Hello Dolly! (1969)

The debates over this film have been raging for years, and now that HELLO, DOLLY! has been released on DVD, they're likely to continue for years to come. Opinions are certain to vary, but let's clear up a few misconceptions right from the start -

After 20th Century-Fox purchased the screen rights to HELLO, DOLLY!, producer/screenwriter Ernest Lehman was fairly certain he'd be asking Carol Channing to recreate her stage performance for the film that is, until he saw her in the 1967 movie THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE; to put it as delicately as possible, her features didn't translate well to the big screen. Fox executives were equally doubtful about Channing, so the search began for a new Dolly. After flirting with (and subsequently dropping) the idea of Elizabeth Taylor, the leading candidate became Barbra Streisand. The powers-that-be suspected (correctly) she was headed for major film stardom, and they hoped a fresh, younger Dolly would give the multi-million dollar project greater appeal. Lehman immediately revised his script, eliminating all references to Dolly losing her husband fourteen years earlier, and after concluding that audiences wouldn't accept Streisand as an Irishwoman changing the character's name from Dolly Gallagher Levi to simply Dolly Levi. The studio made the offer, Streisand signed on the dotted line, and Lehman surrounded her with the creme de la creme of the MGM/Arthur Freed movie musical unit Gene Kelly (director), Roger Edens (associate producer), Michael Kidd (choreographer), Lennie Hayton (musical scoring), and Irene Sharaff (costumes).

Skeptics, however, dug in their heels, and a period of bad press followed; there was outrage a film novice like Streisand had taken a role they considered her ill-suited for. A wave of sympathy engulfed Channing, who received a consolation Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (even though Beatrice Lillie received the film's best reviews when it was released).

The bad press began to wane when Streisand's first film, FUNNY GIRL, was released to critical acclaim, box office success, and a Best Actress Oscar; suddenly there was great anticipation for HELLO, DOLLY! And when the film finally opened in December of 1969, it played to packed (and enthusiastic) houses from New York City to Hollywood. Even critics who questioned Streisand's appropriateness for the role agreed she put on a hell of a show.

After a solid start, however, the film's success was mixed; HELLO, DOLLY! received seven Oscar nominations (including one for Best Picture), but Streisand was overlooked. And though it ranked as one of the top ten box office attractions of the year, it hadn't recouped its production costs by the end of 1970; it was neither the runaway success the studio was hoping for, nor the disastrous flop its critics made it out to be. But to the dismay of naysayers who wanted the film to die an ignoble death, DOLLY kept attracting new fans first on television, then on video, and later on laser disc. Obviously, somebody had done something right.

Watching the movie now on DVD, it's hard to believe such a good-natured, visually spectacular film could have provoked the feelings of animosity it did (and apparently still does). As for Streisand, I think Lehman was absolutely right to cast her; there may be times when she seems too hip for this wholesome slice of Americana, but her funky irreverence is what makes HELLO, DOLLY! so much fun. Not only is she in excellent voice throughout if anything, she sounds better here than she did in FUNNY GIRL but it's hard to imagine anyone else bringing the poignance she does to Dolly's monologue in the park ("Ephraim, let me go"), or being as raucously funny in the dinner sequence at Harmonia Gardens ("You salt your beets, and I'll salt mine"). In fact, her energy and charisma are so dynamic that the film's pace falters whenever she's not around no disrespect to either Michael Crawford or Marianne McAndrew, but the subplots involving Cornelius Hackl and Irene Molloy, while pleasant enough, are hardly enthralling. Walter Matthau, however, makes a surprisingly effective Horace Vandergelder, and his scenes with Streisand have some genuine comic vitality. If there were offscreen tensions between the two, they weren't apparent when the cameras were rolling.

But more than anything else, DOLLY on DVD offers great opportunities for those of us who just want to concentrate on musical numbers (we know who we are). There are moments worth savoring again and again in "Just Leave Everything To Me," "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Dancing" (Danny Lockin and E.J. Peaker are particularly impressive here), "Before The Parade Passes By," "The Waiter's Gallop," and, of course, the title number with Louis Armstrong, but Streisand's best number is probably her simplest "So Long, Dearie." It isn't hard to understand why her character gets a marriage proposal after that one.

As for the age issue yeah, it's a little strange to see a woman in her late twenties being referred to as an "old girl." So why didn't Ernest Lehman ask Jerry Herman to alter the lyrics? Hard to say maybe he didn't think anyone interested in realism would be watching HELLO, DOLLY! in the first place. And ultimately, that's what this movie is all about pure escapism on a grand scale. The quality is apparent in every frame, so just kick back and enjoy the show.

HELLO DOLLY has received a bum rap over the years. Its oversized budget and colossal New York-circa-1890 back lot set is said to have sunk 20th Century Fox. This is far from the truth.

Now, almost 35 years later, DOLLY can be seen in proper perspective: it's a well-done, old-fashioned movie musical. Its only sin is that is dresses up a flimsy Broadway musical in the form of a big-time movie musical. Let's face it, HELLO DOLLY's book features situation-comedy type scenes of hiding in closets and mistaken identities. It doesn't have the weight of the Nazis (i.e. SOUND OF MUSIC) or the Americana of OKLAHOMA. It is, nevertheless, frothy fun -with a great, hummable score!

Barbra Streisand is also blamed for accepting the role of Dolly Levi, too. Dolly should be middle-aged; Streisand was 27. Also, Carol Channing was famous for the part (she won a Tony for it) and Streisand is considered to have "stolen" the movie from Channing. (I personally could not fathom watching Carol Channing for 2-1/2 hours.) Streisand was too young. But does it really matter? She's absolutely hilarious in DOLLY, and sings the score wonderfully. It was Streisand's second film, and one of her too few musical films.

The DVD features a wonderful featurette from 1969. The featurette contains great behind-the-scenes footage of filming the "Before the Parade Passes By" scene, as well as the "Sunday Clothes" scene. Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd, and Irene Sharaff are all included.

Fox has restored HELLO DOLLY and this DVD features the restored print. DOLLY has never looked better! From the multi-colored feathers on the back of her hat in the opening scene, to the canary-yellow "Hello Dolly" dress in the Harmonia Gardens, Streisand looks fabulous and colorful and bold. Throughout the film you will notice various shades of purples pop out. The paint-speckled trees in the "Parade"park scene are an interesting detail! The only scene that misses is the dimly lit "Love is Only Love" song. The colors look faded and the picture quality drops a notch or two.

I must also sing the praises of this WIDESCREEN release! I've watched DOLLY for years on a pan-and-scan VHS tape. The movie looks excellent in widescreen the way it was originally filmed and it's great to see some of the action in the extremes of the frame. For instance, this is probably the first time I've ever seen what Streisand was doing in the right part of the frame while dueting with Louis Armstrong!

So enjoy HELLO DOLLY. Dolly'll never go away again.

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I got my advance review copy for the region 1 release of Hello Dolly and had to write a review here. This is one of my favorite films, and I will concentrate on the tech specs for the disc. It is enhanced for widescreen 16:9 and says Dolby Surround on the packaging but is actually Dolby Digital 4.0. This is one of the best sound transfers I have yet seen for a classic film. There's no doubt that original master tapes were used for the sound transfer. The seperation is so good, the voices of the singers move from left to right with extreme clarity, and when the entire cast is singing, it reminds me of the best of the RCA VICTOR recordings, the ensemble comes at you from all around including the surround. I give the sound a 5 out of 5.

The video quality is another story and a good one. This is flawless, it is like watching a new movie. It is so clear it almost seems like 3d on my Sony front projector. The colors have been restored and I believe the transfer was from 70mm negatives because this is one of the clearest conversions of a classic Fox has done. Extras are several trailers, a featurette, which isn't alot (I was hoping to see the 20 minutes that were cut and maybe a commentary and extras like the SOUND OF MUSIC disc had).

For the price,... this is a steal, to be enjoyed over and over as it is like going to the cinema again.

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"Hello Dolly!" is the elphantine musical film based on the long running stage play that in 1969 failed miserably to find its audience at the the box office. Directed by legendary song and dance man, Gene Kelly and featuring the meticulous choreography of Gower Champion, this is a big, brassy, spectacular production, the likes of which we aren't likely to ever see again. Barbra Streisand plays Dolly Levi, a matchmaker whose heart is set on landing stuffy hay and feed owner, Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau). The off camera bickering between the two co-stars may have been legendary, but none of it shows up on the screen. Streisand and Matthau are ably assisted by Marianne McAndrews, Michael Crawford, Tommy Tune and the incomparable, Louis Armstrong. Removed from all the angst, hype and negative publicity that branded musicals box office poison from about 1959 onward, "Hello Dolly!" emerges as one of the best of the genre, an outstanding, tune filled epic production that never fails to entertain!

FOX VIDEO has given us a handsome looking DVD. Colors are rich, bold, vibrant and extremely well balanced. Black and contrast levels are only slightly on the weak side but adjusting one's television contrast and brightness fixes this right up. There is NO EDGE ENHANCEMENT, ALIASING or PIXELIZATION or FILM GRAIN or AGE RELATED ARTIFACTS for a visual presentation that is as smooth as the plot. The soundtrack has been remixed to 5.1 surround but suffers slightly from a muffled characteristic, perhaps because of noise reduction equipment used in the remastering effort. Still, most of the film has a crisp, clean and not overly bright sound to it that, while dated, nevertheless is easy on the ears.

