The ítem it's incredible, I love the Superman Vs Elite movie, for that I buyed this limited edition, and the Figure is beautiful.. i like to much
Buy Superman Vs the Elite Blu-ray - Limited Edition w/ Figurine (2012) Now
Showing posts with label movies on blu ray and dvd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies on blu ray and dvd. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Superman Vs the Elite Blu-ray - Limited Edition w/ Figurine (2012)
The ítem it's incredible, I love the Superman Vs Elite movie, for that I buyed this limited edition, and the Figure is beautiful.. i like to much
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
The Man with No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars / For a Few Dollars More / The Good, The Bad, an
Sergio Leone's classic trilogy of films with Clint Eastwood arrives on Blu-ray (and also in a separate DVD release ) under "The Man with No Name" with varying results. All three films "Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (the last film previously released on Blu-ray before this set)have their individual issues but, on the whole, all three films have more positives than negatives when it comes to their debut on HD.I'm going to skip the plot summaries since others have already done a good job with that.
"Fistful of Dollars" clearly isn't the same transfer as the European edition; skin tones tend to be a bit red and the framing is a bit different than the European restored edition. I'm not sure if the original negative was accessed for this edition (I doubt it)but it could use a bit of restoration work.
Still, it looks pretty good with good detail. Overall the transfer looks quite good and digital noise reduction doesn't mar this one quite as badly as it does "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (which still looks good even with that issue). Audio sounds quite nice as well.I'd also note that fans should be prepared--it looks quite grainy but this is the way the film was shot and originally shown in theaters.
We get all the extras from the previous edition on DVD that was released in "The Man with No Name Trilogy" and "The Sergio Leone Collection" (the only difference between those two DVD releases was that "Duck You Sucker" was included starring James Coburn was part of that package).
"For a Few Dollars More" looks exceptionally good with nice detail, colors that mirror the overseas edition of the film and, again, the extras from the DVD edition. This is probably the best looking of the bunch here. Again, the film is grainy but thats the intended look of the film.
"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" looks extremely good even with occasional heavy handed DNR applied to the film (more to do with eliminating grain since all three films were shot on film stock that tended to be extremely grainy to begin with). The detail is still surprisingly strong this doesn't look as bad as, say, the latest edition of "Predator" where everyone has waxy skin completion but it isn't quite as strong looking as "For A Few Dollars More" either.
Part of this could be due to the fact that "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" underwent a restoration some years back and this could an older HD print for the film whereas the other two films received more recent transfers. The overuse of digital noise reduction (which tends to reduce detail, cause skin textures to look smooth like wax but smoothes out grain often eliminating it if overused)was pretty common as recent as three to five years ago. That's no excuse just the facts. I doubt given MGM's current financial crisis and Fox's recent trend towards overusing DNR ("Predator" again as an example for a recent catalog title or "Patton")that we were going to get a new HD transfer. It's not something that should prevent you from buying this set although you will notice it on TV sets 50 inches and above.
The video bit rate for all three movies is quite good with an average of 30Mbps ("Fistful" has the highest at 36 while "Good" which is the longest film of the three has the lowest at 26Mbps) which translates as a good, consistent picture.
Audio is strong for all three films. As previoulsy mentioned the extras from all three previously released DVDs are included as part of the set usually in standard definition though and on the same disc as the movie. We get multiple langauge tracks including English, Spanish, Hungarian, Italian and Turkish. Subtitles are available in English only.
All three films are packaged in a slimline 3 Blu-ray case with film credits printed on the inside of the outer sleeve. I would have liked to see Fox (which is handling MGM releases in the U.S.) include replicas of the lobby cards like they did with the previous single DVD sets and/or a booklet similar to the one that came with "The Sergio Leone Collection".
So is the transfer for "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and the framing issue for "Fistful" a deal breaker? No. You'll enjoy these films and they really have never looked this good on home video before. Be aware however that there is a region free European edition that doesn't have the framing issue for "Fistful" and the skin tones are a bit more muted for that restored edition. It all comes down to if you have a fistful of dollars to spend.
Most fans won't notice these issues and for those that do there is an alternative should you want to pick up the European edition of the film.
So a total of 4 stars because of some minor issues with two films in the set. A note on the cover--for some reason Fox has chosen to reuse the cover from "The Sergio Leone Collection for the Blu-ray (and DVD) of "The Man with No Name Trilogy".Recommended.
Picture quality:
"Fistful": 4/5
"Few More": 4.5/5
"Good, Bad, Ugly": 3,5/5
Region Free!
Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English, Spanish, French (German/Italian also on "Good, Bad, Ugly")
Extras: seem to be the same as on 2-disc DVD sets.
NB: extraordinary audio commentary by Leone expert Christopher Frayling!
In my view this box set is a bargain (I ordered my copies for $29).
If you like these Leone films, then this 3-piece set should be a no-brainer.
2. For sprocket hole addicts (myself included):
All films of this "trilogy" (of course it wasn't intended as such) were shot in "Techniscope" (i.e. 2 perforation holes instead of 4, as in "Cinemascope" ) hence cutting stock costs in half unfortunately same goes for picture resolution. Therefore a slightly lesser picture quality than in usual Cinemascope Blu-ray transfers is the result. But this only adds to the intentional grittiness of Carlo Simi's production design. Much better prints are not likely in the future.
Still these Blu-ray prints of the three movies differ in their picture quality with "Few More" being the best (except some minor visible stain at TC 00:04:09-56, Chpt. 2) followed by "Fistful" and "Good, Bad, Ugly" (due to excessive DNR processing).
Alternatives for the 3-disc box set?
"Fistful" you can also look for the Italian BD release from RHV (Ripleys Home Video; Region Free) available from bol.it.
"Few More" this BD is available seperately (for the price of this entire set!)
"Good, Bad, Ugly" you could wait for an enhanced BD version, but who knows when this will be around? "Good, Bad, Ugly" of course could use some improvement...
Fox have put out a 4-disc BD set also including "Hang 'em High" available from amazon.co.uk (RC? / picture quality? / audio?)
Overall these BDs look great a definite improvement over DVDs and are great fun to watch!! Audio commentary by Christopher Frayling (author of: "Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone", 1981) impressively marks the difference between informative vs. talkative (yes, Sir!) and provides you with everything you always wanted to know about these Leone films but didn't know whom to ask... brilliant!!The trilogy of westerns made by Sergio Leone during the early to mid-60's are among the best of the so-called spaghetti westerns produced. Leone's unique cinematic vision and his unusual use of the camera (a bit of trivia Leone never storyboarded his films. Unlike Hitchcock and other major directors he had it all in his head)make these films unique and powerful. Leone was the first foreign film director to make self reflective movies; i.e., his westerns were really about the classic western films he grew up loving with a post-ironic twist.
You can read about the plots elsewhere as I want to concentrate on the major drawback (and the benefits)of these DVDs; Both Fistful and more are presented in their widescreen aspect radio. Since Leone's films benefited from the widescreen format and vistas, seeing them in a pan and scan version doesn't do the films justice; it's like listening to a great piece of music through a portable radio with poor reception. You get the gist of the music and feel that's powerful but it lacks the full impact and range.
The films exhibit a high amount of analog artifacts. Portions of More also look quite faded. Both films deserve and require a restoration similar to that performed for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (although the version included here is not the restored version). Both discs also include both pan and scan and widescreen versions of the films. There's also theatrical trailers and booklets with background on the making of both films. The soundtrack sounds flat and thin--given the way the original soundtracks were mixed and released that's not a surprise. Still, if the original elements still exist it would be worthwhile to revisit these films, restore and then remaster them with a commentary track (similar to that for Once Upon A Time in The West). They don't look horrible but it's clear that the negative is either in poor condition or the prints used were not pristine.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly looks and sounds better than the other two films in the series. It also benefited from a much larger budget and shooting time which is to the benefit of the film. The acting is stronger (Eastwood returns as does Van Cleef joined by the scene chewing Eli Wallach in a marvelous turn as "the ugly"). THis version features a number of scenes cut for both the International and US version. While the scenes aren't restored (and my copy didn't even had the advertised "Italian" dialogue track but was silent), they provide an interesting background as to the motivations of the characters.
TGTBATU looks still has a fair amount of analog artifacts but not quite as bad as the first two. The sound is slightly better although still thin (again, it was recorded and shown in mono. Remember, this was the early 60's). Leone's direction and visual flair are more in evidence on the third film of the series. Here's hoping that MGM will get around to re-releasing the restored version that showed earlier in the year. Reportedly, Eastwood and Wallach re-recorded their dialogue (which might explain why the tracks are silent--it's clear that the dialogue tracks must be missing or incomplete)and they had a sound alike for the late Van Cleef.
While all three films are essential western classics, all three are marred by a variety of analog flaws. Their still worth having but I'm hoping with the advent of reissues like Once Upon a Time in The West, that all three will get a face-lift and second chance on DVD. It also wouldn't hurt to provide some interesting background on the making of all three films. Eastwood and Wallach are still around as are various crew members/actors from the original productions. Let's hope it gets done!
