Newton Boys (1998)

I give this movie 7 stars out of 5 stars. First rate blue ray, and first rate audio. Very interesting story, with first rate acting. Movie you should enjoy watching many times. Like Bonnie & Clyde should go down in film history. Must buy if you enjoy these bank robbing movies.

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The Hunt for Red October (1990)

This great movie was previously only available on DVD as a "bare-bones" edition -a non-anamorphic presentation of the movie, with only a trailer and no real extras. But with this release, the film finally gets the Special Edition treatment!

The special features for this disc will reportedly include a new anamorphic transfer, both a Dolby Digital 5.1 sound track AND a DTS 5.1 sound track, an audio commentary by director John McTiernan, a "Beneath the Surface" featurette (new interviews with Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, screenwriter Larry Ferguson and producer Mace Neufeld) and the theatrical trailer. Not TONS in the way of extras, but certainly a lot more than what was on the previous edition.

And for you Tom Clancy fans, Paramount has also announced "The Jack Ryan Special Edition DVD Collection" for release on the same day this disc is released, May 6th. The box set will include the new Special Editions of "The Hunt for Red October", "Patriot Games", "Clear and Present Danger", and "The Sum Of All Fears"... each with new bonus material, new anamorphic transfers and both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound. (The movies will be available separately as well as in the 4-disc box set.)

As for my review of "Hunt For Red October":

Personally... and I'm sure that Harrison Ford fans will lambast me for this... I think that Alec Baldwin made the best Jack Ryan in the series. At least, he fit my own personalized vision of the character as I was reading the book better than Ford did. "The Hunt For Red October" is also far and away the best movie based on a Tom Clancy book and follows the SPIRIT of the book more closely than any of the others. Sure, they took some liberties with the details of the story, but they got the broad strokes absolutely dead-on correct. What movie based on a thick, highly technical, politically complex book could possibly match it exactly scene for scene???

One of the thrilling things for me when I watch this film is seeing INTELLIGENT characters actually THINKING their way through problems. There are political, personal and technical issues that many of the characters are forced to deal with, and it is a joy to watch -for example -Alec Baldwin's Jack Ryan using his MIND and not his fists to get into and out of situations. This movie is defenitely a thinking man's action film.

But that is not to say that this isn't an exciting movie with lots of plot twists, and some of the best submarine battles ever put into a movie. And to top all that off, you get Sean Connery AND the underrated Sam Neil as the "villains", and James Earl Jones in a superb supporting role. This is also directed by one of the best action-film directors working today, John "Die Hard" McTiernan (although I don't know WHAT he was thinking with the "Rollerball" remake). What more could you want in an action film?

SOME TRIVIA: Star Trek fans take note, that is Gates (Dr. Beverly Crusher) McFadden in a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo role as Jack Ryan's wife at the beginning of the movie. ... People in and around Portland, Oregon may be interested to know that the "Russian" submarine that breaches the water towards the end of the film is actually an American submarine called the USS Blueback which is retired and on permanent display for public tours at OMSI, the Portland science building.

The Hunt for Red October is my favorite movie of all time, bar none. It's the kind of movie you can watch over and over.. I've probably watched it a couple of dozen times over the years, first on VHS, then DVD, now on BD. Mind you, I'm not in the habit of re-purchasing titles, but in this case, I made an exception.

The picture is the best I've seen for a film of this vintage. It's not up to the quality of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but it is a film that's nearly 20 years old. All that said, there is a noticeable improvement over my copy on DVD.

The audio was remastered in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and is utterly stunning. Good thing my wife & kids are out of town tonight, because I'd be in trouble if they were here -the sound's so good, I've got the shades drawn and the sound turned up, we're going movie-theater style here.

Don't expect a gaggle of extras here, just expect a great copy of the film with fantastic audio.

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Now this is a movie worth watching. "The Hunt for Red October" has such a superb casting with actors Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Richard Jordan, Joss Ackland, and more.

Under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), a technologically superior Soviet nuclear sub, the "Red October", is heading for the U.S. coast. When the American government hears this, they immediately jump to the conclusion that the Russians are planning to attack the United States. But then strangely enough, they find out that the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find the "Red October": there orders, to sink the submarine! The Americans are told that they think that Ramius is mad and that he's going to shoot nuclear missiles into America so of course, the American government agrees to help the Soviet hunt the "Red October" to stop him. But a lone CIA analyst, Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), has a different idea that he thinks that Ramius is planning to defect but he has only a little time to be able to prove it with the reluctant help of Cammander Bart Mancuso (Scott Glenn). The hunt is on!!

On my list of favorite movies ever, "The Hunt for Red October" measures up to such submarine movies such as "Run Silent, Run Deep" with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster and "U-571" with Matthew McConaughey. This movie is based on Tom Clancy's bestseller and you have to admit, he was a genius in writing this story.

I love the acting done by not only Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, but also of Sam Neill as Vasily Borodin, Scott Glenn as the Commander, and naturally James Earl Jones as Admiral James Greer. My favorite parts are probably the very last 40 minutes (of which I won't tell what happens because I don't want to give anything away to anyone who hasn't watched this movie yet) and the parts where National Security Advisotor Jeffrey Pelt (Richard Jordan) and Amabassador Andrei Lysenko (Joss Ackland) and talkint to each other. And the whole movie has very subtle humor which I like.

Watch "The Hunt for Red October" and if you like it, I also recommend other submarine movies such as "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "U-571".

Read Best Reviews of The Hunt for Red October (1990) Here

Thought is was nice in DVD, but then decided to take a chance on Bluray.

What a difference. Not in the habit of upgrading a DVD, but now that I've seen and heard the difference that BD makes, I'll be replacing several of my old DVD versions. Just a classic that belongs in anyone's inventory.

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It is obvious that Paramount's late entry into the DVD format and lack of support shows on this movie. It is not anamorphic transfer but a second generation print used for making VHS tapes..hence the poor video and dust specks. Sound is also lacking it's depth of realism though it is Dolby. I have also noticed a "pause" when the layer change occurs. This seems to be common on all of their releases thus far and hope that they would take a second look at their quality -vsthe demand by the public for DVD titles. The $29.95 MSRP for the movie is NOT worth it's features or quality and unless you can find it on sale somewhere, would pass on it until Paramount can become serious with their DVD's.

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Beerfest (Completely Totally Unrated) (2007)

You have to love any comedy that throws up a warning screen before the opening credits in this case, it's a warning to leave the serious beer-drinking to the professionals (or else you will die). Mr. Big Man on Campus may be able to drink his frat buddies under the table, but he probably wouldn't last five minutes at Beerfest. It's much more than a contest to see who can drink the most beer in the shortest amount of time. Beerfest is a veritable mini-Olympics of brewsky, with such games as beer pong, quarters, and the formidable Das Boot helping determine the overall champion team. This is truly where the big boys play.

Upon the death of their grandfather, Jan (Paul Soter) and Todd Wolfhouse (Erik Stolhanske) travel to Munich to carry out his last request having his ashes scattered in his homeland during Oktoberfest. There is nothing somber about this occasion, though, as an abundance of beer and women's breasts quickly extinguish whatever grief they may have been feeling. Then their guide takes them to Beerfest, and they think they've died and gone to heaven at first. All that changes when their German cousin, Wolfgang von Wolfhaus (Jurgen Prochnow) orders them to leave and attacks their family honor by accusing their dead grandfather of stealing the renowned family beer recipe and fleeing to American with his prostitute of a mother. Being humiliated by a bunch of pansy Germans with their Hans and Franz accents and tight little lederhosen doesn't sit well with the Wolfhouses. Upon returning home, they vow to form a team and return to Beerfest next year so that they can have their revenge on the Germans

As far as team members go, the guys fall back on some old college drinking buddies. "Landfill" (Kevin Heffeman), still bitter about having lost his job at a brewery for drinking too much of the outgoing beer, is an easy sell to join the team and they don't call him Landfill for nothing. "Fink" Finkelstein (Steve Lemme), now a scientist spending most of his time masturbating frogs, doesn't look like a beer drinker, but you know how those wiry guys can fool you and he's smart, hopefully smart enough to figure out the trick of conquering Das Boot, Beerfest's ultimate tie-breaking contest. Fink's not too high on the idea of participating at first but his reluctance disappears completely when he learns that the enemy is German (never underestimate the power of the "eye of the Jew"). Then there's the somewhat controversial choice of Barry Badrinath (Jay Chandrasekhar, doing triple duty as actor, co-writer, and director). Barry is really down on his luck nowadays, and there's also the fact that he slept with Jan's (or was it Todd's) girlfriend back in college), so there's always some underlying friction there. As the guys begin their training, though, they all come together putting their health, their jobs, their families, even their own lives on the line, super-focused on winning the championship. The German team, especially Wolfgang von Wolfhaus, has some dirty tricks up its sleeve, though, making their play for the long-lost family beer recipe weeks before the contest. Their sneaky blitzkrieg tactics threaten to break up the American team, but these guys are playing for everything they hold dear the long-lost family beer recipe, their Great Gam Gam (Cloris Leachman), all underdogs, each other, as well as for America. And so this becomes a story of the underdog daring to dream and trying to make that dream a reality.

