Whisperer in Darkness (2012)

It is a strange tradition that indie filmmakers with shoestring budgets inevitably want to make science fiction films. One has trouble discerning why; dramas and comedies are far cheaper and period pieces are just as exotic without the need for special effects. Yet the small film maker continues to pound out high-concept science fiction films regardless of their obvious limitations in this regard.

Then sometimes one of them knocks it out of the park.

The HPLHS already struck gold with Call of Cthulhu, a tremendously faithful 30s expressionist film based on the short story of the same name. With Whisperer they attempt to give a similar treatment to a more narrative Lovecraft story, this time in the trappings of a 1940s talkie. Success in this area is mixedthe feel starts off on target but quickly migrates to the atmosphere of a 60s creature feature... Not that there is anything wrong with that. If anything gives away the film's truly modern nature it is that the photography is a little too cleanagain not a problem, and it left me wishing this movie was available on BD as well. The soundtrack is tremendously well done and moody, just like in Call.

Without giving too much away, Whisperer follows the short story faithfully until the end at which point it concludes with an action setpiece not present in the original plot. As if by way of apology, the new ending is actually much more grim than the original, placing the protagonist in a much dimmer situation.

Just as with Call of Cthulhu, the effects here are far better than the film's small scale would suggest. The alien Mi-go in particular are a wonderfully steampunk mashup of creature and clockwork, realized with a very effective mix of models, costuming and CG. Locations are beautifully shot, and the actors fairly douse the production in characterin particular Daniel Kaemon, who plays the cult leader Mr. Noyse, lapses into a fantastic Mid-Atlantic radio presenter accent when he is (unknowingly?) recorded during his dark ritualsit sounds like it should be corny, yet it is eerily effective.

Purists may gape at the liberties taken with the source material, but this is a fantastically solid sci-fi horror flick that is true to the spirit of its source material and for my money far outstrips Lovecraft films with much costlier productions. A must buy if you enjoyed Call, or if you are a fan of old-school horror literature and cinema. This movie proves that epic sci-fi is possible in a small-scale production, and one is left wondering how so many other filmmakers drop the ball.

NOTE: buy with confidence, packaging and shipping are prompt and thorough. Even the invoice that comes with this movie is fun.

A stunning adaptation of a Lovecraft classic! I am not sure how they pulled it off, but this is straight out of the Golden Age of 1930s horror films even though it is brand new! Filmed in "Mythoscope" a style which strives to make it look true to a 1930s Black and White Noir film, they've taken what was a good Lovecraft story and made it a brilliant piece of film making. They kept true to the spirit of the plot and turned it up to eleven. If you are unfamiliar with Lovecraft's stories or style, this is a perfect start as you don't need any background it is all self-explanatory. It is a mystery, sci fi and horror all wrapping into one ball of goodness and takes you on a roller coaster ride from start to finish. It kind of reminds me of Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits, because much of Lovecraft eventually became many plots in those shows. Filmed on location in Vermont, set during the Vermont Floods of 1927, the film's release coincidentally came during the Vermont Floods of 2011. The filmmakers pitched in to help the great people of Vermont recover from the disaster. This is the second effort of the filmmakers, the first being The Call of Cthulhu. It was a new, old-style silent film and won critical acclaim. This is on the same track, winning awards and acclaim, and in my opinion, is a much more engaging film.

The actors are also top notch. Matt Foyer is an amazingly expressive actor and does a perfect job portraying Albert Wilmarth. He brings such a real human element (which you rarely if ever see in horror) you can't help but get drawn in. Barry Lynch creates both one of the creepiest scenes in horror history without blood, gore or anything but his voice and yet also manages to create one of the most heart-wrenching and human scenes I've seen in the genre.

If you at all love great classic horror films, ones that don't rely on grossing you out, but give a great ride with your mind like Dracula, Frankenstein or the Mummy, then do yourself a HUGE favor and pick this one up.

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High quality Lovecraftian movies are in short supply. Most of us agree that The Thing by John Carpenter is the best overall Lovecraftian movie. Straight up adaptations of HPL are even rarer. Not surprising, as most of HPL's works are rather wordy and cerebral, with little in the way of action or human interaction to hold interest on the screen, and all those unfortunately indescribable creatures. Previously, with The Call of Cthulhu, The HP Lovecraft Historical Society showed that this is an art best left to those who are true fans of these stories (I include Mr. del Toro and regret the shelving of At the Mountains of Madness as much as anyone). Well now the bar has been set even higher. The Whisperer in Darkness is by any account a resounding triumph. I would even say it deserves a nod at the Oscars for adapted screenplay, although that will never happen. A larger studio may have had a bigger budget or marquee stars, but there is no way anyone could have made a better film.

Of course this movie is an *adaptation* so it is not exactly the same as the novella/short story on which it was based. I think the changes and compromises wrought by the screen play authors Sean Branney and Andrew Leman do a superb job of conveying the Lovecraftian cosmicism and the important aspects of the story, while allowing the film to work as a piece of cinema. They added some human interest, by introducing a young girl, the daughter of one of Akeley's neighbors, and also gave the work some thrilling action sequences.

The creature effects by Jason Shulman, Chris Peterson and Jon Gourley merit special praise. On a shoestring budget they developed Mi-Go that are terrible to look at and fascinating to watch. Wisely the director does not tip his hand by revealing the Mi-Go too soon. The use of black and white photography allows for lighting and cinematography with a period feel. Atmospheric music by Troy Sterling Nies marvelously enhances the tension.

I think all of the performers were wonderful.Too bad Matt Foyer won't receive any special awards for his incredible and believable performance as Wilmarth. I think child actress Autumn Wendell as Hannah deserves particular kudos, as does Caspar Marsh as Hannah's father and Andrew Leman as Charles Fort (in fact the entire sequence in Arkham had me shaking my head in appreciation for the talents of the entire cast and crew).

I have read HPL's story countless times and yet I was absorbed from the opening sequence to the ending credits. I think anyone who loves thoughtful horror or science fiction could find much to appreciate here, even those who are unfamiliar with Lovecraft or who have never heard of HPL's story.

As I said, this is a resounding triumph, an achievement for the ages. All of us are in debt to the HPLHS. I cannot wait to see what they do next. I only regret there was no widespread distribution on the big screen. Maybe this can gets run on an adventurous cable channel to give it the exposure it so richly deserves. Bravo to all.

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Just finished watching. I'm a huge HPL fan, and while many of the movie adaptations are less than great, I was looking forward to this one. The HPLHS's previous movie, 'The Call of Cthulhu' was good on so many levels. And they do not disappoint here. There is additions to the story, to well, make a movie out of a story that's mostly letters back and forth, but it's not forced. Each bit makes sense in the overall story. Plus, they did a great job in making the movie feel like a 30's talkie. So yes, if you like HPL, you will enjoy this movie.

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It's amazing in itself the cast and crew are a bunch of LARPers. If you don't know what that means, go Google it, and make sure you watch the "Lightning Bolt" video that is floating around. Now that you're in on the joke, watch the movie.

While not as true to the original HPL tale of horrible science fiction, the Whisperer in Darkness does a wonderful job of presenting the Old Man's story to modern film buffs. On BD, the first thing you notice is an enchanting score in 5.1 surround and a hauntingly lit stage that is frightfully stark in contrast and detail. The images are almost "too real". The original story ends abruptly, and so the HPLHS took it upon themselves to make the story a bit longer with a bit more of an emotional, dare I say, 'heroic' ending (something that never happens in a HP Lovecraft story).

For the uninitiated, the plot involves a linguistics and folklore scholar taking a trip into rural Vermont on a quest to find definitive truth behind what amounts to a rash of 'alien sightings'. Over the course of the tale, the protagonist begins to uncover bit by bit, mostly due to a shut-in farmer who has seen a bit too much of the truth. For the fans, the ending is FAR removed from the original while remaining very much in vein and intent as possible. No spoilers here. Sorry. But the Mi-Go... pretty well done, and afforded a lot more on-screen time than the high priest of R'lyeh.

The BD itself has a tonne of extras, most of which are frikkin' hilarious. Lots of behind the scenes and technical details a lot more than on their previous Call of Cthulhu picture. But there is one glaring omission that I can't forgive:

No subtitles at all. And this is after their first film that had 24 languages.

The sheer effort in the production is incredible and fans anywhere will likely be driven insane from their own enjoyment (unless of course they don't understand English, and then the whole motion picture is lost on them). It leaves us wondering what the crew will try to produce next the crew comments specifically on Shadow over Innsmouth and the Dunwich Horror, but these suggestions seem more of a wish list. Whatever their effort, they have proven the impossible: Lovecraft's works are indeed film-able.

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Porky's (1982)

Porkys'

Distributor: 20th Century Fox (US)

Somewhat unbelievably it's been 30 years since Bob Clark's riotous comedy hit Porky's ruled the teen comedy movie circuit. Set in the 1950's, the film charts the usual round of high school jerks who's sole purpose in life is fun, basketball and of course getting laid.

Giving rise to countless scenes of hilarity, the boys from Angel Beach High move from one sticky situation to the next providing some genuinely funny moments which still stand up all these years later.

