Coach Carter (2005)

My daughter came over to visit this weekend, and she suggested that we rent this film. Since it stars Samuel L. Jackson and is about a high school basketball coach, I thought that it sounded promising. Well, it turned to be more than just promising. It is a movie that held me riveted to the screen the entire time it was on. Samuel L. Jackson is simply outstanding in the role of a high school coach who sees basketball as the means to an end and not the end itself.

Based upon a true story that took place in Richmond, California, it centers on a man named Ken Carter. He was asked by the retiring basketball coach of Richmond High School to return as a part-time basketball coach to the school from which Ken had graduated and left his mark many years earlier. The school is one of those schools in which people barely graduate and, of those that do, most do not go on to college. The basketball team was no great shakes either, having won only four games in the entire previous year.

Finally, Carter is prevailed upon to take over as coach. He has, however, decided that he wants to make a difference. He starts off by letting the team know who is boss and by trying to instill discipline and respect. He wants to go back to fundamentals. He wants to put the emphasis on being a student athlete. To this end, he makes it clear just what his expectations are. He drafts a contract that those who wish to remain on the team, as well as their parent, must sign. Some of the conditions are that the players must attend class, do their schoolwork, and pass their classes. Those who signed the contract ended up making the best move of their lives.

Coach Carter keeps his side of the bargain, turning the team into a formidable one on the court. Suddenly, basketball at Richmond High School begins commanding attention. Notwithstanding this, he still emphasizes that they are to be just as committed to their studies. While one might expect some resistance from the student athletes to such a change, one would expect support from the educators themselves. What is amazing is the resistance that he experiences from the teaching community who are reluctant to give him progress reports on how his players were doing academically.

When Coach Carter finally gets his long awaited progress reports and discovers that some of his student athletes are not holding up their end of the contract, all hell breaks loose. Even though they have had an undefeated season so far, he basically locks the gym and tells his players that there will be no more basketball, until he sees some academic improvement. To his surprise, the school board, as well as the parents, does not support him in this matter, and the situation becomes a media sensation on the West Coast. Support comes from an unexpected source, the student athletes themselves.

This is a heartwarming story about a coach who cared and dared to make a difference in the lives of kids that had little or no future. What he did for those students was incomparable, as he basically gave them a chance for a better life. Samuel L. Jackson is sensational as Coach Carter, dynamic and totally believable in the role. The young men who play his student athletes likewise give excellent performances. Ashanti also gives a surprisingly well nuanced performance as the girlfriend of one of the student athletes. Moreover, for those who enjoy great basketball, the on court scenes are extremely well done.

At the end of the film, there is a summary of what happened to these young men. When the viewer sees what happened to them, the viewer cannot help be but touched by the turn of events. Moreover, the DVD has a featurette on the real Coach Carter and the real student athletes for whom the appointment of Ken Carter was literally a life saving measure. This is a very well acted, deftly directed, inspirational film and one that is worthy of being in one's personal collection.

I'm usually not a huge fan of the sports movie genre, but I do like them when they are well done. This movie had a lot going for it, based on a true story, the film didn't glorify sports, rather it had a solid message for living up to one's responsibilities.

A hard luck basketball team in a bad neighborhood gets a hard core coach, one who believes in honor and integrity. Because he puts his ideals above simply winning, he creates a lot of conflict within the team, the school and the surrounding community.

In the end the coaches beliefs are able to sway opinion and his behavior becomes a standard for which to strive. I believe the message here, as well as the presentation of it, made it a much better movie than Friday Night Lights, also reality based, but not really a story of redemption like this one was. I think this is a good film for the father/teenage son crowd and I'd recommend owning it as well.

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I saw an advance screening of this film, and really enjoyed it -Samuel L. Jackson was very compelling in this "White Shadow"-like role. Uplifting story about a man who takes over as high school basketball coach for an inner city school. He turns the team around from a team that can't win, to one that goes virtually undefeated, and along the way instills discipline and an emphasis on studying that impacts the players lives in a much deeper way. The ending was a little surprising, but given that it was a true story, sometime hollywood endings need to take a backseat. I'd highly recommend this movie to high school students and for those who enjoy sports and stories about beating the odds.

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As far as how many stars this movie gets, I agree with reviewer William Weaver. Coach Carter features Samuel L. Jackson following the real-life story of Ken Carter, who took on the job of head basketball coach at Richmond High School (in California, not Virginia). He soon discovers that the kids on the team are pretty ghetto, to say the least, but that doesn't stop him from trying to whip the kids into shape by issuing basketball contracts that he expects them to live up to if they want to play on the team. I won't go into the details of the contract because most of the other reviewers already did that, but what I WILL say is that some people won't believe the consequences that occur after all the students don't live up to the guidelines of the contract.

The movie's subplot is pretty interesting, too: one of the boys on the team, Kenyon Stone (played by Rob Brown, which I believe is his first big role since the overlooked Finding Forrester), is rationally trying to figure out how he's going to play basketball and go to college when he has a baby coming with his girlfriend Kyra (played by Ashanti, who actually does a good job in her role; as does former 3LW lead singer Adrienne Bailon, who still looks SEXXXY...*clears throat*). Anyway, this storyline may look played-out on paper, but it's a lot more interesting than it sounds, especially what happens at the end.

It was also interesting to see Ken Carter's son Damien (Robert Ri'chard) transfer to Richmond High and join the basketball team as a freshman, and his having to serve the same consequences that every other team member had to. I was kind of hoping that there would be some scenes depicting the Carters at home and Damien complaining about how harsh the daily practice exercises were. Oh well, Coach Carter is still a truly extraordinary movie. You have to be trippin' NOT to see it.

Anthony Rupert

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When my daughter came over to visit, she suggested that we rent this film. Since it stars Samuel L. Jackson and is about a high school basketball coach, I thought that it sounded promising. Well, it turned to be more than just promising. It is a movie that held me riveted to the screen the entire time it was on. Samuel L. Jackson is simply outstanding in the role of a high school coach who sees basketball as the means to an end and not the end itself.

Based upon a true story that took place in Richmond, California, it centers on a man named Ken Carter. He was asked by the retiring basketball coach of Richmond High School to return as a part-time basketball coach to the school from which Ken had graduated and left his mark many years earlier. The school is one of those schools in which people barely graduate and, of those that do, most do not go on to college. The basketball team was no great shakes either, having won only four games in the entire previous year.

Finally, Carter is prevailed upon to take over as coach. He has, however, decided that he wants to make a difference. He starts off by letting the team know who is boss and by trying to instill discipline and respect. He wants to go back to fundamentals. He wants to put the emphasis on being a student athlete. To this end, he makes it clear just what his expectations are. He drafts a contract that those who wish to remain on the team, as well as their parent, must sign. Some of the conditions are that the players must attend class, do their schoolwork, and pass their classes. Those who signed the contract ended up making the best move of their lives.

Coach Carter keeps his side of the bargain, turning the team into a formidable one on the court. Suddenly, basketball at Richmond High School begins commanding attention. Notwithstanding this, he still emphasizes that they are to be just as committed to their studies. While one might expect some resistance from the student athletes to such a change, one would expect support from the educators themselves. What is amazing is the resistance that he experiences from the teaching community who are reluctant to give him progress reports on how his players were doing academically.

When Coach Carter finally gets his long awaited progress reports and discovers that some of his student athletes are not holding up their end of the contract, all hell breaks loose. Even though they have had an undefeated season so far, he basically locks the gym and tells his players that there will be no more basketball, until he sees some academic improvement. To his surprise, the school board, as well as the parents, does not support him in this matter, and the situation becomes a media sensation on the West Coast. Support comes from an unexpected source, the student athletes themselves.

This is a heartwarming story about a coach who cared and dared to make a difference in the lives of kids that had little or no future. What he did for those students was incomparable, as he basically gave them a chance for a better life. Samuel L. Jackson is sensational as Coach Carter, dynamic and totally believable in the role. The young men who play his student athletes likewise give excellent performances. Ashanti also gives a surprisingly well nuanced performance as the girlfriend of one of the student athletes. Moreover, for those who enjoy great basketball, the on court scenes are extremely well done.

At the end of the film, there is a summary of what happened to these young men. When the viewer sees what happened to them, the viewer cannot help be but touched by the turn of events. This is a very well acted, deftly directed, inspirational film and one that is worthy of being in one's personal collection.

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The Hunt for Red October (1990)

This great movie was previously only available on DVD as a "bare-bones" edition -a non-anamorphic presentation of the movie, with only a trailer and no real extras. But with this release, the film finally gets the Special Edition treatment!

The special features for this disc will reportedly include a new anamorphic transfer, both a Dolby Digital 5.1 sound track AND a DTS 5.1 sound track, an audio commentary by director John McTiernan, a "Beneath the Surface" featurette (new interviews with Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, screenwriter Larry Ferguson and producer Mace Neufeld) and the theatrical trailer. Not TONS in the way of extras, but certainly a lot more than what was on the previous edition.

And for you Tom Clancy fans, Paramount has also announced "The Jack Ryan Special Edition DVD Collection" for release on the same day this disc is released, May 6th. The box set will include the new Special Editions of "The Hunt for Red October", "Patriot Games", "Clear and Present Danger", and "The Sum Of All Fears"... each with new bonus material, new anamorphic transfers and both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound. (The movies will be available separately as well as in the 4-disc box set.)

