The Cowboys (2007)

This is absolutely one of the best of the best. John Wayne plays Wil Anderson, a rancher forced to use young boys to get his herd to market when his men desert him in search of gold. There are many wonderful messages in this film about duty, honor, and responsibility. They are messages our nation and our young people are in great need of right now. This movie contains many memorable and haunting scenes, but none more so then when Wayne is forced into a confrontation with Bruce Dern to protect the young boys he has on the cattle drive. He gives his life, and teaches them the meaning of strength, honor, and courage. I could not disagree more with Leonard Maltin's review the message is not to seek violent revenge; the boys simply "finish the job" they were hired to do and take the money from the sale of the herd back to Wil Anderson's wife. This film captures the greatness of Wayne's legacy, and why he is so adored by millions of Americans who hold duty and courage dear. If I had to recommend only one John Wayne film to someone who had never seen one, this would be it. Truly unforgettable!

This review refers to the WB DVD edition of THE COWBOYS.

From 1971,THE COWBOYS finds our guy,The Duke, as an aging rancher who must hire 11 young boys to help him on a 400 mile cattle drive. He's tough and gruff, but really has a way with the kids,(only The Duke can cure a boy's stuttering in less than 2 minutes!), and soon finds himself acting as both trail boss and father to the group. The drive is rough for all and has the added suspense of some bad hombres led by Bruce Dern who are out to rustle The Duke's cattle.

Wayne, who by this time, just awed us with his on screen presence, turns in a touching performance and if it was up to me, would have recieved an Oscar for this role. Dern is the baddest of the bad as he goes after our hero. The film is not short on talent, Directed by Mark Rydell, it includes Roscoe Lee Brown, a young A. Martinez, and a small but meaty part for the wonderful Colleen Dewhurst. A nice widescreen presentation, the picture and color were good but seemed just a little dated to me.The sound remastered in DD 5.1 is fabulous. There's a great documentary included. The Breaking of Boys and The Making Of Men, talks about how the boys were selected, and how they trained for their parts. There are 13 (count em ..13) trailers of Wayne films from the 30's through the 70's, informative production notes, and has languages and subtitles in English and French.

Collector's of Wayne may find it more economical to purchase the John Wayne Collection set. Included with this fabulous film are two greats directed by John Ford, THE SEARCHERS, and STAGECOACH. Spanning 30 years of his career, it's a wonderful selection.

Saddle up and enjoy the ride...

Happy Trails.....Laurie

Oldies but Goodies with The Duke:

Shadow of the Eagle

His Private Secretary

John Wayne

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An aging Wil Andersen (John Wayne) takes a bunch of near-adolescent boys on a last summer cattle drive and along the way they become his boys and he becomes their "father" (or perhaps grandfather). It is vintage John Wayne, as he plys the young boys into young men of courage and responsibility. Wayne had lost both of his natural sons to reasons never fully explained, and he muses whether "they went bad on him or if he went bad on them". The cattle drive is his chance to redeem himself as a father figure.

The group of cowboys is a humorous gathering of personalities. One chuckles seeing them learn the ropes of breaking horses and roping steers. The boys see this as a chance to earn some much needed money, and of course to "come of age", turning from boys into young men.

Wayne's cattle group is confronted by cattle theives led by the the evil intentioned Asa Watts (played brilliantly by Bruce Dern). The climax of the movie is when Wayne confronts Dern in a mano-a-mano fist fight. Dern's character is a slimy long-haired flea-infested sleeze, and when they face off for their battle, Wayne says as only Wayne can say: "I've broke my back once, and my hip twice. And on my worst day I could still beat the hell out of you." It is a spirited battle and it appears as though Wayne will best the much younger Dern, but Dern, sensing defeat, pulls a gun and shoots Wayne, emptying his gun one slow shot at a time, shooting Wayne as he has his back turned. It is a tortuous moment for Wayne fans, as the hero dies a slow horrible death, and it appears as though evil will triumph. But quite unexpectedly, the boys turn the tables on the outlaws and wrest back the heard, finally killing the hated Dern.

The musical score is magnificent, and I recommend it as purchase in and of itself. The main score is music that defines the western music motif.

This is one of Wayne's better movies. People of all ages will enjoy it, but the killing scene of Wayne is quite graphic and may scare younger viewers. I'd recommend that parents keep their littlest ones from viewing the violent scene between Wayne and Dern. Many a boy became a John Wayne fan in watching this movie.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig, Lifelong John Wayne fan.

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These comments will appear under my wife's name, but it's just because I don't know how to correct it, so my name appears. I had to comment on one reviewer who doubted the reality of the fact that boys function in this Western like they did. I grew up on a very large farm/ranch in the West. My father taught me how to shoot a .22 pistol when I was in the to protect the family from snakes that slithered and those who wandered in from the Interstate looking for trouble. I never had to use it. Part of the lesson was never touching it unless there was a life-threatening emergency. My dad also taught me now to ride a horse when I was very young, and by the time I was in the herding cattle was not a problem. I replaced a hired hand on the ranch when I was in the And my father assumed those roles at an earlier age. His father, as an eighth grader, went to Denver alone on a train with a load of the family's sheep. My grandfather sold them and returned home without a problem. He did what my great grandfather expected of him. So what do I think of one reviewer's doubts about boys functioning like they do in the film? The answer to that question is obvious. This film is fantastic. And according to my own experience and family stories about myself, my father, my grandfather and his brothers, the film's message that cowboys began their work at an early age makes sense. During this time, boys learned responsibility at an early time in their lives. For those who know anything about history, think about the young soldiers who fought and unfortunately died in the Civil War. Just because our present mind set views things differently, doesn't mean that the past held the same stereotypes to be true. This film is a classic, because it shows boys becoming men as they faced a difficult taskmaster, hard work, large responsibilities and adult decisions.

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No, this movie does not contain the distilled wisdom of the ages, but those who compare the movie against the accepted child-rearing practices of the present day are letting their post-modern self-righteousness flare to the point where they may need to take a "time out." It is unlikely that 12-year-olds would participate in a cattle drive, granted, but it was entirely acceptable for 16or 17-year-olds to "do a man's work and make a man's wage" in those days. It was also a time when John Wayne's widow could not have filed an insurance claim for the stolen herd, or applied for Federal disaster relief, and the movie makes it clear that this herd represented the difference between a reasonable retirement and "working out her days as someone's fry cook." Justice was often swift and harsh in the Old West because real people suffered real consequences from the effects of crime. Therefore it was NOT a sense of vengence, as one reviewer asserts, that drove the later scenes, it was a sense of justice. And while the ages of the "cowboys" in the film are a little too young, the film accurately reflects what used to be "coming of age" in frontier America: A boy became a man when he accepted a man's responsibilities and did a man's work.

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Lewis Black: In God We Rust (2012)

After reading the other reviews for In God We Rust, I ordered it in order to decide for myself if it was a one-star or five-star performance. I watched it with my husband and adult son and we all laughed like hyenas throughout. How Lewis Black manages to sound like a slightly (?) deranged, angry man while expertly weaving his topics together (and then tying them all up with a bow to bring them together) is beyond me...but no one does it better. We all loved In God We Rust. Black on Broadway is still The Standard in this family, but there's absolutely nothing about In God We Rust that was anything less than brilliant. Black's opening riff, explaining why he was actually agreeing with people who might be tempted to walk out of his show in protest, was so brilliant that it was hard to follow for a minute until his convolutedly-masterful reasoning slapped us all in the face. From the opening until the very last word (which is best appreciated if you are familiar with Facebook terminology), In God We Rust is quintessential Black -and worth every cent of what we paid for it.

Lewis Black "In God We Rust" is nothing short of brilliant and it might just be his greatest performance ever. Pay no attention to the 1 star reviews. They are pure nonsense and were probably left by Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin who Lewis dresses down with ease. Anyone who could watch this DVD and not laugh their butts off needs shock therapy. If you're a huge Lewis Black fan don't delay buying this DVD. Don't just sit there DO IT NOW!!!!

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I was at this show in Minneapolis, and have seen Lewis Black in concert many times here and in Las Vegas. He never disappoints. I think the material he has on his current tour is better, but even so this was a great night. Highly recommended, and even more importantly go see him in concert if you get a chance. What a blast.

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In God We rust is just typical totally funny Lewis Black Stand-up comedy!!! Lewis is one of our favorite comedians and love watching anything he does.

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This is the latest and greatest Lewis Black DVD LOVE IT! He is so sarcastic and funny and current about politics. If you've never seen his work before, try this one!

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Grand Prix (2011)

I saw this movie when it was first released in Honolulu at the Cinerama theatre in the true Cinerama format. I remember nearly falling out of my seat as the astounding race sequences played out before me. This is a truly organic race film, there are real drivers of the F1 era mixed in with the mostly European cast, though James Garner and Eva Marie Saint break the cross Atlantic barrier. This film is a wonderful technical masterpiece. It even has some fine dramatic moments in between the melodrama. Some might say this is the film's greatest short coming. That is true, but also where it really mirrors the emotional high that F1 has always worn on it's sleeve. F1 is a soap opera that is played out across the world, where the wealthiest mingle, though not too closely, with the proletariat for a few hours of high rev mania. Many of the courses in the film are still in existance, but they have been smoothed out and plundered of passion. Often the races held these days resemble a parade, but once in a while things go terribly wrong and a race ensues. And it is in capturing those glorious moments that the film really soars. You will feel the ripping of the air as a car tears through the streets of Monaco, and be stunned by the speed and savagery of a huge racetrack like The Spa in Belgium or the amazing high banked corners at the old track in Monza, Italy. The camera work is a virtuoso masterpiece of technical achievement. Many of the shots that we take for granted today on our live TV races were the brain children of the camera men who worked on the film. This film is the one all of that work we see on modern TV broadcast racing strives to emulate. You are in the race, in the cockpit, in the mind and the heart of the greatest racers in the world. And for those who know the history of the sport, the real greats of the sport in that era are on hand. Jack Brabaham. Graham Hill. Jim Hill. Bruce McLaren. Richi Ginther. Many of the great names that are featured in this film did not survive the harshness of the sport and succumbed to death because of failure of both man and machine. This film is a treasure. It may be out dated. It may be melodramatic. It may also be the greatest racing film ever, but some debate that the much more restrained, almost catatonic Steve McQueen film, Le Mans is the superior. I see them as equals, representative of the two types of mind sets in racing. The passionate, fiery visrtuoso who crashes as much as he wins, and the technician, the cool headed pro, who always finishes, and manages to win more than a few in the process. Which is better? You see these movies and figure it out for yourselves. I have.

