NFL Super Bowl XLIV: New Orleans Saints Champions (2010)

Anyone thinking about buying this product has to understand that the superbowl in its entirety is not on this Blu-ray. It is just highlights of the season that is being narrated (telling the story of the saints from the beginning of the season to the end). I gave this a three star because i am a die heart Saints fan. I purchased this Blu-Ray because I wanted to watch the superbowl in its entirety again; as well as years to come.

This Blu-ray is not a bad highlight reel of the saints 2009/2010 season. So, if you are ok with the fact that this is not the actual game, then this is the Blu-ray for you.

This Blu-ray is worth the price! At first, I debated purchasing it because it didn't show the entire Super Bowl but this is better. It tells a great story going game by game with great commentary from Jim Henderson and WWL radio. I was happy when they showed us winning and still a bit upset when they showed the 3 game losing streak. I choked up a bit (again) when they showed Hartley nail the winning FG in the NFC Championship game.

The story is told from a definitively Saints and Who Dat Nation perspective. It's like no one else matters, not even Peyton Manning, he's an after thought (in the film). They do a good job of capturing the spirit of the Saints, season, each game and the Super Bowl.

If you are a Saints fan this is a must buy and if you're not you'll still enjoy a great film.

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I find it funny that the set called "Super Bowl XLIV Champions" is a season highlight reel and the other set out there called "Saints Road to XLIV" is the one with the entire Super Bowl game on it. Basically, if you want to see a highlight reel to relive the memories of the Saints 2009 season & 1st Super Bowl victory along with the presentation of the Lombardi trophy after the game (best feature of the disk), buy this set. If you want to see the Super Bowl XLIV game, buy the "Road to XLIV" set. Both should be viewed as must have purchases for diehard Saints fans!

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I relive the Saints Super Bowl winning season with these highlights. And I get goosebumps every time I watch it. Good stuff.

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Saints fans waited 43 years for this to happen the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl! The Road to the Super Bowl is on this DVD. Highlights and important plays from each of the games of the season are on it with the Super Bowl win at the end. We love the DVD and have watched it many, many times. No it doesn't show the entire Super Bowl or any game. It also includes conversations and comments by miked players during the games.

We love the DVD and are ordering another, just in case something happpens to the originial one we bought.

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History Of The Eagles

I first caught this documentary on the Showtime channel in one setting (Parts 1 & 2). It was originally broken down in 2 parts. The first part shows the band members in their formative years and ends with their eventual breakup in 1980. The shorter part 2 deals with their lives afterwards, ending with their Farewell 1 Tour in 2005. Together the film runs a little over 3 hours. Certainly for Eagle fans, it is time well spent. Even if you're not a fan, it chronicles the seeds of a rock band in the 1970's.

The early lives of writing partners Don Henley and Glenn Frey is well detailed including some interesting home videos. We see an early association with Jackson Browne and a brief time backing up Linda Ronstdat. We get a no holds barred look at the inner turmoil that comes with the growth of a rock band. We see the early comings and goings of band members leading up to a bitter breakup with lead guitarist Don Felder.

One thing that comes through is the success of the group has transcended generations like few others. Their strength comes from some great song writing, often at the hand of Henley and Frey and some of the great 4 or 5 part vocal harmony. We get some first person detail of booze and drug binges, especially those of Joe Walsh.

So what's missing? Well, certainly family and wives are tipped toed around and we see virtually nothing of them. We don't any of the juicy sexy-time stories which are all but ignored. How about some celebrity union stories? Still this is an entertaining journey through the lives of one of America's musical treasures.

Available in April, the Blu ray package includes 3 discs in 1080p video resolution with a DTS-HD Master Audio option. Also included is a photo booklet and hours of new, previously unreleased material. Also included on the 3rd disc (which I haven't seen) is 1977 concert performances from the Capital Centre in Landover, Md. (Hotel California Tour) including Hotel California, New Kid In Town, Take It To The Limit, One Of These Nights, Lyin' Eyes, Rocky Mountain Way, Best Of My Love and Take It Easy.

Love them or hate them, The Eagles are a band that ran up a string of hits through the seventies that defined much of the decade. They've been accused of being narcissistic, overtly mellow, egotistical, and other things not all that complimentary. "The History Of The Eagles" spells all this out in detail, which makes it almost indispensable for fans of the bands or for folks who wonder how a seventies band made it though the music industry.

While the band was centered around the songwriting axis of Glenn Frey and Don Henley, every band member, past and present, gets a say. It's a warts and all approach, often unflattering but frequently compelling. Managers, producers, album cover artists and fellow musicians (Bob Seger, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and more) get their say. The music drives the narrative, sticking closely to the evolution of tha band as they release their consecutive albums, up to the acrimonious split around 1980.

However, the movie is broken into two parts, and the second half details the members as they seek separate careers and the reunion that takes place 14 years later. Again, the footage is not always flattering to the band (Don Felder gets so frustrated that he walks out of one of his segments), but the Eagles get, As Henley puts it, "that rarest of things in America, a second act." This covers the period from "Hell Freezes Over" to the independently released "Long Road Out Of Eden." The whole deal clocks in at 3hrs and 15 mins, making the documentary as exhaustive as can be.

Loaded with plenty of vintage (those seventies haircuts!) and never before seen clips to add to the attitude of the movie. And as you watch these men, now elder statesmen of classic rock, make their case for the importance of the Eagles, you get the feeling that attitude (along with plenty of the big three, sex and drugs and rock and roll) fueled The Eagles through the run that continues to this day. Some will find it bloated and unwatchable, the rest of us, with memories of where the Eagles were in our lives, will find this invaluable.

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Before all the how can you review something that is not even released yet bashing begins, let me first off say I watched the 3 hour documentary twice. While all the live footage and classic era interviews are golden, the 1977 Hotel California concert footage is definitely the cream de la creme. Secondly, the press release for this has been released. Everything you saw in the 3 hours will be released with no additional bonus documentatry footage. Also about 8 tracks from the 1977 concert will be released as a dvd part of this package. Why not just release the whole darn concert? I've got a boot of one of the shows filmed during the tour, but the concert footage show in the documenatary is definitely master film...so why not just release the entire concert???? Why only pieces of a show??? It's 2013...why not give the fans the real deal...

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I've been anxiously awaiting this Blu Ray, as after seeing it on SHOWTIME it really exposes all the angles and many unanswered questions as to what happened to the Eagles in the late 70's and also in particular, Don Felder, which you have to read his book "Heaven & Hell with the Eagles" to get the full picture.

That said, there is so much footage from the 70's we've never seen before, one wonders how they kept all this private until now. To see how the story unfolds from day one when Frey and Henley played in a band with Linda Rondstadt and broke off into their own band is simply fascinating... I could write a book on this DVD/BR, but you'll have to buy it for yourself to fully appreciate what the Eagles went through all those years.

The Audio: recorded in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is truly outstanding. They really did a great job in using all the surround channels, hence making you feel as though you're in the audience when watching their concert (separate disk that comes with this set), and also anytime their shown playing together on Part-1 & Part-2.

The Video:

For the most part the video looks very good in 1080p, but during certain parts like when they flash back to "Hell Freezes Over" and some of Henley and Frey's solo footage the video becomes grainy almost to the point its annoying. Its the disk, not your player or HD tv, as I have an Oppo-BDP-95 Blu ray player and one of Samsung's higher end HD tv's. The graininess is tolerable, but its the only reason I didn't score this 3 disk set with a 5. If you're a audiophile such as I, then this is one for your reference collection.

To see Felder and Walsh playing in their heyday together (especially Hotel California) is truly brilliant. Its so unfortunate Felder and Frey couldn't move past their issues and keep Felder in the band, as he's every bit as much as an Eagle as any of them. Anyway, this is a great story about one of America's greatest, most successful bands of all time, so buy it while you can, as $30 is a small investment for such an outstanding story of how the Eagles gained so much success and fame throughout the world during their 40 years of tremendous success! Definitely one of my favorite bands! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.

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This is an incredible documentary, but a missed opportunity on several levels with this release. First, the official release should have had extra unseen footage and interviews not seen in the early Showtime release earlier this year. Give us die hard fans a little bonus for going out and buying the big package. Second, have some additional "bonus" side footage or lost footage not seen in the documentary and not part of the documentary. We want to see it badly. This documentary should stand as the "official" historical document for the band...make it count. Finally, the Capital Theatre footage should have been the entire concert. It is the most amazing footage I have ever seen regarding The Eagles...beautifully shot on film with just the most incredible hi-fi sound imaginable. This band was so good it was just stupid...they were stupid good! Give us the entire show for Christ's sake... This was the band at the zenith of their career. If you think you know good...you simply don't if you haven't seen this Capital Theatre footage. They redefine excellence.

