Soloist (2013)

I think it's quite extraordinary that none of the reviews of the Soloist discuss the use of Beethoven's work in the film, which in my view reveals a shocking ignorance on the part of the critics. For example, the use of the cello part from the rondo of the second movement (the funeral march) of the 3rd symphony is brilliant, and reveals far more than just the playing skill of Ayres. Ditto the use of the Triple Concerto, various string quartets, less well-known parts of the 9th Symphony, all of which brilliantly move from the cello parts to the lager ensemble and back. It's a moving, innovative, and gorgeous use of Beethoven's work, and it makes a much larger point that the critics seem to miss entirely: Beethoven's work, most of all is about transcendence, the brotherhood of mankind, and the profound spiritual value of music. That's how the Soloist uses the composers's work to tell the story. Beethoven and music are Ayres' path to transcendence, and the way Beethoven's work is handled in the film makes this point clearly. The Soloist is worth seeing (and hearing) for the music alone.

People who see this film as a political statement miss the whole point.

This movie is primarily about the relationship between the weary journalist and the homeless artist, and Downey and Foxx give great performances. It sensitively deals with issues of charity and friendship in ways that challenge conventional ideals, and I liked the fact that in the end, Downey's character seems content to stop playing the role of "rescuer" and instead lets events play out to their natural conclusion. In fact, Foxx's character, for all the mental distress he faces, seems more grounded at times than Downey's character, and you might wonder whether the soloist refers to the cello virtuoso or the journalist who seems to learn what it means to be a friend rather than going solo through life. In that respect, it's a show that operates effectively on more than a superficial level.

Now if they could just have spent a little more time coaching Foxx on his fake cello-playing skills...alas.

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Having casually checked this out recently, knowing absolutely nothing about the film beforehand except from its brief description on cable, which sounded interesting to me, I was and will forever continue to be, stunned by how great this movie is, for me at least. I have since watched extended parts of it as well as the whole thing, several times, have permanently recorded it onto DVD for future enjoyment, and my initial reactions remain the same with each viewing. This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The fact that this didn't really make any box office buzz or profit is not surprising, given the subject matter. But the generally favorable but highly mixed, both positive and negative feelings and opinions about it from other reviewers and critics, and especially the lack of industry awards for this (i.e., Golden Globes, Oscars, etc.), are puzzling to me.

IMHO, this film is simply wonderful throughout, beginning to end, and has moved me to very moist eyes upon each and every viewing, tears of both profound sadness and sublime joy alike. I suspect that most people who have seen this, and have given it thumbs down, are missing the boat here. Although I always try to give, at times grudgingly, respect for the opinions, beliefs, and feelings of intelligent, enlightened folks, no matter what the film, I find it hard to fathom how and why anyone could watch this, stick with it to the end, and not see this as something really special.

The first time I watched this "cold," knowing almost nothing about it and only later discovering that it was all based upon a true story and the characters based upon real people, I nonetheless strongly suspected such was the case early on in the film and to the finish. It just had to be, I reasoned, because so many Los Angeles locales and environments, and particularly specific "Angeleno" details and ideas explored within it, rang so true and familiar to me. This is because of my own personal experiences with LA-centric, relevant places, people, concepts, issues, and events of substance and reality, for nearly a third of my lifetime.

Perhaps the main reason why a lot of folks who didn't or don't think that highly of this as I do, is because of this lack of personal connectedness to it, which I have and they may not. And that goes to all the filthy rich big shots of Hollyweird who chose to basically ignore this, come awards time. I accept these factors as givens, but honestly, this film has universal themes and observations, which really should appeal to most common people with sentimental hearts and rational minds. That this didn't seem to resonate powerfully with more upon release or since, I can accept. But it's a shame, because this really is extraordinary filmmaking, and distinctively honors what it apparently sets out to pay homage to, throughout.

The film, screenplay adaptation by Susannah Grant, is based on a series of columns written by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who chronicled the plight of Mister Nathaniel Ayers, Jr., a middle-aged, homeless, drifting LA "crazy," but a former Julliard-trained musician with schizophrenia, originally from Cleveland, Ohio. The beginnings of this project were eventually inspired by and detailed in Lopez's book "The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music" which was published in the spring of 2008.

Nicely but not heavy-handedly or intrusively directed by Joe Wright, starring Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel and Robert Downey Jr. as Steve, the movie features original soundtrack music from Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning composer Dario Marianelli, as well as subtle and intense excerpts from works by Beethoven and the enchanting Cello Suite No. 1 by Bach. Needless to say, throughout, great music and the possible redemptive love, "grace," and healing power of it (with even a bit of Neil Diamond thrown in), plays a big part here. But within that basic structure and notion, a superlative visual and cinematic rendering of same, exemplifies the life-changing supremacy of simple friendship which can develop between often-disparate human beings, and which can bring to each, symbiotic rewards. For "the soloist" here doesn't just apply or refer to homeless, at times obviously schizophrenic but talented Nathaniel, but to Steve the talented and humanistic yet cynical reporter as well. By film's end, both forge a life-affirming relationship, despite their immensely different personal blessings and circumstances in life. A real life, rewarding relationship and friendship which apparently continues to present day.

Detailed musical and visual bits in this movie take quite moving and unexpected twists and turns throughout, more than once from far above and apart from the noisy madness of Los Angeles. And about an hour into the film, it unashamedly ventures (when Nathaniel closes his eyes and listens to a full symphony orchestra playing Ludwig Van) into a very delightful and totally spiritual, "closed-eye vision" colorful representation of music as might've been imagined by the late, legendary experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage. This "closed-eye" section, while brief, came as a complete surprise to me, but should resonate with anyone who has ever really experienced firsthand, the exquisite "beauty" of great music as a transcendental art form. Truth be told however, these moments are only a few in a series of ever meaningful and majestic ones, in what I consider a virtually perfect film.

This movie is not without its lighter sides, and brief but effective moments of humor, but is at its best when relating various true, and serious elements of the modern USA, social/civilized failings as a whole. These range from the obvious, yet-unlearned tragedies/lessons of Hurricane Katrina's impoverished masses, to its equating of those with the continuing utter shame of LA's skid row and homelessness problems and our whole depraved "health-care" system. Also dealt effectively with is the complex and at times troubling, but deeply romantic (in the classic sense) relationship between Lopez the reporter and his ex-wife and co-worker/boss. As well as the search for connectedness to their fellow human beings in a world seemingly gone mad, among which all the characters in this movie, share equally.

As I've said, this film deals with subjects, people, places, and situations which are uniquely familiar to me, having spent so much time in Southern California in circumstances similar to both that of Mister Steve Lopez and Mister Nathaniel Ayers. Jr. At times there, I was near the top, and other times near the bottom. And I can speak with factual understanding of being both a part of the highs of the fancy award ceremony world of mayors and celebrities which Lopez experiences, to nearly being homeless out there myself in the unbelievably bleak environment of skid row and surroundings, which makes up Nathaniel's world.

I could write so much more in praise of this amazing filmic endeavor, but I will just say this in closing. This is truly a work of art, its power and realism enhanced by true events and people and locales, and while it may not be fully appreciated as I write this, I'm sure in the future, it will be seen as a classic, great film with a message which almost everyone, in time, should eventually identify with, in a very special, if wholly individual way. And by the way, again, the very title refers both to Mr. Ayers AND Mr. Lopez, if some haven't caught on or never will, to that.

This is a work, minute by precious minute, to be revered and cherished forever, which I at least, most certainly will.

Read Best Reviews of Soloist (2013) Here

If there were ever any doubt that Robert Downey Jr. is one of our best current actors out there, then this film should put them to rest. Still having doubts? Check out his more current resume: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Good Night and Good Luck, Iron Man, and his amazing Tropic Thunder. And these are just a select few that I've cherry picked. This isn't to say that Jamie Foxx (Dreamgirls) didn't do a great job. It's just that Downey Jr. is showing up in some awfully great roles and performing them to perfection, as witnessed here in THE SOLOIST.

This is a story close to my heart. Similar in theme to Lars and the Real Girl, this story doesn't circle around a town coming together to help one man's pysche. This story is about two men who orbit in entirely different galaxies and how a passing swipe ends up creating a lifetime friendship. Yes, there's the mental illness aspect to it and Foxx plays the role of Nathaniel Ayers exceptionally well. His schizophrenia is obvious, and living on the streets hasn't helped. And when newspaper reporter Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) tries finding a story to write about, he stumbles upon Nathaniel's past as a Juilliard Music School drop-out. Nathaniel plays a violin with only two strings, and as Steve Lopez writes about his newfound friend in the paper, a donation comes floating in: a beautiful cello.

This cello has multiple draws for Nathaniel, and some of them aren't good. The positives are that Nathaniel can play a beautiful instrument beautifully. And that he finally starts forming a friendly tie with someone (anyone!) It just happens to be Steve Lopez. Steve starts showing him around the current musical scene. But with Nathaniel's reawakening comes the remembrance of his past and how he got to where he is. His mental breakdown comes crashing back into current memory, even as Steve, his new friend, tries to help him out more and more.

The side-story of Steve and his wife's reconciliation (Catherine Keener, An American Crime) is pretty much fluff for the movie/story and doesn't add much. It is the touching and powerful story of a friendship forming amidst a respect for one another, a love of music, and facing the challenges of an oft-times debilitating mental illness that drives this wonderful film.

And the music ain't too shabby either.

