My Life as a Dog (The Criterion Collection) (1985)

Few movies come this close to perfection. This is an intelligent and moving story of a boy who must come to terms with abandonment, loss and the casual betrayal of adults. Extremely well acted on all sides, with a bold script that dares to ask the important questions. Ingemar must try to find some balance in his life, as he is tossed from one "home" to another, like a stray dog... or, like the Soviet space-dog Laika, who was sent into space only to starve to death in orbit. "They never intended to bring her back." The final scenes of "My Life as a Dog" do win out, when the odd town's crazy old man takes a swim in the frozen river. The whole cast of peculiar town-folk come out to "rescue" him, and offer him a place by the fire, a blanket, a little whiskey... Here, Ingemar finds balance in the love of other people, so one is left, not with a sense of despair, but with a sense of hope in the midst of sorrow and loss.

Note: I recommend the subtitled version over the dubbed version, as the language and inflections should be experienced in full.

This was so disappointing to me. "My Life as a Dog" was one of my all-time favorite films. I already had it on video, and wanted to have a cleaner copy on DVD, as well as some features.

! IT IS NOT, I repeat, *NOT* WIDESCREEN!

Worse, the transfer is grainy, and there seems to be little or no remastering. CRITERION would do a bang-up job on this film, it's just a shame that so many distributers can't get their act together and put a little effort into what they're doing.

If you want to hear commentary, see it in its original film ratio, or even see a decent transfer for heaven's sake, go to Criterion's web-site and send them a message that you want to see this film done right.

You might also go to Fox Lorber's web site, and let them know you expect more than VHS-on-a-disk. DVD, as a media, is in a critical state right now, and the studios are trying to see if the general public will accept bare-bones releases. We need to let them know that we won't.

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A massive world wide hit when it was first released.Simply the greatest film about childhood ever made.An absolute flawless film in every way. The final scene combined with the memorable music will stick in your mind forever. A masterpiece of film making truly unforgetable and exceptionally moving.I have seen it numerous times over the years.One of the ten best films I have ever seen.

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I absolutely agree with Mr. Frazer. I first viewed the film over 20 years ago and to my tastes, it is one of the best films about children of which I am aware. I would place it on par with "Fanny and Alexander" and "Hope and Glory" (Boorman). The film does have a mild sexual content, but we allowed our son to see it even when he was young. (In the US some might not agree with this choice.) We've watched it again and again through the years. Similar to our experience with other exceptionally fine movies (and wines), it seems to improve with age. I would recommend it without any reservations whatsoever.

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"You have to compare," the hero of the charming yet poignant coming-of-age drama concludes, "so you can keep perspective. It helps to keep a little distance." A heartwarming story of growing pains, My Life as a Dog traces the tears and laughter of a thirteen-year-old Swedish boy struggling to find balance between the gravity of death and flamboyancy of youth. Carefully expanding the path of childhood through trials of time, director Lasse Hallstrom brings forth a moving tale unfolded in the eyes of Ingemar, a captivating boy whose heartfelt concerns for dogs burgeon into love for life. Inspired by the first dog sent into space by the USSR space program, Ingemar remains unscathed by life's tragedies as he bravely embarks on a journey to fit himself into a world of complexities. Stunningly portrayed by young actor Anton Glanzelius, the energetic, insightful, and often-troubled hero comes alive seeking joy of a sad life as his mother lies dying. Even as Ingemar and his brother are sent away to different relatives in the summer to allow their weakening mother rest, Ingemar is constantly haunted by memories of a mother with a "robust, sexy laugh" who never grows tired of his stories. Ingemar temporarily finds peace in his eccentric uncle's house as he shyly steps into the light and befriends a pretty young tomboy portrayed by Melinda Kenneman, who leads a contradictory life herself trying to cope with her growing sexual urges while maintaining a tough image on the soccer team as well as boxing floor. Focussing on Ingemar's sympathy for deserted creatures such as Laika, who was left to die in space, as well as his own mutt Sikan later died in the kennel, the director skillfully narrows in on life's details drawing powerful parallels between Ingemar's alienation and the dogs' desertion. Almost taking pleasure in the ruggedness of growing-up, Glanzélius's Ingemar never ceases to find himself trapped in troubles-whether it is setting fire on trash dumps, spilling milk on himself, or crashing through the glass roof attempting to steal a glimpse of a model in nude. While peacefully observing a world in motion from the persecptive of an outsider, Ingemar gradually blends into a rural community and finds himself an inseparable part of the town's lighthearted approach to hardships after the death of her mother. Deemed not as simple tale of maturing, My Life as a Dog presents the bittersweet flavor of childhood through the clear eyes of a bittersweet boy. Despite few awkward transitions and scenes of sexual awakenings, this film touches the human heart and produces a vague echo in audiences' memories. Complemented with superb casting, My Life as a Dog refocuses society's view on children who see the world through a totally unique perspective. Of course, our hero's perspective undergoes the transition from a deserted dog to that of a human surrounded by life's warm pleasures.

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Paper Man (2009)

I saw this movie at its premiere at the LA Film Festival and I loved it! It is quirky-funny, poignant and melancholy by turns -exactly what I want in a film for grownups. The performances are stellar and the story highly original.

Paper Man is quite simply a fantastic movie. I haven't been this emotionally affected by a film since Gran Torino. Emma Stone and Jeff Daniels' characters compliment each other perfectly. One has seemingly never grown up, while the other has been deprived of their childhood. The way that they form such a truly unique friendship and help each other to find out what's missing inside of them, keeping them from moving on with their respective lives, is amazing to watch unfold. These two characters seem very different at first, but you eventually come to find that they rely on the same type of crutch to help them function, albeit not all that well, in normal society. The movie also certainly doesn't take it self too seriously, with just enough moments of levity to keep the story grounded. The movie is a winner from beginning to end and I can attest to the fact that Paper Man stays great through multiple viewings; with it's top-notch acting and unbelievably gripping ending. The ending is one of the most poignant and moving cinematic experiences I've ever had.

Bottom Line: This is the epitome of a 5/5 movie. Buy the DVD/Blu-Ray, watch it, love it, and spread the word to friends and family about this awesome indie film!

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What an inventive feature debut for this killer directing duo. Paper Man successfully manages to mix big concept with the feel of an intimate character driven film. A fun, inventive, drama told through a comic frame. Great performances from the whole star-studded cast. A wellobserved, tightly knit spiral into a troubled man's psyche, the film takes off fast and doesn't stop until its surprising and tense conclusion. It's refreshing to see indie-style filmmaking coming from such an accomplished cast and crew. Thumbs up for an original and moving soundtrack. Thumbs up for unique concept. Thumbs up for a great, creative partnership from its creators. Netflix it. Amazon it. Enjoy it.

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This movie made me think on many different levels. The first time I saw it I wasn't sure I liked it, but it got in my head and I started to relate many of the scenes in the movie to life. So, I watched it again and determined it was much better then I originally thought. Richard (Jeff Daniels) makes his first real friend at almost age 50. And Emma Stone (an actress I wasn't terribly crazy about until I saw this film) makes her first real friend when she's 16. Up until then they've both been doing the best they could not knowing really how to cope with the ravages of life except through slightly delusional and weak self affirmative behaviors. After they meet, they are stronger individuals recognizing they don't need to be what the rest of the world is claiming they need to be or even necessarily and more importantly what they thought they needed to be and they'll be OK.

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A writer (Daniels) trying to start his second book and find himself meets a local high schooler (Stone) and a friendship is born. Richard (Daniels) has always been different, for one he's in his 40's and has an imaginary friend (Ryan Reynolds). His wife (Lisa Kudrow) drops him off at a house alone in hopes he will finally start his book. Not feeling inspired Richard rides to town and meets Abby (Stone). The mis-matched pair become fast friends and discover more about themselves in the process. I can not say enough good things about this movie. Emma Stone stole this movie, her acting was great and I expect to see awards in her future if she keeps this up. This movie has it all, great humor, writing, acting and is also very moving. Almost instantly you feel sorry for Richard and you really root for him the rest of the movie. Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds really make you feel for them and you are right there with them trying to give Richard the push he needs. The ending is unexpectedly touching and I actually got a little choked up. I honestly could go on all day about how much I liked this movie, it's just a shame movies like this one (where the plot and acting take center stage) don't get the audience they deserve while "Yogi Bear" gets all the attention it can get. Do yourself a favor and watch this, you won't regret it. First time ever...I give it an A+

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The Omen (1976)

This is a first class, gothic chiller with an outstanding cast, a riveting story line, and a musical score that will make the viewer want to sleep with the lights on! A first rate film, it had audiences riveted to the screen when it was first released in the mid nineteen seventies. I know. I was one of that audience. This film has withstood the test of time, as it is as gripping today, as when it was first released.

Katherine (Lee Remick) and Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) are a wealthy, older American couple. Katherine is pregnant and, while in Italy, gives birth to an ostensibly stillborn boy, a fact that is kept from her. Knowing how much his wife wanted the baby and the difficulty that she had in conceiving, Robert agrees to have the dead baby supplanted by a living newborn whose mother died in child birth, keeping this information from Katherine. They name this baby Damien.

