Bodyguards & Assassins

Not just another martial arts film, this is a real human drama...it's misnamed. More of a look at what motivates people. GREAT film, outstanding acting.

Bodyguards and Assassins, despite having a bit of a wonky name, is a stunning picture. An all-star cast brings to life the story of revolutionaries and imperialists planning for the brief return to Hong Kong of an exile from Japan who, in one hour, is going to set in motion the wheels of an all out rebellion on mainland China.

The first half of the movie is a pure drama, introducing a lot of characters and fully fleshing out their motivations and relationships with each other. The story of the movie is not especially meaty, but by turning it into such a character piece it more than makes up for it. It was completely involving and a joy to watch.

Near the end of the first half of the movie, my adrenaline was already up for the second half. The pace was perfect, and it built up wonderfully to what I thought was the film's climax.

Instead, it turned out that it wasn't the climax, but that the entire second of the movie is brutally action packed. Having become successfully invested in the characters during the first half, this was some truly gripping stuff. The action direction is top-notch as well, absolutely pulse-pounding.

For a solid period epic, Bodyguards and Assassins certainly stands out as a great film that fans will appreciate.

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I do not yet have the blu-ray in hand, but I have had this on my DVR for a few weeks now.

I was a little sorry to see the story is largely fictionalized because the story is so very good. The title is a tad misleading: this is a story about an important period in Chinese history, condensed down to 5 days. Some of the figures are historical, but the actual occurrences (except for the summary of the following few years) are not. Please correct me if I'm wrong about this.

This is a beautiful film. Wonderful performances from an ensemble cast. If you are deeply affected by self-sacrifice, the desire of a parent to protect his or her children, redemption and painful irony, you will deeply affected by this film. Besides the performances, the film is visually beautiful (not on the level of Hero, but getting there).

Strongly recommended.

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D.O.A. & Consenting Adults - Blu-ray Double Feature

solid suspense 2 pack! picture quality on both movies a couple notches above there respective DVD releases and at the price point this is a no brainer ..Dennis Quaid in rare form in the first feature and kevin spacey in one of his earlier roles that you see why he plays the sarcastic cocky yet swarmy types so well!

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Little Big Man (1970)

Advertised as a comedy when originally released, LITTLE BIG MAN is much, much more than that. Director Arthur Penn's sweeping film depicting the clash of the Indian and white cultures will have you chuckling one moment, then shaking your head sadly at man's inhumanity to man the next.

Dustin Hoffman as the ever industrious Jack Crabb takes this movie on his shoulders and carries it superbly. To say that the actor shows some "range" in this role is the epitome of an understatement: from portraying an adolescent teenager to a fragile 121-year-old-man (phenomenal makeup job), from snake-oil salesman to mule skinner, Hoffman brings Jack's fascinating life to splendorous glory. And Hoffman is funny--darn funny--with a wonderful knack for physical comedy.

In addition to Hoffman, LITTLE BIG MAN offers other savory treats. Richard Mulligan is absolutely delightful as a narcissistic General George Armstrong Custer--the stunning Faye Dunaway positively wicked as naughty Mrs. Pendrake. Chief Dan George, who portrays Old Lodge Skins, Jack's adopted Cheyenne grandfather, delivers countless one-liners, yet lends a quiet, heartfelt dignity to his role. In fact, this is a movie one will wish to savor again and again--a beautifully crafted, well-made film that is timeless in its ability to entertain.

