Rescue Me: Season 5, Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)Rescue Me is a great show - the ensemble cast is excellent, there's a great combination of comedy and drama and although some situations dabble in the absurd, there are also serious issues that are dealt with in a mature and adult light. I have no problems with the show, it's a 5 star program.
But I do have a problem with GREED.
This season started late so they could run all 23 episodes during consecutive weeks. The last episode is airing in three days - the same day this set is being released - but has obviously been in the can along with the other 21 for several weeks if not months. SO WHY SPLIT THIS SEASON INTO TWO PARTS??
Greed.
FIFTY DOLLAR LIST PRICE for eleven episodes?? Assuming Volume 2 does the same for the final 11, that's ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS for a season! Now we all know there will be discounts (as I type this Amazon is selling it for $32) but that's still OVER SIXTY DOLLARS to get the fifth season.
I understand that past seasons contained 13 episodes and this one is 22. But would it really have been that much more expensive to add two discs and bump the price a little...instead of creating separate packaging - and passing THAT cost along - and gouging Us? The very people who support the show by purchasing something they already watched faithfully?
The 22 episodes were a complete season. The marketing is a complete sham.

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The men of 62 Truck are back for a fifth season in Denis Leary and Peter Tolan's series.Tommy Gavin is grappling with the death of his father as the season opens, along with the new man in Janet's life (guest star Michael J. Fox). The crew devises a business plan to open a bar, which turns into a lucrative venture, but also a temptation to Tommy, who continues to struggle with sobriety. Sean faces a health issue with no easy solution, while Needles struggles to garner respect and maintain control of the firehouse. Meanwhile, Sheila attempts to purge herself of Tommy and allows Damian to pursue a future as a firefighter. Conspiracy theories about 9/11 ruffle more than a few feathers, brought on by the arrival of an intriguing foreigner. Under the shadow of a haunting past, the crew continues to look to the future and realize that salvation often lies where you least expect it.

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Infamous Times - The Original 50 Cent Review

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(More customer reviews)INFAMOUS TIMES: THE ORIGINAL 50 CENT (2005)
directed by Froi Cuesta
approx. 1 hour 15 minutes
By now its old news that Queens rapper Curtis Jackson named himself after Brooklyn stick up kid "50 Cent" a.k.a. Kelvin Martin. This DVD tries to give some context for the crime ridden Fort Greene projects where Martin got his reputation. Brooklyn in the 1980s was a dangerous place and Mr. Martin provided some of that danger. We are told that this is a man who would rob drug dealers and pimps. A criminal even in the criminal underworld, Kelvin Martin alienated most of his friends by the end of his life and seems like an unlikely figure to admire.
Like other DVDs made for a rap audience, this movie romanticizes Kelvin Martin's violent exploits. This is a problem with America in general these days, that "underdogs" are expected to be lawless animals who don't know any other way. Martin's friends and family are interviewed throughout and others close to him provided personal letters and photos to piece together his story. His friends talk about his "career", from his early days stealing jewelry to his time in Riker's to his later stint in the military. His girlfriend talks about his "softer side" and says he didn't bring his criminal life to their relationship. We hear from his daughter who never got to know her father since he was gunned down. Some faces hip hop fans will recognize are DJ Scratch from EPMD and legendary producer Eric B. who both knew the young Martin. An interesting section of the movie is where people discuss why they think he got the name "50 Cent". Standing at just over 5 ft., its likely that he simply got the name because he was a short dude. One theory I hadn't heard is that while in jail he encountered the Five Percent Nation and later put a materialist spin on it.
The sections with rapper Curtis Jackson are thankfully short. They interview some of his former associates and Jackson himself. They discuss the controversy over Jackson's "Ghetto Qua'ran". Of course this is the track where he basically "names names" of all the major NYC criminals from his youth and led to a "renewed interest" in these men by the NYPD. One name mentioned was "Slim" a.k.a. Chaz Williams who was Jackon's manager and is interviewed on this DVD. Another name was "Supreme" a.k.a. Kenneth McGriff, supposedly the inspiration for the movie 'NEW JACK CITY' and "business associate" of the Murder Inc. label, who Jackson was feuding with. All of this is also covered in the book 'QUEENS REIGNS SUPREME'.
Kelvin Martin, despite being close to his family, was not a respectable person even by street criminal standards. At one point, one of Martin's friends tells the story of when he had to remind Kelvin that he was breaking the "codes of the streets". Martin responded "F%ck those codes". Maybe this is the message Curtis Jackson is trying to send by recording the type of music he does. Jackson says he named himself after the original 50 Cent because "he's the same type of person".
I will say that the production value of this DVD is much higher than most other rap-related DVDs. There are graphics and re-enactments and the sound levels are mostly listenable throughout. There is also a followable structure throughout and best of all, no yelling doofuses hogging for camera time. The DVD also includes brief segments on such glamorous topics as Brownsville Brooklyn's Blood street gang (which includes footage of a pitbull fight) and Vernon, NY strip club "Sue's Rendezvous" (which states that the lowest amount the dancers make is $50,000).
At the end of the movie, Curtis Jackson promises to keep Kelvin Martin's name alive. This movie is good for what it is, but why not a DVD on somebody like Frederic Morrow?

