Our Hospitality: ULTIMATE EDITION (1923)

For some reason this film is less well-known than a lot of Buster Keaton's others...yet I find it a lot more satisfying than something like Steamboat Bill, Jr. or even Sherlock Jr.! It's got his fixation with trains in the first act, a very fun depiction of old narrow-gauge trains that, like most historical depictions in Keaton films, is based on actual accurate history (exaggerated for comic effect). It's got great comedy and suspense in the main plot, which involves Buster inadvertently stumbling into the home of a family, after falling for the girl who lives there, who are the Hatfields to his family's McCoys (or is that the other way around?), and relying on the family's strict Southern Hospitality rules to keep himself from being shot. Of course, if you know much about Keaton you probably already know this film, but if you've just seen a little, this is one of his best.

As for the Blu-Ray: the main musical option is the Thames Silents score by Carl Davis. This alone is reason to get this edition...his scores for this, Keaton's The General, and other silent era films are among the best...fun, tuneful, entirely appropriate yet exciting and never falling into hackneyed contrivances. The transfer is decent...a little more money might have allowed cleaning up the title cards, where the tiny and dense scratches of this print (not as pristine as the one used for Kino's The General Blu-Ray) are very obvious and kind of distracting over the black title card backgrounds. But luckily they don't really show up much in the actual scenes. The transfer is at 1080i from reading around online that seems to be because this HD transfer was done a few years back before they'd decided 1080p was the way to go for releases, not for any reasons relating to frame rate or anything like that. But again, I'm sure money wouldn't allow a new HD transfer, and I doubt anyone could tell by watching it that it wasn't 1080p...it looks fine to me.

The extras are interesting and worth watching. One extra that needs a slight disclaimer is the unreleased earlier test version, "Hospitality," which seems to be a test cut with mostly just the dramatic scenes, speculation being that Keaton wanted to see if they played before adding in the funny business. It's a nice historical artifact to have, but the print is a very poor reduction print of an original which had suffered major nitrate damage. So, it's historically of interest and I'm glad it's on here, but it would take a fairly obsessed Keaton fan to actually watch more than a few minutes of it.

So: if you are at all a fan of Keaton, or of silent comedy in general, or you think you might be, make sure to snap this up and help assure that the rest of Keaton's library is financially worth putting out in HD! I keep mentioning finances, but silents aren't exactly big sellers, so you take what you can get, and overall this is a great release! If only some Spielberg-type would spend a couple bucks and pay for a fancy restoration/clean-up of one of these historic and still-entertaining films. Oh well.

PS: Yes, silent films can look great in HD! Film's resolution, even back then, was/is much higher than 1080p. This print isn't as wonderful as the one used for The General, but it's still quite an improvement over previous versions and is worth seeing in HD. Plus, Keaton (and other silent era filmmakers) worked in a purely visual medium seeing a detailed, quality image is definitely worth it!

The picture quality of this film is superb, even better for that it is in HD. The Carl Davis score creates such a beautiful and climatic mood which this film requires. The extras are fantastic and the the film itself I have always enjoyed, but now with the Carl Davis score and the beautiful way it has been presented now shoots up amongst my favourite Keaton movies.

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OUR HOSPITALITY (writ./dir. Buster Keaton, 1923, 73 minutes) is another favorite of mine given to us by the immortal Buster Keaton. I rank this with his The General (The Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) and Our Hospitality/Sherlock, Jr. (I recommend this awesome two-fer DVD set). HOSPITALITY is BK's first great feature-length film, though he had already done a couple of them.

Set in the Antebellum South (1830, Keaton was impossibly ahead of his time making this period authentic-looking) Buster plays Willie McKay, a New York-bred unwilling member of the old Canfield-McKay feud. (Yes, loosely based on the Hatfield-McCoy feud that really lasted only a few years.)

Returning to Kentucky to claim his inheritance (an "estate" that will make you howl with laughter when you see it), Willie soon falls right into the arms of the waiting Canfields. They are, of course, waiting to kill him. Luckily for him he is already sweet on the young Canfield girl (played by his 1st wife Natalie Talmage Keaton) and this will save him later. Uniquely, Buster's son Buster, Jr., plays him at age 1.

There is a waterfall scene in this, and all I'll tell you is Keaton designed and had built the entire thing on one of his lots. Goes to show you, alongside works like THE GENERAL, what Keaton was capable of achieving. You will marvel at Keaton's partly rebuilt, partly restored Stephenson's Rocket locomotive ... and yes, they really did ride those once upon a time.

Another bittersweet detail: Joe Roberts (Old Man Canfield), a dear friend and traditional heavy in Keaton's films, suffered a heart attack while filming. He insisted on returning to finish the film and died very shortly after they wrapped. Keaton's films are filled with disasters, hair-raising, realistic and funny as hell. Just as often they are filled with tragedies: in this film, along with Roberts' heart attack, Keaton was brutally carried off by water and almost drowned. The scene remains in the film.

While this does not have the accolades of THE GENERAL (then again, how could it), no one can miss watching it. Here for the first time, Keaton experiments fully with his signature lighting, model sets and daring camera shots. The acting is refreshing and surprising: everyone seems extremely realistic except for good old Roberts, bless him. Once in a while Keaton had to have the Old Schoolers in there too. Although it certainly does not quite reach the heights of THE GENERAL, this is Buster Keaton at his prime!

How can anyone remotely interested in film miss this?!

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Our Hospitality (1923) was Buster Keaton`s first true feature film. Keaton's previous "feature," Three Ages (1923) was actually three short films assembled together. There was both an artistic and a commercial reason for this: Three Ages was a parody of the similarly structured D.W. Griffith feature Intolerance (1916). Additionally, Keaton had proved his audience appeal in shorts. Metro Pictures realized the inherent risk of a Keaton feature, and the structure of Three Ages created the option of breaking it down into three shorts. Fortunately for all concerned, Three Ages was a commercial and critical success.

Our Hospitality may be seen, in retrospect, as a model for Keaton's features and a precursor to The General (1926). What separates Keaton from his peers (Chaplin, Lloyd, Langdon) is the way his character integrates into a larger narrative. That is not to say that Keaton's films are not character driven, but the character serves the narrative, not vice versa.

Our Hospitality opens with a prologue of the ongoing feud between the Canfields and the McKays. A young Canfield and the McKay patriarch are killed in a rainy shoot out at night. To avoid the curse of the feud and further bloodshed, the McKay widow takes her infant son, Willie, and sends him north to New York. Meanwhile, the Canfields swear revenge.

Twenty years later, Willie (Keaton) is the personification of a 19th century New York Yankee, adorned in a dandified suit. His mother has since passed away when Willie learns he has inherited his father's estate. Imagining a southern mansion waiting in the wings, Willie hops onto the next train like a salmon returning to its birthplace. Before departing, he is warned by his guardian to stay clear of the Canfields.

The trip south foreshadows the archaic world Willie is about to enter. The train itself is primitive and, naturally, encounters numerous mishaps along the way. Luckily for Willie, the ordeal is made bearable because his fellow passenger is a pretty girl (Natalie Talmadge, the first Mrs. Keaton). Unfortunately, Willie's spawning choice here, unknown to him, is a Canfield daughter.

There are numerous aquatic metaphors. Willie stands apart from his fellows, like a fish out of water, with city clicker suit and queer umbrella. While fishing, he catches a minnow, throws it back, and then gets pulled into the water by a bigger fish. Willie's mansion turns out to be a dilapidated shack and he unwittingly finds himself in the home of his sworn enemies. True to Southern hospitality, the Canfields vow not kill Willie while he is a guest in their home. When Willie learns of this, he naturally tries to remain a permanent houseguest. Almost forced out, Willie is saved from leaving by the sudden appearance of a heavy downpour. A dam blows up, nearly drowning Willie, but it also safely conceals Willie from his predators, the Canfield boys. In a reversal of the fishing line, Willie is tied, by rope, to a Canfield son. Both get hauled into the water. A descent into the rapids brings further peril, as does a waterfall. Willie dangles over the waterfall like that salmon on a line. Yet, it is the waterfall which unites Willie with his girl, allowing him to spawn.

Our Hospitality is replete with inventive sight gags (a tunnel is cut to fit the train, a horse's rear-end is disguised as Willie in drag), but it's really a sophisticated, yet simple retelling of the Romeo and Juliet narrative.

* My review was originally published at 366 weird movies.

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This is great film! Clever and imaginative, featuring wonderful sight gags and stunts that astonish and confound the imagination. Be careful not to pre-judge this edition from the version now available on Netflix streaming that used to have the same music. That music may be more contemporaneous with 1923, but is barely adequate compared with the music here. Written by Carl Davis, the score fulfils the potential of Our Hospitality to be a wondrous experience to treasure and to share!

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Starter for 10

From a very young age, Brian Jackson has crammed his mind with facts and knowledge, and now he's off to university for more. But the most important lesson he has to learn is that knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing.

Brian quickly makes a strong impression in academia, especially when he gets onto the school team for University Challenge, the wildly popular quiz show he grew up watching with his father. But the rest of life isn't so easy: Brian falls head-over-heels for his beautiful but self-centered teammate Alice, who leads him on despite having no real interest in intimacy; his mother, now ten years widowed, has found a new lover; he just can't sort out his feelings for Rebecca, a student activist with more than a passing interest in him; his blue-collar mates from home are starting to regard him as a class traitor; and any time he tries to be clever or impulsive, it always goes awry.

