The Long Good Friday (1980)

Talented English director John MacKenzie knew that the English gangster genre needed a good shot in the arm...and he delivered the goods with this tightly scripted and brilliantly acted crime drama.

Bob Hoskins is outstanding as London mob boss, Harold Shand...masterminding a major construction development along the river Thames that will nett him, and his American backers, millions of pounds. Shand has everyone on his payroll...politicians, police and enforcers...but then suddenly everything starts to unravel, and Harolds world turns upside down in the space of a day. MacKenzie's film moves with intent and purpose and Barrie O'Keeffe's screenplay keeps the suspense at a finely tuned pitch. A terrific support cast headed by the sulrty Helen Mirren as Harold's wife, Victoria....Derek Thompson as the cowardly, opportunist Jeff....P.H. Moriarty as the aptly named bodyguard "Razors"....and Bryan Marshall as the drunken councillor, Harris, further contribute to the success of this challenging film.

Clever use of authentic London locations and creative cinematography lend a further hand to enhance the claustraphobic atmoshpere closing in upon Harold Shand and his crew...the viewer really feels through Hoskins emotional range, the unnerving pressure that is causing him to come apart at the seams. Excellent transfer to DVD...sound and color both superb...it's a pity that Criterion didn't add a few extra goodies that they usually package with their fine presentations.

A solidly crafted, gripping film with A grade performances by a splendid English cast...and keep your eyes open for a very youthful Pierce Brosnan in a minor role.

FOOTNOTE : MacKenzie also made another powerful movie three years prior in 1979 called "A Sense of Freedom"...based on the true story of Glasgow gangster, Jimmy Boyle, and his life in jail and out. It's a harrowing, gritty prison film that doesn't pull it's punches...unfortunately it's not on video or DVD at present...but hopefully it will return. Another A class crime film !!

I don't know this for sure, but the Criterion edition of The Long Good Friday is probably the only halfway decent edition of the film available. The story itself is really good, but the DVD leaves a LOT to be desired. First, it is poor quality mono. Second, there are NO subtitles in ANY language. I had much difficulty understanding the mostly "cockney" English, doubly difficult due to significant audio distortion at most all audio levels! If it weren't for the fact that the story is so absorbing, and I am a big fan of Bob Hoskins, I probably would not have been able to sustain an interest to watch the DVD through to the end. But I did! However, I have to watch it at least one more time to catch all the dialogue I missed the first time!!! Also, although the picture quality was mostly decent, the DVD contained many white splotches (original film deterioration?) that most likely could and should have been cleaned up with more attention by Criterion, especially since Criterion provided NO extras (except for a couple of trailers) with this edition. Why are Criterion's prices so high for bare minimum and, in this case, average technical quality DVDs? Objections aside, this is an intriguing ganster flick!

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The second best ever Brit gangster movie is a brilliant energy-filled piece. Ritchie's "Lock, Stock..." is fine if you want a jokey gangster film bailed out by lucky coincidences, but this is the real thing, believable and intelligent.

What really raises this movie into the stratosphere is the bravura performance by Bob 'Oskins. The much-praised ending is riveting. Surely it's the most dazzling display of an actor's craft to hold in close facial shot for a prolonged time showing a variety of emotions cross the features? Hoskins does this to perfection, showing (at least) disbelief, anger, realization, fear, grim amusement and acceptance over a 90 second period, all the while set to pounding soundtrack and flickering lighting from passing streetlamps.

If you haven't seen this, do yourself a favor and buy the excellent DVD which also has some neat features.

Read Best Reviews of The Long Good Friday (1980) Here

I have compared this with the UK release and there are several significant differences: This is 1.85:1 whereas the UK release is cropped to 1.66:1. The cover claims that is the original aspect ratio but I can find no evidence to support this. The American release also has subtitles God knows who did them, but not a London Cockney for sure and despite many errors they will be a great help to the hearing impaired. My UK copy had a prominent hum on the DTS-HD Master audio, (but not on the stereo track), but the US release seems fine. So far it is the US by a knock-out, but the UK has a decent range of extras including commentary and a really interesting "making of" doco. Why on earth they could not have done a decent job and got them all on the same disc baffles me but in the end I will watch this US release for the wider picture, the better audio and the subtitles. It has also recently been on sale for $5.99, a real Christmas gift!

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Here is a link to a review of the Image Entertainment Blu-Ray, with screen shots and comparisons to previous editions on DVD:If the above doesn't appear as a live link, then simply copy and past into the address bar of your browser. The news, however, is simple: the disc is single-layered, and the feature doesn't even occupy all the space it could (18gigs, where 25 was available). Screen shots demonstrate that the disc gives a marginally brighter image than the existing SD-DVDs, but is otherwise unremarkable, and has no supplements, not even the supplements on the old Anchor Bay "Special Edition" from a few years ago. Detail is mushy, with nothing particularly standing out, though the colours appear to be somewhat improved. It looks to me as if an existing master, of reasonable quality, has simply been turned into a quick blu-ray. What needs to be done is to remaster the film specifically with blu-ray in mind. Yes, it's cheap, but in this case, and based on the screen shots, I would say that you are truly getting what you pay for.

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Edward Scissorhands (1990)

This wonderful fantasy tale stars Johnny Depp as a not-quite-real teenager who was built by an eccentric inventor. The old man died before he could finish him, so Edward has knife blades where his fingers would be. A well-meaning Avon lady (Diane Wiest) finds him living alone in his crumbling castle, and brings him home to live with her family, which includes daughter Kim (Winona Ryder). Edward is naive and timid, but so sweet and helpful that he soon becomes the darling of the neighborhood. He is smitten with Kim, which angers her bully of a boyfriend (Anthony Michael Hall).

Diane Wiest is perfect as the ditsy and always-cheerful mom. Ryder is convincing as a selfish and spoiled teen. Hall is the villian you love to hate. The star, of course, is Johnny Depp. As Edward, he is painfully shy and lovelorn; his performance is so heart-wrenchingly delicate that you ache for him in every scene. Covered with white make-up and with only a few words of dialogue, Depp proves he is a very talented actor. The wonderful and quite frail Vincent Price, as Edward's loving creator, will surely bring a tear to your eye.

This completely unique film blends comedy, fantasy, and romance to make a sentimental fairy tale that both teens and adults will enjoy. It is a heart-breaker; bring your hankie.

Kona

Every director probably has one movie that he pours part of himself into. For Spielberg, it was ET, Lucas had American Graffiti. Here, Tim Burton poured into the soul of Edward Scissorhands the world of an outsider, a creation of an old inventor (wonderfully played by Vincent Price) who passes on before he can finish Edward(wonderfully played by Johnny Depp). Edward is one day discovered by Peg Boggs, a curious Avon lady, who takes Edward home to suburbia, a community of multi-colored houses that could only come from the mind of Burton and production designer Bo Welch. Danny Elfman delivers probably his most moving score in this picture. The DVD looked like it would be incredile with what was announced, but it would have to lose starts for what I thought: 1)Audio commentary by Burton and Elfman: Both of these guys do not talk all the way through the film, (though it does sound a little better than Devlin and Emmerich on ID4's DVD & Barry Levinson and Tommy LEe Jones on Men In Black, who chatter on like inane movie theater patrons). But most of the time I found myself wondering when they would speak again. Burton probably speaks 12-15 times through most of the movie, but it sounds more like he's having little afterthoughts. Elfman's audio plays after certain music segments are done (his background music plays over the dialogue so we hear outright how it sounds). 2)Tim Burton concept art: after seeing The Tarzan Collector's Edition, this was a letdown, with only about 7 pieces of art (5 concepts of Edward, 1 of the Inventor, and 1 of Edward's place in the mansion's attic). 3)The featurette talking about the film is also a letdown, as there is nothing that was reall notable (I was really looking forward to hearing how Stan Winston Studios made the Scissorhands props). The only cool notable is the interactive menu, made like a pop-up book of the mansion Edward is found in. If you are looking to find a great movie, get this DVD. If you are into those that promise incredible extra features, pass this one up.

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It would be hard for me to be critical about Johnny Depp, or even Tim Burton for that matter. I like just about all their movies. In this flick, Johnny Depp plays a tormented teen that spent all his childhood living in the haunted house on the hill, with an old dude and scissors for hands. Already he has my deepest sympathies. Falls for the girl next door,Wynona Ryder, but dosent get the girl, because the angry mob scares him off, and eddy with his scissorhands the girl next door, decide for his safety they could never be together. Go figure! As usual society wins. But it was good that it didnt end with a cheesy ending cuz that would ruin it. So definetly a must see, thats if you haven't seen it already. or u have the movie sitting with the other many Johnny Depp movies that u made a shrine out of.

Read Best Reviews of Edward Scissorhands (1990) Here

I have a friend who is convinced that `Edward Scissorhands' is a metaphor about the way the media treats celebrities. My mother says that Edward represents anyone who can be considered "different". A lot of people think that the point of the movie is to display the way people will love something one second and hate it the next. I had a teacher once who told me it was about what it's liked to be loved for the things you do but hated as a person. My six-year-old cousin thinks it's about how sad it would be to have scissors for hands.

I honestly have no idea what Tim Burton's masterpiece of a movie is "really" about. It seems to me that it is very open to interpretation, as there is no real basis to say that any of these ideas are just plain wrong (Can you really say that my cousin's observation that it would be sad to have scissors for hands is way off base?); however none of them really feels right to me.