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A powerful music-driven video magazine chronicling the nation s most reputed street figures, notorious neighborhoods and the alluring frills of the fast life, this explicit exposé goes behind the stereotypes typically associated with legendary hustlers to uncover the true tales of pain and betrayal that all too often destroys their lives and, most times, finds them dead or in jail. Volume one of The Infamous TimesTM has already shipped platinum to major retail outlets throughout the U.S. and is on pace to quickly become one of the best selling urban DVD s to date. Running 120 minutes, the main feature of this landmark series tells the true story of Kelvin50 CentMartin, a cold-blooded crook who, armed with an arsenal of weapons, robbed, killed and extorted many of Brooklyn s biggest hustlers at the height of New York s brutal crack cocaine epidemic and from whom the multi-platinum rap superstar, Curtis50 CentJackson, borrowed his moniker. This is the true story of the legend who inspired the biggest name in rap.

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Rescue Me: The Complete Third Season Review

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(More customer reviews)The third, and arguably best, season of Rescue Me may have treaded on familiar territory, but it worked out with spectacular results nonetheless. As the season begins, Tommy (Denis Leary) is once again seperated from his wife (Andrea Roth) who still holds him responsible for the death of their son, while Tommy's uncle (Lenny Clarke) enjoys his time in prison for murder. Jerry (Jack McGee) copes with his wife's debilitating mental health, Sean (Steven Pasquale) gets in way, way over his head with Tommy's crazy sister (Tatum O'Neal), while Franco (Daniel Sunjata) gets involved with a vendictive older woman (Susan Surandon) who plans on making him pay one way, or the other. The main storyline of this season though is the love triangle between Tommy and his wife, as well as his cop brother (Dean Winters), which naturally as one would come to expect, doesn't end well for anybody involved. The season reaches it's boiling point (literally) as the crew appears to go their seperate ways, and Tommy lands a golden opportunity to run away with Shelia (Callie Thorne), and everyone's future comes into question. While there aren't as many surprises and shocks in this season as there were in the second, the third season of Rescue Me features plenty of great moments, as well as great guest roles from Sarandon and Marissa Tomei, who make the most out of their screen time. Leary is great as well once again, while the rest of the cast performs well to boot. All in all, Rescue Me pis undoubtedly the best original show to come out of FX since The Shield, and here's even more proof.

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The third season of Denis Leary and Peter Tolan's Emmy(r)-nominated series examines the aftermath of devastating personal losses that the 62 Truck crew experienced at the end of the scorching second season. Tommy is trying to hold his life and team together while dealing with the devastating loss of his son. Franco studies for the lieutenants' exam while "Probie" contemplates the end of this probationary period and now both ponder leaving the house. Lou and Jerry each grapple with - or try to hide from - the financial crises they're facing. And Sean has a good reason for trying to keep the identity of a new woman in his life a secret. They're all falling apart in one way or another ... can Tommy make the only family he has left come back together?

Stills from Rescue Me - The Complete Third Season (click for larger image)More Rescue Me at Amazon.com

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Spin City: The Complete Season 1 (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)Us spin city fans have been waiting many years for this to finally come out on dvd. We long ago wore out the DVD's of Mike's favorite episodes, and while they were of course awesome, I didn't think they would ever put out the entire seasons on DVD. It's about time, what a long and leisurely process it has been, when plenty of other less worthy shows immediately go to DVD when they end.

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At last, the complete first season!Spin City is a smart, sophisticated ABC sitcom about the behind-the-scenes workings of City Hall in the biggest city in America. Workaholic Mike Flaherty (Michael J. Fox) is the Deputy Mayor of New York City, serving as Mayor Randall Winston s (Barry Bostwick, Rocky Horror Picture Show) key strategist and much-needed handler. Mike runs the city with the help of his oddball staff: an anxiousand insecure press secretary (Richard Kind, Mad About You); a sexist, boorish chief of staff (Alan Ruck, Ferris Bueller's Day Off); an impeccably groomed gay activist running minority affairs (Michael Boatman, Arli$$); a sharp and efficient, man-crazy accountant (Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights); and an idealistic young speechwriter (Alexander Chaplin). Like Mike, they are all professionally capable but personally challenged. Bonus Features:* The Spin: The cast and creators look back at how the show began and remember its first season. Includes all-new interviews with Michael J. Fox, Barry Bostwick, Richard Kind, Alan Ruck, Michael Boatman, Connie Britton, and Alexander Chaplin and show creators Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence and more.* Prime-Time Partners: Highlights of The Paley Center for Media Seminar presented in October 1996.In October 1996, Michael J. Fox and Gary David Goldberg gave a seminar for members of the Museum of Television & Radio (now know as the Paley Center for Media). * Commentaries by Cast, Creators and Crew

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The Girlfriend Experience (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The need to love and be loved, to know and be known, suggests director Steven Soderbergh (Bubble), is so deeply and powerfully embedded in human nature that we will do almost anything to get it. We will even pay for it, whether to a therapist, to a personal trainer like Chris, or to a $2,000 an hour "escort" girl like Chelsea who provides sex, of course, but mainly therapy to very wealthy but deeply lonely men. Mainly they talk to Chelsea, about all the things you'd talk about in a "real" relationship. She pretends to offer that and they believe they receive it, and woe to both parties when they drop their guard and transgress business boundaries to reveal themselves to each other as real human beings rather than as partners in a transaction. Since human love is one of the few things you can't buy, Chelsea and her clients seek something they can't get and forfeit their closest approximations in what they already have.

