Grosse Pointe Blank (15th Anniversary Edition) (1997)

I first saw this during it's initial VHS release. The story is of Martin Blank, a professional Los Angeles hit man who is drawn back to his rural hometown to both attend his high school reunion and take on a contract to whack a guy.

One of the most well-written scripts of the 90's, in my opinion, doesn't work without John Cusack being cast as Martin Blank. He sold the role perfectly, and shines throughout the film, alongside a witty, phenomenal supporting cast of Minnie Driver, Jeremy Piven, Dan Akroyd and Joan Cusack.

Often mistaken as completely morbid, the film takes on not only a tone of humor, but that of vengance and morality. You must see this film.

The DVD, on the other end, [stinks]. Yet another incredible film thrown out there on DVD with a poor transfer and a trailer for an extra. The film sounds fanastic though, and scenes such as the Akroyd/Cusack gunfight and the destruction of the mini-mart can be greatly enjoyed with a good surround sound setup.

Grosse Pointe Blank is an unusual movie. A professional hitman returns to his hometown to "do a job" and, while he's there, attend his 10 year highschool reunion. John Cusack plays the role well, charming and remarkably likeable, despite his profession. This "dark comedy" is very clever, and I rate it as one my favorite 90's films.

Too bad the DVD isn't up to par. It has next to zero extras. But even that could be passable if the picture was good. First of all, the movie is non-anamorphic. That doesn't make a difference unless you have a 16x9 television, it'll look the same on a regular tv, it's just a pet peeve of mine. But, the transfer we did get is just pathetic; it looks like a (bad) laser disc transfer. The picture is grainy, and there are some definite compression artifacts to been seen.

Bottom line: this DVD is worth buying for the movie, no doubt... and since this is the only version available, it's this or nothing. Just don't expect a really terrific picture.

Buy Grosse Pointe Blank (15th Anniversary Edition) (1997) Now

I went into a local store to check out the packaging for this 2-disc re-release, hoping that Disney would finally release a DVD of Grosse Pointe Blank with a new 16x9 anamorphic transfer. This new disc appears to be the same disc that was released in 1998, and NOT a new anamorphic widescreen transfer. On the back of the package, it still lists "Dolby Digital Surround Sound" and "1.85:1 Widescreen," the same as it did on the original DVD (and the combo GBP/High Fidelity disc that came out later). The new 2-disc release for "High Fidelity" lists the same bonus features as its original release, and showed as "Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions."

It appears the only difference between this release and the original 1998 issue is a second disc with a digital copy for portable video players and updated packaging. I didn't end up buying it based on the packaging and won't until they release a proper version for 16x9 televisions (hopefully a Blu-ray).

I am extremely disappointed that Disney would even bother to re-release such an antiquated, low-quality DVD with only the most minor of improvements (packaging, digital copy). Even if they had not added any bonus features (the original release had none to speak of), an updated anamorphic transfer wouldn't be too much to ask. Will absolutely not buy a copy of Grosse Pointe Blank until a good-quality DVD or Blu-ray is made available.

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Having seen quite a few of John Cusack's movies, I think this one hits exactly the right tone. He often plays lovable loners or losers who somehow manage to get the girl. In this film, he is the ultimate loner, a professional hitman, with very little to brag about at his 10-year high school reunion. He can't even figure out what to tell people who ask him where he's been for the past 10 years, so he tells them the truth, but nobody believes him.

Cusack's character, Martin Blank, is filled with angst, and trying to work this out in therapy. Unfortunately, his therapist (brilliantly underplayed by Alan Arkin), doesn't want to talk to him ever since Blank told the good doctor what he does for a living. The interaction between Cusack and Arkin in this film is much funnier and more real than the Billy Crystal/Robert DeNiro shtick in "Analyze This."

The heart of the film is the relationship between Blank and his high school sweetheart (Minnie Driver), whom he stood up on prom night 10 years before and never contacted again. Blank is emotionally repressed and morally confused (which is why he is well-suited to be a hitman) but Driver is still crazy about him, not believing his statement about his chosen profession. She has some huge trust issues though, what with being stood up on prom night, and all. She is somewhat willing to give him another chance. The playfulness of their interaction is charming, especially when it's tinged with irony and distrust. She doesn't want to have sex with him right away, but she would like an "airplane." (he holds her up with his feet while she pretends to fly)

The climatic scene, where Blank declares his love for Driver, acknowledges his own considerable shortcomings, and promises to change, meanwhile engaging in a gripping, over-the-top shootout with the bad guys, is absolutely perfect for what Cusack's character is about: he can't express himself unless he's pumped full of adrenaline in a battle to the death, but he doesn't want to stay trapped in this way of life.

All of the actors are wonderful, especially Joan Cusack as John's office manager and the person who needles him into going to his reunion and rejoining the human race. Dan Akyroyd is also a hoot.

Everything works in this movie. It's a black comedy/screwball romance/action flick with subtle, clever dialogue, cool music and beautiful scenery. It is completely irreverent, but hopeful and life-affirming, as well.

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If I'm correct, after this movie came out, all the big Cusack fan sites started. Coincidence? I think no compadre. I know I definatly fell head over heels for John Cusack after this movie, not only because of his performance, but because he also wrote the movie, produced it, and supervised the soundtrack (which also kicks some serious boo-tay, featuring some great 80s hits such as: "Blister In the Sun"-by The Violent Femmes, and "Rudie Can't Fail" by The Clash. A little trivia for you...When John Cusack and his buddies at New Crime Productions were writing the script to this movie, they kept The Clash in mind throughout and had Joe Strummer write the score for the movie.)

I was a little dispointed in the DVD version of this movie because of the lack of extras. I was hoping for some commentary or deleted scenes, but alas, all you are left with is the trailer and some "suggested titles," which bore everyone to death. Still, it is wide-screen and the movie is amazing by itself so the rating will not be lowered.

I'm sure everyone viewing this review has seen the movie, but I'll outline the plot for the unblessed among you.

Plot: Martin Q. Blank doesn't know what to do with his life. He has the money, car, but his life feels empty. His therapist reminds him that the angst over killing a lot of people might have something to do with this (He's a lonegunman, professional killer, hitman, however you'd like to describe that profession.) He and his assistant (a brilliant Joan Cusack...what great genes that family has) tell Martin to go back to his high school reunion on the way to do a hit to reunite with his old girlfriend...the one he ditched on prom night and has not stopped dreaming about since. Chaos insues when after not joining a hitman's union fronted by Grocer (a phycotic hitman with frayed nerves), plans to kill Martin by siccing Feds on him after he performs his hit. In the process of reuniting with Debbi, (Minnie Driver, love that woman, she is funny and great in this movie) he realizes that there is so much more to life that he overlooked. It so cute when he holds that baby at the reunion...he realizes the value of human life when he looks into the baby's eyes...a very touching moment.

Does Martin deserve a second shot? (Bad pun, I know) Will he redeem himself? What will Debbi do when she finds out what he really does for a living? Will Martin ever live down his shame at being know as "poodle puncher?" Watch the movie one time to find out, and twenty more times for fun and the joy of seeing John kick some butt (he does all his own kick-boxing stunts that he learned in Say Anything...his kick-boxing instructor also plays the "thug" that is trying to kill him) and wear all black suits. Great plot, witty dialogue, wonderful cast, plus John's friend George Piven's in it. Amazing John movie, definatly in my top five list.

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy) (2010)

If there's anything that Walden Media's CHRONICLES OF NARNIA movie franchise (based on C.S. Lewis' timeless novels) is known for lately, it could very well be that it ever continued at all. The first film, THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, was a box office smash, but successor PRINCE CASPIAN didn't achieve the same success. But when Disney, who distributed and funded both films, decided not to participate in anymore NARNIA adventures, it seemed as though Lewis' tales were destined to remain forever frosted by the White Witch. But thankfully, Walden Media refused to let NARNIA die so easily, and so they've teamed up with 20th Century Fox to complete the third movie in the series, THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER. It could also very well be the last entry; critics have been lukewarm to negative on this film, and faced with so much competition this year from family films such as TRON LEGACY, HARRY POTTER, and even upcoming duds like YOGI BEAR and GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, this film could very well have a hard time finding its audience. Whether the franchise continues or not is ultimately irrelevant, however, because what ultimately counts is that THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER is a wonderful way to spend another two hours in the world that Lewis conjured up so many years ago.

I knew it would happen. From the moment the opening titles came across the screen, I could feel the nostalgic magic so prevaliant in the first NARNIA movie seeping in, and it stayed that way for me the whole time. The major difference, of course, is the set-up of the story. Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund Pevensie (Skander Keyes), both approaching adulthood, are staying with their snarky, obnoxious cousin, Eustace (Will Poulter) when they notice a beautiful painting of a fantastical ship sailing on the ocean waters. And of course, the picture comes to life, resulting with the squabbling children washed on the deck of the ship in question, the Dawn Treader, where their old friend, Caspian (Ben Barnes), now a bonafide king, welcomes them. It turns out that Caspian is searching for the seven lords that were banished from Narnia during the reign of his evil uncle. Acompanied by the swashbuckling mouse warrior, Reepicheep (voiced by Simon Pegg), the youngsters travel to various islands across the oceans in search of them. And will Aslan (voiced, once more, by Liam Neeson) be there to help them? You betcha.

