Menace II Society (Director's Cut) (2009)

Menace II Society is the story of Caine (Tyrin Turner) a young man living in Watts, Los Angeles. From the very beginning of the movie we follow Caine with an early flashback to his childhood to start . Caines narrative voice is found all throughout this movie. Things start off violent, and never really stop, from beginning to end there is bloodshed, but theres alot more than just violence in this movie, Caine lives a day to day existence, and its only in the end that he realizes whats important to himRonnie (Jada Pinkett), her son, his family and living. Other main character is Caines best friend 0-Dog (Larenz Tate) who is young, black and doesnt [care], his presence in movie is really a powerful one, and his lack of conscience contrasts with Caines. Movie also stars Vonte Sweet, Samuel L. Jackson and Glenn Plummer. Produced by Darin Scott & the Hughes Brothers. Tyrin Turner a still virtually unknown actor is excellent in this movie, and in my opinion deserves alot more credit than he has gotten.To say this movie is just powerful is an understatment, and to compare it to Boyz N the Hood is wrong too. There are some similarities, but Menace II Society is alot darker, and wasnt made to please the masses. Maybe thats why I like it so much, because the story is realistic and the makers dont play down the violence to get mainstream appeal. Would like to talk about some of key scenes but you dont do that when writing a review for people who havnt seen the movie, all I will say is this movie is definetly worth watching, and if your like me and really enjoy it, its worth having in the collection.

Menace II Society. An odd name for a movie, you think on initial glimpse. Why II, and not to? Who's the menace? You pick up the box. There's a picture of two black kids on the front. OK, you read summary. It doesn't tell you much. So, by this point intrigued, you rent it. Good for you.

Menace starts out in a convience store. There's confrontation, and soon, two people are dead. The gunman is smiling and opening the register. His friend, Kane, screams at him and shivers with panic. We fade, and begin the story of Kane's life.

If you're the average white person living in America, what you hear in rap music and see on the news must be very distant from you.

Allen and Albert Hughes grapple us with their genius storytelling skills, and quickly, show us what we're so secure not to know. The daily living, the blood, the drugs, the not caring. What do these mean? The main character, Kane, is mixed up in all of it.

To himself, he wants outway outof his hoodlum life. Externally however, he wants in. He's never shot anybody, he's the clean one. But he sells drugs. He knows how to kill someone. He's been friends with people who have. Here we see his internal struggle to get out in stunning visual perspective.

The film itself has an expert way about it of opening our eyes to the culture, the environment, the lack of consequences, the police brutalityAll of it, while still maintaining assemblence of structure in where it wants to go.

Most of this movie is painful to watch. Seeing Kane fall down his path of righteousness and commit sins he scoffed his brethren for commiting just days earlier. Seeing innocent lives be torn by misunderstanding. Seeing utterly meanless death. It should hurt to watchthe directors made sure of itthat's why it's so poignant.

The aforementioned sins that Kane commits jump into his future as well. Every time he has a chance to escape, he's pulled right back into the circle by something he himself did. As Kane matures and finds his way, the circle flows into it. It's reminicent of Michael Corleone in The Godfather.

Some other noticible traits of the filmit's incredibly stylistic when it wants to be, but graphically gritty others. Also, it does a good job of displaying ironylike a scene when Kane and friend walk down the street speaking of how the Bible won't help themwith crosses dangling from their necks. The use of fades, especially toward the beginning of the film, is well-timed and welcome.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Menace II Society is a worthless piece of garbage about violence far from home. Maybe we don't need to see it. But that violence is realand it's not so far away. I don't think I'm wrong. I think, that after this movie is finished, you'll be very glad you rented it.

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Dang i remember when i first saw menace II society back in the day.lowriders were the thing having a set of daytons on your ride was the thing.this movie fit in perfect with that culture at the time.so i was so excited when this was released on dvd.what a letdown the most grainy mess i have ever seen and the sound was crappy.then here comes high def and blu-ray! now i finally got to see this movie the way i always wanted to it looks awesome! the soundtrack is rather subtle during dialogue but when called upon the gunfire music and sound effects kick your ass!it seems to me that they bumped up some of the gunfire and stuff on the original soundtrack and it sounds very natural.there seems to be a few video shots that didnt fare so well onto blu-ray but is very subtle and hardly noticable.so if you are a fan of this movie you are definatley in for a treat! the ending scene they really packed a wallop into the soundtrack and it is powerful as ever.you will not forget it.....peace

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A truly groundbreaking film about the harsh realities of life on the streets and hustling in the ghettos, 1993's "Menace II Society" gives us a poignant look at what can happen when wrong choices are made and when redeeming one's self is too late. This film also magnifies the pressures that many young African Americans must deal with on a daily basis.

Meet Caine Lawson (a brilliant performance from Tyrin Turner). As a boy in the Watts, California hood with his heroin addict mother and murdering drug dealer father Tat (Samuel L. Jackson), was it any wonder that Caine would become drawn to a similar lifestyle? When his parents die, Caine is sent to live with his grandparents. Fresh out of high school, Caine hits the streets as a drug hustler trying to make money for expensive cars to attract the ladies and to take care of Ronnie (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and Anthony, the family of his childhood role model Pernell who is in prison. It is a struggling situation between family/role model man, and the lure of the streets for Caine. Despite the preaching from his grandfather, trouble is always around the corner for Caine, especially when he's with his best friend O-Dog (a very convincing performance from (Larenz Tate), who is basically a don't give a f**k ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Besides being involved in a fatal convenience store shooting and being stalked by the police, Caine also struggles to keep himself alive. When his cousin gets killed and he himself gets shot, Caine realizes after talking with Ronnie that he needs to make a fresh start in life before it's too late. Traveling to Atlanta with her and Anthony may be the only thing that would save him. But there's no fighting the lure of street trouble; selling drugs, getting into mischief of O-Dog and the gang, getting back at the guys who killed his cousin and possibly impregnating a woman. But by the time Caine decides to go away with Ronnie and Anthony, his mistakes may have stirred up a hornet's nest that will come back to haunt him in the most tragic of ways. For Caine, it may be too late to redeem himself for good.

This movie is an eye-opener and sends a very harsh and true message about upbringing, lifestyles and choices. Boozing, drugs, shooting, attacking, cruising and all the while trying to survive, get respect and rise above, not to mention being a role model. These are just a few of the things that mirror inner city life. You can run from the streets, but the streets will always be in you. This is what Caine must face. Awesome funky hip-hip soundtrack and some serious intense acting make this movie great. The street-wise lingo, the clothes, the attitude; all this pulls the movie together. Special features include an in-depth interview with the Hughes twins who directed the film, as well as the theatrical trailer, and more. Watch the film, get engrossed and recognize!

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Menace II Society was the debut film from the directing duo of the Hughes brothers, released in 1993 at the height of popularity of "hood movies". As most other reviewers have stated the film is an extemely powerful look at growing up in L.A in the early 90's. The movie grabs your attention straight away with the robbery of the liquor store and the controversial shooting of the Korean owners, and the pace never lets up throughout. Caine (Tyrin Turner) is basically a bystander in the opening scene as O-Dog (Larenz Tate) goes on a rampage, and this continues throughout the film, Caine is a good person but very much a victim of his circumstances, whereas O-Dog just "doesn't give a f**k".

Without going into plot details the events in the film all conspire against Caine and it all catches up with him in the inevitable ending. There are also good performances from Jada Pinkett and MC Eiht and a small role at the start from Samuel L Jackson as Caine's father. While the film is very powerful and a sad and realistic take on ghetto life, it is not without it's faults, the main one being the lack of depth of some of the characters. They never really explain Caine's relationship with Parnell, though he regularly refers to him as "like a dad" throughout the film. Also several of the other characters are hard to sympathise with as their background is never really explained (something I felt was done better in Boyz N The Hood),and I find it hard to believe Parnell would be cool with Caine's relationship with his girl. Despite these minor faults the film is still great though and the ending in particular was tragic and inevitable. One of the better hood movies of the early 90's, if your into them you should definetely check this out.

