Killer Movie (2011)

It looks like other reviewers here are probably involved with the film. I am not; I just watched it. This movie is the average slasher fare with a reality show spin on it. Even though the storyline is not so original, I still found the movie likeable all the way to the end. It has the cheesiness but doesn't look cheap, some humor, decent kill scenes, and good music scores. Slasher movie fans would particularly find this film entertaining.

I saw Killer Movie in a film festival a couple of months ago. It was so funny at times, and really creepy at others. The acting was great, and the characters were so interesting and multifaceted. The dialogue was witty and fresh, and Kaley Cuoco's one-liners had me laughing out loud. But even with all the humor, you never forget that you're watching a horror movie. The gory details are horrifying and the murders creative and original. I won't spoil anything, but it'll leave you thinking, "I never would have thought to kill someone like that." You really have to see for yourself. I strongly recommend this movie for any horror or comedy fan.

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KILLER MOVIE is the silly, creepy, gory tale of documentary film-making gone horribly awry. We follow a film crew as they work on a doc about a small town's high school hockey team. Of course, there's a masked maniac at large, and people begin dying awful, squishy deaths. Said maniac is an interesting fellow, w/ his own unique take on reality TV. KM has gallons of blood and several dismemberments, yet manages to remain fun and interesting. The characters are solid, especially Kaley Cuoco (tv'S BIG BANG THEORY) as a total wench of an actress who gets a much needed attitude tune up by movie's end! So, if you enjoy comedic horror w/ extra sauce, KILLER MOVIE should slake that thirst...

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A slasher gem for the new generation. A very good direct to dvd movie. I would kind of compare it to the scream movies just a little for its comedy moments but just your typical slasher movie, a good plot, good acting, and good kills. I would recommend it to slasher fans.

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Killer Movie, as the title foreshadows, is an intelligent, witty mix of horror and satire. It's a movie within a movie, a dark and cuttingly humorous inside take on the world of reality TV, written and directed by Jeff Fisher, an actual reality TV director. The horror is especially chilling, and the humor rings particularly true, because the reality TV material is based on the director's real life reality TV experience. Thanks to the wicked, cutting edge, deliciously twisted imagination that inspired the script, you can't predict what's going to happen -and that's what makes Killer Movie a truly refreshing departure from all those horror movie cliches that have already been done to death.

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Fortress (1992)

i was browsing through the Blu-ray's under $10 section and came across this movie which i'd completely forgotten about until now...

the Blu-ray release of this film was put together by a company called: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, which i've never heard of so wasn't expecting much in the way of video quality. i guess i stand corrected however. let me just say that this is a much better HD transfer than Lionsgate did with the original "Total Recall." a lil a grainy side?, yes. but overall definitely not the worst i've ever seen. in fact i've fallen in love with the movie all over again :)

Blu-ray specs are

video: 1920x1080p 1.85:1 Widescreen

Audio: the back of the box just says English 2.0 Stereo, but it's actually

English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Surround).

subtitles are not available

there are also no special features, but overall still definitely worth buying. hope this review helps anyone reading it

A guilty pleasure. I love Christopher Lambert, have all his movie. Been waiting for the Blu-ray to come out for release.

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I believe this is the Blu-ray version of this movie, I sincerely hope the picture quality has been improved but with the low price tag I am doubtful.

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The story of Fortress takes place in drastically overpopulated America of the year 2017, where each woman is allowed only one pregnancy. John Brennick (Christopher Lambert) and his wife Karen (Loryn Locklin) flee to Mexico when she becomes pregnant after the death of their first child. They are captured by border police and sent to the Fortress, a subterranean high-security prison owned by the Men-Tel corporation and operated by "Zed-10," an omnipotent computer system, and a sadistic, genetically "enhanced" warden (Kurtwood Smith) who has nefarious plans involving Brennick's wife and unborn child. Along with his cellmates (including Jeffrey Combs, a favorite of director Stuart Gordon), Brennick plots a breakout, and Fortress shifts into auto-pilot action mode.

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Hero (2002)

I feel like I have been waiting a long time to see this movie and that the trailer for "Hero" ("Ying xiong") has been teasing us for at least a year. I have to admit that I fully expected to see an epic full of battle scenes and massed armies of men. My mistake. This film from China is a pointed fable, distilled from legend that may well be myth, and with a point that may well be lost on Western audiences. This is clear from those viewers who are unwilling to accept the conventions of wire work in Chinese martial art pictures and whose standard of realism refuses to allow for the poetic ballet of combat.

The prologue makes it clear that this story takes place in China before it was China, when the land was made up of seven warring provinces and the King of Qin (Chen Dao Ming) dreamt of conquering the other six provinces and uniting the land. For years the king has been unable to have a peaceful night of sleep because there are three assassins who are out to kill him. Now comes a nameless warrior (Jet Li), who has come to the imperial court to be rewarded for killing the three unbeatable assassins. He is warned that he may not approach within 100 paces of the king or he will be killed. But because he has bested the assassin Sky (Donnie Yen) in combat, he is allowed with 20 paces to tell his story.

Most of the story of "Hero" is told in flashback as Nameless tells his stories and the king questions him. We also learn of the fates of Broken Sword (Tony Leung) and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), two assassins who were also a pair of lovers. But there is more than one truth and more than one tale to be told in this film. Director Zhang Yimou, improving on the artistry we first enjoyed in "Raise the Red Lantern," color codes the stories that we see. First the story is told in lush shades of red, then in cool blue, again in white, and finally in green. Drops of water and swirling yellow leaves all become parts of the dances of death during the fight sequences, captured by cinematographer Christopher Doyle. "Hero" is a gorgeous film that uses its saturated colors better than any film of recent memory. There is a code to the colors, but that is something you need to come to terms with on your own.

Another strength of this film is that the fighting (choreographed by Wei Tung) and special effects do not overwhelm the actors who are required to play what is on some level the same scene as slightly different characters. I know there are computer generated effects in this film, especially since there are more arrows shot in "Hero" than any film in history, but for once I did not get the feel that what I was seeing was not real. That is become this film keeps coming back to questions of aesthetics, from the breathtaking use of color to the eloquent idea that swordsmanship and calligraphy are intrinsically awaited.

Special mention has to be made of the music, composed by Dun Tan and featuring violin solos and fiddling by Itzhak Perlman along with drumming by the Japanese group Kodo. I have never really seen one of those Hong Kong kung fu movies where everyone screams while they fight and I might never get around to it given the silent eloquence of the fights in movies like "Hero" (not to mention "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), where the moments are underscored by the sound of clashing swords, pounding drums, and a violin. "Hero" is an art film, albeit one made on a larger and more colorful canvas.

"Hero" may be sold as being a big film but it is really about something relatively plain and simple. I disagree with the idea that either the style or substance of the film is beyond our Western sensibilities. Apparently the reason the film has the "Quentin Tarantino Presents" tag at the start was so that Miramax would not cut 20 minutes of the film out on the pretext that it too Asian/confusing for Western audiences. Indeed, I have seen some critics who professes to be confused about the complex plot and I can only wonder if they were equally confused by "Rashomon," an obvious reference point to this one (in many ways Yimou owes more to Akira Kurosawa's classic film than to Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). Certainly after a century of cinema we are capable to looking at the same thing from multiple perspectives and enjoying this gem of a film that has finally made its way to our shores.

Beautiful, artistic, poetic...an enchanting martial arts film that will captivate you with every scene!

These are the words I feel about "HERO", the 2002 film directed by Zhang Yimou ("Curse of the Golden Flower", "The House of Flying Daggers" and "Happy Times") and a film that would feature cinematography by Christopher Doyle ("Chungking Express", "In the Mood For Love", "Fallen Angels", "Happy Together") and music by composer Tan Dan ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "The Legend of the Black Scorpion").

The film would also star Asia's top talents which include Jet Li ("The Warlords", "Fearless", "Once Upon a Time in China", "Fist of Legend"), Tony Leung Chiu Wai ("Lust, Caution", "Red Cliff", "Tokyo Raiders", "Infernal Affairs"), Maggie Cheung ("Ashes of Time", "Sausalito", "In the Mood for Love", "Comrades: Almost a Love Story"), Daoming Chen ("Peace Blossom", "My 1919', "Infernal Affairs III"), Zhang Ziyi ("House of Flying Dagger", "My Wife is a Gangster", "Musa the Warrior", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") and Donnie Yen ("All's Well, End's Well", "Iron Monkey", "Flash Point" and "Bodyguards and Assassins").

The film which was Hong Kong's most expensive film at the time, was critically acclaimed, won several awards and eventually would make over $178 million worldwide in the box office.

"HERO" is presented on a two-ray Blu-ray disc with one being the primary Blu-ray and the other being a digital copy version of the film. Also, the Blu-ray also comes in a slipcase.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"HERO" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1) and suffice to say, this film just looks incredible. It's one of the most significant qualities of this film is its artistic direction, costume design, set design, location and most of all, the cinematography of Christopher Doyle.

Personally, I have always have seen Christopher Doyle as an avant-garde cinematographer since he worked on Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express" and suffice to say, his amazing cinematography and the tight editing really pulled the artistic vision of director Zhang Yimou to new heights.

