Cherrybomb

If you love Rupert Grint for his fabulous sense of humor in the Harry Potter films, you may be a bit thrown off by his fowl-mouth, his crazy awesome accent and his determination to get a girl who, lets just say, is No Emma Watson. Nonetheless, he is brilliant in this film, and his friend, James Nesbitt isn't so bad either! This movie is like Rupert Grint's Driving Lessons in a sense that it is a coming of age story.

CherryBomb is a really cool movie though. Like nothing I've ever seen. There are many parts where you don't know which character to like, because of all the dirty rotten tricks being tossed around just to get this no good, troublemaking girl. The end is a bit shocking. I can usually predict the endings to most movies I see, but this one threw me for a loop.

Overall, very good film.

Don't let the apparent German disc fool you. The movie can be played in original English language. It should play on all Blu-Ray players as well. It was impossible for me to find this in the USA. Rupert Grint (known as Ron Weasley to most) is sexy as hell...and SHIRTLESS in this tantalizing movie. The movie is exciting and on Blu-Ray the picture is excellent. I highly recommend it!

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As hard as it was to watch Rupert Grint play a kid who is every parents nightmare, I'm glad I did. He's brilliant and has bright future ahead of him given half the chance. The other 2 actors are equally as good. Intense and difficult roles to play but they were all up for the challenge. The movie is about 3 teens growing up. I know doesn't seem like much of a stretch, but these characters couldn't be further from who these people are, as I would imagine, in their real lives. Two of them, Luke and Michele, do not have ideal situations. Luke's brother is a thug and his father is a drug addict. Therefore leaving him on a constant quest for trouble and a reason to act out. Michele's father is banging her 16 year old best friend and an all around nutter. But Malachy (who is played by Grint) it would seem is just in it for the drugs, looking to get laid and an all around good time. Which is sad, because it appears he's in a loving family and one that he loves as much. But he can't see further than his troubled friend and a girl they both just met. Which makes his role complex and even more difficult to figure who this kid really is. The movie is troubling in so many ways and your heart really goes out to Luke because on top of everything else he has to deal with, his friend Malachy lets him know after crashing his fathers car (because of Luke) why Luke is the way he is, the look on his face having his besty just tell him what a loser he is and why no one cares (not Malachy words exactly) about him, makes me sad just thinking about it. Tragic story with even more devastating and unexpected ending. I recommend this movie to any Rupert Grint fan and for your Rupert DVD collection because we have not seen the last of him and if that be the case it would surely be a waste of talent. This is a not a movie for children, especially who are Harry Potter fans, due to foul language, drug use and sexual situations. Grint is at is finest acting to date, besides the last 2 Potters. Cheers!

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I love Rupert Grint which made me watch this movie and even though I live in the US and had to watch it on my laptop I still loved it! It really interprets teenage life and how one mistake can get you in a lot of trouble. 5 stars

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This is perfect if you live in the US and want to see this movie. Just change the language to English, and there's no problem.

Courage Under Fire (1996)

The basic plot line of "Courage Under Fire" is that Lt. Col Nathaniel Sterling (Denzel Washington) is investigating an incident during the Gulf War to determine whether or not the Medal of Honor should be awarded to Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan). It does not take us long to find out that the title of this film refers to both Sterling and Walden. The initial story on Walden, the pilot of a rescue helicopter, is that she made a spectacular rescue of a downed helicopter crew, then fought off attacking Iraquis after her own copter crashed, dying right before they were rescued themselves. But as Sterling questions the surviving members of Walden's crew, he discovers their various versions do not jive, and he begins to question what is the truth. Moreover, Sterling is haunted by his own actions during the Gulf War, where he was responsible for a "friendly fire" incident that resulted in the death of American soldiers. To complicate matters, Sterling is drinking too much, has grown distant from his family, and is being hounded by a commanding officer who wants the P.R. value of Walden receiving the medal and a reporter who knows something of what happened to the Colonel in Iraq.

"Courage Under Fire" makes excellent use of the "Rashomon" technique, wherein we get to see each person's version of what really happened in Iraq. Sterlings own feelings of guilt and responsibility for what happened in Iraq provide an additional level of depth to the narrative (more so than in Kurosawa's original classic film in fact). Some may find the parallel attempts to find redemption to be somewhat heavy handed, but ultimately the film succeeds because of the solid acting performances. In addition to Washington and Ryan, who knew have a scene together, there are solid performances from Lou Diamond Phillips and a very underweight Matt Damon as surviving members of Walden's crew, Michael Moriarity as the General, Scott Glenn as the reporter, and Regina Taylor as Sterling's wife. Certainly this film is closer to the reality of Desert Storm than "Three Kings," but the main enjoyment here is watching Ryan and her crew do the same lines with totally different meanings because of radical changes in context while Washington tries to find meaning in his own life.

One of my favorites. A movie that will keep you guessing till the very end. Nat Serling is sent home from the Persian Gulf with traumas and few prospects after being in a friendly fire incident. He is given what should have been an open-and-shut case: investigate a female chopper pilot for the Medal of Honor. Things become tricky quickly as Serling's support is withdrawn when he discovers discrepancies in the witness' stories and he will have to risk everything to find out the truth about what happened on a dark night in Iraq. Magnetizing throughout, this picture is well-conceived and very compelling, and it has messages about society. Excellent directing and writing, as well as amazing acting, this movie shines.

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The basic plot line of "Courage Under Fire" is that Lt. Col Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is investigating an incident during the Gulf War to determine whether or not the Medal of Honor should be awarded posthumously to Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan). It does not take us long to find out that the title of this film refers to both Serling and Walden. The initial story on Walden, the pilot of a rescue helicopter, is that she made a spectacular rescue of a downed helicopter crew, then fought off attacking Iraquis after her own copter crashed, dying right before the besieged group was rescued. But as Serling questions the surviving members of Walden's crew, he discovers their various versions do not jive, and he begins to question what is the truth of what really happened. Moreover, Serling is haunted by his own actions during the Gulf War, where he was responsible for a "friendly fire" incident that resulted in the death of American soldiers. To complicate matters even more, Serling is drinking way too much, has grown distant from his family, and is being hounded by both a commanding officer (Michael Moriarity) who wants the P.R. value of Walden being the first woman to receive the Medal of Honor and a reporter (Scott Glenn) who knows something of what happened to the Colonel in Iraq and wants to know the rest.

"Courage Under Fire" makes excellent use of the "Rashomon" technique, wherein we get to see each person's version of what really happened in Iraq. Serling's own feelings of guilt and responsibility for what happened in Iraq provide an additional level of depth to the narrative (more so than in Kurosawa's original classic film in fact). Some may find the parallel attempts to find redemption to be somewhat heavy handed, but ultimately the film succeeds because of the solid acting performances. In addition to Washington and Ryan, who never have a scene together, there are solid performances from Lou Diamond Phillips and a very underweight Matt Damon as surviving members of Walden's crew, Michael Moriarity as the General, Scott Glenn as the reporter, and Regina Taylor as Serling's wife. Certainly this film is closer to the reality of Desert Storm than "Three Kings," but the main enjoyment here is watching Ryan and her crew do the same lines with totally different meanings because of radical changes in context while Washington tries to find meaning in his own life.

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War movies rarely acknowledge fatal blunders alongside the typical nimble strategies all in the same vein, much less in the same individual. Courage Under Fire manages that with an effortless tapestry of morality, valour and honour.

Apart from such sheer emotional freight, it even manages to counch a discreet message about the quirks of real wars and their very human aftermath. There are points in the film where both the Iraqi and the American soldiers look almost indistinguishable. Fighting nations with crunch budgets is a complex enterprise with a variety of perspectives.

There is much to say about the plot's setup, it's spectacular. Denzel is heads and shoulders above everyone else but the performances are excellent all-round. Matt Damon seemed to have lost half his weight to fit into the role. Meg Ryan is very convincing for her irregular turn as a leathery war woman. But above all, I was particularly astonished by the confident pizzazz of Lou Diamond Phillips, his explosive cameo is one of the most unforgettable sequences.

With its highly realistic battle scenes, fast-paced screenplay and a solid heart , Courage Under Fire is a top class production, regardless of the qualms regarding nationalistic or gender messages that other critics bloviate about. My theory that you cannot go terribly wrong with anything that involves Denzel still remains intact.

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Matt Damon can be seen here in one of his first roles, and this role was largely overlooked, overshadowed perhaps by the star power of Meg Ryan (in the least annoying role I have ever seen her play) playing a tough commanding officer during Desert Storm, or overshadowed by Denzel Washington, investigating the circumstances surrounding her death. Damon may even have been overshadowed by the presence of an insane, glory seeking Lou Diamond Phillips. Damon's heroin-addicted character, though, is one of the reasons this film stands out in my mind. Also the story-telling technique of flashing back through different character's eyes is borrowed from such classic films as Kurosawa's Rashomon. It expertly illustrates the importance and use of point-of-view, which is totally different and distorted depending upon whom you consult.

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The Hunger Games (3-Disc Deluxe Edition + Digital Copy) (2012)

"Hunger Games" is certainly the best film I have seen since many many months, and it is a very successful adaptation of an excellent book.