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The sum of the parts of this DVD are way better than the whole. I certainly enjoyed The Soloist, it is a good movie. But once I began exploring the bonus features on this DVD, the whole became so much more. This is the first time since watching Criterion LaserDiscs with real live director or film historian commentary, have bonus features been this movie enhancing.

The Soloist is a solid movie about a Los Angeles Times journalist that meets a homeless man playing a two stringed violin. The film follows Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), the journalist, through his emotions trying to help Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Jamie Foxx). The two men end up developing a deep friendship. Gratefully the screenwriter chose not to make this a happily ever after film. The nearly 2 hour film explores insanity, homelessness, and how well meaning people may or may not help these people.

Where things just go crazy wonderful is in the deep bonus features. The film opens with a very strange plea by a very odd looking person almost priest-like, 'if you see a homeless person, they probably don't want money, they really want to just have you say hello. To get more involved with helping see this website.' Its a strange message, delivered by a strange person, and very confusing for the first time viewer. Jumping into the bonus features, it turns out this is the real live Steve Lopez.

The Bonus Features:

Beth's Story a powerful 1.5 minute animated film about a girl who's parents die, she moves from foster home to foster home, finally lives on her own, gets sick, can't pay her bills, and becomes homeless I cried.

A Making of Featurette like none I've ever seen. Not only did this film portray a side of life I hope I never see, nor you see; but they put their money where their mouth is they hired the homeless to actually perform in this film.

A video about the real live Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Steve Lopez, and his sister. Done with heart and tenderness. It is a beautiful interview piece.

A series of deleted scenes that frankly are hard to tell why they were left out. Several fill plot holes that I found a little disconcerting during the film.

All total there is roughly 45 minutes of bonus features. They give context to how this film was made and why.

I had a few problems with the film itself (they were quickly tossed away after seeing the bonus features). On first view, the Lamp and Mission areas just seemed all too Hollywood. They were packed with homeless people, too much seemed to be going on, they almost looked polished or unreal. As with most true stories, truth is way stranger than fiction. Apparently this is reality on this street, it was not over done. There were some minor pacing problems, early on the story kind of stalled here and there. And I went from thinking that Steve Lopez was this awesome fantastic person, to what his ex-wife says at one point he is just capitalizing on somebody else's misfortune. The worst moment of this was when Nathaniel calls Mr. Lopez asking for help; but he is too busy receiving an award for his LA Times articles about Nathaniel Ayers.

The acting is superb in this film. Jamie Foxx is just outstanding, he proved his acting ability in Ray (that he isn't just a clown like in Booty Call), and just builds in this film. After seeing the real Nathaniel Ayers Mr. Foxx nailed the performance. Robert Downey Jr. is such a talented actor, to say Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, and this film in one breath is some amazing credit to his abilities. He actually improved on the real Mr. Lopez. By far my favorite actor in this film is Nelsan Ellis who played David the director or advocate at Lamp/The Mission.

The film alone is more like a 4 star film. John Wright basically has three films to his credit, The Soloist, Atonement, and Pride and Prejudice. The latter two are not great but good films. The downside to this lack of experience is a number of scenes that run too long and others that run too short or leave plot holes. Frankly I would have traded some scenes off to include three of the deleted scenes when viewed they fill plot holes and the film makes much more sense. Camera work is overall very good. Steady shots are good and solid, handheld is kept to a minimum. I noticed a few jarring cuts from solid shots to handhelds that didn't make good sense. The use of boom shots and huge sweeping pans was a bit over the top most of the time. Near the end there are one shots between Mr. Lopez and Ayers framing is used to great advantage, placing Mr. Lopez on the weak side and Mr. Ayers on the strong side of the frame. A powerful subtle technique.

The film is rated PG-13. There is a bit of strong language, but mostly it is held to a minimum. The subject matter is tough, insanity, and homelessness its probably not fare for those younger than 13. There was a scene or two where my 13 year old son felt a little bit nervous the voices that Mr. Ayers hears in his head are rendered a bit too real at times. The whole production company was very wise to achieve a PG-13 rating. First and foremost this film could reach the widest audience. I don't feel like they compromised anything by keeping the language in reign.

I've always had a fear of homelessness. This film struck a very strong chord for me. It helped me see that there are small things that everyone can do, that can make a difference. This is a beautiful film.

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TerrorVision / The Video Dead (Bluray/DVD Combo) (1986)

It's about damn time that TerrorVision got the release it deserved. And this is it. Gerrit Graham and Mary Woronov are perfect as the swinging Puttermans, always on the lookout for the newest fad, including a brand new satellite dish that unfortunately picks up not only the local cable channels but a recently disposed creature from space. The hideous creature begins devouring the Puttermans, sometimes creepily taking over their personalities. Can the kids along with a helpful alien save the world? With the outrageous set design, kooky dialogue and other awesome cast members like Better Off Dead's Diane Franklin as the daughter and Bert Remsen as the grandfather, this is real B-movie gold. I was lucky enough to see this one in the theaters! The bonus features are abundant with interviews, commentaries and photos.

The Video Dead is a notch below the wonderful TerrorVision, about an old tv set that brings zombies into this dimension. Although the concept was good, the execution comes off a little shoddy. Overall, it kept my interest but pales next to the colorful and quirky TerrorVision.

A good double feature, but I must admit I bought this for TerrorVision!

I actually got this to get Video Dead, and to my surprise Terror Vision ends up being equally as good if not better! Both are very cheesy and fun to watch. Terror Vision has less horror and plays more like a bizarre Weird Science style film with vibrant colors and extreme stereotype characters. A fairly wealthy swinger couple for parents, a wacky survivalist grandfather, a valley girl punk rock daughter along with her metal head boyfriend and her younger brother who is the most grounded character in the film face-off against an alien "pet" who accidentally gets slingshot to Earth instead of incinerated and beams into their dish and through their TV. Video Dead is a weird Horror film about a couple kids cleaning a newly bought house for their parents only to have this old beat-up TV left in the attic become a gateway for ZOMBIES! A very interesting twist on a zombie film, from the way they act to the way to destroy or get rid of them... not your average zombie movie! The bonus features are very good, especially for Terror Vision and picture quality is pretty good considering. This certainly has been one of, if not the best blu-ray i have bought recently with a high fun factor.

Buy TerrorVision / The Video Dead (Bluray/DVD Combo) (1986) Now

In my quest (I guess you could call it that) for some cult 1980s horror, I've come across quite a few of the same names over and over (Night of the Creeps, Sleepaway Camp, The Evil Dead, etc.) But, two names have come up very few times: "TerrorVision" and "The Video Dead". I read brief synopses for both movies and wondered why these weren't just a little more popular. They both seemed to have some interesting ideas (both having monsters of some sort being able to come to the real world through television). After seeing both on YouTube (lucky to find them there), I was sold on both of them. Then came my second question: why don't these have a proper release on home video?

This was around the time I started to hear about Shout! Factory's new branch, Scream! Factory. Being curious, I looked up what was to come from them and to my joy, saw that they planned a release of these two movies. Five months later, I was able to sit down and watch these two again, the way they were meant to be seen: on a nice TV with a widescreen transfer. It's nothing less than awesome retro horror and even though the films could very well fit into the "so-bad-they're-good" category, they're well worth the buy. There's a lot of great bonuses as well, and though I don't like blu-rays, the transfer for both movies on that is another welcome bonus.

Highly recommended. Don't miss out.

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I was beyond thrilled to find out that The Video Dead was finally being released and on Blu-ray at that! One of my best friends petitioned for this to be released for a few years and not only did his hard work and dedication payoff but he even got to join the cast of the film to record a commentary track for the film. I had never heard of TerrorVision before but that was quite a treat, I really ended up enjoying it. You get 1 DVD disc with each movie on the same side (Thank you Scream Factory I hate double-sided disc!) and 1 Blu-ray the same way. They both have limited special features but honestly it is way more than I ever thought I would see. Do not hesitate to add this movie to your collection, you will not be disappointed.

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Sorry for the inconveniance, just a review of "Terror Vision" !

I bought the Terror Vision/The Video Dead DVD/Blu-Ray combo mainly for Terror Vision. A b-rated horror/comedy from the 1980's that was a personal favorite of mine as I still have a VHS copy of it.

In a nutshell, the film is about a space monster that is accidently transported to earth via a unsuspecting family's satellite dish. However, the real highlight of the film isn't the monster, but the wacky cast of humans especially the very, disfunctional Putterman family. The swinger parents, gung-ho military grandpa, Cindy Lauper look-a-like valley girl Suzy (played brilliantly by actress, Diane Franklin), Suzy's boyfriend, a heavy metal clad "O.D." (played by John Gries AKA Uncle Rico from "Napolean Dynamite") and the brave, little hero Sherman (played by a very young Chad Allen who later played a sheriff in the "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" TV series). As I found out from writer/director Ted Nicolaou who stated in his commentary & special features interview, the film was bashed by critics & the general audience on its initial release, but developed sort of a cult following later after its home video release. Simply the type of film that you either love or hate!

Both the Blu-Ray & DVD look fantastic as both feature films are presented in widescreen 1.78:1 anamorphic transfers. Dolby Digital Audio for the DVD & DTS HD audio for the Blu-Ray. Both feature films on each disc (DVD & Blu-Ray). The special features are identical for both the DVD & Blu-Ray. I posted images of my set above.

For Special Features, Terror Vision has a full-feature length commentary with writer/director Ted Nicolaou, actress Diane Franklin (Suzy Putterman) and actor John Greis (O.D.). Besides all three commentators' personal experiences with the film that are discussed, most of the commentary is screen specific as all three participants pretty much talk about each scene as it goes.

