Blood Simple (1984)

Fortunately for everyone a decision was made to re-release Blood Simple in theaters. 16 years ago when it was in first run I was barely aware of it. There were so many good reviews of the film I decided to go catch it. Blood Simple was the best film I saw in 2000. Until now there has been no DVD available in the U.S. A very grainy poor quality pan and scan copy is being sold in the UK. It just isn't an option to purchase a pan and scan with this movie. The Coen brothers gorgeous cinematography makes full use of the entire frame. It is a noir style film so much of the imagery is in darkened bars and at night. But the color and light in the movie is really beautiful. This film has deserved a good treatment and now with this Director's cut it is finally getting one. One of the odd things about this Director's cut is it is the same length as the original version. Footage has been taken out and not added. The missing time is made up with an introduction by the Coen Brothers explaining that the film has been re-edited to take advantage of new technological advances not available when the film was first shot. This is sort of a joke similar to the opening of Fargo where a title card states, "Based upon a true story". Fargo is not based on a true story. They just thought it would be a better story if people thought it was true when they watched it. Ha Ha. Blood Simple's re-edit was a simple edit to tighten up the pace which was sometimes a little slow in the original version.

Made for only two million dollars Blood Simple is a stunning achievement, all the more so because it was the Coen's first film. Stylish photography plays with not just light and shadow as in most noir, but color as well. But what drives this film is suspense mistrust and double dealing. I smile when I occasionally spot a criticism of this film is "its almost too clever" and "too perfect". Blood Simple is fantastic at its clever choreography of events and placement of objects in relation to the actors that really adds to the tension and excitement. If thats too clever then spare me the dumbed down version. I love it. The acting is quite good. Its most interesting to see Frances McDormand, looking much younger and quite pretty, was obviously talented even back then. Blood Simple is often very disturbing. Especially good is a creepy scene in a moonlit field involving two men a burlap sack and a shovel. The violence in this scene as in much of Blood Simple is largely psychological. It was interesting to discover from an Amazon customer from Germany that they have a high quality widescreen DVD available in his country. But while they can buy it and watch it, German law forbids export of films which contained violence. He offered to bring a copy in his suitcase as he happened to be visiting my city. We couldn't work it out logistically but fortunately for the rest of you, you soon won't have to go to such great lengths to get a copy.

Blood Simple is one of the all-time great independent films. As a devotee of this film it goes without saying that I know nearly every line of dialogue and every cut. Well... if you too are a fan , my advice to you is: PASS ON THIS EDITION! I was absolutely shocked to see that this film had been re-edited! And NOT for the better. In fact, this was not a new edit in the traditional sense (scene shifting; scene re-edits etc.). All they did with this version was to simply lop off lines from the existing original final cut! That's right. They just shortened scenes, most often taking the form of the scene ins and outs (first and last lines in each scene). For instance, M.Emmet Walsh's last line to Marty in the VW when he contracts Walsh. Or how about the humorous placing of Getz's cigarette in the stuffed wild boars mouth at Marty's house? Or the exchange between Samm-Art Williams and the redneck at the juke box. Those lines are now gone completely. And remember that version of The Monkee's "I'm A Beliver" which was used in that scene? Its been dumped for a Four Tops tune. This is just a few in a long list of disturbing changes. As a film editor, I asked myself, what imporovements were made with these new cuts? The answer is a resounding, NONE!

My point is this. If you buy this DVD expecting the same old Blood Simple in a new, crisp DVD edition, you will be sorely disappointed. You will be constantly distracted by the jarring edits rather than being able to enjoy the film... Again, worthless.

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With a story that makes "Double Indemnity" look like the quickest way to get from point A to point B, a couple of my very favorite filmmakers turned the film noir conventions 360 degrees. Yes, that means it ended up back where it started, but much better as a result of the the trip. A good film noir needs a couple key elements, not the least of which are several layers of double crosses and misunderstandings. It also needs the one key clue that could clear or incriminate a murderer. To those ends, Joel and Ethan Coen created yet another little world in which several clues are left unused or misunderstood, and the double crosses are the bread and butter of one very crafty, though seedy, private eye. John Getz, Frances McDormand, M. Emmet Walsh, and Dan Hedaya are all 102% perfect in their roles. Barry Sonnenfeld delights with his cinematography, and the Coens have fun messing with the viewer. They set out to make a darkly funny, very twisted noir and they succeeded. The real stars are the Coens, much like with any of their movies (exceptions made for John Turturro or John Goodman in any of their roles, of course). Joel and Ethan are master craftsmen of cinema usually overlooked by mainstream audiences. Their debut, "Blood Simple," not only showcased the promise of their talent, but was a tour de force on its own terms. Along with "L.A. Confidential," "Blade Runner," and "Hard Eight," "Blood Simple" proves that film noir is not dead. Because it is, as this film proves, very hard to kill something, and have it stay dead....

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As a big fan of the film since it was released in 1985, I was looking forward to seeing Blood Simple transferred to DVD. A cleaned-up widescreen transfer, and maybe a little cleaner audio, were all good things that I wanted to see happen; and with the Director's Cut, it did happen. However, I think the edits that were made in this version of the film may displease fans of the original -I know they displease this fan.

I won't go into a laundry-list of the cuts. They are, for the most part, the removal or trimming of some funny bits and gags that don't really contribute to telling the story; but they do, in my opinion, contribute to the quirky charm of the film without consuming a great deal of time on screen. Also trimmed are some uncomfortable silences that develop between people in certain scenes; making them not so uncomfortable, I guess, but I don't see this as an improvement.

Most disconcerting to me are some of the music changes. One that particularly disappointed me is when Ray first confronts Marty on the back steps of the bar. In the original version, a slow-tempo instrumental country-western tune is playing inside the bar, and after transitioning to the outside, the same song is heard muffled in the background with the bass still booming. As anyone who has ever stood outside a nightclub can tell you, this is exactly what you hear -the lower frequencies propagate better than the higher frequencies. The editors have seen fit to change this to a vocal piece of music that is reduced in volume as the view changes to the outside, but without the realistic frequency balance. I don't understand why this change was made. Perhaps some didn't like that the music here wasn't really so much music as it was background sound, or perhaps it was thought to interfere with hearing the conversation; but I think it was a wonderful element in the atmosphere of the scene that I surely miss.

Regarding the new intro with the pompously lecturing gentleman, suffice it to say that it can be fast-forwarded through.

This Director's Cut version delivers basically the same psychological and visceral thrills as the original version, with improved video and audio; but long-time fans, such as myself, may find the changes have done some minor cosmetic harm, rather than good.

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With this first work of cinema, the unknown Coen brothers, who just finished "The Evil Dead" with young Sam Raimi, manage to get the financing for producing and directing their first script. It's not a horror film... but it's not far from it! Actually we can't tell what it really is. Horror? Passion story? Detective? Black comedy? Anyway the two brothers take the codes of classical passion crime stories dealing with the usual triangle of nut characters (husband, wife and lover) and add a fourth, definitely rotten one. It's a private eye, wonderfully played by underrated M. Emmet Walsh ("Blade Runner"), who gives the performance of his career, a brilliant, amazing one, funny and chilling in the same time. WHO LOOKS STUPID NOW?

The story is awfully simple: Marty, a Texas bar owner and betrayed husband (Dan "Usual Suspects" Hedaya) hires the private eye to kill his unfaithful wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her lover Ray (John "The Fly" Getz) who's also Marty's employee. The eye pretends to do the job and shows Marty some fake photographs showing the lovers shot dead in bed. He takes the money, then he shoots his hirer right away and disappears. Ray, who doesn't know about the detective's existence, discovers Marty's almost dead body. For him, no doubt: it's Abby who did this work... He takes him away in order to bury him far away from the bar, and finds out that Marty isn't dead yet. He's forced to bury him alive, offering us the most nightmarish scene of the film....

The movie is a real visual and sound shock. The script is incredibly original and brings some freshness in usual cinema stuff dealing with unfaithful characters ready to kill each other in order to avoid all the difficulties linked to divorce. The ambiance and atmosphere is the ones of a real bad dream, a nightmare, and the fact that the story takes place in an early, gray place in Texas (don't miss the hilarious prologue), where everything weird can happen very normally, adds to it. And the soundtrack by Carter Burwell is extraordinary, this is what he did first and best for the Coen brothers. It captures everything of the movie and makes the nighmare become really true. Compared to it, James Cain novels look ugly, conventional and definitely old-fashioned. This movie is a must see for all the people who're tired of big foreseeable blockbusters and wish to be surprised when they go to the movies. For me this is the best film from the Coen brothers, a film able to wake up the dead. Magnificent.

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Hannah Montana: The Movie (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2009)

Since 2006, "Hannah Montana" has not only been a popular television series for the Disney Channel but a series that has definitely made Miley Cyrus, daughter of country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, a bonafide star.

It was one thing to watch this young teenager who was 13-years old at the time, grow up and become a popular television star and music talent that would sell out many concert venues, has had her music on top of the Billboard charts and now has two Disney films under her belt.

The first film from Disney focused on a 3D version of her concert and television show personality but this time around, "Hannah Montana: The Movie" takes to the big screen and takes a more serious look at Miley Cyrus's character as her pop star identity has now affected her family and he friendship and has come to the point that the lifestyle of a popstar has gotten to her head.

The film is directed by Peter Chelsom ("Shall We Dance", "Serendipity" and "Town & Country"), a screenplay by Daniel Berendsen ("Sabrina, the Teenage Witch", "The Cheetah Girls: One World") , composer John Debney ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor", "Spider-Man 3" and "Sin City") and cinematographer David Hennings ("Strange Wilderness", "Blue Crush" and "Ice Princess").

For those not familiar with the television series, former music artist Robby Ray Stewart (Billy Ray Cyrus) has moved his family (which include Miley, played by Miley Cyrus, and her older brother Jackson, played by Jason Earles) from Tennessee to Malibu in order to manage his daughter Miley's music career. But in order to keep sanity at their home and keep their family together, he and Miley has kept secret identities and Miley dons a blonde wig and goes by the name Hannah Montana. Along with her best friend Lilly Truscott (Emily Osment) and friend Oliver Oken (Mitchel Musso), who also take on disguises, help protect Miley's secret.

In "Hannah Montana: The Movie", the film picks up with Hannah Montana's career doing quite well and is now managed by Vita (Vanessa Williams). While Vita is successfully booking Hannah in various, major events, the fame has kept her busy to be with family (to celebrate Jackson's entrance to college) and Lilly's birthday party. To make things worse, a member of the paparazzi is trying to figure out Hannah Montana's secret.

After Hannah ends up getting into fight with Tyra Banks over some shoes and getting plastered on the newspapers and disrupting Lilly's birthday party by coming as Hannah Montana, Robby Ray feels that his daughter Miley can't balance her time as a family member and friend and is focusing too much of her life as Hannah Montana and thus tricks her to going to Tennessee (instead of an award ceremony in New York).