Fans of the movie have always had their favourite stand out moments and there is certainly no shortage to choose from with the stand out scene being the girls school shower room antics where one of the gang actually gets a lot more than he bargained for. Although the film does contains the occasional semi serious moment there are plenty of laughs to be had and enough unique ideas along the way to keep the pace fresh thanks to some decent scripting and a cast that work seamlessly well together, which is ultimately what has helped to keep this film alive and standing above all its competitors over the years.

Released as a region A locked Walmart exclusive, the film is presented with a 1080p 1.85:1 transfer which considering the low budget origins of the movie actually looks fairly strong. Detail is sharp especially during close up and outdoor scenes, colours and black levels look natural and it's safe to say Porky's has never looked better. Admittedly the transfer will never compete with modern day releases but if you are a fan of the film and used to the previous DVD transfers you are certain to notice the increase in quality with this Blu-ray release.

Audio is presented with a DTS mono track which basically delivers exactly what it says on the tin. Dialogue is clear without any distortion and the few sound effects scattered throughout the film also come across as well defined. The soundtrack overall provides all you really need for a movie of this type and should not command any complaints from collectors, especially given the new sense of clarity provided.

Extras for this release comprise of a recycled audio commentary with the films director Bob Clark, some extended non cast interview segments and the original trailer and TV spots. It is however a real missed opportunity that none of the films original cast were approached and interviewed for this release as any recollections all these years later would have been most interesting to observe. In an ideal world, a full cast commentary with the surviving actors would have provided a unique feature and reason in itself to justify a purchase. Sadly however this wasn't to be and for its 30th anniversary Porky's really should have commanded a lot more effort as far as extras are concerned.

All things considered then, Porky's is one teen comedy hit that simply never gets old. The film was followed by two sequels both featuring most of the original cast and although neither one being up to the standard of the original were both once again great fun filled movies that at least had decent stories to tell. It is slightly surprising then that the entire trilogy was not released together on Blu-ray as per the prior DVD releases, however if the sales for the first movie are good, hopefully the sequels will follow. Until then we will simply have to make do with the first installment of the trilogy however as far as teen comedies goes what better place to start?

So as the saying goes kick back, relax and return once again to Angel Beach High School, to a time when life was simple, pranks were plentiful, and if you looked hard enough, trouble was always waiting to find you at every given opportunity.

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Porky's is the funniest movie I've ever seen. I've seen it dozens of times and it never fails to crack me up. It's a coming of age movie like no other. Highly recommended.

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Having watched Porky's as a teenager in the 80's, this movie was considered outrageous at the time. Critics thought it was the worst movie since the invention of film, but I and many other fans loved it. Dirty sexual humor with hard up teens in the 50's trying to get into the raunchy bar called Porky's. To this day, I still remember the cast of characters that made this movie so funny, Peewee, Lassie, Miss Ballbricker aka Ballbreaker, and Tommy Turner. Maybe a little dated and low budget as compared to movies these days, but this movie still makes me laugh. This movie is not for the easily embarrassed or offended as this crosses the line in multiple ways, definitely a classic from the 80's.

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Funny to see this old movie . Mrs Ballbreaker in the principals office is probably one of the funniest parts

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love the movie love the price love hot guys in shower room ohh la la OH and the transfer to blu ray? just ok

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The Dark Knight Rises Digi-Book (Blu-ray/DVD Combo+UltraViolet Digital Copy with Prologue Comic Boo

Having been a huge fan of Chris Nolan's previous two Batman films, couldn't wait to watch this when it was released. And The Dark Knight Rises didn't disappoint. The conclusion to the trilogy is fitting for the franchise, for Batman, and for Bruce Wayne (though I have read rumors that Nolan might come back for another film in the series or maybe a Batman/Superman film hope some of this is true!).

The film starts with a frail Bruce Wayne having pretty much retired and living a private life eight years after he eliminated the Joker. The peaceful Gotham City where police officers feel they will soon be "chasing overdue library books" is rocked by a series of events orchestrated by the ferocious and calculating villain, Bane.

The pace of this film is slightly slower (and heavier) compared to the previous two films, partly because there are a lot more characters in this film, and Nolan being the master storyteller that he is, gives each character enough time in the film. It could seem a bit lengthy at 3 hours of thereabout because of this. Lucius Fox and Alfred return in their usual roles of being Batman's brains and soul respectively. Michael Caine's performance as Alfred is simply remarkable even though his screen time is somewhat limited in the film. Christian Bale, as usual, has done a great job portraying the battles within Bruce Wayne overcoming his hears and rising from being as good as dead to come back to save his beloved city. His character comes a full circle from the first film as Thomas Wayne's words "why do we fall down Bruce" echo through this film and Bruce seemingly understands their meaning here as he prepares to pick himself up and "rise".

New characters added a refreshing touch to the series. Anne Hathaway is brilliant in her role as Selina Kyle. She lightens up the serious macho overdose of the film with her flair and flamboyant ways. Bane, with links to the League of Shadows, brings a dark element unlike any Gotham has witnessed before. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays John (Robin) Blake perhaps a younger version of Jim Gordon. He seems to be set to take over the reins from Commissioner Gordon, but eventually chooses to stay free of the shackles imposed by structure and protocols by the GCPD. Marion Cotillard (I thought she was brilliant in Inception) plays a convincing partner and love interest of Bruce Wayne.

The conclusion is definitely a lot heavier in terms of content and pace compared to the previous two films. This film requires focused attention to the dialogue and sequence of events, previous 2 films seem somewhat lighter compared to this one. The fact that Bane's voice was muffled with his mask doesn't help in this regard, it only increases the level of focus one needs to have which watching the film. In addition, the film has more characters with their place in the film. Chris Nolan has spent a fair amount of time with each character to fully bring out their roles and let the audiences savor the nuances of their personalities, inner conflicts, and goals. I personally think the editing room could have shaved off a good 15 to 20 minutes from the film, but this is Nolan's signature style of storytelling. Also some scenes make Batman seem too human, like the street fight scene with Bane towards the end. Batman is a superhero and it feels somewhat strange to see him battle his enemy bare hands in the middle of a street-fight. That being said, there are plenty of new toys in his arsenal and the Bat, in particular, is awesome!

Yes, the performance of Heath Ledger and the compelling storytelling of The Dark Knight are hard to match, but TDKR is an appropriate and epic conclusion to what I think is one of the best series of super-hero films made to date.

As someone of the unpopular minority who didn't like Christopher Nolan's previous Batman film 'The Dark Knight' (but really liked 'Batman Begins') I find 'The Dark Knight Rises' a pleasant surprise. It carries a lot of the elements of the first two films, especially TDK's darker tone but manages to off-set it's self-seriousness with a strong story, terrific action-scenes and characters I wanted to root for!

The story of 'The Dark Knight Rises' takes place eight years after the events of 'The Dark Knight' Gotham Ciy is seemingly crime free and the Batman hasn't been seen since (still wanted as a fugitive after the events of TDK). In steps Bane: a super-strong, methodical terrorist leader intent on destroying Gotham and ends up forcing Batman/Bruce Wayne out of retirement. There's a lot of elements at work in this dynamic story (taking obvious influences from the Batman comics Knightfall, No Man's Land and Dark Knight Returns) and the movie's almost 3-hour length is felt, but Nolan's strong directing and script manage to bring it all together and he keeps things moving at a brisk pace.

As much as I like the story in 'The Dark Knight Rises' it's the characters I found myself most vested in. Regular greats Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman return as Jim Gordan and Lucius Fox, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays honest cop John Blake and Anne Hathaway the thief Selina Kyle (each giving the film both an every-person to follow and moments of comic-relief). Marion Cotillard gives protagonist Bruce Wayne a business partner as well as a love-interest in Miranda Tate. Tom Hardy doesn't make Bane as memorable as Heath Ledger's Joker (no one could) but he's an imposing presence and a terrific foil to Batman in terms of strength and ingenuity.

All the characters in 'The Dark Knight Rises' have a chance to shine, especially in their personal journey's and relationships but the one holding it all together is Bruce Wayne/Batman himself. It's fun seeing Batman drive through the dark in the Bat-Pod, stealthily take down criminals from ceilings and dodge gun-fire between muzzle-flashes. Watching a middle-aged and physically impaired Bruce Wayne build himself back up (especially after a nasty beat-down from Bane) is almost as awesome as watching him become Batman for the first time! Christian Bale's amazing performance sells this character in every scene and I especially liked how his relationship with his Butler Alfred played out (an equally compelling Michael Caine with much more screen time). This is the hero I wanted in the first two films!

While the direction is sharp and the story exciting, 'The Dark Knight Rises' does have some obvious faults. Hans Zimmer's musical-score is strong as ever but the film's sound kept drowning-out character's dialogue, even during some key moments; Bane's voice-box really didn't help matters either. Nolan's usual self-seriousness is also most apparent in this film, and while the dialogue is less artificial this time around (with much more humor) the movie still got a bit heavy-handed.

