My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010)

Gerard Depardieu is back...and this time in a sensitive, enchanting film about the beauty of a friendship between a nearly illiterate man and an elderly woman with a deep affection for books. Sitting on a park bench watching the pigeons play and interact, the woman elegant, wise, but going blind senses the honest heart of the man beside her, the character played by Depardieu. She warms up to him and vice versa. They end up loving each other, but not in the conventional way. She reads books aloud to him and finds out that he is an especially good listener.

It's not just about the love of books, it's about the love of loves. In an age where too many movies celebrate violence and sex, this is a gentle change of pace. And let me add that Giselle Casadesus who plays the lead character is a sensation.

Based on a novel by Marie-Sabine Roger, MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE is pleasant, (mostly) family-friendly escapism that serves as a reminder to the young-at-heart who think they know it all. It's the uncharacteristic love story between Germain Chazes (played by Gerard Depardieu) and Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus), two neglected souls who share a park bench in a chance meeting where they talk about the pigeons. Immediately, the elder Margueritte takes a pleasant enough shine to Germain, who's viewed by the locals as a bit of a buffoon. Raised by a mother he believes never loved him, Germain lacked any real affection as a child. In flashbacks, we're shown that throughout his school days he was ostracized by students and teachers alike. He never quite `fit in' with any of his relationships, and, as a consequence, he strongly responds to Margueritte's courtesies. They continue to meet over the next several weeks, wherein the senior agrees to read to him from the books of her personal library.

In short, AFTERNOONS is an oddly effective `coming of age' story for both the principles. Margueritte at her advanced age lives what's left of her days in an assisted living community, where she's holed up with her books, rarely visited by her own family. By contrast, Germain sees the world plainly, engaging in such elementary tasks as naming each of the park's pigeons he feeds based on their observed behaviors. Margueritte becomes smitten by his honest (if not poetic) simplicity, and he slowly begins to realize he may be as "simple" as he's often dismissed himself. Like in any positive relationship, the two come to understand one another in unique ways that brings greater happiness to their lives, even though others scoff at the time they spend together.

Also, there's an odd narrative parallel running between two distinct love stories: (1) Germain and Margueritte, and (2) Germain and Annette (played by Sophie Guilleman), his legitimate girlfriend from town. There's the obvious generational difference between the simpleton and his elderly suitor-of-sorts, but there's a second one between Germain and Annette, who appears (at least to me) about 30 years his junior. The much-older-man with the much-younger-woman doesn't factor as prominent, but it's clear that the townsfolk have no reservations about those affections; by contrast, Germain receives much good-spirited "ribbing" for spending so much time with the old woman. I believe the statement made here is that it's odd how some relationships are accepted, if not encouraged, while others are frowned upon and the source of scorn.

In the end, Germain sees it as love. To be perfectly honest, it probably is, though it may not be the form most folks expect between a man and a woman. Also, given the fact that he's portrayed a bit as the village idiot, one could reasonably question whether it is or not. In the end, it doesn't matter, for, when you're exploring matters of the heart, all that really matters is what the two `lovers' feel. In that estimate, AFTERNOONS are worth spending in the comfort of your soul mate, and these two have definitely found one another.

MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE was produced by ICE3, K.J.B. Production, France 3 Cinema, Studio Canal, DD Productions, and a host of others. DVD distribution is being handled domestically by New Video Group. It all looks and sounds solid. Artistically, I had some trouble with Germain's flashbacks; they were filmed in the same fashion as the present-time parts of the narrative, and it would've been nice had the director chosen to set them apart visually a bit because, the first time it happened, I assumed we were in present day ... until the school boy answered to his name. It's a mild hiccup, but I thought it worth mentioning. No significant special features to speak of; a commentary might've been nice, but, alas, it wasn't meant to be.

RECOMMENDED. It's not a big picture. It isn't necessarily elegant or boldly dramatic in any particular way. Still, MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE is a pleasant enough diversion one exploring a chance encounter that turns into an effective if unconventional relationship for both parties brought to life convincingly by the two leads. It may not change the way you live your own life, but it just might make you think twice when you happen across an elderly spinster sitting on a park bench.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the good folks at New Video Group provided me with a DVD screener copy of MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

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So amiable, pleasant, and likable--the French confection "My Afternoons with Margueritte" is pretty hard to resist. The film is set in a provincial town where everyone knows everyone else's business and the citizenry is populated with an expected assortment of eccentric character types. At the heart of the film is Gerard Depardieu playing, essentially, the village idiot. As a functional illiterate with a penchant for saying the wrong thing, most of the town laughs along with his antics. People like him, but he is taken primarily as comic relief. His tumultuous relationship with his mother hints at something a little darker beneath the surface and we see glimpses, both past and present, of a less genial life story. But we never dwell on anything too serious in this breezy little film.

But what of Margueritte? She is an elderly woman from a local home that has a chance encounter with Depardieu in the park. They bond over pigeons, and soon their one-time meet morphs into a regular encounter. She shares her love of books with him as she reads aloud and encourages him to embrace that it's never too late too learn. As their bond deepens into a loving friendship, there are a few stumbling blocks. It's all rather predictable, but always very sweet as well. I suppose it would have been very easy for this to have turned into overly sentimental treacle, but the pace is brisk and the actors are engaging--so it's a story you want to root for even if it holds few surprises.

The fact that the movie works as well as it does is certainly a testament to the two leads. I especially thought the great Gisele Casadesus had a pleasing matter-of-factness as the aforementioned Margueritte. When she and Depardieu play off one another, it is a real delight. Her faith in him gives him more confidence in himself, and it's a charming message. I might have toned down some of the unnecessary wackiness within peripheral storylines. I might also have liked to know how, given his reputation in town, Depardieu scored such a lovely and supportive girlfriend. But these are minor quibbles. "My Afternoons With Margueritte" is just a pleasant experience that you give yourself over to. I'm not sure that Jean Becker's film is going to linger with me for long, but I enjoyed it in the moment. KGHarris, 6/12.

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( This is a review of the Standard DVD version of this release.)

Remember in the 1970s and 1980s when French actor Gerard Depardieu was a French "matinee idol"? Okay he wasn't "small" in stature but you would never consider him large. Well time passes and the actor (with almost 275 films to his credit ) is older and much larger now. But he still has that innocent face, and, in his early 60s, is still making fine films.

This low-keyed film matches Depardieu with 97-year old French actress Gisele Casadesus as an unlikely pair who meet one day in a park (literally) counting the pigeons. Depardieus's character, Germain, is a hard worker (he cultivates fruits and vegetables to sell at outdoor markets) but was a slow learner in school and can hardly read. His newly found bench mate is articulate and an avid reader and through reading aloud to Germain she brings a whole new world to him. Director Jean Becker uses an interesting technique to show us how the words (such as those in Camus' "The Stranger") come to life in Germain's mind.

The 83 minutes of this film go by quickly as we are drawn into the story and the actors (both veterans) make us feel for their relationship, knowing that, at age 97, Margueritte has only so much time to read. The ending is sweet and will put a tear in your eye.

My only fault in this DVD (which has no supplemental material except the theatrical trailer) is that the subtitles are in white text and are often difficult to read when the background is also white or in pale colors. (Subtitles work best when they are in green or a contrasting color or shown below the image.)

I can certainly recommend this to Depardieu fans, those who like French films or avid readers who love the printed word.

Steve Ramm

"Anything Phonographic"

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So amiable, pleasant, and likable--the French confection "My Afternoons with Margueritte" is pretty hard to resist. The film is set in a provincial town where everyone knows everyone else's business and the citizenry is populated with an expected assortment of eccentric character types. At the heart of the film is Gerard Depardieu playing, essentially, the village idiot. As a functional illiterate with a penchant for saying the wrong thing, most of the town laughs along with his antics. People like him, but he is taken primarily as comic relief. His tumultuous relationship with his mother hints at something a little darker beneath the surface and we see glimpses, both past and present, of a less genial life story. But we never dwell on anything too serious in this breezy little film.

But what of Margueritte? She is an elderly woman from a local home that has a chance encounter with Depardieu in the park. They bond over pigeons, and soon their one-time meet morphs into a regular encounter. She shares her love of books with him as she reads aloud and encourages him to embrace that it's never too late too learn. As their bond deepens into a loving friendship, there are a few stumbling blocks. It's all rather predictable, but always very sweet as well. I suppose it would have been very easy for this to have turned into overly sentimental treacle, but the pace is brisk and the actors are engaging--so it's a story you want to root for even if it holds few surprises.

The fact that the movie works as well as it does is certainly a testament to the two leads. I especially thought the great Gisele Casadesus had a pleasing matter-of-factness as the aforementioned Margueritte. When she and Depardieu play off one another, it is a real delight. Her faith in him gives him more confidence in himself, and it's a charming message. I might have toned down some of the unnecessary wackiness within peripheral storylines. I might also have liked to know how, given his reputation in town, Depardieu scored such a lovely and supportive girlfriend. But these are minor quibbles. "My Afternoons With Margueritte" is just a pleasant experience that you give yourself over to. I'm not sure that Jean Becker's film is going to linger with me for long, but I enjoyed it in the moment. KGHarris, 6/12.

