Halloween II (1981) Review

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(More customer reviews)Going against what my gut instinct was telling me about the current crop of "remakes" that keep springing up, I went ahead and got a copy of Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, which after viewing is the equivalent of Vince McMahon's (Brainstorm!) XFL, meant to improve on the traditional NFL. Like Vince, Zombie falls flat on his face!
What a total waste of effort(??)! Forget the obviously lame storyline! Zombie has taken the BEST parts of what I & others loved of John Carpenter's masterpiece and has profoundly spat on them, transforming & transposing them away from what made them appealing- Laurie Strode from a straight-lanced, innocently appealing & ultimately doomed heroine who we ended up rooting for to a foul-mouthed, UN-likeable blithering mess. Sam Loomis has been remade from a truly concerned savior, determined to stop his quarry (while being believably terrified of him at the same time)from spreading death & destruction into a greedy, uncaring opportunist. And what a howler THIS Michael Myers is......! Where-as he was a terrifying, shadowy form of living darkness in total control of his actions without expression or remorse in the original, Zombie's version is laughably inept, just another thuggish brute without the cunning or resilience of a true screen villian, led only by his childhood/"inner-self" visions/images to explain his actions (oh, so T-H-A-T's why he does & is what he is!!!!! I d-i-d-n-'t k-n-o-w THAT!). I'm not sure how much effort was made by Tyler Mane to "get into character" but you never really truly believe he's Michael Myers, or at least I didn't. Dick Warlock ('the Shape' in 1981's H2) was more convincing, emerging out of a dark corner with the occasional creepy head tilt while remaining stoic was all that was really needed.
The way I see it, the only real excuse for these re-makes (or are they re-boots???)is a set-up for a future "Michael vs Jason" clash!

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Rob Zombie's H2 (Halloween) picks up at the exact moment that 2007's box-office smash, Halloween stopped and follows the aftermath of Michael Myers's (Tyler Mane) murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton). Evil has a new destiny. Michael Myers is back in this terrifying sequel to Rob Zombie’s visionary re-imagining of Halloween which grossed almost $80 million worldwide. It is that time of year again, and Michael Myers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business. Unleashing a trail of terror that only horror master Zombie can, Myers will stop at nothing to bring closure to the secrets of his twisted past. But the town's got an unlikely new hero, if they can only stay alive long enough to stop the unstoppable.

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Sorority Row (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Yeah, I watched it! So what?! When you know what you're going in for, this kind of movie has many merits. Sorority Row is a movie about a killer who meanders through an alcohol-soaked, drug-fueled, sex-crazed, sorority McMansion during the end of the year party indiscriminately butchering the tight-bodied, scantily-clothed co-eds - and their dufus boyfriends - who may or may not have knowledge of a murder cover-up involving a senior soror who got chucked down a well like baby Jessica.
Additionally, the cheese-covered horror rules are followed perfectly: The phones get no reception unless receiving a horrifying, tension-increasing picture or video from the killer. A dark, mysterious figure in a face-covering graduation robe, the killer is so derivative that I imagined the character holding the fishing hook from I Know What You Did Last Summer (IKWYDLS) and wearing the mask from the Scream Trilogy, neither of which happened. There is full frontal nudity that serves no other purpose than checking off the nudity requirement. Characters who engage in illicit sex almost certainly die. Characters who elicit groans or disapproval from the audience are guaranteed excruciating deaths. And, finally, there is inevitably more than one "twist" to mislead the viewers attempting early killer recognition.
As for the characters, just picture IKWYDLS and replace the male characters with gorgeous, nubile, women in their early twenties. It's the "talented" Megan (Audrina Partridge); smokin' hot Cassidy (Briana Evigan), the girl with the moral compass; Chugs (Margo Harshman), the sorority's resident slut (who is present in all real life sororities); the sexy Claire (Jamie Chung), fulfills multicultural standards for the sorority's funding purposes; the blonde vixen Jessica (Leah Pipes), who is as ruthless as she is beautiful; and Ellie (Rumer Willis), the slack-jawed, kind of ugly girl (but with a nice body) all sororities need for term papers and to increase cumulative GPA. Aside from the main cast, there is an endless supply of hotties prancing around in lingerie (or less) and either dancing about in the soapy bubbles from an overflowing hot tub or having a feather pillow fight in pajamas with exposed behinds. Read that last sentence again.
As for the plot, a sorority prank goes wrong, one of the sisters dies and the rest of the movie is about the characters covering up the murder, repenting their actions, or playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a tire-iron wielding killer who appears to have an oral fixation. Pretty standard, suspenseful stuff.
Aside from my belief that Ellie should have been the victim of the prank, thereby improving the possible skin-to-film ratio, the directing, acting, special effects, and all other aspects representative of any number of recent Hollywood horror flicks are sufficient. No awards will be won, but I'd probably watch it again for hot chicks and bad jokes.

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It’s all fun and games until someone gets stabbed with a tire iron. When a pledge week prank goes terribly wrong and one of their own is killed, the popular, hard-partying sisters of Theta Pi vow never to speak of the tragedy again. But the past comes back to haunt them in the form of a homicidal maniac seeking revenge during the out-of-control graduation festivities.

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The Sinbad Collection (7th Voyage / Golden Voyage / Eye of the Tiger) (1958) Review

