Up in the Air (2013)

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) As someone who has both laid off staff and a year later, became the victim of a layoff after twelve years with the same company, I had a personal interest in seeing how director/co-screenwriter Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking, Juno) was going to adapt Walter Kirn's smart, unsettling 2001 novel. Even though eight years have elapsed since the book's publication, the filmmaker along with co-writer Sheldon Turner manages to deepen Kirn's themes in this wry, emotionally resonant 2009 dramedy and make them even more relevant with the pervasive downsizing of corporate America. The movie also manages to surprise even when certain plot turns seem evident before they occur. Initially, there is a veneer of cynicism that makes you think the story will be an abject lesson in the impermanence of life, but instead, it evolves into one man's journey into the heart of the emotional turbulence he had been careful to avoid. Toward that end, Reitman seems to be inspired by Alexander Payne's equally perceptive road movies, About Schmidt and Sideways, films that reflect a similar storytelling style.

The plot focuses on laser-sharp corporate layoff consultant Ryan Bingham, a man who regales in the impermanence of life by traveling 322 days on the road, informing targeted employees that they are about to lose their jobs. There is a necessary callousness in his approach, but he knows it's necessary to be present and honest when it comes to conveying the unpleasant news. Bingham is also a motivational speaker who espouses unburdening one's life of possessions and fitting everything essential within the confines of a backpack. Proving his case, he lives in hotels, airplanes, and airport terminals with his one life goal being the seventh person to collect ten million frequent-flier miles. If you can get past the Spartan one-bedroom apartment he keeps in Omaha for the 43 days he is forced to be at home, the hatchet man appears to lead a charmed if rather solitary life. Complications, however, ensue on both personal and professional fronts.

Bingham meets a fellow transient traveler named Alex Goran in an airport lounge and assesses that he may have found his soul-mate, so much so that he invites her to come to his estranged sister's wedding in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Bingham's boss wants to introduce a new strategy proposed by a fresh-faced, post-grad school upstart. New hire Natalie Keener suggests using remote teleconferencing to perform the layoff notifications. Since the new technology is the antithesis of Bingham's one-on-one method, he brings Natalie along on the road to show her how it can't possibly work. In a role that feels custom-tailored to all his strengths, George Clooney plays Bingham with an emotional precision that complements his charismatic persona which pivots between swaggering and self-effacing. On one hand, it's his most definitive movie-star role, and yet Clooney has never revealed as much about himself onscreen.

The always watchable Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Down to the Bone) is sexy and confident as the woman who seems perfect for Bingham, even though their adroit compatibility could not possibly sustain an actual commitment. Their interplay is fun to watch because there is a Cary Grant-Rosalind Russell-level rapport that keeps both on their toes. Anna Kendrick (Twilight) is winning as Natalie even if her character's naiveté feels a bit manufactured at times. Jason Bateman has a field day playing Bingham's smarmy boss, while Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey, and Danny McBride (Pineapple Express) plays their accustomed types with aplomb as members of Bingham's immediate family. In cameos, J.K. Simmons (Juno) and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) sharply play two of the victimized employees, but for the rest, Reitman uses non-actors replaying their recent experiences of getting laid off. As usual with Reitman's films, it boasts an eclectic soundtrack that works really well with the storyline.

Hard to understand how a movie that manages to make you feel down in the dumps in many instances can have you laughing out loud the rest of the way. Perhaps because UP IN THE AIR is a movie so very full of surprises and complete knowledge of its main subject (I swear the next time I go through security in an airport I'll be looking for the oriental businessmen and avoid babies at all costs).

All throughout the movie I was expecting the obvious conclusion (the firer being fired) and was surprised to get something completely different in return, but even UP IN THE AIR's schocker scene, managed to make so much sense it's hard for me to understand how I didn't see it coming.

There's no question in my mind UP IN THE AIR will be the movie future generations will look back in trying to understand this particular era we live in. It is quiet simply a classic.

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This hybrid comedy-drama-romance is a rare treat that honestly addresses job loss, love and relationships without resorting to common cliches or contrived situations. George Clooney and co-star Vera Farmiga are reminiscent of Cary Grant and Deobrah Kerr in An Affair To Remember.

Vera Farmiga is the strong, female co-star Clooney has long needed. She is beautiful, sophisticated and restrained, similar in many aspects to Brigit Bardot and Sophia Loren. She is Ukrainian but was raised in America. However, she did not speak English as a child which probably explains her elegant restraint when speaking English. Men will truly enjoy the brief but wonderful scene of Farmiga naked in Clooney's motel room. Wow, what a hot body.

Clooney is superb as a confident, insensitive but charming employee terminator during the economic collapse of 2008. Clooney works for a corporate consulting company based in Omaha, Nebraska that performs the dirty work for spineless business owners. It is a thriving business during the 2007-2009 recession. This movie was released during late 2009.

Clooney as Ryan Bingham boasts that during the previous year he spent 322 days on the road, flying from city to city in pursuit of victims. But, one day while sitting a hotel bar, he initiates a conversation with Vera Farmiga playing Alex Goran, a fellow road-warrior and corporate shark, equally consumed by frequent flyer perks and privileges. They end up in bed but the traditional, cliche love story never evolves.

The script is superb as is Farmiga who previously appeared in The Departed by Martin Scorsese and the 2004 remake of the Manchurian Candidate. Obviously, she is not an obscure actress but this role was meant for her. She plays her character with incredible charm, grace and sexual vitality telling Clooney "Just think of me as yourself with a vagina." Although captivated by Clooney's charm and appearance, Alex always remains his alter-ego much to his dismay.

In the end, Clooney is consumed by a life free from personal responsiblity and the daily toil of earth-bound inhabitants as he pursues his goal of becoming the seventh person in the world to achieve 10-million frequent flyer miles. I don't know if American Airlines paid a fee to partially sponsor this film but it is a long-form commercial for American Airlines elite frequent flyer awards program which bestows unique privileges to a select group of travellers.

The screenplay by Sheldon Turner and director Jason Reitman was adapted from the 2001 novel by Walter Kirn. It should be studied by screenwriting students at cinema schools because it is a rare example of honestly addressing difficult issues such as job loss and life without love. And, Jason Reitman should be applauded for honestly presenting the devestating effects of economic collapse while simultaneously entertaining us. It is both rare and rewarding to see documentary film seamlessly interwoven in a fictional story. Instead of resorting to token cliches, Reitman gives us real victims expressing their rage and anguish after losing long-time jobs.

This film is a tribute to great writing, acting, directing and producing. It successfully embraces comedy and tragedy and is truly enjoyable to watch.

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After a while, it gets pretty tiring to have nearly every Hollywood movie either overtly or subtly suggest that real happiness lies in marriage and family. I love this movie because it asks us to consider that happiness is personal, not cookie-cutter. The protagonist loves his life of traveling and the lack of ties that go along with it. Some might see this as melancholy, and at times it is portrayed that way in the movie, but overall, it's clear that what most people want is not what the protagonist wants. I love the realistic, insightful way that this different outlook on life is presented in this movie.

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Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has carved out a life of weightlessness (almost). He's an executive for an out-placement firm that is engaged when a company needs to get rid of large swatches of their employees. He's pared down his existence to a single carry-on; so much so that he's beginning to carve out a side career teaching others how to shed their possessions, their obligations, even their relationships and loved ones.

He lacks one of the key elements of what it is to be human. He's almost estranged from his family, he has no wife, no kids, no pets, not even a houseplant. He does have a good business relationship with his boss, his assistant, and that's pretty much it. He is so detached that he doesn't even notice anything is missing. But, things will soon happen that shake up his world.

On first viewing, I admired the acting (especially Clooney), the set design, the lighting, the cinematography, and the sound. The story itself was clever, but the movie watcher really knew what was going to happen. Bingham was going to experience something (or someone) that would make him realize that his goal of being the seventh person to achieve the coveted 10 million mile status (the youngest to get there) paled in comparison to his startling lack of human involvement. The movie was extremely well directed (by Jason Reitman) and well achieved, but curiously non-involving. It's good, but it's not a film that will be taken down from the DVD shelf very often.

It's only after watching the commentary with director Reitman that I really appreciated the craft of the movie. This commentary is why DVD special features were invented. Playing the movie with the commentary on added a whole other dimension to the film. Reitman grew up on Hollywood, his dad produced the film (Ivan Reitman), and he has many, many stories to tell about the making of the film. So many, in fact, that he hardly ever stops talking. There are two other members of the crew on the commentary, but you seldom hear from them. Reitman just won't let them get a word in. He's good and very entertaining to listen to, but why even have the other guys there? And yet, he is entertaining as hell. What a great dinner companion he would be. Once he got going, you'd just sit back and listen.

I do have to also comment on the film's 'fired folks'. Some of them are actors, but most of them are non-actors who were asked by Reitman to appear on camera and sort of relive their own firings. These non-actors were very, very good, and certainly lent an air of authenticity to the film. A stroke of brilliance to include these people.

Three and a half stars for 'Up in the Air'. Four-and-a-half for the DVD extras (there's also an interesting interview with the company that did the opening shot, and other aerials in the film).

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Proposition (2005)

When I first saw John Hillcoat's film The Proposition I was literally shocked and dumbstruck with what I had just witnessed. As a long-time aficionado of the horror genre I could say that part of me has become desensitized to onscreen violence and nothing really shocks me. Even though I've seen films with more violence throughout its running time, The Proposition just had a heavy sense of despair, moral ambiguity, and a Miltonian feel throughout. The film felt like how it would be if one accepted an offer from one of the damned to stroll down to the Nine Circles of Hell. As much as I didn't want to accept that offer the curiosity of what I might see won out. That's how I was able to sit through the entirety of Hillcoat's ultra-violent and nihilistic tale of lawless and amoral individuals in the untamed wilderness of 1880's Australian Outback.