In addition to being a seagoing adventure (inevitable since most of the action takes place on the titular vessel), this tale also deals with spiritual matters. Rather than matching wits against an evil menace as with the last two films (although the White Witch does make some brief cameo appearances), the major conflict deals with Lucy, Edmund, Caspian, and especially Eustace, all dealing with their own inner demons. Each island adventure places the quartet through a series of psychological trials that they must overcome. The lands they visit are a strange, yet fascinating lot. There's the Lost Islands, operated by greedy slavemasters who make fortunes out of auctioning kidnapped people to baddies. Another is seemingly deserted, trippy-looking place that looks as though it could come from ALICE IN WONDERLAND inhabited by invisible creatures as well as a magician (whose book can conjure up all kinds of spells, including one that grants pure beauty). Still others include a cave with a pond that turns everything into gold, a dragon's treasure horde, an abandoned temple that turns out to be under a spell, and, ultimately, a thick fog of darkness in which one's worst fears comes alive. It is within these places that each character undergoes some growth. One of my particular favorite scenes involves Lucy wishing she could be as beautiful as her older sister Susan (Anna Popplewell, in a brief cameo), until Aslan admonishes her for stealing the spell from the magician's book. This is very powerfully depicted through dramatic lighting and emotionally charged acting. At one point, Edmund and Caspian both become jealous of each other when they are tempted by greed, but it's ultimately Eustace who shows the most growth in the picture.

In the beginning of the film, Eustace is just about what you would expect from Lewis' text--he's snobbish, selfish, and condescending, delighting in bullying others while declaring himself superior. He hates his cousins and quickly makes an enemy out of Reepicheep, who, at one point, chastises him for grabbing his most precious attribute: "No one touches the tail!" And just when you've had enough of him, he is transformed into a fire-breathing dragon midway through the film. This is where Eustace's character development really begins, as Reepicheep takes him under his, well, paws, and inspires him to do the right thing. This abovementioned dynamic is the heart of the entire picture, and most of the credit goes to Will Poulter and Simon Pegg for their chemistry. Poulter does a bang-up job of making Eustace bratty and unlikeable, and his maturation is a joy to behold. This guy seriously needs an award for his performance. Pegg, although vocally different from predecessor Eddie Izzard, is a delight as the mouse warrior; his voice is a cross between John Cleese and Cary Elwes, which captures his attitude to a T and beyond. He has the best lines in the picture and obviously has fun with his role--although the real success to the character is the very convincing computer-animated effects that bring the mouse to life.

That's one of the many memorable aspects of VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, which isn't to say that it is without its faults. The film is directed by Michael Apted (the previous ones by Andrew Adamson), and he moves the tale along at a rapid pace, making it the breeziest (and shortest) of the NARNIA films. However, I do have some qualms about both his direction and the adaptation; one of them is the scene where Eustace shows himself as a dragon for the first time. Rather than having him see his reflection in the water, Apted decides instead to show Eustace's charred clothes, and then have his dragon form fly out of nowhere. This disappointed me somewhat, as I felt that Lewis' original description of this moment was more powerful. Furthermore, the encounter with Lilandi (Laura Brent), Caspian's future queen, is dealt with rather quickly. An extra five minutes to show Caspian's affection for the girl wouldn't have hurt. Finally, although the film is faithful to the novel for the most part, there is at least one addition that felt very pointless--a girl named Gael (Arabella Morton) who stows away with her father in search of her missing parents. The new character doesn't have a particularly compelling personality and feels so irrelevant that one wonders why the screenwriters included her at all.

But those are, truthfully, the only quibbles I have with THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER. Other controversial changes are nowhere nearly as bothersome. At first I wasn't so sure about the newly invented subplots concerning the search for the missing swords of the seven lords or a menacing green mist that appears every time a character is tempted, but in the end, I ultimately approved them wholeheartedly. This especially works in favor of the climactic fight against one of the ugliest sea serpents ever committed to film (particularly when it literally tears apart into the likeness of a centipede), which is occasionally interspersed with ghostly images of Tilda Swinton's White Witch tempting Edmund to join her. Although longer than in the book, this sequence is nonetheless very thrilling and arguably a more epic scene than in the original. (It should be known, though, that this scene may be too scary for the young.)

Every other aspect of the picture is exactly what one would ask for from a NARNIA adventure. The cinematography and visual effects are both breathtaking and gorgeous to look at (there were a couple of places where some CG was obvious, but not enough to detract--the film was made on a smaller budget than predecessor CASPIAN), and David Arnold's score is amazingly epic, occasionally using some of original composer Harry Gregson-Williams' original tunes at various points in the movie. Finally, the performances are top-notch. Henley's Lucy has always been the most appealing attribute about the whole story, and she is no different here. Every minute she is on screen is a pure delight, and her expressions and emotions are perfectly conveyed. Keyes, who had a much smaller part in the previous movie, gets to do a lot more in this third chapter; granted there are some moments where one feels that his character briefly reverts to his old self, but Keyes handles that very effectively. Barnes mysteriously loses the Spanish accent he was criticized for in the last film, yet it is hardly noticeable, as his performance is much more confident this time around. The chemistry between all three is fantastic and, after Eustace and Reepicheep, provide the film with a warm, emotional ebb that works effectively in the final parting scenes at the end of the film.

Overall, THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, although not quite as magical as the first movie, is still a very entertaining, joyous escapist fantasy which provides a lot of fun for every second of its 115 minute running time. There are some differences from the book that purists may quibble with, and a couple of scenes that could stand to be either better or at least more fleshed out, but nonetheless it is a pleasure to join the Pevensies on one final adventure in the world of talking animals, monsters, prophecies and enchantment. Whether the series continues or not, this is a fitting end and a delight from start to finish. Now if only the film could be about 30 minutes longer....

Right off the top, if you're looking for a literal book-to-movie adaptation, you're going to be very disappointed. Aslan may as well be a tiger. There are countless modifications that did not completely align with the book and numerous subtleties noticeable to anyone familiar with the story.

For the most part, however, TVOTDT stayed true to form, following Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) along with their easy to hate cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) through the fabric of a family painting and into the vast tapestry of the Narnian world created by C.S. Lewis and onto the Dawn Treader (the ship in the painting). Aboard the ship the join forces with recently crowned a year in Earthly time, and three in Narnia King Caspian (Ben Barnes) who, along with his crew of sentient beasts and willing sailors, seeks out seven Telmarine lords and swords. Almost immediately after they board the Dawn Treader, and unequivocally after they disembark for their first island excursion, the movie begins to take liberties with the original tale. Speaking of tales...Eustace did NOT spar with Reepicheep; he swung the mouse around by the tail. This sort of misguided subtraction by addition is why many fans of the original storyline could be displeased by this movie. Nonetheless, it's still a fantasy-adventure tale in which the characters grow and learn from their tribulations.

Acting-wise, everything was professionally done. Actors and voice actors alike were entertaining (Simon Pegg was particularly good as the voice of heroic Reepicheep), but Will Poulter absolutely stole the show as the obnoxious cousin. I'm not sure I've ever wanted to punch an animated character before. Maybe Scrappy Doo. Anyway, Poulter is either as pompous and irritating as Eustace in real life, or idiot savant, Rainman brilliant.

CGI is naturally prominent in a movie about talking animals, dragons, and magic. None blew me away like in Avatar or Tron, but considering the target audience the realism presented was, in my opinion, nearly perfect. Scary, but not quite nightmare-worthy. The characters that were supposed to be terrifying (i.e. sea serpent) were shrouded in shadows and those who had redeeming qualities were shown in triumph and sunlight, and ways that capture the audience's attention.

Considering its engaging story and alignment with Christian allegories, this is a very good movie, an easy recommendation for families, and a worthy addition to the Chronicles of Narnia canon, despite not completely faithful to the book.

For thoroughness, a few of the differences...

MAJOR DIFFERENCES

The addition of the green mist and the sword collection was neither necessary nor a substantive improvement. The extra subplot about a father, and his stowaway child, who joins to save a wife captured by the mist was completely pointless and distractive.

MINOR DIFFERENCES

-Edmund had no big problem with his king-kid-king timeline

-No mention of the Dufflepuds giant foot looking like a mushroom.

-The sea serpent didn't die; it got tricked

-Eustace attempts steals water, not an orange

-Where is the old dragon that croaks near the water?

-The end mentions nothing about light and water

-The end mentions nothing about a marriage

-There was no prisoner/slave saving; it was a purchase

-Multiple island substories are intertwined and/or out of order

-Lord Bern got married and settled down on Felimath; he didn't get imprisoned

Buy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy) (2010) Now

For those seeking a good fantasy/adventure film, this is definitely worth it the acting, casting, special effects, visuals, etc. are all great; the basic plot of a voyage to uncharted isles in a magical land is just ripe for entertaining movie-making I'd probably give it at least 4 stars if I wasn't so attatched to CS Lewis's book. But, to me, the book this is based upon is such a great adventure story, and a classic favorite of my (and many other people's) youth, it seems a sin to make a movie adaptation and not try to stick with Lewis's original. They got the main plot sequences in, but they rushed through them in order to add a completely unneccesary plot of their own: that Caspian and friends have to collect 7 swords and arrange them on a table to stop some magic mists that are threatening Narnia. Now, for a series with a Christian subtext, it seems particularly stupid to have this meaningless mumbo-jumbo added when there are plenty of meaningful themes there that this will only detract from.

