Dick Tracy (Blu-ray + Digital Copy)

When this film came out on the big screen in 1990 I was blown away by Director Warren Beatty's use of bright colors to give it color comic strip feel. When I saw it years ago on VHS it was just okay. Now Buena Vista Home Entertainment has given it a great BD transfer and it is bright and colorful again.

Some of the story doesn't hold up for me any more and the overdone makeup which makes nearly all the male characters look really ugly is a bit over the top but the two other things which made me love this film (besides seeing Beatty's A-list friends Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino eating up the scenery)are the sexy double-entendres by Madonna and Stephen Sondheim's new songs (including "Sooner or Later"). When Madonna is on the screen it burns sex and the Sondheim songs are some of his most tuneful (IMHO).

Yes, EVERYONE will gripe that there are no extras not even a trailer! but as long as you know that going in, at least you have this fun film in a nice print to enjoy.

I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.

Steve Ramm

"Anything Phonographic"

Ah, the summer of 1990, memories of the hype surrounding Warren Beatty's Disney financed comic strip movie homage to Chester Gould's creation. 22 years later, the film looks great on blu-ray and strangely does not seem dated at all due to its 1930s setting and amazing production design. I noticed many details in the background of scenes that I had never noticed before. The tombstones in the cemetery scene have the names "Smith" and "Jones" on them blending in with the generic nature of all the businesses, cars, products etc. in the film. Madonna's tears in more than one scene are clearly visible now as well as her curves visible in crystal clear definition. The many cameos are dazzling, Charlie Korsmo is charismatic as The Kid and it turns out that The Blank was really played by the same thespian that played another character, you can see the height of the character is the same as another one! The storyline is convoluted but also very simple in that comic strip way and the overacting by most of the cast fits in with the cartoonish nature of the presentation. Oscar nominations and wins for the Stephen Sondheim, Madonna crooned blues song "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)", art direction and makeup all well deserved. Controversial movie, loved by some and hated by others. I can see what Beatty was trying to accomplish and I think he succeeds for the most part. No extras on the blu-ray release, I guess wounds have not healed between Beatty and Disney.

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I have been waiting for this movie to be released on Blu-Ray forever. It looks wonderful and all the colors are just amazing.

Very disappointed that there are NO extras at all. No commentary, no making-of.....

Read Best Reviews of Dick Tracy (Blu-ray + Digital Copy) Here

Warren Beatty's DICK TRACY followed the release of Tim Burton's "Batman" and, to a degree, was undoubtedly influenced by the 1989 blockbuster -from Danny Elfman's urgent underscoring to campy performances from a rogue's gallery of villains in heavy make-up (Al Pacino being the primary heavy), "Dick Tracy" sought to capitalize on the then-hot comic book film/TV genre. Alas, while the genre would soon stall out again (at least until "Spider-Man" launched the "Marvel era" over a decade later), the movie has surprisingly held up over the years -and ranks as superior to the original Burton "Bat" as well.

Part of the reason for the film's enduring elements come in Beatty's artistic vision: the Vittorio Storaro cinematography and Richard Sylbert production design completely evoke the 1930s design of Chester Gould's original comic books, making the movie a virtual comic-strip come-to-life. Every frame of the movie looks like a panel from its source material, and the Jim Cash-Jack Epps, Jr. script (reportedly enhanced with contributions from Bo Goldman) mixes campiness with candy-coated action effectively. The movie also works because of its amazing cast, not all of whom are recognizable under heavy make-up: in addition to Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Sorvino, James Caan, William Forsythe, and Mandy Patinkin pop up as some of Tracy's nemeses, while Seymour Cassel, Dick Van Dyke, Michael J. Pollard and Charles Durning are more recognizable in other supporting turns.

If the movie has a shortcoming, it's in its female leads: several years prior to Beatty working with Annette Bening and subsequently falling in love with his co-star, the actor/director fell for Madonna and promptly cast her as femme fatale Breathless Mahoney. Complete with original songs penned for the film by Stephen Sondheim, Madonna`s night club dame could`ve ignited sparks with Beatty`s Tracy, but her scenes end up fizzling out and stopping the movie cold while Beatty, the director, overly admires his then off-screen prize. Also a disappointment is Glenne Headley, who proves to be merely serviceable as Tracy's Girl Friday, Tess Trueheart. Sean Young claimed to have been lined up for the role but was rejected by Beatty when (she says) she refused his romantic advances -a claim that's not hard to believe given Beatty's relationships with his leading ladies (and it's too bad as well, since Young would've been preferable to Headley, particularly in that type of period role).

Nevertheless, "Dick Tracy" is great fun to look at and particularly captivating for movie buffs because of its cast. Disney's Blu-Ray edition of the film, which also includes a digital copy, doesn't offer any extras, but does, fortunately, offer a spiffy, if somewhat "soft" looking, 1080p AVC encoded HD transfer with a dynamic DTS MA 5.1 soundtrack.

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In 1931, Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy" would be featured in the publications "Detroit Mirror" and distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate. With its popularity, the comic strip would lead to a radio program that lasted from 1934 through 1948 and film adaptations in the 1930′s thanks to RKO. By 1950-1951, a live action TV series was created and in the early '60s, an animated series was created.

A story that revolves around a detective during the 1930′s in Chicago, Dick Tracy would catch his criminals using forensic science, high technology and intelligent wits, audiences were entertained by Dick Tracy's ability to chase down the criminal.

But in 1990, the live action film was written and directed by Warren Beatty ("Bonny & Clyde", "Reds", "Bulworth") would be released in theaters. But the journey to make the live action film was a concept that Beatty head since 1975. But as the plans for a live action films went through different creative hands and different perspectives of what kind of film would be made. But in the end, for Warren Beatty, he wanted the live action film to pay homage to the comic strip and not deviate from that.

