101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure|Jim Kammerud Brian Smit|Animation|G |5.2|USA|2003|70 min|English||||||||||False||||||||25/01/2004|Carolyn Bates Leslie Hough|Garrett K. Schiff Jim Kammerud Brian Smith Dodie Smith|||Walt Disney Home Video [us] |A New Hero Unleashed.|Roger, Anita and their canine clan are packing for the big move to Dalmatian Plantation, a home in the country with plenty of room for the 101 pups and far from the clutches of Cruella DeVil. The feistiest pup, Patch, feels lost in a sea of spots and longs to be a one-of-a-kind wonderdog like his TV hero, Thunderbolt. While watching the Thunderbolt Adventure Hour, Patch hears about a chance to appear on the show while it's filming in London. However, the family move will interfere with Patch's opportunity - until he's accidentally left behind in the commotion. Patch heads for the audition to meet his hero. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt's "trusty" sidekick, Lightning, reveals that the producers of the show want to replace Thunderbolt with a younger dog. In order to save his job, Thunderbolt decides he will go into the real world and perform an act of true heroism to prove himself. A veritable reference book to Thunderbolt's many adventures, Patch provides the perfect guide for the TV star in his attempts at real-life heroics. As for Cruella DeVil - she's back and more obsessed with Dalmatians than ever. At first, she's able to calm her frenzy through an affiliation with a spot-fixated artist.
|Barry Bostwick (Thunderbolt (voice)) @ Jason Alexander (Lightning (voice)) @ Martin Short (Lars (voice)) @ Bobby Lockwood (Patch (voice)) @ Susan Blakeslee (Cruella de Vil (voice)) @ Samuel West (Pongo (voice)) @ Maurice LaMarche (Horace (voice)) @ Jeff Bennett (Jasper (voice)) @ Jodi Benson (Anita (voice)) @ Tim Bentinck (Roger (voice)) @ Kath Soucie (Perdita (voice)) @ Mary MacLeod (Nanny (voice)) @ Michael Lerner (Producer (voice) rest of cast listed alphabetically Kasha Kropinski .... Penny (voice)) @ Ben Tibber (Lucky (voice)Produced by||A one-of-a-kind pup, a canine superstar, a backstabbing sidekick mutt, and much, much more...
My opinion for the movie is funny and great! Patch "felt lost in a sea of spots". I know. That line is getting old, but SO WHAT!?
Patch soon meets his hero, Thunderbolt, in a contest. But, with his bad bark ("Who sat on a squeaky toy?") It's obvious he's not going to win.
Meanwhile, Lil. Lightning, Thunderbolts spunky (and, I must say, kinda cute) sidekick has turned dark in the lead dog's shadow. Good pun, huh? Anyway, he tricks Thunderbolt into thinking he's going to be killed off the show and replaced. And that the only way to remain on the show would be to do something heroic in the real world. Thunderbolt falls for it.
As for Cruella de Vil? She's being kept out of every fur shop in London, as part of her parole. She soon meets up with pop-artist, Lars, who works on painting spots. She decides to give him an inspiration by re-stealing the puppies and giving them to him as a gift. But Lars quickly rejects when he learns what Cruella plans to do with them.
As the trailer says, this movie shows the difference between acting like a hero and being one. It also shows that you can be a one-of-a-kind if you put your mind to it. One minor lesson is that if at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again.
Patch is a good-hearted adventurous pup, Thunderbolt is the fame-loving canine superstar, Lil. Lightning is his spunky and cute backstabbing sidekick mutt, Cruella is not allowed to buy furs, Jasper and Horace are scared of her, her car is still broken down from what happened in the first movie, Pongo has a bad habit of loosing count of the dalmations... it's hard to write down in one review every piece I like about this movie. |Region 1 |Movies |1.66 : 1 |Movies |2-1|||||@@
Man Apart, A|John Singleton|Action|Rated PG-13 for street racing, violence, language and some sensuality. |5.2|USA|2003|110 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Michael Fottrell Lee R. Mayes Neal H. Moritz|Gary Scott Thompson Michael Brandt Derek Haas Gary Scott Thompson Michael Brandt Derek Haas|Matthew F. Leonetti | |Universal Pictures [us] |When they took his love... they took his life. On April 4th. he's taking it back.|Paul Walker returns as former cop Brian O'Conner who teams up with his ex-con pal Roman Pearce (Tyrese) to transport a shipment of 'dirty' money for shady Miami-based import-export dealer Carter Verone (Hauser), while actually working with undercover agent Monica Clemente (Mendes) to bring Verone down.
Paul Walker returns in this action filled sequel to 2001's The Fast and the Furious. Brian O'Conner (Walker) has left LA due to his illegal actions from the first movie and now soars the streets of Miami making money here and there by street racing. Watched by Customs Agent Monica Fuentes(Mendes), Brian is caught by the police and is given a deal by Agent Markham and Bilkins to go undercover and try to bring down drug lord Carter Verone (Hauser)in exchange for his criminal record to be erased. Brian agrees but only if he is given permission to choose his partner. Brian heads home to Barsto, Arizona where he recruits an old friend Roman Pearce (Tyrese)to help him. Pearce agrees but only for the same deal Brian was offered. With the help of Monica, Brian and Rome work together to take down Verone.
|Paul Walker (Brian O'Conner) @ Tyrese (Roman Pearce) @ Eva Mendes (Monica Fuentes) @ Cole Hauser (Carter Verone) @ Ludacris (Tej (as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges)) @ Thom Barry (Agent Bilkins) @ James Remar (Agent Markham) @ Devon Aoki (Suki) @ Amaury Nolasco (Orange Julius) @ Michael Ealy (Slap Jack) @ Jin Auyeung (Jimmy (as Jin)) @ Edward Finlay (Agent Dunn) @ Mark Boone Junior (Detective Whitworth) @ Matt Gallini (Enrique) @ Roberto 'Sanz' Sanchez (Roberto) @ Eric Etebari (Darden) @ John Cenatiempo (Korpi (as Johnny Cenatiempo)) @ Troy Brown (Paul Hackett) @ Corey Michael Eubanks (Max Campisi (as Corey Eubanks)) @ Sam Maloof (Joe Osborne) @ Troy Robinson (Feliz Vispone) @ Jose Perez (Jose) @ Sincerely A. Ward (Slap Jack's Girlfriend) @ Nievecita Dubuque (Suki's Girl) @ Tequilla Hill (Suki's Girl) @ Bettina Huffer (Suki's Girl) @ Phuong Tuyet Vo (Suki's Girl) @ Felecia Rafield (Detective) @ Mateo Herreros (Detective) @ Walter 'Duke' Foster (Detective) @ Zachary L. Mann (US Customs Lead Agent) @ Marc Macaulay (Agent) @ Cobette Harper (Agent) @ Limary Agosto (Waitress (as Limary L. Agosto)) @ Tony Bolano (Gardener) @ Tara Carroll (Seductress) @ Neal H. Moritz (Swerving Cop (as Neal Moritz)) @ Marianne M. Arreaga (Police Chopper Pilot) @ Tamara Jones (Customs TechnicianProduced by||My expecations were than meet
Out of all the sequels that are coming out in this summer I have to the one I was the most excited about was 2 Fast 2 Furious. Walking out of an advance screening this past Saturday nightamong the crowd I saw the film many of us were saying better than the first, they didn't Vin etc etc. John Singleton who for the record is a much better director than Rob Cohen has crafted a film that non race fans, fans of the first and those in in the mood for a good time can all enjoy. The film starts with an nice litte race between four characters in the movie and we then have our plot set up. Brian (Paul Walker) is promised a clean record if he helps the Feds bring down Carter Verone (Cole Hauser). Brian agress only if his old friend Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibosn) can help him. What then follows is full of eye candy in the form of cars , beautiful women and action sequences. A lot of people don't want to see this moive because it lacks the Diesel but who cares he's gone there isn't one mention of Domonic Toretto or anyone from the first film for that matter. This is Brian's story but once again his costar and sidekick Tyrese steals this movie from him. Ludacris also does a great job in his first big movie and has more than five mintues of screen time unlike Ja Rule in the first film. All in all a fun film that truly is what summer movie are about having fun. Leave your ambitions and doubts at the door and just go in and have fun with this one I can't wait to see it again on opening night. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |2-35|||||@@
Full Cast and Crew for 2001: A Space Odyssey|Stanley Kubrick|Sci-Fi|G |8.3|Canada|2001|139 min/ USA:156 min (premiere cut)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stanley Kubrick Victor Lyndon|Arthur C. Clarke Stanley Kubrick Arthur C. Clarke|Geoffrey Unsworth | |Criterion Collection [us] |An epic drama of adventure and exploration|This movie is concerned with intelligence as the division between animal and human, then asks a question; what is the next division? Technology is treated as irrelevant to the quest - literally serving as mere vehicles for the human crew, and as a shell for the immature HAL entity. Story told as a montage of impressions, music and impressive and careful attention to subliminal detail. A very influential film and still a class act, even after 25 years.
The monoliths have been watching us. They gave us the "evolutionary kick in the pants" we needed to survive at the Dawn of Time. In 1999, we discovered a second monolith on the moon. Now, in the year 2001, the S.S. Discovery and its crew, Captains Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, and their onboard computer, HAL-9000, must discover what alien force is watching us...
Moon explorers encounter a monolith that points them to a destination near Jupiter. In flashback, we see another size of the monolith playing a key role in human evolution, i.e., we learn how to kill. An expedition is launched to investigate the Jupiter possibility. Two young astronauts and a bunch in suspended animation spend months in space, passing their time partly in communicating with the human-like brain of their ship's computer, HAL. HAL malfunctions and causes the death of all the suspended animation passengers as well as one of the "awake" astronauts; the other one barely survives and figures out how to disable HAL. He arrives alone at the Jupiter destination and undergoes a series of cinematographically confusing experiences that amount to his final appearance on the screen as a giant fetus.
This movie is concerned with intelligence as the division between animal and human, then asks a question; what is the next division? Technology is treated as irrelevant to the quest - literally serving as mere vehicles for the human crew, and as a shell for the immature HAL entity. Story told as a montage of impressions, music and impressive and careful attention to subliminal detail. A very influential film and still a class act, even after 25 years.
The monoliths have been watching us. They gave us the "evolutionary kick in the pants" we needed to survive at the Dawn of Time. In 1999, we discovered a second monolith on the moon. Now, in the year 2001, the S.S. Discovery and its crew, Captains Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, and their onboard computer, HAL-9000, must discover what alien force is watching us...
Moon explorers encounter a monolith that points them to a destination near Jupiter. In flashback, we see another size of the monolith playing a key role in human evolution, i.e., we learn how to kill. An expedition is launched to investigate the Jupiter possibility. Two young astronauts and a bunch in suspended animation spend months in space, passing their time partly in communicating with the human-like brain of their ship's computer, HAL. HAL malfunctions and causes the death of all the suspended animation passengers as well as one of the "awake" astronauts; the other one barely survives and figures out how to disable HAL. He arrives alone at the Jupiter destination and undergoes a series of cinematographically confusing experiences that amount to his final appearance on the screen as a giant fetus.
|Keir Dullea (Dave Bowman) @ Gary Lockwood (Dr. Frank Poole) @ William Sylvester (Dr. Heywood R. Floyd) @ Daniel Richter (Moonwatcher) @ Leonard Rossiter (Dr. Andrei Smyslov) @ Margaret Tyzack (Elena) @ Robert Beatty (Dr. Halvorsen) @ Sean Sullivan (Dr. Michaels) @ Douglas Rain (HAL 9000 (voice)) @ Frank Miller (Mission controller (voice)) @ Bill Weston (Astronaut) @ Ed Bishop (Aries 1B Lunar shuttle captain (as Edward Bishop)) @ Glenn Beck (Astronaut) @ Alan Gifford (Poole's father) @ Ann Gillis (Poole's mother) @ Edwina Carroll (Stewardess) @ Penny Brahms (Stewardess) @ Heather Downham (Stewardess) @ John Ashley (Ape) @ Jimmy Bell (Ape) @ David Charkham (Ape) @ Simon Davis (Ape) @ Jonathan Daw (Ape) @ Péter Delmár (Ape) @ Terry Duggan (Ape) @ David Fleetwood (Ape) @ Danny Grover (Ape) @ Brian Hawley (Ape) @ David Hines (Ape) @ Tony Jackson (Ape) @ Mike Lovell (Ape) @ Scott MacKee (Ape) @ Laurence Marchant (Ape) @ Darryl Paes (Ape) @ Joe Refalo (Ape) @ Andy Wallace (Ape) @ Bob Wilyman (Ape) @ Richard Wood (Ape that gets killed rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Martin Amor (Interviewer (uncredited)) @ Sheraton Blount ( (uncredited)) @ Ann Bormann ( (uncredited)) @ John Clifford (TMA-1 site technician #2 (uncredited)) @ Julie Croft ( (uncredited)) @ Penny Francis ( (uncredited)) @ Jane Hayward ( (uncredited)) @ John Jordan ( (uncredited)) @ Kenneth Kendall (BBC-12 announcer (uncredited)) @ Vivian Kubrick (Squirt (Floyd's daughter) (uncredited)) @ Marcella Markham ( (uncredited)) @ Krystyna Marr (Russian scientist (uncredited)) @ Kim Neil ( (uncredited)) @ Jane Pearl ( (uncredited)) @ Penny Pearl ( (uncredited)) @ Kevin Scott (Miller (uncredited)) @ John Swindells (TMA-1 site technician #1 (uncredited)) @ Burnell Tucker (TMA-1 site photographer (uncredited)Produced by||Stands up to the test of time extremely well... though the channel "BBC 12" proved to be optimistic...
Strangely enough, I saw this film again the day after I first saw Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.One of the films is clearly superior, with outstanding direction, sound, visuals, music, plot, scripting, design and execution. And it's obviously The Phantom Menace, isn't it?
Seriously, though, 2001 is a real slap in the face for George Lucas, a film that has all it's effects constantly on show, but never to the effect that they seem ostentatious. Lucas, on the other hand, uses Phantom Menace to throw everything he's got at the camera, a mind-numbing tedium of sfx, rather like a six-year-old throwing a tantrum at jelly and ice-cream party.
2001 in comparison is elegant and sophisticated, taking it's time, showing it's effects in all their glory to an exquisite classical symphony. Beneath the visuals, which are absolutely stunning for 1968, produced on a tenth of Phantom Menace's cartoon budget, is an intricate plot. Rather surprisingly, Kubrick creates a wholly believable space backdrop, yet the men in monkey suits at the prologue look exactly like... men in monkey suits. Yet this exists as a perfect introduction, just as the psychedelia acts as a perfect coda. In the middle is the most successful element, Hal, a voice that can conjure both stolid calm and malevolence in the same monotone.
2001 is probably the most important science fiction film, taking the genre into the realms of art. And while I must apologise for reviewing The Phantom Menace almost as much as the film in question, this does serve as a very important film-watching guide: watching a terrible film before a good one enhances appreciation of the better work. |Region 1 | |2.20 : 1 |5.1 |1-32|||||@@
Man Apart, A|F. Gary Gray|Action|Rated R for strong graphic violence, language, drug content and sexuality. |5.2|USA|2003|110 min|English||||||||||False||||||||27/08/2003|Michael De Luca Robert John Degus Vin Diesel Meredyth Frattolillo F. Gary Gray Nancy Lanham Michael Nelson Vincent Newman Joey Nittolo Claire Rudnick Polstein Tucker Tooley George Zakk|Christian Gudegast Paul Scheuring|Jack N. Green ||Cinergia Ltd. [ua] |When they took his love... they took his life. On April 4th. he's taking it back.|Sean Vetter and Demetrius Hicks are members of the DEA who are fighting an ongoing drug war on the California/Mexico border, they are most successful at it because of their edge of growing up on the street and being thugs converted to cops. The DEA busts one of the major players by the name of "Memo" Lucero and imprison him in the United States but then a major player named Diablo then takes over the business and now he is now the major player targeted by Vetter and his team. But when Vetter's wife is killed in a botched hit organized by Diablo, he seeks revenge against those responsible and in the process has to seek help from the imprisoned Lucero in order to catch Diablo. But in the process, Vetter and Hicks have to fight their way up the chain to get to Diablo but it's easier said than done when all Vetter can focus on is revenge...
|Alice Amter (Marta) @ Jim Boeke (Bad Cop) @ Ken Davitian (Ramon Cadena) @ Vin Diesel (Sean Vetter) @ Steve Eastin (Ty Frost) @ Juan Fernández (Mateo Santos) @ Robert Fraade (Counsel) @ Richard Gross (Old Agent) @ Richard Haje (Lucero's Bodyguard) @ Terry Hoyos (Lucero's Wife (as Terri Hoyos)) @ Jeff Kober (Pomona Joe) @ Thomas Kopache (Chief Neal) @ Julia Lee (Spa Receptionist) @ Atiana Coons-Parker (Rachel Hicks) @ F. Valentino Morales (GT Commando) @ Mike Moroff (Gustavo Leon) @ Aleane Fitz-Carter (Old lady) @ Jacqueline Obradors (Stacy Vetter) @ Timothy Olyphant (Hollywood Jack) @ Zachary John Gonzales (Lucero's son) @ Emilio Rivera (Garza) @ Joe Rodriguez (Mexican Bureaucrat (as Joe Xavier Rodriguez)) @ Marco Rodriguez (Hondo) @ Mik Scriba (Prison Guard) @ George Sharperson (Big Sexy) @ Geno Silva (Memo Lucero) @ Scott Reitz (DEA agent) @ Karin 'Yizette' Stephens (Candice Hicks) @ Rachel Sterling (Assia) @ Malieek Straughter (Overdose) @ Larenz Tate (Demetrius Hicks) @ Rubelio Bracamonte (Santos Henchman) @ Ben Bray (Assassin) @ Toby Holguin (Assassin) @ Norm Compton (Bat) @ Esteban Cueto (Federale) @ April Flowers (Stripper (as Diana Espen)) @ Paula Harrison (Dancer) @ Dawnn Alane (Nightclub Worker) @ Lamont Tyler (Tow truck driver) @ Dawn Alane (Nightclub worker) @ Elizabeth Alvarez (Nightclub Worker) @ Roslyn Bezanilla (Nightclub worker) @ Charlie Curtis (Nightclub Worker) @ Azalea Davila (Nightclub Worker) @ Kristin Eckert (Nightclub worker) @ Sonia Enriquez (Nightclub worker) @ Cristina LaMonica (Nightclub Worker) @ Christina LaMonica (Nightclub worker) @ Laura Salem (Nightclub Worker rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Alan Austin (Pilot (uncredited)) @ Brooke Lewis (Body Shot Girl (uncredited)) @ Meriah Nelson (Sexy Girl (uncredited)) @ Carmen Perez (Lucero Girl (uncredited)) @ Santiago Verdu (Diablo's Partner (uncredited)Produced by||This movie is the making of Vin Diesel as a serious action star
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
The action genre,at the moment,is lacking in a lot of departments.Decent scripts,good dialogue,and youngblood.With supremos Stallone and Schwarzenegger now in their 50s and the likes of Van Damme and Lundgren in their early 40s,a new,younger tall,muscle bound star was needed to fill the void and fill in the woodwork.Diesel is personified with these characteristics,with the appropriate wooden drawl to go with it (though as this film proves,the man is a fine actor too),and hence stood out as the perfect individual to fulfil this task.
Unfortunately,his early scripts were a hodgepodge of bland,empty dross such as xXx and Pitch Black.This left the discerning action movie goer worried,in this day and age,he might never wow as much as he might have had he been around in say,the early 90s or late 80s.
But with A Man Apart,he blissfully casts aside such worries,for this is a taut,fully engaging actioner,with a thumping good soundtrack.A riveting opening sequence is a great teaser for what's to come.F Gary Gray,director of the Kevin Spacey/Samuel L Jackson thriller The Negotiator,rolls proceedings along nicely,with some neat,visually impressive action sequences to go with the surprisingly intricate plot.He also makes the wise decision to give his leading man Diesel some engaging dialogue to work with as well as giving him loads of opportunites to flex his muscles and act tough.Sure,there are a few cliches and the plot does become a little far fetched towards the end,but all in all,this is probably the film of Diesel's I've most enjoyed and I'm sure will finally cement him in the premier league of A list Hollywood action stars.*** |Region 1 | |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-1|||||@@
Aladdin|Ron Clements John Muske|Animation|NR |7.5|USA|1992|90 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ron Clements Donald W. Ernst John Musker Amy Pell|Roger Allers Ron Clements Ted Elliott (I) John Musker Terry Rossio|||Buena Vista Pictures [us] |Imagine if you had three wishes, three hopes, three dreams and they all could come true.|Aladdin is a street-urchin who lives in a large and busy town long ago with his faithful monkey friend Abu. When Princess Jasmine gets tired of being forced to remain in the palace that overlooks the city, she sneaks out to the marketplace, where she accidentally meets Aladdin. Under the orders of the evil Jafar (the sultan's advisor), Aladdin is thrown in jail and becomes caught up in Jafar's plot to rule the land with the aid of a mysterious lamp. Legend has it that only a person who is a "diamond in the rough" can retrieve the lamp from the Cave of Wonders. Aladdin might fight that description, but that's not enough to marry the princess, who must (by law) marry a prince.
|Scott Weinger (Aladdin 'Al' / Prince Ali Ababwa (speaking) (voice)) @ Robin Williams (The Blue Genie of the Lamp (voice)) @ Linda Larkin (Princess Jasmine (speaking) (voice)) @ Jonathan Freeman (I) (Grand Vizier Jafar (voice)) @ Frank Welker (Abu the Monkey (voice)) @ Gilbert Gottfried (Iago the Parrot (voice)) @ Douglas Seale (Sultan of Agrabah (voice)) @ Bruce Adler (Merchant/Narrator (voice)||The scenes without the Genie and Iago are the slow ones
After making me vote their animated version of "Beauty And The Beast" the previous year as "the worst film that I have ever seen", Walt Disney Pictures follows up on that flop with their animated version of "Aladdin." "Aladdin" was a little known fairy tale before the old mouse house popularized it. The story has to deal with the decisions that have to be reached by various characters. There's Aladdin, a young streetwise beggar who has to steal food from the marketplace in order to survive. There's Princess Jasmine who has to find herself a permanent suitor before her next birthday and there's Jafar, a wicked royal vizier who is obsessed with his ambitions to become sultan. These three characters eventually come together and it's not an entirely pretty sight. However, all of this is secondary when compared to the hilarious genie whom Aladdin and Jafar both fight for the ownership of and then there's Iago, Jafar's hilariously smart aleck parrot sidekick. These two characters are the highest points in what a basically just a minor improvement over "Beauty And The Beast." As for the rest of it, the songs and other supporting characters are a little weak. |Region All |Movies |1.75 : 1 |
Movies |1-26|||||@@
Ali G Indahouse|Mark Mylod|Comedy|Rated R for strong sexual content, pervasive crude humor, language and drug content. |5.8|UK|2002|88 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Sacha Baron Cohen Mairi Bett Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Peter Fincham William Green Dan Mazer Natascha Wharton|Sacha Baron Cohen Dan Mazer|Ashley Rowe ||Argentina Video Home (AVH) [ar] |Vote Ali G|Ali G unwittingly becomes a pawn in the evil Chancellor's plot to overthrow the Prime Minister of Great Britain. However, instead of bringing the Prime Minister down, Ali is embraced by the nation as the voice of youth and 'realness', making the Prime Minister and his government more popular than ever.
|Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G/Borat) @ Michael Gambon (Prime Minister) @ Charles Dance (David Carlton) @ Kellie Bright (Me Julie) @ Martin Freeman (Ricky C) @ Rhona Mitra (Kate Hedges) @ Barbara New (Nan) @ Emilio Rivera (Rico) @ Gina La Piana (Hoochie) @ Dana Pauley (Hoochie) @ Dominic Delesilva (Young boy) @ Jacqueline Castro (Mum (as Jackeline Castro)) @ Jesse Acosta (Gangster) @ Mário Aguilar (Gangster) @ Gary Baxley (Gangster) @ Carlos Ayala (Gangster) @ John Estrada (Gangster) @ David Follosco (Gangster) @ Gerald Gonzales (Gangster) @ Manuel Jiménez (Gangster) @ Robert Jimenez (Gangster) @ George Lopez (Gangster) @ Manny Perez (Gangster) @ Magdaleno Robles Jr. (Gangster) @ Danny Romo (Gangster) @ Jacob Salas (Gangster) @ Carlos Sánchez (Gangster) @ Emilano Torres (Gangster) @ Robert Zepeda (Gangster) @ Tony Way (Dave) @ Nabil Elouhabi (Jezzy F) @ Richard Syms (Caretaker) @ Ray Panthaki (Hassan B) @ Dean Batchelor (East Staines Massiv) @ Adam Deacon (East Staines Massiv) @ Roberto Viana (East Staines Massiv) @ Imran Akhtar (Cub scout) @ Jamie Boubazari (Cub scout) @ Charles Hawkins (Cub scout) @ George Keane (Cub scout) @ Alex Peters (Cub scout) @ Billy Stewart (Cub scout) @ Jack Thompson (Cub scout) @ Stephen Bent (John Nike leisure centre manager) @ Anna Keaveney (Secretary) @ Eileen Essel (Mrs. Hugh) @ Janet Mitchell (Tracey) @ Naomi Campbell (Herself) @ John Scott Martin (Mr. Johnson) @ Jonathan Aris (Reporter) @ Stewart Wright (Film cameraman) @ Paul Clayton (Alan Swain) @ Frank Dunne (Blind polisher) @ Diana Van Proosdy (Headteacher) @ Michael Cowan (Man in house) @ Carolyn Pickles (Headmistress) @ Astley Skutcher (Jonathan) @ David Henry (The Mayor of Staines) @ Maggie Ellis (Mayor's wife) @ Joe Geary (Floor manager) @ Geoffrey Kirkness (Presenter) @ John Warnaby (David Griffiths) @ Andy Bell (Anchorman) @ Roger Brierley (Town Hall Official) @ Ivor Mazer (Thomas Alvarez) @ Elaine Mazer (Mrs. Alvarez) @ Craig Crosbie (Leader of the Opposition) @ Jeffrey Wickham (Speaker) @ Graham McTavish (Police Officer, Customs) @ Maggie McCarthy (Karen) @ Lloyd McGuire (John) @ Edward Highmore (Cabinet M.P.) @ Martin Ball (Customs official) @ Steffan Rhodri (Welsh teacher) @ Stephen Boswell (Queen's Footman) @ Jeanette Vane (The Queen) @ John Humphries (Himself) @ Jon Snow (Himself) @ Daphne Cheung (President Wattana) @ Olegar Fedoro (Russian Delegate) @ Peter Law (Mongolian delegate) @ Colin Stinton (US delegate) @ Rudolph Walker (President Mwepu) @ John Adewole (President Oompeba) @ Julian Sua (Chinese delegate) @ Stefan Kalipha (Iranian delegate) @ Bruce Jamieson (Journalist) @ Mark Theodore (Journalist) @ Marianne Levy (Journalist) @ Martin Wimbush (MP) @ Jasper Jacob (MP) @ Richard Madeley (Himself) @ Judy Finnigan (Herself) @ Matthew Green (Englefield Green Massiv) @ James Allen (Guard) @ Carl McCrystal (Guard) @ Jamie Glassman (Dr. J.) @ Matt Wilkinson (Police officer) @ Adrian Hylton (Foreman) @ Andrew Dunn (Police officer) @ Ione Brown (Butler) @ Daniela Lavender (Maid) @ Judith Shekoni (Jacuzzi girl (as Judi Shekoni) rest of cast listed alphabetically Capri Ashby .... Nina (Julie's Best Friend)) @ Juan Luis Cano (Ricky C (Spanish version) (voice)) @ Guillermo Fesser (Ali G/Borat (Spanish version) (voice)) @ Matt Green (Englefield Green Massiv) @ Isabelle Pasco (Suzy) @ Denise Worme (Bongo Drum Girl no. 3 (uncredited)Produced by||One of the worst movies ever
And I've seen plenty of bad ones over the years. The feature version of the British TV show/character is a common idea. From "On The Buses" to "The Parole Officer" and many many others. Most contain uninspired and x-rated versions of their small screen counterparts. The only recent example that worked was "Bean".
Ali G get elected to parliament! There he reinvents British politics and foils a corrupt politician's attempts to take power.
What a waste of celluloid. Featuring staggeringly unfully scenes. This movie should have had background music on the soundtrack to block out the sighs and groans from the audience. I haven't seen such unfunny junk in years. Even Roy Chubby Brown's "UFO" seems inspiring compared with this.
Watch Ali G play with/expose/ridicule himself, fart, fantasise about women, talk trash and make all intelligent men groan with disbelief. If he had even spent one minute ridiculing something other than himself then I might be able to mention something good about "AGIDH".
Don't waste your time or money with this rubbish. You've been warned.
|Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |
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Almost Famous|Cameron Crowe|Romance|Rated R for language, drug content and brief nudity. |8.0|USA|2000|122 min/ USA:162 min (director's cut)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ian Bryce Cameron Crowe Marty P. Ewing Scott M. Martin Steven P. Saeta Lisa Stewart (I) Jerry Ziesmer|Cameron Crowe |John Toll |||Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it.|William Miller is a 15 year old kid, hired by Rolling Stone magazine to tour with, and write about Stillwater, an up and coming rock band. This wonderfully witty coming of age film follows William as he falls face first to confront life, love, and lingo.
A 15 year old boy (Patrick Fugit) gets an opportunity to travel with a rock band, Stillwater (a fictional band not the actual band of the same name that was around in the late 70's) on a 1973 tour. As a younger boy, his sister (Zooey Deschanel) and his widowed mother (Frances McDormand) had fought about the mother's control over the family and her denial of rock music. The sister leaves home and leaves the young boy her record collection, which immediately seizes his attention. As a teen, he makes record reviews for an underground newspaper. He submits those to Creem magazine writer Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and gets his attention. The two become fast friends and Bangs acts as his mentor as Rolling Stone magazine comes calling. Slipping into an inner group connected with Stillwater, Rolling Stone agrees to bankroll him on a trip with the group. There he meets the "Band Aids", a group of girls that refuse to be called groupies because they are dedicated only to specific bands. "Penny Lane" (Kate Hudson), the Band Aid's leader is enamored with the group leader (Billy Crudup), but befriends the teen. He responds with complete infatuation with her, but he is equally enamored with the charismatic guitarist. While accepted by the band (other members are Jason Lee, John Fedevich and Mark Kozeleck), they nonetheless refer to him as "the enemy - a rock critic". This story is loosely based on writer-director Cameron Crowe's own teen rock critic adventures. Peter Frampton also acted as consultant on the film.
|Billy Crudup (Russell Hammond) @ Frances McDormand (Elaine Miller) @ Kate Hudson (Penny Lane) @ Patrick Fugit (William Miller) @ Jason Lee (I) (Jeff Bebe) @ Philip Seymour Hoffman (Lester Bangs) @ Fairuza Balk (Saphire Loveson) @ Noah Taylor (Dick Roswell||Almost pretty good.
'Almost Famous' is a frustrating exercise. As a passionate music fan I applaud Cameron Crowe's attempt to put the emphasis back on the "rock'n'roll" rather than your usual "sex and drugs and", but in doing so he has tipped the scales too much the other way. By sugar-coating the decadence and debauchery of the 70s he has presented a fairy-tale, almost Disneyfied, false picture of an important and vital era. Even so there is enough good stuff going on here to overlook the movies obvious flaws, and have a reasonably entertaining time if you don't dig too deeply, and expect too much.
Speaking of flaws there are two obvious ones - Kate Hudson and Patrick Fugit. Hudson (who plays "band aid" Penny Lane)is being dished up to movie goers like she's the "it" girl of the new Millenium. After watching this, 'Desert Blue' and '200 Cigarettes', I fail to see why. She is plain, dull, and only of average acting abilities. Likewise newcomer Fugit, who plays Crowe's alter ego William Miller, is another charisma free zone. As these two play the main characters in 'Almost Famous' we're behind the eight ball from the start, but luckily there are some winners in the supporting cast - Coen brothers favourite France McDormand, and relative unknown Zooey Deschanel are strong as Miller's family. Philip Seymour Hoffman ('Boogie Nights') is sensational as rock legend Lester Bangs, and Billy Crudup ('Jesus Son') and Jason Lee (Kevin Smith regular) are both wonderful as members of the Free-esque rock band Stillwater.
So, if you can get over the Brady Bunch like groupies (who also include the talented Anna Paquin and Fairuza Balk), a few plot holes (the Rolling Stone scenes don't ring true at all), and the occasional slip into cliche, overall 'Almost Famous' is almost pretty good. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-31|||||@@
American Cousins|Don Coutts|Crime||7.5|UK|2003|89 min|English||XviD|2||XviD MPEG-4|933 |576x432|MPEG Layer 3|140 |False|48,000 Hz|2|1399.76 MB||||25.00|01/02/2004|Robert Bevan Peter Gallagher Keith Hayley Margaret Matheson Charlie Savill|Sergio Casci |Jerry Kelly ||Bard Entertainments Ltd. [gb] ||Two American mafiosi, Gino and Settimo, take refuge in the Glasgow cafe owned by their Scottish/Italian cousin. But cousin Roberto isn't the tough guy they'd expected. His strengths are fish frying and stamp collecting, and he thinks Magnum 45s are a type of ice cream. Gino and Settimo try to repay Roberto's hospitality by chasing off a debt collector who wants his property, but their strong arm tactics alarm him and he realises they aren't the PR consultants they claimed to be
|Olegar Fedoro (Taras) @ Stephen Graham (Henry) @ Dan Hedaya (Settimo) @ Shirley Henderson (Alice) @ John Henshaw (Nigel) @ Russell Hunter (Nonno) @ Gerald Lepkowski (Roberto) @ George McNeilage (Andriy) @ Alan McQueen (Ostap) @ Danny Nucci (Gino) @ Vincent Pastore (Tony) @ Robina Quereshi (Doctor) @ Stevan Rimkus (Jo JoProduced by||Good things going for it.
Occasionally, a movie made overseas for domestic filmgoers is worthy of seeking a wider audience and this gem from Britain, screened at the 2003 American Film Market, is one of them. It has a lot of good stuff going for it.
Two American Mafioso types flee to Scotland when a deal in Kiev goes wrong. In Glasgow, they hide out with Bobbie, a cousin, who operates an ice cream parlor and fish-and-chip shop. Complications arise when a couple of inept Liverpool thugs, contracted by the Russian Mob, turn up to hunt down the visitors. As if this wasn't enough, loansharks are after Bobbie to collect on a loan.
All in all, a pleasant minor comedy which I liked a lot, mainly for its good intentions and above standard acting. Danny Nucci delivers a sympathetic performance as Bobbie augmented by Scottish-born Shirley Henderson, who plays Alice his wife.. She is an actress who first came to my attention with a brilliant performance as Marie Melmonte in the PBS tv miniseries "The Way We Live Now."
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American Wedding|Jesse Dylan|Comedy|Rated R for sexual content, language and crude humor. |6.6|USA|2003|96 min|English||||||||||False||||||||15/12/2003|Chris Bender Louis G. Friedman Adam Herz Chris Moore Craig Perry Josh Shader Chris Weitz Paul Weitz Warren Zide|Adam Herz Adam Herz|Lloyd Ahern II ||Universal Pictures [us] |This time they're going all the way.|äçáåøä ñééîä ÷åìâ' åðôâùú ùåá ëãé ì÷çú öòã ðåñó áòåìí äîáåâøéí, â'éí òåîã ëòú áôðé çúåðä âãåìä, ëàùø àöì ëì äùàø ääåøîåðéí òãééï îîùéëéí ìäùúåìì.
â'éí (â'ééñåï áéâñ) åîéùì (àìéñåï äàðéâï), äãîåéåú äàäåáåú î"àîøé÷ï ôàé" å"àîøé÷ï ôàé "2, ñåó ñåó òåùéí àú æä åòåîãéí ìäúçúï.
òëùéå, ëùäéîéí äòìéæéí ùì äúéëåï åä÷åìâ' åëì îä ùáéðéäí äí ðçìú äòáø, äçáøéí åäîùôçä ùì äæåâ äöòéø îúâééñéí ìöãí áãøëí ìè÷ñ äðéùåàéï.
îéùì øåöä ùäçúåðä úäéä îåùìîú, îùéîä ëìì ìà ôùåèä àôéìå ùëåìí îàåã îùúãìéí ìäúðäâ ëîå ùöøéê.
ääåøîåðéí îúçéìéí ìäùúåìì ëùàçåúä ùì îéùì, ÷ééãðñ (â'ðéåàøé â'åðñ), îâéòä ëãé ìòæåø áäëðåú åìäúëåðï ìúô÷éãä ëùåùáéðä.
áøâò ùäéà ðìëãú áîáèí ùì ñèéôìø (ùåï ååéìéàí ñ÷åè) åôéðõ' (àãé ÷éé) îúçéìä îìçîú äçéæåø.
ëì äçå÷éí ðùàøéí îçåõ ìãìú åñèéôìø îôòéì àú ä÷ñí äàéùé ùìå ëãé ìúôåñ àú äáééá äúåøðéú.... àáì øâò... ñèéôìø? ÷ñí àéùé?
áòåã â'éí îúåç åòöáðé áðéñéåï ìäøùéí àú ääåøéí ùì îéùì, äøåìã åîøé (ôøã ååéìàøã åãáåøä øàù), ñèéôìø ðåèù àú ãøëé äîú÷ôä äøâéìåú ùìå åäåôê ìäéåú äâáø ùëì àéùä çåìîú ùéäéä ìä, îä ùîùàéø ìôéðõ' àú úô÷éã äéìã äøò.
áéðúééí, ÷ééãðñ ð÷øòú áéï ñèéôìø, äâ'ðèìîï äîåùìí åôéðõ'. àê éù ãáøéí ùàéðí îùúðéí.
àáà ùì â'éí (éåâ'éï ìåé) òãééï îééòõ òöåú çëîåú ìáðå åìëìúå, àáì ëîå úîéã äåà ìà ëì ëê éåãò îäçééí ùìå åìôòîéí çåöä àú ä÷å äàãåí åîñô÷ éåúø îãé àéðôåøîöéä îéåúøú áðåâò ìå åìàùúå (îåìé ö'é÷).
äøáä öçå÷éí ëùñèéôìø åôéðõ' ðøúîéí ìçéôåù àçø ùîìú äëìä ùì îéùì, ùéòåøé øé÷åã, ëðñééä îìàä áôøçéí ðáåìéí, îñéáú øåå÷éí áñâðåï "àîøé÷ï ôàé" ùìà úäéä ùìîä áìé äçúéëåú äòøåîåú åùåí ñöéðä ùì "àîøé÷ï ôàé" òí áçåøåú òøåîåú ìà úäéä ùìîä áìé ùîùäå éùúáù áàåôï ÷éöåðé òáåø äáçåøéí.
â'éí îéùì åëì äçáøéí çåæøéí åáâãåì, ÷öú éåúø áåâøéí, öòã àçã ìôðé äòåìí äàîéúé àáì ëîå úîéã äí ìà éçñëå îîëí ùèé÷éí åäúçëîåéåú.
àåìôðé éåðéáøñì îàçãéí áôòí äùìéùéú àú öååú äùç÷ðéí äî÷åøé ùì ñãøú ñøèé "àîøé÷ï ôàé" áè÷ñ îòáø ðåñó áçééäí.
"àîøé÷ï ôàé: äçúåðä" äåà äñøè äùìéùé áñãøú ñøèé "àîøé÷ï ôàé" ùîôìñ àú ãøëå îæ'àðø ÷åîãééú äðòåøéí ìæ'àðø ÷åîãéåú äçúåðåú. |Jason Biggs (Jim Levinstein) @ Seann William Scott (Steve Stifler) @ Alyson Hannigan (Michelle Flaherty) @ Eddie Kaye Thomas (Paul Finch) @ Thomas Ian Nicholas (Kevin Myers) @ January Jones (Cadence Flaherty) @ Eugene Levy (Jim's Dad) @ Molly Cheek (Jim's Mom) @ Deborah Rush (Mary Flaherty) @ Fred Willard (Harold Flaherty) @ Angela Paton (Grandma) @ Eric Allan Kramer (Bear (as Eric Allen Kramer)) @ Amanda Swisten (Fraulein Brandi) @ Nikki Schieler Ziering (Officer Krystal) @ Lawrence Pressman (Head Coach) @ Antoinette Spolar (Cultured Saleswoman (as Antoinette Levine)) @ Alexis Thorpe (Jennifer) @ Reynaldo Gallegos (Leslie Summers (as Reynaldo A. Gallegos)) @ Kate Hendrickson (Florist) @ Rob Nagle (Floral Assistant) @ Corinne Reilly (Caterer (as Corinne Reilly-Elfont)) @ Loren Lester (Celebrant) @ Justin Isfeld (Justin) @ John Cho (John) @ James Reese (Concierge) @ Michael Coleman (Maitre'd (as Michael Garrity Coleman)) @ Patrick Gallo (Dress Salesman) @ Golde Starger (Elderly Woman in Restaurant) @ Max Goudsmit (Football Guy at Altar) @ Logan Bartholomew (Football Guy) @ Neal Flaherty (Football Team Captain) @ Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler's Mom) @ Julie Payne (Mrs. Zyskowski) @ Peter Reinert (Bartender) @ Peter Gaddis (Football Celebrant) @ Chris Bender (Scared Guy in Bathroom) @ Tony Gatto (Elderly Man With Walker) @ Willam Belli (Butch Queen) @ Ryan Rubin (Gay Male) @ Brad Hammer (Gay Male) @ Frank Roessler (Gay Bar BackProduced by||The pie has been changed to cake, but the film is still as sweet a concoction...
The time has come for college sweethearts Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan, wasted here) to get engaged, prompting elation from Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy, as perfect in the role as an actor can get), and his friends Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas, in basically a cameo). As the wedding plans get underway, the last person they want on the invite list is notorious troublemaker, Steven Stiffler (Seann William Scott). However, when his services are needed, Jim reluctantly invites him in on the wedding, which opens the doors for Stiffler to compete heavily for the best man's position, win the heart of Michelle's sister, Cadence (January Jones, `Anger Management'), and try to keep himself out of trouble long enough for the wedding to go off without a hitch.
`American Wedding' is a sweet way to end this winner of the `lucky bastard' sweepstakes of unlikely trilogies. Franchise screenwriter Adam Herz has come back to place the capper on his unexpected 1999 hit `American Pie,' and if you liked that mix of lowball gross-out humor and adolescent pathos, then `Wedding' will fit in perfectly. While Herz has been vocal in his displeasure with 2001's `American Pie 2,' I enjoyed the monster-hit sequel even more then the original, which I found emotionally fraudulent and comedically insipid. Herz and the `Pie' movies have always been strongest when going after laughs, and `Wedding' is a breezy affair that acts more as a clip reel of funny moments from the other `Pie' films than a true continuation. Half the cast has been jettisoned (goodbye Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, Shannon Elizabeth, Natasha Lyonne, and Chris Owen), and this newfound focus does wonders for the story and the small percentage of characters left, but destroys the sense of a trilogy Herz wants to close with. The film opens with Jim and Michelle's happiness, but ends with Stiffler as the main character and central dramatic thrust. In `Wedding,' Herz doesn't know who to focus on, which leaves Hannigan and Biggs in some pretty thankless roles, but opens up the screen time for the invaluable Levy and the force of nature known as Seann William Scott.
`American Pie's' cornerstones have been the gigantic gross-out gags; ranging from Stiffler's lethal beer-and-semen cocktail in `Pie 1,' to Jim's hand-to-penis superglue incident in `Pie 2.' Herz seems all too aware of the pressure on him to deliver the ick, and his desire to up the ante in `Wedding' doesn't pan out. Easy jokes involving Stiffer and Jim's grandmother in a broom closet, together with a pubic hair mishap which includes Jim and a nearby house vent, meet with indifference. These attempts at over-the-top humor feed far too directly into what audiences are expecting, and bring the good natured `Wedding' down a few notches out of desperation. `Pie 2' and `Wedding' are hilarious in the details: when Jim's Dad is overcome with a loving glow when Michelle comes to him for advice, or Stiffler's entrance into the picture, which includes him driving a school bus in a very Stiffler way. I wanted more of the subtle charms that `Wedding' includes from time to time, amid the bare-breasted strippers and gay club dance-offs. Herz is in love with these characters, and it shows, but his attempt to merge every quality that worked in the initial two outings is bungled just a bit, leaving a slight bitter aftertaste to the `Wedding' cake.
While many characters and situations are altered in `American Wedding,' the largest change to the series comes in the form of Steven Stiffler. Performed by Seann William Scott, the Stiffler in `Wedding' is a complete change of character than the one found in the previous two installments. It's as if Scott cornered a production assistant right before shooting began and forced the PA to explain to him how Stiffler acted in the other films because he forgot. Sure, the `Stiffmeister' in `Wedding' is still the arrogant, potty-mouthed jerk who seems to get off on his own reprehensibility, but Scott's portrayal of the character here reaches daring cartoon heights of spastic wonders. Stiffler looks like he has a car battery hooked up to his privates by the way he limberly struts around the frame, screaming in people's faces and running through his library of put-downs, sexual innuendos, and general debauchery. This doesn't match the performances that have come before, but creates a new, almost animated version of Stiffler for the world to enjoy. Scott saved the last two films with his hilariously goofball acting style and utter dedication to his character's lack of character, and he comes through like a champ in `Wedding,' even when Herz misguidedly pushes Stiffler to the center square for this sequel. And for fans of Stiffler's continual humiliation, there's a special treat in store that trumps all other gross outs.
Let's just say Divine and John Waters would be proud. ----- 7/10
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Angel Eyes|Luis Mandoki|Drama|Rated R for language, violence and a scene of sexuality. |5.7|USA|2001|102 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jellybean Benítez Bruce Berman (I) Mark Canton Neil Canton Don Carmody James A. Holt Dawn Miller Elie Samaha Andrew Stevens Leslie Weisberg Benjamin Sacks|Gerald Di Pego |Piotr Sobocinski |||The Deeper You Look. The More You Will Find.|While pursuing a suspect one night, Chicago Police officer Sharon Pogue (Jennifer Lopez) nearly becomes the victim of a fatal ambush until a mysterious stranger, Catch (Jim Caviezel) intervenes, disarms the assassin and saves Sharon's life. Is it a stroke of luck? A twist of fate? Or just a concerned citizen who happened to pass by at the right time and wasn't afraid to get involved? Maybe, But Sharon and Catch have met once before. As the two fall in love, they discover the truth about each other and are forced to deal with the secrets from their past.
Sharon Pogue (Lopez) is a Chicago police officer who ends up being in the worst of situations as she is looking right into the barrel of a loaded gun while pursing a drive-by suspect, as the trigger is about to go off, a mysterious man named "Catch" (Caviezel) rescues Sharon by disarming the suspect. As Sharon is dealing with demons from her past and forming a relationship with "Catch", she's also unaware that this isn't the first meeting between Sharon and "Catch".
|Jennifer Lopez (Sharon Pogue) @ James Caviezel (Catch (Steven Lambert) (as Jim Caviezel)) @ Jeremy Sisto (Larry Pogue, Sr) @ Terrence Dashon Howard (Robby) @ Sonia Braga (Josephine Pogue) @ Victor Argo (Carl Pogue) @ Monet Mazur (Kathy Pogue) @ Shirley Knight (Elanora Davis||Absorbing, human, and very good characters. *** (out of four)
ANGEL EYES / (2001) *** (out of four)
By Blake French:
Luis Mandoki's "Angel Eyes" begins as a melodramatic tragedy that feels as if it's missing something. Its centerpiece is a love story between an unlikely couple who save each other's lives under different circumstances. At first, the film plays with interesting ideas about fate, love, destiny, mystery, and the past, but does so with stunning blandness. The male lead, James Caviezel, plays Catch, a mysterious character with an absorbing, revealing past. But his inceptive existence switches back and forth between two negative impressions: Catch is either a balmy character, or Caviezel delivers a boring, uninteresting performance. To my pleasant surprise, however, by the time the movie reaches its emotionally effective climax, it proves these original perceptions to be wrong.
Jennifer Lopez stars as a tough Chicago cop named Sharon Pogue. She patrols the crime-ridden South Side of Chicago with her police buddies, including her partner and friend Robby (Terrence Dashon Howard). In the same neighborhood lives Catch-who sleeps in an empty apartment and delivers goodwill to many around him. He wanders around the area as if he is in some kind of existential daze, thus some believe him to be a lunatic, but for most, he appears to be a peculiar but harmless figure.
Both of these characters have undergone deep emotional struggles. The vast majority of the conflict in "Angel Eyes" lies inside the characters. I do not want to give away any of the movie. Therefore, I must be terse in my explanation. Experiencing violence early in her childhood, Sharon has taken a stand against her father's abusive ways and is still paying the price; her entire family disowned her. However, her parents have invited Sharon to an upcoming marriage celebration. Should she attend, forcing her to come to terms with inner demons and face her father for the first time in years?
"Angel Eyes" provides no easy answers for its characters. Sharon's private and public lives are well developed and intriguing. The film gives her a lot of dimension-I especially like her family related aspects. I will not reveal any more information about Catch; based on the advertisements, his different people will have different expectations of his identity. By explaining anymore about him, I risk giving away a large portion of the movie. Although the film does not contain startling identity twists or surprising ninety degree turns, it is very deliberate about what information is revealed at what time-thus the lack of information in the beginning. "Angel Eyes" deserves to reveal itself on a full scale, rather than me giving its plot away right here and now.
Luis Mandoki has a certain knack with directing love stories that disclose their plot at the perfect moment. In 1999, his film "Message in a Bottle" examined another troubled soul coming to terms with his future. He does the same kind of thing with "Angel Eyes." "He's keeping a lid on his demons as Sharon does with hers, explains Mandoki about the character's behaviors. "It's only when they fall in love and then risk losing that love that they are forced to examine who they really are, present and past."
Screenwriter Gerald DiPego creates character's who connect with the audience. The story is about "the conflict between isolation and connection," says DiPego. "We become isolated because we're afraid of opening up to each other, especially these days. On the other hand, there's a longing inside of us to connect. I think our salvation lies in keeping connected."
As "Angel Eyes" concludes, each of the two character's has come to terms with their troubles and past. What they discover, I will leave up to you to find out. This is an uncommonly absorbing picture because we believe these characters live in our world, not in face their most private and deepest fears, and, although nothing is truly solved by the end of the movie, for Sharon and Catch, for better or worse, their problems become a different, more fulfilling internal battle. some movie fantasy. So often movies end with a fluffy, soft attitude for their characters-but not in "Angel Eyes."
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Anger Management|Peter Segal|Comedy|Rated PG-13 on appeal for crude sexual content and language. |6.0|USA|2003|USA:106 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Barry Bernardi Allegra Clegg Allen Covert Derek Dauchy Michael Ewing Todd Garner Jack Giarraputo Tim Herlihy John L. Jacobs Adam Sandler|David Dorfman (II) |Donald McAlpine |||Feel the Love|After a misunderstanding aboard an airplane that escalates out of control, the mild-mannered Dave Buznik is ordered by Judge Daniels to attend anger management sessions run by Doctor Buddy Rydell, which are filled with highly eccentric and volatile men and women. Buddy's unorthodox approach to therapy is confrontational and abrasive and Dave is bewildered by it. Then, after yet another mishap, Judge Daniels orders Dave to step up his therapy or wind up in jail. So, Buddy moves in with Dave to help him battle his inner demons. Buddy himself has no inner demons since he acts out at every opportunity and that includes making lewd comments about Dave's girlfriend Linda and goading Dave into confronting every slight, past or present, head-on. But Buddy finally goes too far and Dave must decide whether to crawl back into his shell or stand up for himself. Could it be that Buddy's confounding and contradictory treatment is just what the doctor ordered?
|Adam Sandler (Dave Buznik) @ Jack Nicholson (Dr. Buddy Rydell) @ Marisa Tomei (Linda) @ Luis Guzmán (Lou) @ Jonathan Loughran (Nate) @ Kurt Fuller (Frank Head) @ Krista Allen (Stacy) @ January Jones (I) (Gina||Boosted no end by Jack Nicholson's involvement
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
Without Jack Nicholson's billing as the co star,this is the type of film I otherwise probably wouldn't have cast a second glance.Before I saw the film,I'd only seen the trailer,and already he'd impressed me with his performance.I've never been a fan of Adam Sandler and have never really found the time to savour any of his movies.In fact,the biggest thing I can remember seeing with him in prior to this was the film Coneheads in which he played a character called Carmine.10 years later,and if this doesn't rank as perhaps his star making,most high profile film ever,it's certainly the film with the most interesting concept to me.And it manages to wrangle a fair few laughs,more often than not hysterical ones,out of the script.But,as the main comedic performer,Sandler finds himself acted off the screen by the brilliant-as-ever Nicholson,adapting so perfectly to his role (as was expected) and evoking many laughs because of it.On the basis of this,it hasn't made me want to go and check out any of Sandler's previous works any more,but it sure-as-hell provided a damn fine Sunday afternoon of comedy.**** |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
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Animatrix, The|Peter Chung Andy Jones (VI) Yoshiaki Kawajiri Takeshi Koike Mahiro Maeda Kouji Morimoto Shinichirô Watanab|Action|NR |7.3|USA|2003|102 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Michael Arias (I) Steve Richards (I) Joel Silver Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski|Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski Peter Chung Yoshiaki Kawajiri Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski Shinichirô Watanabe|||||Anthology of nine short anime (Japanese animation) films tied in to the 1999 blockbuster "The Matrix" and its sequels. "Final Flight of the Osiris": The crew of the hovercraft Osiris attempt to warn their city of an imminent attack. "The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 & 2": The story behind the war between man and the machines, how mankind scorched the sky, and the creation of the Matrix. "Kid's Story": A teenager is contacted by Neo, and manages to escape the Matrix. "Program": Two warriors battle in a samurai training simulation when one decides to betray his crewmates and re-enter the Matrix. "World Record": A champion sprinter manages to break free of the Matrix by sheer physical effort during a record attempt. "Beyond": A young girl searching for her cat discovers a haunted house caused by a glitch in the system. "A Detective Story": Private investigator Ash tracks a hacker named Trinity through the looking glass. "Matriculated": A group of humans capture a machine scout and insert it into a 'human matrix'.
|Akio Ôtsuka (Thadeus (Japanese version)) @ Clayton Watson (The Kid (segment "Kid's Story") (voice) rest of cast listed alphabetically Hedy Burress .... Cis (segment "Program")/Yoko (segment "Beyond") (voice)) @ Terrence 'T.C.' Carson (Clarence (voice) (as T.C. Carson)) @ Mindy Clarke (Alexa (segment "Matriculated") (voice)) @ Olivia d'Abo (Rox (segment "Matriculated") (voice)) @ Dane A. Davis (01 Versatran Spokesman (segment "The Second Renaissance, Part II") (voice)) @ John DeMita (Teacher (segment "Kid's Story") (voice)) @ Julia DeMita (The Instructor (segments "The Second Renaissance, Parts I&II")/Narrator (segment "World Record")/Townsperson (segment "Beyond") (voice) (as Julia Fletcher)||No secret who the target audience is.
Love THE MATRIX trilogy? This is perfect for you. Enjoy Japanese animation? You may enjoy this package just as much. There may be a good chance that all nine short films did not tickle your fancy, but at least one may have stood out over the others. Both parts of THE SECOND RENAISSANCE are of interest as they look more closely into the origin of the world before The Matrix.
Nine short films set in THE MATRIX world are shown on DVD.
BEYOND was nice WORLD RECORD stood out but MATRICULATED was too ambitious and FINAL FLIGHT OF THE OSIRIS was really nothing but eye candy. I would not run out and buy the DVD but if you have been bitten by THE MATRIX bug, I would recommend it ONLY to those who are curious. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-19|||||@@
AntiTrust|Peter Howitt (II)|Sci-Fi|Rated PG-13 for some violence and brief language. |6.0|USA|2001|108 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Keith Addis Ashok Amritraj Julia Chasman C.O. Erickson David Hoberman David Nicksay Nick Wechsler (I)|Howard Franklin |John Bailey |||Truth Can Be Dangerous... Trust Can Be Deadly.|After graduating from Stanford, two idealistic computer whiz kids who are best friends are offered jobs at NURV, a giant Portland company with a driven boss, Gary Winston, on the verge of a world-linking satellite communication system. With support from his girlfriend Alice, Milo takes the job; Teddy says no and continues work on a media compression program he wants to make available free. Winston takes a person interest in Milo, whose genius can help NURV meet its launch date, and Milo responds with brilliance and long hours. When Teddy meets with tragedy and Winston's offhand remark makes Milo suspicious, he decides to investigate Winston and NURV. But, whom can he trust?
|Ryan Phillippe (Milo Hoffman) @ Rachael Leigh Cook (Lisa Calighan) @ Claire Forlani (Alice Poulson) @ Tim Robbins (Gary Winston) @ Douglas McFerran (Bob Shrot) @ Richard Roundtree (Lyle Barton) @ Tygh Runyan (Larry Banks) @ Yee Jee Tso (Teddy Chin||fun cyber thriller
`Antitrust' is yet another in an increasingly long line of cyber-techno thrillers designed to scare the be-Jesus out of the paranoiacs among us particularly those who fear that computer technology provides the perfect tool for ending personal privacy as we know it.Certainly, `Enemy of the State' remains as the high watermark of the genre, but `Antitrust's attempt to cope with some of the same themes, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale, yields some impressive results.
Like most movies made in the capitalistic US of A, `Antitrust' seems oddly derisive and suspicious of the corporate-world mentality.Thus, we are not really surprised to find that this film, like so many others, demonizes the entrepreneurial spirit as it glorifies youthful virtue and ingenuity.Tim Robbins plays a dark version of Bill Gates, an overgrown computer geek who has parleyed his nerdishness into a multi-billion dollar software monopoly.Here again we have a successful business executive portrayed as a nefarious single-minded villain up against the morally virtuous youthful genius, Milo, played by a bland Ryan Phillipe.
Given the predictability of the premise, `Antitrust' scores as a generally effective thriller thanks to its many genuinely impressive plot twists and turns and its ability to generate suspense in a number of crucial scenes.The film manages to keep us guessing at every turn.Like Milo, we are never entirely sure whom we can and cannot trust.And Robbins provides such a crafty villain part Machiavellian genius, part emotionally stunted adolescent that he rivets our attention in any scene in which he happens to appear.This is more than can be said for Milo, who as a central figure and heroic protagonist, fails to engage our interest to any great extent.Luckily, the details of the plot do that for us.
I would be remiss if I did not take special note of the extraordinary art direction and set decoration that adorn the film.The look of the film perfectly reflects the cyber-world plasticity around which these people center their lives.
`Antitrust' doesn't exactly break new ground in its rather recent but already overworked genre but the speed, energy and creativity with which the film approaches its subject make it a satisfying entertainment.
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Antz|Eric Darnell Tim Johnson (V|Adventure|Rated PG for mild language and menacing action. |7.1|USA|1998|87 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Penney Finkelman Cox Brad Lewis (I) Sandra Rabins Carl Rosendahl Aron Warner Patty Wooton|Todd Alcott Chris Weitz Paul Weitz Chris Miller (VII)||||Every ant has his day.|Z the worker-ant (voice of Woody Allen) strives to reconcile his own individuality with the communal work-ethic of the ant colony. Falling in love with the ant-Princess Bala (voice of Sharon Stone), Z strives to make social inroads, and then ultimately must save the ant colony from the treacherous schemings of the evil General Mandible (voice of Gene Hackman) that threaten to wipe out the entire worker population. Themes of individuality run rampant.
In an anthill with millions of inhabitants, Z 4195 is a worker ant. Feeling insignificant in a conformity system, he accidentally meets beautiful Princess Bala, who has a similar problem on the other end of the social scale. In order to meet her again, Z switches sides with his soldier friend Weaver - only to become a hero in the course of events. By this he unwillingly crosses the sinister plans of ambitious General Mandible (Bala's fiancé, by the way), who wants to divide the ant society into a superior, strong race (soldiers) and an inferior, to-be-eliminated race (the workers). But Z and Bala, both unaware of the dangerous situation, try to leave the oppressive system by heading for Insectopia, a place where food paves the streets.
Z-4195, a worker ant, tries to break from his totalitarian hive society and get the attention of Princess Bala. He trades positions with his friend Weaver, a soldier ant, to see the princess during a parade. Unfortunately war breaks out during the parade, Z becomes a hero during the battles, and begins to spread the idea of individualism throughout the hive.
Z is a worker ant that doesn't fit in. He longs for a life that strays from his monotonous routine. One night in a bar he dances with a female that turns out to be the princess. In order to see her again, he switches places with one of his friends that is a soldier. Little does Z know that he will be sent into battle and start the adventure of his life. Z struggles to get the princess, defeat the evil general, and find his own identity.
Z is just another ant in a colony of millions, striving for individuality. He falls in love with Princess Bala, and convinces his Warrior ant friend Weaver to switch places with him for a day, so that he can see Princess Bala once again. The outcome of this throws Z into a bigger adventure than he ever dreamed possible...
|Woody Allen (Z (voice)) @ Dan Aykroyd (Chip (voice)) @ Anne Bancroft (Queen (voice)) @ Jane Curtin (Muffy (voice)) @ Danny Glover (Barbatus (voice)) @ Gene Hackman (General Mandible (voice)) @ Jennifer Lopez (Azteca (voice)) @ John Mahoney (Grebs/Drunk Scout/Additional Voices (voice)||An Epic of Miniature Proportions
[CONTAINS SPOILERS]
Meet Z, a neurotic worker ant who is doubtful of his lot in life. He doesn't like his job and sees no point in his existence. But little did he know that his soon would take a fantastic turn.When ants are born, their fate is decided. Some are sent to the tunnels to be workers, while others are sent off to be soldiers under the command of the evil General Mandible. The general has a dastardly plan to wipe out the old colony and start a new one.
One night, Z and his soldier buddy Weaver were at the bar. Z was asked by a female ant to dance. Little did he know that this was actually Princess Bala, in public in cognito. Z had such a good time and was shocked to learn she was the princess. He just had to see her again so later he asked Weaver to switch places with him for a day. Which was a heavy order, because you could get into serious trouble for even talking about something like that! You could even get into trouble for listening to someone talk about that! But Weaver agreed and Z was immediately sent into battle against the termites! Z meets Barbatus who gives him the ropes on military life. The war of ants vs. termites was a true blood bath. Only Z managed to make it home alive, and there were only 100 billion ants who went out there to begin with.
When Z get's back, a drastic chain of events results in he inadvertently kidnapping Princess Bala and the two set off for Insectopia, a fantasy land Z heard a drunk ant talk about. They find it. But just then, Colonel Cutter, General Mandible's right-hand man came and snatched back the princess, so Z went back to rescue her. He got wind of Mandible's plan and warned everybody. Z immediately snatches victory from the jaws of defeat, sends General Mandible to his watery grave, and they all live happily ever after.
Ready for this? Okay, we got an all-star voice cast here! Z is portrayed by Woody Allen, Sylvester Stallone is Weaver, Gene Hackman is General Mandible, Christopher Walken is Colonel Cutter, Danny Glover is Barbatus. We've even got Jennifer Lopez, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Sharon Stone, and Anne Bancroft. Only, this movie and A Bug's Life are too closely linked. They were released at the same time which pretty much gave up the novelty of A Bug's Life. But anyway, if you haven't already seen it, see it. If you see it on video or if they release it in the theater again, see it.
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Anything Else|Woody Allen|Comedy|Rated R for a scene of drug use and some sexual references. |6.7|USA|2003|USA:108 min|English||||||||||False||||||||09/12/2003|Letty Aronson Charles H. Joffe Benny Medina Helen Robin Jack Rollins Stephen Tenenbaum|Woody Allen |Darius Khondji ||DreamWorks Distribution LLC [us] |In any relationship, one person always does the heavy lifting| Jason Biggs andiChristina Ricci pair upiin theiromantic comedy, Anything Else.Jason Biggs starsias Jerry Falk, an aspiring writeriin New York, who fallsiin love at first sight withia free-spirited young woman named Amanda (Ricci).Jerry has heard theiphrase that love isilike anything else, but he soon finds that beingsiin love with theiunpredictable Amanda isn't like anything else at all.The comedy also stars Stockard Channing, Danny Devito andiJimmy Falon. |Woody Allen (David Dobel) @ Jason Biggs (Jerry Falk) @ Anthony Arkin (Pip's Comic) @ Fisher Stevens (Manager) @ Danny DeVito (Harvey) @ Christina Ricci (Amanda) @ Jimmy Fallon (Bob) @ Diana Krall (Herself) @ Kadee Strickland (Brooke (as KaDee Strickland)) @ William Hill (Psychiatrist) @ Stockard Channing (Paula) @ Maurice Sonnenberg (Movie Theater Patron) @ Kenneth Edelson (Hotel Desk Clerk) @ David Conrad (Dr. Reed) @ Joseph Lyle Taylor (Bill) @ Erica Leerhsen (Connie) @ Adrian Grenier (Ray Polito) @ Anthony J. Ribustello (Car Thug) @ Ray Garvey (Car Thug) @ Wynter Kullman (Emily) @ Zach McLurty (Ralph) @ Ralph Pope (Cab Driver rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ James Babbin (Movie Patron (uncredited)) @ Carson Grant (Acting Teacher (uncredited)) @ Greg Orvis (Party-goer (uncredited)) @ Nicolas Pernisco (Bell Boy (uncredited)) @ Melissa Ann Russo (Restaurant Patron (uncredited)) @ Eric Tonken (Bar Patron (uncredited)Produced by||Conversations in Central Park
Would anyone believe a Woody Allen film where the audience didn't laugh: Anything Else! Granted, there must have been about 9 people in the theater that afternoon, but not to hear laughter exploding by what was going on the screen speaks volumes about it.
This film has all the right Allen's elements. The walks in the streets of Manhattan with a friend, a neurotic character, or two. At least, Woody had the right idea he wasn't going to play the Jerry Falk role. It would have been ridiculous, anyway, but let's not forget his own appearance in Hollywood Ending...
Do these people really exist? They must, because otherwise it would be impossible to imagine insufferable characters such as Amanda and Jerry and even David Dobel. Christina Ricci and Jason Biggs scenes resemble a salad of oil and vinegar not blended, each condiment separated until someone can toss it and give it life. Christina Ricci's Amanda is such an obnoxious bitch, that one wonders how could Jerry put up with her in the first place. Jason Biggs' Jerry is an enigma, as he appears unable to give the moronic Amanda sexual and intellectual stimulation.
Not being a great Danny Devito fan, his scene at the restaurant when Jerry tells him he will not sign again with him is the only thing that looks like it might have come from a great director. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Atlantis: The Lost Empire|Gary Trousdale Kirk Wis|Animation|Rated PG for action violence. |6.5|USA|2001|95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Don Hahn (I) Kendra Halland|Tab Murphy Tab Murphy Platon David Reynolds (I) Gary Trousdale Joss Whedon Kirk Wise Bryce Zabel Jackie Zabel||||Atlantis is waiting...|1914: Milo Thatch, grandson of the great Thaddeus Thatch works in the boiler room of a museum. He knows that Atlantis was real, and he can get there if he has the mysterious Shephards journal, which can guide him to Atlantis. But he needs someone to fund a voyage. His employer thinks he's dotty, and refuses to fund any crazy idea. He returns home to his apartment and finds a woman there. She takes him to Preston B. Whitmore, an old friend of his Grandfathers. He gives him the shepherds journal, a submarine and a 5 star crew. They travel through the Atlantic ocean, face a large lobster called the Leviathan, and finally get to Atlantis. But does the Atlantis crew have a lust for discovery, or something else?
|Michael J. Fox (Milo James Thatch (voice)) @ Corey Burton (Gaetan 'The Mole' Moliere (voice)) @ Claudia Christian (Helga Katrina Sinclair (voice)) @ James Garner (Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke (voice)) @ John Mahoney (Preston B. Whitmore (voice)) @ Phil Morris (Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweet (voice)) @ Leonard Nimoy (King Kashekim Nedakh (voice)) @ Don Novello (Vincenzo 'Vinny' Santorini (voice)||This is very good, a real summer adventure flick. Go see.
You have to applaud Disney for making this; essentially a combo of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' with the Indy type flick of yer choice. Certainly the baddie is a Too much like the Tarzan villain, and there are a few other loop holes-but why kick? There's so much to like here.
Might be some SPOILERS below, be warned.
Voice work-Foxx, 'Ivanova' from Bab Five, Jim Varney(as the cook, his last role), James Garner, Cree Summer, heck even Spock and Frasier Crane's dad get into the act, along with Winchester from Mash. This part of things Disney always has down. Very good. They capture the characters well.
The journey as far's getting to Atlantis-terrific. I liked the whole Nemo/giant robotic 'Leviathon'/trucks in the caves/attack of the burning moths(don't ask) stuff-sure the Leviathon is right outta 'Phantom Menace', but then it's also right outta any Aquaman comic you read as a kid, too. We all crib from the same well springs, Lucas would be the first to admit that.
The sub exploding kills 200 or more, that certainly is jarring-but the characters as all Toon characters do, pick right up and move on. Same as their all surviving the huge falls from the collapsing bridge, the fight at the end, etc. You either accept it-I did-or shake yer head. All the technology, design, etc seemed to be more or less right for 1914, though some of the characters-one is basically Father Guido Sarducchi, another Sharon Stone, another Jennifer Lopez, etc-kinda too contemporary to quite buy. Again that's fine, though-much like seeing Checkhov in the Beatle wig in those Trek episodes, part of when they were made, inescapably so. Or seeing 60s/70s dews/sideburns in Western characters in all those Bonanzas from that same era. It's Hollywood.
The crystal business, all ice blue, mystical, moving, done well. I like the ring of Giant Robots at the end too-Iron Giant anyone? Anime?-nice touches. The final battle in the volcano has great f/x, has death, has the baddie dying a fittingly nasty way-though How they knew, the Expeditioners, Ahead of time, that they'd needablimp to get out-well, ya got me. It made for some pretty good action though no doubt.
Oh it's nice to hear both Foxx and Cree Summer getting featured in such a big flick too-esp Summer. I enjoyed moment of meeting when her character met Foxx's, and those blue eyes kinda just echoed. Nicely done.
So-there ya have it-derivative, full of action, nicely acted-well thought out-the characters did seem to switch allegiances a little fast in a couple spots, and there needed to be more in Atlantis itself, by way of showing the people etc. but that's not a big deal.
***1/2 outta ****. Guaranteed to give you a good time; and to make you get the VCR when it comes out in the winter again.
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Atlantis: Milo's Return||Adventure||5.1|USA|2003|70 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003||Henry Gilroy ||||||Steve Barr (Cookie (voice)) @ Corey Burton (Gaetan 'The Mole' Moliere (voice)) @ John Mahoney (Preston B. Whitmore (voice)) @ Phil Morris (Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweet (voice)) @ Don Novello (Vincenzo 'Vinny' Santorini (voice)) @ Jacqueline Obradors (Audrey Rocio Ramirez (voice)) @ William Morgan Sheppard (Erik Hellstrom (voice)) @ Florence Stanley (Wilhelmina Bertha Packard (voice)||Great one!!
Ok i agree the first was the bestone!. But the second one is ok alsonice story's you got to see it really if you loved the first one !. See the second one also! you will love it also i can promise if not well than tell me what you didnt like coz i see no reason why you should not like it! It is fun agian !! ||Movies ||Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-2|||||@@
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me|Jay Roach|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for sexual innuendo and crude humor. |6.5|USA|1999|95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Emma Chasin Michael De Luca Donna Langley John S. Lyons Eric McLeod Demi Moore Mike Myers Erwin Stoff Jennifer Todd (I) Suzanne Todd|Mike Myers Mike Myers Michael McCullers|Ueli Steiger |||First, he fought for the Crown.Now he's fighting for the Family Jewels.|Dr. Evil uses a device he calls a "Time Machine" to travel back to 1969 and remove Austin Powers' mojo. The sexually wounded swinger must travel back in time and, with the help of agent Felicity Shagwell, recover his vitality. Meanwhile, Dr. Evil's personal life runs amok as he discovers love, continues to shun his son and develops a close relationship with himself. Well, actually, a clone 1/8 his size whom he dubs "Mini-Me". The always time-baffled Dr. Evil begins his plan to put a gigantic cannon on the moon, thus turning it into a device called either "The Death Star" or "Alan Parson's Project," depending on which name is available.
Dr. Evil returns from space just as British spy Austin Powers learns on his honeymoon that his wife is a fembot in Evil's control. Back on the singles scene, Powers discovers he's impotent because Evil has used a time machine to return to the late 60s and steal his libido. British intelligence also has a time portal, so Powers goes back to 1969 to recapture his mojo and, teaming with agent Felicity Shagwell, to stop another Evil plot to take over the world, this time with a "laser" beamed from the moon. Subplots involve Evil's son Scott's discovery of who his mother is, Evil's affection for a clone one-eighth his size, and the machinations of an obese Scot named Fat Bastard.
|Mike Myers (Austin Powers/Dr. Evil/Fat Bastard) @ Heather Graham (Felicity Shagwell) @ Michael York (Basil Exposition) @ Robert Wagner (Number Two) @ Rob Lowe (Young Number Two) @ Seth Green (Scott Evil) @ Mindy Sterling (Frau Farbissina) @ Verne Troyer (Mini-Me||Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Hilarious return to the international man of mystery with this non stop laugh ride of a film with Myers doing it again as Austin, Dr. Evil and a new character named Fat Bastard. There are many funny moments in the film especially the Scott/Dr. Evil episode of Jerry Springer and the emergence of Mini-Me, perfectly played by Verne Troyer. The laughs are constant. You'll laugh so hard, you'll have a headache when you leave the theater. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-2|||||@@
Austin Powers in Goldmember|Jay Roach|Action|Rated PG-13 for sexual innuendo, crude humor and language. |6.3|USA|2002|94 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Katherine E. Beyda Richard Brener Toby Emmerich John S. Lyons Eric McLeod Demi Moore Mike Myers Marco Schnabel Gregg Taylor (II) Jennifer Todd (I) Suzanne Todd|Mike Myers Mike Myers Michael McCullers|Peter Deming |||On July 26th the Secret Will Be Exposed|
Dr. Evil and Mini-Me have somehow escaped from a maximum security prison and the duo team up with Goldmember. Together they formulate a plan for world domination. And this particular scheme requires a large amount of time-travel, and kidnapping Austin Powers' father, England's master spy, Nigel Powers. As Austin chases Dr. Evil, Mini-Me and Goldmember through time, he stops in 1975 to "connect" with an old girlfriend, detective Foxy Cleopatra, and requests her help to track the villains and save his father.
He's found his mojo, baby, and now Austin Powers (Mike Myers) is back again in this shagadelic comedy-adventure! The "sshhh!" hits the fan when Dr. Evil and Mini-Me escape from prison. Joining forces with the superfreaky Goldmember, they kidnap Austin's father, master spy Nigel Powers (Michael Caine), in a dastardly time-travel scheme to take over the world. Before you can say "Shake Your Booty," Austin cruises to 1975 and teams up with sexy Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles) to stop Dr. Evil and Goldmember from their mischievous mayhem. With Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling and Verne J. Troyer.
|Mike Myers (Austin Powers/Dr. Evil/Goldmember/Fat Bastard) @ Beyoncé Knowles (Foxxy Cleopatra) @ Seth Green (Scott Evil) @ Michael York (Basil Exposition) @ Robert Wagner (Number Two) @ Mindy Sterling (Frau Farbissina) @ Verne Troyer (Mini Me) @ Michael Caine (Nigel Powers||It's the Third Installment of Austin Powers! Oh Behave!
[CONTAINS SPOILERS]
An all-star cast head Episode III in the Austin Powers trilogy. In this one, Steven Spielberg is making a movie about Austin and his adventures. But also in Hollywood, returning from his stay in space, Dr. Evil and his clone Mini-Me try yet again to take over the world. They will seek help from Goldmember, a psychotic swinger who loves gold. In fact, his genitalia is made out of gold. There's a long story behind that, but just then, Austin Powers, Basil Exposition and the team break into the lair and take Dr. Evil to a maximum security prison. Powers was to be knighted, but his dad, Nigel Powers, wasn't there. Austin then learns his father was kidnapped by Goldmember and taken back in time to the year 1975, so Austin jumps in a swinging time machine car and heads to Studio 69 in New York City. He meets sexy agent Foxxy Cleopatra and comes face to face with the demonic Goldmember, who takes Nigel Powers back to 2002. Dr. Evil was transferred to a regular prison to be with Mini-Me and they escape. Back in the present, Austin and Foxxy trail Evil to his hideout in Japan. Dr. Evil's lair is an enourmous submarine. In Tokyo, Austin meets up with an old "friend": Fat Bastard, who's a sumo wrestler. Time for a showdown. Austin Powers, Foxxy Cleopatra and Mini-Me who decided to switch sides infiltrate Dr. Evil's lair and Austin and Dr. Evil learn something very startling about one another. So our story has a happy ending and Scott is very much starting to look like his old man. This Austin Powers movie was as good as the first two, though loaded with many more off-color jokes. Watch for appearences by Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Danny DeVito, even The Osbournes! So if you liked Austin Powers 1 and 2, you gotta see 3! It's very shagadelic, Baby!
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Babe|Chris Noonan|Family|G |7.4|Australia|1995|89 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Catherine Barber Philip Hearnshaw Bill Miller (II) George Miller (II) Doug Mitchell (I) Daphne Paris|Dick King-Smith George Miller (II) Chris Noonan|Andrew Lesnie |||A little pig goes a long way.|Babe is a little pig who doesn't quite know his place in the world. With a bunch of odd friends, like Ferdianad the duck who thinks he is a rooster and Fly the dog he calls mom, Babe realizes that he has the makings to become the greatest sheep pig of all time, and Famer Hogget Knows it. Babe with the help of the sheep dogs and the sheep babe learns that a pig can be anything that he wants to be.
Farmer Hoggett wins a runt piglet at a local fair and young Babe, as the piglet decides to call himself, befriends and learns about all the other creatures on the farm. He becomes special friends with one of the sheepdogs, Fly. With Fly's help, and Farmer Hoggett's intuition, Babe embarks on a career in sheepherding with some surprising and spectacular results.
|Christine Cavanaugh (Babe the Gallant Pig (voice)) @ Miriam Margolyes (Fly the Female Sheepdog (voice)) @ Danny Mann (I) (Ferdinand the Duck (voice)) @ Hugo Weaving (Rex the Male Sheepdog (voice)) @ Miriam Flynn (Maa the Very Old Ewe (voice)) @ Russi Taylor (Dutchess the Cat (voice) (as Russie Taylor)) @ Evelyn Krape (Old Ewe (voice)) @ Michael Edward-Stevens (Horse (voice)||A pig becomes a sheepherder in this heartwarmer
Babe is a sweet heartwarming movie about a pig who eventually becomes a sheepherder with a little assistance from his farmer..Wonderful performances by all performers especially the pig! and a great film for all ages...on a scale from one to ten..8 |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |DTS 5.1 |2-39|||||@@
Back to the Future|Robert Zemeckis|Family|PG |8.0|USA|1985|111 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Neil Canton Bob Gale Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall (I) Steven Spielberg|Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale|Dean Cundey |||17 year old Marty McFly got home early last night. 30 years early.|Marty McFly is your average, slacker teenager, who is friendly with a wacky inventor named Doc Brown. When Doc creates a time machine out of a DeLorean car, Marty is accidentally transported into the year 1955. There, he stumbles upon a younger version of his parents, disrupts the meeting, and must get the two together so that they would get married and have him!
Marty McFly helps out his friend Doc Brown, and ends up being taken back in time by Doc's time-machine. Marty, a boy of the 80's, has to come to grips with being in the 50's and get his parents to fall in love to set straight the damage his presence has done to the events of the past.
Marty McFly is an aspiring musician, but he is not sure of what the future holds for him; first his band was rejected as the performing band for the school dance, and historically, no McFly has succeeded in anything. The only bright spots in his existence are his girlfriend and Emmett Brown, the town crackpot scientist, who is Marty's good friend. Marty was helping brown with his latest invention a time machine, which is fitted into a Delorean. The time machine needs a tremendous amount of power to work, which he gets from plutonium. Now Brown got the plutonium from some Libyans who want him to build a bomb; they find Brown and shoot him, Marty gets into the Delorean and drives off and when he reaches the speed that activates the time machine, he finds himself in 1955, cause that was the date that Brown entered, which was when he first conceived the time machine. Now having already used up all the power of the plutonium, Marty must find a way to get it working, so he can go back to his own time. Marty looks for Brown but before he does, he runs into his father as a teenager, and accidentally interferes with his father's first meeting of Lorraine, his future mother. Marty then goes to see Brown and convinces him that he is from the future and to help him. But when he learns of the amount of power that is needed to power the machine, he tells Marty that it's hopeless cause the only other thing that can generate that much power is a bolt of lightning and it's impossible to determine when and where they will strike, but Marty has with him an old newspaper cliping that states that the town clock tower will be struck by lightning, so they plan to draw the energy from the lightning so they can power the machine. But before they do, Marty must act as cupid for his parents cause it seems that because they never met they won't fall in love and get married and Marty will not exist.
The future for teenager Marty McFly is not shaping up well. His family is dysfunctional, his schoolteacher, Mr Strickland, is out to get him, his music is just too loud and the rest of the world doesn't care. Only with his girlfriend, Jennifer Parker and local eccentric scientist, Dr Emmet Brown does he find the encouragement and excitement that he needs. Then, one of Doc Brown's experiments goes slightly wrong and Marty gets caught up in a race to set it and his future right again. "When this baby hits 88 miles per hour you're gonna see some serious shit."
Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly, a typical American teenager of the Eighties accidently sent back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean "time machine" invented by slightly mad scientist Christopher Lloyd. During his often hysterical, always amazing trip back in time, Marty must make certain his teenage parents-to-be, Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson, meet and fall in love -- so he can get back to the future.
|Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly) @ Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Emmett L. 'Doc' Brown, 1985/Younger Dr. Emmett L. 'Doc' Brown, 1955) @ Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines McFly) @ Crispin Glover (George McFly) @ Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen) @ Claudia Wells (I) (Jennifer Parker) @ Marc McClure (I) (Dave McFly) @ Wendie Jo Sperber (Linda McFly||best time travel movie around
Here is a very well done movie about time travel. It has it all. I especially liked the time machine itself - a Delorean car. The story was perfectly written with witty dialogue and never ending excitement. Each scene fit snugly into the one preceding and following it. Michael Fox carried this one all the way. 5 stars. |Region 1 |Movies |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |5.1 |2-5 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Back to the Future Part II|Robert Zemeckis|Adventure|PG |6.9|USA|1989|108 min|English||||||||||False||||||||25/01/2004|Neil Canton Bob Gale Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall Steven Spielberg Steve Starkey|Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale Bob Gale|Dean Cundey ||Argentina Video Home (AVH) [ar] |Getting back was only the beginning.|The second part of the trilogy begins as Doc, Marty and Jennifer take the time-traveling DeLorean into the year 2015 to straighten out the future of the McFly family. But Biff Tannen steals the time machine and gives his younger self a book containing 50 years of sports statistics, which the young Biff uses to amass an enormous gambling fortune and transform idyllic Hill Valley into a living hell. To restore the present, Doc and Marty must return to the events of their previous adventure in 1955 and retrieve the book.
This movie picks up where the last one left off; with Doc Brown and Marty going into the future to help Marty's future offspring. After doing that they returned to their own time, only to discover that things have changed. They discovered that while in the future, Marty's nemesis, Biff Tannen got the sports book that Marty bought so that he could know the results of sports events and make a killing, but Doc Brown nixed his plans, but Tannen who overheard their conversation, got the book and the time machine and went back into the past and gave the book to himself, who has not only amassed a fortune but also extremely powerful. So Doc and Marty have to go back to when Biff got the book and get it away from him. And it seems that it was in 1955 on the night of the dance that Biff got the book. So not only must they get the book but they must also avoid the other versions of themselves.
Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd reprise their roles as Marty McFly and Doc Brown. An exhilarating visit by Marty and the Doc to the year 2015 seemingly resolves a few problems with the future McFly family. But when the two return home, they soon discover someone has tampered with time to produce a nightmarish Hill Valley, 1985. Their only hope is to once again get back to 1955 and save the future.
|Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly/Marty McFly Jr./Marlene McFly/Middle-Aged Marty McFly) @ Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Emmett Brown) @ Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines/McFly/Tannen) @ Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen/Griff Tannen) @ Elisabeth Shue (Jennifer Parker/McFly) @ James Tolkan (Mr. Strickland) @ Jeffrey Weissman (George McFly) @ Casey Siemaszko (3-D) @ Billy Zane (Match) @ J.J. Cohen (Skinhead) @ Charles Fleischer (Terry) @ E. Casanova Evans ('Michael Jackson' Video Waiter) @ Jay Koch ('Ronald Reagan' Video Waiter) @ Charles Gherardi ('Ayatollah Khomeini' Video Waiter) @ Ricky Dean Logan (Data) @ Darlene Vogel (Spike) @ Jason Scott Lee (Whitey) @ Elijah Wood (Video Game Boy #1) @ John Thornton (Video Game Boy #2) @ Theo Schwartz (Hoverboard Girl #1) @ Lindsey Barry (Hoverboard Girl #2) @ Judy Ovitz (Antique Store Saleswoman) @ Stephanie Williams (Officer Foley (as Stephanie E. Williams)) @ Marty Levy (Cab Driver) @ Flea (Douglas J Needles) @ Jim Ishida (Iko 'Jitz' Fujitsu (as James Ishida)) @ Nikki Birdsong (Loretta) @ Al White (Dad) @ Junior Fann (Mom) @ Shaun Hunter (Harold) @ George 'Buck' Flower (Red the Bum (as Buck Flower)) @ Neil Ross (Biff Tannen Museum Narrator (voice)) @ Tamara Carrera (Jacuzzi Girl #1) @ Tracy Dali (Jacuzzi Girl #2 (as Tracy D'Aldia)) @ Jennifer Brown (Basketball Kid #1) @ Irina Cashen (Basketball Kid #2) @ Angela Greenblatt (Basketball Kid #3) @ Cameron Moore (Basketball Kid #4) @ Justin Mosley Spink (Basketball Kid #5) @ Lisa Freeman (Babs) @ John Erwin (Radio Sportscaster (voice)) @ Harry Waters Jr. (Marvin Berry) @ David Harold Brown (Starlighter) @ Tommy Thomas (Starlighter) @ Lloyd L. Tolbert (Starlighter) @ Granville 'Danny' Young (Starlighter) @ Wesley Mann (CPR Kid ('Wallet Guy')) @ Joe Flaherty (Western Union Man) @ Crispin Glover (George McFly (archive footage) rest of cast listed alphabetically Freddie .... Einstein) @ Marc McClure (Dave McFly (scenes deleted)) @ Sean Michael Fish (King Neptune (uncredited)) @ Donald Fullilove (Goldie Wilson III (uncredited)) @ Annette May ( (uncredited)) @ Mary Ellen Trainor (Officer Reese (uncredited)Produced by||Lives Up to My Expectations
After 1985's brilliant "Back to the Future", it was satisfying to see a sequel that lived up to expectations, instead of just being good.
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and his girlfriend, Jennifer (Elisabeth Shue) are confronted by Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) who has just come back from the future.He whisks them off to the year 2015 and gets Marty to imitate his son (also played by Fox) who is going to be intimidated into committing a crime that will ruin the McFly family.Marty is able to successfully stop his future son, but being in the future creates two problems.First, he decides to make a little money with his knowledge of the future by purchasing a sports almanac that covers sporting events from 1950-2000.Brown is miffed by this throwing the book away and explaining that taking the book back to 1985 could be disastrous.That leads to Marty's second problem:Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), the man who bullied Marty's father sixty years earlier.He overhears Brown talking and decides to steal his time machine and the almanac unbeknownst to anyone causing history to change for the worst.
There are no if's about it, it's key to understanding this film that you must have seen "Back to the Future".That way you can see how smart this sequel is, especially in the 1955 scenes, which are exciting and show how much effort the filmmaker's put into this movie.Still, even with all the hard work, the logic holes are obvious.Most notably the whole movie could never have really taken place because if Marty and Jennifer left 1985 without having children then how did they have kids when they jumped ahead to 2015.
While in the future we see history repeat as Marty faces off against Biff's grandson, Griff (also played by Wilson).This works well because it represents how easy it is to allow history to repeat, but it doesn't seem as fun this time around.And obviously it's not as original.In fact, the great thing about the 2015 trip is the look.Hill Valley of the future looks great and is full of color.Art and set direction are big parts of this film along with visual effects.All work well to create a visually outstanding picture.Also enjoyable are the jabs that we see the characters poke at the 80's.Being released at the end of the decade they were safe in doing this.When Marty is about to go the Café 80's, a retro café, Dr. Brown tells him "just say no" unintentionally quoting the phrase Nancy Reagan made famous in the 80's.Jokes like this are there, work well, and again, show great effort.
Seven strong stars out of ten, which means it's almost an eight.
|Region 1 |Widescreen Edition |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |5.1 |2-6 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Back to the Future Part III|Robert Zemeckis|Family||6.6|USA|1990|118 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Neil Canton Bob Gale Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall (I) Steven Spielberg Steve Starkey|Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale Bob Gale|Dean Cundey ||Argentina Video Home (AVH) [ar] |They've saved the best trip for last... But this time they may have gone too far.|The conclusion of the trilogy sends Marty McFly on a rescue mission to the year 1885, where he must save Doc Brown from death at the hands of yet another member of the Tannen clan. However, there are a number of complications preventing a quick return to the future: a lack of gasoline for the time-traveling DeLorean, a band of gunslinging outlaws and a schoolmarm with affections for the smitten Doc.
The movie continues where the last one with Marty stuck in 1955. But Doc Brown sent him a letter from 1855 through Western Union, that told him that after the Delorean was struck by lightning he was sent to 1855 and was unable to repair it, but has managed to bury it somewhere, where Marty can get to it in 1955 and hopefully the younger version of himself can repair it so he can drive it back to 1985 and then destroy it. But after finding it, Marty discovers that shortly after sending the letter Doc would be shot by an outlaw, Mad Dog Tannen. Marty then goes back to 1885 to save him and meets his ancestors. After finding the Doc, they were about to leave when Marty told the Doc that upon arriving the Delorean's gas tank was punctured, so they don't have any gasoline to run the car, which means they have to find some way to get the car to 88 mph. They decide to try pushing it with a locomotive. And things are fine except for the fact that Tannen, who had it in for Doc, now has it for Marty and has challenged him to gunfight on the day that they are going to leave, and Doc is smitten with Clara Clayton, the new school teacher.
Stranded in 1955 after a freak burst of lightning, Marty must travel to 1885 to rescue Doc Brown from a premature end. Surviving an Indian attack and unfriendly townsfolk, Marty finds Doc Brown the blacksmith. But with the Doc under the spell of the charming Clara Clayton, it's up to Marty to get them out of the wild west and back to the future.
|Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly/Seamus McFly) @ Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Emmett 'Doc' Brown) @ Mary Steenburgen (Clara Clayton) @ Thomas F. Wilson (Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen/Biff Tannen) @ Lea Thompson (Maggie McFly/Lorraine McFly) @ Elisabeth Shue (Jennifer Parker) @ James Tolkan (Chief Marshal James Strickland) @ Matt Clark (I) (Chester the Bartender||Not up to its predecessors.
The last and weakest film in the "Back to the Future" series. Short on invention (especially compared to "Part II") and not terribly funny, this lighthearted comedy-Western relies heavily on the viewer's good will, established by the previous parts, and his/her familiarity with the characters, to camouflage the fact that the time-travelling premise is already wearing thin. But the frantic climax was impressive enough for me to give this an extra half-a-star.(**1/2) ||Movies |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |5.1 |2-5 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Bad Boys|Michael Bay|Action/Comedy/Thriller/Crime|R |6.3|USA|1995|119 mins|English||DivX|1||DivX;-) V3.11 LOW MOTION|717 |480x272|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|44,100 Hz|2|702.84 MB||||25.00|21/03/2004|Jerry Bruckheimer Lucas Foster Bruce S. Pustin Don Simpson|George Gallo Michael Barrie Jim Mulholland Doug Richardson|Howard Atherton ||Columbia Pictures [us] |Whatcha gonna do?
|îøëåñ áøðè äåà àéù îùôçä îâðéá. îéé÷ ìàåøé äåà øåãó ùîìåú øåå÷. ùðéäí ùåèøéí áîéàîé, åìùðéäí éù 72 ùòåú ìîöåà ñîéí ùðâðáå îäúçðä ùìäí. äñéôåø îñúáê ëàùø ëãé ì÷áì òæøä îäòã äéçéã ìøöç, äí öøéëéí ìäòîéã ôðéí ùäí àçã äùðé, ø÷ áîäåôê.
òí åéì ñîéú', îøèéï ìåøðñ, èéä ìàåðé, úøæä øðãì
Whatcha Gonna Do? After theibiggest bust of their careers, detectives Mike Lowrey andiMarcus Burnett are kings of theihill...untilia brilliant thief steals $120 million worth of heroin out from under their noses. With only four daysito solve theicrime before FBI shuts them down, Mike andiMarcus have just one hope,ia skittish eyewitness who might lead themito theithieves. But there'sia catch: married man Marcus hasito pretendito be his bachelor partneriin orderito win her confidence. |Martin Lawrence (Marcus Burnett) @ Will Smith (Mike Lowrey) @ Téa Leoni (Julie Mott) @ Tchéky Karyo (Fouchet) @ Joe Pantoliano (Capt. Howard) @ Theresa Randle (Theresa Burnett) @ Marg Helgenberger (Alison Sinclair) @ Nestor Serrano (Det. Sanchez)||Ultra-stylish, intense action movie
Bad Boys is one of my favorite movies of all time.This movie oozes
style.
Stylish good guys battle stylish bad guys in the stylish, sizzling city
of
Miami. I just can't say enough good things about Bad Boys.
This is a film that works on many levels.Before Bruckheimer and Michael
Bay became famous and lazy and made disappointing flicks (think Pearl
Harbor
and Armageddon), they made excellent movies like The Rock and Bad Boys.
First off, directing is top notch.From the get-go, this movie moves
along
at a furious pace, and Bay's trademark slow-motion, close-up sequences
are
amazing.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence give first-rate performances as the
supercool
Miami Narc good guys.The villain Fouchet is also well-played by Karyo.
Of
course, there is the beautiful Tea Leoni.The assortment of smaller
characters like Sanchez and Ruiz, Jojo, the Captain, and the goons add
flavor to many scenes.Everyone is just so cool and stylish.I love
Jojo
the tire-man!
Action sequences are some of the BEST ever filmed.The lobby shootout,
Club
Hell, and all the others.Even the soundtrack in this movie is awesome.
Mancina's score fits this movie like a glove.And in between the action,
there is hilarious humor and some quite moving emotional scenes. As for
style...just watch.Miami, Miami Beach, Lowrey's black Porsche, the
clothes, the bad guys, the women...its all there.
I could go on and on about every single thing that is so great about Bad
Boys, but I will stop here and invite all the action junkies out there to
definitely see this!
I give this movie 10/10.Action does not get any more stylish and cool
than
this.
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Bad Boys II|Michael Bay|Action|Rated R for strong violence and action, pervasive language, sexuality and drug content. |6.1|USA|2003|147 min/ Germany:145 min|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG-4|834 |576x240|AC3-Digital|438 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|700.20 MB||||23.98|03/11/2003|Jerry Bruckheimer Matthew Cohan Don Ferrarone Chad Oman Pat Sandston Mike Stenson Barry H. Waldman|George Gallo Marianne Wibberley Cormac Wibberley Ron Shelton Ron Shelton Jerry Stahl|David Golia Amir M. Mokri||Columbia Pictures [us] ||Narcotics cops Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Bennett (Lawrence) head up a task force investigating the flow of ecstasy into Miami. Their search leads to a dangerous kingpin, whose plan to control the city's drug traffic has touched off an underground war. Meanwhile, things get sexy between Mike and Syd (Union), Marcus's sister.
|Martin Lawrence (Detective Marcus Burnett) @ Will Smith (Detective Mike Lowrey) @ Jordi Mollà (Hector Juan Carlos 'Johnny' Tapia) @ Gabrielle Union (Sydney Burnett) @ Peter Stormare (Alexei) @ Theresa Randle (Theresa Burnett) @ Joe Pantoliano (Captain Howard) @ Michael Shannon (Floyd Poteet) @ Jon Seda (Roberto) @ Yul Vazquez (Detective Mateo Reyes) @ Jason Manuel Olazabal (Detective Marco Vargas) @ Otto Sanchez (Carlos) @ Henry Rollins (TNT Leader) @ Antoni Corone (DEA Tony Dodd) @ Oleg Taktarov (Josef) @ Gary Nickens (TNT Fanuti) @ Charlie Johnson Jr. (TNT Lockman) @ Paul Villaverde (TNT Dexter) @ Rick Gavreau (TNT Lunt) @ Rey Hernandez (The Zank) @ Mike Francis (Ice Van Driver) @ Kiko Ellsworth (Blond Dread) @ Veryl Jones (DEA Taylor (as Veryl E. Jones)) @ Timothy Adams (DEA Van Agent) @ Keith Hudson (DEA Agent) @ Rich Kelley (DEA Agent) @ Bianca Bethune (Megan Burnett) @ Scott Cumberbatch (Quincy Burnett) @ Tevarus Smalls (James Burnett) @ Edward Finlay (Skinny Kid) @ J. Michael Tiedeberg (Ambulance Guy) @ John Salley (Fletcher) @ Jay A. Boutwell (Mortuary Security Guy) @ Anthony Correa (Mortuary Security Guy) @ Bill Erfurth (Alpha 12) @ Amanda Haworth (Alpha 23) @ Gloria Irizarry (Dona Maria Tapia) @ Emerson Forth (Boat Dock Guy) @ Nancy Duerr (Female Police Psychologist) @ Phil Owens (AC Dea) @ Treva Etienne (Icepick) @ James Zelley (Klan Leader) @ Bubba Baker (Klansman) @ Steve Gibb (Klansman) @ Carlos de León (Old Mourner) @ Dennis Green (Reggie) @ Scott Charles (Swamp Rat) @ Terrence J. Corwley (Car Salesman) @ Jennifer Díaz (Lupe) @ Reynaldo Gallegos (Tito Vargas) @ Jon Beshara (Alpha 66 rest of cast listed alphabetically Dave Corey .... Agent Eames) @ Ivelin Giro (Sexy Masseuse) @ Gino Salvano (Tapia #1 Musule) @ Michael Bay (Compact Car Driver (uncredited)) @ Dan Marino (Himself (uncredited)) @ Rick Michaels (Plainclothes Officer (uncredited)Produced by||Gleeful action excess with a sick sense of humor
*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*
"Bad Boys II" is a throwback to the action movies of yesteryear. This is the kind of flick Schwarzenegger used to make with gleeful abandon. There was no regard for human life, no sense of living in reality and mass murder was hilarious. My God, this movie just didn't care one tiny bit. I loved it. "Bad Boys II" gives the critics the finger and hits a sledgehammer over the head of action movie fans for their blood and guts fix. It was a Road Runner and Coyote cartoon with dead bodies all over Miami. Beep Beep!
Every part of my soul is telling me that it's wrong to like a movie that promotes such anti-social values as laughing at decapitation. There was horror movie level gore in this flick but it was all done for laughs. Look! His skull popped open! AH-HAHAHAHA!! Stop! You're killing me! Bodies are meant to be mangled and blown up. And mangled they get.
So there was some story about drugs coming into Miami or some nonsense. That's not important. What is important is Smith and Lawrence destroying Miami as viciously as possible while cracking jokes about their chaos. Gabrielle Union shows up as Lawrence's sister and looks great in a bikini. That was a pleasant scene to help lighten up the carnage.
It's very important that you approach this madness knowing that nothing you see has anything to do with reality. If real cops acted this way, they'd be executed immediately. The name of this game is car chase carnage. If you like wild, violent car chases, you need to see this movie. That's what it excels at. I was very pleased. The movie is a bit too long but when your excessive length is due to excessive violence, I'm happy to stick around.
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Bad Company|Joel Schumacher|Action|Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, some sensuality and language. |5.5|USA|2002|Spain:125 min/ USA:116 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Kenny Bates Michael Browning (I) Jerry Bruckheimer Gary Goodman (I) David Minkowski Chad Oman Eli Richbourg Pat Sandston Lary Simpson Mike Stenson Matthew Stillman Clayton Townsend|Gary Goodman (I) David Himmelstein Jason Richman Michael Browning (I)|Dariusz Wolski |||Two Mismatched Partners. One Messed Up Case!|When a CIA agent is killed during a nuclear arms purchase, his partner Oakes, recruits his twin brother, Jake Hayes. Jake had no idea he had a twin brother, let alone that he worked for the CIA. Jake, a.k.a. Michael Turner, has nine days to fill his brother's place. However, the enemy terrorists learn of his secret identity and kidnap his girlfriend/fiancee. He has to rescue them and save New York city from an imminent nuclear terrorist act.
When a Harvard-educated CIA agent is killed during an operation, the secret agency recruits his twin brother (Chris Rock), an African-American street-wise hustler with no idea what's coming for him. The CIA wants the twin to finish a project his brother was working on. But this street-wise twin has absolutely no experience, so the agency sends in an experienced agent (Anthony Hopkins) to train the twin how to act and talk like a real CIA agent.
|Anthony Hopkins (Oakes) @ Chris Rock (Jake Hayes/Kevin Pope) @ Peter Stormare (Adrik Vas) @ Gabriel Macht (Seale) @ Kerry Washington (Julie) @ Adoni Maropis (Jarma/Dragan Henchman #1) @ Garcelle Beauvais (Nicole (as Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon)) @ Matthew Marsh (Dragan Adjanic||Bad Company? Bad Movie!
How boring can a film be? Bad Company is a good example. Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins star, and not either one lights up the screen. Anthony Hopkins seems very held back, like the director was telling him, "Listen, Anthony, Chris is the star. If you outstage him, we look stupid. Try to hold back a bit." And when Chris Rock is on stage, you feel like yelling "Get a life!"So my point is, if you think the title has nothing to do with the film, you're wrong. Bad Company truly is bad company to have around. Can't you see the irony?
1/4 stars
JOHN |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-33 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Bandits|Barry Levinson|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and violence. |6.8|USA|2001|122 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ashok Amritraj Jim Andrino Michele Berk (II) Michael Birnbaum Stephen J. Eads Freddie Glusman David Hoberman Barry Levinson Patrick McCormick (I) Harley Peyton Arnold Rifkin Lenny Vullo Paula Weinstein David Willis (I)|Harley Peyton |Dante Spinotti |||Two's Company, Three's A Crime.|A charismatic convict (Bruce Willis) and a hypochondriac inmate (Billy Bob Thornton) break out of prison in a cement truck and immediately start a bank robbing spree. Becoming known as the "Sleepover Bandits", the two kidnap bank managers the night before their robbery, spend the night with their families, and then all go to the bank in the morning to get the dough. Using a dim-witted stunt man (Troy Garrity) as their getaway driver and lookout, the three successfully pull off several jobs that gets them recognition on a tv show about America's criminals. When a bored housewife (Cate Blanchett) with a failing marriage decides to runaway, she ends up in the hands of the criminals. Initially attracted to Willis, she nonetheless also ends up in bed with Thornton and a confused romantic relationship begins. Continuing along with their spree, the bandits hit the wall when the bank managers realize that they are non-violent and therefore no threat to them or their employees. This leads to one more big score at the Alamo Bank, where in the very opening scenes, things appear to go awry.
|Bruce Willis (Joe Blake) @ Billy Bob Thornton (Terry Lee Collins) @ Cate Blanchett (Kate Wheeler) @ Troy Garity (Harvey 'Dog' Pollard) @ Brian F. O'Byrne (Darill Miller) @ Stacey Travis (Chloe Miller) @ Bobby Slayton (Darren Head) @ January Jones (I) (Claire||The Stars Shine In This One
They don't want to hurt anybody, they just want the money; and so it goes as a pair of non-lethal outlaws cut a swath down the West Coast and provide escapism at it's best for the audience in `Bandits,' a funny and entertaining film directed by Barry Levinson, starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett.After a spontaneous escape from the Oregon State Penitentiary, Joe and Terry (Willis and Thornton) need cash, so they make like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde-- make that `Clyde' and Clyde-- and proceed to do what they do best:rob banks.They have a long-range goal in mind, but not much in the way of day-to-day planning, so they just kind of wing it as they go.And though they want the money, they really don't want to inflict any serious bodily harm on anyone, so they come up with a way to circumvent any untoward opposition; to wit, they simply go to the bank manager's house, spend the night with him and get on with the robbing first thing in the morning.Soon dubbed the `Sleep Over Bandits,' they are well on their way to effecting their goal when they run into the proverbial unforeseeable element, and her name is Kate (Blanchett), a woman in a state of flux who becomes their hostage-- or is it the other way around?It's the question that Joe and Terry are going to have to answer if they want to get on with things; but as always happens-- especially in the movies-- when a woman becomes involved, it's just not that easy to figure out.In fact, as Joe and Terry discover, it's down right complicated.And it's just the hook the audience needs to really get involved, and for everyone concerned it becomes a wild and hectic ride into that cinematic sunset.
As he's proved in numerous films before, Levinson certainly knows how to tell a story, and he has a great cast of actors with which to do it in this one.Most importantly, he knows what works, how to present the material most effectively and how to get the best out of his stars.And he keeps it all moving without a hitch; the two hours you spend with this bunch veritably flies by and leaves you wanting more, which in itself says a lot about the entertainment value of this film.Make no mistake, this is definitely a romanticized take on some `bad' guys, but suspend disbelief at the door and go with the flow; these are characters you're going to like-- even care about-- and they're going to give you an exciting time out from the rest of your life.Not a bad deal, especially when it's done this well.
In Joe, Willis creates a character that can only be described as a `good' bad guy, more like Robin Hood than Dillinger.He brings a tough, determined edge to the role, giving Joe a kind of focus and discipline that defines him, and he comes across as menacing without the menace.Willis conveys the fact that Joe may not know everything, but he knows what he wants and is going to do all he can to get it.It makes for a convincing portrayal of an average guy who has fallen into extraordinary circumstances, to which he reacts in a very real and credible manner.Joe is believable, which makes the film easy to embrace and enhances the fun.A good job by Willis, and though Joe is essentially a variation of Jimmy `The Tulip' Tudeski, the character Willis played in `The Whole Nine Yards,' this guy is all Joe, and that's what counts here.
As Terry, Billy Bob Thornton continues to demonstrate his versatility as an actor; can this possibly be the same guy who played the disturbed Karl in `Sling Blade,' or the nerdy and wanting Jacob in `A Simple Plan?'The answer, of course, is yes, and it underscores what a talented character actor Thornton truly is.As the phobia-prone, hypochondriac Terry, he infuses a dry, subtle humor into the film that works incredibly well opposite Willis, and it makes the characters different sides of the same coin.It's a complex character that Thornton delivers with facility and care, and he succeeds in making Terry likable and memorable.
The real highlight of the film, however, is-- hands down-- Cate Blanchett, who plays the repressed, lonely and frustrated housewife, Kate, with a vitality that brings her brilliantly to life.Blanchett lets her hair down and immerses herself in the role, and her very presence on the screen is absolutely vivacious.The first time she appears on screen is a shot looking out at her from inside a refrigerator she is opening; a pale, blue light falls across the close-up of her face, and though is passes quickly it's one of those `moments' that instantly become indelibly etched in your mind's eye forever.Because in that split second you realize that something special has just transpired-- that the movie has just been catapulted to the top rung of the ladder.And because of Blanchett, Kate just as quickly becomes the central character in the film, and it's simply a terrific performance by one of the most gifted actors in the business.
The supporting cast includes Troy Garity, January Jones, Rocky LaRochelle, Jaye K. Danford, Anthony Burch and Bobby Slayton.An engaging and thoroughly enjoyable film, `Bandits' is like a `best of all genres' movie, because it's a mixture of action, drama, comedy and suspense all rolled into one-- and it's done perfectly.Levinson presents it in such a way that it draws you in from the beginning, and the performances are all as good as it gets-- the stars simply shine in this one.It's the kind of movie you can watch time and again and never tire of seeing.It has it all, including a great ending.And that's the magic of the movies.I rate this one 10/10.
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Basic|John McTiernan|Thriller|Rated R for violence and language. |6.1|Canada|2003|98 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003||James Vanderbilt |Steve Mason (II) |||Deception is their most dangerous weapon.|Tom Hardy, an ex-Army Ranger turned DEA agent, is drawn into an ever-widening mystery surrounding the disappearance of the feared and often hated Sgt. Nathan West, as well as several of his elite Special Forces trainees on what appears, at first, to have been a routine training exercise during a hurricane in the jungles of Panama. Only two survivors are found, Dunbar, and a badly wounded Kendall, the son of a high-profile Joint Chiefs of Staff official. Neither is willing to cooperate with Capt. Julia Osborne's investigation. So base commander Col. Bill Styles calls in ex-Ranger Hardy, an old friend and a persuasive interrogator. Osborne disapproves of Hardy who is on leave from the D.E.A. after having come under suspicion of accepting bribes from local drug traffickers. She is also uneasy when she learns that Hardy once trained under West and hates him almost as passionately as his current recruits. With time running out, Hardy and Osborne call a temporary, if uneasy, truce. Hardy cajoles a confession out of Dunbar, who claims that Sgt. West and the missing Rangers have been murdered and their bodies blown away by the hurricane. When they later interview Kendall, he confirms that the other Rangers and West are dead. But, in almost every other way, his story contradicts Dunbar's. What happened to West and his Ranger team? And what were they really doing out there in the jungle? As each layer reveals more lies and greater deceptions, Hardy and Osborne inch towards the horrible truth about the fate of the missing Rangers.
A marine sergeant (Samual Jackson) takes six of his special troops on a training mission into the rain-soaked Colombian jungles and only two come out alive. When the rescue mission arrives, they see one soldier (Brian Van Holt) killing another and carrying a wounded comrade (Giovanni Ribisi). As the interrogation begins, the soldier refuses to talk to anyone other than another Ranger. The investigating officer (Connie Nielsen) protests, but her commanding officer (Timothy Daly) nonetheless brings in a former Ranger and current DEA agent (John Travolta) to help. The agent is currently on suspension from DEA for allegedly accepting a bribe. From this point on, the plot continues to twist and turn and offers numerous surprises that keeps the story interesting.
|John Travolta (Hardy) @ Connie Nielsen (I) (Osborne) @ Samuel L. Jackson (West) @ Timothy Daly (Styles (as Tim Daly)) @ Giovanni Ribisi (Kendall) @ Brian Van Holt (Dunbar) @ Taye Diggs (Pike) @ Dash Mihok (Mueller||Lackluster film with a really fine cast.
Set in the Panama Canal zone, the movie BASIC gets it title from something investigator Travolta plays early on, regarding the "basic" technique for investigating a murder and finding out who is telling the truth. As the story unfolds we soon find that in this case it isn't so basic after all. Right now the IMdb vote is somewhat above "6" but I think that is a bit generous. I rate it "5" for some good entertainment, but overall not a very satisfying movie. So, what's wrong with "Basic?" The critic Ebert has a good, complete review, but following are my reasons.
some SPOILERS follow, do not read further if you have not seen BASIC.
The film starts with Sam Jackson playing a real mean military man, and after an impromptu training day in a storm, only 2 of the six men come back. Jackson's character is apparently among the dead. Connie Nielson is the army investigator, but her commander brings in civilian Travolta. They question the survivors, get conflicting stories, and they find out drugs are involved, apparently led by the base doctor played by Harry Connick, Jr. About 1 hour into the film I was getting impatient for a good story, because up to that point it was just a rehash of "Courage Under Fire" where all survivors gave different versions of what happened.
In the end the base commander was the drug kingpin, he was shot by Nielson as he was about to pull a gun on Travolta, his old friend. However, when she followed him later, she found all the presumed dead men were really alive, all part of a "section 8" group who had no real identities and went into situations like the one depicted in this film, with assumed identities, to get rid of the bad guys. And they invited her to join them. The BASIC story has possibilities but the sequence of events and the marginal script ultimately makes it a barely watchable film with only a little redemption with its surprise ending.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-35|||||@@
Beach, The|Danny Boyle|Drama|Rated R for violence, some strong sexuality, language and drug content. |5.7|USA|2000|119 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Andrew Macdonald (I) Callum McDougall|Alex Garland John Hodge (I)|Darius Khondji |||Innocence never lasts forever.|Garland's novel centers on a young nicotine-addicted traveler named Richard, an avid pop-culture buff with a particular love for video games and Vietnam War movies. While at a hotel in Bangkok, he finds a map left by his strange, whacked-out neighbor, who just committed suicide. The map supposedly leads to a legendary island paradise where some other wayward souls have settled.
|Leonardo DiCaprio (Richard) @ Tilda Swinton (Sal) @ Virginie Ledoyen (Françoise) @ Guillaume Canet (Étienne) @ Robert Carlyle (Daffy) @ Paterson Joseph (Keaty) @ Lars Arentz-Hansen (Bugs) @ Peter Youngblood Hills (Zeph||A great adaptation of Alex Garland's best seller. A thrill ride to the end!
The beach is a luminous voyage into a paradise we all dream about but never find. It is a visual feast for the eyes that is incomparable in its beauty to any other film in recent history.
The beginning grabs you right away. Snake blood is on the menu, and Daffy is lurking behind the mosquito netting, waiting to send Richard on a trip he will never forget.
The whole scene with Daffy was extremely well done. Carlysle was perfection! And Richard's little comedic nuances were hilarious....
The cinematography was also splendid, and the underwater shots took my breath away. The pumping soundtrack was fantastic, so well suited to the story.
Leonardo played Richard just as I imagined he would be like in the book - a cocky know it all, manipulative, funny, charismatic, and then frighteningly mad. The eyes told the story. He gave Richard an edge that in some ways made him sympathetic, I thought.
The analogies of blood and water are interesting in the darker parts of the movie at the end. I found it fascinating to watch Richard in his madness, and then in his desperation after he was shocked back to reality and cleansed by the pure clean waterfall.
