El Topo (1970)

I recently saw El Topo at the IFC Theater in NYC, and the restoration was beautiful. This film has only been available in North America in bootleg form, and these bootlegs ran from from passable to abominable. My personal copy was a VHS dub of a Japanese laserdisc, which had the film optically censored (you can't show pubic hair in Japan, but just about everything else), Japanese subtitles, and it was dubbed in English (it is supposed to be in Spanish). Now we will get it as the great Alejandro meant it to be seen. This film is really astounding at times, considering Jodorowsky was mainly known as a theater director, and he had only directed one previous feature (the little seen and frequently banned Fando y Lis). His films have a truly hallucinatory quality that is magnificent to behold. This was reportedly John and Yoko's favorite movie. They recommended that Allen Klein pick up the rights to it, and he did. Allen and Alejandro have been feuding for the last 30 years over this film and who owns the rights, but luckily, they've made peace (let's hope it stays that way). El Topo, along with The Holy Mountain, are Jodorowsky's best films. Many thanks to ABKCO films for finally releasing this masterpiece.

Just to let you know, the above is a review of El Topo. This review is also appearing for some reason under the box set of The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky. The box set is magnificent, by the way...

Notorious as "the" cult movie between "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "El Topo" certainly deserves a new, commercial DVD edition no less than the aforementioned cult hits and the contemporaneous "Pink Flamingoes." The film is primarily Jodorowsky's private allegory, often inscrutable but nonetheless thought-provoking and conducive to productive discussion--perhaps more than any independent film prior to "Eraserhead."

There's something for everyone in this film. The alternative, cultist crowd will enjoy the striking, often daring, imagery--the nude child who accompanies the mole, the wife impaled on a lofty stake towering over a pool of blood, the lust in the dust scenes, the mutilated bodies, the homoerotic images, etc. The philosophic and theologic-minded will have a field day with the film, drawing as it does on all three of the world's major religions with a good deal of "magic realism" thrown in. (El Topo's mortification and transformation into a clown recalls both St. Paul's "you must become a fool for Christ" and the privileged and sacred role of the clown in Eastern religions; his self-immolation summons up television imagery of Buddhist monks in Viet Nam during the time of the film's production.) The archetypologists will no doubt interpret the film as a variation on the Campbell monomyth, beginning with the hero's departure and--following numerous tests, descent into the belly of the whale, and resurrection--concluding with his return home.

But for a true film buff, "El Topo" deserves to stay around because of its clear indebtedness to a film tradition of cutting-edge, innovative movies--Bunuel's surrealist "Un Chien Andalou," "Simon of the Desert," and "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie"; Godard's ellipsist editing in "Breathless" and "Contempt"; Peckinpah's over-the-top, cleansing violence in "Straw Dogs" and "The Wild Bunch."

My major problem with the film concerns the ubiquitous, practically non-stop gun play. At some moments the story makes it clear that "El Topo" cannot be a master of selfish fear until he renounces the gun, but more often than not the gun serves the cause of both justice and the assertion of personal will. When even as a clown he returns to the gun, I find it difficult to muster any sympathy for him. Perhaps the final image of his self-demise (a return to the earth echoing and building on the opening image of interment) is meant to be the story's major apocalypse, but I doubt that most of the 1970's' "midnight movie" crowd ever saw it that way.

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El Topo is the classic Mexican film hailed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono enough that it was shown at midnight in many cinemas for years. It is often credited as starting the midnight movie countercultural that helped bring attention to, and build cult film audiences for movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and David Lynch's Eraserhead. In that respect it is far from a mainstream film but it got enough attention that it is celebrated even today. I feel that this is with good reason, as El Topo is one of best films ever made. Alejandro Jodorowsky directs and stars as the title character.

El Topo begins with its eponymous character in the desert with his son. He tells the boy to bury a picture of his mother and his toy in the sand as now it is time for him to become a man. The boy is vulnerable but El Topo leads him by example while protecting him in their various interactions with others. The film understands the western genre and the machismo that often accompanies it. El Topo is one bad cowboy who can guarantee protection for anyone he cares about. So it really sucks when he soon leaves his son behind with a bunch of monks after emasculating some evil banditos. He leaves with a girl he saved and he names her Mara. Mara loves El Topo for being the alpha male that he is, so she convinces him to kill the four best gunslingers so he can be baddest cowboy of them all. He manages to defeat them in various significant ways. These scenes are rich in biblical and other religious references and operate allegorically to show that being a bad cowboy isn't really all it's cracked up to be. Nevertheless, for better or worse, El Topo kills all four of them and begins to learn four specific lessons along the way. He begins to feel guilty and while he is caught off guard during the beginning stages of his enlightenment, he is defeated by the unknown woman who followed El Topo and Mara during their journey. Viewing El Topo as vulnerable, Mara betrays him and leaves with this unknown woman gunslinger. El Topo's battered and shot up body is taken away to a cave by a multitude of unseemly characters.

Macrocosmically, the journey for El Topo overall suggests that his travels represent the rise and trials of Judeo-Christian theologies, with the son representing new Judeo-Christianity and El Topo representing the old philosphies. The second half of the film seems to comment on more contemporary dealings and even anticipates what will happen in the future. How will El Topo's son grow? How will he react to the father who abandoned him but who has himself grown? How will the dominant faith evolve? How will it maintain its truth and purity with humanity at the wheel?

In the literal sense, the second half of El Topo forwards to a few years later after he is brought to a cave by this band of deformed pariahs. When he wakes up we soon realize that El Topo is a different man. He shaves off his beard and head and dresses as a monk. He makes a plan to free these people from their cave so they can join the community outside. He plans to fund the building of a tunnel to free these people. He does this by going to the town with his dwarven girlfriend to entertain them with comedy and dancing, among other small jobs. The town itself is by no means a utopia as it is wrought with slavery and violence. A new priest at the church in town is revealed to be El Topo's own son who he abandoned years earlier. El Topo's son plans to kill him but he decides not to do so until the tunnel is complete. The tunnel gets finished and El Topo's son decides not to kill him. Meanwhile, the deformed people are free and as they head to the town the villagers there begin to shoot and kill all of them, to El Topo's dismay. El Topo unleashes his vengeance on the villagers, killing them all and in the process freeing their slaves. El Topo then lights himself on fire, which was a timely parallel to the Buddhist monks who did the same in protest of the Vietnam War. During his death, El Topo's new son is born to his dwarven girlfriend. If the Buddhist references are consistent then this would suggest that El Topo is reincarnated as his own son and religious truth will continue to surface again.

I think it is important to note that the content in El Topo could be perceived as both perplexing and offensive to many movie-goers. Alejandro Jodorowsky kills real animals, uses real deformed and dwarfed people, and liberally applies nudity and violence throughout. It doesn't offend me at all but I knew my wife wouldn't like it and I understand why, so I mention it here just in case.

El Topo is a complex story with many odd details as well as many religious references and metaphors that comment on a larger scale as I noted earlier. I've seen it many times and in my first few viewings I didn't understand it and thought it was entertaining but pretentious. It is not pretentious. Microcosmically, El Topo is a film about a human being finding himself, and finding out all alone what it means to be alive. It is about independently becoming a good man as a good man is defined in the eyes of Alejandro Jodorowsky. It is obviously a deeply personal film for its director and it may not touch on elements personal to everyone in its audience, but it definitely did for me. Jodorowsky invokes religious references as a vehicle to express his own torments and challenges and how the enlightment experience for El Topo is merely mirroring his own experiences. It's commentary addresses oceans of issues in many layers. Conjuring up the imagination to produce this web of ideas so alive is indeed an ambitious undertaking. I find El Topo to be profoundly inspiring in a way that few films are. Its significance alone should at least justify one viewing for you and I hope you get the same satisfaction that I did. Perhaps you will like it enough to enjoy El Topo again and again.

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NOTE: For the purpose of this review, I will be addressing the new Blu-Ray editions of "El Topo" and its sequel "The Holy Mountain" together. I viewed them back to back and feel that it is easy to see the two films as one experience.

Blu-Ray specs: If all you care about is how the new discs stack up, let's get that out of the way. Both films have received new HD transfers and look better and crisper than any other version that I've seen. That day-glo blood is potently orange! El Topo is in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio (won't be in widescreen), while The Holy Mountain is anamorphic. Most notable special features on El Topo are Jodorowsky commentary and an additional interview. Most notable special features on The Holy Mountain are a commentary track, deleted scenes, and insight into the film restoration. Both have traditional extras like the trailer, photo gallery, and script excerpts.

Madman or genius? Pretentious hokum or revolutionary cinema? Alejandro Jodorowsky is a film maker whose vision brooks very little middle ground. It seems to be a love it or hate it proposition. In truth, I'm a fan--but his work is definitely not for everyone. I may get into trouble with the most ardent of Jodorowsky enthusiasts when I say that I get more visceral satisfaction from the madcap imagery in his films than to any purported deep meaning. As two of his trademark films hit Blu-Ray, I was pleased to get an opportunity to check out his landmark films "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain" again after about ten years. Experimental, controversial, provocative, disturbing--these demented films helped define the cult movie scene in the early seventies. "El Topo," in fact, played as a midnight movie in New York City for seven straight months. Today, they are still bizarrely fascinating but, once again, their divisive nature is likely to garner as many (if not more) detractors than admirers.

Of the two films, El Topo is closer to my heart. Starting out as a deranged western, the film morphs into a bloody existential quest, and ends as a struggle for redemption. The early scenes of this film always trap me into a full viewing! The central hero, played by Jodorowsky himself, is a gunfighter who becomes corrupted. Searching for meaning within his new existence, he tracks down four opponents with advanced battle skills and enlightened viewpoints. But these battles don't offer the solutions he had hoped for. Another chance at salvation comes about with a clan of misfits, but do they really require saving? Absurd, funny, and always intriguing--this is an incredible journey to nowhere and I love it!

