Dreamscape (Special Edition) (1984)

Do you ever remember your dreams? I rarely do...unless they are of the really intense kind and I wake up during the dream, and even then the images tend to slip from my conscious like grains of sand through your hand. Why am I bothering telling you this? Well, I needed some kind of opener for my review of Dreamscape (1984), a film that deals with dreams and such, and this was the best I could come up with at the time, lame as it may be...directed by Joseph Ruben, who later did Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) and Money Train (1995), Dreamscape presents quite a cast with Dennis Quaid, Max Von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, Kate Capshaw, Eddie Albert, and even George Wendt (Norm!).

Dennis Quaid plays Alex Gardner, a young man of fantastic psychic abilities who has since dropped off the radar, preferring to use his `gifts' to manipulate women and pick winners at the horse track, rather than continuing to subject himself to an endless series of tests meant to study and learn of his abilities, tests conducted by Doctor Paul Novotny (Von Sydow). Seemingly content to squander his skills, Alex's path once again leads him back to Dr. Novotny and his assistant, Jane DeVries (Capshaw) as they've developed a machine that would allow someone with Alex's talents to enter the dreams of others, and possibly help those plagued with reoccurring nightmares, specifically in the President (Albert) who is suffering from apocalyptic dreams that are beginning to affect his ability to do his job. Seemingly concerned with the President's well being, Bob Blair (Plummer), government head of Dr. Novotny's project and shadowy leader of an intelligence group even the CIA fears requests Dr. Novotny assist in relieving the President of these nightmares, but we soon learn he has other plans, plans of a sinister nature involving another, less stable psychic within the project by the name of Tommy Ray Glatman (David Patrick Kelly). Can Alex uncover the plot, help the President, and stay alive? Possibly, but the odds are certainly against him...

Given some of the films that came out in 1984 like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Ghostbusters, Amadeus, Footloose, Romancing the Stone, Starman, A Passage to India, and The Killing Fields, it's no surprise this `sleeper' got lost in the shuffle. I've always enjoyed it, and thought it deserved a bit more credit than it's gotten. Dennis Quaid is really good and charming as hell as the smart alecky Alex Gardner, a character who seems to be able to handle himself, yet exhibits a smidgen of naiveté which possibly stems from a core belief of decency, despite his ventures into gray areas, specifically using his skills to determine winners of horse races, earning him money to live. Max Von Sydow is also very good, although I feel as if I've seen him in similar roles so many times before, as a doctor involved in ground-breaking research, not being able to see the forces which conspire to use his research for their own, sinister means until it's too late. As far as Kate Capshaw, I have to admit I've never cared for her all that much as I found her character in Temple of Doom to be highly annoying and distracting. She's not bad here, even though she does suffer from a common malady of the 80's here in big-hairitis syndrome. Plummer is good as the conniving powerful government agent with a secret agenda, although I've seen this whole `evil government stealing research meant for the good of mankind for it's own corrupted means' theme about a thousand times before. Even so, he's perfectly suited for the part, oozing a smarmy, almost quiet charm that hides disturbing ulterior motives...I did like the aspect that his goals were driven mostly by his desire to protect what he thought needed protecting, even if he was misguided by his own sense of twisted patriotism.

The special effects, while seeming quite dated now, were actually very good for the time this film came out, especially the dream sequences of the President detailing post-apocalyptic visions of decimated cities and ruinous wastes. The stop motion work, while not really appreciated by many, is really pretty good and reminds me of those old Ray Harryhausen films I love so much. One thing that annoyed me the most about this release is what's missing due to a hack editing job on a few scenes, all within dream sequences, I suppose, to more aptly fit the movie's PG-13 rating. One scene involved Quaid and Capshaw and a romantic interlude on a train with some pretty steamy stuff, but here it's cut short, removing the nudity. A second edited scene had Quaid inside a mousy man's dream about his wife, which contained some nudity that was excised out of here, and finally another scene has to do with Quaid's character helping a little boy overcome a terrifying reoccurring nightmare about a monstrous snake man. The part removed had a bit of gore in it, but it certainly wasn't anything, in my opinion, that deserved to be removed.

It says the movie is available in full and widescreen anamorphic formats, but I only saw the widescreen format. The picture quality is pretty good, but the transfer print does suffer very minor age deterioration at some points, but it's hardly noticeable. The audio is much better, with Dolby Digital 2.0, new Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Audio available. Special features include an audio commentary track by producer Bruce Cohn Curtis, writer David Loughery, and special effects artist Craig Reardon that's pretty good, although dry at more than a few points. Also included are a behind the scenes special effects makeup test reel and a slide show. I really wanted to give this four stars, but given that's it missing parts from a few scenes, I have to go with three...

Cookieman108

I love this movie. It was one of the first PG-13 flicks to come out, so when I was a kid this was quite exciting. It had some action, some nudity and a snake-monster all rolled into a fun pseudo sci-fi package.

Imagine my disgust and horror upon discovering that the DVD of the film had been edited for content! Don't believe me? Compare it to the video or laser version. The comical sex dream scene at the beginning has been altered so that there are no breasts. There are also no children watching. This may not seem all that important to you, but I think that this silent trimming is quite insidious. The film is rated PG-13 after all, which means that parents should be cautious about showing it to younger kids. Why then must it be cut without telling us so on the package?

To sum it up, I love the movie, but I hate this version. Hooray for Hollywood.

Buy Dreamscape (Special Edition) (1984) Now

I adore this movie for various reasons; the good script, lots of memorable scenes, and a great cast including the very inviting Capshaw and the very underused Kelly. To me it's not so much the movie's special effects, but the genius story that involves you and make you want to watch it from time to time. -Especially now that it's been letterboxed. However, as good looking as this DVD is, there are a couple of ridiculous cuts. -The kid cutting off the snakeman's head, now with less blood spurting than before. -This cut is rather pointless since there wasn't that much red stuff seen to begin with, and certainly not more than people are used to today. Even worse though, are the changes made to the Homer Simpson guy's dream sequence. -What was before a very amusing bedroom scene, now is shortened to an unfunny mess leaving those who know it uncut perplexed. It really makes no sense to cut this film, when it wasn't before. Who are they trying to protect ?. Just because it's out on DVD, doesn't necessarily mean it's now suddenly more available to folks with small children, does it ?. They've jammed the disc with lots of extra goodies, like a commentary track, but why go to that extent and still cut it ?. Did they plan it for the family market, or what ?. We, the true fans of the movie are left feeling somewhat cheated, and so in the end nobody really wins.

Read Best Reviews of Dreamscape (Special Edition) (1984) Here

I am disgusted that companies can market a movie as a blu ray which implies enhanced sound and picture only to provide you with an unaltered straight from DVD transfer. While the sound was on par with standard DVD audio the picture was horrible. The movie had all the little white static-like spots in every frame as if you were watching a high school reel projector movie. It was VHS quality visuals. Nothing is touched up visually from the original movie. The green screen scenes are obvious. And with barely 5 minutes of extras, most of which are still photos, this can hardly be considered a "special edition" of anything.

Image Entertainment has made a name for themselves releasing IMAX and concert blu rays. Reviews of those discs have me scratching my head as to why they would release "Dreamscape" on blu ray at all when they enhance other films for the blu ray upgrade. It is apparent to me this movie came out to capitalize on the upcoming blu ray release of "A Nightmare On Elm Street" which shares some similar themes.

Do not buy this blu ray. You can purchase the "Special Edition" DVD release here on amazon.com for $6.99 or this movie shows up in the Walmart $5 bin from time to time. There is no difference in the quality of the DVD and blu ray releases except for the price. Someone should prevent these companies from releasing "fake" blu rays at once. And amazon.com should pull this release from their site before someone else makes the same mistake I did and purchases this "fake" blu ray.

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Dreamscape is a fun, if undeniably underrated, thriller from the early 1980s. Dennis Quaid plays a psychic who is recruited into a secret, government-funded operation by Max Von Sydow. Under the direction of Von Sydow and colleague Kate Capshaw, Quaid learns how to enter other people's dreams. Amongst other things, this ability allows Quaid to romance the reluctant Capshaw and to help a small boy who is haunted by nightmares involving a demonic creature known as Snake Man (who, years later, remains one of screen history's scariest monsters). However, Quaid also discovers that the real force behind the project is Presidential advisor Christopher Plummer and Plummer has somewhat more sinister goals in mind for Quaid's newfound abilities. President Eddie Albert, it seems, is having nightmares of his own and there leading him to sign a disarmament pact with the Russians. While Plummer makes plan to send his own personal assassin (David Patrick Kelly) into the President's dreams, Quaid and Capshaw struggle to save the President's life.

Dreamscape is an entertaining film that, luckily, doesn't take itself all that seriously. The film itself is a hybrid of several different genres -part horror film, part political conspiracy thriller, part speculative science fiction, and part comedy and director Joseph Ruben manages to pull of an impressive balancing act by seemlessly integrating all of these elements into a cohesive whole that actually holds together pretty well. Ruben keeps the action moving nicely and brings a truly memorable flair to the film's dream sequences. As stated previously, the Snake Man (a creation that would simply be a cartoonish computer-generated image if the film were made today) is still truly frightening and the President's nightmares, with their images of nuclear devastation, still retain their power to disturb. Ruben also gets uniformly good performances from his cast with special praise going to David Patrick Kelly who creates one of the most memorably quirky and hateful film villians of the 1980s. All in all, Dreamscape is a blast from the past that is more than worth tracking down.

