"If you ever loved me, don't rob me of my hate. It's all I have left." (Review)

I have to say I was quite pleased to see that this film won my little poll. I rented The Count of Monte Cristo a couple of years ago based on a trailer I saw while browsing through Blockbuster. I think it was one of those nights when no one else was home and I was just looking for something fun and simple. I figured that since it hadn’t done very well in the theatres there likely wasn’t much to it. A few hours later I was very pleased to see that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Based on Alexandre Dumas’ novel of the same name, The Count of Monte Cristo tells the story of Edmond Dantes (James Caviezel). Napoleon is imprisoned on the Isle of Elba in 1815 and Edmond is soon to marry his sweetheart and become captain of his own vessel. Edmond makes a daring attempt to find aid for his former captain, so he and his closest friend, Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce), land on Elba and seek assistance from Napoleon’s captors. His troubles begin during their brief stay on Elba. Dantes returns home and is framed as a Napoleonic conspirator by Mondego and two others. He is sentenced to life imprisonment inside the Chateau d’If and nearly gives up on life itself before meeting a fellow inmate (Richard Harris) who reveals to him the location of the legendary treasure of Sparta, located on the island of Monte Cristo. Edmond vows to find a way out of prison and use the treasure to exact revenge on those who wronged him.

I haven’t read the novel but I’m sure much of the 117 chapter book has been left out. That being said, there is still a lot going on in this movie and it manages to keep a good pace without oversimplifying anything. The director, Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Waterworld), ensures that the audience is both informed and entertained throughout. A plot that involves treason, conspiracy, betrayal, imprisonment, friendship, escape, treasure, disguise, romance and revenge may seem like too much for one movie. This is not the case with The Count of Monte Cristo. Each detail of Edmond’s incredible ordeal is portrayed with clarity and allure.

Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, Frequency) does an incredible job as Edmond Dantes. His character goes through a series of changes throughout the film and Caviezel manages to accurately depict each change with feeling and realism. There are almost four different personalities at work here – innocent and unaware Edmond who is framed and sent to prison, desperate and forlorn Edmond who suffers in prison, intelligent and cunning Edmond who escapes from prison and, of course, the sophisticated and debonair Count of Monte Cristo. It’s the ultimate underdog story and Caviezel’s performance makes you cheer for him. Guy Pearce (Momento, L.A. Confidential) does a great job as Mondego, delivering many of the film’s terrific lines – “Because you’re the son of a clerk, and I’m not supposed to want to be you!” Richard Harris (Gladiator, Harry Potter) is great, as always, and Michael Wincott (The Doors, Robin Hood) gives a brief but memorable performance.

Being a period piece, the locations and sets are both beautiful and dark – from the hopeless dungeons of Chateau d’If to the elaborate and colourful mansion of Monte Cristo. The costumes are equally detailed and provide a level of realism that lets you truly believe that the characters are living in 19th century France. It’s unfortunate that the film didn’t do as well as it could have, especially considering the cost of creating such incredible sets and clothing.

The writing is as beautiful as the scenery. There are so many fantastic lines in this film I’m tempted to list most of them here. I’ll try to restrain myself and let you experience them for yourself. I would like to read the book to see how much dialogue was taken directly from Dumas’ writing. Jay Wolpert created the screenplay from the novel. Who is Jay Wolpert? Well he just happens to be the same writer who developed many of the terrific lines from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. It’s clear to see why the dialogue alone is worth watching The Count of Monte Cristo.

The film has been transferred to DVD in 1.85:1 Anamorphic video and boy does it look good. The colors are vibrant and crisp with very few artefacts and little blurring. Sadly there is no DTS track, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio does a superb job nonetheless. The combination of both audio and video make the scene where Monte Cristo makes his first appearance simply breathtaking.

Sets, costumes, actors, video and sound aside, it’s the story that makes this film so enjoyable. This is the first, and possibly only time I’ve ever been inspired to read 19th century French literature because of a movie. After a little research though, I discovered that Dumas is responsible for another familiar tale, The Three Musketeers. I’m sure some of my readers are already aware of this, but it was news to me. I’m definitely going to start reading his stuff. If this film is any indication, I’m sure I’m going to thoroughly enjoy reading The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Count of Monte Cristo gets 9 rapiers (out of 10).

Swashbuckling trivia for ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’.

And the winner is...

The votes are in! All five of them! And that’s including myself and my wife. That’s right, other than Shauna and I, only three other people actually voted in my little poll from last week. I guess writing a popular blog is more difficult than I thought. No worries though. I mainly write this blog for my own pleasure, so it’s all good.

In the end I voted for The Count of Monte Cristo and Shauna voted for Spellbound. There was one vote for The Pianist and two more for The Count. So, as promised, I will write a full review of the film in the next day or so and post it here. In the meantime here are a few summaries of some of the films I’ve been watching lately. I hope all four of my readers enjoy them.

Colin Farrell stars in this engaging little drama about the Vietnam War. Tigerland focuses on a group of recruits who are training to fight and are only a few weeks away from being shipped overseas. Don’t be misled, however, this is not an action flick. Farrell portrays Roland Bozz, a particularly disgruntled soldier with a knack for getting into trouble. He is regarded as the guy to talk to if you want to get out of the army. And getting out of the army is something Bozz believes in more than almost anything. Tigerland is a commentary piece that does a great job at showing how psychologically violent the war was even before the soldiers got there. I think it’s one of Farrell’s best.

What do you get when you have Ron Howard directing Tom Hanks, Ed Harris and Gary Sinise in a film about the Apollo Space program, during one of the most potentially catastrophic missions in the history of space flight? You get a film that is highly informative, intensely gripping and incredibly entertaining. I’ve read the book, written by Jim Lovell, and I’ve watched the fantastic HBO special on the Apollo Program, From the Earth to the Moon, and Apollo 13 is an exceptionally realistic portrayal of the events that took place in space in April of 1970. Well acted and beautifully shot, Apollo 13 is a masterpiece. You have no excuse for not having seen this film.

I don’t watch as many documentaries as I would like. Spellbound is a delightful film that focuses on eight teenagers as they prepare for, and compete in the 1999 National Spelling Bee. It’s an intriguing look at the students and their parents and the variety of methods used to train, encourage and win. I think almost any parent would find this documentary especially fascinating. It’s incredible what lengths some students, and parents, will go to in order to ‘bee’ the best. Toward the end Shauna and I found it difficult to watch simply because we couldn’t bear to see anyone spell a word wrong. It’s not often that a documentary can pull you in and make you care as much as this one does.

I don’t why it took so long for me to finally see The Pianist. I knew that it was going to be heavy – any movie that realistically depicts the holocaust during the second world war is bound to be heavy – so maybe I avoided it for that reason. I think I sometimes forget that a movie can be very dramatic and hard-to-watch and still remain highly entertaining. The Pianist is definitely one of those movies. I’m not sure I would own this, as it’s not the kind of movie that lends itself to multiple viewings, but it’s certainly an important film to see. Adrien Brody does a fantastic job and it’s easy to see why he won the 2003 Best Actor Oscar. The Pianist isn’t easy to sit through, but it’s one that really should be watched. I guess I should probably get around to seeing Schindler’s List one of these days. I’ve been avoiding that one for too long.

