District B13

Set in the year of 2010, `Dictrict B13' features two no-nonsense fighters Damian and Leito in the titular crime-infested area near the city of Paris. They fight the drug-addicted kingpin and his thugs before finally saving the world too. The story of French action film `District B13' (written by Luc Besson) needs lots of suspense of disbelief even though in reality we recently witnessed the outbreak of riots in this country. Still the actions of are all first-rate, and the two leads of the film Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle are more impressive than any other famous names from the Hollywood products.

Part buddy-buddy movie features crime-fighting Damian (stunt-turned actor Cyril Raffaelli, `Kiss of the Dragon') and ex-thug Leito (David Belle), both of whom have to join forces to accomplish the missions of their own. Not much is original, I admit, as far as the script by Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri (the latter also appears as the mobster) is concerned, but we are not watching this film for the story, and you should know it.

[EYE-POPPING STUNTS] The film will grab your attention from the opening section, where Leito runs away from the thugs sent from the gangster. For incredibly agile David Belle, jumping on the rooftops from one building to the other (like Jackie Chan in `Rumbles in Bronx') is not enough. Before doing these breath-taking stunts, he actually climbs down on the wall of the building, jumping from a balcony to the one below. And that's only the beginning of the eye-popping action sequences, in which like Buster Keaton he keeps running inside and outside of the buildings, and his rhythmical movements are often so beautiful that you might forget that he is really doing a death-defying actions.

[NO WIRE, NO CGI] Cyril Raffaelli is also great, showing the martial arts skills only the real stunt persons can reveal. You just have to see their stunts that are done by the actors themselves without using any wire and special effects (that's why it was shot in Romania, where the regulations are less strict). Their stunts remind the film fans of one Thai movie `Ong-Bak,' but the stunts in this French actioner are done in a different style with more vertical movements and less bone-crunching fighting. And they are both fantastic.

This is a non-stop French action hugely entertaining with incredible actions. You may not like the preposterous story, but once these actions start, you just cannot blink a second.

One of the best action adventure movies I have ever seen. Good story, sufficient surprises and plot twists. Faced paced action and well edited. The IMDB.com reviews say it all.

The star actors are athletes displaying their abilities in the newest sport called, Parkour. It is a type of hybrid form of running and jumping in urban settings, inspired by the martial arts. All stunts were performed by the principal actors, themselves.

The English dub track is intended for a British audience, but that is not too distracting. Cool music soundtrack that adds to the suspense.

I bought this because I could not rent it. Glad I bought it. Worth the $30 or so.

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If you crossed one of John Carpenter's Snake Plissken films with one of the early Hong Kong shoot-em ups made by John Woo and added a boat-load of Jackie Chan styled acrobatics and bone-crunching martial arts, then you might be able to imagine the incredible action set-pieces that are welded to a super-cool futuristic dystopian setting in DISTRICT 13. Anyone who likes sci fi actioners should see it. Within the first 3 minutes I was completely pulled in by the pumping techno soundtrack and the super-stylish camera-prowl thru the decayed streets. DISTRICT 13 is, hands down, one of the best action movie I've seen in the last 25 years. Check it out.

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The first thing you take away from this film are the incredible action set pieces. These include some stunning fight scenes, but the most unbelievable is the parkour sequence that starts the film. If you've seen a Jackie Chan flick where he scampers up the side of a building or over a fence, you've got the idea of the type of action that constitutes parkour. Now string together dozens of those stunts as the hero runs from some thugs. See the movie for this if for no other reason. If you aren't blown away by it, you probably can rest assured that you will never like any martial arts film.

The second time I saw the film, I realized something else. The acting is great. You have not one, but two strong action leads. They are both in fantastic physical shape and fight with grace, but manage to bring a lot of depth to their characters. The villain, Taha, is efficiently ruthless and his head goon, K2, starts as a brute, but evolves through the film. The sister is great, too.

I won't spend a lot of time defending the plot. It is set in the near future and Paris has walled in some of the rougher neighborhoods like Escape From New York. There is a bomb and some sinister government machinations. That said, relatively speaking, this story line is The Godfather compared to most martial arts flicks. The movie is well paced so you aren't spending a lot of down time wondering if you should just fast forward to the next fight. Plus there is barely a scene that isn't accented by the phsyical prowess of the two leads.

The DVD has both the original French and an English dub, both in 5.1 or stereo. There are a few minutes of outakes and an extended version of the casino fight that are worth a look, but nothing incredible. The best feature is an hour long making of that has lots of behind the scenes footage and interviews. Well worth a watch if you enjoyed the movie.

I consider this to be a flawless action film (face it more plot would have just hampered the action). Buy it, love it, you won't regret it.

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What makes District B13 work is the charisma of the two protagonists, especially Leito. At first, you think he's some junkie scumbag but he doesn't use or sell the drugs, he destroys them. Not to mention that your heart goes out to him once you see his sister get snatched by the bad guys and then turned into a zombified junkie. Leito also has mad skills, jumping, punching and kicking anything that stands in his way. Even though Damien doesn't have something personal at stake like Leito (and so you root for him slightly less) but he doesn't want to see two million die if that bomb goes off. Like Leito, he's an accomplished fighter but his forte is with guns.

If District B13 feels like the premise of Escape from New York mixed with the aesthetic of Transporter, it's because Luc Besson co-wrote this film and The Transporter. And like with that film, Besson strips it down to the basic genre conventions, keeping the running time down to a lean 89 minutes. District B13 has a crisp, slick look with fast-paced, kinetic action and a thumping, pulsating electronica soundtrack that matches the visuals perfectly. This is a wonderful piece of eye candy and a lot of fun to watch if you're into these kinds of adrenaline-rush action movies.

"Making of District B13" features cast and crew members talking about how quickly the film came together. Amazingly, most of the main actors are primarily known as comedians although you wouldn't know it from watching this movie. We also get some insight into how a few of the stunts were pulled off including rehearsal footage of the stunt men practicing fight moves and choreographing elaborate stunts.

"Extended Fight Scene Casino" presents a slightly longer, slightly more violent version of the exciting casino action sequence where Damien takes on many bad guys.

Finally, there are "Outtakes," a collection of blown lines and goofs during the fight scenes.

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Black Rain (Special Collector's Edition)

I'm not sure why this movie is described as a 'guilty pleasure'. I don't feel at all bad about liking it. And I do like it, a lot.

For one thing, I like Michael Douglas. I liked him thirty years ago in _The Streets of San Francisco_, I liked him even better after he turned _One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest_ from a great book and a great stage play into a great motion picture, and I've kept right on liking him every time he's gotten himself cast in a stylish, well-scripted film.

And this _is_ a stylish, well-scripted film. It's every bit as dark as you expect from Ridley Scott, and although there's a fairly well-defined villain, the 'heroes' are morally ambiguous. I like that in a movie.

The reviewers who say Michael Douglas's character Nick Conklin is an 'ugly American' are right, but they seem to have missed the fact that this is part of the point. This film is a fairly ambitious, though not terribly deep, attempt to bring off an East-meets-West theme in what looks superficially like just another buddy-cop movie. The 'black rain' of the title is one of the aftereffects of the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and it's the symbolic stand-in for the Western 'decadence' bemoaned by the more traditional Nipponese (even the crime bosses).

But that doesn't mean Japan wins the dramatic argument. On the contrary, the Nipponese cop (played with endearing self-effacement by Ken Takakura) learns a few things from his new cowboy friend 'Nick-san' too. (And the karaoke scene with Takakura and Andy Garcia is priceless.)

Kate Capshaw doesn't really need an excuse to appear in a film, and that's good, because here she doesn't really have one. She's an expatriate American who inexplicably keeps turning up at the center of the action. She gives the film a bit of _Casablanca_-like flavor, but it's more a matter of mood than anything else.

I won't tell you anything about the plot except that it involves the Japanese underworld and that it zips along at a fast clip. Don't look away or you'll miss something.

The whole thing is rendered most atmospherically, with the sort of dark and brooding edge that I like in a film (and at which Ridley Scott excels). In general I'm not the biggest fan of Hans Zimmer's scores, but for the most part he's used pretty effectively here.

This is a first-rate action-adventure thriller, and I don't feel the slightest bit 'guilty' for taking a very great deal of pleasure in it.