I must agree with film critic Roger Ebert when he said The Proposition seemed to mirror another dark and violent tale. Hillcoat's film shares so much the same themes and tone as Cormac McCarthy's brutal novel, Blood Meridian, that one almost wondered if the film was adapted from McCarthy's great novel. But similarities aside, Hillcoat and Nick Cave's (director and writer respectively) film can clearly stand on its own two bloody legs.

The film begins with a bloody siege and shootout and we're soon introduced to two of the three Burns' brothers. We soon find out that both brothers, Charlie (played by Guy Pearce)and Mikey (played by Richard Wilson) are outlaws wanted for a multitude of heinous crimes with a recent one the senseless rape and murder of the Hopkins family. One Capt. Stanley (Ray Winstone) who acts as law in this particular area of the Outback. He's gives older brother Charlie a proposition. He'll spare the younger brother's life from the hangman's noose if Charlie finds their older brother Arthur (played with Kurtz-like menace by Danny Huston) and kills the outlaw leader. The quest is set as Charlie accepts and sets out to find his brother. Whether Charlie will go through with killing his older brother Arthur is one thing the audience won't find out until the final minutes of the film. Even though there's no love-lost between Charlie and Arthur, there's still the traditional bond of family that makes Charlie's quest a complex one.

We realize early on that Charlie is very protective of his simpler, younger brother Mikey and would do anything to save his life. Guy Pearce does a great performance as the conflicted and brooding Charlie Burns. There's a quiet intensity in Pearce's performance. He's pretty quiet through most of the film, but one could feel the palpable rage just roiling beneath his brooding countenance. Pearce's Charlie is one who is only a trigger away from exploding into outright violence. Charlie is definitely a child and creation of the lawless Outback the film is set in.

Arthur Burns on the other hand is introduced as an almost warrior-poet who would watch the sun set and spout poetry as easily as gun down an innocent or slice a man's throat without missing a beat. Danny Huston does a bravura performance as the charismatic and wholly amoral Arthur. His performance easily matches that of Pearce's scene for scene. Another performance that I must point out as being very strong in the film is Ray Winstone as Capt. Stanley, the Ahab of the tale with his obsession to bring civilization to the lawless Outback and to bring Arthur Burns to ultimate justice even if it means dealing with the lesser evil that is Charlie Burns.

The Proposition will be talked about alot for its unflinching look at violence onscreen. Though there's been films that have more violence per hour than Hillcoat's film, but the extreme brutality of the killings, maimings and rape in The Proposition has such an air of realism to it that one cringes at every gunshot wound and knife slashing. Like Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, The Proposition's scenes of depravity makes one want to rush into the shower and cleanse off the dirt, grime and stink of the film. It's in this unflinching and realistic portrayal of death and violence that the film shares alot with McCarthy's Blood Meridian. The images are difficult to watch, but our curiosity makes us look through squinted eyes to see the full breadth of the violence. In time, just through the audiences acceptance of the oncreen violence do we soon become complicit in whats going on the screen.

It is a shame that The Proposition had such a limited release in the US. I think this film would've done as well as Eastwood's Unforgiven in giving the audience a different, darker side of the Old West mythology (though its really the Australian Old West). John Hillcoat has crafted himself a brutal and nihilistic film that's very hard to watch but also difficult to ignore. The Proposition is a film I highly recommened people see in the theaters before it disappears, but failing that they should search out for the dvd once its released in that medium. This film is that good.

This film has often been compared to Eastwood's spare and dark UNFORGIVEN. There are certainly many similarities in tone. But if anything, there is even less redemption available at the end of this Australian western than at the end of that Oscar winner.

Simply put, Ray Winstone plays the equivalent of the "new sheriff" in a very small, dreary dusty "western" town in Australia. The worst bandits in his area, the Burns brothers, are his primary goal, and when he corners and captures the two youngest brothers, Mickey and Charley (Guy Pearce), he offers Charley a proposition. He and his simple younger brother will be released if Charley goes out and kills his psychopathic older brother Arthur. If not, Mickey will be hung on Christmas Day, a few days away.

The fallout from this simple proposition is bleak, bleak, bleak. The film is slow moving and takes time to establish tone and to let us savor the unbelievable Australian scenery. As John Hurt (as a bounty hunter) says, it's the most horrific place he's ever been. The scenery is beautiful (sunsets, colorful rocks) and brutal...long expanses of sand and scruff. But the slow pace is punctuated with moments of extremely graphic violence. Each bullet hole or knife wound (or spear wound) is painful to watch. I'm not sure when I last saw a movie that made violence appear so unpleasant, so painful and so ugly.

Everyone in the film is great. Guy Pearce...exceedingly grubby...is torn between deciding how to deal with one of his brothers inevitably dieing. Ray Winstone gives a rich performance...just when we think we've got this guy figured out, he shows another layer. And then another. He wins our sympathy finally. Emily Watson is his wife, and her performance is a litle colorless...it's the biggest weakness in the characterizations. Not her fault...she's just too passive to be entirely believed.

The best performance comes from Danny Huston (John's son, Anjelica's brother) as Arthur, the psycho. His character appreciates nature and poetry, but also raping and slow, painful murders. He's a conundrum that's never fully explained...but Huston is riveting. His oily, sweaty, dirty face is etched with emptiness...I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but trust me.

Other nice touches include an interesting soundtrack (co-written by Nick Cave, who wrote the script) and lots of stuff focusing on the uneasy melding of the "white" man and aboriginies. This adds an extra layer of sadness, and of danger, to all the proceedings.

I would give the movie 4.5 stars, if I could. It doesn't quite reach 5 (the pace is just occasionally over-indulgent...a couple of semi-important characters just drop from the story), but it's very compelling, very brutal filmmaking. NOT FOR KIDS!!!

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Wow, what a brutal "western." I put "western" in quotes because most people think of the western half of the United States as being the locale for western movies. This movie was made and set in Australia but the time frame is similar: around 1880. What's "brutal" about the story is the violence, bloodshed and language but only in spots.

The language is odd in that the vocabulary of most of the people is above-average, but be warned there are a number of f-words. I question whether that word was around in the 19th century, but it's prevalent in this film. Actually, the violent scenes will be more offensive to viewers than the profanity. Like the profanity, however, the violence only comes in spurts. Most of the film has much calmer moments, surprisingly low-key.

One thing that is there throughout the 104 minutes is the excellent cinematography. This is a pretty film, nicely shot with some beautiful scenery and colors, stylish at times, too. To me, this was the best part of the movie. It's indeed a visual treat. Benoit Delholmme deservedly won several international awards for his camera-work in here.

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Historically, and from a character perspective, there's still mining to be done in western films, and THE PROPOSITION gives us a great sense of both. Aussie director John Hillcoat delves into Australia in the 1880s, telling about the bloody lawlessness and aboriginal prejudices.

The story centers around the outlaw Burns brothers, Charlie (Guy Pearce, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL), Mike (DECK DOGZ) and Arthur (Danny Huston, THE CONSTANT GARDNER). When Charlie and Mike are caught by local lawman Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone, COLD MOUNTAIN), Charlie is pulled aside and given a distasteful proposition: kill your brother Arthur and Mike will live. Charlie loves Mike dearly and hardly knows his other brother, Arthur. He grudgingly accepts the terms but it quickly becomes clear that he's unsure what to do. Is the killing of one family member in order to save another morally apprehensible? What if your moral boundaries are skewed?

Charlie rides off to find his brother in the searing Australian Outback.

Meanwhile, back in town, Captain Stanley is having great difficulty controlling its citizens once they learn one of the dreaded Burns brothers is in the local jail. A powerful bureaucrat named Eden Fletcher (David Wenham, THE LORD OF THE RINGS) demands swift justice. He orders that Mike Burns be lashed 100 times. Knowing that Mike probably won't survive this, but also battling feelings his lovely wife Martha (Emily Watson, GOSFORD PARK) has about the crimes Mike has committed, Captain Stanley is forced to give in to the township's demands.

Back in the Outback, Charlie finally runs into his twisted brother and comes face-to-face with his worst fears: killing someone of his own flesh and blood. Can he do it? Should he do it?

The word "epic" has been on the lips of many reviewers, but epic may be too big a term for this flick. It is enjoyable, and has sweeping views and great acting (even John Hurt makes a soulful appearance as a perverse bounty hunter), but it doesn't approach films such as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA or DOCTOR ZHIVAGO in scope. And that's okay. There are many films out there that are still very enjoyable but don't meet the epic criteria.

That the western film has been done for nearly a century might make one think that it's dying out as a genre. But no. THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUAIDES ESTRADA and UNFORGIVEN are two of the more recent favorites that prove there's still life out there for the western. And The Proposition is another excellent example that it's still got cinematic value.