The Holy Mountain has much loftier goals--but, to my mind, bigger isn't always better. A direct sequel, although relatively unrelated except for the central character, it picks up in the aftermath of the first film. Our hero now embraces a Christ-like countenance and the first third of the film presents some of the grimmest religion related spectacles you're likely to encounter on film. (In fact, the was a huge uproar at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival). Achieving a heightened state of being, he assembles a collection of powerful individuals--each representing a different planet. Stripping them down, the gang embarks on a lengthy existential quest to take a place among the gods. Strong religious allegory, mystical symbolism, and ideological iconography are brought together and are inherent parts of this film--but philosophical points tend to be hammered home. Sometimes "The Holy Mountain" loses me, it can be very heavy handed and message oriented. But still, an intriguing example of avant garde film making.

Again, the most arresting aspects of both films for me are most assuredly the visual qualities. If you like the gruesome and provocative imagery of Bunuel or Pasolini, you'll definitely want to check the films out. For entertainment, my easy choice is "El Topo." (4 stars) If you're searching for something fraught with meaning, try "The Holy Mountain." (3 1/2 stars) Or catch them together as I did. KGHarris, 4/11.

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"El Topo," long enmeshed in litigation, finally makes its bow on Blu-ray. Originally released in 1971, the strange Western "El Topo" perplexed moviegoers and still will cause some head scratching, though the movie has become a huge cult classic over the past 40 years. The film pays homage to the spaghetti Westerns of the late 60's/early 70's while incorporating a great deal of curious religious symbolism and grotesque imagery. It is definitely not a movie for everyone.

Alejandro Jodorowsky directed, wrote the screenplay, composed the music, and stars as the title character, a mysterious gunfighter in black who roams the Mexican desert. El Topo is accompanied for much of the film by his son, who learns several brutal lessons about growing up. Among other things, the boy witnesses firsthand how his father deals with a corrupt Mexican army colonel (David Silva), who's been terrorizing local villages.

"El Topo" is unrated and contains scenes of extreme violence, violence against women, blood and gore, male and female nudity, strong language, and simulated sex. The movie ran a full year in New York at midnight showings. Bonus Blu-ray features include commentary and on-camera interview with director Jodorowsky, and a photo gallery with original script excerpts.

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Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989)

It's the 1950s. Under President Eisenhower's administration, everyone has a house in the suburbs, a decent job, a gas-guzzling car, and a basic "Leave It to Beaver" lifestyle.

Not so, said Hubert Selby, in his novel, LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN. For a good deal of the working class, times were still tough. Preyed upon by crime, toyed with by factory owners and unions, and, ultimately, shackled by their own ignorance, the working class had their promise of a white picket fence and primrose garden vacated. In Brooklyn, particularly, things were acutely tough. Manufacturing jobs were on a rapid decline, as companies moved out of town or out of state (which was why those companies remaining in Brooklyn were able to mess with their employees: take it or leave it, was their attitude). At the same time, an influx of immigrants seeking jobs made the hunt for work even more competitive--another bonus for the remaining factory owners. Slums rapidly worsened, so much so that Dodger owner Walter Alston decided his team's future was in jeopardy. L.A. looked like a much safer place for a stadium.

But neither Selby nor director Uli Edel portrayed this working class as merely innocent victims. Neither the book nor the film is a didactic rant about class warfare. The poor had their own vices of greed, brutality, and dissipation. Just about every other scene has someone going through someone else's wallets, union funds or pockets. If they aren't doing that, they're drinking, fighting, or whoring. It's a pretty dismal world. The natural response to this film might be: "Wait a minute. Not everyone working class Johnny-Punchclock guy was a criminal. Most people worked hard and honestly." Of course, this is true but it's not the film's concern. This is a study of those who were trapped in that world, and this study is compelling and horrifying.

Uli Edel has perfectly captured this bleak world, either bathing everything in a garish light or obscuring it in heavy shadows. The performances are brilliant. There's no understating Jennifer Jason Leigh's gritty and powerful performance. Also keep an eye out for a cameo by Hubert Selby as the driver who hits Georgette. Not for the weak-stomached and definitely not for kids, LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN is as cinematographically close to the innermost circle of urban hell as you can get.

This is a frank filming of the Hubert Selby novel about the brutality of street life in Brooklyn 1952. If you like "happy" films, this isn't for you. But if you appreciate a good dose of realism, the film is remarkable.

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Here is a visually stunning adaptation of Herbert Selby's unvarnished novel about street-wise losers in 1952 Brooklyn. This film includes graphic violence and sexual situations not for the "Romantic Comedy" crowd. Jennifer Jason Leigh as the hyper-sexual prostitute Tra-La-La steals almost every scene she's in.

Although the screenwriters had to re-do the ending as the true nature of the book's finale would have drawn an "X" rating, this is a must-see for those of us who can appreciate the realities of the street for those living the most marginal of an existance.

One other treat is an obese Ricky Lake as a dim-witted knocked-up teen whose family forces a wedding to the poor sap who sired her child as a way tho save their reputation (as if they ever had a good one to begin with).

The beating and "cruxafiction" of Stephen Lang as the latant homosexual is also an unforgetable cinematic moment.

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Over the summer I purchased and read Hubert Selby Jr.'s "Last Exit to Brooklyn". It was the first book I had read for pleasure since high school. I also only bought it because the film Requiem for a Dream was astonishing, and because it wasnt at that particular bookstore. Anywho, I read LETB in about a week, which is super fast for me, and was intrigued enough to go out and watch the film.

I had never heard of Uli Edel but was curious to see how well the book was illustrated through film. From the opening shot of the three military men walking through the dark streets to the Greeks to the factory to the strike office, things seemed to have been pulled straight from the book. If you have read the book you know how it can be sometimes quite difficult to read Selby's writing style, considering there are pages upon pages of text in all caps and run-on sentences up the wazoo, so a visual illustration really did a good job of bringing some confusing parts of the book to life.

Jennifer Jason Leigh gave a good performance as the infamous Tralala, Jerry Orbach was always refreshing to watch, but I think I liked the portrayal of Harry Black the best (I think it was Stephen Lang). As in the book, his "chapter", along with Tralala's, were the longest, and the two characters were also the most intertwined in the other stories, so they also got a majority of the screen time in the film. Oh, and Burt Young was well cast, too. He seems to thrive on the grumpy-caring-jerk-semi womanizer type character quite well.

I know others who have read the book or seen the movie have been put off by its unflattering portrait of the Brooklyn working class 60 years ago. Im only 22, and not the biggest history buff, so because of my little knowledge of the time I really cant form an opinion of how well it interprets the people and the places, or if much of it was dramatized, or if the stories told just represented a handful of the population in Brooklyn. But regradless, I enjoyed the less than perfect lifestyle and the struggles and sacrifices our characters endured to achieve their goals. I live near an upper middle class area, so lots of people take things for granted, and I think thats why Im drawn to these types of books and films.

But anyway, I liked this film; and I liked the book, too. Its not one of those films (or books) that you can watch or read everyday because the content strikes like a hammer and stays with you long after, kind of like Requiem, but I feel I am a better person for experiencing "Last Exit to Brooklyn".

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STEVEN LANG and JENNIFER JASON LEIGH dominate this virtually picture-perfect view of Brooklyn circa 1950. A sad and moving mix of Union Dispute [Teamster strike}, confused sexual identity [identeties], anger and misplaced love.

Lang is excellent [more than that] as the love-torn Strike Captain totally oblivious of 'the nature of things' Jaosn-Leigh more than award worthy for her "Tral" perhaps the whore with the platinum heart? Totally oblivious of long-term goals living from sailer to sailer ...

Art/Set direction and design, wardrobe, etc spot on.

Highly worth the visit if you can "Father Knows Best" it ain't!

Could be fun to pair Jason-Leigh and Lang as "George & Martha" and watch the conflagration ........

{DVD is great]

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Pasha

Jean Gabin is the hard to swallow Inspector Joss, an impenetrable and conscientious agent who is disposes by all his means to catch the intellectual author of the murder of Albert Gouvion, an profound friend of his childhood, accustomed to request favors, since the early years, and now with his death, Joss is disposed to take his own personal revenge.

So he begins to establish the frequented places, his friend used to visit and so he meets Natalie, an alluring girl, whom his friend loved profoundly. So with her consent, he will plot a very clever plan which allows him to set up the criminal, avoiding the well known legal entanglements, that would let to set him free.

The smart script and the powerful presence of this legendary actor justifies plainly you to have it.

Don't miss one of the most forgotten and important French thrillers in this second half of the sixties.

Jean Gabin in his perfect 'blasé' police chief role, surrounded by a great set of actors in a very fun story.

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Behind the apparently meaningless title of Georges Lautner's Le Pacha (it roughly translates as the guv'nor) is a very decent 1968 thriller that marks the beginning of the end of the old school policier. Jean Gabin's the old school cop nearing retirement they've already written the speeches and ordered his cake who's investigating an armoured car robbery and tracking down the gang member who has killed all his partners and everyone else on the inside on the job, including Gabin's childhood friend on the force. Less than enthused by the possibility of the killer getting off on a technicality or pleading insanity and on the assumption that the worst his superiors can do to him this late in his career is take away his cake, he decides to set him up for a more permanent sentence at the hands of a rival gang...

Running a lean 85 minutes, it's a well crafted number that hits all the expected notes quite satisfactorily without ever running the risk of being a classic, with Gabin a little bit more animated than usual for this late stage in his career at times perhaps a little too animated when he overdoes the bulging eyes. He's the kind of cop who's running out of people to share childhood memories with and almost bemused by modern fads, particularly when interviewing suspects in an outrageous hippie nightclub (the film's trailer includes a great unused take of a dancer mussing up his hair that makes the take used in the film of him steering a wide berth of the gyrating loon even funnier). Like its star, the film is also stuck in mid-winter, using its snowy Christmas locales much more effectively in its setpieces than some of the interiors (the police station in particular looks like a 60s TV studio).

