The Jerk (Blu-ray + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (1979)

This is one of my favorite comedies. It's not for everyone, as you must understand Martin's unique style of humor. That having been said, the DVD is awful.

The transfer is decent, although could have been cleaned up more. Luckily, it's at least anamorphic widescreen. The sound, while hardly sounding like 5.1, still sounds decent, as i doubt surround sound was on the mind of film makers in 1979. Seriously, it's not Star Wars.

Extras? Fugetaboudit! NO commentary. NO making-of. NO interviews. Just one delected scene, trailer, and a dumb ukelele lesson.

The WORST part! There are scenes missing! Perhaps this version of the film is exactly as it was released in the theaters, but i'm too young to know. However, every time i've seen it on television, there were scenes not present in this release...such as the several different people requesting donations from the rich Navin Johnson. In this, you only get the Mexican priest. Where's the guy who needs new seat covers on his plane? That scene was classic!

You know, this is the SECOND release of this film on DVD, and they call it an "Anniversary Edition." If they're going to give it a name like that, they could at least include the cut of the movie with extra scenes added back in. Maybe the commentary and a simple 15-minute making-of is asking too much, but at least give us the material that's already in the can.

Surreal to the point of silliness, "The Jerk" captured the atmosphere of comedy perfectly in the 70's. Before Robin Williams broke through to a larger audience on the big and little screen, Steve Martin was THE JERK. As dense as a brick, Martin doesn't so much as act like a jerk as become one. Opening like a variation on all those Hollywood tales where the hero of our story is down on his luck but soon to be redeemed (of course, this IS a comedy so it's unlikely he'll get the redemption we expect because, well, that wouldn't be funny), Navin Johnson (Martin) mentions at the beginning that he was "born a poor black child". Adopted by a poor African-American family living in poverty, Navin is horrified to discover that not only is he adopted but he's always going to be Caucasian and have absolutely no rhythm. Navin discovers he does have rhythm after all ("praise the Lord!") when he listens to a radio playing dance music from the time. Navin eats his Twinkies, learns the difference between sh-t and Shinola and hits the road hoping to be rich. Armed with the advice his family gives him ("God bless the working man...and remember never trust whitey!"). He hitchhikes getting his first ride which takes him to the end of a fence getting about twenty feet away from home. Needless to say, life is more than an adventure for Nathan and his dog Shithead; it's a vocation.

Receiving a very nice transfer, "The Jerk" looks typical of a film from the late 70's with noticeable film grain and while the colors aren't quite as vivid as I would have thought, they're acceptable. This is the first widescreen presentation for the film so that's something to be thankful for. There's quite a bit of analog debris in the form of dirt (in fact it looks as if this is exactly the same transfer as the previous edition). The 5.1 remastered Dolby Digital Surround Sound mix has nice presence but (not surprisingly) it doesn't use the format particularly well.

In addition to the original production notes from the previous edition and theatrical trailer we also get 1 extra and 1 featuring footage cut from the film. "The Lost Filmstrips of Father Carlos Las Vegas De Cordova" is a "continuation" of the film within a film where we see Martin play various characters doing things like verbally abusing a plant, dressing a bulldog in a clown suit as the audience cheers and takes pets in a bizarre parody of cock fighting. It's really footage that was cut from that sequence. "Learn to Play `Tonight You Belong to Me'" includes sections where you can learn to tune a ukulele (something I've been dying to learn), play it, play along with the Ukulele Gal and, finally, play along with the jerk himself. It's bizarre to say the least. The last bit is just a scene from "The Jerk" where Navin serenades his sweetheart at the beach.

No commentary track from Martin or Reiner. Honestly, you'd think they were embarrassed by this film! Or, maybe they weren't asked to do it or wanted too much money. While an improvement on the original edition of the film, that improved is slight at best. The featurettes are pleasant diversions but the real reason to get "The Jerk" is that this is the first time it's been presented in widescreen. The image quality could have been cleaned up quite a bitas there's quite a bit of analog debris that appears early on in the film. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this unless you're dying to have the widescreen version of this classic comedy.

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NOTE: review below was in regards to the Full Screen or Pan & Scan version of The Jerk that was the initial DVD release. A later edition was released which does respect the movie and offer it in widescreen format. If you are purchasing, be sure to get the anniversary version of the movie so you'll see the ENTIRE movie and not lose the images on the edges of the screen. Remainder of original review left as is. Thanks!

---

First off, I love this movie. It's silly, it's funny, it's touching in some places, but mostly, it's just entertaining.

My biggest complaint with this DVD is that it's one that offers little to no bonus value, and, to me, commits the cardinal sin of not putting the movie in it's original format instead offering only a Pan and Scan Full Screen presentation.

I've hoped for several years that this movie would get a 'special anniversary' or other 'collectors edition' that would offer the original wide screen format and some decent special features, but finally had to break down and purchase this 'original' release of the DVD because my wishes seem to be going unanswered.

Please note that I rate the movie itself here a full 5 stars (* * * * *), but the DVD gets only 2 stars, for it's lack of respect to the buying public.

The movie was a classic when it was released.

Steve Martin, the ultimate 'white guy' finds himself 'born a poor black child', without rhythm and unable to figure out why he doesn't fit in with his Black brothers and sisters.

He gets motivated to go off and discover himself, and his adventures along the way are a total riot.

In many ways a model that could have been used for the original "Rain Man" character, Navin R. Johnson (Martin's character) had a simple charm and naive streak that was almost unbelievable, but too funny not to laugh at.

This movie is a comedy classic, and it deserves a Special Edition and better treatment on DVD. Hopefully someday it will get just that.

Read Best Reviews of The Jerk (Blu-ray + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (1979) Here

This is a fantastic movie... even though I love many of Steve Martin's movies this is the one that I can quote from beginning to end and still laugh constantly!

My main complaint, like others, is that it is NOT WIDESCREEN! The sad thing is, if you look at the packaging for "The Steve Martin Collection" 3-pack it shows "The Jerk" as originally being slated to be shown in the widescreen format, however for some reason they decided to keep in Pan and Scan anyway.... Ugh!

Another sad thing is that this movie HAS DELETED SCENES but they are NOT INCLUDED in the DVD! Anyone who has seen the movie syndicated knows that there are additional scenes which are shown on TV but for some reason are left out of the DVD!

Hopefully Universal will soon release a version of this movie comparable to their great DVD releases of AMERICAN GRAFFITTI and ANIMAL HOUSE... until then, this version will have to do I suppose.

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I have really come to the end of my rope concerning Universal DVD releases. Why hasnt this film been cleaned up and at least out out on a widescreen format? Their is no excuse for this. They are by far the biggest and the worse dvd distributor in the market. They continually release dvd after dvd with framing errors-no digital transfers-no extra features---grainy dirty negatives without any concern about preserving these films. Its pathetic.To add to all of this they will release these films then pull them over and over again how many more re-releases of one film can you produce?Why? your not adding anything but new crappy artwork for the cover.Whens the last time the original cut of the Blues Brothers has seen the day of light??Now The Jerk is also among your lame releases. GREAT film HORRIBLE release done by the worst in the biz. Simply put UNIVERSAL SUCKS.

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A Man Escaped (Criterion Collection) (1956)

This is the first Bresson film I ever saw and it stunned me. Since then, I have seen most of his other films and each one is remarkable, though a few stand out: Diary of a Country Priest, Au Hazard Balthaaar, Pickpocket, L'Argent. Still, this film is unique in that it retains the austere, minimalist and ultimately spiritual style of the others, and at the same time is a gripping thriller.

You might say of this film -though Bressonian purists might hate me for saying this -that Bresson uses his anti-Hollywood style to outdo Hollywood style. What I mean is: Bresson is known for revealing only what is absolutely essential, a gesture, an item, two hands engaged in an activity, feet walking. This has the effect of encouraging the viewer to pay attention, but also, because it forces no specific interpretation upon these items, encouraging the viewer to participate in the unfolding of events, and become more than merely a spectator. Hollywood style tends also to eliminate much of what is inessential, but to a much different end: to eliminate moments where the viewer might be distracted and think about something other than the film; the aim is to replace thought with the action on the screen, rather than to stimulate thought. In the case of this film, however, where the subject matter is a prison breakout (standard Hollywood fare) the minimalist style employed by Bresson is able to achieve both a high degree of tension, and a high level of involvement. From the moment the prisoner is in the prison, nothing is shown except what is relevant to the single-minded focus of the prisoner: to escape. In that sense, it is not at the end that the man escapes (as already announced in the title of the film), but from the very beginning he is escaped in the sense that he never accepts the status of imprisonment. The film is able to show this without ever having him discuss the matter with anyone. Remarkable.

This is one of cinema's great achievements, a testament of the combination of elements (subject, visual style, photographic image, movement, sound, background music, character, montage) are perfectly blended into a unique experience. The New Yorker print, however, is the worst copy of this film (16mm, 35mm, television screenings) I have ever seen. This was a copy with a lack of contrast, extra noise on the track, looking like a dub. If only there was a decent attempt to attain anything better would have begun to do the film justice. As it is, enjoy what you're stuck with but know there's something better out there.

Burt Shapiro

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This film is absolutely wonderful but when examined closer, it is merely a simple film and that is the main power. In what it is trying to express, a man who attempts to escape from a Gestapo prison camp, it relates to the existential values at the time. I have never seen a more crisp telling of a drama told in straight forward narrative and easy dialog. What is at the basis of this fabulous Bresson film is man's determinism in the face of imprisonment. Truly recommended.

