Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages (1924)

This Buster Keaton classic has never looked better than than on this newly released Blu Ray disc......Sherlock Jr is 44 minutes of perpetual motion............not a half second of down time in his baby. This movie is VERY funny with jaw dropping stunts by Keaton himself. I can see why Welles and other giants consider Keaton the best director ever.

This movie deserves 10 stars especially considering what passes for 5 stars on Amazon.

Not to be missed!!

Wow. This is great.

I really did not need Three Ages on Blu-Ray, but it's nice to have.

Sherlock Jr., though, is fantastic. A very nice transfer, with a tiny bit of missing material added. Some good featurettes added as well. Nice music choices for the soundtrack as well. (THis is the one Alloy Orchestra score I like.)

It just looks GREAT! Kudos, Kino!

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The Blu-Ray AND the regular ("Ultimate 2-Disc Edition") dvds have the best prints I've ever seen of these films. The Blu-Ray is marginally sharper, but you really have to compare the two versions back-to-back and almost microscopically to tell the difference (I do have both versions).

The "Three Ages" is a problematic film due to nitrate decomposition; I agree that on both films, Kino would have done us a big favor by "enhancing" the movies with some digital cleanup: given the clarity of the Blu-Ray, I believe you would never notice any "compromise" in the quality of the picture even with the digital noise reduction. At the very least this should be done in the titles and the fade-outs, where scratches are most noticeable. (I certainly see no loss of quality in the digitally "enhanced versions" on Kino's set of Keaton's 19 short films.) Nevertheless, the image itself is certainly as sharp as you're ever going to get, and the pictures have adequate contrast but with lots of detail.

The music is a different matter. I very much like the Robert Israel soundtrack for "Three Ages". However, it seems to be out of sync around the middle of the film (sound is a few frames late to the picture), then goes back in sync a little later. It's not terrible, but I always notice this when it happens (when Keaton whacks his rival on the head and there is a musical highlight at that moment, I just naturally expect the sound to match the picture, and if it's late I'm disappointed).

It surprises me that given three different sound tracks for "Sherlock Jr." not one of them is completely successful. The Mont Alto score works the best for me. Mont Alto is a very professional small ensemble and they always play pleasant and winsome music. But their skill at matching music-to-picture is wildly variable. They do such satisfying work with their scores for the Flicker Alley anthology "Georges Melies: First Wizard of Cinema" that I have often put on a film just because I like their music so much! On the other hand, their music for "Chaplin at Keystone" ranges from pleasant to curious to maddening: Chaplin is dashing about, leaping and (literally) kicking rear-ends; people are tumbling and flying through the air madly at super-sonic speeds... and the Mont Alto is playing a slow waltz. What in the world were they thinking? Were they even watching the movie?

Similarly, in "Sherlock Jr.", there are times when the Mont Alto players seem unaware that there is actually a COMEDY going on. They begin the film with mock-serious music to play along with Keaton's character, who is taking himself too seriously; but the music is so austere and lacking in whimsy that it stops working for the irony and only bogs down the comedy (their 'crime-investigation' music, see below, is much better). But their next couple of choices are better...until the Other Suitor enters the living room. Here the music is pretty cold. One moment in particular leaves me shaking my head every time I think about it: while Mont Alto plays slow and frankly rather gloomy music (as if for a tragedy!) Keaton takes a mind-boggling, back-breaking prat fall; the music just continues to drone on slowly and grimly. Rather than being funny, the effect is odd. A little later, when the movie actually becomes, temporarily, tragic, the music is very effective.

Even given their many miscalculations, I still prefer the Mont Alto soundtrack over the Club Foot Orchestra, which quickly becomes annoying, and over Jay Ward's scratchy and hissy "vintage jazz score", which is not sensitively compiled. The Mont Alto score is full of engaging and memorable tunes. And I must give them their due: once they decide to play more up-beat and up-tempo music to match Keaton's rhythm as he "shadows the suspect", their music becomes a perfect match to the action, and really charming. Their `crime-investigation' music (while Buster plays pool) is a good fit to the picture, being both mock-serious AND very witty; but they start this particular music about a minute too late (it should begin just after Keaton enters the home and removes his coat). And their chase music (again, they start too late) is great stuff, really adding to the delight of the film. They end the movie with appropriately thoughtful music. The music from the chase to The End fits the picture so incredibly well, is so appealing and rememberable that it is now impossible for me to imagine the movie without this music.

So, 10 stars out of 5 for "Sherlock Jr." as a masterwork of cinema, 4 out of 5 for "Three Ages"; 4 out of 5 for Kino's crisp and clear reproductions (minus half a star because they did nothing to clean up the scratches, and another minus 1/2 for the sound-sync problem), 4 stars for the music to "Three Ages" (both the music for the complete film, and the organ scores for the re-cut versions are good), and varying from 2 to 5 stars for the music to "Sherlock Jr."

If you've got the extra money, love Keaton, and you do not have a local vintage theatre that shows these films with excellent live accompaniment, then I do recommend buying this dvd.

Read Best Reviews of Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages (1924) Here

SHERLOCK, JR. (writ./dir. Buster Keaton, 1924, 45 minutes) is a Buster Keaton masterpiece that is truly unbelievable at that short length. Not too typically short, not feature-length, SHERLOCK, JR. is a much-cited, deeply loved comedy silent film from the absolute Founder of Film himself. Sadly, due to its length, I can only include it here with Keaton's THREE AGES one of his works I haven't seen. Sorry!

Of course, SHERLOCK is really BK's first truly great silent feature, far outstripping his The Navigator of the same year. His first feature-length, Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages [Blu-ray] made just the year before, is available with SHERLOCK and I suggest you get that or one of the other double-bill DVDs.

BK (as I love to call him) stars as a theater projectionist who longs to be a detective he carries around a guidebook for amateurs with him wherever he goes. When he is falsely accused of stealing a watch from the boardinghouse where he lives, thus losing his fiancée in the process, he falls asleep on the job and dreams of being Sherlock, Jr., world's greatest detective.

This is the BK film famous for having him walk right into the movie screen and into an ongoing film. It may also be the very first time in film history that has featured a film-within-a-dream-within-a-film ... BK was such a genius there really is no word for his genius!

There are several scenes I recommend to all and sundry:

1 the billiard game with the exploding 13 ball

2 the motorcycle ride (first time a camera was mounted on the moving object)

3 Sherlock's trusty assistant Gilette in a special costume

4 the busy street scenes

5 the dash off a moving train only to be hit with the rush from the water tower (and yes, this is the famous scene in which BK broke his neck and actually just walks away from the camera)

6 best of all, BK shows the beautiful emotions on his face that he almost always showed. I do not know why he was nicknamed the Great Stone Face; he had a Buddha's face, which is something very different! What he specialized in showing us was a fearless, determined character no matter what, a strong man, a true man.

Finally, I believe this is the first film in which BK does not regularly wear his trademark hat (a modified Stetson fedora which he hand-shaped). It made hilarious appearances regularly but he did not wear it as part of his costume here for the first time. In fact, he prominently hangs it on a peg at the beginning and basically ignores it for the rest of the movie. A lot of critics have said BK communicated certain messages to the audience via his hat, but here I can only surmise he's telling us he won't be doing his usual schtick.

You should get this in the combination of Our Hospitality/Sherlock, Jr. (see my review of the other film). No matter how you do it, though, DO IT! Do not let yourself pass on without having seen this!!

Want Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages (1924) Discount?

THREE AGES (1923) is the least regarded of Buster Keaton's features, but for me it is just as great as all the "classics." This double-bill also includes the miraculous SHERLOCK JR. (1924), which also is top-notch Keaton. Buster's antics regarding love in THREE AGES are wonderfully comic, and you will be amazed by the laughs and the incredible visual wonder of SHERLOCK JR. Two of the greatest comedies ever made in a perfect KINO blu-ray package :-)

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Stuart Little (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1999)

I was afraid that my 2 year old would run all over the theatre. Boy, I was Wrong. She laughed just like she understood everything. The animation was superb as well as the screen play. The whole family enjoyed and I would watch it more than once.

My kids love this movie and I anticpate I put this on for them while I cook and they will be glued to the tube. As an adult I loved this film The Graphics were great and very realistic. It had drama, it had action and I just loved snowball. You should at least buy this one for the kids.

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Stuart Little is one of those rare films that the entire family can watch and enjoy together. Children will be completely enthralled and adults will alternately laugh uncontrollably and wipe away the odd sentimental tear.

The basic plot revolves around the Little family, who adopt Stuart (a mouse) despite warnings to "adopt within your own species."

The computer-generated animation is flawless, and those with pet cats or rodents will share a knowing smile or two as the watch their pets' various personalities acted out on the screen.

The plot may be silly, sappy and somewhat simplistic, but your entire family will love to watch this film again and again as Stuart and his friends scamper into and sometimes across your heart. A wonderful film for everyone.