EXTRAS: A Theatrical Trailer. That's it.

BOTTOM LINE: I should fault Fox for given us no extras but with the film looking as though it were shot last week I have to stop myself and just proclaim, "Well done!" An absolute must for your DVD library!

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Hello Dolly is truly one of the last great musicals from the golden age of Hollywood. It seems like no expense was spared--it took one month just to film the "Hello, Dolly!" sequence in which Dolly returns to the Harmonia Gardens. This scene lasts about ten minutes in the film--but still, one month to get ten minutes footage is a lot of time to get so little footage! Barbra Streisand works well, actually, as Dolly Levi--her husband could have died early in life and that's all it would take to explain a younger woman in the role of Dolly Levi. Moreover, the other cast members turn in fine performances, too.

When the action begins, Dolly Levi from Manhattan takes a trip to Yonkers ostensibly to arrange a marriage for Horace Vandergelder's (Walter Matthau) niece Ermengarde Vandergelder (Joyce Ames). However, Ermengarde doesn't want any part of it--she's in love with a young artist named Ambrose Kemper (Tommy Tune); and Ambrose feels the same way about Ermengarde. What's more, Dolly eventually has plans for helping Horace's two clerks, Cornelius Hackl (Michael Crawford) and Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin).

A few days later, they all wind up in Manhattan and fate--with Dolly's help--begins to weave its magic spell. Cornelius and Barnaby become smitten with Irene Molloy (Marianne McAndrew) and her hat shop assistant Minnie Fay (E. J. Peaker). They all spend time together having fun; but Dolly has her hands full trying to manipulate Horace into marrying her instead of Irene Molloy--or the not terribly appealing Ernestina Simple (Judy Knaiz).

Of course, from here the plot can go in so many different directions. You may know the plot but there are no plot spoilers in my reviews! Will Dolly manage to get these two young couple together--along with Ambrose and Ermengarde--so that they can find a happy life romantically? What about Dolly's feelings for her late husband--to what extent will they get in the way of Dolly pursuing Horace? Will Horace, who is a very cranky and somewhat negative man, ever come around to marrying Dolly? Watch the movie and find out!

The song and dance numbers are fantastic. The "Hello Dolly" number alone was fantastic. Look for a wonderful cameo by the great Louis Armstrong who just happens to work in the Harmonia Gardens restaurant! It's great to see Armstrong on film with Streisand. The cinematography and choreography impressed me greatly during the scenes from the parade down 14th Street in Manhattan as well as in the Harmonia Gardens restaurant.

The DVD has an optional commentary and there's a 1969 featurette that shows how they organized and coordinated the parade down 14th Street in Manhattan. It's excellent! You can also choose languages but there's not much more. Oh, well. The film is very good and it still can stand mostly on its own.

Overall, Hello Dolly is a fine classic musical from the very tail end of the golden era of Hollywood musicals. The actors give extremely good performances; their acting is very convincing. I recommend this film for fans of Hollywood musicals as well as fans of Barbra Streisand.

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The Punisher / Punisher: War Zone (Two-Pack) (2011)

The movies come as two fully cased movies wrapped together with cellophane. I expected two disks in one case. This is not a big deal, but good information to know (especially if you are running out of room in the media cabinet, like I am.)

1. This was great how they put both Punisher movies in one Blu-Ray pack!

The PunisherIt my been a little too slow at parts, but it was well filmed and when the action starts it's really hardcore! Especially the fight between the Punisher (Thomas Jane) and the Russian (Kevin Nash)! It's one of the goofiest and violent fights you'll ever see! Plus the movie has a great cast with John Travolta as the lead villan! Over all; this movie was a great story about death, grief, revenge, and lots of guns! My grade; B+ ,or; four stars!

The Punisher: War ZoneThe kept true to the comic books for the most part, but the movie went a little too over the top with the violence, to choppy with the story's pace, plus Ray Stevenson had little more to do than look gloomy half the time! But the action is a little more hardcore than the first movie, a most of the characters are memorable! My grade; C ,or; two stars!

Bottom line: if you are a Punisher fan, this Blu-Ray is for you!

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Both movies are great but I enjoy the first a little more. Definitely films I will watch again and again.

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"Punisher" was really good (four stars). It had action and decent story-telling. I would call it superior by far to the one that starred Dulf Lundgren that came out several years ago. Would suggest it to comic book fans and fans of good action films.

"War Zone" wasn't as good (2.5 stars) It had a different actor and the storytelling was lacking, and it also didn't really transition from the first film. Although the action sequences were ok, I would only suggest it to die-hard fans.

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This movie is really fun to watch and I like the part where he punishes people severely hurting them for their injustices.

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Gamera Trilogy (Guardian of the Universe / Attack of the Legion / Revenge of Iris) (2012)

It was only recently, to be honest, that I first learned who Gamera even was. Godzilla? Sure, I grew up on the guy... I've got the lunchbox, have taped the Godzilla's Rockin' New Year's Eve special many times and even saw the Andrew Lloyd Weber adaptation on Broadway during its woefully short run in 1994.

But now there's a NEW guardian of the universe? Why didn't anyone tell me?? Finally, someone did. Specifically, it was a co-worker from the main office of the Tokyo-based manufacturing company (it shall remain nameless) for which I have worked for the last 8 years. He was relocated to New York and has become a rather good friend.

Hunushi is a fantastic resource for all things Japanese. One of those is monster movies ("kaiju" as the genre is called in Japan), and I am also a big fan. Knowing this, Hunushi recommended to me the first Gamera film when it was released in English in 1997. Since then, I have been hooked and wanting more.

Why do I like this Gamera series so much? The special effects are AWESOME, and the dubbing is simply masterful. Forget everything that you thought you knew about dubbed dialogue, as that knowledge is now useless and outdated. The story lines are engaging, the characters are well developed. These are great movies, period.

When I heard that a box set of all three movies (Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris) was available, I jumped on it.

I thought I knew why I was buying this box set, but I had no idea at the time that its most entertaining feature was an as-yet-unknown-to-me DVD extra. Within the extras of the second film, Gamera 2, the English-language director has created an entirely new and hilarious version of that film dubbed almost entirely with "red neck" character voices.

This is an absolute stitch, but in no way did it offend my delicate "kaiju" sensibilities. Gamera remains completely untouched in this tongue-in-cheek version of the film. Only the human contingent, scurrying below, is made to look anything less than admirable. The bottom line is this: I have never laughed harder in my life (by the way, there is also a fantastic DVD extra on the 3rd disc but I'll let you discover that one on your own).

I hope you enjoy these films as much as I have. Thankfully, it looks like Japan's best kept "kaiju" secret has just been let out of the box!

I need to append this; the movies are not in anamorphic widescreen. They are still very entertaining; however, the blu-ray ARE anamorphic. Sorry about the confusion.

I'm amazed by the story lines and special effects in these newer come-back movies of Gamera. The box set was purchased with Christmas money, and I'm glad I did so. Gamera began as low-budget giant monster movies in competition with Godzilla in about 1965. Some of the early films are pretty cheezy, though fun to watch. Kids especially seem to relate to the big turtle. My daughter likes him as much as Godzilla.

The new Gamera pictures carry on the idea that Gamera is here to protect earth, but the story lines are very mature compared to the original films, and the special effects are, at times, amazing. Every bit on a parr with the newer, new millenium Godzilla films of the past five years. The first film in the pack, "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe", was release in 1995, and the others followed about every two years. The origin of Gamera is reinvented here, and explained in a way that is a nice marriage of fantasy and science-fiction. In the first film, Gamara's heroic mythology is backed up by an ancient tablet that predicts a giant creature will rise to combat an horrific darkness. All evidence points to some sort of flesh eating creatures that nearly ate man to extinction in the time when Atlantis was still above water.

The second film, "Attack of Legion", is even better, with an even creepier creature and It's swarming spawn called "Legion" (from the Bible, no less) threatening earth's extinction yet again. The special effects are better in this film, and that's saying a lot, since the first movie was very well done.

I haven't watched the third movie, "Revenge of Iris" yet, but even if it turns out to be disappointing compared to the first two, it was still money worth spending.

All three pictures are presented in anamorphic widescreen, with language options of the original Japanese with English subtitles, or in dubbed English. The soundtracks are in Dolby digital 5.1. I really enjoyed watching the second film in the original Japanese, thus getting to hear the true emotions of the actors. There are a lot of nice extras included on the disks, so take some time to explore.

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Oldschool Gamera is definitely classic kaiju, it just tends to have some of the worst aspects of kaiju built into its roots: annoying little kids, illogical stories, bad set designs, and plots that seem just a skeleton to justify monster fights. Good kaiju, on the other hand, tends to have characters that the viewer can indentify with, a sense of being overwhelmed by the size of the battles, a desperation for survival, allegory to real world problems, and monsters that, though they may be large and scary, are somehow sympathetic at the same time.

That is what I like about this new trilogy. It takes one of the more ludicrous monsters, a large turtle that walks on its hind legs, eats fire and uses atomic jets to propel itself, and gives it as a good of a treatment as I have ever seen a kaiju receive.

The first one has an excellent story, and a great old school "King Kong" kind of feel to it. The second one, which seems to either be the favorite or the most hated depending on who you ask, takes the story a step up (in my opinion) and adds a level of desperation that somehow was lacking in the first one. The fight scenes and effects are improved, though the sense of adventure and human interaction is weakened and the almost add-on moral from the very end seems out of place. The last one is probably the best, and I feel it is such because the story line brings the monster-to-hero so epitomized in the original Gamera idea full circle.