And with Disney now having control of the film and working out a deal with Warren Beatty to write, direct and produce the film, "Dick Tracy" was officially made into a live action film. The film would star Warren Beatty but also talent such as Al Pacino, Genne Headly, Madonna, Al Pacino, Kathy Bates, Mandy Patinkin and Paul Sorvino.

And would go on to earn over $162 million worldwide in the box office.

And over 20-years-later, "Dick Tracy" will be released on Blu-ray in Dec. 2012.

VIDEO:

"Dick Tracy" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1). While the film does look very good on Blu-ray and does feature a new digital restoration, what makes this 1990 film look very good is its artistic direction. Warren Beatty wanted only seven colors to be used in the film in order to capture the original look of the comic strip. So, red, green, blue and yellow and a few other colors are utilized. Add in colorful outfits which look amazing with one another, such as Dick Tracy's yellow fedora and coat with the Kid's red hat and coat, the film evokes a style similar to German Expressionism, especially how buildings and the city are featured throughout the film. Set design is fantastic and the limited colors made the film look much more artistic and beautiful.

I didn't notice any artifacts, I did notice slight banding but for the most part, picture quality was good.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Dick Tracy" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and French 5.1 Dolby Digital along with Spanish language tracks. There are scenes with action and machine gun shots, but primarily the film is dialogue and music driven. The film score by Danny Elfman evokes a similar musical style that he used with his previous film "Batman". So, while the musical score sounds great, as did Madonna's music which features lyrics written by acclaimed songwriter Stephen Sondheim. So, dialogue and music are crystal clear and sound great via lossless compared to its older DVD counterpart. It's important to note that "Dick Tracy" was the first film to use digital audio.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Dick Tracy" comes with no special features.

EXTRAS:

"Dick Tracy" comes with a slipcover case and a code for the digital copy of the feature film.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I can easily remember "Dick Tracy" from my teenage years. It was a film that was featured all over television because of the couple at the time, Warren Beatty and Madonna. Plus, the major marketing that Disney put into the film. Dick Tracy was all over television and while one side featured promotion for the film and its iconic character, there was a lot of promotion for Madonna starring in the film.

For the most part, "Dick Tracy" was a fascinating film back when I saw it. I saw the film as a unique artistic expression for Warren Beatty, as he wanted to keep the homage of the comic strip in his live-action film. It was also a film that would feature Hollwood heavyweights Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman and for me, it was a bonus treat to have my favorite film composer at the time, Danny Elfman, scoring the music for the film and legendary writer Stephen Sondheim collaborating with Madonna on the songs for "Dick Tracy".

I enjoyed "Dick Tracy" because Warren Beatty was able to create world where the seedy underground and the characters that represent the crime infested area with a different look. Humans were oddly shaped (ie. big heads or flat heads) or looked grotesque, among the criminals who looked like seedy criminals, there was a city that was featured with beautiful colors and its people sporting colorful outfits. The limited colors made "Dick Tracy" look like art and so unique, I was quite pleased with set and costume design.

And because the world of "Dick Tracy" looked different that reality and is based on a '30s comic strip, the film doesn't look like it was created in 1990, nor does the picture quality on Blu-ray make this film looked aged. Picture quality was very good and to hear the music in lossless was also a major plus for this Blu-ray release.

Personally, I felt that Warren Beatty did a remarkable job with "Dick Tracy". It's original in presentation and for its time, the use of limited colors really distinguishes the film from others. If there was any fault, unfortunately it would be the perception of the audience of its time. 1930′s heroes are not easy to promote for modern viewers. Sure, heroes such as "Superman" or "Batman" can continue to be strong thanks to its continuing push as comic books, animated series, video games and via merchandise. But with "Dick Tracy", "The Shadow" and even "The Green Hornet", these are heroes that emerged from comic strips and radio series that ended with those strips/radio series. They are no longer featured as comic book stores, animated series or in store merchandise that unfortunately, these classic heroes have been forgotten.

As I watched this film with my nine-year-old, he asked me questions of why Dick Tracy was popular since he had no special abilities. And I would make the comparison to Sherlock Holmes, Dick Tracy was a wonderful detective. But for children today, a hero in a film that saves people without special powers, is not too exciting for them. While those of us who grew up earlier enough to have known about Dick Tracy, know how iconic that character was from the '30s through the '70s and once again, in the '90s thanks to Warren Beatty.

But the biggest misconception that Disney of that era and Jeffrey Katzenberg had towards the film. Katzenberg has reportedly said that they hoped that "Dick Tracy" would earn the same box office figures as "Batman". Batman is a superhero and people are attracted to iconic superheroes and even to this day, many of those films do extremely well in the box office. But while "Dick Tracy" was profitable, part of Katzenberg's disappointment was because the film was expensive to produce and market.

But the film did well as a VHS and DVD release and now, this film is finally getting an HD treatment on Blu-ray. The film looks wonderful, the lossless soundtrack is way better than any previous home video release but unfortunately, there are no special features included.

So, while this Blu-ray release features the definitive version of "Dick Tracy" on home video, it's also a barebones Blu-ray release which in this day and age, is unacceptable. Not even the theatrical trailer is included. With so much work in trying to make this film so unique, there must be a featurette out there that could have been included on this Blu-ray release! So, while "Dick Tracy" is a pretty enjoyable film, this Blu-ray release is a bit of a let-down when it comes to the lack of special features.

Overall, "Dick Tracy" is a stylish, unique film that pays amazing homage to the original 1930′s detective. Featuring a wonderful cast, amazing set and costume design and music, "Dick Tracy" may not be known to the younger generations of movie viewers, but this is one iconic hero who received the best film adaptation thanks to director, producer and actor Warren Beatty, who successfully paid homage to the comic-strip. Whether or not we will ever see anything "Dick Tracy" related in the near future is unknown, but for those who are familiar with the iconic detective, will surely want to give this Blu-ray release a chance!