A 34-minute behind the scenes & making of featurette is also included as we get the usual director, cast & crew interviews with some behind the scenes stills & video clips. We get current video interviews from writer/director Ted Nicolaou, actresses Diane Franklin (Suzy Putterman) & Mary Woonov (Racquel Putterman), actors John Greis (O.D.) & Chad Allen (Sherman Putterman) and many others. It was interesting to note the following;

Entire film was shot in location just outside of Rome, Italy with a predominately American cast, but predominately Italian film crew.

Chad Allen was only about nine years old in the film, but his concerned, religious parents viewed the set and had mild complaints about the numerous erotic, nude paintings that dominated the interiors of the Putterman household set.

According to the director, Belinda Carlisle was a cast consideration for the role of Suzy Putterman & Harry Shearer for the role of the father, Stanley Putterman, but both were either not interested in the roles or were unavailable.

Frank Zappa was a consideration to score the film's music, but was either unavailable or not interested so Richard Band, scored the film instead & a L.A. rock-band called "The Fibonaccis" performed the "Terror Vision" theme song.

Actress Mary Woonov was originally casted to play the late night TV show vixen "Medusa", but insisted on playing the mother, Racquel Putterman instead.

The special features conclude with a photo gallery consisting about twenty photos of cast/crew shots & multiple Theatrical posters (some international).

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Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)

Ok before I start, let me clarify something: Unlike the reviewers before me, I have actually SEEN this movie, so my review is not based on the graphic novel of which the movie is based, nor what the movie might be like based on who's behind the making of it. I HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE. Now that thats out the way, onto the good stuff.

I know a lot of Batman, Superman, and Batman/Superman fans were holding their breath on this one. With all classic the DC Comic character movies coming out lately (some of them not as good as others) it was reasonable to assume that "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" the movie could have gone either way. Well good thing for the loyal fan base, this was definitely a hit. I can say I am more then pleased with how this came out, and I have every intention of buying this DVD and watching it again the day it comes home with me.

One thing is abundantly clear when watching this movie: WB Entertainment, and more importantly, DC Comics actually LISTENS to their fans. One of my (and others) biggest fears in this was that we were going to be hearing some sub-par voice acting for the main characters involved, i.e. Superman, Batman, and Lex Luthor. As with past offerings from WB Entertainment ("Superman: Doomsday" for example) we got some weak casting for the voices of Lex and Sups. That alone detracts greatly from the overall enjoyment of the movie. With Public Enemies however, we have the best voices ever cast for the starring 3 roles: Tim Daily as Superman, Kevin Conroy as Batman, and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. For those who could give two flips about these guys, they are the same voices from the popular shows Justice League Unlimited, Batman The Animated Series, and Superman the Animated Series.

On top of superb voice acting, the animation is crisp, sharp and just plain beautiful. Again, faithful to fan feedback, the artists from Justice League Unlimited seem to have had their hands in this project, because the art is pretty much the same (which is by no means a bad thing), and it looks great. Almost straight from the comic.

Speaking of which, as far as the story goes, keep in mind while watching this that its an adaptation to the comic. That being said however, the movie stays remarkably faithful to the story told in the comic. Minus a few altered frames, scenes and situations, its like reading the comic all over again, except with no imagination needed to enjoy it. The story in general is a very good one, highlighting Batman and Superman's friendship and giving you a glimpse into how deep it really goes. Granted, you get more of that in the comic then you do in the movie, but the movie compensates for the lack of inner dialogue with good script writing, full of the humorous exchanges between Sups and Bats and emotional moments and outburst we know and love from our favorite caped heroes.

This is a great movie, and you don't have to have read the comic first in order to enjoy it. Even the review value is moderately high, I can and WILL be watching this again as soon as I can, and some more times after that. This is worth price, grab it and enjoy a motion picture work of art.

Peace

So I watched Superman/Batman:Public Enemies twice in one day after I got it. And I will keep this review short as most of the main points have been hit by the people who reveiewed this already (at least the ones that waited till it came out). So here's my break down and the end will be final comments.

STORY:

It was adpated from Jeph Loeb's first arc on the ongoing comic. Love it or hate it, but it was a very faithful adaptation, streamlining something that was basically a set up for the subsequent arcs as well as Infinite Crisis. It was silly, and balls to the wall, and the only gripe I had was not explaining why the Robot was a better choice than Luthor's missles (Answer, robot was made of Metallo, not the guy, the alloy.) But hey all and all I liked what they did.

Characters (voice and portrayal):

WHOA! Okay I read the comics and almost forgot the laundry list of vilains who come out the cracks for the bounty. Batman and Superman were pitch perfect and their banter was great after seeing them so serious with each other all the time in Justice League and JLU. Tim Daly returning for Superman was great to have, though I'm one of the few that feel George Newburn's performance as the character is just as good. Kevin Conroy and Clancy Brown however are the quintessential Batman and Lex Luthor respectively. Props to getting CCH Pounder to return as Amanda Waller even if the charatcer model looked horrendous. Lastly the supporting charatcers were great. However I wonder why so much fuss was made about LeVar "Reading Geordi LeForge's Rainbow" Burton as Black Lightning when he had one line. Killer Frost was a throwaway villain that had more to say. *Sigh* Wasted talent.

ART AND ANIMATION:

Again based on the source material, the art style took a muscular turn and was fully mimicing Ed McGuiness' style where every male looks like a "Masters of the Uninverse" figure. I personally love his style and always though it would translate well to the screen. I was mostly right. They made Superman look too young, and I think it's because of the eyes. McGuiness does the squinty look better than most, and we see this in Captain Marvel's design, and in the comics Superman has the same look sometimes. That plus the cheekbone line makes him look a bit older. Well probably out of fear of backlash (last time they put lines on his face people said he looked too old, and in "Doomsday" he looked even older)they elft those lines out and he looks too young. Everyone else in my opinion looked fine. Okay Powergirl's eyes bugged me too but I was distracted by something else.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I liked it. It was a great action flick, and didn't need too much character development. It's Superman and Batman, if you don;t know who they are why are you even picking up te movie. It's a buddy flick with wall to wall action. My biggest issue is it felt rushed. At 67 minutes it's like 15 minutes shorter than previous releases and could have really benefitted from them. That said if you like the characters and you like action this is worth it.

AFTERTHOUGHT:

The preview for the next upcoming animated feature, Jusitce League: Crisis on Two Earths was great. Yes I know after Public Enemies going back to new voices will suck but they got some good ones. Mark Harmon makes a pretty good Superman, I'm on the fence for Billy Baldwin as Batman (needs to be grittier), James Woods does an amazingly devious and twisted Owlman, and Gena Torres was great as SuperWoman. Hope you enjoy!

Buy Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) Now

The first DC animated movie to make an impact with me since New Frontier (I love team-ups and big action sequences), Public Enemies features the World's Greatest Heroes joining forces to stop President Lex Luthor.

First off, other than the first Superman serial, Superman and the Mole Men and Superman III, who has been the featured villain in every movie? Luthor of course and while he can be an interesting character, when he's reused as a villain over and over, I grow bored with the character. It's not like Superman doesn't have other villains that can be used in a movie. It's also a shame that they never use any Batman villains when he's teamed with Superman. Yes Joker, Harley Quinn and Ra's al Ghul were villains in team-up episodes of the animated series, but in the team-up episodes (except the one with Ra's) there's always a Superman villain involved and my favoritism of Batman and his Rogue's Gallery aside, the Bat-Villains have always proved more interesting due to their psychology. Granted, I never read the Public Enemies graphic novel or the comics that featured Luthor as the President, its just one of the problems I have with the Superman movies; the overuse of one villain over others and the fact that when Batman`s teamed with the Man of Steel, the impression I'm given is that his villains aren't a big enough threat (sort of why the only villains we ever saw in JL were Superman villains). And why does everyone but Batman and Superman go to Luthor's side? They've battled each other for years and then just because he's the President, they think he's turned over a new leaf. And they automatically attack the two heroes that they've known and worked with for years just because Luthor says so? I find that pretty hard to believe, let alone a man who's had no political background, wins everybody over with pretty speeches of promised change and then gets the presidency (that sounds so familiar doesn't it, if only this movie had been released around late 2007-early 2008). On the other hand, the thrill I get when I see heroes team up was satisfied. Even seeing the other heroes and all the villains was enough to satisfy my tastes. But at 67 minutes (the second shortest movie I own next to Dumbo at 64 minutes), it feels rushed and with all of the action sequences, there's barely enough time to catch my breath.

I'm a little divided on my feelings on the animation. On one hand, everyone looks different than what we've seen in previously, which I like since most of these movies are adaptations of comics with different art styles. We also get many heroes and villains making their animated debut like Power Girl, Major Force, Lady Shiva, Icicle, etc. Though I have two problems with the animation; first off, why is Amanda Waller so fat? I know in JLU she wasn't that skinny but in this she looks as big as a whale. I've never read any of her appearances in the comics so JLU is the only reference I have to go by, but was she a bigger woman in her original appearances? Also why do all the males have six pack abs? I know they work out (Batman especially) but not in any comic I've read have the males been bulging out of their costumes.

A DCAU voice reunion as we get Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Clancy Brown AND CCH Pounder reprising their roles. Heck even Jennifer Hale has a small speaking role as Killer Frost! All still make their characters believable and its always to hear them voicing their iconic characters again. My only problem with the voicing is that, while I know not every character gets to speak, why they go through the trouble of promoting LeVar Burton as Black Lightning (going so far as to feature him in the preview feature on First Flight and getting an interview at The World's Finest) and the guy has one line of dialog! He's featured more than Hawkman and Captain Marvel and those two get much more to say than him (Hawkman's actor doesn't even get credited)!