At the times the transitional nature of the film from old to new French cinema is a bit clumsy, not least the terrible backprojection in a few of the car scenes with Gabin, but they're more niggles than real problems. Lautner's handling of the opening robbery is excellent, as is Andre Pousse's stone-cold elimination of the hired help, stopping only briefly after one murder to check his horse racing bets on the TV and throwing in a neat spin on the getting-rid-of-the-car scene from Psycho with Brigitte Bardot singing Harley Davidson on the car radio. There's also an effective score by Serge Gainsbourg, who also makes a brief appearance (one of his backing musicians is also a small time crook and informant): at times it's the kind of gradual monotonous escalation that would probably be infuriating on a record but compliments the film surprisingly well. Gaumont's region-free French Blu-ray offers excellent picture quality with optional English subtitles and a generous helping of extras documentary with many of the key players and extensive archive interviews with Gabin, interview with Gabin biographer André Brunelin, audio commentary by Lautner and Olivier Marchal and trailer though sadly none of these are subtitled in English.

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Hawaii Beaches 1 / Waves Relaxation Nature Videos

This DVD is beautiful. It is filmed in HD and widescreen. The widescreen feature is important if you have a newer flat panel television. The quality of this DVD is excellent. No human voice narration. Just relaxing sounds of the waves rolling on several different Hawaii beaches. The DVD arrived promptly after my order was placed. I highly recommend this DVD! I am hoping the people who make this DVD can format the same beaches video for iPod. They have samples at iTunes, but they have to be converted to iPod format which takes a long time for the 2 minute clips. I am waiting for hour long beach videos already formatted for syncing with my iPod. Nice job on the DVD! If you purchase this DVD you will happy.

My husband and I have lived in Hawai'i before, and found this DVD to be very true to life with respect to the colors displayed. It is very beautiful and peaceful to watch, and we have enjoyed it on several occasions in the month that we have had it. I would highly recommmend it to anyone that has either been to Hawai'i or would like to go there.

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I love my Hawaii Beaches DVD. I live in Buffalo NY, and winter can be hard. But with Beaches, winter just got a little bit warmer. I play this dvd *a lot*, just as background in my home. Instead of looking outside at the gray bleak, I can gaze at soothing waves, and glorious sunsets.

Hawaii Beaches is multi-purpose. Besides just making me happy because it's pretty, I use Beaches as an exercise DVD with my rowing machine and treadmill. Pop in the DVD, and I am rowing my kayak, or jogging on the beach at sunset. Awesome.

And it's an instant Beach Party! With the different soundtracks to choose from, I have a tiki lounge in my living room, and the margaritas are pouring. My friends love it--gorgeous images, shot beautifully, wide-screen, no camera jiggle. And no people in the shots! It's like you're on your own private beach. This DVD takes you away from the ordinary, and puts you in a place of bliss. Love it.

Highly recommended for relaxation and escape.

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I just got this one in the mail yesterday, and popped it into the player, and WOW! I own several of the other WavesDVD series videos, and they are all beautiful, scenic, and relaxing, but this new Blue-ray version just gives it a whole new light. You can see the grains of sand on the beach. It is like you could walk through the screen and into the ocean in Hawaii. I have a 65" Panasonic Onyx, and this DVD really brings Hawaii to life when I play it.

I give this 5 stars. Superb film making!

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WOW!!! I just finished watching HD NatureTV Hawaii Beaches 1 Widescreen by Waves on DVD. This DVD has so much clarity. I watched it after getting home from work in the small T.V. in my bedroom, non-HD monitor, but none the less what a fantastic picture, and great sound. This DVD contains scenes from several different beaches in Hawaii where the camera is set up in different positions at each setting. In some scenes the camera appears to be 40 to 50 yards from where the water hits the sand. Other set ups are 20 to 25 yards away from the water line and yet other shots are five yards or less from where the water breaks. There are shoots with beautiful palm trees blowing in the breeze and there is even some wildlife captured on the screen, and I am not talking about a bird flying by, the giant turtle is a must see. The entire DVD is quite calming, relaxing, and unarming. It put me at peace as the tension exited my body within a very short time of hitting the play button.

I have enjoyed some of the other Videos in this series, but what strikes me as different in this Hawaii Beaches 1 HD NatureTV are the vibrant colors, the sharpness of picture, the many different choices of music, but most of all the Sunsets. My word!!!!! The Sunsets that are captured on these very clean and serene beaches are incredible!!! The photographer catches the light of the direct Sun in some scenes that is magnificent. In other shots the photographer focuses on the light from the setting Sun as it reflects off of the waves that pulsate on the beach. The reflecting color just glisten and gleams on the top of the water and they are spectacular!!! These rich and picturesque colors dance like fire on top of the water as the Sun sets. I cannot think of anything else I have seen to match what was captured here. It is like being there yourself. I think you will find that expressive and unique color in some of the other beach shoots in this DVD, as you look at the clouds in the sky above the waves. This is a must have DVD for every home. It is a cannot miss DVD for any collection, to relax to.

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The Truman Show (1998)

I have never been a huge fan of Jim Carrey movies, so when The Truman Show came out, I quickly wrote it off as not one I was going to rush out to see. I shouldn't have. Fortunately, I got the chance to see it at a friend's house, and I can honestly say that it left me speechless and amazed at the brilliance of the film. First of all, Jim Carrey excells in this role. I find him to be a very funny man in real life, but his wacky roles in previous movies (Ace Ventura, Dumb & Dumber...you know them) don't appeal to me at all. BUT, in this role, he shows that he is way more than a go-to weirdo or funnyman. The emotion and the vulnerability he brings to the naive Truman Burbank only improves as the movie goes on. Watching this man crack as the only world he knows begins to slowly betray him and the intensity of his attempts to discover what else is beyond his hidden cage is moving in a way that few movies can convey successfully.

This movie is more than just about watching Truman Burbank find out the truth of his televised life, but it is a stunning portrayal of humanity. Truman's world was created by Christof (the always wonderful Ed Harris) to be what is considered "perfection." Christof is like God in the Seahaven world. He makes every choice for the world, including the weather and even Truman's fears...but Christof cannot change the one thing that noone can manipulate--Truman's thoughts. Truman is given the perfect wife, a brotherly bestfriend, a steady job, and a life in a world that exists without pain, sadness, or evil. But the world is a cage. The movie shows that stability is not perfection, ignorance is not bliss, and a life without ALL emotions--including sadness, fear, and pain--could never exist. Even without knowing that he is trapped, Truman feels the need to escape his "perfect" life and to see what else there is beyond the utopia that is Seahaven Island. It is a perfect display of our quest for the unknown, unsatisfaction with just mundane existence, and our interest in what normality really is.

When you watch this movie, you will become just like the viewers in the movie who are watching Truman. You will root for him, cry for him, and laugh with (or at) him. His is truly a reality show that I hope that never is created for real...but we ARE humans, so who knows how we'll try to play God next...

P.S. The score to the movie is absolutely gorgeous.

Before the absurd reality shows took the airwaves by storm, director Peter Weir and writer Andrew Niccol imagined the world of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey). Adopted and placed in a soundstage build to resemble a small American town Seahaven, Truman discovers that his life is nothing more than a TV show full of product placement. Truman discovers his friends, family and the world he lives in is nothing more than a construct. The first clue occurs when a flood light used to illuminate the massive soundstage where Truman lives falls into the middle of the street. When Truman wants to leave the small town he lives in and go to Fiji the TV show that is when his life begins to fall apart. Although Weir didn't write the film it deals with a subject common to his films; an individual who literally is an outsider in his own world. It's also about deception. Truman like most of Weir's protagonist discovers a web of deceit that corrupts his own world.

A brilliant film that finds Weir ("Witness", "The Year of Living Dangerously", "Picnic At Hanging Rock") in top form, it's amazing that this Oscar nominated film didn't pick up Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Writer and Best Director it was that good. Instead, the Academy rewarded "The Truman Show" like it does any film made by a Hollywood outsider-with a few awards recognizing the brilliance of the film and then settling into sublime mediocrity for the rest of the awards. There are clever visual references to Patrick MacGoohan's "The Prisoner" TV series woven into the visual motif of the film.

Featuring a stunning anamorphic transfer, "The Truman Show" looks nearly perfect. Paramount has done a terrific job with this new edition. Colors are vibrant and bright and the image quality is amazingly sharp and crystal clear. The 5.1 sound mix makes nice use of the format with imaging placed around the speakers.

We get a two part documentary that can either be played separately or as one. Weir, Carrey, Lara Linney and Noah Emmerich appear in interviews in the documentary. Curiously, the only person missing is writer Andrew Niccol. I'm not sure why Niccol doesn't appear in the film (perhaps he wasn't happy with some of the changes that Weir did but they work brilliantly). The fact that it closely resembles elements from Philip K. Dick's "Time Out of Joint" is also not addressed as well. The two part documentary runs about 40 minutes. The first part of the documentary focuses on the genesis of the film and some of the changes that occurred before the film was shot. The second part of the film focuses on pre-production through critical reception. This includes information on the wealthy beach community Seaside, Florida that DIDN'T want them to shoot there.

We also get four deleted/extended scenes that provide additional information and background on the story. While they aren't essential, they are pretty fascinating to watch. There's also original theatrical trailers, TV spots and previews for other Paramount releases.

A terrific film that was overlooked at Oscar time for far lesser films, "The Truman Show" catches Weir and his collaborators in top form. It's ironic that 10 years later the "reality show" world that was predicted came true (although not on this scale). The transfer looks terrific and the extras are certainly superior to the previous release on DVD. Definitely worth purchasing if you are a fan of Weir's work or just this movie!

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Nobody will ever accuse the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of having common sense or good taste. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why this film was beat out by "Shakespeare in Love", and why Jim Carey, who turned in the best performance of his career in "The Truman Show", wasn't even nominated for best actor.

The plot of this movie is simple enough-Jim Carey plays a young man whose entire life has been entertainment for the rest of the world. He dares to reach beyond the giant bubble which is his universe to see what's out there, only to be foiled.

Of particular note is the scene toward the end of the film where Truman reaches the end of the dome shaped studio and is told by Christoph (Ed Harris) about his world. This stands out as one of the most magical scenes in an extraordinary motion picture.

