Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Kung Fu Hustle is among my favorite films, not because I am a die-hard fan of Stephen Chow, but because I really liked the wild mix of comedy, adventure, crime caper and martial arts action. Most notably the excellent fight choreography by legendary Yuen Woo-Ping(who is also responsible for the fight scenes of Kill Bill vol. 1, Fearless, The Matrix, Hero). As I said, I love KUNG FU HUSTLE and am very much looking forward for its sequel in 2008, so forgive me if I am a bit biased. (I will try my best not to lose my objectivity)

The New "AXE KICKING EDITION" soon to be released by Sony is actually the REGION-3 Hong Kong release which I have. (I am certain)The Hong Kong release is still the one to go for if you have a multi-region dvd player. Since I almost know for certain that only fans of the film will be interested in this new edition, I will skip the plot summary. ( for those of you who haven't seen it, you may look up my review under the original U.S. DVD.)

I will go straight to the differences between the previous dvd release and this new "Axe-kicking edition"(original Hong Kong release):

Mild spoilers ahead---

Scene 1; The landlady throws her husband out of a window and drops a flower pot that ended up on the back of his head. The original cut showed a small pool of blood coming from his face, but the U.S. version digitally omitted it. The blood now appears as part of the film.

Scene 2; Sing heckles/insults the residents of Pig Sty Alley and gets hit in the tummy by a woman. The original cut showed Sing spitting up blood which landed on the woman's face, but the earlier U.S. version digitally removed the blood (though some still appeared around Sing's mouth). The blood now appears in this release.

Scene 3; This may be more offensive to others; it takes place on the eve of the big attack on Pig Sty Alley. The Hong Kong cut showed a man taking a d--p onto a piece of paper as the camera panned by, but the American version digitally removed the offensive feces. Now the paper is no longer blank. "Mr. Poo" makes an appearance!

Scene 4; Sing confronts "The Beast" in the casino, he gets hit hard on the chest twice. After the 2nd hit, blood sprays on The Beast's face and Sing is shown reeling backwards from the force of the punch with blood spurting from his mouth. The U.S. version PREVIOUSLY removed both of these sequential shots.

Scene 5; Also in the casino, Sing's head is hit on his face, hammered into the ground by The Beast. After the first hit, The Beast's bloody fist is shown emerging from the floor in slow motion...but the U.S. version removed this shot entirely.

Now for the DVD Picture and Sound quality--

2.35 Anamorphic Widescreen. The Picture is extremely sharp with solid Black levels. Colors are natural and enhancements are not noticeable. CGI effects suffer a bit of softness. But the transfer is clean and nice. It is the Hong Kong transfer from what I can tell.

Sound is in 5.1 Dolby/2.0 surround in English, French & Cantonese. I am a bit disappointed why Sony still didn't include the Cantonese 5.1 DTS track as in the original Hong Kong release. Why?!

EXTRAS: Stephen Chow interview--Bloopers/outtakes--Featurettes: w/ Yuen Woo-Ping, Oliver Wong(Production designer), Shirley Wong(Costumes)

Storyboard comparison--trailers--audio commentary

CLOSING: Kung Fu Hustle is one of the more entertaining (if not the most fun in 2004) imports. It mixes pop culture blends, over-the-top comedy, hard-hitting action while maintaining a profound respect for the spirit of Kung Fu. This new region 1 release is a bit confusing, while it contains the original cut of the film, it misses the original special features and the powerful DTS Cantonese Language track. I wouldn't advise a "double dip" for fans who own the first REGION 1 dvd, but for fans who doesn't own the movie, pick this new version up. However, the lack of DTS sound is a huge minus for this version. I STILL prefer the ORIGINAL Hong Kong region-3 release!

RECOMMENDED!! (Timidly)

I didn't know what to expect when I went to see "Kung Fu Hustle" in theaters but I'm a big fan of Chinese foreign films and needless to say it exceeded all expectations. It's a mobster movie like you've never seen before set around the 1930s. The Axe Gang wear nice, fancy black suits, and after killing some apparent foes in the beginning of the movie the credits show flashes of the "tough" gangsters doing a strange sort of dance in unison I couldn't help but chuckle at with unparalleled delight. At that point I knew this was going to be an interesting film and I was absolutely right. Legends with inhuman powers arise from the unlikeliest of people, crushing the Axe Gang's superiority and pride of being the "bad-asses" you should fear for your life from. They in turn hire countless assassins to wipe out an entire village but their attempts prove futile as the population contains more than just weak farmers and housekeepers... I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of "Kung Fu Hustle" (think Looney Toons meets Kill Bill) and recommend it to anyone who looks for odd, quirky movies that are also smart and creative, yet totally out there. The subtitles didn't even bother me as I find that most films in Chinese sound much better in the original language verses being horribly dubbed in English (ie-House Of Flying Daggers).

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Stephen Chow's follow-up to 'Shaolin Soccer' (which was virtually killed in US market) is totally different from 'Shaolin.' 'Kung-hu' is a comedy, sure it is, but the star/director Chow takes this martial arts very seriously, and the film itself gives more emphasis upon martial arts actions (including silly ones) than the parodies or sight gags. And look, the film is credited with TWO choreographers -Sammo Hung and Yuen Wo Ping!

[THE STORY] is set in pre-Revolutiona China. The city is ruled by ruthless mobsters 'Axe Gang,' and now remember, they are really ruthless. Even though they dance like 'Cotton Club'-Meets-'Gangs of New York' style. And of course, they wield axes while dancing in the street.

Then our hero Sing (Chow) enters. He wants to join in the 'Axe Gangs,' and to prove his 'ability' as gangster (whatever it is), he tries to extort money from the locals living in the 'Pig Sty Alley.' What he didn't know was, the people are much, much more strong and resourceful than he expected.

The plot may sound rather pointless, and in fact it is. In short, it is about two wannabe gangsters, and the fights between gangsters and the residents of the 'Alley.' You see several references to other films, but the film's greatest merit is not them. It is kung-hu action.

[ACTIONS] For Stephen Chow shows unexpectedly exciting fight sequences between the unique characters -assassins who use musical instruments like invisible swords (and this scene is very violent), the tailor and cook who fight like devil, the Landlord and Landlady, and The Beast ... yes, he fight like a beast, or a toad (literally).

[THE STAR] Stephen Chow as hero Sing displays considerable martial arts skills, especially in the finaly act which goes like the climax of 'Matrix Revolutions' -and Chow is better than Keanu! -but it is the extraordinary supporting actors that really are rivetting. The hen-pecked landlord by Yuen Wah (known as 'magnificient villain' in Hong Kong films) and his chain-smoking wife landlady by Yuen Qiu (coming back to screen after almost 30 years) are real scene stealer, always surprising us with their outrageous personalities. And wait for 'The Beast' by Leung Siu Lung (himself a major Kung-hu star during the 70s, and comes back to movie after 15 year hietus) whose initial appearance as a bald and plump middle-aged is very deceptive. And look for Yeun Cheung-Yan (as a suspicious-looking seller of 'kung-hu manuals'), brother to Yuen Woo Ping and action choreographer of 'Charlie's Angles.'

The film may not as funny (and silly) as 'Shaolin Soccer' and if so, that's because Stephen Chow really respects the art of kung-hu and its masters. It is still a comedy, and it is often funny, but perhaps you should see it as an action film -with ridiculously exaggerated fight styles based on the traditional kung-hu. So, my advice: Don't think, just feel, and enjoy yourself.

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Kung Fu Hustle on Blu-ray looks/sounds excellent. I already own the DVD version of Kung Fu Hustle, but watching Kung Fu Hustle on Blu-ray is a vast improvement. With its vibrant colors and incredible sound, Kung Fu Hustle is definitly one of the better Blu-ray releases I have seen so far.

Just like the DVD, the Blu-ray version is also loaded with extras:

-commentary with Stephen Chow, Lam Tze Chung, Tin Kai Man, and Chan Kwok Kwun

-42 minute behind-the-scenes featurette (in Chinese with English subtitles)

-2 deleted scenes

-30 minute candid Ric Meyers interview with Stephen Chow (in English)

-5 minutes of outtakes

-trailers for Resident Evil 2, Underworld 2, and xXx

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Fresh from the worldwide triumph of Shaolin Soccer, Stephen Chow surpassed its critical and commercial success with Kung Fu Hustle. He took the winning formula he perfected with his previous film and elevated it to a more ambitious scale. He also wisely decided to have Sony distribute his movie in North America instead of Miramax who notoriously bungled the release of Soccer. The results were a modest success because, unlike Miramax, Sony knew how to market Chow's movie.

As he did with Shaolin Soccer, Chow uses CGI in very clever ways to express his ideas visually. The action sequences play out like live action Looney Tunes cartoons as he playfully pokes fun at over-the-top, pretentious action spectacles like The Matrix: Reloaded. Kung Fu Hustle is bursting at the seams with one hilarious visual gag after another. In one scene, Sing is chased by a grumpy, bossy peasant woman and they chase each other through the countryside like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Chow understands that the enjoyment in watching his movies is reveling in the visual spectacle of them. His movie has the visual inventiveness of ten movies.

Kung Fu Hustle is a movie about other movies. It playfully quotes from such diverse movies as Spider-Man and The Untouchables. One of the pleasures of watching this movie is to see what film it references next. Meanwhile, Kung Fu Hustle continues to top itself with one breathtaking action sequence after another, each one building up to the penultimate showdown. Chow's movie is so eager to please, such an unabashed celebration of movies that it makes the ones that come out of Hollywood every year look boring and outdated in comparison.