I really enjoyed this when I watched it back at the cinema in 1989.Last year I found out that it was available on dvd and made the purchase without prior knowledge of the picture quality.The film still impresses me but I am very much disappointed with the picture quality,which is grainy and has fading color. It's a pity Paramount has overlooked this film.I am looking forward to seeing a SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION release which includes:an anamorphic widescreen transfer,a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX sound,English subtitle(the current one doesn't even have this standard feature!),audio commentary with Ridley Scott and/or Michael Douglas,interviews,or other featurettes of the film. What do you say PARAMOUNT ?

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Before I review Black Rain, let me tell you that I agree with some of the previous reviewers that the picture quality of this DVD (its better on VHS) is totally unacceptable. When I first watched it, I had to check my cable connections to make sure they weren't at fault. What a let-down. Mr. Scott should be raising hell over this.

With that said, this is one of my favorite action movies. It portrays Detective Nick Conklin (Michael Douglas) as an outgoing, old-school cop who takes moral short-cuts to get the job done. His partner, a relatively new Detective (Andy Garcia) is along for the ride. They have a run-in with a Japanese mobster (Yakuza) named Sato. After arresting Sato for commiting two murders in a New York restaurant, the Detectives are ordered to escort him back to Japan to face charges there. They manage to let Sato escape as he arrives in Japan. A Japanese Detective (Ken Takarara) is assigned to help out the New York Detectives.

Douglas, Garcia and Takarara are excellenty cast in their respective roles. The screenplay is well written. I must say that the cinematography is really good. Japan, the once-conquered nation, is now an industrial powerhouse. But, like the U.S., it suffers from the ills of corruption and violence. Ridley Scott does a great job of showing the tension between the two cultures. The Japanese, "bound by duty and honor", and the Americans, loud and outspoken, are viewed as somewhat obnoxious by their counterparts. The musical score is incredible. Hans Zimmer really brings this movie to life with an array of Japanese and American-themed music that injects just the right amount of tension for the corresponding scene. Brilliantly done.

This movie is 5-Star material, but the DVD version is a huge disapointment. I would wait to see if a special edition DVD comes out (I can only hope) with the video quality this movie deserves.

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REVIEW: The year is 1989 and so far in that decade we had some pretty cheesy action films. However, Ridley Scott took his approach to this story that if handled by anyone else would have ended up probably like any other 80's action flick. The story follows a renegade cop played by Michael Douglas and his partner played by Andy Garcia as they travel to Japan to deliver a convicted Japanese murderer back to the Japanese police to be imprisoned. When they arrive they are met by the police and hand over the prisoner, but things aren't that easy. The seemingly legit police officers were actually in disguise, and now Nick and Charlie clash with the Japanese culture and with their assigned guide from the Japanese police played by Ken Takakura.

The film follows the formula and if you put your head to it then of course this film will seem unoriginal, but that's not the point. I don't think anyone on the film thought they were creating a masterpiece. Ridley Scott is best known for creating worlds and really utilizing the setting of a film to shape the characters. Here he has Japan, a completely foreign land to most Americans, and he utilizes the setting perfectly. The film is very dark, color-wise. Most of the scenes take place at night and that's where we get the film's really vibrant lighting. Jan De Bont's cinematography really brings notice to the concrete jungle that is Japan and most of the scenes are lit by neon and florescent lights. This adds a harsh dark side to Michael Douglas' character, and that's appropriate since he is a flawed hero. Nick (Douglas) is not a likeable character at all, and that is why Charlie (Andy Garcia) is his partner. Charlie brings humor and charm to the film and the first half of the picture is actually carried on that character. Once we are focused on Douglas's character the film picks up speed and really opens more of his character as he builds a relationship with the Japanese policeman, Matsumoto (Takakura).

Michael Douglas gives his character a rough edge and he closes him up for the first two acts, and not until the third act do we see him start to open up. Douglas does a great job at crafting this flawed character. Andy Garcia is perfect as Douglas's opposite and brings the movie much needed life. Ken Takakura who has not done any American films besides this is great as a supporting character. Our villain is played by Yusaka Matsuda, one of those typical 80's action bad guys who doesn't talk that much and is all about the stare. It's the acting and the characters that makes this film's plot stand out from the rest, because if it were not for the characters then this movie would be forgotten in a month. Yes, Ridley Scott did craft the film into his style, and that did wonders for it, but if he had flat characters then it would be wasted.

VIDEO: The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. I was pretty bothered by the picture unfortunately. This transfer does not handle black well at all. In some scenes you can barely see the actors' faces, and I know that was not intentional from a creative standpoint. Jan De Bont's vivid lighting is brought to life and the neon shines sharply, but the picture overall is very soft. You will notice the blurriness of the picture mostly at the end of the film in the wine vineyard because it takes place during the day. Overall, not to impressed, especially since this is a double-dip.

AUDIO: The sound on the other hand is top notch. The old disc had a Dolby 5.1 mix, but with this new release we have an incredibly dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix. The picture is more about the atmosphere than it is about action, but it definitely enriched the viewing experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES: The old release was barebones, and surprisingly I was impressed with what was put together for this release. The bonus features consist of a "making of" documentary broken into 4 parts. The first part is about the pre-production of the film and runs for about 28 minutes. They go into the script and how they cast the film, it's great stuff. The production of the film is broken into two sections, a 20 minute part and a 7 minute part. They talk about the problems they had filming in Japan and how it was completely different than filming in America. We hear from the costume designer, the producers, the actors, Jan De Bont and his goals for the look of the film, and of course Ridley. The post production section talks about editing the film, scoring the film, and then the release of the film and public response. Hans Zimmer gets significant screen time and talks about his first film with Ridley Scott which would later lead to an incredible partnership. Zimmer is my idol and it was great watching him discuss this early work of his that would later become the structure for his scores to Batman Begins and The Last Samurai. There is also lots of resemblance to his score to Rain Man, which is how Ridley discovered him.

BOTTOM LINE: The film follows the formula, but Scott brings a new point of view to it and created a memorable, exciting, and entertaining picture. This is not the best film ever made and it's not Scott's best film, but it's a great action film that does everything it sets out to do.

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Great colors & action. Sound is superb. Douglas is a great action actor.

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Amazing Grace

Anyone who has seen AMISTAD or ROOTS needs to see the Michael Apted directed AMAZING GRACE which predates and fills in so much of the political and humanistic tug of war that existed concerning the awful dirty business of the African Slave Trade.Hollywood could not have conjectured a more true film than the actual true and inspiring life of William Wilberforce,a revered heroic figure in England,who,with the help of other abolitionists and political sympathizers,takes on the English Parliament and wins legislation to finally end the Slave Trade in 1807.This movie is SO significant because it is this piece of history that leads other European nations to follow suit in subsequent years and eventually to abolish the trade worldwide.Michael Apted has skillfully rescued this story from being another biopic,and has turned it into a sweeping epic that rings historically true.

No finer actor could have been chosen to play Wilberforce than the Emmy Award winning Welsh marvel Ioan Gruffudd,pronounced YO-an Griffith( HORATIO HORNBLOWER,SOLOMON AND GAENOR,VERY ANNIE MARY).Gruffudd positively understands the heart and soul of Wilberforce,and delivers a tender yet dynamic knockout performance of this absolutely giant among men whose inner convictions and powerful and persuasive rhetoric eventually win over Parliament in a nearly twenty year life-and-death struggle.

This film brings tremendously true and historical understanding of the political machine that was (and frankly still is) in place from 1785 to 1807.Historical figures argue and debate their opposing views while the lives of millions of innocent Africans and the fortunes and supremacies of national pride hang in the balance.The film moves swiftly and is not preachy or at all heavyhanded in any direction.It simply tells and honest and riveting true-to-life story.Some characters and events are combined together to compact the screenplay,but no truth is lost in the outcome.