Picture quality is vibrant. Very vibrant and color plays a big part in this film. Grain is seen on the film and I'm glad to see that Walt Disney has again kept with that and not gone the excessive DNR (Digital Noise Reduction) route. But for a film that came out back in 2002, is it a reference film on Blu-ray? Not really. But it does look very good. Part of the main reason is that despite the film being shot in beautiful locations and costume design and the colors really enhance the look of the film, it's no super clear, nor is it reference quality compared to recently released films on Blu-ray but still, "HERO" is just absolutely magnificent to watch.

As for audio quality, this is where it pains me to give it slightly less than perfect score. The film is presented with an English 5.1 DTS-HD losless audio track but the original Chinese language is only in Dolby Digital 5.1 (along with the Spanish and French). For a film of this caliber, I was hoping there would be a lossless audio track for the Chinese language but unfortunately, it's not.

But for some, I know it's a dealbreaker for some that the original language is not in lossless audio but the English version is and to be fair, I will say that the English dubwork is very good for this film. For earlier DVD releases, Asian films released in the US had terrible English dubbing but I will say that "HERO" turned out very well.

For audio, sounds such as the rains, swords clanging, arrows zipping through air... this is all captured quite well on the DTS-HD lossless audio track and sounds great. For the most part, audio is front and central channel driven with dialogue, music and sound effects but many of the soundtracks do utilize the surround channels. Again, I wish the original language was in lossless but for those who enjoyed the dubwork, you will be pleased by the DTS-HD audio.

As for subtitles, subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"HERO" comes with the following special features (in 480i, English 2.0 Dolby Digital, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles):

* Close-Up of a Fight Scene (9:18) The secrets of the fighting choreography of "HERO". Quentin Tarentino, Jet Li and Donni Yuen discuss the fighting choreography. Also, storyboard and fighting scene comparisons. (Note: Some of the footage is the same as the one used on the main featurette).

* Hero Defined (24:01) The Director and talent on their experiences of working on the film and the challenges they faced. Also, how locations were selected and what took place before the shooting of the film, during and after.

* Storyboards (5:19) A side-by-side (or more like top-and-bottom) comparison of the storyboards and final feature.

* Inside the Action. A Conversation with Quentin Tarentino and Jet Li (13:55) Jet Li is interviewed by Quentin Tarentino about his past films and working on "Hero".

* Soundtrack Spot (:39) commercial spot for the "Hero" soundtrack.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"HERO" is a film that really distinguishes itself from other martial arts film due to its artistic style, wonderful cinematography, well-chosen locations and of course, having a talented director and top talents of HK cinema definitely helps as well.

For the most part, "HERO" was definitely one of those films that you can remember for many years later for its scenes. From the vibrancy of the colors used, the battle scene on top of the lake (which Director Zhang Yimou wanted perfect still waters and didn't mind waiting to film when it happened), the thousands of arrowheads attacking the art school, there is simply many scenes that are just memorable.

Sure, "HERO" is a beautiful film known for its cinematography, its talent, its location but what about the storyline? The story of "HERO" is good but not great. Where a film like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is one of those films that captured beauty through its storyline, "HERO" definitely relies on the visuals to enhance the storyline. Because the film is split up into three arcs with three different stories of what took place, it's all about how the viewer interprets that storyline and how that storyline touches their soul.

Personally, I have found "HERO" almost like a piece of art. You embrace everything that went on to create that artistic piece. From its characters as Jet Li and Donnie Yen are just fantastic when they battle each other during their scene. You know that when these two are together onscreen, you're going to get a beautiful, captivating scene with the best fighting choreography. When you see Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Chung, you know that these two have awesome chemistry and that they can bring out the more dramatic scenes and even during their fighting scenes, everything seems believable and the two enforce the vibrancy and color of the film. The same goes with Zhang Ziyi who brings the more emotional scenes to the film.

But is the Blu-ray release perfect? Unfortunately, it misses the mark of perfection due to the Blu-ray not including a lossless audio track for the Chinese language. I was so excited about "HERO" on Blu-ray and it's a given, we are going to get awesome picture quality because it's a colorful and vibrant film. You know that the scene between Falling Snow vs. Moon with its rich red colors and yellow leaves is going to be absolutely brilliant on HD or the scene when Broken Sword and Falling Snow wear these blue outfits or their green outfits and you know that color is going to look great on Blu-ray. But along with that awesome picture quality, you want awesome audio.

The English dub is definitely one of the better English dubs for an Asian film and the lossless audio track was very good. But I was torn by wanting to watch the film in its original language but knowing that the audio quality of the Chinese Dolby Digital 5.1 was nowhere near the 5.1 DTS-HD English track. For a fan of this film, for me...it was bittersweet.

So, overall "HERO" is definitely a wonderful film to catch on Blu-ray and it's great to see Disney give this release a digital copy as well. But for the most part, "HERO" could have been a great release but without the Chinese audio track in HD, it ends up being just an average release.

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Much as Ang Lee demonstrated his directorial virtuosity in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, Zhang Yimou has applied his magnificent talents to the martial arts genre with HERO. This is movie not only worth seeing, but worth watching two or three times, or more. Each viewing unveils new appreciation for Zhang's artistic direction, Chris Doyle's cinematography, Tan Dun's musical score, and Itzhak Perlman's violin performance, not to mention fresh insights into the story line and character interrelationships.

The story line is simple enough on its surface, based loosely on Chinese historical fact. The king of the Qin state seeks to unify the Seven Kingdoms some 2,000 years ago, and three assassins from the defeated Zhao state wish to kill him. An unknown warrior named Nameless, from the Qin state, succeeds in killing the three assassins and returns to collect his reward in an audience with the King. As we view segments of Nameless's explanation of how he defeated three such fearsome opponents, a battle of wits ensues with the skeptical King until the truth emerges. Their verbal sparring beautifully parallels the feints, thrusts, and parries of the martial arts scenes.

Within this story line, we are treated to extraordinary, ballet-like martial arts contests between Nameless and the three assassins. Each scene is dominated by one primary color, from the opening desert white to the reds of the calligraphy school to the yellows of autumn leaves whose wind-swept swirls become weapons in themselves. A sword fight between Broken Sword and the King of Qin is cloaked in flowing green cloth, reminiscent of Zhang's use of colored cloth in JU DOU.

While HERO evokes memories of RASHOMON, this is not the same motif. The three "versions" of the assassins' reported deaths are rather more like the gradual unfolding of a Sherlock Holmes mystery. As the tale reveals itself, the relationship of the four assassins (including Nameless)moves from enemies to spurned lovers to companions working together and finally to a genuinely tragic (if seemingly platonic) love between two of them.

Several less recognized aspects of HERO are particularly worthy of note. First, anyone who saw Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung in IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE will find it remarkable that the same two actors could pull off the characters of Broken Sword and Flying Snow so successfully. Second, the game of Go played by the assassin Sky at the beginning of the movie magnificently foreshadows Nameless's successive movements in the King's presence from 100 to 20 to 10 paces. Third, the ballet movements in unison of the candle flames burning before the King are not only brilliant in conception, they mirror the closing scene's behavior of the King's faceless advisors calling for Nameless's execution. Finally, the juxtaposition of calligraphy brushes with swords and flying arrows is a dramatic visual rendition of the pen and sword adage.

A last comment. Criticism of HERO as Communist Party propaganda is laughably absurd and demonstrates a severe lack of understanding of Chinese history. Qin Shihuang was a product of his times, no more or less tyrannical than the Egyptian pharaohs, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror, Suleiman, or the American generals who "cleared" the Wild West of Indians. Regardless of his methods, Qin Shihuang accomplished a grand unification (All under heaven) that continues two millennia after his death. HERO evokes the founding of a nation and one unknown man's ultimate decision to sublimate his desire for revenge to the greater good of his country. That makes it no more propagandist than stories of Abraham Lincoln's struggle to re-unify the North and the South at the cost of countless thousands of lives, and far less pathetically propagandist than the recent "American hero" movies celebrating Jessica Lynch or Ronald Reagan. Americans need to take a long, hard look in the mirror more often before screaming propaganda about the cultural work of other countries.

HERO is not a perfect movie. The sword fight over the lake goes a bit over the top, the calligraphy/sword connection is overplayed, and Zhang Ziyi's character Moon too often feels extraneous. Nevertheless, HERO is a Must See for anyone who loves great story-telling and great movie-making.

Read Best Reviews of Hero (2002) Here

The one star is not for the movie itself, which is one of the best movies I've ever seen. But argh! I've got the Japanese DVD from Elite Group and it is so far superior to the North American release in all aspects (image quality, subtitles, disc pressing quality, and even the box!) that this version makes me want to cry.

Also, I'm getting tired of defending this movie to people who've only gotten the North American version of the subtitles. It's like we're not even talking about the same movie anymore.

What a thing to do to such a beautiful piece of art. How do these people sleep at night?

Looking through the other comments below, I followed Raul Saavedra's advice and checked out the difference between the image quality in the special features, and the movie itself. He has a very astute point. The main movie image quality just ends up looking that much worse in comparison. Why do the scenes look so awesome in the special features sections? My theory is that they tried to cram too much onto one disc (the Japanese release is 2 DVDs), and had to compress the video even more than the overseas releases to make up for it, so the image quality of the movie itself suffered.