So overall, an entertaining fantasy film, but a disappointment to those who like Narnia as C.S. Lewis wrote it.

Read Best Reviews of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy) (2010) Here

At least on Amazon right now, this is the only 3 Disc (BD, DVD, Digital Copy) version for sale. So I had no choice. But the photo Amazon includes does not show this case as being anything other than the standard plastic case with a sleeve.

Which I would have loved. But nothing I hate more than a crappy storage case for a 3 disc blockbuster title.

I have included pics. I give this product 3 stars for "OK". Even though I hate it. If you want a movie review, check out the many movie review sites. If you want a film transfer review for video and audio quality, check out blu-ray.com.

This is one of the most annoying storage cases I have owned. The worst was the Toy Story complete box set, which was so bad that I returned it at a loss and bought all the films individually with multiple versions just to have the better cases.

So what makes this storage so bad? Check out the pics. It's basically paper sleeves for the discs (2 of 3), folded together. And then that folded mess it stuffed into a box sleeve, and then that sleeve is pushed into the box sleeve you see in Amazon's photo. If they would have duplicated the outer box art and disc specs from the front and back, onto the internal Box sleeve, I could at least ditch the outer box sleeve and store just the inner box sleeve on the shelf. But the inner box (while it does have specs like rating, time, etc on the back) is not as detailed as the outer box sleeve.

So it's annoying when having to get out the discs and more importantly I don't trust paper sleeves to protect the finish of the discs due to sliding motions across the disc surface.

Again, no other choice if you want BD and DVD in the same purchase/set. And even if I wanted to spend more and buy them separately, you can't on Amazon. They sell the DVD only or this set. I wish everyone would just stick to the standard BD case or case/sleeve.

UPDATE: It's not even standard BD case height! They could have at least made this crappy box look good on the shelf with all the other Blu-Rays. Who wants to mix their BD movies with their DVD cases? Again, if there was another combo set to buy, I would return this one.

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Of all the Narnia books "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is not an exciting Hollywood adventure. I have read the books many times since I was a child and I have listened to them on audio cd's. I love them and I love the movies.

I doubt people, these days, are going to sit through a movie based exactly on this book. The book is a series of small self contained adventures with no kind of antagonist present. Its a good read but not much of a Hollywood movie. So they changed it, just like the second movie. Big deal.

There were plenty of advance reviews warning people about this. I have never gone to a movie, based on a book I have read, and expected it to be the same. If it is, great. If not, no big deal, because I go without expectations. It's much more fun if you leave your expectations at home.

Besides, it's just a movie. If you can't deal with the fact that you are going to see someone's interpretation, other than your own, than don't go to movies based on books you have read. Or at least check the reviews before you go.

I sure hope some studio gives the "Silver Chair" and "The Last Battle" a go. I'm sure they would be fun to watch.

That's why I go to the movies.

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Before we start. I want to affirm that I love this film. Great script, great performances, great soundtrack, great directing.

Also, regardless of the negative feedback I give this DVD, we are unfortunately obligated to buy it, if we ever want to see a special edition DVD.

Ok, here goes. Yeah it looks great. But it just felt wrong. I couldn't place the reason. I thought maybe it was a visual matter. But I quickly realized that what was bugging me was the soundtrack. It was inexplicably, utterly mangled.

Will someone tell me why? Why were the vocals for whole songs removed? I am sorely disappointed and angered by this. I am outraged by the George Lucas style of re-working your film for DVD, and abandoning the original theatrical cut. If you feel the need to improve your film, fine, provide an alternate cut, or additional scenes, or whatever, that's great. Give me the option on the menu to see the "improved version, or the regular cut. But don't alter a classic, and not even mention it and try to pass it off as the original.

There are so many examples of this butchering, that I can't name them all. I only watched it once last night, and am at work now, but a few definitely come to mind.

#1 The scene where Trash and Suicide and the gang are speeding towards the cemetery used to have the Damned song Dead Beat Dance as the background music. Well, not anymore! You get the inital maniacal laugh, and then nothing, a completely different song. Why?!

#2 The scene where the zombie says: "send more cops", with a thick new york accent. A classic scene right? We all loved it right? Well did you notice that they changed the voice? Did you notice that is was awful in comparison, and not nearly as funny? Was there a good reason for this sacrilege? Has Dan O'Bannon lost his mind, or was this the studios fault? In the end credits, where the best-of scenes replay a second time, we hear the "send more cops" line in all its original glory. So I know I am not imagining this.

#3 What's his name, the Pathmark guy (no slight intended, his performance was excellent), takes his own life by placing himself in the crematorium. In the original version of this scene is accompanied by the song Burn the Flames, which sports a haunting guitar solo at the exact moment the door shuts and we hear the man's tortured screams. It is actually one of my favorite scenes in the film. The haunting music enhances the sadness of the moment.

But not anymore. Now the music is faded out in a particularly unartistic way, and the scene plays silent. Sorry but this is a disgrace. I waited years for this film to be re-released and I feel betrayed. The soundtrack was perfect the way it was. In a different film it would not be as a big of a deal. But when you are the ONLY zombie/comedy/horror film with a punky soundtrack, and a damned good one, and everyone loves you for it, you don't go around meddling and altering, deleting and rewriting, compiling and defiling.

It go to the point where I held my breath with every song change, worried sick that they would ommit lyrics or do away with the track altogether. Waves of relief washed over me when I reached the scene where the zombies are attacking the funeral home (and our heroes are furiously nailing doors and windows shut)and I discovered that the Cramps song "Surfin Dead" was left intact. Thank god, or the devil, for that one.

Could I be wrong? Did I miss some sort of soundtrack feature, where mistakenly clicked something off or on? Or is the sad fact that this movie has been permanently altered...?

After over a decade of being out of print (do to legal wrangling in regards to the film's punk rock soundtrack that is prominently featured throughout the film) the classic 1980s zombie film that turned heads with it's dark humor, witty script, and original zombie design is now available on DVD!

Freddy is a typical early 1980s punk rock fan who, on his first day at work at UNEEDA Medical Supply, learns that the movie "Night of the Living Dead" was based on an actual event involving zombies and that UNEEDA one day came into possession of one of the zombies which is now being held in a cylinder in the basement. A non-believing Freddy is shown the container just as it explodes, filling the supply company's building with a toxic green gas. The gas causes the sole human body in the body to come to life (as well as freeing the zombie from it's cylinder prison) and after failing to destroy the zombie the tradition way (cutting of it's head) they take it to the local crematorium to be cremated. Unfortunately this makes things MUCH, MUCH worse as the smoke laced with the toxic chemical mixes with storm clouds that rain down on the city at night and resurrecting the bodies buried inside the town's cemetary where ironically Freddy's fellow punk-friends are having a little party.

The kicker for Return of the Living Dead that makes it a classic film and makes it one of the most well loved zombie movies is the fact that the film's zombies aren't your typical movie zombie. They are smart (luring police to the crematorium after killing off several cops who come to investigate all of the strange activity going on), are fast and agressive instead of slow and dumb and the zombies have the most hilarious banter involving their thirst for brains that can have even the most squeemish movie viewer laughing.

Featuring a great punk rock sound-track and a great mix of humor and violence, this film has sadly been out of circulation for over a decade do to the it's punk soundtrack. Now it's back on the market on DVD. This is a must buy DVD for any true horror fan....

Buy Return of the Living Dead (1985) Now

Re-animated corpses, swearing, blood & gore, full-frontal female nudity, iconoclastic jabs at American culture, and lots of gallows humor--what more could a horror fan ask for?

Any genre fan who has a morbid sense of humor is sure to enjoy 1985's THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. In the same vein as other tongue-in-cheek horror shtick such as the Chiodo Brothers' KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE and Sam Raimi's ARMY OF DARKNESS, this one's specifically a spoof of George Romero's classic and highly revered zombie film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Director/Screenwriter Dan O'Bannon, probably best known for having penned the original ALIEN movie, does a fantastic job of lovingly poking fun at the Horror and SF genres while at the same time satirizing everything from the U.S. Military to Punk Rock. This movie is not only funny, it's got plenty o' "brains"!

And you can't beat the financial value of the DVD edition. Not only does it cost less than a lot of other full-length, widescreen DVD thrillers--including some that are hardly worth the plastic and aluminum it took to make 'em--but it also includes these cool extras: an optional audio commentary by O'Bannon and production designer William Stout; both the G-rated and R-rated theatrical trailers; over 5-minutes of various TV spots; some storyboard-like production stills; and a really cool "Designing the Dead" featurette, in which O'Bannon and Stout discuss the evolution of the final look and feel of the movie (lots of great shots of Stout's EC-Comics-like designs for the zombies offered in this one).