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Chelsea (Adult Film Star Sasha Grey in her mainstream film debut), a $2,OOO-an-hour Manhattan call girl, offers more than sex to her clients; it's her companionship and conversation that provides her customers with the complete girlfriend experience. Chelsea thinks she has her life totally under control, but when you're in the business of meeting people, control can be easily manipulated.

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Rescue Me: The Complete First Season Review

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(More customer reviews)With the reality TV glut mercifully showing signs of abating, it looks like there could be a new flourishing of quality scripted TV, and FX's Rescue Me deserves to be at the forefront of any such charge. Much has been made of the complex, extended storylines incorporated by so many shows in the past decade or so (e.g., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, ER, etc. etc. etc.), and this one is no exception, but it still deserves credit for its boldness, realism, and skillful avoidance of predictability. Surprised as I was to realize it about halfway through the season, Rescue Me reminds me a great deal of a show I used to watch with my wife back when we were engaged, also known for its odd poignancy, its emphasis on bonding and complicated relationships, its bawdy set pieces, and its heavy use of New York City as an ancillary character. Yes, that's right, at bottom Rescue Me has a great deal in common with Sex in the City, except with a lot more fires and death.
It becomes apparent pretty quickly in the premiere episode of this show that it's not the politically correct post-9/11 tribue to firefighters that one might be given to expect. In the opening few minutes, we see Denis Leary's Tommy Gavin having the first of many lenghty coversations with his cousin and best friend Jimmy, which wouldn't be all that unusual if Jimmy hadn't been killed in the World Trade Center attacks. It's only about five minutes later that another firefighter complains about the decline in his level of action (only he uses a much more explicit word) as the memory of the attacks fades. As introductions go, it's a pretty appropriate one.
Things don't go too far uphill from there. Filled with realistic dialogue and compelling performances, Rescue Me strips away the layers of adulation that have surrounded firefighters since 9/11 and reveals them as what they are: people doing a job. Yes, they might be braver than most, but the firefighters depicted here are still flawed, multifaceted characters faced with all the recurring problems and bad habits of real people. This is intelligent, challenging stuff, and while it can get a bit sensationalistic, it's considerably more grounded in reality than, say, Nip/Tuck. At its best, it's a savagely funny, darkly moving testament to the chaotic tragicomedy that is our existence.
This first season is some of the most compulsively watchable television around, becoming as addictive as a crack habit as it careens from one compelling plot line to another, combining its delirious vulgarity with an almost total lack of romance. One of the show's underlying themes is the idea that people crazy enough to run into burning buildings for a living might not be entirely stable in their personal lives, and one of the most endearing qualities of Rescue Me is the way it manages to capture its characters at both their strongest and their most vulnerable. Even during the more emotionally charged plot threads-the fallout from Chief Riley's beating of a gay ex-firefighter; Lieutenant Shea's poetry writing; Franco's discovery that he has a five-year old daughter; the introduction of a woman into the house-Rescue Me exhibits a noble refusal to give in to sentiment. With few exceptions, the characters here don't have grand epiphanies or act in completely contradictory ways from episode to episode and they certainly don't always do the right thing; they're presented as is, with all the nagging inconsistencies associated with our species.
Leading the way is Leary as the protagonist Tommy, a walking contradiction whose dedication to his job and his family is matched by his anger, self-destructiveness, and guilt. Tommy talks to the ghosts of the people he's seen killed; cheats on his semi-estranged wife when he's not tormenting her yuppie boyfriend; drinks compulsively; and starts an ultra-illegal affair with the widow of the aforementioned Jimmy, and all along it's nearly impossible to stop watching him. With Leary clearly having fun snarling and shouting his way through the role, Tommy easily makes for one of the more compelling anti-heroes in TV history, especially when he begins his major downward spiral in the season's final few episodes. While Tommy's (and the show's) excesses can get a bit numbing after a while (do firefighters really score as much as these guys do, or talk about it as explicitly?), in the end it's all part of the fun. For those poor souls who can't afford HBO (this writer included), Rescue Me is about as daring and fascinating a show as you're likely to find on cable. Oh, and the Von Bondies' Come On, Come On makes for quite possibly the single best introductory song in TV history, having managed to make Rescue Me the one show whose opening credits I always make it a point to watch.

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Tommy Gavin is a lifesaver. Whether he is pulling survivors from fiery high-rise infernos or the twisted steel of a subway collision, Gavin takes great pride in leading the heroic but often overwhelmed firefighters of New York City's Truck Company 62. Gavin (Denis Leary) is also a man drifting between sorrow and anger over a recent separation from his wife (Andrea Roth) and three kids, and recurring memories of comrades and New Yorkers fallen victim. Leary and multiple Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Peter Tolan (The Larry Sanders Show, Murphy Brown), the team behind the critically-acclaimed cop drama The JobRescue Me.