PS. Go here for a detailed comparison review of the different versions:

Want Hero (2002) Discount?

One can view Zhang Yimou's "Hero" in two perspectives:

One perspective is looking at this movie as if it were Chinese propaganda, since the movie tries to characterize the first King of China as a "misunderstood protagonist being perceived to be a tyrant". In reality, he was worse than Hitler, if not equal.

But most aren't that cynical; Most would view this movie as a clash of action and complexity.

The movie begins with "Nameless" (Jet Li) being escorted to "The King" (Chen Daoming), after claiming to have defeated the 3 most feared assassins: "Long Sky" (Donnie Yen), "Flying Snow" (Maggie Cheung), and "Broken Sword" (Tony Leung). When he arrives at the castle, he walks past thousands of soldiers and gets body searched for weapons. He is told to stay "100 paces from the king; one pace closer and he will be killed without question." To prove that he has defeated these assassins, he brings their weapons as evidence (Two swords, one spearhead). Relieved and intrigued, The King asks Nameless to tell him how he defeated each assassin (each is represented with a flashback).

Nameless explains that his skill as a swordsman was not enough to penetrate the superior skills of those being discussed. He had to use or know something else to get the upper hand. He explains that Broken Sword's calligraphy exposed his swordplay. And since Broken Sword and Flying Snow were lovers, jealously would be a natural tactic. Nameless also uses "honor" as a technique when fighting against "Long Sky". They share a mutual respect as fighters. Halfway into their fight, they stop to ask a blind harpist to continue playing his instrument. While playing, both fighters visualize the fight, rather than physical confrontation. But after a moment of visualizing, they go for the deathblow, sort of resembling an Old-Western Duel.

With each succeeding story, Nameless is rewarded with riches and is allowed to walk a few more paces towards the King of Qin. But also with each succeeding story, it becomes more and more apparent to The King that something doesn't seem right. After all three stories are told, Nameless and The King are only ten paces apart. Now is when The King realizes that the stories might be fabricated. He mentions that he has fought these assassins one on one, and the very idea that a psychological technique like "jealously" corrupting such exceptional warriors would be preposterous. This is the part of the movie where the "Rashomon"-effect goes into effect, where the actual story has more than one point of view. The King retells the story in what he believed has happened. A series of "underestimating each other" occurs, adding a perplexingly rich structure.

"Beautiful" would be an understatement, and would not even begin to describe the mind-blowing visuals of everything in the movie, ranging from scenery to color schemes. Consider the scene where the army of Qin unleashes a plethora of arrows that rain towards a crimson-shaded calligraphy school with sonic precision. Or the flashback fight scene between Broken Sword and The King, where the subtle-bright green color gives off a "dream-like" depiction. And perhaps visually, the best fight in the movie: the scene where Flying Snow fights Broken Sword's apprentice, Moon (Zhang Ziyi) in a forest. Raining from the trees is a profusion of bright golden-yellow leaves that turn into a blazing crimson-red after the fight is over. The overwhelming colors literally explode off the screen. The cinematography is exceptional as well, catching the fierce intensity of the clash of weapons between every warrior. The visuals alone are worth the ten dollars.

The story thinned-out is simplistic, but it is the presentation of the story that makes it intricate. Many would dismiss this complex structure to be "too confusing". But perhaps it is the complexity that makes it alluring. While most movies "spoon-feed" you the story, this one allows you to be drawn in. Nevertheless, "Hero" remains to be both intriguing and compelling.

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Reign Over Me (2007)

My wife wanted to see this movie so I went not expecting much. I was really suprised at how much I liked the film. For those of you who hate Sandler's comedy, he is going for a full dramatic role in this film and he is quite good. Yes there are some humurous moments and Sandler does have a funny line or two, but this is truly a drama. The story is about friendship. Even though it appears it is about how Sandler can't handle the grief over the lose of his family on 9/11, it is also just as much about Cheadle coming to grips with his own life which is not where he wants it to be. It is about them helping each other. Not a perfect story, but a tale well told and well acted all the way around.

This is probably one of the underrated movies of the year. Personally, I never liked the previews of this movie and I did not expect that Adam Sandler can deliver solid performance outside of comedy realm. Although his performance is in fact uneven at times, his co-star Don Cheadle is like a solid rock in his delivery of the decent New York dentist who in mid-life crisis seeking for his true purpose in life. There are funny and sad moments in this movie, all characters are carefully developed and one only wishes we could all have friends around us that are decent, loyal and caring, like the ones in this movie. That is what makes this feature almost fairy tale like -one does not expect people like that in NYC, so their humanity is very refreshing. Film is multilayered and it addresses the issues that we all face in our lives at one point: how do we deal with boredom, guilt, grief, marriage? What is the best escape when repressing sadness and anger atempt to reconnect with people who remind us of our youth and what we used to be, taking advanced photography lessons, or playing video games hours at the time? Marvelous casting, great music score picks, reality of NYC living with all its curiosity and drag at times. Oh and on totally unrelated note -it is almost strange how maturing Adam Sandler looks so much like young Bob Dylan! Their physical resemblance is eerie.

Buy Reign Over Me (2007) Now

While I am personally disappointed at the amount of people that require bombs and crotch jokes to keep them entertained. I have read every review to this point and I find that everyone that doesnt like the movie is upset that a story about real life drama is actually (wait for it) real. The subtle storyline of a broken man whose only hope and solice is a friend that he can't even remember shakes the very foundation of what is considered to be normal. We all wish for a great story were the guy gets the girl and everyone lives happily ever after. The truth behind this movie is that it is honest to life and shows just that. That not everyone is always happy and not every person goes through a horrible situation and comes out on the other side with a smile.

Adam Sandler does a terrific job of showing the subtle nature of just who a person can become. To go from being a well respected dentist to being a closet hermite crab. If you truely do not understand this, than please send 5 minutes and watch when Sandler finally explains his family. The emotion, the pain and the thoughts. While this scene is happening you think of how you would reply to such a travesty. How you would cope with life.

Excluding the main storyline, this movie is still a great story. A husband lost in life, scared to fully to commit to his wife of many years. Even more terrified of show his actual weakness to anyone let alone himself. So scared infact that he will not see a psychologist but, hides outside of one's office for a few minutes of conversation.

I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. I am still not an Adam Sandler fan but, this movie shows me he can actually show emotion.

Read Best Reviews of Reign Over Me (2007) Here

I loved the fact that at the end of this movie there was no attempt to make everything end on a "happily ever after" note like most movies. I think the topic of this movie was a very heavy one and so for that this movie isnt for those who are looking for a "feel-good" movie...If you want that, look elsewhere...I love that at the end, it pretty much leaves things as some would call with no resolution...but thats life...real life cant be wrapped up in a pretty package with a nice bow and everythings peachy....Especially with a subject matter of loss of a loved one...It was a real movie with a real ending...I loved it...

Want Reign Over Me (2007) Discount?

Many people I know who saw this movie think its very depressing. Yes it is. But its a great uplifting movie about communication and friendship. I cried a bunch and laughed a bunch too. For me I had to watch it at least twice. I watched the bonus features with the behind the story bit with the Director Mike Binder. Mr. Binder explains some things which helped me understand more about the story and that prompted me to watch a second time. I appreciated it more. Yep, I still cried again. And I found more parts to love too.

I guess some people expect ah, Adam Sandler then there must be laughs. There were some great Sandler moments in here. He really surprised me with his range of sanity and emotions. This is one thats going into my collection.

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Legends of Jazz (2007)

I found out about this 2-disk set while watching the "Male Vocalists" episode of the new PBS television series "Legends of Jazz," and after buying it, I find I am really looking forward to seeing all the rest of the actual half-hour TV shows from which these 13 tracks and clips are taken. As for this set, let me say first that the audio and video quality are simply outstanding, among the best I have ever heard, in fact, (which is not surprising considering that the TV series is shot in HDTV and features really outstanding Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound.) Next, as for the performances themselves, they really shine and there is something here for everyone the set covers everything from latin jazz to be-bop, Brazilian jazz, fusion-type jazz, vocal jazz, and even throws in a bit of the blues, with a great duet by Robert Cray and Keb' Mo'. A really nice mix of artists, older and younger, and a pretty good value for money, considering that you get both a CD and a DVD packaged together in the box. I highly recommend this!

This is a fantastic collection of live performances on both DC and DVD! From the Al Jarreau/Kurt Elling vocal duet version of Brubeck's "Take Five" to David Sanborn and Phil Woods blowing down the house on the classic "Senor Blues", there is not a single bad track in this package. I also loved the solo performances Chick Corea's mind-blowing display of technique on "Armando's Rhumba" is a particular standout, as is Benny Golson's "Killer Joe" (the track Spielberg used in the Tom Hanks film, "The Terminal".) This would be a good deal just for the audio CD, but the included video versions of the performances on the accompanying DVD are a welcome extra they're shot beautifully and the Dolby 5.1 Surround really makes you feel as if you are there at the TV taping... For me, though, the best part is that the artist combinations are really well thought-out, and give you the chance to hear some incredible jazz musicians performing together whom you would ordinarily never see on the same stage.