James McAvoy, who has already won great critical acclaim for his skills in dramatic roles, shows that he is equally adept in comedy, giving Brian an aw-shucks charm that keeps him loveable despite his penchant for saying exactly the wrong thing. Among the rest of the cast, the two greatest standouts are Benedict Cumberbatch, who steals his every scene as the hilariously snobbish team captain, and the extraordinarily talented Rebecca Hall, who plays Rebecca with such spirit and beauty that you can't help rooting for Brian to come around and realize that she's the one for him. Veteran thespians Charles Dance and Lindsay Duncan have a brilliant cameo as Alice's parents, and Mark Gatiss makes a convicing Bamber Gascoigne (the long-time host of University Challenge, and a real-life icon of British TV).

The script is witty, and gives new twists to the traditional conventions of romantic comedy. The climax on the set of University Challenge, and an earlier scene involving a misguided reference to The Graduate, are particularly well done. I can't help feeling, though, that the movie missed a few good opportunities as well. I understand the need to streamline the story, but I can't help feeling that they streamlined too much: fun characters disappear not long after they're introduced, certain aspects of Brian's schoolyear are mentioned when they should have been shown, and so on.

All the same, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and highly recommend it for any fans of romantic comedy, British film, or movies with cool '80s soundtracks.

I found this movie quite charming -much to do with the fact that James McAvoy is the central figure in it...I truly think we'll find him in a lot of good films in the future, which is GREAT!-.

The movie's the story of a boy who struggles to find himself while growing up -falling in love and making mistakes on a university TV quiz show are trascendantal-

You can get easily related to it...even more if you have had interest in accumulating a lot of useless -yet fascinatingdata in your brain to feel more intellectual or to guarantee yourself a "special" place in this world. Simple,sweet, funny and as I said before...charming!

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This is a slight film, but one well worth seeing for the fine performance by James McAvoy. A plain-looking nerd who goes off to college seeking to distinguish himself both as academically knowledgeable and, at the same time, as a ladies' man, he must strike a chord in the hearts of thousands of first year undergrads just like him. What McAvoy has going for him especially is his ability to ooze charm from every pore without being in the slightest degree sickeningly sweet. It is his memorable performance which distinguishes an otherwise pretty formulaic college comedy of heartbreak and eventual triumph.

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James McAvoy has that affable quality which makes the viewer like him even when he is being a bit of a prat. That is true throughout this DVD. The storyline is a little "low key," as the adaptation of the book to the screen was not as effective as it could be, but the performances are strong, and the viewer will not feel "cheated" when he finishes watching the film.

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Those of you who read the book may be a bit disappointed by its screen adaptation, an all to common occurrence when a book becomes a film.

Placing that comment aside and reviewing this film without use of a pretense, Starter for 10 is a cute, all be it a bit campy, British comedy about the bumps and hiccups brought by coming of age, finding ones future, and facing ones past. James McAvoy does a brilliant job of making his character lovably awkward. The subtle comedy, satirical character types and romantic interfaces make this a must see for any University Challenge fan (or anyone looking for a good laugh).

1 star off only because the book was better.

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Maverick (2011)

As of this writing (May 28, 2011), Best Buy exclusively sells the Blu-ray release of the 1994 western/comedy/action movie "Maverick"--and the BD is definitely a huge improvement over the DVD video and audio. If you own the DVD of this movie (and have watched it on a large-screen, HD TV), you know that the DVD transfer was simply awful--almost unwatchable due to the heavy grain and other video defects.

The upgrade to Blu-ray is definitely worth the additional purchase price (less than thirteen dollars at Best Buy). It's like watching a totally different movie. The BD video is sharp, skin tones are perfect, and the color saturation is rich (but still looks natural). I rate the video transfer as 8/10--a solid transfer, especially for an "older" film. The audio is equally impressive--almost like watching a new release.

The film itself is, of course, quite entertaining--wonderful cast (Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Colburn, James Garner, Graham Greene, and Alfred Molina), breath taking cinematography (filming took place at a number of scenic locations in the American West including Yosemite National Park, the Columbia River in Oregon, and the Arizona desert), a crazy plot (it's basically a comedy involving a big poker game aboard a fancy river boat--but there is plently of action), cameos by a number of country western singers (who perform a fantastic rendition of "Amazing Grace" as the ending credits roll) and a PG-13 rating, so the whole family can watch it.

This upgrade to Blu-ray is highly recommended!

Maverick is a hilarious, enjoyable and fun film to watch and bears well over several viewings. Of course, how could this film have missed given its cast; Mel Gibson, James Garner, Jodie Foster, James Coburn and a whole slew of other stars to include an outrageously funny cameo by Danny Glover. The more interesting thing here is that James Garner played Brett Maverick when it was a television series many moons ago and he had turned down many film scripts for this one where he didn't even play the lead. Maverick is a big hit and all involved in making this fine western/comedy deserve all of the accolades they received for it!

The premise:

Bert, oops I mean Brett Maverick (Mel Gibson) is a card playing and fast drawing hustler who is on his way to good old St. Louis for a huge poker tournament. His main problem is that he's three thousand dollars short of the entry fee so he decides to stop in another town and play another round of poker in the hopes of picking up some of the three thousand he needs. This is where he meets Annabelle Branford played by the ever beautiful Jodie Foster. Mrs. Branford's beauty is matched only by her desire to pick up the money to enter the big poker game as well. Not too long afterwards we meet Zane Cooper (James Garner) who is a lawman of some fame and he just happens to be going the same way as Maverick and Mrs. Branford. What follows is most definitely one of the most hilarious westerns ever made. I would highly recommend this film to any and all fans of the stars and this genre.

Special Features:

Production notes: This particular DVD is "all" about the film itself as there is very little in the way of special features. The production notes are of course in text and somewhat interesting. {ssintrepid}

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Mel Gibson's Maverick is somewhat goofy but charming, sly, and fairly humorous.

A number of excellent cameos provide some comic relief, especially Danny Glover near the beginning of the movie. The biggest surprise for me was Jodie Foster, who, in an impressively rare comedic role, thankfully discards her repetoire of facial tics for a much more natural performance here.

The plot is kept pretty simple until near the end -and the end has a great twist, which I won't divulge. Suffice it to say that your time will be well spent.

Recommended rental for sure, but also consider buying this excellent DVD because this comedy does well with repeat viewing.

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Maverick DVD

Mel Gibson stars as a bumbling gambler who is trying to join a poker game. The movie is based on a TV series. Jodie Foster co-stars as does James Gardner who was in the original TV series, as Bret, I believe. Bart was his Brother. Highly recommended for fans of Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster and fans of the original TV series.

Gunner April, 2008

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'Maverick' is by far the best western movie ever! Fast paced, action packed, suspenseful, and funny (very funny), Maverick keeps you on your toes and leaves you screaming for more!

Mel Gibson kicks butt (literally) as Bret Maverick, a handsome, slick and roguish card player trying to win enough money to enter the biggest card game of the year. While trying to win some dough, he meets the scheming thief, Annabelle Bransworth (played by Jodie Foster). I love Jodie Foster in this movie, I never knew she was such a comedian!

'Maverick' is a witty, charming, and hilarous western comedy. A must-see.

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Live Worlds on Fire (2011)

For the last year or so I've had The Prodigy's set from Radio 1's Big Weekend (2009, you can find it on the Internets) in heavy rotation. Great energy, Radio 1 did a stellar job with the audio quality (awesome bass) and in general the only thing I could have asked for was either a longer recording or to be there.

Enter Worlds on Fire I'm still several thousand miles away, but after watching the DVD for the first time (very, very loudly) I feel like I just walked out of the last venue I saw the band in. The video does have the MTV-style edits, but the camera angles, framing and really superb editing just comes together so very well. It's one thing to hear Weather Experience...it's quite another to see Milton Keynes pulsing with lasers while the synths play that melody. Man I just want to sit watching the DVD all night! Yeah, there's a standard-def camera on the drum set, but can ya expect them to be putting a pricey camera there when the guitarist is bent on destroying the drum kit towards the end of the night??

One warning you're not buying this for the CD. You're buying this for the DVD or Bluray. The CD is good, but just good. I think they could have done a better job with the downmix from 5.1 to stereo...they've lost some of the presence, vocals sit on top of the music, sounding like they were just slapped on top of a studio recording of the music.

Liam, Maxim, Keith and Paul Dugdale thanks for an awesome release!

Some electronic-type artists do a fantastic job translating the studio music to live shows. Great examples of live CD's where artists have tweaked the album experience for the better have been Daft Punk and Justice. While Prodigy thinks they're doing it here, the actual live components of the entire act only slightly improve the album experiences.

I expected a masterpiece as I always do when Liam is involved. I expected him to come out with some crazy revisions and new basslines to some of the tracks. With the exceptions of "Thunder" and adding a beat to parts of "Firestarter" it's pretty void of tweaks. I do like that they added the live percussion and guitar for the live shows. As previous reviews have said, the show contained no tracks from "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned". Most of the focus is on "Invaders Must Die", as it should be.

Maxim pretty much carries the show and works to maintain a good energy on stage and with the crowd. I realize it's a concert, but I'm not sure what 200 "F-Bombs" add to the show. It made Maxim look silly after awhile, not "hardcore" or whatever he was trying to do. Keith didn't add much but shaking his hips. I don't know what's going on there.

As much as I want to give the CD/DVD five stars, I can think of better live performances by groups of similar styles and genres. The DVD 5.1 is the best experience. The audio of it is excellent!

