Brick

I have to say it, "Brick" is probably the best movie I have seen this year so far, and I don't think I'll see another that will top it. I had heard about "Brick" for a while now, and when I heard the premise of it, I knew that it was something that I would have to check out. I'm glad I did, because not only did I end up enjoying it the first time I saw it, but I watched it again the next day. Not many films can do that for me, but this one most certainly did. There was no way I could have ever bet that I would've ended up loving this movie the way I do.

If you're unfamiliar with the approach to the movie, it's pretty much a detective-murder-whodunit movie with a catch; it's set in modern times and it involves high school kids. Yet, the kids talk in the manner that you would expect from your typical hard-boiled detective movie. The story concerns Brendan Frye, who is contacted by his ex-girlfriend by phone. On the phone, she sounds frightened and troubled, but doesn't say much about what is the matter. Two days later, she ends up dead. Brendan knows that she got involved with the wrong crowd, so in order to find out who is responsible for her death and why, he has to go in deep into the underground drug world that has consumed a good amount of his schoolmates. The deeper he goes, the more risk he puts himself in.

This film is extremely well done and well made, and that caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting a movie like this, nor was I expecting that I would end up loving it so much. The film seems innocent and fun at a glance until you really get into it, and then you realize how dark and brutal it can get. Just because it involves high school kids, it doesn't mean it's child's play. It's film noir at its finest, and it even pokes fun at itself a little here and there, but overall it's a pretty dark and serious movie. What really sells the movie in the end is the great performances from the cast, especially the lead actor.

Because of how odd and different "Brick" is, there's a good chance that more people will end up not liking it so much. That is the risk these kinds of movies take, but it's nice to see something that isn't so "commercial friendly" for a change. It stands out, and that's something that has to be admired to some degree. I would recommend renting it first because of this. Also, I recommend that you see it more than once. As much as I liked it the first time, I really appreciated it for what it was more during the second viewing. The DVD doesn't have a whole lot to offer, sadly. There are some deleted/extended scenes, audition tapes from two of the actors in the movie, and cast/crew commentary. It's a shame that they don't give you the trailer, which I thought was really good. I also would've liked to see some behind-the-scenes features.

"Brick" took me for a ride and I have to say that I loved every minute of it. It's an exhilarating and brilliant film that takes a lot of chances without apologizing to anybody in the end. It's one you'll either love or hate, but I think it's definitely worth the time checking it out. If you're looking for something that isn't typical or dull, then I highly recommend it. It's too soon to say, but I think if you give it enough time it could become a classic. It's high up on my list of favorite movies now, and that only took two days. -Michael Crane

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in "Brick" as Brendan, a high school student searching for his ex-girlfriend, Emily. After they broke up, Emily started "eating lunch" with a more popular, yet mysterious crowd ("The Upper-Crust"). As he delves into their world, he finds a sickening subculture of drugs, double-crosses, and worse.

The movie is set in Orange County (San Clemente), and the movie's big hook is that it's an update of those terrific film noirs of the 1940s and 1950s. Yes, the movie sometimes comes across as "The O.C." mixed with "The Lady from Shanghai," with just a touch of "Blue Velvet." However, as such, "Brick" succeeds very well. The dialogue is full of clever pithy lines and slang that went out with Eisenhower (Beautiful woman: Do you trust me now? Brendan: Less than when I didn't trust you before.). The directing is also terrific kudos to first time director Rian Johnson. Finally, Jospeh Gordon-Levitt makes a likeable protagonist amidst the crazy proceedings and characters, including a rather magnetic Lukas Haas as "The Pin."

Although making the film in noir style is essentially a stunt, the tone helps make the movie deeper, more satisfying easily one of the most intricate teen dramas ever made. The plot is full of holes (what film noir isn't?), but the noir style and look smoothes out the rough edges; yes, style does sometimes trump content. There were a few times when the "Brick" verged on being a typical teen movie; fortunately, Johnson manages to get back on track. Highly recommended for fans of film noir or sophisticated teen dramas.

Buy Brick Now

Rian Johnson's "Brick" won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival for originality of vision, and seldom has an award been more deserved. This witty, breathlessly entertaining low-budget flick conflates modern-day high-school angst with the mean-street conventions of 1940s detective fiction and movies. The surprise is that director/screenwriter Johnson plays the story absolutely straight, and gets away with it, while at the same time touching on some uncomfortable truths about growing up in America. Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whose delicate, poetic looks belie his limitless resources of toughness and courage, goes underground among his school's drug-addled "upper crust" to uncover the murderers of his ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin). He endures multiple beatings from the goon Tugger (Noah Fleiss), as well as threats from both The Pin (Lukas Haas), a cadaverous criminal mastermind who still lives with his doting mother, and Assistant Vice Principal Trueman (Richard Roundtree), who basically plays the Barton McLane role to Gordon-Levitt's Bogart. Then there are the femmes fatales in training, Laura (Nora Zehetner) and Kara (Meagan Good), who may or may not be helping Brendan. "Brick" is remarkably stylish and atmospheric for its miniscule budget; Johnson is masterful at capturing the claustrophobic milieu in which Brendan and his antagonists lurk. There are scenes of action and suspense here that put big-budget epics like "V for Vendetta" to shame, simply because Johnson knows how to edit, and because he makes us care about the characters, especially Brendan. I never paid much attention to Gordon-Levitt until I saw his performance as an emotionally damaged male prostitute in Gregg Araki's "Mysterious Skin." Based on his performances here and in that film, I would say that Gordon-Levitt is quickly becoming one of the truly great American screen actors. All the other actors are also fine, including Matt O'Leary as The Brain, Brendan's informant and only true friend, and Noah Segan as the pathetic "reef worm" Dode. Some critics have complained about "Brick's" convoluted plot and stylized dialogue--Johnson creates a language for his characters that is half Chandleresque slang, half teen speak. But for me they only added to the film's fascination. You'll probably need to see the film more than once to catch all the details, but, then again, you'll WANT to see it more than once. Myself, I can't wait for the DVD to come out.

Read Best Reviews of Brick Here

Brick is a strange animal that seems to appear almost out of nowhere. A lot of people my have come here because they've heard about this movie and haven't yet seen it. Some of you may have come here because you tried to watch it but had to turn it off because you couldn't understand what the hell they were talking about.

Let me suggest this: TURN ON THE SUBTITLES.

Yeah, I know it's in English and you recognize the main character from that TV show: Third Rock from The Sun, but this isn't a sitcom on NBC, and this isn't your typical run-of-the-mill, teen flavored High School drama. In Brick, you're about as far from John Hughes territory as your going to get and closer to the backyard of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler than you might realize. As a huge fan of The Big Sleep, I was really caught of guard by this film and stunned when I realized just what was going on. Seeing 1940's film noir, soaked in a teen centered tale of woe, works better than I would've ever thought. And for the record, I don't think anyone, other than the writer dared attempt something like this and succeed at it too. Bravo.

Rian Johnson makes a writing and directorial debut to rival most of his peers and mentors. This film is enough to make the Gods tremble, hopefully he'll be able to follow it up appropriately. On a side note, Rian offers up his screenplay, the novella he wrote that goes with it, an essay and drawings for no charge on his site, which is easily found, if you're interested in reading.

Nora Zehetner as the smoldering and cold-calculating heroine is also a definite high point, and her career and longevity in films is assured.

This film could easily be the Blade Runner of this generation.

Want Brick Discount?

I can understand why reviews of this movie are so split down the middle. It's a very strange and weird idea: Shoot a film noir and do the dialogue and structure as if you were adapting a Hammett novel back in the day, but set and shoot the movie at a contemporary California high school. Either you think this is brilliant or you think it's totally idiotic.

From my own experience and from talking to others, I think it is tough to get into this movie primarily because of the patterns of speech. Everybody talks very fast with a stylized delivery as if they were in a movie from the 30s or 40s, using a lot of slang most of us don't use, and the sound quality isn't so great. My suggestion to anyone who wants to give this a go but winds up having a hard time is to try it out with SUBTITLES, believe it or not (and I am *not* kidding about this). Because once I did, I realized I was mishearing certain words and I started to pick up on the rhythms, hear things correctly, and the dialogue started to sound natural; eventually I got into the flow of it enough to get rid of them (though I admit in a few scenes I wound up going back and putting them back on just to make sure I got the lines right).

You might ask, what's the point of doing a movie this way if it winds up creating a problem like that? Well, I think that the reason for dealing with this is because this oddball strategy of Rian Johnson's winds up actually creating one of the more successful attempts at a contemporary film noir. For whatever strange reason, the artificiality of the dialogue and farcical nature of the proceedings works quite well once you give in to the conceit. Many other attempts at doing a modern neo-noir wind up feeling way too "retro" and nostalgic and they stumble over themselves trying to figure out how to be modern but yet try to keep all the elements of old detective thrillers that people miss and want to see (see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang for an example of sort of the tricky questions that come up in trying to do contemporary noir). The high school setting actually defuses that problem because it is silly and anachronistic already, so having modern day kids talking in old fashioned out of date tough guy lingo is no more strange than having anyone else, adult or not, talking that way these days. The plot is predictably convoluted in the old noir-detective style and there are all the usual archetypes and manipulations. Somehow they seem sort of fresh in the setting of high school. And since most of us tended to discover detective novels in our teen years, it seems perfectly fitting to project their tropes out into that world, to imagine that high school is a microcosm of all the things one read about in pulp fiction.