Buy Legends of Jazz (2007) Now

If you want to know the great high definition, buy it !

The performers are first class. Audio = *****.

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I caught a few episodes of "Legends of Jazz" before buying this, so I knew I would like it. Some of this has not been shown yet by PBS in my area, so I didn't know if the ones I hadn't caught yet were going to be as good as the earlier ones. Well, it turns out that the remainder of them lived up to my expectations. I really like the Kurt Elling and Al Jarreau version of the classic "Take Five" and the Robert Cray and Keb Mo collaboration on "The 12 Year Old Boy". The only thing I'm disappointed about is that there is no Roy Hargrove on here. Hargrove is my favorite living trumpet player and I really enjoyed his playing on the first episode. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

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This disc is a must-own if you like Jazz and have a Blu-ray player. The video is outstanding, but the audio will blow you away.

The entire disc is in Dolby TrueHD, so you get 100% lossless audio. It is pristine.

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Flipper (1996)

I gave a shot at streaming this to keep the kids (8 and 3) occupied one recent afternoon. They're hooked. We've streamed it at least a dozen times since then.

It's a bit formulaic and ham-handed at times, has some scary bits, but otherwise it's entertaining for the kids and sends a decent message.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW STUFF FOR PARENTS

Parental heads up: Mild profanity; Elijah Wood looks at a Playboy.

Scary bits: A dolphin gets killed; a hammerhead shark goes after Elijah Wood ala Jaws; an ambiguous moment where it appears the bad guy might try to kill Elijah Wood.

I was alive when I saw the original movie released that lead to the TV series starring Luke Halpin and Tommy Norden. I bought this film simply because I have loved Paul Hogan's work and adore Elijah Wood. So I took a chance.

In merit to this film and its premise, this film's take off of "Flipper" shows a more disfunctional family approach to the Ricks family we see in the old 1960's TV series. Elijah Wood, who plays Sandy in this film, is sent to stay with Ranger Ricks for one summer. You presume Sandy's mother can not take care of him for the summer, while she pays Porter Ricks, played by Paul Hogan; $100 a week to take care of the boy. I don't know who can get by on $100 a week these days let alone in 2003 when this film was made. Porter Ricks living conditions are quite a far cry from the clean environment and ethics taught in the old 1965 tv series. Since this film is drawing from the original characters created from the 1965 series, it makes sense to make a rough comparison. This film in other words can not just be judged for its own merits alone, since it draws from the old 60's Tv series in premise.

There is no sign of Bud in this film or hint to a sequel that might introduce him and frankly, it was the relationship between Flipper and Bud that made the old 1960's tv series work so well. Tommy Norden was not only a cute kid to watch, but had a fabulous personality as a young actor.

The character development in this film needed allot of work, not to mention somekind of decent story line. In the opening, Sandy and Porter Ricks seem distant from each other and don't really seem that much closer by the time it all reaches the end of the film.

Flipper appears into this half hazardly via Sandy witnessing some fishermen killing Flipper's mother and, for some reason, Flipper is drawn to Sandy after roaming the oceans with no pod or family. How he finds Sandy isn't clear either when there is no earthly way a dolphin, as intelligent as Flipper, could have known where Sandy lived.

I liked that Flipper tracked Sandy down in his lonliness, but it would have made more sense if Sandy had tried to rescue Flipper from the gunman, who shot Flipper's mother, which caused this bonding to take place, while leaving a clue for the dolphin to find Sandy. You really have no idea why flipper is drawn to Sandy, other than the fact that Flipper gets lonily, in need of a family, and magically tracks him down.

The dolphin in this movie is cute; that goes without saying. Makes me think of the mechanical dolphin, named Darwin, they used in SeaQuest.

I think this film would have had allot more going for it, if they had simply worked to create somekind of story that brings Ricks, Sandy and Flipper together via stuggle and need for each other. It seems the story was trying to do that along the way, but kept missing.

Frankly, this story really does not go anywhere and that's ashame. You can read other reviews to get some idea of what the story is about. Otherwise I think the chemistry between Paul Hogan, as an actor, and Elijah Wood, as an actor, could have really worked in this film. They both are excellent actors when it comes down to it. It just seems the whole thing was slapped together with the idea in mind; "This will sell, everyone loves Flipper", but we also like a good story or it doesn't work.

Also, as long as the character "Sandy" was going to be used in this remake, it makes no sense to take away Bud from the family profile; given this film is drawing from the original work of the original film and tv series of the 1960's.

Cinematography wise; this film is done well, but I can see why it would have been hard to even make a sequel with this, simply because the story really goes no where or at least in a direction that might even suggest a sequel.

I felt very lost at the end when Sandy goes home at summer's end to be with his mom: At least you think it is his mom, even though that isn't made clear in the script. He's allowed to come back next summer to visit Porter Ricks, but the whole thing just comes apart with this type of ending when you consider the original premise of the Ricks family of the 1960's and that they were a family. You don't see that happening here, even though the writer is drawing from the old 1960's series. Too bad.

I hate to give anything a number 2 rating. Can't imagine how anyone could have blown it with something as delightful as Flipper, but this one really isn't worth your money. It's more a rental film or something to pass your time when nothing else is on tv to watch.

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I really enjoyed this movie! It's very cute and quite funny in places, has decent acting and of course the dolphin is simply delightful!

Sandy (played by a tender Elijah Wood) is a rebellious teenager from Chicago who is sent to stay with his Uncle (aussie Paul Hogan) over the summer. Thinking there will be NOTHING to do accept fish on a crummy boat for 8 weeks, Sandy finds pleasure out of being difficult and objective. However things take a turn when he saves the life of a friendly and intelligent dolphin, who later on becomes known as Flipper and the two soon develop a strong friendship.

Being an Australian, it was great to see an old classic in this movie to bring a little something extra. Elijah Wood did a wonderful job i thought! Best known for his portrayal as Frodo in the "lord of the rings" Wood shows real profession at such a young age.

And i wont finish without mentioning the beautiful dolphin! Those animals are such a joy to watch because you can really sense that they are smiling! He was simply beautiful! Children are going to love the several sequences in which Flipper dives and plays in the water. Beautiful cinematography!

So in conclusion, "Flipper" is just wonderfully light and fun escape from heavier films and the other destractions of life. It'll make you wanna jump in the pool and you will laugh in several places. Good acting and gorgeous animal interaction work together to make this sweet tale of friendship a pleasure to watch over again!

Read Best Reviews of Flipper (1996) Here

My four year old daughter is in love with this film. We rented it from the library and she asked to "own" it so I ordered her one for a Christmas present. Yes a dolphin does get shot in the beginning but you don't actually see the animal get hit, (an older child would be able to put it together)but a hammerhead shark does eat a seagull and there is blood involved. But otherwise this is a fun, lighthearted movie.

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I believe this one was overlooked when it came out. The only thing is Uncle Porter (Paul Hogan)has gotta get some other food besides all those cans of Spagetti-O's. If you are a Paul Hogan fan then you will enjoy this film. I am ready to visit Uncle Porter just so i can enjoy the beach and ocean. LOL Good Movie!

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The Island

I hate Michael Bay. I have hated everything he has ever done. I can't stand his explosions and car chases over plot mentality. Even though "The Island" had many of these same qualitites, and it was just a redo of "Logan's Run," I still loved it!

(Minor spoilers ahead)

The story centers around two clones: Lincoln 6 Echo (McGregor) and Jordan 2 Delta (Johansson) aren't those the coolest names ever?!! who dwell in a futuristic utopian society. It's much like Orwell's "1984," in which everything is controlled, programmed and run by an unseen force. In this case it's a sinister doctor masterfully played by Sean Bean who is the "God" over the clones. Now, the clones go about their daily life, oblivious to the fact that they live underground and that their entire existent is a lie. You see, in the future, clones are grown and harvested and kept in this underground habitat. The clones only purpose is to provide vital organs to the real people that they were cloned from. For example, if you needed a liver transplant, they would grow a clone (which takes 12 months) and then take the healthy liver from the clone. Of course, the clone would have to be disposed of, which brings up an interesting moral dilemma of a side plot would you take an organ from a clone of yourself to help you live? Don't be so quick to say no! Unfortunately, these clones have no idea that they are not real, as they have been brought up to believe that they are the survivors of a post-apocalyptic Earth. Their only chance to leave is if they win the lottery, and they are selected to travel to 'the island' a mythical realm which happens to be the only non-contaminated place left on Earth.

The obvious question is asked, well why didn't anyone ever figure out that their life is a lie? The film answers this by stating that the clones are only schooled to a 9th grade education no higher level thinking skills are ever developed. It's a rather interesting solution to the problem.

Much to the chagrin of the cloning industry, L6E discovers that the lottery isn't real, and neither is the island paradise. This is simply just a way of taking the clone that is needed to provide their vital organs to their host. L6E and J2D decide to escape from their environment to venture into the unknown, and thus our movie is off and running. Sounds pretty complex for a Michael Bay film doesn't it?