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12 Monkeys (1995)

When I saw "12 Monkeys" in the theaters, I thought to myself, "This is one of the greatest films of the past ten years." Despite working with a script written by others and under some stringent studio restrictions, Terry Gilliam more than managed to infuse the story with his trademark approach to movie-making.

I had some reservations going in about the choice of Brad Pitt to play the role of a mentally unbalanced eco-terroist, but Pitt did a marvelous job and really made the character his own. (Viewers who like Pitt in "12 Monkeys" would probably do well to check out his performance in "Fight Club". Tyler Durden is what Jeffery Goins could be if he were less manic.) Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe also turn in terrific performances, especially Willis for whom this was one of his first non-action films. Fans of the old "Batman" TV show will be amused to see Frank Gorshin (the Riddler) as the chief psychiatrist at the mental institution were much of the early part of the film takes place. Christopher Plummer is not given much screen time, but he does an excellent job with what little he has.

As for the story itself, even though many people try to claim that it is about the line between sanity and madness(in the vein of Gilliam's "The Fisher King"), I just do not see it as such. I never doubted Cole's sanity, the future world was too real to make me think that it was a figment of Cole's imagination. And if one did have that impression at first, there was too much revealed early in the film to sustain that belief. I prefer to view the story as an extremely intricate "whodunit", where the viewer actually receives most of the information relevant to the conclusion by about half-way through the film, but in such a jumbled and contradictory manner that the true outcome remains obscure until the last 15 minutes. But of course, this being a Gilliam picture, even after the conclusion is revealed, a final twist is thrown to the viewer. (Note: to appreciate the twist, pay attention to the future scientists. I've known some people who didn't watch closely and they didn't understand the twist as a result.)

Setting aside the film, and considering the DVD, Universal did an excellent job with this release. The documentary "The Hamster Factor" offers some great insights into both "12 Monkeys" and the movie industry in general. And the commentary track with Gilliam and the producer is very good for understanding the process of movie-making, as well as how specific scenes were set up. My only disappointment came with the "Production Notes" feature. If you watch the documentary and listen to the commentary track, the production notes really just repeat what you've previously learned.

Good Science Fiction (weather a book, a movie, tv, whatever) has the power to make us look at ourselves as a society. The events in this movie metaphorically mimic events in our everyday lives. Even though we have not yet discovered time travel, all of the other events in this movie could happen, which is absolutely frightening. This is a dark movie, not for everyone, which has a deep high-minded script and plot (it may take a few watchings to fully understand this one.) The cinematography, directing, and acting are wonderful. Bruce Willis proves that he can do other movies besides his normal action type. He also proved it later in The 6th Sense, but I think this is one of his best performences. As for Brad Pitt, it is his best performance. It's so real that by the end, you'll think he's crazy.

Another important thing to note is to buy the DVD, but not the DTS one. The non-DTS version has an insightful long documentary on the making of the film, the DTS version does not have this. Plus the Dolby Digital sound is excellent in itself.

Most Highly Reccomended.

Buy 12 Monkeys (1995) Now

12 Monkeys is a convoluted tale of time travel, insanity, apocalypse, and who-done-it, with some romance thrown in. What I enjoyed most about it was the twisting and ambiguous path it followed, which was fresh and well thought out, to a point.

Bruce Willis plays Cole, a prisoner in a post-apocalyptic future recruited to do some dangerous time-travel work in the past for a group of very odd scientists. The goal of the work only becomes apparent later, and by then there is confusion about whether Cole is really on the mission he thinks he is or is just deluded. Brad Pitt has a major supporting role hamming it up as another who may or may not be insane.

Ultimately, while I don't think the film does full justice to its premises and possibilities, it does well enough to be entertaining and thought provoking. Director Terry Gilliam's surrealism adds much. The acting is very good on the whole, itself rather surreal in some of the supporting roles. There is some violence showing how disturbed Willis's character is, not bad for an R-rated movie. It's definitely worth seeing to judge for yourself what it's really about.

I want to comment on the things you think about after the film is over, to see how well it holds up. I'll have to go into details you may not want to know about if you haven't seen the film yet, thus the spoiler alert. If you'd like to know what my general conclusions are, without any spoilers, just skip to the last couple paragraphs headed "In Sum."

*SPOILER ALERT*

Madness

There are many points designed to suggest that parts of the film are delusions, but they're balanced by points seeming to show the opposite. There is the over-the-top strangeness of the future (the video ball, serenading scientists, etc.), the obvious parallels between the psych ward and the future prison (similar panels of doctors/scientists, the two guards, etc), the voice that calls Cole "Bob" (moving around as if in his head, though it seems to belong to the wino too), the music in the ruined department store (apparently a premonition (or something) of the time Cole is there in 1996), the lion and bear (again paralleled in 1996, unlikely denizens of a wintry abandoned Philadelphia).

But then Cole's disappearances, the French that Cole himself doesn't understand in WWI (yes, it's real French), the photo of Cole from WWI (though nearly impossibly convenient), the WWI bullet, Cole's knowledge of the boy in the well prank, all seem to settle things conclusively against delusion. That is, unless we're to imagine that not only the future but the whole film is delusions, of Cole (or Bob) and/or Railly, in line with her own fears and the comment by the virus culprit (Morse) that Railly might be succumbing to her Cassandra syndrome. Confusing? That's what Gilliam was aiming for.

In a way, the view that the whole film is largely delusion seems the most coherent overall interpretation, in that it can explain away all failures of logic. But it has trouble explaining how good the logic is. The film, strange and muddled as it is, really does seem far too lucid and coherent to be primarily be a string of delusions.

The End, Time Travel

The ending has stirred much debate. The woman sitting next to the culprit on the plane is one of the scientists from the future. She is presumably there to do exactly what Cole said the scientists planned to do, gather a sample of the virus from before it mutated. According to Cole, the scientists didn't send him to change the past, which he says is impossible. He was sent to gather information, which he did. We must assume that the sample is gathered and that this enables humanity in the future to return to the surface of the planet. It doesn't help the 5 billion killed.

That appears to be the basic sense of the ending, but it has its own loose ends. Why was Cole given the gun, if not to try to change the past? (Jose's line that it's too bad they didn't get the information sooner makes no sense to me in the context of time travel.) The scientist introduces herself on the plane saying, "I'm in insurance," which is a great line if she's a backup for Cole, in case he fails to stop the spread of the virus. But that too implies he could have changed the past. Even getting a sample of the virus seems to change the past. Trying to figure out the point of all of this is further complicated by the the fact that we are shown the virus being released by the culprit when it was being inspected at the airport. By the time Cole tried to shoot him it was already too late. This adds to the pathos, and the confusion.

Some views of time travel allow the past (and future) to change. It could work this way. Young Cole goes to the airport, there is no shooting, he survives the virus, and is eventually sent back, where he is shot, witnessed by young Cole, who survives the virus and is eventually sent back, where he remembers the shooting and gets shot (the scene we see near the end of the film). This would allow one more twist in the film, one suspected by some optimistic viewers. Railly, recognizing the boy Cole, would tell the boy to remember that the culprit wasn't the 12 monkeys gang but Dr. Goine's assistant. Then Cole could conceivably grow up and loop back one more time, this time preventing the virus from ever being released, and getting the girl. There is no hint of this, however. Had the filmmakers wanted to hint at the possibility, they easily could have (by having Railly whisper something in the boy Cole's ear, for example).

In Sum

All in all, the film is stimulating and fun but ultimately more frustrating than it might have been. I like a film that provokes thought, but I tend to prefer one that rewards it with additional insights and clarity. That only goes so far here, and then things seem impossible, muddled or otherwise unsatisfying. There is a certain postmodern sensibility that prefers just this kind of lack of clarity and incomplete logic. I don't know if that was intended here or just came about accidentally (I suspect some of each), but if that sensibility is your thing, you should love this film.

The DVD anamorphic video and 5.1 audio quality are fine. There is commentary track with director Gilliam and producer Charles Roven, and a full-length making-of documentary. Both are interesting and worth the time, but don't expect answers to the puzzles the film leaves, other than a hint or two expressed as personal opinion.

Read Best Reviews of 12 Monkeys (1995) Here

If you're a fan of 12 Monkeys, the blu-ray version is absolutely the best version to own. Calling it "not blu-ray quality" is humorous and also shows ignorance. That reviewer knows little about how this movie is supposed to look. Not every blu-ray is "supposed" to look like Crank or Pirates of the Caribbean. He probably thought the Godfather looked bad on blu-ray, too. 12 Monkeys looks exactly how it should on blu-ray and probably the best it will ever look.

Also, what most casual blu-ray fans/reviewers never mention is the lossless audio I'm guessing because they don't even know what that is, and they're the same people that thought forever they were watching HD because they owned an HDTV, or the people that think they're getting a deal by spending only $70 on an HDMI cable on sale at Best Buy. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is a huge step up over whatever lossy track the DVD and HD DVD offered.

Don't hesistate to grab this. It's reasonably priced with a well-done transfer and great audio strong use of surround sound and a crystal clear lossless track.

Want 12 Monkeys (1995) Discount?