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Pale Flower (The Criterion Collection) (1964)

This is an absolutely beautiful yakuza film by Masahiro Shinoda. It is much deeper and thought-provoking than typical yakuza b-movies, which glorify violence and the gangster lifestyle. However, this is not a b-movie, but more of a poetic and artistic yakuza noir. It was films like this, and the famous yakuza films by Kinji Fukasaku such as the 'Battles without Honor' series, and 'Graveyard of Honor' that redefined the yakuza genre into morality plays that were highly critical of the criminal aspects of Japanese society. Thus, the film is not action-packed, but much slower in pace, which actually makes it much stronger.

This edition, released by Home Vision Entertainment, has a good transfer and picture quality, and the film also boasts a very good score. The music is especially powerful near the end of the film. Overall, it is a must for anyone who likes yakuza films, film noir, or Japanese cinema.

What can I say about a blu-ray Criterion black and white Japanese yakuza film so well executed that I have to watch it over and over? What can I say about purposely semi-overblown whites melting into grays and the blackest of blacks to create an magnificently incredible viewing experience? Nothing. Of course one has to appreciate film to appreciate this type of film....the score sounds like Lalo Schifrin meets Forbidden Planet. Don't get this one if you enjoy vhs or have ADDit's not very long, but you just won't get it. If you are new to this type of film and you can handle subtitles you need to see this....

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(4 1/2) stars. "Pale Flower" is the complete movie package, with a strong primary story but also good looks in terms of how it takes advantage of its black & white, retro-style, and eye-catching lead characters. Unlike many other Japanese films of this genre and time period, the music was also a good fit and didn't suffer from trying to sound too "western".

The movie explores two people, a criminal and a criminal wannabe, who both seek a fast life they know is meaningless, who want to find something more even as their gut tells them there is nothing more to be found. The power of the film shows how easily people can be fooled by, and try to fill their live's with, superficial actions that provide only a temporary rush and escape. The characters know this, but feel life's other options are just as pointless or beyond their reach. Ryo Ikebe puts in a strong performance and oozes cool, I'm not sure why I haven't seen him in more leading man roles.

It is easy for the viewer to get seduced by the superficial highs as well, as you find yourself rooting for two very charismatic people who, while not outright evil, are certainly not trying to leave any meaningful mark on the world (being a killer doesn't help much of course). They know it is all a facade however, on the one hand feeling they should try to live the "decent life", but not enough to run the risk of being mired in the tedium of everyday catchings.

The 1960's Japanese gangster world of gambling is interesting, including playing some games I had never seen before, but serves mostly as a convenient backdrop to a movie that is primarilly about the human condition. Don't expect any happy endings here. While the climax of the movie is abrupt and ultimately feels unsatisfactory, it is never the less probably an appropriate ending that just comes too soon for a movie you don't want to stop watching, and for characters you care about even when you know their is little worth admiring. What sometimes looks like an attempt at heroism or honor might have just as much to do with a willingness to trade one bad set of circumstances for another. In the case of Ikebe's character, perhaps the best thing he can do is to remove himself from other people's lives before the corrupting influence of his presence can have its full effect.

Compared to some of Criterion's other Japanese movies from this era, this one is more of a "gritty" noir style despite its parallel retro good looks. While most of the characters dress like they could be out of a Japanese 007 Jame Bond, this is not a "pop" movie like Suzuki's "Branded to Kill". The closest I have seen to this is some of the material in Eclipse Series 17: Nikkatsu Noir (The Criterion Collection), but all of those suffer from some minor problems. "Pale Flower" is clearly the best of the bunch.

If you've already seen this and want to see a different film that also focuses on two people addicted to gambling, albeit with a totally different backdrop and with character's you can root for, also see Oscar & Lucinda Oscar & Lucinda. It's an English movie and in color, so if you're looking for more asian films by Criterion it may not be your cup of tea. And if you haven't seen "Pale Flower" yet, it is an excellent movie and definitely worth adding to your foreign film collection.

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The shots of Tokyo that open up Pale Flower are fairly stunning. Pale Flower has great musical score and several nice set pieces set in the Japanese Underworld of the early sixties. I especially liked the horse racing sequence where the droll Yakuza bosses play chess with other people's lives brief though it is. Get out your checklist: Yakuza/Gangster/ Amor Fou/ Stark Cinematography. If those are on your sheet you probably will enjoy Pale Flower.

The extras are a little scant for a Criterion release (hence the deduction of a star) but the transfer and restoration are quite pristine.

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I won't go into detail about what this movie is about, cause you can read that anywhere, but will say to see it on Blu Ray is an incredible experience. Probably one of the best films I have seen.

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I Am Sam

From the first moment I AM SAM began, I realized I was in for a rare movie treat. As part of a movie class I was fortunate to recently preview I AM SAM and find now, several weeks later that I am still as enthusiastic about this film as I was when I first saw it.

Sean Penn, and I cannot say enough about his performance, plays Sam, a mentally challenged adult with the mental capacity of a 7 year old. We first see him working at Starbucks while he puts out sugar packets in an obsessive manner, calling out orders over and over and endearing himself to customers in his charming Sam manner. Suddenly, Sam is called away and we watch him enter a hospital and witness the birth of his daughter. Elated and awestruck, Sam names the baby girl Lucy, after the Beatle song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Unfortunately Lucy's mother isn't intersted in either Sam or Lucy and as they leave the hospital, with Lucy in Sam's arms, simply runs away from them. Ill prepared and ill equipped to raise a child, Sam somehow managaes to bring up Lucy with the help of a kindly and eccentric neighbor played to perfection by Dianne Weist. As the years go by, we see glimpses of Lucy growing up as she plays with Sam, as they read Green Eggs and Ham together before bedtime, as Sam buys shoes with Lucy aided by his friends who are also mentally challenged and finally when Lucy begins school. And while I know realistically that Sam being capable of raising Lucy mostly on his own till she reaches grade school might be unlikely, Sean Penn as Sam is so loving and good with Lucy, that I truly wanted to believe this could happen.

While it isn't firmly established how Sam and Lucy manage to evade child welfare agencies all of this time, eventually these beauracratic agencies do become aware of Lucy's situation and challenge Sam's ability to care for her. Sam now must fight for Lucy as he never has had to do before. Confused and heartbroken, Sam initially finds a high powered lawyer played by Michelle Pfeiffer. But she wants no part of the case. Beset by a career which takes over her life, Michelle Pfeiffer's character has a sullen young son at home and little to say to her husband. Eventually, though, she does take the case, is almost shamed into it by other lawyers in her firm. But in a remarkable twist of fate and and while helping Sam, she learns a great deal from him about parenting and unconditional love. What happens to Sam and Lucy as they are separated and the case is argued in court are memorable scenes filled with tremendous poignancy and deep emotions. For after all, who is truly fit to be a parent. Is love enough? Who does make a good parent? And most of all, what is in the best interest of Sam's daughter, Lucy

As an addition and complementing the tremendous perfomances of Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer,Dianne Weist and Laura Dern Lucy played by Dakota Fanning, the movie inclues as background music many of the songs of the Beatles. And at various times the screenplay includes relevant lines and quotes which are fitting to the scenes. It was particualrly eerie watching this movie a few days after the death of George Harrison to hear Sam talk about the success of Harrison's song, "Here Comes the Sun," from the Abbey Road album. But what an appropriate comment I thought as the sun shined down on both Lucy and Sam as Sam ran around the soccer field with Lucy in his arms.

I cannot praise this movie enough. While at times one couldn't help but think of the movies Rainman and Kramer vs. Kramer, I AM SAM stands on its own as being a truly wonderful movie. I fully expect that Sean Penn will be nominated for many awards for his magnificent performance. I certainly hope he is acknowledged for this, a performance of a lifetime. If not I am confident that viewers like myself will never forget Sean Penn as Sam or this finely drawn character.