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(...)

(...)

It seems strange to me that Robert Bresson referred to himself as a "Christian atheist", because God is very much present in this film. A

Man Escaped is based on the true story of André Devigny, a member of the French Resistance who managed to break out of prison just

hours before he was to be executed by the Germans. The movie begins with the prisoner, here called Fontaine, being driven to jail. The

men beside him are cuffed, but he is not. He tries to get away when the car stops but is recaptured and beaten about the head.

In prison, Fontaine nearly succumbs to despair, fearful that his fellow Resistance fighters will be rounded up too, but then a stranger

intervenes, a prisoner exercising in the courtyard who promises to get a note to them. Relieved of this concern, Fontaine once again sets

his mind to escape. While other men remain bound either physically or mentally, Fontaine develops a detailed plan of escape and

arduously sets about implementing it.

Bresson presents Fontaine's machinations in painstaking detail. He also confines most of the film to Fontaine's cell, so the viewer too

feels like a captive. Seemingly forgotten by the Germans, Fontaine delays his escape attempt. He believes that two people will be

required to make the attempt work, but is unable to convince anyone else to join him. He is himself afraid to take the leap of faith that it

requires, seemingly waiting for a sign that he should go ahead. The sign comes quite suddenly in the form of his death sentence, his

crimes not forgotten after all.

But now, just when everything seems to have fallen into place, another prisoner is placed in the cell with Fontaine, a very young man

whom he has every reason to distrust as a stool pigeon, planted at the last minute by the Germans. His execution scheduled for the next

day, Fontaine has but two choices : kill the boy or include him in the escape. Once again Fontaine has thrust upon him a matter of faith.

His resolution to this problem and the ensuing escape are exciting stuff. The very sparseness of the film and the way Bresson strips it of

emotion, makes the action, as he intended, speak for itself, and it speaks volumes. But there are also big ideas at work here, the most

refreshing of which, particularly coming from a Frenchman in the 1950s, is that faith and hope matter and that we can take some control

of events through our own actions. The most famous image of the French intellectuals' view of life is the example of Sisyphus, as per

Albert Camus. Sisyphus, a Titan sentenced to eternal punishment for rebelling against the Gods, has to push a boulder up a hill all day,

and at the end of the day, just as he arrives at the top, it rolls back down again. Bresson's film is perhaps best understood as a refutation

of this fatalistic and futile worldview; A Man Escaped suggests that indeed we can escape the fates, can create our own destinies, if only

we have faith and make the effort. The impetus remains with us, even if the ultimate outcome remains in the hands of "The Spirit".

GRADE : A+

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I first saw "A Man Escaped" in my Introduction to Cinema Studies course during my freshman year at college. It immediately became one of the greatest films I had ever seen. Over time, my feeling on it has evolved to the point that it is now one of my favorite films as well. The story is told in a sparse, visually narrow style that forces the viewer to imagine as well as simply watch. The prison is never seen as a whole; we are only shown pieces of it--a wall, a doorway, and so on. The German prison guards are more often only heard as footsteps coming to Fontaine's cell door. Rarely do we venture outside of Fontaine's cell once he is imprisoned, and when we do, it is usually to the same place, where he washes himself with the other prisoners. With the exception of the end, the plot of the movie revolves entirely around Fontaine's plan and exeuction of an escape. The magic of the film is that Bresson makes these minutiae indescribably watchable; we are invested in Fontaine's every action through the whole of the film, and we watch with anticipation as he grows closer to his goal with each passing month, day, minute. "A Man Escaped" is a beautifully rendered work of cinema, and it will appeal to everyone who wishes to do more than while away the time seeing a simple 'movie'.

As to the New Yorker DVD listed here, I'm afraid it is severly lacking in quality. The print used is dirty and dark, and the transfer itself suffers from a poor PAL to NTSC conversion that results in 'combing' and 'ghosting' (For those not technically inclined, this basically means that the film runs faster than an American film, but the difference in speed was not properly accounted for, causing a sort of blurriness in some scenes). There are also no special features, save for a few trailers for other Bresson films. As of the date of this review, the New Yorker disc is $26.99, and in my opinion that is simply too much to pay for a DVD that is this mediocre.

My suggestion is this:

A company in the UK called Artificial Eye has just released a new DVD of "A Man Escaped" this April. The picture quality is greatly improved and, because the UK uses the same PAL encoding system, there was no need for a conversion, which eliminates the combing and interlacing problems found on the New Yorker disc. Besides that, there is also a wonderful Dutch documentary (with English subtitles) called "The Road to Bresson" which is almost an hour long and features interviews with Andrei Tarkovsky, Louis Malle, and Paul Schrader amongst others. There is also footage of the notoriously camera-shy director accepting his award for Best Director (for "L'Argent") at the 1983 Cannes film festival. Finally, the documentary includes a delightful surprise at the end which I will not ruin here. On Amazon.co.uk the AE DVD is priced at £11.98, which is actually cheaper than the New Yorker with the current conversion rate. The disc is coded for Region 2 in the UK, so it will not work on a TV or DVD player in the USA unless both the TV and DVD player have multi-region capability and you have a PAL to NTSC converter box. However, the disc can be viewed on any PC by using any of a series of free media players widely available on the internet that circumvent region coding.

In short, if you value this film as much as I do, and want some value for your money, then skip this disappointment from New Yorker and pick up the Artificial Eye release instead.

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The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The second film to be produced directly by Marvel seems eager to prove why comic book companies should exercise direct control over their films. Rather than being nothing more than a new director's take on an old classic, The Incredible Hulk is both an engaging film and a love letter to every other incarnation of the The Hulk that proceeded it. This film truly endeavors to understand and assimilate the entire history of the character into one new project, and boy does it succeed.

At the center of The Incredible Hulk is an ambitious attempt to marry the two most popular and conflicting visions of the character. The film borrows many elements from the fondly remembered 1970s television series but also incorporates many of the more important elements from the comic book. It's a tough balancing act, but the film makes the disparate elements mix together in a way that makes complete sense and (I believe), leaves fans of both series feeling satisfied. The origin and characterization come largely from the TV series (though, thankfully, it's Dr. BRUCE Banner this time), but the more memorable supporting characters and conflicts from the comic are worked in as well (though Rick Jones was quite fortunately forgotten). Additionally, the enemy is a highly logical choice from the comic book series. Finally, the bad memories of a mutated Nick Nolte are beginning to subside.

The film also incorporates minor elements from the TV movies, the previous film (which is neither acknowledged nor completely contradicted), and even the previous Hulk video game. Of course there are also many wonderful nods to fans of each of the Hulk incarnations. The flashing danger light, the appearance of student reporter "Jack McGee," and Stan Lee's cameo proved to be my personal favorites. Lou Ferrigno also receives a far better cameo than in the previous film.

Most importantly, whether you have any interest in previous Hulk incarnations or not, this film is exceptionally well plotted. It resists the urge to shine the light fully on Hulk or Dr. Banner, instead carefully developing the two in unison. Dr. Banner (masterfully played by Ed Norton, who actually outshines Bill Bixby) gets farther than his television counterpart was ever allowed, and that experience necessarily changes him. The transformation is satisfying, yet still allows the franchise to return to familiar territory by the end.

In parallel, the monster also receives his share of development, though this isn't made clear until the end. His final scene cements this film's brilliant unison of television series and comic book, leaving no doubt that this is the most impressive project ever to come out of the Hulk franchise. I was left so excited, so convinced for the first time that the character had truly come to life, that I almost expected Doctor Strange and the Defenders to show up in the next moment. For only the third time in all my movie going experiences, a beloved comic book character actually seemed real (or at least possible), even in spite of the sometimes questionable computer animation.

Finally, true Marvel fans will be amazed to see just how much continuity this two hour film packs. Clear and meaningful ties are made to Captain America, Iron Man, and S.H.I.E.L.D., and just you wait for the film's final scene! While DC is still trying to decide who should play Superman and Batman for their Justice League movie, you can rest assured that Marvel is getting ready to tie their films together in a meaningful and impressive way. The Marvel Universe has truly made the move into Hollywood and, with The Incredible Hulk as a shining example, it's safe to believe that they've just begun delivering everything a humble fan boy could ever hope for.

This re-imagining of the green Goliath works far better than Ang Lee's 2003 outing that's for sure. Being an avid admirer of the Bixby/Ferrigno series in the late seventies and early eighties I found this film to be closer in spirit to the series and I definitely liked that.

The Hulk's origins are played out at the very beginning and once that's over and done with audiences are in for a fast paced and enjoyable ride. The film attempts to keep people who liked the series happy as well as the crowd who want it firmly rooted in Marvel tradition. The Hulk battles a foe called The Abomination in the final third, and by the way that fight is pretty amazing, and I gather that that's a person to be found in the original comics.

While Eric Bana was one of the few things that was positive about Hulk (2003), Norton betters him here. He's such a natural performer and he can convey so much with mere expressions. He was the perfect choice to play Banner, in some ways he reminded me of Bixby. Tim Roth is one of those actors who's always good and he doesn't falter here. But William Hurt really surprised me. I've always thought he was good but I'd have to say this is his finest performance in many years. General Ross is a much better written character here than in the 2003 version and Hurt simply excels in the part.

As for the CGI, they work really well. The Hulk looks extremely cool and far better here. He doesn't continue to grow as he gets angrier and while that may annoy some I actually found it a plus. And those huge leaps are history as well, he jumps far enough but nothing compared to Ang Lee's version.