As for my review of "Hunt For Red October":

Personally... and I'm sure that Harrison Ford fans will lambast me for this... I think that Alec Baldwin made the best Jack Ryan in the series. At least, he fit my own personalized vision of the character as I was reading the book better than Ford did. "The Hunt For Red October" is also far and away the best movie based on a Tom Clancy book and follows the SPIRIT of the book more closely than any of the others. Sure, they took some liberties with the details of the story, but they got the broad strokes absolutely dead-on correct. What movie based on a thick, highly technical, politically complex book could possibly match it exactly scene for scene???

One of the thrilling things for me when I watch this film is seeing INTELLIGENT characters actually THINKING their way through problems. There are political, personal and technical issues that many of the characters are forced to deal with, and it is a joy to watch -for example -Alec Baldwin's Jack Ryan using his MIND and not his fists to get into and out of situations. This movie is defenitely a thinking man's action film.

But that is not to say that this isn't an exciting movie with lots of plot twists, and some of the best submarine battles ever put into a movie. And to top all that off, you get Sean Connery AND the underrated Sam Neil as the "villains", and James Earl Jones in a superb supporting role. This is also directed by one of the best action-film directors working today, John "Die Hard" McTiernan (although I don't know WHAT he was thinking with the "Rollerball" remake). What more could you want in an action film?

SOME TRIVIA: Star Trek fans take note, that is Gates (Dr. Beverly Crusher) McFadden in a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo role as Jack Ryan's wife at the beginning of the movie. ... People in and around Portland, Oregon may be interested to know that the "Russian" submarine that breaches the water towards the end of the film is actually an American submarine called the USS Blueback which is retired and on permanent display for public tours at OMSI, the Portland science building.

The Hunt for Red October is my favorite movie of all time, bar none. It's the kind of movie you can watch over and over.. I've probably watched it a couple of dozen times over the years, first on VHS, then DVD, now on BD. Mind you, I'm not in the habit of re-purchasing titles, but in this case, I made an exception.

The picture is the best I've seen for a film of this vintage. It's not up to the quality of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but it is a film that's nearly 20 years old. All that said, there is a noticeable improvement over my copy on DVD.

The audio was remastered in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and is utterly stunning. Good thing my wife & kids are out of town tonight, because I'd be in trouble if they were here -the sound's so good, I've got the shades drawn and the sound turned up, we're going movie-theater style here.

Don't expect a gaggle of extras here, just expect a great copy of the film with fantastic audio.

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Now this is a movie worth watching. "The Hunt for Red October" has such a superb casting with actors Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Richard Jordan, Joss Ackland, and more.

Under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), a technologically superior Soviet nuclear sub, the "Red October", is heading for the U.S. coast. When the American government hears this, they immediately jump to the conclusion that the Russians are planning to attack the United States. But then strangely enough, they find out that the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find the "Red October": there orders, to sink the submarine! The Americans are told that they think that Ramius is mad and that he's going to shoot nuclear missiles into America so of course, the American government agrees to help the Soviet hunt the "Red October" to stop him. But a lone CIA analyst, Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), has a different idea that he thinks that Ramius is planning to defect but he has only a little time to be able to prove it with the reluctant help of Cammander Bart Mancuso (Scott Glenn). The hunt is on!!

On my list of favorite movies ever, "The Hunt for Red October" measures up to such submarine movies such as "Run Silent, Run Deep" with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster and "U-571" with Matthew McConaughey. This movie is based on Tom Clancy's bestseller and you have to admit, he was a genius in writing this story.

I love the acting done by not only Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, but also of Sam Neill as Vasily Borodin, Scott Glenn as the Commander, and naturally James Earl Jones as Admiral James Greer. My favorite parts are probably the very last 40 minutes (of which I won't tell what happens because I don't want to give anything away to anyone who hasn't watched this movie yet) and the parts where National Security Advisotor Jeffrey Pelt (Richard Jordan) and Amabassador Andrei Lysenko (Joss Ackland) and talkint to each other. And the whole movie has very subtle humor which I like.

Watch "The Hunt for Red October" and if you like it, I also recommend other submarine movies such as "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "U-571".

Read Best Reviews of The Hunt for Red October (1990) Here

Thought is was nice in DVD, but then decided to take a chance on Bluray.

What a difference. Not in the habit of upgrading a DVD, but now that I've seen and heard the difference that BD makes, I'll be replacing several of my old DVD versions. Just a classic that belongs in anyone's inventory.

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It is obvious that Paramount's late entry into the DVD format and lack of support shows on this movie. It is not anamorphic transfer but a second generation print used for making VHS tapes..hence the poor video and dust specks. Sound is also lacking it's depth of realism though it is Dolby. I have also noticed a "pause" when the layer change occurs. This seems to be common on all of their releases thus far and hope that they would take a second look at their quality -vsthe demand by the public for DVD titles. The $29.95 MSRP for the movie is NOT worth it's features or quality and unless you can find it on sale somewhere, would pass on it until Paramount can become serious with their DVD's.

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Three Kings (2010)

THREE KINGS is not for everyone. And it's not easily pigeonholed. Fans of categorization will hate it. :)

"What's it like?" they ask. You can't say it's a comedy, because plenty of people won't find it funny. Can you say it's a heist film? Only if you're narrow-minded. An action movie? Yeah, maybe, but this isn't comic book action here.

Soldiers at the tail end of the Gulf War get a lead on a hidden stash of gold and decide to find it and take it home. What happens to them along the way changes their objectives and changes their lives in profound ways. Director David O Russell has crafted a movie that SEEMS to be aimless, changing directions with the wind, but is actually a movie with a certain destination, taking a more realistic approach to arrive there. A good example of this narrative philosophy is pointed out by Russell in his excellent and illuminating commentary track: in one scene Clooney is rushing pell-mell through an underground bunker and collides with another man rushing to get out. There's no "point" to it other than that these distracting things happen in real life all the time, just not usually in the movies.

The DVD's price is good and it's PACKED with so many extras (all of them interesting and worthwhile, too) that it's hard to pass up THREE KINGS for purchasing. Very much recommended.

If you found this review informative at all, please vote YES! Thanks.

I was expecting a fun in the sun with guns and gold kind of movie. Boy was I surprised! This ranks up with movies like Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line as a really intelligent "war like it really is" story.

It starts off fairly simply. At the end of Desert Storm a group of soldiers find a map showing where stolen Kuwaiti gold was being kept so they go get it. What was extraordinary was the way that the Iraqi soldiers actually helped them but would not let them help any of the locals. Orders from Saddam they said.

However, seeing the injustice being meted out by the Iraqi soldiers our four heroes (Clooney, Wahlberg, Cube and Jonze) decide to intervene. Things do not go well as Wahlberg is captured and tortured and all their vehicles are destroyed.

The torture scene is poignant. Wahlberg and his torturer have much in common: they are fathers, they joined the army to give their families a better standard of living, except that the torturer's one year old son was killed in a US bombing raid and his wife lost her legs. When later on Wahlberg is rescued and he has a chance to kill his torturer, his decision adds all the more depth to the story.

Although Saddam is villified in this movie, the story seems to take no sides. This is not about heroes and glory but about the struggle that everyone has with their own oppression whether it is a tyrant, a poor job or dumb bosses. There are some very touching moments and some great humour. All the actors are very convincing (including all the Iraqi extras) and portay the ambiguity of people caught up in something out of their control.

This is a very good movie and will keep you thinking. The anatomical "shots" are an interesting feature but are insignificant against the storyline. A good movie to add to your collection and talk about with your friends. Loads of extras on the DVD too!

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I'll admit the first time I saw this movie in the cinema; I didn't like it that much. Then again, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't sure whether it would be a comedy, a drama, or an action film etc. So when the movie was finished and I was walking out of the cinema, I wasn't too sure what to make of it.

I didn't watch the movie for another few years until my friend got it on DVD and having nothing else to do, I decided to watch it again, hoping I would have a different point of view after watching it for a second time. And boy, am I glad I did!

Three Kings is a great movie with; I believe, a deeper meaning. The basic plot is about 4 soldiers in the Gulf War who discover a map on a prisoner after the war is over. It turns out that the map shows the location of $23 million worth of Kuwaiti bullion stolen by the Iraqis. So these 4 soldiers set about getting themselves a nice little bonus. However, upon retrieving the gold, Sgt. Archie Gates (Clooney) and his men are faced with a dilemma: take the gold and allow innocent Iraqi people to be slaughtered by the Iraqi soldiers OR take the gold, try & save the Iraqi people. Obviously the second option comes along with a lot more risk. Gates' moral conscience takes over and he decides upon the latter, citing that "necessity had just changed" and so on goes the movie.

I think David Russell did a fantastic job directing the movie, and getting his message across, which I believe was that President George Bush (Sr.) left the Iraqi people to die.

When America won the Gulf war, President Bush told the people to rise against Saddam and that they would have the full support of the United States of America. Whereas in reality, Bush didn't give a rats a@! and innocent civilians were getting slaughtered while Bush felt he had done his part and `won the war'.

Overall, I believe Three Kings would be an excellent addition to anyone's DVD collection. Clooney, Ice Cube & Mark Wahlberg are all superb in their roles and it makes for a highly entertaining film.