All goes well for the prosperous Thorn family, until Damien turns five. A series of dramatic, unusual events begin to occur around the Thorns, all seemingly stemming from Damien. Well guarded by a self sufficient, somewhat creepy nanny (Billie Whitelaw), there are those who would believe him to be the Antichrist. By the time that Katherine and Robert begin to realize who Damien may truly be, their lives are out of control. With the aid of an inquisitive photographer, a repentant priest, and an archaeologist who holds the key to the destruction of the Antichrist, Robert Thorn becomes a man with a mission. Will Damien let him complete that mission? Watch this movie and find out. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee that you will be sleeping with the lights on and the covers over your head.

David Seltzer wrote a terrific screenplay. This first class production, which is deftly directed by Richard Donner, is played with straightforward sincerity by its outstanding cast. The casting of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick was pure genius, as their distinguished reputations infused the movie with a believability not thought possible, given the theme of the script. Playing it straight, as a couple caught in a vortex of events over which they have little control, they sweep the viewer along with them. Supported by a fine cast, there are notable performances given by Billie Whitelaw, as the nanny with a mission, David Warner, as the photographer who begins to notice that something odd seems to be going on, and Harvey Stephens, as Damien, whose angelic countenance belies his satanic nature.

This is a riveting, subtle film that, with a few well planned, shocking moments, and an effectively creepy musical score that builds suspense to a crescendo, manages to thoroughly engage the viewer. If one is looking for a blood and gore fest, there is really none of that here. Instead, look to be scared out of the seat of your pants by a superb script, wonderful acting, deft direction, and a musical score that will long linger in one's memory. It is little wonder that Jerry Goldsmith, the composer of the original score for The Omen, won an Academy Award for his efforts.

The DVD is a loaded DVD with a lot of interesting features. It provides a forty six minute documetary on the making of the film, which is quite interesting., as well as a director's commentary. There is a also an intriguing, six minute short on some of the pitfalls that beset the cast and crew during the filming of the movie. The composer also has a small segment of his own. There are the other standard features, such as theatrical trailers, interactive menus, and scene selections, as well as crystal clear visuals and audio. This is a first rate DVD of a film well worth having in one's collection. Bravo!

When The Exorcist was released in 1973 the world stood in awe at the horror and gore than was presented before their very eyes. Rip-offs came thick and fast and then came the masterpiece The Omen. This 1976 horror film scored a hit with both critics and cinema-goers alike who had embraced a deep interest in gothic horror and its history. It has a first-rate cast, superb acting, brilliant shock tactics and a soundtrack to send shivers down your spine whatever your state of mind! It's no wonder Jerry Goldsmith won an Academy Award as the composer of the theme! I first saw this film last night when it was shown on UK TV. My mum recommended it to me, as it was a favourite of hers as a teenager and I absolutely loved it.

In The Omen, Katherine (Lee Remick) and Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) are a rich married couple who move to England from America. Katherine is pregnant and gives birth to an ostensibly baby boy while in Italy. This news is kept from her. Her husband knows how much his wife has wanted a baby and the problems she had conceiving, so he agrees to have the dead new-born supplanted by another new-born, whose mother died at child birth. Katherine thinks that the child is her own, but Robert knows it's not and keeps this a secret from her. They name the baby Damien (Harvey Stephens).

Five years pass and we see the family growing up joyfully in their big mansion. They're happy and content with their lives and love their son more than anything. Everything is going well for the Thorn family until Damien turns five. A series of very creepy and unexplainable events happen around the time of his fifth birthday, which all seem to stem from Damien. The family employ a creepy and weird nanny (Billie Whitelaw) and things begin to spiral out of control. Robert and Katherine really start to think that there is something seriously wrong with their child so, with the help of a funny photographer (David Warner), Robert sets out to try and discover the truth about the mysterious events. A stubborn priest tries to warn him when these events happen, but Robert doesn't listen. It soon becomes too late when the man is murdered rather spectacularly.

The horror of this film is based more on the shock tactics more so than the suspense factor, which doesn't make it a very scary film in terms of blood and guts, but more so in the way that it disturbs you deep down and shocks your body. The first big shock of the film comes on Damien's fifth birthday party when his nanny jumps from the top of the mansion roof screaming, "It's all for you Damien!" before hanging herself. Another shock comes when Damien goes hysterical as he nears a church in a car with is mother and father. He later drives his tricycle into his mother's stool as she is doing housework on a balcony. She falls and loses her second baby. Her long stint in hospital tears Robert apart, and her death after she is pushed out of a hospital window tips him over the edge. The death of the priest by a Church-spear is not only shocking, but rather humorous. The scenes in Italy with dogs and spikes and broken arms are spectacular, but the most famous scene comes when the photographer is decapitated by a sheet of glass that slides off the back of a truck which rolls down the hill towards him. A scene that has gone down in history!

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

The Omen can be a tad boring in between the shocking scenes and good parts of the storyline, but the ending is ten minutes of pure cinema brilliance. The scenes of Robert trying to cope with the world crumbling around him are also pure cinema gold, and shows a wonderfully emotional side to Peck's acting. Caught in a tornado of events of which he cannot control, he sweeps the audience along with him. David Seltzer wrote an awesome script, while Richard Donner works finely and precisely on directing this masterpiece. Essential viewing for all those who love gothic horror and truly great thrillers.

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The Omen (horror, mystery)

Directed by Richard Donner

Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Billie Whitelaw

20th Century Fox | 1976 | 111 min | Rated R | Released Oct 07, 2008

Video:

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio:

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

French: Dolby Digital Mono

Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono

Subtitles:

English SDH, English, Spanish

Disc:

Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc

The Film: 4/5

Modern horror movies are very different from films such as The Omen. Released 35 years ago, the movie wasn't gory and certainly wasn't a slasher movie. It relied on creating suspense and tension and was in the tradition of Hitchcock. The characters have proper motivations for their actions and we are shown what those motivations are. It justifies some of the difficult choices made by Robert Thorn (Peck) as he learns the truth about his son.

Director Richard Donner's next movie was Superman, but The Omen, was easily the biggest project of his career at that point. Peck's involvement proved to be a huge draw and the remainder of the cast was happy to join the project.

The story opens in Rome. Thorn is the American ambassador and his wife, Katherine (Remick), is giving birth in hospital. The doctors tell him that his baby has died, but offer him another baby who lost its mother during the birth. Thorn reluctantly accepts, but hides the fact from his wife. Thorn is made ambassador to Britain and the family relocates to London. Things seem normal until Damien is five years old, when his nanny commits suicide at his birthday party.

Father Brennan, a priest from Rome, pays Thorn a visit. He claims that Thorn must take communion and accept Christ if he is to fight the son of the devil. Thorn dismisses him as a lunatic.

A new nanny, Mrs. Baylock (Whitelaw), shows up at the house to take care of Damien, but the Thorn's realize that neither of them arranged it. She is allowed to keep the job and tells Damien in private that she's there to protect him. He smiles. The Thorn's take him to church against the wishes of Baylock, but he throws a fit and they abandon the trip. He's visibly shaking at the thought of entering the church.

Thorn realizes that Damien has never been ill for a single day in his life and considers it odd. Baylock starts to take over the running of the house and allows in a black dog which seems to be another guardian for Damien. Thorn tells her to get rid of it, but she never does.

Nothing has really happened up to this point. Donner gives us clues that there's something weird about Damien, but it's all speculation. We don't actually see him do anything, but things happen to others around him. This is developed when Damien and his mother visit Windsor Safari Park and the animals act scared and run away from the boy. Now both parents are suspicious of Damien.

Father Brennan sees Thorn again and insists that Thorn's wife will die if he refuses to hear what Brennan has to say. He only wants five minutes. Thorn reluctantly agrees to listen, but Brennan sounds crazy once more, insisting that Damien isn't human and must die. Thorn still isn't convinced, but reads about Brennan's mysterious death in the newspaper the following day. Katherine is convinced that Damien is evil and that he's not her child.

Brennan claimed before he died that Katherine was pregnant again, and that she would lose the baby and then her own life. When Thorn learns that she is in fact pregnant, he begins to think about everything that Brennan has said. He teams up with a local photographer who has more information about Brennan and the two begin to look into Damien's origins.

It's incredible how little action there is throughout the movie. Donner relies on the audience's imagination and keeps building suspense. There's very little blood in the story and Damien hardly does anything to suggest that he's evil. Any problems he causes could be genuine accidents. Baylock is a more sinister character and does take direct action when she thinks that Damien is threatened.

The one thing that doesn't quite ring true is how quickly Damien's parents come to consider him evil. The bond between parent and child is usually strong enough for parents to love and forgive their children. Imagine telling any parents that their child is evil or the son of Satan. The likely reaction would be anger and the parents would defend their child against such a crazy accusation. In this instance, both parents come to the same conclusion. Why are they able to see that Damian is evil? Robert does eventually question the logic when he's ultimately tasked with killing the child, but it seems too late to be authentic.

The journey to uncover the truth sees Thorn visit two other countries as he tries to piece together Damien's past. We meet some unusual characters along the way and there's a little more action when he searches for the identity of the child's real mother.