So I'll take sides with the "pro"-Brick crowd; I enjoyed it.

Save 53% Off

Planet Earth (Discovery Channel Collector's Edition)

Having investigated these program discs, both the BBC BDs and the Discovery Channel's set are identical in imagery and transfer quality (1080i, not 1080p). But frankly, I have to say I find the Sigourney Weaver narration AND the completely different music score to be FAR superior to the bland, milquetoast British edition's sound (& I have both).

Just compare the difference in their respective teasers: vivacious & energetic versus sleep-inducing! The DC version's complete soundscape is dynamic and engaging, as well as more directly educational (Ms. Weaver's regular comments on how shots were achieved, etc.), and as much as I greatly respect and appreciate the decades of educational programming from both David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit, I have to work to stay awake with their somewhat affected narration and sound design. If an exciting visual AND aural experience is what you look for in your BD collection, I highly recommend the Discovery Channel version of 'planet earth'.

I DVR'd the entire series on Discovery and was blown. Sigourney Weaver's dry humor, as well as her intricate explanation of the process of achieving the amazing shots of the series made a show worth watching even watchier.

Then, months later, my roommate bought the Attenborough version on blu ray because hipsters on slickdeals kept insisting "the original is always better", just like these same purists think the American version of the Office sucks. Well they suck and so does the BBC version -and I say this even though I am an avid fan of everything BBC (Top Gear, Mighty Boosh, etc).

I sat through the BBC version many nights asking myself AM I EVEN WATCHING THE SAME SHOW, cuz without the american editing and sound dynamics, it was a borefest. I went from being pumped about sharks snatching suckers out of mid air with tyko drumming to being tortured through watching grass freakin grow in the Andes with an elevator music backtrack. It was the cinematographic equivalent to the dismotilic bowel movements of the elderly.

Buy this version, listen to Ripley talking about animals doing crazy hijinks, and get super pumped about nature. Then go outside and plant like a million trees while listening to AC/DC.

Review done.

Buy Planet Earth (Discovery Channel Collector's Edition) Now

This DVD is AWESOME !!! I love Sigourney Weaver's narration the best. The scenes are mesmerizing ! You won't be sorry you bought this one.

Read Best Reviews of Planet Earth (Discovery Channel Collector's Edition) Here

When I bought Planet Earth in a DVD store i wasn't aware that there were two different narrators. i was so upset because i felt it lost that attention grabbing voice. Well that's why i ordered it again because although i love his British accent i couldn't handle not hearing Sigourney Weavers voice. Just youtube clips with him and her and you'll hear the difference she is much better for this type of show.

examples:

here are some links i found ..same shot almost the same music but a different feel.. Sigourney just gives more..check it yourself...

David Attenborough version (BBC)Sigourney Weaver version (Discovery Channel)(start it at 00:39 to 00:53)

Look i love everything Discovery, BBC, Nova, Science Channel, NATGEO and History Channel but i feel maybe the Discovery channel wanted to add more facts and kick it up with the music so its not so lame lol..Anyhow i hope they keep these shows coming because every time i am amazed.

Hope this helps

Want Planet Earth (Discovery Channel Collector's Edition) Discount?

I already own this, my ex had the david attendbourough version, but he put me to sleep a lot with his mono-tone voice... This Blu Ray DVD with Sigourney Weaver is more than a treasure to own... In all honesty, I feel that we are so priveledged, so honored, so lucky to be able to even have an EXPERIENCE of this sort... tied with Sigourney Weaver's voice... Magnificent, jaw dropping, breath-taking, an all around MUST HAVE!!! (Trust me, David Attenbourough leans toward the UK audience, while Sigourney Weaver leans toward the American audience). And if you don't want to listen to a man with an accent and a mono-toned voice I suggest you get your hands on Sigourney Weaver... there is a reason why its soooo much harder to find, not to mention more expensive than David's!

Street Trash - Special Meltdown Edition (1987)

The ultra-low-budget exploitation flick STREET TRASH (1987) certainly lives up to its name in more ways than one. Not only is it rather trashy when it comes to generally poor or histrionic acting, bawdy humor, gore, and several lingering flashes of T&A, but it is also one of the few films set in New York City's skid row that was actually filmed almost entirely in authentic skid-row venues.

The centerpiece of the paper-thin plot is a case of decades-old hooch called Tenafly Viper, discovered in the miasmic basement of a skid-row liquor store by the store's proprietor. The unscrupulous vendor decides to exploit his seemingly serendipitous find and pad his pocket by selling the stuff to local winos for a buck per bottle. But unbeknownst to him and his unwary customers, the stuff has gone sour and has transmuted into a volatile toxin that literally melts those who consume it into a pile of day-glo goo.

Though STREET TRASH is blatantly and disgustingly lowbrow, it is nonetheless wildly entertaining and, from a technical standpoint, very well made. The make-up FX are skillfully and artistically executed, and never have latex appliances looked so simultaneously gross and hilarious. The action does lag in a few spots, but most of the time there is a constant flow of either gore, skin, or bawdy gags. Also, in contrast to many near-zero-budget exploitation films, the cinematography is fabulous--director Jim Muro shot the entire film using a rented steadicam, and he was so skilled at it that he went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest steadicam operators, working on such films as TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991), TITANIC (1997), AND RED DRAGON (2002)--and the editing is near perfect, making STREET TRASH look like a more mainstream, bigger-budget film.

While the acting skills of many of the principals leave a lot to be desired, STREET TRASH does feature a few thespians worth noting. Genre fans will recognize James Lorinz from his role as the mad scientist in the exploitation satire FRANKENHOOKER. In an earlier role here, Lorinz plays a lippy doorman in the employ of a mob boss, and he steals the show in nearly every scene in which he appears. Actor Tony Darrow portrays the aforementioned mob boss, and Darrow parlayed his debut role here into a career of playing similar types in more mainstream gangster flicks, including critically acclaimed films like GOODFELLAS (1990), BULLETS OVER BROADWAY (1994), AND MIGHTY APHRODITE (1995).

The DVD release of STREET TRASH from Synapse is a no-frills disc, but its definitely worth the price of admission. It offers a digital transfer of the film--which has been nicely restored and is completely uncut--in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (enhanced for 16x9 TVs), and the stereo soundtrack is also nice and clear.

Sick? Yes. Foul? For sure. Gross? Often. But its also a lot of fun. STREET TRASH is definitely not for everybody, but for those who enjoy exploitation horror flicks from the 1970s and 1980s, STREET TRASH is definitely one of the best. And the DVD from Synapse will make a fine addition to the collections of those who enjoy such films.

"Street trash makes Herschell Gordon Lewis look like Mary Poppins," Wes Craven

"Loathsome, foul and degrading, Street Trash is a real treat for anyone who thinks they've seen it all." George Romero

"Yeah, that's the bits I like." Den Dennis (The Comic Strip Presents...More Bad News 1988)

Produced and written by Roy Frumkes (The Substitute), and directed by J. Michael Muro, who since done stedicam work on such films as Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), and Titanic (1997) to name a few, Street Trash (1987) features Mike Lackey, Marc Sferrazza, Jane Arakawa, Bill Chepil, Pat Ryan (The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke 'Em High), Vic Noto (Innocent Blood), and Tony Darrow (Goodfellas, Analyze This, "The Sopranos").

The story basically involves the activities of two inner city homeless brothers named Freddy (Lackey) and Kevin (Sferrazza), who live in an auto scrap yard occupying a dwelling consisting of old tires. Thrown into the mix early on is the appearance of some funky looking booze called Tenafly Viper, which was found in the cellar of a liquor store by the store's proprietor. Subsequently he decides to pawn it off on his clientele, most all of whom are shiftless, degenerate dirtbags, for a buck a bottle (needless to say they snap it up). Turns out the stuff is rotgut, literally (unbeknownst to the liquor store owner), so much so it causes the individual ingesting the crud to melt from the inside out. Along with the exploding bums Freddy and Kevin also have to contend with Bronson (Noto), a large, sadistic, psychotic Vietnam veteran who rules the scrap yard with an iron fist and a dagger made of from a human femur bone (think a low grade Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now). Things get especially hairy when a local mobster (Darrow) finds out his girlfriend's been murdered (among other things) by the skid row denizens populating the junk yard, and a renegade cop with a serious grudge named Bill (Chepil) starts rousting everyone for kicks.

I guess the first thing one should know about this film is that there really isn't much of a story, which, in most cases, would probably be a disadvantage, but not so here (for those of us who tend to dwell in the cinematic sludge this is fairly common occurrence). Probably the best thing you can do is sit back and let the experience envelope you in its grimy, odious, putrid fetidity, which comes off as a sort of sewage laden mix between the films of John Waters and Herschell Gordon Lewis. I did learn a number of things from this movie, including the following...

1. One can actually make a home out of discarded tires.

2. If you wear baggy enough pants to the grocery store, you can steal enough food to feed at least three people.

3. I wouldn't eat anything that came out of a homeless man's pants.

4. You can thin out homemade hooch by urinating in it.

5. An alley is a great place to pick up broads, especially if you're a greasy bum (and the broad is wasted out of her gourd).