I thought this movie was pretty hilarious. The whole Beerfest atmosphere is a hoot, the guys' training regimen produces many a funny moment, the dialogue holds many a good joke, and the actors really gel together quite well despite their obvious differences. Yes there's nudity and a fair amount of toilet humor (sometimes literally), but what else would you expect from a film of this type? And don't go thinking it's a completely cookie-cutter plot either, as Beerfest introduced a couple of story elements I never expected (starting with the end of the very first scene). Not since Strange Brew have I been this entertained by a movie about beer and the men who drink it.

Beerfest begins with a funeral for the two main characters' grandfather. Jan and Todd Wolfhouse are charged with the task of taking their grandfather's ashes to be settled in the family plot in Germany. Little do they know, the family plot is actually Beerfest, "the ultimate test of a beer gamer's mettle." When they get there and are accused by their German cousins of having stolen the family beer recipe, they are quickly humiliated in a drinking contest and sent back to America with their tails between their legs. They vow to have their revenge and come back next year to win the Beerfest competition.

Jan and Todd assemble a team of their best friends and former drinking buddies:

Landfill an overweight eating champion recently fired from his position at a brewery for drinking on the job

Fink a well-respected scientist at the National Institutes of Health, who is also Jewish and participates simply to get back at the Germans

Barry an all-out beer gaming champion who has since fallen on hard times and resorted to prostitution to make a living

The journey that these five men embark on is nothing if not funny, but if you didn't like the other Broken Lizard movies, I don't think you will like this one. It's in the same vein as movies like Old School and Super Troopers--a buddy comedy with plenty of T&A. The humor is a bit over the top at times and balances precariously on the edge of crass. For instance, there were at least five topless women within the first fifteen minutes of the film and there's a running joke that Jan and Todd's Great Gam Gam is a former whore.

Still, I found parts of Beerfest extremely funny and there were definitely moments I laughed out loud. This movie evoked memories of college with its references to beer pong, quarters, card games, chugging contests, and funnels. It would be fun for a guy's night out, but be forewarned that all the drinking in the movie may make you decidedly thirsty. The first thing I did when I left the theater was head to the pub.

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A priest tries to extort money using violence....a man chugs three beers before killing himself by pulling the plug at his own funeral....women tear off other women's clothes while pouring beer on each other....a kid gets run over by a barrel, and I can't really remember after having a few too many but I believe the meaning of life and the key to enlightenment are revealed...and that's all in the first five freakin' minutes.

Maybe once or twice have I laughed harder at the movies than I did when I saw BEERFEST, which deserves print in ALL capital letters. My only regret was that I didn't smuggle in a sixer of 2 by 4s to drink with the mates. Broken Lizard regains the fine form of SuperTroopers.

As another reviewer put it: "The sage and bountiful Loveables who run Time Warner made this incredibly benign, sagacious and wise movie full of acute acting and takes a hardy approach to drinking, which can make family functions bearable, lives worth living and toasts to one's health. The studio should be commended for making this Oscar caliber film."

Read Best Reviews of Beerfest (Completely Totally Unrated) (2007) Here

I feel I get the full blu-ray experience from Action/Sci-Fi type movies rather than comedy, but I had just gotten my PS3 and was on a Blu-Ray binge when I bought this. I am not disappointed though,

I had not seen the movie and got it cheap, The video quality is good and as I said if you liked Super Troopers, you'll like this.

Want Beerfest (Completely Totally Unrated) (2007) Discount?

Who doens't love their grandparents (and beer) so much that they *won't* train for an entire year to enter a beer drinking contest and win back their family honor....plus a brewery? I would!

"Beerfest" is the type of film expected of the 'Broken Lizard' guys. These are the same guys that brought us the much loved "Supertroopers" (still their funniest one to date), in addition to "Club Dread" (not as good), and "Puddle Cruiser" (exact same type of comedy seen in 'Supertroopers', only half as funny). Either way, the teens-30's age demographic (especially college coeds) will get a kick out of this film.

Obviously the amount of beer consumed during this movie would kill the average person via alcohol poisoning, however, if the audience can suspend reality and forget that tiny detail, this film ends up to be fairly entertaining.

If you like to see boobies (attention all men) then you'll *definitely* like this film. There's a lot of them. All over the place. There's even a scene in which girls accidentally fall into each other and "accidentally" rip each other's shirts off. Due to language and a lot of nudity, this film is definitely not for young children. Other than that, enjoy!

Bottom line: It's an entertaining, beer-guzzling good time if you don't expect too much. If you're wanting to purchase this film, definitely get the unrated version, as opposed to the rated one (which I think might have less boobies).

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De-Lovely (2004)

Cole Porter, legendary composer and lyricist, met and married American divorcee Linda in Paris. The marriage was unexpected: where Porter was clearly homosexual, Linda was uninterested in physical intimacy. Even so, those who knew them describe them as deeply in love with each other on a purely emotional level. Throughout their long marriage, Porter repeatedly engaged in shallow liaisons with various men while Linda looked the other way--at least as long as Porter was reasonably discreet.

Porter's sense of discretion was not always sufficent for Linda, who left him several times and threatened divorce on at least one occasion. It was, however, enough "to get by" with the vast public, which saw only the glamour of their lives and the great brilliance of Porter's talents. The result was a 1946 film biography that put many of Porter's greatest songs before the camera while casting handsome Cary Grant as the waspish Porter and lovely Alexis Smith as the somewhat icy Linda--a movie that went over well with audiences but which actually had very little basis in reality.

The 2004 DE-LOVELY takes a considerably different tack. It would be hard to say that the film "tells all"--but it tells enough and it offers a host of high-art concepts and truly fine performances in the process. It debuted with tremendous fanfare and then, amazingly, seemed to vanish from the screen within a single night. While most critics liked the film, the public did not, and they were pretty emphatic about it.

Some audiences complained about the "artiness" of the film's concept, which consists of the aging Porter reviewing the major events of his life through the filter of a stage show--an idea that seems to owe a great deal to Bob Fosse's ALL THAT JAZZ without managing to carry it off with the same conviction. Some Porter fans complained that the contemporary pop singers used in the film couldn't carry Porter's music; others complained that the music was never presented in a straight-forward sort of way. Still others were taken aback by the discovery that Porter was gay--and truly one has to wonder where such viewers have been for the past fifty years, that they somehow managed to miss this very widely circulated bit of information.

In truth, the concept works reasonably if not spectacularly well, the singers are acceptable if not always knock-out in their performances, and Porter's sexual habits are made plain without throwing the characters in and out of bed on the screen. The real problem with DE-LOVELY, at least to my mind, is two-fold: it is just ever-so-slightly slow and it is profoundly, and I do mean profoundly, depressing. Each tends to heighten the effect of the other.

On the other hand, the performances are exceptionally good. Kevin Kline is hardly a look-alike for the small, dark Cole Porter, but you believe him in the role. As for Ashley Judd--the role of Linda Porter would seem impossible to play in a believable sort of way, much less in a sympathetic manner, but she carries it flawlessly from start to finish. Together they are brilliant, and that isn't a word I use very often in refence to contemporary film making.

The DVD contains a host of bonuses, including two audio tracks and several behind-the-scenes documentaries, and for once the word "bonus" really is generally applicable. While it will probably prove too dark for most, many will be fascinated by the way DE-LOVELY turns the glitter of Porter's public life into a costume for his often bitter private life--something that was very much the case in reality. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

"When they begin the beguine

It brings back the sound of music so tender,

It brings back a night of tropical splendor,

It brings back a memory ever green."

When "De-Lovely" begins it is October 15, 1964 and Cole Porter (Kevin Kline) is about to die. This requires his life to flash before his eyes, but since we are talking Cole Porter this means there are all sorts of creative decisions involved in this final production. The conceit of the film is that Porter is sitting in the first theater that he visited while growing in Peru, Indiana, with "Gabe" (Jonathan Pryce) at his side. The result is not a musical but rather a musical biography, which is why we do not go back to Porter's childhood but rather to the moment that the gay songwriter met the love of his life, the divorcee Linda Lee (Ashley Judd), who would become his wife.

"And that's why birds do it, bees do it

Even educated fleas do it

Let's do it, let's fall in love."

Cole and Linda marry, equally aware of the strengths as well as the weaknesses of their relationship. Linda was more than a front of respectability for Cole's homosexuality; she was his muse. "De-Lovely" abandons the traditions of a bio-pic in terms of places and dates to focus more on the songs Cole Porter wrote. Kevin Kline is a piano player, and he uses this talent to great affect in the film. Cole is often sitting at the piano composing the music of his life and it compels us to listen again to the familiar lyrics, but this time in the context of his life. The recurring thought is not that he is writing all of these songs to reflect himself, but that there are times when the songs are clearly for her.