In my personal opinion, both the book and the film are much deeper and much more ambitious, than what most critics and reviewers would make us believe. After reading the reviews in "New York Times", "Le Monde" and on "Msn.com" (to cite only few) I was surprised that they mostly missed everything that is important in this film. With a kind of amused superiority, which people from Capitol in this movie would immediately recognize, the "professional" reviewers pointed at the obvious allusions to gladiator fights, the reality shows, the importance of trashy entertainment in today's TV, the search for a new franchise able to replace "Twilight", etc., etc.

But they almost entirely failed to see, that this film is first and above all about much more important things: how to keep hope, not lose the courage and preserve humanity and dignity under a totalitarian oppressive regime.

I believe that almost everybody now knows that when writing "Hunger Games" Susan Collins attempted basically a modern (even futurist) retelling of the old Greek myth of Theseus and Minotaur. According to this ancient tale, after losing a war, every year the city of Athens had to send a tribute of seven young men and seven maidens to the king of Crete. Once there the young people were locked in the Labyrinth, to be devoured by the monster Minotaur. This yearly punishment and humiliation lasted until Theseus, crown prince of Athens, volunteered to be one of the tributes and once locked in the Labyrinth he defeated and killed the Minotaur.

In "Hunger Games" what was once United States (and I think also Canada) is now called the Panem. It is a country divided in twelve Districts remaining under the control of the Capitol central metropolis. There was once thirteen Districts, but when they rebelled against the central power, the Capitol destroyed completely the District 13 with all its population and then defeated and submitted again the twelve others. In order to remind to its subjects how absolute is its power, the Capitol claims a yearly tribute one girl and one boy of ages from 12 to 18 from every District. The tributes are then send to an arena and forced to fight, until only one remain alive. This yearly event is called the Hunger Games and it is shown live on TV to all the population of Panem. This film tells the story of what happened at the 74th edition of Hunger Games...

For Capitol the purpose of Hunger Games is to remind yearly how powerful is the central metropolis and how dire can be the consequences of its wrath, but also and even more importantly in my opinion to humiliate and degrade the people of the Districts by forcing them to become accomplices (even if under duress) of a barbarian custom in which some of their own children are send to the slaughterhouse. And as all bullies and abusers know, it is much easier to oppress, abuse and brutalize victims who lack self-esteem...

Well, in this film we can see how one of the tributes from District 12, an exceptionnal young girl named Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), manages to turn the tables on the Capitol and by allowing people of Panem to regain some of their dignity she will be the pebble which starts the avalanche. The exact way in which she does that will not be revealed here, but both in the book as in the film it is described in a very intelligent and very moving way...

This may seem a rather improbable thing that a 16 years old child can do something that will ultimately bring down a seemingly invincible and all-powerful tyranny, but let's not forget that in the real world, the great wave of revolutions of Arab Spring began on 18 December 2010 with a desperate gesture of a dirt-poor 27-years old Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, who set himself on fire after having been robbed and beaten by the corrupt local police one time too much... Less than two years after, the opressive regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya already collapsed, the seemingly invulnerable dictator of Yemen had to resign and the Syrian brutal regime is facing a massive armed rebellion..

Bottom line, this film is first and before all a story about how even a seemingly powerless person can horribly hurt a tyrannic regime with a magic potion made of lots of courage, an ice-cold determination, a great personal dignity, a little compassion, a handful of flowers, a couple of tears and one defiant and powerful gesture...

The powerful message and excellent scenario are not the only reasons why I consider "Hunger Games" as a masterpiece. Actors were selected very carefully and they perform well. Jennifer Lawrence is simply perfect there is no other word to describe her performance! However, after seeing her in "Winter's Bone" and "X-Men: First class" I didn't expect anything less.

But the real surprise in this film comes from Josh Hutcherson who plays Peeta Mellark, the boy tribute from District 12. His character is more difficult to play, because Peeta is in the same time more limited but also more complicated than Katniss. Josh Hutcherson could have very easily fall in one of the many traps which are build in Peeta's character. By overacting or underacting he could have make him a wimp or a passive follower or an immature kid, but he avoided those snares with grace and his Peeta comes out of this film as a surprisingly complexe and also a very likeable character. He is certainly not a hero and a fighter like Katniss but until the very end he preserves his honor, in a deadly place where he shouldn't ever be send...

A special mention goes to little Amandla Stenberg, who plays 12-years old Rue, the youngest of all the tributes. Her character is both secondary and in the same time incredibly important and this little cute pixie played it perfectly!

Other, more known actors contribute to the success of this film. Woody Harrelson is excellent as Haymitch, the only person from District 12 who ever won in the Hunger Games and is now an advisor to Katniss and Peeta. Lenny Kravitz portrayed a perfect Cinna, the man in charge of image of tributes from District 12 in public appearances before the games begin. And finally there is the giant figure of Donald Sutherland, who plays the supreme ruler of Panem, President Coriolanus Snow. He is purely incredible. There is a moment in this film when he says to somebody "I like you" and I believe that I have never heard such a terrible and deadly threat in one short sentence since the archifamous Schwarzenegger's "I will be back"...

I also absolutely adored the using of the cameras. In some moments of this film we have the impression of going after the characters with a camera, like a war correspondent following the fighters (this style was also very skillfully used in "The Shield" series). Of course not all the film is turned in this way, but mixing this kind of scenes with more conventional ones gives here an excellent effect.

The games themselves are very skillfully described and are a very dramatic tale, full of surprises and twists. I found them much much better than "Battle Royale", to which this book and film are often compared. The games are deadly and brutal, but there is only limited gore I think this film is suitable for young teenagers, although not for children younger than 12. There is also absolutely no nudity, sex or strong language and I for one found it a most excellent thing.

There are still many more good things to say about this film, but I believe you should discover them by yourself. One more thing however about the book it is of course possible to see and greatly enjoy this film without reading the book, but I believe that reading the novel first is a good idea. If reading the whole book is out of question, I would advise to read at least the first hundred pages. It will not reveal much about the games themselves, but it will allow for a better understanding of some of the key elements: the strength of the bond between Katniss and her younger sister, the history that Katniss shares with her hunting partner Gale, the complicated relation between Katniss and her mother and last but not least, the mysterious bond existing between Katniss and Peeta Mellark.

About this last point: if you did not yet read the book I do not want to spoil the pleasure of discovery so I will say just this Katniss and Peeta lived for 16 years in the same village, but they never spoke one to another (except for an occasional "Hello") and they never touched one another in any way. And still, they share a secret as big as life and death, a secret which both bonded them together and in the same time separated them deeply... If you want to know the solution of this riddle you have either to watch very very carefully every scene of the film or simply read the book...

Conclusion: this film is a masterpiece! I loved it and I am going to buy the DVD as soon as it is available. And I am SOOO going to see the the second part, as soon as it opens!

I enjoyed this movie. Yes, I've read the books. People will always be upset because things are always missing from the story when you take a book and transfer it to film. I thought it was done well. Other people didn't understand the concept. This is a trilogy, you're not supposed to learn everything in the first book. Everything will come together, and there will be more understanding. Overall, it was a great representation of the book, in my opinion.

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For the record I am a HUGE Hunger Games fan and have been of the books for over 2 years. Please do not read this as a rant, but rather a fans opinion.

This movie is garbage in the representation of the books. It was created specifically with Twilight fan-girls in mind. The first chunk of the movie is very, very slow and does not explain anything well. If you did not read the book (or books, actually, as the movie jumps a bit ahead on features), I cannot see something really understanding what is going on. At the very least, the true meaning from the book is lost.

"HEY! Movies can't be exactly like the books!" you may say. Yes, I agree with this but to a point. The books revolve around the main fact: the Capital forces two children from each district to brutally murder each other to survive. The film makers took this and decided for the young children audience that the kids would fluff each other to death. Deaths magically become fuzzy or shaky, with music or odd sound overlayed to the scene.

I went to see this movie opening night at a nice theater it cost me about $20 a reserved seat which I purchased first available day. It was packed 90% with teenage girls who screamed over the barely-there deaths and gasped out loud over the kiss which, if you read the book, is not a "real" kiss. Before the movie 12 year old girls were running around yelling "TEAM PEETA!".

Greed took advantage of what had amazing potential. Money was the key factor young girls will be running out to buy the "team" shirts and action figure toys. A rated R movie would have been true to the story, but would generate a mere fraction in sales.

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Director Gary Ross's version of Suzanne Collins's HUNGER GAMES manages to sanitize the entire concept of kids-killing-kids in order to produce a PG-13 blockbuster that's sure to rake in the big bucks. But what was devastating and heart-wrenching in the novel is glossed over and prettified here, leaving me feeling none of the emotional impact I experienced in reading the book.

[**SPOILER WARNING** I'm assuming readers are familiar with the novel, so some plot elements will be discussed in this review.]

Don't get me wrong, this is a slick and well-made film, with plenty of action and a sensational performance from Jennifer Lawrence as heroine Katniss Everdeen. The settings are well done, especially the Capitol in all its crazy-colored chic-ness and over-the-top luxury. District 12, the poorest district in Panem, is believably presented as well, complete with starving people dressed in rags and walking like zombies to their depressing jobs. The scene of the "Reaping" is chillingly done, and the scenes of Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) getting primped and trained in the Capitol hit perfect satiric notes (it's all so "reality TV," which is what makes it all so believable).