The film takes it's name from the famous 18th-century renowned hymn AMAZING GRACE,written by the Anglican minister John Newton,who had,years earlier,himself been an active and ardent participant in the selling of African flesh.John Newton is portrayed (a bit much like a crazy old celibate monk) by veteran actor Albert Finney in one of the smaller supporting supporting roles.Though much of what Newton says in the film is directly from his own memoirs,he was a married man,who,historically,valued his wife as his best friend.Now in his declining years,Newton,who has in later years been Rector of a London Church,is sought out by Wilberforce,who sat under Newton's pulpit as a child,to have the old minister help him in the cause of exposing the Slave Trade in all of it's ugliness.As was true in Newton's real life,Finney shows that this is the singlemost painful event in Newton's life thus making it next to impossible to discuss.The film directs Newton and Wilberforce over the course of the twenty years in order for the awful truth to come forth.Proof was necessary to persuade Parliament, and Newton was a key piece to passing the abolitionist legislation.

Up and coming actor Benedict Cumberbatch accurately conveys William Pitt The Younger,in his boyhood friendship with Wilberforce and his subsequent rise to Prime Minister of England.What is inspiring about their relationship is that all of their political idealism comes to fruition showing the power and perseverance that these two young men had in fighting an age old institution that threatened to destabilize all of England.Other historical figures in this film such as Lord Tarlton (the ever amazing Ciaran Hinds)and Equiano (Youssou N'dour),Toby Jones as Lord Clarence (this actor seems to be able to play EVERYTHING!!!) and actors Michael Gambon as Sir Charles Fox do the utmost to bring this film to the heart and consciences of the world today.

This film is simply NOT just another period piece drama or an "inspirational" film;rather it is an artfully scripted,deftly acted and directed and compelling piece of historical drama that all will benefit from viewing.Again,5 *****'s is not sufficient.May there be more films of such quality and substance made like this!

Excellent companion films would be A RESPECTABLE TRADE,THE MIDDLE PASSAGE,AMISTAD,THE VOYAGE OF LA AMISTAD, MANSFIELD PARK (1999) and somewhat ROOTS.

"Amazing Grace" is an exceptional film that chronicles the amazing true story of William Wilberforce, the man who spent twenty years in the British Parliament fighting to end one of mankind's greatest injustices: the slave trade. The film features powerful performances by an outstanding cast, including Ioan Gruffudd ("Fantastic Four," "King Arthur," TV's "Horatio Hornblower") as Wilberforce, whose faith and courage drove his fight for social justice. Albert Finney gives an amazing performance as John Newton, the former slave-ship captain turned pastor, and writer of the beloved hymn "Amazing Grace." Michael Gambon, Romola Garai, Youssou N'Dour, Rufus Sewell, and Nicholas Farrell give outstanding supporting performances.

The rest of the crew does a fantastic job of bringing the world of 18th/19th Century Britain to life. "Amazing Grace" is an amazing film that shows how men of faith can truly help change the world. Amazing Grace, indeed!

Grade: A

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I enjoyed the movie. The historical sets were great. The acting was very good. The dialogs had a ring of truth. The love story, although it was a minor part of the movie, was done well. The story needed to be told and the movie told it well. One of the bad points was the movie jumped around in Wilberforce's life quite a bit. Following the time shifts was confusing at times. As the movie went along, the plot was easier to follow.

I read a short biography of Wilberforce and I heard a talk on Newton. I can't claim any expertise on these men, but what little I know of them made me question the movie's historical accuracy. Newton had a congregation. He was not a hermit mopping up a church. He was a popular Anglican preacher. Finney did a great job in the part, but I don't think it represented Newton very well. Wouldn't a better charactorization have been a more historic portrayal of Newton who was a slave trader that became a slave of Christ by serving and preaching to all? Rather than a guilt-ridden old man?

I also wished the movie spent more time on Wilberforce's conversion and beliefs. Wilberforce was a thoughtful Christian who wrote books on what he believed. Wilberforce's stamina according to Wilberforce was his reformed faith. The movie just had him studying nature in a worshipful manner in his garden.

In summary, I liked the movie and I enjoyed it. The message needed to be told and it was told well. How England avoided a bloody civil war because of this issue and resolved the issues through a peaceful process was instructive. However, Wilberforce and Newton deserved to have a more accurate portrayal of their lives.

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I've long been a fan of William Wilberforce a man that God used greatly for a great cause: the abolition of slavery and the reformation of manners into the English society. Working at a private Christian school, I often refer to Wilberforce as an example to our students of what God can do with one man wholly committed to Him. In fact, I took sixteen of our students to see the movie when it was released and it had a very profound impact on their lives and thinking -they saw with their own eyes the struggle of Wilberforce's life, the great cause to which he gave himself fully, and the great joy that comes from a life given in service to the King of Kings.

While I strongly recommend that all Christians watch this movie, parents I'll warn you that the issue of slavery isn't easy to watch or understand at a young age -I would recommend this movie to middle school students and older, but probably not elementary-aged students.

There are some wonderful resources that you can get to accompany this movie for family discussions and devotions. While most of the Wilberforce books are lengthy, but excellent, let me tell you about a few lesser-known gems. First, John Piper has a great little 76 page book titled Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce -great read. This same material is actually found in another book by Piper that is simply outstanding -it is the third book in a series by Piper to reintroduce our generation to some of the great saints of the faith -Book Three is titled The Roots of Endurance and examines the lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce. Finally, one of my favorite finds is a 5 disk CD audio drama set titled Amazing Grace produced by the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre -you can listen to the lives of Newton, Wilberforce and Olaudah Equiano (a slave who purchased his freedom and was instrumental in the abolition movement in England).

So, purchase the movie, but also look for these additional resources to help deepen the discussion at home with your kids.

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AMAZING GRACE is a beautifully mounted, well-scripted, powerful film that reminds us that there were heroes in the late 1700s who vehemently fought the fight for abolition of slavery. Benefiting from a tight intelligent script by Steven Knight and directed with great sensitivity and fluidity by Michael Apted, the film captures the flavor of the turn of the 18th century into 19th century in England when slavery was a commodity the wealthy could ill afford to lose, and how the courage and perseverance of William Wilberforce created probably one of the first human rights movements on record.

William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) witnessed the horrors of transporting slaves from Africa to be sold around the world to wealthy plantation owners and to serve as cheap and disrespected servants to the British populace. Encouraged by a previous slave dealer John Newton (Albert Finney) turned contrite priest, his friend Prime Minister William Pitt (Benedict Cumberbatch), and the informed woman of his life Barbara Spooner (Romola Garai), Wilberforce bonds with a band of abolitionists including Thomas Clarkson (Rufus Sewell) and Oloudaqh Equiano (Youssou N'Dour) and begins long years of battling for abolition in the Parliament where cads such as Lord Tarleton (Ciarán Hinds) and the Duke of Clarence (Toby Jones) fight his every word.

One of the hallmarks of this fine film is the dignity it sustains: in a film that could have easily focused on depictions of slave abuse to make its point, it instead elects to keep the focus on the heart of the struggle against the inhumanity by subtle yet powerful means. The title of the film, of course, comes form the song the reformed John Newton wrote as he had a life altering experience to end his slave trading to fight for human rights. It is a haunting reminder that is used throughout the film in the score by David Arnold. The cast is uniformly excellent with not only first class performances by each of the leads, but also by superb cameos from such fine artists as Michael Gambon, Nicholas Farrell, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Jeremy Swift, and Stephen Campbell Moore. The atmosphere of both elegance and poverty of London is captured in the cinematography by Remi Adefarasin. This is an epic film with a powerful message that deserves the attention of us all. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 07

Renaissance (2012)

This unique animated feature starring the voice talents of Daniel Craig and Ian Holm caught me off guard. The coloring is primarily black and white, yet the detail and features stick out. I'm often on the fence with animated features as they sometimes lack the liveliness of a live-action picture. This film started slow for me, but the story really picked up towards the end. Renaissance is a cool and unique animated futuristic thriller.

Source: criticnic.com 3-October-2012

Disclosure: Film sent by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment

Loved the action and voices and thought it provoking. Enjoyed the movie immensely and wanted to add it to my collection

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Contrary to what Amazon says, this blu-ray comes with both French and English soundtracks. Unfortunately there are no subtitles in any language. I owned this on DVD, but the blu-ray quality is definitely worth it for me.