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The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

this movie is almost like "crash' with 3 diff characters and their story. 1st the story of the outlaw, then the law, then the youth. this is not really a bank robbing movie like the commercial shows, but more drama then anything else. redemption and the consequences after. this movie is great throughout. recommend highly for those who knows what to expect. ryan gosling fans will not be dissapointed.

Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) has a good thing going with a traveling carnival. He's got a pocketful of fame thanks to his motorcycle stuntman status and makes just enough money to get by. He meets up with Romina (Eva Mendes), an old fling, in Schenectady, New York and finds out that their one night together resulted in a little one year old boy named Kevin. Luke quits the carnival and intends to provide for his son, but Romina has moved on and is currently in a relationship with Kofi (Mahershala Ali). Luke crosses paths with a mechanic named Robin (Ben Mendelsohn) who talks Luke into robbing a few banks to get some quick cash to support his newfound fatherhood. But Luke gets addicted to the thrill of the hunt and the money and gets overzealous, which attracts the New York police department and rookie cop Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) in particular.

Director Derek Cianfrance last worked with Ryan Gosling in "Blue Valentine" from 2010, which got a noticeable amount of attention due to its original NC-17 rating. Upon realizing that it really wasn't all that graphic, the MPAA gave the film an R-rating upon review. None of that controversy is attached to "The Place Beyond the Pines," but it certainly earns its R-rating with its constant use of vulgarity, a few really violent sequences, and the use of drugs and alcohol with an underage crowd.

The film opens with the camera following a tattooed from head to toe Ryan Gosling in a red and black bomber jacket at a carnival before he enters a steel cage ball along with his motorcycle on full throttle and his two "heartthrobs." Take note of this sequence along with how similar a sequence near the end of the film is shot as it follows another character. The crime drama is sandwiched between trailing two specific characters and countless establishing shots of beautiful pine forests and meandering roads.

Ryan Gosling seems to wear nothing but a series of tattered T-shirts, which attracts a braless Eva Mendes. You can practically feel the open air as Luke rides his bike through the woods and even when it seems like he's wandering aimlessly out in the middle of nowhere. The film is this constant juggle of intensity and raw human emotion. The bank robberies are aggressive and energetic. Gosling's squeaky threats only seem to heighten the situation. The moments where Luke is trying to spend time with his son are tender and powerful. While Luke may have traveled down the wrong path, his intentions were good. So it's this "all the wrong things for all the right reasons" kind of deal.

Everything becomes really unpredictable around the time Bradley Cooper enters the picture. Every time you begin to think that you have the film figured out it strays down a different path. Ben Mendelsohn seems to have been everywhere since "The Dark Knight Rises." His on-screen chemistry with Gosling is fascinating because it's difficult to determine whether they're bonding as friends or if it's one man taking advantage of another. You are literally entranced with Mendelsohn's deep blue eyes on more than one occasion. Ray Liotta also grabs your attention despite having minimal screen time. The Deluca character is so crooked that you can't help but enjoy his despicable nature. It was also enjoyable to see Dane DeHaan have a sizable role. Dehaan is making quite the name for himself for characters on the verge of adulthood.

Some may label "The Place Beyond the Pines" as slow and boring, but it's actually intense, methodical, and easily one of the most captivating films of the first part of the year. Not knowing where the film is going to go is a huge luxury. It strings you along this intriguing path of corruption that also touches on the price of being a good cop that is currently caught in the spotlight. "The Place Beyond the Pines" is both unique and satisfying in the way it comes full circle and is so engrossing thanks to how lugubrious it is in nature.

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Overall, I liked this movie a lot. I was hoping for it to be perfect, but it's not. Instead of writing anther lengthy review, I came up with it's pros and cons. I want to stress tho, that this is a fictional story that takes place in a real city. If this area was as bad as it is portrayed, nobody would live here, especially me!

Pros:

The basic story is very good. My daughter asked me to name a similar movie and I could not think of any. It is different.

Some exciting action, despite what some people say. The cop chasing the cycle is one of the best ( and ends up being most important) parts of the movie.

Beautiful cinematography. This area really has some nice views, and they took advantage of that.

The entire movie was filmed here and in a neighboring village. No lame Hollywood movie sets as building interiors. The fairground was about 15 miles away, but still close.

Nice soundtrack! love it!

Good casting, except for AJ ( I'm sure he's a great guy, but that accent was ridiculous)

Lots of real people, real tv station, real banks, real hospital, real street names, real fairground. A treat for those of us who live here. A lot of extras ( IE news reporters and the Senator) were playing themselves.

The DA (played by Bruce Greenwood) has the last name of the real police chief. Nice touch, Mr.Cianfrance.

Cons:

Its very long but that doesnt bother me that much because I still liked it.

AJ's accent ( I mean really, what WAS that?)

Too much profanity (every other word in parts is overkill)

It makes all of ours teens look bad. They arent. Yes, SOME are, but not all.

Same goes for the police.

The transition between the second and third act is lame, too convenient, and really turned me off for a few minutes. It does redeem itself,however.

They did almost nothing to make Bradley Cooper look older in the end. They did a nice job with Eva Mendes, but not Bradley.

I do recommend this film, but do not come away from it thinking that everyone who lives here is a criminal! Again, it is fiction.

Read Best Reviews of The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) Here

This is a story told in three parts. The first is a motorcycle rider who robs banks. The second is the police officer who stopped him, dealing with police corruption. The third occurs years later, as their sons meet as youths. This filmmaker clearly planned on making a dramatic film that would tell a very noteworthy story, and he mostly succeeds. It avoids slow pacing, and seems shorter than it's nearly 2 ½ hours. This is a strong effort from a talented young director, and features some of the best actors in Hollywood today.

