K-On! The Movie (2011) (2011)

Alright, those of you looking for a self-contained anime film will be disappointed this was a project that was obviously made for fans of the series. It's pretty much an episode of the series expanded to an hour and forty-five mins. It contains in-jokes from the series and while there is a plot there's no major conflict. In fact, the opening few minutes makes a joke about the lack of real conflict in the film.

Now, if you are a fan of the series, this is a dream come true. The characters are all there, most side characters get enough screen time that you get to revisit just about everyone. The plot is partially about the London trip which was discussed in the season 2 OVA, but it's also about writing the song that they will sing to their underclassman as they graduate. It's sentimental, sweet and everything you've come to expect from the series. As a bonus, just about every song in the series is in it at some point.

The animation is beautiful, and expands upon the already wonderful look of the series. The London trip is well done, and for those who have been there, you'll be sure to recognize some lovingly recreated sights. There are a few moments of CGI that feel a bit off, but that may just be my personal bias against CGI.

The quality of the Blu is wonderful. The animation looks simply breathtaking at times and there are a quite a few special features. As someone who has gotten used to anime discs only containing the opening and closing as special features, this was a treat.

In closing, if you're already a fan of K-On season 1 and 2, this is totally worth a purchase. It's a wonderful closing to one of the most fun anime series to come out in years.

One of my favorite movies based off an anime, You can tell the animators took their time on it. It is cute and the music is great. If you are a hardcore K-ON you'll love this movie ^_^

Buy K-On! The Movie (2011) (2011) Now

[*First off, my apologies for the novel I seem to have written. I tried to strike a balance between short and informative. Anyhoo...*]

The overview below is based off the 2-disc DVD edition (so the content would be the same as the blu-ray but you'll have access to it all on a single disc). I outlined a summary but if you want a super short summary, it's basically: getting this movie gives you almost 2 hours of film and 2 and a half hours of special features.

The movie continues where the end of season 2 was leading into: the 5 members of the Light Music Club are going to London for their graduation trip and Yui, Mio, Ritsu, and Tsumugi plan what to get Azusa before they graduate. If you've watched the series then watch the movie; if you haven't [see my note at the bottom], start here (K-ON!, Vol. 1) or here (K-ON! DVD [Anime Legends).

--DISC 1--

-main feature [approx. 1 hour 50 minutes] *16:9 anamorphic

-audio selection [Japanese w/ English subs or English dub] *English 5.1 / Japanese 5.1

-scene selection

-"Also Available from Sentai Filmworks" [some previews to other anime produced by Sentai Filmworks; they're essentially textless openings]

-DVD credits

--DISC 2--

*note: unless otherwise noted, by "the cast", I mean the Japanese voice actresses for Yui, Mio, Ritsu, Tsumugi, and Azusa*

*the extra features are original content from the Japanese programs so they're in Japanese with English subs*

-Minami Tanaka's Dubbing Investigative Report TBS announcer Minami Tanaka visits the cast at the recording studio and interviews them (they do a little tongue twister activity, they're asked what they're favorite scene from the show is, a message to the fans, etc.) [approx. 23 minutes]

-London bus & Press Conference at TBS a pre-opening press conference with the cast (this was a week before the movie hit theaters in Japan) about their feelings about the movie, the live performances they've done, etc. [approx. 19 minutes]

-Navi Show 1-2-3 is K-On! 2 TBS announcers talk about the show and its characters (I guess this can be thought of as a crash course / refresher of the show) [approx. 24 minutes]

-Movie Premiere Event the cast and director talk to the audience at the movie premiere about their feelings about the show up to that point [approx. 22 minutes]

-Director Naoko Yamada in London the director does some "scenario hunting" in London over 4 days for the movie [approx. 29 minutes]

-Good Luck Music Hall K-On! Music Hall ...umm...I'm honestly not sure how to describe this extras clip...2 TBS announcers talk about K-On's music a bit and there are 3 short message clips about the movie from the Japanese voice actresses for Ui, Nodoka, and Jun [approx. 15 minutes]

-Japanese Trailer not much to explain here [approx. 2 minutes]

-Japanese Teaser a teaser...just a shorter version of the trailer [39 seconds long]

-Japanese Spots short, entertaining tidbits advertising the movie; it's continuous [approx. 3 minutes] but it looks like it's 3 spot shorts...just a guess though...

-Clean Opening Animation title: Ichiban Ippai [around 1:46 long]

-Clean Closing Animation title: Singing! [around 1:34 long]

My personal opinion about the special features: the extras are great! It's nice to see the original voice actresses because nothing like this is available as special features from the series. However, there are interviews from the English voice actresses that were included in the season 1 DVDs and blu-rays but there are none whatsoever here. A bit of a letdown because K-On! is one of very few animes that I can comfortably switch between Japanese dub and English dub so it'd be cool to see how both teams feel about the characters they've grown with and their journey up to it becoming a movie. But hey, you can't have your tea and drink it too...

**Just some extra information for those late to the K-On! [tea] party**

Here is where the anime and manga stand as of near-end May 2013 so you know what you need to catch up on (the following dates are relative and approximate):

K-On! volume 1 (manga): released November 2010

K-On! volume 2 (manga): released March 2011

K-On! volume 3 (manga): released August 2011

K-On! volume 4 (manga): released December 2011

K-On! College (manga): planned release date of July 23, 2013 (K-ON! College)

K-On! High School (manga): planned release date of October 29, 2013 (K-ON! High School)

*manga published by Yen Press*

K-On! Season 1 (anime): available in DVD and blu-ray (the DVDs can be purchased as 4 separate volumes or a 4-disc complete collection and the blu-ray as 4 separate volumes--there's no blu-ray complete collection) in Japanese w/ English sub or English dub; released April 2011, July 2011, September 2011, November 2011 (as the 4 volumes) and February 2012 (as the 4-disc complete collection)

K-On!! Season 2 (anime): broken up into 2 parts (released June 2012 and August 2012, respectively) and available in DVD and blu-ray in Japanese w/ English sub or English dub

K-On! the Movie: available in DVD (2 discs) and blu-ray (1 disc) in Japanese w/ English sub or English dub; released May 2013

*season 1 is produced by Bandai and season 2 and the movie are produced by Sentai Filmworks; the English dubbing is in association with Bang Zoom Entertainment so the voice cast stays the same in both seasons and the movie*

Read Best Reviews of K-On! The Movie (2011) (2011) Here

Has a quick recap of the show in the beginning so if you haven't seen the show you're not completely in the dark. For those of you who have seen it get to have a cute narration by Yui which is why you watch this in the first place. K-On! girls are back, and heading to London, and their typical shenanigans, and fun ensues. Overall it was another good show to see them all again after graduation.

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As a major fan of all things K-On!, I have been waiting nearly 18 months for the English version of this movie; it finally arrived yesterday, and I watched it last night. Suffice it to say, it was well worth the wait!

The movie covers the girls of High-school Tea Time's last few weeks before graduation (except for Azusa, who is one year behind the other four, of course). They decide to go on a graduation celebration trip, and eventually settle on London as the destination (although Yui says she would have preferred to go to England, until the others point out that London is in England!). So, in the week following their finals, and before graduation day, they pile on a plane and head for the UK. I won't elaborate on the details, except to say that the story lived up to K-On! expectations, with Azu-nyan being the most together and organised of the girls, in spite of being the youngest. They visit many famous locations in London, all beautifully filmed and then digitally imported into the proceedings. The only complaint I have is that all the Londoners they speak to (in the English dub) sound like Dick Van Dyke did in Mary Poppins; surely they could have got some real Brits in to speak the parts? They really were awful! But that aside, and it is only a minor point, I loved every minute of it; Yui is suitably nutty as usual, and Azusa gets suspicious and paranoid when the others all stop speaking whenever she walks in the room, but actually they are planning a nice surprise for her!

The movie offers a somewhat different view of the run up to the girl's graduation than the second series did; it is more light-hearted, and not nearly as emotional as the latter, but great fun, nonetheless. If you are a fan of K-On!, just get it; it's wonderful!

One last point; I had puzzled for ages over the actual meaning of the term 'K-On!', but it turns out that it is a contraction of the Japanese word for light music, 'keiongaku' (軽音楽). So now you know!

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Project X (1987)

One day my mother came home with a film she showed her kids in school that day. I was either 4 or 5 years old. The film was "Project X", a heart warming, no so far fetched idea, melodrama starring Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt not to mention the extremely cute and hairy chimps.