There is an audio commentary by Stephen Chow, actor Lam Tze Chung, Axe Gang advisor Tin Kai Man and actor Chan Kwok Kwan. If you're reading the subtitles of this track it is near impossible to figure out who's talking and so you just have to go along with it in the hopes that some relevant information will appear on screen. They go into detail about the filmmaking process in this informative and engaging track.

"TV Special Behind the Scene of Kung Fu Hustle" is a 42 minute look at how this movie came together hosted by two of the film's stars. This is an entertaining and well-made featurette that is a step up from the usual fare that populates DVDs.

There are two deleted scenes that feature the residents of Pig Sty Alley trying to convince the two kung fu masters to save them and more footage of Sing's initiation into the Axe Gang.

"Ric Meyers Interview with Stephen Chow" is a nice conversation between the two men. He talks about some of the cinematic influences on this movie as he comes across as a very smart and articulate fellow.

Also included is an "Outtakes and Bloopers" reel that is a very funny collection of blown lines.

There is also an impressive collection of 15 TV spots!

Finally, there is an "International Poster Exploration Gallery" that features all sorts of different designs adopting various styles and colour schemes.

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The Losers (2010)

On the surface, it's just another action movie. Stuff blows up, people get shot, the bad guy is trying to destroy the world and the good guys are trying to stop him. It's the perfect popcorn movie.

But take a closer look at The Losers and you'll start to see that there's more than just mindless entertainment going on here. It's not trying to deliver a message, thank god, and it's not an action movie with pretentions of being great art. But it's smart, well written and well acted, and that separates it from the last 10 action movies you paid good money to sit in the dark and stare at.

I saw this a few hours ago with a friend, and personally, I thought it was awesome! It was literally filled to the brim with action, comedy, and special effects. Clay, Roque, Jensen, Pooch, and Cougar are part of an elite United States Special Forces team that are on assignment in Bolivia. When they are betrayed by an enemy named Max, they become fugitives and are believed to be dead. They are forced to team up with a mysterious woman named Aisha who may be able to help them find Max. I understand this movie is based on a comic book by Vertigo, but I never read any, so I couldn't compare it. My favorite character was Chris Evans as Jensen, because he had all the hilarious lines. Another thing, was that this film reminds me a lot of 'The A-Team' If you love action, I highly recommend THE LOSERS!!!

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Adapted from the short-lived Vertigo comic series, "The Losers" delivers a solid B-action-movie experience. It's got humor, `splosions, and an over-the-top bad guy played by Jason Patric. A few things holding this film back from true greatness are the over-stylized editing (it feels a bit gimmicky after a while), the fight scenes are fast and frequent but aren't that memorable, the plot seems like it was lifted from an "A-Team" episode, and there's no big name stars to pick up the slack for the less than original characters that fill the film. Jeffery Dean Morgan is the leader of The Losers, and while he did an excellent job as The Comedian in "The Watchmen," I couldn't help but wonder how much more an actor like George Clooney or Russel Crowe would bring to the part.

However, the cast has some major talent with Zoe Saldana (kicking butt and in her underwear no less) and the future Captain America, Chris Evans. I doubted Evans' ability to pull off the part of Marvel Comics' most patriotic superhero, but his performance in "The Losers" has convinced me otherwise. Overall, "The Losers" was a fun action film and hopefully they'll come back for another go-round.

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This is a good action movie, and I was pleasantly surprised by the film when I saw it in the theaters. It keeps the core elements of the comic book series, and manages to not lose the books charm. You DON'T have to read the books to enjoy the movie, but if like the move, the books are even better.

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THE LOSERS is anything but. Created to appear like a comic book in motion, writers peter Berg, James Vanderbuilt and Andy Diggle have come up with a script that has defined some strong, unforgettable characters, outlined an all over the place story line, and managed to polish it all off with just the right amount of parody, humor, steamy scenes, and silly dialogue that makes the movie work. It is a film highly dependent of pyrotechnics and special effects, but these also are pulled off in such a way that they, too, are entertaining an even set the audience to cheering.

The story comes across as a bit jumbled due to the many sites where the action takes place, but essentially it is the tale of a group of five men (CIA operatives) who in an attempt to save some children in a fated helicopter escape from a disaster in Bolivia instead are assumed dead when the report of the exploded helicopter reaches the US. The five men toss their dog tags into the flaming ruins of the helicopter and thus become lost to the world. The team is a talented and well trained unit and each of the members has a special identity and gift: Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is the leader (and womanizer), Roque (Idris Alba) is the brains, Jensen (Chris Evans) is the wildly funny guy, Pooch (Columbus Short) is the sensitive guy, and Cougar (Óscar Jaenada) is the sniper with the ever present hat. The team (the Losers) becomes the target of a betrayal in dealing with one Max (Jason Patric) who is preparing the bomb to end all bombs. Out of nowhere comes the mysterious Aisha (Zoe Saldana) who works her way into the group via Clay's attraction to her beauty. But Aisha has her own agenda and the team joins her in uncovering and hopefully destroying the lethal Max who is planning global warfare. There are unexpected twists in the plot and internal challenges to the team's structure, but it all comes round in the end.

Yes, this is yet another noisy action film with classy acting from not only the stars but from everyone in the large cast. It is a hoot of an action thriller and hopefully this cast will be reassembled for a Part II in the future. Grady Harp, August 11

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Michael Flatley Returns as Lord of the Dance 3D - REGION FREE - UK Import

To start off M.F. is up to his high standard of dance. He is totally rocking it once again! I have the original Lord of The Dance on VHS and the Feet of Flames. Sorry but Feet of Flames is the best out of the three it gets a 5 star! This newest production would have been awesome to watch if it wasn't for some of the camera angles and way too many cut a-ways at very integral moments in the dances. The slow motion shots are really annoying. It also seems to me that this is not just one show that was shot. If you watch closely you will see Bernadette Flynn on the stage left then all of sudden she is stage right before coming to dance in the middle. Also on the "Planet Ireland" performance she seems to be missing in some shots then back again. As I was watching it all the way to the end I was wondering where the "Siamsa" number was. I found out it is a DELETED SCENE! Why?! It is one of my favorite parts. For those who have never seen one of the Lord of the Dance productions it is a really good start. I encourage though to get the older ones too. Guess I have been spoiled with the previous ones.

It's impossible to review this video without referencing the original production of 20 years ago. I have watched that video many times, and have seen it live three times (once with Flatley, twice without); needless to say, I'm a fan. There is no doubt that the audio and video on this disk are both spectacular. And Michael Flatley certainly still has "the chops" to pull off the dancing; in fact virtually the entire company is flawless. Then why only four stars? The new production. There is soo much flash from the lighting effects, it's sometimes difficult to see the dancing. The costumes are also a bit strange (especially for the men) and, as with the lighting, distract from the dancing. Also, three scenes were cut from the main production (the two soprano solos and the "Siamsa" dance routine). These ARE included in a "deleated scenes" section, but I don't know why they were cut in the first place. Bottom line: I'm sure that I will watch this many times in the future but if they ever release a remastered Blu-ray version of the original, it will be my hands-down favorite.

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I am speechless (and breathless) after watching the latest reincarnation of The Lord of the Dance. Flatley is no spring chicken but is a cardiologist's dream in form and stamina. He dances with the vigor and precision of a 20 year old. The production is vibrant, colorful and endlessly inventive as it evolves from scene to scene. The direction of the film version seen here, the technical excellence visible throughout, the perfection of the dance and dancers; sorry to gush but as a long time fan of Flatley, I never thought I'd see the day when he would out-do himself. Dancers, actors, musicians, techies, rabid dance and theatre fans --order this today. You won't regret it. What a glorious experience!

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Id never really seen a full lords of the dance show and had only seen it being performed at gala evenings etc so i wondered how they were going to pad out a whole show. Wonder no more as the show was spellbinding from start to finish with excellent 3D and a scorchingly clear 7.1 audio soundtrack, i will watch this again and again as it gives goosebumps every time, absolute perfection!

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Fabulous. It's hard to believe how awesome this man is. This is my favorite version of LOTD. He cut out the singing, kept the violins, and jams hard on his flute. Bernadette Flynn playing Saoirse, the Irish Coleen is wonderful as usual (I miss her long hair, though), but I do prefer Gillian Norris over Ciara Sexton as Morrighan, the Temptress (possibly the long hair thing again...). I have seen the show live 3 times, watched the videos (river, LOTD, and flames) hundreds of times, and am very happy to have this new material. The songs are played a touch faster, and the more demanding speed of the steps is perfectly executed with every tap. Buy it now, and enjoy! Thank you Michael, you are the greatest.

Bush: Live! (2012)

I was curious about this bluray because the AXS (originally HDNet) broadcast was riddled with Gavin's pre-recorded vocal tracks (used as backing vocals for live performances) being mixed LOUDER than his actual live vocals. It sounded horrible, especially during the chorus'. The first song of the concert, "The Mirror of the Signs" has been omitted from this official bluray release, and if you watched the live broadcast, its easy to tell why -the performance was not very good (it was one of the first times they played it) and Gavin's live vocals were not on 'time' with the pre-recorded backing tracks.