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The Proposition has the kind of premise that Anthony Mann would have loved wild colonial boy Guy Pearce is released into the outback to kill his psychotic older brother Danny Huston to save his younger brother from the noose by Ray Winstone's policeman determined to civilize his godforsaken corner of 19th century Australia. Unfortunately it never quite makes enough of it. Coming to it after both the excessive praise and the equally excessive backlash I wasn't disappointed, although the film does have problems. The most obvious is that screenwriter Nick Cave and director John Hillcoat become so enamoured of Winstone's character that he dominates the film to the detriment of not only the other players but the film itself: while there's none of his scenes that should be cut, neither Pearce nor Huston get nearly as much screentime. As a result, the central moral dilemma is kept firmly backstage and Huston's nature is only really hinted at rather than explored, although the violence, when it comes, is convincingly blunt. But at times it's almost as if Coppola had decided that instead on concentrating on Martin Sheen's killer in Apocalypse Now he'd make a film about the officer who sends him out to terminate with extreme prejudice instead.

It's a film with great things going for it there's some fine dialogue, Hillcoat has a great visual sense and a striking eye for the Scope frame, while an underplayed Winstone is superb but one that never becomes great.

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Although critics have been almost unanimous in their praise of this film, many fans of the show are quite harsh in their appraisal, chiefly for two reasons one, that the principals are not great singers, and two, the deletion of roughly 50% of the score. I surprised myself in that, having purchased the soundtrack and seen the movie, I am in neither camp, as either of these factors might heretofore have caused me to pronounce most film adaptations of almost any Broadway musical a failure. Instead, I am thrilled far beyond my expectations with this production.

It might not have been so, had I not had so much respect for Stephen Sondheim. As part of the pre-release publicity, he has granted an unusual (for him) number of interviews, and says that he is unequivocally satisfied with Tim Burton's vision. As anyone who appreciates his high level of artistic integrity will agree, Mr. Sondheim would not give praise to this project if he were not satisfied with it. At 77, Stephen Sondheim is considered by many to be the greatest composer in the history of the American theatre, and I have followed him long enough to know that no amount of financial consideration could cause him to declare his endorsement if he were not truly happy with the finished film.

I have listened carefully to what Mr. Sondheim has had to say in those recent interviews, and now understand why so many stage musicals previously transferred to celluloid haven't worked. To begin with, time passes very differently in a theatre than it does on film. That which takes several minutes in a Broadway theatre (i.e. a full-blown production number) is apt to seem like a small eternity on screen. Therefore, the very thing that keeps most audiences clamoring for more in live theatre is apt to make many movie audiences run screaming from the auditorium. Then there is the problem of what Alfred Hitchcock once termed "suspension of disbelief"; that is, in real life, no one ever bursts into song during one of life's dramatic moments, no less accompanied by a full orchestra, and many moviegoers who are accustomed to a certain amount of reality therefore find musical films particularly hard to take. Thanks to some of the theories on musical film voiced by Mr. Sondheim in the past week or so, I finally understand why so many previous attempts to film Broadway musicals fall flat in short, the theatre and film are two entirely different mediums, with two entirely different audiences. Although many theatre lovers, myself included, would be happy to sit through an entire musical transferred to screen exactly as produced on stage, most movie audiences demand something different. And something different is what they surely get with Sweeney Todd.

Then there is the score. Tim Burton has said that he has been a fan of Sweeney Todd since its original run. I believe that, as disappointing as it is for many fans to accept how much of the score has been cut, it was probably even more agonizing for Mr. Burton to decide what pieces to remove. The original ran over three hours, and at least 75% of the story was sung, making Sweeney Todd one of the few genuine operas to ever come out of Broadway. The film runs only 117 minutes and, judging by the length of the soundtrack CD (a mere 72 minutes) easily 40% of the score has been removed, chiefly the ensemble pieces. Mr. Burton apparently judged (probably correctly) that the choral numbers which worked so well on stage, although containing some of the wittiest lyrics, would be clunky and ponderous on film, and he made the prudent (if, I'm sure, difficult) decision to let them go. This is likely to be the sorest point for many fans of the show. And had I not been paying careful attention to Mr. Sondheim's recent interviews, I may not have been able to get past that point myself.

But what has been excised is more than compensated for in Mr. Burton's sumptuous visuals and careful attention to detail. Although Mr. Sondheim has made changes to the lyrics, resolving previously problematic portions of the score and actually improving it, it's amazing how much of what is left of the score is faithful to the original. Though it's a tragic story, Sweeney Todd remains in essence a dark comedy, and many of Mr. Burton's finer touches, especially the staging of the musical numbers, have enhanced the story to the point where I have hardly missed the deletions, and I speak as someone who has loved this piece in almost all of its previous renderings.

And I admit that, although he has never been a particular favorite of mine, Johnny Depp is a revelation. Without detracting from previous interpreters of the role (especially Len Cariou and George Hearn), Mr. Depp's evocation of the character is so fully fleshed out, and so filled with genuine pathos and sympathy, that I was able to immediately excuse the fact that he is not a seasoned vocalist. Besides, to reiterate a point made earlier, this is not Broadway, and there is no need for his voice to reach the back of the house. If anything, the fact that the principal characters are not great singers actually enhances the realistic feel of the film. It is also a pleasure to have both Toby and Anthony (not to mention Joanna) played by actors of the appropriate age, and hear accents that actually invoke pre-Victorian London.

In the end however, the real star (to me, anyway) is the superlative score by Stephen Sondheim. I am not amazed that some feel that there are no "memorable songs" in the score. Good music should be subtle; the absence of "catchy tunes" that one will whistle on the way out of the theatre is only indicative to me of the high quality of the score. Anyone who is previously unfamiliar with Sweeney Todd who doesn't "get it" is urged to purchase the soundtrack (the full version, with the complete libretto included) and follow along with the words and music as the songs are sung. The first thing you will realize is (as with any of Mr. Sondheim's works, whether they be in a film, the theatre, or any other medium) how incredibly witty and sophisticated his lyrics are; on first listen you are apt to miss most of his delicious wit. His use of the English language, his clever rhymes, and above all, his intelligent, deft semantics will amaze anyone who cares to take the time to listen. There are reasons why so many consider Sondheim the foremost composer of the theatre, and so many intelligent theatergoers hang on his every word. But just as important as his words (and I have always admired Sondheim's ability to use words above all else that I treasure in the world of musical theatre), you will find, especially if you listen long and hard enough, that his delicate, subtle music will, in time, work its way into your heart and conscience as some of the most beautiful music ever composed. This is NOT top-forty pop music, the type that is so often mistaken for excellence in theatre these days. In his ballads especially, Sondheim writes genuine, heartfelt gorgeous melodies; that is, real music. Once you open your heart and mind to Sondheim's glorious words and sumptuous airs, you may just become a fan for life.

When it comes to a work of the musical stage it is difficult to imagine a finer one than Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. For those who saw the original 1979 Hal Prince extravagant production starring Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou/George Hearn, and then the 2005 revival as condensed so creatively by John Doyle and re-orchestrated by Sarah Travis who placed the orchestral instruments in the hands of the 10 actors who tell the story of the strange Todd, the Tim Burton (screenplay reduction by Josh Logan) film will only enhance the pleasures of seeing SWEENEY TODD resurrected in yet another form. Each of these incarnations has its riches and together they establish Sondheim's work as a masterpiece.

Johnny Depp makes a convincing Sweeney Todd, in looks and demeanor as well as in singing voice, and Helena Bonham Carter's Mrs. Lovett fits right into Tim Burton's vision of the dark, squalid and seedy London. Timothy Spall is perfect as the oily Beadle, Alan Rickman makes Judge Turpin an understandable villain, Jamie Campbell Bower and Jayne Wisener are suitably infatuated young lovers, and Sacha Baron Cohen and Ed Sanders give top flight cameos as Signor Pirelli and Toby. The one advantage of seeing this fine film on DVD is the option of turning on the subtitles so as not to miss a word of Sondheim's superb lyrics.

For this viewer, however, the most successful version of this 'opera' is the John Doyle production currently on the boards in Los Angeles with Judy Kaye as the most satisfying Mrs. Lovett on record. This uniquely economical and endlessly creative production goes to the core of the work better than any other version, and if this traveling company comes anywhere near your home, go see it! It is the essential SWEENEY TODD and a fine adjunct to seeing the film version again and again. Grady Harp, April 08

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An R rated musical about a vengeful barber who kills his victims only to serve them up as meat pies must've made the studio a little nervous to bankroll a big budget adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Although, they must've been reassured that Tim Burton would be helming the project with his long-time collaborator Johnny Depp stepping in to play Todd. Burton, with his affinity for all things dark and gothic (see The Nightmare Before Christmas (Special Edition) and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (Widescreen Edition)), seems like an obvious choice to take on such dark subject matter and Sondheim agreed, giving the filmmaker his blessing.

The first disc has a featurette entitled, "Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd." Tim Burton had always been a fan of Stephen Sondheim's musical and had contemplated a film version for years. Helena Bonham Carter was also a fan and had always wanted to play Mrs. Lovett. Burton liked the idea of her and Depp as this "weird" couple. The director and his leading man talk about their long-standing relationship in this excellent featurette.

The second disc starts off with the "Sweeney Todd Press Conference, November 2007" which features Burton, producer Richard Zanuck and his main cast answering questions from the press. Not surprisingly, Burton and Depp tend to dominate the bulk of the questions. Both men are very charming and joke good naturedly with each other.

"Musical Mayhem: Sondheim's Sweeney Todd" features Sondheim talking about the origins of his take on Sweeney Todd and what drew him to the story. He also talks about how he adapted it into a musical and speaks eloquently about the story and the predominant theme of revenge.

"Sweeney's London" provides historical background to 18th and 19th century London including the social and economical conditions with historians talking about how harsh life was back then. This is fascinating stuff and excellent insight the world that acts as a backdrop to the story.