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This is like no other war movie I have ever seen. It was not your typical blood and guts tragedy that drags on. The camera work in this movie was unbelieveable! And the story line kept my interest all the way through the credits. What sets this apart from other war movies, is that Three Kings was about post-war and the after effects. Dealing with refugees and stolen goods. Say no more...I do not want to spoil anything. Check this movie out, you will NOT be disappointed.

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Looked great, was exciting and original, and was one of the most visually imaginative movies I have ever seen. With this and Out of Sight under his belt (and the Coens' "Brother Where Art Thou" and Wolfgang Peterson's "Perfect Storm" on the way) George Cloony could turn out to be a really great cool actor, and Mark Wahlberg proves once again (see Boogie Nights) that he is more than just a singer who drops his pants. Ice Cube and Spike Jonze were great as well, I might add. The best part about this movie is that it doesn't abandon intelligence like most action movies do these days, and preserves a strong political viewpoint throughout. The footage of the bullet entering the body was unlike anything ive seen used in film, and the gunfight scene in the villaige was great. I think the most important part of the movie however was the long running scene in the bunker between the imprisoned Wahlberg and his captor, who lost his wife and child in one of the US's air strikes. It shows that both sides have something to lose, and offers the fact that the US can't always be seen as the only side fighting for a richeous cause in a war. By the way: I am not one who likes to pass judgement on other peoples' movie opinions, but I must say that anybody who gives Ace Ventura precedence over this masterwork has more than a few screws loose. I can't wait for the DVD.

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The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Criterion Collection) (1943)

How wonderful it is to have this unique movie beautifully restored to its original length and scene order by the British Film Institute.

Until about ten years ago, I had never seen this film. I had never rented the cut, reconfigured tape, because I didn't think I'd like the film (in any form). But the L.A. County Museum of Art had an Archers' retrospective several years ago that included the BFI restoration print. Despite many of there pictures being among my favorites, I still thought I was in for a hoary WW II propaganda film. I could walk if I didn't like it.

Was I ever wrong. I came out considering it among The Archers best works. which in my book, means one of the finest films ever.

"The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," in the original version, is a brilliant mix of WW II propaganda, an often whimisical loving satire of the system. It is ultimately one of the most winning anti-war films ever. In a different way, as good as "Grand Illusion."

This low-key epic begins with the Boer War, when Blimp is a young (too) gung-ho officer to the time the film was made--mid-war 1943. The cast is superb. Roger Livesey gives one of the best performances imaginable. Deborah Kerr (18) at the time, gives a tour-de-force performance as the three different women Blimp falls for in the 40-year span of the film. Anton Walbrook Is so brilliant in this film. This man I am now convinced was one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century. His controversial character is a German officer Blimp befriends in the Boer War and they become life-time friends, with Blimp vouching for him being permitted to stay in England during WW II. Walbrook's scene explaining why he has left Germany is as great, if not greater than his curtain speech in "Red Shoes." Most other actors would have turned this into maudlin sentimentality. Walbrook instead gave me a giant lump in my throat. I don't lump easily.

If you've never seen the complete, uncut and untampered with film and are Archers devotee, this is the version for you.

The extras are uniformly fine. The commentary track with Martin Scorsesse and director Michael Powell, from a recording he made on first viewing the restored film, is sharp and perceptive. He sounds very old and can be hard to understand because of it, but it is worth the extra effort to hear him comment on one of his personal favorites.

There is also an excellent half-hour or so documentary, that includes Emeric Pressburger's grandson, that helps explain why and how the film was tampered with and almost never seen as a result of Prime Minister Winston Churchill trying to ban it. No luck in England. J. Arthur Rank released it in his English theatres and advertised "See The Banned Film." And it was a huge hit. The "banned" got the initial audiences in, word-of-mouth made it the movie too see. Winnie also failed in his attempts to stop exportation to other countries.

One of the most intelligent, witty,serious, breathtakingingly beautiful Technicolor films ever released.

Get this Criterion treasure now. It also includes several Colonel Blimp "original" editorial cartoons, by Blimp creator David Low. Some are timely today and could run with the names changed to suit today's political and military madness. The editorial cartoons were a revelation to me.

Archer Fans, order now and have a really complete collection of these unique gems.

The chap from England, below, is absolutey, right.

This is the best film by the best chroniclers of english life. I put this review on the American site because I feel the need to evangelise! Emeric Pressburger was an Hungarian refugee, and put much of his experience into the mouth of Theo, the sympathetic German character (in 1943! No wonder Churchill wanted it banned without seeing it). The film has three sections, set in 1902, 1918 and ww2. It shows the friendship between the title character, Clive Wynne Candy, and Theo Kretchsmar-Shuldorf. It's also a love story, with Deborah Kerr as three identical looking women. Most of all it's a requiem for a lost golden age, and a call to arms to defeat Nazism. The best set pieces are given to Theo (Anton Walbrook) a German refugee actor, emphasising that this is not a conflict between two equal and honourable countries, but between good and between evil, and this time, if good loses, there is no return match.This propaganda is 60 years old, but every time I watch it by the end I'm ready to sign up.

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This and "A Matter of Life and Death" are Powell & Presberger's masterpieces, before they descended into the schmalz of "The Red Shoes". The tale of the essentially decent British and German gentlemen, played by Roger Livesey and Anton Walbrook respectively, rapidly becoming dinosaurs in the changing Europe between the Boer War and the Blitz, yet clinging to their values despite being kicked in the face by the brutalisation of Germany and by the consequent brutalisation of a Britain attempting to survive against barbarism. Their friendship begins from the mutual respect engendered by a duel fought reluctantly for the honour of their respective traditions at the time of the Boer War. During convalescence they vie for the hand of Deborah Kerr, turning up in the first of 3 roles. Livesey's shyness leaves Walbrook holding the field. Nearly 20 years pass until they meet again, at a POW camp in Britain. Livesey's essential naivete rides roughshod over the wartime enmity, but Walbrook's response is ambivalent, and the reunion is short-lived and bittersweet. Livesey marries Deborah Kerr's reincarnation as a nurse, because of a resemlance to his first love. A further 20 years pass. Livesey, widowed, is asked to act as sponsor for Walbrook, now exiled from Germany, also widowed and estranged from his Nazi children. Together they come to terms with their sidelining in a world of younger men with few of the old values. Deborah Kerr turns up for the third time as Livesey's driver as he moves from army officer to Home Guard organiser,refusing to be pushed out of the fight. In appearance Livesey's character assumes the appearaqnce of David Low's cartoon Colonel Blimp, but underneath he is more rounded; decent,generous to and loyal to friends, slow to denegrate his foes and totally patriotic, but finally nobody's fool. John Laurie appears in a delicious cameo as Livesey's batman/manservant, crusty but loyal. His boss may occasionally infuriate and perlex, but Laurie recognises the basic decency, as, finally, all do who come into contact with him. It may be propaganda, but it is still magnificent.

Read Best Reviews of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Criterion Collection) (1943) Here

I found "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" to be a haunting story, rich in story and superbly acted. I found the film to be a very private experience one that you will be thinking about for a long time.

I really can't add anything to the comments made before other than to say that this is the type of film that makes Criterion a special mark. I would question many of their choices, films are available in other formats and of questionable importance (e.g. "Armageddon", "The Royal Tennanbaums" and "The Rock"). "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" probably would have been lost forever (or show up as a $...DVD on a "Bargains" rack) without the work put in by Criterion and the "legitimacy" conferred on it by being recognized by the brand.

myke

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This amazing saga--even more amazing, considering that it was filmed during World War II in England, is a tantalizing tale of a man's whole life--from youth to old age--and his loves, all of whom turn out to be played by the marvelous Deborah Kerr. The restoration is up to Criterion's high standards and the Technicolor is delicious. For fun and a look into our past, watch this movie.

Compliance (2012)

Craig Zobel's powerful true story "Compliance" is one of those movies that almost dares you to look away. As a tense situation grows increasingly uncomfortable, the viewer becomes complicit as a voyeur and participant in a waking nightmare. Just as everyone on screen should know better and should display more sound judgement, you can't tear your eyes from the unbelievable and quite disturbing tale unfolding. It may be the most squirm inducing film of the year. Having caught "Compliance" at a tiny arthouse theater, I heard a lot of discussion outside in the lobby. A fair number of people simply didn't believe that the events depicted in the film could happen. But here's the thing, Zobel's script adheres very closely to the facts of an actual event! There isn't a lot of extraneous fictional material added in for dramatic affect, this sticks to the truth in a straightforward and matter-of-fact way. Based on a real life occurrence in 2004 at a Kentucky McDonalds, the movie's screenplay recreates (although in a fictional setting) what occurred in that store almost exactly according to the restaurant's security video, police reports, and court transcripts.

On an average day at your local Ohio Chickwich, the harried manager (Ann Dowd) receives an officious phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer. He identifies a young employee (Dreama Walker) as a thief saying that a woman customer has reported her taking money from her purse earlier in the day. Claiming he has already spoken to Dowd's District Manager, he asks for her cooperation in expediting the investigation while his team is detained. What follows, playing out in basically 90 minutes of real time, is a psychological manipulation that will have long reaching repercussions. Everyone wants to cooperate with authority (Dowd has already displeased her boss with one blunder today), and no one seems willing to challenge the caller even as things start spiraling out of control. The movie establishes fairly early on that this is all a sadistic prank, and once the caller has the store on the hook--he wants to see how far he can push things. Humiliating, debasing, and assaulting Walker, "Compliance" really starts to examine human nature and our willingness to please.