When it comes to live rock bands, Im not into click tracks. Im not into pre-recorded vocals, Im not into sound effects -I want live and raw. Bush's Woodstock 1999 DVD is a better example of this.... BUT, I will say that for THIS release, it was remixed from the live broadcast and the backing vocals have been lowered to make it much more listenable. Visually, the concert is stunning. A+ video. Performance wise, its not Bush at their absolute best but its good to great at times. "Alien" was fantastic.

Plays is 3 USA bluray players I tried. 1 PS3 and 2 different Sony bluray standalones. No worries if you are in the USA purchasing this. Trust me!

BUSH always puts on the best shows, and this one doesn't disappoint.. Loved every second. dont worry about the dvd zones that may be listed, it plays just fin in a US blu ray player.

BUY IT NOW!!!

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Shrek: The Whole Story (Shrek / Shrek 2 / Shrek the Third / Shrek Forever After) (2010)

For $10.00 per film you need to get this set. I find Blu-ray pricing to be a bit of a pain (on my budget that is!) But this set is priced as all Blu-rays should be. Ten bucks each! And for a great product.

The image quality is exceptional on my TV(Samsung LED). The detail and color in the films are just what you would expect from Dreamworks. Shrek never looked better. I watched the 1st Shrek movie again and was impressed. The other Shrek movies look better of course by default.

I don't need to review the films here since everyone knows you are getting three great films with one so-so film. For the price it is a must buy.

Again, I just want to vent here Studios: reduce the price of Blu-rays and we will buy more of them. The retail price on this set is $76.99 which is outrageous. Come on.

Ordered this for $31 for all 4 blurays . Cannot complain . Love the movie and great price. Packaging was great! Thanks Amazon!

Buy Shrek: The Whole Story (Shrek / Shrek 2 / Shrek the Third / Shrek Forever After) (2010) Now

The Shrek series is overall a fine and entertaining parody of the fairytale genre that cemented Dreamworks' status as the only serious contender to Pixar's reign as the kings of computer animation. I for one think that Dreamworks features for the most part are funnier. The first two features never before released on Blu-ray are a defininate upgrade over DVD. The third entry was a little weak as far as story goes but Forever After was a fine and fitting finale to the series to end on a high note.

However this otherwise great value priced box set is missing one near essential part of the story. Where is the 2008 Christmas special Shrek the Halls? The feature was only 22 minutes long. Why couldn't it have been included as a special feature?Paramount deducted it from the whole story therefore I am deducting one star.

Read Best Reviews of Shrek: The Whole Story (Shrek / Shrek 2 / Shrek the Third / Shrek Forever After) (2010) Here

great movies for family to watch even for all ages the things donky does are so funny you got to get this set

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It's a great complete set. My kid and family members love it. Great family entertainment to be enjoyed at home

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Drew Barrymore (2012)

Drew Barrymore has really grown as an actress. These three movies not only show that but also her comedic talents. These are no brain er movies that are just fun to watch. Seeing Hugh Grant dancing and singing was a great treat. For the price you can't beat this deal.

Here are three movies, starring Drew Barrymore, that are just plain fun to watch. Lots of laughs with great co-stars.

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If you're a fan of Drew Barrymore, this is a definite buy. I honestly bought it more for "The Wedding Singer" as that movie always makes me laugh. However, I really did like the movie "Music and Lyrics" with Hugh Grant and "Going The Distance" was one I had never seen and was pleased with as well. The blu-ray transfer looked great on all three movies, and when I bought this, it was only $10 so you couldn't ask for a better deal to have three good movies at this price!!

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As always. Drew Barrymore shines in these three movies. Hughly recommended for all three of these. My favorite DB movies are "EverAfter" ,"Never Been Kissed" and "Duplex."

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Because the movie was a Blu-ray and it had all the upgrades from the standard DVD and huge upgrades from the older VHS tapes; "The movie picture and sound was Grrrrrrrreat!!!! Their speedy service was awesome and as such, I hope to purchase more from them in the future too!

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Heaven's Memo Pad: Complete Collection (2012)

Narumi has never really fit in at school. He becomes increasingly isolated every day. Ayaka, the only other member of his gardening club, and maybe his only friend, invites him to go meet her friend that lives above a ramen shop. Alice is a NEET. Don't let her hear you call her that though. She prefers to be called a NEET detective. She is hold up in her apartment with her many computers, stuffed animals, and hacking skills. She takes on cases that seem impossible to solve. Narumi is dragged into working as Alice's assistant. Along with Alice's posse, he does the running for her to solve the cases. He also does the delivering for the hot ramen shop owner below. He's about to enter a world of weirdness and danger.

This anime is pretty darn good. It has a lot of good mysteries, suspense, action, drama, and comedy. The animation is great, the soundtrack is cool, the voice actors are among some of the best, and the vibe created is really addicting. This anime grows on you more after each episode. Especially when the final mystery starts to rear it's ugly head. I was a bit surprised at how dramatic this series got toward the end. There are lots of cool characters that give the story depth. This is a great new anime that definitely deserves a look see!

Im really happy that this anime is coming out in it's English dub. I've seen many anime movies and tv shows but this struck me by surprise. A girl who has an interesting personality with being a NEET and owning a collection of stuffed animals doesn't seem out of the ordinary, but being a genius hacker, a good detective, and having an arsenal of NEET friends to help her out makes this anime pretty unique. I can't wait to see this.

UPDATE: I've had the pleasure of watching this twice in it's subtitled form, my review above was my take on how it was going to be about. Now its time to fix it. The main character Narumi doesn't really stand out much and he tries not to get involved with the other students. Until one of his classmates pursues him and persuades him to join the gardenclub. Her name is Ayaka, she takes him to the place where meets Alice. Alice is a neet detective who really helps people when they bring her a case. Narumi didn't know it before but he got roped into becoming Alice's assistance. Sorry I can't I keep going, might give away spoilers. All in all I love this series and the opening and closing songs/animation are great. You should really buy this but before you do check it out at the Anime Network's website. PS Blake Shepard plays Narumi/ Brittney Karbowski plays Ayaka/ and Hilary Haag plays AliceAdam Gibbs plays Tetsuo Ichinomiya/ Shelley Calene-Black plays Ming Li Huang (MASTER)/ David Matranga plays Hiroaki Kuwahara/ Greg Ayres plays Hitoshi Mukai (MAJOR). Im so happy, these are all my favorite voice actors/actresses and my favorite anime.

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this is a great anime and i couldnt be any happy. i will be buy from this again . and the price is not bad at all

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heaven's memo pad is a very solid anime which i enjoyed greatley it is a detivce / mstrey show the main charter is a girl named alice who has way too many hang ups but has many loyal followers this story takes place as a new foller comes into her world and becomes intersed and indeed facinted in her world an enjoyable romp in anime not much nudeity here some cussing and violence but not over the top i think most pepole who enjoy animes or detiveces will enjoy this one.

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This anime is really good if you like mystery, loli's and great graphics. The storyline is awesome and always pulls you in to want more.

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Venom

... but the DVD edition has the option for English or Spanish subtitles.

Echo Bridge is so inconsistent from title to title in whether or not their releases are subtitled and as of this writing, probably 99% of Echo Bridge releases (from their cheapie "20 Horror Films on One Disc!" to single titles) are not subtitled in any way, shape, or form.

As far as a review for "Venom", it was an okay little voodoo-esque thriller with a talented cast of enthusiastic actors who are recognizable to those of us who live for horror flicks:

Agnes Bruckner (as Eden Sinclair, the protagonist)

Jonathan Jackson (as Eric, Eden's on-again, off-again boyfriend)

Meagan Good (as Cece, friend and co-worker of Eden)

The late Deborah Duke (as Miss Emmie, the excavator of "the box" and Cece's aunt)

Bijou Phillips (as Tammy, another friend of Eden)

Laura Ramsey (as Rachel, and yet another friend of Eden)

D.J. Cotrona (as Sean, a friend of Eric),

Method Man (as Deputy Turner),

and the incorrigible Rick Cramer (as the misunderstood truck driver Ray Sawyer)

"Venom" was produced by Kevin Williamson and directed by Jim Gillespie.

I liked "Venom" on DVD enough to pick it up on Blu-ray, assuming that if the DVD had English subtitles that the Blu-ray edition would certainly have subtitles?

I was wrong. The Blu-ray edition of "Venom" is NOT subtitled either in English or Spanish and Echo Bridge has fooled me once again.

In all fairness though, the BD edition does not state that it is subtitled so I really can't blame Echo Bridge for my not being careful enough and not reading the rear-cover specifications.

I enjoyed the film (with all its atmospheric darkness, wetness, greasiness and accursed voodoo-zombie story) and give this well-done horror outing a solid Four Stars out of Five.

But no subtitles for this Blu-ray version when the DVD had subtitle options? That, I don't understand.

"Venom " is one of those movies I thought I would hate because I heard so much negativity about it but I really enjoyed it. Being a fan of the 70's and 80's slashers I crave new Slashers because I have seen all the other ones over and over again.

Venom did NOT disappoint me.

It starts off with a bang and never lets up.I found it to be a very worthy addition to the new horror/slasher flicks'

The voodoo angle was good but not overplayed. I'm simple in that I want to see a killer with an axe , machete butcher knife etc not a bunch of supernatural mumbo jumbo..I don't want to have to wonder if something is a dream or real.