Even with it's short-comings 'The Dark Knight Rises' is an original and exciting superhero epic. Most fans will probably still favor 'The Dark Knight' as the best of Nolan's trilogy but I'm just glad TDKR is such a great conclusion.

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After watching this film the first time, I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. I knew it wasn't a bad film, but at the same time it just didn't sit right with me for whatever reason. So I went back and watched Begins and TDK and I think I figured out why I didn't really care for it. In my opinion it doesn't seem to fit with the other two films.

Warning: Some spoilers

First there's the setting. The concept of a broken and retired Batman living as a recluse is interesting, but it seems to sort of contradict what we saw in the other films. We learn that he hasn't been Batman for 8 years since Dent was killed, which made me wonder, why is he in such bad physical shape then? Rewatching The Dark Knight, I didn't see anything to show where these injuries came from. Why is his leg screwed up? The last scene of Dark Knight was him running away from the camera. If he hasn't been Batman since then and has been living like a hermit, how did he screw up his leg? Also, why did he stop being Batman? Rises seems to suggest it was stress over Rachel, although that happened midway through The Dark Knight and didn't seem to stop him. He sort of suggested at the end of Dark Knight that since Dent died, he had to be the hero. That was sort of the point of Dark Knight that Gotham's savior had to be either Dent or Batman and since Dent died, it had to be Batman, but then Rises suggests that Batman just kinda went home literally right after that. Rises sort of gets around this by introducing what I consider to be a highly implausible "Dent Act" in honor of Harvey Dent, in which all of Gotham's criminals are apparently just straight locked up with no sort of legal due process, the streets become clean as a whistle, and Batman "isn't needed anymore". The Dent Act also asks you to believe that everyone now believes without a question that Batman killed Harvey Dent, despite having saved him very publicly from the Joker in Dark Knight. I find it strange that things like this are considered realistic, yet more cat features on catwoman's suit are not. Anyways..

Second, the villains. I found Bane to be just plain underwhelming. Physically intimidating sure, but I felt like they had to seriously water down Batman's competence in order to artificially make Bane more threatening. In Begins and Dark Knight Batman would fight using his surroundings. That's basically how he fights, something he learned from the League of Shadows and Ras Al Ghul. "Always mind your surroundings." Yet when confronted with Bane and reminded of the League, Batman simply charges at him swinging like a brawler. No tech, no using the environment around him, just straight fisticuffs. I realize that he's been "retired" for 8 years, but again, that felt forced and unexplained as I mentioned in my first point, which just reinforces my belief that this was done simply to make Bane seem more threatening. As for Talia, she just felt too much like Ras, and a lesser version at that. Not only does she not get the character development that Ras got to make him interesting, but in the end she's only doing it to carry out Ras' will, which just made her feel like a pawn. The main villian and she doesn't even have her own plan. Overall they felt too similar to the Begins villians. In Begins the villains worked within the system, using it to try to destroy Gotham. In Dark Knight the villains worked to try to destroy the system and induce chaos in Gotham. In Rises, I was expecting another progression to give the villains an overall theme to work with, but it just feels the same as Begins. Talia manipulating the system to try and destroy Gotham.

Third, not enough Batman. Having Bruce trapped in a pit for the better part of the film's second half served no purpose imo. I don't think anybody thought that he wasn't going to escape this pit and return to face Bane. I realize this sort of had to happen based on what we know of Bane and Batman in the comics, but the way it was handled only served to take us away from Gotham and Bane where things were getting interesting, and into a dull situation miles away in which we already know the only possible outcome. Obviously the movie won't end with "And then Batman died in the pit" It employs odd and often confusing time jumps that the previous films didn't have, taking away from the pacing and making the film feel frantic. Once Bane starts implementing his plan and things start to pick up, there's literally a 5 month time skip that glosses over Gotham transitioning from normal society to anarchist warzone in favor of Bruce's previously mentioned antics in the pit.

Warning: Spoilers!!!!!!

Fourth, John Blake. I liked the character and portrayal but I felt the "big reveal" about him at the end was totally unnecessary and handled in the worst possible way. First off... his actual legal name is Robin? ....... I'll leave that at that, but what bothered me more about how this was handled is that again, this doesn't seem to be consistent with the previous films. In Rises we get Bruce spouting a bunch of nonsense about how Batman was supposed to inspire people into action and that "anybody can be Batman" Oh really? What about those guys in The Dark Knight who were trying to help Batman take down Scarecrow and some drug dealers? They tried to be Batman and Bruce responded by kicking the living cr@p out of them, breaking all their weapons and then making fun of their outfits. They did exactly what he's talking about in Rises and he personally beat them up for it. Just seems weird is all.. Also, how did Blake know Bruce was Batman? You can assume that since he's a cop he could've done the detective work and figured this out, but he doesn't say that's what happened. He says he literally figured it out by having met Bruce once a long time ago and recognizing he had the same hidden pain that Blake had from losing his parents? Really?! That's it?! How can you reasonably make such a huge assumption based on meeting someone once and looking at their face?

Fifth, Catwoman. Again, nothing wrong with the performance, but I felt her character was unneeded. Nothing she did in the film seemed to matter, except of course for the fact that they decided to let her be the one to kill Bane. The romance between them felt forced as well imo. I don't see why he would be attracted to her. Her ideology is almost the direct opposite of his. In the comics there's a sense that she genuinely cares about him and a lot of that is due to their long history, none of which we get to see here. I never really get the sense that she saw him as anything other than a 1 percenter or necessarily cared about his well being. When Bane "breaks" him, she doesn't seem concerned about him, just concerned about what Bane will do to the city and how it will effect her. It's all about her and I just don't really see what draws him to her in this film.

Finally, the ending. I get it, he retired. Batman gets to live a happy life in Europe or whatever with Catwoman. Great for him I guess, but isn't Gotham gonna be worse than ever now? Gordon will likely lose his job as commissioner because of his 8 year lie to the public and for knowingly framing Batman for Dent's murder. Dent has been revealed as a murderer, meaning the Dent Act will likely be repealed and all these criminals are gonna come pouring back to the streets, including Joker, who isn't dead and who happens to be the direct cause of almost everything that happens in Rises to begin with. I get that they can't use Ledger anymore, but I for one found it strange that they deliberately chose not to once mention the Joker even though nothing in Rises would be as it is without him.

And who's left behind in Gotham to handle this new mess? "Robin" John Blake, a man who now has Bruce's suit and gadgets, sure, but none of the League of Shadows training that would let you take on dozens of thugs/SWAT officers at a time, meaning the first time he suits up and hops down into a group of 5 guys thinking he's a bad@ss, he's gonna get wailed on. Bruce didn't even bother to train the guy like the real Robin. Not only that, but Bruce only met this guy what... twice, for a total of 10 minutes and he trusts him with the Batsuit? But I guess Bruce isn't concerned with any of that anyways. He's "moved on" and I should be happy that he doesn't have to be the hero and protector Gotham needs like we've come to expect from him over the course of this trilogy, right? I just feel like it sent a strange message where you should do what you feel is right but only until you're tired of it, then you should sit back and have some "me-time" with a foxy lady despite the fact that there's still more to be done. I dunno about you but that just struck me as not very admirable and as something no respectable version of Batman would EVER do...

Overall the film is well acted and looks and sounds great, but it's only mildly entertaining and drags in a lot of places. I also felt it was the least realistic of the trilogy which I found unfortunate since the realism is what drew me to the trilogy in the first place. Things like the Dent Act, an old man in a pit who can heal a broken back by punching it, a usb drive that can erase your name from every computer on the planet and a cheesy imo nuclear bomb plot that emerges somewhat randomly near the end of the film serve to make it the most comic-booky feeling film of the three. All that said, again it's not a bad movie by any means and I'd say it's worth a watch, but it's easily the weakest of the trilogy in my opinion.

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I wanted to like this movie. Truly, I did. With the production values and people behind it, everything on paper said this movie should be an absolute joy. And I suppose if you ignore the previous films, and franchise as a whole, turn your mind off, and just watch these pretty scenes cut together then it can be enjoyed just fine. Delve any deeper, however, and you might find a story that does not mesh with the series, the franchise, or reality, and one that becomes heavy-handed in its drama. Warning, this review does contain spoilers.

The Dark Knight Rises takes place eight years after The Dark Knight, and Batman hasn't shown his face since the climactic events of that movie. Wait, what? The previous movie establishes a continued need for Batman, of how this is supposed to be a hero that can accomplish things a normal man cannot, yet directly after establishing that and the credits roll we are expected to believe Bruce Wayne hung up his cowl and sat in his room mourning for eight years...when the death of someone close to him is what set him off to begin with. The idea of a Batman just giving up is...unfathomable. Yet that is the basis this film hinges upon

So we get into 45 minutes of slogging through this plotline, of Bruce Wayne being a crippled hermit slowly brought out of retirement by a thief linked to a greater plot. 45 minutes before we see anything of the Batman. We get things like the Harvey Dent Act, in which criminals are able to be held indefinitely without parole. We get a character knowing the connection between Bruce and Batman...all due to the pain he recognized in Bruce's eyes over the loss of his parents. We get Alfred telling us in exacting detail the ending of the movie two hours before the ending of the movie. We get the great dossier of Bane, of how he escaped from a hellish pit to be trained by Ra's al Ghul, a person whose entire organization was a massive secret yet somehow now has a former members listing. Then there's a great stock exchange robbery, where clearly illegal transfers are somehow allowed to stand, followed by one of the poorest moments of editing I've ever seen, where a daytime chase scene switches very suddenly to night as finally, dun dun dun! the Batman makes his anticipated appearance...