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The music is great. The film-production is horrible. This is a missed opportunity for what could have been a great Blu-ray. I was really looking forward to watching this, but once I saw the film-editing technique used during the first song,I thought 'Oh my God! I hope they don't do this during the entire video!'

Alas, they did. The entire video is constant camera shake and bounce from camera to camera, so fast, it makes it unwatchable. What possessed them to do this? Did they not realize how much better their video would be without the camera bounce? I wish there was an option to watch this without the constant camera bounce. It's as if they change camera angles to match the tempo of the music, i.e. fast and frequent. It's absurd. There are long periods of time in the video, where they do not hold the same camera angle for more than half a second. The Prodigy are too good of a band to be taken in by such a ridiculous method of film production. That's why I consider this a missed opportunity, because the material is there to make a great video, perhaps one of the best Blu-ray concert videos available. instead, they chose to go with the camera bounce, which makes it virtually unwatchable. A Big Disappointment!

Read Best Reviews of Live Worlds on Fire (2011) Here

Having seen Prodigy in concert at the Ultra Festival in Miami I had an idea of what to expect on this DVD. This DVD far surpasses my expectations. For starters I am not a fan of Music Video DVD's that have quick cuts to different camera views ever 3 seconds or less. It gets annoying and detracts from the performance. On this DVD the editors have not only used this style, but put it on steroids with shaky camera effects, and rapid fire camera cuts. Somehow, in this case it just works. I can honestly say the producers wanted to do their best to try and translate the energy of the live performance to video and they have done so. Try to watch this without dancing or at least bobbing your head. Try to watch this without cranking the volume, go ahead I dare you! I actually enjoyed this more than the concert since I had a better view and did not have to deal with moshing and not being able to see, etc. I purchased the DVD version (not Blu-ray) but the quality is excellent. This is a very nice package containing the full concert on both CD and DVD plus additional bonus videos taken from various shows on the tour.

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OK people, this review is for the Blu-Ray version of Worlds On Fire LIVE. The first thing I will say is that this package comes both with the Audio CD of Warriors Dance Festival live performance on 7.24.2010 and it is awesome!!! The Blu-Ray contains Warriors Dance Festival as well as Invaders Alive. If you are a Prodigy fan and love the Invaders, Omen, Voodoo, Smack my..., Colours, Firestarter, etc. like I do, you will love this live album. You will immediately love the additions and changes they made to the beat. Some of the songs have added electronics beat sounds to the album versions of the songs and the live drums and guitar is awesome. Listen to a sample of the songs, you'll see what I mean. The Invaders Alive is a compilation of performances they have done around the world, England, Brazil, Ireland, Scotland, France, etc. and you'll get an idea on how funny these guys are! Sort of like outtakes with music.. Hope this helps. BUY IT!!

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I'm a Cyborg (2006)

In 2006, the South Korean surreal comedy film "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" from director Park Chan-wook was released.

With Park's work with "JSA", "Oldboy" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" attracting many international fans, Park wanted to try something much more different, more on the arthouse side by creating a film that would have a surreal dreamlike feel. Because of its surreal nature, the film did well in Korea during its opening weekend but quickly plummeted in sales by its second. Lauded by viewers who felt it was a wonderful, symbolic and unique style of film, those who are followers of Park's more violent and serious works were a bit dismayed by the film as somewhat incomprehensible. Also, the film would mark the first theatrical role for Korea's hot pop star Rain and would bring in an audience not used to seeing this certain style of film.

"I'm a Cyborg" is definitely a film that one will either love or hate and most that I've read disliking it was more because of the film's surrealist take and not coming up with a clear-cut ending. While those who lauded the film enjoyed the symbolic nature of the film, it's smart use of imagery and Park Chan-wook's ability to step away from the style of film's that he is accustomed of doing and doing something else, whether or not his fans approve.

VIDEO:

"I'm a Cyborg" is presented in 1080p (Anamorphic 1:77:1) on a BD25 Disc. The film showcases the vibrant colors of the film. From the vibrant colors of the outdoors to the glowing of Young-goon's toes, there is a good amount of detail featured on the Blu-ray disc. I didn't notice any major compression issues or combing. Blacks were nice and deep and for the most part, very good picture quality.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"I'm a Cyborg" is presented in Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 but also two lossless audio tracks. One in DTS-HD MA and the other in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. The film tends to utilize various sounds especially during the dream moments of Young-goon. From the sound of her becoming a robot and firing machine guns on everyone around her, to thunder in the background or the hint of crowd ambiance at the mental hospital, there is a good use of surround channels and dialogue is clean and understandable through the center channel. But because this is a BD25 disc, I was a bit surprised to see three audio tracks, especially two lossless audio tracks (DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHd codecs) included.

Subtitles are in English and found no major typo's or errors. Subtitles were easy to read.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"I'm a Cyborg" comes with the following special features:

Please note: This is an all-region Blu-ray but there are times when the special features for a UK Blu-ray will not work on a REGION A Blu-ray player. For "I'm a Cyborg", I was unable to play the special features on a Magnavox Blu-ray player. Usually, I'm able to play it on a PS3 Blu-ray player but in this case, I was unable to access the special features at all.

* Making of

* Exclusive Interview with Director Chan-wook Park

* Music Video

* Original Theatrical Trailers

JUDGMENT CALL:

"I'm a Cyborg" can be seen as a film about love or a film devoid of love until two people who have mental problems find comfort within each other.

And this is not an easy description to make because typically, when you discuss a film that utilizes characters with mental problems or deal with some sort of insanity, one tends to think of a film with a darker storyline. But director Park Chan-wook avoids the banality by giving these characters some depth by using dreamlike-states as a way to show the viewer of what kind of mindset these individuals are having.

From Young-goon's thoughts of killing all hospital workers, to another patient who feels she can fly with her special socks, many may watch this film and enjoy it almost like a comedy but when the second half of the film rolls in, "I'm a Cyborg" becomes more of a film of two people who literally have nothing but each other.

Although the viewer is not explained how things got so bad with Young-goon or Park, you pretty much take their mental illness as what is and wonder if they will eventually get better. And because of their mental illness, those around them have literally shunned them but for both of these main characters, they start to realize that they are not alone and they have each other. Park knows that she is not a cyborg but he doesn't try to prove her wrong, he supports her no matter what.

And it is true that the film's ending may be a bit disingenuous. One may not feel they are getting any closure to these characters but it's all about the symbols shown in the film. I've read many write ups from viewers who have problems enjoying the film because there is no romance or some sort of fitting climax nor a fitting ending. But my feeling is that both of the main characters in the film have mental issues that border to near insanity. Can these two individuals even comprehend what a relationship or a bond is? In a typical movie sense, we are not going to get any liplocking or passionate love making, director Park Chan-wook did a good job in not following the usual path in featuring two people with mental illness. They discover things in their own way, good or bad.

Young-goon believes that Park has powers to help her achieve her goal as a cyborg, Park feels that he cares for her to support her and her mindset of believing she is a cyborg and bet there for her. It may seem unusual but if one loves another, they are willing to do what they can to maintain that love and Park does it his own way, especially a touching moment in order to become healthy.

With that being said, "I'm a Cyborg" won't be for everyone. Aside from it's surreal nature, some may find the violence scenes to be a bit overbearing. There are several times where Young-goon is seen imagining herself turning into a robot and gunning down all the hospital workers. It's a scene that doesn't surprise me (coming from director Park Chan-wook) but I'm sure it may be a bit too graphical to some viewers and although a dream sequence, for those expecting a romantic comedy, this is more of a dark comedy and not for those expecting a blossoming romance.

I have to give credit to both main talents Su-jeong Lim and Rain. Su-jeong Lim playing the part of Young-goon and her portrayal of a girl with a mental illness but also a character that believes she is a cyborg but yet having human emotions that she has difficulty separating from. Pop star Rain does an effective job playing the main lead Park Il-sun. It's quite interesting as other Asian pop stars tend to get music based or romantic comedy type of roles for their first job and often at times, they are more or less taking on a supporting role. But for Rain to take on a major lead role, especially a character that also has a mental illness but at the same time, aware of his emotions towards Young-goon was also well done.

As for the Blu-ray, a very solid Blu-ray release from Tartan Video. Beautiful and vibrant picture quality, clear audio but unfortunately, utilizing two Blu-ray players, was unable to access the special features. But still, considering its price and it is an all-region disc, it may work on other Blu-ray players and for its price, definitely makes this Blu-ray release worth checking out.

Overall, "I'm a Cyborg" is a film that one would consider it a true masterpiece by Park Chan-wook, while others may feel that the film doesn't suit Park Chan-wook at all. Needless to say, I personally feel that it was great for the director to undertake a different style of film that he was known for and his story captures the life of these two main characters who have nothing, no one but each other to count on and possibly find a purpose of living.

If you are a viewer who has a difficult time understanding the ending, I have only one hint to give you and that is too look closely on what is connected to the antenna on top.

"I'm a Cyborg" is a well-done film and most definitely recommended!

I am not reviewing the movie (I bought it as a gift for my brother who loves Park Chan-Wook movies) but was impressed by the timely arrival. I received the item within about two days or ordering it. Good job Amazon! My brother loved the movie and I look forward to watching it soon!

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The Way (2011)

Crossing the Pyrenees and Basque country, then winding their way across northern Spain to the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela, pilgrims have walked the 800 km Camino de Santiago for over a thousand years. The reasons for undertaking such a journey are as varied as the pilgrims themselves. Most of them are seeking something that has little or nothing to do with religion, yet taps into a deep, nameless yearning for connection to the mystery.