Give me an old fashioned slice and dice and I'm in heaven.and Venom gave me that and I hope to see Venom 2 if so I'm there. Venom has Lot's of great gore effects and good actors I'm a big Agnes Bruckner fan,seeing as she has become quite the Scream Queen.If you are terrified of snakes by all mean watch this,after all isn't being terrified what watching a horror movie is all about ?

(For the record, Mr Jangles used the hook & Chain before Kane in see No Evil...)

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I did not have high hopes, but I am always buying horror films in the hope that they are fun and scary. While this movie would not result in nightmares, the film was quite well done. The camera work, the quality of the compositions and colors, and the acting were all solid and without any critical flaws. The storyline was well thought out and was believable to anyone who appreciates the genre. This kill scenes were gory and the special effects and make up were true to life. Overall, this was a fun voodoo based movie that was worth buying and adding to the collection.

Read Best Reviews of Venom Here

With the name like "Venom" you would expect a big ole improbable snake. Nope. This is a slasher film. Ray (Rick Cramer) while performing an act of kindness, gets killed and bitten by snakes. These aren't just any snakes, but snakes who have evil souls within them. The souls are transferred through the venom to the dead Ray, who doesn't stay dead. It is up to the teens to save the day.

Other than the manner in which the slasher is created, this film offers nothing really new to the genre. No clever dialouge, no memorable characters, no special killing scenes, no shower scenes. It's Louisiana, voodoo, kids and a slasher. Nice cemetery. I obtained mine on a Wal Mart 20 pack. $5.00 for all 20 films.

Parental Guide: f-bombs. No sex, no nudity. Girl showing off her stolen leather bra, "a crook with a nice rack."

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I sold the DVD edition of this and upgraded to the Blu-ray edition. Very pleased with my purchase. This looks miles better than the DVD copy I had. Made this great movie much more enjoyable to watch.

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Terrorists (1975)

I wish I would have waited till the DVD came out because I paid $29,99 for the VHS tape. But anyway, very good movie and Connery is at his best after the post 007 era. He is more of a classy verison of Dirty Harry where he breaks all of the rules to get the terrorist but does it with charm!

In a pre-9/11 world, THE TERRORISTS addresses the fears we all have of being victimized by self-righteous, insensitive terrorists. Tame by today's standards, this little known vehicle for Sean Connery is an intelligently plotted and tense little thriller. Connery plays the no-nonsense head of Norway's Security, called in when a group of British terrorists invade the home of the British Ambassador and hold him hostage, demanding release of imprisoned compatriates and safe passage out of Norway. These plans go awry however when the British government discovers the drop point and the terrorists are forced to make a change in plans. This change is orchestrated by a fellow terrorist, played with subdued relish by DEADWOOD's Ian McShane, who holds a commercial airline and its passengers hostage until the other group is released.

As in most British films of the seventies, the pace is deliberate but there is a good amount of suspense generated, and Connery is effective in his role.

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This movie also goes by the title of Ransom in Britain. It is a tense drama with Ian McShane and Sean Connery (need I say more!!???). Connery is the head of a security force sent in to negotiate with terrorist holding an ambassador and his servants. The terrorist demand transport to the airport, where they learn an aeroplane has been hijacked and is awaiting the arrival of the terrorists and their hostages. Connery is determined to stop them at all costs. It is a taught game of move-counter move, with nearly everyone involved running their own game within a game, and Connery can trust no one. McShane is very believable at the head of the hijacking team, that has more than one mask he is wearing.

Read Best Reviews of Terrorists (1975) Here

I like this sort of film, which has extended bouts of dialog to create a genuine plot, along with a decent amount of action, just to keep it exciting. This film has that 60's British feel to it, although it was made in 1975 and set in Norway.

(warning ending slightly revealed next) The only thing I thought was wrong with this film was a rather perverse ending. Connery was set up to be the "fixer" of problems others created, but in the end, it seemed like the plan was going well, but Connery bungled it, causing someone to get killed, all in the name of some ambiguous "higher" morality.

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Caspar Wrede's Ransom (retitled The Terrorists in the USA) is an entertaining enough cat-and-mouse yarn from 1975 if you have an hour and a half to spare, helped immensely by a commanding performance by Sean Connery as the Scandinavian security chief having to deal with a hostage crisis and an airplane hijacking by Ian McShane's terrorist. There are some neat plot twists, Sven Nykvist's cinematography makes good use of the snowbound locations and there's a strong Jerry Goldsmith score that helps drive the film along nicely, although it is rather disconcerting to hear John Quentin speaking with Malcolm Terris' voice in a particularly noticeable bit of dubbing. All in all, an efficient Saturday night thriller that doesn't aim high but does deliver.

Unlike the UK DVD under the film's original title, which offered the theatrical trailer, Anchor Bay's Region A-locked Blu-ray release has no extras in fact, it's so barebones it doesn't even have a menu, simply playing the film on a loop with fewer chapter stops than the US DVD. The mediocre widescreen transfer is no better than you'd get from an upscaled DVD. Fox's Region 1 video is similarly extras free but is a better bet at the lower price.

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Hulk Vs. (2009)

First, let me say that the Blu-Ray version of this is crisp and clean. Gave me some minor issues loading at first but after I got those cleared up, it was smooth sailing.

The features themselves are not very long. I'll talk about them individually:

Hulk Vs. Wolverine This was before his X-Men days as Wolverine was working for Department H. The Hulk invades Canada and Wolverine is sent to hunt him down to stop him or put him down for good. The fight between them is short but pretty violent. Wolvie even makes the Hulk bleed in this one!

Not a lot of plot to this adventure but we do get appearances from Wolverine's rogue gallery in the forms of Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike, Omega Red and (most entertaining of all) Deadpool. Also, these guys explored Wolverine's time with the Weapon X project in a way that none of the animated series' could go (not even the classic '90's series) nor has the movies gone yet. Ending is unresolved but hey, this feature gave us what it should and that's a smash mouth donnybrook!

The Hulk Vs. The Mighty Thor In this one, Loki (the step-brother of Thor) brings The Hulk to Asgard, seperates him from Banner and takes control of him in order to wreak havoc in the Kingdom of Asgard. But his plan backfires and now Thor (as well as Loki and all of Asgard) faces the full fury of a Banner-less, mindless Hulk! While not bloody as Hulk Vs. Wolverine, its no less violent as The Hulk does put a brutal beating at one point on Thor, nearly killing him! This one also has a bit more story to it than the previous feature.

There are also several features to this release. The most entertaining, to me, is the behind the scenes of both features as well as a tribute to Jack Kirby as it relates to Thor. There is also footage of Hulk Vs. Wolverine at one of the big Comic conventions.

Overall, I was happy with this release. I would not, however, recommend this to small children. This is definitely a feature that should only be viewed by teens and adults. It might be too intense for younger kids. Plus, there is brief language in Hulk Vs. Wolverine during their fight so if you are the kind of person that gets offended easily or is a Bible thumper, this isn't for you.

Its a great release overall.

Hulk Vs. is so far the best animated film created by Marvel. Both short films are full of graphic violence, great animation, and the characters are played as they should be. Even the storylines are great in this DVD!

Hulk Vs. Wolverine: Logan is assigned to take down the monstrous Hulk as he tears apart the Canadian countryside. Or is it really the Hulk alone who is causing all the damage? Wolverine soon finds out that Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady DeathStrike, and Deadpool have been hunting the Hulk for the Weapon X program and attempt to use the most powerful monster on the planet as a weapon. But Lady DeathStrike and the others have other plans.

Hulk Vs. Thor: Odin is asleep and it seems that all of Asgard's enemies have been defeated. But Loki has captured Bruce Banner and plans to unleash the Hulk and destroy Thor. But can Loki truelly control such a savage and powerful monster? For not even Thor nor any God has the strength or the power to stop the Hulk!

My addvice, buy this DVD set. If you are true fan of the core material of the comics, then this DVD is for you. However, beware it is extremely graphic and should not be seen by those under the age of 13. The bonous features are a great treat and plus we get a look at Thor: Tales Of Asgard. So, what are you waiting for? Buy now and enjoy!

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"HULK VS." is a 2-disc special edition featuring "Hulk vs. Wolverine" and "Hulk vs. Thor" animated movies. Released from Lionsgate there are numerous previews, various audio commentaries, and of course the actual movies.

Disc 1 contains "Hulk vs. Wolverine" (PG-13) and is 37 minutes long. Hulk is tearing up the Canadian country side and Wolverine is sent to stop him. The movie opens with Hulk and Wolverine battling. After the title and credit sequence the movie goes back to four hour earlier when Wolverine was brought in by helicopter to the small town of Elkford that was destroyed by Hulk. The Canadian military wants Wolverine to stop Hulk. If he can't be stopped then Wolverine is to kill him before he harms another town or city. The chase is on with Wolverine finding a lot more than expected including other foes in the Canadian wildness.

Disc 1 also contains audio commentaries with Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Frank Paur, Kevin Altieri and Butch Lukic. There is also a first look at "Wolverine And The X-Men" coming in April along with a making of "Hulk vs. Wolverine" feature. There is also a feature about the "Hulk vs. Wolverine" world premiere at the San Diego Comic Con last year and a question and answer deal there at the convention.