6. Your puke breath must be really bad when a bum won't even kiss you.

7. Frank, the morbidly obese owner and operator of the scrap yard, isn't adverse to a little necrophilia.

8. The homeless don't particularly covet showers.

9. A severed ding a ling a can be used in lieu of a football in a pick up game.

10. You never defile Bronson in front of the men.

If you like your movies messy, in a visceral sense, then you've come to the right place as this spectacularly over the top nugget of gooey nastiness is right at home next to Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (1992). I'm unsure the deal with the Viper booze, but its effects are instantaneous and highly satisfying. There's some seriously nasty melt action here, perhaps my favorite being the early scene with guy sitting on the toilet, taking a slug, and then reduced to a slimy, festering pile floating in the bowl. Along with the gratuitously goopy goodness there's also a whole lot of comedy, a few fights (the most memorable being Bill the cop going toe to toe with Bronson), some female nekkidness, a severed male member, and whole lot more. The acting was pretty rank but it didn't take away from anything for me, especially given the entertaining dialog throughout. The two best lines (at least of the ones I could post here), in my opinion, are the one I used for the title of my review and the following, occurring after one of Freddy's acquaintances, after shoving copious amounts of food down his pants, is busted by a manager in a grocery store ...

Store manager: I'd like to know what you're doing with all that chicken in your pants.

As I said, there's a decent amount of comedy here, the funniest part for me, beside the flying woody sequence, was when Freddy picked up the drunk broad in the alley, after she just finished puking. As he was dragging her back to his Goodyear abode, she kept trying to kiss him and he kept try to avoid it, given her puke breath and all. To sum things up this is a completely vile and disgusting affair, one definitely worth the time if you have the stomach.

This new 2 DVD set released in 2006, entitled 'The Meltdown Edition', includes an anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer, audio in a newly remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 and the original 2.0 mono, two audio commentaries featuring producer Roy Frumkes and director James Muro, a two hour documentary entitled The Meltdown Memoirs, which details the history and the making of the film, the original 16mm short film that inspired the movie, a Street Trash promotional teaser, a behind the scenes still gallery, liner notes, and the original theatrical trailer. The interesting thing is, while the 2006 DVD release contains a ton more stuff than the original 2005 DVD release, the newer version is missing one really cool element...with the original DVD release there was included two printed label stickers so you could create your own bottle of Tenafly Viper.

Cookieman108

Buy Street Trash - Special Meltdown Edition (1987) Now

that SYNAPSE is suppose to release a 2-Disc Special edition come this (06) spring or summer.

Read Best Reviews of Street Trash - Special Meltdown Edition (1987) Here

Street trash is the unholy grail of trash and exploitation cinema. I have been waiting for this release for years and my old vhs copy has petty much melted in my vcr from years of playing for friends who were unaware of it's infamous existence. Thank you synapse pictures for releasing this nasty movie back into the consumer market.

Want Street Trash - Special Meltdown Edition (1987) Discount?

No offense, but if you are a horror fan your DVD collection in incomplete without this film. You want Gore? Street trash has it. You want cheese? Street Trash has that too. This ultra-low budget film is limited only by the acting, but oh well man...small price to pay for this bloodbath. Hope the x-tras are worth it, but even so this lil' forgotten gem is getting the uncut treatment it has deserved. Plus the whole "Penis Football" scene mentioned makes it worth the price. Plus, if you get the DVD it comes with two free Tenafly Viper stickers based on the vicious liquor that melts everyone in the movie! Too cool! They are in the shape of liquor bottle stickers so you can put them on one after you drink it all while watching this movie. Instant movie memorabilia! Not going to give away the "juicy" details...sorry. Buy it on a whim...its a winner. Gore fans rejoice. Nuff said.

Save 20% Off

Race to Witch Mountain (Three-Disc Edition: Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) (2009)

You'd think a Las Vegas cab driver had seen it all, especially with that UFO convention in town, right? Almost right, until two solemn children show up in his car. They have a wad of cash that they don't seem to understand very well, an urgent need to reach some desert destination, and a schoolbook way of speaking. It seems as legal as anything in Las Vegas and the money's green, so they're off.

So, a moment later, are the government goons in their black SUVs, in hot pursuit. The kids turn out to be something pretty special. The big bad gov guy calls them "illegal aliens," without stating just which laws they broke or just how alien. Then the chase is on with a few extras thrown in, like a killer robot and the only UFOlogist in the world who actually has a clue.

There's plenty of action, a bit of bloodless violence, some ominous but ambiguous threats against the kids, and a steady stream of one-liners to keep the mood from getting too grim. Maybe this isn't one for the ages, but it provides some popcorn entertainment where no one gets killed and everyone keeps their clothes on. Enjoy!

-wiredweird

More action than the original! A new step forward for the popular sci-fi Walt Disney film.

As a fan of the original 1975 film "Escape to Witch Mountain", I have to admit that I felt a bit standoffish about a retelling of the film series. With Dwayne Johnson cast as the primary character in the film, it was evident to me that the new film "Race to Witch Mountain" would be a more action-based film but over 35 years since the first film, you can only wonder how far special effects would go for and how campy but yet entertaining and family friendly, the new storyline would be.

Taking on the helm as director for "Race to Witch Mountain" would be Andy Fickman (producer for "Anaconda" and director of "The Game Plan", "Who's Your Daddy"). The screenplay would be written by Matt Lopez ("Bedtime Stories") and Mark Bomback ("Deception", "Live Free or Die Hard" and "Godsend"). Music by Trevor Rabin ("12 Rounds", "Get Smart", "National Treasure: Book of Secrets", etc.) and cinematography by Greg Gardiner ("Herbie Fully Loaded", "Elf", "New York Minute", etc.).

The film would star Dwyane Johnson ("The Scorpion King", "Gridiron Gang", "The Game Plan" and "Get Smart"), Carla Gugino ("Sin City", "American Gangster", "The One", etc.), AnnaSophia Robb ("Bridge to Terabithia", "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Jumper"), Alexander Ludwig ("The Sandlot 3' and "A Little Thing Called Murder"), Ciaran Hinds ("The Sum of All Fears", "Lara Coft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life", "The Phantom of the Opera", etc.) and Garry Marshall ("Pretty Woman", "Chicken Little" and "Murphy Brown").

"Race to Witch Mountain" continues Disney's dedication of a 3-Disc release with the Blu-ray, DVD version of the film and a Digital Copy.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Race to Witch Mountain" is featured in 1080p High Definition (with an aspect ratio of 2:40:1). Overall, picture quality is good but where many other Walt Disney films tend to utilize more daylight scenes, "Race to Witch Mountain" is shot indoors in dark spaces or outdoors during the night. There are daylight scenes but more the most part, you find the main characters trying to utilize darkness in order to give a sense of the group trying to hide out. So, for the most part, the film is not exactly vibrant or colorful but you can expect a lot of blacks and blues being utilized during the darker scenes in the film.

During the daylight scenes, there is a little softness (not by digital noise reduction) but picture quality is not as vibrant as other recently released live-action Disney-related films but I think the somewhat muted colors was a personal decision by cinematographer Greg Gardiner. But overall, picture quality is good, it's just a film that leans more towards darkness with a lot of shadows.

As for audio quality, the audio is well done. The English 5.1 DTS-HD lossless soundtrack really capture the action. There were several scenes that I just had to replay because it really shook my living room (a scene where Jack and the kids are riding on the railroad tracks), there is serious LFE in this film and you can expect your subwoofer to be utilized. Where the dialogue is crisp and clear through the center and front channels, there is also a lot of surround and rear surround usage during the action scenes.

Frankly speaking, "Race to Witch Mountain" was quite pleasing to listen to. It's an aggressive soundtrack and maybe not as aggressive as a film like "Transformers" or "Quantum of Solace" but still a lossless soundtrack that you can expect metal shrieking, car crashes and deep explosions that you can feel through seat. This is one of the most aggressive lossless soundtracks I have heard from Disney (for a live-action film) thus far.

Subtitles are featured in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Race to Witch Mountain" comes with the following special features presented in HD and standard with English 2.0 Dolby Digital audio:

* Deleted Scenes (23:21) Optional introduction by Director Andy Fickman, the following deleted scenes are featured: Intro, Extended Opening Ray's, Extended Ray's Telekinesis, Jack Beats Up Zacha, Tina Meets Siphon, Sara Foils Security Fence, Alex Foils Guard, Extended Goodbye Scene and the Original Ending. It's important to note that the alternate ending which is literally an extended version is quite important and would build up to a sequel. Personally, the alternative ending would have worked but Director Andy Fickman decided to keep it simple which is understandable.

* Bloopers (3:37) The blooper reel featuring Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig and Garry Marshall having fun and messing up their lines.

* Backstage Disney (8:20) Director Andy Fickman reveals hidden references to the original movies "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "Return from Witch Mountain" and other Disney tie-ins.

* Learn How to Take Your Favorite Movies on a Go (1:04) Your typical Disney information trailer of what digital copy is.

JUDGMENT CALL:

With the recent release of "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "Return from Witch Mountain" on DVD, it was good to rewatch the classic films since so much time has passed since I watched those two films and prepare me for "Race to Witch Mountain".

For the most part, "Race to Witch Mountain" has no similarities to the original with the exception that the antagonist are going after the children. And also, in this case, also Jack Bruno. The other major difference is that the children in "Escape to Witch Mountain" are orphans who just want a loving family and are blessed with supernatural abilities which they don't know why. It's not revealed of what they are until the end of the film, whereas "Race to Witch Mountain" reveals what the kids are right after the beginning and from then on the film becomes more action-based and a more aggressive cat vs. mouse type of film.