The film is about an air force pilot who is transfred to an "Experimental Pilot Preformance Project" conducted by a strict doctor. From there he meets Virgil, an extremely smart and loving chimp who ended up there by mistake. He falls for the chimp like anyone else would and tries to save him with the help of the researcher who taught and cared for Virgil in the begining.

I found this film by mistake and quickly bought it. It's only special feature is the theatrical trailer and TV Spots but the film itself is well worth the ten bucks. The film has some very emotional scenes and some harrowing. Some of the scenes were honestly hard to watch. Being an animal lover one can only imagine how bad these kinds of experiments got. However, like all family films, this one has a great and happy ending.

This is simply a great movie that kids will love as well as adults. I'm 21 and I just love it!

I saw this movie when it first came out and have always wanted it. I could not believe I found it here at Amazon at such a great low price. This movie is so funny and yet so sad. It is the best movie I have ever seen. You have to see it. It is so sad to know that this kind of testing was actually performed on chimps by the US Airforce. This movie really makes you think. It gives you a sense of respect and love for these animals. (I was rooting for the chimps all the way.)

Buy Project X (1987) Now

PROJECT X is really a movie fairy tale for adults. It is billed as a comedy, and there are truly some humorous moments, but the basic thrust of the film is to transport the audience to a world of a deep and dark forest populated and run by evil witches and warlocks. The dark forest is a United States Air Force research test center and the resident warlock is a heartless and slimy researcher whose only stated purpose is to expose chimpanzees to lethal doses of radiation. Enter Matthew Broderick as a young and innocent air force recruit whose job is to bond with these chimps and basically and unwittingly get them ready for their lethal exposures. Broderick is young and boyishly goodlooking, but he is not the star. The one who steals more than a few scenes is Virgil the chimp. Virgil learns to trust Broderick, who in turn learns that the horrors of the dark forest are masked by the antiseptic environment that kills chimps in the name of science.

Director Jonathan Kaplan clearly tries hard to infuse PROJECT X with more than just the comic interaction between a chimp that is as at least as bright as his handler. Kaplan sets up the relation between Broderick and Virgil as a dramatic focus that zeros in on the rationale that the air force doctor slimily insists is the case: namely that if and when American pilots are exposed to killing radiation during a bombing run--perhaps to Russia--then how well will they be able to continue their mission? To Kaplan's credit, he has Broderick point out that unlike their simian counterparts in a flight simulator, a human pilot will certainly know if he has been exposed, and it is this knowledge that renders the entire PROJECT X experiment rationale as unneeded at best and evil at worst. Broderick is forced to juggle duty versus conscience, never an easy task at any time. By the film's midpoint Helen Hunt enters as a simian sign language teacher who, years earlier, had taught Virgil to communicate in contextually meaningful ways, thus intensifying Broderick's dilemma about the potential destruction of a sentient being that is not only cute but smart. It is this smartness that director Kaplan uses to ease the film into the slapstick world of farce. Not only is Virgil bright enough to help Broderick defuse a melt down in a lab experiment gone haywire, but he is also savvy enough to take an airplane up and pilot it in an escape.

PROJECT X is that odd but pleasant comedy/fantasy that brings the audience into the dark world of science to force the hero and the audience to wonder where duty ends and conscience begins. PROJECT X implies that a useful starting point is to define just what it means to be human--or in Virgil's case--near human.

Read Best Reviews of Project X (1987) Here

I am giving the movie 4 stars because It is one of the movies I remember from my childhood that really left an impact on my views about animals and humanity. As a child, soaking in every little bit of this movie really made me feel a lot more attached to animals and more intuitive to the fact that every creature on this earth has feelings and emotions, regardless of if they can't express them like humans do.

Project X is one of the few movies that I also can't get myself to watch again to this day. It always makes me cry. I just get so overwhelmed with emotions over the chimps and the testing. It's all so sad.

James Horner is my musical epitome of a soundtrack God! I will admit though that you can identify his scores immediately because they are all very similar, but they ALWAYS evoke such strong, powerfully moving feelings during the films and it really works here with Project X.

This is a movie that has a nice, happy ending..but there is sadness to get to it, and it makes me all mushy and emotional just thinking of it!

Just had to put some thoughts about this movie up out of boredom!

Great childhood memories film. Reminds me of being a kid in the 80's.

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This movie is a poignant reminder to me of how cruel and how kind the human race can be to other animals. I know it is mostly a fictional story, but I still root for the escape of the chimps, even for grumpy Goliath. Jimmy was being manipulated, same as the subjects of the "experiment" and he comes to realize he has to stand up for himself. He won't just be the wise-cracking card player anymore.

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The Frighteners (1996)

Just before doing "Lord of the Rings," director Peter Jackson (who can be seen in a cameo as "Man with Piercings") made an off-kilter horror/comedy movie called "The Frighteners," the tale of the undead and the guy who makes a living off of them. Though "Frighteners" was barely in theaters at all, this cult flick is funny, creepy, well-acted and wonderfully directed.

Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has seen spirits and apparitions ever since the car crash that killed his wife. Now he operates an amateur "ghostbusting" operation that is supposed to exorcise ghosts from people's houses -the problem is that the ghosts who haunt those houses are in league with him (Chi McBride as the opinioated afro-ed Cyrus, Jim Fyfe as the nerdy Stuart, and most of John Astin as what is left of The Judge).

Frank's business certainly isn't hurt by the fact that for years after a serial killer's murderous spree, people have died mysteriously of heart attacks. Then Frank starts seeing fiery numbers emblazoned on the foreheads of people who will die, including the husband of doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado). As if trying to stop a specter of death weren't hard enough, crazed FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) believes that Frank is the one murdering people. But the evil specter is still killing -and Lucy is the next victim.

Peter Jackson once said that he has a "moronic" sense of humor, and it shows up in all its glory here -from bug spray dissolving a ghost's face to a piece of talking oily sludge to a drill sargeant ghost with submachine guns, this is weird and absolutely hilarious. It's the perfect blend of comedy and horror.

But he's also good during the more serious moments, such as Bannister's flashbacks to his wife's death, or the eerie sight of homicidal young lovers dancing with a gun. The opening shot is pure Jackson, with the camera swooping through a window, past fluttering curtains, and though a hole in the attic floor to a screaming woman below.

Jackson also takes the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at more conventional ghost movies: the big Gothic house, crazy old lady, ghost in '70s clothes, and Fox's hilarious turn as a ghostbuster. Nothing horrific is sacred. "There ain't nothing worse than a bunch of pissed-off brothers... that's ALREADY DEAD!" Cyrus yells at one point.

Does it have a flaw? Yes -the opening scene doesn't seem to make much sense later on in the movie. But Jackson makes up for that with a surprisingly tight, coherent plot, and a satisfying finale that makes more sense than most other horror movies do.

The cast is brilliant, whether it's the twitchy, wild-eyed FBI agent, or the three weird ghosts. Michael J. Fox does an excellent job as Frank, with the right combination of cockiness and pathos, while Alvarado is solid as the idealistic young doctor. But the scenes are reallystolen by Dee Wallace-Stone and freaky-eyed Jake Busey, as homicidal young lovers.

"Frighteners" might not make you believe in ghosts, but it will make you laugh, shiver, and maybe even shed a tear or two. Wildly funny, weird, gross, and sometimes really peculiar, this is Jackson's splatter-gore at its best.

Practically bashed by critics everywhere when released in 1996, the Frighteners can be appreciated today as an underrated gem. After crafting a landmark gorefest with Dead Alive and scoring a hit among critics with Heavenly Creatures, future Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson directed this wildly inventive and surprisingly innovative film starring Michael J. Fox as a psychic investigator who, with the help of three ghost pals, runs a phony ghost busting business. Soon enough, people are getting picked off by Death himself, and it's up to Fox to find out what's really going on. So much is going on in the Frighteners that it's easy for the film to become incoherent, but it's exciting visuals and special effects, along with the performance of Fox and the energetic direction of Jackson, make this film a surprise gem that should be (and very well may be) a cult classic. The rest of the cast includes R. Lee Ermy, Jake Busey, and genre stalwart Jeffrey "Re-Animator" Combs.

Buy The Frighteners (1996) Now

Just before doing "Lord of the Rings," director Peter Jackson (who can be seen in a cameo as "Man with Piercings") made an off-kilter horror/comedy movie called "The Frighteners," the tale of the undead and the guy who makes a living off of them. Though "Frighteners" was barely in theaters at all, this cult flick is funny, creepy, well-acted and wonderfully directed.

Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has seen spirits and apparitions ever since the car crash that killed his wife. Now he operates an amateur "ghostbusting" operation that is supposed to exorcise ghosts from people's houses -the problem is that the ghosts who haunt those houses are in league with him (Chi McBride as the opinioated afro-ed Cyrus, Jim Fyfe as the nerdy Stuart, and most of John Astin as what is left of The Judge).

Frank's business certainly isn't hurt by the fact that for years after a serial killer's murderous spree, people have died mysteriously of heart attacks. Then Frank starts seeing fiery numbers emblazoned on the foreheads of people who will die, including the husband of doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado). As if trying to stop a specter of death weren't hard enough, crazed FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) believes that Frank is the one murdering people. But the evil specter is still killing -and Lucy is the next victim.

Peter Jackson once said that he has a "moronic" sense of humor, and it shows up in all its glory here -from bug spray dissolving a ghost's face to a piece of talking oily sludge to a drill sargeant ghost with submachine guns, this is weird and absolutely hilarious. It's the perfect blend of comedy and horror.

But he's also good during the more serious moments, such as Bannister's flashbacks to his wife's death, or the eerie sight of homicidal young lovers dancing with a gun. The opening shot is pure Jackson, with the camera swooping through a window, past fluttering curtains, and though a hole in the attic floor to a screaming woman below.

Jackson also takes the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at more conventional ghost movies: the big Gothic house, crazy old lady, ghost in '70s clothes, and Fox's hilarious turn as a ghostbuster. Nothing horrific is sacred. "There ain't nothing worse than a bunch of pissed-off brothers... that's ALREADY DEAD!" Cyrus yells at one point.

Does it have a flaw? Yes -the opening scene doesn't seem to make much sense later on in the movie. But Jackson makes up for that with a surprisingly tight, coherent plot, and a satisfying finale that makes more sense than most other horror movies do.

The cast is brilliant, whether it's the twitchy, wild-eyed FBI agent, or the three weird ghosts. Michael J. Fox does an excellent job as Frank, with the right combination of cockiness and pathos, while Alvarado is solid as the idealistic young doctor. But the scenes are reallystolen by Dee Wallace-Stone and freaky-eyed Jake Busey, as homicidal young lovers.

"Frighteners" might not make you believe in ghosts, but it will make you laugh, shiver, and maybe even shed a tear or two. Wildly funny, weird, gross, and sometimes really peculiar, this is Jackson's splatter-gore at its best.

Read Best Reviews of The Frighteners (1996) Here

I caught this movie on TV, and it was entertaining enough for me to sit through the whole film. I would have liked to give it a 3.6 stars if I could. I think it has a spark of something which makes it a little better than average, but I hesitate to call it excellent (4 stars). Since I knew nothing about this film, I was quite amazed to find people categorize it as a horror-comedy when I later looked it up here on Amazon.

I am an easily terrified person, so I generally stayed away from horror or gory movies. I remember when I finally gathered enough courage to watch "The Shining" because it is said to be such a classic, I had to turn my head away every time I sensed something potentially scary coming up. In the end, my total viewing time of that movie was less than 5 minutes. I suppose this explains how much I can stomach a horror movie. When I watched this movie, the word "scary" never came into my mind. I though it was fun, the special effect nice, and it was nice to see Michael J Fox again after a long while (although I wished his character wasn't so headstrong, as usual). The plot could have been a little more unpredictable. But it was fun, entertaining, but no horror movie.

Want The Frighteners (1996) Discount?

Originally, this film was supposed to have had a Halloween 1996 release date, but Universal, in its infinite wisdom, elected to shift the release date into the summer probably because of the awesome special effects. Unfortunately, the summer of '96 was dominated by ID4 and its city-destroying effects, which left the ghosts of Peter Jackson's The Frighteners spinning in the dust. I didn't think much of the film then.

I remained aloof until one night two or three years ago; I was up late, just flipping through the channels, when I just happened to run across this film. I recognized it, and seeing as nothing else was on, decided to give it a chance. Needless to say, I enjoyed it. It had quirky humor blended with horrific dark elements; the blending is done in such a clever way that it never completely loses either element, yet the tension is ratcheted up by shifting from more humor in the beginning to more horror towards the end. The film really walks a fine line, and it does so beautifully.

Being so impressed, I had to have it on DVD, and within a few weeks of that late night viewing, I had the original DVD release. Happy as I was to have the film, I was somewhat dissappointed by the lack of special features and, knowing it was from Peter Jackson the man behind LOTR and the bevy of supplemental materials those films had on their DVD releases somewhat surprised. I figured it must have been due to the film's poor box office, and assumed a more comprehensive release was out of the question.

I am pleased to say I was wrong, and this new Director's Cut DVD edition is the answer to any desires I might have had for a better release. A full 14 minutes has been restored to the movie, there's a full-length commentary by Jackson, storyboards, a trailer...but, by far, the best thing about this disc is the 3 hour and 45 minute documentary on the second side. It is the most comprehensive special feature I have ever seen, and considering I managed to watch it all in one sitting, it's also one of the most enjoyable. It's very in-depth and virtually any question one might have had about the making of the film is sure to be answered within. Regardless of the other features, the upgrade to this disc is worth it for the documentary alone.

I whole-heartedly recommend a purchase.

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2013 Rose Bowl presented by Vizio (2013)

This was an excellent product. I felt the quality was excellent. I really enjoyed not having to view all of the commercials.

I was unable to see the game live due to prior commitments, but it was nice to view the replay at my own liesure and comfort.

Camera angles, action shots, play-by-play and commentary are all first rate. A+

But I thought the quick pace through the game (eliminated much of the between play action) took away from capturing the atmosphere in the stadium. I didn't quite get the same sense of big-time college atmosphere that I normally get from a live broadcast. I did appreciate the concise pace...but perhaps a little too fast and concise.

I do also agree with the previous review that says the DVR version isn't as crisp as I would have expected.

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UPDATE (3/14/13) I am updating my review because I decided to purchase this disc after seeing positive reviews for the BCS Championship DVD. I received the disc and while the DVD portion is still less than acceptable, the Blu-Ray version is terrific. Very clear and bright. Vizio (or whoever produces this) finally got it right.

********************************************

I've purchased the last two bowls Stanford played in (Orange and Fiesta)and have been terribly disappointed by the quality of these DVDs (so much for 'once bitten, twice shy'). The playback looks like analog TV (played on an HD capable TV). I can't figure out why they can't produce a HD quality DVD. I debated returning both copies but didn't keep the games on my DVR. This year, I'm keeping the Rose Bowl on my DVR (even expanded capacity w/HD to do this). Not sure what it means for this to be a 'blu-ray' DVD I don't expect the production to be any better. I'll watch the reviews to see if the quality has improved at all but am not optimistic.

Read Best Reviews of 2013 Rose Bowl presented by Vizio (2013) Here

Shock Corridor (The Criterion Collection) (1963)

Alternately brilliant and infuriating, Samuel Fuller's Shock Corridor is without question a one-of-a-kind film. Shot in black and white in 1963, it tells the story of a newspaper reporter who's convinced he can win the Pulitzer Prize if only he can penetrate the inner sanctum of a mental hospital to solve a murder that's been committed there--something the police have apparently not been able to accomplish.

The bizarre juxtaposition of intensity and immaturity, anger and pulp, outrageousness and illogic tells you that this is the work of a film maker who's not afraid to take chances. Fuller seems to be deliberately trying to rattle or irritate the viewer: a stripper sings a slow torch song and only partially disrobes, a nuclear physicist prattles like a six year old, a 300 pound man sings the same opera aria repeatedly to awaken another man. It's not hard to tell that the dialogue is defiantly pulpy, with emphasis on "defiant". Fuller was obviously enraged with the more destructive qualities of American culture and let his audience know it in no uncertain terms.

But with the pulp--and how much more pulpy can you get than the reporter's girlfriend being a stripper?--there's also startling power. A war veteran relates his dreams of living with South American primitives, brought shockingly to life with a rare color sequence. A black man spouts virulent anti-black racial epithets and dons a makeshift KKK hood, chasing another black man down a hallway. The reporter himself wonders why, at crucial moments, he's unable to speak.

A scathing attack on the relentless American drive for success, power, and acceptance, this movie, for all its frequently dated, semi-trashy dialogue, ranks as one of the best films of its time or any period in American history. The ruthless, downbeat ending--the murderer is discovered, but at a terrible price--is a fitting, bitter conclusion.