Read Best Reviews of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) Here

The way I measure a movie's success is by how much I want to watch it again. I watched Watchmen five times in the first month of owning it, on the other hand, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies I've watch twice in the entire time I've owned it.

Lex Luthor is president, and a giant meteor made out of Kryptonite is headed for Earth. While "trying to work with Superman," and I use that very loosely, Lex frames Superman for murder, and declares him and his ally, Batman, public enemies. The reward money Luthor offers has wave after wave of supervillains coming after them, and a few well intentioned superheroes searching for the Dark Knight and Man of Steel. While it all leads to a fairly entertaining climax, it's basically one big slugfest.

Part of what hurt the film from my point of view was the hype made about the voice cast. Sure Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, and Clancy Brown all bring their normal brand of excellence to the voices they played in Superman and Batman the Animated series. But, for instance, I remember they made such a big deal about LeVar Burton playing Black Lightning, and he has ONE LINE in the entire film. Plus a handful of stars playing other bit parts. So, in the end, you have all these heroes and villains, and they have nothing to work with, because it's only a 72 minute film.

I must admit I haven't read the source material, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness, but from the few glimpses I've had, they do make a good attempt to replicate McGuiness' "rippling muscles" art style. And more than likely, the book was a slightly more complex slugfest. But whatever they cut, and I have heard stuff was cut, has left the plot pretty thin.

Extras on the two disk include, "Behind the Scenes of Blackest Night" DC's major summer event focusing on Green Lantern. A short Documentary "A Test of Minds: Superman and Batman," it's fairly informative, especially for those viewers who don't understand the dynamic between the two heroes. And "Dinner with DCU, with Special Guest Kevin Conroy" where most of the team behind the film, and the other DC Animated series, converse over dinner about +10 years in animation. If you're the type of fan that likes to know the behind the scenes stuff, this is one conversation worth overhearing.

Finally, a look at Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, and two episodes from Superman the Animated Series. The Demon Reborn, where Rah's Al Ghul tries to kill Superman, and Knight Time, where Superman impersonates Batman.

It's an okay film, but I say rent it first.

Want Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) Discount?

Superman and Batman are two of my favorites. I watched their animated series, their straight to dvd movies, the comics, and pretty much anything I can get my hands on. So when I watch this movie, I was very entertained, hearing the classic voices from the animated series return, and feeling like a story that could fit into the shows continuity if you let your mind go. The trouble was that I can't help feel that I loved the nostalgia and the memories watching this brought more than the actual movie itself. Sure, it was fun, but a bit uneven, with a little less character development than I had hoped for. While I ordinarly would ding the movie, it didn't really bother me. I'm not sure if it was because the animation and story was entertaining enough to get past the flaws, or because I felt like a kid again watching my cartoon. Either way I liked the movie and will watch it again. I'd only recomend caution when watching this movie, as you may not get the same level of entertainment as I did.

The Black Pirate (1926)

To be thoroughly rewarded by enjoying a really good digitally restored classic like this, buy it. It was completely up to expectation and in it's brilliant original two strip colour technicolor. Certainly one of Fairbank's best swashbucklers and a full 90 minutes plus of superb entertainment.

Also on the blu-ray is the original re-released "talkie" version with Doug narrating the story with no intertitles ,from the thirties, although this version is in B/W. Plenty of extras with tons of extra footage that was not used in the actual movie.It amazed me that this footage has survived, although, again, it's unfortunately in B/W.

A remarkable buy and one that all vintage movie lovers will enjoy, especially those who love silent cinema as I do. Highly recommended.

Seen today, many of Douglas Fairbanks' films don't hold up too well, but his lavish 1926 swashbuckler The Black Pirate, shot in the still experimental, costly and time-consuming but here surprisingly impressive Two-strip Technicolor, works remarkably well. There's less of the camp prancing that marred his earlier Robin Hood (though the army of soldiers in swimming trunks and straps swimming to the rescue in the grand finale would look at home in any Gay Pride march) and less striking of heroic poses while manically grinning, with more genuinely exciting stunt work as he swings from the rigging or slices his way down billowing sails. Fairbanks is at his best here, not overacting or chewing the scenery as relentlessly as in some other films, perhaps because the film's revenge plot keeps him in check. The sole survivor of a pirate raid on his ship that cost his father's life, he swears to have his vengeance, bluffing his way into their crew by killing their captain in a swordfight and capturing a galleon single-handed only to risk everything for the beautiful princess they take hostage when some of the crew can think of better things to do with her than hold her for ransom.

Every pirate cliché in the book is faithfully presented, from buried treasure to walking the plank, though the pirates are especially brutal here: when one captive swallows a ring, they simply slice open his stomach to retrieve it (albeit off camera) or test the sharpness of a blade on a prisoner before disinterestedly wiping the blood off on his corpse. There's fine underplayed villainy and casual cruelty from former dentist Sam De Grasse (Prince John in Robin Hood) and comic relief from a one-armed Donald Crisp, though they're not quite enough to keep the film's pace from noticeably slackening somewhat in the middle. The most disappointing aspect is the undeveloped love story: beyond the necessities of the plot there's no real connection between Fairbanks and Billie Dove, so it's no surprise to find that in their final clinch it's actually his wife Mary Pickford standing in for her. And, while the sets are impressive even if the galleon is the size of a warehouse inside the model ships are never convincing. But there's more than enough here that does work, and works wonderfully well to forgive its shortcomings.

The real revelation is the use of color. Filmed on two separate strips of film one dyed red and orange, the other blue and green that were cemented together for exhibition, the Two-Strip Technicolor system was rarely very satisfying: good on burgundy, green, wood tones and navy blue but highly variable on flesh tones, what was a liability on most pictures actually works to its advantage here, with careful choice of color schemes paying off with what may well be the best looking Two-Strip Technicolor film. Thankfully the 1995 restoration does it justice, with the opening scenes of pirates looting and sinking a ship quite outstanding and the quality never less than good.

While the UK DVDs and some public domain releases are all black and white versions, Kino's Region 1 DVD is the 1995 Technicolor restoration with a full orchestra recording of Mortimer Wilson's original 1926 score, as well as a typically comprehensively informative audio commentary by Rudy Behlmer. Best of all, Kino's version comes with 19 minutes of revealing out-takes (sadly only in black and white, the color having completely faded), also with commentary. As well as the odd deleted snippet or mistimed stunt, there's footage of Fairbanks losing his temper after being nicked in a swordfight as well as detailed looks at many of the stunts that were shot in reverse. It's also interesting to learn that in an age before optical printers the film's lap dissolves all had to be done in-camera. Even better is Kino's region-free Bluray release, which includes an additional 29 minutes of outtakes and the adapted black and white "talkie" version of the film. All in all a terrific package just as long as you avoid the non-Kino releases.

Buy The Black Pirate (1926) Now

Having previously owned THE BLACK PIRATE on Laser Disc in the Technicolor version I find the Blu-ray to be a nice upgrade. Sometimes the 2-strip Technicolor is quite impressive and at other times on the washed out side. The thing to remember is that Fairbanks went to great efforts to recreate a pirate pallet and advanced the creative use of color greatly. In testing it was found that costumes and make-up photographed differently when shot under the lights of the studio then they did outdoors, so two sets of everything where designed to give the best possible color. The restoration improves the color but the early process is still limited. The Rudy Behlmer commentary on the feature and 18 minutes of outtakes is excellent. Well researched and quite informative. Having a newly recorded version of the original 1926 score along with Lee Erwin's organ score is a nice touch. If you are interested in Blu-ray versions of films from the silent era then Kino's release will be well worth adding to your collection.

Read Best Reviews of The Black Pirate (1926) Here

There is an improvement in image quality of this release, in comparison to the older Laserdisc and DVD releases. It has fairly good image quality, although the color is not as good as it was when this was originally released, due to the original negative being lost.

Want The Black Pirate (1926) Discount?

Alfred Hitchcock: The Classic Collection (2013)

Many of the reviews are for a different Hitchcock package. This set has only 3 films: Rebecca, Notorious, Spellbound. And these 3 blu-rays are already just out individually at Sams Club. They are identical, have the same extras, and are only $9.98 each: why is Amazon charging so much when you can get them for about #30 at Sams Club, and get them NOW?

I flipped out when I saw this recently in a store, and knew immediately that it would be going home with me. NINE old and hard to find Hitchcock movies for TEN bucks?? HELL YEAH!

I just got it so I can't say anything yet about the quality of the discs except that my first peek at "The Lady Vanishes" proved that the sound and overall picture quality could have been a lot better. But come on, for ten bucks, you get what you pay for, am I right? And as someone in no position to pay for the lovely but very pricey Hitchcock collections in all the fancy packaging, I was more than pleased to shell out ten dollars for this hidden jewel.

Did I mention that it costs ten dollars???

There are three discs total, each with three movies on it and a special feature. I will come back and edit this review with details as I take my time enjoying the product!

DISC ONE:

"Blackmail" (1929) -Hitch's first sound film, but still "silent" as in there are title cards in place of spoken dialogue. The "sound" is music and effects. It's about a young engaged woman who is blackmailed by an artist.

