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Starring:Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell, John Nolan, Dick Bradsell, Gillian El-Kadi, Jennifer Angel, Nicolas Carlotti, Darren Ormandy, Guy Greenway, Tassos Stevens, Tristan Martin, Rebecca James, Paul Mason (VI), David Bovill, John Bengue, Ivan Cornell, Jane Hunter, Matthew Jones, David Julyan
Director: Christopher Nolan
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The feature film debut of wrestling superstar John Cena, The Marine offers an agreeable smorgasbord of slam-bang action for viewers willing to swallow whole their disbelief for the sake of enjoying the plot. Cena, who is one of the most animated performers in the wrestling arena, is saddled with a taciturn role as a former Marine with an authority problem who tangles with dangerous jewel thieves (led by Robert Patrick) after they take his wife (Kelly Carlson of Nip/Tuck) hostage. Cena handles the physical duties of his role with ease, and former commercial director John Bonito offers him a frantic array of situations in which to display his prowess. On the whole, however, the picture is very light in the logic department, and filled with cardboard characters that quickly wear out their welcome (save Patrick, who tosses villainous one-liners with scene-stealing brio). Extras include a making-of featurette, which includes talking-head interviews with the cast, crew, and WWE head/producer Vince McMahon, as well as a barrage of shorter featurettes on Cena's rise to fame and the film's premiere at Camp Pendleton. --Paul Gaita

Description

WWE champion John Cena dominates the big screen as Marine John Triton. Wherever there's danger, Triton is usually smack dab in the middle of it... and he doesn't play by rules! After he's unwillingly discharged from Iraq, Triton's beautiful wife Kate ("Nip And Tuck's" Kelly Carlson) is kidnapped by merciless jewel thieves led by a vicious killer (Robert Patrick)! Now, Triton must fight to save her, utilizing his most powerful weapon ? himself!

Customer Reviews:

Rent it first - you've been warned........2007-07-02

This movie is almost a joke. The beginning starts off quite nicely with our "Marine" taking down 9 terrorist with a machine gun and hand-to-hand combat, without even being touched. The problem is later in the movie our same "Marine" is knocked down with a fire extinguisher, a branch, and a bar. Apparently terrorists trained in the military with machine guns are much less capable than a man with a fire extinguisher.

Second, the "Marine" was knocked unconscious by both the fire extinguisher and tree branch yet being punched hard multiple times tied to a chair, he is left un-phased.

Third, our "Marine" seems to get punched a lot for being such a skilled fighter. Even going up against hill billies he gets thrown through a table. Which also shows hill billies are skilled in hand to hand combat, a reality this movie taught me.

Fourth, no one seems to care that our well respected "Marine" leaves a wounded cop unattended and steals a cop car. Throughout the movie he causes hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage without being reprimanded.

Fifth, a good portion of the movie consist of our "Marine" following people through the woods. That's it.... Wow.... Exciting.....

Sixth, our marine jumps out of a flaming car over the edge of a cliff. 10 minutes later he is walking on land. Apparently it is left to our imagination how marines can fly.

Seventh, When our "Marine" gives CPR its just pathetic. It looks funny to begin with because John Cena's arms are as big as his wifes body, but its even worse because he doesn't do CPR right to begin with.

I'll be fair, there were good fight scenes. There was a girl-girl fight scene (which lasted about 1 minute) though it was much more entertaining than the WWE girl-girl "matches". This movie was not action packed, it had action, but was not action packed.

Forget politics - switch your brain to "Commando" mode!.......2007-06-14

You pays your money and you takes your choice. When you go to see a movie like this, you should know what you're in for. There's going to be a lot of bad guys, and they're going to be really bad. There's going to be a damsel in distress. There's going to be a surprise bad guy. And, last but not least, there's going to be a good guy who is good and tough beyond belief.

John Triton (John Cena) is an heroic ex-marine whose wife, Kate (Kelly Carlson) is kidnapped by a brutal gang of jewel thieves led by Rome (Robert Patrick), who kills with glee and without remorse, which doesn't set him apart from his psychopathic gang members. John takes out after them. You get the feeling that John can take on anything up to the size of a platoon without much of a problem. While credibility might suffer during his chase, it's still fun. You will rarely see a human being with arms the size of Cena's.

Written (Michelle Gallagher and Alan McElroy) and directed (John Bonito) with humor and pace, what surprised me about it was that the acting is uniformly good, including Cena. This is a tongue-in-cheek chase film with some absurdly unbelievable stunts and special effects, but it's all done on a level that nobody takes very seriously.

Although there is a lot of violence, it's not graphic in the sense that we see people's heads being blown off. I was tired and sleepy when I attended the film, but never even felt a twinge of nodding off.

Perfect for a saturday night with friends after a long week of work.

it's all action..........2007-06-04

If pure action entertains you, then give this one a look. It's certainly not academy award material but lots of action and fun to watch!

Just a wanna be Rambo.......2007-05-28

If you are looking for a movie with bad acting-cliche lines-and never gonna happen action sequences this is the movie for you! Otherwise, I wouldn't even waste a Netflix rental on it.

Don't waist your money on this.......2007-05-05

This movie was a joke, a bad actor, and a bad story, makes it look like the Marine Corp gung ho killers.

Average customer rating:

INCREDIBLE SWORD FIGHTING FILM !!
5 stars for movie, 3 stars for release

The One-Armed Swordsman
Starring: Jimmy Wang Yu , Huang Chung Shun , and Pin Yin Tze
Director: Chang Cheh
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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King Boxer (aka 'Five Fingers Of Death')
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
My Young Auntie
Above the Law
Shanghai Express

ASIN: B000MM0LF0
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Customer Reviews:

INCREDIBLE SWORD FIGHTING FILM !!.......2007-07-03

The Weinstein Company has to be commended for releasing "The One-Armed Swordsman" on DVD.The video and audio restoration that went into this release is truly amazing.The film is presented in it's 2.35:1 Widescreen format and enhanced for 16x9 televisions.This is without a doubt the best version of "The One-Armed Swordsman" I've ever seen.The video transfer is just spectacular and the colors are sharp and vibrant.The sound is clean and crisp albeit in mono.The sound options include original Mandarin or English dubbed version and choice of Subtitles.The special features I found most interesting were the Interview with Jimmy Wang Yu and the Stills Gallery and Trailer Gallery.Sadly the commentary of Quentin Tarantino listed on the rear cover under the special features section of the DVD is missing.Martial Arts fans will be amazed by the incredible quality of this release and the non-stop blood filled action.

5 stars for movie, 3 stars for release.......2007-06-22

OK if you have never seen this movie and are interested in classic kung-fu movies, by all means get this release, the quality is great. My complaint is that the Weinstein company lied about the special features. I already owned a great region 3 copy of this film, and was surprised to see that the new American release had commentary by Quentin Tarantino, which is stated on the package. I know that he is a big Shaw bros fan and was interested in hearing his insight on the film. I could care less about the film scholars opinions as they don't really state anything a fan wouldn't already know. Well the DVD does NOT have commentary by him, and my purchase was completely pointless. This review is to mainly to warn others out-there like myself who are huge fans that might also be considering purchasing this version for that reason.