This film is phenomenal. Let me tell you why, in the best way I know how:

**Personal Preface: My brother Christopher has autism. He was diagnosed with autism when he was four, and is now twenty-four. In age, he is my older brother; in mentality I have been his older brother since I was 5.

Growing up with Christopher has taught me many things about life-perspective and how some people see many things differently. I am deeply saddened by the other reviews here slandering the film on the grounds that "it takes much more than love to get a girl through adolescence, and anything else in life."

The Greeks labeled three kinds of love, Eros: passionate or sensual love, Phileao: love shared between close friends and family, and Agape: A transcendent, selfless love that neither wavers nor grows dim. Unfortunately some people have never experienced all three of these types of love, nor do they know how to measure their efficacy.

To my brother Christopher, all he does need is love, and literally as a high functioning person with autism, all he gives is love. It's all he knows. He loves life, cheeseburgers, music, church: simple things.

As a certified assistant psychotherapist for the Lovaas firm of autism research, I also know that love, even as the popular definition as our culture knows it, is the most effective tool in helping both children and those with autism develop as functional human beings.

My mother works with the career resource exchange in Colorado Springs. In her case load has more than 30 different people with mental disabilities that she helps on a bi-weekly basis. Even having an autistic child, she did not recognize Sean Penn until the movie was over. Here's the kicker, Sean Penn is her favorite actor. That is what kind of performance he gives.

To both Roger Ebert, and the individual that quoted him: Ebert, everyone knew you as the bitter weird tub next to Siskel, grow up, and figure out that nobody like your pious pretension and aesthetic retardation. In response to the pessimistic young man who quoted R.E. Mystery Log: befriend someone with downs, or Aspurgers, and figure out how their minds work, how their hearts talk, and then critique movies that you know nothing about.

***Movie Review: Honestly Sean Penn's performance eclipses Dustin Hoffman's in Rain man, both for believability and accuracy. You know how the Academy Awards operate; he was being rewarded for this performance this year. Sean Penn's performance is nothing short of a cinematic miracle of epic proportions. His behaviorisms, tics, antics, voice inflection, deliveries, the list just goes on and on.

Two of the four actors that played his friends actually had the disabilities they were portraying, making authenticity something not to be questioned.

The film raises a series on controversial questions about guardianship and family; the most controversial here being how certain demanding vocations can corrode your life, and your relationship with your family. Michelle Pfeifer does an incredible job portraying the overworked mother, whose stresses at a six figure job causes dilapidations in her home life as well as work relations.

The other amount of controversy can be attributed to the antagonizing of the state's District Attorney. In most cases the state does do its job of properly assessing the abilities of caretakers of those mentally disabled, but there have been many cases where the state was incapable of demonstrating these abilities. By no means does this movie mean to prove that this is unequivocally the lot of the courthouse, but it does illuminate infractions that are not unheard of in the courtroom.

This film has made me cry every time I see it. I have seen it about eight times. I don't cry because I am sad, or because I am over emotional, or because I am happy that small voices are being heard, I cry because I see the characters going through the same struggles I go through in my life, and overcome them with love and things we often forget. This film is in my top 25 incredible movies list. Five stars, highest recommendations.

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I was shown the film I am Sam in a class that i just finished down in LA. First off, the soundtrack is a definite must buy, as many recording artists cover beatles songs in a very tasteful manner. The film itself delivers high calibur performances from all of the leads and the supporting cast. I would be very surprised if sean penn doesn't get an acadamy award nomination. Michelle pfieffer was also very good in the film, as was laura dern. This movie went straight for the heart and it was able to balance the serious moments with some light hearted moments. The young actress who played lucy was amazing in the film as well. I recommend this to anyone who wants to see a movie that will make you think. Think about what it means to be a good parent, and about the strength and spirit of love and how it transcends any handicap that we are born with or that we inflict upon ourselves. I can't say enough great things about this movie, so go see it!

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I Am Sam DVD

I Am Sam stars Sean Penn as a mentally challenged young man seeking custody of his daughter when it is obvious that he is not mentally capable of being a custodial parent. He bases his plea on the Beatles song "All you need is Love".

Caution, a real tear jerker. Recommended for a mature audience.

Gunner April, 2008

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"I am Sam" is replete with a jerky handheld finish, self-conscious art direction, the angst of the specially challenged, lots of opportunities to laugh and cry, terrific acting, and a marvelous Beatles-Plus soundtrack. The love that the entire cast and crew put into the project radiates from the scene and generates enough goodwill to forgive the occasionally languid pacing.

Sean Penn's nomination was absolutely well-deserved, and Dakota Fleming does a great job of Sam's daughter. Some magnificent supporting turns by Laura Dern, Diane Wiest, Stanley DeSantis, and two actually mentally handicapped actors, help carry the somewhat airy/sappy script through some of its less credible moments.

If you're a heartless scrimp by nature and want action in your movies, you may want to skip it, but everyone else should have a decent feel-good time with this stirring drama.

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In the Mood for Love (The Criterion Collection) (2000)

Perfection in cinema is an almost impossible goal to achieve. Mostly because spectators have varying taste and perspectives. But you can't help but feel that Wong Kar-Wai's "In the Mood for Love" is anything short of perfection. The imagery with its lush colors and breathtaking movements is enough to elevate this film. The simple, yet somewhat complicated tale is both heartfelt and authentic. And the performances by Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung are a marvel. But it's none of these that really makes this film, it's rather the manner that Kar-Wai so magically molds all these factors to set a mood that I have never felt before while watching a movie. In all honesty, I'm really not too fond of "forbidden love" movies, but this film really startled me.

Ironically, "In the Mood for Love" feels nothing like a Wong Kar-Wai film. It's a very slow moving film which uses lots of fades and dissolves. The Criterion edition of this film is probably the best dvd package I've seen to date. There are just so many extras on it, it's hard to believe. Deleted scenes, interviews, and promotional material, are just a few of the extras. The way Kar-Wai shoots his films (without a script) also adds to the suprise of picture. You see in the extras how much different the original concept was for "In the Mood for Love." There is also an alternate ending that seems very plain, but at the same time very heartbreaking.

Tony Leung is a journalist in Hong Kong, who rents a room with his wife in a family apartment. Next door, Maggie Cheung has done the same thing with her husband, who is almost always away on business.

As part of Kar-wai's game plan, neither the wife, nor the husband, is seen. They exist and are talked about, but never introduced.

Both Leung and Cheung's characters are painfully polite, which means you don't know what they're thinking. Even when it becomes obvious that their other halves are having an affair, it takes ages for either of them to respond. The idea of an emotional outburst would be unthinkable.

The film is so subtle and slow and internalized that it crystallizes into a thing of beauty. Longing has been choked by a thousand years of acceptable behavior. The cut of Cheung's dresses and the sheen of Leung's hair take on an unexpected importance in what appears to be Kar-wai's experiment into the purity of unconsummated passion.

By now this one is the most beautiful movie I had ever seen.

Every shot is like a poem. Each picture is a work of art.

I couldn't help myself from repeating the scenes again and again just to make sure i hadn't miss a thing.

A masterpiece.

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In the Mood for Love is such a charm despite a very simple plot. The year was 1962. Chow Mo Wan, a newspaper editor, recently moved into a dwelling populated by Shanghai immigrants with his wife. Through casual and accidental encounters Chow exchanged pleasantry with So Lai Jun (Mrs. Chan) who later found out about her husband's affair with Chow's wife. Heartbroken and devastated of the cruel truth, Chow buried himself in his job while So indulged in nightly movie screening. They began to let down the guard for one another and spent time during the mahjong sessions of their landlords. The characters forced themselves to abide by inveterate conventions and cultural morale that forbid an affair to become fruition. ...

Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung as usual deliver an impeccable performance in this 2001 Wong Kar-Wai release. Leung portraited a man who is unsatisfied about his marriage and denied his spouse's infidelity. Cheung seizes the empathy of her character who is accustomed to hush about reason for his husband's frequent absence. Maggie Cheung is elegant and charming in this movie. Not to mention the dazzling wardrobe she wears consistently over the entire movie. Her leg movements are captured in slow motion. Her arms dangling with the thermos meant for the late-night porridge order-to-go from the street vendor.

The movie is shot through a minimalist scope, that is, message is conveyed through very succinct scripts and imagery full of lush colors and meticulously chosen soundtracks. The film is shot in a very stealthy manner; it is as if a pin camera being fastened on the wall of the apartment. Conversations between Leung and Cheung are shot in an eavesdropping manner. The director seeks to de-emphasize other characters in order to focus on Leung and Cheung. Their spouse, respectively, always have their back facing the camera. Their performances are conducted by voices. The gaffer has done an excellent job adjusting the hues of light which is relatively dim throughout.

As a native of Hong Kong (born in mid-70s) who never witnessed the city in glory 60s, In the Move for Love has done me a favor in reminiscence. Wong Kar Wai makes sure everything is done just like when it was the 60s. Yes, even the restaurant menu to which Leung and Cheung skimmed through briefly. It was a green piece of cardboard decorated with some coconut tree clip art. Menu with such heavy Malaysian touch can still be found at local cafés that serve a fusion menu of Malaysian spices and sirloin steaks. Napkins are folded diamond-shaped like paper planes and kept at the far end of the booth. Leung and Cheung sip coffee from flimsy green chinaware cups that hold maybe three gulps. The green vinyl blinds hang unevenly at the office windows. The rotary phone. The subleased rooms where newly-wed couples rent and the kitchen with whom they share with their landlords. The white-collared wardrobe worn by housemaids. These are all the epitomes of lives in the 60s, in Hong Kong. Some find this mmovie a little slow-paced. I savor the manner in which the film is made. I savor all the details, the choice of colors and the tiptoeing scores in the film. 4.6 stars...

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It's only a shame that this wasn't released several months ago in the U.S. as it was in the U.K. or else it would have been nominated for some major awards. It's actually really hard to fault anything in this movie: the acting, directing, music and cinematography are all world-class.

The story centers around a woman and a man who live next to each other in a Hong Kong apartment complex in 1962. They both suspect their spouses of having an affair with each other, and begin to fall in love themselves. Being in such tight surroundings they obviously cannot show very much affection to each other in public and rely on subtle glances and very little actual physical contact: it is a testimony to the superb acting skills of the two main leads, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, that the relationship is believable. The director Wong Kar-Wai is also brilliant at mixing in slow-motion shots (perhaps to emphasize how slowly their relationship develops) and Spanish music, which fits the mood of the movie amazingly well.

To add to the atmosphere, the movie is almost completely shot indoors except for some shots outside at night and in the rain and the haunting last scene. You really get a sense of clautrophobia after a while, not only of the living space but how confined the characters' marriages and even lives are as well. Futhermore, the movie also has a political overtone which is, like everything else here, subtle, but suffice to say its setting in 1962 is not accidental.

Finally, the lack of a huge amount of dialogue means that those who don't like subtitles won't have to suffer through so many. For those of you like me who were disappointed with most of the junk nominated for Academy Awards this year, finally here's a movie that lives up to its reputation.

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"In the Mood for Love" is simply one of the most beautiful films of the last several years. I cannot praise this film enough the plot is at once simple and complex, the characters are both real and heartfelt, and the images are powerful and elegant. There really are so many positive things to say about this film, I'll try and hit the highlights for you.

The acting is superb both Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung give impeccable performances filled with subtle emotion. They radiate a quietly powerful intensity that is so lacking is a great number of film stars today.

The story moves in ways both expected and surprising. The pacing is wonderful as the story unfold slowly before you. They're none of the lighting fast cuts and manic pacing of most films. It's a slower film for a patient audience willing to wait for their just rewards. The overall design of the film with the use of color and wardrobe stunned me with it's rich simplicity. The same can be said of the photography rich with nuance (the way the shots are framed is remarkable) and feeling.

With "In the Mood for Love" Wong Kar-Wai has become one of the most skilled directors of our time with this film, proving that "Happy Together" (another brilliant film) wasn't a fluke. The Criterion Collection edition of the film is a two disc set that has an astonishing number of extras. After watching the film once, I watched the extras then immediately watched the film again with a fresh eye to see how the entire thing was put together. I was truly impressed.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze / Teenage Mu

Growing up, I can't remember anything better than waking up on Saturday morning to watch cartoons. Out of all the cartoons on the morning line up TMNT was priority one. So, logically when movie number one hit the box office I dragged my mom to theater to stand in line. What an awesome experiance.

Now that Mikey is all growns up (in age, not heart), I can watch these movies and remember all the times I spent emulating the fight scenes and every now and then sending my friends home with bloody lips. On to the reviews......

TMNT #1: A+ Great flick. Even now, I cant think of a movie that so closely resembles its other medium. Turtles costumes looked authentic, but Shredder is by far the best dressed. Great story, even though the love scene with Casey and April could have been cut with no tears. The one thing that bugged me more than anything was the origin of Splinter. It was more believable in the cartoon, WHY?!?

TMNT #2 Secret of the Ooze: AGood flick. Didnt like this April as much, but liked the Turtle costumes better. Shredder still best dressed. Toka and Raza, could have been a little more menacing. But the movie more than makes up for it with Super Shredder, and Vanilla Ice's best song of his career "Ninja Rap". Still a solid story.

TMNT #3: B+ Good flick. I was a little older when I saw this one so my opinion probably would have been better. But never-the-less the story was decent with what material they had left to keep it fresh. Old April is back with flying colors. My least favorite of the three but had the most heart. Raphael coming out of his "shell", pun intended.

So all in all, if your in mid 20's like me, this is a must buy collection, you will look back 30 years from now and feel like a kid again. And at the price you cant beat it. COWABUNGA!!

For all you Raphael fans out there, suck it. Leonardo RULES!!

Not to be confused for a collection digitally remastered for sound and picture quality, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3-Pak simply bundles the previously released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) into one handy, reasonably priced boxed set. I knew this going into the purchase, and so should you. With the exception of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the best of the three films) which unfortunately features the same grainy-at-times video quality of the VHS edition (if not more), the films look pretty good and sound nice in 5.1 Dolby Surround. Features include Widescreen and Fullscreen versions of the films; Closed Captions; English subtitles; Animated Menus; Interactive games; Character biographies; and Trailers. I picked up this collection on the cheap following the big screen release of the CGI-animated feature film TMNT (2007). Until someone gets wise and release a remastered collection, this Turtles 3-Pak is a good, cheap way to preserve the live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy on DVD.

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lets face this topic first. The standards by which films are made in present day aren't as they once were back in the early 90's. I myself now have to laugh at some of the ridiculous stuff thats going on in the Ninja Turtles movies. No not the comedy, but say the second films lack of plot or the ever changing cast over the three films. HOWEVER! If you were a fan of these movies long ago when growing up, I beleive you will enjoy revisiting these films. The first film is great and today possibly could pass as a B film. The other two are great for fans, admitidly not as good as the first but at the same time, I feel today these flicks might have gone straight to video. Don't get me wrong. I love these movies. They are a part of my childhood and a part of me. Yet, I am saying the above to tell all film enthusiasts that these aren't "Great films" for film fans. They are for fans of the Turtles and as that, these films triumph. Recapture the magic of these films as they are now avalible in this DVD 3 set. and for the cost, I dobt see how anyone could possibly regret buying these sweet movies. Thanks for reading. hope it was helpful.