The shocking twist at the end was just right. It gave us just what Boyle said it would give us - the tension and suspense excluding the blood and gore.
I loved the followup ending because it was so true to the book. It gave us exactly the scene that we see in the last paragraph of the novel by Garland - he still hears from Keaty, he still thinks of Francoise, but Richard's expression told the story -you could see his "memory" of the lessons he learned...the innocence he lost...are still vivid in his mind.
I thought the middle was edited poorly, and had no flow. The love triangle was not developed enough to make it worth while, but the fantastic first and last acts more than made up for it's middle act flaws! I thought the video sequence was a blast - it went along so well with the reasons why Richard's brain was so muddled: brought home the idea that Richard has no experience to draw on but his video game tactics when confronted with problems - it is his only background when making tough decisions about the problems he is now encountering....
The acting was fabulous from the supporting cast to Leonardo's brilliant performance. I loved Patterson Joseph as Keaty, and Guillame was so sweet as Etienne, Virginie has a natural screen presence and beauty that is so refreshing next to so many of those "fake" Hollywood actresses we are subjected to now, and Carlysle as usual was perfect in his madness. Tilda Swinton's Sal was everything I had imagined in the book, and I felt the twist in the relationship between she and Rich really did add something to the story that was missing in the book.....it gave Bugs a substantial reason to hate Rich, something the book never did.
Leonardo took us through this journey with amazing ease and honesty. Seeing him meeting challenge after challenge in this role with such accurate and precise brilliance makes me realise again what a gift he is. Paradise really only exists inside of one's soul..a soul at peace. Richard discovered that through his experience on The Beach, and boy, was it a trip!
I give the movie 4 of 5 stars. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-36|||||@@
Beautiful Mind, A|Ron Howard|Drama|Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, sexual content and a scene of violence. |7.8|USA|2001|135 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Brian Grazer Todd Hallowell (I) Ron Howard Karen Kehela Kathleen McGill Maureen Peyrot Aldric La'Auli Porter Louisa Velis|Sylvia Nasar Akiva Goldsman|Roger Deakins |||He Saw The World In A Way No One Could Have Imagined.|A biopic of the meteoric rise of John Forbes Nash Jr., a math prodigy able to solve problems that baffled the greatest of minds. And how he overcame years of suffering through schizophrenia to win the Nobel Prize.
From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experienced it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy, and finally - late in life - received the Nobel Prize.
|Russell Crowe (John Nash) @ Ed Harris (William Parcher) @ Jennifer Connelly (Alicia Larde Nash) @ Christopher Plummer (Dr. Rosen) @ Paul Bettany (Charles Herman) @ Josh Lucas (Martin Hansen) @ Adam Goldberg (Sol) @ Anthony Rapp (Bender||Well-acted but dull
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**True story about John Forbes Nash Jr. (Russell Crowe), a brilliant mathematician, and his struggles with schizophrenia.Well-acted by Crowe, Jennifer Connelly (as his wife), Ed Harris (as a government agent) and Paul Bettany (as a college roommate) but dull dull dull!!!It's needleslly long (over 2 hours), very slow and I had a hard time staying awake.A few people walked out after about an hour--I wish I had joined them.
This movie purports to be a true story.It isn't.They make Nash into a saint-like character.In real life he cheated on his wife (with women AND men), was addicted to drugs and divorced her.All this is left out of the movie to make him more acceptable for mainstream audiences.Basically though, they're lying.They end up making his character boring.Only Crowe's acting gives his character any depth.
The film just moves at a turtle's pace with characters talking and talking and talking endlessly about boring subjects (the schizophrenia doesn't kick in until after an hour).Only the acting is good.Anyways, this film was made for only one reason--to win Oscars.It has a very cold, calculated feel about it.Everybody looks perfect, everything looks beautiful, there's a big lush musical score, the schizophrenia is presented tastefully--nothing to offend anybody.That is the type of film that wins Oscars--sadly this cleaned up at the Golden Globes so the Oscars might happen.It's just annoying that this movie says it's all about schizophrenia and trying to make the public aware of it, when it's actually all about winning awards and nothing more.
Predictable, boring and calculating.Avoid. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-23 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Behind Enemy Lines|John Moore (V)|Action|Rated PG-13 for war violence and some language. |6.1|USA|2001|106 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stephanie Austin Alex Blum John Davis (I) Wyck Godfrey|Jim Thomas (I) John Thomas (V) David Veloz Zak Penn|Brendan Galvin | ||In War There Are Some Lines You Should Never Cross.|Fighter navigator Chris Burnett wants out: he was looking for something more than the boring recon missions he's been flying. He finds himself flying the lone Christmas day mission over war-torn Bosnia. But when he talks pilot Stackhouse into flying slightly off-course to check out an interesting target, the two get shot down. Burnett is soon alone, trying to outrun a pursuing army, while commanding officer Reigert finds his rescue operation hamstrung by politics, forcing Burnett to run far out of his way.
|Owen Wilson (Lt. Chris Burnett) @ Gene Hackman (Admiral Leslie McMahon Reigart) @ Gabriel Macht (Stackhouse) @ Charles Malik Whitfield (Master Chief Rodway) @ David Keith (Master Chief Tom O'Malley) @ Olek Krupa (Miroslav Lokar) @ Joaquim de Almeida (Admiral Piquet) @ Vladimir Mashkov (Sasha||Bat 21 in a different country
Very exciting film, giving the viewer nothing new in the way of a story. I was on the edge of my seat all the way through especially during the SAM attack on the airplane. Hackman gives his standard fine performance as the Admiral willing to scrap his career for one of his men, and Wilson does a commendable job fighting and running across dangerous ground. Thumbs up.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |DTS 5.1 |1-12|||||@@
Better Than Chocolate|Anne Wheeler|Romance|Rated R for pervasive strong sexual content, nudity and language. |6.3|Canada|1999|101 min/ USA:102 min (unrated version)|English||DivX|1||DivX;-) V3.11 LOW MOTION|814 |560x304|MPEG Layer 3|136 |False|48,000 Hz|2|700.04 MB||||23.98|01/11/2003|Christopher Adkins Sharon McGowan Rosamund Norbury Peggy Thompson|Peggy Thompson |Gregory Middleton ||First Distributors (H.K.) Ltd. [hk] ||Two attractive young lesbians, Maggie and Kim, meet in Vancouver, develop a passionate romance, and move in together. Meanwhile, Maggie's well-meaning but naive mother Lila gets divorced and decides to move to Vancouver and join the household. Soon after, Lila is befriended by Judy, a transsexual about to undergo a sex-change operation. Complications ensue as the conservative Lila learns the truth about Maggie, Judy, and their diverse group of friends.
|Wendy Crewson (Lila) @ Karyn Dwyer (Maggie) @ Christina Cox (Kim) @ Ann-Marie MacDonald (Frances) @ Marya Delver (Carla) @ Kevin Mundy (Paul) @ Tony Nappo (Tony) @ Jay Brazeau (Mr. L.B. Marcus, Canada Customs) @ Beatrice Zeilanger (Bernice (as Beatrice Zeilinger)) @ Peter Outerbridge (Judy) @ Gerald Varga (Skin Head 1) @ Robert Parent (Skin Head 2) @ Corrine Koslo (Safe Sex Advocate) @ Veena Sood (Religious Zealot) @ Tony Marr (Lila's Boss) @ Colleen Wheeler (Woman in Real Estate Office) @ Jennifer Griffin (Woman in Washroom (as Jenn Griffin)) @ A.J. Bond (CourierProduced by||The problem with Canadian cinema...
The problem with Canadian cinema is that most of the time it is pretty good, pretty different from those ugly Hollywood formulas. Another problem is we don't have the chance to see these movies in Canadian theatres, because it is filled with USA. Director Anne Wheeler is from west Canada. It's the third of her movies I see : Loyalties (1986, with fantastic Indian actress Tantoo Cardinal) Bye bye blues (1989) These two have a Canadian cultural edge to it. Not this one : it is universal, but set in Canada. What the three movies have in common is the FEELINGS! They are also very feminine. This one is a romantic comedy, with good acting by Christina Cox and charming Karyn Dwyer. It's fun, human, intelligent. Did I have to say this is a movie about lesbians? Not really : it's just a pretty good romantic comedy. I'd like to see more of Anne Wheeler because I'm sure she's a great talent from Canada. By the way, I'm sure that Canadians from the west don't really know about Quebec's films. Very sad! We make a pretty good lesbian picture too : Revoir Julie. Thanks to miss Wheeler and all the cast. |Region 1 | |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |2-19|||||@@
Big Lebowski, The|Joel Coen|Comedy|Rated R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence. |7.9|USA|1998|117 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Tim Bevan John Cameron (II) Ethan Coen Eric Fellner|Ethan Coen Joel Coen|Roger Deakins |||They figured he was a lazy time wasting slacker. They were right.|Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski is the ultimate LA slacker, until one day his house is broken into and his rug is peed on by two angry gangsters who have mistaken him for Jeffrey Lebowski, the LA millionaire, whose wife owes some bad people some big money. The Dude becomes entangled in the plot when he goes to visit the real Lebowski in order to get some retribution for his soiled rug, and is recruited to be the liason between Lebowski and the captors of his now "kidnapped" wife.
Dude Lebowski is met by two mobsters wanting repayment of a loan that he knows nothing about. This simple case of mistaken identity entangles him into a complex kidnaping plot.
The Dude and his bowling buddies (Walter and Donny) find themselves doing Philip Marlowe's Job in this complicated story that owes a lot to The Big Sleep.
|Jeff Bridges (Jeffrey Lebowski/The Dude) @ John Goodman (Walter Sobchak) @ Julianne Moore (Maude Lebowski) @ Steve Buscemi (Donny) @ David Huddleston (Jeffrey Lebowski) @ Philip Seymour Hoffman (Brandt) @ Tara Reid (Bunny Lebowski) @ Philip Moon (Woo, Treehorn Thug||The Greatest Bowling movie ever!
This film will always be remembered asone of the best comedies ever. Its so overthe top, one has to wonder how the Coenbrothers were able to fit in all of the variousstorylines and plot elements into a neat,98-minute package.This film completely changed my opinion ofJohn Goodman, who I always thought wouldbe some goofball hack for run of the mill comedies.Kudos to the Coens. This ranks as my favoriteCoen brothers movie, until they find anotherway to reinvent themselves. |Region All |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-14|||||@@
Biker Boyz|Reggie Rock Bythewood|Action|Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language. |3.9|USA|2003|110 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stephanie Allain Paul Garnes Don Kurt Sharon Roee Peled Gina Prince-Bythewood Erwin Stoff Tammy Thomas-Garnes|Michael Gougis Craig Fernandez Reggie Rock Bythewood|Greg Gardiner |||Survival of the fastest.|A mythic motorcycle tale of father and son", this is the story of Manuel Galloway (Fishburne), also known as "the King of Cali", the president of a motorcycle club whose members are all African-American men, mostly white-collar workers who exchange their suits and ties at night and on weekends for leather outfits and motorcycle helmets. The focus of this story takes place at an annual drag-racing event in Fresno, as Manuel tries to retain his championship title.
|Laurence Fishburne (Smoke) @ Derek Luke (Kid) @ Orlando Jones (Soul Train) @ Djimon Hounsou (Motherland) @ Lisa Bonet (Queenie) @ Brendan Fehr (Stuntman) @ Larenz Tate (Wood) @ Kid Rock (Dogg||Better than I thought it would be
Biker Boyz is a little decent film that isn't half bad consdering how quickly it was made.The film which was shot under the direction of Reggie Blythewood in 45 days. The script could have used a bit more work but the performances of Fisburne and Luke really highlight the film. The film has some bike stunts and is a good way to waste a Saturday afternoon. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-7 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Billy Madison|Tamra Davis|Comedy|PG-13 |6.1|USA|1995|89 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Fitch Cady Jack Giarraputo Robert Simonds|Tim Herlihy Adam Sandler|Victor Hammer |||To inherit his family's fortune, Billy is going back to school... Way back.|Billy Madison is the 27 year old lazy, unemployed son of a rich tycoon. The tycoon is retiring and wants to hand over his hotel business to his son, but after a long discussion with his vice president, Eric Gordon, Mr. Madison feels that it's best if he gives the company to Eric and not to Billy. Billy protests and later strikes a deal with his dad. If Billy goes back to school, from 1st to 12th in two weeks, he'll get the company. Billy goes back and still acts like a goof throughout school, but manages to study and pass his way through school while crossing paths with his childhood sweetheart, Veronica Vaughn, who's also his third grade teacher, and Max Anderson, the gay principal who has his eye lustfully on Billy. Billy comes close to finishing school when Max receives a threat by Eric to expose Max's past, about Max being a wrestler and killed a fellow wrestler during a fight accidentally. Max will do anything to keep his job and must go on television and make a live statement about how Billy bribed him to pass him on to high school. This destroys Billy's chance to graduate, but Billy's third grade friends stick up for Billy and confront Max, who goes back on television and admits that he lied. To settle the dispute between Billy and Eric, the two decide to do an academic decathlon to see who gets the company.
Billy Madison is the 28 year-old son of Bryan Madison, a very rich man who has made his living in the hotel industry. Billy stands to inherit his father's empire but only if he can make it through all 12 grades, 2 weeks per grade, to prove that he has what it takes to run the family business.
Billy Madison is a non-working, non-educated slacker who lives entirely off his dad. He spends his day drinking beer, reading girly magazines, and hanging out by the pool. When his father realizes that Billy is unfit to run the family business, Billy decides that he must go back to school and earn a real education. He figures it will be no problem going back to high school and learning over again, until he learns that his father bought Billy's passing grades all the way back in elementary school. Thus, Billy must return to elementary school and pass each grade one at a time in a short time, or else he loses his place as heir to the company. In addition, Billy tries to win the hand of Veronica, a sexy school teacher who thinks her students are more mature than Billy.
Billy Madison (Adam Sandler) is a 27 year old non-working immature idiot. His father Brian Madison (Darren McGavin) who runs Madison Hotels is retiring and is thinking of handing his company to Billy, but also thinking of giving it to Eric Gordon (Bradley Whitford), a weasel-like co-worker of Madison Hotels. Billy strikes a deal with his father to go through grades 1-12 to earn the company. He still goofs off in school and tries to score with his teachers liken (Dina Platias), (Helen Hughes I), and his sexy third grade teacher, Veronica Vaughn (Bridgette Wilson).
|Adam Sandler (Billy Madison) @ Darren McGavin (Brian Madison) @ Bridgette Wilson (Veronica Vaughn) @ Bradley Whitford (Eric Gordon) @ Josh Mostel (Principal Max Anderson) @ Norm Macdonald (Frank) @ Mark Beltzman (Jack) @ Larry Hankin (Carl Alphonse||Not the best Sandler ever made, but still decent.
This is indeed not Sandler's best work, but let's just say that it's better than LITTLE NICKY and that crap MR. DEEDS. The main thing about this movie that makes it not as good as some of the others is the fact that the humor is all very, very crude (which is good) but some of it is unbelievable. (POSSIBLE SPOILER) Like in one scene, we see a guy on fire, burning up and then a couple minutes later he is fine with no burns or any indication that it happened. Now, yeah this is funny, just not very believable. This movie would be best compared to HAPPY GILMORE. They both came out around the same time and they are both quite similar.
The cast is pretty good for this movie, stars like Bridgette Wilson, Darren McGavin, Bradley Whitford, Josh Mostel, and Norm MacDonald and Chris Farley (who plays a bus driver in an uncredited role) star along-side Sandler in this meticulously funny comedy.
BILLY MADISON: 3/5. |Region 1 |Movies |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |5.1 |1-33|||||@@
Black Hawk Down|Ridley Scott|Action|Rated R for intense, realistic, graphic war violence, and for language. |7.6|USA|2001|144 min/ Germany:142 min|English||||||||||False||||||||26/10/2003|Jerry Bruckheimer Harry Humphries Branko Lustig Terry Needham Chad Oman Pat Sandston Ridley Scott Mike Stenson Simon West|Mark Bowden Ken Nolan|Slavomir Idziak |||Leave No Man Behind|Action/war drama based on the best-selling book detailing a near-disastrous mission in Somalia on October 3, 1993 where nearly 100 U.S. Army Rangers, commanded by Capt. Mike Steele, were dropped by helicopter deep into the capital city of Mogadishu to capture two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord which lead to a large and drawn-out firefight between the Rangers and hundreds of Somali gunmen which led to the destruction of two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters in Mogadishu, and the heroic efforts by various Rangers to get to them, centering on Sgt. Eversmann commanding one Ranger unit, named Chalk Four, pinned down by the street fighting, to Warrant Officer Durant who was only survivor of the second black hawk crash site and whom was captured, to Lt. Col. McKnight who leads a rescue convoy for the Rangers only to get lost within the hostile city, to Lt. Perino leading Rangers to the first black hawk crash site, to Staff Sgt. Yurek who leads his decimated Ranger group Chalk Two through gunfire to safety, to many others involved who where either killed or survived.
|Josh Hartnett (SSgt. Matt Eversmann) @ Ewan McGregor (Spec. Danny Grimes) @ Jason Isaacs (Capt. Mike Steele) @ Tom Sizemore (Lt. Col. Danny McKnight) @ William Fichtner (SFC. Jeff Sanderson) @ Eric Bana (SFC 'Hoot' Gibson) @ Sam Shepard (Maj. Gen William F. Garrison) @ Ewen Bremner (Spec. Shawn Nelson) @ Tom Hardy (Spec. Lance Twombly (as Thomas Hardy)) @ Ron Eldard (C.W.O. Mike Durant) @ Charlie Hofheimer (Cpl. Jamie Smith) @ Hugh Dancy (SFC. Kurt Schmid) @ Tom Guiry (SSgt. Ed Yurek (as Thomas Guiry)) @ Brian Van Holt (SSgt. Jeff Struecker) @ Steven Ford (Lt. Col. Joe Cribbs) @ Gregory Sporleder (Sgt. Scott Galentine) @ Zeljko Ivanek (Lt. Col. Gary Harrell) @ Matthew Marsden (Spec. Dale Sizemore) @ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (MSgt. Gary Gordon) @ Orlando Bloom (Pfc. Todd Blackburn) @ Johnny Strong (SFC. Randy Shughart) @ Kim Coates (MSgt. Tim 'Griz' Martin) @ Glenn Morshower (Lt. Col. Tom Matthews) @ Enrique Murciano (Sgt. Lorenzo Ruiz) @ Jeremy Piven (C.W.O. Cliff 'Elvis' Wolcott) @ Gabriel Casseus (Spec. Mike Kurth) @ Danny Hoch (Sgt. Dominick Pilla) @ Tac Fitzgerald (Spec. John 'Brad' Thomas) @ Richard Tyson (SSgt. Daniel Busch) @ Michael Roof (Pvt. John Maddox) @ Kent Linville (Pfc. Clay Othic) @ Ian Virgo (Pvt. John Waddell) @ Carmine Giovinazzo (Sgt. Mike Goodale) @ Chris Beetem (Sgt. James 'Casey' Joyce) @ Ty Burrell (Tim 'Wilkie' Wilkinson) @ George Harris (Osman Atto) @ Razaaq Adoti (Yousuf Dahir Mo'alim) @ Treva Etienne (Abdullahi 'Firimbi' Hassan) @ Ioan Gruffudd (2Lt. John Beales) @ Jason Hildebrandt (C.W.O. Dan Jollata) @ Brendan Sexton III (Pfc. Richard 'Alphabet' Kowalewski) @ Boyd Kestner (C.W.O. Mike Goffena) @ Abdibashir Mohamed Hersi (Abdi, Somali Spy) @ Pavel Voukan (C.W.O. Donovan 'Bull' Briley (as Pavel Vokoun)) @ Dan Woods (TSgt. Scott Fales) @ Kofi Amankwah (Somali Kid) @ Joshua Quarcoo (Somali Kid) @ Johann Myers (Somali Father) @ Lee Geohagen (Somali Son with Gun rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Giannina Facio (Stephanie Shughart (uncredited)) @ Corey Johnson (U.S. Medic (uncredited)Produced by||One of the best films of 2001
BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001) **** Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Sam Shepard, William Fichtner, Jason Isaacs, Ewen Bremner, Eric Bana, Jeremy Piven, Zeljko Ivanek, Ron Eldard, Ty Burrell,Gabriel Casseus, Kim Coates, Hugh Dancy, Ioan Gruffudd, Thomas Guiry, Tom Hardy,Charlie Hofheimer, Danny Hoch, Orlando Bloom, Glenn Morshower, Brenadan Sexton III, Johnny Strong, Richard Tyson.Superb adaptation of Mark Bowden's book about the true-life account of the 1993 American troops clusterf**k in Somalia with a routine mission gone to hell in handbasket with carnage, confusion and in general melee with the natives restless for bloodshed.Great talented ensemble and strong direction by vet Ridley Scott gets a boost in the arm by Ken Nolan's lean, mean screenplay and bruised cinematography by Slawomir Idziak depicts all the horrors of war unflinchingly palpable.One of the year's best films. |Region 1 | |2.35 : 1 |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo|2-32 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Blackball|Mel Smith|Comedy/Drama||4.9|UK|2003|
96 min
|English||||||||||False||||||||26/02/2004|Mairi Bett Steve Christian Bruce Davey Liam Foley James Gay-Rees Duncan Reid Mel Smith|Tim Firth |John Golding Vernon Layton||Icon Film Distribution Ltd. [gb] |At last, a sportsman the British can be proud of...|Try as he might, the roguishly handsome Cliff Starkey, just can't keep out of trouble. In his sleepy home town on the English coast, nothing much inspires him...apart from bowls. Cliff has always preferred to play by his own rules much to the disapproval of the regimented, elderly bowls fraternity. Before long, the bay boy of bowls is turning the sedate and very English pastime upside down with hysterical results.
|Paul Kaye (Cliff Starkey rest of cast listed alphabetically Terry Alderton .... Doorman) @ Bernard Cribbins (Mutley) @ James Cromwell (Ray Speight) @ Robert Duncan (Kerry Speight) @ James Fleet (Mark Doohan) @ Vic Reeves (TV Director) @ Tony Slattery (Bridget) @ Vince Vaughn (Rick Schwartz)||Come on!
This film is good. No really it is. Okay so I know some people thought it
was a load of old boll..I mean er...'twaddle', but it's really not! It's
one
of those films people think is rubbish, but that's just because they're
not
seeing the big picture. It's like when people say that Peter Kay isn't
funny. They're just missing the jokes because they're too stupid! That's
all. What a bunch of goons eh?
So if you're open to humour, then you'll find this hilarious and
interesting. And I'm probably making a really crap attempt at reviewing
this. Hmm.
I liked the story. I thought it was different and charming in the way that
Cliff was a poor boy who only had bowls to give him ambition. And even
though he acted like a bit of an idiot and was annoying, he still has a
charm about him. And I can't really think of anything else to say, except
it
is funny and good. The bit with the pepsi can amused me (watch it to find
out!) and also the bits with Johnny Vegas.
Okay, so maybe the bowls match at the end goes on a bit and is a bit far
fetched the way the English are losing so miserably only to go on to turn
it
around so dramatically..but overall it's good.
One negative thing though: Kerry's hair looks like a wig and she's a bit
of
a goon. Apart from that it's very good! So as Cliff Starkey would say;
Come
on!
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Blow|Ted Demme|Crime|Rated R for pervasive drug content and language, some violence and sexuality. |7.0|USA|2001|124 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Michael De Luca Ted Demme Tracy Falco Georgia Kacandes Denis Leary Jose Ludlow Susan McNamara Hillary Sherman Joel Stillerman|Bruce Porter (II) David McKenna Nick Cassavetes|Ellen Kuras |||Based on a True Story.|George Jung is the son of a struggling small business owner. Seeing his family struggle to make ends meet and failing, George vows never to share a similar fate. Moving to California, he starts his own pot pushing operation in which he finds both success and imprisonment. In prison, he meets a cellmate who introduces him into a partnership to the lucrative new market in cocaine. Upon release, George Jung quickly becomes instrumental in establishing the exploding US market for cocaine in which he claimed that he handled about 85% of the supply in the 1970's. However, for all the fabulous wealth and power he gained, the true costs of his dangerously treacherous occupation catch up with him in ways from which would he never recover.
|Johnny Depp (George Jung) @ Penélope Cruz (Mirtha Jung) @ Franka Potente (Barbara Buckley) @ Rachel Griffiths (I) (Ermine Jung, George's Mother) @ Paul Reubens (Derek Foreal, George's Partner) @ Jordi Mollà (Diego Delgado) @ Cliff Curtis (Pablo Escobar aka El Magico) @ Miguel Sandoval (I) (Augusto Oliveras||A story about parenthood.
Blow is a film that is not so much about the drugs trade but more about Parenthood and how precious it is. Johhny Depp is excellent in the role of George a big time grugs runner of the seventies who's life goes pear shaped ant various stages which has a huge affect on firstly his mother and father , then his wife and ultimately and most sadly his daughter. The acting is very good from all the cast and it is good to see Ray loita pulling of a brilliant performance and for me stealing the show as george's father. Its just a shame that the make up wasnt as good as it could be when the characters age. We also have Depp narratting in a Goodfellas style which only adds to the enjoyment . 8 out of 10. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-4 ( 2 CD's )|||||@@
Bourne Identity, The|Doug Liman|Action|Rated PG-13 for violence and some language. |7.3|USA|2002|119 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Patrick Crowley (I) Richard N. Gladstein Doug Liman Robert Ludlum Frank Marshall (I) David Minkowski Matthew Stillman Andrew R. Tennenbaum|Robert Ludlum Tony Gilroy (I) W. Blake Herron|Don Burgess Daniel Mindel Oliver Wood|||He was the perfect weapon until he became the target.|Based very loosely on Robert Ludlum's novel, the Bourne Identity is the story of a man whose wounded body is discovered by fisherman who nurse him back to health. He can remember nothing and begins to try to rebuild his memory based on clues such as the Swiss bank account, the number of which, is implanted in his hip. He soon realizes that he is being hunted and takes off with Marie on a search to find out who he is and why he is being hunted.
On a stormy night, a young man is pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea by the crew of a fishing boat. Thinking the young man is dead, a curious fisherman with a scalpel finds two bullets in his back and a miniature laser device in his hip. The laser reveals a Swiss bank account number. But our wet hero isn't dead, and soon finds himself in Zurich. In the bank vault the young man discovers his name, Jason Bourne. In addition, he finds a baffling pile of different passports, all with his picture, and a huge pile of cash. In the U.S. Embassy, Jason Bourne discovers his love interest and travel partner, Marie, along with the fact that someone wants to kill him. Armed with a bag of money and mysterious martial arts skills, with Marie by his side, Bourne scours Paris for clues about his identity and past life... and finds himself in the middle of two assassination plots masterminded by the CIA.
|Matt Damon (Jason Bourne) @ Franka Potente (Marie Helena Kreutz) @ Chris Cooper (I) (Conklin) @ Clive Owen (The Professor, Assassin) @ Brian Cox (Ward Abbott) @ Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Nykwana Wombosi) @ Gabriel Mann (Zorn) @ Walt Goggins (Research Tech (as Walton Goggins)||GOOD WILL HUNTING'S IDENTITY CRISES
THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002) **1/2 Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, Clive Owen, Julia Stiles, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.Atypical adaptation of Robert Ludlum's espionage thriller with Damon as the amnesiac CIA op hit-man trying to place the pieces of his jigsawed mind into place while thwarting his employers' attempt to take him down and running thru Europe with reluctant babe Potente as his only ally.Damon isn't bad as the conflicted yet cool-as-a-cucumber hero with issues and mixes it up in his rustles with bad guys but the third act suffers greatly largely to Tony Gilroy and W. Blake Herron's uneven screenplay despite the unlikely direction of indie phenom Doug Liman skillfully blending the adrenaline pumped stunts (i.e. a hair-raising car chase thru Paris) and the confused protagonist's qualms of being a lethal weapon. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-24 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Bridget Jones's Diary|Sharon Maguire|Comedy|Rated R for language and some strong sexuality. |7.1|UK|2001|97 min|English||||||||||False||||||||24/01/2004|Tim Bevan Jonathan Cavendish Liza Chasin Eric Fellner Helen Fielding Debra Hayward Peter McAleese|Helen Fielding Helen Fielding Andrew Davies Richard Curtis Jane Austen|Stuart Dryburgh ||Alliance Atlantis Communications [ca] |It's Monday morning, Bridget has woken up with a headache, a hangover and her boss.|Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss (Hugh Grant) takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones and the ups and downs of their ill-fated relationship prove hilarious and touching at once. Thrown into the mix are Bridget's band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance (Colin Firth) who Bridget cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive.
Can a single woman over 30, who smokes too much, drinks too much, and has a tendency to say whatever comes into her mind, find her place in the world... and a man? Bridget Jones is an assistant at a London book publisher, feeling time pass her by. When Daniel Cleaver, her boss, starts flirting with her in a vulgar way, she plunges straight in. An affair ensues and she's head over heels. She also keeps running into Mark Darcy, a reserved even stiff barrister who has known her since she was a child young enough to frolic naked in his wading pool, seems to look down his nose at her, and hates Cleaver (truth is, Daniel may be a bit of a bounder). What are Bridget's choices?
Bridget Jones is 32 years old and can't seem to find the right man. Her mother keeps setting her up with dorks; she and her boss have a sexual attraction, but his character seems less than admirable. She resolves to try harder...
Bridget Jones' life couldn't get worse: she slept with her boss, is gaining weight and keeps screwing up in public events. Mark Darcy doesn't make it any better, he seems to be everywhere. The stiff top notch lawyer which Bridget can't help, but find very sexy. From bunny tails, to drunk fits, Bridget seems to be living her life with much 'inner poise'.
|Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones) @ Gemma Jones (Bridget's Mum (Pam Jones)) @ Celia Imrie (Mrs. Una Alconbury) @ James Faulkner (Uncle Geoffrey Alconbury) @ Jim Broadbent (Bridget's Dad (Colin Jones)) @ Colin Firth (Mark Darcy) @ Charmian May (Mrs. Darcy, Mark's Mum) @ Hugh Grant (Daniel Cleaver) @ Paul Brooke (Mr. Kenneth Fitzherbert, aka 'Mr. Tits Pervert') @ Felicity Montagu (Perpetua) @ Shirley Henderson (Jude, Bridget's Pal) @ Sally Phillips (Shazzer, Bridget's Pal) @ James Callis (Tom, Bridget's Pal) @ Charlie Caine (Handsome Stranger) @ Gareth Marks (Simon in Marketing) @ John Clegg (Elderly Man in Resturant) @ Salman Rushdie (Himself) @ Embeth Davidtz (Natasha Glenville) @ Matthew Bates (Kafka Author) @ Jeffrey Archer (Himself) @ Patrick Barlow (Julian) @ Rebecca Charles (Receptionist) @ Honor Blackman (Penny Husbands-Bosworth) @ Dominic McHale (Bernard) @ Joan Blackham (Auntie Shirley) @ Lisa Barbuscia (Lara from the New York Office) @ Joseph Alessi (Interviewer 1) @ Rhydian Jai-Persad (Interviewer 2) @ Neil Pearson (Richard Finch) @ Paul Ross (Mr. Sit Up Britain) @ Stewart Wright (Neville, Stage Manager) @ Claire Skinner (Magda) @ Dolly Wells (Woney) @ Mark Lingwood (Cosmo) @ Toby Whithouse (Alastair) @ David Cann (Cameraman) @ Lisa Kay (Eleanor Ross Heaney, Aghani's Wife) @ Sulayman Al-Bassam (Kafir Aghani) @ Donald Douglas (Mr. Darcy, Mark's Dad) @ Renu Setna (Mr. Ramdas rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Emma Amos (Paula (uncredited)) @ Julian Barnes (Himself (uncredited)) @ Crispin Bonham-Carter (Greg (uncredited)) @ Max Digby (Office worker (uncredited)) @ Joshua Manasseh (Young Mark (uncredited)) @ Kia O'Hara (Young Bridget (uncredited)) @ Ben Peyton (Bridegroom (uncredited)) @ Sara Stockbridge (Melinda (uncredited)Produced by||"You'll never get a boyfriend when you look like you've just wandered out of Auschwitz." (Bridget's Mum)
Go Renee! Houston girl makes good as a British girl. This film is really a commentary on those women who mis-manage their lives, become unattractive, untalented, and lament that "all the good ones are taken."Well, 'duh!', they were taken by all the young ladies who actually took care of themselves, developed skills, and are attractive. It is a good film, certainly not great, and will be remembered by the same fans who remember "Three Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill", not because they all have Hugh Grant, but because they all have a similar look, wit, and 'feel' to them. I like all of them.
Bridget is "30-something", beginning to have visions of growing old without "A MAN", and some day dying alone, being found days later, half-eaten by her dogs. She begins a diary and begins a self-improvement plan. However, she doesn't make much progress and fortunately is found attractive by Colin Firth's character because he "likes her just the way she is."This is a running theme in fantasies of single women everywhere, wanting someone "to love them just the way they are."Unfortunately, in real life few of them are cute and attractive as Bridget is in the film. Hugh Grant is fine as the cad.
The DVD is a very good one. Not only the film itself, but most of the extras, like music videos and deleted scenes, are in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The surround is used very effectively, although there is not much opportunity to showcase either rear channel sounds or deep bass. The widescreen picture is just perfect. There is a good "making of" feature, and several deleted scenes which added some extra enjoyment to the whole story.I have rated it "7" of 10. |Region 1 | |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-24|||||@@
Bring It On|Peyton Reed|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for sex-related material and language. |6.2|USA|2000|98 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Marc Abraham Jessica Bendinger Armyan Bernstein Thomas A. Bliss Paddy Cullen Caitlin Scanlon Patricia Wolff Max Wong John Ketcham|Jessica Bendinger |Shawn Maurer |||May the best moves win.|The Toro cheerleading squad from Rancho Carne High School in San Diego has got spirit, spunk, sass and killer routine that's sure to land them the national championship trophy for the sixth year in a row. But for newly-elected team captain Torrance (Kirsten Dunst), the Toros' road to total cheer glory takes a shady turn when she discovers that their perfectly-choreographed routines were infact stolen from the Clovers, a hip-hop squad from East Compton, by the Toro's former captain. While the Toros scramble to come up with a new routine, the Clovers, led by squad captain Isis (Gabrielle Union) have their own problems - coming up with enough money to cover their travel expenses to the championships. With time running out and the pressure mounting, both captains drive their squads to the point of exhaustion: Torrance, hell bent on saving the Toros' reputation, and Isis more determined than ever to see that the Clovers finally get the recognition that they deserve. But only one team can bring home the title, so may the best moves win.
|Kirsten Dunst (Torrance Shipman) @ Eliza Dushku (Missy Pantone) @ Jesse Bradford (Cliff Pantone) @ Gabrielle Union (Isis) @ Clare Kramer (Courtney) @ Nicole Bilderback (Whitney) @ Tsianina Joelson (Darcy) @ Rini Bell (Kasey||A peppy pepper-upper.
"Bring It On" is another Dunst bop flick which shows her as the new captain of a HS cheerleading team which is fraught with problems. Lively and unpretentious teen fluff, "Bring..." has all the nonsense, silliness, and stereotypes required to please it's market. What more could any producer or audience want? ||Movies ||Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-3|||||@@
Bring It On Again|Damon Santostefano|Comedy|PG-13 |3.4|USA|2003|90 mins|English||DivX|2||DivX;-) V3.11 LOW MOTION|1785 |640x352|AC3-Digital|438 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1400.11 MB||||23.98|01/02/2004|Marc Abraham Armyan Bernstein Thomas A. Bliss Kelli Konop|Claudia Grazioso Claudia Grazioso Brian Gunn Mark Gunn|Richard Crudo ||Universal Home Entertainment [us] |May the best moves win again.| Higher Stakes, Hotter Grooves, More Attitude! They're bringing theimoves...They're bringing theigrooves... |Anne Judson-Yager (Whittier) @ Bree Turner (Tina) @ Faune A. Chambers (Monica) @ Richard Lee Jackson (Derek) @ Bryce Johnson (Greg) @ Joie Lenz (Marni rest of cast listed alphabetically Katherine Bailess .... Colleen Lipman) @ Orion Barnes (Bully Fencer) @ Amy Block (Nervous Girl) @ Francesca Caro (Whittier's Mom) @ Kevin Cooney (Dean Sebastian) @ Felicia Day (Penelope) @ Chris Emerson (Croquet Guy) @ Dennis Hemphill Jr. (Francis (as Dennis Hemphill)) @ Lamya Jezek (Party Girl) @ Nito Larioza (Renegades) @ Kelly Stables (Tiny Blonde) @ Holly Towne (Janice) @ Zachary Woodlee (DancerProduced by||Was this film really necessary?
Let's be honest here.This movie has a ready-made audience.One of the most popular male sexual fantasies has to be women in uniform.Maids and nurses probably top that list, but Cheerleaders are right up there in the top five, and there have to be millions of young male twentysomethings out there who would watch something like this just to see hot young actresses in cheerleading uniforms.It's the only reason I brought this movie on DVD.
Lets face it, any film that is completed in just twenty-eight days, goes straight to video and doesn't even feature the same schools or cheerleading squads with no actors or crew from the original at all has to start those alarm bells ringing somewhere.Even the trailer and DVD are trading on the name of the original hit movie with Kirsten Dunst (which by the way, I thought was great).
I wouldn't say this was a bad movie (I've certainly seen a lot worse), and at least this is nice eye candy with the chance to leer at lots of pretty up-and-coming actresses in uniform, but I have to ask the studio just one question - "Why?" - and if they really had to make a sequel based on "Bring it On" couldn't they at least have brought back at least ONE of the actresses from the original, this just seems a pointless waste.Sad, but an increasing trend among Hollywood producers these days of going to the well one too many times... |Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1||||||@@
Brotherhood Of The Wolf|||R |||2001|144 mins|||||||||||False||||||||30/10/2003||||||áùðú 1765 áãøåí-îòøá öøôú çé éöåø äîëåðä "äçéä îâååàãàï", ùøåöç åèåøó éåúø îîàä àðùéí, øåáí éìãéí åðùéí.àó àçã ìà áèåç îéäå àå îäå äéöåø: æàá òð÷ àå àåìé éöåø òì èáòé.îìê öøôú îîðä çå÷ø îèòîå ìç÷åø àú äîñúåøéï. ìàæåø îâéò ÷öéï öøôúé ùæä îëáø çæø î÷øáåú ðâã äàðâìéí áàîøé÷ä éçã òí áï ìååééúå äàéðãéàðé îùáè äàéøå÷æ.äâòúí éåöøú îäåîä á÷øá àðùé äçöø, áîéåçã á÷øá ðùåú äçöø.úåùáé äîçåæ çùãðééí, îáåäìéí åîú÷ùéí ìäàîéï, ùéöìéçå ìçñì àú äîôìöú.äáîàé ëøéñèåó âàï îöìéç ìðååè áéï ëì îøëéáé äñøè áçåëîä.áæëåú çåù äåîåø áøéà äåà éåöø àôåñ ééçåãé åçã ôòîé, äîùìá öéìåí îøäéá åéöåø îôìöúé îôçéã áàîú.àçã îùìåùú äñøèéí ùåáøé ä÷åôåú äâãåìéí áéåúø áëì äæîðéí áöøôú.àçã îòùøú äñøèéí äæøéí ùåáøé ä÷åôåú äâãåìéíáéåúø áëì äæîðéí áàøä"á.| "An action-packed extravaganza with kick-butt martial arts andispooky thrills!"-USA Today ||||Region 1 | |Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1|2-29 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Bruce Almighty|Tom Shadyac|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and some crude humor. |6.5|USA|2003|101 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Gary Barber (I) Roger Birnbaum Michael Bostick James D. Brubaker Jim Carrey Linda Fields (I) Steve Koren Mark O'Keefe Steve Oedekerk Tom Shadyac Jonathan Watson (II) Janet L. Wattles|Steve Koren Mark O'Keefe Steve Koren Mark O'Keefe Steve Oedekerk|Dean Semler |||He's got the power.|Bruce Nolan (Carrey), a television reporter in Buffalo, N.Y.,is discontented with almost everything in life despite his popularity and the love of his girlfriend, Grace (Aniston) . At the end of the worst day of his life, Bruce angrily ridicules and rages against God and God responds. God appears in human form (Freeman) and, endowing Bruce with divine powers, challenges Bruce to take on the big job to see if he can do it any better.
Bruce Nolan is a television reporter, who is currently assigned what he considers to be undignified assignments, that has him being the butt of a joke. When he is told that he is being considered for the position of anchorman, he goes out to do a live feed but when it is announced that Evan Baxter was going to be the new anchorman, and he freaks out. He gets fired, beaten up, and so on. In the end he blames God. God then decides to give Bruce his powers. Bruce then wreaks havoc and is enjoying it. He sabotages Evan and gets the job of anchorman. But when he realizes that he has to deal with what has got to be God's most arduous task, listening and answering prayers. When he tries to grant everybody what they want, turmoil ensues. And while Bruce is getting everything he wants, he has been ignoring his girlfriend, Grace and loses her. And it seems that the only thing that he can't do, is alter a person's free will, so if he wants her back, he has to do it the hard way.
A newscaster for the Channel 7 Eyewitness News complains about how God has only made his life a total waste. Well, Bruce Nolan, played by Jim Carrey, gets that chance after he freaks out on live TV, is fired and is offered a new job by an unknown place. He meets God and is given all the powers of God. At first he loves it. He can do anything but when he discovers others in Buffalo who are praying, he learns that maybe this job of being God isn't really that easy.
Bruce is a down on his luck TV news reporter. In a fit of desperation he challenges God and vents that if only he had God's power, he could solve all his problems. God responds to his challenge and allows Bruce to take on his powers to prove himself. Bruce soon learns that being God is very challenging.
|Jim Carrey (Bruce Nolan) @ Morgan Freeman (God) @ Jennifer Aniston (Grace Connelly) @ Philip Baker Hall (Jack Keller) @ Catherine Bell (Susan Ortega) @ Lisa Ann Walter (Debbie) @ Steven Carell (Evan Baxter) @ Nora Dunn (Ally Loman||God doth have a sense of humor
Whether or not a person believes in God, most people have thought they could make things better if they ran the world.Some would end world hunger, some would make world peace, and other would just fix the problems in their own lives.But few people would ever consider the burden and awesome responsibility of the universe's most absolute power.How would prayers be answered?How would you handle disasters and riots?What would you do if someone did not believe in you?`Bruce Almighty' presents a view of what would happen if a man's will were done. Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a field reporter for the local Buffalo, NY news station.Tired of doing human-interest stories, being passed over for promotions, and the overall course his life has taken, he calls out God (Morgan Freeman) and claims he can make things better if he ran the world. God hears Bruce's challenge and offers him the chance to prove it.The Almighty departs for a vacation and endows Bruce with all his powers. Bruce now has the opportunity to demonstrate what kind of God he can be.The only provisions are that Bruce cannot tell anyone he is God and he cannot interfere with anyone's free will. `Bruce Almighty' is wonderfully done by the talents of creative director Tom Shadyac (Liar, Liar, Patch Adams) and the humorous story by screenwriter Steve Koren (Night at the `Roxbury) and television writer Mark O'Keefe (Late Show with David Letterman).Shadyac's direction plays a key role to this visually comedic movie.Not solely relying on his performers, he also implements several sight gags.Shadyac's eye for comedy comes through when he shows how Bruce organizes his prayer requests, how Bruce dispenses justice, and even when Bruce gets a cup of coffee. The script is also well written by the comedic duo of Koren and O'Keefe. The movie is not only funny but it also looks at the seriousness of what it really means to be God.Koren and O'Keefe examine how would an average Joe handle the millions of daily prayer requests, would that person abuse his power, and would he ever give up the job.Don't get me wrong, this is not a movie to would take your children to see to teach them religion.It is filled with teen and adult humor that fans have come to expect from this genre.Koren and O'Keefe not only manage to keep the theatre laughing but give God a human face. Jim Carrey gives another great performance as Bruce Nolan.Known for his way out antics and facial expressions, Carrey combines those talents with a genuine acting ability that sells his performance.Carrey is very much the common man in his role as Bruce.He is frustrated with the morning traffic, he wants more in life, and he wants God to make it happen.Most audiences can identify with his aggravation because most have been where Bruce has been.But Carrey is also a hilarious man-God when he rules the world.He has fun with his powers while making sure the best things work out for him. Carrey delivers just the right mix of comedy with a touch of the Spirit. Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Aniston are also enjoyable in their roles as God and Bruce's girlfriend, Grace, respectively.Freeman plays God with a humanistic yet sympathetic quality.He not only offers Bruce the chance to take his job, but also is ready to help him out when he runs into trouble or needs advice.Freeman's portrayal is also what one would expect out of God: warm, endearing, and forgiving.Aniston's screen time is somewhat limited in the film.Her performance of Grace is the typical stand-by-your-man girlfriend.She loves Bruce and will stick with him no matter how much of a jerk he can be.The role is generic but Aniston plays well with what she's dealt.Perhaps the scene-stealer of the film is the sidesplitting job done by the Daily Show's Steve Carell.Carell plays Bruce's main antagonist, Evan Baxter.Baxter and Nolan's on-going feud sets the stage for very funny on-air showdown in which Carell's performance will have audiences wiping their eyes from laughter. `Bruce Almighty' is no doubt entertaining and humorous.The movie has all the combinations to make it a success and audiences looking for a good laugh will not be disappointed.While the movie may be more popular with the teen crowd, adults may also enjoy the film as well.This is not a Jim Carrey comedy where he talks from his rear but a comedy that also examines a serious nature of life and show's Carrey has evolved as an actor.But let us hope for Jim's case, God doth have a sense of humor.
Grade: B
|Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |
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Buffalo Soldiers|Gregor Jordan|Comedy|Rated R for violence, drug content, strong language and some sexuality. |7.2|UK|2001|98 min|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG-4|888 |560x240|MPEG Layer 3|123 |False|48,000 Hz|2|696.77 MB||||25.00|01/02/2004|Chris Chrisafis Rainer Grupe Oliver Huzly Amy Kaufman Reinhard Klooss Kai May Ariane Moody James Schamus Douglas R. Stone Chris Thompson Paul Webster James Wilson|Robert O'Connor Eric Weiss Nora Maccoby Gregor Jordan|Oliver Stapleton ||Good Machine International |Steal all that you can steal. A story so outrageous you couldn't make it up|1989. The Berlin Wall is about to fall, and the world is about to be made safe for the new world order. But outside of Stuttgart, West Germany, at Theodore Roosevelt Army Base, Specialist Ray Elwood of the 317th Supply Battalion (Joaquin Phoenix) is about to find his own cold war turn white hot. Elwood's a loveable rogue, a conscript who's managed to turn his military servitude into a blossoming network of black market deals, more out of boredom than ambition. Officially, there's his day job as battalion secretary to the inept but caring Commander Wallace Berman (Ed Harris). On the side, there's everything from selling the locals stolen Mop'N'Glo to cooking heroin for the base's ruthless head of Military Police, Sgt. Saad. When a new top sergeant (Scott Glenn) arrives, with the avowed intention of cleaning the base up, Elwood thinks the new blood is nothing he can't handle, especially after he lays eyes on the top's daughter, rebellious Robyn (Anna Paquin). But that was before he figured in the $5 million in stolen arms that just landed on his lap, Berman's jealous wife, an insane Turkish drug dealer, and, of course, the resulting lust, betrayal, and murder.
|Joaquin Phoenix (Ray Elwood) @ Ed Harris (Colonel Berman) @ Scott Glenn (Sergeant Lee) @ Anna Paquin (Robyn Lee) @ Elizabeth McGovern (Mrs. Berman) @ Michael Pena (Garcia) @ Leon (Stoney (as Leon Robinson)) @ Gabriel Mann (Knoll) @ Dean Stockwell (General Lancaster) @ Brian Delate (Colonel Marshall) @ Shiek Mahmud-Bey (Sergeant Saad) @ Amani Gethers (Kirschfield) @ Noah Margetts (Rothfuss) @ Tom Ellis (Squash) @ Kick Gurry (Video) @ Haluk Bilginer (The Turk) @ Idris Elba (Kimborough) @ Glenn Fitzgerald (Hicks) @ James 'Kimo' Wills (Walters (as Kimo Wills)) @ Enoch Frost (Johnnie) @ Jimmie Ray Weeks (Colonel Armstrong) @ Roger Griffiths (Simmons) @ Alexis Rodney (Parsons McCovey) @ Josef Ostendorf (Herman) @ Tom George (Nerdy Young Soldier) @ Lars Rudolph (Courier) @ Paul Conway (Frank) @ Martin Cole (MP) @ Ilhani Terzi (Davood) @ Alexander Theodossiadis (Bouncer) @ Derek Lea (Truck Driver 1) @ Mark Anthony Newman (Truck Driver 2 (as Mark Newman)) @ David Crow (Private) @ Jason Rayford (Young Soldier) @ Gary Washington (Sergeant Saad's Man) @ James Battles (Sergeant Saad's Man) @ Leon Deavers (Sergeant Saad's Man) @ Gerald Jacy (Sergeant Saad's Man) @ Michael Johnson (Sergeant Saad's Man) @ John Lovett (Sergeant Saad's Man) @ Antonio Ruffin (Sergeant Saad's Man) @ Glenn Stephens (Sergeant Saad's Man) @ Terrence Packer (Sergeant Saad's ManProduced by||Right Film at the Wrong Time
What a good film, what a bad timing! This film seems not to have been distributed commercially in the US, and what a pity. It is an anti-military, anti-war protest, which reminds 'Catch 22' in its good moments, and has really memorable characters, solid acting, and funny scenes. However, in our era making fun or protesting the bad aspects of military force and bureaucracy is not 'politically correct' (not in the US in any case) so this film needs to wait a few years. I hope that by that time it will not be forgotten, and will get the attention it deserves. 8/10 on my personal scale. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Bug's Life, A|John Lasseter Andrew Stanto|Family|G |7.5|USA|1998|96 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Darla K. Anderson Kevin Reher|John Lasseter Andrew Stanton Joe Ranft Andrew Stanton Don McEnery Bob Shaw (II) Geefwee Boedoe Jason Katz (I) Jorgen Klubien Robert Lence David Reynolds (I)|Sharon Calahan |||An epic of miniature proportions.|Every year, a bunch of grasshoppers come to the anthill and eat what the ants have gathered for them. The "offering", as the ants call the ritual, is a part of their fate. One day in spring, when the offering's preparation has just been finished, Flik, unliked inventor ant, accidentally drops the whole offered seeds into the river. The grasshoppers come and give the ants a second chance to collect food until fall. Flik sets off to find bugs that are willing to fight the grasshoppers (nobody expects him to succeed anyway) and, due to a double misinterpretation, returns with a circus crew, giving everybody new hope. When the misunderstanding finally gets cleared out, there is only little time left for a new plan, which has to work, or else...
Flik (the resident misfit ant) sets out on a journey to find "bigger bugs" to save his colony from the evil grasshoppers. Yet he mistakenly ends up getting a group of circus bugs for the job... and the adventure begins...
|Dave Foley (Flik (voice)) @ Kevin Spacey (Hopper (voice)) @ Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Atta (voice)) @ Hayden Panettiere (Dot (voice)) @ Phyllis Diller (I) (Queen (voice)) @ Richard Kind (Molt (voice)) @ David Hyde Pierce (Slim (voice)) @ Joe Ranft (Heimlich (voice)||Pixar's Worst, But One of Animation's Finest in Recent Years...
"Toy Story" was rooted in the fundamentals of childhood memories. All of us as children just KNEW our toys were alive. That they could talk. In turn, we played with them as if they were real. But soon it hit us that they were just pieces of plastic with limbs, and tossed them out. That's what "Toy Story" did--it reinvented not only animation, but imagination; it was not only a children's film, but an adult's film, as well. It brought back fond memories of all of our childhood fantasies.
But what "A Bug's Life" does is simply toss together a few characters and have them bounce jokes off each other. This film, by itself, is excellent, but when compared to something smart, intelligent and witty, such as, say, Pixar's "Toy Story," it looks like pure commercialism; Pixar's only downfall.
A small ant named Flick (voiced by Dave Foley) is a real mess; a klutz, so to speak. He and his colony of ants, presided over by a new Queen Ant, are harvesting food for the naughty Evil Grasshoppers who come every year to gather food from the ant's hard work. But because of Flick the harvest is lost, and when the grasshoppers show up they are mad. Hopper, the lead grasshopper (Kevin Spacey) is pretty "flicked" off, and demands more hard work and labor. Everyone is mad at Flick...until he hires circus talents to fight off the grasshoppers, and tells the ants they are fierce warriors. Restoring their confidence to fight, the ants set up a series of attacks for when the grasshoppers arive, until they find out the truth behind Flick's lie(s).
"A Bug's Life," like "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc.," is a fairly simple idea. But, unlike the other Pixar films, it is missing a vital element: identification with the audience. In "Toy Story" we identified with the story; we were all kids once and had toys. The story just worked because it played with that.
In "Monsters, Inc.," the idea of monsters was played upon. All children at one time or another were scared of monsters under the bed, and by presenting us the monster's side of the story, "Monsters, Inc.," could be enjoyed by both children and adults.
And then there's "A Bug's Life." No identification here. How many of us have been bugs before? Exactly. Maybe on a more emotional level we can identify with Flick the Ant, but on a visible basis, we simply cannot. There really is no fun in the storyline.
The story/film is above-average in terms of regular animated motion pictures, but in terms of Pixar films, it is simply a film best to be forgotten in Pixar's otherwise strong resume. Let's all hope that "Finding Nemo," Pixar's upcoming summer film, is better than the ads lead to believe, because if I have it correct, I predict another "A Bug's Life" for Pixar next year.
3.5/5 stars -
John Ulmer
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-19|||||@@
Bulletproof Monk|Paul Hunter (I)|Action|Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some sexual content. |5.1|USA|2003|104 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Terence Chang Gotham Chopra Alan Glazer Robert K. Lambert Caroline Macaulay Brent O'Connor Mark Paniccia Charles Roven Douglas Segal Kelley Smith-Wait John Woo Michael Yanover|Ethan Reiff Cyrus Voris|Stefan Czapsky Anthony Nocera|||A power beyond measure requires a protector without equal.|For 60 years a mysterious monk with no name has zigzagged the globe to protect an ancient scroll - a scroll that holds the key to unlimited power. Now the Monk must look for a new scrollkeeper. Kar is an unlikely candidate, a streetwise young man whose only interest is himself. But when he inadvertently saves the Bulletproof Monk from capture, the two become partners in a scheme to save the world from the scroll's most avid pursuer. Packed with spectacular special effects and martial arts action, the Monk, Kar, and a sexy Russian mob princess called Bad Girl must struggle to find, face, and fight the ultimate enemy.
Set in San Francisco, this is the story of a mysterious immortal Tibetan kung fu master (Yun-Fat), who has spent the last 60 years traveling around the world protecting an ancient scroll, who is now mentoring a street kid (Scott) in the wonders of his ancient ways... (King plays a "Russian mob princess"; Roden plays an evil kung fu master who is seeking the scroll)
Based on the very underground comic book, an immortal Tibetan monk (Chow) finds a mentor in a young street kid (Scott) whom he can teach to protect the ancient scroll he's been guarding for the last sixty years. With the help of a sexy and elusive young woman named Bad Girl (King), they come together to do battle with the kung fu master who'll stop at nothing to get the scroll.
|Yun-Fat Chow (Monk With No Name) @ Seann William Scott (Kar) @ Jaime King (Jade/Bad Girl) @ Karel Roden (I) (Strucker) @ Victoria Smurfit (Nina) @ Marcus J. Pirae (Mr. Funktastic (as Marcus Jean Pirae)) @ Mako (I) (Mr. Kojima) @ Roger Yuan (Master Monk||Stifler is the Golden Child
*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*
Chow Yun-Fat makes a kiddie action movie. He's a monk. The "Bulletproof Monk". He protects a powerful scroll which the bad guys want. He journeys to America to find a new guardian for the scroll. He comes across Stifler from "American Pie" and decides he isfunny enough to hang onto the magic scroll. Fighting and B-movie goofiness commence.
I always try to get a feel for how a movie is going to be by checking out two things before the flick starts. One is the trailers they put before the movie. The other is the makeup of the audience. "Jeepers Creepers 2" was one of the trailers. I found this to be encouraging. Then I took a look at the audience. All families. All with little kids. I knew I was sunk.
"Bulletproof Monk" is not a bad flick. It's just a very juvenile movie. Much more so than I anticipated. Chow Yun-Fat is not in his usual mass killing mood. Of course he's a monk so that shouldn't be too surprising. One scene has him in his iconic pose with a gun in each hand. You can't help but cheer. But instead of blasting the bad guys away in slow motion, he shoots the guns out of their hands like he's in some Wild West show. Tragic.
Seann William Scott, (Kar/Stifler forever), shows up as the fast talking American who Chow takes a liking to. He is the Golden Child that Chow must protect and nurture.Scott is a funny guy. Although he bulked up for this role, I can't see him as a tough guy action hero. There was some mighty stretching going on to buy his kung fu routine.
The fight at the end was cool. Any movie with a super strong Nazi doing battle with a monk I have to like in some way. But the rest of the movie was very tame. It was a little too jokey and adolescent.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |2-15|||||@@
Butterfly Effect, The|Eric Bress J. Mackye Grube|Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller|R |7.1|USA|2004|109 min|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG|763 |576x320|MPEG Layer 3|112 |False|48,000 Hz|2|700.22 MB||||25.00|08/04/2004|Chris Bender Cale Boyter Richard Brener A.J. Dix Toby Emmerich Jason Goldberg David Krintzman Ashton Kutcher Anthony Rhulen Lisa Richardson William Shively J.C. Spink|J. Mackye Gruber Eric Bress|Matthew F. Leonetti ||CDI [it] |Change one thing, change everything.
| A young man strugglingito access sublimated childhood memories findsia technique that allows himito travel backito theipast. Occupying his childhood body, he isiableito change history. But every change he makes has unexpected consequences. |Ashton Kutcher (Evan Treborn) @ Melora Walters (Andrea Treborn) @ Amy Smart (Kalley Miller) @ Elden Henson (Lenny Kagan) @ William Lee Scott (Tommy Miller) @ John Patrick Amedori (Evan at 13) @ Irene Gorovaia (Kayleigh at 13) @ Kevin Schmidt (Lenny at 13 (as Kevin G. Schmidt))||One narratively messy, poorly directed, achingly dull movie...
Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher, `Just Married') has spent his whole life
dealing with an usual and violent brain disorder which causes him to
blackout in moments of extreme anxiety. Now in college, Evan is confronted
with past traumas that bring him into contact with Kayleigh (Amy Smart,
`Rat
Race'), an old friend from his childhood whom Evan left behind just when
she
needed him the most. When Kayleigh reacts destructively to his intrusion
into her world, Evan tries to manipulate his disorder to travel back into
his past and alter pivotal moments from his childhood to create a positive
present for himself and his loved ones. Evan soon learns that shaping an
ideal present is next to impossible, and with each attempt, he sinks
deeper
and deeper into madness.
`Butterfly Effect' is one tough film to classify. It's one part dusty
`Twilight Zone' leftovers, another part time travel bonanza, and finally a
blatant attempt to allow Ashton Kutcher room to stretch his dramatic
muscles. `Effect' is a science fiction movie with `science' that is blurry
at best, and completely devoid of logic at its worst. And the fiction?
Well,
there just aren't enough clearly defined plot threads to help this messy
enterprise, leaving a tedious, drifting, hopelessly dull motion picture
experience.
`Butterfly Effect' takes its title from standard chaos theory; using the
example of a butterfly who gently flaps its wings in one part of the
world,
creating the potential for a monsoon somewhere else on the globe. Take
that
example and place it in the realm of a lovesick character using his
ambiguous powers to travel through time to fashion a perfect relationship,
and you have a fairly respectable concept for a film. I'll freely admit
that
`Effect' had me at one tiny point with its storytelling cheats and
overdramatic performances, but unremarkable directors Eric Bress and J.
Mackye Gruber aren't certain where to take their story, or even where to
start it. Using the DOA storytelling device of opening the picture with
the
climax and working backwards, it's obvious that this filmmaking duo won't
be
much help in dishing the narrative out properly. For those like me, who
require something more than nonstop shrieking sound effects and Kutcher's
various partings of his long hair to create a swirling portrait of a man
who
cannot stop messing with time, `Effect' falls pitifully short. The film
just
simply drops the audience into the action, with little interest in
explanation or even a desire to have fun with its bizarre concept.
`Effect'
drags on for what seems like 99 years, increasing its smoke screen on
proper
transitions and character development as Evan goes deeper and deeper into
his psychosis.
Making his first real step into dramatic acting, Ashton Kutcher might want
to think twice before trying this whole crying/looking determined thing
out
again. A well honed comedic actor, Kutcher is less sure footed when
`Effect'
needs a talent of decidedly more range. Granted, the screenplay and the
editing take large chunks of what Kutcher was most likely trying to
achieve
with this role and flings them to the four winds. But in certain scenes,
when the film rests squarely on Kutcher's every move, he falters
struggling
to dig deep within himself and explore the rich moral dilemmas presented
by
the story.
Since the film never truly begins, to stay interested in what occurs to
Evan
is a painfully labored journey that I simply cannot recommend. The
similarly
themed 2001 film `Donnie Darko' is a much better take on the time bending
mysteries of the brain, and far more worthy of hard-earned dollars. ----
1/10
|Region ? | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo ENGLISH: DD-EX 5.1 SPANISH: Dolby Digital Stereo||||||@@
Cast Away|Robert Zemeckis|Adventure|Rated PG-13 for intense action sequences and some disturbing images |7.3|USA|2000|143 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Steven J. Boyd Joan Bradshaw Tom Hanks Cherylanne Martin Jack Rapke Steve Starkey Robert Zemeckis|William Broyles Jr. |Don Burgess |||At the edge of the world, his journey begins.|After FedEx systems engineer Chuck Noland is ripped out of his hasty life by the clock in a plane crash, he finds himself alone on the shores of a tropical island. First, frustration gets to him and then he realizes how little his chances are to ever get back to civilisation. Four years later, Chuck has learned very well how to survive on his own: mending his dental health, catching fish with a spear, predicting the weather with a selfmade calendar. A photograph of his girlfriend Kelly has kept his hopes alive all these years. Finally, Chuck takes the opportunity to take off for home: He sets off on a wooden raft with a sail that has washed ashore.
Chuck, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia ditches at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and he washes up on a tiny island with nothing but some flotsam and jetsam from the aircraft's cargo. Can he survive in this tropical wasteland? Will he ever return to woman he loves?
Hanks stars as Chuck Noland, a FedEx systems engineer whose personal and professional life are ruled by the clock. His fast-paced career takes him, often at a moment's notice, to far-flung locales - and away from his girlfriend Kelly, played by Helen Hunt. Chuck's manic existence abruptly ends when, after a plane crash, he becomes isolated on a remote island - cast away into the most desolate environment imaginable. Stripped of the conveniences of everyday life, he first must meet the basic needs of survival, including water, food and shelter. Chuck, the consummate problem solver, eventually figures out how to sustain himself physically. But then what? Chuck begins his true personal journey. After four years, fate gives Chuck a chance to fight his way back to civilization, only to find an unexpected emotional challenge greater than all the earlier physical ones. His ability to persevere and to hope are a product of his life-changing experience.
Chuck Noland, frenetico funzionario del Federal Express (lo spedizioniere più importante degli USA) si trova, la vigilia di Natale, a bordo di un'aereo della ditta per delle consegne oltre oceano. Improvvisamente un vuoto d'aria e l'aereo precipita. E' l'unico superstite e dovrà imparare a convivere con la solitudine e con la mancanza delle 'comodità' cittadine. L'angoscia dura quattro anni. Costruisce una zattera di firtuna e, dopo un lungo girovare per l'oceano, viene raccolto da un cargo merci. Torna alla sua vita, ma non tutto è rimasto come prima: tutti lo credevano morto, anche la sua fidanzata, che si è sposata. Quale futuro? Forse un lungo viaggio verso un'isola-che-non-c'è?
Hanks plays a workaholic who gets stranded alone on a desert island after his plane crashes. Away from his loved one (play by Hunt), and his haywire lifestyle, he now has to learn to survive surrounded by the wild, and a few washed up FedEx packages.
|Tom Hanks (Chuck Noland) @ Paul Sanchez (II) (Ramon, Peterson's FedEx Driver) @ Helen Hunt (Kelly Frears) @ Lari White (Bettina Peterson) @ Leonid Citer (Fyodor) @ David Allen Brooks (Dick Peterson) @ Velena Papovic (Beautiful Russian Woman with Peterson) @ Valentina Ananyina (Russian Babushka||Fed-Ex delivers package way too late
Very good drama with Hanks doing a superb job of convincing the viewer he is all alone with only a ball for company. I liked the way the film ended exactly where it began with Hanks looking down a long stretch of highway. I was left wondering if he would go on ahead or turn back. Great picture: terrific finale. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |DTS 6.1 ES |1-9 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Catch Me If You Can|Steven Spielberg|Crime|Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and brief language. |7.7|USA|2002|141 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Barry Kemp (I) Daniel Lupi Laurie MacDonald (I) Sergio Mimica-Gezzan Devorah Moos-Hankin Walter F. Parkes Anthony Romano (II) Michel Shane Steven Spielberg|Frank Abagnale Jr. Stan Redding Jeff Nathanson|Janusz Kaminski |||The true story of a real fake.|An FBI agent tracks down and catches a young con artist who successfully impersonated an airline pilot, doctor, assistant attorney general and history professor, cashing more than $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in 26 countries.
Long Island, the 1960s. High schooler Frank Abagnale Jr. idolizes his father, who's in trouble with the IRS. When his parents separate, he runs away to Manhattan with $50 in his checking account, and he vows to regain dad's losses and get his parents back together. Just a few years later, the FBI tracks him down in France; he's extradited, tried, and jailed for passing more than $2,000,000 in bad checks. Along the way, he's posed as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatrician, and an attorney. And, from nearly the beginning of this life of crime, he's been pursued by a dour FBI agent, Carl Hanratty. What starts as cat and mouse becomes something akin to father and son.
|Leonardo DiCaprio (Frank Abagnale Jr.) @ Tom Hanks (Carl Hanratty) @ Christopher Walken (Frank Abagnale, Sr.) @ Martin Sheen (Roger Strong) @ Nathalie Baye (Paula Abagnale) @ Amy Adams (III) (Brenda Strong) @ James Brolin (Jack Barnes) @ Brian Howe (Earl Amdursky||Superficial whiff of an idea
Although taken from an intriguing true story about a teenaged con-man, this Steven Spielberg film is neither funny enough to be a comedy, dramatic enough to be a solid drama, nor suspenseful enough to be a good caper. It's blandly straightforward filmmaking, hurt mostly by a script that needs us to fill in the blanks and a one-note performance by Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead. Better are Tom Hanks as the head Fed on the case and Christopher Walken as Leonardo's father. The period detail is careful but disappointing, and the overlong film takes a good 40 minutes to kick into gear. **1/2 from **** |Region 1 |Movies |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-30 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Catch-22|Mike Nichols|Comedy|R |6.9|USA|1970|122 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|John Calley Martin Ransohoff Clive Reed|Joseph Heller Buck Henry|David Watkin ||||A bombardier in World War II tries desperately to escape the insanity of the war. However, sometimes insanity is the only sane way cope with a crazy situation. Catch-22 is a parody of a "military mentality" and of a bureaucratic society in general.
Durante la seconda guerra mondiale il capitano dell'aviazione Americana Yossarian, nel timore di perdere la vita in una missione aerea, cerca di farsi passare per pazzo per farsi esonerare, ma non vi riesce. Mentre aspetta che la sua domanda venga accolta, assiste impotente alle tante situazioni assurde che la guerra si porta dietro: inutili massacri, ordini disumani e privi di logica, obbedienza cieca, profitti economici dei guerrafondai. Esasperato e disgustato, Yossarian decide alla fine di fuggire dalla base area nella quale presta servizio, partendo a bordo di un canotto verso il mare aperto.
Yossarian is a bombadier during World War II. He desperately tries to be declared insane by the Air Force in order to go home. However during the process he slowly watches each of his friends and crew die off in the horrors of war.
|Alan Arkin (Captain John Yossarian, Bombadier) @ Martin Balsam (Col. Cathcart, CO, 256th Squadron) @ Richard Benjamin (Major Danby, Flight Operations Officer) @ Art Garfunkel (Capt. Nately (as Arthur Garfunkel)) @ Jack Gilford (Doctor 'Doc' Daneeka) @ Buck Henry (Lt. Col. Korn, XO/Roman policeman) @ Bob Newhart (Major Major Major Major) @ Anthony Perkins (Captain Chaplain A.T. Tappman||As a movie, it works, as an adaptation, it doesn't
OK, a friend told me not to compare the book with the movie.So, I will only say that the book was the hardest book in the world to adapt, and this was an ambitious film for trying it.The movie works.It also doesn't work.(Catch-22)The reason that the movie itself doesn't work is that it works all too well.It gathered the style of being a catch-22, and made itself stressful, muddled, and confused.Stream of conciousness does not really work in a movie.But on a second viewing, you begin to realize that this is the purpose of the movie.So, it in essence doesn't work because it works all too well.The movie is funny, but by the time you laugh a new scene has started.The scenes last about one min. each, because Henry tried to cram as much from the book into the movie.But he left out individual favorite scenes that have nothing to do with the movie.Maybe this would work if it became the length of a miniseries, and included every aspect of the book, but that would be a monstrosity and too big.The book is impossible to transform to a movie.I hope Hollywood reads this, and maybe give it a secod chance, but for now we are left with a movie that you don't know what to say about it.?/10 |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-11|||||@@
Cats & Dogs|Lawrence Guterman|Family|Rated PG for animal action and humor. |5.5|USA|2001|87 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Chris Bender Bruce Berman (I) Christopher DeFaria Glenn Ficarra Ed Jones (IV) Andrew Lazar Craig Perry John Requa J.C. Spink Warren Zide|John Requa Glenn Ficarra|Julio Macat |||Things Are Gonna Get Hairy!|There's a secret war being waged in the homes and neighborhoods of Earth that the humans don't even know about; an eternal struggle between two great armies: the Cats and the Dogs. The film follows a Cat's plan to destroy a new vaccine, that if developed, would destroy all human allergies to Dogs, and the Dogs' efforts to stop the Cats. Specifically, it's the story of a young pup (Tobey Maguire) whose job it is to guard the vaccine. Other dogs include a wise older dog who watches out for him (Susan Sarandon), a large friendly dog (Michael Clarke Duncan), and a small dog who serves as an electronics expert (Joe Pantoliano). Jeff Goldblum is the human scientist that invented the vaccine.
Cats and dogs, known to mankind only as cuddly pets and man's best friend, have engaged in a fierce and merciless battle: Mr. Tinkles, a ruthless cat, is plotting intensively to achieve nothing less than world domination. His main target is Professor Brody, who is working on a medicine to rid people from dog hair allergies. Yet Mr. Tinkles strives to get to the substance, analyze it and then have it turned into a means of rendering all humans of the world aggressively allergic to any kind of dog. Cats would rule, as dogs would then be exterminated. But Mr. Tinkles did not bother to waste any thoughts on little Lou, the Brody family's new puppy, who never before has heard of dog agents and the major protective mission they fulfill towards the unsuspecting Brody family. Together with Butch and a few other dog agents from the neighbourhood, Lou desperately tries to hinder Mr. Tinkles in his sinister plans to take over the world.
|Jeff Goldblum (Professor Dad Brody) @ Elizabeth Perkins (Mrs. Mom Brody) @ Alexander Pollock (Scotty Brody) @ Tobey Maguire (Lou the Beagle (voice)) @ Miriam Margolyes (Sophie the Maid) @ Alec Baldwin (Butch, the Chief Agency Anatolian Shepherd Dog (voice)) @ Myron Natwick (II) (Mr. Mason, the Crippled Employer Boss) @ Doris Chillcott (Mrs. Calvert||One of the better family films I've seen recently
From the commercials and trailers to this movie, I thought it was going to be a live action (albiet long) cartoon.I was right, although I found out what cartoon it was trying to do.Not exactly Looney Tunes, although it takes from them often.I found a connection here with an old show from Nickelodeon called Ren and Stimpy where cats and dogs fought constantly, and while the dog was the smart one, the cat who also though he was smart was really and idiot (eediot really).That's why I give Cats and Dogs it's rating here because this is the type of family film that more often than not can work for the whole family because while the kids can laugh at the pratfalls the dogs and cats encounter, adults will find humor in the ninja cats, the dictator-like-boss cat and other small things.Like Spy Kids, it's more for kids, which I Highly reccomend this movie for, but maybe even parents will get a chuckle.I know I did.Voices include Tobey Maguire, Alec Baldwin, Sean Hayes, Michael Clarke Duncan, Joe Pantoliano, Susan Sarandon, Jon Lovitz and almost un-recognizable talents from Robert Stack and Sir Charleton Heston.B+ (strong one at that) |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-28|||||@@
Cell, The|Tarsem Singh|Sci-Fi|Rated R for bizarre violence and sexual images, nudity and language. |6.2|USA|2000|107 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Julio Caro (I) Donna Langley Carolyn Manetti Eric McLeod Mark Protosevich Stephen J. Ross Nico Soultanakis|Mark Protosevich |Paul Laufer |||This Summer... Enter The Mind Of A Killer|Catharine Deane is a psychotherapist who is part of a revolutionary new treatment which allows her mind to literally enter the mind of her patients. Her experience in this method takes an unexpected turn when an FBI agent comes to ask for a desperate favour. They had just tracked down a notorious serial killer, Carl Stargher, whose MO is to abduct women one at a time and place them in a secret area where they are kept for about 40 hours until they are slowly drowned. Unfortunately, the killer has fallen into an irreversible coma which means he cannot confess where he has taken his latest victim before she dies. Now, Catherine Deane must race against time to explore the twisted mind of the killer to get the information she needs, but Stargher's damaged personality poses dangers that threaten to overwhelm her.
|Jennifer Lopez (Catherine Deane) @ Colton James (Edward Baines) @ Dylan Baker (Henry West) @ Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Dr. Miriam Kent) @ Gerry Becker (Dr. Barry Cooperman) @ Musetta Vander (Ella Baines) @ Patrick Bauchau (Lucien Baines) @ Vincent D'Onofrio (Carl Rudolph Stargher||You ain't seen nothing yet...
I've said before that some films are like `nothing you have ever seen before'. Well, The Cell takes that saying and burns it down, blows it up and drowns it. This movie is something you could and can be only imagined. And if you then told someone about it they'd have you locked up for a very long time. It could be categorized as a Sci-fi thriller and then as a serial killer film. Like Seven and Silence of the Lambs this is not the ordinary serial killer film. It stands on it's own as a new kind of thriller.
Jennifer Lopez stars as Catherine Deane, the best psychotherapist in the business. She works for a company who has developed the latest technology in therapy. She has the ability to go inside the mind of anyone and find out the reasoning to his or her distress. Enter Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn), a FBI agent tracking down a very sick serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio), who drowns his victims then dresses them up like dolls. On a FBI raid of his home Stargher goes into a coma and the whereabouts of his next victim are unknown. So Deane takes the job of going into his mind to find out where the victim is being held. And that's when this film gets intense, seriously intense.
The director Tarsem Singh, known for the award winning R.E.M. video `Losing my Religion', blows away everything you could have imagined. The dream sequences are beautifully shot with many camera tricks, creepy color distribution, graphic images, and a tense score. They are extremely trippy and surreal. They actually have a dream feel because anything goes and there are no rules. Lopez performance is as good as she looks. She nails the psychotherapist dead on and does a great job in showing the different aspects of her character. Vince is Vince, very cool, very low key, and very real. D'Onofrio will scare you. His Carl Stargher would make even Hannibal Lecter scream for mommy. This guy is more disturbed than ever imagined. He has to be seen to believe it.
Tarsem, with this film, has become one of my favorite directors and I will go see any film with his name on it. The Cell can only be described as a Sci-fi serial killer thriller that's visually disturbing, creepy, and one of the wildest films ever. It runs along the line with Seven for a good serial killer film and Event Horizon for a graphically sick and twisted film. This is best summer movie and the best film I've seen all year. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-24|||||@@
Changing Lanes|Roger Michell|Drama|Rated R for language. |6.8|USA|2002|99 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Scott Aversano Ronald M. Bozman Scott Rudin Adam Schroeder|Chap Taylor Chap Taylor Michael Tolkin|Salvatore Totino |||One Wrong Turn Deserves Another|An attorney (Ben Affleck) in a rush to make a court appointment to file legal papers involving a multi-million dollar trust accidentally collides with an alcoholic insurance salesman (Samuel Jackson), who also is a rush for a court appointment involving the custody of his children. The attorney leaves the scene of the accident and strands the salesman, causing him to miss his custody hearing. During the process of the post-crash discussion, the attorney accidentally drops the papers he needs to present in court. The judge gives him until the end of the day to present the papers and thus begins a cat and mouse game between the proponents. A few questionable actions later on both parties' part, they finally start questioning their actions and their lives. In the end, both come to new understanding of what is important and appear to be set in new ethical and moral directions. Contains mild violence and profanity.
|Ben Affleck (Gavin Banek) @ Samuel L. Jackson (Doyle Gipson) @ Kim Staunton (Valerie Gipson) @ Toni Collette (Michelle) @ Sydney Pollack (Stephen Delano) @ Tina Sloan (Mrs. Delano) @ Richard Jenkins (I) (Walter Arnell) @ Akil Walker (Stephen Gipson||Good when it needs to be
At first, I was weary about seeing Changing Lanes due to the fact
Ben Affleck's drunk mug would be in the film. However, the
storyline perfectly offsetted Affleck's poor acting style with sarcasm
and cynicism. Sam Jackson should have had more screen time in
the film, primarily because of his realistic portrayal of a man being
toyed with.
However, I will say this: What the heck was up with William Hurt's
role? Why was Amanda Peet in the movie? If the script had just
stuck to the mano-o-mano showdown between Affleck andJackson, I would have given this film an 8. Sometimes, making a
film to make it deep and interesting can backfire, and this is a
case where such a mantra took hold. Next time, just stick to the
basics. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-16|||||@@
Charlie's Angels|McG|Action|Rated PG-13 for action violence, innuendo and some sensuality/nudity. |5.9|USA|2000|98 min|English||||||||||False||||||||14/01/2004|Drew Barrymore Joseph M. Caracciolo Amanda Goldberg Leonard Goldberg Nancy Juvonen Aaron Spelling Betty Thomas Jenno Topping|Ivan Goff Ben Roberts Ryan Rowe Ed Solomon John August|Russell Carpenter Michael St. Hilaire||Columbia Pictures [us] |Get Some Action|Based on the popular 70's TV show, three cute chicks work for the mysterious "Charlie". They are the female 'James Bonds'' of our time. They get to blow stuff up, kick the cr*p out of people, and wear really tight clothing, all whilst trying to retrieve stolen software and balance in high heels.
Charlie's private investigation company is addressed by programmer Eric Knox, owner of Knox Technologies, whose revolutionary voice-recognition software has been stolen. Charlie's Angels Natalie, Dylan and Alex are sent to place a bug in the system of bitter rival Roger Corwin, who is under strong suspicion. But after the deed is done, the Angels and their boss Bosley face the fact of a destroyed home base as well as Charlie's life in immediate danger. But how do you protect someone you never met?
|Cameron Diaz (Natalie Cook) @ Drew Barrymore (Dylan Sanders) @ Lucy Liu (Alex Munday) @ Bill Murray (John Bosley) @ Sam Rockwell (Eric Knox) @ Kelly Lynch (Vivian Wood) @ Tim Curry (Roger Corwin) @ Crispin Glover (Thin Man) @ Luke Wilson (Pete Komisky) @ John Forsythe (Charles Townsend (voice)) @ Matt LeBlanc (Jason Gibbons) @ Tom Green (Chad) @ LL Cool J (Mr. Jones) @ Sean Whalen (Pasqual) @ Tim Dunaway (Flight Attendant) @ Alex Trebek (Himself) @ Raliegh Wilson (Reform Officer) @ Mark Ryan (Fencing Opponent) @ Bobby Ore (Driving Instructor) @ Guy Oseary (D.J.) @ Joe Duer (UPS Deliveryman) @ Matthew Frauman (Red Star Systems Techie) @ Reginald C. Hayes (Red Star Systems Techie (as Reggie Hayes)) @ Melissa McCarthy (Dois) @ Robert J. Stephenson (Red Star Systems Director (as Bob Stephenson)) @ Ned Bellamy (Red Star Systems Director) @ Raymond Patterson (Director's Buddy) @ Björn Flor (Red Star Systems Security Guard) @ Gaven E. Lucas (Boy) @ Michael Barryte (Boy) @ Andrew Wilson (Corwin's Driver) @ Brandon Williams (Assistant Director (as Branden Williams)) @ Micchno Nismiuraha (Stuntman) @ Frank Marocco (Accordionist) @ Darrell Pfingsten (Partygoer) @ Jim Calloway (Bouncer (as Jimmy Calloway)) @ Kevin Grevioux (Bouncer) @ Michael Papajohn (Bathroom Thug) @ Jim Palmer (Shooter) @ Shawn Woods (Shooter) @ Kenny Endoso (Getaway Driver) @ Tom Garner (Getaway Driver) @ Isaac C. Singleton Jr. (Kidnapper) @ Paul Eliopoulos (Knox Thug) @ Tim Gilbert (Knox Thug) @ Al Goto (Knox Thug) @ Steven Ito (Knox Thug) @ Felipe Savahge (Knox Thug) @ Mike Smith (Knox Thug) @ Jerry Trimble (Knox Thug rest of cast listed alphabetically Jennifer Cole .... Corwin's Assistant) @ Jessica Gaona (Girl on Playground (scenes deleted)) @ Sylvie Hoffer (Female Rock Climber (uncredited)) @ Elke Jeinsen ( (uncredited)) @ Tuesday Matthews (Guest at Party (uncredited)) @ Karen McDougal (Roger Corwin's Girl at Party (uncredited)) @ Darren Michaels (Astronaut #2 (uncredited)) @ David M. Nesting (Red Star Systems Techie (uncredited)) @ Paul Oliver (Soul Train Dancer (uncredited)) @ Mysti Rivenski (Guest at Party (uncredited)) @ Kevin Alexander Stea (Featured Dancer (uncredited)) @ Sean Wolf (Man Firing Machine Gun (uncredited)) @ Cheung-Yan Yuen (Chinese Man on Plane (uncredited)Produced by||Silly, but quite enjoyable if you're in the mood.
Three little girls have become three little ladies who work as special agents for Charlie (via intermediary Bosley).When they are contracted in to get evidence of Roger Corwin stealing the kidnapped Eric Knox's voice recognition device.The agents are successful but Knox turns out to have more sinister motives and the angels find themselves fighting to protect Charlie and Bosley.
Yet another in a line of film remake's of old TV shows, in the words of LL Cool J `yet another remake of an old TV show'.However this just about succeeds for one simple reason it never tries to take itself seriously.This works because it can be camp, silly and OTT because we know it's meant to be.The plot is OK and has some reasonable twists but really the jokes and action move it along.The silliness can get a bit much at times and is a little tiring.
For example we have far too many shots of the girls tossing their hair, and too many scenes that mean nothing.Eg a high speed car chase ends on a bridge but it has no reason for happening and nothing happens as a result.The fights are very OTT and are very much a matrix rip off they are only just saved by the tongue in cheek attitude of the film.But even then they still silly.
The cast are OK but really they are just playing daft.Rockwell is really good and Bill Murray saves the whole film by being really funny.Tom Green is in it because his girlfriend felt sorry for him and wanted him to be in a film that got shown in a cinema outside of the US, however his character is stupid and pointless.Wilson is good and LL Cool J makes a good cameo, but Tim Curry has been better.
Overall it's enjoyable if you're in the mood for silly popcorn trash.If you're not in the mood this will only serve to irritate you at how poor Hollywood blockbusters can be. ||Special Edition |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-36|||||@@
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle||Action|Rated PG-13 for action violence, sensuality and language/innuendo. |5.4|USA|2003|106 min/ UK:106 min (cut)|English||||||||||False||||||||21/09/2003||||||This summer the Angels are back.| Contains footage not seeniin theaters andifour sizzling exclusive additional special features! |||Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...Redux Super-Sized!
CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (2003) ** Cameron Diaz,
Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Bernie Mac, Jason Theroux, Robert Patrick,Luke Wilson, Matt LeBlanc, Crispin Glover, John Cleese. Shia La Beouf, Rodgrgo Santoro (voice of : John Forsythe); (Cameos: Jaclyn Smith, Bruce Willis , Eve, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, , Pink).The sexy agent triplets are back again and in rip-roarin' form this time out to thwart a former Angel gone bad (the unbelievably buff Moore) with a nefarious (and superfluous) plot to steal the secret encoded titanium rings baring the real identities to the Witness Protection Agency while facing some unexpected turns (namely Barrymore's lethal ex, Theroux doing a mean Max Cady cum Colin Farrell turn) and the ever elusive nemesis The Thin Man (a game Glover reprising his villainous role).However the finely executed stunt sequences and action packed rock'em sock'em nonsense galore the so-1999 `Matrix'-style slo-mo histrionics run the fine-line of cartoon borders and Mac as Bill Murray's Bosley brother from another mother is sadly underused as his smart-alec sibling was in the first jaunt. While the girls seem to be having a ball to the eardrum-shattering soundtrack pumping a hyperactive estrogen/adrenalized fuel the results leave one exhausted no-thanks to the bull-in-a-china-shop directorial brio of the 'director' McG. |Region 1 |Special Edition - |Widescreen 2.40:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround|2-17|||||@@
Chicago|Rob Marshall|Musical|Rated PG-13 for sexual content and dialogue, violence and thematic elements. |7.7|USA|2002|113 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jennifer Berman Don Carmody Sam Crothers Julie Goldstein (II) Neil Meron Meryl Poster Martin Richards (I) Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein Craig Zadan|Maurine Dallas Watkins Bob Fosse Fred Ebb Bill Condon|Dion Beebe James Chressanthis|||If you can't be famous...be infamous.|Fame hungry Roxie Hart dreams of a life on the Vaudville stage, and spends her nights jazzing it up in the bright lights of Chicago, continually hoping that she'll find her lucky break, and be shot into 1920's stardom, so able to flee her boring husband Amos. In awe of seductive club singer Velma Kelly (who is subsequantly arrested for the murder of her husband and sister - after discovering their affair), Roxie meets Fred Cassely a man who convinces her he can 'make her showbiz career take off'. However after Roxie has undergone the 'casting couch' treatment, and Fred has had his wicked way with her, he reveals that he has no more connections in showbusiness than she does. This is the final straw for Roxie, and her constant anger at rejection explodes. She shoots Fred Cassely and kills him. Upon discovering her infidelity, Roxie's husband Amos refuses to take the blame for the murder and Roxie is sent to jail, pending hanging. In jail she finally meets tabloid darling Velma Kelly, currently receiving huge media attention for the double murder she committed earlier in the tale. Sharing the clink with Velma, are a collection of other sly females, all awaiting trial for the murders of their own partners. Velma is aloof to Roxie, however the prison Warden Mrs Morton offers Roxie the opportunity of representation by slick Chicago lawyer Billy Flynn. Billy is more a showbiz P. R agent than a legal lawyer and minipulates the tabloids into thinking Roxie is no more than an innocent 'good time girl' who took the wrong path, than a scheming murderess. The tabloids go crazy for the new girl on the cell block, and Roxie finally becomes a star. However due to Roxie's new found fame, Velma is forgotten about. She is forced to approach Roxie with an offer of a part in her Vaudville act (filling the gap left by her murdered sister), but Roxie turns down her offer flat, thinking she needs no support in topping the bill. However, just as Velma's star fell, so does Roxie's, when Go-to-hell Kitty arrives at the jail on a multiple murder charge, the press forget Roxie and now she and Velma are in the same boat. With one more trick up her sleave Roxie manages to bring the media attention back onto her, and her day in court arrives. Billy is now ready to play the ultimate showman!
Roxie Hart is a married chorus girl with hopes of being a headliner in Vaudeville. Velma Kelly is a former headliner. What do these two have in common? They both are murderesses. Roxie killed her lover when he walked out on her, and Velma killed her husband and sister, who were having an affair. Chicago's newspapers love the nitty-gritty and Velma is at the top of the headlines. But then Roxie comes along and Velma is old news. They find themselves competing for not only the press' attention, but also the focus of their shared lawyer, the suave Billy Flynn. Add to the mix a sob sister, Roxie's hapless husband Amos, and a warm prison matron who watches out for her girls (if there's something in it for her), and you have Chicago.
|Renée Zellweger (Roxie Hart) @ Catherine Zeta-Jones (Velma Kelly) @ Richard Gere (Billy Flynn) @ Queen Latifah (Matron 'Mama' Morton) @ John C. Reilly (Amos Hart) @ Lucy Liu (Kitty Baxter) @ Taye Diggs (The Bandleader) @ Colm Feore (Assistant District Attorney Martin Harrison||Bright Lights, Big City...
In the beginning of "Chicago," a young, wannabe singer shoots a man who promised her connections into the music business, but then revealed he has no connections whatsoever.
The young woman is Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger), who is shipped off to jail, where she is looked over by Mama Morton (Queen Latifah), who promises Roxie a good lawyer. For a price.
Roxie eventually gets the lawyer, Billy (Richard Gere), who claims he has never lost a case ever. In the meantime, a big-time singer named Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who shot her twin sister and husband when she caught them fooling around, rots away in jail, waiting to get her trial date from Billy (who is her lawyer, too). But the public soon turns their back to Velma, and focuses on the newcomer Roxie, who plays it innocent and cute. People are soon auctioning off her clothes, buying her haircuts (including Mama Morton), and publishing her face in every newspaper in Chicago.
"Chicago" is a very entertaining film. And I like some of the elements it throws in, such as the subtle hints at publicity and corruption. Such as when innocent Roxie finds herself being taken out of the public eye, and throws herself to the ground and says, "I just hope I didn't hurt the baby." Instantly the press comes back to her. Things like that are amusing, because it shows how the press can get to anyone, even a small-time wannabe singer who finally gets her fifteen minutes of fame and tries to turn it into twenty.
"Chicago" is, of course, based on the musical, which I can only guess originated in Chicago. Maybe I'm wrong. I know it plays in London still, but I don't see much about it in the US. But I am pretty sure that this film did the musical justice, because every dance number is relentlessly rehearsed, every voice can sing, and everyone can act. And out of everyone, Renee Zellweger, the fairly new actress on the spot, steals the show.
Compared to Catherine Zeta-Jones, who undeservedly won a best supporting actress Oscar for her role, Renee Zellweger is tremendous. When the two are on screen, I'm not looking at Zeta-Jones. I'm looking at Zellweger. And Renee had to learn to dance (and sing?) before filming started, as compared to Zeta-Jones who had experience before. And what is so funny is that Renee completely upstages her in acting, dancing, singing, everything. She has a lot of charisma in her role as Roxie Hart. And Renee also seems very innocent, much like her character.
"Chicago's" running time flies by before you know it. It isn't anything deep, psychological or extremely memorable, but it will entertain you throughout, and whether you are watching the dance numbers or the "regular" scenes, you will have a fun time watching. The glare of the showbiz spotlights shine from the screen, and if you look carefully, it might highlight some smiles in the audience.
4/5 stars -
John Ulmer |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |
Movies |2-35|||||@@
Chicken Run|Peter Lord (I) Nick Par|Animation|G |7.5|UK|2000|84 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jake Eberts Jeffrey Katzenberg Peter Lord (I) Nick Park Michael Rose (III) Carla Shelley David Sproxton Lenny Young|Peter Lord (I) Nick Park Karey Kirkpatrick Randy Cartwright|Tristan Oliver (I) Frank Passingham Dave Alex Riddett|||This Ain't No Chick Flick!|Having been hopelessly repressed and facing eventual certain death at the chicken farm where they are held, Rocky the rooster (Mel Gibson) and Ginger the chicken (Julia Sawahla) decide to rebel against the evil Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy, the farm's owners. Rocky and Ginger lead their fellow chickens in a great escape from the murderous farmers and their farm of doom.
Chicken Run is a comedy escape drama with a touch of passion set on a sinister Yorkshire chicken farm in 1950's England. The film follows the turbulent romance between two farmyard chickens, Rocky and Ginger, who yearn for freedom and plan a daring 'prisoner of war' style escape.
A 'claymation' adventure from the creator of Wallace and Gromit, featuring chickens as the main characters. Ginger is the 'head chick', and she deviously plots to free all the chickens on the farm, preventing an otherwise certain 'Death By Chicken Pie'. After many failed attempts, she meets Rocky, the 'flying rooster', and decides that he holds the key to their freedom.
Ginger is one of the chicken at the Tweety Egg Farm, who is capable of escaping (and desperately wants to) but is constantly being held back by her incompetent partners. One night, feeling failed and depressed after a chicken is axed, she wanders out to the gate, where she sees a rooster triumphantly flying through the air. After crashing and injuring his wing, Ginger takes him in and learns he's Rocky Rhodes, a cocky American who enjoys freedom - in fact, he escaped from a circus when she found him. In exchange for protecting him when the circus arrives asking for him, Ginger makes a deal with Rocky that he will teach them to fly so they can escape. Taking advantage of the situation, Rocky woos the chicken, irritating Ginger "Doll-Face" and organizer Officer Fowler, formerly of the Royal Air Force, in the process. Meanwhile, the Tweetys have purchased a machine to make chicken pies out of, intending to cook every last one of them.
|Phil Daniels (I) (Fetcher (voice)) @ Mel Gibson (Rocky (voice)) @ Lynn Ferguson (Mac (voice)) @ Tony Haygarth (Mr. Tweedy (voice)) @ Jane Horrocks (Babs (voice)) @ Miranda Richardson (Mrs. Tweedy (voice)) @ Julia Sawalha (Ginger (voice)) @ Timothy Spall (Nick (voice)||The hen house revolts and is in need of a hero.
For kids and adults, too. This is a very well down piece of fantasy allowing the viewer to just relax and enjoy. Some of the scenes may be a little harsh for the training pants set, but in general a very good claymation stop-motion comedy. A cocky rooster reluctantly leads a group of chickens on a great escape from a farm house in England. When the hens quit meeting their quota of eggs the owner decides to turn her farm into a chicken pot pie factory. Ouch!
Mel Gibson is the voice of Rocky the Rhode Island Red rooster. Julia Sawalha voices Ginger the hen masterminding the escape. Miranda Richardson is the voice of Mrs. Tweedy the feared farm owner. The hapless Mr. Tweedy is given voice by Tony Haygarth. It's not often these days to find a movie that the whole family can sit down and watch together. Gather the brood and enjoy. |Region 1 |Movies |1.66 : 1 |DTS 6.1 ES |1-15|||||@@
City of Ghosts|Matt Dillon|Thriller|Rated R for language and some violence. |5.1|USA|2002|116 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Willi Bär Michael Cerenzie Olivier Granier J.B. Meyer Deepak Nayar Marc Sferrazza Nicholas Simon Rony Yacov Tamar Yacov|Matt Dillon Barry Gifford|Jim Denault |||where you go when you can't turn back.|A con man flees to Southeast Asia when an international scam he was involved in goes sour. Suspecting he's been double-crossed by his long-time mentor, he sets off to Cambodia for his promised cut. What he finds there is a mysterious and hostile environment where even the most polished criminal can end up on deadly ground.
|Matt Dillon (Jimmy) @ James Caan (Marvin) @ Natascha McElhone (Sophie) @ Gérard Depardieu (Emile) @ Kem Sereyvuth (Sok) @ Stellan Skarsgård (Kaspar) @ Rose Byrne (Sabrina) @ Shawn Andrews (Robbie||I really wanted to like this movie, but it just falls flat.
I had the opportunity to view this at a pre-screening in New York. Palm, Inc. was sponsoring the event and I was lucky enough to be invited. Given the pre-party and the potential for celebrities to attend (there were none), I was pretty hyped. Loving movies like I do, this was the one of the best of all possible worlds in which to see this movie - it didn't help.
"City of Ghosts" is Matt Dillion's first shot at directing and writing a film and it shows. The main character, Jimmy Cremming, is supposed to be this un-trusting scam artist that's been trained in it all his life. That may sound good on paper, but you have to demonstrate it on the screen and Dillion simply refused to show his character as un-sympathetic. If the character has grown up grifiting and scamming then there should be some evidence of it in his demeanor at least and there just isn't. As a result, the main character has no story arc. Although he is supposedly going through a transformation, there is no evidence of it.
None of the major characters have any depth or range to them either. James Cann walked through this role, Stellan Skarsgard does nothing but play a drunk and Natascha McElhone was nothing but eye candy. A lot of good talent that was simply wasted. There were two notable exceptions. Two actors were able to brake out of the bad script enough to create a character that you could actually care for. G?rard Depardieu plays a very funny inn keeper/bartender. His role could have been almost forgotten, yet instead Depardieu instilled such humor and compassion in his role that it's one of the more memorable. The other actor was Kem Sereyvuth, who plays Sok, the local rickshaw operator who takes a liking to Jimmy Cremming and vice versa. Sereyvuth may have been type casted a bit in his role, I don't know much about him, but his portrayal is honest and sincere. You get the feeling that they found the actor pulling a rickshaw and gave him a job. I'm sure that's not the case, but it's a testimony to his acting ability.
There is one facet of the movie that I greatly enjoyed and that was the portrayal of Cambodia. I have traveled some, but I've never been to Cambodia. Having said that, I got the feeling that I had truly traveled there. The use of music and the almost documentary style of the cinematography in the early portions of the movie transports you into another place. Hats off to Jim Denault for giving the film a distinct visual feel that gives the viewer something to chew on. |Region 1 |Movies |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |
Movies |2-32 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Collateral Damage|Andrew Davis|Action|Rated R for violence and some language. |5.4|USA|2002|108 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Lowell D. Blank Mitchell E. Dauterive David Foster (III) Hawk Koch Nicholas Meyer Steven Reuther John Schimmel (II) Teresa Tucker-Davies|Ronald Roose David Griffiths (III) Peter Griffiths (I) David Griffiths (III) Peter Griffiths (I)|Adam Greenberg |||What Would You Do If You Lost Everything?|Firefighter Gordon Brewer is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing credited to Claudio "The Wolf" Perrini. Frustrated with the official investigation and haunted by the thought that the man responsible for murdering his family might never be brought to justice, Brewer takes matters into his own hands and tracks his quarry ultimately to Colombia.
Gordy Brewer's family were killed in an explosion. The man responsible is a Columbian known as The Wolf. When the government feels that they have more important things to be concerned about than Brewer, Brewer decides to take things into his own hands. He goes to Columbia to try and find The Wolf but discovers that it's not going to be that easy. And when a woman and her child get in his way he has to decide just how much like the Wolf he is willing to be.
|Arnold Schwarzenegger (Gordy Brewer) @ Francesca Neri (Selena) @ Elias Koteas (Peter Brandt) @ Cliff Curtis (Claudio Perrini/'El Lobo'/'The Wolf') @ John Leguizamo (Felix Ramirez) @ John Turturro (Sean Armstrong) @ Jsu Garcia (Roman) @ Tyler Posey (Mauro (as Tyler Garcia Posey)||Fairly risible
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
It's easy to see why this was postponed because of September 11 (even the terrorist group in the film ALC only needs IADA put on the end of it).What's hard to understand is how Collateral Damage got released at all.It's hard to believe this film is directed by Andrew Davis,the director of such action greats as The Fugitive,Under Siege and Nico.Ageing action man Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Gordy Brewer ,the most ridiculously named action character ever,who goes to Columbia to seek revenge on El Lobo,the terrorist mastermind who killed his wife and child with a bomb blast on the Anti-Terrorism Agency in New York.The story is poor (how can a fireman have so much knowledge on how to locate and take out master terrorists?)as is the character development,and in fact,so is the action.Truly run-of-the-mill stuff and nothing that hasn't been done to better and much more impacting effect in previous films of this type.For this,54 year old Arnie still has impressive biceps,and things do heat up a bit at the end.But overall,on the basis of this and his previous films,one thinks the Arn ought to think about retiring from film and trying harder to become mayor of California.** |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-12|||||@@
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind||Crime|Rated R for language, sexual content and violence. |7.2|USA|2002|113 min|English||||||||||False||||||||03/09/2003||||||ñøè ä÷åìðåò äøàùåï ááéîåéå ùì äùç÷ï â'åøâ' ÷ìåðé.ñéôåøå äîåôìà ùì àéù äèìååéæéä ö'à÷ áàøéñ, ùðéäì çééí ëôåìéí: îôé÷ åîðçä èìååéæéä áéåí, åáìéìä ñåëï áùéøåú äñé.àéé.àéé."ùîé äåà ö'àøìé äéøù áàøéñ. ëúáúé ùéøé ôåô, äééúé îôé÷ èìåéæéä. àðé àçøàé ìæéäåí âìé äàúø òí áéãåø ùèåúé åîðååï îåç. ëîå ëï øöçúé ùìåùéí åùìåùä áðé àãí".äèìåéæéä ôøñîä àåúå, àáì äãáøéí äâãåìéí ùìå äúøçùå îçåõ ìîñê."åéãåééí ùì îåç îñåëï" äåà ñéôåø çééå äëôåìéí ùì àéù òåìí äáéãåø - îôé÷ èìåéæéä áéåí, åøåöç áùøåú ä CIA áìéìä.öòéø, îìà àðøâéä åùåàó ì÷øééøä âãåìä áúòùééú äèìåéæéä äîúôúçú, ö'à÷ áàøéñ îåöà òöîå úçú îò÷á ùì ãîåú çùåãä ùòã îäøä îôúä àåúå ìúåê òåìí ñåãé åîñåëï: òåìí äôòåìä ùì ä CIA.áòåã áàøéñ æåëä ìôøñåí ëîôé÷ èìåéæéä îáèéç ,äåâä úëðéåú çãùðéåú ùì îùç÷é èìåéæéä ëâåï : The Newlywed Game åúëðéú äàéøåç äàéùéú The Gong Show , äåà âí îáöò áàåôï ÷áåò, çéñåìéí òáåø îîùìú àøä"á.ëëì ùäøééèéðâ òåìä, áàøéñ îëðéñ àú úëðéåú äèìåéæéä ùìå àì úåê çééå äñåãééí.æåâåú ùæåëéí á "îùç÷ äùéãåëéí" îåöàéí òöîí ðùìçéí ì "äìñéð÷é äðäãøú" àå ì "îòøá áøìéï äøåîðèéú" - ìôâéùú çìåîåúéäí - æä àîðí ìà ôøéæ, àáì æä îñô÷ ìáàøéñ, äîùîù ìäí áï ìååéä, ëëéñåé ìîùéîåú äñåãéåú ùìå.ëëì ùáàøéñ ðäðä îäæåäø ùì ùðé äòåìîåú-òåìí äáéãåø åòåìí äøéâåì- çééå îúçéìéí ìöàú îëìì ùìéèä.äåà ð÷øò áéï äàùä ùàåäáú àåúå ìáéï äàùä äîñúåøéú ùì äôðèæéåú ùìå, äåà ñåôâ áé÷åøåú ÷èìðéåú îä÷äì äîàùéí àåúå áæéäåí âìé äàúø...åäåà îåöà òöîå îñåîï ìîååú ò"é áåâã ôòéì.áàøéñ çééá ìîöåà ãøê ìäùúìè òì çééå. òì ùðéäí. âéøñú DVDRiP ñåôéú ùì äñøè !| In theicool, witty style of Ocean's Eleven! |||Entertaining borderline insanity
This movie surprised me; I was expecting a comedy-caper along the lines of`Catch Me if You Can' and got instead a `True Confessions' from someone who did more than most to turn TV programming into a race to the bottom (an honest title, in fact). `Truth' is of course relative, and the CIA assassin scenario is in all probability a product of Chuck Barris' not awfully well-balanced mind, but it fits in well with his other life as a producer of junk television. The secret agent sequences are often rather sombre in tone and provide an interesting contrast to the frenetic TV studio scenes.
Chuck Barris starts out in this movie with an overwhelming desire to get laid, but even though he attains this ambition fairly easily in the TV industry it gives him little satisfaction. The contract killing is more exciting but unfortunately makes him feel guilty; he is haunted by his victims at inconvenient times such as his own wedding. I'm not quite sure what Dr Freud would have said about such a person, but the Barris of the film is someone who just can't resist temptation and can't help feeling bad about giving way. The spiral downwards into despair and near-madness is inevitable.
As others have remarked, Sam Rockwell puts in a great performance, but then it's a great part. We do wind up feeling sorry for him despite the mayhem he has caused, if only because Penny the Brick is there for him (another fine performance from Drew Barrymore ). A brick, by the way, is someone who is solid and dependable, the complete opposite of Chuck Why Penny fancies Chuck isn't really explained must be the contrast with her own sunny, relaxed personality.
George Clooney directs from a script by the pleasantly off-centre George Kaufman. The script is actually nothing special by Kaufman standards but Clooney has a lot of fun with the camera and abrupt scene changes. What lingers though is something used to good effect in `A Beautiful Mind' the deliberate mixing of real and imagined events in the character's mind so that the viewer is left wondering which is which. Obviously a loopy character like Chuck has trouble distinguishing reality and fantasy, but the film does convey how difficult it is for him.
This film is certainly entertaining and its somewhat dark tone is not off-putting. I don't care whether any of it is true (there is absolutely no corroboration of Chuck's alleged career as an assassin) but there is a serious side to the story which Clooney handles with discretion. He's an able fellow, for an actor.
|Region 1 | |Widescreen 2.40:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo|2-16|||||@@
Confidence||Crime|Rated R for language, violence and sexuality/nudity. |6.7|USA|2003|97 min|English||||||||||False||||||||21/09/2003||||||It's not about the money. It's about the money.| Keep your friends close andiyour money closer. |||Have confidence in these artists to make your day.
When Dustin Hoffman as a kingpin crook says to grifter Edward Burns, "Cute little Irish muscle ass you got,' I was conned into loving this small con/heist film. Although Hoffman is not the central character in `Confidence' as Burns is, he occupies the mise en scene the way Christopher Walken does when he plays secondary roles-you just can't takes your eyes off this consummate character actor whose real-life persona demands the same notice. Have confidence in these artists to make your day.
The plot of `Confidence' sounds like every other in the genre from the old `Grifters' to the recent `Heist' with roots in `Rififi,' Tarantino, and Mamet. Because Burns's gang unknowingly stole $150,000 from Hoffman, he must scam a mark Hoffman selects in a $5 million job. There's a questionable corporate loan, a Belize bank account, and smuggled money in the process. Nothing new here.
What makes this film different is the apparent fun everyone is having: After all, when will ravishing Rachel Weisz ever again be able to play a con out-conned by a better con (Burns) while still looking like a winner? Or when will Andy Garcia again be able to play a grizzled fed with absolutely no glamour, almost unrecognizable as Garcia?And Hoffman: Not since Ratso Rizzo has he been able to play such a witty little sleaze ball.
Shakespeare characterized these gifted grifters well in `All's Well that Ends Well': `He will steal, Sir, an egg out of a cloister.'A little bit more than an egg is stolen here, but it all does end well for the cons and the audience.
|Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] |2-17|||||@@
Contact|Robert Zemeckis|Drama|Rated PG for some intense action, mild language and a scene of sensuality. |7.4|USA|1997|153 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Steven J. Boyd Joan Bradshaw Ann Druyan Lynda Obst Rick Porras Carl Sagan Steve Starkey Robert Zemeckis|Carl Sagan Carl Sagan Ann Druyan James V. Hart Michael Goldenberg|Don Burgess |||From the Academy Award-winning director of "Forrest Gump" and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Contact" take you on a journey to the heart of the universe|Contact, based on the novel of the same name by Carl Sagan, is the story of a free thinking radio astronomer (Jodie Foster) who discovers an intelligent signal broadcast from deep space. She and her fellow scientists are able to decipher the Message and discover detailed instructions for building a mysterious Machine. Will the Machine spell the end of our world, or the end of our superstitions? Will we take our place among the races of the Galaxy, or are we just an upstart species with a long way to go?
When Dr. Eleanor Arroway receives a message from aliens, they tell humans to build a machine so they can communicate with the aliens. Now Dr. Arroway must decide whether she should stay safe or risk her life to contact the aliens.
|Jodie Foster (Dr. Eleanor Ann 'Ellie' Arroway) @ Jena Malone (Young Ellie) @ Matthew McConaughey (Father Palmer Joss) @ David Morse (Ted Arroway) @ Geoffrey Blake (Fisher) @ William Fichtner (Kent Clark) @ Sami Chester (Vernon) @ Timothy McNeil (Davio||Contact Paper
Spoilers herein.
How horrible to have this as a legacy.
For those who don't know, Sagan was a rather weak scientist who became a popular science journalist promoting a genuine sense of wonder, and who further became a champion in battling pseudoscience and rank ignorance. He was criticized for overly simplifying, and much of that was undue. But he did cast a false battle between science and religion, and then weave this simple, preachy morality play around it.
Actually, the sad truth is that most science is based on the deist notion that laws somehow pre-exist our exploration of them. Some science is pure of religion, at least the normal kind of deism, but that fascinating truth is too complex to build celebrity upon; too complex to simplify for mass consumption. So Sagan tossed it early in his career.
It is actually not true that `mathematics is the only true universal language,' at least not the specific abstractions used here which are merely descriptors convenient for human brain chemistry. First order logic, the basis of the 3D projection here, is arbitrarily cast. `It makes sense if you think like a Vegan.' Later: `the message is written in the language of science.' How unknowledgeable. My point is that the science here is quite bogus (on straight scientific terms) when extrapolated this deeply.
Religion IS simplification of complexity into simple oppositions for the masses. And that is precisely what Sagan is guilty of here. The conflict with religion is miscast. The story is unprofound, an empty legacy. So easy to poke fun at believers in stupid superstitions, but then what?
No matter. Films are rarely true, rarely profound. But would have been better for this story not to lean too heavily on the idea that `it could happen this way.'
But how about this as a film since story is mostly incidental in important films? Zemeckis annoys with other films, since he bends the cinematic vision to the trite storyline (`Gump,' `Cast Away'). But here, he really does please. Around this lacey logic, he does great visual storytelling, great framing. His camera never leaves the point of quiet observation, so is very conservative. His choreographed group shots thrill; some of his long tracking pans almost exhaust. I wonder if he does this to subliminally establish the `hereness' of living here. The colors really work to frame reality. Another framing to establish the hereness, the emphasis on surroundings: the competence of many supporting actors surpasses that of the leads.
The commentaries on the DVD are much better narrative than the story.
Jody's not an external actor which is a problem in a role which is supposed to be archetypical. in which we are supposed to identify. She is too angular, too sharp to represent humanity or the human mind. And she is not quirky enough to convince she has genius. If you ever met a genius or even a world class scientist, you'd sense a strangeness, an other-worldliness that is missing here. Jody's readings are comic Buckrogerisms.
The best effect was the attempt at the machine: superconducting massive rings tieing gravitational knots -- would have been nice to emphasize that the rings moved apparently erratically with flashes of polygonal logic. (Should have been five not four machine rings if the docahedal pod wrapping is to make sense.) The worst effect was the journey: Alice meets Kubrick -- making a knotted wormhole look like any sort of forward movement was childish indeed. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-10 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Crash|David Cronenberg|Drama|Rated NC-17 for numerous explicit sex scenes. |5.7|Canada|1996|100 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Chris Auty David Cronenberg Andras Hamori Robert Lantos Stéphane Reichel Marilyn Stonehouse Jeremy Thomas (I)|J.G. Ballard David Cronenberg|Peter Suschitzky |||Love in the dying moments of the twentieth century.|Since a road accident left him with serious facial and bodily scarring, a former 'TV scientist' has become obsessed by the marriage of motor car technology with what he sees as the `raw sexuality' of car-crash victims. The scientist, along with a crash victim he has recently befriended, sets about performing a series of sexual acts in a variety of motor vehicles, either with other crash victims or with prostitutes who they contort into the shape of trapped-corpses. Ultimately, the scientist craves a suicidal union of blood, semen and engine coolant, a union with which he becomes dangerously obsessed.
Based on the 1973 novel by J. G. Ballard. James and Catherine Ballard are a married couple whose sex life has been reduced to recounting tales of mutual infidelity to turn each other on. One night, James causes a head-on collision with a car carrying Dr. Helen Remington, killing her husband and severely injuring her and himself. The two find that they were both sexually aroused by the crash, and, with Catherine, soon fall in with a cult of car crash fetishists. The group is led by Vaughan, a former scientist twisted by his own disfigurement in a car crash, and, as a result, a man obsessed with car crashes as a liberation of sexual energy. Vaughan inducts the Ballards and Dr. Remington into his surreal world of re-enactments of famous car crashes (i.e. James Dean and Jayne Mansfield), screenings of collision videos as pornography, and sex at and around accident scenes.
|James Spader (James Ballard) @ Holly Hunter (Helen Remington) @ Elias Koteas (Vaughan) @ Deborah Unger (Catherine Ballard (as Deborah Kara Unger)) @ Rosanna Arquette (Gabrielle) @ Peter MacNeill (I) (Colin Seagrave) @ Yolande Julian (Airport Hooker) @ Cheryl Swarts (Vera Seagrave||Not Sufficiently Extreme
Spoilers herein.
`Fight Club' meets `Zed and Two Noughts' meets `Bladerunner' meets `Fearless' meets `Leaving Las Vegas.'
I celebrate the intelligent vision of this film. But Fight Club wove a more engaging neurosis; `Zed' had a stronger disturbing vision; `Bladerunner' a more thorough sense of programmed sex; `Fearless' more visceral crashes; and `Leaving Las Vegas,' more relentless characters marching to oblivion (though it is not in the class of the other films).
Cronenberg has a fine visual sense, but it is not strongly individual. And the same can be said of his metaphoric fabric. So although this film is worth watching, I cannot consider it important. What really bothered me was how restrained it was. We needed stronger discomfort (like `Shadow of the Vampire'), a more radical visual statement (like `Pillow Book'), excessively greater perversions (The Coens could do it), increasingly outrageous acting style (Garafalano, where are you?). This is a pretty tepid film given its aspirations.