So, needless to say, the film is not the same type of film that children in the 1970's grew up with. Where the older films were definitely crafted as innocent family films, "Race to Witch Mountain" is a film that was created to appeal to both children and adults. You know that with Dwayne Johnson, you're going to see some major butt kicking and with these two extraterrestrial kids, really take advantage of their power and of course, with modern technology, definitely giving the film a much more modern spin to their powers, the look of their spacecraft and of course, everything looks quite slick.

It's important to note that despite the film being much different than the previous two films, director Andy Fickman who was a big fan of the original knew that there should be some tie-in to the original. So, the original characters that played Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and Tia (Kim Richards) in the first two films, have a significant part in this film rather than short few second cameos. Also, Fickman made sure to put a lot of references of the original film, in this new film as well (note: there is a special feature dedicated to director Andy Fickman showing the various homage paid to the original film).

For parents who are wondering if the film is safe, I watched this film with my six year old and we both enjoyed the film. If anything, its the aggressive soundtrack that I think that freaked him out (of course, I loved it) because there are plenty of explosions and action sequences that will utilize your home theater but might be a bit too much for the kids. There are scenes with the kids being manhandled by the alien Siphon and since it is an action film, there is many chase scenes and fighting. So, there is violence in that regard. But for the most part, the film doesn't show any blood. In fact, despite the beating Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) goes through, he's not bruised and bloody. Disney made sure the film is kept tame for families to watch.

Overall, I understand that if some parents who felt the wholesomeness of the original films has been thrown out the door with this new film "Race to Witch Mountain". Personally, I enjoyed this film and enjoyed the hidden tie-ins of the original film and to see the original talent in this film... that was fun!

But this is a more action-driven film that focuses on a man who has had his troubles in the past, keeping his promise in making sure that these kids get to their destination. Of course, Dwayne Johnson's Jack Bruno is no Eddie Albert's Jason O'Day but there is a feeling of guardianship that both Jack and Dr. Alex Friedman feel for the children and are willing to sacrifice their own lives to protect them.

As for the Blu-ray release, "Race to Witch Mountain" sports one of the most aggressive Disney lossless soundtracks that I have heard so far. But it's also important to note that the picture quality was good but not as magnificent and unlike other Disney releases on Blu-ray, there are far less special features included. But you do get the two other discs which include a DVD and a digital copy of the film.

"Race to Witch Mountain" is an enjoyable film and definitely a step forward in bringing the "Witch Mountain" to a more modern time for today's audiences. But for those who enjoyed "Escape to Witch Mountain", personally I feel that director Andy Fickman did the best thing by leaving the original alone and let that film be known for its merit and not copy it but showing his own respect for the original film film his way and it worked. I can also understand those who loved the originals, as they were more character driven, feel-good family storylines whereas this film goes in another direction and focuses primarily on the action. And it's also important to note that the sequel "Return from Witch Mountain" is also a film that is very different from the original film and a bit more darker in its storyline as well. So, in a way all three "Witch Mountain" films are quite different in presentation but yet they all retain a sense of family, it's just presented differently.

Overall, "Race to Witch Mountain" is a fun, enjoyable film definitely worth recommending!

Buy Race to Witch Mountain (Three-Disc Edition: Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) (2009) Now

Jack Bruno (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) is a cab driver. He has a shady past but is trying to put all that behind him. It's time for the annual science fiction convention in Las Vegas, which means his cab is filled with weirdos, including Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino), one of the speakers.

Yet the trouble comes in the forms of two teenagers. Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) appear in his cab at the start of one shift. They offer him a wad of cash and ask to be taken to an undisclosed location. When they arrive, Jack discovers it is an abandoned cabin in the middle of the nowhere. Not wanting to leave them alone, he discovers something he never imagined. Is he in over his head? Can he help Seth and Sara complete their mission?

I hadn't watched the originals growing up, but I did watch them earlier this year to prepare for this one hitting theaters. It turns out it really didn't matter. They could have slapped any name on this and it would have been just as enjoyable. That's not saying they didn't acknowledge their roots. Original Witch Mountain kids Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann make cameos in a diner scene as Tina and Anthony. There are another couple fun nods to the original.

The movie got going pretty quickly and only increased in intensity from there. Our heroes have several different groups hunting them, so there is never a dull moments. Yet the comic moments are plentiful as well, especially any time Garry Marshall is around as a science fiction writer. And the movie made me truly care for these characters.

The special effects were impressive with several truly mouth dropping moments. The preview pretty much gave those away, but I still loved them. There is plenty of action and stunts, too, which are probably what earned the movie its PG rating. It is intense at times, so kids who frighten easily should steer clear. Every one will enjoy it.

I do have two minor gripes about the movie. The first is a scene that preaches to us about global warming. It feels a little out of place and gratuitous instead of a real part of the film. Secondly, a sub-plot about Jack's past coming back to get him is dropped near the end.

Just so you know, there are a few scenes during the credits you'll want to catch.

Despite the dropped plot point, I had a smile on my face when the movie was over. In fact, I was kind of surprised at just how much I enjoyed it. If you are at all interested in seeing it, do. You'll have a good time with an enjoyable movie.

Read Best Reviews of Race to Witch Mountain (Three-Disc Edition: Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) (2009) Here

As I continue to smell what the Rock is cooking, it strikes me that it's been a while since I've thought of him as a wrestler in WWE. Nowadays dude is doing big things in Hollywood. The trend seems to be that wrestlers don't become movie stars, their over-the-top ring personas being hard to translate into serviceable movie acting chops. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan both fell on their faces, and John Cena doesn't impress me. Before the Rock, I think only 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper had successfully parlayed his wrestling cachet into a noteworthy flick (and that would be John Carpenter's cult classic They Live). Oh, and Andre the Giant had a small cute part in the quite awesome The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition).

But it's looking more and more as if Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson really is here to stay as an actor and a big box office draw, and never mind that he seems to have put the people's eyebrow on ice. RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN is his latest flick with Disney (after The Game Plan (Widescreen Edition)), and sure enough it garnered the number one spot in its first week of theatrical release. Not that it's so overwhelmingly a terrific picture, mind you. It's got its flaws. Suffice to say that overall I liked enough about it to give it a semi-warm recommendation. But the key reason the movie works is that the Rock is in the thing. As always the Rock brings in his reliable physicality, along with a certain comfort level in front of the camera and an easy-going sense of humor.

Did you know there were three Witch Mountain pictures before this one? I grew up on Escape to Witch Mountain Special Edition (1975) and Return from Witch Mountain Special Edition (1978), and as a kid I had a serious crush on Kim Richards who played Tia (I remember having one on Pippi Longstocking, as well). So it's particularly gratifying to see Kim Richards here in a cameo role as a helpful diner waitress. Ike Eisenmann, who played her brother Tony, also resurfaces as a sheriff in the same scene. I missed out on the third Witch Mountain project, a failed pilot that aired on the Wonderful World of Disney and was intended to lead into a television show, except that the series never got off the ground. Anyway, back on point...

I think the best word to describe RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN is "nice." It's a nice sci-fi adventure movie for the family, but it won't blow you away with its scope or special effects or acting. But neither does it suck arse. It's middle of the road stuff, with the Rock turning in another ingratiating performance, Carla Gugino again being criminally underused, and the kid actors showing enough range to sorta kinda make you care about what happens to them. There's nothing here that's too disturbing or violent or inappropriate for de kids. Yeah, it's nice. It really could've used more of an edge.

Dwayne Johnson plays Jack Bruno, a former wheelman for the Las Vegas mob but currently a cabbie in Sin City. Bruno's trying to stay on the straight, even though his shady past keeps trying to pull him back in. So any more grief is not what he needs. It's what he gets, though, when two odd kids suddenly show up in the back seat of his cab, sporting formal speech patterns and with a desert destination in mind and waving fistfuls of cha-ching. And there goes Jack Bruno, embarking on a very strange, very dangerous journey.

If you've caught the trailer or seen the prior Witch Mountain films, then it's no spoiler that the two kids, Sara and Seth, turn out to be extra-terrestrial children. Sara is a telepath who also happens to be telekinetic. Seth is able to adjust his molecular density and can therefore phase thru solid objects or stop an SUV cold with his superdense body. Sara and Seth's planet is dying, and they've come to Earth to retrieve their scientist parents' rejuvenation device. This device, hidden in an isolated cabin in the Nevadan desert, can in theory save their world. However, their planet's military has its own pretty insidious plans for Earth.

Jack Bruno, a bit (or a lot) out of his depth, still finds himself channeling his inner dad or inner older brother. That, or he's a really dedicated taxi driver because the man intends to carry on until the kids get home, and that means making sure Sara and Seth end up in their spacecraft, which is currently being heavily guarded and poked and prodded by the government in full-on paranoid mode. The movie is pretty much Bruno and the kids and, later on, a sexy down-and-out astrophycisist (Carla Gugino, natch!) scrambling like crazy and trying to stay one step ahead of an unstoppable alien assassin, a shady government agency focusing on extraterrestrial threats, and Bruno's former hoodlum associates.

As said, the special effects are decent, and I got a nostalgic kick out of the diner scene. The Las Vegas science convention sequences are also a hoot, even if I feel that the movie could've mined more comedic/satiric gold out of those scenarios. An unexpectedly touching emotional core is built around the rapport and warm interplay between Dwayne Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb, who was so good in Bridge to Terabithia (Widescreen Edition) and she does pretty okay here as well, as the more appealing kid alien. Sorry to say, but Alexander Ludwig as Seth remained somewhat of a cold fish.