Read Best Reviews of Return of the Living Dead (1985) Here

"How was your day,dear?" "Usual,crap." I love that line. This is my absolute favorite movie of all time and I am extatic to hear that is finally coming out on DVD. The reason why I love it so much...couldn't tell ya. It's just one of those movies that keep you forever. I loved it. It's a unique zombie flick. With the portrayal of younger adolescents, I think it gives the movie a certain edge that no other zombie, or any other horror film for that matter, has ever had. Past, present and I will boldy say future. With combinations of laughs, scares, and gore, it surpasses every horror movie ever made. The character of Suicide and Trash are my two favorites. Unfortuanately for me, they are the first two to be devoured by brain starved zombies. But I always looked at it this way, Trash got what she wanted..."A bunch of old men to surround me. And start bighting, and eating me alive." I see. Trust me, if you are an avid horror fanatic like myself and love zombie films, check this one out! And if you are in to Punk music at all, the soundtrack for the movie rocks. With bands like The Cramps, The Damned, The Flesheaters, and TSOL, you'll be in pure heaven...Or hell. Whichever you prefer! I give this movie 2 THUMBS UP...and one half eaten brain!!!

Want Return of the Living Dead (1985) Discount?

This cut of the film sucks: The soundtrack has been reedited and remixed. Its not the same as the version we grew up with. The songs have been edited. Most notably the creepy song "Burn the Flames" played when

James Karen cremates himself has been almost totally removed. This stinks.

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Rambo Box Set (First Blood / Rambo: First Blood Part II / Rambo III ) (2008)

When I heard they were releasing these on Blu-Ray I wasn't exactly thrilled to be buying them again. I had bought First Blood on Blu-Ray when it first came out after I had rented it at a Blockbuster and was so impressed by the picture I had to buy it. I had seen First Blood in so many different versions including most of the standard DVD releases that I didn't think it possbile to look as good as it does on Blu-Ray. After that I decided I really wanted them all on High Definition but they hadn't announced plans to release the other 2 on Blu-Ray. So I bought the others on HD-DVD (french versions). Again the picture was quite a bit better than any standard DVD previously released but not quite as good as First Blood on Blu-Ray. When the trilogy was finally released on Blu-Ray I admit I was a little mad, I wished they had just released them all together in the first place and now buying the trilogy yet again on Blu-Ray would also mean I would have 2 versions of the same First Blood movie.

I found this set at Best Buy for $29.99 (someone had accidently put them in the wrong area but they honored the price). This was cheaper than buying Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III individually so I bought the whole set.

I am very glad I did though, the picture on the other 2 movies are just as good as on First Blood, and better than the HD-DVD versions I had bought. The sound is also much better than any other version I had. I would strongly suggest that if you are skeptical to just buy these, there is not a better version out there and believe me I know. I watched these with my girlfriend and even she was amazed at how good they looked and she is not picky about picture quality. The movies look like they were just filmed yesterday and not back in the 80's. There is very little grain or film artifacts in these either. One review I read said he didn't realize how much sweating there was in the Rambo: First Blood Part II until he actually saw it in High Definiton and I have to agree, it is so clear everything shows up and looks amazing. If you own a Blu-Ray player and love the Rambo series you owe it to yourself to buy these.

and they mean Ultimate when they say so.

I had recently learned of the redicuolous marketing for these movies, and that's the typical DVD company for you. But because of the bad reviews, is only the die hard fan's problems, not yours. This is only because die hard fans had obviously bought the first box set released, then companys decided to make another for the sake of better special features, and other suspicious reasons. This gave fans who had the older set the urge to buy the next one, and probably sell off the other. But this is when the companys have the chance to release one more on the fans and new comers alike. This enables them to make money off of people buying and rebuying these DVD sets, and it works. Their loyalty isn't to you, THEY'RE A BUSINESS, they are there to get paid like everyone else wants to.

What my real point is however, is that this is a no problemo situation for ones that have not wasted their time with the older sets at their release dates. The other sets are good, and have their pros and cons. But to me, the Ultimate edition packs the least amount of cons, and is for a fact, THEE Ultimate collection. Why? Here is why I think so.

Special Features:

Aspect Ratio: Letter box 2:35 (Perfect widescreen)

Special commentary by Sylvester Stallone on First Blood only, other Rambo sequels have commentaries by the Directors (YES!)

First Blood, Rambo III, Deleted scenes (Very good)

First Blood, features alternate suicide ending (What a find!)

And a Meta vision: So called to expand your viewing capability of the films (Interesting)

And more!

Overall: I love the final Rambo collection. I shall continue to be entertained and blown away by these films, as they will remain a remarkable franchise.

(Thank you, to Sylvester Stallone)

and remember fans, Rambo 4 is coming this year 2006

Buy Rambo Box Set (First Blood / Rambo: First Blood Part II / Rambo III ) (2008) Now

When Rambo first released on DVD, it wasn't even in a complete set. Each film came out individually, First Blood part 2 had some special features, but than the other two had nothing more than trailers. Than they released a special edition, which I thought was neccesary because it was given a good round of features. Now they release it again, so you would expect even more features right? Wrong! First Blood and Rambo III have some decent extras, but why First Blood part II hasn't evolved from the previous edition is anyones guess. The special edition set that was released prior to this one, had more documentaries, so is it really worth buying the ultra-edition just for the sake of a few minor changes. Since First Blood part II hasn't got any extras, I reccomend buying First Blood and Rambo III ultra-editions individually only if you'd a die hard fan. Who knows maybe in 5 years time, they will release a Super special edition, than another 5 years after that a Super duper special edition. Why didn't Artisan include all the features on the ultra-edition with the special? the reason is obvious, they just want to milk as much money out of the fans as possible by re-releasing the set. They did the same with Rocky and Terminator and a string of other movies. There is no respect for fans anymore, film merchandising is clearly based on profit than value for money for the consumer. Mark my words, next on the list is Batman and Titanic, which will be given the special edition treatment, forcing fans to keep returning to the shop over and over.

Meanwhile I love Rambo the films with passion, but the marketing of the movies is ridiculous.

Read Best Reviews of Rambo Box Set (First Blood / Rambo: First Blood Part II / Rambo III ) (2008) Here

What a great Blu Ray 3 disc set!!! This includes all 3 movies of the original Rambo Trilogy(That's First Blood,Rambo II,and Rambo III) They look and sound awseome,so much better than standard DVD,and I got this at a great price from right here at Amazon.com baby,this is the place to do ALL your Blu Ray shopping,the prices just cant be beat!!! If your a fan of the original Rambo trilogy and have a Blu Ray Disc player than this is great box set at a great price,I got this blu ray set on sale cheaper than the standard DVD set,just can't beat that!!! And it comes on a nice collector's case taht looks great on the shelf to boot!!! Recommended! A+

Want Rambo Box Set (First Blood / Rambo: First Blood Part II / Rambo III ) (2008) Discount?

What a waste! How else can I say it? The Special Editions had trailers, great documentaries, and informative production notes on top of that. Why didn't they include the deleted scenes?! That's the only thing of value on these new Ultimate Editions, because all the rest is missing. If it really was an "ultimate" set, they would have included all the previously released great extras. (For those with the far-superior Special Editions, don't bother replacing yours with these; even the deleted scenes aren't anything to get worked up about, with possible exception of First Blood's alternate ending.) And those nonsense "Meta" features are a pathetic insult to serious collectors. Can't comment on audio commentaries. I gave up wasting my time on those things years ago, having OD'd on them back in the days of laserdisc!

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Parade's End (2012)

Oddly enough, this handsome co-production (BBC and HBO) of "Parade's End" isn't even the first adaptation of this wartime saga that I've seen this month! BBC has also dusted another version from 1964 out of their archives for DVD release, and I watched that one prior to settling down to this most current version. Although it has no particular bearing on my comments about this interpretation, it might be of interest to you if you love the story. It features nice performances (Jeanne Moody is merciless as Sylvia) and boasts a young Judi Dench as the second female lead Valentine. I love Dench, so it was a win-win! Ford Madox Ford's "Parade's End" is an epic tale of love, scandal, marriage, and war. It is also about propriety, integrity, and retaining gentlemanly values as the world crumbles around you. It has a very moral center which is why the 1964 version didn't even feel particularly dated, and this lovely new adaptation is nicely stylized between the modern and the old-fashioned. The original publications were actually a series of four shorter novels released between 1924-28 that were pulled together and packaged under the new title of "Parade's End." And pretty much, with this journey, you're getting the bulk of the tale as related through the first three of these novels (the fourth is largely dismissed critically).

There is no denying the extraordinary efforts that the creators have employed to make this prestige piece a can't miss proposition for adult audiences. With beautiful production values, vivid lead performances and an incredibly literate script from premiere playwright Tom Stoppard, "Parade's End" presents a powerful, but not overstated, character journey set against the backdrop of World War I. We pick up with the characters prior to the war, and leave them on the other side. In between, though, everything changes about the lifestyles to which they have become accustomed. The star is Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Christopher Tietjens. Tietjens is an upright aristocrat trapped in a rather complicated marriage to Sylvia (Rebecca Hall). After establishing the unpleasantness of this pairing, the story has Tietjens meeting a free spirited suffragette (Adelaide Clemens). The remainder of the story follows these three principles, and assorted other characters, as they navigate a world ravaged by war.