"Grand Prix" is the finest racing movie ever produced. The story involves the pursuit of the Formula 1 World Championship by four men: Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), an aging former champion who grows weary from the acute physical demands of the sport and team politics; Nino Barlini (Antonio Sabato), a brash, fearless young lion; Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford), a man broken in body yet driven to match the legacy of his deceased brother; and Pete Aron (James Garner), a stoic, pragmatic American fighting to restore a faltering career. The Ferrari Team Manager comments during the film, "Everyone wants to win...there is no distinction in that." What distinguishes these four men from others is the sheer force of will each exhibits to overcome his personal demons and to achieve his final destiny.

The drama unfolds amidst many of the great racing circuits of Europe...the narrow, twisting streets of Monte Carlo; the rain-slickened expanse of Spa; and the tortuous, high, concrete banks of Monza. John Frankenheimer's inventive split-screen imaging and on-board cameras put you inside the cockpit where you sense the raw power and road-pounding vibrations from these sleek racing machines. You are at once deafened by the high-pitched whine of superbly tuned engines as they roar off the starting grid...and then mesmerized by Maurice Jarre's soft, eloquent musical score set to compelling visual images of cars rising, falling, and turning through the racing circuit in a ballet of speed, grace, and beauty. I agree with an earlier review that DVD would materially enhance the appeal of this production and I sincerely hope DVD will be forthcoming. Regardless, "Grand Prix" will forever serve as the quintessential racing movie.

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Although racing films in general have never enjoyed overwhelming commercial success Grand Prix stands alone as the best racing film of all time!

The storyline isn't brilliant by any means and there are a few `unexplained' bloopers such as Jean Pierre Sarte's mysterious helmet change from one race to the next which was due to John Surtees leaving the Ferrari team at mid-season and signing with Cooper for a bit before eventually signing with Honda but if you're a diehard Formula 1 fan this film is a true blessing.

I already own the Laser disc and still own one of the original programs that were sold at the movie theaters and I have been waiting for this film to come out on DVD for ages, simply in the hopes of viewing the treasure-trove of behind-the-scenes footage.

Although the film did not receive the critical success many felt it deserved the historic importance of this film should not be underestimated because it's the only clear color film footage available anywhere in the world where you can see; Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, Jimmy Clark, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Richie Ginther, Jochen Rindt, Bruce McLaren, Maurice Trintignant, Mike Parkes, Joakim Bonnier, Lorenzon Bandini, Chris Amon, Guy Ligier and even the great Juan Manuel Fangio together on the big screen and in their crowning glory. Be sure to watch closely during the Spa Francorchamps drivers meeting when Jochen Rindt playfully reaches out and trips Graham Hill (aka `Bob Turner') as he's trying to step past Rindt.

For fans and students of cinematography the camera angles and the technology invented to achieve many of those angles are a testament to the ground-breaking achievements that underscore the unique and visionary genius of John Frankenheimer. And of course there's a wonderful cast of outstanding actors including the great Toshiro Mifune, Brian Bedford, Yves Montand, Antonio Sabato, and of course, James Garner who was inspired by his role in the film and went on to enjoy moderate success as an amateur racer.

Grand Prix is a must have for every motorsports fan and required study for any cinematography student who someday dreams of shooting a film with cars of any type, let alone racing!

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John Frankenheimer broke new ground when he filmed "Grand Prix", putting cameras on single-seater cars and thus creating some of the most amazing footage ever shot of cars from that era. The movie is on the light side as far as the story development goes, and while James Garner is very convincing as an American grand prix ace, one has a harder time buying this sort of act from Yves Montand who plays the aging Ferrari driver. Eva Marie Saint is cast as a magazine journalist following the grand prix circus around Europe, trying to get a story a storyline that was recently successfully resurrected in "Driven". Her lovestory with Montand is not exactly hot, but the highly dramatic race action in Monte Carlo, Spa, and Monza (they still used the famous banking of the autodromo in those days!)more than makes up for that. The film features cameo appearances of some of the era's greatest drivers like Graham Hill. Letter-boxed on a larger screen is the only decent way to completely enjoy the breath-taking cinematography of this classic.

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I have high hopes for the quality of this new release, and greatly look forward to seeing Grand Prix again. It was a reserved-seat movie back in 1966, and in those days epic movies took their spectacle seriously. (Grand Prix is spectacular in a different way than Spartacus, which in turn is different from Lawrence, etc.)

Back in 1966, or '56 or '46, when actors drove cars in movies, even race cars, they were invariably back-projected. Seemed fakey then, though now it doesn't bother me. But Grand Prix was maybe the first movie to eschew back projection for actor-driving-car scenes. In GP, the 70mm camera that pans and tilts, is literally bolted on the cars. The scenery flying by is real. The actual actor, e.g., Garner or Ives Montand, is out in the weather driving his race car and driving pretty fast, and you're out there with him, two feet away. What a movie.

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Bruce Almighty (2003)

This is one of the funniest movies I've seen in some time. Bruce Almighty starts Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, and Morgan Freeman. The basic premise is this is a comedy about one man who is given the powers (and responsibilities) of God and we get to see what he does with this power. Knowing that the movie stars Jim Carrey we expect quite a bit of over the top humor. While we do have a fair amount of the typical Carrey humor, Bruce Almighty is a lot more than that.

Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a reporter for a local television station. He gets the assignments that show off his warm and humorous side. But Bruce wants the anchor position that will be opening up when the current male anchor retires. Bruce does not feel that he is getting the respect or the opportunities necessary for him to be able to get the job he has always wanted.

Bruce is living with his girlfriend Grace Connelly (Jennifer Aniston), an elementary school teacher. When Bruce loses his job (have a nice Jim Carrey fit) he blames everyone and everything including God for his mediocre life. Grace sees that Bruce is also calling their relationship mediocre and is now upset with Bruce. Bruce blames God some more, asks for a sign (he gets several, which he promptly ignores) until finally he realizes that there is something going on and actually meets God (Morgan Freeman). God is tired of listening to Bruce whine so much so he tells Bruce that if he thinks he can do a better job at running the world, then perhaps Bruce should try. God endows Bruce with the divine power and lets Bruce have a go at it.

Bruce does what most of us would do with the power of God. He plays around with it for his own convenience, messes with the people who he doesn't like and uses it to help out his sex life with his girlfriend. His use of power is very funny, but it appears that he is not happy with life. Finally, Grace leaves him because even though Bruce is improving his life he has not changed who he is or how he acts to other people.

The movie changes gears and turns into a film about Bruce's redemption with God and with Grace. The film presents a positive message about God and faith that does not feel heavy handed at all (the director happens to be Christian). I thought this was a fairly well thought out and incredibly funny movie. It is the funniest movie thus far this year and I would definitely recommend it.

"Bruce Almighty" is another fine effort by Jim Carrey. Anyone who enjoys his work will enjoy this movie. Unfortunately, the DVD edition starts with four minutes of movie trailers. Unlike other DVD's, this one locks out the controls on your player so that you HAVE to watch the trailers before accessing anything else on the disc. You cannot even stop the disc from playing once the trailers start, except by ejecting it. AND, this happens every time you load the disc.

This is unacceptable, especially in a medium that normally allows the viewer such varied control over how a movie is presented on their screen. Because of this bone-headed decision by the DVD makers, I cannot recommend you purchase this disk. Indeed, I would encourage anyone else who has purchased this DVD to protest to Universal about this forced advertising. Anyone who pays full price for a new DVD should not have to sit through unwanted advertising to view their purchase.

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Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a local TV news reporter in Brooklyn, NY who is constantly sent out on the least desirable assignments and made into the "funny" guy instead of the serious person he wants to be perceived as.

His goal is finally sit in the anchor's chair and be taken seriously as a news personality. He is so goal oriented, it causes strife with his girlfriend Grace (played wonderfully by Jennifer Aniston). Nothing seems to go right for him. His dog eliminates in the house, his car gets demolished, he gets embarrased on TV and continues to butt his head against the wall.

Grace is a school teacher that has a special bond with her students. She is spiritual and loving, and cares deeply for Bruce, warts and all. Bruce only sees his goal and as the world crashes around him, he blames God for his troubles.

In a scene reminiscent of "Oh, God!" (starring George Burns and John Denver), Bruce goes to an unusal, nondescript building to talk about a job offer. Little does he know that it's God (Morgan Freeman) who has contacted him and who offers Bruce the opportunity to have God's power so he can try to prove he can do a better job than God.

Needless to say, giving Jim Carrey omnipotent powers is a recipe for non-stop laughter. A number of the funny scenes have already been shown in the trailers, but there are many more. Beyond the humor, however, there is a much more powerful story going on in Bruce's heart.

While he has the power of God, he doesn't have the knowledge or wisdom of the Almighty. He finds himself deluged with prayers still overwhelmed with pressures of the world. He uses his new powers for selfish things, and when he finally is moved to do something for others, he does a half-hearted job at it.

Despite his powers, he still finds himself going nowhere nothing works out the way it should. He can manipulate people and things, but he does not have the power to interfere with a person's free will. Free will is the only thing we have when we're born and the only thing we take with us when we leave but despite being told not to interfere in free will, Bruce tries at it anyway.