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(More customer reviews)THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD
By far the most "classic" of the three, this spectacular piece of cinematic adventure may very well be Ray Harryhausen's masterpiece. Legendary sailor Sinbad (Kerwin Matthews, in his signature role) is on the verge of marriage to Princess.....uh, I forget (a beautiful Kathryn Grant), and uniting their two countries. But not before the evil magician Sokurah (Torin Thatcher, in an extremely amusing performance) can shrink the princess to a doll's size in order to get Sinbad to return him to the Island of Colossa. There, Sinbad battles a giant Rok, a fire-spewing dragon, and (my personal favorite), the Cyclops...all brilliantly achieved by the greatest FX pioneer of all time, Ray Harryhausen. Oh, and there is the classic duel with the skeleton. Now I constantly hear people say, "Oh, like in 'Jason & the Argonauts'?", and it drives me crazy! Though the battle was far more elaborate and, well, better in that film, this is the original, people, the one that started it all! Indeed, this type of fight would appear again, and again, and again in subsequent Harryhausen films, ever improving (which really showed the true ingenuity of the man). "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" is most likely, THE fantasy-adventure classic of all time, though some people say the same for the original "The Thief of Baghdad". But, I haven't seen that film, so I couldn't say. Plus, it doesn't have special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen behind the camera to provide dazzling creatures right out of a dreamworld! A rousing, witty score by Bernard Herman, too!
Rating: 5/5
THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD
My favorite of all three films, even if it doesn't really deserve the title "classic" as much as "7th Voyage" did. John Phillip Law replaced Kerwin Matthews in the title role, and proves to be less impressive, but only by a little. And, hey, he actually has an accent! This time 'round, Sinbad discovers a strange map disguised as a golden treasure of sorts, and with it sets off to the magical isle of Lemuria, where legend has it that if you place the map/trasure in the Fountain of Destiny, you will be granted all-powerful, all-knowledgable, and eternal youth. But he'll have to reach the isle before the black sorceror, Koura (played to perfection by the sinister Tom Baker), who has more than a few tricks up his sleeves to stop Sinbad and his crew! This is a much different film than the first; the swashbuckling attitude is replaced by a darker, but more mystical atmosphere, which I find very cool! The score by Miklos Rozsa perfectly matches it, too (just check out the music during the scene with the Oracle; it's awesome!). The story is very inventive, with more twists-n-turns than you would guess. There is lots of suspense, too! And there is also Caroline Munro as the love interest for all you teenage boys out there! Ray Harryhausen once again provides a massive array of imaginative and expertly constructed creatures, including a flying homunculus (a spy of koura), and a six-armed statue of the goddess Kali, which is the showcase for a masterfully-choreographed sword fight sequence. As well, there is an exciting battle between a one-eyed centaur and a griffin! A first-rate fantasy-adventure.
Rating: 4.5/5
SINBAD & THE EYE OF THE TIGER
By far the least of the three, it's still enjoyable, nonetheless, though not for all the same reasons as the first two. First off, the acting is atrocious, but it is in a bad way; rarely do you feel the need to laugh out loud at its campiness. Second, the plot is pretty lame, and recycles quite a bit from the preceeding voyages. Sinbad is now played by Patrick Wayne, the son of John Wayne, though it really doesn't show. He has none of his father's prescense on screen, nor does he possess any acting abilities whatsoever! He is now on a quest to the land of *it's a really long, utterly forgetable name*, in order to return the Prince Kassim back to his human form. You see, he has been transformed into a baboon (?!) by the evil sorceress Zenobia (Margaret Whiting), but Sinbad must have the prince's permission to wed the Princess...once again, I forget her name, but it's a really hot Jane Seymour. They are joined by the wize man Melanthius (Patrick Troughton, I think) and his lovely daughter (Taryn Power). Like I said, the story is weak, so it's up to the craftsmanship of Ray Harryhausen to save the day, and he does it very effectively! The giant walrus isn't menacing in the least, but the fight between the Troglodyte and Saber-toothed Tiger is suspenseful and exciting. Indeed, the creatures (such as Kassim the Baboon) produce more emotion than the actors themselves! All except for the Minaton...I mean, he's supposed to be this unstoppable colossus, right? Well, all he does in the entire picture is row a friggin' boat! That we are deprived of seeing this brute giant in action is all but devastating. The music is overall mediocre, but the backgrounds are beautiful and mystical. In fact, the production crew shot the film in places that had never been used in any film before it, and it shows! (P.S. Why the hell is it called "The Eye of the Tiger"? It has nothing to do with any tiger, nor any eye...at least, not enough to put in the title.)
Rating: 3.5/5
CONCLUSION: This a great trilogy to add to your Ray Harryhausen collection. All three films are digitally remastered, and they're all beautiful (especially "The Golden Voyage"). They all feature the excellent documentary "The Harryhausen Chronicles", too. On a little side note, the DVD covers and great production notes inside are awesome!

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SINBAD COLLECTION - DVD Movie

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Robert Rodriguez Mexico Trilogy (El Mariachi / Desperado / Once Upon A Time In Mexico) (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)There is some confusion as to the releases in this set, based on the reviews so far and the limited information in the amazon.com description. I hesitated to buy it at first based on the fact that the back of the outer case simply had credits and the typical info box for all three films giving the languages and aspect ratios of the films, but nothing as to the other content of the discs contained.
Here is what is included in the set:
Disc 1:
El Mariachi (Special Edition)
- 1.85:1 Widescreen Anamorphic/81 Minutes
- Director's Commentary
- Robert Rodriguez's Short Film "Bedhead"
- "10-Minute Film School"
Disc 2:
Desperado (Special Edition)
- 1.85:1 Widescreen Anamorphic/103 Minutes
- Director's Commentary
- "10 More Minutes with Robert Rodriguez: Anatomy of a Shootout"
Disc 3:
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
- 1.78:1 Widescreen Anamophic/102 Minutes
- Director's Commentary
- Deleted Scenes
- Film is Dead: An Evening with Robert Rodriguez
- Ten-Minute Flick School
- Ten-Minute Cooking School
- Inside Troublemaker Studios
- The Anti-Hero's Journey
- The Good, the Bad and the Bloody: Inside KNB FX
So this set re-packages the most recent release of each of the titles into a great little package. Little being the key word - this set uses the slim-line DVD cases often used in TV on DVD packaging and most recently seen in the Ghostbusters 1 & 2 Double Feature Gift Pack. Two slim-line cases take up the space of a single standard DVD case, so this set with 3 slim-line cases is nice and compact.
The transfer of El Mariachi here is the newest one ("From the original negatives supervised by Robert Rodriguez") not the older 1.66:1 transfer from the earlier Director's Double Feature release.
Also worthy of note is that all 3 film are Anamorphic despite the packaging indicating that El Mariachi and Desperado are just "Widescreen" while Once Upon a Time in Mexico is listed as "Anamorphic Widescreen." Columbia Tri-Star has always had a bad habit of not indicating when releases were anamorphic although most of their early releases were in fact anamorphic.

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EL MARIACHI: All he wants is to be is a mariachi, like his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather before him. But the town he thinks will bring him luck brings only a curse of deadly mistaken identity. Forced to trade his guitar for a gun, the mariachi is playing for his life in this critically-acclaimed film debut from director Robert Rodriguez. Financed with earnings from a month-long stay in a research hospital, this astonishing action adventure was shot with no second takes, using borrowed equipment and a talented cast of unknowns. The riveting result is a wild bullet-dodging ride through a world of bandido violence, from the suspense of the opening shoot-out to the tragedy of the unexpected conclusion. With little more than a great story and a lot of heart, Rodriguez has created pure movie pleasure, setting new standards for independent filmmaking, and establishing himself as an unquestionable talent. "An enormously entertaining movie." (Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES). DESPERADO: Antonio Banderas, Joaquim De Almeida, Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi, Cheech Marin and Quentin Tarantino star in this stylish shoot-'em-up described as a south-of-the-border Pulp Fiction. Director Robert Rodriguez follows up his legendary debut film, El Mariachi, with this sexy sequel about a mysterious guitar player (Banderas) searching for vengeance against the men who murdered his girlfriend. ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO: Leaping back into action, gun-slinging, guitar-toting hero "El Mariachi" is back in town in ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, as director Robert Rodriguez delivers the epic final chapter of his pulp Western trilogy. Starring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Enrique Iglesias and Willem Dafoe ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO is a full-frontal assault.