Hannah is not pleased that her father has tricked her and prevented her from attending the award show and is upset that he dragged her to the farmlife in Tennessee. But Robby Ray wants her to remember where she came from and that Tennessee was their home before California.

While in Tennessee, Miley tries to adjust to the slow-paced life and meets an old friend when she was younger named Travis Brody (Lucas Till) who she becomes closer too, while her father Robby Ray gets closer to Lorelai (Melora Hardin), but with both of them having to live secret lives, can Miley or Robby Ray ever be able to have a normal life?

"Hannah Montana: The Movie" comes with three discs. The first is the Blu-ray Disc, the second being the Digital Copy and the third is the DVD.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Hannah Montana: The Movie" is featured in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ration of 1:85:1. For the most part, the film is absolutely vibrant. There are many outdoor scenes that showcase the film's color. May it be the shot at Lilly's birthday party at Santa Monica Beach to the lush area of Tennessee. The film definitely showcases a broad spectrum of colors, all of which are sharp, clear and absolutely eye-popping. For the most part, David Hennings did a great job with utilizing the environment with this film and overall, picture quality is magnificent.

As for audio, this is probably the first time I have seen Disney sport an English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack (the film is also presented in French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital). The dialogue is crystal clear and as much as this film is dialogue driven, with it also being somewhat of a musical as well, music plays a big part of this film and sounds fantastic. Definitely good utilization of surrounds to pick up crowd ambiance or the animals at the farm but for the most part, this is a film where dialogue is king and music is also a big part of the film. Thus the soundtrack is quite crystal clear, the lossless audio definitely makes the music come alive.

As for subtitles, "Hannah Montana: The Movie is presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

A DVD is included and sports a widescreen (1:85:1) enhanced for 16×9 televisions and an audio soundtrack sporting a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound soundtrack.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Hannah Montana: The Movie" features the following special features with some in 1080p High Definition or 480i Standard Definition:

* Audio Commentary by Director Peter Chelsom Peter Chelsom is the type of director who utilizes his commentary to thoroughly setup a scene and give credit to who came up with the ideas in pulling them off. From utilizing scenes from Miley Cyrus's first film and inserting scenes into the film to how animals were brought in to the film and managing over a thousand extras, this is a very thorough commentary.

* Deleted Scenes (10:35) A total of four deleted scenes which features an introduction by director Peter Chelsom discussing why they were removed. But for the most part, Chelsom says the film is the final cut and mostly all footage was utilized in the film. But the four deleted scenes included are: "Jackson: I'm Pretending to Be at University...", "How Are We Going to Get Hannah Down to Crowley Corners?", "Oswald and the Hannah Wigs" and "Oswald, The Ostrich and the Alligator"

* Music Videos (9:30) There are a total of seven music videos included. Music videos featured are: "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus (3:52), "Back to Tennessee" by Billy Ray Cyrus (4:22), "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" by Miley Cyrus (3:49), "Let's Get Crazy" by Miley Cyrus (2:59), "The Climb" (movie version) by Miley Cyrus (4:06), "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts (4:17) and "Crazier" by Taylor Swift (3:15).

* The Hoedown Throwdown Home Experience A Blu-ray exclusive only. This featurette is learning the popular dance created for the film (featured during the fundraising event and the ending credits) and features the full featurette titled "Everybody Now" (14:39) featuring how all the cast members (and crew) learned the dance by choreographer Jamal Sims. While, for those who just want to watch "how to do the dance", they can watch the "Learn the Moves (9:47) featuring choreographer Jamal Sims with "Hannah Montana" talents Mitchel Musso and Moises Arias.

* Find Your Way Back Home (15:05) A featurette with three segments. The first features Miley Cyrus and mother Trish showing us around Franklin, Tennessee and the various shops and eateries. The second is Billy Ray Cyrus showing us Tennessee and talking about how it's home for the Cyrus family. While the final segment features Emily Osment showing us Los Angeles and Hollywood and the key spots to visit.

* I Should Have Gone to Film School with Jason Earles (15:18) Jason Earles takes us behind-the-scenes of the "Hannah Montana: The Movie" film and introduces us to the crew and what their responsibilities are. Especially for "Best Man", "Grip" and "Gaffer" and differences between a Assistant Director and a Director's Assistant.

* Fun with Hannah and the Gang (3:53) The blooper reel from the film.

* B Disney Live Fans can connect with family and friends through the innovative movie-watching experience! People will need a profile 2.0 Blu-ray player to take advantage of this capability.

JUDGMENT CALL:

When it comes to "Hannah Montana: The Movie", it's almost similar to what I had to say about "The Jonas Brothers: 3-D Concert Experience" in that these films are created for their fans.

"Hannah Montana" is a popular children's television show with a large following and I have watched many television shows with my son and although I'm not as familiar with her music, every decade there are shows that will appeal to their young fans and many of those who scratch their heads and just don't get why people find it so appealing. In the 80's we had "Kids Incorporated", in the 90's we had "Saved By the Bell" and although Saturday morning teen shows and afternoon teen shows on network television are a thing of the past, these shows have continued on the Disney Channel and "Hannah Montana" is simply a popular series with a lot of merchandising behind the series and its star Miley Cyrus.

And those who are not fans, they are going to criticize and those who never cared for Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus, it's a given that they are not going to give a care for this film.

But how did I feel about the film? As a guy who tends to write a lot about teen or young entertainment worldwide, may it be their music or television careers, I enjoyed the film. Of course, it all comes from my knowledge of the series and knowing how quarky the television series is but also knowing the difficult the character of Miley Stewart has in juggling both worlds of a normal teenager and a pop star.

But what I found more interesting is seeing Robby Ray stepping down and knocking Miley off her high horse. He notices that the fame is getting to her head and that if he doesn't change things now, he's going to lose that daughter who was always caring for her family and her friends.

So, when it comes to the dramatic scenes, I enjoyed watching that part. As for the music, this is more geared for her fans. Obviously, with her single "The Climb" and the soundtrack of this film doing so well on the Billboard Charts, it's quite evident that she has a strong fandom of fans that are passionate for her music. The film is not "High School Musical" and every scene is full of music and a little on drama, it's quite the opposite where there are more acting scenes and music plays a more important part towards the second half of the film. Also, you get music from Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts and both offer an incentive to check out the film as well.

There was a superhero-esque (or more like "Spider-Man 2") type of storyline near the end which I won't get into but overall, I suppose that those who have watched her television show will find out if Miley Stewart or Hannah Montana will be the last persona standing.

For the most part, I found the film to be enjoyable, fun and it was good to see Miley Cyrus take on an emotional scene. I thought that the ending scene with the talent and film crew doing "The Hoedown Throwdown Dance" was hilarious and fun and for the most part, I'm quite confident that fans of Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana are going to have a great time with this release.

As for the Blu-ray release, you get a ton of special features and as typical of Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment releases, its one company where you know that their releases are going to be given absolute awesome picture and audio quality. And I can definitely tell you that this 3-Disc release will definitely be well worth it for the Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana fans.

Overall, presentation and audio wise and the content included on this release is magnificent but as for the film, it all comes down to whether or not you are a fan of Miley Cyrus or her television show. Otherwise, if you had no care in the world for her music or the show, then you know this release is not for you. But for those who are passionate about her music and her series, then I can tell you that this Blu-ray release is highly recommended!

On April 25th, I treated myself to a double feature at my theater. I saw this and Crank: High Voltage. I'm really glad I saw this movie. I'm a 19 year old guy, and I enjoyed it! I love when she sings Let's Get Crazy and the Hoedown Throwdown. After upsetting Lilly at her 16th Birthday party, Robby takes Miley back to Tennessee to find her true self. She meets a childhood friend from 1st grade, Travis who still has a crush on her. After having fun in Tennessee with her friends and family, Miley thinks of letting her alter ego, Hannah Montana go for good. I loved when Miley had to be two places at once. What will she choose? I highly recommend that you get crazy, get up and dance, and see HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE!!!

p.s. It's been awesome writing 600 reviews, and can't wait for 600 more!

Buy Hannah Montana: The Movie (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2009) Now

I can't stand watching it, but my 6 year old loves it, so 4 stars for it, the last star which is were it gets my approval is no. Not very well made but my daughter loves it so I guess 4 out of 5 is fine.

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Good movie for the grand-daughter. I did not particularly care for it as the other Miley Cyrus movies. Not a good role model for young girls.

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I must admit that I watch Hannah Montana. I recently entered into adulthood and I still enjoy this show and others on the Disney channel. They're the perfect cure for a bad mood; where you want to escape back into adolescence and relive simpler days. Hannah Montana: The Movie (directed by Peter Chelsom) carries the same formula.

Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) is a teenager with a big secret. She is living in two contrasting worlds. One where she is a normal high-schooler who deals with boys and catty girls. The other where she is the famous pop singer Hannah Montana. When she ruins her best friend Lily's (Emily Osment) sweet sixteen and begins to spend more time with her publicist (Vanessa Williams) than her own family, her father Robby Stewart (Billy Ray Cyrus) gives Miley a dose of reality. He whisks her back to Tennessee and presents her with an ultimatum. She must spend two weeks in her home state and decide whether or not she wants to continue to be Hannah Montana.

This movie is for children and young adults. If you're an adult you have to come in very open. These people aren't the best actors and they're not going to win an Oscar for their performances. But the movie is light-hearted and optimistic. It's a movie about growing up and deciding what's best not only for the people in your life but yourself also.

I believe that's why the younger audiences flock to this movie. Not only because it's Hannah Montana but because they don't strong opinions about what good acting or writing is.

Miley Cyrus has improved her acting skills. They're not top notch but they're better than they were when she first got started at Disney. Emily Osment is an enjoyment to watch as always. She's very real when she acts and is better than Cyrus.

The songs complement the movie and match the tone of the scene they're playing in. I must admit that Hannah/Miley's songs are addicting. Not matter how much a person might dislike her they can't deny that she has a good voice. Her `live' voice is seasoned for a young performer. She may have a career ahead of her in that area after the sensation of Hannah Montana fades away. Her recent hit "The Climb", featured in the movie, proves that Miley has no trouble making it onto the radio. She doesn't need Hannah to be popular.

Hannah Montana: The Movie will capture the hearts of young audiences. It may surprise an adult or two who remember that this isn't the intellectual comedy of the year. It's simply a sweet children's film.

