Cinderella(Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (Spanish Version) (1977)

I looked forward to this DVD release for months and snagged a copy the first day it was available. My excitement turned to dismay, however, as I began to watch it. From the moment the birds open the curtains to reveal Cinderella in her bed, it became painfully obvious that Disney truly had "enhanced" the picture to within an inch of its life. Instead of restoring this beloved classic film, the images have been changed; this is NOT Cinderella as she was first seen in 1950. Just to make sure I wasn't mistaken, I did a comparison between my parents VHS tape (the original video release) and the DVD. True, the picture on the DVD was much sharper and the sound was crystal clear, but Cinderella's hair was NEVER that color of yellow, and lines that were part of the original animators drawings, faithfully inked and painted onto the original cells, are no longer visible. For instance, right at the beginning of the film, when Cinderella turns over in her bed to shut out the sun, there were originally clearly drawn/inked lines in her blanket to show the drapery of the fabric. Those lines, obvious in the VHS version, are now only visible if you zoom in on them. Similar editorial decisions on the part of the DVD authors are evident throughout the film, though they decrease in frequency as the film progresses. It could be said these changes don't matter much, but they truly affect the look of the film. I often found myself thinking it looked like a Scooby-Doo cartoon, a far cry from any Disney classic. Although I understand that Disney owns this intellectual property in the legal sense, I don't understand why the've chosen to disrespect that very property, especially in light of their excellent work on Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, etc. Hopefully, this is an anomaly and Disney won't continue to offer us disfigured films.

In an effort to revive his sagging animation department, Walt Disney turned once again to a fairy tale. This time around, he chose one of the best known and oldest of them all, Cinderella.

The tale is familiar. A beautiful girl is abused by her stepmother and stepsisters and forced to work as their slave. When a ball is given for all the eligible maidens in the kingdom, Cinderella dreams of going too, only to have her hopes dashed at the last minute. With a gift of magic, she is able to go, but only until the stroke of midnight.

The story is so well known, if fact, that any story about an underdog coming from behind and winning is called a Cinderella story. Disney's job here was to make the story entertaining for 75 minutes. The solution here was creating the animals. Mice Jaq and Gus and their constant struggle against the evil cat Lucifer is funny and tying this sub-plot to the ultimate outcome is brilliant. The other standout character is the stepmother who is frighteningly evil with no super powers.

As with any Disney movie, this one also has great songs. Arguably the best known is "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo." Right behind it is "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes." My favorite, however, is the often overlooked love song "So This is Love."

While not the best release in the Platinum series, it still stacks up well. The movie has been restored, and it looks great to me. I'm not a nitpicker, but I can't find any problems with the full frame picture, the original aspect ratio. There is an enhanced 5.1 home theater mix, which doesn't seem quite as impressive as some other releases. It seems more like the sound coming equally from all speakers. Of course, given the age of the film, there probably isn't much more they could do. For purists, there is an original soundtrack on the disc as well.

The extras in this set seem to be split between content for kids and adults, with the kids winning. Disc one includes a new version of "A Dream is a Wish" with the stars of several Disney Channel series. It also has several "Cinderella stories" in sports moments, a weird feature to me. Disc two includes several features about living like a princess.

Also on disc two are the bonus features adult fans of this movie will want to watch. There are two "deleted scenes," which are really abandoned songs with the storyboards created for them. In edition there are more abandoned songs with no storyboards on here. It's pretty interesting watching how various ideas went from one form to another before finally making it into the movie. Other extras include a thirty-eight minute documentary about the creation of the show, including achieved interviews with the animators behind the show. We are also treated to an overview of how the movie progressed over the years it was in development, a tribute to the "Nine Old Men," Disney's "Laugh-O-Gram" version of the story from 1922, and radio promotion from the time. I was thrilled to see trailers from the movie's multiple releases here. Unfortunately, there is no commentary in sight.

This Platinum DVD release means that all of Disney's animated movies have been put on DVD at some point in the last few years. While the Platinum series isn't quite as nice for adult fans as they used to be, this is still a release that fans of the movie will want to pick up.

Buy Cinderella(Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (Spanish Version) (1977) Now

There are two well known versions of Cinderella, the French version and the German Brothers Grimm. Disney and Rodgers & Hammerstein used the more family friendly French version and Sondheim & Lapine used the more grisly Brothers Grimm.

The story is very simple. A young girl's father remarries to vain and cruel woman with two daughters of her own. Her father dies and the stepmother turns Cinderella into a servant.

The King wants his only child, the Prince to marry. So he holds a ball with all the eligible maidens. The evil stepmother and her two daughters attend but make sure that Cinderella does not. Come to the rescue Fairy Godmother. She does her magic and uses Cinderella's animal friend. The Prince sees Cinderella and instantly falls in love. But she has to leave before midnight and only leaves her glass slipper.

A search for true love begins!

This is a fun version of the fairy tale with the most violent villains of all three main versions of the story. This is still a great movie but if you want the best get the Leslie Ann Warren version of the Rogers & Hammerstein TV special.

DVD EXTRAS:

Disc One -

Cinderella Stories presented by ESPN Classic: Joe Namath host 10 sports "Cinderella Stories" from teams like NY Jets in Superbowl III and 1980 US Hockey Team to individuals like Lance Armstrong and Mia Hamm. You can watch all ten or just the ones that you want. These are superficial but can be inspirational for young kids. (Total running time 34 minutes)

Music & More Two music videos and a making of video (9 minutes total) A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes is done by Disney Channel stars and shows that with today's technology anyone can be made to sound alright. It also shows how you can take a great song and make it into drivel. This is followed by making of video. Every Girl Can be a Princess which uses clips from all the Disney "Princess" films. The song was written for a Princess album. It actually is very nice.

Disc Two -

Deleted Scenes Two deleted scenes and an introduction by Don Hahn (Producer of Beauty and the Beast. The Cinderella Work song is newly recorded and has the original storyboards. Dancing on a Cloud is the original recording with the original storyboards. (10 Minutes)

Music & More -

Cinderella & Perry Como: A 7 minute excerpt of his show promoting the film. Perry narrates with Ilene Woods (Cinderella) and the Fontaine Sisters as the mice singing the song live. The end is a jazz version of Bibbidy Boobity Boo by Perry, Ilene and the sisters this is great.

Cinderella Title Song: Original demo recording probably by the song writers (no storyboards). (2 minutes)

Unused Songs: 7 songs not used in the film audio only (17 minutes). Disney animated films always had unused songs. Usually, the scene that it is used in was cut but sometimes it just didn't advance the story and this was the number one rule of songs. They do not give singing credits on these.

Radio Programs: Three radio program excerpts promoting Ilene Woods (12 minutes) Village Store introduces Ilene as Disney's choice for Cinderella and she sings When You Wish Upon a Star. Gulf Oil Presents Ilene sings A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes. Scouting the Star with no singing.

Games & Activities -

House of Royalty: Three six minute vignettes on Look Live Act Like a Princess. These are for the youngsters only and they probably will not watch them more than once. Although Act Like a Princess has some tips everyone could use.

The Royal Life DVD ROM game in which you can point and click to make your dream castle, ball gown or bedroom.

Princess Pajama Jam A really silly 3 minute game on dancing like a princess. It would have been better if this lasted longer as a child's exercise program but it is really an advert for the Princess Party DVD.

Backstage Disney -

From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella Four featurettes totaling 39 minutes. This is actually an indepth look at not only the film but Disney and has interviews (from 1995) with the original animators. The section on the voice casting is really interesting as many of the voices were well known character actresses. It is really great.

The Cinderella That Almost Was: This is a 14 minute featurette on the genesis of the story from a Silly Symphony to various early incarnations that were never used. It is very interesting to see what didn't make it into the film.

From Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men This is a 22 minute round table discussion with today's top animated film makers discussing the original nine animators. It is nice but nothing special.

The Art of Mary Blair A fifteen minute tribute to the artist who helped conceive the style of many Disney animated features.

Storyboard to Film Comparison: Opening Sequence A seven minute comparison of the film to the original story boards or live action reference shot. These are always fun to watch.

Cinderella Still Galleries Massive stills galleries from concept drawings to posters

1922 Laugh-o-Grams: Cinderella An early animated short based on Cinderella set in current times.

Excerpt from The Mickey Mouse Club with Helene Stanley (1955): A four minute sequence with live action model Helene Stanley.

Read Best Reviews of Cinderella(Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (Spanish Version) (1977) Here

Stunning new 2-disc `Platinum Edition' of Disney's 1950 fairytale confection CINDERELLA. The story is as old as the hills: Cinderella is mistreated horribly by her cruel Stepmother and stepsisters Anastasia and Drisella. Her only friends are some pet mice, the birds and her faithful dog and horse. When the Prince invites all the eligible maidens in the land to his grand ball, Cinderella is heartbroken when her Stepmother forbids her to go. Enter the magical Fairy Godmother, who, with a little "Bibiddi Bobiddi Boo" magic, enables Cinderella to live out her happily-ever-after dream.

From a historical perspective, the Disney studio was pinning it's future on the success of CINDERELLA. World War II had virtually wiped out the studio's international market and films like PINOCCHIO, BAMBI and FANTASIA had lost a lot of money on their initial releases.

Disney has performed a complete restoration on the film, including an extensive frame-by-frame cleanup of the original camera negative and the result is eye-popping (almost alarmingly-so as every hint of speckle, dirt and debris has been removed). The film looks showroom-new and it's hard to believe the thing was actually made over 50 years ago. Likewise the soundtrack has been sweetened with Disney furnishing the film with an all-new "Enhanced Home Theatre" 5.1 mix. But purists need not worry, as the original mono soundtrack is also included.