Oh, and by the way, the Man with No Name did have a name in at least two of the three films here. That Man With No Name aspect was a marketing ploy dreamed up by the original studio (United Artists) to sell the films later on down the line.My low rating does not apply to the movies themselves. In a period when most Hollywood westerns were becoming predictable and formulaic, Italian director Sergio Leone broke the mold! This trilogy, along with his last western, "Once Upon A Time In The West" (not included in this set), are the four greatest westerns ever made, and yet were not produced by Hollywood. The greatest of the Hollywood westerns, such as "The Magnificent Seven", "The Big Country", "The Alamo", "The Three Godfathers"; and south-of-the-border westerns like "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "Guns For San Sabastian" (to name but a few of the greats) all fall in behind the Leone westerns. If you are a fan of westerns and have not seen the movies in this trilogy, watch them as soon as possible, but be prepared for something different than you are used to. They are not slick, but instead portray an accurate grittiness of the old west. They are not gimmicky like the Hollywood westerns of more recent vintage (say from about the mid 1970's to present). The greatest western ever made has to be "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly". This is the mother of all westerns! The acting in all three movies is superb, but the performance of Eli Wallach as Tuco in "The Good..." is extraordinary, and ranks as one of the greatest performances by any actor on film. Clint Eastwood also gives the greatest performance of his career in "The Good...". It is interesting that Clint tried to recapture the magic of the Leone films in his own productions such as "Pale Rider", Hang 'Em Hign", etc., but never even came close.
Now on to the problems with these discs. The transfers are not particularly hign quality, and appear not to be remastered. The first two trilogy movies are merely letterboxed rather than enhanced widescreen. But the biggest bummer of all is the sound quality. The sound quality on "The Good..." is about as good as any of the versions I have heard. The sound quality of "Fistful..." is rather poor. But it is the obnoxious sound of "for A Few Dollars More" that is really a crime. The dialog is too far in the background, and the overall sound on this disc is so harsh that if you turn the volume up to a level where you can hear the dialog clearly, the hard, treble-heavy, distorted sound will bore a hole in your head! I'm not kidding. I love these movies so much that I will have to find an alternative version of "For a Few Dollars More" to replace the one that came with this trilogy. If I had it to do over again, I would purchase the best individual versions I could find, rather than waste money of this set. It's too bad that MGM didn't put just a little bit more TLC into these masterpieces!A good series to own, if you like westerns or Eastwood. I'll just comment on the DVD features. The video reproductions of "A Fistfull of Dollars" and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." are excellent. The reproduction of "For a Few Dollars More" left a lot to be desired. This one must have been reproduced from an imperfect source because a lot of dust floaters are present which is only really distracting during nighttime scenes. Not a lot of extras included, a few trailers and for the "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" some extra minutes from deleted scenes.
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Monday, August 25, 2014
Sympathy for Delicious (2011)
A powerful magical realism exploration of the power of healing. Chris Thornton wrote an amazing story here! While the plot centers on a paraplegic struggling with his disability, the themes are universal. After his accident, Dwyer faces alienation, limitations, fear and anger as he watches his life slide into desperation. After discovering he has the power to heal, he's exploited by those he once relied on. In an attempt to regain what he's lost, he sells his soul and his gift to rock stardom. In the end, he learns healing is not about walking again, but is instead a complicated internal process... a very intense journey that leaves you thinking...On a side note... as a paraplegic, I get sick of able-bodied actors playing disabled roles. Thank you Chris!
Buy Sympathy for Delicious (2011) Now
"Listen please, you don't know what you did, you got the healing touch." After being shown the power of faith healing, Delicious decides to use what he has learned to become a world famous DJ. When fate steps in and allows him to heal everyone's problems but his own he must decide if he will use his gift for someone else. This is not a bad movie at all. Without being in your face with it, this is a fairly religious movie. This also presents a great question. If you had the power to help everyone but yourself could you do it or would you be to jealous? Great acting by everyone makes this an enjoyable movie to watch. Orlando Bloom is great in a wide departure from what he usually does. The fact that the lead actor is actually paralized gives his performance a dimension that would be lacking if the actor was only pretending. This is a pretty slow moving movie, but very much worth watching. Overall, a very good movie filled with great acting. This is another movie you must be in the mood for though. I liked it. I give it a B-.Would I watch again? I don't think I would
Read Best Reviews of Sympathy for Delicious (2011) Here
it is a beautiful film, skillfully executed. Christopher Thornton is a revelation! Lewis is purely authentic, as usual; Bloom carries off one of the most intense characters, in the most beautifully perfect way, ever.Want Sympathy for Delicious (2011) Discount?
I think the movie strayed quite a bit from the true story but can't say for sure. Too much of the F word for me... like every other breath and it is rather vile how this healing gift was supposedly given to someone who wasn't even a believer and then .... you might say prostitued for money... yet in the end I guess he got his attitude right anyway. Kind of wierd.Save 83% Off
Saturday, August 23, 2014
The Unbelievable Truth (1989)
If you like Trust and Simple Men then you'll love this film. Personally I love all of Hartley's works, but to me these three films just go so well together. They're all earlier works and in these films you witness an incredibley inspired director do more with a low budget film than most high paid directors could ever dream of doing. I'd also like to say that if you've never seen a Hal Hartley film then this is probably the best point to start out at.
Buy The Unbelievable Truth (1989) Now
As in The Book of Life, Hartley exaggerates the limitations he's given so that they seem like a style. And, they are. Burke isn't the block of wood he seemed to be the first time I saw this, and Adrian Shelley crawls under your skin and lays eggs that hatch days, weeks, and even months later. And the script? Hard to do it justice, but I will say that this is one for repeated viewings. Don't rent it, buy it! You won't be sorry.Also available on VHS again. Finally.
Read Best Reviews of The Unbelievable Truth (1989) Here
As in The Book of Life, Hartley exaggerates the limitations he's given so that they seem like a style. And, they are. Burke isn't the block of wood he seemed to be the first time I saw this, and Adrian Shelley crawls under your skin and lays eggs that hatch days, weeks, and even months later. And the script? Hard to do it justice, but I will say that this is one for repeated viewings. Don't rent it, buy it! You won't be sorry.Also on DVD. At last.
Want The Unbelievable Truth (1989) Discount?
Fraught with over obvious symbolism, Hartley's early feature is nonetheless a joy to watch. Hal here shows us his uncanny ability to cast his characters perfectly came early in his career.Adrienne Shelley is a near perfect foil to herself, equal parts annoying teen burgeoning in her sexuality (though using sex for several years); obsessed with doom and inspired by idealism gone wrong she is deceptively and simultaneously complex and simple. Her Audrey inspires so many levels of symbolism it is almost embarrassingly rich (e.g., her modeling career beginning with photos of her foot culminating her doing nude (but unseen) work; Manhattan move; Europe trip; her stealing, then sleeping with the mechanics wrench, etc.)
As Josh, Robert Burke gives an absolutely masterful performance. A reformed prisoner/penitent he returns to his home town to face down past demons, accept his lot and begin a new life. Dressed in black, and repeatedly mistaken for a priest, he corrects everyone ("I'm a mechanic"), yet the symbolism is rich: he abstains from alcohol, he practices celibacy (is, in fact a virgin), and seemingly has taken on vows of poverty, and humility as well. The humility seems hardest to swallow seeming, at times, almost false, a pretense. Yet, as we learn more of Josh we see genuineness in his modesty, that his humility is indeed earnest and believable. What seems ironic is the character is fairly forthright in his simplicity, yet so richly drawn it becomes the viewer who wants to make him out as more than what he actually is. A fascinatingly written character, perfectly played.
The scene between Josh and Jane (a wonderful, young Edie Falco . . . "You need a woman not a girl") is hilarious . . . real. But Hartley can't leave it as such and his trick, having the actors repeat the dialogue over-and-over becomes frustratingly "arty" and annoying . . . until again it becomes hilarious. What a terrific sense of bizarre reality this lends the film (like kids in a perpetual "am not"/"are too" argument).
Hartley's weaves all of a small neighborhood's idiosyncrasies into a tapestry of seeming stereotypes but which delves far beneath the surface, the catalyst being that everyone believes they know what the "unbelievable truth" of the title is, yet no two people can agree (including our hero) on what exactly that truth is. A wonderful little movie with some big ideas.
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Friday, August 22, 2014
Total Recall 4 Disc LIMITED EDITION EXTENDED DIRECTOR'S CUT - Blu-ray (2 Disc) / DVD / Ultraviolet
Plot/Scripting perfect; better than the original by light years.Acting, particularly Ferrell's dramatic (even his over-the-top trademark moments) believable;verbal and non-verbal, body language,everything.
All other actors, extraordinary! Especially their fight gymnastics.
Directing/editing, complex but understandable/vivid,
delivering a constant shot of adrenalin.
Production values: Computer Generated Images are spectacular. Sharp,vivid, real-er than real. Who needs reality anyway, these days?