Read Best Reviews of Stuart Little (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1999) Here

Though it strays considerably from the classic book, Stuart Little is nonetheless a terrific children's movie, specifically young children between say, 3 and 7 or 8. Slow-moving at times for adults, I admired the filmmakers for deliberately crafting a wonderfully imagined movie that is never TOO scary or TOO loud or TOO disturbing for the youngest viewers in the audience. There are not enough of these movies today, the kind of movies that draw youngsters into the theatre to experience the joy of movie-going with an audience. The familial message is warmly relayed, and the movie's New York City is alternately delightfully whimsical and just scary enough in the nighttime Central Park scenes. The special effects simply amaze you, and the vocal antics of Nathan Lane will make you laugh out loud, regardless of your age.

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First and foremost, this is a show that's meant to be enjoyable, simple and fun and not to invoke deep thinking about why would the parents adopt a mouse when they have a boy.. Hello.. if we are to take things so logically and seriously all the time, why in the first place is this mouse talking? Some times I think a movie does not need to give a reason why-is-what but rather just tell it's story and if it flows well and is enjoyable, we have a winner.

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Traitor (2008)

The movie is called "Traitor," and the implication is that the main character, played by Don Cheadle, has betrayed his own country. But it's nowhere near that simple. Some think he's a traitor to the United States while others think he's a traitor to Islam. He may be a traitor to his own beliefs, his loyalties divided between his Muslim faith and his American upbringing. By the end of the film, no one is any closer to understanding what he believes, himself least of all. He's a double agent frequently confronted by conflicting ideologies, and it's slowly but surely tearing him apart. One way this movie succeeds is that we're able to feel for this character no matter what side he's on; we can sense the anguish he feels, the torment of being a misfit in every culture he immerses himself in. We see in his face the unease and guilt he's forced to live with everyday.

Cheadle plays Samir Horn, who was born in Sudan but raised in the United States. Thirty years ago, his father was killed in a terrorist attack, although it's unclear which side was responsible; it may have been an anti-Muslim faction, but it may also have been devout Muslims who opposed his beliefs. Whatever the case, Horn is now a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant for the United States Army, someone trained to infiltrate terrorist organizations and gather information. It seems his loyalties have shifted; while in Yemen, he's caught selling detonators to a group of jihadists, and after a brief shootout, everyone is arrested. In prison, he befriends Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui), who is apparently in league with people on the outside, people willing to risk incarceration or death to free their brother Muslims. A frenetic jailbreak ensues. Not long after, Horn becomes entangled in a terrorist conspiracy, one that would result in several major attacks on American soil.

Two FBI agents have been assigned to locate and arrest Horn. One is Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce), who, interestingly enough, once considered World Religions as a college major. He claims to take his own Christian faith seriously, but unlike Horn with the Koran, we never see him reading from the Bible or quoting any of its passages. We're never told what Max Archer (Neal McDonough) believes, although it's obvious that, as far as his job is concerned, he's all about getting results as quickly as possible; in an early scene, he gets impatient with Horn and subsequently punches him in the stomach. Clayton is much more calm and collected, and he understands that you get information from a suspect by pushing his buttons, not by letting him push yours. Indeed, Horn is a tough nut to crack, probably because he knows how to keep secrets from both sides.

To describe the plot any further would not only give too much away, it would also require a lot of explaining, more so than anyone would be willing to read. As Horn says, "The truth is complicated." It would be more accurate to say that the truth is elusive, simply because I'm not convinced he knows what the truth is. He probably no longer knows which side represents good and which side represents evil. His beliefs are divided between what he reads in the Koran and what he sees going on; one passage states that killing one man is like killing all mankind, yet he's surrounded by Islamic extremists who commit murder to get their point across. He's serious about his faith, but it's clear he doesn't always understand it. He certainly doesn't understand how certain ideas can be misconstrued out of all reason, such as Takfiri, or blending in. A Pakistani terrorist named Fareed (Aly Khan) baffles Horn by saying that jihadists living in America drink alcohol and eat pork in order to blend in. Both acts go against Islamic beliefs.

Horn would probably argue that murder, no matter how justified, also goes against Islamic beliefs (I would make the same argument, although I'm well aware that many people would not). If there were no jihadists, if terrorism were to be eradicated entirely, Horn would not need to be a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant. He would not have to infiltrate enemy hideouts and pretend to be on their side. Only then would his mind be at ease; he could worship in peace without having to worry about suspicious activity in American and Muslim communities. Is it unreasonable to suggest that the vast majority of Muslims long for the same peace of mind? I don't think so. Neither is the idea that there's a gigantic difference between jihad terrorists and those of Islamic faith.

That may ultimately be the point "Traitor" is trying to make, although it's difficult to tell with a story actively trying to be ambiguous. Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and producer/co-story creator Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) have crafted a political drama that forces the audience to think really hard, more about the main character's beliefs than about the actual plot. Themes of not belonging and divided loyalties are certainly not new, but that doesn't mean they're no longer used effectively; "Traitor" succeeds on many levels, not the least of which is Don Cheadle's believable performance. He above all else is what gets the story off the ground, allowing it to be much more than a run-of-the-mill thriller. He adds genuine emotional touches in the subtlest of ways, from precise eye movements to random breathing patterns. Essentially, he makes it real, especially since he never reveals which side his character feels most connected with.

The tagline for the '08 film `Traitor' is "The truth is complicated". After viewing the movie I can only compliment the filmmakers for picking such a wise and appropriate phrase to encapsulate what unfolds before its audience. The occidental mind has yet to come to grips with an Islamic mindset that encourages its most fanatical followers to strap explosives to their bodies and detonate themselves in crowded buildings, transportation centers or any high traffic venue that will best unsettle the security of its adversaries. It is "terrorism as theatre" and all the world is its stage.

In `Traitor' Don Cheadle delivers a marvelous performance as Samir a Islamic, Sudanese born American immigrant who after spending years in U.S. military intelligence apparently has a change of conscience and joins an extreme terrorist organization after being recruited by Jihadist and future best friend Omar (Said Taghmaoui). Said is also magnificent, the on-going conversations between Omar and Samir discussing the Jihadist mindset and mission and how they compare with past and present acts of aggression by America are searing, thought-provoking and nuanced. For me they make this movie worth the time and effort. That's not to say that there isn't anything else worthwhile in this film, but it is there relationship and intellectual debate that raises the film to a higher level.

As for the rest of the film, well this isn't one of your typical fast paced action films. The storyline unfolds rather slowly, too slowly at times. But it does build momentum about halfway through will firmly hold your interest to the end. `Traitor' offers the viewer great performances, intellectual stimulation and political relevance. There is in my opinion two flaws that keep the film from receiving a -5 Starrating. The `Big Moment' at the end is rather unrealistic for reasons I can't discuss without spoiling the surprise and secondly, the ultimate decision made by Samir was a little too black and white for a storyline focused on exploring the gray areas of faith, conscience and choosing sides.

Footnote: Guy Pearce also delivers a stellar performance as the FBI agent pursuing Samir.

Buy Traitor (2008) Now

Traitor is a fantastic thriller starring Don Cheadle as Samir Horn, a Muslim who was born in Sudan and moved to America as a teenager. He grows up to be a Special Forces soldier for the US, and as the movie begins, we see him moving through the Middle East selling explosives.

His fate crosses with two FBI agents, played by Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough. Soon the two are crisscrossing the globe hunting Samir, who is becoming more and more involved with a cell led by a terrorist mastermind.

The film is written and directed as a great thriller with enough action and suspense to keep you ocuupied and guessing, but not to the extent that it comes off like a routine action movie trying to be more than it is. The film has several twists and surprises and keeps the viewer engaged throughout.

But everything is held together is by Cheadle, who burnishes his reputation as one of Hollywood's greatest talents. His Samir is at once devious, treacherous, loving, compassionate, stubborn, and dangerous. Traitor is a great film, but it would not possess the same impact with a lesser talent as its star.

Read Best Reviews of Traitor (2008) Here

This film is a suspenseful drama that looks into the world of espionage and the so-called war on terror with the view as advertised on the DVD jacket "the truth is complicated." Cheadle plays a Sudanese born US Army vet trained in explosives who is seemingly working with Islamic terrorists... though who he is actually working with is not as it seems even to himself. There's a message in this film that the ends don't justify the means, and the characters are led to question whether it's right or just to kill for a cause just because you believe you are the good guys. Cheadle does an excellent job playing this troubled character, while Guy Pearce is the FBI agent who is pursuing him. One interesting thing depicted in the film is how intelligence operations are complex and that terror groups are often being steered by government agents/informants, who in some cases lead what can be considered false flag terror and the public reports about the events are based on disinfo created by government intelligence operatives. This film encourages us to look deeper at what's going on and question anyone who believes they are killing or sacrificing lives for a god-sanctioned agenda. The only weakness I found in the film was that there are a few loose ends in the film that don't get explained... but that's like real life where we can't find out everything.

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I couldn't remember what the movie was about, but I knew I wanted to see it because Don Cheadle was in it, and I recall seeing the preview for it a month or so ago. But the first hour of the movie had me struggling. All I kept thinking was, "Why did I pay my good money to see this terrible movie? I don't WANT to root for terrorists and I don't want to root for suicide bombers and why did Cheadle try out for this movie?" I'm not the type to wave an American flag or walk around preaching about patriotism, but the first hour was so uncomfortable to me watching terrorists plan to kill innocent people justifying it with an eye-for-an-eye and religion. But then the hump over that hour came in, and I started smiling. Suddenly I remembered why Cheadle is a genius, why this movie was going the way it did, and I can't say anymore about it besides: be patient, listen closely, and I loved this movie. Bravo!