Brief Synopsis (No major spoilers, but don't read if you don't want a quick outline of events):

Told in five parts, the story begins in 1908. In the introductory chapter, we meet the three central characters. As Tietjens attempts to be the proper gentleman in every circumstance, the cards seem stacked against him. Cuckolded by a vicious wife, intrigued by a new love, and trying to be a supportive friend, he finds himself in the middle of drama and scandal that is completely unwarranted. Playing off themes of class and gender, Tietjens is almost victimized by propriety and the results are very personal and devastating. These complications lead to a stint in military service while the war rages. He gets stationed in France and later in Belgium, the conflict is just one more component in his constant struggle for understanding. Plagued by moral and social constraints, the war only compounds these concerns. It is almost a physical manifestation of an internal battle. While he will see some fighting, the biggest challenges still come from within. But as the war comes to a close, Tietjens must return home and try to reconcile the horrors he's seen. But into whose arms will he find himself? The war and his recent experiences with Sylvia have really taken a toll, and his soul is battered and bruised. As he recounts the trauma, the confession serves as a catharsis. But is it too late to claim a new life?

End Synopsis

The supporting cast is filled with great and familiar faces. Not everyone, though, has a lot to do. Miranda Richardson, Claire Higgins, Rupert Everett, Janet McTeer, Roger Allam, Rufus Sewell, and Jack Huston are among some of the more recognizable faces. Rebecca Hall elicits some sympathy as Sylvia (not an easy thing to do) and is quite good. She has been rather inconsistent or unremarkable in some of her past roles (one of 2012's worst performances in Stephen Frears' terrible misfire "Lay The Favorite"), but she acquits herself well here. Of course, it helps that she gets all the great withering lines! The piece, however, is just one more showcase for the increasingly impressive Cumberbatch. His versatility and talent are becoming a force to be reckoned with! He is fantastic throughout in a challenging role. A slight miscalculation for me was Clemens as Valentine. Supposed to be a strong suffragette, she comes off a bit wan and less interesting than those around her. Overall, this is a dignified period piece that takes its time. It requires patience and rewards it. It may not be for every taste but I, for one, was more than happy to take this emotional sojourn. About 4 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 3/13.

Oddly enough, this handsome co-production (BBC and HBO) of "Parade's End" isn't even the first adaptation of this wartime saga that I've seen this month! BBC has also dusted another version from 1964 out of their archives for DVD release, and I watched that one prior to settling down to this most current version. Although it has no particular bearing on my comments about this interpretation, it might be of interest to you if you love the story. It features nice performances (Jeanne Moody is merciless as Sylvia) and boasts a young Judi Dench as the second female lead Valentine. I love Dench, so it was a win-win! Ford Madox Ford's "Parade's End" is an epic tale of love, scandal, marriage, and war. It is also about propriety, integrity, and retaining gentlemanly values as the world crumbles around you. It has a very moral center which is why the 1964 version didn't even feel particularly dated, and this lovely new adaptation is nicely stylized between the modern and the old-fashioned. The original publications were actually a series of four shorter novels released between 1924-28 that were pulled together and packaged under the new title of "Parade's End." And pretty much, with this journey, you're getting the bulk of the tale as related through the first three of these novels (the fourth is largely dismissed critically).

There is no denying the extraordinary efforts that the creators have employed to make this prestige piece a can't miss proposition for adult audiences. With beautiful production values, vivid lead performances and an incredibly literate script from premiere playwright Tom Stoppard, "Parade's End" presents a powerful, but not overstated, character journey set against the backdrop of World War I. We pick up with the characters prior to the war, and leave them on the other side. In between, though, everything changes about the lifestyles to which they have become accustomed. The star is Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Christopher Tietjens. Tietjens is an upright aristocrat trapped in a rather complicated marriage to Sylvia (Rebecca Hall). After establishing the unpleasantness of this pairing, the story has Tietjens meeting a free spirited suffragette (Adelaide Clemens). The remainder of the story follows these three principles, and assorted other characters, as they navigate a world ravaged by war.

Brief Synopsis (No major spoilers, but don't read if you don't want a quick outline of events):

Told in five parts, the story begins in 1908. In the introductory chapter, we meet the three central characters. As Tietjens attempts to be the proper gentleman in every circumstance, the cards seem stacked against him. Cuckolded by a vicious wife, intrigued by a new love, and trying to be a supportive friend, he finds himself in the middle of drama and scandal that is completely unwarranted. Playing off themes of class and gender, Tietjens is almost victimized by propriety and the results are very personal and devastating. These complications lead to a stint in military service while the war rages. He gets stationed in France and later in Belgium, the conflict is just one more component in his constant struggle for understanding. Plagued by moral and social constraints, the war only compounds these concerns. It is almost a physical manifestation of an internal battle. While he will see some fighting, the biggest challenges still come from within. But as the war comes to a close, Tietjens must return home and try to reconcile the horrors he's seen. But into whose arms will he find himself? The war and his recent experiences with Sylvia have really taken a toll, and his soul is battered and bruised. As he recounts the trauma, the confession serves as a catharsis. But is it too late to claim a new life?

End Synopsis

The supporting cast is filled with great and familiar faces. Not everyone, though, has a lot to do. Miranda Richardson, Claire Higgins, Rupert Everett, Janet McTeer, Roger Allam, Rufus Sewell, and Jack Huston are among some of the more recognizable faces. Rebecca Hall elicits some sympathy as Sylvia (not an easy thing to do) and is quite good. She has been rather inconsistent or unremarkable in some of her past roles (one of 2012's worst performances in Stephen Frears' terrible misfire "Lay The Favorite"), but she acquits herself well here. Of course, it helps that she gets all the great withering lines! The piece, however, is just one more showcase for the increasingly impressive Cumberbatch. His versatility and talent are becoming a force to be reckoned with! He is fantastic throughout in a challenging role. A slight miscalculation for me was Clemens as Valentine. Supposed to be a strong suffragette, she comes off a bit wan and less interesting than those around her. Overall, this is a dignified period piece that takes its time. It requires patience and rewards it. It may not be for every taste but I, for one, was more than happy to take this emotional sojourn. About 4 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 3/13.

Buy Parade's End (2012) Now

This HBO miniseries is a masterpiece. It is beautifully written and acted, and unusually accurate historically. The film is emotionally devestating on the incompetence of the British military leadership in WWI, and on the hypocracy of social mores in the period before that war. From excellent novels by Ford Maddox Ford, but even better. Also, this is Benedict Cumberbatch's best film performance to date. Buy the video!

Read Best Reviews of Parade's End (2012) Here

When it aired in the UK in September and October of 2012, the BBC's 5-episode "Parade's End" mini-series, based on the novels of Ford Maddox Ford, Parade's End (Vintage Classics), won RAVE reviews in the UK , especially for the principal actors, Benedict Cumberbatch (you know him as "Sherlock" in the BBC/PBS series, Sherlock: Season One and Sherlock: Season Two) and Rebecca Hall (you'll recognize her, too, from such movies as "Starter for Ten," directed by Tom Hanks, Starter for 10).

Tom Stoppard, generally considered the UK's finest playwright, adapted the novels for this mini-series and wrote a fine and moving script.

Anything that Benedict Cumberbatch is in is worth watching. He and Johnny Lee Miller (the latter plays Sherlock in the current U.S. show, "Elementary") won a shared Olivier Award for their roles in "Frankenstein" on the London stage. The two actors alternated nightly, one being the monster and the other being Dr. Frankenstein. Cumberbatch been nominated for Emmys and BAFTAs (UK's version of the U.S.'s Academy Awards) and has won numerous other awards. He plays the unnamed "bad guy" in the soon-to-be-released Star Trek II prequel with Chris Pines and plays Smaug in "The Hobbit," which will be released in December of 2012. He is a classically-trained thespian who may just be may be the finest actor of his generation.

"Parade's End" will be shown on PBS in the US in the spring of 2013. If you can't wait, buy an all-regions DVD player (about $50) or an all-regions Blu-Ray player ($100-$200), grab a cup of hot tea, and settle in for a fabulous weekend watching the 5 episodes!

Want Parade's End (2012) Discount?

Amazon needs to more clearly mark DVDs they have for sale. I saw a few other BR copies of this that were marked Region 2 & 4, so I thought this one was fine for Region 1 players. There goes almost 40 bucks down the drain

The Art of Getting By (2011)

"We all die alone, so why am I supposed to spend my life working, sweating, struggling...I have better things to do with my time." George (Highmore) is a high schooler who has pretty much given up. Bitter with the world and his mother he refuses to do anything and hasn't done a real day's work in his entire senior year. He meets Sally (Roberts) who sees the same thing in herself. This is a very good movie made better by the acting. Highmore, in a departure from his usual disgustingly good boy roles is excellent in this. Roberts, who is fast becoming a better actress then her aunt is, is also fantastic in this movie. The role of George is written to be a total jerk to most people he meets, but Highmore has enough "baggage" with him that even though he is not nice to almost everyone in the movie you still wind up rooting for him and wanting him to succeed by the end. That is a rare thing for an actor that young. While this is a very good movie that forces you to keep watching it does tend to drag in a few places, but not enough to be boring. If that makes sense. Overall, a very good movie with great acting that is a definite watch. The type of movie that all high schoolers should watch. I give it a B+.