The story has a resolution of sorts, but The Omen eventually became the first part of a trilogy. The other two movies never matched the suspense of the first and didn't attract any actors on Peck's level. Peck was excellent as Thorn and the most interesting part of the story was seeing how he approached the problem.

Picture Quality: 3.5/5

The opening shots are weak and lacking in definition. Some shots are intentionally soft, but the movie is grainy and the colors subdued for the most part. Things pick up in the second half when we see more outdoor scenes. It's hard to pin down the quality because it varies so much. Some shots seem barely above DVD standard, while others border on impressive considering the age of the film. It's obviously as good as it has ever looked, so worth picking up if you are a fan.

Sound Quality: 3.5/5

Jerry Goldsmith won an Oscar for best original score and the demonic singing adds a lot of atmosphere to the story. It sounds impressive on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, as do some of the more subtle sounds such as gravel crunching underfoot. The track is front-heavy and a little quiet, but it does the job. I did watch it at a slightly higher volume level than most movies, but clarity was good once I had the level sorted out.

Features: 5/5

With over three hours of special features and three commentary tracks, you can satisfy your curiosity about the movie. It's a comprehensive package.

Commentary Three different tracks.

Isolated Score Track (5.1 Dolby Digital)

Richard Donner on The Omen (14:36)

The Omen Revelations: Bonus View with Trivia Track

Introduction by Director Richard Donner from 2006 (1:55)

Deleted Scene: "Dog Attack" (1:26)

666: The Omen Revealed (46:34)

Screenwriter's Notebook (14:51)

An Appreciation: Wes Craven on The Omen (20:17)

The Omen Legacy (1:41:37)

Curse or Coincidence? (6:19)

Jerry Goldsmith on The Omen Score (17:41)

Theatrical Trailer (2:19)

Still Gallery

The original part of the trilogy remains one of the best horror movies ever made, but it won't appeal to everyone. The pacing will seem slow by today's standards and the story relies on suspense, characterization and acting ability, rather than gore and special effects. Well worth seeing if you want to see how the genre has developed over the past four decades.

Overall score 4/5

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I have a weird obsession with the first 2 Omen films, and own the DVD boxed set, so I've seen the DVD quite a few times. This special edition includes everything from the first release: Richard Donner's commentary, a deleted scene, the featurette on all the weird coincidences & tragedies that happened around the filming, and the just over 40 minute documentary on the making of the film.

The new features addednot including the spiffy new slip case cover and spooky white coverare as follows. We get a short introduction from director Donner, a 20 minute featurette that is basically Wes Craven talking about why he likes the film so much. Kind of random stuff, but the thing that made me upgrade is the new, just under 2 hour documentary. It's narrated by Jack Palancethat's worth the money right thereand goes into detail of how it started as an idea as "The Anti-Christ", then "The Birthmark" and finally the completed "The Omen."

This re-release was obviously done to promote the new remake, but they actually make it worth your while. The packaging really is nice, and for fans of the Omen or those interested in the odd happenings that surround itthis is a worthy addition to your collection. For those of you who haven't seen this film beforedon't base your judgement on the remake. This is a classy but fast-paced intelligent thriller/horror film, with amazing acting (especially from Gregory Peck) wonderful music and cinematography. The 6/6/06 date has passed, but until the world really does end you should enjoy this cool release and enjoy a time before obvious and tacky CGI jumps were considered "horror".

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There are few viewing experiences like "The Omen". This movie is one of the most astounding motion pictures of all time. It has all the usual good things associated with a great movie (talented cast, good music, good story line) but has also become a classic in the horror genre! The baby-faced incarnation of the anti-christ has become one of the most paradoxically-appealing characters of all time! (Harvey Stevens, the little boy that plays "Damien Thorne" does a superb job acting!)

If you consider yourself to be a horror fan, please, see this movie! While it is definately NOT a blood bath, it is a pyschological terror that will leave you thinking about what you've just seen... months after you've seen it! With confidence, I recommend "THE OMEN"...you won't regret it!

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Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within Region (2007)

'Final Fantasy' is a computer game that has gone through countless versions and editions. Taken as a whole, this mythos is probably one of the best know games in its genre. It is clear from the beginning of this film that Sony and Hironbu Sakaguchi (producer, director, and writer) were intent on topping an already brilliant history of graphic accomplishments. In a sense, 'The Spirits Within' represents a piece of history in the making. It is the first film that presents a startling approximation of life using only automation.

The plot is simple. An asteroid falling to earth carries within it a host of phantom creatures that seem hell bent on destroying earthly life. Civilization has been reduced to living in shielded enclaves, and it is only a matter of time before the planet becomes a haunted wasteland. Aki Ross and her mentor, Dr. Sid, are working on the creation of a neutralizing 'wave' based on the eight basic phantom life forms. General Hein does not trust Dr. Sid's theories about a Gaia, or planetary spirit, and wants to use a huge orbital laser cannon to destroy the original meteor, possible destroying the earth in the process. The conflict between these points of view and their shattering effects on the planet are the meat of the film.

Captain Gray Edwards, once Aki's lover, crystallizes this struggle between the material world of violent reaction and the spiritual world of growth and synthesis. The film plays a bit like an evolved 'Starship Troopers.' In many ways, it presents the same visual image, and deals with the same issues. The problem for the director and the viewer is to get past the magnificent graphic work to experience the abiding spiritual faith that is its meaning. Ironically, the film itself is a metaphor for the issues it expresses.

It is almost futile to discuss the film's animation and design. They are so far above what we are used to that the required superlatives sound trite. In essence, the animation staff set out to create something that is even more real than life, and to a great extent, they have succeeded. This hyperrealism, combined with an almost ballet like feeling of choreography create a sense of moment that makes this seem far more than an action film. The overall animation is carefully balanced so as to keep the focus on the characters. Even so, this film has such a sensory effect that the viewer is tempted to forget the plot and simply observe the screen.

The primary DVD provides the film and a whole set of commentaries (directing crew, animation and staging, composer, and production staff), plus the usual trailers, etc. In the special edition, a second disk adds an extensive 'Making of...' segment, the entire screenplay and some analysis of character, vehicle, and prop design. Technically, this is an important film, despite its simplistic plot and characters. For the first time, the definition of what is acting and what is animation is being challenged in a thought provoking fashion.

There have been many reviews about this movie that have ranged from excellent to shoddy, but mine will fall in the middle for a couple of reasons I will get to. I'll tell you what I found cool and what I found to be lacking. First off, I saw this movie in a digital projection theater. The colors were mind-blowing to say the least. I was constantly losing track of the story because I couldn't take my focus off the spectacular animation. The animation is so rich and textured...let's just say that you have never seen anything like it-real or fabricated. It truly is amazing. The voice casting is perfect. No slackers anywhere. The idea for the story is very innovative, not just some traditional sci-fi retread. But (and there always is a but), the actual dialogue and character development are lacking. Baldwin sometimes seems like a romantic distraction for Ming Na. Is Woods' character supposed to be a sympathetic bad guy because he talks about his family before he commits his bad deeds? Come on, I know 13-year-olds who don't fall for that. The question I was left with was: "Why invest all this money in voice talent, if you give them nothing to work with?" It's a testament to the actors that they were able to pull so much out of the dialogue considering what they had to work with. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, so I won't say anything else about it. ...I enjoyed all the characters for the most part, but I wish there was more to enjoy. I know sometimes that character development is lost because the studios want to get to the next big action event, but when people don't have anything invested in the characters, it just becomes a lot noise. It's too bad because, like I said, there was plenty of sources to draw upon.

Bottom line: The best animation to date, but sorely lacking character and plot development.

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One of the best computer generated films I have ever seen. Final Fantasy the Spirits Within was a joy to watch.

It was exciting, funny, poignant, exciting, romantic, joyful, future hopeful and totally mesmerising from start to finish.

With great actors voicing the animated heroes, we are treated to a state of the art adventure in which earth has been decimated by alien phantoms and the only hope for the survival of the human race are eight earth bound energy-spirits that can stop what only be described as Armageddon.

The exquisite Dr Aki Ross along with cynical but mostly good hearted Captain Edwards and his band of disparate marines set out to find these spirits before the megalomaniac General Hein can ruin any chance Earth has for survival.

The graphics are absolutely stunning, the animated characters look so life like you find yourself doing a double take all the time. Aki Ross is especially life like and Captain Edwards positively smoulders on screen but then his character is voiced over by the sexy Alec Baldwin who can still make any red blood female go weak at the knees!

The ending is superb as well as being heart breaking; no one can forget the scene when Captain Edwards lays down his life for the woman he loves and not just to save the world. Romance at its best in my opinion, animated or not!

I also just love the combining of philosophy, nature, science and technology together and the musical score gets a ten out of ten too.

I wish I could have seen this film on the big screen but I only got to see it when it came out on DVD.

A much underrated, under appreciated film that is yet again far too intelligent for your average moronic movie goer.

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This was one of the best films I have seen in along time. The computer animation is breathtaking, and shows you that it can only get better. The story is a wonderful combination of eastern and western philosophies. This movie never dragged and had a great soundtrack.

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I'll keep this short. Have you ever cried because a movie you loved was hated or ignored by everyone else? And that movie was obviously a work of art that took teams of artists years to create?

