Taken (Two-Disc Extended Cut) (2008)

When I was a soldier stationed in Germany in the 1970s there was a raid on a Turkish-owned bar on the outskirts of Frankfurt A/M. German Polizei and US CID (US Army Criminal Investigation Division) broke up a white slavery ring that had been operating out of the bar for some time. The bar was a way-point in the transportation route of young European girls (preferably blonde) who had been kidnapped throughout Europe and were being smuggled to be sold in the harems and brothels of the Middle and Far East. The police found some twenty girls in the basement of the bar, some from as far away as Denmark and the Netherlands, waiting to be shipped further down the pipeline.

The German police and Interpol had been watching the bar for some time and were hoping to trace the route farther down the track to take down the ringleaders. The white slavers made the mistake of kidnapping the daughter of a US Army colonel whom they thought was a German national. The Colonel learned about the investigation and refused to allow his daughter to be held by the white slavers and victimized so the police could gather intelligence. As it turned out, I learned later, the raid eventually did lead to the disruption of this particular ring because the guys busted talked.

So, when I learned what this film was about I went in with a certain amount of understanding of the subject matter. Let me say here that this film hits the nail on the head in presenting its subject matter and the way young women are victimized by ruthless animals only out to make a buck. (SPOILER) The scenes where they show the young women being made into drug addicts to control them are particularly disturbing to me as I've seen the impact drugs had on young girls working as unlicensed street walkers in Germany (a nation that legalized prostitution to make it "safe"). As disturbing as the film was I am glad I watched it and if I had a daughter (I had all sons) I would make her watch this film when she reached an appropriate age in hopes it would make her more careful in how she behaved when I wasn't around to protect her. This is a film every parent should watch it is a film every teenaged girl and boy should watch. It's sad, but things like what happens to the girls in this movie go on every day.

Having said that, the next question is, is the movie good?

Well, I've never seen Liam Neeson deliver a bad performance. Even if I didn't like the movie (and he's done a couple turkeys) he has always been superb. No exception here. Sadly, most of the negative comments about this film seem to be from people who don't like action movies. But Neeson elevates this even above the typical action movie. This is a story of family. When I watched Neeson's reaction to what happens to his daughter and his response I imagine it is what Natalie Holloway's daddy wishes he could have done, what every father of a child who has been abducted and brutalized wish they could do.

As a professional soldier and former martial arts instructor I find Neeson's action scenes are superbly executed and realistic. Don't look for a superhero leaping tall buildings with a single bound, but watch an expert, who may not be as young as he once was, doing what he knows best for a good cause. The fights are brutal, ruthless, and efficient, pros doing what they do. Even the violence is understated, brutal, but avoids the spectacular many audience have come to expect. What Neeson does is violent but considering the circumstances and motivation, necessary to save his girl. Great stuff.

The alleged coincidences do not strain or insult the intelligence overmuch, this is an action movie for folks who think. Of course, if you thought "The English Patient" deserved the Best Picture Oscar you'll probably hate this film. Otherwise, it is a don't miss. Neeson brings to the revenge flick empathy and gravitas lacking in other such films.

As I watched the film I thought of that Army colonel fighting Interpol and the German police to save his daughter. I hope he was able to see this film, I think he'd approve.

This is a review for the 2 disc version:

Taken blew me away. It's a tight, well written action flick. Luc Besson wrote and produced this and the character building of Bryan (Neeson) reminds me a lot of "The Cleaner" in Leon: The Professional, which was an earlier work of Besson's. The action reminds me of the Bourne series but more satisfying in a way than Bourne. The first 30 minutes is awkward. But a lot of what Besson writes is awkward, but charmingly awkward. The extended cut is the European cut. They decided the American audience couldn't handle some of the scenes. There is NO nudity in this film at all and none in the extended cut.

But what you get on the 2-disc version and not on the 1-disc is the following:

"The Making of 'Taken'" (18:22) a featurette of the making of.

"Avant Premiere" (4:37) video of the premier night in Paris

"Inside Action: Side by Side Comparisons" (11:05) what it says

Plus, two tracks of commentary.

The second disc is nothing but the digital copy which is extremely annoying.

Is the 2-disc worth it? If you are a hardcore fan of Taken, then yes. If not, then buy the 1-disc cause that also has the extended cut. Buying the 2-disc is worth it for the commentary and 18 minute featurette.

Cons:

For me, the let down was the acting by Maggie Grace, but I'm not sure it's her fault. She is in real life a 25 year old woman and here she is unconvincingly playing a 17 year old teenager. I'm not saying she's a bad actor...she just doesn't pull off the age thing right. Her portrayal doesn't kill the film, and at times she nails it but at others it's just weird. They should have gotten an actress closer to 17 in real life. Even the ending was not realistic but I'm not sure it was Grace's fault. But at the same time she only endured the ordeal for less than 96 hours so I guess she might not be as traumatized as one would think she should be.

Taken is a solid popcorn flick. One you can watch and have fun with and it gets the nerves going too.

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This is one of those great action movies where the hero isn't burdened by doubt, ineptitude, or guilt. He knows what he has to do and he does it coolly and ruthlessly! What he does is kill bad guys... Lots and lots of bad guys of all nationalities, races, and creeds who deserve what they get. Very efficient and ecumenical...

I lost count, but Liam Neeson must have killed about 50 bad guys in this one. And they keep on spawning so he has more to kill. I haven't seen one hero take on so many bad guys who keep on reproducing since Steven Segal made "Hard to Kill"...

The action is non-stop and the retribution is very satisfying. There is a lot of violence, but this is not an explicit blood and gore film. Just good old Hollywood movie violence that hits you at the gut level. "Taken" is a nice vicarious vigilante thrill for all the rest of us who must play by the rules. Liam Neeson does an excellent job! Highly recommended for action fans...

Read Best Reviews of Taken (Two-Disc Extended Cut) (2008) Here

I was skeptical when I heard that this movie would be produced by Luc Besson (The Professional, La Femme Nikita), the go to man or the French Joel Silver of action movies since some of his films have been hit and miss. This turns out to be a hit (it's already grossed $143 million thus far) thanks to the casting of Liam Neesom (Schindler's List; Rob Roy). A physically imposing actor of great presence, Neesom brings this physicality to the role of an retired CIA man brought back into action when his daughter is kidnapped in Paris. What ensues is 97 minutes of breakneck action and Neesom is totally convincing in this role. It may lack the complexity of the Bourne series but if you like your action movies to be lean and mean--this is the flick to see!!

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The US version of this movie is a little different than the one released overseas (I specifically remember two fairly violent scenes that were edited out), but it's still amazing. I remember watching the trailer in the theater and leaning over to my friends with a look of glee and amazement. We all knew we were going to see that movie on opening night.

And we did.

It did not disappoint.

It takes a minute to get rolling, but I think it only felt that way because the movie is so short (I think it's about an hour and a half long). It doesn't feel like very long, though, as, once the action starts, it blows you away. It's quick, gritty camera angles that really make the film come alive. Some of the violence is so out there, yet realistic, that you have to cringe when you watch it.

At it's heart, it's about a man, desperate to find and save his daughter, and willing to employ any means necessary to get her back. As the title of this review suggests, it's a little like 24 okay, a LOT (with one scene ripped straight out of day 5, fans will know what I'm talking about), the man's daughter's name is Kim and she's been kidnapped and he's gotta do crazy bad things to get her. It's enough to hold me over until the real 24 movie is out, BUT, it's good enough in its own right.

I love Liam Neeson in this role, if only because I was surprised that he could pull it off. I kept hearing Aslan as he was making death threats and it was a little disconcerting. But he makes me believe he's Brian Mills in every second of the movie. The only thing I didn't believe was that he and Lenor were ever married. They just didn't click. At all. Maybe it's good that they divorced!

It's definitely worth the rent, but even more so, it's worth the buy. I can't wait until it's released on DVD.

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The Terminator (Remastered) (1984)

Video:

The new transfer looks great. It's sharp and grain is intact. However, it should be noted that the color-timing is not what you'd be used to for this film. It takes a tealish look, especially in certain scenes. The look works for the film, but it's certainly not what we have seen over the years on TV, VHS, DVD, screenshots, etc. It's a whole-new look for the film. Whether or not it was the intended look from the start, or whether James Cameron had a hand in making it look this way has yet to be seen. But over-all it is a superior transfer, and it makes owning this disc worth it.

Sound:

Fairly active and robust surround sound here, but sadly it is the remix sound. The original mono with the original sound effects is missing once again, so expect a few moments of "Wow, the sound effects there were horrid."

Extras:

A couple of featurettes, nothing terribly formidable. Also, the deleted scenes in SD. All of the extras here can be found on the Special Edition DVD, and missing is the hour-long 'Other Voices' documentary and extensive Easter eggs also found on that release. This would have been the perfect time to deliver a feature-packed Blu-ray with all-new features, but alas...MGM/Fox has decided to cheap out this time. Maybe we'll get a 30th Anniversary Edition in 2014.

I'm quite content with the newly remastered The Terminator (Remastered) [Blu-ray]. Right away I noticed the superior quality in regards to the picture & audio. Fine detail in closeups is very apparent, yet, the film grain is intact. I definitely recommend this new edition compared to the sub-par original T1 blu-ray release from a few years ago.

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I knew that "The Terminator" would be re-issued, and with a better remastering effort. I knew this because the last known re-issue of "The Terminator" on DVD had many extras. Like additional documentaries and the making of the film, etc.. The first issued Blu-Ray of the film actually looked no better than the DVD (it appears to be the same unimproved source copy) but however, it also excluded all that extra material that the last known DVD version had so you will be more anxious to buy the film again, later, that will include all those already existing extras.

I believe this was their plan to double dip the consumer to resell this movie again, on Blu-Ray.