Average customer rating:

Solid revenge Western
McQueen is fun to watch
A respectable entry in the annals of the best Westerns!
Why McQueen Was A Star
A very good western and great entertainment

Nevada Smith
Starring: Steve McQueen , Karl Malden , Brian Keith , Arthur Kennedy , and Suzanne Pleshette
Director: Henry Hathaway
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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Tom Horn
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The Sand Pebbles

ASIN: B00008CMR3
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Amazon.com

The Max Sand backstory in Harold Robbins's trashy The Carpetbaggers (an enjoyable wallow onscreen in 1964) made for a solid Western vehicle for Steve McQueen at his peak. Nevada Smith is a revenge movie, but closer in spirit to The Bravados than a Death Wish-style exercise in nihilism. Young Max, offspring of a white father and Indian mother, sets out to avenge their slaughter by three villains. His odyssey includes spiritual re-parenting at several stages, most notably by canny gun dealer Jonas Cord (a swell character part for Brian Keith). The supporting cast will have you saying, "He's in it, too!" at regular intervals (from costars Karl Malden and Arthur Kennedy down to such incidental interlopers as L.Q. Jones and Strother Martin). Since director Henry Hathaway and cameraman Lucien Ballard couldn't frame a bad shot if their lives depended on it, it's a relief that this movie is finally available in a widescreen format. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

Solid revenge Western.......2007-05-06

Despite being curiously banned from British TV screens for many years in the wake of the entirely unconnected Hungerford massacre, Nevada Smith is a solid and petty lavishly mounted revenge western culled from the backstory of Alan Ladd's ageing cowboy star in The Carpetbaggers. With Steve McQueen heading an impressive cast (Karl Malden, Arthur Kennedy, Martin Landau, Brian Keith, Suzanne Pleshette, Janet Margolin, etc) you could almost see it as a last-gasp attempt to be the classic American Western as its narrative sends its hero from Texas to California via a chain gang in the Louisiana bayous. It could have been tighter and you have to question how merciful his final act is after putting that many holes in someone, but its an entertaining ride and the eternally under-appreciated Henry Hathaway makes it look particularly great in Scope. No extras, but at least the 2.35:1 widescreen transfer is good.

McQueen is fun to watch.......2006-12-09

McQueen is definately cool. His character is supposed to be a half-breed, white and Kiowa, and in his late teens. McQueen doesn't look the part at all, but I was able to ignore that. Karl Mauldin is just way too much like a New England school marm to make a good outlaw. Too much was made of Max's Indian ancestry contributing to his success. It reminds me of "Billy Jack." The obvious question is: if indians are so invincible,...? But I was entertained with the adventure of a "boy" tracking down 3 men who killed his parents.

A respectable entry in the annals of the best Westerns!.......2006-11-08

Henry Hathaway was a versatile director whose Westerns have been as variable in quality as his other films...

Hathaway's best Westerns have all come in the fifties, beginning with the very credible 'Rawhide,' with Tyrone Power, and continuing with 'Garden of Evil,' the highly enjoyable burlesque 'North to Alaska,' most of 'How the West Was Won,' 'The Sons of Katie Elder,' 'Five Card Stud,' and 'True Grit.'

Hathaway's strong points are atmosphere, character and authentic locations... The little known 'From Hell to Texas' is quoted by those who have seen it as Hathaway's best Western on these three counts, a film directed with profound feeling for the deliberate pace and loneliness of the real West...

'Nevada Smith' is actually a strong and revealing study of the regeneration of one man... The film makes an excellent double bill with Marlon Brando's sole effort as director, 'One-Eyed Jacks.'

'Nevada Smith' is an exciting premise, taught and tight... It is not a motion picture to dismiss or forget... It is one of the first films to apply the contemporary standards of sex and violence to an Old West setting... The film is based on a story by John Michael Hayes, two-time Academy Award nominated screenwriter for 'Rear Window,' and 'Peyton Place.'

The film lingers in the mind because of its visual beauty and the intensity of some of its scenes, particularly between McQueen and Malden, two knowing actors playing together with the skill of champion chess players...

Hathaway sets up his atmosphere of dramatic tension right at the start... With a horse, a rifle, and 8 dollars, McQueen is a half-white teen-aged whose only desire is to hunt down his parents vicious killers... All helpless, he vows to dispatch the three 'bravados' one by one... He even gets himself thrown into prison just to gun one of them down...

With the help of a gun merchant (Brian Keith), McQueen learns how to shoot a gun and sets out the chase where the money is... He rides off alone, blinded by a compulsion that obscures his other motive for living: 'I don't see nothing, except my father laying on a covered-floor all burnt and cut with the top of his head blown to pieces, and my mother split up in the middle and every square inch of her skin ripped off.'

Steve McQueen recreates the type of role he had played in 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.' He is effective in his hesitant, self-conscious way, eager to be a firm gunfighter and almost as inept... He has little more sense of character than Ladd in Edward Dmytryk's 'The Carpetbaggers' but has a tension which made the film interesting to watch...

Brian Keith is excellent as the father figure who adopts McQueen... He is sincere in warning the young avenger that in order to catch and kill these men, he will have to comb out every saloon, gambling hall, hog farm and whorehouse, and become just as despicable as they are... Keith comes out a star with his quiet, sure, graceful underplaying... As he instructs McQueen, it was clear that he knows not only his guns but human nature..

Suzanne Pleshette, standing knee deep in water, is the pretty girl, able to escape from the terrors of her environment into the poetry of her reveries... Both a sinner and a saint, Pilar adds humanity to Max world...

With a knife in his hand, and a scar on his neck, Martin Landau is the psychotic womanizer, a morose, evil character, caught in Abelene dealing cards in a saloon...

Arthur Kennedy - friendly, smiling, charming and smooth-talking on the surface, weak and corrupt underneath - is the frightened villain swamped by a storm of revenge...

Karl Malden is the cynical badman who depreciates his gold before his executioner...

Raf Vallone is the good priest who wants his young avenging hunter to take a deep look into his heart...

Pat Hingle is the prisoner in custody with gun and whip, who takes great pleasure and delight in breaking his companions by beating them up...

Howard da Silva is the ruthless warden who assures his prisoners that the swamp is their wall... Miles and miles of it, filled of dirty water, quicksand, razorbacks, poison snakes, mosquitoes and malaria...

Janet Margolin is the dance hall girl uncertain of the identity of one of the dangerous murderers...

Joanna Cook Moore is the grateful saloon girl who offers herself to Max...

Rick Roman is Cipriano, the bandit who warns seriously his companion not to harm Father Zaccardi...

Ted de Corsia is the bartender who wants the two contenders to calm down in order to find out the truth..

The expertise before the cameras and behind it, plus McQueen's dynamic presence, makes 'Nevada Smith' a respectable entry in the annals of the best Westerns...

Why McQueen Was A Star.......2006-06-27

Nevada Smith was made at the heights of McQueen's short, but terrific career. This film, along with Love With The Proper Stranger, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Cincinnati Kid and Bullitt, proves just why McQueen was a star.

Although the film is your average revenge-story, McQueen's performance along with Karl Malden, Martin Landau, Brian Keith and Susanne Pleshette, make it worth watching. McQueen stars as a young man (the script mentions that he's a boy and half-Indian, but so what?)who witnesess his parents' murder at the hands of Karl Malden's blood-thirsty gang. From there he goes on a year's long quest to hunt down each and every one of the killers, until his parents' death is avenged. He even goes so far as to land himself in a Louisianan chain gang to get one of them. What makes this movie stand out from other films in this genre, is McQueen's maturation during this process. He goes from young boy, to seasoned, cool killer by the time he reaches Karl Malden. McQueen, known for extensively underplaying a scene, gives away all kinds of subtlelties that most people missed (indeed this is why some in Hollywood didn't consider him a good actor), but that upon closer inspection one would see that he's "in character" every step of the way. The scene when he's in the swamp with one of his parents' killers and Susann Pleshette is chilling, because you see all of his rage at finally finding this man and exacting his revenge. What is more poignant is when he, at long last, has Karl Malden, and instead of killing him, leaves him there to die. You see in McQueen's eyes all of the pain, and sorrow, at his parents' loss, but you also see the pity that he has for this weak, pathetic man who is nothing without a gun on his belt. McQueen simply looks at the man, shrugs and walks away. In the hands of another actor this scene would've been overplayed to the point of melodrama, but McQueen said everything that needed to be said in a few simple gestures. That's what makes a star.