Ok, so what they did do right was give us the classic line-up with with Randy Meisner on bass. What an incredibly underrated musician and singer. The man played the most incredible bass lines and sang like an angel all whilst locking in with Henley and anchoring the band into a cohesive 747 Jetliner. Too bad he didn't hold on for just a little longer as the Eagles only lasted three more years. They were never the same after he left. You can only replace so many members of a group before you lose the essence and energy of what you once had and what made you special. The loss of Don Felder is another example. How can you replace Don Felder? It simply isn't possible and while the new guy plays the parts...it isn't with the same essence and energy. The peak of their career was with these five guys: Henley, Frey, Meisner, Felder, Walsh. After the breakup of this classic line-up, the band self-destructed. The end.

In a nutshell, give us more vintage material because we will buy it. Don't wait so long that your audience grows too old and eventually no longer cares!!!

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Bellflower (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2011)

An abridged version of my review:

Bellflower is badass.

But to go into further detail for those who need more convincing, this film swallows you into a separate existence of envious invention. Shot on a homemade camera, it follows two dudes as they build homemade flame throwers to attach to their reconstructed apocalyptic car, aptly named Medusa. The cinematography is mind blowing, with hazes of golden yellow lurking in most scenes, which perfectly compliments the amount of fire and explosions. In all honesty it's a real bummer that more people haven't seen this, as I fully plan on forcing it onto my friends. The cars, the flames, the soundtrack (!!!!), the painful demise of a relationship, everything about this film is tangible and personal. Initially I wanted to see this because I am a lame girl and I thought it would be an edgy, indie romance sort of vibe, and I liked the homemade aspects of its production. Instead I found out that I want a flame thrower. And a car with a secret whiskey spout for mid-ride pick me ups. But instead I just got the movie on dvd.

BELLFLOWER is a beautifully shot twisted dark love story that has the perfect mix of cars, flame throwers, and blood! I can't wait for the their next film.

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Not only did I absolutely love the movie but the high quality you get with the packaging and case of this Bl-Ray is unmatched! A++++

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As a nearly 50-year-old, and still feeling and thinking at half that age, I am obviously not all that ensconced "in" that age bracket when I see something that grabs my attention as expediently and with such dominion that I sat up and took notice of the immediacy of what I was seeing and hearing in the trailer; Bless the Beasts and the Children, but even moreso the editor of this trailer, as it got my attention so quickly that my Centrum 50s' spilled and scattered over my glass tabletop by my reaction like so many albino hydrocodones falling tragically from a broken Pez dispenser. Once my vitamins (and temerity) had been successfully gathered, I watched it another 10-12X before finding the cheapest Blu-Ray I could find (through Amazon, of course), pushed the "Buy Now" button and awaited it's delivery daily to see if the film warranted my initial reaction. It did. Not since "Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus" has an Indy film had such a complementary soundtrack that both adds to and keeps the viewers on their collective toes to add to the benefit of the film and help to complete it, too. Far too many films today rely on big-budgeted royalty checks and generalized 'guesses' as to "well, this song might sound good dropped in here" in determining their placement, rather than to the overall feel and rhythm of the film, itself. These independent artists were pure fresh air to me, particularly the Small Town Zeros-"Secrets", which lent itself to the apocalyptic subtext succinctly. Let's face it, I was brought up on a diet of the Mad Max films in the mid-80's, where we would have all night Dusk 'til Dawn film festivals in my suburban basement where everyone became suitably lubricated for the festivities as the night wore onthe films' malevolent fight over "the gas", the irrefutably galvanizing car culture with it's host of poor-man's but righteous Bond-gadgets to disfigure and disable, and the man himself, "the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla", Humongous, who led the pack with his choke-hold and "worse then Ahnold" elocution. The inventiveness and damn-straight honesty of the characters and dialogue (of Bellflower) were revivifying most of the time in the "best" way, with only the occasional freshman mistake to intrude. The markedly stylized cinematography was the other half (along with the soundtrack) to keep the audience's interest peaked throughout, and was the reason that my initial reaction was so markedly demonstrative and jettisoned me across the room to the computer to immediately buy the Blu-Ray. So to the cast, crew, and Mr. Glodell, Kudos! ...for getting this prematurely wizening hipster off his a%$Holy carbuncle! And to the rest of you looking for something fresh and engaging, with a little 80's genre thrown in, and with what hopefully will become a new oeuvre unto itself, check it out. OR, if you're just a "car guy", you'll love it, too.

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This moive is perfect, Evan Glodell is someone that I will keep my eye on. I love his work in this. I wish there were more films like this. I will not give any of the plot away you should see it for your self. Just trust me BELLFLOWER IS GREAT.

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Innocent Bystanders (1972)

DOES NOT APEAR TO BE STATED ON THE PRODUCT ITSELF, BUT AMAZON IS CORRECT FOR THIS BLU-RAY'S REGION CODING. SADLY, IT WILL NOT PLAY ON REGION B PLAYERS, AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION WHEN THERE HAS BEEN NO SEPARATE RELEASE FOR REGION B.

I was pleased to discover that Amazon carried the DVD of this 1972 British spy film.

I had only seen (in part) one other version and that was a version shown on network television years ago. For some reason, the TV version in the USA included additional scenes, apparently filmed in New York. I know that it has been a trend lately to release DVD versions (and even theatrical versions) of films called the extended cut, the director's cut, or a version with an alternate ending.

The early version of INNOCENT BYSTANDERS was, I believe, one of those theatrical films with new scenes added to the televised version to pad it out to fit into a network time slot that could include commercials. The most shameless example of this is the Hammer film KISS OF EVIL or KISS OF THE VAMPIRE which has newly (and insipid) scenes filmed for the televised showing. In some cases, scenes in the original theatrical films are often expurgated because they include footage (usually violent) that is considered by heavy-handed censors to be inappropriate for the sensibilities of mainstream America who are not yet accustomed to cable programs. The version of INNOCENT BYSTANDERS that I saw on network TV includes a scene where John Craig (Stanley Baker) breaks the arm of a watchman and causes him to faint. Also included is a scene where a young girl touches his arm in affection and Craig responds: "What are you doing?" He tells his companion that feelings were cut out of him when he was tortured in the past.

These two scenes were not included in the DVD released by Amazon, which is, apparently, the theatrical version. A reader may point out that I, perhaps, confused two separate films that both starred Stanley Baker. This is not the case because I clearly remember Baker (as agent Craig) telling his companion -an Israeli agent portrayed by Geraldine Chaplin -about his physical and mental problems. It seems a bit questionable that such an innocent bystander as Ms.Chaplin would want to seduce an impotent "old" agent as Craig, but this is, in fact, what happens.

At breakfast the next morning -after his apparent renaissance -she tells Craig that he should be grateful for her restoring his ability. He thanks her, but a bit cynically. She adds that perhaps she wasn't "that good," and he responds to her compliment-fishing by confirming that she was. Later, when she is tortured by a sadistic British agent sent along to undercut Craig's efforts (Derrin Nesbitt from THE NAKED RUNNER and WHERE EAGLES DARE), Craig is quite sympathetic and reveals important information to spare her further pain and humiliation (what Nesbitt does to Ms. Chaplin is not clear because his torturing takes place off-screen).

Nesbitt is effective as one of the agents sent on the same mission as Craig (supposedly without the latter's knowledge). The other agent is an image of compassion and gentility when compared to Nesbitt; she is played by Sue Lloyd (the female love interest in THE IPCRESS FILE -one of the greatest spy films ever), who is as accurate with a gun as Craig but a bit quicker. Stanley Baker, however, is superb as the no-nonsense, non-romantic aging agent who is betrayed by his non-trusting and not-trustworthy superior Loomis, stiff-upper-lipped Donald Pleasence. Also on hand is the CIA in the person of Dana Andrews. As a hero from 1940s and 1950s films, Andrews seems out of place here -but perhaps it is only his non-matching fright wig that he perhaps sports to take our attention away from Stanley Baker's own hairstyle that seems that it does not belong.

I have been a fan of Stanley Baker since he portrayed Achilles in the 1955 international epic HELEN OF TROY. Despite his dark hair (Homer's Achilles was supposed to be blond as he is played by Gordon Mitchell and Brad Pitt), Baker is the best on-screen Achilles ever -capturing the fury of that semi-god from Greece mythology. I also like Baker in HELL DRIVERS (which features a minor role by Sean Connery), ZULU, IN THE FRENCH STYLE, and SANDS OF THE KALAHARI, which I will soon order from Amazon. I have nothing against long hair (I often wear my own blond hair long), but somehow the style as worn in INNOCENT BYSTANDERS doesn't somehow seem suited to Mr. Baker as an "older", black-haired agent. Perhaps he sports this style to make clear that he is an anti-Bond. He (like Michael Caine in the five Harry Palmer films) doesn't use ridiculous gadgets supplied by Q branch but relies instead on his wits and marksmanship. The sequence where he shoots fellow agent Nesbitt in the foot is not to be missed (Kudos to Nesbitt or his stunt double for his flipping forward after being hit by Craig's bullet).