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Maybe it's just me, but I really like the movie. The storyline is progressive and well thought out. The whole presentation of the art is really enjoyable, for me... and, it's something that you won't find in any other movie... animated or not. Of course, I like the music and it's adaptation to the scenes. (Some is kind of creepy, but nonetheless appealing to the overall look and feel of the movie.) It's a permanent addition to my collection because it compares to nothing else. Just glad I happened upon the show to enjoy it and find something unlike anything else I'd seen before.

After purchasing the Blu-Ray, it becomes even sharper and more entertaining to watch, as mentioned by Timothy K. Bryant in earlier review... as well, from my perspective. It's really a visually stimulating movie, whether you like the storyline or not. Personally, I liked the story and it's many twists and turns. Truly, I wish the flick had been better reviewed by the masses, but here we are... in a digital-age of freedom... where no one makes their own decisions rather read the online and published reviews and form an opinion to what everyone else thought. Wish everyone could have an opportunity to watch it and enjoy the movie. I've shown it to many who've added it to their collections, as well.

I found it very impressive.

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While movies are art & whether or not you like the story isn't a certainty, what is will be the picture quality of this disc on a plasma television with deep blacks!

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Music and Lyrics (2007)

Sure. Why not? The first question in assessing a movie's merit is does it do as intended?

With "Music and Lyrics," what it intends is nothing extraordinary. It aims to be a fun, romantic, sweet comedy of a man meeting a woman and falling in love, with a poke at pop culture. It accomplishes this. I saw this on February 14, Valentine's Day, and wanted exactly as delivered.

Paul McCartney asked in the 1970s what the world needs with another silly love song. "Music and Lyrics" is, in film, a silly love song.

Hugh Grant plays Alex Fletcher, a has-been pop singer from a defunct duo similar to Wham!, struggles to find his way as his audience stops caring. Realistic, he knows what he is capable of, but is unsure what his next step should be.

When Cora, a pretentious form of Britney Spears-Shakira-Christina Aguilera of sex-pop, offers him an opportunity to write a song, he runs into trouble. He is a melody man, not a lyricist. His lyricist from his old band, Pop!, is long gone.

In walks Sophie Fisher, played with charm by the ever-sweet Drew Barrymore. She's Alex's temporary plant watering person (and not a very good one), with a penchant for delivering peppy lyrics under her breath. Despite the scorn of fill-in wordsmith Greg Antonsky, Alex takes a liking to her style. Greg's angst-style, hopeless lyrics seem off kilter with Alex's personality.

Embittered from a broken affair with an engaged man, Sophie is uninterested. It is one thing to hum a tune, and it is another to commit to writing a song. However, Alex only has a few days and pressures (begs, really), Sophie to help.

She acquiesces, and tries to write. Alex and Sophie clash, as he understands the profession of music, and is desperate, and she is still stuck on the failed affair.

Both are living in the past, and both need to move up into 2007 to survive and thrive.

Finally, lyrics are written, and Cora loves them -with a few changes. Cora's version is laced with faux spirituality and tramped-up seduction. Sophie's artistic sensibilities are insulted, and pulls the song much to Alex's chagrin. They argue, break-up, and now, Alex is stuck trying to fix a song.

Can he fix the song on time? Will they figure out how to live in the present day? What about love (this is a romantic comedy, remember?).

A fine self-mocking performance is put on by Kristen Johnston as Sophie's older sister Rhonda, making jabs at her own weight-loss campaign. Brad Garrett as Alex's agent Chris Riley is right on the money, as he is both a manager and friend.

Drew Barrymore shows she's more than the girl next door, but has a kind of Lucille Ball, Jenna Elfman, Meg Ryan mix going on.

Hugh Grant is perfectly cast, and is the better side of himself. He never overplays the role, and yet, does not fall into the 'stupid Englishman' persona he occasionally does.

I fully recommend "Music and Lyrics."

Anthony Trendl

editor, HungarianBookstore.com

"Music and Lyrics" is a hoot: witty, bright, beautifully performed by the luminous Drew Barrymore (as ditzy, charming, beautiful Sophie Fletcher) and the dry of wit, Hugh Grant (as the less famous half, Alex Fletcher of a hot 80's duo, "Pop" obviously patterned after "WHAM") and briskly paced by director Marc Lawrence.

The story is light and airy: Fletcher needs help writing a song for a Britney clone, Cora. A song that could maybe bring him back to prominence after twenty years of playing store openings, amusement parks and nostalgia concerts. Sophie, though a partner with her sister in a Weight Loss clinic, is a whiz at writing pop lyrics: presto...match made in heaven!

The interplay between Barrymore and Grant is spot on and the dialogue and story are almost up to their excellent timing but they both work hard, though not too as that would negate the comedy, to make this work and in most scenes it does.

"Music and Lyrics" is as light as a crepe filled with caramelized bananas and topped with whipped cream and as such don't expect more from it than a huge smile and the delicious satisfaction that comes from eating something you have no business consuming.

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Really good romantic comedies are few and far between. 'Music and Lyrics is one of the good ones! Reminiscent of 'The Wedding Singer' with it's parody of the 80's pop scene and also co-starring Drew Barrymore, this smart and funny film features a believable chemistry and relationship between the two leads and not too sappy an ending. The 80's in-jokes are clever and keep this movie from falling into the same traps most bad romantic comedies do. Hugh and Drew are as likable as they ever have been in this romantic musical comedy! The fact that they acually sing the songs in this film make it all the better.

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This is a movie that you'll love forever. Hearing any snippet of the score will give you that happy, sappy feeling that only a great romantic comedy can.

Drew Barrymore is precious as only Drew Barrymore can be, and five minutes into the film I forgot that I never really considered myself a huge fan of Hugh Grant!

Music and Lyrics is everything that a romantic comedy is meant to be and then some. This DVD belongs in your collection!

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From the opening credits, "Music and Lyrics" bounces along and for ninety minutes draws you in to what has to be one of the most charmingly appealing films of the last few years. Everything seems to work here beginning with the simple premise that a has-been songwriter is given a deadline of two days to write a new song for an up-and-coming pop queen...only to discover that he needs a lyricist. And boy, does he find one!

Hugh Grant plays Alex Fletcher, the aging star of the musical group "Pop". With that song deadline looming and down-and-out about his success in completing it on time, in walks Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) to water his plants. What happens from here on out is pure magic as Alex discovers Sophie's natural talent with lyrics. The film sails along, never letting down, as they work together and discover each other.

I've seen "Music and Lyrics" twice and liked it even better the second time. The supporting cast with Brad Garrett as Alex's tortured manager, Kristen Johnston, as Sophie's neurotic-driven older sister and Haley Bennett as Cora Corman, the new pop sensation, are all terrific. The songs are evocative of another age and work well in support of the film. But it is really the chemistry between Grant and Barrymore that wins the viewer over. Perfectly cast, she plays foil to his gentle, persuasive humor and the end result is sheer joy. I highly recommend "Music and Lyrics". It's a refreshingly funny, witty and wonderful film.

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NFL New York Giants: Road to Xlvi

"New York Giants: Road to XLVI" is another 'must have' for all Giants Fans. It contains the 3 Giants' Playoff Game wins, and of course Super Bowl XLVI. The games are the complete network broadcasts. If you have an HDTV and Blu-ray player, make sure you get the Blu-ray version. The transfer is superb, and it looks better than my HD DVR recordings I saved from the games. I agree with everyone that believes "Road to XLVI" could have been better if had the Dallas and/or Jet games included. With that being said though, I still consider "Road to XLVI" a 5 star Blu-ray collection, and a 'must have' for all Giants' fans.

I don't know what version some of you bought, but my Blu-ray copy has a bonus disc with the Cowboys game! I highly doubt that they would release two different versions (One with the Cowboys game, one without it), so it seems to me that many of you are complaining about a product that you don't even have! This release is just like the road to Super Bowl 42, it has the last game of the season, and the 4 playoff games. What more could you ask for?, and this time around it's in HD!

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Let me first of all say I'm sick and tried of people criticzing the way the NFL produce their DVD I was happy the way this DVD Came out Okay they didn't include The Jets Game and Cowboys Game for the East Diivision But who cares though out the Playoffs The Giants Play like true Champions Eli Manning is now an Elite Quarterback!!!!!