Cons: There was a scene where Cheadle had a tattoo on his right shoulder, and I was squinting at the screen to see it, but in the next scene, he didn't have it. I don't know if the make-up crew decided it needed to be hidden or was nobody supposed to see that or what, but the tattoo came up missing for some odd reason, and I'm not quite sure why.

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Starter for 10

From a very young age, Brian Jackson has crammed his mind with facts and knowledge, and now he's off to university for more. But the most important lesson he has to learn is that knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing.

Brian quickly makes a strong impression in academia, especially when he gets onto the school team for University Challenge, the wildly popular quiz show he grew up watching with his father. But the rest of life isn't so easy: Brian falls head-over-heels for his beautiful but self-centered teammate Alice, who leads him on despite having no real interest in intimacy; his mother, now ten years widowed, has found a new lover; he just can't sort out his feelings for Rebecca, a student activist with more than a passing interest in him; his blue-collar mates from home are starting to regard him as a class traitor; and any time he tries to be clever or impulsive, it always goes awry.

James McAvoy, who has already won great critical acclaim for his skills in dramatic roles, shows that he is equally adept in comedy, giving Brian an aw-shucks charm that keeps him loveable despite his penchant for saying exactly the wrong thing. Among the rest of the cast, the two greatest standouts are Benedict Cumberbatch, who steals his every scene as the hilariously snobbish team captain, and the extraordinarily talented Rebecca Hall, who plays Rebecca with such spirit and beauty that you can't help rooting for Brian to come around and realize that she's the one for him. Veteran thespians Charles Dance and Lindsay Duncan have a brilliant cameo as Alice's parents, and Mark Gatiss makes a convicing Bamber Gascoigne (the long-time host of University Challenge, and a real-life icon of British TV).

The script is witty, and gives new twists to the traditional conventions of romantic comedy. The climax on the set of University Challenge, and an earlier scene involving a misguided reference to The Graduate, are particularly well done. I can't help feeling, though, that the movie missed a few good opportunities as well. I understand the need to streamline the story, but I can't help feeling that they streamlined too much: fun characters disappear not long after they're introduced, certain aspects of Brian's schoolyear are mentioned when they should have been shown, and so on.

All the same, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and highly recommend it for any fans of romantic comedy, British film, or movies with cool '80s soundtracks.

I found this movie quite charming -much to do with the fact that James McAvoy is the central figure in it...I truly think we'll find him in a lot of good films in the future, which is GREAT!-.

The movie's the story of a boy who struggles to find himself while growing up -falling in love and making mistakes on a university TV quiz show are trascendantal-

You can get easily related to it...even more if you have had interest in accumulating a lot of useless -yet fascinatingdata in your brain to feel more intellectual or to guarantee yourself a "special" place in this world. Simple,sweet, funny and as I said before...charming!

Buy Starter for 10 Now

This is a slight film, but one well worth seeing for the fine performance by James McAvoy. A plain-looking nerd who goes off to college seeking to distinguish himself both as academically knowledgeable and, at the same time, as a ladies' man, he must strike a chord in the hearts of thousands of first year undergrads just like him. What McAvoy has going for him especially is his ability to ooze charm from every pore without being in the slightest degree sickeningly sweet. It is his memorable performance which distinguishes an otherwise pretty formulaic college comedy of heartbreak and eventual triumph.

Read Best Reviews of Starter for 10 Here

James McAvoy has that affable quality which makes the viewer like him even when he is being a bit of a prat. That is true throughout this DVD. The storyline is a little "low key," as the adaptation of the book to the screen was not as effective as it could be, but the performances are strong, and the viewer will not feel "cheated" when he finishes watching the film.

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Those of you who read the book may be a bit disappointed by its screen adaptation, an all to common occurrence when a book becomes a film.

Placing that comment aside and reviewing this film without use of a pretense, Starter for 10 is a cute, all be it a bit campy, British comedy about the bumps and hiccups brought by coming of age, finding ones future, and facing ones past. James McAvoy does a brilliant job of making his character lovably awkward. The subtle comedy, satirical character types and romantic interfaces make this a must see for any University Challenge fan (or anyone looking for a good laugh).

1 star off only because the book was better.

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Triple Feature (Beetlejuice / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / Corpse Bride) (2012)

This is a great deal. Even if it were a bit more expensive it'd be worth buying in my opinion. Perfect gift for Tim Burton fans.

Beetles are neat. Not in my juice though. Chocolate is yummy...and there's an entire factory of it! A zombie wife? Eww.... Well, why not?

Buy Triple Feature (Beetlejuice / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / Corpse Bride) (2012) Now

When I saw these three movies bundled together I jumped on it right away! The movies are great, the transfer to bluray looked good, sounded good, I must say I'm very happy with my purchase.

Read Best Reviews of Triple Feature (Beetlejuice / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / Corpse Bride) (2012) Here

Really love the triple feature. Very good Tim Burton collection.

I would recommend this blu ray set alot

Five stars!

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All of the films looks very decent to great on Bluray but the transfers are fairly low bitrates around 20Mbps with Beetlejuice being the highest around 22Mbps. At 10 bucks or so you can't go wrong though. I like each film for its own reasons and you can find reviews for each of those somewhere else. All in all nice deal.

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Frequency (2012)

I first saw Frequency the day it was released in theatres, after I saw a preview that got me extremely interested in the movie. I didn't know quite what to expect, but what I found was well written movie, with excellent acting performances and a very gripping storyline, a truly enjoyable moviegoing experience. The story focuses on a cop named John Sullivan (played brilliantly by James Caviezel in a breakthrough big screen performance) who lives in Queens, NY in early October 1999, which happens to be the date of an appearance of a phenomenon that allows John to communicate with his father Frank (with a very solid and emotional performance from Dennis Quaid), on the same radio, in the same house. The interesing part is that John talks to Frank thirty years earlier, merely days before Frank, a firefighter, dies herocially trying to rescue a person trapped in a blazing fire. Frank and John end up making catastrophic changes in the timeline, which leads to the brutal murder of John's mother(in an excellent performance from Elizabeth Mitchell) only days later in 1969. The movie is really a combination of several different elements. First of all it focuses on a father-son relationship between Frank and John. The interaction between Caviezel and Quaid is superb, and leads to some of the films most emotionally moving moments. The emotion is skillfully achieved, as Caviezel and Quaid don't act face-to-face, but across a HAM radio. The interplay between the two time periods really adds to the movie without overshadowing the its story. Frequency also combines elements of suspense, action, mystery, and tense drama. Frequency covers all of the bases, and does so very skillfully. This brings us to the DVD disc itself, which comes from New Line Home Video, who completely loaded the disc with a huge amount of special features, including many interesting DVD-ROM features that can be accessed by any PC with a DVD-ROM drive and PC Friendly installed. If you don't have PC Friendly on your computer, the DVD will install it for you if you so choose. The disc also has deleted scenes, as well as several feature legnth commentaries(by the director, producer, and actor Noah Emmerich who plays the adult Gordo, John's best friend). The disc also includes an interesting original documentary, as well as a trailer and animation galleries. If you are are willing to let your mind go a little bit to accept the science of the storyline, it actually becomes a fascinating part of the movie. This movie would definitely be a worthy addition to any DVD collection. Frequency also offers an extremely exciting and rewarding finale that will not disappoint anyone who watches it. The bottom line is this: Frequency is a wonderful movie, with incredibly strong emotional performances from the entire cast, very moving dramatic moments, as well as tense, gripping action sequences, and a rousing finale. Frequency is definitely one to remember. This movie truly has it all!

This review refers to the New Line Plarinum Series DVD edition of "Frequency"...

I consider a good thriller, one that not only keeps me on the edge of my seat after the first viewing, but one that keeps me there with every viewing. "Frequency" is one of those, that no matter how often I watch it, it takes it's hold on me from the first frame and won't let go until the last. It's more then just a thriller though. It's some fabulous Sci-Fi entertainment with great special effects, it's the poignant story of a special bond between father and son, and there's lots of heart pounding action sequences as well. Add to that one fabulous cast including Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel and Andre Braugher, a fresh take on time travel, and you are in for 2 hours of some fine entertainment.

A Police Officer John Sullivan(Caviezel), by a miracle of nature, is able to contact his father, Frank(Quaid), on an old ham radio. The miracle?...The Northern Lights make a rare appearance in New York. What's truly amazing is that his father died thirty years earlier fighting a fire. He is able to change the course of history, by forewarning his father about the tragedy to come. But by changing the course of history, John and Frank may have unleashed an evil chain of events yet to come. They most work together, with the time they have to stop a serial killer.

The DVD is a great buy. The transfer is gorgeuos. A wonderful widescreen presentation that takes in all the action and special effects in brillant colors. It made be viewed with DD5.1 Surround, which brings it all right into your living room, and it also has an option for DD2.0. A ton of features include deleted scenes, a documentary, "The Science and Technology Behind Frequency", Commentary, you can isolate the score, and much more(see buying info for complete list of extras). There are subtitles in English, and the snap case unfolds to some production notes and a few scenes from the film. You really get more bang for your buck with this great package.