This film wasn’t on my Poll, but I did watch it recently so I thought I’d include it here. I got hooked on the Harry Potter books shortly after the 6th one came out and almost everyone I knew was reading it. While working a teen camp this summer a number of the counsellors actually decided to abandon their campers completely and read Harry Potter for the whole week. Well maybe it wasn’t quite that bad, but I guess I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Turns out the hype is quite justified. Shortly after reading the first book I went on to read five more and then promptly went out and bought the DVDs. While there is quite a bit missing from the book the films do a great job of bringing Hogwarts to life. I think it is brilliantly cast and the look and feel of the movie is just as I imagined it while reading the novels. I can’t wait for Goblet of Fire to come out on DVD!

AWOL trivia for 'Tigerland'.
Houston, we have some trivia.
Ebony and ivory trivia for 'The Pianist'.
Muggles, click here for Harry Potter trivia.

I was all excited about using T-R-I-V-I-A for Spellbound, but apparently there isn't any.

"You're gonna want to look around, but you're not going to, are you?" (Review)

I’ve never seen the original War of the Worlds movie. I’ve never read the book and I’ve never heard the radio play. I’ve heard all about the story, of course, specifically Orson Welles radio drama that apparently convinced a number of people that we were actually being invaded by martians. And I have seen Mars Attacks, which is supposedly a spoof of the story. Perhaps it’s the fact that I am so unfamiliar with the original work that I enjoyed the 2005 version as much as I did. Regardless, Steven Spielberg’s take on the martian invasion is highly entertaining and a great short story.

War of the Worlds focuses on Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) and his two children, Rachel (Dakota Fanning) and Robbie (Justin Chatwin). As with most Spielberg films, the father has a very strained relationship with his children and it is during one of their weekend visits that the relationship is put under more stress than anyone could have imagined. Bizarre lightening storms and unexplained earth tremors announce the arrival of…something. Ray quickly realizes that an otherworld power is intent on invading planet Earth. War of the Worlds is about Ray’s struggle to save his children amidst chaos, death and destruction. The plot sounds simple, and it is, but it works.

I wonder if the original book was as unclear on the intent of the aliens as the latest film is? All we ever really know is that the aliens like to kill and destroy. But I think H.G. Wells' intent was not to tell an alien story, but to tell a human story that just happens to be set during an alien invasion. This idea comes across clearly in the 2005 version. Spielberg’s brilliant filmmaking talents put us right in the thick of it with Ray and his kids. Nearly every scene is filled with tension, either from the aliens, the surrounding environment or from the family members themselves. The film rarely lets up and it’s this tense, roller coaster feel that makes the movie so enjoyable.

The special effects are just as fantastic as you would expect. Spielberg has mastered the art of using only enough CG effects to get the job done, and relies on physical sets and characters for the majority of his storytelling. It’s an effort that is not lost on the audience. We believe the invading tripods are real because they look real - and because we have no frame of reference for what a “real” alien tripod should look like. However, the houses and buildings and cars and people and ships and explosions and tanks and everything else look real – because they are real. I’m a big fan of using actual, physical pieces whenever possible, as opposed to relying on computer generated effects. You don’t get any of that Lucas-cartoon stuff in this film. It goes a long way toward making you invest more in the film and becoming that much more involved in the plight of the characters and the terror of the invasion.

I have a lot of respect for Tom Cruise. I really don’t care about his personal life and I don’t follow any of the media about his relationship with Katie Holmes or his religious beliefs. I just think he’s a fantastic actor. I know that he puts a lot of work into his roles, often researching them to death in order to portray his character as realistically as possible. While War of the Worlds is largely an action affair, Cruise’s performance is still top-notch. Dakota Fanning also does an amazing job. I’ve seen her in I Am Sam and Man On Fire, and there’s no doubt that she is fast on her way to becoming one of Hollywood’s best young actors. Cruise and Fanning work wonderfully together in this film. You believe they are father and daughter and that belief makes the tension that much more, well, tense.

Steven Spielberg has decided to produce most of his films in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This essentially means two things: 1) When transferred to DVD the image will fill the entire screen of a High Definition TV and 2) When the idiotic studios decide to edit the film in order to release a Full Frame version, there is less to actually cut away. Spielberg hates Full Frame. And so should you. But I digress. The video transfer is brilliant on this DVD. The colors and lighting are quite muted in a number of scenes but it is apparent that this was an artistic decision as opposed to a poor transfer. In addition to the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio option we are given a wonderful DTS 5.1 mix. This is nearly reference material. The lightening strikes and tripod lasers completely fill the room with their booming effects. And don’t even get me started on the brief, but incredible, Armed Forces counterattack. Apache hellfire missiles never sounded so good. Although I’m not sure I can remember ever hearing an Apache hellfire missile before…but you get the idea.

Sadly I made a rule not to purchase any more DVDs until after Christmas, so I’m going to have to wait to watch this one again. Which means I’ll also have to wait before I can check out the second disc of special features. The Limited Edition seems to have quite a bit of bonus material though, and boy oh boy, would I love to get my hands on it. Wait, what’s that you say? Christmas is right around the corner? Hmmm…(hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge).

All in all I found War of the Worlds to be very entertaining. In the end, it is what it tries to be – a well told short story about an alien invasion. In DTS. ‘Nuff said.

War of the Worlds (2005) gets 8 molecular-destructive laser beams (out of 10).

Out of this world trivia for ‘War of the Worlds’.

"How could I forget about you? You're the only person I know."

I think Jason Bourne is one of the coolest characters to come out of Hollywood in a long time. My wife, Shauna, is going to have fits about this blog because of her strong feelings towards this movie. She was sorely disappointed to see the many differences between the Robert Ludlum book and the film. I think she needs to go back and read the High Fidelity blog, specifically the part about never criticising a good movie simply because it doesn’t exactly follow the book. I read the novel after already seeing the film and I will admit that there are drastic differences between the two, but that doesn’t change the fact that the movie is a great flick and a lot of fun.

After watching it last night with my history-teacher friend, Dave, he mentioned that the film raises some interesting questions. Are we judged, as a person, for the things we have done in the past or for the things we choose to do in the future? This is an important question for Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). Bourne has amnesia and cannot remember anything about his life before being hauled out of the Mediterranean Sea with two bullets in his back. However, he quickly realizes that he has the skills and knowledge that your average person doesn’t – skills and knowledge that seem to indicate only one reasonable explanation; he’s a highly trained CIA assassin.