--D. Mikels

I remember seeing the original theatrical release of Arthur Penn's "Little Big Man" in the early 1970's. Now over thirty years later it has been released in DVD form and it is a film, that is both funny and tragic as ever.In the film, 121 year old Jack Crabb (played humorously by Dustin Hoffman) recounts his life (in narrated backflash) growing up among both the Cheyenne Indians and the white man in the old wild West.We follow the Crabb character as he goes through various phases as a Cheyenne warrior, a medicine show conman, a gunfighter, entrepreneurial business man, drunkard and finally a mule skinner/U.S. Army scout. Crabb is a man trapped between two cultures. He hilariously stumbles through the old west trying to find a place among his own kind, even though his heart is still with the Cheyenne Indians who adopted him. The movie leads up to Crabb's eventual, critical participation in the 'Battle of Little Bighorn', otherwise known as 'Custard's Last Stand'.The film is humorus as it shows how little people change over history. Just as today, people of the historical old West were driven by such things as love, lust, vanity, power and money.Unfortunatly they also were driven by bigiotry, hatred and violence.One of the main themes of "Little Big Man" is the terrible, almost genocidal treatment of the American Indian at the hands of the U.S. government.It's somewhat ironic, that the Cheyenne in the film refer to themselves as 'the human beings', yet the white men seem to treat them as anything but that. Arthur Penn (director of "Bonnie & Clyde") has created a sprawling, well directed, historical tapestry of a film, which makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time.The movie is a star vehicle for the then young, Dustin Hoffman. Like "The Graduate", this film shows off, what a wonderful comic performer Hoffman can be.The large cast has many standout performances. Faye Dunaway is hilarious as Jack's religious, yet lascivious, adoptive mother, Mrs.Pendrake. The same goes for comic actor, Richard Mulligan, who puts in a very funny performance playing General George Armstong Custard as a pompous egomaniac, who's vanity leads to his imfamous place in history.But by far, one of the best performances in the film comes from Chief Dan George, who play's Hoffman's wise and mystical, yet somewhat scatological adoptive, indian grandfather.The character is intersting, because he always seems to be able tell us the obvious truth of the moment.He understands that this time in history is the begining of the end for his people. I love the speech he makes in which he explains, that "there are endless amounts of white men, but only so many 'human beings'" (indians).Its's a shame Chief George didn't get an Academy Award for his wonderful performance.The DVD for this movie has a good picture and sound transfer, but is absolutly bare bones in extras (not even a trailer). Still, it is great film, which I highly recommend.

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"Little Big Man" from 1970 is one of the truly all time great epic westerns.I first saw it in the theatre back in the early '70's and was really impressed.I later added it to my video library back in the '80's first on Beta then later on VHS.The movie loses some of it's epic scope when transferred to the small screen ,however it's still powerful. Directed by Arthur Penn(the classic "Bonnie&Clyde from 1967) and based on the novel by Thomas Berger, it stars Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabb.The story is told by Jack as a 121 year man to a writer who is interviewing him and he narrates throughout the story. In the beginning of the story we see the aftermath of a battle with white settlers after an Indian attack.Jack and his sister are captured by the Cheyenne braves.His sister escapes but he is adopted and raised by the tribe who call themselves "the human beings". As Jack grows into a young man he proves himself in battle and is given the name "Little Big Man" by the elder of the tribe "Old Lodge Skins" (well played by actual Native American ,Chief Dan George),and what was most impressive was the fact that Chief Dan George wasn't a professional actor.Jack is given that name because his size is little but his bravery is big.Old Lodge Skins becomes Jack's adopted Grandfather and their relationship is at the center of the story.

The movie features a first rate supporting cast including Martin Balsam as Mr.Merriweather,Faye Dunaway as Mrs.Pendrake, Jeff Corey as Wild Bill Hickok,Richard Mulligan as General George Armstrong Custer and Aimee Eccles as Sunshine.The story has many funny moments,sad moments,and intense moments, something not found in many westerns or many movies for that matter.Chief Dan George was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role.A movie with a similar theme came out 20 years later in 1990 called "Dances with Wolves" directed and starring Kevin Costner which won several Academy Awards.Some found that film to be as good as "Little Big Man",some didn't.The tagline on the movie poster for "Little Big Man" read,"Being the adventures of Jack Crabb,either the most neglected hero of the American West or a liar of insane proportions." Judge for yourself.

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One of director Arthur Penn's finest films, Little Big Man combines satire with tragedy with a deft, sure hand. The screenplay by the talented Calder Willingham and direction are sharp as nails and actor Dustin Hoffman manages to pull off a coup playing Jack Crabb from teen years (it's actually Hoffman's voice you hear dubbed in as a young teen)to old age (with marvelous make up by Dick Smith). Is Crabb telling tall tales (ironic and appropriate given his small stature and his Indian name)or did much of what he speaks about occur? It doesn't really matter as the telling of the tale is so marvelous.