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Little Manhattan (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the genuine surprises to be released in 2005 was Little Manhattan, a charming, precious (without overdoing it) Woody Allen-esque ode to New York City for the elementary school set. It asks that age old question do girls mature faster than boys and proceeds to tell the story of a relationship between a boy and girl from the his point-of-view. The film was given very limited release in theatres and is now out on DVD where it will hopefully find a wider audience.
Most of the action takes place on the Upper West Side and for anyone who's lived there they will recognize familiar landmarks like the Beacon Theater, the Planetarium and Riverside Park. A lot of credit goes to filmmakers Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett for staying true to the geography of the city and shooting entirely on location as they provide a wonderful travelogue of the lesser known side of Broadway.
Little Manhattan doesn't sugarcoat the messiness of relationships and the sometimes bittersweet nature of love no matter what the age. Even when things don't work out, hopefully you learn from the experience and are a better person for having gone through it. Most kid's movies are either too cutesy or try too hard to make them little J.D. Salinger-esque adults. This film gets it just right, treading the line between both, never having too much of one and always maintaining a balance.
There is an audio commentary by director Mark Levin and screenwriter Jennifer Flackett. They consciously wrote their movie in a way that it had to be shot in New York City and could not be doubled in Toronto as is commonly done. Levin and Flackett acknowledge Woody Allen as an obvious influence on their movie, citing Annie Hall specifically, and also When Harry Met Sally. This is a pleasant track as they take us through various aspects of their feature film debut.
There are four deleted scenes with optional commentary by Levin and Flackett. In a nice scene, Gabe has a vision of people on the street spontaneously breaking into a song and dance number that should have stayed in.
"Helmet Interview." Levin and Flackett ran into interference from the studio that feared a backlash from Gabe riding around on his scooter without a helmet and so to appease them, they filmed all the scooter scenes with and without the helmet and this extra presents the helmet footage.
"Sheep Meadow Segment" takes us through the sequence where sheep magically appear in Central Park. Using live sheep proved problematic so they used CGI to create a herd that they could control. This featurette shows the various stages of the sequence.
"From Scout to Screen" takes us through the scouting of locations for several sequences to the final cut that is in the film.
Finally, there is the theatrical trailer.

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Little Manhattan is a feel-good comedy that's perfect for kids and adults alike. In a city known for excitement, two young friends are about to embark on the greatest adventure of all. Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) and Rosemary (newcomer Charlie Ray) have known each other nearly all of their lives, but when they come face-to-face in a karate class, they see each other in a whole new light. Filled with all the magical, marvelous?and maddening?moments of first love, this charming film is fun for the whole family!

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World Trade Center (Widescreen Edition) (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)I remember Sep 11 like this: I was visiting in Shanghai, came to my hotel room in the evening, not so late, turned on CNN as usual, and saw a plane fly into one of the towers. It took me quite some time to understand what I had just seen. I called my wife and asked her to turn on TV at home. She had not heard yet.
I never felt more American than on that day.
I am German, by the way.
When I heard that Oliver Stone was making a movie about this, I could not believe it. Too early, too monumental, too emotionally loaded, too ideologically simple. This could only become a bad film.
It hasn't. It is a simple story about confusion and heroism and survival. Well done.
You never see a plane fly into anything. You only hear people talk about it, but there are also some who don't believe it. It shows you the segmented vision of people who are near the center. People watching TV in Shanghai probably knew more of what actually happened right at the time than those caught in the middle of it.
Stone stays away from explicit interpretation, he leaves that to the spectator.

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"World Trade Center is a film about heroism and the best in all of us," raves Good Morning America’s Joel Siegel.Academy Award winner, Nicolas Cage stars in the unforgettable true story of the courageous rescue and survival of two Port Authority policemen who were trapped in the rubble on September 11, 2001 after they volunteered to go in andhelp.Academy Award winning director, Oliver Stone reveals an intimate look at the events of the day as seen through the eyes of the survivors, their families and their rescuers

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One Night Stand (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)In order to truly appreciate this film, you really need to compare it to another film on the same subject of random one-time infidelity that came out ten years earlier: 1987's "Fatal Attraction."
That film provided us with graphic voyeuristic pleasure alongside moralistic self-satisfaction, titillating us with a sensationalistic view of adulterous casual sex which leads to divine/karmic retribution as the spurned One-Time Other Woman morphs into a vengeful psycho. The message of "Fatal Attraction" was crystal clear and clicked with Reaganite America: stick to the safe and narrow, or terrible things will happen to you!
In contrast, 1997's "One Night Stand" implies the opposite: let things flow and DIVERGE from the safe, familiar everyday even just once...and incredible personal and interpersonal transformation blossoms. For many, it's a disturbing subtext: take a chance, walk on the (somewhat) "wild" side, and your bliss just might follow!
It's easy to see why this film got such mixed reviews here in the States, and such good reviews in Europe: it bravely refuses to follow the standard American cliches about sexuality, marriage, materialism, "success," AIDS, death and life itself.
And there's a brilliant unspoken reversal of popular racial stereotypes and typical Hollywood stock roles: a Chinese-American woman (Ming-Na) is loud, aggressive, and sexually voracious while her African-American husband (Snipes) is quiet, introspective, intellectual, and sexually subdued in comparison. A beautiful blonde woman (Kinski) is actually a super-intelligent astrophysicist. A straight black man and a flamboyantly gay man (Downey Jr.) are longtime best friends. The gay man is dying of AIDS but refuses to engage in regrets or self-pity. And the sex scene between the two initial adulterers, Snipes and Kinski, is actually very restrained, non-sensationalistic, and emotionally substantiative---not the frantic animal lust portrayed in "Fatal Attraction" but two fragile human beings taking blessed refuge in each other during a passing fortuitous moment.
And that's what this film is really all about: life as a series of passing moments, which must each in its own turn be honored and lived as fully as possible. The cinematography and score are seamlessly stunning, so the DVD format should serve well.
Granted, there are a few contrived plot turns, the dialogue does sound a bit written in two or three places, and it does put a LOT of things on your plate. Bittersweet and poignant and a feast for both eyes and ears and even the gray matter between the ears. This is not some simple-minded, focus-group-pandering, saccharine feel-good Hollywood schmaltzfest but a mature, subtle, and passionately challenging film that Mike Figgis probably would never have had the chance to make were it not for the success of his "Leaving Las Vegas" which preceded this movie. Too bad for Hollywood...