Here is what I have to say about Edward Scissorhands: This movie makes me sob; I mean I just bawl my eyes out every time I watch it. Only God knows why, but for some reason there is nothing sadder than a monstrous looking loner who is misunderstood and taken advantage of. I know it sounds like a specific description, but the idea is just so universally poignant that details and all it has been done numerous times (the most notable being Gaston Leroux's ` The Phantom of the Opera' and of course `Beauty and The Beast').

Then there's the whole other story of Johnny Depp's performance. There are a lot of actors who are considered "good actors" but we never really think about what their limitations are because we only see them in roles that they can play well (which, of course, would be the reason they're playing them). I am fairly confident that not a lot of actors could have successfully played the part of Edward, so when you consider how successfully Depp did play it that says something. One of the interesting things about the movie is that its title character has what seems like two lines in the whole thing, which made Depp's job of doing a decent job even harder he never has a weak moment, not once.

I do not know what Edward Scissorhands is a metaphor for; however, I do know that this movie successfully makes people feel, whatever it is that they feel when watching it, more than any other movie I know of. It is surprising but telling that a movie that seems so strange could succeed in making so many different people care about the same thing: the fate of a lonely misfit who somehow comes across as far less fictional than it seems that such an obviously imagined creature should. Therefore provoking the question: exactly how much of this "fantasy movie" is truly fiction?

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**This is for the collectable tin version**

The DVD content is basically the same from other Edward Scissorhand DVD versions, but this version is dynamite for DVD collectors. This DVD has limited edition tin, 8 Collectable movie stills, and the same features from other versions. If you would like to know:

*Audio Commentary by Tim Burton and Danny Elfman

*Original release Featurette

*Concept Art

*Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots

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Groundhog Day / So I Married an Axe Murderer (Two-Pack)

Certainly nothing new here but I decided it was time to have a copy of both movies in my collection

Groundhog Day

Is just such a delightfull movie with some of Bill Murray's best work & some great death's I've seen it about 8 times so figured may as well get a copy & saw this double feature our on Blu Ray watching it for the 9th time still brings the odd predictable chuckle so reckon it will be watched again at some point

So I Married an Axe Murderer

I had the good fortune of spending 6 months touring the USA & Europe a while back when this movie just came out

Altogether we had 8 youngish Aussie's on that trip & at some point the boys bought a copy of Axe Murderer by the end of the tour everyone could recite every line from this movie so having not seen it for over 10 years I plucked up the courage to watch it again & it still has that Mike Myers humour pouring out a great movie that just reminded me of great times

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9th Company (Collector's Edition) (2005)

As a Marine that went to Vietnam after the French pulled out, I would like to respond to Thomas A. Maguire "TOM FILM"'s one star rating of the movie 9TH COMPANY. I am going to bet he is young, inexperienced with the world, and a bit opinionated about matters he knows nothing about. He states "One of the worst movies ever made.". This is just ludicrous! This film deserves respect for being earthy, honest and making no apologies for anything depicted on the screen. He states, "The dubbing in English makes this almost a comedy.". If he would step away from his video games for a minute he would know that the lip movement in Russian is way different to English and hasn't the same flow and rhythm. That is why the English speech you hear doesn't match the visual lip movement. The artists that added English dialog are to be congratulated. He goes on to say, "No plot, actors are horrible as is everything about the film.". This is a person who definitely didn't watch this film from start to finish and is intolerant to any form of film-making that doesn't fall into his videogame playing values. If this film had been made in the USA, I have no doubt it would easily win Academy Awards. He states evan further, "The highest grossing movie in Soviet history? You've got to be kidding. Filmed in 2005, released in 2010. Whats up?". Again showing his inexperience... he doesn't realize how much time and effort is required to translate the dialog/soundtrack and get permissions/releases from foreign countries. He makes one last statement that I can some-what agree with, "Don't waste the dollar at redbox!". I agree... get this movie on Blue-ray, (or at least DVD) you won't be disappointed. As a last resort use RedBox and enjoy one hard hitting, in your face, earthy imported movie that brings out the horrors of war in a truthful manor. (I have survived just such an encounter!) I would give this movie 10 stars out of 10 if I could. Don't listen to the Thomas A. Maguire's and "Megabee's one star ratings... they haven't a clue what their talking about!

Thank you,

Alex Taylor

I felt that the 9th Company was a very good film and it portrays a none western view of the Soviet Afghan War. The film follows the service of several Soviet VDV(Airborne)troopers from their enlistment up to the end of the films final battle.The film covers events in 1987-88 which was during the final stages of the Soviet Afghan War. The first half of the movie focus on the at times very brutal training that the VDV troopers go through the instructor Warrant Officer Dygalo often resorts to brutal punishment of the men for making mistakes and the actor portraying Dygalo has an outstanding scene where he goes into a rage at the men when he learns that he will not be allowed to return to Afghanistan.Another very interesting scene is at the end of the basic training a VDV commander asks the men if any of them wish not to serve in Afghanistan that they should step forward and they will be assigned elsewhere this scene is notable as many westerners may not know that serving in Afghanistan was voluntary and every Soviet solider asked to serve there.

There are several good scenes when the new troopers arrive in Afghanistan and met the much more experienced men in the unit the 9th company which they have been assigned to.The rest of the movie develops well and you see how the young fresh naive men come to see the chaos of warfare.The battle scenes are very confusing and violent and you rarely see much of the enemy for very long which does a great job keeping you on the edge of your set and feeling out of control of what is happening.

The last 20 or so minutes of the film is the climatic final battle which occurs in early January 1988 and lasts almost three days.The film does take some creative license in this part and portrays the unit as having been forgotten about and not receiving any fire support until the last day.In reality the real 9th Company was not forgotten and had full fire support during the battle.Though the battle and situation shown in the film is a bit different than fact I feel that the director did this to portray the general feelings of the men who severed in the war that they where forgotten and whats worse the nation and ideas that these men where fighting for the Soviet Union no longer existed just a few short years after the Soviets left Afghanistan. Overall a very good film and beyond a doubt far better than any western film about the Soviet Afghan War such as Charlie Wilson's War which is highly idealized far more so than the 9th Company is.

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I'm reaaly happy that I bought this movie on Amazon. I saw many russian movies and I think this movie is the best russian movie in the last five years. Fedor Bondarchyk is the great son of his father who created the best movie of the 20th century "War and Peace".

Read Best Reviews of 9th Company (Collector's Edition) (2005) Here

I have seen this movie on YouTube and found it very well filmed, after viewing several parts of the movie I decided to make the purchase of this movie. I am happy to add this film into my collection.

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It seems like yesterday when Russia invaded Afghanistan, with the so-called mission of "fulfilling our international duty, by assisting the brotherly people of Afghanistan in repulsing imperialist aggression." Well, we already know that this enterprise was a failure, and "9th Company" is a film that we really need in current times, when history seems to be forgotten very, very fast and repeated in an incredibly stupid manner. It is brutal and honest, a truly penetrating and unforgettable film.

The movie begins in 1988, when a group of Siberians which volunteered to join the army and fight in Afghanistan are about to depart for boot camp. We meet the young men whose life we will follow throughout the film. From Siberia they are transported to Ferghana, Uzbekistan, where they will spend three months of training before going to the front. The men in charge of breaking them in is drill sergeant Dygalo (Mikhail Porechenkov, in a superb performance) and Captain Bystov (Aleksey Kravchenko, in another amazing performance), who informs them that "the most important thing to remember is that Islam is not just another religion. It is another world, with its own laws, a different view of life and death. A true Muslim is not afraid to die in battle killing an infidel is a heroic deed, a stairway to heaven." And off they go to Baghram, Afghanistan, where they are divided into two companies: 4th and 9th. As the name of the picture implies, we follow the 9th Company until the very end, and gradually witness their evolution in the war. This was one of the last companies to leave Afghanistan during the Russian final withdrawal on February 9, 1989, after almost ten years of engagement.

Under the direction of Fyodor Bondarchuk, this film has a lot in common with Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket (1987), in which its two hours are basically divided into two parts. The first hour is about the training and the second one is about the actual war. However, "9th Company" feels more real and visceral with some very funny moments, too --, and we get a clear picture of why the Russians could not defeat the Mujahideen resistance. Not in vain, Captain Bystov also told his men: "In the entire history, no one ever managed to conquer Afghanistan. No one... Never..." Funny enough, the line that keeps popping up all along the movie is, "Your motherland won't forget this." This film was based on real events which took place on January 8, 1989, on Height 3234, in the Khost Province, Afghanistan. Perhaps our men in Washington could leave the comfort in their lives and take a look at this movie. The Blu-Ray edition of the movie includes trailers and English language and subtitles. (Finland, Russia, Ukraine; 2005; color; 140 min plus additional materials).

Reviewed exclusively by Eric Gonzalez for on September 9, 2010.

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Betty Blue: Original Theatrical Release (1986)

Betty Blue is touted as an "erotic drama" by the distributor, a tag which sells the film grossly short. It certainly has frank depictions of sexuality and much nudity -after all, this is a film that opens on a real-time extended sequence shot of two people having sex -but to call this erotica is to miss the complete picture.

