drama can be divided into three parts. First, the kidnapping, Gondo's refusal then agreeing to pay, and the police coming over to advise him. The second part has Shinichi being released and goes into high-level detective drama mode as the police use evidence, deductive reasoning, and clues that will help them catch the kidnapper, and three, the trap the police set out for the killer. It's part two that's the best. The Japanese police's teamwork, skills in chasing down and analyzing clues, and the cooperation shown by the public, denotes that the Japanese police are truly dedicated servants of the people, compared to the American police (q.v. Rodney King, Malice Green, Amadou Diallou). The police in this movie are likable and honorable. And when each development or clue is found, the excitement ratchets up a notch.

Water is twice a symbol in this movie. Gondo is taking a shower, the water running full blast after Kawanishi has betrayed him. After this scene, he calls the bank to get the money per the kidnapper's demands. Also, once he tosses the money again per the kidnapper's demands, he washes his face in a sink. It's a cleansing; the first scene denotes his washing away the cold businessman for someone with humanity. Indeed, when Shinichi is released, he rushes towards him as if he were his own son. This was first touched on when his wife Reiko berates his worsening attitude. "Success isn't worth losing your humanity" and she is right. Gondo is thus reborn as someone with compassion, humility, and a soul, while being his own man as opposed to being a cog in the corporate wheel. His sacrifice makes him a hero to the Japanese public. And the scene where he refuses his post back at National Shoes after the media backlash at the company for firing him, elicits a secret smile from the Bo'sun, who usually wastes on love on the rich, but ends up admiring Gondo.

Gondo also represents the ideal of quality goods Japan has become famous for. In the opening, he is dead set against the cheap quality of shoes his colleagues propose making. He says in response to his colleagues that shoes must wear out and are accessories just like hats and handbags that "hats are decoration. Shoes carry all your body weight." He advocates making shoes that are durable yet stylish, expensive but profitable in the long run. It's the Japanese business ideal versus America's disposable merchandise attitude. Thus Kurosawa also advocates quality in material things as well as quality of the soul.

High And Low is proof enough of Kurosawa's ability to film gendai-geki (or contemporary drama) as opposed to jidai-geki (stories that take place in the feudal, samurai era in the warring pre-Tokugawa period.) Some will argue that it's nothing compared to The Seven Samurai or Throne Of Blood, but for its values of compassion, humanity, dedication, and ideal quality in spiritual and material things.

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(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)Like most Americans, I am more familiar with Kurosawa's period films (Samurai flicks!) than with his modern dramas. "High and Low" was my first venture into this aspect of Kurosawa, and it is very rewarding indeed.

Toshiro Mifune's commanding presence dominates the first half of the film. He is every bit the in-control general, trying to find a strategy that allows him to keep family, fortune and face. His fortress has been breached by the enemy, and he must first defend then counter-attack. The enemy is invisible, hiding in an area of Japan that Mifune knows nothing about. The drama is tangible.

Most of Kurosawa's troupe is here, with familiar faces at every turn. Yoshio Tsuchiya (the gun-slinger from "Yojimbo") is one of the good guys this time as a police detective. Takashi Shimura (Kambei from "Seven Samurai") is the police director.

"High and Low" opened up whole new Kurosawa worlds for me. "The Bad Sleep Well," "Stray Dog," "Drunken Angel,"...I will never again limit myself to swords and top-nots. Great film!

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Rob Roy (2011)

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)Scotland is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and Rob Roy takes full advantage of this. The scenery is appropriately breathtaking and epic, with the camera making huge sweeps of the landscape. A romantic setting for a very romantic figure.

The truth of Rob Roy, like that of any folk hero, is a matter of speculation and debate. Those looking for an adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's book (also fictional) will be disappointed. Scott's book takes place long after the events described in this film with Mary and Rob at the head of an outlaw band. It also stands apart from Braveheart, which takes place about four hundred years earlier, and is an entirely different period of Scottish history.

That being said, Rob Roy is a lovely film with a quiet feel and a personal story. Liam Neeson is perfectly cast as the large, honorable highlander. Tim Roth is every bit his opposite, small and dangerously deceitful. Jessica Lange, Rob's wife Mary, is stoic and strong. All the supporting players give excellent performances, both English and Scottish. The Scottish music is lovely, and the Gaelic song sung at the gathering is captivating.

The duel at the end is one of the best I have seen.

'I could not love thee (Deare) so much,

Lov'd I not Honour more.'

Honor is what this one is all about. When people say 'They don't make movies like that any more', _Rob Roy_ is the kind of movie they have in mind. There are good guys and bad guys; the good guys have honor and the bad guys don't; in the end, honor wins the day, but not without a costly fight.

More concretely: Robert Roy MacGregor, clan leader and cattle herdsman, has borrowed a substantial sum of money from the Marquess of Montrose; Archibald Cunningham, a young acquaintance of the Marquess, has plotted to steal it; the Marquess will take the clan's lands if the debt can't be repaid. The MacGregor is offered a (duplicitous) way out but refuses to compromise his honor.

If that sounds like every Western you've ever seen, that's not a coincidence; director Michael Caton-Jones deliberately approached this film as a Western set in the Scottish Highlands. The story is based on a historical figure who became legendary in eighteenth-century Scotland, but this screen treatment plays very fast and loose with the actual history.

Liam Neeson is imposing and magnificent as the MacGregor, and Jessica Lange is surprisingly effective as his wife Mary (despite some inconsistency of accent). John Hurt and Tim Roth are deliciously malevolent as the pair of effeminate Sassenachs who have it in for our Rob; a more lethal pair of fops has never been seen on the silver screen. The protean Brian Cox appears as the cowardly and treacherous Killearn. And music fans, watch for Karen Matheson, who makes a brief cameo as a singer. (Capercaillie performed much of the soundtrack; that beautiful voice you hear is Matheson's. And by the way, Carter Burwell's soaring score is as gorgeous as the Scottish scenery.)

I don't know anything about swordfighting, but the blade-to-blade stuff in this film is surely some of the best (in a dramatic sense) ever committed to film. All this swashbuckling beats the heck out of the usual Western gunfights.

Unfairly eclipsed by _Braveheart_ (which was released in the same year), _Rob Roy_ is to my tastes a much better movie. This is filmmaking in the grand style.

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Rob Roy, based loosely on the real life Highlander Rob Roy Macgregor, had the bad mistake of Hollywood timing. There must be a lot spy vs spy in Hollywood, industrial secrets being passed around for a price! Ever notice how if one movie company does some genre, then suddenly they all are? Well, someone whispered Mel as doing in man in a skirt drama (Kilt to you Sasunnach!) and suddenly they rushes to do another. With Rob Roy coming out at the same time, it hurt by comparison. Braveheart was a powerhouse tale of one man's fight for Scottish Freedom. Off the bat, you have a difference. Rob Roy was the story of one man's personal fight against wrongs done to him and his family. So the personal tale automatically feels "smaller". Not big battle scenes for Rob Roy. No King for an enemy, just a Scottish Noble, John Graham, Marquis of Montrose (brilliantly played by John Hurt, Ian McShane old RADA roommate!).