A very good western and great entertainment.......2006-05-12

I love this movie for it's "revenge" story line, the good action, terrific acting, and beautiful scenery. I've actually been to a few of the exact locations where the movie was filmed, along the Eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada range in CA., which gives me some nostalgic memories whenever I watch the movie.
I especially like the part where Brian Keith befriends Max Sand (McQueen) and shows him how to shoot. The dialog between the two is classic: McQueen>> "I'm half white". Keith>> "And you're all helpless". What is kind of strange is that McQueen is probably at least 35 years old in this movie. Yet, he's referred to as "just a kid". Karl Malden plays a terrific heavy. And he gets what he deserves. I imagine he had a tough time crawling out of Hot Creek after Max shot him in the knee caps. OUCH!
The only part of this movie I didn't care for was when Max Sand was sent to the bayou prison. This whole section of the movie was just a little too long and a little too slow for me. But, in spite of my thoughts on the bayou section, this is a terrific movie. The scenery is beautiful, the characters are interesting, the action is lively, and the story will keep your interest. Nevada Smith takes you on an adventure full of action and suspense. I've watched it probably 6 or 8 times over the years, and it's still fun to watch.

Average customer rating:

I'd give it 3 out of 5
Reused plots
Three stars for Lee and Villechaize
Underrated-- for all the right reasons
Goodnight, Sir.

The Man With The Golden Gun
Starring: Roger Moore , Christopher Lee , Britt Ekland , Maud Adams , and Hervé Villechaize
Director: Guy Hamilton
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Spy Who Loved Me
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ASIN: B000NIBUR6
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

The British superspy with a license to kill takes on his dark underworld double, a classy assassin who kills with golden bullets at $1 million a hit. Roger Moore, in his second outing as James Bond, meets Christopher Lee's Scaramanga, one of the most magnetic villains in the entire series, in this entertaining but rather wan entry in the 007 sweepstakes. Bond's globetrotting search takes him to Hong Kong, Bangkok, and finally China, where Scaramanga turns his island retreat into a twisted theme park for a deadly game of wits between the gunmen, moderated by Scaramanga's diminutive man Friday Nick Nack (Fantasy Island's Hervé Villechaize). Britt Ekland does her best as the most embarrassingly inept Bond girl in 007 history, a clumsy, dim agent named Mary Goodnight who looks fetching in a bikini, while Maud Adams is Scaramanga's tough but haunted lover and assistant (she returns to the series as the title character in Octopussy). Clifton James, the redneck sheriff from Live and Let Die, makes an embarrassing and ill-advised appearance as a racist tourist who briefly teams up with 007 in what is otherwise the film's highlight, a high-energy chase through the crowded streets of Bangkok that climaxes with a breathtaking midair corkscrew jump. Bond and company are let down by a lazy script, but Moore balances the overplayed humor with a steely performance and Lee's charm and enthusiasm makes Scaramanga a cool, deadly, and thoroughly enchanting adversary. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

I'd give it 3 out of 5.......2007-06-14

Good movie for the hardcore Bond fan, but not one of the best.

Reused plots.......2007-06-01

The problem with Bond movies is the tired use of the same evil scheme to knock off the world. Austin Powers spoofed this so well in those films. I do like the Bond films, but can not watch them back to back like friends of mine who go on Bond binges. I would simply throw up after such an event.

The Man with the Golden Gun is not one of my favorites because it comes across as hokey to me. The other reviewers have given you the entire movie from beginning to end so if you haven't seen the film, you know now what happens.

I'll simply say this is not the best in the Bond series because Scaramanga is boring, yet he would have appeared more sinister with three pierced nipples whilst lounging on the beach. If you must complete your collection, buy the DVD but for the non-Bond fan, I'd say pass on it. I would also pass on Diamonds are Forever, Never Say Never Again, License to Kill, and The Living Daylights. Definitely get Gold Finger, From Russia with Love, You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Some people would disagree with me about the Lazenby film, but I liked it because of the ending.

Thanks.

Three stars for Lee and Villechaize.......2007-05-22

The original Connery films (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, and even the less-than-5-star Diamonds Are Forever) still stand head and shoulders over any Bond releases that followed them. There. I said it.

I never gained an appreciation for Moore's Bond. I didn't care for the droll, smirky approach. Every time he unleashed one of his catty bon mots it just felt a little squirmy, you know?

Any film that features Christopher Lee as the villain and Hervé Villechaize as his evil henchman demands to be watched, and for that reason alone, "Man With The Golden Gun" holds a unique position in the canon of Moore's Bond films. The scene with Lee in his room filled with mirrors as Villechaize intones "Where is your little gun?" is particularly entertaining.

Britt Ekland as the film's requisite Bond Girl? One of the worst, but the crown still goes to Maud Adams in "Octopussy."

You say potato, I say potato. Roger Moore starred in a series of films featuring a character named James Bond. This was one of them. Connery brought the character to life, Moore kept it in the box office.

Underrated-- for all the right reasons.......2007-05-11

Bond film directors get little scrutiny, yet, despite the obvious fact that this is a producer-driven franchise, there are definite hints of an individual stamp on certain series entries, and never more so than with the four films helmed by Guy Hamilton. Consider him the Tim Burton of 007 movies. His Bonds, like Burton's Batmans, are odd comic-book affairs, rife with surreal flourishes, dashes of sadism, and a general sense of childish mayhem. With "Goldfinger" he helped seal the winning James Bond 'formula', but when he returned to helm three more Bonds in the early 70s, he seemed set to deconstruct that formula.

"The Man With the Golden Gun" is his last outing, and only Roger Moore's second, and like "Live and Let Die" it definitely belongs in that earlier, "Goldfinger"-inspired world. Oscar-winning cinematographer Ted Moore did his last work on a Bond film here, and it's miles away from the inviting, disco-slick sheen that marked "The Spy Who Loved Me" three years later. Whether or not there was budgetary restraint on this film, in many ways "The Man With the Golden Gun" seems determined, in big ways and in small, to get away with doing the bare minimum for a Bond movie-- and subsequently, there's an odd, dreamlike resonance to the film's eerie blankness. Perfect example: whenever a Bond villain's hidden fortress is penetrated, we're treated to the spectacle of a few battalions' worth of jumpsuit-clad anonymous henchmen busy with their boss' nefarious work. But not here!: no, Scaramanga's compound can only boast, besides the duplicitous Nick Nack, who's really a third-party unto himself, but one single lousy thug! Who is readily dispatched by Britt Eckland's Goodnight, who is easily the dopiest Bond heroine ever. And, for that very reason, I find something surreally threatening about him, the lone Cerberus of Scaramanga's Hadean funhouse.

Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee, belongs to the small anti-tradition of virile Bond villains, like "Thunderball"s Largo and "Licence to Kill"s Sanchez. He is the least apocalyptic of all Bond nemeses-- for him no grandious visions of blowing up the planet or even ruling it. Despite the film's OPEC-era MacGuffin, Scaramanga poses the least credible threat to civilization of any Bond villain. But this only heightenes the tangible sense of this murderous free agent's psychosis. Even Largo and Sanchez work to run an organization--Scaramanga has not only the smallest payroll of 007 badguys, he even professes a carefree ignorance of how his hidden fortress' scientific apparatus works! Far from imbibing any cuddly pet obsessions like a fetishistic love of gold, he lives only for the pleasure of murder-- and a murderous sexual sadism. Though he apes a certain distorted code of chivalry, Bond rightly calls him on it; at bottom, Scaramanga is a nightmare distortion of James Bond, all uncultivated, loner murderous sadism. It is sometimes said that Lee doesn't get the chance to flesh the character out, but think about it-- with this character, less is more, and in this minimalist cartoon of a film, Scaramanga may emerge as the most Shakespearean and least Marlovian (in Harold Bloom's terms) of all James Bond villains.
Of the ladies, obviously Maud Adams is more affecting than poor Britt Eckland, but let's say that Eckland's Goodknight is the comic relief in this otherwise rather dark (by the escapist standards of the series) movie. I agree that the slide whistle during the corkscrew car stunt is an unworthy intrusion, yet it seems to fit the distanced attitude this film takes to its action sequences. It's as if Guy Hamilton wants only the squaring-off of the gunsmen, with nothing else to intrude. Bond's interlude at the deathly martial arts academy is safely quarantined from the rest of the film, especially with the help of the proto-Austin Powers cadre of karate-kicking teenyboppers (the film's closest thing to a display of girl power!). Though the Lulu theme-song is much derided, I'll bravely pronounce that I think it rocks, and John Barry's score throughout is admirable stuff, in keeping with his best Bond tradition. Roger Moore himself is still the dark cad of a 007 he played in "Live and Let Die", in his own way as callous and gleefully destructive as Bugs Bunny. Thank god his heart's with the British Empire!
And, in conclusion, I'll salute one further much underrated aspect of the film-- that final (before, that is, containing Nick Nack on the boat) suspense sequence dislodging the MacGuffin from the laser. Simple, simple stuff, but watching those clouds pass in ominous interlude as the Thai sun waits to fry 007 and (in a less harrowing sense) Britt Eckland's bikini-clad oblivious self with him, I sometimes think I haven't enjoyed such a moment so much since Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint dangled somewhere beneath George Washington's chin! . . .

Goodnight, Sir........2007-05-09

The nefarious (I've no idea what that means, but I know it works) super-assassin Francisco Saramanga is out to kill Bond. Because he's like that. Scaramanga charges a million dollars a hit and is the only person in the world who has a slim chance of getting to Bond. Concerned for his safety, M takes Bond off active duty.

Never perturbed (not really sure of that word either), Bond still investigates and soon discovers that Scaramanga has stolen the 'priceless' Solex Agitator. Oh yeah, one of those! A mere MacGuffin and no more. In his mission to retrieve said 'agitator' Bond travels to Thailand and Hong Kong and gets into many silly fights, one involving a midget butler. He even finds time stress-out hillbilly Sheriff JW Pepper once more and...erm...'roger' his gorgeous assistant Mary Goodnight.

It's very dumb and thoroughly unsophisticated but it's all in the name of fun and Roger Moore's light, somewhat innocent way of playing Bond just keeps you smiling all the way through. I also liked John Barry's score, despite the fact he claims it's his weakest effort on the series.

TMWTGG was the last Bond film to be shot in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and I do feel that if it was shot in Panavision then it would have more slick and polished look. 33 years on, TMWTGG looks too grainy and dated and appears older than it is. I'm not sure why Guy Hamilton chose to film it this way when 4 previous Bond films had already been made in Scope widescreen.

Definitely one of the lesser Bond movies but saved by sense of humor and never-ending fun. Rent this one.

The DVD is in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and a fair amount of extras.

Average customer rating:

Best of an the era
Arthur Penn, Brando, Nicholsen, Harry Dean....what more do you want??
Maltin Shmaltin.
Broken land, twisted characters
A very satisfying film

The Missouri Breaks
Starring: Daniel Ades , Luana Anders , R.L. Armstrong , Richard Bradford , and Marlon Brando
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Major Dundee (The Extended Version)

ASIN: B000B6CO48
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Description

A rancher, a rustler, and a regulator face off in Arthur Penn's eccentric western. As a cover for their horse thievery, a gang of Montana rustlers, led by the laid-back Tom Logan (Jack Nicholson), buys a small farm adjacent to the ranch of their latest target/nemesis, Braxton (John McLiam). When the gang leaves Tom on the farm and heads to Canada for another score, Tom takes a shine both to farming and Braxton's rebellious, strong-willed daughter, Jane (Kathleen Lloyd). The slightly loco Braxton, however, hires the psychopathic regulator Lee Clayton (Marlon Brando) to root out the rustlers. With a series of unorthodox methods (and costumes), Clayton hunts down Logan and his gang one by one, even after Braxton fires him, but Logan isn't about to let Clayton (or Braxton) make him obsolete.

Customer Reviews:

Best of an the era.......2007-06-08

Cannot beat this little known weatern with Brando and Jack. What a lost treasure! Some truely great lines in this one and perfect Brando style. I have no doubt that both of these actors were just playing themselves. 5 Stars for these guys. What a great memory movie.

Arthur Penn, Brando, Nicholsen, Harry Dean....what more do you want??.......2007-06-01

This is one of the near-great post modern Westerns IMO. (The 2 Great ones being The Wild Bunch--altho is that really post modern?--or the ultimate "classic western"?--& Once Upon a Time in the West.) And we could add "the Last Picture show" to the mix.....but is that really a "western" (it takes place in the 1950's)?

It's got Arthur Penn as director, Brando, Nicholsen, Harry Dean, et al. And the gorgeous brunette Kathleen Lloyd who blatently & with direct language seduces Nicholsen. (Which I love, because I'm a guy).

It imposes a "70's" sensibility on the American Western. And some people may not like that. I think--the best film to compare it to is Altman's "McCabe & Mrs. Miller".

I dig it....any fan of quirky, offbeat films should see it.

Maltin Shmaltin........2007-03-08

Leonard Maltin calls "Missouri Breaks" a BOMB. I think he's looking in the mirror and sees everything backwards. "Missouri Breaks" is a studied, nuanced, greatly acted, directed, scored, designed, and photographed masterwork. It is pure genius from Penn, Brando and Nicholson in carefully shaded characters, and a marvelously talented supporting cast headed by Harry Dean Stanton and Kathleen Loyd. There are no false steps.

The violence Maltin decries is sudden, graphic, and realistic. It shows the brutal nature of the frontier American experience directly, without moral or relish. If anything, it is sincere reportage, which may be what Maltin really finds objectionable; we do like our pretty myths. Students of American western frontier history will instantly recognize the authenticity of setting, society, and events.

He calls it "plodding." It's about a bunch of lazy no-count horse thieves, who are at bottom just human beings with tough beginnings trying to survive in tough conditions. It is a leisured film, but not casual. The viewer enters the world on the screen, to dwell intimately therein as a participant observer, seeing at ground level how these people deal with the events of both a mundane and peculiar life. "Breaks" creates a solid environment with a natural pace that enters the remorseless realm of Greek tragedy. We watch helplessly as the players march relentlessly to an avoidable, but inevitable climax. We see the survivors in the brief still aftermath fumble for new lives, and new beginnings.

If as Maltin says, "Missouri Breaks" is a BOMB, I guess I like this BOMB VERY MUCH. It is a mature, fully realized vision, film as literature that matures like fine wine. Highly recommended for people who think. Leonard?

Broken land, twisted characters.......2007-03-07

Most of the reviews of this film appear to have been written by males, so I thought I would add a female point of view to the discussion.

I bought the DVD for my husband for Valentine's Day, he being a fan of the western genre, and watched it with him. It's not exactly romantic Valentine's Day fare.

Here are a few short observations:

In my opinion, the film should be rated "R," instead of "PG," because of its violent scenes.

There are no good guys in this film, only flawed characters. I found the Marlon Brando character, the amoral regulator, blood-chillingly evil. Compared to him, the bumbling rustlers seem almost to be sympathetic characters. I very nearly found myself rooting for the "bad" guys.