"Every time we say goodbye, I die a little,

Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little,

Why the Gods above me, who must be in the know.

Think so little of me, they allow you to go."

You can try and tell the story of Cole Porter's life, but it is always going to come back to his music. After all, it is a song that attracts Linda to Cole and teaching someone to sing "Night and Day" that shows Porter at his seductive best. However, when you have Cole Porter's songs being sung by the likes of Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, Dianna Krall, Robbie Williams, and Natalie Cole, it is not surprising that those songs once again take the spotlight away from the man who wrote them. I was rather surprised that I recognized every single song played in "De-Lovely," but then that only serves to underscore that Cole Porter is one of the greatest American songwriters.

"You're the Top! You're the colosseum,

You're the Top! You're the louve museum,

You're a melody from a symphony, by Strauss,

You're a Bandle bonnet, a Shakspeare sonnet,

You're Mickey mouse.

You're the Nile, You're the Towr of Pisa,

You're the smile on the Mona Lisa;

Im a worthless check, a total wreck, a flop,

But if Baby, Im the bottom,

You're the top!"

Director Irwin Winkler's 2004 film has the advantage of not only Porter's music but of Kline's performance, although obviously the actor needs to tone down his singing considerably (we get to hear Porter himself singing at the start of the final credits). Judd, who usually refrains from singing in public to avoid comparison to her mother and sister, does a couple of songs as well. You can also throw in the exquisite period costumes courtesy of Armani that help to define Porter as the paradigm of wit and urbane sophistication before the riding accident that crippled him. The film keeps trying to suggest that "Let's Misbehave!" is the de facto Cole Porter theme song, but in the end the man and his music both speak to more optimistic sentiments.

"The world has gone mad today

And good's bad today,

And black's white today,

And day's night today,

When most guys today

That women prize today

Are just silly gigolos

And though I'm not a great romancer

I know that I'm bound to answer

When you propose,

Anything goes."

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What we have here is a film based on but not limited to the adult life of Cole Porter. How to describe it? It's not a biopic nor is it a musical comedy. It resembles All That Jazz (1979) and Evita (1996) when combining fact with contrivance within a series of flashbacks to create dramatic impact. Various devices (e.g. hallucination and reminiscence) enable us to explore various components of Porter's life as well as the various relationships which he developed over a period of several decades. Kevin Kline brilliantly portrays Porter, with an able supporting cast headed by Ashley Judd (Linda Thomas Cole), Jonathan Pryce (Gabe), Kevin McNally (Gerald Murphy), Sandra Nelson (Sara Murphy), and Alan Corduner (Monty Woolley). I guess this could be called a Film Noir/Musical Review. Defining moments in Porter's adult life are coordinated with his greatest Broadway musicals which include Gay Divorcee, Anything Goes, and Kiss Me Kate, later adapted to the screen. As for his most popular songs, several of their titles suggest double meanings when we take into account Porter's bi-sexual love life. For example, "Let's Do It," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "You Do Something to Me," and "Anything Goes." Irwin Winkler pulls all of this together fairly well. Yes, the plot has its lumpy moments and, yes, the make-up isn't always effective (late in life, Kline's Porter resembles Charles Foster Kane) but the musical performances are highly entertaining and I especially appreciate the fact that Kline sings as ineptly as Porter did. I much prefer this version to Night and Day (1946) which Porter enjoyed because he was played by Cary Grant. On balance, De-Lovely is an enjoyable film and I resist the temptation to offer a pun on its title when selecting a title of my own for these brief remarks.

Read Best Reviews of De-Lovely (2004) Here

The musical production numbers are fabulous in this telling of the high and low points in the life of songwriter Cole Porter. He wrote so many tunes, ones I've heard and loved all my life, and those selected for this movie were great---many done with updated renditions by current artists.

The movie begins when an aged Porter is summoned by a director to view the rehearsal for a play based on his life. The story unfolds in a series of theatrical scenes beginning with his love-at-first-sight romance with Linda and his lifelong devotion to her. Also highlighted is his bisexual lifestyle which she accepts amazingly well as long as it doesn't become a public scandal. Kevin Kline is outstanding as the young and dashing Porter as well as the aged and defeated man. Ashley Judd shines as the loving mate who guides his career and his recovery from a horrific accident.

But it is the music that steals the show, the lyrics and melodies that have endured for years and will remain firmly entrenched as pop standards long past the 20th century. Songs such as "De-Lovely," "Let's Misbehave," "Night and Day," "Anything Goes," "You're the Top," and my personal favorite "Every Time We Say Goodbye" are done with the style and grace worthy of Cole Porter and performed by such varied artists as Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Natalie Cole and others including Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. One outstanding feature of the DVD is that the scene selection menu makes it easy to just go back and see all the production numbers.

If you like musicals and a toe-tapping good time, this is one you don't want to miss.

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De-Lovely is a major achievement and is remarkable for many reasons, not the least of them being that it was even made in the first place. For every De-Lovely, Hollywood seems to crank out hundreds of shoot-em-up explosion spectaculars, teen sex comedies, star vehicles for gangster rappers, and depressing, nihilistic "independent" films for the intelligentsia.

De-Lovely is everything these films are not. It is a great musical in the "they don't make `em like that any more" sense, a poignantly heartwarming love story with true emotional depth (and a twist), a celebration of life and happiness (as well as a recognition and understanding of life's tragedies), and a star vehicle for two truly talented actor/singers, Kevin Klein and Ashley Judd, plus a plethora of cameo appearances by currently popular singers (including Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow and Natalie Cole) who obviously are singing their songs more for love (of Cole Porter) than money.

As depicted in De-Lovely, Cole Porter possessed more joie-de-vivre than perhaps any man in history, and he wrote his songs straight from the heart. The first part of the film, corresponding to the first half of Porter's adult life, appears to be all peaches and cream, and I was prepared simply to enjoy an upbeat musical. Porter enters into a nearly perfect (for him) relationship with his wife Linda, that allows him his dalliances and to remain true to his self, but also to, over time, experience the depths of true love with a life's partner. It is the second half of the film, when the Porter's must overcome multiple tragedies, that elevate De-Lovely to a truly noteworthy film, by showing a deep understanding of love and humanity.

Kevin Klein and Ashley Judd give great performances. Klein has the most challenging role, as he must sing, dance, and act through a broad range of emotions, as well as age over the course of 40 or 50 years (by the way, the make-up work which aged the actors is very good it must be amazing for Klein and Judd to see what they may look like in their 60s or 70s). I wouldn't be surprised to see Oscar nominations for Klein (especially) and Judd, if this film reaches a broad enough audience. My quibbles with the film are minor (some abrupt transitions, and some garbled dialogue), and are far outweighed by the many positives.

Surprisingly, the major movie critics have ranged all over the "love/hate" spectrum in their reviews of De-Lovely (check out the metacritic web site to see for yourself). I think the reaction to the film is primarily a function of the state of mind of the reviewer, i.e. subjectivity dominates objectivity. I am flabbergasted that the Village Voice reviewer could call this film "overwhelmingly glum". I wonder what this reviewer thought of "Sid & Nancy", which I would say is the antithesis of De-Lovely?

If modern pop culture has not yet turned you into a complete cynic, if you have any appreciation at all for music of the Jazz Age, big bands, or crooners such as Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, or (today) Harry Connick Jr., if you have a romantic bone in your body, if you enjoy traditional Hollywood or Broadway musicals or a great love story, then I think you will find De-Lovely definitely delightful!

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The Comancheros (50th Anniversary Edition) (1961)

John Wayne rules in this big, sprawling western adventure film. The screenplay, co-written by western novelist Clair Huffaker, struggles with the historical accuracy of Texas in the 1840s and the rifles seem a little advanced for 1843, but, nit-picking aside, this is an entertaining film. Texas Ranger Jake Cutter (Wayne) and sometime gambler Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) go under cover after a vicious army of outlaw raiders known as "Comancheros," led by the diabolical Graile (Nehemiah Persoff). Hard-hitting, large scale action sequences deftly directed by Michael Curtiz, who directd some of Errol Flynn's better adventure films, will please action-adventure fans. The movie includes a comfortable blend of action, suspense, and humor with occasional serious overtones of duty, friendship, and the love of a good woman. Taken within the context of the film that isn't as corny as it might sound. Great outdoor color photography adds to the appeal. A pulse-pounding musical score by Elmer Bernstein matches the excitement. Lee Marvin makes the most of his costarring role as Tully Crow, one of the West's wildest bad men. Watch for the hilarious vignette featuring Edgar Buchanan as a judge of dubious integrity. Ditto the comic relief segment with Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as a seemingly bewildered gunrunner. There is nothing intellectual or artistic to say of this movie, but it's good old fashioned fun. Recommended viewing.