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Road Trip (2013)

Definitely an OUTSTANDING COMEDY, Road Trip, brings to the screen exactly what the title implies: the story of four college students who end up driving from NY to TX in an effort to prevent a mailed videotape from reaching one of the guy's girlfriend. Along the way, they get into all sorts of trouble resulting in one of the best movies in recent years!

Breckin Meyer, Seann Willliam Scott, and the rest of the cast, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are exceptional to say the least. All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Very well written and very well presented, the movie is without a doubt guaranteed to provide more than just a few laughs. Road Trip is simple enough, but does a great job of describing people's (in this case college kids') every day lives and the problems they face. It just goes to show that simplicity is often far better than complexity, when trying to present issues of a human nature.

Strongly recommended along with Old School, the Girl Next Door and of course (!!!) the American Pie trilogy.

In short, Road Trip is a movie definitely worth watching, and actually one to seriously consider adding to your collection!

I expected this to be a stupid movie about four stupid guys who go for a drive, with Tom Green making appearances throughout. But fortunately I was wrong about this hilarious movie. Road Trip is about an average college guy, Josh (played by Breckin Meyer), who chases down a videotape recording of him cheating on his girlfriend (Rachel Blanchard) with the beautiful Beth (Amy Smart). This video is accidentally sent to his girlfriend, who goes to school half-way across the country, thus inspiring a road trip to retrieve the tape before his girlfriend views it. While Barry (Tom Green) stays back at the dorms to feed a live mouse to Rubin's pet snake, Josh and his three friend Kyle, Rubin, and E.L. embark on their long trip. As Josh and his hilarious friends travel across the country to save his long-distance relationship, they have many laughs and adventures, and along their journey they all realize important things about themselves which makes this movie end with a sort of reassuring, happy sigh. Some of the deleted scenes are really funny. They feature more of Barry giving his campus tour, Rubin's cool dance beats, and Josh's run-ins with cops and Barry's grandma who's "seen it all before."

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Picture this, you are leaving the safe surrounds of high school to enter the unknown realm of university, being wise you decide to visit what could be potentially be your place of study, partying and security for the next three years, so you take the campus tour to get acquainted with the grounds as well as meet some new people. Sounds perfect, right? Wrong! Your tour guide is non-other than MTV shock jock and crazy man Tom Green, who in this case is actually named Barry Manilow. What results is the telling of a tale of the most time honoured campus tradition, the ROAD TRIP. So begins the story of four guys who embark on a three-day ROAD TRIP to retrieve a video containing highly sensitive material before it lands into the wrong hands and creates total havoc. Their journey is riddled with numerous encounters of both strange people and incidents that will ultimately affect/scar them forever, even if merely on a superficial level.

Whilst the film is aimed at a predominately teenage audience, it will prove to be thoroughly enjoyable to an audience of 15 to 50years of age. However those offended by course language, sexual references and gratuitous female nudity are advised to steer clear, as the unrated dvd edition of ROAD TRIP goes that little bit further than its theatrical version.

On that note, let me give you a rundown on the dvd itself. The film is featured for the first time in its complete uncut, uncensored and unrated edition, which basically breaks down to a few scene extensions and alternative shots not contained in the theatrical release actually incorporated into the movie itself. As this is the US import, you have a choice of either a DTS 5.1 soundtrack or the standard Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (my preference as I got a DD 5.1 set-up at home). The picture remains in its original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1, which some will consider to be quite a bonus during one particular sequence in the film (ie. the obligatory shower scene). In terms of special features, the disc contains seven deleted scenes aptly titled `Road Kills', a behind the scenes featurette hosted by Tom Green called `Ever Been On A Road Trip', a music video by the Eels `Mr E's Beautiful Blues' and two theatrical trailers, all this in addition to the standard cast & crew bios and production notes. An audio commentary by with director Todd Phillips, executive producer Ivan Reitman and comedian/star Tom Green would have been awesome but you've to be grateful for what you get and all in all its an awesome package.

Film: 8/10 Extras: 8/10 Overall: 8/10

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If you're into party movies, go ahead & add this one to your DVD collection. It has everything you want in a party film: an outlandish plot, funny scenes, Sean William Scott, the classic "nerd" character, some gorgeous babes, male fantasies and lots of gratuitous nudity. Of the latter, seeing Amy Smart take her shirt off is worth the price of the DVD all by itself!

Party movies are not the types of movies where it is productive to go into plot analysis. Let's just say that we have to track a group of college guys who have to make a trip cross-country to the university of Texas. Along the way, just about every zany thing that can go wrong does go wrong, and the result is a movie that is way fun.

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It was pretty damn funny!

This movie was recommended by my good friend, Bobby Asslong. In most cases his recommendations are a bunch of , but he hit it right on, with this one! I detest Tom Green. He is one of those guys, who that when he fails at something (Talk Show, most of his movies, life) I actually feel happy. And this is actually contrary to my normal personality. I normally automatically love all Canadians. Just kidding. I normally want people to succeed, and feel bad when they fail.

But Tom Green is so annoying.

Great news! He is in only about 4 or 5 scenes in this whole movie, so you should be able to get through this movie, with little to none hatred for Mr. Green.

I love all the characters in this movie, especially the main protagonist, who accidentally sends the videotape to his girlfriend at a far away college. He is very likeable, and you're pulling for him the whole time. Another thing I like this movie, is that it pulls a lot from other "gross out" teen and college flicks, but it doesn't go overboard in the gross out department.

Tom Green plays the Voice Over explainer in the movie, and he actually does a pretty good job, without appearing stupid.

I give this high reviews!

MC White said: Check it out!!!

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Risky Business (2008)

I think most people who buy/rent this DVD have already seen the movie and know what they're getting. There are a lot of good reviews on this movie here at amazon.com but I only saw one that mentioned the quality of the DVD. It is absolutely horrible. The companies who produce these dark, grainy DVDs need to know that the consumers aren't going to accept this type of low-quality transfer. I'd gladly pay a bit more money for a DVD that's viewable. We know how good movies can look on DVD. So why release a disc that looks as poor as this one? As consumers we need to demand better! Just as VHS movies recorded in SLP or EP were unacceptable, so are DVDs that look as bad as this Risky Business disc.

"Risky Business" is without a doubt one of the classics from the 80's which I've continued to enjoy many times. This is simply a great movie with convincing acting, superb music, good script and believable characters. While the plot isn't anything too original, the above mentioned qualities make this movie fun to watch. Tom Cruise, having the house to himself while his parents are away, carries out the fantasy of just about every adolescent male by basically turning his home into a party haven with the inevitable consequences that follow. Rebecca De Mornay (it should be illegal to look that good in a pair of tight jeans!) plays a prostitute that becomes Cruise's "partner" in the scheme of things and Joe Pantoliano plays her sleazy pimp and does a great job in his role.

One thing that stands out about "Risky Business" is that while technically a comedy, the tone is often dark in terms of sequence of events and the eerie (yet great) instrumental music that pretty much makes up the soundtrack. While others might not really like this, I think it makes the movie stand out and avoid the over-the-top silliness that have caused many 80's comedies to become dated by today's standards. Don't get me wrong, I love those 80's movies, but "Risky Business" has a certain quality to it that takes on a more serious tone while also maintaining the fun element.

And finally, I have to say that the DVD transfer is absolutely horrific. Extras are virtually non-existent and image/sound quality is abysmal. 2003 has come and almost gone, so by now it's pointless to hope for a 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD. So if you intend to buy this get it on VHS. I can't see why anyone would want the DVD other than for longevity's sake.

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FYI disc comes with a digital copy, but the confirmation/serial code expired in Sept. of 2009.

Otherwise, the movie looks great on BD; clearly much money was saved on the production budget by not buying any bras for Rebecca DeMornay.

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Rarely will you find a video store without RISKY BUSINESS. Not only is it a contemporary classic, but it was also Tom Cruise's breakthrough film and a major hit. While reputed to be a very good movie, upon watching it, I found it to be something else. It's an excellent movie.

Tom Cruise plays Joel Goodson, a high-school kid who is just that a good son. He's responsible, careful, and trusted. But when his parents leave town for the week, Joel decides to loosen up but after he nervously invites call girl Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) into his house, everyone goes horridly wrong. With only a few days left to go, Joel must raise his grades, make $8,000, get back stolen furniture, and escape from the clutches of Guino (Joe Pontoliano), the killer pimp. Work is hell. And Joel knows it.