Despite this fact, Bourne chooses to turn his back on his former life and instead opts to lead a life that doesn’t involve murder and violence. The question is, can he? Certainly his former employers will stop at nothing to get him back or eliminate him. You can compare Jason Bourne to a nuclear weapon – if the government lost one, do you think they would just let it go? From a moral standpoint, however, Jason must wonder if his actions in his pre-amnesia life will have any bearing on his character now that he has given up that life.

Can Jason Bourne be absolved of his deeds as an assassin simply because he has forgotten that he ever was an assassin?

I’m not sure what the answer to that question is, but I do know that The Bourne Identity is one kick-butt movie. I think it’s the fact that Bourne doesn’t want to be an assassin, but still has the skills of one, which makes him so cool. For the audience, it’s all the excitement of being a highly trained operative without any of the ethical drawbacks of being a professional killer. Sign me up!

For some reason Universal decided to release an ‘Explosive Extended Edition’ of The Bourne Identify to follow the original DVD release. The extended bits are actually not very explosive at all. And given the fact that the newer version excludes the DTS track that was available on the original, I think Universal should be added to Treadstone’s list of problems that need “solving”. Fortunately my roommate has a copy of the DTS version and since he never reads this blog I think I’ll just switch the discs and not tell him. Shhh…

Highly trained trivia for ‘The Bourne Identity’.

"Lie? Me? Never! The truth is far too much fun."

Hook was one of the seven movies I ordered as part of my introductory offer with Columbia House. Last night was the first time I had a chance to actually watch it. I’m not going to comment much on the story of the film, but I do want to mention how incredible this DVD sounds.

It’s not surprising that this is a pretty bare bones DVD. Hook came out in 1991, the same year that DVD technology was first being explored, and a good five years before the first DVD players became available. As a result, there is very little in the way of special features. Fortunately a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is available, and this more than makes up for the lack of bonus features.

I immediately noticed how well the surrounds were used. The large pirate scene when Peter first arrives in Never-Neverland is filled with all the sounds you would expect in a bustling harbour port. You really feel like you are there, as opposed to simply watching it happen. When Captain Hook makes his first appearance I almost felt like shouting “Hook, Hook, show us the Hook!” with all the pirates. Their yells completely filled my living room. For a movie that’s almost 15 years old, the sound transfer is phenomenal.

Being a Steven Spielberg film, the score is composed by John Williams. I’m a huge fan and his music really benefits from the 5.1 audio. Full and triumphant, the fanfares explode from every speaker without overwhelming the dialogue or sound effects. This is the perfect example of a soundtrack that makes you feel like you’re part of the adventure. I can hear the orchestra in my head as I write this. I think this is some of William’s best work.

Hook is great fun and one that I look forward to watching again and again. And with the fantastic Dolby Digital track, I really can’t wait to hear it again and again. I originally ordered this DVD simply for nostalgic reasons – I always loved watching this delightful tale of Peter Pan and Captain Hook. But I was wonderfully surprised to experience one of the best DVD audio tracks I’ve ever heard.

I love movies!


Think of a happy thought and click here for 'Hook' trivia.

The easy way out...

One of the side effects of having a movie blog is that I feel obligated to write about every movie I watch. Obviously I could choose not to write about absolutely every single movie I see. But then I would disappoint all the people whose only chance to experience the joy of watching a film is to live vicariously through me by reading my blog. And I wouldn’t want to do that now, would I?

The problem arises when I go on a film-watching spree and suddenly find that I’m about 5 or 6 reviews behind in my movie-to-blog ratio. So for the first time in the history of this blog I’m going to give you, the reader, the chance to decide which movie I’ll review next. Below is a poll on the last five movies I’ve watched. Vote for the one you want me to review in detail. The other four will get tiny, simple reviews.

I’ll tally the votes on Friday and write the review on Saturday.

If this poll thing actually works, I’ll likely be using it a lot more in the future to get your opinions. Aren’t blogs fun?!

So let’s hear it...

Which movie should be reviewed next?
	The Count of Monte Cristo
	Tigerland
	Apollo 13
	Spellbound
	The Pianist
Free polls from Pollhost.com

"The only good bug, is a dead bug!" (micro-review)

Not a lot of people liked Starship Troopers. I’m pretty sure I know why, but I still think they’re all crazy. How can you not like a movie where Michael Ironside sticks his fingers inside a hole in a soldier’s head and says, in a very serious voice, “They sucked his brains out.” That’s just good filmmaking.

Ok, I admit that Starship Troopers is the ultimate, campy B-movie. But what you have to remember is that it’s the ultimate, campy B-movie! You can’t complain that it’s totally unrealistic because no one in their right mind would ever expect the movie to be anything but totally unrealistic. This is a movie that goes over the top and does everything possible to continually remind you that over-the-top is where it wants to be.

Very loosely based on Robert A. Heinlein’s novel of the same title, Starship Troopers chronicles the exploits of Johnny Rico and his friends in the Mobile Infantry, a division of the armed forces in the distant future. Earth is at war with giant bugs and the MI are sent to do battle in order to save the planet. However, the movie and the book are two completely different affairs. The novel is a highly satirical look at politics and military involvement in world history. The movie is about killing bugs.

The best part about this DVD is that it’s available in Superbit. DTS sound, 1.85:1 Anamorphic video and a high-bit transfer. Even if you don’t like the movie, this DVD is reference quality for anyone interested in home theatre presentations. Next time you stop by, remind me to pop this one in and show you the scene where the infantry make their first drop onto bug-planet. Simply awesome.

Would you like to know more? Click here for ‘Starship Troopers’ trivia.

Superman Returns

Bryan Singer, director of the X-Men movies and The Usual Suspects, is currently working on yet another superhero flick, Superman Returns.

Click here for the current teaser/trailer.

In the leading role is someone named Brandon Routh. I don't think I've seen him in anything before. It will be interesting to see how he performs as Superman, especially considering the enormous popularity of Christopher Reeve as the real Superman.

And now, the main reason for writing a quick blog about this:

Kevin Spacey stars as Lex Luthor. How awesome is that?

"You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity." (Review)

Ah, glorious Superbit Deluxe! Now why can’t all DVDs be produced this way? Some of you may recall my blog about Superbit. If you read my blog regularly but you can’t recall the Superbit piece, you may want to get your short-term memory checked. Or just scroll down a page or two to find it. Superbit titles sacrifice special features in favour of high quality audio and video encoding. Superbit Deluxe titles simply include a second disc with all the special features on it. It’s the best of both worlds. And I managed to find a rare Superbit Deluxe edition of Snatch, a quirky British film from the producer of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

So what is Snatch about? I’m still not entirely sure. The main plot revolves around two characters, Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tommy (Stephen Graham), who are trying to fix an illegal, unlicensed boxing match. At their heels is a ruthless crime boss named Brick Top (Alan Ford) who threatens to feed Turkish and Tommy to the pigs if they can’t arrange for their fighter to take a fall. At the same time, Franky Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro) has stolen an 86-carat diamond that he plans to sell to Cousin Avi (Dennis Farina). Unfortunately, Four Fingers has a gambling addiction and heads to the bookies (run by Brick Top) to make a bet on the fight. Russian gangster Boris ‘The Blade’ (Rade Serbedzija) hires amateur thieves Vincent and Sol to hold-up the bookies and kidnap Four Fingers. A series of mishaps leads to Four Fingers’ disappearance which causes Cousin Avi to fly from New York to London and hire Bullet Tooth Tony (Vinnie Jones) to help track Four Fingers down. Meanwhile, Turkish and Tommy reluctantly hire Mikey (Brad Pitt), the nearly incomprehensible Irish boxer, to take the dive in the upcoming fight. Oh yeah, there’s a dog in there somewhere too.