Well, after the two clones are on the run the movie basically turns into one extended action scene after the next keep an eye out for the fantastic sequence in which train wheels are dumped off a back of a truck by the clones to thwart a persuit by the agents persuing them. Eventually the clones decide to seek out their hosts, in the hopes of alerting the public to the injustice of the cloning industry.

(End minor spoilers)

I love the fact that this film makes an almost seemless transition from sci-fi film to action film back and forth. The film slowed down when it needed to and got loud and noisy in the appropriate places. All in all, I felt that the film was the most exciting and entertaining sci-fi film since the original "Matrix." I would highly recommend this to fans of sci-fi films and action pics. In a summer of completely disappointing films aside from the glorious return of Batman this film is truly a refreshing surprise. Big explosions, car chases, attractive leading stars and some distant semblance of a plot help to make this film more than the average Michael Bay film.

This movie, because it's a "Summer, Sci-Fi/Action" flick, will probably do extremely well at the box office, if for no other reason than the fact that Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson are in the cast. Regrettably, however, even after it's been out for awhile it will probably never reach as wide and diverse an audience as it deserves until it's release on DVD, when-hopefully-positive word of mouth recommendations will lead those who usually avoid this particular genre to it. Because "The Island," directed by Michael Bay, is a cautionary, thought-provoking tale set in the not-so-distant future that holds a mirror up to our current society and poses some serious questions about moral judgement and how unmitigated secrecy on the part of institutions and those we "should" be able to trust affects us all on a daily basis that is especially relevant in today's world.

The story concerns the survivors of a "contamination" who must dwell within a seemingly sterile, self-contained city where their happiness is paramount to those in charge, while at the same time their only hope for the future is to be the next lottery winner, which would afford them a one-way ticket to the last uncontaminated place on earth, The Island. And to tell it, director Bay, no stranger to action films with such offerings as "The Rock," "Armageddon" and "Bad Boys I&II" under his belt, has drawn upon myriad other classics of the genre and used the collective threads to successfully weave his own story and imprint it with the kind of metaphor that elevates it beyond the next action sequence or explosion. A comparison to "Logan's Run" goes without question, along with an obvious nod to "Blade Runner," a smattering of "The Matrix" and even a pinch of "Star Wars." Which is not to say this is a "copy" of any of those; it definitely is not. Bay has merely-and wisely-drawn upon some of the more successful elements of those films, and in most instances expanded upon them, to deliver a memorable film that far surpasses the genre's usual board of fare.

Arguably, this is Michael Bay's best overall film to date. Though he has demonstrated in the past that he knows how to do action, he has outdone even himself with this one. There is one heart-stopping scene, for example, involving a number of vehicles and helicopters that eclipses even the highly touted freeway sequence of the second "Matrix" film. The F/X are top notch, and once the action begins in earnest, he sets a pace that builds the excitement without allowing it to lay or lapse even for a second, right up to the very end. Add to that the fact that this film really has something to say, and it will make you appreciate what Bay and his company of actors and technicians have accomplished here even more.

Ewan McGregor is perfectly cast as Lincoln Six Echo, using his boyish charm, good looks and manner to lend the necessary credibility of innocence to his character. The charismatic Scarlett Johansson finds just the right note, as well, to bring her character, Jordan Two Delta, to life. Bay gives each of his actors, in turn, a moment in which to define their respective characters and underscore the plausibility of the film, and when that time comes they each succeed in a way that sustains the interest in the story beyond the action and the F/X. Excellent performances by both McGregor and Johansson.

In a supporting role, Steve Buscemi adds color to the proceedings as McCord, the man with the answers to a number of questions Lincoln Six has been asking about their environment and way of life; questions to which others in positions of authority respond with guarded circumspection, among them Merrick, one of the apparent caretakers of the city. Played by Sean Bean, Merrick is one of the pivotal characters of the film, and while Bean's performance is decent, it lacks the nuance that could have taken it to a much higher level. As it is, while effective to an extent, it is a fairly lackluster and generic portrayal.

The excellent supporting cast includes Michael Clarke Duncan (Starkweather); Ethan Phillips (Jones Three Echo); Brian Stepanek (Gandu Three Echo); Noa Tishby (Community Announcer); and Siobhan Flynn (Lima One Alpha). For most, "The Island" will be an exciting summertime diversion; but for those who pay attention to the underlying social and political significance of the story, the rewards will most likely exceed any and all expectations. And that's the magic of the movies.

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I really liked this movie and have hoped it would come to blu ray in the US. After some research I found that I could get it from amazon.uk for less than $25US, and that includes shipping. Got mine in less than a week! It plays fine on my PS3 and believe it is region free. Hope this review helps anyone else interested in this awesome sci-fi flick.

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The big thing about "The Island" is...there is no island. It's just a ploy to lure unsuspecting clones to their deaths. The year is 2014 and a corporation has developed a method to produce human clones. The clones have been led to believe that the Earth has been contaminated, which is why they're all being quarantined indoors. Every so often the facility has a lottery drawing, and one lucky winner is offered the chance to go to "the island," which is supposedly the one place on the planet that hasn't been destroyed.

One of the clones, Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) finally discovers the truth when his friend Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) is chosen as a lucky lottery winner...in order to protect her from being killed, he convinces her to break out of the facility and find out the truth behind their existence. A man who Lincoln befriended at the facility (Steve Buschemi) informs the clones that they are only several years old and have been implanted with the memories of their "owners"...filthy rich people who paid a fee of $5 million apiece to have clones provided as "insurance policies."

Unfamiliar with their new surroundings, Lincoln and Jordan set off to find their owners and enlist their help in bringing down the cloning facility. They manage to avoid being captured killed by the facility cronies, the FBI, and the LAPD, and Lincoln finally comes face to face with his owner, Tom Lincoln (also played by Ewan McGregor). Unfortunately for Lincoln, his owner isn't thrilled about the fact that his insurance policy just wandered into his living room, and Lincoln and Jordan have to take it upon themselves to try and stop the mastermind of the cloning facility (Sean Bean) from killing more innocent "copies."

"The Island" is both a great action/sci-fi movie and a very emotional story about two people who are forced to examine the purpose and validity of their own existence. McGregor and Johannson deliver superb performances and have great onscreen chemistry. I also enjoyed the chemistry that McGregor has with...himself! The scenes between Lincoln and Tom were very enjoyable. (It would have been nice to see Jordan's character encounter her owner in person, but the movie is over 2.5 hours long, so there really wasn't any room for extra footage.) The cinematography is also very impressive: in typical Michael Bay style, many of the scenes flash by in extremely fast sequences, which is unique and really sets the film apart from other action movies.

In an age where cloning is a very hot topic, "The Island" definitely raises some interesting questions. There are a few cheesy moments in the film (such as when Sean Bean borrows a line from Cliff Huxtable in "The Cosby Show"...that was so lame!), and the first 40 minutes of the movie drag a bit. Things pick up quickly when Lincoln and Jordan finally manage to escape the cloning facility: from then on it's nothing but non-stop action and adventure.

Overall, "The Island" is a very interesting sci-fi thriller, and those are pretty hard to come by these days. Fans of McGregor and Johansson will be treated to great performances by two very fine actors, and the plot will give you plenty to talk about when you go out for drinks after the film. :)

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Set in the year 2019, "The Island" provides yet another dystopian view of the future, one in which mankind must grapple with ethical questions specifically related to how he will use the technology he's created. In this case, it has to do with human cloning and how far we are willing to go to prolong our own hitherto limited life spans and at whose expense.

Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson are two young people living in a hermetically sealed world after some sort of global "contamination" has ostensibly rendered the majority of the outside world uninhabitable (all except an island paradise that the people living here can travel to if they are lucky enough to win it as a prize in a lottery). Recently, however, McGregor has come to question many of the "truths" he sees in the world around him, wondering if there isn't some other, more sinister and diabolical explanation than the one he has been given by the powers-that-be, who monitor and run virtually every aspect of not only his life but the lives of those living and working alongside him.

Watching "The Island" is a bit like riding on a train that runs along smoothly for the most part, yet keeps jumping off the tracks at frequent and inconvenient intervals. You eventually arrive at where you're going, but there's an awful lot of frustration and delay in getting there. When the screenplay concentrates on the moral and ethical implications raised by its brave-new-world premise, the film is often incisive, thoughtful and compelling. Yet, as this is a Michael Bay film, the audience can't be allowed to become TOO thoughtful, so the filmmaker loads on one lame action scene after another to the point where the issues become buried under all the pyrotechnics. Every so often those issues manage to rise again to the surface only to be pushed back down by seemingly endless high speed car chases, earsplitting explosions and shattering glass that cascades in slow motion streams onto hero, villain and innocent bystander alike.

McGregor and Johansson aren't given much to do in the way of acting in the film, but Steve Buscemi manages to create something of a genuine character in the few scenes he is given. The art direction and set design are highly impressive and the over-the-top action scenes are admittedly well mounted and executed, even though they wind up weakening the movie. Yet, just when you're about to give up on it, "The Island" manages to climb back onto the rails and get you interested in it again. That's actually something of a step forward for Mr. Bay.

Meatloaf: Guilty Pleasure Tour, Live From Sydney

64-year-old Meat Loaf hits the stage in Sydney (shortly after a disastrous live performance at the AFL final) accompanied by an army of HD cameras filming what he announced to fans would be one of his final trips to perform in Australia/New Zealand. He makes restitution in full for the AFL nightmare.