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I guess there aren't any REAL Giants fans excited about this release, so I'm proud to be the first one to give a review. They just won their 2nd Super Bowl in 5 years, and this set will allow you to relive the excitement all over again. It may or may not be pristine video quality that at least some are demanding, or it may not have mind blowing audio that an audiophile demands in everything, but what it DOES have is 4 games that had me on the edge of my seat and repeatedly screaming at top volume, much to the dismay of my neighbors. You will not get the last 2 regular season games against Dallas and the NYJ, but really...who cares? You'll get to relive the shutout of Atlanta, the toppling of the great 15-1 Packers AT LAMBEAU, the savage beating that Eli Manning took at SF, and yet he kept getting up and fighting. Finally, the epic rematch against the Patriots, which saw Big Blue reign victorious once again! C'mon...if that isn't enough to get your blood boiling, then I question your true fanhood. I guess there will always be people who HAVE to complain about something, or they simply wouldn't be able to function normally. Don't pay any attention to them, as they aren't real Giants fans. GO BLUE!

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First of all the quality of the disk itself is great and I encountered no problems watching it. This is my first Blu-ray disk which made it even more enjoyable for me. Now as for the games themselves it is so great to be able to watch them with no commercial interruptions. I watched the first two games on one weekend then the next two the following weekend and just loved watching my team win another championship. If you're a GIANTS fan you have to buy this item and relive what turned out to be a remarkable season.

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The River Wild (1994)

Kevin Bacon can so beautifully play a sadist, a charming and vicious creep, a bad guy that it's almost like he's not acting. And Meryle Streep, trying her hand here in an action film, NEVER seems to be acting she's always stellar, completely immersed in her character. In The River Wild, Streep plays a suburban mom and former white-water rafting guide who is taking her family on a raft trip for summer vacation. She's a bit on the outs with her husband, who is, at the last minute, too busy to go along so she and her son go it alone and quickly run afoul of some killers on the lam. Bacon and a buddy, of course. They coerce Streep to take them down a terrifyingly dangerous stretch of river rapids to escape from the pursuing cops.

Marvelous. And Streep did all the river scenes without the use of a stunt double which, if you've ever been white-water rafting on a Class 4 or 5 river, is utterly amazing.

An entertaining journey down a beautiful whitewater river with an age old theme of good vs evil. This is a good movie to just sit back and enjoy the ride even though as the plot develops you may feel bit uncomfortable.

Meryl Streep is outstanding as usual, however I feel Kevin Bacon is even better as the deceptive, yet charming 'bad guy'. There is also some excellent acting by David Straithairn (who portrays Meryl Streep's husband) even though his character is annoyingly pathetic.

The nature cinematography is spectacular and the high intensity musical score only adds excitement to the journey.

I highly recommend watching this one on a home theater system with wide screen and DTS sound decoding.

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Here is an action flix that belongs is everyone's DTD DVD collection. Loaded with action, great acting on all parts, the DTS sound was awe inspiring to say the least. GET IT, YOU"LL LOVE IT!

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The opening scenes of THE RIVER WILD show a very buff Meryl Streep rowing in Boston's Charles River accompanied by stirring theme music by Jerry Goldsmith. This promise of quality is fulfilled throughout the suspenseful albeit rather predictable movie after the setting switches to the western wilderness. Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon are among Hollywood's most talented and versatile actors and in this outing Streep believably plays a mom who meets extreme physical and emotional challenges (while piloting a white river raft no less) after she encounters Bacon a cunning criminal psychopath. The river scenes are beautiful and I've read that Streep actually did her own stunts for the most part. There are a couple of surprises along the way to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. A good movie for anyone but especially a family with older kids who want a little bit but not too much edge to their viewing experience.

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I am not an expert on Blu Ray transfer, but have watched enough of them by now to judge one from another. I am very disappointed in this new release. The movie itself is one of my favorites. I was excited to hear it was coming out on Blu Ray. The quality, in my opinion is mediocre at best. Usually I am in awe of any Blu Ray release because the picture is usually so perfect and unbelievable. No cigar on this one. It looks like someone took the regular DVD, slapped it into a Blu Ray recorder and sent it to me! Not impressed at all.

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Rocky II (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1979)

This review refers to the MGM/UA VHS edition of "Rocky II".....

Sylvester Stallone once again, brings us another feel good story in this first of four sequels to "Rocky". Even if you don't like boxing(and yes there are some of us that could do without it), you gotta like these Rocky flicks. This one, with the entire cast reuniting, is nearly as good as the first.

"Rocky II" picks up where "Rocky" left off. Apollo Creed(Carl Weathers) and Rocky(Sylvester Stallone) have beaten each other to a pulp. Apollo, on a split decision, has been declared the champ once again. Poor Rock's injuries are so bad that the Doctors strongly advise him not to fight anymore. He and Adrian(Talia Shire) marry and decide to live a normal life. The Rock tries his hand at acting in commercials, this doesn't work out(not a big surprise there), can't get hired at an office job, and finally ends up working at a meat packing plant where he is promptly laid off. The pregnant Adrian becomes the bread winner and Rocky is feeling very unmanly.

Creed, wanting a re-match, taunts Rocky out into the public and Rocky takes the challenge, against the wishes of Adrian, of course. Mickey(Burgess Meredith), after much coaxing decides to train him, but alas, The Rock's heart is not in it. What will it take for him to be the old Rocky we know and love?

Of course there are the wonderful scenes of Rocky training and getting pumped up for the fight, with all the great "Rocky" music that goes along with it. The intense bout with Creed is outstanding. Can Rocky go the distance this time...well...you know.....

The lines are priceless...after Rocky gets out of the hospital, a reporter asks.." Hey Rocky, did ya get any brain damage?", and Rocky's answer..."Yo, I don't see any.." There's a ton of those. Oh and don't forget the irrepressible Pauly(Burt Young), he's back too and in rare form!

Now I know, most everybody has seen this, and I didnt really need to tell you what it's about. It's just a little refresher on how good these movies make us feel. I watch them often and always find myself smiling. It's a series to be enjoyed by the whole family(if you haven't seen"Rocky V", don't stress over it) and for future generations to come.

The VHS is a a pretty good picture and the sound is in Dolby Surround(stereo), and also fairly decent.

"Yo Adrian...I DID IT!"(Rocky)......Laurie

"Rocky II" is a worthy sequel, more in line with the subtlety and realistic drama of the first film than the super-heroics of the later sequels (which nevertheless were fun in their own way). Here are a few things I liked about the movie (beware spoilers):

Character-based consequences and outcomes lent credibility to the proceedings. Character and heart helped Rocky "go the distance" in the first film, and kept him on his feet here, too. But, in an intelligent move on the part of the filmmakers, it's made clear that Apollo is still the superior, more skillful fighter and would have won again this time. Apollo's downfall here is that he ignores his trainer's advice to just stay out of Rocky's way in the later rounds and win again on a decision. But, no, Apollo's temper and ego make him get in close and try to go for a knock-out, which of course gives Rocky the opportunity to try for the same thing.

I liked how the movie wasn't afraid to be low key and maybe even a little boring in the earlier going, as we see Rocky struggle with finding employment and living a quiet domestic life following the big fight at the end of the first film. As both the audience and Rocky's wife Adrian eventually comes to realize, however, maybe a quiet, normal life isn't for everyone.

While Apollo plays to the cameras and resorts to some unsavory publicity tricks to lure Rocky back into the ring, he's never reduced to the role of a one-note villain. You can understand why he's frustrated and wants closure after the unfinished business of the first fight. All along, though, an unspoken rapport with Rocky, a level of respect for him, is evident. Apollo's alliance with Rocky in the broader but still very entertaining "Rocky III" is therefore pretty believable, as the groundwork is laid here.

Like the first film, this one has lots of great little moments: Rocky's wince-inducing attempts to film the aftershave commercial, learning to be quick by chasing the chicken around the yard, and his stopping for a quick blessing at the church right before his rematch with Apollo. But the movie knows when a big moment is the thing that's called for, too: witness the great training session with all the kids following Rocky up the Art Museum steps and the numerous great moments during the big fight, for example.

Like the first film, and the Rocky character himself, "Rocky II" has plenty of heart, resulting is a sequel that's worth your time. Pop this into your DVD player (after watching the first film, of course) and sit back and enjoy.