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Item Name: One Night Stand; Studio:New Line Home Video

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The Goodbye Girl (1977) Review

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(More customer reviews)In 1977, movie theater audiences were treated to what is probably Neil Simon's best writing with the film "The Goodbye Girl". Directed by Herbert Ross (1927-2001, who later directed "Steel Magnolias" in 1989), the film stars Richard Dreyfuss as the aspiring actor Elliot Garfield, Marsha Mason as former dancer Paula McFadden and Quinn Cummings as Paula's 10-year old daughter Lucy. The film begins with Paula and Lucy returning to their New York City apartment from a long day of shopping. They are preparing to move to California with Paula's boyfriend, Tony Deforest (not shown), who is another aspiring actor that just got an acting job in a Hollywood film. Upon getting home, Tony isn't there, but she finds a note that he left for her. The note is not what Paula wanted or expected to hear: Tony left without her and Lucy. Paula learns from building manager Mrs. Crosby (Theresa Merritt, 1924-1998) the next morning that loveable Tony did something else too: he sublet the apartment. Not having the money to move, Paula decides that she and Lucy will remain in the apartment. When the subletee arrives (Elliot), she reluctantly agrees to share the apartment with him. The resulting mutually antagonistic relationship slowly evolves into something quite different.
For his work in "The Goodbye Girl", Richard Dreyfuss won the much deserved Oscar for Best Actor. Marsha Mason was nominated for Best Actress and Quinn Cummings was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The film itself was nominated for Best Picture and Neil Simon was nominated for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Some of the very memorable scenes in the film include Paula & Lucy's arrival home at the beginning of the film, Elliot's arrival, the living arrangements, Elliot's rehearsals, Paula's exercises, Lucy's stomachache, Elliot's alternate employment, the Chianti, the rooftop dinner, the carriage ride and the closing scenes. Other memorable characters include Elliot's off-Broadway director Mark (Paul Benedict, known for his portrayal of Harry Bentley in the 1975-1985 TV series "The Jeffersons") and Donna Douglas (Barbara Rhoades).
Overall, I rate the 1977 version of "The Goodbye Girl" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. It's a wonderfully engaging film that continues to entertain to this day. The 2004 television remake that starred Jeff Daniels as Elliot and Patricia Heaton as Paula was not anywhere as good as the original.

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An over-the-hill Broadway chorus girl with a precocious nine-year-old daughter is forced to share her apartment with a young actor.Genre: Feature Film-ComedyRating: PGRelease Date: 18-JAN-2000Media Type: DVD

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We Own the Night (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)WE OWN THE NIGHT is the quote from the lower portion of the badge on the uniforms of NYPD police family Deputy Chief Bert Grusinsky (Robert Duvall) and one of his two sons Capt. Joe Grusinsky (Mark Wahlberg): the other son Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix) did not follow the family tradition of police work but instead is involved in nightclubs - and yes there is a schism of resentment. Bobby has distanced himself further from his family by changing his last name to 'Green', living with a Puerto Rican girl Amada (Eva Mendes), and bonding to a wealthy Russian family who owns the nightclub where Bobby works - a front for a drug dealing business. Writer/Director James Gray ('The Yards' and 'Little Odessa') has a feel for this underbelly of New York City and captures the 1988 mood of life in the city and beneath the city with style. The problem with the story is that it has been done so many times that it is simply stale yesterday's lunch. Two brothers at opposite end of the family spectrum require a major tragedy to bring them together, and to offer any more information to this fairly thin plot would be a disservice to those who plan to see the film.
The cast is strong, partly because each of them has played similar roles countless times and have the ideas down pat. It should be noted that two of the producers of the film are Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix, probably a reason the film was made... There are some exciting moments and enough surprises and tense times to keep the adrenaline rolling, the smaller roles are very well cast, and one of the shining attributes of the film is the gorgeous Russian liturgy inspired musical score by Wojciech Kilar. It is not a bad film; it is just too much in the same mold as countless other New York police dramas. Grady Harp, February 08

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What if your own family stood in the way of everything you worked for? Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) has forsaken his name to escape his family and their tradition in law enforcement to pursue his ambitions as a Brooklyn nightclub owner. As he turns a blind eye to the drug dealers around him, he comes face to face with the family he abandoned when his brother (Mark Wahlberg) and father (Robert Duvall) crack down on the club. Now Bobby must choose a side. Is he going to turn informant or will he help run the biggest crime ring in New York history?