Disney, the bastion of fluffy family friendly fare, plays it safe, and the result is a tepidness to the film, a lack of punch, despite all the glitzy swagger onscreen. I saw RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN during an eighteen hour overseas flight, and I'm forever grateful that it kept me engaged enough that I wasn't as miserable as I would've been (because I really loathe flying!). The film is basically an extended chase scene, with several pit stops made so that the Rock and the kids can bond and the Rock can crack jokes. In the final say, I had fun in watching it, and wouldn't say no to a sequel, which going by how the movie ends (check out the end credits), seems very likely. The Witch Mountain franchise continues...

Want Race to Witch Mountain (Three-Disc Edition: Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) (2009) Discount?

This was a really fun movie to watch. Dwayne Johnson is perfect as the reluctant hero, slowly going from driver to protector. Carla Gugino is the true scientist who so wants to prove ETs really exist, beyond the scifi world. Great fun for those of all ages.

Save 33% Off

Gran Torino (+ BD-Live) (2008)

Throughout his illustrious acting career, Clint Eastwood has delivered a series of iconic characters, such as The Man with no name, Dirty Harry, Josie Wales, and Will Munny in Unforgiven.

Throughout his illustrious directing career he has delivered outstanding movies such as Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby, for which he has won five Academy Awards, for best Picture, Best Director, and including the Irving Thalberg Life Achievement Award.

The actors who have worked with him have been blessed with Oscar: Gene Hackman for Unforgiven, Tim Robbins and Sean Penn for Mystic River, Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby.

In Gran Torino he both directs and acts, and delivers an acting performance that will be remembered long after the final credits roll, in its unique way, as memorable as any other character he has created.

Gran Torino is the second best movie I have seen this year. Not just for the acting, not just for the directing, but for the storytelling, and the emotional journey on which it takes you, the laughter, the feeling of being gripped, and its more surprising moments.

In the opening scenes, we have the exposition of the character. We get to know Walt Kowalski, by how people act around him, and his seemingly hateful attitude towards people. More is conveyed through a scowl, and a snarl than with words. When the mischievous grandchildren go through his stuff in the basement, we see the Silver Star he won in Korea. There are three other important symbols in the movie, the lighter, the gun, and the car.

We see a hero with a warrior past, a patriot who fought for a cause greater than himself. Clearly, his bigotry stems from those experiences.

He's not just mean, he's 'get of my lawn' mean. He's Dirty Harry 'Go ahead punk, make my day!,' mean.

His dead wife's priest bugs him to hear his confession, at her request. The priest in a way is his wife's conscience.

When he snarls down the barrel of his rifle, at the neighborhood punk: 'I could blow your head off, and sleep like a baby,' you get the sense that he means it.

So, with all that happens, we see the change in his decision making, from someone reluctant to be involved in his neighbor's affairs, and a story can turn on something as random as looking at an empty beer cooler.

For all his faults, Walt has mature masculine character. Even though he is a difficult father, he has taught his children character. So, when he sees the boy next door lacks character, and a strong male role model, he takes him under his wing, and teaches him how to be a man.

The scenes where the boy practises Walt's high octane ball busting banter, are the funniest in the movie. Through knowing Walt, he makes decisions he never would have made by himself. In so doing, Walt finds meaning and purpose, and a chance for redemption, and the boy becomes a man.

The Academy's actor awards tend to go to actors in two types of role:

1.PsychopathNo Country for Old Men, The Usual Suspects, There Will Be Blood, Training Day, Silence of the Lambs.

2.Mentally Disabled, Social or Physical Handicap, overcomes great adversity or discriminationShine, As Good as It Gets, A Beautiful Mind, Ray, Scent of a Woman, Capote, Philadelphia, The Pianist, A Beautiful Life.

Every rule has an exception. Russell Crowe in Gladiator played a character with thematic similarities to Walt.

For a 78 year old man to direct and be lead actor in a movie of this caliber is an achievement worthy at the very least of being nominated for the highest award for Acting, Directing or both.

I hope you find this review helpful.

People react strongly to "Gran Torino," either embracing its depiction of a flawed but heroic racist old coot, or deriding the movie simply because its apparent political incorrectness makes them nervous. But even if the Academy does not bestow one award on what is probably Clint Eastwood's last movie as an actor, remember this: "Gran Torino" is a more intelligent film on the state of race relations today than "Crash" (a multiple Oscar winner) ever pretended to be.

The story is about Walt Kowalski, a grizzled Korean War vet and widower who spends his time drinking, smoking, and polishing his 1972 Ford Gran Torino, a vintage example of Detroit muscle. Because he installed the car's steering column himself, the car represents not only a classically American fixation on the automobile, but also a blue-collar, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps work ethic, one that Eastwood himself would no doubt agree with. (If for some reason you don't believe me, read his "What I've Learned" interview in the latest issue of Esquire.)

Kowalski mentors an aimless Hmong teenager named Thao, who is being pressured to join his cousin's gang. This is where the "Karate Kid" comparison comes in, which is inaccurate, partly because the characters of "Gran Torino" exhibit considerably greater depth. The boy who plays Thao (and in fact all of the Hmong characters) is not a professional actor, so although his portrayal is sometimes rather wooden, there really isn't any substitute for authenticity. Eastwood came of age in an era when Hollywood produced war movies using, say, a Chinese actor to portray a Japanese soldier. It's clear from the casting of "Gran Torino" (and "Letters from Iwo Jima," for that matter) that Eastwood prefers to do things his own way.

Kowalski makes fun of Thao (calling him "Toad"), but also teaches the boy how to earn an honest living. In the process, he becomes closer to Thao's family than he is to any of his own kin, who have degenerated into a distant, crass, materialistic clan of their own, far removed from the values Kowalski attempted to pass on.

The steady stream of racist epithets in "Gran Torino" will cause some people to laugh uncomfortably, others to laugh with delight, and still another group to glare at those who are laughing. Ultimately, however, this unsettling portrayal of one man's deep prejudices evolves into a different story altogether. It is not possible to show the audience a path away from a racist mentality without showing honestly where that mentality came from--a feat which "Crash," in spite of its heavy-handed moralizing, never came close to pulling off.

Buy Gran Torino (+ BD-Live) (2008) Now

Can Clint Eastwood go wrong? After striking gold a few months ago with the brilliant "Changeling," he releases "Gran Torino," another one of the year's best films. What a masterful storyteller Eastwood is, so focused on creating that perfect balance between story and character. He doesn't disappoint with "Gran Torino," a nearly flawless film that gives us characters we believe in and a story so compelling that it's virtually impossible to not be absorbed by it. What we have here is a cross-generational, cross-cultural story about people who can learn so much from each other despite being different. It's about regret, sadness, redemption, and growth, which isn't to say that it's conventional or archetypal; Eastwood plays a contemporary version of a Wise Old Man, someone who draws on life experience to teach an undeveloped youth. What's unique is that, regardless of what life has taught him, this Wise Old Man still has a lot to learn.

He has a name, of course: retired Ford factory worker Walt Kowalski. As a veteran of the Korean War, Kowalski has seen and done a lot of things he wishes he hadn't. He's bitter, antisocial, and politically incorrect. After his wife's funeral, we discover that he doesn't get along too well with his sons, specifically Mitch (Brian Haley) and his wife, Karen (Geraldine Hughes), who seem to believe that his age automatically makes him codependent and eligible for a spot in a retirement home. His grandchildren don't appreciate him one bit; the granddaughter only wants his stuff, hand-me-downs to take with her to school. They don't make things easy for him, but then again, he doesn't make things easy for them, either. It's a vicious cycle of resentment and miscommunication.

As this is being established, we're introduced to a teenage boy named Thao (Bee Vang), who lives next door to Kowalski with his large Hmong family. He's the black sheep of his deeply traditional family, always doing chores that the women are supposed to do. Having no direction in life, he's pressured by his cousin, nicknamed Spider (Doua Moua), to join his neighborhood gang. As an act of initiation, Thao must sneak into Kowalski's garage and steal his most prized possession: A 1972 Gran Torino. The attempt backfires. Some time later, Spider arrives with his posse and tries to abduct Thao. The resulting scuffle is broken up when Kowalski points his shotgun at the gang members and demand they get off his lawn.

Within no time at all, Kowalski's front steps are covered with tokens of appreciation from Thao's family, none of which go appreciated. But then Kowalski gets to know Thao's sister, Sue (Ahney Her), a remarkably independent young woman. Quick-witted and outgoing, she takes Kowalski's racial slurs in stride, believing that a good man lies behind the disgruntled façade. As he spends more time with Sue and her family, he begins to realize that he has more in common with them that with his own family, which, in all likelihood, scares him more than it brings him comfort.

When Thao formally apologizes for trying to steal Kowalski's Gran Torino, Kowalski puts him to work doing various chores, like repainting a house and fixing gutters. Hardly a scene goes by when he isn't verbally berating Thao, although it's obvious from the start that he's doing it to toughen him up, to make him believe that his life has a purpose and that he should actively be trying to find it. Part of this involves getting Thao to talk like a man. There's a priceless scene in which Kowalski brings Thao to a barber, who has been sharing insults with Kowalski for a number of years. Afterwards, Kowalski arranges for Thao to work at a construction site; the boss, as it turns out, is the perfect man for Thao to test his new vocabulary on. What Kowalski doesn't realize is that he's learning just as much from Thao, especially in matters of caring for other people. Eventually, Kowalski comes to the conclusion that Thao and his family will never be at peace so long as Spider and his gang are around.