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The Place Beyond the Pines is an ambitious epic about choices and the consequences of those choices, and about the relationship between fathers and sons along with how the father's decisions impact their sons.

The film's first act opens with Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) a famous motorcycle rider for a traveling state carnival. The man leads an empty life without any meaning besides his job and bike. That changes when Romina (Eva Mendes) an old fling returns comes to see him after a year. It turns out that Luke has a son, Jason who he had no knowledge of and has no part in his son's life. He's forced to watch as another man raise and be a part of his baptism. Luke wants to be a part of his son's life saying a son needs his father after all Luke didn't have a father and look how badly he turned out, but as it is pointed out to him by a few people he has a limited skill set so if he can barely take care of himself how can he take care of Romina and their son.

Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) stars in the second act. Avery a rookie police officer who's been on the job barely a year when he becomes a hero after he successfully takes down Luke Glanton on his own. Avery is a very ambitious man wanting to rise to the highest level of office, and he pays the price for it when he gets involved with officer Deluca (Ray Liotta) and his fellow corrupt cops. Avery already has a guilty conscience about taking Jason's father away from him, so much so that Avery can barely look at his own son, AJ when he is forced to make a moral decision does he continue to help Deluca or does he try and bring them down all the while trying to advance his own career. Avery's and Luke's lives and decisions truly come together in the third act of the film which takes place fifteen years in the future. There Avery is running for Attorney General, AJ (Emory Cohen) is living with his divorced wife Jennifer (Rose Byrne). The troubled AJ moves in with his dad and into a new high school. There he meets a teenager at the same age in Jason (Dane DeHaan), and the impact of the choices their parents made come to light and they are left to deal with the consequences. The film ends just like it began with a young man getting on a bike and riding off into the unknown.

Derek Cianfrance's screenplay is elaborate and far reaching in the scope of the characters, but it doesn't always work effectively. In my opinion Avery's story is the most flawed of the three intertwined stories. Avery just isn't that well written of a character or he isn't fleshed out enough, and Bradley Cooper who's proven he's capable of being a great actor from his Oscar nominated performance in Silver Linings Playbook instead seems to be playing the character without any depth. Even his emotional scenes just don't hold up that well. Along with that the supporting actor's roles weren't that good. Whether it be the capable Ray Liotta and Rose Byrne or Bruce Greenwood it just seems like Cianfrance was trying to do too much with the story he had. What holds up the lackluster middle part of the film are the beginning and end of the film. Ryan Gosling has come into his own in his last few films, and outside of Gangster Squad he has given outstanding performances. Ryan delivers beautifully acted performance as he perfectly plays Luke the sadden knew father who finds hope in his son, and all he wants to do is provide for the woman he loves and his son even if it is illegal. Eva Mendes delivers her best acting performance of her career as Romina who feels guilt for not telling Luke about his son as well as conflicted emotions about his father. In a supporting role Ben Mendelsohn does a wonderful job as Robin, Luke's only friend. I think Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen steal the film with their performances as Jason and AJ respectfully. They did a masterful job displaying emotions of these emotionally damaged teenagers. You will fully believe in these characters and the scars they display in their eyes. The script isn't outstanding, but I loved it. It does a wonderful job showing the impact fathers have on their son's and how our decisions in life always have consequences whether we see them right away or not.

Derek Cianfrance's script might not be the best, but he makes up for it as a director. Admittedly I haven't seen any of his other films, but this relative new comer does a marvelous job bring to life his vision for The Place Beyond the Pines. Cianfrance nearly perfectly directs his outstanding cast as they almost all give superb performances helping to add depth and character to his film. Beyond the Pines is simply a gorgeous film as it was filmed entirely in New York State and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt captures the essence of the state perfectly from the cities to the great pine forests. I wouldn't call Mike Patton a great or good composer from the list of projects he's worked on, but Patton does an excellent job with the score. The tone, feel and emotion of the music fit perfectly with scenes in the film. The only flaws I found in the production of the film were perhaps in the camera work being jittery and hard to follow on occasion and some of the editing decisions. Beyond the Pines is a pretty long film, and I'm sure there had to be some editing decisions made about what needed to be cut, and in certain scenes I think it shows. In my opinion those are only very small flaws that didn't take much away from the film.

Going into A Place Beyond the Pines I had high expectations. I loved the trailer, the cast and the music I heard and though the film is flawed in the middle Beyond the Pines brightens up what has been a very disappointing early 2013 in film being easily the best film of the year so far with a great cast, a really good screenplay, great directing, really good acting mixed in with a great score and beautiful cinematography. If there is one film in the early part of 2013 that I think is a must see it is Beyond the Pines, and I think it will go down as one of the better films of the year.

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Ernest Scared Stupid (2011)

I am so glad to see Jim Varney on BluRay! This is a must for any Ernest Fan!! I hope Disney will release Ernest Saves Christmas on BluRay (Disney still owns the rights to the movie with Touchstone)!

Ernest is the man.

I've been an Ernest fan since I was a diaper clad child.

He saved Christmas, went to school, went to camp, went to Africa, and neither last nor least was SCARED STUPID.

Long live Ernest P., though Mr. Varney is no longer with us.

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As a child, I was scared of this movie because of the troll, Trantor looked scary. Now, I love it because it has Ernest and it takes place on Halloween, and I personally love Halloween!!! Ernest helps Kenny, Joey, and Elizabeth build a treehouse. However, the troll is buried under the tree and Ernest accidentally wakes him up. Throughout the movie, Ernest tries to defeat Trantor with 'Troll fighting technology' and miss Hackmore. Ernest finally figures out how to kill the troll. Trantor needs five children to awaken his troll children army. Kenny and his friends go to the grocery store and buy the supplies in order to kill Trantor. Ernest and Kenny fight the trolls at the treehouse with all the townspeople there. When all the trolls die, Trantor asks the evil demons of the tree to make him stronger. If you love Halloween and Ernest, you'll love ERNEST SCARED STUPID!!!