There are some fantastic extras on Disc Two including an all-new `Making-Of' documentary which features recent interviews with Ilene Woods (voice of Cinderella), Mike Douglas (the Prince) and Lucille Bliss (Anastasia). "The Art of Mary Blair" is an invaluable look into the life of the revered Disney concept artist and designer; "The Cinderella That Almost Was" hosted by Don Hahn explores the scenes, songs and characters that were considered but eventually cut from the final film. "Disney's Nine Old Men" is a charming segment hosted by Joel Siegel which has the leading Disney animators of today remembering the trailblazers who created the classic Disney animated masterpieces.

There is also a charming clip from Perry Como's television show which publicised the film with a performance from Ilene Woods. A clip from "The Mickey Mouse Club" features Helene Stanley (the live-action reference model for the Cinderella character) enacting a scene with the help of the Mouseketeers. There are also extensive galleries, interactive games and DVD-ROM components.

There are however some needless (and downright questionable) extras like the ESPN Classic "Cinderella Stories" programme, which profiles sport celebrities and their rise to fame. Just what exactly does all this have to do with Disney's Cinderella? Plain boring old filler. That said, the rest of the package is outstanding. For Disney collectors and families everywhere, this is a must-own.

Want Cinderella(Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (Spanish Version) (1977) Discount?

Well, only a year to wait...

This two disc Platinum Edition will follow Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Aladdin and (Easter 2005) Bambi as Disney's jewels in their DVD crown when it is released next October.

Whilst seemingly forgetting how to produce a decent animated film lately, the folks at Disney sure know how to produce DVD packages. Expect deleted songs, artwork, games, docs, commentaries and much more!

Just avoid the embarassingly bad sequel.

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Mimic (The Director's Cut) (1997)

"Life finds a way." Ian Malcom, "Jurassic Park"

This famous line from Steven Speilberg's dinosaur adventure has become a popular lesson of many science fiction films today. "Mimic," a film in which genetically altered insects become something never intended, is no exception to this particular lesson; in fact, the movie uses it to its advantage on numerous occasions, that, and some very sophisticated special effects and filmmaking techniques. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, who directed "Cronos," turns what is a basic nature-gone-mad movie into something more terrifying, more chilling, and more suspenseful than anything we've ever seen done before.

That's not to say that "Mimic" is as fresh as a spring breeze. There are elements at work in the film that are all too familiar if you know your science fiction well. There's the obligatory explanation for the havoc surrounding the central characters, scenes involving them being trapped somewhere beyond any help, and a hero in the group that will devise all the plans for escape and the way in which to kill their opponent. But under a new premise, and some very strikingly intense moments, "Mimic" makes the old seem new again.

The hero (or heroine, in this case) is Dr. Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino), who is called upon by the city of New York to find a cure for a fatal disease striking the city's children. Along with husband Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam), they create a genetically altered breed of insect (revealed as a cross between a cockroach and a praying mantis) to wipe out the disease-infested cockroaches underneath the city.

Of course, the bugs, named the "Judas" breed, were altered in ways that left them with a short life expectancy of only six months, plus a sterile female so that no mating will take place. But, after three years have passed, Susan encounters a bug closely resembling the "Judas" breed insects, and it becomes apparent to her that they have survived.

How did they survive? The movie never explains it, which is best; it's better left as a mystery. It also leaves room for the ensuing action sequences, as Susan and Peter, along with a police officer (Charles Dutton), make their way into the underground subways and abandoned facilities beneath the city streets.

This is where things get really interesting, as del Toro works his magic on us. A simple scene in which Susan attempts to retrieve a flashlight by sticking her hand in a dark hole is full of suspense, while a claustrophobic intensity permeates sequences involving an abandoned subway car where the group seeks refuge from their predators. Accompanying all of this is a heightened sensory perception. Del Toro toys with shadow and light, along with sight and sound, to add an atmospheric feel to each setting. Not since "Seven" have I seen a film that uses this technique so masterfully.

And the message behind it all? It's one we're well familiarized with, that playing God gets us nowhere. Sure, Susan's intentions were in the right place, and we even understand her reasons after an early shot of her in a hospital ward filled with sick children. I think the general theme behind all of the mayhem is not one of toying with science, but one on the many ways that life can change, and evolve into something previously unknown.

"Mimic" has a good cast in its favor. Mira Sorvino shines in a role that differs from others roles of her career, such as "Mighty Aphrodite." But she proves herself able to play a convincing character in any situation. Jeremy Northam is the last person you'd expect to see running through tunnels and putting himself in dangerous situations, but he pulls it off. F. Murray Abraham makes an appearance as Susan's mentor, Dr. Gates, playing the well-educated man to perfection, while Charles Dutton is superbly comical and heroic as Leonard, the police officer.

"Mimic" is a dazzlingly intense adventure that is genuinely suspenseful and totally entertaining. It's ability to tighten the intensity surrounding its sequence of events is a trait rare to this genre, as is its ability to bring us into the atmosphere of the film's murky settings. Del Toro has fashioned a new evolution of sci-fi out of old-school tricks; I highly recommend this film.

I enjoy "Mimic," the movie. I have owned it on VHS, DVD, and now on this nice Director's Cut Blu Ray (Best Buy started selling the Blu Ray on September 6 . . . everyone else will have it on September 27). I am happy with my purchase and I will keep my Blu Ray of "Mimic" because the movie is kind of awesome in that science gone wrong giant bug sort of way.

My three stars for this review are strictly based off of the fact that this Blu Ray release is marketed as a Director's Cut and every single movie website, fan site, movie reviewer site (I think you are getting my drift) has been overjoyed in the fact that Guillermo Del Toro is finally given the chance to "reclaim" "Mimic." There is this whole back story involving executive producers, movie studio big wigs, and creative differences that plagued the development of "Mimic" (It is one of those typical Hollywood stories). It became such a problem, that Del Toro believed "Mimic" was not really his movie, he lost control of it, and did not like the outcome this is all pretty much stated within the new "Reclaiming Mimic" featurette found on the Blu Ray. With a back story such as this, yes, people should be excited for a Director's Cut . . . Del Toro finally gets to reinstate his vision or, at least, what's left of it being that he cannot go back and re-shoot the movie. But, as stated in the "Reclaiming Mimic" featurette, Del Toro is finally happy with the movie's Director's Cut. Without re-shooting the entire film, this is the cut of the movie Del Toro wants the audience to experience.

See, there's a lot of hype. Del Toro did not like the original cut, but is more than happy with his own cut. The studio was too hands on the first time around and completely changed his vision. With all of this promise behind Del Toro reinstating his vision, to me, I was somewhat just disappointed when the movie really wasn't all that . . . different.

(Vague spoilers below . . .)

The action remains the same. There is no alternate ending. There are more character scenes, which are always made to make you feel more for the characters' situations, but . . . I already felt for the characters. So the scenes did not make me "feel more" about them because I already liked them (originally). There are scenes which help to fill in some of the timeline of the narrative and I enjoyed those because they filled in some of the gaps. But again, it doesn't make "Mimic" the Director's Cut a wholly different experience. And that is why this Director's Cut is disappointing and a little bit over-hyped. With all the problems happening behind the scenes of the original, this Director's Cut had a lot of weight behind it, but, if this is all the Director's Cut is, it makes me wonder why exactly Del Toro didn't like the original movie because his vision is really not all that different from what the studio saw.

(Ok, so this review is getting long and I'm going to wrap it up.)

My final word on the subject is this: Buy this movie in order to have a good science versus nature movie on Blu Ray, but do not expect the "Director's Cut" to be a miracle or even all that different, because it is not.

Buy Mimic (The Director's Cut) (1997) Now

A terrific if flawed fantasy/horror film, "Mimic" suffered from studio interference as the film was taken away from Guillermo Del Toro prior to release and recut. In the wake of his success with "Pan's Labrynith", Del Toro was given the opportunity to recut the film, alter the pacing and tone of the film to reflect as much of his original vision as possible and that included reinstating some scenes cut prior to release.

Unfortunately, the meddling began well before the film went before cameras and the pre-production screenplay truly represents the "Director's Cut" of the film but, sadly, that film was never shot. As it stands though "Mimic" is still a terrific fantasy/horror/thriller even if it isn't what he had originally hoped for.

Shot for less than $8 million the film did decent business at the box office (well enough to inspire two sequels that Del Toro wasn't involved in)making $25 million. This new Blu-ray release sparkles with a sharp, nice looking transfer. The film has always looked dark and the Blu-ray gives this film the visual depth that it has always needed and this is a much needed upgrade from the rather murky looking DVD released in 1998.

The presentation isn't perfect however but it still looks exceptionally good particularly compared to what has come before and kudos must be given to Lion's Gate for allowing Del Toro the opportunity to return to this film and improve it. The film has always looked quite grainy and the Blu-ray remains true to the "look" of Del Toro's conception.

Special features include an introduction from Del Toro and a commentary track where the director discusses the challenges he faced making the film from pre to post-production. We also get a fine featuette on the creature design and "Reclaiming Mimic" covers some of the same ground as the commentary track. "Back into the Tunnels" demonstrates what a shoddy DVD we got in the beginning as it provides us with lots of behind-the-scenes footage about the production of the film (the original DVD was virtually bare bones). Finally we get a gag reel, deleted scenes, animatics and the threatrical trailer (outside of a "digitial" copy of the film).

Although compromised (to some degree from the very beginning), "Mimic" has a marvelous idea and the re-editing does a nice copy of capturing the creepy mood that Del Toro was going for as well as restoring some of his original intent in making the movie. We'll never truly get a "Director's Cut" of the film because, quite frankly, there was a lot of stuff that was never shot for the film. Still, what Del Toro has done here has improved the film and the extras go a long way to explaining what went wrong (Miramax and the Weinsteins)during the shooting.

The bottom line: While much remains the same about "Mimic" there's enough change to the structure of the over all film that improves it. Lion's Gate does a great job with the transfer considering the source and the extras are top notch. My only complaint is that for comparison purposes we should have gotten both cuts on Blu-ray.

Read Best Reviews of Mimic (The Director's Cut) (1997) Here

This may be a very personal thing, but my cousin once saw Mira Sorvino in a karaoke bar in Kyoto five years ago. I still regret that she (my cousin) didn't have my phone number to invite me.