...and fails to do anything impressive. Remember in Batman Begins, the sequence of taking out Falcone's men one by one? Or crashing in on the Scarecrow? Remember in The Dark Knight how he managed to smuggle a money launderer our of Hong Kong? Or managed to subdue an entire SWAT team before they mistakenly killed a bunch of hostages while taking out numerous armed criminals? Or flipping the semi truck? There's none of that here. Batman's grand entrance consists of a bunch of people getting all excited watching a guy ride a motorcycle. Oh sure he punches a guy or two and o hai! Flying Bat vehicle. But none of this accomplishes anything. These things are just there to be there without any of the jaw-dropping set pieces. But wait, Batman's not done yet! He also...punches a bunch of guys. Lots and lots of guys, in an open space, who don't realize they have guns, or how to attack more than one at a time. Exciting. And how about that fantastic fight midway through the film against Bane, where Batman turns into a full out brawler who suddenly forgot about all the equipment he's shown off the past two films.

And this is supposed to be the better half of the film.

From there the plot is finally unveiled to us and everyone goes full retard. See, the League of Shadows wants to get revenge on Bruce Wayne for his destruction of their base and killing of Ra's, as well as to fulfill Ra's legacy to cripple Gotham. To do so they do things such as seduce and comfort Bruce during his time of need and take months to set off an explosive which could wipe out Gotham instead of blowing the thing and being done with it. To stop this nefarious plot the police send their entire force into a sewer system where they suspect Bane is hidden, with predictable results. Then, to complete his embarrassment of the police, Bane reads a letter from Commissioner Gordon detailing the truth about Harvey Dent and Gordon's lie about Batman's supposed murder of him...and people just believe Bane. But do the trapped police forces die? Nah, of course not. Over the following months Bane's forces keep them well-fed, despite all intention to just blow the city up. Do I really need to explain the problems with all this? So the film takes a turn and focuses on good cop Blake and his stay in a broken city, trying to restore order without any success to speak of. His story is a long wait for no payoff. Meanwhile, we spend another 45 minutes of film without any Batman where he must slowly build himself to recover and don the cowl. Again. For the second time in this film alone.

Then when Batman makes his (second) triumphant return? He appears back in the city. Which is locked down under threat of extreme violence. From the other side of the world. When he has no money or equipment. With no explanation. There's big, epic fights, (obvious) plot twists (Talia al Ghul?! no wai) and a great, climactic battle in which weaponless cops (apparently all lost in the sewers)take on vastly superior numbers of criminals armed with automatic weapons in a gigantic...fist brawl? In which Bane's plot is resolved out of nowhere. In which the true villain dies in terribly acted fashion moments after being formally introduced. And in which Batman can escape a nuclear blast in five seconds and Gotham has never heard the words "nuclear fallout" used together.

But it's ok. In the end it all works out. Bruce runs away with Catwoman, having given up the cowl for good (ironically when the city might need Batman most, considering the state of chaos it happens to be in and all the escaped criminals which happen to be free, not to mention repealed Harvey Dent Act releasing all mobsters back into the world and thus negating everything he accomplished in the first two films) and nobody recognizes the famous billionaire playboy who drunkenly burned down his home, lost all his money and mysteriously died at the same time as Batman. Meanwhile good cop Blake (real name: Robin) takes on the cowl...without any of the training. After having not accomplished a single thing of note during the entirety of this nearly three hour epic film.

When everything's said and done, this does not feel like a part of anything. It uses familiar names and faces, but they don't line up with anything we've ever known, they don't act in any logical manner, the film follows no rules of the series or reality, and it follows none of the established themes. It's as if the writer never read the comics or understood the happenings of the previous film. Remember that chilling moment when Joker said, "I think you and I are destined to do this forever," and you just had to wonder when he might escape and who the next villain might be to show their face? There was an understanding there about the characters and franchise which went completely unrecognized in this story and the movie collapses in on itself because of it.

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First of all Tom Hardy's performance as Bane is just magnificent as well as his meanacing voice. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman was actually pretty sexy and Batman is just a badass plain and simple. I'm a little sad to see the trilogy end...so I would like to thank Mr. Nolan for reviving the Batman series after that Batman and Robin crap. I highly recommend getting this movie, I personally think its a little better than the Avengers(Despite it making 1.5 billion dollars).

2007-2008 NBA Champions - Boston Celtics (2008)

Having suffered through 22 years of decline and mediocrity since the last time the Celtics were in the NBA Finals, no one could have been happier than me when I heard a DVD of the championship season was going to be released.

The best things about the DVD are the extras. You get to see the final QUARTERS of the Semi-Finals against the Cavs and Conference Finals against the Pistons. You are also treated to the interview between Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell, like two eras in the same room together. There are a couple of other small extras, but nothing noteworthy.

The rest of the DVD is a 60 minute recap of the 2008 season and playoff run. It flows nicely and it has a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff as well. By that, I mean you hear some huddle conversation, post game locker room chatter and the like. But it's nothing special. I did enjoy the snippet that Doc Rivers explains the term "umbuntu", which becomes the Celtics' mantra for the season.

But, for $17, I would have hoped for a little more, especially when it comes to the playoffs. I would have liked to see a lot more of the historic comeback in Game 4 against the Lakers. I would have liked to see some highlights from the All-Star game, which the Big Three all attended.

If you sre a Celtics fan, it is a nice video for posterity. And there isn't anything BAD about it. But I think for the money, the fans deserve a little more than what we get. Like I said, it moves along nicely. But it really doesn't seem like anything special.

Should you buy it? It's your call.

First of all, ignore the back of the DVD, as the main program runs a full 77 minutes, not 60. When this first came out, I was very hesitant due to the short running time (which I thought was only 60) and rather steep price. However, finding it now for a good price and watching how good the main program is, and how long and fulfiling it is, this is well worth the cash. That's not even to mention all the loads of extras this one disc comes with.

You get the "I Am A Celtic" documentary, which features excellent interviews with Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, and John Havlicek. It features a lot of clips that are in the main program, but also comes with a lot of stuff I'd never seen before, including the "race" Doc had at one practice, where he made everyone who lost to him in a sprint take an extra round of practice. He cheated and got a head start and I had only read about this in an article when it happened, and it was nice to see the video behind it. Both this documentary and the main show contain a lot of humorous and insightful looks into practice, the preseason, and behind the scenes with the coaches and players. Having seen the entire year unfold on TV, these not on television moments made for a very entertaining watch.

You also get two full 4th quarters from Game 7 of the Cleveland series, and Game 6 of the Detroit series. Very welcomed extras and nice to see this historic quarters in their entirety. We will certainly get the entire Lakers series when the full Celtics box set comes out, so there's no need to complain about not getting them now. We already get what I feel is a great compliment of features for this price. There are also 7 other bonus features which include features on Ray Allen, Bill Russell and KG, Paul Pierce, and Danny Ainge.

Back to the main show, where we get about 18 minutes of preseason and regular season coverage, then onto the Eastern Conference playoffs for a good 25 minutes, until the 43 minute mark, and then a full half hour of the Lakers/Celtics Finals. While they didn't dwell too deeply on any one game, it was a well balanced showing of the highlights. The credits then roll with some humorous and candid moments of the team, ending the program at the 77 minute mark.

I think it was good that I waited nearly 2 months to pick this DVD up, as watching it in the weeks after the win, when the DVD first came out, may have been too premature, and not as impactful as seeing it now, after going a long time without a good Celtics fill. I did seem to have a problem with the narrator at first, as he seemed kind of dull. However, as it got deeper and deeper into the show, he seems to grow on you, and to the point where he fits in nicely and his delivery and flow is perfect.

An excellent all around DVD, and in my opinion, well worth it to any Celtics fan. It's one for the collection, and will be a compliment to the box set due out in November.

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So glad I found this.. DVD is cheap, delivery was prompt and I loved re-living the 2008 championships! Though I wish they showed a little more of the actual game footage I do love the whole part with the "mobutu" chant and coming together as a team. Also I wish it was longer!! A must see for Celtics fans, I enjoyed watching and am definitely glad I bought it considering how cheap it was.

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Arrived promptly! Great price, great product! Awesome DVD! Still get goose pumps watching it!

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This is a pretty good DVD, although there's not that much of the Finals highlights. Fourth quarters of final two Eastern playoff rounds vs. Cavs and Pistons are included in bonus features. The bonus features are what makes the DVD better, since the main program isn't really that long. The DVD concentrates on The Big Three, but we get glimpses of old-time heroes in bonus features, though not as much as I like.