What doesn't work are the scenes of the Games themselves. From the start, Ross misses the mark. When the Games are seconds from beginning, the 24 teens are standing in a semi-circle, staring down at weapons and backpacks strewn about around the Cornucopia as they wait for the countdown to hit zero. We need to feel what they're feeling. We need to feel their terror, their horror, and yes, even their excitement. But Ross doesn't let us feel any of that. Instead, he keeps the focus almost solely on Katniss, and once everyone starts rushing forward, he cuts so quickly between scenes that it's almost impossible to see what's going on. We are aware that people are being killed, but it happens so fast and with so little reaction from the characters themselves, that it has little impact.

The same holds true for the rest of the games. Horrible things happen, but I never felt that they had much affect on Katniss or Peeta. Most of the killing in the film happens off screen, or the camera cuts away before anything brutal is revealed. That wouldn't be a bad thing if we could at least see some believable reaction shots. But we don't. On top of that, none of these characters look like they've been out in the woods for days, trying to kill each other. Close-ups of hands show clean, manicured fingernails, and everyone looks amazingly dirt-free (aside from Peeta, who camouflages himself with mud at one point but even then, he's clean and chipper-looking a few scenes later).

Rue's climactic death scene is equally ridiculous. Rue (Amandla Stenberg) looks downright gorgeous, like she's on her way to a photo shoot instead of swinging in trees to avoid getting knifed (in fact, we don't get to see her swinging in trees at all, just peeking out from between branches). Her hair is perfect, there's not a scratch or bit of dirt on her, and when Katniss is holding her as she dies, it's impossible to imagine that they've been out in the woods for days without soap and water, fighting for their lives. It's just all too pretty, all too nice.

I walked out of the theater feeling oddly detached from what I'd just seen. That's not at all the way I felt in reading the book. The novel was gripping and gut-wrenching, and although it was certainly not graphically violent or bloody, the situation Katniss found herself in was chilling and horrifying and impossible to forget. At the end of the film, however, Katness seems almost unscathed by what she has just experienced. I didn't see any indication that she is the wounded, devastated young woman she is in the novel. In the final scene, she's more bothered by seeing Gale (Liam Hemsworth) in the crowd at the train station while she's holding Peeta's hand. Yikes, girl, you've just KILLED people and seen children covered in blood . . . surely you'd be thinking of something more than which guy you like better.

There are changes in the film that might bother the die-hard fans. The "Mutts" that attack during the final act are just generic beasts in the film (they don't have the faces of the fallen tributes), which minimizes their impact. The symbolic Mockingjay pin just shows up near the start of the film without explanation. But these are minor changes. Stanley Tucci is great as Flickerman, Woody Harrelson is terrific as Haymitch, and I enjoyed seeing Donald Southerland as President Snow (although his performance was so low-key I had trouble imagining him as a ruthless dictator).

This is a big movie, and it's going to be a huge success. I have no doubt a huge percentage of HUNGER GAMES fans will be thrilled with what they see on the screen. I just wanted to feel more. The whole idea of being forced to kill people for a TV viewing audience is absolutely horrifying I wanted to see that and feel that in this movie, the way I did in the novel. You can't win a "game" like this. Haymitch is proof that you can't win (what happens to his life after winning the Games is evidence of what such brutality will do to you). In the novel, Katniss herself is torn apart by what happens. In the film, not so much.

HUNGER GAMES is not a terrible film. I'm glad I saw it. But it in no way does justice to the novel, and that's too bad.

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EDITED AUGUST 19, 2012

I bought the DVD of "The Hunger Games" yesterday and watched it for the first time since seeing it in the theater. Looking back on my previous review, I realized I was a little too harsh on the movie. Watching it the second time around, I liked it a lot more than I originally did. However, it's still not without it's flaws. My overall rating for the film is now teetering at about 3.5. Not quite a perfect 4, but not a 3.

**SPOILER ALERT**

THE GOOD

*The acting. This was one of the things I was able to appreciate more watching the movie the second time around. Jennifer Lawrence appears to have been born to play this role. She embodied the role of Katniss perfectly. Josh Hutcherson played a pretty good Peeta. He certainly looks the part, with a round, sweet face. I especially liked him at the beginning, the way he followed Haymitch around like a dog, trying to get tips. I have a few quibbles with him, but overall, really enjoyed his performance. Liam Hemsworth was okay, I guess. It's sort of hard to judge his acting, with what little we were given of Gale (I mean, he wasn't in the book much more, but still.) Most of his scenes were just making angsty faces when Katniss and Peeta kissed.

Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) was also perfect. He was exactly how I envisioned Haymitch. I also loved Effie (Elizabeth Banks.) Banks played the airheaded Capitol native well. She had excellent comedic timing with her lines and had a bubbly, vacant personality that was perfect for Effie.

(I realize I'm using the word "perfect" a lot.)

All of the tributes were also well-cast. Rue (Amandla Stenberg) was absolutely adorable. Cato was scary. His movement throughout the film just seemed to say, "Don't mess with this guy." I liked his monologue at the end, which showed that he wasn't all bad and, like the other tributes, was scared and wanted to go home. Clove was terrifying. The actress who played her was younger than what I imagined Clove in the book to be, but her younger age made her more frightening, with how vicious she was with a knife.

Donald Sutherland was different than the Snow I imagined, but that's not a bad thing. I liked that he looked a little more friendly. He looked more like Santa or someone's grandpa. The way he delivered his lines and his voice, though, said otherwise. He was wonderfully creepy.

Moving on...

*Costumes and makeup. The Capitol's costumes and makeup were insane and I loved it. It was wonderful. It really reflected how silly and airy the Capitol people are. Oh, and some of the hairstyles in this movie. I loved Katniss's hair during the "girl-on-fire" scene was beautiful. Also, Seneca Crane's beard? It made me sad that he died, knowing that I would never see that beautiful beard again. RIP, Seneca.

*Glimpses outside the arena. I thought that was a nice touch, since in the book, we're limited to Katniss's perspective. It was interesting to see the Gamemakers add things to the Games. That scene from District 11 was also a nice addition to the movie. In the books, we only hear about a revolution starting via Haymitch telling Katniss and it seems sort of distant. In this, we got to see that the revolution was happening NOW.

*Followed the book pretty well. The movie followed the book very well. Of course, not everything was perfect, but what book-to-movie adaptation is? Overall, I was impressed with how the book transferred to the screen.

THE BAD

*Cinna. Now, he wasn't exactly terrible. My expectations for Lenny Kravitz were kind of low. He surprised me and I'll admit, he didn't seem completely miscast. But something about him still felt kind of...off. I personally feel that Cinna could have been cast better, but like I said, Kravitz wasn't terrible.

*The score. It didn't have that broad, epic sound I thought maybe it would have. When a movie is this big, you expect it to have a theme song that will be memorable (think "Harry Potter" or "Lord of the Rings.) I feel that we didn't really get to hear enough of the score, since there were so many silent moments in the movie. What we did hear was, in my personal opinion, just seemed sort of generic, like music you hear in other action/adventure movies. It just didn't really strike me as anything special.

THE UGLY

*Long awkward silences. At certain points during the Games, the movie goes practically silent or the sound is muffled. Occasionally, it works, but overall, it's just very awkward.

*Cinematography. As many other reviewers have mentioned, the cinematography is incredibly shaky. I will praise it for this: It helped with the gore. I think the shaky cinematography eliminated some of the violence. You could tell what was going on, but it didn't get as graphic as it could have. However, it became kind of annoying after a while. I understand what the filmmakers were going for, but I don't think it had the effect that they wanted. It just made some parts difficult to watch. I also wasn't a huge fan of the zoom-ins they did (like when they zoom in on Katniss's lips before she blows up the supplies.) While the cinematography helped tone down the violence, it ended up looking more like a little kid had taped it with a camera.

*Games felt rushed. Not horribly so, but I think the movie could have had a little extra time. I think the fandom would have sat through twenty-thirty extra minutes. One part that really suffers, in my opinion, were Rue's scenes. Katniss wakes up, finds Rue, there's a short (and I mean, SHORT) bit showing them eating, then it launches into the blow-up-the-supplies scene where Rue is ultimately killed.

*Cave scene. This kind of goes along with the "games felt rushed" problem. I feel like this scene needed a little extra time. It ends up being one of the bigger scenes in the book, with Katniss pretending she loves Peeta, Peeta thinking it's real, and Katniss realizing it might not all be an act. In the end, this scene was mainly just Peeta telling Katniss about his near-lifelong crush on her, along with some rather creepy dialogue. "I watched you walk home from school every day. Every day." Well, hello, Edward Cullen! It also made it seem like Katniss was really, truly in love with Peeta, as opposed to faking it, although I will say that towards the end, when they come home to District 12, she seems a little awkward with Peeta.

Overall, this certainly wasn't a bad movie. It was a good adaptation of the book with some amazing acting. But it did have its flaws and it wasn't perfect. However, I think fans will enjoy the movie.

Resident Evil: Damnation (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) (2012)

Resident Evil: Damnation improves upon the first Resident Evil CG movie, Degeneration, by leaps and bounds! Not only did Capcom tweak the appearances of the characters (and for the better!) when in comparison to the last movie, they also took many demands of the fans to heart. A good part of the appeal of the Resident Evil franchise is its trademark monsters, in which case this feature film does not fail to resurrect some of the most notorious creatures from the more classic games of the series. That does not go to say that they have done away with the new, either. With an interesting blending of creatures, Damnation takes that next step into the future of Resident Evil, teasing you with what is to come a few weeks down the line with Resident Evil 6.