"The Making of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" takes a look at how the film came together. This is a pretty standard promotional featurette that mixes cast and crew soundbites with clips from the film. It covers a lot of ground already depicted in other featurettes.

"Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition" examines the tradition of Grand Guignol or horror theatre that came out of France. Academic types trace its origins, define its characteristics, and illustrate how Sweeney Todd fits into this tradition.

"Designs for a Demon Barber" takes a look at the costumes and set design. Burton wanted the film to look like Frankenstein (75th Anniversary Edition) (Universal Legacy Series) and resemble a kind of fable look. He explains that this is why he used sets on soundstages as opposed to actual locations.

"A Bloody Business" examines how they did the film's bloody deaths. We see Burton and his crew running tests on how to get the right bloody sprays and experiment with how to pull of the throat slashings.

"Moviefone Unscripted with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp" features the two men asking each other questions submitted by fans. They talk about how they met, how Depp prepared for the role, and so on.

"The Razor's Refrain" is a montage of stills and behind-the-scenes photographs from the film with excerpts of songs from the soundtrack.

Also included is a gallery of production sketches, promotional stills, and behind-the-scenes photos.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.

Read Best Reviews of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) Here

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) "Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barbour of Fleet Street" will surprise a LOT of movie-goers. It's a musical about a London barbour who is wronged and returns home looking for revenge.

I'm usually skeptical of film remakes of musicals. Being a fan of Tim Burton was enough to get me through the door. I am really glad I saw it. This is a very good movie that will satisfy a very wide audience, including those unfamiliar with the original musical as well as it's loyal fans.

DISCLAIMER: Not for younger kids or squeemish adults. This is one R rating that is well deserved.

First and foremost, this movie is worth seeing in the theatres. I expected this version to be even less "musical" than it was. Surprisingly, it is VERY true to the original musical, with almost all the original Steven Sondheim score re-sung by the modern cast. Musically, the songs and score are all well done and add to the theatre experience.

Visually, Sweeney Todd is STUNNING. This version is MUCH BETTER than any other previous version. Tim Burton has created a dark and dingy London that deserves to be nominated for an Oscar for almost every technical category. The black and white backdrop make the bright colors stand out when they are used. Color is used artistically and powerfully, as you'll see. :)

The actors will also attract some die hard fan groups. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter have some very different fan bases, but I think both will be satisfied and surprised by the performances. In fact the whole cast does wonderfully, and the director no doubt had something to do with that.

This is also another movie where I will be looking forward to the HD DVD. Hoping for a wealth of deleted / extended scenes and "making of" featurettes. As for the soundtrack, I plan on buying it today.

Go see this movie. You will buy the DVD. And the soundtrack may be on your shopping list soon too. There's a full version, and a "Highlights" version without the background tracks.

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Deluxe Complete Edition

Sweeney Todd Soundtrack Highlights

Enjoy!!

Want Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) Discount?

Ever since Moulin Rouge re-energized the then malignant musical genre, we have just been assaulted by a slew of hit Broadway Musicals turned big screen show stoppers, from the highs (Chicago) to the lows (The Producers). And while Dreamgirls was very well done, it really just buckled under its own pressure and did not live up to my expectations. But for 2007, musicals hit an all time high when not one, not two, but three well done films were released. In the Summer, we were treated to the feel good Hairspray. In the Fall, we then experienced the fantasy that was Across the Universe. And finally, they toped of the year with an all time high with Sweeney ToddThe Demon Barber of Fleet Street, one of the best musical adaptations in recent years.

For those familiar with the Broadway play, we are shown the story of the vengeful Benjamin Parker, who for fifteen years has been paying for a crime he did not commit, wrongfully accused by the wicked Judge Tulpin. Now, he has returned to London, with a new name and a thirst for vengence. Aided by his former landlady Mrs. Lovett, he cuts a bloody path across 19th century London in his ulitmate quest for revenge against those who have wronged him.

First off, Tim Burton could not have been a better choice to bring this tale to the big screen. Already one of the biggest directors out right now and a sheer genious of quirky, dark films, there really was no other contender that could have done the job he did. Here, he brings his best work since Ed Wood. The atmosphere, the costumes, the settings, everything just not only screams Burton but also keeps the vision of Stephen Sondheim alive and well. And usually i'm not a person who squirms easily but some of the throat slashings really did just make me shiver slightly in my seat, something I do not experience a lot even with some of the goriest or scariest horror films, so bravo to Burton for letting the blood fly (and believe me, there is a lot).

Now, at first I was a bit apprehensive about Johnny Depp playing Sweeney Todd, cause until then I had no idea he could sing. But luckily, my fears were put to rest as soon as he stepped on screen. As Sweeney, he glowers, he sings, he kils, just once again submerging himself into yet another unique character. Helena Bonham Carter also proves her own as Todd's acomplice, delivering comic wit at just the right time and holding her own on the screen next to Depp and as for Alan Rickman, he just completly took me by surprise. To see the guy most people know as Professor Snape just being up there and singing is just a bit of a shock but he definently pulled it off. And for those who groan over the singing, I mean come on! These are not professional Broadway singers people! So its expected they wouldn't be on par with those who originally played the cast.

I was very dissapointed that this film did not get the realy recognition by the Academy as it should have, especially for Best Picture and Director. But then again, this was a pretty tough year, full of a lot of great films, so the fact it sort of got lost in the shuffle to the likes of heavy hitters like No Country For Old Men or There Will Be Blood. But at least Depp got his just reward with a Best Actor nod.

Definently one of the best films of 2007, Sweeney Todd is a must see for moviegoers but if you are not a fan for musicals, this will most likely not be your taste of film. However, if your a fan or loved the Broadway play, the film will surely not dissapoint.

Gandhi (1982)

This movie was the realization of a lifetime dream for Sir Richard Attenborough, who finally succeeded in bringing this incredible spectacular to theatrical release in 1982. I was living outside London working for the American Forces in the greater London area at the time, so was thrilled to have the privilege to see this movie in its limited initial release in Britain, and was amazed by its scope, accuracy and integrity in bringing the quite controversial facts surrounding Gandhi's life and politically-motivated assassination to the screen. Ben Kingsley is simply magnificent as the diminutive, principled, and indefatiguable lawyer, humanitarian, and citizen of the world with an uncannily prescient feel for what was possible for a determined and energetic person as well as how to achieve his lofty otherworldly goals right here on earth.

Based on his appraoch here, Attenborough seems to have learned much from such masterful British film-makers as David Lean, for the use of scenery, topography, and natural surrounding of the characters as they wind through the more than 40 years of story line is breath-taking. His methods owe much to the kind of subtle insinuation of the local environment David Lean in particular used so memorably in movies like "Bridge Over The River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia" (see my reviews) in making the scenery more than an incidental player in the storyline. Seeing Gandhi immersed in the incredible multidimensional diversities that were (and are) India helps the viewer as we begin to understand just how incredible his efforts were to unite the country with his strange yet irresistible moral authority, an authority that all of the various factions recognized and respected as the authentic thing.

There is, of course, an immensely talented cast, including Martin Sheen as an American newspaper correspondent who becomes intrigued by Gandhi's profound and surprisingly effective non-violent approach to social change. Gandhi's approach to using reason and morality to approach issues and perspectives, and these methods become the real star of the film as it builds slowly over the scope of this very literate and intelligent script. This is a wonderful motion picture experience for anyone willing to sit through the more than three hour extravaganza, one that guarantees Attenborough's prominent place in film history, and one that leaves this reviewer smacking his lips in anticipation of whatever other wonderful effort such as this may someday appear based on Attenborough's talents, visions, and moral sensibilities. Enjoy!

It all began simple enough with the purchase of a first class train ticket by Mr. Mohandas Gandhi, Esq., recently arrived in South Africa, and unaware that as an Indian, he was required to travel third class and not entitled to such a ticket. Literally thrown off the train for his transgression, the young attorney, embodied to perfection by Ben Kingsley, spent a full night sitting on the platform, musing how best to respond to such discrimination. Shortly thereafter, and after consultations with established members of his community, he wrote his first treatises and organized his first demonstrations. And when participants of a protest assembly stood up and proclaimed their willingness to die in the fight against suppression, Gandhi once and for all formulated his doctrine of nonviolent protest: "They may torture my body, break my bones; even kill me. Then they will have my dead body not my obedience."

Shot largely on four Indian locations, Richard Attenborough's nine-time Oscar-winning biography of Gandhi is a sweeping epic that takes the viewer back to Britain's colonial past, covering all major events of Gandhi's political career from its beginnings in South Africa to the March to the Sea and India's independence, and contrasting the luxurious lifestyle of the foreign rulers with the poverty of those they governed; that India which, as Gandhi soon realized, not only the British didn't understand, but whose population also could not have cared less about the activities of the Indian Congress Party, at the time little more than a group of well-to-do city dwellers mentally and socially almost as far removed from the rest of their country as the British. Twenty years in the making, the movie is clearly reverential of Gandhi's genius, and of the man whose symbolic growth was reverse parallel to his retreat into simplicity, and who for that very reason, and because of his unfaltering commitment to nonviolence on the one hand and India's independence on the other hand, accomplished what only few people would otherwise have thought possible: to convince the world's biggest colonial power to give up the crown jewel among its colonies; and to do so in a gesture of friendship and without civil war. The one aspect of Gandhi's life that falls a bit short here is the effect that his overbearing symbolic status had on his family life, which necessarily had to suffer as a result (unable to cope with his father's fame and chosen lifestyle, Gandhi's eldest son, for example, threw himself into a life of alcoholism and prostitution). But Gandhi is not depicted as a saint, and particularly during his early years, we learn about the struggle that went into the formation of the man who later earned the title "Great Soul" (Mahatma). Even anticipating that he might be killed by an assassin's bullet, Gandhi once said that he would only deserve that title if he could accept that bullet with Rama's (God's) name on his lips: fittingly, the movie begins with his assassination and comes full circle at the end, affirming that Gandhi truly was a Great Soul throughout.