I won't be any more specific. I will, however, say that "Compliance" has one random scene near the end that is absolutely brilliant in its understatement. Once the police are involved, we spend a wordless journey in the cruiser as an officer drives from the station to the restaurant. At first, I wondered why we were along for this ride. But it makes perfect sense. Zobel, in a minimalist approach, is showing just how close actual help and police were during the entire ordeal. "Compliance" succeeds on two very strong performances. Dowd, a great character actress relishing a leading role, is perfect as the woman caught in this moral dilemma. And Walker, whose defiance slips away to resignation, proves she's one to contend with. It's a demanding role and she is definitely up to the task. I can't say that "Compliance" is fun or entertaining, though, because it purposefully seeks to provoke. It's not a movie you will feel ambivalent about--love it or hate it, you will remember it and talk about it. In that, it is an unqualified success. KGHarris, 10/12.

This is both a dramatically provocative and important film for anyone above the age of early adolesence.

In the early 60's, Psychologist Milgram did a series of studies in which he persuaded both students and non-students to

administer painful shock to subjects. This experiment was done under the guise of testing learning theory. In many, many instances the subjects (confederates) screamed in pain and begged the subjects to stop. Yet because the subjects were instructed to do so by an experimenter in authority, the subjects (playing the role of teachers) continued shocking the subjects. These findings illustrate the power of authority in inducing ordinary people to do horrid things to others. Naturally the ugly, unforgettable real-world manifestation of this is the holocaust. "I was only following orders" goes the feeble reply when the Nazi and SS were forced to answer for their crimes.

The film "Compliance" is a modern day, dramatic, creative, and compelling reenactment of the Milgram studies. As such, it is a "must see" for academics from all fields, but particularly from those focusing interpersonal communication, leadership, persuasion, social psychology, sociology, journalism, law enforcement, and public administration.

In addition to its suitable as an instructional aid and stimulus to classroom discussions, it is an extremely well acted and

fascinating film. Artistically, it is well photographed, and the dialogue and actors are superb. This story is, in fact, a dramatic rendering of real-life instances of similar crimes committed throughout the U.S.

I cannot recommend enough this intelligent, provocative film.

--Wm. R. Todd-Mancillas

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"Compliance" is a dramatization of several different incidents where a caller to a fast food restaurant, claiming to be a policeman, talked employees into abusing other employees. The caller uses the technique of gradually asking the employees to go further in their actions; as they start to accept one thing, he pushes them to the next level.

The action starts on an extremely busy day, as it happens, right after an employee forgot to close a freezer, resulting in a loss of about $1500 in spoiled food. The caller claims to have a customer with him who saw a young female employee steal money from her purse. He also knows the district supervisor's name, and claims to have him on another line. He starts by asking the manager to search the employee, and progresses to making her undress. The caller says that the girl and her brother have been selling drugs, and claims to be searching her home at that very moment while the brother is under arrest. When the manager shows reluctance to undress the girl, the caller says that the only alternative would be for him to come to the restaurant, arrest the girl, and take her to jail. But if they search her in the restaurant, all that can be avoided.

At this point, I wondered why she didn't ask to speak to the district supervisor, if only to make sure that she was adhering to company policy. But the store manager doesn't think of this. In order to be able to get back to work, she calls her fiance, who has been drinking with some friends, to come in and watch the girl until the officer arrives. The caller manages to convince this man to spank the girl, followed by the girl performing oral sex on him. Why didn't the discussion that led to this set off any alarm bells? Even if he thought the caller was a policeman, wouldn't he have said that since he was engaged to be married, he felt uncomfortable with this series of events? Apparently, in at least one real-life case, this objection wasn't raised.

An interesting change takes place in the manager's mind as events unfold. At the beginning, she tells the other employees that the girl is "suspected" of stealing something from a customer. Later, this is modified into the unequivocal "she stole something." It's as if the manager has to justify what is going on by presuming that the girl is guilty.

The sequence finally ends when another employee comes in and is asked to watch the girl. The caller oversteps here by asking him to undress the girl again. Not having been present for the preceding events, this employee reacts more normally to what sounds to him like an anonymous voice on the phone. He leaves the room, complaining that the caller's request wasn't "policemanly." Another employee confirms that the girl's brother, far from being under arrest as the caller claimed, is actually out of town. The manager confirms that the district supervisor has been out sick all day. The real police station, we discover, was less than five minutes away.

The film is disturbing because we cannot help but wonder how we would have reacted in the same situation. We would like to think that we wouldn't have been fooled, but through the entire process, we know we have access to information that the participants lacked. As social animals, we know we're not supposed to undress and search each other for no reason, and that innocent girls should not be spanked and forced to perform oral sex. But at the same time, as social animals, we are conditioned to respond to authority and follow instructions. The film depicts, on a small scale, what happens in situations of long-term abuse, exploitation, torture, slavery, and genocide. A dictator starts small and works his way up, until one group is shoving another group into concentration camps and gas chambers, and it all seems justifiable to the participants given the shared explanation. Meanwhile, people watching from the outside are horrified.

Yet even in the most depraved situations, some people remain centered, and do not succumb to the temptation to follow orders, to go along with the status quo. What stops them is a high degree of compassion, the ability to put themselves in the victim's place and imagine what they are feeling. It may come down to having a higher than average number of mirror neurons, or it may arise from an independent streak, a mischievous desire to rebel whenever an authority figure tells them to do something. Human society could not survive if we were all independent rebels stability requires most people to do their jobs and follow instructions. But for a society to be healthy and not just a collection of ants, it needs a few people whose response to the instructions is "it's not policemanly." They recognize when the policeman has violated his contract and has become a tyrant. Control, in other words, cannot be perfect. And sometimes those who deviate are criminals, and at other times, heroes.

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The era of crank phone calls has sure taken a twist. When fast food restaurant manager (Ann Dowd) gets a phone call from someone identifying himself as policeman, she springs into action. Young Becky is accused of stealing from a customer. The assistance of the manager and others in this matter grows until it becomes inane. The film brings light to the problem of serial strip search crank calls...something I didn't know existed. This film is based on the Mount Washington, Kentucky incident which BTW was a McDonald's.

The film acting was okay. There is a high perv factor whenever you force a young girl to be stripped searched. Unfortunately this is pretty much the entire film as there is no real subplot to entertain us. This is one of those pervert films masquerading as something that makes a statement such as "Shame." Watch it. Enjoy it. Disturbing? Thought provoking? Oh Please. It's soft core porn.

Parental Guidance: F-bombs, nudity (Dreama Walker).

Want Compliance (2012) Discount?

Craig Zobel's powerful true story "Compliance" is one of those movies that almost dares you to look away. As a tense situation grows increasingly uncomfortable, the viewer becomes complicit as a voyeur and participant in a waking nightmare. Just as everyone on screen should know better and should display more sound judgement, you can't tear your eyes from the unbelievable and quite disturbing tale unfolding. It may be the most squirm inducing film of the year. Having caught "Compliance" at a tiny arthouse theater, I heard a lot of discussion outside in the lobby. A fair number of people simply didn't believe that the events depicted in the film could happen. But here's the thing, Zobel's script adheres very closely to the facts of an actual event! There isn't a lot of extraneous fictional material added in for dramatic affect, this sticks to the truth in a straightforward and matter-of-fact way. Based on a real life occurrence in 2004 at a Kentucky McDonalds, the movie's screenplay recreates (although in a fictional setting) what occurred in that store almost exactly according to the restaurant's security video, police reports, and court transcripts.

On an average day at your local Ohio Chickwich, the harried manager (Ann Dowd) receives an officious phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer. He identifies a young employee (Dreama Walker) as a thief saying that a woman customer has reported her taking money from her purse earlier in the day. Claiming he has already spoken to Dowd's District Manager, he asks for her cooperation in expediting the investigation while his team is detained. What follows, playing out in basically 90 minutes of real time, is a psychological manipulation that will have long reaching repercussions. Everyone wants to cooperate with authority (Dowd has already displeased her boss with one blunder today), and no one seems willing to challenge the caller even as things start spiraling out of control. The movie establishes fairly early on that this is all a sadistic prank, and once the caller has the store on the hook--he wants to see how far he can push things. Humiliating, debasing, and assaulting Walker, "Compliance" really starts to examine human nature and our willingness to please.

I won't be any more specific. I will, however, say that "Compliance" has one random scene near the end that is absolutely brilliant in its understatement. Once the police are involved, we spend a wordless journey in the cruiser as an officer drives from the station to the restaurant. At first, I wondered why we were along for this ride. But it makes perfect sense. Zobel, in a minimalist approach, is showing just how close actual help and police were during the entire ordeal. "Compliance" succeeds on two very strong performances. Dowd, a great character actress relishing a leading role, is perfect as the woman caught in this moral dilemma. And Walker, whose defiance slips away to resignation, proves she's one to contend with. It's a demanding role and she is definitely up to the task. I can't say that "Compliance" is fun or entertaining, though, because it purposefully seeks to provoke. It's not a movie you will feel ambivalent about--love it or hate it, you will remember it and talk about it. In that, it is an unqualified success. KGHarris, 10/12.