After nearly 2 weeks with omnipotent powers, God confronts Bruce asking what good things he has done for other people, or what things has he done at all that were good. As his life continues to unravel, Bruce realizes what God was trying to tell him subtly all along.

This is not just a film about the funny situations one can get into with almighty powers the story is more about the individual relationship each person chooses to have with God... and how to look at yourself before pointing out the problems in others.

There is some foul language in the film, but it is minimal and not anything beyond what is seen on prime-time TV these days. The film is very entertaining, but also very deep. It's hard to watch this film and not have at least a moment of looking at yourself in a different way and more importantly, looking at the people around you and trying to see them as God sees them instead of in the selfish way we usually look at others.

In many ways, this is a timeless movie almost an instant classic... and one of the few blockbusters in recent years that it's safe to take your family to watch.

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Bruce Nolan is a flunky reporter who is always sent on remote locations to cover ridiculous assignments for a local television station in Buffalo. His life goal is to be head news anchor, but his career is cut short when he swears on the air. After his neglected girlfriend dumps him and everything in his life goes awry, Bruce asks God for Help. God answers him, but Bruce cops an attitude and tells God how unfair He is and what a terrible job He is doing in the world. God listens patiently and tells Bruce that he can play God for a while, which is similar to giving explosives to a child.

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What happens when God gives a whining, complaining ordinary Joe his powers? "Bruce Almighty" attempts to answer that question, with Jim Carrey playing Bruce Nolan, the whining, complaining ordinary Joe. And Carrey has a field day with the character, delivering some of his funniest stuff yet, which include a tyrade on a newscast from Niagra Falls and making his rival newsman speak in gibberish. Jennifer Aniston does well in her first mainstream role as Nolan's girlfriend Grace, and Morgan Freeman never takes his God role too seriously, which adds an extra layer of humor to a movie already chock full of Carrey's physical gags.

Nolan (Carrey) is a reporter at a Bufallo news station, buts what he really wants to be is an anchorman. But when his rival takes the job instead, and he loses his job because of his tyrade at Niagra Falls, he gets fired and starts to get on God's (Freeman) nerves because of his complaining. All the while, he is starting to neglect his girlfriend Grace (Anniston). But God hears Bruce's complaints and bestows his powers on him. Carrey thinks all his problems are now solved as he now becomes known as Mr. Exclusive because he makes it so he covers amazing, freak stories, like a metorite hitting Earth. Although, Bruce soon finds out that his new found fame is taking him away from what he really enjoys, i.e. grace, and he is going to lose all that if he does not change himself and how he acts.

And that is the film's moral: instead of asking for everything, you have to get off your butt and do it yourself, and think about people other than yourself. Despite the occasional corny moment, director Tom Shadyac (Who collaborated with Carrey on "Liar, Liar") still manages to lend enough gravity and emotion to the message, and makes a wholly satisfying conclusion to a movie that will make your sides split, as well as make you rethink the way you go about life.

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Hotel Transylvania (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2012)

Hotel Transylvania, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky from a screenplay by Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel, is an animated comedy/horror-spoof, mostly for the kids but fast-paced enough and with enough humor to keep everyone entertained for an hour and a half. It's not as smartly written as 2010's Megamind or as sophisticated and dazzling as 2011's Rango, but it is fun to watch and satisfying in a popcorn-movie kind of way. Adult fans of old horror films will like spotting some of the more obscure monsters (Brain From Planet Arous anyone?) and picking up on some references that will sail over the head of younger viewers.

The plot begins in 1895 where we find a very paternal Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) looking after his infant daughter not long after the death of his wife. Determined to keep her safe from "the humans", Dracula comes up with an idea to create a sanctuary, a place where monsters of all kinds can come to relax and be themselves without having to constantly worry about humanity coming after them with torches and pitchforks. He directs his servants to convert an old medieval castle hidden deep in the remotest part of Transylvania into a resort/retreat for monsters from all over the world, and voila! the Hotel Transylvania is born. The hotel is staffed, appropriately, by zombie bellhops, haunted suits of armor, housekeeping witches and talking shrunken heads, with a kitchen overseen by an obsessed lunatic chef Quasimodo (Jon Lovitz) and his pet rat Esmeralda.

Of course the years seem to fly by for a parent, even an immortal one, and before Dracula knows it suddenly it's 2012 and the day of Mavis's 118th birthday (that's 18 in human-growth years). The castle is filled with guests, many of them old friends of the family who've come especially for the occasion, including a very domestic Frankenstein (Kevin James) and his high-bouffant wife Eunice (Fran Drescher), a life-of-the-party mummy named Murray (CeeLo Green), a very frazzled werewolf named Wayne (Steve Buscemi in superb form), his highly-pregnant wife Wanda (Molly Shannon) and their pack of snarling hyper-active wolf kids, and Griffin, the Invisible Man (David Spade) who can't understand why he sucks at playing charades.

But this is also a day Dracula has dreaded as he promised Mavis (Selena Gomez) that on the day she turned 118, she had his permission to go out into the world. Compelled to keep his word but unable to face the prospect of Mavis going off into what he feels is a world too dangerous for her, he concocts a scheme to scare her into wanting to stay at the castle. Which works, somewhat to his surprise. But his scheme turns out to have unintended consequences and before Dracula has time to feel relieved, the unthinkable happens a _human_ suddenly appears at the hotel, a young backpacker named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) who "heard about this cool old castle" and wanted to check it out. Panicking, and fearing for the reputation of his hotel if it were found out that a human was on the premises, Dracula quickly disguises Jonathan as "Johnny-stein", a supposed cousin of Frankenstein (actually just a cousin of Frankenstein's right hand, as it were). But before Dracula can get Jonathan out of the castle and out of his hair, Mavis and Jonathan meet and "zing!" it's love at first sight. The rest of the plot is rather predictable over-protective father wants to keep boy away from his daughter, but daughter and boy keep seeing each other but the pacing is kept fast enough and the humor abundant enough that it keeps things fresh and funny all the way through. Particularly in scenes where Johnny's fun-loving nature livens things up by inadvertently starting a horses-and-riders pool fight, introducing some new music over the grumbling protests of zombie-Beethoven, zombie-Mozart & zombie-Bach, and engages Dracula in a floating-table race, causing the stiff and stuffy Count to unexpectedly rediscover what fun is.

The animation, while not ground-breaking, is well done, with a lot of attention to detail which gives the film a level of texture you wouldn't ordinarily expect in a light comedy. For example, at one point Mavis leads Johnny into a cave, the entrance to which some horror aficionados will recognize is shaped like the face of the Phantom of the Opera. While Genndy Tartakovsky is well known for his work producing several successful TV animated series (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, The Grimm Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Powerpuff Girls and Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Hotel Transylvania is his first feature film. Fans of Tartakovsky 's TV work might be expecting something more in the distinctive style he used in those shows, but I don't think they'll be disappointed with his choice to be more traditional here. The production design was done by Marcelo Vignali, who worked on several Disney films including Mulan and Lilo & Stich as well as Cloudy With Chance Of Meatballs, and the art direction was done by Ron Lukas and Noelle Triaureau, both of whom also worked with Vignali on 2007's Surf's Up.

The voice cast is excellent. Adam Sandler, whom I don't usually care for as a rule, is actually quite good as the over-protective fatherly Dracula. Andy Samberg brings out Johnny's guileless but ever-upbeat goofiness in a very winning way, while Selena Gomez brings the perfect touch as Mavis, the teenage vampire cutie who loves her dad and all his old weird friends but just wants to get out there and see the world she's only heard stories about. Kevin James does an affable Frankenstein, and Fran Drescher is perfect as his loud and brassy Franken-wife, Eunice. CeeLo Green's Murray is the liveliest and hippest mummy you've ever heard. As always though, it's Steve Buscemi who gets the best lines (or who makes his lines the best ones by his inimitably wry delivery) as the much put-upon buttoned-down-shirt-and-tie-wearing werewolf Wayne. One of my favorite scenes is where Dracula, Frank and Wayne are trying to track down Johnny. Dracula wants Wayne to follow his scent, and Wayne can only sigh wearily and ask "Do you have _any_ idea what years of changing poopy diapers have done to this nose?"

Recommended as a fun enjoyable film for everyone and in particular for classic horror-film fans.

Hotel Transylvania was a really good cartoon movie. The movie is about a young vampire girl Mavis (Selena Gomez) who wants to go out and explore the world. Her over protective father Dracula (Adam Sandler) does not want his young daughter to go out and mingle with humans. He beleives that humans do not like vampires and will try to hurt her but he did tell her that when she turned 118, she could go. The movie centers around Mavis's 118th birthday and her party. All of her monster friends and relatives come to celebrate and they have an unexpected guest.....a human. Mavis falls for the human and the rest as they say, is history. The movie was cute and age appropriate. I took my 5 year old to see this and did not cringe once. She laughed her little head off. I would see it again anytime. I hope you find your Zing!

Buy Hotel Transylvania (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2012) Now

What a fun and heartfelt film Hotel Transylvania was when I recently attended a screening whereby producer Michelle Murdocca (Open Season 2, Stuart Little) explained, "Executive producer and star, Adam Sandler did an amazing job joining this production late in its original inception. It took some 10 years to get this project in theatres," who herself was on the project from the beginning.

Russian born director Genndy Tartakovsky (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) says, "It was a fun an amazing challenge to get this going and it was a real different environment working with a larger studio." His attention to the details made this film work from page to screen.

The story centers around a place where all monsters can go to be themselves. Naturally walking around, celebrating anniversaries, eating as they do, sleeping the way they do, even swimming in pools and enjoying a night of fun and partying. The place (a really creepy castle) was built by Dracula himself (voiced amazingly well by Adam Sandler (Click, Bedtime Stories)) and because of an early accident due to the fear that monsters have toward humans, a tragic accident leaves him to be a single father. Raising and `protecting' his daughter from the outside world.