*Also try Happythankyoumoreplease & It's Kind Of A Funny Story

I saw this movie in theaters and i really connected to it. The characters are smartly written and in every moment you've been that person, especially in high school. made me nostalgic for times past. The two leads are so on point you cant help but notice they stand out. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of highmore and roberts in the future.

Buy The Art of Getting By (2011) Now

THE ART OF GETTING BY didn't get much attention in the theaters, but once the word is out by those who have elected to use View On Demand on television it just make a resurgence. Gavin Wiesen both wrote and directed this updated existentialist story and cast it with a very solid crew of actors. The result is a movie that is both nostalgic and heartwarming.

George Zinavoy (Freddie Highmore as a very fine developing adult actor) is a lonely and fatalistic high school senior who believes `you are born alone, die alone and everything else is an illusion'. Despite the fact that he is very intelligent and artistic he fails to complete any class work assignments, failing to see the point of doing such mundane tasks if we are all going to simply die anyway. His mother (Rita Wilson) and father (Sam Robards) are at odds: his father's business went bankrupt and he spends his time in the park and in coffee shops to hide the fact that he is unemployed (George sees this unbeknownst to the parents). George finally makes a friend in Sally (Emma Roberts), and develops and attraction for clueless George. The school's principal (Blair Underwood) and art teacher (Jarlath Conroy) introduce him to an alumni, and successful artist, Dustin (Michael Angarano continuing to be one of the most interesting young actors on the screen today), who can help guide George along life's path, but other distractions start surfacing, and George might not even be able to graduate from high school. How George discovers his feelings and his options is a well played out ending.

There are some fine cameos by Alicia Silverstone, Ann Harada, Marcus Carl Franklin, Ann Dowd, Elizabeth Reaser among others. But the significant satisfaction is the privilege of watching Freddie Highmore graduate into more adult roles: he is becoming a very fine actor. Grady Harp, December 11

Read Best Reviews of The Art of Getting By (2011) Here

THE ART OF GETTING BY didn't get much attention in the theaters, but once the word is out by those who have elected to use View On Demand on television it just make a resurgence. Gavin Wiesen both wrote and directed this updated existentialist story and cast it with a very solid crew of actors. The result is a movie that is both nostalgic and heartwarming.

George Zinavoy (Freddie Highmore as a very fine developing adult actor) is a lonely and fatalistic high school senior who believes `you are born alone, die alone and everything else is an illusion'. Despite the fact that he is very intelligent and artistic he fails to complete any class work assignments, failing to see the point of doing such mundane tasks if we are all going to simply die anyway. His mother (Rita Wilson) and father (Sam Robards) are at odds: his father's business went bankrupt and he spends his time in the park and in coffee shops to hide the fact that he is unemployed (George sees this unbeknownst to the parents). George finally makes a friend in Sally (Emma Roberts), and develops and attraction for clueless George. The school's principal (Blair Underwood) and art teacher (Jarlath Conroy) introduce him to an alumni, and successful artist, Dustin (Michael Angarano continuing to be one of the most interesting young actors on the screen today), who can help guide George along life's path, but other distractions start surfacing, and George might not even be able to graduate from high school. How George discovers his feelings and his options is a well played out ending.

There are some fine cameos by Alicia Silverstone, Ann Harada, Marcus Carl Franklin, Ann Dowd, Elizabeth Reaser among others. But the significant satisfaction is the privilege of watching Freddie Highmore graduate into more adult roles: he is becoming a very fine actor. Grady Harp, December 11

Want The Art of Getting By (2011) Discount?

The Art of Getting By is a wonderful coming of age film. Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts turn in wonderful performances and carry this film.

George is bored at his expensive New York City prep school. He sees Sally across the rooftop of the school smoking. When a teacher steps out onto the roof, he takes the blame for smoking. He's so used to be being in trouble, what's one more problem? At a very simple level, the film is about Sally and George being friends, and maybe being more than friends which will it be?

This is a wonderful small independent film that focuses on emotions and the two lead characters. The writer and director, Gavin Wiesen, develops the romantic tension between Sally and George without being heavy handed. This is Wiesen's first feature length film. Freddie Highmore (August Rush, The Golden Compass, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) turns in another great performance. I believed that he was that artistic, smart, and that bored. But yet he always seemed to do the right thing, even though he could have done the wrong thing. Emma Roberts (Lymelife, Nancy Drew, Hotel for Dogs, and Scream 4) was radiant as the quirky, bohemian girl that confuses and attracts George. The rest of the cast was quite good; they truly supported these two main characters.

The film is not perfect. Somehow these two seventeen or eighteen year old kids end up with beers in front of them and in bars in New York City a little more often than they should be. Maybe this is classic well to do children in prep school in New York City it certainly wouldn't play that way elsewhere. The teachers weren't necessarily represented in a positive light. George was a little bit too friendly with the principal. The three week ultimatum was a bit odd. These were minor flaws for me, I hung much more on what George or Sally would say. I cared more about those two characters and could overlook the flaws.

This is a short film at an hour and twenty three minutes. Wiesen did an excellent job with pacing; the film did not drag at the usual middle point. I loved the color of this film. For a first time feature length film, this was an impressive film.

The film is rated PG-13. There is underage drinking in the film for those sensitive parents. The f bomb gets tossed once and other strong language is used (all television appropriate language). George and Sally discuss sex. What makes it appropriate is the reaction they have to the discussion. There is a very brief scene where George is seen lying in bed with a tent pole under the covers (it is brief, embarrassing for him, but very natural and appropriate in the film). I'm very happy this film didn't get bumped to an R rating, it is a really fine coming of age film that thirteen year plus viewers should see.

This was a wonderful small independent film that was a surprise. Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts are worth the price of admission.

Freddie Highmore:

August Rush

The Golden Compass

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Emma Roberts:

Lymelife

Nancy Drew

Hotel for Dogs

Scream 4

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Mutant Girls Squad (2010)

You learn something new every day. For example, I'd heard that the Japanese were in the midst of their own `splatter movement,' but I've specifically avoided the films for awhile. Oh, it isn't that I don't appreciate a good splatter; truth is, I probably appreciate one as much as the next. I think the drawback with a good splatter movie is that its success or failure with a audience largely depends on the mood of that crowd: you have to WANT to experience a good splatter movie, not simply discover one all on its own merits. When you do that, you're as likely to turn one off as you are to finish, and that may not bode well for MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD.

This `splatter' is a bit of a disaster, which it's clearly intended to be. Don't go into it looking for any of it to make any real sense, and you're liable to be modestly entertained, much in the same way that you can't turn away from watching an automobile accident happening right before your eyes. It's glorious mayhem all for the sake of pure nihilism and I've no doubt the crowd who embraces these pictures will find plenty to embrace here ... even if that's only embracing the lovely ladies at the center of this cinematic catastrophe.

Rin (played by the doe-eyed Yumi Sugimoto) turns sixteen, but her `sweet sixteen' is interrupted by forces of Japanese defense showing up and taking her into custody. Why? Because she's a Hiruko, i.e. a mutant only one of many being held secretly against their will and she's a danger to all mankind ... until, that is, she can master the use of her specific mutant abilities. Her specific abilities? Well, she sprouts an arm that's part-claw, part-sitar (or something) which can be used as a lethal weapon. Into the mix, she's joined by Yoshie (part-cosplay-nurse, part-squid) and Rei (part-stone-claw, part-bird?) and a whole host of others, including one extremely unfortunate Hiruko whose mutation consists of a chainsaw which sprouts out of her hindquarters, and they're in for one wild ride to overthrow Defense Minister Koshimizu (Naoto Takenaka) before he takes control of the world!

In all seriousness, there are so many elements of MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD that average folks are going to find offensive or insulting or degrading or ignorant or off-putting or outright ridiculous that I questioned whether or not I could honestly complete this review. I knew one thing: I couldn't do it with a straight face, and that's mostly how I endured the picture. Without a straight face. I didn't take any of it seriously, and I kept reminding myself that while so much of the film wasn't up to my particular tastes in film it really was so very much like that aforementioned auto accident: it's so very hard to look away. As much as it didn't made sense, I realized that in its own humble yet creative way it made perfect sense because it fit wonderfully into the bizarre world created by the three minds who already are at the forefront of the Japanese splatter movement: Noboru Iguchi (THE MACHINE GIRL), Yoshihiro Nishimura (TOKYO GORE POLICE) and Tak Sakaguchi (YOROI: SAMURAI ZOMBIE).

These three minds joined forces and made precisely the picture they wanted to make: pure splatterific dreck, but benign splatterific dreck, and it's a picture that's liable to be embraced by the very audience they intended: splatter fans.

