Operation Condor (2012)

How could they?! This American re-relase (complete with snazzy titles) has been cut to ribbons in a vain attempt to keep it serious! How dare they!! slapstick humour IS jackie chan. Whole scenes are actually removed from the film in order to appeal to po-faced Steven segal fans! Having seen the original version on TV, i rushed out to buy it, then being disappointed by the edited version. Its ironic that the humour is censored, rather than the violence.

Still, despite these drawbacks, Its one of Jackie's finest. Big budget (without ruining it like rush hour 2!), very funny, and highly original the fight in the wind tunnel is both spectacular and hilarious at the same time!.

Its a bit of a downer that its been edited to tone down the humour, but its still a superb Chan flick.

Jackie Chan is a physical genius and this,together with a sense of comedy and an air of winning self-deprecation,help set his movies apart from those of other action stars such as the wooden Van Damme and the pompous dirigible Seagal.The physical skills are well in evidence here as are the comedy traits -although personally I find them less well showcased this time around

Operation Condor is clearly an expensive movie and makes widespread use of well photographed North African and European locations ,in its tale of Chan and some female colleagues hunting abandoned Nazi gold in the face of opposition from Arab terrorists and one of the gold's former owners.

There are draggy bits in the middle when the story gets bogged down in broad comedic interludes ,and the dubbing throughout is execrable.All is forgiven when it comes to the climax -an elongated fight scene in a wind tunnel that has flair ,pace and panache.

The end credits show the injury sustained by Chan in making the movie when a stunt went wrong-proof that here is an action star who does not stint on placing himself on the line .Four stars for Chan -and marked down only for the dubbing and the misfiring comedy scenes which simply dont travel well to Occidental audiences

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I bought this DVD knowing it would be cut like most US films of Jackie's. The reason I bought it is because Jackie dubs his own voice I just love his voice, whether he is speaking Cantonese, Mandarin or English! It just adds so much more to the enjoyment of his movies I feel. And there are cut scenes the most obvious a very funny scene in the desert with Jackie trying to give his female off-siders water without their bumbling Arab captors knowing! Notwithstanding all this, this film is one of Jackie's best with amazing stunts and the fight scene in the wind tunnel has to be seen to be believed. A must see, whether it is this version or the original uncut Cantonese with English S/T.

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This dvd is worth the money! I'm Italian and there are a few Jackie's movies translated into my language, luckily there are the english versions... but I also like to watch them in chinese with eng subtitles...

This is a really good movie, with a bit of Indiana Jones, a bit of James Bond and Jackie's funny humor. The background is also interesting and whimsical: the desert, the nazi's base... ok, the story is not so original, but the situations that came out with Jackie and the 3 girls are funny.

And the wind tunnel scene (though it is a fake... they are not flying, there are wires to pull them around...) is GREAT!!!

A challenging movie, that gave some problems during the filming, sand was everywhere and Jackie really got hurt folling from the hanging chain in the nazi's base and dislocated his sternum...

And hey, you can watch this film just because Jackie is always the n. 1

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Las películas de Jakie Chan, aunque no son muy biuenas, valen la pena, nada más por ver todo lo que hace. Los años no le afectan.

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Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar, Part 1 (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1992)

I've always been a big fan of the Tenchi Muyo cosmos (can't really say world or universe cause that still wouldn't encompass all the different story lines).

I can say without a doubt this very high on my list to purchase. I've watched the fansubs multiple times. The storyline is engaging, the characters are deep and well modeled. The episodes are a satisfying 40 minutes long.

I my only problem is that 130$ (10$ per episode) for both boxes seems to be rather steep. At 70$ I would snatch the series up, but for now, I'll wait and bide my time till the prices drop.

The Thing that this series has linked with tenchi muyo is the name and one or two character references from the other series otherwise its pretty much a stand alone series. I also believe that the animation in this series is the best out of all of the Tenchi series. I wish they wouldn't have split the series up like they did but you can't ask for everything.

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I'll be the first to say this is a great series. However, Funimation's translation contained a number of issues I found extremely frustrating. There weren't too many real errors, but some of the translation choices were annoying or worse. For instance, Funimation sometimes seems to want to overemphasize genre in their translation, made obvious here with their obsessive insertion of "mecha" wherever they think they can get away with it. "Holy Armor" suddenly becomes "Sacred Mechanoid", and "Holy Knight" turns into "Sacred Mechamaster", and largely unrelated devices like Wahan's robot are given almost identical names. The ultimate result to me was to make a lot of things sound silly.

What was far worse was the series description. Where in the world did these people get the idea of the conflicts being "intergalactic"? This'd be the first intergalactic battle I've seen that takes place entirely on one planet, involving people who don't appear to have ever even heard of space flight, with one single boy from another dimension(or something) stranded there whose civilization has barely managed to reach their moon. I've often felt that Funimation's descriptions and advertisements went a little overboard emphasizing specific aspects they thought would sell (in particular focusing entirely on fanservice regardless of the story that goes along with it), showing no interest in anything past the obvious, but this's the first time they seemed to create a description that makes up a completely different story altogether.

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Kenshi Masaki is the half brother of Tenchi Masaki. Somehow he was summoned to another planet called Geminar. He doen't know why or how he got there though. Fortunately, this planet is mostly inhabited by hot chicks that are all crazy about Kenshi. Kenshi enters a school for young mecha pilots. Part 1 of this series mainly covers his daily life and develops his relationship with the girls at the school. There is, however, trouble brewing on Geminar. A mysterious group has plans that threaten the people of Geminar, and somehow, Kenshi fits into their plan.

I expected a little more action from this series, because of the title, "War On Geminar". I think that the war actually starts in part 2. There are some major differences with this series and the original Tenchi Muyo series that this spins off of. The characters are the main difference. They are all good though. This set has 7-50 minute episodes. So it is actually a long as a 26-episode series if you include part 2. The situations are more suggestive than the original series, but there isn't any nudity. I think it should be rated PG-13, but whatever. The animation, voice acting and soundtrack are all top notch; as you probably expected from the Tenchi franchise. Although different from what I expected, this series did entertain me. I hope it picks up a bit in part 2, and I wish that it was a little cheaper. Other than those 2 little details, I think this is a good buy. If you like the older Tenchi series, you'll probably enjoy this one too.

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I first saw this series at an anime convention a few years back and was excited to see it picked up for official release on Blu-Ray/DVD in North America. I do have a few complaints. The biggest being that the audio mix seemed a bit off. The dialog and music tracks seemed a bit loud, while the sound effects seemed muted. I felt like I was watching the commentary of the episode with all of the action taking place in another room. I tried both the Blu-Ray version and the DVD on different players and audio receivers with the same results. The English soundtrack was a little better. I could hear most of the low range heavy explosions, but the midrange sound effects like gunfire and sword on sword clashing were still not very loud.

I mostly watched it in Japanese, but while comparing the soundtracks, I did notice that some of the English voice actors seemed to ad-lib or babble a bit, like they needed to fill up every bit of screen time with dialog. And some of the terms seemed overly translated like "Sacred Mechamaster" instead of Seikishi. Despite these things, I still enjoyed watching this anime again, and look forward to the second volume, where story plot picks up and the action gets more intense.

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The Square (2010)

Had the good fortune to see this in Pittsburgh last night, with a Q&A session with director Nash Edgerton after the film. This is the best thriller I've seen in a very long time -gritty, emotional and incredibly tense. Comparisons with the Coens and their debut 'Blood Simple' are inevitable, but 'The Square' is not a copycat film in any sense. The tension barely lets up during the course of the entire movie, and there's a constant feel of menace, like something really bad is always lurking just around the corner (it usually is).

Performances, direction, screenplay, music -everything is top-shelf here. If you like thrillers this is not to be missed.