Still, despite the automatic comparisons between the two films (both with problems of historical inaccuracies), Rob Roy should be given a stronger look. The acting is without fault. Neeson as Rob is great (who da thunk an Irisher could do such a good Scot!). Eric Stolz, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth (so utterly despicable!) Andrew Keir (5 Million Years to Earth) and Brian Cox (the first Hannibal Lector in Manhunter, a REAL Scot mind you! He did double duty by playing Mel's Uncle in Bravenheart), gives performances that are flawless. The Highland's are filmed in breathtaking beauty, the writing is gritty, sharp with a good idea for detail. Frankly, any film that has Liam "Calling down the Gregor" commends itself to my Scot heart!

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Popular heroes make for great movies this adage has held true since the days of Douglas Fairbanks's "Mark of Zorro" (1920) and "Robin Hood" (1922), and Errol Flynn's representation of the legendary Robin of Locksley 16 years later ("The Adventures of Robin Hood," 1938), and it has been reinforced again and again throughout the years. And whenever we go to see yet another screen version of the life of such a hero, regardless whether based on historic fact or popular lore, we carry certain almost instinctive expectations: the hero is to be honorable and his true love virtuous, there is to be a truly evil villain, and an abundance of sword play and other action. "Rob Roy" delivers on all of these counts; yet, it manages to be much more than a colorful costume piece with a storyline in black and white, and it differs considerably from the type of movie coined ever since the adventures of history's great heroes were first brought to the silver screen.

To begin with, Liam Neeson, in the title role, is not the slim, agile hero with lightning-quick, supple movements we have come to expect after having seen leading men such as Fairbanks, Flynn, Robert Taylor ("Ivanhoe," 1952) and, for that matter, Richard Todd, who portrayed Robert Roy McGregor in the 1953 movie version of this story, after having played the lead in Disney's version of "Robin Hood" a year earlier. No: here, the part of the dazzling and deadly fencing champion goes to Tim Roth, who has the calculating, conceited, blonde-wigged henchman Archibald Cunningham down to absolute perfection you just love to hate him; yet, he never becomes the embodiment of an ueber villain, and it is his utter fallibility as a human being which makes him all the more evil and despicable. The face-offs between Roth and Neeson (particularly their final duel) almost have something of an inverse David vs. Goliath feeling; making Neeson's much taller McGregor look occasionally more than just a bit disadvantaged vis-a-vis the cat-like Cunningham. Here is a hero whose greatest asset, in fencing as in other encounters with an enemy, is not his speed but his intelligence, his strength, and most of all, his undying tenacity.

Similarly, the love story between McGregor and wife Mary (Jessica Lange) is not one between two young lovers: the movie finds the couple well-settled into their marriage with several young sons. Yet, they are deeply in love, a feeling which is only reinforced by the trials and tribulations they have to overcome. The portrayal of proud Mary McGregor, unbending even in utter disgrace, is one of Jessica Lange's strongest performances careerwide, a match to Neeson's McGregor in acting skill as much as in tone, emotion and courage. And filming on location in Scotland brought an authenticity to the movie which even the best cinematography and "Rob Roy" had excellent cinematographers in Karl Walter Lindenlaub and Roger Deakins and costume design (Sandy Powell) alone could not have achieved. Musically, the Scottish highlands' rugged, windswept mountains and cliffs, deep lochs, and endless grey skies are matched perfectly by Carter Burwell's score and Karen Matheson's mournful ceilidhs. Strong supporting performances by John Hurt (Montrose), Andrew Keir (Argyll), Brian Cox (Killearn) and Eric Stoltz (MacDonald) round out an altogether remarkable production.

The movie takes poetic license with a number of key details; for example, the disappearance of the 1000 pounds lent to McGregor by the Marquis of Montrose (in essence, a historic fact; McGregor and the Marquis had dealt with each other in this way several times before) was probably due to the fact that McGregor's agent really did abscond with the money; not due to Killearn's and Cunningham's scheming. But the major elements of McGregor's personal story, as well as the story's historical framework are represented truthfully, taking us back into a Scotland caught between English rule, Jacobites (Scottish loyalists supporting the Stewarts' claim to the throne, like the McGregors and the Duke of Argyll) and rivaling feudal lords. And Liam Neeson, director Michael Caton-Jones and script writer Alan Sharp do an excellent job in portraying the implications of Robert McGregor's personal sense of honor, which not only required him to keep his word once it was given, be it as part of a contract or otherwise, but also forbade him to bear false witness, even at great peril to himself and his family. Because the loss of the money borrowed from Montrose meant much more to the McGregors than a business deal gone bad: as Robert had given his land as security for the money, in 18th century feudal Scotland the loss of the land not only entailed the loss of the family's economic but also that of their tenuous personal freedom, forcing them right back into the outlaw life which their clan had known only too well throughout centuries of rivalry with a powerful clan aligned with the English kings.

1995 was not only the year when Hollywood discovered Scotland's popular heroes this movie and "Braveheart" were released in the same year, much to "Rob Roy"'s undeserved disadvantage it was a year of extremely strong movies overall. Between the in-your-face (or rather, in-your-gut) portrayal of Scotland's 13th century hero William Wallace on the one hand and such stunners as "The Usual Suspects," "Dead Man Walking," "Leaving Las Vegas," "Sense and Sensibility" and "Casino" on the other hand, and despite all critical acclaim, "Rob Roy" was not even nominated in most Oscar categories and other awards. Yet, this rustic, lyrical version of the story of Scotland's Robin Hood (like the outlaw of Sherwood Forest, McGregor hit Montrose where he knew he would hurt him most, by going after his money) has found an undying fan base over the course of the years. I hope it will continue to grow even stronger as the years go by.

Also recommended:

Rob Roy (Oxford World's Classics)

Michael Collins

Braveheart (Special Collector's Edition)

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs in History and Legend

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"Rob Roy", released around the same time as the epic "Braveheart", was in a similar vein to the latter, and was eclipsed by it.

If you liked "Braveheart", you should enjoy this movie it doesn't have large gory battle sequences or as many humorous moments, but it has stellar character performances from Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange and Eric Stoltz as the good guys, and equally stellar performances from John Hurt, Brian Cox and especially Tim Roth as the bad guys. Actually, the Archie Cunningham character in "Rob Roy" is probably Tim Roth's best turn as villain ever.

Anyway, my review is for the Blu ray transfer, which is a big improvement over the original DVD release. The opening static splash shot is ominously grainy, but the movie itself looks fine.