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The Rabbi's Cat (Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack)) (2011)

I offer a litmus test. If you adored Sylvain Chomet's "Triplets of Belleville" but were bored with "The Illusionist", this film won't work for you. Myself, I thought the colors and drawings were artistically incredible ... something like Arabic or Hindu painted miniatures. Alas, there really is not much of a story. It is instead a tale of a journey by a rabbi, his voluptuous daughter, an Arab sheikh, and a Russian who are searching for a hidden Jerusalem in Ethiopia where Blacks and Jews co-exist in peace. Along for the ride is the rabbi's "talking cat" a creature which loves arguing and commenting on everything when he's not being pampered by the rabbi's daughter. Since the rabbi is a religious man, they discuss differences in customs and spirituality and beliefs...and why that matters.

The half of the film that take place in Algiers, 1920 is simply stunning. Beautiful blue pools, Persian carpets, exotic buildings, and mosaic tiles. For that alone, I give it 4 stars. The discussions between the characters were engaging but they did become didactic after a while. One of the great moments is the decision by the cat to obtain a bar-mitzvah, and the objections of the orthodox community to such an insanity.

The major problem of the movie is lack of a coherent narrative. Perhaps that is life itself lack of a coherent narrative form speaks substance.

This is animation for adults...worth a peek!

Although released under the GKIDS label, I'm going to start out by saying that "The Rabbi's Cat" is not an animated feature for children. It is undeniably geared toward adults or, at least, teens with an awareness of the world around them. The film discusses religion, racism, and violence and is thought-provoking in a surprisingly comedic way. This feature won the César Award in France for Best Animated Film and is based on Joann Sfar's series of graphic novels. Truthfully, without knowing anything about the movie, I really didn't have a strong desire to see it. I imagined the worst when I read about a talking cat offering wit and insight into a myriad of weighty topics. But I'll watch anything, you never know where that next great surprise is going to come from! Well, for me, this was it! I absolutely loved "The Rabbi's Cat!" The movie is smart, silly, sophisticated, and scathing. There is much to admire in this 89 minute movie, and the DVD/Blu-Ray also boasts some impressive extras.

Bonus:

1) 12 page excerpt from the graphic novel. This is a neat addition, you see that the film catches both the spirit and the look of the piece to perfection.

2) Joann Star Draws From Memory: A documentary feature (just shy of an hour) that sits down with the artist and filmmaker. I didn't know anything about Sfar, but found him to be an interesting subject.

3) Making-of Featurette

4) Trailer

Also of note: Sometimes these GKIDS features or other International animated releases will have an English dub option (of which I'm not a particular fan). "The Rabbi's Cat" does not. This is a subtitled release.

"The Rabbi's Cat" is set in Algeria during the thirties. This environment is a varied mix between French, Arab, and Jewish cultures and there is an unease in this cohabitation. When a Rabbi's cat miraculously gains the power to speak to its owners, it offers humor and commentary about this diversity. His is a search for truth, for God, for faith, and for his place in the world. A surprise guest from Russia adds further depth to the discussion and soon leads the major characters on a pilgrimage across Africa to a rumored city inhabited by Jews. Much of "The Rabbi's Cat" plays out as a wacky road trip with very serious undertones. I won't reveal any spoilers, but the group encounters violence (and even bloodshed) along the way. The trip can meander, but it is in these cross cultural adventures that the film really sings with wit and insight.

In terms of the technical presentation, I really liked the fluid hand-drawn animation on display. It's quirky and oftentimes lovely to look at. But trust me, that's one ugly cat! In short, "The Rabbi's Cat," in my opinion, was thoroughly entertaining. Check it out as a seriously funny film for adults, though, do NOT pick it up for the little ones. KGHarris, 5/13.

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The Rabbi's Cat is a truly charming animated film. The story follows an elder Rabbi and his daughter living in the Sephardic Jewish community in pre-World War 2 Algeria. The eponymous cat develops the ability to speak upon devouring the Rabbi's prized Parrot and proceeds to cause no end of mischief for the family and the surrounding community.

For fans of the graphic novel by Sfar, the film stays absolutely loyal to the look, feel, and theme of the original. The film has cut some plot-lines and characters in order to fit within the standard length of a two hour movie, but this hurts the narrative much less than one might think.

The Rabbi's Cat is ultimately about identity, religion, and ethnicity and how the contradictions within those boundaries ultimately define us as people. The fim is targeted at adults with the religious and historical that are too complicated for younger children. Overall, a great film from beginning to end.

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This is a beautifully animated version of Joann Sfar's graphic novel series. The world is incredible rich, full of Jewish and African lore... both mythology and history. I would have liked the film to be longer the pace can be a little frantic, and they try to cram too much plot into a short running time. I wish the Odyssey of Africa towards the end had been done as a stand-alone sequel. Oh well, it looks good and it has got more heart and imagination than most movies. And I guess it reflects how the images and creative ideas just seem to POUR out of the mind of Joann Sfar.

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The French have a well deserved reputation for off-beat works of genius and this is one here. I will not say a word about the extraordinary plot but the typical close-to-the-nerve Jewish humour is hilarious. The animation and music is exceptional. I loved it! Treat yourself. The English subtitles move a bit fast if you do not speak French and they are a bit on the small side but I found that no impediment to a wonderful night at the movies.

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My Way (2011)

South Koreans have a way with film. In the last decade, they've had a particularly good run at presenting war stories, some from the World War II era and many others exploring the Korean War. I've had the good fortune of seeing several of them each one perhaps a bit better than the last and now I can add MY WAY to the burgeoning list of accomplishments. It's a big budget critical success that opens your eyes to the plight of people who find themselves equally at odds with themselves as they do the greater world around them.

At a time when Japan ruled a smaller Korea, Kim Jung-shik (played by Jang Dong-Gun) and Japanese aristocrat Tatsuo Hasegawa (Joe Odagiri) find themselves as bitter young rivals to the upcoming Olympics. When Kim and his fellow residents rebel against the Japanese authorities after stripping the young man of a chance to represent his country, they're all conscripted into the Japanese army. Their fates collide again as Kim's regiment is assigned to Tatsuo, now serving his country as an officer. When both are seized by the Soviets in a bloody battle, they'll slowly learn to trust one another again until they're separated by the invading German army. Eventually, they're reunited at Normandy Beach, only days before the fateful invasion of the Allied Forces, when destinies collide in this epic story of survival.

And it is a truly epic film. MY WAY features some powerful performances by all of the principles as well as some fantastic filmmaking at work on all levels. Director Je-kyu Kang has produced a masterpiece that explores personal conviction and redemption against the backdrop of the international stage. War is arguably the most horrific form of conflict to explore stories of one's humanity, but the script (which he co-wrote with Byung-in Kim) gives everyone here the chance to explore who they are as individuals as well as members of a greater society. Kim and Tatsuo end up drivers of their own cruel fates as they are victims of their time, always conscripted to serve some greater enemy. Where others sell out their souls in order to secure momentary freedom, these two men remain tied to their own convictions big or small, right or wrong and they suffer the consequences of their own prejudices. However, along the way, they manage to retain as much of their dignity as the circumstances allow, and they prove once again that even in the darkest of times there is some goodness to be found in the unlikeliest of friendships.

As for the completed product? The cinematography is breathtaking, at times, and heart-breaking at others. It's the kind of visual mix reserved for blockbuster films, of which MY WAY definitely deserves to sit side by side. The director clearly went to great lengths to capture these various terrains the stark beauty of open fields, the harsh claustrophia of the Russian winters, the majestic swells on the beaches of Normandy and adapt them to the message of each sequence, and it all looks solid and impactful. The musical score is equally impressive though perhaps a bit derivative at times.

MY WAY was produced by Directors, SK Planet, and CJ Entertainment. DVD distribution is being handled through Well Go USA. The disc looks and sounds exceptional the picture is stunningly crisp, and the audio is a terrific mix for both the big and the smaller elements. As is often the case with some of these foreign releases finding distribution in the US, there aren't tons and tons of special features, but, thankfully, MY WAY has a solid few: there's a `making of' featurette along with some behind-the-scenes material, cast interviews, and a director interview. Also, there's an English-dubbed track which I found helpful given the fact that there are sequences of some rapid-fire dialogue that just doesn't give this ol' pair of eyes enough time to read all of it. It clocks in at an impressive 143 minutes, but you wouldn't know it; it never felt overlong or overwrought in the slightest, as the focus retains a personal edge throughout.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. MY WAY continues to string of terrific war-related films out of Korea. Culturally, their artists have latched on to a winning, compelling formula of delivering tales of great conflict alongside some tragic and triumphant personal narratives. Granted, there were a few sequences one tinged with fairly predictable character-based humor that `cheapened' a few moments, but they're very, very small (and completely forgivable) when compared to the epic scope of the picture. MY WAY walks that line with excellent balance it's as frightening as it is inspiring and it's easy to see why the NYC Movie Guru dubbed it the "most powerful war film since SAVING PRIVATE RYAN."