This is not your typical, old-fashioned western. It's a more-interesting film with more-believable characters.

A very satisfying film.......2006-12-30

I haven't seen any other of Arthur Penn's films, but I enjoyed this one as a start. The script is great, as is the acting, epecially Marlon Brando's turn as the eccentric "Regulator" Robert E. Lee Clayton. Jack Nicholson is also pretty good. If you're a fan of westerns, the stars, or even just damn good movies, check this film out.

Average customer rating:

Mistery
Handsome Man and Vampires
Don't sleep on this one!
A cut above
Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet
Starring: Jack Davenport , Susannah Harker , Idris Elba , Philip Quast , and Colette Brown
Director: Joe Ahearne
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures / Umvd
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Kindred the Embraced - The Complete Vampire Collection
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Ultraviolet (Unrated, Extended Cut)

ASIN: B00005KA70
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Amazon.com

In a new twist on an old theme, the coolly stylish British miniseries Ultraviolet brings vampires into the 21st century, though the word vampire is never uttered in this mix of The X-Files and somber British TV mysteries like Touching Evil. Jack Davenport is a police detective who stumbles into an elite government agency when his partner and best friend suddenly becomes a nocturnal thug and bites him on the neck. Davenport reluctantly cuts off his old friends and lovers to join the team, which includes Idris Elba as a merciless ex-soldier and Susannah Harker as a medical researcher, and investigate a web of counterfeiting operations, banking scams, and experimental labs featuring human guinea pigs. "What they're researching is pollution: contamination of their blood supply," offers team leader and former priest Philip Quast, but the question remains: are they soulless monsters out to conquer mankind, or a persecuted minority who just want to live in peace with the humans?

Writer-director-creator Joe Ahearne brings all the traditional vampire tropes up to date; not only do they lack reflections in a mirror, but they don't show up on video and their voices don't carry over phone lines or record on audio tapes ("which makes surveillance a bitch"). Sunlight burns like an acid, and when they die they go up like a flare, leaving a pile of ash in their wake. But it's the sharp character writing, moral quandaries, and ingenious twists of this smart, stylish conspiracy thriller that make this series gripping down to the final episode.

The two-disc DVD set features an audio interview with Ahearne along with episode synopses and character notes. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Mistery.......2007-04-10

I like to watch Jack Davenport, so this performance of his is very good, his character gets you into the story, I loved his confidence. The theme is original very diferent from what I've seen about vampires, I really loved it because not everything is about blood and the mistery of the plot keeps you in suspense. Very good to spend some time watching it. I would love if there would had been more episodes.

Handsome Man and Vampires.......2007-04-03

I bought this because I adore Jack Davenport. The series is interestingly done and creative and the cast is very good. The story follows a mysterious squad of modern vampire hunters in London. We learn all of their reasons for joining the squad and it is fun to see who will win in this good vs evil battle.

Don't sleep on this one!.......2007-02-09

When I first saw this a few years back, I only caught three of the episodes and they weren't in order. I enjoyed the concept and episodes back then. Seeing all of them in their intended order was a treat. The concept and execution of this series was brilliant. It does away with the classical idea of vampires, and successfully makes it fresh and relevant.

This series was clever. Possibly too clever for its own good. Despite wanting to see more, I think anything over the six produced episodes would have ruined the series.

A cut above.......2007-02-02

This series puts some new and much-welcome twists on the traditional vampire tales. The actors are very fine, looking like they genuinely believe in what they're doing and reacting to. The suspense is terrific and the only negative is...why was there never a second series done? If you're a Yank you may have to adjust to (1) the Brit accents and (2) writing that demands you engage your brain in order to follow along. I'll take UV over Buffy any day of the week!

Ultraviolet.......2007-01-26

Excellent series. Great side stories as well as main theme. There should have been more than the one season. Too short.

Average customer rating:

Aaah those Argentines..
Cry For Me Argentina
Testosterone Down
Convoluted Combo of Film Noir and Black Comedy Satisfies Neither Genre's Standards
Enjoyably Quirky But Never Quite Fulfills Promise

Testosterone
Starring: David Sutcliffe , Celina Font , Antonio Sabato Jr. , Jennifer Coolidge , and Leonardo Brzezicki
Director: David Moreton
Manufacturer: Strand Releasing
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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200 American

ASIN: B0006JMLAW
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Description

This dark film noir comedy finds Dean (David Sutcliffe of TV's Gilmore Girls & Under the Tuscan Sun) obsessed with finding his hot lover Pablo (Antonio Sabato, Jr.) who went out for cigarettes and never came back. Pablo's mother is played by Sonia Braga of Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Dean's boss is played by Jennifer Coolidge of Best in Show and the American Pie films.

Customer Reviews:

Aaah those Argentines.........2007-05-22

I kinda liked Testosterone. Wonderful setting, cool graphics, and great acting - especially Sabato and Font impressed me. However, it has a flat feel to it, and the script could be tighter. The lost American in a foreign country was well depicted, even though I lacked the intensity that was needed in Sutcliffe's growing obsession. He just looked cute to me - no offense.
The ending is quite confusing, and the alternate one in the deleted scenes is really bent (refreshingly so), but all in all, a solid 3 stars.

Cry For Me Argentina.......2007-04-13

"Testosterone"

"Cry For Me Argentina"

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

I would not call "Testosterone" a happy movie. It began as a novel which was written by a gay author suffering from bouts of depression. It is the dark story of Dean whose lover Pablo left him to return to his native Argentina. Dean tries to track Pablo down and encounters all kids of men during his search. The cast is wonderful with David Sutcliffe as Dean, Sonia Braga ("Kiss of the Spider Woman") as Pablo's heartless mother and Antonio Sabato Jr. as Pablo. Unfortunately the script doesn't seem to have much of a sense of direction.
The film is heavily nationalistic and political. Dean is the "ugly American". He lacks all social graces and his rudeness is his calling card. He goes to Argentina and shows no interest in the country whatsoever. He is an unlikable character in all aspects but he is unbelievably sexy. His testosterone is represented as brutal male power--he is violent, very sexual, vengeful and extremely compulsive.
Even with its flaws I found "Testosterone" an interesting movie to see. It is entertaining but it is not a great film. The locations shot in Buenos Aires are gorgeous--the trees are green, the sky is blue, and the cinema photography is lush. But we cannot take this movie too seriously especially after hearing the line that Dean says, "I'm just a fag with a gun who needs a chain saw.
So who is this Dean character? He is a Los Angeles writer of graphic novels who had been involved in a six month affair with Pablo Alesandro. One night Pablo went out to buy cigarettes and never returned and Dean begins a search for him which means he had to go to Buenos Aires where he hears Pablo has gone. His adventures begin there at the home of Pablo's mother. Across the street there is a mysterious character by the name of Sofia who obviously knows Pablo. It is later that we discover that Sofia's brother, Marcos, is a former lover of Pablo. To complicate matters even more, Marcos meets Dean and is smitten with him.
The movie takes a different direction than what we are used to. For one it does not adhere to the stereotype of gay men we see so often in movies. The gay men in this movie have humanity and foibles and flaws. But because the story loses its focus, the movie suffers completely. The ending is offensive and silly. It is hard to combine Cinema Noir
with humor unless it is satire. And if this movie is a satire, I did not get it.
The movie may sadden you and humor you at the same time and the way one man goes about finding closure reminds us that most of us have been involved in at least one bad relationship.
The beginning of the movie is intriguing and entertaining but as time passes it is easy to lose interest. And if this movie is a satire, I did not get it.
The movie may sadden you and humor you at the same time and the way one man goes about finding closure reminds us that most of us have been involved in at least one bad relationship.
The beginning of the movie is intriguing and entertaining but as time passes it is easy to lose interest. Perhaps if the script had been better, this would have been a dynamite film.