For me, the acid test was the dank "castle" (?) scene where we first encounter Roth's character. The original DVD of that dark scene was awash in film noise and looked pretty bad. It is much improved on the Blu release.

Though not as good overall as the Blu release of "Braveheart" (which looks awesome in high def), for the money, "Rob Roy" on Blu is worth the upgrade if you are a fan.

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Jacob's Ladder (1990)

I wonder if this movie could be made today after all, it doesn't have any computer-generated special effects, it demands the viewer's complete attention, and really needs to be seen more than once to appreciate fully the meaning of all of the scenes. Incredible too is that the writer (Bruce Joel Rubin) was working on the filming of this and his more popular movie "Ghost" at the same time. Director Adrian Lynne wisely avoided some of the more sacharrine touches that Rubin had in the original script (such as the view of "Heaven") and added many subtle disturbing elements of his own. The final result is a film that you will think about long after you see it, a man's journey through the bardo state to his final enlightenment. In a way, this is the cinematic equivalent of a Pettersson symphony an emotional catharsis after the long, dark night of the soul. I'm not ashamed to say that I cry like a baby every time I watch it.

Comparisons with Bierce's "Occurrance at Owl Creek Bridge" and "Carnival of Souls" are inevitable and not out of place, but "Jacob's Ladder" has more layers than either of those and ambitiously takes on the psychological layers of one man's life, the tension between the comforts of home, wife and family and the unfufilled desires he harbors.

There are some violent scenes and very disturbing imagery throughout the movie; after all, it *is* about war, fear, and death. However, none of it is gratuitous, and the use of strobe lighting, quick cuts, and odd camera angles keep the viewer from being able to see anything definite. But don't say you weren't warned....

The DVD's documentary and deleted scenes, along with the director's commentary, will enable the first-time viewer to get a more complete idea of what is happening. I've watched this film at least a dozen times, and never fail to see something new in it each time. Sound and image quality are excellent.

This one isn't for casual viewing; it is *certainly* not a Saturday-night time killer, nor is it a "horror" movie in the standard sense of the term. Still, absolutley my highest recommendation.

Jacob's Ladder is a psychological thriller in which Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins), a Vietnam veteran, is suffering from hallucinations which seem to have some connection with what happened to him one night in Vietnam war. Jacob finds himself living in different time realities and he just cannot grab at the present time. He sees demons and nightmarish visions strangely combined with flashbacks of that night in Vietnam which make him pass out. When he regains conciousness, he wakes up to completely a different time reality which, too, turns out to be a false at the end, leading him to another false reality. He cannot make sense of the situation and thinks he is losing his mind. He constantly finds himself trapped in neverending sequences of nightmares that he cannot wake up from. This cycle never ends until the end of the film when all the other realities vanish, leaving out only one reality which makes Jacob's Ladder a brilliant movie. Jacob's physician Louis probably express the main theme of the movie best in these words: "So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth."

I think this movie is unfairly underestimated and not given enough credit. Tim Robbins' performance is flawless and fascinating. Adrian Lyne directed the movie very well; the emotions and the tension that are aimed to be brought about are achieved quite successfully. One interesting fact about the movie is that when you watch it for the second time, you notice a lot of things, which you did not notice or could not make sense out of in the first place. Names, small incidents, conversations, even the advertisement in the downtown train take on a new meaning once you know what is really happening to Jacob Singer. I strongly recommend Jacob's Ladder to the people who like psychological thrillers and soft horror movies.

Bluray review: I must say I am disappointed by the bluray release of Jacob's Ladder. The picture quality, the details, colors, are all very poor. If you have the regular DVD, keep it. Wait until they re-release it (I hope they do) with better picture/audio quality.

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Jacob's Ladder open's with New York postal worker Jacob Singer waking on a subway train having just experienced a nightmare flashback to his time in Vietnam. Upset and confused he tries to ask his fellow passengers if he has missed his stop but as he passes them he sees flashes of tails and horns in the uncommunicative people whom he approaches for help. Exiting the train he finds the stairs to the subway locked and on crossing the tracks he narrowly misses being hit by a train coming in the other direction and whilst lying on the track he witnesses yet more disturbing images as the train passes by. Unsure whether these images are real or as a result of some form of post traumatic stress disorder from his time in `Nam, he struggles to keep his grip on sanity as his life becomes a nightmare, with his days punctuated by visions of demons, his first wife and his dead son. His life begins to unravel and the line between reality and delusion becomes ever more fragile.

This is, in my opinion, by far and away Adrian Lyne's best movie, which may surprise some people given the fact his CV includes big box office hits such as 9 ½ Weeks, Indecent Proposal and Fatal Attraction. His direction is subtle, considered, well-paced and as near as you'll get to perfect. The cinematography is also excellent and the use of special effects are relatively understated but effective, which is something that can rarely be said since the advent of CGI. As for Bruce Joel Rubin's screenplay no praise is too high. It is intelligent, intricate and complex and it keeps you guessing until the end. In fact there is so much in this movie that second time around you'll find yourself picking up clues that you missed first time around and appreciate the cleverness and different levels of the story even more. Tim Robbins is excellent as Jacob, whom he succeeds in making a very sympathetic and vulnerable character, whose life literally becomes a nightmare. The supporting cast is excellent too with Elizabeth Pena (La Bamba, Rush Hour etc) and Danny Aiello (Leon, Do The Right Thing) in particular putting in notable performances. Jacob's Ladder also features supporting performances from Matt Craven (The Life of David Gale), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and Eriq La Salle (ER).

I first saw Jacob's Ladder at the cinema when it first opened back in 1990. I had read an article about it in a magazine, which was complete with disturbing still photographs from the movie. The article was intriguing in that it said that the screenplay, written by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost) had been doing the rounds in Hollywood for several years but that although everybody agreed it was an excellent screenplay it had been considered unfilmable until Director Adrian Lyne got hold of it. On the day before seeing `Jacobs Ladder', for the first time, a review in the now defunct British newspaper `Today' described it as a five star classic and I still remember watching it in the cinema on its opening night, transfixed by the story and disturbed by the images, whilst jumping out of my seat a few times. I have loved this movie ever since and have loaned out my old VHS copy many times since then but what still surprises me is that so few people seem to know this movie or have seen this movie, which to me seems like a crime.

Perhaps Jacobs Ladder's lack of box office success can be put down to it often being classified as a horror movie, which is to do it an enormous disservice. Sure there are elements of Jacob's Ladder that can be compared to the horror genre but it is so much more than that. Complex, downbeat but also spiritually uplifting it was perhaps too intelligent and too disturbing to achieve a mass appeal. However, it still amazes me and saddens me that real dross such as Vanilla Sky has many people waxing lyrical when something as good, sorry excellent as this slips by relatively unnoticed. Jacob's Ladder I would suggest is a superior forerunner to movies such as Vanilla Sky and even The Sixth Sense and I highly recommend it!