(( BUT, an example of reality rising above computer effects(by light years),
3 IDIOTS3 Idiots (English subtitled) It shows how good 'real'
can be. Yes, it's subtitled, but only brief comments and insertions of english designed to make 'listening' easy... ))
Back to TOTAL RECALL: I bought the Extended Cut (it extended the movie maybeeee three minutes(!)) EH?.
It offers 'both theatrical and extended cuts' and promised four disks, which
turned out to be two disks, both BluRay, which has me discussing promises with Amazon product description folk (I need DVD versions vs a BluRay for viewings away from my media room...) A-typical over-promises by Amazon product page and the Amazon MarketPlace seller's representations have me severely irked...
If I didn't REALLY like the film as much as I do, I'd ding down a few stars; but really, the film's really fine. Just consider carefully the disk count, bonus disk, value paid-for, but consider what is value... etc.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
13 Going on 30 (2004)
Despite the unoriginal premise (the movie Big recast with a woman), 13 Going on 30 is a very entertaining movie and this is due in large part to its star, Jennifer Garner, who brings to her role loads of charm. This movie is the perfect vehicle for the actress because it allows her to break away from the action hero persona that she cultivated with the T.V. show Alias and Daredevil and prove that she can do a romantic comedy.Garner, with her warm, disarming smile has a wholesome, girl-next-door quality that is quite endearing. She's beautiful but not in an unattainable way. She also has natural comedic ability, for example, in one scene, Jenna livens up her magazine's boring party with an impromptu dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," inspiring others to get up and dance as well. Garner also has a very expressive face that is perfect for the broad comedy of this movie. She is willing to take risks and make fun of herself. She is also willing to put herself out there and is not afraid to appear goofy and this only makes her that much more appealing.
13 Going On 30 is the victim of the dreaded double dip. If you already own the Special Edition version of the movie, the two new extras hardly warrant a re-purchase. Also, if you already own the previous edition you might want to hold onto it as the audio commentary by director Gary Winick and the commentary by producers Gina Matthews, Donna Arkoff-Roth, and Susan Arnold is not on this edition.
New to this edition is "Fashion Flashback: Into the 1980s" that features teen models gushing about how much they love the "retro" look of the `80s. It tells you what to look for and where to track down "authentic" clothes of that era.
"Making of a Teen Dream" takes us through the making of the movie in a fun, breezy way that is customary of most press kit type featurettes. The cast speak admiringly about each other in this self-congratulatory extra.
There is a "Bloopers" reel, a collection of blown lines and other assorted goofs that are quite cute.
Also included are two music videos, one for Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" and another for "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield that allows you to immerse yourself in pure `80s cheese.
The most enjoyable extra is "I Was A Teenage Geek." The cast talk about what they were like in the `80s. Everyone tells amusing stories of what they were doing in high school with photos of what they looked like at the time.
There is also an "Alternate Beginning and Ending" that features different actors playing Jenna and Matt when they were kids. The scene is about the same length as what is in the movie but is edited differently. We get more detail on Jenna's desire to be one of the popular girls. Thankfully, these were not used.
Finally, there are 15 deleted scenes with more footage of Jenna and Matt at the magazine party and so on. These scenes flesh out the relationships between the characters.
The movie is all the better for this plot device, we get to see where most of the characters from 1987 are now, and the implications of the decision Jenna makes at the beginning of the movie. Its both piognant, romantic and funny in its execution and you would be pressed to find a truly more involving comedy drama in recent years.
Carrying the movie is star of television show ALIAS, the impossibly beautiful and talented Jennifer Garner. She proves that her entertaining turn as Sydney Bristow was no fluke by ably showing of her comic timing and delivery. Not a slam-bang comedy of the Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler vein this movie is more subtle and less in your-face.
As a 32-year old who remembers 1987 well the pop culture references to that era in the initial scenes were drenched in nostalgia and as someone who has chosen a similar career path as Garner's character it is even more involving and interesting. Without giving too much of the well crafted story away, this movie makes you reflect on the decisions you make and the impilcations each decision makes. In this sense it is like the recent Kutcher movie THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT although far more entertaining and light hearted.
This movie is well recommended.I was rather pleasantly surprised by this film. Obviously, the storyline is by no means unique, and I've seen too many films featuring kids and adults miraculously switching places to feel all that confident about going once more into a similar breach, but 13 Going on 30 is actually, well, delightful. I'm a big Jennifer Garner fan going all the way back to her role in the short-lived Time of Your Life; by and large, I think she did a wonderful job in this role. It is certainly a different Jennifer Garner than we see on Alias, and it certainly appears as if she relished a role in which she got to be silly and whimsical. I would have to credit Mark Ruffalo with an even more impressive performance, though, as his was the subtle glue that held the fantastical elements of the plot together.
Young Jenna has just turned 13; already unhappy with the way she looks and anxious to be popular, she suffers an embarrassing indignation which has her fervently wishing to be 30. Thanks to some wishing dust on the model dream home her obviously infatuated by "not cool" friend Matt built for her, she gets her wish. I thought the early scenes featuring 13-year-old Jenna reacting to the instant passing of 17 years and adjusting to her new, uh, accessories was a little awkward, and a certain lack of continuity in regard to her reactions to new stimuli popped up sporadically as the film progressed. One minute she's acting like a young teenager, and then she will suddenly seem to have grown up into her new age to a significant degree. Anyway, she discovers that all of her dreams have come true: she was popular, and she has become mighty successful in life actually sitting atop the fashion magazine she was addicted to as a kid. Before long, though, she begins to see that having it all isn't all it is cracked up to be. This grown-up body she inhabits is actually a rather empty shell of a not so nice person. She learns that she has done some rather nasty things over the course of the missing 17 years. The only person she can turn to is her friend Matt (Mark Ruffalo), but the two have gone in very different directions over the years. In the process of trying to save her magazine, Jenna learns that the dreams of childhood don't turn out the way you thought they would and other obvious life lessons, etc., etc. You can probably guess what happens at the end.
The film does succeed rather well as a comedy; the Thriller dance scene, while uncomfortable to watch, is indeed quite silly, and some of adult Jenna's interactions with young teens also play well. I also loved the fact that the movie helped take me back to the 1980s, to some degree. There are some classic 80s tunes on the soundtrack, and beginning the film with the sound of the Go-Go's definitely qualifies for a star in my book. That being said, I have to say that I don't remember some of the awful hair-dos of the film actually existing in the late 80s certainly not among the girls my eyes gravitated toward in those halcyon days of youth.
In the end, this is basically your silly, entertaining, feel-good comedy, and it stars one of Hollywood's most attractive, talented actresses. It doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, and that is a big reason why it works as well as it does. It is by no means a must-see, but I do believe it is a film you cannot help but enjoy.
Read Best Reviews of 13 Going on 30 (2004) Here
Jennifer Garner is wonderful in 13 Going on 30 ! She is so believable as a young girl who wakes up to find she's turned 30 over night.The storyline and script are really funny and enjoyable, with a very heart-warming ending. This is a great movie for a Mom and young daughter to go see together both will be able to relate to it.
Even the guy I dragged along, said he was amazed at how good the movie was.
Also, if you are into 80's music this is the movie for you ! The soundtack is Excellent !
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This is an absolutely charming and delightful comedy with an excellent cast. Do not, however, see this film unless you are ready to suspend disbelief. After all, the premise of this film is that a distressed thirteen year old girl suddenly finds herself propelled into the future and into the body of her thirty year old self.Jenna Rink is a typical teenager, a little gawky, a little insecure. She pals around with her uncool best friend, Matt Flamhaff, but, at the same time, is trying to make it into the cool six chicks clique at her school, a nasty little group of teenage hotties who use Jenna for what they can get from her. They agree to come to her thirteenth birthday party, if she will do a class report for their leader. She agrees.
Matt is the first guest to arrive, and he gives her a little, doll sized dream house that he has made for her, replete with magic dust. When the other guests arrive, they soon depart with the needed report in hand, after playing a very mean trick on Jenna and leaving her desolate. A set of circumstances causes the magic dust to fall upon Jenna, just as she makes a wish that finds hers transported into the future and into the body of her thirty year old self.
Jenna discovers that she now has every thing for which she had dreamed when she was thirteen. She also discovers how she has changed, and it is not a change for the better. She turns to Matt, whose friendship, she is shocked to find, has been lost somewhere along the way. Jenna then sets about putting to right what went wrong. Of course, there are any number of humorous incidents that arise out Jenna's current situation.
Jennifer Garner is sensational as a thirteen year old girl trapped in the body of a thirty year old woman. She infuses the role with just the right amount of innocence and joyous abandonment that teenagers often exude. Kittenish and coltish all at once, her charm is infectious. Mark Ruffalo is perfectly cast as the grown-up Matt. He exudes sensitivity and niceness, all rolled into one very compelling package. One cannot help but like both characters tremendously.
This is an entertaining film for those who enjoy light-hearted fantasy films. This film has been compared to the film, "Big", and while there are some similarities between the two, this film stands on its own two feet and deserves its own accolades. Deft direction by Gary Winnick and excellent performances by the entire cast make this film a comedic gem to be enjoyed by those who like a charmingly realized film.