Anyway, Mira Sorvino was here in Japan for the promotion of this creep film "Mimic." It was a bit surprise she took the role of entomologist Dr. Tyler, because it was soon after she got an Oscar for that Woody Allen film. But she judged right for this film turned out successful, being directed by Guillermo Del Toro, later to direct "Blade 2."

The story is, in my opinion, another clever look on urban legend. In New York, a deadly disease carried by roaches burst out, and many children suffer from that, most cases leading to death. Entomologist Susan Tyler (Sorvino), asked by CDC specialst Peter (Jeremy Northan, of "Emma" and "The Net"), embarks on a plan based on releasing a genetically enhanced new spieces. It worked; the disease soon is gone, but that's only the beginning of another plague that is more deadly.

And that is THE Thing, that acts like humans, but in fact, lethal enemy to us. They inhabit in a disused subway constructions where unlucky characters have to be trapped. Though the story seems derailed in the final chapter of the film, the film, as a whole, maintains its creepy atomosphere throughout, and those weird feelings that some people might get when they watch insects -something akin to awe and fear -are tactfully expressed in the darkly images of the underground world.

The cast is also superb; besides intelligent Sorvino, you see Charles S. Dutton ("Alien 3"), Josh Brolin ("NIghtwatch"), F. Murray Abraham ("Amadeus") and Giancorlo Giannini ("Hannibal"). And some may be amuzed by the stylish opening title sequence by Kyle Cooper, who did his job in "Se7en." and many others.

Basically, love or hate film, "Mimic" will engage the heart of the people who love the kind of film like David Cronenberg. The story's defect is obvious (and the film at several points resembles that of underrated John Sayles film "The Alligator"), but if you go in for an eerie feelings of his films, it is worth a look.

Want Mimic (The Director's Cut) (1997) Discount?

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Alexander Goodwin, Giancarlo Giannini, Charles Dutton, Josh Brolni, Alix Koromzay, F. Murray Abraham, James Costa.

Running Time: 105 minutes

Rated R for terror/violence and language.

"Mimic", like all great genre pictures, exists comfortably in two spheres: on the simple level, it speedily entertains as a gory fright film imbued with mordant humor; on the more difficult level, it provides symbolism and thematic undertow. Best of all, these two levels often work at the same time, such as when an old priest gets tossed off a building by one of the creatures, plummeting past a neon "Jesus Saves" sign, and crashing to a gory death on the pavement. A little while later, the creature drags the dead body into the gaping black maw of an open sewer. The latter is what "Mimic" is really really for: the importance of breeding and offspring. The movie's surreal opening, with its rows of linen-canopied hospital beds all in a row like so many little coffins, shows us sick children, gasping for air because a cockroach-borne disease is carrying them off. The battle lines are drawn in the first few moments: Us versus Them. Scientists Mia Sorvino and Jeremy Northam glean the cure for the dread disease by concocting a genetically-altered bug whose secretions kill off the diseased cockroaches; "Judas Breed", as it's called, will be the only true breed this couple will engender: Sorvino fails pregnancy tests at home, while their creature, supposedly unable to reproduce, grows apace underneath Manhattan's fallopian sewers. It merely seems like "nature's way" that the Judas Breed has mutated to the size of six feet, and can mimic standing upright like their human prey, It's also fitting that these creatures instinctively hone in on the vulnerability of children: they viciously rip apart two kids, and befriend another who has managed to communicate with them by clicking soup-spoons together.

This is an atmospheric thriller from Guillermo del Toro, director of "The Devil's Backbone" and "Cronos", who manages to mix great direction with good old fashioned monster horror to great effect. The concept itself is clever, even if the idea of bugs evolving to look very like humans is a little fa-fetched; however, once the action moves to the subway the fact that the bugs are clearly lethal no matter what they look like, makes this less important. The film is quite short and makes the action come quicker and seem more urgent. Several people get killed by the bug that wouldn't usually get killed in this sort of horror (children for example), this is very effective as it is quite scary to see the unexpected happen. The mood is dark throughout and Del Toro uses the sewers and subway to great effect, creating a real sense of claustrophobia, like the humans have entered the bug's world and not the other way round. The bugs are shown early on in the film usually not a good idea (keep it hidden in the "Jaws" way), but here the special effects are good enough to make the bug really believable, yet the horror is not in seeing the bugs but in they way they hunt and kill, but the fear is in what could happen. The cast are great, Sorvino especially is very good in the lead. Jeremy Northam and Charles S. Dutton are good in support and Abraham Murray adds a bit of cameo class (though his role is quite unnecessary). The director is the real star, adding some genuine scares and real mood to a film that could have easily been just another creature-feature that goes straight to video and straight to the back of your mind. Overall a superior creature horror film.

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Shaun of the Dead (2004)

It is a very hard line to cross in today's cinema to make a film that part comedy and horror film. Normally, when this happens we end up with something like the Chucky series. It began serious, but after seeing the new preview, I know they have given up serious horror and invaded into the world of campy horror. I was afraid at first that this film was going to go into that direction, but then I remembered ... this film wasn't made in America, it was made in Britain where the humor is actually intellectually funny. As I was sitting and enjoying this film from beginning to end, I couldn't help but wonder why America has not been able to master this style of film yet. Why is our comedies still heavily based in the sex humor or bathroom jokes? While there were some in this film, I felt the majority of the humor was logic and intelligence based. "If you listen to the words, you will laugh at the jokes" style of comedy instead of waiting to see who will fall over what first.

With its firm grasp on the comedy aspect, Shaun of the Dead delivers an exceptional grade for its creativity. It takes a lot of brain work to be able to think of a story about zombies where our main characters are oblivious to the fact that anything horrible is happening in the world until the second act. That was actually some of my favorite parts of this film. I was there, sitting in the theater, knowing that it was a zombie film (still, can I call it that?), and nearly missing the entire zombie clues going on in the background. My eyes were focused directly on our star and scene-stealer duo, Shaun and Ed. One of my favorite scenes of this film is when Shaun is going to work after the dead have risen and goes through the motions as if nothing strange is happening while there is chaos and destruction all around. How many of us have gone to work and not even noticed anything-different happening in our daily routine. Sometimes we get so caught up in the motion that we miss any different actions. I couldn't stop laughing.

What also made this film work on every level was the cast. Director Edgar Wright has done a fantastic job of placing the right actors with the right characters. They were each believable in their own part, and I loved every scene with Bill Nighy. He was perfectly cased and you could just tell that he loved being in this film. That is another great aspect of this film. It was a fun film and you could tell that the cast was having fun with their roles and were comfortable in their environment. So many times we watch these style of films and we see miscasting and uncontrolled actors doing anything to ensure that they stay at the top of people's minds. This wasn't happening in this film. I wasn't familiar with many of the actors, so I couldn't play favorites. All I could do was sit back and enjoy everyone and everything.

I would like to end with the comment that this is still a zombie film. It is a love story surrounding a zombie film where the director has chosen to emphasize the love story instead of blowing everything up. I know that sounds strange, but you will get used to it American viewers. I mention that it is still a zombie film because I do not want people going thinking that this is a spoof. While it does pay homage to several of the classic horror films, this film stands on its own two feet. It had blood, it has violence, and it has those infamous scenes of people's heads being blown apart. That is why we see zombie films.

Overall, if you love zombie films and you are a fan of The Office or any Hugh Grant film, than Shaun of the Dead will appeal to you. I don't remember the last time I witnessed such a creative film.

Grade: ***** out of *****

For some horror fans, satirizing the zombie genre (and let's face it, zombie films are practically a genre unto themselves) could seem like sacrilege. With the serious films that have come before 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, and, of course, Night of the Living Dead SHAUN OF THE DEAD leads us down a path few have dared tread (Evil Dead fans should check out this film to see how a REAL spoof is pulled off). Leave it to the British to give us some gritty dialogue and bloody comedy all rolled into one. I, for one, say "thank you."

So what's this film all about ...

Shaun (Simon Pegg) leads a dull and mundane lifestyle; he works at an electronics store as a salesman, lives with a flatulently impaired and obese roommate named Ed (Nick Frost) and a second roommate, Pete (Peter Serafinowicz), who can't stand Ed. Shaun also has a girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), who is suffering with him over his complete lack of motivation to accomplish anything in his life. And she's right. Shaun doesn't seem to notice the zombie-esque lifestyle he leads, the terrible routine of drinking at `The Winchester' pub (named after the rifle that gleams over the bar), the protecting of Ed's horrific behavior (ripping farts and calling women the "C" word while never maintaining a job of any kind), and, of course, his forgetfulness that she, Liz, is actually a part of his life. So naturally she calls off their relationship, causing Shaun and Ed to go on a drinking spree and video game holiday. And when they awaken from the alcoholic stupor, some things have changed. Only Shaun and Ed don't notice right away. They're so used to life being slow, boring, and ...er ...well, shuffling, that they don't take notice of the cars burning on the street, blood on the grocery store floor, or the vacant gaze of their neighbors. This is where the comedy really starts to take wing for the film.

When a "true" zombie wanders into their backyard, Shaun and Ed just think she's drunk. But they quickly discover that this ...thing ...can't be killed. And she is soon joined by another, much larger zombie. Shaun and Ed have entered the apocalypse. But what do you use to defend yourself in a country (let's remember, we're in England here) where guns are not readily available? Initially, they throw everything they can find at these shuffling monstrosities, but nothing seems to work (even Shaun's old record collection, which is hilariously pulled off as they try to decide which records to throw at the undead and which to save: "Stone Roses?" "No!" "Second Coming?" "I liked it." "Dire Straits?" "Chuck it."). Shaun finally picks up a cricket paddle and uses it to bash in the brains of the undead, thus ending their life-after-life existence.

A race to save everyone that Shaun loves soon ensues, and this includes his roommates, Ed and Pete, his girlfriend, Liz, and his mom and stepdad. But where to hide out until this has "blown over". Ah! Of course! The Winchester pub!