This movie is great. It wildly exceeded by expectations, and is much better than it's said to be. Cruise is great the fact that RISKY BUSINESS is Cruise's first major film is enough to make it worth the watch, anyway; De Mornay is also very good. Paul Brickman's direction has a sort of artistic feeling to it (he also scripted); he has a unique way of creating a film that's funny, erotic, and occasionally suspenseful.

Another wonderful aspect of the film is its terrific soundtrack. It features rockin' songs from such popular artists as The Police, Bob Seger, Talking Heads, Muddy Waters, Phil Collins, and Prince. It also features new music by the hit-making band Tangerine Dream, whose techno, futuristic-sounding score gives the movie an occasionally nightmarish, occasionally unpleasant mood to it and, of course, the film is about every teenager's nightmares come true.

All in all, RISKY BUSINESS is essential viewing from the 1980's, and it works just as well now as it did then. Tom Cruise's first hit, a terrific soundtrack, and a cult classic this is RISKY BUSINESS.

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(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)This 1983 film that launched the career of Tom Cruise proves its relative timelessness by entertaining audiences even today. Mediocre student and always-obedient son Joel (Cruise) is left alone in his upscale suburban house when his parents take a vacation. It's Joel's senior year in high school and it appears that the only highlight is going to be a boring project for the Young Enterpriser Club contest. When his friend Miles (Curtis Armstong) forces his hand to take a chance, Joel is thrown into an out-of-control scenario involving the charming prostitute Lana (Rebecca de Mornay), her enterprising friends, an irate pimp named Guido (Joe Pantoliano), and a high school full of unfilled but hormonally charged teenage boys. Throw in Joel's father's Porsche, an application to Princeton, and the all-important midterms that Joel is in danger of failing and you've got a fast-paced, hilarious flick of adolescence out of control.

Unlike today's teen movies, "Risky Business" is not preoccupied with sophomoric humor and gratuitous foul language. It's too smart a screenplay for that. Instead, it focuses on the humor of a good boy gone temporarily bad, and how one small act of rebellion changes everything. At times, the film tries to be artsy with its gimmicky camera shots, direction, and editing, thus dating the film more than the costumes and screenplay do, but overall it succeeds. The music is great, particularly for those who remember the times.

Dust off your memories and revisit this fun flick. If you've never seen it, you should, if for no other reason than for seeing why Tom Cruise and Rebecca de Mornay rocketed to fame following its release.

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Xam'd: Lost Memories - The Complete Collection

Akiyuki Takehara is a high schooler living on the tranquil island of Sentan. He goes to school with his two best friends, Haru and Furuichi, and lives a relatively ordinary life. That all changes when he is accidentally involved in a bus bombing and is bestowed with the dubious power to transform into a strange creature called a Xam'd. The transformation is not without price however, as those that spend to much time in the Xam'd shape start to turn to stone. Saved by a young woman named Nakiami, Akiyuki is rather forcibly removed from his home and employed on a mail ship. Now he must learn to control his new power and try to find a way back home.

This series was weird. It was interesting, then boring, then confusing, then interesting, then confusing, then it ended. The world we are introduced to is interesting and mysterious. Akiyuki was something of an interesting character and he goes through quite a bit of character development. The supporting cast is varied and carry the story well.

I think the problem I had with the series was scale. There are two major plot lines. Akiyuki and Sentan Island. But within that we have multiple sub plot-lines. On Sentan, we have at least 3 different characters to follow, each doing something different. Akiyuki has his story as well as the task of explaining the world, the Xam'd, the Hiruko, and the war. The set up is all very promising, but they just couldn't fit everything in. They do try to wrap everything up, but it comes together in kind of a mess. It it would have been much more interesting if they had cut a few of the sub-plots and fleshed out the main story.

I was intrigued when I started. I was curious and interested. For about the first half. Not to say I wasn't entertained by the second half, and I sort of liked the ending, but all in all I felt like it was a good show that tried too much and suffered for it. But, hey, for under $50 you could just get it and try it for yourself. (or do what I did, and check your local library :)

Xam'd: Lost Memories has taken the top spot as my favorite anime series, or television series at all for that matter. It's set in a world apparently long at war. Neither faction is innocent, as is the case in reality but so rarely in literature. The people use a mix of futuristic bioengineering, modern weaponry, and religious ritual and magic to accomplish their goals. There are many factions, plotlines, characters, and ideas to understand and keep track of, and if you can follow all of them, it is very much worth the ride. This isn't a simple, straightforward story you can follow along with while you do your other work. It takes some effort to keep up with, and rewards that effort well.

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I've watched this series more than once. It is an amazing work of art, not just an anime, but a beautiful piece of storytelling. But I guess it's one of those things that most people think are amazing, but there is a select group of people that think it is "boring", or "moves too slow" or they "just don't get it" or whatever. It just doesn't have mass popular appeal I guess. You know what I'm talking about right? So if you're not one of those guys then I would definitely reccomend this as a must-watch anime.

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Others have covered the premise of this story, so I won't waste your time trying to reiterate.

Pros:

All the stuff that makes a good anime are here: artwork; character development; musical score; imaginative setting; interesting conflict; etc...

Cons:

Lots of stuff going on all over the place. Not sure why some of the characters or plot lines were there, other than to be a parable of some sort.

Overall:

Loved it. Every aspect is very high quality. The effort is there. The character development is excellent for some, if not for most of the characters. This story is beautifully complex, but does sometimes feel crowded, like a diamond ring with too many gems in the setting (distracts from the centerpiece's beauty), or a wedding dress with too much lace (think snowbeast). I can see why some reviewers said it was a little confusing at times. I did have to see the last episode's scenes a couple of times to verify if it was a happy ending or not. It was not immediately obvious, for me which was mildly annoying. Regardless, I was very pleased with this one, and will be adding it to my collection. Just be aware you'll need to pay attention and possibly re-watch some scenes.

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Anime Review

X'amd: Lost Memories

What an odd anime, I really, really like X'amd, but no matter how hard I want to, I can't love it. What keeps X'amd from achieving true greatness, is its lack of development and explanation of the world of the story. For while there are many wars, governments, battles, and creatures, the show never takes the time to give you any substantial explanation for what any of them are, or why they are significant. As a result, it is always hard to feel for the characters, and the gravity of the situation they are in. The potential for true drama is wasted most of the time. Instead we're just expected to believe that war and hatred is bad, and peace and love is good. Unfortunately this is far from the first anime to have that message, and others have done it far better.

This particular story of good and evil begins with Akiyuki, an average, everyday high school student. But the anime universe seldom allows average high school boys to average for very long, and by the end of the first episode, his island home is attacked, and his body becomes the host of a mysterious being known as a X'amd. He is then saved and spirited away by a mysterious girl who has all the answers (But never gives them to the audience), she takes him to the postal airship she lives on, and introduces him to the rag tag group who also occupy it, and who will be responsible for teaching him the life lessons he'll need to learn in order to overcome his status as average high school boy, and help save the world.

It's a shame this story doesn't rise to become something unique, because it always feels it has the potential to do so, if someone would just explain what the heck a X'amd is, besides some sort of generic supernatural guardian of the world. Part of me wonders if this isn't drawing from some well-known piece of Japanese mythology, which would explain the lack of explanation. Sadly this is unacceptable as truly great stories should be universal, so there should have been some kind of explanation.

What this series does have going for it is its lovable cast of characters (but what anime doesn't?). They must have meant something to me for I did shed a tear or two towards the end, not something that happens often, I just wish I had understand the situation more, maybe then I would have cared when one of the characters died, and why his sacrifice was significant. The animation for the show is also quite good. It must also be noted that the English dubbing of the show is superb (save for some brief cringe worthy lines from background characters), another example of how far English dubs have come in the past half decade. Another high point is overall atmosphere of the show, which is extremely reminiscent of Princess Mononoke. It really does ultimately feel like this anime could take place in the same world as Mononoke only thousands of years later. Sadly X'amd's world is much more complicated then Mononoke's so the simple explanations don't suffice. And neither does the ambiguous ending. Though as far as ambiguous anime endings go, this one is pretty good.

If you can watch this show for free on Netflix streaming or some other streaming service, I would definitely recommend it. Otherwise I would never suggest paying for Blu-Ray's or DVDs or digital downloads(I Especially wouldn't pay this $80 for the Blu Ray), without seeing the whole show first, and then deciding its something you always want to have with you.

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The Sandlot (1993)

There really is no plot, yet you don't care. There's no real subtext to the entire thing, but that doesn't matter. The actors are all kids and they play baseball...and it's SO SIMPLE.

One of those little films that walked quietly into theaters in 1993 and left just as quietly with little fanfare(which is probably why Fox was hesitant on releasing a DVD) not ONLY happens to be one of the greatest SLEEPERS of all-time, it's also one of the greatest SPORTS films of all-time, ranking with "Field of Dreams", "Bull Durham", "Major League", "The Natural", and "The Longest Yard", to name a few.

