DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE (Live at Madison Square Garden) -- DVD review by porfle

Watching a concert DVD for a group you've never even heard of can be a daunting prospect. If you don't get into their music right away, then listening to two hours of it is pretty much the exact opposite of fun, especially if it's one of those preachy benefit concerts that gets bogged down by its own solemnity and self-importance. Which is why I was so relieved to discover that DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE, a charity event that sold out Madison Square Garden three nights in a row back in July '07, is a joyous, feelgood rock concert on its own terms. I may have never heard of Dispatch, but it didn't take long for me to start thinking, "Damn, these guys are good!"

I didn't feel quite so out of it after one of the brief documentary segments showed people on the street being asked the question "Have you ever heard of a band called Dispatch?" and everyone said "No." But they have amassed an army of rabid fans through word-of-mouth, touring, and file-sharing, selling over 600,000 copies of their independently-released albums until their farewell performance in 2004 drew more than 110,000 fans from 25 countries. This reunion at Madison Square Garden made them the only independent band ever to sell out that venue.

The power trio hits the ground running with "Here We Go", which introduces us to band members Chad Stokes, Pete Francis, and Brad "Braddigan" Corrigan. The intial configuration consists of Stokes on lead guitar, Francis on bass, and Braddigan on drums, but that doesn't last long. Braddigan often leaves the drumming to guest player Paul Stivitts and straps on a guitar himself, while Stokes and Francis trade lead and bass duties with equal skill. Lead vocals are similarly taken in turn.

These chunky, funky songs are a robust mix of various styles including classic rock, acid rock, grunge, reggae, Latin rhythms, and folk, along with several African-tinged numbers. A hot horn section provides backup, and the group is joined onstage for three songs by the African Children's Choir. You can look forward to something new with each song--at one point they even wheel out their famous tour van, "Wimpy", and perform a couple of high-energy acoustic songs ("Steeples", "Questioned Apocalypse") while sitting on top of it.

One thing's for sure, these guys don't come off like rock stars. During another documentary segment, some local, seen-it-all union stagehands have nothing but good things to say about them. "These guys come in without a record deal and blow out Madison Square Garden 360 for three nights--I've been doing this for a long time and I've never seen anything like it" enthuses one of them, while another adds, "The whole band are great guys, I wish they were stayin' here for a coupla months."

They look and act like the garage band next door, and when they run out amongst their frenzied fans during the furious "Cut It Ya Match It" these three unassuming guys with two cordless microphones and one acoustic guitar manage to enthrall the entire crowd with sheer talent, charisma, and a boundless sense of fun. By the time the Zimbabwean kids return to the stage along with African percussionists Bongo Love for the final three songs, "Elias", "Outloud", and "General", the concert has become an exhilarating, almost blissful communal experience that I couldn't help getting caught up in.

Director Danny Clinch and co-director/editor Pablo Casaverde captured the event beautifully and this 19-song set looks and sounds great on DVD. Bonus features include four extra songs, outtakes, interviews, and a sharply-produced 30-minute documentary about Zimbabwe, "Tree With No Name", which tells us everything we need to know about why Dispatch put this event together in the first place. Also included is a music CD containing ten songs from the concert, plus an access number that allows you to go online and download a bunch of their songs.

I wasn't a Dispatch fan before, but I am now. These guys are just plain fun to watch, and DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE makes me wonder why more people haven't heard of them. They definitely put a smile on my face.

Magnolia's new genre arm, Magnet, secures all rights to "Let The Right One In"

Watch the trailer here

Magnolia’s new genre arm, Magnet, secures all rights to “Let The Right One In”

Munich, February 25, 2008 – Bavaria Film International has sold all rights to its European Film Market hit “Let The Right One In” to Magnet, Magnolia Pictures new genre arm, for North America. Right on the heels of its first market screening negotiations got under way over Thomas Alfredson’s romantic horror film and two times Gothenburg award winner with Magnolia finishing the race.

”Let The Right One In”, based on a best-selling novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist, tells the story of a lonely twelve year-old boy and his friendship with a young girl, who appears to be a vampire.

“This modern-day vampire romance proves to have the right amount of poetic art house feel injected into the horror genre and therefore appeals to a wide audience”, says Stefanie Zeitler, Head of Sales with Bavaria Film International. “The cross-over potential is immense and I am very glad that Magnolia sees it the same way. They are the perfect partner as they have proven the right touch for films like this and we look forward to this cooperation”.

“A stand out film in any market or festival, ‘Let The Right One In’ is a master work of horror,“ says Tom Quinn, Senior Vice President at Magnolia. „What Bong Joon Ho’s ‘The Host’ did for monsters, Tomas Alfredson’s ‘Let The Right One In’ will do for vampires.“

“Let The Right One In” is produced by Carl Molinder and John Nordling at EFTI in association with Sandrew Metronome, Filmpool Nord, Sveriges Television, and WAG.

AWAKE -- DVD Review by porfle

Hayden Christensen's character, multi-millionaire business tycoon Clay Beresford, Jr., dies on the operating table in AWAKE (2007). That may sound like a greviously inconsiderate spoiler on my part, but it happens about a minute into the movie. After that, the story is told in flashback by his surgeon and best friend, Dr. Jack Harper (Terrence Howard, CRASH, HART'S WAR).

[digression] You wanna talk spoilers? I just watched the trailer that comes with the DVD, and it contains one of THE major surprises of the whole story. The damn thing should have one of those *SPOILER ALERT!* warnings that people post on forums before they spill the beans about something. It's almost as bad as seeing a trailer for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK that has Darth Vader saying, "No, Luke. I...am your father." So whatever you do, don't watch the trailer before you see the movie! [/digression]

Anyway, Clay seems to have it all--millions of dollars, a wildly successful business that he inherited from his late father, and a lovely young fiancee' named Samantha (Jessica Alba) who's dying to marry him. Only two things keep him from achieving total bliss. One, his domineering, overprotective mother, Lilith (Lena Olin, ROMEO IS BLEEDING, "Alias") who suspects Samantha to be a golddigger and is vehemently against the wedding. Two, the fact that Clay has a bad ticker and is about to undergo a heart transplant.

Oh, and last but not least, three--Clay is that lucky one in 700 patients who experiences "anesthetic awareness", which means that he's wide awake during the surgery even though he can't move. This would have to be a pretty horrific ordeal for someone undergoing a heart transplant, and we suffer with him through every harrowing detail from the first incision to the application of the rib-spreader and beyond. Through it all, we hear Clay's agonized thoughts as he tries to separate himself from the pain and find solace in his memories of Samantha. But before it's over, something totally unexpected happens (I repeat...do NOT watch the trailer first!) which puts an entirely different, disturbingly sinister spin on the whole procedure and turns AWAKE into a corker of a psychological thriller.

You may be one of those people with an uncanny knack for figuring out what happens next, but I didn't see this one coming at all. It's a doozy of a twist, and it won't be the last. For the rest of the movie, we see Clay's disembodied spirit (or astral projection, perhaps) roaming the halls of the hospital, trying to somehow communicate his dire predicament to anyone who might help. We also see him passing through various memories as a spectator and trying to glean information from them that might make sense of what's going on.

Scriptwriter and first-time director Joby Harold fills the early part of the movie with a succession of formal, almost Kubrick-like compositions--at times you can almost see the proscenium arch--that are obviously intended to represent Clay's ordered, structured world. I was pretty sure that this would be contrasted later on with a more free-flowing, off-kilter style as things began to spin out of control, which is exactly what Harold does to good effect. His direction is low-key but visually interesting, serving the story well without drawing attention to itself.

Harold has a fine cast to work with, including old pros like Lena Olin, Arliss "Tough Break For Hand Job" Howard (FULL METAL JACKET) as the much more experienced surgeon whom Clay's mother would prefer to perform the operation ("My hands have been inside presidents," he tells Clay at one point), and familiar face Christopher McDonald as the last-minute replacement gas-passer Dr. Lupin, who's a bit too tipsy to notice that crimp in the tube as he's administering the anesthetic injection. Jessica Alba acquits herself well as Samantha, and Hayden Christensen, unhampered here by George Lucas' awkward dialogue, is allowed to give a more natural performance than as the future Darth Vader. (Even a line as potentially sappy as "You think my new heart will love you as much as my old one?" comes off well.) Terrence Howard is, as always, a solid presence, as is another familiar face, co-producer Fisher Stevens, as Dr. Harper's somewhat hinky surgical assistant.

The DVD's bonus features include a director's commentary, the infamous "trailer that you shouldn't watch first", deleted scenes, a storyboard-to-film comparison that I skipped because I couldn't care less about storyboard-to-film comparisons, and a "making of" featurette. Presented in letterboxed widescreen format with Dolby Digital sound, the movie looks and sounds dandy to me.

The basic premise of a man remaining conscious during a heart transplant was intriguing enough to draw me into this story, and the doubletake-inducing plot twists that popped up unexpectedly along the way really had me going. It's a pretty original story idea that's fully explored and filled with drama and suspense all the way to the exciting conclusion. My typical-movie-reviewer assessment: (Joel Siegel voice) "You're sure to stay AWAKE during this operation!" Just don't watch that trailer first.

AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION -- DVD Review by porfle

"Every generation has a horror film that defines its culture" says the trailer for AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION (2006). "This is that film." I don't know if I'd go so far as to agree with this--there are certainly some other noteworthy contenders for that title--but I will say that for a horror film that was shot in nine days for $30,000, it's a dazzling feat of low-budget filmmaking.

Admittedly, the story doesn't matter a whole heck of a lot. It's about a bunch of teenagers whose drunken house party in rural Florida is interrupted by hordes of homicidal, flesh-eating zombies, and their frantic efforts to reach the possible safety of the school while battling the bloodthirsty ghouls every step of the way. Stock characters include a cool guy, Chris (Garrett Jones), his popular girlfriend, Jackie (Juliet Reeves), ditzy blonde cheerleader Simone (Kendra Farner), Lance, the conceited jock (Joel Hebner), a nerdy loser named Tim (Rowan Bousaid), and Scott, the black guy (William Howard Bowman).

As writer/director Steven C. Miller and producers William Clevinger and Mark Thalman tell us in their informative commentary, their goal was to set these elements in place as quickly as possible and get the blood-spurtin', gut-chompin' action going full-blast, which is exactly what they did. This movie doesn't let up once the zombie attacks begin, never slowing down long enough to get boring or let us think about how dumb some of the dialogue is.