A reporter seeking a Pulitzer Prize cons his way into being committed to an asylum to get the story on an unsolved murder case. Peter Breck (from TV's "The Big Valley") is good as the reporter. He blends in with the other male inmates trying to ferret out the facts but discovers insanity is nothing to toy with. Constance Towers (also in Fullers' "The Naked Kiss") is a stripper and his loyal girlfriend who notices Breck's mental deterioration on her visits. She tries but can't get him out. He has more or less sealed his own fate. The portrayals of the other inmates are powerful and there are some real doozies locked in with Breck. But I found the movie to be so vivid that it was almost unpleasant to watch. The scenes in the asylum are disturbing. The scenes outside the asylum are depressing and even Towers' strip routine at the nite club where she works is downbeat. Breck's plight is overwhelmingly doomed. This is without a doubt a challenging film but I can only recommend it with a warning. If you are emotionally affected by films be careful with this one. It will linger with you after you've seen it. Still it's a powerful and unusual film worthy of a cult following and a collector's item.

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Shock Corridor (Samuel Fuller, 1963)

With all the hefty heaps of praise that have been lavished on Shock Corridor during the past decade, as Sam Fuller's films have been rediscovered by critics, I admit I went into it thinking it was going to be on a par with the second coming of Christ. Ah, the perils of reading too many reviews before actually seeing the film, which in this case is a B-grade melodrama, a cautionary tale that reminds me in many ways of Reefer Madness or the like, but about the perils of ambition. Perhaps another part of my problem is that I've watched two other classic hubris tales this year, both of them superior, Alexander MacKendrick's Sweet Smell of Success and Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole; compared to those, Shock Corridor comes up desperately short.

Like MacKendrick's Sidney Falco or Wilder's Chuck Tatum, Fuller's Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) is a newspaperman looking to make a name for himself; over the vehement objections of his girlfriend Cathy (Constance Towers), he hatches a plan with his editor to have himself committed to a mental institution to solve the murder of an inmate the previous year. The only witnesses to the crime were three other inmates, and the police can't get anything out of them; Barrett figures that if he pretends to be one of them, he can get more information out of them. He's right, but as Cathy suspected, being in the nuthatch seems to be rubbing off on Johnny Barrett in the worst way.

And, you know, it's the idiocy of that central premise, that insanity is contagious, that really bugged me about this movie. It probably wouldn't have bugged me so much were it not the central premise of the movie (and it wouldn't have made itself known as the central premise of the movie had it not been hammered home so hard in the opening scene). There is a lot to enjoy about this flick, as long as you take it in that same campy way in which you'd watch something like Night of the Lepus; it's got a streak of black comedy a mile wide, some really amusing characters, and all the weepy fifties melodrama you can shake a stick at, even though it was made in the early sixties. But oh, the neanderthal-level stupid that sits at the core just gets to me, and keeps me from being able to look at it in the lighthearted manner I'd need to to really just sit back and enjoy it. **

Read Best Reviews of Shock Corridor (The Criterion Collection) (1963) Here

I remember the first time I saw this film. I'd heard a lot about it beforehand, but wasn't sure how it'd be portrayed on screen. I also had the good fortune of seeing on the big screen. From the first scene on I sat there with my eyes and my mouth wide open. It's such an amazingly powerful film, based largely on factual events and people Fuller had talked to this doesn't mean it's by any means a true story, but what really grabs you is how you can see and understand how real all the issues he talks about were (and unfortunately still today are).

It's a kinetic, visceral experience, and the only film that has moved me like PSYCHO did, the first time I saw it. The colour sequence just made my spine vibrate. His vision is bleak, the film and acting can be crude, but the raw power it has will simply obliterate any such resistance. God, what an experience!

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Ambitious journalist Peter Breck lusts after a Pulitzer Prize or, at the very least, "a book, a play, even a movie sale." So what's a starving, scheming, modestly talented scribe to do? Why, according to Shock Corridor, he ought to get himself committed to a loony bin to grill the crazies who witnessed an unsolved murder, crack the case, then cinch his immortality by exposing to the world the venality and corruption of yep, you guessed it--The System. "I'm scared this whole Jeckyll/Hyde idea is going to make a psycho out of me," warns Breck's stripper girlfriend, Constance Towers. A shrewd guess, since such watch-the-cast-go-psycho classics as this, The Snake Pit, The Cobweb and the Caretakers, exist only so actors can shred, chew and swallow the scenery. Early on, we're treated to Breck rehearsing his "part," the better to get him committed. He and Towers are so hilariously hammy in their abusive-brother-and-victimized-sister act, it's surprising that the loony bin doesn't book 'em both.

The fun really kicks into high gear when writer/director Samuel Fuller locks Breck inside what has to be the Movies' All-time Greatest Ward of Bad B-Actors. You'll drop your jaw when Larry Tucker, as a 300-lb. wife-killer, bellows operatic arias in our hero's face while the poor guy's trapped in bed; later, Tucker tops this bit with a scene where he actually force-feeds Breck chewing gum. You'll shake your head in disbelief, too, when shell-shocked James Best sets an early standard for Jack Nicholson-style over-the-top theatrics by Method-acting himself into delirium while reliving Civil War battles. And you'll cheer when the ward's bird-like schizo stares into the camera and socks over this immortal line: "I am impotent and I like it!" No self-respecting mad-house melodrama would be worth its weight in Thorazine without electroshock scenes--and this movie's are pips.

All the savage competition from the other hams finally unhinges Breck (and the movie, we might add). How can we tell that Breck's gone bonkers, you ask? For starters, there's his conjuring up, literally out of nowhere, Towers to chirp, "I need somebody to love"--her face covered in feathers, mind you--while gamely trying to bump 'n' grind. Then there's the inevitable ward filled with sex-starved babes: Breck wanders in with one of the best Bad Movie lines ever, "Nymphos!" Soon, as one of the femme-fatale inmates sings "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," the other women fondle Breck to a frenzy. There's more: watch for two of the nuttiest hallucination sequences in movie history, one consisting of what look to be home movies of Fuller's trip to the Far East, and the other a corker of a scene in which Breck sees a teensy Towers sashaying across his chest in stiletto heels, purring, "All the men want me, Johnny... and you, you want the Pulitzer Prize!"

Sad to say, by the time Breck cops the Pulitzer, he's too nuts to realize it. But you'll know, and by then you'll agree with us that this madcap madhouse movie belongs way, way up there in the Bad Movie pantheon. The single craziest thing about Shock Corridor is that it was judged by some critics to be among the best movies of 1963. What we don't know is how many of them were committed as a result of viewing the film.

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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

At the age of 83, director Sidney Lumet proves he still has plenty of juice. And once again, Philip Seymour Hoffman proves he is one of the finest American actors working today. This powerful one-two punch nails this movie into your head; and that's further guaranteed by, a) great acting by the rest of the cast, including Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and, in a bravura performance, Albert Finney, and b) a shockingly dark portrait of a family so dysfunctional it almost makes the Texas Chainsaw Massacre folks look tame. Well, almost.

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.

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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

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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)

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Rise of the Guardians - Limited Edition Easter Gift Pack (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy + 2 Hopping

You'll have to just see it to believe.

I'm 47 years old. I normally walk out of animated films which sound too noisy for me.

I not only stayed the entire movie. I watched it again 4 times -alone even, just to experience it again and again.

The magic of childhood is the magic of wonder, play, dream, believing. And if you still have that imagination left in you,

then maybe you could still sit down, laugh, cry, cheer with your kids while watching this movie.

The previews for this movie looked fun and funny; seeing this movie in full-length was an even broader experience. This is one of those movies like "Finding Nemo" or "Toy Story" that will be timeless because of the content, the humor, and the wise message inherent in the storyline. I loved it . . . and so did my 29-year-old daughter and my four-year-old grandson.

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My husband and I had been wanting to take our eight-year-old daughter to watch Rise of the Guardians for a while and finally managed to find the time tonight. We watched it in 3-D and we loved it, not merely for its spectacular visual effects, but mainly because it had a great cast of characters as well as a wonderful story with a powerful message at its core.

At the beginning of RotG, fun-loving Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine) is saddened by the fact that humans cannot see him or even hear him. Fast forward several hundred years later and Jack has become distant from the cast of characters that are collectively called the Guardians, made up of a slavic Santa who is called North (voiced by Alec Baldwin), Tooth aka the tooth fairy (voiced by Isla Fisher), Bunny aka the Easter Bunny with a pronounced Aussie accent (voiced by Hugh Jackman), and Sandy aka the Sandman who has no voice but possesses an adorable manner of communication (conveyed through golden sand dust that pop up from his head). The Guardians' primary role is to protect the children of the world and through their deeds, to keep the children believing in them. This keeps darkness which is manifested by a malignant character named Pitch (voiced by Jude Law) at bay.