It's a film that will have your heart racing one moment and the next will evoke a lump in your throat at the touching moments. It's got something for everyone. It's rated PG-13, but parents may want to view it before hand, as some of the scenes are quite violent.

It's A Definate Keeper!....Get the popcorn ready and enjoy...Laurie

also recommended:(see my reviews for details)

Die Hard Trilogy Letterbox Edition

L.A. Confidential Special Edition / The Usual Suspects (Special Edition) (2 Pack)

One False Move

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This highly imaginative science fiction thriller is an entertaining mind bender of a film. Toby Emmerich's story takes a fresh approach to the time travel angle. Rather than having people traveling through time, Emmerich has them communicating through time using a Ham Radio that has been augmented by an Aurora Borealis. Ok, there aren't many Aurora Borealis events as far south as New York City, but there isn't any trans-time communication noted in the scientific literature either, so we need to allow the story a little latitude.

After we accept the premise, this ingenious plot incorporates many different elements to entice the viewer. There is the human angle of a son speaking to his dead father, the many twists resulting from altering the ribbon of time, and the solving of a thirty-year-old serial murder case. The various elements are combined effectively by director Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear, Fallen) to produce a fast paced action thriller with sufficient character development to bind us emotionally to the characters. The fascinating thing about the detective story is that the facts of the crime keep changing in unexpected ways each time John (James Caviezel) imparts something to his father (Dennis Quaid) that causes him to change history. In addition, the action sequences are well done and the visual effects, especially the digitized Aurora are nicely rendered. The aging makeup is also realistic.

The acting was excellent as well, though the New York accents were pretty bad. Dennis Quaid alternated between the goofy and endearing dad and the action hero, and managed to keep it from seeming incongruous. This was a breakout performance by James Caviezel, who heretofore has been confined to minor roles. His was a very emotional and tense role and he handled it extremely well. I was also impressed with Elizabeth Mitchell who gave a vivacious performance as John's mother.

I enjoy a good intelligent science fiction thriller. Lately, science fiction has been subsumed into the horror category, since you seldom see a science fiction story that isn't an excuse to hack up some cast members. This film was more in the tradition of Twilight Zone, relying more on an inventive story than grisly effects to capture the audience. That's why I rated this film a 9/10. With luck, this will inspire a return to more creative science fiction.

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Without a doubt, this movie will appeal to both men and women (when's the last time you agreed on what movie to watch??? lol).

Anytime Dennis Quaid is in a movie, I'm guaranteed to watch it and this one didn't disappoint. I found that everytime I *thought* I had it figured out....I was wrong. It kept me guessing throughout. Which is good because it wasn't predictable. The constant "shift" of events in the past kept changing the future that the movie because suspenseful and interesting.

I remember reading a review of this movie before I went to see it. The reviewer said that just about every man that sees it will come out of the theatre remincising about their childhood and especially their father. Sure enough, my husband talked about his dad almost all the way home from the theatre.

Buy it.... you will love it!

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Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel are so good in this movie. They play father and son able to communicate via an old ham radio even though his father passed away some thirty years ago. The explanation for this is due to unusual auroral activity and the effect it has on electronics. They discover they have the ability to change history by sharing information when John tells Frank how he died in the line of duty, so many years ago. They work together to stop a serial killer that was never caught, and that now threatens their family in both the past and present. Very on the edge of your seat suspenseful, and entertaining!

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Hannibal

I think it's fair to say that Hannibal Lecter became an American horror icon for most people with the Oscar winning film "The Silence of the Lambs." Personally, I discovered Lecter back in 1981 when author Thomas Harris introduced him in "Red Dragon." As a kid, I read this novel with a sick fascination and it was easily the scariest book I had read up until that point. Michael Mann adapted it into the film "Manhunter" in 1986 with character actor Brian Cox in the Lecter role, but it wasn't until 1991 and Anthony Hopkins that Lecter became incredibly popular. Hopkins revisited the role with another interpretation of "Red Dragon" and then "Hannibal," and has owned the role ever since. When I heard that NBC was helming a drama based on Lecter, I thought it was a disastrous idea! Network television is no such place for such evil! But I must say that the program has far exceeded my rather limited expectations. Created as a prequel to the events of "Red Dragon," the show has a thoughtful slow burn appeal that shows surprising restraint. The program might have some gore, to be sure (especially by traditional network standards), but it succeeds most spectacularly as a psychological study of two men with more in common than they'd like to admit.

The plot centers around a FBI profiler named Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). Graham can literally get into the mindset of a killer, and the show stages vivid and brutal recreations as Graham uses these skills to analyze crime scenes. This innate ability to think like a monster has taken an emotional toll on Graham, and he is an absolute mess. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) is a brilliant psychiatrist who aids in an early investigation but is drawn to the darkness within Graham. Through the course of the episodes, Graham and Lecter become closer. Each seems to get something very important from the relationship. Are they doctor and patient? Friends? Or is Lecter playing a sick game of cat and mouse? It's a fascinating dynamic, one of the strongest components of this show. While some of the episodes are self-contained, more and more is revealed about Lecter as the season progresses. Anyone who is familiar with "Red Dragon" might know where this is ultimately heading, but it's the journey that is more important than the destination in this case.

Dancy is pretty terrific as the scarred and haunted hero. And Mikkelsen is the master of understatement. He underplays every scene to perfection, and this detachment gives "Hannibal" a chilling center. Other familiar characters from the books (and movies) are present like reporter Freddie Lounds (a female in this version), prison warden Frederick Chilton, and FBI Director Jack Crawford (played by Lawrence Fishburne). Gillian Anderson also pops up for a few episodes as Lecter's therapist and they play off each other wonderfully. "Hannibal" is generally well cast, although some of the smaller recurring roles have yet to be developed in any kind of meaningful way. But as long as Graham and Lecter remain in the center, you aren't really paying much attention to the peripheral cast.

The plotting in these 13 episodes is a mix of self-contained stories with several significant on-going threads. Not every individual case is a compelling as the central story strand, but that's to be expected. I always wonder why everyone in the world isn't dead with the number of serial killers that populate popular entertainment! What really distinguishes "Hannibal," though, is its tone. It is not played as an action thriller. Oftentimes, it is quiet and contemplative relying on character interactions to up the unease factor. It is smart, literate, and takes its time. That's what was so unexpected for me, and why the show might not be perfectly suited for someone looking for mindless entertainment. It requires and rewards patience. The actors are great, the staging is unsettling, and the effects are solid. This was put together by a team (led by Bryan Fuller from Heroes and Pushing Daisies) who wanted to honor the Lecter legacy and be true to it. One of the more unusual network offerings of the last year, and one of the best. KGHarris, 5/13.

Absolutely brilliantly done with a cast of characters whose acting talents are far superior to nearly every other on network television. You cannot surpass the level of depth of character development, the writing, where as they discuss real theories of psychology; build up, and character development between Will Graham and Dr. Lecter is unlike anything else on television and cannot be done with a movie.

Eventually we will view shows like this one not to be just a show, but rather a series of movies, each telling a story, where at one point a 2 hour movie will not be enough anymore to satisfy our palate for something as savory as this series.

This will become a classic.

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Its hard not to compare this show to the Following with Kevin Bacon. On the surface, they're very similar. Tortured main character, gruesome murders, creepy psychopaths. Yet, they are, in essence, nothing alike. Bacon's character is a cliche. Will Graham, the protagonist in Hannibal, is so beautifully drawn, I can't take my eyes off him. He is a "special investigator" with the FBI. Those who work with him see him as fragile, so much so that they all seem to be holding their collective breath, waiting for him to shatter. The thing that makes him an invalid in their eyes is his stunning depth of empathy. This is how he solves crimes. Hannibal Lecter, a psychologist (and future notorious psychopath) who works with the FBI and Graham, has a different perspective. When Graham asks "how do you see me?". Lecter says Graham is "the mongoose I want under the house when the snakes slither by."

The production quality is high, the supporting cast is great. The show is smartly written.

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Love this show! I had to break up with The Following because it just wasn't plausible (all the procedural gaffes aside...how can anyone's necktie be askew ALL THE TIME?!). Hannibal is elegant, refined, well-dressed, and damn sexy. Mads Mikkelson will have you saying "Anthony Hopkins who?" (it's no easy feat to make the viewer able to visualize someone else as the infamous and well-fed Dr. Lechter). Yes, you will have to work at understanding his accent--but constantly leaning in on the edge of your seat every time Hannibal is on-screen is part of the character's appeal. He has your attention. All of it. The story line is enthralling (overall it is ongoing, but there are shorter arcs), and the show is beautifully shot. Every frame is like a work of art. If you're a fan of the genre--you need to be watching this show.

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Fantastic ...unlike anything I've ever seen on regular TV. Dexter meets CSI. Great performances, with intense and intelligent scripting. Anticipating the next episode!

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Summer Wars

If Hayao Miyazaki made a cyberthriller, the result might be something like "Summer Wars." This colorful little anime movie spends most of its run straddling the line between a family reunion comedy and a world war entirely on the web. And the results manage to stir your heart and make you laugh at the same time.

Math nerd Kenji is shocked when popular upperclassman Natsuki asks him to come to her family's country house for the weekend. Unfortunately, he's there under false pretenses -not only is Natsuki claiming that he's her boyfriend, but that he's a wealthy college student at Tokyo U. Yeah, that is inevitably going to backfire.