The 45 minute Disc 2 features "Hulk vs. Thor" (PG-13) and is the story of Loki trying to destroy his stepbrother, Thor. The movie opens with another colorful credit sequence before taking us to the realm of the eternal: Asgard. Long ruled and protected by Odin all is well and the cycle continues. Every winter Odin must sleep and leaves things unprotected for seven days and that is when the wicked come. Thor leads the defense against the siege of darkness. Dr. Banner is spirited in by Loki so that he can be forced to become the Hulk and used to finally destroy, Thor. But, Hulk is not a weapon that can be controlled for long and the repercussions for all will be epic.

This disc also features audio commentary with Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Frank Paur, Sam Liu and James Peters. Like the much bloodier and brutal "Hulk vs. Wolverine" disc, this disc also has a making of the feature and a first look feature at the next movie in the series. This one is on "Thor: Tales of Asgard" coming out on DVD this fall. There is also a feature on Jack Kirby and his artwork with Thor.

The result is two very different movies that continue the legendary Marvel characters while providing plenty of back story. The animation is detailed as are the complicated story lines creating a viewing experience sure to please old and young alike.

Kevin R. Tipple (COPYRIGHT)2009

"By The Light Of The Moon"

The Carpathian Shadows Volume 2

Read Best Reviews of Hulk Vs. (2009) Here

As a superhero fan, I was going to watch this regardless, but after the lackluster animated releases Marvel has put out so far, I didn't have my expectations set too high.

However, Hulk Vs. is by far the best animated Marvel film yet. I think the fact that they split them up into 2 approx. half hour shorts helped tremendously, keeping the plot moving and the action tight. Both episodes felt like they could've easily been a stand-alone issue of a comic book, with all the heroes keeping in character.

Hulk Vs. Wolverine is the standout, and sets a new standard in brutal cartoon violence (for a PG-13 rating of course). We are treated to some great Wolverine back-story, right out of the Weapon X storyline, some hardcore Wolverine vs. Hulk fighting (which seemed like a combo of Wolverine's first appearance in the Hulk comic and the more recent Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine mini-series) and some great appearances by fan-favorite villains like Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, and Deadpool.

Hulk Vs. Thor was surprisingly entertaining, but being as I'm not that much of a Thor fan, I enjoyed the Wolverine story more. That's not to say this wasn't a good episode, and I ultimately enjoyed it more than I expected. Both films had excellent animation and fantastic voice-work. Good writing, all by people who were obvious fans of the core material.

I highly recommend Hulk Vs. It's two great stand-alone episodes that seem like they could be part of a larger universe. Hopefully Marvel realizes this and begins adapting popular comic book arcs like Secret Invasion, Secret War, or Spider-Man Reign...

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I had seen lots of trailers for this DVD on-line from Marvel and it looked great, so I was anxious to see it. On viewing, I had mixed feelings. The animation is good quality and looks fabulous on Blu-Ray, especially Asgard. On the other hand, the two stories are so predictable that you could write them before you open the box. I wasn't expecting it to be an Oscar winner, but I did expect it to be a DVD I would want to watch more than once.

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Battledogs (2013)

While BATTLEDOGS isn't a great film, it's one of SyFy/The Asylum's better offerings. It has a cast of more reputable actors and the effects are better than usual. Plotwise, it's typical government misbehavior vs. moral assignation, but I found it interesting and involving. Dennis Haysbert from 24, THE UNIT and All State commercials is a convincingly pompous villain, nicely supported by Kate Vernon, Craig Sheffer, Ariana Richards, Wes Studi and Ernie Hudson. I viewed BATTLEDOGS on the SyFy Channel so its upcoming DVD release may be more enjoyable to watch without commercial interruption.

I can agree that this isn't the very best of sci-fi films, but this is a large improvement over the usual SyFy production. But they should have used Debbie Rochon and David Marancik in larger roles.

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Delicatessen (StudioCanal Collection) (1991)

"Delicatessan" is simply one of the funniest films I've ever seen. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also gave us the equally quirky and delightful "City of Lost Children," the film begins in a post-apocalyptic and dying world in which nothing grows and ends in a reborn one where blue skies and fruitful earth has returned. The action takes place in a half-ruined apartment building whose residents are kept from starving by the Sweeney Todd-like practices of their landlord, a butcher. But the butcher's daughter, wonderfully played by Marie-Laure Dougnac, and the ex-clown who comes to work for her father, put an end to the nefarious practice.

The visuals of the film are incredible. To underscore the theme of butchery and meat-eating, the very walls of the apartment building, in both color and texture, look vaguely like meat. Long drainage pipes, which the camera frequently follows from the inside, look like esophagus and stomach passageways and intestines.

The visual surreality is matched by the surreal characters: a rich resident named Aurore whose Rube Goldberg-complicated attempts at suicide all end in failure; a resident who lives in the basement, regularly floods his dwelling to cultivate mold, slime, and snails, which he then devours with gusto; two roommates who make those little cans which, when turned upside down, emit a lugubrious "moo"; a family with demon kids and an aged grandmom who eventually gets turned into pate; the butcher himself who loves his work; the clown who cames to dinner; and a bunch of revolutionaries who call themselves the Troglydites and are as inept as a bunch of Keystone Cops.

An incredibly rich, hilarious, satisfying film. Easily 5+ stars.

You probably know him best for "Amelie" and "A Very Long Engagement," one an adorably surreal little love story, and the other a sepia-toned story of a girl looking for her lover.

But Jean-Pierre Jeunet did an entirely different kind of comedy in "Delicatessen," a wicked black comedy that deals with... um... er.... cannibalism. As in, people eating people. The resulting movie is a truly twisted, dark story populated by the strangest, oddest characters that the writer could possibly have imagined -cannibal butchers, rebel vegetarians, and ex clowns. And hoo, is it funny!

It's the postapocalyptic future, where food is so scarce that grain is used as money, and meat is completely gone. The setting is an apartment building run by a local butcher Clapet (Jean-Claude Dreyfus), who feeds his tenants in an unusual way: he hires assistants, then turns them into tomorrow's din-din. His newest assistant is the gentle vegetarian ex-clown Louison (Dominic Pinon).

But the butcher's plans get thrown for a loop when his cello-playing daughter Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac) falls for Stanley and (unsurprisingly) wants to save her love from a fate worse than entrees. So she contacts the vegetarian resistance -the sewer-dwelling Troglodytes -and tricks them into invading her father's house, on the night when he plans to slaughter Louison. Then things get really weird.

Okay, let's get this straight: cannibalism is not funny. It's sick and evil and grotesque.

But comedies about cannibalism CAN be very funny, if done well -and "Delicatessen" is done very, very well. It manages to be a funny comedy in the tradition of Terry Gilliam, with the warped direction, surreal direction and strange settings, as well as some deeply, horribly funny characters. What was later precious in "Amelie" is weirdly ominous here... not that that's a bad thing. It's quite suitable, actually.

It's also a challenge to create such a dark, bleak setting and somehow inject lots of dark, offbeat comedy into it. For example, one sex scene is juxtaposed against various activities (carpet beating, cello playing) -all in the same rhythm. It's a moment of pure comic skill. But at the same time, Jeunet slips a bittersweet love story into the middle of the strangeness, relying on Pinon and Dougnac's strong chemistry and relatively innocent characters.

The oddities of the characters in this little hotel are what take this dark comedy to the next level: a tough postman, a pair of brothers who make "moo" boxes, and an aristocratic old lady who goes to great -and unsuccessful -lengths to kill herself, Rube Goldberg-style. Julie and the innocent Louison are the bright spot of normalcy and love, but the Troglodytes are a bit over-the-top. Really, must they be THAT dumb?

"Delicatessen" is an acquired taste. Okay, now that I've got that out of my system, here's the real end of the review: Jean-Pierre Jeunet's dark comedy is a bit hard to swallow at first, but the wickedly funny characters and offbeat script will win you over.

Buy Delicatessen (StudioCanal Collection) (1991) Now

You probably know him best for "Amelie" and "A Very Long Engagement," but Jean-Pierre Jeunet did an entirely different kind of comedy in "Delicatessen," a wicked black comedy that deals with... um, cannibalism. It's a twisted, dark story populated by the oddest characters that the writer could possibly have imagined -and man, is it funny.

It's the postapocalyptic future, where food is so scarce that grain is used as money, and meat is completely gone. The setting is an apartment building run by a local butcher (Jean-Claude Dreyfus), who feeds his tenants in an unusual way: he hires assistants, then turns them into tomorrow's din-din. His newest assistant is the gentle vegetarian ex-clown Louison (Dominic Pinon).

But the butcher's plans get thrown for a loop when his cello-playing daughter Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac) falls for Stanley and (unsurprisingly) wants to save her love from a fate worse than entrees. So she contacts the vegetarian resistance, the Troglodytes, and tricks them into invading her father's house, on the night when he plans to slaughter Louison.

Okay, let's get this straight: cannibalism is not funny. But comedies about cannibalism CAN be very funny, if done well. And "Delicatessen" manages to be a funny comedy in the tradition of Terry Gilliam, with the warped direction, surreal direction and strange settings. What was later precious in "Amelie" is weirdly ominous here... not that that's a bad thing.

It's also a challenge to create such a dark, bleak setting and somehow inject offbeat comedy into it. For example, one sex scene is juxtaposed against various activities (carpet beating, cello playing) -all in the same rhythm. It's a moment of pure comic skill. But at the same time, Jeunet slips a bittersweet love story into the middle of the strangeness, relying on Pinon and Dougnac's strong chemistry.