"The Lady Vanishes" (1938) -One of Hitch's best, hands down. Far superior to Jodie Foster's recent pretender "Flightplan". It's about a young woman who befriends an older woman on a European train, only to fall asleep and wake up to find the woman replaced by someone else, and everyone around her insisting that nothing has changed. She must prove that her friend is missing and hidden somewhere on the train. The film starts a bit slow but winds up becoming a fast-paced, very suspenseful ride that still retains a clever dash of comedy.

"Rich and Strange" (1932) -I've actually never seen or even heard of this one! I can't wait to see it. Here's the description from the back of the packaging: "Fredy and Emily, a young married couple, decide to take a cruise around the world after they come into a sizeable inheritance. While on the cruise both Emily and Fredy become romantically involved with the wrong people, and end up broke. Forced to journey home on a cargo boat, the couple sadly realizes that the worst is yet to come."

EXTRAS: Three original trailers for Hitchcock classics "Dial M for Murder", "Rear Window" and "To Catch a Thief". Whoever compiled these obviously has a thing for Grace Kelly. These are nice, but I just wish they had included trailers for movies that actually appear in this set. Oh well. Did I mention that it costs ten dollars?

DISC TWO:

"Sabotage" (1936) -"Karl Verlok leads a secret life as a paid terrorist, which has lead [SIC] undercover agent Ted Spencer to move in next door to Verlok and his wife Sylvia. Feeling that something's up, Verlok sends Sylvia's younger brother to deliver something for him, only the young man doesn't know he's delivering a time-bomb. Based on Joseph Conrad's novel 'The Secret Agent.'" I've never seen this one either, but it sure sounds good!

"Secret Agent" (1936) -"An ever-windeing tale of deception: Secret Agent revolves around British novelist Edgar Brodie and secret agent Elsa Carrington. Their search for a ruthless murderer takes them to Switzerland, through the Alps and a train to Greece. Will a surprise air attack bring an end to their search and their lives? Based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham."

"The 39 Steps" (1938) -Classic Hitchcock. One of many films he did that center around an unwitting person being drawn into a web of terror and suspense, and being the only one who can save the day. This is also based upon a novel, and it was one of Hitchcock's biggest early hits.

LATER EDIT: **The audio and picture quality on this movie are HORRIBLE. You will not be able to understand the dialogue in several sections, no matter how much you rewind, and the print is full of scratches. If this movie is one of the main reasons you buy the collection, just know that you WILL want to invest in a remastered copy, eventually.**

BONUS FEATURE: Rare radio appearance by Alfred Hitchcock! This feature is a radio broadcast that plays over a wonderful poster gallery of Hitchcock's film releases -including some international posters in German and French. If you're like me, you'll have to experience this extra at least twice! I spent the first time so enthralled by the posters that I forgot to listen to the broadcast! :-)

DISC THREE:

"Number 17" (1932) -I have another copy of this that my mom picked up in a dollar store, but I still haven't seen it! It's basically about a gang of jewel thieves pursued by Detective Gilbert, and involves a train sequence that preludes his future as a quinessential director of movies with pivotal scenes in trains. ;-)

"The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1934) -Hitch later remade this in the 50s with Doris Day and Jimmy Stewart. I didn't think the remake was one of his better films. But this is the original, and I can't wait to see it! One of the couple's friends is murdered, and before he dies, he whispers a vital clue to them that they must then solve, before it's too late!

"The Lodger" (1926) -"Quiet and secretive Jonathan Drew has just rented a room in a London boarding house. Coincidentally, his arrival overlaps with the brutal murders orchestrated by Jack the Ripper. The Lodger is the first movie to be designated as a true 'Hitchcock picture'. A gem for collectors."

**This was recently remade with Alfred Molina, Simon Baker and Hope Davis. Judging by the trailer, it's going to BLOW!**

BONUS FEATURE: "About Hitchcock"

One *major* drawback is that NONE of these discs have subtitles of any kind, not even English for the hearing impaired. So don't buy this present for a deaf friend, and if you have a deaf friend who is upset that they can't enjoy the movies with you, just write them a note explaining that it only cost you ten dollars.

Overall, however, this ENTIRE PACKAGE is "A gem for collectors"!! The big expensive Hitchcock collections have his better known and later films, which are all available individually as well. This one has early stuff only, most of which I personally have never seen anywhere else. If you're as die-hard a fan as I am, you'll want this in your collection even if you CAN afford the higher-end stuff. The only thing that would make it better would have been more trailers, more extras, and a booklet of some kind. Instead, all you get is the discs themselves. But the crazy thing is that I would have gladly paid $30 for this set, as is. And instead I got it for ten.

TEN!!!

Don't let this bargain pass you by!!

Buy Alfred Hitchcock: The Classic Collection (2013) Now

For VHS nostalgists, and those intimidated by the pricey Criterion boxed set that has replaced this (adding "The Lady Vanishes" and "The Thirty-Nine Steps" and subtracting "The Paradine Case"), this set is a prize to be sought out. Anchor Bay put out a good number of clamshell-cased classics in the suspense and horror genres (including letterboxed Argento titles and "Halloween") and they also did right by these Forties Hitchcock thrillers. Of course, these are the films Hitchcock made under the prying eyes of Selznick, and the relationship was sufficiently difficult that Hitch occasionally drifted away from the post-production, allowing Selznick to lave on extra dollops of music and occasionally even reshoot a smidgeon here and there. "Notorious" is the only one here free of Selznick's taint, but that is in large part because it is the only one of these projects to so completely fire Hithcock's imagination that he considered it absolutely vital to maintain his full vision. Regarded as a highwater mark by everyone from Truffaut to Ebert (and Hitchcock himself), its greatness is so pure and consuming as to reduce even these other terrific films almost to the status of filler. But let us not write them off. Though they are not the same Minerva-born products of Hitchcock's genius as "Notorious" and the Fifties-era masterworks, Selznick was not without his visionary qualities and the Gothic richness of their confections (Hitchcock's ingredients certainly preponderant) make for superb, intoxicating entertainment. Truffaut rightly hailed the 'very modern' qualities of "Rebecca" (the intercutting feels completely contemporary, the forward momentum of the camera through the enormous interiors clearly influenced Kubrick's "The Shining", and the opening sequence is as luminously fluid as any feverish dream of Cuaron). Joan Fontaine is far sexier here than in "Suspicion" (the original "New York Times" review memorably noted "Miss Fontaine has the most expressive spine--and shoulders!--we've bothered to notice this season"), and George Barnes' camerawork is similarly sinuous and expressive. The film's obsessional perversities, like those in "The Paradine Case", come through quite nicely. Alida Valli is the subject of some prime iconic shots in "The Paradine Case" (though the screenplay from Selznick's own hand is a bit disjointed, the camera-choreography clearly kept Hitchcock awake). "Spellbound", the one Hitchcock considered least successful of this bunch, was an enormous hit, and though Miklos Rozsa's sensational score may have been too much for what Hitch regarded as the requirements of the piece, it remains a landmark movie score and will certainly seduce the viewer. Bergman's Dr. Constance Peterson is one-dimensional compared to Alicia in "Notorious" but beguiling nonetheless, and watching the somewhat wan Gregory Peck fume at her mothering attentions provides comic counterpoint to its delirious bouts of pop-Freudian obsession and nightmare. This boxed set comprises a glorious waking dream in luminous black & white, a gorgeous riot of eroticism, fixation, ambiguity, terror, menace and romance rich and seductive enough to keep your nights filled through a long holiday week, and as soon as I have enough nights free I'll be "renting" my brother's set off him and subjecting my girlfriend to the whole lot. Grab it up if you can.

Read Best Reviews of Alfred Hitchcock: The Classic Collection (2013) Here

Surfing through Amazon, repetively and quite tediously, I see the awe-inspiring Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection. Now as a cheap college student who loves movies, I don't exactly have the cash for that kind of dedication. Perhaps later.

However, I came across this treasure. A nice collection of various early Hitchcock movies, along with some radio appearances.

I received the DVD collection for about $6. Wow! I've never gotten 3 discs for $6. In any caes, when I played some of the movies just to check, the quality isn't exactly top-knotch. But what do you expect from 6 bucks? At least it feels like I'm in the 1940s again, right? Overall, a great buy.

Want Alfred Hitchcock: The Classic Collection (2013) Discount?

This collection was a major disappointment. These three wonderful movies are the old digital images created for DVD. If you already have the DVDs, there is no point in buying this collection. The Blu-Ray transfer was not done new. The images are grainy and the contrast is flat.

My expectation for a Blu-Ray transfer of a classic film is that it will be state of the art, with clear, clean images and contrast that pops. None of these three films meet that criteria. Save your money. Perhaps Criterion will offer them in Blu-Ray later.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection (First Contact / Generations / Insurrecti

I just received my TNG Blu-Ray set from Amazon. After the TOS set, which had a decidedly mixed quality, I was ready to give this set some tough scrutiny. Happily, I can report that A/V quality is superior to the previous set, and the extras and packaging share the same quality with that set.

The films:

Generations I find this movie to be underrated. The intro sequence aboard the Enterprise B is just a terrific bit of continuity expanding coolness. The emotional weight of the movie is great, and although it falls into the "big villain" syndrome, the big villain is 1. played by Malcolm McDowell, 2. is realistic in his motivations and his abilities. The only failings in my book are some torpid pacing in the "Nexus" scenes, and some painful Data scenes. Still, this is a movie that I appreciate more each time I watch it.

First Contact this is everyone's pick for "2nd best of all time" (after "Khan" of course). I'm not going to disagree. It's got a whiz bang action story, the Borg, time travel, good continuity, and great effects. I do think the story sullies the Borg somewhat by introducing the "Queen." But, then again, she is played very well by Alice Krige. As far as time travel, while this wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back, it did probably contribute to the trend of too much time travel in Trek.