12 Monkeys has an unusual pedigree. It was inspired by Chris Marker's brilliant short film Le Jete; written by David Peeples and his spouse (co-screenwriter of Blade Runner, writer of The Unforgiven and Solider); stars Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Madeline Stowe and directed by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam. It was also released by the very same studio that tried to butcher his masterpiece Brazil during the 80's. Who'd have thunk?

The plot is fairly straight forward for a Gilliam directed film: Bruce Willis is a convict sent back in time to find information on a deadly virus that destroys much of humanity. The survivors have to move underground (somewhat like in The Time Machine).This virus also insinuates itself into the environment making it impossible for humanity to return to the surface. Willis is to report whatever he finds out before returning home. For doing all this he'll receive a pardon. They want to find information on the 12 Monkeys the terrorist group that took responsibility for the attack and prevent it from occurring.

Willis meets a therapist played by Madeline Stowe when he's taken to a mental institution in our world. It's clear that he's disturbed but is that due to the travel through time? Did his fragmented mind make up the entire story? Stowe has to deal with all of this when she is kidnapped later in the film. Willis has fallen in love with her and tries to convince her his tale is true. Now they're on the run from the police and must find out who is behind the 12 Monkeys and where they have the virus.

The performances are sharp. Willis is particularly good at playing the sad sack time traveler condemned to wonder if he is insane or truly on a hero's mission. Stowe plays the therapist well and injects humanity into a role that could have been routine in the wrong hands. Brad Pitt plays his most bizarre and interesting role yet. I don't recall if he was nominated for an Academy Award but he should have been.

Gilliam's direction is self assured and powerful. He manages to blur the real and imagined in such a way that we're not certain about Willis' sanity. This interesting group of talented artists have created a terrific movie. It's not for everyone though as Gilliam's dark view of humanity and his use of satire might not appeal to everyone. Gilliam and the writers have managed to make an interesting short into a full bodied motion picture.

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Ocean Heaven (2010)

This has been touted as Jet Li's first starring non-action drama. While that is interesting it is probably the wrong approach to think of Li's past roles before watching this movie. This is a simple bittersweet realist drama that is a moving cinematic experience because of the earnest performances. Jet Li's minimalist characterization is the right approach for his character Wang Xuechang and quite different than his action persona. The director describes Li's character as "like a man who has become a mother." He is described by others in the film as a good man, which he is. He is doing the best he can with this situation with dogged determination, not with brilliance or luck, but perseverance. Wang is a maintenance work for an aquarium and had lost his wife fourteen years ago. He also has complete responsibility of his son Dafu (Wen Zhang: also acts with Jet Li in the later The Sorcerer and the White Snake) who suffers from severe autism. Wang is also dying from liver cancer and is given around three months to live.

The film stars off inauspiciously. Wang takes his son out to the ocean to drown him and himself. This does not work because the son had secretly untied the rope and the son has one special gift in his mostly closed world -he is an excellent swimmer. So Wang goes back to his home and work determined to leave his son prepared for his passing while his pains get worse by the day. At first he tries to find a place where he can leave his son. But either the institutions are for kids or seniors which the 22-year old does not qualify. While this proves difficult he also spends time going over simple behaviors like riding the bus, cooking eggs, and spending money so he can have some semblance of a normal life.

While Dafu spends his days swimming in the aquarium tanks he befriends a travelling circus clown and juggler Ling Ling (Kwai Lun-mei: also acts with Jet Li in the later Flying Swords of Dragon Gate; she also sings a song for the film) who also gives Dafu someone else to trust. But given that her life is nomadic and that Wang's life is slowly ebbing away you are left to wonder what is going to happen to Dafu.

This is Xue Xiao-lu's first directed film. Her only other screen credit is for the writing on Chen Kaige's Together. Xue has stated she has worked on this project fourteen years, referring to her volunteer work with autistic children, and by the time the screenplay got to be read by Jet Li it was in its seventh draft. What is impressive is the crew that was put together for this film. For the cinematography you have Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Hero), for the music you have Joe Hisaishi (Kikujiro, Spirited Away) and production design by Yee Chung-man (Tokyo Raiders, Shaolin). Having this triumvirate is quite unbelievable considering the modest budget. Their collaboration helps the film immensely in sound and image.

This is a beautiful looking film. The cinematography and production design is dominated by blue hues throughout as a constant allegory to the water in their lives. The acting from Li and especially Wen is quite good. There relationship is quite touching as is the relationship between Dafu and Ling Ling. That one is underplayed, but I think that is the right decision for this film. So much of the success of this film depends on how Wen portrays his character's interactions with these two. There are no magical solutions to the familial issues, just a lot of hard work from caring people. There are no real antagonists in this story. Some might consider this a negative, but the movie does not need it. I am glad, because Dafu's life is difficult enough and the movie is emotional enough. I had to watch it in two sittings because the first half depressed me quite a bit. I do recommend this movie and hope those who are on the fence about watching this to give it a watch. I think it is quite a good film.

There are certainly some parallels between this film and Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung's Heart of Dragon. Both films were dramatic roles dealing with a caretaker having no choice in dealing with a mentally challenged relative and both were popular action stars getting a chance to expand their acting repertoire. This film also reminds me of Zhang Yang's underrated Shower in which the relationship between Er Ming and Liu parallels that of the two main characters here. There is also a water motif present in both films though I think the allegory is stronger in Shower and more matter-of-fact here. I mention these films because both are interesting and different approaches to similar matter. Shower is also one of my favorite films.

I saw this on the R1 Well Go DVD release. But there is also a R1 BD/DVD combo available from Well Go which should have the same extras. For the extras there is an 11 minute "Making of" extra which has interviews from Jet Li, Kwai Lun-mei, Wen Zhang and Xue Xiao-lu and inserted footage from the movie. It has some good information, but is ultimately too short. There is a trailer and a teaser for the movie as well. The start-up trailers (not accessible by menu) are 1911, The Stool Pigeon and The Man From Nowhere. I found a mistake in the description on the back cover which uses names for the two characters (Sam and David) that appear nowhere in the film and there is no English dub so I am not sure where they came from. The two dubs for this are a Mandarin 5.1 Dolby and a Mandarin Dolby Stereo. There is also an R3 Edko release of this film that came out in 2010.

In the past several years, there's been a tremendous increase of awareness surrounding the nature of autism. To be correct, autism is medically known as, either, Autism or Autism Spectral Disorder (ASD); both terms define a group of disorders associated to the development of the human brain. Typically, persons suffering autism display difficulty in interacting socially; in fact, they may experience difficulty with any form of communication. They may engage in repetitive behaviors repeating sounds or phrases, arranging and re-arranging objects and furniture, flapping or waving of the hands and/or fingers, etc. Of course, there are other vastly more serious and complicated medical symptoms and realities; but the end result is that when dealing with the traditional parent-child relationship it becomes increasingly difficult to responsibly raise a sufferer who neither completely grasps the direction or advice offered nor possesses the skills to adequately define any cause for alarm to the parent. Still, the parent continues on out of love and that's the central theme behind writer/director Xue Xiaolu's latest film, OCEAN HEAVEN.

To his surprise, widowed handyman Sam Wong (played by Jet Li) discovers that he's entering the final stages of an advanced terminal illness. In normal circumstances, Wong would simply go about spending some quality time of shoring up his own personal affairs; however, he must put the desire to square up his relationships aside in order to place all of his effort into securing some reasonable future for his 22-year-old son, David (Lunmei Kwai), a victim of autism so severe that he lacks anything resembling a normal existence and quite possibly won't survive independently. With no other family or institution available to assist with this highly personal challenge, Wong fights an uphill struggle to connect once-and-for-all with the boy in a way that can give him half-a-chance to live in a world he's always at odds with.

The film opens with a sequence I won't go into any specifics here so that I don't spoil it for any viewers that I found a bit off-putting. It isn't the sequence itself that I found a bit problematic it's a fact that, in the scope of time, I was at a loss to understand what had legitimately `happened' at the opening until a bit later in the film. (Trust me: once you see the film, I have no doubt you'll probably understand what I'm referencing.) It's a small quibble, but I think it should've been either handled a bit differently or given a better explanation earlier than it does; there are hints, but it's never fully explained until later than I believed was helpful to the narrative. What it did (for me) was throw me for a loop: I am watching these events in their proper chronology or is the picture `as a flashback'? To my delight, it worked out the way I hoped no harm, no foul but, as I stated, I believe it could've been handled better. Who knows? It may even have been something lost in the film's translation (subtitles).

That small quibble aside, OCEAN HEAVEN is nothing short of pure cinematic brilliance.

In his hands as David, Kwai embodies so much of the picture with an infectiously youthful innocence. Director Xiaolu clearly goes to great lengths to capture how David's perspective on the larger world outside flavors so much of the young man's perceptions. To be precise, Xiaolu even tries to great effect to display "how" David sees the world, positioning the camera to record what the young man's exact visual impressions would be. In the hands of a lesser director, it could have all ended up more than a bit maudlin an aggressive film-school narrative trick unintentionally demeaning the `affliction du jour' but it works here, winningly, and that's because of respectful attention given to the material. As David's counterpoint presenting the point-of-view which most movie watchers will identify with Li gives an exceptionally convincing performance as the troubled father. Clearly, this aquarium worker has lived a humble life one entirely dedicated to raising his boy after the death of the mother. This grounding in reality in the hands of man who accomplishes `fixing' things but yet can't even begin to understand how to `fix' his child gives OCEAN HEAVEN the chance to not so much be an advocacy picture in support of treating autism so much as it sticks to a central theme no one can find controversy in: at all times, be a good parent. So much of the father/son relationship works here because the two characters remain `committed' to one another in this crippled reality both are shown struggling to find their respective voices instead of securing a grand solution suitable for a motion picture audience. It's always poignant. It's always relevant. It's always reverential to that central struggle, not the players, and that's why it excels on so many levels.