The oddities of the characters are what take this dark comedy to the next level: a tough postman; a pair of brothers who make "moo" boxes, and an aristocratic old lady who goes to great -and unsuccessful -lengths to kill herself, Rube Goldberg-style. Julie and the innocent Louison are a bright spot, but the Troglodytes are a bit over-the-top. Really, must they be THAT dumb?

"Delicatessen" is an acquired taste. Okay, now that I've got that out of my system, here's the real end of the review: Jean-Pierre Jeunet's dark comedy is a bit hard to swallow at first, but the wickedly funny characters and offbeat script will win you over.

Read Best Reviews of Delicatessen (StudioCanal Collection) (1991) Here

Delicatessen (comedy, romance, fantasy)

Directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Starring Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac and Jean-Claude Dreyfus

Lionsgate Films | 1991 | 99 min | Rated R | Released Sep 14, 2010

Video:

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:

French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

Subtitles:

English, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish

Discs:

Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc

The Film 4/5

Delicatessen is an unusual film. If you have seen any of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's other works, you'll have an idea of what to expect. There are no jokes, but there is a lot of weird visual humor. It's like meeting a French version of Quentin Tarantino or David Lynch.

The plot, such as it is, is set in an apartment complex above a delicatessen. The butcher, Clapet, hires people to do odd jobs. We are never told what year it is, but the action takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where food is scarce. Clapet's motive for hiring people is to kill them and feed their body to the building's inhabitants. The movie's opening scene shows one such murder.

A new man arrives to apply for the now vacant position. He's Louison (Pinon), an ex-circus clown. He has no money so pays for his taxi with his shoes, and then wears clown shoes for the remainder of the film. Clapet hires him. Pinon has appeared in every Jeunet film in the past 20 years and seems perfectly at home with the director's quirky style.

The building is falling apart and Louison has plenty of work. He is generally well-liked and soon attracts the attention of the butcher's daughter, Julie (Dougnac). An unlikely romance blooms between the two and she begs her father not to kill Louison. She wears glasses and can barely see without them, but takes them off for her first date with Louison. The results are hilarious. She tells him that people in the building get eaten, but he has fallen asleep and misses the warning.

If you have seen the trailer, you'll be familiar with a sequence in which the butcher has sex on a squeaky bed. We are shown various odd characters engaging in weird activities, and they all synchronize their actions with the sound of the springs squeaking. I don't think I have seen anything else like it.

Sound travels through the building's pipes and is used to develop parts of the plot. In an early scene, the camera takes us through a pipe to show where it leads. Very Lynchian.

Jeunet is original, creative, weird and genuinely funny, in a dry sort of way. The overall mix is unique. The film plays more like a series of vaguely connected scenes than a fluid story, but each element has something interesting. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

Video Quality 4.5/5

The world of Delicatessen is filled with mist and grime. Outdoor scenes are deliberately murky and the image looks a little soft and noisy, but such scenes are infrequent. Detail is strong in the remaining scenes and shines during the frequent close-ups. Jeunet's films have unusual color palettes too. For example, Amelie is full of greens and reds. Delicatessen has a reddish-brown tint and it fits the atmosphere well. Apart from the few misty shots, the overall quality is excellent for a film with such a low budget.

Audio Quality 4/5

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix does its job well. Dialogue is clear and it's easy to hear frogs croaking and water rushing, as well as the unusual musical duets performed by Julie and Louison. The score has a distinctly French feel to it and adds something to the overall mood. Subtitles are displayed in white text and appear inside the frame.

Special Features 4/5

There's plenty of background information to be found for those wanting to know more about the film:

Making of: Fine Cooked Pork Meats (13 minutes)

Trailer and Teaser (4 minutes)

Main Course Pieces (65 minutes)

Audio Commentary (Jeunet's comments in French with optional subtitles)

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Archives (9 minutes)

What is Delicatessen? Is it a comedy? A romance? Fantasy? Horror? It's a wonderfully unique mess served up as only Jeunet can. If you are already a fan of his work, this fits right in. For those new to it, this is a good place to start. I prefer Amelie and A Very Long Engagement, but Delicatessen has a lot of replay value and I'm happy to have it in my collection. Give it a try if you don't mind foreign language films.

Overall score 4/5

Want Delicatessen (StudioCanal Collection) (1991) Discount?

This is it! As delirious as Amelie made me, as visually stunning as City of Lost Children was, this was the first Jean-Pierre Jeunet (and Marc Caro!) movie I ever saw and it's still my favorite. Darker in tone than any of his other films it's still packed with hilarious moments and every scene is impeccably and sumptuously shot with colors so luminous you're TV will thank you personally for buying this movie.

The central joke in the film, that others seem to miss, is that the characters aren't driven by hunger. Yes, it's set in some undisclosed time of bleak social collapse where meat is very, very scarce. Yes, an enterprising butcher uses certain tenants to do little jobs around the apartment building he owns before chopping them up and selling them to his other tenants (who are all in on it by the way). But the tenants buy the meat with dried grain and corn and beans. Not just a handful of grain, but quite a bit. More grain than meat. Think about that for a second. They're not starving. They could easily use that grain to make a myriad of meals, but instead they use it to buy meat. Not because they need it, but because they want it. Then, out of the swirling ever present fog, stumbles an unassuming, down on his luck ex-clown looking for work and everything goes to hell. Well, mostly everything.

I can't recommend this movie enough. If you're tired of the bland Hollywood fare at your local Cineplex and want something with a little more... flavor... check this out. You won't be disappointed. And don't worry, it may seem like I've given away quite a bit of the movie in this review, but I haven't. You learn everything I've mentioned in the first five minutes or so of the film. The rest of the movie just sort of careens wildly out of control from there.

Oh, this is just a review of the film by the way; I haven't seen the region 1 DVD of the film yet (because it wont be out until May) so I don't know what it's like, but if it's as good as the region 2 DVD, it'll be well worth the cash.

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Janeane Garofalo: If You Will - Live in Seattle (2010)

Janeane Garofalo. Love her or hate her, I admit that I used to listen to her on the defunct Air America via her radio show "The Marjority Report" and have always felt that her comedy was intelligent, self-deprecating and one of those people you want to hang out with because she was like a female version of Larry David. A bit narcissistic and she has this unique perspective towards society and pop culture that I find witty and different from other female comedians.

Although, Janeane Garofalo is known for her television and movie work, may it be from "24', "The West Wing", "Felicity", "The Larry Sanders Show" or "Reality Bites", she was once a stand-up comedian who would go up on stage with her notebook and go into random observations and direct quotes in her act.

It's been several years now but Garofalo made her return on stage via her special "If You Will" shot in Seattle's Moore Theatre and aired on EPIX in June 2010 and now, the special will be released on Blu-ray and DVD.

VIDEO:

"Janeane Garofalo If You Will: Live in Seattle" is presented in 1080 High Definition (1:78:1). The picture quality is solid and there is a good lighting on Janeane, skin tones are natural, blacks are nice and deep. No dizzying editing cuts, we see Garofalo straight on but you don't see a lot of audience reactions to her jokes. Camera angles are stationary towards Janeane via close up, full body or right behind her onto the audience.

AUDIO:

As for the audio, the audio for "Janeane Garofalo If You Will: Live in Seattle" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Dialogue is clear and understandable, audience reactions and ambiance can be heard through the surround channels. Overall, the lossless audio is well-done.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"Janeane Garofalo If You Will: Live in Seattle" comes with the following special features presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 1:78:1) and audio via uncompressed PCM Stereo:

* Pets(6:00) Janeane talks about losing a dog and her love for dogs but this time, having to take care of a female toddler and comparing her to a dog.

* Representative Richard Martin (R) (5:13) A Republican politician wants to be interviewed by Janeane and question her on her liberal beliefs.

JUDGMENT CALL:

For those who are familiar with Garofalo's work on Air America, many wonder if this will be a liberal tongue lashing on stage. And if anything, Janeane keeps things cool and doesn't engage in any politics, party groups or anything that is too racy.

If anything, watching "If You Will", this is a mature Garofalo. A grown up version of what we have seen from her in the 1990's but this time, seeing how her career has changed over the years but also how life has affected her in different ways. She takes on a various topics which include her maturity, misconceptions of her being a lesbian, hear health, her Spanx body shaper, her alcoholism and more. Including an interesting perspective that she has towards Natalie Portman (and Charlize Theron). If anything, Garofalo is quite fun to watch because she is esoteric. She is intelligent, well-versed but she doesn't come off as an egotistical snob.

Garofalo comes onto the stage with her notepad, tatoos on her arms and just goes through a flow of whatever is on her mind and it's a different style of comedy than one typically sees on stage. Of the many stand-up comedy DVD's that I review each year, it's always a pleasure to watch not only a female comedian but also an intelligent one that doesn't pride herself in sexual or moronic comedy.

In one bit, Garofalo criticizes men on their lack of cutting their toenails and dry heels and her delivery is quick and as much as she dishes out, she brings back in and becomes self-deprecating. In one segment she talks about going to Starbucks and the barista telling her, "No offense, but you look like Janeane Garofalo" and another where her manager tells her she needs to have web presence and how she doesn't even tweet.

Her comedy is not for everyone but it's definitely comedy for those who want intelligent comedy for 65-minutes long and no, there is no polemicizing on one's political views. She keeps it to topics surrounding pop culture and life and topics that people can relate too.