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Clash of the Titans (2010)

I love "Clash of the Titans," but I'm terribly disappointed by the quality of this DVD. The "all-new digital transfer" that the manufacturer promises is quite possibly the worst transfer I've ever seen, enhancing the film's visual flaws while disguising its merits. In composite shots, live-action elements are so washed-out as to appear almost black-and-white at times, while stop-motion elements are garishly bright and crisp, looking more like cartoons than dimensional objects. This is particularly pronounced in shots of the flying Pegasus; the digital transfer so exaggerates the matte lines around the figure that it appears to be a paper cut-out plastered against the sky. Even the glorious Medusa segment suffers from these defects: what was, in the original (and on VHS), an atmospheric balance of rich darks and flickering red lights, becomes a clash of nearly impenetrable spots of shadow against grainy, pale-brown relief. I'm no authority on digital transfers, but my guess is that this one was done as quickly and cheaply as possible, the manufacturer's reasoning being (probably) that fans of Harryhausen will be so thrilled to have his films on DVD that they could care less what the films look like. Well, I was thrilled to have "Clash of the Titans" on DVD--but when the abysmal quality of the transfer interferes with the very effects that make the film great, my enthusiasm wanes considerably. I'd advise fans of Harryhausen to buy the video version, and to write angry letters to the manufacturer protesting their callous desecration of one of the master's greatest films.

Okay, I really like this movie and have since 1981 when it was theatrically released. It's not my favorite Harryhausen fantasy but it's in my top 5.

I ordered this blu-ray from Amazon.com a week or so ago and it just arrived today. This is where I kick myself in the head for not reading other's reviews of the blu-ray first. The transfer sucks BIG TIME or, perhaps it was just the elements used to create this blu-ray that were a mixed bag! Most (not all) of the daylight scenes were excellent but the evening and night scenes were truly horrid. From the opening scenes of the soldiers on the sandy beach right up to the end titles all I could see were large chunks of dirt that wasn't removed prior to making the transfer. Way too much film grain (much more than should be for a film of this age) and artifacts throughout.. all this clearly visible in the darker and some of the daylight scenes viewed on a 65 inch HD LED TV.

It seems the studios are really getting lazy (or is it just cheap?) in releasing newer and older films in substandard transfers.

I can name on perhaps 1 hand the films I feel are really superb transfers to blu-ray. Another 25 to 30 that are good and all the rest (approx 985 in my collection) as dismal failures as far as the quality of the transfers. I invested in Blu-ray for the promised superb quality this new format offered and to be honest I feel cheated MOST of the time to the point where I'm not going to be buying blu-rays based on how much I like/love the film but more importantly how good the quality of the transfer is. It's just a slap in the face from the studios to wait for them to make one of my favorites available on blu-ray and to be let down once again by a skanky presentation.

Two other blu-rays of recent note that I have had problems with (Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan) have been recalled by the studios for faulty transfers because we consumers bombarded them with complaints. I don't expect that to happen in this case because compared to the two just mentioned, CLASH is an older film with (I'm guessing) nowhere the amount of fans.

So if you really like this film and have a TV larger than 40 inches I'd stay away from this title. However if your TV is smaller and don't expect to be buying a larger one in the next couple of years, then go ahead and buy it coz you probably won't be able to see the deficits in the transfer.

And for all of you who won't be buying this blu-ray, do check out two other Harryhausen films (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts) on blu-ray coz they look really GREAT. Sony 10 / Warner 2

Peace out.

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What a shame, this is Ray's last feature film and they give the man a kick in his pants with this transfer. This has some of Ray's best creations and it's ruined with a washed out grainy print. I could not bring myself to give it a lower rating. The film deserves 5 stars for Harryhausen's incredible work, but the DVD transfer keeps me from giving it a full thumbs up.

The print is very watchable and at a bargain price of $5.00 it should not be passed up, but the film and Harryhausen deserve much better! Thankfully they are releasing this film on BluRay and on a new DVD, so I will update my review when it has been released and I have a chance to compare them.....I'll keep my fingers crossed that they do this gifted genius justice!

****DVD/BLU RAY UPDATE****

Save your money as the new release of this film looks to be the same old transfer and the Blu Ray isn't worth the upgrade as it just brings out the wear and tear all the more. There are no new extras either. It's a shame because this film desrves to be completely restored and preserved for future generations and old school Harryhausen fans!

****END OF UPDATE****

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Judging from the comments below, it seems one either loves this film or despises it. In the book "Roger Ebert's Movie Home Companion", Mr. Ebert praised the film, so I decided to give this DVD a try. I'm glad I took a chance because it turns out Mr. Ebert's opinion matches my own. If you harbor a child's spirit within you, if you like to entertain fantasies, or enjoy comic books, this film is probably for you.

Ebert says "Clash Of The Titans" is special effects wizard, Ray Harryhausen's masterwork, a tour de force, and having seen many of the master's earlier films, I tend to agree. His effects are achieved by stop-action animation, rear projection, modeling, etc.; traditional methods requiring painstaking effort and which lend themselves well to a film which deals with ancient Greek mythology. But there is much more here than just fantastic effects. Nearly everything about this film works for me. The mostly British cast infuses the film with a high tone. Harry Hamlin plays the role of Persius exactly right, and Judi Bowker is adorable as the lovely princess Andromeda. The production values are high, with wondrous sets and marvelous costuming. The location filming in the Mediterranean is beautiful and sometimes breathtaking.

The DVD video transfer is from a clean 35mm print and looks terrific in the 16:9 widescreen mode. The sumptuous London Symphony scoring sets a tasteful mood and effectively augments the story. I do have one gripe, however. The music track on this DVD has too much treble and the music is too loud, competing with the dialog. Whoever remixes these soundtracks should be instructed that the music is not supposed to upstage the acting.

Apart from the sound mix, I honestly can't find much to fault with the film. This ages-old epic of gods and men, good vs. evil, and fantastic ordeals braved in the name of love, is treated with respect, both in script and acting, while remaining fun. Titans is an enchanting movie. It evokes a certain sense of magic which films like Star Wars seem to have sacrificed in the name of urbane sophistication and high-tech realism. This DVD is a fine choice for those who like a touch of charm with their escapism; a gem to be enjoyed again and again, by young and old, for it truly celebrates the child within.

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Movie 3.5

Similar to a lot of people, I remember seeing this (if not bits and pieces of it) on TV growing up as a kid. If not this, then probably some form of Jason and The Argonauts or The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Ray Harryhausen and his people did a great job trying to captivate audiences with their work, with Clash of the Titans likely being their most memorable effort. Almost 30 years later with this Blu-ray release, nostalgia must be rampant for those old enough to recall this wondrous interpretation of Greek mythology and fantastic tale of adventure, drama, and romance. I can honestly say until a few months ago when I heard of the upcoming remake, I really didn't remember much about this film. So in preparation for its arrival I decided to give this a rent to refresh my memory. Needless to say, it had been so long, I only now realized how good of a movie this is. Granted, the special effects weren't too great for its time, but I especially like the screenplay and script. Many of the actors/actresses are also British, resulting in a very thespian quality, which I think coincidentally ties in very well to "things of the past" as Mr. Harryhausen would say. Much like how you didn't see too many Greek-themed movies back then, you really don't see much thespian-type works outside of theater houses anymore either. And even after all these years, Titans '81 still manages to carry itself despite its age. The plot is revealed right from the get-go and progresses fairly well throughout, while providing just enough excitement and intrigue to keep the audience entertained. Although, I regret to say the special effects did end up hindering it a bit. Obviously, it was not big-budget like a Star Wars or Blade Runner back then, but I think it makes up for that in innocence.

Video 3.5

Presented by Warner Bros. in 1080p at an original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, Clash '81 ranges from decent to good at best. Grain is all over the place, even in the cleanest of scenes, and accompanied by an equal amount of noise in the darker ones. Colors are a little more vibrant than the DVD, but just barely. However, detail and texture look much sharper, though can appear somewhat hazy in conjunction with the constant presence of that grain. Black levels and contrast receive a slight boost in depth as well, and shadow delineation seems a little more pronounced compared to what I saw in SD. All in all, considering this wasn't even that high of a budget, this is probably as good as the video will get without massive image manipulation having to be applied.

Audio 4.0

This is probably the most notable of improvements over the DVD. While the original sound master was only limited to 2 channels, this DTS-HD 2.0 track is surprisingly buoyant. Separation of dialogue, sound effects, and music are good, even immersing at some points like there was actual surround speaker usage from the sides. Although, high and low ends aren't too different from one another, leaving a little more to be desired, but it's good for what was available. Again, this is probably as good as it'll get. Just goes to make you wonder how a sound design like Clash '81 can get lossless audio when bigger name movies and TV series still aren't getting stuck with lossy.

Extras 2.0

Clocking in at just a little over 20 minutes, we get a very brief interview with Ray Harryhausen about his overall thoughts and experiences with the making of Titan's '81. The main segment is about 12 minutes and delves a little here and there about production, writing, and his own personal opinions on the project. The rest of the extras are about 1-minute-long vignettes of Harryhausen explaining the creatures and how they were constructed/animated. Suffice it to say, the real highlight is the 5 minute preview of the 2010 remake that talks a little about the CG designs for Medusa and The Kraken. Given how outdated Titans '81's effects are, I'm actually pretty stoked for when I get to see the remake at some point.

Overall 3.5

Clash of the Titans (1981) certainly has its roots set with a unique charm and level of nostalgia for its Greek mythology and competent storytelling. While the special effects obviously didn't stand the test of time as well as its story, the overall movie itself really isn't so bad. However, with only a decent video transfer, limited audio encode, and small amount of extras, the current SRP of $34.99 for this digibook seems a bit steep for a film that didn't even have the highest quality production of its year. If anything, watch this just for the preview of the remake. Otherwise, die-hard fans should wait for the SRP to go a lot lower for this mediocre A/V presentation.

Il Divo (2009)

"Il Divo" is unusual breed of biopic, a mixture of fact and fiction, whose power is in its visual and auditory style rather than in narrative. The subject is Italy's seven-time Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who was associated with every major political scandal in Italy for 50 years, frequently accused of murder and mayhem, and rumored to be the true master of the P2 Masonic Lodge. Some believe him responsible for many of the 236 political murders that occurred in Italy between 1969 and 1984. Writer/director Paolo Sorrentino focuses on the early 1990s, from the beginning of Andreotti's seventh government in 1991 until his trial in 1996, during which time he lost a bid to become President and was undermined by Mafia turncoats who testified against him.

Roger Ebert described "Il Divo" as "like a black comedy version of The Godfather". I can't think of a more apt description. This is satire, though many of the events of the film actually happened. Andreotti (Toni Servillo) is almost a comically absurd character, in spite of the violence, and speaks about himself with an ironic tone. This is all the more amazing because Giulio Andreotti is still living. The Italian political system is portrayed as farce. Andreotti is a laconic man, enigmatic and apparently self-consciously so. He is known for his lack of emotion, so Paul Sorrentino felt the need to introduce some into a character that might seem wooden otherwise. Andreotti's preoccupation with the 1978 death of Aldo Moro, which troubles him in the film, is fictional as far as anyone knows.