The production is impressive. The director put a tremendous amount of work in securing not only a certain look but, as well, a certain environment for the story, and it's photography beautifully. Colors are rich and vibrant when needed, and they're necessarily muted when the story calls for it. Sound presentation is equally important, and no expense has been shared. It's a top notch production given a top notch pressing here. There's a brief `making of' featurette essentially a series of intercut interviews and trailers, but nothing else.

HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION. I went into this one with, seriously, very little expectations. I mean ... Jet Li? In a dramatic role ... as a single father suffering a terminal illness? It's nothing short of wonderful if not heart-wrenchingly so at times a brilliant story of one man's acceptance of the fact that connecting with his autistic son may not only mean bringing the son into his world but also having the courage and conviction to live forever in the boy's world.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Well Go USA provided me with a DVD screener copy of OCEAN HEAVEN for the expressed purposes of writing this review.

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As the dad of an autistic boy, I was very moved by this film. I'm not well versed in foreign films nor Jet Li's work, so I was drawn to it simply by the subject matter. Even though I just happened to stumble upon this DVD, I'm glad I watched it. It is a beautiful story with authentic acting and very visually appealing.

The most impressive thing about this film is the accurate portrayal of the challenges between a father and autistic child. The very real fear of who will care for your child after you're gone, the frustrations over your inability to connect with your child and the one way nature of expressed love are all dead on in this film. Xiao Lu Xue's (Director & Screenwriter) many years of service with autistic children and their families create a true to life account of a Dad and son.

Kudos to Xiao Lu Xue, Jet Li, Lunmei Kwai and all involved in this special movie.

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If you want a movie you can cry along with-then this is for you. Fantastic performances all across the board. No English dialog but that does NOT take away from the movie. Highly recommended.

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I just loved this movie, although I must admit up front that there are few Jet Li movies I don't like! A definite departure from the martial arts genre for Jet Li in this touching, sad, moving and emotional drama of a father trying to help his autistic son gain some independence before the father dies. It was hard not to invest yourself in Jet Li's character. Jet Li's performance is understated but amazing and I really hope he adds more dramas like this to his repertoire of movies as well as his more usual martial arts films. The guy who played the autistic boy also did a very, very good job in his part. I like Jet Li in dramas and he also did an outstanding job in The Warlords with Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro. I recommend Oceans Heaven.

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Safe (2012)

You're a man with no friends left in the world thinking about doing yourself and your enemies a favor and ending your life. Moments before you can carry out your plan, however, you see a young girl in need of your help. Do you go to her aid? If your answer is no, you just shortened this movie by about 98%.

When we first meet Luke Wright (played by Jason Statham), he's won a mixed martial arts bout that the Russian mob "encouraged" him to lose. An easy enough task given the fact that he already had a losing record. After they assault him, he believes the worst is behind him. That proves to be false when he returns home to find members of the same Russian mob have killed his girlfriend (or wife, I'm not entirely sure and the information sources I've checked are silent on the matter). Rather than kill him, he's left as the prime suspect in the homicide and told to leave the mob's territory. On the other side of the world, a ten year-old Chinese student named Mei (played by Catherine Chan in her first feature film) demonstrates an exceptional gift for remembering numbers regardless of length or complexity. When the nature of her gift becomes common knowledge in her hometown, she becomes the ward of a local businessman with consent of her father whose hands are full thanks to her mother's serious illness. The businessman is a member of the Triads, Chinese organized crime for those who are unfamiliar, and intends to use her gift in America in lieu of written or computer files, as both can be seized by law enforcement. In time, they trust her unflinchingly and ask her to remember a very long number and relay it to the Russians who will give her another number to bring back. But when her escorts are shot en route to the Russians, she runs and they chase her. She makes it to the subway where a despondent Luke (Statham) subdues her pursuers and makes himself the one man in New York who the Triads, the Russians, and the NYPD officers on their payroll all want dead.

Now, I like Jason Statham. While I don't own copies of any film in either the Transporter series or the Crank series, I do own DVDs of The Mechanic and Death Race despite the fact that both films received generally negative reviews from the majority of critics. However that might reflect on my credibility, I thought that this was a very entertaining action film.

The film opens with Luke Wright (Jason Statham) as a Jersey ring fighter. While fighting an Internet sensation, Statham was supposed to take a dive. He hit the guy once and put him into a coma to the dismay of the Russian mafia who then kills his family and anyone who talks to Statham. While contemplating suicide, Jason espies a Chinese girl attempting to avoid the same Russian mafia. With nothing to lose, Jason springs into action.

The girl (Catherine Chan) has memorized a safe combination for the Chinese mafia, which the Russians want. In order to save the girl, Statham must battle the Russian mafia, Chinese mafia, and the crooked NYPD who are on the take. Jason has a past that makes him more than qualified to take them on.

The movie has numerous chase scenes, shoot outs, fights, and general tough guy stuff. We get a glimpse of Statham doing some compassionate acting (he actually sheds a tear) and let me say... "It ain't pretty." The heartless cold calculating tough guy is his best role. Jason and the girl have good chemistry, there just wasn't enough of it. Good intensity. Good pace, i.e. decent editing.

PARENTAL GUIDE: F-bombs, no sex or nudity.

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This is a very good film. Very entertaining. And if you are a fan of Jason Statham this movie will not disappoint.

This is an action film. Pure action. So if you're looking for a drama piece, go somewhere else.

It starts with Statham's character witnessing his wife get killed and then being allowed to live by the Russian mob only so they can torment him. He runs into a little girl that has been forced to work for the Chinese mob. He saves her and all hell breaks loose. Suddenly, the cops, the Chinese, and the Russians are all after him and the combination to a safe that the girl holds in her head.

The movie is fast paced and never slows down. Action packed and explosive. Yeah there are a lot of unreal moments in it, but this is a movie after all. However, it is not meant for children. The plot is solid an dI love how he sticks it to everyone that is chasing him in the end.

Watch it. You'll be glad you did.

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As the other reviewers have already noted, its Jason Statham movie time and this time we have one of his most well rounded roles as an ex-cop who gets involved in an incredible story line involving the Russian and Chinese Mafias mixed with infiltrated bad guys in the NY Police department leading all the way to the Mayor played by Chris Sarandon. The performances throughout are outstanding and we even have a memorable cameo by Anson Mount who is brilliant on the AMC series 'HELL ON WHEELS' who has a history with Statham's character. It also marks the film debut of Catherine Chan as Mia, the uber child with the fantastic memory who carries the story along with Statham on her little shoulders. She is so good , she makes it look like she's been doing it since child birth. .The usual chases and shoot outs ensue but Director Boaz Yakin gives each sequence a fresh tone making you think you are seeing them for the first time(if that makes sense). The action never displaces the characters motivations and makes you feel for both sides of the coin. My favorite line is when Sarandon tells Statham that he has balls coming to his office to which Statham retorts ,'Yeah, they're so heavy, I can't walk'. The Blu-Ray has an excellent 7.1 DTS-HD Audio Master track and is presented in a 2.35 aspect ratio. It also contains audio commentary by the director and 3 featurettes on the stunt work and the actors on the production. I anticipate every movie featuring Jason Statham who seems to have evolved into the Steve McQueen of our generation and like him , he never disappoints. His performance is lethal but emotional in this one and show his ability to stretch making his living nightmare all the more tragic in his isolation. The climax also leaves the option of a sequel so lets hope Director Yakin delivers it. It's going to be hard to top this one.

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Well it has to be said, that the action genre has not been up to standards lately, and it seems like the action era has ended by the end of the 90s, until Statham showed up !!

this movie is one of the better entertaining action movies in recent years, I really enjoyed every part of it and it took me back to the Die Hard and 90s years when action films were on top.

Don't get me wrong, its not a perfect film or an Oscar nominated movie, but it truly does deliver pure entertainment and an enjoyable movie experience.

the movie is somewhat similar to 1998 Mercury Rising starring the one and only Bruce Willis, only Safe was more brutal and much more action packed !! sorry Bruce

it revolves around a broken and fallen ex-cop Luke Wright " Statham " who lost almost everything in his life and who hit rock bottom, but once his path is crossed by the young and helpless Chinese girl Mei who is being hunted by every scum bag and corrupt cop in NYC because of her possession of a safe code, the inner fighter in Luke wakes up and now he has a new goal in life, protect Mei and bring down the bad guys !! the plot sounds like something that Jackie Chan would usually do, thankfully, the role fell to Statham who really made the difference here !!

I like Jackie Chan, but come on, he is not brutal enough !