The Comancheros is another great John Wayne western with a great supporting cast. The story follows Captain Jake Cutter, a Texas ranger, and his efforts to capture a prisoner, and then to infiltrate a group of gunrunners and bandits, the Comancheros. This group has been supplying the Comanches with repeating rifles who then wreak havoc on the area. There is plenty of action here with numerous shootouts, and also plenty of great characters. At parts during this movie, I wondered why the Duke never took more comedic roles since he is very funny in several scenes.

John Wayne plays Captain Jake Cutter, the big, brawling Texas Ranger who attempts to bring in a prisoner who keeps escaping his grasp, "Monsoor" Paul Regret, played by Stuart Whitman very well. Another notable performance is Lee Marvin's Crow, the contact between Cutter and the Comancheros. He doesn't have a very big part, but what is there is very good. The film also stars Ina Balin, Nehemiah Persoff, Michael Ansara, Patrick Wayne, Bruce Cabot, and Joan O'Brien. Elmer Bernstein also turns in another excellent score that has elements of the Sons of Katie Elder and The Great Escape. The DVD offers a widescreen presentation which looks very good, two trailers(one in Spanish), and also Movie Tone News about an award presented involving the movie. More John Wayne movies should be put out like this, and I give credit to the companies putting out so many new ones recently. A very exciting, enjoyable Duke western that all his fans will love!

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You can see by the title that I am a John Wayne fan, and this rip-roaring Western is one of the reasons why. With equal portions of rousing action, humor, and drama, this film keeps your interest and, like the Duke's performance, never loses its authenticity. It's said that John Wayne took over direction of some of the action sequences, and they're great. There are well-drawn, clear differences between the good guys and bad guys, but the characters are human and developed enough for the actors to sink their teeth into, which all do with gusto. By this time in his career, the Duke only had to show up on screen to be the authentic Western hero, but as usual he goes 'way beyond that, giving a colorful, humorous, absolutely real and terrific performance as the Texas Ranger who helps a man on the wrong side of the law redeem himself and find the woman he loves--as well as stopping a motley, dangerous bunch of white renegades (Comancheros) who are selling weapons to warring Comanche Indians. It's great movie-making and a great couple of hours with the Duke, so check it out!

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I agree completely with every word the previous reviewer,Wayne,said about The Comancheros Blu-ray,this is a reference disc for the blu-ray format!!!!!! STUNNING/PRISTINE Picture Quality,and Audio too.

I have a fair collection of blu-ray films,and the "modern" films are excellent Picture Quality,as you would expect,however,it,s what blu-ray does to the "older" films,especially westerns,that is so amazing.

The Searchers/How The West Was Won/Zulu/The Outlaw Josey Wales are a joy to behold,Home Cinema of the highest calibre,A+++++,well,The Comancheros Blu-ray joins that List,REFERENCE DISCS FOR BLU-RAY!!!!!

I say this as somebody who watched The Comancheros when it was first released at the Cinema,I must have been 10 years old,but that did not prepare me for the absolute pleasure of watching this Duke western on blu-ray,simply put,FABULOUS!!!!!!

Davy Cairns,Scotland.

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Finally, "The Comancheros" is released on DVD. This is one of Wayne's best, and most enjoyable westerns(that says a lot, because the Duke's westerns were always classic). The acting is superb, Stuart Whitman turning out one of his best performances, and John Wayne underrated as usual. Lee Marvin also makes a powerful, short performance. That cast alone makes for a classic. Michael Curtiz's("Casablanca"-1942) last film, he creates one of the better 1960's westerns. Several people have mentioned the guns in the film. Historical facts are often changed to create entertaining films. This film is not a history lesson, it is an example of classic hollywood at it's best. A well crafted, fun, classic western. Recommended for both fans of classic westerns, and classic films in general.

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Wake of the Red Witch (1948)

I can't believe this is the first 5-star review of "Wake of the Red Witch". Ever since I was a child it's been one of my very favorite John Wayne films. Maybe it's the greedy quest for the valuable pearls, or the conflict between Captain Ralls (John Wayne) & Captain Sydneye (Luther Adler), who compete fiercely for both the treasure & the lovely Angelique (Gail Russell). Or maybe it's the doomed romance that makes this so watchable. The Duke was awesome with Gail Russell in this classic as well as the wonderful western "Angel & the Badman". John Wayne made some of his best movies in the late 40's, but for some reason this classic (from 1949) has been largely forgotten. Well, at least it's on dvd. The picture quality is very good but unfortunately there are no special features, not even the trailer. If you're a big John Wayne fan & want to see him in a rare non-western role, then this is a definite must-see!

After the classic "Angel and the Badman", DUKE and Gail Russell paired again for this effort, "Wake of the Red Witch".

A tale of the effects revenge, greed, and bittnerness can have on people, the story traces the duel of words and intrigue between two men; Captain Ralls (The DUKE), and shipping magnate Mayrant Sidneye.

DUKE skippers Sidneye's prize ship, the Red Witch, and purposely wrecks her in a plan to cheat Sidneye out of a cargo of gold. Turns out that Sidneye had plotted to steal away DUKE's girl, Angelique Desaix (played by the lovely and angelic Gail Russell).

Tricking DUKE into a fatal confrontation with the girl's father, Sidneye is able to marry Angelique before The DUKE can set things right. This leads to her unhappiness, and The DUKE takes revenge on Sidneye by wrecking the Red Witch.

A wonderful study of greed, revenge, and redmption, we see the tale through the eyes of a young seaman (Gig Young), who Ralls sees as his younger self.

Familiar faces in the cast include Paul Fix, Henry Daniell, Jeff Corey, Erskine Sanford, and Grant Withers.

Gail is gorgeous, as usual.

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This seemingly obscure 1949 movie produced quietly during some of John Wayne's greatest years of stardom is an overlooked excellent and well written drama. The movie ties into the original story and actually opens the original book and begins the narration of Chapter one at the hands of the first mate. The story revolves around scuttling a sailing vessel "The Red Witch" that contained a cargo of five million in Gold Bullion. There is competition between the owners and Captain Ralls (John Wayne) who plays an ambivilant character who sides with whatever group is most advantageous at the time. The story is told from the perspective of the first mate and utilized the "flashback" technique similar to "Casablanca" but spends considerable time filling you in on how the present situation developed. Although this is in glorious B&W, the island scenery and romance of the age of sail work wonders along with casual romances and adventure to make this a great and interesting film to watch.

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Here is a very average movie that John Wayne made during the most brilliant portion of his career. If you consider that he had just made "Red River", Fort Apache", & "Three Godfathers", and was going on to make "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", "Sand of Iwo Jima", "Rio Grande", & "The Quiet Man"....then you have to say that "Wake of the Red Witch" was just bringing in a paycheck for him. It's overly wordy, and has two extensive flashbacks which only serve to confuse the plot more.

As for the DVD, it's quality is first rate. Artisan has been very spotty putting out the Duke's films on DVD. Some like "The Flying Tigers" have been mastered from original negatives, while others, like "The Quiet Man" look like they came from a fifth generation copy. Anyway, this transfer will not disappoint.

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A very interesting and exciting sea picture that involves intrigue, danger, adventure, and romance. What more do you want? In addition to all of the previously mentioned offerings you have a sea monster, ie; a giant squid which is only one of many obstacles that John Wayne has to battle to retrieve valubles located in a sunken freighter.

This John Wayne film is different and unusual in that John Wayne is not the all encompassing heroe that he usually portrays in films. He starts out as a somewhat greedy, deceptive person out to get what he feels he deserves from a former employer and rival, but in the end he finds redemption from his love interest, the very beautiful, Gail Russell, who starred with Wayne in "The Angel and the Badman", another fine Wayne western. Also, in the film is Gig Young, a great, "in my opinion", underrated actor who does a fine job as the character with redeaming qualities, and a friend of John Wayne in the film.

They don't make'm like this anymore! I'm sure you'll enjoy this film, pure adventure, and a film you don't have to analyze, just enjoy!

I recommend purchasing this film. You won't be disappointed!

John E. Matty, Springfield, VA.

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Woody Allen: A Documentary

Premiering as a part of the PBS American Masters series "Woody Allen: A Documentary" is an impressively scaled and professionally comprehensive project on the enigmatic filmmaker. Allen is a true Hollywood renegade--a man who has followed his passions and interests and made a career out of making the films he wanted without regard for commercial compromise. Such examples of contemporary auteurs are pretty rarified in this business of show, and Allen has become and remained an unlikely and inspirational trailblazer for over forty years. Allen, however, remains an intensely private and aloof persona, so this massive (over 3 hours) compilation of interviews and film clips is a rare treat. While the 2002 Richard Schickel special (he is also on hand as an interviewee for this piece) "Woody Allen: A Life in Film" offered a glimpse of what Allen thought of his film legacy, it lacked the sheer scope of this new documentary. "Woody Allen: A Documentary" definitively showcases the highlights of Allen's career as well as any other piece of film that I've seen. And that makes it pretty special indeed.