BLU-RAY:

There is dirt and debris that crop up. There are also occasional scratches. Colors are a bit subdued but the film has always looked that way--this isn't a movie that flashes bright colors on screen. It's a pity that this catalog title didnt fet a bit more love in this transfer but it does improve on the DVD. The aspect ratio here is 2.36:1 vs. the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 so it's a tiny bit off but very close to the original.

Detail is a huge improvement over the previous DVD and a moderate amount of depth is provided with the high def transfer.

The original audio soundtrack is presented in mono and it's a nice, clear presentation.

The only extra we get is a theatrical trailer. That's a pity because an interview with Hoffman on the making of the film and/or a documentary with interviews done before the death of director Arthur Penn would have been nice to privde some insight into the production of this deft satire.

THE DVD:

Penn and his collaborators use Jack as a social mirror reflecting the injustice, brutality and pettiness of the wild west. Staying true to the spirit of Thomas Berger's marvelous novel, the cast and crew manage to distill much of the essence of Berger while sacrificing some of the less important details. The loss is, surprisingly, not really felt for many of those who read the novel. The superb supporting cast includes Martin Balsam, Jeff Corey (in a funny, perceptive cameo as Wild Bill Hiccock), Faye Dunaway (as a religious hypocrite who lusts after her adopted son Jack), Chief Dan George (he has some of the funniest lines in the script)and the late Richard Mulligan playing a vain nearly psychopathic General Custer.

The digital transfer preserves the original aspect ratio of the film and the nearly flawless print shows very little digital compression problems. This disc is enhanced for 16X9 widescreen TVs. The 139 minute production is presented on a dual layer disc for maximum picture quality. I didn't detect any analog artifacts (or at the very least very few). The color is fairly true to the original release as far as I can tell. The sound presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and Stereo Surround has some compression problems and sounds a little bit flat but that could be due to the original recording as well. The packaging says nothing about the sound being remixed for 5.1 so it's difficult to say how much restorage and changes were done to the soundtrack.

The drawbacks to this disc are few but important. There's no extras included. I'm sure the original theatrical trailer was available as were interviews with the stars and director during the film's original release. None of these vintage interviews are included. My guess is that Paramount chose to use the budget tp insure a high quality print and good sound. That's fine but it's a pity as Little Big Man is every bit the classic (and deserves the same treatment)as Casablanca, Patton and Dr. Strangelove. Paramount has been somewhat reluctant with many of their releases to DVD to provide extras (witness Chinatown, any of the Star Trek film releases--with the exception of the recently reissued films) Sure, there have been exceptions (The Godfather series)but most of those exceptions have been few and far between. If Paramount can't do justice to these classic films perhaps they should do an initial release and then license them to a specialty house (like Criterion or Anchor Bay)to provide a special features packed edition. Interviews with Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway would have enhanced this classic film. Perhaps neither one of these surviving cast members was interested in participating.

Little Big Man is one of Penn's finest films along with Night Moves and Bonnie & Clyde). I'm happy to have it available in such a beautiful transfer but wish that more time and care had been taken to provide fans and film buffs with extras.

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Comedy.... Action.... Drama.... War... and Romance is another great combination in a film top with serious issues. "Little Big Man" starts you off in 1970, with a reporter interviewing Mr. Crabb (Dustin Hoffman, in one of his great performances), the sole white survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn, a wrinkled visage who is 121 years old at the time of the interview. In the course of his tall tale about the taming of the west, he recounts his career as a Cheyenne Indian, a bible thumper, a snake-oil salesman, a gunfighter, a drunk, and just about everything else one could be in those days. Since he was a white man raised by the Cheyenne, and spoke both languages fluently, he moved back and forth between the two worlds.