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Defiance (2008)

One wonders why it took so long to tell the story of the three Bielski brothers, who managed to save the lives of 1200 Jews during the Nazi Holocaust in World War II. My personal answer is that they didn't have anyone near the caliber of Daniel Craig to play the part of Tuvia.

The story opens with the Bielski brothers Tuvia (Craig) and Zus (Liev Schreiber) returning to the family farm to discover the Germans killed their parents. They find their younger brother, Asael (Jamie Bell) hiding from the slaughter in a cellar.

They decide to go to the forest to hide out. It's initially pure happenstance that they run into other refugees, but as the story progresses, they have a community from philosophers to warriors.

It's fascinating to see the community grow and the harsh realities of living under the Nazi radar. The images in this film will haunt me as strongly as the original newsreel "Let my People Go" did when I saw it in junior high.

In my opinion, "Defiance" is one of the top films of this year and I hope it earns the awards it deserves. The film is excellent for students of Jewish history, psychology, and community development. It's well worth full price in the theatre and adding to your collection.

Rebecca Kyle, February 2009

**This review contains spoilers**

By necessity, one must focus on the survivors if one wishes to create a workable film about the Holocaust. For its only through the eyes and ears of the survivors (and their tales of suffering) that we can appreciate the enormity, the scope of what occurred to the victims of the Holocaust. Paradoxically, the tales of the survivors are nothing more than anomalies--which may give the wrong impression to the uninformed that the Holocaust was an ennobling event--that these tales of survival were somehow the rule rather than the exception.

Defiance is one such anomalous tale. Some critics have likened it to a critique of Jewish passivity--that the overwhelming majority of Jews went to their deaths without putting up a fight. And certainly that reputation is reinforced in 'Defiance' as the protagonists, Tuvia and Zus Bielski, stand out as Jewish outsiders who aren't afraid to fight the Nazis as opposed to the majority of the Jewish 'intellectuals', mostly freshly minted refugees from the ghetto, who end up as part of the Bielski 'community' within the Byelorussian forest.

But there is an excellent scene in Defiance, where Tuvia sneaks into the ghetto and confronts the head of the Jewish committee there, that demonstrates that the average Jew was not passive--simply bewildered and overwhelmed. Can you really blame the head of the Jewish committee when he doesn't believe Tuvia's tales of genocide? He says, 'yes, we've heard these stories, but who can really believe them?' Reports of atrocities reached the United States during the War but they were not really appreciated until the actual newsreel photos of truckloads of emaciated bodies were seen being bulldozed into ditches at Bergen-Belsen after the war was over.

The opening scenes of 'Defiance' are testament to the brutally swift nature of the Nazi genocide. In most cases, there was simply no time to think about resisting (or escaping). The Nazis came in, along with the help of the local authorities in the occupied territories and murdered the Jews in the blink of an eye. We see this very effectively illustrated in 'Defiance' after the Bielskis find their parents murdered on the family farm.

One of the picture's strengths is that it also illustrates the role of the local collaborators who assisted the Nazis. In a dazzlingly effective scene, Tuvia takes revenge by shooting the local police chief and his sons after they've murdered his parents. The collaborators aren't seen as monsters--quite the contrary, in a humanized portrait, the police chief begs for his life and insists he was forced to act at the bidding of his superiors in the Nazi occupation force (in an earlier scene, the police chief comes to a farm looking for one of the Bielski brothers who hides in a barn after attacking a group of Nazis--here the police chief is much more crass and arrogant--but still all too human!).

Nonetheless, Zwick, the film's director, should have had another scene involving the collaborators to balance out the 'sympathetic' portrait. The truth of the matter was that there were other of these local collaborators who were outright sadists, capable of incomprehensible, monstrous acts of brutality. Similarly, Zwick shows us a group of Jews in the forest who end up savagely beating a captured German soldier to death (despite his cries that he has a wife and children). While such acts of revenge did occur, it's hard to appreciate the context for their actions (it would have been better if Zwick had actually shown the Bielski parents, for example, being murdered and not merely the aftermath).

A good deal of 'Defiance' explores the conflict between the two brothers. Tuvia is the pragmatic one who comes to accept his role as a new 'Moses', leading his beleaguered group of 'intellectuals' to safety through the forest. At first he has only contempt for his fellow Jews who he regards as cowardly and passive. But as time passes, they earn his respect as they all become more proactive. Zus, on the other hand, wants to take direct action against the Nazis and joins the Soviet partisans as one of their fighters. I thought that the characterization of the Russians was one of the strongest parts of the movies. They are depicted sympathetically--shown both for their courage and brutality (Zus eventually leaves the partisans after he can no longer tolerate their anti-semitic stance).

A good part of 'Defiance' is taken up showing life in the forest camp. The characterizations are a mixed bag. Some of the characters are standard 'types' (the debate between the 'intellectual' vs. the 'spiritual' Jew is one such example). There are some good scenes depicting the malnourishment that the community had to endure along with a few obligatory romances. One scene I had a hard time believing was when Tuvia kills one of the food hunters who insists that his group gets extra portions of rations. Did that really happen? I'm not sure but it made for good drama.

I like Daniel Craig in this role a lot more than as James Bond; he gives a solid performance as an unlikely savior for his people. And Lev Schreiber is excellent as the tough as nails partisan who eventually reunites with his brother after a fractured relationship.

Defiance's final scene focuses on the community battling and defeating a large group of Nazi soldiers backed up by a tank. I'm told that this is what actually happened but the way the whole thing is staged seemed a little hard to believe. Nonetheless, Defiance is a film that will keep you absorbed from the opening credits. As a little known history lesson, it does its job. And certainly it was a worthy project to commemorate the deeds of the heroic Bielski brothers.

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Story about Jews fleeing Nazi death squads in Belorussia who fight back against their occupiers and survive for years in forest hideouts. Very moving story and quite well-acted. The R rating is mind-boggling. I've seen PG-13 movies with more graphic violence. The profanity is sparse and never gratuitous. An excellent history lesson for teenagers, but the rating will keep many of them away (along with some adults). In the current climate of rising anti-Semitism and holocaust revisionism, this movie is unlikely to win awards, but it should.

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Belorussia in 1941. Germans and local collaborators hunt Jews. The Bielski brothers, in civilian times apparently not really choir boys, escape into the forests and attract followers, other refugees, who are desperate for help. A camp in the forest, an unsteady symbiosis with Russian troops nearby. Raids for food can't avoid getting noticed by the German army, whose attacks follow; the camp has to run. The refugees find another location for a camp. Apparently based on true events.

The film is about big subjects: strategy, leadership, discipline, solidarity. No surprises,just basic constellations and human conflicts. Wonderful cinematography. Solid work by Mr.Zwick (who apparently has a personal relation to the real Bielskis; family?). Good show by Mr.James Bond as Tuvia Bielski; the other actors do well too (but I don't know them).

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There is a myth, long-standing, that the Jews of Europe submitted passively to their fate at the hands of the Nazis and their willing helpers during World War II. According to this myth, Jewish resistance to the Holocaust did not exist, except perhaps in the Warsaw Ghetto, an anomalous, dramatic exception to a nightmarish reality in which Jews blandly climbed on board trains to be taken to unspeakable places to face an unspeakable fate.

Fortunately, that myth is being exploded sixty years after the fact, and DEFIANCE, the story of the Bielski Partisans, is part of that process. The Bielski Partisans were led by the brothers Tuvia, Zus, Asael and Aron, Jews from White Russia (now Belarus), who took to the woods after their village was targeted by the Einsatzkommando "B", an SS killing corps.

Many Jews, in fact, fled to the woods, and Jewish Resistance arose in many places throughout Europe. The Bielski experience in the dense Naliboki Forest is paradigmatic. The Jews of city and town, often tradesmen, small business owners, or scholar/intellectuals, were generally ill-equipped for the rough life of forest-dwellers. In this regard, the Bielskis, whose father had been a countryman, were peculiarly suited to lead. Having grown up in and around the woods and with a familiarity with tools and weapons, they became not only protectors but teachers in the art of survival.

Tuvia (Daniel Craig) became the leader, quiet, intense, sincere, and often in a quandry both moral and practical. How does one lead men, and care for women and children in conditions of deprivation? How and when does a leader lead or let himself be guided? How does a leader, as an authority, assert that authority?

Tuvia "would rather save one old Jewish woman than kill a dozen Nazis," but he is no milquetoast. He takes vengeance on the local Russian officer responsible for killing his parents. Nazis paid a bounty to those who betrayed their Jewish neighbors. Jews were worth 500 rubles a head, a small fortune to many starving peasants. Much later, he settles a challenge to his leadership from within by executing the mutineer.

Craig, known for his role as James Bond, really shows that his talents are wasted as the suave British spy. As Tuvia Bielski, he shines, an ordinary man called upon to do extraordinary things.

His younger, bigger, tougher brother, Zus (Liev Schreiber) is a firebrand. Although the Bielski Partisans engage small "hunting parties" in firefights, Zus believes the battle can be better fought on a larger scale, and joins the Red Partisans. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism within the Soviet ranks makes him an outsider, and he eventually returns to his brothers.