To cut a long story short Pitch aka the Bogeyman returns with a vengeance, bent on destroying children's belief in the Guardians and in the process taking over the world, turning it into a place of fear and darkness. The man in the moon, a voiceless but commanding presence, who appointed the Guardians in the first place, selects Jack Frost as a Guardian to help the others defeat Pitch, but Jack is initially reluctant. After all, children can see the other Guardians, but can't even hear him much less believe in him. It takes a turn of events before Jack gets on board and is committed to defeating Pitch.

The story flows almost seamlessly and the characters are all appealing in their own ways. North aka Santa is an imposing and deceptively intimidating gentle giant who advises Jack to discover his inner core, his center so to speak. This is done in an ingenious manner using nesting dolls, which I thought was a unique concept. Tooth is not at all what I imagined the tooth fairy to look like. Unlike the Disney Fairies, Tooth is imagined as an exotic bird-like figure, full of beautiful feathers and with an elfin human face. Sandy the Sandman is small but has strength beyond what I thought him capable of and poses a formidable threat to Pitch. Bunny is one of the fiercest-looking of the lot and has the courage to show for it. The most human looking of them all, Jack, is also possessed of an inner strength that is slowly revealed as the story progresses.

This is a great movie to take the family to, though I'd advise parents with children under six to exercise caution as there are certainly scenes where Pitch, embodying the corrupting powers of darkness, advances with menace upon sleeping children and fights with spectral horses symbolizing fear and nightmares. My eight-year-old, who has watched most of the Harry Potter movies, loved this film though she was upset at the way some of the Guardians were attacked by Pitch, and insisted on sleeping with her night light on. So, I would certainly advise using your discretion before deciding to take a young child to watch this.

The message at the heart of this wonderfully imaginative and visually spectacular film is to have faith in the good things, and that this faith or belief, however one chooses to call it, will eventually eliminate despair and darkness from one's heart. This is a great family-friendly animated film that will appeal to audiences of all ages.

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Ever since "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" comic (not the movie), I've been intrigued by the basic premise: legendary characters from other genres are given the superhero treatment and then brought together under unlikely circumstances to face a global threat. This structure is the standard plot of just about every Avengers and Justice League comic, but only recently -perhaps a sign of the times -has cobbling together a diverse cast of characters become movie entertainment.

"Rise of the Guardians" continues the trend by turning the dial on iconic characters like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman up to 11. Each of these characters gives a gift to children, which in turn causes the children to believe in them and bestows a form of immortality. It's an oddly parasitic relationship that was prominent in Wizard of the Coast's "The Primal Order" supplement, in which deities need worshippers to gain power. Our heroes may not be all that powerful, but they are certainly popular. At least some of them are.

One of the questions weighing on my mind in bringing my five-year-old to this film was how "Rise" would deal with Santa Claus. It's one thing to question the existence of the Tooth Fairy (I never liked her anyway), the Easter Bunny (does anyone believe he exists?), and the Sandman (pretty sure NOBODY believes he exists)...but Santa Claus? That's some tricky turf right there.

Parents needn't worry. Santa is a jovial, dual saber-wielding slavic warrior full of wisdom, jolly humor, and generosity. As voiced by Alec Baldwin, this is a Santa I can get on board with!

The Sandman doesn't speak, but he pantomimes through thought-forms that lend themselves well to 3-D viewing.

The Easter Bunny is voiced by Hugh Jackman, which seems oddly natural. He's a combative, boomerang-wielding humanoid rabbit that can throw egg-smoke bombs like a ninja. He's also pretty adorable.

Isla Fisher (yes, the nymphomaniac from "Wedding Crashers") plays the Tooth Fairy as a neurotic workaholic who has been "out of the field" for so long that she no longer knows how to relate to kids. She also moons over Jack Frost (Chris Pine, AKA Captain Kirk).

Frost is the teenager of the bunch, frustrated by his lack of fame which makes him literally invisible to children. Frost is on a personal journey to discover how he became who he is and in doing so, accepting his role as a new Guardian of children.

And that's what "Guardians" is secretly all about: aging gracefully into parenthood. The older adults (the existing Guardians) worry about being forgotten, uninvolved in their children's lives. Pitch the Boogeyman (voiced by an unctuous Jude Law) craves attention so much that he would be happy to just be feared because it means he will be remembered. And Frost has to deal with his own childhood before he can become a parent.

There are some amazing set pieces, plenty of clever quips, and enough magical battles to keep the movie clicking along. But Frost is something of a bland catch-all for every rebellious "cool kid" in the history of movies (he wears a hoodie, he MUST be cool!) and his big revelation about his past isn't much of a revelation at all. "Rise of the Guardians" is clearly just getting beginning to launch a franchise, and this is a good start. But I'll take a movie about just good ole sword-swinging Claus any day.

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A great and ancient evil is rising in the land, and it is up to the guardians-Santa Claus, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny-to convince the reluctant Jack Frost to fight for the innocence and imagination of the children of the world

The quirky premise leads into an enchanting tale of faith and self-discovery. Jack Frost, whose heart is as warm as his magical powers are cold, is the reluctant Guardian-elect. Invisible to children, bereft of memories, and unclear as to his purpose, he wanders through life making mischief (the Easter Bunny is still deeply unhappy about the blizzard on the Easter of '64) and racking up more naughty than nice points. But when Pitch Black, the boogeyman, schemes to wipe out the faith of children in Santa Claus and the other Guardians, Jack Frost teams up with the Guardians to bring laughter and joy back to the children of the world. In the process, naturally, he finds himself and his innermost gift.

The premise and plot, though simple, is beautifully written and wonderfully presented. The animation is dazzling and exciting (I'd be first in line for the ice-slicked roller coaster ride through the town, as seen in an early action scene) and the characters are charming and international in their appeal. Santa Claus speaks with a Russian accent and wields double blades. The Easter Bunny is over-sized at eight feet; he wields a boomerang and speaks Australian-ese. It would have been too much, I suppose, to hope that the Sandman would look like Morpheus from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, but little Sandy kicked some serious booty with his Indiana Jones-style whips. The Tooth Fairy smiles too much; she raves and swoons over pearly white teeth. Jack Frost is at turns whimsically charming and heartbreakingly lonely.

Rise of the Guardians will appeal to any young child who still believes, children/adults of any age who want to believe, and cynical adults (like me) who don't believe but who can appreciate a great story and awesome animation.

The Endless Summer

This classic surfing documentary retains its charm, high quality, humor and nostalgia. Bruce Brown's 1966 Endless Summer was one of the first and remains one of the best documentaries on surfing. It's a laid-back almost relaxing documentary to watch which occassionally features some awesome displays of surfing pioneers hanging ten on perfect, imperfect and very dangerous waves. Tubes, Pipes, perfect waves, surfing towards, and away from the shore, ridin' the wave, wipe out. . . it's all here.

This was a low budget affair, but the camera-work and richness of color is quite impressive. Most of the footage was shot silent with sound-effects and narration and occassional music added later. Don't expect to hear the Beach Boys, or the Ventures or even Dick Dale on the soundtrack--you won't. You won't get MTV fast edits, or occassional messages about pollution, over-population, or politics either.

That's refreshing.

Most refreshing of all is that you won't see a lot of ads for sneakers or cars, or sporting goods plastered all over the surfboards or cars of the surfers either. It was a less chaotic, simpler time.

The movie follows two young surfers Robert August and Mike Hynson as they follow Summer around the world. First after leaving their native California and the crowded beaches of Malibu, Santa Cruz and Newport Beach (the Wedge) they travel to Africa and surf places probably no one has ever surfed before (and have to be careful not to step on dangerous and lethal stone fish). The natives are fascinated by the California surfers and their sport. Soon Robert and Mike are giving surf lessons to the natives. They hitch a ride with an African Game Hunter and travel along the coast with a perfect tour guide. They find the perfect wave. In Australia, Mike and Robert don't have good luck and are told the best time to surf in Australia isn't in the Summer (which is the U.S.'s late fall, early winter), but in the winter. They have a little better luck in New Zealand, and as they go off to Tahiti they are told there is very little to surf in Tahiti. Ah but there turns out to be plenty to surf in Tahiti. Then Mike and Robert are off to Hawaii for two months where water and air temperatures are 75 degrees.