But something far worse happens when OZ (a crazy hybrid of amazon.com, Facebook, fighting video games and... well, just about everything you can find on the WWW) is hacked -and Kenji is the main suspect.

The truth is actually much more sinister -a horrendous program called Love Machine is devouring OZ user avatars, and is using the computer connections to cause chaos all across the world. When tragedy strikes the family, Kenji inspires them to fight back against Love Machine. But can the family's plan stop the program before it has a chance to take revenge on them?

"Summer Wars" isn't really like any other movie I've ever seen -it's part cyberthriller, part bittersweet family story, part crazy comedy, and part colorful anime. It starts off as a simple family dramedy, with Kenji getting thrown into Natsuki's eccentric family and dealing with all the baggage they bring with them. Plus, you know he's going to get busted.

But when Love Machine appears, the stakes are suddenly the technological safety of the ENTIRE WORLD. So we get a wild, crazy guerilla cyberwarefare (involving a boat, a giant computer, an army truck and lots of ice!) as the family (plus Kenji) unites to battle Love Machine. At the same time, the writer maintains the focus on the eccentric family, their grudges, and their unique personalities.

Plus, the animation for this movie is SPELLBINDING. The "real world" stuff is rendered in traditional hand-drawn anime, but the scenes set in OZ are brilliant, surreal, colorful and dreamlike. Whole civilizations on shelves, crowned whales, floating islands, stacked sports stadia, and endless chambers filled with strange little creatures.

And all the characters are very well-fleshed-out. Kenji is a nice, rather socially inept guy with epic math skills, and Natsuki is a strong young girl who finds herself with the weight of the ENTIRE PLANET on her shoulders. The entire cast is well-developed -from the stately grandmother to the idiot cousin who doesn't know what's going on -but one of the best is Kazuma, a 13-year-old kung-fu expert/computer nerd.

"Summer Wars" may start small, but it quickly grows to the epic size of the World Wide Web itself. Even better: it's funny, heartwarming and all-around engrossing.

Or is it the other way around?

Reminiscent of American movies like "War Games," as well as anime greats like "Spirited Away," this movie blends suspense, comedy, family, and a touch of romance in an expert mixture that is fun and heartwarming.

Kenji is a math genius with no self-confidence and, in his opinion, nothing else he is good at, especially when it comes to the fairer sex. He is spending his summer break working in tech support for the mega-giant, all pervading social networking site Oz when the girl of his dreams, the popular upperclassmen Natsuki, asks if he can work for her over the summer. The job is simple, she says. He just needs to accompany her on a trip to her Grandmother's house for a family reunion and do whatever odd jobs are needed to help out her big family. When it turns out that the real job is to pretend to be her fiancé, he balks at first. After all, he has never even taken a girl on a date, let alone gotten serious enough to be engaged! (My perception is that he was thinking that he can't pretend to be in love with someone that he has loved from afar for years!) But he agrees to go along with the ruse with some gentle pleading by the pretty Natsuki. When an AI cyber-terrorist attacks Oz using Kenji's avatar, most everything hits the fan. But Natsuki's large, eccentric family mobilizes, with inspiration from the matriarch and an extra push from Kenji himself, and works to counter this threat to the world, since much of the real world's infrastructure is routed through Oz, and Oz is being eaten by the AI. Can a math geek, a middle school fighting game expert, and a beautiful, self confident young woman save the world? Watch this masterpiece by Mamoru Hosoda, the director of the stunning "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," and find the answer.

The BluRay is well presented, with easy to use menus and stunning graphics. The background art, both in and out of Oz, is breathtaking art in it own right. The character designs in the real world are natural and effective. The Oz avatars are cute, but have amazing capacity for creepiness and emotional expression. The English dub cast, comprised of veteran voice actors like Brina Palencia, Michael Sinternicklaas, Todd Haberkorn, and J. Michael Tatum, do a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. Many big name anime films use big name actors instead of professional voice actors, and the dubs frequently suffer because of it. "Summer Wars" does not fall into that trap. The dub script is well wrought, with extremely natural turns of phrase and an excellent "lip flap" match, so much so that it is hard to tell that it isn't the original language of the film. There were a few spots were on-screen kanji were not translated that would have been helpful, but other than that, the localization is extremely well done.

In short, I highly recommend this film to young and old, anime fans or not! It is more than an anime film, it is a great story!

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I received my preorder of this DVD the other day, and I'm thoroughly delighted with it. Having seen the original Japanese version, I was pleased to see that the localization to English was well done. The dubbing is good, the translation natural, and the voices match to the originals quite well. There are subtitles in a few places where necessary. You get art cards showing the Oz avatars of the main characters, which are quite nice. And the extras (interviews with voice artists and original commercials for the movie) are good too. Besides being a great story in its own right, this'll be the perfect DVD for me to share with family and friends to help them understand what this crazy anime hobby of mine is all about.

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I love Madhouse. The Studio has produced some of the best anime to come out of Japan in the last decade, including the recent "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time". Much of that team re-assembled to put together the ambitious "Summer Wars". The result?

I was entertained and disappointed. I felt moments of "wow, that's storytelling" and stretches of "that doesn't make sense". I was impressed by creative plot twists and turns that ultimately wound up in all-too-familiar territory.

One thing I found was that two dozen one-dimensional characters didn't engage me in the least, but I would have sat and listened to the wisdom and life stories of the family matriarch for hours on end. Unfortunately, even the main players -whom I found really interesting, or bold, or mysterious at first -evolved into stick figure shadows of themselves by the end of the film.

Hosoda's attempt to create a sort of anime version of "Nicholas Nickleby" is daring, and I admire the effort. I couldn't escape the film without wanting to "tweak" it here and there, to temper its extremes and make its deus-ex-machina moments a little more plausible. It was as if the writers wanted it to be a slice-of-life fantasy with romantic elements and martial arts combat mixed in with deep historical roots set in a William Gibson-esque landscape -and the whole thing collapsed under its own weight.

So, I was less impressed by this than other Madhouse productions. I wanted to really like this film, but instead came away with melancholy feelings of what might-have-been.

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There have been many excellent reviews written about Summer Wars already, but as a member of a family that does not frequently watch Japanese animation I have an obligation to let people know that this is not a niche film. Summer Wars, like all great animation, succeeds on many levels. It has stunning visuals, an excellent and intriguing story, (that's not hard to follow despite it being largely set in cyberspace) and excellent characters. The story is about a family, but, unlike so many animated films, the family doesn't take a backseat to the story--it IS the story. It's amazing to watch a realistically depicted (although delightfully quirky) family reunion transform into a show of touching family resolve that will ultimately inspire viewers both young and old. I highly recommend Summer Wars to be viewed as a family or, of course, by any lovers of animation.

One last thing I have to add. The Jinnouchi family's matriarch, Sakae, is the true star of this film. She is a character that you will not soon forget. Satoko Okudera, the screenwriter of Summer Wars, manages to bring to Japanese cinema an elderly woman that demands respect for her both her wisdom and her bravery.

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Jurassic Park (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (1993)

***This review really is for the 3D Blu-ray version. I preordered it and it arrived the day before official release :) ***

My wife and I watched it and the 3D is very well done, they clearly did full 3D mapping with curved shapes for faces and pixel infill behind things when you can now see around them. My wife found it as good as 3D gets. As an engineer with image processing background I noticed a few things like artifacts around fast moving stuff and places where (of course) things would not be in focus that were not originally in the plane of focus. I think if you don't go looking for flaws it will just be a great 3D experience, this isn't a cheap cardboard cutout change to 3D, it's the good kind.

I do have a complaint about the Bluray and advertising. The Bluray took a while to start up and then would repeatedly get stuck showing "downloading new attractions from BD-live"; until I turned off BD-live for the Bluray player. Basically the disc is trying to download advertising and taking forever to do it. This screen will not let you exit to menu. Perhaps there was a server problem because we had the disc before official release but do be warned that this disk has an aggressive advertising agenda before the movie. On the plus side I turned off "BD-live" on the player and then there were NO ads and we were able to get to the content fairly quickly,

-I.C.A.Q.

(edited to fix some typos and clarify that this review is for the actual 3D Bluray)

I am writing this review after having seen the 3D-IMAX version of this movie yesterday at the theater. I can only hope this is the version being released later this month (April 2013).

All I can say is WOW! I and my family were immensely pleased. This is every bit as amazing as I remembered it, and then some.

The 3D was definitely a benefit here, and it heightened my appreciation of the movie. While of course Spielberg had no inclination that this would eventually go 3D, the movie has several sequences that really seem to have been made specifically for it. As anyone who has seen the movie can guess, there are all sorts of scenes that almost literally jumped out at the audience in the original, and they're even more super-charged here.

While this has to be one of the most-watched movies ever, I'm sure there are many who have never seen it -in fact, I could tell there were a few in the audience nearby me, as they jumped more than a few times at key moments.

What's really terrific is that the 3D was never obtrusive, but only improved the movie and made it more intimate. It is as if we gained a new sense of experiencing a film beyond regular sight and sound. And yes: the sound was even more improved as well. Believe me, it kicked butt.