Being unfamiliar with Italian politics, I don't know what else has been fictionalized. What captivated me about "Il Divo" is that it is unusually cinematic. There is not a lot of dialogue, though Andreotti's meetings with the members of his faction, the fast-talking Paolo Pomicino (Carlo Buccirosso), slow Vittorio Shardella (Massimo Popolizio), and foolish Franco Evangelisti (Flavio Bucci), are darkly hilarious. The film lacks a strong narrative thread but is visually engrossing. Luca Bigazzi's camera creeps around. The eclectic score is perfect. I was never sure what Giulio Andreotti wanted, unless it is "perpetuating evil to guarantee good", as he says, and "Il Divo" takes patience. But this is a stunning and thoughtful film, even if it doesn't try to go anywhere. In Italian with optional English subtitles.

The DVD (MPI 2009): Bonus features include 11 deleted scenes (12 min) and 3 featurettes. "Making of Il Divo" (30 min) interviews writer/director Sorrentino about his approach, members of the cast, producers, cinematographer Luca Bigazzi, and composer Teho Teardo. "Special Effects Featurette" (7 min) interviews visual effects supervisor Nicola Sganga and shows some examples of effects used to change the weather, time of day, or in the many death scenes. In "Interview with Director Paolo Sorrentino" (12 min), the director talks about the character of Andreotti and making a film that is both fictional and factual. English subtitles are available for the film and the bonus features.

Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti (Toni Servillo) had been elected to Parliament seven times since it's inception in 1946. Having served in multiple roles in the government including President of the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Defense Minister, Andreotti was known by many names including "The God Giulio," "The Fox," "Beelzebub," "The Black Pope," "The Prince of Darkness," "The Hunchback," and others. After losing a bid for President of the Republic, Andreotti is confronted for allegedly having dealings with the mafia which, among others, led to the death of his friend Aldo Moro. Blamed for many of the ills that have befallen Italy during his times in office, Andreotti is sent to trial for his supposed mafia ties.

Il Divo won the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival and was released in January of 2009 to US audiences. Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, Il Divo is a look into the moral ambiguity of a man who doesn't prize relationships, only politics. Rarely does Giulio Andreotti crack a smile or show any emotion at all, but in Sorrentino's look at the man you see the effects of the emotions that eat away at him from the inside. Surrounding himself with men, good and bad, Andreotti feels that he's doing what's best for the country, even if he gets there by the improper means sometimes. While this works great for a simple character study, is this enough to get audiences beyond those that would normally watch foreign films into it?

Absolutely! Sorrentino gives the film a very stylish flare worthy of Martin Scorsese. Utilizing quick cuts, pop/ rock music, intersting titles, etc. Showing various scenes of graphic violence intercut with more mundane moments in Andreottie's life shows the difference between the calm exterior of Andreotti and the violence that possibly bubbles below leaving you to wonder if Andreotti was behind the violence as was purposed, or did he have nothing to do with it. This is one of the keys to Sorrentino's great film, while we see Andreotti as something of a soulless person for most of the film, we're never really given the filmmaker's opinion of whether Andreotti is guilty or not. Removing himself from the film, Sorrentino accomplishes something most filmmakers are unable to accomplish.

What really makes this movie though, is Toni Servillo's portrayal of Giulio Andreotti. The real trick of this performance is appearing unemotional on the surface, but also showing the current bubbling beneath the surface from past decisions that are eating away at him. In one brilliant moment in the movie, Andreotti appears to be either talking to his wife, or practicing a conversation he's going to have with her, and in essence speaks to the audience talking about things that he's done in the past that have caused people to die, and the speech is brilliant and could easily be compared to Jack Nicholson's "You can't handle the truth..." speech from A Few Good Men.

On the downside of the film though, it's impenetrable in the terms of politics. Il Divo doesn't really try to explain Italian politics, and while that's good to a certain extent, those of us who aren't familiar with Italian politics will get lost at times. Also the film seems more interested in being consciously stylish that it doesn't really feel like it is the political commentary that it tries to be.

But, in terms of entertainment, this movie definitely delivers. If you like political dramas, Scorsese style movies, or foreign films I highly recommend this film. It is thoroughly entertaining giving you a mix of political drama, action, and a character study of a man who would do anything for the politics of a nation.

4/5

Buy Il Divo (2009) Now

"Il Divo," (2008), is an Italian-language film, written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. It is a biographical drama about the life of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who had been elected to the Italian Parliament seven times since its establishment in 1946, and was ultimately declared a senator for life. It stars Toni Servillo in the title role. "Il divo" means the maestro, or master, in Italian, and is generally used in a musical sense, but this is apparently what people call the uber-powerful Andreotti, who was rumored to have connections with the Mafia, and to the murder, by the Red Brigades, of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro. Many people believe Andreotti, who is thought to be a member of P2, the powerful, illegal Italian Masonic lodge, also had a hand in the possible 1978 murder of Pope John Paul I, and the murders of Cardinal Paul Marcinkus, of Chicago, and banker Roberto Calvi, all to do with the Vatican's corrupt Banco Ambrosiano that apparently lost Mafia money.

Servillo does an excellent job of giving us a thoroughly unattractive, evil politician; the character actors who play the supporting parts around him are excellent, as well; and the film does, of course, have subtitles, though I suspect most English speakers will have trouble, even so, with all those Italian names. The settings, whether interiors, or around Rome, are well-done, and there's been no stinting on cars, extras, etc. The script is witty, and wise. However, director Sorrentino perhaps mistrusted his material, as he has chosen to fool around with flashbacks and flash-forwards; to me, this just made the movie even more difficult to follow. And be warned, the film features a lot of blood and death, if that upsets you. Yet, it's also got some marvelously surrealistic scenes, as those of a cat with two different colored eyes wandering the Quirino, the historic Senate building. Undoubtedly, though, it will be a more satisfying experience for those with some familiarity with the language and history of Italy.

Read Best Reviews of Il Divo (2009) Here

IL DIVO is a brilliantly acted and beautifully photographed film with some incredible artwork and design. Paulo Sorrentino's expose of the Italian regime presents both sides of a contentious story in an equal and frank portrayal. Highly reccomend this film to fans of arthouse cinema and anyone who appreciates strong, quality acting and writing.

Want Il Divo (2009) Discount?

"Il divo" (2008) starring Toni Servillo, educates the newer

generations on the powerful Italian politician of the 1960's and

1970's that was Mr. Giulio Andreotti ("GA"). It transcends what he

was about during those years, who he truly was as a man and leader,

how he operated, and how he fell into disfavor.

This film is in Italian, with excellent subtitles in English, is

wide-screen and professionally filmed and edited, with excellent

DVD clarity.

The soundtrack is a mixed bag, with as many hits as misses. The

better audio numbers accompanies the classy footage of ornamented

rooms, luxurious decorations, opulent palaces, gold plated pieces

and sculptures, tiles, handcrafted furniture, high-end chandeliers

etc. Some generic, modest pop songs are played as well so the

public doesn't take all of the hot air or political oneupmanship

too seriously.

The treatment of GA is superficial, judging a book by its cover.

The actor never fails to portray GA as an introverted intellectual

and geek, whose mind is racing 24/7 on events past and present,

never leaving his home with the exception of parties and events

related to his work. During those, he fails to enjoy himself

(dance, drink, chat, eat, gamble, flirt, etc). The story fails to

reveal GA as the brilliant leader he was over a long time, in a

hyper-competitive political field, made up of Machevellian rivals.

Instead, viewers are treated to the disease of "condescension" that

is the mantra of political analysis and mass media, reminiscent of

the dismissive treatment of Mussolini by critics.

Predictably, innuendo reinforces rumors of GA mob involvement -

recreating the "Man of Honor" induction ceremony, spilling drops

of blood on a saint, setting fire to it and juggling it. Those

accusations were not proven. We hear that elections in South Italy

and Sicily are won with mob influence on the public for given

candidates. It says GA was complicit with P2 or Propaganda Due, in

between the Red Brigades violence, on no facts.

The microcosm of GA's life is shown, a world in itself, made up of

businessmen, religious leaders, political friends and foes,

colleagues summed as a closed universe, yet everyone sharing a

unique set of values, education, breed from not only embracing

Italian civilization, but belonging to a power elite.

GA is shown attending church, confession, insisting in having the

Pope's rep in his power clique during private meetings,. His piety

and generosity, responsibility, natural sense of scruples are

shown. The story indicates GA's success hinged on self-control, a

skill to mentally calculate how far he can go to favor people he

imagines as friendly to his ideology and vision, and to block

others that his intuition tells him are against from afar and

nuanced.

In Europe, with its high concentration of people, numerous mass

media, combined with limited education in the general public,

every rubout, hit, economic failure, anarchy, kidnapping, crime and

more is attributed to the prime minister. The story perpetuates

this fallacy, by posting a litany of rubout victims and those who

ended their own lives, over his tenure and blaming GA.

A valid point is made that the Italian justice system is more

transparent than what goes on in the streets.

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2007-2008 NBA Champions - Boston Celtics (2008)

Having suffered through 22 years of decline and mediocrity since the last time the Celtics were in the NBA Finals, no one could have been happier than me when I heard a DVD of the championship season was going to be released.

The best things about the DVD are the extras. You get to see the final QUARTERS of the Semi-Finals against the Cavs and Conference Finals against the Pistons. You are also treated to the interview between Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell, like two eras in the same room together. There are a couple of other small extras, but nothing noteworthy.

The rest of the DVD is a 60 minute recap of the 2008 season and playoff run. It flows nicely and it has a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff as well. By that, I mean you hear some huddle conversation, post game locker room chatter and the like. But it's nothing special. I did enjoy the snippet that Doc Rivers explains the term "umbuntu", which becomes the Celtics' mantra for the season.

But, for $17, I would have hoped for a little more, especially when it comes to the playoffs. I would have liked to see a lot more of the historic comeback in Game 4 against the Lakers. I would have liked to see some highlights from the All-Star game, which the Big Three all attended.

If you sre a Celtics fan, it is a nice video for posterity. And there isn't anything BAD about it. But I think for the money, the fans deserve a little more than what we get. Like I said, it moves along nicely. But it really doesn't seem like anything special.

Should you buy it? It's your call.

First of all, ignore the back of the DVD, as the main program runs a full 77 minutes, not 60. When this first came out, I was very hesitant due to the short running time (which I thought was only 60) and rather steep price. However, finding it now for a good price and watching how good the main program is, and how long and fulfiling it is, this is well worth the cash. That's not even to mention all the loads of extras this one disc comes with.