A very well written script for a simple plot, very fast paced and not to mention action packed, Statham really stretches his muscles here, lots of well choreographed fighting sequences, some fantastic shoot out scenes one of which takes place in a night club that was adrenaline pumping, the action was brutal.

I also liked how they gathered around some good actors playing the villains or bad guys, characters ranging from Russian mobsters to Chinese gangsters and even corrupt Cops.

I strongly believe that Jason Statham has emerged as the new action star of the new millennium, he is what Van Damme, Scwharezzenger and Stallone were in the 90s, he has all what it takes to be the ultimate action star and his acting is pretty good too. I can't deny the efforts of Stallone to bring the action genre back with his newest movies like the Expendables 2 , but for now, Statham is on top.

so in short, out of all those B grade action films out there, its nice to see a very well crafted action packed movie that is pure entertainment, thank you Statham !!

highly recommended !!

4.5 out of 5

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The Skeleton Key (2005)

Almost every film you watch requires some level of suspension of disbelief. Some genres (Sci-Fi, Horror, Musicals, etc.) require more than others (drama). I am willing to give any film the benefit of the doubt and fully "buy into" the world the filmmakers attempt to create. Because of this, I expect a lot from the filmmakers in return. If they expect me to take that leap of faith, I expect them to deliver believable characters, an interesting, involving story and to make me laugh, believe, get frightened, whatever the story would dictate. If they do that, I usually enjoy the film. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen enough. If they don't, the film becomes a mess. "The Skeleton Key", the new thriller starring Kate Hudson, is a film requiring a fair amount of suspension of disbelief. The key to unlocking its success is to make everything believable. Does it accomplish that?

Caroline (Kate Hudson), a hospice worker in New Orleans, becomes so disillusioned with her job that she answers an ad for a private in-home caregiver in a parish about an hour out of the city. Upon arrival, she meets Violet (Gena Rowlands), the wife of her new patient, Ben (John Hurt). Violet is reluctant to have strangers in her house, a large plantation home that has seen better days, but their lawyer, Luke (Peter Sarsgaard, "Kinsey") insists that she get help for Ben during his last days; he had a heart attack while working in the attic and is now paralyzed on both sides of his body, unable to speak or move. Caroline accepts the job and soon receives a skeleton key that will open every door in the house. Exploring the house, she soon makes her way up to the attic and begins to discover some strange things.

"The Skeleton Key", directed by Iain Softley ("K-PAX") and written by Ehren Kruger ("The Ring Two", "The Ring", "Arlington Road"), is that strange thing; a thriller with good performances, good writing, good directing and only the occasional cheap thrill.

All of the performances in the film are very good. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Kate Hudson who takes a 180* turn from the "comedies" she has been subjecting us to for the last few years. She does a really good job in this very dramatic role. As a 25 year old dealing with issues of her father's death, Hudson's Caroline becomes a caregiver. Disillusioned by the economics of her job in the city, she takes a job in the country, caring for one man. She soon realizes that perhaps there is more gong on than meets the eye. During the course of the film, she tries to figure things out. Unlike most thrillers or scary movies, Caroline seems to have a head on her shoulders. She doesn't believe in "Hoodoo", an offshoot of voodoo which features prominently in the film, or spirits or ghosts, so when she makes the inevitable trip to the "dark room", in this case, the attic, it happens during the middle of the day. It is still a bit frightening, but at least she has the common sense to not make this trip in the dead of night. As she learns things, she uses this new knowledge to help her. She also asks for help. In most thrillers, the female lead usually lacks all of these traits. This, and the gravitas or her back story, help to give Caroline a resonance, a weight that we don't often see.

Gena Rowlands, is, as always, good. Violet is the big question mark in the story. Is she involved in the sinister goings-on, or not? Generally, this type of character would have wild mood swings, one moment, she is evil incarnate, the next, sweet as pie. Thankfully, Rowlands plays it more subdued. What really helps the character is that she is presented as an old woman "set in her ways", "old-fashioned", "distraught over her husband's condition". Because of this, her character is more subtle and there are more shades of gray to all of her actions, which can be attributed to her "set-ways". Even when she is being nice to Caroline, she is a bit abrupt and when she is abrupt, we get a sense there is a shade of kindness. Rowland's performance aids the well-written character keeping us guessing what and if there is something lying underneath.

John Hurt's performance is the trickiest because he uses almost no words throughout. The victim of a stroke, paralyzed on both sides, Ben can't move a muscle. But his eyes move, and they dart back and forth, or convey the anguish or terror he feels. At one point, Caroline is bathing him and gets soap in her eye, using a compact to make sure it is gone, she remembers Violet's admonition to keep mirrors out of the house "because they show the spirits walking throughout". Caroline opens the compact and places it in front of Ben's face. When she does this, Ben begins thrashing about. Finally, able to soothe him, Caroline apologizes. It really is amazing to experience all of these emotions through an actor who basically uses only his eyes throughout the performance.

The film is very well-written and well-directed. Throughout, writer Kruger and director Softley give us clues, and even a few red herrings, but some of these are so well-hidden that we aren't able to piece everything together until the very end, when the secrets are revealed to Hudson's Caroline. At this point, your mind will click back to all of the clues and you will, hopefully, realize how clever everything is. The ending has a neat little twist, which I didn't see coming, but now that I know what it is, it all makes sense. How refreshing for a film to make sense, to connect the dots through the many layers of the story.

Director Softley seems tailor made for this film. His last film "K-PAX" was a mess, but in "Key", he immerses us immediately in Caroline's world, starting the film without any credits of any kind. As we learn about Caroline's back-story, her character becomes more believable and real to us. After she arrives at the plantation, and is given the skeleton key, there are many shots of the interior of locks, as the key opens another door, and Caroline explores the house. This is an interesting metaphor for her learning secrets. The film is also remarkably free of the dumb thriller and horror film clichés so rife in other examples. As mentioned, Caroline asks for help, looks around in the middle of the day, and learns. There are also few, if any cheap thrills generated by "stray black cats". There is one scene in which Caroline wakes up in the middle of the night and immediately jumps out of bed wearing only panties and a t-shirt to investigate a sound. If it were me, I would've thrown on a pair of sleep bottoms before running around in a large, dark plantation house. But these types of typical horror/ thriller movie clichés are few and far between here.

"The Skeleton Key" is a surprisingly well-written, acted and directed thriller complete with a clever twist which is well connected to the rest of the story.

The Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson is an interesting horror flick. I enjoyed this film very much, Hudson plays Caroline, she takes care of ill elders. She arrives at a house in New Orleans and strange things begin to happen to the man she is taking care of. A fantastic and scary performance by Gena Rowlands, who knew she could convel such an evil old lady so well. Watch out for the twist ending, didn't see that one coming. Hudson is great as always, she should do more of these types of films. I highly recommend The Skeleton Key!

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Iain Softley's "The Skeleton Key" is a deliciously creepy entertainment for a lazy afternoon or evening. Softley builds the story slowly, marinating us in the spooky atmosphere of a dilapidated Louisiana bayou mansion, until we're just as hypnotized as the hapless heroine. That heroine, played by Kate Hudson, comes to the house to help a tart-tongued old woman (Gena Rowlands) take care of her stroke-immobilized husband (John Hurt). From there, she gets far more embroiled than she'd like in the hoodoo-laced history of the house and its inhabitants. Working from a screenplay by Ehren Krueger ("The Ring"), Softley places the pieces of the story in jigsaw-puzzle fashion; the placement of the last piece knocks you for a loop with a surprise ending you'll be thinking about for days. Hudson--who has much of her mother's charm, plus a certain pizzazz all her own--gives a totally satisfying performance as the heroine; Hurt (in a nearly wordless performance) and Rowlands also are excellent, as is Peter Sarsgaard as the family lawyer. As with all good thrillers, "The Skeleton Key" messes with our minds, rather than our gag reflexes. If you're a fan of "The Twilight Zone" (the TV series, that is, not the movie), chances are you'll love this.

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I was initially told, when my friends organized a night at the cinema, that this movie was written by the guy who wrote the Hollywood version of the Japanese horror movie "The Ring". Fully expecting it to be gross and scary, I was pleasantly surprised that "The Skeleton Key" is not. It's one of those sort of horror genre movies that leaves you guessing until the end. Reminded me of Nicole Kidman's "The Others". I'll advice anybody who will be watching "The Others" or "The Skeleton Key" on DVD/video to do it in one sitting, one go, without pauses in between for bathroom breaks or what not. Turn the lights down, turn the volume up and get ready to get jumpy.

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I don't want to go into a lot of detail here because like "The Sixth Sense" there is a point toward the end of this film when the observant viewer will realize what's really happening here. And if you are really paying attention you willfigure it out perhaps a little earlier than what was intended by the director, but that's ok. I don't want to spoil the fun for you so I won't elaborate.

This film is beautifully shot and acted especially John Hurt who doesn't get to speak. How challenging is that? Skeleton Key is full of dark, cypress tree, hoodoo, alligator Louisiana bayou mystery. My wife wanted to see it and I was actually sort of "ok, whatever" when she picked this up to rent. After seeing Skeleton Key I purchased a copy and I don't buy very many movies on DVD.

As far as critics who panned this movie go, don't let them put you off. My guess is the production team didn't hand out really nice goody-bags at the theatrical pre-release party. That's the ONLY explanation for a bad review because this really is a very good movie.