You gotta ask yourself. "How many times have I bought this same movie over the years, with the promise of it being somewhat more improved?" (your purchases of the past included VHS in several re-issues, Beta, Laserdisc, DVD again in several re-issues, BD, etc.) The Blu-Ray has been issued twice already, and now, here comes the third re-issue on Blu-Ray.

It's ridiculous how they do this to us. They give as little as they can on the first release, and then they improve on it just a little more, with a hope to re-sell it again. And then again.

You watch, three to five years from now, you will probably be buying "The Terminator" yet again, because they will again do something more for it to make your current copy inferior to it. They will always add a little something more to a re-issue to make you want to buy it again. Even things that they already have on film, that they will just wait to add to a future re-issue.

Read Best Reviews of The Terminator (Remastered) (1984) Here

First of all, casual viewers are going to just have to ignore the negs here. That is about all you can do. This is the highest video quality you are going to see on bluray. A 36Mbps transfer of an older grainy film and damn does it look wonderful. The AWFUL red push of the old releases is gone and THANK THE HEAVENS. This film looks unbelievable and I am NOT easy to please when it comes to details and bitrates. Most blurays these days cannot seem to get past 25Mbps, many are much less, and it shows with fluctuating quality throughout the film. Not this one.

They slightly changed the color timing to reflect a modern and SLIGHTLY cooler tone. Some people cannot seem to deal with the fact we are no longer in the 80s and no director worth their salt wants that pinkish/reddish look, that was quite common in that time, to their films now that they have a choice. Blade Runner did the same and The Final Cut looks better than it ever did, though, that release has less than HALF the bitrate of this release. Anyway, the timing does wonders for this film IMO. I have never seen this so detailed in all my life. I really think the new timing gives it a more timeless look and will be appreciated by most people. In no way will it hardly even be noticed for the vast majority. Skintones remain natural and whites are still nice and bright.

As for the sound, it is also the most balanced and proper it has sounded in a long time. There are these few diehard weirdos who cannot seem to deal with the fact that most people don't like mono and don't want to listen to mono in film when there are effects taking place all over the soundstage that take advantage of more than one speaker. Cameron never meant for there to be a Mono track it is just that the producers would not let him have his 4 track stereo because they were cheap bastards. He even came in under budget ffs. Mono also has many other deficiencies compared to stereo with depth of the various instruments and sounds and the overall balance of the mix. You can read about that somewhere else.

I do agree they should have at least included it but quite honestly I would not be using it anyway. They seem to have improved the stereo and multi-channel tracks. To my ears the gun sounds are fine and sound pretty damn good for an 80s film. They redid some of the effects with T2 ones to my knowledge a while back. This presentation seems more balanced than any other releases to my ears.

For the people that are boycotting this release let them. This isn't some travesty like the original Patton release or the Predator: Ultimate Edition release which were DNR'd to within an inch of their life and looked like wax on screen. To the contrary, this is one of the best looking blurays on the market. The old Terminator release is a joke compared to this.

Nothing to be afraid of with this one. They did just about everything right except include the old mono track. And no one but a few really care because it ain't that great to begin with. 5 stars for a great remaster and at 10 bucks at Walmart, and around that on Amazon, you really cannot go wrong. Extras are the same as the past versions to my knowledge. Peace.

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I own the movie in 3 formats, vhs, dvd and now the remaster. Best i have seen. I really felt like it was the first time i saw it.

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Band of Brothers (2008)

That modesty and that sentiment seems to be shared by all the survivors of Easy Company, 506th PRI, and many of them can't hold back the tears as they mumble it. One of the great benefits of this marvelous series was the closeup interviews of the real men portrayed, those wonderful old seamed faces, breaking at last with emotion as they recall their experiences and the love of their comrades and the pain of loss of other friends. It moves me greatly, and I'm glad the Extras in this set has an extended documentary re-tracing the time-frame of the film with these real veterans recalling the action we've seen re-created.

Brought with loving care and fanatic attention to detail by producers Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks and their carefully chosen band of producers, directors and actors, this is an unsentimental, near-documentary telling of the story of Easy Co. from training to D-Day, Hedge Row fighting, Operation Market Garden, Bastogne, into Germany, liberation of Death Camps, and the capture of Berchesgarden & Hitler's Eagle's Nest.

Throughout it all, the aim has been to tell it straight and get it right. They have done so in remarkable style. The truth HAS enough drama, and the various episodes reveal it. We get to know these men and care about them. We marvel at their endurance and the way they go about getting the job done, professionally, and with matter-of-fact, everyday courage. It is a true tribute to the Citizen Soldiers who won the war.

With 10 episodes and lots of extra goodies, presented within an exceptional package, there is just too much to review here. Some memorable moments: the harrowing jump into the explosive, tracer-lit night skies of Normandy; the assault on the 88's; Winter's killing the young German; the episode dedictated to the Medic; the monstrous artillery barrage on the men in the snowy forest of Bastogne; the shock of the farmer's wife on seeing the closeup hand-to-hand killing of the German by "Bull"; and finally, the incredibly moving scenes of the liberation of the Concentration Camp, and the final days of Easy at the War's end.

These last episodes are all the more powerful because we have followed Easy Co. and these men and have seen the death so random and arbitrary around and among them that a slow emotional tension has been built that we now realize with the intensity of anger/pity/horror at the Camps and the bittersweet joy and subsequent farewell of VE day.

I could cite great moments by each individual actor, and nicely played and effectively understated but powerfully emotional scenes but suffice it to say this is an ensemble piece with superb performances throughout. The quiet power of the different episodes underscores how wonderfully written the entire piece is, and with corresponding excellent direction and production values.

A one-of-a-kind production, having the time to tell the tale with detail and care, and with all involved doing honor to the men who lived it. And finally, there are those men, bringing it all back to the reality of real lives lived. Exceptional stuff.

Band of Brothers is an awe inspiring and visually stunning tribute, not only to Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, but to the "Greatest Generation." But for their sacrifices, would we share the freedoms we so cherish and covet to our vests today! Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg deserve all of the awards and accolades they received for bringing this epic to HBO and now this incredible DVD box set!

Part 1 Currahee Currahee is a wonderful beginning to this unprecedented HBO miniseries. Outside of the movie "Saving Private Ryan" there has never before been such a realistic series such as this one. Currahee poignantly highlights the training that was necessary for the newly designed Airborne Infantry. While some may think that Captain Sobel was a complete idiot, in all truth, his combat skills were obviously lacking however, as a trainer, he put Easy Company in a very good position as a well trained unit.

Part 2 Day of Days D-Day has arrived and Easy Company makes the jump that they've been preparing two years for. As history unfolds, the German flak has caused nearly every plane to miss their designated drop zone. 1LT Winters finds he's in Normandy, lost his weapon and his company. He finally arrives at the assembly area and is given the mission to take out a German artillery position. Day of Days is an excellent episode that doesn't miss out on 1LT Winters depth of emotions as he loses his first soldier in combat.

Part 3 Carentan Easy Company is ordered in to take the French village of Carentan. While encountering only minor resistance, they take light casualties. After successfully taking the town, they're ordered to move on to the next objective. En route, they encounter the German force sent to retake Carentan. They stalemate for the evening, expecting to forge a full assault in the morning. The Germans have other plans though and counter attack in the morning with a combined force of mechanized infantry and armor. Fortunately for Easy Company, they are finally rescued by the 2nd Armored Division. Shortly after this action they are lucky enough to get some R&R back in England. The show ends with orders back to the front and a very poignant final scene to yet another wonderful episode.

Part 4 Replacements Replacements jumps forward to September and Easy Company is on R&R in England. They're called into Operation Market Garden. Easy Company is given the mission to take Eindhoven, Holland. They were told they would be running into light resistance. Operation Market Garden turns into a huge failure and the Allied Forces are turned back with heavy casualties. Sgt "Bull" Randleman is quite unfortunate enough to get stuck behind enemy lines. "Replacements" is another excellent episode.

Part 5 Crossroads Crossroads is one of the best shows of the whole miniseries. Captain Winters, due to the costs of war, garners advancement from Easy Company Commander to Battalion Executive Officer. The episode is shown, through the eyes of Captain Winters as he is preparing a report on the actions of October 5th when he led his company in the attack of a German SS position. The more telling part is later in the episode when he gets an R&R in Paris and the horrors of war catch up to him.

Part 6 Bastogne To quote Captain Winters, "we're paratroopers; we're supposed to be surrounded." Bastogne tells the tale, from Easy Companies point of view, about the 101st Airborne Infantry being surrounded by German forces and holding the line during the Battle of the Bulge. This is also the combat action where the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne replied to the German Commanders request for their surrender, "nuts."

Part 7 The Breaking Point January 1945 and Easy Company is on the verge of attacking the Germans in Foy, Belgium. Due to heavy resistance, Easy Company endures nearly a month of being barraged by German artillery on the front line. This episode is very telling as far as the how demoralizing the artillery can be.

Part 8 The Last Patrol Easy Company is on the front line in the Alsacian town of Haguenau. They now have the sense that the war is coming to a close, as they are just across the river from Germany. The brigade commander orders a patrol across the border to secure German prisoners. This episode again brings to the forefront the emotions of the soldiers as they again are counted on to accomplish their mission!

Part 9 Why We Fight This episode is clearly the most poignant of the series as Easy Company finds and liberates a concentration camp. Although there had been rumors of these concentration camps, no once could truly comprehend what they were about until they were faced with them! This episode alone should've garnered several awards.

Part 10 Points Easy Company takes Eagles Nest, Hitler's mountaintop fortress. The company settles in as an occupation force, yet expecting to be redeployed to the Japanese warfront. A very emotional what happened to several of the units members after the war. Overall, this episode is a fantastic conclusion to the "Band of Brother."