I realize that this movie isn't for everyone (my wife, for one, didn't particularly like it), but Carey's performance alone justifies the purchase of this video. He displays a vulnerability and childlike fascination that is unlike anything I've ever seen. A very good supporting cast includes the shamefully overlooked Ed Harris, as well as Laura Linney.

"The Truman Show" is one of the most brilliant and overlooked motion pictures ever made. The ersatz "Ed TV", which followed a similar plot, doesn't begin to approach the craftsmanship of "The Truman Show". Hopefully, the Academy will make up for their slight of Jim Carey with "Man on the Moon, which appears to be his second acting tour de force.

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When I first saw this movie in the theater, I soon came to the realization that many of the viewers could not comprehend that Jim Carrey was starring in a dramatic role. They assumed that his innocence and happiness was the common Jim Carrey-goofiness, and unfortunately they overlooked the most brilliant aspect of Carrey's acting. Truman Burbank was brought up in a perfect world, and for this reason, Carrey portrays him as happy, yet not quite satisfied with his life. Every time Carrey smiles to his neighbors, his friends, or his wife, you can see a true emptiness within his eyes that only talented actors can produce. The Truman Show also has a wonderful supporting cast with the performances of Ed Harris, Laura Linney, and Natascha Mcelhone. My personal favorite was Laura Linney, who portrayed the perky wife/obsessed actress whose job it was to live with a man whom she couldn't stand, not to mention act as an advertiser for the show's sponsors. While the performances in the movie were superb, the plot undoubtedly unveils the greatness of this film. Packed full of philosophical inquiry and the realization that no one can be sure of the assumed truth around them, this film leaves the audience thinking about their own worlds long after they have left the theater or shut off the VCR. This kind of reaction to a movie does not happen often, and when it does, it is clear that the film is a true original.

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Almost every time I mention The Truman Show as a favorite movie I endure stares of confusion followed by statements such as "how could you have LIKED this? It wasn't even FUNNY!"

Of course it wasn't funny! This is nearly the DARKEST, most paranoia-inducing concept I can imagine for a film. Truman's wife, his best friend, and the Almighty-like Christof are diabolical, cash-driven thieves of a good heart and gentle soul. They will stop at nothing to keep Truman in their sick version of "REAL".

Sure, Carrey does manage to pull a couple of wry laughs-which are truly profound statements of his growing disgust with his created world. We laugh, even as we're crying as Truman learns of the nature of his life for thirty years.

Jim Carrey is brilliant in this largely-overlooked film, and those of us who looked beyond his capabilities as Fire Marshal Bill certainly realize this. There is no one else who could have portrayed Truman Burbank so perfectly.

The musical score is also tremendous. It wrings every intended emotion out of the audience.

Was nothing real? Jim Carrey WAS real. This is a triumphant movie. I remain in stunned disbelief this film was overlooked for Oscar nomination. This movie continually fights with Shawshank for the Number One rank on my favorites list.

Red River Range (1938)

I just received this and the other three new BR discs from the John Wayne Three Mesquiteers era. The Amazon.com review of the story almost takes longer to read than the movie is long. I'm just kidding but its a 56 minute film as they all are and I surmise the reason they are on separate discs and so expensive is because the market is small. On all films the picture quality is sharp and stunning at times and the sound is robust. These are fun films and its a hoot to see young Duke riding a big white horse with his oversized white hat. Some of the horse chase scenes in all the films is really stirring as the camera is just ahead of the horses and to see them charging at full speed in HD is pretty cool. These are sort of silly/stupid scripts and sadly Duke Wayne isn't the main star...he is co starring so he's not on camera as much as I'd like but I am a fan and am glad I picked them up. This will be my review for all four films as they were all made within a couple year period all directed by the same man and all pretty enjoyable with their own quirkiness. I just wanted to let folks know that they are a quality presentation and the covers are retro cool with original graphics also displayed on the BR disc itself.

Republic Pictures presents "RED RIVER RANGE" (22 December 1938) (56 mins/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -The series was based on a series of western novels by William Colt MacDonald, which began with "Law of the .45's" in 1933 --The Three Mesquiteers is the umbrella title for a series of 51 western B-movies released between 1936 and 1943, including 8 films starring John Wayne --The name was a play on The Three Musketeers, and each film featured a trio of stars --The series blended the traditional Western period with more modern elements, which was not unknown with other B-Western films and serials --Towards the end of the series, during World War II, the trio of cowboys were opposing Nazis --The Three Mesquiteers series was extremely popular at the time of its release --The series was the only one of its kind to be specifically named and ranked in contemporary polls of the top western film stars --For example, from 1937 to the end of the series in 1943, The Motion Picture Herald consistently ranked the series in its top ten, reaching a peak of 5th place in 1938, when a pre-Stagecoach John Wayne was the series lead

Under the production staff of:

George Sherman Director

Betty Burbridge Screenwriter

William Colt MacDonald Screenwriter

Stanley Roberts Screenwriter

Luci Ward Screenwriter

Jack A. Marta Cinematographer

John Marta Cinematographer

William Lava Composer (Music Score)

Tony Martinelli Editor

William A. Berke Associate Producer

Our story line and plot, Our heroes Stony Brooke (John Wayne), Tucson Smith (Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune) members of the Three Mesquiteers which finds the boys working as government agents to stop some cattle rustling --the meatpacking industry has hired its own agent, Tex Reilly (Kirby Grant), to get a line on the rustling --That in itself was an interesting aspect of this oater, the inflation of meat prices as a result of cattle rustling --One never does think of the economic hurt, those rustlers cause --Kirby's cover is blown before he can infiltrate and folks in the Red River country already know the Mesquiteers are coming --So Wayne and Grant switch places and Wayne poses as an escaped killer --The focus of the investigation is a dude ranch where some mighty strange goings on are occurring --Can't reveal what the scheme is, but I assure viewers it's a lulu --Lorna Gray, aka Adrian Booth, is the heroine, while raucuous comedy relief is provided by old-timer Mrs Maxwell played by Polly Moran.

the cast includes:

John Wayne ... Stony Brooke

Ray Corrigan ... Tucson Smith

Max Terhune ... Lullaby Joslin

Polly Moran ... Mrs. Maxwell

Lorna Gray ... Jane Mason

Kirby Grant ... Tex Reilly

Sammy McKim ... Tommy Jones

William Royle ... Payne

Perry Ivins ... Hartley

Stanley Blystone ... Randall

Lenore Bushman ... Evelyn Maxwell

Burr Caruth ... Pop Mason

Roger Williams ... Sheriff Wood

Earl Askam ... Henchman Morton

Olin Francis ... Henchman Kenton

Ed Cassidy ... Marshal

Elmer ... Elmer, Lullaby's Dummy

Al Taylor ... Henchman Slick

Special footnote -The 32 year old John Wayne was fortunate enough to have talented writers around him to write novels that could be adapted into vehicles for his career, as well as short stories and screenplays that would immortalise him as the American hero --This film is one such example --When you watch this film you're not watching it for the story (like you would do in 'Rio Grande' or 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'), you're watching it to see John Wayne in action --He is the romantic embodiment of what it was like for the settling community to live in the post-civil war era --Despite the fact that most of these westerns distort history, what Wayne delivers gives you access to his humanity --That's what we like about him.

BIOS:

1. John Wayne (aka: Marion Robert Morrison)

Date of Birth: 26 May 1907 Winterset, Iowa

Date of Death: 11 June 1979 Los Angeles, California

2. Ray 'Crash' Corrigan (aka: Raymond Benard)

Date of Birth: 14 February 1902 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Date of Death: 10 August 1976 Brookings Harbor, Oregon

3. Max Terhune

Date of Birth: 12 February 1891 Anderson, Indiana

Date of Death: 5 June 1973 Los Angeles, California

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features --Ask Amazon.Com to carry the volumes as they are not available on Amazon as of yet --you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment

THREE MESQUITEERS WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES FROM VCI ENTERTAINMENT

VOL 1 -GHOST TOWN GOLD & COME ON COWBOYS (VCI #7215)

VOL 2 -HIT THE SADDLE & HEART OF THE ROCKIES (VCI #7218)

VOL 3 -THE THREE MESQUITEERS & ROARIN' LEAD (VCI #7254)

VOL 4 -PURPLE VIGILANTES & PRAIRIE PIONEERS (VCI #7277)

VOL 5 -OUTLAWS OF SONORA & WEST OF CIMARRON (VCI #7290)

VOL.6 -CALL THE MESQUITEERS & RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL (VCI #7310)

VOL.7 -GANGS OF SONORA & PIONEERS OF THE WEST (VCI #7321)

VOL.8 -CODE OF THE OUTLAW & OKLAHOMA RENEGADES (VCI #7330)

VOL.9 -GAUCHOS OF EL DORADO & OUTLAWS OF CHEROKEE TRAIL (VCI #7332)

VOL.10 HEROES OF THE SADDLE & THE KANSAS TERRORS (VCI #7337)

VOL.11 RIDERS OF THE RIO GRANDE & SHADOWS ON THE SAGE (VCI #7339)

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --please stand up and take a bow --all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 56 min on VHS/DVD ~ Republic Pictures ~ (4/15/1997)

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I have acquired only one of these Wayne films from Olive, and found it to be a high quality, great looking, complete release. However, I question where they got their print from. It was VERY disappointing to see a superimposed "revival" on the title card for a few seconds. It seems that with the film quality looking so good, that the superimposed word could have been removed with today's tech or replaced the credits from another print. I will not purchase any others until I can confirm that the other features do not have this problem.

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THIS IS ANOTHER GRADE B WESTERN, BUT IT IS VERY WELL DONE. THESE 3 ACTORS HAVE GREAT CHEMISTRY.,WORKING TOGETHER. THIS IS MY KIND OF MOVIE.