Let’s try this – here’s a link for a trailer of the film itself, so you can see for yourself.

Snatch Trailer

As complicated and confusing as that sounds it’s the ingenious blending of these numerous plots that make the movie so enjoyable. While it may seem like it takes a bit of time for the film to really gather steam, once it gets going you’ll be glad you’re along for the ride. Ultimately this film is about the characters. Each one of them is unique and entertaining. It reminded me of Ocean’s Eleven (the new one) – while the caper itself is very interesting, it’s the characters that make the movie so much fun to watch. And if you’re a fan of Brad Pitt you’ll love his role. Simply hilarious.

Being a Superbit release, the audio and video are top notch. The 1.85:1 Anamorphic transfer looks great. The colours are a bit subdued due to the murky underbelly of London, which makes up the majority of the film’s locations. We’re given a wonderful 5.1 DTS track that provides crystal clear dialogue (which is imperative considering most of the accents are nearly impossible to decipher as it is). The surrounds and subwoofer really come into play during several key scenes. The music does an excellent job in creating the right mood at every turn.

Being a Superbit Deluxe release, we’re also given an extra disc with Special Features. And guess what? I’ve actually watched them! It wasn’t that difficult since there is only a 25 minute making-of featurette, a couple of trailers and some production photos. The making-of feature is very entertaining. It provides an informative, behind-the-scenes look at the making of Snatch. Many humorous bits of trivia are included and if you’re a fan of director Guy Ritchie you’ll certainly get a kick out of it. Several deleted scenes are also available, which can be watched with or without the director’s commentary. All in all, there’s not much here. Fortunately the cost of Superbit Deluxe is no higher than regular Superbit, so you can think of the special features disc as a freebie.

If you liked Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, you’ll like Snatch. If you liked Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian Job, you’ll like Snatch. If you have trouble understanding English accents, you’ll probably be confused for most of the movie. If you can understand English accents without any trouble, you’ll only be mildly confused. But I think that’s the idea. It’s like a roller coaster. You don’t need to understand how it works – just get on and enjoy the ride.

Snatch gets 7 periwinkle-blue caravans (out of 10).

Smashing trivia for ‘Snatch’.

And you thought I was a geek...

Many of you know that I enjoy having movie-marathon sessions every now and then. I've already had 3 or 4 Lord of the Rings Ridiculathons - watching all three extended edition movies in the same day. Some of you have even been a part of them.

With the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on DVD, it's time to start thinking about a Star Wars Ridiculathon - all six Star Wars movies in one day. This will be considerably more arduous than Lord of the Rings. To watch all three extended edition Lord of the Rings movies takes 11 hours and 21 minutes. That doesn't include breaks. However, to watch all six Star Wars movies takes 13 hours and 14 minutes, not including breaks. I can't wait.

As geeky as that may sound to you, let's put things into perspective here. I stumbled across a website of a fellow Star Wars fan who did something similar - he watched all six Star Wars films simultaneously. Stop for a second and think about that. I didn't say 'consecutively'. I said 'simultaneously'. That's right, he managed to load all six DVDs into a file on his computer and separated them into six different windows and proceeded to watch all six films at the same time.

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Here's the link: Watching all six Star Wars movies simultaneously.

There's hope for me yet.

So, who's with me for the Star Wars Ridiculathon?

"Get off my plane!" (mini-review)

Ah, glorious Superbit. If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, or if you know me well enough, you know that I love high quality audio/video when it comes to DVDs. I can overlook the absence of entertaining and informative special features if the film itself is presented in beautiful 1.85:1 Anamorphic video and wall-shaking DTS 5.1. I think Sony Pictures had me in mind when they created their Superbit franchise. Movies released on Superbit have no special features – just a film that looks and sounds phenomenal. For a movie like Air Force One, with lots of dramatic action sequences and thunderous explosions, Superbit is the only way to go.

I guess any movie that involves terrorists hijacking an airplane is now considered somewhat ironic due to the events of 9/11. That aside, this movie is unique in that the plane being hijacked is none other than the president’s personal jet, Air Force One. Harrison Ford plays the President of the United States. He’s the perfect candidate for the job. Although he does seem to play the role with more honour, integrity and devotion than we’re used to seeing in an American president. Gary Oldman plays the Russian terrorist whose goal is to hold the President, his family and Air Force One hostage in return for the release of an ultra-radical General being held prisoner in a Moscow prison. What can I say about Gary Oldman in this role? He’s the ultimate bad guy and this is another fantastic performance.

I think this might the first time I’ve said this in my blog so please pay attention – movies require suspension of disbelief. If there’s one piece of movie criticism I can’t stand it’s ‘the movie was not realistic’. Movies aren’t supposed to be realistic! Okay, granted there are some films that are ‘based’ on actual events, but even those films take numerous liberties in order to present an entertaining picture. I really don’t understand why people get upset when a particular movie is “unbelievable” or “unrealistic”. Don’t we go to movies to escape from reality, if only for a short time? If you want reality save $20 and just sit out on your front lawn and watch the world go by. But if you want to suspend your disbelief, watch a ‘what-if’ scenario and be entertained by something you don’t see everyday, then pick up Air Force One or any of the other movies out there and have fun. Could the events in Air Force One actually happen? I seriously doubt it. Would the movie be fun if it depicted only what could actually happen? I seriously doubt it.

Air Force One is fun and it’s the perfect example of a movie based in the real world where un-real things happen. And that’s what makes it so enjoyable to watch. The performances are gripping. The action sequences are intense. The explosions are huge (and who doesn’t love a good explosion). And did I mention that the Superbit version looks and sounds awesome on my home theatre?

Patriotic trivia for ‘Air Force One’.

"Some people never got over Vietnam or the night their band opened for Nirvana." (micro-review)

John Cusak has been in some interesting movies. Grosse Point Blanke and Being John Malkovich immediately come to mind. That being said, I’ve always enjoyed watching his films. I recall my wife talking about another John Cusak movie, based on a book she had read, called High Fidelity. I also remembered seeing a scene or two of this film, set in a record shop where the disgruntled shop-clerk (Jack Black) tells a customer he can’t have Stevie Wonder’s album because “there’s no way your daughter likes that music!” During a visit to Future Shop I saw a copy of High Fidelity for the bargain price of $11.95. Put all these elements together and I’m sure you can’t blame me for making yet another blind-purchase.