The plot at first may seem difficult to follow, but with Leon Scott Kennedy holding the reigns and Ada Wong throwing him a bone here and there, the story definitely does not disappoint. Between all of the monsters, fighting, and oh yeah... more monsters... You really appreciate the effort that was placed in the finer details that truly connect this movie with the rest of the series. Whereas Degeneration felt slightly more disjointed, Damnation is much better woven into the framework of the global threat of Bio-Terror looming on the horizon. The world really is turning into a mess and it's only a matter of time before it spins horribly out of control. This gives the film the intricacies and polish that its predecessor was lacking.

If you're new to the series, the gore and rather flavorful action scenes may be enough to hook you. However, for loyal fans this is a breath of fresh air and you will feel entrenched in Leon's cause and perplexed by all of the questions the ending scenes present.

As you watch the beginning to the ending of the movie it feels like the producers and writers intentionally made the movie as a prequel to the RE6 games storyline but don't let that detract you from the entertaining story that is already in the movie itself. Like on reviewer stated the movie brings into play many of the former monsters and creatures that you see in the games as well as some cameo time with another iconic RE character as well. The CGI Animation is great and the actions is pretty good too.What is almost sadly ironically funny is that some of the fight scenes here are much better then the ones in the live action RE movies. Basically this is a must for any Resident Evil fan or those who like CGI action movies but regardless this is a nice collection to anyone's movie collection and for fans enough to tide us over until the release of RE6.

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In one of the special features on the Blu-ray, director Makoto Kamiya says he was aiming for a "Resident Evil 4" Leon and that he wanted to put Leon through hell. That is the perfect way to describe Leon's journey throughout "Damnation." The Las Plagas virus is now being used for war tactics and utilized in ways that have yet to be introduced in the games. What's great is that "Damnation" throws you into the first person perspective and makes you feel like anything can jump out at Leon and attack him at any moment. The renders as well as the computer animation are crisp and fluid at all times, especially the hosts of the Plaga, the Lickers, and the Tyrants. The only time it looks awkward is when people talk for long periods of time. You begin to notice that their facial expressions don't seem as natural as they should be, but it's easy to overlook.

The lighting in the movie really stands out, especially in the basement sequence and whenever Leon picks up a flashlight. It's just done so well, feels natural, and even helps add tension at times. "Damnation" can pat itself on the back for actually utilizing the slow-motion effect properly. Lately it seems like most Hollywood pictures use slow-motion for the most pointless sequences like when someone is just standing there in the rain or when somebody turns around. The slow-motion scenes in "Damnation" actually enhance the story and action sequences. There are effects that come out at you better than most movies that are released in or post-converted to 3D and released in theaters; there's some really amazing headshots including one where Leon shoves a crowbar through somebody's skull, a table being flipped over and a cup of tea flying at you, a water jug being kicked in your face, and the tongue of a licker jumping out at you.

The story is written in a way that seems intelligent, pulls you in, and feels like it coincides in the same universe as the games. While the screenplay isn't perfect and kind of misses its mark at times (the JD character, Leon's lame one-liners, the final speech Leon gives Buddy), it more than gets the job done and even gets pretty emotional at times.

"Resident Evil: Damnation" is the perfect reminder of how great this franchise really can be and is an ideal lead-in to "Resident Evil 6" due out October 2nd. If you'd lost faith or had been purposely distancing yourself from the atrocity that is the live-action movies (and if that's the case no one could blame you), "Damnation" is the movie for you as its predecessor "Degeneration." These CG motion pictures are what everything "Resident Evil" fans wished the movies would have been. Smart, bloody, well-written, and incredibly creepy, "Resident Evil: Damnation" more than lives up to the "Resident Evil" name.

Special Features include The DNA of Damnation (a thirty-minute making of featurette), Las Plagas: Organisms of War (around seven-minutes, be sure to watch this if you have any remaining questions after the movie), a six-minute Gag Reel, game trailers for "Resident Evil 6," "Devil May Cry," and "Dragons Dogma," and a Conceptual Art Gallery which is exclusive to the Blu-ray.

"Resident Evil: Damnation" will be released on single-disc DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday, September 25th. The feature is presented in 1080p High Definition with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. DTS-HD MA audio is available in English, French (PAR), and Portugese with Spanish and Thai being available in 5.1 Dolby Digital. Subtitles are available in English, English SDH, Chinese, French, Korean, Portugese, Spanish, and Thai. The movie is approximately 100 minutes long and is mastered in High Definition.

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This movie was slow in the beginning 5-10 mins but after they show the first person using their mind to control lickers it gets better. The russian nemesis's(or whatever they are calledthey were used in RE:Umbrella Chronicles too) are f@###kin awesome as unstoppable beasts trying to kill leon and that other guy using las plagas to control lickers. Man the last 30 mins of this movie are worth buying the movie for, Ada wong is in this too. So much action and story, this is way better than RE: Retribution. I give this movie a 10/10, only downside is it's a little slow in the beginning.

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Finally...an adaptation that is worthy of being called a Resident evil movie. Resident Evil: Damnation rose to the occasion on this second installment of the CG movies. It does a great job of captivating a viewing experience that will appeal to hardcore fans of the video game franchise as well as viewers who are unfamiliar with the games. The storyline was thoughtful, entertaining and engaging. The mood and tone of the film stays true to the games and the overall themes conveyed in the game come through in the film beautifully-without making it any less of a film. As I watched the film I felt myself being immersed in the gameplay all over again when the composition of a scene looked eerily familiar to one I remembered from one of the games. Leon and Ada's characters remain respectful to their originals in the game and are not overshadowed by characters created in the adaptation. BOW's do not become uncharacteristically humanized -or beautified into infected superhuman heroines in tight clothes--insuring the integrity and the severity of the threat they pose. In essence, this was a film made with the intention of making a respectful adaptation of the Resident Evil Games franchise--not a series of shameless mockeries disguised as Resident Evil live action films. In surmise, yes, you have the introduction of new characters and a new setting but the overall important core elements of a Resident Evil based movie are not lost unlike the live action films. If you want to experience the survival horror series Resident Evil without playing the games or if you just want to see a good CG horror / action / zombie movie, then this movie is a must see.

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Maniac Cop (1987)

First of all, let me clarify that the four star rating only qualifies in the genre of slightly-schlocky gore. For those of you that don't appreciate this type of movie, it's more like one star. But if you're looking to buy the DVD and reading this review, I have a feeling you're into this.

That being said, this is top quality when it comes to off-kilter horror action. A monstrous killer dressed like a cop is on the loose in New York, killing innocent people instead of criminals. One cop lets the paper know that they think it's a cop gone bad, which turns the public against the police force.

As the terror level escalates Bruce Campbell is framed for the murder of his wife, and becomes the lead suspect in the brutal killings. Now, only Bruce and two other cops know the chilling secret of the maniac cop, and will stop at nothing to try to stop him.

Although there are numerous amounts of "what the...?" sections in this film, it's still mindlessly enjoyable and Tom Atkins' performance as a hardnose cop keeps the film tenuously grounded in reality.

If you're into Bruce Campbell and silly horror movies, then you can't go wrong with Maniac Cop. If you're at all averse to either of those, then don't even bother thinking about it because you won't appreciate the hidden quality of such a classic as Maniac Cop.

This Larry Cohen flick (produced and scripted by Cohen but directed by William Lustig) is a clever hybrid of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA story, 1970s and 1980s cop films, and the slasher sub-genre of horror cinema. But instead of an opera house, the venue has expanded to include the entire city of New York, and the wronged antagonist is not a forgotten composer but is, instead, a once-good police officer (hulking actor Robert Z'Dar) who was used as a scapegoat by higher-ups and was subsequently murdered in prison at the hands of thugs. Slasher-film elements come into play when the resurrected cop leaves a trail of corpses in his wake as he heads to city hall to even the score with his former bosses.

As is usually the case, Cohen's script is replete with dark tongue-in-cheek humor and palatable helpings of terror and blood. The gags (both the laughing and choking kind) are bolstered by the presence of horror-genre fave Bruce Campbell, he of EVIL DEAD (1981) fame; Tom Atkins, a ubiquitous face in police departments on TV and in the cinema; sexpot Laurene Landon, a Cohen favorite; and the original SHAFT (1971) himself, Richard Roundtree. There are also some delightful cameos from genre regulars like the late George "Buck" Flower, Victoria Catlin (known to genre fans from her role in David Lynch's TV series TWIN PEAKS), Judy Levitt (wife of STAR TREK's Walter Koenig), director William Lustig, and SPIDERMAN (2002) director Sam Raimi.

The Special-Edition DVD of MANIAC COP from Synapse is well worth the price of admission. It offers a crisp, rich digital transfer of the film in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (enhanced for 16x9 TVs) with the original Stereo SurroundSound soundtrack (as well as the option of using new Dolby 5.1 or DTS 6.1 soundtracks). Extras include a delightful feature commentary with Larry Cohen, Bruce Campbell, and William Lustig; a new interview with the Maniac Cop himself, Robert Z'Dar; theatrical trailers, including one from France; and much more.