Insurrection More like an extended episode than a movie, this film has the germ of a good sci-fi story: how much of its scruples will the Federation trade for a technology that could render humanity immortal? Unfortunately, this movie more than most falls prey to the "big villain" syndrome, with an extremely irritating antagonist, the Sona. There is some good fan service, however, with Troi and Riker finally getting together for good. I'd rate this along with some of the so-so two parters in TNG's TV run.

Nemesis Ah, Nemesis. The film that "killed the franchise." The one which necessitated a "Reboot." The one which pooped on several characters and even a few races. This movie is riddled with problems from concept through to execution. It ret-cons the Romulans and adds the "Remans." It brings back Wesley as a Starfleet lieutenant, even though he dropped out of the academy to cross dimensions with the Traveler. It introduces Data's mentally challenged brother "B-4," even though his existence is specifically contradicted by several TNG episodes. It shamelessly rips off a TNG episode in which Troi is mentally assaulted. It posits an outlandish clone plot with Captain Picard, as if the Romulans could both obtain his DNA several decades ago as well as anticipate its usefulness in the future. It kills a main character for no apparent reason. About the only thing worthwhile in this film is the wedding of Troi and Riker. The more I see this film, the angrier I get at the complete lack of care that went into its making.

The Blu-Rays:

Unlike the TOS set, the video quality of these 4 films is in general extremely good, and at times spectacular. Though there is a tiny bit of edge enhancement visible at times (Especially on the sailboat in Generations), Digital Noise Reduction is not obtrusive at any point. Detail is extremely strong for the most part, and colors are absolutely vibrant. Black levels are deep and strong, but detail in shadows is still evident. You will want to be sure to check the calibration of your brightness, contrast, and gamma, to get the most from these films (for those without a disc like AVE, try the THX calibrator on "Star Wars" DVDs for some good brightness/contrast patterns).

I would say First Contact is the best transfer of the bunch, but truthfully, all of the final three films are competitive with the upper tier of Blu-Rays on the market today. Only Generations shows its age a bit, but it still looks very good better than all but ST2 in the TOS set. Insurrection and Nemesis betray a bit of color banding in clouds and space scenes, but it is not oppressive. Some standout scenes from all the films in terms of visual quality: Data and Geordi discussing the emotion chip (Generations). The opening pull-back in First Contact. The establishing shot of the Baku homeworld in Insurrection (known as a torture test for 3:2 pulldown on DVD).

Audio is presented in a set of aggressive 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD mixes. All of them work well, with lots of surround action, deep bass, and clear dialogue.

Packaging is identical to the previous set, with a slipcase and 5 slim BD cases. Art and inserts are all tasteful and good-looking.

Extras include a plethora of commentaries. The most interesting of these are Ron D. Moore and Brannon Braga on Generations and First Contact, and Jonathan (Riker) Frakes and Marina (Troi) Sirtis on Insurrection. Most of the films have multiple commentaries, some have three! The same amount of detail goes into the extras on each film as did the previous set, with most discs recapitulating all of the DVD extras and adding some new ones (such as the execrable "Starfleet Briefings" from the TOS set). Like the previous set, trailers include the 2009 Trek film and a promo for all the recent Trek Blu-Rays. Thankfully, these are skippable.

As far as deleted scenes go, it seems that the DVD extras have been replicated for Blu-Ray. The most interesting are for Nemesis, the deleted scenes being excised "character bits" including "Wesley's New Mission" and "Crusher At Starfleet Medical" that would have made this film feel a lot less generic. Why Paramount has not authorized an extended edition with this material edited into the film is beyond me. It would certainly take some of the bad taste out of true Trekkies' mouths that their favorite characters got short shrift. Unfortunately, all are presented in non-anamorphic 480p, so they look terrible, for the most part.

The main extra is the bonus Blu-Ray, with 77 minutes of new HD documentary footage split into 7 programs. These include investigations into the evolution of the Enterprise, a spotlight on villains, a piece on the movies' influence on fans and Trek creators, an interactive map of the Trek Galaxy, and three (?!) pieces on the Star Trek Experience from Las Vegas. The Enterprise and Villains segments are the best (though still not very good), and I wish they had been expanded and improved. The other pieces are a bit more frivolous. All told, it's definitely not as impressive as the interview disc from the TOS set, but it still should entertain fans at least marginally.

Summary:

For this price, a Trek fan really can't go wrong with this set. You're getting 4 feature films (two great movies, one good one, and one stinker) with loads of special features and a full disc of (so-so) HD extras. The A/V quality is almost uniformly spectacular, especially in comparison with the TOS set. As far as I'm concerned, this is a must buy for a Trekkie/Trekker with an HD setup. Worth every penny.

**Individual Movies**

This review is for people familiar with the TNG movies in the first place and so I will not touch on them individually, but moreso on the package as a whole. As for the individual movies, in short: "Generations" was cool as it was the first TNG movie and had Picard and Kirk on-screen together, but was overall just OK, "First Contact" is the best Star Trek movie of all time, "Insurrection" is like a long, dull episode, "Nemesis" is OK for action, although lacking overall.

**The Total Package**

The Good:

All 4 Star Trek: The Next Generation movies in one, very nicely priced, collection. "Generations" and "First Contact" both look excellent, with amazing quality, nearly none noticeable film grain, vibrant colors, sound, etc. All 4 movies are just as good as ever, but the higher quality sound/video truly adds to the experience. Most of the extras are nicely done, and include everything from sfx and sound featurettes to top-down maps of the Alpha Quadrant, and although I haven't gone through any of the commentaries, I hear they're all a lot of fun.

The Bad:

"Insurrection" and "Nemesis" don't seem to have received the same treatment as the first two in terms of re-mastering for blu-ray. There is noticeable film grain in nearly all darker scenes (and even moreso in "Nemesis" during the desert scene) -not terrible, but noticeable. It's still higher quality than the DVD's, of course, but you can tell they spent more time re-mastering the first two. Some of the extras are lacking. While there are some really nice ones, for a lot of the deleted scenes and featurretes they've used the exact same featurettes from some of the other Star Trek movies/compilation box sets. This might be nice for people who don't have any of that already, but since it's all still DVD quality or lower (including the deleted scenes), it leaves a bit to be desired.

Bottom Line:

If you like Star Trek TNG and/or are a nerd in general, you'll like this package. It's a ton of fun watching the first scenes of "First Contact" with great picture and sound quality ("We are the Borg..." hell yes!) and Generations has become more enjoyable with the higher quality as well. There are some stunt scenes at the end where you can't help but laugh, knowing when they originally shot the scenes they didn't expect anyone to be watching a higher quality version in the future where you can clearly see stuntmen rather than Shatner, so awesome. Anyways, I hightly recommend it if you're a fan and despite some of the shortcuts, it's a great price for what you get. Heck, I paid more for the DVD's three years ago with an employee discount.

Buy Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection (First Contact / Generations / Insurrecti Now

The final bloc of old school Trek films hits Blu-Ray with surprisingly few differences from the standard DVDs. There are no "directors cuts" or variations to make this set a must buy. At the same time, there's little here to make one annoyed at the possibility of a later, better release. Unless Paramount decided to include finished deleted scenes via branching next time around, this is pretty much it. Unless you are bugged by the DNR. Some people are. I'm not since these are the nicest I've seen the films since their first run. However, since they are all recent films, there's little to get excited about in that area. Sounds quality is excellent, I didn't notice anything negative there either.

One really nice thing: they FINALLY provided the trailers to Generations. For some reason, Paramount pulled them at the last minute from the SE DVDs, siting music rights issues (does this make any sense?). Also, the final Nemesis trailer is included on that disc, rather than just the teaser trailer.

Speaking of trailers, the final Star Trek (2009) trailer is on every disc. It is the best of the three trailers, but did we need it on EVERY disc? You can skip right to the menu if you like, and it IS a very nice piece of film. But there you go.

Insurrection was of interest to me as I was excited to finally have a director's commentary by Jonathan Frakes. The SD DVD was lacking one, and since I really enjoyed the First Contact commentary by Frakes, which was informative as well as hysterical, the lack of one on the DVD was a bummer. Becareful what you wish for. Frakes is here, this time partnered with Marina Sirtis. Sadly, it is utterly worthless. She remembers NOTHING about the film and continually asks inane questions about the plot, like a kid seeing it for the first time. Frakes is no better, dropping comments which tell us nothing about the making of the film. Some of it is amusing, particularly when he rags on Sirtis for not remembering a single plot point about the film, but there's a lot of dead air waiting for them to watch more movie before speaking. It's less than two hours; couldn't they watch it once before doing the commentary to refresh the old memory? It's not like Sirtis has a full acting schedule these days. The rest of the time Frakes reads cast and crew credits ("Marty Hornstein...nice guy. Bill Teddmann rest his soul.") or makes jokes about how great his work is (he's a really funny guy, but this was not worth having on the disc).

However, there are one or two moments of refreshing honesty, particularly when Frakes comments on the "British Tar" bit ("this is a long way to go for a gag") and how the ending bugs him, when Data and Artim are in the haystacks ("this is too cute by half"). Otherwise, mostly pointless. There isn't even an alternate commentary like with the other films.

There is relatively little of interest in the new for Blu-Ray features. I found the round table discussions between fans (Larry Nemecek, Jeff Bond, etc.) to be less interesting than I expected. The closing of the Star Trek Experience was both touching and wacko. Do NOT show that to anyone who thinks Trekkies need to get a life and you are trying to convince otherwise. I mean, I hated to see it close too, but I got over it once I left the airport...