See it if you can at the theater: on the big screen this is mind-boggling. I will bet those with a big 3D screen in their house (and a suitable sound system) will be totally impressed as well, but this was amazing to see on the big screen.

It was stunnning: "Jurassic Park" HAS NOT AGED ONE DAY since it was released 20 years ago. Spielberg's movie is that good. Credit is due his special effects team (Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Phil Tippett and Michael Lantieri), who received Oscars for their work (the movie won two Oscars for sound editing and mixing) and they deserved every penny they earned for their work. Even on the big screen there was not the slightest hitch with their work.

See it at the theater if you can, but I am sure you will love it at home, too. It is an exhilarating movie that hasn't lost a step in 20 years: truly AMAZING!

NOTE: It makes you wonder if we'll ever see Jaws re-released this way, or Close Encounters of the Third Kind (30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition)...can you imagine them as 3D? One can only hope.

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It's more than a little uncommon for a film to visually impress two times in a row. What made for spectacular viewing the first time becomes old news by the second. And with the rate at which the technologies used at the movies advances, these former special-effects heavyweights begin to look dated very quickly.

That makes it all the more impressive that Jurassic Park 3D a classic celebrating its 20th birthday this year is still eye-poppingly amazing to look at. The special effects alone have aged like a fine wine, due in no small part to the film's reliance on animatronics over computer animation. Whereas CGI tends to leave everything looking just slightly "off", the dinosaurs of this park feel as real as they come. There's none of that oddly shiny, too-perfect look of modern movies.

Someone at Universal deserves a pat on the back for the job of converting this movie to 3D. The original was obviously never filmed with 3D in mind, but the new sense of depth is completely convincing. It is, in a word, awesome. And in a movie that has the awesomeness of the natural world as a major theme, that really helps to sell it to you.

Behind Jurassic Park's new bells and whistles is the same excellent Spielburgian film it has always been. John Hammond, a visionary scientist, has had a jolly old time playing around with genetics. The fruit of his labor is a private island filled with creatures long since extinct, which he wants to make into an amusement park. He invites three scientists the couple Alan and Ellie, and the eccentric ladies' man Ian Malcolm for some academic cred, as his investors are having some trouble believing that resurrecting long-extinct T. Rex's is actually safe. The opening act allows us time to soak in just how incredible this prehistoric wonderland really is. From the huge beasts, to the hatching of a tiny infant raptor, the world of Jurassic Park is wild, but seemingly controlled.

Controlled that is, except for the park's malicious computer programmer, Newman err, Dennis Nedry. In an attempt to steal dinosaur embryos for a rival genetics company, Nedry inadvertently shuts down the park's security, releasing the hordes, including one hungry T. Rex. The delightfully carefree and safe dino zoo quickly turns into a prehistoric nightmare, with the scientists, Hammond, and his grandchildren all fighting to survive.

Jurassic Park knows what it wants to be it's a science-fiction thriller, and it does that well. There are more iconic scenes here than a raptor has teeth. Beyond that, though, it's effective as something of a pseudo-nature documentary. When they aren't trying to gobble up the heroes, the dinosaurs simply go about their business running with their herds, finding a meal, and nesting for the night. It's a grim reminder of humanity's dualistic relationship with nature. Sometimes we live in harmony and mutual wonder. Sometimes they eat us instead.

The acting is mostly excellent, particularly with Jeff Goldblum as Ian. His sarcastic skepticism plays off of the other scientists' straight-man performances hilariously well. Richard Attenborough also does a wonderful job as Hammond and his rapidly-decaying ego. Despite the fact that the entire park was his idea, you do feel sorry for the man as his dream crumbles to pieces around him. While the characters are not the centerpieces (Jurassic Park is much more War of the Worlds than ET), it helps the film immensely to have such engaging performances.

Jurassic Park is definitely worth a second viewing, especially in 3D. The added dimension fits the film perfectly, as if it were shot that way all the way back in 1993. And if you're somehow lucky enough for this to be your first viewing, than enjoy. You're in for a wild ride.

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I got the DVD hoping the movie would still be fresh after all the years of not seeing it. Its theater release was amazingly successful. You know why? It is a Spielberg production to a Michael Crichton novel that is treated with respect. This is not trash that is all too prevalent in cinema today. This is a movie for all to enjoy, except for those who try to find something wrong purposely.

The cast is great. Sir Richard Attenborough has been in acting for quite a while and is perfect as Hammond, the tragic millionaire who's honest intentions prove disastorous (even if it's not totally his fault). Sam Neill and Laura Dern are totally believable as scientists who find themselves coming to grips with the revelations about their work and why their way of life could be jeopardized. Jeff Goldblum is immersive as the 'mathmetician' who argues the moralities and possible repercussions of the park. Wayne Knight and Samuel L. Jackson support an already stellar cast.

Aside from the great performances, the story is really what makes the movie work. Michael Crichton sparked a timeless screenplay. You just have to assume that the innovative and ground-breaking visual effects at that time can hold an audience only for so long. The audience has to care about who's on screen as well as what is. It's a classic and merits its longevity. Oh...the DVD's transfer is great and sound is theater-quality perfect. The DVD extras are above normal fare. However, the whole package is a steal for basically an average priced DVD. I rank this as a must-have for collectors everywhere.

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JURASSIC PARK is one of the best, if not the best, movies made about dinosaurs ever. It's also one of only a handful of movies ever made based on a novel that was already in preproduction before the novel ever was released. It's also one of the first movies to use CGI in significant scenes throughout the film. It's also the movie that gave Sam Neill a break and reinvigorated the career of Jeff Goldblum. The movie (promoted by the release of the novel about a year earlier) got the general public (and not just kids) excited about dinosaurs again and did to paleontology as a major what RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK did to archaeology.

The premise, seeped in pop science, is that a multi-billionaire, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) brings dinosaurs back to life by cloning the dino-DNA taken from mosquitoes trapped in amber. He builds a zoological theme-park he calls Jurassic Park. However, in order to call off a bunch of lawyers after an accident with one of the park's workers, Hammond has to get a group of scientific experts to endorse that the park is safe and viable. Thus, Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) arrive to tour the facilities. Hammond's grandchildren, Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim Murphy (Joseph Mazzello), are also along for the ride as test subjects. Due to a hurricane and the shenanigans of a greedy employee, the park experiences a major breakdown and the dinosaurs get loose.

JURASSIC PARK set records upon its initial release in 1993 and it isn't difficult to see why. The CGI effects that have become common in just about every movie since then were in their infancy then, yet the creatures appear completely lifelike. Of course, Spielberg not only used CGI but he had some live action dinos and models involved as well. It was a massive undertaking, but one that had a huge payoff.

There's not much to complain about with JURASSIC PARK. Sam Neill is great as Dr. Grant (the role was originally offered to Harrison Ford and I'm actually glad he turned it down) and Jeff Goldblum is almost always a delight to watch on screen. After 15 years of directing his own movies, Richard Attenborough came back for the perfect part as John Hammond. The action sequences in the film are still as exciting to watch as they were when the film first was in theatres. The movie is classic Spielberg and those are some of the best movies ever made.

This DVD includes a very informative documentary about the making of JURASSIC PARK, some clips from an early production meeting (it's probably the closest an average person can come to meeting the real Spielberg), some storyboards and other illustrations, Phil Tippett's Animatic of the "Raptors in the Kitchen" sequence showing the raptors as they were originally conceived with having lizard-like tongues, trailers for all three JURASSIC PARK movies, a dinosaur encyclopedia featuring the dinosaurs seen in the movie, some production notes, and a list and partial filmography of the cast & crew.

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Maximum Conviction (2012)

steven segal and steve austin are fantastic. they are both older but they still get the job done. i always enjoy seing good and tough guys get rid of the bad guys. but a movie is never very good unless the bad guys seem to be invinsible. there are a lot of twist and turns the kept me on the edge of my seat. just when i thought there were no more good movies at the the theatres or on dvd. this one came out along with many others.

Cross (Steven Seagal) is an operational genius. His partner Manning (Steve Austin) is a weapons expert. They are ex-special forces who work as black ops contractors. Their current job is to decommission a black ops prison, one that doesn't officially exist and is located in Oregon (seriously?). For some reason our "operational genius" decides to shut down the prison while it still has prisoners in it.

During this period there are men dressed as Federal Marshals attempting a "high risk extraction" of two female prisoners to prevent them from going to a civilian prison. The film consists of Seagal/Austin and crew fighting in a prison maze against the bad guys. Seagal doesn't know if the women are in league with the bad guys or if the bad guys want them dead. It isn't hard for us to figure it out from their faces which show expressions. (Take note Steven, it's called acting!)

Early in the film Steven Seagal laughs, something I don't recall him doing in another movie. It made me laugh to watch it.

The plot is simple as most Seagal productions. There is plenty of killing, fighting, and blood. The picture appears to have been written more with Seagal in mind than Austin. I had expected more. Austin has done better films, and with Seagal it is hard to tell. This could have been one of his better productions. They need to write a part for Danny Trejo and make him the perennial bad guy. I smell sequel.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, no sex, no nudity.