Noir films obsess over unintended consequences, on the destruction that may proceed from the slightest failures of foresight or from simple chance. This notion is best illustrated in the literary forebear "The Maltese Falcon," where Spade reflects on Flitcraft, a seemingly normal, happy man who one day abandoned his job and family after nearly being crushed by a falling beam. The truth, Flitcraft realized, was that the seeming solidity of his world was a lie--all could be lost in an instant for no reason at all. So, he abandoned this world, abandoned regularity and left it all behind. In Nash Edgerton's feature debut "The Square," Raymond Yale (David Roberts), an ethically dubious construction manager, decides to begin anew as well, not for any philosophical reasons, but rather because he is tired of his wife or, at least, much more interested in the lovely young Carla Smith (Claire van der Boom [a ridiculous name, even by Dutch standards]), a neighbor from across the cove in their small Australian town. Raymond would actually prefer to simply keep seeing Carla on the side, but Carla wants to escape her loutish, criminal husband Smithy (Anthony Hayes), and gives Raymond an ultimatum. Raymond finally relents, and they decide to fund their escape by relieving Smithy of a few hundred thousand ill-gotten dollars, and covering their theft by hiring the shady Billy (Joel Edgerton, co-writer and brother of Nash) to burn the Smith house while the town collectively takes part in Christmas festivities. This seemingly straightforward plan, however, goes horrifically awry and, in a vision rather more moralistic than that of the Darwinian-minded Hammett, Raymond and Carla soon find that the beams are falling with disturbing regularity. Many viewers will be incredulous that Murphy's Law could be applied with such speed and merciless consistency, but this is part of the film's fun, seeing how everything falls apart so completely. More significantly, while chance is clearly against all those involved, the human motivations remain clear and believable. They repeatedly fall into traps, but we can see how and why they wandered into them.

"The Square" is a somewhat difficult film to review, as the reviewer must reveal little. Many have compensated by comparing it to earlier works, particularly "Blood Simple." This is indeed apt even beyond the obvious fraternal debut collaboration on a severely noir-oriented thriller angle. Significantly, Edgerton and co. take a Coen-esque hyper-cinematic and slightly postmodern approach (though in a non-winking manner), reinforce the drama via delicious black humor, and even the sparse solo piano that often drives the score reminds of "Blood Simple"'s minimalist soundtrack. The Australian setting, however, makes "The Square" stand apart somewhat from its antecedents. Though perhaps I'm alone in this, my exposure to Australian film have given me a quasi-mythical view of the country as being somehow more brutal and raw then the rest of the Anglosphere. This is no doubt hyperbolic if not an utter fabrication, but this vision is reinforced and expanded by "The Square," where this Australian town seems a sort of grotesque recasting of the stereotypical image of the American south, filled with steamy intrigue and hardened rednecks bearing antisocial hair. (The mullet budget on this film must've been enormous.) Thus, it is appropriate and familiar, yet still somehow new. Similarly, Edgerton expands the visual palette, mixing standard noir high-contrast and emphasis on night, shadow and rain with a dusty, gray-brown color scheme that oozes sleaze and treachery. (Indeed the film is so smudged and muted looking that I wondered if the theater had turned down the bulb, though viewing the DVD proved this was not the case.) Despite the low-budget and 16mm film stock, however, the film is quite smooth and professional, filled with terse, hard-edged performances and edited down to a sharp, tightly knit narrative. (This efficiency is made even more evident after viewing the 25 minutes of deleted scenes on the DVD.) The film is not exactly fast-paced, but it has an unrelenting intensity to it--everything seems to matter, and does. (That said, the film still has the odd little touches that make a movie stand out, such as the peculiar subplot about the adulterous pair's similarly enamored pet dogs.)

The main criticism viewers will have of "The Square" is from a human interest angle. There are no heroes, as Raymond is a cheater and corrupt businessman (he receives kickbacks from contractors) even before they embark on the scheme, while Carla is little more than an adulterous cipher. (Quite an attractive one, though. Mentioned that before did I? May well do so again before the review is done.) Though I can't deny that Raymond is a bad guy, I'll admit to sympathizing with him. While films of this sort often suggest that venal sins lead to those of a mortal nature, Raymond doesn't really become more malevolent as the film progresses, but merely has the world collapse around him. As soon as the arson goes awry and Raymond begins receiving mysterious cards demanding cash for silence (but about what? He has many secrets), he is paralyzed, hopeless. Other reviewers have compared the film to a nightmare, the sort where you perform some terrible deed and spend the rest of the dream awaiting and fearing your punishment. (And, of course, failing at simple tasks and having absolutely everything go wrong is another common dream theme.) The resemblance is indeed uncanny, and the dreadful sensation it imbues draws me deep into Raymond's plight even if, objectively speaking, he seems to be asking for some sort of rebuke. (Many others, however, receive rather unwarranted retribution.)

I've been pretty cagey here by necessity, so I'll throw in a few honorifics. In short, "The Square" is the best thriller since "No Country For Old Men" and perhaps the best thrillers of the 00s apart from that film. Discover it now before the other cult film aficionados find it and be hipper than the rest.

Grade: A

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When you are looking for a movie that is a little different and that will keep you interested throughout, but without any big names, this one will do nicely. The movie is a low budget film from Australia directed by Nash Edgerton and it stars his brother Joel Edgerton who also was a writer for this film. I found the acting to be quite good and the plotline was interesting and entertaining. This movie kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I don't like to give away plots, so I'll give a quick summary: A contractor is taking bribes from his subcontractor. Meanwhile he is having an affair with woman in the same town. Her husband is close friends with another subcontractor. The woman finds that her husband has a stash of cash and so she and the contractor begin a plan to escape their marriages and their spouses. Thus begins the Manifestation of Murphy's Law.

There are some negatives. The sound is very annoying. The actors are difficult to understand with their Aussie accents and the clarity of the sound makes it doubly difficult to make out all of the conversations. So I missed some of the subtleties. Some of the parts were overplayed at the end particularly.

However, that said, I would definitely recommend this film to anyone that enjoys an edgy, tense drama. There was also a short film prior to the main feature; this was also a Nash Edgerton film. It was terrific and once during The Square, one of those characters makes his way into the emergency room (very Hitchcock like).

I'm giving it a 4 star rating because I enjoyed it; beware, though, my wife would only have given it a 2.5 star rating. But we often do not see eye to eye on movie reviews.

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The story has been painstakingly described by other reviewers, so I will dispense with that formality. The plot was intricately conceived and played out, easily the equal of Blood Simple, A Simple Plan, and other, similar productions by far better-known directors such as Sam Raimi and the Cohen brothers. Indeed, each step in its progression meets the criteria of plausibility. Anyone who yields to the temptation of a seemingly simple, straightforward but illegal path always discovers that it rapidly escalates into a dangerous labyrinth of unforeseen consequences and suffocating guilt. Each new move simply makes the noose a bit tighter. So it was with Raymond and Carla.

But from the first few moments, an issue began nagging at my common sense. What forces could have ever brought this couple together in the first place? Yes, they lived in semi-proximity on opposite sides of an inlet, but what traits did Raymond display at any time which would endear him to a much younger and more attractive woman? He was completely devoid of personality and humor, of meager financial means, physically unimpressive, weak-willed and submissive. Go to a young-singles bar looking and acting like Raymond and you will be going home alone.

Yet, he somehow so excited Carla, who could have her pick of younger and much more attractive men, that she chose to sneak around on her intimidating husband and engage in a risky, tawdry affair in parked cars and motels. If she wanted out of her marriage, why didn't she simply steal the satchel of money and run? Raymond was never portrayed as a dupe, as in Body Heat. Her passion for him is presented as real and unwavering, yet at no time did I honestly sense a real, explicable bond between these characters. For this story to work for me, Raymond would have to possess a lot more charm.

This deficiency detracted from my enjoyment of the movie somewhat and cost it one star. I still highly recommend it, but with a much more dynamic Raymond, it could have been a minor masterpiece.

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Every choice seems fairly reasonable (if not necessarily honorable) at the time but things spin slowly farther and farther out of control. Justly compared to the Cohen Brothers' thrillers. I'll be on the lookout for the Edgerton brothers' next film. The short film "Spider" which precedes "The Square" is a pretty near perfect short; a little morality fable about the unintended consequences of a practical joke.

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The Brave One (2008)

Trauma, severe trauma, can unleash aspects of the human personality that may appear as a stranger within. Such is the premise for this well-constructed film by Neil Jordan (screenplay by Roderick Taylor and Bruce Taylor), and while the neither concept of trauma-altered personality or revenge tales is new, THE BRAVE ONE alters the vengeance idea just enough to make it credible and to even draw the viewer into believing that what the character is doing is justified and right! And that is perhaps the most frightening aspect of this terrifying film.

Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) is a night radio talk show performer, a woman who walks the city of New York gathering sounds and observing the mysteries of the 'safest big city' and relates her observations poetically to a large radio audience. Erica is engaged to young physician David (Naveen Andrews) and the couple are very much in love. One night on an evening stroll with their dog they are attacked by thugs, beaten with pipes, and David is killed while Erica narrowly survives. Upon awakening from her coma she is devastated by her loss of David and becomes a strangely haunted woman, unable to sleep, unable to get immediate help from the police, and turns to purchasing a gun in an attempt to right the wrongs she has suffered. This new 'person' or 'stranger within' happens to witness a murder in a little store and to her amazement she responds by killing the murderer. A similar situation happens on the subway where two thugs threaten people, threaten Erica, and Erica again responds by killing the thugs. She feels driven to avenge the death of her David, but at the same time fears her own inner stranger. Erica returns to her radio show, under changing instructions form her boss Carol (Mary Steenburgen), and finds the changes in her psyche result in bracing her listeners about fear on the streets. In her audience is Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard) who has personal problems related to the fact that he has been unable to arrest a known killer. Mercer connects with Erica in various ways, she interviews him for her show, and the two bond. Erica trusts Mercer, wants to share what she is doing, yet hears his frustration about not being able to seek his own brand of revenge frustration against the oily killer he pursues, and decides to eliminate that trauma for Mercer. As the tension builds, the identity of Erica's assailants is discovered, and how she deals with these thugs (and with Mercer's interaction in the solution) forms the surprising ending for the film.

Too little has been written and said about the quality of performances from both Foster and Howard in this tense thriller. These two actors deliver performances so sensitive in execution that memories of previous similar films evaporate. This is a tough film to watch for all the violence not only on the screen but from within the characterizations by the actors (with the capable direction of Neil Jordan), but it is for this viewer one of the strongest films of the year. Perhaps now that the DVD can be viewed within the safety of the home more people will pay attention to a film that deserves awards. Grady Harp, February 08

The Brave One continues Jodie Foster's recent foray into the thriller genre. So far, she's produced some pretty good results. She shouldn't be embarassed by either Panic Room, Flightplan, or The Brave One. The writing, directing, and co-stars (Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, etc...) are all excellent and Foster is Foster.

Foster plays Erica Bain, an engaged NPR-type radio show host. One night, she and her fiance are walking in Central Park, and are viciously robbed and attacked. Her fiance is killed, and Erica is basically robbed of her happy existence by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Deciding that revenge is the only way for her to cope with her loss, she proceeds to buy a gun and go on the prowl for her attackers, while developing a friendship with a cop (played by Howard) working on the cases she creates with her vigilantism.

The Brave One shows how a traumatic event can leave psychological scars that are much worse than those of the physical variety. The movie is well-acted, and even if the ending seems unlikely, it seems fair given what has taken place.

The Brave One is a very enjoyable film about a not-so-enjoyable subject severe trauma and its aftermath. It comes highly recommended.

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Going into a Jodie Foster film is like visiting an old friend. You typically only see her every few years or so, but you know when the time comes what an awesome experience it will be. Flightplan and Panic Room were enjoyable, lightweight thrillers, but this one is my favorite Foster film since The Silence of the Lambs because of its more dark and serious tones. Even Jodie herself admitted that this was one of her best in years. It was actually only one of two films I saw the entire 2007 year. Jodie has become an actress I have developed a great deal of respect and admiration for and so I trust what she chooses. I have never been disappointed. The film may have some minor flaws, but it's a 5-star performance all the way as to be expected. Jodie received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress this year and was also awarded the Sherry Lansing award for being one of the most powerful women in entertainment. Another worthy film to add into your Jodie collection. And even though it's not one of her favorite works, I always like to recommend The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane to catch a glimpse at a very talented young actress who would go on to greater heights in her very long career.

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As some have mentioned, this story has been told before. It's been told plenty of times to be more exact. The lack of originality aside though, `The Brave One' still delivers on quite a few levels and manages to leave the audience satisfied. In fact I'm a little stunned at the critical beating this movie took. Some critics made this out to be so terrible that I almost stayed away entirely. I've never been a real fan of Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard just irritates me to no end so really the film had no draw on me to begin with; and then the critics attacked and so I was left with absolutely no reason to give it a chance. Then I found myself alone and bored with nothing to do but watch TV and the only movie on Pay-Per-View I hadn't seen was `The Brave One'.

I will say this first and foremost; both Foster and Howard have never, and I mean NEVER, impressed me more than in this film. They are the beating heart here, the reason upon all reasons to give this movie a chance. Especially Foster, but I'll get to her in a minute. Howard really sunk into his role and pulled up every ounce of his characters vulnerability. I remember back in 2005 when Howard starred in `Crash' and `Hustle & Flow' and everyone was singing his praises as the next big thing. I remember so well because I didn't get it. His performance in `Crash' was choppy and uneven, a little forced even and his performance in `Hustle & Flow' was decent but to me it ended up being 70% hype and 30% delivery. Here I actually saw what everyone had been claiming to see for so long. Here I finally saw him shine.

`The Brave One' tells the tragic story of Erica Bain, a middle-aged woman about to be married to the man of her dreams when she and her fiancé are brutally attacked and their dream is shattered. Her fiancé dies as a result of the attack and she is critically injured. Upon recovery she realizes that she is no longer the person she once was. She is trapped in this shell of fear and pain that engulfs all that she does, every decision she makes and ultimately shapes the person she will soon become. Her first step was buying a gun, a gun she initially purchased to protect herself from the very people she now feared so much but that gun soon led her down a path she didn't know was going to be presented to her.

Jodie Foster has been a critically praised actress for years now. She's won two Academy Awards for her performances in `The Accused' and `The Silence of the Lambs'. She's been considered one of our greatest actresses for quite some time but it wasn't until I saw this film that I understood why. I actually thought that Foster was overrated. She utterly blew me away here. This is by far her finest performance and to me is one of the best performances of this year, period. Her fragility, her vulnerability but most importantly her strength help elevate this character so much. There's a scene where she returns to work for the first time after the attack and she's struggling to talk, struggling to put herself out there and then all of a sudden a clicks. Her voice deepens, her eyes squint, her face tightens and in those few moments I was spellbound by her brilliance. She was captivating.

`The Brave One' is not the best film out there. It suffers from some clichés and a lack of originality but it has two very strong performances in its corner to help it survive. Despite its flaws it never falls apart or loses our interest. Foster commands every scene she embodies and carries this film straight on through to its closing. Put aside the fact that you've seen this plot unravel before and embrace the electric performances that embody the soul of this film.

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A powerful and Oscar worthy performance by Jodie Foster is unfortunately overlooked because far too many associated this film with Charles Bronson's classic Death Wish.

While there are definitely similar themes in both films and strong performance are given by both leads, this film is far more cerebral with its approach than Bronson's film. We feel Foster's pain more via her bravura performance and especially since as a radio DJ she has the unique opportunity to air her thoughts on the subject at hand, vigilantism, and hear how others think of her actions (without realizing they are actually speaking to the vigilante herself). This puts a powerful psychological spin on the story often lacking in other similarly themed films.

I also found the title intriguing as it may be asking a question more than defining a character here. Foster's Erica Bane, clever choice in last name which means burden or cause of ruin, is conflicted over whether her actions are praise-worthy or even brave as both topics come up on her radio talk show. Her reaction is bewilderment to think others think she is brave when she believes she is acting out of fear, and disgust for those that think she is "doing the city a favor" somehow or for finding her behavior easy.

She does her actions as a compulsion to rectify a wrong, to vent, and, yes, get revenge. She does not believe she is "helping" the city and is angry at that perception and with herself for this obsession that is now invading every part of her being. These criminals who hurt her have taken more than her finance, they have taken her peace of mind and a chunk of her life and she is angry that many don't understand this. She feels very misunderstood by most except for a detective, excellently portrayed by Terrance Howard, who is on to her, but very sympathetic as he is something of a tortured soul himself.