Testosterone Down.......2006-11-10

This movie was not what I thought it was going to be like. I don't know why a lot of gay themed movies are so violent. The best thing about this movie was David Sutcliffe and Anotnio Sabato, Jr. Both are good actors, but I thought they're acting was wasted in this movie. There is a lot of deception and foreign intrigue. I did like the outtakes and the alternate ending in the special features. I was very disappointed, I am sorry to say.

Convoluted Combo of Film Noir and Black Comedy Satisfies Neither Genre's Standards.......2006-09-22

This is one odd hybrid of a movie as it mixes Raymond Chandler-style film noir sensibilities with an oblique black comedy sense to present an overly convoluted story of obsession and betrayal. That still sounds promising until you actually watch the 2004 film and witness so much false posturing and so many ridiculous story turns that it ends up being an utter misfire. Director David Moreton has a talent for creating a suitably decadent atmosphere for the unraveling mystery elements, but he cannot set nor maintain an emotional tone that makes sense for the viewer. A major part of the problem is the disjointed, overly stylized script by Moreton and David Hensley that seems to aim for a gay variant of "Pulp Fiction".

The plot focuses on LA-based graphic novelist Dean Seagrave, whose idyllic relationship with boyfriend Pablo ends suddenly when he disappears. In his desperate search, Dean flies off to Buenos Aires where he faces barriers in Pablo's domineering spitfire mother and a strange pair of siblings with an unexplained connection to Pablo. The various twists and revelations finally lead Dean to Pablo but at a price neither expects. David Sutcliffe (now of "The Gilmore Girls") has usually been a likeable actor in small movie roles and larger TV ones, but with his first starring role in a feature film, he has been ill-served with an increasingly frustrating character. He responds by being alternately petulant and belligerent, the Ugly American prototype taken down several pegs due to his unfettered obsession. To Sutcliffe's defense, only a larger-than-life screen personality of the caliber of Nicholson or at least Russell Crowe could have any shot of success in the role.

In much briefer roles, Antonio Sabato, Jr., much ballyhooed for a frontal nudity flash, barely registers otherwise, while Sonia Braga hams it up as his mother. Somewhat better are Celina Font and Leonardo Brezizcki as the mysterious sister and brother, even though they have to play their roles so close to the vest as to become dramatically inert. Cast against type, Jennifer Coolidge is criminally wasted as Dean's aggressively indifferent editor. The preposterous ending simply compounds the pointlessness of the entire venture and the muddled motivations of the characters involved. On the debit side, cinematographer Ken Kelsch makes Buenos Aires look enticing, and composer Marco D'Ambrosio provides appropriately atmospheric music. The 2005 DVD contains an alternate ending, a couple of deleted scenes (including a striptease by Sabato), the original theatrical trailer and a making-of featurette, all of which provide limited prurient interest.

Enjoyably Quirky But Never Quite Fulfills Promise.......2006-04-12

Loosely based on the novel by James Robert Baker, TESTOSTERONE is the story of Dean Seagrave (David Sutcliffe), a graphic novelist who hasn't scored a popular work in some time--but who finds roundabout inspiration when his Latin lover Pablo (Antonio Sabato) goes out for a pack of cigarettes and never comes back. Why did he go and where can he be?

The answer unravels when Dean encounters Pablo's hateful mother (Sonia Bragio) at an art gallery and follows her to the family home in Argentina, where he receives grudging assistance from an attractive waitress (Celina Font) and her sexy brother (Leonard Brzezicki.) But all is not as it seems, and when Dean goes over the edge in his obsession the result is both wickedly funny and positively deadly.

TESTOSTERONE bills itself as a sexy black comedy, and the cast does indeed fit the bill; leading men Sutcliffe, Sabato, and Brzezicki are handsome beasts and Bragio and Font are stunning women, and they all play with a convincing touch. The problem is the script, which never quite fulfills its promise, and the film's final punch essentially requires the viewer to put two and two together and come up with five. Recommended, but only just.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Average customer rating:

Has you in the first moments
Another Christopher Nolan Masterpiece
If you liked memento, you'll like this one
It is like they dropped the slides of the movie and mixed it up
You'll Need To Pay Attention With This One. It's Worth It.

Following
Starring: Jeremy Theobald , Alex Haw , Lucy Russell , John Nolan , and Dick Bradsell
Director: Christopher Nolan
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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Primer

ASIN: B00000F3CD
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Amazon.com

Creepy intimacy, plenty of suspense, and a few surprises enliven this black-and-white treat from the director of Memento. Bill is a struggling writer who fills his time and mind by following random strangers he sees on the street. After breaking his own rule ("never follow the same person twice") he becomes fascinated by Cobb, a voyeur who takes things one step further--actually breaking into people's homes to sift through their things. As you might expect, the relationship soon becomes unhealthy. Writer-director Christopher Nolan already reveals a sure hand in this early neo-noir work. Like Memento, Following toys with timelines, jumping back and forth and carefully dropping bits of information exactly when they're needed. Short and sharp, Following features an intriguing plot line and fine, understated performances by the entire cast. Don't miss it. --Ali Davis

Description

An unemployed aspiring "writer" Bill (Jeremy Theobald) has a peculiar hobby, shadowing strangers at random in the streets of London. When Cobb (Alex Haw), a man Bill has been following, catches him in the act, Bill is drawn into Cobb's world of breaking into flats and prying into the personal lives of their victims. In Bob, Bill finds a strange companion - part mentor, part confessor and part evil twin. With an ingenious structure that involves flash forwards and doubling back, the film tests our knowledge and understanding just as the protagonist is being duped into an elaborate triple-cross. "Following" heralded Christopher Nolan as a promising new talent whose promise was amply confirmed with "Memento."

Customer Reviews:

Has you in the first moments.......2007-02-06

More than anything, I was struck in this movie by how quickly and easily the director and main actor were able to pry me out of myself and put me in the shoes of the main character. Before I knew it, I was joining in his main passtime of Following strangers to see their lives. I've never wanted to do this before, but it was instantly effective filmmaking, and I could see how people would be fascinated by this activity.

I won't give away any plot points, but there is a very satisfying and unanticipated storyline resulting from the introduction.

Watch it for 5 minutes and see how well the film puts you into unfamiliar shoes with your unknowing consent.

Another Christopher Nolan Masterpiece.......2007-01-11

Following is the first full-length film directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins). It certainly has the same feel as a Nolan movie, however, it's not quite as polished as Memento is. The film is short (only about an hour long), but its length serves as one of its strengths as you never lose interest in the story. The acting isn't exactly top-notch, but it's not really that kind of movie. Following is really one big showcase for the talent of Christopher Nolan. If you enjoyed his other work, you should defintely see this.

If you liked memento, you'll like this one.......2006-10-24

I have to say that Memento is the best movie I've ever seen. I decided to watch this because it's by the same director and I was wondering what else he could come up with. And I wasn't dissapointed. The movie is in black and white and jumps around the timeline in an interesting way, which keeps you focused and trying to figure out what's going on. I thought the general idea of the movie, about a guy who follows and watches random people, trying to figure out who they are and what they do, is quite original but at the same time common to everybody -- who hasn't wondered about the random person on the street (I sure have).

The way the movie is presented is involving and at times humorous. The way the camera is positioned you really get a feel for being right there, next to the characters and involved in the storyline.

The movie is just as good on the second or third viewing (like Memento), and that's definitely evidence to the fact it's good.

I would definitely recommend this movie to people who liked Memento; you won't be dissapointed with it.