What follows is truly hysterical. Shaun must deal with the fact that Pete, his other roommate, has been bitten by a zombie. He also soon discovers that his stepfather (who he never really cared for anyway) was bitten, too. "All right, dude! We can drive his Jaguar!" Ed exclaims happily.

Once all of Shaun's loved one's have been gathered together, they have to make their way to the pub; but first they have to pass through a shuffling maze of zombies. They do this through some wonderful trial and error (from bashing in the head of every zombie in sight with the cricket paddle, to shuffling and moaning like zombies to fake them out. I mean, they're zombies for cryin' out loud! They ain't that smart.). Is the pub the place to go? Can Shaun, who's life has been pretty much meaningless up to this point, actually give meaning to it by saving all those whom he cares for?

The thing that helps this film stand out above other spoofs is that it doesn't dismiss the zombie-genre, but instead respects it and utilizes it to great comedic advantage. It's not slapstick, nor bathroom humor (although there is a touch of this thanks to Ed's bowels), but a set of coarse narratives and script that pulls the viewer into these characters lives and forces us to live with them. Most of us have seen, or have family members who are, in some way, these stereotypical losers. You can't help but cheer them on and hope that they survive their own failings. And that's where SHAUN OF THE DEAD gives you the emotional umpf! that you need to enjoy the movie. You care about them and laugh at their ridiculous inadequacies, both at the same time.

This is truly a great film. A+ ...especially for creativity.

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Hearing that "Shaun of the Dead" is the most popular British zombie comedy of all time does give one pause, simply because you have to stop for a second and wonder as to whether you have simply missed other British zombie comedies or if you maybe took "28 Day Later" way too seriously. The thing is that when you hear "British zombie comedy" you are thinking "Monty Python's Flying Circus" or "Benny Hill" or "Black Adder" or "Asbolutely Fabulous" or "Coupling." You are not thinking something that is as restrained as what Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have put together (the pair co-wrote the film, Pegg stars as Shaun and Wright directs), which is probably the biggest surprise of all.

"Shaun of the Dead" is only four star funny, so we are not even close to "Airplane!" territory, which is still the funniest film of all time (measured in number of laughs generated) but there is another dimension to the film beyond the humor. The tagline tries to tells us that this movie is: "A romantic comedy. With zombies." The really funny thing is that, underneath it all, it really is a romantic comedy. You know: boy meets girl, girl dumps boy, zombies try to kill boy and girl and mom and flat mates, boy tries to rescue girl and mom and flat mates, so on and so forth.

Actually the movie that that came to mind the most, despite the references to the great zombie movies of the past ("We're coming to get you, Barbara!"), was "Young Frankenstein," specifically in terms of the scenes that are played totally straight. There are scenes when Shaun deals with his girl, Liz (Kate Ashfield), his mom, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), and his best bud, Ed (Nick Frost) that are done like they were in a romantic comedy, and not an Adam Sandler "Water Boy" type romantic comedy, but an Adam Sandler "50 First Dates" type romantic comedy. Stripped of the zombies this is a rather pedestrian romantic comedy, but what makes it inspired lunacy is that it IS being done in the middle of a zombie movie.

There are two prime moments that reflect this rather amazing tightrope walking act. One is when Shaun almost breaks and notes that there may be a limit as to how many people he loves that he can shoot in one day. The other is when we have one of those "goodbye" scenes usually found in war movies; it is not just the silliness of the particular bit of business returning from the start of the movie, but that it is brought back at that particular moment, and that both actors honestly treat it as the most serious thing in the world. Tragedy is hard, but comedy is harder, and then there is treating tragedy as comedy in the middle of a zombie movie. Watching this movie is like watching somebody take a stupid shot in a basketball game and you start saying, "No, no, no, no, no..." until the ball rips through the nets and then you smile and say "Great shot!"

The other great bit of fun is how "Shaun of the Dead" plays with the genre movies. The opening of the film throws every cliché moment of being suddenly surprised by zombies in the history of the cinema at Shaun, only to have everything be normal. So you know they will take a totally different tack when it comes to Shaun realizing he has missed the dawn of the dead. The bit you have seen in the preview about arguing over which LPs to use as weapons to fight the living dead is cute, but the comic masterpiece in this film is Shaun channel surfing. Every single channel is talking about what is happening, but Shaun is clicking so rapidly that he misses getting a complete picture. Note: always listen to what is on the telly in the background: that is where the best "28 Days Later" joke in the film comes (All of the talking heads are actually British television news talking heads, so translate that into Brokaw, Jennings, and Rather doing the same thing for an American movie; see the "TV BITS" in the DVD extras).

The more you know about zombie movies the more you will enjoy "Shaun of the Dead," because you will be able to pick up on all the specific references. But then I have never seen "Spaced," so all of the homages to that British situation comedy involving Pegg, Frost and Wright are lost on me and I am doing okay at the moment. Either way, I think the humor of the film is accessible to even zombie movie neophytes, although the only way you might be able to talk them into seeing this one is to tell them their other choice is "Dawn of the Dead" (I do not have to tell anyone that is a rather obvious double bill).

Of the DVD extras the extended bits and outtakes in "MISSING BITS" are okay, but by favorite are the trio of "Plot Holes," where we get some insights into what we did not see in the movie from three of the principle characters. These are presented in comic book form as opposed to having actual footage, but that simply adds to their charm. There are better bits in "RAW MEAT," the highlight of which is the "pitch" by Pegg and Wright to sell the studio their movie idea. I already talked about the "TV BITS," and no one will be surprised that I the Zombie Trivia available via the ZOMB-O-METER. Overall, the DVD extras are well above average but not knock down dead, get up as a reanimated corpse and try to eat human flesh great.

Read Best Reviews of Shaun of the Dead (2004) Here

The zombie genre has been done to (ahem) death by now. Sam Raimi proved that it could be a successful vehicle for launching more expensive films with Evil Dead. Since then, there's been an endless array of less engaging imitators, often confusing gore with content.

Zombie movies can be summed up in exactly the same way. The difference is in the inflection. Don't believe me? Let me demonstrate...

ZOMBIE TROPE #1: "Zombie movies are about SHAMBLING dead people." These zombie movies laugh at the absolute absurdity of the walking dead. I mean, they're dead and they stumble around like DRUNK people for crying out loud! How can you take anything serious that moans like an overly hormonal teenager on prom night, lolls its head to the side like a Valley girl, and can't even walk in a straight line? Zombies definitely have a lot of humor potential, as established in Evil Dead II. The shamble is one of the primary reasons that modern zombie movies have made their zombies move quickly-it's hard to take slow moving zombies seriously.

ZOMBIE TROPE #2: "Zombie movies are about shambling DEAD people." These zombie movies concentrate on the horrors of what it means to have corpses trying to eat you. It is visceral and disgusting. There is gore (dead bodies are gross) and decay. These zombies are rotting and, thanks to the magic of special effects, really do look like exhumed corpses. This is just about every zombie movie that takes itself seriously without devolving into camp.

ZOMBIE TROPE #3: "Zombie movies are about shambling dead PEOPLE." These zombie movies aren't about the zombies. They're about how people react to the fact that people they knew who were dead are walking around trying to eat other people. The presence of zombies causes people to freak out. Some folks are barely over their mourning when their spouses and children rise up to attack them. It's enough to make a person snap. It's also George Romero's specialty, a topic he has extensively covered in the Living Dead series.

Recent zombie movies have been combinations of these three attributes, but rarely in equal balance. Shaun of the Dead? It's all three.

Shaun (Simon Pegg) is the hero of the title, a fellow who has long since exited the swinging college years and entered into the stale, zombie-like grind of a working man. He is a man out of time, frozen in his own routines. He still lives with his two flatmates, Ed (Nick Frost), the fat, funny one and Pete (Peter Serafinowicz), the smart, successful one. Shaun is trapped, unable to go back to the good old days of no responsibility and unwilling to go forward with his relationship to his blonde girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield).

Meanwhile, ambulances start popping up in the background, carting away twitching body bags.

The outcome of their situation is an inevitability that we've all witnessed before: Liz has had enough. She doesn't want to keep going to the same old pub every night: the Winchester, named after the rifle on the wall. She hates Shaun's best friend Ed, who is an offensive boor. And Shaun hates Liz's good friends Dianne (Lucy Davis) and David (Dylan Moran). As it turns out, David used to date Liz and just tolerates Dianne so he can be near her.

Meanwhile, paramilitary vehicles drive by and newscasters report troubling news about some sort of plague.

And oh yeah, Shaun loves his mum (Nicola Cunningham) and hates his step-dad, Philip (Bill Nighy), a perpetually frowning robot of a man whose face has been untouched by any other expression.

When Liz finally gets sick of Shaun, his world falls apart. He goes on a drunken binge with Ed, blasting music, playing video games, and shutting out the world around him. In essence, Shaun's life has finally gone out of joint and he desperately regresses to deal with it. Unfortunately for Shaun (and everyone else in that part of England), the world has also literally fallen apart.

A large part of the humor is how Shaun and his compatriots deal with the undead. It takes a very long time for him to even notice; after all, who would really notice slow moving people? The director, Edgar Wright, gleefully makes this point at every turn. At first, the zombies are just the homeless, who everybody ignores and expects to act strangely. Then, it's people in menial jobs that have a glazed look as they go about their drudgery. It's not until a zombie actually shows up on their doorstep that anybody gets concerned. Even then, they figure the zombie is just really, really drunk.

Once Shaun and Ed come to grips with the situation, they devise a plan. Their plans are highly unrealistic, but mostly involve beating on zombies with clubs (remember, no guns in England), rescuing girlfriends and mums, and holing up in the Winchester, "cause it's the safest place." That's right, the one place Liz doesn't want to be with the people she really doesn't want to be with.