The film explores just who is brave here. Is it Bane for facing her anger, for finding a manner in which to vent, for seeking resolution, for simply surviving her harrowing encounter, or is it the power that a gun gives one. It's easy to be brave with a gun in your hand is an underlying message in this story as it was in a famous novel I just finished teaching my students this week. Atticus Finch said in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to his son Jem who watched an old woman die facing a battle most could not or would not face themselves and said, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand." Courage isn't measured by how many bullets one has, but by how one faces a struggle in which one can't win.

Foster's Bane seem to feel great anger at herself for the control that she has allowed some criminals to have over her life and for the power she was finding in a gun. Isn't this why some carry a gun? For power? For control? For their notion on what justice is or ought to be?

Who is the brave one?

Sadly, it isn't the writer or director who choose to take an emotionally charged and intelligently developed story and go down a trite, contrived, and completely unrealistic resolution to a story as provocative as this one started out as and could have and should have ended as such. Those who like their stories to end with a neat bow will be pleased, but others who prefer realism and honesty in films will resent the cheap cowardly ending this film contains and that is my only reason for this film getting four stars instead of five and perhaps why it got snubbed at the Oscars even though Foster's performance and Terrance Howard as the detective keeping tabs on her are completely flawless even with the silly ending they are forced to act out with a straight face.

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Starter for 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 star off only because the book was better.

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Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)

Recalling the critical reviews of "Curse of the Golden Flower" upon its release, I seem to remember a pretty split decision. There were those that proclaimed the film a tawdry and violent melodrama while others declared it a beautiful epic. Well, in all fairness, it is a beautiful, yet tawdry, excessively violent melodramatic epic. And I mean that in all the best ways! Chinese director Zhang Yimou has put together an eye-popping spectacle of sets, costumes, and effects--complete with his customary flair for dreamlike action sequences and an astonishing color palette.

Telling a soapy tale of dysfunction within Emperor Ping's clan circa The Tang Dynasty (928 A.D.), "Curse" has all the lurid ingredients of a modern-day potboiler. There are illicit affairs, murderous schemes, generational secrets, and gruesome acts of violence. Similar to the setup of "The Lion in Winter," "Curse" brings the Ping family together and lets them attack each other with a refreshingly unhinged viciousness. But while "Lion's" carnage was largely verbal, no such claim can be made with this film. With elements of "King Lear" firmly in place, the pace of "Curse" accelerates so rapidly--you know the characters are headed for disaster.

Central to the remarkable cast is the gorgeous Gong Li as the Empress. As the catalyst of most of the film's action, Li is the film's most pivotal performer. The female center of this "Flower" (which includes Chow Yun Fat as her husband and their three sons/heirs), Li practically devours the role. Full of passion, rage, lust, and plenty of secrets--she has never been given a showier role and definitely rises to the occasion. The performances are so good, so alive, you want to stick with the tale to the bitter end. And no matter how outrageous this film can get (and the madcap finale certainly pushes conventional sensibilities), it is always grounded with the actors.

Forget Shakespeare's most violent tragedies, "Curse" sports a body count that even the Bard would surely envy. Not since the wickedly over-the-top killing spree during the finale of DiPalma's "Scarface" has a movie devolved into such an unabashed show of bloody lunacy. Ridiculous at every turn, the film succeeds by embracing its excesses. The final showdown left me marveling at the staged choreography and laughing at the inspired, yet insane, debauchery. I won't contend that "Curse" is an artistic masterwork that rivals Yimou's previous films "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero"--but I will say that it is massive entertainment. A frantic, blood-soaked opera of lust and vengeance (with no apologies), I loved "Curse of the Golden Flower." KGHarris, 11/07.

Outstanding! Incredible cinematography, exceptionally ornate sets, very appropriate and well-done music, academy award-level acting, I keep trying to come up with more superlatives to use for the movie! I thoroughly enjoyed every nanosecond of it. It held my interest so well that I simply could not stop watching it, twice! The sets are exquisitely detailed and opulent, the martial arts used were excellent. It is subtitled, so if you are not accustomed to reading English while trying to pick up on the tonal inflections of the actors you may miss much in their performances...unless of course you speak Mandarin. The plot was Shakespearen in both it's quality and its intricacy. The whole movie centers, and stays focused, on the life of the Imperial family and an upcoming coup within it. One of the other reviews noted that the Imperial physician's wife was having an affair with the Crown Prince, but I think they mis-stated. It was her daughter, Chan, having the affair and the mom became insensed with anger when she found out, since she was mother to both...and they didn't know it. There is so much intrigue and a very complex plot, yet somehow so well-written that I did not find it hard to follow at all.

This is an excellent example of the best of Chinese film-making, and I think an outstanding period piece as well.

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I note that an earlier reviewer saw the 'making-of' featurette. and it's

a good intro into peeling away the layers of this quasi-Shakespearean melodrama. There's something dramatists like, the theme of the darkness beneath the beauty.

Slow starting, Director Zhang moves faster and faster telling the tale of unfolding faces (in an asian sense) and the complexities of relationships,

veering every so-often in to soap-operatics. Yet with extravagant graphics/ production qualities and a nice pattern of on-and-off action with teary or sneer-y confrontations and trysts, even the maybe too-dramatic elements work well.

One measure might be that in re-seeing, the layers get more intense and understandable, adding weight to the conflicts; a plus for buyers versus renters.

Now, if only a quality version of RAISE THE RED LANTERN would be released, Zhang Yimou's stature as a world-class director would be rightly, finally, established. With his successes this millennium, it might just happen for the man...

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As depraved and corrupt as the House of Thebes, as morally bankrupt as the Hubbard/Giddens family in Lillian Hellman's "Little Foxes" or George and Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia

Woolf," (all of which this film calls to mind) Zhang Yimou's "The Curse of the Golden Flower," though huge in scale is at it's core an intimate family (albeit a majorly dysfunctional family) drama which unfolds during the Later Tang Dynasty (923-936 AD), a time of corruption, dictatorship and warfare--with a mind-blowing, color-soaked brilliance and an almost insane excess that does over-ripe justice to the passions and intrigues that are raging full throttle inside the palace.

The sinister ensemble cast includes an evil emperor (Chow Yun Fat), his desperate wife (Gong Li), his three wildly contrasting sons and heirs (Liu Ye, Jay Chou and Qin Junjie), the troubled imperial doctor (Ni Dahong) and the doctor's bitter wife (Chen Jin) and naive daughter (Li Man), both of whom have secrets that could destroy an empire.

Though all of the performances are first rate, Gong Li as the pathetic consort to the Emperor and Jay Chou as Prince Jai show us the pain and heartbreak behind all the bravura acting: these are brave performances that not only come from the mind but also from heart and the soul of these performers; a particularly difficult task based on all the grandeur and pomposity surrounding them.

"The Curse of the Golden Flower" is eye-poppingly gorgeous to look at yet Zhang Yimou nonetheless has managed to, in the midst of the thousands of extras, millions of flowers and opulent and decadent costumes, produced a very thoughtful and tragic drama about a family that can't resist its basest impulses and in the process demolishes and destroys itself from within: love exists here but its a love twisted upon itself and dessicated by the bile and vomitus of distrust and depravity.

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`Curse of the Flower' is a gorgeous masterpiece. Filled with the uniform pageantry of The Tang Dynasty (A.D. 928), the layers of beauty are unfolded to reveal the household of the Emperor (Yun Fat) whose dramatic crisis is intimately revealed amidst the busy hive of his kingdom. Treason, incest, and treachery against kin are concretely provided for a drama of Shakespearean proportions. The queen (Empress) of the hive is ailing with what the Emperor believes to be anemia. After ten years of ancient herbal medicine, she is no means closer to a cure. More hemorrhaging is the rivalry amongst the two sons who spar for succession like Cain and Abel. Jai (Jay Chou), the elder, appears like the humble, reluctant successor; while his bitter young rival, Wan (Liu Ye) has a sword to grind with his past and a manipulative lover who has no little influence over him. The poor Emperor, revealed with no clothes, is wise to the point of tempering his judgment amongst poisonous ingratitude. Heavy wears the crown for a man who resiliently defies the Shakespearean line, "Death hath murdered sleep." Suspenseful, the plot lines head for a climax during the Chrysanthemum Festival for which the Empress intricately prepares.