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Rocky II is the best in the Rocky movie sequels.

Released 3 years after the Oscar winning original Rocky, the movie takes place right after the exciting fight between our hero, Rocky, and the champion of the world Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers.

The difference between Rocky in the first and Rocky here is that now Rocky has become famous for going the distance against the champ, recieves a nice chunk of cash for the fight which he spends on a new house and unnecessary clothes and items, and is getting offers to appear in commercials, which he does. However, the fact that he cannot read results in the rejection from the director of the advertisements, rejection from employers to hire him, and his failure to obtain an 'office job'. Rocky finds himself struggling to keep a job, especially after his now wife Adrian, played by Talia Shire, becomes pregnant. Rocky finally returns to work for Mickey, his trainer, in the gym where Rocky has now become 'royalty'.

In the original Rocky, Rocky had to deal with being a nobody struggling to make a voice for himself, in Rocky II, he has to deal with swallowing his pride and keeping his head up despite the lack of a decent job and a humiliating ordeal of holding the bucket for rookie boxers to spit in. In the meantime, the equally proud Apollo will not put up with his fans' harrassments and accusations that the fight against Rocky was fixed and that he has lost his edge. Apollo determines to prove to the world that Rocky going the distance with him was a matter of chance and challenges Rocky to fight him a second time. The rest is history!

Sylvester Stallone's script of Rocky II is equally powerful to that of Rocky, only the thrills are more vibrant in the original. All the actors who lit the screen in Rocky return to the sequel. Director John G. Avildsen, who earned an Oscar for his work on Rocky, does not return. It's none other than Stallone himself who directs this one. He will also go on to direct Rocky III and Rocky IV. Avildsen would return to the director's seat in Rocky V. Stallone does this movie justice.

Recommended

A

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Although the original was a major hit, and won the Oscar for Best Picture, I have always felt that THIS is the one that caused the public to fall in love with the character. It was undeniably the one that cemented Stallone's status as a major motion picture star, and even as a writer and director.

In parts 3 and 4, he placed more emphasis upon the character's athletic prowess and courage. Later, with parts 5 and 6, he endeavored to bring Rocky back down to Earth a bit, with more pedestrian outings, emphasizing the character's humanity.

But it was with Rocky 2 that Stallone got it absolutely right.

I honestly don't believe that there has ever been a depiction of a cinematic hero quite like this one. He embodies characteristics that are often overlooked, both in the world of fiction as well as non-fiction. Balboa is honest, and good-hearted, sometimes to a fault. As both writer and actor, Stallone imbues the character with a simple grace and dignity that I find immensely appealing.

What I mean by that is.......his is not the humility that we so often see in real-life athletes. You know the sort........the kind of guy who will spend 30 minutes regaling you with a speech about how humble he is. The way I see it, if you spend lots of time bragging about how humble you are, well, then, chances are you are not really all that humble.(are you listening, Evander Holyfield?)

If you believe that you cannot craft a film around a noble protagonist, that everything must be drenched in moral ambiguity........well, you won't get much out of this. He is, at his core, a kind man. A nice man. And his virtues are presented unapologetically.

But, then again, if being sweet, in and of itself, made you a great hero, Mr. Rogers would have his own movie series.

Rocky Balboa is like IRON. And this film offers a sense of that.......a sense that is more vivid than perhaps any other film in the series(other than Rocky 4).The training sequence is my personal favorite of all the Rocky films, again with the possible exception of the fourth one. If you prefer finesse, you may like the training montage from part 3 better. But if you like brute power, this is the one for you.

Hammering away at scrap iron with a sledge hammer. Pressing heavy barbells over his head, again and again. Brutal one-armed pushups. Terrific work with the speed and heavy bags. Duck-walking with a heavy log on his back. Even one-armed CHINUPS!!! Tons and tons of situps.......performed while a young training assistant slaps his abs.

And the climactic fight? Apollo's natural athleticism, superior skill, and flamboyant personality......... against Rocky's brute power, granite-like durability, and iron will. It is incredible. They manage to create an entertaining fight, while still maintaining the balance of power from the original. More than ever, this fight makes clear that Apollo is the superior boxer, from a technical standpoint. This notion is emphasized even further by the fact that Rocky has switched to a new, right-handed approach, which he has yet to master, making him even more awkward than usual.

Like the first fight-but more so-this is an epic contest, and is ultimately decided by the thinnest of margins.

So........what else does this film have going for it? Well, I have mentioned Stallone, but the rest of the cast is ideal, as well. Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith........each is perfect in their respective role.

This is the warmest film in the series, with a beautiful wedding night consummation between Rocky and Adrian, as well as the birth of their son.It is also probably the funniest, as well. That moment, right before the big fight, when Apollo barks out, 'you're going down!!'........and Rocky simply nods and smiles wearily.......that is so priceless, because by that time, Apollo has been saying the same thing virtually the entire movie, and it's as if Rocky is echoing the sentiments of the audience........it's like, 'okay, i get the point!!'

If I were going to introduce somebody to the Rocky character, and had to recommend one film, it would be Rocky 2. In many respects, I believe that it remains the pinnacle of Stallone's career. He wrote it, directed it, and carried the weight of playing the crucial role in the movie.

I never get tired of this one. There is a sort of magic about it. Rocky is a character who manages to be eloquent........WITHOUT ever being eloquent in the literal sense. His is the eloquence of sincerity. In that scene, where he is telling his wife how badly he wants money, for the sake of his wife and their impending child, so that he can take care of them properly.........he uses the simplest of language, but it is so HEARTFELT. So utterly without pretense. You can just FEEL how much he loves them, and how anguished he is at his failure to provide for them.

There are only so many actors who can convey such brute masculinity, and simultaneously such rich humanity. Stallone is an original, and Rocky 2 may have been his very finest hour.

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Rocky II picks up where the first movie left off. Rocky first tells the media at the hospital he is retiring from boxing despite the champ Apollo Creed's demands he wants a rematch. Rocky then cannot find a good paying job since he does not have the skills for a high paying job. He gets a job at the brother in law meat packing factory but is laid off. His wife is expecting a son. Rocky goes to back to his trainer's gym to work as a janitor. The champ starts a negative campaign to get a rematch with Rocky. Rocky's wife does not her husband back in boxing. Then his wife falls into a coma when her brother gets into an argument with her telling his sister to give Rocky permission to fight again. After Rocky and his trainer pray for her recovery she gives birth to his son and gives her husband the blessing to fight again. Rocky trains for the fight and he steps into the ring with the champ in an epic battle for the ages. It is will be remembered for the line "Yo Adrian I did it."

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Sci-Fi Three-Pack (Jumper / Independence Day / I, Robot) (2009)

Afordable way to purchase 3 very good Blue-Ray Disks. Jumper, Independence Day, and I, Robot.

Very Awesome. I-Robot is insane. Stupidly worth 13 bucks for 3 blu-rays! I have checked around online and brick and mortar and you can't touch this deal, not even close. But we all know Costco rules. Come see MR. T. in Heaven on Earth, Prescott, AZ.....:)

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I-Robot is my favorite in this pack. Being a Asimov fan, I realy enjoyed this movie. Both sound and image are quite good As for the other two, well for me they are must see movies.

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just upgraded to bluray and wanted to upgrade some dvds that i had. watching movies like I-Robot and Jumper were great! Independence Day was good but not that great. Got it at a great value too!!!

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On some orders, not a lot needs to be said. Movies are those items. If the product is what was listed and it shipped in a timely manner, there really isn't anything to report.

5 stars

Good price

timely shipping

item is as described

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Two-Lane Blacktop (Criterion Collection) (1971)

The 1971 film "Two-Lane Blacktop" is arguably the best of the late 60s, early 70s existential road film genre (including "Easy Rider," "Vanishing Point" and "Electra Glide in Blue"). Director Monte Hellman's stark, at times unyeilding examination of American alienation is brilliant simply because of its refusal to pander to an audience undoubtedly looking for the commercial release of an exciting car chase.

There is a race in "Two-Lane Blacktop," though it seems to end almost before it begins. There are extraordinary muscle cars as well, including a souped up '55 Chevy contrasted with a new Pontiac GTO. But Two-Lane Blacktop is a character study, even though the characters are not people we would particularly like to know.