If you have no idea of what a legitimate splatter film is, then you're liable to be lost (or insulted, or degraded, or any of the other adjectives cited above). You would do well to do a little research first before venturing into these bruised and bloodied waters. If you do know, then you're likely going to rent or purchase this despite anything I say ... and I'll leave you to it, only pausing briefly to wish you, "God speed!"

The film comes from Sushi Typhoon, and it is distributed stateside by Well Go USA. It looks and sounds as solid as you'd expect any splatter film to look and sound, and it's very clear great attention went into scene composition here. It's photographed much like the pages of an anime book probably in keeping with its audiences desire and the effects are only as convincing as they need be. The disc includes an Opening Day featurette, interviews with the creative personnel, a very brief `making of' special, and trailers for other related pictures. There's also a short movie spinoff titled "Yoshie Zero," but I didn't partake of it; I can only stomach so much splatter in my film diet.

RECOMMENDED ONLY AS A GUILTY PLEASURE as I'm sure an audience may very well find MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD as one of their closeted favorites a cult movie, at best, and what harm is there in having another cult classic loose on mankind? I give it two-and-one-half stars, not for quality, but for the obvious love and the wish for global harmony with which the film was made.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Well Go USA provided me with a DVD screener copy of MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

A Nice Ham ala Chain-Saw review: Mutant Girls Squad (2010)

Tak Sakaguchi (Director), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Director)

Where does one begin with the DVD release of this film called "Mutant Girls Squad"?

It isn't right to call it an exploitation-film like an LSD teenage sin and violence movie of the US in the 1960s, or gore-pornography like the slasher films the United States of the 1980s. In many ways it has a kind of demented glee rooted in a postmodern, cusp of the Apocalypse, Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol.

And it is very, very Japanese.

All I can say is the sexual repression underlying the polite conformity of Japanese culture with its tea-ceremony, origami, paper palaces and yellow, green, and red lines painted on the hallway floors of schools for students to follow from class to class with expensive enrichment tutors hired by anxious parents for their kindergartners must be a thin crust built on an emotional volcano on the verge of a detonation that could pop another moon from the Pacific into the Earth's orbit!

What is it about teenage middle and high school girls in sailor suits that so intimidates and sexually terrorizes the adult males of Japan? How is it these perfect porcelain little creatures are considered the martial-arts equals of the Avengers, Bruce Lee and the entire sword wielding career of the 7 Samurai?

The story is simple. A little halfbreed girl whose father is a mutant and her mother is a saint watches her parents machine-gunned by the Japanese equivalent of a S&M Homeland Security SWAT team. They capture her to torture her in the name of science but she is rescued by a gang of renegade teenage sailor suit wearing mutant girls. They train her to be one of them. And what are they? The one girl sprouts samurai swords from her breasts. Another has a long tongue that can go in any orifice and pop out the other humorously. And my favorite is a cute chubby girl who bends over grabs her knees, squints, grunts, and poots a chain-saw out of her butt!

Oh there is other business about a transvestite mother superior of this little gang and a "Lovecraft's Reanimator" heap of confusing guts and David Cronenberg style biological weirdness DEITY. And of course there is endless scenes of battles in which people's heads are sliced in 3 places so the different segments rotate like a Rubik's cube before popping off to a spray of blood that has Old Faithful proportions.

And there is of course all the girl-politics and infighting of the mutant girls amongst themselves. And the style of action is a combination of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "2000 Maniacs", "Blood Feast" and a meth-amphetamine bondage-magazine CosPlay (costume) enhanced Mutant Ninja Turtles action.

It is all a kind of hyper DADA global live-action cartoon mythology of biological and industrial technical mutant anarchy. For all its cartoon-like jaw-dropping series of wildly envisioned surreal violence, I suspect it is a kind of joyful poking of humorous social criticism at the Establishment.

I can't say that it is a good movie, but it is the 1st of these movies that made me think there was some kind of political and artistic aesthetic movement out there Japan to which this speaks, like the raw Punk Rock that came out of the hopelessness of British industrial cities in the early 1980s. Or maybe it is simply something that appeals like the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" to some segment of the 20 something generation in Japan.

It wasn't made for me. I am not going to collect these movies and lecture people about the intellectual importance of all this at cocktail parties. But you know, seeing that cute little chubby girl bend over, grab her knees, squint, and squirt a raging chainsaw out of her butt made me smile.

Review by Leo Rivers, Saturday, May 26, 2012 5:30:00 PM

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This movie is so over the top but very fun and entertaining I am so happy i picked it up

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This is a cool Japanese film that has to do with mutant girls. The lead character has a cool mutant hand. Check it out...

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"Mutant Girls Squad" is an entry into the Japanese subgenre of inexpensive, campy, and incredibly gory B-movies that gained widespread interest with The Machine Girl (I'll bet there's a shorter term for it, but dang if I know what it is). This flick's apparently among the more obscure ones, but jeez, you'd think that any other movie would have to make a tremendous effort to be campier and bloodier than this one. The tongue-in-cheek, off-the-edge-of-reality approach is the only way such ultraviolence is palatable for me, and in this way, "MGS" is relatively fun...to an extent. The story starts off strong but degenerates into a take-it-or-leave-it thing, and neither the action content nor the special effects sustained themselves for me over time.

The story: on her sixteenth birthday, Rin (Yumi Sugimoto, "Engine Squadron Go-onger") sees her parents killed and discovers that she possesses a deadly power. Intercepted by a group of young girl mutants led by a cross-dressing samurai (Tak Sakaguchi, Versus), Rin is conflicted by the group's intent to wage a hate-fueled war on the society that's antagonized them.

The movie's tone is uneven, but for the most part is relatively goofy. The abilities of the mutant girls are roundly ludicrous (e.g. chainsaw butt, katana breasts and those are the more sensible ones), characters have slapstick reactions to being sliced and shredded, most of the setups to violence are silly, and there's an utterly delightful cosplay nurse bouncing around with the ability to turn her face into a trunk and her arms into tentacles (Suzuka Morita, "Samurai Squadron Shinkenger"). Initially, this is easy to swallow, but as the story develops a bit more gravity, I wished the outplay would become more character-driven and less reliant on visual spectacle. I didn't think any of the individual characters were particularly interesting on their own despite their abilities, mainly because so few of them have any kind of a backstory. As expected, there are few instances of noteworthy acting.

There's a good deal of action abounding here, but even though martial arts veteran Tak Sakaguchi acts as choreographer, very little of it is genuine hand-to-hand stuff: it's mostly effects-driven mutant battles or mutilations. I love the meaty, slimy makeup and prosthetics used in movies like these, but whether or not rubber tentacles banging against a plastic chainsaw makes for a good fight scene is up to you it doesn't for me. Computer effects are utilized sometimes, and these look faker than the rubber parts. The finale features Tak in a giant suspended monster suit, and while the battle itself again leaves much to be desired, this image alone was worth the price of the rental.

On my personal squeamishness scale, this one ranked somewhere around the lower middle: again, most of the violence and the reactions are so overblown that it's easy to laugh at, but the climax of Suzuka Morita's two-on-one battle near the end of the flick was a bit much for me (I know, what a wuss). All in all, this clearly wasn't my kind of film to begin with, but as a sheer B-movie, it's got a relentless amount of energy and enthusiasm that ought to make it popular if only more folks could find it. Check it out, if you think it's your kind of thing.

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The Penalty: Kino Classics Special Edition (1920)

Kino on Video has carved a niche for themselves with their fine digital transfers of art, foreign and classic silent films. Four of the towering icons of early cinema were Lon Chaney, John Barrymore, Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino. Now, each of these stars has a seminal film freshly available for a new generation to discover and enjoy on DVD (along with a generous sampling of choice supplemental material).

A few years before his death, I got to know Allan Dwan, the legendary film pioneer and director of over 400 features films, who by then was well into his 90s. After a special screening of a his 1922 "Robin Hood," a spectacular comic epic adventure starring Douglas Fairbanks, Dwan told me how he discovered Lon Chaney. "I was at Universal and picked up a new prop man," he said. "Suddenly, every day after work, I noticed a stranger leaving the set where we were shooting. A stranger with a missing leg, or eye, or odd nose, hair or teeth. It turned out to be Chaney in his home-made makeup effects. I said, 'You wanna be in front of the camera?' and began putting him in small parts where he was immediately noticed -not so much for his makeup, but rather his personality. So I took the tip and featured him. He had that mysterious hidden thing that certain people have. He was a star from the very beginning."

When I saw "PENALTY" I understood what Dwan meant about Chaney's sheer force of personalty. Shot in 1920, this Wallace Worsley ("Hunchback of Notre Dame") directed thriller features Chaney as Blizzard, an embittered double amputee and criminal mastermind out to avenge the incompetent doctor who cut off his legs when he was a boy. Blizzard befriends the surgeon's artist daughter and serves as model for her sculpture of Satan. All the while biding his time to enact his demonic revenge. Chaney is electrifying. The disc is loaded with essays, photos, clips, shorts, trailers, a video tour of Chaney's makeup case and a look at the double amputee rig and costume. The atmospheric music score is by Michael Polher. A DVD for the digital library. Trust me.