The ending seems to come rather quickly, but we, at least, know that he outsmarts his double-crossing superior Pleasence (an incredibly unlikeable superior in the mode of Stewart Granger who double crosses RIchard Burton and the other mercenaries in THE WILD GEESE) by flying to Beirut where he may (the romantics among us hope) meet up again with Ms. Chaplin. Don't be fooled by the glitzy, flashy, pop-culture artwork on the cover of the DVD of INNOCENT BYSTANDERS. This is not a Dean Martin humor-fest (like we see in the Matt Helm romps) but a fairly gritty spy tale not unlike the Harry Palmer films. It has plenty of action, but the action is believable and plot-enhancing.

Check it out. In the meantime, let us hope that the fad of releasing many versions of a film in order to milk dry every possible penny from DVD sales will eventually end. Let's make one version of a film and stick with it. After all, how many versions of the "Mona Lisa" do we find?

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John Craig, a British operative regarded as expendable, is sent on what is intended to be his last assignment, in Innocent Bystanders, a tough, gritty, and at times brutal espionage thriller, that is enjoyable for its realism, and very cynical British sensibilities. Capably directed by Peter Collinson (The Italian Job, The Long Day's Dying), the film features an outstanding cast, headed by Stanley Baker (Zulu, The Guns of Navarone).

John Craig is a spy who has sacrificed much for Queen and Country. After being tortured by electrical shock, he suffers from post traumatic stress, and has also become impotent. Loomis (Donald Pleasance), Craig's boss at Department K, believes that while still competent at killing, Craig is damaged goods, and decides to use him as a decoy, on a mission to recover a missing agronomist named Aaron Kaplan (Vladek Shebal), who supposedly can make the desert bloom. Having escaped from a Russian prison camp, the highly valued Kaplan is also being sought by the Russians, and the Americans.

Loomis' "first team" are Joanna Benson (Sue Lloyd), and Andrew Royce (Derren Nesbitt), two younger agents who are assigned to backup Craig, and move in when he fails. Royce openly disrespects Craig, calling him an "old man", while Benson is more circumspect than her impetuous partner, as Craig is dispatched to New York to question Kaplan's brother.

While Loomis appears to be cooperating with an American agent named Blake (Dana Andrews), both the British and Americans are determined to get Kaplan for themselves. Once a finely honed instrument, Craig is now regarded as broken down, and no longer capable of excellence. He surprises his detractors however, jumping ahead in the game, kidnapping Miriam Loman (Geraldine Chaplin), a woman who may have some clue to where Kaplan is hiding. The trail eventually leads to the Middle East, and then Cyprus, where the intrigue, danger, and violence increases, as the various parties scramble to recover Kaplan. The body count begins to rise, on what will surely be Craig's final assignment.

For what this movie was intended to be, the acting performances are spot on. The lanky Baker isn't debonair, but he fits the bill as an intelligent and brutally efficient survivor. Craig starts out as a broken man who screams from imaginary pain, but he regains his manhood, and proves that he isn't quite "past it" yet. Derren Nesbit (Where Eagles Dare) is terrific as the arrogant pretty boy, who in the end does what he was trained to do. And Sue Lloyd (The Baron), does a nice job as his inscrutable partner.

Although he would later become an icon in the Halloween films, coincidentally playing a character named "Loomis", Donald Pleasance is also excellent here, as a cold, calculating, and confident bureaucrat, accustomed to playing God. As Miriam Loman, Geraldine Chaplan (Dr. Zhivago, Nashville) provides most of what little humanity there is, although as the "innocent bystander", Loman is deeper than she appears. Quirky Warren Mitchell, is entertaining as Omar, an enterprising guide, and Vladek Shebal (From Russia With Love), is solid in an understated role.

John Craig first appeared in four novels published between 1964 and 1969. James Mitchell wrote the books, under the penname "James Munro", and The Innocent Bystanders, published in 1969, was the last in the series. Mitchell also wrote the screenplay, and nicely captures the novel's serious tone, with characters that are mostly hardened professionals. With some cinematic action elements, and touches of dark humor, Innocent Bystanders is an interesting and enjoyable watch, for the discriminating espionage aficionado.

Ending on an abruptly defiant note, this stark and cynical adventure, has virtually nothing in common with the glamour and affluence of the Roger Moore era Bond films. If that's your type of espionage, give this movie a chance. Unfortunately, Stanley Baker would never reprise the role of Craig, as he passed away in 1976 at only 48 years of age.

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Dog Day Afternoon (2007)

Al Pacino burns up the screen in Dog Day Afternoon which is based on a true story and confirms that fact that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Mr. Pacino plays Sonny who teams up with the dullard Sal (John Cazale) to rob a Brooklyn bank on a sweltering summer afternoon. Sonny was a one-time bank employee, so he knows all the tricks of the trade to thwart bank robbers. Unfortunately for the robbers, the bank virtual has no money do to having made a deposit only hours before the robbery attempt. A shopworker across the street from the bank notices the strange proceedings and calls the cops. Before you know it, the bank is completely surrounded by cops. The cops (led by Charles Durning & James Broderick) start a hostage negotiation with Sonny. Even though Sonny's a crook, he isn't all bad and he, Sal and the hostage bank workers form a strange kinship. The story is shown on TV and a crowd gathers in the streets as well and Sonny becomes something of a cult hero. His scenes on the street outside the bank are scintillating including his famous Attica chant. Sonny is married with kids, but it turns out that he was robbing a bank to pay for a sex change operation for his gay lover, Leon (Chris Sarandon). The movie closes out at night at the airport in dramatic fashion. Sidney Lumet does a fine job translating the heat and humidity of the day and you can feel yourself sweating along with the characters. Mr. Pacino has been more heralded for his Godfather roles, Scarface, Serpico and Scent Of A woman, but in my book, he was never finer than he was in this movie.

Without showing a trace of his icy performance as Michael Corleone in "The Godfather" parts 1 & 2, Al Pacino made a radical departure by playing a bisexual bank robber in "Dog Day Afternoon." Here's a hilarious (but apparently true) story about Sonny (Pacino) who stages a bank robbery to finance his lover's sex change operation. Within minutes, the attempted robbery heads for disaster, as the police and media surround the bank while Sonny holds the employees hostage for the entire day. Even after nearly 30 years, "Dog Day Afternoon" is a marvel to see. This film won a well-deserved 1975 Academy Award for its witty screenplay, and Pacino's performance ranks among his best. Unfortunately, those who are looking for a deluxe-edition DVD will be sorely disappointed with this release. The picture is incredibly grainy, with spots, hairs, and marks. The sound is 1-channel mono, instead of a 5.1 surround remix. But the biggest slap on the face is the virtual lack of features on this DVD: we don't even get a trailer. All we get are production notes. Movie buffs and Pacino diehards will pick this up, but everyone else should hold off, rent the film, and hope that Warner Bros. will release a special edition of this great movie.

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I bought Dog Day Afternoon on DVD completly at random, just based on the actors, and the synopsis. On the back of the case, this movie is branded as a "boisterous comedy" that is "Bitingly Funny". And while the movie certainly has its funny parts, it never has one-liner jokes, or much situational humor. It is more of a comedy as a whole, and just about how the whole bank robbery got screwed up. Accually, it is really quite serious in tone.

So once you get past the aboslutly false statements that this is a comedy, you start to see the magic of this film. It is a very static movie, and the everything takes place in or around the bank throughout the entire movie until the very end. The story isn't driven through action sequences, rather it is driven by the brilliant dialoge between characters.

When watching this movie, you will feel like you are right there, inside this movie. You will progress right along with the main character, Sonny. You watch his attitude change from being very optimistic and hopeful, into a more frustrated, disjointed, and confused character. Al Pacino does a brilliant job showing the many changes that Sonny goes through. You can literally see the preasure on Sonny's face as time is running out, and as his plans keep getting more and more screwed up.

Not only does Al Pacino do a brilliant job, but the other characters are amazingly protrayed as well. Other notable performances are Leon (Sonny's disconnected boyfriend), Sal (Sonn'y partner), and even Detective Moretti. Every character is so believable and real that you will truly feel like you have met them all first hand.