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the good folks at Well Go USA provided me with a DVD screener copy of MY WAY by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

Riveting. Brutal. Epic. All of the above. Director Kang Je-gyu sure knows how to make films that are heartbreaking. Based on the true story of an Asian man found on the beaches at Normandy during World War II, somehow the main character ends up being forced to fight for the Japanese, the Russians, and the Germans over the course of the film. There are at least five different languages spoken in this film: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and German. And then the credits roll with a wonderful song from Italy's own Andrea Bocelli. Truly a multinational picture. Contains amazing scenery and a jaw-dropping, climactic recreation of the Normandy invasion. Just don't watch it if you're squeamish. Very, very graphic in places. But so powerful.

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A epic production about two friends who grow up together ,but a horrible tragedy while they were young tore them apart, the acting in this film was very compelling ,the meat of the film is the spectacular war scenes , very realistic and harsh, there are few similarities with this film and the film "the brotherhood of war" which came a few years prior to this one ,both films told a very human story around the brutal reality of war.A likeable movie but very long.

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This is the sort of film the word `epic' was coined for. It is a Korean World War II film that takes in China, Russia and Europe as its scenes for some really well done battles. It is based on `true events', and I suspected a lot of licence has been taken but have since found out that this is based on the life of a Korean captured by the Americans on D Day in a Wermacht uniform Yang Kyougjong.

The film is the story of two men Jun-Shik (Dong-gun Jang `Brotherhood') and Tassuo (jo Odagiri `Shinobi'), the former is Korean and the latter Japanese. They are both keen runners and an early rivalry starts between them as children when Tatsuo's family move to the now conquered Korea to bring the Imperial Army jackboot down on the populace. An enmity soon grows between the two which is worsened by Japans decision to not allow Koreans to do the try outs for the Olympics.

As a result of the ensuing unrest many Koreans and press ganged or sentenced to fight in the Imperial Army, this happens to Jun-Shik and many of his friends, they are sent to China to further the war that has been raging there since 1937. They have to face Russian tanks with swords drawn and strap bombs to themselves as suicide attacks and it all kicks off. Hopelessly out numbered and out gunned they are taken prisoners of the Russians. This now begins the story of bitter struggle in the camps and the ensuing journey across Europe. To say any more would be a plot spoiler, but having said that there is rather a lot of plot so please don't think I have revealed too much already.

There are some great battle scenes and the action is all excellent as is the period detail and the languages are all authentic too, including Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, German and English; so this is obviously sub titled. There is rather a lot of CGI and it is all on the above average side, but considering the scope and ambition of this film, they could not have done it any other way.

This is from `Brotherhood' director Kang Je Kyu who has taken seven years off but made this in ten months, I just hope he doesn't need such a break this time. For location fans this was actually shot in Latvia, but I did not feel this lacked authenticity. Whilst this is unashamedly emotional as most Korean cinema is, it is still brimming with action and no on screen time is wasted, it is an edge of seat marathon with a run time of 2 hours and eighteen minutes, you get a 40 minute `making of' as an extra too. If you are a fan of the ever growing catalogue of Korean action films, then this is one you will want to add to your collection unmissable.

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Magnificent. Overpowering. A true masterpiece. "My Way" is, in my view, one of the best movies about war ever, one that you will feel and live. Well Go USA brings us again another piece of Korean-Japanese history that desperately needed to be told, and it looks outstanding in its Blu-ray edition.

Helmed by Kang Je-Kyu, who was also responsible for "Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War" (2004), the film takes us to Korea, during the Japanese occupation of that country. We immediately meet Jung-shik Kim (Dong-gun Jang), whose father works for a high-ranked Japanese army officer, as well as Tatsuo Hasegawa (Jo Odagiri), grandchild of this officer, who comes to visit. Both Jung-shik and Tatsuo are very young, and they are excellent runners. Unfortunately, a tragedy happens which separates the families, and they never develop a friendship while growing up together. In addition, at the time, some, if not most, Japanese looked at Koreans as low-class people. Once they become adults the year is 1938 --, Tatsuo, who is wealthy, is due to go to medical school (against his will; instead, he wants to become an army officer) and Jung-shik, who is poor, becomes a rickshaw driver. Tatsuo, too, is running at the Olympic Games, representing Korea, which infuriates the Korean population. As a result, Tatsuo and Jung-shik have to compete for the Olympic trials, with Jung-shik winning, but being cheated by government officials who wanted Tatsuo at any cost. But fate intervenes and Japan goes to war, with the Koreans forced to join the Japanese army as "Imperial soldiers." As expected, both Jung-shik and Tatsuo go to war, and their paths will be crossing over and over for the next years, leading us to a surprising, dramatic end.

"My Way" is a story about redemption under the worst circumstances, and the battle scenes are as realistic as they can get, with amazing cinematography by Mo-Gae Lee and production design by Geun-hyun Cho. This is one grandiose production, also ignored by Hollywood. The Blu-ray includes a making-of feature, interviews with the director and Dong-gun Jang, and more. (South Korea, 2011, 143 min plus additional materials).

Reviewed on July 30, 2012 by Eric Gonzales for Well Go USA Blu-ray.

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Struck by Lightning (2012)

A coming-of-age movie for all ages, Struck by Lightning is filled with dry humor and a message for anyone who watches it. Carson Phillips makes for a dynamic, morally ambiguous main character whose story strikes as realistic, emotional, and ultimately uplifting for a boy caught in a small town with little hope of escape. The supporting characters are just as fascinating, from Rebel Wilson's portrayal of Malerie, the high school student who records everything on tape, to Allison Janney's heartbreaking rendition of a struggling single mother trying to cope with depression and anxiety while raising her son. Heartfelt and filled with intertwining storylines that combine to a greater picture that is far larger than the sum of its parts, Struck by Lightning is the perfect film for anyone who has ever felt a little ostracized, a little hopeless, a little too small for their dreams.

I've been waiting... I don't even know how long anymore to see this movie, and I'm so glad I finally have been able to see it. Chris Colfer did a flawless job, and I highly suggest you watch this movie. Right now. Click rent. You won't regret it, I promise.

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This movie was written by and stars Chris Colfer, best known as Kurt from "Glee." It is an absorbing study of an overachiever and how whether or not you want it to the way we live our life, our choices, our decisions and our drive effect the others around us in both positive and negative ways. The acting in this movie is stellar, filled with both present and future stars (Rebel Wilson for one, filmed a year before she exploded) and the writing keeps you engaged from the first (literally shocking) first minutes until the end of the movie. I highly recommend this movie, for the smiles and for the moments that make you wince and for the way it makes you feel when it is over. Overachievers they rock.

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Chris Colfer from TV's "Glee" is certainly making the most of his fame by expanding his resume as an author and a screenwriter, and I have to admire this tenacity and ambition. As "Glee" winds down, the entire cast should be thinking about future career moves! Colfer has become something of role model in recent years. As an openly homosexual character on a popular television program, he has a platform that reaches millions of kids struggling with identity and/or bullying. With this work, he has twice been nominated for an EMMY and even won a Golden Globe award. "Struck by Lightning" is an adaptation of Colfer's popular teen novel, and its screenplay was penned by Colfer as well. Director Brian Dannelly has assembled an extremely immense and TV friendly cast for this production and it's fun to see just who might pop up next. Some of the notable actors in the ensemble include Allison Janney, Dermot Mulroney, Rebel Wilson, Polly Bergin, Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), Ashley Rickards (Awkward), Angela Kinsey (The Office), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Allie Grant (Suburgatory and Weeds), Graham Rogers (Revolution), Brad William Henke, and Ken Marino.

The film tells the story of Carson Phillips (Colfer), who in the opening sequence is quite literally struck by lightning. Through a series of flashbacks and a reflective voice over narration, Phillips recounts the days leading up to this event. While he deals with an unstable mother (Janney) and a father (Mulroney) who seems to be moving on, he throws himself into making a better life for himself through education. As the editor of the school paper, he is plagued by an unsupportive staff and an apathetic administration. His college dreams may be off track unless he can come up with a noticeable project to pad his application. Creating a literary magazine, he and his trusted sidekick (a remarkably restrained and quite good Rebel Wilson) use any means necessary to ensure the cooperation of all of the school's most influential students. Meant to be a comic romp, the movie degenerates into a rather mean spirited adventure that actually seems to support reverse bullying. As long as it isn't done by popular kids, does that make it defensible?

There are plenty of things to like about "Struck by Lightning." First of all, the cast is first rate. And the film has its amusing moments. Ultimately, though, Colfer's character is not someone that you can really root for and admire. He's not a lovable underdog, he's a judgmental bully. He's smarter than everyone else in the movie, quick to condescend and make fun. As such, he never elicited even one moment of sympathy from me. I know that's the point and that there are life lessons to be learned by all. You can make a terrific black comedy that is merciless (Heathers comes to mind), but "Struck by Lightning" seems to want to have it both ways. As Colfer bullies everyone and blackmails them to his own reward, the movie embraces a meanness that is a perfectly acceptable choice. But the movie also wants to have its share of "warm and fuzzies." After terrorizing everyone in his life, we're also supposed to embrace a positive message from the hero? "Struck by Lightning" isn't a bad movie, by any stretch, it just sends a few mixed messages and one of them seems to support bullying as long as it's done by the right people for the right motives. KGHarris, 5/13.