Attenborough found his perfect Gandhi in Ben Kingsley, who not so much plays but truly *is* the Mahatma; from his appearance to the inflection of his voice, attitudes and gestures. Over the year-long struggles to finance the movie, Attenborough's first choices for the role had grown too old to convincingly play the young Gandhi in South Africa, but eventually Michael Attenborough pointed his father to Kingsley, then with the Royal Shakespeare Company, who reportedly won the role by meeting Attenborough in full Gandhi makeup at their first get-together, thus instantly convincing him that he had found his man. Yet, despite his gift for mimicry and his part-Indian heritage, Kingsley nevertheless turned to his Indian costars, particularly Rohini Hattangadi, who plays Gandhi's wife Kasturba, to fine-tune his portrayal; and he recalls in an interview for the movie's DVD release that the skill he found the most difficult to master was to spin and to talk at the same time. The use of the actual British newsreels covering Gandhi's visit to England adds to the movie's sense of authenticity and emphasizes yet again Ben Kingsley's achievement in transforming himself into the Mahatma.

In fact, his awardwinning performance so overshadows every other actor in the movie that it would be easy to overlook the fine performances of his costars, all of whom contributed to the movie's unique quality to name but a few, Sir John Gielgud, whom Kingsley praises as "a national treasure" (British viceroy Lord Irwin), Roshan Seth (Pandit Nehru), Martin Sheen (NY Times reporter Vincent Walker), Candice Bergen (People Magazine's Margaret Bourke-White), Ian Charleson (Gandhi's early friend and colaborator Reverend Andrews), Edward Fox (General Dyer, the man responsible for the massacre at Amritsar, who testified at his court-martial that his intention had been to "teach a lesson that would be heard throughout India"); and Trevor Howard as Judge Broomfield, who had to sentence Gandhi to prison for his outright admission that he was guilty of the charge of advocating sedition because of his belief "that non-cooperation with evil is a duty and British rule in India is evil," and who nevertheless rose at Gandhi's entrance into the courtroom instead of making the prisoner rise for him, and commented on the sentence he had to impose that "if ... his Majesty's government should, at some later date, see fit to reduce the term, no one will be better pleased than I."

The movie ends with Gandhi's affirmation that when he despaired, he remembered that "all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers; for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of this: Always." Such a belief may be difficult to hold on to, particularly for us who are so much more fallible than the Mahatma. Yet, this movie eloquently pleads that it is, at least, worth our very best effort.

Also recommended:

Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth

The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas

Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire (Philip E. Lilienthal Book in Asian Studies)

HALFWAY TO FREEDOM In the Words and Pictures of Margaret Bourke-White

The Last Emperor Criterion Collection

Kundun

Anne Frank The Whole Story

Henry David Thoreau : Collected Essays and Poems (Library of America)

Buy Gandhi (1982) Now

I watched this movie years ago having not seen it since I was a kid. After watching it I decided to write my senior research paper about him, as I wanted an excuse to not just read and absorb him, but gush about him to someone.

Gandhi was a great man. What a tale it is, from being a reletively simple, unknown attorney to becoming one of the greatest world leaders in history. His turning point moment came when he was thrown off a train for sitting in the first class car in South Africa. He would not allow for Indians to be treated like third class citizens anymore and moved towards equality. Not only did he achieve the smaller equalities, but he overthrew the British Empire's occupation and at long last freed India.

I will spare the blow by blow of this movie, as it tells his story so well (if just glossing over just a few of his major points and good works for people). But this movie, as well as his written work, taught me how to be a better person. Despite how corny and silly that may sound of me, I learned not to complain. Even the scummiest of jobs (ex. rake and cover the latrine) you do with joy. People lash out at others when they are angry and unhappy, and yes they hurt you, but you will not be beaten down if you realize that happiness is not handed to you but earned by our own efforts. I always remember his words in my darkest hours ...

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderes, for a time they can seem invincable but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always."

If that doesn't bring tears to your eyes, then nothing will.

Read Best Reviews of Gandhi (1982) Here

Students of history and film alike can well appreciate this great piece of filmmaking about a truly great historical figure.

It took Director/Producer Richard Attenborough 20 years to put the life work of Mohandas K. Gandhi on film. The picture among it's many international awards was also winner of 9 well deserved Academy Awards. Among them, Best Picture(1982),Best Actor(Ben Kingsley),Best Cinematography,Best Screnplay, and Best Director.

The "Mahatma"(Great Soul) as Gandhi was called by his followers,devoted his life to secure freedom for the people of his country, India. From the time as a young attorney, traveling through S. Africa, where he was literally thrown off a train due to his race, until his death by assassination,he led his people with hope and strong beliefs.The British Monarch ruled the nation of India, and treated the citizens as second class. Gandhi would change all that through the means of peaceful civil disobedience, often leading to beatings, imprisoment or both for all that particapted in these demonstrations.In one particular case, even more tragic, gunfire was opened on 15,000 men women and children gathered in rally, many were killed.Gandhi's answer was not revenge however, he felt that if "every man took an eye for an eye, the whole world would be blind."

The film also depicts the famous "March to The Sea", when Gandhi led thousands, to show the British that the salt(an important commidity to them) belonged to everyone,the hunger strikes he went on, and finally the respect earned him by even the British.

Reporters from around the world eventually learned of this great man and flocked to get his story.It follows through on the time after India gained it's Independence from England, and began to have civil probelms of it's own, with conflicts arising between the Muslims, and the Hindu. Again Gandhi would go on hunger strikes to bring peace to his nation.And finally his assassination which stunned the world, that this great man of peace would have his life ended so violently.The funeral scene is a sight to behold.

The film is extraordinary. The cinematography(Filmed mostly in India), the costumes designs, the acting, will all keep you totaly involved with this story of historical importance. Performances by Ben Kingsley, Martin Sheen,Candace Bergen, Sir John Gielgud, Trevor Howard and Edward Fox were all a stroke a brillant casting.Also look for a very young Daniel Day Lewis early on in the film. The music by Ravi Shankar and George Fenton(also given a nod by the academy) encompasses the true culture of India.

The DVD enhances all of the terrific qualities of the film. The widescreen(2.35:1) is perfect. The picture quality and colors clear and vibrant. Sound and dialouge excellent as well. Columbia/Tri-Star has given this important film the treatment it deserves. There are also some great extras. Ben Kingsley talks about Ghandi and how he got into character, there is some original newsreel footage of Ghandi(watch this and you will realize what a remarkable job Kingsley has done), there's a photo montage, and several langauge subtitles(No Indian languages though,.. hmmm???).All together a great DVD.

Want Gandhi (1982) Discount?

We are not perfect, but if we decide to do better than what has been the norm for humanity, we can. Gandhi chose to be a better man than he was and through his will power, guided but not blinded by his convictions, he embarked on a life that led him to challenge accepted notions on many aspects of our lives. He was creative, asking questions others did not ask and inventing answers others did not offer, with respect to problems we still face. And then he lived by what he discovered. He did not let his fears control him, but rather experimented with his own life to try out those answers. He sought the "truth" and tried to live by it. Above all, he tried to be honest with himself and with others. He tried not to inflict suffering, while also not allowing it to be accepted.

He was not a supreme, magical being. He was not a saint. He was one more human being. He just slowly, sequentially, and then decidedly chose to find and follow whatever the truth may be, within a path of love and acceptance for fellow human beings.

Most of us focus on the negative side of human nature. Most have no real faith in humanity. Here, though, is proof that we can do better.

There is hope for us. But hope exists only if there is willingness to steadfastly, stubbornly, but DEFINITELY NOT CLOSED-MINDEDLY work for it.

I recommend this movie for teenagers and young adults, after an introduction to the history that led to the conditions in Ganghi's India, and the ideas permeating Western politics and ethics in that era.

To anyone wishing to understand his psyche more fully, I'd recommend his autobiography:

THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH

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My Way (2011)

South Koreans have a way with film. In the last decade, they've had a particularly good run at presenting war stories, some from the World War II era and many others exploring the Korean War. I've had the good fortune of seeing several of them each one perhaps a bit better than the last and now I can add MY WAY to the burgeoning list of accomplishments. It's a big budget critical success that opens your eyes to the plight of people who find themselves equally at odds with themselves as they do the greater world around them.

At a time when Japan ruled a smaller Korea, Kim Jung-shik (played by Jang Dong-Gun) and Japanese aristocrat Tatsuo Hasegawa (Joe Odagiri) find themselves as bitter young rivals to the upcoming Olympics. When Kim and his fellow residents rebel against the Japanese authorities after stripping the young man of a chance to represent his country, they're all conscripted into the Japanese army. Their fates collide again as Kim's regiment is assigned to Tatsuo, now serving his country as an officer. When both are seized by the Soviets in a bloody battle, they'll slowly learn to trust one another again until they're separated by the invading German army. Eventually, they're reunited at Normandy Beach, only days before the fateful invasion of the Allied Forces, when destinies collide in this epic story of survival.