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That Bruce Joel Rubin's amazing screenplay was kicked around Hollywood for ten years trying to find a producer, and then tanked at the box-office when it finally hit the screen, shouldn't surprise you in the least. "Jacob's Ladder" is far too challenging for the mall crowd. Unlike most Hollywood movies, it actually requires you to pay attention and to give up the comfortable expectation that everything in a film will immediately make sense. If you can't manage that, look elsewhere. But for those who appreciate subtlety and are willing to stick it out, this will be one of the darkest, yet most interesting, rewarding and endlessly watchable films you'll ever see.

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There are only a handful of movies I find myself watching over and over again. Jacob's Ladder, so much so, I've worn out my VHS completely and am now awaiting the release of the DVD. This movie is one of the most thought provoking, intelligent films made in my life time. The fact that Leonard Maltin did not understand it's content and found the ending "like a bad shaggy-dog joke--[negating] the entire film," awakens me as to why all modern films are written and marketed for the "stupid" movie goer. Leonard, the ending doesn't negate the story, it is the reason for the story. Jacob Singer's (Tim Robbins) journey to death is a battle for his soul. He finds out why he died, how he died, when he died and who is responible but never realizes he is dead. So the battle ensues. He is protected by his chiropractor/gaurdian angel (Danny Aiello) fending against demons like his girlfriend (Elizabeth Pena). Jacob never returns from Vietnam, as the flashbacks to Vietnam indicate. They say when you die, your life flashes before eyes. This movie suggests much more. The past, the present, the future, the imagination, the senses, the afterworld. Once he comes to grips with death, he can release his soul to heaven and leave the demons behind. While Leonard Maltin left the movie befuddled and confused, I wept. If you have not seen this movie, see it. If you have seen it and did not understand it's meaning, see it again.

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Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

It's not until you are well and truly wading through the wealth of special features on the 2-disc special edition DVD of the 1947 Christmas favorite "The Miracle on 34th Street" that one realizes that the release features not just two versions of the movie, but three.

For not only does the release feature the original black & white version shown in theaters and the circa 1980s colorized version of the same feature film, but also hidden away on the second disc is the curiously titled "20th Century Fox Hour of the Stars: The Miracle on 34th Street," which turns out to be a 46 minute 1950s remake for television that is surprisingly in incredibly good quality.

The inclusion of this feature is indicative of Fox's loving tribute to this family movie gem that is this 2-disc release. Prior to its release the studio had no idea how to market what it considered to be an "unimportant program picture" and stuck it in the middle of its summer schedule with a trailer (shown here as a 5-minute promotional short) that did not feature one single clip from the movie and went at lengths to conceal it's Yuletide theme.

The story is so well known that it hardly bears relating in this review. Suffice to say that it charts the efforts of a man (played in an Academy Award winning performance by British actor Edmund Gwenn) to be legally recognized as Santa Claus, which in fact he is and to persuade a doubting young girl (played by Natalie Wood in a star-turning performance) and a practical realist (played by Maureen O'Hara) that he is indeed Father Christmas. Picked to replace a liquor induced Santa as the Macy's Parade Santa he is a smashing success and indeed Gwenn's performance is so incredible that Natalie Wood really did believe that she was acting opposite Santa Claus.

Perhaps the best special feature in this release (in what is a tough choice given its incredible company) is the feature length audio commentary by Maureen O'Hara. Recorded at her home in Ireland this past August the DVD warns us that this is merely excerpts of that interview with frequent silent sections. But I must say that this is happily not entirely accurate. O'Hara is clearly watching the movie (discussing elements on the screen as they occur), but also is more talkative than other commentaries that I have listened to that do not have a similar warning.

In the commentary O'Hara recounts being forced to remain in the United States following the outbreak of hostilities in World War II and subsequently furious when (after being allowed to return to her native Ireland) on being ordered back to the U.S. to make this film. She tells us that other considered titles were "The Big Heart" and "It's Only Human" and how once she read the script she was determined to be involved in what she saw as a warm and affectionate movie. O'Hara also talks about the parade itself and reveals that it was the actual parade with people in the crowd not being aware that Fox was shooting a movie that day.

Also included in this release is the 22-minute "AMC Backstory" that takes us behind the scenes of the production. Including are on-camera interviews with film historian Rudy Behlmer, actress Maureen O'Hara, actor Robert Hyatt (who played Thomas Mara Jr.), actor Alvin Greenman (who played Alfred), Natalie Wood biographer Suzanne Finstad and Natalie's sister Lana Wood. The documentary traces the genesis to the movie back to a fateful trip to a Los Angeles department store by screenwriter Valentine Davies. Fighting through holiday shoppers on 1944's Christmas Eve in an effort to buy a gift for his wife, Davies wondered what Santa Claus would make of the commercialism of Christmas. After working on the screenplay for over a year the project was optioned by Fox, who evidently had no idea what they had.

In what was a huge risk the filmmakers agreed when Macy's and rival store Gimble Bros. said they would withold permission for their names to be used in the film until they had seen the finished film. Thankfully they loved it for if either store had objected Fox would have had to drastically re-cut and re-shoot major portions of the movie.

So it was that at the height of the 1946 shopping season over 100 cast and crew descended on the Macy's store in New York City to shoot interiors of the movie and when it wrapped used the likes of Rex Harrison and Anne Baxter (who were on the Fox lot shooting other pictures) to rave about the production. Fox need not have worried though because it was a critical and commercial success staying in theaters for over six months and taking home three of its nominated four Oscars. In fact its popularity is such that it has not only been remade in the included 1950s TV production, but again in a 1970s TV movie and then in a 1994 big budget production (and clips from all three are featured in the AMC Backstory).

An archival MovieTone News reel (running 1:42) covers those awards presentations and includes the famous quote from a clean shaven Gwenn when receiving his statue, "Phew. Now I know there is a Santa Claus."

But that's not all this bumper release contains. Also included is a 15:30 featurette on the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and in particular its pivotal role in the movie. This new documentary features on-camera interviews with Robert M. Grippo (author of a book on the parade) and John W. Straus who worked on the parade for 22 years and coordinated with the studio that the filming of the parade (with their 14 camera's positioned along the route) went off without a hitch.

The special features are rounded out with nine posters for the movie.

Audio includes English 5.1 Dolby Surround, English mono, French mono and Spanish mono. There are English and Spanish subtitles.

NOTE: Amazon in its wisdom has attached this review to a different DVD version of the movie. They have a habit of doing this unfortunately. Please consider the date of this review and the fact it was for a 2-disc release.