The film's most fascinating character is Father Janovich (Christopher Carley), a twenty-seven year old priest who promised Kowalski's wife that he'd look after him upon her death and get him to confess. Initially, Kowalski wants nothing to do with Janovich, who gives sermons on matters of life and death yet has no real idea what it means to face your own mortality. Kowalski knows--he served his country in Korea. "What do you know about life?" Janovich calmly asks. "Well," says Kowalski, "I survived the war. I got married and had a family." There's absolutely no joy in his voice when he says this. Gradually, he begins to appreciate Janovich; he many not have all the answers, but at least he's willing to listen.

The brilliance of this movie comes not from the development of the characters, but from the way the characters interact with one another. Virtually no one is on friendly terms at the start, but by the end, there's an understated feeling that respect has been earned on all sides. Kowalski refers to Thao as his friend only once, and while it was nice to actually hear it, it still didn't come as a surprise given everything that had been leading to that moment. At a certain point, you just knew how Kowalski felt. "Gran Torino" is such a wonderful film, so carefully structured, so perfectly cast, so rewarding for the audience. To make just one great film in a year is the mark of real talent. But to make two great films in the same year, now that's the work of genius.

Read Best Reviews of Gran Torino (+ BD-Live) (2008) Here

Some have criticized "Gran Torino" as being too simple, cliched and hurt by the performances of the film's first-time actors.

But this is one of those rare movies that's bigger than the sum of its parts. In recent years, I have yet to see a film that managed to get both men and women to cry. And that it would provoke such strong emotions is not evident until the last act.

It may seem simple and cliched on the surface, and while I knew that Clint Eastwood's character Walt would eventually warm up to his Hmong neighbors, I didn't expect that the movie would also have me, a guy who doesn't cry at movies, wiping my eyes. And not just once, but the three other times I saw the film at the theater. And I heard other people crying at every viewing.

Each time I viewed it, it was just as powerful, if not more.

Walt is an old, bitter racist, who just about hates everyone, including the young pastor who visits him regularly at the request of Walt's late wife, and his own children and their families.

On paper, the story seems simple, but its power is hard to deny. It's part drama, part comedy, part tale of one man's racist surface, but as the credits roll, you realize that the power of the movie, the emotional buttons it pushes, make this a movie that rises above the acting, above its direction, above its script, to make something deeper and emotionally touching than most would have expected.

There are subtle touches and small scenes that any other director would not have folded into the film. And they do go by like a breeze for the most part. They'll have you laughing, smiling or shaking your head.

And it's good that Eastwood's character does not make a complete (and unrealistic) 360 degree turn, as you see in most American movies.

And given what Eastwood has delivered in most of his movies, most notably as Dirty Harry and his various Westerns, you expect a big showdown to come, and that showdown does come, but not with the ending you expect.

Eastwood has made powerful movies before, but this one really seemed to touch the core of many people, across many age groups, and racial/ethnic designations.

On a side note, Eastwood has also done what so many Hollywood studios and filmmakers choose not to do, which is portray Asian-Americans as regular, everyday people, living in America. That's no small feat, as most Hollywood studios go out of their way to not cast Asian-Americans and not show the lives of Asian-Americans. They rather change the race of the characters, even when they're basing a movie on a real-life story about Asian-American people, or offer easy, ignorant stereotypes.

Eastwood only deserves credit, because it's something that should have been done decades ago.

And while this movie may not get much kudos from the snobby critics in the big film world, it has a emotional pull that even some recent Eastwood movies don't have.

It may not have won any big awards, but it's a movie I plan on watching for years to come.

Want Gran Torino (+ BD-Live) (2008) Discount?

With 175 reviews to read you probably won't get around to reading mine. But Gran Torino may just be Clint Eastwood's finest acting, and it certainly one of the best films he's directed. It's both iconic building on Dirty Harry and Unforgiven and subtle. As an actor friend of mine once said back in the late 1970's about Clint: "He's got one look. But boy, is it a good look."

Gran Torino is the embodiment of that statement. When Clint levels his rifle at the scum, and says he could blow their heads off, go in, and sleep like a baby, he's probably the only man on earth you'd believe saying something like that. His eyes, his carriage, his intensity.

Underneath that patented Dirty Harry glare is a performance of such subtlety, minute inflections, and being it's virtuoso. He's like a worn out pair of jeans, a well-oiled and used baseball mitt. Clint Eastwood uses his entire body of work as a back drop to this performance, and builds on it to take us along for the ride.

I'm not going to share the plot as others have so far. It's a film about values and tradition. About accountability. Doing the right thing up to and including making sure his old dog is taken care of. What's masterful about the film is that he takes what could have been a caricature in the hands of another actor and director and makes it believable.

Much has been made of his racist language. At first it's jarring. It's so all encompasing and over the top in the beginning of the film you can't help but concentrate on it. But he takes it from Archie Bunker territory with character development and plot arc to the point where you no longer actually hear the stupid words. You are too focused on the man's character and who he really is. A real racist would never have entered his neighbor's home, and certainly wouldn't have eaten their food. The reviewer who said he's racist because he doesn't know any other way to be is spot-on.

The Hmong cast is outstanding. I especially loved the interaction between Walt and Grandma two peas in a pod. Bee Vang as Tow was solid as the boy who becomes a man. Ahney Her as Sue is the driver of the changes in Walt. If she couldn't hold her own with Clint the film wouldn't have worked. She does, and in the bargain, Gran Torino is a very satisfying, impressive film.

Like Gran Torinos, and Clint Eastwood, they don't make 'em like this anymore.

Save 18% Off

Shogun Assassin (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) (1980)

Unlike what some of the other reviews have stated, this is not spliced together episodes from a Japanese tv show. Actually, it is spliced from the first two (there are six in the series) Lone Wolf and Cub movies: Sword of Vengeance and Baby Cart at the River Styx. It is also not a kung fu film because for one thing, kung fu is a martial art form from China and this movie is from Japan and is involving samurai (who don't practice kung fu).

Unfortunately, taking two movies and cutting them down to one movie half as long hurts the story of the films. In the original films, the Shogun didn't just up and decide that he was threatened by Ogami Itto and decide to kill his family. The story is more involved and the viewer has a much stronger emotional connection with the characters of the story when watching the original versions of the film in two separate parts.

Also, the Lone Wolf and Cub series has seen a recent release onto DVD by AnimEigo and the picture and sound quality on these new DVD transfers is astounding when compared to this film. It literally looks as if it is a recent release instead of a film from the 70s. Additionally, these DVD releases contain the original Japanese audio tracks (matched with the AnimEigo's superb subtitles) not a horrible English dubbing as contained in Shogun Assassin.

All this combined, it is impossible for me to recommend this film over the originals to anyone. Granted, they both still contain ridiculous blood spurting and great swordplay and you'll still have a good time watching either Shogun Assassin or the original Lone Wolf and Cub movies but Shogun Assassin is just inferior. However, if (and only if) you really hate subtitles in your movies, then Shogun Assassin might be the way to go.

The Lone Wolf and Cub films themselves are based off of a classic manga; partly released by the same name in the US by Action Comics. More recently, Dark Horse Comics released it in its entirety in a 28 vol. (8,000+ pages) series. The story is more fleshed out and much more involved in the manga and the artwork is incredible. Anyone who enjoys the Lone Wolf and Cub films would be doing themselves a favor by checking them out. It should be noted to anyone who has seen the movie series to its "conclusion", that the manga does has an appropriate ending unlike that of the film series and its conclusion is more than satisfying.

"Shogun Assassin" is a great film. Much "controversy" has arisen over the years regarding this film having been cobbled together from two other films in the Lone Wolf series. I think that what has been achieved is an extremely entertaining, fast-paced piece of action. By eliminating non-essential story lines and including a voice over narration, the action moves at break neck speed. The amount of blood spilled is so over the top as to be cartoonish, which only adds to the uniqueness of the movie. The DVD transfer is excellent and the restored picture is high quality. Some reviewers have complained about certain scenes being unrestored, it is actually only two shots totaling maybe five seconds in length. Both shots are of a castle and the excuse for not restoring them was that they were stock footage with no original element available. I do not know why the company had to place the disclaimer of this fact on the film, as I doubt anyone would have really noticed anyway. An added bonus on the DVD is the inclusion of the trailer which, I had never seen before. I can only imagine an audience seeing this trailer and somehow not wanting to see the film, it is awesome. Anyway, if you have never seen "Shogun Assassin" or have seen it a thousand times, buy this DVD, it is well worth it.

Buy Shogun Assassin (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) (1980) Now

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)I am not usually a fan of dubbed versions of Japanese films. Most of the time, they are so poorly done I don't know why they even bother. But somehow, I find "Shogun Assassin" to be not only forgivable, but an awesome flick.

Maybe because this is more than just a dubbed version of the original film. The director, Robert Houston, spliced together the "good parts" of two films, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx into a single story. He then hired deaf lip-readers to help him create an English-language script that was synchronized to the mouth movements, and Mark Lindsay from the band Paul Revere & the Raiders to lay out a funky synthesizer track for a score. It reminds me a bit of the animated series Robotech or even Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? which both created new stories out of Japanese material.