Well, that's how I felt when "Final Fantasy TSW" came out and died within a couple of weeks. I went to the premiere of this fine film. The theater was half-empty. I went again two weeks later, just before the movie disappeared from cineplexes. Would you believe I was THE ONLY person in the room?! When the eagle at the end soared away over the mountain range, I had to choke back angry tears. (The beautiful ending itself had caused the first upswell of tears.) Why was nobody else enjoying the show with me? And what a show it was! Great "acting" by the digitally created cast, especially the leads, restrained but believable dialogue, breath-taking visuals, and tight editing of a logical storyline that is so perfectly steamlined and simple it should never cause confusion. So why this tragedy of an empty theater after just two weeks?

First, many critics panned it, complained of wooden acting and a convoluted plot. They claimed the story was unoriginal; well, what other movie does it plagiarize? Apart from the stereotyped way the marines sometimes talk, what is unoriginal here? Second, the trailer was misleading; this is a moving love story, set against the spooky, solemn backdrop of a last-ditch attempt to repel an alien invasion and restore the Earth to humanity. The love is between Aki and Gray, who ultimately must love their planet enough to sacrifice their lives to save it. There is also credible caring between Dr. Sid and Aki, and Gray and his Deep-Eyes. But the trailer presented "Final Fantasy TSW" as a kind of juiced-up videogame. A rollercoaster thrill ride, which it is at times, but the human quality of the story is paramount. It's the only reason I would have seen this movie so many times, bought TWO copies on DVD, and now proudly own TWO copies of the Blu-ray release. It's definitely worth it.

Unfortunately, that will not bring back Square Pictures (closed up shop after the movie flopped) or reunite the gifted animators who brought the characters to life so memorably. I'm just doing my part to support one of my favourite movies, while thumbing my nose at certain small-minded critics and at the moviegoers who left me all alone in the theater (not that I really minded having the whole place to myself).

Lovers of this movie, UNITE! (And if you haven't seen it yet, by all means DO!)

Brothers (2008)

This ensemble cast delivered the goods and nailed each of their performances.

Tobey and Jake are very believable as brothers and Natalie was the true heart of this story as her beloved husband played by Tobey goes to a very dark place as a result of his experience in the war. All of the cast members were strong and made you really care about what happened to them.

I felt their happiness,pain and sadness.

Jim Sheridan the director is true to his style and storytelling theme about war and its effects on a marriage,family and forgiveness.

There was one scene with he and Natalie that reduced me to tears and that is not an easy thing to do, thus the five star rating which is well earned and deserved!

I am currently deployed in Iraq, first duty and hopefully my last. My significant other came back home from Iraq and totally cam back as a different person. This movie is as real as it gets. Highly recommanded. A truly magificant movie. Oscar winners in my book especially Toby. Left me speechless, he was right on the money.

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I loved this movie. It instantly became one of my top 5 ever. Some of the films most intense moments are some of the most intense I've ever seen. Tobey Maguire deserves an oscar for this. Some critics have been saying that this movie is more of a melodrama than the original, but I would greatly disagreee. Great acting from all involved (including the dad) and terrific writing. After I saw it, I couldn't stop thinking about it the rest of the week. Highly recommended.

Read Best Reviews of Brothers (2008) Here

This is one of those times that I wish Amazon let us use half stars as I think this is more 3.5 stars than 4 full ones. I have not seen the Danish film and now I wish I had. This is because I just read here that in the Danish movie, the wife does start an affair with her brother-in-law. This film lost a lot of its punch when the director shied away from letting that happen in the American remake. As a result, it's as if someone punctured the air out of the movie past the halfway point. This should be a very taut, sharp drama throughout , which I suspect he Danish one is. The American one simply cannot sustain the same tension when the guts were removed from the script. The actors are very good, both the brothers and the wife. I think they make the best of what they've got. So the problem must be that director Jim Sheridan was worried about losing audience if he kept the film as stark as the Danish version (that a film is Scandinavian and stark borders on redundancy). This almost always happens in American remakes. We seem to do better when we use our own original source material.

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BROTHERS

STARRING: Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sam Shepard, Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare, Patrick Flueger, Clifton Collins Jr., Ethan Suplee and Mare Winningham

WRITTEN BY: David Benioff; based on the screenplay Bodre by Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen

DIRECTED BY: Jim Sheridan

Rated: R

Genre: Drama

Release Date: 04 December 2009

I have always wondered if maybe Tobey Maguire had a dark side to him, buried away, deep behind that charming Peter Parker smile. Now that I have seen his disturbing performance in Brothers; I know that he does.

He plays Capt. Sam Hill of the U.S. Marine Corps and he does it miraculously. At first everything seems to be ok with Sam. He has a wonderful wife and two beautiful kids; a strong relationship with his father and he loves and defends his brother. However, all of that is about to change.

We learn early on in the film that he is to be shipped off to Afghanistan. He is proud to be a Marine and is equally proud to go.

Just days before he leaves, his brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) is released from prison. We don't know why, but Sam's wife Grace (Natalie Portman) isn't very fond of him.

Their father Hank (Sam Shepard) agrees with Grace entirely. In his eyes, the two brothers are worlds apart. Sam is the saint and Tommy is the family screw-up. Having been a Marine himself, Hank respects Sam and constantly puts Tommy down for not being more like his brother. There are some very well acted scenes between the three of these Hollywood greats; particularly the first dinner scene when Tommy is released from prison.

It's not a hard sell at all to buy Gyllenhaal and Maguire as brothers. Several people over the years have commented on their similar looks; they have been mistaken for one-another; and at one point Gyllenhaal was rumored to be relieving Maguire in the Spider-Man franchise. Their on-screen chemistry is more than believable, so fans will enjoy their scenes together, as did I.

The plot thickens when Sam's chopper goes down and he and his crew are believed to be dead. We know from the trailers, the opening credits saying Tobey Maguire's name first and just common movie-goer knowledge, that he is not dead. If you haven't seen the trailers, relax; it's revealed to us right away that he is alive.

Himself and another soldier have in fact been captured by the Taliban and are brought to a secret hideout in the Afghan Mountains. Having done a tour of duty there myself, I can tell you that wherever they filmed this sequence is very close to the real deal.

Sam is an officer and his counterpart is an enlisted Private. He constantly reminds him of their differences in rank throughout all of their scenes together.

I found this annoying as I don't think that nine out of 10 soldiers would be that over-zealous about their rank in a situation like this, but there is always that one guy. And it does serve a purpose as Sam is very good at reading people and can see that this particular soldier is weak and will most likely not be able to handle whatever sadistic torture their captors have in store for them.

I found the scenes in Afghanistan to be the most entertaining portion of the film and there are several of them. Tobey Maguire does an amazing job in these scenes and will show you dimensions of himself that you have never seen before. He is driven to do things that a lot of people may say they would never do in that situation; but I don't think any of us ever really know what we are or aren't capable of until we are put into a certain situation. This film will really make you ask yourself what you would do if you were in Sam's shoes.

I'm displeased to report that the rest of the film was a letdown. The only positive thing I really took from the rest of it, were the amazing performances of all the actors. There wasn't a single person in this film that didn't bring every bit of what they had to offer to each and every scene. Even small characters were casted well and delivered excellent performances. I don't know how they got Clifton Collins Jr. to do the two or three tiny scenes that he was in; but they did and he brought an impressive performance with him.

Natalie Portman is as amazing as ever. She plays Grace so effortlessly and has great chemistry with the actors playing her family. In the scene where she receives the news of her husband's death, she goes from smiling to an absolute wreck without so much as a second going by.

I feel Jake Gyllenhaal was cheated out of some screen time in the film. You never really got to know his character as well as you should have. Regardless of this, he still does a knock-out job with it anyway.

The same goes for Sam Shepard. I felt like this character should have had either a bigger part in the story or a smaller one. With an actor like Sam Shepard, the answer better be bigger. We get absolutely no closure from his character's issues in the film.

Scenes seem poorly edited and at times, too glamorized for this film. I feel like a lot of them were too bright and didn't fit well with the dark tones of the film as a whole.

The most disappointing piece of the film was the romance between Tommy and Grace. I kept waiting for there to be this moment where they fall in love for each other and have a secret affair; but it never happens. They have one intimate moment where they share a kiss and both of them seem to regret it instantly and it is never brought up again; because right after it they discover Sam is still alive.

I was expecting this huge love triangle to unfold. I think that based on the trailer and the poster alone, most would agree with me in thinking this is what was going to happen. There was opportunity after opportunity for there to be moments between them. Then when the romance never comes you are left wondering `what was the point of those scenes then?' Take the scene where she leaves in the middle of the night to go and pick Tommy up from the bar; or the idea of him offering to rebuild her kitchen for her. These are classic set-up scenes for a romance to ensue, and there is nothing!

I get the feeling that the filmmakers' intentions were not to have the over-done love triangle, and instead let it all be in Sam's head. For some, this may be a pleasant aspect of the film. I can even appreciate the originality in that; it's just that I kept expecting these other things to happen and when they didn't, I was disappointed.

I thought there would be hot and forbidden sex scenes; followed by the heart-throbbing suspense of them trying to cover it up, as they realize they are still in love even after Sam is back in the picture.