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Doomsday 2012 DVD Review

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(More customer reviews)This film makes a worth-while addition to the series of films about ancient and recent prophecies regarding the alleged end of days on December 21, 2012. It certainly makes better viewing than the recent fictional film 2012. This one does not give much screen time to Nostradamus; that has been done in the History Channel film of that name. Since I have reviewed that DVD elsewhere on Amazon, I won't dwell on it here. This film DOOMSDAY 2012 stands on its own merits because it introduces information not touched upon in the former film -- e.g., the real Merlin called Myrddin in the Welsh, the sylbils from ancient Greece and Rome, and even a computer program called WEB BOT, which inadvertently made predictions about 9/11 and 2012 it was not originally created to make. This film also gives more attention to The Revelations of St. John in the Bible.
Of course, we have heard or read about the predictions of the star-gazing Mayans, the Hopis, the Egyptians, and the Masons. Persons we may not have heard about are such characters as Mother Shipton (Ursula Southill) and a real-life seer named Myrddin, perhaps the basis for the fictional Merlin in the King Arthur stories. It also gives needed attention to the ancient Chinese oracle the I Ching, a system of divination that pre-dates the others we have heard about. In fact, this film consults (no pun intended) just about every oracle except the Tarot and the Runes.
The filming of these programs is astonishingly well-done and credit should be given to the efforts of the producers and cinematographers. Credit should also be given to this program in particular for including the skeptics who want to share their "rational" perspectives on this topic. These are quality productions, not throwaway cheap-o commercial efforts like those we have seen, even theatrically, in the past. Footage from various quarters is well-chosen and skillfully included to aid the interviews with the experts on both side of the controversy.
When I showed this DVD to some Chinese students recently, I was aware of some wide-eyed reactions. One young lady, noted for her insightful comments in my classes, asked me if I believed that this could happen. I was hesitant to answer because I am aware of the impact that statements made by a professor can have. I told her that I thought the evidence was credible and well-presented -- convincing enough as an argument. As this and other programs have emphasized, we have choices. Being aware of these choices gives us the responsibility to try to influence actions that will benefit all mankind. What else can I say -- that I am totally convinced that the world will end on December 21, 2012? I am not. Do I think that significant changes may occur that may alter our existence as we know it? I think it is a distinct possibility. We have seen some of these events already -- earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, tidal waves, global warming indications, a sink hole opening up in Guatemala, a chunk of Antarctica the size of Rhode Island (exactly as predicted in the fictional film THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) falling into the ocean. I grew up on the Mississippi River and saw what flood devastation could do. I saw what the waterfront of St. Louis looked like after it had been inundated. I have seen flooding in south Georgia (in the US), and the images of floating coffins after graveyards had been violated by torrents of water will also remain in my memory.
I cannot help but remember how frightened many people were about what would happen to worldwide computers at the end of 1999. I remember seeing people loading up their carts with water in the food markets. I also remember what a graduate professor once told me when I was writing about the lost continent of Atlantis and apocalyptic literature regarding the many times that the end of the world had been predicted in the past, which is also mentioned in this film. As she put it, many people don't want to consider the fact that the world might continue long after they are gone -- an interesting perspective, I thought.
However, it is apparent to many of us that to ignore the possibilities of future world-wide devastation is naive.
Then again, remaining naive is what we do best, isn't it? After all, it beats thinking every time.

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It is a doomsday that is foretold in the Mayan calendar, the Chinese oracle of the I Ching...even in an Internet-based prophetic software program: December 21st, 2012. Is there any truth to the prophecy that the world will end on that specific date? And why do so many oracles throughout history seem to point to that same dreaded doomsday? This fascinating special cuts through the myths and offers a fact-based examination of the Doomsday prophecy. Also included is a bonus documentary: MAYAN DOOMSDAY PROPHECY which delves even deeper into meaning behind the Mayans and their apocalyptic calendar.

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Vanishing Point (1971) Review

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(More customer reviews)The story begins at the end, where we are shown a roadblock of monstrous proportions, and a white 1970 Dodge Challenger rocketing toward it. From there the tale begins, backing up two days to give the rest of the story. An interstate chase is on for the driver of the Challenger, whom we know nothing at all about. As the story unfolds, the identity of the driver is rationed out in flashbacks and news reports, slowly bringing into focus the nature of the character. At first, we naturally assume the driver to be a simple car thief, as does law enforcement. Gradually, we learn that the driver is not a thief at all, he is simply delivering the car. He is a decorated Vietnam veteran who joined the police department after his honorable discharge, married a beautiful girl, and then lost her in a surfing accident. Not long after, he stopped a senior officer from beating and raping a young hippie girl, and was dishonorably discharged from the force. We also learn that his high-octane burn across the desert is to satisfy a simple wager: if he makes it from Denver to San Francisco in less than 15 hours, he doesn't have to pay for the amphetamines he bought to keep him awake for the trip. He is guided along the way by blind disc jockey "Supersoul" (Cleavon Little), who speaks to the driver (whose name is we learn is Kowalski (no last name given, via the AM radio in the Challenger. Supersoul is Kowalski's invisible guardian angel, advising him of the cop's attempts to stop him, at least until some local rednecks bust into the radio station with a storm of rocks and racial epithets and beat Super Soul and his engineer into submission. As Kowalski rockets across the blasted desert landscape, he encounters numerous crackpots and visionaries, all of whom seem to offer another piece to the puzzle that Kowalski's life has become. From prospectors to faith healers, outlaws to newlywed hijackers, we are given a glimpse into a world that exists far from the beaten track we all travel each day. As Kowalski hurtles toward his date with the destiny that was mapped out for us at the very beginning of the film, each rumor and news report seems to contradict the image of him that is being played out by the police of several states, elevating him to something of a folk hero among a growing legion of fans and supporters.
This movie knocked me out from the very beginning. For those die-hards, yes, there are plenty of car chases and stunts to satisfy most fans of car/action films. But that's not the whole story, by any measure. For this is the story of one man, not a mythic legend, or even a regional folk hero. Why does he do what he does? He simply has nothing left to lose or gain. How many men returned from Vietnam at least a little disillusioned by the world they came home to? How many have had their lives mapped out neat and pretty, only to have the blind monkey wrench of fate turn their worlds upside down? Here is a man who is perfectly willing to sacrifice his freedom, his safety, and possibly even his life to win what amounts to a ten-dollar bet, at best. When Kowalski finally arrives at the roadblock, the inevitable conclusion to his odyssey, he takes the only road he knows, a path which had been set for him ever since the beginning.
On a cinematic level, the influence of Vanishing Point is far reaching, indeed. The story of a jaded ex-cop who has lost his wife, his hope and, to a degree, his humanity, was taken and nitro-injected in George Miller's Mad Max (1979) and the Road Warrior (1982), as Max Rockatansky (not too far a reach from Kowalski) has his life violently ripped out from under him, and thus turns to the open road. At first for revenge, but then because it is the only world he can exist in, a place where jungle law prevails. By then, Max is nothing more than a shell, a ghost of a human who haunts the blighted landscape propelled by a hunger not even he can understand. One of the most effective plot devices is that of not giving the protagonist a name until well into the film. Joel Schumaker used this technique very well in his good movie Falling Down (1993), not giving Michael Douglas' character a name until the final act of the film's story. By doing this, we are allowed to see the character as a sort of everyman, someone whom we may know, or may even be. We are then free to observe the goings-on at a much more personal level, knowing all too well that the story being played out upon the screen could, given the right circumstances, be any of us, and to that end, possibly even all of us. By the time we learn that the character is someone, it's too late. They are already a part of us, bound by destiny and experience. Also of note is the using of a disc jockey to provide a running commentary on the nature and exploits of the protagonist (as well as provide a reasonable source for the music in the film), a device used, to lesser effect, in Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979). Lastly, although film characters have been bumping into oddballs in the desert for years, Abbe Wool's wonderful Roadside Prophets (1992) stands out as the protagonists wander through the desert, encountering numerous wisdom-dispensing desert dwellers, each contributing their ideas, ideals, and experiences in a way that lends toward a larger collective ideology wherein a greater truth resides.
This is a masterpiece of filmmaking. Do yourself a huge favor and check it out.