Or maybe it is because "Shogun Assassin" is just so cool. The story is a simplified version of the original Lone Wolf and Cub series. You still have the wandering swordsman with his killer baby, but this time they are only fleeing from "The Shogun" instead of any complex story of clan rivalry. They are pursued by endless squads of "ninjas" which are handily and bloodily dispatched in grand style. That's about it. This is definitely the "good parts" version, and the fun comes from the endless swordfights and syntho soundtrack.

The violence here is over the top. There is one scene where a female ninja proves her prowess by fighting a battle with the Shogun's top fighter, and she slowly slices him to pieces, first fingers, then ears, then feet. It is a visual demonstration of the famous "To the pain" scene from The Princess Bride. All of the scenes go like that. No sword is drawn but body parts go flying. Good times indeed.

The entire series has been released by Animeigo in the Shogun Assassin: 5 Film Collector's Set. Chances are if you see the first one, you are going to want to see them all.

Read Best Reviews of Shogun Assassin (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) (1980) Here

This review is for; Shogun Assassin: 5 Film Collector's Set

I just wanted to point out some of the new special features in this new set that wasn't available in the individual releases. Besides being released in the new box that takes ups less space than the original five snap cases, audio commentary is provided by Ric Meyers (a film scholar) and Steve Watson (a martial arts expert) as well as a video interview with Scott Houle who did the audio dubbing for parts 3, 4 & 5. Note the commentary and video interview is only on part one (Shogun's Assassin). The video interview is about 31 minutes long as Scott Houle answers a series of questions about the technical aspects of film dubbing. The other four discs in the set appear to be indentical to the individual releases the were released earlier. Also, a 26-page booklet featuring an essay, making of interview, liner notes, cast bios, black & white photos as well as "where are they now" information. Any special features from the previous released discs are still in the new boxed set such as all the trailers, photo slide shows & production notes. All of the discs are stored in a five-fold cardboard insert that slides into the outer box (similiar to typical TV series DVD sets).

Great boxed disc set to have if you want the new special features on disc one only and the booklet! Otherwise it is very identical to the prior individual releases.

Want Shogun Assassin (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) (1980) Discount?

My introduction to these characters was via the outstanding Lone Wolf and Cub series. I have 5 Lone Wolf films in DVD (not Blu-ray). But I have to say, those DVDs have better resolution and color than the Shogun Assassin movies in this collection. That's my technical complaint.

As for movies, any potential buyer should be aware that these movies are intended for those who love cheesy dubbed Asian action movies. There is no Japanese audio track. There are no subtitles. Shogun Assassin was a recut/reinvention of two Lone Wolf and Cub movies, made for the American audiences. We're talking B movies way way way down in the Bs. If you like samurai movies, like the Samurai Trilogy, Yojimbo, Hari Kiri, 47 Ronin, Zatoichi movies, then this collection is NOT for you!

I regret buying this collection mainly because I didn't realize what I was getting. That was my mistake. However, I am surprised at the lower quality of the film footage. One would expect a Blu-ray mastering to have better results than older DVD transfers of essentially the same footage. I suppose the SA films are already 2 or more film generations from what might be available for LWAC, so maybe this is the best they could have done. At any rate, it's very disappointing to me.

Save 40% Off

Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010)

This movie was a real surprise, our family has watched all theh Free Willy movies from the past and decided to give this one a try. Bindi Irwin is a very talented young lady and very believeable thorughout the movie. Beau Bridges is such a wonderful character actor and he plays the gruff grandfather very well. We througly enjoyed the movie and the friendship between two young children in the movie. Steve Irwin would be so proud of his little girl.

This is the 4th in the Free Willy series, but it's not about the original Willy. It is filmed in South Africa and Jason James Richter or none of the other cast from the first 3 movies are in it, but it's based on the same story line, a Orca is caught, can't get out, an evil man wants him and in the end he reunites with his family. I won't give details but it's a great family to watch. If you are a Free Willy fan it is a must see and buy.

Buy Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010) Now

The 4th movie of the Free Willy series is truly a delight. I loved every minute of it! Bindi Irwin was truly amazing as Kirra. It is so amazing how much she looks like her father, and carry's on his legacy through her knowledge of animals, and her love for them...which makes this even better, because you can tell her passion for animals is really genuine. I also thought the scenery was so beautiful, the acting by all the cast was excellent, and this movie ranks up there as being just as wonderful as the other Free Willy movies. I thought the ending was very powerful and emotional, that it made me cry. Hearing the song by Bindi Irwin while the credits were rolling were amazing, and I recoginized her voice immediately. Bindi Irwin seems so down-to-earth, like I said before a genuinly passionate person, and I hope she remains following in her father's footsteps.

I am defintely going to buy it, and on blu-ray, so I get the highest quality, and so I can see the bonus features, because the one I rented didn't have any on there.

Read Best Reviews of Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010) Here

Another "Free Willy" movie? Oh, brother. That was my initial reaction. When I discovered, however, that Bindi Irwin would be starring in it, I became intrigued. I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, attended the same school as Terri Irwin, and my heart has been linked to their family since Steve Irwin's early success as "The Crocodile Hunter" and the later tragedy of his death. How could I not give this movie a chance?

The story is quick-moving and fun-spirited. Bindi is a young girl from Australia whose father gets hurt in an accident. She is forced to go spend six weeks in Capetown, South Africa, with her estranged grandfather, the father of her deceased mother. Beau Bridges plays his role well, giving it a few moments of goofiness and some heartfelt scenes. He and his granddaughter do not hit it off right away. In fact, he is a gambling, unmotivated fellow who runs a downtrodden theme park. A storm brings the theme park an unexpected surprise, though, in the form of a young Orca. "Willy" becomes the catalyst for a granddaughter/grandfather relationship, as well as the source of rivalry and conflict from a bigger, better theme park.

The movie has some funny moments and some incredible scenery from the Capetown area. Beau and Bindi give the film a lot of heart. There are one or two slapstick moments, but overall it remains focused on its young female star and her desire to care for animals even while winning over her crusty, but good-natured grandpa. The only real weakness is the use of simulated underwater Orca scenes. They might work well in an aquarium presentation, but they don't do well in a film. And they seemed unnecessary, considering the very real Orca used throughout the movie.

I was pleasantly surprised by "Free Will: Escape from Pirate's Cove." It has a message about preserving nature, without getting too preachy about it. It makes good use of adorable and likable Bindi, and it shows that Beau Bridges still has some life in his acting career. My daughters and I enjoyed this together.

Want Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010) Discount?

knowing the orcas werent real kinda put a damp blanket on it for me. free willy was magical because of keiko.

Save 59% Off

The Opening of Misty Beethoven Blu-ray, Directed By Radley Metzger (1976)

I am absolutely blown away by the love and care that DistribPix put into their restoration of THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN. The aspect ratio has been restored, so that you are seeing the film as you would have seen it in the theatre. And the colors, dialog and music all look and sound the best that they possibly could. The extras are nonpariel -you get featurettes on the actors, a behind-the-scenes documentary, the complete story of the music used in the film (without equal in the annals of adult cinema), deleted scenes and much more. If you've only seen the subpar DVD made from a VHS tape, you owe it to yourself to see the film as "Henry Paris" intended. And while you're at it, don't forget to pick up a copy of the stupendous soundtrack CD!

The Opening of Misty Beethoven is widely recognised as the greatest porno film of all time, at least among those who care about the film aspects and not just the sex. It has an entertaining plot suitable for a porno, wonderful sets, a witty script gorgeous actors and actresses and is topped off by a great soundtrack. Not to forget about the sex: two scenes are really hot and the others all add to the overall experience. Distribipix's Blu-ray package truly does justice to the film: excellent transfer and superb special features including two versions of the film (hard and soft) with two separate commentaries. Fans are well rewarded and anyone new to the movie will be instantly enraptured by it.

Buy The Opening of Misty Beethoven Blu-ray, Directed By Radley Metzger (1976) Now

It is a miracle what 12 weeks of editing can do for a film! "Misty Beethoven" is widely considered the best porn movie ever made, and I can only agree. It has class, it has style, and it is very well acted especially by Jamie Gillis and directed. It is the pinnacle of the brief moment in time known as 'porn chic'. Everyone is glamorous, money is no object, and the sex is plentiful. Most memorable are the many montage sections in the film, something I have never seen in another adult motion picture, and certainly not done with the style and skill as "Misty Beethoven'.

Anything by Radley Metzger / Henry Paris is worth searching out, as he was the one true auteur of porn, but this film is the best of the best. Additionally, no expense was spared in doing a complete audio / video restoration, with tons of bonus features and even a commentary by Mr. Metzger. It looks great, it has great packaging and cover art, and it is perhaps the one great porn film. A must buy, if you are interested in that kind of thing.

Read Best Reviews of The Opening of Misty Beethoven Blu-ray, Directed By Radley Metzger (1976) Here

The Opening of Misty Beethoven(1976) is a cult classic of the 1970's Porno Chic genre. It's a loose remake of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. It stars Jamie Gillis and Constance Money. It has good camerawork, good production values, and some well chosen stock music cues. Distribpix did a good job restoring the film and packing the DVD and Blu Ray's with extra features. The soft core version of The Opening of Misty Beethoven is also an extra. Two deleted scenes from Misty Beethoven were used as filler in Barbara Broadcast(1977) and Maraschino Cherry(1978). The Opening of Misty Beethoven is a classic adults only film from Henry Paris.