The effects are excellent by kaiju standards (which are still lacking by what some people would want, but I loved them) and the storylines are still a little illogical. The new explanation for the origins is kind of better as far as making sense of the oddity that is Gamera, but not 100% satisfactory. The dubbing and the subbing are both excellent, and I love the fact that I can get wide-screened, well transferred dvds as opposed to the low quality ones with bad dubbing that are normally part of the genre. The features are not the best in the world, but were a nice addition (since I got the movies for the movies, the extras are just some additional icing).

Read Best Reviews of Gamera Trilogy (Guardian of the Universe / Attack of the Legion / Revenge of Iris) (2012) Here

Image and sound quality is very good on the three movies, especially on the third one. The cardboard slipcase is colorful and attractive, with a very professional design, much better than other Mill Creek releases. The problem of this set are the subtitles on the second disc: the movie "Gamera 3" has lots of missing and out of sync sentences which make the movie much less enjoyable (for example, Kurata Shinya's explanation of the Gamera graveyard is totally lost if you watch the movie that way). And subtitles on extra features get progressively out of sync until there is a delay of seven seconds between characters speaking and subtitles appearing on screen. It's something regrettable which should have been corrected before release and keeps this release from being totally recommended.

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The movies themselves are excellent, but the subtitling is perhaps the worst professional work I've seen, especially with the first and third films. In the first, none of the Japanese on screen text is translated, despite the movie using a large number of things like newspaper headlines to provide information. The third is the worst by far, with a good 20% of it not being subtitled at all, and quite of few of the subtitles being mistranslated. It's an absolute shame, since these are great movies that deserve much better treatment.

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Inception (2012)

If you want to read a review of the film itself, just google "inception review" and take your pick. Ebert gave it four stars. Do you really want to read yet another Amazon user's opinion? This review is for people who already know they want the film, but are wondering which edition to buy.

If you're only interested in the film, buy whichever one you can find cheapest. There is not currently an extended edition or director's cut available. If, however, you're interested in the special features, you're sort of between a rock and a hard place. Here's why:

1. The single-disc Blu-ray edition has a pathetic 12 minutes of special features--the same ones included on the single-disc DVD edition, and they're not even in high-def.

2. The "two-disc" Blu-Ray edition is actually three discs: two Blu-rays and one DVD. If you see it listed as "two-disc" some places and "three-disc" or "combo pack" others, they're the same thing. The first Blu-ray is the film along with an option that gives you behind-the-scenes content as it plays (cleverly named "extraction mode"). The second Blu-ray is just special features--but NOT the ones on the single-disc Blu-ray or DVD. The third disc is a standard-def DVD, but NOT the same DVD you get when you buy it separately--this DVD is a "rental" edition which has NO special features of any kind, and--get this--it doesn't even have a scene index. The "digital copy" is actually a code printed on a paper insert to download the film from the internet. Also, some of the 2/3-disc editions come in a lenticular slip cover, but not all.

3. The standard-def DVD is a single disc with the same 12 minutes of special features on the single-disc Blu-ray.

4. There's also a hard-to-find, two-disc, standard-def DVD edition. Unfortunately I haven't seen it in person and I don't know for sure what's on either disc, other than the film of course. My guess is the second disc is a special features disc like that included in the 2/3-disc Blu-ray edition. I'm just wondering if the first disc is the "rental" edition or the single-disc DVD edition.

5. Best Buy's exclusive edition is the same as the 2/3-disc Blu-ray edition, but with the added bonus of Christopher Nolan's script/notes.

6. FYE's exclusive edition comes in a "steelbook" case.

7. The limited edition comes in a scale replica of the briefcase used in the film. It's the same 2/3-disc edition but also includes mini-posters, a couple of booklets (I believe one is the script and the other is the shared dreaming device's "user manual," which is online at pasivdevice.org) and Cobb's totem.

I gave a rating of three stars because it seems you can't get all the special features without buying two editions, and that's incredibly lame.

On the surface Inception seems to be a crime caper, complete with master of disguise Eames (Tom Hardy), planner Aridane (Ellen Page), point man Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and master thief Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). But it's so much more than that, taking place in dreams within dreams within dreams.

Inception, like Total Recall and The Matrix, is about perception. The audience is never sure what reality is because the protagonist isn't sure what's real. There are clues providing evidence for the real/not real theories, but the best movies of this type don't come down on one side or another. Total Recall ultimately had enough clues indicating the "right" way. The Matrix stumbled after it made it clear that reality was fiction, thereby losing an audience who enjoyed the tantalizing mystery. Like so many mysteries, once the truth was revealed it wasn't quite as exciting as we all hoped. Inception wisely avoids providing answers.

Inception is also a thought experiment. The central conceit of Inception is that once you put a thought in someone's head it's like a virus, incapable of being removed. In fact, attempting to not think about the idea causes the mind to just focus on it more. This concept, a key tenet of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), is part of how our brains are wired. Director Chris Nolan knows exactly what he's doing when the characters explain the premise. It is the key argument between Cobb and his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard): is this life just a dream?

Once you get it into your head as to which of them is right, Inception burrows into your psyche and you see all the evidence you need to reinforce the idea. There are enough discrepancies to suspect that Cobb's stuck in a dream, but there are enough rules defining reality that indicate otherwise. Unless, of course, you believe that Cobb is fooling himself by making up said rules to convince himself he's not in a dream when he actually is. If that sounds confusing, Inception's done its job.

Inception is a little too long in places, testing the viewer's patience as it delves four levels deep into the subconscious, each with different timeframes, settings, and plots. Part of the fun is watching the movie again to look for clues that reinforce what we secretly thought we knew all along.

Me? I'm convinced I know the truth. But then maybe Inception put that idea in my head.

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BLU-RAY:

I just finished watching Inception for the second time. The Blu-ray is amazing. The PQ and AQ are perfect in every way. I did notice that the video was not as sharp, crisp, or clear as The Dark Knight. However it was very, very good. The audio is very bass heavy, but is up there with some of the best Blu-ray AQ I have heard. The movie was stunning all the way through and after another watch it is just as good if not better than the first time I watched it.

The special features are great. Disc two is full of behind the scenes and a dream documentary by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. On the first disc there is expansion mode which takes you behind the scenes and shows you each special effects scene and all which went into creating it. It is really interesting to watch. Very little CGI special effects were used on this film. They actually did most of the stunts or build huge models. It was really cool to watch.

MOVIE:

I went into Inception thinking very positive and with high hopes that this will be one of my new favorite movies. I based this simply on the trailer. I was not let down in the slightest, and I was blown away by the originality and creativity of the film. The directing, acting, and cinematography were all amazing. It is a beautiful film.

After seeing Inception I will have a hard time watching any other movie ever again. Anything else would seem boring and useless. I went to see The Expendables in theaters. Horrible. I couldn't understand what the interest in this film was. It was just violence and explosions; No story or plot. Just useless violence.

I can see where people may think of Inception as something similar to the theme of the Matrix. It sort of has the same basic idea of people being hooked up to a machine, leaving their bodies and going somewhere else. Besides that, there wasn't much at all which reminded me of the Matrix. Each scene held its own new originality in the most creative way as possible.

As far as Inception being hard to follow... well, I had no trouble following it at all. The three friends and my eleven-year-old brother had no trouble following it. I believe people who are more open minded would follow and understand it much better than people who are not willing to believe the story. Parts are incredible to believe, but you have to be open and let the story take place.

The creativity and attention to each shot and scene really paid off in the end. The film was perfect in every way in my opinion. Things were done which we have never seen before and it was done so well. It has set a new standard for films, at least in my mind. The directing style is similar to The Dark Knight, however they seemed to give Christopher Nolan more creative freedom with Inception.

The acting was top notch. I liked that Leo's character, Cobb, seemed a little weak minded at times. Usually he plays a strong character, but in this film his character had a weakness. Joseph Gordon-Levitt played a larger role than I expected. I was impressed with his character as well. Most of the crazy stunts, anti-gravity, jumping off walls and fighting people in mid air kind of stuff were with his character. Very cool. Ellen Page played a young architect which is hired to build cities within a person's mind. She did a great job as well. Each character was so well thought out and everyone added just the right amount to perfectly blend each character into the story.

If you're a fan of films which touch on subjects which most movies dare not go, you owe it to yourself to see this film. You won't be disappointed. I am very glad I got to see it on the big screen.

Video

Video codec: VC-1

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

French: Dolby Digital 5.1

Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

French: Dolby Digital 5.1

Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (less)

Subtitles

English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese

English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese (less)

Discs

50GB Blu-ray Disc

Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)

Digital copy (on disc)

DVD copy

Bonus View (PiP)

BD-Live

Read Best Reviews of Inception (2012) Here

Thank god there was one movie this summer not based on a comic book, a previous movie, television show, Disney ride, or candy wrapper. You actually had to invest some functioning brain activity to follow the plot and keep up with four simultaneous finales going on at the same time within different dream levels. And the ending was open to your own feelings or interpretation. Was he still in a dream or not? If you were still on board and paying attention, you may have noticed Leonardo's character didn't really care at that point, so why should we? It was a fun ride.