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I've been reading all these reviews on amazon about SBL (bad life choice I know) and so many people are missing the point of the movie. They're trapped in this idea that somehow we're supposed to love Carson and want him to succeed for nothing more than the fact that he's a creation of Chris Colfer and we should want him to get what he wants in life but it's so much more than that they seem to be missing the major underlying message of the movie itself which, to me, is incredibly disappointing.

Struck By Lightning isn't supposed to be some kid-movie where you see the backyard boy succeed and go to the college of his dreams no matter what obstacles he faces. We're not supposed to sit there and adore Carson in spite of the fact that he's kind of a jerk (in fact, most people I know adore him because he's kind of a jerk and doesn't give a crap what people think about him).

It's supposed to be a movie about dreams. Some of the major quotes in the film are centred around this idea: 'A life without meaning, without drive, without focus, without goals or dreals isn't a life worth living', and `In what grade do we stop believing in ourselves'? It's not about giving up everything for your dreams, I don't think, or the essence of blackmail to get what you want.

What Carson realises at the end of the film isn't that he's happy because his dreams are coming true or because he's made an effort. He's happy because he's realised all the amazing things he's done in his short life; he may not have gotten into the college of his dreams or gotten everything he wanted, but he did something amazing. He had lived his life up to that point dwelling on himself, his self-pity and waiting every day for his life to begin. By doing so he had completely ignored all his personal successes, the things he had accomplished and the good, joyful things in his life.

SBL isn't supposed to be some indie comedy about a kid who's dreams all come true. It's a movie about finding your dreams, finding yourself, and realising that, okay, not everything is perfect but you've accomplished something fantastic and amazing in your time on earth, even if, at first, it doesn't seem as fantastic.

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Thats It Thats All DVD & Blu-ray Combo Pack (2008)

Easily the very best snowboard movie produced to date. A mix between "Planet Earth" and the most insane snowboarding I think ever recorded, this really is something to see, whether you like snowboarding or not.

Because I want more. I gave up snowboarding, but like anyone who ever spent there winters obsessed with tearing up the snow, my heart never left the mountain. It is movies like this that both remind me of the awesome talent of todays riders, and the passion shared by all who store a part of there heart on the mountain side. This movie cinematically, sonically, and physically brings me back. Its that good.

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Don't let the reviews on this deter you. This is a good snowboarding movie. Excellent sound track and some great scenes. It's not the movies fault that these retards can't make it work on their PS3...got it to work on mine.

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My six year old and I watch this before every trip up the mountain and usually once during the week. It is epic on all fronts.

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The best snowboard film out there. The only thing comparable is Brain Farm's other film, the Art of Flight. Not only are the riders top notch, the cinematography is unsurpassed. Watch this thing in Blu-Ray and it's almost like you're there. I can't wait for their next production.

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St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

The mid-80's was about conservatism, Reaganomics, Miami Vice and a time where people were not fully aware about AIDS and were thinking more about working together to bring food to Africa. This was the sign of the times and for director Joel Schumacher ("The Lost Boys", "Flatliners", "Batman Forever", "8MM", etc.), while he was working on his second film "D.C. Cab", during a short stay at Georgetown, he observed graduating college students at Georgetown University and wondered how miserable some of them maybe, of having to graduate but now become adults.

It was right there and then that Schumacher wanted to make a film based on these type of college graduates who face problems of transitioning to adulthood. In order to capture the life of a young adults graduating college, Schumacher tapped into recent college graduate, Karl Kurlander ("Saved by the Bell: The New Class" and "Malibu, CA") and together they began working on "St. Elmo's Fire". Schumacher had renowned musician and producer David Foster (who wrote major hit songs for "Karate Kid, Part II", "Sleepless in Seattle", "The Bodyguard", etc.) working on his first film as a composer and cinematographer Stephn H. Burm ("The Untouchables", "Snake Eyes", "Mystery Men", etc.).

But what the film would be known for is the cast in which David Blum of New Yorker Magazine would dub as "The Brat Pack", a title that would be synonymous with Hollywood's popular young talents: Emilio Estevez ("Breakfast Club", "The Mighty Ducks" films and "Young Guns" films), Rob Lowe ("The West Wing", "Brothers & Sisters", "About Last Night...", etc.), Andrew McCarthy ("Lipstick Jungle", "Weekend at Bernies" and "The Joy Luck Club"), Demi Moore ("Indecent Proposal", "G.I. Jane", "Ghost", etc.), Judd Nelson ("Breakfast Club", "Airheads", "Suddenly Susan", etc.), Ally Sheedy ("Kyle XY", "The Breakfast Club", "Oxford Blues", "WarGames", etc.) and Mare Winningham ("Clubhouse", "Grey's Anatomy", "Wyatt Earp", etc.).

The film revolves around seven college graduates of Georgetown University who are starting off on their own careers or trying to find a job.

Kirby Keger (Emilio Estevez) Studying to become a lawyer and works as a waiter at St. Elmo's Bar. He is obsessed with Dale Biberman (Andie McDowell) and will do what it takes to go out on a date with her or to at least be acknowledged by her.

Billy Hicks (Rob Lowe) A father who is trying to find ways to support his girlfriend and child. But at the same time, he's a playboy that likes to have fun, likes to drink and be with many women. He tries to have a fling with the group's virgin Wendy Beamish (Mare Winningham). A musician who plays the saxophone, he is unable to hold onto a job and is looked as a hero at his college (because of his ability to find drugs and sell them to the students). Tends to think with his penis than his head most of the time.

Kevin Dolenz (Andrew McCarthy) Lives with Kirby, a writer, always smoking and the quiet one of the group. Tend to be seen as a homosexual because he doesn't go after women publicly and even looked by his own friends as possibly a gay man who hasn't come out of the closet. Kevin is in love with someone but isn't telling. His friend Jules thinks Kevin is in love with Alec.

Jules (Demi Moore) The socialite sporting the latest fashions and always partying. The carefree friend but behind-the-scenes, things are not as rosy with her life as it would it seem.

Alec Newbary (Judd Nelson) The future politician who ran the Young Democrats in college and now works for a Republican. Dates Leslie and wants her to marry him in order for him to end his desires of sleeping with other women. The friend that others looked up to for leadership.

Leslie Hunter (Ally Sheedy) The architect who is dating Alec. The friend that is level headed but is not sure she wants to get married just yet and wants to establish her own career.

Wendy Beamish (Mare Winningham) The wealthy daughter and the virgin. She is attracted to Billy but gets upset when he keeps asking her if she's still a virgin. Her father pressures her on how to live her life and that she should marry a guy from a wealthy family for the purpose of a family/business transaction.

The film focuses on these seven friends and how they thought that after graduating college, their friendship would continue to be strong and they would be together. But all learn that as they grow older and focus on their careers, their life as a group and as friends will start to change.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"St. Elmo's Fire" gets its HD treatment via 1080p High Definition. For the most part, the positive is that the film looks much better than many 80's films that tend to receive a lot of DNR and overall look too soft and are devoid of colors. With "St. Elmo's Fire", there are lot of colors and scenes such as Jules pink and red apartment that look vibrant but at the same time, there was some banding that can be seen prominently in Jules apartment (towards the end of the film when Billy is talking to her) and some darker scenes with light emitting. Granted, if you are sitting far from your television, this won't be as noticeable. In fact, I didn't catch these until I rewatched certain scenes during my testing and saw the artifacts when I was 3-4 ft. away. But for the most part, the picture quality was satisfactory, considering this film didn't have much of a budget.

As for audio, the film is featured in English, French and Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital) and the film is primarily a dialogue driven film. Dialogue is understandable and clear. And of course, David Foster's "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" and the other 80's music featured on the soundtrack comes alive during the film. There are some scenes especially at the bar that utilize the ambiance of a crowded room and is heard through the surrounds but for the most part, this film is driven by its characters and its soundtrack.

As for subtitles, English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese are included.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

St. Elmo's Fire comes with the following special features:

* Commentary with Director Joel Schumacher The commentary by Joel Schumacher at the most part is quite informative and sets up the scenes, working with talent and for the most part, Schumacher really goes in depth about the film and the people he worked with on the making of the film. A lot of the commentary is similar to what he discusses in the "Joel Schumacher Remembers St. Elmo's Fire" featurette.

* Joel Schumacher Remembers St. Elmo's Fire (14:21) The following is a Blu-ray exclusive and director Joel Schumacher talks about how the talents were cast for their roles, how the term "brat pack" started, how no studios wanted to do the film and despite the negative critic reviews, the audiences were very supportive of the film. Overall, a wonderful retrospective by Joel Schumacher. If anything, the discussion of how the talents were cast for the film, especially Demi Moore was quite interesting. Also, his disdain towards the term "brat pack".

* Original Making of Featurette (8:43) A featurette from 1985 featuring interviews with the talents and how Rob Lowe had to learn how to play the saxophone in a short amount of time for this film and interview with director Joel Schumacher.