The Blu-ray release of "If You Will: Live in Seattle" is a good blu-ray release with solid PQ and good use of the surrounds via the lossless audio. I wished there was a bit more special features but for the most part, these two short comedy segments are fun to watch and for the most part, "If You Will" is a good Garofalo comedy Blu-ray release.

Overall, "Janeane Garofalo If You Will: Live in Seattle" was a fun special and definitely an enjoyable comedy Blu-ray release!

Jeanane at her best. I find I can almost quote something daily from this routine. I never tire of watching.

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This is a surprisingly good show. As somebody who was never a fan of Janeane's, I think she nailed just about everything here. Highly recommended, funny as hell.

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I don't submit reviews for artist's performances. I don't consider myself qualified. To call what I'm typing right now a "review" is, therefore, just wrong. I just needed to share how much I enjoyed this DVD. I wanted to just submit a "star" rating alone, but that wasn't possible. Angry red letters appeared below the empty box demanding I "please write my review." I loved it. You might as well. End "review."

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I have never seen anyone who has a more organized scatter brain than this girl. I love to watch her stand-ups. I recently saw one of her old ones on HBO Comedy channel and they edited the end of it out. So, I decided to come to Amazon to see if I could find it in it's original form and found this instead. I enjoyed it and recommend it to everyone. We need more of her stuff,(i.e. more stand-ups in other locations).

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The Last House on the Left / The Strangers / A Perfect Getaway Triple Feature (2008)

Three underrated Thrillers all in package. This is a good deal if you're into thrillers. Great picture quality and the movies are decent to good.

three blu rays for the price of one. It's a no-brainer if you're trying to rack up your movie collection or just want to watch movies you haven't seen before.

What a bargain for these three good movies. The price could not be beat and the picture and sound quality was very good.

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Not movies you can watch over and over but definitely a good pick and a must have for my movie collection.

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Three Movies in one what a great idea saves space on my shelf and the price was right..also three great movies.

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I am not crazy about The Last House on the Left, not because I felt the movie wasn't well done, but because it is just a bit harsh for my taste, I felt the same way about the original. But I have to say that The Strangers and The Perfect Getaway are really guilty pleasures of mine.

"The Strangers" is a really well done nightmare scenario that many people fear. A couple is alone one night in a suburban home and ends up being terrorized by a group of random "strangers" for no reason whatsoever. This has a real ring of truth to it and that's what makes it so scary.

"The Perfect Getaway", on the other hand, really makes it clear how perception is everything. This movie stars several great actors, including Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant and Chris Hemsworth. Considering the quality of the actors, the director, and the story, I am very surprised this did not do better.

Anyway, if you have not seen these films it is really a no brainer to pick up this set for the price.

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Rudo Y Cursi (2009)

Like any good sports movie, the subtitled "Rudo y Cursi" is not at all about sports. The competition exists on a much more fundamental level: One brother is pitted against the other in a battle over who the better person is. Even more fundamental is the battle each brother wages with himself between his talent and his passion, neither of which seem to go hand in hand. The strength of this film is that it relies on these simple, understandable ideas to get its point across. It also relies on clearly defined characters that behave realistically. The brothers, for example, seem not like archetypal clones but rather like actual human beings, shifting back and forth between loving and hating each other. While none of this makes for groundbreaking cinema, it does allow for an enjoyable film that's sometimes fun, sometimes dramatic, and always charming.

The film, written and directed by Carlos Cuarón (Alfonso's brother), is about Tato (Gael García Bernal) and Beto (Diego Luna), brothers from a rural Mexican village where life revolves around a banana plantation. As they play soccer, they're spotted by a stranded talent scout named Batuta (Guillermo Francella), who doubles as the film's narrator. As smooth as can be, he offers them a chance to try out for a professional team. From this, we get a much better understanding of who the brothers are: Tato clearly has talent on the field, but his real dream is to be a famous singer; Beto's dream is to be a goalie, although he seems better suited for a career in gambling. Both seem determined to help their mother, who's married to a new husband neither one of them have any patience for.

It's the eager and ignorant Tato who Batuta chooses first, and within no time, he's taken to Mexico City and given the nickname "Cursi" (which translates as "vulgar"). The quick-tempered Beto eventually joins his brother, leaving behind a wife, a few children, and a steady job. He earns the nickname "Rudo" (which translates as "coarse").

As they both go through the ups and downs of playing on a professional soccer team--and this definitely includes the many hazing rituals in the locker room showers--they engage in other activities. Tato begins dating a beautiful TV personality and produces a music video for the Spanish version of "I Want You to Love Me." Beto gets sidetracked by fame and fortune, resulting in risky games of high stakes poker and a line or two of cocaine. It also results in a considerable amount of debt ... the kind that comes with death threats from shady people. This isn't good, especially since his wife has made the journey to Mexico City hoping to make it big pitching health supplements.

All this inevitably leads to a climactic soccer match, made more interesting by the fact that Tato and Beto find themselves on opposite teams. Were this all "Rudo y Cursi" were concerned with, it would be a very mundane film. As it is, it's an absorbing tale of two conflicting personalities, both so convincing that they effectively overshadow the conventional plot. One of my favorite scenes takes place on the beach, where the brothers are spending time with their visiting mother. As they sit in the sand, each son tries to one-up the other by promising to build a big house right along the shore. It's a perfect example of evoking a rivalry, and I say "evoking" because one gets the sense that it's been building within them ever since they were children.

This very intentionally functions as a counterpart to Batuta's narration, which seems made up almost entirely of proverbs and facts. He begins the film, for instance, by giving us a brief history of soccer: Long, long ago, the Ancient Aztecs invented a game in which they kicked around the severed head of their enemies. We know right then and there that "Rudo y Cursi" will be a story of competition and sacrifice with just a little bit of game-playing thrown in for good measure. To extend the metaphor, the story that we're about to see will be just like a soccer match, with opposing forces working towards their own set of goals.

By the end of the film, there's the implication that every gets exactly what they wanted out of life, albeit in unconventional ways. To elaborate would give too much away, but rest assured that the story resolves itself appropriately, if not unexpectedly. What "Rudo y Cursi" lacks in originality is more than made up for in depth of character and simplicity of theme; we watch this film aware yet forgiving of its conventions, and that's because we're being told a relatable story with protagonists who seem real. This would have been very difficult to achieve were it not for the natural onscreen chemistry between Bernal and Luna. They just seem like a natural fit together. More to the point, they seemed like actual brothers--perpetually caught in that gray zone between love and hate, driven by the need to upstage each other, united in their desire to please their mother. This, I feel, is so much more compelling than a simple game of soccer.

I saw "Rudo y Cursi" this year at the Sarasota Film Festival and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the movie. The main reason I went to see "Rudo y Cursi" was because it starred Gael Garcia Bernal, whose films I generally enjoy. I felt a little unsure about the film going into it, because I didn't know much going into the film and felt this would be a typical sports movie, but I really enjoyed seeing this. The film is truly a story of two brothers more than anything, and, though it does revolve around their passion for sports, it didn't feel like your regular sports film. It does have some of your stereotypical sports film moments, but in the end it was a very unique movie experience. Anyone who enjoys Gael Garcia Bernal films, will definitely love this movie. He is equally serious and humorous in the film and serves as a great counterpart to Diego Luna who plays his brother. I feel that this film can be enjoyed by a wide array of viewers and would suggest this film to anyone, as it is an all around great movie.

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'Rudo y Cursi' is a fun, rollicking movie and a cautionary tale to boot. I was lucky enough to see this film's debut at Dallas AFI in early 2009, where it was introduced by writer/director Carlos Cuarón. That night, Cuarón called 'Rudo y Cursi' "a tale of my Mexico and what it is today, good or bad." What we get is Cuarón's comedic/dramatic arc of the gravitational pull of Mexico D.F. on small-city dreamers, an obsession with El Fútbol Mexicano, shady sports promotion, a hyper-aggressive media looking to find and promote stars, here-today-gone-tomorrow success, and lurking in the background allusions to the ascendancy of powerful drug lords.

Our audience was split 50-50 between native Spanish and English speakers the Spanish-speaking half laughed uproariously throughout; the English-speaking half found the proceedings interesting, funny...but maybe not quite that funny. The difference was between the spoken word and the subtitles I had a friend confirm that half-brothers Tato (Gael García Bernal) and Beto (Diego Luna) are insulting each other throughout in inventive, bluer-than-blue, can-you-top-this street language. The subtitles reflect only a small slice of that linguistic flair.

Like many, I was delighted by the little Easter egg tucked away inside this film: García Bernal's hilariously campy ranchera rendition of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" recast here as "Quiero Que Me Quieras." As director, Carlos Cuarón may not have quite the emotional touch that older brother Alfonso laid down with perfection in Y Tu Mama Tambien, but Carlos definitely has the ear for comedy and cultural touchstones.

As much fun as it was to watch García Bernal and Luna pair up again, my favorite role in the film belonged to Argentine actor Guillermo Francella as sports agent and scout, 'Batuta.' His role in plucking Tato and Beto from obscurity and riding their wave of success and what follows rings true at every step. He inhabits that role perfectly.

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"Rudo y Cursi" (2009) features two banana-picking brothers playing football (soccer) in their small Mexican village where they are discovered by a scout/scam artist (Guillermo Francella), the film's sometime narrator. Rudo (Diego Luna) is a goalie, and Cursi (Gael Garcia Bernal) is an effective scorer. The scout can only take one of them to Mexico City, so they choose who is to go by a penalty kick. Cursi wins, gets established in pro soccer, and talks the scout into getting his brother onto another team.