The Set-list:

Hot Patootie Bless My Soul/Time Warp

If It Ain't Broke, Break It

Bat Out of Hell

Peace on Earth

Living on the Outside

Los Angeloser

You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)

Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through

Stand in the Storm

I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Boneyard/Freebird/All Revved Up medley

Mercury Blues

+a 30-minute documentary offering a backstage look at Meat in preparation for taking the stage

The Good:

The video is outstanding; I'd even go so far as to say flawless. It's simultaneously grand and intimate, basked in vivid colours, and tack-sharp HD. The audio mix on the Blu-ray is equally without fault offering dynamics, impact, clarity, and openness. The addition of a violinist and a sax-player to the band adds a great twist to some of the sound. In particular, the sax-player (Dave Luther) is musically astounding; I've always felt that live rock is aided by the presence of a sax and this is absolute proof. Meat's band has for for 30 years been the single best in the entire business and they are note-perfect here for every second of the performance. Some pieces have been changed out from the long-term lineup, most notably Justin Avery is in and Mark Alexander is out. While I loved Alexander, Avery's take on the songs is fresh and captivating he takes the old and familiar and makes them new and intriguing; he's a jaw-dropping talent. Meat's voice isn't what it once was owing to decades of destructive abuse; however, it gets stronger as the show goes along. Meat himself is a showman without equal in the music industry and he turns in an honest, genuine, heart-felt evening of fun. It was also wonderfully refreshing to have some new songs inserted into a setlist that had remained largely unchanged for several tours. The documentary is a great add-on.

The Bad:

Nothing big really. As mentioned, if you're watching a concert only to hear flawless, prerecorded, Mariah-runs then you're unlikely to be wowed. If, however, you came for a big show by one of the best showman ever, then this shouldn't be a concern. I thought a couple of the tracks were unusual choices and I always wish that Meat would draw in some of his great Bad Attitude tracks as that album has been largely forgotten despite representing one of the best recording outings of his career.

The Verdict:

Essential for any Meat Loaf fan. The best video/audio offering of any Meat concert. The vocals have been better on past concerts, but they in no way leave you feeling let down. The best band that Meat's ever toured with. 5 stars out of 5 without reservations of any sort.

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Retreat Hell (1952)

Unfortunately too few movies were made of the Korean War. The battle at the Chosin Reservoir was one of the finest hours in the history of the Marine Corps as they fought and escaped entrapment by a vastly superior Chinese force. While this movie doesnt deplict the incredible hardships significantly it does give a general accurate picture of what took place there. Frank Lovejoy is believable as is the rest of the cast although some of the characters are portrayed rather lightly given the historic reality. You will probably find yourself singing the Marine hymn at the end if you get taken up with the obvious hype that the director obviously strives to put in the film. I liked it.

Joseph H. Lewis effectively directed this war film about the United States Marine Corps' withdrawal from the Changjin Reservoir. The Chinese entered the conflict on the side of the North Koreans in massive hoards but the Marines' walk-don't-run attitude cost the Chinese more than they bargained for. One time second-unit director Joseph H. Lewis' status as auteur is in evidence here. Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Russ Tamblyn and Lamont Johnson give grim performances.

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This is one of the best movies made about the Korean War. Unfortunately, the few movies made about this war are against the military, such as Sam Fuller's "The Steel Helmet". Despite a cast without the most famous names around at the time, they work well and the several battles in it are well staged and exciting.

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Was unable to watch on home tv/dvd combo as not set to play the area of it's release

but was able to watch on my tv/dvd combo in my truck as is a high definition LCD. I enjoyed the movie very much and would recommend it for everyone that likes war films.

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I'm glad Olive Films picked up this excellent War film based on the Korean War. This review is for the DVD and no the Blu-ray, so I can't comment on the quality of the BD. Overall the quality of the DVD is good with no extras at all. There is only English audio and I seems like there isn't any subtitles. This movie is presented in Full frame format, b&w and runs for about 95mins. This movie stars: Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Rusty Tamblyn, Anita Louise, plus others and Directed by Joseph H. Lewis. Overall this is a good buy and I would recommend this!

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Black Narcissus (The Criterion Collection) (1947)

This stunning and atmospheric film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who were the team behind Archer Productions, is an engrossing and moody masterpiece one might term, religious noir. It was shot in lush colors by Jack Cardiff with a score by Brian Easdale performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. It is the story and the atmosphere created by Powell and Pressburger that gives this adaptation of a novel by Rumer Gooden its noirish feel, however, and it would easily be just as good in black and white.

Deborah Kerr is Sister Clodagh, fullfilling her duties at the Servants of Mary in Calcutta. She is assigned to helm St. Faith, high in the Himalayas, and is given the charge of Mother Superior in order to do so. She will be the youngest ever to hold such a position, and it is one her Mother Superior believes she is not ready for. Once she reaches the lonely place over nine thousand feet from the earth, with her small group of Sisters, she will discover that while they may be in closer proximity to the heavens, they will be much further from God.

The isolation, the drums, and the wind, will have an effect on each of the Sisters, including Sister Clodagh. She is strict and demanding, but becomes concious of the danger here when she herself begins to drift and dream of her past in Ireland before joining the Servants of Mary. Kerr has a graceful Irish beauty that is almost stunning in these flashback scenes. She was young and happy, and in love. She was from a small area and did not want to be shamed when the one she had given her love to decided to move on without her. Her decision was born out of her desire to avoid humiliation.

An older Sister will also find herself recalling a past she had thought forgotten, and no amount of hard work can keep her mind from it. It is the outside element of Mr. Dean (David Farrar) that will set in motion the biggest change, however, as the already unstable Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron), young and quite beautiful, is driven by repressed passion and jealousy to utter madness. She becomes jealous of Sister Clodagh, whom she believes wants the attention of Mr. Dean. Sister Clodagh, who originally found Mr. Dean to be objectionable when sober, and an abomination when drunk, begins to finally soften, and even goes so far as to confide in him her fears about what is happening to all of them.

Farrar is excellent as the somewhat irreverent womanizer who knows how to push Sister Clodagh's buttons. There is one scene where he is drunk and sings of how he cannot be a nun that infuriates Sister Clodagh and worries her at the same time. Sabu is also excellent as the young General who sends the children there to learn and is just as eager to do so himself. Jean Simmons shines as the exotic and sensual Kanchi. She is brought there by Mr. Dean for the Sisters to "tame" but her wild and earthy spirit will seduce the General and he will run off with her for a time. Simmons' dance sequence may be famous, but it is the scene between Kanchi and the General, where he refuses to beat her for stealing a necklace, which holds the most tension, and is charged with passion.

Kathleen Byron's performane as the unbalanced Sister Ruth is unforgettable. The elements she is exposed to, from the remote isolation of St. Faith, to the charming scoundrel Mr. Dean, will turn her already precarious mental state into true insanity. She will expand the tiny bit of attention shown her by Mr. Dean into a desire so intense, her fragile grip on reality will slip away. She orders a deep burgandy colored dress and makes the decision to leave the other Sisters. Once spurned she will return, with a fever of madness behind her eyes the viewer can actually see. Byron's scene in the doorway on the cloister, high on the mountains, as Sister Clodagh rings the bell Ruth had been so fond of, is unsettling.

Sister Clodagh will come to terms with the fact that we are all human, even herself, and will begin to learn humility. She will take a lesser post elsewhere and bid farewell to Mr. Dean, asking only one favor of him as she leaves. It is a request filled with sadness, as it is obvious to her now that they should not have come here, despite the fact it has made her grow personally, and given her a better understanding of human nature, and human weakness.

This is a very unusual film with an exciting and memorable conclusion. It will intoxicate the viewer with its mood, like the scent of the flower after which this film was named. A must see film.

I am not sure why the poster believes the film is missing a scene. I have the Criterion edition, and I have just watched the scene. It starts about 43 minutes into the film, and it involves the beggar girl looking at wall art, dancing, and trying to seduce the young General. In the commentary, Michael Powell says, in reference to the girl's dance: "When Larry Olivier saw this... he couldn't believe it. His Ophelia [from 'Hamlet' in 1948] changed into this..." I've posted snapshots from the film of this scene in the Criterion version.

There is one minor error in the Criterion and previous versions of the film that have been released. When Sister Ruth sees red and passes out, the screen goes to blue instead of black. This is most likely the result of some electronic sampler that thought "black" meant "no signal", and as VCRs will do, switched the screen to blue.

This film is excellent and Jack Cardiff was a genius. It rightly won the Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in 1947.

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One of the best British films ever made is this pioneering effort by independent filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Shot entirely in Scotland with painted matte backgrounds to recreate the Himalayas (and astonishingly well at that), the film is superbly textured and mature, thematically ahead of any movie made in its period. Deborah Kerr heads a superb group of performers as the Mother Superior of a group of nuns who move to a convent in a remote mountain village in India, only to find that their confidence and strength in their religion is no match for the mystic powers of the East. Sexual frustration over local white man David Farrar, weakening faith, harsh climate and the growing fondness for their homeland soon get to the women and they are forced to leave or die. Interestingly enough, Kerr's flashback scenes of her Scottish youth and teenage sweetheart were cut by American censors upon first release, even though they were completely without sexual content, explicit or implicit; it seems it was too taboo to show a nun who has taken her vows to escape a failed love affair (the scenes have since been restored and are now available on home video). Funny, the nun who throws herself off a mountain because she goes bug-eyed every time she sees Farrar in his shorts didn't even make the Prude Alert blink.