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`Inception' is a hard movie to judge. Basically, it is a mind-bender, and as such should be judged by two criteria: How good of a mind-bender is it? And, How much does it create a realm of its own with phenomena and rules of causality that work consistently?

In my mind `Inception,' despite some derivative elements, is an inventive movie that provides mind-enveloping reactions well after the viewing is over. Much like Lynch's `Inland Empire' before it, the movie coalesces well into one's imagination and lingers in the mind for days to come.

Being brief with the story is difficult, and I'm sure by now you've probably digested a great deal of material elsewhere. Washed up on an Asian seashore, American businessman, Cobb (Di Caprio) meets with an elderly leader to obtain a contract and defeat his enemies. To accomplish this, he offers to perform an "extraction," a means of obtaining secrets from a person`s subconscious during one's dream life. In the midst of their negotiations, an entire village riots and takes over the building where they meet, and Cobb and his sidekick, Arthur, (Gordon-Levitt) fight and flee to save their lives....

In this beginning scene the lines are partially drawn between dreams and awakening, but the surrealistic landscape also provides Nolan ample opportunities to provide his trademark action-adventure for his science fiction saga.

Cobb later meets an old professor (Caine) who sagely links him to a prodigy student, Ariadne, (Page) who can assist him with his next assignment and help straighten out his perspective and proper use of inceptions, or the use of subliminal persuasion, participating in another's subconscious perceptions and manipulating them during their dreams. In their first assignment together, he plans to have a rich man's son and heir, Robert Fischer (Murphy) change his mind about his father's will, so he will be able to either obtain or sabotage his inheritance.

There are dreams, and there are dreams within dreams, and one of Cobb's plans is to have three levels of dreaming going on at once to have the most persuasive power on Fisher.

Intertwined are revelations from Cobb's subconscious, revealed with Ariadne, who joins him on his subliminal journey and witnesses some of his life-changing events with his wife (Cotillard). In a partial revelation, Cobb admits he included his wife in some of his dream work with complications that has created strife in their relationship.

As you might imagine, problems develop that make the operation work less neatly and easily as planned, so discerning what level of dreaming and what level of reality are taking place also becomes blurred. The exposition and details are laid out more concretely than Lynch's worlds, but the caveats others have placed about paying attention are well founded.

Besides the mood of mind-benders like Lynch's `Mulholland Drive,' Nolan has borrowed and alchemized elements from inventive movies like the truly excellent Japanese anime' adventure `Paprika' and movies like 'The Cell,' but the results are truly new and effective.

I have to admit my biases. I love mind-benders, and it's no accident that Christopher Nolan and David Lynch are at the top of my list of favorite directors. This creates a problem because if you love mind-benders as a rule, it is sometimes difficult to separate effective works from those that don't work as well.

I was originally wavering between four and five stars for this film based on the ending. I'll give no details for that, but, I've decided, like 'Inland Empire' before it, `Inception' may seem abrupt, but its import as a surrealistic experience is nearly as mind-altering. 'Inception' deserves attention, awards, multiple viewings, and the time needed for a truly rewarding film experience. If you love Lynch's work, you will probably also love 'Inception,' but one could concede this movie isn`t as effective at playing with your noodle. On the other hand, if you find Lynch's films to be frustrating or too abstract, then Nolan's 'Inception' may give you a more satisfying sense of concreteness and closure overall.

(Tom Berenger and Ken Watanabe join an outstanding cast for a taut movie experience.)

(Some loose ends of `Inception' have been tightened from information from imdb.)

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The Santa Clause 2 (10th Anniversary)

The first Santa Clause was a wonderful take on the big guy in red. It made me a believer in Santa Claus. It showed how human Santa is.

The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs Clause was just as awesome. This time, Santa must find a Mrs. before Christmas Eve otherwise Santa will become Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) for good.

The movie was geared towards children; or children at heart. This time there are more elves, 2 Santas and a reindeer in training named "Chet". The opening sequence is precious. It shows a militaristic view of how Santa and the elves keep their "North Pole" home a secret. Then there was the scene with the "symbols" of make believe. There was Mother Nature, Father Time, the Easter Bunny, Cupid, the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy (or as he wanted to be known as THE MOLINATOR.

Charlie (Eric Lloyd), Scott Calvin's son, is all grown up and getting into plenty of trouble. He is rebelling against Christmas because he cannot tell anyone what his dad does for a living.

Scott's ex-wife Laura Miller (Wendy Crewson), now married to Neil (Judge Reinhold), is the legal guardian of Charlie. Her part was small.

The movie centered on Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell), the principal of Charlie's school. She is constantly giving Charlie a hard time because of his behavior. Scott, or Santa, comes in to talk to her and save his son from being suspended. In the process, he (Scott) starts to pursue Carol because the "Mrs Clause" runs out Christmas Eve. Santa, now Scott because he has "desantaficated" himself, has a little Santa magic to use. If he runs out before finding a wife, he cannot return to the North Pole.

Our lovable head elf, Bernard (David Krumholtz) is back. He has the task of keeping the North Pole afloat while a duplicate (& military style) plastic Santa runs things.

The music was beautiful. The sets were superiorly designed and detailed.

The whole movie is enchanting. In this day and age with war all around us and nothing but "R" and "PG-13" rated films, it is nice to have a "G" rated movie for everyone. It was a thrill to see the typical Disney opening sequence.

You do not have to be a kid to see this. I believe in Santa Claus. Tim Allen is brilliant. I truely believe in Santa. When I turn 90 years young, I will still believe in Santa.

Go see this movie. You will believe.

If you are looking for an excellent holiday family comedy that the entire family can enjoy, than buy the SANTA CLAUSE 2 on DVD or video! In the sequel to the first hit comedy, Scott Calvin (played by Tim Allen) is in grave trouble. First his son Charlie (played by Eric Lloyd) is destroying the school with graffiti and infuriating the evil principal Ms Newman (played by Elizabeth Mitchell) and then the elves up at the North Pole reveal that if Santa isn't married by Christmas, he'll stop being Santa forever! So Scott creates a new robotic clone of himself and goes off to find the Mrs. Clause, while at the same time the robot is taking over the North Pole!! Will Santa save the day in time....and still get married to Mrs. Clause?? This movie is great for all ages and has an excellent returning cast and characters, including some new elves and reindeer!! Two thumbs up for THE SANTA CLAUSE 2!!!

Buy The Santa Clause 2 (10th Anniversary) Now

Our parents' generation had such wonderful classics as "Holiday Inn," "White Christmas," "It's a Wonderful Life," etc. I think it's taken Hollywood a VERY long time to come up with something remotely as wonderful as those old movies and finally, albeit this one is not a musical, but they've finally achieved it in "The Santa Clause" series. If you don't have these, you definitely need to get them both. Honestly, Tim Allen is just wonderful in them and really makes the story quite frankly. Writers or not, he just takes it and goes and I would think that the majority of what he says is "ad lib" on his part.

This sequel to the first is really great. You never really buy sequels as a rule, but this one is definitely different. When Allen finds out he has to get married to stay Santa, it's pretty amusing to see what the elves go through to get him married off. Everything from making a "fake Santa" gone bad, to destroying the fake Santa's army of bad tin soldiers, keeps the kids entertained throughout. It's a very sweet story, one that explains a lot about the Santa legend to those children with questions. It definitely has the Disney touch, with I think is great and not a marketing thing at all as indicated in the review at the top of this item description. Anyway, be sure to grab this set I still feel really sad when Allen is refusing to be Santa in the first movie and the sad face of the child that they show afterwards. It's just heartbreaking. Buy these and have wonderful memories with your children, so that they can enjoy them with their children. There's no "White Christmas" song by Irving Berlin on this one, but if you really miss it, then just play it in the background and pass that video on down too!

Read Best Reviews of The Santa Clause 2 (10th Anniversary) Here

A nice holiday film. Pretty good sequel. Not quite as warm as the first, but touching at times and certainly enjoyable family entertainment. The plot is ok; the writing is good.

About seven years after the events in the first "Clause", the North Pole is bustling with activity about a month before Christmas. The opening sequence gives a nice, fanciful view of Santa's village and workshops. You see Santa as a good manager/leader happily encouraging the elves in their efforts.

But trouble is on the horizon literally in the opening sequence and figuratively in the form of two problems: Charlie, Santa's son, has grown into a teenager and is getting in trouble for rebelling against a repressive school principal with no holiday cheer; and Santa finds another "clause" that says he must find a Mrs. Claus or he will be "de-Santafied", reverting back to Scott Calvin. And he has only 28 days before this marriage must occur, coinciding of course with Christmas Eve.

A cute scene occurs at the North Pole as it is Santa's turn to host a Board Meeting of Legendary Characters: The Easter Bunny, Cupid, The Tooth Fairy, Mother Nature, Father Time (Peter Boyle) and The Sandman (Michael Dorn of Star Trek:TNG fame).

Charlie now has a six year old stepsister and this young actress does a very nice job with her role. She is charming.

While Santa is away looking for a wife and tending to Charlie's troubles, bad tidings occur at the North Pole beware of soul-less technology and a rigid enforcement of "the rules"!

I don't like giving anything away for people who plan to see the movie. I would suggest that this movie will work much better if you have seen the first movie. So if you haven't seen "The Santa Clause", rent and watch that before this.

I also wonder how effective this movie would be for children under six. This sequel's content, while rated G, feels a bit older than the first.