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was deliveried on or about of the arrvial of the movie very good quality movie of the time it was made

very good service

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Live Free Or Die Hard (Blu-ray / DVD Combo) (2013)

Like many other people nervously anticipating Len Wiseman's debut as DH4 director, I could only hope that he could live up to, at the least, Die Hard 2. But he has done a fantastic job with McClane, that lives up to the previous trilogy. In fact, I'd rank LFoDH just behind the first Die Hard movie. No one can top Alan Rickman! The small touches, e.g. Gennero/McClane, Agent Johnson, helicopter flying, are subtle, but add greatly to the movie.

There were a few things missing from the theatrical release, of course. Most noticeably, the lack of swearing, McClane's trademark yippee-kai-yay being truncated. The violence was all there, but it just wasn't intense enough. Fear not fans! The unrated version fixes all of that! It's fantastic, McClane is back in all of his mf-in' glory!

**Spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk.**

--------------------------------------------

I was hoping for some more dialogue from Timothy Olyphant in the unrated version, but unfortunately, he is still a bit one-dimensional. Run-times of the unrated vs. the theatrical are about the same, surprising considering that the unrated does add extra scenes.

What the unrated version includes:

Many more f-words and MF-ers.

Extra dialogue between McClane and his captain, Clevino.

Longer opening intro scene to Matt Long typing to the warlock,

listening to rock music.

Extra banter when McClane and Matt first meet.

More intro shots at the FBI command center.

Shot of the National Transportation Center losing control of their

traffic grid.

More shots of false anthrax alarm evacuation.

Thomas Gabriel's hodgepodge of video of Nixon/Bush/Clinton speaking is

longer.

Blood spurts!!! More gore, though not significantly more.

More McClane-isms. When John is driving the police car in the tunnel

towards the helicopter, Rand shoots the engine, which lights on fire.

McClane quips, "Well the car's on fire, that can't be good."

When Matt runs to his side after McClane destroys the helicopter,

McClane adds, "100,000 people are killed every year by cars. What's

another 4?"

Quick shot of dead guards in power plant.

When Mai dies in the elevator explosion, McClane screams a profanity

laced tirade at her.

McClane flying (and landing!) helicopter scene much longer.

The guy getting crushed in the giant blades scene doesn't have much

more blood.

Yippee-kay-yay mf-er is said in full!

Die Hard is considered by many film buffs as the greatest action movie ever made. There is just something about the character of John McClane that attracts movie goers. Is it his spunky attitude or is it the fact that he is known for having really bad days? It's both. There have been action franchises that have run out of steam in the past, but all three Die Hard films were great fun. Usually I'm not a fan of dipping into the well one too many times, but if Batman Begins and Casino Royale were able to re-spark the magic then why not give Die Hard another go?

Live Free Or Die Hard takes an old fashioned cop and throws him out of his element, which leaves room for a supporting character. Justin Long steps in as McClane's frazzled and tech wizard sidekick. Timothy Olyphant plays a cyber terrorist who decides to shutdown the entire nation in order to systematically collect hundreds of millions of bank account numbers in order to show the government that the system can in fact be broken. Now it's up to John McClane and his sidekick Matthew Farrell to save the day.

What follows is high octane action that one expects from a Die Hard movie. An important thing to point out is how director Len Wiseman stayed true to the Die Hard style and kept CGI to a minimum. Die Hard movies were great because they did action using real stunts and real explosions. The one thing I was afraid of was that this new Die Hard would go with the trend and use CGI as a crutch when in fact it used it as a tool. There are plenty of stunts that are real sets and real explosions. A few scenes fallback on CGI, but only because doing them for real just wouldn't work. Bruce Willis also keeps the spunk that is John McClane. You'll laugh at the one-liners and the witty remarks that Willis adds in the tensest situations and of course Justin Long is just great with sarcasm. They make a great on-screen duo. I also think that the humor in the Die Hard series is what makes it such a great action series. It's the fact that the filmmakers realize they are making an action movie; a movie in which nothing could ever happen in real life. Lots of action movies take themselves too seriously and they become laughably bad, but Live Free Or Die Hard keeps that spunk that makes it laughably enjoyable. Don't get me wrong though; there are some amazing action scenes that will make you tense up. This is by no means a comedy. The elevator shaft scene was one that stood out and reminded me of the trailer hanging off the cliff in Spielberg's The Lost World.

Moving onto the score this brings up Marco Beltrami. I can state here that I am not a Marco Beltrami fan. The only score of his that I liked was his score to The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada. I always feel like he never does anything thematic at all and which is why I was worried when he was selected to fill Michael Kamen's shoes. Michael Kamen was the composer of the first three Die Hard films, but sadly he passed away in 2003. He was a greatly respected composer and his work on the first three Die Hards were iconic. Thankfully Marco Beltrami rose to the occasion and did a wonderful tribute with his score to Live Free Or Die Hard. He touches on some themes that Kamen wrote and gives it that Die Hard feel and atmosphere.

Overall this movie was great. I had a great time watching it and felt like it was better than most of the high budget stuff I've seen this summer so far. Sometimes we need to go back to the basics to remind us why we love what we love. The reason why we love action movies is because of Die Hard and it was great fun seeing McClane back in action.

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The three stars is for the PG-13 version thats on this blu ray.Live free or Die Hard I think is the best one yet.As for the PG-13 version first its more than just a couple curse words Its more like 25 curse words.Second if your a fan of Die Hard you know that profanity is part of what John McClane is,I think the movie loses a little bit of that raw edge without it,come on this is DIE HARD.I first bought the blu ray version at midnight at wal-mart,I thought oh well so its not the unrated version.I thought the unrated version was probly just a curse word or two maybe some extra violence.After watching the blu ray two things hit me the first was that the blu ray does look really good and sounds great but I also thought it may have lost a little bit of that rawness from the previous films becouse of the PG-13.So today I bought the unrated DVD version

and yes it makes a big diffrence on the movie it has the crazy,raw John McClane like we are use to.Just get the unated version now they'll release an unrated blu ray soon enough.I guess the studio thought they would lose some money if teenagers with Playstation 3 couldn't buy this so they left the blu ray PG-13.Thats to bad

Read Best Reviews of Live Free Or Die Hard (Blu-ray / DVD Combo) (2013) Here

The DIE HARD franchise isn't a thinking man's dream. It belongs to the wannabe action hero inside every red-blooded American male. And to the women who love them. Any misapprehension that these films are going to take themselves realistically or seriously should be checked at the door.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD opened Wednesday of this week just in time for the Fourth of July celebration, and to take advantage of the extra-long weekend at the box office. It's the fourth film in the franchise about New York Police Department Detective John McClane, absolutely the toughest cop Hollywood has ever created. In my opinion. Nobody bleeds like McClane bleeds. Or limps. Or talks to himself, delivering a humorous, self-deprecating monologue on how he got into the whole mess he is in.

There was some hesitation about whether or not Bruce Willis could pull off the franchise character again. There was no hesitation about the fact that if Bruce Willis could not play McClane, no one else could. Willis the actor and McClane the character are too tightly-knit to allow to anyone else to intrude into the franchise. Maybe other actors can play James Bond and win over a whole new audience, but I can't see that happening with this one. Not as long as Bruce Willis can still walk and talk.

After seeing the movie, there's no doubt that Willis and McClane -are back in a big way. For a while, Willis swore he'd never play the character again. He wanted more serious roles and a chance to stretch as an actor. He's made some good films, and some not so good films, since DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE with Samuel L. Jackson. And while the McClane role is somewhat limiting Willis pulls it off with zest. Maybe he was born to do other things as well, but he was definitely born to be John McClane.

Now all the fans are going to be waiting for the next Die Hard movie, although there hasn't been any talk of such. We can only hope.

The movie starts out with a bang, the way these things always do. A group of cyber-criminals utilize code and algorithms written by blackboard computer hackers to get into key Federal government installations, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They're operating under a man named Thomas Gabriel, who has used enough players in his operation that none of the computer hackers know who they are working for or what they are truly doing.

As soon as Gabriel is certain that he's into the computer networks he wants to be into, he gives orders to start the elimination process of all the computer hackers involved. The action turns violent and bloody. Matt Farrell (played brilliantly by Justin Long) is the only one who escapes his fate, and that's only through the direct intervention of McClane.

It's been twelve years since the last DIE HARD movie. Those twelve years are reflected in the latest release. McClane has gotten older and his life has moved on. His wife finally left him for good and he's estranged from his son and daughter. He's introduced breaking up his daughter's latest date in a fairly humorous scene.

One of the things that was awkwardly handled in the movie was Lucy's McClane's daughter -sudden change in feelings about her father. Viewers knew it was coming, but it came without true motivation from within. That part felt particularly scripted.

When McClane gets the call to go pick up a known computer hacker, the tension immediately ratchets up. In a move that was also very scripted, McClane arrives at Matt's house just in time to keep him from being blown to smithereens. (And you have to wonder why the bad guys simply didn't walk into each of the hackers' houses/apartments and simply shoot them when they were done with them. The explosions were just to give the special effects crew a warm-up for the action that was coming.)

The cat and mouse game begins, with McClane alternately fighting to stay alive and chasing the bad guys. The action sequences are pure dynamite, fueled by adrenaline and testosterone on part of the characters and the audience. Viewers that are totally into the McClane experience are hard pressed not to hoot and holler in support of their hero's actions and one-liners.

Those fans understand that there are glaring plot holes and things that make no sense and in the real world things wouldn't function the way they do in the movie. For instance, the cell phone systems would go down almost immediately as emergency services took them over to use for their own operations. McClane uses a cell phone a lot in the beginning of the movie, as do the terrorists. Those would be the first things shut down. Security on major important network sites, like the eastern seaboard utility control area, would be immediately entrenched in military personnel if the United States government believed it was under attack.

But that's beside the point. This film is about action, not about reality. Reality would be much slower paced.

As always, McClane ends up being the guy involved in the investigation who gets all the key pieces as to what's really going on. It wouldn't be a DIE HARD movie if he didn't.

The concept of the "fire sale" in the realms of cyber-terrorism is a real thing. There are a lot of checks and balances to keep it at bay, but it is one of the things the United States government constantly guards against. The movie sells the idea very well.