Disk Seven

We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company An outstanding documentary containing interviews with surviving members of Easy Company! Once you've seen all of the episodes, this documentary introduces you to the real members of Easy Company.

Ron Livingston's Video Diaries This is an exceptional set of clips filmed by Ron Livingston, who played Lieutenant Nixon, covering the "actor boot camp" run by Captain Dale Dye, USMC Retired.

HBO's The Making of Band of Brothers' This is another excellent "Making of" clip by HBO, covering the creation of this spectacular miniseries! {ssintrepid}

Buy Band of Brothers (2008) Now

I have to say that this series blew me away. I was so impressed with the effort put into Saving Private Ryan to give it a documentary look and feel. Band Of Brothers falls from the same tree. Once again, Hanks and Spielberg reunite to produce this epic cable series of WW2 as told by the men themselves. Every episode has interviews from the soldiers who were there. Very realistic and emotional stuff.

First off, the set comes in a metal box with fold out style disk holders. Exactly like the standard dvd edtion a few years ago.

The Blu-Ray edition has 6 disks total. 2 episodes per disk on the first 5 with many, many extras on number 6.

The quality of the picture is perfect. These films were shot with tons of natural grain for that documentary style look. The lenses also give the look of a 40's camera used in the field. Although the film itself is washed out and very rough, it has awesome detail. You will notice so many things going on in the background. The size of the shots sometimes leave you in awe. The blacks are sometimes unstable, but that is the intent. The daytime scenes are beautiful in their full scope. The greatest thing about this series is the uncompromising attention to detail. From the uniforms to the weapons. The skintones are spot on and very nice looking with great detail. The majority of these episodes were shot outdoors. So, the landscapes look fantastic! From the coast of France, to the mountains of Austria, this has some amazing and beautiful scenery. While the picture may be " washed out ", it looks and feels just as you would expect from the point of view from a combat photographer. The battle scenes are simply unbelievable. It takes you to a new level realism.

The sound is second to none. You will easily be blown away with the audio track quality. You have to turn down the volume at many points during battle scenes. The voices are crisp and clean, but the battle scenes really rock your sound system. All of your speakers get a good workout. The subwoofer really hammers out the explosions. The rear speakers have tons of gunfire from all directions, as do the side speakers. You will have a true surround sound experience. Many movies do not make full use of the full audio possibilities. This one does!

There are great extras here as well. Great in depth interviews from the soldiers themselves. A really cool making of documentary called " We stand together: The men of easy company " And many other things for the history buff. Cant say enough about this product. If you are a war genre lover, this is one of the best. If you love history, and dont want a watered down, made for Hollywood war film. This is how it happened as told by the men of the 506th E Co. You will have a new respect for these guys who gave so much. It is hard to believe that some people could give so much for so little. Thank god they did.

Read Best Reviews of Band of Brothers (2008) Here

First of all let me just say that i have never seen Band of brothers before so I'm not a blind fanboy or anything like that , and because I'm not an american so i thought this mini series is not going to be interesting to me , However this mini series is highly praised everywhere and it have 9.6 score on IMDB plus it won the Golden Globe award and Emmy as the BEST series made for TV , so i said to myself lets give it try

So far i have seen only 5 episodes on the BLU-RAY and i have to say that the picture quality is insanely good i own over 30 Blu ray movies and series like Planet Earth, Band of brothers picture quality beat every movie i have ever seen ,yes even Disney Blu rays like pirates, the colors is perfect and its crystal clear, its just UNREAL how good its, i was really surprised i didn't expect TV series picture quality to beat Movies picture quality (Its simply the Best picture quality so far on blu ray to me, but sometimes picture quality jump from crystal clear to "extremely" Grainy on some parts which is intended i believe)

Blu-ray.com reviewed the series today also and gave the picture quality 5/5 and everything else 5/5 kinda XD

I have only seen 5 episodes so far! and i don't want it to end ;( that's why i'm watching it slowly, to be honest i have always hated and avoided World war Movies because to me they are boring as hell, i have heard the story god damn million time in books/video games and Hollywood movies even school books and most of the times each version of the movie is different so you don't know which version is real or accurate about what happened in the world war 2 because a lot of movie directors change events and make them different to sell tickets, but with band of brothers the men who went to the war speaks to you and tell you there REAL story "there is picture in picture mode where you can watch the movie and small screen like 1/4 of the TV pop and the Real people who was at the event speaks and its optional"

Band of brothers is a masterpiece its Story,Characters,Script, Events,Sound is too good plus its very emotional story.... i don't know where to start about this series it just blow my mind from its goodness

I hope this review was helpful to you

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My father was 22 years old when he left Philadelphia and joined the army in the spring of 1942 he volunteered for the 101st, in the summer of 1942 he left Philadelphia and found himself at Camp Toccoa, he was not in Easy Company, I don't know the name of his company.

He was a sergeant and squad leader he named his squad "Maguire's Magpies". He fought in France, Holland and Bastogne. Out of the original squad of 12 that landed in Normandy only 4 men survived the war, 8 men were killed in action during the following twelve months. And 6 of the replacements were killed in action as well. He himself received 2 Purple Hearts, the original squad and the replacements endured 150% casualities.

My father died in 1988 so he'll never read the book, or see Band of Brothers. When I was young I would pump him for information about the war, he told me everything. We discussed his experience at length, over the years he told me all the details. So much so, that when I read the Ambrose book it was like I had already read the book. But I wasn't prepared for the visual images in the Band of Brothers, I was overwhelmed, the intensity and the brutality of what my father and his fellow soldiers experienced brought me to tears. This production is a fitting tribute to the ultimate sacrifices that these young men made.

My father traveled to Europe for business frequently in the 60's and 70's. He would take time on this trips to visit France, Holland and Belgium, he would locate that certain village, and find that particular farm field or forest where one of his "brothers" had fallen, he never forgot how special and exceptional these young men were.

My father is still the most exceptional human being I have known in my life, seeing this production gave me a great insight to his personality. He was a person who truly appreciated what life had to offer, he was active, loving, funny and always emphasized the positive. Those thirteen months in 1944-45, gave him an understanding of humanity that few of us possess.

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American Pie 1-3 Blu-ray Boxset (Blu-ray + Digital Copy) (2011)

The "American Pie" trilogy is one of the freshest, funniest and most consistent comedy series in film history. I can't find one major flaw in any of the films. Oh sure, maybe there are a few quirks here nd there, but each film is absolutely hilarious and only seem to get better with age.

Here's my review for each film.

"American Pie (1999, Unrated) The first film in the series introduces to the series' colorful assortment of characters: nervous, scatterbrained virgin Jim (Jason Biggs), levelheaded, suave Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), who is only one step ahead of Jim thanks to the fact he already has a girlfriend (Tara Reid), sexual mastermind Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and one of the most dastardly comic creations ever, the unforgettable Steve Stiffler (Sean William Scott). The film chornicles their sexual mishaps (key words: pale ale, pie and flutes) and ultimate triumph over virginity. Plus, there's hot girls thrown in the mix: nerdy but lovable band geek Michelle (Alsyon Hannigan), levelheaded choir girl Heather (Mena Suvari), curious, nervous Vicki (the aforementioned Tara Reid), all knowing sex guru Jessica (Natasha Lyonne) and of course, Czechoslovokian babe Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth). The bevy of hot babes assembled for this movies is only rivaled by the classic beauties of the "Grumpy Old Men" movies. Eugene Levy is a real scene stealer as Jim's overly supportive dad, and Jennifer Coolidge is a hoot as Stiffler's mom, a.k.a. the MILF.

The film is very well written, and several of the scenes have since become classics. 5/5

"American Pie 2" (2001, Unrated) The second, and arguably best, film of the series, has all the cast members from the first film returning. In this one, the boys rent a summer home in which they will hold an end of the sumer party in which they hope toscore as many chicks as possible. Natuarally, lots of things go wrong, and old feelings start to arise, causing the boys to rethink their plans.

The film is as good as the first one, and actually improves upon it in some ways. While none of the scenes are as hilarious as, say, the pie scene, the humor in this one is more wittier and a lot of the one liners are better. The super-glue scene rightfully takes it place as one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life, and the whole film is another laugh riot. 5/5

"American Wedding" (2003, Unrated). Often considered the worst of the series. By this point, the formula was beginning to wear thin, plus the half the cast either didn't return or wasn't asked back. Still, these do nothing to diminish this second sequel, which fins Jim and Michele preparing to tie the knot. New characters are introduced, and the same old schtick is still just as funny the third time around. 5/5

Overall, this is a boxed set I definitely recommend purchasing. Here's hoping that somewhere down the line, a fourth "American Pie" will someday see the light of day.

I too bought the boxed set from WallyWorld (aka WalMart). The cover appears the same as the rated set but one side (the sleeve) is marked as "UNRATED". Odd as well is the number on the sides ( Catalog # ?). They are different numbers. The set was only $20 bucks, but still... Since its been opened, I don't want to have to try convince the "Brain Trust" at my local Walmart that "No .. I didnt buy two sets, mix them up just to rip off the store .. DUH .. "

I love the movies and I'll keep the sets. I really wanted the unrated versions but for the price I'll keep them. Maybe a letter to the distributor of the sets would produce better results. I thought maybe it was just "My Luck" to pick up the only set in the world that was misloaded... Guess my luck has changed ..

Anyway .. 5 stars for the movie(s).. I remember 17 like it was .. ohhhhhhhh .. 27 years ago .. HEH HEH ..

Buy American Pie 1-3 Blu-ray Boxset (Blu-ray + Digital Copy) (2011) Now

Now don't think that just because the title of my review is "Misleading" it has nothing to do with the movies themselves because they are awesome!!! IT DOES HOWEVER, have to do with what the box says. I recently bought this 3 pack at Wal-Mart and on the side of the box it said unrated. I bought it at it's cheap price and got home to open it to discover that it was all of the rated versions. I was somewhat upset, but kept it anyways because the movies rock. The second one is awesome! If you are buying this movie looking for UNRATED material STEER CLEAR OF THIS BOXED SET!