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Thursday, April 24, 2014
The Dark Knight Trilogy (Batman Begins / The Dark Knight / The Dark Knight Rises) (2012)
Disregard all the naysayers claiming this is a money grab. No, it's called having a choice. Not everyone wants the Super Duper Ultra Rare Limited Collector's Edition, that's often filled with a bunch of useless physical items. Some people just want to have the trilogy and nothing more. For $30 (currently), you get just that, and even a little bit more.You get the following in the Blu-ray edition:
Disc 1: Batman Begins Feature Film
Disc 2: The Dark Knight Feature Film
Disc 3: The Dark Knight Special Features
Disc 4: The Dark Knight Rises Feature Film
Disc 5: The Dark Knight Rises Special Features
PLUS you get a 64 Page excerpted (i.e. shortened) version of the wonderful book: "The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy"
That is tremendous bang for your buck! Not only with the movies, but there are hours and hours of special features included too, including a documentary about the Batmobile. The Ultimate Collector's Edition, which won't be released for another year will no doubt cost at least twice as much. The only thing I have a problem with here is the cover art. It just doesn't look anything like Nolan's Batman.
The DVD version of the Trilogy is a 3-disc set and lacks many of the extras found in the Blu-ray set, but it does look nicer. It has a lenticular cover featuring the Batman sign from all 3 movies. It looks really cool compared to the cover used for the Blu-ray edition.
All in all, this is a wonderful set to get if you don't own any of the movies yet. Heck, even if you do, it's still a great value if you just want The Dark Knight Rises. Consider TDKR sells for around $20-25, for just a few bucks more you get the 2 preceding films, and a book. You really can't go wrong here!
Here is a list of the Special Features that included. The list may not be all-inclusive. The set has no exclusive features, but rather, the same ones that come with the individual releases
BATMAN BEGINS SPECIAL FEATURES
■ In-Movie Experience: Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, and others reveal the movie's backstory as you watch
■ The Dark Knight IMAX Prologue (in high definition)
■ Tankman Begins: A Batman Begins spoof
■ Batman: The Journey Begins: Concept, design, and development of the film as well as the casting of Batman himself
■ Shaping Mind and Body: Observe Christian Bale's transformation into Batman
■ Gotham City Rises: Witness the creation of Gotham City the Batcave, Wayne Manor, and more
■ Cape and Cowl: The development of the new Batsuit
■ Batman: The Tumbler: The reinvention of the Batmobile
■ Path to Discovery: A look at the first week filming on rugged and remote Iceland locations
■ Saving Gotham City: The development of miniatures, CGI, and effects for the Monorail chase scene
■ Genesis of the Bat: A look at the Dark Knight's incarnation and influences on the film
■ Reflections on Writing Batman Begins: with David S. Goyer
■ Digital Batman: The effects you might have missed
■ Batman Begins Stunts: Confidential Files: Discover facts and story points not in the film
■ Stills gallery
■ Theatrical trailer
THE DARK KNIGHT SPECIAL FEATURES
■ Movie with Focus Points (picture in picture)
■ Explore your favorite movies through BD-Live(tm), an interactive gateway to exclusive content-
■ Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene: Director Christopher Nolan and creative collaborators unmask the incredible detail and planning behind the film, including stunt staging, filming in IMAX®, and the new Bat-suit and Bat-pod
■ Batman Tech: The incredible gadgets and tools (in high-def)
■ Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight: Delve into the psyche of Bruce Wayne and the world of Batman through real-world psychotherapy (in high-def)-
■ Gotham Tonight: 6 episodes of Gotham Cable's premier news program
■ The Galleries: The Joker cards, concept art, poster art, production stills, trailers and TV spots
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES SPECIAL FEATURES
■ THE BATMOBILE" DOCUMENTARY: Witness all five Batmobiles together for the first time in history. Dive deep into every aspect of the most awe-inspiring weapon in Batman's arsenal as you journey through the birth and evolution of this technological marvel and cultural icon. (01:00)
■ ENDING THE KNIGHT: A comprehensive look into how Director Christopher Nolan and his production team made "The Dark Knight Rises" the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend.
The Prologue: High-Altitude Hijacking
Return to the Batcave
Beneath Gotham
The Bat
Batman vs Bane
Armory Accepted
Gameday Destruction
Demolishing a City Street
The Pit
The Chant
The War on Wall Street
Race to the Reactor
The Journey of Bruce Wayne
Gotham's Reckoning
A Girls Gotta Eat
Shadows & Light in Large Format
The End of A Legend
■ Trailers
■ Art Galleries
It also comes with:
A 64 page excerpt from "The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy."
Batman Begins: 1 disc (Movie and special features together)
The Dark Knight: 2 discs (Movie and special features are separate)
The Dark Knight Rises: 2 discs (Movie and special features are separate)
And a code for discounted memorabilia. I will be posting some pictures soon.
Hope this helps!
Buy The Dark Knight Trilogy (Batman Begins / The Dark Knight / The Dark Knight Rises) (2012) Now
The boxset has finally been released; all three installments of Nolan's realistic and cinematic take on Batman dispersed on five discs. While people tend to focus on the acute realism, it is not so grounded that it defies the source in which it came from. The three films circle around different Batman comic arcs in unique ways. This boxset includes:
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
A 64 page book detailing behind the scenes with the inside look many of us have been yearning for, which makes for an entertaining read. Those hours of extra content on the discs are just not always as accessible as a quick read available right away at your fingertip. All three films come in great, the picture truly is wonderful as it actually is filmed on, well film. 70 mm cameras come in handy when heightened realism is at foot, which illustrates a distinct contrast to the digital jitter of today's 'films'. The explosive scenes and death defying stunts go beyond the mystery of cape and cowl, the bonus content reveals the meticulous care for quality and picture quality.
Batman Begins is self-explanatory, Bruce Wayne finds himself with guilt, anger, and more importantly fear. He must confront his inner demons to establish truthful vengeance. Begins was foreshadowed by its 2008 sequel The Dark Knight, which displayed Heath Ledger's acting prowess as the chaotic Joker.
Batman's dilemmas were always skin deep, literally as Bruce Wayne juggles his persona's before the Jokers attempt to disrupt society. The Dark Knight gravitated audiences eyes on the villain whose intensity was so hot make up would smear and further taint that gruesome near necrotic scar cheek to cheek. It was as though Bruce's conflict were buried in favor of the Joker's antagonizing run through Gotham City. It is not to be overlooked though, the Joker tempts Batman's vary nature. The Dark Knight is often considered top dog of the three, pitting Begins and Rises for the second position.
In all honesty I thought The Dark Knight Rises was just as engaging, just not in equal amounts. Rises, frame for frame is every bit as good as The Dark Knight. Ounce for ounce it becomes a bit more on the rare side when it comes to Batman, who has disappeared after the events of The Dark Knight. Likened to that of a hermit Bruce once again must learn what it means to be Batman, and not just a man in a mask.
I wrote up an in-depth review for The Dark Knight Rises the other evening, which can be found under the normal release of the film, if anyone is interested. The `Ultraviolet' digital stream is available until December 2014, the other slip insert I still have yet to read. The box itself is quite nice for the price. Best obtain now, three great films with a book and a digital `copy' for a little over the price of the average movie release is quite the deal.
I had to shrink the video, literally compressing it to a file size that would upload. I apologize about the video size, and the noise. Lastly, this trilogy is a great buy, the price is just a bonus.Great set. Comes with all movies including the ultraviolet copies of each movie. For $30 bucks, the value of everything you get cannot be beat.I'd rather pre-order this and save money. I don't really care about special features and extra items too much, the point is to have the film itself. Those who say it's quick money grab, it's his/her choice. It's going to be more expensive in the future. Besides, Not everyone uses the extra content that comes with their special/collectors edition. It's useless to me. I am sticking with this one.
Save 35% Off
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
The full title of this film is 'May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead', a rewording of the old Irish toast 'May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head; may you be 40 years in heaven, before the devil knows you're dead.' First time screenwriter Kelly Masterson (with some modifications by director Sidney Lumet) has concocted a melodrama that explores just how fragmented a family can become when external forces drive the members to unthinkable extremes. In this film the viewer is allowed to witness the gradual but nearly complete implosion of a family by a much used but, here, very sensible manipulation of the flashback/flash forward technique of storytelling. By repeatedly offering the differing vantages of each of the characters about the central incidents that drive this rather harrowing tale, we see all the motivations of the players in this case of a robbery gone very wrong.Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a wealthy executive, married to an emotionally needy Gina (Marisa Tomei), and addicted to an expensive drug habit. His life is beginning to crumble and he needs money. Andy's ne're-do-well younger brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) is a life in ruins he is divorced from his shrewish wife Martha (Amy Ryan), is behind in alimony and child support, and has borrowed all he can from his friends, and he needs money. Andy proposes a low-key robbery of a small mall mom-and-pop jewelry store that promises safe, quick cash for both. The glitch is that the jewelry story belongs to the men's parents Charles (Albert Finney) and Nanette (Rosemary Harris). Andy advances Hank some cash and wrangles an agreement that Hank will do the actual robbery, but though Hank agrees to the 'fail-safe' plan, he hires a friend to take on the actual job while Hank plans to be the driver of the getaway car. The robbery is horribly botched when Nanette, filing in for the regular clerk, shoots the robber and is herself shot in the mess. The disaster unveils many secrets about the fragile relationships of the family and when Nanette dies, Charles and Andy and Hank (and their respective partners) are driven to disastrous ends with surprises at every turn.