Shaun of the Dead embraces all the zombie tropes, and then rips their guts out. Sure, the movie seems to say, it's easy to get around slow moving zombies. But eventually they catch up with you. Sure, smashing a zombie's head in sounds easy...until it's a family member. Sure, shooting a zombie with a rifle should give you the upper hand...unless you've never actually shot a gun before.

In the mean time, Shaun deals with his issues with his step-dad, introduces his girlfriend to his mom, meets an ex-girlfriend (who seems to be far more capable than Liz), finally gets tired of drug-dealing Ed's antics, and slowly realizes just how fragile his humdrum life is. It seems to encapsulate his mom, Liz, and Ed at first, but Shaun discovers that his circle of family and friends extends to more people than he thought.

This movie is deadly earnest about everything, including its humor. It has traumatizing gore, hysterical in-jokes, and weep-worthy moments of true drama. All of it is pulled off with incredible aplomb by the cast, who have to do everything from beat on zombies to act like zombies (no, really) to finally going utterly ballistic like real human beings.

Shaun of the Dead is the culmination of dozens of zombie movies that have gone before it. It succeeds because it focuses on the people, gives shambling corpses the respect they deserve (which is to say, very little and a lot, depending on the scene), and dramatizes the horror of dead people coming back to a tortured semi-existence.

No self-respecting horror fan should miss this movie.

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I've heard a lot of mixed reaction to this movie, though the buzz is primarily positive -touting the flick's exceptional funny, its glorious messy, and its marvelous silly.

Maybe I'm just a big fat dork who spent too much time in graduate school, but I seemed to plug into this movie on a somewhat different plane of appreciation. For thing one, I didn't think it was terribly funny. It had its moments, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "comedy." And for a second thing, I found it genuinely suspenseful -which is not something you often hear shouted from the applause bandwagon. More often than not I hear that it's "a laugh riot in the tradition of Scary Movie." This comparison has been waved around several times in print and online, and it seems wildly off-base to me, if not downright insulting.

The Scary Movie franchise, while being fun for what it is, is not supposed to mean anything. It's simple parody, produced for masses which are only marginally discriminatory in their entertainment requirements. SOTD has entirely too much going on inside to be relegated to mere imitation status.

George Romero and his apologists have long insisted that the original Dawn of the Dead (and its zombies-in-the-mall theme) was a satire on the mindless consumerism and the tedium of modern life. This is the critical equivalent of putting an evening gown on a pig, but whatever. The very same theme was tackled much more effectively without zombies in American Beauty, and much better with zombies in Shaun of the Dead -a film which actually manages to make a clever statement on the subject.

Much of the perceived hilarity in this film occurs at the beginning and the end, wherein the satire is more light-hearted (if unsubtle). The great conceit of the first thirty-five minutes is that the zombies are encroaching upon Shaun's day-to-day reality bubble ... but he doesn't notice, and at first, neither does anyone else. The drooling, coughing, slowly lumbering undead gradually replace the drooling, coughing, slowly lumbering pulse-bearing characters who have periodic walk-on roles in Shaun's life. But no red flags are raised.

Shaun is neither bothered by the change nor molested by the zombies themselves, who (one is led to suspect) view him as one of their own. He wanders through his daily routine as if he's wearing blinders; he's worn a rut between his home and his place of employment, and this rut is so deep that it serves as a psychological buffer. Shaun is furthermore isolated from the impending threat by his post-getting-dumped state of sorrow, which prevents him from paying closer attention to his surroundings.

But eventually, the carnage cannot escape the notice of even the hopelessly self-involved Shaun and his filthy-yet-lovable best friend Ed. Action must be taken. His parental units must be rescued. Liz, despite her fresh status of ex-girlfriend, must be saved. Shaun and Ed have, at their collective disposal: one zombiefied roommate's vehicle, a cricket bat, and a plan to seek shelter at a pub called the Winchester.

Quoth the Blues Brothers: "Hit it."

At any rate, although the movie ends on an "up" note (more or less) and there were giggles to be had, I found the bulk of the film to be calculated and oppressive -a deftly executed surgical extraction of a man from his suffocating safety zone, and a grim (yet oddly uplifting) morality fable about appreciating what you have without unthinking presumption. All in all, I thought this was a damn fine film and I really enjoyed it. It made me laugh, it made me think, and it made me cringe.

Or maybe that's just the meds talking.

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Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2011)

Strange how I've the feeling to have watched the completed version of Clouzot's L'Enfer now, as though the film doesn't exist at all. This documentary is another proof that an artist, without being bridled, causes his own destruction. Masterpiece.

A marvellous story about an anhappy director, a couple of stars, a strange lake and a picture that was never made.

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Three Texas Steers (1939)

This is a good DVD incarnation of an early John Wayne Republic B western. Well-done and enjoyable. Good, clean copy.

I just received this and the other three new BR discs from the John Wayne Three Mesquiteers era. The Amazon.com review of the story almost takes longer to read than the movie is long. I'm just kidding but its a 56 minute film as they all are and I surmise the reason they are on separate discs and so expensive is because the market is small. On all films the picture quality is sharp and stunning at times and the sound is robust. These are fun films and its a hoot to see young Duke riding a big white horse with his oversized white hat. Some of the horse chase scenes in all the films is really stirring as the camera is just ahead of the horses and to see them charging at full speed in HD is pretty cool. These are sort of silly/stupid scripts and sadly Duke Wayne isn't the main star...he is co starring so he's not on camera as much as I'd like but I am a fan and am glad I picked them up. This will be my review for all four films as they were all made within a couple year period all directed by the same man and all pretty enjoyable with their own quirkiness. I just wanted to let folks know that they are a quality presentation and the covers are retro cool with original graphics also displayed on the BR disc itself.

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I LOVE OLDER JOHN WAYNES & WESTERNS. IT IS GREAT TO WATCH THE ACTORS WHEN THEY WERE FIRST STARTING OUT. IF YOU LIKE OLDER WESTERNS YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE.

Read Best Reviews of Three Texas Steers (1939) Here

Again a knife-sharp new release with The Three Mesquiteers played by John Wayne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Max Terhune. Directed by here-and-there-and-everywhere George Sherman one is sure to get fighting, riding and shooting like a b-western always should be. The dialog is witty and the dear reliable co-actors are highly represented. Among others John Merton, Ethan Laidlaw and always elegant Ted Adams. An ape played by a man in a bad gorilla suit, Terhune's dummy "Elmer" and Terhune suddenly driving around in some caterpillar vehicle is silly but let it be. Three Texas Steers is great fun and action.

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Just another example of the efforts being made to preserve classic films to DVD. Movie was great of course, it had John Wayne in it. Merchants who stock such classic films are doing a great service to us film lovers.

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Escape (2012)

Received a free copy of Escape with C Thomas Howell and John Rhys-Davies.

first here is what the distributers had to say:

Doctors Paul and Kim Jordan are struggling to find peace in their lives after the tragic loss of their baby's life. Paul (C. Thomas Howell from The Amazing Spider Man, ET) persuades Kim to escape reality and flee to the exquisite islands of Southeast Asia. Paradise becomes a nightmare when he is kidnapped by human traffickers in need of a skilled doctor.

Faced with a fight for survival, Paul finds himself captive alongside the wealthy Malcolm Andrews (John Rhys-Davies from Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings). He quickly realizes there is no hope for his captors dying leader and is forced to examine his eternal fate. With life and death in the balance, Malcolm challenges Paul to stop running from God. Will Paul realize that trust in God is his only hope for escape and reunion with his wife?

Pure Flix has had many films over the past few years from Brother White to Encounter to Jerusalem Countdown and many more.

this film was another step up in every area.

First thing that caught my eye was the great photography. This movies production value took a giant leap in quality.

Second was the actors. From a LOTR actor in John Rhys-Davies to Pony Boy Curtis from the outsiders tthe films actors did a great job.

Finally the script was very solidly written as well.

Our main characters find themselves after a tragic loss leaving everything they have to do doctor work in the villages of Thailand.

One day a young boy comes to the clinic and Howell follows him to a so called emergency. He soon finds himself kidnapped to help some local pirates.

The story carreans from there into a suspensefil drama that is not the norm in Christian cinema.

Be sure to pick up a copy and help support GOOD christian Films!

Even before I watched the movie for the first time knew it was going to be a good one.. Just did not know just how great it would be. One of the best movie I have seen in a long while. The film is great visually with it's shots, and locations of the film including the water shots. Both C Thomas Howell and John Rhys Davies were amazing in the movie. Escape is the best film that I have seen Davies in.

It's a Christian film, with Christian stuff at the same time in script. But yet it didn't feel like a Christian film/ a Pure Flix film. At least what I think. Blown away with the film def a must see

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I love the Pure Flix moviesthey are all amazing and powerful. Excellent for every member of the family. A safe movie for all ages

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I agree with the previous reviewer, this movie wasn't bad, but just OK. I thought it started off well and the premise was pretty good, there just wasn't enough done with it. The ending was disappointing also. It was only nominally Christian and the story itself wasn't that great. 2 1/2 stars.

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This is not what you'd consider to be a "landmark" film. The acting was pretty good. This would be just above a B film and would make for a a pretty good church movie night. The photography and scenery was believable. It makes for a good family film. My older teens didn't complain after it was over and their comment was "not bad".' I'd loan it out but pick a better Christian film for a gift. We own it but probably wouldn't watch it again.

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The Fox and the Hound / The Fox and the Hound Two (Three-Disc 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray / DV

Fox and the Hound has always been a favorite of mine. The characters are great, the story is heartwarming to say the least. After buying a slew of the latest Disney Blu Ray releases (Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia, Bambi, etc) I was expecting another state-of-the-art fantastic 1080p transfer. Unfortunately, the Mouse House has not taken this title as seriously as some of the others in its vault. Instead of giving us a glorious, painstakingly perfect restoration, it would seem they opted for tossing in the insulting "sequel" Fox and the Hound II to make up for the slacking effort.