MANIAC COP is a must-see for fans of Larry Cohen and slasher-flick fans, and the Synapse DVD will make a nice addition to the film collection of any horror fan.

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one of my best early 80's horror, tom atkins,bruce campell,richard roundtree. How in the world you can go wrong with this gem blu-underground has done a bang up job on the presentation of this blu-ray a must have 4 horror genre fans.

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MANIAC COP is a wonderful revenge film. Robert Z'Dar is the title character, a shadowy, towering killer who was once an NYPD hero. Is he alive? Dead? Something in between? Tom Atkins (The Fog, Night Of The Creeps) is the officer attempting to find and stop the maniacal man in blue. Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead 1 and 2, Bubba Ho Tep) is a likely suspect. Legendary Richard Roundtree (Shaft) is the police commisioner and William Smith (Invasion Of The Beegirls, Memorial Valley Massacre) is a captain! Larry Cohen's writing shines through this gloomy tale, w/ familar faces from his past work. Not very scary, but fun to watch...

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Evil Dead's Bruce Campbell is framed and arrested for a series of gruesome murders against innocent law abiding New York citizens. Witnesses claim the killer was a large white male wearing a NYPD uniform.

Detective Tom Atkins (star of "The Fog" and "Halloween III" ) is not convinced that Campbell's the man. And he's not.

Robert Z'dar(a very big man) plays the killer, a former NYPD officer sent to an Alcatraz-style jail for getting too carried away in dispensing tough justice. Attacked and left for dead in prison, he survives and is somehow smuggled out by the coroner(of all people) and now Z'dar is mad and want's revenge.

Not bad, no terror or suspense though, just several nasty and quite hilarious murders.

Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree co-stars.

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Enemy Mine (1985)

Adapted from Barry B Longyear's novella, "Enemy Mine" could almost be a stage play. Only two actors at a time take up the majority of screen time. The sets could be taken out of the original Lost in Space studio lot and there's not enough action to keep most kids interested. Despite this, the film is terrific. It's one of those rare stories that concentrate on the subtle interaction between the characters while taking them on a moral journey.

Have I put any of the Sci-Fi geeks off their breakfast yet? Well okay, this is a science fiction movie. But it didn't have to be. The story throws two indelible enemies together, on a desolate and dangerous planet. After trying to continue their struggle, a truce is eventually called as they both realise cooperation is necessary for their survival. Despite their common need, differences in culture, politics and religion continue to wear on their partnership. And it is this constant friction which works to build their bond, almost against their will.

Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr play the two characters I've described. They are Davidge, (a human soldier), and Jerry, (a Draco soldier). Their respective names are those used for convenience, given their lack of ability in each other's language. At the start, neither speaks anything but swearwords in the enemy's tongue. Naturally, this adds another layer of tension to the situation.

I've always liked Denis Quaid's acting. He is very likeable in all of his films but in Enemy Mine we see a lot more depth of pain and caring than he usually portrays. Louis Gosset Jr however, is the true star of the film. He does a superb job of conveying his alien essence. His physical attributes, posture, movement and reactions are obviously modelled on reptiles and he makes it all seem perfectly natural.

I can't really convey the path these two enemies take towards friendship, which is a pity, since it is the best feature of the film. Suffice to say that they do eventually grow close, just in time to share in the first Draco birth witnesses by a human. Unfortunately the birth goes badly and Jerry dies, leaving Davidge to take responsibility for raising the child, Zammis. And Davidge takes this task very seriously; teaching the youngster his race's language, heritage and religion.

My only disappointment is that the film did not portray the events after Davidge's rescue in the same detail as Longyear wrote it. We are given only a brief glimpse of the prejudice and revilement that he goes through as he displays his love for one of humanities hated rivals. But we do get to experience the most moving part of the tale, as Davidge accompanies the adolescent Zammis to the home planet of the Dracos, to present him at his naming day. An event the two of them have been working towards for years, where Zammis has to name all of his ancestors, their affiliation and relationships. An event that would not have been possible without Davidge acting as a bridge of love across the span of two generations and two species.

This is such a great, yet highly under-rated sci-fi drama. Louis Gossett, Jr. is excellent as the alien and Dennis Quaid's performance is moving and extremely convincing. Sworn enemies, humans and this strange and highly mis-understood race of aliens (Draconians) are at constant war. When Quaid & Gossett end up shooting each other out of the sky and falling onto an uninhabited planet, they are forced to find common ground in order to survive. While they first attempt to kill one another, they gradually become reluctant friends and eventually blood brothers. Draconians are a very different species and there are no gender differences, so all Draconians experience child birth. When Gossett's character finds himself with child, a new dynamic is thrown into the story that shows the extent to which Quaid will go for his new best friend. The scenes to follow are moving and tender. Still sci-fi, but not a Terminator meets the Alien type of film. Not your typical sci-fi, but fabulous nonetheless. Why this isn't available on DVD is beyond me.

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Characters drive stories, regardless of their surroundings or ---in this case --time. Louis Gossett Jr. deserved an academy award for his work in the reptillian costume and his incredible use of voice and movements. Absolutely high caliber acting. Dennis Quaid is no less phenomenal but didn't have to wear a cumbersome outfit and makeup like Mr. Gossett did. Most notable is the fact that this film was made over 16 years ago and is still an excellent science fiction movie. Stands the test of time.

The story is that of a pilot out in space on a space station who is helping to 'defend' the mineral rights and other human interests of this sector of the galaxy. The only other living space-faring species out there are the Dracs. Mr. Gosset plays a Drac known as Jareeba (or Jerry as Dennis Quaid comes to call him). They are mortal enemies and nearly kill each other many times after each of their ships crash land on an unihabited planet that has impressive meteor showers, little food and funky weather patterns. Eventually, through time and circumstances, these two enemies are forced to cooperate together so that they can survive and in so doing learn a little bit about each other and their respective societies. They aren't that different, humanity and the Dracs. An age-old story done over and over again, right? True, but this one gives us a twist. Jerry becomes pregnant (no he is neither female nor male. Dracs simply become pregnant when the time is right). But Jerry's pregnancy goes awry and he dies before giving birth. Dennis Quaid has to cut the child out and raise it until he's rescued. But should he be rescued by humans, what will happen to Zamis (the little Drac who grows rapidly)? And if rescued by Dracs, what will happen to Dennis Quaid?

Dennis becomes the father figure for Zamis and they are eventually 'rescued' from the planet by human slave traders that force Dracs into mining colonies. What happens to Zamis in the end? What can Dennis Quaid do to help Zamis survive? Watch the movie and learn the twist on an old theme. Excellent.

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This is an essential movie for all sci-fi fans. Of course it's got some of the cheesy 80's acting and dialogue, but those are the only bad things about this movie. The setting and special effects look really good. The makeup is also incredible, and the story itself is pretty original and has a good message. Although it's not really a family movie as in the ammount of violence that takes place several time, it isn't over the top or excessive. The DVD sadly only has a bunch of trailers and THREE still production photos. What the? This movie deserves a better DVD, Fox! See this movie!

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As the movie opens the viewer is confronted by two very surprising things. The first is the name of the director, Wolfgang Peterson. It would be the German Director's first movie for the American mainstream audience and undoubtedly his best to date. The second thing is the gross inclusion of gratuitous Analog Special effects, which might make this movie one of the last films to include effects on this level. Blade Runner strictly used Analog Special Effects, but did far greater things with them. These two things, viewed in today's world, might turn off a few viewers, but the best thing I can offer up: is to stick with it.

However, both those things aside, the film, very rightly and very appropriately, gets to the story quickly and it is the story that makes this one of the best science-fiction movies of the `80's decade.

Enemy Mine is an incredibly touching film about perceived differences between two warring species, but speaks to the larger issue of race and all people. That's a pretty hefty order for sure to address successfully in film, but the story hails from a period of writing where moralist intent seeped into most writing, deftly, and was the norm. Barry Longyear stands firmly beside such Science-Fiction greats as Philip K. Dick, Gene Rodenberry and Walter Tevis.

I have fond memories of watching this film as a boy and can hardly forget Louis Gossett Jnr.'s much quotable: "Daaahweeech." The final scene is also very moving and very thought provoking for anyone who wonders why we, as a people, do not go to greater lengths in establishing our lineage. But, it's probably true for all of us that we all have some family members that are worthy of forgetting.

Victor Victoria: 1995 Broadway Production (1995)

Let's get the tough stuff out of the way first: No, the show ain't that great. It is, in a number of significant ways, inferior to the 1982 film. The book has a number of problems, mostly on display in the first act. However, it's pretty easy to overlook most of the show's flaws, because what it gets right it gets right in spades. The cast is impeccable: Julie Andrews, Tony Roberts, Michael Nouri, Rachel York, Gregory Jbara, and everyone else give their all and then some. The show was, for the most part, well directed. The sets are stunning. The costumes are quite good. Just about every song works onstage, and most of the new material fits into the show quite well. Perhaps most importantly, this show is stunningly produced. You really feel like you're in the theater watching the show, and you see everything you need to see, when you need to see it. Whether you like or hate the show, if you like musicals, you need to get Victor/Victoria. It is, perhaps, the best video adaptation of a stage musical ever, at once flawlessly preserving the stage production, while still being a completely "television" experience.