You get the "I Am A Celtic" documentary, which features excellent interviews with Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, and John Havlicek. It features a lot of clips that are in the main program, but also comes with a lot of stuff I'd never seen before, including the "race" Doc had at one practice, where he made everyone who lost to him in a sprint take an extra round of practice. He cheated and got a head start and I had only read about this in an article when it happened, and it was nice to see the video behind it. Both this documentary and the main show contain a lot of humorous and insightful looks into practice, the preseason, and behind the scenes with the coaches and players. Having seen the entire year unfold on TV, these not on television moments made for a very entertaining watch.

You also get two full 4th quarters from Game 7 of the Cleveland series, and Game 6 of the Detroit series. Very welcomed extras and nice to see this historic quarters in their entirety. We will certainly get the entire Lakers series when the full Celtics box set comes out, so there's no need to complain about not getting them now. We already get what I feel is a great compliment of features for this price. There are also 7 other bonus features which include features on Ray Allen, Bill Russell and KG, Paul Pierce, and Danny Ainge.

Back to the main show, where we get about 18 minutes of preseason and regular season coverage, then onto the Eastern Conference playoffs for a good 25 minutes, until the 43 minute mark, and then a full half hour of the Lakers/Celtics Finals. While they didn't dwell too deeply on any one game, it was a well balanced showing of the highlights. The credits then roll with some humorous and candid moments of the team, ending the program at the 77 minute mark.

I think it was good that I waited nearly 2 months to pick this DVD up, as watching it in the weeks after the win, when the DVD first came out, may have been too premature, and not as impactful as seeing it now, after going a long time without a good Celtics fill. I did seem to have a problem with the narrator at first, as he seemed kind of dull. However, as it got deeper and deeper into the show, he seems to grow on you, and to the point where he fits in nicely and his delivery and flow is perfect.

An excellent all around DVD, and in my opinion, well worth it to any Celtics fan. It's one for the collection, and will be a compliment to the box set due out in November.

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So glad I found this.. DVD is cheap, delivery was prompt and I loved re-living the 2008 championships! Though I wish they showed a little more of the actual game footage I do love the whole part with the "mobutu" chant and coming together as a team. Also I wish it was longer!! A must see for Celtics fans, I enjoyed watching and am definitely glad I bought it considering how cheap it was.

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Arrived promptly! Great price, great product! Awesome DVD! Still get goose pumps watching it!

Want 2007-2008 NBA Champions - Boston Celtics (2008) Discount?

This is a pretty good DVD, although there's not that much of the Finals highlights. Fourth quarters of final two Eastern playoff rounds vs. Cavs and Pistons are included in bonus features. The bonus features are what makes the DVD better, since the main program isn't really that long. The DVD concentrates on The Big Three, but we get glimpses of old-time heroes in bonus features, though not as much as I like.

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Taxi Driver (Mastered in 4K) (Single-Disc Blu-ray + Ultra Violet Digital Copy) (1976)

As we all know, a film's critical review is a subjective journey.

Many have universally praised Taxi Driver an American masterpiece.

In my humble opinion, it is Scorsese's crowning achievement.

I won't bother you a with a critical review of the narrative itself, the power of the performances, the lush cinematography not to mention the haunting soundtrack.

Lets get down to brass tacks with the Blu-ray experience:

The new 4K transfer and remastering ( under cinematographer Michael Chapmen and Scorsese's supervision ) looks fantastic. I can only hope for more studios to take their time when transferring vintage masterpieces. The clarity, color and detail even surpasses my last film-screening of this film at the Hollywood Cinerama Dome in the mid-90s. The soundtrack is presented in 5.1 DTS HD with wonderful results.

The special features are chock full of goodies, too numerous for me to list here fully:

I really enjoyed the "screen to script interactive", and also the "storyboard to film comparisons". Multiple documentaries are included in this single BR disc, including "Travis' New York " The changes of New York 1975 to Today" Multiple interviews and commentaries with both Scoreses and writer Paul Schrader + much more supplementary material.

The Picture Quality at 1080P was like peanut butter to jelly on my 52" LCD XBR, and switching the images to a 150" screen ( via Sony VPL-VW50 1080P projector ) was like adding a couple strips of crispy bacon to that peanut butter sandwich. If you are into HT and projection systems, this BR disc is made for you. Seeing New York City in the mid 70s presented in such detail and color was a visually arresting experience. The vibrant night shots really stays with you, vivid colors pop during those long tracking POV shots from Travis's cab. A museum quality documentation on NYC street-life during that period.

The packaging is robust, with a 3 section pullout-type case that holds the bonus lobbycards.

This is the definitive copy. ( at least until The Criterion Collection decides to give it a BR go ).

Yes folks, for a small price, its time to get into Travis's Taxi for a cinematic ride like no other.

The importance of Taxi Driver cannot be overstated. More than a well made film, the movie is a genuine character study of the highest achievement. The absurdity of the decade in which the film was made lends an incredible amount of reinforcement to the presentation. The "conspicuous consumption" lifestyle of the 1970's makes the cheapness of human life depicted in the film (prostitution, exploitation, violence) seem all the more engaging. A few of the more important, albeit subtle scenes that I feel make the character study so realized include the following (I would ask that any viewer of the film pay close attention to these scenes and try to interpret the subtle importance of them as they relate to the character):

Travis is sitting in his apartment watching American Bandstand on TV. He is angered by the celebration of adolescent sexuality he sees and how "human" and accessible it is portrayed to be. In contrast, Travis is completely unable to conceptualize himself in this rite of passage, due to the self loathing image he has built up in his mind. Travis then sees an empty pair of shoes on the floor amidst the dancing couples, a stark metaphor for his inability to relate to the world he finds himself in.

Travis, although seemingly articulate and confident about his emotional convictions in his journal entries, recognizes the impending disintegration of his mental state and decides to seek the advice of his colleague Wizard, in a last ditch effort to make sense of his feelings. Travis's somber desperation is evident in his discussion with Wizard and an attempt is made to address the situation. However, Wizard, who shares none of Travis's chronic isolationism, is unable to offer any helpful words to Travis, who is ultimately frustrated one last time in his final effort to salvage his sanity. In the closing shot of the scene, Travis tries to articulate his inexpressible frustrations, to which Wizard casually replies "you know... you're all right, you're all right". With his last attempt to make a human connection an utter failure, Travis is now locked into his path of destruction, a path that cannot be positively influenced by outside individuals due to his inability to express his feelings. It is a particularly chilling scene, perhaps the definitive example in the film depicting Travis's final fate.

Travis is seen in his apartment room preparing for his confrontation with Senator Palentine. He speaks about his apocalyptic mission through his journal entries. However, his words portray a man unable to articulate himself even in his hour of destiny "listen you f***ers, you screw heads, here is a man who would not take it anymore, who would.. not....." (starts over) "listen you f***ers you screw heads.....". This scene is very effective in that it illustrates Travis's inability to express his emotions with certainty, even when they concern convictions which he feels strongly about.

Immediately after his attempted assassination of Palentine fails, Travis is seen driving to the tenement house where Sport hustles. Dazed, Travis is utterly absorbed by his psychosis, his face a portrait of a concentrated, murderous obsession. A pedestrian attempts to flag down his cab, but Travis blows right by the would-be customer, occupied only with the slaughter he is about to engage in. I feel that this scene perfectly capsulizes Travis's complete descent into madness.

This film was cheated out of the best picture Oscar by Rocky, which (although a fine film in its own right) is a film that anybody can love. In contrast, Taxi Driver is a film that many people would prefer to avoid due to its cynical portrayal of human life. However, it is often the ugly things in life which are the more relevant, more engaging, more compelling, more real.

Buy Taxi Driver (Mastered in 4K) (Single-Disc Blu-ray + Ultra Violet Digital Copy) (1976) Now

The ending of Taxi Driver has generated a lot of controversy and confusion because most people tend to assume that it's a simple continuation of the narrative of the film. In critical studies, however, the possibility is often raised that the end (after the the shoot-out scene to the end of the movie) is no less than Bickle's dying delirious imagination. I want to set forth the case that this is so.

First, at the end of the shoot-out scene, Bickle rolls his eyes backwards in the classic movie signature of death. Just before, of course, he put his blood-dripping finger up to his temple and mimed blowing his own brains out (after having failed with the empty real guns). Bickle is suicidal, dying, and will not recover.

Second, after this scene the camera pans across various news clippings on the wall of Bickle's room; these clippings describe him as a "hero" that saved a young girl. Also we hear the voice-over of Iris' parents saying that Bickle would always be welcome in their home for saving Iris. But think about real life crimes for a moment. When newspapers report about a man that goes on a shooting spree in a run-down part of town, do they really ever report them as "heroes"? Even if Bickle could explain to them why he did this (Iris' dad says he was in a coma after the shoot-out), would anyone really take a person like this at their word? And would Iris' parents really want to allow a murderous man a place at their table? What we have here is Bickle's fantasy about how he _wants_ the press and Iris' folks to interpret his actions, not a realistic view of how the world generally views such actions.

Third (along the same lines as #2), it's hard to imagine Bickle's buddies at the cabstand glossing over his rampage and treating him like old times. Really, if a co-worker of mine were involved in so violent an incident, I would probably not hang out with him so blithely. This is Travis imaginging that things are "back to normal" after getting out of the hospital -a fantasy of peace.

Fourth, Bickle happens to find Betsy in his cab soon after returning to work. How fortuitous in a city of millions! But their conversation shows that she now respects him, considers him a hero like the newspapers and Iris' parents. Again, extremely unlikely -especially given their history. In real life if she heard about the rampage (or recognized him trying to kill Palentine), that would only tend to confirm her earlier opinion of him as a depraved person. But here she also interprets his actions in the way he wants them to be interpreted (that he saved Iris from the human scum that were selling her) rather than how she probably would in real life. (Also note that the photography of this scene always shows Betsy's face from his viewpoint, floating in a dreamlike way in his rear-view mirror.)

Fifth, when Bickle drops Betsy off she seems uncertain, embarrased, and demure, and is obviously just on the verge of offering some kind of intimate apology. Instead she asks how much is the fare. He drives off without accepting a dime. This is Bickle's triumph -he wins their relationship battle by rejecting _her_, and by being confident, independent, and morally superior. Typical subconscious inversion tactic.

Sixth, as he drives off, Bickle sees himself in the car's rear-view mirror, then adjusts it to see if he can see Betsy. As he does so, a violent wrench is given to the accompanying musical score. Then we see no one in the mirror at all as the credits roll to Bernard Hermann's haunting love theme. There's nothing in the mirror (except the rolling, ubiquitous city) because Travis is not there. Its symbolic of his death -like that of a vampire -that the mirror doesn't show his reflection. Travis is dead and we have just witnessed his last thoughts.

Travis is only a hero in his own mind. There is no hero in this movie. It does not have a happy ending. Travis continues to justify his own behavior and viewpoint to the last, and grants himself a kind of sainthood -beatified by the press, Iris' parents, and Betsy's acquiescence.