The young performers are all good, and while there's no character development to speak of, each gets a chance to display enough genuine emotion here and there to keep the movie from descending to a farcical level. It's also thankfully free of the jokey self-awareness that has become such a cliche' ever since SCREAM came out. AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION has its lighter moments, but it isn't infused with a lot of lame attempts at comedy.

The gore is plentiful and expertly done, as well as being imaginatively staged. This is due in no small part to the participation of Rick Gonzales, who worked with Tom Savini in DAY OF THE DEAD and has many subsequent film credits. There are some awesome set pieces here that would fit right into a more expensive film, including one character getting her jaw ripped off (yowch!) and a startling fetus-removal scene that's pretty jaw-dropping in itself. People get their their throats torn out, their heads and limbs ripped off, and their faces eaten. In turn, the zombies get theirs via hammers, axes, shotguns, chainsaws, and even a golf club here and there. Gorehounds won't be disappointed.

The rural setting in Florida conveys an effective sense of isolation. There's also a sequence early on in which Chris, Scott, and Tim drive to the city to see a rock concert, only to find it empty, and these scenes are very effectively done. Director Steven Miller did a consistently amazing job with such limited time and resources to make a movie that looks a lot better than it cost. His handling of extras is also good, resulting in a zombie army that is always convincing in its wanton lust for blood. Miller directs their attacks in much the same way Zack Snyder did during the opening and closing credits for his DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, with a lot of quick shock cuts and shaky camerawork.

My biggest gripe, in fact, is that Miller's use of shaky-cam often goes way too far in these scenes, often making me want to grab for the Dramamine. If you suffer from motion sickness, the gore in this movie might not be the only thing making you feel like throwing up. Otherwise, though, the direction and cinematography are very capably done.

Aside from the lively commentary track, the DVD's special features include deleted scenes, a couple of cool music videos by Blinded Black and Dancefloor Tragedy, a short film by Miller called "Suffer or Sacrifice", a trailer, and a "making of" featurette that gives us an interesting look at how to make a kickass zombie flick on a shoestring. The movie itself is presented in a matted widescreen format with Dolby Digital sound. As for the picture quality, well...this isn't a Kubrick film. It's shot on digital video, and it looks it.

As in several other films of this nature, we finally discover that the military is to blame for the zombie outbreak--you know, the usual "re-animating the dead for use in warfare" experiments gone awry, and all that--but don't hold your breath waiting to find out what the title means. In fact, don't even wait for an ending, because there isn't one. AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION ends on a cliffhanger with the words "To Be Continued", meaning we won't get to find out what happens to Chris, Jackie, and what's left of the gang until AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION: CONTINGENCY comes out next year. Frustrating? Definitely. Will the sequel be worth waiting for? Well, I wouldn't mind riding this ride again, and finding out what blood-drenched zombie antics these gonzo filmmakers have in store for us next time.

"BELADI, A NIGHT AT THE PYRAMIDS" With Chantal Chamandy

Montreal Singer-Songwriter Chantal Chamandy performs "Beladi, A Night At The Pyramids" on PBS March 4, DVD Release March 25

On a personal mission to promote peace through cultural exchange, Egyptian-born Canadian artist Chantal Chamandy returns to her native country to perform an extraordinary concert at the majestic Pyramids of Giza and Great Sphinx, accompanied by the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and her troupe of ten dancers. This marks the first time ever a concert was permitted to be filmed at the base of the Pyramids on the Giza plateau and offers a breathtaking, illuminated view of the last remaining wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Visually enhanced by striking choreography, elegant staging and a dynamic light show, the concert includes an emotional rendition of "Somewhere" from West Side Story, two traditional Arabic songs ("Salma ya Salama" and "Helwa ya Beladi"), and Chantal's original compositions ("You Want Me", "Peace", "Let's Talk About You" and many others). Filmed September 7, 2007, the performance features guest appearances by the Egyptian National Ballet Company, Tanoura dancers, a Darbouka drum band and an Egyptian marching band.

Chantal Chamandy, who was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and raised in Montreal, saw the possibility of realizing her dream of singing in her homeland before one of the great wonders of the world. "It's a unique opportunity for me: that's why I had to work with the world's top producers of this type of performance. I'm very proud to showcase the talents and skills of Quebec performers and artistic and technical experts who have worked on world-class productions. This show will be a magical moment in my life," said Ms. Chamandy.

"Beladi, A Night at the Pyramids" will air on PBS March 4 and be released on DVD on March 25. More info to come.

"AUGUST RUSH" Finds His Muse On Warner Home Video DVD, March 11

There's music in the wind and sky. Can you hear it? And there's hope. Can you feel it? The boy called August Rush can. The music mysteriously draws him, penniless and alone, to New York City in a quest to find - somehow, someway - the parents separated from him years earlier. And along the way he may also find the musical genius hidden within him. Experience the magic of this rhapsodic epic of the heart starring Freddie Highmore (as August), Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard and Robin Williams. "I believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales," August says. Open your heart and listen. You'll believe, too.

Actors: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard, Robin Williams

Director: Kirsten Sheridan

Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Studio: Warner Home Video DVD

Release Date: March 11, 2008

Run Time: 113 minutes

Warner Bros' "I AM LEGEND" On DVD March 18th

Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague -- The Infected -- lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time.

Actors: Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Alice Braga
Format: Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: March 18, 2008
Run Time: 100 minutes

BBC Warner's "THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL" Makes Its DVD Debut March 4th

An extraordinary tale of sex, passion and royal intrigue. This is the little-known story of Mary Boleyn who was mistress to King Henry VIII before he married her older sister, Anne. Inspired by Philippa Gregory's best selling novel, this film is about great families jockeying for position and using their daughters as pawns in a deadly game. Set during one of the most notorious periods in British regal history, it is a powerful narrative and at its heart is the relationship between two rivals - the Boleyn sisters.

Product Details
Actors: Ron Cook, Philip Glenister, Jane Gurnett, Jared Harris, Steven Mackintosh
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Number of discs: 1
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: March 4, 2008
Run Time: 90 minutes

Dr. Seuss' HORTON HEARS A WHO! On DVD March 4th

WARNER HOME VIDEO RELEASES
DR. SEUSS’ CLASSIC ANIMATED TELEVISION SPECIAL
HORTON HEARS A WHO!
ON DVD, IN AN ALL-NEW, RE-MASTERED DELUXE EDITION
MARCH 4, 2008

The DVD will be Presented in a Dazzling, Specially-Designed Package
Featuring Three Bonus Episodes from the Best of Dr. Seuss, Including
Butter Battle Book, Daisy-Head Mayzie and Horton Hatches the Egg!

BURBANK, CA (January 2, 2007) – The inhabitants of Who-ville will shout with glee, when Warner Home Video (WHV) releases Dr. Seuss’Horton Hears a Who! on DVD. The captivating, Peabody Award-Winning, animated television special produced by legendary animator Chuck Jones will be available in a deluxe, fully re-mastered edition on March 4, 2008 in time for the new theatrical remake. The release will include three bonus episodes from the Best of Dr. Seuss as well as additional bonus features. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Deluxe Edition will retail for $19.97 SRP. Order due date has been set for January 29, 2008.

Adapted from Dr. Seuss’ beloved children’s story book Horton Hears a Who! the half-hour special was directed by Academy Award-winning animator Chuck Jones and first aired on television The special brings to life the delightful story of a charming Elephant named Horton, who while taking a bath "on the 15th of May in the Jungle of Nool, in the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool, he was splashing, enjoying the jungle’s great joys, when Horton the elephant heard a small noise."

Horton hears a faint plea for help coming from a tiny speck of dust drifting through the air. The plea comes from Dr. Hoovey, resident professor of science of Who-ville, a tiny planet no bigger than a speck of dust, which is inhabited by the microscopic Whos. Horton happily obliges to take care of the all the teensy Whos in Who-ville, proclaiming "after all, a person is a person, no matter how small," and tenderly rests the tiny speck of dust on a clover blossom. Horton’s jungle companions however claim Horton has "flipped his lid." They enlist the Wickersham brothers to steal the clover from Horton, and arrange to then pass it along to the black-bottomed eagle, who finally drops the clover in a great big patch of clovers over 100 miles wide. Keeping his promise to protect the Whos, Horton searches through the entire field to prevent the Whos from perishing.

"Horton Hears a Who! is such a sweet, tender story. It captures the hearts of viewers no matter what their age. We are delighted to finally give this wonderful special it’s own, well-deserved release," said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President, Family, Animation and Sports Marketing. He added, "This special truly captures the essence of Dr. Seuss’ book. It teaches us wonderful morals and values while at the same time entertaining us with vibrant animation, brilliant narration and imaginative storytelling."

DVD Special Features Include Three Bonus Episodes from the Best of Dr. Seuss:

Butter Battle Book – Tells the story of the battle between two hostile cultures, the Yooks and the Zooks, over buttering bread butter side up versus butter side down.

Daisy-Head Mayzie – Focuses on the story of Mayzie, a school girl who sprouts yellow daisies from her head.

Horton Hatches the Egg! – Another story featuring Horton the elephant, who is convinced by an irresponsible bird named Mayzie, to sit on her egg while she takes a break.

Additional kid-friendly enhanced content will also be featured including a Singalong Music Video, You Can Hear Horton, Horton Can Hear You! and In Search of Dr. Seuss, an Emmy Award-nominated 90-minute documentary hosted by actress Kathy Najimy. The film tells the story of Dr. Seuss’ life through celebrity skits, music and animated clips from his best-loved stories.

The Basics
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who, Deluxe Edition
Street Date: March 4, 2008
Order Date: January 29. 2008
DVD SRP: $19.97
UPC: 012569799172
Running Time: 26 min. feature + 55 mins. Bonus Episodes + 20 mins. EC

Young and Dangerous - Review



In the mid 90’s, Hong Kong’s film industry was not in good shape. With the handover to China imminent, many film makers had relocated to Hollywood, with John Woo of course being the first. One young director was just beginning his career and would, in the coming years, prove to be a trend setter and innovator for Hong Kong cinema. Andrew Lau’s name in recent years has become synonymous with the Infernal Affairs trilogy, the first film of which reinvented the Hong Kong thriller genre. The recent success of the Martin Scorsese Hollywood adaptation of the movie as the Departed has proved the longevity and quality of the original Infernal Affairs. In 1995 Andrew Lau had a few films under his belt including the thriller To Live and Die in Tsim Sha Tsui, but he was yet to have a major hit. The film Young and Dangerous would prove to be a success beyond his wildest dreams. Based on Niu Lo’s graphic novels, it would spawn six sequels and numerous spin offs, mostly centring around the original characters. Though the commercial success of the film cannot be denied, when compared to the cream of Hong Kong gangster cinema from the mid 80s onwards, the quality is sorely lacking. There are many reasons to assert this, but for those of you who are interested in the plotline, here goes.