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Thrills, spills and a handful of pills. It all adds up to one of the most spectacular car chases in motion picture history! Barry Newman stars as Kowalski, the last American hero, who set out to prove that he can drive from Denver to San Francisco in just fifteen hours. Along the way, he meets an old prospector (Dean Jagger), a snake worshipper, a nude woman on a motorcycle, and a blind D.J. (Cleavon Little) who "sees" danger ahead in this super-charged, action-packed adventure!

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The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Though Scott's uniquely frenetic editing has been toned down from his previous films, his unmistakable style still frequents the action and accentuates the tension-filled premise. Denzel Washington's quick-witted and moderately corrupt dispatcher plays off of John Travolta's Wall Street savvy sociopath with plenty of clever exchanges, and the dark humor and suspense that find its way into the bloodshed culminates in an engaging game of cat and mouse. Not quite as slick as the original, and perhaps a little too conspicuous in its efforts at exuding cool, this latest take on the subway heist story still accomplishes entertainment at break-neck speed.
When a New York City subway train is hijacked, Rail Control Center dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) becomes an unwitting negotiator for the ruthless criminals aboard. Led by the uncontainable Ryder (John Travolta), the hijackers demand ten million dollars in exchange for the seventeen hostages and offer only one hour to deliver the ransom. As minutes quickly count down, Garber must utilize his cunning and resourcefulness to buy time and catch the mercenary off guard as the situation goes from bad to catastrophic.
The unusual, highly stylized, frenzied editing is assuredly a now permanent technique for Tony Scott films - it's a signature method that he ceaselessly experiments with, frequently going overboard, and only occasionally able to harness. In Pelham it looks familiar but doesn't detract from the story, even if some moments of suspense are dulled by the blurred colors of slow-motion and missing frames. The remaining stunt sequences are exciting and tense, but hardly necessary. The car chases are never about catching someone, but rather beating the clock. It's action for action's sake, and while enjoyably destructive, it's entirely apparent.
Most audiences will not know that The Taking of Pelham 123 is based on a John Godey novel, or that it's been adapted into a movie twice before with the same name. While Scott's version stands on its own as a big-budget action movie, the purpose of specifically remaking this story is puzzling. Shouldn't the reasoning behind the revisiting of a popular plot be to improve upon some outstanding aspect? The use of the internet, cell phones, snipers, bloodshed, crude language and more give this new vision a sparklingly modernized feel, but when the movie draws to a close, it just can't compete with the 1974 version. Washington and Travolta have an intriguing chemistry, but even that can't outdo the cat-and-mouse mindgames between Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, who played their counterparts in the first feature adaptation. Perhaps a title change could have appropriately distanced Scott's take from being endlessly compared to an infinitely superior film.
- The Massie Twins

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Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is a New York City subway dispatcher whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. Ryder (John Travolta), the criminal mastermind behind the hijacking and leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train's passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there's one riddle Garber can't solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape?

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Shoot 'Em Up Review

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(More customer reviews)Whoah! If you're looking for mindless action, THIS is the movie for you.
It's over the top, totally unbelievable, physically impossible, but absolutely brilliant all at the same time.
2 minute version:
Clive Owen eats a lot of carrots, and values his privacy. There are many things that he absolutely hates, and he comes into contact with most of these things when he unwillingly gets involved in a plot to kill a very pregnant young woman. Suddenly faced with a nanny job, he shoots his way out of the frying pan and into the fire, each scenario more draw-dropping-ly impossible than the last. Paul Giamatti plays an unlikely criminal mastermind and Monica Bellucci is under-utilized as the proverbial professional with a heart of gold except she's also got a chest of milk to go with it. Things get political, and hopelessly complicated, and of course there's lots and lots (and lots) of shooting, during any (and I do mean ANY) situation.
Good stuff:
1.Clive Owen
2.Clive Owen's one-liners
3.Clive Owen's stunts
4.The hilariously bad but breathtaking, yet impossible scenarios
5.Paul Giamatti's cell phone calls
6.The body count
7.Clive Owen's nude scene
8.Clive Owen
Bad stuff:
1.Carrots are DEFINITELY not good for some people
2.Not enough Bellucci
3.Plot (nuff said) but then again, we don't need no steenkin' plotIf you can forget that this movie professes to have a plot, you're in for a rollicking good (but extremely violent) time. Definitely a must-see if you're looking for mindless adult entertainment, and don't mind looking at Clive Owen.
Rated: 4.5 stars
Amanda Richards, December 9, 2007

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Pandorum (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The year is 2174. The population of Earth has reached over 24 billion. Famine and wars are commonplace. In a last ditch effort to save humankind, we send out a probe to find a planet that can sustain us. The mission is a success, though it will take over a hundred years to reach the new home...
Fast forward:
Two men wake up from deep sleep; alone, disoriented and suffering from memory loss. As their recollections slowly return, they realize they are part of the space ship crew navigating 60,000 settlers from Earth to the new planet. They have questions, but few answers. Where is everyone? How long have they been asleep? Why are they awake? Who's on bridge, flying the machine? And finally, once they discover they are NOT alone: what are those things, and where did they come from?!
Butterflies in my stomach? Check. Nails (my own ;o)) digging into my arm? Check. Conversing with friends about the movie long after the end? Check. All are side effects of a well made scary thriller (the sci-fi was just a bonus) and all were present in this case. The story has a great twist, but, best of all, it is largely plot-hole-free, as well as plausible.
So, why four, rather then five stars? Two reasons. Firstly, once answers start coming, they come fast and furious, to the point of being a tad confusing. Secondly, the two main characters are a bit lacking. Until the climactic end, Dennis Quaid spends most of the film saying "Bower, are you there...are you there, Bower?" He is a good actor but the script does not give him much to work with, leaving his talent underused. Ben Foster (the Angel from X-Men the Last Stand), disserves the top billing, as the action revolves mainly around him. Still, a more charismatic actor may have drawn us further into the character. There is a nice appearance from Cung Le, a Vietnamese-American real life martial arts champion (you may remember him from Fighting). He is a talkative passanger with all the answers, but, to Bower's frustration, no English. The man can move, but his awesome skills are not fully utilized here either. Shame...
This is not another Alien or Predator. It will not change the direction of film evolution. Still, Pandorum satisfactorily delivers scary, creepy sci-fi with a well put together story and a hopeful ending (I miss those!). It entertains!
Enjoy!