While there will be a few folks who will find Bruce Brown's narration (Bruce an early surfing enthusiast wrote, directed, photographed, edited and narrated this film) annoying, most will find his disarming, tongue in cheek humorous laid back narration utterly charming. And there are no contests or points or organized competitions taking place. It's simply a film about two surfing dudes in 1965 travelling around the world to catch a wave.

28 years later, Bruce Brown would make a well produced sequel to this documentary Endless Summer 2. It's got better production values, more exciting surfing action.... but it lacks the simple purity of this film.

A gem. If I've sparked any positive curiousity in you about this film, you'll enjoy it. ...

I don't even surf and the Endless Summer is one of my favorite movies. I love the photography and the storyline of this film. People say, "But it's about surfing..." they got it all wrong; it's about freedom that the soul craves. I watch it at least 3x a year. Always puts a smile on my face and a joy in my heart. In fact, I rent it so frequently that finally I told myself that I'm gonna buy it... and that's what I'm about to do... I'm gonna buy me a movie that makes me feel good to be alive on this little blue and green planet that's third from the sun. This movie reminds us that we are all looking for the "perfect wave" in life and sometimes we just have to remind ourselves that we're already riding it. A beautiful film. Love it! Love it! Love it!

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These films are like the 80's movies that made everything that mattered happen. Ferris, Goonies, Breakfast Club, etc . . . except they are surfing classics, epic documentaries if you will.

**Bruce Brown has the classic surfer aesthetic, and narrates each film poignantly and humorously.

Endless Summer 1 is the classic older film, paced a little more slowly and fun-lovingly. It sets a great preface to Endless 2, an incredible multi-hemisphere journey.

Both films have excellent cinematography as well as dialogue and interplay between characters. Endless 2 is as goofily trivial as it is deep, as beautiful as it is mundane. . .

There are gorgeous scenery shots that do Cape Town, Indonesia, Figi, (my fav) and Alaska, justice as incredible places not only to surf, but also to just be.

Our two fascinating and yin and yang protagonists, 1, a Pat O'Connell gives suffusively satisfying short board licks, and 2, a. wing-nut supplies all of the long board smoothness to coalesce.

Five stars, in my to 25 of all time. A truly beautiful film made by those who love life.

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Way back in 1966, documentary filmmaker Bruce Brown followed two young surfers around the world in their quest for the perfect wave. It seems as if it were just the three of them the two surfers and Bruce Brown who filmed that magical year with a hand-held Technicolor camera with no sound. Later, he edited the film and narrated it and his is the only voice we hear in addition to some original music by "The Sandals". There are no sounds of the surf, no remarks from the two surfers and we never hear the voices of all the colorful characters they meet along the way.



The concept was to surf on beaches that had never been surfed before. This led them Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. And, naturally California and Hawaii. Sometimes the surf was to their liking. Sometimes it was not. But always it was an adventure, the kind of adventure that I quickly got caught up in even though it all seemed like a home movie and the camera was old fashioned. I remember one spot where there is a long smooth wave to ride and the narrator notes that the wave was so long that he ran out of film, stopped shooting, changed the film, and was able to continue filming the surfer on the same wave.



As the film was made in 1966, it expressed a view of the world that is not politically correct today. For example, there are a lot of little jokes about the "natives" in an African tribe. But in spite of the words, it was obvious that everyone in the tribe enjoyed watching the surfers. Later, with the help of our surfers, these "natives" tried it themselves and soon were improvising their own surfboards.



There are a lot of beaches in the world. But the sport was perfected in Hawaii as pure recreation. That's the way the Hawaiians lived for centuries. Our two surfers came from California, a place very much influenced by Hawaiian surfers.



Other details about 1966 stood out and made me smile. For example, a luxury hotel in Senegal cost $30 per night, which they thought was outlandishly expensive. Gas cost $1.00 a gallon in Africa, a very high cost. And the hairstyles of the two light-haired and sometimes sunburned surfers were short and slicked back with lots and lots of grease. Also, the bodies of the surfers did not look like the surfers today. The two men had narrow chests and the musculature in their arms and legs was just enough to handle their surfboards. Obviously, they never worked out in a gym. They just rode those waves. And loved every minute of it.



This is a film that was made with the pure love of the sport. It is indeed a classic. And a "must" for anyone interested surfing.

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Wow! I had the pleasure of screening this newly rejuvenated `Digitally Re-Mastered' version of "The Endless Summer" and it's pretty awesome. The improved look and sound provides for an enjoyable and memorable experience. The box art is great, and the 2nd disc has some fun extras; I really enjoyed both of the short features on the making of the film, the origination of the iconic artwork and the posters from around the world.

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Revanche (The Criterion Collection) (2008)

I saw this in the theater, but I'm excited to hear that it's going to be given the Criterion dvd treatment. It certainly deserves it for the depth and intrigue and subtlety of the film, and for the power of the visuals.

Alex and Tamara are in love. Unfortunately, there's little chance their love can work out. He's an ex-con working as a bouncer at the brothel where she turns tricks for a cruel and jealous pimp, who's not about to let her go and who would kill Alex if he found out. Hoping to make enough money to turn things around, Alex plots a fail-safe bank robbery, in which he thinks no one could possibly get hurt. He doesn't even bring a loaded gun. Things don't work out as he planned, however, and Alex has to take refuge at his grandfather's farm out in the country, where events take a truly unexpected turn.

The film opens with a powerful image that suggests the feel of the film that follows. A beautiful rippling reflection of trees in a pond at dawn (dusk?) is given an ominous sense by the lightly disturbing tones that hum softly in the background. Suddenly and loudly, the eerie calm is disrupted by a heavy object that is thrown into the water. The images of a tranquil forest, reflected in the trees, are interrupted violently by the splash and subsequent waves, until they gradually return to a semblance of their former look. Likewise, the uneasy peace of a small town is interrupted by the bank robbery, and the uneasy marriage of a childless young couple is further unsettled by the husband's tragic chance encounter with the criminals. It's hard to know in advance whether the easygoing peace will return.

It's a story that could have been played for drama and action and rising intensity and pace, but is allowed here to be above all about character, with a tension that builds naturally and without the need for artificial plotting or manipulative music. The acting throughout is strong, with special mention deserved by Johannes Fritsch, for what managed to be a both very physical and highly contemplative and reserved performance as Alex, but even the minor parts were perfectly casted and played extremely well. Gotz Spielmann brings a patient and masterful direction to this subtle and unique and mature film about love and longing and revenge and redemption. Images are carefully composed and beautifully lensed, and the delicate pacing of the editing is matched by a subtle use of music and a darkly comic undercurrent to the tragedy. Some viewers may want to know in advance that certain scenes in the film reflect a European sensibility about the body (i.e. there is abundant nudity and some sex). Still, it's all tastefully done and in the service of the story and of a remarkable film that is well worth watching.

The Criterion release will include:

-a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Götz Spielmann (with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)

-a new video interview with Spielmann

-The Making of "Revanche," a half-hour documentary shot on the film's set

-"Foreign Land," Spielmann's award-winning student short film, with an introduction by the director

-the U.S. theatrical trailer

-a new and improved English subtitle translation

-and, an essay by critic Michael Wood

'Revanche' is a film that ends strong but begins ugly and vulgar, although there's no question that the life director Götz Spielmann portrays is exactly that. Because of its candid approach, some viewers may find the frank portrayal of a brothel disturbing, and even perhaps unnecessary for a film that is ultimately concerned with redemption and forgiveness but in this case I believe it's justified. One of my usual complaints about film in general is the use of clichéd shortcuts that hand the viewer stereotypes instead of characters, and even though Spielman doesn't escape it completely, this film's reflection of prostitution transforms the character of Tamara from cardboard into a real human being, and is what enables the build-up for film's quietly compelling finish.

Alex, an ex-convict, works as a gopher/driver for the owner of the brothel, and, in secret, carries on an affair with Tamara, a prostitute who needs 30,000 dollars to essentially buy her freedom. He hatches a plan to rob a bank, thereby acquiring the money they'll need to escape their dead-end lives (I've yet to see this turn out to be a good idea). Unsurprisingly, the bank robbery does not go off as planned, and Alex must confront the dark corners of his nature and decide what sort of revenge is justified when the world doesn't go along with your desires.