The acting is well-done and comes across as genuine, though the Bernard character seems a bit overplayed with more broad physicality than seems needed.

Happy Holidays!

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I thought this was a great movie. I liked the first one, but I think this one is even better, especially since they have the people in this movie as was in the first one. As soon as it comes out on DVD I am going to buy it. It seems good to have a movie that anyone can go to. We need more of these. I might be old fashioned but I like family movies as well as the older ones.

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Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection (Caliber 9 / The Italian Connection / The Boss / Rulers of the Cit

After watching way too many poor transfers of Euro films from the seventies, it's a real treat when I get a chance to see them released by a studio that actually cares what the final product looks like. In my opinion, Raro Video did an outstanding job with these four films, from the production value of the transfers to the package as a whole. I'm not going to imply that each one of these films is a five-star effort even though fans of this director and this genre will most likely rate them very high, while others may nitpick at them rather that it is the collection itself that I'm rating as top of the line, one that any enthusiast of Eurocrime or seventies cinema will find it well worth their time to track down.

Were I to rate them separately, I would give each film four stars they all have their plusses and minuses, which seem inextricably linked in each. The first three films Caliber 9, The Italian Connection, and The Boss are part of Di Leo's 'Milieu Trilogy', a loosely linked series that doesn't follow a continuous storyline, but rather examines the criminal landscape of Italy in the early 1970's. Taking inspiration from the stories of Russian-born émigré Giorgio Scerbanenco, 'Caliber 9' (Milano Calibro 9) may very well be the overall best of the three, with Gastone Moschin taking up the part of the just-released convict Ugo Piazza, whom the berserk Mario Adorf suspects of having stolen money from his organization prior to the start of his three year-prison sentence. Labeled as noir by some, with a plot twisting and turning as well as anything by Chandler or Hammett, this film has one remarkable ending.

Mario Adorf returns in 'The Italian Connection' (La Mala Ordina) as a small-time pimp and hustler Luca Canali who gets served up as a fall-guy for two American hit men (Woody Strode and Henry Silva), who are sent to Milan to make an example of the man who stole a shipment of heroin. On the run, with nothing to lose, its either fight back against the overwhelming odds or die. This one is also based on a Scerbanenca story, and though I don't think it's quite on the same level as 'Caliber 9', it is still an extremely entertaining film. Henry Silva is back again in the trilogy's final installment, 'The Boss' (Il Boss), as bit-player Nick Lanzetta, and the film tracks his violent climb to the top of the organization. Somewhat talky, which slows down the film in spots, Silva still shines as an ice-cold killer.

The last film, supposedly exclusive to this box set, is 'Rulers of the City' (I Padroni della Città) with Jack Palance, Al Cliver and Harry Baer. This film seems somewhat mislabeled as a comedy it is a bit more light-hearted than the others, but that's about it. Baer (looking like nothing so much as the younger brother of Robert Downey Jr.) and Cliver, a couple of nobodies trying to get ahead in the world, scam Palance's organization out of 10 million Lira. Getting the money was easy getting away with it is the hard part.

All four films are highly entertaining, though time and distance mutes some of the social commentary that di Leo peppered his films with. All but 'The Italian Connection' include a soundtrack by Luis Bacalov, which reminds me (especially in 'Caliber 9') of the outstandingly funky pinball theme from Sesame Street. I watched all the films in Italian, but they all come with both English and Italian options. From my understanding, all Italian films from this time were re-dubbed after filming, even for Italian audiences, and 'Caliber 9' has probably the worst dubbing of the four films, though I consider this somewhat to be expected with these films and don't subtract much because of it. The 'Milieu Trilogy' films are all in 16x9 anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1; 'Rulers of the City' is non-anamorphic wide-screen (black bars on top, bottom and sides). Above all, these films look terrific. Restored and remastered, they pop off the screen. Extras include five documentaries spread out over the four discs, consisting of interviews with Di Leo, his actors and crew, and historians to address different subjects relating to each film. Also included in the box set is a small booklet containing excerpts of the Di Leo interview.

While its understandable that anyone can get a lemon, I thought the packaging in this collection was fine each film comes in its own case, and which are exactly the same as regular DVD packaging except that they are half as thick. The DVD itself is affixed to a spindle to keep it in place (as it is in traditional cases), and unlike some cheap sets, the tension on the spindle is sufficient to keep the DVD from slipping off and banging around loose inside the case. All my DVD's arrived in good shape and played well, and I highly recommend the entire set.

Nothing to add in the way of another film review.

The treatment of these movies is good, they look and sound very nice.

Yes, the cases are a bit flimsy but they're acceptable.

I, too, had an issue with the Il Boss disc. The feature doesn't freeze up but the Storie di Mafia documentary does have the 30 second audio delay. It's pretty f'n annoying and might render it unwatchable for many. I'm pretty patient with such things and still had a difficult time.

The "anyone can get a lemon" assessment by an earlier reviewer doesn't apply here.

The now-majority of Amazon buyers are having these same problems.

What seems odd to me is that the quality warnings on here are getting "1 out of 5 found this helpful" responses.

Seems to me that it might be kind of important to a potential buyer.

For whatever it's worth I'll contact RaroVideo.

Still, I won't be returning the set.

The films are great and I'm happy to have spent $20 to have them collected.

UPDATE: The good people at RaroVideo are aware of the issue, have fixed it and have offered to send me a replacement.

Buy Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection (Caliber 9 / The Italian Connection / The Boss / Rulers of the Cit Now

When I first heard these films would hit Blu-Ray, I was pretty excited since these Di Leo films are among his best and are some of my all time favorites. It was going to be great to see these films in definitive home video editions! Sadly, these new transfers don't look very good at all. They are swimming with digital noise and artifacts that may have been film grain at one point but is now a mass of swirling fuzz. The further away from the TV you get, the better the image appears to look.

The major letdown of the set, however, are the weird, split-second video glitches on the Blu-Ray disc of The Italian Connection (that can be seen in this photo I took here ). Another similar glitch can be seen during the lumberyard fight, and then at least 5 more instances are seen during the final junkyard scene. I'm pretty sure this isn't an isolated incident, so if you've encountered these video glitches throughout the disc, please let Raro know that they need to correct this. They seem to not be willing to fix this problem at the moment and replied with this message to me:

"Thanks for pointing out the problem with the Italian Connection blu-ray. Unfortunately, at this point there's not much we can do to correct the disc. If you're dissatisfied with the collection you can return it and we'll issue you a refund. Alternatively we can send you the single DVD of the Italian Connection, so that you have a clean copy. Again, thank you for your feedback and ongoing interest in RaroVideo."

I'll most likely be returning my Blu-Ray set for a refund and sticking with the original Italian Raro DVDs that still look surprisingly great upconverted on my HDTV. It's a bummer. I want to support Raro because they are consistently releasing interesting and desirable Italian films that are English friendly. But, with their track record of quality already down the tubes, it's hard to recommend blind buying anything they release (Before this, they had issues with their DVD versions of The Boss and Dorian Grey). My fingers are crossed that they can overcome this and drastically improve their quality control.

Originally posted on

Read Best Reviews of Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection (Caliber 9 / The Italian Connection / The Boss / Rulers of the Cit Here

In the past year or so I've really gotten into Italian cult cinema, mainly Giallo, but I've also become a growing fan of actresses such as Barbara Bouchet and Marisa Mell. When I learned a Bouchet film was going to be released on Blu-ray in this four film series I jumped on it, especially at the price point of $23.99 (what I pre-ordered it at). Having seen none of these films before and still being rather new to the Euro-Crime genre I didn't know what to expect. Having watched them all I'm glad I took the plunge.

Transfer wise there's no complaints from me, then again I'm not overly picky about picture and sound like some people are. I've watched and enjoyed enough bad VHS rips that for me it's more about the entertainment value than the quality, quality is just a bonus. But here the quality appears to be top notch to me, definitely better than I'm sure these films have ever looked before.

Film wise my personal favorite out of the four was The Italian Connection, for me it had the best combination of non stop action and story, Mario Adorf is simply awesome, never a dull moment. The other three films are also entertaining in their own rights, although I was a little disappointed in Caliber 9, Bouchet's role was pretty minimal and as one of the more hyped films in the collection I actually found it a little boring at times, Mario Adorf and the limited amount of Bouchet carried that one for me.

Anyone whose a fan of these films or this genre should be more than happy with this set. The current price of $24.99 is simply a steal for these four films on Blu-ray.

3.5 stars for average entertainment value of the films.

5 stars for the value of the set itself.

Average 4 stars.

Want Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection (Caliber 9 / The Italian Connection / The Boss / Rulers of the Cit Discount?

These 4 Fernando Di leo movies are amont The best eurocrimes movies ever. My preference goes to Calibre 9, a nearby masterpiece.

The whole box is a treat: The hi-def transfers are perfect, great bonuses all over... Raro video made a good choice and a truly great work.

Highly recommended.

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Gate of Hell (Criterion Collection) (1953)

In 1953, Teinosuke Kinugasa (1896-1982) directed and co-adapted the historical play entitled "Jigokumon" (English transliteration of the Japanese title), which was written by Kan Kikuchi (1888-1948). The film's name (the same as the play) translates into English as "Gate of Hell", and was released theatrically in the U.S. in 1954. The story takes place in 12th-century Japan during the Heian period and at the start of a revolt. During the confusion and fear running rampant through the royal palace in Kyoto, a lady of the court, Lady Kesa (Machiko Kyô), is rescued by a soldier named Moritoh (Kazuo Hasegawa, 1908-1984). After the revolt fails, Moritoh is told that he can have anything that he wants, and what he wants is Lady Kesa to be his wife. He is quickly told, however, that she is already married to Wataru Watanabe (Isao Yamagata, 1915-1996). Rather than seek something different, Moritoh becomes dangerously obsessed with Lady Kesa.