Betty Blue is an organic look at a troubled relationship in all its glory and ugliness, tenderness and violence, joys and sorrows, made possible by the director's sympathetic and unembarrassed eye, and the sheer dedication of lead actors Jean-Hugues Anglade and Beatrice Dalle. Seldom has a cinematic couple been better paired, and seldom with so much chemistry. Dalle conveys a world of psychological complexity in her face, her eyes seeming to shift with her inner beats. Dalle received the bulk of the attention for this, her breakthrough role, so it might be easy to overlook Jean-Hugues Anglade, a fantastic actor who's every bit as good as Gerard Depardieu, perhaps even half a notch above Jean Reno. In reality, he is the anchor for the film's wrenching emotional journey. When Zorg plays the piano theme for Betty, easily the loveliest scene in the film, Anglade's eyes seem to dance, and the actors say more with their looks during their moments together than all the sex scenes in the world. Thanks to the deft direction, all those nude scenes don't seem like titillation -merely an illuminating fly-on-the-wall view into the relationship. This couple certainly seems like the type who would be comfortable being naked around each other, and those scenes create a sense of genuine intimacy, rather than intent to arouse.

If there's one thing this film does well, it is the mixture of comedic and tragic scenes which makes it seem such a complete picture. Betty is not always wild and uncontrolled; Zorg is not always patient and loving. They are two flawed characters, made all the more likeable because of their flaws, and their interactions make us laugh, smile in understanding, frown, and cry.

This extended edition makes the film far better. It's been about 10 years since I last saw it so I can't make very specific comparisons. But the restored scenes are substantial, not cosmetic addition of shots, but an explosion of the story, and while I can't name too many specifics, as a whole this version just feels more right, more natural, and more emotional.

Look beyond the film's "erotic" reputation and find a character study, and a portrayal of a relationship, which is as moving as any I've seen.

'Betty Blue', the movie that, as one reviewer put it,' sent shock waves rippling through arthouse cinemas everywhere' and introduced unforgettable 'Beatrice Dalle', a sort of modern day (though far wilder) 'Bardot', with an even more generous mouth. Who else but the French could pull off a film like this with such depth and style. An exploration of L'amour in all its beautiful and tragic complexities. Certainly to the faint hearted it may have seemed a little shocking. There is plenty of of full frontal nudity, both male and female (unlike the double standard in American cinema), and a very realistic sex scene to confront audiences in the very opening scene. But the erotica in this movie is really very natural with nothing perverse or kinky about it. It has an uninhibited earthiness about it that we have come to expect from French Movies. To others what may have seemed more shocking was the rather dark and depressing nature of the story, (if you haven't seen this movie don't go looking for a happy ending).

Director 'Jean-Jacques Beineix', in an article I read, said something like: that he dedicated this film to a generation of French Cinema watchers, who still believed in perfect love but knew it couldn't last. This indeed seems to be the underlying theme of the film, that young love and passion can't last, something has to kill it, you want to preserve it in time like a beautiful photograph or picture, before it withers or tarnishes. The sense of impending doom that hangs over Betty and Zorg's passionate and beautiful love affair, is present from the beginning.

The early part of the film is light and hopeful. When we initially meet 'Betty and Zorg'(who have recently began their love affair); she arrives, suitcase in hand, on his doorstep unexpectedly, where he lives in a sort of dreamlike,rundown, seaside shanty town, ready to move in. The scenes shot here are bathed in sunlight, clear blue skies and vibrant colours, to match the more hopeful mood. World weary 'Zorg', who seems content with his very basic existence, has his life quickly turned upside down by the younger free spirited and emotionally volatile, Betty. A beautiful raven haired, typically pouting and provocative French sex kittenish type. Betty soon discovers a secret collection of Zorg's writings, and becomes convinced he has the makings of a great author. The modest and more cynically realistic 'Zorg' is not so convinced. After being led by Betty to abandon their simple digs( in suitable reckless 'Betty' style) with the hope of finding publishing success and a better life in the city, Zorg and Betty embark on a rollercoaster journey that soon descends into much darker,gloomier territory. With each set back Betty becomes ever more disenchanted and emotionally unstable, and we discover, though the film never attempts to explain why, that she is infact a very disturbed young woman.

The film 'Betty Blue' has a very artistic,lyrical and poetic quality about it. Visually beautiful with one of the most hauntingly exquisite musical scores I have ever heard. It is one of those foreign arthouse movies that inevitably has now received cult status. There are many aspects of this film which you could easlily find fault in. The story(and characters)seem completely irrational and unbelievable at times. But the artistic cinematography,the unforgettable music of 'Gabriel Yared' and moving performances of JeanHughes Anglade (as the tenderly patient and understanding, though often bewildered,'Zorg')and Dalle as (as the audacious,strikingly sexy but unstable 'Betty'),all make this film standout. It's a love story as moving in its tragedy as it is in its passion and beauty, you feel so completely the very true and deep love Zorg has for Betty especially, she drives him to the brink with her behaviour, yet in a way re-ignites a spark in him and passion that was buried, through her love and belief in him. I must admit it touches the hopeless romantic in me, a cinema enthusiast, who also wants to believe in true and 'perfect love', forever preserved in time and memory.

Buy Betty Blue: Original Theatrical Release (1986) Now

This is a heartbreakingly tragic film centred around Betty, (Beatrice Dalle) a beautiful but unstable young woman, whose instability or madness becomes progressively worse throughout the film. In the beginning we think she is just an admirablely rebellious and fiery person who is over-sensitive to slight and imagined insult. Later she is engulfed by these irrational and self-destructive bouts of hysteria for no perceptible reason. But this happens only occasionally; between times she behaves like a perfectly normal and happy person, as she has every reason to be. It is easy to become impatient with her. She keeps saying she has nothing to live for, that nothing she has ever done has worked out right, but how can this be when she is so much better off than so many millions of others, with beauty, two good friends and a good man who loves her to distraction despite everything? And she loves him in return.

Zorg (Jean-Hughes Anglalde) is an aspiring novelist with a novel in manuscript he has given up all hope of ever seeing published. But she believes in him and, using only two fingers, types out the manuscript with painful slowness, and, with an heroic persistence, continues sending it out to the publishers despite receiving a steady stream of rejection slips. And here-in lies the tragedy ; at the end of the film, when she is dead to the world and past caring, her efforts bear fruit and the manuscript is accepted. How happy knowing this would have made her. But too late.

We leave him alone in his kitchen about to start a new novel, a novel that she will never see, leading to a success and prosperity she will have no share in. My God isn't that sad? "What might have been." the saddest words in the English language.

The pain lies in imagining the long and happy life they might have had together, but for this thing that mad people have, whatever it is, gnawing away inside her mind. No explanation is attempted of why she was the way she was, no revelation of some childhood trauma or of some past bitter experience. We are left to assume that she had some brain or genetic defect. Nor are we given any psychiatric diagnoses. It is mentioned at one point that she is neurotic, but then aren't we all? She mentions hearing voices in her head which is the classic symptom of Schizophrenia, but her other behaviour doesn't fit the pattern. Nor does her behaviour fit the pattern of the Manic-depressive. who, surely, is subject only to mood-swings not to sudden and violently wild outburst of behaviour. So we are left to ponder the nature of madness. It makes you think and it's all interesting stuff.

This is a long film, but with a wealth of interest and by no means depressing; there are many happy sequences and funny moments, and the acting is uniformly excellent.

Read Best Reviews of Betty Blue: Original Theatrical Release (1986) Here

This film is one of my all time favorites. Most looking at this listing already know the unconventional tragic love story is really well done. Imperfectly paced, yes, but so beautifully shot that the film is just stunning -visually and emotionally. The soundtrack also is absolutely wonderful and so well integrated.

Unfortunately, in a really stunning blunder, this Blu-Ray is only the shorter theatrical release.

I contacted Cinema Libre Studio and I understand they plan either the directors cut alone or a combined directors and this short version combined on a BD "in a few months." Frankly that leaves me cold to buying knowing they intend to milk this for second release.

Take a look at the blu-ray dot com review. The way they did the transfer is not much better than the SD DVD, which is available in the longer version, and even the audio is only a lossy Dolby 2.0. Really? With Gabriel Yared's legendary soundtrack that is the best they can do?

My advice is to rent this and wait to purchase the full cut on BD when it comes out.

Want Betty Blue: Original Theatrical Release (1986) Discount?

The Korean Import which claims to be the Director's cut, blurs out all male and female pubic nudity. It is absurd that the director's cut is so highly censored. Don't waste your money on this misleadingly labeled DVD

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The Lives of Others (2007)

Hopefully, Academy members will rightfully award the Oscar tomorrow night for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year (2006) to 'The Lives of Others.' Writer/Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut stands head and shoulders not only over the other nominees, but also over all the nominees for Best Picture. That so-called 'best' list pales in comparison to the heights attained by von Donnersmarck's creation. It is a expertly-plotted, richly-told depiction of life under the dominion of the East German spying apparatus, the Stasi.

'Lives' tracks the Stasi's efforts to bug and disrupt the lives of writer Georg Dreyman (a striking Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (the incomparable Martina Gedeck). Assigned to the case is Stasi agent, Gerd Wiesler, indelibly played by Ulrich Mühe. The reasons for spying on Dreyman and 'CSM' (as the Stasi calls her)? A Politburo minister has the hots for CSM. That's it. For that most personal of reasons, lives are ruined. A professional reviewer of 'Lives' really hit the nail on the head when he said that the movie turns on the fact that Weisler realizes he is spying into the life of a man who is 'vastly his moral superior.' That's it. You get propelled into Dreyman's life and you are struck immediately and permanently by his decency and the quality of his character. Over time, Weisler starts injecting himself into the proceedings. At that point, the sequence of events is irrevocably changed.

von Donnersmarck's movie is a continual series of one great scene after another. I thought perhaps it had reached its denouement with the fall of the Wall. But it keeps getting better. Dreyman requests his Stasi files. He begins to piece together the story and the role of Weisler.