Now I won't say it looks awful. This Blu Ray is clearly a significant upgrade from the DVD, but it is also obviously missing the Disney touch I've come to expect. For example, at the bottom right hand corner of the picture you will see an occasional black line flicker in and out. Ordinarily Disney has gone in and removed these kind of print damages, through intense digital editing or by some other miraculous effort. It is not the case for Fox and the Hound. The black line is hardly noticeable, but once you notice it you can't stop looking at it. It flickers in and out as it pleases, subtle at times, obnoxious at others. A few instances it went all the way from the bottom of the picture to the top. Nothing extreme for casual movie watchers, but for those of us who are really picky about picture presentation it can be unbearable.

Colors weren't really consistent either. At times they were bright and vivid, at others they were dingy and dark. Blacks are overwhelming in the wrong spots, turning shadows and shading into eclipses. Unlike the animated Alice in Wonderland, which is bright and perky, even once the forests of Wonderland get dark, Fox and the Hound looks just a little too dark even in bright sunny scenes.

My overall opinion is that, while I'm glad to have an HD release of Fox and the Hound in my collection, this is not the Blu Ray I had dreamed of. Personally I'm a little annoyed that the nasty sequel wasn't destroyed or forgotten about, much less released right alongside the classic, and I'm really disappointed that Disney didn't spend as much time as they usually do on the transfer. For most Disney fans I doubt it'll be too much of a problem, since, like I said, 1080p certainly beats the DVD, but for those of us who are film geeks and get frustrated by imperfections, I would suggest waiting another 5 years in hopes another re-release will give this great movie the attention it deserves.

I feel short of neutral about the Fox and the Hound movie itself. But that doesn't mean I'm not upset about Disney's HD transfer. It is quite clear that it didn't get the same remastering treatment as the other Disney classics. I guess because it's not as popular, Disney thought that they didn't need to spend as much time into restoring it. Well, that's just silly. If you're a fan of the film, demand that Disney rerelease it as a stand-alone title with a new remaster.

Buy The Fox and the Hound / The Fox and the Hound Two (Three-Disc 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray / DV Now

I always held a special place in my heart for this film. Its adorable characters were too much to take, and it was a great tale of friendship. It's sad how Disney chooses not to acknowledge this film much. What does it get? A stuffed animal in the Disney Store? Not even a mug, or pens. Just, recently, plush toys. It isn't like many Disney films. If you are a die hard fan of recent Disney, Disney Renaissance, and the classics, then you may not find it....to your liking. The film has some magic from Classic Disney, but, as it was in the odd years of Disney, it has that feel of a transgression for the studio.

Disney brings this wonderful film to blu ray, and, as i said, Disney doesn't acknowledge the film too much. Maybe that's why is didn't get a pristine conversion, but a good one. The colors are vibrant, lines visibly drawn, but there are problems. One problem that is most easily noticed is the fact that in certain shots, the drawn lines appear blurred. Now, i don't know if this was a mistake in conversion, or if the film itself is plagued with those problems indefinitely, but they are there....and they are noticeable. The most pointed "issue" is a line that appears far, far right on the picture. Trust me, unless you aren't paying attention to the movie, you should barely notice this. it comes, goes, but it's barely seen if you don't look.

Beside these issues, the blu ray conversion is good. Do I feel this is the best this film can look? Probably not. But this is what we have, what Disney gave us...either get it or hope for a better conversion.

Now, I did not bother to watch the cheapquel. I know I won't like it, so I see no point. I wish Disney had given us the choice whether we wanted to buy it, but, alas, they didn't. Hopefully, in a later re-release they will spare us. The fact that it's name is on the cover does bother me, but the happiness that I own the original is stronger than the hate.

If you are a fan, buy it; if not, maybe wait....not sure.

Read Best Reviews of The Fox and the Hound / The Fox and the Hound Two (Three-Disc 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray / DV Here

1. Cheap packaging (DVD's are stacked)

2. The movies themselves have not been restored (like every release was prior to this..)

3. Two movies on one blu-ray disk (not convenient if you want to separate)

4. No real extras on the Blu-ray (and what extras they did include they put them on the DVD's)

I own each and every Disney Blu-ray movie and this by far is the absolute worst job I have ever seen Disney do.

Who ever is responsible for this release should truly be ashamed!

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I received my copy of the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of Disneys The Fox and The Hound. It is one Blue Ray disc and two DVD discs. They contain the following:

Disc 1 (Blu-ray):

The Fox and the Hound 30th Anniversary

The Fox and the Hound II

Bonus: Unlikely Friends

Disc 2 (DVD):

The Fox and the Hound 30th Anniversary

Bonus: Passing the Baton: Making of

Bonus: Best of Friends Sing-along

Disc 3 (DVD):

The Fox and the Hound II

Bonus: Making of the Music

Bonus: You Know I Will music video

I really enjoyed the original film and found the colors and sharpness of the Blu-ray very acceptable. It almost looks like it was made yesterday and not 30 years ago. In fact, I think it looks better than when I saw it at the cinema in 1981! Sound was also very good and I had no problems. I let the kids watch the sequel and while they enjoyed it, I must admit I only saw bits and pieces of it. While it was nice to see the characters in a new story, I am not into the sequels of most films.

I am going to hold onto my previous edition of the 25th Anniversary Edition on DVD. It contains an Art Gallery that is sadly not included in this 30th Anniversary Edition. Also missing are the bonus shorts and games.

It is good to see Disney remastering and putting their films on both DVD and Blu-ray formats. I highly recommend this classic of Disney animation.

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Find Me Guilty (2012)

"Find Me Guilty" is a comedic take on what was at the time the longest criminal trial in American history, the 1987-1988 trial of 20 members of the New Jersey Lucchese crime family on 76 charges under the RICO Act. Most of the courtroom testimony is taken from the real trial transcripts. The film focuses on Giacomo "Jackie" DiNorscio (Vin Diesel), called "Fat Jack" in real life, who, frustrated with his lawyer, insists on representing himself. Jackie is already serving a 30-year prison sentence for narcotics distribution, so the outcome of this trial is somewhat academic to him. Prosecutor Sean Kierney (Linus Roache) offers him a reduction in his current sentence in exchange for testimony at the RICO trial, but Jackie refuses to rat out his friends. Untrained in the law, Jackie's only defense is to make the jury like him more than they like the prosecutors. "A laughing jury is never a hanging jury," says defense attorney Ben Klandis (Peter Dinklage). "I'm not a gangster. I'm a gagster," says Jackie. And he puts on quite a show over the course of the 21-month trial.

"Find Me Guilty" does make light of Jackie's crimes, presenting him as a loyal, affable guy. It could hardly do otherwise, since Jackie made light of them, and he seems to have been a loyal, affable criminal. (Giacomo DiNorscio died while this movie was being filmed.) This obviously isn't a catalog of the Lucchese family's misdeeds. There were some very disreputable people on trial whose victims were not limited to their fellow Mafioso. "Find Me Guilty" is about Jackie's role in this long, remarkable trial. Vin Diesel does the best work of his career thus far. Perhaps due to his laconic, tough-guy image, Diesel can play Jackie's silliness, foolishness, and melodrama without the audience losing sight of his hoodlum toughness. He's a big presence that carries the film through courtroom testimony that might otherwise be tedious. DiNorscio is an interesting character, whose conviction that he must love his mob family, and they must love him, carried him through the trial and many years in prison. "Find Me Guilty"'s comedic approach to courtroom and mafia dramas is new and entertaining.

The DVD (20th Century Fox 2006): "A Conversation with Sidney Lumet" (5 min) is a series of snippets in which director Lumet talks about meeting the real Jackie DiNorscio, Jackie's motives, and authenticity in the film. There is a theatrical trailer (2 ½ min) and 3 television spots for the film (30 sec. each), as well as a trailer for the 1992 movie "My Cousin Vinny" (1 ½ min). Subtitles for the film are available in English and Spanish.

Fans of "The Sopranos", "Goodfellas", Mafia and courtroom flicks will enjoy this fact-based (but probably not completely factual) look at the lengthiest RICO trail in American history starring Vin Diesel and directed by octogenarian Sidney Lumet.

Diesel plays New Jersey mobster Jack DiNorscio defending himself in the longest Mafia trial in U.S. history. Diesel is effective in the role as a disruptive force in judge Ron Silver's court. Alex Rocco, a Mafioso going back to "The Godfather" and through roles he played in TV's "Kojak", is the ring leader in the trial and the main guy the feds are after. Why DiNorscio became the focus of this movie is a question looking for an answer.

In any event, the courtroom "drama" is unlike most of what you see in this kind of movie. Diesel's character is uneducated, has little or no knowledge of courtroom requirements or decorum, and shows these shortcomings regularly through his inappropriate and often unbearable behavior as a litigator.

The other gangsters on trial turn against him after they come to view him as a force out for himself. Prosecutors too see him as a hazard insofar as his comedy act seems to appeal to jurors. True or not, you've probably never seen an attorney ask these kind of questions in court!

Ironically, the film lionizes DiNorscio as a heroic figure that carries out the Mafia credo of not ratting out a brother. Throughout the film he protests his love for his Cosa Nostra brethren, even when they are working against him, and continually states his case against being a rat. This, to me, was the principal theme of the film -that this lowlife gangster was somehow a hero. The outcome of the movie seems also to support that view.

Several bit players from "The Sopranos", including Junior Soprano's lawyer and one of Tony Soprano's dead love interests, fill out the supporting cast in this New York production. This flick is probably at the level of "The Valachi Papers" but with a far different perspective. It has little of the sizzle of "Goodfellas" but is interesting in its courtroom scenes, where much of the script allegedly mimicked the real trial the went on for more than 500 days.

So fans of gangster and courtroom flicks can cast aside any doubt and go for this movie, which is probably the best characterization Vin Diesel has put on so far. He deservedly wasn't nominated for any awards for this but it shows he can do a bit more than simply play Vin Diesel on screen.