One thing that I have noticed about Dog Day Afternoon is its influences on more modern movies. As I was watching it, I couldn't help but recognize modern movies in it. Two examples that came to mind the most are Mad City, and Airheads. In Mad City, John Travoltra's character is also faced with a media circus as he holds a group of school kids and their teacher hostage in a meauseam. The frenzy of media coverage, the public reaction, and the way that the main character becomes friendly with the hostages all give a very big nod to Dog Day Afternoon. In Airheads, I noticed that the way one of the guys who had taken the radio station hostage would come outside to talk to the cops, and while he was out there, he would incite the crowd and start different chants. In Airheads, one of the hostage takers started the crowd in a "Rodney King" chant, while in Dog Day Afternoon, Al Pacino started the crowed in an "Attica" chant. These sequences are so familiar that I am convinced the screen writers had Dog Day Afternoon in mind when writing them.

Overall, this is a fantastic movie that is full of brilliant performances. But for some, it may seem way to static, and slow moving.

As far as DVD features go, the picture quality is superb, considering that the original film is from the mid 70's. The audio is Dolby Mono tracked, but nothing else is neccesary. There are no sound effects to speak of it is all pretty much dialogue so the mono track is sufficient. As far as extras, if you consider Scene Selections and Interactive Menus to be "extras", then you will be happy, but I would say that this DVD is as bare as they get. I can't stand when DVD Case designers try and pass off these standard 'features' as extras. That is like a CD advertising its ability to change tracks with the touch of a button.

Great movie decent DVD transfer.

Read Best Reviews of Dog Day Afternoon (2007) Here

Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon" reminds us that films once upon a time made it a point to properly develop the individuals within their stories. Younger filmgoers who grew up in later eras may not realize it, but cinematic works from decades past actually were inhabited by characters and not caricatures.

Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino), Sal (John Cazale) and Stevie (Gary Springer) attempt to rob a Brooklyn bank just before closing time. The robbery turns into a debacle as Stevie immediately flees the scene and Sonny and Sal discover that the bank virtually has no money at its location. The police arrive to arrest the would-be robbers but Sonny soon starts to gain the support of the bystanders outside and uses the press at the scene to make the most of his time in the spotlight. Just when it appears matters cannot get any more odd, Sonny's new "wife" (Chris Sarandon) is brought to the scene and the reason for the bank robbery is revealed.

"Dog Day Afternoon" is in a class of its own when one is talking about bank robbery films. There are so many unconventional elements to the story from the clumsily-planned heist to the amusing rapport between the robbers and the hostages to the role Leon Shermer plays in the proceedings that it truly stands alone when compared to other entries in the genre. One might think that it would be easy to lose sight of the fine performances in "Dog Day Afternoon" with all of these elements vying for your attention but the efforts turned in by Pacino, Cazale, Sarandon, Charles Durning, and the rest of the cast is so good that their characters will not promptly fade from memory. Lumet also does an amazing job of creating a specific time and place with his directing. He infuses "Dog Day Afternoon" with such realism that you can literally feel the heat rising from sidewalks. Take out your scorecard and mark down this jewel as one of the essential films of the Seventies.

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"Dog Day Afternoon" still feels fresh to me. Maybe because Lumet packed so much talent and so many unforgettable moments into it. Why should you watch it?

It's the best Pacino has ever been. (I thought the Oscar belonged to him and not to Nicholson that year.) Want to see how far into a character a good actor can delve? Watch his face after he hangs up the phone from talking to his wife (no, not Chris Sarandon -the other wife).

It's not only the late John Cazale in another of his brilliant 70s performances, but it's Pacino and Cazale together again after the two "Godfathers."

It's the quintessential New York location movie.

Sarandon's near-monologue in the barber shop is so convincing, you'll think, "No way was this guy ever married to Susan!"

Sully Boyar's naturalistic approach to his role of the bank manager might have you thinking, if you've never seen him before, that he's not a professional actor.

James Broderick's performance as the FBI agent is a masterpiece of iceberg acting (in which 90% of what's going on is beneath the surface, making the 10% you do see that much more powerful).

Pacino again, this time -well, not to give anything away -let's just say the look on his face the last time he sees the bank staff.

Oh, so much more! I guess I'll quit here with two final words. "Attica! Attica!"

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Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic (+ BD-Live) (2009)

I have to admit that I have never read `Watchmen'. More specifically, before I saw the teaser for the film last summer, I don't think I'd even heard of it. The only two comic books I really cared for when I was younger were `Superman' and `Batman', having more to do with the movies, cartoons and TV shows than the actual comic books themselves.

I decided to pick up the Blu-ray of the `Watchmen' motion comic as an alternative to reading the graphic novel in preparation for going to see the movie because I thought it was an interesting concept.

I must say I was stunned.

I won't get into the story and characters as most of you who are reading this are probably well versed already. Let's just say that I can see now what all the hoopla is about. Instead, let me talk about the actual presentation of the "motion comic".

The Blu-ray image is outstanding. Each image on screen is composed of a single panel from the comic complete with the dialog bubbles. The colors are vibrant and the lines are crisp. Many of the images seem to jump right off the screen at you. The score is quite good as the music helps to set the mood of what is going on. Having heard some excerpt's from the film score I have to say as of right now I think the `motion comic' score is more suiting to the story. The sound effects are also well done.

The voice acting is excellent for being performed by one person. Many of the reviews I have read seem to have a problem with a man reading a woman's part. Having listened to many audio books on the road or at work, I can say that I did not find it distracting in the least. Having said that, if this "motion comic" format becomes popular, I think having an actual voice cast would be a wonderful idea.

The pacing is deliberate and maintains a somber mood as the entire 12 part story unfolds over a period of 5 hours and 25 minutes, including opening and closing credits for each story. Getting through the entire disc in one sitting may be difficult but it may be more difficult to turn off.

The extras are minimal. They include a 3 minute mini-doc illustrating how the look of the comic influenced the look of the upcoming film, and a 10 minute look at the new `Wonder Woman' animated feature. I found the inclusion of the latter to be a "filler feature" as it was released the same day as this `Watchmen' motion comic and it was included with the previous release of `Batman: Gotham Knight'. A look at how they created the `motion comic' would have seemed a better choice but I'm not going to complain about things that aren't. Also, exclusive to Blu-ray is a `WB Live' sneak peek at the `jailbreak' scene from the upcoming feature film.

I have seen all of the recent Warner Bros. Animated features and I must admit that this is my favorite. The `motion comic' is an excellent concept and was pulled of quite well on this first attempt. I hope this format catches on as it would be great to see some of the great graphic novels like `Batman: The Long Halloween' or `Arkham Asylum' or any number of others come to "life".

As for this release, it's probably more geared to hardcore fans but I found much to enjoy and couldn't imagine a better way to experience this spectacular story.

Highly recommended.

The most compelling aspect of this release is that Gibbons' artwork is used. The frontpiece and endpiece quotes are also included (which will likely not survive the movie adaptation). Another excellent choice is the inclusion of the speech bubbles. Moore's text has delightful little nuances that can only be appreciated in the READING of the text. For the most part, the voice over exactly matches, but there are some VERY minor exclusions that must have been trimmed for timing.

There simply is no other way to experience the visual "harmonies" employed in the comic book in a live action movie. Zach Snyder is passionate, but he's already taken quite a few liberties with his production design. Ozymandias is horribly miscast (too bad, Jude Law didn't work out).

A perfect example is the iconic blood splash on the Comedian's "smiley" button. That splash motif is echoed throughout the 12 issues, effectively bookending the whole series. Snyder has "a" splash, but not "the" splash.

The voice work is initially off-putting, but he's a good actor, and his performance pulls you into the story. The background music sets the mood without overwhelming.

Despite the loss of Moore's chapter addenda ("Under the Hood" excerpts, Rorschach's psych eval and Journal entries, etc.), I like to think that he would enjoy these motion comics... at least a little. I'm confident that most fans of the comic will feel the same.

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This motion comic is a must have for Watchmen fans. This is exactly like the comic except for a few minor dialogs that have been removed because they would have been unnecessary for the motion comic since the narration adds the emotion in the characters dialog (you'll understand if you read the book along with watching the motion comic). The motion animation and added transitions are just amazing and I just loved the music, I mean really loved the music!! The narrator did a great job for even doing the female voices, but it wouldn't have hurt to have gotten a female narrator because it took some getting used to a man give out a feminine tone as I laughed the first time I heard it. A must have for fans especially if the movie doesn't do to well, but to me the movie looks great. I also agree with the other reviewer that Matthew Goode was terribly cast for the part of Andrian Veight/Ozymandias. I mean why did they choose that scrawy guy for the part and I dont know what the hair stylist was thinking giving Andrian that hair for the movie. Anyways the motion comic really brings the book to life and recommend you BUY THIS!!!! IT JUST RELEASED TODAY!!!