This is not a film about sex in the real sense -- it amazes me that anyone could think so -- rather, the technology of filming sex and what works in films for an audience with escalating needs. Folks: the chief character is a FILM producer. The drivers in the club are FILM stunt drivers. The re-enactments are of FILM actors' deaths.
Spader was chosen, I'm sure, because of his balance of in-your-face I'm-a-character no I'm-an-actor stances in `Sex, Lies' which also was a film about meeting the expectations of film audiences by directly phoning the sex memes. (Note how most of the sex -- and car smashes -- are from behind?)
This film is a big goof on anyone who sees it and thinks it is about sex. Very clever indeed, as it also explains why someone would need to think so. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround ||||||@@
Wo hu cang long|Ang Lee|Adventure|Rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some sexuality. |8.4|USA|2000|120 min|Mandarin||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Po Chu Chui Ping Dong Li-Kong Hsu William Kong Ang Lee Philip Lee (II) David Linde Er-Dong Liu James Schamus Wai Sum Shia Quangang Zheng|Du Lu Wang Hui-Ling Wang James Schamus Kuo Jung Tsai|Peter Pau (I) ||||Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a timeless story that takes place in feudal China when miracles were credible and spirits and gods were present in man's world. It is not unbelievable that zen warriors float through the air, skim the water and battle in trees and on rooftops. Pain, revenge and duty are the stuff that bind us in this world and are the main plot line of the movie, but in the afterlife love and faith linger on.
The disappearance of a magical jade sword spurs a breathtaking quest for the missing treasure. Li (Chow Yun-Fat) is embittered by the loss of his jade sword, and his unrequited pursuit of Yu (Michelle Yeoh) is further complicated by the mysterious intrusion of an assassin. The identity of the assassin is gradually unveiled as another poignant tale of love begins to ravel with that of Li and Yu against the backdrop of Western China's magnificent landscape.
Li is a great warrior, famous throughout feudal China for his adventurus life. He decides to give his powerful, ancient sword as a gift to an old friend of his, but soon the sword is stolen by a mysterious master of the martial arts. Now, it's up to Li to uncover the thief and return the sword to its rightful owner.
Li Mu Bai, a great warrior decides to turn in his sword, the Green Destiny to a treasured friend. When the sword is then stolen, it is up to him to retrieve it. At the same time he is trying to avenge his father's death by the evil Jade Fox. He is joined in his quest by Shu Lien, the un-conceded love of his life. During all of this, they are introduced to Jiao Long Yu (Jen), the mysterious and beautiful daughter of a well known family. She is the mysterious link to all these tales. But through all the many subplots, this is in essence, a love story.
|Yun-Fat Chow (Master Li Mu Bai) @ Michelle Yeoh (Yu Shu Lien) @ Ziyi Zhang (Jen Yu (Mandarin version)/Xiou Long (English dubbed version)) @ Chen Chang (Lo 'Dark Cloud' (Mandarin version)/Xiou Hu 'Dark Cloud' (English dubbed version)) @ Sihung Lung (Sir Te (Mandarin version)/Be-La-Ye (English dubbed version)) @ Pei-pei Cheng (Jade Fox (Mandarin version)/Be-Ah-Hui 'Jade Fox' (English dubbed version)) @ Fa Zeng Li (Gov. Yu) @ Xian Gao (Bo (Mandarin version)/Yo-Shi (English dubbed version)||A wonderfully complex and refreshing movie
In what can only be described as one of the most breath-taking and original movies in years, Wo hu zang long is sure to pleasantly surprise and intrigue any viewer.
Woefully typecast as a "kung-fu" movie, Wo hu zang long is a complex, deep, and thought provoking drama/love story, set against the beautiful and mystical lands of ancient China.The main characters, of which there are several, are all wonderfully portrayed.The complex motivations and interactions of the cast is a long overdue contribution to recent films, and any viewer will feel themselves hanging onto their seat as the plot twists and turns.Bitter enemies reconcile, and the certain future becomes very uncertain several times throughout the course of this film.
The cinematography of Wo hu zang long is amazing.Clearly, this film was crafted rather than made, as even the most banal conversations are shot from pleasing angles, views, and shadows.Action is heightened, characters are emphasized, and nothing is missed by the camera.
The action sequences of this film are nothing short of amazing.The marathon fight between Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi is one of the best showcases of martial talent ever captured on film.Yeoh in particular demonstrates an awe-inspiring level of skill in her art.
Wo hu zang long will leave no one dissapointed at the theater this year. Even the most crazed action fans will be pleasantly surprised by it's depth, as will the "please not another Kun-Fu movie" crowd.Do yourself a huge favour, and see this movie on the big screen, as it was meant to be seen.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 ||||||@@
Cube|Vincenzo Natali|Thriller|Rated R for some strong sci-fi violence/gore and language. |7.3|Canada|1997|90 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Colin Brunton Mehra Meh Betty Orr|André Bijelic Vincenzo Natali Graeme Manson|Derek Rogers | ||Fear... Paranoia... Suspicion... Desperation|Six total strangers awaken one day to find themselves alone in a cubical maze. Once they meet, they work together using their given skills and talents to survive the deadly traps which guard many of the colored cubic rooms. Using Leaven's mathematical skills, they press forward, upword, and downward through the hatches to try and find the outer shell.
Six different people, each from a very different walk of life, awaken to find themselves inside a giant cube with thousands of possible rooms. Each has a skill that becomes clear when they must band together to get out: a cop, a math wiz, a building designer, a doctor, an escape master, and a disabled man. Each plays a part in their thrilling quest to find answers as to why they've been imprisoned.
|Nicole de Boer (Leaven) @ Nicky Guadagni (Dr. Helen Holloway) @ David Hewlett (David Worth the Architect) @ Andrew Miller (I) (Kazan, the autistic man) @ Julian Richings (Alderson) @ Wayne Robson (Rennes 'The Wren', convict) @ Maurice Dean Wint (Quentin the CopProduced by||Unique but ultimately unsatisfying.
"Cube" is certainly a unique movie. The brilliant, absolutely irresistible premise grabs you instantly, and the production design keeps you impressed. The first hour of this picture was thoroughly engrossing and full of surprises; I would even call it "astonishing" if the actors didn't deliver some obviously forced, unnaturally "profound" speeches, and if the director didn't try to create dramatic moments by taking the easy way out - having the characters argue with each other all the time; if they acted as a team and tried to overlook their differences, THAT would have been the REALLY original approach. Still, the movie was fast-paced and fully engrossing.
And then, about 20 minutes before the end, it begins to collapse! The mathematical calculations become IMPOSSIBLE to decipher and follow. A major character changes his behavior completely. And the ending is a real disappointment. Some people have said it's "surprising"; I think it's a total cop-out. It doesn't provide any explanations, and it doesn't provide any clues for us to try to figure it out on our own. I watched the last five minutes three times. They leave you with an intense "THAT'S IT?" feeling.
Overall, this movie is definitely worth seeing, and the acting isn't nearly as bad as most people say, but be prepared for a HIGHLY unsatisfying ending. 6/10. ||Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |1-4|||||@@
Danny Deckchair|Jeff Balsmeyer|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for sex-related situations. |6.4|Australia|2003|Australia:100 min/ Canada:90 min (Toronto International Film Festival)|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG-4|795 |544x288|MPEG Layer 3|192 |False|48,000 Hz|2|700.60 MB||||25.00|01/02/2004|Howard Baldwin Karen Elise Baldwin Lizzie Bryant Carol Hughes William J. Immerman Andrew Mason|Jeff Balsmeyer |Martin McGrath ||20th Century Fox Australia [au] |For anyone who ever dreamed of taking off.|ðäâ îùàéú áèåï àåñèøìé, ãðé (àéôðñ), îçìéè ìðñåú åìáøåç îäçééí ùì äòéø äàôøåøéú ìàçø øéá òí çáøúå (÷ìàø÷) ùîåðòú îîðå ì÷çú çåôùä.
á÷ùéøú äîåï áìåðé äìéåí ìëñà äðåç ùìå, ãðé îøçó àì úåê äùîééí åôåâù áñåôú áø÷éí ùùåìçú àåúå ìáñåó ìòéø ÷èðä
áæîï ùäú÷ùåøú ðòùéú îáåìáìú ìâáé ääéòìîåú ùìå. ùäåà ð÷ùø ìòéø ä÷èðä ùì ÷ìøðñ, ãðé îúàäá òí ùåèøú äçðééä äéçéãä ùáòéø, âìðãä.
|Rhys Ifans (Danny Morgan) @ Miranda Otto (Glenda Lake) @ Justine Clarke (Trudy) @ Rhys Muldoon (Sandy Upman rest of cast listed alphabetically Drew Batchelor .... Pete) @ Jane Beddows (Regina) @ Michelle Boyle (Louella) @ Andrew Crabbe (Kevin) @ Jeanette Cronin (Maggie Pike) @ Maggie Dence (Ray) @ Dina Gillespie (Kaz) @ Angus King (Darren Keyhole) @ Frank Magree (Sgt. Dave Mackie) @ Alex Mann (Sandra Craig) @ Amie Mckenna (Tina) @ Danny Nash (Air Traffic Controller) @ Anthony Phelan (Kate (as Jules Sobotta)) @ Rod Zuanic (executive producer||A gem!
Another aussie gem of a movie.I saw the previews for this, and dismissed it right away. After renting the DVD I was once again sorry for missing this wonderful comedy with a cinema audience. Like so many good Australian films they are swamped by the US movies which dominate our screens, and never reach many movie goers who would find this superior to an average Hollywood flic.It's a shame we don't have an aussie week here with no overseas releases. ||Movies ||Movies ||||||@@
Daredevil|Mark Steven Johnson|Action|Rated PG-13 for action/violence and some sensuality. |5.9|USA|2003|USA:103 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Avi Arad Kathleen M. Courtney Becki Cross Trujillo Kevin Feige Gary Foster (I) Stan Lee Arnon Milchan Bernard Williams (I) Kim H. Winther Bill Carraro|Mark Steven Johnson |Ericson Core |||He is the man without fear|Fate deals young orphan Matt Murdock a strange hand when he is doused with hazardous waste. The accident leaves Matt blind but also gives him a heightened "radar sense" that allows him to "see" far better than any man. Years later Murdock has grown into a man and becomes a respected criminal attorney. But after he's done his "day job" Matt takes on a secret identity as "The Man Without Fear," Daredevil, the masked avenger that patrols the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen and New York City to combat the injustice that he cannot tackle in the courtroom.
He dwells in a world of external night--but the blackness is filled with sounds and scents, tastes and textures that most cannot perceive. Although attorney Matt Murdock is blind, his other four senses function with superhuman sharpness. By day, Murdock represents the downtrodden. At night he is Daredevil, a masked vigilante stalking the dark streets of the city, a relentless avenger of justice. For Daredevil justice is blind--and for the guilty, there's hell to pay.
|Ben Affleck (Matt Murdock/Daredevil) @ Jennifer Garner (Elektra Natchios) @ Colin Farrell (I) (Bullseye) @ Michael Clarke Duncan (The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk) @ Jon Favreau (Franklin "Foggy" Nelson) @ Scott Terra (Young Matt) @ Ellen Pompeo (Karen Page) @ Joe Pantoliano (Ben Urich||Watchable enough,I guess
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
Following on from the comic book superhero craze launched by the phenomenal success of last year's over rated Spiderman,Daredevil provides Ben Affleck with the opportunity to step in the shoes of his childhood hero in the leading role.And what we have is a colourful,spirited but ultimately unsatisfying effort that is just never quite the sum of it's parts.Affleck himself is enjoyable in the main part,perfectly sincere and convincing,no Michael Keaton perhaps but certainly credible enough.Of the rest of the credited cast list,Colin Farrell's star continues to rise in one of the main bad guy roles as Bullseye,a menacing psychopath with a skill for hitting victims with precision.Imagine Pinhead from Hellraiser with a less extended vocabulary,a less charasmatic persona and,well,no pins in his head and you have him to a tee.Him not talking much was probably meant to make him appear more unnerving,but it was a little too see through for this viewers liking.Nevertheless,he's a satisfying enough bad guy and provides our hero with a dastardly enough adversary to tackle.Michael Clarke Duncan is an impressive central baddie,although it's a little hard to believe a man of his considerable size would have any force to be reckoned with in the final showdown with Affleck.And Jennifer Garner is a sassy fighting chick,as well as providing the film with the obligatory romantic interest.
The Daredevil costume itself,it has to be said,rather pales in comparison to the SM and Batman costumes and seems to have been borrowed from the set of some S&M bondage movie.The martial arts sequences also leave rather a lot to be desired,rather dully chereographed and over reliant on hand-to-hand moves and back-to-back close ups.
But there are some clever one liners and dialogue to be enjoyed here in amongst all the flashy action and excitement going on,evening out all the desirable bits with the not-so-desirable bits.And,if we must focus on the cr*p aspects of the film,we could say the very premise rests on a plot hole in the first place.If toxic waste were really to hit you in the face,you'd go blind,no sh*t,but that would be kind of the least of your problems.On the off chance you were to survive,you would at the very least be horribly deformed for the rest of your life,and certainly wouldn't have a face as handsome as Affleck's.And I kind of doubt all your other senses would vastly improve,too.But,hey,it's gothic comic book fantasy.What you gonna do?***
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-36|||||@@
Desperado: Special Edition|Robert Rodriguez|Action/Romance/Thriller/Crime|R |6.8|USA|1995|103 mins|English||DivX|1||DivX;-) V3.11 FAST MOTION|599 |720x384|MPEG Layer 3|192 |False|48,000 Hz|2|637.89 MB||||29.97|28/03/2004|Elizabeth Avellan Bill Borden Carlos Gallardo Robert Rodriguez|Robert Rodriguez |Guillermo Navarro ||Columbia Pictures [us] |He came back to settle the score with someone. Anyone. EVERYONE.| He came backito settle theiscore. |Antonio Banderas (El Mariachi) @ Salma Hayek (Carolina) @ Joaquim de Almeida (Bucho) @ Cheech Marin (Short bartender) @ Steve Buscemi (Buscemi) @ Carlos Gómez (Right Hand (as Carlos Gomez)) @ Quentin Tarantino (Pick-up Guy) @ Tito Larriva (Tavo)||Robert Rodriguez and Antonio Banderas
After the success of 'El Mariarchi', Antonio Banderas gravitated towards
Rodriguez in order to appear in his films. He had a guest appearance in
'Four Rooms' with Madonna, and had a leading role in the sequel to 'El
Mariarchi', 'Desperado'. Not my cup of tea, but he is respected by Banderas
and Quentin Tarantino.
|Region 1 |Special Edition - |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1 PORTUGUESE: Dolby Digital Surround||||||@@
Die Another Day|Lee Tamahori|Action|Rated PG-13 for action violence and sexuality. |6.5|UK|2002|132 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Barbara Broccoli Callum McDougall Anthony Waye Michael G. Wilson|Ian Fleming Neal Purvis Robert Wade (I)|David Tattersall | |||The story begins in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea with a spectacular high-speed hovercraft chase and continues via Hong Kong to Cuba and London where Bond meets up with the two ladies who are to play such important and differing roles in his quest to unmask a traitor and to prevent a war of catastrophic consequence. Hot on the trail of the principle villains, Bond travels to Iceland where he experiences at first hand the power of an amazing new weapon before a dramatic confrontation with his main adversary back in Korea where it all started...
|Pierce Brosnan (James Bond) @ Halle Berry (Jinx) @ Toby Stephens (Gustav Graves) @ Rosamund Pike (Miranda Frost) @ Rick Yune (Zao) @ Judi Dench (M) @ John Cleese (Q) @ Michael Madsen (Damian Falco||Fun enough
A cinematic sinner am I, as I have only seen one James Bond film not starring Pierce Brosnan, Dr. No, and I have seen each of the films starring Mr. Brosnan (although I've never seen Goldeneye in its entirety). I quite loved Dr. No, and I have no good excuse for avoiding all the ones between it and the Brosnan Bonds other than I have a feeling I would get bored with them after two or three. I know I'll have to check them out someday. The four Brosnan Bond films are so incredibly formulaic that one can guess each plot development half an hour early. I always go through the exact same cycle of emotions when watching them. Step 1) This is dull. 2) Eh, it's getting better. 3) Hey, that was pretty neat. 4) Ugh! What an awful double entendre! 5) Hey, that was really neat! 6) Hey, this rocks! 7) Oh no, not another double entendre! It always takes far too long to start rocking, but when it does, it does seem like it was worth the price that I paid to watch it (I watched the movie for free). Die Another Day takes much longer to get good than the previous two Bond films (does anyone really care what they were called?), but it has one enormous saving grace: the villains are extraordinary. Toby Stevens as Gustav Graves and Rick Yune as his main henchman Zao are great characters, well designed and with nicely developed personalities. I can't even remember the names of any of the other villains in the Bond series, except that the last one was played by that guy from The Full Monty. The stunts in this one are quite often remarkable, especially the extended car chase late in the picture (you'll find that I go out of my way to praise car chases twice this week, which probably labels me as a something or other). I really look down on the couple of scenes where computer animation replaces the actors, most notably the parasurfing scene. That was quite obvious, and quite embarrassing. I also find the Matrix effects groan-inducing. Hopefully we're done with those after the monumental failure of The Matrix Reloaded. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |DTS 5.1 |2-31 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Dracula 2000|Patrick Lussier (I)|Horror|Rated R for violence/gore, language and some sexuality. |5.0|USA|2000|99 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Daniel K. Arredondo W.K. Border Wes Craven Marianne Maddalena Andrew Rona Ron Schmidt (I) Joel Soisson Tony Steinberg Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|Joel Soisson Patrick Lussier (I) Joel Soisson|Peter Pau (I) |||The Most Seductive Evil Of All Time Has Now Been Unleashed In Ours.|In the millenium version of this classic Gothic horror we find Abraham Van Helsing (Plummer), who has tangled with Count Dracula (Butler) in the past, working as an English antiques dealer. Simon (Miller) is a vampire hunter in training under his apprenticeship. Van Helsing and Simon travel from London to New Orleans to rescue Van Helsing's daughter Mary (Waddell) from the family's life long nemesis - Dracula.
|Jonny Lee Miller (Simon Sheppard) @ Justine Waddell (Mary Heller/Van Helsing) @ Gerard Butler (Dracula) @ Danny Masterson (Nightshade) @ Jeri Ryan (Valerie Sharpe) @ Colleen Fitzpatrick (I) (Lucy Westerman (as Colleen Anne Fitzpatrick)) @ Jennifer Esposito (Solina) @ Lochlyn Munro (Eddie||Good, fun escapism!
"Dracula 2000" is not the best horror flick ever made, but it's fun and entertaining.I guess you can call it a popcorn movie.Gratuitous violence, hot vampiresses (Jennifer Esposito, Jeri Ryan and Vitamin C:OH MAN!!HOT HOT HOT!!!).It's definitely a way cool guy flick!But for all you ladies, there's Johnny Lee Miller.So don't feel left out.The plot is nothing special."Dracula 2000" pretty much abides by the usual vampire movie formula.Though this is no masterpiece, I wouldn't call it campy.The effects are quite impressive, realistic and not at all cheesy.The script is no "Gone with the Wind," but it's no "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" either.The acting is good, with a hot young cast and veteran actor Christopher Plummer.I never quite understood why he was using a German accent, though.The heavy metal soundtrack adds to the film's hip attitude.And there are some hints of comic relief (an underrated tool in making a movie).
If you feel in the mood for a good, entertaining (though mildly forgettable) horror flick to help you kill 100 minutes--have fun!Remember, FUN is the key word.This is not "Interview with the Vampire," this is not "Bram Stoker's Dracula"; this is "Dracula 2000," a hip, enjoyable gorefest for the new century!
My score:7 (out of 10) |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-22|||||@@
Dragonheart|Rob Cohen|Action|Rated PG-13 for action/violence. |6.2|USA|1996|103 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Kelly Breidenbach Raffaella De Laurentiis Herb Gains Hester Hargett Patrick Read Johnson David Rotman|Patrick Read Johnson Charles Edward Pogue Charles Edward Pogue|David Eggby | ||You will believe.|Set in the 10th Century, a man (Bowen) teams up with the last dragon to remind the people of a long lost code of honor, and inspire them to fight for their freedom from a tyrannical king.
The young, sickly King Einon was wounded in a battle. In order for him to survive, he is healed by Draco, a dragon. Some years later, Bowen, a dragon slayer, encounters Draco. The two team up to form a traveling duo that perform an act, but the act is only known by themselves. Bowen supposedly "slays" Draco and then collects a reward from the town or village that he protects by killing the dragon who had been "terrorizing" them. From there, Bowen and Draco must save the entire kingdom from the rule of the now evil King Einon, who is part of Draco and Draco a part of him.
|Dennis Quaid (Bowen) @ David Thewlis (King Einon) @ Pete Postlethwaite (Gilbert of Glockenspur) @ Dina Meyer (Kara) @ Jason Isaacs (Lord Felton) @ Brian Thompson (I) (Brok) @ Lee Oakes (Young Einon) @ Wolf Christian (Hewe||Hard to say...
It is hard to say what I think of this movie. I think you must not take 'Dragonheart' too seriously although the movie itself does. There are a lot of good things though. Dennis Quaid as the hero, Pete Postlethwaite, Julie Christie and the voice of Sean Connery add something to the movie. The score is great and the visual effects are sublime. I didn't take it too seriously and had fun. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-10 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Drumline|Charles Stone III|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for innuendo and language. |5.7|USA|2002|118 min/ Argentina:119 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Dallas Austin Timothy M. Bourne Wendy Finerman Jody Gerson Greg Mooradian|Shawn Schepps Tina Gordon Chism Shawn Schepps|Shane Hurlbut |||Half time is game time|A fish-out-of-water comedy about a talented street drummer from Harlem who enrolls in a Southern university, expecting to lead its marching band's drumline to victory. He initially flounders in his new world, before realizing that it takes more than talent to reach the top.
|Nick Cannon (Devon) @ Zoe Saldana (Laila (as Zoë Saldana)) @ Orlando Jones (Dr. Lee) @ Leonard Roberts (Sean) @ GQ (Jayson) @ Jason Weaver (Ernest) @ Earl Poitier (Charles (as Earl C. Poitier)) @ Candace Carey (Diedre||Learning the rhythm system
"Drumline" tells of an Afro-Am high school grad and hotshot drummer who goes to college and learns it takes more than fast sticks to make the grade. Just okay as a light drama, this flick deserves high marks for making some positive points about the importance of rudiments and teamwork to success and for its tribute to, what is on most campuses considered un-cool, marching bands. What the film lacks in story it makes up for in marching band pageantry, music, and, most of all, percussion. A must see for anyone into marching bands and a should see for young people who dine on a steady diet of MTV and other entertainment junk food. (B) |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-7|||||@@
D-Tox|Jim Gillespie|Action|Rated R for strong violence/gore and language. |4.8|USA|2002|96 min/ Argentina:95 min/ USA:92 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Karen Kehela Ric Kidney Kevin King Maureen Peyrot|Howard Swindle Ron L. Brinkerhoff Ron L. Brinkerhoff|Dean Semler ||DEJ Productions [us] |Survival is a killer|Stallone plays a cop who comes undone after witnessing a brutal scene on the job. He checks into a rehab clinic that specializes in treating law enforcement officials. Soon, he finds that his fellow patients are being murdered one by one.
|Sylvester Stallone (FBI Agent Jake Malloy) @ Charles Dutton (Hendricks (as Charles S. Dutton)) @ Polly Walker (Jenny) @ Kris Kristofferson (Doc) @ Mif (Brandon) @ Christopher Fulford (Slater) @ Jeffrey Wright (Jaworski) @ Tom Berenger (Hank) @ Stephen Lang (Jack) @ Alan C. Peterson (Gilbert) @ Hrothgar Mathews (Manny) @ Angela Alvarado (Lopez (as Angelo Alvarado Rosa)) @ Robert Prosky (McKenzie) @ Robert Patrick (Noah) @ Courtney B. Vance (Jones) @ Sean Patrick Flanery (Conner) @ Tim Henry (Weeks) @ Dina Meyer (Mary) @ Rance Howard (Geezer) @ Frank Pellegrino (Jimmy) @ James Kidnie (Red) @ Yves Cameron (Killer) @ Harrison Coe (Medical Examiner) @ Peter Flemming (Officer) @ Chris Nelson Norris (Police Lieutenant) @ Bill Mackenzie (Bartender) @ Ian Gschwind (Paramedic) @ David Lewis (Jeweler rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ James Ralph (Officer in Bar (uncredited)) @ Karen Smith (Waitress (uncredited)) @ Ruth Zalduondo (Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)Produced by||Flawed, but not *that* bad
Well, having not only spent two years on the shelf but getting released straight to video AND the original studio - Universal - disowning it (removing its logo and "Universal presents..." as well as giving it to another studio to release on DVD and video) I was expecting yet another Stallone bomb. Actually, while I would never say it's a good movie, it nowhere as bad as you might think - it's certainly better than recent Stallone turkeys like GET CARTER.
It's actually starts surprisingly well. Not only is Stallone's character given a lot of dialogue, Stallone actually *acts* when delivering it. The subsequent events that traumatize his character are well done, with a genuine eerieness to them. Things continue well for a while longer, showing the utter pit of despair Stallone's character has fallen in, and Stallone once again is up to this challenge.
Then he goes to the detox center, and the movie quickly falls apart. The biggest problems are:
(1) WAY too many characters. It was extremely difficult to remember who was who with all these people walking in and out of the camera. It's also difficult to separate each person in your mind because we hardly learn a thing about each character - if we are lucky.
(2) REALLY bad editing. Scenes (and some individual cuts) go by so quickly that we often don't get the chance to properly digest what we're given to ponder. Two things happening at the same time (in different places) are cut back and forth with no seeming purpose, and no coherent flow. Though the DVD has eight deleted scenes, it's obvious that there was originally a lot more shot. I have to agree with another poster that there are signs there was a desperate effort to save the movie in the editing room.
(3) Once in the detox center, poor Stallone has almost NOTHING to do. He's given almost nothing to say, and frequently sits on the sidelines while things are happening. Not exactly a star vehicle, this movie.
Still, there is a good amount of atmosphere, the movie is briskly paced (though sometimes incoherent because of this), and the sets/production values are pretty decent. While I wouldn't have recommended anyone to see it at a theater if it had gotten released there, you have to remember there have been far worse films (with and without Stallone) that did get such releases. || |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-25|||||@@
Dude, Where's My Car?|Danny Leiner|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for language and some sex and drug-related humor. |4.6|USA|2000|83 min|English||||||||||False||||||||25/01/2004|Broderick Johnson Andrew A. Kosove Gil Netter Nancy Paloian Wayne Allan Rice|Philip Stark |Robert M. Stevens ||20th Century Fox Film Corporation [us] |After a night they can't remember, comes a day they'll never forget.|Jesse and Chester, two bumbling stoners, wake up one morning from a night of partying and cannot remember where they parked their car which prompts them on a journey to find it and along the way, they encounter a variety of people who include their angry girlfriends Wilma and Wanda whose house they trashed, an angry street gang, a transexual stripper hounding them for a suitcase full of stolen money, a cult of alien seeking fanatics, and a group of aliens in human form looking for a mystical device that could save or destroy the world.
|Ashton Kutcher (Jesse Richmond) @ Seann William Scott (Chester Greenburg) @ Jennifer Garner (Wanda) @ Marla Sokoloff (Wilma) @ Kristy Swanson (Christie Boner) @ David Herman (Nelson) @ Hal Sparks (Zoltan) @ Charlie O'Connell (Tommy) @ John Toles-Bey (Mr. Pizzacoli) @ Christian Middelthon (Alien Nordic Dude #1) @ David Bannick (Alien Nordic Dude #2 (as David W. Bannick)) @ Turtle (Jeff) @ Bob Clendenin (Zarnoff, Space Nerd (as Robert Clendenin)) @ Mary Lynn Rajskub (Zelmina, Space Nerd) @ Kevin Christy (Zellner, Space Nerd) @ Kristoffer Ryan Winters (Zilbor, Space Nerd (as Kristoffer Winters)) @ Bill Chott (Big Cult Guard #1) @ Michael Bower (Big Cult Guard #2 (as Michael Ray Bower)) @ 'Stuttering' John Melendez (Gene) @ Teressa Tunney (Tania) @ Linda Porter (Mrs. Crabbleman) @ Freda Foh Shen (Chinese Foooood Lady (voice)) @ Mitzi Martin (Alien Jumpsuit Chick #1) @ Nichole Hiltz (Alien Jumpsuit Chick #2 (as Nichole M. Hiltz)) @ Linda Kim (Alien Jumpsuit Chick #3) @ Mia Trudeau (Alien Jumpsuit Chick #4) @ Kim Marie Johnson (Alien Jumpsuit Chick #5) @ Keone Young (Chinese Tailor) @ Christopher Darga (Interrogation Cop) @ Marc Lynn (Cop with Whips) @ Pat Finn (Rick) @ Cleo King (Impound Officer) @ Cinco Paul (Camp Counselor) @ Brendan Ian Hill (Boy with Bat) @ Jona Kai Jacobsen (Anthony) @ Jodi Ann Paterson (Super Hot Giant Alien Chick) @ Dwight Armstrong (Space-A-Rama Employee) @ Claudine Barros (Patty) @ Big Johnson (Birthday Father) @ Galvin Chapman (Birthday Son) @ Joanna Bacalso (Bartender) @ Katherine Baker (Cowgirl Stripper) @ Melissa Messmer (Dancer #1) @ Misty Atkinson (Dancer #2) @ Veronica Gomez (Dancer #3) @ Melissa Burleson (Dancer #4) @ Annette Pursley (Dancer #5) @ Melissa Copen (Dancer #6) @ Linda Maria Balver (Dancer #7) @ Cheryl Tsai (Dancer #8) @ Eric Aude (Musclehead (as Erik Aude)) @ Ryan Christian (Musclehead) @ Blaise Fitzgerald (Musclehead) @ William H. Gray (Musclehead) @ Fabio (Fabio rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Michael Beardsley (Cult Member (uncredited)) @ Dominic Capone (Mr. Pizzacoli Jr. (uncredited)) @ Alex Cong (Cult Member (uncredited)) @ Steven Derek (Police Officer (uncredited)) @ Andy Dick (Mark (uncredited)) @ Joyce Giraud (Fabio's Girlfriend (uncredited)) @ Geoffrey Gould (Cult Member (uncredited)) @ Al Kenders (Jackhammer Dude (uncredited)) @ Justin Nimmo (Musclehead (uncredited)) @ Brent Spiner (Pierre (uncredited)) @ Banzai Vitale (Zabu (uncredited)Produced by||Dude, this is the best movie! [major spoilers included]
I bought DUDE WHERE'S MY CAR? on DVD the day it came to video and DVD. I watched it and laughed throughout the entire movie. I laughed even harder during the extended scenes on the DVD. Though this movie was hated by critics, I think that audiences will laugh as much as I did. Sure, it's not the best gross-out-comedy I've seen, but it sure isn't the worst one I've seen. At least it was original. There is some outrageous scenes in this movie and I laughed at each one of them. The plot revolves around two stoners named Jesse [Ashton Kutcher] and Chester [Seann William Scott] who wake up one morning missing their car. They look in their kitchen to find that they have a lifetime supply of pudding in their fridge and in their cabinets. They decide to go to their neighbor Nelson [David Herman] for help. He's not much help at all so they decide to try to remember what they did and where they were the night before in this hilarious comedy that will keep you laughing all day long. It has great comedic performances my Ashton Kutcher as Jesse and Seann William Scott as Chester and a fantastic soundtrack. Despite what critics say, it's a must-see movie!! |Region 1 | |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |5.1 |2-4|||||@@
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|Steven Spielberg|Family|Rated PG for language and mild thematic elements. (2002 edited version) |7.8|USA|1982|115 min/ USA:120 min (extended version)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Kathleen Kennedy Melissa Mathison Steven Spielberg|Melissa Mathison |Allen Daviau | ||His Adventure On Earth|While visiting the Earth at Night, a group of alien botanists is discovered and disturbed by an approaching human task force. Because of the more than hasty take-off, one of the visitors is left behind. The little alien finds himself all alone on a very strange planet. Fortunately, the extra-terrestrial soon finds a friend and emotional companion in 10-year-old Elliot, who discovered him looking for food in his family's garden shed. While E.T. slowly gets acquainted with Elliot's brother Michael, his sister Gertie as well as with Earth customs, members of the task force work day and night to track down the whereabouts of Earth's first visitor from Outer Space. The wish to go home again is strong in E.T., and after being able to communicate with Elliot and the others, E.T. starts building an improvised device to send a message home for his folks to come and pick him up. But before long, E.T. gets seriously sick, and because of his special connection to Elliot, the young boy suffers, too. The situation gets critical when the task force finally intervenes. By then, all help may already be too late, and there's no alien spaceship in sight.
A group of aliens visit earth and one of them is lost and left behind stranded on this planet. The alien is found by a 10 year old boy, Elliot. Soon the two begin to communicate, and start a different kind of friendship in which E.T learns about life on earth and Elliot learns about some new values for the true meaning of friendship. E.T. wants to go home, but if Elliot helps him, he'll lose a friend...
|Henry Thomas (Elliott) @ Dee Wallace-Stone (Mary (as Dee Wallace)) @ Robert MacNaughton (Michael) @ Drew Barrymore (Gertie) @ Peter Coyote (Keys) @ K.C. Martel (Greg) @ Sean Frye (Steve) @ C. Thomas Howell (Tyler (as Tom Howell)||E.T. = exceptionally tremendous
If it wasn't for all of the babies cryingin the theater, the reissue of this greatmovie would have been a better experience.While some will call ET nothing morethan a sappy kid's movie, I feel this filmbrings much more to the table. Thecompassion, the acceptance, and theeventual paranoia surrounding ETmade this film something to enjoy.With the remastered soundtrack, theexperience proved to be even morebreathtaking, adding more power andmagistry to a film I thoroughly enjoyedas a kid. However, some of theremastered special effects wereunnecessary,especially the guns- turned-walkie talkies effect Spielbergemployed. I mean, what stubborn,rebellious kid is going to be afraid ofwalkie talkies? They should have justkept the guns. When this one comesout on DVD, I'll just pretend the specialedition never happened. |Region 1 |Movies |1.66 : 1 (negative ratio) |Dolby Digital 6.1 EX ||||||@@
Emperor's New Groove, The|Mark Dindal|Comedy|G |7.3|USA|2000|78 min|English||||||||||False||||||||22/12/2003|Randy Fullmer Don Hahn Patricia Hicks|Chris Williams Mark Dindal David Reynolds Roger Allers Matthew Jacobs|||Buena Vista International Finland [fi] |It's All About... ME|In this animated comedy from the folks at Disney, the vain and cocky Emperor Kuzco is a very busy man. Besides maintaining his "groove", and firing his suspicious administrator, Yzma; he's also planning to build a new waterpark just for himself for his birthday. However, this means destroying one of the villages in his kingdom. Meanwhile, Yzma is hatching a plan to get revenge and usurp the throne. But, in a botched assassination courtesy of Yzma's right-hand man, Kronk, Kuzco is magically transformed into a llama. Now, Kuzco finds himself the property of Pacha, a lowly llama herder whose home is ground zero for the water park. Upon discovering the llama's true self, Pacha offers to help resolve the Emperor's problem and regain his throne, only if he promises to move his water park.
|David Spade (Kuzco (voice)) @ Eartha Kitt (Yzma (voice)) @ John Goodman (Pacha (voice)) @ Patrick Warburton (Kronk (voice)) @ Wendie Malick (ChiCha (voice)) @ Eli Russell Linnetz (Tipo (voice)) @ Kellyann Kelso (Chaca (voice)) @ Bob Bergen (Bucky (voice)) @ Tom Jones (Theme Song Guy (voice)) @ Patti Deutsch (Waitress (voice)) @ John Fiedler (Old Man (voice)) @ Joe Whyte (Official (voice) rest of cast listed alphabetically Stephen J. Anderson .... Additional Voices (voice)) @ Rodger Bumpass (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Robert Clotworthy (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Jennifer Darling (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Miriam Flynn (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Geri Lee Gorowski (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Jess Harnell (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Sherry Lynn (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Danny Mann (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Mickie McGowan (Additional Voices (voice)) @ D.F. Reynolds (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Andre Stojka (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Steve Susskind (Additional Voices (voice)Produced by||Disney's tongue in cheek in spades....
This is straight outta 'Hercules' and 'Aladdin', but just without the underpinnings which made the Bloo Genie such a smash in '92. It's closer to 'Hercules', a kinda Looney Toons romp without much attention being paid to trad. Disney stuff like songs, cutie animal sidekicks, etc. Nothing particularily dramatic here-the llama/Spade character heads back to his city with a Little John type guy to try and get his throne back from Evil Witchwoman Eartha Kitt.
Things like Spade breaking into the narration, characters cutting to the chase, the whole extended romp through the Jungle, or in the canyons or the restaurant episode-are quite funny. You don't necessarily remember much after watching it; and there's nothing more to be learned from this any than you would from an old Tex Avery Droopy short.Have a good time and don't sweat the details that much.
*** outta ****, maybe rated a wee bit too high, but what the heck, it's alotta fun and worth the time.
|Region 1 | |1.66 : 1 |5.1 |2-34|||||@@
Equilibrium|Kurt Wimmer|Action|Rated R for violence. |7.8|USA|2002|107 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Sue Baden-Powell Jan de Bont Lucas Foster Andrew Rona Ninon Tantet Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|Kurt Wimmer |Dion Beebe |||In a future where freedom is outlawed outlaws will become heroes.|In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a crime punishable by death. Clerick John Preston (Bale) is a top ranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. Whe he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it.
In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a crime punishable by death. Clerick John Preston (Bale) is a top ranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. When he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it.
|Dominic Purcell (Seamus) @ Christian Bale (John Preston) @ Sean Bean (Partridge) @ Christian Kahrmann (Officer in Charge) @ John Keogh (I) (Chemist) @ Sean Pertwee (Father) @ William Fichtner (Jurgen) @ Angus MacFadyen (Dupont||Slick re-tooling of Fahrenheit 451
While this film may be under writer/director Kurt Wimmer's credit, this work owes more than a little credit to the Bradbury classic, because this film has a lot in common while also not having much in common.
Christian Bale, just fantastic as always (he gave the 2nd best performance last year for American Psycho), plays a cop type of guy in a zombified nation where the satirical points in 451 are expressed as thought is forbidden and controlled and anyone else who goes against it is killed. He follows orders as always, until he meets a woman, played by Emily Watson, who in a way changes his thinking and with that starts to grow emotion.
Sounds like possibly a cheap rip off, but the film does cool touches in the story and structure to make it nice and as Bale goes through his change, we are sucked in.But in case some might loose they're attention from this, the film has awesomely packed action sequences involving guns, swords, etc. Only thing that could use some touching up is the visual effects, but still worth seeing.A- ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-2|||||@@
Evolution|Ivan Reitman|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, and for sci-fi action. |5.9|USA|2001|101 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jeff Apple Paul Deason Daniel Goldberg (I) Sheldon Kahn Joe Medjuck Tom Pollock (I) Ivan Reitman David Rodgers (I) Ken Schwenker Ronell Venter Steven Spielberg|Don Jakoby David Diamond (VI) David Weissman (II) Don Jakoby|Michael Chapman (I) | ||Have a nice end of the world.|Glen Canyon, Arizona, the present day. Wayne, practising at night in the desert for his upcoming fireman's exam, witnesses the impact of a meteorite. The next day, biology teacher Dr. Ira Kane and geology teacher Harry Block from Glen Canyon Community College manage to get to the meteorite, which is stuck in the ground at the bottom of a cave. By taking a sample, they discover a slimy blue fluid coming out of the meteorite. A little later, Ira Kane finds out that myriads of single-celled life-forms dwell in the fluid, evolve at an incredible rate, even while he's watching. What first seems like a sure ticket to Sweden for the Nobel Prize soon develops into a nightmare: By evolving and adapting at that unbelievably fast rate, the Aliens start spreading out, and the Military comes in. Now it all comes down to what Darwin so rightfully stated: Survival of the fittest. And no good idea in sight...
|David Duchovny (Dr. Ira Kane) @ Julianne Moore (Dr. Allison Reed, CDC) @ Orlando Jones (Prof. Harry Phineas Block) @ Seann William Scott (Wayne Grey) @ Ted Levine (Brigadier Gen. Russell Woodman) @ Ethan Suplee (Deke) @ Michael Bower (Danny (as Michael Ray Bower)) @ Pat Kilbane (Officer Sam Johnson||You Are So Beautiful To Me
Rating: 10 out of 10; What the rating means in my system: "A must see for everyone with a serious or casual interest in film and anyone else who is not averse to or doesn't otherwise philosophically object to the genre."
Part X-Files, part Ghostbusters, part social critique/comedy, part biology lesson, and all entertaining, well-timed, well-balanced and funny, director Ivan Reitman's Evolution is another winning entry on this severely underrated talent's resume.
Ira Kane (David Duchovny) and Harry Block (Orlando Jones) are professors at Glen Canyon Community College, just on the border of Arizona and Utah (many of the external shots were actually filmed in and near Page, Arizona).Kane, a biology professor, had a much more prestigious position, but he had some problems (detailed late in the plot) and he's a bit of a screw-up.But not as much of a screw-up as his friend, Block, who `teaches' geology.I say `teaches', in quotes, because although he seems to know something about geology, his only real interest appears to be communing with female students and athletes on the women's volleyball team he coaches.
When firefighter-hopeful Wayne Green (Seann William Scott, in an excellent supporting performance that actually steals the show a couple times) happens upon a huge meteor, Block, who's just volunteered for the US Geological Survey, even though he can't get the name straight half of the time, and Kane hear about it and investigate, hoping for some personal gain.When they discover evidence of alien life in the meteor, they dream of achieving fame and fortune for their discovery.But in good X-Files fashion, the government moves in and cuts them out before they can even download a Nobel Prize application off the Internet.
It's hard to say why Reitman is so under-appreciated.Maybe because his films are so fun--joyously goofy, even, and the misguided conventional wisdom is that masterpieces are supposed to be realist and fairly serious--we might allow them to take their ties off, but they're not supposed to put on funny T-shirts.That's a serious mistake, and unfortunately it has negatively affected Evolution's word-of-mouth (not to mention that Columbia/DreamWorks' marketing campaign positioned the film a bit wrong), and more crucially for the continued success of the cast and crew, its business receipts.
Reitman achieves a refreshing mixture of a surprisingly serious, entrancing and thrilling sci-fi plot with both deadpan and over-the-top comedy that plays a bit like the best writers from Saturday Night Live's history penning an X-Files film.Of course, that analogy is aided by the presence of Duchovny, who has a wicked sense of humor that X-Files' Chris Carter and crew far too seldom let surface.Duchovny has turned in amazing performances in all of his starring film roles so far, and Evolution is no exception.Although I already painfully missed him on the X-Files last season and lament that he's committed to not returning, when the difference in his comfort level is as apparent as it is in this film, it's understandable why he left.Besides, how often is he going to get to moon us from the front seat of a Jeep on television?
Evolution contains some of the best work of the rest of the cast's careers so far, as well.Some smaller parts, such as Dan Aykroyd's turn as the Governor of Arizona (let's see Dan run in New York--he's got my vote already) and Ted Levine's chilling embodiment of the aptly named General Woodman, aren't meaty enough to call them their best work, but there's no lack of quality or quirky memorableness to their performances, either.
But the thing that might strike you the most about Evolution, and the thing that the marketing campaign most failed to stress, is that there is one heck of a sci-fi story in this film.What happens to the biological material from the meteor throughout the film is incredibly intriguing, and well written and researched by the scriptwriters.While you might guess that a pithy, thought provoking tale is the last thing this film would concentrate on, it is the main thrust of Evolution, and the moods that frame it are as often terrifying as hilarious, or better yet--sometimes both at once.
Add all of the above to the plentiful sly humor about small towns, community colleges, the military, et al, and you've got one heck of a film. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-30|||||@@
Extreme Ops|Christian Duguay (I)|Action|Rated PG-13 for violence/peril, language and some nudity. |3.9|UK|2002|93 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Norbert Blecha Rudy Cohen Mark Damon Moshe Diamant Jan Fantl Frank Hübner (II) Damon Mark Tom Reeve David Saunders (II) Michael Scheel Romain Schroeder|Timothy Scott Bogart Mark Mullin Michael Zaidan|Hannes Hubach |||Fear is a trigger|A film crew travels to the Austrian Alps near the (former) Yugoslav border to film three extreme sports enthusiasts being chased down by an avalanche for a commercial. What they don't know, however, is that they're filming near the secret hideout of Slobodan Pavle, a Serbian war criminal. Accidentally catching him on film, they become locked in a life-or-death chase through the mountains that includes skiing, snowboarding, sky diving, white water rafting, helicopters, motorcycles, and base jumping.
|Devon Sawa (Will Flaky) @ Bridgette Wilson (Chloe Weston (as Bridgette Wilson-Sampras)) @ Rupert Graves (Jeffrey) @ Rufus Sewell (Ian Fintach) @ Heino Ferch (Mark) @ Joe Absolom (Silo) @ Jana Pallaske (Kittie) @ Jean-Pierre Castaldi (Zoran||Extreme Oops!!!
I couldn't resist with that one line summary above.Actually this film wasn't a total stinker.It had some good points, a lot of low points as well, but still some good stuff to be seen.
I thought the story was actually a rather interesting idea.It could have definitely been a great movie, with the right director.I did like some of Christian Duguay's work ("The Art of War" and "Screamers"), I'm not really sure what happened here.I want to blame the writing and the editor...but I'm sure that the director is also to blame here.Speaking of editing, there was some HORRIBLE editing in this film.There were a few scenes where I couldn't help but ask myself "What the heck was that?!?!"
The characters in the film were all pretty good ideas, just not executed correctly.The two characters that were supposed to be super adrenaline junkies were good ideas, but weren't done justice.I'm not saying the acting was horrible or anything like that, I'm just saying that some of the things they were doing didn't look "cool", just plain stupid!!!There were a few stunts that they did that were really cool though, so it wasn't a total bust.I did like the snowboarding off the back of the train, that was kind of cool.
The action in the film was actually really good at times.But, it was very often short-lived.I was shocked how short "the chase" in the film was between the terrorists and the good guys.At the end of the film, I was thinking "That's it???"...And as for the actual final moments of the film...well, let's just say it could have been better.
Most of the actors did a fine job.Rufus Sewell did a fine job as always.Ever since I saw him in "Dark City" I've really liked his acting and tried to follow his work.Devon Sawa did a surprisingly good job, I usually don't like his acting, but did a pretty good job in the film.Bridget Wilson did a great job with her role and looks absolutely fantastic throughout the film.She is reason enough to watch the film.Jana Pallaske is a new face to me, she did an ok job with her role.I didn't think she was spectacular, but she did pretty good job given the material (and is quite the looker as well...her lips remind me of Angelina Jolie).
All in all, I can't in good conscience recommend you go see this film in the theater unless you just want to see some cool snowboarding/skiing footage.I strongly urge you not to pay a full price ticket, see this one at a matinee if you absolutely must.Otherwise, wait till video.Thanks for reading,
-Chris |Region 1 |Movies |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) Standard 1.33:1 Color|6.1 EX |1-29|||||@@
Fanfan la tulipe|Gérard Krawczyk|Adventure||5.0|France|2003|France:97 min|French||||||||||False||||||||10/01/2004|Luc Besson Michel Feller Bernard Grenet|Luc Besson Jean Cosmos|Gérard Simon ||01 Distribuzione [it] ||In this 2003 remake of the classic 1952 French film, Fanfan la Tulipe (Perez) is a swashbuckling lover who is tricked into joining the army of King Louis XV by Adeline La Franchise (Cruz), who tells Fanfan that by doing so, he will eventually marry one of the king's daughters.
|Vincent Perez (Fanfan la Tulipe) @ Penélope Cruz (Adeline La Franchise) @ Didier Bourdon (Louis XV) @ Hélène de Fougerolles (Mme de Pompadour) @ Michel Muller (Tranche Montagne) @ Lionel Beau (Army officer) @ Philippe Dormoy (Fier-à-bras) @ Jacques Frantz (La Franchise) @ Gérald Laroche (Corsini) @ Guillaume Gallienne (La Houlette) @ Jean-Pol Dubois (L'aumônier) @ Gilles Arbona (Le maréchal) @ Jean-François Lapalus (L'oncle de Lison) @ Yves Pignot (Guillaume) @ François Chattot (Le curé) @ Jacques Dynam (Chaville) @ Magdalena Mielcarz (Henriette) @ Anna Majcher (Wanda) @ Eugénie Alquezar (Lison) @ Mickael Moyon (Lascar) @ Patrick Steltzer (Chef) @ Vincent Valladon (Rouquin) @ Annka Musy (Guillerette) @ Philippe Du Janerand (Furie) @ Jean Rochefort (Récitant/Narrator (voice)) @ Lionel Vitrant (Un gendarmeProduced by||Worse remake ever!!!
If the original movie is one of my most favorite classic romantic comedies, then this "creation" is awfully, disgustingly bad... How could they do such thing? Especially fights and speeches, absolutely unnatural. They should probably add some "a la Matrix" jumps to complete the whole disaster.
||Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Fantasia/2000|James Algar Gaëtan Brizzi Paul Brizzi Hendel Butoy Francis Glebas Eric Goldberg (I) Don Hahn (I) Pixote Hun|Family||7.4|USA|1999|75 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Lisa C. Cook Roy Edward Disney Donald W. Ernst Patricia Hicks (II) David Lovegren|Hans Christian Andersen Carl Fallberg Joe Grant Irene Mecchi Perce Pearce David Reynolds (I)|Tim Suhrstedt ||||In this update of Disney's masterpiece film mixture of animation and music, new interpretations of great works of music are presented. It begins with an abstract battle of light and darkness set to the music of Beethoveen's Fifth Symphony. Then we see the adventures of a Humpback Whale calf and his pod set to "The Pines of Rome." Next is the humourous story of several lives in 1930's New York City, scored with "Rhapsody in Blue." Following is a musical telling of the fairy tale, "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" set to Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2. Then a goofy Flamingo causes havoc in his flock with his yo-yo to the tune of the finale of "Carnival of the Animals." This is followed by the classic sequence from the original film, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starring Mickey Mouse and followed by "Pomp and Circumstance" starring Donald Duck as a harried assistant to Noah on his Ark. Finally, we see the awesome tale of the life, death and renewal of a forest in a sequence featuring the composition, "The Firebird."
|Leopold Stokowski (Conductor (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") (archive footage)) @ Ralph Grierson (Pianist (segment "Rhapsody in Blue")) @ Kathleen Battle (Feature Soprano (segment "Pomp and Circumstance") (voice)) @ Steve Martin (Host (Film Introduction)) @ Itzhak Perlman (Host (segment "Pines of Rome")) @ Quincy Jones (Host (segment "Rhapsody in Blue")) @ Bette Midler (Hostess (segment "Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102")) @ James Earl Jones (Host (segment "Carnival of the Animals")||The Power Of Animation
Probably the best animation film I have ever seen. There are no dialogues and it is not really a feature film. It is an assimilation of 8 short stories. The stories are all beautiful, my favorite ones being the one on New York City, "Rhapsody in Blue", and the one on life, death and renewal, "Firebird Suite". The film is about everything beautiful in life; amazingly entertaining. Each score is given a brilliant visual concept. And the animation speaks so much more than 'real life' films or any dialogues could for that matter. Animation, though usually aimed at kids is probably much more necessary for us adults as we lose that sense of imagination, beauty and observation. Kids are so wonderfully innocent, imaginative and creative; everything that does matter to them has an animated feel to it anyway.
||Movies |1.37 : 1 (segment "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The") |Dolby Digital 5.0 |2-37|||||@@
Fast and the Furious, The|Rob Cohen|Thriller|Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language. |5.9|USA|2001|106 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Creighton Bellinger Doug Claybourne Neal H. Moritz John Pogue (I)|Ken Li Gary Scott Thompson (I) Gary Scott Thompson (I) Erik Bergquist David Ayer|Ericson Core |||If loyalties must be broken, If the lines must be crossed, do it fast, do it Furious|The Fast & The Furious is loosely based on an article in a magazine about street clubs that race Japanese cars late at night. The film stars Vin Diesel as Domenic Toretto, the leader of a street gang that is under suspicion of stealing expensive electronic equipment. Paul Walker plays an undercover police officer that attempts to find out who exactly is stealing the equipment, while falling for Domenic's younger sister played by Jordana Brewster.
Paul Walker and Vin Diesel star in the action-adventure film The Fast and The Furious, a fierce and frenzied look at rival Los Angeles street teams who use street racing as a means of establishing power.
The Fast and the Furious takes you inside the thrilling world of street racing. Vin Diesel stars as Dominic Toretto, a gang leader who is accused of hijacking trucks and stealing over a million dollars worth of electronic equiptment. The FBI sends LAPD officer Brian O'Conner(Walker) undercover into Los Angeles' street racing circuit to take down Toretto and his team. As O'Conner becomes part of Toretto's life and gets involved with his sister, Mia (Brewster) he tries to prove that Toretto is innocent.
|Paul Walker (I) (Brian O'Conner) @ Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto) @ Michelle Rodriguez (Letty) @ Jordana Brewster (Mia Toretto) @ Rick Yune (Johnny Tran) @ Chad Lindberg (Jesse) @ Johnny Strong (II) (Leon) @ Matt Schulze (Vince||Comes at you Fast AND Furious
The Fast and the Furious comes at you like it says.It's not a long movie and really never slows down much at all!Those looking for a movie delving into a complex plot with in depth charachters need not watch it.The movie is as the preview shows, a lot of great car chase scenes held together by a loose form of a plot.It does what Gone in 60 Seconds only wishes it could do.In gone in 60 you have 2 scenes with cars driving fast at all.Here you have at least 6 or 7 distinctly different and memorable scenes. Although acting ability and some of the lines lack severely, this can be forgiven and is made up by the cars. This movie is perfect for anyone into speed and tuned import sports cars for the most part(yes, even the occasional despicable economy car made to "perform" is present)I saw the previews knowing this was going to be basically an adrenaline rush of a movie, and I gave it a 10 because that's what it delivered. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-21|||||@@
Fifth Element, The|Luc Besson|Action|Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi violence, some sexuality and brief nudity. |7.0|France|1997|126 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|John A. Amicarella Patrice Ledoux Iain Smith|Luc Besson Luc Besson Robert Mark Kamen|Thierry Arbogast | ||It Mu5t Be Found.|Two hundred and fifty years in the future, life as we know it is threatened by the arrival of Evil. Only the fifth element (played by Milla Jovovich) can stop the Evil from extinguishing life, as it tries to do every five thousand years. She is helped by ex-soldier, current-cab-driver, Corben Dallas (played by Bruce Willis), who is, in turn, helped by Prince/Arsenio clone, Ruby Rhod. Unfortunately, Evil is being assisted by Mr. Zorg (Gary Oldman), who seeks to profit from the chaos that Evil will bring, and his alien mercenaries.
|Bruce Willis (Major Korben Dallas) @ Gary Oldman (Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg) @ Ian Holm (Priest Vito Cornelius) @ Milla Jovovich (Leeloo) @ Chris Tucker (I) (DJ Ruby Rhod) @ Luke Perry (Billy) @ Brion James (General Munro) @ Tom 'Tiny' Lister Jr. (President Lindberg (as Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr.)||absolutly terrible
This garbage truly baffled me senseless.I was expecting a breakthrough in modern cinema,I was presented with easily the worst film of 1997.It was just a senseless and cohesionless load of noise and eye straining colour ,which owed pathetically to the likes of Stargate,Star Wars and even the Carling Black Label adverts.Words cannot define how awful this trollop is.Bruce Willis is the original action man with Die Hard,so why could'nt he have stuck with the likes of Arnie,Sly and the like instead of trying to get too serious with acting?But even he can do better than this.Luc Besson,who previously made the remarkable Leon,here directs an unspeakable travesty of a film,totally lacking in logic and even worse straining in depth. AVOID THIS HOGWASH AT ALL COSTS. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |2.0 Surround |1-27|||||@@
Fight Club|David Fincher|Drama|Rated R for disturbing and graphic depiction of violent anti-social behavior, sexuality and language. |8.5|USA|1999|139 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ross Grayson Bell Ceán Chaffin John S. Dorsey Art Linson Arnon Milchan|Chuck Palahniuk Jim Uhls|Jeff Cronenweth |||Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.|Jack è un giovane in carriera sfiduciato ed annoiato. In cerca di emozioni forti, incontra Tyler Durden, un pò nichilista ed un pò psicopatico, che ha organizzato una palestra in cui uomini altrettanto delusi e repressi possono sfogarsi picchiandosi. Intuendo che Jack è un possibile affiliato/complice della sua attività, Tyler gli brucia la casa ("Solo quando hai perso tutto sei libero di fare ciò che vuoi !"), per coinvolgerlo sempre di più. Intanto l'iniziativa ha successo e Tyler diventa una sorta di guida verso un progetto di scardinamento dell'economia mondiale. Ma non ha fatto i conti con Marla Singer, anche lei abbastanza dissociata, che metterà in discussione il rapporto fra i due.
You're young. You have an easy, well-paid deskjob. You have a condo, Swedish furniture, artistic coffee tables and a fridge full of condiments. Yet you feel emotionally and spiritually empty. You eventually find comfort in going to support groups for lukemia and cancer victims when there's nothing wrong with you until they're hijacked from you by another faker. Then you meet Tyler Durden, a man that shows you that not only can you live without material needs but that self-destruction, the collapse of society and making dynamite from soap might not be such a bad idea either.
When a nameless thirty-ish yuppie grows bored of his comfortable life, he becomes involved in an anarchic subculture called "Fight Club", lead by charismatic Tyler Durden. But is this a hard-edged vacation from normalcy, or participation in the de-evolution of a civilized society?
Based on the debut novel by recent University of Oregon graduate Chuck Palanhiuk about a confused young man in the not too distant future. With no family or close friends, he frequents cancer and disease support groups as a way to bond with others, pretending to be terminally ill or feigning various other infirmities to fit in. Sick of his dead end, white bread, white collar corporate career and disgusted with the empty consumer culture that his generation has been doomed to inherit, he and a very devious friend named Tyler Durden create a new club where young men come to relieve their frustrations by beating each other to a pulp. The popularity of this club grows exponentially, and eventually some very profound rules are created to govern it. Because one of those rules is no more than 50 people to a fight club, soon new fight clubs are popping up everywhere and spread across the nation. Tyler Durden, the fight club's founder, quickly becomes a cult hero of epic proportions, a new messiah for a dead generation. While all this is happening, the nameless, narrating main character manages to get involved in a love triangle with Tyler and a girl named Marla who seems to have an endless supply of ex-boyfriends just as screwed up as he is.
|Edward Norton (Narrator) @ Brad Pitt (Tyler Durden) @ Helena Bonham Carter (Marla Singer) @ Meat Loaf (Robert 'Bob' Paulson (as Meat Loaf Aday)) @ Zach Grenier (Richard Chesler) @ Richmond Arquette (Intern) @ David Andrews (I) (Thomas) @ George Maguire (Group Leader||Life-changing Fight Club
I am, unfortunately, not one of the faithful Chuck Palahniuk readers who had read the book BEFORE they saw the movie. I, however, couldn't wait to read the book after seeing this film. I've read the book 5 times since and seen the movie more times than I can remember.
Simply put, this movie changed my life. Not just on a personal level (on which I will not comment here except to say I'm now a major Palahniuk fan) but also as a movie-watcher. I view movies differently after seeing this movie, because it broke down doors.
This movie is literally the first time I ever came upon something that, at first sight seemed incredibly stylish, sophisticated and entertaining. The plot lured you in before turning you upside down, the acting was nothing short of perfect (has there ever been a more memorable character than Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden?), the music, the screenplay (based on what is now my all-time favorite book), the lighting, the pacing, the everything! Virtually everything about this movie took my by surprise, save for one man.
David Fincher, director, was probably the only reason I went to see this movie in the first place. His work on 'Seven' and 'The Game' had me excited to see what he would do next, but I came to this movie expecting a stylish flick that offered a good plot and hopefully some good acting but what I got was so much, much more.
Honestly, how many times have you seen a movie that, with every viewing, gets even more complicated yet so simple that you can't help but laugh. Every time I watch this movie I notice something new about it, such is the depth of what is on the screen. Then there's the tiny issue of the story of Fight Club, penned by Chuck Palahniuk (who has one of the most fertile imaginations around. Don't believe me? Read 'Survivor' and weep!) the story is nothing short of incredible, a pure shock-value social commentary on the state of the world at the end of the century. You'll cry, you'll laugh, you'll do all the clichés but most importantly you'll identify with every single thing on the screen.
This movie rates as one of my all-time favorite movies and, simply put, if you haven't seen it yet then quit wasting your time OnLine and get to the nearest videostore!
5/5 ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |2.0 Surround |1-5|||||@@
Finding Forrester|Gus Van Sant|Drama|Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references. |7.3|USA|2000|136 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Sean Connery Jonathan King (III) Laurence Mark Rhonda Tollefson Dany Wolf|Mike Rich |Harris Savides |||In an ordinary place, he found the one person to make his life extraordinary.|Because of scoring exceptionaly high on a state wide standardized exam and being an exceptionally good basketball player Jamal Wallace is sent to a prestigious prep school in Manhattan. He soon befriends the reclusive writer, William Forrester. The friendship leads to William to overcome his reclusivness and for Jamal to overcome the racial prejudices and pursue his true dream - writing.
Jamal Wallace (Robert Brown) is an inner-city kid from the Bronx who has an aptness at basketball and a genius at writing. While always a C student, Jamal comes to the attention of a prestigious New York prep school when he scores highly on his standardized tests. While Jamal is given a heavy load at his new school, both he and the school know that the real reason they took him on is for his prowess on the court. Befriended by fellow student Claire (Anna Paquin) and helped along by Pulitzer-prize winning author and recluse William Forrester (Sean Connery), Jamal pursues his dreams both on and off the court while overcoming obstacles placed by his bitter literature teacher. As Jamal is shaped by Forrester, he finds that he is changing the old writer as well, forcing him to confront his past...and his future.
|Sean Connery (William Forrester) @ Rob Brown (VI) (Jamal Wallace) @ F. Murray Abraham (Prof. Robert Crawford) @ Anna Paquin (Claire Spence) @ Busta Rhymes (Terrell Wallace) @ April Grace (Ms. Joyce) @ Michael Pitt (II) (John Coleridge) @ Michael Nouri (Dr. Spence||Reclusive writer and reluctant scholar bring out the best in each other, I rate it "9" of 10, a fine film worth seeing more than once.
"Finding Forrester" is an interesting title, because it could simply mean the outside world re-discovering writer William Forrester (Sean Connery) after almost a half-century of reclusive living under an assumed name. However to me it contains a deeper meaning, of Forrester finding himself, and getting on with a life he had put on hold for so many years. I rate it "9" and should be a moving film experience for anyone who values family and deep personal relationships. To me it is of similar overall quality and impact as "Good Will Hunting", "Cider House Rules", and "Eve's Bayou."
CAUTION -- SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW --
Jamal (first-time actor Rob Brown) is a black American, NYC 16-yr-old, basketball-playing, straight "C" high school junior being raised by his single mom. After dad disappeared, Jamal secretly began writing down his thoughts in small diary books. Highly intelligent, he played basketball with his friends and kept his grades average as a way of being accepted in the 'hood. All the boys refer to "the window" over their basketball court, where they see a man periodically peering through binoculars.
On a dare, Jamal one night goes into the "haunted house", and is surprised by Forrester, and in his rush to get out leaves his backpack behind. Next day, leaving the basketball court, the backpack drops near him from the top story corner window of Forrester's.Jamal gets home, opens his diaries, and finds RED MARKS, comments by Forrester, some complimentary, most not. Thus the seeds of collaboration are planted.
Jamal eventually, through sheer assertiveness, works his way into Forrester's life. He cannot understand how this talented author could quit publishing after one Pulitzer-prize winning novel almost a half-century earlier. Forrester's story is complex, but includes a brother who had returned from war and dies in a car wreck on his way home after saying goodbye to Forrester. At the morgue, the attendant was so insensitive that she commented on his book, rather than recognize his grief. Thus "writing and publishing" became a cruel reminder of the public's infatuation with celebrity, and he didn't want any part of it.
Forrester agrees to help Jamal learn to write well, as long as Jamal promises to never reveal their relationship nor Forrester's whereabouts. Jamal has very productive writing sessions, and through his academic achievement test scores, gets offered a scholarship to a prestigeous private school, where he also gets to play basketball. His writing is so good, the Professor (Murray Abraham, also the protagonist to Mozart in "Amadeus") refuses to believe it is Jamal's work, and sets out to expose his fraud. In a gripping classroom scene, the Professor uses the word "farther" in a put-down referring to Jamal and basketball, and Jamal speaks up, "further", going on to explain that the Professor used the wrong word. Then, further embarrassing the Professor by finishing all his poetry quotes and naming the author, gets thrown out of class. In a later meeting, Professor whispers to Jamal, "Don't ever embarrass me in front of my students again", which is a perfect commentary on the Professor's priorities.
As the film wraps up, Jamal has a chance to win the championship basketball game with two free throws with no time on the clock, and misses them both. Earlier in practice we see that he is an expert free-thrower. Then, in the climactic scene, Forrester comes into Jamal's classroom, and reads some wonderful writing on "family and friendship", and Professor congratulates him while the students applaud. However, Forrester tells them that he was reading something Jamal wrote just the night before, and thus exposes Professor for the fraud that he is.
Near the end, Professor asks Jamal, did you miss those free throws, or did you "miss them"?? Jamal answers, "that isn't a soup question, is it?", referring to a question during their first meeting. That line alone shows the depth and subtleness of the script writing, and is largely responsible for this fine, fine film. Forrester decides to venture out more, tells Jamal he is going back to his homeland for a visit. "Ireland?", asks Jamal. Indignantly, Forrester answers, "Scotland!" Jamal smiles and says, "I'm just messing with you." Just another good piece of writing, and illustrates the "peer" relationship this old writer and this young basketball player had developed.
At the end, during Jamal's senior year, a lawyer (Matt Damon) shows up, representing Forrester, Jamal is told he died, had had cancer for 3 years, handed him some keys and a box and said "he wanted you to have these right away."Inside was a completed manuscript, a new novel written by Forrester and on the title page was written, "Foreword by Jamal Wallace."
I cannot say enough about how good first-time actor Rob Brown is in this film. Up against Sean Connery, one of the most powerful actors of our time, and a true screen "legend", Brown is simply perfect. There is no flaw in his performance. Unless this is a "one-role" wonder, he is destined to become one of the fine actors for the next 40 or 50 years. The DVD has a few interesting "extras", the best being the "Rob Brown" story which chronicles how he was found, and some candid behind the scenes video which shows how easily he worked with the stars and director in making "Finding Forrester". In real life he is much like the character he plays, an honor student who also plays basketball.
Anna Paquin also has a small role, befriending Jamal and helping him navigate the norms at the new school. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-6|||||@@
Finding Nemo|Andrew Stanton Lee Unkric|Adventure|G |8.3|USA|2003|USA:100 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jinko Gotoh John Lasseter Graham Walters|Andrew Stanton Andrew Stanton Bob Peterson (VIII) David Reynolds (I) Bob Peterson (III) Andrew Stanton|Sharon Calahan Jeremy Lasky| ||There are 3.7 trillion fish in the ocean*, they're looking for one.|Marlin (a clown fish) is a widower who only has his son Nemo left of his family after a predator attack. Years later, on Nemo's first day of school, he's captured by a scuba diver and taken to live in a dentist office's fish tank. Marlin and his new absent-minded friend Dory set off across the ocean to find Nemo, while Nemo and his tankmates scheme on how to get out of the tank before he becomes the dentist's niece's new pet.
A tale which follows the comedic and eventful journeys of two fish, the fretful Malin and his young son Nemo, who are separated from each another in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is unexpectedly taken from his home, and thrust into a fish tank in a dentist's office overlooking Sydney Harbor. Buoyed by the companionship of a friendly but forgetful fish named Dory, the overly cautious Malin embarks on in a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic journey to rescue his son. Meanwhile the young Nemo hatches a few daring plans of his own to return home safely.
|Albert Brooks (Marlin (voice)) @ Ellen DeGeneres (Dory (voice)) @ Alexander Gould (Nemo (voice)) @ Willem Dafoe (Gill (voice)) @ Brad Garrett (Bloat (voice)) @ Allison Janney (Peach (voice)) @ Austin Pendleton (Gurgle (voice)) @ Stephen Root (I) (Bubbles (voice)||the success continues
Enchanting animated feature about a not so funny clownfish who goes on an impossible trek through the ocean depths to rescue his only son. Another engaging, heartfelt tale from Pixar. An imaginative view of the aquatic world with clever ideas, astonishing visuals, and pleasant humor, aided by a talented cast of voices. *** |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |
Movies |2-40|||||@@
Fish Called Wanda, A|Charles Crichton John Clees|Comedy|R |7.6|USA|1988|108 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Steve Abbott (I) John Cleese John Comfort Michael Shamberg (I)|John Cleese Charles Crichton John Cleese|Alan Hume | ||A tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood.|Sexy American diamonds lover Wanda and her boyfriend Otto are in England to plot alongside George and Ken the robbery of a diamond collection. Wanda and Otto want the stolen diamonds for themselves, and inform the police about George not knowing that he has already moved the diamonds to another secret place. Wanda thinks the best way to find out is by getting close to George's lawyer - Archie Leach.
|John Cleese (Archie Leach) @ Jamie Lee Curtis (Wanda Gershwitz) @ Kevin Kline (Otto West) @ Michael Palin (Ken Pile) @ Maria Aitken (I) (Wendy) @ Tom Georgeson (Georges Thomason) @ Patricia Hayes (I) (Mrs. Coady) @ Geoffrey Palmer (Judge||Outrageously funny comedy of the '80s
A FISH CALLED WANDA (1988) **** John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin.Hilariously daffy comic caper brilliantly scripted by Cleese (who co-stars as an addle-brained barrister) about a jewel heist among Brits and Americans with some interesting plot twists.Kline out-Pythons his male co-stars in his Oscar-winning Best Supporting Actor role as the demented Nietzche spouting doofus Otto.Altogether laughs from start to finish.Best scene: Kline going to apologize to Cleese.**note of interest: that's Cleese's real-life daughter as his daughter Portia. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-7|||||@@
Per un pugno di dollari|Sergio Leone|Action|NR |7.7|West Germany|1964|99 min|Italian||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Arrigo Colombo Giorgio Papi Peter Saint|A. Bonzzoni Víctor Andrés Catena Jaime Comas Gil Fernando Di Leo Clint Eastwood Ryuzo Kikushima Akira Kurosawa Sergio Leone Duccio Tessari|Massimo Dallamano Federico G. Larraya| ||In his own way he is perhaps, the most dangerous man who ever lived!|An anonymous, but deadly man rides into a town torn by war between two factions, the Baxters and the Rojo's. Instead of fleeing or dying, as most other would do, the man schemes to play the two sides off each other, getting rich in the bargain.
|Clint Eastwood (Joe) @ Marianne Koch (Marisol) @ Gian Maria Volonté (Ramón Rojo) @ Wolfgang Lukschy (John Baxter) @ Sieghardt Rupp (Esteban Rojo) @ Antonio Prieto (I) (Benito Rojo) @ José Calvo (II) (Silvanito) @ Margarita Lozano (Consuelo Baxter||Decent, but doesn't hold a candle to Yojimbo
A Fistfull of Dollars has its moments, but the original film, Kurosawa's Yojimbo, was much better. Clint Eastwood, though very good, is no Toshiro Mifune. Mifune's nameless man had much more of a character and a personality than his ever-scowling counterpart, Eastwood. The supporting characters were much more interesting in Yojimbo, also. The gunslinger in that film was much cooler than Ramone (whom I believe to be the counterpart in A Fistfull of Dollars, but I'm not sure). Even Christopher Walken in Last Man Standing, a pretty terrible movie, was more interesting than Ramone. Also, the bell ringer, the undertaker, and the bartender were all more interesting in Yojimbo. Fistfull is also not as much fun as Yojimbo. That one was more playful. This on is more gruesome. The music was great in the original, and the score here is a tad bit annoying and overused. The story is basically identical. I actually found them both kind of confusing.Overall, Fistfull gets a 6/10 from me. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |1.0 |2-8|||||@@
Freaky Friday|Mark S. Waters|Comedy|Rated PG for mild thematic elements and some language. |7.1|USA|2003|USA:93 min|English||||||||||False||||||||09/12/2003|Andrew Gunn Mario Iscovich Ann Marie Sanderlin|Mary Rodgers Heather Hach Leslie Dixon|Oliver Wood ||Buena Vista Pictures [us] |Get Your Freak On August 1st|Dr. Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Anna (Lindsay Lohan), are not getting along. They don't see eye-to-eye on clothes, hair, music, and certainly not in each other's taste in men. One Thursday evening, their disagreements reach a fever pitch - Anna is incensed that her mother doesn't support her musical aspirations and Tess, a widow about to remarry, can't see why Anna won't give her fiance (Mark Harmon) a break. Everything soon changes when two identical Chinese fortune cookies cause a little mystic mayhem. The next morning, their Friday gets freaky when Tess and Anna find themselves inside the wrong bodies. As they literally walk a mile in each other's shoes, they gain a little newfound respect for the other's point of view. But with Tess's wedding coming on Saturday, the two have to find a way to switch back - and fast.
Jamie Lee Curtis (True Lies) and Lindsay Lohan (The Parent Trap) star in the remake of the 1976 Disney classic Freaky Friday. Tess and her daughter Anna are always fighting and they think each other don't see how hard their life is. Little do they know but help is on the way and this friday will get Freaky!
Dr. Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her 15 year old daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) are not getting along. One Thursday evening, at a chinese restuarant, they read a fortune that switches their bodies and minds. The next morning, their Friday gets really freaky when Tess and Anna find that they have switched bodies. Will they switch back or will they stay in each other's bodies forever?
Annabel and her mother Tess are constant quibblers. Tess's fiance is an unacceptable replacement for Anna's dad, and Anna's music, friends, grades and taste in boys (ad nausem) are all unacceptable in her mother's eys. Then dawns that fateful freaky friday-- when Anna and Tess switch bodies, and must learn to live in each other's place. It is only then that "selfless love" will change them back. A fresh and delightful, if somewhat cheesy, family comedy.
|Jamie Lee Curtis (Tess Coleman) @ Lindsay Lohan (Annabell Coleman) @ Mark Harmon (Ryan) @ Harold Gould (Grandpa) @ Chad Michael Murray (Jake) @ Stephen Tobolowsky (Mr. Bates) @ Christina Vidal (Maddie) @ Ryan Malgarini (Harry Coleman) @ Haley Hudson (Peg) @ Rosalind Chao (Pei-Pei) @ Lucille Soong (Pei-Pei's Mom) @ Willie Garson (Evan) @ Dina Spybey (Dottie Robertson (as Dina Waters)) @ Julie Gonzalo (Stacey Hinkhouse) @ Christina Marie Walter (Same Shirt Girl) @ Lu Elrod (Detention Monitor) @ Heather Hach (Gym Teacher) @ Lorna Scott (Butcher Woman) @ Chris Carlberg (Ethan - Drummer) @ Danny Rubin (Scott - Bass Player) @ Hayden Tank (Harry's Friend #1) @ Cayden Boyd (Harry's Friend #2) @ Marc McClure (Boris) @ Chris Heuisler (Mr. Waters) @ Jeff Marcus (Depressed Patient (as Jeffrey Marcus)) @ Jacqueline Heinze (Crying Patient) @ Mary Ellen Trainor (Diary Reading Patient) @ Erica Gimpel (Harry's Teacher) @ William Caploe (Talk Show P.A.) @ Daniel Raymont (Makeup Artist) @ Veronica Brooks (Champagne Waitress) @ Lee Burns (Bouncer) @ Amir Derakh (House of Blues Emcee) @ Zoe Waters (Wedding BabyProduced by||Lohan and Curtis are stellar in this nice remake...
For Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan, `The Parent Trap'), life is one big drama. While Tess is trying to juggle her career, another child (Ryan Malgarini), and her impending nuptials to her fiancée, Ryan (Mark Harmon), Anna is failing in school, finding her rock band on the cusp of possible stardom, and falling for a hunky classmate (Chad Murray, `Gilmore Girls'). Anna and Tess share a typical mother and teen daughter relationship, and when spied during an argument, a Chinese restaurant employee gives them magical fortune cookies that switch their bodies. Forced to deal with each other's wildly divergent lives, Anna and Tess race to figure out how to return to their normal bodies on the eve of Tess's wedding.
I've made it no secret how I feel about Disney strip-mining their catalog for remakes; it's a lazy practice from a company that could do so much more good if they wanted to try. However, I'm forced to hold back my usual criticisms when the end product turns out to be actually pretty darn good. `Freaky Friday' is the latest Disney landmark to get a make over, replacing the much-beloved Barbara Harris/Jodie Foster film from 1976. Unlike 1998's `The Parent Trap,' which didn't strain too far to update the proceedings, the new `Friday' is ripe with modernization. Society has changed since the days of the one-parent income and bell-bottom jeans, and screenwriters Heather Hatch and Leslie Dixon (working off the Mary Rodgers book) wisely update the action to include more contemporary situations, including Anna's panic over her rock band's audition, and Tess having to deal with her job and single parent household. Director Mark Waters (`The House Of Yes') handles these new ripples in the text with ease, making a film that's hip enough to allow teens to refrain from rolling their eyes, but yet familiar enough not to alienate adult fans of the original. Nothing could touch the Foster/Harris magic, yet the new `Friday' is a nice return to the material, without directly competing with the classic 1976 film.
The crucial factor to `Friday' is the chemistry between the two stars. In this `Friday,' Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan simply knock their parts out of the park. 17 year-old Lohan has the expertise behind her, after having convinced the world she was a set of twins in the `Parent Trap' remake. An absurdly confident teen actress, Lohan rises to the occasion masterfully, playing both a frustrated teen with unusual aggression as well as capturing the prim, mature aspects of the adult world. While I could do without another teen actress taking a stab at pop stardom (Lohan's musical chops are on display during the end credits), she is a remarkable young talent that matches Curtis perfectly. I expect great things from her to come.
Easily, Jamie Lee Curtis has the more enjoyable role. Already an accomplished comedienne, Curtis is a hoot to watch as she is inhabited by a teenager, complete with a change in style and constant disregard for those around her. Curtis has the funnier lines over Lohan's more situational comedy, and seems to be enjoying herself immensely saying things like, `ewww!' or tossing the metal horns around periodically. Curtis, who has been dormant in drab films for far too long, comes alive with the opportunity afforded to her in `Friday,' and I thoroughly loved her performance.
`Freaky Friday's' secret weapon is child actor Ryan Malgarini, playing Tess's son, and Anna's loathed brother, Harry. Filled with terrific reactions at the wild occurrences within his home, Waters wisely cuts to Harry at strategic points in the film for assured laughs. This is one funny kid.
`Freaky Friday' doesn't always have laughs on its side, but it is a light, affectionately made picture that doesn't embarrass the original. ------ 7/10
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Frequency|Gregory Hoblit|Drama|Rated PG-13 for intense violence and disturbing images. |7.4|USA|2000|118 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bill Carraro Janis Rothbard Chaskin Toby Emmerich Patricia Graf Gregory Hoblit Hawk Koch Richard Saperstein Robert Shaye|Toby Emmerich |Alar Kivilo |||What If?|A rare atmospheric phenomenon allows a New York City firefighter to communicate with his son 30 years in the future via short-wave radio. The son uses this opportunity to warn the father of his impending death in a warehouse fire, and manages to save his life. However, what he does not realize is that changing history has triggered a new set of tragic events, including the murder of his mother. The two men must now work together, 30 years apart, to find the murderer before he strikes so that they can change history--again.
John Sullivan (Caviezel) is a New York City homicide officer who is traumatized for 30 years following the death of his father, Frank (Quaid), After finding Frank's HAM radio, John begins talking to Frank, 30 years into the future. Together, they change the past but have to find a way to stop a serial killer from murdering John's Mom & Frank's wife with a 30 year gap.
|Dennis Quaid (Frank Sullivan) @ James Caviezel (John Sullivan (as Jim Caviezel)) @ Shawn Doyle (I) (Jack Shepard) @ Elizabeth Mitchell (I) (Julia 'Jules' Sullivan) @ Andre Braugher (Satch DeLeon) @ Noah Emmerich (Gordo Hersch) @ Melissa Errico (Samantha Thomas) @ Daniel Henson (Johnny Sullivan (6 Years)||An enjoyable middle-of-the-road action/drama.
"Frequency", has all the ingredients required to be an very entertaining multigenre flick. The devil, however, is in the details of the film's preposterous premise. Viewers who can avoid intellectualizing, zone out, and just go with the flow will likely find it an enjoyable two hour ride. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 (anamorphic) |5.1 ||||||@@
Gangs of New York|Martin Scorsese|Action|Rated R for intense strong violence, sexuality/nudity and language. |7.4|USA|2002|166 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Gerry Robert Byrne Laura Fattori Alberto Grimaldi Maurizio Grimaldi Michael Hausman Michael Jackman Graham King Michael Ovitz Joseph P. Reidy Rick Schwartz (III) Colin Vaines Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein Rick Yorn|Jay Cocks Jay Cocks Steven Zaillian Kenneth Lonergan|Michael Ballhaus |||America Was Born In The Streets.|The film starts in 1846 and ends in 1863 with the draft riots. The setting is New York's five points, the most violent part of the world at the time. The story is risen out of the conflicts between the white Anglo-Saxon "natives" and the Irish immigrants coming into the five points. One boy needs to avenge the death of his father...
It's 1860s Manhattan. The crime-plagued city is run by corrupt politicians of the Tammany Hall era, and gang warfare between the powerful Manhattan Irish gangs escalates into deadly draft riots. Against this backdrop, a young man (DiCaprio) teams up with a pickpocket (Diaz) to seek vengeance against the man (Day-Lewis) who killed his father.
|Leonardo DiCaprio (Amsterdam Vallon) @ Daniel Day-Lewis (William Cutting, a.k.a 'Bill 'The Butcher') @ Cameron Diaz (Jenny Everdeane) @ Jim Broadbent (William 'Boss' Tweed) @ John C. Reilly (Happy Jack Mulraney) @ Henry Thomas (Johnny Sirocco) @ Liam Neeson (Priest Vallon, Amsterdam's Father) @ Brendan Gleeson (Walter 'Monk' McGinn||OLD SCHOOL REAL "MEAN STREETS" CIRCA 1863
GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002) **** Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Liam Neeson, John C. Reilly, Brendan Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Henry Thomas, David Hemmings.Martin Scorsese's miraculous epic undertaking of the true life accounts of how old New York survived its initial beginnings of gangs of ethnic and social class distinctions with the brutal, blood-soaked tale of a young man (DiCaprio) seeking the redemption of the vicious slaying of his father (Neeson) at the hands of the truly villainous Bill The Butcher (Day Lewis in a ferocious, uncanny resemblance to De Niro, turn worthy of many accolades and awards; one of his best) in his attempts to thwart the corrupt politicos like Boss Tweed (Broadbent) by usurping the police and the destruction of the immigrant element (read: the Irish) in his misanthropic patriotism run amok circa 1863.A classic in the making in its breadth (Scorsese went to Italy and had a practical city built from scratch thanks to production designing genius Dante Ferretti,wonderful cinematography by Michael Ballhaus and impeccably timed editing by vet Thelma Schoonmaker help create a unique look at19th century history untold.One of the best films of the year and a career achievement/undertaking by Scorsese.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-40 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
George of the Jungle II|||Rated PG for crude humor and innuendo. |3.2|USA|2003|87 mins|English||||||||||False||||||||13/09/2003||||||Watch Out For That Sequel!| Watch Outifor that Sequel! ||||Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.78:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: DTS 5.1 [CC] SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround|2-16|||||@@
Ghost in the Shell|||NR |||1995|82 mins|||DivX|1||DivX;-) MPEG4 v4|186 |720x352|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|48,000 Hz|2|565.29 MB||||24.00|20/03/2004||||||| It foundia voice... Now it needsia body. ||||Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] JAPANESE: Dolby Digital Surround||||||@@
Gigli|Martin Brest|Crime|R |1.6|USA|2003|121 mins|English||XviD|2||XviD MPEG-4|1230 |608x256|AC3-Digital|375 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1399.05 MB||||23.98|29/11/2003|Martin Brest John Hardy Casey Silver|Martin Brest |Robert Elswit ||Columbia Pictures [us] || Small-time street hood Larry Gigli (Ben Affleck) hasia reputationifor big-time screw-ups.Ricki (Jennifer Lopez) isia tough gal gangster.When they're paired together onian assignment that careens wildly out of control, will they findia wayito work through their personal differences andiwork out their mutual attraction? |Ben Affleck (Larry Gigli) @ Terry Camilleri (Man in Dryer (as Terrence Camilleri)) @ David Backus (Laundry Customer) @ Lenny Venito (Louis) @ Robert Silver (Man in Debt) @ Luis Alberto Martínez (Adult Care Resident) @ Justin Bartha (Brian) @ Jennifer Lopez (Ricki) @ Christopher Walken (Det. Stanley Jacobellis) @ Todd Giebenhain (High School Kid #1) @ Brian Sites (High School Kid #2) @ Brian Casey (High School Kid #3) @ Les Bradford (High School Kid #4) @ David Bonfadini (High School Kid #5) @ Dwight P. Ketchum (High School Kid #6) @ Lainie Kazan (Mother) @ Missy Crider (Robin) @ Peter Van Norden (Morgue Attendant) @ Alex Fatovich (Packing Store Clerk) @ Al Pacino (Starkman) @ David Pressman (Assistant Director) @ Shelby Fenner (Australian Dancer) @ Theresa Barbosa-Adams (Beach Dancer) @ Kelly Cooper (Beach Dancer) @ R.J. Durell (Beach Dancer (as RJ Durell)) @ Shaun Earl (Beach Dancer) @ Nadine Ellis (Beach Dancer) @ Samuel Luis Givens (Beach Dancer) @ Hunter Hamilton (Beach Dancer) @ Stacey Harper (Beach Dancer) @ Zach Hensler (Beach Dancer) @ Brandon Henschel (Beach Dancer) @ Scott Hislop (Beach Dancer) @ Robert Hoffman (Beach Dancer) @ Dondraico Johnson (Beach Dancer (as Dondraico L. Johnson)) @ Elaine Klimaszewski (Beach Dancer) @ Melanie Lewis (Beach Dancer) @ Brooke Long (Beach Dancer) @ Kim McSwain (Beach Dancer) @ Mark Meismer (Beach Dancer) @ Ross Mulholland (Beach Dancer) @ Jenni Oborne (Beach Dancer) @ Brandi Oglesby (Beach Dancer (as Brandi Olgesby)) @ Zeke Ruelas (Beach Dancer) @ Robert Schultz (Beach Dancer) @ Jenny Seeger (Beach Dancer) @ Matt Sergott (Beach Dancer) @ Jeri Slaughter (Beach Dancer) @ Megan Stephens (Beach Dancer) @ Jenny Lynn Suckling (Beach Dancer) @ Giggi Thesman (Beach Dancer) @ Lisa Thompson (Beach Dancer) @ Nikki Tuazon (Beach Dancer) @ Salvatore Vassallo (Beach Dancer) @ Robert Vinson (Beach Dancer) @ Kevin Wilson (Beach Dancer) @ Tara Wilson (Beach Dancer) @ Tovaris Wilson (Beach DancerProduced by||Gee, are Ben and Lopey cuter than Brad and that girl from FRIENDS...or are Ben and Brad really the better pair?
There's nothing much more to add to most everybody's consensus of this so-called personality comedy; it's something of a perverse take on PRIZZI'S HONOR to showcase the charisma of Hollywood's so-called cutest couple. You pretty much get what you deserve when you buy a ticket to this.Not since Sean and Madonna have we been treated to such movie magic.Crass pop-culture crap. |Region 1 | |Widescreen 2.40:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1|2-27 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Gladiator|Ridley Scott|Drama|Rated R for intense, graphic combat. |8.0|UK|2000|155 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|David Franzoni (II) Branko Lustig Laurie MacDonald (I) Terry Needham Walter F. Parkes Daniel Wai Chiu Douglas Wick (I) Ridley Scott|David Franzoni (II) David Franzoni (II) John Logan (I) William Nicholson (I)|John Mathieson |||What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity.|Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son, Commodus, and a power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. The powerful general is unable to save his family, and his loss of will allows him to get captured and put into the Gladiator games until he dies. The only desire that fuels him now is the chance to rise to the top so that he will be able to look into the eyes of the man who will feel his revenge.
In Gladiator, victorious general Maximus Decimus Meridias has been named keeper of Rome and its empire by dying emperor Marcus Aurelius, so that rule might pass from the Caesars back to the people and Senate. Marcus' neglected and power-hungry son, Commodus, has other ideas, however. Escaping an ordered execution, Maximus hurries back to his home in Spain, too late to save his wife and son from the same order. Taken into slavery and trained as a gladiator by Proximo, Maximus lives only that he might someday take his revenge and fulfill the dying wish of his emperor. The time soon comes when Proximo's troupe is called to Rome to participate in a marathon of gladiator games held at the behest of the new emperor, Commodus. Once in Rome, Maximus wastes no time in making his presence known, and is soon involved in a plot to overthrow the emperor with his former-love Lucilla, Commodus' sister, after whom he lusts, and also the widowed mother of Lucius, heir to the empire after his uncle, and democratic-minded senator, Gracchus.
Upon the sudden death of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, his trusted and successful general Maximus Meridas is unlawfully imprisoned and condemned to the gladiator games by Marcus' twisted son Commodus. As the new emperor, Commodus fears Maximus could use his heroic stature to depose him and become leader himself. But Maximus gains fame as a gladiator and uses his celebrity to cause further damage to Commodus' tenuous hold on the susceptible Roman people, hoping to inspire them to rediscover their lost values and overcome the corruption that is eating away at them. These actions prompt Commodus to square off mano a mano with Maximus in the Colisseum with the fate of Rome at stake.
A dying Marcus Aurelius plans to name his loyal and brave General Maximus as his successor in order to restore the power of the Roman Senate. However, his power-hungry, jealous son Commodus learns of the plan, murders Marcus Aurelius, and plans to execute Maximus in order to secure his claim to the throne. Maximus escapes execution, but is sold into slavery and is forced to become a gladiator. Eventually, Maximus and his fellow gladiators are sent to Rome to perform for Commodus. Through his bravery he wins over the masses and reveals his true identity, much to the chagrin of Commodus. Can Maximus use his newfound popularity to avenge Marcus Aurelius' death, or will Commodus be able to keep the throne?
Roma imperiale, 180 a.C. Il glorioso e stimato imperatore Marco Aurelio muore, ucciso a tradimento dal figlio Commodo, accusato di inettitudine dal padre. Ma il nuovo imperatore non ha il carisma del genitore : i suoi unici intenti sono la violenza ed il cinismo. Viene così incrementata la pratica dei duelli nelle arene, con gladiatori e bestie feroci. Il migliore fra i gladiatori è Maximus, ex generale dell'esercito imperiale, reso schiavo dalla gelosia di Commodo. Ed il drammatico confronto fra i due sarà il punto di partenza per la vendetta dell'eroico gladiatore, fino allo scontro finale frai due, nell'Arena del Colosseo.
|Russell Crowe (Maximus) @ Joaquin Phoenix (Commodus) @ Connie Nielsen (I) (Lucilla) @ Oliver Reed (Proximo) @ Richard Harris (Emperor Marcus Aurelius) @ Derek Jacobi (Senator Gracchus) @ Djimon Hounsou (Juba) @ David Schofield (Falco||The Roman Epic returns in great style
I am very glad one of the best Hollywood directors (just remember Blade Runner and you understand what I'm saying) decided to advance on such a project supported by a great studio.
This movie proves the Roman Epic is back in great style. The ambiance an production design created in all scenes is fantastic (from the battle in germania to the fights in the arenas). The Emperor is a very interesting and troubled character magnificently portrayed. Russell Crowe is a sort of a Mad Max of Rome. The dream scenes are magnificent and I could go on and on. What makes this even more interesting is that this Roman Epic shows Rome without Christians, and focuses on their thirst for bloody spectacles (the arena shows given to entertain the people).
Don't miss this fabulous film if you love the Roman Epic. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |DTS 6.1 ES Discrete |1-32 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Good Will Hunting|Gus Van Sant|Drama|Rated R for strong language, including some sex-related dialogue. |7.8|USA|1997|126 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Su Armstrong Lawrence Bender Jonathan Gordon (I) Chris Moore (II) Scott Mosier Kevin Smith Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|Matt Damon Ben Affleck|Jean-Yves Escoffier |||Wildly charismatic. Impossibly brilliant. Totally rebellious. For the first 20 years of his life, Will Hunting has called the shots. Now he's about to meet his match.|Will Hunting (Damon) is a genius who's living a rough life in Boston's south end, while being employed at a prestigious college in Boston, he's discovered by a Fields Medal winning Professor (Skarsgard) who eventually tries to get Will to turn his life around with the help of Sean Maguire (Williams), as Will begins to realize that there's more to himself then he thinks there is.
A janitor at MIT, Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a gift for maths that can take him light-years beyond his blue-collar roots, but to achieve his dream he must turn his back on the neighborhood and his best friend (Ben Affleck). To complicate matters, two strangers enter the equation: a washed-up shrink (Robin Williams) who starts to coach Will through his transformation, and a med student (Minnie Driver) who shows him that there can be a pretty face along with his life of the mind.
Matt Damon plays Will Hunting, a boy genius who was severely abused as a child and has been in trouble with the law ever since. When Will finally agrees to get counseling to keep himself out of jail and with his girlfriend (Minnie Driver), he meets Sean, the therapist (Robin Williams) who will change his life. Good Will Hunting tells the poignant story of Will and Sean's coming to terms with the blows life has dealt them and with the questions that lie in the future.
|Robin Williams (Sean Maguire) @ Matt Damon (Will Hunting) @ Ben Affleck (Chuckie Sullivan) @ Stellan Skarsgård (Gerald Lambeau) @ Minnie Driver (Skylar) @ Casey Affleck (Morgan O'Mally) @ Cole Hauser (Billy McBride) @ John Mighton (Tom||Robin Williams' Best
"Good Will Hunting" was the feel good movie of 1997, but it was Robin Williams (in an Oscar-winning role) showing his true ability as an actor that made the film work.The film deals with a troubled young janitor at MIT named Will Hunting (Matt Damon in an Oscar-nominated performance) who is a mathematical genius in spite of his minimal education."Good Will Hunting" is a combination of "Rocky" and "Ordinary People" in the fact that you pull for the underdog (Matt Damon) and you see how psychologically scarred he is through the man who is acting as his psychiatrist (Robin Williams).Is "Good Will Hunting" a great film?No, but it's one of those films that you can't help but like due to the elements that are in it.4.5 out of 5 stars. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-39|||||@@
Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il|Sergio Leone|Action|R |8.7|Italy|1966|161 min/ France:186 min (dubbed version) / Spain:182 min/ UK:180 min (re-release)|Italian||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Alberto Grimaldi |Luciano Vincenzoni Sergio Leone Agenore Incrocci Furio Scarpelli Luciano Vincenzoni Sergio Leone|Tonino Delli Colli |||For Three Men The Civil War Wasn't Hell.It Was Practice!|Two gunmen have formed a partnership. One is a wanted man (the Ugly) and his partner (the Good) will turn him in for the reward. When the hanging takes place, Good shoots the rope clean through and allows Ugly to escape. When they have a falling out, Good leaves Ugly in the desert. Ugly vows Revenge and tracks Good down and repeats the favor. Just before passing out, a dying man gives Good the secret of a hidden payroll. Both of them end up in a Union Prisoner of War camp run by a sadistic Union officer (The Bad) who discovers their secret and wants the treasure, taking them from the camp to find the cash.
|Clint Eastwood (Blondie, The Man With No Name (The Good)) @ Lee Van Cleef (Angel Eyes, aka Senteza (The Bad)) @ Eli Wallach (Tuco Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez (The Ugly)) @ Aldo Giuffrè (Alcoholic Union captain) @ Luigi Pistilli (Father Pablo Ramirez) @ Rada Rassimov (Maria) @ Enzo Petito (Storekeeper) @ John Bartha (Sheriff (as John Bartho)||Sergio Leone was a highly personal film-maker!
Sergio Leone's film follows the adventures of 3 ruthless outlaws : The 'Good' represented by Clint Eastwood's unchanging & unshaven 'Stranger With No Name', the 'Bad' with an excellent supporting actor, a Western figure Lee Van Cleef who - with his long, thin opening eyes, deathly pale face & cruel voice - was the merciless bounty hunter (with insatiable appetite for beatings) ironically called 'Angel Eyes'..always ready to kill for a price ("When I'm paid, I always follow my job through. You know that."), and the 'Ugly' (Eli Wallach-outrageously delightful as Tuco) a wild spirit with devil attitude, amusing, charming, skillful but extremely dangerous.
The quest : a treasure chest containing $200,000 in gold buried in a Confederate grave in Sad Hill Cemetery.
Clint Eastwood was cast as the unprincipled killer standing only for his 45.. making his point quite effectively. He was quiet, inexpressive & cool (as before) only seen once with a brief moment of humanity where his classic disinterest 'contrasted' with the real tragedy of the American Civil War.
The pairing of Eastwood & Wallach was memorable for its black humor alternating each other's fate..motivated satisfactorily by their excessive desire for collecting the reward money ("You see, in this world there's 2 kind of people, my friend : Those with loaded guns & those who dig. You dig.")
"The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" had many haunting moments :
- Complicated bounty-hunter's con-games . Tuco is handed over to a couple of authorities in return for different rewards..only to be 'rescued' by the 'Stranger' ("You may run the risks, my friend, but I do the cutting.")
- A nerve-racking scene in which the 'Stranger', in a frantic hurry, tries to load his empty gun (who was cleaning) before 3 killers sent by Tuco..
- A torturous walk across the desert in a blazing sun that you can feel the heat & the dry of the spiny plants ("If you save your breath I feel a man like you can manage it. And if you don't manage it, you'll die. Only slowly, very slowly old friend"). The scene (of great size & beauty) was photographed by Leone's cameraman, Tonnio Delli Colli. The agony of the Stranger's intense journey was dramatically emphasized by Ennio Morricone's ingenious score.
- The epic battle between Union & Confederate soldiers for the control of a strategic bridge where Leone's camera took a slow ride surveying the 'magnitude' of the Civil War carnage. ("I've never seen so many men wasted so bad").
- The final showdown in a huge graveyard..where each character, naturally, wants the money all to himself. ("$200,000 is a lot of money..We're gonna have to earn it"):
Amusing scene.. a bubble of excitement : Tuco is sitting in bathtub with a lot of foam & one armed man enters his room saying : "I've been looking for you for 8 months. Whenever I should have had a gun in my right hand, I thought of you. Now I find you in exactly the position that suits me. I had lots of time to learn to shoot with my left". Tuco kills him with his gun hidden under the foam ..( "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk.")
Memorable scene : The Stranger finds himself in a dangerous situation at the hand of Tuco..who was just about to collect his vengeance by hanging his former partner (shooting the stool on which he is stepping on) Destiny intervenes in the form of a projectile force & a shell (from a big cannon) explodes into the hotel room saving the 'Stranger'.
Stunning scene : Confederate prisoners of war are forced to a 'band shift' in order to make inaudible the screams of their companions being tortured. As a young man plays sweet romantic songs on his harmonica, Leone's camera captures the touching moment in which we see his eyes streaming tears of disgrace & grief..
Unforgettable scene : The 'Stranger' leaves Tuco with a rope around his neck (the rope being attached to a tree). As Tuco begs for mercy (teetering on a wooden cross) the 'Stranger' turns his sight - after a slow ride - just to put a bullet through Tuco'srope cutting him safely down. As Tuco uselessly runs after him..swearing <.....> the 'Stranger' rides away with his part of gold..
The ultimate confrontation between the forces of good & evil :
Leone spreads out long shots adjusting sound with action..Tensions mounts as the 3 protagonists 'shape in a triangular cinema cliché' capturing audience's imagination with a 'geometric' fight to the death..accompanied by a clear exciting music. Leone's camera captures every straight lines..every nervous energy putting out of play every tactical movement..displaying (in huge close-ups) their faces..their power of vision..the slowly progress of their fingers toward their loaded guns..catching their worried eyes..their sudden need to be quick..to be the fastest draw.
Sergio Leone was, in fact, a highly personal film-maker. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |1.0 |1-33 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Hackers|Iain Softley|Thriller|Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and brief strong language. |5.7|USA|1995|107 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Janet Graham (I) Michael Peyser Selwyn Roberts Iain Softley Ralph Winter|Rafael Moreu |Andrzej Sekula |||their only crime was curiosity|A young boy is arrested by the Secret Service for writing a virus, and banned from using a computer until his 18th birthday. Years later, he and his new-found friends discover a plot to unleash a dangerous computer virus, but must use their computer skills to find the evidence while being pursued by the Secret Service and the evil computer genius behind the virus.
|Jonny Lee Miller (Dade Murphy ('Crash Override'/'Zero Cool')) @ Angelina Jolie (Kate Libby ('Acid Burn')) @ Jesse Bradford (Joey Pardella) @ Matthew Lillard (Emmanuel Goldstein ('Cereal Killer')) @ Laurence Mason (Paul Cook ('Lord Nikon')) @ Renoly Santiago (Ramon Sanchez ('Phantom Phreak')) @ Fisher Stevens (Eugene Belford ('The Plague')) @ Alberta Watson (Lauren Murphy||An electronica-fused thriller
I was apprehensive going into thisfilm, but it turned out to be quite adelight. The teeny-bopper castproved to be worthy enough to holdthe story together, even if Phreakdid disappear for the third act of themovie. With a strong electronicsoundtrack and some memorablehacker moments, this movie wasmuch better than the typical teen-orientedmovie. Oh well, those who have missedthis movie are missing quite a bit.Fisher Stevens was a great villain, andJohnny Lee Miller's and Angelina Jolie'schemistry was superb. A great film forall geeks and computer nuts to see.(the 28.8 K modem joke is great) |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-23|||||@@
Half Past Dead|Don Michael Paul|Action|Rated PG-13 for pervasive action violence, language and some sexual content. |3.9|USA|2002|98 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Christopher Eberts Randall Emmett Richard L. Fox George Furla Phillip B. Goldfine James A. Holt Elie Samaha Uwe Schott Steven Seagal Alison Semenza William B. Steakley Andrew Stevens Mac Yasuda|Don Michael Paul |Michael Slovis |||The Good. The Bad. And the Deadly.|A criminal mastermind has set in motion a plan to infiltrate a high tech prison in order to persuade a death row inmate to reveal the whereabouts of $200 million worth of gold. It's up to an undercover FBI agent to stop him before it's too late.
In this movie, Steven Seagal and Ja Rule get put in the "NEW ALCATRAZ" apparently because Ja Rule kills a cop. While in jail they usually have fights with the security guard, a overweight lunatic. One day a man named Donny (Morris Chestnut) infiltrates a prison with a band of crooks looking for 200 million dollars worth of US gold. One of the inmates hid it. Now the inmates are retaliating, with Seagal and Ja Rule leading them.
A man who is scheduled to be executed for stealing 200 million dollars in gold, asks to see another inmate named Sasha; it seems that several months ago when the FBI raided the place where Sasha was, he was shot and was dead for a few minutes. Now the man wants to know Sasha's experience before he goes. Before the execution can be carried out some men storm the prison and demand that the man tell them where he hid the gold, which he has never revealed. But in the process of breaking into the prison, they allow some of the inmates to be released. And led by Sasha, they try to stop them.
|Steven Seagal (Sasha) @ Morris Chestnut (49er One) @ Ja Rule (Nick) @ Nia Peeples (49er Six) @ Tony Plana (El Fuego) @ Kurupt (Twitch) @ Michael Taliferro (Little Joe (as Michael 'Bear' Taliferro)) @ Claudia Christian (Williams||I think it is all the way dead, just like Steven Seagal's career
Truly, Steven Seagal has nothing better to do withhis time than sharing screen time with wannabeactors/rappers. Clearly, this was one of thosefilms which had no real point to it other than tryingto appeal to a certain demographic in hopes ofmaking a few bucks. One has to wonder whata person was thinking when the idea of investingin this film came. Anyway, this was just a anotherreason why Seagal is past his prime, and shouldtry playing quirky roles as opposed to being atough guy or something. It's hard to say anythingelse about this movie, considering very little carewas put into it. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |
Movies |2-1|||||@@
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets|Chris Columbus|Fantasy|Rated PG for scary moments, some creature violence and mild language. |7.4|USA|2002|161 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Michael Barnathan David Barron (I) Chris Columbus Paula DuPré Pesman David Heyman Mark Radcliffe (I) Tanya Seghatchian|J.K. Rowling Steven Kloves|Roger Pratt |||Dobby Has Come To Warn You Sir.|Harry Potter is in his second year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is visited by a house-elf named Dobby and warned not to go back to Hogwarts. Harry ignores his warning, and returns. He is still famous, although still disliked by Snape, Malfoy, and the rest of the Slytherins. But then, strange things start to happen. People are becoming petrified, and no-one knows what is doing it. Harry keeps hearing a voice.. a voice which seems to be coming from within the walls. They are told the story of the Chamber of Secrets. It is said that only Salazar Slytherin's true descendent will be able to open it. Harry, it turns out, is a Parsel-tongue. This means that he is able to speak/understand snakes. Everyone thinks that it's him that has opened the Chamber of Secrets because that is what Slytherin was famous for.
In his second term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is warned by an elf named Dobby that disaster will strike when he returns to Hogwarts. Besides the fact that he is still disliked by Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) and hated by Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), Harry gets off to a great start with his two best friends, Ron Weasly (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and famous writer Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) has joined the Hogwarts staff and is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But now, Hogwarts students are strangely being turned into stone. But who is the one doing it, Malfoy, gamekeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), or, even, Harry? But what if it's Lord Voldemort trying to make his evil return?
Harry Potter's adventures continue...Harry Potter begins his second year at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, but is warned by a mysterious creature that danger awaits him at the school. Malevolent voices whisper from the walls. Soon it's not just Harry who is worried about survival, as dreadful things begin to happen at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts School of Wizardry for his second year. After a confrontation with a house elf named Dobby, Harry escapes to the Weasley house with Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) in a flying car. They are then late for the train and have to ride it to school. When they get there, strange happenings invade the school. "Mudbloods" (people of Muggle families) are "petrified" by an evil monster lurking in the grounds. When every one suspects that it is him, the trio then set out to find the culprit and find out more than they bargained for: the diary of Tom Riddle, why Hagrid was expelled and what the Chamber of Secrets is and why is it so feared in Hogwarts.
|Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) @ Emma Watson (II) (Hermione Granger) @ Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) @ Richard Griffiths (I) (Uncle Vernon Dursley) @ Fiona Shaw (Aunt Petunia Dursley) @ Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) @ Toby Jones (Dobby (voice)) @ Jim Norton (I) (Mr. Mason||Much better than PS, but with the same problem...
The writer (Steve Kloves?) seemed to forget that NOT everyone who has seen the film will have read the books (leaving scenes out on the assumption that the viewers will know what should go where).
*POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING*
There were also a few of my favourite bits from the book left out. Percy polishing his prefect badge (if you didn't get that joke you're too young for me to explain it to you), de-gnoming the garden and the Valentines Day dwarfs.
Another thing left out was the scene with the Malfoys and Mr Borgin, but since Mr Borgin was in the cast list (Ed Tudor Pole) I'm assuming we can still look forward to that on the DVD.
While the first film was a little slow moving and left out things REALLY important to later books (e.g. why Snape hates Harry so much), this one moves a little too fast and could have stood for being about half an hour longer to give it a better sense of time, and at least here the bits left out were only really important in CoS e.g. Hermione suddenly working out what's attacking people, and Filch's reason for thinking Harry attacked Mrs Norris (there is no mention of Filch being a squib).
They also did the same as they did in the first film with the dialogue in the final confrontations between Harry and the villain. They managed to make it less like Harry Potter and more like Scooby Doo.
The dialogue in the book is brilliant, especially in the chamber. Why did they have to change it?
Ah, but here are its redeeming features.
Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy has got to be the best casting decision ever made by anyone anywhere ever. This made the Quiddich match especially good: Alan Rickman and Jason Isaacs sitting next to each other in the stands, with Sean Biggerstaff flying around in front of them. What more could a girl want? And, as expected, Kenneth Brannagh completely stole the show as Lockhart.
And Dobby managed to be pitiful (I mean that in a good way) without being annoying, at least no more than he was meant to be. I even got a little annoyed at all the people laughing every time he had to punish himself.
The animation budget has obviously gone up, but it all went on the spiders, Dobby and a certain monster at the end (remember, we're not supposed to know what it is until we're told), and not so much on Fawkes the phoenix.
There were a lot of people in the Cinema, hiding during the spider scene (not just kids).
I'll basically offer the same advice as I'd give for the first film, which is watch it but read the books FIRST. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |2-4 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone|Chris Columbus|Adventure|Rated PG for some scary moments and mild language. |7.3|USA|2001|152 min|English||||||||||False||||||||24/01/2004|Todd Arnow Michael Barnathan Chris Columbus Paula DuPré Pesman Duncan Henderson David Heyman Mark Radcliffe Tanya Seghatchian|J.K. Rowling Steven Kloves|John Seale ||Argentina Video Home (AVH) [ar] |Let The Magic Begin.|Young Harry Potter has to lead a hard life: His parents have died in a car crash when he was still a baby, and he is being brought up by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. For some reason unbeknownst to the bespectacled ten-year-old, the Dursleys let him live in the small chamber under the stairs, and treat him more like vermin than like a family member. His fat cousin Dudley, the Dursley's real son, keeps bothering Harry all the time. On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter finally receives a mysterious letter from a certain Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, telling him that he is chosen as one of the future students of that supposedly renowned school. Hagrid, the gigantic man who brought the letter, finally introduces Harry into the real circumstances of his life: His parents were a wizard and a witch, they were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort protecting him. Harry still has a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead from that event. Since he survived the attack as a baby, and also somehow deprived Voldemort from his powers, he has been famous in the wizarding world ever since. The Dursleys, strong disbelievers in that magical crap, never told Harry anything about his true self. So, Harry is strongly surprised, yet absolutely happy to start his training. At Hogwarts, Harry meets his teachers, and becomes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The three of them accidentally find out that the potions master, Severus Snape, seems to plot on stealing something that is guarded by a three-headed dog. Since nobody would believe some first years to have found out such important things that even would incriminate a Hogwarts teacher, they take it on themselves to find out what Snape is up to. Their quest for the truth leads across many obstacles, from keeping up the everyday school life, a bewitched Quidditch match (Quidditch is a popular wizard sport), Fluffy, the three-headed monster dog and quite some tasks one has to overcome to get to the guarded object.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) has spent the first ten years of his life living under the stairs in the house of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who generally dislike him. Then, one day, a giant, named Hagrid, comes to him with an invitation to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry soon discovers that there are two worlds: one is the dreary world of the Muggles where he's grown up, and the other is one of magic and fantasy, and it's the latter in which he's destined to live.
On his 11th birthday, young Harry Potter discovers the life he never knew he had, the life of a wizard. In his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he meets his two best friends Ron Weasley, an expert at Wizard Chess, and Hermione Granger, a girl with non-magic parents. Harry learns the game of Quiditch and Wizard Chess on his way to facing a Dark Arts teacher who is bent on destroying him.
|Richard Harris (Albus Dumbledore) @ Maggie Smith (Professor Minerva McGonagall) @ Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid) @ Saunders Triplets (Harry Potter (Age 1)) @ Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) @ Fiona Shaw (Aunt Petunia) @ Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) @ Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon) @ Derek Deadman (Tom) @ Ian Hart (Professor Quirrell) @ Ben Borowiecki (Diagon Alley Boy) @ Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick/Goblin Bank Teller) @ Verne Troyer (Griphook the Goblin (as Vern Troyer)) @ John Hurt (Mr. Ollivander) @ Richard Bremmer (He Who Must Not Be Named (voice)) @ Geraldine Somerville (Mrs. Lily Potter) @ Harry Taylor (Station Guard) @ Julie Walters (Mrs. Molly Weasley) @ Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) @ Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley) @ James Phelps (Fred Weasley) @ Oliver Phelps (George Weasley) @ Rupert Grint (Ronald 'Ron' Weasley) @ Jean Southern (Dimpled Woman on Train) @ Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) @ Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) @ Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) @ Jamie Waylett (Vincent Crabbe) @ Joshua Herdman (Gregory Goyle (as Josh Herdman)) @ Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan) @ Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas) @ Leslie Phillips (The Sorting Hat (voice)) @ Eleanor Columbus (Susan Bones) @ John Cleese (Nearly Headless Nick) @ Terence Bayler (The Bloody Baron) @ Simon Fisher-Becker (Fat Friar (as Simon Fisher Becker)) @ Nina Young (The Grey Lady) @ David Bradley (Argus Filch) @ Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape) @ Zoë Wanamaker (Madame Hooch) @ Luke Youngblood (Lee Jordan) @ Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood) @ Elizabeth Spriggs (Fat Lady) @ Danielle Taylor (Angelina Johnson) @ Leilah Sutherland (Alicia Spinnet) @ Emily Dale (Katie Bell) @ David Holmes (Adrian Pucey) @ Scott Fern (Marcus Flint) @ Will Theakston (Marcus Flint) @ Adrian Rawlins (James Potter) @ Ray Fearon (FirenzeProduced by||Columbus and crew perfectly bring this fantasy world to life
Rating: 10 out of 10; What the rating means in my system--"A must see for everyone with a serious or casual interest in film and anyone else who is not averse to or doesn't otherwise philosophically object to the genre."