I’ve never read the book so I can’t comment on how accurate it is, but there are two things I’ve learned over the years; never judge a book by its movie, and never criticize a good movie simply because it doesn’t exactly follow the book. Regardless of the book, I enjoyed High Fidelity. What exactly did I enjoy? Well, allow me to give you my top five reasons to see the film:

#5. Jack Black – where he is, there is comedy. Always.

#4. Fantastic soundtrack – what else would you expect from a film centered around a character who loves music and owns his own record store?

#3. Constant camera focused monolog – ok, I think I just created that term. It means that the main character narrates a good portion of the film by speaking directly to the camera. I always like stuff like that.

#2. John Cusak – I’m going to check IMDB to see if I’ve ever seen a John Cusak film I didn’t like…ok, there’s one (The Thin Red Line) but it had nothing to do with Cusak himself.

#1. This one’s a combination of #5 and #4 – Jack Black gives a brilliant musical performance in one of those wonderful movie-moments that just makes you smile.

High Fidelity is a romantic-comedy, I guess. Or maybe it’s more of a dramatic-comedy. I’m not really sure. The point is it’s both funny and engaging. I think I’d put High Fidelity in one of those “great date-movie” categories. I’m still not sure what that means.

Rockin’ trivia for ‘High Fidelity’.

"Candy doesn't have to have a point. That's why it's candy." (Review)

When people hear that a beloved classic is going to be remade they mostly react negatively…mostly. When I heard that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was going to be remade with Tim Burton at the helm, and starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka himself, I was actually quite thrilled. I’ve always enjoyed Burton’s films (with the exception of Batman Returns, where I’m convinced Burton was either on more drugs than usual or had stopped taking them altogether) and I really enjoy Johnny Depp in Burton’s films. Considering the quirky bizarreness (is that a word?) of Roald Dahl’s novel of the same name, I figured a Burton/Depp interpretation would be perfect. I wasn’t far off.

The key thing to keep in mind when watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, especially if you’ve seen the original, is that this film is not trying to change or improve upon the first. It’s simply a re-telling of the same classic story. With that in mind I thoroughly enjoyed the recent version. Depp is the perfect Willy Wonka. Of course, Gene Wilder was also the perfect Willy Wonka. That’s the beauty of it; they’re both great films. They just happen to have the same characters and tell roughly the same story.

For those of you who haven’t read the books or seen the movies, and shame on you if that’s the case, here’s a quick run-down. Willy Wonka is a candy maker who shut his factory down many years ago after industrial espionage caused many of his secret recipes to be pirated by other candy makers (sorry, it’s a Depp film, I had to use a pirate reference). Charlie is a young boy from a poor family who is fascinated with the factory and the mysterious Willy Wonka. The story begins with Willy Wonka announcing that five lucky children will be given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a personal tour of the chocolate factory, led by none other than Willy Wonka himself. Five golden tickets have been randomly hidden in the wrappers of five chocolate bars. Whoever finds one, wins.

What unfolds is a spectacular, fantastic, magical ride through the world of Willy Wonka and his magnificent candy. The set pieces alone are worth viewing this film (and the original). From chocolate waterfalls and edible grass to trained squirrels and great glass elevators, the chocolate factory itself is truly a world of imagination (ok, I’m stealing lyrics from the first film, but let’s call it a creative tie-in). Burton has created a beautiful and wondrous world for us to experience with Charlie. And he’s given us the perfect tour guide.

Johnny Depp is brilliant. And I’m not just referring to his role as Willy Wonka. I think he’s one of the more underrated actors in Hollywood. Edward Scissorhands, Ichabod Crane, Captain Jack Sparrow, Sir James Matthew Barrie and now Willy Wonka. Tell me that’s not versatility. His portrayal of the eccentric candy maker is definitely the highlight of the film. Not quite as dark as Gene Wilder’s take on Mr. Wonka, Johnny Depp maintains that curious quality that keeps us guessing. I’ve always felt that there was much more going on inside Willy Wonka than met the eyes, and Depp pulls it off just as I’ve always imagined it. It’s amazing that he can create such an entertaining and engaging character after Wilder already entertained and engaged us with the same character. Johnny Depp is brilliant.

Freddie Highmore stars as Charlie. You’ll remember him from Finding Neverland, also starring Johnny Depp. His performance is just as endearing as that of young Peter Davies and it’s easy to see why Depp recommended him to Burton for this film. I didn’t recognize the actors portraying the other four children, but they pull it off as you would expect. They’re the obnoxious, annoying, selfish, greedy little brats that we expect them to be. Mission accomplished.

If I had to pick one thing I didn’t really like about this film it would have to be the music. One of the things that make the original a classic is the wonderful music. I can still remember the lyrics and music for ‘World of Imagination’, ‘The Candyman Can’ and that catchy Oompa Loompa song. Sadly, the music for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is not nearly as memorable. While the lyrics for all the songs were taken from Roald Dahl’s writings, the melodies and tunes are merely so-so. I was excited to hear the first Oompa Loompa song in this new version but ended up being slightly disappointed. It just wasn’t catchy. I couldn’t hum you a single bar of any of the songs from the film. That can’t be good.

Other than that little hiccup, I enjoyed the film immensely. The 2-disc Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic video, which fills the screen and looks vibrant and crisp. The colours are somewhat washed out during the first act, but this is to emulate the run-down look of London during the time. Once we get inside the factory itself everything looks much better. It reminded me a bit of the scene in Wizard of Oz when Dorothy first walks out the door of her house into Munchkin Land. The sound is encoded in Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (which simulates a 6th speaker using the 2 surrounds) and sounds great. Dialogue is clear and sound effects and music are well balanced. The second disc contains special features. Have I watched them yet? I’ll let you take a wild stab at that one.

Overall, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a wonderful re-telling of a classic tale. I think children would certainly get a big kick out of this recent rendition. It could easily become a new family classic. Depp’s performance and Burton’s unique vision work perfectly for this story. There are even a few minor deviations from the book, which give us a peek at Wonka’s history and upbringing. In the end, despite a few disappointing musical numbers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory serves up a delicious treat that is sure to make you smile.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory gets 7 Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight bars (out of 10).

Strawberry-flavored, chocolate-covered trivia for ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.

"Yeah. Uh, did you get that memo?" (Review)

I first remember seeing Rob Livingston in Band of Brothers, an HBO special created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Livingston portrayed Captain Lewis Nixon, a prominent officer attached to Easy Company during World War II. The Band of Brothers mini-series is phenomenal and I was extremely impressed with Livingston’s performance. A couple years before Band of Brothers he portrayed Peter Gibbons in Office Space. I had heard about this movie for a couple years and how it had gained a cult following after its video release. After learning that Stephen Root (NewsRadio, Dodgeball) played a significant role, Shauna and I were convinced we needed to see it. So last night I went to Future Shop and made a rare ‘blind-buy’ of the Special Edition DVD.