The Incredible Hulk does well what it intends to do which is entertain. Overall it's full of action, very well acted and fairly well written. Must See!

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I like this movie, but for this review I'm not going to talk about the actual movie. There's plenty of reviews about that. I just want to warn everyone that the digital copy included in this pack is EXPIRED. While the digital copy disk is included in the package, you cannot download the movie to your computer. You will get a message that says the digital copy is expired and no longer allowed to be downloaded. Just be aware of that.

Someone else mentioned this fact in their review, but I didn't see it, unfortunately. Buyer beware.

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I like Ang Lee's Hulk. I thought that was a great movie. I enjoyed the, Sins of the Father, storyline. The characters, Bruce Banner and the Hulk's persona were portrayed well by the actors.

I like The Incredible Hulk, too. The story was strong and the actors did what they needed to do with the characters to move the story along. Tim Roth is a great actor, yet the Abomination isn't the greatest adversary.

****

Spoiler: The inclusion of Tony Stark and Stark Industries in the movie are cool and possibly an exciting thing to look forward to in upcoming films!

****

I am not impressed with the three disc special edition. I was expecting an alternate version included with extended scenes and added footage.

The alternate opening is nothing to write home about.

****

Spoiler: There is a blurry silhouette that is supposedly Captain America frozen in ice. It's there, yet it doesn't clearly resemble Captain America.

****

The second disc of extras are okay, yet why more deleted scenes?

Why a third disc solely for a digital copy? They could have released an alternate cut of the film on the third disc. Especially, with all those deleted scenes.

There are some two disc and three disc special edition releases that merit purchasing. The Incredible Hulk isn't one of them. The single disc edition would suffice.

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A few observations about the mostly successful, mostly entertaining 2008 film "The Incredible Hulk"...

The movie is billed as a reboot or totally new version of the Hulk, not a sequel to the 2003 Ang Lee film that was simply titled, "Hulk". I'd call the movie more of a semi-reboot. Why? Well, the earlier movie ends with Bruce Banner in hiding in South America, with General Ross and his cronies madly searching for him. And the new film, well... opens with Bruce Banner in hiding in South America, with General Ross and his cronies madly searching for him. I think Marvel smartly structured the film to appease both camps: if you liked the earlier movie you cancontrary to all the "forget the earlier movie!" hypeview this one as the next chapter in the story. And if you didn't like the earlier film, you can point to the recasting of the actors and the less introspective, more "big summer movie" tone and say, "Whew, it's NOT the same storyline!" Your money, your choice.

The new film offers a more kinetic, visceral, action-oriented story, peppered with just enough quietly dramatic moments (in other words, talking scenes) so the movie doesn't turn into a relentless, flashing, pinball machine. If you ever read the comic book, it really feels like a three-issue run from the mid-70's "Hulk Smash! era.

The deleted scenes in the 3-disc special edition are interesting. Apparently a more pronounced love triangle between Betty, Bruce, and Betty's new boyfriend Leonard (who we learn, via one deleted scene, is actually comics character Leonard Samson, pre-irradiation experiment) was a bigger part of the original conception of the film. Though the five or six deleted scenes involving this triangle are intriguing to see, I think I like the final film's decision to simply allude to the tension between the three characters instead of turning the middle part of the movie into an episode of "As the Hulk Turns".

There are one or two deleted scenes involving General Ross that I wished were kept in the film. Though never depicting him as warm and fuzzy, a couple of those scenes showed that his motivation to capture the Hulk and harness his power, though misguided, didn't come from an evil place. If they were included in the film, those scenes would have made it easier to swallow the General's semi-change of heart at the end when he decides to extend an olive branch to Bruce and join forces with him to take down the Abomination. That's a quibble, though. The film and its developments in the current cut still work; there's just less explicit evidence on display that the General is capable of making that emotional leap.

Other treats abound. There's a fun little cameo involving Iron Man's alter-ego Tony Stark which was clearly moved from its original "Easter egg" post-closing credits position to the final scene in the main body of the movie after the huge success of "Iron Man". As said, it's an enjoyable cameo, but a little confusing: Is Tony asking General Ross to help him recruit the Hulk into the new super-team he's forming or offering the use of that team to help Ross take down the Hulk? I guess we'll have to wait for the next round of Marvel movies to find out. Also fun but somewhat under-written was the obligatory Stan Lee cameo, where we see him as an innocent bystander who drinks some gamma-infected soda pop (the scenario is not as inane as it sounds) and then freezes up and drops the soda bottle. It's amazing to me that they missed the opportunity to have him writhe on the ground and turn at least a little green, if only for a moment. Oh, well.

More about the three-disc DVD I bought: Though generous, the set is not as lavish as the term "three-disc DVD" might suggest. The first disc is the movie (looks and sounds great) along with a commentary track; the second disc contains a thirty-minute or so "making of" piece, a few short (about ten minutes each) companion pieces that provide additional details about different aspects of the production, the deleted scenes I mentioned, and a cute piece (a few minutes long) showing how a scene from the movie was inspired by a scene in the comics. The third disc is simply a digital copy of the film that you can upload and watch on your PC.

I hope that the DVD release of "The Incredible Hulk" puts the movie over the top financially, offsetting its somewhat lackluster box office (so much for blowing the Ang Lee film out of the water). It would be be nice to see another chapter in this saga, after all, and without having to suffer through another re-boot, or semi-reboot, or whatever confusing technique they'd end up employing in a hand-wringing gesture to overthink the concept of what people want from this character that's simultaneously highly commercial and "what's he really about?" offbeat.

The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once wrote that dramatizing the Holocaust was a futile task, not because dramatization could not be done, but because any such attempt would trivialize the evil inherent in the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Wiesel had good reason for his belief, having directly experienced what circumstances were like at the Auschwitz death camp.

In one sense I agree with Wiesel; however, I also agree with those, such as director George Stevens, who believed that dramatization served the critical purpose of informing the public of what occurred during the Nazi era. Further, as Otto Frank maintained, it was important that audiences realized that what his family and other Jewish people endured was not something restricted to Jews, but was, rather, an object lesson for the persecution of all people forced to endure the tyranny of genocidal regimes.

In a sense, therefore, it�s inevitable that Stevens� filming of �The Diary of Anne Frank� both failed and succeeded. It failed in that it commercialized the Holocaust, as every dramatic production is forced to do. But it succeeded in its educational mission, especially considering that at the time of its release in 1959, few people were aware of Anne Frank�s diary, or of the Holocaust generally.

Seeing the film today, it is still a powerful experience. Admittedly, as an aspect of its commercial treatment, certain elements were introduced that either were not in the original diary ---such as the stealing of bread by Albert Dussell (pseudonym of Friedrich Pfeffer) ---or were exaggerated for dramatic reasons (the love interest between Anne and Peter Van Dann). But the overall power of the basic situation ---the intense atmosphere of tension and claustrophobia ---and the story of Anne Frank�s adolescent transformation and her growing awareness of the transformation of Dutch society through Nazi oppression ---gives us a window on the Holocaust which is unique. The film, like the diary, holds up a mirror of conscience in what must have seemed at the time to be a world of sprawling insanity. Anne Frank triumphs, as the Nazis emphatically did not, in transcending the contradictions within herself, and as a consequence her idealism shines through at the end (even if this, too, was exaggerated for cinematic reasons).

Millie Perkins, who plays Anne in the film, has sometimes been slighted for her ostensibly awkward performance, but I believe this is a cynical and unjust criticism. For one thing, Perkins was not a trained actress, but rather a model who happened to have the right look and personality for the part. But as both the documentary and one of the other supplements on this DVD point out, this was precisely why George Stevens chose her for the role. He wanted an unknown actress, not a professional who would �impose� her persona on the character. He believed ---and I think correctly ----that her look of innocence, and aura of adolescent idealism, were perfect for what he desired, and it�s ultimately these qualities which impress us by their contrast with the horrific circumstances that surrounded her.

The other cast members are also superb. Though Shelley Winters won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress, virtually all the actors, especially Joseph Schildkraut and Ed Wynn, are equally brilliant. In fact, Schildkraut not only physically resembled Otto Frank, but, according to Anne Frank�s cousin (interviewed as part of the accompanying documentary, �Echoes of the Past�), was also similar to him in terms of personality and demeanor. Wynn, for his part, turns in an amazingly convincing performance in a serious role, playing completely against type.

Whatever the liberties taken by the screenplay writers for �Diary,� the film remains faithful to the core experiences related in Anne Frank�s journal ---both to her inner emotions and conflicts with her family, and to her widening awareness of her family�s place in the overall scheme of Nazi terror. The fact that this DVD transfers the film in such superior video and audio quality, and adds several excellent supplements (including a first-rate 90-minute documentary), makes this disc a fine addition to anyone�s video collection.

Restored to its original 180 minute roadshow length (including overture and exit music), George Stevens' CinemaScope production of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959, Fox) is a deeply moving and superbly acted movie experience. Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett adapted their Broadway show, with a brilliant Joseph Schildkraut (Otto Frank) and Gusti Huber (Mrs. Frank) repeating their stage roles. Added to a great cast are a very poignant and natural young Millie Perkins as Anne, Oscar winner Shelley Winters, Oscar nominee Ed Wynn in a bitter dramatic role, Diane Baker, and Richard Beymer as Anne's boy friend.