Off the bat, let me tell you what I can't do in this review.I can't tell you whether you're likely to enjoy Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (`Philosopher's' in some locales) Stone if you've not yet read the book of the same name.That's because I've read the Harry Potter series, I love it, and I'm not about to forget much of it anytime soon.So it's difficult for me to say whether the film is likely to work for the uninitiated.What I can tell you is that if you have any interest in Roald Dahl-like fantasy with strong mystery overtones, you're likely to love the books, and once you've read at least the first one, you're likely to love this film.
As most of us have probably heard too many times already, Harry Potter, an eleven-year old, thinks he's an average, downtrodden Joe, when he discovers that he's really a wizard, and a famous one at that.The Harry Potter series, which begins with Sorcerer's Stone, is (so far, at least) the story of Potter's adventures as he goes off to Hogwart's, a boarding school for magical folk.Each entry in the series tells the tale of one year of Potter's life (well, technically, Sorcerer's Stone covers more ground than that since it has to get us up to speed).One possible criticism here is that the structure of the series predisposes it to being formulaic, and that's realized in many aspects of the books.Obviously this won't be apparent in the first installment, but if you dislike anything even slightly formulaic, your view of Potter after Sorcerer's Stone will probably plummet.For those of us who don't mind formula so much (after all, when we eat a great pizza, we'd like to taste something similar the next time from the same restaurant), the recipe works well, and Potter scribe J. K. Rowling has managed to `fill in the blanks' with pleasing aplomb so far.
The basic recipe, which works for a rough, non-spoiler giving plot synopsis of the film is (a) comic absurdity with Potter's non-magical foster family, (b) road trip to school (and later from school), (c) fairly regular admonishment as a corollary to courageousness that makes Harry and his friends keep going outside of the box, (d) quidditch games (a wizard game that somewhat resembles soccer as well as British and American football), and (e) an ultimate, year-long, unfolding, wizard-world-threatening mystery that requires both Sherlock-Holmes cleverness and great physical peril to resolve.
Oddly, one criticism I've encountered of the film (for example in the New York Times review) is that it sticks to the sequence of the book too closely.Other than a few minor changes, most of which were necessary, and at least a few of which were beneficial (the moving staircases which provide a better reason for encountering Fluffy the first time, for example), the film plays as if they filmed the book word for word, then edited it down to clock in around two and a half hours.It's odd to criticize this because a more typical criticism is that a film departs from its antecedent novel too much, and only a very small percentage of viewers tend to be happy with this.Especially with a film like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which is coming out so close in time to one of the most commercially successful books in history, you can imagine the uproar and public backlash if the film had followed an alternate route.It would almost guarantee that the entire series doesn't get made into films, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who would prefer to see the book and film series extend even beyond the seven installments that Rowling has promised (so far, we know we're getting at least five).
So thankfully, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone closely parallels the book, and even more thankfully, director Christopher Columbus and the casting crew seemed to know and understand the books well, because the cast is perfect.They fit the physical and psychological profiles of Rowling's characters `to a T'.Daniel Radcliffe, as Harry Potter, wonderfully captures Potter's combination of modestly intelligent and occasionally sarcastic charm, aloofness, and heroicness.Rupert Grint, as Harry's best friend Ron Weasley, Emma Watson, as the enchanting know-it-all Hermione Granger, and Robbie Coltrane, as the lovable but bumbling Hogwart's groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, manage to get a handle on the personalities of Rowling's characters while adding nuances that make the roles even stronger and funnier.In fact, this is true of most of the cast, even in smaller roles like Professor Severus Snape, which Alan Rickman plays with a hypnotizing blend of neurotic skittishness and sly villainy.
On top of the engaging, thrilling and funny story, the great performances, direction and music, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone simply looks amazing.I never felt that a visual was disappointing compared to how I imagined it when I read the book.Sure, many of the effects were obviously rendered on a computer, and the quidditch scene has a strong resemblance to chase/race scenes in a couple of the Star Wars films, but neither of those facts are negative in my opinion, and the visuals here perfectly bring this fantasy world to life. |Region 1 | |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-34 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Hercules|Ron Clements John Muske|Family|NR |6.6|USA|1997|92 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ron Clements Alice Dewey Kendra Halland John Musker|Ron Clements Barry Johnson (I) Don McEnery Irene Mecchi John Musker Bob Shaw (II)||||A Comedy of Epic Proportions|Hercules, son of the Greek God, Zeus, is turned into a half-god, half-mortal by evil Hades, God of the Underworld, who plans to overthrow Zeus. Hercules is raised on Earth and retains his god-like strength, but when he discovers his immortal heritage Zeus tells him that to return to Mount Olympus he must become a True Hero. Hercules becomes a famous hero with the help of his friend Pegasus and his personal trainer, Phil the satyr. Hercules battles monsters, Hades and the Titans, but it is his self-sacrifice to rescue his love Meg which makes him a True Hero.
After Zeus fights and sends the Titans to the underworld, he becomes the ruler of Mount Olympus, home of all greek gods. Hades is sent to rule the underworld, but he makes plans to throw Zeus out of Mount Olympus with the Titans' help. The three Fates warn him that his plans would be endangered if Hercules, Zeus newborn child, is still around by the time he tries to take over Mount Olympus. Hades sends Pain and Panic to turn Hercules into a mortal and kill him, but they fail in their attempt and leave him on earth with his divine strength to be raised as a human. Hercules grows up but later learns he is the son of gods, and in order to return to Mt. Olympus he must turn into a "true hero". He is trained by Phil the satyr and becomes the most famous hero in ancient Greece after battling monsters of all kinds. He even saves Mt. Olympus from Hade's take-over, but he only becomes a god again after he offers to exchange his life in order to save Meg, his love, from Hades' underworld and shows that a true hero must have a strong heart and not only physical strength.
|Tate Donovan (Hercules (voice)) @ Joshua Keaton (Young Hercules (voice)) @ Roger Bart (Young Hercules (singing voice)) @ Danny DeVito (Philoctetes (voice)) @ James Woods (Hades; Lord of the Underworld (voice)) @ Susan Egan (Megara (voice)) @ Bob Goldthwait (Pain (voice) (as Bobcat Goldthwait)) @ Matt Frewer (Panic (voice)||Fantastic Disney Movie!
Filled with action, Humor, romance, and lots of groovy songs and great animation makes this an entertaining and thrilling Disney fantasy.
It's about the legendary Greek Hero who was kidnapped as a baby and then turned mortal but retains some superhuman Strength grows up only t learn about how to be a hero while he gets trained by " Phil" ( Danny Devito) so he can do battle with many monsters including the insideous " Hades" ( James Woods).
This is a must see movie, it's one of my all time favorites since i saw this in the theaters twice in 1997.
Also recommended: The Dark Crystal, Mulan, The Fifth Element, The Hunchback of Norte Dame, The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Oliver and Company, Big Trouble in little China, The Sword in the Stone, Beauty and the Beast, Fun and Fancy Free, Ghostbusters, Aladdin, Melody Time, Fantasia, The Wizard of Oz, The Emperor's New Groove, Gladiator, Vampire Hunter D, In The Army Now, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Princess Bride, and Star Wars.
10/10. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-15|||||@@
Ying xiong|Yimou Zhang|Action|NR |8.0|Hong Kong|2002|China:93 min/ Finland:98 min/ Germany:99 min/ Sweden:99 min/ USA:96 min|Mandarin||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Shoufang Dou William Kong Philip Lee (II) Weiping Zhang Yimou Zhang Zhenyan Zhang|Feng Li Bin Wang Yimou Zhang|Christopher Doyle (II) |||Kono kuni wa mada, hontô no hero wo shiranai [Japan]|In ancient China, before the reign of the first emperor, warring factions throughout the Six Kingdoms plot to assassinate the most powerful ruler, Qin. When a minor official defeats Qin's three principal enemies, he is summoned to the palace to tell Qin the story of his surprising victory.
In ancient times China was divided into seven kingdoms. Qin, the king of the northern province, is under permanent threat of assassination attempts. His greatest fears are the warriors "Broken Sword", "Flying Snow" and "Sky". One day one of the magistrates of his kingdom enters the palace, claims that he defeated all three of the emperor's adversaries and tells his story; how he beat "Sky" in a duel and used the love between "Broken Sword" and "Flying Snow" to subdue them.
|Jet Li (Nameless) @ Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Broken Sword) @ Maggie Cheung (Flying Snow) @ Ziyi Zhang (Moon) @ Daoming Chen (King of Qin) @ Donnie Yen (Long Sky, Silver SpearProduced by||Impressive
It sounded like a HK Cinema fan's ultimate wet dream... Zhang Yimou to direct a martial arts epic with Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Leung Chiu Wai, Zhang Ziyi and Donnie Yen in the cast, Ching Siu-Tung doing the action, Christopher Doyle the cinematography and Emil Wada the costumes. What more could you ask for? (Well, Brigitte Lin coming out of retirement and Yuen Wo Ping and Sammo Hung sharing the action director credits, perhaps).
I guess we have CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON to thank for making the wu xia world bankable again, and generating the interest and investment required to bring a project of this stature together. There's no doubt that the US Market was a major target, and US$ went into the funding. Given this it's a tragedy that Yimou let Miramax get their paws on it and effectively ruin any chances it had of major US success
Apart from Zhang Ziyi and the Tan Dun soundtrack (a terrible choice no doubt enforced by US investors), CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON is not a good reference point by which to evaluate HERO. Much more appropriate is Wong Kar Wai's ASHES OF TIME, with which it shares two lead actors and a cinematographer. HERO is definitely more commercially oriented, but shares a beauty and philosophical richness with AOT, and a certain melancholy mood.
The story of HERO starts off quite simply, as Jet Li begins to recount his martial triumphs to the Emperor of Qin. The tale is told in flashbacks which revisit and re-evaluate the same events, elaborating on and changing the story as we learn more. It's reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's RASHOMON, and is a great way of developing a mystery thriller. Zhang Yimou handles the building of the tale expertly, as one would expect from such a master film maker.
Zhang Yimou himself is such an accomplished cinematographer he hardly needed to hire somebody else for the job - but if there's anybody better than Yimou it's Christopher Doyle. I wonder how much conflict there was on set though, as I am sure each had very strong visions of how they wanted scenes to look. The result doesn't show any signs of it if such a conflict occured though, as the visual style seems exceptionally strong and focussed throughout. A large part of this is Yimou's use of bold colours to delineate the different sections of the story (The green, the red, the yellow, the blue, the white). With Emil Wada's stunning costumes and the great choice of locations, HERO is almost as rich in stunning imagery as ASHES OF TIME. It's a true work of art, harking back to Yimou's older films like SHANGHAI TRIAD and RAISE THE RED LANTERN - I'm really pleased to see him making such visual films again. The visuals are sometimes let down by some unconvincing CGI effects, unfortunately.
Zhang Yimou has never directed an action movie before, so people were clearly worried he wouldn't know what to do with the fight scenes that a wu xia movie needs more than anything else. It's been quite a few years since Ching Siu Tung has produced any really impressive work too, so I was rather worried - especially when I heard (from good authority) that Yimou had Ching had clashed on set. Apparently Zhang wanted more grounded, realistic kung fu, which really isn't Ching Siu Tung's thing (should have got Sammo or Yuen Wo Ping!). I guess Ching got the upper hand in the end, as the fight scenes are certainly not grounded or realistic - they're very much about the twirling and whirling and the graceful flying that Ching Siu Tung virtually defined. They're not as manic as he usually makes the action when he directs himself, though - a fact that sometimes makes the wirework look a bit awkward.
A real surprise is that the weakest fight scene of the film is that one that pits the two best martial artists together. Jet Li vs. Donnie Yen opens the film with some sword vs. spear action. There's some beautiful moments, but I felt the scene lacked impact and featured some awkward moves too. Oddly enough, the fight I enjoyed the most featured no real martial artistry at all - Maggie Cheung vs (well, you'll see) in a beautiful autumnal scene of falling leaves. I guess that's because Ching Siu Tung is really not working to his strengths when he tries to do "real" martial arts.
I had held off watching HERO for months, because as soon as I got the first released DVD (the DVD-5 from Guang Dong Face Ah) it was announced that the extended version of the film would be released in a few weeks. It's generally well known now that Zhang Yimou was persuaded to cut about 20 minutes from the film by the hatchet men at MiramAXE, who really must die first when the revolution comes. I figured the first time I see it I should see the best possible version, for maximum impact, so I was willing to wait. Well it's been 2 months now and the extended version is now indefinitely delayed due to legal issues, so I finally gave in and watched the DVD I'd had lying around for so long. Now that I've seen it I have to say I don't really see what another 20 minutes would add to the film - it seems quite complete and well paced at about 95 minutes. A little more development of Donnie Yen's character would be nice, but other than that it's hard to imagine what is missing. Longer action scenes maybe? Or perhaps just 20 minutes of Christopher Doyle's beautifully composed landscape shots, or close ups of Maggie Cheung dying.
I'm glad I waited to see the film anyway though, as it allowed all the hype and anticipation to die down.Unfortunately, when a film is as highly anticipated as this it's inevitable that there will be "backlash syndrome" as people feel let down that it wasn't the ultimate movie of all time they heard/hoped it would be (it was amusing to watch the reviews on CROUCHING TIGER swing between "incredible" and "awful" as hype waves ruined the experience for many, and I'm sure the same will happen with HERO).
Zhang Yimou is an extremely talented director in many respects, but perhaps the greatest is his ability to get incredible performances out of his cast. With such an illustrious cast on board he perhaps felt he didn't need to try as much though (or they weren't willing to listen), as the acting isn't as powerful as I had expected. It's still of a very high quality, but doesn't evoke the same strong emotions as some of the performances in ASHES OF TIME. Leung Chiu-Wai gets the top award for acting though, which will surprise few people. Zhang Ziyi only has a small part, but shows a lot of talent too - nice to see such skill in somebody that still has most of her career ahead of her. Of course, it was Zhang Yimou that discovered and nurtured her talent in THE ROAD HOME.
There are only two disappointments in HERO, for me. One is the special effects, which aren't up to the very latest standards. A little less use of CGI would have made it go a lot further (like in CTHD). The other is the soundtrack, which is really just much too similar to the Crouching Tiger soundtrack. It doesn't fit HERO as well, but it is still pretty evocative and effective - just too similar to CTHD.
I still intend to pick up the extended version of HERO when it's released, to see what Zhang Yimou's ideal vision for the film was. Even running shorter than he really wanted it's a mighty fine film though, and one I have no hesitation in recommending if anybody hasn't seen it yet. If MiramAXE ever do get round to releasing it in the US, I hope it does well.
|Region All |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |2-35|||||@@
Hot Shots!|Jim Abrahams|Action|PG-13 |6.1|USA|1991|84 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bill Badalato Janet Graham (I) Stephen McEveety Greg Norberg Pat Proft|Jim Abrahams Pat Proft|Bill Butler (I) |||The mother of all movies!|Topper Harley, a top gun fighter pilot, is recalled to serve on the SS Essess. Topper's mission is to destroy Saddam Hussein's nuclear plants. Unfortunately, Topper is psychologically imbalanced and is sure to crack under pressure.
"Top Gun" meets "Airplane!" Ace pilot Topper Harley is asked to come back to the Navy for a special assignment (he dropped out to go live with Native Americans after an incident made him doubt his abilities). He has personality conflicts with the other Top Gun, as they are both romantically interested in the same woman. An aerospace company's owner is trying to sabotage the mission so the current fighter jet will be scrapped in favor of his jets.
|Charlie Sheen (Lt. Topper Harley) @ Cary Elwes (Lt. Kent Gregory) @ Valeria Golino (Ramada Thompson) @ Lloyd Bridges (Adm. Thomas 'Tug' Benson) @ Kevin Dunn (I) (Lt. Cmdr. James Block) @ Jon Cryer (Jim 'Wash Out' Pfaffenbach) @ William O'Leary (I) (Pete 'Dead Meat' Thompson) @ Kristy Swanson (Kowalski||One of the funniest films ever.
Hot Shots is one of the funniest films I have ever seen in my life. I laughed so much it nearly made me sick to my stomach. There's really no better proof of a great comedy than when you laugh from beginning to end. Lloyd Bridges is hilarious and Charlie Sheen is really great at these type of films. The whole cast is great. Jim Abrahams has made a modern classic in my opinion. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |2-37|||||@@
Hot Shots! Part Deux|Jim Abrahams|Action|PG-13 |5.6|USA|1993|86 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bill Badalato Michael McManus (I) Greg Norberg Pat Proft|Jim Abrahams Pat Proft Jim Abrahams Pat Proft|John R. Leonetti |||Just Deux it.|Topper Harley is found to be working as an odd-job-man in a monastery. The CIA want him to lead a rescue mission into Iraq, to rescue the last rescue team, who went in to rescue the last rescue team who... who went in to rescue hostages left behind after Desert Storm. The president is Tug Benson, who also likes to be in on the action. Basically, it's a send-up of all the big shoot-em-up Rambo/Robocop/T2/ Commando type movies.
Topper Harley has retired again, now living in a budhist monastery, and again he's asked to lead a special operation into Iraq, to rescue the guys who were sent to rescue the guys who were sent to rescue some prisoners left behind after the Persian Gulf War, where he will meet again with his beloved Ramada while he tries to uncover who the traitor is and kill as many Iraqis as he can.
|Charlie Sheen (Topper Harley) @ Lloyd Bridges (President Thomas 'Tug' Benson) @ Valeria Golino (Ramada Rodham Hayman) @ Richard Crenna (Col. Denton Walters) @ Brenda Bakke (Michelle Rodham Huddleston) @ Miguel Ferrer (Commander Arvid Harbinger) @ Rowan Atkinson (Dexter Hayman) @ Jerry Haleva (Saddam Hussein||More of the Same Thing Again.
Nutty sequel to the highly surprising original which was a box office smash in 1991. This time "Rambo" is the primary film that cannot escape the dubious distinction of being parodied. Charlie Sheen, Lloyd Bridges and Valeria Golino return from the original and Richard Crenna of "Rambo" fame also has a large part. The film just avoids obscurity with a few gags that do put a smile on your face. 2 stars out of 5. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |1-9|||||@@
How the Grinch Stole Christmas|Ron Howard|Family|Rated PG for some crude humor. |5.9|USA|2000|104 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Linda Fields (I) Brian Grazer Todd Hallowell (I) Ron Howard Aldric La'Auli Porter Louisa Velis David Womark|Dr. Seuss Jeffrey Price Peter S. Seaman|Donald Peterman |||You Better Watch Out!|Based on the book by the famous Dr. Seuss. Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Who's, an almost mutated sort of munchkinlike people. All the Who's love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch is a nasty creature that hates Christmas, and plots to steal it away from the Whos which he equally abhors. Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriend the Grinch.
Rejected by the Who's as a child and living in spiteful seculsion for most of his life, the Grinch has always hated the citizens of Whoville. That especially goes for Christmas with the Who's noise, phony sentiment and wasteful materialism. When little Cindy Lou Who's attempt to transcend the festivities' empty commercialism by inviting the Grinch ends with his public humiliation, the Grinch hatches upon on his supreme scheme to ruin the holidays.
|Jim Carrey (Grinch) @ Taylor Momsen (Cindy Lou Who) @ Jeffrey Tambor (Mayor Augustus Maywho) @ Christine Baranski (Martha May Whovier) @ Bill Irwin (I) (Lou Lou Who) @ Molly Shannon (Betty Lou Who) @ Clint Howard (Whobris) @ Josh Ryan Evans (8-Year Old Grinch||Theft
Spoilers herein.
Seuss's charm came from minimalism, a unique sort of theatricality that could be filled in by the reader/listener according to the sophistication of their own imagination.
It was a minimalism in the story. Only one simple thread around which you could impute your own world. Trampled on here with all sorts of extra stuff as if our own minds didn't world.
It was minimalism in the verse. Some scant remnant of that remains, buried deep in ordinary, vapid dialog.
But most of all it was minimalism in the drawings. Those drawings were an anti art nouveau which started clean but ended excessively ornamented. Each line was a joke on itself, a self-referential comment on how the mind likes to take the simplest thing and can't help from elaborating until human limits are reached.
His homeopathic style depends on this phenomenon and his simultaneous joke about it. It would require a rather clever and skilled art director to get behind that and realize it for film. What we end up here is `Hook,' except the strutter here is Carrey instead of Williams.
The team that did `Casper' might have been able to pull this off. I don't understand why when they spend gobs of money, they don't spend part of it on a designer with vision. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-16|||||@@
Human Stain, The|Robert Benton|Drama/Romance/Thriller|Rated R for language and sexuality/nudity. |6.5|USA|2003|
106 min
|English||||||||||False||||||||20/03/2004|Ronald M. Bozman Steven Hutensky Eberhard Kayser Andre Lamal Gary Lucchesi Mario Ohoven Michael Ohoven Tom Rosenberg Rick Schwartz Scott Steindorff Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|Philip Roth Nicholas Meyer|Jean-Yves Escoffier ||01 Distribuzione [it] |How far would you go to escape the past?
|äëúí äàðåùé, äîáåññ òì øá äîëø ùì æåëä ôøñ ôåìéöø ôéìéô øåú, äåà ñéôåøå ùì ÷åìîï ñéì÷ (äåô÷éðñ) ôøåôñåø á÷åìâ' áòééøä ÷èðä áðéå àéðâìðã, ùîòåøáåúå áôøùééú àäáéí ùòøåøééúéú òí éôéôééä îñúåøéú áùí ôåðéä, (÷éãîï) îàìöú àåúå ìçùåó ñåã àôì, ùäåà äñúéø ëì çééå àôéìå îäàðùéí ä÷øåáéí àìéå áéåúø.
÷åìîï øåàä áôåðéä äæãîðåú àçøåðä ìäéâàì åîåöà á÷ùø ùìäí àú äàéðèéîéåú äðçåöä ìå ëãé ìâìåú ìîéùäå àú ñåãå, çøó àéåîéå äáìúé ôåñ÷éí ùì áòìä ìùòáø (àã äàøéñ).
äñéôåø, ùîúøçù áùðú 1998 òì ø÷ò ôøùú ÷ìéðèåï ìååéðñ÷é, áåçï îä úô÷éãï ùì æäåú, òöîàåú åãòä ÷ãåîä áòéöåá äðôù äàîøé÷àéú, åçåùó îñò ùì ùàôúðåú, àéðãéáéãåàìéæí, úøîéú åëéñåôéí ìàäáä.
áìáå, "äëúí äàðåùé" îñôø òì ðéñéåðå äðåòæ ùì àãí ìäîöéà òöîå îçãù, åìîöåà îéùäå ìçìå÷ òîå àú äàîú, âí àí æä ëøåê áîçéø ëáã.
áùðú 2000 ôéìéô øåú ôøñí àú äôø÷ äàçøåï áèøéìåâéä ùìå àåãåú çåñø äù÷è ùì àîøé÷ä àçøé äîìçîä, àåúä äçì òí äñôø American Pastrol (ùæëä áôøñ ôåìéöø) åìàçøéåú "äúçúðúé òí ÷åîåðéñè". àú äçì÷ äùìéùé "äëúí äàðåùé" øåú îöéá áñåó ùðåú äúùòéí áòú ùéîåò ääàùîåú ðâã ðùéà àøä"á, åáå äåà çåùó àú çééå äîåñååéí ùì ÷åìîï ñéì÷, äîúåàø òì éãé øåú "ëàãí ùðôì áøùúä ùì äéñèåøéä òìéä îòåìí ìà ñîê".
òì ôðéå, ñéì÷ ðøàä ëîå àéðèì÷èåàì éäåãé åáòì ìîåôú.
àáì äàîú àåãåú ÷åìîï ñéì÷ äøáä éåúø îåøëáú.
ñåãå ðùîø òã ôâéùúå òí ôåðéä, àéùä îàåô÷ú, âéìä îçöéú îâéìå,
äîòåøøéí áå îéðéåú åøâù åîåáéìéí àåúå ìòéîåú àçøåï òí òáøå.
ëåúøú äñôø îöééðú ëé ëì àãí îùàéø çåúí òì äòåìí. áéï àí ãøê æòí, úùå÷ä, ùàôúðåú àå î÷øéåú, úîéã ðùàø ñåâ ùì öì÷ú àå ëúí ùìà ðéúï ìîçé÷ä.
The Human Stain is the story of Coleman Silk (Hopkins), a classics professor with a terrible secret that is about to shatter his life in a small New England town. When his affair with a young troubled janitor (Kidman) is uncovered, the secret Silk had harbored for over fifty years from his wife, his children and colleague, writer Nathan Zuckerman, fast explodes in a conflagration of devastating consequences. It is Zuckerman who stumbles upon Silk's secret and sets out to reconstruct the unknown biography of this eminent, upright man, esteemed as an educator for nearly all his life, and to understand how this ingeniously contrived life came unraveled.
|Anthony Hopkins (Coleman Silk) @ Nicole Kidman (Faunia Farley) @ Ed Harris (Lester Farley) @ Gary Sinise (Nathan Zuckerman) @ Wentworth Miller (Young Coleman Silk) @ Jacinda Barrett (Steena Paulsson) @ Harry J. Lennix (Mr. Silk (as Harry Lennix)) @ Clark Gregg (Nelson Primus)||Not without its flaws, but overall a well-done, entertaining film
There is something great in that intense, rugged gaze of Sir Anthony
Hopkins. Whether it's the deviously psychotic Hannibal Lecter, or the
angrily conflicted Richard Nixon, he assimilates that curvaceous,
weathered
face into whatever character he inhabits. Sure, Hannibal Lecter could use
retirement (who wouldn't forget 2000's dreadful Hannibal), but you gotta
give credit where credit is due: Hopkins is an astounding, first-rate
actor.
He can either scare the hell out of you or move you to tears, and though
he
does neither in director Robert Benton's adaptation of Philip Roth's The
Human Stain, it is still a good movie.
The film begins in the late '90's, right in the heat of the
Clinton-Lewinsky debacle. Characters in the film talk about it, but it
only
serves as the springboard for the scandal that occurs in the film. One
day
in class, professor Coleman Silk (Hopkins) inquires into the habitual
absence of two students. "Do they exist, or are they spooks?" he asks.
Anyone with knowledge of racial slurs knows that that 'spook' is not only
a
synonym of 'ghost' but a pejorative term for african-americans. Well,
guess
what race the students happened to be? Accused of racism, Silk resigns
from
the college in a violent fury while clinging even deeper to a secret he's
hidden for decades (which won't be revealed in this review, even if evey
other critic on earth has done so).
We find Silk several month later as he begins a lasting
friendship
with writer Nathan Zuckerman (Sinise). As the two learn more and more
about
each other, Silk tells that he's begun an affair witha woman half his
age -
the rugged, chain-smoking Faunia Farely (Kidman). The movie dives deeper
into the secret of Silk's past while his relationship with Faunia deepens
past their initial sexual attraction, and Faunia's psychotic,
shell-shocked
ex-husband, Lester (Harris), eventually enters the picture. Soon, Silk's
past, Faunia's tumultuous back story, and Lester's anger head on a
dangerous
collision course.
There is a huge amount of plot to tackle in Roth's novel and,
to a
lesser extent, in the film. Screenwriter Nicolas Meyer (Fatal Attraction)
has bravely attempted to cram as much of the book into just under two
hours
of movie while also steadily developing the two prescient themes: race
and
class. The scandal at the college and the film's numerous flashbacks into
Silk's past provide a fine exploration of the race issue, while Coleman
and
Faunia are obviously a metaphor for the clash of two very different tiers
on
the socio-economic ladder. Silk is polished, refined, and with expensive
tastes. Faunia works part-time jobs as a janitor, a postal employee, and
a
farmhand. When Silk takes her to a posh restaurant to meet Zuckerman, she
storms out in a jealous rage saying, "You can't f**k me without taking me
to
expensive restaurants." These broad themes, though, aren't even the whole
of
the film. Faunia's past is tragic, so much that she feels Silk's
resignation
pales in comparison to her past, and not until Silk's secret is revealed
and
it all comes together do their own personal tragedies learn to co-exist.
To
present past and present on top of all of the other plot strands that
make
their way into the film and have them make sense is quite a task, but The
Human Stain seems to pull it off.
It makes sense of its dense plot, but the film as a whole is
not
without its flaws. A complete adaptation of Roth's novel would yield a
5-hour long movie, or simply be impossible. The movie clocks in at under
two
hours, and at times, it handles so much that it becomes somewhat vague
(especially with the debacle at Silk's college - it is crucial to the
film
but it fast-tracks through in under ten minutes). There is a ton of plot
to
swallow in this movie, and at times it seems that it's watered down a bit
too much. I would have liked to have seen more on Faunia's ex-husband,
Lester, or writer Nathan Zuckerman, who narrates the film but is only
used
to his potential in the fim's final stretch. Yes, the movie adequately
presents scenes from Silk's past to expose his secret, but some of the
supporting characters are left dangling in the present. When the movie
attempts to elaborate on Faunia's past, it also unfortunately comes
across
as borderline silly. This could be due to bad direction or shaky writing,
but one of Kidman's scenes that finds her weeping about her dead children
comes off as awkward, cold, and overdone. Aside from a few shaky scenes,
the
vagueness of the film's narrative is really saved by fantastic acting
all-around.
Which brings me to my next point. Much has been made about the
casting in the film, particularly because of how Silk's secret relates to
how his 'younger me' should look. Yes, the actor that plays a 20something
Silk really does look nothing like Hopkins, but great acting is often the
savior of shaky casting, and it does the job here. The real gamble,
though,
is Kidman. 'Nicole Kidman' and 'dime-store trash' have never really been
synonymous, and she must take on a facet of that term in this film. The
fact
that she's one of the three or four finest actresses of her generation
allows her to pull it off surprisingly well. Faunia's ebullient sexuality
does take Kidman into Eyes Wide Shut territory for a few moments, but
that
frank sexuality that Kidman can alternately harness and let loose manages
to
stay 'Faunia' and not 'Trashy Nicole Kidman doing Alice Harford.' The
chemistry between Hopkins and Sinise is one of the pleasures of the film,
so
much that seeing them giddily dance around to "Cheek to Cheek" seems
'right'
in its own way. Ed Harris is only on-screen for a few minutes, but he
manages to shine, especially in a key scene with Sinise at the end.
Kidman
and Hopkins own a great deal of the film, but in a crucial turn of
events,
Sinise shows what a fine on-screen presence he's become and he brings the
movie to a close that becomes surprisingly tender for a film with such
heavy
thematic material.
I really admired the fact that the movie did try to present so
many parts of Roth's novel, and even though it tripped a few times, the
overall effect is more than satisfying. There is a lot to get in, and the
movie wastes no time. It doesn't ever really feel like it's rushing
though,
and that's what makes The Human Stain a true pleasure to watch. It deals
with issues in society that carry a huge amount of weight with them but
manages to stay 'normal' throughout. Now, this may be a flaw in its
presentation, but the fact that the movie is simply a movie adds to its
watchability. It doesn't strive for head-scratching artfulness or take
bizarre leaps into the subconscious. The Human Stain simply presents a
good
yarn about what a deep secret from the past can do to the present. The
movie
isn't great by any means, but it's certainly quite good, and definitely
worth the time and the money. It may not transfer Roth's novel with 100%
perfection, but it certainly succeeds in the sense of almost never losing
its momentum and also carrying dramatic importance. The Human Stain is no
Mystic River, and it probably won't be remembered in the future, but by
God,
it's still a pretty good movie. GRADE: B+
|| |2.35 : 1 | ||||||@@
Human Traffic|Justin Kerrigan|Comedy|Rated R for pervasive drug content and language, and for some strong sexuality. |6.6|UK|1999|99 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Renata S. Aly Arthur Baker (II) Emer McCourt Kevin Menton Allan Niblo Rupert Preston Nigel Warren-Green Michael Wearing|Justin Kerrigan |Dave Bennett (I) |||The Weekend has Landed!|The Cardiff club scene in the 90's: five best friends deal with their relationships and their personal demons during a weekend. Jip calls himself a sexual paranoid, afraid he's impotent. Lulu, Jip's mate, doesn't find much to fancy in men. Nina hates her job at a fast food joint, and her man, Koop, who dreams of being a great hip-hop d.j., is prone to fits of un-provoked jealousy. The fifth is Moff, whose family is down on his behavior. Starting Friday afternoon, with preparations for clubbing, we follow the five from Ecstacy-induced fun through a booze-laden come-down early Saturday morning followed by the weekend's aftermath. It's breakthrough time for at least three of them.
|John Simm (Jip) @ Lorraine Pilkington (Lulu) @ Shaun Parkes (Koop) @ Danny Dyer (Moff) @ Nicola Reynolds (Nina) @ Dean Davies (Lee) @ Justin Kerrigan (Ziggy Marlon rest of cast listed alphabetically Jan Anderson (I) .... Karen Benson) @ Terence Beesley (Moff's Father||great fun
I recently watched this flick twice on a trip back from Ireland on Virgin Atlantic (a nine hour flight). It reminded me of a UK version of Cameron Crowe's "Singles" but a hell of a lot more fun. I loved the scene where the main character makes up a new national anthem (one he identifies with). This movie is worth watching for that scene alone."Human Traffic" doesn't provide much insight into the human condition, but that's not what it's trying to do. It's just about a group of young people trying to figure out their lives at that point in time. It's definitely a great film if you want to watch characters who lead even more pointless lives than you. The place was different, but in my early twenties I saw some of my own traits (namely the pursuit of "fun" and women) in the male characters.
|Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-22|||||@@
Hypercube: Cube 2|Andrzej Sekula|Horror|Rated R for language, some violence and brief nudity. |5.8|Canada|2002|95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ernie Barbarash Peter Block (III) Suzanne Colvin Michael Paseornek|Sean Hood (I) Sean Hood (I) Ernie Barbarash Lauren McLaughlin (I)|Andrzej Sekula |||There is more to fear than you can see.|Eight strangers find themselves waking up in a strange cube-shaped room with no recollection of how they came to be there. Soon discovering that they're in a strange fourth dimension where our laws of physics don't apply, they have to unravel the secrets of the "hypercube" in order to survive...
|Kari Matchett (Kate Filmore) @ Geraint Wyn Davies (Simon Grady) @ Grace Lynn Kung (Sasha) @ Matthew Ferguson (I) (Max Reisler) @ Neil Crone (Jerry Whitehall) @ Barbara Gordon (II) (Mrs. Paley) @ Lindsey Connell (Julia) @ Greer Kent (Becky Young||not a stinker but a mixed bag
My name is Moritz Eggert (no need for a pseudonym here), and I live in Munich, Germany, home of the original Fantasy Film Fest. Just a few minutes ago I and some 200 fellow geeks were the very first people seeing an official copy of "Hypercube", the sequel to "Cube", one of my most loved films (the date of today's premiere was 7/31/0:30 a.m.). At least that was what we were told by the organizers - apparently the copy was flewn over from Toronto fresh from the printers (and there were 2 failed attempts to do so - it seems the film was not ready the first time, the second time they sent the wrong film - this is why the originally announced premiere 4 days ago didn't happen). The copy we saw just now seemed to be the final version - sound, picture and editing were pristine - but doubts remain: for example the program book of the festival shows a picture of a character clearly taken from the film....and he doesn't appear in it! Hm, not the first time they cut somebody out AFTER releasing the pictures.... About the film...well, I try to be short, it is really late right now (but I wanted to be first...). Like "Blair Witch", the original "Cube" is in itself a pretty perfect film which doesn't really scream for a sequel. And like "Blair Witch 2" "Hypercube" really tries to be different...and fails to impress in the end. Like "Blair Witch 2" "Hypercube" is not really bad - in fact there are many good ideas in it, there is excitement, the timing is good....it is just not as good as "Cube", which is, for a sequel, simply not good enough. It says a lot that the original director of "Cube" was not involved in this project - instead we have Andrzej Sekula, apparently also a newcomer.
I will try to describe the film without giving away too much.... "Hypercube" starts out very differently from the first film. First of all we see the bodies of the people later to be trapped in the cube - they are on stretchers, and wrapped up in plastic bags. There is also some high-tech computer generated graphics mumbo jumbo and some effective and haunting music (phased and echoed - which makes sense after seeing the film. The sound design is really fantastic, by the way!). We also see some kind of flashback, a young woman working at a computer, then turning around....blackness... Sekula tries here, and also later in the film - to make "hypercube" different by showing snippets of the "life before the cube", which is at first fascinating, but takes away the allegorical dimension of the first film. We now actually see the people in the moments before they are abducted. The first scene is actually a variation of the first film, a girl wakes up (the girl from the flashback scene), wanders around a little, she opens a hatch, and wham...she's gone. Not spectacularly diced and killed like the poor guy in "cube" but simply...gone. Ok, ok, she appears again later...in a really shocking "twist" scene... The film then follows the different characters waking up in different rooms. The stereotypes are there again: there is - like in the first film, an agressive bully type , a caring, sympathetic blonde, a young carefree-type, an older sure-of-himself-type, a mentally challenged (here confused) type etc. A new twist comes in the person of a sexy lawyer (in red party dress!) and a blind girl. The design of the cube is like a less interesting version of the first film: the rooms are white and pretty bland. The hatches on all 6 sides work similarly to the first film, but automatically, by touch. There are also, at least at the beginning, no traps. Instead our heroes very soon find out that this cube is really a "hypercube" - it is like a tesseract, a 4-dimensional object. This is discovered in a succession of very neat and clever scenes - particularly in one very shocking one which I won't give away- and is actually pretty mind-boggling. There are time-paradoxes, parallel universes, gravity shifts...all in all a worthy successor to the first cube, I'd say.
The story itself unfolds pretty much like in the first film, but with some surprising twists - not all is like it seems! Of course everybody has a reason why s/he is in the cube, but this time it is pretty straightforward. Whereas it came as a real shock in the first film to find out that one of the prisoners was actually the architect, this time around pretty much everybody of the bunch was involved in the construction of the cube one way or another... There is some digital SFX - not outstanding, but ok. The acting seems competent, but not really convincing, especially in the case of "Larry" (.."the laffer"?), who is simply very, very annoying. It all comes to a conclusion which actually take us outside the cube and shows us ...other people! But don't worry - the ending does try it's best to confuse the hell out of everybody. Whereas the first film's ending was simply poetic, open and beautiful, this one seems like the final season of the "X-Files" : posing more questions than answering them... As you can tell my feelings are very mixed about this one. It is not a stinker - you can tell that a lot of creative effort went into this one, and a surprising amount of ambition for a sequel as well. But basically it is - after all - a sequel to "Cube" - a film which should definitely not have a sequel. "Cube" was a SF/Twilight Zone inspired variant of "huit clos" by Sartre, and like "huit clos" it cannot really have a sequel, as there are only two options: continue/explain the story of the first film (bad!) or repeat the situation of the first film with some new twists (also bad!). "Hypercube" sort of tries both at the same time, and ends in a kind of limbo: it won't bore you, but it want excite you as much as the first film (actually the ending might p*** some people off badly...). Simply put: "Cube" was weird, but deeply logical and philosophical, like a paradox that is solved in the end, for the solution's sake only. "Hypercube" is simply....weird. That's all. But the strange thing is: I would like to see it again, even though it was unsatisfactory. At least to have a clue who the hell "Darcy" is (you will know what I mean after seeing it...). Best regards from Moritz
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I Spy|Betty Thomas (I)|Adventure|Rated PG-13 for action violence, some sexual content and language. |5.4|USA|2002|97 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Warren Carr Warren Carr David R. Ginsburg Mario Kassar Kornél Sipos Betty Thomas (I) Marc Toberoff Jenno Topping Andrew G. Vajna|Morton S. Fine David Friedkin Marianne Wibberley Cormac Wibberley Marianne Wibberley Cormac Wibberley Jay Scherick David Ronn|Oliver Wood | ||Attitude meets espionage|When the Switchblade, the most sophisticated prototype stealth fighter created yet, is stolen from the U.S. government, one of the United States' top spies, Alex Scott (Owen Wilson), is called to action. What he doesn't expect is to get teamed up with a cocky civilian, World Class Boxing Champion Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy), on a dangerous top secret espionage mission. Their assignment: using equal parts skill and humor, catch Arnold Gundars, one of the world's most successful illegal arms dealers, and foil his treacherous plans for the plane.
When a high tech fighter plane's stolen, the U.S. government believe that an arms dealer named Gundars has it and plans to sell it. So they send Alexander Scott to retrieve it. Now Scott though well-trained, is a little inexperienced and spends most of his time pining after another (female) agent. Now his superiors tell him that the best way for them to get close to Gundars is; Kelly Robinson, an egotistical and cocky boxer, who has a fight that's scheduled to take place in the city that Gundars has the plane, and Gundars is a fan of his. While the operation seems to go well, Kelly's cockiness gets them in trouble.
|Eddie Murphy (Kelly Robinson) @ Owen Wilson (Alex Scott) @ Famke Janssen (Special Agent Rachel Wright) @ Malcolm McDowell (Arnold Gundars) @ Gary Cole (I) (Carlos) @ Phill Lewis (Jerry) @ Viv Leacock (T.J.) @ Keith Dallas (Lunchbox||Obnoxious... Why is Betty Thomas still allowed to direct?...
I Spy
Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) is a top secret spy who is finally graduating to the big time with an assignment in Budapest. His mission? To infiltrate the lair of a madman (the once mighty, now just sad Malcolm McDowell), and stop the sale of a super spy plane to the highest, most sinister international bidder. His cover is as an assistant to a motor-mouthed heavyweight boxing champion, Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy), who has come to the city for a title fight. But once things go wrong, both Kelly and Alex get caught up in a hail of bullets and bombs as they try to thwart world disaster.
Two years ago, with `Charlie's Angels,` Sony Pictures had a success story of the kind they're going for with `I Spy.' Both films are based on hit television shows, were released in the first week of November, and feature wall-to-wall action. But the similarities end when it comes to quality. `Angels' was just as fluffy a confection as `I Spy,' but was an immense amount of fun, had actual laughs, and was a giddy, pure cinema experience from start to finish. `I Spy' is dreadful all over, with one or two gags that actually elicit chuckles, action that is without style and noisy, and two leads that are even noisier. It's a lopsided miscalculation hoping to cash in on the successful formula of `Angels' without appreciating what made that blockbuster work so well.
Trouble starts off right away for `I Spy' with Wilson and Murphy. Both actors know a thing or two about buddy comedy chemistry (`Shanghai Noon,' `48 Hours`), but `I Spy' makes a deadly mistake by pairing them up, not understanding that neither of these two actors are comedy submissives. There is no straight man in this team. In the film, Wilson and Murphy are both reaching for every punch line, often screaming over each other to get to the prize first. This does nothing for the comedy in the film, and just makes it a more breathless affair that it ever should be. This endless bickering and poorly written (improv?) humor brought on a headache that never went away, and in the end it hurts all the more, because both men are just so talented. Why waste time on something as willingly inferior as this?
Usually it's either the good Owen Wilson (`Bottle Rocket,' `Meet The Parents') or the evil Owen Wilson (`Behind Enemy Lines,' `Shanghai Noon') to pick from, without any medium level set on his charisma dial. `I Spy' is pure evil Wilson, with the actor trying too hard to come up with decent lines next to Murphy. He fails miserably, just rambling on and on with nothing of wit to flow out of his mouth.
Eddie Murphy, on the other side, is exhausting to watch. Absolutely crazed to land a joke, Murphy is unstoppable in this role. Though responsible for the only laughs in the film, Murphy practically foams at the mouth to get them. Literally unable to keep from talking in every scene he appears in, the thin, one note joke of his character grows wearisome quickly. `I Spy' clocks in at a merciful 90 minutes, but Murphy's vocal blitzkrieg makes it feel like 90 days.
Outside of the talent, and the sluggish script that really has no plot to speak of, the final nail in the coffin of `I Spy' is director Betty Thomas. Known around the world as comedy poison (her filmography includes `The Brady Bunch Movie,' `28 Days,' and `Doctor Dolittle'), Thomas has no business helming this action comedy. It shows with every frame, as she can't make the comedy work, then botches the stunts as well through silly choreography and reliance on pyro. `I Spy' showcases the worst elements of Thomas's talents, and I hope she never makes another film with guns, laughs, or actress Famke Janssen again.
In a just world, `I Spy' will not be rewarded with huge box office. It doesn't deserve any sort of prize. Let's just get some filmmakers back on that `Six Million Dollar Man' film quickly, OK? ----- 1/10
|Region 1 |Movies |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |2.0 Surround |1-13|||||@@
Ice Age|Carlos Saldanha (I) Chris Wedg|Adventure|Rated PG for mild peril. |7.3|USA|2002|81 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|John C. Donkin Lori Forte Christopher Meledandri|Michael J. Wilson Michael Berg (IV) Michael J. Wilson Peter Ackerman James Bresnahan Galen T. Chu Doug Compton Xeth Feinberg Jeff Siergey Mike Thurmeier||||The Coolest Event In 16,000 Years.|Back when the Earth was being overrun by glaciers, and animals were scurrying to save themselves from the upcoming Ice Age, a stupid sloth named Sid, a woolly mammoth named Manny, a saber-toothed tiger named Diego, and an acorn-loving saber-toothed squirrel named Scrat are forced to become unlikely heroes. The four reluctantly come together when they have to return a human child to its father while braving the deadly elements of the impending Ice Age.
20,000 years before, our planet is entering an ice age. All kinds of animals begin immigrating to the south, seeking more warm climates. Sid, a sloth who never stops talking is left behind sleeping while everyone else begins the journey to the south. Awaking, he meets Manny, a mammoth who travels to the north, and decides to follow him. When a humans camp is attacked by tigers, a woman takes her baby and jumps on a river. Before she drowns, the baby is rescued by Manny and Sid. The two animals decide to search for the father and return the baby to him. Diego, one of the tigers that attacked the humans, comes also claiming the baby.
|Ray Romano (Manfred (voice)) @ John Leguizamo (Sid (voice)) @ Denis Leary (Diego (voice)) @ Goran Visnjic (Soto (voice)) @ Jack Black (I) (Zeke (voice)) @ Cedric the Entertainer (Rhino (voice)) @ Stephen Root (I) (Rhino/Start (voice)) @ Diedrich Bader (Saber-Toothed Tiger (voice)||The Cartoon Within
Spoilers herein.
Overall, this is pretty ordinary product, all derivative and quickly forgotten. Not as meanspirited as Shek though.
I found one sequence remarkable: the cave painting scene. It says something about the sophistication of our society when a cartoon aimed at 6 year olds has something this intelligent in concept.
Here we are watching a cartoon, and at one point the cartoon characters watch a cartoon. Their cartoon is placed at the same distance of abstraction from them as they are from us. More, that cartoon tugs on the same strings as the one we are watching: parental loyalty in a situation of natural violence.
We are growing a set of young minds that easily understand manifold selfreference and complex multilevel ironies. And that's good. No one could have done something like this scene even a decade ago. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-36|||||@@
Raiders of the Lost Ark|Steven Spielberg|Action||8.7|USA|1981|115 min|English||||||||||False||||||||30/10/2003|Howard G. Kazanjian George Lucas Frank Marshall Robert Watts|George Lucas Philip Kaufman Lawrence Kasdan|Douglas Slocombe | |CIC-Taft Home Video [au] |The creators of JAWS and STAR WARS now bring you the ultimate hero in the ultimate adventure.|Renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, Dr. Indiana Jones, is hired by the U.S. Government to find the Ark of the Covenant, which is believed to still hold the ten commandments. Unfortunately, agents of Hitler are also after the Ark. Indy, and his ex-flame Marion, escape from various close scrapes in a quest that takes them from Nepal to Cairo.
You're in for thrills as Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) confronts snakes, Nazis and one astonishing cliffhanger after another--all topped off by awesome sequences involving the discovery and opening of the mystical Ark of the Covenant. It's one of the greatest adventures of all time.
|Harrison Ford (Indy) @ Karen Allen (Marion) @ Paul Freeman (Belloq) @ Ronald Lacey (Toht) @ John Rhys-Davies (Sallah) @ Denholm Elliott (Brody) @ Alfred Molina (Satipo) @ Wolf Kahler (Dietrich) @ Anthony Higgins (Gobler) @ Vic Tablian (Barranca/Monkey Man) @ Don Fellows (Col. Musgrove) @ William Hootkins (Major Eaton) @ Bill Reimbold (Bureaucrat) @ Fred Sorenson (Jock) @ Patrick Durkin (Australian Climber) @ Matthew Scurfield (2nd Nazi) @ Malcolm Weaver (Ratty Nepalese (as Malcom Weaver)) @ Sonny Caldinez (Mean Mongolian) @ Anthony Chinn (Mohan) @ Pat Roach (Giant Sherpa/1st Mechanic) @ Christopher Frederick (Otto) @ Tutte Lemkow (Imam) @ Ishaq Bux (Omar) @ Kiran Shah (Abu) @ Souad Messaoudi (Fayah) @ Terry Richards (Arab Swordsman) @ Steve Hanson (German Agent) @ Frank Marshall (Pilot) @ Martin Kreidt (Young Soldier) @ George Harris (Katanga) @ Eddie Tagoe (Messenger Pirate) @ John Rees (Sergeant) @ Tony Vogel (Tall Captain) @ Ted Grossman (Peruvian Porter rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Peter Diamond (German Soldier (uncredited)) @ Romo Gorrara (German Soldier (uncredited)) @ Dennis Muren (Nazi Spy on the Airplane (uncredited)) @ Michael Sheard (U-Boat Captain (uncredited)Produced by||Classic B film
George Lucas/Steven Spileberg's Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark is good action lore, inspired intensly by B films, matinee serials and of course, snakes.In this smashing film, Jones (played by first starring role man Harrison Ford) gets involved in trying to find the Ark of the covenant, and find that getting it (and mixed with nazi meanies) won't be easy.Good entertainment all around that never gets old, even if it has been almost done in by today's action films.Nice job by the star, and by the film-makers involved (the maestros Lucas and Spielberg).A
||Full Screen |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-18 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade|Steven Spielberg|Action||8.0|USA|1989|127 min|English||||||||||False||||||||30/10/2003|George Lucas Frank Marshall Arthur F. Repola Robert Watts|George Lucas Philip Kaufman George Lucas Menno Meyjes Jeffrey Boam|Douglas Slocombe | |CIC Vídeo [br] |Have the adventure of your life keeping up with the Joneses|Renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, Dr. Indiana Jones, returns for the 3rd and final Indy film. Teaming up with his father, Indiana sets out to try and find the Holy Grail. Once again, the Nazis are after the same prize, and try to foil Indianas plans.
Indiana Jones returns again, and again this time, to save the world from the Nazis. In this film, the Nazis have kidnapped Indy's father, Professor Henry Jones, for his diary, which contains maps and first-hand accounts of many of the world's most sacred and hidden items. One of these such items, the Holy Grail, is what the Nazis are after, and is the reason they had kidnapped Prof. Jones and his diary. Indy must then make his way directly into the "lion's den" - Nazi Germany - in order to save his father, his diary, and the Holy Grail - all from the Nazis.
This time, Indy (Harrison Ford) is on a perilous hunt for the Holy Grail. He's not alone, either. Joining Junior--uh, Indy--is none other than his cantankerous dad (Sean Connery). Father and son have rarely seen eye to eye. But if the adventure they share can't bridge the generation gap, nothing can. It can. It does. Also a brief glimpse into the life of Indy as an adolescent which reveals how the fedora, the bullwhip, and the ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) became part of Indy lore.
|Harrison Ford (Dr. Henry 'Indiana' Jones, Jr.) @ Sean Connery (Professor Henry Jones, Sr.) @ Denholm Elliott (Dr. Marcus Brody) @ Alison Doody (Dr. Elsa Schneider) @ John Rhys-Davies (Sallah) @ Julian Glover (Walter Donovan) @ River Phoenix (Young Indiana Jones) @ Michael Byrne (Colonel Vogel) @ Kevork Malikyan (Kazim) @ Robert Eddison (Grail Knight) @ Richard Young (Fedora) @ Alexei Sayle (Sultan) @ Alex Hyde-White (Young Henry (scenes deleted)) @ Paul Maxwell (Panama Hat) @ Isla Blair (Mrs. Donovan (as Mrs. Glover)) @ Vernon Dobtcheff (Butler) @ J.J. Hardy (Herman) @ Bradley Gregg (Roscoe) @ Jeff O'Haco (Half Breed) @ Vince Deadrick Jr. (Rough Rider (as Vince Dedrick)) @ Marc Miles (Sheriff) @ Ted Grossman (Deputy sheriff) @ Tim Hiser (Young Panama Hat) @ Larry Sanders (Scoutmaster Havelock) @ Will Miles (Scout #1) @ David Murray (Scout #2) @ Frederick Jaeger (WWI Ace (scenes deleted)) @ Jerry Harte (Professor Stanton) @ Billy J. Mitchell (Dr. Mulbray) @ Martin Gordon (Man at Hitler Rally) @ Paul Humpoletz (German Officer at Hitler Rally) @ Tom Branch (Hatay Soldier in Temple) @ Graeme Crowther (Zeppelin Crewman) @ Luke Hanson (Principal SS Officer at Castle) @ Chris Jenkinson (Officer at Castle) @ Nicola Scott (Female Officer at Castle) @ Louis Sheldon (Young Officer at Castle) @ Stefan Kalipha (Hatay Tank Gunner) @ Peter Pacey (Hatay Tank Driver) @ Pat Roach (Gestapo Agent) @ Suzanne Roquette (Film Director (scenes deleted)) @ Eugene Lipinski (G-Man) @ George Malpas (Man on Zeppelin) @ Julie Eccles (Irene) @ Nina Almond (Flower Girl rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Nick Gillard (Tank Crewman hit by Periscope (uncredited)) @ Ronald Lacey (Heinrich Himmler (uncredited)) @ Michael Sheard (Adolf Hitler (uncredited)) @ Tip Tipping (Tank Crewman (uncredited)Produced by||You call this archaeology?Sure do!
One thing you gotta say for this series: it isn't boring.
And "Last Crusade" has enough thrills, chills and spills to fill up a few dozen old Saturday afternoon serials.
Right down the line, everything about this film is superb.Ford and Connery do the father and son routine superbly.Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah, as does Elliott who plays Brody with as much befuddlement as Connery does his role.And who can blame him?
And the FX: there's so many you lose count.But don't bother, just sit back, relax and get swept up in the moment.You can't help yourself but to get into this "Crusade".
Ten stars.A classic Ford with a bright Sean. ||Full Screen |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-17 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom|Steven Spielberg|Fantasy||7.1|USA|1984|118 min|English||||||||||False||||||||30/10/2003|Kathleen Kennedy George Lucas Frank Marshall Robert Watts|George Lucas Willard Huyck Gloria Katz|Douglas Slocombe ||CIC-Taft Home Video [au] |If adventure has a name... it must be Indiana Jones.|Renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, Dr. Indiana Jones, is back in action in the 2nd Indy film. He teams up with a night club singer and a 12 year old named Short Round. They end up in an Indian village, where the people believe evil spirits have taken their children away after a sacred stone was stolen. Indiana agrees to try and retrieve the stone for the villagers.
|Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones) @ Kate Capshaw (Willie Scott) @ Jonathan Ke Quan (Short Round (as Ke Huy Quan)) @ Amrish Puri (Mola Ram) @ Roshan Seth (Chattar Lal) @ Philip Stone (Captain Blumburtt) @ Roy Chiao (Lao Che) @ David Yip (Wu Han) @ Ric Young (Kao Kan) @ Chua Kah Joo (Chen) @ Rex Ngui (Maitre d') @ Philip Tan (Chief Henchman (as Philip Tann)) @ Dan Aykroyd (Weber) @ Dr. Akio Mitamura (Chinese Pilot (as Akio Mitamura)) @ Michael Yama (Chinese Co-Pilot) @ D.R. Nanayakkara (Shaman) @ Dharmadasa Kuruppu (Chieftain) @ Stany De Silva (Sajnu) @ Ruby De Miel (Village Woman) @ D.M. Denawake (Village Woman) @ I. Serasinghe (Village Woman) @ Dharshana Panangala (Village Child) @ Raj Singh (Little Maharaja) @ Frank Olegario (Merchant #1) @ Ahmed El Shenawi (Merchant #2) @ Arthur F. Repola (Eel Eater (as Art Repola)) @ Nizwar Karanj (Sacrifice Victim) @ Pat Roach (Chief Guard) @ Moti Makan (Guard) @ Mellan Mitchell (Temple Guard) @ Bhasker (Temple Guard (as Bhasker Patel)) @ Arjun Pandher (1st Boy in Cell) @ Zia Gelani (2nd Boy in Cell) @ Debbie Astell (Dancer) @ Maureen Bacchus (Dancer) @ Corinne Barton (Dancer) @ Carol Beddington (Dancer (as Carol Bebbington)) @ Sharon Boone (Dancer) @ Elizabeth Burville (Dancer) @ Marisa Campbell (Dancer) @ Christine Cartwright (Dancer) @ Andrea Chance (Dancer) @ Jan Colton (Dancer) @ Louise Dalgleish (Dancer) @ Lorraine Doyle (Dancer) @ Vanessa Fieldwright (Dancer) @ Brenda Glassman (Dancer) @ Elaine Gough (Dancer) @ Sue Hadleigh (Dancer) @ Sarah-Jane Hassell (Dancer) @ Samantha Hughes (Dancer) @ Julie Kirk (Dancer) @ Deirdre Laird (Dancer) @ Vicki McDonald (Dancer) @ Nina McMahon (Dancer) @ Julia Marstand (Dancer) @ Gaynor Martine (Dancer) @ Lisa Mulidore (Dancer) @ Dawn Reddall (Dancer) @ Rebekkah Sekyi (Dancer) @ Clare Smalley (Dancer) @ Lee Sprintall (Dancer) @ Jenny Turnock (Dancer) @ Ruth Welby (Dancer rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Sidney Ganis (Missionary (uncredited)) @ George Lucas (Missionary (uncredited)) @ Frank Marshall (Tourist at Airport (uncredited)) @ Anthony Powell (Missionary (uncredited)) @ Steven Spielberg (Tourist at Airport (uncredited)Produced by||good action drama
A swashbuckling hero with a whip takes on a cult of zealots in a well filmed movie with wall to wall action. Great film for the kids. Harrison Ford played the part of Jones to the hilt. ||Full Screen |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-18 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
In-Laws, The|Andrew Fleming|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for suggestive humor, language, some drug references and action violence. |5.4|USA|2003/I|USA:95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||29/09/2003|David Coatsworth Bill Gerber Oliver Hengst Elie Samaha Joel Simon Andrew Stevens Bill Todman Jr.|Andrew Bergman Nat Mauldin Ed Solomon|Alexander Gruszynski ||Central Partnership [ru] |The cake is going to hit the fan|When prospective fathers-in-law Steve Tobias and Jerry Peyser meet for the first time to celebrate their children's upcoming marriage, the cake hits the fan. Dr. Jerome Peyser is a mild-mannered podiatrist with a well-organized daily routine designed to eliminate all possible sources of stress. Meanwhile, daredevil CIA operative Steve Tobias moves through life like a heat-seeking missile. His average day consists of dodging bullets, stealing private jets and negotiating with international arms smugglers. Now he's giving potential father-of-the-bride Jerry a serious case of pre-nuptial jitters. Steve's dramatic entrances and exits, his cryptic references to a Russian runaway named Olga and his fight with a gunman in a restaurant washroom causes Jerry to see a vision of his daughter's perfectly planned wedding blowing up in his face. As far as Jerry's concerned, letting Steve into his family takes til death do us part way too literally. Before he can say the wedding is off, Jerry suddenly finds himself embroiled in the chaos that follows in Steve's wake as he is dragged kicking and screaming into a series of perilous adventures that take the mismatched in-laws-to-be halfway around the world.
|Michael Douglas (Steve Tobias) @ Michael Bodnar (Cherkasov's Bodyguard) @ Vladimir Radian (Cherkasov) @ Robin Tunney (Angela Harris) @ Albert Brooks (Jerry Peyser) @ Boyd Banks (Patient) @ Susan Aceron (Nurse) @ Lindsay Sloane (Melissa Peyser) @ Maria Ricossa (Katherine Peyser) @ Ryan Reynolds (Mark Tobias) @ Chang Tseng (Quan Le) @ Tamara Gorski (Yadira) @ Matt Birman (Agent at Restaurant) @ A. Russell Andrews (Agent Will Hutchins (as Russell Andrews)) @ Richard Waugh (Agent Thorn) @ Sergio Di Zio (Lecture Room Subject) @ Aaron Abrams (Student) @ Emmy Laybourne (Gloria Rudnick) @ Novie Edwards (Bridesmaid #1) @ Tamara Levitt (Bridesmaid #2) @ Jeanie Calleja (Bridesmaid #3) @ Miranda Black (Bridesmaid #4) @ Gregory Vitale (Thibodoux Guard #1) @ Jeremy Mosier (Thibodoux Guard #2) @ Marcel Brouillet (Thibodoux Guard #3) @ Michel Brouillet (Thibodoux Guard #4) @ Stefano Rocchetti (Thibodoux Guard #5) @ Billy Khoury (Thibodoux Guard #6) @ Luke Vitale (Thibodoux Guard #7) @ David Suchet (Jean-Pierre Thibodoux) @ Paul Robbins (Thief at Thibodoux's) @ Mike Beaver (Rude Floral Consultant) @ Candice Bergen (Judy Tobias) @ Drew Lee (Buddhist Monk) @ Matthew Lantz (Dishwasher at the Marriott) @ Harry Wayne Casey (Himself (as KC)) @ Maria De Crescenzo (KC Background Singer) @ Charlotte McKinnon (KC Background Singer) @ Jason Frost (Sunshine Band Member) @ Ralph Hunter (Sunshine Band Member) @ Stephen Lashley (Sunshine Band Member) @ Adjeti Osekre (Sunshine Band Member) @ Peter Brewer (Sunshine Band Member) @ Kenner Ames (Janitor) @ Eric Fink (Uncle Ben) @ Cara Pifko (Female Rabbi) @ David Christo (Frat Brother #1) @ Aaron Alexander (Frat Brother #1) @ Perry Perlmutar (Frat Brother #3) @ Jack Duffy (The Other UncleProduced by||Should Be Laws Against This.
A film that would have been so much better if it had just been a two-man show, but ultimately fails due to second-rate performers and a screenplay that is sophomoric at best. "The In-Laws" is a mildly entertaining experience as CIA operative Michael Douglas and Chicago foot doctor Albert Brooks meet when their siblings prepare to wed. Brooks knows immediately that there is something not quite right with Douglas and Douglas tries to downplay his life, but soon they both find themselves involved in international smuggling and very dangerous situations with shady super-criminal figures. Douglas and Brooks make an appealing team, but there is not much substance here for them to work with. No one else in the production is believable or interesting. All that is except sexually-confused French smuggler David Suchet who steals every scene he is a part of. In the end "The In-Laws" was all right for a few laughs, but it is just typical summer fare that under-achieves more than it overwhelms. 2.5 out of 5 stars. |Region 1 |Widescreen Edition |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |2.0 Surround |2-18|||||@@
Inspector Gadget|David Kellogg|Family|Rated PG for whacky violence/action, language and innuendo. |4.1|USA|1999|78 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Lou Arkoff Jon Avnet Barry Bernardi Roger Birnbaum Jean Chalopin Jonathan Glickman Andy Heyward Jordan Kerner (I) Aaron Meyerson Ralph Winter|Andy Heyward Jean Chalopin Bruno Bianchi (I) Dana Olsen Kerry Ehrin Kerry Ehrin Zak Penn|Adam Greenberg |||The ultimate crime fighting machine.|A remake of the television series, Matthew Broderick stars as Gadget, who suffers an accident at the beginning of the film, and befriends Brenda (Joely Fisher), a robotic surgeon who repairs Gadget so that he can defeat the villain Claw (Everett). In the meantime, Gadget and Brenda fall in love.
Security guard John Brown wants to be a cop. After a battle with a cyberthief leaves him critically injured, Brown's employer, Dr. Brenda Bradford, turns him into the robotic cybercop Inspector Gadget. Gadget and Brenda battle the Claw, an evil industrialist intent on stealing Brenda's technological secrets and destroying Gadget once and for all.
|Matthew Broderick (Officer John Brown/Inspector Gadget/Robo Gadget) @ Rupert Everett (Sanford Scolex/Dr. Claw) @ Joely Fisher (Dr. Brenda Bradford/Robo Brenda) @ Michelle Trachtenberg (Penny) @ Andy Dick (Kramer, Dr. Claw's Chief Scientist) @ Cheri Oteri (Mayor Wilson of Riverton) @ Michael G. Hagerty (Sikes, Dr. Claw's #1 Henchman) @ Dabney Coleman (Chief Quimby of Riverton Police Department||Go Go Gadget!
This movie is actually pretty good. It was much better than what most critics said. Now that is surprising though. Why? Because this was made by Disney, a studio (to put it nicely) I am really not fond of. Matthew Broderick does a good job as the title character (really). The other actors don't play their characters as well as they could have. Moving to a more positive aspect, the special effects are another major highlight of the movie. Same for the action and fight scenes. As for the story, it's okay. The story is pretty much a prequel to the animated series, showing Inspector Gadget's origin. It's far from perfect, but keep in mind this movie is based on a Saturday morning series from the eighties and intended for the kids. Thumbs up. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-19|||||@@
Inspector Gadget 2|Alex Zamm|Action|Rated G - Previously rated (PG) for some mild violence/peril. |3.4|USA|2003|Argentina:89 min/ Japan:89 min/ USA:88 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Roger Birnbaum Jean Chalopin Peter M. Green Andy Heyward Charles Hirschhorn (I) Jordan Kerner (I) David Roessell|Andy Heyward Jean Chalopin Bruno Bianchi (I) Ron Anderson (V) William Robertson (III) Alex Zamm|Geoffrey Wharton |||Inspect the unexpected.|On the outskirts of Riverton, "The Safest City in America", a pensive Inspector Gadget sits in his Gadgetmobile, along with his canine companion, Brain. Gadget is back on the job, on stakeout, but he is concerned that everything is too quiet in Riverton. He has a very simple, rational answer to this; " it's always the most quiet just before criminals strike". Evil must be afoot. In a moment of overzealous crime fighting Gadget arrests an elderly women for wreckless driving, but not without incident. In his effort to make the arrest Gadget's many crime fighting "accessories" go wildly astray. It's time to report back to headquarters for a checkup. Baxter, the "Q" of the Police Department, delivers the prognosis - as he is a prototype things are bound to have some glitches. The remedy is close at hand. But, before Baxter can tell of his new "top secret", Gadget is confronted by a furious Chief Quimby. The little old lady arrested earlier for wreckless driving turns out to be Quimby's mother. Gadget is put on notice - any more mistakes and he is on probation. Meanwhile, in the dead of night, and in a raging storm, something happens that will change Gadget's destiny forever - his arch enemy, his nemesis, Claw makes a daring escape from Riverton Prison. Now, evil really is afoot. Chief Quimby offers Inspector Gadget one last chance to redeem himself through the capture, and return to incarceration, of Claw. And so the chase begins.
|French Stewart (Inspector Gadget) @ Elaine Hendrix (G2) @ Tony Martin (II) (Claw) @ Caitlin Wachs (Penny) @ Mark Mitchell (I) (Chief Quimby) @ Sigrid Thornton (Mayor Wilson) @ Bruce Spence (Baxter) @ Alethea McGrath (Mrs. Quimby||I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I absolutley HATED this movie!
Okay, I'm gonna admit it right here and now. I liked the first IG. I know most people hate it, but I thought it was a very nice little movie. But THIS. This was just plain silly!!
Nothing at all made any sense at all. Okay, now I thought in the first movie, John Brown/Inspector Gadget got a girlfriend, but WHERE IS SHE IN THIS MOVIE???!!! Second of all, how the heck could a human guy like IG fall in love with a robot??!!! What the heck where the writers thinking??!!!!! How could a human/robot breed with a robot?! ROBOTS HAVE NO REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS!!! The whole thing was totally whacked! And IG was just annoying in this movie!!! He was nothing but a smart-aleck know-it-all who was stupid and totally unfunny. Sheesh, what in the world happened to him after the first film?? And I hate what they did with Claw. How come in the first movie, he talked normal, but in this movie he has that wierd robot voice. Also, how come he turned into an old man? WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON HERE??!!!!
Overall, this movie was just dead awful to me. It made no sense at all. This piece of crap gets a big fat, 1/10!!! Once again, I apologize to "The Secret Of Nimh". This movie, along with MST3K's "Invasion Of The Neptune Men" were worse. |Region 1 |Movies |1.66 : 1 |5.1 |1-8|||||@@
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles|Neil Jordan|Drama|R |7.0|USA|1994|123 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|David Geffen Redmond Morris Stephen Woolley|Anne Rice Anne Rice|Philippe Rousselot | ||Drink From Me And Live Forever|It hadn't even been a year since a plantation owner named Louis had lost his wife, and now he had lost his will to live. A vampire named Lestat takes a liking to Louis and offers him the chance to become a creature of the night: a vampire. Louis accepts, and Lestat drains Louis' mortal blood and then replaces it with his own turning Louis into a vampire. Louis must learn from Lestat the ways of the vampire.
In 1791, plantation owner Louis outside New Orleans has lost his courage to live. He gets bitten by the vampire Lestat and is himself turned into one. He hates being a vampire and refuses to kill humans. Louis and Lestat turn a little girl, Claudia, into a vampire, and together they live on through the centuries.
A character study on what kind of mind it takes to survive the pain of centuries of time. A montage on the intricacies of "human" relationships once one is freed from the chains of normal mortality. Men, Blood, Death, Costumes, Architecture, flames, it is all there - If your interested in that kind of thing.
|Tom Cruise (Lestat de Lioncourt) @ Brad Pitt (Louis de Pointe du Lac) @ Kirsten Dunst (Claudia) @ Stephen Rea (Santiago) @ Antonio Banderas (Armand) @ Christian Slater (Daniel Malloy) @ Virginia McCollam (Whore on waterfront) @ John McConnell (I) (Gambler||Merciful death is bittersweet.
Great sets and equally impressive costumes fill this lurid and dark vampire tale. Anne Rice adapts her best selling 1976 novel for the big screen. The story of depraved love, lust and hunger is told to a reporter(Christian Slater)by Louis(Brad Pitt)the conscience-stricken protege of the unremorseful and lascivious Lestat(Tom Cruise). Lestat tries hard to convince Louis that the blood of New Orleans aristocrats is the most pleasing of all. Louis would rather suck the blood of rats and chickens than to take human life. Joining them for companionship is Claudia(twelve yr old Kirsten Dunst)who favors sinking her fangs into whores and elderly women. Armand(Antonio Banderas)the oldest living vampire in the world lashes out his judgment of the three blood suckers.
It is fun watching Cruise and Pitt living as a couple in hopes of hiding their vampirish way of life. Miss Dunst is absolutely great as a character that ages thirty some odd years while staying in the body of a child. Note:Cruise was not Rice's favorite choice to play Lestat, but after the finished product was said to be more than pleased. Moody and gruesome, but a must for vampire fans. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |2-15 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Intolerable Cruelty (Widescreen)|||PG-13 |||2003|100 mins|||||||||||False||||||||19/03/2004|||||||ìîééìñ îàñé (â'åøâ' ÷ìåðé) éù àú äëì.
äåà òåøê ãéï îåáéì ìòðééðé âéøåùéí äçé áìåñ àðâ'ìñ, éù ìå øùéîú ì÷åçåú îëåáãú, àçåæé äöìçä âáåäéí ááéú äîùôè, àú ääòøëä ùì ëì òîéúéå ìî÷öåò åàôéìå äñëí îîåï ùð÷øà òì ùîå.
àáì òëùéå îééìñ îâéò ìöåîú áçééí. äåà ùáò îäöìçä åäùòîåí îåáéì àåúå ìçôù àúâøéí çãùéí.
ëì æä îùúðä ëùîééìñ ôåâù éøéáä øàåéä áãîåúä ùì îøìéï ø÷ñøåú' ääåøñú (÷úøéï æèä â'åðñ), àùúå åá÷øåá âøåùúå ùì ø÷ñ ø÷ñøåú' (àãåàøã äøîï), àéì ðãì"ï òùéø åîôìøèè ñãøúé.
áòæøúå ùì çå÷ø ôøèé áùí âàñ ôèõ' (ñãøé÷ äáãøï), îøìéï îöôä ìòöîàåú ëìëìéú ùäñãø âéøåùéí ðàä éëåì ìñô÷ ìä.
àáì úåãåú ìîééìñ äîéåîï äéà ðåúøú ììà ëìåí.
îøìéï àéðä îáæáæú æîï, åëçì÷ îäúçáåìåú ùìä äéà îîäøú ìäúçúï òí èéé÷åï ðôè òùéø áùí äàååøã ãåééì (áéìé áåá ú'åøðèåï). ä÷øá äæä ø÷ äúçéì.
è÷èé÷åú ùåðåú, ù÷øéí îúåçëîéí åîùéëä áìúé îåëçùú áéï äùðééí, äí ø÷ çì÷ îäîøëéáéí ùì ÷åîãéä ÷ìàñéú æå òì îàá÷ áéï äîéðéí.
It's comic goldias two of Hollywood's most dazzling stars - George Clooney andiAcademy Award-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones - light up theiscreeniin Intolerable Cruelty,ia hilarious romantic comedy about men, women, andieverything that can go wrong between them.Sparks fly when brilliant divorce attorney Miles Massey (Clooney) meets his matchiin theibeautiful but ruthless Marylin Rexroth (Zeta-Jones).From Academy Award-winning directors Joel Coen andiEthan Coen (Fargo; O Brother Where Art Thou), Intolerable Cruelty) also stars multi-talented Billy Bob Thornton andioutrageous Cedric theiEntertainer. ||||Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: DTS 5.1 SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1||||||@@
Italian Job, The|F. Gary Gray|Adventure|Rated PG-13 for violence and some language. |6.9|USA|2003|111 min|English||||||||||False||||||||29/09/2003|Tim Bevan Guido Cerasuolo Donald De Line Jim Dyer Eric Fellner Wendy Japhet Lynsey Jones|Troy Kennedy-Martin Donna Powers Wayne Powers|Wally Pfister ||Paramount Pictures [us] |Steal The Day 5.30.03|A gang of robbers, lead by career criminal Charlie Croker, create the largest traffic jam in Los Angeles history, giving them time to pull off a theft of gold bullion. They get away in their Mini Coopers, which are small enough to drive on sidewalks so they can make a clean get away before the traffic jam clears.
The plan was flawless... the job was executed perfectly... the escape was clean. The only threat mastermind thief Charlie Croker (Wahlberg) never saw coming was a member of his own crew. After pulling off an amazing gold bullion heist from a heavily guarded palazzo in Venice, Italy, Charlie and his gang -- inside man Steve (Norton), computer genius Lyle (Green), wheelman handsome Rob (Statham), explosives expert Left-Ear (Mos Def) and veteran safecracker John Bridger (Sutherland) - can't believe when one of them turns out to be a double-crosser. Enter Stella (Theron), a beautiful nerves-of-steel safecracker, who joins Charlie and his former gang when they follow the backstabber to California, where they plan to re-steal the gold by tapping into Los Angeles' traffic control system, manipulating signals and creating one of the biggest traffic jams in LA history. Now the job isn't the payoff, it's about payback.
In Venice, Italy, a team of expert theives pulls a daring heist of 35 million dollars in bars of gold. One of the theives betrays his companions and swipes the gold for himself. One year later, in Los Angeles, the surviving team members create a smart and devious plan to steal back the gold and get their revenge on the traitor.
|Mark Wahlberg (Charlie Croker) @ Charlize Theron (Stella Bridger) @ Donald Sutherland (John Bridger) @ Jason Statham (Handsome Rob) @ Seth Green (Lyle) @ Mos Def (Left Ear) @ Edward Norton (Steve) @ Fausto Callegarini (Italian Guard) @ Stefano Petronelli (Garbageman/Thug) @ Fabio Scarpa (Garbageman/Thug) @ Cristiano Bonora (Garbageman/Thug) @ Tiberio Greco (Garbageman/Thug) @ Jimmy Shubert (First Detective) @ Tammi Cubilette (Second Detective) @ Mary Portser (Stella's Receptionist) @ Shawn Fanning (Himself) @ Christopher Moore Jr. (Young Left Ear) @ Terrelle Jones (Kid On Left) @ Valentine Ebunilo (Kid On Right) @ Joel Homan (Young Charlie) @ Erik Walker (Bully) @ Scott Adsit (Actor Reharsing in Car) @ Boris Lee Krutonog (Yevhen (as Boris Krutonog)) @ Julie Costello (Becky) @ Oscar Nunez (Security Guard) @ Franky G (Wrench) @ Marty Ryan (ATSAC Supervisor) @ Aaron Speiser (Danielson) @ Olek Krupa (Mashkov) @ Gawtti (Skinny Pete) @ Melanie Jayne (Skinny Pete's Girl) @ Gregory Scott Cummins (Ukranian) @ Thomas Alexander (Vance) @ Martin Morales (Valet) @ Frank Nyi (ATSAC Employee (as Dr. Frank Nyi)) @ Simon Rhee (Armored Truck Guard) @ Merritt Yohnka (Gold Truck Driver) @ Ryan B. Adams (Metro Conductor) @ John Alden (Motorcycle Guard) @ Gloria O'Brien (Handsome Rob's Policewoman (as Gloria Fontenot)) @ Alfred Soltes (Left Ear's Butler) @ Kelly Brook (Lyle's Girlfriend rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ John H. Tobin (Biltmore Bartender (uncredited)Produced by||Honor Among Thieves Redux
THE ITALIAN JOB (2003) *** Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Mos Def, Jason Statham, Franky G., Donald Sutherland.Entertaining remake of the 1969 Michael Caine flick of the same name, this time with Wahlberg as the leader of a band of thieves who demand revenge when snaky partner Norton double-crossed them on their last gig (a $35 M cache in Venice) with a lot at stake including the daughter of his late mentor wanting vengeance (Theron).Fine action sequences and clever plottings thanks to the husband/wife screenwriting team of Wayne and Donna Powers who wisely add humor (largely to techno-geek Green who steals the show) to the criminal acts at hand.Calibrated direction by F. Gary Gray makes for a better than anticipated testosterone driven caper flick; film's highlight is the climactic heist involving Mini Coopers and LA's subway system against a chopper . |Region 1 |Full Screen Collection |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-35 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Jing wu ying xiong|Gordon Chan|Action|Rated R for some strong martial arts violence. |7.4|Hong Kong|1994|USA:103 min|Cantonese||||||||||False||||||||25/01/2004|Jet Li |Gordon Chan Lan Kay Toa Kwong Kim Yip|Derek Wan ||Buena Vista Home Video (BVHV) [us] ||Over twenty years since the first telling of the story, Bruce Lee's _Fist of Fury_ returns to the screen. The story is a classic one that has its roots in an actual event in Chinese history -- the defeat of Master Huo at the hands of the Japanese. This time around, popular actor and martial arts champion Jet Li steps into the shoes of folk hero Chen Zhen, in a race to save his master's honor and his own pride.
|Jet Li (Chen Zhen) @ Shinobu Nakayama (Mitsuko Yamada) @ Siu-hou Chin (Hou Ting-An) @ Billy Chow (General Fujita (Supreme Killer)) @ Yasuaki Kurata (Funakochi Fumio) @ Paul Chiang (Uncle Noh) @ Ada Choi (Xian-hong (So Lan)) @ Cheung-Yan Yuen (Captain Jie) @ Toshimichi Takahashi (Japanese Ambassador) @ Jackson Liu (Akutagawa Ryuichi rest of cast listed alphabetically Paul Chu .... Nong) @ Shun-Yee Yuen (NgaiProduced by||One of THE martial arts films
Simply put, Fist of Legend is one of the very best martial arts films ever made. It stands in a group with Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon, Jackie Chan's Drunken Master II, and...as soon as I think of anything as good as those three, I'll let you know.
Choreographed by the legendary Yuen Wo-Ping, this is Jet Li at his best (and that's saying a lot, folks). Eschewing the aerial wire stunts, Li relies on skill, speed and agility, and is more than up to the task. These fights - and there are a lot of them - are stunning. But the real wonder is that there's a real movie here underneath all the stuntwork. Interesting characters, an intriguing plot, and conflict that goes deeper than "you killed my master"; there's even some political comment. This is a thinly-veiled remake of Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" (or "The Chinese Connection" in the US, for some bizarre reason), but the story's been widened and given more depth. There's less Japanese-bashing, with more of an attempt to pin blame on individuals instead of nationalities.
If Jet Li is ever going to have a formidable American presence, it's films like this one that should be making the conversion, instead of merely above-average fare like "Black Mask".
|Region 1 |Jet Li Collection |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |2-13|||||@@
Johnny English|Peter Howitt|Action|Rated PG for comic nudity, some crude humor and language. |5.7|UK|2003|UK:88 min|English||||||||||False||||||||25/01/2004|Tim Bevan Jo Burn Liza Chasin Chris Clark Eric Fellner Debra Hayward Mark Huffam|Neal Purvis Robert Wade William Davies|Remi Adefarasin ||Mars Distribution [fr] |He Knows No Fear. He Knows No Danger. He Knows Nothing.|Rowan plays the eponymous lead character in a spoof spy thriller. During the course of the story we follow our hero as he attempts to single-handedly save the country from falling into the hands of a despot.
When all but one of MI5's top agents are killed in an explosion. It is left to the inept Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) to try and solve who has stolen the crown jewels from the Tower of London. Accompanied by his assistant Bough (Ben Miller), Johnny bungles his way through one scrape after another.
Johnny English, a British secret agent who dreams of rising beyodn his menial job within the MI-7 organization, is hired to protect the Crown Jewels after all the other agents are bumped off. When the jewels are stolen, he eventually uncovers a plot to replace England's monarch with what the British fear the most: a French king.
|Rowan Atkinson (Johnny English) @ Tasha de Vasconcelos (Exotic Woman) @ Ben Miller (Bough) @ Greg Wise (Agent One) @ Douglas McFerran (Carlos Vendetta) @ Steve Nicolson (Dieter Klein) @ Terence Harvey (Official at Funeral) @ Kevin McNally (Prime Minister) @ Tim Pigott-Smith (Pegasus) @ Nina Young (Pegasus' Secretary) @ Rowland Davies (Sir Anthony Chevenix) @ Natalie Imbruglia (Lorna Campbell) @ Philippa Fordham (Snobby Woman) @ John Malkovich (Pascal Sauvage) @ Tim Berrington (Roger) @ Simon Bernstein (Assailant) @ Martin Lawton (Hearse Driver) @ Neville Phillips (Priest) @ Oliver Ford Davies (Archbishop of Canterbury) @ Takuya Matsumoto (Sushi Waiter) @ Peter Tenn (Sushi Bar Customer) @ Sam Beazley (Elderly Man) @ Kevin Moore (Doctor) @ Faruk Pruti (Truth Serum Guard) @ Marc Danbury (Guard) @ Jack Raymond (French Reception Waiter) @ Jenny Galloway (Foreign Secretary) @ Haylie Eckert (String Quartet (as Bond)) @ Tania Davis (String Quartet (as Bond)) @ Eos Chater (String Quartet (as Bond)) @ Gay-Yee Westerhoff (String Quartet (as Bond)) @ Chris Tarrant (Radio Announcer (voice)) @ James Greene (Scottish Bishop) @ Clive Graham (Welsh Bishop) @ Trevor McDonald (Newscaster (voice) rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ James Embree (Sauvage Henchman (uncredited)) @ Carl Ganderton (Choir (uncredited)) @ Irene Hamilton (Queen (uncredited)Produced by||It's certainly not a great movie, but to say it's vastly superior to the Austin Powers series is to pay it too small a compliment.
It's not just that the jokes are funnier (there's one explicit poo joke, which is one too many, but still: it's just the one) or that Rowan Atkinson is a far better performer than Mike Myers, or anything comparatively trivial like that. No. The real difference is that "Johnny English" has its heart in the right place. Part of this difference is the fact that it has a heart at all.
English, unlike Powers, is not just a blank space in which the screenwriters can insert gags. He's a character. And there'smore to the character than just clumsiness and pomposity. English is endearing because he's manifestly no fool. We know more than he knows, we see the banana skin immediately in front of his feet which he invariably fails to see, and in a way it's his fault he fails to see it himself, but his failure to see it is always something other than a failure of intelligence. He's easy enough to humiliate but, for some reason, hard to hoodwink. It's refreshing, too, that we're allowed to feel for him - when, for instance, he's dismissed from the case. We see Johnny English being devastated, not Rowan Atkinson trying to be funny.
Sure, it's not what it could have been. It's funny without being brilliantly so, and the satire (what there is of it) is on the blunt side. But these merely negative failings aren't enough to kill a film. Its biggest problem may be bad timing. When the script was being written, the anti-French sentiment must have seemed quaint and amusing, harmless because unreal; nobody could have predicted, surely, the sickening wave of hatred (the fact that it was all planned by the likes of Rupert Murdoch does not, alas, make the hatred any less real) that was shortly to sweep over the English-speaking world. Any joke about the French now has a sour taste at best. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Movies |2-11|||||@@
Joseph: King of Dreams|Rob LaDuca Robert C. Ramire|Drama|NR |6.1|USA|2000|75 min|English||DivX|1||DivX V5|1141 |592x320|MPEG Layer 3|192 |False|44,100 Hz|2|697.16 MB||||25.00|03/11/2003|Penney Finkelman Cox Steve Hickner Jeffrey Katzenberg Traci Tolman Mars Ken Tsumura Mitch Watson Randi Yaffa|Eugenia Bostwick-Singer Raymond Singer Joe Stillman Marshall Goldberg|||Argentina Video Home (AVH) [ar] ||Based on the well-known story which, in terms of religion, is known to be taken from the book of Genesis, 'King of Dreams' centers on the life of Joseph, a "miracle child" with the gift of interpreting dreams. Because he was born to a barren woman, his parents dubbed him such and he quickly became the favorite of his father, Jacob, much to the envy of his ten older brothers. After Jacob gives Joseph a beautiful coat; and after Joseph shares his dreams of the brothers bowing down to him, they decide that they've had enough of it. So one unseemingly unsuspecting day, they gang up on Joseph and sell him to slave traders, who, in turn, take him to faraway Egypt. There, he is sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's army. Even as a slave, Joseph continues to stand out because of his hard work and Potiphar eventually comes to notice this. As a result, he puts Joseph in charge of his entire household. It is also here where Joseph meets Asenath, his first love interest. Potiphar's wife also notices Joseph, but in a romantic manner. One night, after attempting to "approach" him, he refuses her company and he is falsely accused of harming her. Because of this, he is thrown into prison by Potiphar. There, he meets the Pharaoh's baker and butler, whose dreams he interprets. After they are released, Joseph is left there for a few more years until one day when Potiphar released him because Pharaoh needs him to interpret a dream that has been torturing him lately - as he heard from his butler. Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams which resemble a famine of Egypt, and because of this Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the whole country and makes him the second most powerful man in the land. From here, Joseph meets Asenath again and they marry; and afterwards, he prepares the country for the famine. It is during this time when he is reunited with his brothers who come to Egypt for food. After scheming up a way to reveal himself to them, as well as meeting his new brother Benjamin, Joseph finally confesses himself after placing his cup in Benjamin's sack after a banquet; and there a heartwarming exchange of apologies and forgiveness occurs. Afterwards, Joseph invites his whole family to live in Egypt and is reunited with his father once more. From there, the next big thing, 'The Prince of Egypt,' begins.
|Ben Affleck (Joseph (voice)) @ Mark Hamill (Judah (voice)) @ Richard Herd (Jacob (voice)) @ Maureen McGovern (Rachel (voice)) @ Jodi Benson (Asenath (voice)) @ Judith Light (Zuleika (voice)) @ James Eckhouse (Potiphar (voice)) @ Richard McGonagle (Pharaoh (voice)) @ David Campbell (Joseph (singing voice)) @ Steven Weber (Simeon/Slave Trader (voice)) @ Dan Castellaneta (Auctioneer/Horse Trader (voice)) @ Rene Auberjonois (Butler (voice)) @ Ken Hudson Campbell (Baker (voice) (as Ken Campbell)) @ Tom Virtue (Reuben (voice)) @ Jeff Bennett (Levi (voice)) @ Jess Harnell (Issachar/Lead Trader (voice)) @ Matt Levin (Benjamin (voice)Produced by||A Good Work...
In this day of pure junk that gets foisted off on our kids(and parents that buy the movies) this film is a treat. I can't sit and tell you how close that this story follows the Bible, and in the opening credits, it states that some license was taken. Fine. My children sat thru it and enjoyed it. That's the sign of a good movie for a young person.
With the sole exception of the folks that make the "Veggie Tales" series of videos, there seems to be a great lack of good movies with a positive tone, without a ton of violence, and good "values" tossed in. Like Prince of Egypt, this movie has it's Biblical tone, but never forces it down your throat, in the way that some kid's Bible videos, do.
Even if you have a problem with movies along those lines, "Joseph" is a pleasing piece of work.
I'm not a Pollyanna by any means, but in light of what our kids have been watching since September 2001, isn't it nice that there are a few feature length films that can be shown to youngsters, without worrying about what might be seen?
A good 6 out of 10.
|Region 1 |Special Edition |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |5.1 |2-20|||||@@
Jungle Book 2, The|Steve Trenbirth|Adventure|Rated G
|5.0|USA|2003|72 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Christopher Chase Mary Thorne (II)|Carter Crocker Karl Geurs Rudyard Kipling David Reynolds (I) Tom Rogers (II) Roger S.H. Schulman Evan Spiliotopoulos|||Buena Vista Home Video (BVHV) [us] |Baloo is Back Only In Theatres This February|Jungle boy Mowgli (voiced by Osment) decides to forsake civilized village life for the "bare necessities" of the wild with his old friends. However, the evil tiger Shere Khan is looking for a little payback after Mowgli's last adventure. Trouble's a-brewing!
Mowgli feels out of place in his new home, despite the efforts of his friend Shanti and her little brother. So when Baloo arrives for a visit, the man-cub takes the opportunity to return for some fun in the jungle. However, Shanti, believing her friend was taken, follows them. With Shere Khan still on the hunt for him, Mowgli must protect himself and the ones he cares about from the dangers ahead. The new adventures make him reconsider his decisions and decide which he wants more - a life of laid back hilarity with Baloo in the jungle or a simpler existance in the man village with Shanti.
|Phil Collins (Lucky the Vulture (voice)) @ Jim Cummings (Kaa/Colonel Hathi (voice)) @ Connor Funk (Ranjan (voice)) @ John Goodman (Baloo (voice)) @ Tony Jay (Shere Khan (voice)) @ Bob Joles (Bagheera (voice)) @ Haley Joel Osment (Mowgli (voice)) @ John Rhys-Davies (Mowgli's father (voice)||The horror...
After having recently been spoiled by the masterpieces of Miyazaki, I may be a bit biased, but JBII is, by far, the WORST crapquel yet to come out of the Disney machine! Forget the atrocious animation and nonexistent plot for a second- passable, even good movies have been made with both- and let's focus on what makes this pile of turd particularly odious...
Haley Joel Osment is ANNOYING AS HELL in this movie! Osment's performance doesn't come close to that of the original Mowgli. Whereas the original is far more subdued, Osment sounds like a high-pitched soul singer. Plus, the dialogue they give him makes the entire movie unbearable to listen to. Hearing "Yeah man!" repeated over and over again made me want to smash the TV (This wasn't worth going to a movie for, obviously) to bits, and hearing Osment and Goodman reprise Bare Necessities in bad singing voices made me want to cut my ears off!
Unless you want your little ones screaming "Yeah Man!" to their friends (and likely getting a beatdown as a result), AVOID THIS MOVIE AT ALL COSTS! |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |MPEG-2 5.1 ||||||@@
Just Married|Shawn Levy|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some crude humor and a brief drug reference. |5.0|USA|2003|95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Guido Cerasuolo Josie Rosen Lauren Shuler Donner Ira Shuman Robert Simonds Tracey Trench|Sam Harper |Jonathan Brown (I) |||It was the perfect honeymoon... Until it began.|A happy young couple, Sarah and Tom (Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher) marry against the wishes of Sarah's friends and family and go to Europe for their Honeymoon. Unfortunately for them, Sarah's parents send Sarah's ex-boyfriend Peter Prentis (played by Christian Kane) to break up the happy marriage.
|Ashton Kutcher (Tom Leezak) @ Brittany Murphy (Sarah McNerney) @ Christian Kane (Peter Prentiss) @ David Moscow (Kyle) @ Monet Mazur (Lauren) @ David Rasche (Mr. McNerney) @ Thad Luckinbill (Willie McNerney) @ David Agranov (Paul McNerney||Speak Now, Or Forever Hold Your Peace.
Young couple Tom (Ashton Kutcher) and Sarah (Brittany Murphy) meet cute at the beach and, on an emotional high, get married soon after.The main premise of the movie is that their honeymoon turns out to be a disaster...
There are a number of awkward and boring moments in the first half, but it gets a little better as it goes on.When all was said and done, however, I didn't laugh a whole lot.The movie manages to coast for much of its running time based on the very likeable young actors in the leads.It's Kutcher who manages to get most of the laughs; he can get laughs with just a facial expression!
I don't think it's really that good but I also find it a hard picture to hate.At the very least, those who are so inclined can enjoy that beautiful European scenery.
I feel bad for actress Veronica Cartwright.Appearing uncredited (as Sarah's mother), she has to utter the movie's stupidest line.Are there any people in real life with the same nickname as her character?
Mainly noteworthy for the fact that Kutcher and Murphy were a couple in real life as well ...for a bit.Now of course, his star's shot into the stratosphere because he's dating Demi Moore.
Anyway, I gave this one five out of ten.I heard that critics everywhere tore this movie to pieces, but come on, give me a break, what were they expecting?"Roman Holiday Part Two?" |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-25|||||@@
Keeping the Faith|Edward Norton|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and language. |6.9|USA|2000|128 min|English||DivX|2||DivX;-) V3.11 LOW MOTION|1001 |640x352|AC3-Digital|375 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1400.65 MB||||23.98|03/11/2003|Gary Barber Roger Birnbaum Stuart Blumberg Jonathan Glickman Hawk Koch Edward Norton|Stuart Blumberg |Anastas N. Michos ||Buena Vista International Spain S.A. [es] |If you have to believe in something, you might as well believe in love.|Best friends, a priest (Norton) and a rabbi (Stiller) both fall in love with the same girl (Elfman). However, neither of the men can pursue the relationship due to their religious beliefs: the priest cannot break his vow of celibacy and the rabbi cannot marry her since she is not Jewish.
A love triangle between three friends. It's a story that many have seen, read or even experienced. But one involving a priest and a rabbi? This premise joke-laden, but it also creates an interesting twist for Keeping the Faith. Starring Ben Stiller as Rabbi Jake Schram and Edward Norton as Father Brian Finn, these two friends are out to update their religions and draw in more worshippers. With the arrival of Anna Reilly (Jenny Elfman), an old childhood friend of the two, the men's lives are thrown a curveball. Anna has become a stunning beauty with a lot of spunk and ambition, and both of them want her. A major road block to Anna for both men is their religion. Jake is up for a head position at his synagogue and taking on a non-Jewish partner is frowned upon, besides the fact that his mother disowned his brother for marrying a non-Jewish woman. Brian has given a vow of celibacy to become a priest.
|Ben Stiller (Rabbi Jake Schram) @ Edward Norton (Father Brian Finn) @ Jenna Elfman (Anna Riley) @ Anne Bancroft (Ruth Schram) @ Eli Wallach (Rabbi Ben Lewis) @ Ron Rifkin (Larry Friedman) @ Milos Forman (Father Havel) @ Holland Taylor (Bonnie Rose) @ Lisa Edelstein (Ali Decker) @ Rena Sofer (Rachel Rose) @ Ken Leung (Don) @ Brian George (Paulie Chopra) @ Catherine Lloyd Burns (Debbie) @ Susie Essman (Ellen Friedman) @ Stuart Blumberg (Len) @ Sam Goldberg (Teenage Jake Schram) @ Blythe Auffarth (Teenage Anna Riley) @ Michael Roman (Teenage Brian Finn) @ Jonathan Randell Silver (Alan Klein) @ Brian Anthony Wilson (T-Bone) @ Juan Piedrahita (Omar) @ Kelly Deadmon (Woman in Bar) @ Raphael M.A. Frieder (Cantor) @ Bodhi Elfman (Howard the Casanova) @ Christopher Gardner (Basketball Kid #1) @ Santi Formosa (Basketball Kid #2) @ Francine Beers (Greta Mussbaum) @ Rena Blumberg (Chaya) @ Ellen Hauptman (Roz Lentz) @ Liz Larsen (Leslie) @ Matt Winston (Matt) @ Nelson Avidon (Joel) @ David Wain (Steve Posner) @ Donna Hanover (Confessional Woman #1) @ Wai Ching Ho (Confessional Woman #2) @ Howard Greller (Doctor) @ Brenda Denmark (Nurse (as Brenda Thomas Denmark)) @ Marilyn Cooper ('Don't Walk' Lady) @ Hawk Koch (Rabbinical Professor) @ Craig Castaldo (Radio Man (as Radio Man)) @ Keith Perry (Old Man Hit with the Censor) @ John Arocho (Bully) @ Derrick Eason (Co-Worker) @ Ray Carlson (Monsignor) @ Barbara Haas (Mother Synagogue Reception Room) @ Sunny Keyser (Mother) @ Lorna Lable (Mother) @ Paula Raflo (Mother) @ Hillary Brook Canter (Daughter) @ Dana Lubotsky (Daughter) @ Alexandra Rella (Daughter) @ Eugene S. Katz (Mohel) @ Tony Rossi (Hot Dog Vendor) @ John P. Duffell (Father Duffell) @ Keith Williams (AIDS Patient) @ Dagmara Dominczyk (Claire) @ Kryss Anderson (Craig) @ Sophia Alexis (Party Guest) @ Tony Devon (Jewish Neighbor rest of cast listed alphabetically Frank Floyd .... Choir Member) @ Chris Gardner (Basketball Kid #1) @ Paul Hogan (Karaoke Singer Sean) @ Shabazz Richardson (Himself) @ Robert F. Saunders (Man in Front Row (uncredited)) @ Bernard J. Tarver (Movie Theater Patron (uncredited)Produced by||A fresh, fun romantic comedy in a New York state of mind.
"Keeping the Faith" is just hip enough to breathe some fresh air into a stagnating genre without sacrificing the requisite "feel good" moments in the process. The film's 2+ hour run time is a bit long for it's simple plot, but it manages to stay focused and dish up enough creativity to make it time well spent. A very enjoyable fun flick. |Region 1 | |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-21 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Kevin & Perry Go Large|Ed Bye|Comedy|Rated R for sexual content and language. |5.0|UK|2000|82 min/ Japan:83 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Peter Bennet-Jones Bruce Davey Harry Enfield Ralph Kamp Waldo Roeg Jolyon Symonds Barnaby Thompson Paul Tucker|Dave Cummings Harry Enfield|Alan Almond ||Angel Films A/S [dk] |All They Want To Do Is... Do It!||Harry Enfield (Kevin) @ Kathy Burke (Perry) @ Rhys Ifans (Eyeball Paul) @ Laura Fraser (Candice) @ James Fleet (Dad) @ Louisa Rix (Mum) @ Tabitha Wady (Gemma) @ Paul Whitehouse (Bouncer 1) @ Natasha Little (Anne Boleyn) @ Henry R. Enfield (Executioner) @ Anna Shillinglaw (Bikini girl) @ Badi Uzzaman (Shopkeeper) @ Sam Parks (Policeman) @ Kenneth Cranham (Vicar) @ Mark Tonderai (Record store boss) @ Patsy Byrne (Old lady) @ Amelia Curtis (Sharon) @ Christopher Ettridge (Postman) @ Frank Harper (Armed robber) @ Rupert Vansittart (Bank manager) @ Steve O'Donnell (Big Baz (as Steven O'Donnell)) @ Shugs (Man in suitcase) @ James Dark (Clubber) @ James Murray (Candice's Adonis) @ Steve McFadden (Bouncer 2 rest of cast listed alphabetically Christian Simpson .... Party Guest) @ Ed Bye (German #1 (uncredited)) @ Donna Ewin (Bank Clerk (uncredited)Produced by||Sick... twisted... extremely funny
Slapstick British 'guy flick' about 2 losers who fly to the party island of Ibiza to become the World's Best DJ's and - also - to lose their virginity. Fans of sick comedy 'South Park' will no doubt love the uninspired toilet humour - including very graphic human faeces-eating and zit-popping scenes - and you've gotta admit - this film knows no bounds! Kevin (Harry Enfield) and Perry (Gimme Gimme Gimme's hilarious Kathy Burke - and yes, it is a woman) are absolutely hilarious in their title roles and whilst the movie is nothing but trash and fart jokes on a film reel, it will no doubt provoke reactions you weren't prepared to give! Most guys will like this (not being sexist, but only a handful of women could (or would!) sit through this without squinting and squirming at least once). || |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-6|||||@@
Kickboxer|||R |||1989|97 mins|||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003||||||| If your enemy refusesito be humbled... Destroy him. ||||Region 1 | |Standard 1.33:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC] |1-11|||||@@
Kid, The|Jon Turteltaub|Comedy|Rated PG for boxing action and mild thematic elements. |6.3|USA|2000|104 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stephen J. Eads William M. Elvin Bill Johnson (VI) Hunt Lowry Arnold Rifkin Christina Steinberg Jon Turteltaub David Willis (I)|Audrey Wells |Peter Menzies Jr. |||Nobody ever grows up quite like they imagined.|Russ Duritz is a wealthy L.A. image consultant, but as he nears 40, he's cynical, dogless, chickless, estranged from his father, and he has no memories of his childhood. One night he surprises an intruder, who turns out to be a kid, almost 8 years old. There's something oddly familiar about the chubby lad, whose name is Rusty. The boy's identity sparks a journey into Russ's past that the two of them take - to find the key moment that has defined who Russ is. Two long-suffering women look on with disbelief: Russ's secretary, Janet, and his assistant, the lovely Amy, to whom Rusty takes a shine. What, and who, is at the end of this journey?
|Bruce Willis (Russell Duritz) @ Spencer Breslin (Rusty Duritz (Age 8)) @ Emily Mortimer (Amy) @ Lily Tomlin (Janet) @ Chi McBride (Kenny) @ Jean Smart (Deirdre Lefever) @ Dana Ivey (Dr. Suzanne Alexander) @ Daniel von Bargen (Sam Duritz||Not the Best Kid's Movie, But Not A Horrible Movie.
This movie wasn't that great, but wasn't terrible. Bruce Willis is great again, but the movie didn't fit together like my cup of tea. Yes, the movie did have some laughs, and the rest of the cast was also good. This isn't the best kid's movie ever, but is entertaining. I give The Kid an 8 out of 10.:) |Region 1 |Movies |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |5.1 |2-4|||||@@
Kill Bill: Vol. 1|Quentin Tarantino|Action|Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexual content. |8.2|USA|2003|111 min|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG-4|806 |576x240|MPEG Layer 3|155 |False|48,000 Hz|2|700.09 MB||||25.00|13/12/2003|Lawrence Bender Koko Maeda Dede Nickerson Erica Steinberg E. Bennett Walsh Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|Quentin Tarantino Uma Thurman Quentin Tarantino|Robert Richardson ||Miramax Films [us] |In the year 2003, Uma Thurman will kill Bill|àåîä úåøîï îâìîú àú 'äëìä', îúð÷ùú ñãøúéú ùçáøä áàøâåï ôùò áéðìàåîé åîñåòó, áäðäâúå ùì àøëé ðáì îèåøó ùð÷øà áéì.
áéåí çúåðúä, ëùäéà áäøéåï îú÷ãí åðéöáú ðøâùú áôðé òùøåú îåæîðéí, áéì îçìéè ìñâåø àéúä çùáåðåú éùðéí, åáîäìê ùì áâéãä îæòæòú éåøä áøàùä, ìà ìôðé ùäåà åàøâåðå èåáçéí áçì÷ ðéëø îäàåøçéí áî÷åí.
çîù ùðéí àçøé, 'äëìä' îúòåøøú îäúøãîú äàøåëä ùðôìä àìéä, îâìä ëé àéáãä àú äéìã ùäéä ááéèðä ìàçø ðéñéåï çéñåìä, åëùîèøä àçú òåîãú áôðé òéðéä - ìäøåâ àú áéì åéçéãú äîúð÷ùéí ä÷èìðéú ùìå.
ìàçø ùäéà ùáä ìòîåã òì øâìéä, äéà îúçéìä áîñò ð÷îä àëæøé áîéåçã ðâã äîúð÷ùéí äøáéí ùùåëø îðäìä ìùòáø, èåáçú áäí àçã àçã, ëùäéà îùàéøä àú áéì ìñéåí äîãîí.
îôñãéðä ìàåñèéï åèå÷éå, 'äëìä' îùàéøä àçøéä ðúéá ùì äøñ, àê äàí úöìéç ìáñåó ìäøåâ àú áéì, äàéù ùçéñì àú çìîåúéä ?
ñøèå äøáéòé åäîöåéï ùì äáîàé äùòøåøéúé ÷ååðèéï èàøàðèéðå ìøàùåðä áàéëåú îòåìä!|Uma Thurman (The Bride (Black Mamba)) @ David Carradine (Bill) @ Lucy Liu (O-Ren Ishii/Cottonmouth) @ Daryl Hannah (Elle Driver (California Mountain Snake)) @ Vivica A. Fox (Vernita Green (Copperhead)) @ Michael Madsen (Budd/Sidewinder) @ Michael Parks (Earl McGraw) @ Sonny Chiba (Hattori Hanzo) @ Chiaki Kuriyama (Go Go Yubari) @ Julie Dreyfus (Sofie Fatale) @ Chia Hui Liu (Johnny Mo (as Gordon Liu)) @ Jun Kunimura (Boss Tanaka) @ Kazuki Kitamura (Boss Koji) @ Akaji Maro (Boss Ozawa) @ Michael Bowen (Buck) @ Yuki Kazamatsuri (Restaurant owner) @ Larry Bishop (Larry) @ Shun Sugata (The Groom (as Christopher Nelson)) @ Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi (Tim rest of cast listed alphabetically Laura Cayouette) @ Michael Kuroiwa (Crazy 88 Fighter) @ Jonathan Loughran (Trucker) @ Ai Maeda (Girl (anime sequence) (voice)) @ Julie Manase (Crazy 88 Fighter) @ Hikaru Midorikawa (Pretty Riki (voice)) @ Kenji Ohba (Sushi Bar Assistant) @ James Parks (Edgar McGraw) @ Sakichi Satô (Charlie BrownProduced by||Brutally brilliant "Bill" - QT is back w/a vengeance!
KILL BILL - VOL. I (2003) ****Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, DarylHannah, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, David Carradine, Michael Parks, Sonny Chiba, Chiaki Kuriyama, Julie Dreyfus.Quentin Tarantino's fourth film as a filmmaker is perhaps his most audacious (and hands down his bloodiest) in hishomage/valentine to the '70s grindhouses that he frequented showcasing martial arts action flicks that this clearly is a nod to with Thurman (clearly relishing the challenge as a kick-ass action star) as a vengeance seeking assassin who was left for dead at the altar of her wedding by the titular Bill (Carradine shown only in fragments onscreen) - her mentor and lover - and their legion of killers including Liu, Hannah, Fox and Madsen; all on Thurman's 'to-do' list in wreaking havoc on all who have spurned her (and lo beholden to any poor soul who gets in her path).Flashy editing, camerawork incorporating some gorgeous black and white cinematography by ace helmsman Bob Richardson as well as a kinetic bit of anime, Grand Guignol humor and costume design (Thurman's banana yellow running-suit is a knock-off of Bruce Lee's) add to the frenetic pacing and fast and furious blood-letting at hand make for an entertaining if not stomach-churning experience in its graphic novel trappings for pure carnage engaged (particularly the unstoppable 20 minute fight sequence between Uma's THE BRIDE and the Crazy 88s in The House of The Blue Leaves sequence).Vol. II - a result of Miramax's influencing QT to make his epic a two-parter - is due in Feb. of '04; can't wait. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies |1-8|||||@@
Kiss of the Dragon|Chris Nahon|Action|Rated R for strong violence, language, some sexuality and drug content. |6.3|USA|2001|98 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Luc Besson Steve Chasman Bernard Grenet Jet Li Happy Walters|Jet Li Luc Besson Robert Mark Kamen|Thierry Arbogast |||Kiss Fear Goodbye|Liu Jian, a police officer from China, comes to Paris to help the vice squad apprehend a Chinese drug lord and his unknown French connection. The French connection is Richard, the head of the vice squad, who intends to kill the drug lord then frame Jian. Jian ducks a bullet and escapes with a tape of what really happened. By chance, Jian turns to Jessica - a US farm girl who is one of Richard's hookers - for help. She has her own problems, including the fact that Richard has her daughter locked in an orphanage to keep Jessica on the streets and silent about his activities. Can Jian protect Jessica, rescue her daughter, and give Richard the kiss of the dragon?
|Jet Li (Liu Jian) @ Bridget Fonda (Jessica) @ Tchéky Karyo (Richard) @ Max Ryan (Lupo) @ Ric Young (Mister Big) @ Burt Kwouk (Uncle Tai) @ Laurence Ashley (Aja) @ Cyril Raffaelli (Twin||Some truly spectacular action sequences battle against uneven pace
It's a Jet Li movie, so naturally you can expect to see some truly spectacular action sequences and stuntwork.In one scene, he kicks a billiards ball out from its pocket, sends it flying up and kicks it across the room, slamming the ball into the villian's face.Now that's awesome!!!Of course, some of the scenes are unconvincing and somewhat laughable.I know Jet's a brilliant martial artist, but in one scene he takes on a whole class of about 20 blackbelts.Of course, he kicks the snot out of every one of them.And of course, no one attacks him from behind.But it's an action film--it's sheer exhibition.
The problem I had was the pacing of the film.It starts out with a bang, keeping your adrenaline pumping.Then...the plot kicks in.Yes, it actually starts to get plot-heavy.Now, I know martial arts films aren't known to contain very extensive plots, but when the plot is weak there's no use emphasizing it.It's all predictable.Get on with the action!
The film's strongest points occur at the beginning and end.In the middle it begins to drag.Sure, the dialogue is cheesy and the characters are thin, but I'm willing to sacrifice those qualities!I'm not keeping my expectations high.I honestly watched this movie just to see Jet Li kick some ass.But the ass-kicking time is cut short, for the sake of its lame plot.Do I recommend this movie?For a rental, yes.It's an OK movie, with some great moments worth watching over and over again.And I loved the soundtrack, too.
My score:6 (out of 10) ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-1|||||@@
K-PAX|Iain Softley|Drama|Rated PG-13 for a sequence of violent images, and brief language and sensuality. |7.2|USA|2001|120 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Gene Brewer Robert F. Colesberry Lawrence Gordon (I) Lloyd Levin Michael Levy (II) Susan G. Pollock|Gene Brewer Charles Leavitt (I)|John Mathieson |||Change the way you look at the world.|The film tells the story of a mysterious patient (Kevin Spacey) at a mental hospital who claims to be from a distant planet called K-PAX. As his psychiatrist (Jeff Bridges) tries to figure out exactly how to help the patient, he gradually begins to realize that this so-called alien is having a remarkable effect on the mental health of the hospital's other patients.
|Kevin Spacey (Prot) @ Jeff Bridges (Dr. Mark Powell) @ Mary McCormack (Rachel Powell) @ Alfre Woodard (Claudia Villars) @ David Patrick Kelly (Howie) @ Saul Williams (I) (Ernie) @ Peter Gerety (Sal) @ Celia Weston (Doris Archer||Nice little movie about identity and trying to uncover it
(Spoiler ahead)
K-PAX is a movie that will most likely get better with more viewings, but the first one is satisfying enough if you just want to see it once.It brings us on the journey of a being, or sorts, called Prot (Kevin Spacey) who is found in a train station and since he claims to be from a planet called K-PAX, is transferred to a mental hospital in greater New York.Jeff Bridges becomes his psychiatrist and immediately becomes fascinated by his new patient's dilussion, but wants to know more, at any costs.The plot starts to un-needengly wander in the third act, but the performances (in particular by Spacey and Bridges), overall feel and an ending that leaves it up to the audience to figure out what happenned make this a good see in the theater.B+ |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-23 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Kung Pow: Enter the Fist||Action|Rated PG-13 for comic violence, crude and sexual humor. |4.8|USA|2002|81 min/ Japan:82 min|English||||||||||False||||||||||||||| "A Laugh-Out-Loud Funny Spoof!" -Daily Variety Writer/Director Steve Oedekerk (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls) kicks theikarate film genre upia notch byiinserting new scenes, new dialogue-and himself-into an obscure Hong Kong chop-socky flick from thei'70s.The result isi"ridiculously funny andimust be seenito be believed!" (Slant Magazine) |||A good stupid humor movie.