In "The Way," four of these pilgrims find themselves thrown together by chance. As their stories unfold we meet Tom, played by Martin Sheen, completing the journey begun by his estranged son who died in a sudden mountain storm shortly after setting off. He is joined by: a jovial bear of a Dutchman, hoping to regain his wife's affection; an acerbic Canadian woman, trying to exorcise the anger built up in an abusive marriage; and an Irish author who masks his writer's block by talking nonstop.

The acting is superb, though some of the characters may have been a bit overdrawn at the beginning. Writer-Director Emilio Estevez, who is Martin Sheen's son and plays his son in the movie, deftly interweaves the development of the personal stories of the four main characters with the hardships and camaraderie of the Pilgrim's Way. He takes us through lush countryside and rocky hills, stopping in local inns, gathering with other pilgrims in the evening around meals, and then retiring to Spartan dormitories to start off again in the morning.

Gradually the experience of the Camino works its way into the spirits of the pilgrims. They become mirrors for each other, helping to strip away the protective layers that have preserved their pain and isolation, and with their new vulnerability, freeing them to feel and connect once more. In the end, the message of this poignant film is that opening our hearts to others is the real miracle. Connecting with them through kindness and laughter and joy is the magic that invites the presence of God.

A lovely, moving film.

My eyes were wet and I laughed out loud in the first fifteen minutes of "The Way," and I continued laughing and crying throughout. I left the theater feeling the generous glow that a good movie inspires. I'll now be telling everyone I know to see this film, on a big screen, and I'm already looking forward to seeing it again.

I was a bit anxious about "The Way." I anticipated so many ways a movie that features backpacking, pilgrimages, and religion could go wrong. Would it be excessively pious and maudlin? New Age-y and Christophobic? Simply a bad movie? There is a reason so many films focus on graphic, intimate scenes and explosions: those are easy to shoot and they arouse viewer interest. "The Way" rapidly calmed my anxiety. It's a honey of a movie.

Tom (Martin Sheen) is a sixty-something ophthalmologist. His son Dan (Emilio Estevez) dies in an accident. Tom travels to France to retrieve his son's body. Learning of his son's attempt to walk the camino, Tom decides to cremate his son's remains and carry them as he fulfills his son's plan.

Tom walks through picturesque, mountainous countryside and through the plazas of old towns. As happens when one is traveling, Tom encounters an assortment of eclectic characters. Joost (Yorick van Wageningen) is a corpulent, talkative, pot smoking Dutchman who is walking the trail to lose weight. Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger) is a sharp tongued, very angry Canadian blonde. Jack (James Nesbitt) is an Irish travel writer with the gift of gab he didn't just kiss the Blarney Stone, he went steady with it. There is a priest with a brain tumor who distributes rosaries, and pilgrims debating the roles of the French, the Spanish and the Basque in ancient battles against invading Moors. Waiters take very strong stands on tapas. Gypsies defend their honor.

The pilgrims sleep in spare hostel dormitories with snoring, coughing, shooshing roommates. They visit churches and enact rituals.

There was a moment in this movie in which I, a traveler and backpacker, was one hundred percent engaged. In superhero movies, I don't really care if the superhero gets the dilithium crystals to the giant spider. In this movie, a backpacker drops his pack into a rushing river that rapidly sweeps it toward the sea. THAT scene commanded my full engagement. The backpacker's pack contains his entire world, his heart, his safety, his entertainment, his identity, his survival. I was on the edge of my seat.

What happens in the movie is what happens when you travel, and when you pray. The demands of travel bring forth bonding rituals I'll listen to your rant; you'll bail me out of jail that create intimacy with unexpected, and all too temporary, companions. There are sudden and heart-wrenching confessions that make two strangers more intimate than family members. There are little triumphs that make it all worthwhile finding orange trees laden with fruit after a night of sleeping on cold ground, one night in a five-star hotel after punishing weeks of self-denial.

Martin Sheen is so convincing as Tom I really lost the sense of watching a movie. Tom is a man of few words or gestures, and Sheen's every subdued facial expression carries weight and feeling. I had the sense of those who interacted with Tom that I would appreciate a mere word from him more than a paragraph from someone less grounded and sincere.

I really disliked Joost at first, and, come to think of it, many of the other characters, as well, but the film, without any visible effort, brought me to appreciate them the way you can come to appreciate someone you've shared the road with. When Joost is asked why he is walking the trail and he finally tells why, it is a very poignant, precious moment, so utterly believable it could have been in a well-made documentary. Van Wageningen will receive many love letters from women who cannot separate him from Joost, a fictional character so believable he makes you want to hug him. James Nesbitt could be extemporizing his lines, they feel so lived-in. Deborah Kara Unger gives new life to an ancient prayer.

I wish the movie had done a couple of things it did not. I just did not believe that Tom could immediately begin walking the camino in anything but a halting fashion. Many non-hiker friends have called me the day after a hike with me to tell me that their feet are so covered with blisters they can't put on shoes, and their muscles are so sore they can't move (the big babies.) I would have liked to have seen Tom breaking his body in to the demands of the trail. I also would have liked to have seen even just a brief scene where he purchased footwear. Very few ophthalmologists cross the Atlantic with the proper footwear for a walk hundreds of kilometers long, and footwear is a big deal for a walker. I would like to have seen the walkers interact with their packs, something that all hikers do a tightening of the belt strap here, a loosening of the shoulder strap there. They become a part of your body.

I wish the direction and cinematography had done something more with the countryside and the historic plazas and churches, which are always shown in a way that is pretty, but not innovative. I wish we learned a bit about the keepers of the refugios, the hostels where pilgrims spend the night. To the pilgrims, the towns change every day. To the towns, the pilgrims change every day. How do these dovetailing experiences illuminate each other? And I wish more had been said about religion, although what little is said is intriguing and implies worlds of meaning. I wish more had been said about the alleged sacredness of some places.

These are minor complaints. This film is destined to become a much beloved classic. See it.

Buy The Way (2011) Now

I had no real idea of what the movie was about aside from something about a pilgrimage, but I felt like giving it a chance. I heard from some reviewers that it was good.

So I was unprepared for the emotional impact the film had from the beginning. The screenplay was wonderfully written, the characters were all flawed as each of us are. I don't want to provide too much details, because too much is described already.

I will say that the journey was an emotional one as well as a scenic splendor. As the viewer gets to accompany these pilgrims from diverse walks of life, you see their flaws and qualities up close.

The visual beauty of The Way cannot be overlooked. The innkeepers and fellow pilgrims all looked like regular human beings from everywhere. The music that accompanied the film was well chosen.

A deeply touching film.

Read Best Reviews of The Way (2011) Here

While I was on a trip to Argentina and Chile with a group of teachers in the summer of 2002, Pam and Rick, a married couple from Maine also on the trip, mentioned to me several times that they thought I should look into going on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, since they knew I was a very devoted Catholic, and since I was discerning my call to the priesthood. At the time, I was a high school Spanish teacher living in Greenville, Mississippi, and a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps from Ole Miss. I ended up walking the Camino in the summer of 2003 with my friend Nancy, one year before I entered seminary. I am now a priest in the Mississippi Delta a long way from my upbringing in Chicago and southern California. It is amazing where our journeys take us. Being a pilgrim is all about the journey, about taking yourself out of the ordinary routine and putting yourself into God's hands. The pilgrims call out this encouragement to one another "Buen Camino" wishing each other a good road, a good journey.

The characters in The Way were all called to the Camino de Santiago de Compostela for different reasons. Many of us don't even know why we are called. And in the end, we never know how we are going to change. What is a "true pilgrim"? That was a discussion Martin Sheen and the other pilgrims had one evening on their journey in Spain. It is a question most pilgrims ask themselves along the journey, and some pilgrims can become a bit rigid or judgmental about it. There probably is no good answer to that question. When you finish the Camino, you are asked for your motives for going. Many of the characters in that movie struggled with that question as well. Sometimes it is very difficult to put into words the way God is at work in our lives.

I do know that being a pilgrim is a big part of my identity today. The Camino is a big part of my life. I am planning to go back to Spain in April 2012. We leave the day after Easter. I am actually now a Catholic priest. I was not a priest the first time I hiked to Santiago de Compostela. This time around, I am going to start the walk in Pamplona with three of my friends from Mississippi. One other person is meeting us in Leon about two weeks later to walk the last 200 miles with us. We have been meeting on a monthly basis now for more than a year and a half, preparing as a group for this journey.

This is a wonderful movie. The one thing that was not touched upon in the movie in great detail was the physical challenge that confronts many pilgrimages. My friend who walked the Camino with me in 2003 got a bad foot infection on the very first day and was not able to walk much of The Way. I did not even have a blister, but my next Camino might be very different. This is a very inspiring, very spiritual movie. I applaud Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez for their efforts. Their spirituality really shines in this movie. It is not an earth-shattering movie with big special affects and it is not a sequel in a big movie franchise. In many ways, this movie is different than most. We need more movies like this.