Stylish on every score, 'Curse of the Flower' could have been an overwrought melodrama with not enough substance, but story and décor only bring out the best of one another. Never did I feel like this offering was tainted by trivialities. I neglected this cinematic offering on the suspicion I was going to get an ancient and foreign offering of 'Kill Bill, No. 1' with tiresome martial arts scenes. Judiciously, the dramatic and combat scenes are gorgeously choreographed and timed to meticulous precision without draining the attention span of the audience. The battle scenes are innovative in a way reminiscent of , 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' except with more stunning results. If nothing else, it contrasts new horizons of technical achievement that make 'Matrix' borrowing seem stale.

Intense but expert acting and meticulous craftsmanship combine to make a magnificent epic adventure. 'Curse of the Golden Flower' is a singular achievement for director Yimou Zhang and all involved who assembled an excellent Eastern tragedy.

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The Passion of the Christ (Definitive Edition) (2004)

One of the most talked about films in decades; thought I would add my 2 cents as a late entry.

I think the root controversy about the film has to do with the question of whether or not it has artistic merit for a viewer without faith. I think this is a fair question, as I never really understood the idea that religion offers, so to speak, an excuse for ugly artwork. Arguably there is no such excuse, unless one of the points of religious art is to repel people who don't already share the faith.

The film has been labeled violent, which it is; but unfair here has been the label that it is in some sense unusually violent. It is not. There are hundreds of films that are far more violent. Perhaps this film is even less violent than average. It is perhaps even less violent than the blockbuster version of Gandhi of some years back, billing Candice Bergen and Ben Kingsley, of which the Passion has reminded me somewhat; at any rate they are at least in the same ball park. Rather, the distinctive mark of the Passion is that it invites us to keep the humanity of the victim of violence in full view; not to distance ourselves by, say, feeling contempt or anger towards the victim as a bump-off-able bad guy, or seeing the victim as a replaceable curiosity, a dispensable nitwit. In the Gandhi movie, for example, the majority of the acts of violence are against victims who are more or less, cinematically speaking, dispensable nitwits. All we see Gandhi suffer is being shot at the end (and even that, at the beginning also, setting up a flashback)-and a few blows to the head (from which he recovers).

Yet the character to suffer the violence in this film is not only the main character, it is a character who is anything but a dispensable nitwit. He is unambiguously portrayed as is in the Gospels--a perfect human being-and more: a Divine Person. No doubt faith is helpful here, but if the viewer can so much as entertain the premise as a possibility, then I would say that the movie is as beautiful as it is emotionally powerful. Yet even apart from that premise, the film also powerfully portrays deep love and friendships between human beings, which has surely a beauty of its own even under heart wrenching circumstances. Moreover, in what is surely one of, if not the most violent sequences in the film-the scourging (the soldiers carrying out the order, one in particular, wind up going over the top in enthusiasm)-we only see the victim about half the time; the rest of the time we see shots of peoples' faces, notably his friends, mostly of the face of his mother. The film does show us the anatomical side of the violence enough so that we really understand what is happening-but no more; the point is what it MEANS for it to be happening. In this film suffering is given a human face.

It is quite a unique experience. First, breaking out of the package of being "mere cinema," there are two points of honesty of the film even apart from any faith claim. (1) by all serious accounts, Jesus of Nazareth was at the least an exceptional human being; yet death by crucifixion was no walk in the park. (2) by all serious reflections, in one way or another-regardless of how you slice it (whether from the point of view of any religion or from the point of view of atheism)-humanity really hasn't treated God any better than the main character gets treated in this film. This is a film which portrays God as staying with humanity despite the way it has treated him (and the way human beings have treated each other). The violence is not for it own sake; still less is it for the sake either of sadism--or of a narrator stepping off the screen to address the audience with guilt trips (shaming and flagellating the viewer)--; it is for the sake of thoughtfully presenting this possibility in an artistic way. Second, rather that allowing the audience the space to distance themselves from characters undergoing violence, this film actually does the opposite: it prods the audience to see NONE of the characters as dispensable nitwits, not even those who are committing the violence. The anti-Semitism charge is simply a non-sequitur. It's not anti-anybody.

The film visually portrays what I have described without being artificial or saccharine, invoking a remarkable depth for symbolism and a good sense of timing; it plainly succeeds in telling a story blending sight and sound. I will give two examples which I found especially powerful; they are even related. One is where the film shifts back and forth from shots of the feet of the roman soldiers standing in pools of his blood as they scourge him, to shots of the feet of the Apostles as he was symbolically washing them. The other is a subtle, nonverbal portrayal of the conversion of a roman soldier which spans in a sense the entire film. This conversion story is visually framed from the film's opening scenes when a temple guard has his ear miraculously restored after it is sliced off in a struggle by one of the Apostles. The guard remains for some time on his knees, as if so overcome by the experience he cannot move. The roman solider to be converted is subtly introduced in the next scenes (he is one of the soldiers Mary Magdalene complains to about the arrest), but we see him from time to time throughout the movie, witnessing and being influenced by various events; in a final scene, blood and water falls upon his eyes, flowing from the side of the deceased victim that he pierces with a lance (though first non-verbally apologizing to the mother; he does it merely to confirm he is dead), and he falls to his knees in a way which resonates with the action of the temple guard. The temple guard, so to speak, had his hearing restored; the roman soldier, so to speak, his sight. On the side of deep friendships, notable are the relationships between Jesus, his mother, Mary Magdalene and the youngest Apostle, John. One moment uniting this dimension to the above examples is when John stumbles and falls on his knees before the two Marys (running to them to tell them of Jesus' arrest)-to be followed by John later seeing Mary's agony as she watches her son fall to his knees as he carries the cross. The kneeling image in general is itself also framed by beautiful opening and closing scenes invoking a folding together of earth and sky (the first providing the backdrop of Jesus falling to his knees in his agony in the garden; the second entailing powerful from-the-ground-up and from-the-sky-down shots of the moment of his death on the cross). Here resonating throughout is the film's awesome musical score. I would add that the use of Aramaic in the film punctuated with subtitles was nothing less than masterful; I am not even aware of the film being in a "foreign language."

Acting was good but special mention needs to go to Maia Morgenstern, who played the mother. In interviews she said she played the character from the point of view of a mother who loved her son; the result is one of the most moving and beautiful character portrayals in all of cinema.

If you are looking for popcorn-eating entertainment, this is not the film to watch. (Even during gladiatorial times at the Colosseum this movie would have gotten thumbs down.) But if you are in the mood for a thought-provoking treatment of religious themes in a serious, sensitive and artistic way, then by all means see the film.

*Note: This review is not based on the Definitive Edition (or its commentary).

When you start the movie you have the hype that has surrounded it. At the end you have the feeling that this individual loved, believed, and gave everything for his beliefs. You understand that the Jews of that society show they were like us today where a few acted as if they were the voice of the many. It is a movie that pulls at the fabric of your understanding of this horrible and painful death allowing you to understand it and what it must have been like.

In summary it is a movie that made me reflect. It made me sad, and based on my beliefs made me proud that this individual cared for me and gave his life to set me free. It was a well done and flowed well from beginning to end. It built on itself the way a great movie should. The editing and story through the lens was exceptional. It was a great technical movie regardless of beliefs.

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I purchased this version after I saw it in the store the week it came out. I already owned the original DVD release, but I heard this had lots of special features and the re-cut version. Therefore I purchased this edition. However, I was a bit disappointed.

I really enjoyed the movie in the theater. It tells the story of the last 12 hours of the life of christ. It was very gory and I wouldn't want to show it to children. However, for older people (12 yrs. and up)this does a good job of depicting the trials and tribulations of Christ's crucifiction.

My biggest complaint about this movie was the subtitles. However, if you are familiar with the Biblical story, you can pretty much ignore the dialogue and focus on the picture.

Now for this "Definitive Edition" Special feature wise this is a great edition to have. It has loads of extra features.