It is heartrending material--a German Jewish family hiding out from the Nazis for two years in a Dutch attic, with Anne keeping a daily diary that was curiously ignored by the Nazis and has become one of the most important Holocaust documents. (Maybe the same God who unforgivably let Anne and her sister die in a concentration camp only one month before war's end helped hide her diary for posterity.) Location filming was done in the actual Amsterdam attic, with the real Otto Frank as technical advisor. The Oscar-winning B&W art direction re-creates the actual two story attic interior to perfection (on huge Fox sound stages), and Oscar-winning cinematographer William Mellor (PEYTON PLACE) worked miracles to make wide CinemaScope compositions look cramped and claustrophobic. Producer/director Stevens gives it all a nail-biting tension, even though we know the grim outcome because of the powerful opening and closing framing device.

Bonus material is outstanding--a feature-length documentary "Echoes From the Past." new interviews with George Stevens, Jr. (who was second-unit director in Amsterdam) and a still-beautiful 66 year old Millie Perkins, and Movietone Newsreel footage. You will need two evenings for this film masterpiece that was nominated for eight Oscars the same year as SOME LIKE IT HOT, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, BEN-HUR, and ANATOMY OF A MURDER. That was some movie year! DIARY OF ANNE FRANK is an unforgettable Holocaust drama and movie experience when you have a three hour time slot.

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Begins with Otto Frank's 1945 return to The Annex, informed that he is the only surviver of the eight inhabitants, gone are his wife and daughters.

He recognizes a scarf knitted by Anne, picks it up and cried deeply upon it.the scarf seems to represent all that is now lost.

Millicent Perkins ***** is enchanting in the role of Anne Frank, her glossy eyes and energetic playfulness which keeps her deluded from the tragic fate of the eight. She's full of soul and depth.

Shildkraut is also realistic in his portrayal of a very compassionate father trying to keep the children's spirits up and insuring that the children continue with their studies,providing them with as normal a life as possible under the very oppressed ,disturbing circumstances.

Shelly Winters,well she was well awarded for her convincing role.

All in all it is a very great, though extremely disturbing and saddening film.

Watching this touching movie spreads into your heart, and makes the eyes flood up with pity and sorrow.

This movie Should be seen At Least Once. It is easy to forget that we should count our blessings and be reminded of human torture the Holocaust brought. This film has a humbling effect.

The ending can easily move one to be more appreciative of his family and how little time we have on earth to love. As they stand , the eight of them terrorized, and yet somehow seem accepting and still hold dignity despite the doom they face.

One Last Look at Each Other and the movie closes.

ly recommended, especially for anyone who tends to pity themself too much.

Read Best Reviews of The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) Here

Anne Frank wanted to be a writer, maybe live in Paris....but life didn't go the way she wanted it to. Instead, her life went in a completely opposite direction. I cannot help feeling that perhaps her life was meant to be the way it was, so generations after her, would remember the war in such a way as to never want such a human tragedy to occur again. This is a version of the Broadway drama dealing with the Holocaust and perhaps that is why it is more upbeat. This movie is more entertaining than horrifying. While there is an undercurrent of fear and suspense throughout the whole movie, there is much left to the imagination.

When Anne and her family are forced into hiding in Amsterdam, she is pensive at first, but soon learns that she can create her own happiness. There are two families living in a small space and they must face the possibility of being discovered at any time. They face hunger and cabin fever. They spend time reading, sewing, listening to the radio and being as quite as they can for most of the time. In the evenings when the workers in the factory below go home, they can then resume family life.

Anne has not been exposed to the evils of life. In 1942 she starts a journey to learn about herself and about the hardships of life. After receiving a diary as a present, she immediately starts to pen all her thoughts which are buried deep in her heart. As they spill out onto the pages, we are invited into Anne Frank's world. The world of a teenage girl, who is just learning about life, yet who learns so much in so little time.

I found this movie to perhaps be the most emotionally engaging story I have ever watched on film. Anne Frank had my heart in the first ten minutes. I was in love with her character, her personality, her big bright eyes, her interesting way of looking at life, her thought process, her eternal optimism and her delightfully impetuous nature. You will simply forget you are watching a black-and-white film. The picture is so colored by the characters that in fact, you will forget you are watching a movie. It is quite amazing how a film could be made on two families living in a few rooms in an attic. For this to be possible and enjoyable, the story had to be so true, and so real, that it would demand your full attention.

While this movie is based in the second World War, it is not at all pensive through the entire movie. I found myself laughing at one line so much, I actually cried. It was a line about the cat and I think you will think it is quite funny, especially if you watch the expression on the face of Ed Wynn as he is saying it. The cat belongs to Peter and becomes a part of the family. Having a cat in this movie was a delightful surprise.

The playful taunting between Anne and Peter is amusing. Anne has no friends to talk to and can't believe she is trapped up in this room with no girlfriends to talk to. She is such a typical teenager, that you completely understand her frustration.

While today we find it hard to comprehend how anyone could have their freedoms taken away from them, It could happen as easily to us as it did to them. Each time we treat someone with disrespect, we add to the evil influences in the world. It all starts in the heart. To me, Anne represented the good in the world, the light shining in the darkness. She had a heart which was so giving and she was open to experiencing life, no matter what her circumstances. Perhaps her soul was the most beautiful one God ever allowed to walk on our earth, and for such a short time. This is a movie you will never forget. Of all the movies I have seen, this one was the most beautiful in spirit.

~The Rebecca Review

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The Fox Studio Classic DVD release of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK was outstanding and featured both a commentary track and excellent extras. So is the Blu-ray worth the upgrade? YES! The transfer of the film is beautifully done and all of the extras from the DVD are still here, but the additonal NEW material is worth the price of upgrading all by themselves. The section featuring Millie Perkins and Diane Baker sharing how they came to be picked for the film and their experiences working with director George Stevens moved me to tears. The Stevens World War II footage that he shot in 16mm Kodachrome has much more material then we have ever seen before. Steven's Jr. experiences on the film are very interesting and the section in which he shares letters that his dad sent and received are touching. Alfred Newman's composer sons (David and Thomas)discuss their dad's work on his magnificent score for the film. If you are interested in classic films and/or Anne Frank then this Blu-ray edition will be treasured addition to your libray. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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Boys from Brazil

When the film was made almost a quarter century ago, the concept of "cloning" was the stuff of science fiction, as far as the general public was concerned. However, with the recent developments in the area making headlines worldwide, the idea is not reserved to the imagination. Therefore, the basic premise of Hitler authorizing his own cloning doesn't seem as farfetched as it may have been. Hey, the Germans have given the world the Volkswagen; thus, their scientists could have possibly been working on the cloning process prior and during World War II.

Regardless, the film features excellent work from stars Peck, Olivier, and Mason. Peck went against type by portraying Josef Mengele as a crafty, calculating, and ultimately evil scientist who would go to any length to preserve the Third Reich. Olivier, as the Nazi hunter Lieberman, displays his versatility with accents by doning a very believable Jewish brogue. Mason shows his usual cool as a Nazi hesitant but forced to support the machinations of Mengele.

But, the film has an outstanding group of supporting players whose on-screen time may be brief but is memorable. Uta Hagen as an imprisoned Nazi nurse is captivating; stage veteran Rosemary Harris stands out as the widow of one of Mengele's victims; A young Steve Guttenburg shines as a Nazi hunter; and comedy team member Anne Meara (sans her husband) is great as another "mother" of a Hitler clone.

But, it is Jeremy Black, a young actor who seems to have drifted into obscurity since the release of this motion picture, who is impressive as four of the "boys."

Oh, yeah, the great Michael Gough is "hanging around" in this one, too! Look fast and you will see Prunella Scales from "Fawlty Towers" as Gough's wife.

Do not buy this supposedly new, anamorphic version. It is not, and the quality is terrible. I think they slipped the old cruddy DVD version in this "new" case. The region free Bluray looks like it is probably of good quality.

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When this film was released, science could at best clone a frog's egg, and that was about it... but now that cloning mammals seems to be a piece of cake, it can make you queasy when you see this film. The premise is that surviving Nazi's save some of Hitler's DNA for cloning. Knowing that it's a mixture of nature and nurture that makes a person who he his, they make several copies and distribute them around the world, putting them in family situations that best mimic the childhood that Hitler had as a child.

As the aging Jewish Nazi hunter, Sir Lawrence Olivier travels the world and is stunned to see what on the surface seems to be the same identical young boy in different countries, speaking different languages. Jet black, straight hair, blue eye, smart mouth. The child they got to play this part is nothing short of remarkable.

I'm sad to hear that the DVD version of this film was such a disaster. I was hoping to pick up a copy, but I'll hold out for a collector's edition if they ever come out with one.

Gregory Peck is flawless in his performance of the evil Dr. Mengele bent on raising a race of little Hitlers.

An interesting concept that is even more realistic in light of today's scientific advances in cloning. Definitely worth watching.

Read Best Reviews of Boys from Brazil Here

Terrible picture quality and very poor sound ruin an otherwise excellent film it looks like Artisan have sourced the DVD from a VHS tape picked up at a garage sale. The film is also in a 'matted' (ie letterbox) format rather than true anamorphic widescreen.

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I have waited a long time for "The Boys from Brazil" to be released as a Blu-ray Disc. The standard DVD had a dreadful transfer. Why this movie is still not sold in the U.S. is puzzle.

However, luckily this Blu-ray is indeed region-free--and relatively cheap if ordered directly from Amazon.uk. I just ordered a new Blu-ray directly from Amazon.uk for about $17, including shipping (and there is no VAT charged to foreign customers). Shipping takes less than a week. All of my high-def equipment was sold in the U.S.--I do NOT have any region-free type equipment. The movie, menu, everything, played flawlessly. The Blu-ray transfer of this 1978 gem is fairly good--not "reference" quality (but still a solid, sharp video image and good audio)--but a huge improvement over the previous DVD issue.