Schrieber, whose physical presence is imposing, plays Zus by tapping into some deep reservoir of anger within himself. It's an impressive performance, by far the strongest in the film.

Asael is younger, as is Aron, and both younger brothers dedicate themselves to forming a structured community for the growing forest community, establishing schools for the children, an infirmary for the ill, workshops for non-combatants, where they repaired rifles, loaded cartridges, sewed clothing, and built shelters and bunkers, and foraging parties that collected (by hook or by crook) food, tools, and other necessaries from the locals.

There are a number of large-scale battles between the German Army (supplied with tanks, machine guns and half-tracks) and the woefully underarmed Bielskis, which the Partisans, impossibly, win. Most of these battles have been "amplified" by the screenwriters for dramatic impact.

In all, some 1,200 Jews survived the war with the Bielski brothers. Asael Bielski was not among them. This film sheds light on a little-known chapter of the Holocaust, a chapter which had its counterparts in and around Kovno, Vilna, Warsaw, Lodz, Kiev, and in Western Europe as well.

This story, though it took place in Belarus, was filmed just across the border in Lithuania due to political reasons. As my father was a survivor of the Shoah from Lithuania, I was particularly interested in experiencing the views of the Lithuanian countryside this film provided.

Ice Age (2008)

Another re-release for "Ice Age" (this is the third counting the single disc edition of the film) to coincide with the sequel, this edition essentially is the previous two disc edition with some minor features added that don't make it any more worthwhile to pick up. The DVD ROM printables and "Scrat's Frozen Facts" appear to be the newest features on this set. Most of the featurettes are recycled from the previous edition.

No issue with the transfer per se since it is a digital cartoon this edition appears to be from the same source as the previous edition. Should you upgrade? Not if you have the previous two disc edition but if you have the single disc edition and you want the extras, this is the way to go. Sound is crystal clear with nice use of 5.1 effects.

The DVD ROM printables and "Scrat's Frozen Fun Facts" an interactive feature that can be accessed during the film appear to be the newest features on this set. The latter has behind-the-scenes clips you the film in various stages of production while also including comments from experts on natural history discussing the what scientist believe the world was like then. Most of the featurettes are recycled from the previous edition. Otherwise the commentary tracks, deleted scenes and just about everything else is imported from the previous two disc edition of the film. There's also theater money that can be presented for "Ice Age 2".

If you purchased the previous two disc set of this movie, I'd take a pass on this one. There's no improvement in this edition vs. the earlier two disc set in my mind.

Here's why:

First, a great character driven story with a positive message. The heroes in this story don't start out as heroes at all. Sid is an annoying and rather pathetic sloth who is left behind when all his friends migrate. Manfred is a mammoth with "issues" who at the beginning is walking the wrong way for some reason. Why? Does the scene with the moving cave drawings explain this? Was his wife and offspring killed, and was he walking the wrong way to end his own life? Diego the sabertooth tiger is an order following killer on a mission.

Each of these characters grow beyond themselves to save a human baby. Sid assumes responsiblity and develops courage. Diego learns to think for himself and do the right thing. Manfred overcomes his grief and self-centerdness and endures all kinds of trials to save a baby who may grow up to be a hunter of mammoths. This is a story how anyone, regardless of how non-heroic they may be, can rise above themselves and do what is right when they have to.

Second, this DVD lets you watch the movie five different ways: Widescreen, Fullscreen, "Nutty Movie" mode where you can watch the deleted scenes as if they'd been spliced back into the movie, commentary mode, and "extreme cool" mode where you watch the movie in a window while documentary material plays in another window. How cool is that?

Third, the deleted scenes are actually very interesting. They have their own commentary too. Sylvia is a great character (a sloth girlfriend of Sid's) who was going to be in the movie but was cut out and replaced. The commentary tells why.

Fourth, the two shorts are great. Gone Nutty is more of Scrat chasing acorns, and Bunny is a brilliant short about an elderly female rabbit's last minutes of this life and the transition to the next.

And there's a lot more. It make take until the next ice age for me to get through all the stuff on this DVD!

Buy Ice Age (2008) Now

I got indignant when one of my favorite reviewers panned this film and decided to rise to its defense. Not only does this film work brilliantly as an allegory about bridging ethnic and cultural divides, but it is by turns hilarious and deeply touching. The story follows a group of migrating prehistoric mammals (a saber-toothed tiger which is a predator; and a sloth and woolly mammoth, which are prey species) who find a lost human infant and ultimately make the difficult and dangerous decision to reunite it with its human tribe. The personalities of all three are well developed, and their nonstop bickering is a riot. Naturally, there are many internal divisions, and the saber-toothed tiger is secretly plotting to ambush the group, but in the end the shared experience of bonding with the infant unites them. There is a highly entertaining scene where the group travels through an ice cave in which is embedded hilarious references to other life forms including extraterrestrials. There is a very touching scene in which the mammoth contemplates human pictographs of hunters killing a family of mammoths with spears, only to be comforted by the human infant in his care. The animation, especially the facial expressions for the animals, and of course the ill-fated squirrel whose attempts to gather and store nuts form a cruelly funny sub-theme, is incredibly clever. The film is just brimming with sly humor, tenderness, and witty sight-gags; I've probably seen it five times and haven't gotten bored yet.

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Get ready to "chill-out" with the fun-filled 2002 animated family hit "Ice Age". During the great migration, a moody mammoth (Ray Romano, "Everybody Loves Raymond"), a dim-witted sloth (John Leguizamo, "Moulin Rouge") and a devilish sabre-toothed tiger (Denis Leary, "Rescue Me") become the unlikely guardians of a lost human child. Together, they will embark on a journey across icy glaciers and countless dangers to return the child to his tribe. Created by Blue Sky Studios, "Ice Age" is a remarkably entertaining family spectacle that ranks as one of the highest grossing films of 2002. The story is fast-paced, heartfelt and very funny. The computer-animated feature film contains some hilarious moments and memorable characters. The CGI animation is stunning with impressive landscapes. Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo deliver some fine comic performances. "Ice Age" also features the voice talents of Cedric the Entertainer, Stephen Root, Diedrich Bader, Alan Tudyk and Jack Black.

"Ice Age" Special Edition succeeds any previous Fox DVD. The animated smash hit is presented in both full screen and widescreen formats. The DVD contains a flawless picture quality with excellent sharpness and rich color detail. Its Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is very engaging and well balanced. The interactive DVD menus are pretty nice. This 2-Disc DVD contains a wide range of supplemental material including a comprehensive audio commentary with directors Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge, six deleted scenes, several behind-the-scene featurettes (The Making of "Ice Age" & Under the Ice), theatrical trailers and the new animated short "Scrat's Missing Adventure". With its excellent presentation and great supplements, "Ice Age" Special Edition gets a definite "A-".

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If you are reading this review, you are probably wondering, "Should I invest good movie into purchasing this movie on blu-ray?"

This movie is considerably older than many blu-ray releases, and it is not quite as sharp as its sequel "Meltdown", however, that said, this is an excellent release and well worth owning if you like animated family friendly blu-ray movies. The picture is very clear with very little grain, the picture is sharp, and the sound is crisp. The age of the film does show though the fur on the mammoth isn't quite as sharp, and there is a little bit of noticeable grain, but all things considered, they did a great job with the transfer. Like "Meltdown" there are no bars above or below the screen on a widescreen television. We viewed the movie on a 37" 1080p LCD flatpanel TV with a PS3, 60GB blu-ray player, connected by a HDMI cable. Sound is 5.1 digital.

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Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)

"Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" is certainly heartwarming and innocent, but that doesn't mean it's shallow and cloying. I admit that I thought it would be, mostly because I was expecting a virtual clone of last year's awful "Nancy Drew." There are certain similarities: both feature plucky young girls who do a lot of investigating; both have an assortment of colorful side characters; both are based on a series of stories, both feature Max Theroit. Unlike "Nancy Drew," however, "Kit Kittredge" aims to tell a good story with real subtexts; taking place at the height of the Great Depression, we meet characters that are downtrodden and desperate, not only because their financial situations are bleak, but also because they face the scorn and rejection of ignorant people. This adaptation of stories drawn from the "American Girl" doll line mixes childish zeal with some very mature themes, and that alone made it worth seeing.

Abigail Breslin brings enthusiasm, charm, and heart to the title character, a ten-year-old girl from Cincinnati, Ohio who runs a tree house club and dreams of becoming a newspaper reporter. She wants to write stories with fresh angles so that she can finally get into print. A pair of hobos--a helpful teenager named Will (Max Theroit) and his young friend, Countee (Willow Smith)--inspire Kit to write an article on hobo life. The fresh angle is that it will be told entirely from a kid's perspective, which may be needed in this case since many adults feel hobos are good-for-nothing leeches that suck the government dry. Kit has heard this rhetoric from her neighbors and classmates--one especially snotty young boy says that selling eggs and wearing dresses made of chicken feed bags bring you one step closer to the poorhouse.