What we get instead is Sam returning and being wacked out of his frigging mind from the trauma he experienced over there. He is deathly thin and this adds a great deal to him being creepy. His children are afraid of him and his wife looks at him as if he is another man altogether.

Rather than the suspense, we just get what I would call annoying drama. Sam flat out confronts Tommy about sleeping with his wife, and Tommy never once denies having done so. Well no wonder the poor guy continues to think that something is going on!

As if that wasn't bad enough, one of Sam's daughters is so distraught that her daddy isn't the same anymore, she screams at him and tells him that her mother and Tommy have sex all the time. She yells this in front of everyone at the dinner table, and neither Grace nor Tommy says anything to comfort Sam by assuring him, this is untrue. Had it happened, this would have been a little bit more tolerable; but it didn't! Nothing happened! So why wouldn't either of them say something to deny it?

As far as I'm concerned, there was no justification for the daughter to act that way in the first place. There wasn't enough suspense of her daddy being frightening and different that would have caused her to do this. It seemed like two or three scenes between the two of them had been deleted and made it play-out wrong.

It's not a bad movie; just not what I had anticipated and looked forward to it being, nor is it what it could have easily been. I'm sure a lot of people will still enjoy it. In the meantime, to hold me over until another film delivers hot steamy romance mixed with suspense and a classic love triangle; I suppose I can watch Pearl Harbor again.

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Shrek: The Whole Story (Shrek / Shrek 2 / Shrek the Third / Shrek Forever After) (2010)

For $10.00 per film you need to get this set. I find Blu-ray pricing to be a bit of a pain (on my budget that is!) But this set is priced as all Blu-rays should be. Ten bucks each! And for a great product.

The image quality is exceptional on my TV(Samsung LED). The detail and color in the films are just what you would expect from Dreamworks. Shrek never looked better. I watched the 1st Shrek movie again and was impressed. The other Shrek movies look better of course by default.

I don't need to review the films here since everyone knows you are getting three great films with one so-so film. For the price it is a must buy.

Again, I just want to vent here Studios: reduce the price of Blu-rays and we will buy more of them. The retail price on this set is $76.99 which is outrageous. Come on.

Ordered this for $31 for all 4 blurays . Cannot complain . Love the movie and great price. Packaging was great! Thanks Amazon!

Buy Shrek: The Whole Story (Shrek / Shrek 2 / Shrek the Third / Shrek Forever After) (2010) Now

The Shrek series is overall a fine and entertaining parody of the fairytale genre that cemented Dreamworks' status as the only serious contender to Pixar's reign as the kings of computer animation. I for one think that Dreamworks features for the most part are funnier. The first two features never before released on Blu-ray are a defininate upgrade over DVD. The third entry was a little weak as far as story goes but Forever After was a fine and fitting finale to the series to end on a high note.

However this otherwise great value priced box set is missing one near essential part of the story. Where is the 2008 Christmas special Shrek the Halls? The feature was only 22 minutes long. Why couldn't it have been included as a special feature?Paramount deducted it from the whole story therefore I am deducting one star.

Read Best Reviews of Shrek: The Whole Story (Shrek / Shrek 2 / Shrek the Third / Shrek Forever After) (2010) Here

great movies for family to watch even for all ages the things donky does are so funny you got to get this set

Want Shrek: The Whole Story (Shrek / Shrek 2 / Shrek the Third / Shrek Forever After) (2010) Discount?

It's a great complete set. My kid and family members love it. Great family entertainment to be enjoyed at home

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Broadcast News (The Criterion Collection) (1987)

Of all James L. Brooks' films, Broadcast News is the most successful at merging his T.V. sitcom sensibilities with his cinematic aspirations. His film is not only chock full of truisms about network news but is also an incredibly entertaining and witty romantic comedy that is unafraid to sprinkle moments of compelling drama throughout.

The first disc includes an audio commentary with writer-director-producer James L. Brooks and editor Richard Marks. Rather appropriately, Brooks starts off with talking about the genesis of the film and how the success of Terms of Endearment affected it. He points out the bits in the film that came from his extensive research and touches upon the casting of the lead roles for example, Holly Hunter was a last minute addition. Brooks is refreshingly candid and tells all kinds of fascinating filming anecdotes.

Also included is a theatrical trailer.

The second disc starts off with a 36-minute documentary entitled, James L. Brooks A Singular Voice, with past collaborators singing his praises. It starts off with his trailblazing work in T.V. with 227, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Simpsons and how he helped change the medium. It also examines his transition into film and the success of Terms and how it led to Broadcast News.

There is an alternate ending and 19 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Brooks. The ending is quite visceral and emotionally raw but is fascinating alternative to what is in the final film. For the deleted footage, Brooks talks about why it was cut and puts it into context. Interestingly, an entire subplot involving Tom and his news source was cut out.

Also included is an interview with Susan Zirinsky, a veteran CBS News producer, one of the models for Jane in the film, and an advisor and associate producer. She talks about meeting Brooks for the first time as well as telling amusing and engaging anecdotes that really shed light on how truthful the film is about journalism. This is a fantastic extra and one of the highlights of this edition.

There is a promotional featurette done at the time of the film's release that, at times, plays like an extended trailer only with perceptive interview soundbites from Brooks and the cast. Still, it is interesting to watch. Even better is additional interviews and on-set footage not included in the featurette that runs an impressive 18 minutes. It provides quite a bit of insight into Brooks' intentions and how the film got made.

A crackerjack of a movie, it's an intelligent and very funny look at TV broadcast news and the people who bring it to us. William Hurt is the pretty face/no brains anchor, Albert Brooks the smart writer who wants to be an anchor but doesn't have the talent, and Holly Hunter is the hyperactive producer who falls for both guys and loses both. So much is going on in this movie that repeated viewings reveal new insights and are always enjoyable. Great acting by all, and the script is terrific. The only fault, and it's a minor one, is the epilogue: it's superfluous. To me, this is one of the best, if not THE best, movies of the 80's.

Buy Broadcast News (The Criterion Collection) (1987) Now

While this is without question a 5-star film, the dvd leaves MUCH to be desired. Let me begin with the widescreen framing. I was happy to finally see this arrive on dvd in its proper wide format. Out of curiosity I took out my oft-played VHS copy and compared the compositions. Understanding that many 1.85:1 pictures are merely 1.33:1 aspects with mattes placed on the top and bottom of the frame, I wasn't expecting to be too disappointed with the missing, albeit unintended, visual information. But I have to say not only is the top and bottom masked off, but the SIDES are zoomed in and cropped as well. In other words you lose information on ALL FOUR SIDES, and it does NOT look good. This CANNOT be what James L. Brooks had in mind...could it?!?! Sorry to say, but this has to be one of the most RARE examples where the "full-frame", that is, full aperture is preferred over the letterboxed edition. Which brings me to my next point: somebody PLEASE re-issue this as a Special Edition, replete with commentaries, and any extra footage. Finally, whoever, please, PLEASE re-frame this into a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer. Widescreen is preferred, but on the existing dvd the framing is just too tight.

Read Best Reviews of Broadcast News (The Criterion Collection) (1987) Here

The accuracy of Criterion's new blu-ray version of BROADCAST NEWS is evident the minute the 20th-Century Fox logo is displayed: it is rich in the kind of grain that dominated film stock of the eighties. The color timing is superb and topples all previous video releases in richness and detail. The video extras are indulgent promotional pieces crass for Criterion; but the commentary by Brooks will be of interest for those that want to delve deeper.

The film is a pinnacle in Brooks' career he never did anything better, before or since, and all his experience in the tacky world of sitcom television really pays off here and he successfully avoids making a pastiche of Chayefsky's cynically brilliant NETOWRK in favor of his own perceptive humanist view. Brooks rightfully and continually praises his marvelous BROADCAST NEWS cast; it's a picture dependent on their perfectly pitched performances.

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The media as purveyors of sensational 'news' in the spirit of good 'salesmanship' and entertainment as opposed to actually reporting unbiased, important events and issues to inform the public, that is journalism, as it was meant to be, is represented in this charming and witty film from the genius of James L. Brooks. (Terms of Endearment, As Good as it Gets) To be fair, some television news organizations attempt to report important events as they happen, avoiding sensationalism, the need to entertain, and maintain a modicum of integrity. But television news is more and more about the dazzling visual, the shocking threeminute sound bite between the all-important advertisements. This film cleverly addresses the question on what is 'real' news and what 'sells'. In the past we sort of had a clue or at least a choice as to what news source was credible, i.e., tabloid-ism and/or serious journalism. It all seems now to be blurred sensationalism, gossip, opinion, selling and the so-called 'facts' of an event or issue has now appeared to all have melded together in the pursuit of market share and the almighty dollar.