His story is great when it is being funny. I laughed at the sight of Dustin Hoffman dressed as a gunfighter. He really was the fastest gun in the West, and also the surest shot. Only one little thing kept him from achieving gunfighter immortality. He didn't like shooting at any living things.

Thankfully this was produced before the forces of political correctness could bowdlerize it. Today this would be watered down to avoid the epithets and stereotypes that add color and authenticity to this wonderful film. It is a obvious precursor to `Dances With Wolves', but also to a movie where the influence is less patent like `Forrest Gump' where famous persons are infused into a historical comic-drama. Numerous interesting characters infuse the picture: the epicene (though lustful) sister, the wise, yet pixilated Indian grandfather (played brilliantly by Chief Dan George), the unconscionable General Custer, the libertine Mrs. Pendrake (Faye Dunaway) and of course Dustin Hoffman's own character.

A funny and sad study of a wild time in history mixed with modern sentiments. A tall tale that resonates with truth.

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Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (2011)

This is an extraordinary offering. Some understanding of the background is helpful for those not familiar with the complex history of Taiwan: The original inhabitants of this island were not Chinese at all but a race akin to many of the tribes in the Philippines and DNA work suggests that most Polynesians can trace their origins back to movements south out of Taiwan. Some 500 years ago Chinese immigration from Fu Jian and later other provinces increased rapidly and these original clans were pushed into the hills where they can still be found in small numbers today. The story begins in 1895 when the aggressive Japanese Empire was ceded Taiwan by the decaying Qing Dynasty and the Japanese sent in their powerful military and civil forces to develop the resources for an expanding economy.

The coastal Han (Chinese) were pretty quickly brought to heel and indeed the Chinese in Taiwan have enjoyed a good relationship with Japan ever since. Most elderly Taiwanese speak Japanese, having learned it at school and the island has many customs and practices that are Japanese rather than those of the mainland Chinese. This did not prove to be the case with the clans in the mountains where considerable resistence and resentment built up as their natural resources were taken from them by the Japanese. This led to a great uprising in the south in the 30s that was eventually crushed with overwhelming force. This long film is the story of this tragic event.

Conceiving and bringing such a story to the screen was no easy task. Language and racial type are huge issues. The mountain clan languages are not at all related to Chinese and are no longer widely spoken. Many have intermarried and Taiwanese today are an interesting mixture of many racial types. Although the country folk in Taiwan are a hardy lot, finding enough cast to run at great speed through Taiwan's beautiful high mountain lands BAREFOOT must have been a challenging task indeed. The story is fast moving and not easy to follow even with some background. The clans were not united and fought amongst themselves over hunting rights as much as they squabbled with the Han and then the Japanese. In the beginning things go badly for them and many learn Japanese and take up roles as local policemen etc but their status rankles and the Japanese were never up to bringing non-Japanese into the fold even today! The subtitles in English are good but you need to read pretty fast. Chinese visually scan their text and assume we do the same so English subtitles on a Chinese film don't hang about on the screen. This a film to see at least twice.

The sound is outstanding and the camera work remarkable when one considers the astonishing speed of the action. Bodies are all over the place but none of it very explicit. No sex and no real roles for women although the kids do rather well. This is a great set and strongly recommended. The extras are very interesting but in Mandarin and not subtitled.

There are two versions of "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" coming to DVD and Blu-ray; the four and a half hour original version and the cut two and a half hour US version. This is a review of the two and a half hour version, which certainly seems as though it received the wrong end of the stick. It feels like much of the story was dumped for the massive amount of action sequences.

The historical drama is absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray. The never ending supply of lush forests and trees just always adds a splash of color to whatever is transpiring. The nonstop bloodshed never ceases to add a little red to the fray, as well. Nature, sunsets, waterfalls, and wildlife; the Taiwan scenery is just stunning. Unfortunately, it's usually sacrificed for cluttered CGI and awkward camera movements.

The CGI is used for a rock slide, some of the more difficult to film wildlife shots, animals, mist, steam, and even explosions. If there was a middle class for special effects, these would fall under that category. The shadowing of the CGI seems to clash with the lighting of the surrounding forests as well and makes the effects stand out even more than they probably should. Then there are times when the camera probably should have just stayed still instead of roaming the countryside to capture what would have been a great shot.