'The Lives of Others' is 137 minutes of the best entertainment imaginable. Ulrich Mühe is an East German who himself was the target of Stasi oversight. For this film, he was awarded Best Actor at the 2006 European Film Awards. Is there a more just triumph than that?

I often don't agree with Oscar choices, but this time they got it right.

"The Lives of Others" is one of the most interesting movies about communism that I have seen in a decade; it shows, as few others have, how communism suffocates human imagination...not just stifles political dissent.

A spy Captain Wiesler is given the task of eavesdropping on a well known playwright, not for political reasons, but because a communist boss is jealous of the man and wants his female lover for himself. As the spy begins listening in, he begins to question the values of his society and the integrity of his orders.. Up to that point, Wiesler dutifully obeyed without question. But as the spy continues to experience the world of the playwright, he starts to live the subject's life vicariously...so the enemy ironically becomes the friend. The experience helps Captain Wiesler grow in humanity so he ultimately makes the decision to run interference to save the playwright's life.

The film details the transformation of an organization man in a hostile society...and makes us remember the great books of totalitarian dangers such as Animal Farm, Anthem, Brave New World, and of course, 1984. (It is no accident that the key YEAR in which the events take place in this film is indeed 1984). Instead of leaving the viewer in a state of deep negativity, "The Lives of Others" gives us reason to hope, reason to believe that goodness may prevail over corruption. So by the end, I was deeply moved.

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Gerd Weisler (Ulrich Muhe, appropriately drab) is an East German Stasi (Secret Police) drone: the type of man that his superiors count on to "get" his prey. Early on in this fascinating, superior film, Gerd arrives home from a hard day of spying on his fellow East Germans and prepares a meal: microwaved white rice onto which he squeezes tomato paste from a tube. This scene, in its spare, workmanlike manner sets the course and adjusts the sights of this film: the unremarkable, out of hate and jealousy assigned to bring down those deemed different, those deemed remarkable, those deemed talented. Weisler is the perfect Stasi automaton: a socialist monk with ice-cold eyes and an incorruptible true believer's faith in the system he has sworn to defend against "enemies of socialism" no matter where he finds them.

"The Lives of Others" begins in 1984 a particularly Orwellian date and 5 years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Weisler is invited to a night of theater by his school friend and boss Colonel Grubitz (a slimy bureaucrat performance by Ulrich Tukor) for a performance of a play written by Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and starring Dreyman's live in girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck from "Mostly Martha"). Dreyman is tall, handsome, dresses in colors other than grey and Christa-Maria is wondrously gorgeous and a great actress to boot.

As Weisler watches Christa-Maria on stage he also scopes in on Dreyman, via his opera binoculars, watching Christa-Maria with love and admiration. The look of distrust and envy in Wailer's eyes is frightening: his eyes widen, squint and widen again. What does Weisler see or sense on that triumphant, for Dreyman and Sieland, night? Is it watching them basking in the glory of an audience's love and appreciation? Is it the palpable love and warmth between the two themselves: something that Weisler has never, will never feel? Whatever it is, Weisler has found his next assignment.

Though Dreyman is deemed "the only writer we have who is not subversive," Weisler forces the issue and sets up a full Stasi surveillance: bugs, cameras and sets up a roost for himself in the attic of the Dreyman-Sieland home.

Then in the process of spying on these two warm, happy, talented, loving people something happens to Weisler: he slowly, through the ugly process of spying, thaws little by little: Weisler falls in love with them and more to the point.., he falls in love with their lives.

First time director, Florien Hinkle von Donnersmarck has produced a remarkable, involving, intelligent film: an intricate, frightening film full of lives caught at the difficult crossroads of patriotism on the one hand and on the other the vortex of individual duty and honor.

Read Best Reviews of The Lives of Others (2007) Here

First of all, this is not only one of the best foriegn films I have ever seen, but one of the best films I have seen period! I have nothing to add to the other five star reviews here that hasn't already been covered.

That said, it pains me to report that this DVD release has a serious flaw and that is the subtitling! Some other reviewers have commented on the poor quality of the translation in the subtitles, which may in fact be true. But even more of a detriment is the fact that if you watch this film on a widescreen TV you will not see ANY subtitles at all! This is because the disk was encoded to display the subtitles in the black dead space area, outside of the letterboxed region where film frames appear. Widescreen TVs don't display this dead space, they actually fill up the screen with the letterbox frame which means that the subtitles are completely lost! The disk offers no option to display the subtitles properly on a widscreen format television set, i.e. inside the letterbox frame. This is particularly ironic considering that SONY, the distributer of the DVD, is the same company that manufactured widescreen TV on which I discovered the problem! You'd think that they would have had a clue about how to format the subtitles on the DVD to work on all of their television models! If you have a conventional TV set, then you won't have this problem since it will display the letterbox with the black boundaries intact.

So if you are a widescreen television owner and are fluent in German, then I can heartily recommend this wonderful movie. If not, then make sure you have a conventional set on which to watch this DVD or wait for SONY to fix this embarassing mistake before you make the purchase!

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What a powerful movie. I felt the oppressiveness of the system from the movie in a way that i haven't seen since reading Solzhenitsyn's "The Gulag Archipelago". I don't know how anyone survived those decades, let alone how any normal human contact was possible. I wonder even more how anyone in the system like the major character could move from a position of responsibility for interrogations to actively supporting a writer who writes a damning article about suicides in East Germany.

The plot of the movie is actually rather straightforward and linear.

A playwright, a supporter of the regime has a beautiful lover, who is a well known actress.

She is blackmailed into a sexual liaison by a high ranking party member using his threats to end her career or worse.

The official decides to get rid of the playwright-boyfriend using information gained from surveillance by the Stasi on their apartment.

(so far sounds pretty much like David and Bathsheba, she who was the wife of Uriah)

The agent assigned to the case, listens into the lives. While at the same time figures out with his immediate superior that they are being used by the official to further his sexual agenda.

What happens next is that the agent covers up for the playwright's underground activities by submitting false reports that they are involved only in writing a new play, while they are actually moving towards more active resistance to the government.

But the movie isn't about the plot, it is about the character development, in all four major players.

the Stasi supervisor, the agent, the playwright and the actress-girlfriend.

And how the system changes, distorts or reinforces each of their beliefs.

The most interesting one is the agent's movement from a loyal player to a subverter of the system. What are his motivations? are they believable? how far will he go to protect these two people? will he get caught?

it feels like a gripping detective story with lives on the line, with a huge rock ready to drop on anyone of them and poof--into prison.

It is how they adapt to the pressures, how they continue to live with themselves and with their friends that forms the background for the character development.

i love books.

therefore i really liked the ending.

i hope things like this occurred in East Germany, and continue to occur in all those places in the world that are not free to speak their minds and think their own thoughts, in private, and to speak them in public.

thanks to the movie for a thrilling and thought provoking ride.

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UFC: Best of 2010 (2010)

UFC 108 January 2

Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon

UFC Fight Night 20 January 11

Evan Dunham vs. Efrain Escudero

UFC 110 February 21

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson

John Hathaway vs. Diego Sanchez

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

UFC Live 1 March 21

Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera

UFC 113 May 8

Matt Mitrione vs. Kimbo Slice

Lyoto Machida © vs. Mauricio Rua

UFC 114 May 29

Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe

Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson

UFC 115 June 12

Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald

Mirko Filipovic vs. Pat Barry

Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell

UFC 116 July 3

Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

Brock Lesnar © vs. Shane Carwin

UFC Live 2 August 1

Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

UFC 117 August 7

Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft

Rick Story vs. Dustin Hazelett

Junior dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson

Anderson Silva © vs. Chael Sonnen

UFC 118 August 28

Randy Couture vs. James Toney

UFC Fight Night 22 September 15

Charles Oliveira vs. Efrain Escudero

UFC 119 September 25

C.B. Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen

Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham

Chris Lytle vs. Matt Serra

UFC 120 October 16

Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy

UFC 121 October 23

Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago

Brock Lesnar © vs. Cain Velasquez

UFC 122 November 13

Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner

UFC 123 November 20

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon

Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch

B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes

UFC 124 December 11

Sean Pierson vs. Matt Riddle

Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira

Georges St-Pierre © vs. Josh Koscheck

If any of you fans out there are feeling like I am lately and just a little disappointed with most Pay Per Views, this is a nice refreshment. It really picks all the most exciting fights of the year like Chris Leben and Akiyama and also segways lots of fights with brief recaps and reviews of significant things that happened during the year. There are also a ton of good fights on each bonus section of the DVD. Good stuff fight fans

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Unlike previous best of installments this one is more like a documentary of the year rather than just a compilation of complete fights. They do brief segments walking through the 2010 highlights of many fighters. It also includes over 30 complete fights.

Read Best Reviews of UFC: Best of 2010 (2010) Here

I was told it was good. Worth watching. It's worth getting for yourself or as a gift. Will order more.

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Most of the best matches of matches of the year all on here can't get better than that. Anyone looking to get a good value for your money should check it out.

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The Diary of a Wimpy Kid 1, 2 & 3 (2013)

It's a cute and funny movie series for all ages. I, a 22-year-old, enjoyed it along with my parents, both over 50, and several of my cousins, ages 5, 9, 11, 13 and 18. The characters are all very relatable. It reminded me of my middle school days.