This movie is good, so sweetly and innocently GOOD, that you don't care if the obnoxious happens or that a main plot-point happens to be the kids retrieving a prize/signed baseball(by Babe Ruth of all players) from the jaws of a dog-beast-monster-thing.

No, if there was something that James Earl Jones was right about in FIELD OF DREAMS(and he's in here too as a modern-day Boo Radley), it was that baseball brings us back to the times when we were young and apathetic to the world around us. The same applies here.

This film will make you forget about your problems and redirect your focus on your youth and the times you had fun with your best friends.

No matter if those times were spent on a surburban street where the foul poles were really parallel phone poles on either sides of the street or you sat on the porch watching us while drinking lemonade and listening to Ray Charles, those are the good times we remember...

Take a look for yourself...

The DVD has a beautiful 2:35.1 widescreen transfer(it was originally shot in 70mm Panavision) but is lacking in extras. Still, a good cheap DVD with a great film...that's all we ask for sometimes.

-Matt

Back in 1993, two movies involving baseball and children, The Sandlot and Rookie of the Year, came out in the theaters about the same time, both being released by Twentieth Century Fox. I remember Rookie of the Year was pushed hard by the studio while The Sandlot got much less advertising and publicity, which was too bad because I always thought The Sandlot was a much better film.

Scotty Smalls, his mother (Karen Allen), and his step dad (Dennis Leary) just moved into the neighborhood and Scotty is having problems acclimating himself to his social surroundings. An intelligent boy (an egghead), he lacks certain abilities most boys have, like knowing how to catch and throw a ball, any basic baseball rules, or who's the Great Bambino. The movie does an excellent job in providing just enough depth into these characters to provide a sense of the family dynamic given that Allen and Leary have limited screen time. In attempting to join a neighborhood pick up game, Scotty's lack of rudimentary baseball skills is made painfully apparent, to which all the boys except Bennie, the best player of the bunch, let their derisive comments fly. Bennie, feeling a bit sorry for the new kid, gives Scotty a couple of tips and a little extra help in a well hit fly ball that gives Scotty a measure of confidence and helps bring him into the gang. Once Scotty's accepted into the group the movie delves into a plot involving a priceless baseball and a local dog with a mythical reputation. What I really liked was how all the boys came together to help a friend in need, and it was an automatic response. If someone in the circle needs help, the group rallies around, regardless, as they would have done the same for any other member. While a seemingly natural trait in children (atleast in this movie), it seems to be one that becomes lost as we grow older, as seen in Scotty's step dad and his reluctance to play catch with Scotty because he has too much work and doesn't have the time. What is so great about this movie is while it's set in the 50's, the story appeals to most anyone. Whether or not we all had that one great summer or just fond remembrances of childhood friends and activities in general, the movie serves to help recall days when things were simple, and summers were made up of endless possibilities. While watching this movie, I thought about friends I had when I was a kid, phrases we used, nicknames, activities, etc.

No real extras on this disc, but a great presentation of a wonderful movie. My favorite part involved one of the boys called Squints, a smaller boy with great, big glasses, and scene with curvaceous, older, female lifeguard at the local pool.

Buy The Sandlot (1993) Now

I first saw The Sandlot when I was eight years old, and have found myself watching it every year since.

The Sandlot is a film about a kid named Scotty Smalls, who moves to a new town and tries to make friends before school starts.

He walks across a small suburban baseball field where eight kids his age play daily, and he turns up one day, plays terribly and ends up joining the gang anyway.

Soon, the team find themselves in trouble after 'Smalls', as he is affectionately nicknamed, hits a Babe Ruth signed baseball into the yard of an almighty dog, who as rumor has it once ate a kid in the area.

The gang tries all sorts of methods to get the ball back, and this results in an extremely funny and enjoyable film.

The Sandlot is a great watch, and you will find the whole family stuck infront of the TV for this one.

Read Best Reviews of The Sandlot (1993) Here

This is absolutely a great movie. But I cannot be the only parent who was horrified to find I was showing my three boys a movie that is filled with cuss words. Maybe you are ok with a "family feature" in which s--t is used half a dozen times. But not everyone is, and parents need to be aware that this movie goes beyond the d--n and son of a b---norm for PG. If a "edited for tv" version of this existed I'd recommend it to anyone. But can you imagine how many grandparents pick up this "family classic" for their little grandsons, having no idea that their little boys are about to sit through six or eight "s--t"s and almost as many "son of a b----"s? I'm not a prude when it comes to adults' movies. And if parents are fine with their kids hearing these words in a movie, fine. But for anyone who is concerned about this, it is amazing how rarely you'll find any kind of notice attached to this movie. Parents, and grandparents, ought to be able to make an informed decision.

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This movie is a RIOT! I am 36 years old and have been watching this movie with my kids for YEARS! I rarely watch any movie even twice, but I absolutely LOVE this one and so do my kids. It is a true Classic. We just bought a new DVD player and immediately and unanamously decided our first movie would be Sandlot. (To our disappointment it isnt on DVD yet). Dont rent it, BUY it! It totally reminded me of being a kid in the 60's/early 70's, especially since it took place in the San Fernando Valley. The director did a truly superb job in getting the awesome acting job out of these kids. It's not over acted they all seem so believable, maybe thats why its so great. Squints is hysterical! p.s. If you like this type of movie and want to see something similar about a bunch of 12 yr old girls and their adventures in the same time period (60's). Check out "Now and Then" it's also pretty funny, geared more towards girls, but my boys enjoyed it too.

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Terminal Velocity (1994)

(no, not the Beach Boys song) ... Here I go again (no, not the Whitesnake song) defending certain Hollywood actors ... I *like* Charlie Sheen and I like him in this movie ...

Here Charlie plays his I'm-just-an-ordinary-guy-caught-up-in-this-thing yet again, and while it's not "Platoon", it's midway between that and "Hot Shots". Kinski is good and there's a pristine white Dodge Challenger here that meets an unfortunate end (I *hope* they used a double for the car!) ... Sheen has to "borrow" a beautiful yellow Corvette to catch the bad guys (at least he has style) ... And a Cadillac Allante' that takes flying lessons ...

Sheen is a skydiver down on his luck who accidently lands at what he thinks is a bachelorette party only to find out it's for children ... The Russian mafia wants to steal gold and eliminates anybody in their way ... there's a Chuck-Yeager-lookin' barnstormer pilot who helps Charlie catch the Russians in mid-air ...

The story will keep you guessing for a bit ... and I think Charlie *wants* his character to struggle ... he starts to put it together so he's not a total airhead here ... but he's *supposed* to be confused ... that's part of the story ... ummm, if he figured it out right off the movie would be over in 15 minutes, right? ...

"Drop Zone" is a skydiving flick too, and who can't help but like Yancy Butler? The story is a little more complex there, but it's a bit of a stretch too in places ... I have both movies and I like both movies ... I'd recommend both ...

I last saw this film when it first came out in theatres. It left a powerful impression in my mind that has haunted me for years now. I speak, of course, about the daringly experimental and enigmatic conclusion to this film, which is really the only part I remember. The whole film, the protagonists are trying to stop Russians (the antagonists) from reaching somewhere in a colossal aircraft with bombs or something. At the climax of the movie, they are forced to jump from this aircraft. Through some air craftiness of their own, the protagonists survive to continue fighting on the ground with russians that have, for some reason, parachuted after them. After throwing the bad guys into windmills (yeah you know, the ones that move at about four miles per hour) and watching them be cut to shreds, they give each other five. Then it cuts to the ceremony where they're receiving medals for their bravery in outwitting the Russians. This may sound like a typical hollywood ending but oh do look closer. Because the climactic battle took place on the ground, the commie aircraft was never stopped. Unless the people that parachuted after them were the entire rest of the aircraft'd crew, it arrived safely at its destination. So, upon close inspection, it becomes clear that the award ceremony at the desneumont of the film is ironic. Little do the characters in the film realize that they have, in all actuality, lost the "war" and that they're about to be bombed by russians or something simply because they forgot about the aircraft! As you might expect, this incredibly subtle and powerful satire was over the heads of most viewers. It even somehow escaped Leonard Maltin's review and Leonard Maltin is a particular brilliant man in my opinion. In conclusion, if you've ever felt that film these days is just too straightforward, that ends wrap up a little too tightly, heroes are worshipped too wholeheartedly, and that governments are put together too shabbily, this is the film for you.

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This was a generally fun film that is considered an action movie, and rightly so, but has its share of good comedy, too. Charlie Sheen showed he was well on his way to being successful playing comedic roles, as he's doing on television right now.

Nastassja Kinski plays the typical new young macho-female role that introduced on screen in the past generation in which females beat up males. Give me a break! Anyway, I still liked her. James Gandolfini was the best of the villains, and also demonstrated how he was about ready to hit the big time, which he did on TV with The Sopranos. Christopher McDonald was another villain in here but was stupid, not fun to watch. He was angry all the time and his bleached hair looked ludicrous.