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Elegy (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I saw this movie - which in itself was not an easy task because it was relegated to obscure theaters at inconvenient times - only six other people were present. Clearly this movie was not made with popular appeal in mind. No guns, no CGI, no well-cued schtick and obvious dialog. Just stunningly acute direction and acting that takes the breath away.
I have never seen a film containing so much pain yet so beautifully delivered. Kingsley and Cruz turn in exquisite performances, though of course Kingsley dominates as the eternally commitment-shy academic David. It is a testimony to Kingsley's power as an actor that he enables us first to feel sympathy with David's desire to seduce his student, and then sympathy with his moral and emotional equivocation, and finally sympathy with the utter devastation that comes from the loss of his beloved.
Aside from the scenes in which David interacts with his estranged son - scenes that really could have been deleted without harming the film in any way - there is never a spare moment. This is a movie about isolation, loneliness and desire - the desire for contact, connection, and ultimately for hope. It is spare, terse, and under-stated. Unfortunately we do not live in a time when these virtues are appreciated, and many professional reviews have been very wide of the mark with their myopic criticisms.
The direction of the movie is light and assured, a million miles from the heavy-handed journey-work of most directors. Nothing is over-emphasized. Kingsley turns in what must be one of the top two or three performances of his career. The movie assumes an intelligent audience - perhaps the reason why so few people have actually seen it, and why fewer still have appreciated its richness. But for anyone who enjoys film-making at its very best, this is a must-have for the DVD or BlueRay collection.

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Respected cultural critic and author David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) is a middle-aged college professor who, for years, has lived in a state of "emancipated manhood." His romantic conquests are many; his lasting commitments, few. But when a stunning young student named Consuela Castillo (Penelope Cruz) enters his life, her otherworldly beauty captivates him to the point of obsession. Soon, their erotic relationship evolves into an undying and passionate love in this gripping drama that explores the power of love to blind, reveal and transform.

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25th Hour (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the many things that make 25th hour such a special film to me is how Benioff and Lee didn't attempt to cram too many events into this plot. This film does take place in just one day, and it's a perfect snapshot of the lead protagonist Monty Brogan's thoughts and actions in that final day before he begins a 7 year jail sentence for dealing heroin, expertly put together by David Benioff and Spike Lee. We see Brogan (superbly played by Edward Norton) walking his dog, talking to his girlfriend, having a meal with his father, going out to a club with his friends, preparing to go to jail and being driven there. It's not over the top, it isn't brash, but it does do what is necessary.
Brogan is clearly worried and regretful. This is faultlessly portrayed by the mirror scene, in which he rants incessantly about the variety of people populating New York, and then realizes that he only has himself to blame for the situation he is in. It's such a human moment, since how many people can honestly say that they have never chosen to blame others, and take their anger out in a vicious way, even if it is just personal thoughts? But it isn't just Monty who feels regret, virtually every other character we focus on does, Monty's father is weighed down by his former alcoholism, and he partly holds himself responsible for Monty's fate. And so do Monty's friends, not preventing him from his choice to deal drugs.
Monty Brogan is not really shown in a 'good' or 'bad' light. Norton plays him as a normal person. He's easy to relate to, and it's a reminder of how anyone can turn out depending on what choices they make. His choice of drug dealing is looked down upon, the interrogators ridicule him, but that is only in the context of drug dealing, not as a normal person. Benioff and Lee were keen to show his actions like this.
The film is skillfully made, from the very tasteful opening credit scene acknowledging 9/11 (another honest feature about the film, which is an important theme throughout), where we see the lights at ground zero dropping from the sky, to the fantasy scene with Monty and his father in the car near the end, where they think about the family he could have had, all surreally dressed in while. Terence Blanchard's score too is one of the most beautiful I've heard in a recent film along with Michael Andrews score for Donnie Darko - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition). The film tells it like it is. It's about decision making, it's about responsibility and it's about real friendship. It's realistic on an emotional level and is now one of my favorite Spike Lee Joints.

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Academy Award(R)-nominee Edward Norton (Best Actor, 1999, AMERICAN HISTORY X) heads an amazing all-star cast in the critically acclaimed Spike Lee (SUMMER OF SAM, DO THE RIGHT THING) film 25th HOUR. In 24 short hours Monty Brogan (Norton) goes to prison for seven long years. Once a king of Manhattan, Monty is about to say good-bye to the life he knew -- a life that opened doors to New York's swankest clubs but also alienated him from the people closest to him. In his last day on the outside, Monty tries to reconnect with his father (Brian Cox, THE BOURNE IDENTITY), and gets together with two old friends, Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman, ALMOST FAMOUS) and Slaughtery (Barry Pepper, THE GREEN MILE). And then there's his girlfriend, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson, MEN IN BLACK 2), who might (or might not) have been the one who tipped off the cops. Monty's not sure of much these days, but with time running out, there are choices to be made as he struggles to redeem himself in the 25th hour.