Read Best Reviews of American Pie 1-3 Blu-ray Boxset (Blu-ray + Digital Copy) (2011) Here

While I thought the series was getting a bit old by the 3rd movie, this is still a very good price for getting 3 decent movies. All have their funny moments. I still enjoy the first the best. Mainly because the jokes were original and fresh. Though it is still funny to see the strange things Jim would get himself into. Levy as his father was a great choice. This is worth the 20 dollars easy. Lots of laughs, and plenty of gross out humor.

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I brought this box set and Part 1 and 2 was unrated But the problem was that American Wedding was the Rated R version ....WTF..

In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)

By now we've taken the achievements of space for granted. In some ways our world, even our universe, has become smaller and bigger at the same time. What makes David Sington's `In the Shadow of the Moon' so wonderful is how it relaunches our awe for those incredible moments when a handful of men actually reached the moon. The film rekindles those memories when a few astronauts found themselves walking upon and discovering a completely different heavenly body as no time before or since.

Using 'The Right Stuff' they interview several of the astronauts who reached--or nearly reached--the moon from 1968-1972; the documentary is mesmerizing for its close-up shots from liftoffs to moon landings. Interspersed are relaxed and frank discussions by the aging men who brought our native satellite back home to the whole world. Unsurprisingly, their memories are vivid and detailed. Surprisingly, there's so much more terrain covered on this endeavor than previous movie visits. Some of the documentary shows the world's reaction to those marvelous moments.

Too many details should never be divulged, for that's an insult to the heart. But in general terms, we get recollections of how these men reacted to their experiences. Without deception or evasion, they recall palpable danger at every turn and the inner workings of fear, awe, and decisiveness which met their challenges. Putting things in perspective, Michael Collins reflects that the moon looked like an "inhospitable, hostile, scary, place". Many anecdotes fill us in on the behind-the-scenes drama at NASA. Even the mundane details are fascinating.

There are many advantages to seeing this film in the theatre, but it's still great for home viewing, especially for those with HD or widescreens. The close-up shots are ample and sometimes vertiginous. Philip Sheppard's often changing and rapturous score works like Sington's directing and David Fairhead's editing to bring the glory of the past all back home.

Reaction can be like one astronaut who relates that his father was born just days after The Wright Brother's flight, and he reflects his father couldn't believe we were going to the moon, while his young son was far less impressed. Maybe like Apollo 11 itself, `In the Shadow of the Moon' can reunite everyone of every generation and renew their perspective on a breakthrough that we all too easily and too often dismiss as passé.

(Admirably, they keep the presentation tight, but the "Bonus Features" are excellent. Even when they're not essential, they're always interesting. There's over an hour of extra material [so it's not correct to say these are merely "Deleted Scenes"]. Besides a short interview with Ron Howard, there's a twelve minute segment on Philip Sheppard's creation of his exquisite score and plenty of other anecdotes to spare. Portions elaborate on the astronauts first role in The Cold War, and others continue to keep us marveling, especially Jim Lovell's testimony about the harrowing Apollo 13 journey. There are plenty of fascinating features.)

It makes such a refreshing change to see a documentary that is not out to make a scandal, reveal a conspiracy, or trick people into making fools of themselves.

This is a real treat, to watch a straightforward telling of the conquest of the moon, not from the technical perspective but from a very human perspective, using a combination of NASA photography, period newsreels, and most crucially, interviews with the surviving Apollo astronauts, with the exception of the notoriously reclusive Neil Armstrong.

There are no tricks being used here in the telling of the tales just fantastic lingering shots of the moon as seen by the astronauts, and their very personal memories, told with candour and warmth. We learn how human they felt the `right stuff' persona is taken off for a moment, and we see just how in awe they were and still areof what they were part of. This is all put in perspective of not just the space race of the 60's, but the Vietnam war which some felt guilty to be exempted from.

On a lighter note, we learn who was the first astronaut to pee on the moon, and the nervous moment when the moon land speed record was broken in the lunar buggy at a breakneck speed of 18 kmh...

It's hard not to be a little moved by the stories being told, and the iconic shots of earthrise and the surface of the moon will blow you away, as the unhurried pace draws you through the events leading up to and during the landings.

Highly recommended.

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I thought this movie was a wonderful introduction to the Apollo moon landings, really showing the human side of the experience and providing a wonderful general overview of the achievements. I saw it on the movie screen and highly recommend it.

I also really liked the book of the same title, by C. Burgess and F. French, that not only covers the early Apollo flights, but also delves into the preceding flights, and what the Soviets were up to at that time. In the book, I learned about the early lives and early flights of these astronauts, and what it was like to be in the moment of flying the missions. In the movie, I learned what these guys look like today, and how they feel reflecting back on their experiences. Both movie and book were perfect for their medium, and great accompaniments to each other.

Highly recommend both book and movie, and suggest experiencing both!!!!!

Read Best Reviews of In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) Here

The truth is, everyone should have seen this in a theater on a LARGE screen (IMAX would have been ideal). This film is so breathtaking and beautiful, replete with never-before-seen footage that will mesmerize you. I saw this with an audience that was cheering at the end!! It's that great, and will very likely be a staple of classrooms everywhere the filmmaking is first-rate and is probably the best work of its kind. The historical value of this project can't be overestimated since most of those who walked on the Moon speak warmly in interviews (looking into the camera) of what it was like. Don't think twice: buy this it is absolutely essential viewing.

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I was fortunate to be invited to preview this film in April of 2007 while attending the International Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. Buzz Aldrin, at age 77, flew in to introduce the film to an audience of space professionals involved with planning our manned mission to Mars. Buzz is full of energy, sharp, creative, and humorous and still an avid champion of space exploration. He is a true national treasure.

The film was remarkable! It was full of personal and never before told stories shared by our first moonwalkers talking directly to the camera with no scripted questions...just personal moments of their unique experience in Space. The film was entertaining, full of high quality film clips recorded years ago as historical documentation of astounding achievement. The editing of this natural and unscripted story telling by each of our most memorable astronauts flowed so precisely that I forgot it was a documentary. The high quality theatrical sound of firing red hot rocket thrusters and the sounds of fearful and critical life or death minutes at Mission Control had the audience gasping with relief when the exact moment of success and salvation for these dangerous missions were achieved.

I cannot say enough to convey the experience of this film. We all left the theater realizing that the moon landings were the greatest achievements of the American spirit in the Twentieth Century.

I was 19 years young when I first felt the pride of our first moon landing. I arrived home on leave from Marine Corps boot camp, at the peak of the Vietnam War, just an hour before Neil Armstrong stepped out of the Lunar Landing Module. I have a photo of myself standing next to our television and still dressed in my uniform as I did not want to change clothes and miss a moment of that moon landing. The live image of the moon landing can be seen clearly on the TV screen captured in my photo. Unfortunately I will be 77 years old, at the earliest possible date, to feel that kind of national pride again....when we put our first team on the surface of Mars. Our nation needs strong national leadership to make the first manned mission to Mars a reality...this film reminds us of all these things.

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V.I. Warshawski (1991)

V.I. Warshawski is a dated picture. It come from a time when being coarse and raw was "new." But in this case it works because the raw and coarse woman is interesting. A private eye more interested in a case than in the bucks it can bring her. A woman who lives life on her own terms. A woman who accepts her femininity without letting it limit her. Kathleen Turner is perfect for this role.

The story is nothing new, but does have its own spin. More important are the characters, the way they are revealed, and the growth they display over the course of the story.

V.I. Warshawski is one of several movies that have been released in low-priced Blu Rays where the only "feature" is the feature. Small films that otherwise might be missed. Good entertainment for the money. As such V.I. Warshawski, in the eyes of this film lover, works just fine.

This review is short and sweet and has to to do with the quality of the blu-ray treatment or lack there-of. Sadly most reviews seen at the Amazon forum are about the movie's story and rarely about the disc quality itself. Countless takes on the story with everyone having their own opinion. But lets face it, its truly in the eye of the beholder and not left to others to decide how good a movie is.

Now about the quality of this Blu-ray disc. be warned it's atrocious thus the 1 star rating. Not for the movie since I just loved Kathleen Turner in this title. In my humble opnion she was at her sexiest and at her peak in looks. Its not a great movie but totally acceptable because of Kathleen's presence. The classic film goddess comes to mind. Any way I had the first standard dvd offered and decided to upgrade for a better picture to Blu-ray. Well it appears sharper but odd that the same white specs and garbage that littered the DVD version is very much apparent here,.. and even in the same places as that earlier version. I do know a little about compression and know that it is possible to re-process the same mpeg2 files used for the first DVD release to a larger different compression scheme such as the 1080p format. The quality would not improve but you can do it. Not saying they did that but it sure appears that way from the print used here. Its identical and since it is highly unlikely for these white specs to repeat themselves exactly where they appeared before on the first issue of the standard DVD. Very sad they didn't use a much better print this time around or just use a print period intead of re-processing the earlier files. Again just my observation here on this Blu-ray treatment of this title. In my opinion not worth upgrading to, since the overall appearance of this movie will just leave you highly disappointed in how some of these companies view the buying public.

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This likeable, harmless Kathleen Turner vehicle is one of those films that most "name" critics have viciously attacked for no logical reasons (critics seem to be as frequently susceptible amongst themselves to "herd mentality" as the rest of us po' ignorant movin' pitcher watchin' folk). Turner's "V.I. Warshawski" is a very credible "tough broad" character,treading the fine line between sexiness and surliness with skill and style. Granted, the predictable, standard-issue plot of this detective thriller is a minus, but the appealing cast and Turner's charisma carry the day. If you are a fan of the Warshawski books (or J.A. Jance and Sue Grafton's female detective stories)you'll find the mood and atmosphere of the film quite true to the genre.If your name is Leonard Maltin, take a pill and just relax.