The film centres around a group of young triad upstarts, led by Nam (Ekin Cheng) under the tutelage of their boss Uncle Bee (Chi Hung Ng). Other members are Chicken (Jordan Chan), Dai Tin Yee (Michael Tse), Chow Pan (Jason Chu) and Pou Pan (Jerry Lamb). They operate through the Hung Hing gang, and are beginning to rise in the ranks. However, when they are assigned an assassination in Macau, things begin to go wrong. Chow Pan is murdered, Chicken is forced in to exile in Taiwan while the rest of the gang are subject to the rules of the triad and are exonerated from the ranks. In the meantime the groups biggest rival Ugly Kwan (Francis Ng) frames Nam and looks to take over leadership from the honourable Mr Chiang (Simon Yam). He succeeds, and this leads to some unsavoury encounters including the murder of Uncle Bee by Kwan. The group decide to wage war on Kwan, and in the messily violent ending get their revenge.

Perhaps the most kinetic and exciting aspect of the film is the plot and narrative, which moves at a breakneck pace, despite comic asides and character development. Hong Kong cinema’s ability in its mature years to create a tight narrative wherein not a second is wasted is second to none among world cinema, and here that is no exception. However comic asides in the film tend to trade creativity for silliness and visual ineptitude. The comic scenes create an incoherence of overall tone, and lack the requisite comedic value to be entertaining. One scene when an extraneous character called the stammerer is forced to eat dozens of pork buns creates a hold up in the action, as do most of the other scenes involving this character do.

The tagline for the movie is ‘A Better Tomorrow for the nineties’, and if there was ever a more inappropriate one this reviewer has yet to hear it. The film lacks all of the things except narrative drive that made A Better Tomorrow such a masterpiece; emotional identification with the characters, charismatic performances and above all aesthetic power. Mawkish sentimentality and pop promo visuals mar the characters moments of bonding, with none of the balanced and enduring imagery and poignancy of emotion on display in A Better Tomorrow. One of the main problems is most of the actors total lack of charisma. In the group only Jordan Chan as Chicken puts in a decent performance, portraying his at first happy go-lucky side melding in to a maturity beyond his character’s years. Ekin Cheng’s wooden and stilted acting style makes you wonder how he became so popular, with only his good looks and cool hairdo carrying anything approaching a performance. It is the older guard who really shine through, with two veterans of the genre showing the youngsters how it’s done. Simon Yam by this time had put in some of the best performances in the action genre, especially in John Woo’s Bullet In the Head. He is sorely underused, and the screen lights up whenever he appears. Francis Ng’s wonderfully laid back but psychotic turn as Kwan, sporting an array of multi coloured suits, is at once comic and tragic. The rest of the cast are disposable and subordinate, with scenes of bonding between the group reduced to drinking games and stupid singalongs.

The biggest disappointment about the movie is the aesthetics. Part pop promo part urban action imagery, the unbalanced feel is irritating. The constantly moving camera in most scenes is disconcerting, and creates a low quality and visually abridged style that probably reflects the way in which the film was shot. Many scenes seem perfunctory and tacked on just to revel in the pop video feeling of the film, such as shots of the group hanging out while tedious proto funk plays on the soundtrack. This contrasts wildly with the lives the characters lead; one of violence and death just around the corner. The filming of such violence is another huge disappointment, with the decision to film action in the jerky-cam style made popular by Wong Kar Wai’s arthouse masterpieces at the time.

It is interesting to compare such scenes with A Better Tomorrow’s poetic ballet and with Wong’s Fallen Angels, a film which came out in the same year as Young and Dangerous. Wong was parodying the typical Woo hero and creating his own style in the action scenes using the jerky-cam. In his scenes despite the visual chaos, framing of the action is constant and built up wonderfully, leaving only a minute of real action which is all that is needed. Young and Dangerous’ appropriation of the technique creates a poor impression of the action and not even a good call for style over content, because the framing is so off in the violent scenes, not allowing for true viewer fulfilment. The end battle is uninventive despite the powerfully tragic death of the films best character, Kwan.

The aspects that help recommend the film are mostly, unfortunately, not given enough screen time. These are the performances of Yam and Ng, and the mildly diverting rock-based soundtrack. Without these it would really be in the doldrums of any age of Hong Kong cinema.The new guard introduced in the film, despite making the sequels and other gangster thrillers, do not compare in any way to the introduction in the 80’s of such icons as Chow Yun Fat. If you want a good representation of mid 90’s Hong Kong cinema reach for those copies of Chungking Express and Fallen Angels, and leave this one on the shelf.

The UK DVD release is by the ever reliable Hong Kong Classics label, released in 1999. The print is in good shape, although it is not restored or remastered, and there is good colour balance. The ratio is 185:1 widescreen, which serves the film well. As for extras, there is the usual from the label: very little. The original theatrical trailer is the only extra.

Warner Brothers Presents Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2 Specs and Video Clips

Double the Vice…Double the Fun!

TCM Archives:

Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume 2

Five Restored & Remastered Pre-Code Classics and a New Feature-Length Documentary

Debut as a 3-Disc Set on DVD March 4

~The Divorcee/A Free Soul~

~Three on a Match/Female~

Night Nurse/Thou Shalt not: Sex,

Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

Burbank, Calif. November 5, 2007 – On March 4, Warner Home Video (WHV) will introduce a second group of sassy and taboo films from Hollywood’s Pre-Production Code era with the DVD debut of Forbidden Hollywood Volume 2. Following the success of last year’s Volume 1, this new 3-disc collection will contain five pre-code sizzlers, with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Disc One spotlights Norma Shearer in her Best Actress Oscar^®-winning role as The Divorcee and again in A Free Soul; with Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable. Disc Two features Bette Davis, Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak in Three on a Match paired with the Michael Curtiz-directed comedy Female starring Ruth Chatterton as a no-nonsense CEO. Disc Three features William Wellman’s powerful drama Night Nurse, which stars Barbara Stanwyck with a very young Clark Gable, along with the new documentary feature Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood. The film provides fascinating insight into the American psyche of late 1920s and early 1930s, illustrating why, more than seventy years later, the so-called “Pre-Code” movies remain among the most vital and provocative films ever made.

Each of the features contained in Forbidden Hollywood Volume 2 have been digitally remastered from newly-restored film elements. The collection also contains bonus features such as commentaries and theatrical trailers. The three DVD set, containing the five vintage classics and the new documentary feature will be available as a collection only, selling for $49.92 SRP and orders are due January 29, 2008.

About the Films

The Divorcee (1930)/ A Free Soul (1931)

Based on Ursula Parrott’s spicy 1929 novel “Ex-wife,” the highly controversial The Divorcee was nominated for four Academy Awards^® including Best Picture. Norma Shearer won for Best Actress as a woman who confronts the hypocrisy of the double standard after catching her husband in a compromising position and forcing him to confess his infidelities. Her solution to the problem: try to match him tryst for tryst.

In A Free Soul, Lionel Barrymore captured an Oscar for his portrayal of a brilliant alcoholic lawyer Stephen Ashe, who successfully defends dashing gangster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable) on a murder charge only to find that his headstrong daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer), has fallen in love with his client. Jan, a fun-loving socialite seeking freedom from her blue-blood upbringing, is only too eager to dump her aristocratic boyfriend (Leslie Howard) for the no-good gangster. She runs away from her childhood home to become Ace's mistress, embarking on a series of seedy adventures in New York's underbelly. Desperate to save his daughter's tainted reputation, Stephen finds her and makes her a deal: He'll stop drinking if she'll stop seeing Ace. The thrilling conclusion might just tear them apart forever. Shearer and director Clarence Brown also received nominations for their work in this powerful and moving film.

DVD Special Features:

· The Divorcee commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta

Three on a Match (1932)/ Female (1933)

The gangster melodrama, Three on a Match, stars Bette Davis, Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak as a trio of school chums – Mary, Ruth and Vivian – meeting for a reunion ten years after high school. Director Mervyn LeRoy crams much plot into the 64 minute run time following each of the women’s lives. Mary is now a chorus girl after a stint in reform school; level-headed Ruth has a job as a secretary; and sexy Vivian is on the verge of deserting her wealthy husband Henry Kirkwood and their baby in favor of a glamorous gangster. The film is also noteworthy for the number of future stars making brief appearances, such as Lyle Talbot, Edward Arnold and, in his first gangster role, Humphrey Bogart as “The Mug.”

In director Michael Curtiz's (Casablanca) romantic comedy Female, Ruth Chatterton plays Alison Drake, the iron-fisted president of a motorcar company. Alison oversees the daily operations of her male employees with a predatory gaze and frequently exercises her right to engage with them in any way she deems fit. She meets her match in an equally strong-minded new employee, Jim Thorne (George Brent), and the two engage in a smoldering, contentious, sexually charged duel. The action of the film--one of the first to depict a female character turning a man's world to her advantage--feeds on the novelty of presenting a woman as a corporate shark and bedroom hound. Though it's obvious the filmmakers thought they were creating a scenario that would never actually happen, Alison's world-smashing exploits make the bulk of the film (before she begins to question her nontraditional lifestyle) a protofeminist romp. Brent and Chatterton were married at the time they made the film, and the natural chemistry between them is abundantly evident. Curtiz packs the screen with extravagant set design and period detail.

DVD Special Features:

· Theatrical trailers for both films

Night Nurse (1931)/ Documentary Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

William Wellman's (Public Enemy) Night Nurse is a sassy, unsentimental comedy about a private pediatric nurse named Lora Hart (Barbara Stanwyck) who, after applying as an apprentice in a family home, discovers there is a plot afoot to starve her two rich, fat, young charges to death. The culprit is the family’s chauffeur, Nick (Clark Gable), a villain who plans to marry the kids' dissolute mother and make off with their trust fund. It then is up to Hart, her wisecracking nurse friend Maloney (Joan Blondell), and her bootlegger beau Mortie (Ben Lyon) to save them. Director Wellman keeps the jokes humming along with the peril.

This never-before seen documentary, Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood examines the unique collision of events that resulted in one of the most dynamic – and delicious periods in Hollywood history -- a fascinating mix of scandal, big business and social history.

DVD Special Features:

· Night Nurse commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta

· Night Nurse theatrical trailer

About the Production Code

It was not the roaring ‘20s, as is generally believed, but the four years between 1929 and 1934 that was the real era of wide-open sexuality in films. Before Hollywood began enforcing a self-imposed Production Code, many films allowed for extraordinary frankness, including nudity, adultery, premarital sex and prostitution.