Filmed in beautiful & vibrant color (probably one of the first color films from Japan), the cinematography in "Gate of Hell" is exquisite. The story is by no means dated, though it does become somewhat predictable. Still, it is both compelling and engaging and the acting is superb, especially Machiko Kyô. Memorable scenes in the film include the confusion at the royal palace, Laky Kesa hiding from traitorous soldiers, Moritoh meeting Lady Kesa and her aunt after the revolt, Moritoh given the choice of his heart's desire, the horse races, Moritoh at the home of Lady Kesa's aunt, and the ending scenes. The makeup used on Moritoh could have been better.

The film won several awards including an Oscar for Best Costume Design, an Honorary Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the prestigious Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Overall, I rate "Gate of Hell" with 4 out of 5 stars. Hopefully, the film will be fully restored and released on DVD one day. I highly recommend the film.

I first saw this at a revival in the early eighties and couldn't believe how beautiful it was. Then I got this video and was suprized that it wasn't nearlly as beautiful as I remembered. The reason wasn't a bad memory, but the original prints used for showings have rotted in film vaults, and have become blurry, faded, and scrathy. I was very disappointed that Home Vision didn't present this digitally remastered and restored with new computer subtitles (the subtitles are quite crude). That's the reason I didn't give this five stars other than that, this is one of Japan's greatest masterpieces. The ending is pretty sad but has a beautiful ending. The degree that Moritoh will go to get Kesa is trully horrifying and Moritoh transforms from a herioc samurai warrior and hero of the film to a maniacal barbarian and villian. Recommended, but maybe the more picky film viewer who has an outburst everytime a scratch line goes down a film should perhaps wait until this is restored to the experiance it once was.

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Gate of Hell (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1953)

The 1950s in Japan were a great time for costume dramas. Witness Gate of Hell (Jigokumon), Teinosuke Kinugasa's multi-Western-award-winning (Oscar: Best Foreign Film and Best Costume Design, New York Film Critics' Circle: Best Foreign Film, BAFTA Best Film, Cannes Grand Prize) flick about obsessive love and its inevitable end.

Moritoh (Genji Monogatari's Kazuo Hasegawa) helps put down a revolt, and is rewarded with anything he desires. What he desires is the beautiful Kesa (Ugikusa's Machiko Kyo), but he finds out that Kesa is already married to another samurai, Wataru (Isao Yamagata of The Seven Samurai). This knowledge doesn't faze Moritoh in the least; he sets about trying to win Kesa's love by proving himself a better warrior than her husband.

It is a good film, but it could have been a better one. Midnight Eye's summary of the film says that "Kinugasa himself was fully aware of his picture's dramatic weaknesses, and blamed intervention from his producer, an under-developed script and a rushed working schedule due to a release date fixed in advance. Whilst impressive in its performances, and the ambition and scale of its production, with a little more attention to plotting, one gets the feeling that it could have been a truly great film." This is quite the case. While it is undeniably a stunning picture, even by today's standards-the rather primitive film stock (this was Japan's first color film) does nothing to mask the intricacy of the set design, the brilliant, almost expressionist color scheme, or Kinugasa's excellent eye when it comes to action scenes-the plot is presented in almost stop-motion fashion, with one excellently-acted scene after another, but nothing to tie them together.

This does not, by any means, mean you should avoid this movie. Any film containing Machiko Kyo, possibly the single most beautiful actress working in filmdom in the 1950s, and certainly one of the handful of the most talented, is well worth watching. Hasegawa makes Moritoh into a figure who is less frightening than pathetic, a man who is driven solely by his demons, who has entirely lost his soul to obsession, while Yamagata plays Wataru as a blissfully ignorant chap who is given every opportunity to see tragedy rushing towards him, but refuses until it's on his doorstep staring him in the face. It could have been great, but because it's not doesn't mean it's not good. ***

Read Best Reviews of Gate of Hell (Criterion Collection) (1953) Here

This film wowed the critics when it first came out in the 1950's. The extraordinary medieval costumes and exquisite color compositions dazzled the audiences. Today, even Martin Scorsese ranks the movie among his top 10 of foreign films. It must have influenced so many Japanese directors when they attempted to create their own epics.

Obviously, I prefer the masterpieces of Kurosawa or Kobayashi or Mizoguchi. This is a very good film rather than a great one. Nevertheless...this movie grows on you. Other reviewers discuss the basic plot: Moritoh, a warrior who quashes a revolt, is to be rewarded for his bravery by the emperor's regent. He is asked to choose any gift from the emperor. During the revolt, he encounters the beautiful Lady Kesa, who is kind to him. Like a fool, he demands that he be given Lady Kesa as a wife, even though she is already married to a lord of higher class. Everyone asks him to desist.. but pride, madness, and desire prevent him from doing so. He vows to destroy anyone who stands in his path and goes so far as to kidnap his prize. On the other side of the wall, rather than defend his wife from such outrageous conduct, Lady Kesa's intellectual husband takes no violent action to protect her.

The scenes are enhanced by the exaggerated dramatic, strong movements of Moritoh against the delicate movements of Kesa. Notwithstanding, she is just as strong a character as he is. I give this movie 5 stars because I felt this was Machiko Kyo's best performance. Every gesture of hers can be studied for meaning.

The ending of the film grabs me so much because it is pregnant with so much significance. Don't rush to judgment think about it. There are secrets to the ending.

Postcript: The Blu-Ray quality is marvelous don't even think about seeing the movie in any other format. I also love the glorious poster artwork on the cover of this Criterion Edition.

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I saw this last night on TCM, which, BTW, is a rare treasure on the medium of the "idiot box". Isn't it remarkable that this movie is 53 years old, and it still sparkles? What an accomplishment! It had the ingredients of a truly great film complex characters that are developed fully and efficiently, great story-telling with attention to details, and good acting a little stylized, but keep in mind that that impression might be due partially to Westerners unfamiliarity with Japanese culture, and partially to how the definition of "good acting" has evolved.

I love the film's nobility and moral rectitude. Those were the days when (and we were in a culture where) "doing the right thing" was the expected norm. It was seen in Moritoh's loyalty at the price of at least it seems at the time expediency, which was preceded by Kesa's unflinching sense of duty and willingness to lay down her own life. This is the beauty of Kesa's "soul" that Moritoh found out all-too-late he failed to see, which manifested itself as bookends in the plot, but is in fact the moral center of the movie. Such ideals are no longer frequently or fully embraced these days. Look at how we glorify criminals in shows like The Sopranos and Thief. I also liked how the plot falls together: Kesa's readiness to sacrifice herself at the outset of the story made her self-immolation at the end of the film ring true. The little details: remember the talk of chestnuts when Moritoh first saw Kesa with her aunt? We saw later on those very chestnuts hanging on the swaying trees during Moritoh's unfortunate night time visit. When Wataru and Kesa took what turned out to be their last walk in the garden under a full moon, it was all peace and serenity. The very same setting is transformed sinister and ominous just moments later, with the moon now hidden by clouds, as Moritoh slowly emerges out of the darkness in the background a truly masterful and memorable scene in the history of cinema.

The theme of "folly" pervades the movie: we see a lot of it just from one character, Lord Kiyamori and he's a top dog and a leader! His son had to advise him to act quickly to quash the uprising when we first see him. He then failed to reward Kesa, who is every bit as deserving as Moritoh of recognition. Even if you chalk that failure up to the times and the culture, you can't excuse his Jephthah-like stupidity and arrogance in giving Moritoh pretty much carte-blanche in his wish for a reward. What's more, we have his incessant and insensitive teasing instrumental in precipitating the tragedy, in that it made the proud Moritoh all the more determined to have Kesa. Was Wataru cowardly, foolish, or both, when he "threw" the race? Lest you missed it, there's the cruel irony of Moritoh's comment after his brother's treachery resulted in his execution, "My brother was a foolish man". Moritoh proved to be no Solomon.

I thought it was a little frustrating to watch Kesa's helplessness when Moritoh blackmailed her. Surely there's another way out, woman! But I suppose that's part of the tragic theme: all the characters had strengths as well as tragic flaws. At the risk of second-guessing the director of a great movie, I felt that he could have kept the identity of the person in bed a secret until the moment of truth, but I'm sure I need to remind myself that this is not meant to be a thriller. I'd like to watch this movie again, maybe along with a movie it reminds me of: Kurosawa's Ran.

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Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Set 1 (2013)

May we never get too old for Shounen Anime.

Rikuo Nura seems like an normal middle school student. After school, he hangs out with his friends in their special club a club dedicated to finding Yokai, Japanese Demons. Unknown to them, Rikuo is destined to be the head of the Nura Clan, and lead the night parade of a thousand demons. Though he vehemently denies his demon blood at first, pressure from his clans enemies push Rikuo to make a decision.