Ordering from Amazon's United Kingdom site is quite easy--the site's format and layout, etc. is nearly identical to the U.S. site--and all of my information (address, preferred credit card, password, etc.) was, to my surprise, already there!

There are a number of other region-free Blu-ray Discs that could be ordered from the U.K. site, but be sure to check out the details (by reading reviews such as this) to make sure that the particular disc is indeed region-free (some of them are coded as Region B or C--which will not play in the U.S./Canada, which is Region A)--otherwise you will be stuck with a Blu-ray that you cannot watch.

There are a number of other "region-free" Blu-ray discs as well that can be purchased from the UK site for much lower prices than in the U.S.: I have recently purchased "Zulu"--which looks absolutely stunning, "Equilibrium", "Dances with Wolves" (go figure, this is a U.S. movie, with an American cast, about the American Old West--but not yet available on Blu-ray in the U.S.--who makes these crazy decisions?), and "Silverado".

Before making a purchase from overseas, make sure that the Blu-ray Disc you want to order is indeed region-free--by reading reviews such as mine. It takes a little digging, but you'll save money and/or be able to purchase a Blu-ray that is unavailable in the U.S.

An Affair to Remember (1957)

From the beautiful opening song crooned by Vic Damone to the tearful last scene, this movie will have you alternately crying, laughing, and crying again. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are perfection as the two people who meet on a ship and fall in love. Because they are each engaged to other people, they decide to put their feelings to the test of time. They agree to meet atop the Empire State Building in six months if they feel the same. One shows up, one doesn't because of tragic circumstances. When they accidentally meet months later at a ballet, it is awkward, yet the chemistry cannot be denied. A sentimental painting, an art dealer's story of a lady in a wheelchair, and Cary Grant's dramatic opening of a door lead to an ending that requires a full box of tissues but is one of Hollywood's most memorable scenes. In addition, this movie is enhanced by a delighful choir of orphans, a grandmother with an idyllic villa, and Richard Denning in a superb supporting role. Traditionally a movie to watch with the one you love on Valentine's Day, this movie is excellent alone, as a duo, or in a large group. Not just a chick flick, but a movie for everyone who has ever loved or dreamed of being in love.

They say this movie is strickly for the Female population.

They say that no Man on earth could completely "Get" this movie.

We don't have actors like Cary Grant now adays to stick up for us Real men who can comprehend such a deep rich love theme.

And what a shame too....the days of suave gentlemen are gone and replaced by the Brad Pitts.....in reality....I believe women want to see more men become true and romantic gentlemen.

Well "An Affair to Remember" is one of those classics that belong to the tragic love affair file....but with a happy ending.

Cary and Deberah Kerr are a perfect combination for this.

Like Charles Boyer and Irene Dunn before them, Grant and Kerr find even more depth with general facial expressions and gestures, that remind me of Capra-esque qualities in their characters.

The scene where Grant is revisiting the home of his Grandmother who had just passed away...returning to the scene in his mind where Love was new and the sounds he hears of the afternoon when he had much to look foward to.....it's heartbreaking to want to touch something that once housed his affection.....we realise then that Grants love for Kerr is as real to us also.

One note...one perfect reason why this movie appeals to me and why I am writing this review in hopes that more people will better understand this movie....

The End scene....To almost walk away from True love, and taste the sadness and dissapointment, to kiss her hand and to say goodbye forever....and within moments....within its painful honesty ....realize that true love does in fact prevail over obsticals is an overwhelming revelation.

"If it had to happen to one of us....why did it have to happen to you"?......"If you can Paint, I can walk"!

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'An Affair to Remember' is a classic film and another great collaboration between Cary Grant and ace director Leo McCarey. As a huge Cary Grant fan this film on Blu Ray was simply a must for my collection and the film itself has many fans worldwide. With that said, this review will focus mainly on the video and audio quality of the presentation and not the content of the film itself.

Is this 1080p presentation with DTS HD Master Audio sound a worthy step up from the DVD and should you really consider double dipping? Read on!

Let me start by saying this Blu Ray release is absolutely the BEST version currently available for home video. It easily bests all previous releases, VHS, Laser Disc and various DVD versions. If you are a fan of Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr or the film itself then upgrading is truly a no brainer and I totally recommend that you do so.

I personally purchased this film with the Blu Ray Book packaging and it is very nice. The text is more glossy and less informative than I would have liked, but the photos themselves are also glossy and that is a plus. Slightly different artwork adorns both the front cover and disc image and it feels solid and well worth any price under twenty dollars. The disc itself sits in a strange cardboard holder within the book which for some may be a slight challenge to remove until you get the hang of it. Replacing it after viewing is much easier. (it is nowhere near as difficult to remove as say the new Star Wars packaging makes things)

I have read many online reviews regarding the image quality of this Blu Ray release. As much as I enjoyed the film on Blu Ray and as good as it looks, I will have to disagree with many reviewers and say this is nowhere near as 'perfect' as I had hoped it would be.

My two MAIN complaints have to do with black level/brightness and DNR. I have read many top reviews that say this title had no DNR applied to it. I respectfully disagree and can not for the life of me believe that this is anywhere near the detail you would have seen on film. While closeups are at a premium in this movie, you just never truly see much facial detail. While fine detail seems to be mostly obscured, I will say in the transfers favor that digital noise has been all but obliterated leaving us with a nice slick looking picture. Don't get me wrong, this is very good effort for the most part, but I am picky and I expected MORE. During the cleaner scenes in 'Charade' for instance, you will find WAY MORE fine detail in the picture. On the other hand, 'An Affair to Remember' boasts a more even transfer with less distractions from bad looking scenes and obvious print damage or transfer artifacts.

After doing a bit of research I have found that most early CinemaScope films suffered from what is called CinemaScope or Anamorphic "mumps" (google it) and as such portions of the image will always be distorted, both the focus and geometry. Apparently it took the advent of a competing widescreen process "Panavision" in 1958 to force CinemaScope into perfecting their lenses and techniques so that these annoying were minimized. But as things sat in 1957 , CinemaScope produced some very annoying artifacts that upon close inspection just MIGHT drive you nuts. Check out any parallel lines on either side of the frame, or watch what happens when Cary or another actor movies to the center of the screen. You will soon see why this phenomenon is known as the CinemaScope Mumps.......It is not a transfer error, but an unfortunate by-product of the early widescreen process. Also, SOME of the lack of detail in this transfer can be attributed to the actual CinemaScope process, widely known to not provide the most detailed renderings.

Speaking of the print itself, it is for the most part pretty darn pristine. There are a few instances of telecine wobble/film warping which are most noticeable during the 'Toast" sequence with Cary's "grandmother". I also detected at least one instances of a couple of missing frames towards the end of the film when Cary is having his final conversation with Miss Kerr in her characters apartment. None of these aberrations are deal breakers and come and go so quickly it is very likely most will never notice them. Unfortunately for me I watch the first time with a critical eye, then afterward for enjoyment. The other thing that bothered me about the video was simply put, a slightly washed out contrast/brightness. Many have written the contrast is spot on, but I have to again respectfully disagree. My display was recently calibrated and what I see is lack of black and a bit too much 'bright' in the transfer overall. A little more care in the mastering process could have easily eliminated this. Of course this also means you will find NO instances at all of black crush, which is nice, but then again I challenge anyone to find absolute black in this either. Color is fine, by Deluxe so although not as pleasing as Technicolor is (at least to my eyes) it is pretty good. In fact, overall color levels and hues are a very strong point on this disc and unlike 'North by Northwest' on Blu, the colors never never look totally unnatural or out of whack.

I have mentioned in a few of my earlier reviews that the films of Cary Grant just don't seem to get much respect as far as their Blu Ray presentations go. I am beginning to suspect that the reason Humphrey Bogart's films are so much better looking has much to do with the care the negatives were shown over the years by Warner Brothers. Cary just didn't fare as well in regards to the studios he worked for as far as keeping the negatives of his films in tip top shape.

STILL, I will say right now that THIS transfer is the overall best for any Cary Grant movie currently in Blu Ray release. I am really keeping my fingers crossed that the upcoming release of 'To Catch a Thief' on Blu next month will make me eat my words and blow me away.

(UPDATE 2-18-12 Just watched 'To Catch a Thief' on Blu Ray and it DID totally blow me away which means it now holds the top spot for the best Hi Def Cary Grant transfer available, pushing 'An Affair to Remember' down to #2, at least in my opinion. My advice it to purchase both and make your own decision)

The sound on this disc is quite good actually. YOU get both a DTS HD Master audio 5.1 mix and a Stereo Mix. I was a bit disappointed the original MONO was not included as a lossless option, but was surprised to find the 5.1 mix was very pleasing overall. Some of the musical numbers were tied to dialogue and could not be separated into stereo, but almost all the score is. The surrounds come in to play for both ambiance and various effects such as birds chirping, etc. Overall the DTS HD Master mix was very good and never took me 'out' of the film with phoney baloney surround activity or odd panning, shrieking musical passages or inaudible dialogue. I liked it. A 1957 film with a decent surround track is a pretty good accomplishment I think.

Extras are plentiful and many are very good. You get 4 shortish, and 3 Medium length featurettes, the films trailer and a nice AMC Backstory special which I found particularly good. All of the special features have been ported over from the DVD release and are presented in 480i.