Director Robert Weide follows a course that is largely chronological. While Allen (and his sister) do offer some insight about his childhood and family, this really just serves as an introduction. Seeing Allen revisit his old childhood haunts is unexpectedly intimate. And while there are some other personal moments interspersed throughout including his music and the dissolution of his relationship with Mia Farrow, the topic here is focused primarily on Woody Allen, the professional. Allen, it seems, almost fell into show business and had early stints as a writer, comedian, and performer before breaking into filmmaking. His first foray into studio movies was the wildly successful "What's New Pussycat?" which, despite its popularity, convinced Allen he wanted to do his own thing. From his earlier comedies, to his breakthrough "Annie Hall," to the doldrums of the late nineties and early two thousands, to his recent resurgence--this film does an excellent job hitting all the career highlights. Appropriately, it even includes this year's "Midnight in Paris" which is his biggest money-maker of all time.

The documentary is loaded with great film clips and lots of celebrity interviews. From friends, co-workers, business partners, to a veritable who's who of Hollywood stars--there is no shortage of people willing to chime in on this American institution. Through it all, Allen comes across as incredibly spry, self deprecating, and very very funny. If you have any interest in Woody Allen films, this is absolutely unmissable. I doubt that a better, more comprehensive documentary will ever be made about his resume of works. That said, it is somewhat less than all-access when it comes to the man behind the camera. It offers more of Allen than I've seen before, but this is NOT an intimately personal look at the man. But it is an essential and incredibly entertaining piece from the aspect of film studies. Even with a running time of over three hours, "Woody Allen: A Documentary" flies by. And most importantly, it made me want to go back and revisit so many films that I haven't seen in years! KGHarris, 11/11.

DVD Bonus Features: 12 Questions with Woody Allen, Deleted Scenes/Interviews, and Interview with Weide.

After watching this outstanding documentary of Woody Allen's unparalleled career, unprecedented in its access, candor and insight, I was left with an even greater recognition that Mr. Allen is a writer who makes films, not a film-maker who writes. From his earliest one-liners up to the present day, Woody has continued to grow and change, but never at the cost of either his professional integrity or his vision. Perhaps it has served us well that Woody Allen seems to view the majority of his work as either mediocre or as abject failures, for rather than stifling his spirit, such dubious self-analysis seems only to have fueled his ambition and illuminated his vision. And while even I, one of his most ardent fans, would admit that he lost his way occasionally with films such as Curse of the Jade Scorpion or Small-Time Crooks, somehow I always knew that he'd be back. I've come to feel that some of those comparative underachievements were nothing more than the "vacations" of a man who has never really taken one. But at his best, there's simply no one better. From Take the Money and Run, Bananas, Sleeper and Love and Death, to the richer Annie Hall, Mahattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, Purple Rose, Danny Rose, Zelig, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Midnight in Paris (and many others!), Woody Allen has proven that cummulative greatness will ultimately supercede what C&M's Judah Rosenthal called, "The superficial pay-off of the moment." To recognize the stature of this incomparable artist, one need only review the list of outstanding actresses, actors and cinematograpers who either have been, or who are waiting to be called for Mr. Allen's next project, sight-unseen.

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This is an excellent documentary about Allen's entire career. There are many, many film clips and they are all choice highlights from his films. Interspersed with these clips are interview segments with Allen present day and during earlier days. There are also clips of mini interviews with the people with whom he has worked, including Tony Roberts, Diane Keaton, Scarlett Johannsen, John Cusack, Owen Wilson, Mariel Hemingway, Gordon Willis, Marshall Brickmann, Martin Scorsese, his sister Letty Aronson, now his producer, Dick Cavett and so forth. Although Mia Farrow is covered, she does not participate in any way since they have never resumed contact in any way. She was, of course, Allen's other major leading lady but he ended up having an affair and marrying her adopted daughter years ago.

Even though I have seen every single one of his movies, I really liked the choice of film clips presented here. It was very enjoyable to see them and to learn some of the tidbits about what else was going on while making them. Everyone contributed some major insight about the film clip which was unknown to us before.

I also enjoyed the way he present day took us to his old school or walked down the street with his sister and they talked to present New Yorkers. There was even old footage shown of his parents who finally died near the century mark.

Although the focus was on the work, there was enough of a human dimension presented here to make this a very important summing up of a creative life while the creator is still around to share it. If you love his work, you need this film in your collection.

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I admire Woody Allen as a man of many talents, a writer, comedian, musician and filmmaker. His best films have everything I look for in a comedy (or dramedy, he is especially good in making them) brilliance, wit, clever writing, hilarious and sinister twist in the plot, amazing performances, authentic feel of the era and great musical score. I admire his respect for the audience: "I never write down to them. I always assume that they're all as smart as I am... if not smarter."

For someone who has been a fan of Allen's works for many years and seen every movie he was a part of, whether as a writer/ director, star or all of the above, Woody Allen: A Documentary is the next best thing to watching Allen's films. I was entertained, learned something new about my favorite film-maker, and once again was fascinated with his productive and unique career that has spanned over six decades. The DVDs with Allen's films don't usually include a lot of bonus materials, such as making of behind the scenes; so, watching the documentary filled with the clips from many Allen's films and listening to the interviews with the stars have added to better understanding of the man behind 40 + films many of which belong to the best ever made.

Allen is known as a multi-talented artist the stand-up comedian, musician, actor and, of course, a film director. But the documentary confirmed what I've assumed already that he considers himself primarily a writer who has been writing for a living since he was 15 and started composing the jokes and one-liners for a local paper making $75 a week not bad for a teenager back in the 1950s. At the age of 19, he started writing scripts for the most popular television shows of the time. Allen has authored the Broadway plays, the books of prose and non-fiction, and the scripts to every movie he ever made for which he has been awarded 14 Oscar nominations in the category Best Original Screenplay, more than any film-maker ever. I was genially moved when Woody confessed that all these years he's been using the old typewriter Olympia and he is not going to change it for one of latest and fastest computers with the useful word processing programs. He proudly announced that he is a very fast typist.

For two evenings, in two parts of the documentary, each 1,5 hours long, Allen himself, his younger sister-producer Letty Aronson, his friends, business associates, and the famous, respectable and talented members of the prestigious "I've acted in Allen's film(s)" actors, gave the grateful audiences the insight into the phenomenon called Woody Allen, his persona, his works, his unique place in the cultural life of America, his origins, influences, his Muses, and his work ethics. Allen came out in the interviews which are more valuable because they are rare as a moving, deprecated, very clever, funny and charming person. I know many would not share my opinion but I am a loyal fan, and the documentary was made for people like me. If you have problems with the certain facts from Allen's biography you should spend three hours with something else.

Watching the documentary, I was happy to learn that Allen has good genes :) his father lived to be 100 and his mother died when she was 96 big chance that Woody would keep writing/directing for many years to come and never lose his wit, sense of humor and incredible talent and lust for life. What is 76 for him? Just a small number. He makes me a happy viewer, always has and I wish him long years of happy and productive life.

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This was the perfect time in Woody's career to do a documentary on him he still looks wonderful, the picture of health, and he's sharp and has a lot to say. Maybe at a little slower pace than in the old days, but what he lacks in exuberance, he makes up for in in-the-trenches, sage wisdom.

I love his hand-off approach to actors, something I had heard a little about, but it became more clear in this documentary. He's the opposite of a "control freak" which I think is neat for someone is his position. I love the way he doesn't really care if people like his movies, and then, when it is least expected, he makes a "Midnight in Paris" which is now quietly gaining attention in a way that was not expected yay! The only thing I REALLY REALLY miss is Woody starring in his movies. I don't like it when he casts others in "his" part because only HE can be HIM. The only actor that works in "his spot" would be Larry David that I can buy. But I hope he will consider starring in his movies again I really miss him, so for now, I will have to be content watching Annie Hall, Play It Again Sam, Manhattan and Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex (my favorites) over and over again. I see Annie Hall and Manhattan will be released on Blu-Ray end of Jan 2012 can't wait, and wish this documentary and other movies of his would come out on blu-ray. He's the best a legend and a genius!!

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Velvet Goldmine (1998)

An oddball film that chronicles the rise and fall of an early 1970s glam rock star, Velvet Goldmine almost defies categorization. While separating fiction from fact can be tricky, the story is based pretty much on the life of David Bowie; some details have been tweaked for dramatic effect, but there's surprisingly little deviation from just about any biography that's ever been written about him. The non-linear narrative takes the viewer into the glittery world of one Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) and the entourage surrounding him. Slade had created an alter-ego for himself called Maxwell Demon (as Bowie created Ziggy Stardust), and the character had almost come to eclipse Slade himself. After an on-stage stunt literally backfires, Slade's fans revolted against him, and the singer vanished into drugs and obscurity.