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I love this movie and when I saw it on Blu-ray for 4.99 I figured what the heck I'd upgrade from my DVD to the Blu-ray version. I never knew you could downgrade with a Blu-ray. My DVD offers more than this does including better sound and closed captioning. I had not read the reviews before ordering; I wish I had done so otherwise I would not have gotten this. In this day and age I would think that closed captioning would be standard.

The movie itself is great. No, it would never win an Oscar but it is great mindless fun that can be enjoyed at any time. The actors are great in it and I always enjoy Charles Durning who is perfect as the police detective.

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Great movie with Kathleen Turner bringing a tough, smart-ass private detective to life protecting a young girl. I hadn't seen this in years and it was excellent in blu-ray.

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The Mechanic (2011)

Although this is a remake of the 1970's film by the same name The Mechanic which starred Charles Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent, there are only a few similarities between the two and a lot more differences. This movie has a lot more special effects and action sequences, but seems to lack considerably in the character development of Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) and Steve McKenna (Ben Foster) and the relationship between the two men. I was also a bit disappointed in the instructional and training period that should have taken place between the master hitman and his protege. I felt that this should have been developed more than it was, and what was shown seemed to be lacking in substance.

The plot runs pretty much the same as the original, but there are some notable difference, which I won't go into here so as not to ruin the movie for those of you who still haven't seen it yet. However, for those of you who have watched the original pay particular attention to the end of the film, where things aren't always what they seem.

Statham did a pretty good job reprising Charles Bronson's role of Arthur Bishop. However, I really couldn't believe Foster's portrayal of his character as much. I am not quite sure why, as I think Foster is a fine actor, but his performance just didn't seem to have the same ring to it as Jan Michael Vincent had in the original version. And although Donald Sutherland has a small part in this film, he played his role just fine.

One thing that I did really like in this film was the way the portrayed the various gunfight scenes with empty handed combat skills. Very believable and some of it would actually be very effective. This made the movie much more enjoyable for those of us that are tired of all the Hollywood fight scenes that have no basis in reality.

One particular plot point that I found very disturbing in the movie, which I won't detail here for fear of having a spoiler, but I will generalize in the fact that for Bishop to be a master hitman, he ends up making a very crucial error in judgment concerning evidence of a previous hit that ends up causing him difficulties in the end. In a nutshell, why would you go through all the trouble to commit a perfect murder and then take a picture of you with the dead body and then leave it lying around for someone to find. Not very smart!

Overall I think this is a movie that is worth seeing, but for all of us Charles Bronson fans out there, you just can't beat the original!

Shawn Kovacich

Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

I was hoping for more on the supplement angle and picture quality for being a Sony title (and part of a known franchise now) but this will have to do.

The story follows an elite mechanic/hitman as he weaves through deception and retribution while mentoring the son (played excellently by Foster) of his former friend and boss (Sutherland). Foster was the reason I watched this and have been a fan of his since 11:14; itself an overlooked but good film. Above all of the usual Statham faces, inept bad guys, great stunts and token eye candy, Foster actually carries this film for me and proves himself again.

The picture quality was average at times, with a great deal of exteriors having that grainy look, but other times the clarity was above par. The DTS is as expected from Sony and it rocks nicely with the various explosions and gunfights. I was disappointed with the lack of extras, but they include:

* movieIQ. The standard IMDB-on-your-screen-while-watching. The best trivia was in the making-of.

* Alternate opening, deleted scenes, 10:46 minutes. The alternate opening made no sense but the deleted scenes definitely removed some character development for the Sutherland/Statham friendship. The long scene of Foster/Statham at his truck towards the beginning has nothing different except that they had to muddy the rear-view mirror (in the film) because it showed the entire crew accidentally.

* Making of, 7:47 minutes. Too short, but still had some decent background on filming, including Foster's injury which then makes sense (what I thought before seeing this was a significant writing error) as to why they filmed Foster having to kill left-handed; especially since he says he is not a lefty in the film. Good stunt info also.

Region coded A, English and Spanish subs only. Try not to compare this to the original, or against other Statham action pieces, and you might get some decent entertainment out of it. 3.5 for the film and sound, .5 for the supplements.

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Lacking originality and surprise, The Mechanic is nonetheless enjoyable for the action sequences alone. Awards it will not win, and there is quite a bit for a viewer to dislike, but the fast pace keeps the parts shiny despite the lack of polish.

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a hitman who does everything perfectly, lives in a secluded multimillion dollar house, and gets his jobs via a hitman's version of Craigslist. Not quite as hyper or entertaining as his roles in the Crank movies, Statham nonetheless toes the brooding, meticulous line of someone in that line of work. It's believable, I suppose. His mentor and confidant Harry Foster (Donald Sutherland) worries less about the next target than he does his own son Steve (Ben Foster), an aimless troublemaker itching to find his niche. As the assassination business goes, complications lead to Harry fostering a relationship with Steve, who wants to emulate the Spy vs. Spy routines of which his father spoke so highly. Probably a bad idea since Steve is a drunk.

While I probably liked this movie more than most, there were numerous problems that will relegate this film to a future in the Walmart $5 bin. First and foremost, the tension in the action is great, and there are several white-knuckle scenes, but if I had a nickel for every millisecond cut I would have been able to watch several better movies the night I watched this. That is my new pet peeve. The cuts during several spots were so fast they were nearly subliminal. It's a shame, too, because the gunplay and stunt-work in the movie are superb. The headshots fly through with force and gusto; someone really wanted to ensure there was no doubt with a quite a few deaths.

Regarding the story and the plot, that's clearly not the point of this movie. Well, maybe it is, but originality surely isn't. I don't mind brainless movies happens to be one of my favorite genres but please make at least one aspect of the movie unpredictable. This may as well have been a silent film with a caption that read, "Hitman goes through training," before showing Statham and Foster in their machine gun montage. Speaking of that, you'd think there would be more to being an elite hitman than a few random medical books and assorted time in the backyard range.

The moment that ruined the movie for me, however, was Ben Foster's ridiculous reenactment of Kevin Bacon's infamous "so mad I have to dance" scene from Footloose. Thankfully there was less angst and grand mal seizure in Foster's rendition.

I expected much more for cast like this remaking of such a good movie. Director Simon West continues to be hit-or-miss.

Jason Elin

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I knew this was going to be a good movie when Jason Statham got naked within the first 5 minutes.

I saw this movie after a really rough day at work, so I zoned out during some of the dialogue in the beginning and missed some plot explanations. Luckily, there wasn't much dialogue after that and a lot of Jason Statham kicking ass so it was still fully enjoyable. This is such a dude movie violence, blood, sex, explosions and I loved every minute of it. The greatest thing about this movie is that there's no romantic relationship getting in the way. No pretty girl to distract or reform Arthur Bishop he's a badass and remains a badass without any unnecessary complications.

And can I just say that I absolutely love a badass who listens to classical music and is extremely organized and methodical. Who wears soft grey knits.

Sadly, I'm realizing that I've become quite squeamish in my old age. I used to be a longtime lover of horror flicks, the gorier the better. Now I find myself cringing and shutting my eyes with just the anticipation of possible bloodshed. Though I don't know what kind of person who wouldn't cringe at the sight of a harpoon being stabbed through someone's calf.

Also, I'm pretty sure that this is what Jason Statham actually does in real life.

This movie is fun and exciting to watch, with lots of action and cool fight scenes. This review is completely erratic and I apologize Jason Statham always makes me lose my bearings. Go see this movie!

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I was not familiar with the original Charles Bronson film The Mechanic from 1972, but that may have actually been to my benefit with this movie. The Mechanic is definately for those who enjoy hard-hitting action films with a lot of blood that has a lot of vulgarities than you can count with a small bit of nudity along the way. The Mechanic definitely falls into the awesome category in my book. Jason Statham is back in top form with this one since it was able to deliver a pretty good story to compliment Statham's fight sequences that he is famous for. Despite the fact that the dialogue is filled with F-bombs left and right, it fit the overall tone of the film very well so it isn't too distacting. Ben Foster wasn't disappointing either, Foster is one of those good talents in his thirties that a lot of people overlook as having potential. Donald Sutherland makes a few memorable scenes but isn't really a factor in the movie besides being the main story. The Mechanic is actually really entertaining and is very much the definition of a guy film but my wife did put up with it. It's packed with explosions, bloody headshots, broken limbs, and even a hefty and destructive car chase sequence. Overall, The Mechanic is dark, gritty, bloody, and just awesome overall.

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Harry Potter Years 1-5 (2008)

I know many people want to wait for the box that will come out after the 7th movie, but as I want to watch the movies again prior to 2010, this made for an excellent hold over until then.

The box itself looks and feels like an old piece of luggage and there are lots of fun things inside. Each movie comes as a two disc set enclosed in a case resembling a text book. There are two extra "books", the interactive DVD game and an disc full of Harry Potter extras (various short documentaries for each film).

In addition to the DVDs, the box also contains trading cards and bookmarks. The cards are very cool, but the bookmarks are the highlight of the extras. They are of metal construction and are very detailed. There are bookmarks of Hedwig, Harry's Broom, a Golden Snitch, Gryffindor Shield, and Voldemort's Prophecy.

If you don't want to wait until after The Deathly Hallows or you just want a really impressive set to collect, I highly recommend you pick this up.

I just received this today, and I wanted to post the Special Features listed on the back of this set in hopes that I can help others wishing to buy this.