Cary Grant is at the very top of my short list of favorite movie stars. To me, he was and always will remain the King. I have enjoyed purchasing and watching all his films as they have been released and no more so than when they have appeared in high definition on Blu Ray. This film is no exception. With all my complaints, OCD observations and niggles, it is truly a very good overall presentation and one that is guaranteed to please most every fan of this film or the actors within it. HIGHTLY RECOMMENDED!!

Read Best Reviews of An Affair to Remember (1957) Here

When anyone talks about a favorite romantic drama, this movie always comes to mind. This is such a superb classic with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. No one has the chemistry and on screen presence that they do.

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One of the most beautiful films I've ever seen, "An Affair to Remember" is one of the most enchanting love stories ever put on film. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr star in the film, and the two are an elegant pair: Grant's classy wit and Kerr's stylistic charm were made for each other.

Grant is an amorous playboy aboard a ship heading to Europe. Also on board ship is Kerr, an engaged ex-singer. The two meet accidentally and through a series of events, are smitten after a few days. Torn about their own romantic prospects, they finally decide to break off their respective engagements and meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months, when he has collected some necessary funds. But fate intervenes and their planned meeting is jeopardized...

A beautiful blend of script, direction, acting, and cinematography, (not to mention a glorious title song) "An Affair to Remember" is a very romantic, very lovely film that is great for early morning-watching on Christmas Day with a sweetheart. Buy this one and you'll fall in love with it forever.

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Phenomenon (1996)

I took me awhile to catch on to the John Travolta "comeback." Always a good actor, he is trancendent in "Phenomenon." Taking his character of George, struck by a mysterious light, and turning him from an average man to a genius, could have been an actor's trap. Travolta makes it his triumph. He gives George such a humanity that even with the genius powers we are aware that George of old is still there, trying to desparately to just be his old self, and only the girl he longs for, played excellently by Kyra Segwick seems to understand his wanting to remain the same, no matter how many "miracles" he performs. So many films like this are too serious, use too many special effects, or are just plain ridiculous. Travolta great performance seems to lift the entire genre and wins us over like he does Segwick and her two children. The supporting cast is excellent, especially Robert Duvall, who does miraculous things with the town doctor. Forrest Whittiker is also good as George's best friend. The town accepts the miracles like no other movie town does. Yes, they are in awe, but they still doubt, as George doubts, that he was given a gift as a mistake, but when all is said and done, we know the "bright light" made the right choice, that he was able to even handle his own mortality. There is a scene near the end of the movie, when George is sharing his last moments and an apple with the two young children, that is as moving as any I've seen in recent memory. Some may see "Phenomenon" as too far-fetched or mauldlin, and if so they are as jaded as many movie goers are getting. What does an audience want? Here is a movie without much violence, blood, or spectacular special effects and does have a message but does not force it on you, how all of us have the possibility to be more than we think, that there is genius on a small scale, in the feelings for love, simple pleasures, sharing an apple with children, or facing one's own mortality without fear. A great Movie.

I came to this film with low expectations, seeing as how it only has a 53% positive RottenTomatoes.com rating and a lot of critics panned it as being corny and sentimental.

Actually this is a very good film, largely carried by the strong cast of John Travolta, Kyra Sedgewick, Forest Whitaker and Robert Duvall. Yes there are a few corny moments especially towards the end but they were forgivably brief not tediously drawn out, compared to your typical Hollywood tearjerker which this is not. I won't give away the ending except to say that it is not one of your dime a dozen and-they-lived-happily-ever-after things.

"Phenomenon" actually has a lot of Eastern philosophy behind it---the idea that we are all connected at a deep cosmic and psychical level which most of us never imagine nor dare to access, as well as the New Ageish belief that we only use about 10% of our brains' full capabilities.

Travolta is known to be a Scientologist, which made me wonder a little how much that might have influenced this film which is nowhere near as kooky as your standard Scientology doctrine which you can get from L. Ron Hubbard's infamous (science fiction) book, "Dianetics."

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Phenomeonon was advertised as a sci-fi movie, and whilke it has a sci-fi sort of theme at its core, anyone going to see the movie based on that was sorely disappointed.

What this movie is, actually, is a story about a man learning to cope with something that he can't understand, and how it brings him closer to his friends and his community, and how it allows him to understand and deal with his own fate.

Yes, it's a bit sappy at times, but it also contains some really excellent performances. Travolta delivers what it certainly his most authentic and touching portrayal of a real human being yet seen in his post-Tarantino career. Forrest Whittaker and Robert Duvall likewise contribute first-rate performances. A wonderful contemporary soundtrack ties it all together.

Read Best Reviews of Phenomenon (1996) Here

I thoroughly enjoyed Phenomenon, which I found to be an unusually graceful, warm, and genuine movie. Sure, it had flaws, and one could take issue with a variety of departures from reality. But the characters genuinely care for each other and the dialoge and behavior carefully reflect that. I didn't try to take it too seriously, as I fell in love with George, the Dr., and Lace. George genuinely cares about his friends. The Dr., played wonderfully by the great Robert Duvall, understands people, and Lace is over the top sexy ( like some jewish women I have known...can Sedgwick be a jewish name?) I thought the writing was great. How about George teaching Nate the portuguese language? Marvelous! The little details and cinematography were very well done in this picture. Kudos to the writer, director, and the guys behind the cameras.

An added bonus is the soundtrack, which throughly enhances the movie at every turn. Well done. My final comment is absolutly true I could watch this movie a hundred times. I'm remodeling a house, and I play it in the background some days, so I've already seen it at least a dozen times.

Many thanks.

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This movie moved me to tears can I rate it more than 5 stars?

To this day I cannot hear Bryan Ferry's "Dance With Life" without being reminded that life is a gift and it's all about how you treat people and interact with them. John Travolta has been my favorite since Welcome Back, Kotter and so versatile an actor. When the town's mechanic changes to a genius overnight after seeing a brilliant light in the heavens on his 37th birthday, people don't know how to treat him. As he touches lives with his gift, some are grateful, others suspicious. If you have not seen this movie yet, DROP EVERYTHING and do so! It will move you to dance with life!

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Clannad: Complete Collection (2006)

This, to me, is one of the best that anime can offer to an American public. It has the right amount of humor, sentimentality, and honesty without leaving you with more than the other.

Tomoya Okazaki is a bitter, sarcastic, pranker in his senior year of high school, spending most of his time ridiculing his friend and fellow lethargist, Sunohara. However, it all seems to change when he meets Nagisa Furukawa, a kind-hearted, yet unsure, girl who wishes to revive the drama club.

The journey the two go through together with the friends they make along the way, is one you shouldn't miss.

The new English Dubb was rather well made and interesting. It followed almost step-by-step with the dialogue in the subtitles for the Japanese language.

The DVD casing came in pristine condition. Inside it, the disks (there are four of them) came stacked ontop of each other; They contiue to play well.

Again, I highly recommend this to anyone who's a fan of charcter-driven stories.

This series is an excellent buy. If you're unsure of it but watch a bunch of anime then I'd say to give it a try at least. I wasn't sure when I first saw it but it quickly grew on me as one of my favorites. From making you roll around laughing to inducing tears, this series is full of all kinds of emotional twists. Upon first glimpse, I thought it was just another Anime involving high school students, but the more I watched, the more I realized how much of a masterpiece this was. Definitely check it out.

UPDATE: I just purchased the blu-ray Clannad Collection and as usual with this series, I'm very pleased. It has both English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with this set. The audio listed on the product description with Amazon shows it as Japanese Audio and doesn't list English, but if you examine the screenshots of the back of the case, in the lower left hand part of it shows both English and Japanese. I will thoroughly enjoy watching this series again in the higher resolution and remain here hoping Sentai Filmworks re-releases After Story for blu-ray sometime soon.

Also, another thing about the blu-ray series is the case is much better than the one used for the DVD set. The blu-ray case has all 3 discs seperate instead of stacking each disc on one spindle. Much easier and safer for the disc with the blu-ray collection.

Buy Clannad: Complete Collection (2006) Now

Okay seriously people if you are considering purchasing the Blu-Ray copy of this wonderful anime... just do it already!

The box set comes in a nice consolidated case. All three disks have their own slot for minimum scratching.

The English dubbing in this show is top notch.

Music is absolutely breathtaking at times!

Beautiful art style with the greatest character development I have ever seen in an anime series!

Warning: Can make you cry...in a good way!

Read Best Reviews of Clannad: Complete Collection (2006) Here

Sentai Filmworks best ever anime in my opinion, Made by Kyoto Animation just like Kanon and Air TV. I love most animes made by Kyoto Animation, if you like drama animes you would to.

24 episodes on four disks, Widescreen 16:9, Rated TVPG so just about anyone can enjoy this anime.

Special Features: Clean Opening, & Clean Closing

Spoken Languages: English, Japanese, English subtitles.

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Clannad illustrates life of Tomoya Okazaki, the protagonist. He is initially illustrated to be delinquent who is finding no joy to his everyday life, until he meets girl at the slope just before the main entrance of school that he attends.

Based on the game of same title, just as what I would expect after watching some of Kyoto Animation's conversion of game (such as Kanon which I also recommend) to anime, this is beautifully executed as well.