Delightful Christmas fantasy of a charming old man who believes he is Santa Claus, and the wonderful change he brings to the people around him. This perennial holiday classic is on many short-lists of the all time great Christmas movies. The film just oozes with warm-hearted humor. Very young Natalie Wood sparkles as Susan, who learns to stop being so grown up, and enjoy childhood, with all its wide-eyed wonder. Edmund Gwenn plays Kris Kringle, and lives the role. He totally connects with the kiddies who visit "Santa" at Macy's department store. The brief scene with the little Dutch refugee girl is a definite emotional high point in this movie. The combined reaction of relief and wonder in the child's face as she visits Santa and finds he speaks her language is memorable. Gene Lockhart as the harried judge, and William Frawley as his street-wise political advisor provide the needed comic relief to keep the court-room segments from becoming too overwhelmed by lawyers and their tactics. Even Jack Albertson shows up as an ingenious postal clerk who helps Kringle solve his legal problem. The on-location scenes filmed on the streets of New York assist the viewer in suspending disbelief. An enthusiastic cast, crisp direction by George Seaton, a sentimental holiday message, and great humor make this movie a solid holiday treat for the entire family. Multiple viewing only enriches the rewards. Beware remakes! ;-)

Buy Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Now

Since "Miracle on 34th Street" begins with the Macy's parade on Thanksgiving Day, it is the obvious movie to watch on Turkey Day to begin the Christmas season (when you watch "White Christmas," "A Christmas Carol," and "It's a Wonderful Life" is up to you). I know am not alone in my belief that Edmund Gwenn IS Kris Kringle, which means he IS Santa Claus. Of course they gave Gwenn the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1948, but the film also won Oscars for Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay (George Seaton). Maureen O'Hara plays Doris Walker, a single mom who insists on bringing her daughter Susan, played by adorable Natalie Wood in one of the great childhood performances of all time, in a no-nonsense manner, which means no fantasy, no fairy tales and certainly no Santa Claus. Boy, is she ever wrong.

This version of this classic holiday film offers up the long trailer in which the publicity department tries to figure out how to market the film to the masses. A nice added bonus. However, the point of owning "Miracle on 34th Street" is to be able to watch it when it fits our holiday schedule and cry over our favorites scenes. The best times to cry during this movie are as follows: (1) When Susan overhears Kris talking Dutch to the little refugee girl; (2) When Mr. Macy admits under oath on the witness stand that he believes Kris to be Santa Claus; (3) When Susan writes "I believe in you too" on Susan's letter to Kris; (4) When Susan yells, "Stop, Uncle Fred! Stop!" and (5) when Fred sees the cane in the corner. Please feel free to add others to this list as you see fit. Now, excuse me, as I have to go dry my eyes and remember that some films have become holiday classics for good reasons and that remaking something in color does not mean just because it is new it is improved. Happy Turkey Day, everyone!

Read Best Reviews of Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Here

The movie itself is one of the all time classic family Christmas movies and should not be missed.

I am, however, very disappointed that Amazon has not seen fit to tell the buyer whether or not this film is restored or remastered. They continue to list these movies with minimal information, even after repeated complaints to their "help" center. Come on Amazon....provide the proper information so we can decide if this really is a "new" version or simply one that has been "repackaged".........we DESERVE more info if you expect us to spend our money.....!!!

Want Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Discount?

1947's "Miracle On 34th Street", starring the great Maureen O'Hara and Edmund Gwenn, is a motion picture that can be watched over and over again without losing one bit of its original flavor. And its flavor is quite tasty, in my opinion!

A very spunky 8-year-old Natalie Wood helps to make this movie an even bigger treat. Natalie shows an acting talent in this film that belies her tender age. She gives one of the best performances by a child actor in a film I've ever come across. "34th Street" was Natalie's 4th screen appearance, in a successful career that would eventually span 52 films before her sudden and tragic death at the age of only 43.

Miss Wood seems well-suited for her good-sized role as "Susan Walker" in this movie. She blends perfectly with the other actors, and her scenes with Gwenn (who, of course, plays the part of "Kris Kringle" to utter perfection) are highly memorable.

Could the studio have possibly found a better choice for the part of "Kris" (Santa) in this motion picture? Well, perhaps. But ONLY if the REAL Santa Claus were to have taken a break from his duties at the North Poll and played the part himself. Oh...wait...Gwenn turns out to BE the REAL Santa, doesn't he? LOL! :)

Yes, Edmund Gwenn actually DOES become "Santa Claus" for the 97-minute running time of this movie. He's *that* believable in the role. Gwenn was so good here that he won an Oscar for his memorable performance (Best Supporting Actor).

This is a perfect movie to show your children. It must be a lot of fun watching a child's reaction to seeing Mr. Gwenn's very realistic portrayal of the portly fur-clad Christmas-time gift-giver. To a child that still does believe that Mr. Claus visits his or her house every December 24, this movie must be quite an eye-opener.

This 20th-Century Fox DVD version of "Miracle On 34th Street" brings us the film in its intended (original) screen ratio of 1.33:1 (Full Frame); and the picture looks just dandy! The film, which was shot in "glorious black-and-white", exhibits outstanding clarity on this DVD. I can't spot a bit of grain or "noise". An absolutely beautiful digital transfer. Especially considering the age of this flick.

The audio comes via an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack. The audio comes across nice and clean, with just a small amount of background "hiss" present. There's also a foreign-language track here, too (French). This French track (which is also 2.0 DD Mono) sounds a bit on the "muffled" side. Not nearly as clear-sounding as the English track. There are subtitles in English and Spanish.

There's not a whole lot to talk about in the way of "Special Features" for this DVD release. But there is the Original Theatrical Trailer and a short "TV Spot" advertising the movie (which is a bonus *not* shown on the DVD's packaging). Plus: there's also a small text-only area on the disc, featuring "Cast Credits".

I *must* say, however, even though we don't get many bonus extras with this title, I'm very pleased that the Trailer is included. This Theatrical Trailer is one of the very best, and most innovative, I think I've ever witnessed. It's a relatively-lengthy trailer, which features a studio executive bumping into multiple actors while on the FOX movie lot. He asks several of these actors what they thought of the just-released picture, "Miracle On 34th Street". And what he receives in return (naturally) are glowing reviews for the film.

It's a very well-done trailer, and doesn't seem overly "hokey" or staged. And it's very fun to see stars the likes of Rex Harrison and Anne Baxter pop up here, promoting "34th Street". Harrison even speaks briefly in this trailer of his then-current work on "The Ghost And Mrs. Muir", which, ironically, also featured young Miss Natalie Wood as one of Rex's co-stars. This trailer is a real treat. And it's in remarkably good shape too. Very good video quality. The audio for the trailer is in DD 2.0 Mono, and sounds just fine.

Menus .... I like a good (and simple) Menu design. And this disc has just that. The Main Menu is a "static" one, with separate links to other Sub-Menus (such as Language Selection, Chapter Listing, and Supplements). When you select any of these three items, you'll be treated to a very short (but fun and well-designed) animated transition, which then dissolves into the chosen sub-menu screen. These short "transitions" are all slightly different, with each one featuring a Christmas tune playing as "background" music as the screen fades from the Main Menu to your desired selection. This themed music seems as though it's being played over a Department Store's P.A. system (which is appropriate for this DVD, since we often hear the soft playing of Christmas tunes during the "Macy's" scenes in the film). One menu transition also features a "snowflakes falling" visual effect, along with the music. Very cleverly done, IMO.