The three main characters, haunted lost souls void of identity and emotion, are played by James Taylor, Dennis Wilson and Warren Oates. Taylor and Wilson silently cruise the backroads of America looking for the next race in their 55' Chevy. They eventually meet Oates, a chattering, nervous man involved in some kind of middle-age crisis while picking up hitchikers in his GTO. These men decide to race cross country, but eventually lose interest.

Throw into this uneasy mix a young hitchiker played by Laurie Bird. She jumps back and forth between these three men, holding off their awkward advances, eventually realizing their emotionless lives are headed down an endless highway without destination.

"Two-Lane Blacktop" is a morose study of men perpetually lost on the backroads of a nameless American landscape. They are hovering ghosts, void of identity, forever searching for a meaning which cannot be found. There are no easy truths or answers in Hellman's complex odyssey. These men are trapped, their cars serving as rolling coffins, redemption seemingly around the next bend, inexorably moving further and further away.

The time period of the early 1970s and the scratchy period music moaning from the AM radio, combined with the faceless gas stations and roadside diners of numerous small towns, all contribute to the overall effect of Hellman's dark character study. "Two-Lane Blacktop" is one of the finest American films no one has ever heard of.

Two Lane Blacktop is one of those movies that you hear about long before you see it. It seems that while every car guy I have ever run across has heard of Two Lane Blacktop, few have ever seen it. Like Vanishing Point, it examines on some level the disillusionment that came at the close of the 1960's. It is a movie about outsiders; those that choose to be and those that desperately do not wish to be. The one thread that ties them together is the road.

For a true gearhead, Two Lane Blacktop is a joy. To see all of the legendary sixties muscle cars in their natural environment.....it calls to mind a tradition of (illegal) street racing that still exists today, for better or worse. Anyone who has seen it or done it will instantly be pulled into the movie. Of course, the quintessential gray primer 55 Chevy, an unbeatable home-built street warrior, is the true hero of the film.

You don't see this movie for the dialogue and there isn't a lot of it. Some of the gearhead lingo is kind of lame, like where the gas station attendant asks the Driver (James Taylor) if the 55 Chevy has a "Chevy block." No duh. Don't worry about it. That isn't why you are watching it.

This movie is a time machine. As a 38 year old, I vividly remember those days and those cars, but through the eyes of an eight year old with Hot Wheels cars and a Dad that drove four door sedans (still does). I always wanted (and now have) fast cars. Seeing this movie for the first time 20 years ago poured even more fuel on the flame. Getting the opportunity to see it has always been an elusive pleasure, because it has been broadcast so rarely, and then often edited. This past Christmas, my girlfriend got me a copy in the collector's tin. I have watched it several times since, sometimes very loud. The movie has a deep texture, maybe even more so than Easy Rider, from which comparisons can be drawn. You aren't watching the people alone in this movie, however. Rather, you are taking in everything that is in it. The wide screen format is only way to go. If only you could smell the fuel, the oil and the burning rubber while you watch it. Every car guy has to have this video, along with Vanishing Point and Bullitt.

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When I decided to purchase this DVD, I was just attracted by the name of the director of TWO-LANE BLACKTOP, Monte Hellman, who directed two excellent westerns in the sixties. I didn't know at all this movie and expected the worse. God ! How was I wrong ! TWO-LANE BLACKTOP is a divine surprise for those who, like me, long for titles of the quality of the american movies of the 70's.

Two pop stars of that period, James Taylor and Dennis Wilson (Brian's brother), as the driver and the mechanic, race against Warren Oates in a journey through the heart of America. While Taylor and Wilson hardly speak, Warren Oates has a convulsive need to talk to the numerous hitch-hikers he accepts to take for a ride in his GTO.

TWO-LANE BLACKTOP is a road movie, in the tradition of EASY RIDER and THE VANISHING POINT, but the characters don't have to prove anything, they don't even care if they make it to their final destination, Washington D.C. They cannot either be considered as rebels because they don't have an ideal to defend or an authority to face. They are tragic figures without any ideals.

The DVD presented by Anchor BAY is sumptuous with top-notch images and sound ( vraoum, vraoum...). A trailer, a commentary and a very informative featurette about Monte Hellman directed by George Hickenlooper.

A DVD for the road.

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Less dated than Easy Rider, this early 70's time capsule is an existential masterpiece. What the hell does that mean? It means the film is full of space. It's about absolute nothing, or everything, or somewhere in between. It's a poem that doesn't deliver what an audience expects but is utterly faithful to it's idea. It doesn't have an emotional pay-off, but instead finds a stylish way to cinematically burn rubber and fade away. It's characters are called Driver, Mechanic, GTO and Girl. Its stars are James Taylor (yeah the pop singer), Dennis Wilson (yeah the late Beach Boy), Warren Oates (in perhaps his finest performances) and Laura Bird (most won't know her, she's good).

Driver and Mechanic are the original slackers. They love racing, and hustling people to keep racing and their supercharged '55 Chevy. They are not hippies, but car junkies. The meet a loud mouth middle aged guy driving a newer sportier GTO who wants to race them for pink slips. Eventually they agree to what amounts to a gentlemen's type race from New Mexico to the East Coast. There's not a lot of suspense to the race, and the film is about. . . well whatever you want it to be about. GTO pretends to be someone else everytime he picks up a new hitch-hiker. He's amusing himself with his creative imagination and re-inventing himself to escape the middle age blues. Eventually there's a little bit of a competition over a young female hitchhiker.

The film was filmed on location as cast and crew drove across the country. The bare-bones script is by Rudolph Wurlitzer and Will Curry.

The film becomes more and more abstract as it moves along. The story matters less and less. A circle eventually forms and we realize we've been riding along on a very unique, one of a kind film. There's a wonderful example of an utterly open ended final shot.

Some are going to find this film very dull and wonder what there is to admire and respect about it. Others are going to 'discover' all sorts of things that are of course not actually present in the film itself, but are thoughts and reactions the film has sparked and triggered within them as they watched the film. Other's will enjoy the muscle cars, and late 60's cars that make sporadic appearances or rev up their engines on occassion.

It's a film you watch many times and find different subtexts, moods, ideas and space within. It's a film that requires the viewer to both observe, accept and participate in, like one would a living sculpture.

It's the kind of art film you would never expect from a director who made two quirky Westerns for Roger Corman in the mid 60's (The Shooting and Ride the Whirlwind --with Nicholson right before Jack became a star with Easy Rider). Hellman also went on to make the very interesting Cockfigher with Warren Oates. He's appreciated by a small, growing cult of afficianado's and you'll find Hellman's name more recently as executive producer of Reservoir Dogs.

For something really unique I suggest you find a way to watch the DVD of Two-Lane Blacktop.

The film was long out of circulation because of disputes over music rights. They were resolved and the film has been beautifully transferred to DVD and actually looks better than it ever did since the contrasts in light were carefully boosted during the DVD transfer.

Chris Jarmick Author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder A steamy cyber thriller available January 2001. Please order it today. Thank You

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The insentient world of machines and the people who cohabit it. I love the sight and sound of machines, so Two Lane Blacktop is a natural for me. In this case the machines are cars with their drivetrains at full tilt. A wonderful flavor is the whine of the special cut gears of the '55 Chevy's M22 transmission handling the power of the big 454 motor.

The austerity and robot blankness of the characters and plot mate perfectly with the barren mechanical environment. The cross country scenery and coffee shop settings highlight the theme as well. Nothing pulls away from the dominating emphasis of machines . A very singular movie.

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The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

It's sad to discover that *some* people (who have posted reviews here) have overlooked the merits of this film... and focused only on Larry Flynt as a man. Well, listen up... a movie is not WHAT it's about, but HOW it's about it!

Don't complain about the actions of Mr. Flynt in the movie... after all, he (Flynt) overlooked the production... he really did those things. Perhaps Milos Forman should've CHANGED the events somehow? No!

This film is essentially a sad love story. Nevermind the politics and Ammendement speeches... what we have here is a destructive relationship in the vein of Sid Viscious and Nancy Spungen. It is masterfully directed, beautiful to look at, and deeply engrossing.

Whatever your feelings about Flynt, remember that he did play an important role in our era. Think he's a horrible person? You probably won't get an argument from him, as this film demonstrates.