Update June 2012

I did walk the Camino in April/May 2012. It is amazing how much more popular it is now since the time I walked it in 2012. At the pilgrims' hostel in Leon, one of the Benedictine nuns talked to us about what it means to be a pilgrim. It is not primarily about being a fast walker or trying to rack up the most mileage each day or getting to the destination first. Being a pilgrim is to take everything in the relationships you make on the Camino, the sights, the sounds, the journey and processing it in your soul and finding out how it all relates to you spiritually. I met a man from Germany who told me that he was searching for something. He didn't know what questions to ask. He did not know what answers he was looking for. But he was on a quest, and that brought him to the Camino. I also met three men from New York on the Camino. Even though they were in their mid-30s, it was like they were plucked from a frat house at a university. Yet, they had decided to go on the Camino after one of them had seen this movie The Way. It is amazing to see the many people draw to this ancient pilgrimage from the Catholic Church as they search for answers and meaning in life. There will be many more American pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela in the coming years, and this movie will be part of the reason why.

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My wife and I saw this film. It had an unexpected influence on both of us. My Mom died at the end of September and while we always know they will go, it was difficult for me -and I am 63. I think it is worse when the second one goes. So, we saw the film and I did a couple of things that I rarely do. First, I downloaded the music (remember I am 63 and don't do things like that usually). Then I bought a book about the Camino. Finally, we leave this late Spring for the trip.

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Gunless (2010)

Oh those kooky Canadians. Leave it to them to come up with this way out of left field movie. I suppose this sort of "fish out of water" thing has been done before, but this is so lively and fresh it just plain feels brand new.

Here's the scoop. Paul Gross, after dodging a hanging, finds himself in some bust-out Canadian town. He's on his horse, but he's been shot in the butt, rolled around in pig doo-doo and tied up. A long time bounty hunter/adversary is on his tail as he finds himself with an odd assortment of towns people who he must stay with (for at least a while) before he can get back on his horse and ride. It's that "at least a while" part that ends up messing with his head.

This movie is a real hoot. It's peppered with an oddball bunch of characters and somehow the goofy plot line makes its own kind of sense. They're such a crazy bunch they create a good juxtaposition to Gross's character. Yes he's killed men. Many men. But he's not a bad guy. His sense of right and wrong just somehow got out of hand. Now he meets a girl to whom he's indebted and he starts to realize that the constant running, and his sense of justice, might not be the best way to live. It almost plays out out like an episode of the "Andy Griffith Show."

It's set in a sparse part of Canada in a small town so the budget must have been manageable. But it doesn't look cheap. It's shot well and all the actors, even the secondary ones, do a really good job. You love these people and want to be with them. The music is good as well. There are a couple of quirky, tongue in cheek, tunes that help keep things light. This seems to be taking place in the late 19th century, but the language and many of the sensibilities are strictly "now." I don't know squat about Paul Gross but he handles his role extremely well. He's created a very memorable character. He reminds me a great deal of Josh Brolin. Sienna Guillroy is the love interest and she's quite fetching. These two make a fine pair.

I cannot say enough about this movie. There is no wasted time here. It moves at a decent clip and will not test your sense of time. It's as entertaining as a movie can be and it has a good heart without being cheezy. I had the time of my life watching it and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

I watched this on Netflix the other day and was not expecting much from it... I am happy to say that it caught me off guard. There was a great blend of action, humor, and plot (something that seems to be missing from today movies). I am adding this to my wish list!

Buy Gunless (2010) Now

Not at the farcial level of Mel Brooke's "Blazing Saddles", but full of tongue in cheek, and slapstick humor plus winking, cultural commentary, Gunless is a lot of fun!

Paul Gross(quite well known in Canada, I remember him from the "Red Green Show") plays a, set in his ways, American gunslinger that flees into a bucolic, Canadian town being chased by, ever getting nearer, bounty hunters. He gets in a huff with the local, giant of a man, blacksmith and determines to have it out with him if, and a big if, he can find a working six shooter for the showdown.

He takes a job, a trade off, put up a windmill for a gun, with a pretty but struggling rancher, Sienna Guillory("Inkhart", "Resident Evil"). The townfold are quirky and charming and with the woman do there best to distract him from his plan.

It's well shot and scripted, nice scenery, and there's enough seriousness to it to keep it more in reality than just being a constant joke; moreover, the hero and heroine provide a sweet, developing, but at odds, romance. My wife won't watch a western unless there's some hint of romance or at least a woman in it.

It's not quite full family fare: the baddies shoot a dog, threaten townfolk, attempt a hanging, but overall, the violence is controlled and made fun of, the language, except for the outtakes, minimum; there's no nudity or sex, one implied encounter, and all things work out for the best with a moral about living peacefully.

Summary, a feel good movie, an unusual, comedic western, that also pokes light fun at cultural differences between US and Canada.

Read Best Reviews of Gunless (2010) Here

I bought Gunless because I like Paul Gross' work and I wanted to see his new movie. It didn't disappoint. Gunless has a very funny premise: Injured American gunfighter on the run arrives in a Canadian border town, challenges the blacksmith to a gun duel, discovers that there are no working pistols in the town, and has to wait around for days for parts to repair the only pistol before he can kill the poor man. It's a great twist on a basic Western movie plot. Paul Gross does a very good job as The Montana Kid. He has excellent comedic timing and plays the character as a decent, too serious, frustrated man who has lost his way. There is a sweet romance, but not too much to turn off the guys in the audience. Sienna Guillory is a wonderful foil for Gross' comedy and, along with the rest of the ensemble, projects an innocent inability to understand this American's need for dueling and revenge. The actors all have a wonderful talent for comedy, the Alberta setting is gorgeous, and the ending is very satisfactory. This movie doesn't pretend to be great art, but it's a whole lot of fun. I highly recommend it. (By the way, I understand that this may be the only Canadian Western in existence. It has an all Canadian cast, I think, and you can tell they had fun making.)

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This movie is a favorite now. It is funny and has a good message. Mostly though, it is not something I have to work at watching. I don't need to pick it apart or work hard to find some hidden dramatic meaning. It's purely entertaining, which is what I generally like in movies. The characters and the actors who play them are great diverse in personality. Melodie Choi is just about the cutest kid I've ever seen in a movie and a good actor as well. And Paul Gross -well aside from the good acting, has a voice that is perfect for the character. A few familiar faces are in this movie, but mostly actors who are relatively new to movies and/or not usually seen in the US movie market. The only negative thing I can say about it is the language in the outtakes during the end credits. Otherwise it couldn't be better. It's good fun and I highly recommend it to just about anyone. Paul Gross's character is a gunslinger and does talk about the eleven people he's killed, so parents might want to monitor that and "guide" any young children. I, personally, would have no problem allowing younger kids to watch this, with that guidance.

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Wings of Honneamise (Blu-ray/DVD) (1987)

My first viewing of "The Wings of Honneamise" was back in the early 90's and to tell you the truth, because it was in straight Japanese, I had no idea what the storyline was about. But of course throughout the next decade, there would be several releases such as a dub version by L.A. Hero, then came the Manga entertainment release which a dubbed and subtitled version were release and had to buy both and then a DVD release by Manga Entertainment (which was overcompressed) was released.

But 20 years later, Bandai Visual/Honneamise released a "Royal Space Force The Wings of Honneamise" via a combo pack for those who preferred to own it via the DVD+HD/DVD or DVD+Blu-ray Disc.

Because this film has been reviewed so many times throughout the past decade online, I'm going to review this release a bit differently.

It's one thing for us, that have been around for a long time viewing anime to simply claim that this film is one of the best releases out there especially if you have knowledge of GAINAX and the history behind this film.

But for today's modern anime fan, after reading reviews online of "Why?" or "what is the significance of this film?", let alone hearing comments that this film is appreciated for mainly older anime fans, I figured I best explain the significance of this animated film and possibly reach out to newer anime fans who may not be familiar with this film.

Back in the 70's and 80's, the majority of anime films were typically edited compilations from popular television shows. One of the most popular examples of this are the "Mobile Suit Gundam" trilogy films which more or less compiled and edited 50 TV episodes. And many films were created by live-action directors and the main sponsors of these films were national sponsors and toy manufacturers (this is explained in detail by an accompanying booklet included with the box set written by Hikawa Ryusuke).

But in the 80's, a group of young amateurs known as DAICON FILM which were a group of college students that created anime shorts via 8mm film were given a chance to create a 35mm theatrical movie.

This was very rare in the industry especially since these young students haven't had any actual achievements with the exception of Sakamoto Ryuichi (music director of the film) who was known for his music at that time.

These students had to prove that they were up to the task and the group which would be known as GAINAX would make their mark by this one film alone with its intricate animation and storyline by creating a new world, a world with its own language, a world with its own vehicles, style of buildings, the clothing down to the vases and jugs used by citizens of the country of Honneamise.

Every scene was well planned, from the dog fights of the airplane battles of how missiles flew through gravity, how crashing vehicles and its shards of metal and glass are flying around to the way an explosion was animated and how a fireball was truly done.

To create animation in the 80's and to attempt to attain some sort of realism, "Honneamise no Tsubasa" (Wings of Honnemaise) was a complex film that these young creators put everything on the line and were able to create a film that was critically acclaimed and would lead to more wonderful anime such as "Gunbuster", "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water", "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and many more wonderful titles in the next two decades.

So, for those who rented the older DVD and asked themselves "Why is this so popular?", you have to think in the context of when it was released, what was accomplished in the overall creation of this complex film.

This is not just a film to just sit for two hours and wait for some hardcore action, this is a film that you watch, you immerse yourself in the world created by Yamaga Hiroyuki, enjoy the character designs of Sadamoto Yoshiyuki and just be amazed of how meticulous the special effects animation was by Anno Hideaki and various animation by directors Iida Fumio, Moriyama Yuji and also Sadamoto Yoshiyuki.