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I had the pleasure of watching this film on opening weekend in Times Square in NY. I saw the trailers but wasn't really sure what to expect from Vin Diesel in a very different role. I have to say, that after about 10 minutes, I stopped seeing Vin Diesel in make up and totally bought into his portrayal of "Fat Jack" DiNorscio. There was a good bit of crass gangster humor, but I ate it up in the same way you would a naughty secret. Peter Dinklage was wonderful as a lead attorney (and yes, his height was a non-issue, because he is such a strong actor), Ron Silver's strength and sensitivity as the judge was excellent and Linus Roache as the prosecutor was engaging (I didn't know whether to cheer for or against him and he was the "good guy"). I can't even begin to speak of the supporting actors whose mob idiosyncrisies were wonderfully played. I only wish we could have seen more of Annabella Sciorra and Vin Diesel on screen together. They were powerful and had excellent chemistry. I can't wait for the DVD if only to hope there are deleted scenes of these two! Trust me, they'd be worth the price of the DVD alone.

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Vin Diesel plays Giacomo "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio, who in a strange turn of events defended himself in a Gangland Rico trial, that was the longest trial in US history. You can not tell if he is acting or joking thru is role

Sisney Lumet who directed Network, Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict and 12 Angry Men seems weak in this drama/comedy. He has made the courtroom seem so close and tight, you feel you need a breath of air every ten minutes.

I will say Lumet stocked the deck with great stock actors like Ron Silver (as a no nonsense, by the book judge), Peter Dinklage (as a defense attorney), Alex Rocco, and (the too short a role that needed to be padded) Annabella Sciorra. I just wish the script and direction was as good as the actors

This drama/comedy is strong of humor and weak on dramatic moments. One of the worst when the Judge tells Jackie he lost his mother is so weak for the acting timbers of Diesel and Silver. Lumet seem to have lacked pacing and direction in this film. This film could have been a great film, but it was not.

I give it 3 stars for the acting, it is worth it for that

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

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Find Me Guilty obviously a vehicle for jumpstarting Vin Diesel's "serious" acting career is such an uneven film, and while it delivers up a few good laughs especially in the first act the film is profoundly short on drama and suspense, and it ultimately sinks under the weight of a leaden stodgy script, an overly long third part and an awkward, stilted performance by Diesel.

Part crime story and part-court room drama, Find Me Guilty is the real life story of New Jersey mobster named Jackie DiNorscio (Diesel) already serving time on a drug conviction, who in 1987 refused to turn state's witness against some 20 of his former associates in the Lucchese crime family.

There was obviously no love lost between Jackie and the Lucchese's, but Jackie consistently proves his loyalty and never turns against them. Fed up with his legal representation DiNorscio also chose to defend himself in what would become, at 21 months, the longest criminal trial in U.S. history.

As much of the action takes place within the courtroom the lawyers and mobsters there's a whole table of defendants all jockeying for position in an overcrowded courtroom with the ecstatically inexperienced Jackie mounting arguments based on wily good humor as he tries to win over the jury with his ribald and off-center jokes.

Directed by Sidney Lumet, Find Me Guilty is more intent to let the dialogue move the story along, using satire to present these beloved mobsters. We all know that these men are a bunch of crooks, intent to scam the system and even commit murder from time to time, but Lumet is more concerned with building their case on an amoral smugness, presenting them as a bunch of big, cuddly family men, who in the end, just want to be respected and loved.

There are some good supporting players here particularly Peter Dinklage who plays an eloquent dwarf attorney and who holds the courtroom rapt with his every utterance. And Annabella Sciorra shows up in a quick, charged turn as Jackie's former wife. The obnoxious lead government prosecutor played by Linus Roache injects some much-needed life into the proceedings, especially later on.

Ironically, the prosecutor is more insufferable and loathsome many of the mobsters. I guess that's why the jury reached the verdict they did and it also shows that the government can be just as ruthless as the people they attempt to bring to justice.

I feel a little sorry for poor Vin, he's obviously a competent actor, but in this case an overly talky script hampers him and unfortunately he has a voice that rarely rises about the monotone. He looks good with his hairpiece and you really believe he could be a mobster and there's a priceless scene involving some flatulence and car windows but the courtroom scenes prove that the role may have been just a little bit beyond him.

The script also leaves some important questions unanswered, such as the jury's verdict, and the movie always appear to be true even although much of the courtroom dialogue was taken from trial transcripts, but this doesn't mean the movie always rings true.

There are some fun moments after a heart attack, one gangster attends the rest of the trial in a hospital bed and there's lots of irreverent profanity thrown every which way, but the film, which clocks in at just over two hours comes across as overlong and stodgy a little bit like the trial itself and in the end, you really have to wonder whether these guys were as funny as the move makes them out to be. Mike Leonard June 06.

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White Vengeance (2011)

A beautiful, violent Chinese historical film that features a loose adaptation of "The Feast at Hong Gate" written and directed by Daniel Lee ("14 Blades", "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection oft he Dragon", "Black Mask") and featuring an all-star cast with Leon Lai ("Fallen Angels", "Seven Swords", "Comrades: Almost a Love Story"), Feng Shaofeng, Liu Yifei ("Forbidden Kingdom"), Zhang Hanyu, Anthony Wong ("Infernal Affairs" films, "Exiled", "Hard Boiled"), Jordan Chan ("Help!!!", "Skyline Cruisers", "Spy Dad"), Andy On, Xiu Qing and Jia Qing.

The film was nominated for four Hong Kong Film Awards including "Best Art Direction" and "Best Costume & Make Up Design" and was released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Well Go USA.

"White Vengance" is a film that is loosely based on the Feast at Hong Gate and the fall of the Qin Dynasty.

VIDEO:

"White Vengeance" is presented in 1080p High Definition (16:9 Widescreen). The film looks absolutely beautiful in HD. The use of CG to make a war look like thousands were taking part in the battle looked effective. The detail on closeups were amazing but it's the detail that comes with the costume and make-up including production design that is the winner of this film. Everything looks impressive, even the makeup, I would not have known that legendary HK star Leon Lai was playing the part of Liu Bang, until I read the front cover of the Blu-ray. But from a cool to warm presentation in HD, the film looks great, with some areas looking a bit soft at times. But considering that the film is primarily focused on close-ups and wide-angles, the film looks great, black levels are nice and deep and well-contrast.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"White Vengeance" is presented in Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. As one can expect from a film with a lot of action, there are good use of directional sound effects coming from the surround channels. From spears and arrows being shot from one side to the other, the sound of horses galloping on the battlefield to the sounds of the clanging swords. The lossless soundtrack for "White Vengeance" features awesome dynamic range, crystal clear dialogue and also wonderful use of the surround for the music!

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"White Vengeance" comes with the following special features:

Behind the Scenes (54:27) Behind-the-scenes of the rehearsals for the action sequences and the making of the film.

Cast and Crew Interviews (36:03) Featuring cast and crew interviews.

Trailer (1:40) The original theatrical trailer for "White Vengeance".

International Trailer (1:06) The international trailer for "White Vengeance".

EXTRAS:

"White Vengeance" comes with a slipcover case.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"White Vengeance" is a beautiful film and possibly the best film so far from writer/director Danny Lee. From the look of the film thanks to its beautiful cinematography, wonderful costume design and make-up and also the effective and believable production design, the film looks and sounds quite impressive on Blu-ray!

But with so many Chinese historical films, how does "White Vengeance" compare to other epic films? For one, it's an interesting take on the "Feast at Hong Gate" and the battle between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. Two leaders, two sworn brothers in battle but yet, two of the most powerful men of insurgent groups, it was destined that these two would become rivals and enemies. As both men wanted to become Lord Qin.

There approach to competing for this title is what is fascinating. Xiang Yu is a warrior, while Liu Bang is the pacifist who wants no one to die, but he knows that to protect the people, he must become the leader by doing things he may not want to do. This includes going against the man who one called him brother, Xiang Yu.

While many fans of this of Asian cinema will come to expect the fighting on the battlefield, the amount of corruption between warring factions but the film's strength lies in its portrayal of strategy.

Xiang Yu's use of the legendary strategist Fan Zeng and Liu Bang's use of the #2 strategist Zhang Liang. Both men are wonderful advisers, but as much as the film is a battle between both Xiang Yu and Liu Beng, it's also a battle between two master strategists, Fan Zheng and Zhang Liang.

And it's the strategic ways of how each counter each other that to me, was the most captivating part of the storyline. Both leaders depend on their advisers/strategists and it adds to the storyline of loyalty and betrayal. Does one's thirst for power exceed the trust one has in their close advisor's and the people close to them? You'll have to see how things play out between this war between two leaders.

Once again, this film is loosely based on the actual story of Xiang Yu and Liu Beng. For one, the actual relatonship between Xiang Yu and Yu Ji has been romanticized quite a bit for this film, but it in it's overall effectiveness of trying to include a romantic aspect to the film, it does work for "White Vengeance".

There were other characters that tried to showcase the loyalty of the men of Xiang Yu and Liu Beng. In one scene, during the "Feast at Hong Gate", we see Fan Kuai (portrayed by Jordan Chan) biting off his finger as a sign of his loyalty to Liu Bang. Also, characters did not live or die as was seen in the film, although the depiction of loyalty to their leader during a certain time seems to be factual.

But for those looking for a film for historical accuracy, many directors pursue a loose adaptation in order to make the movie more appealing to audiences. So, for those expecting an exact depiction of what took place during this era in Chinese history, you're not going to get an authentic adaptation.

As for the Blu-ray release, "White Vengeance" looks and sounds amazing. The cinematography, costume and set design, make-up are well-done and the use of the lossless soundtrack to capture the sounds of war was amazingly done. And you also get a few special features as well.