It is like they dropped the slides of the movie and mixed it up.......2006-10-10

This movie is really fun because they mixed everything all around and made it confusing. Pay attention the other person is right. This movie is for people who like art movies. It is violent. Some people cannot follow it, but those who do love it. I really loved it. It is black and white so hopefully that does not turn you off, but it is really great. This is one you have to think with and pay attention to. This is not something to walk in and out of. It would not make any sense at all. Not one for kids. They will be really confused. It will take so long to explain it to them and still you may not be able to. A smart teen could probably understand it, but some adults cannot. If you are reading reviews I am sure you can. It is some great mental exercise and so much better than other movies when you want something of more substance.

You'll Need To Pay Attention With This One. It's Worth It........2006-03-04

Following is the one of the cleverest, smartest, toughest psychological thrillers since...well...since Memento. Bill (Jeremy Theobald) is an unsuccessful wannabe writer. "I've been on my own for a while," he tells an older man at the beginning of the movie, "and getting kind of lonely...and bored...nothing to do all day. And that's when I started shadowing." Bill will pick out a person and spend the day secretly following them around, seeing what they do and who they meet, what their lives are like. Fate, or something more sinister, takes a hand when he follows Cobb (Alex Haw) one day...and Cobb confronts him in a cafe. Cobb is about Bill's age, but he's smart and assured. And a thief. He breaks into people's flats and takes things, not just for the money. He convinces Bill, almost in a seduction, to follow him around while he does this. Bill is torn between fascination and unease, and fascination wins. Cobb explains to him that "interrupting someone's life is what it's all about. Making them see all the things they take for granted." One night Bill meets an attractive blond (Lucy Russell) in a nightclub owned by her boyfriend, an older, ruthless criminal who deals in drugs and pornography. As their relationship develops, so does his relationship with Cobb. Cobb may not be the best guy around to trust. Maybe not Lucy, either.

You might think the movie is a linear neo-noir until you realize that while some scenes are not in a linear context, they still provide clues to what's happening to Bill. In one scene he may be scruffy. In another scene more-or-less well groomed. He may have a bruise the size of a fist on his cheek with a white rubber glove stuffed in his mouth; in the next scene, no bruise, no glove. The scenes aren't in any chronological context, but they aren't random, either. They're great as a way to cleverly capture your attention and to make you suspicious of what you're seeing and of what seems to be happening. We realize Bill's story is a lot more complicated than we think, and that Bill's version doesn't seem likely to be the only version. The conclusion makes absolute sense when we look back at everything, and it is totally unexpected.

Nolan, who made Memento three years after Following, is a master at cleverly moving around pieces of a puzzle. If Memento was close to being a masterpiece of indirection, Following shows Memento wasn't a lucky one-shot. The movie, according to IMDb, was shot on a budget of about $6,000 on weekends. The cast and crew were friends, coworkers and relatives. It doesn't look like the work of amateurs at all. This is a fully professional film. The cast, incidentally, does an outstanding job. Only Russell seems to have gone on to a professional acting career. Theobald captures the feel of a person who doesn't just follow, but is essentially a follower. And Alex Haw as Cobb brings to the role all the competent, assured superciliousness of a young Rupert Everett, and that's intended as a compliment.

The movie was shot full frame and the DVD transfer looks just fine. There are a number of extras that fans of Nolan will most likely find of interest, including a Nolan commentary. For people who can't stand puzzles, one of the extras includes the ability to restructure the story chronologically.

Marlon Brando 4-Movie Collection (The Ugly American / The Appaloosa / A Countess from Hong Kong / The Night of the Following Day)

Average customer rating:

A spotlight on THE APPALOOSA, only
A meeting of classics for the true lovers of the seventh art !
The Greatest Actor Ever in Four Obscure Films!
A 4pack of brando which packs a punch
Great price - BUT - three out of four already on DVD...

Marlon Brando 4-Movie Collection (The Ugly American / The Appaloosa / A Countess from Hong Kong / The Night of the Following Day)
Starring: Marlon Brando
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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The Marlon Brando Collection (Julius Caesar / Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 / Reflections in a Golden Eye / The Teahouse of the August Moon / The Formula )
The Chase
The Fugitive Kind
Morituri
The Men

ASIN: B0007RTBA6
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Customer Reviews:

A spotlight on THE APPALOOSA, only.......2007-06-13

Matt Fletcher (Marlon Brando), is a tight-lipped loner who returns from the Civil War to his surrogate family in the border town of Ojo Prieto to settle down. When Matt's prize Appaloosa stallion (played by Cojo Rojo) is stolen by bad banditos and spirited away to Mexico, he goes after them with a vengeance. Somewhat slow, and the title character isn't in the movie all that much. However, since it's the only way to get this movie on DVD, the boxed set is recommended.

Staci Layne Wilson

A meeting of classics for the true lovers of the seventh art !.......2006-08-31

I imported this collection because in Brazil we aren't respected by the Universal Home Video, and here we only have access to the "poor titles", releasing for the mass public. However, the Amazon site is a "oasis" for us, fans of the cult films on the whole world. I'm a Marlon Brando's admirer, and this product was extremely satisfactory for me. An obligator item for collectors, which deserve captive place in my videoshelf! Recommended for the latin public, therefore the four films have subtitles in Spanish. But not in Portuguese, unhappyly... (Bad luck for the Brazilians, one more time!)

The Greatest Actor Ever in Four Obscure Films!.......2006-04-09

Here's a list of the 4 films featured in this collection:

1.) THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY (1968 -- 93 minutes): This is an ultra-realistic crime drama featuring Brando as one of four professional criminals who kidnap a girl (a young Pamela Franklin) and hold up at a beach house in France. Richard Boone stars as the fiendish member. Jess Hahn plays a likable loser, the brother of the pathetically drug addicted Rita Moreno. Filmed in France. At the time of this picture Brando was 44 years old and NEVER looked better physically -- very trim and blond. Brando didn't start getting fat until the later-70's when he was well into his 50's. In other words, people need to quit envisioning Brando as some fat dude; most of his life he WASN'T. Most men in their 40's would kill to look as good as Brando did at the this age. Personal Rating: 4/5 Stars.

2.) THE UGLY AMERICAN (1963 -- 2 hours): This is another ultra-realistic film, an impressive political drama featuring Brando as a new American diplomat in a Vietnam-like SE Asian nation that is painfully struggling between capitalist & communist factions. Eiji Okada plays the country's revolutionary leader, a previous best-friend of Brando who has become brainwashed by the communists. Shot on location in Thailand. The ending expertly depicts how the average American is unconcerned with the political conflicts of other nations. Personal Rating: 3.5/5 Stars.

3.) A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1967 -- 108 minutes): It's fun to see Brando in an atypical role in this silly slapstick romantic comedy. Sophia Loren stars as a Russian countess who stows away in a rich American's (Brando) stateroom on a cruise liner to escape a life of forced prostitution. Teppi Hedron is also on hand. This was director Charlie Chaplin's last film; he went into a depression after its box-office failure. The problem I have with this flick is that it's completely set-bound on the cruise liner; in fact, practically the entire film takes place in Brando's quarters. Personal Rating: 2.5/5 Stars.