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In Pandorum, Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point, The Express) and Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog) join Cam Gigandet (Never Back Down, Twilight), Cung Le (Tekken, Fighting), newcomer Antje Traue, and director Christian Alvart (Antibodies) to tell the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly – and horrifically – realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft.It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship.They can’t remember anything:Who are they?What is their mission? With Lt. Payton (Quaid) staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower (Foster) ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality.Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed…and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.

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Shooter (Widescreen Edition) (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)After a mission gone awry, Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) now leads a solitary existence in the mountains of Wyoming. When he is called back to assist a covert military group (headed by Danny Glover) in determining how to pull off an assasination attempt, he soon discovers that he's been set up in an elaborate ruse to take the fall. Hell hath no fury like a Marine scorned, and Swagger becomes a PO'ed two-man army (once he hooks up with disgraced FBI agent Michael Pena), determined to bring the real culprits to justice. Directd by Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day"), this high octane conspiracy thriller just doesn't let up and will keep the viewer guessing. Though it's pretty violent - it's well worth watching!
My only drawback was having to hear Glover's dialogue - was it me or did he have some really ill-fitting dentures that provided him with the most annoying lisp. I was just waiting for them to fall out. Overall though, Glover has not given a more chilling performance since "Witness," and Wahlberg who can also be pretty menacing, proves to be a great action hero.
The DVD extras include a great behind the scenes segment featuring the technical advisor, himself a former military sniper, who provides insight into that occupation as well as the weapons used in the movie.

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Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg), a former Marine Corps sniper who leaves the military after a mission goes bad. After he is reluctantly pressed back into service, Swagger is double-crossed again. With two bullets in him and the subject of a nationwide manhunt, Swagger begins his revenge, which will take down the most powerful people in the country.

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Public Enemies (Special Edition) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Public Enemies", helmed by famed director Michael Mann, is a thriller of the most testosterone fueled variety. It's a fast paced actioner brimming at the seams with intense shootouts and a well-stocked cast of steely-eyed, square-jawed men harboring classic narcissistic complexes. Johnny Depp makes a suave, calculating Dillinger. It's more of a manufactured character than an interpretation of the real life Dillinger, but this is of little consequence because Depp achieves grand theatrics with his sullen glare and devil-may-care attitude. He plays it much as I imagine Steve McQueen would've in his heyday, plowing through his world with a sort of darkly cool, apathetic demeanor that suggests he doesn't care one way or the other about anything.
The supporting characters are superlative as well, particularly Stephen Dorff as Homer Van Meter. There's an intensity to his character that Dorff really brings out. In fact, I didn't even recognize him at first (interestingly, he looked very similar to actor Tim DeKay). Jason Clarke, who portrays John "Red" Hamilton, is an actor primarily known for his television work. I surmise he was chosen for his striking resemblance to the real life criminal; just compare his photograph to the infamous mug of Hamilton. He's probably the most featured gangster, other than Dillinger, being that Hamilton is portrayed as his right hand man. Of course, Christian Bale turns in an able performance as respected G-Man Melvin Purvis - donning yet another one of his famed accents for the role.
The film begins in medias res with an exciting jailbreak, something which I greatly enjoyed. I was happy the film didn't waste time trying to explain Dillinger's childhood and upbringing. There is no hollow attempt to apply reason to his actions or place blame for his anti-social behavior. In the end it doesn't matter what led him to a life of crime, particularly since over the years the man has transformed from a folk hero into a veritable legend. With that in mind, it's obvious Mann's vision was ambitious. He attempted to pack all the nuances and complexities of Dillinger's world into only two hours and, because of this, the end product is a bit too busy. I get the feeling that a bit of streamlining the script might not have been an awful idea. That aside, it's clear that Mann knew what audiences wanted to see is a rip-roarin' take on the robberies, shootouts, and defiance of the law that filled the bulk of Dillinger's life right on up until the bitter end. This film performs those functions in spades!
The major lacking feature of the film is that characterization takes a backseat to the action. This is, perhaps, inevitable considering the large ensemble cast and the fact that nearly every character is based on a very real, very famous person. Often many seemingly interesting characters never quite gel with the audience because their screentime is so brief. One such character is Gilbert Catena, portrayed by Domenick Lombardozzi (probably best known for his role on HBO's The Wire). Still, those aspects aside, every performance here is stellar. Just glance at the supporting cast which includes: David Wenham, Marion Cotillard, Giovanni Ribisi, and Billy Crudup, among others. It's my fervent hope that upon its release to home video there's an extended cut of the film because I would love to see more of these characters (especially Pretty Boy Floyd, since he is only in the film for a scant couple of minutes).

I've noticed many critics mention that the film unnecessarily milks the climax of the film, which is obviously Dillinger's execution outside of the Biograph Theatre. I didn't mind this so much because it's such an iconic event of the Public Enemy era, and more than that, the film portrays Dillinger's death with precise detail and follows what we know of the actual event to the letter. The scene features numerous clips of the film Dillinger watched: Manhattan Melodrama, the gangster vehicle starring Clark Gable.
The film surmises, with good reason, that Dillinger probably identified with Gable's character. It illustrates this by showing one of the haunting final scenes, when William Powell offers to have his death sentence commuted, Gable replies with "You think you're doing me a favor by keeping me locked up in this joint for the rest of my life? I don't want it. If I can't live the way I want, then at least let me die the way I want." Dillinger's face expressed great understanding, perhaps even compassion, with this statement. It's a great cinematic moment, especially since the audience is very well aware of what is about to transpire in his own life.
I give bonus points to the production crew for so aptly depicting mid-west America during the Depression. Many real-life buildings were redressed to look as they did during the time and their efforts greatly enhance the atmosphere. Then there are the detailed setpieces (one of my favorites, though it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it one, is Gilbert's shop), the hairstyles and slick suits, the classic cars - they hit all the notes correctly. There's even some archaic slang film fans will remember from gangster films made in the thirties, such the calling of prison guards "screws".
The robbery scenes, being the lynchpin of any Dillinger yarn, are somewhat brief but accurately portray Dillinger's tactics and methods. Also, concerning actual history, this film does take liberties with what really occurred (like any film does). Perhaps the most egregious liberties are taken concerning the demises of the various gangsters. For instance, Pretty Boy Floyd is depicted as being killed months prior to Dillinger's death (Dillinger even references his demise to Pervis), when in fact he died months afterward. Also, Homer Van Meter survived Dillinger, only to be killed a month later. These aspects are often a necessary evil, because a filmmaker must strike a balance between reality and entertainment - and the two do not always intersect seamlessly. If you want a version that follows the facts exclusively - buy the book.
In summation, "Public Enemies" may not be remembered as a classic action film, but it will be remembered as a classic gangster film. The most gratifying aspect is that, unusual for most action films, all the actors turn in very memorable performances. Some critics and the press have commented on how Bale is absent from nearly all the trailers and promotional materials for this film, but when you watch it, the reason is quite understandable. This is unquestionably Depp's film, and though I concede to not having a particular predilection for him, his role here is not to be missed. This is well worth the price of admission!