After seeing this film, you think "What kind of loser made this?" It's practically a one man show, being Steve Oedekerk dubbing his voices over many characters. It's really quite sad when you think about it. There's some woman talking to the "chosen one" and it's Steve Oedekerk doing the woman, chosen one, and 'Betsy.' But that doesn't mean it's not funny. Have you ever seen a low budget comedy, or just your average citizen goofing off and being funny? Then you've got yourself Kung Pow -
in the same tradition as mystery science theater 3000, just a few voices (in this case one voice) dubbing over others, and messing around with a few scenes. Also, Steve Oedekerk kind of "Copy and pasted" himself into this film. You see they take Steve, and put him in the scene as the chosen one by computer effects. I'm quite surprised this film had a big enough budget to even USE computers -chuckle chuckle- It's quite funny, and you've got to give the man some credit for writing, directing, acting, and producing this film. That's got to be tough. So have yourself a good, silly time and see KUNG POW: ENTER THE FIST. It will keep you entertained on a Friday night. 3.5/5 stars. |Region 1 | |Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround|2-17|||||@@
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life|Jan de Bont|Action|Rated PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality. |5.1|USA|2003|117 min|English||XviD|2||XviD MPEG-4|1210 |640x272|AC3-Digital|438 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1398.79 MB||||23.98|08/11/2003|Shelly Clippard Holly Goline Lawrence Gordon Lloyd Levin Jeremy H. Smith Louis A. Stroller|Steven E. de Souza James V. Hart Dean Georgaris|David Tattersall | |United International Pictures (UIP) [gb] ||Archaeologist and explorer extrodinaire Lara Croft journeys to a temple, sunken underwater that leads to a sphere that contains the mythical Pandora's Box, only to have it stolen from her by Chen Lo, the leader of a Chinese crime syndicate, who's in league with a villain named Reiss who wants to use the Box as a doomsday weapon. Facing her greatest challenges yet, the intrepid tomb raider pursues Lo, in order to get her hands back on Pandora's Box, and fulfill the desire of the Queen.
|Angelina Jolie (Lara Croft) @ Gerard Butler (Terry Sheridan) @ Ciarán Hinds (Jonathan Reiss) @ Chris Barrie (Hillary (as Christopher Barrie)) @ Noah Taylor (Bryce) @ Djimon Hounsou (Kosa) @ Til Schweiger (Sean) @ Simon Yam (Chen Lo) @ Terence Yin (Xien) @ Daniel Caltagirone (Nicholas Petraki) @ Fabiano Martell (Jimmy Petraki) @ Jonathan Coyne (Gus Petraki) @ Robert Cavanah (MI6 Agent Stevens) @ Ronan Vibert (MI6 Agent Calloway) @ Lenny Juma (Village Leader) @ Raymond Ofula (Village Leader (as Raymond Offula)) @ Hezron Ajuala (Village Leader) @ Alfred Kalipso (Tribesman) @ Vincent Mbaya (Tribesman) @ Ace Yonamine (Shay Ling Giant (as Ace Shigeo Yonamine)) @ Robert Atiko (Armin Kal) @ Shirley Chantrell (Shu Mei) @ Sang Lui (Shay Ling Messenger) @ Richard Ridings (Mr. Monza) @ Elizabeth Seal (Buyer) @ Hajaz Akram (Buyer) @ Daryl Kwan (Buyer) @ Richard Woo (Buyer) @ David Kershaw (Buyer) @ Marem Hernandez (Air Stewardess) @ Kate Loustau (Air Stewardess) @ Ralf Beck (Sean's Man) @ Tom Wu (Sean's Man) @ Gerald Kyd (Sean's Man) @ Mark Sung (Taipei Father) @ Loan Tran (Taipei Mother) @ Charlotte Nguyen (Taipei Girl) @ Vincent Poon (Taipei Boy) @ Tom Yang (Reiss' Guard) @ Jamie Cho (Reiss' Guard) @ Khan Bonfils (Reiss' Guard) @ Jose Cuenco Jr. (Reiss' Guard) @ Andrew Joshi (Reiss' Guard) @ Mark Hampton (Reiss' Guard) @ Michael Wagg (Lead Tech) @ Martin Glyn Murray (Submarine Medic) @ Graham McTavish (Submarine CaptainProduced by||The Best James Bond Film In Five Years!
Let's face it, the James Bond franchise has become rather limp lately. "The World Is Not Enough" was a debacle of miscasting and an an endless parade of meaningless subplots and tertiary characters."Die Another Day" suffered from much of the same, but was also saddled with an inexplicable amount of stereo feedback and one of the oddest (if catchiest) theme songs in recent memory.The series has been re-energized with the new entry "The Cradle Of Life," a high-spirited, far-reaching film that doesn't quite succeed but is such an improvement on the originals that you're ready to overlook all that.
Actually, this is a review of "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life", the sequel to 2001's abysmally dull video-game-based film "Tomb Raider." Angelina Jolie is back as sexy, gun-toting archeologist Lara Croft, and at first glance, it's easy to mistake her for Bond, Jane Bond.Lara is a British citizen of refined taste, highly competent in various forms of weaponry, travels around the globe to exotic locations, has friends (and lovers) in virtually every port, uses a wide variety of nifty gadgets, has an amusing yet dry form of wit, looks fabulous, and routinely saves the world from a madman bent on global domination.She's a better 007 than Timothy Dalton in any case.
The film begins with Lara diving into a sunken temple off the coast of Greece.While there, she is attacked by Chinese mercenaries, her support crew killed and left for dead, the mercenaries making off with a mysterious glowing orb.Seems that mad scientist Jonathan Reiss (Ciaran Hinds) is looking for Pandora's Box, and the orb is the key to finding it.Lara is appointed by MI:6 with stopping Reiss because opening the box would unleash an amazingly nasty plague upon the world.Besides her support staff of Hillary (Chris Barrie) and computer expert Bryce (Noah Taylor), Lara joins forces with ex-lover Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler), a shifty mercenary and the only person who knows how to get to the mercenaries who stole the orb in the first place.And of course, time is running out.
Jolie is excellent as Lara Croft, and there probably isn't an actress around who would be better cast in the role.Jolie has the physicality, the look, the voice, and the attitude to pull off the role effortlessly.She was the only redeeming factor in the first film, and she's great to watch here. The supporting cast is a mixed bag.Hinds refrains from chewing up too much of the scenery, but he brings to mind some of the more notable Bond villains of recent times.Butler is great to look at, but his performance is far too low-key and deadpan for a movie as bombastic as this one wants to be, especially when he's paired with Jolie, who enters each seen with a relishing look in her eyes.Taylor again acts as a dry kind of comic relief, and he displays far more chemistry with Jolie than Butler does.
One of the biggest improvements in this film is the director.Replacing Simon West (responsible for the monotonous "Con Air") is Jan de Bont ("Speed"), a much more competent director even if some of his films are only barley entertaining ("The Haunting").de Bont has a knack for action on a small scale, most vividly in a gun-fight staged in a laboratory/office, but his large scale pieces, like Lara body-gliding off of one of Hong Kong's tallest buildings, lack drama.Still, de Bont has chosen good locations and sets for the film, and there is a blessedly welcome lack of the "Matrix"-style visuals and candy-colored bombast so popular in action films of recent memory.He is nothing if not up to task.The film operates well within its own set of rules and physics, unlike many other films that tend to sacrifice internal logic for cheap stunts.
As much of an improvement on the first film as this is, there are still flaws.The script, while improving ten-fold on the original, still falls flat on several occasions, sometimes held up only by Jolie's confident line readings.At almost two hours, the film displays a desperate need for tighter scenes and a quicker pace while simultaneously leaving some scenes cut too quickly.The movie can be very easily divided into stages, which may hold true to the spirit of the video game's levels, but often leaves the audience doing nothing more than predicting when the DVD chapter cuts will occur in six months.Also, like the James Bond films, there is rarely any doubt that Lara will escape any dire situation she finds herself in. Like 007, we always know the hero will prevail in the end, which robs some scenes of the tension needed to excite the audience.
Despite some of these flaws, "The Cradle Of Life" is a fine movie and a good way to spend 2 hours on a summer afternoon.Jolie obviously enjoys the role, and if nothing else, the film is worth it for that alone.Here's hoping the third entry into the series is even better than the this one. 7 out of 10. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |2-30 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Last Samurai, The|Edward Zwick|Action/Adventure/Drama/War|Rated R for strong violence and battle sequences. |7.8|USA|2003|
Japan:154 min/ USA:154 min
|English||||||||||False||||||||12/04/2004|Tom Cruise Michael Doven Tom Engelman Ted Field Marshall Herskovitz Scott Kroopf Graham Larson Charles Mulvehill Yôko Narahashi Richard Solomon Paula Wagner Vincent Ward Edward Zwick|John Logan John Logan Edward Zwick Marshall Herskovitz|John Toll ||Warner Bros. [us] ||In Japan, Civil War veteran Captain Nathan Algren trains the Emperor's troops to use modern weapons as they prepare to defeat the last of the country's samurais. But Algren's passion is swayed when he is captured by the samurai and learns about their traditions and code of honor.
American War Captain Nathan Algren (Cruise) trains and lead's a group of Japenese soldiers to defeat a rebellion of the countries remaining Samurai. Algren is captured by the Samurai and soon becomes part of the village he is being held hostage in and find's that his true warrior is becoming unleashed as he trains to become a Samurai with the very people we once called his enemies. Soon, the Japenese forces begin to search for the Samurai again... ready to begin a war with them that will soon determine the fate of Japenese traditions, and thier lives.
|Ken Watanabe (Katsumoto) @ Tom Cruise (Nathan Algren) @ William Atherton (Winchester Rep) @ Chad Lindberg (Winchester Rep Assistant) @ Ray Godshall Sr. (Convention Hall Attendee) @ Billy Connolly (Zebulon Gant) @ Tony Goldwyn (Colonel Bagley) @ Masato Harada (Omura)||An American in Japan
Set in 1870's Japan, `The Last Samurai' is most effective when it sticks
to
the harsh realities of its blood- soaked battle scenes and avoids the
softening effects of its two-bit philosophizing.
Tom Cruise is stoic and stolid as Nathan Algren, a former captain of the
United States army who is having trouble coming to grips with the part he
played in slaughtering a village of innocent American Indians.Now
drifting
aimlessly through life, Algren disinterestedly agrees to go to Japan to
help
train its military in the ways of modern warfare so that the nation's
leaders can take on and destroy the sole remnants of the samurai forces
who
are still using swords as weapons.Once he is captured by the `enemy,'
however, Algren falls under the spell of the Samurai Code of Honor and
switches his allegiance in battle, ending up fighting with the samurai
(whom
he views as the equivalent of `Indian underdogs' in the struggle) against
the people he was brought over to train.The film, thus, becomes a study
in
redemption as this one man attempts to find his place in the scheme of
things and to erase the life-crippling guilt of his past
actions.
Director Edward Zwick, who made one of the best war films of modern times
(`Glory'), has had less success here, mainly because he stacks the deck
so
shamelessly in favor of the samurai that we can't help feeing manipulated
all throughout the film.In many ways, `The Last Samurai' is as guilty
of
one-sidedness as those old time Westerns that used to portray the Indians
as
faceless savages and the White Man as noble adventurers and heroes.Each
perspective seems equally unhistorical and phony.It's hard for us to
see
much meaning in Algren's redemption when the people he is following spend
much of their time garroting themselves and chopping off one another's
heads.And all the talk about `honor,' `shame,' the beauty of cherry
blossoms and getting in touch with the inner self through a zen-type
lifestyle don't amount to too much when we stand back and realize that
the
samurai were basically bloody warriors who often terrorized the general
populous with their acts of brutality and violence.The makers of the
film
want us to see a vast moral chasm separating the samurai from both the
Japanese military and the evil American colonials who support them, but
it
is, ultimately, a distinction without a difference.So when we are asked
to
cheer on Algren and his compatriots in battle or weep over their fate,
the
movie loses its grip on us in a major way.The film becomes just another
case of glorifying and romanticizing a way of life that we somehow
suspect
was a bit less noble and honorable than we have always been led to
believe
by the countless movies on the subject.
Technically, `The Last Samurai' is a mighty impressive achievement.In
addition to the eye-catching vistas of rural Japan and a beautifully
recreated 19th Century city, the film's large-scaled battle sequences
have
been stunningly mounted and executed - though the faint-of-heart should
note
that the body count on screen is enormous and the blood flows generously
throughout.There are, also, some admittedly touching moments scattered
throughout the film, though the Hollywood corn is never too far from the
surface (particularly in Algren's romantic attachment to the wife of a
man
he killed).
`The Last Samurai' is a joy to look at, but its unsubtle approach to its
material and lack of evenhandedness make it far less meaningful and
moving
than, I'm sure, it both wanted and intended to be.
|Region ? |Browse titles in the DVD section by letter: |2.35 : 1 |Browse titles in the DVD section by letter: ||||||@@
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The|Stephen Norrington|Action|Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy violence, language and innuendo. |5.5|USA|2003|110 min|English||XviD|2||XviD MPEG-4|1561 |640x272|AC3-Digital|438 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1396.49 MB||||23.98|03/11/2003|Trevor Albert Rick Benattar Sean Connery Bruce Devan Mark Gordon Don Murphy|Alan Moore Kevin O'Neill James Robinson|Dan Laustsen ||20th Century Fox Film Corporation [us] |Prepare for the Extraordinary|Renowned adventurer Allan Quatermain (Connery) leads a team of extraordinary figures with legendary powers to battle the technological terror of a madman known as "The Fantom." This "League" comprises seafarer/inventor Captain Nemo (Shah), vampiress Mina Harker (Wilson), an invisible man named Rodney Skinner (Curran), American secret service agent Tom Sawyer (West), the ageless and invincible Dorian Gray (Townsend), and the dangerous split personality of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (Flemyng).
In this extraordinary adventure, the Fantom is trying to start a World War, and be at the head of it. The Fantom has highly superior weapons to the normal weapons of that day, and he also has extreme cunning, as we see by his tricking the countries into suspecting each other for war-mongering. A supposed loyalist to her Majesty's Empire is sent to fetch Allan Quartermain(Sean Connery) in an effort to track down the group who is trying to start the war. In a private and secret meeting, Quartermain meets who he is to be teaming up with on this mission. He is accompanied by Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), Rodney Skinner (the Invisible Man, Tony Curran), Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend), Tom Sawyer (Shane West), and Dr. Henry Jekyll (Also Mr. Edward Hyde, Jason Flemyng). Soon into their adventure they discover that the Fantom is behind these attacks, but their is more to this war than battle and cunning.
|Sean Connery (Allan Quatermain) @ Naseeruddin Shah (Captain Nemo) @ Peta Wilson (Mina Harker) @ Tony Curran (Rodney Skinner (The Invisible Man)) @ Stuart Townsend (Dorian Gray) @ Shane West (Tom Sawyer) @ Jason Flemyng (Dr. Henry Jekyll aka Mr. Edward Hyde) @ Richard Roxburgh (M) @ Max Ryan (Dante) @ Tom Goodman-Hill (Sanderson Reed) @ David Hemmings (Nigel) @ Terry O'Neill (Ishmael) @ Rudolf Pellar (Draper) @ Winter Ave Zoli (Eva) @ Robert Willox (Constable Dunning) @ Robert Orr (Running Officer) @ Michael McGuffie (Copper #1) @ Joel Kirby (Copper #2) @ Marek Vasut (Soldier) @ Ewart James Walters (Toby) @ Michal Grün (Assassin #3) @ Robert Vahey (Elderly Hunter) @ Sylvester Morand (Old Treveler) @ Mariano Titanti (Edgar Shreave) @ Huggy Leaver (Hanson Cab Driver) @ Pavel Bezdek (Marksman #1) @ Stanislav Adamickij (Marksman #2) @ James Babson (Marksman #3) @ San Shella (Terrified Crewman) @ Ellen Savaria (Recordist) @ Riz Meedin (Venice Conning Tower Crewman) @ Sartaj Garewal (Rocket Room Crewman) @ Neran Persaud (Crewman Patel) @ Andrew Rajan (Headphones Crewman) @ Daniel Brown (Stunned Guard) @ Aftab Sachak (Breathless Crewman) @ Guy Singh Digpal (Signal Crewman) @ Harmage Singh Kalirai (Chrewman Chandra) @ Brian Caspe (Guard #1) @ Robert Goodman (Valet) @ Rene Hajek (Flame Thrower) @ Semere-Ad Etmet Yohannes (Witch DoctorProduced by||Turn off your mind and you'll enjoy it
A bunch of fictional characters (Mina Harker, Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray, Tom Sawyer) are called together in 1899 to combat a madman who threatens to take over the world.
The plot is silly and full of huge holes (Mina Harker was NOT a vampire; Tom Sawyer working for the U.S. government?; Mr. Hyde looks like a cousin to the Hulk; Dorian Gray is an immortal?) but the movie itself looks great, there are plenty of incredible special effects (and, surprisingly, some bad ones) and it moves so quickly that you really don't have time to stop and think about it.Just ignore logic, plot and characterizations, lean back and let the movie sweep over you.There's a fight or action scene every 5 or 10 minutes or so--you won't be bored.
All the acting is pretty good--Connery is excellent (as always) as Quatermain and Peta Wilson makes a very sexy vampire.The only bad acting comes surprisingly from two good actors--Stuart Townsend is very dull as Dorian Grey and Shane West is way out of his league as Tom Sawyer.The scenes between him and Connery are almost embarassing to watch--Connery is acting rings around him.
So--is it a good movie?No, but it is an enjoyable one.Just sit back and don't think about--during or after the movie!Good viewing for a hot summer afternoon. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |2-26 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Legally Blonde|Robert Luketic|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for language and sexual references. |6.6|USA|2001|96 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ric Kidney Christian McLaughlin (II) David Nicksay Marc E. Platt|Amanda Brown (I) Karen McCullah Lutz Kirsten Smith (I)|Anthony B. Richmond |||This summer go blonde!|Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) has it all. She's the president of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Miss June in her campus calendar, and, above all, a natural blonde. She dates the cutest fraternity boy on campus and wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But, there's just one thing stopping Warner (Matthew Davis) from popping the question: Elle is too blonde. Growing up across the street from Aaron Spelling might mean something in LA, but nothing to Warner's East-Coast blue blood family. So, when Warner packs up for Harvard Law and reunites with an old sweetheart from prep school, Elle rallies all her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. But law school is a far cry from the comforts of her poolside and the mall. Elle must wage the battle of her life, for her guy, for herself and for all the blondes who suffer endless indignities everyday.
|Reese Witherspoon (Elle Woods) @ Luke Wilson (Emmett Richmond) @ Selma Blair (Vivian Kensington) @ Matthew Davis (II) (Warner Huntington III) @ Victor Garber (Professor Callahan) @ Jennifer Coolidge (Paulette Bonafonté) @ Holland Taylor (Professor Stromwell) @ Ali Larter (Brooke Taylor Windham||Dogs, not Dogs
Spoilers herein.
Well, yet another film that preaches against stereotypes and then shamelessly exploits them. There is only one laugh here: masturbation as reckless abandonment. Still funny.
Cat's eye comments follow:
This film is about a dog's quest for recognition. This dog, a peewee, is disgustingly stereotyped by the heroine -- who in mirrored fashion is also stereotyped -- which makes the offense deeper. A more clever film, like `Scary Movie' might find humor in this, but not here.
The story is that dogs run Harvard Law School, and they conspire to plant hapless humans in compromising situations for their own amusement. One such is a senior female professor who struggles with the dim bulbs society designates as law students. She adopts missy Elle behind the scenes, thinking she is pulling the strings. There's a sort of stacking: Elle thinks she is mistress of her destiny, the professor thinks not but she is ignorant of the canine gods.
Some minor sexual and courtroom dramas provide barking amusement. If you are a dog, you'll find this hilarious. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-22|||||@@
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde|Charles Herman-Wurmfeld|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for some sex-related humor. |4.4|USA|2003|95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||29/09/2003|David Nicksay Marc E. Platt Jennifer Simpson Stephen Traxler Reese Witherspoon|Amanda Brown Eve Ahlert Dennis Drake Kate Kondell Kate Kondell|Elliot Davis ||Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) [us] |This summer. . . justice is blonde.|Sassy postgrad Elle Woods (Witherspoon) is all about animal rights. In fact, she puts her nuptial plans on hold to head to Washington D.C. to get an anti-animal testing bill passed. Her building's doorman (Newhart) quickly shows her the ways and workings of our nation's capital.
|Reese Witherspoon (Elle Woods) @ Sally Field (Rep. Victoria Rudd) @ Regina King (Grace Rossiter) @ Jennifer Coolidge (Paulette) @ Bruce McGill (Stanford Marks) @ Dana Ivey (Congresswoman Libby Hauser) @ Mary Lynn Rajskub (Reena Giuliani) @ Jessica Cauffiel (Margot) @ Alanna Ubach (Serena McGuire) @ J Barton (Timothy McGinn) @ Stanley Anderson (Michael Blaine) @ Bruce Thomas (UPS Guy) @ Bob Newhart (Sid Post) @ Luke Wilson (Emmett Richmond) @ Ruth Williamson (Madeline Kroft) @ Jack McGee (Detective Finchley) @ Amir Talai (Associate) @ Zia Harris (Mailroom Guy) @ Sam Pancake (Kevin) @ Octavia Spencer (Security Guard (as Octavia L. Spencer)) @ James Urbaniak (Lab Technician) @ Jan Deveraux (Female Partner) @ Lauren Cohn (Amy) @ Melissa Wyler (Staff Member) @ Robert Peters (Guard) @ David Doty (Rob Cole) @ Clement Blake (Homeless Person (as Clement E. Blake)) @ Josh Holland (Ted Hall) @ Jackie Hoffman (Dog Spa Receptionist) @ JoBe Cerny (House Clerk) @ Michael Krawic (NIH Scientist (as Michael A. Krawic)) @ James Newman (Ray Fuchs) @ Jason Bushman (Fuchs' Aide) @ Bryan Cuprill (Different Aide) @ Matt Price (Cole's Aide) @ Karen Gordon (Kroft's Aide) @ Melissa Paull (Another Aide) @ Jeffrey Gelber (Yet Another Aide) @ George C. Simms (Speaker of the House (as George Simms)) @ Lisa Long (Congresswoman) @ Carolyn Hennesy (Congresswoman with Haircut) @ Erin Cottrell (Delta Nu President) @ Jennie Vaughn (First Person in Line) @ Keone Young (Committee Clerk) @ Arianne Fraser (Secretary) @ Susan Bivens (Lady With Hair) @ Dale Waddington Horowitz (Seamstress) @ Amy Schlagel (Paulette's Daughter) @ Wayne Edward Sherwood (Sound Technician) @ Brandon Smiley (Office Aide) @ James Read (Elle's Father) @ Tane McClure (Elle's Mother rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Elizabeth Beckwith (Mira (uncredited)) @ David Nicksay (Congressman (uncredited)) @ Masi Oka (Congressional Intern (uncredited)) @ Tanja Reichert (Delta-Nu (uncredited)) @ Caroline A. Rice (Intern (uncredited)Produced by||Disastrous, seethingly unfunny follow up to charming original...
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde
I'll admit it, I like sequels. I love ongoing stories that envelop the viewer, along with opportunities to dig in deeper with characters and situations. And then there's `Legally Blonde 2,' an impulsive cash-in from a hit-starved studio. It reeks of a rush job sent out to steal the remaining good will left behind by the original film.
After her Harvard triumphs two years ago, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is now living the comfortable life working in a law office, and planning her nuptials to Emmett (Luke Wilson). Her first priority is helping her chiwawa, Bruiser, find out who his mother is. The quest brings Elle to an animal testing facility where Bruiser's mother is held. Unable to rescue her, Elle heads to Washington D.C. to try and pass a bill ending the use of animals for cosmetic testing. Upon arrival, Elle's vibrant nature is at odds with her co-workers (Regina King, Mary Lynn Rajskub), but soon her Prada personality and Versace sense of style begins to rub off on the stuffy politicians, with only one lone senator (Sally Field) out to block Elle's popular bill.
Watching `Legally Blonde 2,' I kept having to remind myself that I enjoyed the first `Blonde' film back in 2001. `Blonde' was a quiet, modest powder puff of a movie, relying on Reese Witherspoon's debatable charm, and director Robert Luketic's winning amount of flair he pumped into the film. `Blonde' was eventually stolen by ace comic actress Jennifer Coolidge (`Best In Show`), turning the often feeble comedy into huge laughs. Scrambling for a sequel when `Blonde' turned into a worldwide hit, `Blonde 2' becomes a mess. It's an obnoxious, ugly sequel that reminds me why sequels often get such a bad rap.
Replacing Luketic in `Blonde 2' is director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. His previous film was the endurance-testing lesbian comedy `Kissing Jessica Stein,' and Herman-Wurmfeld brings those very same attributes to `Blonde 2.' He's an agonizingly bland director, framing each shot as if it was a made-for-television production, and taking the pizzazz out of what is trying to be a colorful production. This movie genuinely looks terrible (shot by Elliot Davis, `White Oleander`), which is especially depressing when you take into consideration the greater amount of money they had for this production. The flat design of the film works directly against the pinkified good time fun that the film is purporting.
The choices for comedy are also suspect in `Blonde 2.' By this time, the Elle Woods fish-out-of-water material is pretty wheezy, having been worked out thoroughly in the first picture. That doesn't stop the screenwriters and Herman-Wurmfeld from trying to squeeze laughs from that teat again; placing Elle in the crusty confines of Washington, and praying the contrast will do the rest of the work. Another mistake was paying so much attention to Bruiser. Cute in `Blonde,' Bruiser is actually made part of the story in `Blonde 2,' and the director gets a little carried away cutting to the canine's reaction whenever he needs a cheap and easy laugh. The screenplay also reveals the dog's homosexual leanings, which is as bizarre as it reads. Nothing screams `WE'VE GOT NOTHING, FOLKS!' more than having a gay dog subplot in your movie. Well, that and forcing comedian Bob Newhart to say `Fa Shizzle.' Terrible.
Forced to sit through Witherspoon's tired shopgirl act for yet another film (there's only so much her smile can do to help her), hope was promised with the return of Jennifer Coolidge as one of Elle's friends. I was heartbroken, however, to discover that Herman-Wurmfeld had coached Coolidge to yell all of her lines out, mistaking volume for a pathway to hilarity. Out of sheer talent, Coolidge manages to get the only laugh out of the film. Her presence is wasted, cranked up to the unbearable pitch the rest of the picture plays at.
`Legally Blonde' never quite begged for a sequel, so it should come as little shock that the quality of this follow up is as rickety as Witherspoon's charm after 90 minutes of Elle. ----------- 1/10
|Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |
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Léon|Luc Besson|Action|NR |8.3|France|1994|110 min/ France:136 min (uncut version)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Claude Besson Luc Besson Bernard Grenet Patrice Ledoux|Luc Besson |Thierry Arbogast |||A perfect assassin. An innocent girl. They have nothing left to lose except each other. He moves without sound.Kills without emotion.Disappears without trace. Only a 12 year old girl... knows his weakness.|Mathilda, a twelve-year old New York girl, is living an undesirable life among her half-family. Her father stores drugs for two-faced cop Norman Stansfield. Only her little brother keeps Mathilda from breaking apart. One day, Stansfield and his team take cruel revenge on her father for stretching the drugs a little, thus killing the whole family. Only Mathilda, who was out shopping, survives by finding shelter in Léon's apartment in the moment of highest need. Soon, she finds out about the strange neighbour's unusual profession - killing - and desperately seeks his help in taking revenge for her little brother. Léon, who is completely unexperienced in fatherly tasks, and in friendships, does his best to keep Mathilda out of trouble - unsuccessfully. Now, the conflict between a killer, who slowly discovers his abilities to live, to feel, to love and a corrupt police officer, who does anything in his might to get rid of an eye witness, arises to unmeasurable proportions - all for the sake of a little twelve-year old girl, who has nearly nothing to lose.
A hit-man tries to lose himself in New York. When a neighbor family is killed, he takes in the surviving twelve year old girl, and teaches her to be a cleaner, so she can avenge her little brother.
Leon is a hitman, and happy with his life. When a young women comes home to find her family has been killed by a drug dealer, she runs to him for help. When she discovers he is a hitman, she asks him to teach her the skills to take her revenge.
Leon is a first-class hit man, but is also a sensitive guy who loves his potted plants. He is moral: "No women, no children" is his professional motto. He is sympathetic to his neighbor, Mathilda, a typically rebellious twelve-year-old who has trouble with her family. But when her father runs afoul of drug kingpin Norman Stansfield, Mathilda turns to Leon for assistance.
|Jean Reno (Léon) @ Gary Oldman (Agent Norman Stansfield) @ Natalie Portman (Mathilda) @ Danny Aiello (Tony) @ Peter Appel (Malky) @ Willie One Blood (1st Stansfield man) @ Don Creech (2nd Stansfield man) @ Keith A. Glascoe (3rd Stansfield man||Really Good Action Movie! Natalie Portman is ABSOLUTELY brilliant as usual.
Mathilda is a young twelve-year old who lives with her father, brother and sister. When she comes back from shopping one day, she finds her family dead. Her father who stores drugs for a mean guy named Stansfield is the one who kills them. Having no where to go to, Mathilda turns to a neighbour, Léon, a guy who she ends up staying with. When she finds out about Léon killing profession, Mathilda wants him to teach her about the ways of killing, so she can get revenge on her family's (Especially her younger brother, whom she was very close with.) killers. During these times Mathilda and Léon form a loving and close friendship.
Léon is a really good action movie, and definitely a must-see movie for action lovers everywhere. There's a good and exciting story to it too. And, the performances here by Jean Reno and Natalie Portman are great, especially Natalie Portman who is absolutely brilliant here as usual and is definitely the best actress to come out in a long time.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-14 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Life of Brian|Terry Jones|Sci-Fi|NR |8.0|UK|1979|94 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Tarak Ben Ammar John Goldstone (I) Tim Hampton (I) George Harrison Denis O'Brien (I)|Graham Chapman John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones Michael Palin|Peter Biziou |||See the movie that's controversial, sacrilegious, and blasphemous. But if that's not playing, see The Life of Brian.|Irreverent satire of Biblical films and religious intolerance focuses on Brian, a Jew in Roman-occupied Judea. After joining up with an anti-Roman political organization, Brian is mistaken for a prophet, and becomes a reluctant Messiah.
Brian is born in a stable on Christmas, right next to You Know Who. The wise men appear and begin to distribute gifts. The star moves further, so they take it all back and move on. This is how Brian's life goes. The Jews are looking for a release from the Romans, Spiritual and political decay, keep looking for signs and a group decides Brian is the Messiah. He cannot convince them he is not. He joins the Judean People's Front, one of several dozen separatist groups who actually do nothing, but really hate the Romans. While not about Jesus, it is about those who hadn't time, or interest to listen to his message. Many Political and Social comments.
The Monty Pyton team tells the life, death and resurrection (?) of Brian from Nazareth, an unwilling prophet who wants to free his land from the oppression of Rome. When Brian covers a huge wall with the writing "ROMANI ITE DOMUM" (Romans go home), a local revolutionary group begins to take him seriously...
|Graham Chapman (Wise Man #2/Brian Cohen/Biggus Dickus) @ John Cleese (Wise Man #1/Reg/Jewish Official/Centurion/Deadly Dirk/Arthur) @ Terry Gilliam (Man Even Further Forward/Revolutionary/Jailer/Blood & Thunder Prophet/Geoffrey/Audience Member/Crucifee) @ Eric Idle (Wiseguy/Stan (Loretta)/Harry the Haggler/Culprit Woman/Warris/Intensely Dull Youth/Jailer's Assistant/Otto/Lead Singer Crucifee) @ Terry Jones (Mandy Cohen/Colin/Simon the Holy Man/Bob Hoskins/Saintly Passer-by/Alarmed Crucifixion Assistant) @ Michael Palin (Wise Man #3/Mr. Big Nose/Francis/Mrs. A/Ex-Leper/Announcer/Ben/Pontius Pilate/Boring Prophet/Eddie/Shoe Follower/Nisus Wettus) @ Terence Bayler (Gregory) @ Carol Cleveland (Mrs. Gregory||I Think God Has A Sense Of Humor, Don't You?
And in the 1979th year of Our Lord, God took in a screening of Monty Python's "Life Of Brian," and thought it was funny.
He did NOT think the film was blasphemous or offensive in any way. Yea, God did admire it's incredibly clever pokes at religion and at religious fanatics, for God Himself knew the virtue of being able to laugh at one's self. He also knew before He even walked into the theater that the title character, Brian, was NOT Jesus Christ, but merely a man who was born at the same time as Christ---right next door, in fact---and became mistaken for a messiah. God settled into his seat, with popcorn in one hand and diet soda in another, and had a rollicking good time.
He recommended "Life Of Brian" to His Son, Jesus, who went to see it the following week. He, too, thought it was a hilarious film, and immediately sang the praises of the Monty Python troupe---John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam & Michael Palin---for creating such a wonderful spoof. And He recommended the film to His friends. Have an open mind, He told them, and have fun.
But God and His Son were quite puzzled why so many people in the Bible Belt community were so upset by "Life Of Brian"---especially the ones who hadn't even bothered to SEE the frigging film for fear of being damned for all time. And They both shook their heads in dismay. It's only a movie, They thought, and a very funny, harmless one at that. Get a life!
But God gave Monty Python's "Life Of Brian" the power to overcome such ridiculous adversity, and today, well over two decades later, the film is rightfully regarded as a comedy classic, and one of the Python's finest works. It's *still* not a film for everybody, but does it have to be? If you're in tune with the Python's style of zany comedy, you'll enjoy "Life Of Brian."
And praise be to Saint George Harrison, late of The Beatles, for lending the Pythons a hand in making this wonderful movie. :-)
|Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Mono |1-32|||||@@
Life of David Gale, The|Alan Parker|Drama|Rated R for violent images, nudity, language and sexuality. |6.7|USA|2003|130 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Moritz Borman Nicolas Cage Guy East Norman Golightly Lisa Moran Alan Parker Nigel Sinclair David Wimbury|Charles Randolph (II) |Michael Seresin | ||The crime is clear.The truth is not.|The story follows a University of Texas professor, Dr. David Gale, an advocate for the abolishment of capital punishment, who is falsly convicted of rape and murder of another activist. He suddenly finds himself on death row. The film is told in flashbacks with a female reporter interviewing Gale.
Dr. David Gale, an advocate of eliminating the death penalty, is falsely accused of rape and murder. Once convicted, he ends up on death row in Texas himself, telling his story to a reporter through a series of flashbacks.
When anti-death-penalty activist David Gale is convicted and condemned to death for the murder of a colleague, reporter Bitsey Bloom sets out to learn the story behind Gale's crime. What she finds challenges her belief in Gale's guilt and, finally, in the justice system.
|Kate Winslet (Bitsey Bloom) @ Cleo King (Barbara Kreuster) @ Constance Jones (Reporter A.J. Roberts) @ Kevin Spacey (David Gale) @ Laura Linney (Constance Harraway) @ Lee Ritchey (Joe Mullarkey) @ Gabriel Mann (Zack Stemmons) @ Matt Craven (Dusty Wright||Ridiculous story!
This is a anti-death penalty film disguised as a thriller. And its a contrived and totally unbelievable one at that. Three of the top actors in the business star here and didn't any of them say anything to the director or the producers about the script? Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet and Laura Linney all do their best but they should have known better. The plot is so complicated that no reporter on earth could have figured it out and thats with all the clues that were left out for Winslet to find. I'm not going to go into to many details about the story but Winslet plays a reporter that Spacey has hand picked to give an interview to before he is put to death. He's been found guilty of murdering his good friend and colleague played by Linney. The three leads are attractive and interesting enough to keep it from being terrible and I personally can watch Linney in anything! She's just one of the most interesting actress's in films these days. I'm not going to discuss the ending in detail so I don't need to post a "Spoiler Alert" but I do want to say that as I watched the last half hour unfold and we figure out what the hell happened I had to ask myself one question. Is the ending realistic and could it happen? The answer is of course "NO". I guess it is possible but its so remote that it can't be taken seriously. Its just another example of Hollywood making a totally unbelievable and convoluted and manipulative story that could never happen. Watch "Dead Man Walking" instead! Also, Nicolas Cage is one of the producers of this film. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-12 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Lilo & Stitch|Dean DeBlois Chris Sanders (III|Comedy|Rated PG for mild sci-fi action. |7.5|USA|2002|85 min/ Germany:84 min/ Spain:86 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Lisa M. Poole Clark Spencer|Chris Sanders (III) Chris Sanders (III) Dean DeBlois||||There's one in every family.|In a place far, far away, illegal genetic experiment #626 is detected: Ruthless scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba has created a strong, intelligent, nearly indestructible and aggressive being with only one known weakness: The high density of his body makes it impossible for the experiment to swim in water. The scientist is sentenced to jail by the Grand Council of the Galactic Federation. The experiment is supposed to be transported to a prison asteroid, yet manages to escape Captain Gantu, who was supposed to deliver him there. With a stolen police cruiser (the red one), the destructive being races towards a little and already doomed planet: Earth. Stranded on Hawaii, experiment #626 can't actually do much harm: water all around, no big cities and two well-equipped representatives of the Galactic Federation already following close behind to catch him again. But Dr. Jookiba and the Earth expert Pleakley never could have guessed that earth girl Lilo adopts the experiment as dog, gives him the name Stitch and actually causes an emotional development in the little beast. Her dysfunctional family, consisting only of Lilo and her sister Nani, is about to be ripped apart by social worker Cobra Bubbles. Stitch as the new family member brings quite some action into all their lifes, and after a while, not even Pleakley and Dr. Jookiba can recognize their former target. But how shall they bring the news of failure to the Grand Councilwoman without being punished?
Lilo is a 5 year old Hawaiian girl who's quite peculiar: she has an off beat take on life and is a little obsessed about taking care of downtrodden animals. for example, she collects cans and bottles to recycle from the beach and buys fish food with the money she makes, then paddles out in the ocean to feed the fish there. Meanwhile, on a distant planet, alien authorities have captured the most dangerous of all criminals and are sending him via rocket to a prison planet. This is stitch.
|Chris Sanders (III) (Genetic Experiment 626/'Stitch' (voice) (as Christopher Michael Sanders)) @ Daveigh Chase (Lilo (voice)) @ Tia Carrere (Nani (voice)) @ Ving Rhames (Cobra Bubbles (voice)) @ David Ogden Stiers (Dr. Jumba (voice)) @ Kevin McDonald (I) (Agent Pleakley (voice)) @ Jason Scott Lee (David Kawena (voice)) @ Zoe Caldwell (I) (Grand Councilwoman of the United Galactic Federation (voice)||Disney has sharpened up.
A new trend in Disney has been to let go of their epic-like box office smashes in films such as SNOW WHITE and LION KING in favor of style, like EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE, and to a more older flick, the "Pink Elephants" in DUMBO. LILO definitely has this style, but I believe Walt would favor this movie a bit more with the amount of quality put in.
The Galactic Federation has convicted a mad scientist for creating a being that only knows destruction. Matters get more complicated when the critter escapes, lands on Earth and is adopted by a little girl in Hawaii.
LILO has been a bold move by Disney. What is usual for Disney (girl meets boy, fall in love, happily ever after, etc.) has turned into a story about family and the idea of love seems to be replaced with empathy and respect. It makes no difference really. LILO is a cute movie with many likeable characters and plenty of laughs. It is kind of hard to not like the notion of Stitch modelling after Elvis Presley yet the movie did not make it's own music that characters could sing to. Too many supporting characters were overbearing and merely fodder for the growing, annoying number of sequels Disney has been pumping out shamelessly. Oh well. LILO & STITCH is must watch for Disney fans. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |
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Lion King 1½, The|Bradley Raymond|Animation/Comedy/Family/Adventure||6.7|USA|2004|
77 min
|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG|1098 |624x368|MPEG Layer 3|160 |False|48,000 Hz|2|702.21 MB||||23.98|07/03/2004|George A. Mendoza Jason VanBorssum|Roger Allers Irene Mecchi Tom Rogers Evan Spiliotopoulos|||Buena Vista Home Video (BVHV) [us] |You don't know the ½ of it!
||Matthew Broderick (Simba (voice)) @ Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa (voice)) @ Nathan Lane (Timon (voice)) @ Matt Weinberg (Young Simba (voice)) @ Julie Kavner (Timon's Ma (voice)) @ Jerry Stiller (Timon's Uncle Max (voice)) @ Robert Guillaume (Rafiki (voice)) @ Moira Kelly (Nala (voice))||It was a gas! lol.
Lion King 1 1/2 is a great idea! I love Timon and Pumbaa so I wanted to
see
it right away.It's funny, interesting, and has some really nice
parts.
The whole thing is really Timon and Pumbaa watching the movie and as you
watch it it switchs back and forth from the actually movie and them
watching
it as siluettes(sp?). One of my favorite parts of this is when they decide
to do a sing along with Hakuna Matata.
The story starts out with an interesting idea. Timon lives with his fellow
meerkats who do nothing but dig. "Life's a tunnel we dig it
too."
Timon doesn't fit in in the digging team, or on sentrey(sp?) duty. He
leaves
his mom and uncle to find his place, bumping into no other
than-
yep, you got it.
RAFFIKI! lol! Raffiki tells Timon to find Hakuna Matata by "Looking beyond
what he sees." Timon sticks by that, and soon bumps into Pumbaa. They set
out to "The Big Pointy Rock" (Pride Rock) to find a dream home. Though
when
they get there, everyone else is there too, celebrating baby Simba's
birth.
Pumbaa tries to tell Timon to go around because he isn't good in crowds,
but
he won't listen. Soon Pumbaa does his thing and you'll find out why all
those animals bowed to Simba lol!
"It was a gas!" Timon described it.
Timon and Pumbaa continue passed Pride Rock to try to find a dream home.
Though their dream homes get interupted by scenes that you saw in the
first
film. These parts in the movies have to be some of the favorites. Though I
wish they made them a little bit longer, they were still really, really
funny.
Timon gets a taste of Parenthood when they find Sumba, and you get to
watch
funny clips of Timon's parenting days along with two cool songs, Jungle
Boogie and one of my favorites, The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
when Nala comes along, Timon and Pumbaa try their hardest to not make them
feel the love tonight. They actually make it better, even thought they did
have that fight.
Nala tries to get them to come help Simba defeat Scar, but Timon stays in
his dream home with his Hakuna Matata. But when he meets Raffiki again, he
realizes his Hakuna Matata is with his friends. He races after Pumbaa and
Simba to help them.
After driving the Hyennas away with a hula dance, he meets up with his mom
and Uncle Max again. To help Simba by driving the hyennas away again,
Timon
gets a plan with-
dare we say it-
tunnels. lol! When they need more time destracting the hyennas for the
plan
to actually work, you watch a funny scene where Timon makes a
"preposal"(sp?)
The plan works, after Timon dives down under the hyennas after it at first
didn't work. The hyennas fall down the tunnel where they pop out the other
end and here Scar blame everything on them.
Timon takes his family and the other Meerkats back to his old dream home,
where they can live happily every after and have to dig no more tunnels.
That's when everyone lives happily ever after.
Don't forget to watch the very ending, which is realy, really
cool!
Uncle Max is one of my new favorite characters. The Hyenasa are still
there
with him, but they looked a little different in this movie. Banzi looked
way
different I think when he says his line, "And I thought beans where the
only
musical food." But I still love them.
Uncle Max was hilarious with his jerky, panicy, and angry personality. You
can see a small change in him at the end of the movie, which is really
cool.
The songs, oooh I love the new songs! I have the soundtrack and listen to
it
almost everyday. I love the Lion Sleeps Tonight and the new Dig A Tunneh
is
a great, catchy song. i really like the new That's AI Need as well, sung
by Nathan Lane.
I love the actors in this movie. Timon and Pumbaa's voice are GREAT! You
can't get any better than that! i was happy to realize that Nathan Lane
was
in Win a Date With Tad Hamilton (didn't notice until he was yelling at Tad
on the phone though lol!) and I was really surprised to realize that the
voice of Pumbaa is Mr. Petrachelli on That's So Raven!
Well, this movie was not better than the first one, but for me, they're
both
almost about the same. I recomend this to others, and I DON'T believe this
will ruin the magic of the first one unless you force it or demand it to
yourself.
I'd give it a 8/10
I love the ending, where all the meerkats sing about how Timon is the
greatest meerkat they've ever known. I also like the very ending, which i
won't spoil incase you haven't seen it. but it's a great and very clever
ending.
BUY IT NOW! lol!
||Movies |1.66 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Lion King, The|Roger Allers Rob Minkof|Family|G |7.6|USA|1994|89 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Alice Dewey Don Hahn (I) Sarah McArthur Thomas Schumacher|Irene Mecchi Jonathan Roberts (I) Linda Woolverton||||Life's greatest adventure is finding your place in the Circle of Life.|A young lion prince is born in Africa, thus making his uncle Scar the second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, thus making himself King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years of exile he is persuaded to return home to overthrow the usurper and claim the kingdom as his own thus completing the "Circle of Life".
|Matthew Broderick (Simba (voice)) @ Joseph Williams (I) (Simba (singing) (singing voice)) @ Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Young Simba (voice)) @ Jason Weaver (Young Simba (singing) (singing voice)) @ James Earl Jones (Mufasa (voice)) @ Jeremy Irons (Scar (voice)) @ Moira Kelly (I) (Nala (voice)) @ Niketa Calame (Young Nala (voice)||The Best Animated Film I Have Ever Seen
The Lion King is a great film.Along with a great story (inspired by William Shakespeare's Hamlet), terrific animation, and an all star cast of voices, there are the lessons that are learned from this film (despite being a little rough for the younger children).Like responsibility and honor.
I rank this animated film among the great films I have ever seen.It was part of my childhood and it is a film experience I will never forget.And hopefully, you won't either.A++ |Region 1 |Movies |1.66 : 1 |
Movies |1-36|||||@@
Little Nicky|Steven Brill (I)|Fantasy|Rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor, some drug content, language and thematic material. |4.9|USA|2000|90 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Allen Covert Michael De Luca Robert Engelman Jack Giarraputo Michelle Holdsworth Adam Sandler Robert Simonds Rita Smith Brian Witten|Tim Herlihy Adam Sandler Steven Brill (I)|Theo van de Sande |||He's Never Been To Earth. He's Never Even Slept Over Some Other Dude's House.|Little Nicky is "daddy's little girl" in Hell. He's the son of Satan, who got the job from HIS father, Lucifer. Satan wants to retire, but none of his sons are good enough for the job. There's Cassius, who's big and strong, but lacks the 'goodness' to make the job real. There's Adrian, who while really hot (no pun intended) and smart, has no goodness at all. Then there's Nicky [Sandler] who, while having good, lacks any evil whatsoever. As seen in the previews, he is told to release his evil. He needs to release it to save his dad. Cassius and Adrain leave Hell, thereby freezing the wall of fire that lets the damned souls into Hell. Since no souls can come in now, Satan starts to die. It's up to Little Nicky to go and get his brothers, putting them into a flask and bringing them back to Hell at the exact same time to save Satan from decomposition. If Nicky 'dies' on Earth, he will be able to get through the frozen wall and back up to Earth. The catch is that he has only a week, and that Adrian and Cassius are MUCH more powerful than he is.
|Adam Sandler (Nicky) @ Patricia Arquette (Valerie) @ Harvey Keitel (Satan) @ Rhys Ifans (Adrian) @ Tom 'Tiny' Lister Jr. (Cassius) @ Rodney Dangerfield (Lucifer) @ Allen Covert (Todd) @ Peter Dante (Peter||Vile
Stupid, disgusting, unfunny.An Adam Sandler "comedy".He plays one of the Devil's (Harvey Keitel--why Harvey??) sons who is sent to Earth to bring back his brothers who are intent on taking over the world.He's also given a talking dog to help him.You know you're in trouble when the dog is giving the best performance.
All the jokes are sick (how did this get a PG-13?), degrading, homophobic and sexist.Sandler never could act and Keitel looks desperate to get out of there.When you have Rodney Dangerfield do a cameo and even HE isn't funny there's something terribly terribly wrong.I had to turn this off after half an hour--my stomach couldn't take any more.A utter piece of garbage.Even Sandler fans didn't see this when it came out.What does that tell you?Avoid |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-29|||||@@
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels|Guy Ritchie|Crime|Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexuality and drug content. |7.9|UK|1998|105 min/ UK:126 min (director's cut)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stephen Marks Georgia Masters Peter Morton Angad Paul Sebastian Pearson (I) Jan Roldanus Trudie Styler Steve Tisch Ronaldo Vasconcellos Matthew Vaughn Jon Slan|Guy Ritchie |Tim Maurice-Jones |||A Disgrace to Criminals Everywhere.|Four Jack-the-lads find themselves heavily - seriously heavily - in debt to an East End hard man and his enforcers after a crooked card game. Overhearing their neighbours in the next flat plotting to hold up a group of out-of-their-depth drug growers, our heros decide to stitch up the robbers in turn. In a way the confusion really starts when a pair of antique double-barrelled shotguns go missing in a completely different scam.
Four Cockney wide-boys are tricked into owing 500,000 nicker to the local gang-land boss and porn king, 'Hatchet' Harry Lonsdale. With the very real threat of finger amputation looming over them the lads come up with a plan to nick the cash from their next-door neighbours: a gang of hardcase drug-dealers... Meanwhile, 'Hatchet' ain't none too pleased when a pair of antique shotguns wot he wants are sold on by a pair of Scouse thieves, to be used in a "job"... The involvement of a conscientious debt-collector, some public school "chemists", a psychotic hash-baron, a lot of guns and knives, ensures that karma is surrealistically resolved (just!) before the end credits roll...
Eddy (Nick Moran) has been known as a cardsharp since he was young. So he and his three friends Soap (Dexter Fletcher), Tom ('Tom Flemyng' ) and Bacon (Jason Statham) all decide to chip in £25,000 each to allow him to play in an illegal high-roller game run by one of the local villains, Hatchet Harry (P.H. Moriarty). However, Eddy didn't realise the game was crooked and he ends up owing Harry £500,000 with dire threats about losing his fingers one at a time if he doesn't pay within a week! Eddy and his friends discuss various completely illegal schemes to obtain the money and eventually decide to rip-off the gang of thieves next door who themselves are planning to raid a clandestine drug growing operation which keeps all of its money in shoeboxes where they grow the cannabis plants. The scheme is simple enough but the best laid plans of mice and men always seems to go awry as does this one. As extreme chaos breaks loose the violence and associated body count spiral out of control, Eddy and his friends realise that they are out of their depth and desperately try to find a way out before they too find themselves among the casualties!
|Jason Flemyng (Tom) @ Dexter Fletcher (Soap) @ Nick Moran (Eddie) @ Jason Statham (Bacon) @ Steven Mackintosh (Winston) @ Nicholas Rowe (I) (J) @ Nick Marcq (Charles) @ Charles Forbes (I) (Willie||Original it ain't but......
Pulp Fiction meets True Romance meets The Big Sleep meets The Long Good Friday meets The Italian Job meets The Lavender Hill Mob meets Miller's Crossing meets The Ladykillers meets Twin Town, and probably many others I have Forgotten to mention. But who cares about originality when a film is this much fun and so well made.It's not as if it is just a poor standard Tarantino rip off, as many of you believe. Lock Stock' has carefully borrowed all of the best elements from many diverse films and molded them into one gloriously madcap whole.
|Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-28|||||@@
Looney Tunes: Back in Action|Joe Dante|Action/Animation/Fantasy/Adventure/Comedy/Family|Rated PG for some mild language and innuendo. |6.3|USA|2003|
90 min/ Italy:91 min
|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG|910 |560x240|MPEG Layer 3|133 |False|48,000 Hz|2|699.27 MB||||23.98|07/03/2004|Allison Abbate Chris De Faria Christopher DeFaria Larry Doyle Bernie Goldmann Joel Simon Paula Weinstein Steven Wilzbach|Larry Doyle |Dean Cundey ||Warner Bros. [us] |Real life has never been so animated|Fed up with all the attention going to Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck quits Hollywood, teams up with recently-fired stuntman Bobby Delmont (Fraser) and embarks on a round-the-world adventure. Their mission? Find Bobby's father's missing blue diamond... and stay one step ahead of Bugs and the studio exec (Elfman) who are on their trail!
|Brendan Fraser (DJ Drake/Himself/Voice of Tasmanian Devil and She-Devil) @ Jenna Elfman (Kate) @ Steve Martin (Mr. Chairman) @ Timothy Dalton (Damien Drake) @ Heather Locklear (Dusty Tails) @ Joan Cusack (Mother) @ Bill Goldberg (Mr. Smith) @ Don Stanton (Mr. Warner)||Not hilarious, but a very entertaining picture utilizing Dante's vivid imagination....
Looney Tunes: Back In Action
It's a rough time for Warner Brothers animation. Forced to make a choice
and
fire one of their leading cartoon stars, Daffy Duck, the brothers Warner
send studio lackey Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman, winningly playful) to
break
the news to the paranoid duck. Removed from his Hollywood lifestyle, Daffy
hits the streets. He finds comfort in the friendship of studio security
guard and wannabe stuntman D.J. Drake (Brendan Fraser, the only one in the
cast who understands exactly what kind of film he's in). D.J.'s father
(Timothy Dalton) is soon revealed to be a super-spy, trying to protect a
secret diamond that the maniacal head of the Acme corporation (Steve
Martin,
oddly but deeply unfunny) wants for his own nefarious plans. When D.J.
goes
to Las Vegas to retrieve the diamond, he reluctantly takes Daffy along for
the adventure. Back in Hollywood, the studio has had a change of heart and
wants Daffy back, forcing Kate and Bugs Bunny to head off after D.J. to
the
city of sin and convince the duck to return.
The `Looney Tunes' collection of animated characters were somewhat
tarnished
by the hip, 1996 cash-in `Space Jam,' which teamed Bugs and Daffy with
Michael Jordan, with hopes to save the world on a basketball court. The
film
was not without its charms - God bless Bill Murray for his cameo - but it
wasn't the `Looney Tunes' that dominated the cartoon short market in the
1940s and 50s with irreverent humor and pointed satire. Who else would be
more skilled at returning the `Tunes' to all their uncontrolled glory than
director Joe Dante? The filmmaker behind such neo-classics like `Gremlins'
and `Innerspace' has the imagination needed to weave a world where Duck
Dodgers and Foghorn Leghorn can co-exist peacefully in. Besides, Dante has
already mounted a massive 'Tunes' homage with his lovably outlandish 1990
`Gremlins' sequel, `The New Batch.' `Back In Action' just offers Dante an
authorized attempt to make use of these classic cartoons.
And use the characters he most certainly does. Daffy Duck has returned to
the annoying complainer he once was, endlessly bitching about his screen
time and billing. Bugs Bunny sips carrot martinis again and wonders if `he
shoulda takin' that left turn at Albuquerque?' And Porky Pig openly
worries
about his stutter. Dante makes time for each of the `Tunes' mainstays to
get
their moment in the sun, even awkwardly shifting the action to Paris, so
Pepe Le Pew can get in on the fun.
For the most part, Dante is incredibly successful in mixing the rapid-fire
joke telling of the classic shorts with the more sophisticated animation
and
pacing audiences are used to today. And while in Paris, `Back In Action'
finds its best sequence, in which Elmer Fudd chases Bugs and Daffy through
the Louvre's classic paintings, taking on each artwork's appearance as
they
jump from wall to wall. It's the best merger of modern animation
technology
with traditional screwball comedy found in the film. I can't say `Back In
Action' is a laugh riot - it isn't as hilarious as it thinks itself - but
its ambitious pursuit of oddball subjects to make fun of, along with
Dante's
decision to feature cameo appearances by a host of the `Tunes' archive
characters, is enough to save the film. But make no mistake, this is
strictly a Joe Dante movie.
Dante has always loved to pay tributes to classic films as well as
himself,
so he's filled out the picture with cameos by Kevin McCarthy (holding an
`Body Snatchers' pod), Mary Woronov, Dante regulars Robert Picardo and
Dick
Miller, and legend Roger Corman (and you know this film is fiction,
because
it shows Corman directing the new `Batman' picture). Dante also steers the
action to the secret government outpost `Area 52' (apparently `Area 51' is
an elaborate sham), which is stacked with classic rubber sci-fi monsters
from the 1950s, and guarded by Robby The Robot. There is a fantastic
madcap
vibe to the opening sequence set in the Warner Brothers backlot, revealing
a
bustling community of the past, when productions crisscrossed regularly.
Dante even has the seeds to recreate a comedy version of the `Psycho'
shower
scene with Bugs in the Janet Leigh role. Trying explaining that one to a
group of 8 year-olds.
`Back In Action' is pretty brave in the jokes that it tells, not fearing
to
fly wildly over the heads of children everywhere. Hell, even today's
parents
aren't going to pick up on half of the tributes paid in this distinctly
Dantesque picture. To combat the exclusivity of the gags, Dante has made
sure the physical comedy is well represented. There are enough pratfalls
and
face smashes in `Back In Action' for three movies, but it keeps in line
with
the special brand of slapstick that the `Tunes' pioneered eons ago. It's
still fun to see Daffy get his beak blown off, or to see Yosemite Sam fall
into a pit of dynamite, with only a single match to illuminate his
surroundings before quickly being blown to kingdom come. Dante treats the
traditional `Looney Tunes' formula with unreserved reverence, and deserves
credit, along with screenwriter Larry Doyle, for attempting to return this
franchise to its roots of pure slapstick and mile-a-minute joke telling.
This is far from `Space Jam 2,' and thank God for it. ---- 8/10
||Widescreen |2.35 : 1 |5.1 ||||||@@
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The|Peter Jackson|Fantasy|Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images. |8.8|New Zealand|2001|178 min/ USA:208 min (special extended edition)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Peter Jackson Michael Lynne (II) Mark Ordesky Barrie M. Osborne Rick Porras Tim Sanders (I) Jamie Selkirk Robert Shaye Ellen Somers Frances Walsh Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein Saul Zaentz|J.R.R. Tolkien Frances Walsh Philippa Boyens Peter Jackson|Andrew Lesnie |||The Legend Comes to Life|An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign!
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-Earth still it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young nephew, Frodo, the Ruling Ring, and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-Earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.
|Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins) @ Ian McKellen (Gandalf) @ Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn, aka Strider) @ Liv Tyler (Arwen) @ Sean Astin (Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee) @ Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) @ John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) @ Billy Boyd (Peregrin 'Pippin' Took||One of the greatest films of all time.
Star Wars has been dethroned.Although George Lucas' movies are good in their own right (except for the juvenile elements he puts in to sell toys to finance the franchise), his scripts (which borrow heavily from J.R.R.Tolkien, mythology & religion) can't compare with the brilliance of the literary trilogy `The Lord of the Rings'.Granted, Lucas took on a herculean task in writing & directing his story himself, but Tolkien's words, along with Peter Jackson's faithful adaptation & inspired vision, have created something no one man could equal.
Of course, it helps that Jackson insisted on at least a 2 picture deal, & New Line Cinema was brave enough to foot the bill up front for 3 movies. They spent $180 million to film all 3 simultaneously.With the New Zealand exchange rate, that equals $360 million ($90 million ea.), but since they used many of the same sets, and FX development costs were spread throughout, we're seeing $120-$150 million on the screen.This will ensure consistency in plot, casting, tone, etc.
In 3 hours, Jackson has crammed everything essential from the first novel & then some into the film, rewriting some scenes & dialogue with lesser characters for the leads, leaving out only what there wasn't enough time for.Basically, you have two 90 min. movies running back to back.There are no slow spots, just one climax after another.From the opening 10 min. backstory where the Dark Lord Sauron is shown on the battlefield wiping out men & elves 10 at a time with each swing of his mace, I was blown away.The romance between Aragorn, king in exile, and Arwen, daughter of the elf-lord, is played up for the "Titanic" quotient, but it's well done.
The story, sets, costumes & FX are so rich, you'll have to see the film several times to absorb everything.The unspoiled New Zealand locales are spectacular, providing a variety of environments to represent the different settings on the characters' journey.The location sets are imaginative, detailed & weathered, adding to their believability, while the studio sets match them in meticulousness.The costumes are at once familiar & strange, drawing on both the medievil & the fantastic, but more important, they're also functional & practical.The music by Howard Shore is appropriately sweeping, Celtic & folky in keeping with the novel, although it lacks the memorable themes of John Williams or Jerry Goldsmith, but neither would commit a year or more to a 3 picture project.The FX are as they should be, unobtrusive & unnoticed most of the time, there only to support the story not draw attention away from it as in most Hollywood movies which try to coverup illogical plots & bad acting.
I'm particularly gratified by the casting of Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn which was a last minute stroke of luck when the actor first chosen for the part backed out due to differences with the director.I've always thought Mortenson had an intensity & striking but not pretty-boy looks that could portray a flawed, dangerous hero instead of the villains Hollywood always picked him for.
A stellar cast giving some of their best performances, visuals that deliver beyond what I imagined, a perfect mix of humor, passion & tragedy, and a feeling of grandeur, scope & impending doom.Perhaps as an ensemble piece with so many characters & the inability to concentrate on any one, it can't be measured against some of the classic character study films, but even the casual moviegoer can grasp the ideas & not get lostAs far as I'm concerned, it's one of the greatest films of all time.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-20 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The|Peter Jackson|Fantasy/Adventure/Action|Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images. |8.9|USA|2003|
201 min/ USA:250 min (extended edition)
|English||||||||||False||||||||07/03/2004|Peter Jackson Michael Lynne Mark Ordesky Barrie M. Osborne Rick Porras Jamie Selkirk Robert Shaye Frances Walsh Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|J.R.R. Tolkien Frances Walsh Philippa Boyens Peter Jackson|Andrew Lesnie ||A-Film Distribution [nl] |This Christmas the journey ends.
|While Frodo & Sam continue to approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, unaware of the path Gollum is leading them, the former Fellowship aid Rohan & Gondor in a great battle in the Pelennor Fields, Minas Tirith and the Black Gates as Sauron wages his last war against Middle-Earth.
The Fellowship divides to conquer as Frodo and Sam, with the help and hindrance of Gollum, continue their way to Mount Doom. Gandalf and Pippin ride to Minas Tirith to help defend Gondor while Merry remains with Eowyn and the other Rohan fighters. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli seek aid from those that live in the Cursed Mountains. All these battles have one goal in mind: distract the Eye of Sauron and buy Frodo a little more time to destroy the ring.
|Noel Appleby (Everard Proudfoot) @ Alexandra Astin (Elanor Gamgee) @ Sean Astin (Sam) @ David Aston (Gondorian Soldier 3) @ John Bach (Madril) @ Sean Bean (Boromir) @ Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) @ Orlando Bloom (Legolas)||The first great cinematic masterpiece of the twenty-first century.
I am, I admit, an unlikely convert to the religion of Tolkienism. I have
never read the books, having, I thought, been put off them for life by the
sort of obsessive freaks who read them when I was at school. (One
classmate,
then aged about sixteen, told me with great pride that he had read the
whole
of `The Lord of the Rings' at least fifty times). I also have never been a
great admirer of the `sword and sorcery' school of fantasy writing or
filmmaking; indeed, some of this genre (mostly those starring the current
governor of California) struck me as being among the worst films ever
made.
I was, however, persuaded to see the first in the trilogy, `The Fellowship
of the Ring', by its overwhelmingly positive reception from the critics,
and
was quickly won over by the scope of Peter Jackson's vision. I had been
expecting some twee tale of elves, gnomes and fairies; what I experienced
was a genuine epic (in the true sense of that overused word). Ever since
December 2001, I have been waiting for parts two and three of the trilogy
to
be released. Neither has disappointed me.
The story of `The Lord of the Rings' is too complex to be told in a review
such as this. Suffice it to say that it revolves around a magic ring which
will give its possessor immense power. The power-hungry Dark Lord Sauron
(a
figure who is never actually seen on screen) desires to obtain the ring in
order to dominate Middle Earth. His enemies, led by the wizard Gandalf,
are
seeking to destroy the ring, which can only be used for evil purposes, not
for good. At the beginning of the final part of the trilogy, Sauron's
forces
are massing for an attack on the kingdom of Gondar.
The film relates the story of the conflict which follows, and this leads
to
some of the most spectacular battle sequences I have seen, even more
impressive than those in `The Two Towers'. Inevitably, the film makes much
use of computer-generated effects, but unlike many films dominated by
special effects, plot and character are not neglected. The acting is
uniformly good, and in some cases outstanding. Special mentions must also
go
to the camerawork, which made the best possible use of the magnificent New
Zealand scenery, and to Howard Shaw's memorable musical score.
So, looking forward to the Oscar ceremony, I have no doubt that this
should
be the best film and that Peter Jackson, who has amply fulfilled the
promise
shown in the excellent `Heavenly Creatures', should be best director. Best
Actor? I would find it difficult to decide between the competing claims of
Sir Ian McKellen, who brings wisdom, kindliness and the required touch of
steel to his portrait of Gandalf, and of Elijah Wood, who plays the brave
and resourceful hobbit Frodo to whom falls the dangerous task of ensuring
the ring's destruction. Best Supporting Actor? My own nomination would be
for Sean Astin, as Frodo's loyal companion Sam, but several others might
have claims, notably Viggo Mortensen or Bernard Hill.
Is this the best movie ever made, as some of its admirers have claimed?
Possibly not- that is, after all, a very large claim to make. I have no
doubt, however, that the trilogy as a whole is the first great cinematic
masterpiece of the twenty-first century. It has certainly inspired me to
start reading Tolkien's original novels. 10/10.
||Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The|Peter Jackson|Fantasy|Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and scary images. |8.8|USA|2002|179 min/ USA:222 min (special extended edition)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Peter Jackson Michael Lynne (II) Mark Ordesky Barrie M. Osborne Rick Porras Jamie Selkirk Robert Shaye Frances Walsh Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|J.R.R. Tolkien Frances Walsh Philippa Boyens Stephen Sinclair (I) Peter Jackson|Andrew Lesnie |||A New Power Is Rising.|The Fellowship has been broken. Boromir (Sean Bean) is dead, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) have gone to Mordor alone to destroy the One Ring, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) have been captured by the Uruk-hai, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) have made friends of the Rohan, a race of humans that are in the path of the upcoming war, led by its aging king, Théoden (Bernard Hill). The two towers between Mordor and Isengard, Barad-dúr and Orthanc, have united in their lust for destruction. The corrupt wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), under the power of the Dark Lord Sauron, and his slimy assistant, Gríma Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), have created a grand Uruk-hai army bent on the destruction of Man and Middle-earth. The rebellion against Sauron is building up and will be led by Gandalf the White (Sir Ian McKellen), who was thought to be dead after the Balrog captured him. One of the Ring's original bearers, the creature Gollum (Andy Serkis), has tracked Frodo and Sam down in search of his 'precious', but is captured by the Hobbits and used as a way to lead them to Mt. Doom. The War of the Ring has now begun...
Sauron's forces increase. His allies grow. The Ringwraiths return in an even more frightening form. Saruman's army of Uruk Hai is ready to launch an assault against Aragorn and the people of Rohan. Yet, the Fellowship is broken and Boromir is dead. For the little hope that is left, Frodo and Sam march on into Mordor, unprotected. A number of new allies join with Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Pippin and Merry. And they must defend Rohan and attack Isengard. Yet, while all this is going on, Sauron's troops mass toward the City of Gondor, for the War of the Ring is about to begin.
Frodo and Sam take Gollum prisoner and continue on to Mordor on the mission to destroy The One Ring. Whilst their former companions Strider, Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin make new allies in the Ents, The Riders of Rohan and the Stewards of Gondor and launch an assault on Isengard. All the while a growing Shadow falls upon Middle-earth as the Dark Lord's Army marches on to Gondor. The War of the Ring has begun.
After the fellowship has broken, Merry and Pippin, taken by orcs, make new allies in the Ents, while Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn make allies in the people of Rohan, and all of them must launch an assault on Isengard. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam force Gollum to guide them through Mordor, trusting him with their lives.
|Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins) @ Ian McKellen (Gandalf) @ Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) @ Liv Tyler (Arwen) @ Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee) @ Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) @ Billy Boyd (Pippin Took) @ Dominic Monaghan (Merry Brandybuck||A fantastic freely adaption
Its very seldom I cannot control myself in the movies. But yesterday, when I first saw Two Towers, I found mystaring at the screen without blinking for three hours. Fellowship of the Ring was strong, but Two Towers is a masterpiece without comparison, YET.
What I don't understand, is why people judge this film for the lack and differences it makes with the book, but not for the film itself. I too have read the book, but did find the movie even more impressive, due to the fact that this is film-making at its finest. The battlescene at Helm`s Deep is the most impressive thing I have ever seen, and it made such impressions on me that I now, a day after still have a hard time putting words on it. People rate this movie as "over-rated, violent and a hack and slash action adventure", but come on people. What do you think was the solution back then? Political agreement and UN? No this is middle-age, not some kind of sloppy romantic peace period. World domination and apocalypse are the motives for the villains, and you can't really expect them to use silk gloves.
People say that this movie is bad because it strays away from the book. What does that have to do with the movie itself? The CGI, The music, the make up and SFX, the actors....THATS what makes the movie. There is a reason why these two movies are loved by so many. Its because they are incredible, and an emotional experience its hard to surpass. Yes Jackson have made some changes to the original story, but he had to to make it more "strong" for the common man. So many in the cinema who has never read the book, but enjoys the movie far much than those who sits sour like a lemon and complains. Get a grip or watch something else. This is not a documentary, its a movie, and one of the best ever!!
If Two Towers wasn't based on the book, you`d be hailing it as the best movie ever. But since Tolkien fanatics expect some kind of "Page to page documentary", they get disappointed. Wake up and feel the coffee people, Jackson didn't mean to do Tolkien any harm, in fact he did the only thing right. He transferred it from Book to movie, took the best parts and made it enjoyable for everyone, not only Tolkien fans. When Return of the King is out, This trilogy will be hailed as Star Wars was. For it is, in fact equal as good, and for someone who embraces it both in book and film-material, its the best films ever.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
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Love Actually |||R ||||135 mins|||XviD|2||XviD MPEG|1402 |640x272|MPEG Layer 3|112 |False|48,000 Hz|2|1400.15 MB||||25.00|20/03/2004|||||||äàäáä ðîöàú áëì î÷åí.... àöì øàù äîîùìä äøåå÷ (éå âøðè), ùîúàäá áàçú îðùåú äöååú ùìå (îøèéï î÷'÷èö'ï), øâòéí ñôåøéí àçøé ùòáø ìâåø áøçåá ãàåðéðâ 10... àöì ñåôø (÷åìéï ôéøú'), äðîìè ìãøåí öøôú áëãé ìøôà àú ìáå äùáåø åîúàäá áîð÷ä ôåøèåâæéú äîð÷ä àú áéúå... àöì àéùä ðùåàä (àîä úåîôñåï) äçåùùú ùáòìä (àìï øé÷îï) äåìê ìøòåú áùãåú æøéí... àöì ëìä èøééä (÷ééøä ðééèìé) äîáéðä ìà ðëåï àú äøéçå÷ ùì çáøå äèåá áéåúø ùì áòìä... àöì úìîéã äîðñä ìæëåú áúùåîú ìáä ùì äðòøä äëé ìà îåùâú ááéú äñôø... àöì àá çåøâ åàìîï (ìéàí ðéñï) äîðñä ìú÷ùø òí áï ùäåà ëîòè åàéðå îëéø... àöì áçåøä àîøé÷àéú (ìåøä ìéðé) ùîðöìú äæãîðåú ìøåîï îùøãé... åâí àöì ëåëá øå÷ îæã÷ï (áéì ðéé)... äàäáä âåøîú ìúåäå åáåäå áçéé ëåìí. ëì ñéôåøé äàäáä äìåðãåðééí äàìå îúðâùéí, îúîæâéí åîâéòéí ìùéà áòøá çâ äîåìã – ùåá åùåá åùåá – òí öéøåôé î÷øéí øåîðèééí, îöçé÷éí åîúå÷éí åîøéøéí ëàçã, ìëì îé ùäúîæì îæìå ìéôåì á÷ñîéé äàäáä.
From theimakers of Bridget Jones's Diary andiNotting Hill comes Love Actually, theifeel good movie of theiyear! "Get readyifor fun" (People) with an all-star cast that includes theidevilishly charming andihilarious Hugh Grantiin this "irresistible" (USA Today) comedy that reminds us that love, actually isiall around. ||||Region ? | |Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround||||||@@
||||||||||||||||||False||||||||26/10/2003|||||||||||||||1-33|||||@@
Mask, The|Chuck Russell|Fantasy|PG-13 |6.4|USA|1994|97 min|English|||1|||904 |704x576|MPEG Layer 3|55 |False|24,000 Hz|2|681.11 MB||||25.00|01/02/2004|Ann Burgund Michael De Luca Robert Engelman Carla Fry Mike Richardson Chuck Russell|Michael Fallon Mark Verheiden Mike Werb|John R. Leonetti ||Laurenfilm S.A. [es] |From zero to hero|Stanley Ipkiss is a bank clerk that is an incredibly nice man. Unfortunately, he is too nice for his own good and is a pushover when it comes to confrontations. After one of the worst days of his life, he finds a mask that depicts Loki, the Norse night god of mischief. Now, when he puts it on, he becomes his inner, self: a cartoony romantic wild man. However, a small time crime boss, Dorian Tyrel, comes across this character dubbed "The Mask" by the media. After Ipkiss's alter ego indirectly kills his friend in crime, Tyrel now wants this green-faced goon destroyed.
A bank clerk without much success with women comes in to possession of a mysterious mask which transforms him into his inner personality. Set in "Edge City", a big American city with a pollution and gangster problem, as "The Mask" the bumbling clerk becomes an unconventional super hero in search of justice and a good time too.
Stanley Ipkiss is a young shy man who works in a bank. One day, he discovers a mask by the sea, which (according to an archaeologist) pictures the Norse god of tricks and deception, Loki. When Stanley puts on the mask, he transforms into an uncontrolled reflection of himself, that does crazy things and amazes the people. This new super-hero, the "Mask", falls in love with a singer, Tina Carlyle while he decides to eliminate every gangster in the city.
Jim Carrey stars as mild-mannered bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss, who discovers a mysterious ancient mask that brings his inner most desires to wild, screaming life! Now, together with his sidekick Milo, this wise-cracking green tornado is taking Edge City over the top.
|Jim Carrey (Stanley Ipkiss) @ Peter Riegert (Lt. Mitch Kellaway) @ Peter Greene (Dorian Tyrell) @ Amy Yasbeck (Peggy Brandt) @ Richard Jeni (Charlie Schumaker) @ Orestes Matacena (Niko) @ Tim Bagley (Irv) @ Nancy Fish (Mrs. Peenman) @ Johnny Williams (Burt) @ Reg E. Cathey (Freeze (as Reginald E. Cathey)) @ Jim Doughan (Doyle) @ Denis Forest (Sweet Eddy) @ Cameron Diaz (Tina Carlyle) @ Joseph Alfieri (Police Officer) @ B.J. Barie (Alley Punk #1) @ Catherine Berge (Cigarette Girl) @ Phil Boardman (Guard) @ Krista Buonauro (Lady Cop) @ Debra Casey (Alley Punk #3) @ Blake Clark (Murray) @ Christopher Darga (Paramedic #3) @ Suzanne Dunn (Reporter) @ Joely Fisher (Maggie) @ Kevin Grevioux (Henchman #7) @ Peter Jazwinski (Park Policeman) @ Howard Kay (Niko's Thug #2) @ Robert Keith (Police Officer) @ Beau Lotterman (Megaphone Cop) @ Scott McElroy (Niko's Thug #1) @ Richard Montes (Henchman #1) @ Ivory Ocean (Mayor Mitchell Tilton) @ Robert O'Reilly (The Figure) @ Louis Ortiz (Coco Bongo Vallet) @ Daniel James Peterson (Henchman #6) @ Jeremy Roberts (Bobby the Bouncer) @ Eamonn Roche (Mr. Dickey) @ Randi Ruimy (Screaming Lady) @ Ben Stein (Dr. Arthur Neuman (as Benjamin J. Stein)) @ Nils Allen Stewart (Orlando) @ Chris Taylor (Coco Bongo Cop #1) @ Bullet Valmont (Alley Punk #2) @ Wendy L. Walsh (Herself (as Wendy Walsh)) @ Meadow Williams (Pebbles) @ Max (Milo the Dog rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Krista Miller (Dancer (uncredited)) @ Garret Sato ( (uncredited)Produced by||When I wear this mask, I can be whatever I want...
A quite important number of movies paid a tribute to Tex Avery's cartoons like "who framed Roger Rabbit?". "The Mask" ranks among them and is a great success, although this movie takes back some characteristics suitable to American movies and particularly this one: the transition for a character from a low level to the degree of hero. Here, the main protagonist (Jim Carrey) is introduced as a clumsy person in the beginning. But the discovery of a weird mask will turn his life upside down and make him become the hero of "Edge City". This mask will also allow him to conquer Cameron Diaz's heart and to triumph over a gang who wished to take the city under control.
As a consequence, the movie uses a globally thin and convenient screenplay but fortunately, it's compensated by the funny moments where "the Mask" tops the bill and this is the occasion to intervene a fanciful, but efficient humor that finds again the devastating tone of the cartoons from the forties and the fifties. It also doesn't hesitate in parodying the gangster movies from the thirties and even "gone with the wind".
Jim Carrey's performance remains one of his best to date. He's well directed and never hams it up unlike the silly "Ace Ventura in Africa". Let's add an amusing description of the Kellaway cop (Peter Riegert).
A movie eventually entertaining enough to sustain the interest in spite of its weaknesses. |Region 1 |New Line Platinum Series |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |5.1 ||||||@@
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (Widescreen)|||PG-13 |||2003|139 mins|||XviD|2||XviD MPEG|1014 |640x256|AC3-Digital|438 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1395.29 MB||||25.00|20/03/2004|||||||òì ø÷ò îñòåú äëéáåù çåá÷é äòåìí ùì ðôåìéàåï áùðéí 1815-1799, éåöà ÷ôèï â'÷ àåáøé (øàñì ÷øå) ìîùéîä ðåòæú - ééøåè ñôéðú ÷øá àîøé÷àéú äðîöàú áãøëä ìæøåò äøñ áöé äîñçø áìååéúðéí ùì äáøéèéí.
àìà ùäîìçîä äîúðäìú áëì äçæéúåú îåöàú àú àåáøé áñáê ùì öøåú ùìà öéôä ìäï, ëàùø øåôà äñôéðä (ôåì áèàðé) ùìå îúâìä ëîåøã, äèáò îëéï ìå ñåôåú èééôåï òæåú áãøê, åäîøãó àçø ñôéðú ääøñ äàîøé÷àéú îáéà àåúå ì÷öä äøçå÷ îàåã ùì äòåìí, ùøåáå ìà äéä îîåôä àå îåëø áàåúä ú÷åôä.
ñøè îøùéí, ôòìåìé îéí ðäãøéí áùéìåá òìéìä îøú÷ú åîùç÷ îòåìä (ãéàìåâéí ùðùîòéí àîéðéí, ìîùì),å÷øáåú éîééí ùâåøîéí ì'ùåããé ä÷àøéáééí' ìäñîé÷ åì-'èåøàé øàééï' ìäéøàåú îæåéó.
A ship's commanderiin theiRoyal British navy finds his vessel andicrewiin ruins afteria surprise attack from an unseen foe. Now, he anditheiship's doctor must work togetherito insure that their duty isiprotectedias they pursue theimystery ship half way around theiworld. ||||Region ? | |[None] |[None] ||||||@@
Matrix Reloaded, The|Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowsk|Sci-Fi|Rated R for sci-fi violence and some sexuality. |7.3|USA|2003|138 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bruce Berman (I) Grant Hill (I) Andrew Mason (II) Vicki Popplewell Steve Richards (I) Joel Silver Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski|Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski|Bill Pope (I) | ||Free your mind.|Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, and the rest of their crew continue to battle the machines that have enslaved the human race in the Matrix. As their quest unfolds, Neo learns more about his super-heroic abilities, including the ability to see the codes of the people and things around him. Simultaneously, now, more humans are waking up out of the Matrix and attempting to live in the real world. As their numbers grow, the battle moves to Zion--the last real-world city and center of human resistance.
Roughly six months after the original "Matrix", Neo begins to have nightmares about Trinity plunging to her death. Meanwhile, the rebels have returned to the city of Zion to learn that 250,000 sentinels are digging towards them in order to seek Zion and wipe out the human resistance. The Oracle gives Neo instructions to find the keymaker and seek out the source. If Neo fails the mission, then the rebellion will be crushed, and the machines will win the war.
Zion is falling under siege from the machine army. In a matter of hours 250,000 Sentinels, programmed to destroy mankind, will attack and yet the citizens of Zion, encouraged by Morpheus, are placing their faith in The Oracle's prophecy that The One will end the machine war and restore peace. But can Neo live up to their expectations? He may have new powers, including the ability to fly, but his recurring visions of Trinity's death are jeopardising his chances whenever he's in The Matrix...
Some time after Neo is revealed to be "the One", the revolution has taken a drastic turn, as more and more minds are freed from the matrix. The machines, then, gather an immense army to destroy Zion once and for all. Morpheus and Neo eagerly await contact from the Oracle, whom they believe will tell them how to prevent this disaster. Meanwhile, Agent Smith has returned, having escaped deletion. Now a computer virus, he is able to infect anyone he touches, his only purpose is to destroy Neo. Now, to save Zion, the human race, and most of all the woman he loves, Neo, Morpheus and the other rebels must battle freakish program "exiles", new upgraded Agents, evil masterminds, and a mob of Agent Smith duplicates to reach the Source. But at the Source, Neo must learn the truth about the Matrix, a truth that shakes the very foundations of all that he has known.
|Ray Anthony (III) (Power Station Guard) @ Christine Anu (Kali) @ Andy Arness (Police #2) @ Alima Ashton-Sheibu (Link's Niece) @ Helmut Bakaitis (The Architect) @ Steve Bastoni (Soren) @ Don Battee (Vector (as Don Batte)) @ Monica Bellucci (Persephone||One of the better, more entertaining films you'll see this summer, possibly this year
The Matrix Reloaded is like a high octane video game for Playstation 2 or X-Box, brought superbly onto the screen by the Wachowski Brothers (Andy and Larry), with plenty for the audience to enjoy and soak up.This is indeed a film that doesn't match up quite to the original (what could, really), but what is breathtaking is how the Wachowskis' feel a confidence, mastery of their medium of sci-fi action storytelling.Even when the film gets all too deep into the philosophical speculations and dialogue (which the first balanced with the action perfectly), it rebounds to get to what the audience wants to see- fights, chases, gun and knife/sword battles, and all the visual effects that can be brought forth in a Hollywood picture.
I won't say too much of the plot except that in the second installment we see our heroes, Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity, facing the oncoming of the war with the machines, and how they, and more specifically Neo, will be tested to their limits.These limits make up the sum of the visual effects and action sequences, which are about 60 to 65 percent of the whole movie. And that's what makes the film a worthy watch (not the acting, since it's even lesser than in the first one, as Keanu Reeves proves) is that there seems to be always something to look at, admire, and maybe even dismiss as TOO un-real.
Bottom line, The Matrix Reloaded isn't a great movie, like it's monumental predecessor, however it doesn't leave I, as I'm sure it won't leave others, with a sense of money not well spent.As one character said, "The choice, I leave up to you."Grade: A |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
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Matrix Revolutions, The (Widescreen)|||R |||2003|129 mins|||XviD|3||XviD MPEG|1540 |640x272|MPEG Layer 3|151 |False|48,000 Hz|2|2093.58 MB||||23.98|20/03/2004|||||||äçì÷ äùìéùé åäàçøåï áàçú äèøéìåâéåú äéå÷øúéåú-àê-ùðåéåú-áîçìå÷ú ùäòåìí øàä àé ôòí.
'îèøé÷ñ øáåìåùðñ' îúøçù ëîå ÷åãîéå áòåìí òúéãðé, áå áðé äàãí îùåòáãéí ò"é îçùáéí, åâåôí îùîù ëî÷åø àðøâéä ìîëåðåú, áòåã øàùí îçåáø ìîòøëú ä'îèøé÷ñ', äâåøîú ìäí ìäàîéï ùäí çééí áëãåø äàøõ ùì ùðú 1999.
'øáåìåùðñ' îáéà áôðé äöåôéí àú ä÷øá äñåôé áéï áðé äàãí ùéöàå îäîèøé÷ñ ìáéï äîëåðåú äîôìöúéåú áòåìí äàîéúé (îãåáø, àâá, áñöðú ä÷øá äé÷øä áéåúø áäéñèåøéä, ùäåô÷ä áòìåú ùì 40 îéìéåï ãåìø), ëîå âí àú ä÷øá äñåôé ùáéï ðéàå (÷éàðå øéáñ), âåàì äàðåùåú äîåðò áëåç àäáúå ìèøéðéèé (÷àøé àï-îåñ), ìáéï äñåëï ñîéú' (äåáå ååéáéðâ), åéøåñ äîçùá ùîåøã áîëåðåú åîàééí ìäùîéã àú áðé äàãí åäîçùáéí éçãéå áëåç ùðàúå ìðéàå.
Provocative futuristic action thriller. The Matrix Revolutions marks theifinal explosive chapteriin theiMatrix trilogy. ||||Region ? | |Widescreen 2.40:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1||||||@@
Matrix, The|Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowsk|Action|Rated R for sci-fi violence and brief language. |8.5|USA|1999|136 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bruce Berman (I) Dan Cracchiolo Carol Hughes (III) Andrew Mason (II) Richard Mirisch Barrie M. Osborne Joel Silver Erwin Stoff Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski|Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski|Bill Pope (I) | ||The Fight for the Future Begins|In the near future, a computer hacker named Neo (Keanu Reeves) discovers that all life on Earth may be nothing more than an elaborate facade created by a malevolent cyber-intelligence, for the purpose of placating us while our life essence is "farmed" to fuel the Matrix's campaign of domination in the "real" world. He joins like-minded Rebel warriors Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss) in their struggle to overthrow the Matrix.
Computer hacker Thomas Anderson has lived a relatively ordinary life--in what he thinks is the year 1999--until he is contacted by the enigmatic Morpheus who leads him into the real world. In reality, it is 200 years later, and the world has been laid waste and taken over by advanced artificial intelligence machines. The computers have created a false version of 20th-century life--the "Matrix"--to keep the human slaves satisfied, while the AI machines draw power from the humans. Anderson, pursued constantly by "Agents" (computers who take on human form and infiltrate the Matrix), is hailed as "The One" who will lead the humans to overthrow the machines and reclaim the Earth.
Keanu Reeves plays Neo, a computer hacker who discovers that the world around him is a computer simulation called the Matrix. He learns this from Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who also tells him that the Matrix uses humans as fuel for his quest of total domination. Morpheus has been searching his entire life for a "chosen one" to destroy the Matrix, and he believes Neo is it. Neo has his doubts, but through all his adventures with Morpheus and his crew, he starts to believe, and is ready to destroy the Matrix.
Viviamo davvero in un mondo ed in una realtà solamente ed assolutamente 'virtuali' ? Questo l'interrogativo che ci pone il film. La storia è quella di un gruppo di 'hacker', pirati informatici, che si ribellano al potere di Matrix, l'intelligenza artificiale che comanda il pianeta, in un futuro prossimo venturo. Guidati da Morfeo i ribelli fidano in Neo, atteso come il 'salvatore' annunciato da un oracolo. Il film è una girandola di combattimenti ed inseguimenti, nella eterna lotta fra il Bene ed il Male, mescolando western post-moderno e musical cibernetico, arti marziali e fumetti manga, filosofie orientali e new-age.
|Keanu Reeves (Neo) @ Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus) @ Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) @ Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) @ Gloria Foster (Oracle) @ Joe Pantoliano (Cypher) @ Marcus Chong (Tank) @ Julian Arahanga (Apoc||Stylish, spiritual, sensational!
I've seen this movie twice, and when I get my hands on the video, I will certainly watch it again and again.Here is a film that came out earlier this year with very little fanfare, but turned out to be one of the most unusual, stylish, spiritual, and just downright sensational films of the year!Keanu Reeves is perfectly cast as Neo, the computer hacker who goes on an underground journey, filled with twists and turns, as he discovers the truth about the world he lives in, namely, "The Matrix."The supporting cast is great, including the authoritative presence of Laurence Fishburne.Even the "oracle"scene, which seems out of place with the rest of the apocalyptic vision of the picture, is a stunner.
But the film's greatest triumphs are the special effects combined with "bullet time" photography.Never before have I seen such a seamless fit where the technical aspects of a picture enhanced both the characters and the story.What a marriage of arts and sciences all wrapped up in one of 1999's most daring cinematic achievements.Whatever you do, don't miss "The Matrix!"
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Mean Machine|Barry Skolnick|Comedy|Rated R for language and some violence. |6.1|USA|2001|98 min/ Spain:101 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Adam Bohling Georgia Masters Cynthia Pett-Dante Guy Ritchie Albert S. Ruddy Matthew Vaughn|Tracy Keenan Wynn Charlie Fletcher Chris Baker (V) Andrew Day (II)|Alex Barber |||Not Your Usual Suspects|Disgraced England football Danny Meehan is sentanced to three years to prison for assulting two policemen. On the inside Danny meets some strange charachters whilst taking a beating from guards, Danny is asked by the govenor of the prison to coach the prisons football team but Danny refuses and suggests that the Guards take the Cons on in a football match. Danny now has to train the cons for the big match up but its not as easy at it seems as the govenor uses blackmail against Danny prior to the big match.
|Vinnie Jones (Danny Meehan) @ David Kelly (I) (Doc) @ David Hemmings (Governor) @ Ralph Brown (I) (Burton) @ Vas Blackwood (Massive) @ Robbie Gee (Trojan) @ Geoff Bell (Ratchett) @ John Forgeham (Sykes||"THE LONGEST YARD" W/SOCCER HOOLIGANS INSTEAD
MEAN MACHINE (2002) ** Vinnie Jones, David Hemmings, David Kelly, Jason Statham, Jason Flemying.Pointless British remake of "The Longest Yard" with real-life former football star Jones in the Burt Reynolds role of a recently inducted member of a prison run by the unscrupulous Hemmings whose curriculum includes a nasty grudge match between the criminals and the guards.A few chuckles interspersed amidst the brutal teeth clattering on-field violence largely thanks to Jones' co-stars from Guy Ritchie's flicks, Statham as a psychotic goalie and Flemying as a phlegmatic color commentator con. (Dir: Barry Skolnick)
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Medallion, The|Gordon Chan|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for action violence and some sexual humor. |4.5|Hong Kong|2003|USA:88 min|English||||||||||False||||||||09/12/2003|Bill Borden Jackie Chan Willie Chan Alfred Cheung Siew-Loong Tim Kwok Candy Leung Rick Nathanson Albert Yeung|Alfred Cheung Bennett Joshua Davlin Alfred Cheung Gordon Chan Paul Wheeler Bey Logan|Arthur Wong ||Columbia TriStar Films [es] ||Combining the physicality of international action superstar Jackie Chan with state-of-the-art special effects, The Medallion is an action comedy co-starring Claire Forlani and Julian Sands. Chan stars as Eddie, an indomitable Hong Kong cop who, after a near-fatal accident involving a mysterious medallion, is suddenly transformed into a Highbinder -- an immortal warrior with superhuman powers. Eddie enlists the help of fellow agent Nicole (Claire Forlani) to determine the secret of the medallion and face down the evil Highbinders who so desperately want it back.
Combining the martial arts prowess of international action superstar Jackie Chan with state-of-the-art special effects, The Medallion is an action comedy co-starring Lee Evans, Claire Forlani and Julian Sands. Chan stars as Eddie, an indomitable Hong Kong cop who, after a fatal accident involving a mysterious medallion, is transformed into an immortal warrior with superhuman powers. Eddie enlists the help of British Interpol agent Nicole (Claire Forlani) to determine the secret of the medallion and face down the evil Snakehead (Julian Sands) who wants to use its magical powers for his own nefarious plans.
|Jackie Chan (Eddie Yang) @ Lee Evans (Arthur Watson) @ Claire Forlani (Nicole James) @ Julian Sands (Snakehead) @ John Rhys-Davies (Cmdr. Hammerstock-Smythe) @ Anthony Wong Chau-Sang (Lester (as Anthony Wong)) @ Christy Chung (Charlotte Watson) @ Johann Myers (Giscard) @ Alex Bao (Jai (as Alexander Bao)) @ Siu-Ming Lau (Antiquerium Dealer (as Lau Siu Ming)) @ Diana C. Weng (Undercover Woman (as Diana Weng)) @ Chow Pok Fu (High Priest) @ Chan Tat Kwong (Monk) @ Wai Cheung Mak (Monk (as Mak Wai Cheung)) @ Anthony Carpio (Guard Monk) @ Bruce Khan (Snakehead Thug) @ Nicholas Tse (Waiter) @ Edison Chen (Waiter) @ Scott Adkins (Henchman) @ Matt Routledge (Henchman (as Matthew James Routledge)) @ Reuben Langdon (Henchman (as Reuben Christopher Langdon)) @ Mark Strange (Henchman (as Michael Strange)) @ Hiroyoshi Komuro (Henchman) @ Han Guan Hua (Henchman) @ Neilí Conroy (Interpol Receptionist) @ Billy Hill (Miles Watson) @ Tara Leniston (Jai's Nurse) @ Nicola Berwick (Kidnap Nurse (as Nikki Berwick)) @ Paul Andreovski (Kidnap Porter) @ Howard Gibbins (Professor of Archeology) @ Rick Nathanson (Physician) @ Alfred Cheung (Chinese Professor) @ Mona Lynn (Astrologer) @ Kirk Trutner (Hippie Scientist rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Ricardo Mamood (Interpol Agent Martin (uncredited)) @ Matthew Sturgess (Interpol Agent Harrington (uncredited)) @ Chris Torres (Henchmen (uncredited)Produced by||A mixed blessing in disguise.
*Potential spoilers* The fight scenes were undeniably great!Both regular and computer-enhanced.Julian Sands was perfectly cast as Snakehead, the chief bad guy.And, the chemistry between Jackie's character, and Claire Forlani as Nicole, was quite believable.The story line, itself, was a little too reminiscent of Eddie Murphy's "the Golden Child," however. And, some of the humor was a little too forced (especially the slapstick physicality attempted by Lee Evans as Arthur Watson)!But, those drawbacks were more than compensated for by the usual blooper reel, during the ending credits.On the whole, I give this movie exactly 3.8 stars! |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Movies |2-22|||||@@
Memento|Christopher Nolan|Drama|Rated R for violence, language and some drug content. |8.7|USA|2000|113 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Christopher Ball (II) Elaine Dysinger Aaron Ryder Emma Thomas Jennifer Todd (I) Suzanne Todd William Tyrer|Christopher Nolan Jonathan Nolan|Wally Pfister |||Some memories are best forgotten|Point blank in the head a man shoots another. In flashbacks, each one earlier in time than what we've just seen, the two men's past unfolds. Leonard, as a result of a blow to the head during an assault on his wife, has no short-term memory. He's looking for his wife's killer, compensating for his disability by taking Polaroids, annotating them, and tattooing important facts on his body. We meet the loquacious Teddy and the seductive Natalie (a barmaid who promises to help), and we glimpse Leonard's wife through memories from before the assault. Leonard also talks about Sammy Jankis, a man he knew with a similar condition. Has Leonard found the killer? Who's manipulating whom?
Leonard (Guy Pearce) is an insurance investigator, who's memory has been damaged following a head injury he sustained after intervening on his wife's murder. His quality of life has been severely hampered after this event, and he can now only live a comprehendable life by tattooing notes on himself, and taking pictures of things with a Polaroid camera. The movie is told in forward flashes of events that are to come that compensate for his unreliable memory, during which he has liaisons with various complex characters. Leonard badly wants revenge for his wife's murder, but, as numourous characters explain, there may be little point if he won't remember it in order to provide a satisfying feel to him. The movie veers between these future occurrences, and a telephone conversation Leonard is having in his motel room, in which he compares his current state to that of a client whose claim he once dealt with.
|Guy Pearce (Leonard Shelby) @ Carrie-Anne Moss (Natalie) @ Joe Pantoliano (John Edward 'Teddy' Gammell) @ Mark Boone Junior (Burt Hadley) @ Russ Fega (Waiter) @ Jorja Fox (Catherine Shelby) @ Stephen Tobolowsky (Sammy Jankis) @ Harriet Sansom Harris (Mrs. Jankis||Its not a gimmick, its something new
Yes, it's true.The entire movie is based on a gimmick.However, I honestly feel that this does not cheapen the picture in the slightest bit. I loved every scene; discovering information as our lead character discovered it. It demands a second and third viewing, as there are many subtleties and quick flashes that may not be picked up on the first time around.Its one of the most original films ever made, and for people who scoff at the concept of not having a short-term memory, it actually is a real condition. Watch this movie. And, please pay attention. The performances are wonderful, and its structured magnificently.
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Men In Black|||PG-13 |||1997|98 mins|||DivX|1||DivX;-) V3.11 LOW MOTION|873 |512x288|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|44,100 Hz|2|715.73 MB||||23.98|12/04/2004||||||| Agent Jay (Will Smith) andiAgent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) are turning up theiheat onialien terrorists andidelivering hot new technology at theisame time.Experience theigalaxy's biggest sci-fi hit withia universe of exclusive special features, including 3 scene editing workshops, technical commentary andimore! ||||Region 1 |Special Edition - |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) Standard 1.33:1 Color|ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround||||||@@
Men in Black II|Barry Sonnenfeld|Action|Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some provocative humor. |5.7|USA|2002|88 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Marc Haimes Stephanie Kemp Laurie MacDonald (I) Walter F. Parkes Graham Place (II) Steven Spielberg|Lowell Cunningham Robert Gordon (VII) Robert Gordon (VII) Barry Fanaro|Greg Gardiner |||Same Planet. New Scum.|It has been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Kay has since returned to the comforts of civilian life while Jay continues to work for the Men in Black, the highly funded yet unofficial government agency that regulates all things alien on earth. While investigating a seemingly routine crime, Jay uncovers a diabolical plot masterminded by Serleena, an evil Kylothian monster who disguises herself as a sexy lingerie model. It's a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay--who not only has no memory of his time spent with the agency, but is also the only person alive who has the expertise to save the galaxy--to reunite with the MIB before Earth is destroyed completely.
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are back in black as the scum-fighting super-agents Kay and Jay - regulators of all things alien on planet Earth. Their latest mission: to save the world from a total intergalactic disaster! When a renegade Kylothian monster disguised as a lingerie model threatens the survival of the human race, the boys of the MIB get the call to step up and get busy. With their headquarters under siege and time running out, Agents Kay and Jay enlist the help of Frank the Pug and a posse of hard-living worms to help them kick some seriously sexy alien butt!
|Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K) @ Will Smith (Agent J) @ Rosario Dawson (Laura Vasquez) @ Lara Flynn Boyle (Serleena) @ Johnny Knoxville (Scrad/Charlie) @ Rip Torn (Zed) @ Tony Shalhoub (Jack Jeebs) @ Patrick Warburton (Agent T||Quite fun as long as you know what to expect
When alien Serleena returns to earth looking for `the light' that alluded her over 20 years ago, she takes control of MIB headquarters in order to flush out those who know where the light would be hidden.Agent J heads out to recover Agent K, now living a normal live with no awareness of his past.K is the only person who knows where the light is and he and J follow clues he left years ago as he had removed the memory to protect himself.
When I watched the first film I thought to myself that it was a film that looked like it was designed to spawn a sequel rather than be a film in it's own right.A few years later and I was right.This sequel basically tries to repeat the chemistry of the first film and to a certain degree succeeds.The plot is basically a rerun of the first film except with everything bigger.Most of it works because it is short, punchy, funny and energetic the jokes are mostly new and not straight lifts from the first film.The characters have changed a little and it manages to pull off the same blockbuster humour that it had before.
The effects are good but really it is the humour that drives it.While much of it is amusing rather than hilarious, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to keep it going.Smith is slumming it here he gives a sort of typical `urban attitude' play to things and says `your ass' a lot.Want to see what money will do to someone? Watch him in 6 degrees of separation and then watch this!Jones is the core of the film as he was before and is a great straightman. Smith carries 15 minutes and then wisely they bring back Jones.Boyle is so-so, she doesn't have much to do to be fair.Knoxville is alright I guess.Dawson is good but I'm biased as I've liked her since Kids and He Got Game.Torn and Shalhoub make good returns.
Overall this is not rocket science it is the original formula done again with bells on.It won't win many awards for content but it is an entertaining, undemanding blockbuster that does what it says on the tin.Quite fun as long as you don't expect the world. |Region 1 |Movies |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |5.1 |1-19|||||@@
Minority Report|Steven Spielberg|Action|Rated PG-13 for violence, brief language, some sexuality and drug content. |7.9|USA|2002|145 min/ Japan:146 min/ Spain:147 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jan de Bont Bonnie Curtis Michael Doven Gary Goldman (III) Sergio Mimica-Gezzan Gerald R. Molen Walter F. Parkes Ronald Shusett|Philip K. Dick Scott Frank (I) Jon Cohen (I)|Janusz Kaminski | ||What would you do if you were accused of a murder, you had not committed... yet?|Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, Minority Report is about a cop in the future working in a division of the police department that arrests killers before they commit the crimes courtesy of some future viewing technology. Cruise's character has the tables turned on him when he is accused of a future crime and must find out what brought it about and stop it before it can happen
In the year 2054, a so-called "pre-crime division" is working around Washington, DC. Its purpose is to use the precog(nitive) potential of three genetically altered humans to prevent murders. When the three precogs, who only work together, floating connected in a tank of fluid, have a vision, the names of the victim and the perpetrator as well as video imagery of the crime and the exact time it will happen, are given out to the special cops who then try to prevent the crime from happening. But there is a political dilemma: If someone is arrested before he commits a murder, can the person be accused of the murder, which - because of the arrest - never took place? The project of pre-crime, at the time being in a state of trial run, is going to be voted about in the near future. If people accept it, the crime rate is going to drop drastically, but it never will be known if there might not be too many people imprisoned, some or even all of them innocent. After John Anderton lost his son to a crime a six years ago, he took up drugs, and works the precog division like nobody else. One day, his own name arrives in the "perpetrator" chute, and the precogs predict that he will kill a man he never knew in less than 36 hours. John takes off, his trust in the system diminishing rapidly. His own colleagues after him, John follows a very small trace that might hold the key to his innocence, a strange unsolved yet predicted murder and a so-called "minority report", a documentation of one of the rare events in which a precog sees something different than the other two.
It is the year 2054 - Washington D.C. - dreams can be recreated through computers, computer monitors and displays are transformed into holograms, and identification is done through eye-scanning. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) lost his son, and to prevent horrible events from occuring to other individuals he joins a unit known as "Pre-Crime" - where murderers are arrested before they can commit the murder. How does Pre-Crime work? Through 3 people known as "precogs". They are 3 psychics used to see the future and they see murders exactly the way they will occur. Through advanced technology, Pre-Crime officers are able to see what the precogs see, and they analyze the data, identify the perpetrator and victim, and try their best to stop the murder from occurring. The perpetrator is put into a sleep state with a device called a "halo". John Anderton gets accused of murdering a man he has never even met, causing him to run from Pre-Crime and prove his innocence.
|Tom Cruise (Detective John Anderton) @ Colin Farrell (I) (Detective Danny Witwer) @ Steve Harris (I) (Jad) @ Max von Sydow (Director Lamar Burgess) @ Samantha Morton (Agatha) @ Kathryn Morris (I) (Lara Anderton) @ Jessica Capshaw (Evanna) @ Neal McDonough (Officer Gordon Fletcher||Dark, complex and interesting
In the year 2054 the murder rate in Washington is zero because of the Pre-Crime division.Pre-Crime uses three pre-cognitives to see the near future and direct officers to arrest the murderers before they can commit the act.However during a visit by an assessing authority the pre-cognitives see chief officer John Anderton kill a man.John runs, escaping the pre-crime police and trying to find out how and why he was seen killing a man.
This contains many levels of seeing, maybe linking up with how Speilberg sees his films at first the visions are easily controlled but then they are fallible and more complex.Anderton even changes his eyes at one point to show how his vision is changed.Aside from these metaphors the film itself is a lot more complex than Speilberg would have done several years ago.The film deals with a complex future where we are pre-judged by a big brother style police and the film does have an element of the moral questioning that this throws up.However for the majority it is a complex mystery film and this carries it no problem right up till the end.
The end (I'm not spoiling it) is where it trips up a little the conclusion is a little too easy and the ends are too tidily tied up, showing that Speilberg perhaps isn't yet the mature director he almost is.His vision however is very good, yes, we have all the CGI we need and only occasionally does it not look good.However more than all the CGI, Speilberg mixes the present with his futuristic vision rather than having us all living in pods!
Cruise has become more mature as well.His Anderton starts out as an Ethan Hawk character full of confidence, but later he is able to add more layers and more doubt.He is also able to act well beside some other strong performances from good actors like Max Von Sydow and a strong Colin Farrell.The rest of the cast has some famous faces like Ayre Gross, Sam Morton, Tim Blake Nelson, Stormare etc but outside of them really it's Cruise all the way.
Overall it may disappoint the Jurassic Park/Matrix audience expecting a fast, action packed thriller the marketing makes it look like the Matrix when really it's much more like the noir of Bladerunner.The moral complexities run nicely alongside the action but eventually it falls into Speilberg sentiment mode with a disappointing end.Overall though this is very good but not quite Bladerunner. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-31 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Mission: Impossible II|John Woo|Action|Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action and some sensuality. |5.8|USA|2000|123 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Terence Chang Tom Cruise Michael Doven Paul Hitchcock Amy Stevens (I) Paula Wagner|Bruce Geller (I) Ronald D. Moore Brannon Braga Robert Towne|Jeffrey L. Kimball | ||Expect the impossible again|IMF agent Ethan Hunt has been sent on a mission to retrieve and destroy the supply of a genetically created disease called 'Chimera'. His mission is made impossible due to the fact that he is not the only person after samples of the disease. He must also contest with a gang of international terrorists headed by a turned bad former IMF agent who has already managed to steal the cure called 'Bellerophon' and now need 'Chimera' to complete their grand plan of infecting the whole world. In order to infiltrate and locate the terrorist group he relies on the help of an international thief Nyah of whom he quickly develops a love interest. Time is not only running out for Agent Hunt to find and destroy 'Chimera' before the terrorists get their hands on it, but he must also find 'Bellerophon' so as to save his love interest who has already become infected by the disease from a terrible and rapid death.
L'ex agente speciale Sean Ambrose è entrato in possesso di un virus micidiale e letale per il genere umano. Ed essendo il cattivo di turno, sta minacciando il mondo. Essendo anche l'unico a possedere un antidoto al virus è convinto di poter fare il proprio comodo e ricattare il mondo. Ma (peggio per lui !), non ha fatto i conti con lo "007" del 2000 : Ethan Hunt ! Bisogna disarmare il folle ad ogni costo. Unico indizio : Nyah, la donna a cui Ambrose è stato legato. E la bellissima donna non lascia insensibile Hunt, ma l'agente la dovrà spingere ancora una volta tra le braccia del rivale, per catturarlo. Ed il finale sarà scintillante.
|Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt) @ Dougray Scott (Sean Ambrose) @ Thandie Newton (Nyah Nordoff-Hall) @ Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell) @ Richard Roxburgh (Hugh Stamp) @ John Polson (Billy Baird) @ Brendan Gleeson (John C. McCloy) @ Rade Serbedzija (Dr. Nekhorvich (as Radé Sherbedgia)||A unique work of art
Mission Impossible 2 was not appreciated by the critics because it was not understood by them.As the culmination of the action epic - where the symmetry, usually found in poetry, is embodied by the violence - most modern cinema-goers were faced with something wholly new.The Western intelligentsia, still hung up on the 1960's false division of clever female creativity from brute male violence, could not appreciate the profundity and happy sanity which John Woo's action engenders.
The film opens with a panoramic view of the Moab dessert in Utah, before slowly focusing in on the small pinprick of activity which turns out to be Ethan Hunt (Cruise).As he struggles with the hot sandy surface of the perilous cliff face, one of the film's main themes is introduced: man's struggle to overcome fire and earth.Fire and earth being, since Biblical times, symbols of desire, pain and, ultimately, procreation.Yet the theme is not gendered: sometimes it is male, sometimes female.The violence of the Spanish dancers, dressed in red with their viciously clicking heels and aggressively sharp though elegant movements, celebrate feminine strength and sexuality.As Naya executes her robbery, the clacking of her heels on the stairs and her sudden pose against the wall mimics the actions of the Spanish dance, thus her union with Tom Cruise on the cliff face, as their two cars, pinned together, pirouette towards dusty death, unifies the creative energy of the feminine Spanish dance with that of masculine danger. They become lovers.
Hunt is obliged by his master' to give her up to pimp her and thereby entrap the villain.At this point, the theme of fire and earth mutates as the pain, rather than the desire of its fecundity is explored.This is visually conveyed by the horse image which begins to dominate quantitatively and as well as qualitatively over the earth image.Naya is described by the villain, Ambrose, as a possible Trojan horse' referring to the danger lurking behind her desirability and the next scene is of horse-hooves churning up the race-track: a sinister mutation of the rumbling castanets and clacking heels of the flirtatious Spanish dance scene.Naya becomes a pawn as the film delves deeper into violence, and eroticism becomes secondary or is subsumed into the beauty of explosive male confrontation.Naya becomes less important while the arch enemy, Ambrose, becomes more so.There is nothing salacious about this substitution of a female for a male combatant on the part of Hunt: a Freudian interpretation, while being a valid exercise in risky thinking, adds nothing to our understanding.Instead of the tender mating ritual of the car chase, we have the bitter sparring ritual of the motorcycle chase: the two are similar in that they involve danger and heightened passions.
The full-frontal motorcycle confrontation is the culmination of the horse image: it is a modern day joust, where the horses have become machines. The animal of the horse is civilized or contained within the sphere of technology, just as the film with all its technological innovation masters and is able to express through it's artistry otherwise uncontrollable inexpressible forces.Like the Spanish dance and the car chase with Naya, Hunt's action scenes have a primal, yet also cosmic, elegance.When he is kicking his gun from the sand with a sharp tap-dancing manoeuvre, pirouetting on the wheel of a motorcycle, or spinning away from gun-fire amidst exploding glass and red flames, the paradoxical creativity of violence is suggested.Explosions occur and the camera pans out to afford a view of their blast radius, dwelling upon and thereby suggesting the beauty of these scenes of chemical destruction.John Woo, through these explosive images, reminiscent of the origin of the universe (the big bang) is thus able to suggest one of the central paradoxes of creation: how life and creativity began in violence.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-6 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Monsters, Inc.|Peter Docter David Silverman (I) Lee Unkric|Animation|G |8.0|USA|2001|92 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Darla K. Anderson John Lasseter Kori Rae Andrew Stanton|Robert L. Baird Jill Culton Peter Docter Ralph Eggleston Dan Gerson Jeff Pidgeon Rhett Reese Jonathan Roberts (I) Andrew Stanton||||You Won't Believe Your Eye.|James P. Sullivan (AKA "Sulley") and Mike Wazowski pick up their paychecks at Monsters Inc., the utility company that generates energy from the goose bumps of children. Sulley, the No. 1 scream-generator at the plant accidentally lets in a little girl into the monster world. Since monsters are actually terrified of children it's a major cause for alarm and a major headache for Sulley and Mike.
In a land of monsters, James P. Sullivan is king. He and his coworker/ friend Mike Wazowski are two of many monsters that work for Monsters Inc. a utility company that generates power for a very paranoid and nervous city of monsters. This power, oddly enough, is generated from the screams of children, which is produced by scaring them in their sleep. One night, however, Sully uncovers a devious plot to rid Monster city of it's power problems, but in all the wrong ways. Together, ironically, Sully and Mike will fight to protect the innocence of the children they scare every night.
In the world behind our closet doors, monsters like Mike and Sulley work hard for their income. To be exact, the monster world depends on our children's screams: It is their energy that makes lightbulbs glow and cars drive. Big companies like Monsters, Inc. collect the scream energy, and many monsters work there in shifts. In these times, it is getting harder and harder to shock the kids properly, since they're so spoiled by television, so that there's an energy shortage in the monster world. Sulley, the number one frightener, one day accidentally lets a human child into the monster world. Since kids are supposed to be poisonous and carry loads of diseases, pandemonium ensues. After Mike and Sulley discover that the girl they named Boo actually seems quite harmless, they decide to bring her back through her door into her room. But Boo's presence is more than just a mere accident. Now, Mike and Sulley have to face an enemy within their own ranks.
|John Goodman (Sulley (voice)) @ Billy Crystal (Mike Wazowski (voice)) @ Mary Gibbs (Boo (voice)) @ Steve Buscemi (Randall Boggs (voice)) @ James Coburn (Henry J. Waternoose III (voice)) @ Jennifer Tilly (Celia (voice)) @ Bob Peterson (III) (Roz (voice)) @ John Ratzenberger (Yeti (voice)||Cute and funny
Computer animated movie about the monsters in our closet from our childhood.It seems they exist in a place called Monsteropolis and collect the screams of children they frighten to power their city.Then an adorable little girl accidentally on purpose gets into their world, attaches herself to furry cuddly Sully (voiced by John Goodman) and all heck breaks loose.This isn't as funny as "Toy Story 1" or "2" but what is?The animation is superb, it's never boring, there are some very funny bits for kids and adults and there's a wizz bang climax where good vs. evil that is just fantastic.Well worth seeing. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |6.1 EX |2-33 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Monty Python and the Holy Grail|Terry Gilliam Terry Jone|Adventure|PG |8.4|UK|1975|91 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Mark Forstater John Goldstone (I) Michael White (I)|Graham Chapman John Cleese Eric Idle Terry Gilliam Terry Jones Michael Palin|Terry Bedford | ||Makes Ben Hur look like an Epic|The Monty Python team are at it again in their second movie. This time we follow King Arthur and his knights in their search for the Holy Grail. This isn't your average medieval knights and horses story - for a start, due to a shortage in the kingdom, all the horses have been replaced by servants clopping coconuts together !
|Graham Chapman (King Arthur/Voice of God/Middle Head/Hiccoughing Guard) @ John Cleese (2nd Soldier with a keen interest in birds/The Black Knight/Peasant 3/Sir Lancelot, the Brave/The Ferocious French Taunter/Tim the Enchanter) @ Eric Idle (The Dead Collector/Peasant 1/Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Launcelot/The Guard Who Doesn't Hiccough but Tries to Get Things Straight/Concorde (Sir Launcelot's Trusty Steed)/Roger the Shrubber/Brother Maynard) @ Terry Gilliam (Patsy/Green Knight/Old Man/Sir Bors/Animator) @ Terry Jones (Dennis's Mother/Sir Bedevere/Left Head/Voice of Cartoon Scribe/Prince Herbert) @ Michael Palin (1st Soldier with a Keen Interest in Birds/Dennis/Peasant 2/Right Head/Sir Galahad the Pure/Leader of the Knights Who Say 'Ni!'/Narrator/King of Swamp Castle/Brother Maynards Brother) @ Connie Booth (I) (The Witch) @ Carol Cleveland (Zoot and Dingo||Nearly Dead Already
I was smack in the center of the target demographic for this film 25 years ago. I thought it was liberated, sacrilegious, self-referential, anarchic, all the things we liked.
Seeing it now, only a few parts are funny. I suspect they are all written by Cleese: the bit about swallows and coconuts, the two episodes with the French guard, and the skit concerning anarchy. These are precious.