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Ninja Turtles may be as loved as hated as the Pokemon (and I love Pokemon, too!) but either way, just like Pokemon is in Japan, TMNT is a classic in America! Everyone who grew up in America in the 80's and 90's should get this collection just to say "I have the Ninja Turtle Collector's Set!"

Great movies, action-packed. I personally like the first one most because the turtles look more "real"... Since I expected every sequal to be identical to the very first one, I was a little dissapointed in the 2nd due to different visual effects and the change of casting, and even more so with the third, but nonetheless I love them all, and I recommend all of them if you want a nostalgic collection of growing up.

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Now I love the Teeage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action movies. The first one is classic, the 2nd one has it's flaws but it's a ton of fun and my personal favorite, the 3rd one whitch alot of people hate, I personely enjoyed it. I own each movie on vhs and I never really got around to geting the DVDs but when I found this blu ray at wal mart for 15$ I had to get it. The blu ray has the 3 movies on seprate discs that have pizza designs on them, The quality is mostly good but not to impressive. The first film compared to the vhs looks great, the colors are more brighter and details are easier to see, It still has a fuzzy look to it but over all it looks good. also the sound is more clear. But even with all that, this blu ray dosen't have any worth while extras, it only has a trailer for the movie and a sneak peek video for the video game TMNT Smash Up. The second film compared to the first film's quality, it's not as impressive, the colors still look brighter and the detail once again are easier to see. But the film still has that fuzzy look to it, I often thought that it was the DVD of the movie with hardley any major clean ups. and like the first movie, hardley any worth while extras, just the trailer for the movie. So over all the quality is alright. Now the 3rd movie, now I know that the people that hate the 3rd film aren't gonna be happy about this but the 3rd film's quality looks great, the colors are vibrant, the details are superb. but just like the 1st and 2nd, no worth while extras, just a trailer for the movie. But overall, this blu ray set is very worth while for turtle fans, despite some flaws in the quality, it's the best these movies have ever look, and those who coulden't affored the collecter's edtion on blu ray, then this set is well worth the money.

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Larryboy & The Bad Apple

It's been several years since LarryBoy has been sited, but he's come back. And it's just in time. Bumblyburg is getting ready to celebrate its 300th anniversary, but someone isn't happy about it.

Bad Apple has just moved into town and has a score to settle. With the help of her sidekick worm, she spins a web of temptation that traps people in what they love most. She wants to take over the town and has set her sites on the mayor, a news reporter, and LarryBoy himself. Will LarryBoy fall prey to her plot? Can he overcome his love of chocolate to save the day?

I'll confess, as much as I love the VeggieTales series, the LarryBoy episodes are some of my least favorite. I actually wasn't looking forward to this release, but I got it anyway. I'm glad to be proved wrong.

The plot, while predictable, is fun. Larry has never been the smartest of the Veggie characters, but they don't make his stupid here, a complaint in the earlier LarryBoy shorts. And the story is funny with several great lines and site gags along the way to entertain kids and adults alike.

While most Veggie videos cram two stories into their 45-minute running time, this episode only features the one story. They don't even break for a "Silly Songs with Larry" segment. However, they do include the counter top wrap around with Bob, Larry, and Archibald Asparagus. These scenes are easily some of the funniest they've done in several episodes. I was laughing the entire way through them. The video does include a new LarryBoy theme song, "Rock on LarryBoy." Performed by "Shux," they feature a new vegetable we haven't seen before. I bet you can guess what they might be.

The theme here is obviously temptation, and they do a great job showing both the power of it and our need for God and others to help us through. My only complaint is that all the temptations shown here are things that are ok in moderation like video games, TV, and chocolate. Of course, since previous LarryBoy episodes have dealt with lying and gossip, this is a minor issue. Still, parents will probably want to point out that some temptations should never be given into.

The DVD comes with the standard Veggie goodies. We've got an audio commentary and behind the scenes feature for the adults and storybooks and games for the kids. The animation continues to improve with each episode, and the full surround sound is great as always.

I may have to go back and give the previous LarryBoy episodes a chance. If they are as good as this one, I've written off a great character in the Veggie universe.

I saw this in a sneak preview edition (no bonus features, just Bob & Larry counter-top introduction and conclusion with the Larry Boy story and ending music video). I have to say that it is the best Veggie Tales product in years and even the best Larry Boy yet!

The opening banter/dialog between Bob and Larry (Boy) and its conclusion after the episode is great. During the entire show, the graphics are smooth. The music is enticing and well done. The story is compelling and, while at once simple, at the same time it is also cleverly crafted. There is obvious and effective humor for the kids and more subtle and equally effective humor for us adults. And the moral message is both clear and applicable to people of all ages.

I watched it with my wife and our almost seven year old son, and all three of us loved it.

This one's definitely a new Larry Boy classic!

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This video returns the plunger headed hero back to the animation format that he should be done in. The cartoon LarryBoy did not really get the approval from my child. I can't say that I was too crazy about the cartoons either.

That's in the past now! This LarryBoy is full of more adventure than was done with him before. I like the way they employ the use of his plungers more. The Bad Apple is a classic villian too. Thank you, Big Idea, for bringing LarryBoy back to the format he belongs in.

If you are a VeggieTales fan, this is one for the collection. If you aren't a fan, get it anyway. There is always a good message about God, Jesus and the great message that is offered to those who believe. Enjoy!

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My kids and I absolutely love this DVD. It is applicable to kids and adults alike. Big Idea has made another great video. I would give Larryboy and the Bad Apple 10 stars if I could. We are big VeggieTales fans and this has quickly become one of our most favorites. It is definitely Sunday morning values Saturday morning fun!!!!!!!

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Don't get me wrong, this was a nice story, with good morals, but it's (obviously) based on a very fictional world. What happened to the old VeggieTales shows where they based their story off of a real Biblical story?

This series is quickly becoming just a 'good' show to watch, and not one where your children are going to learn about stories from the Bible.

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Saints & Soldiers / Days of Glory 2-Disc Blu-ray Boxset

It appears that both movies are in english but that is not the case. Days of Glory is in french with english subtitles. It still is not a bad deal since the Saints & Soliders is almost $25.00 by itself and is in english. I have always been happy with the majority of my purchases from amazon and if you don't mind the subtitles you will enjoy this WWII movie package.

Saints & Soldiers is what good movie making is all about! WWII buffs should waste no time ordering this movie. It's the best I have seen since Saving Private Ryan!

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Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour At Madison Square Garden (2011)

I too saw her show live twice and watched this on HBO. I wasn't expecting the magic of the live show to come across on TV but it actually did! Which once again proves what a stellar performing artist she is. The odd fashion choices and other dichotomous behavior aside, this woman is incredibly talented and will have a long career in any kind of music she chooses whether it be pop or jazz. I applaud her politics and hope more will listen to her message of love, compassion and understanding for all.

This is a great capture of the two year long, Monster Ball Tour.

I'm not going to "compare" Lady Gaga to her peers but I would like to say, what I feel makes her stand-out is her ability to connect with her audience. She does this by sharing stories and humanizing herself throughout the show. This rare ability puts Lady Gaga at a level all her own. She reminds us that shes a human being just like everyone in the crowd and that even when no one else believed in her, she believed in herself. The other aspect that makes Lady Gaga standout from her peers is her technical talent....she CAN REALLY SING! Her voice is powerful and emotive. She also plays the piano amongst other instruments. Gaga is a musicians musician and a pop star rolled into one.

Anyway, this show is half Broadway, half rock show, and a whole lot of entertaining. Several interludes are cut from the show and my personal thought is that maybe getting the rights to the samples used in those interludes were too expensive. The opening track, containing samples of "Finally" by Cece Peniston, was really awesome and I was sad not to see it. I'm taking off one star because I don't like a show to be altered or not fully captured when a dvd is released.

Overall, great show. If you missed it, definitely go see her live when you can.