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From award-winning director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) comes the film inspired by one of the country’s most captivating and infamous outlaws — John Dillinger. Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean series) stars as the charismatic and elusive bank robber marked by the FBI as America’s first “Public Enemy Number One." Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) plays Billie Frechette, the only woman capable of capturing his heart. Hunted relentlessly by top FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale, The Dark Knight), Dillinger engages in an escalating game of outrunning and outgunning the FBI, culminating in an explosive, legendary showdown. “It’s a landmark crime saga" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).

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Taken (Single-Disc Extended Edition) (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I was a soldier stationed in Germany in the 1970s there was a raid on a Turkish-owned bar on the outskirts of Frankfurt A/M. German Polizei and US CID (US Army Criminal Investigation Division) broke up a white slavery ring that had been operating out of the bar for some time. The bar was a way-point in the transportation route of young European girls (preferably blonde) who had been kidnapped throughout Europe and were being smuggled to be sold in the harems and brothels of the Middle and Far East. The police found some twenty girls in the basement of the bar, some from as far away as Denmark and the Netherlands, waiting to be shipped further down the pipeline.
The German police and Interpol had been watching the bar for some time and were hoping to trace the route farther down the track to take down the ringleaders. The white slavers made the mistake of kidnapping the daughter of a US Army colonel whom they thought was a German national. The Colonel learned about the investigation and refused to allow his daughter to be held by the white slavers and victimized so the police could gather intelligence. As it turned out, I learned later, the raid eventually did lead to the disruption of this particular ring because the guys busted talked.
So, when I learned what this film was about I went in with a certain amount of understanding of the subject matter. Let me say here that this film hits the nail on the head in presenting its subject matter and the way young women are victimized by ruthless animals only out to make a buck. (SPOILER) The scenes where they show the young women being made into drug addicts to control them are particularly disturbing to me as I've seen the impact drugs had on young girls working as unlicensed street walkers in Germany (a nation that legalized prostitution to make it "safe"). As disturbing as the film was I am glad I watched it and if I had a daughter (I had all sons) I would make her watch this film when she reached an appropriate age in hopes it would make her more careful in how she behaved when I wasn't around to protect her. This is a film every parent should watch - it is a film every teenaged girl and boy should watch. It's sad, but things like what happens to the girls in this movie go on every day.
Having said that, the next question is, is the movie good?
Well, I've never seen Liam Neeson deliver a bad performance. Even if I didn't like the movie (and he's done a couple turkeys) he has always been superb. No exception here. Sadly, most of the negative comments about this film seem to be from people who don't like action movies. But Neeson elevates this even above the typical action movie. This is a story of family. When I watched Neeson's reaction to what happens to his daughter and his response I imagine it is what Natalie Holloway's daddy wishes he could have done, what every father of a child who has been abducted and brutalized wish they could do.
As a professional soldier and former martial arts instructor I find Neeson's action scenes are superbly executed and realistic. Don't look for a superhero leaping tall buildings with a single bound, but watch an expert, who may not be as young as he once was, doing what he knows best for a good cause. The fights are brutal, ruthless, and efficient, pros doing what they do. Even the violence is understated, brutal, but avoids the spectacular many audience have come to expect. What Neeson does is violent but considering the circumstances and motivation, necessary to save his girl. Great stuff.
The alleged coincidences do not strain or insult the intelligence overmuch, this is an action movie for folks who think. Of course, if you thought "The English Patient" deserved the Best Picture Oscar you'll probably hate this film. Otherwise, it is a don't miss. Neeson brings to the revenge flick empathy and gravitas lacking in other such films.
As I watched the film I thought of that Army colonel fighting Interpol and the German police to save his daughter. I hope he was able to see this film, I think he'd approve.

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Prepare to get Taken for the ride of your life! “Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force” (Premiere) in this action-packed international thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When his estranged teenage daughter (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy (Neeson) sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter.
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Surround / Spanish & French: Dolby Surround
Language: Dubbed & Subtitled: English, French & Spanish
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.40:1

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Saw VI (Widescreen Unrated Edition) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I still remember seeing the first Saw, and the shock and gossip about the hacksaw scene that followed. I was pumped for number 2 and actually enjoyed it quite a bit, I thought were climbing a hill of movie goodness here. Saw III followed and was interesting to say the least, I was happy it improved over on the 1st and 2nd and kept me interested in 4. Needless to say 4 and 5 plummeted the series like a skydive gone wrong...I was officially done with Saw after seeing 5.
Last week I fell to the curiosity of Saw 6 and decided to see it that weekend. I went into the theater with my 6 dollar soda, and 5 dollar skittles, sat through the 4 or so teenagers next to me giggling and talking through the entire 91 minute movie...then came the end credits.
I can honestly say after all was said and done my friends and I looked at each other with ear to ear grins. I was very happy with this 6th installment, and didn't feel so bad about the 20+ dollars I had spent to see this movie. The opening scene is brutal and has you sitting back in your seat thinking OUCH! The movie throws in some real world situations that most people can relate to or at least see the truth in.
In my mind a lot of things were answered and blanks filled in from the last couple movies, which I felt helped number 6 a lot. And the new director didn't clam up and make this one borderline PG-13, the gore is very well done and makes even me, a horror fanatic cringe. I'm not gonna discuss the plot, or twists, because I think you should feel how I did when they play out on screen.
I will say when it comes to Saw 6, forgive and forget the last 2 and see this one! If your a Saw fan your gonna love this new installment, if you were a Saw fan this will re-ignite your Saw fascination, and at least get your heart pumping and mind racing as to what the next installment will include! I can honestly say I'm looking forward to adding this to my Blu Ray collection and think it will shine next to the abomination that was Saw 4 & 5.

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Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw’s legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw’s grand scheme is finally understood.