His story is conveyed in flashbacks when, in 1984, journalist Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) is assigned to write a tenth anniversary retrospective on Slade and perhaps uncover the singer's ultimate fate. Arthur interviews Slade's first manager, Cecil (Michael Feast) and then his bitter ex-wife, Mandy (Toni Collette), and from them pieces together Slade's early background as a musician, including the players who proved crucial to his career: maverick second manager Jerry Devine (Eddie Izzard), unstable proto-punk rocker Kurt Wild (Ewan McGregor), and deceptively shy wardrobe mistress Shannon (Emily Woof). Arthur of course is no mere bystander to all these events; the unfolding story reveals that he was a huge fan of Slade, turning to music as an escape during his troubled adolescence. In digging up Slade's past, he also unleashes a lot of his own demons, and the story is just as much Arthur's as Brian's.

Although the film stands as a loving homage to glitter, it also doesn't hesitate to reveal that the core of the phenomenon was essentially empty. Somehow, Velvet Goldmine manages to both celebrate and condemn glam rock: Slade starts his career as a naive singer-songwriter with some interesting and unusual ideas, but once Devine's corporate machine takes over, Slade's creativity is stifled to the point where he's a prisoner of his own artifice. Ultimately, the pre-fabricated exterior is all that's left of him.

Teasing out the narrative thread is no easy feat. Velvet Goldmine is liberally draped in yards of trappings: musical interludes, documentary sequences, images that often go unexplained and don't add much; there's characters, scenes, and plot threads that serve no purpose other than window dressing. Some of this proves effective (a take on early music video is a real hoot), but much of the excess could've been trimmed away in the interests of tightening the story. While Arthur's investigation into the Slade mystery is handled well, other plot elements needed more attention.

Bowiephiles will recognize every phase of their idol's early career: the dapper mod, the curly-haired hippie, the cross-dressed singer-songwriter, the flamboyant glam rocker (there's even a very fun poke at Serious Moonlight-era Bowie that cleverly ties into the main plot). The characters mirror exactly those in Bowie's orbit, but viewers who don't know the characters and don't get the jokes/ references are apt to find themselves baffled, not to mention put off by the film's excesses.

Anyone willing to sift through the spangles and feathers, however, will be rewarded with some terrific acting. Ewan McGregor is mostly wasted as the unstable Kurt Wild--he has a couple of knockout performance sequences, but Wild otherwise spends most of his scenes drugged out and exploding in angry diatribes; although McGregor gets top billing, Wild is really a supporting player. Izzard is a lot of fun as the oily Devine; Woof handles Shannon's transformation from innocent schoolgirl to shrewd operator with aplomb; Feast is terrifically droll in his work as the ignominiously discarded Cecil. Bale is utterly fearless as Arthur: he has to put across a lot of weakness and shyness and self-doubt, as well as Arthur's sexual awakening. Many actors wouldn't have touched this character with the proverbial ten-foot pole, but Bale handles the material--including one humiliating moment in Arthur's life--without the slightest hint of self-consciousness. Toni Colette is a marvel, taking her character from naive party girl to cynical rock wife to jaded, washed-up ex--she's funny and subtle and outrageous, suggesting a deep and genuine love for Brian, pain and betrayal when he essentially dumps her for Kurt, and finally weary bitterness that the world at large has forgotten her. Of all the characters, Mandy seems to have truly loved the wild circus of glam rock, and she longs for the past with a touching sense of nostalgia.

As terrific as all these performances are, the film belongs to Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, whose turn as Bowie is nothing short of riveting. A kind of raw sexual energy seems to pour out of him; he's magnetic, and much like Bowie himself, it's impossible to take your eyes off him. The physical resemblance is particularly uncanny, and Rhys-Meyers gets all the little details down perfectly: the expressions, the posture, the body language. Like Bale, he tackles the role head-on, and it's a testament to his skill that he conveys such depth of emotion through layers of costume, wig, and makeup. Even his reedy voice evokes the young Bowie, and yes, that's him singing in four different numbers (two of them were left off the movie's soundtrack CD). This role, more than any of his others, brings home the depth and extent of JRM's talent. Everyone in the film is stellar, but only Rhys-Meyers seems touched with genuine prodigy. Anyone who admires him as an actor shouldn't miss him here.

Velvet Goldmine's other great strength is its music, which consists of classic tunes from the era, as well as songs specifically written for the film. The overall effect is of a long-lost Bowie album, and it's a pity that two or three show-stoppers were left off the soundtrack. Music is of course inextricably linked to story in this type of film, used to illuminate character and propel the narrative. A couple of set pieces don't work, but mostly the music is wonderful, melding perfectly to the visual images and adding depth to each scene.

Velvet Goldmine plainly isn't a movie for everyone, and almost certainly some would find it unwatchable; mileage will vary greatly depending on one's tolerance for gay characters, men in drag, and a heightened sense of camp. There's also a *lot* of sex (gay, straight, group, and solo) and full frontal nudity (male and female)--the film is rated R for a very good reason. Velvet Goldmine can probably be summed up as a diamond in the rough--the viewer may need to do some chipping, but the glittering facets that are revealed make the effort worthwhile.

Many of this film's critics make the mistake of taking it too literally though based on Bowie's life, it's not intended to be accurate or biographical. It is a glam fantasy, both beautiful and painful at the same time. The story is very complex, but every bit of it is worthwhile, so if you didn't "get it" the first time around, try watching it again! I have seen Velvet Goldmine many times, and every time there is something new that I notice, or something else to think about. Todd Haynes' script and direction and pure genius, and that's all there is to it!

I can not find fault with a single of the actors each of the stars gives a incredible performance. Toni Collette, Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Ewan McGregor give depth and emotion to characters, so that even at their harshest or most brutal moments, one can't help but feel for them. Micko Westmoreland (aka The Bowling Green) is a standout as Jack Fairy, who is glamour personified. There is wonderful chemistry between the male leads, who truly bring to life the movie's gay romance. Their on-screen kiss is more passionate and beautiful than any I have ever seen on film, gay or straight.

But before you start taking the movie too seriously, it's also great fun! You can analyze it, which is worthwile, or you can pop it in for a night of fluff and glamour. Everything is visually exciting... feathers, sequins, spaceships, and glitter everwhere. Not to mention the music! Perhaps the most valuable thing I gained from this movie was an introduction to a genre of music I knew nothing about. How did I survive for so long without Roxy Music?

I HIGHLY recommend this movie!

"Once upon a time, not so long ago, the children of the revolution looked up into the sky. And there, hovering amid a boulevard of stars, was a vision of the future as strange and dazzling as any dream. What they saw that night no one can ever say. But what they heard can still be heard today."

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The Glam Rock movement was as much about shocking as it was anything else. In its way it took itself more seriously than any popular art form. The artists seemed to lie to themselves and each other with a pretense that nothing mattered, when the reality was that EVERYTHING mattered too much. The affected hairstyles, glitter, platform shoes, outrageous clothing, faux-bisexuality combined belied its phony "I don't care" attitude.

Todd Hayne's captures all of this brilliantly in Velvet Goldmine. He is ably aided by a cast who give startlingly nuanced performances and though each succeeds in bringing off the poseur hard-edge to their performances each character is afforded opportunity to also reveal a fragility that is the heart of their performance. Despite all the shock and "glam" we are watching people who are no more than children, unguided trying to make their way in a world technology, morals, where civilization itself was changing faster than anyone could keep up with. The center of the movie seems to be the observation of watching innocence shattered and failed attempts to recapture it and understand the confusion surrounding it.

Haynes understands music as well or better than any currently working director and "Goldmine" more than any of his other films almost feels as though it is following a symphonic form, repeating its motifs and driving home its confused, distraught yet ultimately hopeful message through its innocence. Visually as well as aurally and every other way Haynes scrupulous attention to detail pays off with a rewarding film that won't be to all likings, but is very nearly brilliant in every way.

The plot/storyline is often blurred and difficult to follow and once you can accept that this must have been an intentional element, said difficulty almost becomes the point where the actual story isn't as strong as the observation the film seems to be making.

The trio of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Ewan McGregor, and Toni Collete are nothing short of remarkable in capturing the jumbled, mass of confusion their characters are. Each tortured in their own way, each attempting to "live out loud" and each failing miserably. Likewise, Christian Bale is the perfect picture of confused dysfunction, searching and living in a world where the lines between dreaming and reality are further and further blurred to the point where it's impossible to tell the separation if there is one between the two. Amazing performances all the way around.

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The 70s glam rock movement in the UK hearalded an openly gay glitter lifestyle that rocked staid Brits. Todd Haynes ode to the era of glam is not a biopic of David Bowie and Iggy Pop. Instead, its the fictional story of Brian Slade (Johnathan Rhys-Meyers) and Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor) who prance and vamp through hoards of groupies, hangers on, and entourages of press leaving devistation everywhere. Pretentious with attitude and posing de regeur for the era, these characters wallow in their shallowness. Visual kudos for great eyemakeup for men and spandex for all. Sandy Powells outstanding designs were nominated for an Oscar for costumes. Ewan McGregor's randy performance au natural singing "T.V. Eye" is hot and one could easily see him turning from acting to a singing career. Toni Collette, so heartwarming in Muriel's Wedding, is a sour, left in the dust wife, her ambition and desire for the limelight went only as far as her husband's need for a convenient beard. In the role of the singer's agent, Eddie Izzard, the fabulous executive transvestite comedian plays a straight in the film. This ode to sex, drugs, and platform shoes has several outstanding performances including Christian Bale as the reporter who investigates the WEHT faded rocker. Goldmine is at times wistful yet never goes overboard. It is believeable in its outlandish camp. The video or DVD is worth owning. I have both and the PAL-video special edition which contains minimal differences from the US and British released theatrical versions. Reminder: to be played at maximum volume.