I am thrilled that this production,Julie's first appearance on Broadway in thirty years is now to be captured forever.Filmed at the Marquis Theatre,it boasts the entire original cast,before Julie was first replaced by Liza Minnelli,then by Raquel Welch. This was a steller production and director Blake Edwards brought out all the fun and frolic of the film version all in its gaudy glory.

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***** REVISED/UPDATED REVIEW, May 2011 ******

In my original review I lamented that the sound mix on the Blu-ray is faulty and that the orchestration and audience laughter is so muffled as to be inaudible. I have to correct that: I was watching the Blu-ray with the Blu-ray player hooked to a regular TV using composite audio/video cables. Once I attached the player to a high-def TV and used an HDMI cable, everything played and sounded fine. So the sound is no longer an issue.

But there are other considerations with the Blu-ray version: The performance on this Blu-ray is a different performance than is on the DVD. Same show, different performance. The camera blocking is either different or just edited differently. And there a few quick zooms and jump cuts that look like the show was filmed live but the camera work was not edited before being committed to home video. It plays like this was a live feed (this show was taped for broadcast in Japan -did they air a live performance live on TV and just suffer with some bad camera goof-ups here and there? If so, this is that performance. The DVD version looks much more polished and professionally shot).

The same distributor that released the DVD also released this Blu-ray, but they didn't include all the bonus features from the DVD. In fact, they didn't include ANY of them. I emailed the distributor for a comment on that but got no response.

The picture quality on the Blu-ray is very good, no question. The fact that you get a different performance from the DVD is interesting and a bit confusing (It's probably a rights issue. Maybe that's why the DVD extras weren't ported over).

I'd advise you to stick to the DVD. The Blu-ray picture is great but the performance in the DVD (and the camera work on it) is better and more polished.

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This fantastic DVD sets the standard for all Broadway DVD presentations!

Filmed at the Marquis Theatre, VICTOR/VICTORIA was filmed for Japanese television broadcast by NHK. This remarkable transfer boasts a dynamic 5.1 sound mix and a flawless picture.

Starring the entire original cast led by Julie Andrews, Tony Roberts, Michael Nouri, Rachel York, Gregory Jbara and Tara O'Brien, it is one of the most delightful musicals ever written.

This will probably be Andrews' last musical role; after completing her run and handing over the role to Liza Minnelli, she was admitted to hospital with throat problems. During the run she was frequently out with the flu or vocal problems.

Similarly, Liza Minnelli was frequently out with vocal problems relating to the show. Raquel Welch stepped in and closed with the show. VICTOR/VICTORIA ran for almost three years on Broadway.

This classic, old-fashioned musical will be a God-send to die-hard Broadway and musical theatre fans. Buy it today!

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On December 2, 1995, I was lucky enough to be in New York City and saw "Victor-Victoria" on Broadway. The excitement and anticipation of seeing Julie Andrews on Broadway was so great-I'll never forget that. We would have applauded and cheered like mad if Julie had merely appeared on stage and read from the phone book. Naturally, I was thrilled when the Broadway production was released on video. The show is excellently presented in wide-screen format. I'm still in awe of Robin Wagner's wonderful set designs-one of the production's best assets. Andrews is well supported by Tony Roberts as Toddy. Michael Nouri is super sexy as King Marchan, and Gregory Jhbara is endearingly sweet as his gay bodyguard. Rachael York is extremely funny, but, in retrospect, the best she can do in the role of Norma is give a carbon-copy of Lesley Ann Warren's inspired performance in the 1982 film. Despite what some have said, the Broadway production does flow and move well, with just as much sparkle and bounce as the 1982 film (in some cases, perhaps more). These are professional actors. They know what they're doing, and they give their very best. Let's face it: either you like Julie Andrews (with all her amazing stamina and energy; thankfully captured here before her devastating 1997 throat surgery) and "Victor-Victoria" or you don't. Not much more needs to be said. Having this video in my collection is like having my wonderful night in New York City over and over again. A real treat-if you were "there" or not.

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Fallen (2007)

I loved this show so much that I went ahead and ordered Fallen The Destiny as well. Upon recieving Fallen (Part 1 and 2), I found that Part 3 of the series is also included in this disc set, not just Parts 1 and 2 as indicated in the description. So when you buy it you don't need to spend the extra money and purchase Fallen The Destiny to have the whole series after all.

Aaron Corbett (Paul Wesley of the Vampire Diaries) is an orphan who has found a loving home. He's got a great life, supportive family, he's a jock, he's smart, basically he can write his ticket to any college he wants. Then on his 18'th birthday everything changes; hidden powers emerge and he learns the terrifying truth that he is a Nephelim. A Nephelim is a cross between a fallen angel and a human and is considered an abomination by the Powers (Gods angels). He will be hunted down and destroyed unless he accepts his destiny as the Redeemer, the prophesied Nephelim who is the savior to the fallen angels.

The movie series centers around him finding out, accepting, and surviving to fulfill his destiny. The movie is interesting and well done. While it does take liberties from the best selling book series it's still well done and will keep you interest.

The acting is excellent though at times overdone. I loved the character of Gabriel the Labrador but I wish his voice hadn't seemed so contrived. The special effects were overall well done and I especially liked that they didn't over do the flaming swords.

I didn't give this a 5 star rating because while there are shows on TV that come off feeling more like a movie this definitely has a Made-for-TV feel.

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Fallen: the Beginning disc actually contains Fallen: the Beginning and Fallen: the Journey and this disc contains Fallen: the Destiny. I think they divided the eps wrong since The Journey and The Destiny aired together more than a year after The Beginning. Gripes out of the way, it has a pretty decent widescreen transfer. But it's a bare-bones disc with nice menus and chapter selection. No Special Features or even trailers. I'd think this show garnered a little more respect since ABC Family was showing behind-the-scenes clips on TV and online. Well, it only took 3 1/2 years to get in. At least they didn't convert it to fullscreen like they did with Haunted. Overall, it's a good movie. I really liked it. They did good things with a TV show/mini-series budget.

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I Loved this "Show". It stars Paul Wesley, Who is now on the CW's Vampire Diaries, As a supposedly normal teen and orphaned at an early age when he is adopted into a very nice family that has an autistic son. On his 18th birthday when most teenagers would get a car or a great party he gets Wings, As in ANGEL Wings!

Now MY review...

I was THRILLED to see something so different on TV especially when it has religion in it. Most Networks and well EVERYONE avoid Religion and Politics even if it IS Fiction. I was really hoping that this would have been a actual SHOW and not Just a Mini-Movie. That said I WAS Really Happy with what they did in telling his story BUT they did leave a cliff-hanger. So It is possible to get MORE someday. If You have any interest in anything having to do with Angels both Good and Bad, Then this "Movie" Is for you. It has action, romance and a bit of magic.

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Based on the FALLEN books (eg. Fallen, Leviathan, Aerie & Reckoning) written by Thomas Sniegoski . . . unfortunately (as with most movies) it doesn't follow the true path in the books. Personally I found the books to be far better. The movie was good in its own way, but I like the way the book ended better than the movie.

Originally an ABC family mini-series, which was first aired in 2006 (The Time of the Redemer) and followed with additional episodes in the summer of 2007 (Mysterious Ways and All That, Someone Always Has to Die and Il Gran Rifiuto aka the Grand Refusal).

The movie introduces us to Aaron Corbett . . . a Nephilim . . . the offspring of an angel and mortal woman. Hunted by the Powers leader Verchiel (a woman in the movie), Aaron is informed by a Fallen Angel of his TRUE nature. Of course he is in denial, but events slowly unfold as his angelic powers start rising to the surface. When Verchiel goes to his home she's hell bent on anniliating him, but after blasting him into fire he walks out, his angelic nature surfaces and he battles with her. He is then forced to flee home with the angel Camael and his dog Gabriel, he leaves all his loved ones behind.

A prophecy foretold " . . . in the footsteps of his father, in the sign of Virgo, a Redeemer will be born. His hands will deliver fair judgement. Ye will know him by his markings, names on his flesh reveal his mercy. The Redeemer shall judge what the Fallen have done and bring the Fallen to ascension and glory one more. Many shall seek him. Those meaning to destroy him will guide him to his fate. Again all of the damned or Fallen shall know Paradise, once again the Fallen will have time to make right where they went wrong."

During an encounter with the Powers Camael is wounded. They search for the angel Ariel, who is a gifted healer. Aaron visits a college campus and learns more about the stories of angels and the Fallen from a professor. The professor takes Aaron to his home to show him proof . . . Aaron sees Vilma, a girl he knew in high school . . . she is a Nephilim too.

After rescuing Vilma, the Powers are hot on his trail, now lead by Mazarin they continue to hunt him down. Camael tells Aaron and Vilma to flee, and he is captured by the Powers. Another fierce Fallan warrior angel by the name of Azazel joins Aaron, Vilma and Gabriel. Azazel lies, and tells Aaron that Camael is dead. He promises to take Aaron to the Light Bringer, the oracle who wrote the prophecy and who would be able to tell Aaron WHO his angelic father is.