Story mostly revolves around different characters including Fuuko, the girl carving starfish sculpture for everyone in school, hoping to invite everyone to wedding of her older sister, and Kotomi a mysterious genius who Tomoya meets in the library, while centering storyline of Nagisa. (In the original game, story progressions with each character are considered to be parallel world, so the anime version has quite a bit of structural change to its overall storyline. For two other main characters Kyo and Tomoyo, they were deemed too difficult to integrated into main story line, therefore Tomoyo's parallel world was included as its own episode, which is in this DVD set, and Kyo's story is included in an episode in After Story.)

The show illustrates overall theme of the show "family" very well and 24 episodes will offer you plenty of laughs, and weeps.

While I have originally watched through this on Netflix (dub), I'm making another round of it in original Japanese track now. (Both tracks are excellent.)

Some music tracks are from original show, and some of them are arranged version of them, and they are all great.

I can say, without any doubt, that this is the show I would recommend for everyone of any age.

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Interstella 5555 (2011)

This is an anime cartoon set to the soundtrack of Daft Punk's "Discovery." There are NO other words, dialogue or songs!

If you like "Discovery" and don't particularly care about anime one way or another, you will still like this movie. If you love anime but don't have any particular feeling about Daft Punk, you will also like the movie.

If, however, you happen to be someone who really likes anime AND really likes Daft Punk, this movie will make you wet yourself. Go nuts.

A few years ago I bought the DVD of this wonderful piece of art. "Interstella 5555" indeed is a masterpiece in animation combined with excellent House Music of the brilliant French band "Daft Punk".

Sadly, the picture quality of the DVD never came up to the high standard of the the music and sound the picture was always very blurry, the colours weren't that bright at all...

So I was very excited when I read about the release of the Blu-ray version of this audio-visual experience...

I live in Germany and so I was able to get my hands on the Blu-ray a few weeks earlier than the American customers and I strongly doubt that the USA will get a different transfer of this film.

When I started the movie, my excitement turned into disbelief and then into anger I had to press "stop" on my RC.

I had to look at the label of the disc in order to be absolutely sure that I hadn't taken a DVD out of the Blu-ray amaray box by mistake.

The picture quality sadly hasn't improved at all on the contrary: Now you are able to see an ugly judder effect and lots of aliasing added to the known blur and softness issues of the DVD picture.

If you are expecting HD quality, then under no circumstances buy this disgrace of a "Blu-ray disc":

Your old DVD copy is even better than this sad excuse of HD material!

It's really a shame of an upgrade...

If this wasn't enough: Please be prepared for some loud "searching noises" coming from your BD drive/player at the beginning of each movie chapter.

My technical equipment:

Sony Bravia KDL 55" EX 505

Onkyo TX-SR608

T+A 5.1 Lignum Speakers

REL Acoustics Stampede Subwoofer

Sony BDP S760

Technical data of "Interstella 5555":

Format: 4/3

1080i/25 (!!!)

65 min.

Menu: English/French

DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1,/2.0

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I bought discovery a few years back, and to be honest I wasn't impressed, so into the back of the collection it went. Then I saw Interstella 5555. Now I can't stop listening to the damned thing, and smiling when certain tracks come on, because Discovery finally has a context that is pleasing.

Interstella 5555 really is an over the top, sentimental piece of anime, and that's what is so great about it. The fact that the hero of the story flies around in a gigantic space guitar only really bothers you the first time you see it.

I really liked that there is zero dialogue in this movie, just Discovery as the soundtrack, and lots of non-verbal communication, meaning that there's no need for translation, or bad dub-overs. One can view it in any country.

The animation is trully top notch, if not heavily 70's themed. It's deffinately a cheesy movie, but that cheese pays off big time in the form of charm, and in the end a kind of sci-fi optimism, which is kind of nice in an age when everyone is surly, sarcastic, and irony ladden.

This movie will leave you feeling good, so why not buy it?

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Just to get this straight, the only reason I give this two stars instead of one is because this is a good movie (for Daft Punk fans) and I hadn't owned the DVD.

That being said, if you own the DVD, skip this purchase. The 'HD' is more like an upscaled DVD rip. I was looking forward to good bonus features, like interviews with Daft Punk, but they are not here, and the menu for the few bonus features is very confusing. At least on the PS3 I played the movie on, there was no text to describe what the bonus features were. Just a bunch of boxes that did different things.

I'd say get this if you don't have the DVD, but try waiting for the price to go down. I'm a huge fan of Daft Punk and I kind of regret the purchase.

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I was amazed that this movie works as well as it does. I first became acquainted with Daft Punk when I was living in the UK and the first bits of the movie were released as the videos for the first four tracks on the album.

Discovery doesn't sound particularly like a concept album when one listens to it, so I was expecting that they would have to at least insert dialog or rearrange the tracks for the film, but they did not. The visuals carry the story, but the songs are so well integrated that there is never a clash, nor does the viewer find himself wondering what is going on. Even the motivation of the villain is clear.

Matsumoto's visuals are beautiful. I think this film is accessible even to those who are not normally fans of anime or house music.

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The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)

I had heard a lot of people recommend this to me before I finally saw it, so my expectations were high. After the opening five minutes my expectations were met and the stakes even raised. I really don't want to give anything away here as the less you know about the movie going in the better, but don't go into it thinking it's on par with a "Reservoir Dogs" or a "Saw." It's very, very good and the directing makes it claustrophobic and scary, but by the end of the film it has slipped into more than a few genre cliches that let out a little steam but not TOO much.

All you need to know about the plot is that there are these two men who go through an elaborate series of preparations before kidnapping a young woman, Alice Creed, off the street. One of the most fun things about the movie is how the power shifts from one character to another to another and you're never certain who has the upperhand, who is lying or who will "win" the day. In this way, it is very similar to "Shallow Grave." Eddie Marsan plays the older of the two kidnappers and you've seen him in movies before but never this good. He is very impressive here.

A good one to check out but make sure you have enough time to watch it straight through as the pacing is relentless and you won't be able to turn it off once it begins.

There really isn't a whole lot I can tell you about THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED. I happened on to it, started watching it...expected to lose interest...and then kept thinking, "Oh, wow, that's different."

What got me to start watching was Gemma Arterton, a "Bond girl" from the last 007 entry, QUANTUM OF SOLACE. She's gorgeous and very watchable. At the beginning of this film, she's snatched off a street, cuffed, gagged, hooded and dragged into a sound-proof apartment. She's also stripped and redressed.

And just when you think you're going to lose interest..."Wow, that's different."

So I'm not going to discuss anymore about this interesting, twisting little film of only three characters.

Just check it out.

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Sometimes the less you know about a movie, the more pleasantly surprising it can be. I, for one, had no fore knowledge of "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" and, consequently, rather limited expectations. So when I sat down with friends and plugged "Disappearance" into the DVD player, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. And for once, my pessimism about the movie's prospects were completely unfounded. After an almost wordless set-up, I was already drawn into this tight little chamber piece. Several major twists later and I was delighted to have uncovered a little known gem! With just three characters and a confined and claustrophobic set, "Disappearance" is theatrical (play-like, if you will) in its intimacy. But writer/director J. Blakeson uses this inherent staginess well to create a seamless thriller of lies, deceit, and plans gone wrong.

I will say very little about what transpires in "The Disappearance of Alice Creed." Knowing the film's twists in advance may not ruin the movie's effectiveness--but, trust me, it's best just to let this one unfold. All you get from me is this--two armed and masked men take a young, wealthy woman hostage. Keeping her strapped down and helpless, they await a ransom. But all does not go according to plan, needless to say--but you probably guessed that. That's it--I'll go no further.

Gemma Arterton plays the unwitting victim in this equation while Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston portray the kidnappers. Marsan is intense and Arterton is appealing, but Compston essays the most difficult role as a sort of a go-between. He is terrific, and all three actors pull their weight in this deadly triangle. But perhaps the biggest star of "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" is Blakeson's screenplay. Using standard thriller conventions, but tweaking them with unexpected revelations, this thriller might have lost all credibility. But Blakeson never pushes too far, maintains the suspense, and the casts brings home the show with much gusto. I really had a good time with this film and it is a definite recommendation. BUT DON'T READ THE SPOILERS! KGHarris, 12/10.

Read Best Reviews of The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009) Here

I took a chance in buying this via video on demand and enjoyed it. From the opening scene as the kidnappers prepare their place for the captive, there really aren't any dull moments and even though all of the actors are no-name, they did a good job with the script. There were several points where you could feel the tension and you weren't sure whether the girl or the kidnappers would come out on top. Like one reviewer said already, there are a few twists (though one you will probably see coming) that keep you guessing how the movie will end. It won't win any Oscars, but it was definitely entertaining.

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This movie is a hostage plan gone wrong in spite of meticulous planning. From the beginning to the end it is exciting and completely unpredictable.

The two ex convicts Vic (Eddie Marsan's character) and Danny (Martin Compston's character) put into action a plan to take hostage a rich family's only daughter Alice (Gemma Arterton's character) for ransom. I can't give anything else because it will ruin the experience, but trust me on this, this is a good thriller. You would think that with just a few actors it will be a boring movie, but this movie is anything but boring.

There may be objectionable material for some viewers (explicit sex scenes).

Thumbs up, highly recommended.

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The Lincoln Lawyer (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2011)

How far would you go to correct a wrong? After agreeing to take on a case he assumes is an easy win Mickey (McConaughey) soon learns appearances are deceiving. When he finds out the truth and tries to expose it his friends and family are put at risk. I have to admit I actually think McConaughey is very good at playing parts like this. As in "Time To Kill" and "Two For The Money". The smooth man pushed to the edge. Saying almost anything about the movie will give too much info away but I will admit that after being in the "Movie Business" for over 10 years I've seen enough that it's very hard for me to be surprised at a movies ending. The twist at the end of this one had me totally thrown and I love when that happens. I had high expectations for this and it surpassed them all. Watch this movie, you will not regret it. I loved it. As a plus this is a movie that exposes the flaws in the justice system, which will make you mad, and at the same time make you wish more lawyers are like Mickey Haller. I love this movie. I say A+.