Each of the actors in this strong but emotionally acrid film gives superb performances, and while we have come to expect that from Hoffman, Hawke, Tomei, Finney, Ryan, and Harris, it is the wise hand of direction from Sidney Lumet that make this film so unforgettably powerful. It is not an easy film to watch, but it is a film that allows some bravura performances that demand our respect, a film that reminds us how fragile many families can be. Grady Harp, April 08
Two brothers, played by Hawke and Hoffman, work in the same real estate company, but are hugely different. Hoffman's the bigshot; Hawke's not. Hawke's divorced; Hoffman's married to Tomei and the opening graphic scene shows just how married the two of them are. Hoffman's got problems and so does Hawke, but they're different problems, although both have their root in money.
Money drives this sucker and leads to greed, murder, despair, fear, and retribution. This is one of the darkest of noir tales in a long while; it's a noir family drama that's so unrelenting your chin drops further and further as the movie progresses and by the whopper of a tragic ending, it's definitely on the sidewalk.
But this is what makes it so compelling. It's astonishingly powerful; fundamentally, you can't believe how things can spiral so much out of control the way they do in this movie, but they do, they definitely do.
Hawke and Hoffman both needing money leads to a plan to get said money, and, of course--this being a noir film at its blackest heart--to get it completely illegally. Watch this movie to see how noir is REALLY done today, in the 21st century. As another critic pointed out, it's not so much that these guys are criminals, but that they are essentially average guys with some smarts who are in real jams and who take what looks like an easy way out to remove those jams...meaning that these guys could be you or me.
This is a real kick in the teeth movie. Serious punch, powerful acting, a director with real chops at the age of 83, and one you won't forget for a LONG time.
See it.
Buy Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) Now
I had a pretty good idea of the basic plot when I walked into the theatre. Two brothers (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) plan to hold up a jewelry store in a strip mall...and the store is owned by THEIR PARENTS. I also knew it bounced around in time a little.What I didn't expect was such an unrelenting look at a whole bunch of magnificently screwed-up people! WOW! I was left almost breathless by the new depths to which these folks could sink. It was a family tragedy, but there sure wasn't anything noble about these characters.
Hawke is the younger brother, and he works for the same company as his brother, but in a fairly lowly position, and he can barely make ends meet. He's way behind on his child support, and his daughter is growing more and more aggravated with him because he can't follow through on his promises to her to do things like fund her field trip to go see THE LION KING on Broadway. He appears to be ever so slighly dim-witted, although that may just be the drugs. He lives in a rough apartment and has some pretty rough friends.
Hoffman is the older brother, and while on the surface he may appear to be a little more together (he has a fairly responsible accounting position in the company)...we actually see as the movie progresses that he's in some seriously deep trouble. His marriage to Marisa Tomei is very much on the rocks, and the only good times they had recently were on vacation in South America. He believes he can start a new life down there, and keep his marriage going...but how to fund such a move? He's also into some pretty hefty drugs and even his larger salary can't fund it all.
It's his idea to rip-off the parents. ("Hey, they're insured.") Hawke finally buys into it, and they enter into the plot. It isn't spoiling much (because we see it so early in the film) to say that things don't exactly go smoothly! I won't say more, so you can see for yourself.
So why are these two guys SO screwed up? We see some of this as more scenes between the boys and their parents are revealed. In particular, we see their relationships with their father, Albert Finney. He's an old man now, but we get the idea that when he was younger, he was pretty tough old bird, difficult to please, lacking in affection and just a real poor father. Scenes with mother Rosemary Harris are fewer and less illuminating. It's really a story about how men in a family can screw each other up. BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD takes this idea to EXTREMES.
Towards the end, the actions of Hoffman in particular become almost monumentally deranged. We believe that he is doing what he's doing...but it's hard not to gasp in dismay. He is truly a completely broken and desparate man. All sympathy we might have had for him is gone...just like any sense of a moral compass he might have had. And Albert Finney arguably goes even one step more off the path of righteousness at the very end.
Anyway, I hope you get that this is not a happy, light film. But it is powerful, astonishingly well acted and written, and an absolute must-see. It's a riveting time at the theatre!!!
Hoffman is brilliant...pure and simple. His work here easily equals anything he's done before. I don't know if the film will be an Oscar contender, because it has such a small audience...but it should be and absolutely Hoffman should be up for Best Actor. Hawke is also very good...he is a complete coward and makes up both sympathize him and despise him. He could be up for Best Supporting Actor. Finney is always an imposing presence...and he's very good here. Again, I can't tell you too much without spoiling the plot line, but let's say he goes very convincingly from distraught to enraged. Marisa Tomei does another masterful performance as the woman who unknowingly is the downfall of the men in her life (in some ways...don't accuse me of being a chauvenist...I'm just saying that a lot of the choices the characters make revolve around trying to please her). She gives a brave performance (she spends a lot of time in the nude) and is her usual mixture of sultry and defenseless. If her role in IN THE BEDROOM got her a nomination (which she deserved) then I think she could have another one here.
Director Sidney Lumet may be getting on in years...but my goodness, he sure doesn't hesitate to step right into some very murky and unpleasant waters. His film is super specific, has a wonderful sense of place and he also gives his great cast the space they need to "do their stuff." No quick edits, or blitzkreig pacing when it doesn't suit. He believes we will be gripped by the story, and he's right.
This is not a film for the kids! Nor is it a film for someone looking for a glossy Hollywood film. It's pretty brutal and uncompromising. But I couldn't tear myself away, and the audience I saw it with was clearly as mesmerized as I was. GREAT stuff!!!
Read Best Reviews of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) Here
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is one of the best movies to come out of 2007. It's involving, thrilling and even at times terrifying to see how normal everyday people can do terrible and unimaginable things. It's also a film that shows you that nothing is ever simple and even what seems to be the most simple or "victimless" crime can lead to devastating consequences that can shatter lives."Victimless." That's exactly the term Andy uses when he explains to his brother how they can get some easy cash. Both are in desperate need of money. Andy says that there is a solution to all of their problems, and that is to hit a mom-and-pop jewelery store that they both know very well. No guns will be used. No cops will be called. And most importantly, nobody will get hurt. How can it go wrong? Very wrong, that's how. Wrong as in that people do get hurt and that the aftermath can lead to the destruction of an already damaged family in the gripping melodrama that goes to show you just how evil the world can be sometimes.
Not a moment went by where I didn't find myself hooked. Not a minute went by where I could predict what was going to happen next. That's a real treat when you are in the presence of a confident film that won't resort to the usual cliches or predictable twists and turns. The writing and performances are outstanding. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives one of his best and darkest performances as a man who can be so manipulative and cold, yet you sense that there is a longing for love and acceptance that he has inside of him that wasn't shown to him when he was younger. Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney are also terrific and deserve high praises.
There is a risk that comes with a film like this, and that is the fact that there will be a lot of people who won't like it. It's very dark, depressing and even gives you a sense of hopelessness that things can ever be good for these characters. But, because this movie is so well executed, it makes you want to take the trip even if it's not a joyful one. The DVD includes cast and crew commentary, a theatrical trailer and a making of featurette.
I have seen this film many times now, and it never loses its power and emotion for me. True, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is not for everybody, but it is a remarkable film that deserves to be seen. If you're looking for a crime story where you actually care about the characters, as flawed as they may be, then this may be the one for you. -Michael Crane
Want Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) Discount?
This film is a wrecking ball operated by Sidney Lumet -it crashes through manicured downtown New York lofts and lives alike while viewers gawk at the spectacle. If there's a weak link in the cast, it's Ethan Hawke, but even he might get an Oscar nomination for his work here. The level of performance is so high that you nearly miss the film's nearly perfect production design and cinematography. Unfortunately, it's tone is so bleak, bordering on noir, that it becomes much easier to compartmentalize and appreciate from afar rather than embrace and enjoy. (8/10)Save 49% Off
Sunday, March 16, 2014
The Greatest (2009)
THE GREATEST is a small film, quietly made in 28 days by first-time writer/director Shana Feste. The story/script is so unusual and touching that she was able to gather a rather extraordinary cast to bring this delicate story to life. It remains amazing to many of us that while the audiences flock to the gigantic CGI big noisy flicks, little jewels such as this film go completely unnoticed. The only hope is that enough people see this film now on DVD that that both the message of the movie and the quality of the acting and production gain the attention THE GREATEST so justly deserves.Without introductory remarks the film opens with a brief prelude of the love between two (just graduated from high school) youngsters who after their first encounter with love pause on the drive home to attempt to make their feelings into words and BAM a truck plunges into them and the boy Bennett (Aaron Johnson) is killed while the girl Rose (Carey Mulligan) is spared. The camera takes us rather abruptly to the graveside where the grieving parents Grace (Susan Sarandon) and Allen (Pierce Brosnan) and their young drug addicted son Ryan (Johnny Simmons) stare blankly into the hole that has been placed in the middle of their lives. None of the family copes with the death well: Grace can't stop talking and crying about Bennett and searches for a way to find out how Bennett spent the last 17 minutes of his life (that time between the accident and his death) to the point of attending to the truck driver (Michael Shannon) in coma at the local hospital, awaiting his recovery to learn about those 17 minutes; Allen is unable to sleep and tries to cope with the tragedy by not allowing mention of it in his home; Ryan, now on frequent tests to see if he is drug free, attempts to relate to a group therapy session of kids whose siblings have died.