There are a couple of outrageous action scenes in this film, most notably when an automobile with Sheen and Kinski still in it is dropped from an airplane! Yes, to enjoy this film don't take any of it seriously! It's simply fast-paced entertainment. For that, it gets a good rating.

Read Best Reviews of Terminal Velocity (1994) Here

TERMINAL VELOCITY, released in 1994, is a movie that has aged

extremely well, except maybe for the KGB and end-of-Cold War

mood that was reminiscent of the era after the Berlin Wall

fell, and a new era was unveiled in the former one-party USSR.

The thrill and action aspects of this film, are as good as any

that the best Bond 007 movies had to offer, no doubt.

The 5.1 audio is phenomenal, as are the crisp, crystal clear

digital sequences on the DVD release.

Probably, it will mostly be the below 21 viewers who will

especially appreciate the extensive aerodrome and airplane

settings and sequences, considering that airplanes, even today

in 2007, are still somewhat exotic, as almost nobody has a

pilot's license, or has a parachute jumping training, for that

matter.

For the movie to show Charlie Sheen and Nastassja Kinski at

their best, in those sequences, brings a valuable commodity to

the finished product, which is its entire dream-like

atmosphere. This is what makes believable the otherwise

impossible turn of events, that favor the 2 protagonists against

failure, and against all odds, at each turn and moment during

the course of the movie.

The musical score is also exceptional, for a movie of this

genre, and is a pleasure througout the 90 minutes.

A last note, is the presence of James Gandolfini, early in his

career, presented as a "bad guy" obviously, yet ... this actor,

despite his later similar role in the Sopranos, is perhaps not

that much of a natural as a bad guy this being one person's

opinion.

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I liked this movie. Even though one of the villans was a little over acted. I've seen it several times and enjoyed it a lot. Charlie Sheen is great. Nastassja Kinski is great also and absolute gorgeous. James Gandolfini is excellent.

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Arn: The Knight Templar (2007)

A good film in its own right, but still, not the original. I contacted the Swedish producers and they said that there were no plans to release the film in its original shape. The film began life as a TV miniseries, of several hours in length (I think about 6). It was released theatrically in Scandanavia as two films, each about two and a half hours long; and released in this, much shorter, so-called International version, i.e., a dumber, action-oriented version supposedly to appeal to us poorly educated North Americans. Sigh. Since this is likely the only version that will ever be released in Region A, you'd be better off getting it rather than waiting for a (so far purely hypothtetical) longer version. If you have a multi-region blu-ray player, it might be possible to order the two, Scandinavian discs, if you can find them at all, that is.

I'm very disappointed in this blu-ray because it is an edited version of 2 movies! I mostly enjoyed it, but I feel very ripped off. As I neared the end of the movie, I couldn't wait to see the second movie, but then I realized that they edited in the ending of the second movie! The 2 movies are each around 2.5 hours in their own right, and some imbecile cut it down to just over 2 hours! This means that there is lost plot! Lost sub-plots! There are missing characters! There is an entire MISSING MOVIE!

THIS BLU-RAY IS MISSING OVER 2 HOURS OF THE ACTUAL MOVIE!

This is some kind of insulting scam. Never pay more than 5 dollars for this! This is basically just a 2 hour preview. This is NOT what the screenwriter or director intended. Americans are not dumb. We like foreign movies as they are. We dislike chopped edits of what is considered a great epic. We like STORY. We like artistic vision. We hate re-edited, moronic marketing scams of international art.

It felt weird that parts of this EDITED FOR DUMB AMERICANS VERSION was actually in English. It's nice that it wasn't a dub, but was the English even necessary? It was very well acted. It has great cinematography. It has an effective (although clichéd) soundtrack. Stunning visuals. But you only get to enjoy less than half of the full story! Entire battles happen with little explanation.

Please release the original version in the United States.

I'm asking for a 50% DISCOUNT because this is not the product it appears or claims to be. I hope Amazon steps up and corrects the posting for this item. "RE-EDITED SHORTER AMERICAN VERSION" should be in the product's title. Amazon is guilty of falsely advertising this truncated version of the product they claim to be selling.

This is a negative blu-ray review for a beautiful production. The other half of the production IS NOT ON THIS DISC!

If anyone from the production reads this, please post an explanation to why these movies were hacked, and when the original versions are going to be available for purchase by the American public.

This version is an insult to people who bought this film based on its international reputation.

Buy Arn: The Knight Templar (2007) Now

It's quite sad that a movie that was released in 2007 takes until October 2010 to get a BD release here, especially when it's this good. I guess that's not unusual for European films, especially subtitled ones, which it's deemed by someone to not be mainstream enough for US audiences?

The story was broken up into two movies in 2007, and 2008 originally so to get the "whole" story so to speak, is almost worth the wait, albeit in truncated form.

That being said, apparently the original version ( a truly lavish scale of production by European standards ) was released initially in a Mini Series format running about 6 hours in total, much like the original German version of Das Boot The Original Uncut Version

To date, no plans have been made to make this version available, and although it is possible to get the original two movies ARN: The Knight Templar, and ARN: The Kingdom at Roads End on DVD, they are hard to find, and in PAL format, or region 2 coded.

Arn (played by Joakim Nattergvist) is based on the trilogy of books by Swedish author Jan Guillou, and although I have not read the books, I consider this adaptation to be a rare treat for fans of the genre.

It's easy to quickly draw many comparisons with movies like "Kingdom of Heaven", and even the Lord of the Rings trilogy in some ways, partly due to the fact that the movie is so well made. The acting is great throughout, the locations impressive, and the battle scenes are graphic and realistic.

Some will feel that the battle scenes are scant, even though they are done on a grand scale, but the story is about the struggle, not just the fighting.

It's a story of two parts really.

A young boy growing up in 12th century Sweden is taken by his parents to a monastery as he has an illness, and is not expected to reach adulthood.

While there, he is taken under the wing of a monk who previously "served God" in the holy crusades, and he nurtures Arn's apparent natural talent with weapons to teach him the finer arts of fighting, swordplay and archery something the youngster takes to well, aided by the fact he is naturally ambidextrous.

Historically, much of Europe around the time the movie is set, was not as geographically delineated as it is today, many countries were a loose collection of warring fiefdoms, vying for power, land and the throne, and Sweden was no exception. It is during one such encounter that while defending his fathers honor, he makes an enemy of the powerful Svenger clan.

Against the wishes of his family, the young Arn also falls in love with Cecilia, the daughter of a local family betrothed to the Svenger clan to help cement an alliance between the two most powerful families trying to control the country.

Through lies and scorn he is sent to the Holy Land as a Crusader to do penance for 20 years, while his young bride to be is sentenced likewise for 20 years in a local convent, run by a vicious Abbess, who is sympathetic to the Svenger clan.

Half of the movie centers on her struggle and life in Sweden, and the other on Arn's arduous and battle ridden path through the Holy land.

I'm not going to go into much more detail than that really, and that's about as much information you would get from the movie trailer anyway, so not really a spoiler.

Compressing three books into one movie, that runs just under two and a quarter hours, I'm sure will leave some plot holes for people who have read the books, but to me it felt very complete.

It's also going to feel a little slow to some people, this movie is as much about love and family as it is about fighting and the crusades.

despite these two points, I strongly recommend seeing this movie.

There are those who will be put off by subtitles, although a large portion of the movie is in English. What is particularly well done is that all the characters speak their own language, Arabic, French, Swedish and English, clearly stated on screen with the subtitles, so it's easy to keep up.

There are a few familiar faces US viewers will probably recognize, not least Stellen Skarsgard, but most I'm sure like me will be amazed that they haven't seen Joakim Nattergvist in anything before.

This is top notch acting, whichever way you look at it, from the whole cast but particularly him.

Focused, driven and really believable in the role, he seems to embrace all aspects of Arn's character.

This feels to me like old fashioned story telling, with modern technology kept to a minimum. It feels "Epic"

If you like this kind of movie genre, see this film. 5 stars

Read Best Reviews of Arn: The Knight Templar (2007) Here

The "original" is two movies, Arn-The Knight Templar (Arn-Tempelriddaren) and Arn-The Kingdom at Road's End (Arn-Riket vid vägens slut). They are both long movies and very good.

This blu-ray is a chopped up version of the second Kingdom at Road's End, so we miss much of the story about Arn as a young boy.

I was happy to finally buy this movie, but disappointed to find out that it was a montage of the real thing. Also sad because this means it will probably be a while before I can actually get the two originals on Bluray.

Maybe if enough people buy this, we'll get the real deal.