My biggest complaint about this edition was that if you are a person like me who sometimes has to take several different times (starting and stopping) to watch a movie in it's entirety, the chapter selections are a wonderful thing. You can stop where you need to and start back just by selecting the scene you were on. However, with the definitive edition the scene selection is done with approximately 10 chapters. The chapters are set up to coincide with the "stations of the cross." Although a good idea if you are Catholic and want to see those stages but for a normal viewer of this movie it was terribly frustrating. The first chapter runs for over an hour. I usually don't have that long to watch so I have to start all over each time and use fast forward to get to where I was. It was just very irritating.

I really liked the fact that they included the re-cut version of the film as well as the original. If you are unfamiliar with the re-cut version, it essentially is a "less graphic" version of the film (although it is still very violent). This version may be better for a church library or a family with younger children.

If you like special features and want the less gory version of the Passion then by all means purchase this edition. However, if you prefer to be able to stop and start or jump to a certain scene of the movie then go with the original release (it has approx. 32 scene chapters).

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First of all, let me start this effort by saying how amazed I was by the movie, and by its sheer emotional power. It is superbly shot, the cinematography literally breath-taking in its intensity and ability to add muscular heft to the familiar story of how Jesus came to fulfill the prophecy through his divine sacrifice on behalf of all mankind. The movie-goer is sure to be transformed by the magnitude of the oft-told and retold tale of how the events of the final twelve hours focused on the ways in which Jesus deliberately serves himself up as the sacrificial lamb for the manifest sins of the world, offering all humans the opportunity to re-establish their contact with the divine from whom they had been estranged.

Indeed, I found myself almost speechless after viewing the film, and was not quite sure to what extent it was a result of the power of the film's message as opposed to the graphically violent context in which the tale is told. Herein lies the single criticism one can level against the film, which despite many worries from bystanders that it was laced with virulent anti-Semitism, seems to clearly blame all sinners (ergo, all of us) for the sacrifice of God's son on the cross. Yet Mel Gibson's sure hand is both able and accurate, and the violence shows how carnal man greets the divine, and how we react to the message of hope and salvation; through unspeakable cruelty and gratuitous violence. So, while this is indeed a very violent movie, the murderous acts depicted quite graphically have to be taken in the context of the supernatural events transpiring, as a kind of carnal counterpoint to the ethereal repose with which Jesus bears all of the acts visited upon him. At one point He tells Mary (After he has stumbled under the burden of the cross) "Behold, mother, I make all thing anew!" This was, for me at least, a quite stunning reminder of the godly forces at work amidst all the violence and carnage.

This is a very personal interpretation of the final twelve hours of Christ's life on earth leading to His crucifixition. From the moment it opens in the solitude of the Garden at Gethsemane, one is immediately aware of the battle ongoing between good and evil, as the devil (cleverly presented as a stunning if malevolent woman with a masculine voice) attempts to dissuade Jesus from attempting what he about to undertake. From this it is obvious He is doing this for all mankind, Jews and Gentiles alike, and that we are all to blame, through our unremitting addiction to carnality and sinfulness, for the evil manifested in the world. This is a fantastic film, one that is definitely not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, and definitely not something I would suggest subjecting a child to. Still, it is a remarkable work, and one that deserves the very wide distribution it is about to encounter.

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Let me preface this by saying that I am not the most religious person out there. I actually went with the intention of being thoroughly disappointed and wanting my money back. HOWEVER, this is an artistic masterpiece. Regardless of your religious preferences, you should see this movie. Gibson relates the 12 hours leading to the death of Christ in a series of flashbacks, beatings, and stunning cinematography. His choice of doing this movie in Latin and Aramaic was correct; it would not be nearly as powerful if performed in English. The lead actor has little match with the intensity that his eyes convey. Gibson also adds nuances and flourishes to the story (the Satan character and the demons that hound Judas) that add so much to this movie.

A lot has been written concerning the anti-semitism this movie conveys, and I'd strongly recommend that you see the movie and reserve your opinions on that until you've actually seen the movie. I don't really blame the Jews for the crucifiction, and I think Gibson utilizes the mob as a tool of Satan, and that really shows in the movie. Also, the gore is definitely present, and you should not see this if you have a weak stomach. However, it is dispersed throughout the movie, and after that first horrible whipping, you don't notice it as much. I definitely think that everyone should see this once. I don't think it has much repeat viewing value, as I was thoroughly impressed with it, but like a Schindler's List, have no desire to see it again.

But definitely worth the price of admission. Definitely.

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Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965)

This is an absolutely wonderful movie. I have watched it again and again. It seems to be one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, yet it was a very good old fashioned, innocent, and more professional humor than most other comedies. I think it is a work of art and should be added to DVD format. Being that much of my family is German, Gert Fröbe was my favorite character. A funny and warm resemblance of the Prussian gentleman of the time. All the national characters were funny too. Terry Thomas was wonderful and gave me plenty of laughs. The Frenchmen and the Italian (Emilio) were great too. You will just feel naturally happier after you watch this movie. Don't even hesitate to buy it!

Finally! The 20th Century-Fox 1965 roadshow extravaganza comes to DVD. The movie looks marvelous in what must be a transfer from a restored 70mm print. On my 16X9 HDTV in progressive scan the images are quite stunning for a film of this vintage. The Dolby Digital 5.0 remastering of the original 6-track magnetic soundtrack is also a joy to the ears. This is an old-fashioned entertainment for the entire family. Thanks to its presentation on this new DVD the movie is once again a grand experience. The extras are extensive for such a moderately priced DVD too. Director Ken Annakin provides an interesting commentary track and appears in a new featurette. Somebody at Fox definately loves this movie, one that is a childhood favorite of mine. I saw it in its original release, and also in a 1969 reissue as part of a double feature with Fox's "Planet of the Apes." "The Perfect Mates" the ads said, "Apes and Men." Studios just don't don't do things like that anymore. Anyway, this DVD is a joy!

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Would you like to take a ride in my ornithopter? No? How about a quick jaunt in my aerial steam carriage? Maybe a lift in my oscillating monoplane? It's hard for many of us to imagine when airplanes were not the efficient, quick, safe, and somewhat affordable mode of transportation that they are today, but there was a time when the technology was still in the experimental stage, back in the early 20th century, and that's when the film Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines, or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes (1965)...whew! That's one heck of a title...

Directed by Ken Annakin, a British director who gained acclaim working on such Disney films like The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952), The Sword and the Rose (1953), and Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Those Magnificent Men (shortened for sanity's sake) stars Stuart Whitman (Call Him Mr. Shatter) and Sarah Miles (The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing). Also appearing are Robert Morley (The African Queen), Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger), Eric Sykes, Benny Hill, Yûjirô Ishihara (Japan's most popular film, TV, and recording star at the time), along with England's most recognizable gap-toothed character actor Terry-Thomas (his most famous roles involve him playing an upper-class British twit, as he does here).

The story is pretty straightforward here...basically, a rich (in both money and snobbery) English newspaper owner named Lord Rawnsley (played by Morley) happens upon an idea, one which would increase his paper's circulation greatly, of having an aeronautical race from London to Paris, with the winner to receive not only a large sum of dough, but the prestige of being the first man to accomplish such a daring feat. Applicants from all over the world begin appearing, most for the money, but some for the honor of their respective country. Orvil Newton (Whitman), arrives from America, Colonel Manfred von Holstein (Fröbe) from Germany, and so on and so on...and lest we forget native Englander Sir Percy Ware-Armitage (Thomas), along with his less than able henchman Courtney (Sykes), a pair of bounders (Sir Percy being the bigger bounder of the two) who will stoop to almost any form of chicanery in order to win the race.