Into this dysfunctional crumbling decimated family comes Rose, three months later, pregnant with Bennett's child, seeking refuge from a mother who is an addict. She is invited to move in, despite the fact that Grace loathes the idea and thinks Allen is merely trying to resolve the grief he has ever faced by attaching to Bennett's only girlfriend. The remainder of the story reveals how each of these injured four characters gradually interact and by bearing their personal grief with their own life problems manage to find a place where they can recover together.
The acting is superb as one would expect from such a talented cast: Carey Mulligan again shows us that she is an important emerging actress; Susan Sarandon allows us to see and understand the degrees of near insanity that grief for loss of a child can distort a life; and Pierce Brosnan proves he is a first-rate actor, managing a difficult role with great sensitivity. The rest of the cast is also excellent in very minor roles Jennifer Ehle as an ex-lover of Allen, Aaron Johnson and Johnny Simmons as the brothers, and Michael Shannon as the driver of the truck who gradually awakens form his come to make Grace face some truths. As for Shana Feste, she is a strong artist and we should be seeing more beautifully crafted stories from her. Grady Harp, June 10
The problem is the portrayal of Bennett, whom we see only briefly before the accident that takes his life. More a metaphor for all that is good with untapped, unlimited potential, he never comes off as an actual flesh-and-blood individual. Since the accident is largely his responsibility, it's tough to get on board with his parents' grief. There are also some jarring moments when dialogue or actions seem really off and undermine the tone of the movie.
Movies about grieving are tough sells. On the surface, they are depressing and put off many people. It's the handling of the theme that determines whether audiences will embrace such a movie. Think "Ordinary People:" solid script, superb direction, first-rate performances. "The Greatest" falls far short of that high standard. Bonus extras include interviews with the director, Pierce Brosnan and Carey Mulligan, and deleted scenes.This movie exceeded my expectations as I had initially pegged it as a predictable tearjerker based on the plot. The leads in the form of Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, and the divine Carey Mulligan deliver credible and compelling performances that made this an engaging human drama. The prevalent theme in this movie is grief and coming to terms with loss Bennett Brewer (Aaron Johnson) is a popular student at his high school but deep down he is shy around girls and waits till the last day of school to ask Rose (Carey Mulligan) out. The two hit it off and fall head over heels in love. Bennett chooses an inopportune moment to declare his love to Rose, and tragedy strikes, killing Bennett.
Three months later, Rose arrives at Bennett's house and is greeted by his father, Allen (Pierce Brosnan). The Bennett's epitomize a family torn apart by grief mom Grace (Susan Sarandon) appears totally overwhelmed by grief to the point that she acts irrationally; Allen puts on a calm appearance although deep inside, he struggles to come to terms with his son's death and the strain it places on his marriage and his younger son; younger son Ryan (Johnny Simmons) is a druggie who attends support meetings but detached, feeling a sense of resentment towards his dead brother who was the favored child and who even in death seems to hog all the attention. Rose finds herself in a conundrum she is pregnant with Bennett's child and has nowhere to go. Allen warms to her immediately and takes her in, but Grace is mistrusting and unwilling to welcome the young woman.
The story flows well and the various characters credibly portray their grief and the process of healing, even though in the case of Grace it takes a long time for her to accept that her favorite son is dead. The sub-plots do not get any real development Jennifer Ehle plays Allen's colleague at school (he is a college instructor) who still harbors feelings for him (the pair were apparently involved in an intimate relationship some time ago), and Ryan falls for a girl in his support group.
Carey Mulligan of An Education delivers a finely nuanced performance as the young mother-to-be. This is a young actress who is showing the potential to be a great character actress and her role as Rose struck a chord in me. Pierce Brosnan is compelling in the role of the stressed out college instructor who can't seem to 'reach' his wife in her grief. Sarandon delivers a good performance as well though there are parts in the movie where her grief seems to be displayed with over-the-top histrionics without striking a note of credibility or emotionally connecting with this viewer.
On the whole, my husband and I both liked "The Greatest" thanks to the compelling acting by the leads, the movie rises above being a common tearjerker/ melodrama.
Read Best Reviews of The Greatest (2009) Here
This movie is intense, portraying a jagged, yet purifying emotional journey involving a sudden, brutal car accident, resulting in the death of favored son (Bennett), cameo role for Aaron Johnson. The shocking, unexplainable loss is complicated by the unexpected pregnancy of Bennett's true love, (Rose) with a stunning performance by Carey Mulligan. Rose and Bennnett's unspoken love is finally consumated, by these perfectly matched quiet, soulful characters...explosively mangled by devastation, jolting all the intimate characters into a dysfunctional, rag tag family. Rose has no where to go and ends up with Grace, Allen, and the younger, troubled brother (Ryan) Johnny Simmons. Everyone has their individual and collective demons, unhealthy diversions, and another unavoidable collision course with truth and acceptance.The chemistry is exceptional, Pierce Brosnan (suppressed father Allen) is prodigious in his role of steadily degrading stoicism. Susan Sarandon (bereaved mother Grace) does insanity and loss with unrivaled panache. The two sons display perfection and realism, but the real star of this amazing drama is the newcomer, Carey Mulligan as "Rose." The viewer is captivated by her elfin beauty, desperate hopes, appealingly powerful, and delicate presence.
This family's drama echoes hauntingly dramatic, yet familiar tones. It is so well put together, that it just pierces you directly in the heart, like a syringe of adrenaline... where you find yourself gasping in the powerful breath of life emerging once again. Director Shana Feste is absolutely extraordinary, as I understand this movie was made in an unbelievably short window of time---signifying perfection in each scene and continual movement forward. A feat in itself, but even more satisfying is the story told and the potential awards it deserves.
It is NOT a blockbuster (in the sense of cost and marketing), but comes across as one, with exposed emotions, human frailty, vulnerabilities and the undeniable forces of love and spirit. All the characters find themselves in the same lifeboat of grief, paddling in different directions and eventually finding that its okay to just drift together and hold on...to each other...
A fantastic story and nobody could have done this better...Thumbs way up!
Want The Greatest (2009) Discount?
This is a melancholy love story of loss and love. It depicts some of what one may need to be overcome to deal with grief and loss of a loved one in their life. It shows three different perspectives, the father (acted billiantly by Pierce Brosnan), the mother (which is acted to perfection by Susan Sarandon) and the lover (acted exquistely by Carrie Mulligan). The emothions are flying hiigh in this bittersweetexpression of love and compassion.Save 37% Off
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (2006)
It's been almost four years since I first saw Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and wrote my review for Amazon.com. After seeing the new complete version on Blu-Ray, I thought I'd come back and offer my thoughts only to discover that my original review was transferred over from the DVD edition. That review was written at a different time, before the DVD was even released in the States. I thought about going back and revising it, but that'd be changing the past. What I will add are my thoughts on the new Blu-Ray edition.Firstly, if you're looking at the Blu-Ray edition, wondering if it's a worthy purchase, it definitely is. It's a much superior version to the original, both in content and clarity. Obviously, with the Blu-Ray the picture quality and sound quality have been considerably increased. There's a few little nitpicks, such as a shimmering, aliasing problem that pops up every now and then (The Resident Evil: Degeneration Blu-Ray had a similar problem) and it can be distracting. But the details are so much clearer now that it looks like a new movie.
Additionally, new content has been added to this release. A lot of times, "director's cuts" can be detrimental to the film and the pacing, but in the case of Advent Children, I appreciated the new content. I believe there's an additional 26 minutes added and these parts delve into the Geostigma and the origins of some of the characters as well as an extended fight between Cloud and Sephiroth. Overall, I think the additions are useful and help make the movie more of a movie and less an extended cut scene. It's just too bad that it didn't come with a playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII like it did in Japan...
On to my original review as it was back in 2005:
Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth, Marlene, Barret, Vincent. The names could go on. This series reigns in many Final Fantasy fans' minds as being the best. Though in recent years a lot of people roll their eyes and say its over-rated (and it might be), for me, and for a lot of fans, Final Fantasy was a turning point in the genre not only in terms of graphics and presentation but also in story. I have been playing video games and RPGs since the very first NES. Final Fantasy VII was the first game that made me stop and go, wait when did a video game become something more than just pushing buttons?