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Normally, hollywood will go out of its way to find the perfect looking actresses and they will make them the center of attention... the flower of the film that all the males try to win over. Velvet Goldmine, with the help of gay director Todd Haynes, has shifted its focus to a new light, males. It portrays them as beautiful & sensuous creatures something that sets this film apart! It was completely refreshing to see this new gender perspective. If you have any sense of art or appreciation of beauty, I highly recommend this off-beat film.

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RV (2006)

Okay, I actually loved this movie...I thought it was funny and entertaining and just what I needed to see, something pointless and yet does the trick perfectly. You can always rely of Robin Williams for that. No, it's not the smartest comedy but it's not like we thought we were walking into 'Fargo' people, we were walking into a family vacation comedy that's full of slapstick laughs and gross humor, and that should be what you expected. Robin Williams plays Bob, a man whose a slave to his job, a job he's afraid he may lose. He's so afraid that he actually cancels his family's vacation to Hawaii and takes them on an RV trip to Colorado with hopes to sneak off to a meeting with his germaphobe boss in order to keep his job. Along the way (of course keeping his true intentions secret) he tries to recreate the bond he once had with his family. This of course starts of shakey since neither his wife (Cheryl Hines) nor his children, teenage daughter Cassie (JoJo) whose going through her rebelous "i hate mommy and daddy" stage and his young son Carl (Josh Hutcherson) whose insecure about his small size, are supportive. But after all the problems with sewage, weird hillbilly RV neighbors the Gornicke family (led by Jeff Daniels and Kristin Chenoweth) and some pesky racoons their is a family bonding moment that is shattered by a bowel problem (sort-of) a sinking RV and the exposure of Bob's secret meeting. In the end, RV may be predictable family fun, but the point still remains that it's family fun, and that's gotta amount to something.

I've read reviews of RV, and they uniformly panned the movie as piffle; humorous tripe that reinforced family values and light humor, wasting the talents of Robin Williams.

Give me a break.

See, the implication that the family road trip movie is somehow a form of high art is fallacious to begin with. Although my family (and my wife's family) venerates the National Lampoon vacation movies as the ultimate in comedy, the truth of the matter is it's all a string of silly gags and ridiculous foils. It takes real skill to play a perpetually optimistic patriarch in the face of modern indignities and family squabbles. If anything, the family road trip movie is really just a condensed version of half the sitcoms on television. And there's a reason those sitcoms are still around, even though the critics patiently explain over and over how dumb they are.

They're right. It IS dumb. But then, so is having to deal with the inanities of modern life. RV is merely an update of a long established tradition of pitting a man (Bob Munro played by Robin Williams), his hot wife (Cheryl Hines), his teenage daughter (Joanna Levesque) and pre-teen son (Josh Hutcherson) against the world and seeing who comes out on top. And we root for Bob all the way.

What makes RV so appealing is that it doesn't deviate at all from the formula but cleverly updates all the trials and tribulations. Bob's affection for his adorable daughter at two years old is sharply contrasted by her wisecracking personality as a teenager. How many parents stare at their kids and wonder what happened to the darling who never wanted to leave their side? Bob's career hinges on finishing a presentation, and much of the movie is taken up with his personal struggle to find a signal for his Blackberry. Road warriors feel his pain. And as an older, funnier man, Bob constantly has to watch his back as younger, inexperienced climbers try to steal the spotlight.

In short, the Monroe struggles are the new struggles of the middle class. Sure, Clark Griswold didn't have these problems, but then the National Lampoon movies were made decades ago. RV brings it all up to date with one difference: unlike Cousin Eddie and his brood, the country folk are actually the wiser and more decent family. We could learn a lot from their home values, preaches Brother Sonnenfeld. Maybe he's right.

When RV was playing at my parents' house, we were waiting for my brother to join us to watch a DVD. Instead, we watched (and laughed at) RV all the way through.

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In the mode of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S FAMILY VACATION is not a negative thing. This is an energetic and often quite funny family film. The theater we saw it in (Palm Desert, California) was nearly full with a cross section of seniors to kids. People laughed together and often.

The movie is fast paced with great outdoor cinematography. The plot has some twists and surprises and a real treat is Jeff Daniels and Kristen Chenoweth as parents of a permanent RV living (Christian?) family that are not treated as buffoons or easy targets for satire.

And that's the other thing that I liked about this light-hearted comedy; i.e., it has a moral center. Without being preachy in any way, the right things happen as all the loose ends are tied up in an unexpected (to me, anyway) and satisfying ending.

It's nice to see Robin Wiliams in a family film comedy again.

Jaded newspaper and TV reviewers weren't all that enthusiastic about this film, but audiences sure are. It was the top box office new movie the week it opened.

Better than expected and recommended.

Read Best Reviews of RV (2006) Here

I must say I didn't think much of this movie when I first saw the previews in theaters, and so I let it slide to DVD before renting it. And I was suprised. It's not just a stolen script from the famous "Vacation" movie with chevy chase, who was a father that acknowledged their family problems and tried to fix them by going of vacation. This revolves around the theme of a workaholic father, the "perfect" stay at home wife, and their two spoiled kids, in which the father who is actually using this RV expedition as a selfish work tool, feeding the poor system. And what a better setting for a comedy than the roads of america in a huge rolling tin can, or turdmobile, whichever you prefer. Robin Williams was the perfect choice for the Father roll and did a masterful job at portraing it. And in the end, the family finds out what it really means to be a family, and what greatness it can actually be. A real delight to watch, and a suprise. So again, another case of not judging by the first short preview.

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The large picture of this movie is probably missed by most folks. It is about a family who is in relative distress and them finding what makes a family a family again. The on the go, upper middle class family with spoiled kids, a trophy wife, and a workaholic father, sign of the times. Quite a bit different than the "Vacation" movies of chevy chase. Robin Williams was a great choice to pull this role off. Overall a very good movie, enjoyable, and I hope you like it to.

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Body Heat / La Confidential / Player (2012)

I checked out all three transfers and supplements. Everything that's available on the single disc editions is included here. Except for the CD Soundtrack for L.A. Confidential, which is included on that individual release. Three solid films for film enthusiasts, fans, makers. And the average movie lover will no doubt be thrilled at having these three discs (and they are 3 separate discs in the case) in their collection. How can one not recommend this. One can't not recommend this.

While the blu-ray film quality is not jaw-dropping, they are a big improvement over the regular DVD's. All three are excellent film noir style movies.

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I really bought this because I wanted a copy of "L.A. Confidential". The other two movies are a bonus, and I like all the films.

Read Best Reviews of Body Heat / La Confidential / Player (2012) Here

K-ON! Volume 4 (2011)

The hugely popular animated series "K-ON!" is back with its third volume on Blu-ray and DVD and this time, a new member named Azusa Nakano joins the band!

So, what is "K-ON!"? Well, it happens to be one of the hottest anime series in Japan that has not only dominated in the TV ratings but also on Japan's Oricon music charts!

The series has been a phenomenon as it has attracted fans all over the world, those who want to cosplay as the characters, those who want to sing like the characters and those who want to play the music of the characters. Just one look on YouTube and you can see how passionate people are for this series!

"K-ON!" began as a four-panel comic strip written and illustrated by kakifly and the manga would then be serialized in Houbunsha's seinen manga magazine "Manga Time Kirara" between May 2007-October 2010. In April 2011, the manga was relaunched on both "Manga Time Kirara" and Houbunsha's magazine "Manga Time Kirara Carat" with two separate storylines.

The popularity of the manga series led to a 13-episode anime TV series which aired in Japan on April-June 2009, an OVA episode in Jan. 2010 and a 26-episode second season titled "K-ON!!" which aired in Japan from April through Sept. 2010 and a new OVA released in March 2011.

The series would also lead to a Sony PSP music rhythm video game and now fans in Japan are awaiting for the film adaptation set for Dec. 3, 2011.

As for fans in the United States, there has been high anticipation for its anime release and the first two volumes are now available courtesy of Bandai Entertainment and in Sept. 2011, a third volume featuring episodes 9-11 is out on Blu-ray and DVD.

"K-ON!" is a play on the Japanese word "keiongaku" (light music) and the series follows four high school students of Sakuragaoka Girl's High School who are members of the "keiongaku" club.