Overall, "White Vengeance" is a good Chinese historical film but definitely not one of the best. While the action and the use of strategy was fascinating, the storyline is a bit difficult to showcase something so complex when it focuses on four individuals. Yes, the film's primary characters are Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, but by the second half, the story then switches to Zhang Liang and Fan Zeng, the strategist a bit more and all of a sudden, we see this change between both primary characters that leave you feeling as if you missed a bit of character development after what had taken place at the "Feast at Hong Gate".

But other than that, I did enjoy "White Vengeance" but compared to other Chinese historical films or war epics, "White Vengeance" featured wonderful costume and set design, but for its story, it was good...just not great. And because of it's complexity of the timeline and focus on various characters, I found myself having to rewind and rewatch certain scenes because I was getting confused. But for those who love Chinese historical films with plenty of action, you'll more than likely enjoy "White Vengeance"!

Great action and great acting! The scenes are eye-catching and the beautiful costumes are a grandeur. The story takes you on a trip a wonderous trip!

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This film requires a working knowledge of Chinese history , it is very complex and will require a second or even third viewing to understand the political manoeuvrings. Not a movie to pass the time with .It requires concentration ,not for the Fast & The Furious crowd. Exceptional transfer on BluRay

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Great action, great politics...what a game of wits! It is a masterpiece and would watch the film again and again

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Excellent reproduction of feudal Japan. The films demonstrated a unique story line and classic ending. I hope others will not be disappointed.

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One Night With the King (2006)

The first time I went to see this movie, I enjoyed it (despite the obvious production flaws), but I was thoroughly overwhelmed by all the history & all the strange names & all the multiple/twisty-turny plotlines & so I walked out of the theater feeling like I didn't really grasp everything that happened ...

So then I went home & read the entire book of Esther (it doesn't take very long -it's a small book) & then went BACK to the theater & watched the movie AGAIN ...

BIG DIFFERENCE!

At that point, I was also able to identify all the "poetic license" that was taken with the book of Esther, but I do NOT think that it detracted from the overall message & profound truth of the Biblical story -rather, I think that it ENHANCED it.

And now, after watching "One Night With The King," the book of Esther is very REAL to me -like it NEVER has been before.

********

NOTE: IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL, THEN PLEASE GO & GIVE MY "THE LAST MIMZY" REVIEW A VOTE, BECAUSE IT IS CURRENTLY BEING SLAMMED BY FOLKS WHO THINK IT IS WRONG TO WRITE A MOVIE REVIEW FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE. AND, IF YOU'RE REALLY FEELING GENEROUS, THEN PLEASE ALSO VOTE FOR MY "DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS," "UNACCOMPANIED MINORS," "APOCALYPTO" & "WE ARE MARSHALL" REVIEWS. (THINK OF IT AS A "RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS" ;) THANK YOU! & LOTS OF HUGS & BLESSINGS TO ALL MY BROTHERS & SISTERS IN CHRIST

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Nude Nuns with Big Guns (2010)

So...I'll give you all a proper review.

This is a little indie film that can. It is in the vain of the 1970's exploitation films that have recently made a resurgence under the category "Grind-House". For those of you who don't know...they are called 'Grind-House' because back in the day...the only place the producers of these films could get them shown where in porn theaters and strip clubs (or grind houses).

There have been a lot of these films coming out lately...and I'm pretty pleased with that fact. I love the Blaxsploitation, Pinky Violence, and Roger Corman stuff, among others, so much that having modern fresh takes and ideas is just plain fun for me. (believe it or not...there is even a category called Nunsploitation...and this can easily fit into that category) Now surely...just as in the past, a lot of these films are turkeys and barely worth viewing once...at least barely worth viewing while not intoxicated. Lucky for me...and you...as you seem you may have an interest in this film, "Nude Nuns with Big Guns" is not one of those. This is the little indie that could. It is loaded with everything that makes a grind house film fun...hot babes, crazy action, and a bit of over the top exploitative film making. "Nuns" sets itself apart with it's clever direction, great looking cinematography, and pretty solid acting, the colors pop on the blu ray. This film is just a hoot. It is not for faint of heart...or the too conservative...but if you like you're guns blazing, and your corruption raunchy..this is the film for you. I walked into this film thinking it would be a one off..and a wasted night...I've seen it several times sense...it is just outrageous. If you want a quick splash of crazy in your life..in the vein of "Nun of That", "Machete", "Mrs. 45"...and other timeless pieces of celluloid wackiness then "Nude Nuns with big guns is not to be missed. Get it for the bottom shelf of your collection..you will not be sorry.

There are some really wonderful reviews here. I don't know if mine will measure up, but here goes...

I tripped across this diamond in the rough on cable channel 69666. Since I am bizarre by everyone's standards except my own I will take a moment to explain that when I am not out pretending to be like everyone else, I subsist on a diet of junk food and sexploitation movies...Oh wait, that IS when I'm pretending to be like everyone else...Never mind.

NUDE NUNS WITH BIG GUNS---the title says it all. If you're a devout Catholic you may want to move to Vatican City in order to avoid this film, or otherwise accept the fact that you're going to hell just for being on this webpage.

A Mexican drug gang (Los Muertos = The Dead), led by a nun-raping murderous slugcharmer named Chavo, is being funded and supplied with cocaine by a corrupt Monsignor and his Churchly underlings who are using well-morphinated nude nuns to cut the stuff and mule it around in their habits (when they are wearing any between bouts of gratuitous lesbianism). The nunnery is being run by a fleshily repulsive penguin named Mother Magda, who also keeps the local brothel and strip club staffed with her little sisters of mercy.

After being shot full of smack and encountering the Angel of The Lord in her delirium, Sister Sarah finally has enough. Sarah listens to the Lord's command. She becomes a one-nun vigilante. Armed with pistols, shotguns, and a Thompson Submachine Gun she takes vengeance on all evildoers within her firing radius. It's Ash Wednesday Gone Wild as Sarah leaves powder burns on forehead after forehead. Saying that NUDE NUNS WITH BIG GUNS is violent is like saying that Heinz makes 57 Varieties.

Given its low budget, NUDE NUNS WITH BIG GUNS isn't as grotesquely graphic as most of the films in its grubby genre. The woman-on-woman sex, while titillating (pun?) isn't overly explicit. And the violence itself isn't as horrifying as it is absurd. The Director introduces each character with a gang graphic (for the Bad Guys) or a Cross (for those doing the Lord's Work), and provides subtitles for all the colorful Spanish obscenities that adorn this film like rosary beads. In other words, its a perfect One-and-a-Half-Star Five Star Grindhouse Epic.

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This is a Mexican Grindhouse style movie. The church supports drug dealers by the manufacture and packaging of drugs. Nude nuns work in rooms performing the task. When a nun gets out of line, she is sent off and forced to work as a prostitute. One nun manages to escape and vows to take revenge becoming a one woman wreaking crew. Plenty of nudity, full frontal, sex, rape, violence. 4 stars for fans of Grindhouse style movies, all others should avoid this film.

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When I picked this out of the rental bin, I thought 'Hey, this ought to be fun.' With that ridiculous title, I figured that the movie would be an over-the-top exploitation/comedy, which is an acquired taste, sure, but it takes all kinds, right?

Asun Ortega stars as Sister Sarah, the nun on the cover, who, after taking her vows finds that the Lord's work isn't exactly how she pictured it would be. Forced by the church elders to pack cocaine (and do so in the nude, of course), she then acts as a mule to transport the drugs to the local distributors, a motorcycle gang known as Los Muertos. The deal goes bad, and Sister Sarah is sold into prostitution and hooked on heroin. During one of her trips, she evidently (it's never shown) hears a message from God, one inspiring her to seek vengeance for herself and for her sisters.

Like I said, I expected a comedy, even if it was going to be a sleazy one, but everyone plays it straight here. You get a lot of nudity, rapes, murders, lesbianism; as much as possible for the director (Joseph Guzman) to throw on the screen it seems, so if that's your thing, then you are going to love this movie. That probably won't come as a surprise if you've already watched his first film, Run Bitch Run. He also gives extra attention to disrespecting the church's conventions (again, not surprising given his previous movie), even over and above the little synopsis I gave, so if you think that would make you uncomfortable, then you should avoid this film at all costs. With the title, you might think that was obvious, but the amount of anger leveled at the clergy's corruption is beyond even what's suggested there.

Here's the deal: If you're into exploitation movies, you're probably going to watch this. I am, and did, and I wouldn't discourage anyone else from it, if they are also into this sort of thing. But it all feels pretty flat to me. For some reason I never could really get on Asun Ortega's side, which is a must if you're going to root for her when she starts wreaking holy vengeance. And in the final act, as the members of Los Muertos meet their judgment day, it was just bang-bang-bang, and then it was pretty much over, except their leader's shrinkage moment. I was at least expecting some inventive death scenes, but it's all pretty conventional

Most of the women in this film are rarely dressed, so there's that, except they aren't really all that attractive. Actually, they look like they fit the part, either as skanky strippers from biker bars or as plain jane nuns. David Castro, as the leader of Los Muertos, has a fairly commanding presence in the movie, kind of like a more grizzled Antonio Banderas. At least he (Castro) looks like he was having fun in the process of filming. And I have to admit that Ortega looks pretty sweet in her avenging angel garb.

Obviously the movie sets up for a part II, so we'll see what new nunnery depths Guzman has in store for us. Or not, depending on how sleazy you find this first installment. And it is, without a doubt, one of the more sleazy movies I've ever seen, barring some rough blue movies from the seventies. That's probably what this film comes closest to, with a dose of I Spit On Your Grave (1978). The difference is that the director of the original I Spit On Your Grave, Meir Zarchi, had some sympathy for his main character. Guzman, not so much.

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This is a Mexican Grindhouse style movie. The church supports drug dealers by the manufacture and packaging of drugs. Nude nuns work in rooms performing the task. When a nun gets out of line, she is sent off and forced to work as a prostitute. One nun manages to escape and vows to take revenge becoming a one woman wreaking crew. Plenty of nudity, full frontal, sex, rape, violence. 4 stars for fans of Grindhouse style movies, all others should avoid this film.

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