Mavis, his daughter, who is sharply voiced by Selena Gomez (The Wizards of Waverly Place, Another Cinderella Story) reaches her 118th birthday and decides she needs to see the world because of the sheltered life her father has created for her. Due to a series of mishaps and bad turn of events a `lie' goes very wrong and she soon realizes what she has been hidden from.

In steps a real human, quite by accident, Jonathan, played by Andy Samberg (SNL, That's My Boy), wanders his way into the hotel. Yet another lie, Dracula tries to cover his true human self and pass Jonathan off as a `real' monster. Another thing that Dracula didn't see coming was the moment that Mavis and Jonathan meet and their eyes connect, you guessed it, the real magic of the heart happens.

The screenplay by Peter Baynham (Borat, Bruno) and Robert Smigel (SNL, You Don't Mess With The Zohan) does something that most live-action screenplays try to achieve but never do, it mixes some great fast paced visual gags with a real heart and real believable story. This movie is about a father and daughter relationship as well as misconceptions we all carry with us based on really never checking things out for ourselves.

This film has a great line-up of really hysterical characters including; Frankenstein voiced by Kevin James (King of Queens, Hitch); Mrs. Frankenstein Wanda voiced by Molly Shannon (Superstar, Analyze This); The Wolfman Wayne voiced by Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire, Grown-Ups) and his wife Eunice voiced by Fran Drescher (The Nanny, Beautician and the Beast); The Mummy Murray voiced by CeeLo Green (Kung Fu Panda, Kick Ass) and playing the hunchback Quasimodo is the voice of Jon Lovitz (Big, A League of Their Own).

Great for the Halloween theme and in full 3-D, this film was amazingly funny, and full of great classic-style sight gags that you'll probably need to see it more than once to catch them all. "I took a lot of time to make sure this film worked on all levels. From the script to the performances and even the technology in making it," says the director Genndy . And you can really see it on screen!

What makes this animated feature by Columbia Pictures so good, is that it has a very big heart and an extremely relatable story to go with it. The whole family will really enjoy this film!

Read Best Reviews of Hotel Transylvania (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2012) Here

Hotel Transylvania has Dracula (Adam Sandler) as a peaceful monster who just wants a place for him and his monster buddies to have away from humans. So he turns his castle into a hotel. But eventhough Dracula wants to keep everyone inside and safe from angry mobs, his vampire daughter (Selina Gomez) wants to get out and explore the world.

Dracula wants his daughter to think humans are all bad but when a harmless fun loving human (Andy Sanberg) wanders to the castle, Dracula tries to disguise him as a monster and sneak him out quickly. That doesn't go well since he meets Dracula's daughter and they hit it off without her knowing he's a human.

The film may sound more like Hotel Happy Madison, since you have Sandler and his buddies like Kevin James (Frankenstein), Steve Buscemi (The Woofman) and the David Spade (The Invisibleman) doing voice work. However the film is better than most of their live action films and has much more of a plot than Grown-Ups did. I do admit though that it's not laugh out loud funny and that it mostly won me over with it's charm.

Want Hotel Transylvania (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2012) Discount?

there are some good laughs here, but the plot is predictable and full of unnecessary holes, the voice acting is basically a list of cameos from big name comedy with only Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg standing out with any real character.

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Le Havre (The Criterion Collection) (2011)

In 1992 Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki made his first French movie, "La Vie de Bohème", and now almost 20 years later he returns with a second French-language movie.

"Le Havre" (93 min.) centers around the ordinary lives of people like Marcel Marx (which character incidentally also appears in La Vie de Boheme and where he also was played by André Wilms). Marx tries to get by as a shoe-shiner, but life is hard. The house he and his wife Arletty have is modest at best. Then one day a group of illegal immigrants from Gabon are found in a container waiting to be shipped to London. A teenage boy manages to escape the police and eventually the boy and Marcel Marx link up. I don't want to spoil the plot any further than this, you'll just have to see how it all plays out for yourself.

This is not an "action" movie. Instead, it observes the ordinary lives of ordinary people, and in addition it is a love note of sorts to the city of Le Havre, which, like the characters in this movie, has seen better days but remains resilient. This movie was very well received at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and it is easy to see why. The acting is superb throughout, none better than by lead actor André Wilms. I enjoyed this movie from start to finish, but obviously this is not for anyone in a hurry or looking for the next Harry Potter franchise. Highly recommended!

Director Kaurismäki has created a story that is appealing as you watch it, but whose images and motifs will linger with you for days after you see it. His use of colour and lighting makes this visually alluring and his choices in casting have given him a pallet of wonderful faces to explore in his artistic manner. I had the impression at times of seeing a series of paintings of the Old Masters in an Art Gallery.In addition, there is a gentleness and a timelessness about this film which lifts it beyond the confines of its plot and setting. As other reviewers have stated this is not an action film as its plot is neither frenetic, nor full of the normal thrills many movie goers seek in such films.Another strength of this film is the strong acting from all members of the cast. There is a wonderful French feel about this film and many of the shots of the port city are quite lovely. I highly recommend it to those who are seeking more than simple entertainment and who would like to have a beautiful artistic experience.

Buy Le Havre (The Criterion Collection) (2011) Now

Criterion has done another great job rescuing a little seen gem from Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki. Set on the French coastal port of Le Havre, an aging Marcel (Andre Wilms) ekes out a living on the street as a shoe shiner. He lives in a small apartment in a poor neighborhood with several small markets nearby.

A cargo ship unloads a container ultimately headed for London. Authorities discover it contains 20 or so people from North Africa. One teen age boy (Blondin Miguel) manages to get away and finds his way to Marcel while he is having his lunch. Marcel shelters and feeds the boy even though he worries about the authorities ultimately catching him and deporting him back to Africa. He also has to contend with his wife (Kati Outinen) who is in the hospital for what appears to be stomach cancer. Her prognosis is grim but she hides the probable outcome from Marcel.

Using his sympathetic neighbors and an unlikely police detective (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) for support, Marcel finds out that young Idrissa was enroute to London to reunite with his mother. He manages to get a neighbor and former headliner rock musician Little Bob to hold a fund raiser in order to pay to have the boy smuggled into England. Kaurismaki, who also wrote the script, never plays this too serious. But it's not a comedy either. You really have to think of it more as a fantasy. And a good one it is. The film ends with an unexpected surprise. Check it out.

Read Best Reviews of Le Havre (The Criterion Collection) (2011) Here

This film shows the best of the 'heart' of the French people under the onslaught of African immigration. It is both beautiful in its atmospheric cinematography and classically well-acted as well. A humble man with a very sick wife has the chance to rescue a wonderful young boy. Well...the wife is too sick to know anything about what happens... but in this script her husband is superb in his humanity. This is so different than the 'hip' and 'cynical' French films we are used to admiring! I can't believe how often I plan to use 'superb' in this review. The cinematographyand the sets are as evocative as any Francophile could wish. The characters are 'true to life', not the least because this is a French film for a French audience. The ensemble is beautiful, marvelous and genuinely heart-warming. I have rarely seen a film as worthy of viewing as is this one.

Want Le Havre (The Criterion Collection) (2011) Discount?

The story of Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki's latest work takes place in Le Havre, a port city in north-western France. A former Bohemian artist Marcel Marx (Andre Wilms) makes a living as a shoeshine with his Vietnamese assistance Chang (Quoc Dung Nguyen). He may not be rich, but with his loving wife Arletty (Kati Outinen) his life is not bad.

One day Marcel meets Idrissa (Blondin Miguel), a young refugee boy from Gabon running away from the police. While Marcel decides to raise money so that the boy can meet his mother in London, Arletty, ill and now in the hospital, conceals a fact that she knows would shock her husband.

The theme of "Le Havre" overlaps that of a 2009 French film "Welcome," but Kaurismäki's approach is less political, focusing the everyday life of ordinary people, described with Kaurismäki's deadpan humor/sentimentality. Kaurismäki's longtime photographer Timo Salminen's careful use of muted colors is another plus, adding a realistic touch to the modern-day fable.

André Wilms (who 20 years ago played "Marcel," a down-and-out artist in Paris in Kaurismäki's "La Vie de Bohème") turns in quiet and understated performance as the aged shoe shiner determined to do something for the boy. Kati Outinen, the director's muse since the 1980s, is also outstanding as the protagonist's ailing wife, and so is Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Monet, softer version of Inspector Javert trying to catch the boy.

I like the film for its positive, life-affirming message, though I for one prefer such films as "The Man without a Past" and "Ariel," in which darker events happen and characters have to struggle more. Perhaps with an exception of cameo Jean-Pierre Léaud, there is no "villain" in "Le Havre," which marks a new phase in the respected director's long career.

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Loft

***NOTE: This movie is in European format and will not play on American machines UNLESS you unlock your existing player. This is very easily done and will then allow you to enjoy all region DVDs uninterrupted . Go online to various sites that offer this, look for your brand and model, write down the code and follow the simple instructions. (Or ask any passing ten year old to do it for you!)

NO one star "reviews" whining about "Won't play on my player"! Now read on.

Tired Of American movies with their obligatory car chases, explosions and helicopters?

Hanging out for some damn good writing and a plot that you don't guess the ending to about three minutes into the film?

Then "The Loft" is definitely one for you.

Yes, it's in Dutch, .....but don't let that put you off as it is subtitled very professionally and they are easy to read.

This is a well crafted thriller which will actually keep you guessing as its convolutions unfold.

The basics revolve around an architects new building in which he has constructed a private "loft" apartment, ...which he decides to maintain as a secret rendezvous where he can carry out his extra-marital sexual encounters.

He decides to let four of his close mates also use it as a convenient trysting place and gives them each a key, ...which he codes so as no more can be cut.

All of course are sworn to secrecy in order to enjoy this privilege without the knowledge of their respective wives.