The special features are listed by movie, so here goes:

*Year 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Additional Scenes . Capturing the Stone: Casting and Bringing the Novel to Life . Around the world multilanguage Clip . Ghosts of Hogwarts . Yearbook Character Clips . Lessons in Quidditch and What it takes to hatch a Dragon Egg

*Year 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Additional Scenes . Conversation with Author J.K. Rowling and Screenwriter Steve Kloves . Building a Scene: Moviemaking Magic . Visit Lockhart's Classroom to view his Certificates and Required Reading . Interviews with Students, Professors and More

*Year 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkapan

Additional Scenes . Creating the Vision: Director Alfonso Cuar'on, Author J.K. Rowling and others reflect . Conjuring a Scene: The On-set Magic of Cinematic Craftspeople . Shrunken Head Interviews with Heroes, Gryffindors, Slytherins, Teachers, Dursleys and Filmmakers . Choir Practice . Care of Magical Creatures

*Year 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Additional Scenes . Conversations with the Cast . Preparing for the Yule Ball . Reflections on the Fourth Film . Harry vs the Horntail: The First Task . Meet the Champions . In Too Deep: The Second Task . The Maze: The Third Task . He Who Must Not be Named

*Year 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

(SPECIAL FEATURES FOR OotP ARE IN HIGH DEFINITION)

Focus Points: Featurettes and Production Diaries . Additional Scenes . The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter: Revisit the First 5 Movies for Clues . Trailing Tonks: Personal Film . Set Tour . Harry Potter: The Magic of Editing Director David Yates and Editor Mark Day Show What a Difference a Good Edit Makes and Then Allow You to Edit a Scene

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Overall I'm very excited about this, even without any of the Special Features, you still get all five movies in Full High Definition

[1080p High Definition 16x9 2.4:1] for less than $90.

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I just sat down to watch the 5th movie in this set and unfortunately what was in the package wasn't the movie, but "special features". Which means either I have to exchange the set and try my luck again (looks like this is a common problem with this set) or I just fork over more money to get just the 5th movie. Very sloppy to be selling something like this.

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I received this set missing the Disc 5 movie (it came with the special features disc instead). I had it replaced only to have the same problem again. Very poorly distributed by the manufacturer. I would not recommend this set until they have figured out the problem.

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I love the Harry Potter movies, so I really looked forward to getting them on Blu-ray. What I noticed immediately, was that years 1-3 really don't look particular sharp. Years 4 & 5, really do look amazing. The extras are set up a little odd, and really didn't do much for me.

I hope Harry Potter year 6 & 7 continue to look even better than their predicesors...

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GALAPAGOS 3D - Charles Darwin's Big Adventure (Blu-ray 3D & 2D Version) REGION FREE

I have been in Galapagos 2 times many years ago.

It is one of the real paradise area of the world.

You should see there many kindly animals in a touchable distance.

I am looking forward this release because wanna see this wonderful island again!

This movie is about a SEAL named Andres, and while the cinematography is really crisp, I get tired of the Spin Doctors music throughout the whole movie..."Look around your world pretty baby, is it everything you hoped it would be, the wrong guy, the wrong situation, the right time to ROOOOLLLLL to me....to ROLLLLLLL to me."

That song plays about 8 times throughout the movie. There is a dramatic shift at the end of the movie, where one of Andre's friend SEALs (or maybe it was Andre) gets harpooned by a man and woman. The Spin Doctors play again, and the song "Two Princes" plays, and it's like, "If you...want to call me baby, now go ahead, and if you...want to buy me flowers, now go ahead..." and the man apologizes to the woman for philandering, and the two begin kissing in the now-red water, fresh with SEAL blood. You realize that these two are actually vampires, and that Galapagos is actually a documentary mixed with the prequel for Blade.

The SEALs do have some cool gear, and they do talk about how Andre and his fellow SEALs whacked bin Laden, but that's not a major part of the movie. What is a major part of the movie are interviews with the heads of the EPA, HUD, and Homeland Security discussing the serious issue of STDs in Urban housing areas. This was a great message, but a little graphic for children.

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Out of Sight (1998)

George Clooney stars with Jennifer Lopez in this excellent and entertaining romantic heist movie, unfortunately much overlooked and poorly promoted on its theatrical release. Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard and superbly and subtly directed by Steven Soderbergh. George Clooney (as bank robber Jack Foley) and Jennifer Lopez (as Federal Marshall Karen Sisco) light up the screen with previously unparalleled sexual chemistry in the movie that finally launched their big screen careers to the A list, after previous false starts (such as The Peacemaker and The Money Train respectively). Also boasting a very impressive supporting cast that includes Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Albert Brooks, Dennis Farina (as Jennifer Lopez father) and great cameos from Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson, movies really don't get much better than this.

Principally this is the story of serial bank robber Jack Foley and Federal Marshall Karen Sisco, on opposite sides of the law but inescapably attracted to each other. When Jack escapes from prison aided by his friend Buddy (Rhames) he ends up in the trunk of a car with the kidnapped Karen Sisco (Lopez) after she nearly foils the prison break. However, thanks to their inept friend Glenn Michaels (Zahn), Karen escapes and Jack and Buddy have to go on the run. Meanwhile, Karen Sisco is hot on Jack's trail in more ways than one in this brilliantly played, beautifully written, excellently directed movie. This has everything I love about movies, a great story, great cast and great style. Truly unmissable and well worthy of five stars.

When I finally got my DVD player this was the first one I bought. Why? Because not only is the film spectacular but this DVD has a host of fabulous extras that very few DVD's can match. The story and characters are all well thought out and I never felt that this film made a misstep. I never write reviews for these kinds of things but I read that one person felt that this film was unoriginal and I just had to say my piece. If anything this film is completely original. I am a film major and have been in school studying film for almost four years, trust me when I say this film is deserving of its praise and it has a lot of it.

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Out Of Sight is yet another movie based on an Elmore Leonard book. Mr. Leonard's books are always full of colorful characters and sharp dialogue and unfortunately that many times doesn't transfer to the screen. This movie is another story. Steven Soderbergh has taken the true spirit of the book and captured it in this movie. The movie is interspersed with flashbacks and this allows us to see how characters got to certain points in the film. The film revolves around bank robber Jack Foley (George Clooney) and FBI agent Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez). Foley breaks out of a Florida prison and comes into contact with Karen as his accomplices hijack her and her car. She and Foley are put in the truck and the conversation between the two of them is scintillating. They let her go unharmed and she is on the case tracking him, but she finds that she has feelings for him. There are some great plot twists that I won't give away and the movie ends in surprising fashion. This movie showed that George Clooney had big screen star potential as his understated, cool persona is perfect for this role. Jennifer Lopez burns up the screen with sexy charm. The supporting players include the always solid Ving Rhames, a sinister Don Cheadle and a hysterical Steven Zahn. Out Of Sight is a fast-paced, well-crafted and completely entertaining movie.

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Out of Sight, wow. What a movie, it literally blew me away. Steven Soderbergh is such a great director, if I were Elmore Leonard I wouldn't have trusted anyone else to handle it. And Scott Frank, what can I say? His writing speaks for itself, quite literally. George Clooney was as cool as the steel edge of a magnum .357. He could have put both Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to shame with one quick glance. And by his side? The slinky, ever-sexy Jennifer Lopez. She melts the screen and everyone that stands or sits around her. Her character was Mickey Spillane's wet dream. Steve McQueen and Faye Dunnaway once turned a chess game into a steamy, erotic rendevous in the Thomas Crown Affair. Clooney and Lopez do a little bit of history repeating, this time in her trunk. One a bank robber who has just escaped from Glades Prison in Florida and is greased in mud and sweat. The other a U.S. Marshall packing a shotgun and a .38 snuggly planted on her thigh. The combination of the two is explosive. This film is a must see. What more is there to say, it's the next best thing to perfection. Watch it and love it! Just don't get burned by the fireworks!

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I walked out of "Out of Sight" dumbfounded. What a great movie! And yet it bombed at the box office. What a world . . . I enjoyed every moment of "Out of Sight"from the music, to the acting, to the story, to the direction. Based on a novel by the same title by Elmore Leonard, "Out of Sight" is part heist film, part love story.

George Clooney has been mocked for leaving "ER", probably unfairly. Okay, so his choice of roles has been pretty much awful ("From Dusk 'Til Dawn", "Batman & Robin", "The Peacemaker"), but here he finally gets good material to work from and turns in a magnificent performance. Dare I say it? It's an Oscar-caliber performance. As Jack Foley he underplays the role to perfection. Clooney is cool, calm and totally in control. Great job.

I didn't much care for Jennifer Lopez's Karen Sisco, but Ving Rhames fans will be delighted to see him in a wonderful supporting role as Clooney's friend and confidant Buddy. Rhames is a great actor who doesn't get his due often enough.

Another big surprise is Don Cheadle's performance as Snoopy. He's a terrific villain: angry, threatening, unpredictable. Along with Rhames, Cheadle is a great actor who does not get enough attention.

I throughly enjoyed the direction on the part of Stephen Soderbergh, who brings a different perspective to this movie than to most I've seen. The movie has the courage to jump around from place-to-place, making the assumption the audience will keep up. I like that in a movie.

A great film. Highly recommend.

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Rise of the Guardians - Limited Edition Easter Gift Pack (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy + 2 Hopping

You'll have to just see it to believe.

I'm 47 years old. I normally walk out of animated films which sound too noisy for me.

I not only stayed the entire movie. I watched it again 4 times -alone even, just to experience it again and again.

The magic of childhood is the magic of wonder, play, dream, believing. And if you still have that imagination left in you,

then maybe you could still sit down, laugh, cry, cheer with your kids while watching this movie.

The previews for this movie looked fun and funny; seeing this movie in full-length was an even broader experience. This is one of those movies like "Finding Nemo" or "Toy Story" that will be timeless because of the content, the humor, and the wise message inherent in the storyline. I loved it . . . and so did my 29-year-old daughter and my four-year-old grandson.