Now we have the official sequel, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Advent Children is basically a love note written for the fans of VII. Those who did not invest 40, 50, 60+ hours into the game will probably have no interest in it. But those who were shocked when (should I even say spoiler?) Sephiroth murders Aeris, who have a deep connection to the characters, and over the 40-60+ hours grew so attached to them that to this day they still draw fan art or look for that elusive way to get Aeris back in game(it doesn't exist, by the way), this movie will mean something.
AC is a beautiful CG movie taking place two years after the events of FFVII. While the ending of VII was climactic and exhilarating, providing a resolution of sorts to the people of Midgar, it did not provide a resolution, happy or not, for Cloud. In fact, it left him empty and hurt as we find in the beginning of Advent Children. What AC does is finish Cloud's story. Another reviewer here made a comment that he liked FFVII's ending. I do too, don't get me wrong. But the one thing it didn't do was end Cloud's story. For the length of the game, you have a deeply personal story surrounded by the world story and while the world got its ending, the people involved did no, unhappy or not. As I said, AC ends Cloud's story with a bang. And it is damn well worth the wait.
I don't think it would be right of me to talk about what happens in AC. Part of the fun and surprise is to see how well it fits together, brings memories of the video game and works to create an emotional core. I will keep the review as spoiler free as possible because I know I'm tired of reading reviews where people stick in something that can ruin the whole movie.
For those who didn't play or watch FFVII, this movie will not have much resonance since it's basically for the fans, both die-hard and casual. Those who loved FFVII will more than likely love this movie. AC is basically an action movie and the action is spectacular although the slow motion was used (while effectively) a little much. The sword play, the battles and the action is all directed with style oozing everywhere. The characters are all animated exceedingly well and the animators did a great job in making PS1 characters into spectacular CG. The musical score varies for me from being excellent to just okay. By far, the best moments are ones I can't talk about aurally for fear of spoiling surprises. Needless to say, the music is at its greatest when it brings in hints of FFVII, the video game.
There are a lot of connections to both VII and the Final Fantasy series as a whole. From moogle dolls to The Turks, the game oozes both FFVII and FF; although I was disappointed in not seeing any chocobos, there are a few moments that made up for it. One in particular revolves around the games End Battle Theme. Hilarious, laugh out loud scene. There are some minor annoyances. A couple of the scenes felt episodic and not connected. Some scenes were directed very well and lead into each other or intercut between each other. But there are a couple scenes that stand out because they didn't feel attached to what was going on. In fact, it felt as if they were cut scenes from a video game. Did this detract from the movie? Not in the least, but its there nonetheless.
What surprised me the most with this movie is that it wasn't done to milk the saga. I mean, of course its there to make money, and FFVII is a great way to do it because of fans' love for it. Anything in the business world is made around making money. But what I mean exactly is best represented in FFX-2. I am one who did not find FFX-2 at all interesting. In fact it is the only FF game I gave up on. It felt like it was a way of milking FFX for a little more money while the wait for FFXII kept getting longer and longer. However, AC is so intrinsically related to VII that it has a heart and emotion that I haven't seen in many movies released this year. I felt chills from the very opening moments as the narrator explained some of the events from VII and we see a flashback of Sephiroth standing in front of flames. And that was just the start of the thrills; there are scenes both emotional and thrilling to be found throughout the 1 hour 40 minutes of the film. And what satisfied me above all else was that Cloud's story finally received a perfect resolution.
I think most fans have been hoping and wishing that Aeris would return and I think the creators give a great answer to this in this movie. I won't spoil the ending, I won't tell you who does and doesn't return. But I will tell you the resolution is damn well awesome and probably the most satisfying ending to what is by far many people's favorite (if clichéd) choice for the Final Fantasy series. I do need to make a plea and I apologize for it, but if you downloaded this movie (like a certain reviewer did *cough*) please support it when it comes out here in the States and buy it. We need to show support to Square-Enix that this is the kind of sequel we want to see. They spent a long time and a lot of money making a movie that is direct to DVD here in the states. We need to return the favor and support it.
Square-Enix, my hats off to you for handling this with flair, tenderness and sympathy for the characters.
I followed Advent Children closely from the first time it was announced some time in 2004. I am a die-hard Final Fantasy fan, and although I would have preferred the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time (Final Fantasy VII) to be, well, a game, I was delighted to see the story continued in a medium with slightly more widespread appeal. Although the writers made an effort to allow this movie to stand on its own, people who have played the game (and remember the plot and characters) will certainly get considerably more out of it.
About This Release:
In production since about 2006, this version of the film, subtitled "Complete" is the Japanese equivalent of a director's cut. In addition to a new high-definition transfer of the film several scenes have been extended or reworked and new scenes have been added to further round out the story and provide more visual flash. It may not seem like much while watching it, but in total the film has been extended by fully a third taking it from 90 minutes to 2 hours running time.
Visuals:
Although excellent, I have to say I was expecting more from the High-Definition release of this movie. My first misgiving is with the inconsistent visual quality. The newly added scenes are generally presented with the kind of sharp visual detail that HD enthsiasts have come to expect. The older scenes, while clearly providing more detail than the DVD release, are missing the clarity that true HD material is capable of, often appearing fuzzy or out of focus. It is not generally noticeable, but it does become an obvious annoyance in a couple of scenes. Arguably this could have been done on purpose, adding a "fuzzy" filter for ambiance, but I doubt they would have intentionally added upscaling artifacts which are present in this film. The most notable instance I can recall is during Tifa's scenes, particularly in the church; the aliasing on her hair is more reminiscent of a DVD being upscaled to 1080p than of a new render done in 1080p.
Little touches have been added to further "sell" the quasi-realism that this film is striving to achieve. During battles characters' faces get dirty, during one scene flecks of dust in the air created little shimmers.
Story:
While the same story is being told, the added/extended scenes and to an extent the visual enhancements do add a different slant on the plot of Advent Children. While the main points of the story remain unchanged, the plot is made clearer and certain elements which seemed random or unimportant take on new meaning.
[Spoiler alert!]
For example, during a scene a girl carrying a stuffed moogle comes up to Denzel and holds out her hand for him to follow. In the original DVD release, this is really all we see of her, but in the "Complete" release we get to see an earlier scene that reveals she is really trying to make an apology to Denzel for being rude before.
Denzel plays a much more prominent role in this version. It was never clear to me what it was that Cloud was so busy doing before I saw this release, but in this version it is revealed that he was out looking for a cure to the Geostigma so he could help Denzel.
In the DVD release, the Geostigma seemed like little more than a charcoal colored rash that slowly killed people. In this version it is much more sinister, causing sores that ooze sticky black sludge and induces violent convulsions and vomiting of the same black sludge.
[End spoilers]
I'll leave the spoilers at that, but I've only revealed a couple of the dozen or so plot augmentations that this version of the film brings to the table. Most of them gave me that "Ooooh that's what they meant. I get it now." feeling. Maybe I'm just slow, but a lot of these things weren't obvious to me in the film's original presentation.
Sound:
This film really benefits from the expanded HD audio more so if you have the equipment to properly decode the newer HD audio formats, but even when down sampled to Dolby Digital, the sound is richer and has much fewer compression artifacts. Some of the music has been remixed slightly and it seems like I heard one or two additional compositions. Many of the songs were written to lock in with certain scenes, and when the scenes were extended, so was the music. I was very impressed with how seamless it all seemed.
Voice acting is one of those things, like pizza toppings, that nobody seems to be able to agree on. I have never been terribly picky about voice acting, but since everyone is different I'll attempt to provide some frame of reference for my opinion. My idea of poor voice acting is the Devil May Cry anime, and my idea of good voice acting is Cowboy Bebop. I think the voice acting is superb in Advent Children. I was particularly delighted to hear the voices chosen for the ancillary characters like Barret, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yufie, Vincent and Cid. But the actors chosen for main characters Cloud, and Tifa were very good matches for what I imagined the characters from the game would sound.
Extras:
This review is of the Japanese release, and frankly I did not really care enough about the extras to check them out. I watched them once when the DVD release came out and can't be bothered to do it again. This does come with an additional animated "episode" about Denzel. For those of you who want to know absolutely everything there is to know about how a movie was made, you will not be disappointed with the depth.
For me the real attraction in the extras was the inclusion of the Final Fantasy XIII playable demo. Since the PS3 is region free, the Japanese release is very import friendly. (If you don't mind that it is all in Japanese) The U.S. release mentions a Final Fantasy XIII "preview". I don't know if that means that it will be a demo, or an extended trailer. It would be a shame if it was the latter.
Final Thoughts:
I wish all "director's cut" releases could enhance the original presentation as well as Advent Children Complete does. The extra footage catapulted this already great movie firmly into the category of awesome. If you didn't enjoy the first release because you just didn't "get it" then this release may be just what you need to put the pieces together as many of the more vague areas of the plot are clarified. If you loved the first one, then you'll love this one even more. About the only thing it is missing is the ability to watch the original release version of the film. Personally that isn't an issue for me but it would have been a nice addition.
Although this review is for the Japanese release, I doubt much will change in the final U.S. version. My reasoning is that the the DVD release was nearly identical for the two territories, and there are only two months between Blu-ray releases.