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Not a big fan of Lady Gaga, or could I even call myself a little monster. But I am glad I made this concert purchase on blu ray instead of low res DVD. Even at 1080i, this is one beautiful picture! And I own many blu ray concerts and this ranks up there as the best. With all the different, brilliant colors there is no smearing or bleeding of the colors whatsoever. It is outrageously pretty to just look at!

The sound is presented in 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Tru HD and is very impressive in the bass and surround sound envelopement.

If you own a blu ray player and like Lady Gaga, do your eyes and ears a favor and get this on blu ray instead of DVD. You will not be disappointed.

Or like me, become a new fan with this brilliant looking treat.

Crank it up!!!!

But hurry, before this blu ray is hard to find. Got mine as a Best Buy exclusive release when it came out.

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if you are looking for the unedited version in all its glory, go to the other item. Its cheaper anyway.

Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour At Madison Square Garden

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Excellent! I am happy to have this dvd with me ... I could never go to monsterball for my geographic location and see this show hechp me feel even a little would have been like to be there! the picture is amazing:) I love gaga

Space Buddies (BD Live) (2009)

An unlikely story of 5 dogs who stow aboard a space shuttle, take a trip to a space station to pick up a Russian dog, land on the moon, then pilot the ship safely back to earth and their loving masters. It's what you would expect in a movie like this: action enough for older kids, comedy and cheese enough for younger ones. Clean fun.

The highest praise I can give it is that my children loved it and I wasn't bored (the first time.) Recommended for children of all ages.

These "Buddie" films are just so cute and enjoyable, family fun films with cute puppies that you can't get enough of.

Since the 1997 debut of the film "Air Bud", from that film of a talking canine has launched several "Buddie" films featuring the golden retriever puppies in "Air Buddies" and "Snow Buddies" and this time with "Space Buddies".

What happens when the puppies become stowaways in an experimental spacecraft? Expect a lot of fun and giggles for the family.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The film is presented in 1080p high definition (1:78:1). The film looks great on Blu-ray and the majority of the film is done using green screen and CGI and wirework. The CG work was done quite well for this family film.. From the space station to the aircraft and its digital screens, the film looks pretty good. Also, there is quite a bit of wirework done to emulate the puppies floating due to gravity and you don't see the wires, again, it looks pretty good.

Audio is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and I did notice the rear channels being used quite a bit for several action-based sequences and sound effects rather effectively. I was very impressed to hear the all channels being utilized during the film because for a children's film, I really wasn't expecting it. So, needless to say I was pleased by it. Although "SPACE BUDDIES" is primarily a dialogue-based film, the film does take advantage of your system's surround sound, so that was definitely cool!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are a few special features on this Blu-ray edition of "Space Buddies". The video quality ranges from 1080p, 1080i and 480i and are featured in Dolby Digital 2.0. The special features are:

* Buddy Facts: You can watch the film with pop up tidbits about the making of "Space Buddies" and about space.

* Buddy Bloopers: Outtakes and blunders (granted these were purposely done)

* "Dancing in the Moonlight" Music Video with Disney Channel's Alyson Stoner

* Disneypedia: The Buddies Guide to Space Travel: This was a 10+ minute featurette about the behind-the-scenes making of the film. Also, a insight on comparisons of how real astronauts train for space and what the pippies had to do to look like they were in space. A fun featurette that the kids will definitely enjoy!

* Buddy Finder: Exclusive to Blu-ray is a scavenger hunt game using your remote control and while watching the film, you need to find 100 items.

* Disney BD-Live Network: A US only feature which people with BD-Live equipped players can access special features from Disney's BD-Live Network.

I watched this film with the family and each of us enjoyed the film. I suppose it's really hard not to dislike a film about puppies and fortunately the technology of how they make the puppies talk on film definitely works well when they mouth the words and overall, the talking portion doesn't look cheesy at all.

This is a safe family film. For my 6-year-old, there was only one sequence in which he was a little scared but that was the Cosmonaut Yuri (because he has lived in the space station and is a bit unkept, so his hair is a bit wacky) but all in all, from his perspective, he had a lot of fun and of course, when you have a puppy who likes to eat a lot and when his paw is pulled, he lets out gas. So, I guess you can say that the "fart jokes" really goes well with the kids.

As for the puppies safety, I know that there are a few dog lovers who cringe when they see animals in a film because they worry about their well-being and if they are going to be put into any dangerous situations . The puppies were more or less kept indoors most of the time and in small and what looks like safe areas in the films, so I believe that the puppies were quite safe during filming.

As for adults who are watching this film, may you be a dog lover or a parent, the film of course is a bit farfetched especially how the puppies were always so successful into sneaking into a building or vehicle with human's nearby but with these type of films, you can't get too serious, after all it's a film made for children. But these are the types of film that are wonderful to watch with the whole family especially if your child enjoys reading about the planets, the moon and outer space, the film and the special features will definitely be entertaining. Heck, even if you are captivated by the charm of these puppies, you'll definitely find this film fun and entertaining.

The Blu-ray version of "Space Buddies" looks very good in high-definition and the audio is pretty good as well! This is the best looking "Buddies" release yet!

Overall a solid, family film for the children and worthy of purchasing on Blu-ray!

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I love the "buddy" movies but this would have to be my least favorite. Although they all stretch reality, this one really does. I know its all in good kid fun but this one just isn't as fun for the adults to watch and my 2 year old and 4 year old must know its not realistic either because its their least favorite too. They constantly ask for Snow Buddies or Santa Buddies but never this one. I maybe should have returned it. Again, the buddies are great but I wouldn't recommend this particular movie.

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I love the buddies movies

Then again it all started with the original "Air Bud" and still get teary eyed thinking "bud" isn't with us

The movies are cute, sweet and this aunt of 2 is not ashamed to enjoy some of the stuff her nieces do

The costumes, the trainers do such a good job with these dogs

I love the franchise

Thanks disney

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the big explosion and the fire almost burning up the Russian man kept my son up till midnight. Good for an older child, though. Nothing really crude, that I can remember, and they didn't speak as fast as in many of the Disney movies. My son hated it and I hated the nightmares he had because of it.

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Puppet Master 3 Disc Set

Don't be fooled! These aren't hoity toity full screen reissues, these are the releases a Puppet Master/Full Moon fan has been waiting for! This 3-pack for both formats includes the first 3 films in the series (1 and 3 are my favorites in this pack) and have been digitally remastered in high definition! No more having to buy the shoddy full screen releases, no more having to look at the awful DVD transfer of Puppet Master II, you are getting what you always wanted; restored and remastered HD transfers, in widescreen, with 5.1 sound, and extras! Infact, Charles Band has informed us that the Puppet Master disc in the 3-pack will be all new with extras (so sooner or later, retire your old disc)! So buy this set today and get ready for the next upcoming chapter in the Puppet Master series Puppet Master X: Axis Rising (though XI if you count Puppet Master Vs. Demonic Toys)! And from what I understand, more Full Moon flicks will be remastered so stay tuned!

You likely already want these, so I'll cover the key points regarding the remastering job they present you with then you can decide.

The first film is clearly not from the original elements. It looks very poor like it was processed through way to much noise reduction (and the audio as well).

There is very little detail in the image & the audio is very muffled. This is not what I call High Definition Many upconverted regular DVD's look far better than this.

The giveaway is that you can see the reel change cue marks about midway through.

The second & third films are totally done the way they should be. Even for a low budget movie, these look amazing in terms of detail & color balance + the sound is much clearer. These will be like seeing them for the first time.

It's too bad they did such a shoddy job on the first one it borders on fraud to be honest. Full Moon really should offer free replacements of this movie.

I'd give the set 5 stars if it looked as good as the other 2.

Let price be the deciding factor if you purchase this set.

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I like how these movies use the puppets, first as evil than later has hero's. It's great B Movies I like.

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I remember when i was a kid and these kind of movie would scare me, but as an adult i enjoy watching them because of the great story lines.