But Kit is beginning to understand the hobos' plight, not only because many of her neighbors have lost their homes to foreclosures, but also because her unemployed father (Chris O'Donnell) is forced to find work all the way in Chicago. Hoping to make ends meet, Kit's mother (Julia Ormond) turns their home into a boarding house. This is how we meet: Ms. Dooley (Jane Krakowski), a husband-seeking dance instructor; the disapproving Mrs. Howard (Glenne Headly) and her young son, Sterling (Zach Mills); Ms. Bond (Joan Cusack), a slightly goofball mobile librarian; and Jefferson Burke (Stanley Tucci), a magician. When the subject of hobo robberies comes up, Mrs. Kittredge has everyone put their valuables in her lockbox. When it's stolen, everyone suspects Will as the culprit, including the police. Kit takes it upon herself to investigate. Despite what the evidence suggests, she believes her hobo friend is innocent.

It fairly obvious that "Kit Kittredge" is a commentary on prejudice; at one point in the film, Kit tells a cantankerous newspaper editor (Wallace Shawn) that there are good hobos and there are bad hobos, much like good apples and bad apples. She then gets a hard lesson in office politics when it's revealed that newspapers print only what the public wants to read, and the unfortunate truth is that the public is intolerant of hobos. Naturally, those who say this haven't met the people living in a hobo jungle, as Kit has; they're some of the nicest people around, and they willingly let Kit photograph them and write about them for her article. Messages of acceptance and understanding are not new, certainly not for a family film. But unlike a lot of other such stories, "Kit Kittredge" doesn't condescend, and when we leave, we feel both entertained and emotionally rejuvenated.

Aside from Kit, one of the film's best characters is Sterling, who at such a young age has already been beaten down by life. Sterling's father, much like Kit's, also left Cincinnati to find work, and communication with his family has steadily decreased. You see nothing but hurt and sadness in this boy's eyes. He and Kit are practically in the same boat, which is why they form a special bond. Kit is now worried that her father will forget her and her mother completely, even after promising to write them every single week. I remember a scene when Kit types a letter to her father; the frustration and fear she pours into the first draft makes for a heartbreaking moment.

I can't guarantee that adults will be as receptive to "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" as kids will, but I definitely recommend they give it a chance. The doll may be a hollow piece of plastic, but the character is something else entirely--she's kind, spirited, intelligent, and just plain wonderful. Some may criticize the film for being too sentimental, and indeed, it's light-hearted and optimistic, more than would be expected from a story set during the Depression. But it's more mature than it lets on. Even with a childish sense of humor, hopelessness and grief are not spared on the audience. It's always a pleasure to see a family film that was made with all audiences in mind, not just kids. "Kit Kittredge" is such a film, one of the most enjoyable I've seen all summer.

Coming from a 16-hear-old girl like myself, this review may be of little help to some people. But to tell my honest opinion, this movie is a good one. And when I say good, I mean it's good. It's clean, has a fun storyline, GREAT actors, cute moments...and altogether leaves you feeling satisfied. While boys and men may not find much they like about it, I would recommend giving it a try. Little girls, teenagers, and moms alike have all told me they loved it...so why wouldn't you? :)

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Kit Kitteridge: An American Girl is based on the best selling American Girl Kit Books authored by Valerie Tripp.

Kit's story begins in the 1930's during the Great Depression. Kit's father, Mr. Kitteridge, owns a car dealership. Her mother, Margaret is the director of the Ladies Garden Club. Kit's brother Charlie, is serving in the CCC, created by President Roosevelt. Kit aspires to become a newspaper reporter and to one day see herself in print with the Cinncinati Register. However due to the events of the Great Depression, Kit and her family's world is turned upside down. Mr. Kitteridge becomes unemployed after the bank forecloses on his car dealership. Due to the umployment situation in Cinncinati he travels to Chicago looking for work. Margaret Kitteridge along with Kit take on the responsibility of turning their large home into a boarding house. The boarders are an eclectic mix of individuals from different backgrounds. Stirling Howard, a classmate of Kit's and his mother Mrs.Howard, Miss Dooley, a dance instructor, Miss Bond, the local mobile librarian who can only stop the mobile library if she runs into something, Jefferson Berk, a magician who has a mystery of his own, and Fredrich, the boarder whose pet monkey is always keeping everyone on their toes. Kit and her mother also befriend Will and County, two young hobos who come to the Kitteridge home looking for work and a sense of family. Of course an American Girl story would not be complete without some excitement which comes in the form of a mystery for Kit and her friends to solve. This movie features a wonderful cast of character actors: Abigal Breslin as Kit, Chris O'Donnell as Mr. Kittredge, Julia Ormond as Margaret Kittredge, Jane Krakowski as Miss Dooley, Max Thieriot as Will Shepherd, Glenne Headley as Mrs. Howard, Joan Cusack as Miss Bond and Stanely Tucci as Jefferson Berk.

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I watched this with my 11,9, and 3.5 year olds. We enjoyed it. It was clean and entertaining. My 11 year old said it was not in line with the book, but still enjoyed it. It gave us a lot of topics for discussion. Based on the depression era, we were able to discuss economy, prejudice and family. Two thumbs up from us.

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I really enjoyed Kit Kittredge. I thought the film was an important and interesting portrait of life in Cincinnati during the Great Depression. As a Cincinnatian, I enjoyed seeing our city portrayed on the big screen and could relate to a lot of the local references.

The film was not the most fast-paced film I've ever seen, but it more than made up for it with its storyline. This movie is at once a drama, mystery and historical fiction. I walked away from the film still thinking about it, which is the sign of a good film to me.

The acting is terrific and includes acting giants and others I believe will be the acting giants of tomorrow. This is not one to be missed.

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Suck (2010)

Okay, so maybe it's not quite the classic that "Shaun" is, but this is a really, really fun horror comedy. I rent all the video store horror movies and it is rare that one comes along that's as good as "Suck." Well-shot, well-acted, great story, "Suck" feels like it's taunting critics with its title, but then it turns out to be a really solid film with what I thought would be just your typical blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos until it turns out that Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins (who is HILARIOUS) and Alex Lifeson are all just characters in the movie. Who knew Lifeson was so funny?

The best thing about "Suck" is that while it's a good vampire comedy, it's also a play on indie band cautionary tale movies that has a few salient and pointed things to say about fame but is never overbearing or preachy.

I would really recommend this movie to horror fans. It's really entertaining and a lot of fun and you can really feel the makers' love of both horror and rock-n-roll.

a couple of posters have made comparison to rocky horror. thought this movie was better. alice cooper is on-screen for more than just a cameo and adds something to the mix. also a good performance by malcolm mcdowell as the vampire hunter. this is one of those movies that people have barely heard about now but will gain momentum as time passes. it's on my halloween shelf to watch yearly at this point.

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Sorry. I couldn't think of a non-cheesy title for the review.

So Suck is pretty under-the-radar at this point. It might end up being one of those movies that the trendy dudes talk about knowing about BEFORE it was popular though. For a low-budget movie it looks really great and has a great cast and fantastic rock legends for cameos and small roles. McDowell is great as "Eddie VanHelsing." As are Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins to name just a few of the rockers in the movie. But the primary cast is also really good. The star of the movie is also the writer/director and he does a very good job playing the "straight man" as it were. The humor is pretty spot on and flows naturally. The only thing keeping the movie from being really great is the pacing and the conclusion. The pacing is sort of all over the place and doesn't build to a worthwhile climax. And the end of the movie is just a little underwhelming. Almost like the writer/director/star knew he had to come up with something after the climax, but ran out of steam before he got there. And even though it is a comedy, I would have liked to have seen some moral repercussions for the main characters.

But it's still a very enjoyable movie, and if you're a rock aficionado you'll love pointing out cameos from veteran rockers since just about every minor and bit role is filled by a rock star. Suck should be enjoyed by groups of friends, or better yet, bandmates.

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I enjoyed this movie but don't consider it to be a 5/5 level experience. Positives: True music aficionados will undoubtedly enjoy all the cameos; the production values are surprisingly high and the acting is generally quite good; it features the girl from Hot Tub Time Machine who had a memorable hot tub crying scene; its witty good dialogue with enough humor sprinkled in throughout; some very creative and artistic scenes (camera work, use of lighting, use of limited sfx, etc.). On the negative side, I found the story to be a bit slow and lacking engaging elements. While it was certainly fun, its just not that memorable; the story proceeds without any particular punch or substantial conflict. Again, please understand that I enjoyed this film, but its important to understand that its may not necessarily qualify as a 5/5 on everyone's scale. Definitely recommended as a rental, but be duly advised on a purchase decision.

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4 Stars = Classic

I've been running into some great Vampire films lately out there underneath the bats radar, & 2009 Canadian film, "Suck," is no exception. Clever, cutting edge Vampire comedy, with a drop of musical in it, about a struggling nowhere rock band, who turns into Vampires & finds success. Yes, this plot line has been used before, but never quite like this, as hilarious black comedy abounds, with imaginative twists on rock n' roll life on the road & Vampires!

You got to love a film that features surprisingly great, funny, witty appearances by, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, & Henry Rollins. A surprising, I'd never know it was Alex Lifeson of Rush, as a gung-ho US boarder patrol officer, LOL! Moby, as Buffalo, NY's, biggest rock star ego is a hoot as "Beef," the lead singer for a band who fans throw raw meat at while performing! How about Malcolm McDowell as EVH, that is, Eddy Van Helsing. Funny stuff! Then there is Dimitri Coats, as the Vampire who starts this all, who looks like Johnny Depp's "Mad Hatter" character on steroids, turned Vampire, which makes for a pretty convincing bloodsucker!