It's hard to judge a Shounen Anime, because the earliest installments don't usually reflect the series's full potential. These early episodes have simple plots somehow Rikuo's friends are being threatened by demons, and he miraculously transforms into his night form to save them right in the nick of time. None of his enemies try attacking at dawn after he's revered back to his human form. A cynical viewer might find it boring, but fans of the less flashy shounen series might appreciate the slow start. Almost reminds me of Rurouni Kenshin, where the bumbling wanderer Himura would "transform" into a skilled swordsman to save everyone at the end of each episode.

What's refreshing is Rikuo's character, he's a nice, ordinary boy (if you don't count the demon blood). He doesn't have a Punk attitude like Yusuke (Yu Yu Hakusho) or Ichigo (Bleach), and he's not dumb as a box of rocks like Goku (Dragonball) or Luffy (One Piece). His problem is somewhat relateable, "Are you willing to shoulder a lifelong responsibility? Because the alternative is watching the system fall apart without you?" And he behaves in a believable way.

What doesn't help are most of his friends from school: the two boys and two girls who add almost nothing every episode, except to need rescuing. The leader of the club, Kiyotsugu, is the most annoying character in the series. He goes on and on about Yokai like a broken record.

His real allies do help carry the series:

A few demons from the Nura Clan follow Rikuo around, an ice apparition Yukionna, and an demonic monk Aotabo.

A talented omniyoji, Yura Keikain, joins the Yokai Club in the third episode. Yura usually acts like the cliche' emotionless girl, but she does get into difficult situations that allow her to express herself, and that's when she becomes likable, instead of being a clone of Yuki Nagato (or Rei Ayanami).

Kana Ienaga is Rikuo's would-be girlfriend, who had feelings for Rikuo, but is in love with his demonic half, and like Lois Lane before her, she can't seem to put it together.

Overall, it's a good start for a shounen series. We get a good feel for the characters, and we get to see Rikuo's first steps towards becoming leader of the Nura Clan, and after this, it looks like world is going to start opening up. What keeps it from being perfect are:

#1. Rikuo's human friends are useless. Especially, Kiyotsugu, who is useless and annoying.

#2. There's no tension Rikuo's demon half usually wins without a problem.

#3. Hardly any special features. I like commentary tracks, and a cultural guide would have been nice. (Some people don't know what a omniyoji is.)

If you're curious, I think it's worth the time. It's a really great series to watch on TV, or watch Steaming. I don't know where the series is going, so I can't recommend an automatic Buy. But, it does look great on Bluray, so use your best judgement. I rate it a 4-out-of-5 Stars.

Before I begin this review I want to say that it is for the Blu-ray set only, and not the DVD release. Not that it makes much a difference, except for the quality... it will also be a review of the product and dub voice actors/features too. Not a review of the actual series for the most part.

When this series first released in Japan in the summer of 2010 I knew I wanted to try it out, but decided ahead of time that I'd rather see it dubbed. So finally, 3 years later, it is released here in the U.S. dubbed! It was well worth the wait for me.

What you get with this box set is not much to say the least. As far as extras go all you receive is the creditless opening and ending themes, color production art and a trailer for Viz Media's Neon Alley service (still more extras than InuYasha The Final Act got though). The case is the usual Blu-ray disc casing with the cheap recyclable packaging. The only insert that it came with was an advertisement for Neon Alley (all Viz releases contain this now.) As far as the cover art goes I'm personally not a fan of it. I wanted something with more action and characters on it, but it'll do until the series /hopefully/ gets a full set release, if it does that is. The disc art looks amazing though. It's so simple, but the illustrations of night Rikuo and Tsurara look great with the pink and blue colors behind them. For the quality of the Blu-ray release it is in the regular 1080i quality and looks fantastic. The colors look vibrant and very high quality on my flatscreen.

The dub voice actors and voice actresses all fit pretty well I think. I specifically feel that Rikuo (night & human) got a perfect voice actor for him. I would have liked his yokai side to sound a little bit older and darker/more mysterious though, but it definitely does fit and I can live with it. Other notable voice actors in this dub are Kana and Tsurara's voice actresses. Kana specifically sounds perfect for her character, and unlike most shonen anime series, her voice is not whiny and annoying which is really a plus. All of the other voices work good too though, none I've heard so far are unfitting.

Even though this set does not contain many extras or added material it was still worth the $35 dollars that I paid for it. If you're hesitant to spend $30-$40 on a completely new series then you can head over to Viz Media's official YouTube and view a 2 minute clip of the dub for yourself. Hulu (U.S. citizens only) can view both seasons 1 and 2 of this series for free with English subtitles on there. Viz Media's new Neon Alley PS3 subscription service also broadcasts this series first and second season dubbed as well, if you have a PS3 and would be interested in the 1 week trial they've been giving out.

Overallthe voices fit, dub is good, nice illustrations on the discs and the quality on the Blu-rays are absolutely amazing.

Buy Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Set 1 (2013) Now

Kind of reminds me of InuYasha. Nura, leads a night league of 100 demons. This first 3 disk set just gets everyone acquainted with the characters, and some of their abilities, but this is another nice series from Viz Media. Great job guys! I like it!

RDJ

Read Best Reviews of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Set 1 (2013) Here

I've seen a good share of anime's in the past year and I must say this anime is not like the typical anime I have watched. I would say this anime is by far my favorite.

This anime has mystery and a little suspense in it. I found myself having a hard time turning it off and couldn't believe how easily I became hooked. Watching the first couple episodes, I wasn't expecting this anime to have any love connections in it but sure enough love is finding it's way in. Fortunately, it is not a love triangle like most anime's end up being (or at least not so far). Even though this anime may contain the typical anime plot, I find it interesting to see what decisions Rikuo Nura decides during the day as a normal Human and as a Yokai at night.

I've already pre-ordered my copy of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan set 2 and can't wait for it's arrival in August! I would recommend this anime.

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This anime is different from the average anime's I've purchased in the past. I must say that I absolutely love this anime and can't wait for the second part to come out. This anime has a mix of blood, fighting, mystery and love in it. Each episode seemed to pull me in further and further that it was hard for me to turn it off. I would recommend this anime.

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Thumbelina (1994)

What gives? This is a sweet, endearing, lovely story with great animation--so why do so many people dislike it? Heck, after watching this movie, *I* daydreamed about being Thumbelina. Admit it, wouldn't you like it?

The traditional Hans Christian Anderson story: A woman who wishes for a daughter is blessed with one in a flower--and she's about six inches tall. But this doesn't matter to Mother or her array of barnyard animals, who love Thumbelina dearly. However, soon a handsome fairy prince named Cornelius arrives and is smitten with Thumbelina. After taking her on a ride on his pet bumblebee, he has to leave but promises to come back.

That night, Thumbelina is kidnapped by a family of singing frogs, but as she escapes with the help of a French swallow, she ends up in deeper and deeper trouble.

Some things in this movie are rather cloying--the jitterbugs, for example--but they're too small a part of the movie to be noticeable. Thumbelina is not a macho heroine, so don't expect her to act like one--she's a lost, frightened girl who's been sheltered all of her life. She shows remarkable strength and I got the feeling that the Thumbelina at the end was very different from the girl at the beginning.

Cornelius remains my favorite character. Our first glimpse of the adolescent fairy is after he escapes from a royal parade, where he is forced to sit on *snicker* a white butterfly. He's strong, funny, interesting, lifelike, and... dare I say it?... sexy.

Ten to one your kid will adore this movie.

Lovely animated musical version of THUMBELINA featuring a fantastic score by Barry Manilow and the well-executed animation style of Don Bluth.

Tiny Thumbelina's peaceful life with her mother is enlivened by her chance encounter with Cornelius, Prince of the Fairies. They quickly fall in love when the thumb-sized waif is kidnapped by overzealous Mrs Toad as a prospective new bride for her oldest son. She escapes only to find herself hoplessly lost in a big big world. Salvation comes in the form of the kindly Mrs Field Mouse who offers Thumbelina a warm home during the bitter frost. However even the Field Mouse expects something in return, so Thumblina is forced to marry her neighbour Mr Mole. At the 11th hour Thumbelina escapes with the help of Jacquimo, a swallow that she saved from death, who reunites her with Prince Cornelius and her mother.

This film features lush animation from Don Bluth. As other reviewers have noted, the woodland scenes and characters are reminiscent of Bluth's masterwork THE SECRET OF NIMH. The human characters are beautifully-drawn.

Jodi Benson, who also voiced Disney's LITTLE MERMAID, is perfect in the role of Thumbelina. Broadway veteran Barbara Cook plays Thumbelina's mother. The other roles are voiced by Carol Channing (Mrs Field Mouse), Charo (Mrs Toad), John Hurt (Mr Mole), Gary Imhoff (Prince Cornelius), Gino Conforti (Jacquimo), June Foray (Queen) and Kenneth Mars (King).

Barry Manilow offers a score of lovely Broadway-styled songs including Thumbelina's soaring ballad "Soon", Mrs Field Mouse's pleading "Marry the Mole", Mrs Toad's rousing showbiz anthem "On the Road" and Jacquimo's inspirational "If You Follow Your Heart".