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When I first saw the original 2 part movie (complete with subtitles), I thought that the novels were done excellent justice: the setting, cinematography, character and plot development and casting. However, when I bought the DVD, I was quite excited at the prospect of owning my own copy and watching the 2-part movie again, only to be disappointed by the fact that some amateur had edited the movie for "international" release down to one condensed version of the 2 part original I watched.What a crock. To read someone elses's review that they had taken the trouble and contacted the producers and being told that there were no plans to release the original 2-part version, just smacks of arrogance and ignorance of the international market for foreign films by the producers. To the idiot who's idea it was to release this "international" version: take the movie 'Mongol' (2008-Sergei Bodrov) as an example of how to release a historical foreign language epic; you have diluted an otherwise powerful and well written story into some cliched battle movie that insults the intelligence of the international audience. A real pity.

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Man on Fire (2012)

"Man On Fire" is an intense action thriller that takes you through hell and back. This is not a "happy" movie, and it's not pretty. It's extremely violent at times and the storyline is a reflection of a parent's worst nightmare--the kidnapping and possible murder of their child. While it can be over-stylish at times with fancy editing and camera work, it proves to be a more than effective thriller.

John Creasy used to work for the CIA, but now he's an alcoholic who doesn't think there's much to live for. This is due to the terrible things he has done in his line of work (we never know exactly what he did, but there are more than enough hints). Starting a new life in Mexico, his best friend finds him a job as a bodyguard to a nine-year-old girl since the family is worried about all of the kidnappings that have taken place in Mexico. The girl, Pita, takes a liking to Creasy right away, but he doesn't allow her in and treats her as nothing more than a job. Amazingly, he starts to get attached to Pita and finds a new reason to live. Not only is he her bodyguard, but he is almost like a second father to her.

Things drastically change when Pita gets kidnapped. Creasy does his best to take out the kidnappers when it happens, but is outnumbered and has been shot multiple times. While recovering in the hospital, he learns that the ransom for little Pita has gone sour and that her captors have most likely executed her. This sets off a rage inside Creasy like he has never experienced before. He checks himself out of the hospital and wages his own war against everybody who was involved in the kidnapping/murder of Pita. And he vows to kill every single one of them.

Tony Scott directs this intense and emotional thriller. He does a great job with the material and he knows how to get the performances that he wants from his actors. My complaint is that he goes a little overboard with the fancy camera work and editing at times, but that is something that can be overlooked. Denzel Washington gives one of his most powerful performances since "Training Day." He really makes you feel for his character, and his absolute hatred towards the people involved with the horrible kidnapping is done in an extremely realistic and convincing way. Dakota Fanning does a great job in her role of "Pita" and does well by playing opposite of Denzel. And, we cannot forget the great Christopher Walken who also does a superb job on his part. He plays it perfectly and does not try to steal any scenes from Washington.

It must be said, this is a vicious movie. It's not for people with weak stomachs. There is one scene in particular that makes the ear-cutting scene in "Reservoir Dogs" look like absolutely nothing. Denzel's character doesn't only want to murder the bad guys... he wants to make them suffer in the most horrific ways, and he does that many times. It's not a happy or cute movie. It will disgust a lot of people, so it's not for everyone. Make sure you keep that in mind if you decide to rent this. Other than the option to watch the movie in DTS and two commentary tracks, the DVD has no special features. It looks and sounds great. It would've been nice if they did more with the DVD in the special features department, though.

"Man On Fire" is a powerful and unforgiving thrill ride that will keep your heart pumping and your forehead sweating. Other than some of the flashy and fast editing/camera work, the movie really works. Again, this is not for anybody with weak stomachs. It is very disturbing and unsettling. If you're looking for a powerful thriller with a lot of "bang" and real emotion, then this is something to check out. As dark and brutal as this movie is, I really enjoyed watching this. -Michael Crane

This is a dark, clever and very surreal kind of movie. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got the chance to see a preview of it at a UK movie theatre this week.

It starts off as it means to go on, with the kidnapping of a teenage boy, his torture by his kidnappers, the payment of the ransom by his family and his release, a broken shell of the happy go lucky youth he used to be.

It is after this introduction we meet Creasy, played to perfection by the actor Denzel Washington. He is the tormented killer-come-bodyguard who is slowly drinking himself to death, a man who has forgotten how to live for as his friend Rayburn, the glorious Christopher Walken points out to a Police Officer, "Creasy is a man who has made an art out of killing..."

Dakota Fanning gives an excellent performance as Pita, the half Mexican, half American child who gets under Creasy's skin and into his heart and teaches him that it is okay to care and love another person.

When Pita is kidnapped and then murdered (or so Creasy thinks), a rage is born inside of Creasy that will only be quenched by the total annihilation of all those involved in her abduction.

With the help of a crusading reporter Mariana, the wonderful Rachel Ticotin and the cynical Manzano, a delicious Giancarlo Giannini, Creasy sets about enacting his vow and he does it in style!

This is not violence for the sake of violence, and though there is plenty of blood and guts flying, what surprised me was how well it was done! I am really quite squeamish and though there were a couple of times when I went, "OH YUCK" it certainly wasn't as bad I expected it to be and it fitted in TOTALLY with the plot.

Mickey Rourke plays the charming but sleazy lawyer Jordan and I was most impressed by Radha Mitchell who played Lisa, Pitas' mother, she reminded me of Tea Leoni, but with more class whilst Marc Anthony gives a solid performance as Sammy, Pita's weak but loving father and last but not least, Angelina Peláez who only has a bit part as the nun Sister Anna but who is able to see in to Creasy's soul and know he is a fallen angel.

"Man on Fire" is not an easy film to get your head around, the plot is quite complex, the cinematography is utterly surreal in parts, flickering in an out as we are treated to images both real and imagined and in the background there is the ever menacing present of corrupt public officials and a man know only as the "The voice" who has kept Mexico in thrall with his constant murderous kidnappings for profit.

The director Tony Scott has done a great job; I love this film with all its twists and turns, its many complex characters, the good but tormented soul, (Creasy), the innocent (the child Pita) the bad, (Fuentes a corrupt cop) the ugly (Manzano the good cop), the weak (Sammy Pita's father), the sleaze ball (Jordan the lawyer) the beautiful, (Mariana the crusading reporter), the tragic (Lisa, Pita's mother), the stupid, (Bruno the rather stupid Rave Master) and the downright evil (the Voice).

The film score is also a crackingly good example of how you can put music in a film and make it part of the whole visual experience.

In fact the music was SO good in my opinion I am breaking one of my rules, I'm buying the CD! I only do buy a soundtrack when I really LOVE the music; this is one of those rare occasions!

The whole film is quality on celluloid, and all the actors/actresses are perfect to the parts.

A film worthy of many Oscar nominations in my humble opinion but then quality has never been an Oscar trademark so I am not holding my breath in that department!

Buy Man on Fire (2012) Now

American audiences love their Silver Screen heroes that wreak vengeance on the Bad Guys. In MAN ON FIRE, Denzel Washington makes Stallone's Rambo and Eastwood's Dirty Harry look like altar boys. I don't recall either of the latter two lopping off fingers.

Washington is Creasy, who, haunted by his past as a counter-insurgency assassin employed by the U.S. government, drinks to excess and contemplates suicide. On a social call to a pal from the old days, Rayburn (Christopher Walken), Creasy rhetorically asks, "Do you think God will forgive us for what we've done?" Rayburn, now living the good life in Juarez, Mexico, would like to see Creasy pull out of his self-destructive funk. So, he puts his friend in touch with Mexican businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony), who lives with his American wife Lisa (Radha Mitchell) and daughter Pita (Dakota Fanning) in Mexico City, where kidnapping offspring of the rich and famous is a growth industry. Samuel and Lisa are in the market for a new bodyguard for their daughter.

Creasy, of course, takes the job. At first, he rebuffs the overtures of young Pita, who's an only child in need of a new friend. Slowly, though, he falls under her thrall. Indeed, Pita's innocence and youthful zest for life make Creasy want to live again. So, after she's ultimately kidnapped in a bloody street shootout (that leaves her protector gravely wounded) and ostensibly killed after a ransom attempt gone awry, Creasy vows apocalyptic revenge against all those involved in her abduction. And Rayburn, with his useful contacts, supplies enough firepower to single-handedly topple another Third World despot.

MAN ON FIRE has been criticized because Washington, one of Hollywood's finest dramatic actors, supposedly deserves a better role than that of a formula action/special FX Neanderthal. The point seems to be missed that Denzel brings to Creasy's persona a depth of character, albeit an emotionally and psychologically tortured one, rarely seen in the lantern-jawed superheroes of screen legend. Indeed, Denzel's performance is eminently watchable, as is that of each of the major players in the production. Dakota Fanning, at age 10, is incorrigibly engaging as the kid who wins the Tough Guy's heart. Mitchell, whom I've not seen before, is completely convincing as the gorgeous Mom who holds her child dearer than anything. And how about that Christopher Walken, huh? Here, soon after THE RUNDOWN, we have another notable supporting performance.