* Music Video: John Parr "Man in Motion" (4:21) The original music video in standard definition of "Man in Motion" featuring John Parr (and the talent from "St. Elmo's Fire").

* Deleted Scenes (15:41) An exclusive for the Blu-ray release (and in standard definition with scratches and dust galore), this section features 12 deleted scenes which include: Too Young, a New Car, How About Lunch, There is No Billy the Kid, The Woman in the Fur Coat, Someone Tell Me What Happened, I'm a Loser, Secret Obsession, Just Pick a Date, A Very Well Dressed Fool, Where is the Defroster and That's My Dad. Although some deleted scenes are quite short, there are a few scenes that get into the relationship of Wendy and her father who is trying to dictate of how she should live her life.

* BD-Live This blu-ray is BD-Live enabled.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"St. Elmo's Fire" was a film not exactly well respected by critics when it first came out. But the film was part of a string of "Brat Pack" related films that would star these talents along with Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall and would define high school and young adult films in the 1980's.

The film was not well-respected because of the times. These were young adults that were quite liberal during a conservative era and most of them were not being shown in the positive light. These young adults were not perfect and they had their own personal flaws that critics saw as vane and shallow but for audiences, they saw something quite different.

For me, to have all these talents together in one film was just awesome. Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson were just awesome in "Breakfast Club", Rob Lowe in "Oxford Blues", Emilio Estevez in "Repo Man" and "The Outsiders", Mare Winningham appeared on many shows including afterschool specials and Demi Moore was a popular soap star on "General Hospital" years earlier. And of course, for Andrew McCarthy and Andie McDowell, this film would also help put ignite their careers.

And in the 80's, who could not love David Foster's "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" or John Parr's "Man in Motion". These were overplayed on the radio and MTV that "St. Elmo's Fire" was literally ingrained into pop culture. And of course, the term "Brat Pack" (as many of them despised the name), for audiences... being part of that group was just the epitome of "cool".

Watching this film nearly 25 years later, it's hard to believe that so much time has passed and how different high school and young adult films are today. Director Joel Schumacher said that he wanted to create a film with young talent but make it an "A film". These issues that the seven go through, this stress and anguish of starting a career and also suffering setbacks after graduation is real. Not everyone who graduates college, is able to have a successful life, and this even rings true so much now especially during our poor economy.

For the Blu-ray release, it's great to watch this film on High Definition but it's also great to have the Blu-ray exclusive features with Joel Schumacher remembering St. Elmo's Fire and seeing the deleted scenes for the first time. Although this film is not called a "25th Anniversary" edition of the film, it's pretty close. The only thing one could hope for is a reunion of these talents to discuss the film or even if it was a few of them, to interview them today about "St. Elmo's Fire" (note: For the Blu-ray release of the 1986 film "About Last Night...", the director and Rob Lowe are brought back 23 years later to discuss their experiences on the film).

Nevertheless, I have more appreciation of "St. Elmo's Fire" as an adult compared to when I was a teenager in high school and catching the film on HBO. I can now understand the wide range of emotions that these characters are going through after graduating from college. Granted, some situations are a bit extreme but the feelings of friendship drifting part are so real.

I also realized of how well this group of talent worked together and found the group to be well-cast. This "Brat Pack" or individual talents went on to become big stars on their own but even back in 1985, it was still a remarkable feat. to have each of these seven individuals together in one film. It's not something that can be easily duplicated today, especially knowing that this film was created on a tight budget and short schedule.

I would imagine that "St. Elmo's Fire" is one of those films that people who grew up during that time will gravitate to, partly for nostalgia reasons. But watching it nearly 25-years-later, outside of nostalgia, I found that watching this film much more enjoyable now and quite entertaining! For 80's film fans or "Brat Pack" film fans, "St. Elmo's Fire" is definitely worth picking up on Blu-ray!

A forerunner to Friends and a Brat Pack movie with the most...Brat Packers, St. Elmo's Fire was a romantic comedy that bowed out to theatres in 1985. Seven of the eight stars were in the enviable "Brat Pack" group, young and precocious actors and actresses that were considered the best of the best of their generation. While St. Elmo's Fire is often considered a mellow and almost overblown teen romcom by the starchiest of critics, it's a favorite of many 1980s film lovers.

Summary in 13 words:

Seven college graduates try and struggle with real life, some succeed, some don't.

DVD Details

2.35 Anamorphic Widescreen

5.1 Dolby Digital Surround (English),

2.0 Dolby Surround (Director's Commentary)

English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai, Korean Subtitles

Release Date: 1999

Single-Sided Single-Layered Disc

Suggested Retail Price: $14.99

Black Amaray Keepcase

Video and Audio

The video is remarkably clean. The film was issued in the early years of DVD, when most transfers looked more like cable TV quality, but the video here is exceptional. Presented in its original widescreen is always a good thing, and the print quality is great. The colors are vibrant and accurate, and there's little to no grain or dust. One minor complaint would be the main titles, in its unsettling red font, but other than that, the video is great.

Audio is offered in English, but the subtitles are in so many languages that if you wanted, you could learn Chinese by reading the film enough times. It's pretty balanced in terms of dialogue vs. background noise/music.

Bonus Features

A commentary by Joel Schumacher is one of the many audio tracks given on this disc. He does a pretty good job talking about making the movie, including various tidbits about the actors and the story (which he wrote). The guy's pretty good with a microphone. If only he could have done a commentary for his film The Phantom of the Opera in 2004.

A faded and dirt-filled 8-minute EPK about the making of the film is also presented, made at the time the film came out. It has quick interviews with the cast and director, with a narrator talking during much of the behind the scenes footage. Is it an exhaustive documentary? No. Is it a useless 8 minutes of your life taken away? No. It's pretty rewatchable, though a longer more substantial featurette would be welcoming.

"Man in Motion" is the music video that uses the St. Elmo's Fire theme with lyrics. It's got a real 80s look to it, and features most of the cast as well as video clips from the film.

There are four trailers: St. Elmo's Fire, About Last Night, Groundhog Day, and Jerry Maguire. The trailers for St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night are not the best video-quality-wise, while Jerry Maguire is not the best movie-quality-wise. Groundhog Day is okay for what it is.

There are also cast/director biographies and filmographies up until 2000.

Closing Thoughts

Perhaps the second best brat pack movie of the 80s (The Breakfast Club, of course, is THE best), St. Elmo's Fire is a wonderful "coming-of-age...now what?" kind of film that is best enjoyed in the company of your closest friends.

Buy St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Now

I saw this movie when I was in college with a group of friends. It tells of the struggles of college life and trying to make it out alive in different ways. Sadly, one of our friends of the group could not handle life and chose a permanant way out. The music from this movie was played at his furneral. These characters do gone on and make it in different ways and when you watch this don't over look the point that no matter what life throws at you, things will work out. 15 years have gone by and this film will forever effect my/our lives.

Read Best Reviews of St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Here

St. Elmo's Fire is a coming-of-age movie that will have a certain nostalgic appeal to anyone who was a teenager or a 20-something in the mid-1980s. It will be of limited interest to anyone else, unless you are excessively interested in the pop culture of that era.

The main characters of St. Elmo's Fire are seven recent college graduates who are beginning their professional lives. As other reviewers have noted, these people aren't credible as an ensemble of friends---nor are they particularly believable on their own merits. Somewhere in this mess is a story about the transition from adolescence to adulthood; but the inconsistent characters and disjointed plotlines distract the viewer from the larger themes.

To cite just one example: Emilio Estevez's character, Kirby, develops a severe infatuation with an older woman. He acts out his obsession in ways that would disturb anyone, even threatening the woman's roommate at one point. But the woman who is the object of his desires seems to regard these antics as vaguely cute. People were not quite as sensitive about stalking and sexual harassment in the 1980s as they are today; but this behavior would have been over the top even then. No woman would have tolerated this, much less found it endearing.

Demi Moore's character, Jules, is a compulsive liar who becomes addicted to cocaine. No adequate explanation is ever given for her behavior. Throughout the movie, she moves from one unexplained crisis to the next. Nor does the partial resolution of her conflicts at the end of the movie make any sense.

I watched this DVD with high expectations. I was a teenager in 1985; and I remember that this movie was heavily hyped at the time. But after spending 108 minutes on St. Elmo's Fire, I could not help thinking that I might have gone another 22 years without this experience---and been no worse off.

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This is one of the "defining" movies of the 1980's. And with good reason. First it had almost every major 80's young star in it. If they had squeezed Molly Ringwald in there somewhere, it would have been required viewing for 80's historians.

Imagine graduating from college and then suddenly everything you have prepared for falls away, leaving you hanging onto nothing. That is St. Elmo's fire. It's a legend of sailors following lights that aren;t there. I think everyone has had that moment when you can't seem to find your way. This movie bottles it and packages it. You can put it in your DVD player and watch it like a road map when you need to figure out your life.

I am proud that I was a teen in the early 1980's. The so-called "brat pack" caught a lot of flack in the 80's, but I hold onto these films and this on in particular. I was a defining film in my life. Maybe it will be in yours too.

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