And it is a truly epic film. MY WAY features some powerful performances by all of the principles as well as some fantastic filmmaking at work on all levels. Director Je-kyu Kang has produced a masterpiece that explores personal conviction and redemption against the backdrop of the international stage. War is arguably the most horrific form of conflict to explore stories of one's humanity, but the script (which he co-wrote with Byung-in Kim) gives everyone here the chance to explore who they are as individuals as well as members of a greater society. Kim and Tatsuo end up drivers of their own cruel fates as they are victims of their time, always conscripted to serve some greater enemy. Where others sell out their souls in order to secure momentary freedom, these two men remain tied to their own convictions big or small, right or wrong and they suffer the consequences of their own prejudices. However, along the way, they manage to retain as much of their dignity as the circumstances allow, and they prove once again that even in the darkest of times there is some goodness to be found in the unlikeliest of friendships.

As for the completed product? The cinematography is breathtaking, at times, and heart-breaking at others. It's the kind of visual mix reserved for blockbuster films, of which MY WAY definitely deserves to sit side by side. The director clearly went to great lengths to capture these various terrains the stark beauty of open fields, the harsh claustrophia of the Russian winters, the majestic swells on the beaches of Normandy and adapt them to the message of each sequence, and it all looks solid and impactful. The musical score is equally impressive though perhaps a bit derivative at times.

MY WAY was produced by Directors, SK Planet, and CJ Entertainment. DVD distribution is being handled through Well Go USA. The disc looks and sounds exceptional the picture is stunningly crisp, and the audio is a terrific mix for both the big and the smaller elements. As is often the case with some of these foreign releases finding distribution in the US, there aren't tons and tons of special features, but, thankfully, MY WAY has a solid few: there's a `making of' featurette along with some behind-the-scenes material, cast interviews, and a director interview. Also, there's an English-dubbed track which I found helpful given the fact that there are sequences of some rapid-fire dialogue that just doesn't give this ol' pair of eyes enough time to read all of it. It clocks in at an impressive 143 minutes, but you wouldn't know it; it never felt overlong or overwrought in the slightest, as the focus retains a personal edge throughout.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. MY WAY continues to string of terrific war-related films out of Korea. Culturally, their artists have latched on to a winning, compelling formula of delivering tales of great conflict alongside some tragic and triumphant personal narratives. Granted, there were a few sequences one tinged with fairly predictable character-based humor that `cheapened' a few moments, but they're very, very small (and completely forgivable) when compared to the epic scope of the picture. MY WAY walks that line with excellent balance it's as frightening as it is inspiring and it's easy to see why the NYC Movie Guru dubbed it the "most powerful war film since SAVING PRIVATE RYAN."

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the good folks at Well Go USA provided me with a DVD screener copy of MY WAY by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

Riveting. Brutal. Epic. All of the above. Director Kang Je-gyu sure knows how to make films that are heartbreaking. Based on the true story of an Asian man found on the beaches at Normandy during World War II, somehow the main character ends up being forced to fight for the Japanese, the Russians, and the Germans over the course of the film. There are at least five different languages spoken in this film: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and German. And then the credits roll with a wonderful song from Italy's own Andrea Bocelli. Truly a multinational picture. Contains amazing scenery and a jaw-dropping, climactic recreation of the Normandy invasion. Just don't watch it if you're squeamish. Very, very graphic in places. But so powerful.

Buy My Way (2011) Now

A epic production about two friends who grow up together ,but a horrible tragedy while they were young tore them apart, the acting in this film was very compelling ,the meat of the film is the spectacular war scenes , very realistic and harsh, there are few similarities with this film and the film "the brotherhood of war" which came a few years prior to this one ,both films told a very human story around the brutal reality of war.A likeable movie but very long.

Read Best Reviews of My Way (2011) Here

This is the sort of film the word `epic' was coined for. It is a Korean World War II film that takes in China, Russia and Europe as its scenes for some really well done battles. It is based on `true events', and I suspected a lot of licence has been taken but have since found out that this is based on the life of a Korean captured by the Americans on D Day in a Wermacht uniform Yang Kyougjong.

The film is the story of two men Jun-Shik (Dong-gun Jang `Brotherhood') and Tassuo (jo Odagiri `Shinobi'), the former is Korean and the latter Japanese. They are both keen runners and an early rivalry starts between them as children when Tatsuo's family move to the now conquered Korea to bring the Imperial Army jackboot down on the populace. An enmity soon grows between the two which is worsened by Japans decision to not allow Koreans to do the try outs for the Olympics.

As a result of the ensuing unrest many Koreans and press ganged or sentenced to fight in the Imperial Army, this happens to Jun-Shik and many of his friends, they are sent to China to further the war that has been raging there since 1937. They have to face Russian tanks with swords drawn and strap bombs to themselves as suicide attacks and it all kicks off. Hopelessly out numbered and out gunned they are taken prisoners of the Russians. This now begins the story of bitter struggle in the camps and the ensuing journey across Europe. To say any more would be a plot spoiler, but having said that there is rather a lot of plot so please don't think I have revealed too much already.

There are some great battle scenes and the action is all excellent as is the period detail and the languages are all authentic too, including Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, German and English; so this is obviously sub titled. There is rather a lot of CGI and it is all on the above average side, but considering the scope and ambition of this film, they could not have done it any other way.

This is from `Brotherhood' director Kang Je Kyu who has taken seven years off but made this in ten months, I just hope he doesn't need such a break this time. For location fans this was actually shot in Latvia, but I did not feel this lacked authenticity. Whilst this is unashamedly emotional as most Korean cinema is, it is still brimming with action and no on screen time is wasted, it is an edge of seat marathon with a run time of 2 hours and eighteen minutes, you get a 40 minute `making of' as an extra too. If you are a fan of the ever growing catalogue of Korean action films, then this is one you will want to add to your collection unmissable.

Want My Way (2011) Discount?

Magnificent. Overpowering. A true masterpiece. "My Way" is, in my view, one of the best movies about war ever, one that you will feel and live. Well Go USA brings us again another piece of Korean-Japanese history that desperately needed to be told, and it looks outstanding in its Blu-ray edition.

Helmed by Kang Je-Kyu, who was also responsible for "Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War" (2004), the film takes us to Korea, during the Japanese occupation of that country. We immediately meet Jung-shik Kim (Dong-gun Jang), whose father works for a high-ranked Japanese army officer, as well as Tatsuo Hasegawa (Jo Odagiri), grandchild of this officer, who comes to visit. Both Jung-shik and Tatsuo are very young, and they are excellent runners. Unfortunately, a tragedy happens which separates the families, and they never develop a friendship while growing up together. In addition, at the time, some, if not most, Japanese looked at Koreans as low-class people. Once they become adults the year is 1938 --, Tatsuo, who is wealthy, is due to go to medical school (against his will; instead, he wants to become an army officer) and Jung-shik, who is poor, becomes a rickshaw driver. Tatsuo, too, is running at the Olympic Games, representing Korea, which infuriates the Korean population. As a result, Tatsuo and Jung-shik have to compete for the Olympic trials, with Jung-shik winning, but being cheated by government officials who wanted Tatsuo at any cost. But fate intervenes and Japan goes to war, with the Koreans forced to join the Japanese army as "Imperial soldiers." As expected, both Jung-shik and Tatsuo go to war, and their paths will be crossing over and over for the next years, leading us to a surprising, dramatic end.

"My Way" is a story about redemption under the worst circumstances, and the battle scenes are as realistic as they can get, with amazing cinematography by Mo-Gae Lee and production design by Geun-hyun Cho. This is one grandiose production, also ignored by Hollywood. The Blu-ray includes a making-of feature, interviews with the director and Dong-gun Jang, and more. (South Korea, 2011, 143 min plus additional materials).

Reviewed on July 30, 2012 by Eric Gonzales for Well Go USA Blu-ray.

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Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958)

Those who have eagerly awaited some of Jerry Lewis' post-Dean Martin classics being released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time will have a special Valentine courtesy of Olive Films as 1958's "The Geisha Boy," 1958's "Rock-a-Bye Baby" and 1965's "Boeing Boeing" get a 2/14/12 release. It's hard to imagine that these films have not been made available on DVD prior to now! Of course, Lewis still remains a love it or loathe it proposition for many modern era film goers--but there is no denying his legacy and impact on the contemporary comedy scene. Oftentimes content to play the fool, Lewis displayed an innocent appeal on-screen that engaged a sense of silliness in us all. But he had genuine heart too, and his good-natured screen persona created some indelibly beloved characters that stand in contrast to his more complicated personal life. These films are an interesting cross section of Lewis' film catalogue as we see him doing what he does best but bringing additional elements of seriousness to the table. Made of a certain time and place, these films offer great nostalgia value for those that love Lewis--but also an opportunity for new viewers to discover Lewis in his prime.

"Rock-a-Bye Baby" provides Lewis with some of his more inspired and insane comedy bits. Were it content to be just slapstick silliness, it might be one of my favorites but (like The Geisha Boy) the film is also filled with its share of smaltzy sentimentalism. These lightweight concoctions want to tug on your heartstrings, but (in my opinion) rarely develop anything quite real enough in characters or plotting to really engage my emotions. Taking its original idea from Preston Sturges' classic screwball romp "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" and then stripping away every element of that film's story to make a zany Lewis vehicle--this one is highlighted by Lewis hamming it up with three infants. Lewis plays a small town schlub whose former flame (a solid Marilyn Maxwell) becomes a big movie star. When finding herself in "trouble," she resorts to Lewis as a baby surrogate so that the triplets don't end her blossoming career and reputation. Put Lewis together with the babies and you've got comic mayhem.