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My Favorite Year (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)Have you ever watched a film and wished it wouldn't end? Where you loved all the characters, adored each scene, and laughed at every joke, even after you'd seen the film so many times that you could quote the dialog? MY FAVORITE YEAR is that kind of movie!
Directed with gusto by Richard Benjamin, the film is both a loving tribute to Sid Caesar's 'Your Show of Show', and the remarkable talents that brought it together each week, and a sincere homage to Errol Flynn, whose antics and larger-than-life persona, in the waning years of his life, still had the kind of magic that could enthrall a shy young fan, or make a woman swoon.
Three dynamic performances dominate the film. Mark Linn-Baker, as Benjy Stone, based on the young Mel Brooks, is a shy kid who hides his insecurities behind a rapid-fire wit. The dazzling young star in a staff of comedy 'pros', Stone suffers from an unrequited love from fellow staffer K. C. Downing (Jessica Harper), and has an inspiration, inviting legendary swashbuckler Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole) to appear on the show. As King Kaiser, star of the hit series, Joseph Bologna captures much of Sid Caesar's legendary physical 'presence' and irreverence to authority. When threatened by gangsters over a 'too close to home' series of parodies about crime boss Karl Rojeck (portrayed with brute menace by veteran actor Cameron Mitchell), Kaiser 'thumbs his nose' at them, mimicking the gangster mercilessly. "I'll KEEP doing it!" he taunts. "Why? Because it's FUNNY!"
Then there is Peter O'Toole's 'Alan Swann'. With his own career a roller coaster ride of alcoholism, resulting in the near destruction of his health, no actor could have 'channeled' Errol Flynn better. Just as Flynn, by the 1950s, was a nearly burned-out roue, his classic good looks long gone, O'Toole's matinee-idol appearance, after years of self-abuse, had aged into a gaunt mask, making Benji Stone's film montage of 'classic' clips more poignant. What Flynn still had, in abundance, was charm and a ready wit, and O'Toole's 'Swann' is so enchanting a personality that you can't help but love him, and root for him to succeed.
From the opening nostalgic strains of Nat King Cole's rendition of 'Stardust', through Benjy's futile effort to attempt to keep Swann sober (Red Skelton loved to tell how he kept Flynn sober on his program...he emptied all of the actor's bottles of vodka, replacing it with water...and Flynn couldn't tell the difference!), to a riotous Swann dinner with Benjy's family, to the near-disastrous broadcast, with Swann developing stage fright, and Kaiser brawling with mob enforcers...MY FAVORITE YEAR has one glorious scene after another, each unforgettable!
One of the AFI's '100 Greatest Film Comedies', MY FAVORITE YEAR will bring a tear to your eye, even as you laugh. It was a time of legends, and heroes who would live up to boyhood dreams.
Film comedy doesn't get any better than this!

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Peter O'Toole gives a knock-out performance as Alan Swann, a booze-loving former matinee idol who is forced into making a live appearance on a variety show to appease the IRS. Mark Linn-Baker plays the fledgling writer for the show who must keep Swann on the sober and narrow. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Feature-length commentary by director Richard BenjaminInteractive MenusScene AccessTheatrical Trailer

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Sex and the City: The Complete Second Season (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)The women are back in the second season of Sex and the City! This show just keeps on getting better and better, as Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha's characters' are given more depth. And there are more episodes on this season than there were on the first for us to get our SATC fix.
Episode1: TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME: Carrie tries to get over Big; Miranda gets frustrated at the girls for talking about their dating woes; Samantha sleeps with a NY Yankee
Episode 2: THE AWFUL TRUTH: Carrie's friend Susan breaks if off with her husband; Miranda's new boyfriend likes to talk dirty in the bedroom; Samantha's boyfriend wants to go to couple's counseling.
Episode 3: THE FREAK SHOW: Samantha dates a guy who is into kinky sex; Charlotte starts seeing a guy who is good at a certain sexual act; Carrie goes on a blind date.
Episode 4: THEY SHOOT SINGLE PEOPLE, DON'T THEY? :Carrie goes to a shoot about women who are single and fabulous; Miranda gets back together with a guy who she fakes it in bed with; Charlotte can't fake intimacy.
Episode 5: FOUR WOMEN AND A FUNERAL: Miranda closes on a new apartment; Samantha screws around with a married socialite and finds herself shunned by society; Charlotte finds herself falling for a grieving widower.
Episode 6: THE CHEATING CURVE: Charlotte spends time with power lesbians; Smantha dates a trainer; Carrie secretly sees Big again.
Episode 7: THE CHICKEN DANCE: A friend of Miranda's gets serious with her interior designer; Charlotte sleeps with a guy who seems perfect.
Episode 8: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE VIAGRA: Things are going well for Carrie and Big; Samantha dates a much older man; Carrie tries to get Big to spend time with her friends.
Episode 9: OLD DOGS, NEW TRICKS: Big's eye is wandering; Charlotte is dating a guy who is uncircumcised; Big spends the night at Carrie's place for the first time.
Episode 10: THE CASTE SYSTEM: Carrie realizes that she's in love with Big; Samantha's new guy has a servant who is completely dedicated to him; Charlotte dates a movie star.
Episode 11: EVOLUTION: Miranda has a lazy ovary; Charlotte goes out with a guy she thinks is gay; Samantha deals with an old flame who doesn't want her; Carrie starts leaving her stuff at Big's house.
Episode 12: LA DOLEUR EXQUISE!: Big surprises Carrie by telling her that he may have to go to Paris for some time; Miranda is seeing a guy who likes to have sex in odd places; Stanford goes to an underwear-only gay club to meet a blind date.
Episode 13: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY: Carrie and Big are breaking up and can't get over it; Smantha meets a guy who have a passion for sports; Carrie begins seeing a guy who looses interest in a girl after hes slept with her (played by Jon Bon Jovi)
Episode 14: THE SEX BUDDY: Miranda goes out with a fellow lawyer; Charlotte asks a guy out for the first time; Carrie calls up a sex buddy to try and have a real relationship with him.
Episode 15: SHORTCOMINGS: Miranda dates a single, divorced father; Carrie tries to save her brother from divorce.
Episode 16: WAS IT GOOD FOR YOU? :Charlotte is dating an orthopedic surgeon; Smantha has dinner with a gay couple shes friends with and discovers they want to have a threesome with her; Charlotte signs up for a tantric sex class; Carrie sees a recovering alcoholic.
Episode 17: TWENTY-SOMETHING GIRLS VS. THIRTY-SOMETHING WOMEN: Samantha has a show-down with her young assistant, who steals her Rolodex and throws a party in the Hamptons; Charlotte is dating a 20-something man; Carrie is plagued by a 20-something groupie.
Episode 18: EX AND THE CITY: After seeing Big in the Hamptons with a much younger woman, Carrie learns that they are getting married; Miranda freaks out at Steve; Samantha dates a guy who is well endowed.