Much as I enjoy every Trek film, I didn't get the same excitement with this set as I did the originals. Probably because I wasn't getting versions unavailable since the theatrical run and also because nothing overy exciting was added to the mix. I would love to have seen all of the deleted scenes for Generations and Nemesis finished, rather than work prints (especially since they WERE finished in many cases). The Generations deleted scenes aren't even in anamorphic w/s.

Anyway, I didn't mind the triple dip. I paid only $50 at Best Buy for the 4 movies on BD, which comes to a mere $12.50 per film (less if you count the bonus disc, but I consider it a freebie since I'd never buy it separately). The clarity and sound are much better than standard DVD and since they are pretty recent films, the change isn't that crazy.

Honestly, if you DON'T have a Blu-Ray player, don't worry about it over this set. Aside from the trailers for Generations and Nemesis, you're not missing much. And you can see the trailers on YouTube anytime you like. :-) And if you don't want all of the films, some of them are being released separately. They'll all come out individually, I'm sure. The box set comes with slim cases with sleeves much like the TOS films. The individual BDs are the standard cases with nicer covers. I really an not fond of that, but there you have it.

Read Best Reviews of Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection (First Contact / Generations / Insurrecti Here

Got this on the cheap on Amazon. Movies look great, looks like most (if not all) of the content from the DVD releases in included. There are a couple of minor new extras, the best being some new interviews with Brent Spiner, but nothing to really get too excited about. The outer package is good with a holographic Enterprise in a nice box, but I HATE the individual blu-ray case designs. Like the original crew film blu-ray collection, instead of the original poster art you get an extreme close-up of one of the crew members. Didn't like it on the original crew film cases, don't like it here!

The films themselves are a mixed bag. Generations is very mediocre, with your standard mad scientist villian and a downright silly plot device to shoehorn Kirk into the film. Plus the way the legendary Captain Kirk is killed is just insultingly bad (a dummy strapped to a bridge, really?!) First Contact is much better, with the great Borg as the villians. There's a bit of retcon going on with the Borg Queen, but it doesn't hurt the film. Great movie. Then you get to Insurrection... Wow, what a crappy movie. Nothing in this film works. Nothing. Plus didn't we already see this movie in the TNG episode "Who Watches The Watchers"?? Plus I kind of agree with the Admiral, isn't moving 400 non-indigenous people worth saving millions? I mean, didn't those people move there to exploit the planet too?? Bad story, bad villian, bad humor. Bad bad bad. Finally we get Nemesis. Frankly the crew just looks tired here. A decent villian (and future Bane) in Tom Hardy, but the cloning story is hackneyed. The introduction of B4 is just totally unnecessary and actually takes away from the emotional impact of the beginning. However, the final space battle is truly impressive. The Enterprise actually uses battle tactics! Lots of fun.

If you don't have the films this is a good purchase. If you are thinking of upgrading then I'm on the fence. Get it on sale.

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This collection pack is great for any enthusiast who is obsessed with Star Trek: The Next Generation and wants a Hi-Def remastered set. However, when you deal with remastered editions, you sometimes run into movies who have had their works of art remastered by lazy companies that cut corners. As some of the other reviews have mentioned, the corners and shadows do have some flaws. The largest flaws I mainly saw, which literally annoyed me, was the remastered work on the CGI shots. Some of the CGI shots, compared to the non-remastered editions, seem like they were drawn by a Japanese cartoon artist for the local newspaper. Other than that, the general shots of the characters and the motions between the characters is great. If you are not too concerned with the issue of the CGI, I encourage you to purchase this item.

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Every Which Way But Loose / Any Which Way You Can (Two-Movie Collection) (2011)

im giving both movies 5 stars because they are great classics . but beware of sound changes made within both movies . warner bros made changes to sound fx when philo fights . it may not bother some people but i noticed it right away and it bothers me that warner brothers chose to do this when they have plenty of room to include the original sound mix

Galen claims that the right turn scene is missing on this disc. Apparently Galen isn't aware that Every Which Way but Loose didn't contain any right-turn jokes. All of those jokes appeared in Any Which Way You Can. You can ignore the missing footage claim. Blu Ray quality of this film is lackluster. Films are what they are. Three Star all around for the quality of movies, image, and sound; more nostalgic value than anything else.

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I'm happy to report that the somewhat misleading use of the term "2 movie set", while true, is less informative than '2 Disc Set'. Yes indeed this is a 2 disc set, not '1' as widely speculated prior to release (also shown as '1 disc' on Amazon's product page).

Read Best Reviews of Every Which Way But Loose / Any Which Way You Can (Two-Movie Collection) (2011) Here

great,

I received the package on April 30, with 16 days in advance.

it's still a bit long 15 days for a shipment to France.

I recommend this double blu ray as it is in free zone.

The blu ray has the English language, French, Spanish and German (Mono for last three language).

PS: It would be nice to report when the blu ray are "eligible in Europe."

thank you :-)

Sorry for my english, I'm french ... "Old Europe" ...

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It's nice being able to watch Clint Eastwood's old movies remastered and in HD on Blu-ray. To top it off, both the original and sequel are on the same DVD.

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Taxi Driver (Mastered in 4K) (Single-Disc Blu-ray + Ultra Violet Digital Copy) (1976)

As we all know, a film's critical review is a subjective journey.

Many have universally praised Taxi Driver an American masterpiece.

In my humble opinion, it is Scorsese's crowning achievement.

I won't bother you a with a critical review of the narrative itself, the power of the performances, the lush cinematography not to mention the haunting soundtrack.

Lets get down to brass tacks with the Blu-ray experience:

The new 4K transfer and remastering ( under cinematographer Michael Chapmen and Scorsese's supervision ) looks fantastic. I can only hope for more studios to take their time when transferring vintage masterpieces. The clarity, color and detail even surpasses my last film-screening of this film at the Hollywood Cinerama Dome in the mid-90s. The soundtrack is presented in 5.1 DTS HD with wonderful results.

The special features are chock full of goodies, too numerous for me to list here fully:

I really enjoyed the "screen to script interactive", and also the "storyboard to film comparisons". Multiple documentaries are included in this single BR disc, including "Travis' New York " The changes of New York 1975 to Today" Multiple interviews and commentaries with both Scoreses and writer Paul Schrader + much more supplementary material.

The Picture Quality at 1080P was like peanut butter to jelly on my 52" LCD XBR, and switching the images to a 150" screen ( via Sony VPL-VW50 1080P projector ) was like adding a couple strips of crispy bacon to that peanut butter sandwich. If you are into HT and projection systems, this BR disc is made for you. Seeing New York City in the mid 70s presented in such detail and color was a visually arresting experience. The vibrant night shots really stays with you, vivid colors pop during those long tracking POV shots from Travis's cab. A museum quality documentation on NYC street-life during that period.

The packaging is robust, with a 3 section pullout-type case that holds the bonus lobbycards.

This is the definitive copy. ( at least until The Criterion Collection decides to give it a BR go ).

Yes folks, for a small price, its time to get into Travis's Taxi for a cinematic ride like no other.

The importance of Taxi Driver cannot be overstated. More than a well made film, the movie is a genuine character study of the highest achievement. The absurdity of the decade in which the film was made lends an incredible amount of reinforcement to the presentation. The "conspicuous consumption" lifestyle of the 1970's makes the cheapness of human life depicted in the film (prostitution, exploitation, violence) seem all the more engaging. A few of the more important, albeit subtle scenes that I feel make the character study so realized include the following (I would ask that any viewer of the film pay close attention to these scenes and try to interpret the subtle importance of them as they relate to the character):

Travis is sitting in his apartment watching American Bandstand on TV. He is angered by the celebration of adolescent sexuality he sees and how "human" and accessible it is portrayed to be. In contrast, Travis is completely unable to conceptualize himself in this rite of passage, due to the self loathing image he has built up in his mind. Travis then sees an empty pair of shoes on the floor amidst the dancing couples, a stark metaphor for his inability to relate to the world he finds himself in.

Travis, although seemingly articulate and confident about his emotional convictions in his journal entries, recognizes the impending disintegration of his mental state and decides to seek the advice of his colleague Wizard, in a last ditch effort to make sense of his feelings. Travis's somber desperation is evident in his discussion with Wizard and an attempt is made to address the situation. However, Wizard, who shares none of Travis's chronic isolationism, is unable to offer any helpful words to Travis, who is ultimately frustrated one last time in his final effort to salvage his sanity. In the closing shot of the scene, Travis tries to articulate his inexpressible frustrations, to which Wizard casually replies "you know... you're all right, you're all right". With his last attempt to make a human connection an utter failure, Travis is now locked into his path of destruction, a path that cannot be positively influenced by outside individuals due to his inability to express his feelings. It is a particularly chilling scene, perhaps the definitive example in the film depicting Travis's final fate.

Travis is seen in his apartment room preparing for his confrontation with Senator Palentine. He speaks about his apocalyptic mission through his journal entries. However, his words portray a man unable to articulate himself even in his hour of destiny "listen you f***ers, you screw heads, here is a man who would not take it anymore, who would.. not....." (starts over) "listen you f***ers you screw heads.....". This scene is very effective in that it illustrates Travis's inability to express his emotions with certainty, even when they concern convictions which he feels strongly about.