If you’ve ever worked in any kind of office setting, particularly in a cubicle environment, you’ll love this movie. Peter works for Initech, a software development company. Like anyone in a cubicle environment, Peter hates his job. He hates his uncaring boss who consistently asks Peter to work weekends and ensure his TPS reports have the correct cover page. He hates reporting to eight different supervisors who all repeat the same requests. He hates having to justify his job to an external consultant hired to help reduce company costs. As Peter describes it, “Every day is the worst day of (his) life.” Persuaded to see a hypnotherapist to help deal with his frustration, Peter finds himself in a completely relaxed and carefree state of mind. At this opportune moment his therapist has a massive heart attack, abruptly ending the session. Remaining in his sedated frame of mind, Peter finds new ways of dealing with work.

Office Space is a comedy most of us can relate to. All the frustrations of office work are hilariously depicted by the film’s many quirky characters. Milton (Stephen Root) is consistently overlooked by his co-workers and continually threatens to take matters into his own hands. This is a role that has be seen and heard in order to truly appreciate its genius. Michael Bolton has to suffer through endless comments about having the same name as that horrible singer. Samir Nagheenanajar must endure having his name mispronounced by everyone around him. Virtually every ‘office environment’ personality is portrayed with hysterical accuracy. When Peter finally adopts his new attitude toward work the film not only gets funnier but becomes something to cheer for. Peter finally does what we’ve only dreamt of doing.

I’m not sure why this film didn’t do so well at the box office. It could have been poor marketing, or it could be that in 1999 Office Space had to share the screen with other popular titles: Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, Toy Story 2 and The Matrix, just to name a few. Once released on video, however, word got out and the film became an at-home hit. Who knows why some films do better on video than they do at the box office? I’m not going to try and solve that mystery here. All I can say is that I don’t remember hearing about Office Space until only a couple years ago and now that I’ve finally seen it I think it’s one of the funniest movies I’ve watched in a while.

Office Space is probably the only movie that could have vulgar rap music for the majority of its soundtrack and have it be hilarious. I’m not a rap fan by any means, but I would buy this soundtrack simply because of the visuals it would bring to mind from the film. The lyrics echo the thoughts and feelings of the characters in the film perfectly. It’s brilliant.

Office Space was recently released in a Special Edition (with flair!) DVD, which is the copy I picked up for a mere $14.95. Well worth it. The film was mastered in 1.85:1 Anamorphic video and recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1. The movie is very crisp and sharp. The colours are not incredibly vivid, but I think this is mainly to convey the drab, washed out environment in which the movie is set. The surround sound is perfect for those musical moments but the film is primarily concerned with dialogue. This isn’t the kind of movie that really needs great audio or video, but it’s nice to see that 20th Century Fox took the time to produce a great transfer.

Primarily, this new DVD edition is about the image and audio quality as opposed to many special features. A 20 minute retrospective includes interviews with the director and most of the main actors. It’s an interesting look at how the film and characters were created. There are several pieces of entertaining trivia contained within the feature. There are also 8 deleted scenes, several of which are quite funny, a theatrical trailer, and a gallery of images from the production of the film.

This is a great film to watch with friends, again, particularly if any of you have ever had to endure that kind of workplace. Very entertaining and very funny. I almost never ‘blind-buy’ DVDs but I’m happy to say that I didn’t go wrong with Office Space.

Office Space gets 8 red Swingline staplers (out of 10).

Collated trivia for ‘Office Space’.

"You guys wanna go see a dead body?" (micro-review)

Stand By Me is the story of four adolescent boys who take a weekend journey to go see a dead body. More important than the story, though, are the boys themselves. To me, this movie is all about friendship and growing up. When I think about Stand By Me, I think about the memorable dialogue and the nostaligic songs. It's funny that a movie set 16 years before I was born is nostaglic for me. It's not the setting or year portrayed in the film, it's the memories of watching and quoting this film with my family. I'm not sure why Stand By Me sticks out so much in my memory. It just does.

So, it doesn't really matter to me how good or bad the DVD is, or whether there are exciting special features. I'll always love this movie just because it makes me feel good to watch it.

That being said, the audio is presented in Dolby Surround 2.0. This is a travesty. The train scene would have been so awesome if a 5.1 DTS soundtrack had been used. I can just imagine turning my speaker volume way up so the house shakes as the train comes roaring up behind Gordie and Vern. My wife would yell "What is all that racket!?" and I would just reply "TRAAAAAAAAAIINNNN!!!!!!!"

"Have you ever tried... not being a mutant?" (mini-review)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a trip to EB Games (Electronics Boutique) with Chris, where he picked up a copy of an X-Men game for the Playstation. Each time we play it I get a hankering to watch one of the movies. You can find my mini-review of the first X-Men movie here. Last weekend I watched the second instalment, X2: X-Men United. And let me just say, these are comic-book heroes at their finest.

Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) once again directs, bringing his unique and incredibly exciting style to the table. X2 is one of those rare sequels that manages to outshine the original. And the first one itself was quite good. X2 reunites us with all our favourite mutants from the first film; Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Cyclops, Magneto (Ian McKellen), Mystique, Storm (Halle Berry), they’re all here. Including a few new faces, including the extremely cool Nightcrawler, who features in the movie’s sensational opening scene.

X2 is an enjoyable film to watch, merely for the action sequences. But it also goes a long way toward developing many of the franchise’s popular characters. We get more than a glimpse into Wolverine’s origins, which play into the movie’s main plot. We also get to see Pyro and Iceman begin to come into their own, with the former struggling to decide between the honourable X-Men, led by Professor X (Patrick Stewart), and the hell-bent-for-war Brotherhood, led by Magneto. During an especially exciting attack on the X-Men headquarters we are given peeks at a number of the comic’s other popular heroes.

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic video, X2 looks great. And with a DTS 5.1 soundtrack it sounds even better than it looks. The 2 disc DVD set also comes with a number of bonus features and commentary. I watched the special features a long time ago and I seem to remember they were pretty good. It’s really hard to remember though. Let’s be honest, special features aren’t really THAT special. Unless they’re Lord of the Rings special features, but that’s a whole other story.

If you liked the first X-Men movie, you’ll love the second one even more. If you hate movies about super heroes and mutants, you should probably avoid this one. Unless you are obsessed with Hugh Jackman (I won’t mention any names…Shauna), in which case you’ll really enjoy a couple of Wolverine’s flashbacks.

Blog-note: I don’t give ratings (out of 10) for mini-reviews. The mini-reviews are intended to just give a brief overview of the DVD and my general thoughts and feelings about it, as opposed to a more in-depth look the film. If you really, really need a rating from me post a comment and I’ll come up with a special rating just for you.

Indestructible, adamantium covered trivia for X2: X-Men United.