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This umpteenth screen appearance for Ernest P. Worrell has the bumbling handyman accidentally awaken an imprisoned troll a day before Halloween, leading to the creature going on a rampage through a small town. It's probably the most imaginative Ernest adventure and features appropriately gruesome creature effects by the Chiodo Brothers (who also created the Critters and the Killer Klowns from Outer Space). The production values are also quite good, but the kids are a little grating.

My only real complaint is the same thing that bugged with previous Ernest movies. Director John Cherry is so used to directing television and commercials that you can tell he's given every shot in the movie a maximum of two takes, giving everything a badly-rehearsed feel. Sounds like a petty grievance, but it would have made a difference to hone the acting a little more and tighten things up.

Probably not a Halloween classic, but it's hardly a time of year for family movies.

The Blu-ray looks great in 1.78:1 1080p but features plain-old Dolby 2.0 sound. There are no extras, not even a menu. But for a bargain bin Mill Creek release, it's still worth the money.

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These Ernest movies were coming out when I was a kid, I remember seeing this in the theater I believe. I guess its a funny movie, I picked it up to add to my bluray collection. I'd recommend.

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Von Ryan's Express (1965)

Frank Sinatra is one of my favorite movie stars,not music star,movie star.i had the regular dvd for some time and have watched it several times over the years.the blu-ray version i just watched enhanced the viewing pleasure with a more crisp picture and sound.this movie has been waiting for the blu-ray reissue and it delivers.

This flick is a little known suspenseful WW II action movie from the 60's. I would say it ranks below the two greatest classic WW 2 prisoner of war films, "The Great Escape"and "Bridge On The River Kwai", but It's still one of the very best of the genre and my absolute favorite film starring Frank Sinatra. Within a minute after his entrance to the film, you'll forget he was ever a singer and completely accept him as a brash P-38 fighter pilot., ,

The plot moves quickly and the suspense and action don't let up. I purchased the DVD years ago and the Blu ray is definitely worth the upgrade in picture and audio performance if you have a high def flat screen. Highly recommended.

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I am comparing the Blu-Ray and DVD version, and sadly the quality in Blu-ray is slightly better than DVD version. Was expecting better quality.

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Unfortunately, this Blu-Ray release appears to be an un-restored transfer. The color balance is off in many places (bright yellow-greens and purples in places where it should be white or brown). My guess that there either wasn't a good dup negative, or they just didn't bother to find one.

I gave it 3 stars for the content of this good WWII movie, but the technical rating is no more than 2 stars. It's surprising that with Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard, that Fox didn't bother to do this film right as it should be.

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Set in Italy during World War II, Von Ryan's Express (1965) is pure `escapist' entertainment, as a group of liberated Allied POW's, commandeer a train, and attempt to sneak into Switzerland, before the German army discovers the truth and destroys them. While reality is stretched quite far, and it takes some time to build momentum, the film is quite exciting and dramatic, features some rather impressive battle scenes, and memorable ending, that reflects both triumph and tragedy.

Frank Sinatra stars as Colonel Joseph Ryan, an American fighter pilot who is shot down and taken to a POW camp, where as the ranking officer, he takes over command of a group of predominantly British prisoners. Sinatra had just finished another WW II drama, "None But The Brave (1965)" a film set on an island in the pacific, which was the only film that Sinatra ever directed.

Ryan's attitude is radically different from the English, as he looks to improve conditions for the men, and takes a dim view of escape. Seen as a sellout, the American is given the name "von Ryan" by Major Eric Fincham (Trevor Howard), the commander of the British contingent. Things change dramatically when Italy capitulates, and the Italian soldiers guarding the prisoners vanish. The British soldiers want to kill Major Battaglia (Adolfo Celli, Thunderball) the camp commander, but Ryan intercedes and spares his life, and act that will soon have dire consequences.

The prisoners leave the camp, but are soon captured by the German army, and put aboard a train bound for Germany. In a daring escape, the prisoners kill most of the German soldiers, take over the train, and then attempt to take the train through a series of checkpoints to the Swiss border. On the journey, there are a number of close calls, tense moments, and a tragic decision by Ryan.

Von Ryan's Express was based on a book of the same name, written by David Westheimer, an American flier who was actually held prisoner in the famous Stalag Luft III, the POW camp featured in The Great Escape (1963). Westheimer's original screenplay, was revised to create a more action oriented adventure tailored to suit Frank Sinatra's personality. The film's downbeat ending was something that Sinatra insisted on.

The Bluray contains the same bonus content from the two disc special edition released in 2007. This includes a commentary track, a featurette on legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith, trailers, TV spots and a still gallery. Featuring one of Frank Sinatra's stronger performances, Von Ryan's Express is a classic example of 60's moviemaking that takes you on a tense and thrilling ride, and leaves you breathless and stunned at the finish. The film has a strong international supporting cast that includes Edward Mulhare (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir), Raffaela Cara, Sergio Fantoni, Wolfgang Preis, and Vitto Scotti.

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I Saw the Devil (2011)

Director Jee-woon Kim along with actors Byung-hun Lee and Min-sik Choi are three of the most talented people in Korean cinema today. Jee-woon has done such films as A Bittersweet Life and The Good, the Bad, the Weird, which both starred Byung-hun and Min-sik is most recognized for his performance in Oldboy, but was also fairly impressive in the drama Crying Fist among many others. Oldboy is really the film that made me love Korean cinema. So when word broke that these three marvelous people were getting together to make a film, I knew I was already there. A little thriller called I Saw the Devil came together and became one of the most spectacularly intense thrillers to be released in quite some time.