Both become successful. Cursi would just as soon be a pop music star and tries his hand at it. His flaw is falling for a beautiful faithless celebrity girl friend, and Rudo's failing is his addictive gambling habit.

Both run into trouble and can't handle success. There are a lot of crooks around ready to fix games, and one brother gets entrapped in a fix which involves the other.

The movie "Y Tu Mama Tambien" was co-written by Carlos Cuaron, but this time he wrote and directed using the same lead actors from "Mama."

In Spanish with English sub-titles, the flick never really shows the two with any real soccer skills, and is short on detailed soccer sequences. The pictures of village life are well-handled, and the movie has many realistic elements.

These two guys aren't the best actors you've ever seen, but they turn in credible enough jobs to keep the plot boiling and the lid ready to pop. Some of the plot features may seem familiar and overworked to you. It reminds me of what a very good "B" movie used to be like in the good old days.

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This is a rough-and-tumble film that shows us the personalities of the young men who rise to social and media prominence in a national sport. It shows us the guys behind the flat, cliche-ridden delivery of on-the-field interviews for TV sports and the glamorizing of sports writers and commentators. The film's two central characters are country bumpkins, who happen to be so naturally gifted as athletes that they shoot straight to the top of the game and are soon rolling in dough and luxuries, unaware of the under-the-table wheeling and dealing of their manager and owners.

Brothers one of them married, one not compete as much with each other as any team they play against. Given opportunities to learn about the way of the world, they miss every one of them, fixated on what they are really interested in a singing career for one and high-stakes gambling for the other. It's a recipe for an unhappy ending, but even when matters take a turn for the worse, there are no regrets. There's plenty of cleverness in this film that celebrates sport while satirizing the conventional sports movie. The spectacular plays on the field are off camera, and we get instead the amazed reaction shots of onlookers.

Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are well matched as the film's two brothers, nicknamed Rudo and Cursi. Bernal has the wonderful ability to play farcical comedy as naturally as he does straight dramatic roles. This film is not the social commentary that we get in the excellent road movie "Y Tu Mama Tambien," which under its comic surface is dead serious. "Rudo y Cursi" is more of a lark and for all that probably less memorable.

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The Next Three Days (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2010)

Russell Crowe plays a man who's wife is convicted of a murder he's convinced she didn't commit. After she tries to kill herself, he decides to break her out of jail. Although the movie felt somewhat slow for a portion of it, ultimately I have to say that I enjoyed it, and can highly recommend it. Here's why:

1. It's a smart movie. It makes you think, and you're not told every last detail up front. In fact, you don't even know if the wife was innocent of murder or not for most of the movie. You're led through the story with pieces to the puzzle, and by the end it all comes together. It was really interesting.

2. It was not predictable. I found myself constantly evaluating what was happening, and trying to figure out what would come next. When you think you know what's coming, you realize you don't. It had some interesting turns and twists.

Although it started out slow, I think the way it progressed was important for the development of the characters and the story. It was, in my opinion, a good decision to develop the story this way, and worth sitting through.

3. It challenges your values. I had to keep wondering if I thought Crowe's character was doing right or not, and I found I kept evaluating whether I wanted him to succeed. Was he a desperate man who was forced to become a hero? Or was he a man who has gone over the edge into darkness? It certainly makes you think.

4. The acting was amazing, as you'd expect from Crowe. We think he's one of the very best actors of our time. Elizabeth Banks played the wife, and she was so believable. I was surprised that Liam Neeson had such a very tiny role, and Brian Dennehy, a powerful actor, barely said anything. Still, their presence in the film added to it.

5. There was some good action. Not a ton of it though, but enough to keep your adrenaline rushing once in a while. The last portion was edge of your seat exciting.

Ultimately I'd say this is a very satisfying movie experience. It's different, not a formula, and by the end you're on the edge of your seat.

"The Next Three Days" is a tight, hard-hitting thriller that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the film. I really didn't know, right up to the final moments, how it would end and because the film had expertly guided me to care about all the characters, even some random losers in a meth lab, I did care about how it would end. The actors are all good with Russell Crowe especially so, and the realistically gritty sets perfectly match the film's desperate tone. Elizabeth Banks' too-good-to-be-true wholesome, sunny good looks are well used. "The Next Three Days" reminded me of Hitchcock, and of 1993's "The Fugitive," but it doesn't rise to that level of classic. Rather, it's a well-oiled machine, designed efficiently to crank out the audience's engagement, tension and release.

There are a couple of especially good moments. The opening scene could have been satisfactory if all it did was to set the stage for what is to follow, but it does so much more. I'd love to watch that scene again (and again). A women with a plunging neckline spars with Lara, a more modestly dressed woman, about whether or not women can ever get over their competition over men and bond with each other. The scene demonstrates its contents: Ms. Décolletage uses double entendres to make a pass at Lara's husband, and Lara shows the audience she is quite capable of losing her temper, an important plot point. The brilliant writing in this scene is a bonus. There is a scene involving a sewer drain that economically resolves a question the audience has had for some time. A scene with a car door is similarly powerful and informative. Brian Dennehy's performance as an intimacy-impaired, working class dad is almost wordless and quite brilliant. And the film really does bring poignancy to the scum of the earth, drug dealers.

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Watching the trailers for this film, I was sure it would be a hit. Then, it came and went without much fuss, and I didn't catch it till it showed up in our $1.50 theater. To my pleasant surprise, it is a strong film, with a good plot and some great acting. Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, and Olivia Wilde more than make up for Liam Neeson's laughably short cameo--laughable, since his name got a top billing.

"The Next Three Days" revolves around the murder indictment of John Brennan's (Crowe's) wife, played by Banks. All evidence points to her guilt in the death of her female boss, and she gets put away in the county jail, set in the middle of Pittsburgh. The Steel City is a great setting for a film. Director Paul Haggis uses it nicely, making the numerous bridges a part of the film's plot when Brennan, a normally meek-mannered community-college teacher, decides to help get his wife out of prison. Meanwhile, his wife is not fully on-board with his plans, and his son is still grieving the absence of his mother.

In the theater, audience members gasped at a few of the surprises--one of which was psychologically believable, but still felt like a bait-and-switch tactic. The audience also gasped at one or two scenes that did not play out in the typical Americanized cinema fashion. Crowe's character is not the slick, former spy, superhero that we saw in Liam Neeson's "Taken." Instead, he uses his brain to make his plans, and when brawn comes into the picture he tends to bumble things. The audience seemed to want him to kick butt.

Personally, I was thankful for an intelligent thriller that built slowly around characters and plot, unfolded logically but in unique ways, and ended with some emotional satisfaction. But this satisfaction does not come in the typical cinematic last-minute wrap-up, in which everyone gets their due and the good guys lay all their emotions on the table for us understand. There are some understated moments that leave us somewhat unsettled, even as things are tied together. Like Haggis's other films, this is not a paint-by-numbers genre flick. I, for one, appreciated that.

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This is an execellent movie that fires on all cylinders. Even though I saw it for free, it's worth 2 NYC movie tickets. It'll keep you on the edge of your recliner/sofa and looking for moments to breath freely. It's a thrill ride worth taking.

For anyone from the City of Three Rivers, it gets extra points for the location. Russell Crowe does a great job as a loving husband and father who becomes a teachable student of prison breaks. Along the way he must wrestle with moral and ethical dilemas. He was instructed not to let anything stand in the way of his final goal but he does manage to keep some level of humanity even for a thug. Looking for a source of needed cash, he picks the lesser of two evils. His wife helps to check his final push for completion and remind him of the important things in life. Desperation and love are great motivators.

Although brief, Liam Neeson adds his typical weight to the movie. He gives Russell Crowe's character the needed 5 minute education he will use to carry out his plan.

Elizabeth Banks(wife) does a solid job as a woman ripped from her family and facing a life of confinement. Fans of House will notice Olivia Wilde as the mother in the park.

Hats off to the director for tying up the loose ends and putting a bow on the package. The kiss and button were nice final touches. I'm not sure how anyone can give this movie less than 4 stars. It's a movie not a prison documentary. Nothing in the film is beyond the realm of possibility.

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"The Next Three Days" has wonderful acting, gritty, realistic settings (Pittsburgh), amazing pacing, and most of all terrific directing.

Paul Haggis, director of "Crash," directs it, and he does a stunning job.

Russell Crowe is fabulous as the shocked, stumbling husband whose wife is abruptly arrested for murder. You can see him change as the movie progresses, from an inward, cerebral teacher, to an impulsive, confident, try-anything action-man. He does what teachers do best: he learns from his many mistakes.

Elizabeth Banks is equally terrific. She goes from being a flip, feisty housewife and working woman to being a downtrodden, hopeless, loveless, suicidal lifer. She is so rattled by her arrest and imprisonment that she even confesses. You never know till the end whether she did it--or even what she did.

The pacing is superb. There is a relentless, ticking force to every move each character makes. You don't know whether it will lead to death or freedom or some horrible compromise.

The police are equally good. Slowly figuring things out, then never letting up to preempt then catch the fugitives.

Even Liam Neeson, whom I always thought overrated, is great. It helps that he has such a brief part.)

And Brian Dennehy's silence is so convincing that until the very end, I thought he was mute from a stroke.

All the tiny details, from buttons to quarters, fit--but you don't know how till the end.

A shocker. Brilliant.

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