Want The Opening of Misty Beethoven Blu-ray, Directed By Radley Metzger (1976) Discount?

'The Opening of Misty Beethoven' (which I have just watched for the first time) is considered by some (or many) to be the greatest adults-only movie ever made. I'd have to watch a LOT more to confidently agree or disagree but I can say that I liked it very much! There is a story (which doesn't come across as a necessary evil) and would be extremely watchable in either the soft or hard core version, both of which are included on this Blu-ray. It's really quite funny, too, with plenty of jokes and sight gags, all of which the performers deliver with ease and aplomb ...except for one lady in one of the aeroplane scenes, but she's pretty and it's only one line, hehe. The music is appropriately whimsical and sexy by turns, and I now want the soundtrack!

This Blu-ray release has clearly been a labour of love for the producers, from the careful restoration and transfer of the movie to the packaging. If you are interested in this movie or this period in adults-only entertainment, I think you will not regret buying this Blu-ray. The movie itself is fully worth the money, but there are also some interesting and informative special features (many in high definition). Of course, your primary reason for buying will be to enjoy watching some really good looking people making out! ;)

Majikoi: Oh! Samurai Girl - The Complete Collection (2012)

Like with other past series similar to this Ikki Tossen/Samurai Girls/Tenjho Tenge/Freezing/Sekirei the series gives us a bevy of hard core fighting and for most of the females well endowed characters with their own quirky personalities that quickly endear them to you. The basis is you have a group of young high school friends most who are very talented martial arts or weapons fighters and again like with most harem animes most of the females all have a hidden or not so hidden feelings for the main male character of the series. Though what separates this series a little from the previous mentioned ones is that for the most part many of the characters have endearing original quirky personalities that seem to set them apart from some of the more usual harem animes. Also while there is actions and some drama in the series for most of it the setting is pretty light hearted as you see the rivalry between school classes, different schools and people think of it as a little updated Ranma1/2 subplot.

While the extras aren't the greatest they are still good especially the short comedic specials. The actors and actresses for the Japanese subbed did a great job in their character roles and kudos to the English cast as well. The set is a little pricey but if you've seen some of the series online or like harem animes with hardcore female fighters with quirky traits then here's a decent one to add to your anime library.

I like the series it was Good,the storyline progresses well for a comedy. So far, this is one of the only anime I have watched that has both gained my attention as well as bring out some good laughs. The storyline is both very serious, but keeps a constant comedic theme all the way through.I would recommend this for anyone that watches anime for humor, as well as people that watch anime for seriousness. If you fan of an harem or ecchi based anime, Buy it, you going to enjoy {^.-}

Buy Majikoi: Oh! Samurai Girl - The Complete Collection (2012) Now

In Kawakami City, having a samurai ancestor and an enormous fighting spirit isn't just a cool historical fact; it's a determining factor on how you rank in the societies totem pole. That ranking spills over into the school system. Local kids like Yamato Naoe have learned to form groups to deal with this reality. The balance of sexual tension was even in his circle of friends with 3 girls and 4 boys. That is until 2 more chicks started spinning everything out of control. Yamato lives with 5 hotties that all want him bad, that is all except the one he loves. Things are about to get interesting and very dangerous! The country is in political turmoil. The Prime Minister uses his power to gain even more power, by any means necessary. There are many in Japan who despise this. Including Yamato's father, who abandoned his country because of the corruption. Yamato, however, decides that he will fight against it for the people he loves.

This anime starts off kinda seeming thoughtless. It's definitely a harem anime, and there is lots of nudity and racey stuff. Despite all of this, a plot develops. There is a fairly decent love story, nothing like Clannad or Marmalade Boy, but a decent one nonetheless. This anime also has some very meaningful political and moral lessons to teach. Is it better to abandon your country because it's leaders are ruining it, or should you be loyal and remove the corruption. This is a very important topic, especially considering America's current political situation. Anyway, This anime also has great production quality. The animation, voice acting, and soundtrack are excellent. There is a great mix of comedy, action, drama, and fan service. It's not the best anime series out there, but it's pretty entertaining. If you want to laugh, watch fights, and have fun, Majikoi is a good place to look.

Read Best Reviews of Majikoi: Oh! Samurai Girl - The Complete Collection (2012) Here

While there is a measure of nudity and a couple of yuri scenes, this isn't an endless sexual romp as might have been implied. The scene depicted on the cover nor the large rendering on the back of two girls boob-to-boob do not exist in this series anywhere. As for the story,it isn't anything worth mentioning in your next letter to your mother.

The main one-on-one girl fight scene goes on to near the point of boredom as,quite frankly,does most of the series.

Considering the faults cover art,the over-the-top price,(for what you get) and the looming recession,save your money or watch your friend's copy.

Want Majikoi: Oh! Samurai Girl - The Complete Collection (2012) Discount?

The Japanese adult visual novel known as "Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!" has its fair share of fans in Japan.

Created by Minato Soft for the PC back in 2009, a manga adaptation for Comp Ace would follow in 2010 which eventually led to a 12-episode anime series in 2011. And now, "Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls: Complete Collection" was released on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks in October 2012.

VIDEO:

"Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls: Complete Collection" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 aspect ratio). While the series is vibrant and colorful, backgrounds are well-detailed and for the most part, the anime series looks good. As a TV series, there is some softness but overall, the series compliments the visual novel counterpart when it comes to close-ups of the characters. There is nothing groundbreaking when it comes to the animation but overall, it does look good on Blu-ray and I didn't notice any artifacts or any major problems while watching the anime series.

AUDIO:

"Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls: Complete Collection" is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Although I would have preferred to have a more immersive 5.1 lossless soundtrack, "Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls: Complete Collection" and its two soundtracks are crystal clear coming through the front channel and there is no difference between the overall mix of both lossless soundtracks.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls: Complete Collection" comes with the following special features:

12 Shorts The omake shorts (12 total) that typically appear at the end of an episode are featured as a special feature.

Clean Opening and Closing Animation

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls" is another anime series that exemplifies what a harem anime series can be. With its cover featuring one of the lead protagonist grabbing the antagonist's breast with one hand and her hands on her rival's rear, already, anime fans know that this anime series is going to be perverted.

For fans of the ecchi anime series genre, it's all about how far the anime series will go with its all-out perverseness.

Comparable to series such as "Sekirei" and also other harem anime series which features a protagonist with many female friends who want to be with him and also a series that is based on a adult visual novel, "Majikoi! -Oh! Samurai Girls" starts out being a different type of anime series by showcasing a group using strategy to defeat another fighting club, something we see similar to another series "Tenjo Tenge".

But while that first episode was trying to establish the characters who are a group of friends now having certain power at their high school because they beat a stellar and wealthy team, the series then changes.

What we end up getting is how the protagonist Yamato becomes the man that each female character desires.

Momoyo is the woman that Yamato grew up with liking, but because he made a promise to her that he won't be with her unless he can be of equal footing, both try to have this brother and sister relationship.

So, the other ladies look at Yamato as open season. Momoi's adoptive younger sister Kazuyo always knew that Momoyo liked Yamato, but because she doesn't show her feelings of love, she decides to go for Yamato.

Miyako on the other hand is the most aggressive of the young women. She was saved by Yamato when picked on by bullies and she desperately wants Yamato to have her body and will do anything sexual for him, but he resists.

Yukie is the shy type that likes Yamato but is not good at expressing her emotions, while the German Christian Friedrich doesn't know too much about Japanese culture and but the fact that Yamato is a great strategist and he was good at nearly getting her to expose herself nude to him, makes her appreciate him more.

And of course, there are Yamato's male buddies who had a major part in the beginning of the series but not so much throughout. The series pretty much plays out of how these young women start to follow for Yamato and each wanting to vouch for their love for him, but jealousy developing within each member of who can win Yamato's love.

And for the anime series, the perversion level for "Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls" is quite high! Momoyo loves to squeeze Yamato, but because she is so well-endowed, you are not sure if he's loving it or if he's really hurting. Miyako is the ultimate in perversion as she has dreams of Yamato having sex with her and even so far as being blunt to Yamato of what she wants him to do with her body.

And as one can expect from a perverted harem anime series, you get your T&A and other forms of fan service. It's important to note that this anime series is rated TV 14 VSD, which is quite surprising as I was expecting a rated TV M because of the nudity and sexual themes in certain episodes, especially the ending credits.

But with the characters being fighters who specialize in one-on-one combat and utilization of weaponry, the series has its fair share of action as well. Actually, a lot of action and while there are antagonists, it may seem that most of the action take place within the core group as each woman fights for Yamato's affection.

As for the Blu-ray release, the animation is quite vibrant. For the most part, animation is vibrant as greens and Earth colors really are quite vibrant and certain areas are well-detailed. Character animation are also good but as one expects from a TV series, some areas do look soft. Audio is presented in lossless 2.0 but you get an English and Japanese soundtrack and dialogue is crystal clear and there isn't too much of a big difference between the Japanese and English soundtrack in dynamic range. And you also get several special features, which are the omake portion at the end of an episode.

Overall, "Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls: Complete Collection" is an anime series that doesn't really break any new ground. It has a banality of other harem action anime series but it's strength lies within its fan service and because there is a niche of anime fandom that just adores perverted anime, it all comes down if you want more of it on Blu-ray. So, if you are into perverted anime series with nudity, fan service and mature jokes, then "Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls: Complete Collection" is for you!

Save 36% Off