Also, though the franchise isn't known for being cutting-edge or high-tech, there's a lot of the emerging computer technology and integrated systems that are nationwide and international in the film. Justin Long's character introduces all that technology and the concepts behind it in bite-sized chunks that the audience can keep track of in the midst of car chases, gunfights, and serious explosions.

I found myself as enthralled by the computer attacks as I was by McClane's usual physical action and banter. There was something so inherently cool about watching the terror-geeks and Matt Ferrell at work on computer systems even though much of it was fake. The idea that it was all possible and would be done in such a way was amazing.

But the action that's the key to every Die Hard film. There's plenty of it in this movie. Is it over the top? No doubt about it! No one but no one could walk away from all the damage that McClane takes while doggedly pursuing the bad guys. I lost count of the number of bodies left behind, the number of vehicles that were destroyed in wrecks and explosions, the number of buildings that were leveled, and would have to guess that the number of bullets fired must be in the millions.

The most over-the-top sequence in the film is the scene where McClane is driving an eighteen-wheeler through a system of elevated highways while being pursued and fired upon by a military attack jet with hover capability. There is simply no way this could ever happen, or that a truck could suffer that much damage and still keep going. Much less without the driver getting killed.

If they do a video game on this movie as they have some of the movies in the past, you can see this sequence being part of the game. It's ludicrous. It's impossible. And yet, it's so McClane. And that's what puts the butts in the seats, folks.

Maggie Q plays possibly the most lethal lady McClane has ever had the misfortune of crossing paths with. She absolutely tears him apart for a while. And that leads to possibly the second-most over-the-top sequence in the film when the action spreads the elevator shaft. Still, if anybody was gonna do it like this, it has to be rogue cop John McClane.

Make no mistake. This film isn't for posterity. This film isn't even close to Academy Award material except maybe for special effects.

What this film is, and where it succeeds so admirably, is an action film starring one of the best action heroes ever invented or portrayed, and played once more by the only actor that could do that character justice. This is superhero action without the cape and the mutant abilities. And this is a hero who's fallible yet impossible to beat.

Treat yourself to a summer delight over the holidays. Buy a ticket. Invest heavily in a willing suspension of disbelief at the door. Find a good seat. And prepare to cheer on John McClane one more time as he goes up against impossible and, admittedly, wildly improbable odds.

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After having temporarily staved off a vicious assault, Justin Long's character shakily asks his savior if he's done stuff like that before and if he's killed someone before, to which John McClane's laconic response is "Not for a long time." And, indeed, it's been 12 long years since DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE. John McClane is now older, balder, grumpier, and, saddled with a PG-13 rating, not as profane, but he still cannot stay out of trouble. This time, he's assigned the seemingly mundane task of escorting in young hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long), who's wanted for questioning. But the situation quickly sours as, within moments of meeting Farrell, McClane begins to hear that oh-so-familiar melody of automatic gunfire directed at their noggins.

Both McClane and the frail but side-of-the-mouth funny computer geek speedily realize that Farrell's fringe involvement is merely the very tip of the iceberg, and that the stakes are much, much higher. Turns out that the contractor who'd hired Farrell to do a simple, innocuous code work is scheming to hold the entire nation hostage with his own paralyzing brand of cyber terrorism. Soon, the systematical shutdown of the American infrastructure is underway as, basically, all things computerized become compromised. This includes the targeting and usurping of key establishments such as the FAA, Amtrak, the stock market, and our satellite communications system. But, for Los Angelinos like myself, the most insiduous act commited may have been the subversing of *gasp* the street traffic lights.

For the now grizzled John McClane, nothing much has changed. He's a Lieutenant Detective now, so he's kind of moved up in the world. And he still has those perpetually pursed lips. But his personal life is predictably very much of a mess. He's alone again, divorced (with his ex-wife Holly gone back to using her Gennero surname) and estranged from his children. The start of the film has McClane pathetically attempting to keep tabs on his wilful and sullen daughter, Lucy Gennero (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). But she wants none of his reconciliatory gestures. Not to mention, McClane's an anachronistic type who clings to classic rock music and who is computer unsavvy. Good thing he's got a hacker in his custody.

It's such a treat to watch Bruce Willis again be in his element and playing this iconic role. Not that Entertainment Weekly has the final say, but I do agree with the magazine's listed assessment of Die Hard (Widescreen Edition) as being the top action film ever (ALIENS was number 2, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was number 3). Nowadays, Willis, at 52 years old, is not as spry or free with the smirks. But his physicality, even at this stage, can't be questioned as he suffered bruises and scars in the making of this film. As McClane, he still trounces bad guys with the best of 'em. But, more so than McClane's penchant for arse whoopin', what draws the audience to him is that aura of reluctance, world weariness, and doggedness which he exudes so naturally. We relate to this ordinary, blue collar cat who, time and again, becomes stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time and is forced to angrily muddle thru because there's no one else to do the job. Although LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD portrays McClane as more of a supercop this time, who can go one on one with an F-35 fighter jet and murder an assault chopper with a car, I still fondly remember the first film, in which McClane passed muster as a very likable everyday guy barely keeping it together in Nakatomi Plaza. John McClane has built up so much good will that I'm able to easily forgive and even celebrate the high octane and wildly improbable excesses here.

Justin Long, dubiously best known as the Mac guy in the Apple computer ad campaigns, gets his number called for sidekick duties, and he does a good job, although there were times where his trembly act got to be too much. His Matt Farrell may be a borderline computer felon but his heart's in the right place. Long gets to make the brunt of the wisecracks while McClane tersely motors along (he says to some fellow geeks who'd just blown his cover, "Good luck at the Bad Timing Awards."). One failing of the film is the lack of a charismatic villain. Timothy Olyphant is unmemorable as former Homeland Security computer whiz Thomas Gabriel, whose mission is to digitally teach the nation and his ex-bosses a lesson while garnering sinful financial amounts. There's nothing fresh or arresting about Olyphant's acting performance, which basically consists of a whole lot of staring really hard. But, admittedly, it's fun to witness Gabriel's ever growing exasperation as McClane persists in surviving. Maggie Q does better as the evil hot Asian babe who's also a formidable martial artist. Her character Mai proves to be pretty resilient (but, ultimately, not resilient enough). Writer and maverick director Kevin Smith gets a chance to mug for the camera as the Warlock (or Freddy, to his mom), a jedi hacker whose base of operations is in his mother's basement. Bonnie Bedelia, by the way, is sorely missed, and the film would've benefited with more scenes between McClain and his surly daughter.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is primed to be a colossal summer blockbuster, and, as such, it has certain criteria it has to meet. Director Len Wiseman (the UNDERWORLD films) comes strong and full bore with great visuals, a relentless pace, implausible action sequences, and crazy pyrotechnics. And all this performed at raucous, senses shattering decibels. The stunts are mindblowing, keeping in mind that CG effects were kept to a minimum. These are flesh and bone stunts being done here. But, still, at the heart of the loud thrill-a-minutes, there is Bruce Willis keeping it all together with his signature McClane-isms. I still get a vast kick out of his un-PC chortling whenever he causes yet another bad guy's demise (oh, that poor, agile-as-a-monkey French dude). As always, to me, his mockery of death, in a way, adds a layer of realism as this has become McClane's way of ackowledging his vulnerability and celebrating his surviving yet another harrowing scrape. LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is PG-13, but the film finds ways to circumvent the rating as the ever resourceful McClane continues to cuss (but minus the "F" word) and ad-lib his way to amassing an impressive body count. Yippee-ki-yay, futhermucker.

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Born 2 Race (2012)

The movie was better than expected, was kinda expecting a cheap fast and furious knock off but overall movie was good

These types of movies exist to please fans of cars and car racing. Many...most don't try to invent a new plot line. They just want to get enough going to keep the viewer involved between races. This is no different. The plot is cookie cutter but you like the characters and the twists are such that it makes for very enjoyable viewing.

Here's the scoop. Danny Krueger lives with mom and step dad. He knows how to handle high performance cars and he knows his way around under the hood. But he keeps getting into trouble. Not because he's a bad guy. It's because he overreacts when people egg him on. He's in trouble one too many times and mom sends him packing to live with his real father where he finds himself embroiled in yet another street racing culture where his buttons might get pushed and push him back in the dog house.

This is a fun movie. Danny's problems are set up early on. Then he has to make peace with his "on the wagon" dad who used to be a racing big shot. He also needs to show the local street racing hot shot (who's also a big wiener) who the better racer is, and get the girl to boot. All the elements come together in true Hollywood fashion.

Other than Sherry Stringfield and Matt McCoy, I didn't recognize any of the other actors. They all did a decent enough job. It's directed well enough with good attention paid to the race scenes. The editing and sound editing were very good. And it seems they brought in some real-life drivers to add a sense of legitimacy to the proceedings.

It is what it is. If you like this sort of thing this should do you up real good.

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This is a great movie for car nuts who want something more realistic than fast and furious. The story line is also great for young adults.

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Let me start by saying this movie is awesome! Just a couple of things though. They did borrow a lot of material from the fast & furious franchise however what sets this movie apart is the authenticity. They got it right when it comes to the look and feel of the cars and racing. Also this is a great cast with some cute kids. This a fun movie that every car enthuisist will enjoy!

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I honestly came into watching this expecting crappy acting, a F&F-type clone, and some crappy rice rockets. It turns out that it seems the crew did their homework. The acting was a fair bit heavy-handed at parts, and a bit cliche, with nothing really original (although there are a few quality lines, to be sure), it actually comes away as a decent movie. The themes, again, are nothing newboy screws up, has to live with outcast/former drunk dad, they find common ground and reconcile... but the way it takes a theme (street/drag racing) that has been mercilessly abused (F&F movies ruined street racing's rep, which is duly awful [as any illegal sport should be, of course], and made all tuners look like idiot-criminals instead of car enthusiasts), and actually injects (har har) some life into it, with the street racing son actually going legit at the end, with an NHRA scholarship. Some VERY obvious marketing in this, but it doesn't take much away from what turned out to be a pretty good movie.