"Locksley! I'm gonna cut your heart out with a spoon!" (Review)

I can still remember the first time I saw Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. I went to the Northhill Theater in Calgary, which at the time was the largest screen in the city. Now all the theatres have been converted to multiplexes. Northhill was one screen and I believe the theatre itself seated over 500 people. For a movie like Robin Hood, with all its swash buckling action scenes, it was the perfect venue. As I was walking through the parking lot afterwards with a friend of mine we both started discussing how we could get our hands on a couple of bows and some arrows. At that age it was the kind of movie that made you want to be part of the action yourself.

When the film was released on VHS I immediately got a copy and watched it over and over and over again. I took great pleasure in watching Robin of Locksley become the leader of a group of outlaws who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. I especially enjoyed watching that band of merry men build weapons, train and become heroes to the villagers and peasants. In the end I guess I loved the movie for the same reason that generations of audiences have loved the whole story of Robin Hood. It doesn’t matter if you’re partial to Errol Flynn or Kevin Costner or even Disney’s rendition. Robin Hood defies the corrupt Sheriff, gives gold to the less fortunate, saves the damsel in distress and does it all with a smile. And he’s really, really good with a bow. The most recent equivalent of Robin Hood would have to be Captain Jack Sparrow; they are both characters we love to cheer for.

When I discovered that a Special Edition DVD was available for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, it immediately went on my wishlist. When I had the opportunity to get a bunch of DVDs as part of a really great introductory deal with Columbia House, it immediately came off my wishlist and went into my collection. And then, last weekend, I had the chance to watch one of my favourite movies again, this time in blessed DTS surround sound and 1.85:1 Anamorphic video. Oh happy day!

As an added bonus the Special Edition is actually an Extended Edition. I had no idea until I actually received the DVD. An additional 11 minutes of footage has been re-inserted into the main feature, primarily scenes involving the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) and his crone witch, Mortianna. After watching the extended bits it was easy to see why they were originally left on the cutting room floor. The relationship between Nottingham and Mortianna is bizarre and manages only to detract from the Sheriff’s character. Unfortunately there is no option to watch the original feature film on its own.

Aside from that little hiccup, Rickman’s performance is sensational. It’s right up there with Nicholson’s Joker (Batman) and Oldman’s Zorg (The Fifth Element). He manages to provide the right mix of comedy and treachery. Throw in a couple of entertaining performances by Morgan Freeman as Azeem and Michael Wincott as the Sheriff’s cousin and you’ve got a pretty good character film in addition to the swash-swash, buckle-buckle. There’s even a fantastic cameo by Sean Connery.

A number of critics looked down on Kevin Costner’s performance in Robin Hood. Actually, a number of critics look down on all of his performances. I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. I would be hard pressed to think of a Costner movie I didn’t enjoy. And yes, I’m including Waterworld in that list. I think he’s an entertaining actor and his movies are always interesting and fun to watch. Robin Hood is no exception. Despite the fact that he’s the only Robin Hood to speak without an English accent (which was subsequently spoofed in Mel Brook’s ‘Men In Tights’), he still manages to portray the character as I’ve always imagined. It’s easy to cheer for Costner’s Robin Hood and that, to me, means a job well done.

Despite several film artefacts and debris, the picture quality is quite good. The 1.85:1 transfer fills my entire (wide)screen, which is always good, and the colors are fairly clean. There is some saturation in the darker scenes, which is likely due to age, and the fire effects weren’t as crisp as I’d like to see. I’ve definitely seen better transfers but Robin Hood still looks good. The DTS 5.1 soundtrack is a nice treat. The surrounds are used mainly in the action scenes where they are certainly put through their paces. Forest scenes benefit from chirping birds and wind rustling through leaves all around. It’s a nice touch.

There is a second disc of special features. And if you’ve been keeping up with my reviews you probably already know what I’m going to say next. I haven’t had a chance to look at the special features yet. I’ll try to catch up this weekend, I promise.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a great movie. It makes me feel like the music sounds, boisterous and triumphant. I’m glad to have this one in my collection and I expect I’ll be watching it again soon. And again. And again…

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Special Edition gets 8 arrows (out of 10).

Bulls-eye trivia for Robin Hood.

"Death is... whimsical... today." (Review)

Every now and then I find a movie that I’ve only briefly heard of, but never got the chance to watch. You know, one of those movies that sounds interesting but for some reason didn’t get much press when it was first released. These are like little diamonds in the rough. And if you’re lucky enough, a good friend will approach you one day and say “Hey, there’s a movie you should really see.” One such friend of mine told me about Leon, The Professional. Thanks Chris!

Luc Besson is a French director/producer who is also responsible for The Fifth Element, La Femme Nikita, and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. If you’ve seen any of these you have a pretty good idea of how unique this director is. Leon is no exception to this rule.

I’ve never seen La Femme Nikita, but from what I’ve read on the internet there is a great debate regarding which film is Besson’s best: Nikita or Leon. Apparently the character of Leon was actually inspired by a character that Jean Reno portrayed in Nikita and Besson liked it so much he decided to make an entire film devoted to him. The end result is an incredibly engaging film that plays with your emotions while presenting itself as some great action eye-candy.

Leon (Jean Reno) is a cleaner. What’s so exciting about that? Well it turns out that ‘cleaner’ is just another way of saying ‘hit man’. Leon is no ordinary hit man either (not that any hit man could be considered ordinary). Leon specializes in stealth and, of course, weapons, making him a one-man wrecking crew. Apart from his job, however, Leon is a quiet recluse, a social misfit. He comes across as brutal, efficient and fearsome as an assassin, but also reserved, unaware and slightly slow in the other areas of his life.

Living next door to Leon is 12 year old Mathilda (Natalie Portman’s first role). When Mathilda’s family is executed by dirty DEA agents, she is forced to find safety in Leon’s company. After reluctantly taking Mathilda in, Leon finds himself teaching her the art of ‘cleaning’ while she helps him learn about his own emotions and being. It’s both a story of an unlikely relationship and cold revenge.

I’m no psychologist so I won’t try to explain the relationship between Leon and Mathilda. It’s really better if you watch it for yourself. Suffice it to say that Portman’s performance is nothing short of brilliant. It’s too bad her most memorable work has been the recent Star Wars cartoons, I mean, movies. She is very convincing in her role as Mathilda. Jean Reno also does a fantastic job as Leon. This could not have been an easy role to play, as the character is both complex and simple, ruthless and compassionate, intelligent and dim-witted. It’s the role that made Jean Reno a star and it’s not hard to see why.

As an added bonus, Gary Oldman also stars as the leader of the corrupt gang of DEA agents. His character is the chilling, terrifying and impossible-not-to-watch performance that we’ve come to expect from Oldman. He is the perfect bad guy in a film where the individual characters are far more important than the overall plot. If you’re a Gary Oldman fan you will truly appreciate and enjoy his work in Leon.

The deluxe edition DVD is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic video and DTS 5.1 surround sound. The images are slightly muted, but I believe that was intentional, giving the film a bit of a darker look and feel. The sound is exceptional, especially in the action scenes. Bullets whiz by and grenades explode with gusto. It’s a thinking-film with really loud explosions. Good times.