In my mind, the film falls short on two minor points. First, it wasn't clear what happened to Samuel's lawyer poor scripting or bad editing, perhaps. Second, the casting director apparently bent over backwards to make the Ramos family appeal to WASP audiences. I mean, why not Salma Hayek and some adorable Latino girl instead of the Nordic blonde Lisa and the precocious Pita (who had all the Latino attributes of Shirley Temple in her Cute Phase)? And, as an aside, Mexico City desperately needs a PR makeover after MAN ON FIRE dwells on its police corruption and slums I wouldn't now go there on a bet.

MAN ON FIRE is a violent and gritty shoot-'em-up that transcends most of the genre because of Denzel presence. Four and a half stars.

Read Best Reviews of Man on Fire (2012) Here

Adapted from a 1980 novel by A.J. Quinnell and previously filmed as a 1987 vehicle for Scott Glenn, this re-make starts out with a random kidnapping in Mexico City of a well-off, young teen boy, flash-film storytelling of the kidnapper's dirty deed of graphically cutting off of the boy's ear that is subsequently sent to the boy's father, and a ransom drop being set up and accomplished...

Flash forward and enter Denzel Washington arriving in crime-ridden Mexico City as drunkard, burned out and severely depressed bodyguard, Creasy and Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam & Uptown Girls) as Creasy's young client and soon-to-be kidnapping victim, 9 year-old Pita.

After Creasy reticently accepts the bodyguard job he and Pita soon develop a close relationship, much to the chagrin and surprise of Creasy. During a shootout with corrupt police officers & other "bad guys", Creasy is shot within an inch of his life. Pita is abducted during the shooting and soon a ransom drop is coordinated but then terribly botched. Pita is presumably killed although no body is found.

Creasy avows to revenge the death of his young friend who made him live again, stop his drinking and made him truly happy just when Creasy was hitting rock-bottom.

Latino pop singer and Mr. Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony turns in a surprising and quite adequate performance as Pita's father, Samuel, Christopher Walken as understated Rayburn, Creasy's best friend and confidant and even Mickey Rourke as Samuel's bottom-feeding, family lawyer, Jordan. All turn in believable performances.

I am not an action film lover by any means but I truly enjoyed the story with it's ever twisting and turning plotline; no matter how predicable, the directing talents of Tony Scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide and Mr. Ridley Scott's little brother), the flash image storytelling, overall cinematography and of course, the excellent performances from the actors especially young Dakota Fanning's and Washington's rapport and chemistry between their two characters.

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Man on Fire is the film The Punisher should've been. Raw and unflinching, it's a gripping story of revenge that doesn't pull any punches anchored by an electrifying performance from Denzel Washington. Director Tony Scott never one to shy away from cinematic pyrotechnics is particularly hyperactive here, pummeling us with rapid cuts and various other Oliver Stone-esque camera tricks. But Scott's short attention span serves the story well, giving the film a slightly off-kilter feel (and effectively mirroring Washington's character's state of mind).

The film's setup is straight-forward and direct, with Washington playing John Creasy an ex-mercenary hired to protect the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. Obviously, something goes wrong at a certain point, and Creasy finds himself forced to revive his long-since dormant military training for revenge purposes. Supporting roles are filled by reliable character actors including Christopher Walken (playing a longtime friend of Creasy's) and Mickey Rourke (as a sleazy lawyer, a character he inhabits with ease).

About the only negative thing one can say about Man On Fire aside from the overlong running time, which doesn't feel terribly oppressive is that it takes a really long time to get used to Scott's over-the-top directorial decisions (if at all). Certain plot points are somewhat obvious (ie Creasy's relationship with the girl goes from purely business to father figure awfully fast), but such things are expected out of a movie like this. What really matters is whether or not we believe Creasy's attachment to Pita (Dakota Fanning), the girl, and there's no denying that the film excels in that regard. Brian Helgeland's screenplay allows for an unusual amount of character development it's around an hour before anything sinister happens which gives us ample time to watch the two characters interact with each other.

But when the bad stuff does go down, Creasy's sudden change from cuddly teddy bear to violent man-with-a-mission is completely believable. Like Payback, another Helgeland scripted story, Man on Fire proves to be surprisingly brutal when it comes to onscreen violence. And because we're just as angry as Creasy, it's hard not to root for the man even when he's stuffing bombs up the rear ends of perpetrators. The single-mindedness of Washington's character propels the story forward, even though the plot essentially vanishes somewhere around the one-hour mark; once the movie becomes about revenge, that's literally all it's about. There's some stuff about police corruption and a journalist that provides Creasy with info, but really, the film devotes itself to Creasy's quest.

Man on Fire is entering a marketplace that's crowded with similar films ie The Punisher, Walking Tall, and Kill Bill: Volume 2 and though it's not quite up there with the latter, it's surely far better than the former two titles. Washington convincingly sheds his nice guy image to become this gritty character (a character that's far less charismatic than Alonzo Harris, his Training Day persona), delivering a performance that's far different from anything he's done before. It's a film that will likely turn off a lot of viewers primarily because of Scott's direction and the unforgiving nature of the story but for those willing to stick with it, Man on Fire is one of the more intelligent and compelling thrillers to come around in a while.

4.5 outta' 5.

Glory Road (2006)

Five MOMENTOUS Stars!! A Great Movie!! "Glory Road" tells the true story, with much dramatic license along the way, of one of sport's greatest moments. A moment that changed the face and color of college basketball and rippled across all sports. It's the story of a little known college basketball coach, Don Haskins, and how he came to be the coach of little known Texas Western College in El Paso, Texas. It's also the story of the black players who would be recruited from all around the USA to eventually wind up playing in one of the greatest moments in college basketball: David "Daddy D" Lattin, Nevil Shed, Willie Cager, Orsten Artis, "Wee" Willie Worsley, Harry Flournoy, and of course the late floor general, Bobby Joe Hill. And the other team members played their vital roles also: Jerry Armstrong, Louis Baudoin, Dick Meyers, Togo Railey and David Palacio. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer does a wonderful job of bringing back the singular moment of the all-white Kentucky team under Adolph Rupp (Jon Voigt is a hoot in this role) and Haskin's all-black starting five meeting in the NCAA basketball national championship final game spotlight during some tough racial times for the USA. In fact, Haskins had played this combination of players many times before during the season to little local fanfare, so it was no big deal to him. He just wanted to win. Josh Lucas is great as Don "The Bear" Haskins in this excellent James Gartner-directed movie. It's said that Lucas, in preparing for this role, was driven out into the desert by Haskins in his truck and they just sat and talked (and drank) for many hours discussing how Haskins did it and the way he did it. (This has turned into quite a good friendship since then.) The movie pre-screenings, with all of the living original players on hand, in El Paso are greatly appreciated by all of us who lived through those incredible times and are still here.

In light of today's social freedoms, the movie does a great job of depicting the tough racial times of the 1960's and the events that put Haskins, the team, and TWC on the athletic map forever. Not to mention the huge pot of money that TWC got from participating in the tournament. Shortly after these events, the University of Texas education system made TWC a full partner by the redesignation of the "University of Texas-El Paso" and a boatload of construction/faculty money flowed from Austin to El Paso. I was there and it was a grand moment to be remembered. A great must-see movie not just for the sports but also for the social impact of those times. Hats off again to Jerry Bruckheimer for personally carrying the banner on the national-level TV and radio shows promoting this movie. Five "Slam-Dunking" Stars.

(Notes:

*"Glory Road" won the "ESPY" Award as the Best Sports Movie of 2006.

*The Texas Western College NCAA Championship team was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.)

Glory Road is the true story of Texas college basketball coach Dan Haskins.

In 1965, white players dominated college basketball and a predominantly black team was just not even thought of, especially in Klan infested Southern states.

The coach assists his Texas-Western players in breaking down race relation obstacles still grasping the nation and even more brazenly evident in violent Jim Crow South.

Coach Haskins drives all his players, both on the court, and demands more then passing academic grades in the classroom as well.

Classic Soul and R & B music of the mid-1960's era play a key part through out this well made picture.

"The incredible story of the team that changed the game forever / Based on a true story"

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"Glory Road" tells the story of the Texas Western Miners, a college basketball team who won the NCAA Championship in 1966. But this wasn't just an ordinary championship, no, for the starting line-up in the championship game was all Black players, a thing that was unheard of in '66. Or better yet, even a black player being recruited by a college team was out of the ordinary. However, the 36 year old coach Don Haskins recruited seven Black players for his Texas Western team (when the season begins, he starts three of those players). The team was barely even thought of in the college world before then, then with the help of the seven black players, they went on to win the championship.