The character, Tom, (William Hurt) is a striving newsreader, and after reading sports at a local station, manages to land a job at one of the big networks. He is a little slow, can't write, and wouldn't know a real story if it dropped on his head, but he's good looking, personable, can at least read, and above all, has the innate ability to sell the birds off the trees. Here is the new force in television journalism news anchor as television star. Then there is Aaron, (Albert Brooks) the reporter's reporter brilliant, serious, idealistic and wholly uncharismatic in the popular sense. Although a writer with Pulitzer Prize ability, he attempts to read the news one Sunday night and almost drowns in his own flop sweat. Aaron is not a newsreader but a true writer and investigative journalist, a man who believes in the integrity of his profession. Then, of course, there's Jane, (Holly Hunter) a highly-strung, also brilliant, obsessive news producer, who shares this same idealistic integrity about journalism as her co-worker and best friend, Aaron. The film is about these three diverse and colourful individuals, who are drawn together for the same reasons, ambition and the news, but whose ideas about the news, their values concerning integrity, at least for one, are so different. This film is also about love, relationships and how the passionate desires of the heart do not necessarily match the logic of the head.

At the time of it release, this film was acclaimed as the best romantic comedy to come out in years. It continues to be enormously entertaining and the issues it raises are relevant today. The film truly depicts the world of television news, how its standards have slowly dropped from reporting the events and issues to entertaining us with gossip, sensationalism and that all-important dazzling visual news is now about entertainment and selling. This is a film that should be pulled from the shelf occasionally and watched to remind us about integrity, maintaining a high standard in our values, and what great movie making is all about. Five Stars.

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Godzilla Vs Megalon (1973)

For the first time ever Godzilla vs. Megalon has an official DVD release. Yes, DVD, not Blu Ray. If youre going to wait for the Blu Ray, that is your choice, but for someone like me, a lifelong die hard Godzilla fan who flew to Burbank to meet Godzilla ( Harou Nakajima) this was a no-brainer pick up for me.

The plot is very simple. Most of you reading have seen this in some form be it VHS, TV, MST3K etc..The underwater world of Seatopia decides now is the time to strike back against Japan for all of its nuclear testing. They steal an inventors Robot named Jet Jaguar to guide the great beast, Megalon to destroy the Earth. The inventor is able to get control of Jet Jaguar just in time to get Godzilla. What we get in the payoff is Megalon and Gigan vs. Godzilla and Jet Jaguar in a tag team WWE/UFC fight.

As most of you know, the film is considered one of the, if not, the worst due to the juvenile feel this movie has, clearly made for kids. And to save a few yen, the film also boasts about 95% stock footage of city destruction scenes.

While the film itself is thought of as bad, its actually a lot of fun in a Kaiju Cult kind of a way.

As for the DVD. I was very much impressed with this widescreen transfer. Media Blasters did a tremendous job with the transfer. The movie has NEVER looked better on DVD stateside. Day scenes look great, night scenes arent too dark or black, colors are sparkling. And it is uncut, with the opening credits (in Japanese) as well as several scenes such as the boy getting kidnapped, the agent getting crushed by a rock, etc. And the ending with the song has English subs !! :)

I watched the English dubbed version and its the familiar dub and it was loud and sharp. No adjusting the remote to higher levels to listen to it it was English 2.0 , while the Japanese language has both 2.0 and 5.1

This is a barebones release with the probable release of a Blu Ray down the road. There are reasons for Media Blasters being unable to release the Blu Ray version with all the extras. These reasons can be found on Facebook, their own website, SciFi Japan, etc.

For me, this suits me just fine because it is an official release. I am a huge Godzilla fan and I want everything on DVD or Blu Ray. And while I wait for an HD version, this will proudly sit in with my other Godzilla movies, most of which are on DVD by the way. I dont like to double dip very often but with Godzilla, I will make the exception.

THIS INFO IS ACTUALLY FROM MARCH 22ND BUT IT GOT BY ME HAD A BUSY SUMMER!

Media Blasters licensed both GODZILLA VS MEGALON and DESTROY ALL MONSTERS in 2011, with MEGALON initially planned for both DVD and Blu-ray last November. But after Toho complained about some of the extra features Media Blasters included on their DESTROY ALL MONSTERS discs, MEGALON was put on hold while Toho went over the bonus content prepared for that film.

Toho has a mountain of material -including trailers, stills, publicity art, a feature length audio commentary by film historians Steve Ryfle (Japan's Favorite Mon-Star, BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE, ICONS OF SCI-FI: TOHO COLLECTION) and Stuart Galbraith IV (The Toho Studios Story, INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER DVD, TORA-SAN COLLECTOR'S SET), and an interview with English dub voice actor Ted Thomas -to review, and the approval process has moved very slowly. With no end date in sight, Toho has authorized Media Blasters to release a barebones version of GODZILLA VS MEGALON at this time. A special edition is intended for both DVD and Blu-ray once Toho has given final approvals for the extra features, however long that may take.

ALRIGHT, SO IT'S PROBABLY NOT THAT NEW TO MANY FANS, BUT WORTH ADDING TO THE FRONT OF THIS REVIEW FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ALREADY. I'M KEEPING MY PRE-ORDER IN FOR THE BLURAY, AND FOR THE MEANTIME BOUGHT THE DVD ANYWAY. IT'S NICE TO HAVE A CLEAN COPY AND I WANT TO SUPPORT MEDIA BLASTERS HOWEVER POSSIBLE. KEEP THE FAITH!

This review is to try once more to stifle the negative rumours about this release. The previous review By Mr. Bearbomb "DVD release RUMORS FALSE!!!" written just recently on December 14th, 2011 is false itself. The DVD and Bluray ARE coming out, though obviously with a bit of a delay, as they were originally scheduled for before Christmas. The original rumour was reported early this year on August Ragone's blog information being supplied to him by a source he thought was reliable. It then turned out to be false... the denial from Media Blasters came at this point in time, which pointed out that they had been denied rights to the movie (but that was several years prior, keep in mind). August reported and apologized for this. Apparently in this small and barely significant community of Kaiju (Japanese monster) fans / collectors, there is a faction who do not like Mr Ragone, for whatever reason, and it seems as if someone might have set him up for an embarrassing mistake. This kind of behavior is petty and shameful. Chances are "Mr Bearbomb" is one of the pack. Whatever, who cares. Ironically, however, upon hearing all this stupid furor over the false rumor, Media Blasters submitted a new request for rights to release Godzilla vs Megalon along with Destroy All Monsters, and were surprised that this time Toho agreed to the request. This is when the current release was scheduled. Destroy All Monsters came out after a couple delays and Megalon is set to follow very soon.

Anyone who still doubts can go visit Scifijapan.com and read interviews with respected Toho Kaiju film historians Steve Ryfle and Stuart Galbraith IV, discussing their involvement in the project (from Nov 15th, currently on page 3 of articles). Ed Godziszewski was also involved in at least preliminary stages of producing Megalon special features. They have authored books on the subject and been involved in previous DVD releases by Sony and Classic Media. The interviews with Steve and Stuart give interesting insight into the preparation of the commentary and more. Sorry, "Mr Bearbomb," but you have no idea what you're talking about.

Finally, I'll take a general stab at this movies detractors who write it off as "the worst Godzilla movie" and other such nonsense. The bottom line here is that it's fun... just good old fashioned silliness! Now, as for the so-called "good" Kaiju movies... even the best of them are still about giant radioactive lizards, so give me a break, OK? It's true that the first wave, including Godzilla, Godzilla Raids Again, Rodan, Mothra, Varan were well crafted, interesting and fun monster sci-fi movies, with a small bit of genuine horror feeling to them, but with the notable exception of Godzilla vs Mothra in 64, things pretty much went straight downhill from there. from 1962's Godzilla vs King Kong through to 1975's Terror Of Mechagodzilla they were ALL silly. I mean, if you don't have a healthy appreciation of campy genre films (psychotronic fare for the more informed among us), then how can you really call yourself a Godzilla fan anyway??? The fact that Godzilla vs Megalon is the "worst" or "most campy" or "silliest" for me makes it one of the best. I just have an uproarious good time watching this movie, whatever the quality of the release. And the fact that it's now coming out in a 2-disc package with a well-researched commentary and additional supplementary features is the icing on the cake of my Kaiju collection. To h*** with the naysayers, I for one can't wait, and I encourage any casual Godzilla fans to grab this release, grab a seat on the couch with your kids and some popcorn, and have a great time! Cheers, everybody!

Buy Godzilla Vs Megalon (1973) Now

This is a review of the Tokyo Shock version released in August 2012. The wait is finally over! There is no point in describing the plot. If you are interested in purchasing this movie you already know the cheese factor is through the roof. Unfortunately, there are no extras's in this version. Total bare-bones package. The film transfer looks crystal clear. So clear you can see the strings holding up Megalon in a few scenes. Stock footage scenes look older yet still clear (i.e. army tank scenes from other G films). The not so special effects are even funnier with the high quality transfer. The film is presented in wide screen format. The sound is clear sounding with the option of Japanese with yellow English subtitles. Get ready to laugh out loud at this remastered classic. The funny song at the end of the film is in Japanese.

Read Best Reviews of Godzilla Vs Megalon (1973) Here

First off I am sick of clowns trying to break this film down like they are Roger Ebert. If you are a fan of the genre you know what your getting yourself into. Who cares about the plot and how loosely written it is. I don't care how the monsters get into the ring or why Jet Jaguar can change like Ant Man and grow like a Giant. I just want to see a Monster Street Fight and watch Godzilla throw the leg drop on Meglon! I also want to see an Ultraman knock off who backs up his boy who happens to be a Giant Firebreathing lizard he just met. Hey for all I know this robot is just playing the role of a good Samaritan and preventing a monster from getting jumped by 2 punks. Anyway you try to spin it, just sit back and enjoy the mullet infested Carnie fair ride for what it is.......a ride on the Gravitron!