OK, I'M SOLD...BUT WHY BUY THIS VERSION OF THE DVD, WHEN I CAN BUY THE OLDER VERSION ON eBAY or Amazon?

As mentioned earlier, there was a 2000 release by Manga Entertainment. It's pretty much the VHS release that we watched back in the mid-90's with director's commentary. DVD-wise, the Manga Entertainment was just horribly compressed and it was unfortunate. If there was one reason to own that older version of the DVD, it was simply because it had the director's commentary by Yamaga Hiroyuki and assistant director Akai Takami.

The version I am reviewing, Bandai Visual/Honneamise's release is just light years ahead of the 2000 DVD release.

In fact, part of the reason why it took me a while to review this DVD is that I had to test the video and audio at friend's home theater setups along with mine because the Blu-ray disc was phenomenal. I just had to find out if the video and audio is just as beautiful and awesome on a variety of setups. This DVD+Blu-ray disc combo set release is the definitive "Wings of Honneamise" release yet.

So, for the new modern anime fan or newbie who have read the reviews and saw many of us put "Royal Space Force The Wings of Honneamise on top for must-own DVD releases, I ask you to not watch this film like you would watch a animated television show you would watch quickly.

Just immerse yourself into the complex world that GAINAX has created for you. Look at things visually and just imagine of how this was all created back in the 80's and how much detail and what was accomplished at that time.

Almost like the world George Lucas has created for the "Star Wars" series and how fans find that special connection with a planet or land and its inhabitants, "Honneamise" is such a world where you can see how much was put into the creation of this world, the people living in that world and the language they speak.

How much was put into creating the world through its beautiful backgrounds and animation. Even the small things that involve a few frames, just the detail behind it is just simply amazing.

So, if you can immerse yourself into this world, embrace "Honneamise" for its complexity and its beauty and you will discover why many of us, old school anime fans, regard this film so highly.

I have to say that I am a great fan of the movie and based on that alone, I would easily give the movie a 5 star rating. It is indeed a maturely themed movie and I would certainly not recommend it for children mostly because of the infamous near rape scene and some violence.

--

Regarding the price, it is obviously ridiculous and easily brings down the review of the product by 2 stars. For the people that commented that that has nothing to do with the movie, I submit that Amazon is a site for purchasing items and the reviews should include information regarding the whole product. That includes price, video quality, sound quality, bonuses, commentaries, etc. If you only desire a movie review, I suggest visiting an anime review site (of which there are plenty.)

One reviewer did not seem to understand why the launch site is so near the enemy's border. It is made clear in the movie that the launch is pure propaganda. The government expects the launch to fail and regards the Space Force as a joke. The launch site was a blatant provocation so that when the enemy attacks the launch site, the government could use that as an excuse for the failure.

That same reviewer characterizes the near rape and apology of Riquinni as some sort of "Japanese" norm. This I find pretty ridiculous and I suggest going to Japan and see how many women apologize to him if he attempts to rape them.

Let me try to explain the near rape scene's significance. The movie is about Shiro. Riquinni is a supporting character. Therefore, her actions support Shiro's character development. Riquinni is a religious fanatic. She is a victim of her poverty, her "child", her (lack of) social status, and then, her near rape by the one man she begins to trust. And yet, she apologizes to him. Is she really a victim? Or has she surpassed her situation? She did indeed hit him on the head with the vase (hardly defenseless.) She shows great resilience in dealing with all her regular-day problems. Her apology is an affirmation of her true spiritual beliefs that she is "saving" someone (the world) and that there is something greater than her own personal needs or situation. In my opinion, without that scene, if somehow her romance was consummated with Shiro, it would fail the overall message of the movie. The message that one can "be" more. Shiro realized the truth of that what is the "more" of his life? Shiro's answer isn't the same as Riquinni's. Yes, it is uncomfortable to watch as it should be just the word "rape" is enough to cause us to cringe. But, I hope that the some of the readers of this review can see how it is not a gratuitous scene and realize the import of it to Shiro's development.

It is that kind of complexity and layering that permeates throughout the anime and makes this beyond most others. It isn't "a hero defeats the bad guy type of movie." It requires your analysis (intuitively perhaps) and so, it isn't a movie you can only watch once. I agree that it isn't for everyone but, I hope that you can appreciate it for what it is as much as I did.

ps If you can find the soundtrack, I also recommend that as well.

Buy Wings of Honneamise (Blu-ray/DVD) (1987) Now

If you could only own ONE anime movie, Wings of Honneamise is the one to own. I have an older DVD cut, and the quality is execrable. A Blue-Ray edition was a long time coming, but for that price, I'll watch my old copy, thank you!

Read Best Reviews of Wings of Honneamise (Blu-ray/DVD) (1987) Here

I'm glad they finally put out a new printing of this, since the Manga one was so terrible. Unfortunately, the way this is marketed and priced is ridiculous.

The film is quite excellent though, and is deserving of a re-release.

The animation is pretty good, but not up to the standards of newer releases like Paprika or Metropolis. It looks nice for the time, but isn't as good looking as Akira, which came out a year later. Nonetheless, the world is detailed, and fully fleshed out. And it really looks like a lot of time and effort was put into the creation of this world.

The reason this film is 'unique' and 'not for everyone', is due to the story. Or the way it is told, to be specific. It's deliberately slow paced, and can try the patience of those who are waiting for anime's patented action spectacles. You're not going to get that with this. This is primarily a sci-fi drama, which is told at a slower pace, similar to sci-fi films like Gattica.

The slow pace allows for lots of character work, and i'm impressed with the animator's willingness to animate small gestures, looks, and conversations. The small things really make the animation stand out.

The story is quite good with it's delving into religion and politics, and it builds to a pretty powerful ending.

A very ambitious work, which I think is just wonderful, but is certainly not for everyone.

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Studio Gainax, famous for Evangelion, Nadia, and Gurren Lagann, got their big start with this, their first ever theatrical production. Royal Space Force, or as its also sometimes called: The Wings Of Honneamise, was an parallel universe tale about mankind's first attempt at space travel. Hiroyuki Yamaga directed this as his premiere project, although he went on to quit Gainax early on during the production of Gurren Lagann. This movie was first released on DVD and VHS by Manga Entertainment, but then again on a pricy DVD/Blu-Ray by Bandai Visual.

Taking place in an alternate version of Earth, a faction of the military called the Royal Space Force has been practicing on and off to gain proper funding for their space program. Shirotsugh Lhadatt is part of the RSF, and is mainly just in the military for laughs with no real direction. However, when one of their crew dies in a test, he becomes concerned with his direction is life. While out drinking with his crew, he runs across the religious girl Riquinni who invites him back to her place the next morning. She's not some Jehova's Witness though, but seems a little to faithful to her religion to the point that it leaves her very clueless about how the real world works, like paying her bills. Lhadatt gets inspired by her devotion, and decides to live up to his lot as an astronaut by volunteering for the first planned orbital flight, otherwise the whole space program would've been shafted. The military takes over a large portion of this project claiming the rocket is a warship, and it becomes viewed by the neighboring country as a threat, so much so that Lhadatt gets targeted by some rather creative assassins. The situation escalates to where the actual launch site becomes the focus of a full blown battlezone, and the entire thing gets cancelled by the government, but the RSF decides to brave the odds by continuing with the launch. Lhadatt finally achieves his space flight, and reflects that all the hostility and wars humanity has going on seem pointless since from where he sees the world now there are no borders.

This movie is considered to be the crowning achievement in Gainax's long history. The world it takes place in is modeled after own, but redone in fashionable steampunk way. It pools elements from several of our cultures into it, and seems to really dig neon lights in ways that Las Vegas never did. Gainax outdid itself with this, and set the standard for their future productions like Gunbuster. It has some of the most memorable animation you'll ever see in sequences you have trouble telling the difference between them and live-action. Royal Space Force was a real game-changer.

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X2: X-Men United (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2003)

The X-Men are back, with 2003's first blockbuster X2 directed by Bryan Singer. What's more it is bigger (some $50million), better, darker, longer, more action-packed and generally more exciting, with a substantial increase in the sexual tension.

In this highly enjoyable sequel, the warring parties from the first instalment are forced into a partnership of necessity to battle against an army scientist, Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox), who is determined to wipe all mutant life. To this end, in an excellent opening sequence, he coerces a teleporting mutant by the name of Nightcrawler into an attempt on the President's life with the purpose of turning both the public and the oval office against mutant kind.

All the favourite X-people from the first instalment including Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen), Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Storm (Halle Berry), Rogue (Anna Paquin), Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), Cyclops (James Marsden) and Famke Janssen (as Dr Jean Grey). In addition they are joined by three very noteable additions, Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), Pyro (Aaron Stamford) and Yuriko Oyama (Kelly Hu). Although Sabretooth and Toad are missing in action from the first movie they're not exactly missed (because lets face it they aren't the most exciting X-characters anyway)!

One of the things I most enjoyed about X2 is how much more there was than the first movie. More action, more humour, more X-Men (and X-children) a longer running time, and in particular, more Halle Berry, more Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Famke Janssen, looking even more glamorous, more alluring and displaying more X-powers (as Dr Jean Grey) than she did in the first movie.

That said, the film is still dominated by two actors; Brian Cox (one of Scotland's finest actors) who makes an excellent villain as Colonel Stryker and Australian actor Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. For it is their personal conflict and previous history that encapsulates the battle between good and evil that is at the heart of this sequel. However, they are ably supported by all the previously mentioned cast members and the addition of the excellent character Nightcrawler, played by another Scotsman, Alan Cumming.