The Taiwanese epic has been compared to the likes of "Braveheart" and "The Last of the Mohicans," but there are some similarities to "300" in there as well. The film is edited really awkwardly at times. Some battle sequences are noticeably sped up while other somewhat random scenes seem to be done in slow motion. The argument could be made that the slow-motion was added to give that specific scene more significance, but it just doesn't seem necessary when it's seemingly done just to see Mona Rudao's hair blow in the wind or to watch water splash around in slow motion just because it looks cool as somebody runs through it.

Mona Rudao (Lin Ching-Tai) also assembles 300 men from the 12 Seediq Bale tribes to battle the 3000 Japanese police. You've got unnecessary slow motion, you've got 300 warriors, and you have those warriors going up against impossible odds. The comparisons to "300" are kind of a no-brainer.

Calmer moments to appreciate in this version of "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" are slim to none, but the one or two that stay with you after it's over are pretty incredible. Mona Rudao's conversation with Ichiro Hanaoka aka Dakis Nomin (Yi-Fan Hsu) by the waterfall may be the scene that has the biggest impact in the entire film. It just feels like the most fleshed out sequence in the film and Mona Rudao singing with his deceased father afterward only adds a bit more weight to it. Most of General Kamada's (Sabu Kawahara) scenes are pretty intriguing, as well. Mostly because he's so enraged with how Mona Rudao keeps getting the best of so many men with so little of his own.

Just reading the Wikipedia entry on the story of the uncut film gives you a completely different impression than what the two and a half hour version leaves you with. One minute, Mona Rudao is giving his word that he won't start a war and the next he's leading an uprising. The battle sequences are spectacular, especially the final one. There are so many beheadings, hangings, and deaths of children that you lose count. "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" doesn't shy away from anything even though the message is pretty hopeless. But all of the film's depth seems to have been stripped away. The film throws you into two battles right at the start and you don't really know or care why they're going on.

If you're interested in seeing "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale," tackle the four and a half hour version. While it may seem extremely tiresome, at least you'll be getting the entire story. The two and a half hour version only gives you a glimpse of that rainbow bridge the Seediq Bale always talk about meeting their ancestors on, but it's so brief that you don't actually get to see it. Hopefully the original version lets you see that bridge in a better light.

Extras include a Making of, Behind the Scenes, and Make-up and Visual Effects featurettes that total nearly thirty minutes in special features. Also included are the theatrical and international trailers.

"Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" is now available on DVD and Blu-ray and available as two different versions: US and international. The Blu-ray of the US version is presented with a 16:9 widescreen presentation with 5.1 HD Surround Sound (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo), is Multilingual, and available with English and Chinese subtitles. The film is not rated by the MPAA and is 150 minutes in length (international version is 276 minutes).

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Wow just Wow is all I can say about the film. I was surprised to see the movie even had reviews below 4 stars I'm not quite sure what that's about. I watched this movie on 2 occasions. The first time I wasn't sure I was in the mood for it and I didn't like the first portion of it so much but on a better day I watched the movie from the beginning again and it's fantastic. There's so much emotion and pride hidden behind the movie. Warriors of the Rainbow is about a tribe of people known as the Seediq Bale that live in harmony with the forests they call home. One day they find themselves being invaded by Japanese soldiers. They try to fight back but are conquered and become ruled under the Japanese that end up forcing them to become a servant class amongst their social group. Using them to do heavy manual labor for cheap, introducing wine to keep them drink, raping their women and basically destroying their culture. One of the tribes men said something interesting in the film about being ruled by the Japanese just so they can feel impoverished by their schools and stores. It was an interesting statement and I'm not sure if other people took as much from it as I did watching the film. Both European and certain Asian cultures viewed people that were tribal as savages for not living the "civilized" lives that they did. Mostly once these tribes were conquered they tried to adopt them into the "civilized" life that they were accustomed too but, yet at the same time treating them inhumanely and as uncivilized as possible.