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Astro Boy (2009)

Astroboy is an interesting movie. I went and saw this movie a few days after it released in theatres. I kinda remember the cartoon as a kid and this helped to relive those memories. Astroboy is a robot that has superpowers and uses them to save people and the world.

Astroboy is a character that dates back to the 1950's when it was created by Osamu Tezuka. Astro is really well known in Japan and there were several of the cartoon series came here to the United States.

The movie follows the story pretty well but at the same time adds a few new things here and there to not just be a copy and paste kind of story.

There are some spoilers ahead:.......

In the manga (or comic) and now Movie is a boy named Toby who dies in an accident and his father Dr. Tenma builds a robot to be just like Toby. The scene may scare some children that are really young but personally they did it tastefully and there are no gory scenes or anything. (For the parents you see a bright flash and his hat is lying on the ground). Alot of parents were upset by this however many movies made by Disney and so forth have had characters die in their movies constantly but people still praise them.

I suppose since it is a young boy they feel that it should not occur but the producers of the film wanted to keep the orgin of Astro as close as possible.

The movie was pretty well done. There's some drama in along with action and that was pretty good. It helped lead into the action sequences instead of being non-stop action or drama. I liked this film since it was something everyone could enjoy. I went with my mom, dad, and 7 year old niece. She really enjoyed it and the whole family wants it on DVD and blu-ray. I do not remember any bad language as well.

I feel that if people gave Astroboy a chance they will enjoy it. We've watched many kids films like Kung Fu Panda, Monsters Vs Aliens, and so on recently and this was one we all could watch no problem.

The movie looks great but in this day and age it is hard to compete with kids films since many come along on a constant basis. I really enjoy the Pixar films like the Incredibles, Toy Story, etc and I put Astroboy on par with them. I feel that this movie was definitely better than some of the recent kid films.

I also would encourage people if they are interested to check out the cartoons. They are actually pretty good. I bought them since I barely remember them as a kid and I am glad I did. The 80's set is really good. It covers some serious topics while still having that cute appeal for kids. They are on amazon and really inexpensive as well.

I'll attempt to break it down for people.

Pros: 1.Based on a popular character in Japan

2. Something both adults and children can enjoy

3. No bad language and little potty humor (if any)

4. Pretty good voice actors as well.

Cons: 1. Fans of the old cartoons may not like the new look

Hope everyone has a great day!

The movie "Astro Boy" is a delight to the eye, mind and heart. The production design is especially enjoyable; from the futuristic Art Deco architecture of the floating Metro City to the open, expressive innocence of Astro's face, the film gives the viewer a pleasing visual palette unsurpassed even by Pixar. The action sequences are top-notch and inspire excitement and exhilaration, especially when Astro takes his first flight into open sky. The voice actors were well-chosen and give moving performances: in particular, Nick Cage as the grieving, conflicted Dr. Tenma and Freddie Highmore as the courageous, put-upon misfit Astro are standouts, while Kristen Bell as Astro's human friend Cora lends the character the perfect balance between tough and tender; as a happy result, Cora's confusion when she discovers her new friend is a robot, and her eventual resolve to love him just the same, are emotional highlights of the film. But "Astro Boy"'s most significant achievement is the movie's ability to wring the hearts of its viewers. Astro inspires our sympathies with his struggles, and our cheers when he finally proves his worth. He is easily the successor to another wronged cinematic hero, Simba of The Lion King. Suffice it to say, this film deserved far more attention and praise than it got; it's easily one of the best animated films of 2009. I've seen it at the theater several times; seen, over and over, the delighted reaction to the film from children and their parents; and I would willingly see it again. And I can't wait to buy it on DVD.

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What a fun, cool, movie! Astro Boy was one awesome ride! It has action, a wonderful voice cast and the animation is beautiful! (Sometimes some of us need a break from 3D) Now I'm a HUGE anime fan so I was really looking forward to seeing this movie and I loved every second. And I really believe, Astro Boy could be a movie for a lot of children to like maybe not little ones. But for kids who love superheroes Astro Boy IMO is perfect! My family loved it! And on Blue Ray it's amazing just too look at! Astro Boy is truly one of my favorite movies that I have seen in a LONG time! =)

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I was not exposed to astro boy comics, so i saw the movie completely unbiased (if anything i was reluctant to watch it owing to bad ratings).

anyway, I was blown away by the story and the awesome quality of the movie.

its sad that this movie didn't succeed even though its exceeds in all respects other crap movies like "Monster vs Aliens" and "Cloudy iuth chance of meat balls", which are unoriginal and uncreative and utterly boring.

I dare say this movie even beats Incredibles and is on par with many pixar movies.

It goes to show how fortunes can be turned around by propaganda

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Astro Boy got skewered by critics and did terribly at the box-office, but it really wasn't as bad as the reviewers or IMDB's low rating suggest. Of all the Japanese to US adaptations to come along in the last 10 years or so, this is certainly not the worst. Godzilla, Speed Racer [Blu-ray], and the abysmal Dragonball: Evolution come to mind (please don't ever watch that last one!). Astro Boy does a fairly good job of bringing Osamu Tezuka's iconic creation -now almost 60 years old -into the 21st Century and putting it in front of a new generation of fans. Die-hard fans will surely bristle at some of the changes, but certain liberties were taken for this American production, such as slightly altering Astro's face and modifying some of the names (Professor Ochanomizu becomes Elefun), but the look of the main characters are more or less faithful. The producers also gave Toby/Astro clothes because going topless nowadays in a film would just be weird for modern audiences.

Storywise, the plot is very average and well-trodden, but it's aimed at kids, who may not care much about originality. A predictably ego-maniacal politician, President Stone, seizes a new scientific discovery (meteor power core) to power a military robot called "The Peacekeeper" in order to bolster his popularity for an upcoming election. Things go wrong, as they inevitably do with the ill-conceived plans of villains, then Astro (Mighty Atom in the original Japanese) comes to save the day. In the middle is a stretch of plot about Toby becoming an outcast and leaving the floating metropolis Metro City to discover his destiny amidst the rubbish, castaways, and orphaned kids of the surface world. Astro Boy is partly Pinocchio, partly A.I. Artificial Intelligence, partly Wall-E, and partly pure sci-fi summer blockbuster action. The voice cast turns in a decent performance, with the exception of Donald Sutherland as Stone, who is leaden and monotone.

If you're willing to let yourself go and take in the gorgeous CGI and beautifully rendered artwork, you might enjoy this animation. Visually, the film looks amazing, and you should really see it in hi-def instead of DVD. Produced by a HK-based animation studio, the sets are lavishly-detailed and the film just looks stunning. Overall, not a bad film and certainly enjoyable by kids and adults alike.

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HD MOODS: AQUARIUM - Blu-Ray (2008)

This product is exactly what it claims to be a colorful, mostly high quality blu ray of a couple of aquariums. Of course it's no substitute for the real thing, but I have my 52" LCD built into a cabinet and it definitely gives the ambiance of having a built-in aquarium. It injects a sense of calm into the room while we're sitting around talking or reading.

The shots are all fixed no panning, no zooming. Each shot is a portion of an aquarium that stays fixed for a few minutes, then it cuts to another portion of the same aquarium.

It's 1080p so it fills your 16x9 screen with no bars at the top or side.

There are 3 scenes to choose from:

Tank 1 a colorful tank with various types of coral and a dozen or so tropical fish that make appearances at various times.

Tank 2 a more natural setting with more muted colors. There are some flourishes of fish, but mostly the fish population is fairly sparse throughout most of this one. The camera cuts to a slightly different view after a few minutes showing more of a close up of the large sea anemone but putting the coral in the background pretty out of focus. It's probably intentional, but a little distracting if you're staring at it certainly not a scene to use to show off your HDTV. Like the others, after a few more minutes it cuts to another view of the tank with quite a few colorful fish in this one.

Bonus Tank a closeup on a conch shell in what appears to be Tank 1, with a few Nemo fish hanging out. It's ok, but I don't see myself using this much, if at all.

I find Tank 1 to be the best very relaxing with lots of color, and fish on the screen at all times.

It automatically switches from tank 1 to tank 2 with about 5 seconds of black screen between the two, so if you want just one tank, you'll need to set your player to repeat the chapter you want.

As far as audio goes, there are 3 soundtracks available in either 5.1 surround or 2 channel stereo:

Natural aquarium bubble sounds. This is for ambience so the sound is mixed way in the background.

Calm relaxing spa type electronic music. Ok, except for the drone that enters and exits once a minute or so that sounds like an airplane flying through your media room strange.

Slow more spa type new agey music with a synthesizer loosely mimicking air bubbles.

The music is ok, but not my taste. Fortunately you can set it to natural and just listen to the bubbles or set your receiver or TV to play another music source.

All in all, especially considering the low price, I'm pleased with this one.

I was worried about the video quality after reading a few reviews, but this has lived up to my expectations. I am using on a 46in Samsung 1080p television, and it looks really sharp. This is exactly what I wanted for ambiance at parties...where you don't want overly distracting content playing on the TV. It really is nearly convincing enough to make you believe this could be a real aquarium.. The bubbling sound effects are good, although I plan to play my own music when using this. The "spa" inspired sound tracks are not really my thing. Also, there are 3 tank scene options, but the only one I really like is the first (default) one...the second one is ok, but the third one is too zoomed to be believable. It wasn't really clear to me at first that I had to activate the "popup menu" via my Sony Blu-Ray remote in order to access scene and sound options...that probably should have been in some form of instruction on the package.