Would I watch again? Absolutely, Im going to buy it!!!

THE LINCOLN LAWYER

STARRING: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Philippe, Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Michael Pena, John Leguizamo and Josh Lucas

WRITTEN BY: John Romano; based on the novel by Michael Connelly

DIRECTED BY: Brad Furman

Rated: R

Genre: Drama / Thriller

Release Date: 18 March 2011

Review Date: 18 March 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer was a refreshing film for two paramount reasons: it's one of the top films of the year and its Matthew McConaughey's best performance to date. I generally like McConaughey movies but he's played a lot of goofballs.

More often than not he's a buffoon or a slacker who has beautiful women flocking to him and we never question it because he's Matthew McConaughey. The ladies in his films never question it for this same reason and because he usually has his shirt off. But here he's charming, intelligent, slick, and meticulously perfect at everything; particularly the work he does from the back seat of his Lincoln. We'd believe any woman's attraction to him. Ironically, only one woman shows interest in him and it's an old flame.

She's Maggie, played by the lovely Marisa Tomei. The two are lawyers who remain friends who may want a little more. The iceberg between them is that they are on either sides of the fence when it comes to the law. She wants bad guys behind bars; he couldn't care less if they're on the street so long as they can afford his hefty fees.

McConaughey slides into the role of Mick Haller with great ease and does a tremendous job. Mick lives to be in a courtroom and finds great euphoria in winning and knowing that he will win without question. We love watching him in action. As good as this film was, I imagine the detail that went into the novel, of which it's based, was even more enticing. Even John Grisham is likely a fan.

We spend the first several minutes of the film being acquainted with the big sleaze ball Mick is. He handles multiple cases at a time: hookers, drug dealers, whatever; and seems to have them settled in his head before he even steps foot in court.

All that changes however with his latest client: a rich kid accused of a brutal rape (Ryan Philippe). All fingers point to his being guilty, but he insists otherwise. Ryan Philippe isn't as good here as he was as a similar rich snob in Cruel Intentions, but he's pretty close.

To reveal what happens next would be inconceivable to anyone who's seen the film. It spirals out of control over and over and it's the kind of film that makes you think while entertaining the hell out of you. It's one of those rare movies that actually could happen yet still has us captivated. Oh, and McConaughey only removes his shirt once.

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This legal thriller is a refreshing break from all of the mindless, style-over-substance 3D fare Hollywood is churning out lately. It's a throwback to the days of classic courtroom dramas and police procedurals, with enough interesting twists and turns to keep eyeballs glued to the screen. Matthew McConaughey is superbly cast as the smooth operator lawyer. The rest of the casting is also exceptional, down to some of the bit parts like the bail bondsman, the jailhouse snitch, the biker, and the busted hooker. (I especially appreciated William H. Macy as the private investigator; I do wish that Marisa Tomei had a meatier role that allowed her to shine as she did in "My Cousin Vinny.") Michael Connelly is one of the best current authors in the hard-boiled police procedural genre, and the adaptation stays pretty true to his spirit. As someone who works in the criminal justice system, I appreciated the realism. Money, connections, backroom wheeling and dealing, and simple twists of fate often trump justice. Just four stars because although it was solid and great fun to watch, it lacked a profound message or deep impact that would make it memorable. You certainly won't regret watching it.

CAUTION: If you have not seen this movie, do not watch the trailer. It spoils the plot.

Read Best Reviews of The Lincoln Lawyer (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2011) Here

Matthew McConaughey is a talented actor who has spent the last ten years making forgettable romantic-comedies that stunt his ability to show his range. While The Lincoln Lawyer does not have him stepping into Oscar-worthy territory, it's a role that renews faith in his ability as an actor. Additionally, it's a solid film with a tremendous supporting cast and confident direction from relative newcomer Brad Furman (whose IMDB picture, with his Good Charlotte T-shirt and sideways hat, would not lead you to believe he was capable of making a coherent film).

McConaughey plays Mick Haller, a smooth-talking Los Angeles defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, defending garden-variety criminals who can pay the right price. Mick is very good at his job and clearly fond of the luxuries it affords. When his driver, Earl, asks him if he can keep the job after Mick gets his license back, Mick replies "I got my license back three months ago, Earl." Out of the blue, a bail bondsman named Val (John Leguizamo) approaches Mick with an offer to defend a high-profile client; Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), the son of a wealthy real estate mogul, has been accused of brutally assaulting a prostitute. Louis vehemently professes his innocence and, although he is suspicious, Mick takes the job. Along with Frank Levin (William H. Macy), his investigator, Mick begins analyzing the evidence to build his case and finds discrepancies that only make his suspicions stronger...

The Lincoln Lawyer starts with a strong script, no doubt adapted from a strong book. I am not familiar with the author of the novel, Michael Connelly, but the last film adapted from one of his books was the 2002 Clint Eastwood thriller Blood Work, which was well-received. Two solid films out of two ain't bad; I think it's a safe bet that he's got talent. The script follows the formula of including a twist at every opportunity and this twisty plot keeps the film surprising and interesting. There are elements that require you to suspend your disbelief a bit (nothing too extraordinary, just too convenient) and it does get contrived at times, but it's much smarter and fun than the average Hollywood legal thriller. There are really two types of films here, the first hour being a mystery while the second being a legal thriller. I was a bit taken aback when they spill the beans only an hour in, but found the courtroom drama just as engrossing as what came before it. The mystery element is effectively intriguing, while the courtroom stuff is well-played, with intensity and snappy dialogue.

It's been a long time since McConaughey was in such fine form. This is a role with real bite and he reminds us that he's a movie star with genuine acting ability. Mick Haller is a suave, charismatic, arrogant, crafty, and manipulative character that McConaughey really sinks his teeth into. As an actor, he naturally exudes charisma and he takes to this character in the same natural way a Jazz musician takes to their instrument. Marissa Tomei as the L.A. prosecutor, and Mick's ex-wife, has a natural chemistry with McConaughey and a likeability and natural warmth that brightens up a film just by having her walk on-screen. Macy doesn't have much screen-time, but has the unique ability as an actor to bring a distinct quirkiness to his role and effectively steal all of his scenes. As the comic relief of sorts, he does just that here. The stunning supporting cast is not short on big names and big talent, consisting of Josh Lucas, Frances Fisher, Michael Peña, Bryan Cranston, and Trace Adkins (!?).

The Lincoln Lawyer is consistently entertaining and suspenseful while it moves at a brisk, clever pace. It has structural similarities to recent films (one that comes immediately to mind is 2007's Fracture), but what it lacks in freshness it makes up for in execution. This is not a film that tries to reinvent the wheel, but merely keep its audience entertained while they watch the wheel spin. It's well-acted and addictive. It's nice to see a film that that aspires only to entertain, but doesn't disregard intelligence completely in doing so. It's not a great film, but it's great entertainment.

GRADE: B

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Have you ever watched a movie thinking before hand it would be a good movie only to discover that it was just so so once it finished? A movie that just leaves you feeling a bit bland, as if had you not watched it you wouldn't notice it but that you thought was entertaining enough anyway? Such is the case with THE LINCOLN LAWYER.

Based on the best seller by Michael Connelly it tells the tale of slick lawyer Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey), a stereotypical lawyer who will do most anything to get his client off be he guilty or not. Mick is also likely to take his client for as much as he can get while the getting is good. Not the most loveable character you'll find in a movie.

Things get odd when Mick takes on a case for bail bondsmen/friend named Val Valenzuela (John Leguizamo). He has a client in need of an attorney, a young and wealthy guy named Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillipe) accused of attempting to rape and beat a young woman. Roulet claims innocence from the start and Mick is willing to take him at his word. Refusing money from his mother to differentiate the client from the witness base, Mick sets out to discover all he can about the case and all involved.

Using his best friend and investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy), he sets out building an alibi for his client. But when he has Frank look into something different, Frank ends up dead and the most likely suspect in Mick's eye is Roulet. The problem is being his attorney Roulet is protected by the lawyer/client privilege. And when ties to a case that didn't set well with Mick years ago start to form, he begins to wonder just who this young man really is.

Along the way we meet an assortment of characters to round out the film. Marisa Tomei stars as Maggie McPherson, Mick's ex-wife who works in the D.A.'s office. There are several policemen who don't care for Mick's way of doing things, especially helping criminals evade justice headed by Bryan Cranston. And then there's Earl (Laurence Mason), Mick's chauffer, the man who drives the Lincoln town car that connects to the movie's title. Mick doesn't use an office you see, he spends most of his time in his car.

The mystery involved doesn't offer an incredibly difficult plot to follow nor puzzle to solve. Who did what to whom becomes pretty evident early on. The best part of the film deals with Mick's trying to find a way to not break the law by turning in his client and at the same time finding a way to get him convicted of the crime.

The performances here are for the most part pretty standard. There is no break out performance to be seen but everyone does a fine job. The cinematography is well done with a few hand held shots that aren't so obnoxious as to get in the way. The direction feels more by the book than anything. As I said, this movie offers a decent mystery but for the most part feels sort of bland. Still, when it comes to a rental its better than a number of movies out there and you just might enjoy it.

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