Some of the wackier bits involve Jerry overacting a storm inside a broken television, a rock and roll contest of lunatic proportions, and (of course) a perpetually sleepy Lewis trying to attend to the multiple nocturnal needs of the infants. In addition to the unrequited love that Lewis displays for Maxwell, there's a secondary love story featuring her younger sister (an early Connie Stevens). Add in a few irresistible musical interludes, and the film has a little something for everyone. But make no mistake. As always, the primary draw is to see Lewis play the lovable clown. I don't know that in the slapstick shenanigans he breaks much new ground, but he's certainly committed to the lunacy. Suitable for family viewing, I know many people who think this is one of his best. KGHarris, 12/11.

Long before "Mr. Mom" or "Kramer vs. Kramer", Jerry Lewis made a great argument for fathers to have as much say in the raising and nurturing of their children as mothers. This delightful comedy (with just enough drama added in for good measure) is about a man who goes beyond expectation to care for three baby girls who are left at his doorstep.

Moreover, this is not merely a comedy, but a musical, with songs that deserve the right to be as well remembered as any from "The Wizard of Oz" or "The Sound of Music".

This, among other Jerry Lewis classics, should be issued on DVD, but until they are VHS still looks pretty good.

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It's tough to choose which Jerry Lewis movies is my favorite, but I have to start with this one. It's sweet, darlin' and romantic all rolled up into one. It's about Clayton Poole (Jerry Lewis) a bumbling TV repairman, who by surprise becomes an adopted father to triplet baby girls. Clayton's former girlfriend turned movie star, Carla Naples (Marilyn Maxwell) springs the surprise when she leaves them on his doorstep. Noble Clayton tries to keep everything a secret but all mayhem cuts loose. And Clayton's other love interest Sandy Naples (Connie Stevens) helps Clayton out of his dilemma and from the suspicions of their father Gigi (Salvatore Baccaloni). I'll leave the ending for you to see. If you love the wacky antics of Jerry Lewis and romantic comedy by all means go for it!

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This is one of my favorites. I had seen it many years ago as a kid, and it made quite an impression. For several years I kept track of it on the internet to see when it would be available on VHS, and now I am doing the same thing regarding DVD. Not only is Jerry Lewis hilarious as a "mother in training", but I enjoyed Connie Stevens as a "sweet girl next door" who knows what or rather who she wants.

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I have always loved Jerry Lewis! I loved him as a kid and now my children do too! This movie has always been my favorite of Jerry's and I have waited for it to be released forever it seems! I have been serching the net for quite a while... Finally! My second favorite of Jerry's is, Ladies Man. It was years before I figured out the name of that one! I never forgot Rock-A-Bye Baby, and you won't either!!! Jerry Lewis is the greatest comedian of all times! You gotta see this one again and again!

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The Secret in Their Eyes (2010)

Director Juan Jose Campanella has authored many outstanding films as "Luna de Avellaneda" (Moon of Avellaneda) (2004), "El Hijo de la Novia" (The Son of the Bride) (2001), "El Mismo Amor la Misma Lluvia" (Same Love, Same Rain) (1999) and finally the present "El Secreto de Tus Ojos" (The Secret in Their Eyes) (2009).

With these films he has won 36 awards and 18 nominations all around the world!

He is a solid narrator; his films have definitely an Argentinean flavor and at the same time express universal human emotions and recognizable values.

His opuses are first of all entertaining and deal with everyday issues: mother-son relations, the effort of some neighbors to save a small Social Club from being erased and love stories. Over this backdrop Campanella skillfully play with his endearing characters.

"The Secret in Their Eyes" is a crime story, the efforts to discover and capture the criminal and finally, when official justice fails, revenge and retribution. At the same time there is a love story, some very funny comedic scenes and some very brutal ones.

The story follows: in a small downtown apartment a young woman is raped and murdered. Benjamin Esposito is the Court investigator assigned to the case and unusual gory crime scene steels him into a fervent desire to discover and punish the criminal.

With the help of his boss, Court Secretary Irene Menendez Hastings, and dipsomaniac clerk Pablo Sandoval he solves the case against the opposition of Judge Lacalle.

Those were turbulent years in Argentina under military dictatorship and a strange combination of issues sends Benjamin into forced internal exile and the wrongdoer enters the police forces.

Many years after these events, the lives of the main characters cross again giving way to dramatic unexpected ending.

Ricardo Darin Campanella's fetish actor (he is the main male character in all the above mentioned films) fleshes Benjamin superbly showing a vast repertory of emotions. This is not a coincidence. Darin is IMHO one of the best Argentinean actors, able to perform dramatic or comedic characters with outstanding conviction.

Beautiful Soledad Villamil as Irene delivers a performance full of subtleties and strength. Guillermo Francella as dipsomaniac sidekick of Darin is unforgettable.

Cinematography is in charge of Brazilian Felix Monti who has won many awards with this film and with many others, totalizing 18 wins and 4 nominations, all well deserved.

Finally "The Secret in Their Eyes" has won the Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Oscar!

This is a great provoking film for adult audiences. Do not miss it you'll be delighted!

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

"The Secret in their Eyes" ("El secreto de sus ojos") was the Best Picture winner for Foreign Language Film at the Oscars this year. It was a big upset due to most people favoring "The White Ribbon" or "A Prophet" and left people asking, what is this film? It is a crime thriller interlaced with romance based on the novel by Eduardo Sacheri and was adapted for the screen by him and by director Juan José Campanella. The retired Argentinian federal justice agent Benjamín Espósito played by Ricardo Darín decides to write a novel about a case that perplexes him twenty-five years later and through revisiting those memories, more pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.

The case was the brutal rape and murder of Liliana Coloto (Carla Quevedo) leaving behind a grieved husband, Ricardo Morales (Pablo Rago) who unable to cope sits at the train station each day for a year hoping to spot the suspect. Espósito with the help of his assistant, Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella) and department chief Irene Menéndez-Hastings (Soledad Villamil) investigates and rules out the first accused and spends most of the story trying to track down the elusive suspected killer played by Javier Godino. Benjamín's assistant, Sandoval is a passionate drunk who has moments of occasional brilliance in solving the case but ultimately cannot pull himself out of his stupor long enough to go home to his wife and sober up making him a bit of a screw-up and most of the film's comic relief. When a suspect is found, Irene and Benjamín spend one of the most suspenseful elevator rides EVER on film with him.

At the same time, Benjamín has a problem of being in love with his boss, Irene. Irene is engaged to someone else and due to mentioned limitations of class and upbringing, he shuts down and fails to come up with compliments he wants to shower her with and cannot tell her what she means to him although their eyes both tell a bigger story of longing. In the present, Irene is the one Benjamín keeps bringing his novel back to for approval and they both look back on the story with dissatisfaction at the conclusion of the case and work towards trying to bring it to ultimate justice.

This is one of those movies where the title REALLY fits the film since you start watching the messages being sent with each character's eyes throughout. Sometimes they will say one thing but their eyes communicate something else. The whole reason they came up with their main suspect was through the direction of their eyes in some photos. Ricardo Darín as Benjamín Espósito was particularly reserved in his words and facial expressions throughout the film when talking to the love of his life and their scenes together were full of enough sexual tension to cut with a knife.

The set-up of going back and forth using the past to come to terms with the present is a concept used very often and the layout of this story leads the viewer down a few different paths before bringing in a surprise that is unexpected at the end. What is fantastic about this film is the combination of elements of drama, thriller, comedy, and a great understated romance between two people who work together and fear "living a whole life full of nothing" as they gaze at each other but do not act on their impulses. There is a bit of a cliche leaving someone on a train platform scene but it does not take away from the story.

Many people are hesitant to go out to foreign language films because they find it annoying to read the subtitles but regardless, I recommend seeing this one. It is an entertaining, engaging story throughout with something for everyone in terms of emotional range and plot. Or maybe you can wait for a dub version....or an American remake....which will probably happen since it won.

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I agree with all the previous reviewers that this is a superb film, even though my vote for best film of the year would had been for "White Ribbon".

All the same the film is excellent; the actors are a joy to see; direction and photography are top rate. Again, I agree with all the comments about the actors in this film, but one actor that I particularly liked was Pablo Rago as the husband of the murdered woman. He was excellent, especially in the last chilling sequence. Also, I didn't spot a mention on that incredible single-shot sequence in the stadium. A combination of Orson Welles with Alfred Hitchcock as the camera moves from an aerial view of the stadium to the single spectator not following the football game.

The most intriguing aspect of the film comes at that final sequence where all the moral dilemmas of crime, punishment, revenge, right, wrong, etc etc come to a head without any easy or moralistic talk from the filmmakers.

Highly recommended.

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When I saw this film on a recommendation of a friend I did not remember that this film was the academy award winner for the foreign language category. It was a pleasant surprise. The film is part murder mystery part romance. The two lead actors are phenominal here as good acting is when the actor disappears and one believes they are the embodyment of the characters they are playing. This is one of those films. The film grabs one at the begining. It is said detectives can be desensitized to the vilence of it all however this detective is surprised and shocked at the brutality at the crime scene and he becomes obsessed. Then he meets the husband. The husband is beyond distraught over the sudden brutal death of his beautifull bride. Believe me when I tell you one becomes as obsessed as the detective in finding the person responsible for this senseless crime. This film does a good job of drawing one in to the story and the acting is first rate. If you are a fan of good acting, good writing and low tech you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend this film.