Unfortunately this mini series stirred up alot of controversy (not too surprising), as some folks fail to realize this is a work of FICTION and a MOVIE (not a documentary). Some religious folks are probably offended because this story does not follow the Bible . . . hello, this is "fantasy" all things go, it does NOT have to follow the Bible. Seriously, I think the movie portrayed LUCIFER as the BAD guy (as do most religious writings), if the movie had followed the BOOKS, then religious folks would REALLY be offended . . . the books are far more graphic and violent and portray the first of the Fallen, Lucifer, as a person you feel sorry for . . . anyhow, just enjoy the movie for what it IS . . . a wonderful story with nice special effects. I thought it was AWESOME! So glad it FINALLY came out on DVD, been waiting a LONG time for that!!!!!!!!!!

The Fallen Leviathan (The Fallen) The Fallen: Aerie Reckoning (The Fallen) The Fallen 1: The Fallen and Leviathan The Fallen 2: Aerie and Reckoning

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Cocktail (2012) - (Hindi Movie / Bollywood Film / Indian Cinema) (2012)

I'm never sure where the editorial reviews that are posted for these movies come from . The one listed above wasn't even close to the plot of this film. Johnny Carson's dead ghost The Amazing Carnac could of gotten closer then the description they gave.

Deepika is the rich wild child , the emotionally raw Veronica. She's flash and cash all the way but has a soft spot under her party girl facade . One night she runs into a bathroom after boozing it up too much and happens to meet a beautiful traditional Hindi girl Meera (Diana) who's crying her eyes out. She just found out that the arranged marriage she thought she was part of was real only on paper and she has been victimized by a total rat (extended cameo in two sections of the movie played by Randeep Hooda) . The marriage was a sham hoax. When she showed up in London because he didn't send for her , she finds he married her for her dowry money . He tells her to get lost she can file for married visa and he will divorce her later but he spent her money. After hearing this tale Veronica (Deepika) basically takes her home to help her out until she get's settled in and helps her to slowly change into a more confident person. They become best friends and room mates.

Enter Saif who meets and start a Friends with Benefits relationship with Veronica and a somewhat bumpy friendship with Diana who is his total opposite. They annoy each other in constant little ways but get along for Veronica's sake. One day when his mom shows up with BRIDE ON THE BRAIN , he freaks and tells his mom (Dimple) it's Diana's traditional hindi character that he's in a relationship with not Veronica and that he's going to marry her (hilarious scene you have to see this ). Since Veronica doesn't want anything to do with permanent at this stage and she finds this very funny, she goes along with the lie.

While on a trip to Capetown his mother takes them on, they all discover a few things about themselves. Saif really is attracted to the traditional Diana even though he always dated modern women; and Veronica now wants what she can't have . Saif as her husband . She's fallen in love with the idea of love. She's been alone so long emotionally and Saif was the closest she ever came. His mother is so sweet to her as a person, like a mother figure, filling an empty spot in her life . She is more in love with the idea of being the daughter of the house than she is with being in a giving relationship . She's never seen one in her life. She basically does everything she can do to destroy Diana and Saif to get him back even though when she had him she never really wanted him completely. Her pain and misery almost destroy all of them before she has a second epiphany and restores their lives back to some semblance of sanity.

Deepika soars, crashes and claws her way through this film , peeling back the character layer by layer until ultimately the human weakness in all of us is dealt with at it's most painful level. All human ,no self sacrificed moments for her character . She want's the prize this time . She wants her self respect back she just doesn't know how to go about it anymore. Always grasping but never obtaining.

Diana's character grows more subtlely in the movie, in strength and love, both obtained in measure by her relationships with Veroncia and Saif . Her softly overlapping layers are a stark contrast to Veronica's . She has her self respect but is constantly trying to sacrifice herself or later her love because she is somewhat conflicted by the new perceptions of her life that she is shown. Her traditional values have given her inner strength but unfortunately some of the old perceptions are also suffocating her in her new life. It's hard for her to see that she is not at fault all the time . That her strength and acceptance of all things that come at her are not helping the other people in her life be stronger. At some point she will have to stop accepting and start fighting for what SHE needs and only then can they ALL start to work at being healthier in their perspective relationships. She feels a sisterhood with Veronica and mistakenly thinks she can gift Veronica her own happiness. She can try to be there for her but she can not MAKE Veronica's life a happy one until Veronica is ready to take responsibility for her own actions. The writers are very good at making these situations felt and swap out tense moments with some music and lighter moments in attempts to keep it from being too dramatic. I liked the songs but could of done with a couple less of them but that is purely a taste thing and not a quality issue.

Saif rocks his role and manages to fulfill the balancing act of first the hilarious imp of a boyfriend to Veronica and then ultimately the slowly evolving picture of a man coming into his own adult hood and finally knowing his own mind . He grows into the man his mother knew he could be and the man they all needed him to be. Soft heart but strong back bone. They all walk away together as heroes with no total evil only flesh and blood humans with flaws present and accounted for. Lovable. Redeemable. Whole again.

Totally recommend this movie. Some great humor . Some great songs, good emotional scenes and an ending you can live with. Don't worry. It's Bollywood. That's why we watch.

I love Saif Ali Kahn's acting, when he is cast in the right role. However, Bollywood has a bad habit of casting men of Saif's age (42) in roles as much younger men. Saif's character is supposed to be a carefree 32, but even though he is a great looking guy, he doesn't look to be in his early thirties. The problem is that there really aren't a whole slew of actresses in Bollywood who are Saif's age. The ones with whom he worked and with whom he had great chemistry haven't been seen in awhilePreety Zinta, etc. It seems that once they get into their thirties, they drop off the radar and younger, newer, pretties fill their spaces. The only one who is still active, that I know of is Divya Balan. As for the actors, they stick around into their sixties. It's a shame really because Preety Zinta, Rani Mukerjee, and Ajay Devgan's wife (her name escapes me now) were a joy to watch. With no one in their age group, these guys must play younger dudes. What is supposed to be carefree and charming just doesn't play the same as when he actually was in his thirties. Saif Ali Kahn is a great actor and I think this part should have been played by someone else.

Having said all that, the acting was good in this movie. That is never an issue when Saif and Deepika are in a movie. I'm not familiar with Diana Penty but I enjoyed her performance. The plot was not one that is new to Bollywood so I knew the ending at the beginning. The songs were OK. Nothing really stuck out for me. Oh, for the days of Salaam Namaste, Hum Tum, or Parineeta. Anyway, it wasn't a waste of time and I feel many will enjoy it.

Buy Cocktail (2012) - (Hindi Movie / Bollywood Film / Indian Cinema) (2012) Now

This is a dull, cliched Disco-euphoric youth rom com, acted by 30 to 40 year olds who try way too hard to look westernized and euphorized. It reminds me vaguely of other disco-abroad-Bollies such as Salam Namasté or Hum Tum (both also with Saif Ali Khan who is too old for such fluff and performed so much better in Omkara, for instance). Stupid plot. Bland disco music by Pritam who delivered much better tunes (easy rock) for the Anurag Basu movies Barfi! and Life in a Metro.

Master lenser Anil Mehta did a great job, again. The leading ladies look gorgeous (too bad that after Om Shanti Om, Deepika Padukone seems to choose only bad roles in bad movies). The old hands Dimple Kapadia and Boman Iran do give this watery cocktail a bit of substance.

Read Best Reviews of Cocktail (2012) - (Hindi Movie / Bollywood Film / Indian Cinema) (2012) Here

The movie moves that I did not expect. Deepika's Maybellene replace is beautiful and did a great job. I hope we see more of her. Saif in a bra is quite a site!

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Good movie don't like saif playing such a young person though, doesn't look good. Enjoyed the movie it quite good.

Branded to Kill (The Criterion Collection) (1967)

I was inspired to seek out Branded to Kill as it's one of Jim Jarmusch's favorite films, and he's one of my favorite filmmakers. You could say that his interest in Japanese pop culture first came to the fore in Mystery Train, the darkly comic tale of two Japanese tourists on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Elvis. But it's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, which mostly clearly takes its inspiration from Seijun Suzuki's bizarre, yet strangely beautiful Branded to Kill. Certainly, the external trappings are different (Suzuki's film is in B&W, it's set in Japan, RZA most definitely did not compose the soundtrack, etc.), but the central characters are cut from the same inscrutable cloth. Arguably, Ghost Dog also takes its inspiration from another non-American noir released in '67--Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samourai with Alain Delon as, you guessed it, a bird-loving hitman of few words (a film that, in turn, inspired John Woo's The Killer).

Branded to Kill plays like a cross between an American noir from the 1950s (Kiss Me Deadly), a French New Wave post-noir (Breathless, Le Doulos), and a Japanese "art" film (Woman in the Dunes). At first, you think Goro (Jo Shishido) is one odd dude (with his chipmunk cheeks, weird rice obsession, insatiable libido, etc.), but then you meet the women in his life... Both of them, his wife (Mariko Ogawa) and butterfly-obsessed mistress (Mari Annu), are about as strange as it gets (so strange--and downright kinky--that accusations of misogyny would not be completely misplaced).

If you've been looking for something different, you've found it in Branded to Kill. If the plot is as incomprehensible as that of The Big Sleep, it doesn't really matter. It's all about the look and feel of the thing, best exemplified by the set pieces, which can be quite spectacular (and were constructed more out of ingenuity than cash). Recommended as much to fans of Jarmusch and Melville as to fans of Takeshi Kitano, another helmer who's mastered the art of the silent, sympathetic hitman. And you'll never look at a butterfly the same way again--or a bowl of rice, for that matter.