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Originally available to download through iTunes, Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic is now available on DVD. Whether you are a longtime fan of Alan Moore's revolutionary comic or are a newfound follower thanks to the upcoming Zack Snyder adaptation, you'd be better off checking out a single episode before laying down the cash for this DVD set. As you probably already know, there is only once voice used throughout The Motion Comic, as actor Tom Stechschulte provides the voices for everyone, including the female characters. Saying this is just plain weird to hear at first is saying it lightly (especially if you're not expecting it), but all things considered, he doesn't do as bad a job all around as it could have been. The panels and dialogue of the comic are followed to a tee, and making Dave Gibbons' artwork breathe is a sight to behold. Still, Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic isn't without its flaws, especially considering that the DVD itself has zilch for extras, of which there could have been a great deal. In the end, Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic is an interesting endeavor, but is really a worthwhile trip for die hard fans only, if only for the fact that nothing beats actually reading the comic. That being said, there are worse distractions to find as old and new fans alike wait for Zack Snyder's take on Watchmen to hit theaters.

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I loved this from the first few seconds into it; after the credits had finished rolling! The music creates a powerfully interpreted atmosphere, and the directing is perfect. The only thing I hated was that there were no female voices. One actor narrated the whole thing, doing all the voices, and altering his tone and inflection slightly for each character. While he did an excellent job on all the male characters, I think the best approach for this would have been a two-person team of a guy for all the male voices, and one female for all the female parts. If this had been an audio book, the one actor approach would have sufficed, since in those cases, the actor merely provides vocalization for the dialogue, and it doesn't matter what gender it is rendered in. But in an Illustrated Graphic Novel, you actually See the characters, and one never loses the disconcertment (I checked; that is actually a word) of "seeing" a male voice being uttered by a female character, especially the Same male voice. I hope that they redo this one day soon, with that in mind. If they do, I will buy it again, that is how much I liked this. By the way I still own my original copy of the Watchmen, bought from Bud Plant's Comic Art, many many years ago now. To me, this was just as powerful, and I would highly recommend it. I watched the entire thing in one sitting, even though it took several hours, that is how entranced I was.

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The Usual Suspects (1995)

"Round up the usual suspects." And so they do and ending up in the lineup are career criminals Michael McManus, Fred Fenster and Todd Hockney (Stephen Baldwin, Benicio del Toro and Kevin Pollack), ex-cop gone bad gone good again Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) and small-time con man Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey).

Wait a minute ... five criminals in one lineup? There's something wrong here, right? Right ...

In "The Usual Suspects," not only every line but every gesture, every facial expression and every camera cut counts. Even if you distrust the story being told, you can't exactly pin down everything that's wrong with it. The plot unfolds through the tale extracted from Kint, one of two survivors of a massacre and subsequent explosion on a boat docked in San Pedro Harbor, by U.S. Customs agent David Kujan (Chazz Palminteri). And at the same time as Kint is spinning his yarn, in a nearby hospital the other survivor (badly injured and fresh out of a coma) helps a police sketch artist draw a picture of the mastermind behind the scheme "the devil," Keyser Söze.

You can watch this movie countless times, and you will still discover new subtleties every single time. Not only will you find that it still makes sense after the story line has been unraveled at the end (which therefore is a plot twist, not a non-sequitur). You'll also discover nuance upon nuance in Kevin Spacey's incredible performance. You'll see that tiny apologetic grin on Todd Hockney's face as attorney Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite) lists a weapons truck heist the very act which brought them together in the initial lineup, and which they have all come to believe to have been a trumped-up charge as Hockney's latest sin against Keyser Söze, now forming part of the debt to be repaid by participating in the suicide mission in San Pedro Harbor. And at some point you'll also have figured out all of Fenster's lines (not being a native English speaker, I am relieved to find that I wasn't the only one struggling with them at first) ... although the mumbling is of course part of his character, and is as excellently delivered as every other aspect of Benicio del Toro's acting, his lines are so funny and to the point you almost wish he'd speak more clearly so you wouldn't miss half his punch lines the first time around.

Among a cast of tremendous actors (to name just two, Gabriel Byrne in one of his best performances and Benicio del Toro, deserving much more than just an "also starring" mentioning in the opening credits), Kevin Spacey's star shines brightest. To this day it is a mystery to me how he came to be awarded the Academy Award for Best *Supporting* Actor the only things the man supports (in fact carries, almost single-handedly) in this movie are Bryan Singer's directing and Christopher McQuarrie's screenplay, and that alone makes him the movie's lead character. But regardless of its title, the award was more than justified, and so was the one for McQuarrie's screenplay. With infinite trust in the audience's ability to pick up on little gestures, looks and inflections of his voice, Kevin Spacey displays all the many aspects of his character at the same time; and even the tenth time around, his performance still holds as true as the first time you watch the movie. Almost expressionless he tells his tale, always seeming to give away just about as much as he has to, and only raising his voice for a pointed (and exquisitely timed) expletive upon first being confronted with the name Keyser Söze, and for a wailing "Why me??" as agent Kujan tries to convince him that his own archenemy, Keaton, has been behind their failed enterprise all along and purposely let him (Kint) live to tell their story.

This is one of those movies which have you quote their many memorable one-liners forever. (Just look at how many reviewers on this site alone are quoting the one about "the devil's greatest trick.") To the extent that it cites other works, those citations pay homage, they don't merely copy right down to the name of the movie's production company (Blue Parrot/Bad Hat); like the title containing a reference to "Casablanca," the prototype of all films noir (or those made in Hollywood at least). It is one of the best modern examples of the genre and has long since become a cult classic it's a must in every decent collection.

Also recommended:

Memento (Widescreen Two-Disc Limited Edition)

L.A. Confidential

Seven (New Line Platinum Series)

Sometimes a movie really surprises you, really blows you away for some reason. I saw "The Usual Suspects" not really expecting anything interesting. Well, I was wrong. Instead I got to see a terrifically exciting movie featuring outstanding acting and a plot twist that actually caught me by surprise.

The plot? Following a bloody shoot-out aboard a ship moored at a Santa Monica pier, the police question a hood by the name of Verbal Kint in an attempt to learn about what happened. We see several different possibilities and the final answer we get is a real surprise.

Typically movies rely upon special effects, left-field plot twists, and brand-name casting to get the job done. "The Usual Suspects" relies on an excellent script, good direction and wonderful acting from people who might not necessarily be household names. Look at this cast Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollack, Benicio Del Toro, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri, Dan Hedaya, and Pete Postlethwaite. This is some serious acting talent to behold. They all are great, but in particular Gabriel Byrne (Dean Keaton) and Kevin Spacey (Verbal Kint) deliver exceptional performances. Neither man is quite who they seem to be. Spacey won a well-deserved Oscar for his performance in this film.

Director Brian Singer does a brilliant job coaxing terrific acting performances from his cast. This was a tought movie to make and he pulled it off in spades.

Go see "The Usual Suspects" and find out why it is one of my favorite films.

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The Usual Suspects is one of the finest films I've ever seen. It is peppered with magnificent performances, excellent direction, and a brilliant script(Which incidentally won the Oscar for Best Screenplay). Director Bryan Singer molds a tight and entertaining tale of five men, falsely brought in on charges of a stolen vehicle, then deciding to join forces and commit more crimes. What transgresses is a story of deceit, corruption and murder. Not only is the tale incredibly gripping, it is also downright hilarious at some points, making it such an enjoyable film. Kevin Spacey delivers an amazing performance as Verbal Kint, a scam artist cripple. Gabriel Byrne is great as the tough but compassionate Dean Keaton. Kevin Pollack delivers a strong and razor sharp comic relief role as Todd Hockney. One of the most surprisingly fantastic performances comes from Stephen Baldwin, who really packs a punch in this one. Benicio Del Toro gained rave reviews for his role as Fenster in this film , with due cause. Chazz Palminteri is also very intimidating as the cop trying to bring them down. This film won two Oscars, for original screenplay(Christopher McQuarrie, can you believe this was an original?!) and very deservedly for Kevin Spacey and his awesome performance. There is a surprise ending that will knock you off your seat. Sorry, can't give it away. Go out and see it.

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The film itself is worthy of a very strong five-star rating, but since this Blu-Ray offers nothing beyond the film itself, my rating reflects my disappointment.