Late one snowy, winter night, a woman named Joo-yeon (San-ha Oh) sits stranded in her car waiting for a tow truck to arrive and help her fix a flat tire. She talks to her fiance, Dae-hoon (Byung-hun), over the phone as she waits. It's Joo-yeon's birthday and Dae-hoon, a secret agent, gets caught up with work and can't be there with her on her special day. A strange man shows up and begins to pester Joo-yeon about fixing the tire himself. After declining his help, the man known as Kyung-chul (Min-sik) attacks Joo-yeon before brutally murdering her. Kyung-chul is actually a notorious serial killer who mostly kills women and young girls. As the investigation unfolds, Dae-hoon swears merciless revenge on Kyung-chul and a deadly game of cat and mouse begins. Does Dae-hoon really know when this game will end or has he already become a bigger monster than the man he now preys upon?

The chemistry between Byung-hun Lee and Min-sik Choi is what really drives the film. Byung-Hun is the broken down shell of a man when he's not in the hunt, so to speak. He has several emotional breakdowns that are incredibly heart wrenching, but the urge he has to make this bloodthirsty maniac pay for taking the love of his life away takes a front seat to any sort of emotion he once had. Byung-hun portrays the struggle his character has between sadness and revenge flawlessly. Min-sik plays the role of a lunatic incredibly well. His character seems to lack that which makes a person who they are; morals, a conscience, and above all a soul. Killing is the only thing that brings out the real Kyung-Chul. His first initial reaction to someone trying to beat him at his own game is agitation and borderline out of control rage, but once he regains control he not only enjoys himself but claims it's the most fun he's ever had. Min-sik acts level headed when his kills go well, but the way he expresses how insane his character really is when things go bad for him is what makes his performance so memorable. While the scenes where Byung-hun and Min-sik fight with each other are great for obvious reasons, there's a scene at the end of the film where they both have a heart to heart conversation that is just spectacular. Every little glimpse you have of that confrontation leading up to that point is fantastic, as well.

Jee-woon Kim certainly knows how to shoot a beautiful looking film. Lush and vibrant colors make grisly murders and spontaneous revenge tactics look much more pleasant than the blood that endlessly splatters all over every wall and floor in the film. Other than the brilliant colors, the cinematography is rather unique as well. There's a scene near the end of the film where Dae-Hoon is walking toward the camera on a deserted road. It's simple and shot like we're basically walking backwards in front of him while staring directly at his face. He eventually begins to cry; an uncontrollable sobbing. The way the scene is shot along with Byung-hun's performance made it one of the more memorable scenes in the film. There's another where Kyung-Chul gets picked up by a taxi. He gets into the front passenger seat while there's another man in the back, so there are three people in the car altogether including the driver. Kyung-Chul realizes he's going to have to beat these guys to the punch, so as their adrenaline escalates the camera rotates around the inside of the car. You get this continuous 360 degree shot of the action occurring inside this cab. It's amazing.

Leave it to another Korean thriller revolving around revenge to make an impression on me. Jee-woon Kim's I Saw the Devil is a superbly acted, exceptionally written, grotesquely gorgeous film that'll make you cringe during some of the more horrific and blood soaked acts in the film while secretly leave you craving so much more. That craving is satisfied thanks to the interactions and chemistry between actors Byung-hun Lee and Min-Sik Choi. The disturbing content in the film is more than enough to satisfy the hungriest gore hounds out there while the captivating story will please anyone looking for something more than someone being chopped to pieces. I Saw the Devil is one of the most morbidly delightful films to be released in recent years.

I SAW THE DEVIL takes the serial-killer tale and turns it upside-down (and inside out!). I was expecting another "sociopath vs. the police / cat and mouse" story. ISTD uses this premise, only to expand on it, resulting in one of the best revenge films I've ever seen. I actually found myself feeling (somewhat, almost, well, ok, not very) sorry for the murderer! This movie goes a long way in showing the ultimate price of vengeance. If you love movies like LADY VENGEANCE, OLDBOY, etc., then I SAW THE DEVIL will fit right into your collection...

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I knew this was gonna be a good movie but I didn't think it was gonna be this good! "I Saw The Devil" is an awesome serial killer, cat an mouse revenge flick where the good turn evil in order to inflict pain and suffering on a greater evil.

The story goes like this, one snowy night a woman who is married to a detective catches a flat tire and calls for a tow, a stranger appears to help but ends up beating her, kidnaps, dismembers and disposes of her remains in a river. The remains are found and the hunt for the killer begins as the police narrow it down to four suspects.

The detective takes time off due to his wifes death but secretly tracks down the four suspects and tortures each one till he finds the one who killed his wife. Once found he exacts revenge over an over in a very cool way I might add at which time a game of cat an mouse occurs that leaves a trail of dead bodies and a once lawful detective no better than the truely psycho killer he's been stalking.

"I Saw The Devil" is a brutal/gory but not to gory film that will lead you down a road with a psychopath and a man who becomes one out of grief and anger in order to get revenge! As far as acting, it was great as was the score which fit the movie perfectly. Every year there is one or two horror movies that really standout, "I Saw The Devil" is 2011's standout horror masterpiece that deserves to be seen!

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Ji-Woon Kim is one of my favorite Asian directors. The movie runs well over two hours and I was left wanting more. You do need a thick stomach for this but if you love the gory revenge movies that Asian Cinema seems to have perfected you will love this one.

Acting, cinematography, script, all top notch. I even dare say, better than most American movies out this year.

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I rented this movie from Netflix, largely due to the four-star rating, but fully expected it to be a complete joke. Let's face it, any movie that is about 2 1/2 hours long, in Korean with subtitles, and has a lead character who is a "secret agent" just HAS to be awful. Well, it wasn't. In fact I found it to be one of the most astounding, shocking, suspenseful, disturbing, and entertaining movies I have seen in a long, long time.