Trivia note: Masatoshi Nagase (Mystery Train, the Suzuki-inspired Most Terrible Time of My Life) also appears in Pistol Opera (2001), Suzuki's sequel to Branded to Kill (released when Nagase was a year old!).

It certainly does take a certain kind of film buff to enjoy this film. Style over substance is the order of the day, and one must be willing to sacrifice a coherent plot line for an excess of style. In this film the way a thing gets done takes precedence over the thing that is done. Don't get me wrongthe basic idea of the story is simple. however the style almost becomes the story and this is something we are not all used to. (You might want to see Kill Bill first and then Tokyo Drifter before this one). I won't go into the plot here because I think it's better if you don't have any expectations before watching this one. The black and white cinematography is superb. The sound is as good as can be expected. The extras are minimal, however it is a criterion release, so it required viewing. The only thing that could have made it better would be if Bela Lugosi were in it....

Buy Branded to Kill (The Criterion Collection) (1967) Now

"Branded to Kill", Seijun Suzuki's masterpiece but also a film that led to the filmmaker's firing.

While we are graced with films with visual style, humor and coolness by Beat Takeshi, Takashi Miike, Kazuaki Kiriya to name a few... Seijun Suzuki was part of the Nikkatsu company that churned two movies a week and had to work with a low budget, be creative and churn out a film within 25 days. Needless to say, executives didn't understand Suzuki's style, they criticized him, they talked down to him but what they didn't know was that his style was not being rebellious, it was his style.

Perhaps Suzuki's style was too surreal because what Nikkatsu wanted was traditional Japanese films that they were used to making. Seijun Suzuki who created 40 B-movies for the company between 1956 and 1967 was anything but traditional, not necessarily a rebel but he created films that he wanted to make,each film being different and now respected as films that were ahead of its time.

Prior to releasing his final film, "Branded to Kill", for Nikkatsu, they were growing tired by his inability to create traditional films that the executives were used too. But by the end of "Branded to Kill", the executives of the company had enough of Suzuki's style of filmmaking. While he never complained, he was fired from his job. And Suzuki was not a man to let the studio run all over him. In fact, he successfully sued the company for wrongful dismissal but in Japanese business tradition, if you sue an entertainment company, you will be blacklisted (which still goes on today in Japan) and in this case, Suzuki was blacklisted for ten years.

In Japan, because he stood up to the big entertainment company, he became a counterculture icon and his films were shown at midnight screenings to a packed audience.

In America, many cinema fans appreciated Suzuki's work because of its visual, surreal style that was not as common to see in Japanese gangster films.

And while his two better known films, "Tokyo Drifter" and "Branded to Kill" have been released in America on LD and DVD from the Criterion Collection, in Dec. 2011, the Criterion Collection released both of Seijun Suzuki's films "Tokyo Drifter" and "Branded to Kill" on Blu-ray and DVD which features improved video quality plus a new interview with Seijun Suzuki done exclusively by the Criterion Collection in 2011.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Branded to Kill" is presented in 2:35:1 aspect ratio, black and white and audio is presented in monaural. It's important to note that with the 2011 release, the release signifies the HD release of "Branded to Kill" on Blu-ray and for those wanting the best picture and audio quality, the Blu-ray is the version to buy.

But many may wonder if they owned the older 1999 DVD release and don't own a Blu-ray player, should they upgrade to the 2011 DVD release? I can tell you right now that the 2011 version takes advantage of newer remastering technology. The contrast is much better, whites and grays are well-contrast while black levels are nice and deep. The picture quality is so much better than the older DVD but if you can, I highly recommend going for the Blu-ray release as you will get more detail and clarity.

According to the Criterion Collection, the new high-definition transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Image System's DVNR was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.

As for the monaural soundtrack, the new release was remastered at 24-bit from the original soundtrack print. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation.

Audio-wise, dialogue was clear and I detected no problems or crackle. Doing tests of the 1999 DVD release and the 2011 DVD release, there is a slight distinction of clarity in audio but for the most part, the difference is more apparent in the video.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Branded to Kill", the 2011 DVD release comes with the following special features:

Seijun Suzuki and Masami Kuzuu (12:10) A 2011 Criterion Collection interview with director Seijun Suzuki and assistant director Masami Kuzuu discussing "Branded to Kill".

Joe Shishido (11:01) An interview with main actor Joe Shishido conducted in July 2011 by the Criterion Collection.

Seijun Suzuki (14:07) An interview with director Seijun Suzuki recorded during a retrospective of his work by the Japan Foundation and the Los Angeles Film Forum at the Nuart Theatere in Los Angeles in March 1997.

Trailer (3:09) The original theatrical trailer for "Tokyo Drifter".

EXTRAS:

20-Page booklet Featuring a new essay titled "Reductio Ad Absurdum: Suzuki Seijun's Branded to Kill" by film critic Tony Rayns.

JUDGMENT CALL:

This is the film that defied Nikkatsu and led to Seijun Suzuki's termination with the studio. But it's also the film that can be considered Seijun Suzuki's greatest masterpiece!

While "Branded to Kill" could have been the typical banal yakuza film and be the "King of the Mountain" type of story of individual assassins try to reach the #1 position in killer rating, that would have made a fine traditional Japanese gangster film. But for those who are familiar with Seijun Suzuki's work, Suzuki is not your traditional filmmaker. Many look at his work as surreal filmmaking, even though Suzuki never thought of it that way. It was just his style, of being creative and not wanting his films to be just like any other film. And in this case, making each film different and doing the best he can no matter how much Nikkatsu would cut from his budget or force him to shoot in black and white as a sort of punishment for not following their rules.

From the opening scene, we are treated with the usual stoic man, full of bravado, suave and cool with his Rayban sunglasses and excellent shooting, but its the characters that literally make things surreal.

From when you are reminded of Goro's fetish with sniffing rice, the film would then become a showcase of kinky sex and surreal violence. Goro Hanada is a killer, an assassin who will take on the best paying assignments and typically succeeds. During his offtime, he can always find his wife fully nude, and whether he's having sex with her in various positions or slapping her around, this is the character that Suzuki focuses on.

What about the other characters such as Misako, the emotionless and beautiful killer who also has a fetish with her poisonous needles as we see her dead birds penetrated with needles or her love for butterflies. Or even No. 1, the #1 ranked assassin who uses psychological tactics to the point where he confronts Goro at his home and even stays with him, including making sure they go to the bathroom a certain way... together.

With intriguing editing, compositions and creative camera angles, Suzuki is able to merge commercial mainstream filmmaking with avant garde style. Making a gangster film artistic and despite the film being a violent film, especially for 1967 audiences, he manages to pull off one hell of a perverse, surreal, violent but yet fantastic film that is unlike other gangster films, especially films coming from Nikkatsu.

I have watched "Branded to Kill" countless times before including Suzuki's film "Tokyo Drifter", as these two films were ahead of its time. If people can respect the David Lynch, Takashi Miike and the Quentin Tarentino style of films today, they will love Seijun Suzuki's films. This is a man who worked for a studio that made things as difficult as possible for him to be successful but because he and his crew were good at adapting to their economic situations, they used creative styles of storytelling, filming, costume and set design in order to achieve success in their mind, even if the studio execs felt Suzuki's films were "incomprehensible".

As for this latest 2011 release on Blu-ray and DVD, personally...the point of this new release is the Blu-ray! Criterion Collection has done a magnificent job of remastering this film in HD but since I'm reviewing the DVD version, I'm confident to say that this film is still worth it (especially if you don't own a Blu-ray player) as the DVD looks great, especially compared to the old Criterion Collection 1999 DVD which lacks the color, detail and clarity. This DVD's picture quality is much better than the original DVD and you get more special features as well!

Overall, "Branded to Kill" is a unique, brilliant masterpiece from Seijun Suzuki and a Criterion Collection release that is highly recommended!

Read Best Reviews of Branded to Kill (The Criterion Collection) (1967) Here

The term "visionary" gets thrown around alot, but "Branded to Kill" redefines it. This '67 black and white will leave your jaw hanging. Yes, partly in incomprehension, but also in stunned awe. A stylistic tour de force that is still news and way hipper than anything you'll see at the mall multiplex. The coolest classic around.

Want Branded to Kill (The Criterion Collection) (1967) Discount?

I bought this DVD on a whim after doing some background research. Somehow the typical Japaneseyakuza action film cut-up and combined with surrealism and a Noirish sheen appealed to me. I certainly wasn't disappointed. I was Actually, I was amazed at how many levels "Branded to Kill" worked. Its over the top black humor (at time almost slap stick)was delightful. The characters were complex and the plot engaging though deliberately made hard to follow. I've haunted by the complexity of the ending for a few days now. Visually the film is a masterpiece, and heavily debted to the French New Wave. I disagree with the Widescreen Review of the picture and sound quality as the picture looks to be faithful recreation of the original. I think the washed-out contrastless black is quite beautifully done and portrayed.

This film was certainly a big influence on Tarantino and I'm pretty sure it is QT behind the camera on the exclusive interview of Seiuchi Suzuki (a great bonus).

Highly recommended for fans of gangster films, Japanese film-making, noir, and new-wave all rolled into one.

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