Apparently all goes well until one morning one of the key-holders enters the loft to find a very serious crime has been committed, and one which not only threatens to involve the police, but expose their clandestine affairs and ruin their marriages, if not their whole lives.

What started as a "harmless" bit-on-the-side, ...has now become a full-on major problem.

The five men are quite differing characters. There's the drunken sleazy bore, the drug-fuelled psychopath, the analytical psychologist, the quiet introvert and of course the architect himself who is something of a manipulator.

Their previous closeness immediately begins to break down with accusations and counter inferences flying wildly.

Who is responsible, ...and how can they all make this just go away so no one has to pay the penalty of being found out?

The action is largely (but not exclusively) based within the apartment itself, ...and the director makes the building something of a character in the narrative. It features this very sharp looming edge, ....and it becomes almost like a Titanic bow, plowing its way to it's date with tragedy.

All the performances are excellent, ...truly believable, with no one chewing the scenery.

The cast are "unknowns" to most of us non-Europeans, but all the better for that.

I do find familiar faces distracting from the character being played, ..plus the fact when is Tom Cruise ever anything else but Tom Cruise?

If like me, you're intrigued by mysteries, then you will be forever coming up with your own theories as to what's REALLY going on here. These will constantly change as we are shown more and more aspects of just what has preceded in the men's lives who are facing this situation.

Without giving anything away, there are more than just the one "solution" I warn you, ....and just when you think you've pinned it down and the movie is about to end, ...it most certainly isn't!!!

This makes The Loft a hugely engaging movie to watch, and one which will ultimately mystify, fascinate and amaze with its cleverly constructed plot.

It's an acute observation of the duplicity of men, mate-ship and its ties, and just what we owe to friends and where the boundaries might lie.

The writing itself is so often the last thing to be considered with so much current American cinema. As long as they've signed a "big name", got a budget for CGI, hired a helicopter and got at least twenty cars to smash up, they just start shooting. Any plot can be construed between takes it seems.

"The Loft" is a most welcome antithesis of this idea.

A movie where you do not have to park your brain in neutral before watching! In fact, you can actually use it to engage with the story!

Amazing!

Five stars all the way.

Yelling to the Sky (2011)

There is a rawness to the film "Yelling To The Sky" that is likely to evoke strong reactions with most viewers. At times humorous, at times brutal, this coming-of-age story from writer/director Victoria Mahoney has a palpable anger underneath its surface that really sets it apart from many comparable films. While I don't know enough about Mahoney to label this autobiographical in nature, there is a certain intimacy and truthfulness that make it feel like a cathartic self-examination of a life lived. While I appreciated this spirit, however, the overall experience ended up having less impact for me than individual components of the film. For my taste, some of the characterizations lacked definition. A drama about race, abuse, violence, and family dysfunction, "Yelling To The Sky" can be unrepentantly bleak. And as the central character spiraled out of control, I found myself as an outsider looking in on (and sometimes not believing) the harrowing circumstances before her.

The film opens with a brutal neighborhood attack as everyone seems aligned against Sweetness (Zoe Kravitz) and her friend, apparently because Sweetness comes from a mixed-race parentage. You don't get much explanation, really, but as the conflict is resolved--the film unleashes a powerfully visceral punch to your gut. From here, we get glimpses of Kravitz's home life. Her mother seems unstable, her father volatile, and her sister is in a troubled relationship. The screenplay never digs too deeply into the peripheral characters, we primarily see their actions through Kravitz's eyes. As she wants to fit in, poor choices and bad opportunities take her down an unpleasant road. Kravitz, thoroughly convincing as a girl becoming disconnected from her surroundings, isn't always as compelling as the troublemaker engaged in drugs, fighting, and other illicit behavior. A particularly unfortunate subplot involves Tim Blake Nelson as a caring teacher that she'll see in a new light. Just as all hope seems lost, though, the picture wants to affirm second chances. But it does so by redeeming certain characters that we didn't know enough about in the first place.

As a character study, I wanted a greater closeness and understanding of Sweetness and what went on in her mind. As a dramatic narrative, I wanted more information about the other major characters. Jason Clarke, as the father, has a great presence but I never knew who he was in any tangible way. Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) is relatively one-note in her performance as a bully who becomes a focal point of a vicious revenge plot. I did, however, love Antonique Smith as Kravitz's sister. She really captures the screen and I definitely wanted to follow her as she disappeared for large chunks of the movie. In the end, "Yelling To The Sky" is a well-intentioned movie that will likely connect with some. Mahoney has talent, some scenes are incredibly memorable. But, for me, the movie is a little muddled in its viewpoint. I felt that it should have shaken me to the core with its powerful story, but I remained remote as the picture never drew me into Sweetness' psyche. KGHarris, 2/13.

This beautiful debut by Victoria Mahoney captures you from the start. Sweetness (played by Zoe Kravitz) is a biracial child living in a harsh urban environment where "mean" girls often result to bullying for dominance and attention. Mahoney's artistic choices and direction in the film are stunning, as she reveals that the underlying need in each of her character's lives -including the transformation of the alcoholic father who comes 360 at the end and learns to embrace his daughter before she follows in his footsteps as well as the "mentally ill" mother played beautifully by Yolanda Ross -is love. Compelling performances and deeply engaging. Not to be missed! A beautiful coming of age narrative about a young teenager coming to terms with her heritage, culture, self, home, environment, and community.

Buy Yelling to the Sky (2011) Now

Sweetness (Zoë Kravitz) is a 17 year old girl growing up in the melting pot of Brooklyn, N.Y. (Filming Location). She is bullied. She is friendless at school. She looks up to her sister (Antonique Smith) who is pregnant and leaving, only to return months later with a baby and a bruised face. Dad is apparently a cab driver who has alcohol issues and is abusive when he drinks. Oh, not call DSS abusive, just an A-hole who breaks things, swears and shoves. Mom (Yolonda Ross) isn't mentally right. Her name is Rainy short for Lorene, which symbolizes her tears of sadness.

Sweetness feels trapped. Her escape is to become part of the drug dealing scene. She wants to deal just enough so she can get by, "right now." And as her sympathetic somewhat caring drug supplier warns her, "Right now keeps on changing."

The story is about hitting bottom, and recovery without having an epiphany or seeking special outside help. This is a well acted drama, although slow at times.

It is less about plot and more about character. A more believable inner city film then what we have been subject to here of late.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, brief sex. No nudity.

Read Best Reviews of Yelling to the Sky (2011) Here

This is a subject with huge potential by a director who is very capable, but I wish this movie would have been directed by Claude Chabrol.

Sweetness O'Hara (Zoë Kravitz) is a high school girl from mixed parents who lives in the projects. Her father is Irish and her mother is African American. She is not well accepted by the people in her rough neighborhood. She starts looking outside her home for a father figure and for friends and affection in general. When the person she considered friend and father figure gets killed in front of her, she realizes that if she doesn't changes her life-style and her friends, she is either going to die, or end-up in prison. She then correctly makes the decision to take her life in her own hands. It appears that the script is based on a true story.

This is a great subject that has great potential. In addition, the director Victoria Mahoney, appears very gifted and talented. But we have the impression that somebody rushed the movie. We have the impression that they run out of money and that they had to finish quickly. The characters are not well developed and we don't understand well the tension in Zoë's house. We need to know more about the Irish father and his brother and about the mother who appears to be constantly depressed. I wish the director would have watched some of the movies made by Claude Chabrol, and in particular "Le Boucher" or "Inspector Bellamy". There are two major things in a movie: the characters and the story. Once the director has a good story then he/she needs to develop the characters in order for us the spectators to better understand the script and the subplots. The film "Le Boucher" is about 90 min long and for the first 60-70 minutes we have the impression that it is a love story because of character development by Chabrol. At the very end of the movie we just realize that was the story of a serial killer who was involved with one his potential victims. "Inspector Bellamy" is more of the same. We spend so much time around the inspector, his brother, his wife and the primary suspect of the crime that we forget that there was a crime and somebody really died of horrific death.

I think that this movie lacks character development. The mother, the father, the sister, and the drug addict/dealer high school teacher are major participants in the plot and we don't know why and how they got there. In addition, her drug dealer friend appears to give money and food to the family. Is he doing this for all families in the projects or just hers? What are his criteria? Why is he doing it?

Three stars for a good story with good acting but with unfinished business.

Want Yelling to the Sky (2011) Discount?

There is a rawness to the film "Yelling To The Sky" that is likely to evoke strong reactions with most viewers. At times humorous, at times brutal, this coming-of-age story from writer/director Victoria Mahoney has a palpable anger underneath its surface that really sets it apart from many comparable films. While I don't know enough about Mahoney to label this autobiographical in nature, there is a certain intimacy and truthfulness that make it feel like a cathartic self-examination of a life lived. While I appreciated this spirit, however, the overall experience ended up having less impact for me than individual components of the film. For my taste, some of the characterizations lacked definition. A drama about race, abuse, violence, and family dysfunction, "Yelling To The Sky" can be unrepentantly bleak. And as the central character spiraled out of control, I found myself as an outsider looking in on (and sometimes not believing) the harrowing circumstances before her.

The film opens with a brutal neighborhood attack as everyone seems aligned against Sweetness (Zoe Kravitz) and her friend, apparently because Sweetness comes from a mixed-race parentage. You don't get much explanation, really, but as the conflict is resolved--the film unleashes a powerfully visceral punch to your gut. From here, we get glimpses of Kravitz's home life. Her mother seems unstable, her father volatile, and her sister is in a troubled relationship. The screenplay never digs too deeply into the peripheral characters, we primarily see their actions through Kravitz's eyes. As she wants to fit in, poor choices and bad opportunities take her down an unpleasant road. Kravitz, thoroughly convincing as a girl becoming disconnected from her surroundings, isn't always as compelling as the troublemaker engaged in drugs, fighting, and other illicit behavior. A particularly unfortunate subplot involves Tim Blake Nelson as a caring teacher that she'll see in a new light. Just as all hope seems lost, though, the picture wants to affirm second chances. But it does so by redeeming certain characters that we didn't know enough about in the first place.