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Alpha Dog (2007)

The movie is based on the true story of the kidnapping of Zack Mazursky (Yelchin) by "drug dealer" Johnny Truelove(Hirsch) and his "posse". The basics is that they kidnap the 15 year-old kid so that his older brother pays up the 1200 dollars he owes Truelove. But the whole plan goes awry and Zack ends up being killed.

In itself the movie isn't that original. It's themes we've already seen a million times : the disenchanted, bored youth who play drug dealers in California. But what makes this different is that it's a true story, and that fact alone turns the movie into a dark, almost horror, story that ends up haunting you and staying with you long after the end credits. This actually ends up saving the movie from itself, not turning it into another one of those horrible laugh-out-loud movies like "Havoc". What helps is also the opening credits, where when you reach the end you end up asking yourself "how did they get from there to here?"

The acting is average. It's not bad but there aren't that many great performances. The breakout star in all of this would probably have to be Justin Timberlake who shows he can act and gives an emotional level to the story, without which the movie would be doomed. I think most of it has to do with the script though, because you seriously have to wonder if they actually talked like that. Sharon Stone is also fairly decent as Zack's mother, that is until the end. Another honorable mention would have to be Ben Foster who just chews up the script.

But as Bruce Willis' character so insightfully points out, this movie is really about parenting...bad parenting at that. It's another movie that shows what happens when the parents don't give a damn and let their kids run all over the place and do whatever they want. But throughout the movie I also really wanted to slap the kids for taking stupidity to a whole new level, which is frightening considering it's based on a true story.

The only other negative point about the movie is that it runs about 15 minutes too long, with Sharon Stone's last scene that fails to inspire compassion and sadness at the whole situation and ends up being just ridiculous.

On the whole it's a decent movie worth seeing once and that won't leave you indifferent.

Johnny Truelove (Hirsch) is pushing weed to local teenagers and everything seems to be fine in his quiet life till his authority is questioned by a fascist jew(!) Mazursky (Foster) who furthermore is not giving Johnny back $1200 he borrowed. Truelove and his friends then kidnap Mazursky's 15-year-old brother Zack (Yelchin) and hold him as a hostage. Zack is OK with being a hostage parties, booze, weed and girls are definately better than sitting home with wonk parents. Everybody's having a great time, kids fool around and it seems like we observe ordinary teenagers' life, only sometimes captions appear at the sides of the screen calling every new character number next witness. And it makes you feel uneasy. We know the film is based on true events, hence we know something bad will happen, but till the very end I personally refused to believe it actually will.

Alpha Dog is a movie about a crime which was commited not by some malicious intent, but rather by an absolute bluntness and with a total recklessness of the characters involved. These 20-year-olds behave like small kids having commited something bad they are afraid of upcoming punishment and descend deeper into crime. They don't believe themselves they're capable to do something terrible and they can't stop when it's not yet too late. They are just a bunch of silly kids hence the outcome is utterly disturbing although we saw it coming.

Alpha Dog is a remarkable film, but to tell the truth it's overshadowed by such works as The Chumscrubber or Bully. Nick Cassavetes did a great job, but still Larry Clark's movies, for instance, have a greater impact on you. Alpha Dog's impact is based more on the fact that all the ivents shown here really happened some time ago. And I'm sure they still take place in different corners of our world. So it's another flick for you if you want to know what modern youth is. It won't leave you indifferent for sure.

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I stumbled across Alpha Dog the other night on cable and found myself wrapped up in the true life teen gangster story along the lines of Larry Clark's Bully, although lighter and funnier. Dog is filled with young acting talent reminiscent of The Outsiders The Complete Novel (Two-Disc Special Edition) combined with strong seasoned performances by Sharon Stone, Bruce Willis, and Harry Dean Stanton.

Dog, directed by Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook (New Line Platinum Series)), who also played bad guy Packard Walsh in the so bad it's good 80's movie The Wraith. Amazon already does an informative write up, which talks about Cassavetes own run in with the law for his contact with the real life character behind Johnny Truelove, still on the F.B.I's ten most wanted list at the time of the film. I found that interesting. Although I disagree with their interpretation of Foster's character Jake, which I'll address.

The story, based on actual events, follows a group of suburban kids who watch music videos, act tough, drink 40's, smoke cheeba, disrespect people, and talk shiite. The leader of this crew is Johnny Truelove played by Emile Hirsch, who seems to get better with every role, and gives his best performance a year later in Into the Wild. Johnny is a smooth manipulator but gets most of his respect from his family ties, also surrounding himself with idiots doesn't hurt.

In this movie of solid performances it is Ben Foster's Jake Mazursky that steals the spotlight, as he did in similar fashion from Russel Crowe and Christian Bale in the western 3:10 to Yuma (Widescreen Edition) with his portrayal of Charlie Prince. Amazon describes Foster's character Jake as a scum bag drug addict. I disagree. There is no doubt he has a drug problem, and problems in general, but in a time when most just talk trash, Jake actually follows through. In some aspects I saw him as a stand up guy, or would be without drugs, and has a fearlessness that other men can respect, under different circumstances he could have been a leader. Ben Foster does a great job showing rage in this part with words or without. Justin Timberlake also gives a good performance as the mostly obnoxious, with hints of charisma, Frankie Ballenbacher.

The basic plot is Jake owes Johnny Truelove money. Johnny tries to disrespect Jake like he does with his other friends, but Jake isn't his other friends, and it continues to escalate from there. The crew decide to teach Jake a lesson and kidnap his younger brother, whom Jake is close with. This sets a chain of events sometimes fun and entertaining but ultimately tragic.

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ALPHA DOG is a strong film that reminded me of a film called BULLY that was similar, but not given much publicity. ALPHA DOG seemed to me to be a more commercial film that got more publicity and had big stars like Bruce Willis & Sharon Stone giving it clout.

That isn't a bad thing. ALPHA DOG is a frightening film based on a true story and its greatest gift is its closeness to reality and how kids go through life thinking with blinders on. They don't see the big picture. They don't realize the consequences of their actions from minute to minute. Everything we do has an effect and repercussions. Teenagers have an aura of invincibility. In the case of ALPHA DOG, we get to see those aura's exposed.

The only thing that I was disappointed with was the absence of Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) from the end of the film. He was probably the most interesting character in the film. He walks through the movie with an unabashed intensity that explodes at will. After he walks into a party looking for his missing brother and ends up introducing a slew of party goers to his black belt, he is pretty much gone from the film.

Although I do realize that the movie was based on a true story, so inserting him in the end would have taken away from the truth.

Fortunately though, this movie is given its life by Nick Cassavetes' screenplay and direction, a solid young cast (including a solid performance by Justin Timberlake) and a solid veteran cast.

Alpha Dog is a really good film and a lesson in life and its undeniable consequences. Not to mention, should be a wakeup call to all parents who don't know where there kids are at night and the things they could be getting into.

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Recently our cinemas have been packed with high concept "product" that caters to the lowest common denominator of entertainment and to the least discriminating film goer. What this says about our culture is distrubing at best. How thrilled I was then to see Nick Cassavetes brilliant "Alpha Dog." It must have taken guts to make a film this bold and unrelentling. From the opening credits with the late Eva Cassidy's haunting rendition of "Over The Rainbow" to the final denouement I was entertained, laughed, cried and moved beyond imagining. Justin Timberlake was very good as was Anton Yelchin. Ben Foster looked like he was living the part of the drug addled Jake. Robert Fraisse's cinematography was stunning as well. Southern California's sun drenched decadence gleamed like a jewel unable to concel the rot at it's core. This is a movie people will love or hate. All the best ones are like that. Nick Cassavetes is taking an interesting path in his work and I'm looking forward to what he has in store for us next.

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Assembly

After seeing Tae Guk GI, I really got interested in foreign movies. This happened to be one that I picked up. My reactions towards this movie are mixed. Don't get me wrong, this is a great movie. It's just that it really isn't a single movie, it's more like two movies combined into one. The first half of the movie is about the civil war fought in China in 1948 (I think, I don't know too much about Chinese history). The second half, is more of a drama about the aftermath with a few political sidenotes here and there.