Buy Thumbelina (1994) Now

I didn't see "Thumbelina" until I was in my 20's, but since I love animation, it didn't make much difference. I love this movie and finally got it on DVD a couple days ago. Jodi Benson did another great job lending her voice to the lead character and the music was great too. The only complaints I have about the movie, to echo other reviewers, is that some of the animals in the farm were very strange looking. Also, I couldn't help but notice that Thumbelina was constantly losing her balance no matter where she was standing. Still, I think Don Bluth did an excellent job on "Thumbelina" and that it deserved much more recognition. I admit, I'm a softy for fairy tales, and I actually love her innocent, naive personality. It was great to see her make the right decision at the end though, even knowing she might be alone. Unlike what some reviewers have said, I think that makes her a great role model. We all have to go through a learning process. But without being silly and over analyzing the film's psychological effect on society, it's just a fun and enjoyable movie that I would recommend for any young girl or adult who's young at heart.

Read Best Reviews of Thumbelina (1994) Here

My 4 and 6 yr old daughters and I LOVE this movie. It's a little older but it's been released on DVD. Having lost the videotape and missing it I had to get the DVD. The songs are awesome and get stuck in your head. I as an adult can watch it over and over again.

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I was so delighted to finally obtain the CD version of Thumbelina recently. I bought the VHS back in 1998 for my 4 year old daughter and she loved it. Besides the story, characters, and celebrity voices, it's the music that we still enjoy the most 8 years later. Barry Manilow's music, along with lyrics by Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman are a gem. Thank you Amazon for rejuvinating my 12 year old daughter and I back to children again!

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Body Heat (2008)

The most important thing you need to know is that most of the women I know consider "Body Heat" to be the sexiest movie they have ever seen. Now, I do not feel that way, but I am pretty sure I can explain the difference in judgment. Then again, writer-director Lawrence Kasdan created sexual tension between Princess Leia and Han Solo, so we should not be surprised at what he can accomplish in a galaxy closer to home.

Attorney Ned Racine (William Hurt) is one of those lawyers whose life is in cruise control, the sort that usually find redemption in those John Grisham novels. Instead he meets Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), a sexual siren with a well-to-do husband who leads him willingly down the path of damnation. Kasdan gets credit for taking 1940s film noir in which love goes terribly wrong and bringing it into the sexually provocative 1980s, but it is Turner who breaths the fire and passion into this film: Think Lauren Bacall's throaty voice put into the sculptured body of a sex goddess and covered in the sweat of a hot and humid Southern summer night. The plot takes some delicious twists and turns as well. "Body Heat" paved the way for every every other sick and twisted tale of bad love to come down the road since, from "Fatal Attraction" to "Basic Instinct" and beyond.

Most Romantic Lines: "You're not very bright, are you? I like that in a man." That pretty much sums up this film's idea of "romance."

If you like "Body Heat," then check out these other films on AFI's list: #49 "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and #84 "Double Indemnity." Why? Because they are also movies where a guy meets the sort of gal he would kill to be with--and he does.

Matty: "You're not too smart. I like that in a man"

Ned: What else to you like? Lazy? Ugly? Horny? I got'em all.

Matty: You don't look lazy.

Finally upgraded on DVD this top notch film noir looks better better than the previous edition on DVD. It isn't perfect (image appears a bit soft at times but part of that was intentionally due to the soft diffuse photography by Richard Kline the other part of that could be due to the interpostive negative aging)We can practically see the heat and humidity sweat through the TV screen. It also has some very nice extras for fans of the film. John Barry's sultry score sounds rich and creamy in the 5.1 remix on this disc.

William Hurt plays criminal lawyer Ned Racine who gets pulled into an affair with married woman Matty (Kathleen Turner). She has a solution to all of their woes when she suggests they murder her wealthy husband (Richard Crenna). Featuring strong performances from a top notch supporting cast including Mickey Rourke and Ted Danson "Body Heat" recalls films like "The Postman Always Rings Twice" with its noir plot but has its own unique twists and turns.

The previous edition had very little in the way of extras. This re-release includes three featurettes on the production of the film covering everything from pre-production to post -production. We find out for example that George Lucas personally agreed to underwrite any budget overruns but did so quietly without telling Kasdan and did it on his own accord. Also Alan Ladd Jr. insisted that Hurt shave his mustache as he felt it made him look too sleazy (precisely the point). Kasdan just went ahead and shot it his way. After they saw the dalies they never complained about it again. Other interviews include new comments from Hurt, Turner, Danson, Editor Carol Littleton, cinematographer Richard Kline and director Kasdan discussing various aspects of the production. Hurt has always marched to a different drum and that's evident in both the new and original 1981 interviews included with this set. He's certainly off-beat.We also get five deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer. While it might have been nice to integrate some of the deleted scenes back into the film they wouldn't have benefited this already tightly coiled film.

This along with "The Big Chill" and Kasdan's revival of the epic western "Silverado" continues to be the highlight of his career as a hyphenate. Although he would go on to writer/direct other challenging and memorable films such as "The Accidental Tourist", "Grand Canyon" and "Wyatt Earp" (not to mention the underrated "I Love You To Death") "Body Heat" established his mastery of both the written word and fleeting image of cinema.

Buy Body Heat (2008) Now

Lawrence Kasdan has done a lot of great stuff as a writer (a small, indie film called Raiders of the Lost Ark comes to mind) but in Body Heat he demonstrates a great touch with the 40's noir style as a director.

Kathleen Turner sizzles, and I mean sizzles, as a smart, ruthless, greedy, and incredibly hot married women who's can't hide her lying eyes. William Hurt is naive, innocent, and believably dumb as her intrepid lover/lawyer/sap.

I dont' want to spoil too much of the plot, but it's dark, atmospheric, and well directed with great lighting that only the dvd shows well. The vhs version is terrible. Pan and scan ruins films like this one, and shadows used this effectively need dvd.

You'll like this film if you like noir, or if you just like exciting murder/romance stories, or even if you just like steamy love scenes. It's got it all.

Read Best Reviews of Body Heat (2008) Here

"Body Heat" is one of my all-time favorite thrillers. It's literate, suspenseful, well-acted, beautiful photographed, reasonably believable, and very, very sexy. What more could you want?

The movie is an excellent example of film noir; however, since it was released thirty years after that genre's heyday, some critics originally dismissed it as a "Double Indemnity' knockoff. Indeed, it does closely resemble that Billy Wilder classic, and, as Roger Ebert noted, it's hard to make a modern film noir. Back in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such movies didn't have this label applied to them. The filmmakers didn't know they were creating something unique in these mostly `B' pictures. These films were most likely a byproduct of Post-WWII cynicism. Still, the genre has been successfully revived from time to time. Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye" (1973) comes to mind.

I think writer/director Lawrence Kasden would readily admit that his movie is partly a homage to all those earlier dark thrillers, but, even so, he takes the genre and makes it his own. The many ways he conjures up the image of heat serve as a textbook for novice filmmakers who need lessons in style. Ditto the way he depicts the numerous sexual encounters between William Hurt and Kathleen. We see lots and lots of skin and sweat, but there is not a single frame of gratuitous nudity, at least as I define the term. Ditto the way that every subordinate character is there only to move the plot along, yet at the same time is a memorable one.

Kathleen Turner shows here, in her first movie, why she became a major star in the 1980s. She is sultry and sexy, a true femme fatale. She has bits and pieces of Lana Turner, Veronica Lake and Barbara Stanwyck in her, but, with that incredible voice, she is a one of a kind. She becomes her character, Matty Walker. From the moment we first see her, we are fascinated, intimidated and uneasy. This in one smart, powerful woman.

On the surface, it seems like the story is all from Ned Racine's [Hurt] point of view, but it is equally Matty's tale. As Racine, Hurt is great. He doesn't play Ned as dumb, he plays him as vain and lazy. This is the perfect choice. Matty takes full advantage of his deficits, and by the time he figures it all out, it's far too late. Had he been merely stupid, she would have come off as merely cruel, rather than as complex and calculating.

Oh, and the plot? I don't want to say too much. The locale is South Florida during a dreadful heat wave. Ned is a womanizing attorney whom nobody respects but everyone likes. One night he is hanging out at the beach and sees Matty. Its lust at first sight. She plays it cool and hard to get. He persists, and one night she relents. She lets him know she's not just beautiful. She's rich and unhappily married. His wheels start spinning. He comes up with a plan to solve all their problems. At least he thinks he's the one who came up with it.

I highly recommend this movie to people who love a good adult thriller. The DVD has almost no special features, and I hope one day Kasden and others will be involved in a special edition. But it's a very inexpensive DVD that's well worth the money. The film transfer is very decent. I believe the movie originally was in stereo, but these tracks seem to have been lost. Since it's a character-driven piece, this doesn't affect one's enjoyment of the film, though hopefully the tracks will one day be restored.

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A noirish mystery from the time when William Hurt was an icon of you-know-what, and soon after, Kate Turner was too? I've never been that impressed by her acting ability, but here her limitations map perfectly onto the role of an insincere woman who pretends to be in love merely to entrap William Hurt into her scheme.

From the captivating eroticism, oops romance, to the windchimes, to the sultry background score, to the water condensed on the side of the tub, to every detail of the plot, this film is picture perfect.

But the main draw to the film is easily the terrific writing, it actually has a plot (a respite in itself!) and the final few scenes of the movie weave an intriguing web for all the loose ends of the movie. Five minutes before the credits, we're sure the story is over and we're into the wrapup -after all, we've seen movies like this before -but then, in one final killer twist, everything is upended, and we see that the there is much more to this plot than we had realized. The clues had been there, but in the end, we discover that we've been as gullible as William Hurt's character, and we're bowled over by the truth that's finally revealed.

Very well-thought-out scheme that'll leave you thinking for a while. Get it if you can!

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