Like many other movie fans, my only view of Lon Chaney was in The Phantom of the Opera. I enjoyed it a lot and decided to try some of his other work. The Penalty sounded the most interesting since Chaney's legendary makeup skills are used not on his face but on his legs. He is nothing short of amazing in his role as a double amputee/crime lord. Indeed, this is one of those movies that is carried by an actor's charisma.

Unfortunately, the supporting cast is not nearly as fascinating as Blizzard. With the exception of Rose, they are just the standard gangster film characters. (The eager young man, the innocent young girl, the dogged investigater) Whenever Blizzard is onscreen, the movie really works and the viewer misses him when he is not there. Chaney takes a completely horrid character and makes him almost likable. It's no wonder this was the movie that made Chaney a real star.

The plot involves Chaney's character, Blizzard, seeking revenge on the imcompetant doctor who amputated Blizzard's legs at the beginning of the movie. Meanwhile, the police are investigating Blizzard, hoping to bring down his entire gang.

The print is nice enough, quite watchable. The soundtrack is another matter. It consists of NIN sounding loops and drumbeats. Some silent movie fans are purists when it comes to music and some are not. I am in the middle. I would have preferred a more traditional soundtrack (the clangs and bangs are distracting sometimes) but it did not wholly hamper my enjoyment of the film. I just want to give a warning to any traditionalists.

The DVD boasts a suprising amount of extras for a silent film. A 1914 western short starring Chaney. I enjoyed seeing how little a western changed between the teens and the fifties! Also,and a brief but well-done tour of Chaney's makeup case. There is a book-to-movie comparison that explains why the ending was changed. (I think the movie would have been stronger if they had kept the original ending.) I won't spoil it of course but I didn't think it was in keeping with the mood of the rest of the movie.

All in all, check it out for Chaney. It is an entertaining film and a great piece of film history.

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Other than "The Phantom of The Opera" this is Chaneys' best work. I have viewed most Lon Chaney films (All that are in print). I must admit, some of his films are corny, one hour melodramas,that I would only recommend to dedicated fans. However, this story, the acting, and the "Kino" soundtrack, will make this one to remember. Better than "The Hunchback" (and that's saying a lot)

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The Penalty is a superb Lon Chaney film. It has a really sinister, creepy atmosphere and a central performance from `The Man of a Thousand Faces' which is amongst his best. Chaney, in the role of Blizzard, does not use elaborate face makeup, although his face still takes on an incredible number of varied expressions. What makes his performance so memorable is that he is able to convincingly play the part of someone who has had both legs amputated above the knee. Chaney is totally believable as he moves around on crutches. He shows an incredible strength in using only his arms to climb ladders and ropes. Chaney's performance is not merely a physical tour-de-force. His portrayal of the bitter criminal mastermind does not descend into caricature. The viewer sympathises with him even as his violent actions make him repellent.

The story of The Penalty is lurid to say the least and at times rather far fetched. It is basically a story of Blizzard seeking revenge for the unnecessary amputation of his legs as a child. This revenge involves an elaborate plot to trap the doctor responsible for his plight. Alongside this revenge plot Blizzard plans to take over the city of San Francisco using `Reds' to fight the police while his gang robs the banks and jewellery stores. The story is far from plausible, but stories of criminal masterminds rarely are. It is however hugely enjoyable, exciting and also at times quite shockingly violent for a silent movie.

The print used for the Kino DVD is very good. It is nicely colour tinted and is clear and sharp. The score, composed by Michael Polher, is modern in style and takes a bit of getting used to. It has a thumping beat for large parts of the film, which can be a bit annoying, but on the whole the score fits in quite well with the mood of the film. This DVD has a lot of extras. The best of these is Chaney's one-reel 1914 Western, By the Sun's Rays, which shows the younger Chaney already playing the villain. There is also an interesting video tour showing Chaney's makeup case and the costume he wore in The Penalty. Other extras include a photo gallery a good essay on The Penalty. This is a fine DVD with one of Chaney's best films. Silent film fans will not be disappointed.

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This film and this DVD reissue have already received vy competent reviews from prior critics, so I cannot add much. This is one of the best restorations I've seen, superbly mastered and artisically tinted. The music is extraordinary, very well coordinated with the action. I liked it a lot. It reminded me of "Tubular Bells" in Friedkin's "The Exorcist." Chaney is simply astounding in this film. He is known as the Man of a Thousand Faces and most people meet him in his heavily made-up roles as the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Phantom of the Opera. Here he is himself, just his own face, his own acting skill against the camera lense, and he is astounding. This is one of the great, great silent films and I was reminded of Gloria Swanson's immortal line in "Sunset Boulevard." "Back then we didn't need sound. We had FACES." Chaney's gymnastics as a legless cripple are tremendous -he climbs stairs on crutches and twice lifts himself by sheer arm-strength up a series of pegs driven in a wall, like a giant spider -but in some way they are the least part of the film. It's his face, his acting, his sheer power that carries the film along. It's all expressions, all shoulders and arms and hands. It's an astounding performance. The only drawback is that he just blows everybody else away, every other actor in the film seems made out of cardboard, compared to Chaney. I agree with a prior reviewer: "WHAT ABOUT THE HATS?" That part of the film doesn't make much sense, though it does afford Chaney one of the most terrific and scary moments in his career, when he threatens a hatmaker, wobbling and towering above her like a huge monster on a table. The ending is silly, but one is left with the disturbing and unforgettable sense of having seen something truly demonic briefly released on film. An astounding and powerful film, a real tour-de-force, handsomely restored and presented with many fascinating extras. Even the subtitles are curiously horrific.

A minor note: Rex Beach, who seems to have collaborated on the screenplay, went on to promote Coral Gables as a real estate development south of Miami, along with William Jennings Bryan. Everybody ends up in Florida, sooner or later!

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Gantz II: Perfect Answer (2012)

Now I have never read the Manga, but I have seen the complete anime series. Basing my view off the anime being brought to film I have to say the first film did an excellent job. I understand the anime was cut short because it moved quicker than the Manga. As for this 2nd film there are no ties to the anime, but it gives answers to the question we may have all had from watching the series. The action is superb and stylish and the special effects are done very well. The story is filled with excellent plot twist as well. I enjoyed this movie very much and from what I have research of the Manga. The plot is similiar yet changed to give an ending. People always complain about adaptations because they are not spot on. Well this movie is pretty close and it gives closure pretty well to a Manga that is well into its 300's in issues printed.

First off let me preface this by saying that I am not a fan of manga or japanese anime so I had no clue what Gantz was prior to seeing the this movie and the second. Perhaps that is the reason I loved the movies so much because they were so different and creative.

The first movie revolved around strangers teleported to an undisclosed location shortly after dying to fight aliens as dictated by a large black ball. I know it already sounds bizarre but it makes perfect sense when actually watching the movie.

That being said, I'll go into the review of this movie since no doubt everyone would have seen first one. I noticed another review indicating this did not follow the first movie and I could not disagree any more. The very beginning of this movie recapped exactly what happened in the first movie and transitioned smoothly introducing new and old characters. I actually think it was done quite well. I also disagree with there being less action in this one. I would agree there is more dialogue in this one but an equal amount of action just in different context. The first movie focused on introductions and keeping answers in the dark. It actually followed the heroes into the actual fights against aliens in another dimension while the second movie followed the fight in reality. Instead of fighting one alien in a a different reality, they had to fight multiple aliens in the real world.

I have to say I was surprised at how much blood and gore both movies put out. Don't often see that much in japanese movies. But it was done well. The acting was superior in certain situations but often got cheesy and almost juvenile during romantic interludes, almost like the director was a 10 year old. Not withstanding, the material was all adult. Lots and lots of killing so be forwarned. The movie was also highly styleized and sleek. Japanse movies are great at doing that.

All answers are revealed at the end and the end is a love it or hate it ending. I have to say, I loved and hated the ending so it works. I wont spoil it but it was the kind of ending where some things ended happy and others ended sad. Pretty much the ending I would chose but maybe not a broad audience.

If you are a fan of the first movie, I highly recommend this one as I feel it was a perfect compliment to the first.

Oh, and of course, the blu ray version looks amazing in HD and I love the fact that the hated in my opinion black bars are nowhere to be seen and the movie looks glorious filling my entire HD tv. Sound was amazing and the movie is automatically dubbed in english but you can choose japanese with subtitles as well. The blu ray also comes with loads of extras in two DVD's. Honestly 20 bucks for this is a bargin for this kind of quaility movie and extras.

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I had been anticipating this movie for awhile now and was thinking that it would follow the story as close as the first Gantz live action movie but to my dismay it barely follows the real story at all. If you read the manga I would just recommend that you should view this movie as an alternate storyline/ending to the original manga story because of course they had to shorten it since the manga isn't even finished. The action isn't as awesome and there is a lot of dialog compared to the first movie but I'd still recommend watching this due to the fact that it is Gantz(which is awesome as long as your a fan). The ending is a bit disapointing but the sword fights make it worth it!

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Reserved this before the release the same time I bought the first Gantz film. I DO NOT REGRET THIS DECISION!!! Very well made, great addition. So good in fact it made me purchase the Anime collection as well.

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This definitely makes for a happier ending than the original Gantz, but I still enjoyed it in its own entertaining way.

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