The rest is getting worse with each passing day. The problem is that so much of their humor depended on being outrageously, either with the unexpected or the taboo. But we've evolved, and these guys who were out of bounds before are rather well-behaved now. Can you imagine them doing a semen in the hair joke?
You want funny, check out old tapes of the Goon Show, of whom these guys were always a lesser copy anyway. Those old shows are still outrageous, most of them. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 |1-28|||||@@
Moulin Rouge!|Baz Luhrmann|Drama|Rated PG-13 for sexual content. |7.8|USA|2001|127 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Steve E. Andrews Fred Baron Martin Brown (II) Catherine Knapman Baz Luhrmann Catherine Martin (I)|Baz Luhrmann Craig Pearce|Donald McAlpine | ||No Laws. No Limits. One Rule. Never Fall In Love.|Christian, a young wannabe Bohemian poet living in 1899 Paris, defies his father by joining the colorfully diverse clique inhabiting the dark, fantastical underworld of Paris' now legendary Moulin Rouge. In this seedy but glamorous haven of sex, drugs and newly-discovered electricity, the poet-innocent finds himself plunged into a passionate but ultimately tragic love affair with Satine, the club's highest paid star and the city's most famous courtesan. Their romance is played out against the infamous club - a meeting place of high life and low, where slumming aristocrats and the fashionably rich mingled with workers, artists, Bohemians, actresses and courtesans.
In 1900, Christian, an impoverished writer who has come from Scotland the year before, types his story: he arrived in Montmartre and fell in with Toulouse-Lautrec and Bohemians who believe in freedom, truth, beauty, and love. They want to sell a show to the Moulin Rouge, and its impresario wants a backer so he can build a proper theatre. He's plying a duke, who wants exclusive access to the favors of Satine, the Moulin Rouge's consumptive star. She wants to be a proper actress, so the duke's offer is fine - except that she and Christian fall in love. Can Satine keep the duke at bay without losing his patronage, will he discover the lovers and kill Christian, and can love trump jealousy?
|Nicole Kidman (Satine) @ Ewan McGregor (Christian) @ John Leguizamo (Toulouse Lautrec) @ Jim Broadbent (Harold Zidler) @ Richard Roxburgh (The Duke) @ Garry McDonald (I) (The Doctor) @ Jacek Koman (The Unconscious Argentinean) @ Matthew Whittet (Satie||A stunning, visual feast
At the risk of sounding overly bombastic, "Moulin Rouge" is the best film I've seen all year, perhaps the best one I've seen in over a year.It is operatic in the best sense of the word, being at once massively outlandish and deeply personal.It is clear that a lot of people took career risks in choosing this film, and although "Moulin Rouge" may not rack up a huge box office, I think this film will become a classic alongside his other two films "Strictly Ballroom" and "Romeo + Juliet."
In the showing of "Moulin Rouge" I saw last week, at least 5 people walked out.At the same time I heard audience members audibly gasping at the films visuals and talking back to the screen.The source of these strong reactions?Baz Luhrmann's confidence in his garish cinematic vision and the commitment his actors have in him.The cast fills their roles with relish, even when the entire scene totters on the edge of overkill--but oddly enough, it is the focus that sets "Moulin Rouge" apart from other films these days.Whereas some actors sleepwalk through their roles as they collect their paychecks, everything about "Moulin Rouge" is done in earnest.
This movie is the anti-"Pearl Harbor," because instead of being a hodgepodge of market-tested ideas, "Moulin Rouge" presents a bold vision and dares the audience to accept or reject it.I, for one, accepted it with delight.A telling comparison: Luhrmann has Nicole Kidman and Ewen MacGregor sing the film's love song.Very daring.For "Pearl Harbor" Michael Bay chose Faith Hill.Very safe.Too safe.Can you imagine Ben Afleck belting out "There You'll Be"?
"Moulin Rouge" glitters with such bold decisions.It is a sumptuous feast for ear and eye featuring gorgeous costumes, intricate sets (Nicole Kidman's boudoir in a gigantic elephant is a case in point), and outlandishly choreographed dance numbers are paraded with frenetic relish.And the music, the MUSIC!As you probably know by now, Luhrmann has thrown into his period piece a collage of musical snippets from, among many bits, "The Sound of Music," Madonna, The Police, and Elton John.In most cases, no one song gets performed without intersplicing.Witness Luhrmann's audacity: the opening number includes a melding of Labelle's "Lady Marmalade" with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."And here's the spooky part: it works.
The entire movie plays this way, and for the most part it works.Most surpising is that "Moulin Rouge" has a solid, deeply sincere emotional core. Although the film professes to be about love, I'd add that it is equally about loss.The Moulin Rouge is a playground where adults pretend they are children with the added spice of sensuality.
All the performances are excellent, but the hidden gem is Jim Broadbent as Zidler.Broadbent for years has been doing majestically understated supporting work, from "Brazil" to "Enchanted April" to "Topsy-Turvy."In "Moulin Rouge" he manages to be both repulsive and endearing.His spirited rendition of "Like a Virgin" is classic.Too bad it's not on the soundtrack.
Expect to be overwhelmed by "Moulin Rouge" in the most unexpected, delightful ways.It will make you wonder why other films can't or won't dare to be that bold. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-8 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Mr. Deeds|Steven Brill (I)|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for language including sexual references, and some rear nudity. |5.6|USA|2002|96 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Joseph M. Caracciolo Allen Covert Sidney Ganis Jack Giarraputo Adam Sandler Alex Siskin|Clarence Budington Kelland Robert Riskin Tim Herlihy|Peter Lyons Collister ||Columbia Pictures [us] |Don't let the fancy clothes fool you.|When Longfellow Deeds, a small-town pizzeria owner and poet, inherits $40 billion from his deceased uncle, he quickly begins rolling in a different kind of dough. Moving to the big city, Deeds finds himself besieged by opportunists all gunning for their piece of the pie. Babe, a television tabloid reporter, poses as an innocent small-town girl to do an exposé on Deeds. Of course, Deeds' sincere naiveté has Babe falling in love with him instead. Ultimately, Deeds comes to find that money truly has the power to change things, but it doesn't necessarily need to change him.
|Adam Sandler (Longfellow Deeds) @ Winona Ryder (Babe Bennett) @ John Turturro (Emilio Lopez (Blake's butler)) @ Allen Covert (Marty (Babe's gofer)) @ Peter Gallagher (Chuck Cedar (Blake Media CEO)) @ Jared Harris (Mac McGrath (Inside Access chief)) @ Erick Avari (Cecil Anderson (Blake Media general counsel)) @ Peter Dante (Murph||Well I like this film
Spoiler This film is funny, but not a classic.It had a message about values, done very lightly, which is an improvement over Hollywood's typical over powering social messages.Its about values, and how one small town person views greed, and corporate culture.This fish out of water movie is touching, in todays society which is a culture of greed and death.It is awful to see how some people view profit and greed over peoples lives. Where money is viewed as the value of the person.Mr Deeds does not change for his character would not allow that.It appears where I work, no matter how much overtime many of my miserable co workers do, I see no magical change that some believe the extra money will bring.Deeds does not let the wealth go to his head, like many rich and powerful people.In the end he finds true love, and has fun acting silly.I regret to say, my wife compares me Sadlers behavior in this film. 7/10 |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-38|||||@@
Mummy Returns, The|Stephen Sommers (I)|Adventure|Rated PG-13 for adventure action and violence. |6.1|USA|2001|130 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Sean Daniel Bob Ducsay James Jacks Megan Moran Don Zepfel|Stephen Sommers (I) |Adrian Biddle |||Adventure Is Reborn|The story is set in 1933, 10 years after the events of the first film. Rick O'Connell is now married to Evelyn and the couple has settled in London, where they are raising their 8-year-old son Alex. When a chain of events finds the corpse of Imhotep resurrected in the British Museum, the mummy Imhotep walks the earth once more, determined to fulfill his quest for immortality. But another force has also been set loose in the world... one born of the darkest rituals of ancient Egyptian mysticism, and even more powerful than Imhotep. When these two forces clash, the fate of the world will hang in the balance, sending the O'Connells on a desperate race to save the world from unspeakable evil, and rescue their son before it is too late...
|Brendan Fraser (Richard 'Rick' O'Connell) @ Rachel Weisz (Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell/Princess Nefertiri) @ John Hannah (Jonathan Carnahan) @ Arnold Vosloo (High Priest Imhotep) @ Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bey) @ Dwayne Johnson (I) (Mathayus the Scorpion King (as The Rock)) @ Freddie Boath (Alexander 'Alex' O'Connell) @ Patricia Velazquez (Meela Nais/Anck Su Namun (as Patricia Velasquez)||No Soul
Spoilers herein.
My disappointment in this film was profound.
Most films are ordinary, and being ordinary are about other films. In this case, the precedent is Indiana Jones which added a comic book perspective to the well-established genre of mummy curse films. The key elements (from both Lucas and Spielberg) were chases and humor. The kernel of the idea comes from an enterprising reporter who formed a cosmic revenge story around the discovery of Tutankamen's undisturbed tomb in the 1922s.
That tomb (as all such tombs) cursed the disturbers (`death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the king') and Lord Carnarvon, the first man to enter did indeed perish soon after of a strange malady. There are even fresh arguments concerning mold spores. 11 others also died mysteriously. Around that curse were resurrected cosmic battles about the powers of gods and the nature of the afterlife. (A near contemporary, Akhenaton, lost the battle but won the war on this matter as a tribe of semites later left Egypt and founded the one-god, belief-of-the-book, modern-heaven religion that now permeates the west.) Comic book versions followed.
This is great stuff around which one can spin a popular tale of terror from the afterlife. To Indiana, the first Sommers Mummy movie added some novel computer work, which still amazes us. But the core notion of reach from the afterlife was relatively preserved. Here, the same team used the theory of more to produce a mess, preserving nothing.
We still have massive computer graphics, and for a year or two more, we will still marvel. But the underlying structure has no soul, it has inexplicably been tossed, leaving us without a footing for our thrills.
Simple stuff: Fraser has a greater comedic range than celebrity franchise Harrison Ford, but humor is rare here.
Instead of one good guy, we have a whole extended family, plus the `good arab.' The chief guy - we discover - is destined to save the world (as designated by a tattoo). The chief girl is the reincarnated good girl (so she can play both the good daughter and good mom). Its confusing whether the kid is special - tapped by fate - or just stumbles on the bracelet.
Instead of one bad guy, we have: the scheming museum curator (and his unexplained sect); the reincarnated (in body only -whatever that means) bad girl; the bad mummy priest; the more powerful scorpion warrior-king who himself is a hireling of someone we don't meet; the black guy who has some special role; the moriarty gang; and the pygmy demons.
Instead of one magic, we have the 12 tribes ofMagi (clearly related to the magic of the word); the magic of the books; the magic of the spear, bracelet, diamond (which will factor in the sequel); the magic of the scorpion curse; the magic ofthe mummy's curse. But despite all this magic, everything revolves around fights with knives. How quaint.
Instead of one vision of the underworld, it is: a parking place for demons to be recalled from, sort of a suspended animation zone; or a Dante-like place of eternal torture. Neither is particularly Egyptian.
Which brings me to the sense of place. Many of the sets are lush. We are supposed to feel the sense of (in turn) ratty Egypt; lux London; spectacular desert + train; ancient magical Egypt. Think now - were they successful with any location? Did you get any feel of magic, like say even `Stargate' conveyed? Were you awed by the visions the bracelet produced?
Worse: the horror was all mouth horror. You know, Disney is accused of his humor (the stuff he wrote) being mostly butt humor. Check out all the `scares' here - they are all open mouths. Does this lack imagination? Worse yet, here we have two pernicious stereotypes of American blacks: the feral, muscular buck (`I's gonna keel you') and the goldtoothed stepinfetchit (`don't shoot me in the butt.') Wasn't anybody checking behind this guy?
So no soul. Only two moments of camera art: flashes on Fraser when entering the pyramid, and 20 seconds of stop-blur on Bey during the battle (against a supposedly invincible demon army).
The only touch of class was with the closing credits. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-27|||||@@
My Big Fat Greek Wedding|Joel Zwick|Comedy|Rated PG for sensuality and language. |7.2|USA|2002|96 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Paul Brooks (I) David Coatsworth Gary Goetzman Tom Hanks Mark Hufnail Jim Milio Melissa Jo Peltier Steve Shareshian Norm Waitt Rita Wilson|Nia Vardalos |Jeff Jur |||Love is here to stay... so is her family.|Toula Portokalos is 30, Greek, and works in her family's restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, in Chicago. All her father Gus wants is for her to get married to a nice Greek boy. But Toula is looking for more in life. Her mother convinces Gus to let her take some computer classes at college (making him think it's his idea). With those classes under her belt, she then takes over her aunt's travel agency (again making her father think it's his idea). She meets Ian Miller, a high school English teacher, WASP, and dreamboat she had made a fool of herself over at the restaurant; they date secretly for a while before her family finds out. Her father is livid over her dating a non-Greek. He has to learn to accept Ian; Ian has to learn to accept Toula's huge family, and Toula has to learn to accept herself.
|Nia Vardalos (Toula Portokalos) @ John Corbett (I) (Ian Miller) @ Lainie Kazan (Maria Portokalos) @ Michael Constantine (Gus Portokalos) @ Gia Carides (Nikki) @ Louis Mandylor (Nick Portokalos) @ Bess Meisler (Yiayia) @ Bruce Gray (I) (Rodney Miller||* * *1/2 out of 4.
Sparkling, magical romantic comedy about a young Toula (Nia Vardalos) who is from Greece now living in the USA living with her family and working in their diner. At 30, she remains unmarried and her mother and father become more desperate to find her a good Greek husband. Problem is after a make over Toula finds herself falling in love with an American school teacher. Sharp writing with witty dialogue and insightful characterizations and winning performances from the entire cast make this outing extra special. Windex nearly steals the entire movie from the cast.
Rated PG; Profanity. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-6|||||@@
My Boss's Daughter|David Zucker|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor, drug content and language. |3.6|USA|2003|USA:85 min|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG-4|869 |512x272|MPEG Layer 3|192 |False|48,000 Hz|2|698.24 MB||||23.98|01/02/2004|Paddy Cullen Phil Dornfeld John L. Jacobs Ashton Kutcher Gil Netter|David Dorfman |Martin McGrath Robert McLachlan||Buena Vista Home Video (BVHV) [us] |There are some things you just don't do.|When a young man agrees to housesit for his boss, he thinks it'll be the perfect opportunity to get close to the woman he desperately has a crush on - his boss's daughter. But he doesn't plan on the long line of other houseguests that try to keep him from his mission. And he also has to deal with the daughter's older brother, who's on the run from local drug dealers.
Ted works as a researcher at a publishing company. He wants to move to the creative department but his demanding and intimidating boss, Jack Taylor makes him lose his nerve after just spending five minutes with him. He is also attracted to his daughter, Lisa, whom her father also controls. When she tells Ted that her father is making her housesit on the night of a party she wants to attend, he tells her that she should stand up for herself. She says that she will and he asks him to come to their house. He thinks that she likes him but in reality she wants him to fill in for her. He reluctantly agrees. But when Taylor's black sheep son, Red and Taylor's secretary whom he just fired show up at the house things start to unravel. Eventually some other people show up and Lisa who came home, sees how Ted feels about her but doubts his sincerity. And Ted is scrambling to make things right.
|Mark Aisbett (Commuter) @ Ashton Kutcher (Tom Stansfield) @ Jon Abrahams (Paul) @ Tara Reid (Lisa Taylor) @ Molly Shannon (Audrey Bennett) @ Terence Stamp (Jack Taylor) @ Andy Richter (Red Taylor) @ Tyler Labine (Spike) @ Michael Madsen (T.J.) @ Ryan Zwick (Delivery Boy) @ Patrick Cranshaw (Old Man) @ Angela Little (Sheryl) @ David Koechner (Speed) @ Carmen Electra (Tina) @ Ron Selmour (Darryl (as Ronald Selmour)) @ Kenan Thompson (Hans) @ Charlotte Zucker (Gertrude) @ Jim Byrnes (George) @ Jeffrey Tambor (Ken) @ Ever Carradine (Julie) @ Dan Joffre (Smith) @ Tim Henry (Jones) @ Link Baker (Paramedic) @ Carmen Aguirre (Executive #1) @ Mark McConchie (Executive #2) @ Susan Breslau (Executive #3) @ Betty Linde (Coffee Customer) @ Tongo Ma (Thai Bus Driver) @ Henry Mah (Thai Bus Passenger rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Dave Foley (Henderson (uncredited)Produced by||A Little Better Than They're Saying
David Zucker's "My Boss's Daughter" is an average film.It's better than most people are saying, but worse than I hoped for.Certainly this is no "Airplane!" (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker, 1980).But it has a few very funny moments.Terence Stamp is outstanding.This movie has a certain restraint that keeps it from being as bad as really bad slapstick.See it at a second run theater if you like Zucker's work.It's an average film. 5/10. |Region 1 |Movies |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |Movies ||||||@@
NeverEnding Story, The|||PG |||1984|92 mins|||||||||||False||||||||10/01/2004||||||| When young Bastian borrowsia mysterious ornately-bound book, he never dreamed turningia page would draw him intoia shimmering fantasy world of racing snails, hang-glider bats, soaring luckdragons, puckish elves,ia Childlike Empress, theibrave warrior Atreyu andia slab-faced walking quarry calledia Rock Biter. ||||Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) Standard 1.33:1 Color|ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo||||||@@
New Guy, The|Ed Decter|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language, crude humor and mild drug references. |5.2|USA|2002|USA:89 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Mark Ciardi Ed Decter Michael Fottrell Todd Garner Gordon Gray (II) Greg Silverman (I) John J. Strauss|David Kendall (II) |Michael D. O'Shea |||A zero will rise|Dizzy Harrison is an unpopular, high school geek going through a hellish senior year. In an attempt to make a new identity for himself, Dizzy gets himself expelled from his high school, learns the technics of being cool from a prison inmate, and enrolls at a new high school under the alias Gil Harris, to make new friends where he soon gains respect from the jocks and geeks alike. Dizzy then gets noticed by the head cheerleader, Danielle, and helps the school football team gain self-respect to win games. But things unknowingly begin to turn sour when Danielle's disgruntled boyfriend begins investigating into "Gil Harris'" past to uncover any dirt on him.
|DJ Qualls (Dizzy Harrison/Gil Harris) @ Eliza Dushku (Danielle) @ Zooey Deschanel (Nora) @ Jerod Mixon (Kirk) @ Parry Shen (Glen) @ Lyle Lovett (Bear Harrison) @ Eddie Griffin (Luther) @ Sunny Mabrey (Courtney||The loser's dreamshow
While I am not sure a dreamshow for a loser, much like the one played by DJ Qualls in The New Guy, would involve wearing an afro wig at the age of eight and dancing like James Brown, getting his member whacked by the school librarian or getting lectured on becoming a popular student by a inmate pl1ayed by Eddie Griffin, it might involve being popular in some form.Because while this film does pose as a comedy, gross out and stupid most of the time with the most effective gags in the prison scenes (and where did Henry Rollins come from?), there is heart somewhere in here, a sense of trying to succeed in the mind of a geek who is the precise son look alike of Lyle Lovett.The film seems tailor made actually for the popular kids of high schools, and for the other kids well, it's the drama of the year.I'm not sure quite what to make of it, but it might serve some use for fans of Braveheart and Patton.B- or C+ |Region 1 |Movies |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |2.0 Surround |1-23|||||@@
Not Another Teen Movie|Joel Gallen|Comedy|Rated R for strong crude sexual content and humor, language and some drug content. |5.2|USA|2001|89 min/ Spain:94 min|English||DivX|1||DivX;-) V3.11 LOW MOTION|944 |576x304|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|48,000 Hz|2|697.28 MB||||23.98|28/08/2003|Phil Beauman Mike Bender (II) Buddy Johnson Brad Luff Neal H. Moritz Michael I. Rachmil|Mike Bender (II) Adam Jay Epstein Andrew Jacobson (II) Phil Beauman Buddy Johnson|Reynaldo Villalobos | ||The Teen Mother Of All Movies!|At John Hughes High School, the students are the same as just about every other teenager in a teen movie. The popular jock, Jake (Chris Evans), takes a bet from Austin, the cocky blonde guy (Eric Christian Olsen), that he can transform Janey, the pretty ugly girl (Chyler Leigh), into the prom queen before the prom. But two people are trying to stop Jake from succeeding: his evil sister, Catherine, the cruelest girl in school (Mia Kirshner), and Priscilla, the bitchy cheerleader (Jaime Pressly). And all of their friends are the same as any other teen movie: Areola, the naked foreign exchange student (Cerina Vincent), Les, the beautiful weirdo (Riley Smith), Malik, the token black guy (Deon Richmond), the desperate virgins (Cody McMains, Samm Levine, and Sam Huntington), Amanda Becker, the perfect girl (Lacey Chabert), Ricky, Janey's obsessed best friend (Eric Jungmann), and Sadie, the VERY old undercover reporter (Beverly Polcyn).
|Chyler Leigh (Janey Briggs) @ Chris Evans (V) (Jake Wyler) @ Jaime Pressly (Priscilla) @ Eric Christian Olsen (Austin) @ Mia Kirshner (Catherine Wyler) @ Deon Richmond (Malik) @ Eric Jungmann (Ricky Lipman) @ Ron Lester (I) (Reggie Ray||A very poor movie indeed
The film is supposed to make fun of lame teenage comedies like She's All That, American Pie, even back to The Breakfast Club (although I kind of like that one). Why? Those are comedies in the first place. If a comedy is unfunny, then what are the chances that its spoof will be funny? There are maybe one or two small laughs in the proceedings. The opening scene, where the main character is caught playing with herself by first her father, then her brother, then her grandparents, and then her priest is pretty amusing, if foul. That's probably the least disgusting joke of the whole film! The younger boys are pretty funny. Cody McMains, who plays the main character's little brother Mitch, looks like he might be Judd Nelson's son, especially in the homage to The Breakfast Club. The `token black guy' is pretty funny. When the characters all go to a party, he has to approach another black guy who has showed up first. `Excuse me, I am the black guy in this movie.' `Oh, sorry,' the other black guy replies, `my mistake.' Mr. T and Molly Ringwald appear in truly uninspired cameos (do teenagers even know who they are?). Melissa Joan Hart, the star of She's All That, appears, probably to inspire nostalgia from the uber-young audience. I'm just normal young, and I'll always think of her as Clarissa. 2/10. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-29|||||@@
O Brother, Where Art Thou?|Joel Coen Ethan Coe|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for some violence and language. |7.8|UK|2000|106 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Tim Bevan John Cameron (II) Ethan Coen Eric Fellner Robert Graf (II)|Homer (I) Ethan Coen Joel Coen|Roger Deakins |||They have a plan, but not a clue.|Three 1920's convicts escape from jail intent on getting to the loot stashed away by one of them. As this is at his house soon to be flooded by a new dam, speed is of the essence. They find themselves fast-talking their way out of one jam after another, and along the way not only have to be wary of riverside sirens but even get to make a pretty good country record.
Loosely based on Homer's 'Odyssey' the movie deals with the grotesque adventures of Everett Ulysses McGill and his companions Delmar and Pete in 1930s Mississipi. Sprung from a chain gang and trying to reach Everetts home to recover the buried loot of a bank heist they are confronted by a series of strange characters. Among them sirens, a cyclops, bankrobber George 'Babyface' Nelson (very annoyed by that nickname), a campaigning Governor, his opponent, a KKK lynch mob, and a blind prophet, who warns the trio that "the treasure you seek shall not be the treasure you find."
|George Clooney (Ulysses Everett McGill) @ John Turturro (Pete) @ Tim Blake Nelson (Delmar O'Donnell) @ John Goodman (Big Dan Teague) @ Holly Hunter (Penny Wharvey McGill) @ Chris Thomas King (Tommy Johnson) @ Charles Durning (Gov. Menelaus 'Pappy' O'Daniel) @ Del Pentecost (Junior O'Daniel||surprising, refreshing and hilarious
Thank goodness for the Coen Brothers. Their success has brought them bigger budgets,but hasn't rid them of their creativity. I had planned on seeing another movie, but it was sold out so I went to this one instead. By the time it began, I had forgotten what movie I was there to see. I was surprised in more ways than one. This movie is hilarious, but they don't make any cheap jokes just to get the laughs. The writing is brilliant, and delivered with great skill by George Clooney (after this, nobody can say he's just a pretty face) and the rest of the cast. It can be appreciated on many levels, whether you remember the Odyssey or not. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that was this clever. I've seen others I would describe as beautiful, intriguing, funny and charming, all of which also describe "Oh Brother," but this movie reminded me of older seinfeld episodes where all the subplots came together in the end. You can feel that their journey is building up to something, but you can't tell what. And the Coen brothers do not fail us, the end is certainly not disappointing. It's surprising, and ties up all the loose ends neatly, without wearing the story out. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-25|||||@@
Once Upon a Time in Mexico|Robert Rodriguez|Crime|Rated R for strong violence, and for language. |6.0|Mexico|2003|Italy:101 min (Venice Film Festival) / USA:102 min|English||||||||||False||||||||10/01/2004|Elizabeth Avellan Carlos Gallardo Sue Jett Tony Mark Robert Rodriguez Luz María Rojas|Robert Rodriguez |Robert Rodriguez ||Buena Vista International Italia [it] |The time has come.|A drug lord who pretends to overthrow the Mexican government. A corrupt CIA agent (Johnny Depp) who at that time, demands retribution from his worst enemy to carry out the drug lord's uprising against the government.
The film is based on the story of a drug lord Barrillo, who pretends to overthrow the Mexican president. Within the drama, another of the principal persons is a corrupt CIA agent Sands who at that time, demands retribution from his worst enemy in order to carry out the drug lord's uprising against the government. Mariachi is recruited by Sands to take out Gen. Marquez (has a huge score to settle with the Mariachi), who has major beef with Mariachi to begin with. He sends Cucuy (the muscle for Sands) to shadow and keep tabs on the Mariachi. Marquez is working with Barrillo, and is about to assassinate El Presidente and assume power. Sands also convinces Jorge Ramirez (retired-FBI, has old scores to settle with Barrillo) to come out of retirement and take out Barrillo and Dr. Guevera (personal Dr. to Barrillo, killed Jorge's partner a long time ago), who brutally tortured and killed Ramirez' FBI partner.
|Antonio Banderas (El Mariachi) @ Salma Hayek (Carolina) @ Johnny Depp (Sands) @ Mickey Rourke (Billy) @ Eva Mendes (Ajedrez) @ Danny Trejo (Cucuy) @ Enrique Iglesias (Lorenzo) @ Marco Leonardi (Fideo) @ Cheech Marin (Belini) @ Rubén Blades (Jorge FBI) @ Willem Dafoe (Barillo) @ Gerardo Vigil (Marquez) @ Pedro Armendáriz Jr. (El Presidente (as Pedro Armendariz)) @ Julio Oscar Mechoso (Advisor) @ Tito Larriva (Cab Driver) @ Miguel Couturier (Dr. Guevera) @ Tony Valdes (Chicle Boy) @ José Luis Avendaño (Alvaro) @ Rodolfo De Alexandre (Omar (as Rodolfo d'Alejandre)) @ Natalia Torres (Mariachi's Girl) @ Steve Constancio (Right Hand (as Steven Constancio)) @ Troy Robinson (Romero) @ Ermahn Ospina (Qui-Que) @ Luz María Rojas (Pistolera) @ Mario Simon (Cook) @ Bernard Hacker (Blascoe) @ Cecilia Tijerina (Waitress) @ Carola Vázquez (Hospital Administrator) @ René Gatica (Chief Federale) @ Silvia Santoyo (Bachelorette) @ Juan Pablo Llaguno (Bull Fighter) @ Ignacio Torres (Teacher) @ Rogelio Gonzalez Grau (Manny) @ Jorge Becerril (Taco) @ Víctor Carpinteiro (Left Nut) @ Dagoberto Gama (Que PasaProduced by||Rodriguez returns to full-throttle movie-making after seven years.A+
westerns that inspired the "El Mariachi" series, if one looses track of the story it's not the worst thing that can happen to the viewer's interest), and then throws enough flair and technical excellence in the action/shoot-up set pieces that it keeps us at the least entertained and at the most riveted.Watching Once Upon a Time in Mexico, I felt the more riveted than I had watching a film by Rodriguez since his 1996 horror-sleeper 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (incidentally, co-starring and scripted by Tarantino).While there's some merit to 'The Faculty' (his satisfactory send up of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'), and his 'Spy Kids' trilogy (which will always be more entertaining to the kids in its following than it will to me), 'Mexico' boasts a return to the energy, and rather cool flamboyance, that went with his early action masterpieces.
Basic story (as I could follow it)- it's years after 'Desperado' left off, and El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas in a trademark role) is in hiding after a renegade General killed his wife (Salma Hayek) and daughter.He is brought out, however, by another AWOL type, CIA agent Sands (Johnny Depp, slick enough to be likeable in distasteful situations) who wants him to seek vengeance on the General while he gets away with millions of pesos in a deal involving rich, scheming gangsters (i.e. Willem Dafoe) and players playing each side (those of which I won't mention here).But this story is just a baseline, like in the past films in the series, for numerous scenes of violence, mayhem, and surprises both in the characters' actions and in Rodriguez's work - and work here means that he films like a musician that plays five or six instruments at the same time (and, remarkably, he plays each well).
The camera work (including operating hand-held cameras), editing, design, and spicy music score are all under the sole control of the director.This is tricky, considering Rodriguez's budget here is slightly larger than Desperado's and much more than his little independent wonder from 1992, but (at least from my perspective) he pulls it off to satisfy his fan base while gaining appeal for those who aren't familiar to his past films.If someone walks into 'Mexico' knowing only who the actors are, and seeing them on that basis, are bound to enjoy more than just the performances (which in and of themselves skim that think line between over the top and subtle sublimely) by the time they leave the theater.Now that doesn't mean those who are fans of the Spy Kids trilogy will immediately like this movie, indeed, those under ten may feel a little un-easy over such bloodshed after a while.But for a core action-adventure audience, who've been awaiting a good, solid film after a summer that's been hit and miss, and still waiting for Tarantino's Kill Bill will not be disappointed.
Note: one of the fun parts in a film like this is to see two particular actors return from past Rodriguez films, like Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo, and then on top of that to have such recognizable actors in such juicy supporting roles, like Ruben Blades, Mickey Rourke, Enrique Iglesias, Dafoe, and Eva Mendes. |Region ? |Movies |2.35 : 1 (letterbox) |Movies ||||||@@
Open Range|Kevin Costner|Drama|Rated R for violence. |7.6|USA|2003|USA:145 min/ Germany:139 min|English||XviD|2||XviD MPEG-4|1034 |608x256|AC3-Digital|438 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1397.75 MB||||23.98|01/02/2004|Armyan Bernstein Kevin Costner Jake Eberts Craig Storper David Valdes|Lauran Paine Craig Storper|James Muro ||Buena Vista International [ar] |No place to run. No reason to hide.|Boss Spearman, Charley Waite, Mose Harrison and Button freegraze their cattle across the vast prairies of the West, sharing a friendship forged by a steadfast code of honor and living a life unencumbered by civilization. When their wayward herd forces them near the small town of Harmonville, the cowboys encounter a corrupt sheriff and kingpin rancher who govern the territory through fear, tyranny and violence. Boss and Charley find themselves inextricably drawn towards an inevitable showdown, as they are forced to defend the freedom and values of a lifestyle that is all too quickly vanishing. Amidst the turmoil, life suddenly takes an unexpected turn for the loner Charley when he meets the beautiful and warm spirited Sue Barlow, a woman who embraces both his heart and his soul.
This tale of the Old West (let's avoid the term western) works on many fronts. It blends the expected violence with pathos, romance, and even comedy. The film opens with four cow hands (Robert Duvall as Boss; Kevin Costner as Charlie Waite; Abraham Benrubi as Mose, the gentle, boy-like cook; and Diego Luna, as Buttons, a 16 year old Spanish kid that has been taken in by the older cowboys) pushing a cattle herd. After a hard rain, Boss determines that Mose needs to go back to a town they passed and get extra supplies. When he fails to return, the two older men go after him. They find he has been beaten by a local rancher's men and then arrested for starting the fight. Going to the jail, they confront the corrupt town marshall (James Russo) and the rancher (Michael Gambon), who has a stranglehold on the town and a dislike for open range cattlemen. Mose is released and taken to a doctor (Dean McDermott), where the men also meet the doc's sister (Annette Bening), whom they initially mistake for his wife. Romance blooms! The men head back to the range, but are confronted by hooded riders and disaster that sends them on a path of revenge. Charlie's history as a former gunfighter slowly surfaces as he plans out the impending shootout.
|Robert Duvall (Boss Spearman) @ Kevin Costner (Charley Waite) @ Annette Bening (Sue Barlow) @ Michael Gambon (Denton Baxter) @ Michael Jeter (Percy) @ Diego Luna (Button) @ James Russo (Sheriff Poole) @ Abraham Benrubi (Mose) @ Dean McDermott (Doc Barlow) @ Kim Coates (Butler) @ Herb Kohler (Cafe Man) @ Peter MacNeill (Mack) @ Cliff Saunders (Ralph) @ Patricia Stutz (Ralph's Wife (as Pat Stutz)) @ Julian Richings (Wylie) @ Ian Tracey (Tom) @ Rod Wilson (Gus) @ Diego Del Mar (Ballester) @ Patricia Benedict (Cafe Woman) @ Tim Koetting (Bartender Bill) @ Tom Carey (Ray) @ Kurtis Sanheim (Cory) @ Billy Morton (Junior) @ Alex Zahara (Chet) @ Chad Camilleri (Ace) @ Greg Schlosser (Pete) @ Guy Bews (Roy) @ Lorette Clow (Mack's Wife) @ Alexis Cerkiewicz (Mack's DaughterProduced by||OK
A leisurely-paced Western, about a range war, that is not likely to resurrect that moribund genre anytime soon. Great shoot-em-up near the end, but it can't make up for the snoozefest of a plot. Not Costner's best work, that's for sure, and Duvall is showing his years. Annette Benning is wasted as Costner's love interest. Every cliche of the genre is trotted out at one point or another. Go rewatch THE OUTLAW JOSE WALES or JOE KIDD or HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER or UNFORGIVEN or even PALE RIDER. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Order, The|Sheldon Lettich|Action|Rated R for violence. |4.1|USA|2001|89 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Boaz Davidson Danny Dimbort Avi Lerner Danny Lerner Danny Ben Menachem Sharon Shamir Trevor Short John Thompson David Varod Les Weldon|Les Weldon Jean-Claude Van Damme|David Gurfinkel ||Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina [ar] |Unleash The Power.|Van Damme plays Rudy whose father, Oscar is an archaeologist. His father goes to Israel. When his father disappears, he goes to Israel to find him. The chief of police claims that his father never entered the country, but an old friend of his father's was expecting him and before he could tell him more, some people start shooting at them. He manages to get away, and when he goes back to the police chief, he still refuses to believe that a crime has been committed. He then has Rudy deported, but Rudy convinces the police woman assigned to bring him to the airport not to and help him find his father.
|Jean-Claude Van Damme (Rudy Cafmeyer/Charles Le Vaillant) @ Charlton Heston (Professor Finley) @ Sofia Milos (Dalia) @ Brian Thompson (Cyrus) @ Ben Cross (Ben Ner) @ Vernon Dobtcheff (Oscar) @ Sasson Gabai (Yuri (as Sasson Gabay)) @ Alon Abutbul (Avram (as Alon Aboutboul)) @ Joey Tomaska (Goldman) @ Peter Malota (Amnon) @ Sharon Reginiano (Bassam) @ Sami Hori (Lieutenant Itsik (as Sami Huri)) @ Jack Widerker (Executive) @ David Leitch (Detective Mike Moran) @ Abdel Qissi (Big Arab) @ Kathy Brayton (Hostess) @ Anton Trendafilov (Russian Émigré) @ Georgi Kadurin (Abbot #1 (as George Gadurin)) @ Dobrin Dosev (Jailer) @ Rositza Chorbadjiska (Daniela (as Rositsa Chorbadjiiska)) @ Yuri Safchev (Concierge (as Yuri Savchev)) @ Theodor Youroukov (Abbot #2 (as Todor Yurukov)) @ Simeon Vladov (Ukrainian CopProduced by||not Vam Damme's best, but still good
I've always been a fan of Jean-Claude van Damme, so I've been mad that his recent movies haven't got theatrical releases, while the latest Adam Sandler and the current breed of gross-out teen movies have. I'd much rather see van Damme on the big screen than another teen movie. Although THE ORDER is far from his best or my favorite of his films (those would be HARD TARGET, SUDDEN DEATH, MAXIMUM RISK, and LEGIONNAIRE), it's still pretty good, even if it does drag in some places and has some hard-to-understand accents. But you can understand enough to know the basic idea of the movie, so it doesn't really matter. Written by van Damme, the story moves had a decent pacer, but the direction could have been a little tighter in some scenes. Van Damme is particularly good, and though it's not his best acting (that would be MAXIMUM RISK), it's better than some of his earlier ones.
The film makes good use of its Israeli locations, sexy newcomer Sofia Milos makes a feisty heroine, and co-stars Ben Cross and Brian Thompson offer good support in roles that are smaller than they should be. Unfortunately, however, Charlton Heston is wasted. I kept saying to myself, "Why go to all the trouble to get a famous big-name veteran screen star to play such a teeny, tiny little role?" His part would have been better suited for the unknown who played van Damme's father, with Heston playing the father. That would have been much better. As I said, some parts tend to drag a little bit, but the action scenes are well-done, my favorite being the entire climactic sequence in the underground tunnel system. There's even some funny bloopers that run before the end credits, though only a few; some more would have been nice.
All-in-all, one of van Damme's better movies storywise, and though I'm not sure if I would actually buy the DVD, I would probably make it an occasional rental. Then again, I'm a big van Damme fan, so I'll probably buy it next time I see it just to have it. |Region 1 | |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-26|||||@@
Osmosis Jones|Bobby Farrelly Peter Farrell|Animation|Rated PG for bodily humor. (Re-rated from PG-13) |6.2|USA|2001|95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Dennis Edwards (II) Bobby Farrelly Peter Farrelly Marc S. Fischer Aaron Parry Zak Penn Bradley Thomas John Walker (IV) Billy Frank|Marc Hyman |Mark Irwin (I) |||He's one cell of a guy.|Frank Detomello catches a cold. The inside of his body is known as the "City of Frank" to its inhabitants, two of which - white blood cell cop Osmosis Jones, and cold tablet Drixorial - team up to fight the invading viruses intent on taking over the City.
When Zoo worker Frank, single father to the young and bright girl Shane, swallows a germ-ridden egg, he gives billions of lifeforms inside his body much work to do. In the "City of Frank", which has its good and its bad neighbourhoods, its own TV station, donut shops and traffic jams, the white blood cell Osmosis Jones is one of the many cops who try to keep up peace and order. Unfortunately, Jones seems to be the only cop in town who does not act by the book, but by his instincts. Even more unfortunately, his instincts don't work out that often, and so he causes more trouble than he does good. But with that germ-ridden egg comes a mortal danger: The evil and deadly virus Thrax arrives in order to kill Frank within 48 hours, just to get his own chapter in the medical books. Starting out with flu symptoms in order to deceive the authorities and the public, Thrax makes his way through Franks body. Accompanied only by "temporary relief of symptoms commonly associated with flu" cold tablet Drix, Osmosis Jones suspects that there is more going on than just a simple flu. Meanwhile, Mayor Phlegmming is much more interested in his re-election than in real problems and tries to keep trouble down. So, it is up only to Drix and Os to stop the "red death" from making Shane an orphan.
|Chris Rock (Osmosis Jones (voice)) @ Laurence Fishburne (Thrax (voice)) @ David Hyde Pierce (Drix (voice)) @ Brandy Norwood (Leah (voice)) @ William Shatner (Mayor Phlegmming (voice)) @ Ron Howard (Tom Colonic (voice)) @ Kid Rock (Kidney Rock (voice)) @ Joe C. (Kidney Rock (voice)||Very inventive!
Okay, I think I've found the Sadly Underrated Movie of the Year.
I think that, between this and "the Iron Giant", Warner Brothers Animation has GOT to spring for a better promotion department.Really, all they'd have to say is something like: "We just let the creators of 'Something About Mary' and 'Dumb and Dumber' make their own cartoon.Brace yourselves."
All complaints aside, and none of them are really the movie's fault, this is one of the most inventive animated films I've seen in a very long time.The characters and backgrounds are allowed to look and move in ways that are downright refreshingly bizarre.The visuals are very imaginative.The humor, while funny, is still very much what you'd expect from a Farelly Brothers movie that takes place inside a very sick man, so I wouldn't recommend it to little kids or the weak of stomach.If you have a little future A+P major, however, this is going to blow their mind.Give it a look! |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-16|||||@@
Others, The|Alejandro Amenábar|Drama|Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and frightening moments. |7.9|USA|2001|101 min/ Finland:104 min/ USA:104 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Fernando Bovaira Eduardo Chapero-Jackson Tom Cruise José Luis Cuerda Miguel Ángel González Emiliano Otegui Rick Schwartz Park Sunmin Paula Wagner Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|Alejandro Amenábar |Javier Aguirresarobe ||Angel Films A/S [dk] |Sooner Or Later They Will Find You.|A woman named Grace retires with her two children to a mansion on Jersey, towards the end of the Second World War, where she's waiting for her husband to come back from battle. The children have a disease which means they cannot be touched by direct sunlight without being hurt in some way. They will live alone there with oppressive, strange and almost religious rules (eg. "don't open a door until you've closed the previous"), until she needs to hire a group of servants for them. Their arrival will accidentally begin to break the rules with unexpected consequences.
|Nicole Kidman (Grace) @ Fionnula Flanagan (Mrs. Mills) @ Christopher Eccleston (Charles) @ Alakina Mann (Anne) @ James Bentley (Nicholas) @ Eric Sykes (Mr. Tuttle) @ Elaine Cassidy (Lydia) @ Renée Asherson (Old Lady) @ Gordon Reid (Assistant) @ Keith Allen (Mr. Marlish) @ Michelle Fairley (Mrs. Marlish) @ Alexander Vince (Victor) @ Ricardo López (2nd Assistant) @ Aldo Grilo (Gardener rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Alejandro Amenábar (Dead man in the album 1 (uncredited)) @ Mateo Gil (Dead man in the album 2 (uncredited)Produced by||Perfect.... a master at work
Alejandro Amenábar is a very young and talented director, born in Chile and raised in Spain. He revolutionized Spanish cinema when he arrived on the scene with Thesis, at only 24 years of age. The came Abre los ojos, a very powerful second film that immediately put him aside some of the leading directors there, like Pedro Almodóvar, Carlos Saura, or Fernando Trueba. The others is only his third film and you can now see a hint of who may become one of the best around in a couple of years (he's only 29).
The best comparison I can make of this film is to a piece of clockwork. Precise, exact, nothing is gratuitous or excessive.... What a subtle charm this film works on you as a spectator. The screenplay is one of the best of this genre I have seen in the last few years, very carefully revised and misleading, yet at the end everything makes perfect sense, not the mention on the second time you watch it.
It is true that many of the film's features and details may be traced to classic films of the genre, but there is nothing wrong with that. The director himself said it was an homage to directors like Alfred Hitchcock (to whom he has been compared somewhat prematurely.... he may reach such height but he still has a long road to walk). That is one of the great things about the film; it takes the best of the genre, the best that has been made by the best directors... it's a film lover's delight.
I had never thought Nicole Kidman could have been at the height of the project, as I really have never considered her a great actress. All I can say is I am still dumbfounded by her extraordinary performance... really, a large percentage of the film's success can be related to her. Sober and discreet when needed, yet grand all the same... It does remind some of the most elegant names of classic Hollywood cinema like the Bette Davis of All about Eve or the Katharine Hepburn of The African queen. But it would be really selfish to give her all the credit when she was supported by an extraordinary cast. Fionnula Flanagan (the sweet old lady from Waking Ned Devine) is trully magnificent as the governess, Mrs. Mills, and very surprising performances of a mute and an old gardener are given by Elaine Cassidy and Eric Sykes. The children (Alakina Mann and James Bentley) are also fantastic.
Finally, I cannot but mention the crew of the film. It is even a more fantastic job when you consider that the film (many people don't realize this) is chiefly a Spanish production. The production design by Benjamín Fernández and specially the cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe are extraordinary. Just as in the best painting of figures like Goya or Rembrandt, light and shadow reveal the objects and the people.
I do not hesitate to say that this is really one of the best films of the year 2001. I am still waiting to watch Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, La stanza del figlio, The shipping news, The hours and Italiensk for begyndere, but I know it will remain amongst those at the top. A 10/10 is really fair for a film that has it all, a perfect machinery that arrives at a time when we seriously need intelligent films and not blockbuster deceptions. I can only say I hope its director won't jump to Hollywood in search of big-time projects that waste his potential.
It is a film to feast on.. to savour, to enjoy, to remember....
|Region 1 |Collector's Edition |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-21|||||@@
Peter Pan |P.J. Hogan|Adventure/Family/Action/Fantasy|PG |7.4|USA|2003|114 mins|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG|783 |512x384|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|48,000 Hz|2|700.63 MB||||23.98|08/04/2004|Gary Adelson Mohamed Al-Fayed Craig Baumgarten Gloria S. Borders Lucy Fisher Stephen Jones Gail Lyon Patrick McCormick Jocelyn Moorhouse Charles Newirth Douglas Wick|J.M. Barrie P.J. Hogan Michael Goldenberg|Donald McAlpine ||Svensk Filmindustri (SF) AB [se] |Let the fight begin|àðçðå îúçéìéí àú äòìéìä áùîé ìåðãåï, àùø ùìååúí îåôøú áàéùåï ìéìä ò"é éìã îòåôó åîåæø ùìà éëåì ìäæã÷ï åòåðä ìùí ôéèø ôï.
ôï ðëðñ ìáéúí ùì éìãé îùôçú ãøìéðâ - ååðãé, â'åï åîéé÷ì, åîæîéï àåúí ìàøõ ìòåìí ìà, àøõ ùáä äéìãéí çééí ììà ôé÷åç îáåâøéí åçééí áçåôù úîéãé.
úéëó àçøé, äí ôåâùéí áèéð÷øáì, ôééä ÷èðèðä äîòðé÷ä ìéìãé îùôçú ãøìéðâ àú äéëåìú ìòåó, åëåìí îîøéàéí éçã ìòáø àåúä çáì àøõ ðëñôú.
áî÷åí äí ôåâùéí àú 'äéìãéí äàáåãéí', çáåøä ùì éìãéí àùø ôï äåà îðäéâí, åëîåäå àéðí îñåâìéí ìäæã÷ï.
àìà ùâí ëàï ðøàä ùìà äâéòå éìãé ãàøìéðâ ìðçìä åìîðåçä äîéåçìéí ùëï äí ðøãôéí áéãé ÷ôèï äå÷, ôéøàè àëæø äòåîã áøàù ÷áåöú éåøãé éí îøåùòéí äøåöéí ìúôåñ àú ôï åäéìãéí äàáåãéí, åîæëéø áàåøç îàåã úîåä àú àáéäí ùì éìãé îùôçú ãàøìéðâ... ñøè îäðä ìëì äîùôçä!
Imagineia world like nothing you've ever seen, where every day isian adventure, where you never haveito grow up or grow old. That's theiworld of Peter Pan-the clanging swords of furious rivals, theiquivering plank of theiJolly Roger, theitranscendent thrill of flying...and theimagical power ofia hidden kiss. A lasting tale of adventure, discovery andidreams. Peter Pan has thrilled audiences, around theiworld since it premiered onia London stage 100 years ago.J.M. Barrie's classic tale of theiboy who wouldn't grow up-and theigirl whose family insists that she must-has had many popular incarnations over theiyears, but has never been fully realized on-screen. Until now. |Jason Isaacs (Mr. Darling/Captain Hook) @ Jeremy Sumpter (Peter Pan) @ Rachel Hurd-Wood (Wendy Darling) @ Lynn Redgrave (Aunt Millicent) @ Richard Briers (Smee) @ Olivia Williams (Mrs. Darling) @ Geoffrey Palmer (Sir Edward Quiller Couch) @ Harry Newell (John Darling)||Fairly average
After two successful romantic comedies (Muriel's Wedding and My Best
Friend's Wedding), PJ Hogan tries his hand at traditional Hollywood
blockbuster fare - and churns out a solid, if unoriginal, adaptation of JM
Barrie's "classic" children's novel.Apart from sensational chemistry
between the two child leads, Jeremy Sumpter and Rachel Hurd-Wood (expect to
see more of both of them), and Jason Isaac's memorable performance as
Captain Hook (in my opinion he out-classes Dustin Hoffman in this role),
there's very little here.
It's a fairly faithful adaptation of Barrie's book, which, interestingly,
has never really performed well on the big screen, apart from Disney's
animated 1953 adaptation: the best Pan adaptation, again in my opinion, is
1991's 'Hook', and I think that film worked *because* it deviated from the
original plot quite substantially.
While there are, arguably, some good messages here, mainly to do with
growing up which are directed at youngsters, it is disheartening and,
probably, downright offensive that Hogan has retained the stereotype of the
North American 'Indian', which, in Barrie's story, was relegated to the
mythical world of Neverland along with mermaids and fairies.At best, this
is culturally insensitive; at worst, it's racism in all its devilry.The
invokation of white Britishness also sends, at best, mixed messages; we're
never quite sure whether this archaic form of nationalism is being berated
or applauded.
Special effects, in some scenes, unfortunately resemble little more than
Saturday morning cartoons; perhaps I've been very spoiled by such displays
in films like The Matrix, but the current state of CGI leaves more than a
little to be desired.I think the problem is now that we all *know* that
these effects are possible, and that all you need is a computer (and a few
highly qualified, extremely skillful technicians - no disrespect meant to
these people, who spend many hours creating various monsters and flying
ships for audience awe).And for a movie that relies so heavily on special
effects, as so many Hollywood releases are doing, the result is more than
unconvincing.
A final warning to parents: this film is not for very young children, or at
least those children who haven't yet learned to distinguish effects from
reality.No, it won't harm them irrevocably and irreversibly; no film can
do that, given a psychologically "normal" child.But it is long, it is
unnecessarily scary (and sometimes downright nasty, particularly when the
children cheer at the grisly death of Hook toward the end) and its racism
from a perspective of British whiteness in no way reflects the ideal of
present-day 'western' society.
I gave it 5/10, mostly for the performances of Isaacs, Sumpter and
Hurd-Wood.Oh, and the fact that it was shot in Queensland.
|Region ? | |Widescreen 2.40:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1||||||@@
Pianist, The|Roman Polanski|Drama|Rated R for violence and brief strong language. |8.6|UK|2002|150 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Robert Benmussa Timothy Burrill Daniel Champagnon Gene Gutowski Henning Molfenter Roman Polanski Lew Rywin Alain Sarde Rainer Schaper|Wladyslaw Szpilman Ronald Harwood|Pawel Edelman |||Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.|A brilliant pianist, a Polish Jew, witnesses the restrictions Nazis place on Jews in the Polish capital, from restricted access to the building of the Warsaw ghetto. As his family is rounded up to be shipped off to the Nazi labor camps, he escapes deportation and eludes capture by living in the ruins of Warsaw.
The true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman who, in the 1930s, was known as the most accomplished piano player in all of Poland, if not Europe. At the outbreak of the Second World War, however, Szpilman becomes subject to the anti-Jewish laws imposed by the conquering Germans. By the start of the 1940s, Szpilman has seen his world go from piano concert halls to the Jewish Ghetto of Warsaw and then must suffer the tragedy of his family deported to a death camp, while Szpilman is conscripted into a forced German Labor Compound. At last deciding to escape, Szpilman goes into hiding as a Jewish refugee where he is witness to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Warsaw City Revolt in 1945.
|Adrien Brody (Wladyslaw Szpilman) @ Thomas Kretschmann (Captain Wilm Hosenfeld) @ Frank Finlay (Father) @ Maureen Lipman (Mother) @ Emilia Fox (Dorota) @ Ed Stoppard (I) (Henryk) @ Julia Rayner (I) (Regina) @ Jessica Kate Meyer (Halina||10 out of 10
The Pianist is an account of the true life experience of a Polish pianist during WW2, in the context of the deportation of the Jewish community to the Ghetto of Warsaw, a setting virtually absent from all films inspired on WW2.
Polanski (himself a child survivor of the Krakow and Warsaw ghettos) could have described in more detail the legendary, desperate fighting of the Jewish resistance in the ghetto of Warsaw, or the horrific mass extermination in concentration camps. Instead, the film gains in intensity by displaying the war from the pianist's own point of view (through windows, half-opened doors, holes in the walls - with big emphasis on the use of "point of view shooting" by the cameraman). One cannot help feeling disturbed by the most enthralling scenes of the film, as the isolated pianist tries to ensure his survival in the ghetto and ruins of Warsaw, hiding and fleeing, moving from one bombed house to the next, gradually becoming a shadow of his former self, hungry and afraid (merit largely attributed to the extraordinary performance by Adrien Brody, who visibly loses half of his weight throughout the film).
Does the pianist raise any sympathy from the audience? Not immediately, in my view. The pianist is more than often a drifting character, almost a witness of other people's and his own horrors. He seems to float and drift along the film like a lost feather, with people quickly appearing and disappearing from his life, some helping generously, others taking advantage of his quiet despair, always maintaining an almost blank, dispassionate demeanour. One may even wonder why we should care in the least about this character. But we do care. That is, I believe, the secret to this film's poetry.
In one of the strongest scenes, towards the end, a German officer forces the pianist to play for his life, in an episode that suddenly brings a much lighter, beautifully poetic shade to the film (this German officer will be probably compared to Schindler, although his philanthropy does not quite share the same basis).
This is also a wonderful tribute to Polish artists, through Chopin's music, with the concert at the very end of the film and the opening performance by the pianist at the local radio station (with the sound of bomb explosions in the background) forming an harmonious link between the beginning and end of the film (following Polanski's usual story-frame).
Overall, The Pianist is one of the most detailed and shocking accounts of the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis, with the atmosphere in Warsaw well captured and believable. Quite possibly, The Pianist will remain in the history of film-making as the most touching and realistic portraits of the holocaust ever made.
Polanski's film deserves a strong presence in the 2003 Oscar nominations, including a nomination for Adrien Brody's amazing performance, Polanski's sublime direction, best adapted screenplay and, obviously, best picture. This could be, at last, Polanski's long awaited, triumphal comeback to the high and mighty Hollywood.
|Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-18 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Piglet's Big Movie|Francis Glebas|Animation|G |5.4|USA|2003|75 min|English||||||||||False||||||||12/02/2004|Ferrell Barron Yukari Kiso Michelle Pappalardo-Robinson|A.A. Milne Brian Hohlfeld|||Buena Vista International Italia [it] |A tale you'll never forget|When the gang from the Hundred Acre Wood begin a honey harvest, young Piglet is excluded and told that he is too small to help. Feeling inferior, Piglet disappears and his pals Eeyore, Rabbit, Tigger, Roo and Winnie the Pooh must use Piglet's scrapbook as a map to find him. In the process they discover that this very small animal has been a big hero in a lot of ways.
|John Fiedler (Piglet (voice)) @ Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh/Tigger (voice)) @ Andre Stojka (Owl (voice)) @ Kath Soucie (Kanga (voice)) @ Nikita Hopkins (Roo (voice)) @ Peter Cullen (Eeyore (voice)) @ Ken Sansom (Rabbit (voice)) @ Tom Wheatley (Christopher Robin (voice)Produced by||IRIS IS IN THE HOUSE
This film is a major milestone in my life. Not for it's cinematic credentials, but because this was the first time my 2 year old daughter Iris came to the cinema with me.
Well she loved it, and it kept her entertained for 75 minutes. As an adult it was adequate, not that sickly and buzzed along at a decent pace. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Pinocchio|Roberto Benigni|Comedy|G |4.2|Italy|2002|108 min/ Argentina:112 min|Italian||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Gianluigi Braschi Nicoletta Braschi Mario Cotone Elda Ferri|Roberto Benigni Vincenzo Cerami Carlo Collodi Brendan Donnison|Dante Spinotti ||||Despite guidance from the Blue Fairy, and the love of his father, Gepetto, a wooden puppet's curious spirit leads him into one wild adventure after another.
|Roberto Benigni (Pinocchio) @ Breckin Meyer (Pinocchio (voice: US version)) @ Nicoletta Braschi (Blue Fairy) @ Glenn Close (Blue Fairy (voice: US version)) @ Carlo Giuffrè (Gepetto) @ James Belushi (Geppetto (voice)) @ Kim Rossi Stuart (Lucignolo) @ Peppe Barra (The Talking Cricket||In a word: wooden
PINOCCHIO (2002) *1/2Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Carlo Giuffre, Kim Rossi Stuart, Peppe Barra, Mino Bellei, Max Cavallari, Bruno Arena, Luis Molteni, (Voices: Breckin Meyer, Glenn Close, Cheech Marin, Queen Latifah, Regis Philbin, James Belushi, Eddie Griffin, Kevin James.Benigni's dream to remake the Carlo Collodi's classic tale of a wooden puppet's adventures is our nightmare: self-indulgent and long-in-the-tooth are but two of the many problems (largely in Benigni insisting on playing the child-like protagonist) in this ambitious mess despite some Hollywood names in the voice over department, Dante Spinotti's gorgeous cinematography and the handsome production design and colorful costumes by Danilo Donati; better off renting the Disney masterpiece instead. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |2-11|||||@@
Pirates Of The Caribbean, The||Adventure|PG-13 |7.9|USA|2003|143 mins|English||||||||||False||||||||21/09/2003||||||ùåããé ä÷øéáééí æäå ñøè ùéñçåó àúëí ìäøôú÷àä îñåëðú åîìàä áà÷ùï ùúçæéø àúëí àì äú÷åôä ùáä ùìèå ôéøàèéí á÷øéáééí.äñøè îáéà àú ñéôåøå ùì áçåø öòéø áùí ååéì èøðø ùçåáø àì ôéøàè ÷ùåç äòåðä ìùí â'÷ ñôàøå.áéçã äí éåöàéí ìàúø åìäéìçí áôéøàèéí äáåâãðéí åäàëæøééí áéåúø áòåìí ùáøàùí òåîã ÷ôèï áøñå÷ä, åæàú òì îðú ìùçøø àú àìéæáú, áúå ùì äîåùì åàäåáúå ùì ååéì, åáå áæîï ìäùéâ îéãéäí àú äàåöø ùâ'÷ îçôù æä æîï øá.îä ùäùðééí ìà éåãòéí æä ùäôéøàèéí äììå î÷åììéí, ðàìöéí ìçéåú áéï çééí ìîååú, åëì æàú áâìì àåöø î÷åìì òìéå äðéçå àú éãéäí.äôéøàèéí äî÷åììéí îúëððéí ìäùúîù áãîä ùì àìéæáú åáîçøåæú ùòì öååàøä ëãé ìäôåê áçæøä ìáðé àãí ðåøîìéí.á÷øáåú çøá îñåëðéí òã îååú, ååéì åâ'÷ îðñéí ìëáåù îçãù àú ñôéðú äôðéðä äùçåøä äî÷åììú, ìäöéì àú äöé äáøéèé åìååúø òì àåöø òùéø ù÷ùåø ì÷ììú äôéøàèéí îä÷øéáééí. | A pirate andia proper lady team upito stopia dangerous band of pirates who are tryingito break an ancient curse that keeps them trappediin between life andideath. |||The ride's good.....the film's better!
As has been correctly stated in piecemeal form, Bruckheimer simply got it all right with this one. He went back to basics, hired the best in the business and came up with pure escapist entertainment that works on every level. THE ROCK with an eye patch! Didn't hurt his cause either, that Johnny Depp handed in this once-in-a-career performance as Master Pirate Captain Jack Sparrow - part cockney, part Gilbert Grape, all Rock-Star - the most endearing rogue this side of the Jolly Roger! Geoffrey Rush's turn as Barbossa, a supernatural `Captain Hook' gone feral and swapping his parrot for an occasionally digitised monkey-with-attitude is given arguably his best role since Helfgott!Bloom also does just that.Erroll Flynn coming along nicely! Meanwhile, the painfully corsetted Miss Knightley balances the film's romantic interest, Elizabeth Swann, beautifully - somewhere between Ripley and GI Jane.Toss in a truly great script that bridges the gulf so well between pirate chatter and teenage attention-span and you're looking at a seriously brilliant off the wall two and whatever hours of cornball whimsy that wouldn't put a harmful psychological dent in a five year old's psyche.
Deppdrops one-liners that are funny as all hell (`Stop putting holes in my ship'). Theproduction work, costuming, action sequences and set-design are cutting edge. What we have here is a multi-dimensional `lost-boys' loose in a candy shop. It's a buddy movie, a romantic comedy, an actioner and always at its heart,tasteful family-orientated entertainment. Bruckheimer has tossed everyone's juvenile pirate fantasies into a blender and poured out this tribute to childhood memory and screen decency.
Great ending also that does justice to what preceded it.Reminded me very much of another rollickingly good-time action-fest from Sam Raimi that co-incidentally was also top heavy with some seriously aggro skeletal miscreants - ARMY OF DARKNESS.`Hail to the Kingbaby!'
|Region 1 | |[None] |[None] |2-21 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Practical Magic|Griffin Dunne|Fantasy|Rated PG-13 for some violence, intense thematic elements and sensuality. |5.4|USA|1998|103 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bruce Berman (I) Denise Di Novi Mary McLaglen Robin Swicord|Alice Hoffman Robin Swicord Akiva Goldsman Adam Brooks|Andrew Dunn (I) |||There's a little witch in every woman.|Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman star in Griffin Dunne's PRACTICAL MAGIC, produced by Denise DiNovi. The wry, comic romantic tale, which is based on Alice Hoffman's best-selling novel, follows the Owens sisters, Sally (Bullock) and Gillian (Kidman), as they struggle to use their hereditary gift for practical magic to overcome the obstacles in discovering true love. Also included in the cast are Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing (as the Owens sisters' eccentric aunts), as well as Aidan Quinn and Goran Visnjic.
Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) Owens have always known they were different. Raised by their aunts (Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing) after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but typical--their aunts fed them chocolate cake for breakfast and taught them the uses of practical magic. But the invocation of the Owens' sorcery also carries a price--some call it a curse: the men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. Now adult women with very different personalities, the quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces that threatens the lives of all the Owens women.
|Sandra Bullock (Sally Owens) @ Nicole Kidman (Gillian Owens) @ Stockard Channing (Frances Owens) @ Dianne Wiest (Aunt Bridget 'Jet' Owens) @ Goran Visnjic (Jimmy Angelov) @ Aidan Quinn (Officer Gary Hallet) @ Evan Rachel Wood (Kylie Owens) @ Alexandra Artrip (Antonia Owens||Surprised.
I was very surprised how wrapped up I got into this story. I give credit to Griffin Dunne, the director, and a very appealing cast. The musical score to this film, by Alan Silvestri, is very magical indeed. The story is well told by everyone involved. The special effects are subtle but effective to say the least. This is what Sandra Bullock does best in my opinion. She plays an innocent so well that when things work out for her, you find yourself emotionally involved in her story. The film is a little overlong, otherwise very entertaining. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-13|||||@@
Prince of Egypt, The|Brenda Chapman Steve Hickner Simon Wells (I|Animation|Rated PG for intense depiction of thematic elements. |6.9|USA|1998|99 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Penney Finkelman Cox Jeffrey Katzenberg Sandra Rabins Ron Rocha|Ken Harsha Carole Holliday Philip LaZebnik Nicholas Meyer Frank Tamura||||Two brothers united by friendship divided by destiny|Egypt, eons of years ago: Pharao Seti commands all male hebrew babies to be drowned. A desperate mother places her son in a basket and lets the Hebrew god guide it along its way on the river. The basket is found by the Queen, and Moses is brought up as a brother to the heir of the throne, Ramses. Years later, the brothers, who grew up happily and wealthy, are split by Moses' recognition of his true heritage and the suppressing system his brother is about to inherit, willing to carry it on. Fleeing from the city in despair, Moses finds himself being called by God. He is given the task of being the messenger in order to free the Hebrews and to lead them into a country where milk and honey flow.
|Val Kilmer (Moses, God (voice)) @ Ralph Fiennes (Rameses (voice)) @ Michelle Pfeiffer (Tzipporah (voice)) @ Sandra Bullock (Miriam (voice)) @ Jeff Goldblum (Aaron (voice)) @ Danny Glover (Jethro (voice)) @ Patrick Stewart (Pharaoh Seti I (voice)) @ Helen Mirren (The Queen (voice)||DreamWorks killed Disney.
I saw Mulan, Anastasia and Prince of Egypt in a row. I loved Mulan, I loved Anastasia even more, and now... Well, I must say that Prince of Egypt is probably the best of all. I'd even say, the best animation feature ever produced in the USA (aside from Batman : Mask of the Phantasm).
It is a real piece of art, aiming to entertain everybody, not only act as a baby-sitter movie for kids. There aren't even any pets here. Only a great story, moving scenes, credible characters and fantastic music and storyboard. You will love this one. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-7|||||@@
Mononoke-hime|Hayao Miyazaki|Action|Rated PG-13 for images of violence and gore. |8.3|Japan|1997|133 min|Japanese||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Toshio Suzuki Yasuyoshi Tokuma|Neil Gaiman Hayao Miyazaki|Atsushi Okui |||The Fate Of The World Rests On The Courage Of One Warrior.|A prince is infected with an incurable disease by a possessed boar/god. He is to die unless he can find a cure to rid the curse from his body. It seems that his only hope is to travel to the far east. When he arrives to get help from the deer god, he finds himself in the middle of a battle between the animal inhabitants of the forest and an iron mining town that is exploiting and killing the forest. Leading the forest animals in the battle is a human raised by wolves, Princess Mononoko.
The time and place is the Muromachi era, Japan. A prince of a small village is cursed to a slow but certain death by a Boar God turned Tatari-Gami (Cursing God). To find a possible cure to the curse, he travels westwards. Hearing of a Shishi-Gami (Deer-God) that may be his salvation, he soon comes across a village of iron miners and there finds himself in the middle of a battle between the animal gods of the forest, lead by a girl called Princess Mononoke by the villagers who was raised by the Wolf God, and the iron miners, lead by a female leader who is trying to create a sanctuary for human outcasts. Along side this battle is a mysterious group of men who are after the head of the Shishi-Gami in a quest to gain immortality. Why did the Boar God turn into a Cursing God? Can he persuade all those involved to make peace or is conflict inevitable between man and nature?
|Yôji Matsuda (Prince Ashitaka (voice)) @ Yuriko Ishida (San, The Princess Mononoke (voice)) @ Yûko Tanaka (Eboshi-gozen (voice)) @ Kaoru Kobayashi (Jiko-bô (voice)) @ Masahiko Nishimura (Kouroku (voice)) @ Tsunehiko Kamijô (Gonza (voice)) @ Sumi Shimamoto (Toki (voice)) @ Tetsu Watanabe (Yama-inu (voice)||Allegory on the balance between humans and nature
This seems to be Miyazake's most personal work, clearly a serious design. It is set in an imaginary time which blends the time of the ancient gods (Shinto style, gods of place and nature) with the settlement of humans and the coming of metalworking and war.The world is not in balance, and a distant conflict between industry and nature has wounded one of the gods of the forest, which is then killed by a sentry boy as it rampages into farmland he guards.The evil controlling it transfers to him, beginning a slow takeover, and he must journey to the origin of the conflict to find a way to cure himself and incidentally, as he will learn, to try to restore balance.But this is not a simplistic tale, he finds there are other characters in play, and there is good and evil in everyone, and no easy balance.The Princess (Hime) of the story is a mysterious human who has been raised by wolves (which are themselves powerful forest gods, a little reminiscent of the Amerindian Coyote myth), who becomes both his ally and his enemy.The story is not easy to understand.It has many Japanese mythic elements but even then, it is a work of Miyazake's unique imagination, and is not intended to be simple or to have a clean resolution.
The animation is spectacular, and unusual, with new elements even for Miyazake and marks a new departure for style which you can see continued in his next film, Sen to Chihiro - more nature, more wild, more jamming on elements from Japanese myth and folklore.And, continuing the trend to be more personal, concerned with ethics and character, and less sci-fi. There are at least half a dozen well developed characters threaded through the story, and their animation is wonderful in displaying subtle character.
The original Japanese soundtrack has some amazing singing and draws upon some of the best talent available for voices - in Japan, Miyazake is universally known and this was a masterpiece carefully crafted.Japanese television documented a lot of the production.The English translation drew on some good talent but they seem not to have "gotten it" quite so intensely as the Japanese crew.
If you haven't seen Miyazake, give it a try (but maybe look at Sen to Chihiro first, or even Laputa or Kiki's Delivery Service, for easier and lighter introduction to his work).Some say he is the Japanese Disney, but I don't like that.His work has a depth and sophistication that goes beyond Disney cute.There is no other animation like it.This is truly an adult work: children might like some of the visuals, but I doubt that many kids below teen age will have any idea what it is all about, and even adults will get more out of this each time you see it again. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-14|||||@@
Pulp Fiction|Quentin Tarantino|Crime|R |8.6|USA|1994|154 min/ USA:168 min (special edition)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Lawrence Bender Danny DeVito Richard N. Gladstein Michael Shamberg (I) Stacey Sher Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein|Quentin Tarantino Roger Avary Quentin Tarantino|Andrzej Sekula |||Girls like me don't make invitations like this to just anyone!|The film initiates with two small-time thieves, Honey Bunny and Pumpkin, who spontaneously decide to hold up a restaurant. The film then shifts to the story of Jules and Vincent, who hit men for the well known and feared Marsellus Wallace, who is caught up in a deal gone wrong with struggling boxer Butch Coolidge.
|Tim Roth (Pumpkin (Ringo)) @ Amanda Plummer (Honey Bunny (Yolanda)) @ Laura Lovelace (Waitress) @ John Travolta (Vincent Vega) @ Samuel L. Jackson (Jules Winnfield) @ Phil LaMarr (Marvin) @ Frank Whaley (Brett) @ Burr Steers (Roger||Best Screenplay
Tarantino already had a reputation for his unique dialogue in 'Reservoir Dogs'. In 'Pulp Fiction', the industry recognised his writing skills by giving him an academy award for 'Best Screenplay'. The film is a sensation amongst cinemagoers, industry artistes, and even Christians because of Samuel L. Jackson's portrayal of the philosophical gangster. His Afro hair does not cause offence or appear out of date because of his overwhelming personality and knowledge. For the first time in Jackson's career, we see the university graduate coming through. Like Forest Whitaker in 'Ghost Dog', we see the trained, educated, middle classm person coming through their acting, and it lifts Jackson to another level. He is the intelligent crook rather than the desperate bum, and because of his philosophy he makes the intelligent decision at the end of the film to give Tim Roth the money that he stole and turn over a new leaf. Tarantino was a breath of fresh air to Jackson, and lifted his career to a level that his appearance in the Spike Lee films couldn't. Samuel L. Jackson was now accepted as the intelligent antagonist/protagonist. This was the landmark for him being able to play the protagonist as well as the antagonist. Christians across the country were scouring through their Old Testament after watching 'Pulp Fiction' to see if what Jackson was saying was true. It began to bridge the gulf between cinema and mainstream young Christianity who possibly thought cinema was profane, and created discussion across the country in churches. 'Pulp Fiction' was the film of 1994. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-23|||||@@
Quest for Camelot|Frederik Du Chau|Animation|G |5.5|USA|1998|86 min|English||||||||||False||||||||25/01/2004|Andre Clavel Dalisa Cohen Zahra Dowlatabadi|Vera Chapman Kirk De Micco William Schifrin Jacqueline Feather David Seidler|||Argentina Video Home (AVH) [ar] |Devon & Cornwall: A two-headed dragon with an identity crisis.|During the times of King Arthur, Kayley is a brave girl who dreams of following her late father as a Knight of the Round Table. The evil Ruber wants to invade Camelot and take the throne of King Arthur, and Kayley has to stop him.
In the days of King Arthur's Camelot, a renegade knight Ruber plots to usurp the throne by turning his henchmen into formidable monsters, forcing the widow of a Round Table knight he killed to use her privileged access to the King's castle and, most importantly, stealing King Arthur's symbol of power, the magical sword, Excalibur. When she kidnaps the widow, her young rambunctious daughter, Kayley, who dreams the seemingly impossible dream of becoming a Knight, escapes to both warn the King and try to recover Excalibur. Along the way, she meets up with a young blind hermit, a goofy two headed dragon and a mysterious silver winged falcon and together, they endeavor to find the sword to save the kingdom.
|Jessalyn Gilsig (Kayley (voice)) @ Andrea Corr (Kayley (singing) (singing voice)) @ Cary Elwes (Garrett (voice)) @ Bryan White (Garrett (singing) (singing voice)) @ Gary Oldman (Baron Ruber (voice)) @ Don Rickles (Cornwall, Two-Headed Dragon (voice)) @ Eric Idle (Devon, Two-Headed Dragon (voice)) @ Jane Seymour (Lady Juliana (voice)) @ Céline Dion (Lady Juliana (singing) (singing voice)) @ Pierce Brosnan (King Arthur (voice)) @ Steve Perry (King Arthur (singing) (singing voice)) @ John Gielgud (Merlin (voice)) @ Bronson Pinchot (The Griffin (voice)) @ Jaleel White (Bladebeak (voice)) @ Gabriel Byrne (Sir Lionel (voice)) @ Jessica Hathaway (Lynnit (voice) rest of cast listed alphabetically Sarah Freeman .... Young KayleyProduced by||Quest for <insert generic mythological device>
Certainly a strange one, this. The animation on the whole just isn't up to scratch, and this is painfully obvious right from the start when you get the feeling you're watching some dodgy 70s cartoon rather than a multi-million dollar late 90s cinema production. However, now and again you'll find yourself shocked by sudden moments of animated brilliance (Excalibur catapulting Ruber back from his attack on Arthur, Garrett leaping across an acid lake with dragonfire exploding behind him) and wonder why the whole film couldn't live up to this promise.
But visual flair isn't everything, I know, and it'd be easier to forgive the film its shortcomings in this department if the characters, storyline or soundtrack were more interesting... but they're not. The characters are bland, heroes and villains all equally one-dimensional (and very few of the voice actors recognisable until you see the end credits and go "Oh, was that him?"), while the thorough butchering given to the Arthurian legend makes First Knight with its smart-talkin' streetwise Noo Yoik Lancelot seem authentic. Yeah, I know it's only a cartoon, but why bother with the whole Camelot thing at all if just about the only parts you're going to leave intact are Arthur and Excalibur? As for the songs, well, people seem split over their quality, but it's easy enough to judge as far as I'm concerned: if you find yourself cringing in embarrassment when a song begins, take it as a bad sign, and here I was cringing hard enough to fall off my seat.
But in spite of all that, you can't help feeling that its heart's in the right place, and as such it's a decent enough way to pass an hour and a half. The kids will probably enjoy it (as long as you fast-forward the songs - they won't thank you for it otherwise), while the rest of us should find the occasional flashes of inspiration worth waiting for.
One other thing, though: why do we Brits get lumbered with a title twice as long as everyone else's? I mean, come on - The Magic Sword: Quest For Camelot? Two halfhearted titles for the price of one, fantastic...
|Region 1 | |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-11|||||@@
Recruit, The|Roger Donaldson|Thriller|Rated PG-13 for violence, sexuality and language. |6.5|USA|2003|115 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jeff Apple Gary Barber (I) Roger Birnbaum Jonathan Glickman Ric Kidney Megan Wolpert|Roger Towne Kurt Wimmer Mitch Glazer|Stuart Dryburgh |||Trust. Betrayal. Deception. In the C.I.A. nothing is what it seems.|James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is one of the top prospects in the new crop of CIA recruits. His intelligence and unconventional attitude attract the attention of veteran Walter Burke (Al Pacino) who squires him through the Agency's difficult training courses and helps him to quickly rise through the ranks. Clayton is then given a special assignment, to root out a suspected mole that has infiltrated the Agency.
In an era when the country's first line of defense, intelligence, is more important than ever, comes an explosive thriller starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell that for the first time opens the CIA's infamous closed doors and gives an insider's view into the Agency: how trainees are recruited, how they are prepared for the spy game, and what they learn to survive. James Clayton (Farrell) might not have the attitude of a typical recruit, but he is one of the smartest graduating seniors in the country - and he's just the person that Walter Burke (Pacino) wants in the Agency. James regards the CIA's mission as an intriguing alternative to an ordinary life, but before he becomes an Ops Officer, James has to survive the Agency's secret training ground, where green recruits are molded into seasoned veterans. As Burke teaches him the ropes and the rules of the game, James quickly rises through the ranks and falls for Layla (Moynahan), one of his fellow recruits. But just when James starts to question his role and his cat-and-mouse relationship with his mentor, Burke taps him for a special assignment to root out a mole. As the suspense builds toward a gripping climax, it soon becomes clear that the CIA's old maxims are true: "trust no one" and "nothing is what it seems."
|Al Pacino (Walter Burke) @ Colin Farrell (I) (James Clayton) @ Bridget Moynahan (Layla Moore) @ Gabriel Macht (Zack) @ Mike Realba (Ronnie Gibson) @ Domenico Fiore (Instructor #1 (as Dom Fiore)) @ Kenneth Mitchell (Alan (as Ken Mitchell)) @ Karl Pruner (Dennis Slayne||At least the middle was good....
If you take off the beginning and the last fiveminutes or so o the film, and you actuallyhave a pretty decent movie on your hands.First of all, I won't ruin it for anyone, butthe beginning is just too quick and unrealistic.One second Colin Farrell is a genius/jock/bartenderand the next he is training to be in the CIA.It was like some weird slight of hand trick.And the ending! Just walk out for the pastfive minutes, for Al Pacino just absolutelyprovides some of the crummiest and mostclichéd dialogue I have seen in a long time.So show up late and arrive early, becausethe middle sequences are just absolutelybrilliant. Sometimes funny, and often timescool, just stay for the beefy and tastefulmiddle section of the film. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-24 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Reservoir Dogs|Quentin Tarantino|Crime|R |8.3|USA|1992|99 min|English||||||||||False||||||||25/01/2004|Lawrence Bender Richard N. Gladstein Monte Hellman Harvey Keitel Ronna B. Wallace|Roger Avary Quentin Tarantino|Andrzej Sekula ||Artisan Entertainment [us] |Five Total Strangers Team Up For The Perfect Crime. They Don't Know Each Other's Name. But They've Got Each Other's Number|A gang of thieves carry out an armed robbery on a Diamond warehouse. The police are after them so quickly that they suspect they have a rat in their company. This film starts right after the robbery, with flashbacks to before the robbery, and to the planning of the crime. We are also introduced to the main characters in flashback mode. Plenty of fast action, and plenty of blood and gore.
The tale of a group of thugs who are hired to rob a diamond store. But the plan starts to fall apart when the alarm is tripped and the cops show up within moments. Of the group of men, all of whom are identified by colors, only four survive with one being seriously wounded. It is suspected that there is a police informant in the group, but no one is sure who it is.
Joe Cabot, a small-time crime boss, assembles five strangers with reputations as good thieves to steal a lot diamonds. When the police arrive at the scene before the burglars can even make their getaway, it becomes apparent that one of them is an undercover police officer.
|Harvey Keitel (Mr. White/Lawrence 'Larry' Dimmick) @ Tim Roth (Mr. Orange/Freddy Newandyke) @ Michael Madsen (Mr. Blonde/Vic Vega) @ Chris Penn (Nice Guy Eddie Cabot) @ Steve Buscemi (Mr. Pink) @ Lawrence Tierney (Joe Cabot) @ Randy Brooks (Holdaway) @ Kirk Baltz (LAPD Officer Marvin Nash) @ Edward Bunker (Mr. Blue (as Eddie Bunker)) @ Quentin Tarantino (Mr. Brown) @ Rich Turner (Sheriff #1) @ David Steen (Sheriff #2) @ Tony Cosmo (Sheriff #3) @ Stevo Polyi (Sheriff #4) @ Michael Sottile (Teddy) @ Robert Ruth (Shot Cop) @ Lawrence Bender (Young Cop (also Voice for Background Radio Play)) @ Linda Kaye (Shocked Woman) @ Suzanne Celeste (Shot Woman) @ Steven Wright (K-Billy DJ (voice)) @ Laurie Latham (Radio Play Background Voice (voice)) @ Maria Strova (Radio Play Background Voice (voice)) @ Burr Steers (Radio Play Background Voice (voice)) @ Craig Hamann (Radio Play Background Voice (voice) rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Rowland Wafford (Diner Patron (uncredited)Produced by||Practically tailor-made for a film buff (as well as for a viewer who watches occasionally), 'Dogs' is a picture loaded to the brim with terrific visceral energy
Whenever the name Quentin Tarantino is mentioned nowadays, people treat him with the same reverence as Scorsese, De Palma, and other directors as such who have fiddled around with the crime/gangster genre to create personal, heavy-duty masterworks.However, at the time this film was first released, as was with his still best picture 'Pulp', he was regarded as a filmmaker who makes violent movies, filled with violence, chock full of violence, "too violent" (if there ever could or should be such a thing in movies), etc.This is unfair.True, Tarantino writes and works his actors to such an intensity that the feelings that go with violent acts and violent tension is there, and true he shows the blood, he lets us hear the cries of agony and despair, and indeed there are times that bullets fired into people are shown as such right in frame.
Yet he never exactly displays any truly violent acts (he decided to leave the shot of Masden slicing the ear on the editing floor, unlike a director like David Lynch who gets right inside the matter) - his technique is to evoke and strive for all of the emotions one would feel in such asituation, movie or in real life, to the most honest, near heart-wrenching limits, and thus to someone who may have even not even seen the film the images that appear in a trailer or on a video box bring the notion of this being an overly violent movie immediately.That the images we see throughout the film, bloody or not, stay with us long after the credits roll, is a testament to his dedication, and obvious trust, to his craft being as it is.
The plot, while lifted from a Chow-Yun Fat film from the mid-eighties, is the first one to include his trademark non-linear storytelling design.Sure, this is not uncommon in most films, but since each scene has a meaty quality to it, with line after line of (purposeful, to story as well as character) dialog is spoken, you really don't know what to expect.A crime boss (Lawrence Tierny) assembles different criminals of different backgrounds, removes them of their given Christian names, and gives them pseudonym colors as the heist comes up.The robbery itself has a big hitch- cops are alerted sooner than thought, shoot-outs occur, some colors are wiped away, and the remaining assemble in the rendezvous to sort out what went wrong and who's to blame.
For most films with such an ambitious and grounded script, nearly every performance is a crucial asset to the film's success, and Tarantino knows this in his bones, as well as in the casting of the right parts (i.e. Steve Buscemi auditioned for Mr. White but got Mr. Pink, makes sense doesn't it): Keitel and Tierny are like old pros merely portraying old pros; Roth has a true breakout performance as Orange; Busemi himself proves why he's needed in film today; Chris Penn makes for a fine supporting role; Masden is one of the most convincing of the 90's psychos; even Tarantino makes a perfect monologue for himself in the opener.Right away these actors give off the only impression they should - these are people that we can care about, despise, or watch in a lack of judgment as they float away in a flash - they've got to be human all the way.
So, is Reservoir Dogs for everyone?Not necessarily- children under the age of nine or ten, I'd suggest, should stay away even if they can understand and take the violence since it's really an film for maturer mindsets.But, for the passionate movie-goer, or for thrill seeking screen nuts, it's worth the ride.For one thing, I'll never think of "Stuck in the Middle With You", or Steven Wright for that matter, the same way again.My opinion- Tarantino's 3rd best effort behind Pulp Fiction and From Dusk Till Dawn, and nearly superior over Jackie Brown.A+ |Region 1 | |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-16 Reservoir Dogs |||||@@
Return to Never Land|Robin Budd (II) Donovan Coo|Animation||5.7|USA|2002|72 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Christopher Chase Chris Henderson (I) Michelle Pappalardo-Robinson Dan Rounds Lizbeth Velasco|J.M. Barrie Carter Crocker Temple Mathews (II)|||Buena Vista (Austria) GmbH [at] ||The classic tale of 'Peter Pan' continues in Disney's sequel 'Return to Never Land'. In a world besieged by World War II, Wendy, now grown up, tries to give her own children hope by telling them of her magical experiences with Peter Pan in Never Land. However, Jane, Wendy's 12-year-old daughter, sees it all as make believe and refuses to believe in the tales. That is, until the villainous Captain Hook mistakes her for Wendy and abducts her to Never Land in an attempt to lure and capture Peter Pan. Peter Pan's quest to return Jane safely home is jeopardized until she can begin to believe in the magic of imagination.
|Harriet Owen (Jane & Young Wendy (voice)) @ Blayne Weaver (Peter Pan (voice)) @ Corey Burton (Captain Hook (voice)) @ Jeff Bennett (I) (Smee & Pirates (voice)) @ Kath Soucie (Wendy (voice)) @ Andrew McDonough (Danny (voice)) @ Roger Rees (Edward (voice)) @ Spencer Breslin (Cubby (voice)||Let's put it this way-not as bad as it could have been.
I've seen worse Disney sequels (Lady and the Tramp 2), but that still doesn't give an excuse for RETURN TO NEVERLAND. The voices are not that great-especially considering the little girl Jane- Wendy's daughter- is played by what sounds like a forty year old woman, Peter Pan sounds retarded and the lost boys...don't want to even talk about it. Plus, what's with this new Disney animation-the old animation looked a bit realistic-this new stuff is literally a "cartoon." Walt Disney would not be pleased with what's happened to his company over the years. Only a few good animation films have come out that are worth seeing, and while RETURN TO NEVERLAND is not the worst sequel ever, it is not worthy of the title-because it is not a return to neverland. It's a return to bad sequels for Disney-2/5 stars--
JOHN ULMER ||Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |2-37|||||@@
Riders|Gérard Pirès|Action|Rated R for language, some violence and sexuality. |5.0|UK|2002|83 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Eric Altmeyer Nicolas Altmeyer Michael Cowan (III) Michael Cowan (III) John Fremes Pierre Laberge Claude Léger (I) Alex Marshall (IV) Jason Piette Jason Piette David Rogers (II) Jonathan Vanger|Mark Ezra Gérard Pirès|Tetsuo Nagata ||01 Distribuzione [it] |Extrem hart - Extrem schnell - Extrem gefährlich|Slim, Otis, Frank and Alex (three boys and a girl) form a group of snowboard and skate young bank robbers. They are known as masters of the runaway art. Slim, the thinking head hatched a plan for their final retirement: five consecutive burglars, in five days, involving 20 million dollars. But this time, they're gonna have to face both the police - and the mafia!
An entrepreneurial criminal, Slim (Dorff) is as smart as they come. Cocky and confident, he assembles a team of risk-taking rush-seekers to pull off a series of five bank heists, each time using a different extreme sport to make the getaway. Following an unexpected windfall on only their second job, the gang nets $20 million in untraceable bonds. Having scored enough money to retire on, Slim and his crew decide to call the robbery game quits. But both the mob and the police have other plans in mind for Slim: they want him to keep working, for them.
|Stephen Dorff (Slim) @ Natasha Henstridge (Karen) @ Bruce Payne (I) (Jake Macgruder) @ Steven Berkoff (Surtayne) @ Clé Bennett (Otis) @ Steven McCarthy (I) (Frank) @ Karen Cliche (Alex) @ Andreas Apergis (Nixdorfer||B Movie
This movie has a very dumb plot designed for kids who are still in the "cool thieves who fool the police" thing. The actors are pretty bad andoveract, especially the chief of police. Natasha H. was never a great actress and shows once again that she has no talent. Compared to Milla Jovovich, she is a pale figure. Good luck I could see this movie for free, it was dubbed in French and the dialogues were unreal and stupid, but this is certainly because of the bad dubbing (I had no choice). Dont see this in French !! It is terrible. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |1-15|||||@@
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves|Kevin Reynolds|Action|PG-13 |6.4|USA|1991|144 mins|English||||||||||False||||||||29/11/2003|Stuart Baird Gary Barber Pen Densham Michael J. Kagan Richard Barton Lewis David Nicksay James G. Robinson John Watson Kevin Costner|Pen Densham Pen Densham John Watson|Douglas Milsome ||Argentina Video Home (AVH) [ar] |For the good of all men, and the love of one woman, he fought to uphold justice by breaking the law| For theigood of all men, anditheilove of one women, he foughtito uphold justice byibreaking theilaw. |Kevin Costner (Robin of Locksley) @ Morgan Freeman (Azeem) @ Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Marian Dubois) @ Christian Slater (Will Scarlett) @ Alan Rickman (Sheriff of Nottingham) @ Geraldine McEwan (Mortianna) @ Michael McShane (Friar Tuck) @ Brian Blessed (Lord Locksley) @ Michael Wincott (Guy of Gisborne) @ Nick Brimble (Little John) @ Soo Drouet (Fanny) @ Daniel Newman (Wulf) @ Daniel Peacock (Daniel of Doncaster) @ Walter Sparrow (Duncan) @ Harold Innocent (Bishop of Hereford) @ Jack Wild (Much the Miller's Son) @ Michael Goldie (Kenneth of Cowfall) @ Liam Halligan (Peter Dubois) @ Marc Zuber (Interrogator) @ Merelina Kendall (Old Woman) @ Imogen Bain (Sarah) @ Jimmy Gardner (Farmer) @ Bobby Parr (Villager) @ John Hallam (Red-Headed Baron) @ Douglas Blackwell (Gray-Bearded Baron) @ Pat Roach (Celtic Chieftain) @ Andy Hockley (Ox) @ John Dallimore (Broth) @ Derek Deadman (Kneelock) @ Howard Lew Lewis (Hal) @ John Tordoff (Scribe) @ Andrew Lawden (Sergeant) @ Susannah Corbett (Lady in Coach) @ Sarah Alexandra (Small Girl) @ Christopher Adamson (Soldier) @ Richard Strange (Executioner) @ John Francis (Courier rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ David Bowles (Morgar (uncredited)) @ Sean Connery (King Richard (uncredited)) @ Graham Riddell (Celtic Warrior (uncredited)) @ Mark Thomason (Oarsman (uncredited)Produced by||The more I watch this film the more I hate it!
Why is Morgan freeman in this?Why is Costner in this, he sounds like John Wyane.The romance and the story drags with these2 actors.Christan Slater in this you got to be joking!Worst casting ever.My sister tells me she loves this film, and I bought it for her, and I do not think she ever watched it more than once.Forget this film. 3/10 |Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo|2-22 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Rollerball|John McTiernan|Action|Rated PG-13 for violence, extreme sports action, sensuality, language and some drug references. |2.8|USA|2002|Finland:98 min/ Germany:95 min/ USA:97 min (R-rated version)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Vince McMahon John McTiernan Charles Roven Beau St. Clair Michael Tadross (I)|William Harrison (I) William Harrison (I) Larry Ferguson John Pogue (I)|Steve Mason (II) |||Get In The Game.|Johnathan Cross, a lover of extreme sports, is recruited by Alexi Petrovich to star in his sportive invention, Rollerball. Johnathan accepts and learns the ropes of Rollerball: The players are on Rollerblades, trying to bring a heavy metal ball into a high goal. Also, there are motorcyclists around to bring momentum to the players. Oh yes, and there are no rules in the game. During his skyrocketing career, Johnathan has to experience what Alexi has found out: Blood brings more viewing pleasure to the audience. So, Alexi starts to bribe members of the different teams to cause more trouble than necessary on the field, and the viewers love it. Only a little later, Johnathan's life is already in extreme danger as well as those of his friends and teammates. In a final game, Johnathan and his team have to fight for mere survival against their real opponent - their boss Alexi Petrovich.
|Chris Klein (Jonathan Cross) @ Jean Reno (Alexis Petrovich) @ LL Cool J (Marcus Ridley) @ Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Aurora) @ Naveen Andrews (Sanjay) @ Oleg Taktarov (Denekin) @ David Hemblen (Serokin) @ Janet Wright (Coach Olga||There's fun trash and dull trash...This is DULL TRASH!!!
Now I haven't seen the original "Rollerball," but the old Normal Jewison flick didn't get such glowing reviews either, so it's not like millions of audiences came forward and hollered, "The original was so much better!Why did they have to butcher it???"The previews looked really cool.And the previews...are the movie!Aside from the spectacular opening skateboarding sequence, all the coolness the movie has to offer was given in the previews, and as an added bonus set to the jamming sounds of Limp Bizkit.And for those renting the DVD, it's not a total loss.Hell, I least I got to see some bare boobs.The uncut, R-rated version is available on DVD.So for those thinking of renting this flick--only rent it if you're absolutely desperate to see some bare boobs.I feel even sorrier for those who had to watch this crap in theaters WITHOUT the nudity!
I just found out that the movie was re-edited countless times because of disastrous preview screenings.That alone hints that it's gonna be a crappy movie.I could be wrong, but so far I don't recall seeing a good movie that got its release date pushed and pushed and pushed.The same thing happened with that horrible movie, "Soul Survivors."And I should've gotten a clue when a big, over-hyped action movie like this bombed, even in the first week.Even some of the crappy action movies do wonders at the box office.
John McTiernan, director of "Die Hard" and "Die Hard with a Venegance," does the best he can, and even overdoes it.Some shots seem flashy for the sake of being flashy.A few of the flashy images are fetching, but most of them just look gratuitous.But McTiernan was working with such a shallow, meaningless script that he tried hard to keep this clunker afloat.So I appreciate the effort.But I gotta say, that green-light chase scene--What the hell was that about?
Every square inch of this movie spells "forgettable."Take away big stars like Chris Klein, LL Cool J and Jean Reno, along with the huge production values, and you got yourself direct-to-video filler.Why did French character actor Jean Reno degrade himself in such a one-note role?How many zeros were in that paycheck?It's tragic to experience such a fine actor like him laugh maniacally and spurt out horrible lines of dialogue.As for Klein and LL--they'd jump off a 100-story building for a film if it promised a huge paycheck.Let them degrade themselves.At least I get to see the beautiful Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.She's no actress, but in such an utterly trash flick like this I wasn't a stickler for acting.Topless Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is pretty much the highlight of "Rollerball."
This is an example of art imitating life.Extreme sports didn't prove successful with the XFL, and people didn't have to pay to see that!That just proves how successful extreme sports will fare in cinema.
My score:3 (out of 10) |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-39|||||@@
Royal Tenenbaums, The|Wes Anderson|Comedy|Rated R for some language, sexuality/nudity and drug content. |7.6|USA|2001|109 min/ Peru:110 min/ Spain:111 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Wes Anderson Barry Mendel Scott Rudin Rudd Simmons Will Sweeney (I) Owen Wilson|Wes Anderson Owen Wilson|Robert D. Yeoman |||Family Isn't A Word... It's A Sentence.|Three grown prodigies, all with a unique genius of some kind, and their mother are staying at the family household. Their father, Royal had left them long ago, and comes back to make things right with his family.
|Gene Hackman (Royal Tenenbaum) @ Anjelica Huston (Etheline Tenenbaum) @ Gwyneth Paltrow (Margot Tenenbaum) @ Ben Stiller (Chas Tenenbaum) @ Luke Wilson (Richie Tenenbaum) @ Owen Wilson (Eli Cash) @ Danny Glover (Henry Sherman) @ Bill Murray (Raleigh St. Clair||Enjoyable enough but ultimately empty.
As a fan of the previous two Anderson/Wilson collaborations 'Bottle Rocket' and 'Rushmore' I eagerly awaited 'The Royal Tenenbaums'. And while I enjoyed it at the time, on reflection it has very little depth or lasting substance. The Tenenbaums are a family of dysfunctional eccentrics straight out of vintage J.D.Salinger or John Irving, but are too cartoon-like to invest any real emotional commitment. The movie is wonderful to look at, their are some genuinely inspired comic moments, the acting is very good for the most part (especially Owen Wilson's typically charismatic turn), and once again it has an interesting and eclectic soundtrack, but unlike 'Rushmore' I didn't believe these characters. That's the bottom line. Worth watching without a doubt, but don't expect too much. A 'Hotel New Hampshire' for the 21st century, but that's about it. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-13|||||@@
Rush Hour|Brett Ratner|Action|Rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence and shootings, and for language. |6.7|USA|1998|97 min|Cantonese||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Roger Birnbaum Leon Dudevoir James M. Freitag Jonathan Glickman Wayne Morris (III) Arthur M. Sarkissian Art Schaeffer Jay Stern|Ross LaManna Jim Kouf Ross LaManna|Adam Greenberg |||The Fastest Hands In The East Meet The Biggest Mouth In The West.|Realizing that the FBI and their by the book tactics may be unsuccessful, the Chinese consul recruits the aid of a loyal Hong Kong inspector to help rescue his kidnapped daughter. Outlawed by the FBI, the inspector must form an unlikely partnership with a cocky, street smart LAPD officer who prefers doing things his own way.
Hongkong, the last night of British rulership. Detective Inspector Lee, close friend to Consul Han Solon, manages to prevent precious pieces of China's history being smuggled out of the country. Two years later - Consul Han is living in Los Angeles with his family - Crime Lord Juntao takes revenge on him by abducting his young daughter Soo Yung. Han does not trust the FBI to do a good job and has Lee flown in from Hongkong to assist them. But the FBI officials do not want any help from outside and officially request help from LAPD, who are glad to get rid of Detective James Carter for a while, a big-mouthed work-alone cop who just can't be cool enough. His assignment is to keep Lee as far away from trouble as possible. But Carter and Lee don't like being put aside in that way and start working the case on their own.
Jackie Chan is Inspector Lee, a Hong Kong Detective who helps confiscate millions of dollars worth of stolen Chinese artifacts from Crime Lord Juntao. Seeking revenge, Juntao kidnaps the eleven year old daughter of the Chinese consul when he moves to America. Chan is sent as a diplomatic advisor and finds himself paired up with a Los Angeles cop (Chris Tucker) - a man who works alone, and wants to stay that way.
|Ken Leung (I) (Sang) @ Jackie Chan (Chief Inspector Lee) @ Tom Wilkinson (I) (Thomas Griffin/Juntao) @ Tzi Ma (Consul Han) @ Robert Littman (First Caucasian) @ Michael Chow (I) (Diner Guest) @ Julia Hsu (Soo Yung) @ Chris Tucker (I) (Detective James Carter||Prettydire.
This was pretty disappointing stuff .I was expecting a more hollywoodised affair than this,but this is just shot in typical Chan style. In preference between this and his previous film Mr.Nice Guy,the only thing I preferred about this was that Chan's voice was'nt horribly dubbed.The central story was pathetic. Everyone had a jokey,unbelievable and implausible attitude towards a young girl's life being held at stake.The moral banter was also crap,we even have to listen to Chan sing. In fact,about the only thing in this pitiful tripe that really clicks on is the end outtakes,hilarious as ever. I wonder what the name of the respected British actor who played the lead villain was.I've seen him before , featuring in movies playing charecters with more depth and insight than this. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-3|||||@@
Rush Hour 2|Brett Ratner|Action|Rated PG-13 for action violence, language and some sexual material. |6.6|USA|2001|90 min/ Sweden:94 min|Cantonese||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Roger Birnbaum Andrew Z. Davis Michael De Luca Leon Dudevoir Toby Emmerich James M. Freitag Jonathan Glickman Sharre Jacoby Darryl Jones (II) Arthur M. Sarkissian Jay Stern Charles Wang (I)|Ross LaManna Jeff Nathanson|Matthew F. Leonetti |||Get Ready For A Second Rush!|It's vacation time for Det. James Carter and he finds himself alongside Det. Lee in Hong Kong wishing for more excitement. While Carter wants to party and meet the ladies, Lee is out to track down a Triad gang lord who may be responsible for killing two men at the American Embassy. Things get complicated as the pair stumble onto a counterfeiting plot by L.A. crime boss Steven Reign and Triad Ricky Tan, an ex-cop who played a mysterious part in the death of Det. Lee's father. Throw in a power struggle between Tan and the gorgeous but dangerous Hu Li and the boys are soon up to their necks in fist fights and life-threatening situations. A trip back to the U.S. may provide the answers about the bombing, the counterfeiting, and the true allegiance of sexy customs agent Isabella. Then again, it may turn up more excitement than Carter was looking for during his vacation.
Lee and Carter are back! This time they're in Hong Kong. Carter wants a relaxing vacation but Lee just wants to do police work. At a night club, Lee spots an evil agent named Ricky Tan, who runs an evil gang of counterfeiters, and his partner is a woman who delivers packages containing bombs. Lee and Carter follow these two aboard a boat where their attempted bust really busts, so Lee and Carter fly back to Los Angeles where they meet a woman in the Secret Service who helps them on their mission to find the counterfeiters. Lee and Carter are captured by the bad guys but soon escape into a sewer come emerge in downtown Las Vegas.
|Jackie Chan (Chief Inspector Lee) @ Chris Tucker (I) (Detective James Carter) @ John Lone (Ricky Tan) @ Ziyi Zhang (Hu Li) @ Roselyn Sanchez (Isabella Molina) @ Harris Yulin (Agent Sterling) @ Alan King (I) (Steven Reign) @ Kenneth Tsang (Captain Chin||More of the same
Rush Hour 2 is pretty much a continuation of the first Rush Hour, which is not entirely a bad thing. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan are back in Chan's latest east meets west action comedy, which is another goofball comedy interspersed with what is meant to be a relatively serious crime story. Structurally, Rush Hour 2 is almost identical to the first Rush Hour, which is bad in its redundancy, but good in that it is almost as entertaining and amusing as the first one was.
As is almost always the case with comedy sequels like this (take the Austin Powers films as another perfect example), there is a lot of comedy from the original that is turned around or repeated in the sequel, either complementing on or feeding on the success of the original. One of Chris Tucker's lines from Part 1 (`Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?!'), for example, is now spoken by Jackie Chan, in an amusing scene that clearly makes good fun of Chan's English speaking skills.
The astonishingly beautiful Zhang Ziyi, of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame, plays the role of one of the villains in the Chinese gang, and although she is a welcome addition to the film, Rush Hour 2 is clearly below her level of acting skill and presence. There are some excellent fighting scenes with her, which is good because even Jackie Chan's fast paced and often hilarious fight scenes seem to have met their match with the usually faster and often better moves seen in Jet Li's films. One can only wonder how long it will be before the two are in a film together. Now THAT I'd like to see.
With action comedies like this, there is an almost universal lack of anything new. They are almost always formulaic, and it was a relief to see that there was some innovation here. I've seen a lot of movies like this, but I have to admit that I've never seen one that involves a Ying Tao grenade taped inside someone's mouth. That was a pretty good scene. There are some more smart-ass lines from Tucker about black people and Chinese people (`Don't ever get in front of a black man while he's standing at a buffet line!') that could have and probably should have been left out, but as a whole, it's a fun movie. And as s the case with most slapstick comedies and Jackie Chan films, the outtakes at the end were some of the funniest parts of the movie. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-3|||||@@
S.W.A.T.|Clark Johnson|Action|Rated PG-13 for violence, language and sexual references. |6.2|USA|2003|117 min|English||||||||||False||||||||29/11/2003|Amanda Cohen Louis D'Esposito Dan Halsted George Huang Chris Lee Neal H. Moritz|Robert Hamner Ron Mita Jim McClain David Ayer David McKenna|Gabriel Beristain ||Columbia Pictures [us] |Even cops dial 911|An arrested drug kingpin is transported by a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team led by Jackson's character out of the city and into federal custody. Plans go awry when the kingpin offers $100 million to anyone who can free him.
|Samuel L. Jackson (Sgt. Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson) @ Colin Farrell (Jim Street) @ Michelle Rodriguez (Chris Sanchez) @ LL Cool J (David 'Deke' Kay (as James Todd Smith aka LL Cool J)) @ Josh Charles (T.J. McCabe) @ Jeremy Renner (Brian Gamble) @ Brian Van Holt (Michael Boxer) @ Olivier Martinez (Alex Montel) @ Reg E. Cathey (Lt. Greg Velasquez (as Reginald E. Cathey)) @ Larry Poindexter (Capt. Thomas Fuller) @ Page Kennedy (Travis) @ Domenick Lombardozzi (GQ) @ James DuMont (Gus) @ Denis Arndt (Sgt. Howard) @ Lindsey Ginter (Agent Hauser) @ Lucinda Jenney (Kathy) @ E. Roger Mitchell (Agent Kirkland) @ Jay Acovone (Lear Jet Pilot) @ Mario Aguilar Jr. (Beat-up Latino Thug) @ Peter Allas (Bistro Gangster #1) @ Frankie J. Allison (Robber #2 (as Frankie Jay Allison)) @ Michael Baker (Range Official) @ Dianne Barone (Newscaster #1) @ Bridget Powers (Herself (as Bridget the Midget)) @ Joe Bucaro III (Robber #3 (as Joey Bucaro)) @ Brad Crosby (Lee) @ Kevin Davitan (Uncle Martin Gascoigne) @ Reed Diamond (Officer David Burress) @ Martin Dorsla (Hip Cop) @ Steve Forrest (SWAT Truck Driver) @ Maria Galvez (Latino Woman) @ María Gálvez (Latino Woman) @ Willie Gault (Newscaster #2) @ Sheri Goldner (Dispatcher #1) @ Bruce Gray (Mr. Richard Segerstrom) @ Michael Guarnera (Paramedic) @ Noel Gugliemi (Latino Thug) @ Steven Hack (Injured Bank Manager) @ Krista Hartling (Motorcycle Cop) @ Daniel Ichikawa (Sgt. Yamoto) @ Clark Johnson (Deke's Handsome Partner) @ Tricia Kelly (Waitress at Pub) @ Jenya Lano (Monique) @ Brian Leckner (Cashier) @ Iris Little Thomas (Bank Supervisor (as Iris Little-Thomas)) @ Ricki Lopez (Agusta Pilot #2) @ Elio Lupi (Hot Dog Vendor) @ Alexander Lyras (Bistro Gangster #2) @ Larry McCormick (Himself) @ Jay Montalvo (Spanish Newscaster) @ Neal H. Moritz (Luxury Car Driver) @ Devika Parikh (Jail Intake Reporter) @ Rod Perry (Deke's Dad) @ Audra Platz (Dispatcher #2) @ Stephen Ramsey (Lear Jet Co-Pilot) @ Ken Rudulph (Reporter) @ Heather Salmon (Wounded Bank Teller) @ Ashley Scott (Lara) @ Gregory Sporleder (Robber #1) @ Richard Steinmetz (SWAT Negotiator) @ David St. James (Polish Hostage) @ Arlow Stewart (Homeboy) @ Shannon Sturges (Mrs. Segerstrom) @ Andy Umberger (Deputy Chief) @ Nick Vachon (Agusta Pilot #1 (as Nicholas Vachon)) @ Jeff Wincott (Ed Taylor (as Jeffrey Wincott) rest of cast listed alphabetically Bruce Dent .... Waiter) @ Matt Gerald (Nick) @ Benjamin King (Immigration Officer) @ Michael Eric Strickland (LawyerProduced by||Average action movie - nothing more nothing less
Thrown into a desk job when his partner Gamble disobeys orders and shoots a hostage, Jim Street bides his time waited beside being demeaned on a daily basis.When the commissioner brings in old school SWAT leader hondo to put together a young outfit, Street is offered to chance to retrain with the select team and is soon back on duty.Meanwhile a man is pulled over by a black and white for a broken rear light, but is found to be a drug baron. SWAT are sent to escort the man to a secure prison but, as they take him into a holding centre he announces that whoever breaks him out of jail will get $100 million dollars.SWAT soon have much to content with and must ensure that Montel does not escape.
In a summer crammed with more sequels than ever, I was drawn to go and see SWAT simply because it offered some hope by not being a sequel to a past film (I didn't know at the time it was a TV conversion).Unfortunately, while not lifting it's formula from a predecessor, it essentially lifts itself from many other films and lacks anything that really makes it stand out.The central premise (the `$100 meellion dollar' bit) is interesting but only leads to a big long action scene that acts as the film's second act.Prior to this we are given the usual training stuff which, while not new, is still enjoyable.
It's weakness is that it is suffering from too much testosterone and therefore has to much of the men banging heads with each other and comparing size!The second half is enjoyable as it is just noisy action all the way, but it suffers from being too overblown.A scene where several different street gangs attack a police convoy is an example of this but happily the rest is not as bad as this and is actually quite good.My main complaint was that this second act felt like it should have been the main body of the film and that the training etc was just the introduction.However the second act seemed very short and I came away with the feeling that this was made with a sequel in mind from day one - just like MIB felt like it was made to get to MIIB!
That said it is still fun to watch, albeit unoriginal and clichéd fun. The overblown, all-destroying action probably doesn't do justice to the actual precise and tactical work that SWAT units do and it did make me wonder why someone didn't just take the `$100 meellion dollar' idea and put it in a normal cop film setting but hey-ho.
The cast is really good on paper but hardly make much of a splash in reality.Farrell continues to land on his feet with yet another starring role.His American accent hasn't gotten any better but he is still watchable with his tough guy charisma (would be nice to see him build on this rather than relying on it though).Jackson is slumming it a bit and doesn't really lift the film by his presence.He is no stranger to action movies but he doesn't manage to do much here other than add a face to the mix.Smith (LL Cool J, now starting to use his real name in credits) is OK but again doesn't do much special; I found it amusing that both Jackson and LL had actually made Deep Blue Sea more enjoyable by their performances but neither did it here.Rodriguez is not allowed to show she can act at any point, but she is easy on the eye and is good enough.Martinez's villain is OK but it was never clear where he was from despite the fact he had a French accent - have I missed something, was he a French drug lord?If anything his role marks a sad day for English actors everywhere, from now on it seems that, due to their actions over Iraq, the French will be providing the baddies in American action movies from now on!
Overall this is a reasonably enjoyable piece of noisy entertainment.If you expect anything unique or clever then you will be really disappointed. However if you are prepared for lots of running with guns, noise and macho posturing then this should be enough to satisfy you.For me it didn't stand out from the pack but it was still an OK way to spend a few hours. |Region 1 |Movies |[None] |Movies |1-35 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Savage, The|Ringo Lam|Action||5.3|USA|2003|USA:96 min|English||||||||||False||||||||30/10/2003|Boaz Davidson Lati Grobman Avi Lerner Danny Lerner John Thompson|Steve Latshaw Eric James Virgets Les Weldon|||DEJ Productions [us] |Rage unleashed.|The Security Housing Unit houses the hardest criminals inside MARQUEZAS PRISON, located in the swamps of Mexico's State of Cormelos. It is one of the last true medieval maximum-security penal farms in the country. Everyday prisoners are led out in chain gangs to work the swamps and untamed bayous, festered with poisonous snakes and alligators. Kyle Lord is a petroleum engineer, arrested in Mexico City and sentenced to MARQUEZAS for the vigilante killing of his wife's rapist/murderer. Given the circumstances, Kyle might have been acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity or perhaps even convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter, but the fact that a Federal Policeman was also killed in the shooting, albeit accidentally, sent Kyle to MARQUEZAS. General Battista is the warden of MARQUEZAS. He has orchestrated a perverse sport where prisoners fight, sometime to the death for the entertainment and profit of he and his cronies. The inmates call it "The Shu". Racial bigotry, violence and corruption thrive in places like MARQUEZAS. It is where common criminals become hardened. They become the most dreaded monsters of our imagination. It is only natural for "The Shu" to flourish under the care of corrupt and powerful men like Battista. It is only natural that only the most violent and powerful survive "The Shu". Some, like the inmate philosopher, 451, see the evil of their ways and repent, doing the best to keep their humanity. 451 tries to help Kyle adjust to this unfamiliar and violent world but Kyle is a man destined to fight his own battles. Thus, it is only natural that Kyle begins a steady decline towards becoming one of the monsters he despises. As he struggles for his humanity, he fights his oppressors and is quickly sent to "The Shu" where his unbridled rage catapults him to the victor's circle. Kyle's decline into a "living hell" is part of a journey to that thing we all battle within our selves.
|Michael Bailey Smith (Valia) @ Jean-Claude Van Damme (Kyle Lord) @ Marnie Alton (Grey Lord rest of cast listed alphabetically Velizer Binev .... Guest) @ Assen Blatechki (Zarik) @ Milos Milicevic (Boo) @ Boy Prevos (Guy in prison #2 (uncredited)Produced by||The Shu?I have shus in my cupboard
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
It's Death Warrant re-visited for Van Damme in his latest action thriller,in which he plays Kyle Lord,the boss at a petroleum engineering plant who is returning home from work one day,only to discover his wife being raped and murdered by an evil stranger.When the man is aquitted by some friends in high places,Kyle decides he will have to take the law in to his own hands and kills the man in front of a packed court house.He finds himself sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in a maximum security prison,surrounded by croc infested waters where the guards organize fights between the convicts.With his physical and mental health repeatedly crushed by the system,Kyle strives to find a way out before he can take no more.
A vaguely interesting set up ultimately serves to masquerade some stereotypical,cliched characters (everything from the scared,vulnerable young,21 year old inmate,the surly,bold headed bully and the quiet,reclusive psychopath who ultimately emerges as more clever and enlightened than anyone would have thought),a wavey,cohisionless story and a disappointing shortcoming of any actual exciting action,extremely odd for another JC collaboration with director Ringo Lam.
There are a few arousing inventive touches here and there,as well as an engaging lead performance from Van Damme,who,were he trying to make amends for the beyond appalling Derailed,certainly succeeds.Then again,anything would.**
||Movies ||
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Saving Grace|Nigel Cole|Comedy|Rated R for drug content and language. |7.0|UK|2000|94 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Steve Clark-Hall Mark Crowdy Craig Ferguson Torsten Leschly Xavier Marchand (II) Cat Villiers|Mark Crowdy Craig Ferguson Mark Crowdy|John de Borman |||Grace's doctor is worried about the state of her joints...|l marito di Grace non era proprio uno stinco di santo ed anche per gli affari non aveva un gran fiuto. Per cui, quando muore (cadendo da un aereo in volo!) lascia la povera donna in un mare di debiti e con la villa ipotecata. Come riuscire a non perdere tutto, per lei che ha sempre vissuto nell'illusione dell'agiatezza? Si potrebbe sfruttare il suo famoso 'pollice verde'. Così, il suo giardiniere Matthew la convince a coltivare una 'strana' piantina, per poi poterla rivendere in città a qualche onesto spacciatore. Tutto sembra filare, mentre le piante attecchiscono con soddisfazione. Ma la donna non è portata per affari illeciti troppo più grandi di lei. Alla fine troverà l'amore e salverà casa e futuro con l'aiuto...di un facoltoso 'cliente' che s'innamora di lei e la sposa.