In this case the Seediq bale were already rich. They're wealth was the forests and it's hunting grounds. Teaching their children about their ancestors so they could pass their ways on to future generations was what they valued the most. That was what they considered wealth and also why they Seediq Bales were never happy with their new life after the Japanese invaded despite being forced to do cheap labor for them. They criticized their culture and that was their pride and wealth. The first half of the movie is mostly about this as you watch the Tribal Chief over looking his people as they slowly deteriorate. He realizes that their culture is being slowly destroyed just as their hunting grounds are being chopped down for resources by the Japanese. The new generation of Seediq Bales do not even bare the tattoo's of men and Warriors. There was no reason for them too in the "civilized" world of the Japanese. Eventually the Chief can't stand to see his people or his ancestry,pride,and home be trampled over by and insulted by invaders. He decides to unite with warring tribes and put a stand to the Japanese to uphold their pride as Seediq Bale warriors.

Watching Warriors of The Rainbow really shows a lot of just how societies end and begin. It's an action packed movie but it has deep messages hidden within it. whether you watch and just view it as another action movie or get a deeper message from it is up to you. All I can say is that this movie was fantastic.

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This is one of the best Asian epics ever. It depicts the bravery and pride of a small group of primitive people uniting to engage the powerful,brutal Japanese army in order to preserve their simple, yet fullfilling, way of life. A don't miss gem !

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This 4 and half hour version is missing it's last 30 minutes. Everyone who has bought this version has said the same thing. Nothing worse than sitting through 4 hours of epic to be cut off at the end. They need to recall these and reimburse us. Amazon should stop selling immediately.

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Wolf / Dracula / Frankenstein Trilogy (2010)

If only the The Wolfman can be part of this collection but I am glad to own these movies on blu ray for the upcoming halloween season. Movie looks great and the condition is great. Thank you very much

Classic movies remastered and waiting to be collected , any fan of these movie's must have this collection .

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I like all these films but why are you putting wolf in the set instead of the wolf man with Anthony Hopkins.

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Get Low (2010)

Aaron Schneider's "Get Low" is a slight, unpretentious film that would blow away in the wind if it weren't anchored by some truly wonderful performances. Based on a true story, "Get Low" is set during the Great Depression, in the Appalachian hills of Georgia. Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) an old hermit feared and despised by his neighbors, hires the local funeral director (Bill Murray) to organize a "funeral party" so he can hear what the locals have to say about him before he's actually dead. That climactic event proves the occasion for Felix to make a full confession to his neighbors about the horrific event, forty years before, that cost him his reputation and has haunted him ever since.

Frankly, not much happens in "Get Low" before that climax, but it's mostly a pleasure to watch, thanks to Schneider's deft, low-key direction and the extremely fine acting, especially by Duvall and Murray. Duvall has made a career specialty of backwoods eccentrics, and his Felix Bush is one of the more memorable of them. The pain in Duvall's eyes blasts away any suggestion of mawkish sentimentality that might be inherent in the film. Murray is equally fine as a man who has more than a little con man in him, but who also has seen enough sorrow in life to spark his essential decency. The earnest Duvall and the roguish Murray play beautifully off each other, as fellow travelers on the Train of Sadness.

Sissy Spacek, as an old flame of Felix's, doesn't have much to do, but it's nice to see her anyway. Bill Cobbs is tartly amusing an a preacher who knows Felix's secret, and Lucas Black is extremely likable as Murray's assistant. "Get Low" is a gentle, poignant film, memorable for the acting.

Robert Duvall should have been in contention for an oscar with his complicated portrayal of Felix Bush, a 40-year hermit from the mountains of Tennessee. Bill Cobbs' performance was also remarkable as an Illinois preacher. In actuality, all the acting was stellar. Bill Murray was worth his weight in yen as the more-than-happy-to-oblige funeral director. This innovative storyline of Felix's wish for his own funeral service during his lifetime was perfectly-paced to let each character unfurl. And it was just the right length. Both the photography and costuming were stunning and gave the impression that this really was bound by that period in time. Even the currency had a look of authenticity from back in the days of the Great Depression. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the soundtrack, especially Alison Krauss' splendidly apropos "Lay My Burden Down".