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Gamer (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Dear Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor,
We appreciate your recent attempt to create a movie that would appeal to gamers by naming it after us. Really, we do. But now that we've stopped throwing up from all the motion sickness and our pupils have finally refocused from the flash cuts, we thought you might appreciate some tips to help you farm XP faster.
* Stop with the static: Seriously guys. Stop it. Apparently in your version of the future all video games have terrible reception. We have lag, we have crashes, we have all kinds of problems, but the one problem we do not have is static. That's because our video games are not television screens. You'll also notice that our television do not have static either, and haven't had static for about a decade since they invented this thing called cable. Look it up.
* Speaking of Kable: Cable is the name of a time-traveling cyborg in the Marvel Universe. Kable is the name somebody thinks gamers think is cool. Nobody thinks Kable is cool. Nobody believes Kable is the best killer in the gaming universe. You didn't even use 133t speak, so...fail.
* Making Michael C. Hall an evil genius is...a stroke of genius. Go Dexter!
* Stop with the red/blue colors: Ludacris is cool and all, but even his cyber cred is sorely tested by a blurry 3-D image on screen.
* The teabagging gag was funny.
* Your jump cuts suck: We notice when you replace rapid jump cuts with actual fight choreography. It's the movie equivalent of shouting and pointing, "LOOK! A KITTY!" every time a fight starts. You just look stupid and we feel embarrassed for you.
* Dancing convicts are hilarious. Convicts dancing to a Frank Sinatra song is vaguely creepy. But still hilarious.
* Why is there still lag in the future? Bad guys can control other human beings by changing their brain cells into [INSERT STUPID MADE UP NAME] but we haven't solved lag? Is this future made of stupid?
* Evil Villain Tip #58: Next time around, you might want to consider not making the guy who holds your deepest, darkest secret an international broadcast superstar.
* Don't insult us: No offense, but portraying the gaming universe as nothing but "deviants and murderers" doesn't really make us want to watch your movie. Yes, the Internet has a dark side. But since you called the movie "Gamer" and not "All Gamers Are Disgusting Fat Perverted Slobs Who Watch Porn All Day," we'll assume you actually want us to buy a ticket. Please consider this the next time you name a movie after us.
And finally...
* Thank you for killing John Leguizamo: That's not a tip. But thank you.
We hope that these tips prove useful the next time you level up as directors and writers. Incidentally, multiclassing as both might not be such a good idea.

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Gerard Butler stars as Kable, condemned criminal and globally famous super-soldier in the ultimate multiplayer game, "Slayers.” Human controllers direct each thought and move of real-life prison inmates battling in hyper-intense environments – where the goal is freedom and the penalty is death. But when Kable suddenly decides he wants out, his rebellion threatens the twisted plans of game creator Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall, TV’s "Dexter”), who will stop at nothing to crush the renegade commando in this taut, adrenaline-packed action-thriller.

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Avatar (Three-Disc Extended Collector's Edition) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm primarily interested in the storyline differences between special sets and their theatrical counterparts, so here are the differences between the two (NOTE: SPOILERS FOLLOW).
The extended collector's edition runs 16 minutes 28 seconds longer than the theatrical cut, and listed below are the major differences.
1) The opening scene is different, and starts with Jake in a wheelchair on Earth, in a Blade Runner-esque Earth city. The scene moves to scenes of Jake in his apartment, then taking liquid shots in a bar. Jake's narration of "I told myself I can pass any test a man can pass" and "They can fix the spinal if you got the money. But not on vet benefits, not in this economy" are inserted during this new opening scene.
Jake beats up a bar patron who is mistreating a woman, and then Jake and wheelchair are unceremoniously thrown outside by bouncers into an alley. While in the alley, Jake meets the two RDA representatives who bring him news of his brother's untimely death. Then the movie cuts back to the original theatrical cut where Jake sees his brother's body cremated, then awakes in space.
2) During Jake's initial flyover of Pandora in his avatar, they witness a herd of Sturmbeasts, buffalo-like creatures.
3) After seeing the Sturmbeasts, Grace, Jake, and Norm stop by Grace's old English school for the Na'vi. The school is now closed, abandoned, and some walls are riddled with bullet-holes. Norm finds a Dr. Seuss book, "The Lorax", on the ground. This scene explains how Neytiri knew English so well, and certainly gives some further backstory into Grace Augustine's character.
Interestingly, The Lorax can be seen as a metaphor for the Pandoran story. Recall that the seemingly simple Seussian book is actually a lesson on the plight of the environment and industrialization.
4) We see some other different Pandoran flora and fauna, particularly with scenes of the luminescent forest floor.
5) Jake's first dinner with Neytiri is longer and extended, and it's here that she tells him her full name.
6) When Jake, Grace, and Norm first visit the Hallelujah Mountains on the way to the remote uplink station, Grace explains (in a Jake voiceover) that the mountains are levitated [via the Meissner Effect], because Unobtanium is a superconductor. There's a pretty spectacular CGI shot as the characters look around in awe at the suspended mountains.
7) Pictures of Grace and Na'vi children at her previously functioning school. Dr. Augustine tells Jake that she previously taught Neytiri and her sister, Sylwanin. However, one day, Sylwanin and some hunters destroyed an RDA bulldozer, and RDA SecOps troopers killed them at the school, which explains why the school walls were previously seen pockmarked with bullet holes.
8) Sturmbeast hunting scene after Jake tames a Banshee. After Jake successfully kills a Sturmbeast with an arrow, he and Neytiri chortle a "Heck yeah!" and whoop.
9) Jake and Neytiri's love scene comprises them linking braids together. Some kissing, nothing explicit.
10) Tsu'tey leads a war party that destroys the RDA's autonomous bulldozers, as well as the RDA SecOps squad that was guarding them. Corporal Wainfleet leads the search party that uncovers the evidence, via real-time helmet cam footage. Not sure why they cut this scene from the theatrical cut, as it persuades Selfridge to attack the Home Tree.
11) Attack of Hammerhead Titanotheres on RDA forces has been extended slightly; additional scenes of AMP-Suits getting destroyed.
12) Fight between Colonel Quaritch in AMP Suit and Neytiri on Thanator slightly longer.
13) Tsu'tey's death scene; in the theatrical cut, he falls off the RDA shuttle's aft ramp to his death. In the Collector's Edition, he falls to the forest floor, mortally wounded. He passes on leadership to Jake, and asks Jake to ceremonially kill him e.g. hara-kiri, so that Jake will be the last shadow that Tsu-Tey sees. Jake does so.
I preferred the original Tsu'tey death scene, which was more dramatic. Jake, had afterall, already become the de facto clan leader by that point in the movie, so further formal transfer by Tsu'tey (a minor character) seemed unnecessary.