Kudos must also go to scriptwriters Mike Dougherty and Dan Harris and Director Bryan Singer, who was much criticised for the lack of action in the opening movie of this very profitable franchise. Dougherty and Harris have injected some subtle humour mainly absent from X-Men and Singer (with help from Editors John Ottman & Elliot Graham) has done well to seamlessly cram it all into 130 minutes, whilst still managing to keep to his promise of a darker sequel. Although critics may argue that much of the intelligence and thought-provoking elements from the first movie are much diluted X2 is still one of the finest comic book movie to date and exactly what X-fans were looking for in a sequel. Not only does X2 pave the way for a summer of superheroes, with The Matrix Reloaded and The Hulk imminent, but it also sets us up for the inevitable X3, although this is going to be hard to top.

The defining characteristic of "X2: X-Men United" is the approval bestowed upon it by fans of the origin comic books; whereas the original "X-Men" movie was seen as truncated and flat in parts, the sequel delivers the goods fans craved: a full half-hour more action, and a dazzling opening sequence that features a mutant attack on the U.S. President. The mutant is a newcomer: Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) a German circus runaway with blue skin that can bounce and teleport at alarming speeds. Director Bryan Singer watched his first "X-Men" effort start with a slow burn of introducing the setup and character; "X2" had the "geeks" bouncing out of their seats.

What follows is a superhero movie on par with "Spider-Man" and the best parts of the "Superman" and "Batman" series. "X2" is a too busy and farfetched, but it keeps twisting, and it features a great villain in Col. Styker (Brian Cox) a military scientist bent on erasing the mutants from the Earth. In theme and approach, "X2" is similar to the second and best installment of the "Star Trek" series, "Wrath of Khan" -"X2" features a large sacrifice from a major character, and serves as a launching pad for future installments. Just about anything could happen in "X3," and that's a testament to how well this movie is structured. Every important mutant is still on the playing field.

After the Nightcrawler attack -a spectacular, dizzying assault through the hallways of the White House right to the president's desk -"X2" sends its characters in various directions. Stryker, who has the president's ear, convinces the chief that the mysterious mutant school run by wheelchair-bound Xavier (Patrick Stewart) could be behind the attack. The real source is a nifty twist, but Stryker nonetheless storms the school while Xavier is away visiting his imprisoned enemy/friend Magneto (Ian McKellen).

Though human, Stryker is as formidable as either Xavier or Magneto -he has methods of coercing mutants, putting him in position to rid the world of them through Cerebro, a special tracking machine only Xavier can use; how Stryker tricks Xavier into using it is one of the movie's best secrets. Because Stryker means to destroy the mutants for good; Magneto sets aside his grudge match with Xavier to save both their hides, hence the title.

Stryker also holds the key to the identity of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the steel-knuckled, mutton-chopped tough man of the mutant school. "X2" has a full plate of characters, but Jackman's the star; Wolverine does most of the fighting, and serves as a romantic possibility for X-woman Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), a telekinetic with growing strength and X-girl Rogue (Anna Paquin), whose powers were coveted in the original movie, but not worth much this time.

Also onboard is Storm (Halle Berry) who finds and connects with a confused Nightcrawler, and bad-girl Mystique (Rebecca Romejn-Stamos) whose shape-shifting gifts bust Magneto out of prison and hack into Stryker's computer for his master plan.

Singer strains to offer every mutant decent screen time, which spreads "X2" a little too thin in the middle; one mutant that figured prominently in the first movie, Cyclops (James Marsden), mostly tags along in the sequel. Despite the generosity, Cox and Jackman return the forefront again and again as Stryker and Wolverine size each other up. Cox, actually, has played a similar role once before in the terrible Keanu Reeves vehicle "Chain Reaction;" what seemed cartoonish about his military monster in that movie works just about perfect here. Jackman has a look about him that fits the part, and he's surprisingly funny to boot -the throwaway lines of David Hayter's script are one of "X2's" prime pleasures.

There aren't as many action sequences as you'd expect -the canvas is so big, a good part of the movie is spent just leaving and arriving -and none match the opening Nightcrawler attack, but there is enough for a fight junkie to appreciate. And though there's a bit of social commentary mixed into the movie's fabric, "X2" is nothing less than a fantasy. There's a climax, so to speak, beyond the climax, and then another climax beyond that, which is annoying, but it sets the table for a major transformation of Jean's character. Singer obviously has his options wide open for the third installment, which will presumably pit good and bad mutants against one another again. "X2" ends with Magneto having gained a precious new weapon for round three.

For what it does, "X2" does it very well. Singer is clearly serious about not letting the franchise descend into camp as "Batman" and "Superman" eventually did -there are dumb moments, but they're quickly forgotten. It improves on the original and improves the chances of the series at the same time.

Buy X2: X-Men United (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2003) Now

Hey, pardon my pun, but it's so refreshing to see a comic book movie that doesn't feel like solely a comic book movie that could never happen even in a parallel dimension that looked like a comic book. I mean, yes, Daredevil and Batman and all the rest were fun and all, but they never had the "look" that made you say, "by God, they've done it, I'm looking at life anew!" Well, with X-2, they've done it, my friends...

The first X-Men film was a necessary sacrificial lamb. With so many characters, good and bad, and each character having all their own ongoing multiple storylines and backgrounds and yadda yadda yadda, the first flick chopped all the excess fat and brought the comic book to life in a very realistic and engrossing world...However, it did have its flaws as well as a flat climax that felt like merely a prologue for future X-Films rather than a memorable first entry (though still better than most comic book tripe nevertheless).

X-2 one-ups all of that, though...Everyone from the first is back for more and even some newbies hitch a ride. Nightcrawler has been made into a gem of a character by Alan Cumming. The opening sequence with him involved in an assassination attempt is awesome and unrelenting. Pyro was always a silly "goofy-villain-with-bad-costume" in the X-books but he's much more compelling as an angst-ridden teen fighting temptation from the dark side of mutant powers, kind of like Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode 2, but in this film it doesn't make you the moviegoer roll your eyes or consider suicide. There's a brief cameo from Colossus, another goodie mutie who will no doubt have a bigger and highly anticiapted role in the inevitable (and very welcome) X-3...

All the other charaters from the original are even better here and it's hard to give all of them equal playing time in such a movie, but in the end everyone knows the real title of these movies: "Wolverine and his Amazing Friends." Got it? Get used to it. Hugh Jackman as Wolvie is so good that it should be illegal to play a comic character that well. Absolutely criminal. Quick, someone call the acting police and give Michael Jai White a copy of X1 and X2, tell him that's how to play a badass. Then laugh at him for ruining "Spawn" anyway.

Needless to say, the plot is a foregone conclusion here and it's all just an excuse to -gaspdevelop the characters. What? A popcorn movie with unobtrusive character development? Yep, that's X-2 alright; and it's all a hell of a lot of fun...

Read Best Reviews of X2: X-Men United (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2003) Here

Consider the first X-Men film a plot progressing set up, because from the first opening scene in X2 your thrown head first into one of, if not the, best comic to film adaptions of all time, and one of the few times a sequel out do's the original. Almost all of the first film's entire ensemble cast returns: Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Hugh Jackman (ever perfect as Wolverine), Ian McKellan (Magneto), Halle Berry (Storm), Famke Janssen (Jean Grey), James Marsden (Cyclops), Anna Paquin (Rogue), and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Mystique) are all back. Also, the film goes more in depth with Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Pyro (Aaron Stanford) and introduces us to beloved characters Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming who turns out to be nearly perfect in the role) and Colossus. The storyline finds the X-Men months after the events in the first film, under siege by General Stryker (Brian Cox) who has his own agenda for mutant kind. Eventually the X-Men must team up with Magneto to stop him, and this is where the film shines. Director Brian Singer was critiqued quite a bit when it was said that the first film wasn't action packed enough; well, he made up for it here as X2 is action packed from beginning to end and the film pushes the limits of it's PG-13 rating. The performances are great, and while Jackman is his usually terrific self as Wolverine, he isn't the focus this time around and we get to see Berry more developed as Storm, Romijn-Stamos gets more screen time as well, and Janssen is better now as Jean Grey than anyone could have ever thought before. The special effects are nothing short of incredible; from Wolvie popping his claws to Deathstrike (Kelly Hu) popping hers, to Colossus' body turning to steel to Pyro's fire spewing shootout with the cops you will be in awe of the special effects wizardry. The only complaint here is that with the exception up towards the end of the film is once again Cyclops is a criminally underused character. Marsden is a good actor and Cyclops is a very interesting character and it is a shame he has gone so underused. All in all, X2 is much better than I could have ever hoped it to be, and this is undoubtadly one of the finest comic to film adaptions of all time.

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When taking into account all the comic book movies that have hit the theater recently this may sound like a bold statement, but really it's not. This may be a large grossing sub-genre but it isn't really that many movies we're talking about. With X2 though, I'm inclined to go even further and say it's one of the best sci-fi action films of all time...seriously. In terms of strictly comic book movies, it's simply either this or Batman Begins. I say X2 wins even in that comparison, but I'm certainly willing to accept the opposite view.

The film opens with a brilliant introduction to a crucial character, the German teleporter Nightcrawler who looks like a little blue demon but possesses an intense devotion to Catholicism, and his introduction does not serve to assist in painting him as a hero. More of an anti-hero I guess. I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't actually seen it but X2 opens with one of the more memorable action sequences of recent date and the film contains three more specific sequences that are just as good. Magneto's inevitable escape from his plastic prison is one of them.