As a character study, I wanted a greater closeness and understanding of Sweetness and what went on in her mind. As a dramatic narrative, I wanted more information about the other major characters. Jason Clarke, as the father, has a great presence but I never knew who he was in any tangible way. Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) is relatively one-note in her performance as a bully who becomes a focal point of a vicious revenge plot. I did, however, love Antonique Smith as Kravitz's sister. She really captures the screen and I definitely wanted to follow her as she disappeared for large chunks of the movie. In the end, "Yelling To The Sky" is a well-intentioned movie that will likely connect with some. Mahoney has talent, some scenes are incredibly memorable. But, for me, the movie is a little muddled in its viewpoint. I felt that it should have shaken me to the core with its powerful story, but I remained remote as the picture never drew me into Sweetness' psyche. KGHarris, 2/13.

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Kidnapped (1997): Standard Edition Remastered (1974)

This is a wonderful DVD from the folks who restored it in the 1990s. An excellent-transfer, great sound, and some wonderful goodies! Originally-released in a limited-run in 1998, it is available again for the true Bava-cultists (like me). You cannot go-wrong with this DVD, the reconstruction is spot-on. The score is one of the best in Italian-cinema, and it makes "Last House on the Left" seem a little-tame. Mario Bava shows us why he made all of his other horrors--life in Italy during his film-run (50s-70s) was rife with political and criminal-violence. Enjoy! This is the real-deal.

I'll admit that I've never seen films by Mario Bava. I've only recently gotten into Italian Cinema with the films of Dario Argento and other Giallo taken up my interest. Until now I had never tried any Bava. So hearing of this film and being intrigued with the premise I picked up the DVD.

The premise of the film is four criminals rob a pharmaceutical companies payroll during which the getaway driver is killed. The three remaining killers flee to a parking lot taking hostages, one of which they kill in order to escape. Afterwards in order not to be spotted by police in a familiar car they pull off and take more hostages this time a middle aged man and a sick child. At this point the films been a violent crime film. When it gets in the car the film is basically centered on the drive of the criminals and their hostages. Whats good in the film despite minor flaws is that even in its form (neither Rabid Dogs or the re-edited Kidnapped was completed with Bava's support due to circumstances which earned its "lost" status until recently) its a really well assembled suspense thriller building its tension slowly. As tensions in the car rise and victims plead for their lives even the criminals begin to turn against each other. One wants to rape the woman hostage, while another goes along with what ever happens while the leader is more concerned with just getting to their destination. There are moments in the film that to me were great in a transgressive way that newer films couldn't even come close to topping. And in the end, I don't want to ruin it but if you get into the plot as much I did it will definitely suprise you. I was totally blown away by the film. One thing also is the feeling of anger that seeps from every frame. This is a brutal film to watch at times with its portrayl of a world that is vain arrogant and rather brutal in considering the plight of the hostages (especially the child). To me its a film that in tone could almost compare to one of my favorites, Kurosawa's Ran.

Unfortunately I've only viewed the Rabid Dogs cut on the new Anchor Bay disc. It also contains Lamberto Bava's edit Kidnapped more in line with his fathers intentions which I will watch in the future but was turned off for the synthesizer score (I just love the harpsichord and organs blaring in Rabid Dogs even though admittedly the score is incesant) and didn't want to watch the film so soon after seeing it. Still this a definite recommend from me, worth viewing.

Buy Kidnapped (1997): Standard Edition Remastered (1974) Now

Note; this US Anchor Bay DVD has two alternate cuts, one finished by

Bava's son, called 'Kidnapped'. But almost all Bava fans and

professional critics prefer the rougher edged, less polished original

;'Rabid Dogs', so that's what I watched.

--vague possible mild spoilers ahead --

It's a film that is saved by the rare truly successful twist ending,

that changes everything you thought you saw. The acting is less than

great, and the film has a definite misogynistic tone (although everyone

in it is pretty awful on the humanity scale).

On the other hand, there's effectively high tension, as 3 murderous

robbers take two innocent people and a baby hostage. Especially

impressive that it never gets talky or visually dull, despite taking

place almost entirely inside a car.

But the over-acting and clunky dubbing (and writing) really hurt. Then

the end came and I was suddenly ready to forgive a lot.

Read Best Reviews of Kidnapped (1997): Standard Edition Remastered (1974) Here

Some films are just born unlucky. Mario Bava's 'lost' 1974 film Rabid Dogs is a classic case in point. Shooting started as A Man and a Boy with Al Lettieri and an extremely low budget: Lettieri dropped out after a week due to 'illness' and the money barely materialised only for the film to never get through post-production when the producer died and the film was seized by creditors for a quarter of a century. When co-star Lea Lander pulled together a deal to get Bava's rough cut restored, the only US deal she could get with it was with producer Alfred Leone, who, in a throwback to the old days when no foreign film could be allowed on US shores untouched, promptly re-edited, rescored and redubbed the film with new dialogue and added stock footage and new scenes shot by the director's son Lamberto Bava 'to complete it the way my old friend wanted it to be seen.' Sure... An attempt to make a more contemporary shocker in a more naturalistic setting as the European horror genre was hitting the skids, it plays a bit like an automotive addition to the Last House On the Left genre as the surviving members of a payroll robbery kidnap a female hostage and, later, a driver rushing his unconscious son to hospital to help them in their getaway. Cue much humiliation, boorish behavior, relentless nihilism and fatal divisions coming to the fore as you wait for the tables to be turned Tall-T style by the 'little man' (Riccardo Cucciolla, literally miniscule whenever seen standing next to the towering George Eastman). That it doesn't always do so in the most obvious ways and offers a remarkably passive hero is all to the good and Bava's confident handling never makes the fact that most of the film takes place in a car seem uncinematic harder than you might think.

Not that Bava Sr's cut is a lost masterpiece. Like most of his films, it isn't as shocking as his reputation implies: the violence is never especially convincing even if the film's mean spirit seems genuine enough. But the re-edited version, retitled Kidnapped, certainly makes it look like one. The new footage makes the final twist, already fairly heavily signposted if your suspicions are roused early even more obvious and a lot less bleak than in Bava's version. And while the image and sound are clearer, the constant irrelevant cutaways to police control rooms or new characters presumably intended to open up the picture simply act as irritants that dilute the drama and waste screen time without adding anything to the show. Even the new title sequence looks like something from a cheap 80s porno video.

Anchor Bay's Region 1 NTSC DVD includes both versions of the film, with audio commentary by Tim Lucas, featurette End of the Road Making Rabid Dogs and Kidnapped, and trailers for Bava films Black Sunday, Black Sabbath, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Kill, Baby... Kill! and Knives of the Avenger.

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Already had a fair-quality gray-market DVD of this "lost" Bava classic (as _Rabid Dog_), but was delighted to find a more legit copy here at Amazon. Sure enough, it's a better print! As for the movie, if you're a Mario Bava fan, you know this is a gem. Definitely worth the price, all the more so compared to other versions out there.

Slender Thread (1965)

Was fortunate enough to come across The Slender Thread on a cable movie channel several years ago. This film is Anne Brancroft & Sidney Poitier are at their best extrodinary performances! Poitier plays a Seattle college student volunteering at a crisis center. One night when he's at the clinic alone, a woman (Bancroft) calls needing to talk saying she's taken pills. While Poitier tries to get help for her, he keeps her ton the line while he learns about her life, family, and why she wants to die. With a brillant script by legendary writer Stirling Silliphant, direction by Sydney Pollack, and original music by Quincy Jones; The Slender Thread engrosses the viewer from the start. We're drawn into the building suspense, caring about the people, concerned for the outcome. This dramatic character study is enhanced all the more by being in black & white. Plus, it features a fine supporting cast including Telly Savalas, Ed Asner, and Dabney Coleman. The Slender Thread is a great example of perfect film making. Why hasn't Paramount Pictures released this classic on DVD? Please, letterbox & release ASAP so it can be re-discovered by movie connoisseurs everywhere! A must own for Poitier/Bancroft fans.

Black and white was rare for a big budget film in 1965....sometimes done for effect (Psycho, The Hustler) or just a lack of funds (I believe color film at that time added about 25% to the budget).... This is a pretty good film either way.... Definitely talky, but it never seemed to get boring....pure drama....flashbacks fill in the blanks.... Poitier is fantastic as usual....very interesting all around....just watching them try to trace a phone call draws you in to the story....good stuff....different to be sure....

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Of all his movies I think this one might just of been one of his best and hardest to do.

Read Best Reviews of Slender Thread (1965) Here

i always enjoyed Poitier films. he seemed to give his greatest effort in anything he did. this is a rare classic requires some patience to really appreciate. the flashback scenes with Anne Bancroft in conjunction with Poitier's usual stellar performance make this a must for intelligent viewers.

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I've been waiting for YEARS for this movie to become available on DVD. I'm a happy chick. :) This is one of the most well written and directed movies around. Both Sidney Poitier and Ann Bancroft are superb. I HIGHLY recommend this movie to anyone.

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Shaun of the Dead / Hot Fuzz Double Feature (2004)

Just wanted to give a heads up to fans of these films that the US blu-ray set which was released in June of 2013 does in fact contain the two films on 2 individual discs with all the special features intact. Widescreen. I got this yesterday and it is awesome. It even has a little flyer inside announcing The World's End, the third film in this "trilogy" which is scheduled to hit theatres in August of 2013. Reviews of the inferior Alliance Canadian release have been mixed into this item listing, which is the one everyone's complaining about. Avoid that version and get Universal's to ensure you're getting the real deal. Cornettos for all!

Two great movies, some great laughs, some great action. See it! You certainly won't regret it and you'll recommend it to all your friends.