Other people have delved into the plot and characters, so I won't bother, but I will say that for every second it was on the screen, I was on the edge of my seat, shaking my head in amazement, looking away in horror, and re-running the portions that defied belief the first time I saw them. This is an absolute classic of horror, psychopathic behavior, criminal psychology, and plot development. I honestly can't compare it to anything I have ever seen before, and I strongly recommend this movie to mature adults who think they have seen it all. Trust me, you haven't.....yet.

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Apt Pupil (1998)

This movie quickly disappeared from the theaters, which is really too bad, because it's an excellent film. Those reviewers who disliked it because it didn't have enough "Stephen King" have missed the point. Good horror doesn't always depend on lots of supernatural gore. Sometimes the most frightening things are the terrible possibilities we find within ourselves -if we dare to look. Much of this film consists of psychological games, but that doesn't make it any less terrifying. If you have ever wondered how ordinary good citizens (like yourself???) could have ended up serving the Nazi genocide machine, then this movie is a chillingly real answer. An excellent study in how seemingly moral people can be manipulated by fear and seduced by power.

What starts out as an honor student's curiousity about a dark chapter in history soon degenerates into cruelty and manipulation on both sides. The student begins by blackmailing an old Nazi war criminal into telling him all about the concentration camps -and that means EVERYTHING -or else he will turn him over to the authorities. The old Nazi, fearing arrest, complies. But the boy soon goes beyond curiousity, as he begins to enjoy having absolute power over another human being. At this point, the student is the sadist, and I actually found myself feeling sorry for the old man. But wait -the Nazi still has a few tricks up his sleeve, and the tables are soon turned... To tell you more would be a spoiler. Just remember: when you dine with the devil, the spoon is never long enough.

Once upon a time many years ago, a fictional French baroness smirked as her paramour pronounced his undying devotion to his Lady Fair: his dedication to her, his wonderment in the face of her not inconsiderable charms. His---Love.

To which she replied, tartly: "Love---I don't like the word 'Love'. I prefer the word 'Cruelty'.

So do I. And so does the world, if the genocide raging through Africa is any kind of case in point. We live in a world where terrorists ram planes into skyscrapers because of grievances, and the question raised by our 'elites' is not "how do we destroy these barbarians", but rather a whining, sniveling "why do hey hate us?"?

Is not Cruelty, then, our due?

The real question is not why the Holocaust happened, but, in the words of Max von Sydow's artist in "Hannah and her Sisters", why it doesn't happen more often. "Apt Pupil" is one of the most harrowing, horrifying, repulsive films I have ever watched.

The blood doesn't flow like claret and the gore doesn't cake the walls, but a warning: "Apt Pupil" is not for the faint of heart.

That said, Singer has an exceedingly subtle touch with distills one of Stephen King's best short stories into an engaging and particularly nasty piece of cinema that bores deep into the fundamental cruelty that feeds and nourishes human evil.

Tod Bowden (played with understatement and sublime nastiness by Brad Renfro) is a high school student who discovers that an elderly German man---who might just be an infamous Nazi war criminal---is living in his quiet Southern California neighborhood. Bowden confronts his reclusive neighbor, presents evidence of his past as the notorious Gestapo officer Kurt Dussander (impeccably played by Sir Ian McKellen, in a kind of decrepit stepladder of Evil), and by degrees blackmails, coerces, and ultimately flatters the old man into telling him about his atrocities during the war.

The movie that follows is a superbly paced and increasingly psycho-sexual ballet between the boy and the old Nazi, who is at once Bowden's mentor, idol, victim, and catalyst. Both Renfro and McKellen are so perfectly cast and so competent in their roles that the viewer is made uneasy by the way the two seem to feed off each other, glutting themselves with stories of past horrors---and growing stronger with the telling.

Particularly awful is the scene where Bowden buys Dussander an SS costume as a 'present', and then cajoles him into dressing in it and marching. What initially begins as an embarrassed reluctance to even don the uniform turns into a manic peformance, and as Bowden demands that Dussander stop, the old man whispers "be careful boy---you're playing with fire." Indeed.

Isn't it amazing how the grey terrible ringlets of age, the coils of venerability, fall off, boiled down to the core of a psychotic creature willing, able, and gleeful---to maim, torture, and destroy?

The brilliance of "Apt Pupil" is in the way the film distills the essence of cruelty, particularly in two scenes. While I will not spoil the film by talking about either scene, both involve McKellen and Renfro in acts of shocking, amoral, sociopathic savagery to a wounded bird and a cat.

When I watched the scenes, I had an epiphany---the source of depravities like the Holocaust, or the Stalinist purges, or the genocide in Rwanda has never been about race, or religion, or politics, or tribe---all of it stems from a dark desire by some men to inflict brutality on the weak, for no better reason than they derive pleasure from doing it.

Because they can get away with it. Because they take all they can grab.

This philosophy underscores "Apt Pupil", and is, in my opinion, the reason the film succeeds so well at painting a realistic picture of human horror. Renfro's Tod Bowden is not a young Nazi; like the killers at Columbine High School, he is a bored coward with too much time on his hands and a decidedly cruel streak.

The acting is excellent throughout, with David Schwimmer (of Friends) perfectly cast as hapless Jewish high school guidance counselor, and Elias Koteas taking on yet another repulsive role as one of McKellen's vagrant victims. Like "American Psycho", "Apt Pupil" is not an exit, and the film offers no easy answers, leaving the uneasy viewer with a disturbing coda which prompts a question: is cruelty a force that can be harnessed for power?

And ultimately, in an empty universe, where the voice of God is silent, why not?

JSG

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Based on a Stephen King novel, `Apt pupil' directed by Brian Singer tells the story of a hunted Nazi who is identified by a sixteen year old student. The student rather than reporting to authorities his discovery, attempts to blackmail the old man: he won't tell anyone if he tells him stories from the dead camp he was in charge of.