4.) THE APPALOOSA (1966 -- 98 minutes): This is Brando's 'spaghetti western,' released at the height of this sub-genre's popularity. John Saxon stars as the villain who steals Brando's horse after severely beating him up while in a drunken stuper. Ajanette Comer plays the babe. The Southwestern scenery is spectacular! The best way I can describe this film is to imagine one of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns as if it were actually any good in terms of story. Let's face it, although Leone introduced a cool new style to the western genre, his film's STORIES were honestly quite unmemorable. If you disagree, try sitting through "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in one sitting without falling asleep. Or how about the two "Dollars" movies? I've seen them both a couple of times and can't remember anything about their actual storylines. "The Appaloosa" is essentially a revenge tale entailing Brando's trip to Mexico to get his horse back and kill Saxon. I wasn't all that impressed with the story the first time I saw it, especially since I understandably compared it with Brando's western masterpiece "One-Eyed Jacks" (a powerful precursor to the spaghetti western). The story in "The Appaloosa" is rather slow-paced and uneventful, with few action scenes. I saw it again recently and it dawned on me: The director and writer were NOT shooting for a run-of-the-mill western. In the mid-to-late 60's it became fashionable to make films as gritty and ultra-realistic as possible (disregarding Sergio Leone's westerns, which often contained goofy elements). Such was the case with "The Night of the Following Day" listed above (and to a lesser extent "The Ugly American"); this is also the case with "The Appaloosa." What would happen in REAL life if a man went to Mexico in the late 1800's and tried to retrieve his stolen horse? This picture shows exactly what might happen. Consider, for example, the cliched confrontation-in-bar-leads-to-fight scene; we naturally expect it to end in a brawl or shoot-out. It doesn't. In other words, it boldly sneers at western conventions. Or how about the final shoot-out with Saxon? Some have complained that it's uneventful. Yet, isn't that often the way such death-duels end in REAL life? I'll put it this way, don't expect "The Appaloosa" to play like a Hollywood blockbuster or typical spaghetti western with corny one-liners and unrealistic or goofy action scenes. Personal Rating: 3.5/5 Stars.

Despite the fact that none of these films rate 5/5 Stars, I rate the collection itself 5 Stars because it's a fantastic assemblage of fairly obscure Brando works (I never saw ANY of these pictures prior to getting this 4-pack).

Most people rave about Brando's famous films "A Streetcar Named Desire," "The Godfather" and "Last Tango in Paris." Personally, I'm not a fan of any of these overrated pictures, even though I admit "The Godfather" is a good film and can see why some regard it as great. In my view, believe it or not, every film in this 4-pack collection (with the possible exception of "A Countess from Hong Kong") is better than these.

If you want to witness how incredibly charismatic Brando was as an actor, check him out in any on these magnificent pictures: "Apocalypse Now" (the original 1979 version), "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962), "One-Eyed Jacks" (1961) and "The Young Lions" (1958).

A 4pack of brando which packs a punch.......2005-10-11

This dvd should be bought for it brings to life brando's overlooked movies.

The ugly american is a great political drama and brando is brilliant as the well meaning american ambassador to a country in south east asia. A good solid film which failed when it was released but deserves to get a second look.

The appaloosa is goood taught western and brando is in great form. Has some great lines and is very ably supported by the menacing JoHn Saxon. The arm wrestiling match with scorpions is a must watch.

The night of the following day has brando looking great and acting even better. This movie is an average kidnap drama which has its share of tense moments.

A countess of hong kong starts off well and then meanders away. brando is very good in some cominc moments and Sophia loren looks voluptous.

All in all there could have been some extra features in all the dvds about the movies, behind the scenes etc.

But this 4 movie collection highlights the fact that brando did not make trash in the 60s. none of these movies can be called ouright bad, infact 2 out the 4 here are good solid movies. But then the critics of the time were comparing everything brando did in the 60s to the stuff he did in the 50s which is not possible coz that kind of magic happens only once. He displayed that magic again in the 70s. which highlights the fact that brando was the greatest ever, period. The studios should get all his work on dvds with extra features and they will make a killing.

amen to that.

Great price - BUT - three out of four already on DVD..........2005-07-04

Universal is to be commended for releasing theme collections (how about W.C. Fields Vol. 2 please!!!) but this set really lets down the Brando fanatic that already purchased three of the four films in this set already (and now have to buy those three titles AGAIN because it's the only way you can get THE APPALOOSA.) Why didn't they include BEDTIME STORY - another obscure, underated Brando title in their vault?

Average customer rating:

COME ON - ENJOY IT FOR WHAT IT IS - ENTERTAINMENT
Excellent!
So-so
Solid Suspense Story
Secret Service agent framed

The Sentinel [Blu-ray]
Starring: Michael Douglas , and Kiefer Sutherland
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000K7VHI2
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Amazon.com

Clint Eastwood may be a little too old (plus he kind of already did his own version of this movie in 1993's In the Line of Fire), but Harrison Ford could have been The Sentinel's lead and lent the same kind of top-flight Hollywood superstar craft that Michael Douglas brings as a superstar secret service agent fighting a frame-up in a panicky countdown to peril. That the marquee name could have belonged to anyone with the same chops as Douglas is no slam to him, Ford, Eastwood, or anyone else of their ilk. The Sentinel is a crackling good thriller because everyone involved is working at the top of their game. Pete Garrison (Douglas) is on the presidential protection detail when another agent is murdered. A creepy informer tells Garrison about an elaborate assassination conspiracy that's related and well underway. Garrison also happens to be having an affair with the First Lady (Kim Basinger), the stress of which causes him to flunk a lie detector test when word of the plot to kill the president becomes more than just paranoia. Garrison is soon on the run, being hunted by his protege David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland, whose 24 experience gives his performance an extra edge). But Garrison is the best, using all his secret service wiles (and there are plenty, the details of which give added tension and authenticity to the taut script) to evade his former comrades as the clock ticks. You can often see the plot thickening a mile away, and as much as the movie wants to keep us guessing, the real bad guy is an easy mark for the audience. But the energy and kinetic skill which propel the action are always spot on and enough to keep us from caring about the giveaways. Co-star Eva Longoria is miles away from her Desperate Housewives role and miles away from any real import of character in the movie. But the rest of the cast and the whooshing forward momentum of style and anxiety are plenty to keep The Sentinel in full-tilt suspense mode from beginning to end.--Ted Fry

Description

There's never been a traitor in the United States Secret Service...until now. And the evidence points to Pete Garrison (Douglas), one of the most trusted agents on the force. Now on the run, with two relentless federal investigators (Sutherland and Longoria) hot on his heels, Garrison must fight to clear his name and thwart an attempt on the President's life before it's too late!

Customer Reviews:

COME ON - ENJOY IT FOR WHAT IT IS - ENTERTAINMENT.......2007-06-29

Why pick it apart unless it is really bad -------------
The Sentinal was great for what it was dealing with --- the Secret Service men and putting their lives on the line for the President - whether he is worth it or not.

Stories can be revamped over the years but the actors playing the parts lend much to the enjoyment -- "the affair" I could have done without - just makes one believe all the dirty laundry that is run through in Washington.

And we do need men of principle who will be willing to actually shot a friend if he is a threat. Way to go, Jack.
And there are too many innocent people being set up by the corrupt men and women floating around D.C.

I enjoyed the chase - the pace - the characters - most Secret Service guys are great --

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this movie for the story and the execution - the enjoyment of good entertainment.

Excellent!.......2007-06-22

I watched this DVD twice in one week. It's fast moving and will really keep your attention.

So-so.......2007-06-14

With all the talent involved -Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger and Eva Longoria-- The Sentinel should have been a better movie. The idea is not a bad one: for the first time in history, there's a traitor inside the Secret Service, who's planning to kill the President of the United States. But screenplay has a lot of holes and flaws that not even this talented cast can overcome.

Solid Suspense Story.......2007-05-29

I had a good time with this one. There were no real surprises, but everyone connected with the movie delivered great performances that allowed the story to progress at a rapid, suspenseful pace that never broke.

Michael Douglas stars as Pete Garrison, a seasoned Secret Service agent who took a bullet meant for Ronald Reagan. He's ageing comfortably well and spending his life in service to the office of the President as a personal protector to the First Lady. Unfortunately, Garrison has also