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Well the single disc doubled sided DVD set from Alliance DVD entertainment arrived the other day. The package arrived with English/French directions & short paragraphs on the back explaining what Hot Fuzz & Shaun of the Dead were about. Now the funny part neither movie is in "Widescreen Format" as the back of the box says which is why I gave it only 4 stars. Their are no extras for either film (fine with me however b.c. really how often does anyone watch that junk anyway ?" All in all this two pack contains just the films "Hot Fuzz" & "Shaun of the Dead" in English (no subtitles) an NO EXTRAS. If your a fan of the films, already know everything about them but whatever reason just never picked them up them buy all means pick up this set here on Amazon.com. However if you new to the series you may want to buy the seperate for all the extra, better packaging etc... choice is yours but I just wanted the films. Still great set to have an own if you love British humor an comedy.

Read Best Reviews of Shaun of the Dead / Hot Fuzz Double Feature (2004) Here

I ordered this movie for my zombie obsessed husband. The double feature was a hit and the seller shipped the package to me ASAP before Christmas. Would recommend to a friend!

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Two great movies by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, but the DVD not so great.

A cheap double-sided DVD, in a cheap eco case, with the boxart paper printed in two different languages on both sides to save money. They didn't skimp on cutting corners in every possible way, sure there are no advertisements, but that is the only positive.

Hot Fuzz was perfectly fine, Widescreen and everything, but then when I went to watch Shaun on the Dead (The main movie I bought this DVD for) it was in friggin' Letterbox... WTF?!? The DVD box even says widescreen, what a blatant lie.

Also, this DVD is not hearing impaired friendly, no subtitles at all.

This was absolutely pathetic, I will never buy any dvd made by Alliance ever again.

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Cinderella Man (2005)

Friends had warned me that much of the first part of this film was slow and they had made the same observation of Angela's Ashes. I disagree with them about both. In Cinderella Man (a phrase attributed to Damon Runyon), it is imperative that James Braddock's circumstances and those of his family are carefully, unhurriedly established to create an appropriate context for the process by which he resumed his career as a professional fighter in 1934 and then faced Max Baer on June 13th, 1935, in Long Island City, N.Y. Although a 10-1 underdog, Braddock won the heavyweight championship of the world. (The film takes us to this point.) He would lose his heavyweight title two years later in an 8 round KO to Joe Louis, "The Brown Bomber." Braddock retired after a final win over Tommy Farr in 1938.

Other reviewers have shared their own reasons for thinking so highly of this film. Here are mine. First, perhaps only in Raging Bull is the physicality of boxing so compellingly portrayed. Also, I admire the skills of those who recreated a period more than 70 years ago, one during which the Braddocks and millions of others struggled to overcome hunger and illness as well as poverty and especially terror and humiliation. Under Ron Howard's direction, the quality of acting is outstanding, notably Paul Giamatti as Braddock's manager and trainer, Joe Gould. (I still think that Giamatti should have at least been nominated for an Academy Award in recognition of his performance as Miles Raymond in Sideways.) With regard to Renée Zellweger (as Braddock's wife Mae) and Craig Bierko (as Max Baer) as well as Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, Ron Canada, David Huband, Linda Kash, and Nicholas Campbell, they had to work within quite specific limitations in their supporting roles. I thought they were all just fine.

Finally, I wish to single out Russell Crowe for special praise. Whatever his public persona may be, he demonstrates exceptional self-discipline as well as nuanced talent in the lead role of the courageous heavyweight champion boxer. Braddock fought for "milk," to be sure, but in doing so became a symbol of hope for other victims of the Great Depression. Crowe brilliantly portrays Braddock's fundamental decency and integrity as well as his total devotion to the welfare of his wife and their three children. To me, this is Crowe's finest performance thus far.

"Cinderella Man", Ron Howard's heart-felt film biography of boxing legend James J. Braddock, never received the recognition it deserved when first released, due, in large part, to Russell Crowe's bad press following a telephone-throwing incident. Overzealous critics tended to lump the incident and film together, and despite Crowe's public apology, many moviegoers skipped it. Now that the film is available on DVD, it's time to acknowledge the film for what it always HAS been; director Howard and star Crowe's FINEST film, together!

Braddock's story is so amazing and inspirational, that it is astonishing that it's taken seventy years to tell it. Sylvester Stallone 'borrowed' from it, extensively, in creating "Rocky", and in viewing the film, the parallels between fact and fiction are obvious; Braddock had been an 'up and comer' in the twenties, but broken bones and ill-advised matches had cost him a championship shot. Then the Depression struck, Braddock was wiped out, financially, and he struggled to support his wife and family through the most harrowing period in American history. Considered 'washed up' and too old for a comeback, all the boxer had going for him was his wife's love, his manager's faith, and his personal integrity, which refused to allow him to give up. He tenaciously climbed back up the ranks of younger title contenders, earning the adoration of a country trying to rebuild their own lives, as well, until, finally, he had his championship match, against ruthless 'killing machine' Max Baer. Their match would become the stuff of legends!

To director Howard's credit, he never 'over-sentimentalizes' the story, or tries to turn it into a soft-focus 'fairy tale'. His vision of the Depression is the most accurate and heartbreaking since the documentaries of the '30s, and will come as a revelation to those whose only knowledge of the period is a paragraph in a history book. Jim Braddock is not a 'Superman', but a hard-working, decent man with no higher vision than to provide his family a better life, and as magnificently portrayed by Crowe, he embodies qualities of honesty and dignity that many of us dream of, but seldom achieve. In any other year, he'd be a shoo-in for an Oscar for his performance, it's that good!

Matching Crowe's portrayal are Renée Zellweger, as his loyal wife, Mae, who perfectly channels a '30s 'style', as well as a gutsiness that is timeless, and the wonderful Paul Giamatti, as manager Joe Gould, who would sell everything he owned, rather than see Braddock give up. Giamatti, a veteran character actor who finally saw his 'breakthrough' in last year's "Sideways", should finally get his long-deserved Oscar, for this role.

"Cinderella Man" is a film that will continue to be cherished long after the filmmakers are gone, a tale rooted in an earlier era, but still timeless.

Movies just don't get better than this!

Buy Cinderella Man (2005) Now

If you see only one movie this year, see Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger, directed by Ron Howard. You will be glad you did. Well-written, acted and directed, it will deserve any laurels it takes this coming award season. This review contains "spoilers". The movie is based on a real life--knowing how the story ends does not in any way detract from one's appreciation of it.

Cinderella Man is the story of James J. Braddock, a boxer in the 1930s who after suffering injury and a losing streak, came back to win the heavy-weight Championship. It is a mesmerizing story with indelible imagery of The Great Depression. The blood and violent behavior was appropriate to the story-confined as it was to the boxing ring.

Ron Howard makes movies about real people and real events-Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, for instance. He sometimes glosses over, or skips entirely, unpleasant or unsavory events in the lives he translates to the visual medium. Nothing I have read or heard indicates that Jim Braddock was not the fine, fair, good man that we see onscreen. An example: After returning to the ring, Braddock (portrayed by Russell Crowe with jug ears) returned all the money he had drawn the past couple of years to the Relief Office. Not that you could do that today-there's no form for it. Nor would modern man see the reason for it.

The movie begins with the young Braddock, winning every fight, never being knocked out, providing a comfortable life for his wife and children. He was a family man, a virtuous man who loved and took care of his family. Then comes his family's grim financial decline in the early 1930s, after he was hurt in the ring, was out of work and on Relief-much to his shame. His little family lived in a succession of small, dark, cold rooms and his wife took in sewing. It ends with his victory over Max Baer in 1935.

At the depth of the Depression a last-minute cancellation afforded Braddock the chance to fight John "Corn" Griffin-a chance to earn a few dollars he so sorely needed. Braddock's third round KO amazed everyone. His subsequent defeat of Art Lasky set him up for the championship fight with Max Baer. When asked in an interview just what gave him his renewed drive, he replied that he knew what he was fighting for.

"What are you fighting for?" the reporter asked.

"Milk", said Braddock.

Max Baer was portrayed as a high-living mean son-of-a-bitch who fought dirty when he could. He was tall and his longer reach and powerful right mercilessly took out his opponents. He had killed two men in the ring-Jim Braddock looked like being the third. (Max Baer's son, Buddy Baer of "Beverly Hillbillies" fame, takes exception to this portrayal. No one denies two men died fighting Baer.)

Braddock and his manager studied films of Baer's fights. They looked for ways to avoid that murderous right. Braddock went the full fifteen rounds with Baer, in spite of Baer's low blows. He got in some good hits of his own and left Baer a bloody and disappointed man when the unanimous decision made Braddock Champion.

Braddock lost the title to Joe Lewis in 1937, and after defeating Tommy Farr in 1938 he retired from the ring. Braddock used his earnings to buy a family home and invest in business he knew: loading dock machinery. He lived happily ever after.

(This review is based on the theatrical release.)

Read Best Reviews of Cinderella Man (2005) Here

What excellent words I read by other reviewers here! I could not write a better one. But, I cannot live without adding my own two cents in agreement to those kind yet well-deserved words.

The cast is excellent and on-point in this film. Renee Zellweger is great. This is one of my favorite Russell Crowe performances, matching his previous movie with director Ron Howard, "A Beautiful Mind", matching "L.A. Confidential", and matching "The Insider". In fact, this film is so well put together and high quality that all of the cast fits. Everything about this movie is beautiful and top-notch. This is Ron Howard's best movie yet, including regards to "A Beautiful Mind" which received the Best Picture Academy Award only a few years ago.

Even if viewers in their natural variety of tastes do not consider "Cinderella Man" as the best picture of the year, it is certainly still among the top few. It has every quality a film should have, including a very useful story. If any American has not yet seen this film, then go out and find it immediately. This film will not disappoint anyone. It is a complete boxing picture and much better than its previous year's Oscar winner.