The two disc set includes a bonus DVD with special features including a 10-year retrospective where the actors, writers and director reminisce about the film a decade after its release. Also included are brief interviews with both Jean Reno and Natalie Portman regarding their work as Leon and Mathilda. It would have been nice to see some material with Gary Oldman but I guess he was unavailable.

Great characters and great performances are what make this film so…great. There is a lot of depth to Leon, much more than you would expect from an action flick. But then, this isn’t really an action flick. It’s a character film that just happens to have a good amount of action. I guess I need to get my hands on La Femme Nikita now. Oh darn, another movie to watch. I’m crushed. (Please note excessive sarcasm).

Leon, The Professional, gets 8 silencers (out of 10).

Deadly trivia for Leon, The Professional.

It's like Christmas...sort of...

Ah...there's nothing like coming home from work to find a large parcel, filled with DVDs, in your mailbox. It really helps ease the pain of then immediately learning that your wife has been in a car accident.

Ok, calm down. It wasn't too serious. More importantly, she's not at fault! She got a little bump from behind at an intersection and it looks like we'll have to replace the entire bumper. It must have been divine intervention that ensured I had half a dozen brand new DVDs to distract me from the frustrations of dealing with insurance companies and body shops.

In addition, the final chapter of the Star Wars saga was released on DVD the same day. I haven't had a chance to pick up a copy yet, but I'm looking forward to planning the first annual Star Wars Ridiculathon! All six films in one day. Sweeeet.

Alright, I know you're dying to know what new DVDs I got. Allow me to take you on a brief your of my newest arrivals:

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - Special Edition. A lot of people poo-poo Kevin Costner's take on this swashbuckling hero (or is that Australian table wines?). Regardless of what the masses think, I loved this movie. Great action, cool archery scenes, fantastic performances by Alan Rickman and Morgan Freeman, boisterous soundtrack, and one of the most fun movie quotes to scream at random, "To the treeeees!!!". I'm especially looking forward to listening to the glorious DTS track.

Leon, The Professional. Shauna and I watched this last night. What a great film. It's one of those flicks that seems tucked away from the world and only reveals its brilliance to those lucky enough to find it. Our good friend Chris introduced me to this film and am I ever glad he did. One of Gary Oldman's best performances. If you haven't seen this, and chances are you haven't, give me a call so you can come over to watch it.

Stand By Me - Special Edition. I can still remember my mom coming home one night and telling us kids that there was a movie we simply had to see. I'm not sure if we actually got a chance to see it in the theaters, since it was rated R and I would have been 11 years old at the time. Regardless, this is one of those movies from my childhood and I can't wait to watch it again. "TRAIN!!!"




Hook. Another favorite. This is one of those "it's just fun" movies. Dustin Hoffman gives a fantastic performance as Captain Hook, Robin Williams is his usual hilarious self, Steven Spielberg directs and John Williams conducts. What more could you ask for?



How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I'm a big fan of the original animated classic from Dr. Suess. When I heard that Jim Carrey was going to be taking on the role of the Grinch in a live-action feature, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or a great thing. Turns out it's a wonderful thing. It's certainly no replacement for the cartoon, but it is a very enjoyable retelling of the story. A new Christmas classic.



Superman. How can you not like Superman? Probably the first comic-book superhero movie I ever saw. It also introduced us to Christopher Reeve. When he switched from mild-mannered Clark Kent to Superman, I thought he was the coolest guy ever. It's going to be bitter sweet to watch this one again.



So many movies, so little time. Sigh. One day I'll be rich and I can just open my own private movie theater. One day...

"There isn't a government on this planet that wouldn't kill us all for that thing." (Review)

In 1983 Matthew Broderick starred in a little film called War Games. One of the first Hollywood movies to sensationalize computers and their potentially dangerous uses, War Games gave us our first glimpse into a world that was no longer controlled by political figures or the guy with the biggest army; it was the person who controlled the computers, and the information they contained, who had the most power.

Inspired by this film, director Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), writer Lawrence Lasker (War Games) and producer Walter F. Parkes (Minority Report) all sat down to discuss what the world might look like in terms of information and computers in another ten years. They began making notes, theorizing about what might happen, and researched the true identities behind a new crop of geniuses known as 'hackers'. Over the course of these 10 years they would learn about a group of "black hatters" known as 'sneakers'.

The term 'sneakers' was given to groups of people who shared their individual abilities to break into some of the most "secure" institutions in America. Phone phreakers, hackers and security experts would show that real power was in the hands of those who controlled the information, and they set out to ensure they could control any information they wanted. Loosely based on these black hatter organizations, the 1992 film 'Sneakers' was born.

Robert Redford stars as Martin Bishop, a security and computer expert who runs a highly specialized business. "So people hire you to break into their places to make sure that no one can break into their places?" Bishop leads a group consisting of an ex-CIA operative (Sidney Poitier), a paranoid conspiracy theorist (Dan Ackroyd), a recent high school graduate caught by Bishop's team while hacking into the school mainframe to change his grades (River Phoenix), and a blind communications specialist named 'Whistler' (David Strathairn). When Bishop's team is hired by the NSA to steal a black box, suspected to be the ultimate code-breaker, the fun begins.

I could tell you more about the story of this exciting and entertaining film, but the fun of this movie is seeing how things play out and where we'll be taken next. The interaction between the main characters is one of the selling points for this film. The dialogue is high-tech and hilarious at the same time, the action is both thrilling and filled with tension, and the story contains enough twists and turns to keep anyone happy.

Although some of the technological aspects of the film are rapidly becoming outdated, the movie itself has stood the test of time well. It was just as entertaining to watch 13 years later as it was when it first came out. And thanks to a remastered Collector's Edition it looks and sounds as good as ever. Sneakers is presented in crisp 1.85:1 Anamorphic video and features Dolby Digital Surround. While the surround speakers don't get a lot of action from this flick, it's the dialogue and engaging story that make this film worth watching a second time (and third, and fourth).

Ironically, despite the film's slightly dated "high-tech" components, the themes and commentary are just as relevant, if not more so, today. What is control? What is information? Are people really as rich as they think they are, or is just a pattern of 1s and 0s that dictates the true pecking order? I think this movie's continued popularity is partly due to the fact that we live in a pervasive information world. The threat proposed in Sneakers is a magnificent one, even in the 21st century.

The Collector's Edition DVD includes a 40 minute behind-the-scenes look at how Sneakers came to be. Primarily consisting of interviews with the writers and cast, it's a good glimpse at the making of Sneakers and the characters. A director's commentary is also included, but I haven't watched this yet.

I managed to find a brand new copy of Sneakers for $9.99 at Blockbuster. I think this DVD would have been worth twice what I paid, so it was impossible to pass up at such a good price. Sneakers is a fun, engaging, funny, thrill ride that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. Come on over and watch it with me! I'm ready for another viewing.

Sneakers gets 8 modems (out of 10).

Encrypted trivia for 'Sneakers'.