While it's fantastic to have one of my favorite films of all time in high definition at last, the extras here are non-existent. Not only did they not do anything special for the Blu-Ray, they didn't even port over the extras from the MGM Special Edition DVD that came out a few years ago, and there's some excellent stuff on that DVD.

Shame on Fox/MGM for this inexcusably-lacking release.

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By now everyone knows "The Usual Suspects" so I won't comment on the film, just this MGM Special Edition; and it is a prime example of just how well these can be done. As I said in the headline, this is worthy of the Criterion Collection but at a very affordable price.

Side One has both the widescreen and P/S formated versions (although who still wants to watch a cropped film with pan&scan camera movements the director never made is beyond me). The transfer is high-definition with superb picture quality augmented by 5.1 Stereo Surround Sound. This film on this DVD looks better than when it was on the big screen. This side also features two running commentaries: the one by director Singer and screenwriter McQuarrie is the same one on the first "Suspects" DVD which was taken from a special limited edition VHS (Letterboxed film, same plus commentary, and a third box of "collectables". I think I was the only one who bought this!) The second commentary of by John Ottman, the editor and composer, and this one is a revelation to anyone who is interested in filmmaking, specifically "putting the film together after the finished shoot": editing and scoring. After my initial viewing of the film I really didn't think I could sit through it again right away, especially with the incredible dialogue subdued. But after listening to Ottman for five minutes, his enthusiasm became contagious and I was hooked. There is plenty here that "Suspects" fans will appreciate.

Side Two has all of the extras and there are plenty of them. Two half-hour documentaries, ("Pursuing the 'Suspects'" and "Doing Time with the 'Suspects'") with the actors, Singer and Ottman. (I guess McQuarrie felt he did his part with the original commentary.) A twenty-minute documentary on "Keyser Sose: Lie or Legend" which is funny and informative. Five deleted scenes introduced by Ottman (but it is easy to see why they were deleted) totalling ten minutes. Add ten minutes of trailers, TV spots, a seven minute gag reel introduced by Singer and some special "Easter Eggs" which I plan look for today (and probably watch the film again!) and you'll know everything you've wanted to know about "Suspects" and Mr. Sose.

There is finally some deserved praise for cinematographer, Tom Sigel, who made this "$4 million dollar production look like a $50 million film." Ottman, Singer and Gabriel Byrne also lament how this film, basically a rogue, independent production, could not be made today with studios rejecting originality and artists' visions in lieu of boilerplate plotlines, sequel-itis, and adapting films to their perception of what an audience wants after multiple pre-screenings. Byrne justly calls these "MacMovies" and I can't think of a more apt term.

Congratulations MGM for elevating your standards on Special Editions. This one was worth waiting for and delivered more than what was expected.

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Ra One Bollywood Blu Ray With English Subtitles (2011)

I watched the movie twice, once in 2D and once in 3D (imo, the 3D experience is fantastic). And I enjoyed the movie, as a whole. Some critics rip this movie apart for its poor script, but one must bear in mind the target audience is essentially kids so the plot is simple and straight-forward. Some has also criticize the use of low comedy (the groin-thingy, the airport officer ogling over G.One's piercings) but from what I noticed, the audience takes no offense and just laugh it off, even the kids (although the significance of the airport scene might not dawn on them). As for the sci-fi bit as to how the game characters can come alive, yes, it might be flawed but hey, if we can accept the fact that a bite from a radioactive spider can turn one into Spiderman, or that exposure to a gamma bomb could turn one into The Hulk, why the need to nitpick?

The thing is, the makers of Ra.One didn't set out to make this into an intelligent, gritty flick. It is meant to be an entertainer, and most importantly, to showcase the technology that was once regarded to be a Hollywood exclusive feature. With Ra.One, the aim is to create a superhero that would appeal to Indian children and to show the world stunning visual effects could be achieved at a fraction of the Hollywood price tag. I'd say the team is successful on those two fronts.

The plot is simple. A dad, eager to win his son's affection, creates a game where the villain (Ra.One) is stronger than the hero (G.One). Son is happy and gets to play the game, but when he stops the game at Level 2, Ra.One is angry because no one is supposed to defeat him. So he vows to track the boy down and comes to life. The boy and his mum are forced to flee, but not before G.One is also brought to life to defend them.

Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) plays dual roles, that of the dad, Shekhar Subramaniam, and the superhero, G.One. As the dad, SRK plays Shekhar the way the script demands perfectly clumsy, endearing, an embarrassment to the son, but when the situation calls for it, is perfectly responsible and heroic. Some say SRK is over-acting as Shekhar but personally, I feel to bring Shekhar to life and to make him a stark contrast to the stoic G.One, SRK had to be ridiculously funny and silly, and in that aspect, he succeeds brilliantly, imo. As the superhero G.One, SRK manages to be mostly stoic with monotous speech pattern, and his posture is impeccable (straight back, restrained gait/movements) though I have to admit it is a little jarring to see G.One smile and groove in one of the song items, Chammak Challo.

Kareena Kapoor as Shekhar's wife is beautiful, and though there isn't much scope for her to display her histrionic, she is absolutely brilliant in the scenes following her husband's death and when she is Ra.One is disguise.

And the little boy who plays the son, Prateek a.k.a Lucifer (his game handle) is truly a wonderful child actor who displays ease and confidence in all of his scenes.

The action scenes are brilliantly shot and look almost flawless, and the visual effects are really quite top-notch quality (nothing as epic as Transformers, of course). I seriously love the train sequence where SRK as G.One flies/runs from/across carriage door to carriage door. Look at the way SRK brilliantly holds his posture in which the action looks real that you forget he is aided by wires.

If I need to complaint about one thing, it is the number of scantily-clad dancers in the song items Criminal and Chammak Challo. Why the need to show so much skin?

All in all, this movie is massively entertaining. You have drama, action, comedy, bit of romance all rolled into one. It is also a game changer for Hindi cinema due to the visual effects and technology employed proof that Hindi films can retain its desi core and still stand on an international platform.

If you missed this in the theater, you must see the DVD. This movie has taken "Bollywood" to an all other playing field. It is bringing them much more even with "Hollywood". In fact in my opinion HW had better watch out! I am from the USA and saw it with my daughter who has never watched a Hindi movie, she was surprised at how much she enjoyed it. My grandson's first words when it was over "Can we see it again?" Needless to say we will be buying the DVD. A wonderful family film, with fantastic special effects, and a strong message about family love.

The reviews in America, especially "Hollywood" were very good. But something is very wrong with the "Bollywood Movie System" this movie was treated very unfairly by the Indian press, I feel very sorry for the Indian public who did not see this film. Not only have they missed a wonderful film but they have missed Hindi film history in the making. The people who have written bad reviews on here never saw this film "Period" I have watched 100s of Bollywood films, and this one ranks in the top, for story, acting and special effects.

If you are an International film buff, you must see it. If you have kids you all must see it. If you just love a good time, fun and want to see a new super hero you must see. I know you will enjoy it!

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A truly lovely and entertaining film.

Though set firmly in the traditions of Bollywood with colour, heart-warming relationships and wonderful music, it stretches into new territory with brilliant VFX and the exploration of a new genre, namely the superhero movie.

See it for the smile it will bring to your face. As the tag-line says 'A Superhero with HART'.

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I saw this in the theater recently and I look forward to owning it. Before seeing this film, I had never even heard of SRK, so the intricacies of Bollywood pop culture were irrelevent as I sat and enjoyed this outstanding film.

I should begin by saying that Hollywood superhero films like The Dark Knight have nothing to worry about from this film. Ra.One doesn't try to be gritty or dark or realistic. It is a family film, closer to the Christopher Reeve Superman films, in that it tries to be both sweet and thrilling. As a result it comes across as simultaneously modest and, because of its technological aspects, incredibly ambitious. Compared to the family fare churned out by Hollywood, it is never calculated and unlike Hollywood superhero films, it is never pretentious. From beginning to end, it simply wants to be the most entertaining film it could possibly be. Remarkably it succeeds far more frequently than it fails.

The highlights are the two extended action sequences. The first is a car chase through London that ends in a spectacular parking lot battle. The other, an even more astounding sequence, involves a runaway train and some remarkable stunt work and trick photography. Almost as good are the musical numbers, particularly Chammak Challo and Criminal. In a lesser film these interludes might have dragged the story to a halt, but in this film, they are made integral to the plot (and besides, are filled with such delight and affection for the characters that they can be forgiven almost anything).

As for the plot itself, it borrows freely from films like Terminator 2 and The Matrix. The hero, G.One (played by Sharukh Khan) is a video game character come to life, his mission to protect the son of his creator (also played by Mr. Khan in a very funny role). The film sets up its rules on how G.One and his nemesis, the evil Ra.One operate in the opening sequences and remarkably sticks to these rules for the most part. The story is just believable enough to work, though if I wanted to nitpick, I would have had a field day. However, if I did that, I would've missed out on entertaining scene after entertaining scene.