I ordered this expecting to receive the Blu ray disc set. Instead, upon receiving it I discover it is the blu ray/DVD combo pack for all three. Each film in the set has its own discs and its own case inside the box. This is better than I originally believed when purchasing it.

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This box set is actually pretty hard to find. My little brother loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies and I wanted to get him the set for his Birthday...I was surprised at how hard it was to find. Great price and fast shipping. Thanks!

Read Best Reviews of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid 1, 2 & 3 (2013) Here

My son loved the books, and loves the movies even more. This was a great purchase for us. And the movies are cute enough for adults to enjoy the first couple times as well.

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These are great. First books that my 6 year old has read. He even has read them more than once.

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Deliverance (2012)

This DVD is the 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of the film. One of the great things about Deliverance is that, even though it is an adventure filmed in the 1970's, it has managed to not age like a 70's film. It is both depressing and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful at the same time. The four leads do a tremendous job of playing the parts of urban dwellers who want a weekend of adventure in the wilds of Georgia and wind up getting far more than they bargained for. It has much to say about what it takes to make a man uncivilized and whether or not there is a bit of savagery in all of us, despite how domesticated we may be in predictable situations. Past these observation I won't rehash the plot elements since just about everybody on earth knows the details, and if you don't I won't spoil it for you. The film is newly remastered and will have many special features which include:

Commentary by John Boorman Director Boorman discusses the adventures, the team, the controversy and everything it took to make Deliverance a classic film.

Deliverance: The Beginning Take a historical look at the novel and its adaptation to the screen.

Deliverance: The Journey Along from the early stages of filming to the creation of classic moments, such as the Dueling Banjos scene.

Deliverance: Betraying the River The making of one of the most controversial and ground-breaking sequences in film history.

Deliverance: Delivered A reflective look back on the completion of the film, its impact and how the idea for the shocking ending came to be.

The Dangerous World of Deliverance The original behind-the-scenes documentary on the difficult conditions and challenges of making this film. This is on the 2004 release also.

Theatrical Trailer

This information comes from a press release by Warner Home Video. I have the 2004 release of this DVD, and quite frankly it looks fine now. I guess the primary reason to upgrade would be for all the extra features and the commentary, which are all new with the exception of "The Dangerous World of Deliverance", which was on the 2004 version of the DVD.

Director John Boorman's exciting, brutal, brooding, explosive and violent masterpiece remains one of Hollywood's most intelligent takes on the complex, contradictory cultures of American manhood, otherwise the more familiar preserve of directors like Sam Peckinpah and Walter Hill. Based on James Dickey's novel, Deliverance roots itself assuredly in fascinating and provocative dualities: liberal modernity and backwoods barbarism; beauty and violence; kindness and cuelty; morality and pragmatism and, atmospherically, the existential and the visceral situating it a distinct cut above the average Hollywood action adventure output. Four suburban friends career-best performances from Reynolds, Voight, Beatty and Cox take one last alpha-male shot at canoeing the mighty Cahulawassee river just as it is set to be flooded literally and figuratively by the needs, culture and infastructure of the New South as it rolls unforgivingly through what's left of the countryside.Just as their own middle class tensions, arrogances and irritations begin to surface, they run courtesy of the hostile local population into a world much smaller(...). What starts out as an egoistic attempt to reclaim some element of American frontier manhood amidst the privileged, cosseted reality of an otherwise safely suburban life becomes a gripping struggle to survive the ravages of nature and (distinctly warped) nurture. Features what is probably the silver screen's most notorious male rape scene, an episode that slides so quickly and unsuspectingly from cautious negotiation to gruelling and humiliating cruelty that it still retains the power to shock and unsettle. Possibly did more than any other movie to forever demonise the poor-white population of the Appalachians, spawning a slew of inferior copycats as well as the opportunistic "hillbilly horror" sub-genre that persisted into the early 80s with such exploitation nonsense as Hillbilly Holocaust and Trapped. Walter Hill's differently brlliant Southern Comfort, Jonathan Mostow's efficient suspenser Breakdown and Curtis Hanson's The River Wild can be argued to be among Deliverance's more palatable latter-day spawn. (In the latter, Meryl Streep shows that otherwise meek women pushed to the limit can be just as primal given a reason and a river!) Deliverance is a superior film that harks back to the days when a thoughtful Hollywood film and a crowd-pleasing box office smash were more often than not one and the same thing.

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When it comes to fictional survival stories, few can approach the sheer grueling brutality of DELIVERANCE. Brilliantly adapted by James Dickey from his best-selling book and superbly directed by John Boorman (POINT BLANK, HOPE AND GLORY), this is a tremendous endeavor. So much so that horror writer Stephen King and Boorman's fellow director Stanley Kubrick both expressed a tremendous admiration of it.

As pretty much everyone knows, DELIVERANCE focuses on four Atlanta businessmen (Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox) who decide to take a canoe trip down the Cahulawassee River in the Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia before it is dammed up into a lake. It is apparent, however, that the local folk don't take kindly to these "city boys" messing around in their woods. And when Voight and Beatty are sexually assaulted at gunpoint by a pair of sadistic rednecks (Bill McKinney, Herbert "Cowboy" Coward), in the infamous "SQUEAL!!" segment, what began as a canoe trip explodes into a nightmare.

Much is made, and justifiably so, not only of the "SQUEAL" scene but also of the "Dueling Banjos" part, between Cox and a retarted mountain kid. But DELIVERANCE has much more to offer besides these moments. Like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and STRAW DOGS, it offers a hard-hitting and unflinching look at Man's penchant for violent and (arguably) abhorrent behavior. The four leads are extremely good in their roles, and McKinney and Coward make for two of the more frightening and vicious villains in screen history. Dickey appears in the film's final reel as a local sheriff who, as he puts it would "kinda like to see this town die peaceful."

Shot totally on location, and featuring ominous cinematography from the legendary Vilmos Zsigmond, DELIVERANCE is a great and frightening piece--arguably a modern gothic horror film, certainly a great action film with an undercurrent as sinister as the Cahulawassee River itself. It is not to be missed,

Read Best Reviews of Deliverance (2012) Here

The American Heritage Dictionary online defines deliverance as the act of being delivered and to rescue from danger or bondage. The film Deliverance nominated for three Oscars (director, picture, and film editing) shows how a tragedy can change man. Made as V ietnam was ending and men returning home from war, themselves changed, the film seems an appropriate metaphor rather than mere exploitation.

Four friends from the city embark on a weekend canoe trip downriver that is surrounded by poverty stricken tough hillbilly types. Lewis (Burt Reynolds) is the dominant leader of the group. Ed (Jon Voight) is a family man who would seem to have grown up with Lewis and idolizes him. Ed is respected, passive, and is the type that would rather fit in then stand out. Bobby (Ned Beatty) is the heavyset insurance salesman who is the butt of the joke at times and would rather talk or joke his way out of confrontation. Bobby is not the laid back type; he is bothered when Lewis gives him a hard time but is submissive and would rather vent to Ed rather then confront Lewis. Drew is another leader he is independent and has a quite confidence and unlike, Bobby, he voices his opinion and stands his ground.

Something horrible happens to Bobby in the woods and Ed is forced to watch helpless, they are both saved by Lewis and Drew but neither will ever be the same again. Although Lewis rescues them from danger with his bow it is the horrific act and the acts to follow that free them from their bondage of fear. The scene in the hospital at the end when Ed angrily accuses Bobby about what he thinks he said to the police, at first brushes it off with a smile followed very quickly wish a push, Ed counters this by slamming Bobby against the wall and soon the men have their hands around each others throats and are starring eye to eye. Bobby, hands around Ed's throat, calmly and steady handed tells him he didn't say anything and Ed believes him. These are not the same men that entered those woods like the many that enter the jungle and the desert, they have changed.

THE BLU RAY Picture and sound weren't the best I have seen on blu ray but were good. If you have a blu ray player and own Deliverance I would stick with what you have. If your buying this for the first time I'd spent the extra dollar it is here on Amazon and get the blu ray.

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There were many times where I felt left out of a joke because, while I knew the source material, I did not know the context of "Squeal like a pig" or the sound of "Dueling Banjos". I finally sat down one Sunday afternoon with a copy of Deliverance just so I wouldn't feel so left out.

While I now understand all the little marks this film left on pop culture, it also brought on two unexpected reactions from me. #1)No matter how well you think you know yourself, you will only know your "true" self when put in unfamiliar situations. Sure, it is easy to say "Well, I would react this way if that happened!", truth is you don't know sqaut until someone puts you to the actual test.

#2)What happened to films like this? This movie, and most movies of the pre-1980's, were willing to spend time engrossing you. Let the camera linger for that extra second, let the visual truly sink in. Let the characters have a discussion about mundane, every day life....it let's you crawl into their head a little bit more, and makes the situations they are put into seem all that more real, and in this case, startling to you. Take any of today's movies like "Matrix" or "Swordfish" that rely so heavily on their pretty special effects, I felt no connection to the characters, no concern when something happens to them. Give me a movie like Deliverance, or any of it's other pre-1980's ilk, and I will be a happy camper!