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"Get Low" takes place in the thirties and is about Felix who lives in the Tennessee woods for forty years as a foul-tempered recluse having little to do with the local townspeople. The old bearded coot is played by Robert Duvall who does a great but effortless-seeming acting job. He has a guilty secret which has driven him into seclusion. When an old acquaintance dies, he decides to have a funeral, but he decides he wants it to be a party, and he wants people to tell stories about him, and he wants to be there while he's still alive. Felix infrequently comes into town with his old mule. It's fun looking at the old thirties cars and the period hearse.

It's only later as the movie moves along that you realize this is really a mystery movie. One of the first clues comes when an old flame Sissy Spacek runs out on Felix after seeing a photograph on his wall. As a viewer you wonder what gets her so agitated. What Felix wants is one particular friend, an Afro-American minister (played by Billy Cobbs) to tell what he knows about him. Not that Felix built a beautiful church for the minister but what he confessed to him.

As the funeral director, Bill Murray is very winning playing the part of a man who is funny, sly, maybe a bit of a crook. He is only too happy to get paid for the strange funeral party because his business is tanking, not like his former home in Chicago where people were regularly getting bumped off.

It's actually a tour de force role for Duvall, but movie acting has gotten so deeply ingrained in him that he can make it seem organic. The movie is about peeling away layers of humanity in each character, and we slowly see them evolve into better people that we can admire.

It's a piece of magic storytelling which moves at a stately pace, a measured pace, but you don't get bored and you don't want it rushed because it is inevitably going to be revelatory, and Felix's secret is going to be eased out.

Basically it's a very simple story concerning a man who does not want to go to his grave with a guilty conscience.

Murray's young assistant, the deus ex machina, the catalyst, for a lot that happens in the story, is well-played by good-looking young Lucas Black. It's a movie of subtlety, humor, and deep human emotion, but I do have a lot of trouble remembering what I think is a lousy title.

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No special effects or much action in this movie, but still it is a good movie to watch.

It is about a hermit (wonderfully played by Robert Duvall) who live in the woods isolated from the towns people. As the story develops, we understand more and more why he decided to live like a hermit: to punish himself for the mistake that he made 40 years or so earlier. In fact, he publicly discloses his mistake in the climax of the movie towards the end.

Bill Murray is very funny, in a serious manner that he plays his role as funeral director. Good cast, good acting, and good plot.

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I thought that "Get Low" would be a hands down winner during this years awards. Great story, outstanding actors wonderful sound track. It has not even been mentioned in this years awards. I have considered that the awards are for political purposes and not for artistic accomplishment and talent. I throughly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it.

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Big Miracle (Blu-ray & DVD Combo Disc + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (2012)

My wife and I were living in Barrow back in 1988 when the three California Gray Whales got stuck in the ice near Point Barrow. It was an exciting time and we were eagerly waiting to see the movie --how Hollywood would tell the story. When the whales were first discovered, I had just started working as the newsperson for local radio station KBRW. Got busy very quickly!

It was great to see some places there again, like the Mexican Restaurant ---really named Pepes.

And young Ahmaogak Sweeney in the role of Nathan, who learns about the Inupiat Eskimos and their relationships with whales from his Appa, or Grandfather. Nathan also figures out a way to supplement his allowance when some 200 outside Media folks arrived in Barrow and wanted to get out to the Arctic Ocean ice where the whales were trapped.

He gathers up some cardboard and sells it to the reporters so their feet won't get cold standing on the ice.

I was out there on the ice and don't remember such a thing, but it might have been a good idea.

The movie is listed as "Inspired by a True Story." So we were prepared for Hollywood to stretch and substitute.

Two major ones: It was an Inupiat Eskimo hunter, Roy Ahmaogak, who first discovered the stranded whales, not a newsman.

And second ---the Barrow whalers do not hunt the California Gray Whales. They hunt the larger Bowhead whales.