I've purposely left out a lot while summing up the film because, even though the information is easily accessible, it moves at different pace and with so few conventional clues that it achieves a heightened unpredictability that I wouldn't want to ruin. Unpredictable may be too strong of a description, but the director does add a dose of uncertainty to a storyline that, in other hands, might have been numbingly safe and routine. As I mentioned, pacing has a lot to do with it, and this may turn off some viewers. There are stretches in the film where little happens and even when the crucial moment arrives and Alex must decide what the rest of his life is going to look like, it comes with no warning and nearly off screen. An inattentive viewer may miss it completely.

I enjoyed this film a great deal once Alex began to deal with the aftermath of the robbery and the entire movie was intelligent and un-condescending. Every time the director had an opportunity to do so, he treated the audience as if they were quite able to understand what was happening on screen, and didn't waste my time and patience by drumming every plot point into my head or spelling out every connection. Still, it did have some faults. Though random chance is definitely a factor in our lives, it's often difficult to accept on film, and this movie does indulge in it. Aside from that though, there was little to criticize. Cinematically crisp and striking, 'Revanche' delivers a resolution to impulse and fury that's told with both grace and dignity.

Although this film is not rated, it contains adult themes and situations, nudity, and frank sexual situations.

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Call me jaded, but as someone who's studied film, been a film critic, and been a film enthusiast for years, one can't happen to notice that typically the Oscar for Foreign Language film goes to something "heart-felt" and "sentimental" versus "depressing" and "minimailist." (And I promise I won't rant about the insanely outdated, ridiculous system that prevents many of the best foreign films from even being eligible for a nomination.)

In a way, this one film, is two very different parts in both mood and tone. However, it is in fact, one linear storyline, that is separated by an event that occurs midway through the movie. And by the time, it's done, seemingly different as the two components of the film may be, the whole is quite impressive and unique.

While everyone likes (and awards) the flashy performances, the ones I always find most satisfying are the restrained, carefully measured ones. The lead actor here is singular in the sense that he is cold, hard, detached, and understated--as he should be--but he also some very intense emotional moments which are compounded upon impact by the fact that the viewer has become so accustomed to his usual demeanor.

Another unique component to this brilliant work, is that it has almost no music whatsoever. No score, only a few isolated scenes with music as a necessary component. It's all about the quiet moments, the words spoken, and the ambient nature sounds that sound rich, from even the most basic tv speakers.

"Revanche" has some rather bold narrative and filmic approaches to its relatively traditional minimalism, observationism, and very otherwise typically European film sensibility. It's a welcome fit to the Criterion Collection, and it would be a welcome addition to any cinemaphile's library.

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*

If one googles `Armond White Revanche', White's excellent essay `Revanche: Revival of the Fittest' may easily be found on The Criterion Collection's website.

So just a few thoughts.

It's been universally lamented that though The Criterion Collection's editions of films are technically superb, the prices are simply too high for comfort. Used copies are sometimes an option.

In any case, this is a great transfer (1.85:1) of a remarkable 2008 film.

Is it a thriller? a film noir? a drama? a tragedy?: indeed it well combines elements of these.

The direction, cinematography, and editing deserve special credit.

For the film is absolutely visually stunning--mesmerizing, even. (Too, the sound is good--though it's a `quiet' film sans soundtrack.)

Though a couple of the actors are basically type-cast, the acting itself is splendid all-round--(Ursula Strauss and Hanno Pöschl are famous in Austria).

The story is realistic beyond conventional aesthetic Realism = i.e., Naturalism.

The director (Götz Spielmann) is also the writer which gives the film a terrific unity: indeed, the narrative is constructed with much symmetry which lends the film an aspect of the classical Greek drama.

Spielmann is an artist sensitive to the quandaries of the human condition, genuine passion, and ontological depth to an extent that shames shallow people.

An additional feature of the film is the sound of Austrian patois which is quite distinctive amongst German speakers.

Recommended.

*

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Alex (Krisch) works as a bouncer in Vienna and does odd jobs for the owner of a brothel. His Ukrainian girlfriend, Tamara (Potapenko), works there as a prostitute. She is 30,000 dollars in debt and he needs 50,000 euros to buy a share in a nightclub. Alex has a plan to solve their problems.

He decides to rob a local bank. It's in a quiet little town and he's figured out a good escape route. In his mind, nothing can go wrong. Tamara has a bad feeling about it and insists on coming along. Rather predictably, something does go wrong.

After a policeman, Robert (Lust), intervenes, Alex is forced to flee to the countryside and stay with his grandfather on a farm. He was wearing a mask during the robbery, so nobody knows that he was responsible. He hides out and works out his fear and anger by chopping wood for his grandfather's fire.

A neighbor, Susanne (Strauss), occasionally stops by to check on his grandfather. She's friendly, but Alex wants to avoid her as much as possible. We later discover that she's the wife of the police officer who tried to foil the robbery.

Alex, Robert and Susanne all have difficult problems to face. Alex wants to avoid being caught for his crime and faces another dilemma that I won't mention; Robert is struggling with the way he performed when he tried to stop the robbery, while Susanne's deepest wish can't be fulfilled by her husband.

It's a fascinating story, but I am reluctant to give away any more details. All I will say is that the climax offers a number of interesting solutions to each of the problems. The needs of the individuals are satisfied in unexpected ways that aren't always ethical or legal, but it's not hard to imagine acting in the same way if you were placed in any of their situations.

The film is set in Vienna and the language is predominantly German, although there is a little Russian in the first act.

Spielmann effectively creates tension and it slowly builds throughout the story. Dialogue is kept to a minimum and that decision feels right in this particular film. There's very little action, and it plays out like a tense drama. The film is beautifully shot and the scenes in the countryside look spectacular. The peaceful setting is in stark contrast to the emotional turmoil faced by the characters involved.

I like to be surprised and find it boring when I can predict the outcome early in a film. Revanche certainly isn't predictable and I think you'll find the conclusion rather elegant.

It's difficult to explain why Revanche is a great film without giving away key plot points. I hope that you will give it a try and trust that it's worth two hours of your time. It's even better on subsequent viewings when you have clearly fixed each character and their secrets in your mind.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers wonderful audio and visual quality and is the best way to see the film unless it's being shown at a local theater for some reason.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fear and Desire (1953)

Stanley Kubrick, one of America's legendary filmmakers responsible for films such as "Paths of Glory" (1957), "Spartacus" (1960), "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964), "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), "A Clockwork Orange" (1971), "The Shining" (1980), "Full Metal Jacket" (1987), to name a few.

But all filmmakers have their beginnings and for Stanley Kubrick, his first feature film would be the 1953 film "Fear and Desire".

Having created two documentaries ("Day of the Fight", "Flying Padre: An RKO-Pathe Screenliner") in 1951 and employed at "LOOK" Magazine, Kubrick quite his job to create his first feature film.

Using funds that were raised by his family and friends, Kubrick and a classmate from his old high school, Howard Sackler, would go on to create "Fear and Desire".

While not a box office hit, the film captured the attention of film critics, who took notice of Kubrick's talent.

But among the Kubrick films available, "Fear and Desire" has only been screened at very few places since it's release. One of those screenings were at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. back in 1993. The film also has not been released commercially and even was downplayed by Kubrick, when he was alive, calling the film a "bumbling amateur film exercise".

But in 2010, Turner Classic Movies aired a restored print courtesy of the George Eastman House and now, Kino Lorber will be releasing the film on Blu-ray and DVD in October 2012. The version of "Fear and Desire" presented was mastered in HD from archival 35mm elements newly restored by the Library of Congress.

The Blu-ray and DVD release will also include "The Seafarers, a short film created in 1953, a film which Kubrick took on in behalf of the Seafarers International Union in order to raise money for his next film "Killer's Kiss" (1954).

"Fear and Desire" revolves around four soldiers who have crash landed in enemy territory.

Lt. Corby (portrayed by Kenneth Harp), Sgt. Mac (portrayed by Frank Silvera), Pvt. Fletcher (portrayed by Stephen Coit) and Pvt. Sidney (portrayed by Paul Mazursky) are six miles away from where they should be and know they must cross a river in order to survive.

So, the four led by Lt. Corby, must evade enemy forces and create a raft and during nighttime, try to escape.

But while building the raft, they are afraid they may have been spotted by a plane flying above them, so the four leave the raft and try to see what is out there in the surrounding area.

The group spots a cabin where two enemy soldiers are eating. Seeing their weapons and food, the four knows they must take the soldiers out and so, they devise a plan and are able to kill the two soldiers including one enemy soldier returning to the cabin.