Additional Disc Information for this title ..............................

>> Enclosures? .... Yes. There is one here. A one-page Chapter List insert is included (21 chapters), with an excellent promo picture of actors Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, and John Payne on one side; and on the "Chapter" side, an image of "Kris" (Mr. Gwenn). I particularly like the fact that FOX Home Entertainment used a different picture for the insert than what we see on the front cover (normally on DVDs, the two pictures are identical). I might also add, in case one or two picky people might be interested in such trivial matters, that this insert is made out of better-quality (thicker) paper than what we usually see for such paper enclosures.

>> Region? .... This is a "Region 1" (NTSC) disc. Single-sided.

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"Miracle On 34th Street" is one of those films that deserves to be seen more than once, and not only in the month of December either (IMO). It holds up very well even in the summer months. And this clear-as-a-bell DVD from FOX Home Entertainment makes viewing this 1947 classic an even more enjoyable experience -no matter if it's in December, March, or August.

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Thunderball (50th Anniversary Repackage) (2012)

I noted that this is the only Bond film of the entire series that, to date, has not received a single 1-star review here on Amazon. That's pretty dang good!

Director Terrence Young had introduced us to Bond in DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. Guy Hamilton then took us down the GOLDFINGER road, and while his attention to action made that the first SMASH Bond film, he also seemed to lose alot of the more down-to-earth flavor that made the first two Bonds so much better.

But, Terrence Young returned for his final Bond film, and somehow managed to provide the perfect mesh of the realistic Bond from the first two films, and the more action-oriented Bond of GOLDFINGER. The result is a very happy marriage indeed it's just too bad there were very few legitimate children born of it!

THUNDERBALL contains all the great locales, villains, and Bond coolness that we love, without getting into the ridiculous, gadget-filled territory of the later films. It introduces us to our first true Bond femme fatale, and also gives us the first really interesting Bond girl in Claudine Auger's Domino character.

The music in the movie by John Barry is very nice, high-lighting the slower pace of much of the film. This movie is longer than the previous three by almost 20 minutes, and it is a nice extra cushion to really build the tension. In fact, Bond is largely absent from the first 45 minutes of the movie, and we finally see more of the villians plans what they are and how they are being accomplished in almost meticulous detail. Somehow, this makes the threat more real. Speaking of the threat, the plot being about terrorists stealing nukes and demanding ransom to prevent blowing up an undesignated city, is as fresh as today's headlines!

The only real gripe that can be levied at the film is that Connery does indeed seem a little less interested in the role than he had been. I think he's still mostly on track here, but he's missing the total devotion that he showed in the first three films.

That aside, THUNDERBALL is simply the best Bond offering everything that makes Bond great, and eliminating all the over-the-top sillieness that made the later films so excruciating to sit through!

In the wake of the enormous success of GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL became one of the most anticipated films in cinema history. "Bondmania" was at a fever pitch in the 1960s and that lended a certain air of confidence to the cast and crew. By Bond's fourth adventure, everyone was assured of success and everything was done on the largest scale possible. THUNDERBALL is often regarded, along with GOLDFINGER, as one of the better Bond films. It contains all of the elements of a good Bond flick at a time when Bond was not tired or clichéd. Bond's fourth adventure finds him taking to the sea, culminating in some of the most spectacular underwater fight footage ever recorded. And with Terence Young once again taking the director's chair after his temporary hiatus, the audience and the film is in good hands.

After the opening "gun barrel" sequence, re-shot for the first time in widescreen format with Sean Connery playing the part, we are greeted with the opening pre-credits "teaser." Audiences loved GOLDFINGER's teaser and the producers knew that they would have to arise to the occasion. We find Bond in France discreetly attending the funeral of Colonel Jacques Bouvar, SPECTRE's Number Six, who we learn is personally responsible for the death of two of Bond's colleagues. Thanks to Bond's sharp eyes, he determines that the Colonel has faked his own death and Bond makes it a priority to finish the job personally. After a brutal fight sequence, Bond strangles Bouvar and escapes using a jet pack. The Bell Rocket Belt used was a functioning jet pack, capable of a flight time of twenty one seconds. The scene is spectacular, all the more so because of the real jet pack. Bond makes his way to his waiting Aston Martin DB5 (first seen in GOLDFINGER) and prevents his enemies from reaching him with the use of rear-firing water canons--a new feature of the DB5. The water rushes over the screen and seamlessly morphs into the opening credits. Maurice Binder serves up a great title sequence featuring the naked silhouettes of female swimmers being chased by armed scuba divers. The colors are rich and vibrant and maintain the visual themes of the previous title sequences. Tom Jones belts out the title track, containing some awkward lyrics about our protagonist. I suppose it's hard to work Thunderball into song lyrics, leaving us only with "He strikes...like Thunderball."

The plot of the film is, once again, larger than life and would end up being a frequently copied and parodied theme. SPECTRE, this time represented by one-eyed Number Two, Monsieur Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), has managed to penetrate NATO forces and hijack two nuclear missiles. SPECTRE threatens to destroy two cities if NATO does not agree to cough up 280 million. It is described as SPECTRE's most ambitious project to date. Blofeld makes his second appearance, though once again we cannot see his face, in a secret French lair. The set is wonderful, containing a long table with all of SPECTRE's top officials present. Here we meet Numbers Seven, Ten, Five (obviously, they have replaced the previous Number Five of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE), Nine, and Eleven. We also get a sense of the range of SPECTRE's activities (blackmail, assassination, crime consultation, and narcotics) and also the brutal efficiency of Number One, who kills Number Nine on suspicion of embezzlement. It is a sign to all those present of what the consequences of failure are. Number Two must not fail in his NATO plans!

The first part of the film is filled with wonderful espionage as we learn how SPECTRE has penetrated NATO security. The actual hijacking of the missiles is spectacular. After SPECTRE has transmitted its demands to Britain, MI6 is called into action to find those missiles at all costs. All of the 00 agents are called in on this one and sent to different parts of the world to try and discover the hiding place before it is too late. Bond asks to be reassigned to Nassau because he believes he has a lead on the case, stemming from his experiences early on in the film. Of course, his instincts are correct and soon Bond finds himself playing a game of cat and mouse with Emilio Largo, who is all to aware of who Bond is and what he intends to do. What follows is a terrific storyline in which Bond inches his way closer to Largo's operation to discover the villain's secrets, with all of the destruction, love-making, and mayhem that entails.