The tragedy of the movie is deepend by this reading of its end. To my mind, this also makes the movie more coherent, since it's main theme is the psychological isolation of Travis Bickle. The end consumates his separateness. Others will never connect to his vision of himself as a master (rather than a victim) of circumstance, a protector of innocence, a scourge of evildoers, an instrument of God's judgement.

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The first disc features an audio commentary by Professor Robert Kolker. He analyzes the film's style and themes but tends to describe what we are seeing making obvious statements. He talks about the influence of Alfred Hitchcock's movies on Taxi Driver but in mind-numbingly boring way.

The second commentary is by the film's screenwriter Paul Schrader. He points out Travis' contradictory nature he talks about purifying his body yet he also takes speed. There are several lulls during this commentary but he more than makes up for it with some excellent observations about the film and the nature of screenwriting.

"Original Screenplay" allows you to read the original shooting script and then go to the corresponding scene in the film.

The second disc starts off with "Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver." He talks about the genesis of the film and how hard it was to get a studio interested. Scorsese says that visually, everything is from Travis' point-of-view.

"Producing Taxi Driver" features Michael Phillips briefly discussing how he became a producer and how he got the script for Taxi Driver. When he saw Mean Streets, he knew that he wanted Scorsese to direct and Robert De Niro to star.

"God's Lonely Man" examines the theme of loneliness in the film and profiles Schrader, his background and it informed the script.

"Influence and Appreciation: Martin Scorsese Tribute" features fellow filmmakers Roger Corman and Oliver Stone along with actor Robert De Niro and others paying tribute to the man.

"Taxi Driver Stories" includes anecdotes told by actual New York cabbies who worked in the city during the `70s. Some of their stories are wilder than some that are in the film.

"Making Taxi Driver" is the excellent 70 minute retrospective documentary that was included on the previous edition. It takes a fascinating, in-depth look at how the film came together with most of the major cast and crew members returning, including De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and Albert Brooks. This is excellent doc. with loads of information.

"Travis' New York" reflects on New York City of the `70s. The film's director of photography Michael Chapman points out that now the film is a documentary of what the city looked like back then.

"Travis' New York Locations" is a very cool featurette that compares nine locations used in the movie then with what they look like now and not surprisingly most them look very different.

There is a "Storyboard to Film Comparison" with an optional introduction by Scorsese.

Finally, there are several galleries with stills taken on location, for publicity purposes, shots of composer Bernard Herrmann's sheets music for the score and posters.

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Directed by Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest films of the 20th Century. The story about a man drowning in loneliness that desperately seeks the approval of the social lives of those around him. He is Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro), who (as the film opens) gets a job as a cabbie because of the insomnia he suffers of. He prefers working nights (12 hour shifts), will take anyone anywhere, and still he can't seem to sleep. His point-of-view is an ingenius cinematic approach whereas it is viewed in slow-motion (which symbolizes his heightened observation). There are so many undercurrents within the film that even Bickle himself doesn't realize. There is an apparent prejudice against african-americans (the usual stereotype of them all being pimps or drug dealers and ironically enough when Bickle finally does meet a pimp, he turns out to be white).

Bickle bides his time in a coffee shop where all the 'night shift' cabbies hang out. He listens to them ramble about imaginary women who give them $500 tips and their phone number to somewhere in South America. His attention wanders and his inability to socialize presents an awkward air that is at times difficult to watch.

Bickle eventually meets Betsy (Cybil Shepherd) who is an avid supporter of the presidential candidate Palantine. His former view of the inhabitants of New York as "scum" is finally changed when he meets a girl who "is not like the rest of them". He asks her out to a movie and it turns out to be porn. He knew it was porn (he goes to the same theatre every night he's off work), but he doesn't go for the usual reason people go, he gets no satisfaction out of it, it is as if he's punishing himself for having walked into such a place. He seems to not realize why she looks at him with disgust and eventually leaves and never wants to see him again.

Bickle is a "walking contradiction" whereas he sees the world as evil and wrong, but in his attempts at being accepted, he finds himself bending the rules of morality and becoming what he despises.

He comes across a 12-year old prostitute named, Iris (Jodie Foster), who he immediately likes, but the only way he can be near her is to pay for "half an hour". He does so, and despite her attempts to "make it", he tries to tell her that he's come to set her free from the life of prostitution. "Don't you want to get out of here?" he asks. "But it saves me from myself," she answers innocently. He leaves frustrated.

Bickle is (like the John Wayne character in "The Searchers") trying to rescue women who don't want to be rescued. It becomes his obsession that these women are being oppressed and that his goal in life is to set them free.

His obsession leads to violence when he purchases weapons and attempts to assassinate Palantine, but runs away almost as if, at the last moment, coming to his senses. But that is only the "dress rehearsel" for the climax of the film which is one of the most graphic scenes of violence ever filmed. It is shot in 'washed out' colors as if the ensuing violence has drained the blood from the film.

The famous line, "Are you talkin' to me? Well I'm the only one here," spoken to himself in a mirror, has been many times mimiced but the meaning can only be fully realized in this film. It is the voice of a lonely man amidst the crowd, a voice of sarcasm at his own worthless condition. The condition we all find ourselves in from time to time.

The film ends with Bickle meeting Betsy one more time as he is driving her home in his cab (by a chance meeting). Her look has changed from one of disgust to admiration and the viewer senses that this scene is not real. That it is either his final dying thoughts or simply a fantasy in his mind. It is Bickle finally finding redemption, finally finding his place in society. It has all been resolved and now he can lead a normal life or die happily.

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9th Company (Collector's Edition) (2005)

As a Marine that went to Vietnam after the French pulled out, I would like to respond to Thomas A. Maguire "TOM FILM"'s one star rating of the movie 9TH COMPANY. I am going to bet he is young, inexperienced with the world, and a bit opinionated about matters he knows nothing about. He states "One of the worst movies ever made.". This is just ludicrous! This film deserves respect for being earthy, honest and making no apologies for anything depicted on the screen. He states, "The dubbing in English makes this almost a comedy.". If he would step away from his video games for a minute he would know that the lip movement in Russian is way different to English and hasn't the same flow and rhythm. That is why the English speech you hear doesn't match the visual lip movement. The artists that added English dialog are to be congratulated. He goes on to say, "No plot, actors are horrible as is everything about the film.". This is a person who definitely didn't watch this film from start to finish and is intolerant to any form of film-making that doesn't fall into his videogame playing values. If this film had been made in the USA, I have no doubt it would easily win Academy Awards. He states evan further, "The highest grossing movie in Soviet history? You've got to be kidding. Filmed in 2005, released in 2010. Whats up?". Again showing his inexperience... he doesn't realize how much time and effort is required to translate the dialog/soundtrack and get permissions/releases from foreign countries. He makes one last statement that I can some-what agree with, "Don't waste the dollar at redbox!". I agree... get this movie on Blue-ray, (or at least DVD) you won't be disappointed. As a last resort use RedBox and enjoy one hard hitting, in your face, earthy imported movie that brings out the horrors of war in a truthful manor. (I have survived just such an encounter!) I would give this movie 10 stars out of 10 if I could. Don't listen to the Thomas A. Maguire's and "Megabee's one star ratings... they haven't a clue what their talking about!

Thank you,

Alex Taylor

I felt that the 9th Company was a very good film and it portrays a none western view of the Soviet Afghan War. The film follows the service of several Soviet VDV(Airborne)troopers from their enlistment up to the end of the films final battle.The film covers events in 1987-88 which was during the final stages of the Soviet Afghan War. The first half of the movie focus on the at times very brutal training that the VDV troopers go through the instructor Warrant Officer Dygalo often resorts to brutal punishment of the men for making mistakes and the actor portraying Dygalo has an outstanding scene where he goes into a rage at the men when he learns that he will not be allowed to return to Afghanistan.Another very interesting scene is at the end of the basic training a VDV commander asks the men if any of them wish not to serve in Afghanistan that they should step forward and they will be assigned elsewhere this scene is notable as many westerners may not know that serving in Afghanistan was voluntary and every Soviet solider asked to serve there.

There are several good scenes when the new troopers arrive in Afghanistan and met the much more experienced men in the unit the 9th company which they have been assigned to.The rest of the movie develops well and you see how the young fresh naive men come to see the chaos of warfare.The battle scenes are very confusing and violent and you rarely see much of the enemy for very long which does a great job keeping you on the edge of your set and feeling out of control of what is happening.

The last 20 or so minutes of the film is the climatic final battle which occurs in early January 1988 and lasts almost three days.The film does take some creative license in this part and portrays the unit as having been forgotten about and not receiving any fire support until the last day.In reality the real 9th Company was not forgotten and had full fire support during the battle.Though the battle and situation shown in the film is a bit different than fact I feel that the director did this to portray the general feelings of the men who severed in the war that they where forgotten and whats worse the nation and ideas that these men where fighting for the Soviet Union no longer existed just a few short years after the Soviets left Afghanistan. Overall a very good film and beyond a doubt far better than any western film about the Soviet Afghan War such as Charlie Wilson's War which is highly idealized far more so than the 9th Company is.

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I'm reaaly happy that I bought this movie on Amazon. I saw many russian movies and I think this movie is the best russian movie in the last five years. Fedor Bondarchyk is the great son of his father who created the best movie of the 20th century "War and Peace".

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I have seen this movie on YouTube and found it very well filmed, after viewing several parts of the movie I decided to make the purchase of this movie. I am happy to add this film into my collection.

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It seems like yesterday when Russia invaded Afghanistan, with the so-called mission of "fulfilling our international duty, by assisting the brotherly people of Afghanistan in repulsing imperialist aggression." Well, we already know that this enterprise was a failure, and "9th Company" is a film that we really need in current times, when history seems to be forgotten very, very fast and repeated in an incredibly stupid manner. It is brutal and honest, a truly penetrating and unforgettable film.

The movie begins in 1988, when a group of Siberians which volunteered to join the army and fight in Afghanistan are about to depart for boot camp. We meet the young men whose life we will follow throughout the film. From Siberia they are transported to Ferghana, Uzbekistan, where they will spend three months of training before going to the front. The men in charge of breaking them in is drill sergeant Dygalo (Mikhail Porechenkov, in a superb performance) and Captain Bystov (Aleksey Kravchenko, in another amazing performance), who informs them that "the most important thing to remember is that Islam is not just another religion. It is another world, with its own laws, a different view of life and death. A true Muslim is not afraid to die in battle killing an infidel is a heroic deed, a stairway to heaven." And off they go to Baghram, Afghanistan, where they are divided into two companies: 4th and 9th. As the name of the picture implies, we follow the 9th Company until the very end, and gradually witness their evolution in the war. This was one of the last companies to leave Afghanistan during the Russian final withdrawal on February 9, 1989, after almost ten years of engagement.