Film industry censorship began in 1922, following a trio of scandals that rocked Hollywood: the Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle rape/murder trial, the never-solved murder of director William Desmond Taylor and the drug-related death of matinee idol Wallace Reid. In 1930, a new version of the Production Code was drafted to standardize the censorship requirements of various states, since the inception of talking films made it difficult to arbitrarily cut offending scenes.

However, the studios merely paid lip-service to the Code since they were more interested in finding ways to lure dwindling Depression era audiences into theatres.

The Pre-Code era “officially” kicked off with the 1929 release of The Divorcee (included in this collection), starring Norma Shearer, with a startling story of a woman who discovers her husband has had an affair and sets out to “balance the account.” The phenomenal critical and financial success of this picture led other studios to attempt to top it and soon almost every actress in Hollywood was required to sin and repent. The sensational series of films that emerged helped Hollywood survive its economic crisis and moviegoers enjoy the vicarious thrills the films provided.

The era came to an abrupt close beginning July 1, 1934, when Catholic watchdog groups threatened boycotts of all films and the Church established the Legion of Decency to monitor movies. Studio heads bowed to the pressure and the era of censorship began, lasting until the establishment of the industry’s rating system in 1968.

Additional TCM Archives Collections currently available include: The Lon Chaney Collection, The Buster Keaton Collection, The Garbo Silents, The Laurel and Hardy Collection and Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume 1.

Other great collections can be found at the www.whvdvd-collections.com website.

Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2

Street Date: March 4, 2008

Catalog #/UPC: 1000018916/012569795761

Pricing: $49.92 SRP

COURT HAT EVIDENCE 1:34

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DRUNK TRAIN STATION 1:51

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DIVORCEE CRASH 1:57

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SAY YES – 1:57 youtube

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PICNIC 1:57

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KIDS 1:56

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SON 1:58

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Best Picture Nominee ATONEMENT Comes to DVD March 18th

Nominated for seven Academy Awards® including Best Picture
Winner of Best Music Score

Winner of two Golden Globe® Awards including
Best Motion Picture- Drama

Winner of two BAFTA® Awards including
Best Film

SYNOPSIS: From the award-winning director of Pride and Prejudice comes a stunning, critically acclaimed epic story of love, betrayal, and all its consequences. When a young girl catches her sister in a passionate embrace with a childhood friend, her jealousy drives her to tell a lie that will irrevocably change the course of all their lives forever. Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley and James McAvoy lead an all-star cast in the film critics are calling "the year’s best picture" (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).


BONUS FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes
Bringing the Past to Life: The Making of Atonement
Watch the new become old as the filmmakers recreate the English Countryside of 1935, the famous Dunkirk evacuation and the drama of war torn WWII London.
From Novel to Screen: Adapting a Classic

Once again director Joe Wright takes a classic period story and re-invigorates it for a new audience. Re-uniting the director, producer and star of PRIDE & PREJUDICE, we look at how Wright’s modern style of film-making brings these novels to life.
Feature Commentary with Director Joe Wright


TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Street Date: March 18, 2008
Price: $29.98
Selection Number: 61033285 AWS; 61033286 FF
Running Time: 2 Hours 3 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layers
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1; Full Frame 1.33:1
Rating: R for disturbing war images, language, and some sexuality.
Languages: English SDH/ Spanish/French
Subtitles: English SDH/Spanish/French
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

“THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN” Is First Production For Bantam Street

Entire Cast Of 2004 Cult Favorite Will Reunite For Sequel


BURBANK, CA (2/14/08)—Principal photography begins in March on The Lost Skeleton Returns Again, a sequel to the critically-acclaimed cult favorite The Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra, which was released by Sony in 2004. The film is the first production for Bantam Street, the newly-formed company from artist-filmmaker Larry Blamire.


All eight of Cadavra’s principal actors will return for the new movie, with Blamire encoring as writer, director and star, as well as adding producing chores. The parody will be shot entirely in the Los Angeles area, and Sony will have first look at the completed picture.
Blamire launched Bantam Street in 2007 as a way of maintaining greater control over his work, especially in terms of spin-offs and merchandising. The company eventually hopes to make three or four films a year, most of them small-budget, but with an eye toward bigger pictures in the near future.


The original Cadavra delighted audiences and reviewers with its deadpan recreation of an ultra-cheap 1950s black-and-white sci-fi/horror film. Though Blamire hadn’t intended to make a sequel right away, he nevertheless decided to do so when the opportunity arose. “I thought it would be a while before I revisited Lost Skeleton, but it just started coming to me one day,” he explained. “And I’m so happy that the fans are clamoring for more from these wacky characters.”


Picking up two years after the original, Returns finds the government in dire need of a rare element called Jerranium-90, which is only known to exist in the Amazon jungle. Coincidentally, the only man capable of finding it, Dr. Paul Armstrong (Blamire), is also in the Amazon jungle, having become a bitter drunk because “science let him down.” With the help of his devoted wife Betty (Fay Masterson), an expedition is immediately sent to South America to locate him…unaware of the dangers that lie ahead.


Also returning for the hi-jinks are Brian Howe as Peter Fleming, twin brother of the first film’s baddie Dr. Roger Fleming; Andrew Parks and Susan McConnell as clueless aliens Kro-Bar and Lattis; Jennifer Blaire as slinky feline Animala; Dan Conroy as guide Jungle Brad, twin brother of the original’s Ranger Brad; Robert Deveau—the ill-fated farmer in the first film—as a shady importer, and of course the Lost Skeleton as himself.


Among the newcomers to the adventures are Trish Geiger as the villainous Dr. Ellamy Royne; Daniel Roebuck as an evil dilettante; Alison Martin as Chinfa, Queen of the Cantaloupe People; Kevin Quinn as a small-time crook; Frank Dietz as a well-meaning government agent, and H.M. Wynant as a concerned general.


“We don’t want to simply repeat the first film,” noted Blamire. “This time, the original characters are tossed into a jungle adventure with lots of perils, mysterious lands, terrifying monsters, and some really stupid soul-searching and personal angst.”


Bill Bryn Russell will encore as editor, joined by Anthony Tremblay as production designer, John Rutland as cinematographer, and Kristina West as costume designer. The Chiodo Brothers are overseeing the special effects, with Frank Ippolito doing double-duty as make-up artist and supervising the new monster costumes (based on designs by Blamire). Sara Van Der Voort will be the line producer.


Like its predecessor, the film will be scored entirely with vintage library music and presented in glorious black-and-white, albeit this time in anamorphic widescreen. Cadavra’s PG rating helped make it a surprise favorite with kids, and the sequel will likewise appeal to all ages.
Michael Schlesinger, who acquired the original for Sony and is one of the producers, observed that “we’re treating this as though there were a learning curve for the filmmakers. The special effects will still be tacky and the dialogue still wooden, but the production will be larger, slicker and more fast-paced, as though it had been made at a studio with a B-level producer like Sam Katzman in charge. But don’t worry—it still will never be mistaken for Transformers.”


“We are really having fun here,” added Blamire. “That’s what we want Bantam Street films to be—pure fun. If we can raise the level of smart silliness in movie comedy, then our work here will be done. Well, actually, no, it won’t, since we want to keep on doing it. You know what I mean.”

AWAKE Explores a Horrifying Reality on DVD March 4th

SANTA MONICA, CA – Every year 21 million people are put under anesthesia… one in 700 remain awake. Experience the pain and terror of "Anesthetic Awareness," when Awake debuts on DVD March 4, 2008 from Genius Products and The Weinstein Company. Featuring an ensemble cast including Golden Globe® nominee Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four, Sin City), Golden Globe® nominee Hayden Christensen (Factory Girl, Star Wars flms) and Oscar® nominee Terrence Howard (Ray, Four Brothers, Crash), Awake is a treacherous story about a man whose failed anesthetic leaves him conscious but paralyzed throughout an operation. As he is forced to endure excruciating pain, he retreats into the dark recesses of his mind while his wife struggles with demons of her own. The Awake DVD includes chilling special features including seven deleted scenes, commentary by director Joby Howard and more, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $28.95.


Synopsis:
Clay (Christensen) suffers "Anesthetic Awareness," leaving him fully conscious during open heart surgery, but unable to alert the surgical team surrounding him. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife Sam (Alba) must make life-altering decisions while he faces a far greater pain.

DVD Special Features:
Audio commentary with director Joby Harold
Seven deleted scenes
Under The Knife & Behind The Scenes: The Making of Awake
Storyboard to film comparisons

BASICS
Price: $28.95
Street Date: March 4, 2008
Catalog Number: 81067 Widescreen
Rating: R
Run Time: 84 minutes
Languages: TBD
Audio: English Dolby 5.1
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Closed Captioned

AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION Screams Its Way to DVD March 4th

"…one of the best zombie films in decades..." - Bloody-Disgusting.com

SANTA MONICA, CA – The shockingly grisly zombie horror flick AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION bleeds onto DVD March 4th from Genius Products and The Weinstein Company. The latest release under the company’s Dimension Extreme label, AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION follows three teens brazen enough to fight back a town full of swarming zombies. Written and directed by Steven C. Miller, AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION received rave reviews at numerous horror film festivals including Screamfest 2006. Featuring suspenseful performances by Garrett Jones ("In The Heat Of The Night"), Juliet Reeves (All Wrapped Up), William Howard Bowman and Rowan Bousaid, AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION reaches new and realistic extremes of gore and bloodshed. AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.95.

Synopsis
The United States Army began developing a procedure to bring back the dead with the purpose of having them fight instead of the living. The testing takes a horrific turn and an experimental town quickly becomes overtaken by zombies. Three desperate high school students decide to fight back in a battle for survival.

DVD Special Features:
Feature Commentary With Writer/Director Steven C. Miller And Producers William Clevinger And Mark Thalman
Trials And Tribulations: The Making Of Automaton Transfusion
Deleted Scenes (with optional Director's commentary)
Suffer Or Sacrifice: A Short Film By Director Steven C. Miller
"Can You Hear Me Now" Music Video By Blinded Black
"Arsenaholic" Music Video By Dancefloor Tragedy

DVD Basics:
Price: $19.95
Street Date: January 22, 2008
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Running time: XXXX
Catalog Number: 80565
Format: Widescreen
Closed Captioned

STREAMING VIDEO GOES RETRO ON NBC UNIVERSAL’S ENTERTAINMENT SITES

NBC Digital Entertainment and NBC Universal Cable Entertainment today announced plans for streaming vintage television content on their entertainment websites. Full episode streaming of classic, fan-favorite series including “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Kojak,” “Miami Vice,” the original “Battlestar Galactica,” “A-Team” and “Emergency” will be offered on NBC.com, SCIFI.com, ChillerTV.com and SleuthChannel.com beginning this month.