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I found no problems with the video quality of this disk. It is filmed very well, very high quality, looks great using my blu-ray player and 1080p TV which I believe also has upscaling.

I found all three of the "tanks" to be entertaining and exquisite, the music is relaxing and interesting. The tropical tank is probably the best, but they are all good the more natural tank is certainly not boring, and the last bonus tank is more of a closeup so you see the fish more clearly.

This really will look like a real fish tank if you have a wall TV.

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A very pretty picture but lacks the "wow factor" one would expect from 1080p. The audio is fair.

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This blue-ray is very clear and has a great picture. It shipped very fast also. The reason for the 3 stars is that the camera for the video is to close to the fish. I thought i was getting an aquarium type video and what this is is shoots of parts of the aquarium up close. I want to look at my TV and think it is a real aquarium, not a video of fish up close. its worth $4 but i will have to keep looking for a video with an aquarium from edge to edgetop to bottom.

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Forbidden Planet (2010)

Forbidden Planet is an incredible movie and no Sci-Fi fan should be without it. The transfer on the 50th Anniversary and Ultimate Collector's Editions is incredible. I've never seen the film look so bright, crisp and vibrant. The included documentaries and bonus footage are very entertaining and not to be missed.

A word of warning though, the Ultimate Collector's Edition is a bit of a rip off. The included Robby the Robot toy was the main reason I bought this set and it's much smaller (and less detailed) than the images lead you to believe. I haven't opened mine, but it looks like it's not even articulated. Definitely not worth the extra money I had to pay. The lobby card reporductions are nice, as is the tin case, but unless you plan to display these it's hard to justify the added cost.

Be smart, skip the Ultimate Collector's Edition and buy the 50th Anniversary Edition. You'll get just the exact same transfer and bonus material without the cheap toy and lobby cards.

There are now out *four* different versions of the 50th Anniversary edition of "Forbidden Planet": 2 standard (480i) DVD sets and 2 HD-DVD sets. Both formats are available as either a super-deluxe, Ultimate Collector's Edition set offered in a thick, green and red engraved hinged metal box, as well as a standard 2-disc sleeved set. Both come with lots extras, especially the metal Ultimate. I highly recommend them to everyone if you're so inclined toward lavish DVD sets. Being a longtime "Forbidden Planet" fan and collector, I'm planning on buying the other three variant sets, too, because, well, I'm obsessed with FP and by now have lost all sense of proportion when "collecting" this terrific film.

The Ultimate Collector's Edition metal box set is described on its' outer, partial card stock cover--and be careful when removing this as it's tricky and can be easily torn--as being made of a "unique metal alloy." (Hmm. Indestructible Krell metal perhaps???) Frankly, this deluxe set is everything I had hoped it would be, though I do have some quibble(see below). Overall, though, it's a beautiful package. One of the best super-deluxe DVD sets ever produced. It even includes a proper *gunmetal gray* 3.5" Robby (not black, as some supposed "film experts" have asserted for years) and a set of smallish FP lobby card reproductions in a printed sleeve. As an extra bonus for this release, you also get Robby's other 50s science fiction film "The Invisible Boy" and a set of smallish lobby card repros for it, too.

At last this science fiction masterpiece (classic just isn't good enough) has gotten the super-deluxe treatment--and complete digital restoration--it has long deserved. The digital picture and 5.1 sound are a marvel. FP has never looked or sounded this good--ever! I've seen FP on the big CinemaScope screen a half a dozen times in the last 50 years, including a very nice 50th Anniversary revival house print. Plus, I have all the earlier video/laserdisc/DVD releases. I went over to a neighbor's home the evening I purchased this set (11-9-06) and watched a portion of this new digital remastering in 480p (progressive scan) on a 1-year old, 50" plasma display home theatre set-up. It was to die for. *TILT!* Even on my standard ratio 480i home theatre it looks spectacular. I can't imagine that FP could be much better looking in the new HD-DVD format. Let's face it, you can only push the film stock of a 50-year old CinemaScope print just so far, even when reformatting from a fine-grain vault print.

While you can currently order these DVDs cheaper here, at least for the present, I decided to pay $10.00 more locally ($49.95, which included tax) for an early release just so I could have it *Right Now* and also so I could insure getting a pristine, undamaged, set. (I've had shipping/packing damage problems to the sides/edges when ordering other deluxe metal DVD sets through the mail, notably the 1933 "King Kong" and Disney "Tomorrowland" releases).

Of special note on this set are two new documentaries done especially for the 50th Anniversary release: "Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet" and "Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon." They're worth the price of this set alone, IMO. Very nicely done.

My only disappointment--and I consider it a major oversight that the material was left out--is that virtually all of the supplementary material originally included on Criterion's 1989 two-disc (CAV) laserdisc release is not here. Especially MGM's original "Fatal Planet" screen treatment that clearly showed that FP started out as just another B-grade, bottom-of-the-bill programmer and then evolved into to a first-rate A production. However, scenes (and partial scenes) originally edited out of FP (taken from Louis and Bebe Barron's surviving original film score work print) are included in this new set as an extra. In fact, to my eye, it looks like the Criterion masters were used for this DVD transfer. For most this will be the first time these "lost" scenes will be seen. So I'm now planning on having the rest of that important "Making of Forbidden Planet" laserdisc material burned on to a DVD-R and then simply include it my copy of this new release.

Frankly, I wouldn't have missed the extra "The Invisible Boy" feature that's also here, though it's obvious why it was offered in the set; or even the inaccurate 3.5" Robby miniature included--the shape of his head/carapace is wrong (too fat), among other detail problems. But that's just me. I have every confidence that this Ultimate Collector's Eition will receive high marks from both reviewers and fellow "Forbidden Planet" aficionados everywhere.

BTW, for those that might not have seen them, issues #97 and #98 (from 2003 and still available from the publisher) of the long-running film magazine FilmFax contain an authoritative two-part article: "The Making of Forbidden Planet." Both come highly recommended. This two-part article is similar in scope to the famous 20-year old "Forbidden Planet" double-issue of Cinefantastique (CFQ). While it duplicates some of the same material, there's enough new/different material in these two FilmFax issues to make acquiring them worthwhile. All three magazines taken together give an extremely thorough history of FP's creation and production. I would also refer you to another recent issue of FilmFax, #108 (#112 is the current issue out as I post this.) It contains an authoritative article on the restoration of the original Robby the Robot to his original form, done for his owner Bill Malone, by Fred Barton whose company makes a full-sized, fully articulated (and very $$$!) 1-to-1 Robby reproduction. (There's an ad flyer insert for Barton's Robby included with this new FP release.) Both Malone and Barton, with their Robbies, are seen throughout the two DVD documentaries mentioned above.

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It's funny, me being a fan of science fiction and movies in general, why it is that it took me so long to get around to watching Forbidden Planet (1956). Part of it is I feel as if I've already seen the film, as clips from it are usually always shown whenever someone does a documentary on science fiction in film, as it's just such an influential and amazing piece of work. Now, I've heard that this movie is loosely based on Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, but since I've never read it, I can't comment on comparisons between the play and the film. The film stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, and Robby the Robot (Yes, the robot gets a screen credit. If you look on the Internet Movie Database, you'll find it's even listed as an actor).

The story is about a spacecraft sent to learn what exactly happened to a previous spacecraft and its' crew, which had been deployed many years prior, and has since not been heard from in some time. This current mission is under the command of Commander John J. Adams (Nielsen), and soon find themselves on approach to the destination planet of the now lost ship. On their arrival, they get an ominous message, from the planet, issued by a member of the original crew, Dr. Edward Morbius (Pidgeon). Despite his warnings, they land and are soon met by a robot named Robby, who escorts them to Morbius' rather posh abode. Here we learn all the members of that fated crew have been killed off, except for Morbius and his daughter (whom Morbius had when he procreated with another member of the original crew), Altaira (Francis), by some unseen, yet completely nasty, force, to which Morbius and his daughter seem immune. Not expecting to find any survivors, Commander Adams now has to change his plans to include trying to contact his superiors and receive further instructions on how to proceed, despite Morbuis' protests that they should leave as soon as possible, leaving him and his daughter behind so that he may continue his research. What is his research? Well, it seems that many hundreds of thousands of years ago, the planet was inhabited by a highly advanced race of being called the Krell, who mysteriously vanished seemingly overnight in comparison to their collective power, intelligence and abilities, and while their cities have long since gone, a great deal of their technology survived underneath the ground, and Morbius has managed to gain some understanding of these beings, even being able to pry bits of information and such in the 20 odd years that he's been here. This amazing discovery is certainly worth writing home about, and so Commander Adams begins having the men disassemble the ship to create a device powerful enough to send a message back to his superiors, and in the meantime, starts making time with Morbius' daughter, who's never seen a man outside of her father, and is uneducated in the ways of woo. Things seem to be progressing until an unseen late night attack on the ship damages some crucial elements needed for communication, so an electrified perimeter is set up to prevent the approach of any more unannounced and unwelcome visitors. We soon find out the fence works, as a huge beastie, normally invisible, now highlighted by the electrical current, tries to attack the ship, killing a few defenders. What exactly is the nature of this beast? Is it somehow connected to the Krell? Does Morbius know more than he's letting on? Will any get off this planet alive? What the heck were these Krell up to anyway?