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Kung Fu Panda 2 (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) (2011)

The original Kung Fu Panda is one of the only Dreamworks Animation films that actually holds its own in comparison to Pixar films. It managed to capture the look and feel of the classics old and new that martial arts film enthusiasts such as myself admire so much while also offering humor that was actually funny, fantastic animation, and just an incredibly entertaining film overall. It turned out to not only be one of the more enjoyable animated films of 2008, but one of the best films of that year period. So, here we are, three years later with Kung Fu Panda 2 resting on the horizon of its release that actually feels just as strong as the original without all of the endless shortcomings most would expect to plague a sequel.

When it comes to animated films, one of the most important ingredients is the cast. The voice cast can make or break an animated feature. A talented one can make it even better while a weaker one can result in it hurting the overall enjoyment of the film. Fortunately, the cast for Kung Fu Panda 2 is pretty spot on. The entire main cast (Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong) returns from the first film and while it would be nice to see some of them have meatier roles and/or more lines (Jackie Chan and David Cross for starters), just having them return is fantastic. Casting changes between sequels are never really great. They can be pleasantly surprising, but it never feels the same. So it's great to see the entire ensemble back in full form. My personal favorite from the original cast is James Hong as Mr. Ping. The Asian American actor is perhaps best known as the villain in Big Trouble in Little China and was also Hannibal Chew in Blade Runner, but hearing that actor voice a goose who runs a restaurant and is so attached to his kung fu panda/China saving son is awesome in itself. Mr. Ping is an emotional wreck with Po putting himself in danger so often and Hong just makes his heartfelt performance stand out above the rest.

Newcomers such as Dennis Haysbert (Heat, "24") and Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Sunshine) were fun additions. Yeoh voices The Soothsayer, who has a few humorous moments with Lord Shen, but realizing that Jean Claude Van Damme voiced Master Croc gave a little more weight to the throwbacks to well-known martial arts films. That influence is definitely there in the Kung Fu Panda films and both of them use that influence as a crutch in the best of ways, but having talent like Van Damme, Jackie Chan, and Michelle Yeoh participate make it all feel a little more genuine. It'd be like bringing in Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, or Sammo Hung. The cast in this is just as much a drawing factor in this as it is in something like The Expendables. It makes that homage mean so much more.

Gary Oldman practically steals every scene that he's in though. He brings that intensity and dark lunacy associated with his roles in Leon and The Fifth Element to the Lord Shen role; those same traits that made fans love his talent in the first place. He fits the role of an evil albino peacock rather well.

The animation is really the film's Tour de force. Every movement flows naturally and everything is so crisp and smooth. Fight scenes are so fast yet easy to digest. Animals talking, portraying human emotion, their hair folding in the wind all look natural. But the art direction of the film is something special. It was already fantastic in the first film, but they really bulked it up for the sequel. It's slightly reminiscent of "Samurai Jack" yet more awesome; more engrossing. It captures the feel of Chinese martial arts perfectly and the use of traditional animation during Po's flashbacks was an extremely welcome addition; having Guillermo Del Toro as the creative consultant on the film surely helped in their benefit.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is beautifully animated, exceptionally cast, laugh out loud funny, and nearly upstages the original at every turn. While certain things in the film like the "inner peace" bit are slightly predictable, it doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment of a sequel that capitalizes and improves on its predecessor rather than feeling like a watered down version of it.

When it comes to sequels, it's rare enough that one manages to measure up to the first film. More often than not they end up being disappointing to one degree or another. Particularly when you're talking about animated films (the Shrek and Toy Story films being more the exception than the rule). But Kung Fu Panda 2 is that rarity among sequels in that, in my opinion, it is actually an improvement on the first film in quite a number of ways, which I'll get to later.

In this film, Po (the kung-fu panda of the title) and the Furious Five (Tigress, Mantis, Monkey, Viper & Crane) are called on to face a new threat: the return of the exiled Prince Shen (a peacock), who has come back armed with a powerful new weapon and determined to take over the kingdom. Complicating matters though are the fact that Prince Shen apparently had something to do with how Po, a panda, came to be raised by a goose, Mister Ping, his loving if noodle-obsessed father. In order to find the 'inner peace' he needs to defeat Shen, Po must first find the secret of his past, a past that he only sees in flashes of haunting memory that Shen's appearance has awakened in him.

Beyond the plot though, almost everything in Kung Fu Panda 2 is better than the first film, which was already pretty respectable to begin with. One thing is that KFP2 steeps itself even deeper in Chinese culture and it shows in both the sumptuously colored and detailed art of the backgrounds, in the traditions subtly brought out in the story, and even in the musical score wrought by John Powell and Hans Zimmer. And there is more depth, both philosophically and artistically, to the kung-fu; a particular key sequence by Master Shifu early on is a slow and beautiful thing to watch.

The voice actors are all excellent, with all of the original actors reprising their roles: Po (Jack Black), Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross) and of course Mister Ping (the inimitable veteran James Hong). New additions include a sooth-saying ram (beautifully done by Michelle Yeoh), and kung-fu masters Croc (Jean-Claude Vam Damme) and Ox (Dennis Haysbert). And a notable cameo for film buffs is the voice of the Musician Bunny (director Paul Mazursky).

I have to give particular praise though to how well Prince Shen was done. At first thought, the idea of a villainous peacock sounds, well, ridiculous. But Prince Shen, as conceived and dazzlingly executed by the animators of KFP2, and as masterfully voiced by Gary Oldman, radiates arrogant menace and threat, in attitude and physically, in a fashion that is both artful and deadly. Director Jennifer Yuh said that "Shen proved to be a great challenge to animate, so much that the complexity of the character was like that of doing six characters all at once." IMHO, KFP2 is worth seeing just for Shen alone.

And, for what it's worth, this is one of the few 3D movies I've seen that was actually worth seeing in 3D.

My only quibble with the film is that it really didn't develop the Furious Five much as characters, which I would like to have seen. There are hints of things given about Tigress, but they're never really developed, and the rest of the Five are relegated to the same hero-support roles they had in the original.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes a good story and especially for anyone who liked the first film. This one definitely takes it up a notch.

Buy Kung Fu Panda 2 (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) (2011) Now

My husband, child, and I are fans of the original Kung Fu Panda, but I was rather wary about this sequel since most sequels are never nearly as good as their predecessors. Well, I am glad to be proven wrong by Kung Fu Panda 2! All three of us thought this was not only a worthy successor to the original but actually much better. The key elements that make an animated movie a winner are all here a stellar cast, impressive animation, well-written script, and a story that appeals to both children and adults.

The original cast returns in this sequel with Jack Black providing the voice of Po the adorable Dragon Warrior Panda; Angelina Jolie as Tigress; Jackie Chan as Monkey; Seth Rogen as Mantis; Lucy Liu as Viper; David Cross as Crane; Dustin Hoffman as Shifu the Kung Fu Master; and James Hong as Mr. Ping, Po's dad. In this sequel, viewers are introduced to a new nemesis, Shen, a magnificent peacock skilled in Kung Fu, yet possessed of the blackest of hearts. Shen is ably voiced by Gary Oldman, and every nuance and turn of phrase conveys the evil residing within this creature. One of my favorite Asian actresses, Michelle Yeoh provides the voice of the Soothsayer Ram, an important character in this movie.

The story this time centers around Po trying to find his inner peace as instructed by Shifu. Trouble is, Po is haunted by questions about his past, triggered by an encounter with a bandit wolf. Meanwhile, as Po goes through this inner conflict (something which he chooses not to share with his friends), there is serious trouble brewing over in the capital city. Shen, who was once the heir to the Peacock Throne has amassed an army of ferocious wolves, and most importantly, invented a weapon that makes Kung-Fu seem almost obsolete. Shen is enraged when the Soothsayer Ram refuses to back down from her prediction made many years ago that Shen's fate is intertwined with that of something which is black and white. So the stage is set for a showdown between Po and Shen.

The story flows seamlessly, and the animation is of stellar quality. We watched it in 3-D, and I enjoyed the effects, especially the battle scenes (and there are tons of those in this movie). The talented cast makes this a pleasure to watch as each actor brings a unique interpretation to his/her character, and it wasn't about Jack Black voicing a panda, but Po as a real character that comes into his own in this sequel. As in the original, positive messages abound here and these are woven seamlessly into the fabric of the story without seeming to come across as overly didactic. Themes such as the notion of what constitutes a family; loyalty; friendship; ambition/greed/evil; and self-identity are all portrayed in a convincing manner, and best of all, there's lots of humor in here, even when the subject matter is serious. This perfect balance of light and dark, the comical and serious, goes perfectly with the Eastern philosophy of Yin and Yang, and Po is the embodiment of these contrary forces.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is rated PG, with a running time of 90 minutes. It is a movie that will appeal to both children and adults, and is entertaining, fun, and poignant. Highly recommended!

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First off let me say I loved the movie. Loved it so much I purchased a digital copy to download and keep on my Kindle Fire. The problem came when according to Amazon tech help, DreamWorks decided they were not making enough sells in the DVD area, and blocked this from the streaming content on what they called a blackout period. Which in return caused Amazon to remove my purchased copy from my Kindle and block me from the streaming version. Amazon did return my money but it has made me very cautious about making future digital purchases. Just a warning to any buying digital movies from Dreamworks.

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My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.

OOS EFFECTS:

There are about 110 out of screen effects that extend about 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer. There are about 42 from 15% 20%, 32 at 25%, 7 at 30%, 4 at 40% and 2 at 50%. These are some large numbers but the bulk of the OOS effects are very quick.

IN SCREEN / OBSERVATIONS:

Like most of the newer animated 3D films, the in-screen 3D looks very good but I found the background lacking at times. The shading and detail of the characters are an enhancement to the 3D experience.