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SciFi Japan is reporting that a bare bones edition (DVD not Blu Ray) will be released Aug 14, 2012. Media Blasters and Toho are still in negotiations over the content of the Blu Ray edition, so it will eventually be released. As to when is anybodies guess, but I will wait for the Blu Ray edition since I hate double dipping DVD's

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UFC Presents: The Best of WEC (2010)

All of the Fights on this Disc are amazing. The fact that there is only 6 fights left me wanting more. The WEC had so many incredible fights that limiting it to 6 seems like a mockery.

It would be great if there was an opportunity to buy the complete events or if more fights were offered.

Worth buying but 6 fights is just not enough....

1st off, these are all very good fights featuring very good fighters. Why only 3 stars? Because this disc really seems like it's trying to push the faces of the organization rather than the best fighters or most exciting moments of the past 2 years. Torres & Faber are great, but neither has held the belt in over a year & a half. Why not highlight the current champions (incl. Ben Henderson)? Or give more time to Mike Brown, who has beaten Faber twice? Or include some shorter fights? or highlight reels? Good fights, just some curious selections. Even though this is a "best of," I think the Aldo v. Faber DVD is just as good & would recommend that as well.

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WEC

BEST OF WEC

The WEC was one of the greatest promotions of all time that started with all weight classes. Soon the Zuffa Company which owns the UFC bought them out and made it a show with Lightweight and below fights. This ended up creating one of the most exciting promotions of all time. Honestly there was never a bad event, ever. This is a best of DVD/Blu-Ray with some of the greatest fights in MMA history.

Spoilers

1.MIGUEL TORRES VS TAKEYA MIZUGAKI-this was a Bantamweight Title fight pitting two of the best fighters in WEC history against each other. The first round is excellent with both guys coming aggressively and swinging for the fences. Both throw some technical shots but mix in some heavy ones as well. The second round is just as exciting with both coming hard once again. There are some great shots landed in this round including some great knees. The third round is more of the same which is a good thing, the action picks up even more though towards the end. The fourth round is full of even more action with great combinations and flurries. Round 5 was another classic round with both guys going back and forth. When one would come forward the other would fire back, Torres keeps the belt in this classic.5/5

2.ROB MCCULLOUGH VS DONALD CERRONE-the first round here is amazing and full of action. At first Rob was dancing all around and landing back to back, even dropping Cerrone. But soon Rob gets dropped twice and dominated on the ground, he does at one point sweep Cerrone though. The second round was just as amazing with Rob getting dropped again but even after Donald takes his back he still gets on top. After escaping an arm bar Rob gets back up and the action stays quick. The third round features more stand up even though Cerrone gets an early take down, he also takes the fight by UD.5/5

3.JENS PULVER VS URIJAH FABER-I remember when this fight happened I was all about it, Jens Pulver aka Lil Evil is one of my favorite fighters. This was for the Featherweight title and Pulver and Faber were both on a roll. The first round of this still makes me worry like it is new, Faber looks really good with his stand up. I thought for sure Jens would KO him if they stayed on the feet. The second round was excellent as it was back and forth the entire time. At first Faber seems like he is going to dominate the stand up and even rocks Pulver. But Jens comes from no where to start unloading on him and then they go back and forth. The third follows suit with great back and forth action full of fists. I would also like to point out that Frank Mir is great in commentary here. The following round features both landing some good shots but Faber getting a take down and controlling from there. The final round is just as exciting making this an epic battle that was close but Faber clearly won this one.5/5

4.MIGUEL TORRES VS YOSHIRO MAEDA-this fight for the Bantamweight title is insane and the first round proves it. This is a dog fight and like Frank says more like a street fight. Torres gets bloody but both swing for the fences. Honestly this is one of the greatest fights of all time and round two gets even better than round one. Fists flying and knees and kicks coming at full force, at one point they had each other in leg locks. Insane fight is all one could say about this battle. Round three sees Maeda and Torres just do battle, that is the best way to say it. But after the round the doctors call the fight due to Maeda's right eye being swollen shut.5/5

5.MIKE BROWN VS URIJAH FABER-I remember when we were watching this live I just knew Faber would not beat Brown. The first round was very even with both guys coming to deliver with both guys landing. Also just so you know Faber breaks his hand some where in round 2 or 3. With that said Brown looked great in the second round hunting Faber down, but Faber still hangs in there. But Faber still landed some nice elbows. The third round sees the action go a little back and forth with Faber getting a take down but Brown lands the heavier shots. The next round sees Brown continue his head hunting and Faber landing some nice elbows. The final round in this rematch for the Featherweight title would see Faber almost pull it off with a choke that looked like he might get. But Brown retains the title after five great rounds of non stop action.5/5

6.DONALD CERRONE VS BEN HENDERSON-this fight here would go down as not only one of the best fights in WEC history but in MMA history. I remember watching this live and thinking man these two are two of the best in the world. This event took place in San Antonio Texas and what a great night it was. This fight was for the Lightweight title and they went at it like champions should. The first round was full of great submission attempts and escapes and great ground and pound. The second round sees both guys spend most of the time on the ground once again. Henderson lets loose with ground and pound, and Cerrone throws up some submissions. The third round is full of action with Ben coming out on top most of the time, but still very close. In round four Cerrone comes back strong locking in submissions and defending the takedowns wonderfully. The final round is incredible with Cerrone locking in submission after submission but never being able to finish Henderson. Ben takes the win and the title but this was one great fight.5/5

Special features include a behind the scenes for Faber vs Pulver as well as [only on Blu-Ray] a press conference for Torres vs Maeda and weigh-ins for Cerrone vs Henderson.

Read Best Reviews of UFC Presents: The Best of WEC (2010) Here

This is a great 1 disk DVD. There are 6 fights on here and all of them are great.

That said 5 of them go the distance and most of them are championship bouts. Think Griffin vs. Bonner at the end of The Ultimate Fighter Season 1. Only WEC fighters are smaller, faster and much more skilled.

A little variety would have made this DVD better. If they took out 1 of the 5 rounders and put 2 or 3 fights were somebody got finished in between them it would have been a better overall viewing experience. I watched this DVD over 2-3 days instead of all at once as a result.

Still, I'm hoping this is Vol. 1 of the Best of WEC and more is on the way.

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Where the hell is the Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis fight?! Shouldn't it be here? If not, there better be a volume 2 of this 'Best Of' WEC promotion with the Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis fight on it!

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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Movie Only Edition Blu-ray + Ultraviolet Digital Copy) (2012)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the fourth feature film by British director Stephen Daldry. Daldry emerged in 2000 with his beautifully written drama Billy Elliot. He followed with progressively less impressive efforts (The Hours and The Reader) but still gave a decent effort with every new try. This film is written by Eric Roth (the writer of Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and produced by mega-producer Scott Rudin (No Country for Old Men). The film is based on the book of the same name (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Movie Tie-In): A Novel) by Jonathan Safran Foer and stars Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow, Viola Davis, John Goodman and Jeffrey Wright. The film centers around a young boy who lost his enigmatic father during the tragic events of 9/11 and his meticulous search for the lock a key found in a vase belonging to his father opens.

The film opens with a jumper off the twin towers referencing the tragic leaps to death made by people as they grasped a hopeless situation. Oskar Schell, the son of a jeweler (played by Tom Hanks), remarks throughout the film, his experience of "The Worst Day." Thomas Horn, the young actor who plays Oskar, does a more than admirable job with his performance. He gives emotional bursts of energy with each new scene, giving off the shattered hope and sky-rocketing guilt of his fruitless searches to become closer with the memory of his lost father. Sandra Bullock gives one of the most honest performances of her career as a wayward mother searching for her composure of an out of control situation. Max von Sydow, a seeming vestige of hope, breathes new life into the film halfway in with his muted dialogue disseminated by pen and pad. Tom Hanks, great as always, plays a dynamic and involved father.

The emotional depth of the film is immense with every heartache truly felt especially with just one image of the towers collapsing. Stephen Daldry weaves together his most compelling drama since 2000's Billy Elliot and in much more morose surroundings. Very few, if any, document that tragic day with such intensity and shows what it means to be affected by the day that will truly live in infamy. The criticism of the film demonstrates that some people may not be receptive to the material because it's too difficult to revisit or possibly too melodramatic to tolerate. Understanding that every filmgoer's experience is fundamentally different, I couldn't help but be affected by the film possibly in a way that the people next to me or the people who have watched the film had not been. At first I didn't not understand it especially as the elephant of the room seemed to be based on an unfair estimation.

The elephant in the room with this melodramatic rendition is that question of exploitation. Some critics and Amazon reviewers have voiced the opinion that the film exploits the events of 9/11 for financial gain and cheap dramatic effect. The problem with such logic is that several films have been made over the years depicting real life tragic events such as Titanic, Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down, and many of these films were not viewed as exploitive. Did depicting the tragedy of Pearl Harbor or the Titanic soil the memory of those who died? Were the sacrifices made by the servicemen in World Trade Center and members of flight United 93 trivialized by depicting them in World Trade Center and United 93 respectively? Absolutely not. What those films did as Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close does, is to put the viewer in the shoes of those experiencing the tragedy and giving a greater understanding of what that event was like not to mention what it meant to those involved.