“NBC Universal has a tremendous library of quality content and we are very excited to re-introduce these classic shows to a new web audience,” said Vivi Zigler, Executive Vice President, NBC Digital Entertainment.

"These are the kinds of titles we get requests for all the time at the network, and now we're able to give our viewers a new way to watch their favorite classic shows and share them with their friends,” said Craig Engler, Senior Vice President, SCIFI.com.

“Fans of Chiller and Sleuth are going to have a great time re-discovering classics like ‘Night Gallery’ and ‘Kojak,’” said Dan Harrison, Senior Vice President, Emerging Networks, NBC Universal Cable. “These are timeless series that are going to find entirely new audiences on the web. This platform is another great extension of our new digital brands, Sleuth and Chiller, which extend from television into on-line and now on-demand video.”

A full list of streaming vintage series follows:

NBC.com
“A-Team”
“Emergency”
“Night Gallery”
“The Alfred Hitchcock Hour”
“ Miami Vice”
“Battlestar Galactica” (1978)
“Buck Rogers”

SCIFI.com
“Battlestar Galactica” (1978)
“Buck Rogers”
“Tek War”
“Night Gallery”

ChillerTV.com
“The Alfred Hitchcock Hour”
“Swamp Thing”
“Tremors”
“Crow”
“Night Gallery”

SleuthChannel.com
“Kojak”
“ Miami Vice”
“Simon & Simon”
“A-Team”
“Night Gallery”

FOG CITY MAVERICKS Premieres On DVD Apr. 8

BURBANK , CA – The Star Wars saga. Unforgiven. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Toy Story. Letters from Iwo Jima. Finding Nemo. Amadeus. American Graffiti. The Godfather trilogy. The Indiana Jones films. The Right Stuff. Apocalypse Now. Lost in Translation. What do these legendary films have in common? Their creators are part of the fiercely independent filmmaking community based not in Hollywood , but in the San Francisco Bay Area. From famed cinema documentarian Gary Leva (“R2-D2 Beneath the Dome”) comes Fog City Mavericks, an in-depth look at the Bay Area visionaries whose collective imaginations and innovations have both refined and redefined the predominant art form of the modern age. Anchor Bay Entertainment will release the Starz Originals documentary Fog City Mavericks on DVD April 8th. SRP is $19.97 and pre-book is March 6th.

Written and directed by Leva and narrated by Peter Coyote (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial), Fog City Mavericks charts the nearly 150-year relationship between motion pictures and San Francisco, from a simple bet posed to 19th century photographer Eadweard J. Muybridge to the fertile filmmaking community today that includes such luminaries as directors Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation) George Lucas (American Graffiti, the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films), Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, Flags of Our Fathers, Million Dollar Baby), Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff, Henry and June), animator John Lasseter (Toy Story, Cars) actor/producers Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting) and Michael Douglas (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Basic Instinct), and producer Saul Zaentz (Amadeus, The English Patient).

Not only have these filmmakers been honored with numerous international awards and citations for their achievements, but their iconoclastic visions and technical innovations have come to define the best of independent cinema. From pioneering digital cinema to CGI animation and multi-channel surround sound, for more than a century, the Fog City Mavericks have touched our hearts, opened our eyes and expanded the possibilities of cinema.

Fog City Mavericks pierces the foggy veil of this unique artistic community, featuring clips and rare behind-the-scenes footage, commentaries and all-new, revealing interviews with George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, Saul Zaentz, John Lasseter, Matthew Robbins, Chris Columbus, Milos Forman, Anthony Minghella, Michael Douglas, Sofia Coppola, Steve Jobs and many, many more affiliated with what some – including geographic Hollywood – enviously call “the Mill Valley Mafia!”

Fog City Mavericks premiered on the Starz channel last September to immediate critical acclaim. TV Guide said “It paints a great portrait of the city as an incubator for artistic individuality,” while the Hollywood Reporter declared the documentary “mesmerizing.”

ROYAL TRAMP Collection Review

Now available at Amazon.com

During James Bond's trip to Japan in Ian Fleming's YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, "Tiger" Tanaka tells a joke about a woman walking up to a tollbridge. She hands the attendant some coins and starts to walk across when the man stops her, saying that she paid only half. She replies that she's walking only halfway across because she intends to jump off [and kill herself]. To me, that pretty much summarizes the Asian sense of humor. Whether it's a Korean monster movie or a Hong Kong martial arts film, they can be damn dark at times. Stephen Chow's ROYAL TRAMP I and II are heavy on goofball comedy, but I think it's the genital mutilation jokes that I will remember most.

The movies, filmed back-to-back, break up the overall story arc in half, a la the MATRIX sequels or KILL BILL, unusual for a comedy, moreso I would think for what is essentially a parody of martial arts movies. The plot concerns the early days of the Ching dynasty. Con-man Wei Shu Bo (Chow) is recruited by a secret society still loyal to the preceding Ming dynasty to find a book that is key to overthrowing the new emperor, whom he ends up befriending. From there, the films amble back and forth between kung fu fights and eunuch jokes to a happy, polygamous, misogynistic ending with an ample helping of penis-grabbing and nipple-pinching. Don't get me wrong. They're funny movies, but I was squirming when the princess went Lorena Bobbit on a guy with a big smile on her face, too. It's a different aesthetic from JUNO is what I'm trying to say. It's probably a good thing, then, that the movie does a good job of making the characters likable despite conflicts of interest. Stephen Chow's performance never crosses the line into annoying ***hole. The kung fu fights are a mixed bag. There are some impressive acrobatics and visuals (the master controlling his disciples like puppets comes to mind), but I thought they were overly reliant on wire work and magic powers. I had the same problems with KUNG FU HUSTLE and SHAOLIN SOCCER, however, and that's a matter of personal taste.

The video presentation has solid colors and no noticable compression artifacts or film defects, but the image is surprisingly soft. I suppose it's a source problem, but is there really no better film print out there? The audio is clear and effective. The discs are light on the special features, but what's there is OK. The audio commentary does a fine job of filling in the culture gaps when the jokes would be otherwise lost on American viewers. It becomes less interesting, however, when going into obsessive biographical detail about the actors and actresses. That makes for better reading material than listening material. Also included is an short interview with the director of the second feature and trailers.

You might be able to make a drinking game out of all the times you'll instinctively shield your batch. Even without liquor, the ROYAL TRAMP collection makes for an enjoyable 3 hours.

DAY ZERO -- DVD Review by porfle

What would you do if your life as you know it was going to end in 30 days? That's the problem facing the main characters of DAY ZERO (2007), three New Yorker buddies who get a "greetings" from the U.S. government in the mail after an escalation in our military involvement in the Middle East has led to a reinstatement of the draft.


You'll probably recognize yourself in one of the three. James (Jon Bernthal, WORLD TRADE CENTER) is a tough, self-confident cabbie who has no doubts about going to war--in his mind, he's serving his country and fighting for the freedom that so many take for granted. George (Chris Klein, AMERICAN PIE, WE WERE SOLDIERS), on the other hand, is about to make senior partner in his law firm, and his wife Molly (Ginnifer Goodwin, MONA LISA SMILE) is recovering from cancer. So, going off to war is the last thing he wants to do. And then there's Aaron (Elijah Wood), a childlike, good-natured weakling who's terrified of the prospect but is too timid to do anything but be swept along by it.


James' resolve is tested when he meets the girl of his dreams, Patricia (Elisabeth Moss, THE ATTIC), only weeks before "day zero." When his boyhood pal George announces that he intends to do everything he can to keep from going, they have a falling out that threatens their friendship. In one harrowing scene, George grabs a meat cleaver and spreads his hand over a cutting board, desperate to solve his problem with one quick chop. Aaron, meanwhile, makes a list of the top ten things he wants to do for the first time in the thirty days he has left. They include skydiving and having sex with a hooker. One of these he accomplishes, while the other proves too frightening.


Robert Malkani's script and Bryan Gunnar Cole's direction are low-key and don't rely on "big" moments of contrived drama or over-the-top dialogue to juice up the story. The thirty-day deadline to induction gives the film a natural momentum--it progresses inexorably toward "day zero" like a slow train without brakes, and the three men have no choice except to stay on or jump off. News of the ever-worsening war is always in the background, as are increasing protests and unrest. (A reference to some post 9-11 terrorist act in which "they took down that building in L.A." compounds the stakes.) Having faced the unnerving prospect of getting drafted and shipped off to Viet Nam in my teens, I could identify with what these guys were going through.


All three leads are believable and likable in their roles. Elisabeth Moss, whose performance in THE ATTIC won me over, is good here as well. As Mara, a young girl with a troubled home life who seeks solace with her sympathetic friend James whenever possible, 15-year-old Sofia Vassilieva ("Cindy Brady" of THE BRADY BUNCH IN THE WHITE HOUSE) is effective in her brief screen time. And former brat-packer Ally Sheedy is cold and creepy as Aaron's self-absorbed psychiatrist Dr. Reynolds, who paints her nails and does crossword puzzles during his clearly pointless sessions.


The last days before DAY ZERO find James questioning his priorities, George agonizing over his only available alternatives, and Aaron starting to scare us as he begins to drift farther into Travis Bickle territory. How these guys come together to help each other through their ordeal, and how each of them eventually ends up, makes for an emotionally involving story that also raises the question of how we ourselves might deal with such a dilemma which, for many of us, could very well become a reality someday.

LEGEND OF THE BLACK SCORPION DVD Review by porfle

Dragon Dynasty continues to give Chinese action cinema the deluxe treatment with LEGEND OF THE BLACK SCORPION, aka YE YAN (2006), director Xiaogang Feng's lavish, big-budget ($100M) costume epic about doomed love and betrayal in ancient China.

It's the year 907 A.D., and after the Tang Dynasty falls into ruin, the Imperial family is beset with treachery and an inner struggle for power. The crown prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu) is heartbroken when the love of his life, Wan (Ziyi Zhang), is betrothed to his father the Emperor. He retreats into the country to study music and the arts, and during that time his father is murdered by his uncle, Li (You Ge), who usurps the throne and marries Wan. After surviving an assassination attempt by Emperor Li's soldiers, Wu Luan returns to the palace to reclaim his beloved Wan (now his step-mother) and avenge his father's death.