That said, I did enjoy the movie. It does have its' flaws (mainly weak character development), but they're easy to forgive given the chaotic war of the first half and the intriguing drama of the second half.

4/5

Assembly was a movie I discovered by accident when surfing the Youtube one day. I found a music video using the battle scenes from this movie and I was wondering what the heck it was from as the footage looked a lot like the Battle of the Bulge scenes from Band of Brothers but with Chinese or Korean actors. After poking around in the comments and Wikipedia for a little bit, I discovered that Assembly is a Chinese movie made in 2007 and is hailed as one of the best mainland China produced films to date. I found it on Amazon and ordered it. After watching it I can see why it was so critically acclaimed. It has some of the best battle scenes I have seen since Band of Brothers and The Pacific. It has some amazing cinematography and while confusing in the middle, a very well done human element that ties the movie together well at the end.

The film starts off in 1948 during the Chinese Civil War with PLA Captain Gu Zidi (played by Zhang Hanyu) as his battered company takes a war torn town in the dead of winter. If you've seen Band of Brothers, it will remind you a lot of the Battle of the Bulge episodes. After taking the town with heavy losses, his company, now at only 50% strength, is ordered to hold the Battalion's flank at an old mine near a river bank. He is ordered not to retreat until he hears the bugle call for assembly with the rest of the regiment. After a day of brutal fighting with Chinese Nationalist forces (yes, the good guys in this are the communists), the company has taken heavy losses and cannot hold out but the CO has yet to hear the bugle call so they can not retreat. The film then skips ahead to the Korean War which Gu is now taking part in. He serves as a forward observer and befriends a young artillery officer when he steps on a landmine and manages to save him from it with a pretty neat but suicidal trick. This scene is actually slightly funny as an American tank crew happens upon them however; they are dressed in South Korean uniforms so the Americans think they are friendly. The tank commander walks over to see what they are doing, sees the guy on the landmine and is like `oh shit! Well, that sucks. Good luck with that!' gets back in his tank and drives off. This scene ends with you thinking that Gu dies with the mine going off. The movie then skips forward to the mid 50's after the wars are over and Gu is revealed to still be alive but now blind in one eye from the injury he took from the mine. The officer he saved is now a high ranking officer in the PLA and is offering to help him with work and other needs. Gu then reveals that he was the lone survivor of the company that he commanded during the Civil War and has been living with this guilt since that day. He seeks to find the resting place of his men and to get full honors for his company however; the government is suspicious of what exactly happened to him after the battle and will not recognize him and his men's actions during the war. Driven by outrage and guilt he tries to find where battlefield was, now a fully operation coal mine, and starts digging to find where the bodies of his fallen comrades are. This is where the film gets really depressing as many people dismiss him as a crazy old war vet but let him keep trying to do what he is going to do. After digging day and night, he learns that his company, and himself are finally given the honors they deserved all this time. A memorial is erected at the site and Gu finally has peace.

The strongest part of this film is the cinematography. Like I said before, the battle scenes are epic, brutal, and realistic. They definitely take cues from movies and series like Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan but it's not only the battle scenes that are well shot. There are beautiful and creative camera angles throughout the film including a beautiful shot of the memorial at the opening and closing of the film. It does climax early though; all the battle scenes are in the first hour of the film and, like most war movies, are the best scenes. The middle of film is kind of confusing as it jumps around the years for a little bit but it does all come together by the end. Like a lot of war films, there are some clichés like the soldiers sneaking on the battlefield to steal things from a dead enemy officer only to get shot by a sniper once finding what he was looking for and little things like that but it doesn't harm anything other than the fact that you can see it coming. The acting is generally very good, especially Zhang Hanyu's star performance. Obviously, this movie is in Mandarin Chinese as it should be. The bluray I have only had subtitles and I don't think it has been dubbed and, well, it shouldn't be.

One very strong point of the film is that even though it is a patriotic film about China it never loses sight of the human element in this movie. The characters are the main focal point here and what the main character goes through. There are some scenes that probably wouldn't have set too well with the Chinese government had this movie come out a couple decades ago. That said, you might want to go into this movie after doing a little research on the Chinese Civil War and post WWII China as it doesn't give very much context to go by if you're not a Chinese history buff. One thing that caught my eye in the film was the weapons they used. They use a mixture of WWII era British, Russian, and German rifles and machine guns while the Nationalists used mostly American weapons and equipment which is another interesting point to research about the war.

Overall, I'd say this is a must watch if you are a fan of war movies, Chinese movies, and foreign films. I'm not sure if it's on Netflix or anything like that. I bought it off Amazon for about $17 imported (and that's a good price for an import). While the middle is a bit confusing and you might want to do some research going in, the first hour and ending of the movie is amazing and I gotta say, it is one of the best war movies I've ever seen. I highly recommend it if you can find it.

Overall: 9/10

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I ordered this after seeing the reviews here in Amazon. I expected them to be right and I was not disappointed, to say the least. One of the best re-telling of human drama in a wartime setting, and told from a perspective we hardly see, from a Communist. If you love the rawness of Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and The Pacific, then you'll love this one. One of the most excellent cinematography out there. A great example of human emotions and the struggles of people living in a chaotic world. I cannot stop extolling its virtues.

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This movie is more than a war movie, it's also about the struggle that all soldiers feel about forgotten friends. Civilians often don't want to hear about it and don't want to remember the sacrifices of the fallen. This story is a true one about a company that is destroyed in the chinese civil war (1920's-40's) with a break in their to fight the japanese , it carries on into the korean war too as we follow the survivors struggles to gain acknowledgement for his fallen comrades. This is a universal story and it stands solid for the soldiers of all wars. This movie shows us how soldiers are bound together in suffering no matter what ideology they fought for. And the chinese communist one is one histories bloodiest , but the soldiers in the chinese army were not murderers or ideologues they were just men. This movie is one of the greatest war movies ever made in my opinion because it shows how a man cannot let go of his fallen friends. And remember this man also fights The u.s. in korea (the worst regime in the world at that time and probably today as well) and it still doesn't matter because he's just a soldier who is fighting for his friends first of all. The battle scenes are true to life and this is the way all battles should be shown , in all their horror and fear. But what is touching is the story after the two wars are over for our character and the fact that fellow soldiers still try to look out for him. Every soldier should see this movie and perhaps they can understand why they hurt so deep inside sometimes. The world forgets but the soldier cannot and the people he fights are often men like him in military values. Except when fighting insurgents , some of whom use civilians as shields. or even worse terrorists. But men and women of the trained army from whatever nation can

relate to the struggle that captain c goes through to bring justice to his men's memory. The blu ray looks stunning and it's battle scenes are among the truest and best out there , alongside pvt ryan and other realistic movies. So grab this one and remember those who have served honorably in any nation.

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First of all, war is the most internecine activity we humans have created and actively participated throughout history. Having said that, I find this movie, about the struggle of a Chinese soldier during and after his participation on several wars, fascinating. A reminder that war goes on for soldiers even after the battle has ended. As a person who has lived in the Western hemisphere under a democracy it's easy to believe the propaganda fed by our government about why we go to war just as easy as they do on the other side. And even easier to demonize those whose culture and ideology are different from ours. Assembly is a great antiwar probably without being its intention.

The battle scenes are merciless and realistic. "Even gods would pee if they were to face combat" is a more realistic assessment of the real feelings involved in war than what most Hollywood made movies have led us to believe. The second act of the movies shortly show us the Korean war from the Chinese's viewpoint. And the third act of the movie deals with the aftermath for those who survive and have to deal with catastrophic loss even when the governments who made fought and the civilians quickly forget about those who were senselessly killed at war.

Tsotsi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smallchief

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***THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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