One of the other memorable scenes sets up the real storyline for X2 quite nicely and introduces us to other mutant heroes in the process. William Stryker, an inventive military man, is motivated by his personal experience with mutant-kind to actually organize an assault on Charles Xavier's school for mutants. He wishes to gain access to the mutant tracking device called Cerebro and destroy all of them. His teams' assault is truely great action-filmmaking. The X-Men and Magneto, with his loosely forming band of mutants who agree with his politics on how to respond to humanity, find a common enemy in Stryker. The relationship established between Charles and Magneto in the first film is really important here as younger mutants develop and choose sides. I have to say, if I were in their predicament I may certainly be swayed by Magneto's extremism. The character developement here for supporting roles is important to note. Mystique and Pyro are really great villains here with massive emotion behind their actions and it's never over-stated, but it enhances the meaning and consequences to action sequences so well.

The other incredible action scene is when Bobby Drake's family calls the cops on him and his new mutant friends. There are enough under-stated layers in this scene and the characters; Wolverine, Rogue, Bobby and Pyro, are still consistent. The police show up and Pyro reveals his wrath. I always get excited for that scene even though I know he's wrong in his reaction. I mentioned four action sequences but the fun doesn't end there. Lady Deathstryke, who has been brainwashed by Stryker, and Wolverine have a great fight scene. Other scenes during the climax are just as impressive and all the while we are given enough tid-bits of so many characters that we still manage to care and even get a bit surprised near the end. It's a shame this wasn't pulled off in the third film.

X2 is unique in the sense that the plot is secondary and the film's primary operative is to develop the characters for more climactic stories. I think the screenplay succeeds in this sense but overall the screenplay (written by voice actor David Hayter) is not one of the film's strengths and can require a more robust imagination to really appreciate. Overall though, within the context of a complete trilogy, X2 is nearly perfect.

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The Peacemaker (1997)

Although it moves like it came from the pages of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller novel, it is really just a terrific action film that pays proper homage to the well-proven formulas of great story, fast paced sequencing, and bankable stars. Nicole Kiddman does a real star turn in this one, showing she is a very versatile and saucy type, as well as a femme fatale. yet this really is George Clooney's movie, one that shows he can safely leaves the environs of TV land for the silver screen for good. Playing the part of a street-hardened veteran who understands the way the world works outside the Washington beltway, this is a Clooney tour-de-force!

He meets one's expectations for an action hero easily, showing he can talk the talk and walk the walk. When they need to get information from a sophisticated European businessman-crook, Clooney first asks nicely, and then simply terrorizes him into giving them the information, advising Kiddman on the side that they just don't have the time to fool around with this guy. Shortly thereafter, he shows just how crusty, clever and murderous he can be in one of the most imaginative car chases and set of action scenes yet filmed in the streets of Vienna.

And the movie has barely begun to cook, with some terrific high-tech elements as well as good old fashoned skullduggery and suspense, as well, as the film reaches its climax and denouement in the streets of the Big Apple. This is a handsome film, one that is well traveled and extremely easy on the eyes. It is also plausible, given all that we have learned in the last year or so about the dangers that suround us. I can highly recommend this. Enjoy!

I never get tired of seeing this movie. I'm so glad I bought the DVD. This is a model what an action-suspense-politcal thriller should be.

Basically Clooney and Kidman are trying to track down stolen nuclear warheads ripped off by a formenr Soviet general and for sale on the open market.

I can't think of anything I disliked about this movie. The plot was chilling, it made "Sum of all Fears" look like a kids cartoon in comparison. Clooney and Kidman had spectacular chemistry and played their parts to the hilt.

By the time you finish this movie you'll be out of breath. It has a nightmare inducing beginning, the most spectacular car chase I've ever seen in a movie with Clooney ending it with a cold and hard finish as I've ever seen. Watch Kidman through this whole thing, her reactions are perfect.

Plus the terrorist villan was not some faceless unknown manic bent of gratuitious destruction. You actually felt for the villan, maybe even understood what drove and motivated him. What a great change for the normal way these guys are portrayed in films.

The ending is pulse-pounding sorry to overuse that phrase but it fits perfectely. Not only that it was the most accurate portrayal of defusing a bomb I've ever seen, it was truly edge-of-your-seat stuff. They did none of that "red wire green wire" sillness you see way too often in films. This was realistic folks, believe me it was very authentic. So much so I can understand if the less technically oriented viewers would be confused with the climactic ending as to what actually happened. But it was realistic.

I rate this even a better film than Black Sunday, and for me thats saying a lot.

Heck I think I'll watch it again later.

Buy The Peacemaker (1997) Now

Man, I don't know how many times that I have seen this movie, but every time I watch "The Peacemaker", it gets better and better and so on! "The Peacemaker" is the very first film from DreamWorks SKG, the motion picture studio that was developed by Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg. And I just have to say that DreamWorks did a brilliant job in bringing this adrenaline-pumping thriller to the big screen! This is also the first time that stars George Clooney and Nicole Kidman have shared the screen together (Clooney starred in "Batman & Robin", Kidman starred in "Batman Forever"). "The Peacemaker" focuses on the event about a train carrying atomic warheads being mysteriously crashed in the Soviet Union, and U.S. nuclear specialist Dr. Julia Kelly (Kidman) discovers that the crash was not an accident, it was a cover-up due to the fact that the warheads have been stolen. Unexpectedly, Julia is teamed up with a gruff and brash U.S. special forces Colonel, Thomas Devoe (Clooney). And of course, Devoe and Julia must put their personal differences away in a race against time to find the remaining stolen warheads that leads to a final showdown in New York City! The fast-paced direction by Mimi Leder ("Deep Impact") was outstanding! To me, I think that Leder should direct more films like this one day, even though her directing in "Deep Impact" was just as powerful as this film. And also, I think that "The Peacemaker" is the absolute best apocalyptic thriller ever, filled with action, suspense, and surprises at every turn! "The Peacemaker" never lets up on the action for a second! To anyone that hasn't seen "The Peacemaker" before, then I urge you to go out, buy it, and get ready for George Clooney and Nicole Kidman's best film ever!

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"The Peacemaker" is one of my favorite movies & is most definitely the best action/thriller I have ever seen! Clooney sparkles as miliatary field operative Lieutenant Colonel Tom Devoe & Kidman fits her role well as Dr Julia Kelly, the inexperienced head of the Nuclear Smuggling Group. The acting is superb, the screenplay well written and the plot fast-paced. This thriller kept me on the edge of my seat! My favorite part was at the end (won't spoil it for people who haven't seen it). And some of the scenes between Clooney & Kidman make me wish I could take Kidman's place! ;) This movie is absolutely superb & I highly reccomend you buy it immediately if you care for action, romance or if you like George Clooney or Nicole Kidman! I give this film an A++++++++!

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Has Leonard Maltin ever done anything REAL in his life other than write movie reviews? If not, how can he tell us what is realistic in a military movie? When I saw this movie at an Army post full of a wide cross-section of SF, Ranger, Airborne types I didn't hear the normal murmorings that this is "phony" or "unrealistic", in fact we were all stunned by the accuracy and since that time you don't hear much about this film sharp-shooting its details. Silence is golden. The reason is that the movie is a sobering reminder that America is vulnerable to a backpack nuclear device and we had best take some measures to secure our borders. The bad guy, bitter over how his wife/daughter were killed and peacekeepers did nothing (throw smoke grenades, anyone if snipers are firing?) is entirely realistic of the many who would seek to "get even" with the U.S. for trying to bring peace to their country.

The best, most realistic action was how LTC Devoe (Clooney) handles the businessman and then the car chase/demolition derby ruthlessly; this is how it really is when the stakes are for keeps and the preliminaries are done. The moral toll it takes is significant. The "situational awareness" of satellite imagery is more reasonable than what we saw in "Enemy of the state" and more likely. My quibble is that we sent in SOF operatives in slow-flying French helicopters to "snatch" the rogue backpack nukes when its more likely we would have launched a fighter-bomber strike and exploded the weapons and then offered to help the Russians clean-up the contamination (think 1965 B-52 crash in Spain) since it was in a remote area. The film shows at the end the fact that a nuclear device can be exploded without "exploding" nuclearly. If we had sent ground troops in, they would have had air defense suppression, flown lower, nap-of-the-earth in American Blackhawks/Pave Low III helicopters and not likely to have been hurt by the SAMs. Next, there would be back-up forces to seal off the target area so none of the nuclear devices would have escaped the ambush to continue the movie and reach New York City. A lot of this was not done to give LTC Devoe a chance to do some on-scene heroics.

The other quibble is that the police sniper would have been ordered to shoot to kill in a nuclear situation, PERIOD. This means no worrying about civilians in the way; you shoot to kill immediately to stop the threat from exploding a nuclear device. If this had been done, the movie would have ended right there, but we needed the suspense to continue. The last quibble is the ending when they insure the bomb will not explode in a nuclear fission/fusion reaction but it explodes and spreads its radioactive contents. Besides everyone in the immediate local area dying instantly if it was plutonium, the entire area would need to be sealed off and covered with some kind of absorbant to prevent thousands of New Yorkers dying.

Aside from the quibbles, this is a 5-star depiction of Army Special Operations that should be viewed alongside Clancy's "Clear and Present Danger".