Under the direction of Fyodor Bondarchuk, this film has a lot in common with Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket (1987), in which its two hours are basically divided into two parts. The first hour is about the training and the second one is about the actual war. However, "9th Company" feels more real and visceral with some very funny moments, too --, and we get a clear picture of why the Russians could not defeat the Mujahideen resistance. Not in vain, Captain Bystov also told his men: "In the entire history, no one ever managed to conquer Afghanistan. No one... Never..." Funny enough, the line that keeps popping up all along the movie is, "Your motherland won't forget this." This film was based on real events which took place on January 8, 1989, on Height 3234, in the Khost Province, Afghanistan. Perhaps our men in Washington could leave the comfort in their lives and take a look at this movie. The Blu-Ray edition of the movie includes trailers and English language and subtitles. (Finland, Russia, Ukraine; 2005; color; 140 min plus additional materials).

Reviewed exclusively by Eric Gonzalez for on September 9, 2010.

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Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

Green Lantern: First Flight is an awesome film. It doesn't waste a lot of time on the origin (which takes place in the first few minutes) and heads straight to the action. Some people might see this as detrimental, but I like how the DC animated projects a lot of the time will just assume that you know the basics of what is going on. It saves a lot of time and allows the movie to start getting to the point.

First off, I was surprised at how brutal some of the violence was for this cartoon. I know that these releases are not necessarily tailor-made for children, but this is no JLU episode. People are impaled, shot, torn through walls into the vacuum of space, and there is pretty much non-stop fighting through most of the 120 minutes. I don't have any problem with that, but it might not be to everyone's liking.

Plot-wise, it's not Shakespeare, but we are talking about an action cartoon here. There is a hero, a villain and lots of cool use of the Green Lantern rings. Those were the only prerequisites I was looking for going in to this thing, and I was not disappointed.

The voice cast did a great job as well. If there is one thing that DC always does right, it is casting their voices. Michael Madsen as Kilowog was my personal favorite. Too bad he didn't have more voice time.

This might possibly be my favorite DVD project of theirs, which is saying a lot considering the fantastic Wonder Woman, New Frontier, and Gotham Knight DVD films. I sincerely hope they continue putting out quality releases like this one.

In the Marvel universe Daredevil is the Man Without Fear. In DC Comics that label falls to Hal Jordan, who shows no fear and brandishes a will of friggin' iron. I'm not one to be on Hal Jordan's jock but I've been reading comic books long enough to know just how much this guy's been put thru the wringer. Not only did he have to put up with Oliver Queen in all those socially relevant stories, but years ago Hal Jordan went insane and turned to the dark side but having your city murdered under your nose might do that. Dude became a mega-supervillain called Parallax and wreaked incalculable devastation. Later, Jordan sacrificed himself and eventually took up the mantle of the Spectre, after which he came back from the dead (coming back from the dead being only marginally more challenging than chewing gum IF you're a comic book character). In DC's line of direct-to-video original animated movies, it's only natural that the spotlight first focused on the Big Three. But, after Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, I can see why Green Lantern would receive the next animated feature film treatment. Hal Jordan, whether home on Earth or patrolling the perilous spaceways, happens to be one of DC's all-time big guns.

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT spits on the slow burn set-up and instead plonks you straight into the thick of things. Within the first four minutes of the film the dying extra-terrestrial Abin Sur crash lands and bestows his power ring onto dashing test pilot Hal Jordan, and Hal then becomes the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. There's barely time to acknowledge Carol Ferris and her Ferris Air company before the new Lantern is whisked away to a hellacious deep space adventure. Cue the non-stop action. Just one of the reasons I dig this movie.

Hal Jordan is transported to the center of the universe, to the planet Oa, home to those immortal blue midgets known as the Guardians of the Universe. The Guardians, creators of the Green Lantern Corps, don't think much of humans. Sinestro, the intrepid Green Lantern of Sector 1417, has to talk fast to convince them to allow him to take Jordan under his wing. So off Sinestro and Jordan go, on a mission to learn the identity of Abin Sur's killer.

But there's an even bigger situation brewing. For a while now the Lanterns had been on the lookout for any sign of the yellow element, the only thing powerful enough to counter the green element, which is the source of the Green Lantern Corps' power rings. I don't think I'm spoilering things when I say that Sinestro isn't as noble as advertised, that dude actually leans closer to finkhood than to heroism. Near immeasurable power has corrupted Sinestro, to the point where he now believes that the end justifies the means and has no qualms at all about torturing prisoners for information. He doesn't think much of the Guardians and disparages them every chance he gets. In his new world order, there is no room for these immortal blue midgets. Sinestro very easily lives up to his rep as Hal Jordan's archnemesis. As a bonus, for those who've been reading up on recent Green Lantern stuff, Sinestro eventually dons his black and yellow outfit from the Sinestro Corps. He looks darkly resplendent in a fashionably despotic kind of way.

I'm so used to Hal Jordan being the experienced pro that it's sort of refreshing to see him being the newbie on the block and getting that rookie treatment. You know you're lowest on the totem pole when even the squirrel Green Lantern disses you. Still, soon enough, Hal Jordan is doing his thing, kicking space alien booty, piercing thru conspiracies, and generally proving his doubters wrong. I don't know that Hal's use of his ring is all that inventive or imaginative, but, man, there is such decisiveness and flourish to the way he puts his ring thru its paces. Surprisingly, my favorite ring manifestation was that giant golf club, although, since I'm old-school, I'm kinda glad there's a sequence in which the classic gigantic green fists come into play.

The pace is poppin', the thrills keep on comin', but not so much with the character development. Hal Jordan is Hal Jordan, brash and resourceful and brimming with bravado, even as a fresh-faced rookie and even when his ring is stripped away from him. But Hal just rolls with the punches. Sinestro is the most interesting person here, although not too many'll be startled with his good-to-evil arc. Several old GL favorites make the cut: Boodikka, Arisia, Ch'p, Tomar Re, and one of my all-time favorite Lanterns, Kilowog. Gratifyingly, Kilowog is given a big role and even gets to mutter "Poozer!" a couple of times.

The film takes advantage of its PG-13 rating. I liked the violence, but then again I'm a fairly sick mo-fo. Others might raise an eyebrow to scenes of impalements, necks being snapped, and even of a ring's energy beam lethally punching thru a body. The animation is mostly solid, but is at times shaky, and there's that one bothersome sequence in which Sinestro's normally magenta complexion mysteriously shifts to a more human color.

But, never mind, the animators do the job in conveying on film that epic cinemascope vibe that comes with Green Lantern's intergalactic exploits. GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT doesn't quite achieve Justice League The New Frontier (Two-Disc Special Edition)'s level of excellence, but it still places third on my list of favorite DC direct-to-video animated films so far (right after Wonder Woman 2009 (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)). The yellow element battery, created by the creepy Weaponers of Qward, looks impressive and menacing, and Sinestro's supervillain street creds are established when he almost dismissively takes out gangfuls (Corpsfuls?) of Green Lanterns. Again, this is a PG-13 picture, so characters actually die in this one, and sometimes quite horribly. Nothing says "Oh crippitycrap" like a shower of defunct power rings ominously klunking on the floor at the Guardians' feet. But, just when things look bleakest, check out who reclaims his power ring (no, it's not G'nort).

The special features are... okay. Disc One has: the widescreen feature presentation; the very promising exclusive sneak peek (7:49 minutes long) at the next DC Universe animated film SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES (based on Jeph Loeb's first story arc from the SUPERMAN/BATMAN comic book and starring the voices of Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, & Clancy Brown); in-depth featurettes on three original DC animated films JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER (10:43 minutes), WONDER WOMAN (10:25 minutes), and BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT (10:08 minutes); and a behind-the-scenes look (8:50 minutes) at Blackest Night, the DC Comics mega-event which resurrects the dead and has them wielding corrupted black power rings.

Disc Two has: Behind the Story with Geoff Johns as he discusses Green Lantern's mythology; the pretty friggin' great DUCK DODGERS episode: "Green Loontern"; Green Lantern Corps Character Profiles on Sinestro and the Guardians of the Universe; and 2 bonus cartoons from JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED: the very, very awesome two-parter "The Once and Future Thing," in which Batman, Wonder Woman, and the John Stewart Green Lantern pursue Lord Chronos and end up first in the Old West and then 50 years into the future. Hal Jordan shows up for a nano-moment in the second part, which I guess is enough of a tie-in to include the two-parter on this DVD. Not that I'm complaining. Watching GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT has got me all kinds of excited to see the live action film. Bring it, Ryan Reynolds!!

Buy Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) Now

Green Lantern First Flight: Two-Disc Special Edition

(Released July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video)

Another Looong DVD Review by Joe Torcivia

With 1992's BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES, producer Bruce Timm began a roll of excellence in adapting DC Comics' characters and concepts to animation that continues unbroken to this day!

In GREEN LANTERN FIRST FLIGHT, Timm hits all the right notes, concepts, and character bits to create as perfect a Green Lantern film as could be imagined.

Everything is as it SHOULD BE. Test Pilot Hal Jordan is summoned to the crash site of the dying alien Abin Sur, receives Abin's Power Ring, and is transformed into Green Lantern! Little of the precious running time is spent on this well-known origin, and the transformation takes place between 3:45 and 4:10 of the film. THAT'S EFFICIENCY!

The balance of director Lauren Montgomery's film (again, as it SHOULD BE) is spent introducing the Green Lantern Corps, their masters the Guardians of the Universe... and the untidy matter of Sinestro. BIG kudos to writer Alan Burnett for working it all into little more than 70 minutes.

As a reader and fan of DC Comics since the Silver Age and all phases since, both good and bad I can say this film (Pardon) "RINGS" TRUE!

As is our custom in these reviews, we'll break it into CONS and PROS.

The CONS:

The Special Features: (For the "Two-Disc Special Edition")

There is NO COMMENTARY TRACK for Green Lantern First Flight.

There are "Promotional / Making Of" documentaries for OTHER DC Comics Animated Features Justice League: The New Frontier, Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess, Batman: Gotham Knight, and a very welcome "first look" at the upcoming "Superman / Batman: Public Enemies".

...But there is NO "Making Of" or "Behind the Scenes" feature on Green Lantern First Flight! Couple this with the lack of a producers' commentary track, and there is little or no information on the film you've just purchased though plenty of it on Warner catalogue titles. In all, there are NINE separate Special Features, and not one of them is actually about Green Lantern First Flight!

Credit Where Credit is Due: Much of the documentary material focuses on the current writers of the Green Lantern comics, Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi. And, so it should, as they have restored the Green Lantern mythos from a long run of mediocrity to renewed greatness.

BUT, there is virtually no mention of those who created said mythos in the first place!