In the first volume, the four characters featured thus far in the series are Yui Hirasawa, a naive and clumsy student entering high school who is not entirely sure what she wants to do in terms of extracurricular activities. While she tries to figure out what she wants to do, two other students, Ritsu Tainaka and Mio Akiyama join the keiongaku club to find out that most of the members have graduated and the only way they can keep the club open is if they have four members.

Because Ritsu plays the drums and Mio plays the bass guitar, they hope they can find other musicians and form a band.

Fortunately, a new member joins the group, Tsumugi Kobobuki, a student from a wealthy family who plays a Korg Triton Extreme 76-key keyboard. Now all they need is one member.

While Yui is trying to think of activities to do, she sees a flyer for the keiongaku club and in her mind, she remembers light music as something she did when she was young student in elementary school and so she joins. Meanwhile, the other three members are happy because with a fourth member, the club will stay alive but also the fact that maybe Yui is a guitarist and now, they can start their own band.

But Yui is not a musician and if anything, what she loves about the club is the ability to eat desserts and drink tea with the other members but when the three members perform in front of her, she becomes inspired and wants to be a member of the club and be part of the band.

The second volume focuses on the club dynamics, having to find an advisor for the club in order for the club to exist and the band preparing for their very first live performances and preparing for another school year in which they hope to attract more members to the club.

The third volume is here and it focuses on the introduction of a new club member Azusa Nakano, a friend of Yui's sister Ui and a guitarist and the group trying to make her feel comfortable around them.

The fourth volume of "K-ON!" marks the final volume for the first season and features the two final TV episodes plus the OVA.

With the band having practiced together for so long, especially with new member Azusa, it's time once again for a new live performance at the school festival. But unfortunately, Yui has caught a cold and is very sick. The band wonders if Yui will be better before their live performance.

The final TV episode features a storyline that features a storyline of each member who have decided to do their own thing for winter vacation. Everyone is keeping their lips sealed of what their plans are, but Yui wants to have a hotpot party. Will the group eventually hang out before their winter break is over?

And the OVA features the band being invited to perform with other female bands for a live gig. Will Hokago Tea Time be ready for their first live performance outside of a school function?

"K-ON!: Volume 4' features the following episodes:

EPISODE 12: Light Music! The band has a new live performance but with Yui sick, will the band be ready to perform?

EPISODE 13: Winter Days! It's winter vacation and Yui hopes to get everyone together but unfortunately, everyone is busy and are out doing their own thing during vacation. Ritsu thinks she has a secret admirer, Mio travels in order to come up with inspiration to write lyrics, Azusa is taking care of a friend's cat and Tsumugi takes a job at a fast food restaurant.

EPISODE 14 (OVA): Live House! When Hokago Team Time are invited to perform with other bands for their first live gig, how will their first experience performing outside of a school function be?

VIDEO:

"K-ON!" is an anime series that is stylishly created but also features beautifully painted art backgrounds. Presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 anamorphic widescreen), one thing that I love to see when it comes to anime series is the attention to detail when covering a modern setting.

A lot of TV series tend to not make the backgrounds of a city landscape so detailed and tend to put a lot of recycled trees, dirt and sky but "K-ON!", is not one of those anime series. There are scenes and also still images of natural settings that are beautifully painted and added to the series. There is detail for the instruments, for the desserts and I felt that with each episode, aside from the practice room and the wideshot image of their school, there was always something new being featured in terms of location. So, the color palette of the series is full of color and nothing is stale or seemed regurgitated.

With that being said, the colors are a bit saturated but for an anime TV series (which is expected) but the OVA does feature more vibrant colors and a bit more detail.

For the many decades I have watched Japanese animation, for anime series that are set in a modern Tokyo setting, I prefer anime series that focused on the smallest details, such as what is inside their bedrooms and home. What's inside the stores when they go shopping, etc. I love seeing those details instead of the typical walls or trees that are part of the banality anime TV series.

"K-ON!" is one of those series where those little things matter and for me, those attention to small details enhanced my appreciation for the series.

AUDIO:

If there was a weak side of this Blu-ray release, I'm sure the audiophiles might be a bit cranky that the soundtrack is not Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA. What you get is an English and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. What surprised me is the fact that even with the work for the English dub version, there was no change to make it a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack or to increase the bitrate for Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA. But for a Blu-ray release, those who expect lossless audio are going to fret about it, while those who have been waiting for this series to come out to the U.S. will be perfectly fine with the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.

Personally, I chose to have my receiver play the anime series with stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape. But nevertheless, with the awesome music featured in the series, it would have been wonderful to hear that music via uncompressed lossless.

As for the voice acting, I am a bit biased to the Japanese voice acting but I did watch the series also with the English dub soundtrack and for the most part, the voice acting will appeal to both fans who prefer one over the other.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"K-ON!: Volume 4' comes with the following special features:

Brush Pen, Ballpoint Pen Music Video The English dub music video for "Brush Pen, Ballpoint Pen".

Interview with Shelby Lindley (6:00) English dub voice actress Shelby Lindley talks about how she got the part as Tsumugi Kotobuki but also her approach to voice acting and how different she is from the character.

Trailers Bandai Entertainment trailers

JUDGMENT CALL:

And the final volume of "K-ON!" is here and the first thing that comes to my mind is how I want more episodes of this awesome, fun and exciting rock n' roll anime series.

I love this series! And loved the progression of the Hokago Tea Time band and how each of these young ladies grew up together to become a band that can actually perform quite well and start playing their first major gig.

I love the fact that it focuses on normal high school life but also the formation of a band and the dynamics with each of the members as they go through their ups and downs but also the little cute quirks that come with each character.

I typically don't go crazy over anime series, nor am I the hardcore fan that goes out and buys anything after I see a series but this is probably the first time since I watched an anime series such as "Ranma 1/2' back in 1992, where I went out and started buying merchandise related to the series. In fact, I have purchased the PSP video game, the Figma figures and it has become one of my favorite series that I have really got into in a very long time in this manner.

The music is awesome! The characters are entertaining. The animation and art backgrounds were very good and for the most part, it has been a long time, possibly since "Azumanga Daioh" in which I really enjoyed gakusei-based anime series (student anime series focused on a school setting).

If anything, while the episode "Light Music!" eventually shows us Azusa now playing live with the band, the growth is seen in the OVA episode "Live House!" as the band ventures out of the school setting and are performing with other bands who perform different styles of music. You sense their fear when they started out but eventually learned along the way.

So, I look at these two performance episodes as growth episodes for each of these characters. The final TV episode #13 was rather interesting because it is a story about individuals not relying on the group. For the majority of all episodes, these teenagers are together. But for "Winter Days!", they are busy and want to do their own thing for winter vacation. You would never think of a wealthy daughter such as Tsumugi wanting to work at a fast food restaurant, Azusa's fear of cats, Ritsu finally removing the headband and showing us how she looks with bangs and of course, there is Mio...trying to create more music.

So, I'm quite happy that this episode was created because it gives us insight to the characters outside of the group and the band.

The final volume of "K-ON!" was absolutely fun and entertaining and now is the big question, will Bandai bring the 26-episode+OVA to Blu-ray? I hope so!

But I'm loving "K-ON!" and if you are an anime fan who loves a straight-up, feel-good anime series with nothing dark, nothing to risque but something just all out-fun, give "K-ON!" a chance! It's a wonderful anime series on Blu-ray and there is really nothing like it out there (although one may want to check out the live action film "Linda Linda" if they are interested in a storyline of all-girl rock bands).

Overall, another exciting, fun and entertaining volume of "K-ON!" and definitely one of my top three picks of must-own anime series on Blu-ray for 2011!

Definitely recommended!

K-On is an excellent Series, Combining Musical Features with Reality, Making it feel like you are apart of a band! (I have Previous Band Experience.) Going through the motivation, and fun events and learning about each-other more and more.

Buy K-ON! Volume 4 (2011) Now

Great lighthearted series about a group of high school students joining a music club that I would recommend for anyone or even families to watch.

Read Best Reviews of K-ON! Volume 4 (2011) Here

I can enjoy this blu-ray because blu-ray system is quite same in Japan and USA.

I can also study English and enjoy pretty stories at the same time.

It was delieved earlier than I expected.

Want K-ON! Volume 4 (2011) Discount?

I now have all the blu-rays in this series (currently up to no. 4) and it is really good fun! The story follows initially four (later five) high-school girls who form a band in an after-school club, and the ups and downs of their progress in life, school and the world of music. The characters, Yui (guitar Les Paul Standard), Mio (bass left-handed, 3-Colour Sunburst Fender Jazz Bass), Tsumugi (known as Mugi keyboards Korg Triton Extreme 76-key keyboard) and Ritsu (known as Ricchan drums yellow Rick Marotta Signature Yamaha Hipgig drum kit), are all lovable and cute, and musicians will appreciate a lot of what they go through in their efforts to make it into the music big-time. Later episodes see another band member, Azusa, adding a second guitar (Fender Mustang) to their line up. The story is detailed, innocent, cute and funny I loved it! Highly recommended, whether you are a musician or not!

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