The script by Gangjian Qiu is said to be loosely based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet", although I can't attest to that since I haven't read any of the Bard's work since high school. Mainly this tragic love story is a stunningly-mounted action-drama which may remind you of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, especially when people defy the laws of gravity and start flying around like pixies during battle.

The wirework here is on the fantasy level, which sometimes gives the film a fairytale element that is at odds with the otherwise realistic tone but also contributes to the visual poetry that suffuses just about every shot. Armored assassins emerge from the treetops like nightmare phantoms; warriors sweep and swirl around each other in a ballet of violence. There's a synchonized sword dance between Prince Wu Luan and Empress Wan after their reunion that is mesmerizing.

This is one beautiful movie. The huge palace sets are astounding feats of production design matched by the ornate costumes and gorgeous cinematography. Outdoor locations are beautiful as well, especially the forest setting where the initial attempt on Wu Luan's life takes place. Some obvious CGI creeps in sporadically, but for the most part we're seeing the real thing. Xiaogang Feng displays a genuine talent for beautiful compositions and sweeping camerawork during the more operatic passages while directing the more intimate close-up action with equal style, all of which is augmented by a beautiful score from Oscar-winner Tan Dun. From beginning to end, this film is a visual feast.

Don't expect a breakneck pace or a rollercoaster ride, though--the story unfolds at an extremely stately pace, with much of the drama revolving around the complicated personal and political intrigues within the palace. There's something very compelling about situations in which vain, power-intoxicated royals such as the vile Emperor Li are worshipped as human gods whose every whim can change destinies and destroy lives, yet are vulnerable to their own human weaknesses. Li himself can casually order the executions of entire clans, but can't command the love of his own wife, with whom he's obsessed. And lesser humans such as the noble General Yin (Xiaoming Huang) must continually defer to such unworthy demigods while secretly plotting against them.

Wan succumbs to this godlike power and we're never sure whether she desires a return to her life with Wu Luan or prefers to remain the royal consort, perhaps with ambitions beyond even that--her true motives and feelings are mysterious. Personally, I was hoping that Wu Luan would eventually hook up instead with Wan's sweet, lovely maidservant Quin (Xun Zhou), who loves him from afar. But things have a way of tragically not working out the way you'd like them to in this movie. While story begins to lag in the final half, the climactic banquet sequence, in which all secrets are revealed and certain major characters bite the big one, makes up for it--although somehow I just didn't find it nearly as moving as I'd expected. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON had me in tears at the end, while this one left me dry-eyed.

Okay, enough with the drama stuff--what's the action like? Well, if you loved the battle between Beatrix and the Crazy 88s in KILL BILL, then the fight scenes here, which were also choreographed by the legendary Woo-ping Yuen, should get your blood racing. Prince Wu Luan is the greatest swordsman in China and often has to prove it against scores of armored attackers in furious, well shot and edited sequences that are done with lots of style and imagination. The forest battle early in the film is a highlight, as are a couple of intense scenes between Wu Luan and the Emperor's guards inside the palace.

Such thrilling action sequences are few in this movie but are worth the wait, although this kind of stuff is no longer as startling and exotic as it used to be. Again, however, you have to be open to a lot of fantasy wirework, as the emphasis isn't on realism--Xiaogang Feng is interested mainly in exploring the visual beauty of heroism and the kinetic poetry of violence, and in that he and Woo-ping Yuen have succeeded admirably.

The DVD image is widescreen and anamorphically enhanced and looks awesome, with solid Dolby Digital sound. Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan is on hand once again to supply a well-informed commentary. The second disc includes interviews with director Feng Xiao-Gang and star Daniel Wu, along with two featurettes, "The Making Of Legend Of The Black Scorpion" and "A Dynasty Uncovered: Behind The Scenes On Legend Of The Black Scorpion", plus trailers. The extras are informative but lean a bit toward the dull side, consisting mainly of the director, stars, and crewmembers talking about each other.

My only other Dragon Dynasty experience so far has been the intense KILL ZONE (SPL), but I'd love to see more. As with that release, this is a meticulously-crafted DVD presentation that immerses the viewer in the film. LEGEND OF THE BLACK SCORPION is one of the most sumptuous and visually opulent historical epics I've seen in years, with a story of tragic love and political intrigue that kept me pretty interested between bursts of explosive action.

LES MISERABLES: 2 Disc Collector's Edition From Warner Bros/BBC Video on 2/19

Celebrate the musical phenomenon "Les Misérables" with this star-studded 10th Anniversary Concert by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, now in a two-disc collector’s edition!

"Les Misérables" is widely recognized as the world's most popular musical, touching millions of lives over its history-making run. Now at last, the full magnificence of its captivating score is revealed like never before in a stunning concert performance featuring a 150-voice choir, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by David Bedford, and many of the most celebrated stars to have appeared in the show worldwide, including the original Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson. Performed live at London's Royal Albert Hall in celebration of the show's 10th Anniversary, this is the most remarkable performance of Les Misérables ever. This two-disc collector's edition also features the exclusive documentary, "Stage by Stage, the Making of Les Mis" and a special commemorative booklet, making it a must-have for every fan!

Les Misérables has won over 50 major theater awards worldwide including 8 Tony Awards (Best Musical 1987) and the National Broadway Theatre Award in 2001 & 2002.

Starring: Colm Wilkinson, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga, Judy Kuhn, Michael Maguire

Format: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.

Extras: "Stage by Stage: The Making of Les Miserables" featuring interviews with producer Cameron Mackintosh, writer Alain Boublil, and musician Claude-Michel Schonberg; special commemorative booklet. (BBC Video/Warner).

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Street Date: February 19, 2008

Run Time: 148 minutes

HELEN MIRREN AT THE BBC Makes Its DVD Debut on 2/19

BBC VIDEO ™ PRESENTS A STUNNING TREASURY OF NINE HISTORIC PERFORMANCES BY ACADEMY AWARD® WINNING ACTRESS HELEN MIRREN


Available For The First Time On DVD February 19, 2008; Historic 5-Disc Set
Features Exclusive Made-For-DVD Interview with Helen Mirren Along With
20-Page Program Notes Booklet

December 20, 2007 – Helen Mirren’s Oscar® -winning performance in The Queen and her Golden Globe®-winning performance in Elizabeth I are merely the capstones of an illustrious and distinguished 40-year career. This February, BBC Video™ brings to DVD nine treasured productions from the BBC archives starring the Academy Award® -winner - Helen Mirren at the BBC. The productions on this five-disc DVD box-set boast high-profile talent including Ian Holm (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Garden State), Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Shrek the Third), Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers) and more. Bonus features include Helen Mirren Remembers, an exclusive made-for-DVD interview recorded this year with Helen Mirren, an interview with British chat show host Michael Parkinson from 1975 and a 20-page program notes booklet packaged within the DVD box. A perfect addition to any drama fan’s DVD library, Helen Mirren at the BBC will be available on February 19, 2008 for the suggested retail price of $79.98. The prebook date is January 15, 2008.

Helen Mirren at the BBC spotlights career-defining television performances from her early years. In productions dating from 1974 to 1982 and ranging from Bernard Shaw’s The Apple Cart with Nigel Davenport, to Dennis Potter’s acclaimed television play Blue Remembered Hills, this collection showcases a young actress already in firm command of her talents and ready to soar to global stardom.

Winner of an Academy Award® , three Golden Globes® , four Emmys® and numerous BAFTAs, Mirren has conquered all of her pursuits on stage and screen. Most notably, she was recognized with the Academy Award® for Best Actress for her outstanding lead performance in The Queen (2006). Other productions in which she has won awards include Elizabeth I (2005), Gosford Park (2001), The Madness of King George (1994), and Prime Suspect (1991).

HELEN MIRREN AT THE BBC PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS:

The Changeling (1974)

The Changeling featured Helen Mirren in one of her first breakout performances, as tragic heroine Beatrice-Joanna. Betrothed to Lord Alonzo De Piraquo, Beatrice-Joanna finds herself in love with nobleman Alsemero instead. Her decision to have Alonzo murdered puts into motion a heartbreaking chain of events with tragic consequences.

The Apple Cart (1975)

Helen Mirren and Prunella Scales appear in The Apple Cart, a Shaw play set forty years in the future, where the king must match wits with an unruly mistress and a cabinet seeking to transform the nation into a constitutional monarchy.

Caesar and Claretta (1975)

Robert Hardy and Helen Mirren star as Benito Mussolini and Claretta Petacci who spend their last night locked together in a small peasant cottage by Italian partisans.

The Philanthropist (1975)

Philip and his circle of friends talk philology, playwriting and everything in between. During the course of their party, couples form and love blooms as they socialize, insulated from the seismic events unfolding in the world around them. In The Philanthropist Helen Mirren appears in a showstopping performance as Philip’s fiancée Celia.

The Little Minister (1975)

Helen Mirren plays Babbie, a mysterious young gypsy girl who incites a Luddite riot in rural 1840s Scotland. Drawn into this event is Babbie’s love interest Gavin Dishart, the new "little minister" of Thrums's Auld Licht church. But before the two can declare their love for each other, Babbie has a secret that belies her gypsy past.

The Country Wife (1977)

Horner, a first-class rake, devises a brilliant scheme to lure in the fine married ladies of London society under their husbands’ noses. But Horner soon meets his match when he becomes involved with Margery Pinchwife (Mirren), an innocent newlywed from the country.

Blue Remembered Hills (1979)

It’s 1943 England, and the end of World War II is still two years away. On a sunny afternoon, seven children play in the Forest of Dean. However, their innocent and carefree day suddenly turns deadly when a harmless prank goes horribly wrong. This Dennis Potter play is traditionally cast with adult actors as the children, and Helen Mirren does not disappoint as pigtailed Angela.

Mrs. Reinhardt (1981)

Helen Mirren is recently separated Mrs. Reinhardt, who meets a charming American during her trip to the south of France. Things are going very well until Mrs. Reinhardt can’t help but feel that something isn’t quite right.

Soft Targets (1982)

Alexei Varyov is a Soviet journalist who is paranoid of the British Home Office, certain that there is a conspiracy against him. However, he bumps into and can’t help being drawn to Celia Watson (Mirren), and is soon whisked into an unforgettable world of Sussex parties and society weddings, meeting all sorts of eccentric people along the way.