The movie opens with a girls basketball game, and you see that Don Haskins coaches girl's basketball. Later on, he is asked to coach Division 1 basketball, for the Texas Western team (with one drawback; he would have to live in the dorm room with his wife and kids). Then, he sets out to recruit players that would help the team win. When he recruits all Black players, it's obvious that most people (even the Black players themselves) thought Haskins was crazy. Among the players he recruited were Bobby Jo Hill (played exceptionally by Derek Luke), Willie Cager, David Lattin, and Harry Flournoy. His practices for the team were intense and his rules were strict. This would all pay off in the end though, with the Miners winning the championship over Adolf Rupp's Kentucky Wildcats (with Pat Riley, who is a character in the movie, it's weird to hear his name called while he's playing, knowing he's a game-winning coach with plenty of rings).

The movie does depict the racism at the time as well. It wasn't an easy ride for the coach or the Black players on the team. In the first game, the fans clapped for the two starting white players, but the whole arena was quiet when the Black players were announced. The team had racial slurs written in their hotel room during their game. One player was even beat up in a bathroom. Haskins was harassed as well. The racism almost tore the team apart, but with the coach's help they stayed together and changed the course of basketball.

All around, the acting was great. Josh Lucas did a great job as Coach Haskins, completely becoming his character. Derek Luke did great as Bobby Jo Hill. Jon Voight played Kentucky coach Adolf Rupp, but you wouldn't really know unless you read the credits. Nonetheless he did a great job. Mehcad Brooks, Sam Jones III, Schin A.S. Kerr and Damaine Radcliff (who played Flournoy, Worsley, Lattin, and Cager, respectively) all did excellent in their roles. The actors practically become the players. The cast couldn't have been better.

Overall, Disney has released another superb movie about sports underdogs winning it all (I enjoyed Remember The Titans as well). If you like that movie, there's no way you'll dislike this. It is a well-cast, well-directed movie that will satisfy any basketball fan, and will keep everyone watching. It's been said that it follows the cliches of all other similar movies, but don't we always watch them anyway?

The film triumphantly shows how one coach changed the game (and face) of basketball completely. One quote from the film is "You're acting like negroes are gonna be the future of basketball!" and I couldn't help but laugh when that line was said. The importance and significance of that season and the tribulations of the team is wonderfully shown. Don't pass this up.

Read Best Reviews of Glory Road (2006) Here

From the powerful "Hoosiers" to last year's excellent "Coach Carter," we have witnessed a number of basketball films in which a coach takes command of a team of underdogs, nourishes their skills through a rough season, and takes them all the way to the Big Game. In short, you have seen "Glory Road" before, even if you haven't purchased a ticket yet.

You are familiar with all of the cliches: the coach, and the players, face hardships on and off the courts, moments of in-game suspense are established by slow-motion, and the ending is so foreseen that you can bet your life on what will happen. But somewhere between the first scene and the end credits, I forgot that I had seen this done before, and I left the theater inspired.

"Glory Road" tells the story of Texas Western University's 1966 championship victory over the intimidating Kentuky Wildcats and the journey they took to get there. The newly hired coach, Don Haskins (Josh Lucas), takes a bold step in hiring a number of black players, all of whom, he believes, are undiscovered talent waiting to be put in the spotlight. It was this move that began to breakdown the racial barriers not just in the NCAA, but in the United States, and the segregation issues that existed in that time are heavily studied in a number of the film's sequences.

First, there is the matter of the players already playing for Texas Western, who must accept the presence of their new teammates. Then there is the matter of school officials, who, naturally, find Haskins' methods of recruiting unorthodox. Finally, there are the opinions of the media, who will find it insane that that Haskins would recruit talented black players and, eventually, start five black players in the national championship game.

But the aspects of the players is not what makes "Glory Road" an excellent film. What makes this an excellent film is that we get to know the players, their struggles, and their personal histories; the well coreographed game scenes that accurately portray what actually happened during the games are more like extra goodies. Chief among the new players are Bobby Joe Hill (Derek Luke) and Willie Scoops Cager (Damaine Radcliff), who introduce a new style of basketball that would later become an influence to the modern principles of the sport. Their style conflicts with the style that Haskins believes in, and in one memorable scene, when his team his down, he orders Hill to play the game his way and they arise victorious.

Another key character is Kentuky head coach Adolph Rupp, an inspired and firey performance by John Voight. He knows that Texas Western is making history as they progress through the season and into the championship game, which he why refers to them as "a special team" during one of his timeouts. Given the historical context of his first name in relationship to racism, you would think that "Glory Road" establishes him as a villain, but it doesn't. The film just sits back and observes the arrogance of Rupp and other individuals during that time who were rooting for Kentuky just because Haskins had black players on his team. The film doesn't pick sides. It presents both of them, so graphically in one scene that it pushes the barriers of the PG rating. It's not being biased in favor of the black players. It paints an honest portrait of what happened.

The performances are excellent, with Josh Lucas playing Coach Haskins in a role that should be talked about for a while. However, the film's spirit doesn't totally lie in the powerful depiction of it's characters, but in what happens after the events of the story, and most of it's awesomeness comes out of what we know now. If there wasn't a Coach Haskins who recruited a Bobby Joe Hill, then there would have probably never been a Michael Jordan, a Lebron James, or an Allen Iverson. "Glory Road" is inevitably a valuable history lesson, which we are still learning in our society today, and like "Crash," it establishes the lesson by showing victimization and antagonization.

I suppose that's what sets "Glory Road" apart from most other sports films: the race relationship is just as important as the game. Making ends meet through a checklist of sports cliches, director James Gartner and screenwriters Christopher Cleveland and Bettina Gilois deserve much respect for what they have accomplished. But the film makes a very haunting point in its context. Although its amazing how far we have come in the past forty years in race relations, we still have a long way to go. Isaac

Rated PG; 106 minutes; Directed James Gartner

Want Glory Road (2006) Discount?

"Glory Road" is the story of what some have called the most important game in basketball history: The 1966 NCAA Championship game between the Texas Western Miners, coached by Don Haskins, and the Kentucky Wildcats, coached by veteran Adolph Rupp. The game's significance was that all of the Miners who played in that game were black. Never before had so many black players been seen on an NCAA court at one time. And they won. This created a lot of opportunity for black college athletes, particularly in the South, and changed the way people play basketball. "Glory Road" focuses on coach Don Haskins' (Josh Lucas) efforts to build a great team at Western Texas College (now UTEP) and the struggles of the black athletes to win respect while they were constantly gibed and occasionally threatened. Eager for the opportunity to coach a Division One team after succeeding with girls' high school basketball, Coach Haskins moves his family into the Texas Western men's dorm and sets about recruiting some good players -only to find that his budget was insufficient to lure any coveted athletes. But other schools are not courting black players. So Haskins scours the nation, from junior colleges to urban streets, to find great players. He ends up with a team of 7 black and 5 white athletes in whom to instill his ideas about "fundamental, disciplined, defensive basketball."

"Glory Road" is shot is a naturalistic, unrefined style bordering on cinema verite and conveys a strong sense of the mid-1960s culture in which the events take place. Natural, directional light, which tends to be high-contrast, and a muted color palette combine to make a distinctive visual style. It's a wonder that the style is as consistent as it is, since cinematographer John Toon shot half the movie before having to quit due to illness and was replaced by Jeffrey Kimball. Both of these cinematographers deliver a consistent and appropriate visual style for first-time director James Gartner. The film focuses on Coach Haskins and the Miners team that won the 1966 Championship. The legendary Don Haskins was more of a disciplinarian and also more of a rogue than we see in the film. He hustled pool to fund those recruiting trips. Josh Lucas brings an intensity, energy, and amiability to the role. Although we know something of the players' backgrounds, the focus is greater on the black players than the white, and even then it is cursory. The film is more about the obstacles that black players faced than about the players themselves. There are several nice supporting performances, but John Voight's turn as Coach Rupp is particularly memorable.

The DVD (Disney 2006): Bonus features include 4 deleted scenes (7 min), 3 featurettes, a music video for "Sweet Music" by Alicia Keys (2 min), and 2 audio commentaries. "Legacy of the Bear" (13 min) is about Coach Haskins' long career at Texas Western/UTEP (1962-1999) including interviews with Don Haskins and wife Mary, some of his players, biographer Ray Sanchez, et al. "In Their Own Words: Remembering 1966" (23 min) is about the 12-man 1965-1966 Miners team. Interviews with Harry Flournoy, David Lattin, Nevil Shed, Willie Worsley, Dick Myers, Togo Railey, Orsten Artis, Louis Baudoin, Don Haskins, and Pat Riley, who was on the opposing Kentucky team in 1966. In "Surviving Practice" (4 min), Tim Hardaway talks about coaching the actors. The first audio commentary is by director James Gartner, who discusses what elements of the film are literal and what has been fictionalized, casting, his intentions in various scenes, what was included, what was left out, and why. The second audio commentary is by the writing team of Christopher Cleveland and Bettina Gilois, who provide additional information about Don Haskins, discuss input they got from the players and the purpose behind some of the scenes they wrote. Captioning for the films is available in English. Subtitles and dubbing are available in French and Spanish.

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