As far as grand, epic comedies go (the film runs roughly 138 minutes, but there is a lengthy intermission about halfway through, for those of you with the weak bladders), this isn't the best in my opinion, but it's certainly not the worst. My favorite has always been It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), with others being Around the World in 80 Days (1956), The Great Race (1965), Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies, aka Monte Carlo or Bust (1969). As with any of these films, Those Magnificent Men... has a few separate storylines going on at the same time that tie themselves up by the end, the main one usually being a romantic plot, here being a tepid love triangle between Patricia Rawnsley (played by Miles), whose father is sponsoring the race, Orvil, and a local man named Richard Mays (played by James Fox, who, by the way was involved with Sarah Miles in real life, around the time of the making of this film). I had read somewhere that the makers of this film had originally hoped to get Dick Van Dyke for Whitman's role, but couldn't for whatever reason. Casting Whitman as the male lead was a serious boo boo, as Whitman is one of the most unfunny, uncharming, and unwatchable actors I've seen in a long time. Come to think of it, the entire movie isn't really all that funny, but it does give effort and it has a lot of charm. The working replicas of the old-timey planes are really wonderful, along with the various authentic vehicles displayed, i.e. motorcars, motorcycles, etc. The aeronautical shots were excellent as was the scenery, the Cliffs of Dover, the Eiffel Tower, etc. I was kind of disappointed Terry-Thomas didn't have a bigger part in the film, as his on screen time probably ran about 15 minutes total at most. He plays the pretentious, foppish English twit better than most any other actor I'm familiar with...Come to think of it, I thought there was an awful lot of comic talent appearing in this film, with so little of it actually used (I'm still stuck on the whole `casting of Whitman as the comedic male lead' thing). The rest of the fliers, from various countries (which country made extremely obvious by not only their clothing but manner of speech), fills out a good deal of time. The stereotypes presented (an uptight German lacking a sense of humor, an animated Italian who has like 15 children, an overly amorous Frenchman) are goofy caricatures of themselves, and, while probably not entirely funny, they probably wouldn't offend except for the most sensitive. The special effects in the film are pretty obvious, but the scenes to watch are the ones with planes actually flying. All in all, this is just good fun, and a really good-looking film that can be enjoyed by all.

The wide screen picture on this DVD looks really good, and the sound quality is superior. Special features include a full commentary by the director Ken Annakin (use the Force, ken, use the Force...a lame attempt at humor, to be sure), a theatrical Trailer, a TV spot, various still galleries featuring the actors, the planes, the visual effects, and storyboards. There is also a feature containing conversations with the director. I was surprised to see the amount of special features available here, and beware ye who enter the still galleries, the number of photos seems endless...

Cookieman108

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As a child my dad took our whole family to see any movie that had to do with airplanes. This is one that I enjoyed then and it has aged very well. I think this is one that families today will enjoy as much as we did when it first came out. Even though it is forty years old it was done as a period piece then and the production values were good and the cast and music is great. The message is pretty light stuff and easy to take. Anyone that likes some of the older comedies like "The Great Race" or "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" will enjoy it. The rivalries between the countries competing in the air race and the battle of the sex's are often funny. Airplane enthusiasts will definitely love seeing these pre-WWI airplanes in action. I bought the VHS years ago and I am looking forward to my DVD arriving.

Want Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) Discount?

1965 was the year of the big screen action race comedies with lots of stars, grand costumes, lavish sets and authentic classic vehicles. "The Great Race" a 1910 auto race from New York to Paris and the "Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines" a 1910 International Aircraft race from London to Paris.

What makes this 1965 Action Comedy so Grand is the attention to detail by Director Ken Annakin who had 6 replica flying machines built by real aero engineers from the original blue prints and specifications. The accuracy of these replicants even proved the critical pilot weight limitations. They had to even substitute a female stunt pilot to fly the French mono wing because the original pilot was a very small man. Now available for the first time on a spectacular panoramic 2.20:1 Aspect ratio. (Anamorphic WideScreen DVD (automatically adjusts picture to viewing tv size) with Dolby Surround Sound.) NOTE: THIS IS A FANTASTIC MOVIE TO WATCH ON WIDESCREEN 16:9 HDTV!!!!!

This film is 138 minutes and has many extras which include very detailed information and the history regarding all the 1910 vintage aircraft used in the film.

With an All-star 1960's International cast; Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Robert Morley, Red Skelton, Gert Frobe, Jean-Pierre Cassal, Benny Hill, Alberto Sordi and Terry Thomas.

This is a magnificent movie and the ingenuity and comedy of 1910 flight is a delight to watch on the BIG SCREEN. Enjoy.

United 93 (2006)

In 2006 two major motion pictures about September 11, 2001 were released. One, WORLD TRADE CENTER, was a film from Oliver Stone about two first responders who were saved from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. Though WORLD TRADE CENTER is a good and solid film, it does not reach the achievement that Paul Greengrass was able to do with UNITED 93.

Filmed in a style that seems to be a dreamy cinema verite (though every moment on film was carefully constructed), UNITED 93 tells the story about the one plane that went down on September 11th that didn't hit its target. United 93 was supposed to have crashed either into the White House or the Capitol Building, but because of the bravery and courage displayed by the men and women on board, the plane never reached that area and crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. No one alive can say exactly for sure what happened aboard the plane that day. However, UNITED 93 does an incredible job of recreating what possibly happened.

Paul Greengrass and the filmmakers spent an incredible amount of time talking with the family members of those who died. They listened intently to the tape recordings on board the plane and messages left behind. I'm sure that hundreds of hours of research went into creating the film and it shows on film. No big name actors were cast in the film and many of the smaller roles were played by people who had actually been involved somehow with United 93 on September 11th. It is an ensemble cast of the truest kind.

I was deeply moved while watching UNITED 93. The outcome is already known before even putting the film into the DVD player. Yet, the foreknowledge takes nothing away from the experience. The people on the plane reminded me of some of my own friends and family members and even though I knew they were going to die, their actions as portrayed in the film gave me hope. UNITED 93 is a powerful piece of cinema, testifying to what ordinary people can do when faced against extraordinary circumstances. The Academy might have ignored it, but UNITED 93 is the best picture of 2006 and a fitting tribute to the men and women who died that day.

The DVD includes a commentary with Director Paul Greengrass which I found much more interesting, intriguing, and thought-provoking than many other commentaries I have listened to. There's also a short documentary entitled "United 93: The Families and the Film" that interviews family members of those killed and their reactions to the film. Finally, there is a biography page that includes a small picture and a written biography about the 40 people on board (not including the hijackers) who died because of the hijacking.

September 11th 2001, 4 planes were hijacked, 3 of them reached their targets, UNITED 93 is the story of the forth.

JFK said "We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth." After 9/11, many artists chose to respond to the horror and tragedy of the events in the way they knew best through their craft. They drew their own line offering photographs, sculpture, paintings, poetry, and film that commemorate that day. Their work, good or bad, will forever be a part of those events. So timing and quality is important. At just under 5 years since the destruction of the Twin Towers in NYC, and the crash of United 93 in a Pennsylvania field, is the time right. Maybe, it will never be right. "the Flight of United 93," although approved by the familes of the passagers, might be a story not yet ready to be told, or more accurately it might be a story not ready to be heard and seen. With public opinion of the handling of the War down, maybe the time is right for a film that depicts the courageous actions of passengers on the fourth hijacked plane.

Director Paul Greengrass thoughtfully undertakes the unenviable task of telling this pivotal chapter in the events of that tragic day. Greengrass, director of THE BOURNE SUPREMACY shoots UNITED 93 almost virtually in realtime as all 40 passengers and crew gather the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 to board United's flight from Newark to San Francisco. Along with the 40, are 5 men planning to use the plane as a weapon against the U.S. Capitol. Once it "becomes clear" that a hijacking has occurred passengers begin to sneak mobile calls, saying their goodbyes, but also discovering that 2 planes have already been rammed into the World Trade Center, confirming their worst fears. The passengers see no other choice than to risk confronting the hijackers to gain control of the plane. Greengrass, along with his superb cast and crew, reconstruct the events from factual information gained from cell calls, flight recorders, the memories of families and ground controllers. Casting of mostly unknowns adds weight to the film, intensifying the haunting reality of the situation.

This is no TV movie of the week. It is urgent, edgy, moving and ultimately a fitting memorial for the heroic passengers of flight United 93.

Approved by the families of the passengers, a portion of proceeds goes to the FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL FUND The film was well received when it premiered at the Tribeca Film festival.

Rated R for language and scenes of terror and violence.

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At first I didn't think I could watch this film (a sneak preview), it was a horrendous day for everyone in the USA . At last, I prepared myself to watch United 93. This is a frightening reenactment of what could have happened on the airplane that didn't make it's intended attack on Washington DC. It has always been easy for me to sit thru a fictional horror film or thriller. Because we know it is make believe and it is for entertainment.This movie strikes a new chord on the human soul. I didn't think I could handle it. But I am glad I did choose to see it.There were people who thought this movie should not be released.