Artist Neal Adams makes a cameo along the way, but there is not one word about editor Julius Schwartz, writer John Broome, and artist Gil Kane who conceived the whole shebang early in the Silver Age of Comics! The Corps and its specific members, the Guardians, the Central Power Battery, the Yellow Impurity, the Planet Oa, Hal Jordan, and Sinestro and The Oath.

ALL of it sprang from the minds, words, and pencils of these talented individuals but you'd never know it by the focus presented here. Even writer Denny O'Neil, who (along with Adams) revolutionized the Green Lantern concept at the end of the Silver Age, is among the unmentioned. DC Superhero projects from WHV have usually been good or at least adequate on historical perspective of the source material. But, not here!

The PROS:

The Film Itself: No more spoilers than I've already given, but... YES! Simply, YES!

The Cast: Christopher Meloni as Hal Jordan and (especially) Victor Garber as Sinestro make a great pair of lead cosmic adversaries. Michael Madsen, Tricia Helfer, and John Larroquette are nicely cast as supporting GLs Kilowog, Boodikka, and Tomar-Re.

And a very special treat for fans of sixties television! Among the actors voicing The Guardians are old stalwarts William Schallert and Malachi Throne!

The Characters: Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris, Abin Sur, Kilowog, Boodikka, Tomar-Re, Sinestro, and The Guardians of the Universe.

Green Lanterns in lesser roles: Ch'p, Arisia, Saalak, Arkis Chummuck, and the "Big Head GL". There are surely many more that escaped my enraptured notice.

Other villains include Kanjar-Ro (from 1961's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 3) and the Weaponers of Qward.

No John Stewart, Guy Gardner, or Kyle Rayner, as this is the tale of Hal Jordan becoming Earth's first Green Lantern. They would all come later.

The Special Features: (For the "Two-Disc Special Edition") Two features on the current Green Lantern comics one overall and one specifically about the upcoming arc "Blackest Night". Though lacking in historical perspective (see the "Cons" section) they ARE very informative for those interested in being brought up to speed.

There are two "mini-features" one on Sinestro and one on the Guardians of the Universe. Neal Adams gets the "line-of-the-day" in the Sinestro piece: "We had TRIPLETS. Here's BOUNTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, and SINESTRO... Who's gonna be the BAD GUY? Sinestro's gonna be the BAD GUY I don't know why..."

Bruce Timm picks a favorite JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED episode that is tangentially related to Green Lantern: "The Once and Future Thing" Parts One and Two. Bruce T. KNOWS how to pick `em! This tale of Batman, Wonder Woman, and John Stewart Green Lantern vs. a wonderfully browbeaten, disrespected, and resentfully angry version of time-mastering villain KRONOS takes them from the Old West (with Bat Lash, El Diablo, and Pow-Wow Smith) to the future of Batman Beyond! (Yes, Bruce Wayne gets to meets Old Bruce Wayne! Wouldn't you feel cheated if he didn't?)

And the Crowning Glory of the Special Features: "The Green Loontern" a 2003 episode of the DUCK DODGERS TV show, where Daffy / Dodgers' DRY CLEANING is accidentally mixed up with Hal Jordan's (Ring included!) and Daffy is summoned to assist the Green Lantern Corps with a Sinestro-spawned galactic crisis!

It took FOUR WRITERS to pull off this crossover masterpiece Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone, and old WB hands Tom Minton and the great Paul Dini and they wring every ounce of Daffy-esque humor and admiration for the Green Lantern concept from this script, as perfectly as could be!

If you thought the character list of Green Lantern First Flight was something, check out who they squeezed into this 22-minute marvel: Duck Dodgers, Eager Young Space Cadet, Dr. I.Q. Hi, Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Katma-Tui, Kilowog, Tomar-Re, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, G'nort, Arisia, "the Diamond Green Lantern", Saalak, Ch'p, Boodikka... and (in keeping with casting sixties icons to voice Guardians) John Stephenson at his most regal and officious as Ganthet!

Great Line:

DAFFY/DODGERS: Hey, you know... In person, you REALLY DO look like THE DEVIL!

SINESTRO: (resigned) Yes, I get that a lot!

DUCK DODGERS has yet to be released on DVD, making this a TRUE bonus! If ever a single Special Feature was worth the price of admission, this is it!

OVERALL: Green Lantern First Flight Two-Disc Special Edition is a rousing success in both the feature itself, and the extras. If you are a fan of DC Comics (Now or Silver Age), the Warner Bros. DC Comics Animated Series or are just looking for a great introduction to the Green Lantern concept -Green Lantern First Flight is highly recommended!

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From Warner Brothers animation who gave us "Wonder Woman", "Justice League Frontier" and `Gotham Knights", comes DC's next direct to DVD installment "Green Lantern: First Flight". Directed by Lauren Montgomery with script written by Alan Burnett, the movie is a 75 minute ride in the beginnings of Hal Jordan as a member of the Green Lantern corps and incorporates several references in the story arc from "Sinestro Corps"collected in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps comic monthly comic titles.

While testing out a flight simulator in Ferris aircraft, Hal Jordan (Christopher Meloni) suddenly disappears in a flash of emerald light. Taken to a remote area where an alien spacecraft had crash landed, Hal becomes the recipient of a ring of power, since its previous wielder, Abin Sur was mortally wounded. Hal was chosen by the ring because of certain qualities but before he becomes the ring's true user, he must prove his mettle to the Guardians. Sinestro (Victor Garber) takes Hal under his wing in the hunt for Appa Ali Apsa (William Schallert) who was responsible for Abin Sur's death and who has found the yellow source of power. While in the quest, Hal and the other Lanterns (made up of Kilowog (Michael Madsen) and Boodikka (Tricia Helfer) finally uncover Sinestro's secrets; he intends to destroy the central power battery that provides power to the rings of the corps members.

Think "Emerald Dawn" and "Sinestro Corps", then you may get a general idea as to what the movie is all about. The direction and screenplay keeps the story moving, with a lot of ring slinging scuffles while touching on the certain character attributes of Hal and Sinestro. I liked the part where Burnett displays the differences as to how Hal uses his ring as opposed to the other members' methods. Hal uses bats, guns, springs to get the job done; one may say that Hal is more creative with the ring's uses as opposed to other members merely generating force blasts and force fields. It was a good attempt at human qualities being brought into exposition when compared to the other alien members. Sadly I find this development very hard to buy into, as we don't see Hal being the recipient of the ring's workings--no definitions of will power and imagination are explored, I found it hard to believe that a rookie green lantern would be more adept with the ring. I guess the filmmakers are relying on fans of the comic series to fill in the gaps.

The movie also has several plot missteps. The Guardians are supposed to be one of the eldest and wisest races in this universe; also they are powerful telepaths--yet they didn't think of using their abilities to probe the dead mind of Appa. (I am thinking that the telepathy of the Guardians is more potent than Xavier's). It was just too convenient for Sinestro to know what to do to find the Weaponers of Qward. Also, I find it unbelievable that the Guardians only had one attack up their sleeve and then they yield to Sinestro. Sinestro, alone with one yellow ring could undo the entire corps? Sure his power battery was sentient, and the rings were vulnerable to yellow but really, these are the corps members who supposed protected the universe? They all felt a little too inexperienced to me and the rules of the green central power battery felt a little too underdeveloped.

Now for the ultimate question: Does "Green Lantern First Flight" display good ring-slinging action? Yes, it does. The encounters between Appa's gang of bug-aliens and Hal were very entertaining. The final fight between sinister Sinestro and Hal is reminiscent of their encounters in the comic series, with Hal utilizing the power of the green central power battery (ala "Emerald Dawn") to use against him. The fight was well-choreographed with a good exclamation point. It was a great touch to have Hal move two moons against the yellow central battery. The animation is fluid and nicely executed, the style of the art is similar to other Warner bros. animated features; the layouts are also very spiffy and cool.

"Green Lantern First Flight" is good, it has that child-friendly quality but mature enough (there is some blood and death) to entertain the adults. However, this "first flight" doesn't serve up enough character depth, Hal's psychological profile is a key element in its mythos. The movie is a little hollow, and most characters just disappear from the screenplay a little too quickly. I supposed it was Lauren Montgomery's intention to keep the pace moving to avoid too much dialogue, but in the end, the movie felt a little too short and felt a little rushed; it relied to heavily for fans to fill in the gaps. I sure wished that the other familiar faces of the GL universe played a more active part in the movie. Kilowog was underused; Ch'p the squirrel GL provided some humor, and familiar faces Arisa and Tomar also make appearances.

Despite its flaws, I found "Green Lantern First Flight" a decent entertaining entry in the DC universe. It does portray "green rookie" Hal Jordan as a hero right off the bat and the movie has loads of action to dish out. I like John Stewart, Alan Scott and Kyle Rayner...but Hal is still the best ring-slinger in my book.

Batman once said: "The most powerful weapon in the universe and all Hal could dream of is a boxing glove and a flashlight?" Let's hope for a sequel...

Recommended! [3 ½ Stars]

Want Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) Discount?

As a kid in the early '80s, I knew all the major DC characters, but I was only submerged in the worlds of Batman and Superman because of their wild popularity. Since then, the world of comic books and heroes have finally infiltrated the mainstream and it's become much easier to delve deeper into the mythos of your favorite character.

Being able to watch an entire animated film about The Green Lantern is unbelieveable, not to mention the fact that it's on BLU-RAY! The success of the DC animated films is directly attributed to their quality production. Every aspect of the film is nearly perfect including the voice acting, the lush animation, and the packaging.

As with all the DC animated films thus far, the acting talent is carefully chosen. Christopher Meloni IS the Green Lantern. Even though he's one of my favorites, it's going to be difficult to to adjust to Ryan Reynolds after hearing Meloni do such a fantastic job at capturing Hal Jordan's occasionally rebellious and saracastic tones. It was great to hear BSG's Tricia Helfer and That '70s Show Kurtwood Smith, among plenty of other stars. GL: First Flight also includes the voice talent of Michael Madsen (Kilowog), Olivia D'abo, and John Larroquette.

The film combines comic book action and mixes in a little sci-fi, which satisfied the Star Wars geek in me. If you enjoyed the animated films Superman Doomsday, and Wonder Woman, I guarantee you will love this just as much. And as I mentioned, I was only a casual fan of Green Lantern before watching this film, but all it takes is one viewing and you'll consider yourself a fan. This is the best way to indoctrinate yourself into the Green Lantern universe. You'll witness the origin of Sinestro and how the Lantern and power rings function, which I was always a bit fuzzy about.

It's easy to wonder why some of the other DC characters haven't been exploited like this, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Green Lantern First Flight will get you primed for the upcoming live action film, so I highly recommend making it part of your collection.

Allow me to use my ring to create a big green thumbs up to DCU and WB!

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