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My husband and I had been wanting to take our eight-year-old daughter to watch Rise of the Guardians for a while and finally managed to find the time tonight. We watched it in 3-D and we loved it, not merely for its spectacular visual effects, but mainly because it had a great cast of characters as well as a wonderful story with a powerful message at its core.

At the beginning of RotG, fun-loving Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine) is saddened by the fact that humans cannot see him or even hear him. Fast forward several hundred years later and Jack has become distant from the cast of characters that are collectively called the Guardians, made up of a slavic Santa who is called North (voiced by Alec Baldwin), Tooth aka the tooth fairy (voiced by Isla Fisher), Bunny aka the Easter Bunny with a pronounced Aussie accent (voiced by Hugh Jackman), and Sandy aka the Sandman who has no voice but possesses an adorable manner of communication (conveyed through golden sand dust that pop up from his head). The Guardians' primary role is to protect the children of the world and through their deeds, to keep the children believing in them. This keeps darkness which is manifested by a malignant character named Pitch (voiced by Jude Law) at bay.

To cut a long story short Pitch aka the Bogeyman returns with a vengeance, bent on destroying children's belief in the Guardians and in the process taking over the world, turning it into a place of fear and darkness. The man in the moon, a voiceless but commanding presence, who appointed the Guardians in the first place, selects Jack Frost as a Guardian to help the others defeat Pitch, but Jack is initially reluctant. After all, children can see the other Guardians, but can't even hear him much less believe in him. It takes a turn of events before Jack gets on board and is committed to defeating Pitch.

The story flows almost seamlessly and the characters are all appealing in their own ways. North aka Santa is an imposing and deceptively intimidating gentle giant who advises Jack to discover his inner core, his center so to speak. This is done in an ingenious manner using nesting dolls, which I thought was a unique concept. Tooth is not at all what I imagined the tooth fairy to look like. Unlike the Disney Fairies, Tooth is imagined as an exotic bird-like figure, full of beautiful feathers and with an elfin human face. Sandy the Sandman is small but has strength beyond what I thought him capable of and poses a formidable threat to Pitch. Bunny is one of the fiercest-looking of the lot and has the courage to show for it. The most human looking of them all, Jack, is also possessed of an inner strength that is slowly revealed as the story progresses.

This is a great movie to take the family to, though I'd advise parents with children under six to exercise caution as there are certainly scenes where Pitch, embodying the corrupting powers of darkness, advances with menace upon sleeping children and fights with spectral horses symbolizing fear and nightmares. My eight-year-old, who has watched most of the Harry Potter movies, loved this film though she was upset at the way some of the Guardians were attacked by Pitch, and insisted on sleeping with her night light on. So, I would certainly advise using your discretion before deciding to take a young child to watch this.

The message at the heart of this wonderfully imaginative and visually spectacular film is to have faith in the good things, and that this faith or belief, however one chooses to call it, will eventually eliminate despair and darkness from one's heart. This is a great family-friendly animated film that will appeal to audiences of all ages.

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Ever since "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" comic (not the movie), I've been intrigued by the basic premise: legendary characters from other genres are given the superhero treatment and then brought together under unlikely circumstances to face a global threat. This structure is the standard plot of just about every Avengers and Justice League comic, but only recently -perhaps a sign of the times -has cobbling together a diverse cast of characters become movie entertainment.

"Rise of the Guardians" continues the trend by turning the dial on iconic characters like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman up to 11. Each of these characters gives a gift to children, which in turn causes the children to believe in them and bestows a form of immortality. It's an oddly parasitic relationship that was prominent in Wizard of the Coast's "The Primal Order" supplement, in which deities need worshippers to gain power. Our heroes may not be all that powerful, but they are certainly popular. At least some of them are.

One of the questions weighing on my mind in bringing my five-year-old to this film was how "Rise" would deal with Santa Claus. It's one thing to question the existence of the Tooth Fairy (I never liked her anyway), the Easter Bunny (does anyone believe he exists?), and the Sandman (pretty sure NOBODY believes he exists)...but Santa Claus? That's some tricky turf right there.

Parents needn't worry. Santa is a jovial, dual saber-wielding slavic warrior full of wisdom, jolly humor, and generosity. As voiced by Alec Baldwin, this is a Santa I can get on board with!

The Sandman doesn't speak, but he pantomimes through thought-forms that lend themselves well to 3-D viewing.

The Easter Bunny is voiced by Hugh Jackman, which seems oddly natural. He's a combative, boomerang-wielding humanoid rabbit that can throw egg-smoke bombs like a ninja. He's also pretty adorable.

Isla Fisher (yes, the nymphomaniac from "Wedding Crashers") plays the Tooth Fairy as a neurotic workaholic who has been "out of the field" for so long that she no longer knows how to relate to kids. She also moons over Jack Frost (Chris Pine, AKA Captain Kirk).

Frost is the teenager of the bunch, frustrated by his lack of fame which makes him literally invisible to children. Frost is on a personal journey to discover how he became who he is and in doing so, accepting his role as a new Guardian of children.

And that's what "Guardians" is secretly all about: aging gracefully into parenthood. The older adults (the existing Guardians) worry about being forgotten, uninvolved in their children's lives. Pitch the Boogeyman (voiced by an unctuous Jude Law) craves attention so much that he would be happy to just be feared because it means he will be remembered. And Frost has to deal with his own childhood before he can become a parent.

There are some amazing set pieces, plenty of clever quips, and enough magical battles to keep the movie clicking along. But Frost is something of a bland catch-all for every rebellious "cool kid" in the history of movies (he wears a hoodie, he MUST be cool!) and his big revelation about his past isn't much of a revelation at all. "Rise of the Guardians" is clearly just getting beginning to launch a franchise, and this is a good start. But I'll take a movie about just good ole sword-swinging Claus any day.

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A great and ancient evil is rising in the land, and it is up to the guardians-Santa Claus, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny-to convince the reluctant Jack Frost to fight for the innocence and imagination of the children of the world

The quirky premise leads into an enchanting tale of faith and self-discovery. Jack Frost, whose heart is as warm as his magical powers are cold, is the reluctant Guardian-elect. Invisible to children, bereft of memories, and unclear as to his purpose, he wanders through life making mischief (the Easter Bunny is still deeply unhappy about the blizzard on the Easter of '64) and racking up more naughty than nice points. But when Pitch Black, the boogeyman, schemes to wipe out the faith of children in Santa Claus and the other Guardians, Jack Frost teams up with the Guardians to bring laughter and joy back to the children of the world. In the process, naturally, he finds himself and his innermost gift.

The premise and plot, though simple, is beautifully written and wonderfully presented. The animation is dazzling and exciting (I'd be first in line for the ice-slicked roller coaster ride through the town, as seen in an early action scene) and the characters are charming and international in their appeal. Santa Claus speaks with a Russian accent and wields double blades. The Easter Bunny is over-sized at eight feet; he wields a boomerang and speaks Australian-ese. It would have been too much, I suppose, to hope that the Sandman would look like Morpheus from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, but little Sandy kicked some serious booty with his Indiana Jones-style whips. The Tooth Fairy smiles too much; she raves and swoons over pearly white teeth. Jack Frost is at turns whimsically charming and heartbreakingly lonely.

Rise of the Guardians will appeal to any young child who still believes, children/adults of any age who want to believe, and cynical adults (like me) who don't believe but who can appreciate a great story and awesome animation.

Click (2006)

In this one Adam Sandler is self-absorbed architect Michael Newman who is married to the sweet and supportive Donna played by the beautiful Kate Beckinsale, of the UNDERWORLD films. He has 2 beautiful kids, Ben and Samantha, who he doesn't get to see much because he's working lots of overtime in an attempt to be made a partner by David Hasselhoff, his ungrateful boss. One night, tired, frustrated, unable to even figure out which remote will turn on his TV, he sets out to find a "universal remote." In an embarrassing production of product placement that would make a NASCAR driver blush, he ends up at "Bed, Bath & Beyond," specifically the "Beyond" room. Here he finds the resident eccentric genius employed there, called Morty, chiefly because Sandler loves having Christopher Walken, who plays the part, say "Morty." Morty gives him an unique experimental device to get his life under "control." Michael is now able to turn on any & all appliances with the a single "click." He gradually learns of the device's other functions: It can "MUTE" the bark of the family dog, PAUSE everything and fast forward through an argument with the Mrs. he can adjust his HUE as well. Wanting to learn more he visits "the Beyond" and Morty again. Morty tells Michael that he got exactly what he asked for "a remote to control his universe." Morty further demonstrates more features, including one that lets him flip through his existence at varying speeds. Michael is soon corrupted absolutely by the sheer power of the control, literally losing control. Before long he can't stop the remote from selecting what and when he will fast-forward, causing him to miss events he wants to experience, eventually leading the obligatory " It's A WONDERFUL LIFE" epiphany when does realize all that he's missed and sometimes it is and sometimes isn't a wonderful life, but that's okay, he gets the message and all is forgiven.

The film is light formula-fare with heart, like some of Sandler's weaker films, there are laughs to be found. Sandler is okay as the nice-guy with a crude streak. Hasselhoff is fun as the jerk boss. Some of the gags get repetitive and some aren't that funny the first time. Also an over-large amount of time is spent creating the progressively older Michael Newman.

Click is directed for Sandler's Happy Madison production company by Frank Coraci of the Wedding Singer, Waterboy and most recently Around the World in 80 Days (the Jackie Chan). And Sandler again uses Henry "the Fonz" Winkler (previously in the Happy Madison universe as Coach Klien, and as himself in Little Nicky) and Julie Kavner (best known as the voice of Marge Simpson) to play his unappreciated folks. If nothing else, Sandler is a loyal guy.