Buy Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (2006) Now
For the sake of all those waiting for the English release, I won't spoil anything ^.~The pure greatness of this release can only be seen through the sheer multitude of fans crowding into an already packed theater for a showing.
As a fangirl who has been eagerly awaiting the release since it was announced several years ago (and threw a fit each of the four or five times it was delayed), I've seen the movie 23 times and I have not tired of it yet. However, the best way to describe the movie without any spoilers is through the fans themselves.
At Anime Weekend Atlanta XI (2005), two showings of a Subtitled FFVII: Advent Children were scheduled at 11pm and 1 am. Needless to say, the room was packed for the first showing as soon as the doors were opened an hour prior. I believe the seating capacity was 250. They stuffed in 400. The second showing, which I went to, was a bit less crowded being so late/early. 280 people. I honestly believe that no one left the theater dissapointed.
"To those who loved this world and have spent their time together with their companions in this world in the past: reunite once again to endure this time".
Such I cheer I never again want to hear. I think I went deaf for a moment or so.
From those words to the end of the credits, everyone was either on the edge of their seat or had already fallen out of it.
Unlike the "Spirits Within" movie that flopped a few years back, this is true Final Fantasy. New-gen fans cheered at the familiar attacks and moves straight from the ps1 game. The stunning graphics and the rendering of their beloved characters in fluid CGI brought many veteran fanboys to tears.
Anyone who's seen it can probably keenly recall Cloud's last fight against a certain spoilerific character. The fans were screaming from "It's been a while, Cloud" to "I... will not become a mere memory". In particular, it's easy to recall the last few moments of the battle. Once everyone realized what was going on, the entire theater was up on their feet roaring to the very last.
We laughed, we cried (okay, -Icried), someone shouted "OMG RUFUS GOT HOT!", and some other randomness, but it was a great end to Saturday night and one I won't readily forget.
Read Best Reviews of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (2006) Here
For everyone that's groaning about the 2010 release date it's a typo. All you have to do is check the Internet Movie Database (the official public database for the industry, found at ) and check the release dates section for this title and you'll see that the proper US release date is January 10, 2006 (it's at the bottom of the release dates list).Okay, for the actual review, I've seen an import version of this and absolutely loved it!! I never actually played the original video game, and only really know a little bit about it, but I was able to keep up with the story just fine. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, the music sucks you in...
Yeah, I didn't even have to think twice about pre-ordering this.
Want Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (2006) Discount?
I actually e-mailed Amazon about the release date to find out about it, and they simply stated that there no longer IS a release date yet. So they replaced it with 2010. When they are updated with the information, the new release date will be posted. So I suppose you just have to keep on checking this page to find out.As for the date being pushed back, perhaps they want to release the movie out to theatres in the states first? I have no idea. Just a guess :)
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Thursday, February 6, 2014
Absence of Malice (1981)
This is a good movie with an interesting plot, good acting, decent directing and a politically relevent comment on the excesses of the US Press. Paul Newman gives his standard delivery that garnered him another deserving Best Actor nomination. However, what I come away with each time I see this movie is the short but powerful preformance of Wilford Brimley as the federal Justice Department official who comes in to untangle the confusing trap that Newman set. While the other characters have been playing a game of chess up til now, Brimley has no time for ruses or finess. He bullies, cajoles, and forces his way to the truth in a role that makes everyone else look small in comparison. His dispensing of penalties, options and opinions in the wake of the "tag; you're it" game that everyone else was playing is masterful. It's almost too bad the film didn't end there because the rest is unimpressive in comparison.What is hard to comprehend is that Wilford Brimley not only didn't get the Best Supporting Actor Oscar; he wasn't even nominated! Oh well, awards don't always go to the most deserving. If you haven't seen "Absence of Malace", watch it the next chance you get. Much of it will impress you and one scene in particular will stay with you long after the others are forgotten.
Michael Colin Gallagher (Paul Newman) is the son of a Mafia boss, long dead, who know owns and runs a liquor warehouse. He knows nothing about anything, but Elliott Rosen (Bob Balaban), the leader of a Justice Department Strike Force who is getting nowhere in southern Florida, leaks a fake story that Gallagher is the subject of an investigation. Smelling blood in the water, reporter Megan Carter (Sally Field) goes after the story that is not really there. Gallagher's life is exposed to the world and as the story that is not there grows it destroys the life of an innocent, Teresa Perrone (Melinda Dillon). At that point Gallagher concocts a plan to bring down everybody, simply by letting them do exactly what they want to do in a nice example of how to give a lot of people enough rope to hang themselves.
Unfortunately there the script requires Newman and Field to go through the motions for one of the more unbelievable romances in movie history, which only gets in the way of the focus of the story. You can never believe that she sees him as anything more than a story any more than you can accept that he is able to look past what she is trying to do to see a woman worth loving. Certainly that set up is not necessary for the powerful scene where Gallagher lays hands on Carter to show her exactly how many damage a human being writing a story on a computer can do to another person. But even then, the script asks us to believe that the spark between these two has not been wholly extinguished, and that is not something I can do.
But "Absence of Malice" is more than saved by the film's final scene where Gallagher's trap succeeds brilliantly and Wilford Brimley shows up as Asst. U.S. Atty. Gen. James A. Wells to put the pieces together and dispense a little judicial justice. Carter does too little too late in terms of trying to do something noble, but we are given to believe that she has learned her lesson, although I would certainly like more evidence than this. But even if she goes straight there are plenty of other reporters willing to play the game knowing that they will rarely be held accountable or have to play for any mistakes that they make. This is a depressing film, not just because it tells a depressing story, but because the grim reality it portrays of how the press functions in this country is distressingly true.
"Absence of Malice" received Oscar nominations for Paul Newman as Best Actor in a Leading Role, although his solid performance is nothing special, and for Melinda Dillon as Best Actress in a Supporting Role as the most memorable character in the film. The scene in which she tries to hide from her family the fact that her name and life are being tossed around on the front page of the newspaper is both chilling and heartbreaking. Kurt Luedtke was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and except for the unnecessary and problematic romantic subplot there is plenty of gravity to the story and scenes. Watching this movie again makes me think that the time has come for somebody to go after the state of journalism today and use something more pointed that the stiletto Pollack employs in this 1981 film.
Buy Absence of Malice (1981) Now
The issue of leaking information to the press has been around for years, and this film does its best to illustrate how badly it can backfire when the sources aren't properly checked and re-checked.Having said that, and being a journalist myself, I just want to shoot Sally Field for her gross violations of journalist ethics. Getting involved with the subject? No how, no way. It just isn't done. If you can accept this HUGE leap of journalistic and editorial faith, then the rest of the movie is a breeze.
Aside from Newman, I think the best performance in the movie is one of the briefest...Wilford Brimley as the U.S. Attorney who gets to the bottom of the mess. It's just a pleasure to watch him go through the paces of tearing Bob Balaban's little vendetta all to pieces, and to experience his grudging approval to let Newman walk.
Read Best Reviews of Absence of Malice (1981) Here
It's hard for me to just toss around 5-star ratings for movies. I think they need to be reserved for something really special. Absence of Malice is a great movie and it deserves a solid 4-stars in my opinion.There is really no need to rehash some of the other things said in the previous reviews. I certainly agree with all the kudos for Wilford Brimley. His performance became the initial reason why I fell in love with this movie. The repeat viewings have shown me that it is hard to find bad acting in this movie.
You always know that a director has done a great job when he can take characters with limited screen time and still cause us to know what they are feeling and thinking. Pollack does this masterfully with DA Quinn (Hood), Uncle Santos (Adler), and Editor McAdam (Sommer).
I did have 2 problems with the film after the first couple viewings but have since made peace concerning them. First, I really didn't like the Teresa Perrone character played flawlessly by Melinda Dillon. I didn't buy the relationship between her and Gallagher (Newman) but I guess if she had been his sister or his ex-wife then the revenge plot he charted with his uncle would have taken a different course.
I also initially didn't like the casting of Sally Field in the lead. I felt the same way a fews years ago when Meg Ryan tried to pull off Proof Of Life. If you needed cute then Sally Field was your huckleberry but this role needed a little more street cred. The problem I had was who else could you have cast? Streep was even younger then Fields at the time. I'm not a huge Faye Dunaway fan but she probably would have been a better fit. But, I will have to admit that Ms Field never looked better then when she was standing on the dock in the closing scene with Paul Newman.
One last note. I wonder if Bob Balaban, who since has been great in the Christopher Guest trilogy of films and the TV show Seinfeld, kept the rubber band that he kept spinning around in this movie. It was a very effective prop in moving forward his career.
Want Absence of Malice (1981) Discount?
This is Sydney Pollack's best film in my opinion. A great example of how politics, the legal system, the court of public opinion, and journalism intersect. First-time screenwriter Kurt Luedtke, a former reporter was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Also, a great example of the tragedy of unintended consequences. Paul Newman plays the leaned upon everyman who stands up for himself, and Sally Field as the eager yet naive twenty or thirty-something newspaper reporter who gets the story but at a personal cost. The climatic courtroom scene at the end is one of the most dramatic and well written dialogues in American film.Save 56% Off
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