Read Best Reviews of Black Narcissus (The Criterion Collection) (1947) Here

From the same team that gave us THE RED SHOES this film is a must see for those who appreciate a great story fleshed out by terrific performances in lush settings with phenomenal art direction. Made over fifty years ago BLACK NARCISSUS could be considered significantly ahead of its time in its unique use of narration, and subject. (Hint: What happens when a group of British nuns is sent from their cloistered priory to establish an infirmary/school in a palace formerly inhabited by a sultan's harem located high in the Himalayas? Watch and find out.) Atmospheric and hypnotic (shot in truly glorious technicolor), this is a movie you'll want to watch many times. Definitely one of a kind. Deborah Kerr is outstanding as Head Sister Clodagh. (With Sabu and a very young Jean Simmons in supporting roles.)

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Black Narcissus stands as a peak film in the career of Michael Powell and Emerich Pressburger. A flawless script centered on the personal experiences of a group of nuns that live in the Himalayas. The beauty of the place, the beauty of Nature all soon start to have a strange effect on those women. This is a movie about the conflicts between spirit and flesh. And what a film!

On top of it we have a impecable cast and what I believe to be the best cinematography work I have ever experienced courtesy of the great Mr. Jack Cardiff. The cinematography IS BREATHTAKING. As breathtaking as nothing I have ever seen on the technicolor days.

I disagree with one reviewer who complained that Criterion Collection failed to bring us this film just because the aspect ratio was 1.33:1 (instead of a widescreen version). I strongly disagree with that idea and I must recall that Black Narcissus was made in 1947. At that time films had the 1.33:1 ratio. Widescreen only came up in the early 50's. It happeened that later on, some films had a fake-widescreen effect just for re-release purposes. Black Narcissus was filmed using a technicolor process involving 3 negatives and its correct aspect ratio was 1.33:1.

Criterion's edition of Black Narcissus is a gem. A great buy. You will never see anything like this again!

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Soundstage: Seal (2009)

This concert is a great mix of familiar and newer songs. Visually stunning with choreographed lighting and background scenes. I was dissappointed to find the concert is less than a dozen songs, but suppose it is setup to produce a one hour Soundstage broadcast. In any case, I would rather hear 10 great songs than to hear a 20 song concert with lots of meaningless songs thrown in. The 2 additional tracks in the bonus section are equally well done. This blu-ray DVD is definitely a keeper for my collection!

I just happened to see this dvd on a display at Sears, and wanted to purchase it, but I don't have the Blu-ray format. However, I knew I wanted the dvd, because I'd seen him perform some of the songs on tv, and I already own the cd. I told a friend of mine about it -they have Blu-ray. Anyway, They bought the dvd, because I kept raving about it. Well, WOW! It was sooo good! I absolutely love it. Until I heard Seal's Soul album, I knew nothing about his music. But once I heard this, I knew I'd be checking out more of his work. But it was seeing him perform live that really did it for me. He gives a rich performance. His energy and passion, along with his distictive sound, and the camera work, really come together to create a 5 star performance! I just want it to be released in regular dvd format. I'd buy it today! Oh, the dvd does not contain every song on the cd, although I wish it did. But it is still a top notch show. The stage design is beautiful, the picture quality is incredible. I've already watched it 3 times, back to back, and I'm searching now for a standard dvd vrsion, if it's available. This is a well produced show. If I could change anything, it would be to add all the songs from the album, and make it available on standard dvd format. The songs on the cd and dvd are 1960's feel good favorites.

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I am not one to harp on things, but this bluray disc with SEAL singing the standards from the Soul album is simply incredible. To place the visual with the audible in a music dvd is always an incredible experience, but this one is much more powerful. This is a must buy, if you love music and if you enjoy SEAL. You will find yourself lifted when he sings "A Change Is Gonna Come", all the way to the end when he does his first hit, "Crazy". You will enjoy it.

Read Best Reviews of Soundstage: Seal (2009) Here

I was lucky enough to find a this Blu-Ray at a second-hand store... as with Seal's live DVD, the performance, picture and sound are all first rate!

Highly Recommended...

Give us more Seal on Blu-Ray please...

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I bought this and couldn't wait to get it on when it arrived at my house in Australia

WRONG REGION

Other stuff with the same warning has played in Oz but not this one

I sourced it elsewhere and its a great live set by Seal

Hang Em High (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1968)

Surprisingly enough, I'd never seen this Clint Eastwood masterpiece before. This was a regrettable mistake as it is a great western. Hang `em High is Clint Eastwood's first American "spaghetti" western and undoubtedly the one that furthered his launch into mega stardom. Upon excitedly opening the DVD case and placing the DVD into the player, one discovers that the only special feature is a theatrical trailer. This is fine, as one doesn't truly purchase these DVD's for special features as much as they do for the movie. While watching the theatrical trailer, I got the impression that this movie seemed as though it might lack the "true grit" style of his previous spaghetti westerns; this impression couldn't have been farther off though. Hang `em High has a truly well written script and is played perfectly by all involved.

The premise:

Clint Eastwood plays Jed Cooper, a former law man from St. Louis, MO. As the movie begins, we see him herding cattle past a river and he's approached by nine riders. We soon learn that Jed thought he'd purchased these cattle honestly, but the person he bought them from was a criminal and now Jed's going to pay for it because these nine riders are a lynch mob and they intend to hang Jed.

Fortunately for Jed, a law man comes by and cuts him down from the tree before he dies and throws him in the wagon with a bunch of other criminals headed towards the only court in the Oklahoma territory and run by the "Hanging Judge." As luck would have it though, his story checks out and the judge offers him a job as a Federal Marshal. What follows is a great western filled with Clint Eastwood's "true grit" western hero style as he sets out for vengeance upon those who attempted but failed to hang him.

I would highly recommend this outstanding western for those who favor this genre heavily or casually and especially for those who are Eastwood fans! {ssintrepid}

Along with the Sergio Leone trilogy, this movie helped make the Clint Eastwood legend. It is the simplest story line (after love) revenge. Eastwood is an everyman, just a rancher. He buys some cattle from a passing drive, only to learn they are stolen. The true owners come along, and hang him before the truth can be ascertained. A passing lawman finds him swinging from a tree, saves his life and puts him in a jail wagon until his story can be figured out. The rest of the movie is Eastwood's tracking down those bad guys (not relevant is the fact that for the most part they are "good and true citizens") and bringing them to justice; either at the jailhouse or by his bullets. And Eastwood revenge is something else he even shoots the dog!

Eastwood's character, Marshall Cooper is another strong and silent type, just like "The Man With No Name" whom we have come to expect in the Leone westerns. Unlike the spaghetti westerns, though, this time while he is again basically a good guy, he is now on the establishment side.

Eastwood is joined by a positively fabulous supporting cast: Western veterans Ben Johnson and Ed Begley, Pat Hingle as a true hangin' judge, Dennis Hopper (who is such a psycho even then, we are glad to see that he is the first guy killed in the film), Bruce Dern, L.Q. Jones. Surprising appearances are entered by Gilligan's Skipper, Alan Hale and Steve McGarrett's Five-0 sidekick "Dano", James McArthur. And for the true Star Trek cognoscenti, we have an appearance by Mark Leonard, who gave up his job as Oklahoma Territory Prosecuting Attorney to become Sarek, a/k/a Father of Spock.

Unlike some other reviewers, I found the more polished (as opposed to the Leone western trilogy) soundtrack superior to the movies which had preceded it. I also thought the cinematography supeerior here, with some breathtaking vistas.

Lots of reviewers dog this one out for not being up to the standards of the Leone trilogy. However, I think it is their equal, because the characters have more depth. Maybe I am just not the fan of minimalist genre of S. Leone. Nonetheless, I particularly find the bad guys are more complex than any in the spaghetti westerns, and I find this more pleasing.

It is one of my very favorite shoot-em-ups. As reviewer L.S.W. says, western fans need this movie.

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This review refers to the MGM DVD edition of "Hang Em High"....

So..What's our boy Clint up to in this great western? Well, he gets beat up, strung up, fed up, shot up(all very tough to take for the Eastwood fan), and then hung up on the beautiful Inger Stevens.

Eastwood plays Jed Cooper, an ex-lawman, now looking to get into the cattle business.After purchasing his cattle, he is mistaken for a rustler and murderer by nine very angry men. They take the law into their own hands,they lynch him and then leave him for dead.(No spoilers here folks, this all happens in the first 5 minutes!)Their actions will come back to haunt them though...

A lawman finds Cooper in the nick of time, cuts him down and brings him before a tough judge. After being found innocent,he puts the badge back on and goes after these vigilantes with a vengance.He is to bring these guys back alive(Yeah Right!) so they can recieve the justice due to them.There are lots of great western action and tension filled moments as he hunts them down and of course some romance, as Cooper falls for Rachel(Stevens),another who is hunting her own ghosts.