Immediately after his attempted assassination of Palentine fails, Travis is seen driving to the tenement house where Sport hustles. Dazed, Travis is utterly absorbed by his psychosis, his face a portrait of a concentrated, murderous obsession. A pedestrian attempts to flag down his cab, but Travis blows right by the would-be customer, occupied only with the slaughter he is about to engage in. I feel that this scene perfectly capsulizes Travis's complete descent into madness.

This film was cheated out of the best picture Oscar by Rocky, which (although a fine film in its own right) is a film that anybody can love. In contrast, Taxi Driver is a film that many people would prefer to avoid due to its cynical portrayal of human life. However, it is often the ugly things in life which are the more relevant, more engaging, more compelling, more real.

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The ending of Taxi Driver has generated a lot of controversy and confusion because most people tend to assume that it's a simple continuation of the narrative of the film. In critical studies, however, the possibility is often raised that the end (after the the shoot-out scene to the end of the movie) is no less than Bickle's dying delirious imagination. I want to set forth the case that this is so.

First, at the end of the shoot-out scene, Bickle rolls his eyes backwards in the classic movie signature of death. Just before, of course, he put his blood-dripping finger up to his temple and mimed blowing his own brains out (after having failed with the empty real guns). Bickle is suicidal, dying, and will not recover.

Second, after this scene the camera pans across various news clippings on the wall of Bickle's room; these clippings describe him as a "hero" that saved a young girl. Also we hear the voice-over of Iris' parents saying that Bickle would always be welcome in their home for saving Iris. But think about real life crimes for a moment. When newspapers report about a man that goes on a shooting spree in a run-down part of town, do they really ever report them as "heroes"? Even if Bickle could explain to them why he did this (Iris' dad says he was in a coma after the shoot-out), would anyone really take a person like this at their word? And would Iris' parents really want to allow a murderous man a place at their table? What we have here is Bickle's fantasy about how he _wants_ the press and Iris' folks to interpret his actions, not a realistic view of how the world generally views such actions.

Third (along the same lines as #2), it's hard to imagine Bickle's buddies at the cabstand glossing over his rampage and treating him like old times. Really, if a co-worker of mine were involved in so violent an incident, I would probably not hang out with him so blithely. This is Travis imaginging that things are "back to normal" after getting out of the hospital -a fantasy of peace.

Fourth, Bickle happens to find Betsy in his cab soon after returning to work. How fortuitous in a city of millions! But their conversation shows that she now respects him, considers him a hero like the newspapers and Iris' parents. Again, extremely unlikely -especially given their history. In real life if she heard about the rampage (or recognized him trying to kill Palentine), that would only tend to confirm her earlier opinion of him as a depraved person. But here she also interprets his actions in the way he wants them to be interpreted (that he saved Iris from the human scum that were selling her) rather than how she probably would in real life. (Also note that the photography of this scene always shows Betsy's face from his viewpoint, floating in a dreamlike way in his rear-view mirror.)

Fifth, when Bickle drops Betsy off she seems uncertain, embarrased, and demure, and is obviously just on the verge of offering some kind of intimate apology. Instead she asks how much is the fare. He drives off without accepting a dime. This is Bickle's triumph -he wins their relationship battle by rejecting _her_, and by being confident, independent, and morally superior. Typical subconscious inversion tactic.

Sixth, as he drives off, Bickle sees himself in the car's rear-view mirror, then adjusts it to see if he can see Betsy. As he does so, a violent wrench is given to the accompanying musical score. Then we see no one in the mirror at all as the credits roll to Bernard Hermann's haunting love theme. There's nothing in the mirror (except the rolling, ubiquitous city) because Travis is not there. Its symbolic of his death -like that of a vampire -that the mirror doesn't show his reflection. Travis is dead and we have just witnessed his last thoughts.

Travis is only a hero in his own mind. There is no hero in this movie. It does not have a happy ending. Travis continues to justify his own behavior and viewpoint to the last, and grants himself a kind of sainthood -beatified by the press, Iris' parents, and Betsy's acquiescence.

The tragedy of the movie is deepend by this reading of its end. To my mind, this also makes the movie more coherent, since it's main theme is the psychological isolation of Travis Bickle. The end consumates his separateness. Others will never connect to his vision of himself as a master (rather than a victim) of circumstance, a protector of innocence, a scourge of evildoers, an instrument of God's judgement.

Read Best Reviews of Taxi Driver (Mastered in 4K) (Single-Disc Blu-ray + Ultra Violet Digital Copy) (1976) Here

The first disc features an audio commentary by Professor Robert Kolker. He analyzes the film's style and themes but tends to describe what we are seeing making obvious statements. He talks about the influence of Alfred Hitchcock's movies on Taxi Driver but in mind-numbingly boring way.

The second commentary is by the film's screenwriter Paul Schrader. He points out Travis' contradictory nature he talks about purifying his body yet he also takes speed. There are several lulls during this commentary but he more than makes up for it with some excellent observations about the film and the nature of screenwriting.

"Original Screenplay" allows you to read the original shooting script and then go to the corresponding scene in the film.

The second disc starts off with "Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver." He talks about the genesis of the film and how hard it was to get a studio interested. Scorsese says that visually, everything is from Travis' point-of-view.

"Producing Taxi Driver" features Michael Phillips briefly discussing how he became a producer and how he got the script for Taxi Driver. When he saw Mean Streets, he knew that he wanted Scorsese to direct and Robert De Niro to star.

"God's Lonely Man" examines the theme of loneliness in the film and profiles Schrader, his background and it informed the script.

"Influence and Appreciation: Martin Scorsese Tribute" features fellow filmmakers Roger Corman and Oliver Stone along with actor Robert De Niro and others paying tribute to the man.

"Taxi Driver Stories" includes anecdotes told by actual New York cabbies who worked in the city during the `70s. Some of their stories are wilder than some that are in the film.

"Making Taxi Driver" is the excellent 70 minute retrospective documentary that was included on the previous edition. It takes a fascinating, in-depth look at how the film came together with most of the major cast and crew members returning, including De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and Albert Brooks. This is excellent doc. with loads of information.

"Travis' New York" reflects on New York City of the `70s. The film's director of photography Michael Chapman points out that now the film is a documentary of what the city looked like back then.

"Travis' New York Locations" is a very cool featurette that compares nine locations used in the movie then with what they look like now and not surprisingly most them look very different.

There is a "Storyboard to Film Comparison" with an optional introduction by Scorsese.

Finally, there are several galleries with stills taken on location, for publicity purposes, shots of composer Bernard Herrmann's sheets music for the score and posters.

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Directed by Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest films of the 20th Century. The story about a man drowning in loneliness that desperately seeks the approval of the social lives of those around him. He is Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro), who (as the film opens) gets a job as a cabbie because of the insomnia he suffers of. He prefers working nights (12 hour shifts), will take anyone anywhere, and still he can't seem to sleep. His point-of-view is an ingenius cinematic approach whereas it is viewed in slow-motion (which symbolizes his heightened observation). There are so many undercurrents within the film that even Bickle himself doesn't realize. There is an apparent prejudice against african-americans (the usual stereotype of them all being pimps or drug dealers and ironically enough when Bickle finally does meet a pimp, he turns out to be white).

Bickle bides his time in a coffee shop where all the 'night shift' cabbies hang out. He listens to them ramble about imaginary women who give them $500 tips and their phone number to somewhere in South America. His attention wanders and his inability to socialize presents an awkward air that is at times difficult to watch.

Bickle eventually meets Betsy (Cybil Shepherd) who is an avid supporter of the presidential candidate Palantine. His former view of the inhabitants of New York as "scum" is finally changed when he meets a girl who "is not like the rest of them". He asks her out to a movie and it turns out to be porn. He knew it was porn (he goes to the same theatre every night he's off work), but he doesn't go for the usual reason people go, he gets no satisfaction out of it, it is as if he's punishing himself for having walked into such a place. He seems to not realize why she looks at him with disgust and eventually leaves and never wants to see him again.

Bickle is a "walking contradiction" whereas he sees the world as evil and wrong, but in his attempts at being accepted, he finds himself bending the rules of morality and becoming what he despises.

He comes across a 12-year old prostitute named, Iris (Jodie Foster), who he immediately likes, but the only way he can be near her is to pay for "half an hour". He does so, and despite her attempts to "make it", he tries to tell her that he's come to set her free from the life of prostitution. "Don't you want to get out of here?" he asks. "But it saves me from myself," she answers innocently. He leaves frustrated.

Bickle is (like the John Wayne character in "The Searchers") trying to rescue women who don't want to be rescued. It becomes his obsession that these women are being oppressed and that his goal in life is to set them free.

His obsession leads to violence when he purchases weapons and attempts to assassinate Palantine, but runs away almost as if, at the last moment, coming to his senses. But that is only the "dress rehearsel" for the climax of the film which is one of the most graphic scenes of violence ever filmed. It is shot in 'washed out' colors as if the ensuing violence has drained the blood from the film.

The famous line, "Are you talkin' to me? Well I'm the only one here," spoken to himself in a mirror, has been many times mimiced but the meaning can only be fully realized in this film. It is the voice of a lonely man amidst the crowd, a voice of sarcasm at his own worthless condition. The condition we all find ourselves in from time to time.

The film ends with Bickle meeting Betsy one more time as he is driving her home in his cab (by a chance meeting). Her look has changed from one of disgust to admiration and the viewer senses that this scene is not real. That it is either his final dying thoughts or simply a fantasy in his mind. It is Bickle finally finding redemption, finally finding his place in society. It has all been resolved and now he can lead a normal life or die happily.

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