I rarely comment on video content but as an adult viewer I was unimpressed by the storyline. IMO the film is geared for a young audience but conversely has a large amount of cartoon violence.

ACTIVE GLASSES USERS:

There is some crosstalk sprinkled throughout the film but most of it is barely noticeable by being hidden within objects.

(crosstalk varies from system to system)

MY 3D RATING = VERY GOOD (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent)

Note: As far as the percentages go, everyone's eyes are different. What I see at 25% you may see at 15% or 35%. To fully realize how far something is out of the screen for you, pause on an effect and direct a partner with an extended finger to the tip of what you are seeing. You may be surprised.

Click on `' for the lowdown on other 3Ds

Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set (2010)

I won't waste time with critiques of all 4 Rambo films. Chances are that anyone visiting this page likes these movies enough to want to own them on DVD, so my opinion is inconsequential. But, since there have been two Rambo collection DVD sets over the years, whether or not to purchase this set can be somewhat of a dilemma for fans. Artisan originally released all 3 movies in a Rambo Trilogy Special Edition DVD Collection back in 2002. This was an incredible set put together as nothing short of a labor of love. Not only were the movies digitally re-mastered, but the set came with a plethora of special features including commentaries, documentaries, and trailers, most of which were included in a bonus 4th disc. Another great addition was the last on-screen interview with the late, great Richard Crenna discussing his years as Colonel Trautman for the documentaries.

In 2004, Artisan released the Rambo Trilogy Ultimate Edition DVD Collection after the Special Edition DVD set went out of print. The Ultimate set was mainly a waste of money for many Rambo fans, as most of the great Special Edition DVD features did not carry over. Instead, the 'Special Operations' interactive features were offered up as a poor substitute. The only notable inclusion to this set was found on the 'First Blood' DVD, which featured the alternate ending and a commentary track by Stallone. Then, there is the Lionsgate 2008 Complete Rambo Collection DVD set featuring all 4 movies. This set carries over most of the bonus features from both of the previous collections, although the advertised 'First Blood' commentary with author David Morrell from the Special Edition is erroneously missing. The individual movies are identical to the Ultimate Edition set but the bonus disc from the Special Edition set is also included, along with a few featurettes found only on the individual Special Edition movies. Here are the specs:

First Blood: Ultimate Edition

Audio commentary with Sylvester Stallone

Alternate Ending

Interactive Military Special Operations FeaturesSurvival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap

Rambo First Blood Part II: Ultimate Edition

Audio commentary with director George P. Cosmatos

Interactive Military Special Operations FeaturesSurvival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap

Rambo III: Ultimate Edition

Audio commentary with director Peter MacDonald

Deleted Scenes

Interactive Military Special Operations FeaturesSurvival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap

Rambo: 2-Disc Special Edition

Audio commentary by Sylvester Stallone

Deleted Scenes

"Legacy of Despair: The Struggle in Burma" featurette

"It's a Long Road: Resurrection of an Icon" featurette

"A Score to Settle: The Music of Rambo" featurette

"The Art of War: Completing Rambo" featurette

"The Weaponry of Rambo" featurette

"A Hero's Welcome: Release & Reaction" featurette

Digital Copy of the feature film

Bonus Disc

"The Real Nam: Voices from Within" featurette

"Guts and Glory" featurette

"The Forging of Heroes: America's Green Berets" featurette

"Rambo-nomics" featurette

"Selling a Hero" featurette

"Suiting Up" featurette

"An American Hero's Journey: The Rambo Trilogy" featurette

"Drawing First Blood" featurette

"We Get to Win This Time" featurette

"Afghanistan: Land in Crisis" featurette

Theatrical Trailers for all 4 Films

To recap, this DVD set is probably best suited for those fans who don't own either of the previous DVD collections. Those who have the Special Edition DVD set are probably better off buying the individual release of the last Rambo film. Those who own the Ultimate Edition DVD set might want to consider upgrading if the features on the bonus disc sound appealing. Further compounding matters is the 2010 Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set (Blu-Ray) edition, which reinstates the David Morrell 'First Blood' commentary but has many of the featurettes found on the DVD set's bonus disc inexplicably omitted. Whatever set one decides to purchase, the constant re-release of the Rambo movies, although frustrating to many, can also be seen as a testament to the enduring legacy of a pop cultural icon that refuses to die.

I love the Rambo movies but I have to address something about this new so called "Complete" set coming out on July 27. This new Rambo The Complete Collector's Set on Blu-ray Disc appears to just be the 4 movies that are out now on blu-ray put into one package. You can actually go ahead and buy the four movies on blu-ray and get everything that is included in this set only in single cases instead of waiting for this green box or 4 disc case or whatever it is exactly. I really doubt it will be a metal tin case like the Complete Collector's Set that came out on DVD a few years back.

Also to be labeled as "Complete" there are a few very obvious things missing.

First off, the biggest and most obvious omission is the new Rambo Extended Cut that is being released on Blu-ray on its own the exact same day as this set. That's right, a whole new version of the fourth movie with 90 minutes of new extra features and it's being left out. Why it was not included in this "Complete" set makes absolutely no sense to me at all.

The second big omission is a bonus disc including all of the extra features and documentaries that were available on a bonus disc first in the Special Edition Trilogy set and then the DVD version of the Complete Collector's Set a couple of years ago. There are nearly 2 hours of documentaries and featurettes about the original 3 movies that are not on the blu-ray discs out now. Wouldn't this have been a perfect opportunity to press a new bonus blu-ray disc with all these features and include it with this set?

The third thing missing from this set and, although not nearly as important as the first two, should still have been included is the deleted scenes from Rambo III. For some reason Lionsgate left them off of the Rambo III blu-ray. Since the July 27 Complete Collector's set appears to just have the same blu-ray of Rambo III out now don't look for it to have those deleted scenes.

Now back to that bonus disc I was talking about above; That's why a new bonus disc needs to be made so it can include them. The one made for the DVD set a few years back won't work as those scenes are not on it either so you can't just throw it in with this set. Not to mention the Teaser Trailers for the original 3 movies from the Special Editions and two featurettes "First Blood: A Look Back" and "Rambo III: Full Circle" found on the Special Edition Trilogy bonus disc but not on the DVD version of the Complete Collector's Set bonus disc. They may just be a montage of clips from the movies set to music but since Lionsgate owns them how hard would it be to include them as well?

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The Rambo series will forever be classics in film. Simply put, this boxed set is not only a must have for the Rambo fan, rather anyone who enjoys great flicks! This set includes all 4 installments in the Rambo series and packs quite the punch on each disk.

The Good: Includes First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, and Rambo. All updated in HD and looking amazing. Sound is awesome in surround sound and seems cleaned up over the dvd boxed set. Plenty of bonus features to dive into as well. Awesome packaging keeps the case thin and compact unlike some other sets that feel the need to take up "book-sized" space on your shelf.

The Bad: Only thing I don't like is that the version of Rambo(2008) included is simply disc one of the collectors edition. If like me, you like your bonus features you may want to grab the Rambo Trilogy [Blu Ray] instead and opt for the 2 disc version of Rambo.

Other than that, this has been one of my favorite acquisitions of late and I more than recommend it to anyone!!

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Just bought this collection! It's awesome. Very clean looking design.

This collection is for any Rambo fan!

The new movie "Rambo" is awesome. Like other reviewers mention, it is very realistic. The movie takes place in Burma, where events depicted in the movie are happening daily.

The collection includes Rambo 1,2, 3 and 4. Plus a digital copy of the new Rambo and a special features disc.

This is the ultimate Rambo collection for your DVD library!

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I really like this collectors set, the dvds come in a metal box that has some really nice graphics. The extra features are also quite good and the quality of the movies is also very good. The reason I give it 3 stars is that the first 3 movies have no subtitle options I live with someone that has hearing problems and well with no subtitles we have to crank up the volume a bit so we can both enjoy the movies.

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Johnny English Reborn (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (2011)

Johnny English has been 5 years in retirement in Tibet learning the ways of the master. He is called out of retirement for a mission to China to hunt down "Vortex" an assassination group out to kill the Chinese premier. There are 3 keys, or key parts that must be gathered together to have access to a secret weapon.

The first good joke was the "Toshiba" sponsor sign for MI-7 secret services. The humor is more than just slapstick. Rowan Atkinson combines the sophistication and intellect of James Bond with the zaniness of Peter Sellers. Indeed, for those who loved Peter Sellers would also enjoy Atkinson who doesn't attempt to copy Sellers, but rather create a character in his own style reminiscent of the master. The early scene with the cat had me laughing out loud at the classic style of Atkinson.

English is aided by agent Tucker (Daniel Kaluuya), a sidekick that has his own failings. Excellent use of the sound track. Worth seeing. Simply hilarious.

Good family movie for the older kids. Imagine a good comedy without all that crude humor (okay it has some kicks to the groin). No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.

Rowan Atkinson shows once again why he is widely considered to be one of the top living comics. In lesser hands this film would not have been worth the price of admission. It took me back to the glory days of Peter Sellers and the inimitable Inspector Clouseau. Atkinson is also supported by a strong supporting cast including Gillian Anderson and the very lovely Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day). I can actually remember some James Bond films that I didn't find as entertaining as this movie is. I don't know why it took eight years to get this sequel. I would not mind another outing for Johnny English if it is as much fun as this one. Be sure to watch the end credits for one last scene!!