Helen Mirren at the BBC
Street Date: February 19, 2008
Prebook Date: January 15, 2008
Price: DVD: $79.98

HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE Hits DVD on 2/26

Highlander: The Source, a thrilling new chapter in the legendary action-adventure "Highlander" saga, makes its DVD debut on February 26, 2008. The thriving "Highlander" franchise includes multiple television series, novels, comic books, licensed merchandise and an upcoming video game. Highlander films have grossed over $100 million in world-wide box office and sold approximately 4 million DVDs to date. Highlander: The Source aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in September 2007.

Immortals have secretly dwelt among us for thousands of years, locked in an eternal game of combat. Their origins have been shrouded in mystery. The answers, Prophets say, are to be found in The Source. As The End of Days approach, the last band of eternal warriors led by Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, have set out on a treacherous quest to find the origin of their immortality. However, to learn the ancient truth, they must first defeat The Guardian of the Source, a powerful and ruthless killer who’ll stop at nothing to bring them all to a painful end.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
"Highlander: The Process" – a mega-length behind the scenes documentary
Storyboard to scene comparisons
Highlander: The Source photo gallery
Tribute to Bill Panzer, creator and producer of the Highlander series
Highlander video game sneak peak

CAST
Adrian Paul TV’s "Highlander," TV’s "Tracker," Moscow Heat, Little Chicago
Thekla Reuten Showtime’s "Sleeper Cell," In Tranzit, De Trip van Teetje
Peter Wingfield Showtime’s "The L Word," TV’s "Highlander," Catwoman, X2: X-Men United
Jim Byrnes TV’s "Highlander," Fetching Cody, Edison Force, TV’s "Jake 2.0"
Cristian Solimeno TV’s "Footballers’ Wives," Relativity, TV’s "Strictly Confidential"

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2006
Title Copyright: 2006 Katana Productions, LTD. All Rights Reserved.
Type: TV on DVD
Rating: R for violence and some language
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action-Adventure
Closed Captioned: English and Spanish Closed Captioned

Nightmare Detective DVD Review by porfle

The Weinstein Company and Genius Products’ "Dimension Extreme" label comes through again with NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE (2006), famed Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto's freaky excursion into the spookhouse of the subconscious.

People are having nightmares in which they're attacked by some horrific unseen force, and in the process they wind up slicing themselves to bloody ribbons in their sleep. The only thing they have in common is that the last person each of them talked to on their cell phones was a mysterious man known only as "O", whom they met on an internet forum for suicidal people. Tackling the case is Lt. Keiko Kirishima (pop star Hitomi), a National Police Agency crime analyst whose desire for some hands-on, "tangible" experience has led her to trade her desk job for the world of crime scene investigation. At first she's unprepared for the carnage she sees on her first field case, causing veteran homicide detective Sekiya to scoff at her ("The princess can't stand the sight of blood"), while the younger Wakamiya (Masanobu Ando) proves an affable and cooperative partner.

The investigators are split into two teams--one, led by Sekiya, to work the case on a realistic level, and the other, led by Keiko, to delve into possible supernatural causes. To this end she seeks help from the deeply disturbed, suicidal Kagenuma (Ryuhei Matsuda), who has the ability to enter the nightmares of others. Reluctantly, Kagenuma takes on the task and both he and Keiko soon find themselves in a deadly and terrifying struggle against a powerful pyschic killer who has made them his next targets.

The murders are frightening and graphic--there's a whole lotta slashin' going on when "O" invades someone's nightmares. Not only do we witness the victims under attack by the killer's phantom dream manifestation in their minds, but also the horrifying sight of them slicing themselves to ribbons in their sleep. When Keiko decides to use herself as bait in an attempt to lure "O" into the open, she descends into this nightmare world totally unprepared for the bloody ordeal to come, her only chance for survival hinging on whether or not Kagenuma will cast aside his own fears and come to her aid.

This leads to an extended surrealistic journey through the minds of three people whose nightmares and painful subconscious memories have become intertwined. Director Tsukamoto, who also plays "O", stages it all with an abundance of sheer imagination and style, often with imagery that places the utter strangeness of David Lynch's ERASERHEAD within a more coherent narrative. A real plus in the visualization of these surreal images is Tsukamoto's refusal to rely on CGI unless absolutely necessary, instead using some wonderfully old-school animatronics and special makeup effects.

First-time actress Hitomi does a great job as Keiko. Not only is she beautiful, but she has an intensity that makes almost every shot of her interesting. Ryuhei Matsuda, with his Edward Furlong hair and dark, brooding looks, is a perfect choice to play the Nightmare Detective, Kagenuma. As "O", Shinya Tsukamoto gives us a complicated, unconventional villain who is refreshingly far-removed from the overfamiliar Freddy Krueger-style cartoonishness that plagues so many horror movies of recent years.

Tsukamoto's screenplay is similarly free of slasher-flick cliches, and he directs it with a lean, uncluttered visual style that is compelling to look at and serves this intriguing story well. The musical score by Chu and Tadashi Ishikawa is effective and sometimes beautiful. Both are well represented by the DVD, which is presented in matted widescreen format with Dolby Digital sound. Extras consist of a theatrical trailer and a lively, very informative "making of" featurette running almost an hour long, which was also directed by Tsukamoto.

NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE is solid entertainment that doesn't skimp on the gore while delivering the goods on every other level as well. And while listening to the Japanese language track with subtitles, I picked up a line, spoken by a sullen Kagenuma early in the film, which will no doubt serve me well in the future whenever I'm in need of a sublimely subtle putdown: "My will to live falters just from speaking with you."

Rambo Trilogy Getting a Full Blu-ray release on May 27!

From Rick Ashcroft at DVD Maniacs Forum

Saw this on the Digital Bits website about the Blu-ray release of Rambo 2 + 3.
"Lionsgate is working on Rambo: First Blood, Part II and Rambo III for Blu-ray release, with a tentative street date of 5/27. This is almost certainly timed to coincide with the DVD and Blu-ray release of the new Rambo film, currently in theaters."

Get Your First Blood On!

There are a lot of options for enjoying the full First Blood experience.

You can start first with the original book David Morrell's First Blood, which the movie is based on, its different in tone and ending from the movie, but is essential piece for all fans of the movie to check out.

Then there is the awesome Jerry Goldsmith First Blood Soundtrack. It's an essential score and one of the best by Jerry Goldsmith with wonderful themes and cues that helped to make First Blood the great movie that it was.

There are two DVD options. The first is the First Blood Ultimate Edition DVD which features deleted scenes and the original ending and a Stallone commentary. It lacks the commentary on the original from author David Morrell, documentaries, and trailers. Honestly, its better just to get the Rambo Trilogy Ultimate Edition which is pretty cheap and a nice hold over for the upcoming re-release of the trilogy (and new Rambo most likely separately) on Blu-Ray (more on that in our next post) which may feature new special features.

If you don't want the Stallone commentary and deleted scenes, but want the Morrell commentary and documentaries, then you should grab the First Blood Special Edition.

The Blu-ray actually has all the docs and both commentaries, but lacks the trailers. You may want to wait until details on the re-release of the trilogy before getting the Blu-ray.

First Blood Short Review

I just saw it again for the first time since I think I was 9 or 10.

First Blood was excellent. I never appreciated Richard Crenna character much the first time as I did this time. He did a great job with the role (the interaction with the civilians and his distrust and dislike of them, and his connection to Rambo almost as a father figure). I suspect that the fact he didn't do that much (as I interpreted the character when I was younger) is the reason I wasn't impressed the first time around. Also considering even the first time I had actually seen the imitation's before the original, may not have helped.

Still I always wondered how did Trautman first learn about Rambo's escape and what drove him to come? Is it discussed in the book at all?

The strangest thing about the whole movie is just how Stallone really is a man who wants to be left alone and doesn't truly relish in what he does. It's a powerful tale of disaffection and alienation. The 'switch' description Rambo gives is quite apt. It's a violent action film that at the same times is disgusted with the violence. Stallone does a great job with the role as it requires dialog at certain key moments, but is almost a mute role. Even with the almost anti-violence vibe of the film, you still cheer for Rambo or as I do the the involuntary yes hand movement, like when he escapes the police station. It truly is the best of the series and really different than the series as a whole.

I don't think I really need to go on about how amazing Jerry Goldsmiths music is. Brian D. turns in a nice performance too as the lead 'villain'. One thing thats nice is Rambo's destruction visually stays with the viewer (most of the wide shots and even some closeups show fires burning in the background from the gas station explosion. It's a very well shot film in terms of cinematography.

In short, First Blood is just an excellent film.

New Expanded Invasion USA Soundtrack

Well I just found what I wanted Jess to get me for Valentines Day. Crazy thing was I just thinking about how cool an official OST would be. The original LP was only half this length and they went back to the original masters.

http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.ACCT67745/it.A/id.5697/.f

Label: Intrada Signature Edition ISE1017
Date: 1985
Tracks: 21
Time = 73:25

World premier of complete original soundtrack to Joseph Zito actioner with Chuck Norris blowing up bad guys, Richard Lynch blowing up good guys. Jay Chattaway approaches movie with abundance of dynamic action. Composer also leaves room for suspense, even a reflective moment or two. But action still gets the spotlight! Interesting thematic structure: main melody begins as stark, diatonic line for unison brass, then breaks into heroic idea with major-key harmonies in tow. Also of interest: Chattaway uses then-new digital delay device throughout score, allows variety of orchestral motifs to play then reverberate in dramatic fashion. Opening three-note "thump thump thump" motif just one of many reverberating highlights. Entire score re-mixed, re-mastered from original multi-track session masters for superb, punchy stereo sound. Colorful booklet even offers a few comments by composer Chattaway. Jay Chattaway conducts. Intrada Signature Edition limited to 1000 copies!

01. Opening/Refugees and Main Titles (6:43)
02. Swamp Night (3:53)
03. Rostov’s Dream (2:46)
04. Airboat Armada (5:40)
05. Flares (2:11)
06. The Landing (2:33)
07. Suburbia Exploded (3:25)
08. Cubans Shot by Cops (3:58)
09. Matt Pulls a Knife (2:11)
10. Kidnap Chase (5:21)
11. National Guard Mobilized (6:10)
12. Bus Bombing (3:44)
13. Amusement Park (2:09)
14. Matt’s Arrest (1:22)
15. Military Display (1:42)
16. American Forces (4:02)
17. Officers Invaded (1:20)
18. The Trap (1:13)
19. Matt Stalls (1:39)
20. Show Down & Finale (7:21)
21. End Credits (3:13)

Storm Warning DVD Review by porfle

From The Weinstein Company and Genius Products' "Dimension Extreme" label comes this extended, unrated cut of 2007's STORM WARNING, an Aussie variation on "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" that owes a lot to the template created by Tobe Hooper's THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE.