There were some problems, but overall they didn't really bother me. There were a couple of scenes where I had to ask myself, "Why is this happening?" There is an extended fight scene outside an airport that might have fit well in a Jackie Chan film from the seventies, but doesn't do much but show off some inventive fight choreography. Another sequence involving G.One being controlled by a video game controller might have set up an interesting possibility for the final battle, but is instead played just for laughs. Finally, a scene set up to sell an anti-smoking message is admirable, but hardly necessary.

Despite its few issues, this film was overflowing with invention and ideas and hopefully Bollywood can top it. If they can do this with a $30 million dollar budget, just imagine what they could do with even more. Though to be honest, I almost hope we never find out. Huge-budget "family" films like Transformers are so overblown, and so calculated to appeal to the lowest common denominator that they completely lack in heart or inspiration. Ra.One has both of these to spare.

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RA-ONE's rep for being the most expensive Indian movie to date could get a shellacking should PRINCE VAALI ever see the light of day. Both RA-ONE and PRINCE VAALI are superhero films, but until PRINCE VAALI actually hits the theater, I'm espousing Krrish as THE best Indian superhero film, of which upcoming sequel I cannot wait. RA-ONE? It's okay. It's not as awful as, say, that short film FIREMAN (which you can check out on YouTube, except why would you?). Heck, Mr. India, a 1987 film about a guy who can turn invisible, was more entertaining (and MR. INDIA is supposed to be getting a sequel, too).

RA-ONE, at its heart, centers around a father-son relationship. International superstar Shah Rukh Khan takes on three roles: as the nerdy but kind-hearted (and ridiculously goofy haired) Shekhar, as the dream sequence hero Lucifer, and as G-One. Shekhar is a video game designer toiling for the massive London-based Barron Industries. In an effort to connect with his bratty son Prateek and because Prateek believes that villains are cool Shekhar creates a virtual reality game in which the super-villain, Ra-One (for "Random Access, Version One"), never loses.

Ra-One (the name is pronounced like the demon "Raavan") is a synthesis of history's ten most evil men. Opposing him in the game is the superhero G-One, and it's reputed that Ra-One is so mighty and invincible that G-One's chances of besting him stand at a mere 0.01%. Those who've seen the techno-thriller VIRTUOSITY can already suss out what comes next. In a world in which video game designers play god and weird science is introduced, reality and fantasy sometimes get to blurring and sentience is implausibly achieved. When a kid plays the game and threatens to beat Ra-One, is it a real stretch that Ra-One becomes so incensed that he pursues the kid out into the real world? And Ra-One out in the real world is as homicidal as Sid 6.7. "Jackie Chan" doesn't stand a chance.

RA-ONE, running at two and a half hours, borrows, begs, and steals from previous Hollywood films. It's a mash-up of TERMINATOR 2 and THE MATRIX and VIRTUOSITY and who knows what else. It even lifts that old martial arts move in which the hero uses the girl as a fight prop. Also regurgitated is the bit in which a gouged-out eyeball is employed to gain access thru a retinal-scanned security portal. I will say that I enjoyed the big-budget action sequences, even when they bear a striking familiarity and you can see where the wire work went in. I love the runaway train sequence! G-One and Ra-One look very cool visually, both Shah Rukh and Arjun Rampal obviously having done their reps in the gym. Shah Rukh's blue contacts are pretty effective.

There's a jarring element here, in that the film tends to shift from a cornball, comic family film to a more intense action thriller. It's hard to reconcile a goofball scene like Shekhar's getting mugged by a midget or Shah Rukh's Michael Jackson impression with Ra-One's casually brutal elimination of that old Chinese woman. I know this is the sort of masala that Bollywood tends to offer its audience. But, given its budget and its ambitions, RA-ONE should've maybe toned down the silly. KRRISH did, and was all the better for it.

What else? If you're a fan of Bollywood cinema, you may get a kick out of the opening sequence which features cameos by Priyanka Chopra (as Desi Girl) and Sanjay Dutt as the dream villain. The musical numbers are catchy and work to advance the plot. There are three really catchy tunes: "Dildaara (Stand By Me)," "Criminal," and "Chammak Challo." The startling thing is that Akon worked on the last two songs. In a bit of awesome, in the irresistible, percussion-heavy "Chammak Challo," Akon sings in flawless Hindi, having picked up the words phonetically. If you can spare two and a half hours, RA-ONE is worth a peek, if only to see how Indian cinema is striving to catch up to Hollywood. RA-ONE exhibits pretty decent f/x and nice performances by Shah Rukh, Kareena Kapoor (as Shekhar's understanding wife Sonia), and Arjun Rampal (who is properly sinister and gleefully takes on those villainy poses). Man, if only the filmmakers had managed to calm down those cheesy Bollywood excesses. Wherever Hrithik Roshan is right now, I don't think he feels at all threatened, especially since the KRRISH sequel is almost here. 3 stars out of 5 for RA-ONE. Maybe an extra half-star for the sheer effort and energy expended by the cast & crew in this project. Shah Rukh said RA-ONE took up several years of his life.

Disc 1 has the feature presentation with the option of an English or Arabic sub-title and the option to listen either in the Hindi, Telugu, or Tamil language. There is also an option for song selection so you can click on the banging "Chmmak Challo" joint. Disc 2 contains the following bonus stuff (with no English sub-titles, although people speak often enough in English that you can sort of follow along):

5 Deleted Scenes (totaling 00:05:30 minutes)

Making of the Film (00:32:10 minutes)

Making of Songs Behind the Scenes of the musical numbers "Chammak Challo" and "Criminal," interspersed with Akon in the recording studio collaborating with the music composing/directing duo Vishal and Shekhar (00:19:08)

RA-ONE London Premiere focusing mostly on the cast's red carpet walks (00:07:51)

RA-ONE Trailer Launch (00:04:26)

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NFL Super Bowl XLV Champions: Green Bay Packers

First of all, this is NOT THE SUPER BOWL GAME. This is a summary video of the Packers' season (including very entertaining post-season highlights), and it is very well done. If you are looking for the complete Super Bowl game, you'll want this set: NFL-Green Bay Packers-Road to XLV. That video has the complete games of the entire playoff run (but they didn't release a Blu-ray version). This video does not have complete games on it. Again, this is a summary of the Packers' season plus some good extras that are listed in the product description. If that's what you want, order away. If you want complete games, check out the link I inserted.

Anyone who actually reads the description of this item would see exactly what this Blu-ray includes. NOWHERE does it say that this is the FULL GAME IN ITS ENTIRETY, so why would you assume that? Anyway, just because you goofed up does NOT mean that this item "sucks." This is a GREAT video. I've been buying the highlight DVDs for years and I love 'em. It's a great recap of a great season, with the great NFL Films' music and narration. There are a bunch of bonus features that take you behind the scenes of the games and players. *****If you want the full game, you can buy it on iTunes for $2.99!!***** Get them both and you'll have the ultimate Super Bowl XLV combo. This is a MUST HAVE for any Packers fan.

Buy NFL Super Bowl XLV Champions: Green Bay Packers Now

This should be great. If you didn't watch the Packers though out the season or are not a fan, I think you can still really enjoy this(unless your a bears fan, sorry, this isn't the video for you). If you didn't know, the 2010-2011 season for the Green Bay Packers was nothing short of amazing. This was the team that was favored to win the super bowl pre-season. But at the half way point the half the team was injured and they were on a losing streak. After Aaron went down and they lost to Detroit(yeah i know, how does that happen), they went into New England to lose again with out there star QB. Now this is where the magic started. The team would have to win there last two at home to make it in the playoffs. Once in the team would have to face 3 straight road games against the best the NFC had to offer to make it to Dallas. Only one other 6th seed team had ever went on the win it all(funny that it was the team they were playing in the super bowl). Some will call it lucky, but i believe if you watch this video you will change your mind. No one on this team ever gave up until there was nothing left to prove. This team will take you on emotional roller coaster though out the season. It wasn't always pretty but ended the best way possible. Lastly this video gives you the chance to watch a great QB who is quickly proving he might be the best in the game. P.S. You may have figured out I'm a cheese head but i'm also a football fan and this was the best I have ever seen.

Read Best Reviews of NFL Super Bowl XLV Champions: Green Bay Packers Here

the wonderful 2010 season comes alive in this exciting dvd for every packers'fan.

first 36 minutes are highlights of the regular season;

18 minutes playoffs' highlights and 20 minutes of superbowl.

there about 40 min.of extra bonus of post game ceremony, packers nation vs steelers nation and others.

for those who love the packers, the adrenaline flows freely.

go pack!!