Certainly worth a rent, and I'll be keeping this in the collection. I liked it so much, I even wrote this review! :) Check it out! Mark W.

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Sometimes A Great Notion (1970)

OK, in fairness; I came to this film on the strength of my long, enduring affection for the work of Ken Kesey. Sometimes a Great Notion, the novel, is as dense and intense a read as one can find out there by any (and I mean ANY -Faulkner, Hemingway, the works) American author. I've read this superb novel many times, and savored every word with every reading.

...then I saw the film.

Again, in fairness; I had doubts that ANY film under 2 hours would begin to do justice to the novel. I was right. I had suspicions that perhaps Paul Newman and Henry Fonda weren't quite, well, BIG AND TOUGH ENOUGH to do due justice to the Henry and Hank Stamper father/son team. I was almost right -physically, they weren't the looming figures that roared across Kesey's pages. But Newman and Fonda ain't bad either, not by a long shot. Their abilities almost obscure the fact that they don't fully seem like lifelong lumberjacks from the wild coast of Oregon in the middle 20th century. They seem like superb Hollywood actors who are acting like lumberjacks. But that's OK, too. Fonda and Newman break even in my book, in terms of how they portray the fictional characters. I can't fault actors for scenes that aren't there, and my biggest problem with the film was a lack of depth -the novel has several parallel, ongoing story lines that all weave together with magic and drama. By nature, cinema is a more linear story-telling device in that regard. Kesey's magnificent command of language, and voice, and perspective, and verb tenses helps to define this sprawling masterpiece -that's a tough sell on the big (or little) screen.

I wish the cutting room had eaten a little less footage. The romance between Lee and Viv is, essentially, missing in action. And with it, the dramatic narrative that powers much of the core of the novel.

On the positive side, Richard Jaekel was excellent as Joby -to the extent that he was on-screen. I found myself looking for his Christian aphorisms and life's-only-gettin'-better outlook, and finding less than I'd hoped for. Sure, he seems jolly enough half the time -but I found myself wondering if that was because I KNEW he was supposed to be happy and full of Biblical jibberish. Again, the novel vs. the cinema -and again, cinema fails where 600+ pages of copy succeed. The drowning scene, in fairness, is unforgettable. Of course, it was that way in Kesey's novel, too.

I'm glad to know Ken worked with Paul, as the film evolved. That Ken found the final product more successful than One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest-The Movie is a mixed blessing. I agreed with Ken about Cuckoo's Nest and Jack Nicholson (although I love Jack's work, too). I wish Ken were alive today, and perhaps he could shed some light on what he felt worked best in this film.

The Union sub-plot was touched on, but not fully explored. Same with the 'suicide'/death of Willard the theater owner (we never even learn he has a laundromat or a wife or any of the rich details that make him unforgettable in the book). Same with the love triangle. Same with the Stamper family history. The film was good, unquestionably, but not nearly as profound nor as deep as the novel.

With that said; go out and read the novel, and THEN sit down and watch the film. My vote goes for a RESTORED DVD RELEASE with whatever worthy footage was sacrificed for the Faux God of Running Time! This is an admittedly complex and far-reaching tale, and one that's hard put to do justice to itself in 112 minutes, give or take.

As is often the case, a great movie doesn't do justice to a great novel. In this case, it was almost impossible to succeed along those lines (Hey, does anybody PREFER the cinematic Moby Dick to the Melville novel? Case closed!).

On balance, Paul Newman and Henry Fonda and Lee Remick and Richard Jaekel in a Ken Kesey story...!? Does it GET better than that? Only Ken Kesey could have authored a novel that surpassed this film, talent and all. And he did! Check them both out -book and film.

You'll be glad you did.

Firstly, I cannot stress enough that one read the novel. It is one of the finest American novels ever written.

Kesey's superb epic novel with its shifting points of view and verb tense is far too complex a work to adapt directly to the camera's limited third person POV. Kesey's rich and dense narrative prose, while exceptionaly cinematic in its description and action ironically proves unfilmable.

That said, Paul Newman and his production team created a most admirable and solid, if very truncated adaptation of Kesey's excellent novel. It is near impossible to fit the novel's rumbling narrative into a mere hour and a half.

Unlike the more famous film version of Cuckoo's Nest, Kesey admires this filming of his work. It is important viewing on that note alone.

Sadly missing is the critical sub-plot involving a love triangle between Lee and Vivian. As a result, a great deal of Lee's motivation and narrative tension is lost. According to Kesey, the triangle was filmed but lopped off to save running time. Maybe it will come back in the DVD version.

The dialouge, while rather shallow and weak in spurts (much of Kesey's rich vernacular is lostsave for the brilliant aphorisistic interjection "Boy, Howdy!"), is effectively and evocatively brought to life by a wonderful ensemble cast featuring some of America's finest. Who better than Henry Fonda to play Newman's father. Richard Jaekel richely earns his Oscar nomination as the dim-witted but enthusiastic born again lumberjack JoBen. The famous drowning scene is heartbreakingly tragic and darkly comic and this owes directly to both the expert acting of Newman and Jaekel and Newman's own expert direction.

Newman spent a great deal of time in my native Oregon researching the part. He also invited Kesey to hang around on the set and the two of them partied a great deal together. Newman's homework shows vividly as much of Kesey's descriptions resound intact in the brilliant photography presented here. The sense of time and place is impressively captured in the framing of the omnipresent rusting metal, dripping ferns, rotting wood and mildewed carpets that one sees on the Oregon coast. This is a film that one can almost smell.

Special note must be also made of Henry Mancini's twangy country score. It sounds exactly like something found in a juke box in some coastal dive circa 1970.

Newman is one of the finest artists ever to come out of Hollywood. Not only as an actor, but also as a director. He instinctivly knows how to illicit naturalistic, comfortable and utter human performances from his casts and Sometimes A Great Notion is no exception. This is not a great film, by any stretch, but it is most definately a film worth seeing.

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Don't believe the editorial review by Marshall Fine. That's one of the most misleading reviews I've ever seen. The story is not a "mishmash", and it has nothing to do with LSD or anything psychodelic. He calls Newman an "ultraliberal", which indicates that his bad review was probably politically motivated. However, the story is not political at all. It's really a touching story about a family in crisis. And it's one of Newman's finest moments as an actor. Fonda's too. It was nominated for two Academy Awards. This movie used to play on HBO constantly. And it would probably do fairly well today if it were re-released on DVD.

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This epic, powerfully acted, and visually breathtaking movie beg for the Criterion DVD treatment. What can they be waiting for? The characters in this film, bigger than life, seem to be acted by the only actors who could possibly do justice to the roles. The cinematography is lush and beautifully composed on location in the Pacific Northwest, and the dialogue keeps the film moving effortlessly, as though one were a member of the family of loggers portrayed in the film. Sign me up to purchase the DVD as soon as it is released, hopefully by Criterion.

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There are certain scenes in a movie that last you forever. In this case there are two worth seeing. The famous drowning scene and the closing scene. This is a movie that will stay with you long after watching it and give you an idea of the independent nature of man. It also is under-rated in terms of relationships between fathers and sons and brothers.

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3D Bikini Beach Babes Issue #5 (2012)

I bought this because I wanted to check out the series. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is in fact a factory-pressed disc and not a BD-R. The 3D is impressive, with a lot of 3D pop and depth/dimensionality to the image. The sunny beach locale no doubt helps in this regard, but the shots are composed fairly well. Scenes such as 1) the girls arranged in a circle building and destroying sand castles as the camera moves around them 2) the girls standing together in a straight line practicing some belly dancing moves while the camera moves down the row behind them or 3) the girls doing the limbo as the camera stands in front of them are especially memorable in terms of the 3D effect. One missed 3D opportunity though is when the girl Amanda is juggling the balls on the beach. I immediately thought of the juggling scene in Friday the 13th Part 3 and would love to see that shot updated for Blu-ray 3D (the camera placed above the juggler with the balls coming at the camera/viewer as they are sent upwards). I did notice some artifacting and banding during 2 segments near the end of the disc, but for the most part the video is solid and stable with very few issues.

There are 12 girls in all plus a host, who is a bit on the bland side and pretty forgettable. They are your standard California girls with a dream, who all seem to have projects in the works ranging from modeling to parts in movies to a reality TV show. The selection in this volume certainly favors brunettes over blondes. My favorites in this edition were Keoni, one of the 2 African-American girls (you can see her on the rear of the case artwork) and Chenay, a blonde who makes me think of Kate Upton for some reason. All the girls are interviewed and have voiceovers during their segments but you can just turn the volume off and focus on the visuals if you so choose. The girls who were more memorable with regards to what they actually had to say were Amanda, a waif-thin "parts" model, and Erline, who kept talking about how she likes to help people channel their "sexual energy".

While the audio is only Dolby Digital 2.0, I don't think this type of product is hurt that much by the lack of an HD audio stream. I certainly didn't find myself wishing that the stock music soundtrack had been upgraded to DTS-HD Master Audio or something (I must admit it's a thankless job writing original music for any type of release such as this. You're required to write short instrumental pieces in a variety of styles and it's really hard to make any of those segments memorable, except in a repetitive kind of way). A few of the girls' interview segments were a little muffled and hard to understand but that is due to how they were recorded and not a fault of the disc itself.

The main program runs for 63 minutes, and there is also a 3D slideshow, a picture slideshow, a trailer reel of other titles in the Bikini Babes series, and a 3D glasses setup tool. Personally I did not find the tool to be necessary, since my 3D glasses and this disc worked together without any issues. It's important to note that this disc will also play in 2D with a non-3D setup. Overall, this title offers a solid 3D bang for your buck.

Or she may just shake her head at you and give you the "Your so Lame look". Beaches are beautiful in 3D. GIRLS Well being married "NO COMMENT" but worth the inexpensive price especially for 3D.