If you do not know who Adam Sandler is yet, then let me say "Wake up!" This is by far his best film yet, to go along with "Big Daddy," "The Waterboy," "Anger Management," and "Happy Gilmore." Oh, I was laughing so hard when I saw this in the big house. Not only is Adam Sandler great, but so is Christopher Walkin, who plays the guy who gives Adam Sandler this remote. Alright, let me brief you about this Blockbuster flick.

A guy who is down on his luck go to "Bed, Bath, and Beyond." There he goes to the way beyond section of the store, where he meets the creator of the universal remote control (played by Christopher Walkin) that is a remote control not just for electronics, but for everyday life. With this remote, one could mute sound entirely, skip a part of life (such as, let's say you are in high school. Every time it was test time, the remote would skip it for you. How it skipped it, I am not saying). All in all, it is about one lucky dude who found a very powerful remote (he got it for FREE).

So, get this film. You will not be disappointed, that is if you like Adam Sandler or if you just plain like comedy for comedy's sake. Hope I helped get you to laugh, because I sure did, as did the entire auditorium of the movie theatre I was at that day. Oh, and if you like this movie, check out "RV" with Robin Williams. Have fun and be ready to laugh out loud!

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The closest Adam Sandler has come to a great film to this point in his career is "50 First Dates." As far as I was concerned get rid of Rob Schneider as Ula and cut the vomiting Walrus and you would have a five star movie. "Click" is in the same mold in that it combines Sandler's romantic side with a unusual situation and still insists on adding raunchy humor (I suppose there could be worse things than your dog trying to have sex with a giant stuffed duck, but let us not go there). Consequently, "Click" is not an improvement on "50 First Dates," but I do not think that it constitutes a step backwards, which would be welcomed news.

Sandler plays Michael Newman, who has married beyond his reach the gorgeous Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and has two young kids who love him, his son Ben (Joseph Castanon) and his daughter (Tatum McCann), despite the fact that he is so busy trying to make partner at the architecture firm where he works that he is ignoring his family more and more each day. Every time he makes a promise to his family, he feels forced bo break it to satisfy John Ammer (David Hasselhoff) at work. Things are getting so bad that Michael suddenly decides that what he needs ia a universal remote, just like the O'Doyle's next door, so that at least he can turn on his TV instead of the overhead fan. So he heads off into the night and since Bed, Bath and Beyond is the only store opens, goes in to find his universal remote. What he finds instead in the Beyond part of the store is Morty (Christopher Walken), who indeed has a universal remote, and not just your ordinary universal remote, as I assume everybody knows from the previews.

I must say up front that I am pretty sure I could listen to Christopher Walken say anything, up to an including the instructions for using a universal remote or any other form of technology and be thoroughly entertained. I would also add that Morty is absolutely right about Donna's body. Anyway, with his amazing universal remote Michael quickly learns that he can use it to control his world and click away his problems, from muting his dog, fast-forwarding through fights with his wife, and pausing his boss so that he can slap the guy silly (although I think close-captioning would have been funnier for the scene with the Japanese businessmen at the restaurant). Then Michael discovers the catch.

It is not, as the trailer would lead you to believe, that the remote breaks. But rather, as Morty explains, that it functions like Tivo in that it pays attention to what he is doing with the remote and automatically does it again. So if you decide to fast-forward through an illness or foreplay with your wife, then that becomes the way it will be for the rest of your life. This is a fairly interesting idea given the premise of the film, and the only real flaw in it is that once you establish Michael is on "auto pilot" during the chapters of his life that are skipped, then I do not see how he could be so successful at his business given that he has to use the remote to save the bacon with the Japanese firm. But that is just because I pay attention to the rules of the game and like to take them to their logical extensions.

Sandler has gathered familiar faces for this film, with Henry Winkler playing Michael's father, Sean Astin as Ben's swim coach, and even a nice cameo by Schneider, whose understate performance encouraged my hopes for this film. Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that the raunchy humor got me to laugh out loud several times, even if a grown man striking back at the Eddie Haskell-wannabee who lives next door would be wrong, very wrong indeed (but still funny). However, my wife would like me to state in no uncertain terms that what I was laughing at was clearly guy humor, and I am pretty sure she rolled her eyes and shook her head more often than she joined in on the laughing (it was hard to tell, the theater was dark and I was trying to watch the movie).

Ultimately, the problem with the movie is the end, when Michael gets his second chance. That is because the screenplay by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe (the team who did "Bruce Almighty") invests so much in the big epiphany and final grace note at the end of the third act that they apparently have nothing much to come up with for the epilogue where we are assured Michael and his family will live happily ever after. "50 First Dates" had a great final payoff scene, and you can go all the way back to "It's a Wonderful Life" to see how well you can milk the return from Hell to the real world. Granted, you will not top the end of the Hell sequence, but then you are not supposed to. Still, there has to be a better payoff for what comes between that point and the start of the credits. I am still rounding up on this one, but I should have been in a position to round down. Final Note: Nice touch with getting Dolores O'Riordan from the Cranberries to show up to sing "Linger" live at the wedding.

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What would you do if you could pause, rewind, fast-forward (basically all of the functions you can do with a DVD player) with your life? Would you rewind through prior events to relive the glory days? Or would you skip ahead to avoid waiting in traffic or enduring a fight, or would you pause or slow-down a moment to make it seemingly last forever. Wouldn't it be nice if we had such capabilities, just imagine what fun a person could have with that kind of power. In Sony Pictures hit comedy "Click" Adam Sandler gets to experience what would happen with that power first hand, and sometimes the outcome isn't exactly what he had in mind.

"Click" is the story of Michael Newman (Adam Sandler), a man without a lot of spare time on his hands. He has a hectic, very demanding job, a boss (David Hasselhoff) who is ungrateful for everything that he does, and a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) and kids that deserve more attention than he is able to give. After feeling like life is going nowhere fast for himself, Michael visits a local store and meets a very odd man (Christopher Walken) who gives him what may be the greatest gift of all time, a universal remote. The difference between this universal remote and all others is that this one can not only control electronics, but everyday life as well. Soon, Michael is using the remote to skip arguments or boring conversations, speed up certain activities, even going back through his life to relieve the good times as a younger man. However, the remote begins to go haywire and Michael finds his life spinning out of his control, and the more he tries to fix things the worse they get. Now, he must try to regain what he's lost before it's too late.

"Click" is a movie that I wanted to see from the get-go. I thought it looked funny, it featured Adam Sandler, so I knew that was a safe bet, plus it had a great supporting cast, and what appeared to be a unique story that we all could relate to (meaning all of us that would like to have this type of control over certain aspects of life). When I finally got around to seeing the movie, I must say that it wasn't all that much like I expected. Sure, it was laugh out loud funny numerous times throughout the film, but there was seriousness to the story that was unexpected, yet a welcome addition at the same time. When the remote begins to mess with Michael's life, the movie shifts gears and becomes mostly a drama, revealing the consequences of rushing through life and how eventually it will just pass you by. It's not often that an Adam Sandler movie actually features a moral or message to the story, but this one did, and it didn't feel out of place at all.

I was really surprised that for an Adam Sandler comedy, it was actually very different from his standard fare, there were his typical off-color jokes and remarks, but his character also had a sincerity to him that was uncommon for him to play. Watching him mature over the course of the film was interesting, because it forced Sandler to play more of his dramatic side rather than his slapstick side that he relies on the most. I haven't seen Adam Sandler's more serious movies "Reign Over Me" and "Punch Drunk Love", so I wasn't too sure how all of the serious elements were going to end up playing out when I saw that was definitely where the story was heading, but he handled it remarkably well. The rest of the cast was a mixture of sweet and caring (Michael's wife and kids), to somewhat strange (Michael's parents), to downright kooky and possibly on the verge of insanity (Christopher Walken's character). Each actor/actress was equally entertaining, and delivered very fun, interesting characters that were always enjoyable when on the screen. My favorite supportive character had to have been Chris Walken's, and I was happy that the writers gave him more than just a cameo of screen time. I believe he literally stole every scene he was in, and he did it so effortlessly, which is how it should be done.

If you are a fan of Adam Sandler movies you should enjoy "Click", it does start out kind of slow, but after 10 minutes or so it really picks up, but there is some seriousness to it as well, so don't just expect to be laughing the entire time. But if you're not a fan of Sandler's films, and I know there are plenty of you out there, this is definitely one of his movies that I think you should see. It's a different type of Adam Sandler comedy, one with much more depth and originality than most of his efforts. Though not my favorite Adam Sandler movie, it definitely ranks up there around the top with "Big Daddy" and "The Longest Yard".

"Click" is rated PG-13 for language and sensuality.

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Click is an anomaly of sorts. It isn't quite a comedy, but it's got too many funny moments to be a drama. I guess it's a dramedy, which is important to know if you go into it expecting a lighthearted, fun, family movie. It is each of those things, but at different moments. Adam Sandler plays a workaholic architect who is so busy trying to get ahead at work that his family life begins to suffer. When he is offered a "universal remote that controls your universe," he jumps at the chance to have a sense of control in his chaotic life. The next thing he knows his life is a DVD complete with commentary from James Earl Jones that he can pause, rewind, and fast forward at his leisure.

The moral of the story is that you should be careful what you wish for because when you get it, you might not want it anymore. Overall, this movie was fine, but I didn't think it was stellar. It's along the same lines of Bruce Almighty and that movie about disappearing poop with Jack Black. If you liked those, or the general message therein, I think you'll like this one. I wasn't expecting the middle part of the movie to be such a downer, but if you go into it expecting the somber moments I think you'll enjoy it more.

Also, David Hasselhoff plays Sandler's boss, a completely self-absorbed misogynist. Seeing Mitch Buchanon on screen again makes this movie worth watching in and of itself.

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