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They're back... HBO Home Video now brings you Sex and the City: The Complete Second Season. From creator and executive producer Darren Star, the award-winning, hit series stars two-time Golden Globe winner Sarah Jessica Parker. Also starring Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, The Complete Second Season features 18 episodes and 9 hours on 3 DVD discs or 4 VHS tapes. DVD Features:BiographiesEpisodic PreviewsFeaturetteFilmographies

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John Lennon's New York - A Magical History Tour Review

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(More customer reviews)Want to visit all the New York sites significant in John Lennon's life but don't know where to start? This DVD should be required viewing before planning such a trip. Interviews with Bob Gruen, David Peel, and Lennon's Japanese language instructor provide a fascinating portrait of his New York years. Susan Ryan also interjects interesting facts about the history of New York itself. If you can't see these sites in person, "John Lennon's New York" is the next best thing!

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For almost a quarter of his life, John Lennon lived in New York, his ultimate tribute to his love of American music and people (though frequently not their politics) Guided by Trina Yannicos, whose life is spent conducting fans around the sites of New York that will be forever associated with this amazing personality, and accompanied by Susan Ryan, we make a grand tour of the Big Apple, honing in on the sites that will be for ever associated with The Beatles and John Lennon.

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Frozen River (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)This 2008 independent film won the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It is the first film by director Courtney Hunt and it was shot in just 24 days and a small budget in the upstate New York town of Plattsburgh, New York during the dead of winter.
This is the story of two women and takes place a few days before Christmas. Ray, played by Melissa Leo, has just been deserted by her husband. She's in her late forties and is the mother of a 15-year old and a 5-year old boy. She works part time in a dead-end job in dollar store and is almost penniless. She can barely feed her family, her TV is about to be repossessed and there seems to be no way she can make the balloon payment on a new double-wide trailer on which she has a down payment. Lila, played by Misty Upham, is a Mohawk Indian who lives on the reservation and works in the local bingo parlor. She is also penniless. Her husband is dead. Her baby has been taken from her by her mother-in-law, and she lives in a run-down trailer on the reservation. This reservation occupies parts of Canada as well as the U.S., and she can make some good money by driving across the frozen river between the countries and smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S. But she needs a car. And Ray has the right kind of car with a large trunk.
The landscape is cold and bleak. Their car is a rickety Dodge Spirit. The women are strong, hard and desperate. They hate each other but soon realize that if they work together they might be able to improve their situations. The plot moves fast and is almost pure action. Their characterizations grow out of their situation. We see the different ways that Indians and whites are treated. We understand the hatred that the Indian woman feels for the white woman. We get a sense of the desperation of the illegal immigrants. At first there are Chinese immigrants. And later there is a Pakistani couple with an unusual package. Christmas is coming. The state troopers are on their trail. What will the outcome be?
Of course I can view this film in other ways. It was unique in that the two women were both so strong and that a Native American woman was cast in a role that was not a traditionally feminine one. Also, these women aren't beautiful and Ray's face is real - mottled skin and tiny lines and expressions that don't need words to convey emotions. It touched on several hot-button issues - illegal immigration, ethnic hatreds, desperate economic conditions in small upstate towns, and seriously hard choices some people have to make. However, I didn't think of all of this until the film was over. While it was on it was simply a fast-paced, action packed story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved it!

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Frozen River is a dramatic feature film which takes place in the days before Christmas near a little-known border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec. Here, the lure of fast money from smuggling presents a daily challenge to single moms who would otherwise be earning minimum wage. Two women- one white, one Mohawk, both single mothers faced with desperate circumstances- are drawn into the world of border smuggling across the frozen water of the St. Lawrence River. Melissa Leo (21 Grams, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, television's Homicide: Life on the Street) plays Ray, Misty Upham (Edge of America, DreamKeeper, Skins) plays Lila, and Oscar nominee Michael O'Keefe (The Great Santini, Caddyshack, Ironweed) plays the New York State Trooper who ultimately brings the two to justice.

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