But Pvt. Sidney begins to crack after he sees the dead mean staring at him.

As the four begin to work on their raft and see what is ahead of them near the river, a woman is seen catching fish with other women in the river. While going home, she hears a noise (made by the soldiers hiding behind a bush). The soldiers take her, bind her and try to interrogate her, but she does not speak any English. So, the three continue their reconnaissance and leave the unstable Pvt. Sidney to watch over her.

But with Pvt. Sidney's mind becoming more unstable, can the soldiers trust him to watch the woman?

VIDEO:

"Fear and Desire" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:33:1, black and white) and features the rare George Eastman House print that is mastered in HD from archival 35 mm elements newly restored by the Library of Congress. For the most part, picture quality for this film is very good considering its age. I detected no film warping, excessive blurring or a lot of scratches. There are nicks and dust that can be seen but by no means, does it prevent you from enjoying the film. Whites and grays were well-contrast, black levels were inky and dark. Overall, picture quality of "Fear and Desire" on Blu-ray is not pristine but the film looks great!

As for "The Seafarers", the film is presented in color but definitely looks its age. While in HD, it does have that feeling of early '50s documentary shorts.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Fear and Desire" is presented in monaural LPCM 2.0. I detected no major hissing or pops during my viewing of "Fear and Desire". Audio was clear and dialogue can be heard clearly with no problems whatsoever. It's important to remember that this low-budget film was shot without sound and dialogue and effects were added during post production.

There are no subtitles included on this Blu-ray release.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"Fear and Desire" comes with Kubrick's 1953 short "The Seafarers" which was preserved by the Museum of Modern Art. The Seafarers is a industrial documentary promoting the Seafarers International Union.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Fear and Desire", the first film by Stanley Kubrick that he never wanted people to see.

Who can blame Kubrick? Having a remarkable list of films in his oeuvre, his first film was seen by him as amateurish and low-budget. And as a filmmaker, one can easily criticize their earliest work and would rather have people remember the popular films that he's known for, not his first film that he created at 24.

But for cinema fans, "Fear and Desire" is fascinating American cinema for the fact that it shows that Stanley Kubrick was a filmmaker and writer that was ahead of his time.

"Fear and Desire" is cleverly written to poke at America's continuing involvement in war. And while "Fear and Desire" is not about the United States but people of an unknown country, Kubrick tries to relate one's feeling towards war, the futility of the actions of government and like its title, our soldiers that are sent to fight in a war instead of live for their families, are in fear of their lives being taken and their desire to survive another day.

For Kubrick's first film, the use of cinematography and clever editing worked to the film's efficacy. From the facial expressions and the eyes of the soldiers, the sight of a dead person as he grasps the food to show signs of life until no movement can be seen. Also, closeups showcasing the sight of death or insanity for a character to wide angle shots showcasing the river and the wilderness. Kubrick's cinematography was amazing to see at his young age and once again, showing how he was ahead of his time.

Also, intriguing was the use of two characters playing the enemy. Actors Kenneth Harp who plays Lt. Corby also plays the enemy general and Stephen Coit plays Pvt. Fletcher and the enemy captain.

Kubrick utilizes each character effectively. From the young woman (portrayed by Virginia Leith) with fear on her face as the unstable Pvt. Sidney starts to go insane and rubs his face all over her. While a seen between Kenneth Harp's two characters who encounter each other is quite a memorable sight.

For the most part, Stanely Kubrick was able to craft an intelligent film that pokes on society during that era on war. Something he focuses a lot decades later in his film "Full Metal Jacket".

As for the Blu-ray release of "Fear and Desire", the fact that many people were exposed to bootlegs, because the film was never released should be happy that the 35 mm elements was restored and that Kubrick fans finally get their wish for an official video release. Not only is the film restored but the film looks great on Blu-ray!

As for the inclusion of "The Seafarers", it's more of an industrial documentary promoting the Seafarers International Union but for Kubrick fans, the short gives people a chance to see how a young Kubrick was able to pay the bill sand eventually finance his next film, and that was taking on these type of jobs to earn money.

So, you get the 1953 film and his short made that same year in this one Blu-ray release! Just to get this rare gem, restored and presented on Blu-ray is fantastic!

Overall, while Stanley Kubrick has many films in his oeuvre that will be forever known and loved by cinema fans, "Fear and Desire" is the legendary filmmaker's first feature film that provides an insightful look at a young Kubrick at work and how his work was ahead for its time. Highly recommended!

Director Stanley Kubrick's first film was made available for purchase late 2012. Finally Kubrick fans, like me, were able to view the debut of a cinematic legend. There are some items worthy of praise here namely the cinematography and the inventive editing. The story itself follows a group of soldiers trapped behind enemy lines trying to march back undetected to friendly territory. Unfortunately, the lack of character depth sinks the movie. All the characters feel like thin cut-outs rather than living breathing men. It doesn't help that the audio overdubs are poorly done and just scream low-budget production. Be warned this war drama doesn't offer much for anyone outside of Kubrick devotees. All in all, "Fear And Desire" shows promise from a visual standpoint, but is lacking in every other department.

For blu-ray fans, this release is pretty much bare-bones with the exception of an early Kubrick documentary short called "The Seafarers" (1953). The audio and video are of good quality on this disc from KINO Classics. That said, this blu-ray is really for the most devoted Kubrick fans.

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Finally the long forgotten first film by the legendary director Stanley Kubrick has been released on a home video format for the first time and it is truly a sight to behold.

There was believe it or not a time when Stanley Kubrick wasn't one of the biggest names in film history, Yes, that's right, Stanley Kubrick, a man who's Career in the industry has no equal started out as a nobody who had to raise funds from family and friends to start production on what would be his first full motion picture, and like most directorial debuts, it was a box office failure, even after having been given high praise by some notable critics at the time, audiences just didn't care for it.

It's been said many times that Kubrick was before his time, and the same can be said about this film. At a mere 60 minute's, it is by far Kubrick's shortest movie, and lest polished, but contained in it's short run time are the ideas that gave birth to the style of film making that Kubrick continued to used and hone throughout the remainder of his career.

My personal thought's about the film the first time i watched it(this was many years ago) were that of the audiences, i didn't see anything of the man that Hollywood considered one of it's best. Now Many years latter and after several reviewing's i've realized that i was so so wrong. It's easily understandable for a person to say that a older low budget film like this sucks when they've seen films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, you have to look at this film a little more deeply to see the true skill of it's creator at work.

Throughout the rest of his life Kubrick shunned this film, was embarrassed by it, he even tried buying up as many original film prints as he could find, with the plan of preventing it from ever being seen again. Thankfully he didn't get them all, and now it has been beautifully restored in high definition and released for the world to enjoy and to see first hand how one of the greatest directors of all time got his start. If you are a Stanley Kubrick fan then you must own this film, cherish it, and be happy it still exists.

Read Best Reviews of Fear and Desire (1953) Here

I just watched the Blu-ray of Kubrick's first feature Fear and Desire. It's taken me 40 years to finally see this movie (which Kubrick himself had suppressed) and I have to say it was an interesting experience. It certainly has its flaws, but it is still a fascinating piece of work and definitely ranks as a Kubrick film. Believe it or not, it's kind of a mash up of The Thin Red Line and a Twilight Zone episode! Much of the dialogue (which was looped) is stilted and the dramatic structure is clumsy, but as a first time effort from a 24-year old, it is quite ballsy. The cinematography is stunning, which is really Kubrick's strength here. The characters are ciphers for the most part, and the acting is a mixed bag. Frank Silvera (who would later play the villainous gangster boss in Kubrick's next film, Killer's Kiss) does the best work, while Paul Mazursky is the weakest playing a nutjob. Kubrick certainly got better with actors and scriptwriting (a mere ten years later he was doing Lolita and Dr. Strangelove!), but this first film is very much a flawed gem. Perhaps strangest of all is that the film has a couple of optical wipes, which I believe are unique to the Kubrick canon. I'm guessing he had to use these to get out of an editing jam. There are no extras to speak of (a pity), unless you count the inclusion of The Seafarers. Too bad they didn't get Mazursky to do a commentary! Curiously, his character recites material from Shakespeare's The Tempest, which the actor-turned-director went on to make as a film himself 30 years later. Not sure what to make of that! All in all, a satisfying experience. I wasn't disappointed.

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Not his best, thought not his worst either. God knows he wanted to keep this from public viewing. It only serves to school young up & coming filmmakers that even maestros had to start somewhere. Worth watching.

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