Many have complained that THUNDERBALL is too long (at 130 minutes) and that the last half hour of the film is incredibly slow. Shot entirely underwater, the last bit of the film can seem long due to the slow movement of underwater action. But I do not think its pace suffers at all. I can remember seeing the film on television and thinking that it was a bit dull. But with the enhanced sound of the score pushing the beautifully restored images of the Ultimate Edition, I believe these sequences shine. They truly look spectacular and it is certainly the most ambitious underwater fight sequence I've ever seen. A seemingly endless supply of divers swim from all angles, launching an equally endless supply of harpoons at each other. The underwater images are surprisingly clear and we can honestly say that we haven't seen anything quite like it before (or since). Bond breaks new ground here and I think the action is as suspenseful as ever. In fact, the lack of sound underwater (besides the score) can actually increase the tension of the moment, in a manner reminiscent of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, produced three years later).

Connery, once again, is impeccable as Bond. Reunited with director Terence Young, whom many say is the real inspiration for Bond's class and sophistication, Connery plays the role with a renewed sense of vigor and style. I particularly enjoyed the increasing chemistry between Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and Connery. If they were slightly antagonistic in GOLDFINGER, they are thoroughly annoyed with each other here. Q is back with a host of new gadgets suited to the underwater nature of the film: a homing device pill that Bond can swallow, a watch that doubles as a Geiger counter, a waterproof camera that doubles as a Geiger counter, a mini signal flare, and a small rebreather (capable of giving Bond an extra few minutes of air underwater in a pinch). Bond is fitted with these devices in the field and, naturally, they all get put to use before the film is out.

The Bond girls in THUNDERBALL are some of the most beautiful Bond girls of all. Former Miss France, Claudine Auger, plays the main role of Domino Derval, an absolutely stunning beauty who proves to be both elegant and athletic. Her beauty and grace remind me of Audrey Hepburn. She is everything a Bond girl can hope to be. Opposite her is the film's female protagonist, femme fatale Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi), a deadly girl who seduces Bond (or is it Bond who seduces her?). Unfortunately, their play is not long lived, for the girl capable of stopping traffic with her beauty is also capable of stopping bullets--particularly when Bond throws her deliberately into their path! Also of Bond girl note is Bond's assistant, Paula Caplan, played by Martine Beswick. Bond fans will remember her as first appearing in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE as Zora the gypsy dancer.

Our villain Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), for my tastes, is a bit bland. Perhaps it is because he seems merely SPECTRE's pawn, but Largo seems to lack the necessary evil of his predecessors. Of course, he is evil. But he is out for blackmail money and doesn't seem personally invested in the affair other than to generate profit for SPECTRE. Besides his personal shark pool and his excellent taste for women, there really isn't much going for him. Indeed, Bond's immediate threats in this film seem to revolve around the dangers of being underwater--hand grenades used as depth charges, killer sharks, and an army of henchmen armed with powerful harpoons--rather than from menacing villains and uniquely skilled henchmen. Whatever the case, THUNDERBALL still manages to be a roaring success and the action is still quite good. It won't be the last time that the evil villains are left a little underdeveloped.

All in all, I believe THUNDERBALL is one of the best of the Bond series. Connery is fantastic in his role, Terence Young's directing is superb, the women are some of the most beautiful we have seen yet, and the action breaks new ground in special effects. Make sure that you get the 2-disc Ultimate Edition set. The Ultimate Edition, like all of these releases, is absolutely wonderful. The DTS sound is amazing and really bring the action and John Barry's terrific score to life. The picture is amazing and blows the old television and DVD releases out of the water (I had to say it). Plus, it is packed with extras, including a "Making of" documentary, a documentary about the "Thunderball Phenomenon" created by the film, and a 45 minute television production released at the time exploring "The World of James Bond." I highly recommend it to any Bond fan or anyone interested in classic action pictures. THUNDERBALL holds up well to the test of time.

Buy Thunderball (50th Anniversary Repackage) (2012) Now

THUNDERBALL (1965) the fourth of the James Bond 007 series is among the best of the films. As a follow-up to the phenomenally successful and definitive GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL is just a shade less satisfying. In terms of tone and composition the two films are of an era in the James Bond mythology.

Sean Connery returns as the inimitable British Secret Agent, this time set against SPECTRE Agent Number Two, Largo (Adolfo Celi). SPECTRE has stolen an atomic bomb and is holding the world hostage.

Largo is a worthy adversary. Strongly-built, silver-haired, wearing an eyepatch, and more physically intimidating than Gert Frobe's plump Goldfinger, Celi's Largo lacks the faintly tongue-in-cheek air which animated Goldfinger's behavior. In fact, the entire film lacks the decidedly humorous undertone of GOLDFINGER. The villains are more vicious, and Connery's Bond, his wit more honed than ever, is playing for keeps.

The theme song (with Tom Jones singing), plot and story are at least on a par with the predecessor film; however, the action, based in the Caribbean, takes place largely around, and under, water, and the film drags deplorably during most of the underwater sequences despite the fact that one of these is the climactic fight scene. The change in tempo between land and undersea action is jarring and detracts from the movie in a manner that its innate excellence in other respects cannot compensate.

Of course, Bond successfully seduces just about every woman on the set (except for Miss Moneypenny, the Penelope of the series). While he is able to win an ally in Domino (Claudine Auger), he is less successful with others, though as he admits, after all, it is "all for King and Country." What a sense of selfless sacrifice the man has!

THUNDERBALL was later remade as NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN in which Connery, still trim, fit, and feisty (but with toupee) returned to the James Bond role after more than a decade's hiatus. The remake is great to watch as a counterpoint to the original.

While THUNDERBALL is not as much fun as GOLDFINGER, if all subsequent Bond films could have been as good as THUNDERBALL, even Timothy Dalton would have been a tolerable 007. Let's give this one FOUR AND A HALF STARS.

Read Best Reviews of Thunderball (50th Anniversary Repackage) (2012) Here

This review is not for the Blue Ray edition, which I have not seen. The underwater battle in this DVD is a clipped version of the original. Several shots have been excised from the last third of the sequence. This is very noticeable due to the change in the music. I compared it with my old VHS tape and the version on this supposedly definitive version has been edited.

I have since obtained the Blue Ray and it also has the edited version of the underwater battle.

Want Thunderball (50th Anniversary Repackage) (2012) Discount?

In the wake of the enormous success of GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL became one of the most anticipated films in cinema history. "Bondmania" was at a fever pitch in the 1960s and that lended a certain air of confidence to the cast and crew. By Bond's fourth adventure, everyone was assured of success and everything was done on the largest scale possible. THUNDERBALL is often regarded, along with GOLDFINGER, as one of the better Bond films. It contains all of the elements of a good Bond flick at a time when Bond was not tired or clichéd. Bond's fourth adventure finds him taking to the sea, culminating in some of the most spectacular underwater fight footage ever recorded. And with Terence Young once again taking the director's chair after his temporary hiatus, the audience and the film is in good hands.