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This film is a cinematic masterpiece in every sense, story, dialogue, characterization, casting, performances, cinematography...a pure delight of a genius filmmaker.

There is one shot that's totally amazing whereas the camera sees a long aerial view of a soccer stadium at night, then travels over the playing field with a game in progress, then continues outside into the massive crowd into a medium shot without a single cut! That's followed by a foot chase scene in the stadium whereas the prey is going one way, camera relentlessly moving in a different direction catching up with the pursued from a different angle, ending on the playing field. Both shots are unconventional and amazing, an education!

I sing this film's praises! Not to be missed.

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Clear and Present Danger (1994)

(I wrote this for the original, out of stock version)

Clear and Present Danger (1994 film)

The third film in the Jack Ryan series (and the last one to star Harrison Ford) deals with America's war on drugs and also the abuse of power in high places. As in Clancy's original novel, the plot hinges on one crucial question: how far can a President go to achieve a laudable goal, even if the means cross moral, legal and international boundaries?

As in the novel of the same name, the interception of an American-flagged yacht in the Caribbean results in the arrest of two Colombian "sicarios" (hit men) who have murdered the American owner (along with his entire family). The resulting FBI-CIA investigation reveals that Peter Hardin, the late yacht owner and personal friend of the U.S. President (Donald Moffat), had extensive ties to the Cali drug cartel. Hardin, as Jack Ryan (Ford) explains, had been skimming millions from his "partners," thus sealing his fate.

Although Ryan is aware that the President is understandably upset that his late friend was a money launderer for the drug lords, he is not aware that the National Security Advisor, Admiral James Cutter (Harris Yulin) and his CIA colleague Bob Ritter (Henry Czerny) have been given off-the-record orders to do "something about the drugs pouring into the country." When the President declares to Cutter that the drug cartels pose a "clear and present danger" to the United States, the somewhat slimy admiral and Ritter unleash several covert operations within the sovereign nation of Colombia.

While Ryan does get orders to go to Bogotá and find out about Hardin's financial dealings with the Cali Cartel, he is totally unaware that Cutter and Ritter have launched Operation Reciprocity, a clandestine invasion of Colombia by Spanish-speaking special-ops troops. These forces, supervised by ex-CIA field officer John Clark (Willem Dafoe), wreak havoc as they blow up drug labs and smuggling aircraft. Nevertheless, Cutter and Ritter keep Ryan in the dark, and the upright analyst and now acting Deputy Director (Intelligence) unknowingly tells a Senate subcommittee that there are no troop deployments planned for Colombia.

Further complicating Ryan's life is the sudden discovery that his boss and mentor, Admiral James Greer (James Earl Jones), is dying of cancer. Little does he know that his ascent to Greer's job will propel Ryan into the middle of a life and death situation in Colombia...and a constitutional crisis at home.

What makes the Jack Ryan books and movies work is not just the slam-bam action sequences or the glimpses at the mysterious workings of the CIA, but the very notion that a CIA employee can be portrayed as an honorable and decent fellow. Tom Clancy clearly desired to show that the agents and analysts who work for the CIA are not the "dark forces" depicted in films such as "Three Days of the Condor" or "Firefox." Nor are they martini-swilling, trigger happy, bed-hopping super-spies like James Bond. Ford (like Alec Baldwin before him, and like Ben Affleck after) shows Ryan has intelligence, courage, and, above all, integrity.

As in Patriot Games, Ford also shares a few short yet important scenes with his wife and two children. Ann Archer and Thora Birch returned to play Ryan's wife Cathy and daughter Sally, giving Ryan that most un-Bond-like sense of family and a tie to the audience.

Although the screenplay by Donald Stewart, Steven Zaillan, and John (Red Dawn) Millius strip the huge and complex Clancy novel to its bare essentials and changes many scenes and situations, Ford's acting and Philip Noyce's able directing makes Clear and Present Danger a top-notch action thriller. Even though as in Patriot Games the ending is rendered in a good-guy vs. bad-guy shootout (whereas in the novel the ending for the villains was more subtle and thereby more chilling), this movie is still worth watching.

The DVD I own is Paramount's first barebones release. Of course, even that is an improvement over the pan-and-scan "full screen" VHS tape I had previously owned. The movie has been restored to its original Widescreen presentation, given Dolby digital audio in both English and French, Spanish subtitles, English captions, interactive menus, and the theatrical trailer. The newer version has commentary tracks, making-of featurettes, and other extras.

Not only is this a very well-directed and action-packed movie, it also has one of the best surround sound-encoded tracks available on DVD releases. If you have a dolby digital 5.1 surround system, this movie will really overwhelm you. The explosions will shake the ground....a true theater experience without going to the theater.

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This is one of two films based on Clancy's novels which really work, the other being The Hunt for Red October. It is certainly far superior to Patriot Games in terms of plausibility and cohesion of narrative, quality of acting, exploration of central issues, and ultimate resolution of various conflicts. I do think the escape by helicopter from one drug lord's compound was overdone but the film concludes appropriately with Ryan's final conversation with President Bennett (Donald Moffatt) and then his arrival at the subcommittee hearing chaired by Senator Mayo (Hope Lange). I still would have preferred that Alec Baldwin continue as Jack Ryan but concede that Harrison Ford is far more credible in this film than he was in Patriot Games, perhaps because he and his colleagues were working with a much better screenplay, one on which John Milius collaborated with Donald E. Stewart and Steve Zaillian. (It should be noted that Stewart and Zaillian also collaborated on the screenplay and must share at least some of the blame for Patriot Games' inadequacies. Both films were also directed by Phillip Noyce, another accomplice.) Having the President of the United States actively involved in Danger's narrative gives it a unique substance, to be sure, but also affords valuable opportunities to explore moral corruption and political expediency at the highest levels of government.

There are several outstanding performances, including Moffatt's in a difficult role as is Henry Czerny's as Robert Ritter, deputy director of the C.I.A. and Ryan's principal adversary; also Willem Dafoe as Clark and Harris Yulin as Cutter. Anne Archer reprises her do-nothing-but-beam role as Cathy Ryan, adoring wife; James Earl Jones also reprises his role as Admiral James Greer whose health problems deny Ryan his mentor and friend's assistance when needed most. This is a "techno-thriller" in several respects but its special effects are almost never gratuitous. An important sub plot involves Moira Wolfson (Ann Magnuson) who is the F.B.I. director's administrative assistant and a key source of classified information which she provides to Felix Cortes (brilliantly played by Joaquim DeAlmeida) whom she believes to be a reputable businessman, not knowing that he is a key operative for one of the Colombian drug lords. Wolfson loves Cortes to death, literally.

Lots of well-staged action, including an ambush of the F.B.I. director and his entourage, another ambush of American troops in the jungle (a callous and bloody betrayal by their government), a missile attack on the drug lords and their families, and the final helicopter escape by Ryan and Clark. As in The Hunt for Red October, the story line sustains the film's momentum, aided by generally solid performances. I do not consider this film an indictment of any specific administration or foreign policy. Clancy is primarily a storyteller, not a polemicist. The United States will continue to have clear and present dangers no matter who is in the White House. When this film was first released (in 1994), one reviewer suggested that it was inspired in part by some of former C.I.A. director William Casey's elaborate schemes for secret operations against the drug lords. (I have no idea whether or not that is true.) In any event, I find this a thoroughly entertaining, well-made film and look forward to seeing it again.

Read Best Reviews of Clear and Present Danger (1994) Here

This movie is based on a Tom Clancy novel and it is simply awesome. The plot and subplots are well thought through and the execution as a motion picture is extremely well done. The story is about drug lords in Colombia who are connected to the folks behind secret doors in Washington. By direct order of the President, CIA agent Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) has to solve the murders of a wealthy businessman and his family. The hunt takes Ryan back and forth between Washington and South America. More killings happen and the action becomes intense. Finally, there's a dangerous field operative (Willem Dafoe) who conducts covert operations for the U.S. government. The movie contains excellent cinematography, drama and action. We've watched it many times and it's always a delight as it is one of these rare breathtaking quality thrillers one will want to watch over and over again.

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I do have the Standard Def version but this will not be a comparison between the two; just a review of the transfer to Blu Ray without a summary of the plot or opinions on the acting, book, or whatever.

I gave this movie 5 stars because the transfer was so well done. The video displays a true life coloration with great detailing in the shadows as well as the lighter areas. There was a warm color grading but it was not overly rich as one often sees, especially when the action takes place in hot climates. Compression Mbps rates appeared to be mostly in the low 30's which contributes to a clearly improved video image. At no time did I see any artifacting or ghosting and the film played without a hiccup. For a film made in 1994, you will see a fine filmic grain but it only slightly softens the image without taking away from it. The storyline certainly holds up and the film retains its legs.

The audio is Dolby Digital True HD lossless audio and the sonic editors also did a fine job with realistic panning across both the front and rear sound stages and between the two stages. There was a goodly amount of discreet steering of foley effects to the various channels when appropriate and your LFE channel will get a workout in many places. For me, lossless audio makes a huge and audible difference as opposed to lossy audio.

Not found on the Standard Def DVD was a 30 minute doc with interviews with much of the excellent cast and director that I found quite interesting. They also talked and showed off the animated storyboard that was very uncommon back then.

To be honest, I did not expect either the audio or video to be as good as it was and strongly recommend the film and its upgrade to blu ray.

Hopefully, this review has been of some help to you in determining your purchase, and that I am on the correct path with a review of the transfer quality as opposed to providing plot summaries.

Thanks

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