This was Eastwood's first American made western. Although you may see shades of the "Fistful of Dollars" trilogy in Clint's character, this is a great western story in itself. His costars in this one are legendary western actors themselves. To name a few there's Ben Johnson, Ed Begley, Bruce Dern and Pat Hingle.Some other notables to watch for are Alan Hale Jr., LQ Jones, Dennis Hopper, James MacArthur and Arlene Golonka.It was directed by Ted Post,and has a great score by Dominic Frontiere.

The film made in 1968 is a decent transfer to this DVD. The Picture is presented in widescreen, which shows off the nice western cinematography(or standard if you prefer). It's a nice clear picture and the colors are very good for a film of this age.The sound, although not bad, was a bit disapointing. It's in Dolby, but in mono(this was my only reason for 4 stars),and so many of the films of this era are at least in stereo now.Even with that it was still a good transfer and enjoyable to watch.There are no special features to speak of, but it does come with an informative booklet, the film may be viewed in French and has subtitles in French, English and Spanish. It also has the original theatrical trailer.

"We all have our ghosts...." Rachel to Jed....enjoy..Laurie

also recommended:

Absolute Power

Clint Eastwood Selection: Dirty Harry/The Outlaw Josey Wales/Unforgiven

Mannaja A Man Called Blade

Read Best Reviews of Hang Em High (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1968) Here

"Hang 'Em High" (1968) is directed by Ted Post (Magnum Force, The Harrad Experiment, Beneath the Panet of the Apes). Clint Eastwood stars as Jed Cooper, a man who is lynched by a gang even though he was innocent of the accusations of murder and cattle rustling. When Jed manages to survive the hanging and is subsequently freed of any crimes he enlists as a US Marshal and hunts down the gang that lynched him. The film itself pits Jed's moral views of justice and fairness against the backdrop of the harsh morality as served by Judge Adam Fenton (Pat HIngle) at Fort Grant.

The film entertains us even as it tells us a story about courage and varying opinions about morality.

The blu-ray has not been remastered, and has many instances of dust. Also, the clarity of the images are not much better than a dvd, and sometimes the color is off and lacks saturation, but overall the film is quite watchable.

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I love the film but... We get a two sides dvd, labeled "standard" and "widescreen". Standard has 640x480 pixels video, 4:3 aspect ratio, and widescreen 853x480 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio. This is great, but the problem is both versions are truncated versions of the original. The widescreen is even more truncated ! If you compare two images, Clint has some blue sky above is hat in standard, and you see only half of his hat in widescreen ! I say it this way to makes things clear, but I'm a tech oriented guy, I checked twice what really was on this dvd before writing this review.

The 16:9 version is cropped from the 4:3 ! This means both versions are missing the sides of the original wide image, but you see more of the original on the 4:3 ! It's a pity to see such classics so poorly transfered to DVD. We need a new edition with all the original image.

8 Mile (2002)

Well as much as I enjoyed his cds before the movie I didn't really think much of the movie. I was there the first day with a bunch of friends thinking "Hey this movie is gonna be terrible" the trailers were decent but it made it seem eminem was just going off this poor white boy story.

However the story shows growing up poor, the rap game underground, battling, love, betrayal, and hell it was even funny. Everyone came through with acting, even eminem, which really surprised me. It wasn't a Oscar awarding performance but it was good enough that he didn't hurt the film, he played his character well even though he stated he only lived in trailer park for two days in his life in the movie he played a kid who's lived there years.

Overall with the final battle being great for rap fans it's an enjoyable movie for all looking for a good kickback rap in the 90's type of film with a decent story following.

An incredible story who make you discover who is Eminem, where he come from and how incredible he is.. definitly a film to buy.

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I loved this movie back in the day, and seeing it in blue-ray today was fantastic! You won't be disappointed if you're a fan of this movie. The quality was definitely worth the rating.

Read Best Reviews of 8 Mile (2002) Here

I have been wanting this movie for quite some time. The purchase and price were great and I am happy

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Long story short, your movie collection is not complete without this movie. A CLASSIC and no less. Came quick to my address as well.

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Chained (2012)

Bob (Vincent D'Onofrio aka "Gomer Pyle" from "Full Metal Jacket) is a cab driver who has bad dreams about his past. To compensate his hobbies include kidnapping, rape, and killing young women. One of the women he has killed has a son who he maintains as a slave, hence the title. Needless to say, Tim (Eamon Farren) grows up rather abnormally.

Unlike other rape/slasher films this one isn't after cheap thrills and effects. Instead it concentrates on the unusual relationship between Bob and Tim, that of captor and captive who develops a slight case of Stockholm Syndrome.

The film trudges along and then at the end Jennifer Lynch reveals her genius with a surprise ending that well, frankly should not have been a surprise. It is a film that leaves you feeling weird. The film continues with sound through the final credits.

Parental guide: F-bombs, no intense sex/rape scenes, or nudity. Male torso nudity. Blood and gore is less graphic than most films of this genre.

Chained was much better and had more guts that I thought it would,not literally because it wasn't extremely gory but there was a nice amount of blood letting .I meant there were more layers to this film than the trailer leads one to believe,Vincent D'Onofrio was amazing as Bob the serial killer/cab driver who kills women of course because of some daddy and mama trauma. Eamon Farren was pleasantly restrained as the captive in which Bob captures and renames Rabbit.

Nine years earlier at about the age of ten while rabbit was on an outing to the movies with his mom Bob abducts both Rabbit and his mother. Then while locked in the cab Rabbit who's real name is Tim listened while Bob killed and raped his mother.After that rabbit is chained and confined to the house to do Bob's bidding and is being told to take heed because this is what life is about and he will be doing this one day because basically it's his lot in life,the house in itself is gloomy ,depressing and reeks of insanity ,it lends to the mood of the film.

It has elements of Bereavement but I found it to be a superior film.

There is of course a twist,not so much of a twist but a revelation I would say.

It's a good one and the climax of the film leads into another climax and that took it to a whole other level.Great writing and acting.this is one I am buying for my collection.

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I saw this film during a small horrorfilm festival in Vienna in a likewise small cinema with 250 other people. We all were blown away by the sheer force of nature Vincent D'Onofrio delivered with his performance. He already played a similar and also quite impressive role many years ago in The Cell, but in this movie he even topped his performance from back then. The picture was dark and brooding and Jenny Lynch showed once again that she is more than capable to fill the shoes of her father. All actors played their roles great. The only flaw the film may have is the "surprise ending", which seemed a little forced, but makes sense, if you think about it.

Read Best Reviews of Chained (2012) Here

This movie... requires patience.

I came very close to not finishing it, twice. It took me three sittings to finish.

It was slow, but well put together. It was gruesome, but for the story's plot, the gore was needed.

When I did reach the VERY end, I found it to be an awesome and rewarding movie to watch.

Watch the WHOLE movie, even the credits, and listen closely to what is and is not said the entire time.

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Jennifer Lynch's "Chained" is one of those films I walked away from completely disturbed but also captivated by. I find it hard to even call it a horror film because it doesn't fit in to the definition of the genre. A horror film to me is one that you walk away from with a sense of fun from being scared. There's nothing fun about "Chained." All I kept thinking the entire time I watched it is, "This really could and does happen." It's a gripping psychological thriller that throws in a few twists here and there to keep the viewer on their toes. Basically, it's exactly what you would expect from the daughter of director David Lynch.

Bob (Vincent D'Onofrio) is a cab driving serial killer who picks his victims up and takes them to his rural house. One afternoon, Bob picks up a little boy named Tim (Evan Bird) and his mother (Julia Ormond) from the movies. He takes the boy and his mother to his home. After killing Tim's mother, he chains the boy up and tells him he'll be his servant for the rest of his life and his name is now Rabbit. As Rabbit (Eamon Farren) grows into a teenager, he realizes the only way Bob will allow him to survive is by following in the killer's footsteps. He must find a way to escape from the psycho before it's too late.

The high-definition transfer of this film does nothing to keep it from feeling grimy and filthy. All the clarity of the picture does is give us a better view of the abhorrent and despondent world Rabbit lives in. This is the sort of movie you might wish still had film grain and muddy spots to hide some of the despicable things Bob does.

A 7.1 surround sound mix brings all the horrific sounds you'd never want to hear to life. One moment you'll be immersed in dreaded silence. The very next screaming will make you wish you could return to the quiet place you were in before.

Although it appears there isn't much here when it comes to bonus material, audio commentary from Director Jennifer Lynch and Actor Vincent D'Onofrio give insight into the making of the film and other captivating subjects. An alternate version of a girl named Mary's death is included as well. A trailer for the movie is also featured. It would be interesting to see a "Making of" featurette with footage of them shooting the movie in the house or on set.

If you're looking for a fun horror movie for Halloween, steer clear of "Chained." There's nothing enjoyable about it. That's not to say it isn't a great piece of cinema. I've never seen Vincent D'Onofrio play someone so disturbing. I don't know whether I should applaud him for his performance or be scared he was so good at playing the part. It's a serious film you'll cringe at in several parts because of the horrific things unfolding in front of you.

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