Want NFL Super Bowl XLV Champions: Green Bay Packers Discount?

Though I am a born and raised Cheesehead and am still amazed that they pulled it off with so many injuries, I am very disappointed in this season wrap up DVD/Blu-ray. You can tell that this DVD was edited and done prior to the Super Bowl, the only thing that needed to be added was the highlights of the SB and post-game celebration. There are ZERO (yes, that's right, zero) player or coach interviews on this DVD during the season highlights. You only get Greg Jennings "mic'd up" during the playoff run. All bonus features are prior to the SB. This is one of those things that NFL films rushed out as quickly as possible to make a buck. My guess is that there will be another DVD later that actually has player and coach interviews that talk about the season and post-SB reaction. Watched it once, and sold it on eBay. The 1996 SB video is so much better, no comparison.

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I, Robot (2004)

This is a pretty good movie, and I was excited to see it in 3D as I have been amazed by some other 3D blurays (Thor, Captain America, Avatar).

Despite the fact that this wasn't "made for 3D", I was hopeful that the 3D reworking would yield some pretty cool results. Unfortunately, I didn't really see much 3D that enhanced the film or made it really worth it to buy a new bluray since I had the dvd (and it isn't a "gotta have" film for me I was interested in it for the 3D feature.

If you don't have the film yet, it is a good addition to your collection. If you love this movie and have the dvd, then sure buy it, but if you just like the film and have the dvd, and are looking to expand your 3D film collection for some cool 3D films, you might wanna spend your money on other 3D discs.

My first reaction as this film began was "Wait! This isn't Asimov." The Asimov I grew up reading was a weaver of ideas, more mind candy than adventure story. But here I found myself in Will Smith's bedroom, and then suddenly catapulted into a wild chase after a purse grabbing robot. A far cry from the delicacy used by Asimov. It took a while for the shock to wear off but eventually the conflict between Smith's gritty performance as Del Spooner and his original inspiration in the reminiscences of Dr. Susan Calvin (played by Bridget Moynahan) wears off and the view settles into a film that is inspired by Asimov, but does not imitate him.

The sooner that happens, the better, because this is an exceptional film in its own right, even if it does proceed with the speed of a video game. Smith creates a wisecracking character with a deep mistrust of robots. He is called in to to investigate what appears to be an impossible killing robots can't kill humans, it's the first law of robotics. But Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) lies dead and the only suspect is 'Sonny' a Series 5 robot with some surprising circuitry (played by Alan Tudyk).

The death is declared a suicide, but Spooner refuses to give in. suddenly the automated world turns on the detective, whose unlikely ally is Dr. Calvin, a robopsychologist responsible for the psyches of masses of robots about to be distributed around the planet. One hair-raising escape after another propels the story along until viewers find themselves at a surprisingly reflective conclusion. Not exactly classical Asimov, but a great story nonetheless.

Will does a good job as Spooner, but he is upstaged by Moynihan's performance. And both are blown away by Tudyk and the animators performance as Sonny. As you watch Sonny develop from being slightly more simpatico than the scenery into a full-blown personality there are countless moments of surprise. Moynihan and Smith do their best, but from the moment Sonny turns to Spooner and says "Thank you... you said someone not something." The film belongs to the robots.

Excellent animation and CGI create a world that is a retro version of the future perhaps exactly what Asimov imagined rather than what we would now. The result is a compelling mix of the outré and the mundane that sticks in the mind just as Sonny's wink does.

This is not just an action film. Threaded through it are the same questions that Asimov raised about the nature of self and intelligence. Robots may never be human, but there are far more than furniture. And if their thought processes are alien, they are more than the sum of their programming. The result is one of the more carefully thought out science fiction films in recent times.

Buy I, Robot (2004) Now

I watched this one with my family over the weekend and, quite frankly, had a ball. Yeah, to some extent it's a movie with a message, but mainly it's just plain entertaining. If you try to read too much into it, you'll miss the opportunity for a good old-fashioned sci fi romp.

Fast forward to the year 2035. The monolithic company "U.S. Robotics" has put NS-4 domestic assistant robots into mass production, so much so that they are commonplace "members" of American society. Their artificial intelligence is designed to be as much like humans as possible, but is regulated by the "3 laws" programming that is hardwired into every robot. These laws are: 1. To protect human life above all; 2. To obey human commands except if it would violate law 1; and 3. To protect its own existence unless doing so would violate laws 1 or 2. The laws seem a foolproof way to ensure that the robots would never pose a threat to humanity. But all that changed when the man billed as the father of robotic technology and the 3 laws turns up dead in a very public, and very suspicous, manner, just as the new and improved NS-5 model is about to flood the market. The death is quickly written off by all concerned as a suicide. All except detective Dale Spooner, this is.

Being a good cop and a sharp detective, Spooner (played by Will Smith) in not content that the professor's death was a suicide, and begins investigating with the lead suspect, an NS-5 robot named "Sonny". Sonny's intelligence is so advanced, and his "emotions" so well simulated, that he appears to have something resembling a human soul. Spooner believes that Sonny killed the professor, and sets out to prove it. His (over)zealous approach to the task, coupled with his deep distrust of robots and their manufacturer, quickly lands him in hot water with some powerful people. Some difficult and destructive encounters with the metallic menaces leave him looking like an obsessive paranoiac, and ultimately result in his suspension from the police force.

Spooner continues his chase nonetheless, following a series of clues left by the dead professor, as step by step the mystery begins the unwind. All along the way are some great action sequences, plot twists and one-liners. However, except for Will Smith's character (which is the same as it has been in every film he has done since "Men in Black"), nothing about the story is predictable. When the final shoe drops, most viewers will be pleasantly surprised by the unexpected ending.

All in all, I really enjoyed this movie. It was a wild ride with lots of great sci fi treats and effects. The only downsides were the lack of character development on any signficant level -this is a purely plot-driven movie -and the fact that Will Smith essentially played himself, much as he always does. Still, it's worth seeing. I certainly don't regret the investment of two hours.

Read Best Reviews of I, Robot (2004) Here

Amazed to read some others found the 3D conversion suitable on I Robot.

I am using a top of the line blu ray 3D player and a new LG TV and I found I Robot to be a big disappointment and a very bad sign of where 3D (conversion) is headed -studios using the cheaper conversion option and movies having little depth and no pop-out whatsoever.

The funny thing about the I Robot conversion to me was the small on-screen menu that would appear when prompted was the ONLY popout in the whole movie and the sad thing about that is that it immediately and constantly shows you and reminds you of how the movie COULD have been.

I do think the 3D version of I Robot is better than just the bluray experience BUT when you watch other 3D movies like Titanic and Avatar you'll see a day and night difference. At least I sure did.

To all studios: I will be re-thinking future decisions on 3D purchases if this is what you'll be offering us. What I see in I Robot is not worth the $30 pricetag at all. It's an amazing and entertaining technology but you are going to miss your opportunity if this is what you'll be offering us.

Want I, Robot (2004) Discount?

Although I read Asimov when I was young, I didn't recall enough of it to spoil the movie for me. In fact, I read elsewhere that the movie only loosely follows pieces of Asimov's famous short story collection.

That being said, I loved the movie it was highly entertaining, and a little philosophical, but not over-the-top philosophical like AI was (and nowhere near as lengthy). Will Smith does his usual fine job on screen, so you won't be disappointed with the acting. Don't listen to the critics who warned you away from seeing this movie they were wrong again, as usual.

It didn't occur to me when I read Asimov years ago, but I finally "got" the significance of Dr. Calvin's name... John Calvin was a theologian of the reformation who argued that humans are pre-destined by God, and therefore do not have free will. Asimov's Dr. Calvin believes that the three laws of robotics make it impossible for a robot to have their own free will, and in a sense pre-destines their fate with humanity. Oh well, enough philosophy for a simple movie review. You'll have to see the movie if you want to know more.

The DVD also comes w/ some nice featurettes on the making of the movie, cast & director interviews, the writings of Asimov on robots, and various other of the usual things the studio throws in whenever they have some space left over on the disc.

My final recommendation is: five stars for the movie, and four stars for the supplemental material and packaging. This will make a great Christmas present for that sci-fi fan in your family.

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Silent Hill / Ultraviolet (2010)

Both of these movies are fine but wanted to warn everyone that in the 2-pack release of "Silent Hill" with "Ultraviolet" it is NOT the unrated version of "Ultraviolet" (Amazon's description calls it "R rated") but rather you get the the shorter PG-13 theatrical version. I wish I had known!

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