Wink's & nod's abound in this film to rock culture & Vampire lore. You have to watch intently to catch them all, & "Hugo" the roadie for the band as a Renfield type character about steals the show!

This film does not take it's self seriously, & you shouldn't either, otherwise the whole point will be missed, that point is fun! You have to stick with it, as it gets funnier as it progresses, & Director, Rob Stefaniuk is one to watch!

For lovers of Vampires with a wicked since of humor, you'll suck this one up!

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Inglorious Bastards (1978)

I watched this classic on HBO as a child and loved it. I recently bought it and watched it the first day I received it. It is the best "B" class WW II movie out there. The acting is pretty good and the story, while implausible, is pretty cool. All of the actors were perfect for their role. Other than Bo Svenson, Fred Williamson, and Ian Bannen, I have not seen any of the other actors since. It's too bad. I would like to see them in something else. By the way, if any of you out there who were in the service is wondering why Bo Svenson sounds authentic calling cadence in the movie, it is because he was in the Marines for six years.The movie is relatively short by today's standards so pause it if you go to the bathroom. Anyway, a great and fun movie. I loved it as a kid and do today.

Thanks to the odd impressive matte shot and a skilful marshalling of its limited resources, Enzo Castellari's Inglorious Bastards doesn't look cheap even if the same extras keep on getting killed in every action scene, but despite Quentin Tarantino's slavish devotion it's more Garrison's Guerrillas than the Dirty Half-Dozen. Castellari's heroes are a standard issue group of American military prisoners: black marketer (Michael Pergolani), would-be mobster (Peter Hooten), coward (Jackie Basehart), proud black man who got tired of taking s*** (Fred Williamson), mildly sympathetic disillusioned German deserter to avoid offending the lucrative German market (Raimund Harmstorf) and the obligatory cocky but heroic one who got busted for using his fighter plane as a taxi for dates across the English Channel in his downtime (Bo Svenson). Naturally their plan to make a break for the border when they're waylaid en route to the stockade by some Nazi planes naturally ends up with them embarking on a mission vital to the success of the war (admittedly only after inadvertently killing some of their own side), but then this is a film that exists purely to do only what's expected of it rather than offer any unwelcome surprise. Sure, there's the odd spin on some of the old favorites, but there aren't nearly enough naked women with machine guns to truly lift it above the formulaic.

Dialogue isn't exactly sparkling "All Americans are mongrels... and your women are whores!" and half the cast are dubbed anyway (Ian Bannen's Scottish tones are replaced by an American actor and Hooten by what sounds like John Dall), but the film does its job even if it's more supporting feature than main event. Castellari is the best kind of hack, one with a good eye for framing and who knows how to shoot action (although the sight of one German soldier being lifted up, Peter Pan-style, on a visible wire in an explosion is worthy of one of the sight gags in Top Secret! It's a minor film and one it's best not to expect too much from, but there a lot worse exploitation films out there.

The three disc US Region 1 NTSC DVD comes with a decent array of extras, including Easter Egg alternate title sequences for a couple of the film's many video reissues as Deadly Mission and G.I. Bro (it's also known as Counterfeit Commandos, Hell's Heroes and Commando Bastards) a cheap-and-cheerful hour long making of, brief then and-now tour of the locations with Castellari and a CD (not included on the 2-disc set) of what little remains of the score the composer recorded his son's school play over most of the masters! By far the most curious of the extras is an interview with Quentin Tarantino and Castellari, with the chin treating it as part confessional, part therapy, unburdening himself on the engaging director as if an unworthy disciple at the feet of a true master.

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it's hard to say what I think of this film. It's, in some ways, a brilliant war film that deserves recognition, while it can simultaneously make you shudder. it has a clever plot but then you have dialogue like "hey, those are our flyboys!" (impersonates an airplane while making a machine gun noise); there are some great effects and sets that are made good use of, but you can see the ropes pulling men from an explosion more clearly than you can see the strings in an Ed Wood film; you have naked german women firing machine guns at retreating American troops, and then you have the fact that this scene only lasts a couple of seconds (this is first time that an Italian movie has skimpped out in this category, let alone not completely over do it. It should have been at least a few minutes long, if not for the sex appeal then for the pure hilariouty of it.)

It's like a movie that's so bad that it's good, but at the same time is actually good. And, like many films of this sort, it's main source of entertainment comes from it's cleverness that simply oozes from it's different aspects including plot and filmwork.

The only major problem is that I had expected it to actually go on for about two hours or so until it ended. I would've given it four stars if it were only longer (especially certain *clear throat* scenes).

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Wahoo!! Let's grab some beer and go shoot our machine guns at some Nazis!

Inglorious Bastards is a campy cult war flick, high on violence and insanity but a little low on common sense. You've got a bunch of reject U.S. soldiers facing court martial for various infractions, like flying the jetplane to visit their girlfriend a few thousand miles away.

On the way to the military prison the convoy gets hit by some German artillery. This enables a few of the prisoners to escape. This ragtag group decides to head for neutral Switzerland while avoiding the American armies plus the Nazis.

Now along the way there is all sorts of unrestrained madness. The highlight has got to be when they stumble across the female German soldiers skinny dippin in the lake. Allright! Just what you expect to see when running for your life through Europe. The soldiers masquerade as Nazis and get ready for some wet-n-wild fun.

Inglorious Bastards is an entertaining thrill ride that makes war seem like a party. The acting is decent. I recognized the cigar-smokin' Fred Williamson from Rodriquez's classic From Dusk til Dawn.

I'm anxious to see QT's remake, supposedly due out in 2010. Somehow I doubt it resembles this film too much. But PLEEEEASE Quentin, keep the naked nazi chicks with the machine guns. I'm begging you!

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A World War II adventure set somewhere in France, The Inglorious Bastards (1978) is solidly entertaining affair, where a group of escaped prisoners become involved in a top secret commando mission. Directed by Enzo Castelari, the movie is an Italian production with an international cast, and features some nicely executed combat scenes, creative cinematography, and interesting European locations.

A group of inmate soldiers is being transported, when their convoy is attacked by a German fighter. Led by Lieutenant Robert Yeager (Bo Swenson) and Private Fred Canfield (Fred Williamson), the surviving prisoners take command, and escape from captivity, heading off in a truck bound for Switzerland. The rest of the "Bastards" are Tony (Peter Hooten), Berle (Jackie Basehart), and Nick (Michael Pergolani). They eventually wind up on foot, where after taking refuge in a barn, they discover a German soldier named Sachs (Raimund Harmstorf) who is willing to help them to escape. Travelling through the French countryside, the group encounters various German forces, and has to fight for their lives several times. Sachs is killed in a skirmish, where a group of Germans is wiped out.

Soon after, the escapees fall into the hands of a group of Partisans. They discover that the German soldiers they just killed, were actually Allied soldiers in disguise. These men, were to have collaborated with the partisans on a top secret mission. American Colonel Charles Thomas Buckner (Ian Bannen) parachutes in to lead the mission, and is furious when discovers that his trained commando team is dead, and his only option is a bunch of misfits and deserters.

It's been a fun ride so far, but things ramp up to a new level as the complicated mission goes into operation. This is where the Bastards really shine, as the various pieces fall nicely into place. Buckner and Yeager impersonate German scientists in order to try and steal a vital V2 rocket component being transported on a train guarded by the German army. Meanwhile the partisans are setting up to take over a railroad station, and blow up a bridge. What follows is a number of nicely executed action scenes, large scale battle sequences, and action aboard the train, that all build up to a dramatic conclusion.

Like many war tales, it isn't necessary to have a lot of depth regarding motivation or character development. Since the Bastards killed the men who were to go on the mission, it seems fair that they take their place. Being an Italian production, many of the actors are dubbed, which kind of colors some of the performances. Bo Swenson (Walking Tall) is rather low key as Yeager, a capable leader that can kill when necessary. Being black, slightly restricts what Fred Williamson's character Canfield can do, but "the Hammer" definitely makes his presence known, and executes his role with style and a brash attitude. Williamson, Swenson, and most of the cast, perform many of their own stunts. Dubbing hides his British accent, and Ian Bannen may not quite look the part as an American General, but his performance still comes across as quite solid. The only thing that seems out of place, is the instant romance between Tony, and Nicole (Debra Berger), a member of the partisans. This is the only tenderness, in a bittersweet tale.

Director Enzo Castelari's commentary track provides lots of background information regarding the production of the film, and the cast. Quentin Tarentino, a huge fan of the film, is featured in an extensive conversation with Castelari, almost gushing with glee at times. This discussion is quite informative, as at the time Tarentino's planned remake (The Inglorious Bastereds) was still in its infancy. In the three disc edition, Disc 2 contains two featurettes, including Train Kept-A-Rollin', an extensive 75 minute retrospective with lots of meaty information, and interviews with Casterlari, Hopkins, Williamson, and various cast and crew members. Disc 3 contains four musical selections from the film's soundtrack.

The Inglorious Basterds (2009), has increased interest in the original film that impressed and inspired Quentin Tarentino so much. This is a good thing, as Enzo Caselari's film is well deserving of a wider audience. The Inglorious Bastards is a tough straight ahead war adventure, with some unassuming and unlikely heroes, who do what needs to be done without any fanfare. "Inglorious" they may be, but they operate with a sense of style, bravely accepting their fate and fighting hard till the end.

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