This incredible thriller takes some surprising twists as the story unfolds. The acting is superb, Ian McKellen as Dussander (the Nazi fugitive) and Brad Renfro deliver some of the most disturbing sequences of the film, from the stories being told by McKellen (excellent flashback scenes) to the sequence in which he wears the Nazi uniform again, the performance delivered by these two actors is one of the highlights of the film.

A story of how evil may present in the less expected ways and how a teenager falls under the clutches of the Nazi killer he thought he had under control. The directorial style of Singer is all over the film, the score composed by John Ottman is the perfect complement in some of the key scenes. Some of Singer `regulars' are here on brief cameos and there is the special appearance of David Schwimmer (even though he tries to portray a serious character, the stigma of Ross Geller won't leave him) Bottom-line, an excellent thriller filled with surprising twists, excellent sequences from the Nazi's dead camps and a shocking ending.

The DVD comes in both Widescreen and Full screen versions. Special features in the DVD are a `making of' documentary, cast and bios and the theatrical trailer. English 5.1 and Dolby surround available with subtitles in English only.

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There are a few Stephen King adaptations that are good, though most missed the mark. I thought Bryan Singer's vision of "Apt Pupil" left in (and left out) everything that was approprate. I admire Ian McKellan no end, and he did not disappoint. I always thought that Brad Renfro's auspicious debut in "The Client" would lead to great things. Here, he succeeds. It's a layered performance of unsettling discovery, conflict & resolution...and a few surprises. Elias Koteas, in a small role, was best of all. His role as street person/hustler was complete, and I must admit that his final scene lef me a bit unsettled, very sad. I will not blab anyhing away, but I thought this to be a fine and very upsetting film. I'm somewhat amused at the controversy involving Singer's shower room scene, where he asked a number of young males to appear nude (they signed affidavits of approval). No one really cared, except one guy sued him for misreprentation or whatever. (How humiliating was that for him?) This was a 1998 film. Brian de Palma's "Carrie" with Oscar-nominee Sissy Spacek (1976) had a brutal shower scene, full-frontal, the whole 9 yards, and nobody made issue. Nudity doesn't bother me, if it makes sense. I don't understand the fuss.

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Presently working on "History in Stephen King's books", I am studying, in great details, The Dead Zone and Apt Pupil. Insofar as the books and the films are concerned, The Dead Zone is marvellous, because the film does not in any way distort the book. Cronenberg has done a beautiful job. The film gives a visual dimension to the book and hence enriches it in a way. But with Apt Pupil, there are so many twists and changes that the book is difficult to recognize in the film. We do not find the progressive and absolutely total degradation of both Mr Denker and Todd. Todd does not kill vagrant people in the film. Mr Denker only kills one wino. He even fails with the cat. The boy, Todd, is not cornered as he is in the book, cornered by his conscience and by the police and his guidance councelor, as he is in the book. He becomes vicious but his degradation is far from being finished and he can survive and even prosper in our society with his new agressive domineering attitude. He might even be seen as a winner. In the book he is a loser. We lose the essential lesson: to get involved with those crimes, at a certain age, if it is not done with care and distanciation, in a discursive way, with aware adults, it leads to degradation because evil is catching and there is no remedy, no medicine to cure it. I guess that we can maybe enjoy the film, if we do not know the book, even if the swiftness of the film erases most details and most dark corners in the tale. I definitely prefered the book. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities IX and II

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Sweeney Todd / Sleepy Hollow (Two-Pack)

These two movies give Johnny Depp a great opportunity to show his acting range, and he doesn't disappoint.

"Sleepy Hollow" is perhaps the definitive film version of this well-known tale, though it is not for the faint-of-heart. It gets pretty gory, what with the Headless Horseman out and about his business. We tend to watch this film around Halloween...then see if we can get over its ghastly images by Xmas.

I saw "Sweeney Todd" on Broadway with Len Cariou, Angela Lansbury and Victor Garber many years ago. Cariou and Lansbury were spectacular. Garber, not so much Sondheim's music for the male ingenue role is pretty ungracious, and neither Garber nor Jamie Campbell Bower in this film version has any success negotiating the vocal writing.

Depp's film Sweeney is a great deal more-frightening and disturbed than what I saw on B'way. That's possible in large part because he doesn't have to project his singing voice and stage persona into a live theatrical space (truth is Depp's singing voice wouldn't project well into the open space of a typical B'way theater without major amplification). That makes for a more-intimate, more-human portrayal, and it's fairly disturbing. The rest of the cast is good as well.

Both films were directed by Tim Burton who seems to get the best out of Depp. The "By The Sea" sequence in Sweeney is particularly touching in fleshing out the human sides of Todd and Mrs Lovett that might have been in a way that just isn't possible in the staged version.

If you want to enjoy Sweeney as a disturbed horror flick, get this version. If your main interest is hearing the music, get the 1982 "Tribute" version with Lansbury and George Hearn.

Recommended (the price is certainly right I paid only $10.86 with tax for both movies!), but not for the squeamish.

Very pleased with the purchase, both movies are my favorites for johnny, so the opportunity to get both for the price of one was a good deal.

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I originally bought these movies because they were cheap, and I just wanted to test my new Blu-Ray player. I was already a fan of Depp, so I figured that I would give them a shot. Both movies were very enjoyable to me. They didn't help me test my Blu-Ray though, because they were kind of dark. LOL

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This is just great I love jhonny depp's movies, especially the one's with tim burton so I was more than happy when they arrive and ready to popcorns hahaha. Don't miss it and buy them now.

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I originally was only looking for Sweeney Todd but I was this set and decided to get it since it was the same price as Sweeney on it's own. So it was like buying 1 movie and getting 1 free.

As for the movies, the picture quality and sound are fanstastic!

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