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I had even expectations for this film. On one hand, this was not only one of the rare filmic team-ups between Steven Seagal and a fellow action hero of similar caliber, but it was also the longest time the former had taken to make a movie in almost ten years something I hoped was the result of more effort being made in the production. On the other hand, it was directed by Keoni Waxman, the filmmaker who's now officially worked with Steven Seagal more times than any other but whose vehicles are among my least favorite of Seagal's filmography. Then again, I liked Waxman's outing with Steve Austin well enough, so I considered that perhaps "Maximum Conviction" here could achieve some kind of acceptable balance. I was right: the movie is acceptable, but far from great. It doesn't make all it could have of the collaboration between Seagal and Austin, but is still an okay-enough DTV action outing.

The story: two private security contractors (Seagal and Austin) are caught up in a deadly situation when the two prisoners they had delivered to a secret prison are targeted by a lethal team of mercenaries led by an ex-CIA mastermind (Michael Pare, Streets of Fire).

It needs to be said: however good they may look on paper, Steven Seagal and Steve Austin do not make very exciting partners. Of course, one factor is the limited screentime they share, but even when they're both in the same scene, they seem relatively apathetic to eachother and don't display any discernible chemistry. On their own, they do alright, with Austin as definitely the more charismatic of the two but Seagal getting more fight scenes. They have equal amounts of screentime. The co-stars do fine but are sort of wasted: B-movie staple performer Michael Pare clomps his way through a boring role, and even though Steph Song (Dim Sum Funeral) one of the aforementioned prisoners has a good deal of award nominations to her name, she's given no strong acting scenes and her role could've been played by most anybody. Yes, the script by True Justice-regular Richard Beattie is pretty passive, highlighted only by a couple particularly mean-spirited deaths and the occasional funny line by Austin ("Which one of you [jerks] killed my future ex-wife?").

The action is predominantly composed of shootouts, but there's nothing special to these. Seagal's stunt doubles are hidden relatively well, but at the expense of the editing, which is once again pretty choppy during his fight scenes not as much as it has been in the past, but it's still pretty annoying. With that said, Seagal still gets the occasional cool move in, and the final brawl though painfully one-sided is fun to watch in a guilty way. Steve Austin only has one real fight, but prior to this he gets entertainingly innovative in the prison kitchen, turning a gas tank into a missile and attacking a mercenary with a pot of boiling water. The best fight in the movie doesn't belong to either of them, though: martial artist Bren Foster (Fight Science), despite being stifled by the same editing present in Seagal's fights, brings an energy to his single brawl that the other encounters were sorely lacking. Overall, I deem the action content on the low side of passable.

That also counts as my synopsis for the movie in general. Amateurish post-production inserts can be found here and there but are otherwise restrained, and Steven Seagal is doing his own voiceovers again, but these plus points are deflated a bit by the lackluster story and ho-hum pacing of the film. While it's a good deal better than the previous Born to Raise Hell and therefore a general step up for Seagal (I'm not as well-versed in Austin's output, so I can't speak for him), it's not nearly all I was hoping for during the year-and-a-half spent waiting for it. Consider it a rental.

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With Steven Seagal and Steve Austin you can't go wrong. Bad guys break into a secret government maximum-security prison but they're going to be sorry they did. Even the female prisoners who aren't supposed to be there are tough, one more so than the other and take down a burly prisoner who wants a piece. Steven Seagal is so practiced at beating up bad guys I don't think he bleeds at all. It's action with special ops backup who are a step ahead and don't make a habit of making wrong moves. Of course for the bad guys it's all about money, which they lose out on, Steven winds up with, shares with his partner and the good-guy female prisoner after all she's been through. Now where can I find a guy like that?

It's entertainment. If you've had a bad day at the office plug Maximum Conviction in and let Steven Seagal and Steve Austin beat up the bad guys for you. You'll feel better.

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Way cool to see Austin and Seagal do an action movie together it'd be awesome to see them do a more high budget film where the characters can have more dimensionality and the stakes could be something a bit more grounded and high pitched!

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Mandingo

Part Harold Robbins and part Euripedes, this film has brutal depictions of slavery, abhorrent language, and extraordinary cinematography by Richard Kline.

The imagery of Falconhurst, the huge but decrepit plantation of a cruel and vicious man (James Mason in a strange and brilliant performance) is fantastic; with peeling paint and filthy mosquito nets, winding staircases of gleaming wood, dark steamy rooms, and lush exteriors with drooping wisteria.

The score by Maurice Jarre also adds much to the atmosphere, with Muddy Waters singing "Born in This Time".

Perry King is excellent as Mason's son, broken in body, weak in spirit, knowing what is right and often doing what is wrong; as his wife, Susan George is appropriately annoying and trashy, and as his "wench", Brenda Sykes is lovely. Heavyweight boxer Ken Norton, who won over Mohammed Ali (and broke his jaw) in 1973, made his impressive screen debut as Mede the Mandingo.

This film is a mass of contradictions, which is probably what keeps one glued to the screen. It is manipulative yet unpredictable, gratuitous and raw but thought-provoking; some of it might be absurd, but many of the situations shown did happen.

With all the brutality, nudity, incest, and most of all, the repellent language, this is not a film for the young, or anyone squeamish about violence.

Total running time is 127 minutes.

If you like your movies to transport you to an era that feels like reality rather than Hollywood, a movie where each of the characters are filled with human flaws and weekness MANDINGO is a must see. Not a film for those who like happy endings, not a film for those who seek an inspirational hero or heroine, not a film where good triumphs over evil just an extremely raw view of the pre-civil war South. I first saw this film in college in the 60's and it has stayed with me ever since. No glory here, the plantation is falling apart and the main characters fall apart morally even quicker. If you want a movie that will you will remember for a very long time this is it!

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It seems fitting to headline my review of 'Mandingo' with the last words of the dying Kurtz in Joseph Conrad's 'Heart Of Darkness', because it also aptly sums up my response not only to the unfortunately accurate nature of the numerous atrocities depicted in this generally effective and unflinching film, but also my response to a significant number of the other customer reviews.

I have to say I was truly shocked at how many viewers responded with derisive amusement, laughter, and even a weird kind of delight to this frankly brutal, harsh, and, yes, often lurid look at the brutal, harsh, and often lurid reality that was the evil institution known as "slavery" -a system which dehumanized and degraded everything it touched, and which nearly destroyed a nation. (Much as the Nazis' "Final Solution" would do a century later, only with more systematic efficiency, and with global repercussions.)

And this is to be regarded as a fitting subject for MIRTH? Well, perhaps if you lack a modicum of compassion, or even a rudimentary frame of reference with regard to black history. Admit it -if this film had been about the Holocaust and had depicted the torture and gassing of Jews instead of the beating and lynching of slaves you would NOT have laughed, would you? At least I HOPE you wouldn't!

Face it, this is a particular chapter of history that is simply too close to home and too uncomfortable for many white Americans (which I, also, with some degree of shame, admit to being) to fully acknowledge, much less stomach. Damn right this film is inflammatory, politically incorrect, offensive and salacious. It HAD to be if was to pretend to any level of accuracy with regard to even a semi-objective portrayal of slavery. And my particular star-rating has more to do with the films' refreshingly crude and repugnant portrayal of slavery rather than as an assessment of the film as a particular work of cinematic art.

Yes, I found a number of things to quibble with in 'Mandingo', both in terms of certain stylistic and technical details, as well as some of the writing and acting, though there is much to be admired there as well. But those aspects are really beside my point.

Basically, 'Mandingo' is what it is, admire it or loathe it. 'Song Of The South' or 'Gone With The Wind' it definitely ain't. But you can seek out those films too, if you're craving a cozier cinematic version of the pre and Civil-War-Era South to soothe your sensitive consciences.

Or, perhaps, in addition to 'Mandingo', you might consider seeing 'The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman', 'Roots', 'Amistad', 'Beloved' or 'Manderlay'. That is IF you're willing to wake up and smell that good ol' plantation-grown coffee!

Read Best Reviews of Mandingo Here

Part Harold Robbins and part Euripedes, this film has brutal depictions of slavery, abhorrent language, and extraordinary cinematography by Richard Kline. The imagery of Falconhurst, the huge but decrepit plantation of a cruel and vicious man (James Mason in a strange and brilliant performance) is fantastic; with peeling paint and filthy mosquito nets, winding staircases of gleaming wood, dark steamy rooms, and lush exteriors with drooping wisteria. The score by Maurice Jarre also adds much to the atmosphere, with Muddy Waters singing "Born in This Time".

Perry King is excellent as Mason's son, broken in body, weak in spirit, knowing what is right and often doing what is wrong; as his wife, Susan George is appropriately annoying and trashy, and as his "wench", Brenda Sykes is lovely. Heavyweight boxer Ken Norton, who won over Mohammed Ali (and broke his jaw) in 1973, made his impressive screen debut as Mede the Mandingo.

This film is a mass of contradictions, which is probably what keeps one glued to the screen, and makes it memorable years after seeing it. It is manipulative yet unpredictable, gratuitous and raw but thought-provoking; some of it might be absurd, but many of the situations shown did happen.

With all the brutality, nudity, incest, and most of all, the repellent language, this is not a film for the young, or anyone squeamish about violence.