Yuppie barrister Rob (Robert Taylor, who played Agent Jones in THE MATRIX) takes his beautiful French wife Pia (Nadia Farès, WAR) out in a rickety motorboat one day for some fishing. Pia wants to go home when ominous clouds start to gather, but Rob's a big dummy who scoffs "ah, it'll blow over" and decides to explore the coastline. Before long, his brilliant navigational skills have them stranded in an agricultural drain several miles inland and then wandering around in the dark, rainy wilderness looking for a farmhouse with a phone.

You just know that the first house they come to is going to be inhabited by psychotic backwoods killers, and sure enough, it is. Jimmy (David Lyons) and his younger half-brother Brett (Mathew Wilkinson, GHOST RIDER) gleefully terrorize the cowering couple with guns and knives, even forcing Pia to kill a baby wallaby and cook it for their supper. As bad as these guys are, though, they're careful to keep the noise down or risk waking up Poppy (John Brumpton), their dear old dad who's sleeping upstairs. If these guys are scared of him, he must be a real terror, right? Actually, Poppy's not much worse than they are, but he does beat the ever-livin' crap out of them whenever they're in arm's reach. And it's obvious that none of these crazed whackos intends to let Rob and Pia get away alive.

STORM WARNING is an entertaining movie of its kind that consistently held my attention throughout. The opening section with Rob and Pia out on the water features some stunning photography, and the production design is terrific. URBAN LEGEND director Jamie Blanks, who also composed the score, stages it all well and throws in some nicely arty shots here and there. Whatever the budget, it looks like it's all right there on the screen.

The script, which Everett De Roche actually wrote thirty years ago, maintains a fairly high level of excitement and suspense although there's none of the grueling terror that made TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE such an ordeal to watch. Maybe a movie like this needs to be a little more gritty and cinema verite' to put the viewer right in the middle of the carnage and make it seem real. And while the performances are uniformly good, the bad-guy characters are never as threatening as the Leatherface family or even the hillbillies from DELIVERANCE.

The violence isn't nearly as awful as I expected, either. There are some pretty graphic scenes here and there, and the effects are well-done, but this isn't a movie that's going to have gorehounds in a constant state of bliss. These days, war movies and action flicks often feature more stomach-churning stuff, not to mention the charnel house films of the "torture porn" genre. This isn't a negative--STORM WARNING has its share of gory scenes--but you may be disappointed if you're looking to be flabbergasted.

Eventually, Rob and Pia are locked in the barn out back to await their deaths. Rob's leg is broken, taking him out of the equation. So it's up to Pia to take action if they're ever going to escape with their lives, at which point the movie really takes off and I began to fall in love with her character. Or at least felt a deep, temporary infatuation.

With an ingenuity that would make both MacGyver and Rube Goldberg proud, she uses available materials to improvise a trap which proves remarkably effective against one of their tormentors. Another clever idea results in a surprise for Poppy that may have male viewers crossing their legs. And the bloody finale is a nail-biting sequence that gets the old adrenaline pumping.

The image, as indicated on the box, is "presented in a 'matted' widescreen format preserving the aspect ratio of the original theatrical exhibition, enhanced for widescreen TVs." Anyway, the movie looks great to me, and sounds good, too. The detailed commentary track features director Jamie Blanks, screenwriter Everett De Roche, actor Robert Taylor, cinematographer Karl von Moller, production designer Robby Perkins, and SPFX artist Justin Dix. Also included are a teaser and a theatrical trailer.

If you're expecting a really dark and harrowing experience, this may not cut it for you. But for a fun, lively, and relatively gory spookhouse ride with great production values, STORM WARNING doesn't disappoint.

"Barry Manilow: Songs From The Seventies" DVD Review by porfle

With the image of a young mullet-headed Barry Manilow bopping around the stage in spangled bell-bottoms still lingering in my mind, I approached this 2-disc DVD set from Rhino, BARRY MANILOW: SONGS FROM THE SEVENTIES, with more than a little trepidation. But after watching it I realized that, regardless of all the nightmares I've had over the years, Barry isn't really out to get me. He just wants to entertain us.

Originally a PBS special, this concert was taped in September 2007 not far from where Barry grew up in Brooklyn. He tells the story of his "come-up" between songs: "One day I was bouncin' checks at the A & P, and the next day I was bouncin' up the music charts!" The venue is relatively small, and the intimacy level is increased by a runway that allows him to stroll through the audience while he sings.

Fittingly enough, Barry begins this set on a sentimental note with "Mandy", the first song of his that most of us ever heard on the radio. After singing the first verse by himself on the piano, the lights come up and he's joined by a small orchestra. "New York City Rhythm" comes next, and we're introduced to the rest of his band plus four backup singers. They're all really good and the song gives them a chance to heat things up a bit. After awhile, it hit me: "Hey! I'm not hating this!" In fact, with this band and Barry's voice--let's face it, he's a hell of a singer--I was actually starting to enjoy myself.

After making the young girls cry with "I Am Your Child", Barry does a brief medley of his hit commercial jingles--"Band Aids", "State Farm Insurance", "McDonald's" (that was him telling you that you deserved a break today), and "Vick's."

Crowd-pleasers like "Could It Be Magic?" and "Copacabana" follow, the latter sounding better than ever thanks to a cool unplugged arrangement. After the Frankie Valli hit "My Eyes Adored You" and "Looks Like We Made It", Barry gets the tears flowing again with an emotional "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother."

He sings a few lines from the dreaded "The Way We Were" and then cuts it short. Thanks, Barry! "It Never Rains In Southern California" sounds pretty good here, leading into a seven-song medley which includes "Can't Smile Without You" and other faves, winding up the set with his show-stopper, "I Write The Songs." As an epilogue, we get to hear him belt out "One Voice" all by his lonesome in an empty auditorium, no band, no audience.

I enjoyed the casual ambience here, with a wildly enthusiastic audience of true-believers that didn't have to be wowed or won over with a lot of Vegasy glitz. The setting looks good with its starfield background and warm colors. Barry's cosmetic surgery enhancements may take a bit of getting used to at first--geez, has it been that long?--but he's snappily-dressed in a regular suit. No spangles or bell-bottoms, and no mullet.

The second disc takes place in the same venue and offers about twenty minutes of extra songs, different versions of songs from the first disc, and a couple of screw-ups that occurred during taping. At one point during some between-song patter Barry realizes that, instead of a microphone, he's talking into his water bottle. A false start at the beginning of "The Way We Were" (curses! I guess he was determined to get that one in!) requires a start-over as Barry tells everyone: "Okay...pretend we're coming out of a pledge break or something like that." And if you liked the "bouncin' checks at the A & P" bit, you get to hear an alternate rendition here.

One of the highlights is a rousing version of "Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?" which kicks off the disc. Later, Barry gathers his backup singers around the piano for "You've Got a Friend", managing to make it less nap-inducing than James Taylor's original snoozer. The last song is the fan-favorite "All The Time", which ends the set as Barry tells his audience: "See you in Vegas."

The picture is widescreen and the Dolby Digital stereo sounds great. Open up the keepcase and, after cringing at the really bad picture of Barry, you'll find both discs stacked on the right side for some reason. The animated menus look nice and are backed with the intro to that acoustic version of "Copacabana" that I liked from the concert.

Needless to say, you should skip this DVD if you just plain hate Barry Manilow. It's not going to win you over. Me, I was never a big fan, yet was surprised to find how much I enjoyed this performance. But if you love old Bar, and especially if you've ever actually cried during one of his songs, then BARRY MANILOW: SONGS OF THE SEVENTIES is an honest-to-goodness must-have.

Andy Lau Fights Security to Protect A Fan!

Lest people say its not a big deal, that stage is a decent height and he easily could have messed his leg up. Andy Lau is a pretty good human being and that was a cool thing he did for a fan. He's also a great actor too :). He handled the situation in a very respectful way afterwards (saying the fan was wrong, but not being mean, and not ragging on security, and still at the same time ensuring fans don't follow the attempt).



http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=493215

The incident happened at Andy Lau's Mainland China concert tour, its last stop at Chengdu.
Since the start of the concert the fans were already very enthusiastic, until the encore segment where it's was going to be the last song and dance, everybody stood up and rushed towards the stage.

One particular male fan got through and managed to get onto the front of the stage to shake hand and give flowers to Andy
When the security and ploice noticed that somebody managed to get onto the stage and grab hold onto Andy, they immediately went to get him. Clip from Youtube shows security not only tried to drag him away, they punched him and kicked him.

Andy, seeing this from the stage, asked them not to take force against the fan. On the Youtube, you can hear that Andy stopped singing and says "Stop!" When he saw that they did not respond, he jumped off the stage to protect that fan. It resulted a chaos as some of the crew member, security guards and Andy's personal security guards got into a fight. In result, Andy could not carry on singing as he personally had to bring that fan to the back to prevent the security guards from getting to him.

The video has been circulated and has tons of hits. It is believed that Andy is the only singer in the world that care-less of his safety to jump off the stage to rescue the fan.
After returning to the stage, the audience continued their screaming as they looked Andy as a hero, they kept screaming "Wah Zai I Love You", upon seeing Andy jumping off from such a high stage and safely returning to the stage, furthermore could continue to sing and dance, it shows that he didn't injured himself.

Later, Andy said on stage: "I know these securities and policemen are here for the good of all of you, I apologize to let you all worry, I'm okay! I'm very good! There is rules for concert, no matter how enthusiastic the fans are, I hope that you remember the importance of safety, there's no need to rushed forward and do anything against the rules, if all of you love me and support me,I knew all of that, if you want to get close to me, it is not difficult, join Andy World Club,we can always meet in my fan club gathering! Please don't use any un-safe methods to make me worry and also put the securities and policemen in a difficult position."

After the concert ended, Andy initially thought he could celebrate the success of his last stop, however such matter spolit his feelings. He said: "When I see the fan being pushed and hit by the policemen, I was shell shocked, I immediately asked them to stop but nobody listen to me, thus I jumped off the stage.

The fan was wrong as he should not break through the line and come onto the stage, but he did this to show he supported me. I was worried what the securities would do to punish him, so I jumped off the stage and told them to let this matter go, just forgive him once."
Andy said that he knew that many fans will be worried upon seeing him jumped off the stage, it also scared several crew members, thinking back it's quite risky on his part, luckily he's not injured.

He quipped: "When the concert just started, I just promise the fans that I'll take good care of myself as I would not do any dangerous stunts, unexpectedly until the encore I performed a dangerous stunt, it must have scared the 60,000 audience, I apologize for that!"