Let me assure you. You will not leave the film depressed. It is uplifting in a way. Because of the heroic actions of the Americans in the film. It makes you proud to be an American. I highly recommend seeing it. Even for the families of the people on the plane. The director turns each passenger into a hero. It won't be easy to watch. But you really shouldn't turn away from this film.

Read Best Reviews of United 93 (2006) Here

devastating, deeply emotional experience. difficult to watch but very necessary. every american should see it, because as painful as it is, we must never forget. united 93 is for the most part seen from the point of view of the air traffic controllers, the miltary, and most dramatic of all, inside flight 93. and best of all, there is no political agenda whatsoever. but be forewarned, the final 15 minutes of the film are excruciating and heartbreaking to watch, especially when you hear the words "let's roll", you know what's coming. I realize there is some speculation as to what happened on board the flight, however I think this is an accurate account of what took place. I've been in audiences before at other films and heard a scattering of applause at the end. not so with united 93. most of the audience applauded, and it made my heart swell with pride to be an american, even amongst such tragedy. the spirit and resourcefulness of your average american on that doomed flight came through beautifully. not entertainment in the traditional sense but still a powerful, documentary-like film, 10 stars.

Want United 93 (2006) Discount?

As we approach the end of 2006, everyone releases their pick for the top films of the year. I do the same thing as I assess the movies that I've had the pleasure of viewing, either on the big screen or on DVD. This, in truth, hasn't been the strongest year--but I've had my share of surprises. While many of the blockbusters actually surpassed my expectations with unusual depth or sheer adrenaline, it is many of the smaller films that lingered in my memory. "United 93" was a moderate hit at the box office and received pretty universal critical acclaim, but there was not much expectation that it would fare well come awards season. It was released very early in the year which is usually problematic. However, to my delight--the film is being remembered and honored as one of the year's top films.

"United 93," for my money, was the best film of 2006. Sparse and powerful, this docudrama took about 90 minutes of real time to unfold one of the most matter-of-factly harrowing and heroic episodes put down on film. Far from being a political diatribe, the film documents a real humanity and the commonality that pulls ordinary people together in a time of crisis. Offering almost no commentary, "United 93" just presents the facts of situation about the ill-fated flight. Reconstructed largely from actual participants and phone records, this is about as close to reality as a narrative film can get.

In an audacious decision, director Paul Greenglass does not ask that we know the passengers or ground crew as individuals. You see them in brief, slice-of-life moments as they ready themselves for the day--but there is no backstory, no manufactured drama. It's just a cross section of regular men and women doing mundane things on what will become a most extraordinary day. You will start to know some of the individuals from their actions and their responses, but the film doesn't offer anything extraneous. This simplicity and lack of ordinary storytelling convention sets "United 93" apart.

By allowing an objective viewpoint, the film achieves a power that is more inherently real than 99% of scripted films. There is an honor and dignity at work here that's quite unexpected. Even though the film plays with a documentary feel, it ends up almost impossible not to envision yourself in the same situation. As such, "United 93" strikes a real and resonant emotional chord. It's easy to only accept this film as a poignant document of that day and a tribute to those involved. And that it is. It's also easy for those who wish to dismiss it as "too soon" or as a cover-up to conspiracy theories to do so. But what I don't want to get lost in any political debate is the fact that this is also great filmmaking.

I was more affected by this film emotionally than any other film of the year. And I have reflected on it more often than any other film this year. For those reasons, whatever happens at the awards, "United 93" is easily my choice for best film of the year. Heartbreaking, Intelligent, Horrifying, Uplifting--It's perfect. KGHarris, 12/06.

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High Road to China

I read all 61 reviews to learn as much as I could about this fine film MISSING from my DVD collection. Then I went to my collection and read the back of the "Quigley..." jacket. I then Googled MGM Home Video, and went to their site. I scrolled to the bottom of the first page and clicked on "Help/Contact/FAQ." This took me to a screen with a pull-down menu from which I selected "MGM DVD," entered my email address, and politely asked them to explain themselves, check these 60 plus reviews as evidence that they should release HRTC in DVD.

I suggest you vote yes on this "review" (I did say it was a "fine film")in the hopes that 100% "Yes" votes will get this to the top of the review heap where it can be seen. Then I suggest that you use the instructions above to contact MGM. Finally, I suggest that everyone buy this film from Amazon when it comes out as thanks for their strong support of end-viewer reviews. God Bless.

Tom Selleck stars as a former World War I flying ace, reduced to reliving his past glories in a bottle and giving flying lessons in two broken down Camels. Sparks fly between Selleck and Bess Armstrong when she hires him to help find her father (a young looking Wilford Brimley), last seen in Tibet, before her inheritence is lost to a scheming business partner (Robert Morley at his humorously evil best). Adventure abounds as the pair wend their way between Egypt and Tibet, with sidekick mechanic Jack Weston holding the dilapidated planes together. An outstanding musical score helps this entertaining film immeasureably. This is the kind of movie that Hollywood should be making ... but isn't!

I find myself wearing out the recording I made from an on-the-air source and fervently wish that "High Road to China" would be re-released on video and DVD so that I could buy a decent copy for my library.

Buy High Road to China Now

UPDATE: This movie has just been announced for Blu-rsy and DVD releases in the United States for April 17, 2012.

After passing over the role of Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" three years later Tom Selleck appeared on movie screens, cashing in on his Magnum PI popularity as an adventure hero who owes more than just a tip of the hat to the character made famous by the teaming of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

Of course the movie industry was heavily populated with Indy clones in the early 1980s, but this one in which Selleck plays a pilot helping an heiress locate her missing father was a cut above the above the rest.

I never saw this movie in the theater but on television and subsequently the now defunct VHS format. I think I wore that tape out watching the movie again and again.

With a great script and some truly clever dialogue this movie zips along so fast that you overlook the holes in the plot and just sit back and enjoy a good time. It helps that the supporting cast includes Bess Armstrong (so much better here than she was in Jaws 3), Brian Blessed (always fun to watch) and the perenniel villainous Robert Morley.

Very highly recommended, here's hoping it arrives on DVD soon.

There is a DVD of this movie available in Europe (Region 2) for those of us with region-free players. Copies of this Swedish DVD regularly appear on e-bay.

Read Best Reviews of High Road to China Here

This is such a fun and feel good film. Not one of the critical "greats" of cinema history but still very much loved. I've lost count how many times I've watched this excellent little movie. There is such a chemistry between the two lead characters that the film is a real joy. I don't think Bess Armstrong played such a likeable funny magnetic character again. (Then again I don't suppose I've seen all her work. Suffice to say , she is wonderful in this).And Tom Selleck demonstrates most clearly how underrated he has been since the days of "Magnum". High Road to China was a bit lost at it's time of release. It was dismissed as a Raiders of the Lost Arc wanna-be. Looking at it again now makes one realise that this was a silly and shallow comparison to make. The only similarity is the time period the film takes place in.

Now to the negative. A DVD release of this film is LONG overdue. Why oh why is it being flopped into the market place with poor mono sound and dodgy unrestored picture that looks like it has been pirated from a VHS tape?

I bought this DVD from another source in Australia and was just so glad to finally have it on DVD in any condition. However I do fear that the uncreative twits who make the decisions as to which movies are to be released on DVD, are simply testing the waters with this unrestored release. If this sells well then maybe High Road to China will eventually be given the treatment it deserves and fully restored and re-released on DVD.

These decision makers aren't fans of movies. They don't understand why or how a film is a success. (just look at the number of sequels that are made, when the first in any series always has to struggle to be approved).

This DVD release is well worth getting in my opinion because the characters and story hold one's attention so well that the dodgy quality of the DVD itself is not too distracting an issue. I just know I'll be sucked in to updating to a fully restored edition one day. Ah well...... that's private enterprise for you.

Want High Road to China Discount?

Love this movie! I remember going to see this with my mother, I loved the movie so much that I took the bus across town, by myself, the next day to see it again. There I was sitting alone, waiting for the movie to start and my father walks in and sits next to me. He's said to me, "Must be a good movie if you are willing to see again..." Indeed it was.

Glad to see it finally on disc... and Blu-Ray at that.

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