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I saw this picture several times in the theater when it was first released and the cinematography, printed in Technicolor, was stunning. I particularly remember the first dining scene with the room having a strong amber glow from the late afternoon sun streaming in through the half-drawn window shades. The colors were consistently bright and brilliant throughout the entire picture. This latest DVD release is good, but it is not nearly as good as it could have been. It is apparent that Paramount did not care enough about this release to restore the color. It seems the studio simply used the original film elements, which have faded a little with age, as is. This is especially sad since Paramount released "Houdini" at the same time in beautifully restored Technicolor with stunning results. Shame on you, Paramount. "Mandingo" deserves your best efforts, too.

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City Island (2009)

It sounds glib to call Raymond De Felitta's "City Island" this year's "Little Miss Sunshine," yet the comparison is apt. Both films depict dysfunctional families nearing collapse, and both are blessed with razor-sharp screenplays and ensemble casts that are wonderfully, hilariously perfect. Each member of the cast (especially top-billed Andy Garcia) gives an Oscar-worthy performance, and all will be robbed if they don't win the Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble Cast Award next year.

The eponymous "City Island" is a small community just off the shoreline of the Bronx, officially part of that borough but with a small-town charm all its own. As Molly Charlesworth (Emily Mortimer), one of the film's characters, declares, "It's a cross between New England and Washington Heights!" Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a "clamdigger" (a lifelong resident of City Island), as opposed to a "mussel-sucker" (someone who moves to City Island, or one of those very rare natives who moves away). Vince works as a prison guard (though he prefers the term "corrections officer"), but that job doesn't seem to satisfy him these days. His wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies), daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) and son Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) wonder why Vince has a "poker game" almost every night, and also why he's brought paroled convict Tony Nardella (Steven Strait) home to live with them. The other Rizzos, meanwhile, are harboring secrets of their own...

To reveal any more of the plot would be sabotage. Let's just say the bickering of the Rizzo family reaches critical mass, with catharsis to follow. In any case, you fall in love with all the characters, and although you might be a little leery of some of the things they do, you'd still be happy to have them all over for your Sunday barbeque. "City Island" is a funny, charming, touching must-see.

I think that it's become my mantra--"quirk is the curse of independent cinema." In an effort to be cutesy and/or clever, films have been systematically stripping away genuine warmth and humor by presenting character types and sitcom contrivances instead of mining what is really funny in our everyday foibles. It becomes a fine balancing act, then, because a good quirky film can be both hysterical and touch your heartstrings. However, one that goes over the top can be painfully unreal and hard to sit through. And, in my opinion, there is very little middle ground. So it is with some trepidation that I picked up "City Island," a family comedy that promised to explore the eccentricities (code word for quirk) and secrets in the working class Rizzo clan. And, in a pleasant surprise, here the quirk works!

Headlined by Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies, "City Island" follows the boisterous Rizzo family as it navigates its way through enough secrets and deceptions to fuel several movies. Everyone is lying to everyone else! Garcia has a "secret" love child who is a convict, Margulies suspect him of cheating when he's "secretly" taking acting classes, their son has a "secret" fetish, their daughter has a "secret" job, and everyone "secretly" smokes--heck even Garcia's acting partner (Emily Mortimer) has a big "secret." That's a lot of secrets and leads to a lot of confrontation for one movie. But inexplicably, "City Island" and its immensely likable cast juggle these story lines like pros. The set-up is genuinely funny and the big revelations strike just the right note between hilarity and warmth.

Garcia is a hoot through-out, but credit must be given to the entire cast. Mortimer, in a role that might have been a disaster, provides genuine intelligence and pathos. Ezra Miller, as the son, is spot on hilarious--especially in the film's first half. And Steven Strait, as the love child con, is a revelation as the voice of reason within the madness! Writer/Director Raymond De Felitta has taken my worst nightmare and turned in one of the more effortlessly enjoyable films I've seen in a while. Slight, but very funny, "City Island" is a definite recommendation. KGHarris 9/10.

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Reading and the movies offer the opportunity to explore new and unusual places, some of them not far from home. Thus, the movie "City Island" introduced me to a small fishing village of that name in, the Bronx, New York, of all places. City Island is a quaint close-knit fishing village of about 4000 people on the west end of Long Island Sound. This movie, which won the audience award at the Tribecca Film Festival in 2009, is set and was filmed in City Island. It is a town of old homes, beaches, bridges, fishing vessels, and the water. Residents of City Island distinguish between "Mussel Suckers" the larger part of the community born outside the community and "Clam Diggers" those residents who grew up in City Island. This distinction is carried over into the movie.

The story itself might have happened anywhere, but it gains strength by the setting in a small urban area where people seemingly know their neighbors. The movie tells of the secrets that people hold from those closest to them and of the difficulties of opening up. The main character is the Rizzo family. Vincent Rizzo, played by Andy Garcia who also produced the movie is a middle-aged corrections office (he resents the term "prison guard") who harbors dreams of being an actor. He attends acting school one evening a week and, to avoid embarrassment, tells his disbelieving wife that he is out for a poker night. A woman student at the acting school with secrets of her own encourages Vince who begins as an imitator of Marlon Brando and learns to act in his own person and character. Against odds, newcomer Vince auditions for a tough-guy part in a movie by Scorsese.

Vince's hard-bitten wife, Joyce, (Juliana Margulies) feels lonely and frustrated as she feels the passion between Vincent and herself has died. She thinks Vince is having an affair during his "poker night" and of course thinks the worst when she meets Vince's acting companion. The couple have two children, Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) who unknown to her family has dropped out of college and is working as a stripper in the hope of returning to school and high school student Vince, Jr. (Ezra Miller). Ezra is strongly attracted to big beautiful women (BBWs), including his neighbor who has a BBW cam site and a young girl in his high school class who at the outset spurns him. It was endearing and refreshing to see a story of men who are attracted to large women. Vince Rizzo also has a secret in that before his marriage to Joyce he fathered a child and then left the mother. The son he had never met, Tony, (Steven Sttrait) winds up in prison. Without revealing his identity, Vince brings Tony into his home. The movie features a long denouement in which the family, and other associated characters level with each other and learn who they themselves, and the other people, each are.

City Island is an entertaining well-acted movie about the difficulty of knowing self and others. In an unpretentious way, it gets inside the feelings and dreams of its characters. But the movie also taught me about a place I hadn't seen or heard of before and made it come to life. I loved seeing it, and I found getting to know City Island the place the main attraction of this movie.

Robin Friedman

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I was at first skeptical about this movie, as to whether or not I would enjoy it, but after the first five minutes into it, I was hooked. The script, the acting, the development of the characters, and the film overall was outstanding! I don't say this too often about movies and I have never written a review about one before... Needless to say, I had to share with everyone out there my sincere enjoyment of this film. If I was to recommend a film this one would be it! It's a classic!

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I have to say that "City Island" is one interesting little piece of cinema. This 2009 movie features Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies in the leads. I found it kind of refreshing to see Andy Garcia in a lead role again. In the late 1980s and early 1990s good old Andy was a head liner. However, in the past few years he has taken supporting roles, which hasn't influenced any of his performances but has taken him out of the "spot light". In "City Island" I am happy to report that Andy Garcia is in the "spot light" again. This isn't to say that the rest of the cast is sub par. Julianna Margulies, who I was only familiar with from "ER", is amazing. As well as a strong supporting cast featuring Steven Strait, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Ezra Miller, Emily Mortimer and Alan Arkin (in a small role).

The movie takes place in City Island which is a section of the Bronx. Andy Garcia plays a corrections officer named Vince who has desire to be an actor. This desire has manifested in him going to weekly acting classes. However, he is ashamed that his family won't understand his "true calling" so he just tells his family he is playing poker. Julianna Margulies plays Joyce and she believes that her husband isn't playing poker, but drifting away from her emotionally by having an affair. Dominik Garcia-Lorido and Ezra Miller play Vivian and Vince Jr., respectively, the daughter and son of the family. Vivian has her own skeletons, she is a college student who lost her scholarship and is now a stripper to pay her way through school. Vince Jr. is also a bit alienated; he is a caustic teenager with a fetish towards overweight woman and his yearning to feed them.

Now this dysfunctional family hides all of their idiosyncrasies from one and other, which leads to a great deal of circumstantial comedy. Yet, things become even more complex when Vince notices that a new inmate (Steven Strait) is his long lost son. Twenty-four years ago, Vince left a "girlfriend" of his who was pregnant. After some deductive reasoning he figures out this inmate is his son. So Vince tells Tony, the long lost son now inmate, that he is willing to bail him out if he would stay with him for a month. This sabbatical for Tony is a hidden agenda for Vince to tell his "son" the truth, but Vince masks this by saying he wants Tony to help him build a bathroom for his guest house.

There is much more to this movie, in fact this film has many layers. There are myriad elements in this movie that makes it a notch above your average comedy-drama/dark comedy. This movie reminds me of "American Beauty (Widescreen Edition)" and "Life as a House (New Line Platinum Series)", not because it has the same story of either film. In contrast, it has same depth of both films, the ability to promote a smile and a tear. I am really shocked this movie didn't get a wide release; I think it would have done very well. It appears nowadays real films are classified as "art films" or "independent films", meanwhile the mainstream is filled with lousy remakes, CGI mind numbing drivel and the occasional good flick. I think this is an amazing movie and one to not be missed. The story, directing, writing, cinematography and acting are marvelous! So go ahead and take a trip to "City Island".

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