A widow (Brenda Blethyn) discovers after her husband's suicide that he has mortgaged everything they own and the banks are ready to foreclose. Faced with impending doom and little working knowledge except her ability to grow plants, she struggles to save her home. Enter her gardener (Craig Ferguson), who is struggling to make a few marijuana plants grow in a hidden location and suggests that she use her green house to help grow the plants and sell them to make the money both need. He is wanting to get married, but needs capital. What he doesn't know is that his girl friend (Valerie Edmond) is pregnant and thus fears that they will be busted for growing marijuana. While supposedly working, the whole village including the local constable is well aware of the endeavor and is hoping for their success. When the plants come in, Grace takes the crop to London and tries to sell it to a ruthless, but charming drug dealer (Thcheky Karyo). Everything busts loose from there.
Grace has just lost her husband, which is sad enough, but she's also discovered that he's left her in debt to the tune of thousands of pounds. Faced with losing all of her belonging and her home, Grace turns to the only thing she's got left: her skill as a greenhouse gardener. She and her handyman Matthew hatch a brilliant marijuana-growing scheme. But are they doing the right thing? Can Matthew's girlfriend put up with these kind of illegal antics? And finally, once they grow it, can they even manage to sell the stuff?
A wealthy widow discovers that she is not wealthy at all: in fact she is 300,000 British pounds in debt, thanks to her late husband's failed business ventures. To get her out of debt, her handyman comes up with a plan to grow a certain cash crop in her greenhouse.
|Brenda Blethyn (Grace Trevethyn) @ Craig Ferguson (Matthew Stewart, Grace's Gardener) @ Martin Clunes (Dr. Martin Bamford) @ Tchéky Karyo (Jacques Chevalier, French Businessman/Drug Dealer) @ Jamie Foreman (China MacFarlane, Chevalier's henchman) @ Bill Bailey (IV) (Vince) @ Valerie Edmond (Nicky, Matthew's Girlfriend) @ Tristan Sturrock (Harvey||What British film making is all about . . .
Great actors, an oscar nominee actress, stunning scenery, good strong story line and more laughs than you can fit into my new handbag (and thats quite big). This film was brilliant. It was beautifully acted in the more serious scenes and the funny moments were . .well, side splitting. I have never heard a cinema audience laugh so much, and tears were streaming down my cheeks during the 'stoned ladies in the tea shop' scene. Well done to the British film industry and to Craig Ferguson whose magic ingredients have made sure this is one of my favourite films of the year, if not of all time.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-30|||||@@
Saving Private Ryan|Steven Spielberg|Action|R |8.3|USA|1998|170 min|Czech||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ian Bryce Bonnie Curtis Kevin De La Noy Mark Gordon (II) Mark Huffam Gary Levinsohn Allison Lyon Segan Steven Spielberg|Robert Rodat |Janusz Kaminski |||The mission is a man.|In World War II, it is found that 3 soldiers who have been killed are brothers. The mother will be receiving three death notices on the same day. The army discovers that there were actually four brothers. A mission is deployed to find Private James Ryan and send him home.
After learning that Private Ryans three brothers have all died in the war, the government attempts to locate him to send him home. The problem is they don't know if he is dead or alive behind enemy lines.
During WWII, Chief of Staff, General Marshall is informed that three of a woman's sons have been killed and that she's going to receive the notifications of their demise at the same time. And when he learns that a fourth son is still unaccounted for, the General decides to send a unit to find him and bring him back, despite being told that it's highly unlikely that he is still alive and the area that he was known to be at is very dangerous. So the unit consisting of 8 men are sent to find him but as stated it's very dangerous and one by one, each of them are being picked off. Will they find him and how many of them will still be alive.
Following the Allied invasion of Normandy, two brothers lay dead in the wake of the onslaught. Meanwhile, in New Guinea, a third brother has been killed fighting the Japanese. After the Army General Staff learns that a fourth brother is missing in the French countryside, a rescue mission is ordered to find the young soldier and return him safely home. The mission is mounted by a veteran Ranger Captain commanding a platoon of men who have mixed feelings about risking their lives to "Save Private Ryan".
|Tom Hanks (Capt. John Miller) @ Edward Burns (I) (Pvt. Richard Reiben) @ Tom Sizemore (Sgt. Michael Horvath) @ Matt Damon (Pvt. James Ryan) @ Jeremy Davies (Cpl. Timothy E. Upham, Interpreter) @ Adam Goldberg (Pvt. Stanley Mellish) @ Barry Pepper (Pvt. Daniel Jackson (sniper)) @ Giovanni Ribisi (Pvt. Irwin Wade, Medic||Breathtaking
I have never been affected by a movie the way Saving Private Ryan affected me.That movie really took me out of my seat in the movie theater and practically had me believing I was really in the battle with John Miller. When somebody was dying in that movie, it felt as if you could almost feel their pain.Speilberg did an unbelievable job of putting realism into this movie with the camera-work and everything else.Simply amazing.An all time great. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-5|||||@@
Scary Movie 2|Keenen Ivory Wayans|Comedy|Rated R for strong sexual and gross humor, graphic language and some drug content. |4.3|USA|2001|83 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Rick Alvarez Lisa Blum Eric L. Gold Sue Jett Tony Mark (III) Lee R. Mayes Barry Rosenbush Peter Schwerin Marlon Wayans Shawn Wayans Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein Brad Weston (II)|Shawn Wayans Marlon Wayans Buddy Johnson Phil Beauman Jason Friedberg Aaron Seltzer Shawn Wayans Marlon Wayans Alyson Fouse Greg Grabianski Dave Polsky Michael Anthony Snowden Craig Wayans|Steven Bernstein (I) |||More Merciless. More Shameless.|As Scary Movie 2 begins, a young girl, Megan Voorhees (Natasha Lyonne), is possessed by a demon and two priests, Father McFeely (James Woods) and Father Harris (Andy Richter), must drive it out, but they fail miserably after bad things happen, including tongues being stuck out by Megan and Father McFeely, and all three people vomiting green pea soup on each other. A year later, the survivors from the first Scary Movie, heroine Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris), gay jock Ray Maker (Shawn Wayans), drug dealer Shorty Meeks (Marlon Wayans), and Shorty's still chatty sister, Brenda (Regina Hall), are at college, trying to forget the incidents that occurred last Halloween. Cindy is falling in love with Buddy (Christopher Kennedy Masterson), a guy who likes to give people wedgies and Ray is still confused about his sexuality. As a school project, their professor, Professor Oldman (Tim Curry), and his paralyzed assistant, Dwight (David Cross), have decided to do a research study at Hell House, the house where the bad exorcism took place, and disguise it as a sleep disorder study. But chaos starts when Cindy arrives and meets Hanson (Chris Elliot), the house's crazy caretaker who has a deformed hand that grosses people out when they see it. But the house has its hidden secrets and Cindy, Buddy, Ray, Shorty, Brenda, the Professor, Dwight, Theo (Tori Spelling), and Jamie Lee Curtisto (Kathleen Robertson) must find those secrets out, even if they are disgusting.
|Anna Faris (Cindy Campbell) @ Marlon Wayans (Shorty Meeks) @ James DeBello (Tommy) @ Shawn Wayans (Ray Wilkins) @ David Cross (II) (Dwight Hartman) @ Regina Hall (I) (Brenda Meeks) @ Christopher Masterson (Buddy (as Chris Masterson)) @ Tim Curry (Professor Oldman||Good,but inevitably not as much so as the original
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
Part of the tagline to the original Scary Movie said 'no sequel.'However,seeing how successful (and rightfully so) the original was and seeing how this type of movie usually gets some kind of follow up anyway,this has not been adhered.And,despite many bad reviews,the sequel performed just as well at the box office as the original did.This could well have been because it was released around the time of September 11,when the movie-going public needed something light hearted and funny to keep them going.But the film can actually in this reviewer's opinion succeed on its own levels.It's almost as funny as the first film,just not quite.It begins,however,with a rather unfunny and pointless Exorcist parody (what's the point,Leslie Nielsen's Repossessed had already done that.)But from here on in,the laughs,aided by the wisely short running time and Anna Faris's attractive appearance,flow thick and fast.*** ||Movies |1.85 : 1 |DTS 5.1 |1-5|||||@@
Schindler's List|Steven Spielberg|Drama||8.8|USA|1993|197 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Irving Glovin Kathleen Kennedy Branko Lustig Gerald R. Molen Robert Raymond (I) Lew Rywin Steven Spielberg|Thomas Keneally Steven Zaillian|Janusz Kaminski |||Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.|Oskar Schindler is a vain, glorious and greedy German businessman who becomes unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who managed to save about 1100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. A testament for the good in all of us.
The true story of Czech born Oskar Schindler, a businessman who tried to make his fortune during the Second World War by exploiting cheap Jewish labour, but ended up penniless having saved over 1000 Polish Jews from almost certain death during the holocaust.
The true story of Oscar Schindler, a German businessman who owns a factory. He witnesses the horrifying visions of the Holocaust and the toll it takes on the Jewish people. Eventually, he creates a list of over 1100 Jews whom he saves from death.
"Schindler's List" is the based-on-truth story of Nazi Czech business man Oskar Schindler, who uses Jewish labor to start a factory in occupied Poland. As World War II progresses, and the fate of the Jews becomes more and more clear, Schindler's motivations switch from profit to human sympathy and he is able to save over 1100 Jews from death in the gas chambers.
|Liam Neeson (Oskar Schindler) @ Ben Kingsley (Itzhak Stern) @ Ralph Fiennes (Amon Goeth) @ Caroline Goodall (Emilie Schindler) @ Jonathan Sagall (Poldek Pfefferberg (as Jonathan Sagalle)) @ Embeth Davidtz (Helen Hirsch) @ Malgoscha Gebel (Victoria Klonowska) @ Shmulik Levy (I) (Wilek Chilowicz||Unforgettable
In a sentence, this film was excellence. Spielberg depicts the plight of the Jews in the WWII Holocaust era with a frightening amount of detail, and thus ensures that we don't easily forget what they were put through. I liked the way it was shot in B&W, as Spielberg knows that most people have only seen the war in B&W (on TV and the like), which a lot of people seem to fail to realise. Also, when he does add colour, it gives the audience a lasting impression.
The cast was wonderful, the three main leads being excellent in their performances (Neeson, Kingsley and Fiennes) and the supporting cast were just as good. Janusz Kaminski's camerawork was brilliant. John Williams score was incredibly moving, and deserved the Oscar. The music is easily related to Jewish styles of the period. On the whole, a brilliant film, unforgettable, and a lesson to all. It shows that even the most hardened people can change. ||Movies |1.85 : 1 |
Movies |2-28 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Scorched|Gavin Grazer|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for language. |5.3|USA|2002|UK:89 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Al Corley Cindy Cowan Kyle Lundberg Eugene Musso Kim E. Olsen Hadeel Reda Bart Rosenblatt Daniel Sherman (II) Max Wein|Joe Wein Joe Wein Max Wein|Bruce Douglas Johnson |||How many tellers does it take to rob a bank?|Three mischevious employees (Paulo Costanzo, Woody Harrelson, Alicia Silverstone) of a bank in a small deserted town all make plans to rob at the same time, however none of them knows about the others. Meanwhile, a clothing store employee (Rachel Leigh Cook) has plans for revenge against a local millionaire (John Cleese).
|Alicia Silverstone (Sheila Rilo) @ Rachael Leigh Cook (Shmally) @ Woody Harrelson (Jason 'Woods' Valley) @ John Cleese (Charles Merchant) @ Paulo Costanzo (Stuart 'Stu' Stein) @ David Krumholtz (Max) @ Joshua Leonard (Rick Becker) @ Ivan Sergei (Mark||Really Funny Heist Comedy
This film is really funny. The hilarious ice cream scene kept us laughing for at least a couple of minutes. Woody Harrelson, Alicia Silverstone and Paulo Costanzo are 3 Bank Employees who rob the bank where they work. They all have their own reasons and act separately from one another but each pulls off his own heist on the same weekend. John Cleese is laugh out loud funny as the evil Mr. Merchant. (His infomercial is hysterical.) There is some classic Cleese comedy here. Woody Harrelson had the audience rolling as he struggles to get into Merchant's house. Rachael Leigh Cooks' fantasy sequences are pretty wild. There are a lot of great laughs in this film. Definitely worth seeing.
|Region 1 |Movies |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color Standard 1.33:1 Color|
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Score, The|Frank Oz Robert De Nir|Crime|Rated R for language. |6.9|USA|2001|123 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Gary Foster (I) Adam Platnick Lee Rich Bernard Williams (I)|Daniel E. Taylor Kario Salem Kario Salem Lem Dobbs Scott Marshall Smith|Rob Hahn |||There are no partners in crime|Nick Wells, a professional criminal, decides to leave the business for good, since he nearly got caught on his last job. His plan is to live in peace with his girl Diane, running his Montreal jazz club NYC. Soon Max, his good friend and financial partner in the illegal affairs, comes along with an offer Nick can't refuse: A historical and priceless French sceptre has been discovered while being smuggled into the country. It is now under massive surveillance in the Montreal Customs House, and soon to be returned to France. Nick has to team up with Max' man inside, the young, talented and aggressive thief Jackie Teller to get the precious item, and suffer no more financial problems ever. Only one question remains: Who will trick whom out of their share?
|Robert De Niro (Nick Wells) @ Edward Norton (Jack Teller) @ Marlon Brando (Max) @ Angela Bassett (Diane) @ Gary Farmer (Burt) @ Paul Soles (Danny) @ Jamie Harrold (Steven) @ Serge Houde (Laurent||Robert De Niro is awesome!
I loved this movie! I thought that Robert De Niro gave his best performance since THE GODFATHER. Edward Norton and Marlion Brando were okay, but Robert De Niro was fantastic. He should get an oscar for this role. I hope he does. His performance alone makes this movie the best movie I've seen so far this year! |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-12 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Scorpion King, The|Chuck Russell|Action|Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and some sensuality. |5.4|USA|2002|94 min/ Argentina:89 min/ Australia:91 min/ Colombia:92 min/ Finland:92 min/ Spain:95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Sean Daniel James Jacks Josh McLaglen Vince McMahon Kevin Misher Richard Luke Rothschild Stephen Sommers (I) Michael Tronick|Stephen Sommers (I) Jonathan Hales Stephen Sommers (I) William Osborne (I) David Hayter Stephen Sommers (I)|John R. Leonetti |||Warrior. Legend. King.|In an ancient time, predating the pyramids, the evil king Memnon is using the psychic powers of his sorceress Cassandra to fortell his great victories. In a last ditch effort to stop Memnon from taking over the world, the leaders of the remaining free tribes hire the assassin Mathayus to kill the sorceress. But Mathayus ends up getting much more than he bargained for. Now with the help of the trixter Arpid, tribal leader Balthazar and an unexpected ally, it's up to Mathayus to fufill his destiny and become the great Scorpion King.
|Dwayne Johnson (I) (Mathayus the Scorpion King (as The Rock)) @ Steven Brand (Memnon) @ Michael Clarke Duncan (Balthazar) @ Kelly Hu (Cassandra) @ Bernard Hill (Philos) @ Grant Heslov (Arpid) @ Peter Facinelli (Takmet) @ Ralf Moeller (I) (Thorak||NOT TOO BAD...COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
Firstly, there were many great things about The Scorpion King. The Rock played a real good part and he certainly has a bright future in the acting industry. The beautiful Kelly Hu showed that she can be good on the big screen and the ever reliable Michael Clarke Duncan played a great part as well. The action scenes were hard hitting and brutal and the scenery was fantastic as well.
The only thing that spoiled the film for me was the fact that it was not an original idea. The plot has been done in so many movies before. Sometimes in the movie world, certain plots are churned out time and time again and you just get that feeling of deja vu. The plot for this film has been done in dozens of movies and countless TV shows.
I saw this film with a friend of mine and he really really enjoyed it. However, he usually likes cop movies and hasn't seen many fantasy adventure movies so watching this was a first for him. I have seen dozens of movies like this and whilst it was very good, I did get that feeling of familiarity.
But anyway, I still recommend it. The fight scenes are awesome and there are some funny scenes in it. And again, the Rock does have a future as an actor. I just hope that his next project is a fresh idea.
I'm going to really be awkward here but there's three other things that bothered me about this movie. There was a short scene with an Indian elephant in. Did ancient Egypt have elephants? I'm no wildlife expert but I didn't think they did. Secondly, wasn't it amazing that there was such a variety of accents in the film. Lastly, gunpowder in ancient Egypt? No way!
I'm just getting old though-watch and enjoy! |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-29|||||@@
Seabiscuit|Gary Ross|Drama|Rated PG-13 for some sexual situations and violent sports-related images. |7.7|USA|2003|141 min|English||||||||||False||||||||07/12/2003|Gary Barber Roger Birnbaum Robin Bissell Patricia Churchill Patricia Churchill Kathleen Kennedy Tobey Maguire Frank Marshall Gary Ross Jane Sindell Allison Thomas|Laura Hillenbrand Gary Ross|John Schwartzman ||Universal Pictures [us] |A long shot becomes a legend.|A half-blind ex-prizefighter (Maguire) and mustang breaker (Cooper) team up with a millionaire (Bridges) and his rough-hewn, undersized horse, Seabiscuit. The men bring Seabiscuit incredible heights, helping him earn Horse of the Year honors in 1938. Based on a true story.
|David McCullough (Narrator) @ Jeff Bridges (Charles Howard) @ Paul Vincent O'Connor (Bicycle Supervisor) @ Chris Cooper (Tom Smith) @ Michael Ensign (Steamer Owner) @ James Keane (Car Customer) @ Valerie Mahaffey (Annie Howard) @ David Doty (Land Broker) @ Carl M. Craig (Sam (as Kingston DuCoeur)) @ Michael O'Neill (Mr. Pollard) @ Annie Corley (Mrs. Pollard) @ Michael Angarano (Young Red Pollard) @ Cameron Bowen (Pollard Child) @ Noah Luke (Pollard Child) @ Mariah Bess (Pollard Child) @ Jamie Lee Redmon (Pollard Child) @ Ed Lauter (Charles Strub) @ Gianni Russo (Alberto Gianini) @ Sam Bottoms (Mr. Blodget) @ Tobey Maguire (Red Pollard) @ Royce D. Applegate (Dutch Doogan) @ William Hollick (Bug Boy Jockey) @ Joe Rocco Jr. (Bug Boy Jockey) @ Dyllan Christopher (Frankie Howard) @ Anthony Klingman (Boxing Match Referee) @ Elizabeth Banks (Marcela Howard) @ Michelle Arthur (Marcela's Friend) @ Gary Stevens (George Woolf) @ Danny Strong (Young Jockey) @ Hans Howes (White Horse Trainer) @ Camillia Sanes (Molina Rojo Woman) @ Clif Alvey (Angry Trainer) @ Dan Daily (Saratoga Trainer) @ Borden Flanagan (Farm Manager) @ Shay Duffin (Sunny Fitzsimmons) @ Kevin Mangold (Saratoga Jockey) @ William H. Macy (Tick Tock McGlaughlin) @ Jay Cohen (Bugle Player) @ Frank Mirahmadi (Santa Anita Track Announcer) @ Michael Hunter (Speed Dual Jockey) @ Peter Jason (Reporter Max) @ John Walcutt (Reporter Roy) @ Tony Volu (Racing Tout) @ James DuMont (Reporter Lewis) @ Robin Bissell (Horace Halsteder) @ Eddie Jones (Samuel Riddle) @ Paige King (Tick-Tock's Squeeze) @ Andrew Schatzberg (Newsboy) @ Chris McCarron (Charley Kurtsinger) @ Roger E. Fanter (Pimlico Night Watchman) @ Gary McGurk (Tractor Worker) @ Michael B. Silver (Baltimore Doctor) @ Richard Reeves (Radio Reporter Joe) @ Matt Miller (Pimlico Starter) @ Gary Ross (Pimlico Track Announcer) @ Pat Skipper (Seabiscuit's Vet) @ Ben Campisi (Clocker Man) @ Ken Magee (California Doctor) @ Gary Hacker (Horse Vocals) @ Jose Hernandez (Male Mariachi Band Leader) @ Jesse Hernandez (Male Mariachi Band) @ Julio Hernandez (Male Mariachi Band) @ José Ramírez (Male Mariachi Band) @ Fernando C. Moreno (Male Mariachi Band (as Fernando Moreno)) @ Tony Rhune (Male Mariachi Band (as Pedro Hernandez)) @ Dennis Meade (Male Mariachi Band) @ Javier Juarequi (Male Mariachi Band) @ Aerial Delarosa (Male Mariachi Band) @ Eric Hernandez (Male Mariachi Band) @ Raul Cuellar (Male Mariachi Band) @ Catherine M. Baseza (Female Mariachi Band) @ Gina A. Duran (Female Mariachi Band) @ Cynthia Reifler Flores (Female Mariachi Band) @ Monica Fogelquist (Female Mariachi Band) @ Maria Luisa Fregosa (Female Mariachi Band) @ Ruby Guiterrez (Female Mariachi Band) @ Sylvia N. Hinojosa (Female Mariachi Band) @ Mariana Nanez (Female Mariachi Band) @ Leticia Olmos (Female Mariachi Band) @ Laura Pena (Female Mariachi Band) @ Karla Tovar (Female Mariachi Band) @ George Baker (Salvation Army Band) @ Matthew Gillies (Salvation Army Band) @ Jacqui Larsson (Salvation Army Band) @ Daniel Martinez (Salvation Army Band) @ Joshua Stanley (Salvation Army Band) @ Michael White (Salvation Army Band) @ Ivan Wild (Salvation Army Band rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Loyd Catlett (Blacksmith (uncredited)Produced by||A big, audience-pleasing horse movie, but a terribly good one...
Seabiscuit
In the 1930s, America was falling apart. With the stock market crash sending millions to the poorhouses, and the rise of industry effectively killing imagination, citizens were lost in a sea of depression and yearning. Out of this fog came a horse named Seabiscuit. Initially a feeble steed without much hope for survival, it took a wealthy owner, Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), methodical trainer Tom Smith (Chris Cooper, `Adaptation'), and an equally broken-down jockey, Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire), to shape Seabiscuit into a world-class racing horse. Giving hope and entertainment to a nation uncertain about its future, Seabiscuit also attempted to change the fortunes of the men who provided him a second chance at life.
Stories do not get more patriotic and inspirational than the tale of Seabiscuit. Based on the best-seller by Laura Hillenbrand, writer/director Gary Ross has brought this tale of overcoming odds and defying expectations to the big screen. While the story is chock full of factual eye-openers and sublime performances, the main point of assertion to `Seabiscuit' is that Ross has managed to make spellbinding cinema out of something as monotonous as horse racing.
In dropping the more mechanical approach Hillenbrand took to this story, Ross has inflated the sentimental aspects. `Seabiscuit' is an emotional race around the track, stopping here and there to pull some heartstrings and throw a lump down your throat. This is an odd change of pace for Ross, coming after his pretentious, cynical 1950s satire, `Pleasantville.' I was concerned that Ross wouldn't exploit the magic fringes of this story enough, leaving a cold film that ends up pleasing no one. My fears were dashed soon enough, as within the first reel one can easily see that Ross has a huge affinity for the characters, era, and the eventual outcome of this tale. Working with a killer production design by Jeannine Claudia Oppewall, Ross imbibes large amounts of 30s nostalgia, throwing in fast-talking radio hosts (a charming William Macy), American dreams of prosperity, and loving costume design (by Judianna Makovsky) to recreate a world that, well, might have not existed so perfectly in historical terms, but it should have. Ross also uses period photographs to act as interstitials to the Seabiscuit story, keeping alive the biggest running metaphor of the film: Seabiscuit as the American dream. The photos work wonderfully, rooting the tale is historical perspective while keeping their nose out of the main dramatics between the characters.
In wandering to all the corners of this tale, Ross experiences a little more difficulty. Even with 140 minutes, Ross skips a few chapters to keep this train on course, most notably Red's desire to find the family that left him behind as an early teen. There is a build up to this moment, but it is whisked away in the interest of pace. Ross keeps the film at such a steady gallop that it's hard to quibble with the considerable slices to the narrative, yet one wishes some of the fat remained in the script, as a courtesy to the actors and their characterzations.
The actors that Ross assembles are amazing. It begins with quite possibly the greatest living American actor working today, Jeff Bridges. As the whip-smart, affluent, self-made-man Charles Howard, Bridges avoids the clichés of the rich industrialist, and crafts a touching portrayal of a man who's regaining hope through a horse and his jockey after a death in his family. Bridges can move mountains with just a glance, and Ross fully understands this power. It's a rich, comprehensive performance. Similarly impressive is Tobey Maguire, who breathes fire as Red Pollard. Maguire is stuck with Ross's more sludgy, embarrassing symbolism, yet his performance retains dignity. Always a solid actor, Maguire, reteaming with his `Pleasantville' director, fits in perfectly as the spine of the story, and as the buddy of the horse.
While it never reaches that tangible epic flavor it desires, `Seabiscuit' is a terrific reminder of days gone by when miracles still occurred. Just a story of horse who won some races? No, this is tale of a champion who reunited a nation. It's hard to feel anything but hope as the end credits scroll. ---- 8/10
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies |2-28 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Second Nature|||NR |||2002|91 mins|||XviD|1||XviD MPEG|923 |608x336|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|48,000 Hz|2|699.16 MB||||23.98|20/03/2004|||||||äðéöåì äéçéãé áäúøñ÷åú îèåñ äéðå ôàåì ÷ééï (àì÷ áåìãååéï).
áàåúä äúøñ÷åú àéáã ôàåì àú ëì îùôçúå åáðåñó ìëê äåà àó îú÷ùä ìäùìéí àú æëøåðåúéå ùîìôðé äèøâãéä.
áäãøâä îúâìä ìå äòåáãä ùäåà îúð÷ù î÷öåòé îèòí äîîùì äàîøé÷ðé ùòåáã áìåðãåï.
äîîåðä òìéå ÷ìèåï øéã (ôàååøñ áåú') øåàä ù÷ééï îú÷ùä ìáöò àú òáåãúå ëîå ùöøéê, ëùòãééï çñøéí îñôø ôøèéí çùåáéí îçééå åäîñúåøéåú ùì ä÷ò÷åò áúåê ùôúå.
÷ééï äôê îäéåúå öééã ìðéöåã åîú÷ùä ìäáéï îé îáéï äñåááéí ñáéáå äí çáøéå àå àåééáéå.
They made him an assassin.Now he's theitarget. ||||Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC] ||||||@@
Serving Sara|Reginald Hudlin|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for crude humor, sexual content and language. |4.4|Germany|2002|Spain:102 min/ USA:99 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Dan Halsted Dan Kolsrud David Scheer|Jay Scherick David Ronn|Robert Brinkmann |||The One Thing That Could Bring Them Together Is Revenge.|When Sara (Elizabeth Hurley) is served divorce papers while she is in New York, she is stunned. Not about to lose the fortune she amassed with her self-serving Texas husband, she makes an offer to her process server, Joe (Matthew Perry) that sets them off on a wild trip across the country.
|Matthew Perry (Joe Tyler) @ Elizabeth Hurley (Sara Moore) @ Vincent Pastore (Tony) @ Bruce Campbell (I) (Gordon Moore) @ Cedric the Entertainer (Ray Harris) @ Amy Adams (III) (Kate) @ Terry Crews (I) (Vernon) @ Jerry Stiller (Milton (cop)||Worse than the generous weighted average this website gives
Matthew Perry should start lobbying tokeep Friends going, because he andthe rest of his counterparts will have nochance to start a film career (with theexception of Courtney Cox-Arquette).Even though Perry was basically playingChandler all over again, nothing workedin this flat and fickle film. I maybe laughedonce, littered with a few guffaws alongthe way. They say trailers reveal all of thegood parts in a film, well, I find that hard tobelieve in regards to this film. The onlyremotely funny part was the scene withthe bull, and that was always featured inthe trailer. The only good thing about thisfilm: Elizabeth Hurley continues to defychildbirth and father time, adding to the listof beautiful women closing in on 40. |Region 1 |Movies |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |2.0 Surround |2-26|||||@@
Seven: New Line Platinum Series|David Fincher|Thriller|R |8.3|USA|1995|127 mins|English||XviD|2||XviD MPEG-4|1191 |640x272|AC3-Digital|438 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1402.31 MB||||23.98|18/11/2003|Stephen Brown Phyllis Carlyle William C. Gerrity Nana Greenwald Lynn Harris Dan Kolsrud Anne Kopelson Arnold Kopelson Gianni Nunnari Sanford Panitch Michele Platt Richard Saperstein|Andrew Kevin Walker |Darius Khondji Harris Savides||Alliance Atlantis Communications [ca] |Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die.| A Two-Disc Set From director David Fincher (Fight Club) comes theipsychological thriller about two detectives onitheitrail of "John Doe,"ia serial killer who chooses his victims accordingito theiseven deadly sins. |Morgan Freeman (Detective Lt. William Somerset) @ Brad Pitt (Detective David Mills) @ Kevin Spacey (John Doe) @ Gwyneth Paltrow (Tracy Mills) @ R. Lee Ermey (Police Captain) @ Andrew Kevin Walker (Dead Man (as Andy Walker)) @ Daniel Zacapa (Detective Taylor) @ John Cassini (Officer Davis) @ Bob Mack (Gluttony Victim) @ Peter Crombie (Dr. O'Neill) @ Reg E. Cathey (Coroner) @ George Christy (Workman) @ Endre Hules (Cab Driver) @ Hawthorne James (George, Library Night Guard) @ William Davidson (Library Guard (as Roscoe Davidson)) @ Bob Collins (Library Guard) @ Jimmy Dale Hartsell (Library Janitor) @ Richard Roundtree (Dist. Atty. Martin Talbot) @ Charline Su (TV News Reporter) @ Dominique Jennings (TV News Reporter) @ Allan Kolman (Forensic Man) @ Beverly Burke (TV Anchor Woman) @ Gene Borkan (Eli Gould (Sin of Greed)) @ Julie Araskog (Mrs. Gould) @ Mario Di Donato (Fingerprint Forensic Man) @ Alfonso Freeman (Fingerprint Technician) @ John C. McGinley (California) @ Robert J. Stephenson (Cop on SWAT Team) @ Harrison White (Cop on SWAT Team) @ Michael Reid MacKay (Victor (Sin of Sloth)) @ Richard Portnow (Dr. Beardsley) @ Tudor Sherrard (Coupon Man) @ Mark Boone Junior (Greasy FBI Man) @ Pamala Tyson (Homeless Woman) @ Lennie Loftin (Policeman) @ Sarah Hale Reinhardt (Police Sketch Artist) @ Emily Wagner (Detective Sara) @ Martin Serene (Wild Bill) @ Michael Massee (Man in Massage Parlour Booth) @ David Correia (Cop at Massage Parlour) @ Ron Blair (Cop at Massage Parlour) @ Cat Mueller (Hooker (Sin of Lust)) @ Leland Orser (Crazed Man in Massage Parlour) @ Lexie Bigham (Sweating Cop at Massage Parlour) @ Evan Miranda (Paramedic) @ Harris Savides (911 Operator) @ Rachel Schadt (Additional 911 Operator) @ Paul Eckstein (Paramedic (as Paul S. Eckstein)) @ Heidi Schanz (Beautiful Woman (Sin of Pride)) @ Brian Evers (Duty Sergeant) @ Shannon Wilcox (Cop Behind Desk) @ Richard Schiff (John Doe's Lawyer) @ John Santin (Helicopter Pilot) @ James Deeth (Helicopter Pilot) @ Charles A. Tamburro (SWAT Helicopter Pilot) @ Richmond Arquette (Delivery Man) @ Duffy Gaver (Marksman in Helicopter rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Charles Dutton (Cop (uncredited)Produced by||Simply one of the darkest and best thrillers of the 1990's but don't let anyone spoil it for you.....
`Days from retirement' Detective Somerset is teamed with new-to-the-city Detective Mills to investigate a murder that quickly becomes a series.Somerset realises that the killer must be smart and is using classic literature to model his killings on the seven deadly sins, however Mills finds to hard to see him as anything other than a crazy man.With the killer close to completing his work, Mills and Somerset begin to close in on him.However nothing is as it seems in a dark depressing city full of moral degradation and apathy.
When David Fincher came onto the scene with his debut feature Alien3 the world only paused to scorn a film that didn't fit in with the Alien franchise.Yes it wasn't a great film but I loved the sense of mood, the dark the tension in the shadows that Fincher created.Years later we have Se7en, Fight Club, The Game, and at people are getting Fincher!
Se7en was his major break through where his dark visions also reaped box-office gold.The story doesn't sound like much mismatched partners (one young, cocky and reckless the other a few days from retirement) go after a serial killer who is carrying out a series of twisted murders
..it sounds like Lethal Weapon meets a straight to video thriller.But happily it rises above that by so much it's unbelievable
.it certainly shows how a story put in good hands can work out.From the start we are entombed in mood the city where it always rains, the uncaring people etc.The we begin to find murders but Fincher doesn't show us the murders, he lets us see the aftermath in the shadows and lets us imagine the rest Genius!
What you don't see is more gory than what you do.Meanwhile the tension is cranked up to fever pitch as the race to catch the killer is accelerated.When we meet the killer, the film just gets better
right up to an ending that is simply one of the most logical, emotional and gripping endings I've ever seen.I promise you'll leave the cinema shell shocked.
Freeman is excellent as Somerset so good that it's a role he's tried to do again in `Kiss the girls' etc.But here he is the perfect foil for both Mills and the killer.Brad Pitt is also superb....he isn't allowed to trade on his looks here and does very well in a film that has little opportunity for him to pander to his female fans he spends a lot of it looking beaten up.Paltrow is OK with what she has but this isn't really a film that focuses on female roles.R. Lee Ermey is as good as ever and it's a sign of how good the cast is that actors of the stature of Charles Dutton and John C McGinley are basically in roles that barely count as cameos.
However the best performance is from Kevin Spacey in the years before he became an Oscar lovie and stopped doing bad guys or dark characters.He is only on screen for a small portion of the film but his dialogue is superb and he delivers it faultlessly.In the scene where he shares a car ride with Mills and Somerset you literally hang on his every word.However alongside Spacey Fincher stands triumphant with his dark vision given the perfect story and perfect actors.
At heart this is a cop thriller but excellent performances, excellent mood and a moral lesson from an excellent Spacey make this quite simply the most jaw-droppingly excellent thriller of the 1990's. |Region 1 | |Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC] ENGLISH: DTS ES 6.1 [CC]|2-14 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Sexy Beast|Jonathan Glazer|Comedy|Rated R for pervasive language, strong violence and some sexuality. |7.1|UK|2000|89 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Mark Albela Hercules Bellville Denise O'Dell Jeremy Thomas (I) Peter Watson (VI)|Louis Mellis David Scinto Andrew Michael Jolley|Ivan Bird | ||Sometimes It's Hard To Say No|Spain. Gal has retired from the gangster life, and is sunning himself placidly beside the pool at his villa when a boulder comes crashing by, barely missing him. Soon, he and his pal Aitch, together with their wives Deedee and Jackie, are being threatened by a human boulder, Don Logan. Logan wants Gal for a high stakes vault break-in in London (mastermineded by the cool and suave Teddy Bass), and he will not take no for an answer. Nevertheless, that's exactly the answer Gal keeps giving him, even as Don gets more and more threatening. Meanwhile, Gal is plagued by dreams of a menacing, hairy beast. Just how far will Don (and Gal) go in this battle of wills? And what of Enrique, the pool boy?
Gal, a retired gangster, lives a happy life with his wife Deedee in a beatiful house in spain. Don Logan, a respected name with the mob and an old "friend" to Gal, suddenly shows up. He wants Gal to join him on this big strike in London together with a well picked out gang of respected gangsters. When Gal keeps turning him down, Don gets more and more threatening, no is not an answer. How far will Don go to get his will done? What options is there for Gal? Will this ever end?
|Ray Winstone (Gary 'Gal' Dove) @ Ben Kingsley (Don Logan) @ Ian McShane (Teddy Bass) @ Amanda Redman (Deedee Dove) @ James Fox (I) (Harry) @ Cavan Kendall (Aitch) @ Julianne White (I) (Jackie) @ Álvaro Monje (Enrique||Potential, but thats it.
This film has strong acting, and directing, but the budget is too small. A lot of potential, and no money to utilize it.The story is ok, but the film becomes theater drama instead of a film.A few years later no one will know of this films existence.5/10 ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-22|||||@@
Shanghai Knights|David Dobkin|Action|Rated PG-13 for action violence and sexual content. |6.3|USA|2003|114 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stephanie Austin Gary Barber (I) Roger Birnbaum Jackie Chan Willie Chan Jonathan Glickman Edward McDonnell David Minkowski Solon So Matthew Stillman Scott Thaler|Alfred Gough Miles Millar Alfred Gough Miles Millar|Adrian Biddle Harvey Harrison|||A Royal Kick In The Arse|When a Chinese rebel murders Chon's estranged father and escapes to England, Chon and Roy make their way to London with revenge on their minds. Chon's sister, Lin, has the same idea, and uncovers a worldwide conspiracy to murder the royal family but almost no one will believe her.
Chon (Chan) and Roy (Wilson) head to London to find the rebel who murdered Chon's father and shake up Victorian Britain in the process. Chon's sister, Lin (Wong), also thirsty for vengeance, stumbles into what appears to be a conspiracy to off the royal family.
In the 1880's, Chon Wang (Jackie Chan)'s father and keeper of the Imperial Seal has been murdered by Parliament and royal family member Rathbone (Aidan Gillen), (who steals the Imperial Seal) with Chon Wang's sister, Chon Lin (Fann Wong) witnessing the murder. Chon Lin follows Rathbone to London to kill him, while sending Chon a letter telling him of the murder. Chon then travels to New York for Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson). Together they travel to England and meet up with Chon Lin to kill Rathbone and get the Imperial Seal back.
|Jackie Chan (Chon Wang) @ Owen Wilson (Roy O'Bannon) @ Donnie Yen (Wu Chow) @ Aidan Gillen (Lord Nelson Rathbone) @ Fann Wong (Chon Lin) @ Tom Fisher (I) (Artie Doyle) @ Gemma Jones (Queen Victoria) @ Aaron Johnson (III) (Charlie Chaplin||Equal sequel
"Shanghai Knights", sequel to and by most accounts equal to "Shanghai Noon", sticks the same Chan and Wilson characters in another adventure which takes them to London where they become embroiled in convoluted intrigues neatly worked around everything from Big Ben to Charlie Chaplin to Jack the Ripper to Queen Victoria...etc. Fun stuff (maybe funnier, depending on taste) which features equal parts of Chan's inventive martial arts and stuntmanship and Wilson's poker faced off-the-wall comic relief, "Shanghai Knights" is an enjoyable three star comedy rompand I could go for another helping. What's next? Shanghai Daze? (B) |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-9 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Siu lam juk kau||Comedy|Rated PG for martial arts action and some thematic elements. |7.5|Hong Kong|2001|111 min/ Hong Kong:102 min (DVD) / USA:87 min|Cantonese||||||||||False||||||||21/09/2003||||||Kick Some Grass||||Kickful of comedy
KUNG FU + SOCCER = lots of laughs!!
Funny funny funny.And that's coming from a non-soccer fan.
Great performances here in this blend of comedy and high flying soccer action.Stephen Chow as Sing packs one hell of a kick!!His chemistry with Ng Man Tat (Golden Leg) is natural as it is in most of their films together.Plus, Sing's Shaolin brothers provide for a lot of comic relief!!From their soccer training to the championship game, there are really cool kung fu soccer shots, a mix of Matrix/Crouch Tiger special effects and it delivers.Oh, and Vicki Zhao literally steals this in the end (you have to see it).
The Bruce Lee goalie scene is priceless.This movie can definitely be watched several times with even more satisfaction! |||||1-31|||||@@
Shattered Glass|Billy Ray|Drama|Rated PG-13 for language, sexual references and brief drug use. |7.6|USA|2003|
Canada:99 min (Toronto International Film Festival) / USA:95 min
|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG|875 |640x272|MPEG Layer 3|152 |False|48,000 Hz|2|701.43 MB||||23.98|26/02/2004|Craig Baumgarten Marc Butan Tove Christensen Tom Cruise Gaye Hirsch Anjalika Mathur Adam Merims Tom Ortenberg Michael Paseornek Paula Wagner|Buzz Bissinger Billy Ray|Mandy Walker ||CP Classics |Read between the lies.|This film tells the true story of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass (Christensen), who rose to meteoric heights as a young writer in his 20s, becoming a staff writer at "The New Republic" for three years (1995-1998), where 27 of his 41 published stories were either partially or completely made up. Looking for a short cut to fame, Glass concocted sources, quotes and even entire stories, but his deception did not go unnoticed forever, and eventually, his world came crumbling down...
|Hayden Christensen (Stephen Glass) @ Peter Sarsgaard (Charles 'Chuck' Lane) @ Chloë Sevigny (Caitlin Avey) @ Rosario Dawson (Andy Fox) @ Melanie Lynskey (Amy Brand) @ Hank Azaria (Michael Kelly) @ Steve Zahn (Adam Penenberg) @ Mark Blum (Lewis Estridge)||A suspenseful, thrilling movie
As the film opens we meet Stephen Glass, a rising star at "The New
Republic"
magazine. He's sensitive, friendly and unfailingly polite. And, oh yeah,
did
I mention he was on everybody's hot list? He was being wooed by everyone
from "George Magazine" to "Harper's" to the "New York Times."
Unfortunately,
behind the Glass juggernaut was a compulsive liar who took everyone for a
downhill ride. You see, Glass fabricated over 20 stories, inventing
sources,
locations, times, dates, and companies.
Hayden Christensen was fabulous as the ingratiating/creepy Glass. As a
CNN.com reviewer pointed out, this movie proves he can
act.
Christensen's Glass is the ultimate likeable co-worker, who remembers
everyone's birthday, knows how everyone takes their coffee and is so
self-deprecatingly sweet that when things start unraveling you feel sorry
for him. Despite his audacious lies and deceits, you like him and wonder
why
everyone is being so mean. Christensen walks the fine line between good
and
evil so well, you watch in amazement. You feel sorry for him, you're
repulsed by him, you're embarrassed for him...
At times I turned to my friend and said "Man! Is this hard to watch." And
it
was.
Peter Sarsgaard, who plays Glass' editor, Chuck Lane, is wonderfully
understated as the misunderstood editor. (For those at home who care,
he's
also really cute in that nerdy handsome way.)
The movie incisively exposes the world of journalism -- with it's big
egos,
pedantic copy editors, and ultra-competitive writers. I could see many of
my
co-workers (current and former) in the archetypes portrayed on screen
(the
braggart, the attention getter, the know-it-all, the guy who will split
the
most microscopic of hairs just for the heck of it).
It also brings home the incredible responsibility on the shoulders of
journalists. It's easy to forget this responsibility in pursuit of
personal
glory or attention, but it's the reader who gets hurt. Everyone in the
business of journalism should see this movie. But with its twists and
turns
and shocking (yet true!) events, it's a movie for anyone who enjoys a
good
thriller.
|Region ? |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Shawshank Redemption, The|Frank Darabont|Drama|R |9.0|USA|1994|142 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Liz Glotzer David V. Lester Niki Marvin|Stephen King Frank Darabont|Roger Deakins |||Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.|Andy Dufresne is a young and successful banker whose life changes drastically when he is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy, with the help of his friend Red, the prison entrepreneur, turns out to be a most unconventional prisoner.
After the murder of his wife, hotshot banker Andrew Dufresne is sent to Shawshank Prison, where the usual unpleasantness occurs. Over the years, he retains hope and eventually gains the respect of his fellow inmates, especially longtime convict "Red" Redding, a black marketeer, and becomes influential within the prison. Eventually, Andrew achieves his ends on his own terms.
Andy Dufresne (Robbins), a New England banker convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, is sent to Shawshank State Prison where he meets "Red" Redding (Freeman), a seasoned lifer. Despite twenty years on the inside, the prison bars fail to contain their spirits; and the pair forge an unlikely friendship, one that overcomes pain, suffering and ultimately leads to a chance at freedom.
|Tim Robbins (Andy Dufresne, Inmate 37927) @ Morgan Freeman (Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding) @ Bob Gunton (Warden Samuel Norton) @ William Sadler (Heywood, Inmate 32365) @ Clancy Brown (Capt. Byron Hadley) @ Gil Bellows (Tommy Williams, Inmate 46419) @ Mark Rolston (Bogs Diamond) @ James Whitmore (Brooks Hatlen, Librarian||Truly one of the finest films of all time, it has no flaws.
"The Shawshank Redemption" truly has no flaws, and is a gripping presentation from start to finish.One of the very few I rate 10 of 10.
Though all actors are superb, three stand out above the rest - Robbins as Dufresne, Freeman as "Red", and Gunton as the most evil warden you will ever see, who smiles with the Bible in one hand while he orders you shot to death with the other. The movie is about 2 hours and 15 minutes but never seems long. Every scene is just right, and there is very much, interesting character development throughout the film.
CAUTION - SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW:
Dufresne, a straight-arrow banker, is sent to the Maine prison, Shawshank, for two consecutive life terms, convicted of a double murder of his wife and her lover.He contends, even after years in prison, that he did not do it. "Red" has a way to get almost anything, even "Rita Hayworth". He and "Red" become friends and trust each other.
Meanwhile, his talents eventually get discovered, he ends up doing IRS returns for all the guards each year, teaches GED,he writes weekly letters to the state and after 6 years gets books and money to expand the prison library. The warden begins to use the prisoners as his own "construction crew" and gets money, illegally, from the outside. Dufresne sets up accounts in a fictitious name to hide the earnings, and becomes the warden's personal accountant.
Through a chance encounter by another prisoner, in a prior prison stay, it is discovered who the real killer of Dufresne's wife and lover really was. Of course, the warden doesn't want any part of trying to reverse Dufresne's conviction, because he is best served with him inside. Dufresne is thrown in "solitary" for 2 months for even suggesting that he might get out.
This realization sobers Dufresne, and his total focus becomes his freedom.With his small prospector's hammer, and hidden by a large "pin-up" poster on his cell wall, he has secretly been digging a tunnel, and carrying out dirt in his pockets to be spread in the yard. When escape night comes, he steals the warden's "books", eventually sent to a newspaper for the "expose'". He uses one of the warden's suits, his shoes, and the fictitious identity to claim the approx. $375,000 for himself before his escape is discovered, and heads to Mexico on the Pacific Ocean.A few days later, the warden, about to be arrested, shoots himself dead.
"Red" finally gets out on parole, bags groceries for a while, then remembers that Dufresne had told him, "If you ever get out, there's a volcanic rock at the end of a stone fence under a big tree in Buxton and under that rock is something I want you to have."He looks it up and finds a letter and cash buried, obviously hidden for "Red" after Dufresne's escape. With that, "Red" joins him in Mexico and they meet and hug on the beach in the last scene, as Dufresne is working on his boat.
I saw this, the second time, on DVD. Picture and sound are first-rate, although there aren't any real extras. The French dubbing is done very well. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-21 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Shrek|Andrew Adamson Vicky Jenson Scott Marshall (I|Adventure|Rated PG for mild language and some crude humor. |8.1|USA|2001|90 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ted Elliott (I) Penney Finkelman Cox Jane Hartwell (II) Jeffrey Katzenberg David Lipman (II) Sandra Rabins Terry Rossio Aron Warner John H. Williams Steven Spielberg|William Steig Ted Elliott (I) Terry Rossio Joe Stillman Roger S.H. Schulman Cody Cameron Ken Harsha Chris Miller (VII) Conrad Vernon (I)||||The greatest fairy tale never told.|In a faraway land called Duloc, a heartless ruler, the midget Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow) has banished all the fairy tales from the land so it can be as boring as he is. But there are three characters who will stand is his way. The first is a green, smelly ogre with a heart of gold named Shrek (Mike Myers), his faithful steed, a Donkey (Eddie Murphy), who will do anything but shut up, and the beautiful, but tough Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) whom Lord Farquaad wishes to make his wife so he can become king of Duloc. What's to do in a screwy fairy tale like this?
Shrek is a big ogre who lives alone in the woods, feared from all the people in the land of Duloc. When Lord Farquaad, the ruler of Duloc, exiles all the fairy-tale beings in the woods, Shrek looses his peaceful life and his home becomes a refugees camp. So, he sets to find Lord Farquaad and convince him to take the fairy-tale beings back where they belong, and leave him alone. Lord Farquaad accepts, under one condition. Shrek must first go and find the beautiful young princess Fiona, who will become Farquaad's bride. So, the big Ogre begins his quest, along with his newfound donkey friend...
|Mike Myers (Shrek/Blind Mouse/Narrator (voice)) @ Eddie Murphy (Donkey (voice)) @ Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona (voice)) @ John Lithgow (Lord Farquaad of Duloc (voice)) @ Vincent Cassel (Monsieur Hood (voice)) @ Peter Dennis (Ogre Hunter (voice)) @ Clive Pearse (Ogre Hunter (voice)) @ Jim Cummings (Captain of Guards (voice)||Fascinating and amusing summer fare
Shrek is the 2nd animated film from the PDI/Dreamworks team which before brought the public Antz.While that was directed towards adults, now we have this- Shrek (by the way, a little inside joke is that Shrek is yiddish for fright).A new comedy for kids and adults.And surprisingly, it works for both.
While the film brings a unconventional (with a conventional formula) story in the mix, it's best parts are with the animation skills by the people at PDI, but also with the voice talents: Myers brings a keen type of Fat Bastard voice in Shrek (some lines also sound like they came from Austin Powers movies); Murphy shows that if he starts to run out of good movies, he can always go to voice overs; Lithgow has not been this good in years and Diaz may be annoying at times but is cute throughout.As is the film which is so far the most workable (as I would call it such) in the summer regime and my first real recommendation for this season.A |Region 1 |Movies |1.66 : 1 (rendered ratio) |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-27|||||@@
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas|Patrick Gilmore Tim Johnso|Adventure|Rated PG for adventure action, some mild sensuality and brief language. |6.2|USA|2003|Argentina:88 min/ Germany:90 min/ UK:85 min (cut) / USA:86 min|English||XviD|2||XviD MPEG-4|1024 |576x304|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|48,000 Hz|2|1398.64 MB||||23.98|03/11/2003|Jeffrey Katzenberg Mireille Soria|John Logan |||DreamWorks Distribution LLC [us] ||Sinbad, the most daring and notorious rogue ever to sail the seven seas, has spent his life asking for trouble, and trouble has finally answered in a big way. Framed for stealing one of the world's most priceless and powerful treasures--the Book of Peace--Sinbad has one chance to find and return the precious book, or his best friend Proteus will die. Sinbad decides not to take that chance and instead sets a course for the fun and sun of the Fiji Islands. However, Proteus' beautiful betrothed, Marina, has stowed away on Sinbad's ship, determined to make sure that Sinbad fulfills his mission and saves Proteus' life. Now the man who put the "bad" in Sinbad is about to find out how bad bad can be.
|Brad Pitt (Sinbad (voice)) @ Catherine Zeta-Jones (Marina (voice)) @ Michelle Pfeiffer (Eris (voice)) @ Damien Ferrette (Proteus (French version) (voice)) @ Joseph Fiennes (Prince Proteus (voice)) @ Dennis Haysbert (Kale, First Mate (voice)) @ Adriano Giannini (Rat (voice)) @ Timothy West (King Dymas (voice)) @ Raman Hui (Jin (voice)) @ Chung Chan (Li (voice)) @ Jim Cummings (Luca/Additional Voices (voice)) @ Conrad Vernon (Jed (voice)) @ Andrew Birch (Grum/Chum (voice)) @ Chris Miller (Tower Guard (voice)Produced by||Being the Disney that they are, we're given the "formula" again... and again... and again...
Good god, not another one of these Disney rubbish again. Each year after year I spent my money on tickets, hoping that they will improve. I loved all their pre-Lion King era features so I gave them my chances, my benefit of the doubt. So did they ever learn from their past mistakes? That's wishful thinking. Even my 11-year old cousin left the cinema half-asleep. This will be the LAST time I will give a Disney feature a go. EVER.
Now they stated that 2D animation is dead. Well just look WHO killed it in the first place! Disney have only themselves to blame for not listening to us for years. |Region 1 |Movies |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |
Movies |2-34|||||@@
Sixth Sense, The|M. Night Shyamalan|Drama|Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material and violent images. |8.2|USA|1999|107 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall (I) Barry Mendel Sam Mercer|M. Night Shyamalan |Tak Fujimoto |||Not every gift is a blessing.|Malcom Crowe is a child psychologist who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same ills as the ex-patient. This boy "sees dead people". Crowe spends a lot of time with the boy (Cole) much to the dismay of his wife. Cole's mom is at her wit's end with what to do about her son's increasing problems. Crowe is the boy's only hope.
Malcom Crowe è un bravo ed affermato psicologo infantile che decide di prendere in cura (dedicandogli tutto il suo tempo) Cole, un ragazzo di nove anni che afferma di "vedere i morti"... Questo l'assunto iniziale di un film difficile da spiegare, tutto giocato nel rapporto fra i due ed in quello del ragazzo con le "presenze", tutte defunte per incidenti o malattie e che gli chiedono giustizia (ed in questo il ragazzo si sente mancante della possibilità di aiutarle). Anche il dottore è in crisi : il rapporto con la moglie è in profonda crisi, ma non riesce a fare a meno di dedicarsi al ragazzo. Perchè ? Cosa è veramente reale ?
|Bruce Willis (Malcolm Crowe) @ Haley Joel Osment (Cole Sear) @ Toni Collette (Lynn Sear) @ Olivia Williams (Anna Crowe) @ Mischa Barton (Kyra Collins) @ Donnie Wahlberg (Vincent Grey) @ Peter Anthony Tambakis (Darren (as Peter Tambakis)) @ Jeffrey Zubernis (Bobby||Incredible, classic film
The Sixth Sense, while rated PG-13, succeeds at being genuinely SCARY, a feat which few other films can boast of achieving.With unbelievable cinematography, a HIDEOUS soundtrack (in a good way), amazing acting, and a twist ending that, dare I say it, MAKES SENSE, this film truly deserved the Best Picture Oscar over Shakespeare in Love.
To briefly summarize the plot, Bruce Willis plays a child psychologist who, after celebrating a prestigious award from the mayor of Philadelphia, is assaulted by a former patient.This patient, screaming "YOU FAILED ME!" opens fire at Bruce Willis.
Zoom ahead to the next fall.Bruce Willis is now healed, and is beginning to investigate a little boy, Cole.This boy appears to have numerous psychological problems plaguing him, and Bruce Willis wishes to help him.
The two bond, and it appears that Cole harbors a truly strange secret.He is able to see ghosts, and they don't know they're dead.He wants them to go away.How is this conflict solved?Watch this truly frightening thriller.
Haley Joel Osment is an unbelievable actor.I pray he got the Best Actor nomination, for he truly deserved it.Bruce Willis gives a surprisingly UNBELIEVABLE performance, showing that he isn't just an action movie star.
M. Night Shaynaman's direction makes those scenes with the ghosts FRIGHTENING.The film is more of a thriller than outright horror, but it is just plain SPOOKY to watch.Who isn't frightened by normal people turning heir bodies to suddenly reveal part of their body tainted by blood?
Would I recommend this film?INDEED.10/10 |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-6|||||@@
Snatch.|Guy Ritchie|Crime|Rated R for strong violence, language and some nudity. |7.9|UK|2000|104 min/ USA:102 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Michael Dreyer Stephen Marks Peter Morton Angad Paul Sebastian Pearson (I) Taha Ali Reza Trudie Styler Steve Tisch Matthew Vaughn|Guy Ritchie |Tim Maurice-Jones |||Stealin' Stones and Breakin' Bones|Turkish and his rather strange accomplice Tommy get pulled into the world of match fixing by the notorious Brick Top. Things get complicated when the boxer they had lined up gets the shit kicked out of him by Pitt, a 'pike' as they call him. They then try to convince Pitt not only to fight for them, but to lose for them too. Whilst all this is going on, a huge diamond heist takes place, and a fistful of motley characters enter the story, including 'Cousin Avi', 'Boris The Blade', 'Franky Four Fingers' and 'Bullet Tooth Tony'. Things go from bad to worse as it all becomes about the money, the guns, and the damned dog!
Turkish, an unlicenced boxing promoter is pulled into trouble when he becomes involved in big time criminal Brick Top, who wants him to arrange a fight and fix it. Meanwhile, a diamond theft goes down but the 84 karat stone goes missing. This leads Avi, the boss who was supposed to receive the stone, to come to England to search for it, with the help of his cousin, Doug The Head and Bullet Tooth Tony. As events twist and turn, the two situations blend into one with a chain reaction of events carrying on for each and every character.
|Jason Statham (Turkish) @ Alan Ford (I) (Brick Top Polford) @ Brad Pitt (Mickey O'Neil) @ Vinnie Jones (Bullet Tooth Tony) @ Ewen Bremner (Mullet) @ Benicio Del Toro (Franky Four Fingers) @ Robbie Gee (Vinny) @ Lennie James (Sol||Guy Richie and Vinnie Jones have done it again!
Guy Richie's follow up to Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels is every bit as astonishing as its predecessor. The humour is better and I have never seen people in a cinema laugh as loud and as frequently as they did here. Vinnie Jones plays a similar role as Big Chris, here as Bullet Tooth Tony. His appearance is limited but boy does he make an impact. Even when he is not on screen there is much to savour from Dennis Farina as Avi and a trio of pawnbrokers who are sent to rob a bookies. Brad Pitt sheds his movie start personna and preforms impressively as an Irish gypsie. Unlike Lock Stock.. the humour will appeal to all nationalities. However they mind some slang expressions such as Pikey and blag hard to understand. Good preformances, fantastic characters, razor sharp diologue, expert direction and camera work and brilliant humour, Snatch will make you laugh more than any other movie this year. See it now. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-24|||||@@
Sniper|Luis Llosa|Action|R |5.7|USA|1993|98 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Gregory A. Gale James Gorman (I) Walon Green Grant Hill (I) Mark Johnson (I) Amanda Nelligan Robert L. Rosen Charles J.D. Schlissel Patrick Wachsberger|Michael Frost Beckner Crash Leyland|Bill Butler (I) ||||Touch guy Thomas Beckett is an US soldier working in the Panamanian jungle. His job is to seek out rebels and remove them using his sniper skills. Beckett is notorious for losing his partners on such missions. This time he's acccompanied by crack marksman Richard Miller, who's more of an office-type. Together they plan to seek out an important rebel leader, whilst avoiding a rogue marksman who frequents this part of the jungle.
A Panamanian rebel leader is meeting with his financer-druglord. The U.S. government seeks to "disrupt" the meeting by eliminating them both. Thomas Beckett, an ace sniper stationed in the area, is sent to perform the mission. Since his spotter was killed by a mysterious mercenary sniper, he must be accompanied by Richard Miller, a SWAT-Team sniper who has never had a kill. The two must best the jungle and complete the mission, hindered by numerous enemy patrols, "El-Cirujano", a renegade American working for the enemy, the mysterious sniper, and the rough living in a dangerous jungle.
|Tom Berenger (Thomas Beckett) @ Billy Zane (Richard Miller) @ J.T. Walsh (Chester Van Damme) @ Aden Young (Doug Papich) @ Ken Radley (El Cirujano) @ Reynaldo Arenas (II) (Cacique (as Reinaldo Arenas)) @ Gary Swanson (NSC Officer in Washington) @ Hank Garrett (Admiral in Washington||Stupid and boring.
Another bland buddy film, this one violent versus comical. A pro sniper (Berenger) is teamed up with a rookie (Zane) who doubts his master's choices.
Screenplay misguides the film, and the direction style is weak and the backgrounds (jungles, rivers, plush landscapes) all look fake. Had me on the edge of my seat - waiting to jump up and leave. Very boring.
2/5 stars -
John Ulmer |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |1-11|||||@@
Sniper 2|||R |||2002|91 mins|||||||||||False||||||||24/01/2004||||||| Their mission required one good shot...and two people crazy enoughito pull it off. ||||Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) Standard 1.33:1 Color|ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo|1-11|||||@@
Spider-Man|Sam Raimi|Action|Rated PG-13 for stylized violence and action. |7.5|USA|2002|121 min/ Spain:123 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Avi Arad Ian Bryce Grant Curtis Heidi Fugeman Stan Lee Steven P. Saeta Laura Ziskin|Stan Lee Steve Ditko David Koepp|Don Burgess |||With great power comes great responsibility.|A rather odd thing has just just occurred in the life of nerdy high school student Peter Parker; after being bitten by a radioactive spider, his body chemistry is mutagenically altered in that he can scale walls and ceilings, and he develops a "spider-sense" that warns him of approaching danger. Adopting the name "Spider-Man", Peter first uses his newfound powers to make money, but after his uncle is murdered at the hands of a criminal Peter failed to stop, he swears to use his powers to fight the evil that killed his uncle. At the same time, scientist and businessman Norman Osborn, after exposure to an experimental nerve gas, develops an alternate personality himself; the super-strong, psychotic Green Goblin! Peter Parker must now juggle three things in his life; his new job at the local newspaper under a perpetually on-edge employer, his battle against the evil Green Goblin, and his fight to win the affections of beautiful classmate Mary Jane Watson, against none other than his best friend Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn! Is this challenge too much for even the amazing Spider-Man to handle?
|Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker) @ Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin/Norman Osborn) @ Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson) @ James Franco (Harry Osborn) @ Cliff Robertson (Uncle Ben) @ Rosemary Harris (Aunt May) @ J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson) @ Joe Manganiello (Flash Thompson||Unbelievable
I had the grand opportunity to see a special private screening of this eagerly anticipated movie and I must say I was definitely impressed and I was in total awe. Not since the last superhero movie I saw was there a more and clear and complete followup to the comic book and this one was totally it which had me on the edge of my seat and hanging on for more. "Spider-Man" is a grand transition to what a comic book hero supposed to be and for a good reason. It sticks to detail and while it does that it keeps its audience hanging on for more and then some. The acting of the cast was very,very good and for Tobey Maguire's performance as the teen stud Peter Parker/Spider-Man was the best characterization I've seen in a long time since the days of Christopher Reeve(who was the last good actor to play a superhero and to be true to the comic book format).
As for the story itself,it kept its pace with the origins of the story and the comic book itself was right on precise target. As for the villain,actor William Dafoe was electrifying as Spidey's arch nemesis Green Goblin and the battle between him and our web slinger is something to behold. Even the leading lady,Kristen Dunst was not bad as Peter's girlfriend who keeps his identity a secret,but she knows who he is. As the good point of interest,the movie is worth the price of admission. Even if you're a fan of the Marvel comic book or a huge fan of Spidey's cartoon series of Saturday mornings,then this is the ticket to get. Be prepared for the ride of the summer,since this one is unbelievable. Kudos to director Sam Raimi for doing this right and finally bringing Spidey to the screen!!!!
NOTE: There will be two more installments to the Spider-Man trilogy in which Spidey goes up against his greatest enemies like Dr. Octopus, Venom,and Mystiquo and not to mention the deadliest of them all...... DR. DOOM. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-7|||||@@
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron|Kelly Asbury Lorna Coo|Animation|G |6.5|USA|2002|83 min/ Spain:86 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jeffrey Katzenberg Mireille Soria|John Fusco Henry Mayo (II) Tom Sito||||Leader. Hero. Legend.| Narrated byiMatt Damon |Matt Damon (Spirit (voice)) @ James Cromwell (The Colonel (voice)) @ Daniel Studi (Little Creek (voice)) @ Chopper Bernet (Sgt. Adams (voice)) @ Jeff LeBeau (Murphy/Railroad Foreman (voice)) @ John Rubano (Soldier (voice)) @ Richard McGonagle (Bill (voice)) @ Matt Levin (I) (Joe (voice) (as Matthew Levin)||Good, certainly nothing more than that, but not necesarily less either, animated horse fable
This is the type of animated movie that will overall only appeal to one section of the movie audience- little girls and possibly little boys who've grown tired of Spiderman, Star Wars and Scooby Doo (though one wonders who could tire of Star Wars).Parents might find interest in the animation aspect and the songs from Bryan Adams (I'd rather not hear Bryan Adams), but that's about it.
Damon needs to practice his VO work, has good old fashioned animated tactics without the horses actually talking, and on that level, the targeted audience will like it.That's all I have to say about that.B+ |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-27|||||@@
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi|Hayao Miyazaki|Adventure|Rated PG for some scary moments. |8.6|Japan|2001|125 min|Japanese||||||||||False||||||||25/01/2004|Donald W. Ernst Lori Korngiebel John Lasseter Toshio Suzuki Yasuyoshi Tokuma|Hayao Miyazaki Hayao Miyazaki Cindy Davis Hewitt Donald H. Hewitt|Atsushi Okui ||Toho Company Ltd. [jp] |Tunnel no mukou wa fushigi no machi deshita|Chihiro and her family are on their way to their new house in the suburbs when her father decides to take a shortcut along a lonely- looking dirt road. After getting out of the car and walking along a path for a while, they discover an open-air restaurant filled with food but with no workers or customers present. Mom and Dad don't hesitate to sit down and dig in, but Chihiro senses danger and refuses. As night falls, she is terrified to see the area fill with faceless spirits, but when she runs to find her parents, she discovers that they have been turned into pigs. She is found by a mysterious boy named Haku, who promises to help her. He gets her a job working in a nearby building, which turns out to be a spa hotel for the thousands of Japan's gods and spirits. Though the work is hard and the people strange, she does as well as she can. Her parents, however, are still waiting in the hotel's stockyard, and Chihiro must find a way to break the spell on them before they end up as the main course of some guest's dinner.
|Rumi Hîragi (Chihiro/Sen (voice) (as Rumi Hiiragi)) @ Miyu Irino (Haku (voice)) @ Takashi Naitô (Chihiro's Father (voice)) @ Mari Natsuki (Yubaba/Zeniba (voice)) @ Yasuko Sawaguchi (Chihiro's Mother (voice)) @ Tatsuya Gashuin (Aogaeru, Assistant Manager (voice)) @ Ryunosuke Kamiki (Boh, the baby (voice)) @ Cosma Shiva Hagen (Lin (voice: German version)) @ Yo Oizumi (Bandai-gaeru (voice)) @ Yumi Tamai (Lin (voice)) @ Koba Hayashi (Kawa no Kami (voice)) @ Tsunehiko Kamijô (Chichiyaku (voice) (as Kamijou Tsunehiko)) @ Takehiko Ono (Aniyaku (voice)) @ Bunta Sugawara (Kamaji (voice)) @ Shiro Saito (Additional Voices (voice) rest of cast listed alphabetically Priscila Amorim .... Chihiro's Mother (voice: Brazilian version)) @ Jack Angel (Additional Voices (voice: English version)) @ Bob Bergen (No-Face, Frog (voice: English version)) @ Rodger Bumpass (Additional Voices (voice: English version)) @ Daveigh Chase (Chihiro/Sen (voice: English version)) @ Michael Chiklis (Chihiro's Father (voice: English version)) @ Jennifer Darling (Additional Voices (voice: English version)) @ Susan Egan (Lin (voice: English version)) @ Paul Eiding (Additional Voices (voice: English version)) @ Ana Lúcia Granjeiro (Chihiro/Sen (voice: Brazilian version)) @ Lauren Holly (Chihiro's Mother (voice: English version)) @ Noriko Kitou (Additional Voices (voice)) @ Sherry Lynn (Additional Voices (voice: English version)) @ Jason Marsden (Haku (voice: English version)) @ Mona Marshall (Additional Voices (voice: English version)) @ Mickie McGowan (Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Mickey McGowan)) @ Candi Milo (Additional Voices (voice: English version)) @ Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Additional Voices (voice: English version)) @ Suzanne Pleshette (Yubaba/Zeniba (voice: English version)) @ Philip Proctor (Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Phil Proctor)) @ John Ratzenberger (Aogaeru, Assistant Manager (voice: English version)) @ Iara Riça (Lin (voice: Brazilian version)) @ David Ogden Stiers (Kamaji (voice: English version)) @ Tara Strong (Boh, the baby (voice: English version)) @ Jim Ward (Additional Voices (voice: English version)Produced by||a minority dissenting view
In Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning animated feature, `Spirited Away,' a young girl by the name of Chihiro and her parents stumble across an abandoned `amusement park' that turns out to be a mysterious bathhouse for the spirit world (a la `Carnival of Souls').After her parents are turned into pigs, the young girl must infiltrate the bathhouse to find a way to make them human again.Chihiro encounters an amazing array of strange and exotic creatures abiding there, some of whom help her in her quest and some of whom don't.
No one would ever deny the visual splendor and wealth of imagination that have gone into the look of this film.The animators have created an entire world filled with inhabitants that defy description.Moreover, the elegance of the backgrounds and the fluidity of the movement provide some of the best work in those areas that animation has ever offered.One appreciates the effort, especially in this day and age when imagination in movies is at such a premium.Therefore, I feel like a bit of an ingrate pointing out that `Spirited Away' might actually have been a somewhat better film had the filmmakers opted for a little LESS imagination in favor of a little more discipline in the storytelling.The filmmakers are so busy trying to dazzle us with their creativity that we end up with more characters and subplots than the film can reasonably cope with.The story often feels arbitrary in nature, with events that seem unrelated to each other vying for our attention just so we can be impressed with how creative everyone is trying to be.The film seems to ramble for a good part of the time, and we find ourselves yearning for a tighter, more streamlined narrative to help keep us involved.In addition, there's a certain lack of logic that runs through most of the film, making us question why certain characters do what they do.For instance, why would a bunch of spirits be so concerned with eating, sleeping, making money, riding trains, etc.?The rules of this world don't seem to be laid down rigorously enough for us to understand what it's all supposed to be about.
I don't want to sound like a total curmudgeon in criticizing a film that, apparently, many people, including innumerable critics, have hailed as a masterpiece.And I do concede that `Spirited Away' has moments of great beauty and charm to more than compensate for its rather slow pacing and excessive length.A haunting trip on a ghostly train is, perhaps, the highlight of the film, a transcendent moment that hints at how great the rest of the film could have been had its makers not felt the need to pad out the story so consistently.Chihiro is a spunky, poignant and noble heroine, and a few of the other characters are compelling as well.
`Spirited Away' offers much for the audience to gape and marvel at, but it lacks the drama to make us really care.
|Region 1 | |2.00 : 1 |5.1 |2-10 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Spun|Jonas Åkerlund|Comedy|Rated R for pervasive drug content, strong sexuality, language and some violence. (video release only; rating surrendered for theatrical release) |6.3|USA|2002|100 min/ 101 min/ Argentina:106 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003||Will De Los Santos Creighton Vero|Eric Broms |||the ultimate speed freak's tale.| A swaggering journey into hell that conveysia chortling amusement... withia hip gallows humor. |Jason Schwartzman (Ross) @ Mickey Rourke (The Cook) @ Brittany Murphy (Nikki) @ John Leguizamo (Spider Mike) @ Patrick Fugit (Frisbee) @ Mena Suvari (Cookie) @ Chloe Hunter (April Love) @ Elisa Bocanegra (Giggles||Round like a record, baby.
If you've ever wanted to see William Miller in a Larry Clark movie crossed with the hyper-reality of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, then look no further.SPUN is an unrated trip through crystal addiction with a lot of strong performances by an eclectic cast, but it faintly reeks of "been-there, done-that" syndrome.
Not that it's not entertaining as it goes along.A few days in the lives of various speed freaks produces all sorts of sleaze: Masturbation, phone sex, zits, rotting teeth, bowel movements, naked obesity, bondage, squalor, trashy reality TV, animation, pornography, animated pornography, and so on.
Max Fischer (Jason Schwarzbaum) is Ross, a casual addict who falls into the role of a chauffer of the local manufacturer, dubbed the Cook (Mickey Rourke, in the film's most realized performance), who's with Nikki (Brittany Murphy), who's overly concerned with the well-being of Taco, her green dog.Her best friend is Cookie (Mena Suvari), who's the girlfriend of the local drug distributor (John Leguizamo).ALMOST FAMOUS' Patrick Fugit, looking like he'd be right at home in Gummo, is the naive punk wannabe who is forced by the cops to rat on his supplier.On the fringes are Rob Halford, Debbie Harry, a fey Eric Roberts, and Dr. Giggles himself, Larry Drake.Meanwhile, Ross has got a stripper chained bare-ass naked to his bed while he drives both the Cook and Nikki around town, taking care of the local kingpin's professional needs and her neuroses and penchant for snorting crystal.
But this plot doesn't really matter.SPUN seems more concerned to ape the visual ideas of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, like the dilated pupils and jumps in sound effects. It doesn't exactly imitate REQUIEM, but the similarity seems more than a coincidence. And I'll mention again the animation:Think Ralph Bakshi's orgiastic imagination, and you'll begin to know just how gloriously perverted some of the whacked-out imagery is.
SPUN is certainly not boring, but it goes on too long. There's only so many visual effects one can withstand before all the visual volume becomes noise. But if you're craving KIDS meets TRAINSPOTTING, SPUN does just fine.
7/10 |Region 1 |Movies |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |5.1 |2-13|||||@@
Spy Game||Action|Rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality. |7.0|USA|2001|126 min|English||||||||||False||||||||26/10/2003||||||It's not how you play the game. It's how the game plays you.| "Heart Pounding!"-Joel Siegel, Good Morning America Superstar Brad Pitt teams with Academy Award®-winner Robert Redfordiin this pulse-pounding action thrill ride.Whenia top-secret, unauthorized mission goes bad, CIA agent Tom Bishop (Pitt) isicaptured -- andisentencedito die.With just 24 hoursito get him out alive, Bishop's boss Nathan Muir (Redford) must battle enemies abroad anditheisystem inside theiCIAito save his friend.Now, theiclock isiticking anditheirace ision…ias theideadliest game of all explodes into theispectacular, adrenaline-fueled thriller that ABC Radio says "Sizzles with suspense!" |||Good thriller but lacked action.
The spy game is a clever thriller that has some excellent dialogue and verbal sparring but for me , lacks the action that would have made this a great film. Brad Pitt and Robert Redford is as good a line up as you could hope for and neither make bad films but it is a shame that we dont see both in to many scenes together. If i had to pick the better of the two in this movie it would Redford. His battle , verbaly , with his superiors is the highlight of the film . It is a little far fetched too , especially the ending and without going into what happens , it is a bit of a cop out. All in all the film is very watchable and enjoyable but you come away with feeling that it lacks a certain something. 7 out of 10.
|Region 1 | |Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: DTS 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1|1-31 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Stitch! The Movie||Animation|G |5.1|USA|2003|USA:64 min|English||||||||||False||||||||03/09/2003||||||ñèéõ', çééú äîçîã äîöçé÷ä åäçîåãä ùôåúçä ò"é ãå÷èåø â'å÷éáä áúåø "ðéñåé 626", çé ìå ëéåí áàåùø òí ìéìå åðàðé."ðéñåé 625", òåã àçã îäðéñåééí äëåùìéí ùì ãå÷èåø â'å÷éáä, îáéà ìðçéúúí ùì éöåøéí "úåàîé ñèéõ'" òì ëãåø äàøõ.....åñèéõ' ìåîã áùîçä ìäëéø àú äîùôçä äçãùä ùìå! îé ùàäá åöç÷ áçì÷ äøàùåï.... éùîç ìäöèøó òí ìéìå åñèéõ' ìäøôú÷àä îèåøôú ðåñôú!| Stitch was experiment 626... meet theiother 625! |||Pleasantly surprised!
Well, it just goes to show that things really can change.Let's be honest... Disney direct-to-video sequels have been known to be a little... well... OK, awful.I won't list the examples here, but you know what I'm talking about.
That's why I brought Stitch the Movie home with much hesitation.I LOVED Lilo and Stitch, it's my favorite Disney film of all time, and I did not want to spoil that with a craptacular sequel.
I am happy to say that Lilo and Stitch fans have nothing to fear from this sequel.It is a far cut above the usual direct-to-video fare.The animation is only very slightly less impressive than the first film, the characters have maintained their edges, and the script is repeatedly laugh-out-loud funny.In fact, with a little more time and money, Stitch the Movie could have been a theatrical release.
My favorite new character is the evil Dr. Hamsterviel (Pronounced HAHM-stuhr-veel, not Hamster Wheel. The pronunciation is an ongoing joke, and it doesn't fall flat as you'd expect.) He is a white gerboa-looking villain with height issues (another running gag) and an accent similar to Dexter of Dexter's Laboratory.
Other newbies are Experiment 623 (Sparky), and 624 (Can't recall his name, but "Louie" would be appropriate.)
Anyway, I highly recommend this sequel.And I am really looking forward to the Saturday morning series coming in Fall, for which this sequel has laid the foundation.MEEGA Nala QUEESTA!
|Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.66:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 ENGLISH: DTS 5.1|2-2|||||@@
Stuck On You (Widescreen)|||PG-13 |||2003|119 mins|||XviD|1||XviD MPEG|709 |576x240|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|48,000 Hz|2|695.92 MB||||25.00|20/03/2004|||||||ä÷åîãéä äîèåøôú äçãùä îáéú äéåöø ùì äàçéí ôéèø åáåáé ôøìé áåçðú î÷øåá éçñéí áéï àçéí, ëôé ùìà ðöôå òì äîñê äâãåì îòåìí.
áåá (îàè ãééîåï) å-ååìè (âøâ ÷éðø) äí úàåîéí ñéàîéí ìà-æäéí, ùîçåáøéí æä ìæä áéøê.
ëì äçééí ùìäí äí áéìå éçã, åðéöìå àú äçéáåø áéðéäí ëãé ìäöèééï áñôåøè áúéëåï áùìì òðôéí (äå÷é, äéàá÷åú), ëîå âí ìòáåã ëúåôòú èáò áîñòãú äîáåøâøéí áàæåø îâåøéäí, áä ôéúçå ùéèåú îäéøåú áîéåçã ìäëðú äîáåøâøéí, ëàîåø, úåê ðéöåì äçéáåø äôéæé ùáéðéäí.
ëòú, òí ñéåí ä÷åìâ', ì-ååìè éù úëðéåú çãùåú ìâáé òúéãí ùì äùðééí, åäåà ôåæì ìòáø äæåäø ùì äåìéååã, áä äåà çåù÷ ìäéåú ëåëá ÷åìðåò.
ìàçø ùëðåò ùì áåá ìòðééï, äùðééí èñéí åîúî÷îéí áîäøä áòééøú äçìåîåú äòåìîéú, åîåöàéí úô÷éã áúëðéú àéøåç ìöãä ùì æîøú äòáø äîöìéçä ùø (áúô÷éã òöîä).
ùø îàåã îîåøîøú ùëì äæåäø åäâãåìä ùìä äáéàå àåúä áñåó ìäåøãä áãøâä òã ëãé äðçééú úëðéú èìååéæéåðéú, àåìí äàçéí äñéàîéí, äîäååéí àèø÷öéä ðäãøú, äåôëéí àú äúëðéú ììäéè.
îåùôò îääëøä åäòåùø äôúàåîééí, ååìè îáéï ùá÷øåá îàåã áåá åäåà ééàìöå ìôðåú ëì àçã ìãøëå, àåìí æä ÷öú ÷ùä ìáéöåò îàçø åäãáø ÷öú... (àéê ðàîø æàú áòãéðåú?) áìúé-àôùøé.
Conjoin theifun with Bob (Damon) andiWalt (Kinnear) Tenor, two brothers who shareia passionifor life-andia liver! But their unique bond leadsito wild complications when Walt decidesito pursue his dreams of becoming an actor andipersuades his reluctant siblingito go alongifor theiride! Loaded with over theitop humor andioutrageous antics, Stuck On You will leave you beside yourself with laughter! ||||Region ? | |[None] |[None] ||||||@@
Super Troopers|Jay Chandrasekhar|Crime|Rated R for language, sexual content and drug use. |6.2|USA|2001|100 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Robert Barocci Amy Minda Cohen Annie Fiocco Peter E. Lengyel Adam Mazer Richard Perello William Rotko Jonathan Shoemaker Derrick Tseng (I) Kevin Weiss|Jay Chandrasekhar Kevin Heffernan (I) Steve Lemme Paul Soter Erik Stolhanske|Joaquín Baca-Asay |||Altered State Police|Thorny, Mac, Rabbit, Foster and Farva are Vermont state troopers out to have a good time. Stationed in a remote area near the Canadian border, the troopers, avid pranksters with an affinity for syrup, have a knack for screwing up on the job. But when budget cuts in the town of Spurbury threaten their livelihood and pit them against arch-rival Spurbury P.D., the five friends try to straighten up and fly right. That is, until a dead body is discovered and a possible drug ring is unearthed. The super troopers spring into action attempting to solve the crime, save their jobs, and outdo the local police department.
|André Vippolis (College Boy 2) @ Joey Kern (College Boy 1) @ Geoffrey Arend (College Boy 3) @ Erik Stolhanske (State Trooper Robert 'Rabbit' Roto) @ Jay Chandrasekhar (State Trooper Arcot 'Thorny' Ramathorn) @ Steve Lemme (State Trooper MacIntyre 'Mac' Womack) @ Kevin Heffernan (I) (State Trooper Rodney Farva) @ Paul Soter (State Trooper Jeff Foster||Failed movie titles: Highway Patrol Academy.
Wow, someone must really have had a bad runin with the police or with the Highway Patrol, since they're both made to look completely ridiculous in this movie. I can't say that the movie is entirely without laughs, because there were several scenes during which I was laughing so hard that I just about fell off the couch (`Hey, I got an idea! Let's pop some Viagra and issue tickets with raging mega-huge boners!').
I guess the movie is about what law enforcement would look like if the police force and the Highway Patrol were run as though they were fraternities instead of government run entities. The police and the Highway Patrol are rival fraternities fighting each other over state funding, since one of them is about to be shut down and so they better make some heroic drug bust or something right before the budget hearings in order to stay in business.
This plotline sort of falls to the side for the majority of the film in favor of freaky antics and games played by the cops as they pull people over and try to see how many times they can get away with saying Meow without being caught. This is the type of humor that might have done well had it been more prevalent, and the most extensive, seen in the film.
The problem with Super Troopers is that it just goes too far at many points. It's perfectly believable to have a lot of guys on the police force who screw around in the locker room, playing practical jokes on each other and trying to do some goofy routines like the Meow routine while on the job, but the film also has them busting a teen party and then getting smashed with the kids themselves and forcing the kids to do humiliating fraternity hazing rituals, something absolutely certain to land them in court, as well as to immediately cost them their jobs, the importance of which drives the entire plot.
If the movie had been something of a behind the scenes of law enforcement comedy that let us see an entirely different side of the police force than the stolid one that we usually see peering at us disappointedly through our driver's side windows, it could have been a smashing success. But instead it decides to display full frontal nudity of fat men covered in powdered sugar, a toothless redneck having sex with a bear in the woods, two cops trying to go undercover in a semi truck that they don't know how to drive, and a lot of other idiot cops doing a lot of idiot things.
Given the fact that the movie is all about two law enforcement agencies trying to save their jobs by actually solving a crime (notably something entirely out of the ordinary for them), the least the movie could have done is provide us with at least a single person on either team that we would actually want to see driving a patrol car and wearing a policemen's uniform.
The movie is the product of a goofball comedy troupe who call themselves Broken Lizard, but who don't realize that if you want your audience to root for your characters to keep their jobs as police officers, it might be beneficial to keep in mind that police officers have power over the general public. Personally, I'm not too thrilled about the possibility of being pulled over by someone who is going to demand my license and registration and then call me a chickenf**ker. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-36|||||@@
Sweet Home Alabama|Andy Tennant|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for some language/sexual references. |5.9|USA|2002|108 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stokely Chaffin Michael Fottrell Jon J. Jashni Wink Mordaunt Neal H. Moritz|Douglas J. Eboch C. Jay Cox|Andrew Dunn (I) |||Sometimes What You're Looking For Is Right Where You Left It.|New York fashion designer Melanie Carmichael suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor. But Melanie's past holds many secrets, including Jake, the redneck husband she married in high school, who refuses to divorce her. Bound and determined to end their contentious relationship once and for all, Melanie sneaks back home to Alabama to confront her past, only to discover that you can take the girl out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the girl.
|Reese Witherspoon (Melanie Carmichael) @ Josh Lucas (Jake Perry) @ Patrick Dempsey (Andrew Hennings) @ Candice Bergen (Mayor Kate Hennings) @ Mary Kay Place (Pearl Smooter) @ Fred Ward (Earl Smooter) @ Jean Smart (Stella Kay) @ Ethan Embry (Bobby Ray||Annoying and unfunny
I really wanted to like this movie--I love romantic comedy-dramas (like "Steel Magnolias") and I think Reese Witherspoon is a fantastic actress.But I really hated this movie.
The plot has Melanie Carmichael (Witherspoon), a successful fashion designer in NY, being proposed to by rich, handsome, wealthy son of the mayor (Patrick Dempsey).She accepts without telling him one teensy problem--she's still married to Jake (Josh Lucas) who she left in Alabama before going to NY.She goes back there to get him to sign the divorce papers.He refuses and things get out of control.
Annoyingly predictable, dully made, tiredly politically correct and incredibly unfunny "comedy".All the characters are cliches and every twist and turn is telegraphed a mile away.And it's just not funny!I think I laughed twice (maybe).
The only thing that made this bearable is the acting.Dempsey, Lucas, Candice Bergen (as the mayor of NY!), Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place are all just great--especially Lucas.He's so handsome and full of charisma--a few closeups of him took my breath away.Best of all is Witherspoon.It's her show and she pulls it off.She's bright, full of energy, beautiful and one hell of an actress.She's got a great future ahead of her.Let's hope next time she gets a better script. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-38|||||@@
Sweetest Thing, The|Roger Kumble|Comedy|Rated R for strong sexual content and language. |4.8|USA|2002|88 min/ Argentina:85 min/ Colombia:82 min/ Netherlands:87 min/ Spain:90 min (unrated version) / USA:90 min (unrated version)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stuart M. Besser Dixie J. Capp Cathy Konrad Ricky Strauss|Nancy Pimental |Anthony B. Richmond |||First came the rules of love. Now comes the fun.|To ease their roommate (Selma Blair) through a relationship-induced depression, Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate take her out on the town. During their attempts to find her "Mr. Right Now", Diaz meets Peter Donahue, played aptly by Thomas Jane. Missing her opportunity with him that night, Cameron Diaz is talked into pursuing him to his brother's wedding. The ensuing road trip packs even more slapstick and locker room humor into an "already-bursting" movie.
This is a romantic comedy about a girl named Christina who, one day, meets a guy in a bar. They fool around for a while, but forget to get each other's names down at the end of the night. Thus, Christina spends the rest of the movie searching for him with her best friend Courtney.
|Cameron Diaz (Christina Walters) @ Christina Applegate (Courtney Rockcliffe) @ Thomas Jane (Peter Donahue) @ Selma Blair (Jane Burns) @ Parker Posey (Judy Webb) @ Lillian Adams (Aunt Frida) @ Herbert W. Ankrom (Wedding Guest #3 (as Herbert Ankrom)) @ Bryan Anthony (Geeky Guy||One of the worst pictures I've seen in recent memory
The Sweetest Thing does, and certainly ardently tries, to borrow from There's Something About Mary and "outrageous" comedies, but it fails miserably at whatever it goes to accomplish since at the pit of this movie is a sappy and tiresome chick flick- a crummy one at that- that tries to pump up the volume for it's intended female audience with more semen and di*k jokes and such.The attempts at comedy don't work here since the timing is offensively off, the pay offs are meager at best and when it comes up with an amusing situation it tap dances off the deep end into the shark tank.
For instance, there is one scene where Selma Blair's character is found by her girlfriends (Diaz and Applegate) along with an entire fleet of onlookers and police and firemen, to have a man's member stuck in her mouth due to a piercing.Ok, it's old but still somewhat cute pun.Then, in order for Blair to relax her vocal chordes the whole ensemble starts singing Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing so that she can sing too.I never thought I'd say this, but after that supposed gag I had to leave the theater and bang my skull against the wall not only to kill the memory cells that contained that scene, but the Aerosmith song as well.
Even the most die-hard of Diaz fans will be scratching their heads at this one and guys who get dragged through this with their girlfriends (by some ugly twist of fate) should make them sit through Black Hawk Down and Fight Club back to back as compensation; Diaz in Charlie's Angels was more appealing in that.Grade: F |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-27|||||@@
Swordfish|Dominic Sena|Action|Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality/nudity. |6.3|USA|2001|99 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bruce Berman (I) Dan Cracchiolo Anson Downes Linda Favila Jonathan D. Krane Joel Silver Jim Van Wyck Skip Woods Paul Winze|Skip Woods |Paul Cameron (II) |||Log on. Hack in. Go anywhere. Steal everything.|When the DEA shut down its dummy corporation operation codenamed SWORDFISH in 1986, they had generated $400 million which they let sit around; fifteen years of compound interest has swelled it to $9.5 billion. A covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell, headed by the duplicitious and suave Gabriel Shear, wants the money to help finance their raise-the-stakes vengeance war against international terrorism, but it's all locked away behind super-encryption. He brings in convicted hacker Stanley Jobson, who only wants to see his daughter Holly again but can't afford the legal fees, to slice into the government mainframes and get the money.
In this futuristic technology spy movie, John Travolta plays Gabriel Shear, a man who is desperately trying to access information that is locked inside a complicated computer system that contains mountains of government secrets - and money. He hires Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman), a desperate computer expert, to help him hack into the system.
|John Travolta (Gabriel Shear) @ Hugh Jackman (Stanley Jobson) @ Halle Berry (Ginger) @ Don Cheadle (Agent Roberts) @ Sam Shepard (Senator James Reisman) @ Vinnie Jones (Marco) @ Drea de Matteo (Melissa) @ Rudolf Martin (Axel Torvalds||Halle Berry's breasts!
There is only one reason that I can think of to see a horrible movie like this is because about half way through this awful excuse for a movie Halle Berry is shown topless. Now I normally don't get excited by the sight of bare breasts, but when the bare breasts belong to Halle Berry, that's something different. She is a beautiful actress with a beautiful body and I look forward to seeing her in X-MEN 2. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-3|||||@@
Takedown|Joe Chappelle|Thriller|Rated R for language and some sexual content. |6.2|USA|2000|Germany:92 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Danny Dimbort Denise Leong Avi Lerner Mary Montiforte Andrew Rona Ric Rondell Scott Shiffman Tsutomu Shimomura John Thompson Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein Brad Weston|Tsutomu Shimomura John Markoff David Newman Leslie Newman John Danza Howard A. Rodman|Dermott Downs | |Dimension Films [us] |The world has a right to know.|Kevin Mitnick is quite possibly the best hacker in the world. Hunting for more and more information, seeking more and more cybertrophies every day, he constantly looks for bigger challenges. When he breaks into the computer of a security expert and an ex-hacker, he finds one - and much more than that...
|Skeet Ulrich (Kevin Mitnick rest of cast listed alphabetically Nicole Arnold .... Exotic Dancer) @ Ned Bellamy (Tom Piori) @ Tom Berenger (McCoy Rollins) @ Cara Buono (Christina Painter) @ Michael Burgess (Security Officer) @ Scott Cooper (Mark Seiden) @ Angela Featherstone (Julia) @ Keith Flippen (Rudiance #1) @ Gil Johnson (Plainclothes Cop) @ Mark Joy (Committee Chairman) @ David S. Jung (Maven) @ Alexis Kasperavicius (Alex Lowe's Hacker Friend (as Alex Kasper)) @ David Lenthall (Mike Lechy) @ Donal Logue (Alex Lowe) @ Christopher McDonald (Mitch Gibson) @ Sarah Melson (Rachel) @ Mark Jeffrey Miller (Quinn's Sidekick) @ Race Owen ('T' Mitnick Tech) @ Tim Parati (Chris Hunson) @ Amanda Peet (Karen) @ Mitch Pileggi (Bruce Koball) @ Master P (Brad) @ Mike Pniewski (Businessman) @ J.C. Quinn (Sgt. Tom Janks) @ Sam Robison (Joel) @ Jon Rosen (Rudiance #2) @ Dorit Sauer (Shelley) @ Jeremy Sisto (Lance Petersen) @ Cara Stoner (Jane) @ Ethan Suplee (Dan Brodley) @ Cedrik Terrell (Ron Bowie (as Cedrick Terrell)) @ Michael Town (Roy (Guard)) @ Steve Vernon (Computer Hovan) @ Russell Wong (Tsutomu Shimomura) @ Tsutomu Shimomura (Hacker (uncredited)Produced by||Much better than it was planned to be.
I believe many people started watching this movie expecting it to be very bad - and I hope many will be as pleasantly surprised as I was. It isn't bad. In fact, it's quite good. Yes, it oversimplifies a lot (though compared with "Hackers", it seems ultrarealistic...) and, as far as Kevin's real story goes, it makes up some things that never happened (for instance, Kevin and Shimomura did not meet in life) - but overall, it's definitely worth watching. Those who followed the way its script had been changing over the years, certainly remember how bad and unfair it was in the beginning - it portrayed Kevin as a criminal of no feelings, and was extremely one-sided, based only on Shimomura's and Markoff's book and relations, and shown from their point of view. Hiring a new writer and looking for sources in a book other than that by M&S helped, however, and the result is a pretty fair, objective movie that shows Kevin as a human, not as a monster. The only thing that should be severely criticized is throwing in the scene with Kevin attempting to distribute Shimomura's nonexistent S.A.T.A.N.-like utility, but other than that, the script treats things fair. See this movie... and while watching it, remember that although at this moment Kevin is already free, he is not allowed to access any kind of computer - which means that he cannot even use a cell phone or a cash register... Perhaps a new movie, "Kevin Free", might portrait his life nowadays.
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Tarzan||Animation|G |7.2|USA|1999|88 min|English||||||||||False||||||||26/10/2003||||||An immortal legend. As you've only imagined.| "Tarzan Is Smart, Pure And Funny…A Triumph!" - Time Wild with exotic adventure andilaughs, Disney's Tarzan isia magnificent adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic story of theiape man! |||Disney's best animated film in 45 years - a wonder.
As much as I admired the regeneration of the Disney animators in the eight films produced since and including THE LITTLE MERMAID, the formula got to be pretty static and predictable.I couldn't see the hoopla for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST as an Oscar nommed Best Film.It was like all the others.However, I feel that the studio's latest, TARZAN, does deserve a best film nom.Why?It's thoroughly integrated, non-formulaic, and is the first Disney animated film to have a grown man as its hero (all the others have had heroines, animals, or teenage males - Aladdin and Quasimodo - as its centers).Tarzan's issues involve an identity crisis and a social adjustment disorder and he's far more intelligent and clever than any of the human actors who have portrayed him thus far.The personalities of the leads are beautifully fleshed out - Jane is complex, funny and intelligent.Tarzan is anything but one dimensional.The score (both the songs and the background scoring) is exceptional as is the sound.The animation is amazing - especially the flying through the vines of the forest and lighting hits a new high.The gorillas are beautifully and naturally brought to life.I'm going out of my way to hype this film to everyone I know.It's a true classic - a gem. |Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.66:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.0 [CC] SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.0 FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.0|2-13|||||@@
Taxi|Gérard Pirès|Action|NR |6.7|France|1998|86 min|French||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Luc Besson Laurent Pétin Michèle Pétin|Luc Besson |Jean-Pierre Sauvaire ||ARP Sélection [fr] ||In Marseilles (France), Daniel, an ancient pizza delivery boy, changes job to become a taxi driver, but his dream is to become an F1 pilot. Caught by the police for a huge speed infraction, he will help Emilien, a loser inspector on the track of German bank robbers, so he doesn't lose his license and his job.
|Samy Naceri (Daniel Morales) @ Frédéric Diefenthal (Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec) @ Marion Cotillard (Lilly Bertineau) @ Manuela Gourary (Camille Coutant-Kerbalec) @ Emma Sjöberg (Petra) @ Bernard Farcy (Commissaire Gibert) @ Georges Neri (Joe) @ Guy Quang (Pizza Joe motorcyclist) @ Maurice Murcia (Pensioned Taxi Driver) @ Sabine Bail (Femme Préfecture) @ Dan Herzberg (Paulo) @ Sébastien Thiery (Driving Instructor) @ Eric Bérenger (Butcher) @ Philippe Du Janerand (Passenger To Airport) @ Christophe Fesquet (Flic Radar 1) @ Gérard Vantaggioli (Flic Radar 2) @ Edouard Montoute (Alain) @ Tara Römer (Collègue Emilien) @ Christian Mazucchini (Pilote Ringard 1) @ Guillaume Lanson (Pilote Ringard 2) @ Sébastien Pons (Akim) @ Malek Bechar (Rachid) @ Gérard Dubouche (Chauffeur Gibert) @ Richard Sammel (1st German Gangster) @ Niels Dubost (2nd German Gangster) @ Franck Libert (3rd German Gangster) @ Dominique Noé (Ministre) @ Pierre Brichese (Chauffeur) @ Stephan Chrisz (4th German Gangster) @ Paul Fructus (Patron Bar Krüger) @ Grégory Knop (Kruger) @ Denis Braccini (Chef Pompier) @ Bernard Destouches (Flic Barrage Valises) @ Emilio Martínez (Nettoyeur Banque 2) @ Catherine Alias (Femme Nettoyeur) @ Stéphane Algoud (Jimmy) @ Thierry Melia (Caissier Banque) @ Jérôme Leleu (Jean Bat) @ Jean-Francois Palaccio (Jeune Flic Mérris) @ Henri Masini (Vieux Flic Mérris) @ Jean-Baptiste Chaudoul (Flic Feu Rouge No. 13) @ Paul Silve (Préfet) @ Didier Gayral (Cas 1er Carton) @ Stéphane Eichenholc (Flic Radar 3Produced by||I just love the car scenes.
This movie has some of the best car scenes ever filmed. The thing that make them so great is that they are filmed on the road in citys and not on closed racing tracks.Not only the driving is superb,but the way it is filmed just makes you wanna stand up and shout "bravo".
The down side of the movie is that it has a very bad plot and some boring scenes.But it is all worth it when the car scenes come. The dialogue is sometimes very funny and so is the french police.
So if you like fast cars and incompetent police officers then this is the movie for you. |Region 1 | |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-34|||||@@
Taxi 2|Gérard Krawczyk|Action||6.3|France|2000|88 min|French||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Luc Besson Bernard Grenet Laurent Pétin Michèle Pétin|Luc Besson |Gérard Sterin ||ARP Sélection [fr] |Le 29 mars, il passe la seconde.|The Japanese ambassaor is visiting Marseilles to view the city police's anti-gang tactics. During the visit, however, he is kidnapped by a group working for the Japanese yakuza. Young officer Emilien is determined to rescue the ambassador and officer Petra (his girlfriend), who was also kidnapped, and restore the honor of his department. Once again, speed demon taxi-driver Daniel (from the first Taxi movie) is called upon to save the day with his high-speed driving skills.
|Samy Naceri (Daniel Morales) @ Frédéric Diefenthal (Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec) @ Marion Cotillard (Lilly Bertineau) @ Emma Sjöberg (Petra) @ Bernard Farcy (Commissaire Gibert) @ Jean-Christophe Bouvet (Gen. Bertineau) @ Frédérique Tirmont (Mother) @ Marc Faure (French minister) @ Hirata Haruhiko (Japanese minister) @ Tsuyu Shimizu (Yuli (as Tsuyu)) @ Ko Suzuki (Katano) @ Yoshi Oida (Yuke Tsumoto) @ Kentaro Yuji Yamashita (Yakuza) @ Hiro Uchiyama (Master hypnotist) @ Onochi Seietsu (Master hypnotist) @ Edouard Montoute (Alain) @ François Cottrelle (Plainclothes cop at airport) @ Tewhik Behar (Djamel) @ Jean-Louis Schlesser (Jean-Louis) @ Henri Magne (Co-pilot) @ Michel Muller (Pregnant woman's husband) @ Miren Pradier (Pregnant woman) @ Richard Guedj (Doctor) @ Jean-Luc Borras (Bookseller) @ Sébastien Thiery (Driving instructor) @ Cyril Raffaelli (Karate instructor) @ François Nguyen (Belote player) @ Louis-Marie Nyee (Belote player) @ David Moulin (Belote player) @ Jean-Luc Mehler (Old cop at radar) @ Jean-François Regazzi (Deputy chief at radar) @ Dominique Chevalier (Traffic controller) @ Franck Maigne (Assistant trafic controller) @ Hiroyuki Yanagisawa (Japanese ambassador) @ Emile Gerard (Lt. Col. Bertrand) @ Nicky Naude (Swimming man) @ Shirley Bousquet (Swimming woman) @ Jean-Claude Houbart (Green light driver) @ Christophe Gorlier (Expert chief) @ Maïdi Roth (Driving school student) @ Philippe Du Janerand (Passenger) @ Eric Challier (Cop at police station) @ Jacques Buron (Col. Picard) @ Stephane Aizac (GIGN soldier) @ Sébastien Pons (Akim) @ Malek Bechar (Rachid) @ Michel Elias (Rally speaker) @ Pierre Brichese (Cop at police station) @ Fedele Papalia (Park keeper) @ Dorel Carenco (Young girl at radar rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Jacques Chirac (Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)) @ Lionel Jospin (Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)Produced by||Taxi Cut-n-paste Job
More stunts, more action, more tougher enemy...and of course, more Petra.
Now I liked Taxi, it was a good fun, car chasing type movie that was funny, etc, and the sequel is just about as good...it is a brainless movie which you can switch your mind off...
Whilst I enjoy watching subtitled films, I had a real problem finding one Dubbed in English for my uncle.
Anyway, the film is just like the first, the taxi driver is hired by the cops, but this time to protect a high-ranking Japanese official from the Yakuza.
The cops, lead by a dumb and annoying captain must protect him at all costs, but when Petra and the official are kidnapped, its up to the Taxi driver and co to rescue them.
With more stunts, and danger (costing the lives of several people), it owes more to a Jackie Chan film rather than to any french film, it still suffers from the same Americanisation problem, and whilst it does slightly better than the first in terms of action, it lacks the story or characterisation.
Most of the jokes rely you to have seen the first film.
As for the ending, I couldn't understand how Petra, who knew how to do Karate and Judo could beat Ninja Commandos...not only that, but the continutity problem of her panties...
Anyway, its a good film...but you'll probably forget it about as fast as the previous film.
Overall: 5/10 (it needs a dubbed version!) || |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-26|||||@@
Taxi 3|Gérard Krawczyk|Action|NR |5.0|France|2003|84 min/ Spain:90 min|French||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Luc Besson Bernard Grenet Laurent Pétin Michèle Pétin|Luc Besson |Gérard Sterin ||A-Film Distribution [nl] ||A gang of thieves calling themselves the Santa Claus Gang are wreaking havoc, and the police can't keep up. Police Captain Gilbert is distracted by a Chinese reporter writing a story on his squad, detective Emilien's wife has just announced that she's pregnant, and taxi driver Daniel is in the midst of a relationship crisis. After a string of mistakes in which the thieves outsmart the police time and time again with a reporter there to record it all, Daniel and his super-taxi pitch in.
|Samy Naceri (Daniel) @ Frédéric Diefenthal (Emilien) @ Bernard Farcy (Commissaire Gibert) @ Ling Bai (Qiu) @ Emma Sjöberg (Petra) @ Marion Cotillard (Lilly) @ Edouard Montoute (Alain) @ Jean-Christophe Bouvet (Général Bertineau) @ Léon-Pierre Mondini (Policier) @ Bernard Llopis (Policier) @ Jean-Louis Schlesser (Policier) @ Jean-Pierre Mas (Policier) @ Michel Neugarten (Policier) @ Patrice Abbou (Rachid) @ Claude Sese (Planton (as Claude Sesé)) @ Cyril Brunet (Caissier) @ Bernard Destouches (Collègue (as Bernard Destouche)) @ Philippe Paimblanc (Militaire) @ David Gabison (Ministre) @ Vincent Tulli (Policier Camionnette) @ Gérard Krawczyk (Policier Camionnette) @ Dara-Indo Oum (Père Noèl Tunnel (as Dara Indo Oum)) @ Bonnafet Tarbouriech (Pharmacien) @ Philippe Ferrandini (Militaire Lance Roquette) @ Shirley Kohn (Angèle) @ Norbert Daverio (Maire de Marseille) @ Eric Naggar (Docteur (as Éric Naggar)) @ Julian Naceri (Petit Chef Skate) @ Laurent Desponds (Chauffeur Gibert) @ Valeska Chabouis (Mère de Petra) @ Franck Fouret (Client) @ Albert Lerda (Vendeur) @ Frédérick Patois 'Goobi' (Speaker) @ Christian Waldner (Silhouette Père Noèl) @ Felicity Neale (Mère Noèl) @ Dorothy Barrick (Mère Noèl) @ Jennifer Herrera (Mère Noèl) @ Flora Bourniquel 'Kim' (Mère Noèl) @ Thierry Adler (Ninja) @ Cédric Chen (Ninja) @ Martin Grandperret (Ninja rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Sylvester Stallone (Le premier passager (uncredited)Produced by||A commercial trip through comic boredom
Taxi 3 : Here is a film that bears well its name : Yes absolutely it is the THIRD sequel of the same track race between the foreign Wicked bandits and the dumb French police helped by the turbo-charged taxi driver. After 2 attempts, you might expect a bit of "ageing" and maturation of this eye-catching concept, well except the the fun credits at the beginning and the surprise appearance of Mr Stallon himself, there is nothing really new :
- a simplistic story-line - a demagogue & super-caricatural description of the French police - a crude humor - not so impressive track race - action scenes with barely no action - pityful dialogues - actors who are never really exploited - no surprise happy ending
Apparently Mr Besson wanted to make a comedy that does not take itself seriously : well if you are not too hard to please concerning the subtlety of the humor you might get a satisfaction but it's not enough to save this farce because the supposed action scenes are nothing more than boring and uninspired. Furthermore, the grotesque is too serious not to be taken seriously. So you are left with the story, but it the carbon copy of the precedents except that the Chinese have replaced the Japanese and the Germans as the shrewd bandits...
It's a pity that Mr Besson the producer/writer does not have the same standard of excellence as Mr Besson the director. This film could have been a funny piece of popular entertainment but it was too botched up to live up to this title.
To sum up : a ludicrous popular comedy made of crude gags + no action action scenes in the wake of the worn out Taxi series. (4 out of 10)
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
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Tears of the Sun|Antoine Fuqua|Drama|Rated R for strong war violence, some brutality and language. |6.1|USA|2003|121 min/ Argentina:120 min/ USA:118 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ian Bryce Stephen J. Eads Heidi Fugeman Mike Lobell Arnold Rifkin Joe Roth Steven P. Saeta Cathy Schulman|Alex Lasker Patrick Cirillo|Mauro Fiore Keith Solomon|||He was trained to follow orders. He became a hero by defying them.|Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity, between following orders by ignoring the conflict that surrounds them, or finding the courage to follow their conscience and protect a group of innocent refugees. When the democratic government of Nigeria collapses and the country is taken over by a ruthless military dictator, Waters, a fiercely loyal and hardened veteran is dispatched on a routine mission to retrieve a Doctors Without Borders physician, Dr. Lena Kendricks. Dr. Kendricks, an American citizen by marriage, is tending to the victims of the ongoing civil war at a Catholic mission in a remote village. When Waters arrives, however, Dr. Kendricks refuses to leave unless he promises to help deliver the villagers to political asylum at the nearby border. If they are left behind, they will be at the mercy of the enormous rebel army. Waters is under strict orders from his commanding officer Captain Bill Rhodes to remain disengaged from the conflict. But as he and his men witness the brutality of the rebels first-hand, they are won over to Dr. Kendricks' cause and place their lives at risk by agreeing to escort the villagers on a perilous trek through the dense jungle. As they move through the countryside on foot, Waters' team, experts at evasion and concealment, are inexplicably and ferociously pursued by an army of rebels. They are confounded until they discover that, among the refugees, is the sole survivor of the country's previous ruling family, whom the rebels have been ordered to eliminate at all costs. Waters and his small band of soldiers must weigh the life of one man against their own and the refugees they feel obliged to protect.
|Bruce Willis (Lt. A.K. Waters) @ Monica Bellucci (Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks) @ Cole Hauser (James 'Red' Atkins) @ Eamonn Walker (Ellis 'Zee' Pettigrew) @ Johnny Messner (Kelly Lake) @ Nick Chinlund (Michael 'Slo' Slowenski) @ Charles Ingram (III) (Demetrius 'Silk' Owens) @ Paul Francis (II) (Danny 'Doc' Kelley||Saving Private Willis
We've all seen this movie before. It's been done in different styles and with different talents, but the underlying roots are recycled and not-so-original. But if you can push that away, "Tears of the Sun" comes off as an overall decent film that manages to entertain one way or another.
Bruce Willis plays a Navy S.E.A.L. Lieutenant who leads a band of men into war-torn Africa to extract an American doctor (Monica Bellucci) and a nun and a priest. When they arrive at the doctor's "mission," she refuses to leave her people behind. Willis disobeys direct orders from the big man on the carrier (Tom Selleck), and tells her she can bring them along to the extraction point. When they arrive, she realizes he lied to her. Feeling sorry for the Africans, Willis allows her to bring 12 people along. Skip forward a few chapters on your DVD player, and you'll see that they are being tracked by African soldiers on a rampage. If they don't make it out by a few days, they'll all be dead.
Monica Bellucci's Dr. Kendrix is a whiny, arrogant person. Willis' character saves her life and disobeys direct orders many times. Just for her. But she still whines. One thing that got me was when Willis tells her they must keep moving because of enemy troops hot on their trail, but she says "We've been walking for thirty hours! We need rest!" Well, excuuuuuse me, but the stinkin' people wouldn't even BE THERE if it wasn't for Willis disobeying direct orders. Something's better than nothing, lady. But oh well, it's just a movie.
Bruce Willis gives a fairly good lead in the film, but I can't help but feel that he seems tired. Maybe it's a sign of a great actor enveloping his weathered old S.E.A.L. LT. Or maybe it's just a tired-out actor. Time will tell. I suppose he'll be sleeping by the time "Die Hard 4: Die Hardest" starts filming.
Monica Bellucci is a good choice for this film, mainly because she doesn't seem like someone who wouldn't be in Africa. I can't imagine what it would look like if, say, Willis had to rescue some beauty queen. "Stop running--I broke a nail!" Unlike films where the leading lady is running through stormy locations and still comes out with her hair-doo intact, Bellucci's hair becomes greasy and sweaty and her clothes get dirty. It's a bit more realistic than a film like this usually tries to be. Kudos there.
But in the long run, "Tears of the Sun" is nothing extraordinarily special. It's good, and entertaining, but wait till video to see it. It's not worth flying out to the theater for. Although, as I write this, the film is already out on VHS and DVD. I guess I just got a late screening on this one.
3/5 stars -
John Ulmer |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-10 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Tempo|Eric Styles|Romance|Rated R for language, violence and sexuality. |6.0|Canada|2003||English||||||||||False||||||||26/10/2003|Alain Bordiec Georges Campana Lewis Chesler Chris Chrisafis Jean-Claude Marchant David Perlmutter Andrew Somper Robert Vaughn|L.M. Kit Carson Jeremy Lipp Jennifer Salt|Robert Fraisse ||Remstar Distribution [ca] |ùøä (âøéôéú') çéä áëì éåí òì äâáåì äã÷ ùì äñëðä áúåø ñåçøú áùå÷ äùçåø äöøôúé.ùåúôä ìôùò äåà â'÷ (ãàðñé), áçåø öòéø åðàä àåúå äéà ôéúúä ìäöèøó àìéä.áîùê çåãùéí äí îùç÷éí áîùç÷ äîñåëï åîöìéçéí ìöàú ììà ôâò, ëàùø éåí àçã äí ôåâùéí àú â'ðé, áçåøä öòéøä ùðøàéú úîéîä ìîøàä, àùø òåáãú áçðåú úëùéèéí îôåøñîú àåúä äí îúëððéí ìùãåã.||Melanie Griffith (Sarah) @ Rachael Leigh Cook (Jack rest of cast listed alphabetically David La Haye) @ Art Malik (executive producer||Not Great, but not bad either...
Since Rachael Leigh Cook is one of my favorite actresses, I couldn't resist to see her latest work. I know since Josie and The Pussycats that she mostly did direct-to-video movies and indies, and that was the opportunity to see her again in a European setting...
This time, it's Paris. I was not very thrilled to see a déjà-vu subject of the love triangle, set on illegal antiques'smuggling business background, but with Rachael there, I might be in for a small treat...
The result here is partly entertaining. Eric Styles uses the flashback to tell the story as it begins in a car chase in central Paris. Mostly a story about betrayal, survival and mostly choosing between love and reason.
An antiques smuggler works for a rich mob dealer. She is sent for a contract in Germany in order to get paid and then refund a debt to another mob member. In the meanwhile, her boyfriend falls in love with a jewellers'boutique employee, Jenny. Unfortunately, when the lady smuggler comes back, she catches her lover in the act. However, her smuggling didn't do well and she must comes up with the money to reimburse the mob guy in order to save her life. For revenge, she intends to use her boyfriend's mistress naive nature for a night heist at the jewellery shop to refund her debt. Will it succeed ?
Performances are okay: Rachael Leigh Cook (with an audacious caracter going beyond the simple kiss...), Hugh Dancy and Malcolm McDowell are doing good here but Mrs. Griffith lacks the charm she had many years ago with movies like Body Double and Working Girl. Too sad for such an actress who stills have some sexy assets at her 40s...
The story's okay, and it's good fare compared to recent releases who are with big budget but with low quality.
Watch it for fun, and gaze the streets of Paris with Ms.Cook !