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Experience the spectacular world of James Cameron's Avatar as never before with this all-new three-disc extended collector’s edition. The journey begins with three movie versions: the original theatrical release, the special edition re-release, and the exclusive extended cut not shown in theaters. The set's bonus feature run more than three hours and include over 45 minutes of deleted scenes and a feature-length documentary on the film's groundbreaking production. The greatest adventure of all time just got bigger and better.Versions of Avatar on Blu-ray and DVD
Contents of the DVD Extended Collector's EditionReview of the Original Theatrical EditionHere's what we had to say about the original theatrical edition of Avatar after seeing it on the big screen:After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton

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Surrogates (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The essential premise behind SURROGATES is interesting, although perhaps not entirely original. It is the not-too-distant future, but 98% of the human population is living through a surrogate. These robots do everything for you, AS you. You can sit in the safety of your chair at home, getting fat and wearing pajamas all day, while your avatar, with a face (even gender) that you've chosen stands in for you. You see and feel and hear everything...but there's no danger to you if you want to try something crazy. You'll always look attractive and young.
Thus, in surrogates, no one is quite what they seem. The 2% of people who refuse to join the "fun" live in ramshackle, electronics-free zones scattered around the country. They live lives that resemble nothing more than hippie colonies...the fact that they not only rejected living through surrogates but apparently ALL forms of technology is never really explained.
They are led by "The Prophet" (original name!) who assures them the day of reckoning is coming. And indeed, when a new weapon arrives on the scene...the new world order appears to be threatened. This weapon allows its wielder to not only kill surrogates, but to also kill the human who is operating it.
There are many intriguing ideas and concepts (and questions) that this alternate world brings to mind...but SURROGATES is in the end more of a detective movie than a sci-fi movie. And not a detective movie in BLADE RUNNER tradition (where the detective and his work is a way of delving ever deeper into what it means to live in this alternate society), but more in the I, ROBOT tradition of Will Smith kicking butt and taking names. But with a lower budget.
SURROGATES has little in the way of truly new ideas, and apart from some randomly scattered amusing moments, doesn't milk much entertainment value from the pure idea of all of us sitting around, getting fat, lazy (and probably smelly) while our surrogates run around looking younger, fitter, sexier and smarter than we do...interacting with other surrogates who look hot but are in reality a stand-in for others who are fat, lazy and smelly.
To go along with lazy ideas are some lazy performances. Rhada Mitchell plays one of the cops investigating this new weaponry, and it's as if she's taken the robot idea a bit too far...she fails to muster up any emotion, and thus, even though she is a "co-star," she is utterly forgettable. James Cromwell (as the inventor of surrogates) and Ving Rhames (as The Prophet) phone in their performances, giving us absolutely nothing we've not seen before in previous films. Rosamund Pike has a small role as the wife of the lead investigator on the case, and she DOES at least show some sparks of emotion and generates a little empathy.
Thus, SURROGATES is at best a 2.5 star movie. The effects are minimal, but generally convincing. Action sequences (stage by Jonathan Mostow of TERMINATOR 3) are workmanlike but not actually bad. Script is uninspired and the acting is uninteresting.
BUT WAIT. I forgot to mention that the film stars Bruce Willis. He is the master of elevating the quality of the film around him. He can turn a very good film into a classic (DIE HARD, SIXTH SENSE) and he can turn a mediocre film into something at least enjoyable for its running time (16 BLOCKS, HOSTAGE). And this is the service he performs for SURROGATES. While he's not exactly a GREAT actor in the way we think of folks like Daniel Day Lewis or Robert DeNiro...he is a nearly perfect EVERYMAN. No one does world-weary better. In fact, world-weariness is what Willis always starts with, and then he just adds the right amount of smart-ass to the mix. John McClane in DIE HARD...lots of smart-ass. His character in TWELVE MONKEYS...only a tiny, tiny drop. Yet he always knows exactly how much to add. (Sometime his best efforts can only elevate a 1 star film to 2 stars...see STRIKING DISTANCE...or don't! Also, this is a skill he's hones over time...some of his earlier work like MORTAL THOUGHTS or THE JACKAL pretty much just stinks.)
Willis is amusing in SURROGATES when he is seen as his surrogate. Youngish, with a full head of very funny hair. When the "real" Willis emerges, he's the Bruce we know. Shaved head, scars and that patented world-weariness. He also gets to show his other skill...the art of really looking like he's getting hurt, yet making us believe he can get up and keep fighting. Again, John McClane is the archetype...but Willis still owns that trait. Frankly, he's just a good guy to watch on film. We like him...easily. He's not the brightest tool in the shed sometimes, but he has good instincts, a quick wit and is usually a good person just trying to make the best of bad situations.
SURROGATES' script has saddled him with a sadness due to a son who has died years before...but Willis still makes his scenes with his wife (whom he so eagerly wants to wean off her surrogate so they can REALLY be together) touching.
Thus, thanks to Willis, the film is a solid 3.5 stars. But for the overall lack of originality, I'll be treating that like 3.49 stars and rounding down to 3.

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How do you save humanity when the only thing that's real is you? From the director of TERMINATOR 3 comes a jaw-dropping psychological thriller starring the ultimate action hero, Bruce Willis. In the not-so-distant future, where people experience life through perfect surrogates controlled from the safety of their own homes, murder is a thing of the past. But when a college student linked to the creator of these replicants is killed, one FBI agent must re-enter reality and risk his life to unravel the mystery. In the battle of technology versus humanity, who can you trust? Experience every electrifying moment of this mind-blowing movie. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel and exploding with unforgettable action, SURROGATES is nonstop entertainment from start to finish!Bonus Features include I Will Not Bow Music Video By Breaking Benjamin, Feature Audio Commentary By Director Jonathan Mustow

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Whiteout (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I didn't quite know what to expect when I sat down in the theater today to watch Whiteout. The trailers led me to believe it would be some sort of supernatural type film set in Antarctica, but I wasn't really sure if it was just the weather that would be the evil force or some sort of creature. It was none of the above. Whiteout is really just a typical thriller/mystery that happens to occur on the coldest land mass in the world. It involves some murders back in 1957 and few more in present day that Kate's character investigates. Within the first ten minutes you get the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale stripping down to her undies (always a good thing), but I didn't expect that to be the films only true highlight. Other than her obvious use in that particular scene, I can't believe they casted a good looking woman only to cover her up from head to toe and in multiple layers for the last 90 minutes. Not to mention a giant snow hat on her head. Anyways, most of the acting was okay I guess. Kind of bland, but nothing noticeably bad.
Whiteout is actually pretty darn entertaining if you take it for what it is and don't expect anything special. It deserves better than all the negative reviews it is receiving from the critics, but I have to admit that without the early gratuitous scene or the atmospheric location, I probably wouldn't give this thing more that two stars. You might get a couple of shivers from this one, but those looking for some true frostbite should stick with John Carpenter's The Thing.

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Lone u.S. Marshal the only one assigned to antarctica must investigate a murder and track down a serial killer on the frozen continent within three days before the dark winter begins.Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 01/19/2010Starring: Kate Beckinsale

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