Criticize the film if it's too melodramatic or if the young actor is too annoying. Maybe the tone is uneven or the premise is emotionally manipulative. However, calling the film exploitive applies a double standard not applied to films of the same nature making the whole argument flimsy at the least. If unable to understand that, realize that the film sets out to present 9/11 through the eyes of a young child and demonstrates the psychological, sociological and emotional confliction not to mention the guilt involved with the main character who is a de facto representative, emblem or figurative reference of surviving family members of 9/11 victims. It gives those who didn't truly experience the event for what it was a chance to understand it in both the short and long-term sense. And sometimes, cinema is a medium for emotion and can be as this film proves, as powerful as the human heart allows it to be. My understanding of the criticism of this film is that there are some hard hearts and closed minds on the issue of 9/11 and ability to express it in a cinematic setting, which is unfair.

I'm a born and bred New Yorker. I was five months past my 13th birthday on September 11, 2001 and the event went completely over my head. I was too young to understand the magnitude of the event and what it meant for the country or even the world for that matter. It was something I was unaffected by. I knew no one who was in the tragedy, affected by the tragedy or killed in the tragedy. I even knew of no one who knew of someone who was remotely related to the tragedy. In many ways, I did not feel it because I was a kid who could not relate to death as a concept or tragedy as a reality. Ten years later, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close brought me to the tragedy and allowed me to the first time relive the event and process it emotionally, something I couldn't do ten years ago. Despite the unpleasantness of it, I truly appreciate the film for allowing me to relate to the tragedy in a way I never could have under any other circumstance. If this film can do that for one person, then it's less exploitive than you think.

A Boy's Quest in EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE

Ambitious in concept, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is the love story of a troubled boy whose bond with his father transcends death and events beyond his understanding. Director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott, The Hours) has put together an interesting study in post trauma and rediscovery. It doesn't always work, but it still registers on an emotional level.

A funeral signals the death of a family member and a boy's alienation to the world. In flashbacks, Oskar (Thomas Horn), who has trouble communicating and may have Asperger Syndrome, adores his father (Tom Hanks) who challenges him with riddles and treasure hunts to meet people outside his apartment. Both father and mother (Sandra Bullock) are loving parents, and the world becomes an interesting laboratory for exploration and discovery. Life is idyllic until 9/11 when everything changes and Oskar is witness to his father's last moments trapped in one of the Twin Towers. A year later, looking in his father's closet, he discovers a key in an envelope with the letters `black'. Who or what does the key belong to? Oskar sets out to find out by systematically tracking down every `Black' in the phone book and visiting each person for a clue. This big scavenger hunt is at best a daunting task.

His grandmother who lives across the street has a mysterious renter (Max Von Sydow) who does not speak and can only communicate by jotting on a note pad or displaying `yes' and `no' written on each hand. The renter takes a liking to Oskar and accompanies him on his quest. This is a search that proves overwhelming as each person they find has a story too. When all hope seems lost, the road leads back to that fateful September morning and opens Oskar to the truth about his parents and himself.

At first you wonder if this hunt will be meaningful and be rewarded or if it is a waste of time. Oskar's obsession keeps him connected to his father; to fail is to lose whatever he has left of that relationship. In a way, it is about trying to make sense of his father's death and coming to terms with it. It is also about the forgiveness of guilt that nearly consumes Oskar.

You kind of think that at some point a miracle may occur or that something profound may happen, but what does reveal itself does not quite answer all the questions, and maybe that's just the point to the film, that life is part mystery and we never truly understand its riddle.

When you take stock of all the people that Oskar encounters, you realize that every one of them can sympathize or has suffered some kind of loss, and how they react to that in relation to Oskar shows how the trauma of loss can be a common bond. You wish you could learn more about some of these people.

Von Sydow gives a memorable performance without uttering a word as the renter who has a personal, family secret. Why does he remain mute? Was he a survivor of something so traumatic like the concentration camps of Europe that he does not speak? In a supporting role, Viola Davis is effective playing a character who figures prominently at the beginning and the end.

In the end, Oskar has learned something about himself and his family, and through his journeys, he has matured in a new post-9/11 world. Ultimately, the revelation at the end is bittersweet and that without the power of forgiveness, closure is incomplete. It also speaks to a part of humanity that we all share.

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Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) shares an incredibly close relationship with his father, Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks). Oskar is an extraordinary child who has some very particular social quirks. His list is rather extensive and it's revealed that he was once tested for Asperger's Syndrome. However, Thomas Schell spends a great amount of time with his son and does everything he can to help him overcome his fears. However, on September 11, 2001 as the world changes forever, tragically so does the life of Oskar and his mother, Linda (Sandra Bullock), as Thomas was in the second tower of the World Trade Center when it fell. Linda attempts to move on with life, but Oskar refuses to move forward. A year later, he accidently destroys a blue vase while rummaging through his father's closet and discovers a key in an envelope simply marked "Black". Thomas constantly played games with Oskar and led him on journeys around the city, hiding clues and prizes in the most unexpected places. Oskar is convinced the key is a gift left behind by his father to send him on one last adventure. Determined to find the door the key unlocks, Oskar begins a systematic search of the city, trying to locate the person with the last name "Black" who will be able to help him solve the mystery. Along the way, Oskar becomes acquainted with a man his grandmother has been renting a room to. The man seems to have no name and is simply known as "The Renter" (Max Von Sydow). The Renter is a survivor of WWII and reminds Oskar of his father. The two become unlikely companions and friends as they search the city to unravel the mystery of the key.

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE is based upon a 2005 novel by Jonathan Foer. I've not read the novel, so I can't compare the movie to the book.

The movie is an extremely moving piece of cinema. It goes to places that the audience might not suspect. The movie has a satisfying ending, but it's not necessarily a happy one. Like life, Oskar's journey doesn't turn out exactly as he had hoped. However, like all journeys, it changes his life forever.

The acting in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE is amazing. Tom Hanks plays a small, but important role. Newcomer Thomas Horn is so powerful that it's difficult to believe this is the first time he's ever acted on film before. Sandra Bullock has a strong supporting role that is worthy of a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Max Von Sydow speaks no lines, but his eyes speak more and convey more emotion than the most well trained politician. John Goodman has what is basically a cameo as Stan the Doorman, but it's always a joy to watch Goodman perform, even in a role such as this. There are numerous smaller roles in the various Blacks that Oskar meets. Most of these characters are only on screen for a few brief moments but each of them ground their scenes in realism. EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE is a good movie that is made great by the acting performances. If for no other reason, it's worth watching for the acting alone.

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE is a very emotional movie. For Americans, particularly those who lived and worked in New York on September 11, 2001, it will probably have a different kind of reaction. However, though the story is told through the lens of September 11th, the film is really a story about a young man coming to grips with the unexpected death of his father. It's a film that will probably resonate with anyone who has lost a parent they were close to. I cried several times and the film really made me think about my own Dad and his untimely death. I left the theatre thinking about many of the memories I have of my Dad. It made me a little sad, but very grateful. In the future, I'm sure that EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE is a movie I'll watch whenever I'm sad and thinking about my Dad because I know that though it might cause a few tears, it'll cheer me up in the end and, like Thomas Schell and my own father, encourage me to not stop looking for whatever adventure life holds.

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Most of us in this country, indeed most of those in the civilized world, has a memory of where they were and how they felt on September 11, 2001. Many, of course, have painful and permanent losses to deal with. For myself, we were far from home on that day, and I truly felt that something of our world had ended. Which, in fact it had. So when it was announced that there would be a movie, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which would touch on those tragic events, our first response was, "No, we don't think so." Then we learned who was to be in this movie, and the cast included so many of our favorite actors: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, Max von Sydow, John Goodman, people we felt we could trust to do such a subject justice, and we said, "Well...." Then we learned more about the story of the film (and story is everything, to us) and we asked ourselves, "How could we not see it?"

And I'm so very glad we did. Everyone is predictably excellent. The story is beautifully done, and at the same time simple and deeply layered. The child actor makes you believe he is dealing with the personal problems of the child character. These problems would be unique and difficult enough, if they did not also include the loss of an incredible father under horrific circumstances, and you share the pain of this family of grandmother, mother and son, while the story is told from so many different directions. Being one of those who cry at Hallmark commercials, I am always loathe to see any movie or play or read any book that wants to make me cry. But this movie is not like that. I did just fine throughout the entire story, experiencing it intensely but dry-eyed. Until the end. Until I got to the point where I could fully appreciate the efforts this family made to move forward, the grace with which they and the families they represented dealt with what they were given. Until I could see the wonder of the story.

It was terrible in the parts that invoked the events that we already knew had happened; it became wonderful beyond my power of description because of a boy on a swing. And then I wept.

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I rented this movie with some trepidation. I read the book several years ago and it was one of my all-time favorites. I was afraid (especially with the negative reviews here on Amazon) that it would not only fall below my expectations but it would ruin the beautiful story I remember from the book. I was so wrong. This was a great movie!

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