The movie includes arguments that a quick rescue was needed so the Native crews would not hunt them.

The Whaling captains held their meeting early on, before most media arrived, and said they would do all they could to rescue the whales.

One of the movie's strong points is recreating the whales, barnacles and all. And correctly showing how local people and visitors wanted to touch the whales, and sometimes encourage them to hang on.

As two of my friends who were wildlife biologists said, it provided a rare opportunity to see such whales close up.

The movie also shows how the key to the apparent rescue was low-tech ----the Natives cutting out a series of breathing holes with chain saws and then the water circulators from two caring men from Minnesota which kept the beathing holes open. And finally the Russian Icebreaker which breaks through a pressure ridge standing between the whales and open water in leads.

Did the whales actually make it out and all the way down to their feeding areas off of California and Mexico?

The Federal official in charge declared that the survivors did. But they were not fitted with little transmitters. I'd like to think that they did. See the movie for yourself and see what you think

Earl

this is an awesome movie. this movie is based on a true story where three whales two adults and thier baby gets traped in the ice and fights for thier lives. when a news caster descovers that the whales are in trouble he broadcast it all over the news. when people descover how much the whales need help they help them. this was a really good movie and was heartwarming. if you have not seen this movie then i recommend you do

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This movie had a lot of potential, but...just wasn't a home run.

The story line was endearing based loosely on real events. I have to say that as much as we hoped to enjoy this film we were surprised at the general lack of quality acting from a number of the characters.

I think that my favorite characters were the guys from MN who flew to AK to try to help out. At the same time I was generally disappointed by Danson and Barrymore's efforts, and the young woman newscaster was appropriately annoying. I hesitate to be too critical, but my family and I agreed that we were happy that we waited to watch this film on DVD rather than paying to see it in a theater. And, having seen the movie, we all agreed that once was enough. That's from my wife and I and our 13 and 21 yr old daughters.

The special effects used to show the whales were adequate and did not distract.

All in all, 3 stars is all I can manage for this film.

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"In Alaska there are no simple rescues." While filming a story about a kid who can do sno-mobile tricks, reporter Adam (Krasinski) spots a strange sight. When he sends his report of three whales trapped in the ice with only days left to live it becomes national news. Now with the help of his Greenpeace girlfriend Rachel (Barrymore) and a few others the race is on to save the whales. After being totally surprised with how much I liked "Dolphin Tale" my expectations for this one were pretty high. Once again I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this movie. Almost immediately it sucks you in and holds you through all the highs and lows. This is also another movie that is based on events that happened when I was old enough to remember but I knew nothing about this. Not knowing what happened made the movie seem more tense to me and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Much like "Dolphin Tale" this is a great family movie that everyone, not just the kids will love. It is rated PG for language but other then a character saying Hell and bastard I don't remember anything other that that so you won't have to worry about what your kids are hearing. I highly recommend this as a great movie for family night. Overall, one of the best family movies in the last few years. A must see. I give it an A.

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Sometimes it takes a film about the environmental crises to bring to the attention of the entire populace that not only MUST we do something about our bruising of our natural environment, but that when certain people take action it does indeed make a difference. This is a gently made film that gets its point across in a warmly entertaining way and it is a true story!

Thomas Rose' book FREEING THE WHALES forms the basis for this story, adapted for the screen by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. Ken Kwapis directs. In brief summery (everyone knows this story by now), an animal-loving volunteer and a small-town news reporter are joined by a native Alaskan boy to rally an entire community and eventually rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.'

The cast is a large one with some actors only appearing briefly but in roles that show their professional an also their emotional support for placing this subject before the public. In the lead roles are John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Ted Danson and Tim Blake Nelson, but the remainder of the cast includes Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Baker, Kristin Bell, James LeGros and a fine supporting cast of Inuit actors and others.

The special effects are credible and deeply moving as the whales are released form their frozen captivity. The film adds much to the understanding of environmental problems and how multinational efforts are necessary to tame the destructive threats to the future of our globe. Grady Harp, January 13

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