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This movie is a well written, action packed, dimwitted flick with the characteristic Johnny English intelligence (literally.) His adventures and misadventures alike will leave you chuckling throughout the whole movie. But beware, you have to like the persona of Johnny English if you want to enjoy this movie, otherwise you will just think it is stupid.

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Just finished watching Rowan Atkinson's (aka Mr. Bean) new movie "JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN"

I must say that this movie is FUNNY AS HELL !!! Best Movie he's done yet and the FUNNIEST Movie to come out in the past few years!!!!

This is for ALL Mr. Bean fans, or for someone who wants a good laugh!!

Oh, and don't forget to watch the ending credits as there is a "Special" Scene that is just Genius!!

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I thought this movie was hilarious.. it had me laughing so hard! If you liked the first movie, you'll love this one!

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Scarface Limited Edition Steelbook Triple Play (1983)

The reason to buy this DVD is simple: one of the most influential films of the 20th century has finally been released in a newly restored, pristine transfer. As an owner of the original DVD release, I can testify that the difference is like night and day.

With every viewing, I come to appreciate Brian DePalma's Scarface more and more. Although not perfect, there is much more right with this film than wrong. It helps to compare it with its countless imitations: where most subsequent crime films rush headlong from one bloody gunfight to the next, Scarface takes its time. Its languid, gliding camera has a certain elegance in the way it reveals story points without relying on clunky Dick-and-Jane dialog or overwrought MTV pyrotechnics. A prime example is the infamous scene where Tony Montana (Al Pacino) attemps to buy two kilos of cocaine from some Coloumbians for his boss, Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). Watch the way the camera drifts from the Miami Beach hotel room, across a peaceful sun-drenched street, over to the car where Tony's associates are waiting for him, then slowly back up to the bathroom window, where the sound of the idling chainsaw grows louder. Creepy. Insinuating. It's comparable to the best work of Hitchcock a day-lit nightmare where the ordinary becomes sinister. Watch closely as the Columbian dismembers Tony's friend limb by limb. In spite of the scene's reputation, we never actually see what's happening. Like the shower murder in Psycho, all the violence is implied so strongly, in fact, that DePalma had to fight the MPAA in a well-publicized battle to keep Scarface from receiving an X rating.

It's interesting the way that the improved picture and sound seem to contribute to every aspect of the film. Subtleties in Pacino's largely unsubtle performance become clear. We can better see what he does with his face in those famously shadowy close-ups; the way he registers what he's thinking privately, even as he swaggers with exaggerated bravado. Where once it seemed he was over-acting at times, it is now apparent that he was carefully playing his character's machismo against a darker undercurrent of great hunger so intense that it defies articulation. Tony Montana's great tragedy is his utter lack of self-knowlege. Beneath the clouds of cordite and testosterone, he is so painfully needy that he will draw everyone around him into a decaying orbit of destruction. He is a criminal, but he is not immoral. He is a black hole of a man, a vacuous human being whose desires eclipse whatever soul that a life of deprivation and decay may have left him. He acts without apology, or even much thought. He's an animal in both the best and worst senses of the word. The tragedy is not so much that he is killed at the end he brings that on himself it is that so many others, not least the addicts that buy his product, must suffer and die as well. It's downright Shakespearean, but with (lots of) f-words in place of gilded Elizabethan speech.

Once you get past those 160-odd f-variants, Oliver Stone's screenplay begins to seem as thoughtful as it is blunt. The language is harsh, but also truthful, with plenty of quotable lines (though you would not want to quote them in polite company).

The improved sound mix also brings into relief something that I had always looked upon as a liability of Scarface the very "80's" music score, which had always seemed to me the newer equivalent of those ham-handed "jazz" scores from certain 50's melodramas like Man With the Golden Arm. But now the music seems "dated" more in the way of an early James Bond score; it is appropriate to the era. Were Scarface made now, it would still be a legitimate choice of styles.

The extras are thorough, though the "making of" documentary seems to be a longer version of the one from the original DVD release. There is also a documentary on Scarface's considerable influence on hip-hop music, but I smell an Obvious Plug for a CD of music "inspired" by the film. (The package insert proclaims that it's In Stores Now! from DefJam records.)

In any case, Scarface has finally received its due respect in a form that showcases the late John Alonso's brightly-hued, yet somehow gritty cinematography. Alonso also photographed the sumptuous Chinatown. This DVD is also a tribute to him a master of light and shadow, whose old-fashioned, hard-lit chiaroscuro images contributed in no small way to Scarface's status as a modern classic.

Brian De Palma's blood soaked gangster epic is on DVD, once again. I'll say this right off the bat, if you own the previously released Special Edition of Scarface, there's no reason to run out and buy this Platinum Edition, which has an assortment of previously released extras to go along with a counter for how many times the "F" word is used and how many bullets are fired. Besides that, there's nothing here that hasn't been seen before, but if you don't already own Scarface on DVD, well then, this is worth picking up. As for the film itself, it's a bloody crime epic featuring one of Al Pacino's best, and most infamous, performances as Cuban hood turned drug kingpin Tony Montana; but chances are, you already know all that. The DVD's picture quality looks cleaner, and the "remastered and remixed" sound is crisper as well, but whether or not you want to lay down the cash for this depends on how many times you've been suckered into buying the movie.

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"Scarface" is one of the greatest of all mob movies. It's an epic crime drama done with style and care. Brian DePalma presents a film that ignites the screen with a great screenplay by Oliver Stone and an amazing performance by Al Pacino. Unlike "The Godfather," which was more about family and relationships between father and son, "Scarface" is an exhilarating and intriguing journey into Miami's mob underworld, seen through the eyes of Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee with some of the greatest lines in movie history. The degree of excess here is brilliantly done and adds even more realism to a great work. DePalma shows a wonderful touch of style in the sets, costumes, cars, even in the violence. Look at the brilliant eye for composition he shows in a scene where an assassination attempt is carried out on Tony in a nigh club. The movie is full of that Latin style and intensity. The screeenplay By Oliver Stone is brilliant because it's complex in the way in which we are not just interested in the action, but characters and events as well. We really care about what happens with these people, least of all Tony. Pacino gives one of the greatest and most intense performances, always believable. He steals the show entirely through his accent and facial expressions. The action sequences aren't dim-witted, but smart and stylish. "Scarface" vibrates with style and realism like few gangster dramas have. It stands as a masterpiece. One of the greatest crime pictures of all time.

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Brian De Palma's epic blood soaked remake of the 1932 Paul Muni gangster classic may not have gotten all the critical acclaim in the world, but it stands as a landmark performance of the great Al Pacino. Pacino brings to the screen one of his most well known characters in his career as Tony Montana; a cuban refugee who rises to power in Miami's cocaine underworld. Along with him is his best friend Manny (Steve Bauer) and the two begin working for Frank (Robert Loggia), a slimy, manipulative excess driven drug kingpin whose wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) Tony soon develops an obsession for. Oliver Stone wrote the script and helped make Tony one of the most unforgettable characters in all of American cinema. Scarface has since become a cult classic and contains some of the most memorable lines of dialogue in film, not to mention the most rampant use of profanity that would not be topped for years to come. The only problem I ever had with Scarface was it's length; clocking in at nearly 3 hours, there are times when the film drags, but that is only a minor complaint. All in all, if you want to see one of Al Pacino's finest performances (aside from Devil's Advocate, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, or anything beginning with the title The Godfather), then consider Scarface essential viewing, but be warned, this is not a film for all tastes.

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While I own the 2 disc Standard Def set that came out a few years ago, I thought I would buy this Blu Ray edition without the Digital Copy. Very glad to have made the purchase.

In past version I often wondered why it appeared so blanched out, especially in the early scenes as Tony Montana, Manny, Angel and a friend were going to do the deal with the Columbians. The new Blu Ray edition brings back all the color and vitality to the original image and stays vital though out the film. The Blu Ray version truly has provided a significant improvement over previous Scarface releases. It's not perfect, there is some grain here and there, easy to see in the sky shots and when the cement walls are in the shots. However, this grain is not exceedingly so and does not distract, nor is it there in most of the film. At the end of the movie, as Tony and associates bring Gina back to his mansion after Tony kills Manny, there is a wide shot of the red carpeted staircase. I did notice some aliasing at the bottom of the staircase, but as the camera zooms in, it goes away. Red has always been a very difficult color to reproduce which is why it is rarely used in credits as it can cause stair-stepping and aliasing, however, this was the only instance where I saw any and it last but a few seconds.

The blu ray transfer is really very, very good.

The two disc Standard Def version used DTS 5.1 audio while the Blu Ray provides 7.1 DTSHD audio. The score is spread very nicely though out the entire speaker system,(mine is 5.1) however, there really is very little use of any of the channels for discreet directionality making the 7.1 possibilities only useful for the music score itself. Audio always seems to get the short end of the financial straw in film releases and transfers, and Scarface is no different. There were plenty of opportunities for surround foley fx in the riot at the holding camp as well as the final mansion shootout. Sides and rears are sometimes used for slight panning of the vehicles and not much more. The dialogue is clear and properly leveled so once you set your volume you should not have to reset at any time.

The video transfer and movie gets 5 stars from me, while the audio gets 3.

All my movie reviews are of this nature and focus only on the quality of the transfer to BluRay so check them and see if they are of help as well.

Hopefully, this review has been of some help to you in determining your purchase, hope I am on the correct path with a review of the transfer quality as opposed to providing plot summaries.

Thanks