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Dr. Seuss' The Cat In The Hat 2003|||PG |||2003|82 mins|||XviD|1||XviD MPEG|1077 |592x320|MPEG Layer 3|134 |False|48,000 Hz|2|700.14 MB||||23.98|20/03/2004|||||||áùðú 1957 éöà ìçðåéåú äñôøéí ñôø äéìãéí 'çúåì úòìåì', ôøé òèå ùì ã"ø ñåñ.
äñôø ðëúá áçï øá, òí äîåï àäáä, äåîåø, çøåæéí åãîéåï ôåøä.
ëòú îâéò úåøåú ùì äñøè òèåø äú÷öéá, ùîîùéê àú ãøëå ùì 'äâøéðõ' äîöìéç îùðú 2000, ùâí ëï äáéà ìîñê äâãåì àú àçã îñéôåøéå ùì ã"ø ñåñ.
"çúåì úòìåì" îáéà ìîñëéí àú ñéôåøå ùì äçúåì äòð÷ äîãáø, ùâåøø àçøéå áòé÷ø öøåú åäøñ, âí àí î÷åøï áëååðåú èåáåú.
ñàìé å÷åðøã äí ùðé éìãéí àîøé÷àééí èéôåñééí áâéì äéìãåú äîôåð÷.
÷åðøã äåà òåùä öøåú îãåôìí, ñàìé âí ëï ùåááä ìà ÷èðä, áîñååä ùì éìãä èåáä éøåùìéí.
éåí çåøôé àçã, îåúéøä àåúí àîí (÷ìé ôøñèåï) òí äãâ-îçîã ùìäí (ùîàåçø éåúø áñøè îúâìä ùäåà éåãò ìãáø) åòí äáééáéñéèøéú äæ÷ðä åäîùòîîú, âáøú ÷ååàï, åéåöàú ìñéãåøéí áòéø.
áçåõ âùí, áôðéí àéï îä ìòùåú, òã ùìôúò îâéçä äéùåòä îëéååï îàåã îàåã îôúéò - çúåì òð÷ åîãáø áâåáä ùì ÷øåá ìùðé îèøéí (îéé÷ îàééøñ), ùîöéò ìäí àìèøðèéáä øàåéä ìùòîåí áúöåøä äøôú÷àåú öáòåðéåú òí ùìì ãîåéåú îñòéøåú ãîéåï åññâåðéåú ùäåà ùåìó îëåáò ä÷ñîéí òèåø äôñéí äàãåîéí-ìáðéí ùìå, ãåâîú äéöåøéí äçáéáéí-àê-îæé÷éí 'ãáø 1' å'ãáø 2'.
åàåìí, îä ùîúçéì ëéåí ùì ùòùåò åùáéøú ùâøä, äåôê òã îäøä ìáàìâï àãéø äðåöø ááéú äîùôçä.
ëòú, òì äéìãéí åäçúåì ìð÷åú àú äàðøëéä äàãéøä ùðåöøú áî÷åí, áèøí úçæåø äàîà îñéãåøéä áçåõ...
The classic book comesito life! ||||Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1||||||@@
Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le|Jean-Pierre Jeunet|Comedy|Rated R for sexual content. |8.7|France|2001|122 min/ France:129 min/ Germany:117 min|French||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jean-Marc Deschamps Arne Meerkamp van Embden Claudie Ossard Claudie Ossard|Guillaume Laurant Jean-Pierre Jeunet Guillaume Laurant Guillaume Laurant|Bruno Delbonnel ||Albatros Film [jp] |She'll change your life.|Amelie is looking for love, and perhaps for the meaning of life in general. We see her grow up in an original if slightly dysfunctional family. Now a waitress in central Paris, she interacts curiously with her neighbors and customers, as well as a mysterious Photomaton-image collector and one of his even more mysterious photo subjects. Little by little, Amelie realizes that the way to happiness (and yet more subtle humor) requires here to take her own initiative and reach out to others.
Amelie tries to enrich the lives of those around her by weaving her special brand of mischievious magic. She befriends a neighbor who's a shut-in, plays pranks on another neighbor, steals a garden gnome and returns objects she collects to their rightful owners. She romantically daydreams in the cafe she works at and marvels at life's ironies. One day she finds a small box containing a child's momentos and decides to set about finding its rightful owner...will romance blossom for Amelie?
|Audrey Tautou (Amélie Poulain) @ Mathieu Kassovitz (Nino Quincampoix) @ Rufus (Raphaël Poulain, Amélie's Father) @ Yolande Moreau (Madeleine Wallace, concierge) @ Artus de Penguern (Hipolito, The Writer) @ Urbain Cancelier (Collignon, The Grocer) @ Dominique Pinon (Joseph) @ Maurice Bénichou (Bretodeau, The Box Man||Surprisingly, pretty good
Nothing - neither the hideous-looking trailer, not the favourable reviews, nor the unfavourable reviews, nor Jeunet's past work, nor Jeunet's expressed opinions, nor what I knew of the subject matter - gave me any reason to believe that "Amélie" would be anything other than two hours of torture.It turned out to be a pleasant, pretty damned good movie.It's certainly better than "City of Lost Children" (if not "Delicatessen").Without the contribution of Jeunet's former co-director (and inspired production designer) Marc Caro, it doesn't LOOK nearly as good as it ought: too many sets and effects are merely digital (the single worst digital effect: at one point, when Amélie is excited, we pan down to a revolting X-ray image of her beating heart), only a third of the cutaway gags have anything going for them, and every single shot has an unattractive yellow colour cast - doubtless an attempt to capture the warmth of old Technicolor prints, but all it does the film look sallow.Still, the charm is real.
In its way.Most of the time Amélie is a lovable neurotic, but Audrey Tatou has but to look at the camera - or even GLANCE for a moment in the rough direction of the camera - and the character instantly becomes arch and knowing and insufferable.It's as if she knows she's in a film starring herself.Amélie (like most of the others) is only worth knowing so long as we can think to ourselves, "My god, she's really like that"; the moment we suspect she's putting it on, she's lost us.
Those who think this is one of the best movies ever made (or the best French movie of the past decade, or some such) can't be getting out much: it's a sweet trifle, no more, no less.What surprises me is that nine out of ten of those who loathe the film, no less than those that adore it, do so for the wrong reasons.Amélie's little schemes are NOT the work of an angel: they're not motivated by altruism, most cause at roughly as much misery as they do happiness, one comes to a bad end and another of them was just plain nasty.That's the POINT.The film's mostly happy ending is meant to come across like the happy ending to "Emma" - good fortune rather than good management, and more than the heroine deserved.
About the "McDonalds" criticism: Yes, no doubt the real Montmarte has McDonalds outlets in it.That's no reason at all to put such things in the movie.They don't make Montmarte any better and they wouldn't make the movie any better.This is an important point.When we find ourselves tolerating the presence of McDonalds outlets even in our fantasies, the battle against them will have been lost: what we have trained ourselves to tolerate in fantasy we cannot help but tolerate in real life. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-2 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Guru, The|Daisy von Scherler Mayer|Comedy|Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, and for language. |6.0|UK|2002|94 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Tim Bevan Liza Chasin David Crockett (I) Eric Fellner Debra Hayward Shekhar Kapur Michael London (II)|Tracey Jackson (IV) |John de Borman |||When he talks, women listen|Dance teacher Ramu leaves India to go to America and join his cousin who is rich and successful. When he arrive he finds that his cousin has lied and that he lives in a flat above a shop with illegals etc. However he sets out to be a film star and auditions for a role that he gets. However when he finds it's in a porno with actress Sharonna he can't go through with it despite her good advice on how to do it. Later he is catering at a party featuring a wise old guru, who gets drunk and passes out. Ramu stands in and repeats the wisdom of Sharonna, freeing the mind of the posh guests and attracting Lexi to him. However to keep the image of him as a sex guru going he has to get more lessons from Sharonna whom he begins to fall for despite using her.
|Heather Graham (Sharonna) @ Marisa Tomei (Lexi) @ Jimi Mistry (Ramu Gupta) @ Michael McKean (Dwain) @ Dash Mihok (Rusty) @ Emil Marwa (Vijay) @ Raahul Singh (Amit) @ Ronald Guttman (Edwin||Well-paced comedy with excellent script
This is a VERY funny movie with absolutely brillant dialogue, and great pacing.There actually aren't that many musical numbers, (especially compared with most "Bollywood" movies) but they are well-staged and flow into the story very well.
The plotline might just be a variation of your standard Hollywood light comedy, but the execution is spot-on and the performances refreshing and dynamic.A great story all-round. ||Movies ||Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-2|||||@@
Hulk||Sci-Fi|Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some disturbing images and brief partial nudity. |6.2|USA|2003|USA:138 min|English||||||||||False||||||||26/10/2003||||||The inner beast will be released| "Powerful with Spectacular Action!" - David Ansen, Newsweek The larger-than-life Marvel Super Hero theiHulk explodes onto theibig screen!Afteria freak lab accident unleashesia genetically enhanced, impossibly strong creature,ia terrifed world must marshal its forcesito stopia being with abilities beyond imagination. |||Perfect!
I was fortunate to get invited to a screening to this film.Before I review this film, I will say that I have stopped watching trailers.All together stopped.Why?Trailers give too much of a movie away, and spoil the surprises. Now then, having not seen the trailer(s) for "HULK" I was completely oblivious to the look or feel of this film, therefore when it began, I was in awe of it.It was better than I could have ever imagined, it was perfect!!It gives you a tragedy, and a love story, a sympathetic hero and villain.It gives you cause and effect.All the elements "Jekyl and Hyde" are here, as well as a Greek tragedy, and a tale of fathers and sons.
As you have no doubt noticed I haven't given any specifics to the films plot or details as to the actions, I won't spoil anything for you.You will see for yourselves."HULK" is not for everyone, not everyone will like it, but I strongly doubt this film will go away quietly, it has enough punch to jolt the general viewing public, and the box office!
|Region 1 |Special Edition - |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC] SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1|1-19 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Last of the Mohicans, The|Michael Mann|Western|R |7.4|USA|1992|112 min|English||XviD|2||XviD MPEG-4|1991 |640x272|AC3-Digital|375 |False|48,000 Hz||1396.98 MB||||25.00|01/02/2004|Ned Dowd Hunt Lowry Michael Mann James G. Robinson|James Fenimore Cooper John L. Balderston Paul Perez Daniel Moore Philip Dunne Michael Mann Christopher Crowe|Dante Spinotti ||20th Century Fox Film Corporation [us] ||British and French troops do battle in colonial America, with aid from various native American war parties. The British troops enlist the help of local colonial militia men, who are reluctant to leave their homes undefended. A budding romance between a British officer's daughter and an independent man who was reared as a Mohawk complicates things for the British officer, as the adopted Mohawk pursues his own agenda despite the wrath of different people on both sides of the conflict.
As the English and French soldiers battle for control of the North American colonies in the 18th century, the settlers and native Americans are forced to take sides. Cora and her sister Alice unwittingly walk into trouble but are saved by Hawkeye, an orphaned settler adopted by the last of the Mohicans.
The story is about a dying tribe called the Mohicans in which only two are left as well as one adopted white man. These three men refuse to enter the militia for English in 1757 for they want freedom. On their way to Kentucky, the intercept Indians attacking a small regiment of British including the two daughters of an English Colonel on their way to a fort. The three men lead the survivors to the fort while two love stories take place but the French and Indian War continues.
|Daniel Day-Lewis (Hawkeye/Nathaniel Poe) @ Madeleine Stowe (Cora Munro) @ Russell Means (Chingachgook) @ Eric Schweig (Uncas) @ Jodhi May (Alice Munro) @ Steven Waddington (Maj. Duncan Heyward) @ Wes Studi (Magua) @ Maurice Roëves (Col. Edmund Munro) @ Patrice Chéreau (Gen Montcalm) @ Edward Blatchford (Jack Winthrop) @ Terry Kinney (John Cameron) @ Tracey Ellis (Alexandra Cameron) @ Justin M. Rice (James Cameron) @ Dennis Banks (Ongewasgone) @ Pete Postlethwaite (Capt. Beams) @ Colm Meaney (Maj. Ambrose) @ Mac Andrews (Gen. Webb) @ Malcolm Storry (Phelps) @ David Schofield (Sergeant Major) @ Eric D. Sandgren (Coureur De Bois) @ Mike Phillips (Sachem) @ Dylan Baker (Capt. De Bougainville) @ Tim Hopper (Ian) @ Gregory Zaragoza (Abenaki Chief) @ Scott Means (Abenaki Warrior) @ William J. Bozic Jr. (French Artillery Officer) @ Patrick Fitzgerald (Webb's Adjutant) @ Mark Joy (Henri) @ Steve Keator (Colonial Representative) @ Don Tilley (Colonial #1) @ Thomas E. Cummings (Colonial #2) @ David Mark Farrow (Guard) @ Ethan James Fugate (French Sappeur) @ F. Curtis Gaston (Soldier #1) @ Eric A. Hurley (Soldier #2) @ Jared Harris (British Lieutenant) @ Michael McConnell (Sentry) @ Thomas John McGowan (Rich Merchant) @ Alice Papineau (Huron Woman) @ Mark J. Maracle (Sharitarish) @ Clark Heathcliffe (Regimental Sergeant Major) @ Sebastian Roché (Martin) @ Joe Finnegan (Redcoat #2) @ Sheila Adams Barnhill (Humming Woman rest of cast listed alphabetically Benton Jennings .... Scottish Officer) @ Trenton McDevitt (British Soldier/Couiour d'boise (uncredited)) @ Shawn Michael Perry (Mohawk Core (uncredited)Produced by||Overlooked masterpiece bucked trends of the time
It used to baffle me why this film hasn't been held in greater esteem. I was blown away by this film when I first saw it, and knew quite a few people who snuck back to the theater several times for more. The beautiful and harsh scenery, dreamlike photography, sudden explosions of bloody violence, and raging, over-the-top passion amid a collapsing world create a pure emotional rush. This is melodrama at its best, which means that it can really stir your emotions if you let it.
After reading a recent review of Ron Howard's "The Missing" by Steve Sailer (Washington Times) I think I know why "Last of the Mohicans" was overlooked. No matter how good this film was, it bucked the dominant trend in pop-culture perceptions of Native Americans at the time - a trend, according to Sailer, that might be reversing. Here's a historical breakdown of trends in similar films:
1. 1950-1970 - Native Americans are one-dimensional, easily killed, comic-book villians. No religious elements appear. There are only a few exceptions to this rule (e.g. John Ford's "The Searchers").
2. 1970s - Native American violence becomes brutal and real - but we also get rising sensitivity to Native Anericans without much sappy-ness. To quote Sailer:
"'The Missing' resembles 'Ulzana's Raid,' the 1972 Burt Lancaster film that was one of several brutal but realistic films (such as 1970's 'A Man Called Horse') made during a brief period of balance in the depiction of Native Americans, falling between the earlier era's anti-Indian prejudice and the present day's happy-clappy New Age nonsense."
In other words, if "Last of the Mohicans" had been released in 1970 it might have been hailed as "progressive."
3. 1980s and 1990s - Religious/spiritual interpretations of Native Americans become dominant but are just as comic-book as the old 1950s violence. Native Americans are cute New Age "Dances With Wolves" icons that sit around and act wise. "Native American" becames an always-good point of reference in the Culture Wars. Classic example from South Park: an old hippie screams in front of a new Starbuck's
"...how many Native Americans did you slaughter to make that coffee shop?"
Michael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992) clearly ran counter to the 1990s trend - it was trashed by critics at the time but I've always felt it was a much better film than it is given credit for, even a classic. But it bucks the New Age image of Native Americans so popular in 1992. For example, the old chief at the end uses his spiritual authority to make a brutal, violent decision for death so that justice is served. The Native American father Chingagchook kills the revenge and power-mad Magua without pity. And as for Magua's own behavior...nobody on either side is asking "...can't we all just get along?"
In other words, Mann picked the exact wrong time to make this film. In the 1970s it might have been properly recognized, but by 1992 it was out of step with the touchy-feely image of Native Americans. Coupled with its obvious melodrama and action-film hype, the film became too much of a "guilty pleasure" to win praise (but don't let that stop you now).
Movies are changing again, and that might be a good reason to go out and rent "Last of the Mohicans."According to Sailer, "the dark side of Native American spiritualism" is now being seen in "Missing". Like "Mohicans", Howard's new film loses the New Age stuff for a dreamlike action/horror state. The scenes below have their obvious parallels in "Mohicans":
Blanchett finds her boyfriend's charred corpse strung up over a campfire where the Indians slowly roasted him to death. Later, when a photographer snaps the Apache leader's picture, the shaman gets his soul back by tearing out the man's heart.
The other problem with "Mohicans" was that it is too "manly." There's a very strong female lead, but the men are also real, lusty, nasty men. By including this brand of passion, "Mohicans" conflicted directly with the "girl power" pop culture trend of the mid-1990s. Admitting you liked the film made you anti-woman as well as anti Native American.
In this light, consider Sailer's comments on "Missing" - they apply equally to "Mohicans:"
"Still, I have to admire Howard for ignoring the bogus and condescending fantasies about American Indian culture rampant in our society today. Native Americans have suffered enough without having the memory of their warriors emasculated by self-absorbed eco-feminists into sappy symbols. Geronimo was a cruel man, but he was every inch a man."
We may be on the edge of a revival of films which are capable of mixing Native Americans, violence, and romance in a good way. If so, the underappreciated "Last of the Mohicans" is a place to start.
|Region 1 |Director's Expanded Edition |2.35 : 1 |5.1 ||||||@@
Jui kuen II|Chia-Liang Liu Jackie Cha|Action|Rated R for violent content. |7.5|Hong Kong|1994|102 min/ USA:99 min|Cantonese||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Leonard Ho Edward Tang (I) Eric Tsang (I) Barbie Tung|Edward Tang (I) Man-Ming Tong Kai-Chi Yun|Tony Cheung Yiu-Tsou Cheung Jingle Ma Man-wan Wong||||Returning home with his father after a shopping expedition, Wong Fei-Hong is unwittingly caught up in the battle between foreigners who wish to export ancient Chinese artifacts and loyalists who don't want the pieces to leave the country. Fei-Hong's father has taught him a style of fighting called "Drunken Boxing", which makes him a dangerous person to cross.
|Jackie Chan (Wong Fei-hung) @ Lung Ti (Wong Kei-ying, Wong's Father) @ Anita Mui (Mrs. Wong, Fei-hung's Step-Mother) @ Felix Wong (Tsang) @ Chia-Liang Liu (General Fu Wen-Chi (as Lau Kar-Leung)) @ Ken Lo (John) @ Kar Lok Chin (Fo Sang) @ Ho Sung Pak (Henry||Very good Jackie Chan flick
A good martial arts film involving Chan as a man who likes to "drunk" box his opponents--that means he's dead roaring drunk when he does it which makes him better.I know--it makes no sense, but how many Chan pictures are realistic?Also, Chan is way too old to be playing a guy who's supposed to be in his 20s or 30s.All that aside, it's a very entertaining film.Lapses in the script and characterization are all forgiven with the fights.There are many, they are nonstop with some amazing moves and they're fun!A lot of them were filmed in fast motion making them seem even quicker and faster.Also, the part where Chan imitates Bruce Lee is hilarious!Worth seeing--just ignore the plot. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |MPEG-1 2.0 |1-26|||||@@
Princess Bride, The|Rob Reiner|Fantasy||8.2|USA|1987|98 min|English||DivX|1||DivX V5|848 |640x352|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|48,000 Hz|2|699.93 MB||||23.98|18/11/2003|Norman Lear Steve Nicolaides Rob Reiner Andrew Scheinman Jeffrey Stott|William Goldman William Goldman|Adrian Biddle ||20th Century Fox Film Corporation [us] |Scaling the Cliffs of Insanity, Battling Rodents of Unusual Size, Facing torture in the Pit of Despair. - True love has never been a snap.|A kindly grandfather sits down with his grandson and reads him a bedtime story. The story is one that has been passed down through from father to son for generations. As the grandfather reads the story, the action comes alive. The story is a classic tale of love and adventure as the beautiful Buttercup is kidnapped and held against her will in order to marry the odious Prince Humperdinck, and Westley (her childhood beau, now returned as the Dread Pirate Roberts) attempts to save her. On the way he meets an accomplished swordsman and a huge, super strong giant, both of whom become his companions in his quest. They meet a few bad guys along the way to rescue Buttercup.
When the lovely Buttercup is kidnapped by a ghastly gang intent on fermenting an international incident they find they are pursued by the Dread Pirate Roberts who just might be Westley, her one true love. Also after everyone is nasty Prince Humperdinck to whom Buttercup is now betrothed but who seems to care little for her continued survival. The stage is set for swordfights, monsters, and tortures - but will Grandpa be allowed to finish telling the story with all these kissy bits?
Return to a time when men and swamps were swamps. Fire Swamps, that is. Full of quicksand and Rodents of Unusual Size. Lagoons were inhabited by shrieking eels. And the most beautiful woman in the world was named . . . Buttercup? Well, it's a bent fairy tale. Complete with all the fencing, chasing, escapes, and silly accents you'd expect. Including such unique folk as Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), who has dreamt his whole life of finding the six-fingered man who killed his father. Andre the Giant as his enormous sidekick. And Billy Crystal as the kvetching miracle man, Max. Blonde Buttercup loves Westley, a poor stable boy. But when he's captured by pirates, she's chosen by evil Prince Humperdinck to be his princess bride. Along the way, she gets kidnapped, he gets killed. But it all ends up okay.
|Cary Elwes (Westley) @ Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya) @ Chris Sarandon (Prince Humperdinck) @ Christopher Guest (Count Tyrone Rugen) @ Wallace Shawn (Vizzini) @ André the Giant (Fezzik (as Andre the Giant)) @ Fred Savage (The Grandson) @ Robin Wright Penn (Buttercup/The Princess Bride (as Robin Wright)) @ Peter Falk (The Grandfather) @ Peter Cook (The Impressive Clergyman) @ Mel Smith (The Albino) @ Carol Kane (Valerie) @ Billy Crystal (Miracle Max) @ Anne Dyson (The Queen) @ Margery Mason (The Ancient Booer) @ Malcolm Storry (Yellin) @ Willoughby Gray (The King) @ Betsy Brantley (The Mother) @ Paul Badger (The Assistant Brute rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Sallie McLaughlin ( (uncredited)Produced by||Great Writing
Since visiting IMDB, I've been prompted to think about my favorite movies. I have a short list of films that are particularly clever in one of the cinematic arts. But I have two that strike me as perfectly entertaining stories. This is one.
Oh, the other values of filmmaking are fine here, but what makes this stand out is excellence in the simple art of storytelling. Also as I enjoy self-reference, I like the frame of the grandfather telling the story to a sick child. || |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |2.0 Surround |2-22|||||@@
Peuple migrateur, Le|Jacques Cluzaud Michel Debats Jacques Perrin (I|Documentary||7.9|France|2001|98 min/ Canada:81 min (Toronto Film Festival)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Christophe Barratier (I) Reinhard Brundig Danièle Delorme Jean-Marc Henchoz Jean Labadie José María Morales (II) Andrea Occhipinti Jacques Perrin (I) Yves Robert Jean de Trégomain|Stéphane Durand Jacques Perrin (I) Valentine Perrin Francis Roux||||||Jacques Perrin (I) (Narrator (voice)Produced by)||Beautiful filming
My only negative comment would be was that I would love to see this on an Imax screen to get the full widescreen effect. I saw it on a regular movie screen and while still powerful, something was missing. A long list of credits rolled when it was over, this was an incredible feat of filming and the birds in their travel of thousands of miles are awe-inspiring. This is an extremely slow-paced documentary, however, and not suitable for children. The downside was the shooting of some of these birds when flying over the U.S. having been in the air for thousands of miles, a wrenching few minutes. The commentary was minimal, which was perfect, and I loved the music. The eight year old with me was very bored, nothing much happens for a child's entertainment. She gave it a 5 out of 10 and I gave it an 8. ||Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-20|||||@@
||||||1994||||||||||||False||||||||30/10/2003|||||||A whirlwind tour of first-class animated shorts, "The World's Greatest Animation" assembles, for the first time, an eye-popping assortment of Academy Award winners and nominees from the years 1978-1991. Includes: Creature Comforts (directed by "Wallace & Gromit's" Nick Park), Balance, Technological Threat, The Cat Came Back, Your Face (directed by Bill Plympton), A Greek Tragedy, Anna & Bella, The Big Snit, Charade, Sundae in New York, The Great Incognito (directed by Will Vinton), Tango, The Fly, Crac!, Every Child, Special Delivery.
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There's Something About Mary|Bobby Farrelly Peter Farrell|Comedy|Rated R for strong comic sexual content and language. |7.2|USA|1998|119 min/ USA:134 min (director's cut)|English||||||||||False||||||||24/01/2004|Frank Beddor Mark Charpentier Bobby Farrelly Peter Farrelly Marc S. Fischer Patrick Healy James B. Rogers Michael Steinberg Bradley Thomas Charles B. Wessler|Ed Decter John J. Strauss Ed Decter John J. Strauss Peter Farrelly Bobby Farrelly|Mark Irwin ||20th Century Fox Film Corporation [us] |Warning: The guys who did 'Dumb & Dumber' and 'Kingpin' bring you a love story.|Ted was a geek in high school, who was going to go to the prom with one of the most popular girls in school, Mary. The prom date never happened, because Ted had a very unusual accident. Thirteen years later he realizes he is still in love with Mary, so he hires a private investigator to track her down. That investigator discovers he too may be in love with Mary, so he gives Ted some false information to keep him away from her. But soon Ted finds himself back into Mary's life, as we watch one funny scene after another.
Ted and Mary were high school sweet hearts who hadn't seen each other since their senior prom. Thirteen years later Ted hires Pat, a private eye, to find his long lost love. Pat finds Mary and himself becomes infatuated. Wackiness ensues.
Having never fully recovered from a prom date that became a total disaster, a man finally gets a chance to reunite with his old prom date, only to run up against other suitors including the sleazy detective he hired to find her.
|Cameron Diaz (Mary Jensen Matthews) @ Matt Dillon (Pat Healy) @ Ben Stiller (Ted Stroehmann) @ Lee Evans (Tucker/Norman Phipps) @ Chris Elliott (Dom 'Woogie' Woganowski) @ Lin Shaye (Magda) @ Jeffrey Tambor (Sully) @ Markie Post (Sheila Jensen, Mary's Mother) @ Keith David (Charlie Jensen, Mary's Stepfather) @ W. Earl Brown (Warren Jensen) @ Sarah Silverman (Brenda) @ Khandi Alexander (Joanie) @ Marnie Alexenburg (Lisa) @ Danny Murphy (Boss' Brother (as Dan Murphy)) @ Richard Tyson (Detective Krevoy (as Richard M. Tyson)) @ Rob Moran (Detective Stabler) @ Jackie Flynn (South Carolina Police) @ Hillary Matthews (Mrs. Woganowski, Dom's Wife) @ Willie Garson (Dr. Zit Face/High School Pal Bob) @ David Shackelford (Coconut Guy) @ Dave Goryl (Petey (as David Goryl)) @ Lori Glick (Friend #3) @ Jeffrey P. Lerner (Car Hood Kid #1) @ Cory Pendergast (Car Hood Kid #2) @ Brett Favre (Brett Favre) @ Warren Tashijan (Freddie) @ Kelly Roarke (Girl) @ Herbie Flynn (Herb, the Homeless Man) @ Caryl West (Medical Assistant #1) @ Ken Rogerson (Pants at Ankles Guy) @ Brad Blank (Paramedic in 1985) @ Steve Sweeney (Police Officer in 1985) @ Cindy Oliver (Renise) @ Will Coogan (Smokey) @ Steve Tyler (T.V. News Reporter) @ Maureen Griffin (Wine Waitress) @ Docky (Hot Dog Stud (as The Artist Formerly Known as Docky)) @ Mariann Farrelly (Driving Range Sweetie) @ Jonathan Richman (Jonathan) @ Tommy Larkins (Drummer) @ Lenny Clarke (Lenny, Fireman in 1985) @ Daniel Greene (Pizza House Man (scenes deleted)) @ Michael K. Budge (Joey Bishop Look-Alike (as Michael Budge)) @ James Gifford (Jimmy) @ Sean Gildea (Prison Warden (as Sean P. Gildea)) @ Zen Gesner (Pier Bartender) @ Tracy Anne George (Dancer) @ Jesse Farrelly (Dom's Kid) @ Anna Farrelly (Dom's Kid) @ Zack Lee (Mary's Little Friend) @ Valerie Bruce (Nimrod's Cafe Patron) @ Kelly O'Brien (Office Assistant) @ Mike Charpentier (Hot Club Patron) @ Peter Grundy (Hot Club Patron) @ Michael 'The Cannon' Gannon (Hot Club Patron (as Michael Gannon)) @ Peter Conway (Hot Club Patron) @ Ann Conway (Hot Club Patron) @ Susan O'Day (Hot Club Patron) @ Heather Rosbeck (Hot Club Patron) @ Jack Shields (Hot Club Barkeep) @ Fallon Shields (Hot Club Barkeep) @ Bob Grundy (Hot Club Barkeep) @ Nancy Farrelly (Boardroom Babe) @ Bill Beauchene (Insurance Spitballer (as Billy Beauchene)) @ Kathy Beauchene (Insurance Spitballer) @ Manny Barrows (Insurance Spitballer) @ Michael Murphy (Office Worker) @ Sheila Mone (Office Worker) @ Barbara O'Connor (Ashtray Babe) @ Tim Sheehan (Camera Hog) @ Richie Balsbaugh (Cigar Smoker) @ Jim Blake (Architect Partier (as Jim "Sunshine" Blake)) @ Tim Robbie (Architect Partier) @ Providence Wissel (Architect Partier) @ Ruth Michelle Meyer (Architect Partier) @ Billy Meyer (Architect Partier) @ Brian McGlaughlin (Architect Partier) @ Brian Mone (Architect Partier) @ John Stroehman (Architect Partier) @ Pete Anicelli (Architect Partier) @ Duana Knight (Architect Babe) @ Kelley Schneider (Architect Babe) @ Meda Thomas (Architect Babe) @ Steve (Rest Stop Couple) @ Kenny (Rest Stop Couple) @ Pat (Rest Stop Couple) @ Mike (Rest Stop Couple) @ Billy Dee (Rest Stop Couple (as Larry)) @ Sam (Rest Stop Couple) @ Ernie (Rest Stop Couple) @ Tom (Rest Stop Couple) @ Chris (Rest Stop Couple) @ Rosie (Rest Stop Couple) @ Jeanie Flynn (Cuban Dancer) @ Kevin Civale (Cuban Dancer) @ Tom Leasca (Cuban Dancer) @ Mercy Lopez (Cuban Dancer) @ Michael Cheney (Cell Block Bitch) @ Scott Rosenberg (Jailbird) @ George Bedard (Jailbird) @ Terry Mullany (Jailbird) @ Rick Coleman (Jailbird) @ Michael Burke (Jailbird) @ Kris Meyer (Jailbird) @ Emilio Diaz (Jailbird) @ Billy Smith (Jailbird) @ Ed Nelson (Jailbird) @ Brian Stube (Jailbird) @ Don Daley (Jailbird) @ Clem Franek (Strip Club Pervert) @ Julia Hissom (Strip Club Pervert) @ Sport Ahern (Strip Club Pervert) @ Robin Gau (Strip Club Pervert) @ Paul Pelletier (Cordosa Gamblers) @ Monique Pelletier (Cordosa Gamblers) @ Jon Mone (Comic Book Kid) @ Nicholas Greenbury (Fish Hook Kid (as Nick Greenbury)) @ Andrew Greenbury (Fish Hook Kid) @ Phil M. Rosenberg (Cell Block Masseuse (as Phil Rosenberg)) @ John-Eliot Jordan (Buttercup Singer) @ John Adamonis (Buttercup Singer) @ Kyle Adamonis (Buttercup Singer) @ Neil Pomfret (Buttercup Singer) @ Josh Miller (Buttercup Singer) @ Ruth Pomfret (Buttercup Singer rest of cast listed alphabetically LaGena Hart .... Pizza House Wife) @ Deborah Smith Ford (Doctor (uncredited)) @ Elena Garcia (Petey's Girlfriend in the Park (uncredited)) @ Richard Jenkins (Psychiatrist (uncredited)) @ Don Julio (Jailbird (uncredited)) @ Rick Michaels (Restaurant Waiter (uncredited)) @ Al Quinn (Domino Player (uncredited)) @ Brandy Teague ( (uncredited)) @ Harland Williams (Hitchhiker (uncredited)Produced by||From geek to lesser geek. Babe to Wow!!!!!!
The Farrelly brothers have out done themselves with this witty, fast paced, sexy comedy. Ben Stiller is marvelous as the geek that wants a reunion with his almost Prom date. Cameron Diaz is Mary. And it seems everyone is in love with Mary. Comedy fits her like a glove. She has a quality that should shine in any role she chooses. Matt Dillon is excellent as a jerk and Chris Elliott is well...Chris Elliott. You will laugh and then laugh harder. This movie is pretty childish and sprinkled with adult situations. The combination makes one heck of a flick. Most of the credit goes to Ms. Diaz, who makes the whole thing click. |Region 1 | |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-20 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Time Machine, The|Simon Wells (I)|Sci-Fi|Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence. |5.6|USA|2002|96 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Arnold Leibovit David V. Lester John Logan (I) Laurie MacDonald (I) Walter F. Parkes Jorge Saralegui David Valdes|H.G. Wells David Duncan (II) John Logan (I)|Donald McAlpine | ||0 to 800,000 years in 1.2 seconds.|Based on the classic sci-fi novel by H.G. Wells, "The Time Machine" stars Guy Pearce in the role of scientist and inventor, Alexander Hartdegen, who is determined to prove that time travel is possible. His determination is turned to desperation by a personal tragedy that now drives him to want to change the past. Testing his theories with a time machine of his own invention, Hartdegen is hurtled 800,000 years into the future, where he discovers that mankind has divided into the hunter - and the hunted.
|Guy Pearce (Alexander Hartdegen) @ Mark Addy (David Philby) @ Phyllida Law (Mrs. Watchit) @ Laura Kirk (Flower Seller) @ Josh Stamberg (Motorist) @ John W. Momrow (Fifth Avenue Carriage Driver) @ Sienna Guillory (Emma) @ Max Baker (Robber||Different from the earlier version, some of it good, some not, but overall not a bad movie at all.
The 1960 version will always have a special appeal, especially to those of us who remember the 1960s, because we had not yet been bombarded by such time travel films as "Back to the Future" and others. I recall seeing it the first time with a great aura of fascination. Although based on the book, the 2002 version does not try to follow it too closely.
SPOILERS - In the current film the professor's incentive for perfecting the time machine resulted from his girlfriend's (Sienna Guillory) untimely death at the gun of a petty thief, 4 years later he was determined to travel back and change the circumstances to save her, and marry her. But when he does, she dies in a different manner. Instead of going back and trying again (shades of Groundhog Day) he quickly figures out that one is not able to travel back and change history, but he doesn't know why. So the rest of the film is his travel forward in search of that answer. Not sure why, because knowing the answer may not change anything. Seems to me it would have been better to travel back 6 months or so, marry his girlfriend immediately, the travel back, say, 5 months everytime that fateful day approached so in theory they could live together forever that way! But I wasn't the director. HG Wells' great grandson was.
More SPOILERS - So, he travels forward. In 2037 he finds that a nuclear explosion on the moon went too far and it was breaking up and falling to Earth. An accident in his time machine knocked him out, he inadvertently went forward 800,000 years, found the moon event had resulted in two races, those above ground, and the underground Morlocks, who used the Eloi for food. There, in a conversation with the Uber Morlock, who knew everything about the professor, he learned why he couldn't change history to be with his girl. The only reason he invented the time machine was because his girl was killed, so if that event were changed then there never would have been a reason for a time machine, so he could never have traveled back to reverse her death - a paradox that he could not ever overcome.
The changes in the story are fine, however the overall film could have been executed much better. In particular, the Morlocks evolved into some vicious creatures that didn't make a lot of sense, and their CGI movements were not realistic at all, and the quality not consistent with the rest of the film. Still, I found it a worthwhile 90 minutes of entertainment.
The DVD is fine, there are several interesting extras.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-14|||||@@
|USA|2003|81 mins|English||||||||||False||||||||21/09/2003|Joseph P. Genier Gary Scott Thompson|Mike Richardson Mark Verheiden Gary Scott Thompson|Crescenzo Notarile ||Universal Pictures [us] || Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision isitheiaction-packed time travel adventure that takes thrill seekers onia wild ride through time - from Hitler's Germanyito theiWild West andibeyond. |Jason Scott Lee (Ryan Chan) @ John Beck (O'Rourke) @ Jeff Wolfe (Double Villain) @ Josh Hammond (Travis) @ Kenneth Choi (Professor Josh Chan rest of cast listed alphabetically Pete Antico .... Frank Knight) @ Tricia Barry (Sasha) @ Todd Bryant (Officer #1) @ April Fissell (Rose Anderson/Francis Chan) @ Kurt Gant (Launch Technician #2) @ Ron Gilbert (Mobster) @ Dale Godboldo (Tech #1) @ Thomas Ian Griffith (Miller) @ Myles Jeffrey (Paper boy) @ Mary Page Keller (Doc) @ Marty Murray (Broderick) @ Ryan Prince (Launch Technician #1) @ Scott Rhodes (First Prisoner) @ Wen Yann Shih (Cyndi (Ryan's Mom)) @ Tava Smiley (Tyler Jeffers) @ Steve Van Wormer (Anderson) @ Ron Yuan (GrandfatherProduced by||you can wach this movie one time and no more ..........
Timecop set in 2025, one "bad guy" Miller [Thomas Ian Griffith]try to change history by killing Hitler in 1940 and offiser Chan [Jason Scott Lee]sends to stop him , in the proses Miller's wife killed by Chan and Miller go to prison , after 2 years Miller run from prison and revenge by killing all timecop's in the past by killing they parents , so Chan must to stop him again .......... in the movie you seen the wild west,germany 1940', 1929',1980' and 7 december 2002 and what interesting that father of chan tallks about if we can change the terror act against the towers.... this sequel to van dammes movie timecop [1994] very desapointed. they change the devise that send you tru time and why they dont take van damme..... I very love'd the first movie and very very the series that i think was one of the best sci-fi series.
|Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |5.1 |2-17|||||@@
To Kill a King|Mike Barker|Drama||6.0|UK|2003|UK:102 min|English||XviD|1||XviD MPEG-4|849 |640x272|MPEG Layer 3|128 |False|48,000 Hz|2|700.80 MB||||25.00|01/02/2004|Jeff Abberley Bradley Adams John Chambers Scott Karol Kevin Loader Tony Miller Tom Parkhouse Christopher Petzel Dougray Scott Kathy Sykes Peter Watson Paul Webster Rudolf G. Wiesmeier|Jenny Mayhew |Eigil Bryld ||FilmFour [gb] |It takes a brother and a hero...|àçú äú÷åôåú äçéåú åäîòðéðåú îæä òùåø òåìåú òì äîñëéí ùìðå, ñàâä (àâãä) äñèåøéú ùåôòú äîùìáú îúéçåú ãúéú, ÷ðåðéåú ôåìéèéåú, ñ÷ñ, àìéîåú åîìçîä. àðâìéä, 1645. äàåîä äøåñä. îìçîú äàæøçéí äîøä ùçéì÷ä àú äàåîä äâéò ìñéåí. äôåøéèðéí äãéçå àú äîìê ö'àøìñ äøàùåï åðéöçå á÷øá ðâã ùçéúåú.
ùðé âéáåøéí òåìéí îäîìçîä – äîðäéâéí ùì öáà äðéöçåï, äöáà äôøìîðèøé – ìåøã/âðøì ú'åîñ ôééøô÷ñ (Dougray Scott) åäñâï ùåîø äàîåðéí, âðøì àåìéáø ÷øåîååì.
îùéîúí ìàçã åìù÷í àú àãîú àðâìéä. ôééøô÷ñ, çáø áàöåìä, øåöä ìîúï åìäòáéø øôåøîä áîåðøëéä. ÷øåîååì, îîòîã äôåòìéí, ãåøù àú ääåöàä ìäåøâ ùì äîìê.
äîðäéâ äîåãç äîìê ö'àøìñ äøàùåï îàîéï ùîîìëúå ðâðáä îîðå ò"é ôééøô÷ñ åãåøù ìäçæéøå ìëñ äîìåëä áëì äàîöòéí. äåà îåöà áòìú áøéú ñéîôèé ìééãé àï ôééøô÷ñ äðùàøú îñåøä ìîåðøëéä.
ôééøô÷ñ äîåöà àú òöîå éåúø åéåúø ð÷øò áéï àéùúå äàäåáä, ìééãé àï, äùåîøú òì îòîãå áçáøä, åìñéáä äîäôëðéú ìîøã.
öòãéå ùì ÷øåîååìñ ðäééí áøåèìéí åîâéòéí ìð÷åãä ùáà ôééøô÷ñ îáéï ùçééáéí ìòöøå.
ëê ðåöøú ú÷åôä ùì áâéãåú åîæéîåú áéï ùðé äàðùéí äçæ÷éí áîãéðä.
|Tim Roth (General/Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell) @ Dougray Scott (General Thomas Fairfax) @ Olivia Williams (Lady Anne Fairfax) @ James Bolam (Baron Denzil Holles) @ Corin Redgrave (Lord de Vere) @ Finbar Lynch (Cousin Henry) @ Julian Rhind-Tutt (James) @ Adrian Scarborough (Sergeant Joyce) @ Jeremy Swift (Earl of Whitby) @ Rupert Everett (King Charles I of Stuart) @ Steven Webb (Boy at Naseby) @ Jake Nightingale (Colonel Pride) @ Leonard Woodcock (Young royalist prisoner) @ Thomas Arnold (Messanger at Naseby) @ Sam Spruell (King's guard) @ Julian Rivett (Little) @ Richard Bremmer (Abraham) @ Melissa Knatchbull (Lady Margaret) @ Patricia Kerrigan (Mrs. Cromwell) @ John-Paul Macleod (Richard Cromwell) @ Jonathan Coy (Digby) @ Mary Roscoe (Lady Whitby) @ Liam McKenna (Guard at safe-house) @ Louise Breckon-Richards (Tom's maid) @ Oliver Fox (The Earl of York) @ Neil Howman (Doubter) @ Benedict Cumberbatch (Royalist) @ Iain Rogerson (Man at execution) @ Andrew Cryer (Whitehall messenger) @ Robert Sterne (Whitehall guard) @ James Puddephatt (Ther Merchant) @ Arthur Cox (Westminster Abbey priest) @ Bruno Lastra (Spanish Ambassador) @ Ella Barker (Molly Fairfax) @ Julia Bridgeman (Cromwell's Youngest) @ Katy Cross (Cromwell's Middle Daughter) @ Jessica Hazel (Cromwell's Eldest DaughterProduced by||JUST THE BEST PERIOD OF HISTORY
I have two favourite periods of history: JFK and the English Civil War. It would therefore have had to have been a really awful film to have kept me away.
What can I say. I loved it. Yes there are one or ten historical inaccuracies, and Scott is a poor actor. However, Roth and Everett are very good. I had a great night out with Cromwell & co. ||Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Top Gun|Tony Scott|Action|PG |6.4|USA|1986|110 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bill Badalato Jerry Bruckheimer Don Simpson (I) Warren Skaaren|Ehud Yonay Jim Cash (I) Jack Epps Jr.|Jeffrey L. Kimball | ||Up there with the best of the best.|Maverick is a hot pilot. When he encounters a pair of MiGs over the Persian Gulf, his wingman is clearly outflown and freaks. On almost no fuel, Maverick is able to talk him back down to the Carrier. When his wingman turns in his wings, Maverick is moved up in the standings and sent to the Top Gun Naval Flying School. There he fights the attitudes of the other pilots and an old story of his father's death in combat that killed others due to his father's error. Maverick struggles to be the best pilot, stepping on the toes of his other students and in a different way to Charlie, a civilian instructor to whom he is strongly attracted.
|Tom Cruise (Lt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell) @ Kelly McGillis (Charlotte 'Charlie' Blackwood) @ Val Kilmer (Lt. Tom 'Iceman' Kazanski) @ Anthony Edwards (Lt. (j.g.) Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw) @ Tom Skerritt (Cmdr. Mike 'Viper' Metcalf) @ Michael Ironside (Lt. Cmdr. Rick 'Jester' Heatherly) @ John Stockwell (Cougar) @ Barry Tubb (Wolfman||Pistol
Spoilers herein.
This film is of historical interest. It is the first engineered blockbuster focused on romanticizing the gizmos of war as toys. Post Tom Clancy. It marks the turning point of Tom Cruise from a promising actor with controlled energy in `Color of Money' to a strutting mugger.
It marks the first major screen debut of Meg Ryan, establishing her formula. So too with Val Kilmer, but both of those are mere celebrities rather than actors. Here also is Robbins who would turn into a fine actor.
It is the event that got the Department of Defense re-energized about the effectiveness of Hollywood.
But most of all, this film marks the switch between Ridley and Tony. Tony was expected to be the one to make intelligent films. Ridley had made two very impressive scifi films, but these were notable for their art direction. The money was on Ridley to fade, or find a commercial niche like Cameron. But things turned out the reverse. Tony has been making this same film over and over, each version more snappy, swoopy and gizmo-laden than the last. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-27|||||@@
Top Secret!|Jim Abrahams David Zucker Jerry Zucke|Comedy|PG |6.7|UK|1984|88 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Jim Abrahams Jon Davison Tom Jacobson Hunt Lowry David Zucker Jerry Zucker|Jim Abrahams David Zucker Jerry Zucker Martyn Burke|Christopher Challis | ||Movie? What movie?|This time Zucker and Abrams are spoofing, most notably, Elvis films and WWII spy movies. Val Kilmer stars as Nick Rivers, a handsome American 50s-style rock and roll singer. While performing in East Germany, he falls in love with a beautiful heroine and becomes involved with the French Resistance.
|Val Kilmer (Nick Rivers) @ Lucy Gutteridge (Hillary Flammond) @ Jeremy Kemp (I) (General Streck, German High Command) @ Warren Clarke (Colonel von Horst, German High Command) @ Omar Sharif (Agent Cedric) @ Peter Cushing (Sven Jorgensen, the Sweden Bookstore Owner/Resistance Member) @ Tristram Jellinek (Major Crumpler) @ Christopher Villiers (Nigel aka The Torch, Resistance Leader||I know a little German...he's right over there
This movie is very funny, even after countless viewings.Val Kilmer is surprisingly funny as Nick Rivers and he gets great support from Lucy Gutteridge.Seeing Omar Sharif is always welcome; in this, he gets to have fun with his suave image and also gets some laughs.I prefer this to everything in the "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" series. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |2-38|||||@@
Trainspotting|Danny Boyle|Drama|Rated R for graphic heroin use and resulting depravity, strong language, sex, nudity and some violence. |7.9|UK|1996|94 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Christopher Figg Andrew Macdonald (I)|Irvine Welsh John Hodge (I)|Brian Tufano |||Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose your future. But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?|A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who's never touched drugs but can't help being curious about them...
A group of disaffected Scottish youths turn to heroin to escape the banalities of modern-day existence. Then, they begin to suffer the consequences and discover that there are no easy solutions to the inherent loneliness and pain of life.
|Ewan McGregor (Mark 'Rent-boy' Renton) @ Ewen Bremner (Daniel 'Spud' Murphy) @ Jonny Lee Miller (Simon David 'Sick Boy' Williamson) @ Kevin McKidd (Tommy MacKenzie) @ Robert Carlyle (Francis (Franco) Begbie) @ Kelly Macdonald (Diane) @ Peter Mullan (Swanney) @ James Cosmo (Mr. Renton||Enjoyable ride
I don't think this is the greatest movie ever made, but I did enjoy it.It doesn't really go anywhere, and the scenes involving what happens to the baby are a little slow, since the filmmakers seem uncomfortable that they're dealing with a subject they can't have fun with, so they don't quite know what to do.Still, this is consistently surprising, offbeat, and yes, funny except for the baby parts, and they make the most with the low budget they have.And this is very definitely not a "pro-drug" movie; it just lets the viewer come to their own conclusions, rather than give you a "Just Say No" message movie.The actors are all good as well; I especially hope Kelly McDonald is able to move on to bigger things. |Region 1 |Movies |1.66 : 1 |5.1 |1-13|||||@@
Treasure Planet|Ron Clements John Muske|Adventure|Rated PG for adventure action and peril. |6.6|USA|2002|95 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Ron Clements Roy Conli Peter Del Vecho John Musker|Robert Louis Stevenson Ron Clements John Musker Ted Elliott (I) Terry Rossio Ron Clements John Musker Rob Edwards (II) Ted Elliott (I) Ken Harsha||||Find your place in the universe.|A futuristic twist on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Treasure Planet follows restless teen Jim Hawkins on a fantastic journey across the universe as cabin boy aboard a majestic space galleon. Befriended by the ship's charismatic cyborg cook, John Silver, Jim blossoms under his guidance and shows the makings of a fine shipmate as he and the alien crew battle a supernova, a black hole, and a ferocious space storm. But even greater dangers lie ahead when Jim discovers that his trusted friend Silver is actually a scheming pirate with mutiny on his mind.
|Roscoe Lee Browne (Mr. Arrow (voice)) @ Corey Burton (Onus (voice)) @ Dane A. Davis (Morph (voice)) @ Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jim Hawkins (voice)) @ Tony Jay (Narrator (voice)) @ Austin Majors (Young Jim (voice)) @ Patrick McGoohan (Billy Bones (voice)) @ Laurie Metcalf (Sarah (voice)||Another skillfully crafted cartoon from Disney; this time an annoying, stupid Star-Wars version of Treasure Island.
Peak animation techniques can't save this typically trite effort to liven up TREASURE ISLAND.Disney's still trying to make sure they cover all the demographics by providing plenty of idiotic, sitcom dialogue and their usual pathetic allusions to vacuous family values.Another expensive waste of time, and, from what I gather, a flop at the boxoffice (particularly since Disney spent a lot of money releasing 70mm prints in major cities with IMAX projectors).A drastic revision of their formulaic principles is about due at Disney; some adult-oriented anime ripoff, perhaps? |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-9|||||@@
Truman Show, The|Peter Weir|Fantasy|Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language. |7.7|USA|1998|103 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Edward S. Feldman Andrew Niccol Lynn Pleshette Richard Luke Rothschild Scott Rudin Adam Schroeder|Andrew Niccol |Peter Biziou |||The Story Of A Lifetime|In this movie, Jim Carrey is Truman, a man whose life is a fake one... The place he lives is in fact a big studio with hidden cameras everywhere, and all his friends and people around him, are actors who play their roles in the most popular tv-series in the world: The Truman Show. Truman thinks that he is an ordinary man with an ordinary life and has no idea about how he is exploited. Until one day... he finds out everything. Will he react?
Truman Burbank is a normal man, living in a normal town. He grew up to be a desk clerk for a insurance company, living an ordinary life, having an ordinary wife, an ordinary neighbour and an ordinary bud, who pops in from time to time with a sixpack. But Truman is not happy with his life. He wants to see the world. He wants to get away from his happy-happy, ever tidy, nice'n'shiny little island town at the seaside. In reality, Truman was an unwanted pregnancy. His "father", Christof, a reckless TV-Producer whom he never met, made up the Truman Show - the greatest show on earth - a show in which life is live. So, everyone around poor Truman is an actor with a little headphone in the ear. One day, Truman accidentally bumps into a catering area backstage and gets pretty suspicious. His plan now is: Pretend to be sleeping and steal away...
He's the star of the show--but he doesn't know. Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank in this movie from director Peter Weir about a man whose life is a nonstop TV show. Truman doesn't realize that his quaint hometown is a giant studio set run by a visionary producer/director/creator (Ed Harris), that folks living and working there are Hollywood actors, that even his incessantly bubbly wife is a contract player. Gradually, Truman gets wise. And what he does about his discovery will have you laughing, crying and cheering.
|Jim Carrey (Truman Burbank) @ Ed Harris (Christof) @ Laura Linney (Meryl/Hanna Gill) @ Noah Emmerich (Marlon/Louis Coltrane) @ Natascha McElhone (Lauren Garland/Sylvia) @ Holland Taylor (Angela Burbank) @ Brian Delate (Kirk Burbank) @ Blair Slater (I) (Young Truman||A truly novel concept, well-executed, a fine Jim Carrey performance, I rate "8" of 10.
First off, a logical individual knows the whole premise of "The Truman Show" could never happen, just like "Being John Malkovich" could never happen. A "world" entirely encased in a very large dome, with a large lake and even sunrise, sunset, and weather!So we must look for a deeper meaning to this film. To me, it is a re-statement of the old saw "it is better to be free and risk the perils of life than to be confined and protected in an artificial world."(Hmmm ... maybe that applies to wild animals too - maybe we should abolish zoos!?)
Carrey's character, Truman, as a 30-yr-old adult whose life has been a live TV show, 24/7, for 30 years. It started with "one" camera, but now there are over 5,000 in Truman's world. He begins to suspect his world is not real, that all the friends and aquaintances are actors, that his whole life is "just a TV show!" This is revealed fairly early in the film, and the rest of the film we watch the development of his understanding of his situation, and eventually his plan to "escape", or die trying.Just like the chickens in the more recent film, "Chicken Run."
A renegade actor tells him it is all a fake. He studies an old photo of his wedding and sees his wife's fingers are crossed.He changes his daily routine and sees a fake elevator in one building. He begins to notice that the same people, cars, and bicycles simply go around the blocks and repeat.A funny scene, which you can only appreciate if you've been in a film as a cast member or extra, the "directors" tell all the people in the street, "first positions, everyone", and they all hold their positions, waiting for "action."
In an interview with the reclusive "Christo" (Ed Harris) he explains that Truman was one of 5 unwanted babies due to be born, and he was selected because his birth was at the right time, nothing else. He had a pretend dad who later pretended to drown, as a way to make Truman scared of water and hopefully prevent his exploring too widely.Was it cruel for a corporation to adopt this baby, then use him for a show? Christo's p.o.v. was that Truman had a much better life this way.
The film is very well done, and Carrey does some of his best work here in a "serious" role. The preise is fascinating, and the way it is depicted remains very interesting all the way to the end. I rate it a very strong "8" of 10. |Region 1 |Movies |1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) |5.1 |2-39|||||@@
Tuck Everlasting|Jay Russell|Drama|Rated PG for some violence. |6.6|USA|2002|88 min/ Argentina:96 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Marc Abraham Armyan Bernstein Thomas A. Bliss Deborah Forte Jane Startz William Teitler Max Wong|Natalie Babbitt Jeffrey Lieber James V. Hart|James L. Carter |||A secret is about to be discovered. An adventure is about to begin.|Tuck Everlasting is the story of a girl named Winnie and a family who she meets, the Tucks. The Tucks have a secret, they're immortal.They drank water from a spring that was actually a fountain of youth. Till the end of time, they will stay that way. Winnie falls inlove with one of the Tucks, Jesse, a "17" year old boy who shares the same feelings for her. Scared of death, Winnie must choose between being immortal and being with Jesse or following the circle of life and dying someday. The Tucks try to teach her how she shouldn't fear death, how they would give anything to die. It teaches the importance and understanding of life and death.It shows that you should not fear death, but to fear an unlived life.
Winnie is a free-spirited 15-year-old in a stuffy Victorian household who stumbles on the Tucks, a strange family hiding out on the family grounds. They, the teen learns, have discovered a spring that makes them immortal. When the teen disappears, a man (Kingsley) assigned to find her tries to use the spring for his personal gain. The teen must decide whether to become immortal and stay with a Tuck she's fallen in love with.
|Alexis Bledel (Winnifred 'Winnie' Foster) @ William Hurt (Angus Tuck) @ Sissy Spacek (Mae Tuck) @ Jonathan Jackson (I) (Jesse Tuck) @ Scott Bairstow (Miles Tuck) @ Ben Kingsley (Man in the Yellow Suit) @ Amy Irving (Mother Foster) @ Victor Garber (Robert Foster||A Disney movie that Walt would have been proud of
This is the best adaptation of a classic children's book I've seen in a very long time. Nearly everything in this film is just right. Of all the live-action films that Walt Disney produced in his lifetime, one he was very proud of was the 1960 POLLYANNA, and TUCK EVERLASTING reminded me of POLLYANNA in several key aspects. Like POLLYANNA, TUCK has a meticulous attention to period details (it takes place in 1914). Also like POLLYANNA, it has some high-powered acting talent in peripheral roles, with the main focus of the story on younger, less well-known actors. The cinematography is beautiful, with a rich interplay of light and shadow, and to best appreciate this aspect, you should try to see it in a theater with the brightest picture available. Like another classic children's book (CHARLOTTE'S WEB) TUCK EVERLASTING explores philosophical concepts of life and death and eternity that most adult films, much less children's films, ever touch on. I hope that TUCK doesn't end up comparable to POLLYANNA in one key area: lack of box-office success. Walt was extremely disappointed when, despite the loving attention he garnished on the film, audiences for the most part stayed away. TUCK EVERLASTING deserves to bea huge success. Hollywood has come under frequent criticism for not making enough family-friendly films, but it seems that when a rich, intelligent film does come out, it's ignored. I hope and pray that this one won't be. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-8|||||@@
Tuxedo, The|Kevin Donovan (III)|Action|Rated PG-13 for action violence, sexual content and language. |5.1|USA|2002|98 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|William S. Beasley Willie Chan David Coatsworth Laurie MacDonald (I) Brandi McDougall Neuwirth Walter F. Parkes Adam Schroeder Solon So John H. Williams|Phil Hay (I) Matt Manfredi Michael J. Wilson Michael J. Wilson Michael Leeson|Glen Keenan Anthony Nocera Stephen F. Windon|||He's Not Looking For Trouble... He's Wearing It.|Jimmy Tong (Chan) is just a lowly chauffeur for millionaire Clark Devlin (Isaacs), until Devlin has an accident that puts him in the hospital. Tong is sent back to fetch some things for Devlin and unknowingly tries on Devlin's tuxedo and finds that it gives extraordinary powers to anyone that dons the suit. This discovery thrusts Tong into world of international intrigue and espionage and pairs him with an inexperienced partner (Hewitt).
|Jackie Chan (Jimmy Tong) @ Jennifer Love Hewitt (Del Blaine) @ Jason Isaacs (Clark Devlin) @ Debi Mazar (Steena) @ Ritchie Coster (Diedrich Banning) @ Peter Stormare (Dr. Simms) @ Mia Cottet (Cheryl) @ Romany Malco (Mitch||Nice idea - pathetic realisation!
Like so many others, a long time adherent of the Jackie Chan style of cinema - I even got a kick as it were, out of the ubiquitous WHO AM I? Again like others I had looked forward to (admittedly with growing trepidation) to THE TUXEDO, despite my utter contempt, dislike and physical animosity towards the unswervingly vacant Miss Love Hewitt. But people, there is simply no justification for this movie's existence.. not that this segregates it much from so many other films these days? (and given that I'm seeing THE HOT CHICK tonight, I don't hold out much hope of any late cinematic change!)
THE TUXEDO is formula film-making...NOT to be confused with formula Jackie Chan film-making which I and many others were hoping to see. Sure, the odd laugh surfaces (most sink without trace)..Jackie produces his trademark martial arts lunacy - but it never gels! The script is a stinker. the aerial combats stale and plain stupid and about the only reason one could manufacture to see this thing is the dubious opportunity of watching Chan do the Jackie Brown!
Its not enough! Rent out either RUSH HOUR'S instead! You would be doing yourself a favor! |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-34|||||@@
Two Weeks Notice|Marc Lawrence (II)|Comedy|Rated PG-13 for some sex-related humor. |5.9|USA|2002|101 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bruce Berman (I) Sandra Bullock Scott Elias Mary McLaglen|Marc Lawrence (II) |László Kovács |||Over. Done. Finished. A comedy about love at last glance.|Explores the question of whether it's ever too late to say 'I love you'. The story revolves around Lucy Kelson (Bullock), a brilliant but neurotic attorney, and her client (Grant), who is "charming, irresponsible and fabulously wealthy." Witt plays a young Harvard graduate who also represents Grant's character.
Bullock stars as Lucy Kelson, Chief Counsel for the Wade Corporation, one of New York City's top commercial real estate developers. She's a brilliant lawyer with a sharp, strategic mind. She also has an ulcer and doesn't get much sleep. It's not the job that's getting to her. It's her millionaire boss, George Wade (Hugh Grant). Handsome, charming and undeniably self-absorbed, he treats her more like a nanny than a Harvard Law grad and can barely choose a tie without her help. Now, after five years of calling the shots-on everything from his clothes to his divorce settlements - Lucy Kelson is calling it quits.
|Sandra Bullock (Lucy Kelson) @ Hugh Grant (George Wade) @ Alicia Witt (June Carter) @ Dana Ivey (Ruth Kelson) @ Robert Klein (I) (Larry Kelson) @ Heather Burns (Meryl Brooks) @ David Haig (Howard Wade) @ Dorian Missick (Tony||Two stars save this romantic comedy
Two Weeks Notice is about a very rich young man (Hugh Grant), and an attorney (Sandra Bullock) who starts working from him to save her community center. He destroys old buildings to build big new ones, and that community center was about to be destroyed.
The story is very predictable and with two unknown actors this would have gone very bad. Bullock and Grant make it work. They have a funny chemistry, may be because they both can go very nuts. The film starts of in a funny scene where Bullock tries to stop the destroying of a building. Like a real activist she gets in the way of a crane and rambles on about the law. Bullock makes the scene work, otherwise it would have been a dull piece of film.
There are some nice laughs in the movie, the face of Grant sometimes is enough. The chemistry between the two is good. Although the movie is not very great it does make you feel better. Worth a watch. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-19|||||@@
Unbreakable|M. Night Shyamalan|Thriller|Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including some disturbing violent content, and for a crude sexual reference. |7.2|USA|2000|106 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Gary Barber (I) Roger Birnbaum Barry Mendel Sam Mercer M. Night Shyamalan|M. Night Shyamalan |Eduardo Serra |||Are You Ready For The Truth?|This suspense thriller unfolds as the audience is introduced to David Dunn, played by Willis. Not only is he the sole survivor of a horrific train-crash that killed 131 people he doesn't have a scratch on him. Samuel L Jackson plays an obscure character who approaches Dunn with a seemingly far fetched theory behind it all rocketing off an enticing thriller with a sci fi twist
Security Guard David Dunn miraculously survives a catastrophic train crash outside Philadelphia. Not only is he the sole survivor out of 132 passengers, he also is completely unharmed. A little later, comic book specialist Elijah Price contacts him to confront David with an incredible theory: Elijah, who has been nicknamed "Mr. Glass" due to his more than fragile bones, thinks that David has got all which he himself lacks. The two of them "seem to be linked by a curve, but sitting on opposite ends". First, David does not believe the strange man, but every single thing he had said proves to be true: David has never ever been hurt or sick in his life, his physical strength is larger than normal and he has a skill which others don't. Slowly, David begins to discover the shocking truth behind Mr. Price's assumptions. But after all, David's fate is not only to find his real place in the world. It also is about proving Elijah's theory of his own existence.
|Bruce Willis (David Dunn) @ Samuel L. Jackson (Elijah Price) @ Robin Wright Penn (Audrey Dunn) @ Spencer Treat Clark (Joseph Dunn) @ Charlayne Woodard (Elijah's Mother) @ Eamonn Walker (Dr. Mathison) @ Leslie Stefanson (Kelly) @ Johnny Hiram Jamison (Elijah Price (at 13)||Different kind of thriller
This one will keep you wondering just what is going on all the way to the end. I loved it exactly for that reason. Samuel Jackson gives a different performance from his usual hardass toughguy role with Willis offering up his standard fine acting. Bizarre film, but stay with it: thumbs up. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |2-37|||||@@
Undercover Brother|Malcolm D. Lee|Action|Rated PG-13 for language, sexual humor, drug content and campy violence. |6.2|USA|2002|86 min/ Argentina:88 min/ UK:85 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bill Carraro Brian Grazer Mathew Hart Michael Jenkinson Damon Lee (II) John Ridley (I) Dana Robin Kim Roth|John Ridley (I) John Ridley (I) John Ridley (I) Michael McCullers|Robert McLachlan (I) Tom Priestley Jr.|||He's All Action|Anton Jackson is an African-American man who seems harmless enough on the surface, but is a secret agent in the all-black Brotherhood, an entity that levels the playing field against the all-white establishment. Partnered with the sassy, stunning Sistah Girl, our hero must first undergo the ultimate attitude adjustment and trade in his 'fro and platforms for tennis sweaters and penny loafers. Once the transformation is complete, he's ready to take on the evil perpetrators of Operation Whitewash--Mr Feather, Penelope Snow aka White She Devil, and, ultimately, The Man.
|Eddie Griffin (Undercover Brother) @ Chris Kattan (Mr. Feather) @ Denise Richards (White She Devil) @ Aunjanue Ellis (Sistah Girl) @ David Chappelle (Conspiracy Brother (as Dave Chappelle)) @ Chi McBride (The Chief) @ Neil Patrick Harris (Lance) @ Gary Anthony Williams (Smart Brother||a bit uneven
Griffin, a stylish, super cool agent, is recruited by a black brotherhood to investigate a prominent general who's given up politics for fried chicken, as well as stop a megalomaniacal white man. Ridiculous story is made worthwhile by lots of amusing dialogue and clever sight gags. Suffers from a few too may lapses, but the cast is clearly having fun. **1/2 |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |Dolby Digital 5.1 |1-11|||||@@
Underworld|Len Wiseman|Action|Rated R for strong violence/gore and some language. |6.4|USA|2003/I|Canada:121 min (Toronto International Film Festival) / USA:121 min|English||||||||||False||||||||10/01/2004|Robert Bernacchi Kevin Grevioux Gary Lucchesi Danny McBride James McQuaide Tom Rosenberg Kornél Sipos Skip Williamson Henry Winterstern Richard S. Wright|Kevin Grevioux Len Wiseman Danny McBride Danny McBride|Tony Pierce-Roberts ||Screen Gems Inc. [us] |An immortal battle for supremacy.|A war has been raging between the Vampires and Lycan for centuries, Selene (Beckinsale) is a death dealer, assigned to hunt down and eradicate the last of the Lycan. When she comes across Michael Corvin(Speedman)who holds the key to end the war she must decide where her alligances will lie.
A war going on for centuries between vampires and Lycans/werewolves, never seen by humans eyes, until one of the werewolves by the name of Lucian (Michael Sheen) finds out about one human that can bond with vampire blood and Lycans blood, Michael (Scott Speedman). Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is the vampire Death dealer that finds out why the Lycans are following Micheal and falls in love with him. Kraven (Shane Brolly) is the leader of the vampire house after Viktor (Bill Nighy) dies and wants Selene by his side, but she is a wild cat to break.
Vampires and Werewolves have been sworn enemies for hundreds of years. Now fought in a Gothic-like setting, the conflict takes an unexpected and deadly new turn. Selene, a beautiful vampire warrior, uncovers a Lycan plot that could prove fatal for her entire race. She shadows a human, Michael, the Lycan's supposed target. Although she finds herself becoming attracted to him, he becomes infected with the lupine disease during a violent struggle with the Lycan overlord, Lucian, long thought to be dead. Now both sides must decide how to end the conflict and save their species as new and terrifying secrets unearth themselves and threaten their entire existance.
Underworld reimagines Vampires as a secretive clan of modern, aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. The balance of power is upset when a beautiful young Vampire and a newly made Lycan (Vampires and Lycans being deadly rivals for centuries) fall in love.
|Kate Beckinsale (Selene) @ Scott Speedman (Michael) @ Michael Sheen (Lucian) @ Shane Brolly (Kraven) @ Bill Nighy (Viktor) @ Erwin Leder (Singe) @ Sophia Myles (Erika) @ Robbie Gee (Kahn (as Robby Gee)) @ Wentworth Miller (Dr. Adam) @ Kevin Grevioux (Raze) @ Zita Görög (Amelia) @ Dennis J. Kozeluh (Dignitary (as Dennis Kozeluh)) @ Scott McElroy (Soren) @ Todd Schneider (Trix) @ Sándor Bolla (Rigel) @ Hank Amos (Nathaniel) @ Zsuzsa Barsi (Gunshot Girl) @ Richard Cetrone (Pierce (as Rich Cetrone)) @ Mike Mukatis (Taylor) @ Sándor Boros (Candidate #1) @ János Oláh (Candidate #2) @ Andreas Patton (Death Dealer Captain) @ Danny McBride (Mason) @ Jazmín Damak (Sonja) @ Atilla Pinke (Wolfgang) @ Judit Kuchta (Zsuzsa) @ Vanessa Nagy (Timea) @ Ildiko Kovacs (Michael's Old Girlfriend) @ Brian Steele (Werewolf) @ Kurt Carley (Werewolf rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Mylo Carbia (Vampire (uncredited)) @ Nick Rhodes (Vampire (uncredited)Produced by||Cliched up the wazoo, but it works... Beckinsale makes for a great tough mama...
Underworld
The battle between the Vampires and Lycans (Werewolves) has been raging on for nearly 1000 years. Protecting the Vampires is Selene (Kate Beckinsale, `Pearl Harbor`), a `Death Dealer' who excels at stopping any Lycan threat. When Selene uncovers a Lycan plot that revolves around a human named Michael (Scott Speedman, `Dark Blue'), she races to him first, to understand just what the Lycans would want with a worthless human. In a twist of fate, Michael ends up saving Selene's life, and the two eventually begin to bond, much to the disgust of the Vampire nation. As the Lycan army assembles in anticipation of a final, secretive assault, Selene and Michael must try to stay alive as opposing forces close in on them.
When first encountering `Underworld' anyone with working eyes can see that the film is entirely derivative of many recent releases. Rainy, gothic locales? `The Crow' series. Vampire and assorted beast hunting? `Blade.' Characters doing some slo-mo flipping around with guns in each hand? `The Matrix.' A shot where a character is cut by a sharp object, but doesn't realize it until half their face slides off on to the ground? Recently seen in both `Equilibrium' and `Resident Evil.' `Underworld' is pretty shameless in treading well worn genre ground. But here's the catch: it does so without ever looking back. This horror/action flick is blessedly determined to not give in to its clichéd leanings, providing a rather entertaining and compelling two hours of monster mayhem. It isn't revolutionary material. I don't think it even wants to be. It takes common genre elements and works them into a new, interesting mythology. I can handle formula if it's handled with enthusiasm, and `Underworld' does exactly that.
Written by Danny McBride, `Underworld' has an unusual amount of story to wade through. Directing freshman Len Wiseman does a fine job balancing the epic nature of the saga with the more traditional action set-pieces. Wiseman bathes the film in darkness, which creates a familiar mood of gloom and desire to cover up the computer effects. But the said effects, which pay tribute to `American Werewolf In London' look pretty snazzy, and are intermixed with decent practical effects - which has become, essentially, a dying art form. The press materials purport a `Romeo and Juliet' level of emotional depth to the piece, but that's not translated to the screen. Wiseman bumbles the romantic relationship between Selene and Michael, leaving that section of the story wanting. Wiseman more than makes up for the lack of emotional connection by keeping his film moving along swiftly and building a nice tower of a narrative for which to work with in any possible sequels, the likelihood of which is rather crudely set up in the film's finale. Hey, Mr. Wiseman, let's make sure people like the first one first, OK?
Though her diminutive size keeps Kate Beckinsale from getting the credit she deserves as a Lycan hunter in the film's first act, the actress soon warms up to the part - or should I say the film eventually catches up to Beckinsale's steely commitment to the role. She's intensely severe and easy to accept as the `Death Dealer,' creating quite an image running around clad in latex, blasting away Lycans at a moment's notice, never cracking a smile. Trinity, you better watch your back!
It is actor Shane Brolly who stinks up the joint performance wise. While the rest of the cast is decent with what they are given, and very enthusiastic about their roles, Brolly is stiff and ghastly in the crucial role of Vampire leader Kraven. His ridiculous performance sticks out greatly amongst the careful brood and darkness of `Underworld.' If only Wiseman could've noticed and recast the part early in the production.
`Underworld's' greatest gift to the genre? No humor. Played out without an ounce of clowning, `Underworld' succeeds at giving the story the respect it deserves, and not undercutting the drama by trying to cozy up into the lap of the audience. In the end, when the pros and cons are weighed, the picture's straight-faced telling of this potentially harebrained tale is where it garners its most praise. ----- 8/10
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |Movies ||||||@@
Universal Soldier: The Return|Mic Rodgers|Action|Rated R for nonstop strong violence, and for language and nudity. |3.3|USA|1999|82 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Craig Baumgarten Daniel Melnick Adam Merims Richard G. Murphy Michael I. Rachmil Allen Shapiro Bennett R. Specter Jean-Claude Van Damme|Richard Rothstein Christopher Leitch Dean Devlin William Malone (I) John Fasano|Mike Benson (II) |||Prepare to become obsolete|Luc Devereaux, the only surviving member of the original Universal Soldier Team. He now works with Dylan Cotner, on a project to create and improve a new Universal Soldier. Their plan is for the Universal soldier or UNISOLS to be controlled by a computer they call SETH. When the government decides to terminate the project, which includes shutting down SETH. SETH, not wanting this to happen, takes steps to prevent this. He first kills Dylan. He then has himself transfered into a body. He then seeks out Luc Devereaux, who is the only person who knows the code that will stop his program from being deleted. So he sends out all the UNISOLS to get him. Luc must try and stay away until SETH program is deleted. But SETH has targeted his daughter as possible leverage.
Universal Soldier II continues the story of Luc Deveraux, who has survived his experiences as a Universal Soldier, recovered, and is now working as a technical expert on a government project to revive and improve the Universal Soldier training program. When S.E.T.H., the supercomputer controlling the Soldiers, goes haywire and takes over, Luc is the only one who can battle this elite team of deadly, near-perfect warriors.
|Jean-Claude Van Damme (Luc Deveraux) @ Michael Jai White (S.E.T.H.) @ Heidi Schanz (Erin Young, KTXD) @ Xander Berkeley (Dr. Dylan Cotner) @ Justin Lazard (Capt. Blackburn) @ Kiana Tom (Maggie) @ Daniel von Bargen (Gen. Radford) @ James Black (II) (Sgt. Morrow||Not rubbish but not good either
Years after the original programme went pear shaped, Luc Deverauxis back in the programme.However now he has `become' human and is leading the programme with his partner Maggie.When the programme is terminated by the military, the supercomputer behind the soldiers, SETH, takes over and locks down the system, declaring war on the humans.With 8 hours before he shutdowns SETH takes human form and goes after the only person with the code Luc Deveraux.
Why does Van Damme continue to work his way down from his once comfortable star position?He has still got a great body and doesn't look his age but yet he seems happy to make stuff that'll go straight to video.To make a sequel to US after 2 cable sequels already exist is surely a bad career choice no?
However he does make it and the weaknesses are there for all to see.The plot is petty standard and is just an excuse for Van Damme to take on line after line of `perfect soldiers' (and win!).The romantic subplot only serves to slow the action down and isn't good at all.The action is very simple if you think Van Damme films generally are pretty poor then this won't win you over.The fights are all over the place the action doesn't work well and some Uni Sols fall over with one hit, some can take anything given out (Romeo) and some are merely extras with safety glasses on.SETH, when he is a computer is really just a sub-par HAL and it's annoying because you can't help but make the comparison.
Van Damme is not very good.How he has managed to become a full human again is a little unclear but indeed some of the Uni Sols are very human while others are like drones.Schanz as the love interest is poor but only because she's so little a part of the film.Jai White is actually quite good but his character isn't as well developed as Lundgren's was in the original US.Kiana Tom as Maggie is a much sexier character (apart from using a `boob-double' for an early cleavage shot).However she is hardly used and I suspect is dumped so that the target audience doesn't have to deal with the suggestion of a mixed race relationship.The rest of the cast is simply cardboard targets for action scenes there's even an ex-wrestler, Goldberg, who gets a little irritating, the director clearly thought he could provide some comedy to proceedings
..wrong!Xander Berkley is OK but he's only in it for a short while.
Overall it just about passes 90 minutes.Lets be honest you know what you're getting.If you're standards are higher then you'll go elsewhere but for the rest of us this is just about good enough to watch just turn off your brain first. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |2.0 Surround |1-7|||||@@
Van Wilder|Walt Becker|Comedy|Rated R for strong sexual content, gross humor, language and some drug content. |5.8|USA|2002|92 min/ USA:94 min (unrated version)|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Peter Abrams Kirk D'Amico Lucas Foster Jeff Franks Rick Joseph Robert L. Levy Jonathon Komack Martin Peter Nelson (V) Ari Newman Andrew Panay Philip von Alvensleben|Brent Goldberg David Wagner (I)|James R. Bagdonas |||The Tradition Continues|Van Wilder is a guy who has been at his college for seven years. He spends most of his time throwing parties and "fund raisers". When his father decides that it's time for tough love, he doesn't pay his tuition. So Van becomes a professional party thrower. At the same time, Gwen who writes for the college paper, is tasked with doing a story on him, but Van is too busy partying to do that. So she writes it using info from people who talk about him and writes an unflattering piece, which doesn't make him happy. He then dares her to see if she can get the true story but is more interested in trying to score with her, which is not easy because she has a boyfriend, who is a snob, and who is not too happy with the amount time she is spending with him. So he tries to get rid of him.
|Ryan Reynolds (I) (Van Wilder) @ Tara Reid (Gwen Pearson) @ Tim Matheson (Vance Wilder Sr.) @ Kal Penn (Taj Mahal Badalandabad) @ Teck Holmes (Hutch) @ Daniel Cosgrove (Richard Bagg) @ Deon Richmond (Mini Cochran) @ Alex Burns (Gordon||"Animal House" it ain't
In spite of what the hype said, the only similarity between "Van Wilder" and "Animal House" is a bit part by Matheson. "VW" tells of a Robin Hoodish sort of naughty good guy and career college student, Wilder (Reynolds), who plays dirty tricks on "frat rats" while supporting the geeks and athletes with his underground networking clout. An ordinary flick with nothing much going for it, "VW" dwells too much on potty and crotch humor while neglecting the spicy/sexy stuff and spinning its flimsy romantic angle. Little more than a diversion for college age males and like minded viewers. (C-) ||Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-7|||||@@
Vanilla Sky|Cameron Crowe|Drama|Rated R for sexuality and strong language. |6.9|USA|2001|135 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Bill Block (II) Fernando Bovaira Danny Bramson Cameron Crowe Tom Cruise Michael Doven Donald J. Lee Jr. Scott M. Martin Jonathan Sanger Patrick Wachsberger Paula Wagner|Alejandro Amenábar Mateo Gil Cameron Crowe|John Toll | ||LoveHateDreamsLifeWorkPlayFriendshipSex|During the week he turns 33, NYC magazine publisher David Aames, a playboy who has strange dreams, spends a night of passion with Julie, "a friend he sometimes sleeps with," and a night with Sofia, a witty, knowing dancer with a Spanish accent - a night with intimations of love. David is charming, rich (his mother's Monet, "Vanilla Sky" is in his bedroom), and feckless: he inherited the magazines and his minority partners want him out. Jump ahead: he's in jail, wearing a prosthetic mask, talking to a sympathetic psychologist to get at the truth behind a death. Who has died? How? And who's Ellie? Popping up often on TV is Benny, a dog who survived for months frozen in ice.
David Aames takes all he has for granted; his wealth, his inherited publishing company, his good looks - his relationships. Especially his relationships. It catches up to him when a friend/sometimes sex-partner can't see their relationship the way he sees it. From that point, the movie takes a Lynchian twist that ultimately and literally pulls us into Aames' tortured psyche.
|Tom Cruise (David Aames) @ Penélope Cruz (Sofia Serrano) @ Cameron Diaz (Julie Gianni) @ Kurt Russell (Dr. Curtis McCabe) @ Jason Lee (I) (Brian Shelby) @ Noah Taylor (Edmund Ventura) @ Timothy Spall (Thomas Tipp) @ Tilda Swinton (Rebecca Dearborn||OPEN YOUR EYES WIDE SHUT/WAKE-UP CALL
VANILLA SKY(2001) ***1/2 Filmmaker Cameron Crowe's bold, introspective mind-bending adaptation/re-make of Alejandro Amenabar's "Abre Los Ojos" ("Open Your Eyes") providing a showcase of Cruise's acting as a successful magazine magnate who finds himself in an identity crisis and determine what is real or imagined.Cruz is his mysterious amor and Diaz his deeply-troubled "f*** buddy".Uncompromising and hypnotic echoing Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut", "Jacob's Ladder" and "Memento" to name a few yet outstanding on its own merits. |Region 1 |Movies |1.85 : 1 |5.1 |1-30 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
View from the Top||Comedy|Rated PG-13 for language/sexual references. |5.0|USA|2003|87 min|English||||||||||False||||||||04/09/2003||||||"ãééìú áòððéí" æåäé ÷åîãéä îâìâìú îöçå÷ åâí ñéôåø øåîðèé î÷ñéí, äîñåôø ãøê òéðéä ùì ãåðä â'ðñï (âååéðéú' ôàìèøå), áçåøä îòéø ÷èðä äçåìîú ìùãøâ òöîä ìòåìí äæåäø ùì ãééìú îçì÷ä øàùåðä.äãøê ìäöìçä àéðä ÷ìä, àáì ãåðä îúçéìä àú ãøëä áúåëðéú äàéîåðéí ùì "øåéàìéèé àéøìééðñ" úçú äãøëúå ùì äîãøéê äàâãé â'åï ååéèðé (îéé÷ îàééøñ).äùàìä äéà äàí ääúçìä ä÷ùä úâøåí ìä ìäôðåú àú âáä ìëì çìåîåúéä àå äàí æå äúçìä ùì îñò ùì ôòí áçééí. âéøñä DVDRiP ñåôéú áàéëåú îòåìä!ðéúï ìáçåø ìäåøéã àçú îùúé äâéøñàåú:| In theihilarious style of Legally Blonde andiSweet Home Alabama! |||An Above Average, Entertaining Comedy
Gwyneth Paltrow plays a want a be airline stewardess with a delightful supporting cast of a Candice Bergen who gets to shine in a more sympathetic role than "Miss Congeniality," a brief part for Rob Lowe as a co-pilot who displays his usual strong support, and even Mike Myers who plays a somewhat toned down version of himself (so as to not take all the spotlight off Gwyneth Paltrow.This movie is an above average coming of age comedy because it diverges somewhat, especially in the beginning from the typical buddy-buddy movies with friends coming and going - more like in real life.The distribution of this movie during the beginnings of the war with Iraq, offers the audience some light relief, with a strong message of going for one's dreams with a word of caution.There is good advice in this movie while at the same time giving the audience entertainment.This lightweight but solid movie is fun, delightful, and a cut above the average comedy.Gwyneth Paltrow practically glows in this movie along with the cute outtakes during the credits.A risky role, but one that really allows Gwyneth to show her range from unrefined and innocent to suave and sophisticated - a depth many actresses have to stretch, but that Gwyneth just seems to flow right into.Seven out of eight stars. |Region 1 | |Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo|1-17|||||@@
Tian di ying xiong|Ping He|Action/Adventure/Drama||6.6|China|2003|
114 min
|Mandarin||XviD|2||XviD MPEG|1090 |640x256|AC3-Digital|438 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1392.88 MB||||23.98|01/04/2004|||Zhao Fei ||Columbia Pictures [us] ||ùìéç éôðé ðùìç ìîãáø âåáé ìäåöéà ìäåøâ çééì ùáâã. ëàùø ùééøä îåáéìä ðæéø áåãäéñèé åàåöø áòì-òøê ùîàåéí ò"é âðáéí, ùðé ìåçîéí öøéëéí ìäúàçã ìäâï òì äðåñò. îåîìõ ìîé ùàäá: ðîø,ãø÷åï àå âéáåø.|Wen Jiang (Captain Li Zai) @ Kiichi Nakai (Lai Qi) @ Xueqi Wang (Master An) @ Vicki Zhao (Wen Zhu) @ Yun Zhou (The Monk
Original Music by)||The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Spoilers
`Warriors' is intend to be the Chinese movie that will follow the
footsteps
of Crouching Tiger and Heroes to next year's Oscar contest for best
foreign
film.
Before going to a synopsis, allow me to start from the middle of the
movie
and explain my summary line. This is a scene when the three main
characters
converge in an ambush, and we see separate shots of them on horseback,
clad
in red, black and white respectively. This was the point when I made the
association to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Clint Eastwood, Lee Van
Cleef, Eli Wallach respectively), even though the match may not be
perfect.
The Good is one-time army captain Li (JIANG Wen), now hunted by the
government for his refusal to slaughter women and children. The Bad is
Lai
Xi (NAKAI Kiichi), the government agent charged with the assignment of
killing the Good before he his allowed to return to his native Japan to
see
his mother. The Ugly is bandit leader Master An (WANG Zueqi) who is being
manipulated by the Turkish empire to go after certain treasure. Watching
the
three wielding their respective weapons, a Chinese army sabre, a Japanese
sword and a curved Islamic sword, I had another thought. If I were to
cast
them from Hollywood, my choice would be Russell Crowe, Morgan Freeman and
Johnny Depp respectively.
Some of the other characters are:
The Girl (Vicki Zhao from `Shaolin Soccer') - a general's daughter that
the
Bad is escorting back to the capital city
The Monk - on an imperial mission, in a caravan travelling to the capital
The Soldier - escorting the Monk
The Four - the Good's former subordinates, loyal as ever
The Old Man and the Boy - fighters recruited by the Good
Now to the synopsis. I'm trying to divide the story into chapters (the
original idea is not from Kill Bill, as there have been numerous examples
before).
1. The build-up.
This is the longest part, taking its time in introducing the various
characters. We see the three warriors, on separate occasions, display
their
awesome skills. The main story line develops when surviving a killer
sandstorm, the Good runs into the caravan, and agrees to help out on this
treacherous journey. On a short sojourn in a quiet village, the Good
refuses
help offered by the Four, in consideration for their families. While
enlisting the Old Man and the Boy, he has his first encounter with the
Bad
whom he persuades, after some brief parrying, to back off until he has
seen
the caravan safely to the capital.
2. The trap
In their attempt to recruit more help, the Good and the Old Man wander
into
a small walled village that looks more like a maze than anything else.
There, the Ugly is waiting, with two alternatives he has to offer:
recruit
his men or turn the caravan over to him. Upon the Good's refusal, the
gates
are all slam shut, and a fight ensues. Dodging pursuit in an attempt to
get
out of the trap, the Good is greeted by the sudden appearance of the Girl
and the Bad, offering their help. Before he has time to respond to the
offer, however, his four loyal followers crash into the skirmish from out
of
nowhere. While the Good and his followers finally break out of the trap
and
ride back to the caravan, the Bad confronts the Ugly, daring him to
challenge the authority of the Imperial Emperor, which he represents. The
Ugly backs off, vowing to come back.
3. The ambush and the revelation
Reinforced by the Good's four loyal followers, the caravan moves on, only
to
meet an ambush by the Ugly and his bandits. Recognising that the caravan
is
on an imperial mission, the Bad and the Girl come to their aid. After a
bout
of exciting engagement on horseback, the caravan retreats through a
narrow
gorge and finally goes into hiding a cavern not unlike Moria in Lord of
the
Rings (but not as grand). There, the Monk finally reveals the secret. He
is
carrying the utmost treasure, the crystallised remains of Buddha, back to
the capital, and this is what the Ugly, with the Turkish Empire behind
him,
is after. Recognising the gravity of the situation, the Good sends the
Boy
home while keeping the Old Man in his service.
4. The gamble
Temporarily safe in the hidden cavern, the group, including the Bad and
the
Girl, debates various alternative routes. The final decision is to brave
the
Gobi Desert, gambling on the Old Man's accurate recollection of the
location
of an underground stream. On they move in the punishing heat into the
scouring desert. Their supply of water has dwindled to a critical low
when
the Old Man proclaims that they are getting close to the underground
stream.
There the camp, and send out the Old Man and one of the Four to look for
the
stream. The Ugly's pursuit however has caught up with them. Mobilising
into
a circular formation just like wagons in a Hollywood Western, the caravan
fights off the first round of savage attack. But the elements are against
them as their supply of water finally runs out and the searches return
with
the heartbreaking news that the underground stream is nowhere to be
found.
All seem lost, despite the gallant effort of the Good and the Bad in the
furious fight against the fatal onslaught, when something skin to a
miracle
occurs. Struck down by several enemy blades, the Old Man plunge his sword
into the ground, from which water first gushes, then shoots out in a
ten-foot fountain. Life comes back in full vitality to the caravan while
the
Ugly, reading this as a heavenly sign, calls a hasty retreat.
5. The last stand
This `chapter' is reminiscent of The Alamo. Making it to a miserably
primitive fortress means only a brief reprieve to the caravan. In
addition
to the bandits, the full fury of an entire Turkish army now is close on
its
heels. Similar to what we see in Seven Samurai or even Saving Private
Ryan,
the caravan sets up its last defence. Even the Girl trades her white
garments for shinning armours, as she is after all a general's daughter.
No
resistance, no matter how brave, can withstand the crushing weight of an
entire army and it looks like everybody will get slaughtered in the
desolate
fortress, when another miracle happens, Raider-of-the-Lost-Ark fashion.
When
the Ugly opens the container of the treasure, blinding lights come out,
vanquishing the enemy. The toll that has been exacted before the miracle,
however, is heavy, including all of the Four, the Monk and even the Bad.
The
expected climatic duel between the Good and the Bad therefore never
materialised. In the end, only the Good and the Girl survive to complete
the
mission, bringing the treasure back to the imperial palace.
So how is the movie? It's inevitable that comparisons will be made with
Crouching Tiger. At the risk of sounding ridiculously mystical, I would
say
that it's a bit like Yin (Tiger) and Yang (Warriors). While the former is
subtle and feminine, the later is blunt and masculine. While the former
delights with beautifully choreographed action, the latter excites with
brutal, realistic fighting. Beyond that, it is difficult to compare
because
they are so different.
The first three-quarters of Warriors are splendidly done. The characters
are
interesting and the development is well paced. The rugged landscape is
invigorating and the brisk dialogue refreshing. The end, unfortunately,
falls somewhat apart. I wouldn't grudge being cheated out of a climax of
a
duel as I respect the producers' intention to stay away from the
conventional. The Raider-of-the-Lost-Ark thing, however, is really lame.
I
would rather see the imperial army coming to the rescue, if an Alamo-type
ending is not contemplated.
||Browse titles in the DVD section by letter: ||Browse titles in the DVD section by letter: ||||||@@
What Dreams May Come|||R |||1998|113 mins|||DivX|2||DivX;-) V3.11 LOW MOTION|1149 |640x272|AC3-Digital|375 |True|48,000 Hz|5 (Surround)|1387.52 MB||||23.98|22/11/2003||||||| After Life There Is More. After Chris Nielsen diesiin an accident, he triesito remain closeito his beautiful wife, Annie, evenias he beginsito adaptito his new state of being inia setting that can only be describedias heavenly. But when his distraught wife takes her own life, she isibanishedito an eternal damnation. Chris vowsito find her so they can share eternity together, but no one has ever succeedediin rescuingia soul from suchia horrific fate. With theihelp ofia friendly spiritito guide him, Chris sets out onitheimost perilous andiharrowing journey of his life, or afterlife:ia questifor everlasting love that will take himito hell andiback! ||||Region 1 |Special Edition - |Widescreen 2.35:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC]|2-25 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
White Oleander (Widescreen)|Peter Kosminsky|Drama|PG-13 |6.9|USA|2002|109 mins|English||||||||||False||||||||18/11/2003|Stacy Cohen E.K. Gaylord II Kristin Harms Hunt Lowry Patrick Markey Ilyse A. Reutlinger Tracy Underwood John Wells|Janet Fitch Mary Agnes Donoghue|Elliot Davis ||GAGA Communications [jp] |Where does a mother end and a daughter begin?| Where doesia mother end andia daughter begin? |Amy Aquino (Miss Martinez) @ Alison Lohman (Astrid Magnussen) @ John Billingsley (Paramedic) @ Michelle Pfeiffer (Ingrid Magnussen) @ Elisa Bocanegra (Girl In Fight) @ Billy Connolly (Barry Kolker) @ Darlene Bohorquez (Prisoner) @ Renée Zellweger (Claire Richards) @ Solomon Burke Jr. (Guard) @ Robin Wright Penn (Starr Thomas) @ Noah Wyle (Mark Richards) @ Scott Allan Campbell (Bill Greenway) @ Debra Christofferson (Marlena) @ Marc Donato (Davey Thomas) @ Svetlana Efremova (Rena) @ Patrick Fugit (Paul Trout) @ Vernon Haas (Guard) @ Sean Happy (Dirt Bike Boyfriend) @ Cole Hauser (Ray) @ Leila Kenzle (Ann Greenway) @ Cathy Ladman (Swap Meet Mother) @ Drinda Lalumia (Patty (as Drinda La Lumia)) @ Myra Lamar (Detective) @ James Lashly (Reverend Daniels) @ James W. Lee (Prison Visitor) @ Daniel Mandehr (Dad at Induction Area) @ DeVonda Manghane (Guard at X-ray Machine) @ Taryn Manning (Niki) @ Melissa Marsala (Julie) @ Melissa McCarthy (Paramedic) @ Roger McIntyre (Police Officer) @ Dallas McKinney (Owen) @ Brian Mulligan (Bailiff) @ Allison Munn (Hannah) @ Sam Catlin (Teacher) @ Kali Rocha (Susan Valeris) @ Stephen Root (Michael) @ Jennifer Saxon (Swap Meet Daughter) @ Samantha Shelton (Yvonne) @ Mark Soper (Patrick) @ Liz Stauber (Carolee) @ Carl Sundstrom (Police Officer) @ James 'Kimo' Wills (Comic Book Store Clerk (as Kimo Wills)) @ Biff Yeager (Judge rest of cast listed alphabetically) @ Mary Elizabeth Barrett (Sign Language Interpreter (uncredited)) @ Jill Harris (Woman (with Barry) (uncredited)) @ Stephen Milton (Apartment Boy (uncredited)) @ Vickie Rabjohn (Lady on Bus (uncredited)) @ Bree Michael Warner (Apartment Girl (uncredited)Produced by||Alison Lohman is terrific!
I wasn't sure what to expect from this film but I came away seeing the best performance of the year by Alison Lohman. Her performance is so strong and interesting that she easily dominates the film. Here is this young and unknown actress that I had never heard of and she's acting opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, Renee Zellweger and Robin Wright Penn and she steals almost every scene with her characterization of young Astrid. It's not a film without flaws, I didn't buy Pfeiffer's role completely as the jaded and loathing artist mother. But she does have a great scene towards the end of the film that is very effective. And I had trouble in the first half of the film with the pacing and editing as scenes seemed to be lumped together clumsily. But starting with the second half the film was paced well and a good rhythm stayed with the remainder of the movie. Thank god this was not made as a traditional hollywood film. No feel good scenes that are put in for audience satisfaction. This is a tough and gritty story that stays faithful to the original novel. Watching Lohman develop Astrid from a very young teenager to a hardened and sarcastic young adult is jaw dropping. She clearly deserves an Oscar nomination for this performance. And don't forget about Zellweger, she's terrific as one of the foster mothers. A wonderful performance that I think deserves a nomination as well. Alison Lohman, a performance I won't soon forget. In my mind its the best of the year! |Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic) |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1|2-8|||||@@
Who Framed Roger Rabbit||Action|PG |7.4|USA|1988|103 min|English||||||||||False||||||||21/09/2003||||||It's the story of a man, a woman, and a rabbit in a triangle of trouble.| Received 4 Acadamy Awards! Once inia generationia film like this comes along. Now Touchstone Pictures, Steven Spielberg andiRobert Zemeckis have teamedito give us Who Framed Roger Rabit,ia four-time Acadamy Award winner that's alreadyia contemperary classic. |||One of the best, if not the best, animated features of all time
I absolutely love animation (not to be confused with anime) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is my favorite.With Disney and Warner Brothers characters appearing in the same film for the first time, and Betty Boop weighing in as well, that would be enough.But there is also a new cast of animateds in addition-Roger and Jessica Rabbit, Baby Herman and the weasels, et cetera.It's toon heaven on earth.There is a very intricate plot that works as a comedy and as a mystery, characters who grow and that you care about and great special effects.But what I love most about the movie is the action on the fringes.I've seen the movie at least a dozen times and I always catch something I've never spotted before.The movie comes flying at you a hundred miles an hour and there's so much going on in most of it that you can't catch everything the first time.For some people, Toy Story is the best animated feature of all time and for some it's Snow White or Fantasia and there is a case that can be made for each.But for my money, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is the champ so far.My highest recommendation. |Region 1 | |Widescreen 1.85:1 Color |ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1|2-29 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Who's Your Daddy?|Andy Fickman|Comedy|Rated R for strong sexual content, crude humor and language. |4.5|USA|2003||English||||||||||False||||||||10/01/2004|Glenn S. Gainor Verna Harrah|Maria Veltre Druse Jack Sekowski Maria Veltre Druse Jack Sekowski Andy Fickman|Nathan Hope ||The Premiere Marketing & Distribution Group LLC [us] |||Colleen Camp (Beverly Hughes) @ Brandon Davis (Chris Hughes) @ Kadeem Hardison (Brookes) @ Christine Lakin (Kate Reeves) @ Ali Landry (Elissa) @ Marne Patterson (Brittany Van Horn (as Marnette Patterson)) @ Robert Ri'chard (Murphy) @ Lin Shaye (Ms. Harding) @ Josh Jacobson (Bobby) @ Charlie Talbert (Adam Torey) @ William Atherton (Uncle Duncan) @ Justin Berfield (Danny Hughes) @ Robert Torti (Michael Hunt) @ Ryan James Bittle (Hudson Reed (as Ryan Bittle)) @ Martin Starr (Scooter) @ David Varney (Doyle rest of cast listed alphabetically Gary Blumsack .... Hector Conchita Consuela) @ Amanda Carraway (Heavenly Angel) @ Elisha Choice (Heavenly Angel) @ Shera Danese (HOney Mack) @ Jolie Jenkins (ET Reporter (Patty Landry)) @ Patsy Kensit (Heather McKay) @ Andrew Harrison Leeds (Mitch) @ Samantha Levin (Mandy) @ Allison McCurdy (Heavenly Angel) @ Harry S. Murphy (Kevin Studney) @ Nellie Sciutto (Voice Over) @ Andrew Shaifer (Mr. Torkenbush) @ Ileanna Simancas (Lollypop Angel) @ Chambers Stevens (Steve Chambers) @ Dan Studney (Christian Cunio) @ Matt Weinberg (8 Year-old boy) @ Richard A. Eisenstein (High School Student (uncredited)Produced by||Terrible Garbage
The humor in Who's Your Daddy is such poor taste that I actually closed my eyes in certain scenes.Close ups of semen are not funny! Nobody thinks they are.People get nervous when they see something so gross and to hide their nervousness, they laugh.Watching Who's Your Daddy gave me a disgusting nervous feeling. ||Movies ||Movies ||||||@@
Willow|Ron Howard|Action|PG |6.7|USA|1988|130 min/ Spain:120 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Joe Johnston George Lucas Nigel Wooll|Bob Dolman George Lucas|Adrian Biddle |||Adventure doesn't come any bigger than this.|In the dungeons of the castle of the evil Queen-sorceress Bavmorda, a prisoner gives birth to a child who, according to an ancient prophecy, will put an end to the reign of the Queen. A midwife saves the child from the wrath of Bavmorda, but is forced to throw her cradle in a river when reached by the Hounds of the Queen. The river brings the child near a village of dwarves, and little Willow finds and adopts her. When the Hounds reach the village, Willow begins a difficult journey to bring the baby back to her people and to fulfill the prophecy.
Willow, a small farmer/apprentice magician, meets Madmartigan, a great swordsman, and together they journey through a war-torn land of magic and monsters, to save a baby princess from death at the hands of an evil queen.
|Val Kilmer (Madmartigan) @ Joanne Whalley (Sorsha) @ Warwick Davis (Willow Ufgood) @ Jean Marsh (Queen Bavmorda) @ Patricia Hayes (I) (Fin Raziel) @ Billy Barty (High Aldwin) @ Pat Roach (Gen. Kael) @ Gavan O'Herlihy (Airk Thaughbaer||This movie has everything! Well... Lots of things!
A wonderful fantasy full with lots of wonderful creatures and characters. The plot is great and the cast is brilliant. I wish this movie was more known, it's almost a hidden gem.
The movie is just one exciting ride after the other.
It's one of the best fantasy movies ever made, and if you're a fantasy fan you just got to see this one. I wish there were more movies of that kind, hopefully the upcoming Lord Of The Rings will deliver similar excitement. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |2-12 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Wonderful Days||Action||7.0|South Korea|2003|90 min|Korean||||||||||False||||||||26/10/2003||||||A fantastic journey to the future begins||||Beautiful But Lacking
WONDERFUL DAYS is the first South Korean animation I have seen. The animation is, in a word, GORGEOUS. The story, on the other hand, is grossly lacking. It's not that the film doesn't answer questions, it just doesn't seem to care about supplying minor details like -- oh, the NAME of the third party in the story's core love triangle. You know, I would think giving the guy's name early on would be logical, but I guess not. We don't even know the guy's name until over an HOUR into this 85-minute movie. Other minor quibbles dominate the film.
But as animation, WONDERFUL DAYS is a winner. It is also supported by a fantastic and haunting soundtrack with some amazing choice songs. The type of stuff that makes you weak in the knees.
Now if only they could bother with the story...
7 out of 10
(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of the film) |||||1-15|||||@@
X2|Bryan Singer|Action|Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action/violence, some sexuality and brief language. |7.8|USA|2003|133 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Avi Arad Tom DeSanto Ross Fanger Kevin Feige David Gorder Stan Lee John H. Radulovic Selwyn Roberts Lauren Shuler Donner Bryan Singer Ralph Winter|Zak Penn David Hayter Bryan Singer Michael Dougherty (II) Dan Harris (II) David Hayter|Newton Thomas Sigel |||The time has come for those who are different to stand united|Already living in a society that mistrusts them, the mutants are faced with even more discrimination after an unforeseen enemy - who may be a mutant with extraordinary powers - launches a devastating attack. The news of the assault causes a public outcry against the mutants, including renewed support for the Mutant Registration Act, and William Stryker, a military leader rumored to have experimented on mutants (possibly including Wolverine), is among the most vocal supporters of the legislation. Stryker puts into motion a plan to eradicate the mutants and begins an offensive on the X-Men mansion and school. Magneto, having escaped from his plastic prison, forms an unlikely alliance with Professor Xavier to stop Stryker. Meanwhile, Wolverine heads north to investigate his past.
A new war between humans and mutants begins after a tentative of murder in the White House against the president of the United States. Now, all the mutants need to fight together against an enemy in common: General William Stryker, who is planning to destroy them all. He uses radical methods to get some mation from Magneto, and plans an attack to Prof. Xavier's mutant school when there is only Wolverine and the young students (Jean Grey and Storm are looking for a new mutant, Nightcrawler, and Xavier and Clycops are in Magneto's plastic prison). The plot goes on with a lot of action scenes and many revelations, following the comic books.
|Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier) @ Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine) @ Ian McKellen (Eric Lensherr/Magneto) @ Halle Berry (Storm) @ Famke Janssen (Jean Grey) @ James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops) @ Anna Paquin (Rogue) @ Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Mystique||Most "X"-Cellent!!
X2: X-MEN UNITED (2003) ***1/2Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman,
Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden,
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, BruceDavison, Anna Paquin, Kelly Hu, Aaron Stanford, Shawn Ashmore,
Cotter Smith.Superlative sequel and a boost of hyperactive
energy in the franchise's arm in the second chapter of the Marvel
Comics' cult classic this time with good mutants teaming with bad
to stop a bent human military advisor (hissable Cox) out to wipe
out both types at any cost.Far-out special effects, new characters
(particularly winning is Cumming as the blue-skinned Night
Crawler) and non-stop action packaged with kinetic infectious
giddiness.Jackman continues to amaze as the tormented
Wolverine, Berry is given more to do as the tempestuous Storm,
Janssen's Jane Grey is perhaps the most nuanced in her
suddenly advance telekinetic skills and McKellen iswell
magnetic as Magneto.Fun tongue-in-cheek screenplay by
Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (w/ David Hayter, Zak Penn and
director Bryan Singer getting story credits) keeps up with the
multi-layered storyline encompassing class welfare, social strata
and in general to accept one for who they are and not what they
are.Well done! |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |
Movies |2-3 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
X-Men|Bryan Singer|Action|Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence. |7.3|USA|2000|104 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Avi Arad Tom DeSanto Richard Donner Matthew Edelman Kevin Feige Stan Lee Scott Nimerfro Lauren Shuler Donner Joel Simon Bill Todman Jr. Ralph Winter|Tom DeSanto Bryan Singer David Hayter|Newton Thomas Sigel |||Join the Evolution.|In the near future, where children are being born with a special X-Factor in their genes, giving them special powers, and making them "mutants", the seeds of a new Holocaust are being sewn by Senator Robert Kelly. The situation brings fellow mutants and former friends Erik Lehnsherr, a.k.a. Magneto, and Professor Charles Xavier into opposition. While Xavier seeks to stop the hatred toward mutants peacefully, Magneto seeks to even things out, with a machine that would speed up the mutation process in all humans, making everyone equal. To stop Magneto, Xavier brings together a special group of mutants called "X-Men" to stop him. In the meantime, 2 mysterious mutants, one named Logan, a powerful and agressive mutant with no past, no memories, and a young girl named Rogue emerge. Their quests for identities eventually land them in the sights of Xavier and Magneto, but for what purpose?
All over the planet, unusual children are born with an added twist to their genetic code. This "X-factor" allows the children to perform extraordinary feats - flight, telekinetics, laser beams from the eyes and more. One Dr. Charles Xavier gathers the children to a place where he can train them to use their powers for themselves and the forces of good he dubs these children his X-men and hijinks ensue.
After the death of his family at the hands of the Nazis, Magnus, a mutant vows revenge on all humanity. Meanwhile a group of good mutants is assembled by Charles Xavier, who trains and cares for them. Magnus now under the guise of Magneto assembles villains Sabertooth and Mystique to destroy anyone that gets in his way, including a furry canadian agent named Logan (Wolverine). Fierce battle ensues between Sabertooth and Wolverine and Xaviers group, the X-men, recruits the mutant just in time to learn of Magneto's dastardly evil plan to destroy the world.
Across the world, children are born with an extra twist to their chromosomes that allow them to do superhuman abilities: fire a beam of force from their eyes, or born with a set of wings that allows flight, or being able to read men's minds. These 'children of the atom' are often feared and despised by the world, forcing these 'mutants' to resort to desperate actions. However, one group of mutants have banded together to show the world that it need not fear their kind. Apart, they are simply scientific curiousities, freaks and monsters - but together, united by their shared belief, they are more - they are the uncanny X-Men.
Big screen adaptation of the classic comic book about a band of unique power-possesing mutants who live in a world where their kind is hated and persecuted by humans. Under the guidance of their leader, Professor Charles Xavier, the X-men strive for a world where humans and mutants can peacefully co-exist. The superheroes must also combat those radical mutants with intentions of exterminating human the race
|Hugh Jackman (Wolverine/Logan) @ Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier) @ Ian McKellen (Erik Magnus Lehnsherr/Magneto) @ Famke Janssen (Dr. Jean Grey) @ James Marsden (Cyclops/Scott Summers) @ Halle Berry (Storm/Ororo Munroe) @ Anna Paquin (Rogue/Marie D'Ancanto) @ Tyler Mane (Sabretooth||Amazing!!!!
I've been an X Men fan for so many years, I don't even care to count.I've wanted to and been afraid to see it done as a live action film for most of those years.When I heard it was finally being made, I was skeptical as were most of my friends. But the trailers and website and rumors I was hearing were all making me very excited that it had come off very very well.After seeing it, I am without words to say how much I liked this movie.It met and exceeded all of my expectations.Seeing the characters, the mansion, the jet, all of it come to life on the big screen was so thrilling.I couldn't have asked for any more.The casting was perfect.The effects were incredible.I will definitely see this many more times.And wait with baited breath for it to come out available to buy.I'd advise anyone who is a fan of the comic or even someone who has never heard of the comic but loves good action and sci-fi films with a universal message to run, don't walk and see this movie.
|Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-24|||||@@
XXX|Rob Cohen|Adventure|Rated PG-13 for violence, non-stop action sequences, sensuality, drug content and language. |5.8|USA|2002|124 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Creighton Bellinger Derek Dauchy Vin Diesel Todd Garner Michelle Glass David Minkowski Neal H. Moritz Arne Schmidt (I) Matthew Stillman George Zakk|Rich Wilkes |Dean Semler |||A New Breed Of Secret Agent.|Vin Diesel plays Xander Cage. He's your standard adrenaline junkie with no fear and a lousy attitude. When the US Government "recruits" him to go on a mission, he's not exactly thrilled. His mission: to gather information on an organization that may just be planning the destruction of the world, led by the nihilistic Yorgi.
Vin Diesel reunites with the director (Rob Cohen) and the producer (Neal H.Moritz) of the blockbuster The Fast and the Furious. Diesel stars as Xander "XXX" Cage, the notorious underground thrill seeker who until now has been deemed untouchable by the law. NSA Agent Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) forces XXX to cooperate with the government to infiltrate an underground Russian crime ring and avoid going to prison. Betting XXX can succeed where other conventional spies have failed, Gibbons sends XXX to enter this world of crime undetected, using his natural athletic prowess and a whole lot of attitude. Enlisted for a dangerous covert mission, he must combat a clever, organized, and ruthless enemy far beyond the scope of his experience.
|Vin Diesel (Xander Cage) @ Asia Argento (Yelena) @ Marton Csokas (Yorgi) @ Samuel L. Jackson (Agent Augustus Gibbons) @ Michael Roof (Agent Toby Lee Shavers) @ Richy Müller (Milan Sova) @ Werner Dähn (Kirill) @ Petr Jákl (II) (Kolya (as Petr Jakl)||I KNOW JAMES BOND SIR AND YOU ARE NO JAMES BOND
XXX (2002) ** Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas.Generation Y's antidote to James Bond, with plug-ugly galoot Diesel as an extreme thrill-seeking antihero recruited' by National Security toughie Jackson into the usual hodgepodge of Eurotrash villainy (in the guise of greasy Russkie Csokas), chemical warfare, and carnage aplenty at high decibel volumes of incoherent trashy fun.Waycool blend of visual computer generated imagery with fast and furious stunts are the true stars of this franchise wannabe that, what lacks in subtle élan a la Bond, comes through in gut-wrenching gags like the show-stopping avalanche via snowboarding event.Otherwise run-of-the-mill popcorn junk directed by Rob Cohen with all the nuance of a bull in a china shop. |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-34 ( 2 CD'S )|||||@@
Zoolander|Ben Stiller|Comedy|Rated PG-13 on appeal for sexual content and drug references. |6.0|USA|2001|89 min|English||||||||||False||||||||28/08/2003|Stuart Cornfeld Celia D. Costas Joel Gallen Monica Levinson Scott Rudin Adam Schroeder Ben Stiller Lauren Zalaznick|Drake Sather Ben Stiller Drake Sather Ben Stiller Drake Sather Ben Stiller John Hamburg|Barry Peterson (I) |||3% Body Fat. 1% Brain Activity.|Male supermodel Derek Zoolander is on his way down after three years of continuously winning the "Male Model of the Year" award. When he is beaten by the hot newcomer Hansel, Derek starts searching for a new meaning in his life. Just then fashion czar Mugatu offers Derek a comeback in his new "Derelicte"-line. What nobody suspected is that Mugatu plans to assassinate the new Malaysian Prime Minister on his visit to New York, so that cheap child labor is still available for Mugatu's fashion producing. By brainwashing Zoolander, Mugatu and his evil associate Katinka create a dumb and willing killer to do the job. Only in Time Magazine journalist Matilda suspicion arises slowly, and she tries to stop Derek.
Derek Zoolander has been the dominant male model in the industry for three years thanks to his patented "look," Blue Steel. On the night of the VH1 Fashion Awards, what should be his fourth trophy goes to an upstart model named Hansel. Adding to the insult, a story in Time magazine brands him an idiot. Derek decides to retire and seek out his roots. Meanwhile, the new prime minister of Malaysia has upset a secret coalition of fashion designers by promising to raise the minimum wage, effectively ending their supply of cheap labour in sweatshops. Sensing disaster, the covert group charges Mugatu, the current king of haute couture, to find a mindless male model to brainwash into assassinating the new world leader. Derek, rejected by his family, stumbles predictably into Mugatu's hands and the only ones who can save him are the reporter who took away his good name, his rival Hansel, and a mysterious model from the past who sheds light on the whole conspiracy. They have to work against time and Derek's ineptitude to stop him from killing on the night Mugatu reveals his newest clothing line with the Malaysian minister as his "honoured guest."
|Ben Stiller (Derek Zoolander) @ Owen Wilson (Hansel McDonald) @ Christine Taylor (I) (Matilda Jeffries) @ Will Ferrell (Jacobin Mugatu/Jacob Moogberg/Little Cletus) @ Milla Jovovich (Katinka Ingabogovinanana) @ Jerry Stiller (Maury Ballstein) @ David Duchovny (J.P. Prewitt) @ Jon Voight (Larry Zoolander||When it's funny, it's funny.When it's stupid th, it's ludicrous
But still, I have a good feeling about Ben Stiller's Zoolander, even though I can't reccomend it as much as other Stiller comedies (Meet the Parents, Something About Mary, The Cable Guy which he directed).It has Stiller as a near brain dead male model named, you guessed it, Derek Zoolander.As he is trying to find his roots and try to find another outlet other than the male modeling world, he is unknowingly (of course) put into a plot to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia.
There are some really funny scenes contained in the movie (the best is seeing a spoof of 2001 as Stiller and Wilson band away at a computer trying to trun it on) and while they don't add up to make a total funny comedy, it is stupid fun.Just make sure to go in the theater with a clear head (and don't follow Ebert's review).Many stars make various cameos including David Bowie, Jon Voight, Billy Zane and others, yet it is Jerry Stiller, Ben's father, who steals some scenes as a manager.B- |Region 1 |Movies |2.35 : 1 |5.1 |1-16|||||@@