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This is the 5th episode of Bikini Beach Babes, Which is a great addition to the series, sexy ladies on beach in HD AND 3D! Can't ask for much more then that! Simply put..this was a fun watch with a lot of things to see :)

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Simply put, if you were a fan of issues 1-4...then you are going to be equally as satisfied as you were with those other ones. Although not my personal favorite of the five issued released, still a GREAT Blu-Ray. Sexy Girls, Blu Ray,and IN 3D? How could you go wrong with this? Answer? You can't. Now buy the blu-ray!

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Tsotsi

It's so great to finally see a major feature film that shows Africa from an African perspective, as opposed to through the prism of Western eyes. Another recent well-deserved Oscar winner (Best foreign language film) I just had to have in my collection; this is a violent and uncompromising look at life in a Soweto township.

Presley Cheweneyagae plays the lead, a Johannesburg small-time gangster whose nickname Tsotsi means "thug". I read somewhere that Presley was discovered playing Hamlet in a Soweto theatre group. He's a find in a million, as his performance is mesmerising.

Tsotsi finds a baby in the back of a car he's just jacked off a suburban black woman as the woman waited for the security gates outside her home to open. He doesn't do the expected and simply dump the baby at the side of the road surprisingly, he decides to take it home and care for it. He hasn't a clue how to care for a child of course and he turns to a local woman who makes decorative mobiles from glass. She's a nursing mother herself, and under the threat of death, mind you Tsotsi gets her to look after the child while he goes back out there to do his thing.

It's an interesting study of how complex life is for people who don't have much and while the movie doesn't make excuses or descend into sentimentality at any point, it's engaging to gradually see the heart of the man called Tsotsi a man who at first glance seemed utterly heartless emerge for all to see. It's a great story, based on the novel by South African playwright Athol Fugard, and the final scenes had me (literally) on the edge of my seat the first time I watched it. Gavin Hood makes good use of Johannesburg's urban setting and the natural beauty of South Africa. I strongly recommend this movie. For anyone who might not know and who may have an interest, this is an authentic slice of African life.

TSOTSI is a jewel of a film, well deserving the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film of 2005. Though set in Johannesburg, South Africa, the story is unfortunately so universal that the film could have been made in any country in the world: the lost children of abusive parents who survive life by relying on crime fill the streets of the poor neighborhoods of all major cities. TSOTSI is a tragedy but it carries a sense of hope and redemption that makes it a powerful statement indeed.

Tsotsi translated, means 'Thug'(Presley Chweneyagae) is an amoral youth who heads a gang of four: Boston (Mothusi Magano), Aap (Kenneth Nkosi), and Butcher (Zenzo Ngqobe). The gang steals and in general leads a life of dangerous existence, a life that abruptly alters when the gang robs and kills a gentle older man on the subway. They are on the run now and Tsotsi isolates himself further when he brutally beats Boston. He descends further into the abyss when he steals a car in the wealthy neighborhood, shooting the woman driving, and then discovering that in the back seat is an infant. His childhood flashes before his eyes and he finally shows a degree if buried decency when he takes the child with him as he abandons the stolen vehicle. Young and inexperienced in child care (his own childhood was riddled with hate and abuse), he seeks help from a young woman Miriam (Terry Pheto) who has an infant of her own (with no father) and serves as a wet nurse for the child. The manner in which Tsotsi gradually reconciles his bad life with his nascent response to recognizing kindness and salvation advances the story to its conclusion.

There is far more to the story than this short synopsis would indicate: there are levels of probing into the mind of the youthful criminal and the making of a gangster and the interaction among thieves and the changes that situations can alter that are beautifully written by Director Gavin Hood based on the Athol Fugard novel. The script is terse and much is left to the physical expressions of the characters, each acted to perfection by a stunning cast. The outsider living situation of these people is filmed with tremendous atmosphere and creativity by cinematographer Lance Gewer and the musical score by Paul Hepker and Mark Kilian serves to support the mood and action well. This is a tough movie to watch because of the reality of the issues: this is a superlative film to experience for the message it offers and for the wholly unforgettable acting of young Presley Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto. In Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans with English subtitles. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, August 06

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Though "Tsotsi" is set in South Africa and the milieu, to the American eye, is as exotic as a film set on the Moon, the concerns are Universal: the loss or disconnect of ones parents, the longing for a parent's love and caring, a governments lack of concern for a citizens civil rights.

Tsotsi (Presley Chweneygae) is a hood, a young man who kills and steals without any apparent concern for what he is doing and why he is doing it. His face and eyes radiate mostly hate and disdain. He is psychically and emotionally detached and removed. Then, one day he steals a luxury car, shoots the woman to whom it belongs and realizes, once he drives the car away, that there is an infant in the back seat.

This beautiful, innocent child forces Tsotsi ( really named David) to face the loss of his Mother, the uncaring, drunken non-concern of his father and the deep seated, mostly ignored or glossed , psychically ignored feelings with which he hasn't been able to deal.

Director and screenwriter Gavin Hood (adapted from a novel by Athol Fugard) has fashioned a traditionally structured film and peopled it with non-traditional characters and it works because we can all relate to Tsotsi's dilemma. And it doesn't hurt to have Presley Chweneygae as your lead character. The first time we see Tsotsi on screen he looks at the camera with his huge black eyes: eyes that are filled with superiority, despair, disgust and hurt. When he first sees the infant his eyes and face fill with wonder and awe at the utter helplessness and innocence. It is this disparity and friction that makes the film crackle with fire and well observed life.

"Tsotsi" is not a revolutionary film like say the similarly themed "Children of God" but it is a very emotionally effective and socially aware one and Presley Chweneyagae's performance is so natural and truthful that it makes you wince with recognition and empathy.

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Tsotsi is one of the intense films I have ever seen. In every moment an emotional explosion is in the making. The story concerns a young, ruthless, petty gangster in the poor settlement of Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Without giving too much away, the movie begins with a senseless and brutal murder and Tsotsi is introduced as a vicious thug without a trace of remorse. But, when he accidentally acquires a baby, a wellspring of memories of a tortured childhood open up for him.

The young man playing Tsotsi is not a professional actor, but does a superb job in the role. Another star of the show is the ghetto of Soweto with its patchedtogether houses, long lines at communal wells, drugs and drink -in short a mass of seething humanity. A redemptive feature of this environment is a young mother Tsotsi meets who is decent, pleasant and will probably slowly make her way out of the worst of ghetto life. The prospect is not one of unrelieved pessimism.

White people play little role in this movie. A police inspector on the trail of Tsotsi is the only major white character. Tsotsi and his colleagues prey on their own kind, who appear for the most part to be "colored" in the racial parlance of South Africa. "Tsotsi" is beautifully made, with not a wasted moment. The atmosphere is one of steadily building tension toward an nail-biting climax.

Smallchief

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***THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Many movie reviewers view foreign language films with a smidgin of contempt. There's an underlying current of the "why do we have to put up with these things" type mentality, especially from U.S. reviewers. It's not entirely self-evident when reading these reviews, but you get that feeling deep down that American film makers, producers, marketers, and reviewers swallow these foreign film pills with a hint of displeasure. I'm sure much of that discomfort comes from the fact that some of these films drain a certain percentage of money out of their deep pockets. Personally, I say "More power to `em!"

The reason I bring this up is because TSOTSI is one of those films that could've taken off in the American mainstream had it had a significant marketing budget. It did, after all, win multiple film festival awards, snagged the American Film Institutes Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize Special Mention, as well as picking up an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. But because of the mentality of movie makers in the fabulously wealthy Hollywood arena, marketing of these vitally important foreign imports often gets hamstrung in favor of such film dregs as DATE MOVIE and THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN. I don't say these things without any source. Go up and ask your average young adult or teenager about TSOTSI and they'll more often than not simply stare at you as if you'd just requested they give you the mathematical equation for nuclear fission.

There's something to be said for these low-budget films (although I'm not sure what TSOTSI's shooting costs were, I feel confident it didn't come close to the two dregs I mentioned above). These little-known gems give us stories that go beyond our normal film viewing range. And TSOTSI is one that I'm proud to say I watched with joy (this is a also disturbing and I'll tell you why in a moment).

Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) is a thug in South Africa. He's your typical amoral gangster who doesn't have a shred of "decency" in his young body. He also has a group of stragglers who follow him around like puppies, putting pressure on Tsotsi to come up with their evening's entertainment; they steal, they rob, they kill. But one day, when Tsotsi decides to do a job by himself, he makes a moral mistake (and I mean he makes a mistake according to his own moral code, which is to say he causes something good to come out of something terrible). He shoots a woman after stealing her car and drives away with a new BMW. But as he travels awkwardly down the road (he doesn't drive very well) he hears a cooing sound in the backseat. Startled, he turns around and discovers a baby in a carseat. Initially unsure of what to do, he takes the baby home with him and nurtures the child as best he can (which isn't very good). He soon learns that he has to watch the baby closely; ants attack the infant, and it gets hungry and poops constantly and needs to be bathed. Tsotsi forcibly procures the assistance of a widowed neighbor who recently had a child. He convinces the woman -at gunpoint -to breast feed the child and threatens to kill her if she tells anyone about him and the baby. A strange relationship develops between these two as the film progresses.

Torn by his own poor upbringing, Tsotsi has to decide what to do with the child when he learns that its mother is still alive. The police, too, are closing in on him and his gang of thugs have disbanded. Tsotsi's choice to care for the child has put him on a path of physical destruction, but has also led him to deeper choices, those of compassion and morality.

In the end, Tsotsi battles his internal demons in order to make the right choice for the baby, and it's a startling realization. We watch a person we absolutely loathed in the beginning of the film turn ever so slightly into a "decent" young man, and it's disturbing as a viewer (for me, at least) to empathize with someone initially devoid of humanity. But that's where TSOTSI succeeds and so many American films fail. American movies want you to see most things in black and white ("Here's the good guy and here's the bad"). But TSOTSI brings us into these lives and does so without spoonfeeding us what's right and what's wrong. The gray areas are sweeping and uncomfortable, something that packs an emotional wallop at the end of the film (I was bubbling like an idiot as tears streamed down my cheeks).

TSOTSI deserves the little notoriety it's received. In fact, it deserves much, much more.

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