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I went into this film not really expecting to care much about it since I'm not a boxing fan. This movie was so much more... about a man's courage and struggle to provide for his family during a very trying time and about never giving up. To know that it was based on fact makes it even more touching. This one moved me...

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Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 (2007)

This is a perfect DVD for kids and families alike. Pixar's theatrical shorts are some of the best -if not THE best -cartoons produced in the past two decades. This DVD has all 12 of them released to date, as well as an early short by John Lasseter from his days at the Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Project. Here's the list:

1. "THE ADVENTURES OF ANDRE AND WALLY B." (1984, Lucasfilm). After blue humanoid André is awakened in a forest by a pesky bee, he tries to escape. But the bee (named Wally B.) chases after him, and both characters run off screen. Finally, Wally reappears with a bent stinger. Interesting only for its historical value

2. "LUXO JR." (1986). When a large desklamp watches a smaller, younger desklamp play with a ball, he can't quite manage to do it himself.

3. "RED'S DREAM" (1987). Propped up in the corner of a bicycle store, Red the unicycle dreams about a better place.

4. "TIN TOY" (1988). When a wind-up one-man-band toy sees just how destructive a baby can be, he does everything he can to flee -until the baby gets hurt.

5. "KNICK KNACK" (1989). A snowglobe snowman wants to join a party of other travel souvenirs in a hot party, but his glass dome gets in his way. (This is the well-known version with the less-endowed bathing beauty.)

6. "GERI'S GAME" (1997). A man plays a game of chess against himself, 'becoming' each player by moving to the other side of the chessboard and taking his glasses on and off.

7. "FOR THE BIRDS" (2001). A group of small birds perched together on a telephone wire reject a larger, awkward-looking bird, and pay the price for it.

8. "MIKE'S NEW CAR" (2002). When Mike (from "Monsters Inc.") shows Sulley his new six-wheel drive car, everything that can go wrong does.

9. "BOUNDIN'" (2003). A shearing leaves a dancing sheep humiliated until a jackalope passes by and demonstrates that it's what's inside that counts.

10. "JACK-JACK ATTACK" (2005). Baby Jack-Jack is thought not to possess the superpowers of his siblings or parents (Mr. and Mrs. Parr of "The Incredibles") until an outsider is hired to watch him.

11. "ONE MAN BAND" (2006). Two one-man bands vie to win the attention of a young peasant girl.

12. "MATER AND THE GHOSTLIGHT" (2006). A mysterious blue light haunts the "Cars" town of Radiator Springs and its residents.

13. "LIFTED" (2007). A bumbling young alien student tests the patience of his instructor as he attempts to abduct an innocent farmer.

Bonus features include a terrific documentary featurette on Pixar and some brief segments the company produced for "Sesame Street."

Only "The Adventures of Andre and Wally B." and "Red's Dream" are not already included with some other Pixar feature length film DVD. Although the 13 short films run a total of just under an hour and all but two are on other Pixar DVDs, you might want this collection for the extras and the fact that you'll have all 13 shorts on one DVD so you don't have to go digging through your collection to find them. A previous reviewer gave the year of production and a brief synopsis. I give a brief synopsis too, but I also give the length of each short, its rating by a popular film database, and on which previous Pixar DVD, if any, you can find each short.

"The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. (2 minutes) 5.5/10 Interesting animation experiment at the dawn of the age of CGI, but not much of a story.

Included on the "Tiny Toy Stories" VHS tape.

Luxo Jr. (2 minutes) 7.7/10 The first computer animated short nominated for an Academy Award. Just a couple of lamps playing ball, but somehow Pixar manages to bring "life" to the lamps with the larger lamp acting as parent to the smaller in spite of a lack of any real physical features with which to add expression.

Included with the Toy Story 2 DVD.

Red's Dream (4 minutes) 6.6/10 Red is a unicycle that is the only item in the bargain bin at a toy store. He copes with his surroundings by dreaming of better things. Like Luxo, you are made to care about the main character even though he has limited ability to express himself. Shows Pixar experimenting with more complex forms than in previous films.

Included on the "Tiny Toy Stories" VHS tape.

Tin Toy (5 minutes) 7.1/10 Kind of an early proof of concept of Toy Story. A curious baby is after a wind-up toy. The baby appears monstrous and frightening to the toy until he realizes what the baby wants. Shows you the world and the baby from the toy's point of view so you understand his fright.

Included with Toy Story DVD.

Knick Knack (4 minutes) 8/10 A Knick Knack from Alaska a snowman in a snowglobe wants to join two Knick Knacks from a warmer climate. Only problem is that he is stuck in his snowglobe and must try to find a way to get out. Shows some ideas that look like they gave birth to "Finding Nemo".

Included on the DVD for "Finding Nemo".

Geri's Game (4 minutes) 7.6/10 Won Oscar for best animated short film of 1997. Geri is an elderly man who plays chess with himself and tries to outwit his opponent. It's interesting as he changes sides on each move. Geri's character also appears as the cleaner in 'Toy Story 2'.

Included with "A Bug's Life" DVD.

For the Birds (3 minutes) 8.1/10 Won Oscar for best animated short film of 2001. A big jovial bird is rejected by a clique of smaller snobby birds. However, their plan to eject him from his perch backfires when they ignore some of the basic laws of physics.

Included in disc 2 of the Monsters Inc. DVD set.

Mike's New Car (4 minutes) 7.3/10 Brings over our favorite characters from Monsters Inc. as Mike tries to show off his new car to Sully. Problem is he hasn't gotten the controls down yet. Not that innovative, but still cute and definitely entertaining.

Included on the Monsters Inc. DVD.

Boundin' (5 minutes) 7.1/10 A little preachier than I'm accustomed to from Pixar. A sheep is humiliated after his first shearing, but a jackelope teaches him to think otherwise. Good animation, good music, but the moral tale was just a little too obvious and heavy-handed for Pixar.

Included in the Incredibles DVD set.

Jack-Jack Attack (5 minutes) 7.7/10 Uses characters and situations from The Incredibles to show how Jack-Jack first begins exhibiting his extraordinary powers and the babysitter's reactions. Quite funny and quite possibly a deleted scene from the original film.

Included on Disc two of The Incredibles DVD set.

One Man Band (4 minutes) 7.9/10 A girl wishing to make a wish in a fountain using a coin finds that her coin is the object of desire for two competing street bands. They do everything under the sun to get her coin except play exceptional music. Ironically this was a dig at the big studios of the film industry of which Pixar is now a part since their sale to Disney.

Included on the Cars DVD.

Mater and the Ghostlight (7 minutes) 6.8/10 The longest of the Pixar films in this set was one of the less amusing. Mater, the tow-truck from Cars, is set up for a practical joke by the other cars. They tell him a story about the GhostLight apparition and then go about making sure that such a ghost appears to him to teach him a lesson about scaring the others.

Included on the Cars DVD.

Lifted (5 minutes) 8.1/10 An alien trainee attempts to abduct a sleeping human. Unfortunately, he isn't familiar with the spaceship's equipment yet, and to make matters worse he's getting a job evaluation at the same time. Rather like the X-Files meets Monsters Inc.

Included on the Ratatouille DVD.

Buy Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 (2007) Now

Each of these short films is brilliant. That said, they aren't exactly new. All have been released as bonus features on Pixar's previous DVD releases, from Toy Story on forward to Cars and the forthcoming Ratatouille. From the first to the most recent, Pixar animators get better and better at the technical demands of creating images in the computer...these videos, especially the last few, are amazingly lifelike.

Most of these are personal projects or experiments by staff animators, and they are labors of love. If you already own the "Pixar collection" up to this point, you have these movies. If you only own a few Pixar movies, this is the way to catch up. Highly recommended for newbies and collection completists.

Read Best Reviews of Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 (2007) Here

The real value in this collection isn't so much the collection itself, which sadly is too small, or too short, and is over before you know it (which may make you sad if you buy this disc with the wrong expectations). The value is really in the history of all of these animations and of Pixar itself.

Each individual short is entertaining in some way, though they are short films and aren't intended to last more than a few minutes each. Many times the credits roll on seemingly longer than the shorts they accompany. But... if you recognize the history of computing and computer animation that is involved here, you realize just how much work went into these shorts and how truly amazing they are given the technology available when most of these shorts were created.

Perhaps the most 'priceless' (to borrow from the credit card commercials) portion of this collection is the included documentary: The Pixar Shorts: A Short History. It looks at the players involved, the hardware involved, and the work that went into creating these classic works. How Pixar Animation Studios came to be, and why they were creating these shorts.

Taken in context with the shorts themselves, you realize just how far we've advanced when it comes to computer animation and animated film. Technology that shows up in video games, movies, virtual reality for training purposes and more.

Pixar was on the forefront of the tech and this collection does a good job of introducing viewers to all of that great history. Worth a full price purchase? Probably not so much. On sale or discounted through an Amazon marketplace purchase? certainly worth consideration.

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Version: U.S.A / Region A, B, C

Title: Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1

MPEG-4 AVC BD-50

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Running time: 0:55:26

Movie size: 15,04 GB

Disc size: 31,89 GB

Total bit rate: 36.18 Mps

Video bit rate: 25.30 Mbps

LPCM 5.1 24-Bit/48kHz/6.9Mbps English

DD AC3 5.1-EX 640Kbps English / Spanish / French

Subtitles: English SDH / Spanish / French

Number of chapters: 16

Special Features

**************

#Audio Commentaries

#The Pixar Shorts: A Short History (HD, 23 minutes)

#Sesame Street Clips (SD, 6 minutes)

13 shorts included

# The Adventures of Andre and Wally B (1984)

# Luxo Jr. (1986)

# Red's Dream (1987)

# Tin Toy (1988)

# Knick Knack Remastered (1989)

# Geri's Game (1997)

# For the Birds (2000)

# Mike's New Car (2002)

# Boundin' (2003)

# Jack-Jack Attack (2005)

# Mater and the Ghostlight (2006)

# One Man Band (2005)

# Lifted (2006)

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