After the opening "gun barrel" sequence, re-shot for the first time in widescreen format with Sean Connery playing the part, we are greeted with the opening pre-credits "teaser." Audiences loved GOLDFINGER's teaser and the producers knew that they would have to arise to the occasion. We find Bond in France discreetly attending the funeral of Colonel Jacques Bouvar, SPECTRE's Number Six, who we learn is personally responsible for the death of two of Bond's colleagues. Thanks to Bond's sharp eyes, he determines that the Colonel has faked his own death and Bond makes it a priority to finish the job personally. After a brutal fight sequence, Bond strangles Bouvar and escapes using a jet pack. The Bell Rocket Belt used was a functioning jet pack, capable of a flight time of twenty one seconds. The scene is spectacular, all the more so because of the real jet pack. Bond makes his way to his waiting Aston Martin DB5 (first seen in GOLDFINGER) and prevents his enemies from reaching him with the use of rear-firing water canons--a new feature of the DB5. The water rushes over the screen and seamlessly morphs into the opening credits. Maurice Binder serves up a great title sequence featuring the naked silhouettes of female swimmers being chased by armed scuba divers. The colors are rich and vibrant and maintain the visual themes of the previous title sequences. Tom Jones belts out the title track, containing some awkward lyrics about our protagonist. I suppose it's hard to work Thunderball into song lyrics, leaving us only with "He strikes...like Thunderball."

The plot of the film is, once again, larger than life and would end up being a frequently copied and parodied theme. SPECTRE, this time represented by one-eyed Number Two, Monsieur Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), has managed to penetrate NATO forces and hijack two nuclear missiles. SPECTRE threatens to destroy two cities if NATO does not agree to cough up 280 million. It is described as SPECTRE's most ambitious project to date. Blofeld makes his second appearance, though once again we cannot see his face, in a secret French lair. The set is wonderful, containing a long table with all of SPECTRE's top officials present. Here we meet Numbers Seven, Ten, Five (obviously, they have replaced the previous Number Five of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE), Nine, and Eleven. We also get a sense of the range of SPECTRE's activities (blackmail, assassination, crime consultation, and narcotics) and also the brutal efficiency of Number One, who kills Number Nine on suspicion of embezzlement. It is a sign to all those present of what the consequences of failure are. Number Two must not fail in his NATO plans!

The first part of the film is filled with wonderful espionage as we learn how SPECTRE has penetrated NATO security. The actual hijacking of the missiles is spectacular. After SPECTRE has transmitted its demands to Britain, MI6 is called into action to find those missiles at all costs. All of the 00 agents are called in on this one and sent to different parts of the world to try and discover the hiding place before it is too late. Bond asks to be reassigned to Nassau because he believes he has a lead on the case, stemming from his experiences early on in the film. Of course, his instincts are correct and soon Bond finds himself playing a game of cat and mouse with Emilio Largo, who is all to aware of who Bond is and what he intends to do. What follows is a terrific storyline in which Bond inches his way closer to Largo's operation to discover the villain's secrets, with all of the destruction, love-making, and mayhem that entails.

Many have complained that THUNDERBALL is too long (at 130 minutes) and that the last half hour of the film is incredibly slow. Shot entirely underwater, the last bit of the film can seem long due to the slow movement of underwater action. But I do not think its pace suffers at all. I can remember seeing the film on television and thinking that it was a bit dull. But with the enhanced sound of the score pushing the beautifully restored images of the Ultimate Edition, I believe these sequences shine. They truly look spectacular and it is certainly the most ambitious underwater fight sequence I've ever seen. A seemingly endless supply of divers swim from all angles, launching an equally endless supply of harpoons at each other. The underwater images are surprisingly clear and we can honestly say that we haven't seen anything quite like it before (or since). Bond breaks new ground here and I think the action is as suspenseful as ever. In fact, the lack of sound underwater (besides the score) can actually increase the tension of the moment, in a manner reminiscent of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, produced three years later).

Connery, once again, is impeccable as Bond. Reunited with director Terence Young, whom many say is the real inspiration for Bond's class and sophistication, Connery plays the role with a renewed sense of vigor and style. I particularly enjoyed the increasing chemistry between Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and Connery. If they were slightly antagonistic in GOLDFINGER, they are thoroughly annoyed with each other here. Q is back with a host of new gadgets suited to the underwater nature of the film: a homing device pill that Bond can swallow, a watch that doubles as a Geiger counter, a waterproof camera that doubles as a Geiger counter, a mini signal flare, and a small rebreather (capable of giving Bond an extra few minutes of air underwater in a pinch). Bond is fitted with these devices in the field and, naturally, they all get put to use before the film is out.

The Bond girls in THUNDERBALL are some of the most beautiful Bond girls of all. Former Miss France, Claudine Auger, plays the main role of Domino Derval, an absolutely stunning beauty who proves to be both elegant and athletic. Her beauty and grace remind me of Audrey Hepburn. She is everything a Bond girl can hope to be. Opposite her is the film's female protagonist, femme fatale Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi), a deadly girl who seduces Bond (or is it Bond who seduces her?). Unfortunately, their play is not long lived, for the girl capable of stopping traffic with her beauty is also capable of stopping bullets--particularly when Bond throws her deliberately into their path! Also of Bond girl note is Bond's assistant, Paula Caplan, played by Martine Beswick. Bond fans will remember her as first appearing in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE as Zora the gypsy dancer.

Our villain Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), for my tastes, is a bit bland. Perhaps it is because he seems merely SPECTRE's pawn, but Largo seems to lack the necessary evil of his predecessors. Of course, he is evil. But he is out for blackmail money and doesn't seem personally invested in the affair other than to generate profit for SPECTRE. Besides his personal shark pool and his excellent taste for women, there really isn't much going for him. Indeed, Bond's immediate threats in this film seem to revolve around the dangers of being underwater--hand grenades used as depth charges, killer sharks, and an army of henchmen armed with powerful harpoons--rather than from menacing villains and uniquely skilled henchmen. Whatever the case, THUNDERBALL still manages to be a roaring success and the action is still quite good. It won't be the last time that the evil villains are left a little underdeveloped.

All in all, I believe THUNDERBALL is one of the best of the Bond series. Connery is fantastic in his role, Terence Young's directing is superb, the women are some of the most beautiful we have seen yet, and the action breaks new ground in special effects. The Ultimate Edition, like all of these releases, is absolutely wonderful. The DTS sound is amazing and really bring the action and John Barry's terrific score to life. The picture is amazing and blows the old television and DVD releases out of the water (I had to say it). Plus, it is packed with extras, including a "Making of" documentary, a documentary about the "Thunderball Phenomenon" created by the film, and a 45 minute television production released at the time exploring "The World of James Bond." I highly recommend it to any Bond fan or anyone interested in classic action pictures. THUNDERBALL holds up well to the test of time.

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