Forbidden Planet is inspirational, in my opinion, because it presents an well developed and thought out story above and beyond the usual `scary alien' fare we saw in the early 50's. Similar to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), it brought a level of intelligence to the genre while managing to also entertain. Basically, whatever level you view the film on, it will provide enjoyment. It also hallmarked the first film appearance of Robby the Robot, probably one of the most popular, recognizable, and enduring icons in science fiction film history. Also, it is important to note, this is the first film to utilize an entirely electronically composed musical score. Stereotypical characterizations appear to create the various roles, but since the film was releases a good 14 years before I was even born, I can't help but wonder if the stereotypes started here, given the influence of the film. The production value overall is lavish and indicates little expense was spared in bringing the story to life. The special effects, even by today's standards, look remarkably good, and the realism in the matte painting backgrounds is truly spectacular. The tour of the huge underground Krell facility really stood out in my mind, properly highlighting the enormity and intricacies at the same time. Plot holes? Yeah, I noticed a few of them (like how'd Robby show up at the end despite every circuit being blown? And that self-destruct mechanism at the end...that seemed a bit convenient and lacking proper safeguards one would normally apply as to not accidentally cause it to go off), but these tend to pale in comparison to the overall film. As a whole, I think anyone would be hard pressed not to acknowledge this as one of the more influential films in the genre, and just a lot of fun in general.

Warner Brother's gets points from providing an excellent widescreen print (the DVD is double sided, with fullscreen on the flipside), but loses some in their complete lack of special features other than an original theatrical trailer. I find it pretty sad that this film doesn't rate the special features we so often see on new releases. Normally I'd be happy with a good looking print, but surely certain films deserve some preferential treatment, and this, in my opinion, is one of them. Oh well...

Cookieman108

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It saddens me to write this, as Warners did an awesome job at least in packaging this 50th Anniversary Edition of FORBIDDEN PLANET... it's what is included (and NOT included) that leads me to give this Special Edition only 3 stars at best. I hate to nit-pick, but considering that I and many others have waited since the original 1998 DVD release for a full-blown re-do from Warner Brothers, this new release leaves a lot to be desired.

First off: NO COMMENTARIES! At all! Historian Rudy Behlmer is on hand for the documentary, but no commentary??? Not even with Leslie Nielsen, Anne Francis, or any of the still-living actors seen in the "Amazing" documentary? How about one from at least all the modern-day special effects gurus who are also seen on the documentary? Simply unforgivable.

Second: The main documentary, "Amazing!" is a scant 25-30 minutes long! Haven't I been reading for months that this doc would be "feature-length?" Sorry folks... feature-length, to me, means AT LEAST 70 minutes long. Actors that you could have sworn had long passed, like Richard Anderson, Earl Holliman and Warren Stevens, are given scant face-time, and Anderson literally only gets about 10 seconds!!! This is "Oscar Goldman," for cryin' out loud! Oh sure, the modern-day directors, FX masters and writers fall all over themselves about the special effects and Robby the Robot, but where's the human element in all this? How did the principal actors all get involved in the film in the first place? What were their feelings during the production towards the material? Did they know it was good, or did they think it was cheesy? Did they all get along, or were all the male actors vying for the attention of Anne Francis? How was the director (Fred McLeod Wilcox) to work with... a saint, a jerk, what? This element is SORELY lacking from the proceedings.

Third: Picture quality. Yes, it's marginally clearer than the '98 MGM release, but am I the only one who thinks the picture still looks somewhat washed-out, with the infamous "yellow-layer" seemingly deteriorated? The colors just don't seem to pop right out at you, unlike most other glorious MGM releases, like SINGIN' IN THE RAIN or THE WIZARD OF OZ... reds, yellows and greens seem oddly muted. It just feels like more work could have been done for optimal picture quality. Perhaps there was no master negative to work with? Again, it could have been easily explained had a commentary track been added.

Fourth: Extras. The lobby cards are cool, but the ones for THE INVISIBLE BOY are superfluous... sure, it's neat to have the film included, but that's purely a novelty at this point. Also, the Robby the Robot action figure is a disappointment as well: It's really only a dinky, painted statue; no movable joints, and poor Robby will be dwarfed by Princess Leia if you stick him of the shelf with your other sci-fi trinkets.

All in all, it's still nice to have ANY kind of Special Edition of FORBIDDEN PLANET in your collection, and the packaging that comes with the tin case is suitably retro, colorful and fun to look at, but this new release could have been SO MUCH more. A shame. Guess we'll have to wait until 2016 and the 60th Anniversary Edition for a more substantial, well-rounded release.

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Fifty years after its theatrical release FORBIDDEN PLANET still ranks as one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever created. Of it's contemporaries, only 1951's THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL approaches its intelligence and depth. Not until Stanley Kubrick brought us 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY was another science-fiction film to take such a thought-provoking approach to the human condition.

Much of the credit for the excellence of FORBIDDEN PLANET has to go to its ultimate source material, THE TEMPEST, Shakespeare's last (and arguably greatest) play.

A number of reviewers have mentioned "some Shakespear play" (sic) as the inspiration for this film, and others have admitted, "I haven't read it." I strongly recommend that anyone even mildly interested in FORBIDDEN PLANET read THE TEMPEST, and secondarily, that anyone who speaks English acquaint themselves with the Bard of Avon (that's Shakespeare, in case you didn't know...at the very least spell his name correctly!)

The film stars Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Morbius (Prospero), Anne Francis as his daughter Altaira (Miranda), Robby the Robot as himself (Ariel), and the Invisible Monster From the Id in the Caliban role.

The Forbidden Planet is visited by the crew of the spaceship C-57-D, captained by a very young, very earnest Leslie Nielsen. He is accompanied by his First Officer and Ship's Doctor with whom he trades constant wisecracks (if this all sounds familiar, it's because FORBIDDEN PLANET counts STAR TREK as one of its numerous progeny). FORBIDDEN PLANET's plot also inspired more than one episode of that show.

The Robot of LOST IN SPACE owes his existence to Robby the Robot (who later appeared in other pictures besides FORBIDDEN PLANET, a groundbreaking idea at the time). LOST IN SPACE's Jupiter II is a copy of the C-57-D. STAR TREK and LOST IN SPACE were both produced within a decade of FORBIDDEN PLANET, and their creators have credited the film as seminal.

C-57-D is searching for survivors of a human colony on the planet. As it turns out, the only survivors are the imperious Dr. Morbius, his irresistibly sexy and utterly innocent twentysomething daughter, Altaira, and Robby the Robot.

Morbius informs them that all is fine on the Forbidden Planet and bades them go on their way. Suspicious for no particular reason, the Captain and his pals decide to overstay their welcome. In recounting the history of the planet, Morbius explains that it was once the home of a superintellectual race called the Krell, and that the Krell were destroyed by some unknown force at the very height of their powers. After having the Captain stick his feet in the fire, Morbius admits that the rest of the colonists died as a result of contact with this unknown force. The words are barely out of Morbius' mouth when the crew of C-57-D reports several mysterious deaths.

Most of the rest of the film revolves around efforts to battle what turns out to be an invisible monster bent on mindless destruction. The origins of the monster cause one to consider the conundrum of the atomic age: whether a mankind bent on technological advancement is better off than a mankind that lived in a simpler time.

FORBIDDEN PLANET never lags. The script is well-honed, and the story moves along at a rapid clip (even for 1956), always keeping the viewer's attention.

The dialogue is furiously funny at times. Besides the ongoing byplay between the Captain and his cronies, Earl Holliman hams it up as the ship's often-inebriated cook, who strikes up a satisfyingly one-sided business relationship with Robby the Robot. Altaira is gently amusing. Never having met any man besides her father, she is wide-eyed and curious about the visitors. After the men lead her in some discussion on the subject, she decides she just MUST practice her kissing, a task for which the dedicated crew volunteers at every available moment thereafter.

The very attractive Anne Francis (TV's HONEY WEST) is fitted out in some criminally short minidresses which are slam-dunk guaranteed to hold the attention of a typical heterosexual male viewer. A few of her dresses were banned by studio censors as being too much (or too little) and were not used in the film. Her wardrobe definitely gave impetus to the female crew uniforms on STAR TREK. The actual costumes in this movie were later used in the less-than-memorable low-budget QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE, starring Zsa Zsa Gabor as a Venusian woman with a Budapest accent (!). A practice kissing sequence also made it into that film.

Miss Francis is the acknowledged original "Space Babe." Though Altaira is essentially a sex kitten role, she manages to imbue the character with dignity and humor, and gives a memorable performance.

The sets are all posh and wonderfully futuristic (in a 1950s Swedish modern sort of way). The special effects were cutting-edge for their time. MGM spared no expense in producing this big-budget color picture and hired Disney Studios to create the effects. (Yes, they look rather dated now, but considering they are fifty years old, they hold up surprisingly well against today's CGI.) The electronic soundtrack is still a definite attention-getter.

With its balanced mix of science fiction, comedy, and classic drama, FORBIDDEN PLANET stands as one of the finest movies ever made.

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