"The People vs. Larry Flynt" has long languished in a no-frill, barebone widescreen edition. Now Columbia has finally released a Special Edition that includes bonus material that fans of the film can appreciate: two full-length commentary tracks (both free of the excessive "back-patting" that other commentary tracks devolve into), a pair of interesting deleted scenes (though they are very brief, they include commentary), and some other bells and whistles.

The featurettes deserve a special kudos as they're actually quite good, not the normal fluff studios usually put in DVDs. Both were produced in 2003 for the Special Edition and allow the interviewees to reflect on the entire production and theatrical life of the movie and the backlash it recieved from the Left. The interviewees include Foreman, Flynt, Harrelson, the producers, screenwriters, and as a commendable surprise, Rev. Jerry Falwell himself. The featurette on Larry Flynt's life (narrated by Dennis Hopper) gives a brief synopsis of Flynt's entire life -filling in areas that the movie did not cover (like his service in the Army and Navy) and putting the events of the movie in actual chronological order -making it interesting to compare to how the movie interprets the truth.

As for the movie itself, I would recommend that you rent a movie before buying a more expensive "special edition." I personally enjoyed it a lot when it was theaters. Milos Forman's style is very visual, and he's able to keep his subject at enough distance to allow the audience to make up their own minds about him. Harrelson's performance is top notch (he recieved an Oscar nomination) and the rest of the cast definitely fits the bill. It stands alongside Forman's Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Just be forewarned, it is quite graphic -so if sexual situations bother you, it may not be something you'll enjoy.

As a final note, the DVD is actually contained within a jacket (the stripes you can see in the picture), when you pull the DVD case from the jacket you get to see the original "People vs. Larry Flynt" film poster that wasn't released due to it's parody of religion, sex, and patriotism -a good synopsis of the film indeed.

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I love this movie, and I recommend this movie to anyone that does not like Larry Flynt-it has the potential to change your opinion. This movie was tongue in cheek, and it was tragic. This wonderfully directed and acted movie will show people that Larry Flynt may not be the most moral person (in some people's minds), but it shows that he has fought for every American's rights.

Courtney Love blew me away as Larry Flynt's late wife. Every movie I've seen with her, she proves that she has a talent, and this movie let her shine with her acting ability.

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"The People Vs. Larry Flint" is one of the most controversial releases of 1996, starring Woody Harrelson, Edward Norton, and Courtney Love. It earned two Oscar nominations and two Golden Globe wins. This real-life film wonderfully desplicts Larry Flint's struggle to publish "Hustler", a sexually explicit magazine. He risks his freedom to prove that the bans violate the First Amendment on the US Bill of Rights, which is freedom of speech. Through every step, he causes tremendous controversy throughout the country. Some love him, some hate him. Either way, nobody can get enough of him. The plot is brilliant. The daring material expressed deserves tremendous respect for doing what few writers have dared. The climatic story keeps audiences interested in every scene, always wondering what Flint will say or do next. The unexpected events keep the energy intact. His eccentric behavior adds a more interesting flavor to the film.

Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love prove that they were made for their roles. Harrelson's Oscar nominated performance as Larry Flint is the best in his career. Nobody else could have played Flint better. Love makes a triumphant film debut in her Golden Globe nominated role as Athena, Flint's wife. Her erratic behavior is wonderfully displayed through every scene. Athena's life struggles are beautifully expressed. Edward Norton's role as Flint's lawyer is beautifully performed. All other performers also acted their roles wonderfully.

"The People Vs. Larry Flint" is a great film for those looking for something risque. This is sure to please audiences of all kinds.

Want The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) Discount?

the people verses larry flynt was a moving and powerful movie based on a true sory in so many differnt ways. free speech the main storyline and the there is with enough money minipulation in the court happens and can even turn into a circus it shows if little poeple like us had all the money our courthouse would be a totaly different place today. larry flynt is a decent man who wasent given a fair shot we just called him a prevert insted. with all the pain he has indured realy who cares about nudie pictures.

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SHANGHAI BLU-RAY (Region A) (NTSC) Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li, John Cusack, Ken Watanabe (2010)

"Shanghai" is set in the exotic background of China's great international city of Shanghai--the "Paris of the East"-on the brink of Japanese takeover in the weeks leading up to Pearl Harbor. It seems to have been filmed mostly in Thailand, but with CGI and a great ensemble cast headed by John Cusack, Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li and Ken Watanabe, it convincingly recreates Shanghai in 1941. Viewers familiar with Shanghai's wonderful heritage-listed architecture in the Waitan-Bund area, and the former international concessions, will see much that they recognise.

This may be the highest standard and most entertaining international movie production set in Shanghai in the inter-world war era since Spielberg's Empire of the Sun [Blu-ray]. It is a pity that the production could not resolve issues with the Chinese authorities, who at the last minute revoked permission to complete the production in China. It is unclear whether this was due to China's difficulties confronting historical and fictional depiction of its painful past, or some other causes. In any case, the film is listed for release in China.

The success of the film in recreating an impression of old Shanghai seems to owe much to the vision of producer Mike Medavoy, who was born in Shanghai in 1941. It is a romantic spy story, based on a credible premise that people with their wits about them in Shanghai in 1941 might have picked up intelligence about Japanese intentions to attack Pearl Harbor. The premise of the plot is especially credible because, as other folk with an interest in Chinese history will know, the Imperial Japanese Navy used aircraft carriers in both the "January 28 Incident" (Shanghai War of 1932) and the "Battle of Shanghai" (Aug-Nov 1937). The city was a hotbed of international espionage through the 1930s. By odd and little-known coincidence (maybe maybe not a coincidence), Nomura Kichisaburo Japanese Ambassador to the US when Pearl Harbor was attacked was an IJN admiral with a lot of Shanghai time. He commanded the Japanese forces which attacked Shanghai on 28 January 1932, including the first major aircraft carrier action in the Far East.

The main characters of the film, John Cusack's US Navy intelligence officer, Chow Yun-fat's Shanghai tycoon/crime boss, Gong Li as his wife and a secret Chinese resistance operative, and Ken Watanabe as an astute but conflicted Japanese counter-intelligence officer, are well cast and well played, and appear to be fictional characters drawn partly from composite historical figures. Among the strong supporting cast, Franka Potente has a cameo role as the bored and ignored wife of a German diplomat that is an interesting contrast with her well-known roles in "Run, Lola, Run" and two "Bourne" movies.

The simple title, "Shanghai", for English-language release, relies on the mystique wrapped up in the location name for much of the international audience. The Chinese title is more complicated and colorful: Die Hai Fengyun 谍海风云. The characters literally mean "espionage sea wind cloud", with the second character meaning both "sea" with a hint of the naval intelligence plot, and the second character of the name of Shanghai in Chinese, and the final two characters, being a compound meaning storm, a synonym for "fast-moving situation". The Chinese movie title therefore may be freely translated, unfortunately without the layers of meaning in the Chinese, as "Shanghai Spy Thriller", "Spy Storm In Shanghai" or "Naval espionage in the city on the sea".

The region A Blu-ray release by CN Entertainment is a high-quality video transfer. I found the English soundtrack level a bit low, but this was easily compensated for.

I was first attracted by this movie with the international casting. John Cusack is an actor that seems to show up in all kind of movies and comes out great. In this voice over story telling of an american spy in trouble days of Shangai 1941 when Japan invades China. As explained, China is divided in different sectors which justify the all international casting. Gong Li, David Morse, Franka Potente, Ken Watanabe, Chow Yun-Fat to name a few. The director Mikael Hafström has given a very plausible movie about what it might have been going through these times. Director of photography Benoit Delhomme also as rendered an excellent job of dark days.

Buy SHANGHAI BLU-RAY (Region A) (NTSC) Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li, John Cusack, Ken Watanabe (2010) Now

I have a simple rule for reviewing movies, I'll either watch it again or I won't. I would definitely watch this again.

I'd seen this on IMDB and been looking for it for a while. I was happy when I saw it on Amazon and ordered it. When it arrived I got nervous since it came from overseas, I wasn't sure if it would play on my Bluray player or not. I was thrilled when it worked!

Cusack does an incredible job but I'm a big fan of his ever since Better Off Dead.

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